as great account of such in prosperity as in adversity Now it might have beene to the Baker a benefit if his want of due knowledge had not unfitted him to make it usefull that he had three dayes warning to fit him for death There is no man that can promise himselfe life for the space of three dayes but so easy are we to make and beleeve promises of life to our selves unlesse we see the time of our life most inevitably determined that we will hardly set our selves to prepare heartily for death unlesse we be made to see that now before such a time we must needes die But it is our duty to looke for that and walke prepared for it that may come every houre must come within a short time for what is the longest life when once the conclusion of it is come upon us Againe it was a benefit to the Butler he both knew he must be delivered and was delivered out of prison and retured to his place of honour againe To have a comfortable deliverance out of crosses is a benefit that we can easily discerne to be great who doth not desire it rejoyce in it pray for it and applaud others for it It is therefore a great goodnesse of God to grant it indeed if one have beene caught by some affliction through wrongfull meanes when nothing worthy thereof hath beene done by him it is a favour of God to make his innocency knowne and so to grant him a happy escape but howsoever it is a mercy But you see here it is a common mercy be thankfull for it walke capable of it by being such as God hath ingaged himselfe unto to deliver them out of all adversity And most of all make a good use of your crosses and deliverances both that you may be better after a crosse and that your deliverance may deliver you also from sinne Hee that getteth not some more grace in adversity then he had before it came and doth not use that grace after to shew himselfe to have profited by his crosse comes out of a crosse none otherwise then a beast may scramble out of a ditch and to such an one a worse thing shall befall afterwards And so much for this couple Now we proceed to Pharaoh himselfe King of Egypt we consider in him the same things his good and bad deeds the good and bad occurrents that befell him First for his good deeds Pharaoh was indeed an Heathen and an Idolater but he seemeth to have beene a man of good wisedome and morall parts the good deeds recorded of him in Scripture are these First having dreamed a divine dreame I meane a dreame sent to him of God for some speciall purpose he used all the waies he could to come to the knowledge of it and was much troubled when he saw that he could not attaine the interpretation of it For a dreame was but a kind of riddle or similitude offered unto a man in his sleepe which did darkely and yet truely represent some truth necessary for him to know Indeed sometimes God did appeare to his servants in dreames without any such darke and obscure revelations and in expresse and plaine termes did tell them the things which they were to know as in the dreames of Abimelech and of Abraham but many times he appeared to them alone in similitudes yet so that he made them know the meaning easily as in Iosephs dreames and in Iacobs dreame of the ladder now such an enigmaticall dreame being offered unto Pharaoh he sought all meanes of getting the interpretation of it surely we should much more seeke to attaine the knowledge of the Scripture and desire to have some to interpret the same unto us where it is doubtfull and obscure And if we neglect to seeke the meaning of it we shall doe as much wrong to our selves as Pharoah should have done to himselfe if he had sleighted this dreame for then should his land have beene consumed by famine as well as other lands Therefore since God hath appointed you his written word for your instruction in matters concerning salvation as then he pleased by dreames to reveale what hee saw fit unto men see that you seeke to know the word of God as he sought to know these dreames Onely know this that often the wise men and men of repute in the world cannot tell you these things but some poore imprisoned and neglected Ioseph This is Pharaohs first good deed Nex when he heares of Ioseph he contemnes him not because hee was a poore servant and of low degree but is carefull to send for him and to consult with him and by this meanes attaineth to the knowledge of that which all his inchanters wise-men and diviners could not helpe him unto Surely it is a point of wisedome not to sleight men because of their outward meanenesse but without prejudice to conferre with them if we heare good of them and to be ready to hearken to their wise words Can any good come out of Nazareth saith Nathaniel prejudice against the meanes of Christs birth and education would have kept him from Christ if he had not followed Philips advise who bid him come and see It pleaseth God to triumph over the folly of men that will measure things by worldly greatnesse and to give them over to undoe themselves In Ieremies time the Priests and men of note were opposite to him so Christ was therefore neglected because he was the sonne of a Carpenter Take heede that you measure not men by their high place and worldly accoutrements God is often pleased to sleight great ones and to respect the meaner In this case learne wisedome of Pharoah and judge not by the appearance Thirdly when he saw the high wisedome that God had given to Ioseph he prefers him and makes him chiefe ruler of his Kingdome next under himselfe and commits into his hand the care of gathering corne in the yeeres of plenty to serve against the yeeres of famine Oh how desirable a thing is it in Princes to commend men to high place for their worth sake And how happy is that nation when not a mans either friends or money or flattery or ambitious insinuations of himselfe but his parts the abilities God hath given him and fitnesse to discharge an high place is the rule which the Prince doth follow in advancing men It shall procure a world of welfare to the state and comfort to the Prince to whom the Lord giveth so much wisedome as thus to dispence places of preferment But I speake to subjects wee must be helpefull to our Soveraigne Lord with our prayers that is all which our hands can reach unto A fourth thing is Pharaoh continued to favour Ioseph all his life long and for his sake shewd great respect unto his bretheren and to his Father sending for him willingly and saluting him curteously and planting him and his in the fruitfull place of his Kingdome and fittest for cattle
the joy before your eyes and feare not any of these things that you may suffer An over-tender spirit is not fit to be Christs Souldier if you will raigne with him you must be crucified with him Arme arme my Brethren arme you are in the battell you must expect knocks but be not dismaied the victory shall be yours God will so stablish you that you shall not be driven out of the way of righteousnesse by any thing that Satan can do by the world and hee conquers that keepes close to the waies of righteousnesse what ever he suffer Wee have done with Abels life wee bring him to his death at what age we cannot shew you but in what manner and by whose hand we can tell you Here is a tragicall narration the murderer a bad man and a Brother the murdered a good man and a Brother and the quarrell goodnesse and the manner sodaine and unexpected and violent Flesh and bloud perhaps would finde fault with God why did not God protect Abel when the world had so few Inhabitants was it not pittie that one should be taken out of it so untimely and in such a manner and much more was it not pittie that the more godly and the more usefull should be so soone bereft of life It is a thing that a shallow wit is ready to impleade God for But God is such a ruler that will order things according to his owne perfect wisedome It shall be worse in outward respects with the good then with the bad the sinner shall out-live the Saint and flourish in the world when the other is rotting in the grave and why so that God may teach them hereby to looke for happinesse in another world that is to come that they may expect a better and induring substance in Heaven If in this life onely wee had hope wee were of all men the most miserable but We are dead with Christ and our life is hid with God in Christ When Christ shall appeare then shall wee also appeare with him in glory We must not therefore be offended at the miseries which befall the godly in this life but cause our mindes to look beyond the world unto the future recompence God were not just towards his people if there were not another world where they shall have their portion as the worldly minded have their portion in this life Now concerning Abels death consider we that it was violent and suddaine whereby we must be taught to walke alwaies ready for death and to looke for it in every place by such violent meanes as our selves cannot foresee in particular Who knowes when or where he shall die how soone and by what meanes he must leave this world afore he be aware Labour therfore to prepare for death every day get faith get repentance get new obedience get your sinnes pardoned and your selves sanctified that if death come sodainely yet it may not be sodaine to you because you have made your selves ready for it if we be thus fitted for death happie are we though it come without giving warning but if we have not so fitted our selves we shall be most miserable though our death be long and lingring and come not with any violence Yea we must learne to be thankefull to God for his goodnesse in protecting us against the rage of evill men that they be not able to cut us off in the midst of our daies as they would do if God did permit us to fall into their hands No good man that liveth but some Caine or other would soone dispatch them out of the world and doe the same thing for them that Caine here did for Abel for the sinner hateth the righteous and gnasheth against him with his teeth but the Lord will not give him into his hands It is a divine providence that maketh the godly dwell in safety in the midst of their enemies and walke in a fiery furnace and yet not be burned and lie in the den of Lions and yet not be touched by them Now therefore let Abels example put you in minde to be ready alwaies for death and to observe the goodnesse of God in saving you from the hands of sinfull men and spirits that they cannot destroy and devoure as their malice and might would cause them to doe if God did not incompasse you with his favour as with a shield We have done with Abel the next to be spoken of are Caines posterity of whom little is spoken because the Lord intended a very short story Caine begat a Sonne and called his name Henoch at the same time he was building a City and called it Henoch The word signifieth to initiate dedicate or teach perhaps because hee left the City to his Sonne to finish and to dedicate himselfe not being able to doe it because of his distempered conscience which made him wander as a fugitive This Sonne begat a Sonne also and called him Irad the word signifieth I thinke a City of one that ruleth of the Hebrew words Gnir that signifieth a City and Rad that signifieth to beare rule because belike he had finished that City and hoped to leave it to his Sonne to rule in it And this Irad begat a Sonne and called him Mehuiael which signifieth one that is destroyed or blotted out by the Lord God perhaps because God had laid sore punishments upon them at that time their sin increasing against him This Mehuiael begat Methusael which signifieth one that asketh after or requested his death it may be because then men were so afflicted that they grew weary of life * ⎠* THE FOVRTH EXAMPLE OF LAMECH c. THE roote of Woman-kinde were Adam and Eve The branches were 1. Bad Caine and Caines posterity 2. Good The first stocke Abel the second Caine and his posterity Now the linage of Caine is set downe in the sixth generation mentioning onely the eldest in a direct line Adam had Caine Caine Irad he Methuiael he Methusael he Lamech Lamech had two wives one Adah the other Zillah Adah had Iabal and Iubal Zillah had Tubal Cain and a daughter called Naamah shee is the first woman named after Evah perhaps because shee was a woman of great power and name in her time for her name signifieth faire or sweete or pleasant or beautifull and it seemes that in those times beauty began to be much set by Now for Lamech we must observe his faults I meane of his behaviour and the benefits he enjoyed and the misery that befell him His faults are 1. He corrupted the ordinance of marriage by taking two wives God at first made but one man and one woman and joyned them together and Adam said they shall be one flesh signifying that hee conceived it to be the will of God that one woman should serve for one man and addes A man shall forsake Father and Mother and cleave to his wife not wives But this man would not satisfie himselfe with Gods
his name And this seemeth the rather to be the meaning because there is little reason to thinke that Adam and Seth did not long before this apply themselves to the carefull worshipping of God in their assemblies and to take all good meanes to save themselves from the corruption of the Kaynites Or it may be rendered then it was begun to call by the name of Lord that is men began then to have that name given them of the sons of God and this I like best of all the three because in the beginning of the sixt Chapter which continues the story and the fift Chapter is but a digression put in to shew the age of the world at the floud it is said the sonnes of God saw the daughters of the sonnes of men Whereby it is apparent that to the men that professed true religion with Adam and Seth the name of the sonnes of God was given and to the rest the name of the sonnes of men The professors of the true religion were called sonnes of God that did worship the true God after the manner that God taught by Adam The other were called sonnes of men that gave themselves over to worldlinesse and vanity and prophanenesse for my part I suppose that before the floud there was no Idolatry because the Holy Ghost would not have omitted the taxing of that sinne as well as those it doth taxe if it had beene then used in the world But let us take the words to meane then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord and then it shall be added as a commendation of Seth that in his daies religion began to flourish more then ever before by his diligence joyning with his Father Adam much more respect was had to piety and greater numbers of men imbraced the profession of piety And this ought to be the care of every good man to further the progresse of true religion and to cause the name of God to be faithfully called upon of many Now of the rest of Adams seed there is a Catalogue made in the fifth Chapter of all the ancient Fathers from the first man Adam to Noah in whose daies the floud fell out by which it appeares of what standing the world was when it was growne so corrupt that the Lord could no longer endure the manners of it And in this Catalogue the Holy Ghost takes this order 1. He shewes of what age every one was when he begat his eldest sonne How many yeares he lived after the birth of that sonne 3. How old he was when he died The number of the persons are in all ten Adam Seth Enoch Cainan Mahalaleel Iared Enoch Methuselah Lamech and Noah Adam at a hundred and thirty yeares begat Seth and after lived eight hundred yeares and had more children in that time and died aged nine hundred and thirty yeares Adam was in truth the eldest man all things considered for though Methuselah out-lived him thirty nine yeares for he was nine hundred sixty nine yeares and Adam but nine hundred and thirty yet Methuselah was borne an infant Adam was made a perfect man the first day and in those times a man was but a child at thirty nine yeares for no question they would give their mindes to marriage in that newnesse of the world paucity of men and plenty of ground so soone as they were fit for it So Adams perfect estate at the first countervailed the living of forty yeares and more Seth he lived a hundred and five yeares and begat Enos and living eight hundred and seven yeares begat divers more children and ended his daies at nine hundred and two Enos lived ninety yeares and begat Cainan c. as you may reade in the story Nothing is mentioned of any one but the length of his life the time when hee had his first sonne and that hee had more sonnes Onely of Henoch it is noted that he walked with God that is lived a most holy life and that he died not at all but was translated after hee had lived three hundred sixty five yeares The Lord shortned the daies of his pilgrimage and rewarded his singular piety with taking him up to Heaven soule and body immediately without dying He was changed without any separating of his spirit from his body and in him we have an example what should have beene the course that God would have taken with all men if man had continued in the state of innocency viz. he should not have died soule and body should never have departed one from the other but after a man had proceeded in godlinesse till hee had gotten so large a measure of it as in this life hee could for though Adam were perfect habitually yet not actually I meane though hee had an ability to attaine perfect knowledge of God and the creatures yet hee had not yet actually gotten all such knowledge as hee was to get both of God and of the creatures then should he have beene translated into Heaven to see God immediately and to know him better then in this life he could be knowne Sinne entring caused death had not that come in we should have gone to Heaven without death as this Henoch did Now out of all these things written concerning these Ancients the direct parents of our Lord wee gather this that death is common to all and how long soever a man lives at last hee must leave the world and therefore we learne two things principally First to prepare for death that whensoever it befalleth wee may change for the better not for the worse and this preparation for death must be not alone a little before it comes or at the houre of its approach but in the whole course of our life by beginning early to repent and continuing daily to turne and renew our repentance that so we may get an assurance of our being taken from earth to Heaven for he that begins unfaignedly to turne to God and so continues hee shall surely be saved and for the most part shall obtaine before his departure hence an assured apprehension of his salvation Therefore hee must as Henoch did walke with God in a continuall care of obeying him and labouring to hold fast a constant perswasion of his favour and love to him in his Sonne for it is testified of Enoch that he pleased God so that what in Genesis is called a walking with God that S. Paul calls pleasing of God and also that by faith he was translated that he should not see death even by his beleeving and resting upon Gods mercy for so it is said he beleeved that God was and was a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him which finding himselfe to do he resolved that God would reward him So must each of us walke with God constantly resolve and indeavour to please God in all things and retaine in our selves an assured peaswasion that God will graciously accept and reward us in Christ with giving us life eternall and
did shew his goodnesse to Noah and gave him dominion over all creatures and power to eate flesh which before God had given them no warrant to doe and therefore I suppose the godly did not usually unlesse in sacrifice if then And herein the Lord was gratious to Noah that for his sake he made a covenant And he was a figure of Christ in whom the Lord did make a covenant with all mankind then the second time not to destroy them with eternall destruction if they would trust in his mercy and repent of their sinnes For this temporall covenant was a shadow of that eternall into which all mankind was againe admitted through Christ that was to come But they did soone cast of this covenant in running to other gods which may seeme to be the onely sinne that then did cast the committers quite out of the covenant other sinnes did keepe them from injoying the good things of the covenant but this did cast them out of it altogether so that having runne into that they were no longer in the covenant Now see Gods grace more fully to us that hath renewed this covenant which is in Christ more evidently and take we heede of casting our selves out of it againe by following strange Mediators and Jesusses as I thinke the Papists doe Whosoever doth seeke to any other merits but only those of Christ thrusts himselfe out of the covenant of grace and Christ is become of none effect unto him Lastly Noah had two Godly sonnes and this is a singular favour to give a man a Sem and Iaphet if he have a Cam and that all his sonnes be not discoverers of their Fathers shame Lastly after 950. yeares Noah died and so must we all after not so long a life O therefore prepare wee for the comming of death that it may not take us away in the midst of our impenitency * ⎠* THE SEVENTH EXAMPLE OF HAM NIMROD Babilonians I Have offered to your consideration the Examples of the Old World I proceede to speake of the World that now is as S. Peter calles it 1. from the floud to Abraham and then from Abraham to the death of Ioseph for there the Booke of Moses called Genesis is concluded Now here first I will set before you the bad examples of bad men then the good examples of good Of the bad we have Cam Nimrod particulars and the builders of Babel in an heape as it were and of the good wee have Sem and Iaphet and the godly posterity of Sem whose geneologie is noted to shew the age of the world till Abram First J will begin with Ham and note his parentage and life for of his death in particular Moses hath made no mention For his parentage he was the son of Noah borne to him before the floud after his 500. yeare for to that age lived he before he became a Father and after that in the whole time of his life hee had no more children God of purpose it may seeme giving him but few children because his minde was to begin the present world with a few as he did the first with one man that so his blessing in the large increase of mankinde afterwards might be more evidently discovered But the youngest sonne was this Ham. Now for his life I marke three things in it First the great benefits God bestowed upon him Secondly the great sinnes he committed Thirdly the great punishments which God inflicted upon him for his sinnes First God vouchsafed to save him in the Arke from the Deluge of waters so that he perished not with the world but escaped with his Father and Brethren It was a speciall and singular favour to make him one of the few that is eight persons that were delivered from the raging waves and enjoyed the benefit of a miraculous preservation of that little handfull of men whereof the Church visible did then consist Wee see that one was an Hypocrite a dissembler a wicked unsanctified man who though he continued a professour of the true religion and worshipper of the true God with his Father and Brethren yet was destitute of true piety and continued gracelesse a servant of sinne voide of due reverence and charity towards his aged Father Gods Minister and the most holy man of all those times and served God with them alone in outward forme and fashion For had he beene truly good he would not have run into so foule a sin at least he would not have persisted in it without repentance as he did See then that the Lord shewes a great deale of patience long-suffering and goodnesse to hypocrites in the Church and maketh them partakers of all outward benefits and priviledges which are bestowed upon the Church so did Ishmael live in Abrahams family a long time and Esau longer in Isaacs So Core Dathan Abiram and the rest of those rebels and murmurers were brought out of Egypt passed thorough the sea saw the miracles and did eate Manna and drunk water out of the rock and were shadowed with the cloud and conducted by the pillar of fire among the rest of the sons of Iacob And I pray you to take heed by this warning of priding and pleasing your selves in this that you be members of the Church escape divers punishments enjoy many mercies live in good esteeme among the godly and carrie away as great credit as any other men in the Church All this befell Cham a wicked Hypocrite and at last a damned Reprobate It is a dangerous thing to flatter our selves in a bad estate and to couzen our selves with false arguments making our selves to trust upon a false conclusion and to judge our selves Gods children and in the state of salvation upon such reasons as have no verity nor stability in them You live in the true Church so did Cham you live amongst godly men have beene borne of godly parents have beene instructed in the doctrine of godlinesse so was Cham you have escaped great punishments enjoyed great benefits and beene well reputed of by godly men all this befell Cham and all this notwithstanding Cham was cursed and damned and so may you In after times the Jewes bragged of the Temple of the Lord and the Temple of the Lord are we and yet the Lord rejected them and cast them out of his sight In Christs daies the Jewes bragged that Abraham was their Father for Iohn Baptists warning would not serve the turne to make them forbeare such idle boasting of their Pedigree but our Saviour telleth them that the Divell was their Father yea Iudas himselfe was one of Christs Familie and Disciples and Apostles and trusted with the bag and yet a Divell O therefore beguile not your selves with ill grounded hopes and build not upon a rotten foundation If you say unto mee why then you leave us in uncertainty and affoord us no sure pillar upon which to ground our hopes I answer not so but I will turne you to
that tie their horses to the rack-staves and fill themselves with drink or victuals Then his last good deed is he makes hast about his businesse to tell it and set it a foot for he would not eate till he had done his errand and then he effects his businesse fully for he rose up betimes in the morning and would not stay one day but with all speed returnes to let his Master see his good successe O that you servants would all be such servants faithfull diligent in your Masters affaires religious devout prayerfull thankfull on all occasions and carefull of the beasts and other goods committed to your charge and returne home when your businesse is dispatched Now faults in him the Lord shewes none as I said before for the cause then mentioned Benefits he had foure very great 1. That God gave him a godly Master 2. That God gave him favour in his eyes so that he trusted him with all he had 3. That God made him a true Christian for bond and free are all one to God And lastly that he prospered him and brought him safe and with good successe to his Masters house You that be servants pray for these blessings Beseech God to make you his free men and if God grant you favour and good successe in your journeys learne to be very thankfull for it And for his crosse it was this he was a servant to be a bond-man is a lesse desireable condition as Paul intreateth saying if thou maist be free use it rather but it is an easie crosse if a man can meete with so godly a Master and be accepted with him hence S. Paul saith care not for it you that must live by service grumble not at this crosse For your service is not a bondage for life but alone as apprentices for a certaine time or as hired servants from yeere to yeere murmure not at the meanenesse of your estate but frame as this man to be faithfull and godly and you may live as happily here and get as much glory in Heaven hereafter as your Masters * ⎠* THE ELVENTH EXAMPLE OF LOT his VVife and Daughters AFter the Example of Abraham and his Family wee come to those that lived in the same Age with him particular persons and whole Cities and peoples Among particular persons I will begin with Lot and then speake a word of his wife and daughters For himselfe when and of what Mother he was borne it is not recorded but wee have notice of his Father who was Haran the brother of Abraham who died before his Father in the Countrey of Mesopotamia The death of Lot is also concealed in Scripture so that we cannot acquaint you when he ended his daies nor where But in his life we must observe what good is found in him and what evill and secondly what things he met withall in his life both good and bad First for his goodnesse in generall he hath the testimony of the Holy Ghost by the pen of S. Peter that he was a righteous man It is said there that God delivered just Lot as also that righteous man dwelling amongst them vexed his righteous soule This is proofe enough of his goodnesse and it was necessary for the cleering of his name that the New Testament should testifie of his righteousnesse because the narration of his life in the old leaves him in such a case as would make the Reader afraid least hee had quite falne away from all goodnesse but Peters testimony is proofe enough that the committing of that great sinne did not take him of from the number of the righteous No sinne is so great but repentance wipeth it so cleane away that the offender is righteous and must be so esteemed notwithstanding the grievousnesse of his crime Now let each of us labour to get true righteousnesse that though this title be not bestowed upon him by the undeceivable pen of some Author of holy Writ yet hee may heare it pronounced by our blessed Saviour at the last day when standing on the right hand he may be blessed with the blessing of the righteous And let me be bold to turne my speech unto you that have beene and are the grievousest sinners If you lament your unrighteousnesse rest on Christs righteousnesse and hereafter studie righteousnesse in your lives you shall enjoy the happinesse of righteous men at last There is a seeming righteousnesse a meere Pharisaicall paint when a man carries himselfe blamelesly to men ward at least in respect of the grosser acts of evill This will save no man at the last nor comfort him in time of temptation there is a true and reall righteousnesse which will undoubtedly save them which can be so happie as to get it and of this true righteousnesse there are two sorts one of the Law it standeth in a perfect conformity of heart and life unto the exact rule of Gods Law And if there had beene a Law given which could have given life doubtlesse righteousnesse should have beene by the Law but now the Scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ may be given to them that beleeve So now we must have a righteousnesse by promise that is by the Gospell for that of the Law is too high for us And the righteousnesse of the Gospell is twofold one without us performed by our blessed Saviour for us as a surety paies the debt for the debters use and benefit by which we stand just before God and have our sinnes pardoned and are accepted to salvation When we have so seene our own misery as to goe quite out of our selves and rest alone upon Christ for all good things according to the promise The other is within us it is a gift bestowed upon and wrought in us by the Spirit of God alwaies and inseparably joyned with the former by which we are manifested to our selves and to others to be just and it standeth in a true desire and indeavour to know and leave every sinne forbidden by God and to know and doe all good workes required so that we still continue to humble our selves for our failings and to seeke unto God for pardon and helpe in and by Christ and his Spirit This righteousnesse of faith which denominates him in whom it is righteous you must all get else you shall never attaine eternall life It is a thing appointed of God in such perfection of goodnesse and wisdome that it cannot be found in any Hypocrite seeme he never so good and will surely be found in any upright hearted man be he never so weake never leave striving till you have gotten it and gotten certaine knowledge that you have it Dost thou in thy heart see and acknowledge thy selfe to be a cursed sinner by reason of thy corrupt nature that is derived to thee from Adams loynes and thy wicked life whereby thou thy selfe hast actually
betake your selves unto any sinfull meanes of escape but rather choose to die then to sinne against God as knowing death to be no great matter but sinne to be an hatefull thing and worse by farre then death And how should this undaunted and spirituall fortitude be attained but by conversing with death often in your thoughts so as to get some good assurance that it shall not be able to carry you to the region of darknesse to eternall death but alone to let you out of this dungeon into a roome farre more lightsome and blisfull He that thinkes much of death so as to make himselfe carefull by frequent renewing of his repentance and amendment of his life to get his salvation assured to himselfe shall at last be happily armed against the feare of death and shall be made so resolute as to choose rather to die then sinne Againe if you finde so much weakenesse in any of Gods Saints with whom you live as you finde recorded in the story of Isaac I pray you be no harsher so them then you be to him Tell mee what thinke you of Isaac was hee a godly man or not if you say no you contradict the Scripture if you say yea then you must learne not to deny to another the name of a good man because you meete with the like disorders in him that are here noted in Isaac if hee feare too much if hee hath used some sinfull meanes to escape death or other danger Nay a man ought not to deny himselfe the name of a man truly sanctified because hee findeth the same imperfections in himselfe To call in question ones being sanctified in respect of the hanging on of such weakenesses is to nip and discourage the worke of grace and to hinder the growth of it no lesse then a cold frost doth hinder fruites from growing But Isaac telleth a manifest lie Lying is a sinne and the lying tongue will bring destruction but to bee so transported with some present passion as to be thrust into the mire of lying is such a thing as may befall a godly man Come and take heede that you doe not imbolden your selves to lie by abusing this and the like Examples but rather resolve and pray against it as knowing in how much danger you stand of falling into it For though to bee over-taken with this sinne in hast doe not disproove the truth of sanctity yet to be a lier one that makes account that this is so small an offence that hee will not be so precise as to forbeare to helpe himselfe by it if need be this is a proofe of a man that hath not yet gotten any sanctity Lying is a sinne so plaine that scarce is it possible to be ignorant of it but through wilfullnesse because a man refuseth to be willing to know that fault which hee is not willing to leave For no man can choose but blame it in another and therefore his inward soule doth plainely tell him that it is also naught in himselfe Now to live purposely in a knowne sinne resolving that hee must and will doe it if occasion serve this is to be a worker of iniquity Remember therefore the word of S. Paul Put away lying seeing you have put off the old man intimating that hee hath not cast off any part of the old man that hath not throwne away this rag of it Lying will breed boldnesse to sinne hard-heartednesse in it impudency after it Therefore you must determinately conclude with your selves to put away lying and speake the truth one to another In these two things Isaac sinned against GOD and himselfe But his sinne against Abimelech was in that hee was like to have drawne him occasionally into a great sinne hee did that which might easily have hazarded him to thinke of making Rebekah his wife that is of committing adultery It is a sinne to become a stumbling blocke to another by doing that which may make him bold to doe a thing that is sinfull as Abimelech complained to Abraham and also to Isaac take heede that you become not stumbling blockes in a more palpable fashion by inticing perswading exhorting giving evill example or the like Be carefull not to partake with other mens sinnes and if you can call to minde any thing done by your selves in the like nature viz. such an act as might have pulled another to wickednesse though the ill effect have not followed yet you must repent of your uncharitablenesse and rashnesse herein Another fault of Isaacs is this that he had too great respect to good fare he loved his tooth and palate a little too much he was an aged man and hee gave himselfe a little more then enough to savoury meate and his love to good fare carried him so farre awry in his affections that he loved Esau more then Iacob Gen. 25.28 Surely it was too great a love to Venison that caused him to love a worse sonne above a better This is a weakenesse against which it is needefull to strive our sensuality inclineth us unto it wee are apt to thinke it no sinne may not a man use Gods benefits and enjoy the comforts of this life in good measure why should not hee fare well that hath much given him by God But sure to be so over-ruled by ones palate that any disorders be bred thence in ones life towards any person or thing cannot but be a sinne for all these excuses Doe not wee know that cockering of the body doth likely depresse the soule and the feeding of the belly and pleasing of the taste doth breed an aptnesse to be lesse delighted with better things Thus you have Isaacs faults First Forgetfulnesse of Gods promise Secondly Carnall feare of death Thirdly Lying to prevent danger Fourthly Scandalizing Abimelech Fiftly over-loving his worser sonne and Sixtly Over-loving good fare We will goe on now to consider what blessings he enjoyed First Spirituall God pleased to make his covenant in him and to bestow the birth-right and blessing upon him and therefore also did appeare to him and blessed him Gen. 25.3 4. and after Vers 24. It is a singular favour of God to give a man spirituall blessings to make him his childe to appeare to him and comfort him by giving him assurance that hee is his childe and confirme his Faith in his gracious promises This is the greatest favour to blesse us with spirituall blessings Ishmael had the terrene but Isaac had the spirituall blessings these were given also to Iacob as a singular prerogative It is an admirable favour indeede to enjoy these for they will not cease at the end of this life but will continue till another life and will bee perfected in another life eternally I pray you consider whether God have vouchsafed these unto you hath he caused you to feare his name hath he made you to beleeve his promises hath he appeared to you in his word and ordinances and given you some happy apprehension of his
nothing will grieve us more when wee have lost them then that wee have abused them nor comfort us more then to remember that wee have kept them in order and bestowed them holily And indeed they bee things apt to bee abused a 1000 waies Prevent all these abuses and put on a contented minde if God see it fit to be deprived of them getting such a clearenesse of inward sight that the comfort of that may supply the want of outward eyes Hee that hath an understanding given him to see God and Christ to see Heaven and things spirituall may easily misse the sight of other things but ah how comfortlesse is a blind body joyned with a blind minde Take heed that this great darkenesse fall not upon you for what can this bee but even a fore-runner of utter and everlasting darkenesse Further Isaac in his state met with divers crosses the Philistins envied him chased him from them wronged him by stopping his Fathers Well and by unjust striving with him for those he himselfe had digged these bee crosses and such as trouble the nature of man and seeme hard to beare but this good man wrestled with them Prepare your selves therefore to be envied and wronged and to have enemies that will contend and quarrell with you causelesly and be carefull to get Gods favour that the malice and injuriousnesse of men may not be able to hurt you but that God may blesse you the more by how much men doe more envie you wrong you and contend against you as it befell to Isaac For God prospered him and comforted him the more by how much the world did more grudge at him and seeke to disquiet him Labour therefore to get Gods favour that you may have a patient a cheerefull minde the in middest of the greatest injuries In the meane time expect such evill usage and strive to be able to beare it without vexation and discontent which are things more troublesome then the crosses themselves Further learne to be thankfull to God if hee have pleased to keepe you from spight wrong and strife that either you bee not envied or else those that envie you have not had ability to wrong you and contend against you It is a great goodnesse of God so to hedge about a mans estate that no man hath beene able to breake in upon him to hurt him and it is neither mens wit nor greatnesse that can procure unto them this safety but it is God alone that maketh them to dwell in safety Let our hearts be lifted up to praise him that hath so incompassed us with his favour as with a shield But next Isaac was crossed in his children First in that hee continued long without issue whereas God had promised him issue and the hope of his salvation depended upon the performance of his promise for out of his loynes was that seede to proceed in whom all Nations were to bee blessed and yet hee was married twenty yeeres afore this promise was fulfilled So long did God exercise his faith with delay Learne to beare with patience Gods deferring of his promises and not to let your hopes slip but still to trust on God and waite for him who will come in due time though hee satisfie not our hastie and over-eager desires Hold to the promise of God it shall be fulfilled at length though wee bee made to tarry somewhat long for it that wee may bee better fitted to receive it with thankefullnesse The longer a good thing is desired and deferred the more abundant comfort it yeeldeth when it is come But secondly Esau prooved a crosse to him in two things First that hee tooke into the house two such ill conditioned Maides as were a griefe of heart to Isaac and Rebekah Gen. 26. ult This is a bitter crosse to bee pester'd with unquiet froward unruly and wicked daughters in Law that shall make one weary of his life and like evill and bitter sauce take away the sweetnesse of all other comforts Learne to bee thankefull if you have escaped this crosse and if God have provided such yoake-fellowes for your children as by their dutifull and loving carriage doe make the comfort of your lives more abundant framing themselves to content you in all good and lawfull things as if they were your owne sonnes or daughters It is a great satisfaction to see ones children so happily matched Let not this benefit bee sleighted and passed over without particular thankes And now prepare for this crosse or if you bee under it labour to beare it so as not to bee made weary of life but enjoy the rest so thankefully that the bitternesse of this may bee sweetened and allayed And pray to God to direct your selves and your children so in their choice or yours for them that they may not stumble upon a torment unawares and learne in choosing to choose for grace rather then sinister respects so may you hope to bee directed aright and to get a true benefit Againe Esau was a crosse to his Father in his malice against his Brother whom hee purposed to kill and would not keepe the thought to himselfe so but that it uttered it selfe If Isaac knew not of it hee was not afflicted with it but if hee did hee could not but take it heavily Thanke God if hee have not given over your children to such malice one against the other and if you lie under this misery make it as easie as may bee by telling yourselves it was Isaacs crosse and yet God kept it from ever comming to execution But Isaac was crossed in Iacob too for hee lived a stranger from him twenty yeeres so that hee did not enjoy him Is it not a griefe to have a good childe as it were banished and restrained from dwelling with his Father for so long a time whose company his love makes him to desire every day But Isaac lived to see much rudenesse in his Grand-children for hee out-lived Iosephs selling into Egypt and was afflicted in Iacobs uncomfortablenesse under that crosse Blesse God if it have not happnend so to you and if it have mutter not for what are you that you may not be put to as much hardnesse as Isaac And lastly Isaac died at 180 yeeres a long life indeed for those times but it ended in death and buriall and so must each of yours even a great while sooner O therefore study to bee prepared for it THE SIXTEENTH EXAMPLE OF REBEKKAH REbekkah was the wife of Isaac of her birth and death the Scripture is silent We are therefore to look into her life wherein observe the good shee had and did the evill she did and suffered The good she did First whilest she lived young in her Fathers house She was a Virgin untouched by man Gen. 24.16 No man knew her It behooveth young women to behave themselves so modestly and shamefac'dly that they may bring themselves unto their own husbands undefiled Therefore the holy
her hate him Their hatred made him a slave her hatred made him a prisoner bondage and imprisonment brought him acquainted with the chiefe Butler made himselfe known to Pharaoh and so brought him up to this exceeding height of place Blessed be God for his goodnesse to his people no man shall hazard himselfe to temporall misery for conscience sake but God will requite him with a hundred fold at least more comfort here as well as with life eternall hereafter Let Iosephs wages make you not afraid so farre as you are called to it to doe Iosephs worke that is to say and doe good and forbeare evill though you incurre hatred and danger and much affliction thereby Lastly Ioseph was blessed too in his posterity to make his wellfare up fully he lived to see the sonnes of Manasseth and Ephraim his two sonnes and he lived to see the part of the birth-right even the double portion conferred upon his children and that by the mouth of his Father inspired by God when he made his last will Iacob adopted his two sonnes to himselfe to make two Tribes and God made them both great but especially the younger he made him a principall Tribe for possessions and command afterwards and this also is some satisfaction to a Father if he know that his children after him shall flourish for many generations O that we could feare God and follow true vertue and piety as Ioseph did that he might blesse us also as he did him in our selves and posterity in our state and our name in our bodies and in our soules and in all that pertaineth to us according to his promise And let all that feare God be assured that so farre as is good for them the Lord will give them prosperity in these things for he made the same promises to all his people and will confirme them so farre as they are capable and it may stand with their spirituall good Now you have heard of Iosephs life conclude we with the conclusion of his life his death For neither honours nor favours nor grace nor any thing could keepe death away and it must befall me and you and all that now live and are to live hereafter onely marke that he dyed a godly and comfortable death for in the cloze of his life he made profession of his being an Hebrew not an Egyptian by taking an oath of them for the carrying of his bones into the Land of Canaan gave them a promise of their returne thither which was also an exercise of his faith to demonstrate his comfortable expectation of life eternall whereof the Land of Promise was a figure You are not ignorant Brethren that within the compasse of an hundred yeares a minute being compared to eternity the whole number of you must be as well as Ioseph dying and dead men Be intreated to divorce your hearts from sinne the cause of death from the world which at death you must leave and from men which cannot helpe you neither in nor after death and labour to get righteousnesse which will deliver from death some assurance of heaven that ye may have a place of comfort after death and interest into Christ who can save you from the hurt of death And these things if you attaine you may triumph over death with Pauls question Death where is thy sting else death will triumph over you with the question of Christ Whose then shall be these things of which thou gloriest So much of Ioseph THE TWENTY SEVENTH EXAMPLE OF IOSEPHS STEVVARD ONE person alone remaineth to be spoken of whom wee cannot name to you for the Scripture giveth him no name at all He hath a good name a good report in Scripture for a good man but no name that is no particular surname or proper name by which he was usually knowne and distinguished from other men of his Country or progenitors of his birth or death we have nothing but he is set forth by his relation to Ioseph he was Iosephs Steward for as Ioseph sowed so did he reape what a kind of servant and Steward himselfe was to Putiphar such a kind of Steward in some degree did God provide for him He himselfe was a good servant to his Master and himselfe being a Master enjoyes a good servant to himselfe many times the Lord sees fit to bring a mans good deeds into his owne bosome a good child to his Parents hath good children himselfe a good servant hath good servants and so in the rest Let this incourage you that be in the place of servants to performe your duties diligently unto your domesticall Rulers your Masters for by this meanes you may lay up for your selves a comfortable hope of being served with like care and diligence your selves God no doubt hath a speciall hand in disposing of servants to every Master it is he that ordereth things so as such a man hath good and such a one bad servants men often use great care to choose a servant and meete with a very bad one contrary to all their hopes and care againe sometimes by meere casualty almost men light upon a very good servant More particularly his carriage was good to his Master and to the strangers brethren to his Master but not by him knowne so to be 1. Teachable they learnt some knowledge of the true God from him The God of your Fathers saith he and your God hath given you this treasure How came this man to know a distinction of Gods How came he to know that they had a God of their owne peculiar to them and to their Fathers which was not then acknowledged to be the God of all the world Egypt had many Gods this man acknowledgeth one God and that one God which was acknowledged and worshipped by these men and by their Forefathers It is not likely that Ioseph told his Steward that these were his brethren but it is undoubtedly manifest that they were some such as he knew to be worshippers of the true God which hee knew by some few men to be worshipped in the Land of Canaan Therefore you see how kindly he speakes to them that a man may even perceive by his words that they were so much dearer to him because they pertained to that God This was the more observable because he was an Egyptian servant O that all you which be servants to godly Governours would learne some goodnesse from them even to know and serve God you all have some knowledge of that one God but learne also the feare and love of that God the sincere and carefull worship of that God from your Governours that would fain teach it you and would count themselves happy if you would learne it from them But for a servant to live in the family of a Ioseph that laboureth to teach godlinesse unto him by word and example and yet declares no sense nor feeling of God no knowledge or respect of him how great a sinne is this and how
wirh him 2. Dealeth plainely with him 3. Hee dealt bountifully with him Abrahams good carriage to strangers Heb. 13.2 Abrahams faults before his calling James 3.2 His first fault idolatry Abrahams faults after his calling 1. Weakenesse of faith 1 Sam. 27.1 Exod. 6.12 2. A carnall feare of death Psal 118.6 Psal 23.4 3. He dissembled 4. He drew Sarah to sinne so farre as to indanger her chastity A double ignorance 5. Abraham had two wives 3. Abrahams benefits 1. Temporall 1. For himself 1. A good wife 1 Pet. 3 6. A good wife a great blessing Prov. 18. â—2 Prov. 9.14 Prov. 31.10 11 2 He had children Psal 127.5 3 He had good servants especially one 4. Abraham had good kinsmen 1. Lot 2. Nahor 5. Abraham had faithfull friends Prov. 18.24 5. Abraham had a good name Eccles 5.13 A great and famous victory Isa 41.2 3. 2. God did doe good to others for Abrahams sake 1. Blessed Lot and delivered him 2. Blessed Isaac giving him goods and goodnesse He gave also abundance of outward things to Ishmael Shewed favour to him after his death Psal 112.6 Abrahams spirituall blessings 1. He was called from a false religion to the true Gal. 3.8 2. Spirituall blessings 1. God made him gratious promises 2. Appeared to him many times to renue those promises 3. He entred into a covenant with him and his seede after him Abrahams crosses 1. He changed his countrey and left his fathers house Psal 45.10 Mat. 10.36 2. Was uncertaine where he should dwell 3. Suffered crosses 1. In Lot his kinsman 4. His wife Sarah was twice taken away from him 5. Sarah was barren 6. There fell out a great jarre betwixt him and Sarah 7. Sarah died before him Gen. 23.3 8. He suffered in Hagars ill carriage to Sarah and in her running away being with-child 9. Hee was made to divorce Hagar and send her quite away 10. Hee was forced to thrust Ishmael out of his family 11. Hee was crossed in Isaac many wayes Heb. 11.19 Abrahams death 1 Pet. 3.6 Sarahs birth Her life 1. Her vertues 1. Her faith Heb 11.11 2. Shee obeyed her husband Gen. 18.6 1 Pet. 3.1 1 Pet. 3.6 3. Shee reverenced her husband A double feare Gen. 18.12 1 Cor. 11.3 7 â— Shee was a loving Mother and nursed Isaac her selfe Gen. 21.7 5. Shee apparelled her selfe modestly 1 Pet. 3.5 1 Pet. 3.3.4 1 Tim. 2.9 10 Sarahs faults 1. Shee was weake in faith Gen. 18 12. Ver. 11. Ver. 14. Heb. 11.11 2. Shee being â—ngry â—alâ—ely accâ—sed her husband Gen. 16.5 Verse 6. 3. Shee was somewhat too rough with Hagar 4. She dissembled at her husbands request 5. She lyed Sarahs benefits 1. Shee vvas a holy vvoeman 2 Shee had a godly and rich husband that was well esteemed 3. Shee had a godly childe 4. God delivered her twice out of a misery into which she had cast herselfe Sarahs crosses 1. She was barren a long time 2. Shee was sleighted by her maide 3. She was taken from her husband into the house of Pharaoh and Abimelech Her death Her age onely of all women is mentioned in Scripture Hagar nothing in Scripture of her birth or death It is probable she feared God and why Her life 1. Her Vertues 1. Shee was obedient to her governours 2. Shee told the truth Gen. 16.8 3. Shee submitted her selfe to her Mistresse aâ— the Angels commandement 4. Shee was thankfull to God for his goodnesse in bringing her home to Abrahams family 5. Shee was patient 6. Shee was carefull to provide her sonne a convenient wife Sarahs faults 1. Shee grew proud 2. Shee ranne away from her Mistresse Her benefits 1. She was one of Abrahams servants 2. Shee had the favour of her Master and Mistresse Ephes 6.3 Tit. 2.9 Pro. 14 35. 27.18 3. She received great mercies from God 4. Shee had Ishmael and a promise concerning him Her crosses 1. Sarah used her hardly 2. Shee and her son were cast out of Abrahams family 3. Shee saw her sonne ready to die with thirst Gal. 4.21 Ver. 22. Ver. 23. Ver. 24. Ver. 25. Ver. 26. Gal. 4.29 Keturah Ishmael His Vertues 1 He was outwardly conformable and obedient to his father 2. He submitted himselfe to his father to be banished out of his house 3 Hee ioyned with Isaac in his Fathers funerall 4. He was ruled by his mother in marriage His faults 1. He mocked his brother Ephes 5.4 2 Was a wilde man 3. Hee was a quarrellsome fellow Gen. 16.12 His Benefits 1. Deliverance from two great dangers 2. God provided water for him when hee was ready to die for thirst 3. God himselfe gave him his name Gen. 21.17 Joh. 9.31 4. He prospered much in the world His death See Ainsworth on Gen. 25.17 Eliezer The Scripture saith nothing of his Birth and Death nor of his faults His vertues 1. He proceeded warily to an oath 2. Carried himselfe well to Abraham 1. Hee used speed in performing his oath The iourney was about 300 miles Mat. 5.33 Psal 15.4 2. He served his Master religiously 3. He praised God for his good successe 4. He was discreete 5. He had a care of his Camels 6 Was diligent and made hast about his businesse Col. 3.22 Ephes 6.5 His benefits 1. God gave him a godly Master 2. He had his favour 3. He was a true Christian 4. God prospered him His crosse Hee was a bond-man Abrahams Contemporaries Lot His death is not mentioned in Scripture His vertues He was a righteous man 2 Pet. 2.8 A twofold righteousnesse Gal. 3.21 22. The righteousnesse of the Gospell is twofold Lots particular vertues 1. He left his owne Countrey and Fathers house 2. Hee was troubled at the evill conversation of the Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.8 Psal 119.136 So in drunkennesse 3. Hee was hospitall Heb. 13.2 1 Pet. 4.9 Christmas 4. He intreated the Sodomites to desist from their villany 5. He sought to deliver his sons in law 6. For a good while he kept close to his Unkle Abraham His faults 1. He chose to dwell in a fertile place among sinfull men 2. He continued to dwell in Sodome among great sinners 3. He offered his two daughters to the Sodomites Rom. 6.2 4. He lingred in Sodome till the Angels tooke him by the hand Job 2.4 6. Hee was twice drunken His benefits 1. God gave him repentance 2. He and his were delivered out of the burning of Sodome His afflictions were foure Lots wife Her benefits 1. Delivered from Captivity 2. Delivered out of the burning of Sodome Her sin shee looked back to Sodome Her punishment Lots daughters had no vertues their vices 1. They agreed together about two grievous crimes Gen. 19.31 Qui semel verecundiae limites transiluerit graviter impudentem esse oportet Their owne sinne they make their Father drunken Their speciall sinnes Abrahams confederates Their vertues 1. They were friends to Abraham It is a good thing to be a a friend to the godly Prov. 13.20 Mat. 10.22 Acts 28. 2.
PROTOTYPES OR THE PRIMARIE PRECEDENT PRESIDENTS OVT OF THE BOOKE OF GENESIS Shewing The Good and Bad things They did and Had Practically applied to our Jnformation and Reformation By that faithfull and painefull Preacher of Gods Word William Whately late Pastour of Banbury Together with Mr. WHATELYES Life and Death Published by Mr. Edward Leigh and Mr. Henry Scudder who were appointed by the Authour to peruse his manuscripts and printed by his owne Coppy Vivitur Exemplis Praecepta ducunt Exempla trahunt 1 COR. 11.1 Be yee followers of me even as I also am of Christ EXOD. 23.2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill 1 COR. 10.11 Now all these things happened unto them for Ensamples And they are written for our admonition LONDON Printed by G. M. for EDVVARD LANGHAM Booke-seller in Banbury MDCXL TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL THE MAIOR THE VVORSHIPFVLL THE ALDERMEN AND BVRGESSES AND THE REST OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWNE AND PARISH OF BANBVRY Right Worshipfull c. AS I could not but congratulate my owne and your happinesse in the injoyment of your worthy Pastours labours so both I and many other Christians do now condole your misery in the losse of the good Authour The greater your happinesse was the greater now is your misery and I feare many of you prized not the blessing so much as you should have done and that you knew not the greatnesse of the benefit so well by the fruition as now by the want of it At Banbury even amongst you was your Pastour borne and bred and there he lived and died Ministers are called Incumbents so was he being diligently resident in his place they are stiled Lights so was he like a candle or lampe which spent himselfe to give light to others He spent his means and strength amongst you and as himselfe in his sicknesse said He sought not yours but you Of all the Ministers that ever I knew so experimentally he was the most unblameable in his conversation I had the happinesse to live almost a yeare with him in his house neare foure yeares under his Ministry and to be esteemed by him one of his faithfullest friends I have cause to blesse GOD for him whilst I live since it pleased him by his meanes not onely to reveale many saving truthes unto mee but also to set them on with such power as I hope I shall never forget them Oh with what life and zeale would hee both preach and pray and how strict and watchfull was hee in his whole life being as every good Minister should be Blamelesse Sober Just Holy Temperate of good Behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach a lover of good things and good men Hee studied to approove himselfe unto GOD a workeman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth He propounded to you the Examples of holy Writ and was himselfe whilst he lived an Example and Patterne of all good works If that saying therefore of Austins be true So many as a man shall edifie by a good Example for so many he shall receive a reward of a blessed life than surely he hath now received a full reward for all the good hee did by his holy life unto those with whom he conversed In a word hee was a most pious and accomplisht Divine for his ministeriall parts and paines as one of his neare Friends said truely hee might sooner bee envied than matcht and equalled being in this like Saul higher than his brethren by the head He was well skilled in both the Originall tongues being able to render the Text out of his Hebrew Bible or Greeke Testament to another in our mother tongue as familiarly almost as if it had bin English For the Arts he was a good Logician as his exact Analysis of the ten Commandements sheweth a good Philosopher as his Sermons in manuscript on the 104. Psalme doe witnesse a good Rhetorician or Oratour as his printed Treatises aboundantly testifie Hee had words at will and could readily and aptly expresse himselfe in his Sermons which gift of Elocution is requisite if not necessary for a compleate Divine He had by long Experience gotten the art of preaching and he wrote a tract concerning that subject hee had an excellent faculty in characterizing or fitly describing a vertue or vice or any other thing and though he had no common-place-booke of his own yet he could treat of any subject I might also extoll his other indowments and without danger of exceeding magnifie him for his strong naturall parts his solid judgement and tenacious memorie and commend some vertues wherein hee excelled to your imitation as his Humility Mercifullnesse Beneficence Laboriousnesse and Diligence in his Calling and then also shew how comfortably he died being full of heavenly speeches and godly Exhortations Therefore I passe from himselfe to this Opus posthumum this first worke of his which since his death came to light viz. Sermons on all the Examples or Historicall part of Genesis which Booke containeth a briefe and short Story of the things done from the beginning of the world to the death of Joseph for the space as it is thought by some of 2309. yeares by Doctor Willet of 2368. yeares Examples are not unfitly compared unto looking-Glasses wherein one may behold as well what to eschew as what to follow So you should follow the Faith of Abraham and Obedience of Isaack but shun their lying and dissembling follow Noah and Lot in their Righteousnesse and Zeale but shunne their drunkennesse and incest And because an Example of a Person living amongst you may bee more prevalent with some then the Examples of others though singularly holy whose vertues they onely read of as a Sermon delivered Viva voce doth more affect then the same reade out of a Booke So walke therefore as you had him for an Example and bee you followers of him as hee was of CHRIST in the Graces before mentioned and all holy conversation Remember him who had the rule over you who hath spoken unto you the Word of GOD whose Faith follow and Charitie too for Master Whately was the most bountifull Minister to the poore I thinke in England of his meanes your Consciences will witnesse that hee hath often pressed and urged this Dutie upon you and as hee was earnest in perswading his Hearers to beneficence so hee practised the same Himselfe entertaining some poore widdowes or necessitous Persons weekely at the least at his Table and giving the tenth of all his Estate that way and see how GOD blessed him for the same his Estate as himselfe told mee prospered the better after hee tooke that course and in his sickenesse hee comforted himselfe with that Promise Psalme 41.1 3. Blessed is hee that considereth the poore the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing O follow him therefore who by Faith and Patience inherits the Promises let
his good Example and wholesome Instructions provoke you to all holinesse that you allso may partake with him in that happinesse of which hee is now fully possessed Your true Christian Friend Edward Leigh TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Reader AMidst the numberlesse number of Bookes wherwith in this scribling age the presses are oppressed there is scarcity enough of such as are usefull and profitable As therefore the Art of Printing was a happy invention for the propagating of learning so surely wee are beholding to those who write such things as are worthy to be published Since as one saith Hee that speaketh profiteth for an houre but he that writeth profiteth for ever This subject thus handled by this worthy deceased Authour is an unbeaten tract few if any having gone over the Exsamples of Scripture in such a doctrinall and practicall way both It seemed to me in the preaching both pleasant and profitable pleasant in regard of the explaining of divers stories profitable in respect of the particular application of all Hee being according to his manner large and lively therein Had it pleased God to have continued him in life untill hee had finished all the Examples of either Testament such a worke from so able a Divine would have beene of singular use But he was Frumentum Dei as Ignatius said by Mortification and Selfe-denyall Hee was made cleane bread for Christ who was the bread of life for him God therefore hath gathered this wheate into his garner and he now rests from this and all other labours We thinke fitting also to give others to understand which be M. Wheatelyes owne workes done by himselfe and such as they may account genuine viz. those onely which come forth either in our names viz. EDWARD LEIGH HENRY SCUDDER or with an Epistle at least from one of us You may observe in the beginning of this Treatise what was M. Wheatlies constant method in handling the Examples In each person hee considered three things His Birth Life and Death In his Life he observed his carriage and behaviour in respect both of the deeds hee did good bad indifferent and doubtfull and the things which befell him either prosperously or adversly in benefits or afflictions This shall suffice in briefe to premise concerning this Worke and so wishing thee much benefit by the same I rest Thy hearty Well-wisher EDWARD LEIGH THE LIFE AND DEATH OF Mr. WILLIAM WHATELY LATE Minister of the Word at Banbury in the County of Oxford written by Henry Scudder Minister of the Word at Collingborne-ducis in the County of Wilts IT hath beene a commendable use in the Church of God from the Primitive times downe to us that the lives of some or other especially of the more famous Ministers and lights therein have beene written by men who best knew and had learned what their lives and conversation was This they did not onely to vindicate their names from the slanders of the wicked who will speake evill of all that oppose their evill wayes and also that the dead might bee duely honoured but chiefly that the living by their good Examples might glorifie God for them and be edified This writing and printing the lives of worthy men is like the engravings with the point of a diamond raising up for them an everlasting monument upon which the light of their Faith and good workes is made to shine before men that seeing their Faith and holinesse they may follow them and may also praise God for his graces in them and for the good which hath bin done by them and so glorifie their Father which is in Heaven I have beene earnestly intreated to write the Life and Death of M. William Whately late Pastour of the Church of Banbury I was made choice of the rather because of that intimatenesse of Friendship which was betweeene us and because of our long acquaintance being of the same time in the famous Vniversity of Cambridge and of the same Colledge and Chamber and having the same Tutor and afterward when wee were both placed in the Ministery wee lived sometime together in one house and a great while neare one another and were also nearly allyed I know none that had like meanes to know him more thoroughly then I. I have therefore not unwillingly set pen to paper and doe here in all plainenesse and sobriety of truth reckon up and report his life and death in a short summe that those who will may read and make their use of it For in many things hee may bee a lively patterne to us his Bretheren in the Ministery of the Gospell of Christ and the like in many things for the imitation of all that desire to live godly in Christ Iesus This M William Whately was borne at Banbury a burrough Town very well known in Oxfordsbure His Parents were both of them forward professours of the Gospell of Christ and of the power of Godlinesse and Religion according as it is now mainetained in the Church of England They were both of chiefe note and place in the Towne his Father being oft Major and a long time a standing Iustice of Peace in that Burrough His Mother was a rare woman for naturall parts but chiefly for Piety Diligence in her Calling Frugality and Mercifullnesse to the poore She was a right Lois or Eunice in breeding up this her Son as shee did her other Children in the Knowledge of the holy Scriptures from a child His Parents trained him up in his yonger daies to learning settiâ—g him to the best Schooles that were in those parts where he profited in learning as also hee did in the Vniversitie above most of his equalls in yeares This hee did by reason of the Excellency of the naturall parts which God had given him namely a quicke apprehension a cleare judgement and a most happy memory His ripenesse in Grammer learning in Latine Greeke and Hebrew was so earely that about the fourteenth yeare of his age he was sent to Christs Colledge in Cambridge where God provided him and me a Tutor one of a thousand for Pietie Learning Diligence in reading unto and in a most loving and wise care of governing and godly instructing of his pupils In the Vniversity he was an hard Student and quickely became a good Logician and Philosopher a strong disputant and an excellent Orator He delighted much in the study of Poetry and the Mathematiks Hee was a constant hearer of M. Doctor Chaderton and of Mr. Perkins who at that time were famous Preachers in Cambridge And it was our Tutors manner to cause all his Pupills to come to Prayers into his Chamber every evening and hee called all the under graduates to give account of what they had heard upon the Lords day and when any of us were at a stand and non-plus hee would say Whately what say you then hee would seldome faile but repeate as readily as if he had preached the Sermon himself By this he did win our Tutors love
and of all that die in the Faith of our Lord Jesus to whom bee ascribed all Might Majestie Dominion and Glorie both now and for ever more Amen This Man of God and faithfull Minister of Christ departed this life upon Friday the 10. of May Anno Domini 1639. neare the end of the six and fiftieth yeare of his age Feb. 25. 1639. Imprimatur THOMAS WYKES Banburies Funerall teares powred forth upon the Death of her late pious and painefull Pastour Mr. William Whately deciphered in this Sympathizing Elogy I am that Orbin which of late did shine An heav'n enlightned starre with raies divine Which did arise within mee and dispence Light life heate Heav'n-infusing influence And went before me steering right mine Eye Vnto the very place where CHRIST did lye He was a Cynosura in my motion To Heaven's bright haven on this worlds vast Ocean Or as the Aegyptian Pharos to descrie The rockes of sinne and errour to mine Eye Hee was my Glorie Beautie Consolation My very soule I but the Corporation I would goe on with bleedings to recite His and mine owne sad fall but I can't write Throbs shake mine hand and griefe my sight destroyes And when I speake ah teares doe drowne my voice Yet will I sigh and give my sorrowes pent Within my breast by mournefull breathings vent Come then speake sighs write teares and sadly storie The dark Ecclipse that hath befell my glorie My Starre is falne and Heavens did so dispose That there he fell where he at first arose The Starres above us thus their races runne Returning thither whence they first begunne But did I say hee 's fallen Stay me there He is translated to an higher spheare Where though to th' world he is obscur'd he may Shine forth unvailed in a purer ray Fixt to an endlesse rest in heavens bright throne Above all starry Constellation But ah alas Death hath dispos'd it so That his rise prooves my fall his weale my woe His weale my woe strange what a change is this My welfare was but now in wrapt in his But thus Death innovates and did he not Tell me that he Commission hath got And warrant for his fact from heavens great King I would have brought him into questioning Ah death what hast thou done Dost thou not care To make a breach which ages can't repaire So rare a Frame in peeces for to take VVhich Heav'n and nature did combine to make A Master-peece For who did ere behold So sound a spirit in so strong a mold Heaven's treasure which within his breast abode VVas by his liberall tongue disperst abroad All Graces gave a meeting in him even To make his breast a little map of Heav'n His lips distilled Manna and he stood Not so for Church-goods as the Churches good His voice it was a trump whose sound was made VVith breath divine which it from Heaven had His life a dayly Sermon which alas Methinkes was measur'd by too short a glasse Ah Death though Painters give thee holes for eyes Yet thou canst see to take the richest prize To hit the fairest mark yet I suspect It was my sinne which did thine hand direct My light had I improov'd it well for gaine VVould have remaind els lights sha'nt burn in vain Yet sure he is not dead for why I find Him still surviving in my breast enshrin'd And who can say that he 's of life bereaven That lives in 's works inpious hearts in Heaven He 's but a sleepe by death undrest not dead Or hath but changd his dresse for he in stead Of these sin-staind ragges of mortality VVeares a pure robe whose length's eternity M. B. EXAMPLE I. OF Adam and Eve AS all other knowledges are conveniently taught by Precepts and Examples so is that best of knowledges the art of living holily Hence it is that as I have instructed you to my poore ability in the Law and the precepts of good life so I doe now intend to set before your eyes the Examples recorded in Scripture of Men both good and bad that by observing the swervings of the one and the right walking of others you may better keepe your owne feete in the streightest paths Onely concerning Examples you must know this thing in generall that no Example at all hath the force of a precept either to binde the consciences of men to any thing as a duty or to restraine from any thing as a sinne because the knowledge of sinne is from the Law and where there is no Law there is no transgression and our care must be to walke in Gods waies not in the waies of any man whatsoever But Example prevaileth alone to perswade the will as a fit argument of Exhortation or Dehortation not as an argument to proove a thing needfull or sinfull Seeing then my duty is to perswade you to all goodnesse and to disswade you from all evill and the Examples of Scripture are undoubted and certaine and they offer themselves as it were unto the sences and so more worke on the will to allure or deterre I thinke it a convenient meanes of helping you in all righteousnesse and against the contrary to make a collection of those Examples of good or bad things which are left us upon record by a divine pen and I will range these Examples according to the order of time wherein they lived so farre as I can informe my selfe thereof by the Word of God And I will begin with Adam and Eve and put them both together because their good and evill was put togeher in practise thereof The Method I intend to take in each person is this I will consider his Birth Life and Death and in his Life I will looke to his carriage and behaviour in respect of the deeds he did good bad indifferent and doubtfull and the things that befell him either prosperously or adversely in benefits or afflictions Now for Adam and Eve because they were the first fountaines of mankind and therefore could not be borne in the same manner as others be for he that is borne must have a Parent and he that hath a Parent was not the first man or woman because his Parent was before him therefore I cannot tell you any thing of their Birth but of their entring into the world by another way which was to them the same in effect that our begetting and birth is to us I will informe you according to the Scriptures for it much concernes us to understand our originall and to know certainely how mankinde came into the world Know then in summe That God made Man of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soule Here is in briefe the Creation of Adam now Adam signifieth red Earth because his body was made of such kinde of Earth and concerning Woman it is noted that God caused a deepe sleepe to fall upon Adam and then tooke one of his ribbes
soveraigne Lord over him and had full power and authority to forbid him what he saw good to forbid and to command what he saw good to command So the Lord did here call Adam to a profession of his absolute subjection to God his Maker and of Gods absolute right to himselfe and all other creatures and to this prohibition he subjoynes a threat of death In the day that thou eatest it thou shalt certainely die in dying thou shalt die Doubtlesse the Lord meant this of both deaths naturall and spirituall and it is to be interpreted thou shalt become subject to a naturall and to an eternall death thy body and soule both shall be made in their kind mortall Thy body subject to such putrefaction and distemper as shall cause it to be an unfit receptacle for the soule and thy soule subject to such sinfullnesse and distemper in its kind as shall make it unfit to hold any fellowship with God and so thy soule shall be separated from thy body and both from God the life of thy life in this same phrase is the wicked man threatened by the Prophet at Gods appointment O wicked man thou shalt die the death that is most surely die and be damned The Lord did not meane that naturall and eternall death should instantly follow upon their eating but obnoxiousnesse to both and some degrees of both should follow instantly and at last the consummation of both with an implicite exception of his grace in Christ in pardoning him Lo now Adam had from Gods own mouth an expresse and plaine Commandement wherein he was directly forbidden one and but one tree with warrant for the use of all the rest and a plaine and expresse threat of death to begin to insue immediately upon his eating And this Commandement either God himselfe or else Adam had made knowne to Evah for you heare that shee doth both alleadge it and oppose it to the Serpents temptation at the first Now this Commandement so plaine so easie so equall that hee could not be ignorant of it nor incurre any inconvenience by yeelding to it nor picke any exception against it This Commandement which both of them knew full well did they transgresse and that very speedily How long they continued free from the sinne I know not because I find it not revealed and will not conjecture because the not revealing it by God makes mee thinke it is not to much purpose to know If the first act of eating were that of the forbidden fruit it is a great aggravation of their sinne that they transgressed Gods Law in a manner afore they did any other thing if they stood any while it is a great aggravation that after much experience of Gods bounty they would be bold to offend him and taste of the forbidden fruit after the feeling of the sweetnesse and goodnesse of other fruits but it was not long afore they did eate and it was likewise done upon a poore motive the temptation of a base Worme and it was yeelded unto without much resistance for not many words passed them before Eve had condescended You have the Storie of this sinne in Gen. 3.1 c. where is first the Tempter a Serpent the most naked or subtilest of all beasts then the temptation in the matter of it and the successe The matter The Serpent said to the Woman hath God indeed said you shall not eate of every tree of the garden in which hee would make Eve either doubt of Gods Commandement or else be discontent with it as if hee had dealt niggardly with them in not permitting them to eate of every tree or as if the forbidding of this were as much as if hee had prohibited them all the trees intimating that this was as good as all the rest and the not giving them this as much as the deniall of all the rest Then the Womans answer telling him that he had allowed them all the rest and forbidden this alone and that on paine of death then the Serpents reply in which he contradicteth Gods threat that the Woman might not give credit unto it for he tells Evah that they should nor certainely die yea not onely so but that God knew well enough how eating of that tree would procure to them an increase of knowledge then the successe of the Temptation is that shee beleeving the Serpent and conceiving that shee should gaine knowledge by the eating and considering the beauty and pleasantnesse of the fruit did not alone eate of it her selfe but also gave her husband perswading him also to feed of it which he at her perswasion did Thus was the first Commandement utterly transgressed which so soone as it was done they began to have sence of their nakednesse and sewed figleaves together to make them aprons for the covering of their nakednesse which now began to appeare shamefull unto them This was their first sinne upon this followed divers other sinnes viz. their running away from God and hiding themselves among the trees as if it had beene possible for them so to have escaped his sight and then excusing their fault he by laying the fault partly on Eve which gave him and partly upon God which gave her to him and shee upon the Serpent which had seduced and beguiled her So they had done evill and sought to hide their sinne instead of confessing it and humbling themselves for so sinne blindes the minde hardens the heart drives a man from God and sets all the minde out of frame estranging the soule from God and causing a man to be filled with slavish feare that makes him flie from his presence This sinne brought terrour of conscience from whence of necessity followed sinfullnesse and mortality This is their bad carriage Doubtfull and indifferent may seeme to have beene their making of them aprons of leaves for that shewed some shame and desire to hide their shame Now follow the things that were good in them viz. their imbracing of Gods goodnesse and turning to him by Faith and Repentance after the promise intimated in the giving Eve the name of Evah or Mother of all living as much as if he had said though we be all dead by this sinne yet wee shall live by the promised seed which Evah shall bring forth and then Evah giveth the name of Caine to her first sonne saying I have obtained a sonne the Lord or of the Lord perhaps expressing her hope that Caine was that sonne the Lord which should bruise the Serpents head and after calling the second sonne by the name of Abel to signifie their submitting themselves to the crosses and miseries which they felt and after bringing up their sonnes in a calling the one a Shepheard the other a Husbandman and in teaching them to worship God and to bring gifts and sacrifices to him the one of his sheepe the other of the fruits which the land did affoord Now consider we the benefits God had bestowed upon them before their
fall the making of them after his owne Image in knowledge righteousnesse and true holinesse with a most beautifull strong swift healthie and comely body free from all danger of sicknesse death or other misery giving them dominion over all creatures planting so excellent a place for them as Paradise and granting them the use of all the trees and that of life and putting on them so pleasant a service as that of dressing and keeping the Garden besides the hope and assurance of Eternall life upon condition of their obedience of which Paradise it selfe and the tree of life were signes unto them For if wee should live the life of glory by obeying the Law so should they have done seeing they also were under the same Covenant of workes that we be under Now after their sinne God bestowed divers benefits on them The chiefe was the promise of a Saviour viz. The seede of the Woman to tread on the Serpents head that is to destroy the Divell and the workes of the Divell and to deliver them from the mischiefe which Satan sought to bring upon them By which words he did make the Covenant of grace with them and their Posterity providing a remedy equall to the disease and the meanes of revealing it to all in that be manifested it to them that they might teach it to their children and so one to another till all knew it and then making them Breeches and continuing their life and granting them children These be the benefits The miseries they felt were pronouncing a curse upon them adjudging them to an inavoidable necessity of naturall death to much sorrow in their life he by tilling the ground which should bring forth ill things to him and that with sweat and labour and shee by bearing children in sorrow and by being compelled by subjection to her husband then by casting them out of Paradise debarring them the tree of life and giving Caine over to kill his Brother better then himselfe which must needs be an heavie crosse to them which God did somewhat mitigate by giving them another godly sonne even Seth. This is their life their death followes Adam lived 900. yeares and for Eves death it is not mentioned how long shee lived for God hath not thought it fit to tell us the length of the life of any woman except Sarah in Scripture upon what consideration it is hard to guesse but sure it is to humble womankinde that because they were first in bringing in death deserved not to have the continuance of their lives recorded by Gods pen. So have I briefely runne over the first man and the first woman And now I will make use of all First from their Creation and the benefits bestowed upon them in and after their Creation let us learne to acknowledge God to be our Creator the Fountaine of our being and to submit our selves wholy to him in all things seeing we have received our being from him for in making them he made us in them and whatsoever benefits he gave him in Creation he gave them to us in him seeing if he had not cast them away we should not have wanted them Wee must not lesse praise God and be lesse thankefull for that happy estate because Adam forfeited it for his naughtinesse in sinning cannot diminish the goodnesse of God in granting to him and his so great a heape of pleasures here with certainty of Eternall life after Doe you not see that God made us all to happinesse and life in our first Parents fitting all things so that he might have stood and delivered over all those benefits unto us Let us not murmure against God for the punishment justly inflicted upon us in them and on them for the sinne committed by them especially wee must praise God for the promise of the seed of the Woman which now God hath performed to us by whom salvation and life was offered and tendered to all so that by the second Adam all might have received happinesse as they lost it by the first if the fault had not beene and were not meerely in themselves that have beene and are carelesse of Gods goodnesse neglecting to consider of his mercy to beleeve in him and to turne to him Secondly in Adams sinne let us all see our owne sinfullnesse and our mortality and misery in his misery For by one man sinne came into the world and by sinne death and so death passed over all This sinne is our sinne after a sort we must lament it and bewaile it and be humbled for it and in the sence of our wretchednesse runne to the promised seed to deliver us from sinne and death and to repaire the Image of God in us by the mighty worke of his Spirit which is as easie for him to doe as to create us just at the first and which he will as certainely performe for us if we seeke it as hee did then in our first making Againe let us learne to hate and loath sinne and Satan not to hearken to his suggestions but to beleeve Gods threats and submit to his Commandements let the husband resolve not to obey the voice of his wife against God let the wife take heed of drawing her husband to sinne let the husband rather reforme her then be corrupted by her O beware of thinking to get any thing by doing wickednesse disobedience will bring nothing in conclusion but misery and unhappinesse Let us take heed of flying from God and of excusing our faults and casting the blame upon others chiefely upon God himselfe as Adam did but let us rather confesse lament and trust in his mercy and implore it then dawbe and dissemble and thinke to escape by frivolous shifts and extenuations and especially learne not to be proud of apparell which is no better then a badge of our wicked rebellion and of our shamefull nakednesse Let us be the better for the things we know concerning Adam and Eve our first Parents Againe let us be carefull to follow them in all good deeds which they did O let us repent and beleeve in Christ hoping for life by him according to the Covenant of grace as they did when they had broken the Covenant of Workes For by trusting in Christ we shall goe to Heaven in the way of Evangelicall obedience standing in a resolution and indeavour not to sinne and a carefull humbling our selves and seeking pardon when we faile as sure as they or we should have done in the way of Legall obedience if they and we had remained innocent and God will as surely inable us to this Evangelicall obedience if we seeke to him for grace and the renewing of his Image in us as hee had inabled him to Legall and exact obedience In truth Christ hath made the way to life eternall as easie to us in the path of the Gospell as it was to him in the path of the Law for wee have grace to keepe us from loving and
servnig sinne as sure as hee had power to abstaine from committing sinne Say to your selves Adams sinne shall not damne mee if in sence of the misery which it brought upon me I can fully seeke to Christ the promised seed Further let us follow him and her in that was good in both How did Adam accept his wife saying This is flesh of my flesh and shee shall be called Evah and a man shall forsake Father and Mother and cleave to his wife O you husbands love your wives as your owne flesh cleave to them above all and forsaking all other keepe you onely to them You wives be content to be subject to your husbands as it is sure Evah was before her fall at least and probable after too for we reade of no braules betwixt them O joyne together to bring up your children well first in some honest calling then in the knowledge of the true God and care of worshipping him I say teach your sonnes and daughters things necessary for their profitable and holy living in the world bring them not up in idlenesse and ignorance but so carry your selves to them that it may not be imputed to you if they prove wicked and be thankfull to God for your children and learne to rejoyce especially in their goodnesse as Adam and Evah did in Seths Learne of your first Parents to be good Parents and follow all the things that were good and commendable in them Againe from their afflictions learne to prepare for afflictions and to make a good use of them when they come if you thinke to live in this world without briers and thornes without sweat and labour you are much deceived Crosses are assigned to us as just chastisements for our sinne we must to dust let us expect misery and death and labour to make our selves fit for crosses It was Gods great goodnesse that he would not suffer Adam to remaine in Paradise and to joy the tree of life For had hee lived in so much pleasure as that place would have affoorded and had he found all the creatures as good and comfortable to him now after his fall when his nature was made sinfull as when it was sinlesse O how greatly would his sin have growne through the fatnesse of that over delightfull estate even as weedes doe in a rich and unmanured soyle Sure had not God sent a curse on the earth and inflicted griefe and misery upon man hee would never have repented never have conceived of his spirituall misery never have turned to God and sought God so that as it is a mercy in the Physitian to make the patient sicke with a medicine so it was in God to send these afflictions on us Let us not therefore flatter our selves in vaine conceits of living merrily but let us prepare for afflictions which all must in some degree meete withall in their severall callings It was the voice of an Epicure in the rich man that said eate and drinke and take thine ease we should say to our selves rather sinne hath made mee subject to divers crosses and I will labour to receive them patiently from Gods Almighty hand if he thinke it fit to exercise me with them Especially you that are Parents of children looke for crosses in your children thinke this boy may proove not an Abel not a Seth but a Caine a wicked and a sinfull Caine a hater of goodnesse and fugitive from God Let mee take heed therefore that I doe not over-love him that I doe not cocker him and as it were marre and kill his soule by over-cherishing his body If wee finde our selves apt to over-prize and over-love our children wee must moderate those passions by such meditations and if we finde our selves apt to over-grieve for their death wee must tell our selves Ah might not their lives have prooved much more bitter to mee then their death can who would not rather bury a sonne young then live to see him proove a Cain and who can tell but his sonne for whose death he takes on with so much excessive sorrow may not fall out to be as wicked as Caine. If any say I hope not so I answer him where be the grounds of his hope did not our first Parents hope as much thinke you Sure Evah giving Caine a name shewed that shee had good hopes of him when he was borne yea those that have good and godly children must prepare to be crossed in their afflictions Hast thou an Abel a godly child O make thine heart ready to heare that some wicked hand hath knockt him on the head perhaps his owne Brother that some violent death hath seized upon him and taken him away before his time and labour to be willing to yeeld to Gods hand if he will so crosse thee for why shouldst not thou stoope to as heavie a burden as that which Adam and Eve did beare in the beginning of the world For the death of good children yea their miserable and untimely death and for the wickednesse yea the notorious and unnaturall wickednesse of other children let every man prepare himselfe by looking upon the example of Adam and Eve that suffered these crosses yea let every godly man learne to prepare for persecution from all Caines but that wee shall treat on when we come to Abels example But Brethren we must not onely prepare for crosses of this kinde but we must also make a good use of them when they come that is wee must turne them into medicines as Physitions doe some poysons causing the sorrow which they will worke in us to become a medicine against our sinnes of which they be the proper and naturall effects When you meete with crosses and calamities say now I see Gods Justice and Gods Truth now I see the hatefullnesse and hurtfullnesse of sinne and therefore now I will mourne not because I am crossed but because I have deserved this crosse and a worse too and so frame to confesse and bemoane the sinne and to supplicate for pardon and helpe at the hand of God in the name of Christ especially looke to those sinnes to which your crosses have some reference and respect Are you crossed in your goods thinke if you did not over-love them and get them unjustly or if in your children see if you did not over-love them and cocker them and so in all things of like kinde In what God smites you see if you have not in that sinned against him and so frame to lament your sinnes and to seeke helpe against them This will helpe to make your crosse easie and quickly to remove it this will cause that you shall be gainers even by crosses When wee see the ill deservings of sinne and the perfect righteousnesse yea the goodnesse of God in calling thus to repentance happy are they that be so afflicted and so taught in Gods waies And Brethren let mee yet make one use of Adam and Eves great sinne to warne you that you take heed of presuming of
justifie himselfe his owne cloathes would defile him This righteousnesse standeth in an exact conformity to the Law of God in that a man hath not committed neither is prone and inclined to commit any of the things which the Law doth forbid nor hath not omitted nor is not prone to omit any of the things which the Law doth command but is utterly free from all sinne of omission and commission and hath perfectly fulfilled the Law in all points and degrees Such a righteousnesse since Adams fall was never found but in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ Therfore the Apostle saith If righteousnesse were by the Law Christ were dead in vaine he meaneth that if God appointed us now to come to Heaven for Christs sake upon condition of our perfect fulfilling the Law it would be to no purpose for we should not be saved by his death and after he saith that the Law concludeth all under sinne that the promise through the faith of Iesus Christ may be given to them that beleeve and before he had said If there had beene a Law given which could have given life righteousnesse had beene by the Law so that there was not a Law given that could give life and therefore the Psalmist confesseth that in Gods sight there is no flesh righteous and S. Paul durst not stand to this righteousnesse which was his owne by the Law This Legall righteousnesse it would justifie if we had it but wee have it not for wee lost it in our first Parents in whom all sinned and all died all were made sinfull and mortall creatures and a sinfull mortall creature cannot possibly performe such a Law as was given to a sinnelesse and immortall creature Therefore wee must finde out another righteousnesse by which some men may be called righteous and by which Abel was righteous seeing that by this righteousnesse the Scripture testifieth that neither hee nor any other can be made righteous This is the righteousnesse of faith the righteousnesse of the Gospell the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ even the righteousnesse of God without the Law and the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ Now there is a double righteousnesse taught in the Gospell The one is made ours by imputation and is not ours by inherencie wee never performed it our selves but another performed it for us and we have it imputed to us It is by S. Paul described thus A righteousnesse without workes imputed to the happy man not simply without workes for that is impossible because the Law cannot be fulfilled but by working according to its direction and unlesse the law be fulfilled there is no perfect righteousnesse but a righteousnesse without any workes of ours and therefore without the Law too for the Law accepteth of no righteousnesse but that which is wrought by our selves as it is said of Abraham that hee wrought not but did trust in him that justifies the ungodly Abraham wrought diligently and plentifully how then can it be said that he wrought not hee meaneth that he did not worke that by his owne workes hee might attaine this righteousnesse By this righteousnesse alone we are justified It is the perfect and exact righteousnesse of our Lord Jesus Christ accepted for us and put to our reckoning For he was our surety he tooke our nature hee bare our sinnes hee fulfilled our duty and bare our punishment and so satisfied Gods justice in our roome and is become The Lord our righteousnesse This is the one righteousnesse commended to us by the Gospell To this and this alone we must cleave for the obtaining of remission of sinnes and life eternall at the hands of God By merit of this are we pronounced just by God at his heavenly Tribunall and in the judgement of our owne consciences and hereafter shall be so pronounced openly at the last day to this S. Paul cleaved This the Gospell taught for therein is declared the righteousnesse of God from faith to faith But the Gospell telleth of another righteousnesse that is a companion of this alwaies at the same time and by the same meanes given that this is given and it is a quality inherent in us and wrought in us by the Spirit of God and floweth immediately from our faith The Apostle S. Paul doth describe it plainely saying that Wee must count our selves dead unto sinne but alive unto God and then saith Wee must not yeeld our members as weapons of unrighteousnesse unto sinne but as weapons of righteousnesse to God and saith Wee are become servants to righteousnesse and that wee must yeeld our members servants unto righteousnesse and againe must raigne by righteousnesse unto life eternall It is not the cause of our life but the way to it It is a vertue wrought in us by which we are made able to strive and indeavour and desire to keepe the Law A man till he be justified by faith and reconciled to God is estranged from the Lord and from the life of God and is an enemy in his minde and is dead in sinnes and loves sinne and will not leave it and out of a stiffe and strong bent of will to sinne cannot but serve sinne and will and resolve to continue serving it in one kinde or other Now this is also a righteousnesse of the Gospell and it differs from that of the Law in two things 1. In regard of the degree it is imperfect and defective failing in many things but it is upright and sincere allowes not its failings but with an upright desire striveth to perfection and is still labouring against its imperfections 2. It differs from the righteousnesse of the Law in use for the Law doth require this righteousnesse as an accomplishment of the Covenant of workes to justifie us before God by the merit and worth of it but the Gospell requireth this as an act of obedience alone to shew our thankfullnesse and to proove us truly justified before God because as it is said There is not a Law given which could give life seeing that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and whosoever goes about to put this righteousnesse into the use of justifying him before God I meane of attaining eternall life and remission of sinnes from God by vertue and worth of it that man cannot but be damned because he cannot have the imputed righteousnesse and the inherent both for that purpose If he trust to Christs righteousnesse he cannot trust to his owne if to his owne he cannot trust to Christs seeing S. Paul opposeth them as things contrary saying not having mine owne but Christs which were weakely spoken if a man could have both to the use of justifying yea he saith He that will be justified by the Law is fallen from grace and Christ is become of none effect unto him and by the Law he seekes to be justified that
seeketh to be justified before God by doing this and by his owne working Now of a man that is thus righteous there are three sure plaine and evident signes 1. Hee desireth to know and doe all that God revealeth to him out of his Word I have lifted up mine hands unto thy testimonies which I have loved and O that my heart were directed to keepe thy righteous judgements then shall I not be confounded when I have respect to all thy Commandements 2. Hee confesseth and bewaileth before God his failings and errours that breake forth in him quite contrary to his purpose and desire Against thee have I sinned and He that confesseth his sinnes c. And if you turne to mee I will turne to you for If wee say we have no sinne wee deceive our selves But if wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull c. 3. He resteth wholy upon the mercy of God in Christ for pardon of his failings and acceptation of his indeavours So saith Iohn If any man sinne wee have an Advocate with God Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is the Propitiation for sinne and Abraham beleeved in God that justifieth the ungodly S. Paul would have the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ I beseech you looke that you be so righteous men as Abel was else you shall never be saved For even Balaam saw that only the righteous should be saved and therefore he wisheth Let mee die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Now we have the good of Abel we should speake of his evill but wee have none to speake of For the Holy Ghost hath not told us of any evill that hee committed not because he had none but because his life was so short and withall so good that the Lord saw it not fit to make mention of any and surely though the Scripture doe report the faults of other godly men yet it seemes here to set forth Caine and Abel as the two seeds the one of the Woman the other of the Serpent and therefore of the good seed mentions no faults because in him God saw none that is would not impute any Now let us consider the things that befell him 1. Good 2. Bad. The good are two first God had respect unto his gifts Secondly God gave witnesse and testimony of his gifts He had respect unto them for the present he gave testimony to them both at that time and also after by the pen of Moses and by the tongue of our Lord Jesus calling him righteous Abel We cannot affirme any thing concerning the meanes by which the Lord did expresse the liking of Abel and his Sacrifice but that it was by some sensible and evident signe discoverable by Caine as well as by himselfe Caines doggednesse stirred up by it doth clearely evince The Lord hath respect unto his true hearted servants that worship him in truth and in faith and are truely righteous he hath respect unto them and to their Services he likes their persons loves their workes The prayer of the upright is his delight saith Salomon The righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse God doth to his faithfull children sooner or later evidently discover his approbation and liking of them and their workes as David prayeth Accept the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart yea he doth make knowne this his favourable acceptation by which as it is in the Psalme he accepts their burnt Sacrifices that is all their holy services he makes it knowne by the comfortable testimony of the Holy Ghost as Paul saith This is my glorying the testimony of my conscience that in simplicity c. When Gods people walke in Gods waies he causeth his Spirit to witnesse with their spirits and their spirits to witnesse to them that themselves and their waies please God by which their spirits are refreshed and comforted against all the taunts and opprobries of sinners and scoffers And this is a sufficient recompence to all our labours and for all our sufferings that God accepteth us If hee accept us what need wee care though the world deride and scorne and hate us O let those that have seene God thus vouchsafing to respect them comfort themselves in that yea I shall not need to give them such advice this apprehension of Gods gratious accepting us is a thing so sweete and delightfull that the people of God which have enjoyed it will preferre it before the approbation of all men For whom he thus respecteth them will hee likewise approve in the face of all the world and therefore beare testimonie to their workes even at the last day yea the light to which he that doth well delighteth to come that will make it knowne that his workes be wrought of God Iohn 3.11 If Gods Spirit within if Gods Word without doe testifie of your deeds that they bee wrought in God how easie a thing is it to sleight and despise the false and foolish censures of the world But now come we to the evills that he suffered for Gods people must suffer evill for well-doing his Brother hated him laied a traine for him slew him Abel was the first Martyr the first man that died for goodnesse hee was Gods first Witnesse as Steven was Christs Those that will live godly in Christ must suffer persecution and of whom even of the dearest friends they have in the flesh and how farre even to the lying in waite for their lives and taking the same away The Lord would have the first bloud that was spilt spilt in his quarrell in his holy quarrell in standing for righteousnesse sake that we which follow after might learne to stick close to this cause and not to feare to lay downe our lives for it S. Iohn tells us no wonder if the world hate us The world is the number of unsanctified men in the world these will hate such as Abel the righteous yea if Father be unrighteous and Sonne righteous Brother righteous and Brother unrighteous Husband righteous and Wife unrighteous the Father Brother Wife will hate and maligne the childe the Brother and the Husband God hath put enmity betwixt the seed of the Woman and of the Serpent good and bad are of two contrary natures what the one loveth the other hateth and contrarily this contrariety in disposition will breed contrariety in affection Hee that is Caine a formall Hypocrite and satisfieth himselfe with a bare outside service will hate him that worshippeth in spirit and in truth They that are after the flesh will persecute them that are after the spirit and all that will live godly must suffer for it Prepare your selves to meete with the same measure that Abel met withall you had need of patience saith our Saviour Be not discouraged at the hatred and ill usage of wicked men but have respect to the recompence of reward looke to the end of your faith set
excessively to the world and put your selves in minde of a world that is to come and minde the things that are above and set your affections on them If you so performe workes of Gods Worship as that they weane you not from the world you doe them but hypocritically you have alone the forme and not the power of godlinesse Though a man use not violence yet if hee be excessively worldly the Word of God is choaked in him and will not bring forth the fruit of eternall life unto him Another sin of the old World is they abused Gods long-suffering and Noahs preaching and gat no manner of knowledge of the long threatned floud nor no care of amending their lives This is a fearefull thing to get nothing by Gods patience or by the labours of the Ministers whom he sends to teach and warne us This shewes that the Divell haâ—h blinded their eyes that sinne hath hardened the heart and that a man hath given over himselfe to the servitude of some lust this is a great wrong to Gods goodnesse and authority both and it brings severe punishments for in aggravating the sinnes of men it must needs aggravate the punishment also O brethren consider of your selves if you be not guilty of this sinne How long hath God beene striving to pull you out of your sinnes How much patience hath he shewed how much teaching have you heard and yet alas the old World got as much by Gods kindnesse to them as you doe and you no more then they Many of you know nothing of your miserable estate As little be you acquainted with the truths you are taught every day as they were with the floud that came upon them as little doth our preaching prevaile to worke you to amendment as did the preaching of Noah with them We may well comfort our selves in this that our successe is no worse then Noahs and also lament that it is no better Indeed you have not had so many yeeres preaching as the old World had but consider it with the proportion to your lives and you have more Then men used to live some seven eight or nine hundred yeeres Loe God gave them a Preacher a long time and at length determined the very yeere of the floud it shall be a hundred and twenty yeeres hence and so from yeare to yeare lesse as the yeeres went up Yee have lived and died many of you that be dead under the Ministery Indeed we cannot tell you the yeere of your death or bring you tidings of a floud of water to overflow you altogether but of a river of fire and brimstone to overflow and overwhelme you one after one wee can tell you from God and you feare this floud of brimstone no more then they did that floud of water O repent of your long impenitency and miserable unbeleefe and wilfull ignorance of Gods threats and other things that are continually taught you out of the Word And now cease to imitate this world of ungodly men but apply your selves to flie from the wrath to come and from the vengeance that must overtake all wilfull sinners I beseech you lay to heart the things you heare take notice of them beleeve them and set your selves to amend your lives and cast away all your sinnes which this old World did not but should have done be better I say be better then they were and let their wickednesse teach you some goodnesse When will it once be that you will know and beleeve the threats of God and his promises when will it once be that you will submit your selves to those that are as Noah was Preachers of righteousnesse and seeke to get the righteousnesse of faith which Noah would not have gotten himselfe if it had not beene the same that hee preached to others Now I pray you at last to exceede this generation of wicked men And these uses you must make of their wickednesse Now of Gods patience towards them in giving them all outward prosperity and long deferring the execution of his wrath and sending Noah by preaching and building the Arke to draw them to repentance learne first to praise God for the like long-suffering to us and using the like meanes to bring us to repentance and to life eternall It is the same God that ruled the world at those times who ruleth us also at this time and he discovers the same vertues in his governing O how patient is God now also how great care doth he take to leade us to repentance also How many outward benefits have wee This goodnesse of God towards them that perish whereby he tooke such order and care for them that they might have escaped perdition if they would have made use of his meanes is not sufficiently heeded nor observed Might not the world then have escaped both drowning and hell too if they would have hearkened to Noah and beleeved him and followed his instructions Did any thing but their owne wilfullnesse and heedlesnesse shut them out of the Arke and out of Heaven and thrust them downe into the Deluge and into Hell Brethren God magnifies his mercies to the vessells of wrath he doth labour to bring them out of their ill estate he hath not ceased for many yeares to intice them to repentance by his long-suffering Certainely this should magnifie Gods goodnesse to us and make us to applaud him exceedingly and acknowledge the brightnesse of his Justice in their future destruction O how just was God in the drowning of these men is hee not as just in the damning of the sinner now Lord be thou praised for thy mercy and forthy justice and let the one serve to cleare the other and both to commend thee Againe I pray you now the the second time to make a good use of Gods clemencie to you He sent but one Noah to all the world who yet is said to condemne the world He sends amongst you to every towne almost one to tell you of the judgement to come and to stirre you up to repentance Now be intreated to hearken and obey and to get you to the Arke Brethren wee doe here in Gods name offer you assurance of pardon of sinne and freedome from hell and death if you will accept it O let not our preaching be in vaine Come come into the Arke come into Christ by true faith into whom you are come by Baptisme in respect of outward profession The Arke was a figure of Christ and Baptisme is as it were the Arke O labour for the true Baptisme with the Spirit that you may shunne and escape the Deluge of Gods eternall wrath and vengeance Let us not preach to you in vaine as Noah did to the old world And present to your selves the hideousnesse of that plague O how did mens hearts ake within them how did horrour take hold upon them when they saw the waters rage so furiously O now did they find that in experience which they would not beleeve by Noahs preaching
The most probable opinion is as I thinke that because he was a Preacher of righteousnesse and did more largely and plainely denounce Gods wrath against sinners and his blessing to the godly for a Preacher of righteousnesse must needs doe both these things therefore he gave much refreshing to the soules of the godly and made all their labours easie Even as now if Gods people have a painefull Minister amongst them that ceaseth not to acquaint them with Gods mercy and justice and to revive the remembrance of Heaven and all the Promises in their hearts they live much more comfortably then any outward thing without this helpe could make them to live So it was in those times also with those godly Patriarkes Againe as it would be a great comfort to good men now if any man were sent by God to assure them of the last day of judgement for they would even lift up their heads and rejoyce so Noah in telling of the floud which to that world was a kinde of judgement-day did greatly solace the spirits of the good against all their sorrowes Now this Noah was the sonne of Lamech the sonne of Methuselah in the 1056. yeare of the world He was the tenth after Adam inclusively borne after Adams and Seths death and Henochs translation and lived to see the death of Enos Kainan Mahalaleel Iared Methuselah and Lamech This is all we have to say of his Birth or entrance into the world Now concerning his life I pray you consider foure things 1. His goodnesse 2. His bad deeds 3. The sorrowes and miseries he met with 4. The benefits God gave him And let us make use of all as we goe along and so come to his death last of all First for his goodnesse it is set forth in the Scripture generally and particularly In generall these three things are affirmed of him Gen. 6.9 He was a just man and upright or perfect and walked with God Before it is affirmed of Henoch that hee walked with God and the Scripture told us also of Abel that hee obtained a divine testimony that hee also was just and Iob is said to have beene a perfect man yea it is added by way of amplification to his goodnesse that hee was a just man and perfect in his generations that is in his owne time in those most sinfull daies when all were naught Noah was good when all had corrupted their waies he was sincere and upright in his waies For this is the truest commendation of vertue when it keepes a man unspotted of those evils which are every where practised in the world Let us now request you to consider of your selves every man whether he be a Noah Surely none but Noahs shall be admitted into the Arke and escape the waves of destruction none but Noahs shall finde favour with God and be delivered from eternall death Whosoever cannot approve himselfe to be such a one as this good man let him never dreame of comming to Heaven But who is a just man who a perfect who walketh with God I answer A just man is first he that renounceth his owne justice which is of the Law and imbraceth the righteousnesse of faith even the righteousnesse which is of God by faith relying wholy upon the merits of Christ and Gods mercy in Christ for pardon of his offences and acceptation of himselfe and his indeavours to salvation The Scripture witnesseth that Noah was an heire of this righteousnesse Heb. 11.7 And this is that that must be first found in every man He must see and confesse his owne unrighteousnesse and utterly disclaime his owne righteousnesse as knowing that it is no better then a menstruous rag in respect of his justification Doe you this my Brethren Are you made to see your selves grievous sinners such as in your selves must needs be damned and cannot possibly bee saved by the worth and merit of your owne goodnesse Secondly a righteous man must stay rest depend on beleeve in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ labouring to build up in his own heart a particular perswasion and assurance that the Lord of Heaven will accept him as perfectly righteous in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ his Sonne and that alone for so was Abraham made partaker of that blessednesse which stood in the imputing unto him of righteousnesse without workes and Abraham is the Father of the faithfull as he was justified so must all we be justified and no otherwise See into your selves doe you rely upon our blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus for pardon of your sinnes or doe you waver from him or stay upon any other besides him Lastly a righteous man must himselfe also worke righteousnesse and give himselfe to be a servant of righteousnesse that is to say he must resolve and indeavour to leave every sinne by Gods Word condemned and to doe every duty by Gods Word commanded and that also for Gods sake with reference to him and out of a desire to please him that is to keepe his favour This is a righteous man He strives in all things to please God according to his Word but finding his defects bewailes them and resteth alone on Gods goodnesse in Christ for pardon and salvation If you be such then are you Noahs indeed and shall surely bee saved if not you bee but dissemblers and no shew of religion shall save you from destruction Therefore all of you that are not such I pray you feele your unhappinesse you are not good enough to goe to Heaven yet whatsoever you have imagined of your selves Therefore also now seeke to be such begin with lamenting your unrighteousnesse before God and craving pardon and helpe and so proceed to pray for and indeavour after all the things before prescribed Be the better for Noahs example Let not this story be preached unto you in vaine you know Noah was one whom God loved whom God hath saved study to be such as Noah What riches he had the Scripture takes no notice of but righteous he was studie you to be such and be happier then all riches can make you And especially I pray you labour to follow Noah in this onething to be good in your generations in those things I meane wherein your present times take generall liberty to be nought that so you as Noah may at once glorifie God and condemne the world What evill things all doe commit those doe you forbeare what good things all doe neglect those be you more carefull to performe Many things are growne into common fashion swearing pride in apparell formality in religion covetousnesse monstrous fashions mishapen long haire O be yee in these things carefull to avoid the corruption which is in the world Many good things are growne quite out of all fashion almost constant reading Gods Word holy conference keeping a treasure or purse for God in your houses meditation of Gods Word and carefull sanctifying of the Lords day O strive to performe these duties He
some Texts of Scripture that shall give you sure arguments of comfort from which if you can conclude your selves Gods people that you are so indeed and not alone in shew your comforts will hold water as it were in the day of death and judgement Ierem 7 5. the Prophet bids them thoroughly amend their waies and their doings and not trust in lying words Loe thorough and universall reformation of heart and life that that is the onely sufficient proofe of being Gods children and such as shall inherit his Kingdome all that can be alledged without this is no better then lying words which will deceive So Iohn did after teach the Jewes Mat. 3.9 Say not wee have Abraham for our Father that Allegation will prove fruitlesse if it goe alone but what must they doe more Bring forth fruits meete for repentance that is frame your selves to a thorough reformation of your hearts and lives and so S. Iohn teacheth Hee that doth good is of God hee that doth evill hath not seene God whosoever he be that makes so good use of those helpes which God hath for that end provided in his Church as to attaine true repentance true amendment of life that is a constant and upright care and endeavour to cast away all transgressions and make him a new heart and a new spirit resolving in nothing to sinne but in all things to walke according to the direction of Gods Word and where he faileth still continuing to lament and confesse it before God judging himselfe and craving pardon and helpe in the name of Christ that man shall be saved that man is a solid Christian that man is not a Cham let him rejoyce in God as a true member of the Church but whatsoever else may be either had or done without this bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance is no more then may be alledged by some Cham or other Therefore againe I beseech you satisfie not your selves with other things but apply your selves to this amendment of heart and life with all speed and with all diligence Let Cham be your warning trust not in lying words And further now that you see in the Arke among the eight persons one Hypocrite who did afterwards evidently discover his hypocrisie learne to know that there will be such in the Church to the worlds end as were also in the family of Abraham Isaac Iacob David Hezekiah and other good men even tares among the wheate and goates among the sheepe and unfruitfull branches in the vine that you may learne as to feare your selves so especially to satisfie your owne hearts and not to be offended by the like accidents in your owne times If a man that hath long lived in an orderly course of life and gotten himselfe the name of a good man and enjoyed many benefits in the Church shall afterwards fall quite away from goodnesse and manifest himselfe to have beene no better then a Cham let not this trouble you nor dismay you neither take you occasion from their wickednesse to condemne either goodnesse it selfe or good men as to say that they be all dissemblers there is never a better in the pack but improve their fall to the making of your selves more watchfull over your selves and prayer-full for your selves and still love and honour Gods Church though some that professe themselves to be lively members of it doe manifest their guile by their utter falling away at the last We have done with the goodnesse of God to Cham in suffering him to live in the Arke Now follow his sins The first sinne which we gather from that which succeeded is this that he was an Hypocrite one that contented himselfe with a bare outward shew of goodnesse and did not labour for the power of it to humble him to discover his secret faults to him and to heale his soule by bringing the Image of God even the divine nature to him which was also the sinne of Caine before and after too of Esau and of Iudas and Achitophel and many others Take you heed of this Brethren take you heed of this Beware that you be not Hypocrites satisfied with some externall shew of religiousnesse joyned with civill conversation of life freedome from grosse sinnes and orderly living to the world-ward but seeke after the soule-spirit of godlinesse which consists in finding out and reforming the corruption of your natures and the secret disorders of your inward man He that so prayeth and heareth that these ordinances make him see and be humbled in the sight of the filthie quagmire of sinne that is within him by which he is carried from God to himselfe and to sinne and the world for his owne sake and labours to have his inside more and more cleansed and reformed and drawne up to God and the things of God this man is a true Christian But he that satisfies himselfe in an outward forme of holy duties and of civill honest conversation not diving to the depth of his heart this man may proove and if he mend not will proove a guilefull Cham at last But now his next sinne is and Ham the Father of Canaan saw the nakednesse of his Father If he had suddenly and occasionally come into the place where Noah lay uncovered and his eyes before he was aware had lighted on that object and he had presently turned away his countenance from it with griefe for his old Parents fault and out of tender compassion that seeing had beene no sinne But the meaning is he gave himselfe to stand and gaze upon his Fathers unbeseeming carriage and unseemely parts so as to delight in it and thereby to stirre up and nourish in himselfe a contempt and slight esteeme of his Father Hee did not see it with pitie and remorse and make the best of it as of a matter of infirmity into which the good old man fell unawares but he beheld it with gladnesse laughter derision jesting sporting at his Fathers nakednesse and misdemeanour This is a great fault to behold the sinnes and offences chiefely of Parents and other superiours and most of all of godly and holy men Fathers of the Church and of Religion as well as of our persons I say to behold their faults with an over-open and a greedy eye with scorne and scoffes and contempt of them and of piety and of goodnesse in and thorough them For this certainely comes from nothing else but a secret dislike and aversnesse from goodnesse it selfe against which we are glad to pick a quarrell and are willing to have somewhat to object against it that wee may hinder our selves from imbracing it and from a gladnesse also to have somewhat to alleadge in excuse of our owne naughtinesse and for the imboldening of our selves to persist in it still without feare It is nothing but hypocrisie I meane a being contented with a false counterfeit goodnesse yea willingnesse to favour and allow our selves in our owne sinnes that maketh us with joy and delight in
good as dead at a 100 yeares old It is improbable that there should have beene so great difference of bodily strength betwixt the Father and the Sonne Now from Abraham forward the Holy Ghost maketh his story more large then that of former times We shall follow Gods pen and propound unto you this Father of the faithfull that by doing his workes you may shew your selves his children In him looke to his 1. Birth 2. Life 3. Death For his Birth he was the sonne of Terah borne as some thinke about the 200th yeere of the world some 352 yeeres after the floud but as some thinke 60 yeeres sooner about 1948 of the world and after the floud 298. For his life we will consider his carriage good and bad and the things that befell him good and bad Let us begin with his vertues and good deeds and observe him as an excellent patterne of all vertues and goodnesse that we may profit the better by considering his life more particularly Let us see what vertues and good deeds he practised towards God first and then towards man First for God hee is commended for faith Abraham saith the Author of the Hebrewes by faith called of God c. and Abraham by faith offered up so that faith he had and was called the friend of God as the Apostle S. Iames witnesseth now without faith no man can possibly please God or be his friend So had Abel as we shewed you before so had Noah so had Henoch so had all the godly at all times This grace is the cardinall grace the radicall grace that upon which all other graces grow as on their roote and on which they move as the doore upon its hinges Therefore you that would be called the children of Abram heires of the blessing of Abram come and compare your selves with him and see whether you be faithfull as he was to that end know that faith is the grace by which we beleeve things invisible and supernaturall concerning another life hereafter So the Apostle distinguisheth walking by faith from walking by sence or sight and Faith is said to be the Evidence of things not seene and ground of things hoped for Reason and naturall discourse will informe of things sensible and naturall concerning the present life but the things that are above sence and reason concerning a future life hoped for hereafter nothing doth informe us but faith and faith is that grace by which the soule beleeveth such things It hath three sorts of acts in regard of which it is stiled by three titles Faith of God Faith to God Faith in God Faith of God is that by which we beleeve that there is such a God as indeed he is All conceits of God are not of faith but those apprehensions of him which agree to his being and conceive him to be such as himselfe doth set forth himselfe to be and you shall see what Abraham beleeved concerning him 1. He beleeved that this God was one and but one as the Scripture witnesseth of him He worshipped God he called on the name of God he builded an Altar to God not to gods or more gods but to one God JEHOVAH 2. He beleeved that this one God was True Omnipotent able and willing to doe any thing that he should speake viz. that he was All-sufficient and faithfull as S. Paul witnesseth being fully perswaded that what he had spoken he was able also to performe and Heb. 11. that he was able to raise him from the dead 3. He beleeved that this one God was possessor and judge and therefore also Maker of Heaven and Earth And 4. That he was righteous and would doe righteousnesse in punishing the wicked that lived in sinne and in sparing and being favourable to the righteous man that did study to walke before him in a good conversation Now these be the principall things to be assented unto concerning God Secondly Abraham had faith to God that is he gave consent to all those things that God said because he said them which necessarily followeth from his acknowledgement of the truth power and All-sufficiency of God So doth the Author to the Hebrewes note that it was a land which after he should receive for an inheritance He beleeved that God would give him that land according to his promise and he beleeved above hope in hope that he should be Father of many Nations and it is said that God preached the Gospell unto him saying in thy seed which is Christ shall all Nations be blessed He beleeved that of his seed should come the Messiah which should free mankinde from the curse and make them partakers of the blessing So he beleeved Gods threats against Sodome that God would destroy it with fire Thirdly he believed in God 1. He trusted upon his mercy in the promised seede that for his sake not for the worth of his owne righteousnesse God would be mercifull to him and save him He beleeved in God and this faith was counted unto him for righteousnesse He was justified by this faith as the instrument he did not worke meaning in respect of justification he did not thinke to be pardoned and accepted for the workes sake but beleeved in him that justified those which in themselves be ungodly by justifying he meanes pardoneth their sinnes as it is said Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne for the promise was not made to him by the workes of the Law but the righteousnesse of faith that is the righteousnesse without workes as he described it before Now if you have this faith and all these acts of faith then you are Abrahams sonnes if not in vaine doe you lay title to his inheritance Therefore trie your selves and if you have this faith then know your selves happy if not you are farre from blessednesse you are still under the curse But secondly Abraham feared God True faith will bring forth the feare of God not the passion of feare nor slavish feare nor feare of flight but the feare of caution and warinesse a not daring to offend God as the Lord himselfe witnessed of him saying Now I know that thou fearest mee when thou hast not spared thine onely sonne Loe the feare of God is such a disposition of heart to God-ward out of the apprehension of his excellency and greatnesse and justice that will cause a man not to be bold to dare to omit any worke that Gods Commandement injoyneth him unto and so not to commit any thing that God condemneth I pray you consider have have you this vertuous feare of God Doe your hearts stand in awe of him so that you flie from the offending and displeasing of him as from the greatest of all evils those that have Gods feare before their eyes they are godly like Abraham those that have it not they are wicked as Abram thought the men of Gerar and Egypt to be O labour for
it by renewing our meditations of Gods promises and putting our selves often in minde of the power and truth of God the promise-maker which are the pillars and foundations of our faith For if Abraham when these doubts began to stirre in his minde had called to minde Gods promise of giving him seede and had reasoned with himselfe thus hath not the living God possessour of Heaven and Earth undertaken to give mee a seede to inherit this land after me How then can I be killed by the Philistins How can they take away my life whilst this promise is not yet fulfilled Surely God both can and also will give mee life and preserve me from the hands of these godlesse Philistins for how else should he fulfill his promise to me of giving me seed after me If Abraham I say had thus stirred up his faith by serious consideration of Gods power and truth he had not beene foyled so as he was Let his weaknesse and failings be our warning that we may escape the evills which he fell into Againe as Abrahams faith was weake and yeelded a little to doubtings so was he possessed somewhat strongly for the time with a kinde of carnall feare of death Gen. 12.12 and afterwards Gen. â—0 13 He said they will slay mee for my wives sake So you must note another weakenesse in Gods people flowing from the former imperfection of faith They are apt to be over-fearefull of dangers and by name of death even to be so much terrified with the apprehension of danger especially of loosing their lives that they cannot must upon God and rest upon him for safety as they should doe This feare was found in David it was found also in Peter and in divers others of Gods people The ground of it is as I said partly the weakenesse of their faith and partly the terriblenesse of death which is the terriblest of all terrible things as being a separation of the soule from the body and a stripping a man at once of all those things that are most deare unto him and conveighing him out of this world into another concerning his happinesse herein he is not alwaies so full of assurance as he should be For when these feares doe suddainely seize upon a man upon occasion of some sensible object that threatens him they pull out of the minde for the time the thought of Gods promises and hold the soule alone in the apprehension of the greatnesse and inevitablenesse of the danger which looketh him in the face Let us therefore learne not to be heartlesse our selves because we hare have beene so transported with feare as was Abraham nor yet be censorious to others whom wee shall see thus for a fit even shaken and almost overcome of feare It is a fault indeed and we must blame our selves for it and be humbled but it is such a fault as may stand with truth of grace and which doth not give just reason to conclude ourselves unsanctified or not to be Gods true children And let us learne to beware of feare to resist and oppose it at the beginning by the opposition of Gods love and protection yea let us labour to worke in our mindes such a true apprehension of the harmelesnesse of death and other crosses that we may learne not to be afraid of them though we must needs suffer them For why should we feare that which cannot hurt yea that which shall be an advantage to us Feare none of those things that you shall suffer saith the Lord and David saith I will not feare what man can doe unto mee and againe I will not feare though I walke in the valley of the shadow of death It is an excellent thing and very comfortable when our heart is so setled that feare may not dismay us And the way is to get assurance of Gods favour and of eternall life and that all things shall worke for our good and speedily to set this faith on worke when dangers shall offer themselves unto our sight But further Abraham to avoid this danger consulted with flesh and bloud and used deceit and shifting and falsehood for though his words were in some sence true as he telleth Abimelech because Sarah was his sister by one side yet in the meaning which he would have those to interpret his words to whom he spake them they were not true For his intent was to make them conceive that she was so his sister as not his wife He resolved to use false speeches and draw his wife likewise to joyne with him in these false speeches yea they agreed upon it before hand as he tels Abimelech Gen. 20.13 Abraham said to her this is the kindnesse thou shalt shew mee at every place whether wee shall come say he is my brother You see they agreed before hand to dissemble and to continue dissembling yet sure dissembling is a sinne and ought not to be done as Abraham heares even from Abimelech himselfe verse 9. Thou hast done deeds unto mee that ought not to be done So it may befall a good Abraham out of inconsideratenesse and heedlesnesse in not pondering their pathes nor thinking of their waies or in a suddaine to dissemble and deale falsely for the preventing of danger as may be seene also in David and in Peter when he denied Christ and when he withdrew himselfe from communion with the Gentiles for feare of them which came from Iames to Antioch For a thing not considered of is for present as uselesse as if it were not knowne at all Therefore here also we must learne not to be utterly discouraged if we have run into such a fault when we bethinke our selves after of such offences we must be humbled bewaile them confesse them condemne and judge our selves for them but we must not be fearefull of asking pardon and of intreating mercy to forgive them must not conclude that there was no truth of grace in us because of such palpable failings yea we must take boldnesse to goe to the throne of grace renewing our repentance and earnestly suing for pardon And we must also take heed of censuring others and bitterly and harshly for such offences though they be grosse even Abimelech did not esteeme Abraham a dishonest and naughty man because he had found him tripping in this matter onely take heed least we misuse this Example and the like to build upon them a boldnesse to such sinnes that were a great wickednesse They must imbolden us to repent and crave mercy after we have through weakenesse offended they must not imbolden us before hand to resolve on a sinfull deed Yea when we behold their stumblings it should make us to be earnest in our prayers to God for a great measure of strength that we may escape such offences and to be more frequent and firme in renewing our purposes of not finning in the like kinde Resolve therefore that nothing shall make you lie or dissemble and if you doe resolve you will seeke
purpose and then shewed it her Hath not God succoured some of us in dangers almost as great by sending us or shewing us some present meanes of helpe which it was not possible for any wit of ours to provide Let not such a benefit be forgotten and let us learne to trust upon him ever after and not to be carkingly troubled with casting dangers before hand and disquieting our selves with feares because we see no way out God will have a Well in store and shew it us at the exigent Againe it was a great mercy of God that himselfe vouchsafed to give him a name and so sweet a name as that of Ishmael which signifieth God will heare and may seeme to point out the deliverance whereof I spake last for then it is said I have heard the cry of the lad O that we could labour to be Ishmaels in this sence such as have interest unto this mercy of being heard of God Such we shall be if we depart from iniquity and study to please God for if any man doe the will of God him will God heare Lastly God blessed Ishmael in outward things and made him to prosper so much in the world that he became a great man and had twelve Princes issuing from his loynes and after a great nation Why should the Saints doubt of things needfull seeing even those of whom we are not sure that they were Saints enjoyed so great abundance or why should any man boast himselfe of these things which an Ishmael may have as well as an Isaac And why should not we be incouraged to serve God in uprightnesse who vouchsafeth so liberally to reward his servants as to blesse their children so much for their sakes And so much for the life of Ishmael Now for his death which is set downe Gen. 25.17 These are the yeeres of the life of Ishmael 137 yeeres and then hee gave up the ghost and died and was gathered to his people He lived ten yeeres more then Sarah for she lived 127 and he an 137 and this is to be noted of him that the yeeres of his life are reckoned which is not done to any wicked man in Scripture againe whereby some probability is given that he was a good man seeing it is also said that He was gathered to his people a phrase not used of any but good men signifying that he went among the Congregation of the good men which went before him But howsoever we must learne by his death to prepare for ours that we may be gathered unto our people If we live as Gods people we shall die as Gods people and be gathered amongst them and shall be raised up also with them at the resurrection of the just But if we live with the wicked we shall die with the wicked and be gathered together with them to shame and torment at the last And so much of Ishmael Abrahams sonne by Hagar Now of others that lived at the same time Eliezer of Damascus the Steward of his house into whose hands hee committed all that he had so it is told us Gen. 15.2 and 25.2 Hee was his eldest servant and ruled over all that he had of his Birth and Death we reade nothing in Scripture but of his Life some passages are related 1. His vertues and good deeds for of his bad deeds no mention is made not that he was altogether free from sinne for if Abraham and Sarah were in some things found faulty it cannot be thought that this man a servant of theirs was faultlesse but because the Lord did not write an entire story of his life but would set him before the eyes of servants as an example for them to imitate Now of him therefore wee must note his good carriage his benefits and his crosses First for his good deeds when Abraham called him and would have him put his hand under his thigh a gesture used to the godly Patriarkes by such as bound themselves to them by an oath perhaps to signifie their subjection to them and faith in the promised seed which was to come out of their loynes he would not hastily and hand-over-head take that oath which was ministred unto him but with due caution and warinesse that he might not thrust himselfe into the danger of forswearing himselfe by rashnesse but might have a quiet conscience by seeing clearely how farre his oath bound him and to what that so he might know himselfe able to performe his oath and might accordingly fulfill it In him therefore we learne to be warie in swearing and to sweare in judgement that is advisedly and with good consideration informing our selves fully of the thing sworne too that it might not be either impossible or unlawfull to the intangling of our soules in the perill of falling into that hainous offence of perjury No man must proceede to an oath hastily and inconsiderately but must ponder upon the thing sworne too that he may have a full resolution to accomplish the same Looke to your selves that you shew the like religious respect to the great name of God An oath is a strong bond in which a man laies his soule as it were in pawne to God so that the breach of his oath is a forfeiture of his pretious soule to the hands of Gods judgement so great a bond must not be taken upon us without great cautelousnesse They therefore that have sworne on a suddaine not deliberating seriously of it must know that they have even offered contempt to God because though perhaps the thing was just and possible yet it was so by chance alone and as it fell out and if it had beene otherwise yet they would have taken it so that no thankes was due to any religious care of theirs if it were otherwise Repent therefore of your hastinesse and heedelesnesse in swearing this is to shew your selves such as doe not feare an oath and so doe not duely reverence and honour the great Majesty of God whose name in swearing you invocate against your selves Therefore also those that minister an oath must not be displeased at such cautelousnesse but must readily satisfie the doubts and scruples of those that sweare that with good conscience and a quiet minde they may take it upon them for seeing they be carefull before they sweare to understand what they sweare unto it giveth good hope that after they have sworne they will be as carefull that they keepe it and so their oath shall be to some purpose which should very much content and satisfie him that gives them the oath But he that will speedily and without considering take an oath will also be as ready to breake it alledging his former ignorance or mistaking as an excuse of his not fulfilling it Hitherto of his devotion to God in respect of his wary entring into an oath Now comes to be handled his good carriage towards Abraham in the businesse by oath committed unto him First he
fell upon her The benefits shee received were two first shee was redeemed from the Captivity of the Kings that had taken her selfe Husband Daughter and whole Family prisoners in the Conquest of Sodome where they dwelt at that time and upon their deliveance neither shee nor her husband had the grace to consider of it and to remoove from Sodome and dwell againe in some better place neerer Abraham Secondly shee was delivered out of the burning of Sodome together with her Husband and Daughters saving that shee made the benefit unprofitable to her selfe by her sinning And her sinne though it seemed little in respect yet indeed was very great The matter was small the transgression was great as in great poyson fullnesse may be found in a small quantity of liquor even in a drop or lesse then a drop Shee was forbidden by the Angell that sent her forth to looke backe to Sodome and yet expressely against that charge shee did looke backe the cause of that prohibition may seeme to have beene this the Lord knowing her too eager affection to the goods shee left behinde her would have her now cast off that inordinate passion and accepting the goodnesse of God in giving her her life for a prey not so much as to turne and looke towards Sodome but trust God for goods who had now vouchsafed them life but shee belike thinking as many of us would have thought as good die as be sent away a beggar and destitute of all things could not keepe her heart constant in taking notice of the great benefit of escaping the fire but out of griefe to leave house and all after her turned backe to salute them once againe with her eye This sinne was compounded of disobedience to God speaking in the Angell and dis-esteeme of the present mercy and over-grieving the losse of her wealth Take heed you give not your selves leave to commit a thing expressely forbidden for usually much naughtinesse concurreth to produce such an act so the Lord that searcheth the heart accounteth that great which your blindnesse maketh you to esteeme nothing and so to punish it many times with some heavie punishment As it befell this woman her punishment was to be turned into a Pillar of salt The Lord instantly smote her with death and taking her soule from her body changed the body into a pillar which whether it be called a pillar of salt because it was of that matter or because of the everlasting continuance of it as an everlasting Covenant is called a covenant of salt I cannot determine The latter seemeth to mee the more probable howsoever shee is set forth to us for an example by which wee may informe our selves thus much that when God hath chastened us and by our chastisements taken pittie upon us and granted us deliverances and yet wee profit so little by both as to continue faulty in the same faults wee shall then finde his hand more heavie upon us by some exemplary blow as it is noted by David that though the Lord brought the people out of Egypt yet hee did after destroy them in the wildernesse that did not beleeve Let us feare least the Lord set us up also as Monuments of his just severity when hee findes us not reformed by former goodnesse and gentlenesse * ⎠* THE TVVELFTH EXAMPLE OF LOTS Daughters and others of that time WEE have finished the things that are recorded of Lots selfe and his Wife Next let us tell you what is recorded of his two Daughters Their names their birth their death the Lord vouchsafeth not to mention and of their life not much is written and that which is tends all to their reproach First good deeds we have none for which to commend them or in which to follow them but bad deeds too many considering how great they were Their first sinne was that they consulted together and agreed about a most abhominable sinne nay a paire of grievous crimes at once In which the first-borne did make the motion and the younger gave her consent In the consultation about it see what reason induced and what it is to which they were induced by that reason The reason is 1. Their Fathers age who being now shortly to leave the world they would not have his off-spring perish in themselves 2. The want of other men to company with them there is not a man in all the earth to come in unto us after the earth They wanted other husbands to beget children of them in lawfull matrimonie Surely their late abode in Zoar might cause them to know that the whole world was not destroyed if they meant that there was never another man left with whom they might joyne themselves they did beguile themselves too too palpably for onely Sodome and Gomorrha and Admah and Zeboim foure Cities of the plaine were consumed with fire from Heaven the rest stood in their former estate Zoar they had seene standing and left it with their Father and seeing they dwelt upon a Mountaine they could not but discerne other Cities round about for that Countrey was full of Townes and people It is like therefore that they meant none neere unto us none of our blood and kindred But why should they make doubt of marrying any other besides their owne kindred They had beene betrothed to husbands in Sodome might they not as well marrie any other Cananite as a Citizen of Sodome It is apparant that their reasons were frivolous and vaine yet upon them they build a full resolution of committing two fearefull offences for they agree together saying Come let us make our Father drinke Wine and then let us lie with him to preserve seed of him They would seeme each to other to be carried with libidinous fancies as if lust led them but that a desire of preserving seed was the motive to the villanous designe Wee see how mans nature is easily drawne by weake and poore grounds to runne into very loathsome and foule crimes Better the world should have wanted continuance and ended in their persons then have it stored with an incestuous off-spring No other meeting together of man and woman if it had beene in the way of Matrimony is simply and of it selfe unlawfull but onely that of Parents and children for there was a time when the Brother married the sister without fault as in the beginning when the world had no other persons in it but brethren and sisters but never at any time was it lawfull for the daughters to have the Father or the Mother the sonne This therefore was the most unlawfull mixture in the same kinde and of different Sexe that possibly could be Yet upon a slender pretext that they knew not how to come by any other man and so their Fathers posterity should perish they consent to accomplish it Had they not beene made more then ordinarily immodest with the conversation of impure Sodomites they would have beene restrained with shame and
for hitherto we have looked alone into certaine aggravations of them First to make a man drunke this is a grievous sinne a purposed lying in waite to overcome another with wine or strong drinke is a foule fault it hath its originall ever in some further evill intention either to laugh at the offenders or otherwise to wrong them as here and draw them to some wickednesse or inconvenience which else they would not be drawne unto He seekes mischiefe to his neighbour that seekes to spoile him of his understanding and makes him a beast that he may draw him to beastly deeds Come now and consider your selves if none of you have thus sinned against your bretheren He is worse then a drunkard that is a maker of drunkards a man may be drunke of meere weakenesse but it is wilfulnesse that causeth another to be drunken He loves this sinne more that causeth it in another then hee that commits the same himselfe If any of you have so sinned against his brother he is a very lewd man and must answer for that sinne before God with more severity then the person that hath beene drawne into it by his meanes Much repentance therefore is required of such an offender In keeping himselfe sober for an evill end hee is worse then if himselfe had beene drunken for company These two sisters did keepe themselves free from excesse that they might better abuse their owne reason to worke upon their Fathers unreasonablenesse Had they beene all overcome of wine incest had not so easily followed from drunkennesse but now that the man is swallowed up of wine and the woeman not so they prevailed more easily to make their Father lewd It is a drunken sobriety that is directed to uncleanesse they would not be drunken because they desired to be filthy Some men boast that themselves have borne their cups wherewith another hath beene overcome but that sobernesse makes them greater offenders then if they exceeded measure in drinking Wherfore you must blame your selves with exceeding detestation of your selves if you have abused a thing otherwise vertuous to make another man more vitious Thou mad'st another to take cup after cup that when he had lost his wits and thou kepst thine thou mightest better prevaile to draw him unto further wickednesse thy sobernesse was as bad and much worse then his drunkennesse O that you would see and lament your extreame ungraciousnesse in this abusing both wit in yourselves and want of wit in others But now Lot is drunken and fitted for any wickednesse the two Sisters in their turnes goe to bed to him and solicite him to abuse their bodies and prevaile with him because he had not reason to know what hee did Incest is a most unnaturall crime yet the wicked nature of man is apt to runne into it and that wilfully O what a filthy heart hath a man and woman that can transgresse all the dictates of reason to satisfie impure desires No person comes amisse to lust the Father will serve as well as another man when the lewde desire hath prevailed they care not with whom the fault be committed so that it be committed Have none of you given way so farre to libidinous desires as to mixe your selves unlawfully and without marriage with those to whom you might not have drawne neere no not in the warrantable imbraces of Matrimony Is there not some incestuous man or woman amongst you yea some that hath not out of weakenesse but purposely run into incest The crime is not so often committed in so high a degree but yet sometimes it falleth out in the world that men may learne there is more evill in their nature then they would have beleeved but that experience teacheth it we have not another example of it in Scripture but here are two at once that wee might learne to know how bad a nature we have And so much for their sinnes common to both making their Father drunke and then going to bed to him for matter and for manner purposely and without remorse and without any sorrow after for when they had borne children they give them such names as prooved that they rather boasted of the crime then bewailed it Ammon the sonne of my people Moah of my Father as if they had rejoyced at their happinesse in being with childe by their owne Father It is a cursed thing to sinne more to be so hardned as not to lament it afterwards most to make a mans selfe glad of it Their speciall sinnes are the elder perswades to the sinne then gives a bad example and after againe incourageth her Sister and the younger yeelds and followes O see this naughtinesse and take heede Hitherto of Abrahams sonnes servants and wives and one of his children and of his Kinsman Lot his Wife and daughters Now of some others that lived with him first his confederates Aner Eshcol and Mamre secondly Ephron the Hittite thirdly King Pharaoh of Egypt fourthly King Abimelech Then of the Kings that did take Lot and so of the Sodomites Now for Aner Eshcol and Mamre they were three Brethren Hittites of whose birth and death nothing is revealed but in their lives two things are recorded deserving our observation and imitation First they were friends and confederates with Abraham appeares Gen. 14.13 Secondly they did faithfully performe the office of friends and confederates For the first these three Brethren were in league with Abraham joyned in a Covenant with him for mutuall helpe of each other against any that should wrong any of them Their league it may seeme was offensive and defensive It is a wise and good part to live in friendship with godly men and to be knit to such in covenants of amity peace and mutuall helpe as Hiram King of Tyre was in covenant with David and with Salomon his sonne after him and it is recorded to his praise that hee was alwaies a lover of David For by this meanes great benefits are brought unto a man First he shall see their good conversation and heare their wise words and enjoy their good counsell and their godly prayers and so be in possibility to be wonne to goodnesse by them at least to a vertuous and civill conversation through their meanes for hee that walketh with the wise shall be made wise as he that walketh with sinners shall be made worse by them He that commeth where sweete spices and ointments are stirring doth carry away some of their sweet savour even though hee thinke not of it so shall a man receive some savour and taste of goodnesse from good men if hee live friendly and familiarly with them Againe the Lord had undertaken with Abraham to be a friend to his friends and an enemie to his enemies and to blesse them that blessed him as well as to curse them that cursed him Wherefore in entertaining friendship with them a man doth interest himselfe into some degree of Gods favour and blessing according
provocation to him How many miseries might wee escape by so speedy an observation of Gods hand and purpose and a ready yeeldance to him Pray we to God to give us such a quicke sight such a stooping disposition He that gave it to an Heathen man will much more give it to a Christian And if any of you have beene stoute against God Pharaoh-like let him abhorre himselfe that hath shewed lesse piety then this Pharaoh did It is a proofe of some softnesse of heart to be driven from sin even by great plagues Another vertue in him was that he used Abraham kindly for his sisters sake so was she reputed then and by that meanes he grew in riches abundantly Favourable dealing with a man for his friends sake especially for a faire sister a kinswomans sake is a kinde of bastard curtesie and may befall a man given to lust yea many times the kindnesse of such is more wonne by such a motive then by any better deservings Let us doe the same thing but on better grounds let the beauty of vertue make us esteeme and countenance those that shew it more then a beautifull Sister or Kinswoman but better be loving to a good man even upon such a sinister respect then not at all to be courteous to him Another thing wherein this man dealed well was that he dealt not over harshly with Abraham but lets him goe without offering injury unto him in anything hee had He doth not take his life from him as Abraham feared he would have done nay nor his servants nor his goods nor any part of them but takes order for his safe passage and conduct out of his Countrey Let us at least so moderate our anger that if it draw us to a little unkindnesse and sourenesse of carriage which is one degree of revenge yet it may not cause us to leape over the pale of justice and to use unrighteousnesse and cruelty against those from whom we have received injury So Pharaoh was not so farre transported with anger though perhaps he might have beene able to have done it and it may seeme at first sight that he had cause of doing so But it seemeth that the sence of Gods great plagues had made him begin to see that God was a deare friend of Abrahams and that he should have incurred further wrath for wronging him in other things wittily whose injuries God did prosecure so severely even when it was done ignorantly and unwittingly We ought to have more feare of God before us then any King of Egypt Deale justly therefore let men goe from us with all they have make not bold to wreake your teeme on any man by sending him away without his owne But it is to be noted that God plagued Pharaoh for his doing hurt to Abraham though beyond his knowledge even with great plagues you see that sometimes unwitting sinnes make God very angry with men when done against his deare and faithfull servants in things neere and deare unto them for he is a Father to them and full of compassion and pittieth their case when they sigh and mourne before him O with how much heavier evills will he plague them who wittingly and of set purpose doe wrong them How shall his anger burne against presumptuous and wilfull sinners when such heate ariseth upon occasion of sinnes of meere ignorance Take you heed of causing his wrath to arise against you for such crimes sure his sword will cut of for such faultes if it wound and cut deepe for the farre lesser And againe see that even plagues sometimes are sent to doe a man more good then hurt even to keepe a man from such sinnes as but for them he would have committed and to make him see and leave those which he did live in before and not observe It was a benefit to Pharaoh that he was so scourged I conceive that this Pharaoh was not a man sanctified for then God would have warned him by dreame or some other way as hee did Abâ—melech rather then by severity of plagues but it is a kind of favour to any man to be kept from sin even by heavy plagues Surely the Lord will doe as much for his owne people as for the Egyptians rather drive them out of their sins by sharpnesse of blowes then that they shall live and die in them and perish Happy is that smart or paine that prevents a greater hurt The Lord had rather his people should suffer any thing then continue in sinne to their destruction their outward fame troubles him not so much as their inward wickednesse Therefore if you find by experience that Gods hand hath restrained you from much evill and your owne soules can say such and such a sin I should never have seene never have left if God had not by his scourges and blowes even forced me to open mine eyes and see them and to cast them away even as it were against my will be you thankfull to God for such chastisements learne to say as David It was good for me that I was afflicted that I might learne thy righteous judgements Will not men pay well for a plaister that hath a vertue to cure the sore though it put the member to smarting paine Surely he doth not hate sin according to its hatefulnesse that hath not learned to be glad of any affliction which keepeth him from sin or drawes him out of it And now if any of you doe lie under heavy plagues let him become an humble suiter to God to vouchsafe him as much goodnesse as he pleased to grant unto this Pharaoh even to shew him the cause for which he smiteth and to give him notice of his faults and power to reforme them we might hasten our deliverance out of calamities if we would turne them to this purpose * ⎠* THE THIRTEENTH EXAMPLE OF ABIMELECH ANother man is mentioned living in Abrahams time with whom also Abraham had occasion to converse Hee was a King ruling over a city called Gerar in the countrey of the Philistins In his countrey Abraham sojourned you have the story of him Gen. 20. 21. v. 22. ad finem Of his birth and death nothing is recorded But in his life we must observe First His fault Secondly His good deedes Thirdly His crosses Fourthly his Benefits One fault alone of his wee reade of viz. that he tooke Sarah to him minding to make her his wife we see him offending in the same kinde that Pharaoh King of Egypt was noted before to have offended in Hee was too too libidinous and over-taken with an inordinate affection to beauty Hee had wives enough before yet when one stranger singularly faire did come into his countrey he would needes take her to himselfe and that not so much by perswasion and intreaty as by violence and strong hand for so much seemeth to be signified by the word hee tooke her hee sent and tooke her hearing of a beautifull person and having
that thou shouldst not come neere her meaning Sarah It is a great favour of God to preserve a man from sinning by his providence I meane to order things so that hee hath not opportunity or freedome to doe such things as else hee would commit because hee doth not know them to bee sinnes And this is one of the graces that God doth shew to those whose hearts hee findes upright with him O strive to get sincerity of soule that hee which searcheth the heart may vouchsafe you the same goodnesse but if you bee hollow and guilefull the Lord may and will justly punish you by giving you over to great offences And if any man finde that God hath restrained him from doing some wickednesse which hee did not know and therefore should have done much more which hee did know and would have done he must blesse the name of God for it with heartiest prayers Hee that was in likeliehood afore hee knew of it to have falne into some great pit or other like danger travelling in the night and findeth in the morning how neere he came to mischiefe and yet escaped the fame is either very blockish and prophane or else hee must needes lift up his heart and eyes and hands to Heaven and magnifie the name of God that caused him to scape so much more must wee doe if when wee were in a forwardnesse to runne into grievous offences the Lord hath used some or other meanes which our selves did not provide to restraine us from that evill Spirituall preservation deserveth serious and thankefull acknowledgement as well as naturall Another mercy of God is that hee revealed himselfe unto him in a dreame by night and declared his will by a commandement promise and threat I doe not reade of such a kindnesse afforded to any wicked man except it were to Balaam the false Prophet which was done not in favour to him but unto Israel that hee might not dare to curse his people therefore am I conceited that Abimelech was a godly man especially because the Lord doth please to talke as it were in so friendly and familiar a manner with him as if hee had nor beene a stranger to God but rather of inward knowledge You shall finde if you reade the dreame a kind of lovingnesse expressed on Gods part and a kinde of dutifull boldnesse on Abimelechs so that for my part I have a very good opinion of the man and thinke that the feare of God was in the King of that people which were themselves so wicked that good Abraham said there was no feare of God in them But the favour affoorded him is this he was taught of God his duty by a dreame Dreames were one of the ordinances whereby God did reveale his will unto men in those times Pharaoh was shewed a thing in a dreame and so was Nebuchadnezar but God did not appeare unto them and speake to them in dreames this was an ordinance of his I say in which most times hee used to teach good men Now this was a note of Gods kindnesse to Abimelech that hee so taught him and not by heavy plagues as hee did Pharaoh King of Egypt forementioned How much more mercy shewes the Lord to us to whom hee shewes himselfe in the word and in the preaching of it whereby wee are taught our damnable estate and shewed the meanes of escaping it and called upon with continuall threats and promises to use those meanes let us pray to God to worke upon us by these his ordinances that they may winne us to obedience in a thorough reformation of life as Abimelech was wonne to reform e this one fault and then happy shall wee bee But if wee imitate the naughtinesse of Israel and harden our hearts that wee may not hearken then shall this mercy aggravate our sinnes and wee shall onely have this fruite of it wee shall know there was a Prophet amongst us when those greater fearefull punishments befall us which were formerly threatned against us in the word Bretheren God doth not please to speake to men now in person by dreames but hee revealeth his will by Pastors and Teachers speaking in his Name Hee hath imployed mee to you this thirty yeares well neere to informe you that you are but dead men because of the sinnes you have gone a whoring after and to threaten you with death if you refuse to leave them and encourage you with promise of life upon your converting and amending O when will you hearken as this man did I beseech you before you come to Church to heare take sometime to beg of God the assistance of his Spirit to make you obedient hearers and then blessed be your eares that heare Another benefit afforded to this King Abimelech was this that hee found God as favourable to him as could be in a speedy removing of the chastisement which was sent upon him because of Sarah viz. the barrennesse of all his family for it is said vers ult that God healed Abimelech his wife and his maides and his hand-maides and they conceived for hee had fast shut up every wombe in the house of Abimelech by which it may bee thought that God sent some gentle sicknesse upon him by which hee was disabled from comming neere to Sarah Now so soone as hee did reforme the fault the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham and cured him and his house This is a great favour of God to make hast to our deliverance and very quickly to heare our owne prayers and the prayers of others made for us and instantly to remove the miseries which did lie upon us for if the long lying on of a crosse bee tedious and heavy because of the much sorrow it bringeth and many complaints it wringeth from the mouth even of good men saying Lord how long then surely freedome from all that anguish must bee received as a point of great grace O my Bretheren doe you imitate Abimelech in the speedy mending of your faults that the Lord may also favour you so much as to remove your crosses quickly If iniquity bee in your heart put it from you and remoove it out of your tabernacle and then your light shall spring as the morning as one of Iobs friendes speaketh to him But when we linger and holde sinne under our tongues and are loath to cast it away no wonder if God doe take us in our owne nets as it were and make sorrowes and crosses linger as much upon us Make hast to obey God and amend your lives that he may also make hast to heale These be Abimelechs mercies The crosses that the Scripture telleth us of are no more but one onely viz. God did strike him with sicknesse and weakenesse and his women with barrennesse and this crosse was rather sent upon him as a mercy to keepe him from touching Sarah then in anger or displeasure against him Sicknesse of a mans person wife and family are crosses but sometimes the Lord
and if hee doe so much and often and almost continually then is hee guilty even of abundance of idlenesse I pray you every one set your consciences a worke to finde out your owne sinnefullnesse in this kinde Doe not many of your hands refuse to labour Are you not such as will not worke Some are idle because they have beene so ill educated that they have not fitted themselves for any calling they have nothing to doe nor cannot tell how to bestow themselves and their times These are a kinde of vagrant people though they have meanes enough to live of cyphers good for nothing but to eate and drinke vermine Apes Monkies whose whole life is to eate and drinke and sleepe and sport and sit and talke and laugh and be merry These are excrements in humane societies and the most miserable of the sonnes of men as having brought upon themselves by long use an habit of being idlesbees and a kind of necessity to continue naughty yet such a necessity as doth not excuse but aggravate the fault others againe are idle because though they have a calling yet they have no minde to follow it but are estranged from the workes of their vocation and love to be gadding and rambling hither and thither and every where but where they should be These are great offendors this idlenesse turnes their foode into poyson many such sloathfull doe-naughts there are in the world There be some servants sluggish slow-backs whose hand is no sooner from under the Governours eye but that it is also off from the worke and they leave all and sit downe to talke by the fire-side or in a corner being men of tongue and further then eye-service drives them to it their chiefe imployment is twattle Now I pray you if any be guilty to themselves of lazinesse unwillingnesse to exercise themselves painefully in their callings either with hand or head or both that they take notice of it sure they be of kinne to these miscreants the Sodomites now begin to labour in this worthy worke of repenting for thine unprofitable living For sure if men must give an account for every idle word then other parts of idlenesse must likewise be brought unto the reckoning I pray those that be of the richer sort that doe not finde a necessity of labouring laide upon them for their bellies sake to take heed that they passe not over their idlenesse as a small matter Most times riches make men turne Sodomites they are proud they give themselves to fullnesse of bread and to abundance of idlenesse they will not set themselves to any diligent following of any good worke but delight in that which Salomon saith his vertuous woman would not doe to eate the bread of idlenesse Surely the God that made them as well as other men with bodies and mindes fitted to doe service will not brooke their doing of nothing And secondly I pray you shun shun this Sodomitish sinne take not liberty to be idle but lay out your time so that you may comfortably answer it to God the Maker of it and of you Time is a thing most pretious all the wealth under Heaven cannot redeeme one mispent minute by how much it is more deare and irremediable by so much ought it to be more carefully husbanded and warily bestowed Therefore be you painefull in your callings breake off sleepe seasonably in the morning set close to some needfull actions in the day give not the greater part of your time to sports and sitting idle and discoursing of this and that but follow the workes of your calling and frame your selves to some calling make your selves a vocation in some matter or other that shall be worth your time Painefullnesse in a calling will kill many vices it will exercise all vertues it will prevent many temptations and sinnes it will make ones life comfortable and his heart in good measure humble and discreete It will be a content at death to thinke one hath not wasted his life for nothing Doe not dare to slip away from the workes of your calling but upon good ground when you are able to alledge some better thing to be done insteed of it or just occasion of intermitting it for your better fitting and inabling to it I doe not commend toylesomenesse to you but due diligence in your places that may cause you to differ much from the inhabitants of Sodome Especially give not your selves to excessive sleepe and sports Salomon hath condemned the sluggard and the man that loveth pastime to the stockes of want and one way or another the Lord will finde a time and meanes to cast them into those stockes Doe not all things invite you to diligence in a calling see what care the Sunne hath to runne his daily and yeerely course according to its proper nature see how all the rest of the heavenly armie doe keepe themselves in their owne places and swiftly performe their owne motions See how the waters doe ebbe and flow and that constantly see how the fountaines make hast to the brookes and rivers and the rivers to the Sea see how all things almost are still in action The earth that keepes in one place yet is still doing something in that place either nourishing the rootes or the branches of the trees and other things that grow on it or else gathering heart to it selfe to doe the same worke better for a little respite and intermission And in Heaven though these naturall actions cease yet the spirituall imployment of living rejoycing in honouring and praising of God doth never cease Quicken up your selves therefore to this virtue of diligence it is good for soule good for body good for state profitable every way and at last will proove easie and delightfull too to him that doth it with moderation The diligent man takes as much content in his moderate labour as the sluggard in somnolency and easefullnesse So much for this fault also A fourth is a sinne of Omission and that is they strengthened not the hands of the poore What is that They did not releeve his necessities with convenient supplie but gave him either nothing at all or but so small a pittance as would not suffice to give him any comfort It is you see a great fault to be pinching to the poore and either to give them nothing or a very small quantity almost as good as nothing Therefore he reckons it as a proofe of a good man that shall live Ezek. 18.16 Hath given his bread to the hungry and hath covered the naked with a garment but when our Saviour came to sentence the goates on the left hand he giveth this reason of their rejection I was sicke and you did not visit hungry and you gave mee no meate in prison and you came not to mee and when they alledged that they never saw him in such distressed cases and withdrew themselves from succouring him his answer is in that you did it not to these you did
married any without the liking and privity of his Father but took the right and due course gave up himselfe to his Fathers authority and direction and therefore God gave him a good Rebekah indeed a comfortable wife and vertuous woman In this therefore all children are bound also to imitate him Children must take their Parents counsell and direction in matter of marriage and not bestow themselves without their good liking and consent that they may have Gods blessing attending them in their marriage when they honour at once both God and their Parents in obeying Gods Commandement and shewing due respect unto their Parents So did even Ishmael though otherwise a wilde man for it is said of him that his Mother tooke him a wife So did Iacob afterwards His Father blessed him and sent him to Padan Aram to take him a wife of the daughters of Laban his Mothers brother And when Sampson saw a woman of Timnah that pleased him well he spake to his Father and Mother to take the Maide for him who went downe thither and made the match for him Indeed the Parents have more discretion and understanding then the children by reason of their age and experience and therefore it is for the childes good to follow their advice And to whom must the children goe for comfort and helpe in case that any crosse befall them in marriage but onely to their Parents of which comfort and helpe they deprive themselves if they venture upon marriage without them wee know that those God hath not joyned in marriage whom he doth not unite in that estate Now God hath made the Parents his Deputies in this behalfe saying unto them give your daughters in marriage and take sonnes for your daughters and againe you shall not give your daughters to them in marriage nor take their sonnes to your daughters Now how can it be said that God joyned them if their Parents whom hee hath made rulers over them in his steed do not joyne them seeing immediately hee doth joyne none in these our daies Also the children are the goods of the Parents as a part of their possession insomuch that they were also to be sold to pay their debts Wherefore as no bargaine is firme in other kindes of goods without the consent of those that have right unto those goods so neither can this covenant be good without the consent of Parents which have as much right from God in their children as in any other of their goods Wherefore those sonnes and daughters are much to be blamed who have neglected this part of their duty to their Parents and have suffered their blinde and strong passions so farre to transport them that against their Parents consent and counsell they have bestowed themselves in Matrimony and so have transgressed against the plaine commandement of God Such must heartily repent of their sinne and humble themselves before God with much sorrow for their great and wilfull disobedience Parents would not have their children thus to slight and dishonour them yea they take it grievously and are much perplexed with sorrow for their children in this case therefore children should bee much grieved themselves if they have given this occasion of griefe unto their Parents To satisfie mens owne desires and affections without regard to Gods ordinances is a notorious disobedience and bringeth the guilt of a great offence upon the soules of them that have so offended All you that have married in this disorderly manner see that you doe unfaignedly repent of the sinne before God and confessing the fault before him seeke to prevent the curse that must else fall upon you and your children after you for so dishonouring your Parents And you young men and women that be not yet married see that you binde your consciences and resolve your wills to obey this commandement Follow God in your Parents and be not so rash and selfe-willed as to crosse them and follow your owne heads and passions This duty will be easie if you looke carefully to your passions at first and suffer them not to be undiscreetely fixed upon any person untill you have acquainted your Parents with your desires and crav'd their allowance and consent But if a man or maide doe inthrall themselves and intangle others by a disorderly placing of their affections then shall they make this otherwise easie duty hard and impossible to themselves Keepe your selves therefore Masters of your owne hearts and sell not away your liberty through an over-hasty yeelding of your selves to your unruly passions Suffer not your mindes to be drawne away by any meanes but pray God to keepe your hearts in order It is a sinfull love as well as a sinfull passion in any other kinde which troubles an house and makes the children contrary to their Parents and to proove the greatest crosse that may be to them to whom they ought to have beene the greatest comfort Lastly Isaac shewes his due respect unto his Father by joyning with Ishmael his brother in burying his Father for so it is said his sonnes Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machphelah This is the last office that childeren can performe and they must shew their love and duty to them in the honourable performance of this last act as to testifie their love to their Parents so to declare their faithfull hope of the resurrection from the dead For therefore are men with due solemnities committed to the bosome of the earth because they expect their glorious rising againe and they shall not utterly perish and fall as doe the bruite and unreasonable creatures Now see Isaacs carriage towards his mother There was no love lost betwixt them but as Sarah did tenderly love Isaac so did he requite her love with love againe as is manifested in his sorrowfull taking of her death though she lived with him to a great age For so it is written that after Rebekkah was brought unto him and he was married unto her Gen. 24 ult Isaac was comforted after his mothers death intimating that even untill then he was grieved for the losse of her It is a fault therefore in childeren oversoone to forget their dead mothers and to let their remembrance quickly to slip out of their mindes how much more to be weary of their over-long lives and to be glad when the time comes that they must put them into the dust in respect of some paultrey gaine of money of land that they shall possesse when the Father and mother is dead All that desire their parents death for their goods sake which they shall enjoy after them and are glad when they shall change their parents for their goods must needes be called wicked and ungratefull childeren See therefore that you children love even your mothers heartily moderately lamenting their death that you may make it appeare their life was not a burden unto you And so have we seene Isaacs goodnesse towards his parents Looke into his carriage
sinned surely in forgetting himselfe so farre as to resolve in his minde to blesse his sonne Esau whereas God had said the elder shall serve the younger He should have beene mindfull of that propheticall answer which was given concerning those two sonnes even when they strove in their Mothers wombes unlesse wee shall say that the whole passage was so carried as it was concealed from Isaac but that is nothing probable it can hardly be conceived that Rebekah would not acquaint her husband both that shee felt so strange a striving in her wombe which made her seeke to God to know the matter as also what answer shee received from God Taking that for granted which is so probable that there is no reason to doubt of it I say wee may note a fault in good Isaac yea good old Isaac hee forgate the Word of God which had beene spoken some yeares before and that so utterly as hee determined to have crossed it and gone directly against it It is a fault from which the bed men alive are not exempted even so to forget Gods Word as to be ready out of forgetfullnesse to transgresse it This forgetfullnesse ariseth many times from heedelesnesse and many times from continuance and length of time and sometimes from very strength of passion and distemper which doth cast out the remembrance of good things from the minde David and all the Priests had forgotten that which at least some of them had read concerning the not carting of Gods Arke but carrying it upon the Priests shoulders Iacob after had little lesse then forgate the vow hee made unto God in his affliction I pray you take heed of such forgetfullnesse meditate often that you may remember seasonably pray God to write his Lawes in your hearts and to make his holy Spirit to become your remembrancer that your knowledge be not made unprofitable through forgetfullnesse for that which is not fitly called to minde is in a manner as if it were not And if you meete with such a weakenesse as this in your selves looke that you be duely abased in the sight of it but be not out of heart as if you were destitute of all grace because you are imperfect in it but take comfort to seeke and hope for pardon upon your humble confession when the Lord pleaseth to put you in remembrance againe If Peter had remembred Christs words before hee might perhaps have escaped his great sinne of denying his Master but hee remembred it after to make him weepe bitterly It were a comfortable thing to call to minde those things that should preserve us from sinne so timely that we might be so preserved by them But if wee have done otherwise it behooveth us to put our selves in minde of them after to worke godly sorrow and then turning to God wee must not suffer our selves to doubt but that hee will vouchsafe to accept us Now Isaac offended something against men In respect of his two sonnes at first he loved Esau better then Iacob and that for carnall respects because Esau by his hunting supplied him with such kinde of meate as was contentfull to him It was without doubt a weakenesse in him and deserveth taxing Should Isaac beare favour to a gracelesse sonne for venisons sake rather then to a godly sonne for vertue sake Should our passions fancies appetites carrie us away and over-rule our affections Surely as David wished those that feared God to come unto him and he would choose them for his companions so should every man make godlinesse the rule of his affections so as when other things be even to give piety the preheminence and cause godlinesse to cast the scale as it were It is a fault in any man to love a worse childe above a better for any sinister respect Abraham loved not Ishmael above Isaac to prevent that it may be thought that God commanded Ishmael to be cast out that hee might not be thought a meete person at least to partake with Isaac in his inheritance And as to be carried away in our affections to children by affecting them most that deserve it least in carnall respects is a sinne so likewise towards other persons also servants neighbours or any other Therefore hee that hath done so or findes himselfe so inclined must be humbled in his folly and labour at last to rectifie his love as wee shew'd you before that Isaac did when God discovered his weakenesse to him Now in respect of Abimelech Isaac offended by lying out of feare when the men of Gerar began to question with him about his wife he began to suspect that they meant no good in such inquirie and fearing some ill usage from them if hee should have professed himselfe her husband helped the matter with a sudden lie and said shee was his Sister Gen. 26.7 you see hee inheriteth here his Fathers carnall feare and carnall shift of lying to prevent the evill feared Here wee have two plaine faults his immoderate feare and his lying to helpe himselfe at a pinch to be afraid of death so that there appeare some likelihood that it will come upon us suddenly and violently we suffer our selves to be drawne into sinne for the escaping of it is a sin and such a sin it is as hath often discovered it selfe in good men Wee noted it in Abraham twice upon the same occasion that is here mentioned So it befell David when hee came first to Achish King of Gath so to Peter and others The inordinatenesse of the feare of death ariseth from weakenesse of faith both in that a man doth not so stedfastly rely upon God for defence and safeguard of life as also for salvation of his soule after death or because hee is not so well versed in the meditations of death and Heaven as to become sufficiently heavenly-minded For if wee did fully perswade our selves that God would stand by us in perill that hee would be our shield and buckler then it would befall us according to that of David The Lord is on my side I will not feare what man can doe unto mee but in the best this confidence is often weakened and they are taken unprovided through the suddennesse of the danger or the like occasion or it is likely that the soule which so feareth death as by sinne to shun the same doth not so thoroughly assure it selfe of salvation or hath not so clearely and fully apprehended the excellency of salvation for doubtlesse death would be welcome to him rather then terrible that did apprehend it as a darke entrie leading to the glorious palace of glory and had well considered of the greatnesse of that glory I beseech you take paines to helpe your selves against the feare of death and to worke in your hearts so truly couragious a temper that though it should present it selfe to you naked and without disguise and that suddenly and that in shew unpreventably yet you might be so constant and so setled as not to
forth his griefe before God in these words If thou wilt deale thus with me kill me now kil me if I have found favour in thine eyes and let me not see mine evill Sometimes you finde good men desirous to escape death and crying Lord save me from the hands of mine enemies and sometimes againe even covetous of it and crying with vehemency again and again kill me Lord kill me and if thou lovest me kill me Iob was exceeding desirous to die and said He would seek for it as for gold yea and fine gold So you perceive that mans nature is prone to waxe weary of living because of affliction and that this is a fault and a weaknesse is evident It is an act of ingratitude because a man considers not as well the good he enjoyeth as the evill for if he would reckon well he doth alwaies receive more good at Gods hand in this life than evill but as one bitter morsell causeth that the mouth tasteth nothing almost but bitternesse though it have before received many dainty morsels so it is with us in this case Againe it is a fruit of hopelesnesse and despaire the soule doth not expect the favourable goodnesse of God to strengthen and deliver in due time but thinks it will never be better with mee till I die and therefore wisheth it selfe out of the world Hope would hold the heart up from these faintings but it is a kinde of despaire that casts it into such swounes as Iob said As for mine hope where is it Thirdly pride is one great cause of this disposition men consider not with themselves how unworthy they be of any good how much they have deserved far greater evill and therefore are immoderately vexed with those they feele and therefore count their beeing a burden But is it not a fruit of great pride in a man that as if he were his own maker preserver disposer will be no longer then he may have his own will and may see things to go along with him after his owne wishes Further a man wrongs himselfe exceedingly by suffering himself to grow weary of life for first he makes the misery greater by makeing himselfe weaker to beare it If a man be to beare a great burden it doth him much hurt to scratch the skin of his shoulder for that will adde much to the pain of bearing A gauled place will smart of it selfe how ill doth be provide for himselfe that rubs off the skin from his shoulders when he is put to carry a thing So doth he that will needs give way to so much impatiency as to be weary of life yea he exposeth himselfe to the danger of becomming a self-murtherer that yeeldeth to this wearinesse of life For it will not be very hard to perswade any man to cast away that which is his burden So it is evident that this was an offence in Rebekkah And now come you men and women of all rankes looke into your selves Have not you also been weary of life and that upon a very small occasion A maide is crossed in her desires by her parents for her good and she sees no likelihood of having what shee would have then she pules and takes on and wisheth she were dead and buried she would forgive him that would knock her on the head A man hath met with somewhat a froward woman which vexeth him with her words then he will be dead in a chafe I would I were out of the world never man was so pestered with a shrew as I so it is with wives too Come now recount you owne passions are you not ashamed of these drunken distempers what is life a thing so dog cheape with you that upon every occasion you would cast it away Are your selves things of so little value that so small a matter should make you weary of your selves You wrong God exceedingly in such distempers for you make it appeare that you think of him as of an angry governour that cares not how unreasonably he laies upon his servants in his anger Either these corrections are sufferable or not I meane such as by wisdome and discretion you might compose your selves to beare with gentlenesse or they be not if they be why do you chafe thus If they be not who hath sent them Verily you provoke God to send unsufferable crosses that will make easie crosses unsufferable What saith the Father to the froward childe doe you cry for nothing take you that then to make you cry for something and so doubles and redoubles his blows with a strong arme till the childe feeling the smart of his Fathers anger begins to compose himselfe to a little more sufferance Brethren let us repent of this folly there scarce liveth a man that hath not overshot himselfe in this fashion O let us repent of it and let us diligently resist such disorderly passions hereafter Let nothing make us weary of life but sin and not that so excessively as to make us intemperately wish death Of sin we should be weary but of life for sins sake I know not whether we may allow our selves at all to be weary But for crosses be they what they will we should not be so weak and impatient as to grow weary of life For God is able to deliver us out of all crosses and will do it and he will so sanctifie them to us that it may be more for our profit than if it were removed and can give as in Iobs case he did so blessed an issue that our selves shall confesse it was but our folly not to be willing to continue under them according to his will Had not Iob cause to unwish his former wishes when the Lord did make so large an addition of happy dayes unto him Above all we must consider of our worthinesse to be damned that we may not thinke much of crosses and labour so to rest upon God for the escape of damnation that afflictions which are but for a short season may not seeme unto us extreame Looke upon our Lord Iesus Christ what sufferings were comparable to his Yet we never meet with any wearinesse of life or wishing of death in him Looke upon S. Paul too Never man had feeling of greater tribulation and he tels us that hee tooke pleasure in necessities afflictions tribulations but that he wished himselfe dead that hee might be free from his crosses wee never reade Let us follow the vertues of godly men but let their weaknesses be our warnings And that we may not distaste life for any crosses that befall us therein let us often renew our faith in Gods gracious promises to give us an happy issue out of all and to bring us safely to his heavenly kingdome Moreover if sometimes these fainting fits doe gather upon us and our mindes be overtaken with this tirednesse of spirit let us learne though to be humbled yet not to be discouraged We conclude not against Elias Moses Rebekkah Iob that they were not truly
unprofitably brought up to the knowledge of himselfe such a one shall be much more to seeke how to live religiously than another that hath some imployment for in not knowing what course to take he is made to stand distracted and doubtfull of his course and so full of vexation and unquietnesse Now all you Parents that have neglected your children very much and suffered them to trifle out all that golden season of youth in which they should have fitted themselves for a profitable and comfortable life in elder dayes be ashamed you have been so foolish as not alone to transgresse the duty of Christians but even that which the heathens have done You have been causes of your childrens misery and the Common-wealth too and if it proceed not from some other cause then from wisdome your children must be but burdens and diseases to themselves and the world Rich Parents are sometimes guilty of this fault for they thinke they shall leave them sufficient to maintaine them though they doe nothing and therefore intend them not to any vocation not considering how soon the Lord can empty a full Vessell and make the River Iordan yea the red Sea dry as dry ground and then what will become of their children Yea as not considering that to leave children much wealth and not some sufficiency for good imployment of themselves is to leave them furnished to doe themselves hurt and others and to bring all to nought quickly But many of the poorer ranke are guilty of this fault too who give themselves so to unthriftinesse that they cannot bestow so much as reading and writing on them much lesse some higher calling to which these should fit them If any mans unpreventable poverty disable him we blame him not for that to which necessity compels him only so that he pull not that necessity on himselfe but he that in a poore estate hath not some care to bring up his children to worke and if he cannot effect it himselfe doth not herein seeke help of the publique and able persons is not so good a Parent as nature will teach him that he should therefore now I commend Iacobs patterne to your eyes and pray you to cut out your lives according to his scantling Be not wanting to your childrens welfare the common prosperity and your owne comfort Let not others have cause to bestow upon you the reproofe of Solomon A childe left to himselfe maketh his Mother ashamed and what is hee but left to himselfe and the devill that is not acquainted with any profitable employment in a calling And let me speake something to children in this behalfe If Parents take never so due care and children will cast off the yoake what can the Parents doe Therefore you must learne you selves to practise subjection to your Parents as in all other things so in this Be carefull in the callings wherein your Parents have thought fit to place you that you may get ability in them to doe good to your selves and others The inconveniences that else will presse you hereafter shall prove more burden some unto your consciences when you shall be upbraided with these thoughts ah I might have done well but for mine owne wilfulnesse had I answered my Parents care and cost it would not have been thus evill with me But now to a second duty performed to them all Hee blessed them all according to their severall blessings as is noted of him that is he pronounced in Gods name and by way of promise from him what good things God would doe for each of them in his posterity that was to come after him For a mans selfe is blessed when hee is assured that benefits shall be granted to his childrens children in future generations Now in this way of blessing we cannot imitate him because wee want the Spirit of prophesie to foretell future events but there is a way of blessing which lyeth upon each of us we must pray for a blessing to our children and to our posterity after us and must carry our selves so religiously and righteously that we may procure a blessing to them by vertue of Gods promise to the seed of the righteous A good man walketh in his integrity and his children shall be blessed after him and Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord his children shall be like Olive plants Loe how you must blesse your children feare God walke uprightly and then shall you conveigh a blessing to them And so it is said He is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed is blessed There cannot be a better Counsellor than Gods Spirit see the way of blessing your children and you that have cursed your children as many a Father hath done both with bitter curses in word and also by walking in a way of cursednesse abhorre your selves that have walked into a way quite contrary to that wherein Iacob did walk The Lord hath appointed that the Son which curseth the Father should die the death Although the Parent owe not so much respect reverence and gratitude to the childe as on the other side yet sure hee doth owe as much love and this cursing contradicteth love because to love is to wish well and to curse is to wish ill therefore God will punish him severely also that curseth his children I doe not meane him that in Gods name doth pronounce a curse against them but him that in his fury doth make some ill wish against them O how unnaturall is that man who doth worse than ever it was heard that any bruit beast hath done yet that is in a rage teareth his owne children in pieces If it be a proofe of an unsanctified man that His mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse then sure he is extreamely unsanctified that curseth his owne children for that mouth is full of cursing to the very brim that will dash over against the fruit of ones owne body But you that have not yet cast off all so much as likenesse to Christianity I pray you learne of so holy a man Blesse your children in your kinde as he did in his live not in so wicked courses as may curse your seed and root them out to destruction If you desire that God should grant prosperity to your off-spring walke in the wayes of his Commandements Interest your selves into his promises by being upright and mercifull and following every good way But I proceed to let you see what Iacob did to some of his children in particular First Simeon and Levi that had committed a great murder hee reproved them although indeed I thinke with too much lenity sayin Ye have troubled me c. In which words he aggravates the fault from the mischiefe it was like to bring upon himselfe not mentioning the sinfulnesse against God perhaps because he saw their temper to be such that they would little regard the sin but would be somewhat moved with the danger but on his death-bed he is justly severe
priviledge is it and this is a mercy promised to all Saints For so saith our Saviour If my mords abide in you and you abide in me aske what you will and you shall have it And againe S. Iohn telleth us This is our confidence that whatsoever we aske according to his will he heareth us Therefore let us keepe our interest into this mercy by not having respect to sinne in our hearts and by constant endeavour to walke holily before the Lord. And if we have found and doe finde God favourable to us in this kinde so that we lose not our prayers which wee make unto him let us then comfort our selves in this benefit and be carefull to yeeld as obedient an eare to his word as hee doth yeeld a patient eare to our supplications And now of Iacobs temporall benefits First he was blessed with a large estate in the world according to his profession being a Shepheard his flocks did thrive he had cattell and servants in abundance God blessed him in Labans house and made all the stronger cattell to bring forth just such kinde of young as Laban had consented to give him for his wages so that he could not but see a Divine hand taking Labans goods and giving them to him as himselfe noteth Riches are do great matter but when God giveth them as tokens of his love and tender respect they are desirable Let those that enjoy them be sure that they come to them from God as fruits of his goodnesse or else the worst men may be wealthier than the best And let those that are upright with Iacob learne to trust God with their estate and to know that what shall be good for them shall be seasonably provided for them Secondly God delivered him out of all adversity as himselfe saith on his death-bed The Angel that redeemed me from all evill His three greatest dangers were first from Esau both when hee went unto Padan Aram and when hee returned at the former time God brought him safe to Padan and so restrained the minde of Esau that then hee put off the thought of killing him to his Fathers death and at the later time God so melted him that hee shewed himselfe exceeding kinde and fell upon his neck and kissed him instead of killing him which hee had intended and therefore hee tels Esau that hee had seene his face as the face of GOD. Laban pursued him too with a purpose to strip him of all and to send him empty home and he had power in his hand to doe it as himselfe saith but God appeared to him and rebuked him that he durst not handle him amisse The Inhabitants of the Countrey were much insenced against him in respect of that outragious murder and rapine committed upon the Sichemites and by his Sons in so much that Iacob feared much that they would pursue him and cut him off but God cast a feare into their hearts so that they did not offer any violence unto him as is noted by the Story These three great deliverances God vouchsafed Iacob O let us learne to turne to God and to walke before him in truth and then we shall have God ready to help us in all our necessities and at that time and in those exigents to provide for us meanes of escape by his providence when our owne wit and strength faileth as we finde him dealing with Iacob What could he doe against Esau Laban or the Inhabitants of the Countrey Let us cleave to God that hee may be out Buckler also and our strong Tower and Rocke of defence and if we have found so much favour with God as to rescue us out of such dangers as seemed unpreventable let not us attribute the deliverances to any other secondary causes but even see God in them ascribe them to him and learne thence to feare honour and praise him Those deliverances are indeed profitable that are cords of kindnesse to tie us nearer to God Hee that improveth not such benefits to that end loseth the most desirable fruit of them Further Iacob had a large off-spring of children twelve sons and one daughter this is a favour to give a man store of children of these sons all had wealth enough Ioseph was very religious in his youth and Benjamin civill and orderly at least and at the end all of them turned home and became godly men O happinesse to have so many children some good betime all holy at last all prosperous in outward things and one much advanced Another mercy of God was the providing of Ioseph as a man before to maintaine him and his family in Aegypt and bringing him to see Ioseph and enjoy his preferment for seventeen yeares together where he lived in as great a fulnesse of prosperity and concluded his dayes as happily as ever man did living in Iosephs bosome as it were seeing all his children godly and prosperous and feeling no considerable adversity having Iosephs oath also to bury him in Canaan This is a singular favour of God to make ones old age prosperous and to cause his eyes to see so much happinesse as he can wish when now he is ready to leave the world Marke the righteous man in the Psalme it is said The end of that man is peace Study righteousnesse that you may inherite this blessing and never threaten your selves how miserable you shall be hereafter God can provide wayes that you know not to make you safe and comfortable beyond your thoughts O be faithfull with him and trust in him and feare nothing So much for Iacobs life Now for his death It was a most seasonable death after a large time of life a most peaceable death in the midst of his Sonnes a most religious death blessing them and confirming their faith with his last words a most comfortable death so soone as he had ended his blessing he pulled up his legs and gave up the Ghost and then he had also an honourable embalming and buriall as at large is set downe in the Story Who would not wish such a death And yet more after death he hath an honourable name on earth and liveth in eternall glory in heaven Now let us imitate Iacobs vertues and labour to be upright and then notwithstanding many sins we shall have at last eternall happinesse and so much happinesse in this world also as is needfull for us Now we will shew you what calamities he suffered for the people of God must looke to suffer much tribulation in this world as it is foretold them both because their owne need requireth it to make and keep them good and cause them to grow in goodnesse as also because the Lord sees it fit thus to magnifie his power justice wisdome and goodnesse in sustaining and delivering them His chastisements then were these First that his Father did not love him so well as his brother but did manifestly prefer hunting Esau before
know whose daughter she was viz. Labans the brother of Rebekkah here Cousin-germans married without scruple but no marvell for they made no question of nearer matches A man might marry his Fathers daughter his sister as Abraham did Sarah A man might marry with two sisters as Iacob did Rachel and Leah The Lord had not yet abridged the liberty of contracting mariage as with any more remote so with them that were nearest in blood and alliance Therefore their examples must be no president for us in this matter But of Rachel let us consider after her Parentage her life and death and in her life 1. Her faults 2. Her vertues 3. Her crosses 4. Her benefits and so to her death First then her faults She was a woman of great imperfections these are plainly noted in her First she was envious towards her sister as you see Gen. 30.1 It vexed her not alone that she had no children but that her sister had Envy is a sin much to be blamed you may see in this Example what it is such a vexing at anothers having what I have not as doth estrange my minde and work a degree of hatred towards the person that hath it The first and most remarkable example of this vice is found in Cain it shewes it selfe here againe in Rachel Let us consider what a loathsome vice it is that we may the better shun it The Word of God hath given us frequent warning of it in blaming it so often it shewes how apt we are to it and how diligently we should oppose it and preserve our selves from it our Saviour is pleased to reckon it among the evill things that come out of the heart and doe defile the man and giveth it the name of an evill eye because it shewes it selfe presently in the eye and countenance and causeth a dejected countenance and a vile looke towards the party envied as it is seen in Cain and Saul It is a passion that will not be kept in but will bewray it selfe in odde lookes and casts of the eye S. Paul reckons it up among those sins wherewith the Gentiles were full viz. of Envy murder c. and you see with what companions he joynes it murder debate for these indeed be the fruits that follow from it as in Saul Cain and the Pharisees is evident S. Paul also reckons it amongst the number of the things which are fruits of the flesh and which he that doth shall not inherite the kingdome of heaven envyings murders where you see likewise how he fellows it with murders as he had done before In the same Epistle he forbids it saying Let us not bee covetous of vain-glory provoking one another envying one another Saint Iames saith that Where envying and strife is there is confusion and all manner of evill workes It is thought to have been one of the first sins of the devill For what could move him to seeke the overthrow of our first Parents Adam and Eve but together with an hatred of God from whom himselfe had fallen an evill affection towards them that stood entire in that good estate which himselfe had lost viz. the favour of God and true happinesse Now this vice is injurious to God to the party envyed to the enviers selfe and to the societies of mankinde First to God to whom it will not grant the freedome of disposing his owne gifts according to his owne good pleasure Envy against him that excels us carries with it by way of implication at least and sometimes expresly blaming condemning muttering against him that hath granted to another what he hath denied unto me They murmured against the housholder in the parable that were troubled to see those of the eleventh houre to have equall wages with them at the first Now what an audaciousnesse is this in the creatures to set rules to the Creator and to binde him that he shall not shew himselfe more bountifull to another than to ones selfe Are not we discontented if one childe grudge because another hath a bigger or better thing than himselfe We cannot endure that our inferiours should set lawes to us and appoint us what to give to others what to them We must know our selves to forget our selves much if we will prescribe to God and it is nothing else but a very prescribing to God when we take occasion from his bounty to repine For if it be well done why are we vexed If not upon whom is the blame laid Further it is a wrong to the party envyed for it is to measure such measure to him as we would not have measured to our selves by another Who doth not blame another for vexing at his prosperity and for having a grudge against him because God hath done him good Would we not that all should rather love us respect us more and rejoyce with us Therefore we doe injury to our neighbour in doing what we would not have done to our selves The envious wrongeth himselfe both because he doth vexe and eate out his owne heart to no purpose for neither shall another prosper lesse nor he more because of such his inordinate distempers as also because he makes himselfe lie open to most grievous sins of detracting slandering and practising all injuries yea and murder at the last He is in the high way that will lead him to many sins yea to the shedding of innocent blood that entertaineth this diabolicall humour of envy And he wrongeth the whole society because he is distempered at that which maketh for the common good even the distribution of Gods gifts differently as himselfe sees fit and in that he is broody of quarrels which all hinder the common welfare of the places where they be Besides this is a fruit of pride and uncharitablenesse and must needs be hatefull to God who loves only the humble and charitable Envy is a vice unto the making of which many vices concurre Ignorance folly pride uncharitablenesse self-love and the like It is a vice which bringeth forth many other vices contention strife swellings tumults whisperings back-bitings murders and all evill deeds Therefore let us finde it out and chase it away You shall easily perceive that it is a weed which growes in our corrupt nature How soon doe children begin to shew it how doth it grow stronger by continuance increasing in strength as the body increaseth yea how doth it live in old men too and vexe them also that should have more understanding as experience sheweth Indeed the elder can use more craft to hide it but many times they have no more wisdome to subdue it than the younger I pray you finde it out each one in himselfe and fight against it as one of the most loathsome fruits of the flesh And strive you to get such a measure of humility and charity as may not alone preserve you from this vice but make you rejoyce with them that rejoyce and turne the prosperity of others into matter
of gladnesse even then when your selves want it Happy is he that partakes in every mans happinesse It is in a mans power to taste some of the sweete of every mans estate and to heale his wounds by a medicine made of comfortable rejoycing in their soundnesse Why should we not make our selves merry at things rather than sad and discontented If we were so wise and godly as to seeke and desire Gods glory as our maine end then we should rejoyce at all those things which conduced to that end and so doe the benefits bestowed upon our brethren as well as those that our selves enjoy If wee could bee lovers of the common good and desirers of the publike welfare why the benefits of others further that and therefore should also glad us Mankinde was encreased the power of God in furnishing the world demonstrated by Leahs off spring as well as if Rachel had conceived two and shee two be we therefore lovers of Gods glory and lovers of the common good and we shall not be envious This vice sometimes seekes a reason to hide its unreasonablenesse by conceiting that anothers having such things hinders himselfe and so it may fall out in some cases as when two stand in competition for the same thing but this is no wrong though it be a damage and therefore should not produce any grudge For seeing but one can have the thing and he hath it is it just to bee offended with him that hath done no more to my self than I would have done to him even preferred himselfe before me Wherefore see that you give not place to this wicked vice but learne so to love your neighbours as your selves that you may rejoyce in their prosperity as in your owne But let us every man prepare himselfe to meete with this fell monster of envy that if it encounter us yet we may not be thrust into distempers by it It is not in any mans power to hinder the malicious and malignant natures of other men from shewing it selfe but to be quiet milde and patient towards him that envies a man that his wisdome and charity should inable him to performe for is it not common to all good things to come attended with envy Was not Christ envied Was not Paul Have not the best been Yea wee must endure envy even from our nearest kindred The brother must bee prepared to suffer the envy of the brother the sister of the sister and must bee able to hold their spirits in such order that they may not lesse love one that envies them which yet is hard to love those that use us ill For by how much envy proveth more implacable than other kindes of grudges by so much carnall reason will bid us to bee more apt unto it but Gods Spirit frames men to a gentle carriage Pray God to make you of such a temper that you may bee able to shew kindnesse even to him that envies you I come to another fault of Rachels shee was passionate and snappish towards her husband Iacob and in a fume shee quarrels with him for not having children as if it were his fault that her selfe was barren It is a great fault in a wife to bee angry and finde fault with the husband without due cause and to lay blame upon him when hee deserveth it not as did Sarah upon Abraham It is contrary to the reverence obedience and love which they owe to their husbands it is a meanes of estranging the husbands heart by putting him into frequent fits of anger You wives bee sorrowfull if you have in such a case over-shot your selves and now labour for so much discretion and meekenesse of wisdome that may preserve your tongues from speaking passionately and unadvisedly to those whom the Lord commands you to feare What a fond speech was Rachels Give me children Beware that anger doe not fill your mouthes with foolish words And if this bee a fault in your Wives good men know it is a great fault in your selves in whom more wisdome is required Nourish peace betwixt your selves your yoake-fellows and shunne angry and brawling words that breede such a koare of unkindnesse as sometimes runs forth into alienation and perpetuall jarring But Rachel was discontented so that shee would die if shee had no children shee doth not meane that shee would kill her selfe Wee must not put the worst sence no not upon cholericke speeches but she meaneth that shee thought her selfe no better than dead that shee should not enjoy her life that it would doe her no good that shee wished her selfe rather dead than alive This shee meaneth and this is bad enough O what a mixture of pride and folly is it to wish ones selfe dead for so small crosses as this that one hath continued a little while barren Good men have beene over-taken with such cloudes of discontent as have made them desire death but to bee weary of life because one hath not a childe I meete not with such impatiency any where but in Rachel Take heed to your selves that no crosses no not the greatest draw such distempers into your mindes as to make you weary of life but be much more ashamed if a small thing hath thus put you out It is true that many times this lavish talke of Would I were dead is from the teeth alone If death should offer it selfe at that instant they would finde some other imployment for him than to take them out of the world but to be so full of discontent and vexation as to give vent to such words whether they seriously meane them or not is a proofe of a man that doth not weigh things rightly in his minde Rachel had a good husband she had likelihood of a good estate and now lived abundantly shee had the love of her husband shee had health What and was not the fruition of all these able to make life sweet to her but she must die if she had not a childe Did wee not forget or dis esteem the favours God hath shewed us wee could never be put so far out of taste as it were that want of one benefit should imbitter it selfe But envy doth so rot the bones that no ease can be felt of him that hath suffered that sicknesse to breed and grow strong in him Yea see how all Hamans honour contented him nothing so long as Mordecai was an eye-sore to him Pray God to keep you from such disordered passions and greatly bewaile them when you meet with them But see another folly of Rachels Shee brings her maid servant to her husband and he must take her for his Concubine to see if shee might be made a kinde of foster-mother by her Fond Rachel was not Leah nearer to thee than Bilhah Couldest thou not have esteemed thy sisters children thine owne as well as thy bondmaids Here were two faults First she pressed her husband to Polygamy but that was a fault of meere ignorance let it be passed by The next
more sin to hide and conceale that which they have already committed as it did Iacob and David and others because feare of shame or danger disturbeth the minde and turneth away the thoughts from considering the mischief of sinning Therefore let us all take heed of entring into the path of evill for if we be once in no man can tell what lying dissembling and other evils the devill will draw us into by meanes of that sin He intangles himselfe as a sheepe in the bryers that run into any grosse or shamefull sin and he can hardly come off with one wound alone And if you have thus covered sin with sin bewaile it as a great fault but yet take heart to repent and turne to God for favour for it is no new thing with God to forgive such trespasses only doe not embolden your selves of purpose to sin because you know how to conceale it and hope to keepe it close for then shall the same become a presumptuous sin and so much more hardly pardoned I have shewed you Rachels faults Her good deeds be but few yet some First she was one of her Fathers sheep-keepers and did not disdaine to drive them to the water at least when the Shepheards were otherwise imployed So it is a commendable thing in a young maide to be ready to take paines and doe service in domesticall businesses such as accord to her Fathers state But an idle coy finish maide is so much the more disdained of wise persons by how much she doth more disdaine labour in any profitable businesse for which God did make men Further Rachel at last saw God in her barrennesse and fell to prayer for it is said God hearkened to her and opened her wombe This gives us some hope that she was humbled and sought God which is good in our wants of any good thing by it to be drawne to God in fervent prayers Then be they graciously supplyed when our need of them makes us supplicate to his bounty Rachel got nothing by chafing envying or giving her maide to her husband all that time the womb is not opened but when she remembred God God remembred her and when she prayed he hearkened and gave her a son Let us in all our necessities make all the hast we can to this remedy comfort and deliverance will never come halfe so happily by other meanes without this They be our prayers that must sanctifie other meanes and procure Gods co-operation with them for our good successe Iacob was Rachels husband before but prayer had not made her fruitfull till now God is the ruler of all things learne to call upon him and trust in him He can remove any crosse as well as barrennesse Againe it was a good thing in her to desire children and when she had one to see God and blesse him and say God hath taken away my reproach When we have gotten things by prayer we must also see God in them and give him thankes yea she saith God will give me yet another son the thankfull receiving of one benefit may assure us of another God will adde to mercies if we take notice of his goodnesse after we have called upon him in hearing our request Every benefit gotten by prayer may and should be called a Ioseph Another good thing was that her envy to her sister did not so prevaile with her but that she would aske her for her sons Mandrakes Though the humour of envy was sharpe in her yet it may seeme to have waxed a little milder after a while and she could both request a kindnesse from her and returne a kindnesse to her Let us looke that envy doe not continue in its height so as sometimes it doth to make us grow bitter enemies And she did well in granting to Iacobs motion to returne into Canaan for a wife is to forsake Father and Mother and cleave to her husband Shee shall doe farre amisse that prefers not her husband before her Parents and goes not with him rather than tarries with them So you have what is good and bad in her now looke upon her crosses we can finde but few and one which at last too was removed she was barren This barrennesse God sent of purpose to keepe her downe because she should not too much sleight her sister but she made this a great crosse though it be no great one in it selfe you see that barrennesse is a crosse and to some people a great crosse because of their earnest desire of issue on some or other consideration But it is needfull that God tame and humble us with some or other crosses and either make them great or make use of our folly to our further humbling by giving us over to our selves to make them great that else would not be so Wee must pray God to sanctifie crosses and then we shall never repent of them when they be past many a man hath repented for other things but sanctified crosses were never yet bewailed afterwards Perhaps one may esteeme it a crosse that she was faine to leave her Fathers house but indeed that was a benefit for by that meanes she was quite we hope freed from the Idolatry of her Fathers house from which so long as she lived there she was not quite purged But her crosses that she felt with her husband in respect of her childrens ill carriage were heavy for a good woman cannot bee sencelesse of her husbands sorrows only death shut up her eyes from beholding that crosse which in likelihood would have killed her quite seeing it went so neare to Iacob she was dead afore Ioseph was taken away from them But her benefits were common benefits of health strength maintenance and the like and she had beauty and her husbands love and after her prayers were heard and a son given her and it pleased God to hide her fault which she committed in stealing her Fathers Idols which if it had come to light would have much provoked her Fathers anger and her husbands We must observe even such mercies to be thankfull to God that hath not dealt with us after our sins And wee hope that shee was a godly woman too because shee prayed to God and it is said God remembred her and heard her but her death was an heavy death she dyed in childbed or in travell and tooke it heavily calling her son The son of her sorrows whom after Iacob called The son of his right hand Women with childe should even prepare for death they passe through the danger of it And me thinkes notwithstanding whatsoever hath been to the contrary delivering out of childbed-perils is a mercy that may well be acknowledged with a publique and solemne giving of thankes and a feast The equity of Iewish ceremonies remaining though the ceremonies be abolished and though there be no legall uncleannesse yet there is a reall danger escaped and a reall benefit attained and that should me thinks crave an
falshood Another fault of Iacobs sonnes was this they all so farre ingaged themselves into the murder of the Sichemites that they consented to it for they all joyned to spoile the goods of the Sichemites they all played the robbers in revenge it was not so much covetousnesse as revenge that made them spoile the City O how vile a sinne is this revenge one had done them wrong they revenge it upon a whole City one had injuried them in one sister they wrong a number in many sisters and goods besides here is injustice and malice both in a very high degree They are said to have beene grieved but with a carnall griefe and to have beene wroth but with a carnall wrath for the folly committed by Shechem and that it was a carnall wrath is manifest for loe it makes them seeke to revenge themselves by a most excessive and a most unjust course I call upon you to crucifie this humour of revenge it is evidently blamed Avenge not your selves but give place unto wrath Recompence not evill for evill Be not overcome of evill Returne not evill to him that hath done thee evill if any thing may disgrace private revenge this example may for you see when men thinke good to take upon them to revenge their owne quarrels they know not how to observe any equality or moderation And now I require you all as you will prove your selves true Christians and ever have the comfort of being Christs sheepe follow him in not revenging wrongs for hee gave you an example S. Peter saith of this vertue when hee did not render reviling for reviling nor threatening words neither for evill deedes If you harbour revenge you forgive not and if you will not forgive you shall not be forgiven Morall Philosophy teacheth us not to wrong or hurt another unprovoked but it tolerates it when wee are provoked by wrongs but the perfection of Christian religion is this that it teacheth and where it is in truth enableth not alone not to recompence wrong to a wrong doer but also to doe good against evill Shunne you this wickednesse and follow not the wickednesse of Iacobs sonnes but take heed of wronging any in their goods for revenge sake Another fault of these young men they hated their brother Ioseph out of envie and could not speake peaceably to him and when God by dreames foretold his preferment above them they envyed him and hated him yet worse yea all but Reuben resolved to kill him and to see what would become of his dreames and mocked him with the name of This dreamer and all but Reuben too consent to sell him for a bondslave and accordingly doe it and when in that anguish of his soule hee besought them as themselves after confesse they would not heare him Ah beware you of these sinnes of envying for that will bring forth a desire to murder or as bad as to murder and harden one to all cruelty that no intreaty shall soften Take heed take heede of these vices Envy murderousnesse deriding hard-heartednesse cruelty They bee fearefull vices transforming a man into a Divell If any of you have beene over-ruled by them let him nor deferre to bewaile and confesse them before God and let us all oppose these vices if they assault us by holy meditations and prayers betray not your selves into the hands of so horrible vices for want of resisting them earnestly constantly and by spirituall meanes Especially suffer not your selves to bee transported thus against a brother to hate a brother or neare kinsman to thinke on murthering a brother to neglect the cryes of a brother and bee inexorable against a brother intreating not to be murdered to cast him into a pit and sell him for a slave or to doe such kinde of injury to a person so neare by bonds of Nature O what an unnaturalnesse is it and what a great height and dominion of Vice doth it proove Religion may bee absent from an heart in which yet some reliques of good nature doe remaine but hee hath quenched all sparkes of all goodnesse in him that can behave himselfe so mischievously to one to whom nearenesse of bloud obligeth him None of these were bretheren to Ioseph by the mothers side but alone by the Fathers but an halfe brother is soe nearely joyned that that name should have beene sufficient to have kept them backe from such wickednesse Pray to God to preserve you from unnaturallnesse and if any of you have trampled these naturall bonds under feet let him addresse himselfe to most hearty lamentation or else the God of nature will sharpely punish the sleighting of naturall bonds It is a diabolicall fury of sinne that causeth a man to breake asunder these bonds of brasse and iron But yet as bad or worse then this they lyed and cousened their old Father to make him beleeve that Ioseph was killed by a wild beast as the Story shewes Gen. 37.31 Indeed Reuben was not consenting to the selling of Ioseph but it may seeme that he was willing to hold his peace and to conceale their fact which hee thought could neither bee prevented nor redressed by revealing and it may well be that they did not acquaint him with their selling of Ioseph But loe they all agree to colour their sinne to their Father and bring him into such a conceit as filled his heart with extreamity of anguish Evill children they were that would cover their fault by telling such a lie unto their Father as they needed not to have told for their sinne would not have been the more revealed if they had said nothing then to counterfit such a thing and Iacobs greifes perhaps would not have beene so great if there had remained any hope of his sonnes life But it is like that they were desirous to put him into a conceit of Ioseph death for feare least hope of his life might put him upon such an enquiry as might finde him out againe and so discover their lewdnesse for an ill conscience is alwaies full of feare and suspition and will conjecture such waies of discovery as no man else can dreame of Hath any of you lied to a Parent and sought to conceale their naughtinesse by falsehood See this wickednesse with remorse and now take heed of abusing your Parents with tales yea I beseech you beware of running into grosse sinnes which will alwaies hazard you to lying and falsehood for the covering of them See here how one sinne begets another in these men envy doth breede an intention of murder and a wrongfull act as bad as murther to sell a Brother for a slave This wickednesse brings on lying to hide it and that in such a sort as had well nigh killed their owne Father with griefe Feare to sinne for it will so intangle you being once in that you shall not know how to get out But one use we must make of all this discourse to see how bad our owne natures be and to
is a most disbecomming vice it causeth hard censures from every mouth that doth heare he that hath practised it in himselfe cannot but condemne it in another as David did his owne fault in a third person forget not to blame your selves for having so forgotten And now be taught to use your memory vertuously to remember those that are indistresse and under injuries and those that have suffered with you and those that have beene instruments of comfort to you in the common sorrowes that befell both Memory cannot be better exercised next after the remembrance of God and his benefits and our sinnes then in remembring the miseries of others with whom once our own selves were joyned in the same misery and the kindnesses we have received of them in our miseries And so much of the faults of these men Now of their crosses they both were imprisoned and sure imprisonment is a crosse To be limited to one chamber to be denied the common benefits that bruit creatures enjoy drawing in the fresh aire and a free beholding of Heaven and Earth to want the benefit of ones friends company and be so restrained that neither he can goe to them nor they can come to him to have one wall one chimney one window for his prospect and either none or but a few and those disconsolate persons as himselfe to talke withall this is a crosse I say so tedious as none can judge of it but by experience yet many persons both of high place and of great vertues have suffered it O now therefore let mee counsell you to be thankefull for liberty and to praise God that hath not laid you fast in some place of custody that hath set you at large and given you liberty to be with whom and where you would your selves in your owne houses or in your friends houses or where you desire to be where you have no doores locked upon you no keeper to shut you in and let you forth no controler to take you up with surly words none to finde fault with you in that kinde or to exact upon you I say thanke God for liberty and know the benefit by having which would seeme great unto you if you wanted it And secondly use your liberty well keepe your selves from ill company and ill courses runne not into places worse then prisons then when you be out of prison Moderate your selves in your freedome that you may not be abridged of your freedome especially take heede of running into such crimes as should cause you to deserve imprisonment Harmefull creatures are chained or tied up so must harmefull men let your behaviour be such that you may not inforce Governours to lay you fast let not Satan get you into his bondage be not prisoners to your lusts and in this sence also I may use Peters words Abuse not your liberty as a cloake of maliciousnesse or as an occasion to the flesh the abuse of mercies doth forfeit them and addeth bitternesse to the want of them If there be not a grosse fatnesse growne over the heart of a man he will call to minde with anguish his unbridled walking in his liberty that now is bound to one place But howsoever learne to prepare for imprisonment and for that purpose keepe friendship with God in your owne consciences with whom you may comfortably conferre when the prison doores be shut and your other friends are kept out from you And labour to get the knowledge of the Word of God the meditation of which may be sweete unto you when solitarinesse would else cast you into your dumpes He that can powre out his soule to God in prayers and in supplications and in thankesgivings may make his prison comfortable to him he that can heare peaceable answers from his conscience may sing Psalmes in the stockes and he that can meditate of Gods Word can never languish with solitarinesse when he lieth under lock and key and that himselfe alone also And another crosse is to the Baker alone he lost his life violently disgracefully and it may seeme deservedly for on the third day the King tooke them both out of prison and then putting them to triall hanged the one and acquitted the other restoring him to his place To die an unnaturall and shamefull and violent death is a misery a crosse a punishment death at what doore soever it carry a man out of the world is grimme enough to looke upon but to hale a man out of the world by violence and disgrace makes his approach more terrible Nature hates its owne destruction the soule and body cannot well indure their separation but so much the lesse by how much the destruction is more violent and the parting more contumelious Let us be thankfull to God therefore that hath taken our friends out of the world by faire and naturall deaths and let us abhorre and shunne those capitall sinnes that may cause the Lord to bring us into the like misery and to pull us out of the world before our time and with much contempt also and let us be alwaies ready not for death alone but for such a kind of death A man is to brooke reproach with death and as well as death If onely malefactors did fall in this manner it were our duty to care for no more but to prevent crimes but seeing the innocent also have beene oppressed witnesse above all exceptions our Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Prophets and Martyrs now it is requisite for us to prepare for a violent death onely praying to God that wee may not pull it on our selves by our sinnes and then bearing it quietly though it should befall us without doing ill and most comfortably if it should befall us for having done well And so much for the crosses of these men Now their benefits First they were both officers under a great King enjoying places of honour and like by too if they wanted not good husbandry of wealth To have preferment and riches or to be in the way of both by attending upon a mighty Prince is such an outward thing as men make great account of O how much more worthy a thing is it to be an attendant on God and a speciall officer as it werein his Court They know not God and his service that cannot see an excellency in being admitted so neere to the King of Kings But secondly they had in the prison an excellent person to attend them and one of such endowments that was ready by diligence to minister any thing unto them and by wisdome to advise counsell and informe them It is a great happinesse in misery to meete with a person able and ready to comfort and cheere up a sad heart by cheerefull serving and by hearty counsell Hee is as happy as one can be in prison that hath a Ioseph to be with him or to waite upon him God can give this benefit to us we must supplicate for it and learne to make
certainely shall this Steward of Ioseph rise up against such in judgement But secondly Iosephs servant was a very obsequious and dutifull servant whatsoever his Master bad him doe was presently done c. 42. ver 25. Ioseph commanded him to fill their sackes with corne as much as they could carry and to put every mans money into his sackes mouths and to put his silver cup in the youngest sackes mouth and his corne money and he did according to his Masters words and c. 44.4 He bids him runne after them and say Why have you returned evill for good is not this the cup in which my Lord drinks and for which he would make diligent search for so I thinke it should be rendred for the matter of divining was farre enough from Iosephs Loe the obedience of this servant he by the light of nature without Scripture was taught to doe that and did it which the holy Scriptures teacheth us to doe viz. to be obedient to our Masters as you reade by Saint Paul to the Ephes Coâ—os As also to Timothie and by Peter Therefore they are to be blamed that living in times of clearer light and enjoying more helps towards vertue are yet farre lesse obedience then this man was As vineger to the teeth and smoake to the eyes so is a sloathfull messenger to him that sends him and even so is a sloathfull or carelesse servant to them that imploy him as vineger sets the teeth an edge smoak makes the eyes to mart so these provoke anger and griefe in their Governours Fulfill therefore the honest commandements of your Governours with speed and diligence what things they appoint you to dispatch let them be dispatched in fit season and manner If thou wert a Master thou wouldst have such a servant be thou therfore such a one and do as thou wouldst be done by O but his Master may some say bad him doe that which was not lawfull viz. To lay snares for the men in putting the cup into Benjamins sacke unawares to him and then following after them with a grievous accusation that they had done great wrong and shewed great ingratitude in taking away his Masters cup and so bringing them backe as if they had beene great malefactors I answere that it is probable Ioseph had acquainted his Steward with his meaning that he did this not with an intention of bringing them into servitude or doing them any wrong but making a little further tryall of them for some consideration and so the thing was not ill done of Ioseph nor of him Let your obedience therefore know its due limits obey your Masters in all things so farre as justice and your duty to God will permit Thirdly his carryage to Iosephs brethren was very kind and curteous he brings them to his Masters house speakes comfortably to them saith peace be to you freeth them from their feares wherewith they were perplexed lifts up their hearts to God and saith he had given them that money brings Simeon forth to them whom they had left bound behind and gives them water to wash their feet and provender to their Cattle Loe what store of kindnesse and courtesie he shewes to these strangers his Master appointed him to bring them to his house but all the other kind usage is from himselfe as it were an over-plus besides that which was enjoyned him out of a good and affable nature and out of some good will he bare them because he had beene informed of the God of their Fathers Now let him be an Example to us of practising like curtesie to strangers and specially when we see them troubled and grieved and most of all if we perceive them to be servants to the true God learne that vertue of this Steward though hee was a servant and bond-man yet it was to Ioseph Thus have I finished the Examples of the Booke of Genesis which containes a short and briefe story of the things done from the beginning of the world to the death of Ioseph for the space as it is thought by some of 2309 years or therabouts and of some of 60 more because they doe differ in judgement so much about the age of Terah when he begat Abraham The maine thing in the whole story to be observed is how wonderfully the providence of God wrought by degrees to bring his Church from out of the loynes of Abraham and to make it a great and mighty Nation which was but a little family preserving truth and Religion in that household and lineage when hee suffered all other Nations by little and little to follow their owne way and runne into Idolatry and abominations FINIS 1 Tim. 3.2 Tit. 1.8 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will beare both readings 2 Tim. 2.15 1 Tim. 4.12 1 Pet. 5.3 Tit. 2.7 There are two singular virtues in a good Example 1 It may profit a world of people 1 Thes 1.7 8 2 It is lasting and may doe good for a long time after 1 Pet. 3.5 6. M. Harris at Hanwell * He was a Preacher at Banbury above thirty yeares * Hee went over in his preaching the whole Booke of Iudges both the Samuels the 1 Kings to the 11. C. or therabout all the Psal to the 106. the whole Gospel of Iob. besides al the principles of Religion often Heb. 13.7 Owne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. Mat. 3.12 By marriage of sisters M. Thomas and Mistres Ioyce Whately * M Thomas Pot The Preface to the insuing Treatise Bare Examples binde not The Method observed in handling all the Examples Nothing can be said of Adam and Eves Birth but of their entring into the world Gen. 2.7 Adam what it signifieth 21 22. verses of the same Chapter The Creation of Man was necessary There must be first Man and why Non datur infinitum actu The time and matter of mans Creation Why Man was made of the dust Gen. 2.7 It is hard to understand the nature of the soule Eves body was made of a rib and why A fond conceit that women have no soules and the originall of it Their life Their bad carriage The first sinne of our first Parents Gen. 2.16.17 How long Adam continued before he sinned is not revealed * The Hebrew word is ambiguous The fall of our first Parents described Divers sinnes followed the first sinne Their doubtfull and indifferent behaviour Their good carriage Evah why so called Their benefits 1. Before their fall 2. After their fall Their Crosses Their Death Why the length of any Womans life except Sarahs is not mentioned in Scripture The uses of the whole Omnes nos eramus ille unus Rom. 5.12 We should not bee proud of apparell Ede bide lude c. Eves first fault The greatnesse of our first Parents sinne Caines Birth Caines carriage 1. Good 1. Hee had a calling The commendation of husbandry 2. Was outwardly religious 3. Built a City 4. Had but one wife Some thinke Eve still bare
twinnes 2. Caines bad carriage 1. In generall He was a wicked man Caines faults in particular 1. He was an Hypocrite What an Hypocrite is 2. Was vexed at his punishment The governement of the World domesticall Envie a great evill Gal. 5 26. 3. Did not mend his fault though he was gently admonished by God himselfe 4. Murthered his Brother But with what weapon is uncertaine 5. Did not repent of his murder 6. He muttered and despaired 7. Persists impenitently in his sinnes 3. His prosperity and adversity 1. His benefits had posterity and lived a long life and was preserved from the violence of all men 2. God vouchsafed him meanes to keepe him from sin and to draw him out of sinne 2. His crosses 1. God aggravates his fault and sentenceth him for it 2. Curseth the earth to him 3. He was full of terrour Caines death not mentioned The use of all The signes of an Hypocrite Abel what it signifieth His Birth His vertues 1. Was painefull in his calling It is good to have a calling and be faithfull in it 2. Was religious 3. He offered in faith 4. Was righteous A twofold righteousnesse of the Law and Gospell Gal. 2.16 Rom. 3 10. Job 9 31. Gal. 2.21 Gal. 3.22 Gal. 3.21 Psal 143.2 A double righteousnesse in the Gospell 1. Imputed Rom. 4.3 2. Inherent Rom. 6.11 Verse 13. Verse 19. Via ad regnum non causa regnandi Bernard Gal. 3.21 Rom. 3.23 Phil. 3.9 Gal. 5.4 Three signes of a righteous man Psal 119.48 Psal 119 5 6. Psal 51.4 Prov. 28.13 Zach. 1 3. 1 Joh. 1.8 9. 1 Iohn 2.1 Numb 23.10 No sinnes of Abel mentioned in Scripture and why 3. His prosperity 1. God had respect unto his gifts 2. Gave witnes and testimony of his gifts Pro. 15.8 Psal 11.7 Psal 19.14 2 Cor. 1.12 4. His adversity was hated and killed by his Brother 2 Tim. 3.12 Gal. 4.29 His death 1 Cor. 15.19 Col. 3.3 4. Abels death was violent and sodaine Caines posterity Irad what it signifieth Naamah why so called the first woman named after Eve and why Lamechs faults His Polygamy the first beginner of it Luke 16.18 2. His revengefullnesse What it is to revenge His benefits he had children 2. His crosses hee led an unquiet life by reason of his wives The uses of all Revenge is a great sin Mat. 18.22 Lamechs three sonnes inventers of Arts. Jer. 35. The uses of all Gen. 5.3 Seth little said of him Gen. 4.25 Gen. 4.26 Henoch Heb. 11.5 Psal 119.166 Why the Patriarkes lived so long 2 Pet. 2.5 The sinnes of the old world 1. In generall Gen. 6.5 Verse 11. They all were given over to sinning except some in Noahs house Why sinne was so great then 2. In particular Mat. 24.37 38. 1 Pet. 3.20 Mat. 24.38 Gods mercy to them 2 Pet. 2.5 1 Pet. 3.20 Their punishment The Deluge The uses of all Violence what it is A great sin Prov. 28.3 4 Disobedient 1 Pet. 3.20 The floud came upon them and they knew nothing * 120. 2 Pet. 2.5 Gen. 9.11 2 Pet. 3.6 7. Jude verse 14. 2 Pet. 3.10 Noah what it signifieth His Birth His life In which 1. His vertues 1. In generall Was a perfect man and walked with God Gen. 5 22. Heb. 11.4 Who is a just or righteous man Rom 4. 2. His vertues in particular 1. Was a Preacher of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.5 Isa 49 4. 2. Had faith Heb. 11.7 What faith is Heb. 11.7 Gal. 3.10 3. He was moved with feare Heb. 11.7 A double feare 2 Cor. 5.11 Rom. 8.13 1 Cor. 6.9 Col. 3.6 Prov. 8.13 Psal 34.9 4. He built an Arke as God bad him Noahs goodnesse in the floud 1 Pet. 3.6 Noahs goodnesse after the floud Noahs sinnes 1. Hee was drunke Noahs crosses 1 No man regarded his preaching 2 Hee lived to see all mankind destroyed 3 Hee had a wicked son 4. Lived to see his ofspring naught Josh 24 2. His benefits 1 He found favour with God 2. Hee was directed by God to a way of saving himselfe from the floud with his family Psal 46.2 3. 3 The Lord accepted his sacrifice 4. He had two godly sonnes Noahs death Ham. His birth His life In which 1. His benefits he was saved in the Arke from the Deluge 3. Epist of Iohn 11. ◠His sinnes 1. He was a Hypocrite 2. He saw the nakednesse of his Father Gen. 9 22. 1 Cor. 13.6 He acquainted his Brethren with his Fathers nakednesse Whispering is a great sin 3. His punishments 1. God cursed him in his son Canaan Gen. 10. Nimrod What his name signifieth The first that strove to erect a Monarchie Was as a tyrant and ambitions The Babylonians Their faults Vaine-glory Carnall confidence Obstinacie Vaine-glory a sinne 2. Carnall confidence is a sin 3. Obstinacie is a sin Their punishment The punishment of strange languages is a heavie punishment Sem and Iaphet their vertues they covered their Fathers nakednes Gen. 9.23 Their benefits true religion was continued in their posterity The seede of Sem. Gen. 11.10 Abrahams Birth His Life His vertues toward God 1 His faith Heb. 11.8 James 2.23 What faith is Heb. 11.1 Three acts of faith 1. Faith of God which hath foure acts 2. Faith to God Gal. 3.8 3. Faith in God Rom. 4 3. Psal 32.2 2. He feared God Gen. 22.12 3. Was obedient Some speciall acts of Abrahams obedience 1. Left his Countrey at Gods Commandement 2. Lived in tents at Gods Commandement Heb. 11.9 3. Circumcised himselfe and all the males of his family 4. He expelled his wife Hagar and sonne Ishmael 5. Hee would have sacrificed his sonne Isaac at Gods commandement Heb. 11.18 The excellency of Abrahās obedience 4. He was religious 1. His vertuous carriage toward men 1. He was truely humble Phil. 1.7 2 Cor. 12.11 1 Sam. 24.14 Luk. 14.11 2. Trained up his Family in the knowledge and feare of God The Hebrew word is ambiguous Eph. 6.4 3. Was loving and gentle to his wife 1 Pet. 3.7 Posse nolle nobile 4. He loved his two sonnes very well 5. He provided a good wife for Isaac Another grace in Abraham toward God his Patience He mourned moderately for Sarah Abrahams good carriage toward his servants to Eliezer his principall servant Gen. 15.3 A good servant should be respected Deut. 15.12 13 Prov. 27.18 Abrahams carriage to his kinsmen He was peaceable 2. He rescued Lot and redeemed him out of his enemies hands He was loving to Lot He was couragious What courage is Meanes to get courage Abrahams carriage to the Sodomites Hee prayed for them 1 Tim. 2.1 2. He shewed humanity and kindnesse to the Sodomites he had taken His carriage to the King of Sodome hee would receive nothing from him Abrahams good carriage to the Cananites Planting of wood is a commendable thing Hee shewed lowly and respective carriage toward the Hittites Abrahams carriage to Hephron His carriage to Aner Eshcol and Mamre Abrahams carriage to Abimelech 1. Maketh a covenant
incest Laban The Scripture saith nothing of his birth or death His Parentage His life His civill vertues 1. He vouchsafe curteous entertainment unto Eliezer 2. He gave him an honest and good answer Neither by faire meanes nor by soule 3. He speedily dismissed him 4. Was loving to his sister made a feast to his neighbours and friends Gen. 29.21 22. 5. He lovingly entertained Iacob when he came unto him 6. Of his own accord he offered Iacob wages for his worke 7. He was willing to bestow his daughters upon him 8 He quickly laid downe his anger and made a covenant with him 9. He sheweth himselfe loving and kind to his daughters and grandchildren 10. He made a feast at the marriage of his daughter 11. He tooke notice of Gods blessing as the cause of his prosperity 12. He forbore what God forbad His faults 1. He was an Idolater 2. He loved Iacob in a worldly manner 3. He cousened Iacob 4. He looked doggedly upon him because he hindred his wealth though without any wrong 5. He pursued Iacob with an hostile minde 6. He falsely chargeth Iacob with stealing his Idols 3. His benefits 1. He had a good son in law 2. He was rich 4. His crosses 1. His daughters and grand children went far from him 2. He was troubled at Iacobs prosperity His death Iacobs children Reuben what it signifies Gen. 29.3 Simeon what it signifies Levi what it signifies Iudah what it signifies Gen. 30.18 Issachar what it signifies Zebulun what it signifies Dan what it signifies Nephthali what it signifies Gad what it signifies Asher what it signifies Ioseph what it signifies Benjamin what it signifies Dinah what it signifies Who she was No good thing is spoken of her Her faults 1. She went into the City to see the daughters of the countrey 2. A young man saw her and lay with her The sonnes Their common faults 1. All of them were bad except Ioseph and Benjamin Gen. 37.2 2. They all beguiled Hamor â—he Sichemite Gen. 35. Deceit is a great sin Prov. 6.10 18. 26.26 Rom. 3. 3. They all consented to the murder of the Sichemites 4. They hated their brother Ioseph 5. They lied cousened their old Father The use of all Their common goodnes 1. They all strove to comfort their Father in his great sadnesse 2. They were dutifull to him in going down to Egypt and not taking Benjamin with them 3. Their benefits 1. They had a godly Father and themselves were pillers of the true Church 2 God saved them all from a great danger 3. They had store of riches 4. Ioseph nourished them in the famine Their crosses 1. In danger from Esau when children 2. In danger at Shechem 3. Felt a famine and were roughly handled by Ioseph Reuben 1. His faults Gen. 35.22 1. He committed incest with his Fathers Concubine Incest is a great sin 1 Cor. 5. 2. His vertues 1. He wisely disswaded his Brethren from killing of Ioseph 2. He was fully minded to restore Ioseph to his Father againe 3 He grieved to see his hopes disappointed and Ioseph taken out of the pit 4 He sought to remove his Father from his stiffenes in refusing to send Benjamin into Aegypt His crosses His Father minded him of his incest on his death-bed 3. His benefits hee had divers sons Simeon and Levi their sinne double 1. The murder of the Sichemites Murder is a great sinne 2. They shewed no repentance when their Father told them of their fault Their punishment They lost part of the birth-right Levies death Iudah His faults 1. He left his Fathers house 2. He was led by his eye in marriage 3. He committed incest with his daughter in law Heb 13 4. 1 Cor. 6.9 4. He dissembled with his daughter in Law 5. He forgat his owne naughtinesse would have had Tamar burnt 6. Repented not of his whoredome but sought to redeeme his pledge His vertues 1. He returned at last to his Fathers house 2. He was somewhat humbled for his sinne 3. He carried himselfe well to his Father Gen. 43. 4. He faithfully kept promise with his Father 5. He did couragiously beare an evill accident His crosses 1. He had two very wicked sonnes His daughter in Law drew him to incest when he intended fornication onely 3. His sinne brake forth to his shame His benefits 1. He had very good naturall parts 2. Hee had a part of the birth-right setled upon him Potipher and his wife Shechem His faults 1. Hee looked lustfully on Dinah Gen. 34. Job 31.1 Mat. 5 29. 2. He enticed or forced her to naughtines or both 1 Cor. 6.18 2. What was good in him 1. He continued to affect her when hee had defloured her Deut. 22.28 29. 2. He acquaints his Father with his love to her and in treates him to speake to her Father for him 3. He stood not over-much upon matter of portion 4. He would have all things agreed upon before marriage 5. He was constant in his love to the end What betrothing is 3. His benefits He was his Fathers heire who was a great man His crosses 1 He prooved an occasion of the overthrow of his Father and his whole family and the Citie Hamor His faults 1. He was willing to be circumcized for a by end 2. He did not reproove nor correct his son for the wrong done to Dinah His vertues 1. He is willing to satisfie his sonne in point of marriage so farre as was fit 2. He deales well with his Subiects perswading them to be circumcised 3. Hee dealt well with Iacob plainely seeking his daughter and yeelding to equall conditions 3 His prosperity 1 His sonne was indifferently good 2. His Subiects were good 4. His crosse Himselfe and all his Family and City were murthered Hiram Hee was a good morall friend His friendship was 1. Lasting 2. Serviceable 3. Secret Yet he was a bad man Er and Onan the first was so wicked that God cut him off Onan was also wicked and cut off by God in his youth Tamar a very bad woman The Midianitish Merchants Gen. 37.25 Merchandize is commendable Pro. 23.4 Buying and selling of men the originall of it The iustice of it Potiphar Potiphar a great man His faults Chap. 39.6 1. Hee gave himselfe wholy over to his ease having a good steward James 5.1 2. He beleeved his wives cunning slander against his servant His good deeds 1. He observed his servants faithfulnesse and good successe nd loved and rewarded him for it Deut. 15.1 14. Prov. 27.18 Col. 4.1 Gal. 3.28 2. He did not take away Iosephs life in a rage His benefits Hee had an honourable office His crosses He had a lewd woman to his wife Potiphars wife No good in her Her faults 1. Shee was an adulterous woman 2. Impudent and earnest in her filthinesse 3. Most malicious Pharaohs Butler and Baker 1. Their good deeds 1. They bare their imprisonment patiently and cheerefully Gen. 40.7 2. They despised not Iosephs youth or meane