then to such as presume of hope of pardon without paiment these disioyne faith and repentance and separate mercy and justice asunder in God to whom both are alike essentiall in whom both are infinite for albeit his mercies exceed his justice in his workes toward us yet in himselfe they are alike And woe unto such as say though we give our selues to the free and full practise of sinne yet God is abundantly nay infinitely mercifull for such shall certainly perish in their presumption and to make him all mercy is to leave him to be uniust in suffering sinne to go unpunished whereas the judge of all the world should do right Gen. 19.25 Lastly it is our duty as we desire grace and mercy so to practise repentance betimes All will seeme to be willing to have remission of their sinnes but all do not take the right way Motiues to stirre up to repentance nor use the meanes to attaine unto it which is by repentance Now we have sundry motives to move us and perswade us to repentance which we must no lesse affect then we do repentance it seâ—fe First the man that liveth without repentance is farre worse then the basest creature then the bruit beast It would be thought a base comparison to compare such to a dogge or Swine or Serpent but it is too good for such base and worse then brutish persons that forsake God and will have no communion with him For their misery and torments begin after this life whereas the bruit beasts perish and there is an end of them with this life That which our Saviour speaketh of impenitent Iudas who ended his his daies in despaire may be said of every impenitent person Math. 26.24 Woe unto that man by whom the Sonne of man is betrayed Ioh. 6.70 3.18 it had beene good for that man if he had not beene borne and in an other place one of you is a Devil and is condemned already because he hath not beleeved and repented Secondly such a one is under the power of Satan which is the greatest and sorest bondage 2 Tim. 2.26 all the Pharohs and Hazaels in the world cannot be compared with his tyranny as 2 Tim. 2. for impenitent the are taken captive by the Divell and holden in his snares to do his will Thirdly such are in danger of all the judgements of God to fall upon their heads every houre For albeit they should escape thâ—m in this life yet they are but respited or reprived as the judge sometimes doth the malefactour that is afterward executed and in the meane season all the fearfull plagues and punishments that have come upon sinners are imminent may suddainly swiftly come upon them They may be summoned to the barre of Gods judgement in this life as Adam was Gen. 3. and Caine chap. 4. Gen. 3.9 4.9 6.7 they may be drowned in the waters with the old world Gen. 6. with Pharaoh and the Egyptians Exod. 14. Fxod 14.28 Psal 136.15 they may be overthrowne and overturned with fire brimstone from the Lord out of heaven as Sodome and Gomorrha were Gen. 19.24 Gen. 19. they may perish with the arrowes of Famine Pestilence the Sword banishment and evill beastes Ezek. 5.15.16.17 Exod. 7. 8. 9. 10. as many in Israel Ezek. 5. they may suffer sustaine all the plagues of Egypt as the King and people of Egypt Exod. 7. c. they may be burned and consumed with fire as the captaines and their fifties 2 King 1. 2 King 1.10.12 they may be stung with fiery Serpents and perish as the people in the wildernesse Numb 21. the earth may open and swallow them as it did Dathan and Abiram Numb 6. Psal 106. Numb 21.6 16.31 Psal 106.17 1 Sam. 31.4 2 Sam. 17.23 Act. 1.18 Act. 12. â—3 Act. 13. â—1 Gen. 19.11 2 King 6.18 they may destroy themselues and lay violent hands upon themselues as Saul and Athithophel 1 Sam. 31.2 Sam. 17. they may fall headlong and burst a sunder in the middle all their bowels gush out as Iudas Act. 1. they may be smitten by the Angel of the Lord be eaten up of wormes as Herod was because he gave not God the glory chap. 12. they may be smitten with blindnesse by the hand of the Lord and a mist darknesse may fall upon them Luk 13.3 that they may seeke some to lead them by the hand as Elymas the sorcerer and sundry others This is that of which our Saviour warned his hearers by occasion of the suddaine slaughter of the Galileans and those eighteene upon whom the tower in Siloe fell and slew them that except they did returne they should all likewise perish Luk. 13. Fourthly such are in danger not onely of these corporall plagues to fall upon the body but of eternal death and everlasting damnation from the comfortable presence of God Act. 17.30.31 the heaviest judgment of all the rest as Act. 17. Now God commandeth all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousnesse Fiftly God oftentimes knocketh at the dore of our consciences to open unto him This is the acceptable season of comming to Christ This is the time appointed for repentance make much of it we know not whether we shall have it againe He that abuseth and mispendeth that time forfeiteth his Salvation as Eccl. 9. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do Eccl. 9.10 do it with thy might for there is no worke nor devise nor knowledge nor wisedome in the grave whither thou goest Lastly none can be made partakers of eternall life but such as are penitent It is vaine with Balaam to wish for heaven Numb 23.10 and to dye the death of the righteous except we live the life of the righteous and repent us of our sinnes and so turne from our evill wayes with these Ninevites To conclude let us take heed least these men rise up in judgment and condemne us who repented at the preaching of one Prophet the more hath beene committed to us the more shall be required at our hands The Lord that searcheth the hearts and tryeth the reines Ier. 7. to give to every man according to his waies and according to the fruite of his doings turne us unto him and then we shall be turned to whom be glory and praise in the Church for ever Amen A Recapitulation of the doctrines in this Treatise GOd warneth before he punisheth Gods threatnings are conditionall Generall all sinnes procure generall judgmentes The preaching of the word is the meanes to worke faith It is a fruit of repentance to take revenge for sinne of our selues Publike fastes were alwaies called and solemnized in dangerous times Repentance is wrought by the preaching of the word Repentance must be speedy and not prolonged Superiors must give good example to their inferiors We have need to stirre up
and dissimulation This was the sinne of Eli other wise a good man 1 Sam. 1. Christ our Saviour conversed much with publicans and sinners to the end he might do them good and draw them from the kingdome of sinne and Satan and make them inheriters of the kingdome of heaven a worke in all respectes most holy and righteous yet the Scribes and Pharisees judged him to be a friend and favourer of them and of their sinnes Lue. 7.34 And albeit he castout Devils by the power of his divine Majesty for the confirmation of his doctrine and edification of the weake in faith yet they said he did it by Beelzebuh the Prince of the Devils Math. 12.24 So in our dayes religion and the zealous profession thereof are reputed no better then counterfeit holinesse Let the examples of the faithfull be before us continually whensoever we find the same measure offered untous and comfort our selves with this that it hath no otherwise befallen us then to many Prophets of God and faithfull seruants of Christ Math. 5.12 who must not looke to be greater then there Master neither to finde better entertainment in the world then he did The second kinde of judgment forbidden is when men commit evill things worthy in themselves to be condemned and thereupon are judged not onely dangerous but desperate offenders past hope of repentance and recovery This is to execute indeede a right Lordship over their soules and Salvation and to step up into the seate of God 1 Cor. 4.5 Of this the Apostle speaketh Iudge nothing before the time untill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hidde in darknesse and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have prayse of God and we are charged to instruct with meeknesse the contrary minded 2 Tim. 2.25 to bring them to God and not leave them in the snares of the Devill No man therefore ought to passe their doome of the everlasting estate of any man and to pronounce peremptorily and absolutely that they shall perish and cannot be saved as if they were Lords of one anothers life and death salvation and damnation or had power to bring them to heaven or cast them into hell This is beyond our reach and commission and to usurpe the office of Christ to whom all judgment is committed No man dare make himselfe a judge and sit downe in the judgement seate to give sentence of absolution or condemnation in matters of this temporall life without the Princes speciall appointment and shall any dare doe it in things of the life to come to pronounce any to be forlorne reprobates and vessels of wrath For who knoweth what one day may bring forth Pro. 24 1 He runneth farre that never returneth We see many notorious wicked men suddainly and mightily called and changed 2 Chr. 33. Act. 9. Luk. 23. We read of some standing idle all the day long called at the eleventh houre to labour in the vineyard Math. Math. 20. 20. The theefe repented and was converted at the instant of his death Let us remember that we are all brethren one no better then another and therefore we ought not presumptuously to chalenge this superiority to judge and condemne one another Christian love hopeth well of all men and so long as they live there is some hope The third kind is when we doe things which in themselues are indifferent which may be done either well or ill either with a pure or a prophane heart with faith or without faith to judge such an action wicked which indeed is to be accounted good or evill according to the intent purpose and affection of the doer whereof God alone is the discerner because he alone is the searcher of the heart he alone is the Iudge of the heart This corruption we read to have beene in Eliab the brother of David Why camest thou downe hither 1 Sam. 17 2â— and with whom hast thou left those few sheepe in the wildernesse I know thy pride and the haughtinesse of thy heart for thou art come downe to see the battell This the Apostle forbiddeth Rom. 14. Rom. 14.3 Let not him that eateth judge him that eateth not c. The faithfull servants of God are hardly delt withall in all these respects their good things are not good or at least it is shrunke up and contracted their indifferent things are pronounced to be starke naught and if they fall into evil it is stretched and made a thousand times worse even by those of the worser sort Lastly it standeth us upon to labour to see the grieuousnesse of sinne in our selves and to feele the waight and burden thereof For commonly we are blinde and see not at all or else we are purblind and cannot see them in their right colours we be hold them as motes or strawes not as beames or if we doe ever judge them as beames How we may perceive the neinousnesse and greinousnesse of sinne Luc. 12.48 it is in others not in our selves Now that we may discerne of sinne in the nature thereof we must consider these few particulars First consider how God striveth with us by his manifold mercies and blessings to draw us to a love of Godlinesse and hatred of wickednesse now unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required and to whom men have committed much of him they will aske the more Secondly if we compare our sinnes with Adams first sinne considered in the fact doubtlesse we have as great in our hearts yea greater and yet by that one disobedience he brought destruction upon himselfe and all his posterity that is the first and second death Thirdly we may behold the grievousnesse of sinne by proportion with the punishment For what is the wages and reward of sinne a subjection to all woe and misery in this life to death it selfe in the end of this life and to eternall death after this life in hell with the Devill and his Angels Fourthly they were laid upon the person of our Saviour Christ who outwardly endured the torments on the Crosse in his body and inwardly apprehended the wrath of God in his soule due unto us and which we should have suffered This made him to sweat water and blood Lue. 22.44 Math. 27.46 and to cry out in the anguish of his spirit My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Math. 27. Are such sinnes to be holden as motes no doubtlesse they are great beames are they as little moul-hills no doubtlesse they be huge mountaines able to crush the sonnes of men in pieces under the heavy indignation of God Lastly the law of God is holy and perfect and forbiddeth the first thoughts and motions in the heart that arise against God or our neighbour yea though we never give consent of will to practise them Rom. 7. If then the first motions be sins in themselves deserving damnation Rom. 7.7 because the law saith
Thou shalt not lust how heinous must the sinnes of our nature and the transgressions of our life be wherein we have yeelded full consent to rise up and rebell against God And Iesus answering said vnto them Suppose ye c. It seemeth by this answer of Christ that these men justified themselves because they suffered not as the other did and condemned them as notable notorious wicked men which rash judgement as a false sentence and censure in them Christ condemneth Doct. This teacheth that outward judgements and calamities that befal the children of men Outward judgements doe not alwayes befall the worst neither free the best men doe not alwayes seize upon the most wicked and worst men neither do they free the most righteous from them It is the corrupt judgement of corrupt men to jmagine that such as are sharpely corrected and extraordinarily visited and chastened are the greatest sinners of all and on the other side such as escape and live in health in wealth in glory in favour in peace in honour and inprosperitie are highly in his favour A common errour of the world and no marveile For first being blinded with the disease of selfe love few looke upon themselves and enter into a search of their owne hearts and wayes or consider what they doe themselves deserve They turne their owne sinnes behind their backes where they are sure they cannot see them but other mens they hang before them to have them alwayes in their sight Secondly by escaping without punishment and having freedome from scourges they flatter themselves with a vaine perswasion and presumption that God approveth and is delighted with their workes whereas we should learne that God by such examples stirreth up all men every where to repentance This errour we see in Iobs friends who beholding the suddaine calamity into which he was fallen tooke occasion to condemne him of Hypocrisie impiety that because he suffered much they judged he had offended much and therefore suffered more then others and more then themselves Chap. 22. This we see in the Disciples of Christ Ioh. 9. Ioh. 9.2 When they saw the man that was blind from his birth they asked him Master who did sinne this man or his Parents that he was borne blinde They never consider the secret causes of Gods judgements but as if there could be no other cause but this one they enquire whether he or his Parents deserued by their sinnes that he should be so borne The like we see in the Barbarians of Melita Act. Act. 28.4 28. When they saw the viper upon Pauls hand they sayd amongst themselues Doubtlesse this man is a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live So in this place these men would have coÌ„cluded these Galileans to be desperate sinners who happly might be better then themselves because they were suddainly and savagely slaine with the sword but Christs answere teacheth that outward afflictions and chasticements doe not evermore seaze upon the worst and wickedest men neither are the better sort freed from them but they oftentimes lye open to them more then others as we see in Iob Chap. 1. and 2. and 1 Pet. 4. judgement beginneth at Gods house the wicked abound in all things Psal 17. Whiles David lay under persecutions Psal 73. The reasons Reas 1 first all outward things fall out alike to all as David saith â— Sam. 11.25 The sword devoureth one as well as an other So affliction meeteth with one as well as with another There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked as is the good so is the sinner and therfore no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them Eccl. 9.1 Secondly the wicked are oftentimes as it were stalled and fatted to the day of slaughter like fedde beasts appointed to be killed Iam. 5.5 Deut. 32.15 Iam. 5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and beene wanton Yee have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Thus he letteth them alone to worke out their owne destruction that they forsake God which made them and lightly esteeme the rocke of their salvation Thirdly he chastiseth his owne children that he may bring them nearer to himselfe and that they should not be condemned with the world as 2 Cor. 4. We alwayes beare about in the body 2 Cor. 4.10.11 1 Cor. 11.31.32 the dying of the Lord Iesus that the life also of Iesus might be made manifest in our mortall body for we which live are alway dilivered vnto death for Iesus sake that the life also of Iesus might be made manifest in our mortall flesh When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world if then we would judge our selves we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11. Vse 1. Vse 1 Seing God layeth outward afflictions upon his owne children and letteth the wicked goe free we may gather and conclude from hence that no affliction whatsoever shall separate from him those that are his nor death nor famine nor nakednesse nor sword nor perill nor pestilence nor persecution can divide and divorse betweene God and us his love is so sure and steadfast like mount Sion which cannot be removed Psal 125.1 the Lord standeth like a buckler round about his people Rom. 8.28 that all shall worke for the best to them that love him This is a singular comfort that he will make not onely his blessings to turne to our good but he will sanctifie all our afflictions and adversities and make even them blessngs also and further our salvations yea oftentimes more then the other It is not so with the vngodly not only their crosses are curses but all their blessings are turned into judgements and nothing shall be able to doe them Indeed the faithfull must suffer they are called unto it 1 Pet. 2.21 The Crosse is the calling of a Christian and the badge of Christianity Christ hath left us an example that we should follow his steppes therefore though they suffer yet their sufferings cannot take them from God nor God from them The foundation of God remaineth sure and his giftes are without repentance They then are justly to be reprooved that conceive and judge hardly and harshly of them that have beene taken away by the plague and pestilence in this heavie visitation nay the dayes may hang over out heads and we may see them with our eyes when we may pronounce them happy that died of this contagious sicknesse and gaâ—â— up the Ghost in their beddes no doubt many of our deare brethren in other places that are pursued by the rage of cruell enemies daily in danger of the sword at their throates that are constrained to keepe garrisons in their townes and Cities yea billit mercilesse Souldiers in their houses as it were vipers in their owne bosoms desire with all their hearts that they were striken by
come Rom. 8. Rom. 8.18 2 Cor. 4.17 The griefe may be great but the glory will be greater For what comparison is there betweene a thing finite and a thing infinite Tell me my brethren how many stripes is heauen worth Nay what is a few drops of blood to the kingdome of heaven how much lesse then can a word or two of reproach be worthy of that glory Lastly from thence we may conclude that certainely the wicked shall not escape in the end howsoever they may for a time True it is the ungodly abuse his patience because sentence is not speedily executed against an evill worke Eccl. 8.11.12 therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to do evill but though a sinner doe evill an hundred times and his daies be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that feare God which feare before him Hence it is 1 Pet. 4.17.18 that the Apostle concludeth the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God and if it first begin at us what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God c. So the Prophet Ieremy fortelleth the destruction of Babylon the rod of his wrath and assureth them thereof because he would chastice and correct his owne people can he then let them alone or shall they escape no doubtlesse for loe saith the Lord I begin to bring evill on the City which is called by my name Ier. 25.29 and calleth upon my name and should ye be utterly unpunished ye shall not goe unpunished c. When we see how God hath delt with his owne servants whom he tendereth as the apple of his eye as we see in the examples of David for his uncleannesse 2 Sam. 12.10.11 Psal 106.33 Luc. 1.20 2 Chro. 32.25 19.2 of Moses Aaron for their disobedience of Zachariah for his unbeleefe of Hezekiah for his unthankfulnesse of Iehoshaphat for his affinity with Ahab may we not be assured that he will visit with grievous plagues the rebellion of such as are strangers to him nay his utter enemies Nay his little finger in the latter end shall be heavier upon the reprobate then his whole loines have beene upon his owne deare children He chastised poore Lazarus in this life with penury and much misery while the rich man was clad in purple and fared deliciously every day but what was the end and issue of them both the poore man was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome and the rich man lay in torments in hell This made Abraham say when he desired to find some ease or release Lu◠16.25 Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evill things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented Whose blood Pilate had mingled with c. the tower in Siloe fell and slew them The Galileans about their best actions are suddainly taken away by the sword when they thought themselves most in safety For where and when should we judge our selves more in safe-gard then when we are about the service of God and in the house of prayer And the Iewes that lay under the towre were pressed and crushed to death in like manner both examples joyntly shewing both that God hath many wayes and weapons to take away the life of men and to consume them at a suddaine and in a moment even while they perswade thēselves to be safe in a Sanctuary or priviledged place and to be without all feare of death or of danger This teacheth us Doct. God hath many wayes to take away many mans life and can doe it suddenely that the Lord hath variable and infinite wayes to take away mans life and it is offentimes suddainly taken from them even while they say peace and safety suddaine destruction commeth upon them There are two points to be marked in this doctrine and both offered unto us in these examples the first is the variety and manifold meanes the Lord hath in store to cut off our dayes the second is the uncertainty of our life which is soone gone and taken away Touching the variety read Deut. 28. Deut. 28.20.21.22 c. Ezek. 14.13.15.17.19 where the point is handled at large See Ezek. 14. When the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously I will stretch out mine hand against it and will breake the staffe of bread and will send famine upon it I will bring a sword upon the land and say sword goe through the land and cut them off I will send the pestilence into the land and poure out my fury upon it to cut them off What should I speake of the overflowing of waters Gen. 7.4 of the violence of fire Gen. 19.24 Psal 106.18 of the opening of the earth Numb 16.31.32 of the stinging of Serpents Numb 21.6 of the eating of Wormes Act. 12.23 of the destroying of the destroying Angel 2 King 19.35 and what not Nay he can make the meanes and instruments ordained to preserve life to be meanes to shorten our life And touching the second point to wit the suddainnesse of death and the uncertainty of our life nothing appeareth more evident though we be active young strong fresh lusty and beautifull and promise to our selves many dayes and yeares yet our life is fraile and speedily gone Iob. 14.1 Psal 49.11.20 1 Pet. 1 24. Luc. 12.20 Act. 5 5.10 Eccl. 9.12 The reasons first for the variety Reas 1 Esay 7.18.19 he is the Lord of hostes and hath every creature as his servants and souldiers even a royall army or campe to employ them if he bid them goe they goe if he bid them come they come if he say doe this they do it We see this in the plagues of Egypt Psal 105.31.34 Psal 105. He spake and there came diverse sorts of flies and Lice in all their coastes he spake and the Locustes came and Caterpillers and that without number c. Secondly for the suddaine fading and vanity of our dayes the Scripture expresseth it by comparisons to shew the shortnesse thereof Hence it is that our life is compared to the swiftnesse of the weavers shittle Psal 103.15.16 Iob. 9.25 7.6 to a wind that passeth away to a swift post that tarrieth not long in one place but soone departeth to an other to a Flower of the field which quickly wasteth and withereth to a shadow which easily vanisheth 1 Chro. 29.15 Iob. 8.9 Psal 90.4.9.109.23 2 Sam 14.14 Iob. 13.28 to a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Iam. 4.14 The Prophet Dauid compareth it to an hand-breadth and to vanity and what is lighter then vanity to a watch in the night to a tale that is told so that our life is soone gone and we fly away and we are carried away as with a flood to water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up againe and to a garment that
the Lord will both we shall live and doe this or that But on the other side it should hasten and further our repentance and cause us to humble our selves under the mighty hand of God as the Ninivites did who hearing their end was neere at hand they proclaimed a fast they put on sack-cloth they cryed unto God from the greatest of them to the least of them And who knoweth how nigh at hand our time may be are not many gone and swept away that seemed before as safe as we The Sodomites thought themselves as free from judgement and as farre from their end as we doe Gen. 19.23.24 the Sunne shined upon them they promised to themselves a faire day but before night they suffered a perpetuall night and darknesse of death they were destroyed with fire and brimst one from heaven So it was with the Egyptians they went quietly to bed and slept soundly but it came to passe at midnight Exod. 12.29 the Lord smote all the first-borne in the land of Egypt c. The like I might say of Belshazzar Dan. 5. and of Anarias and Sapphira Act. 5. Now is the time of our acceptance of turning and changing after death there is no change at all Thirdly learne to content our selves with every estate and condition whatsoever shall befall us Our life is vaine and suddainly gone we have a short journey to make Cicer. de Senectute and therefore the lesse provision will serve our turne It is great folly for a man that hath a short way to goe and a little iourney to take to carry greater provision with him for it A little will serve to bring us to our iournies end 1 Tim. 6.7 Heb. 13.5 Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 6. We brought nothing into this world and it is certaine we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment let us be therewith content Lastly let us be wise to number our dayes and to measure out the length of our time that we may know how fraile we are There is a great art and skill required to doe this aright few have learned this knowledge Hence it is that the Prophet himselfe turneth himselfe to God to be instructed of him as one that was not able of himselfe to conceive it without such a master Lord teach me Psal 39.4 90.12 Lord make me to know mine end c. This is the best art of numbering and skill of mensuration It is a vaine thing to be able to measure our land and to number our sheepe and other cattell and yet have no knowledge how to number our dayes The numbring of our dayes aright hath many branches A man may seeke the register and know his age and not number his dayes but suffer whole yeares to passe over his head and the greatest part of all his life without heavenly wisedome This point hath many branches first account the present time and day to be as the last and so live as if every day we should die that we may prepare our selves for the day of our dissolution Luc. 12.10 when we must go hence be no more not as the rich man that numbred falsely and deceived himselfe in his accounts Thou hast much laid up for many yeares take thine ease eate drinke and be merry and therefore is worthily called a foole for his labour There can be no worse deceit then when a man deceiveth himselfe in his reckonings Secondly we number our daies when we looke backe and remember the miserie into which sinne hath brought our nature Gen. 2. Must not that needs be bitter which hath brought forth such bitter fruit Gen. 3.17.18 the ground was cursed to bring forth thornes and thistles but man bringeth forth more sowre and unsavery fruits of ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse and hath pulled down that goodly building which God had set up that only a little rubbage therof remaineth An evill tree cannot bring forth good fruit so man drinketh iniquity as water and cannot bring that which is cleane from the fountaine that is uncleane Thirdly we learne thereby to dy daily 1 Cor. 15.31 This the Apostle practised 1 Cor. 15. I protest by your rejoycing which I have in Christ Iesus our Lord I dy daily We must exercise and enure our selves in dying by little and little so long as we live here upon earth before we come tody indeed and then I doubt not but we shall depart hence in peace dye well in the end Every afflictiō is a preparation to death and a putting of us in minde of our dissolution For he died daily not onely because he was often in danger of death that there was often but a steppe betweene death and him but because in all his troubles and dangers he made himselfe ready not knowing when God might call him He that will inable himselfe to beare the crosse of all crosses I meane death Iob. 18.24 called the King of terrours must first of all learne to beare smaller lesser crosses patiently and meekly as sicknesse of body trouble of minde anguivh of conscience losse of goods greatnesse of paines death of friends burdens of poverty lacking of maintenance crosses in our affaires and many such like which are as the harbingers or messengers of death making the way before it Learne we therefore to entertaine them and make good use of them that when death the end of all commeth indeed to cut off our dayes as the sickle reapeth downe the corne that is ripe and ready to be carried into the barne we may looke it in the face bid it welcome and prepare to meete it halfe way O how bitter and distastfull is death to them that live in the pleasures of sinne and how sweet to the distressed Fourthly labour to take away the power and sting and strength of death It is as a Scropion that carrieth poison in the taile of it and therefore we must deale with it as they doe with a venimous beast pull out the sting of it then it cannot hurt What is that may some say 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sinne saith the Apostle as the strength of sinne is the law Or let us deale with it as the Philistines dealt with Sampson they never rested but laboured day and night to know wherein his strength lay Iudg. 16.5 that they might weaken him and make him like to one of them So ought we to doe If any aske wherin lyeth the strength of death that it beateth downe so many to the ground nay throweth and thrusteth them headlong downe to hell I answer it lyeth altogether in our sinnes and therefore we must labour earnestly to take away the strength of them by repentance from dead workes and faith in Christ Iesus So many sinnes as we maintaine and cherish in our selves so many stings of death be in us the least whereof is able to wound our soules to eternall death The venime of
patience of God is offered to the children of men that thereby they may be brought to amendment of life Gods patirequireth fruit The end of his patience must lead us to repentance VVhile Noah a preacher of righteousnesse was building an Arke God spared the world an hundred and twenty yeares Gen. 6.3 VVhen Ionah preached to Niniveh sorty dayes were granted to turne every one from his evill wayes Ion. 3.8 and from the violence that was in his hands The purpose therefore of God was to draw them to repentance which when each one of the City practised he turned from his wrath and spared them Neh. 9.30 Dan. 9.6 Esay 5.4 VVe may see this at large Neh. 9.30 Dan. 9.6 So the Prophet Esay chap. 5. What could I have done more for my vineyard then that I have done in it So then Gods forbearance and longsuffâ—rance hath this drift and purpose to try whether we will turne to him and repent or not And no marveil First Reason 1 that men may be conuinced of the righteous judgements of God and say and confesse that nothing on Gods part hath beene omitted which he hath not done and that on our part they have beene justly deserved Hence it is that in the Prophet he maketh the Church it sâ—lfe judge between him and his vineyard Esay 5.3 Esay 5. Iudge I pray you betweene me and my vineyard Secondly God respecteth the clearing and justifying of himselfe in all his actions that he is not as it is in the parable an hard man that reapeth where he hath not sowen and gathereth where he hath not strowed Psal 51.4 for he desireth to receive the fruit of his owne labour as Psal 51. That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and cleare when thou judgest He cannot be charged to be severe or unjust or to have dealt too streightly who cryeth out againe and againe Ezek. 18.31.32 Turne ye turne ye why will ye dye and not live O house of Israel therefore let God be true and every man a lyar Rom. 3. So then he taketh this course for these two endes the one to convince us of his righteous judgments the other to give glory to his owne name that he hath not beene of unequall wayes but hath ever tendred our good and benefit Seing patience looketh for amendment of life Vse 1 and that this is the end thereof on Gods part these are certaine conclusions that he desireth not the death of a sinner he is not pleased with their destruction but in the conversion of a sinner we gâ—ieve the spirit of God by our sinnes it is noted of the Angels Luc. 1.5.7.10 that joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth how much more may we say of God as he is described in the faâ—her of the prodigall son when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion on him he ranne and fell on his necke and kissed him even when he had done nothing the Lord only knew his purpose and willingnesse to humble himselfe and to say father I have sinnâ—d against heaven and before thee c. he tarried not untill he came unto him and fell downe before him but prevented him and met him in the way If he were delighted in the destruction of us and to make desolations in the earth and to trample us under his feet how could we escape seeing every soule calleth for justice and judgement and he is provoked every day As the day is renewed so are our sinnes renewed as Ezek. 18. and 33. have I any pleasure at all Ezek. 18.23 33.11 that the wicked should dye sayth the Lord God and not that he should returne from his wayes and live turne ye from your evill wayes for why will ye dye O house of Israel Let us waigh and consider the wonderfull kindnesse of the Lord and the difference that is betweene him and us Alas we upon every occasion and every moment how ready are we to worke revenge to take vengeance to the full Alas how soone are we provoked and our anger once kinded is not quickly turned away This is our comfort it is not so with God If he were not of another nature and affection then we are who should be able to beare it and abide it He spake the word in the beginning and we were he can speake the word againe and our breath is soone stopped and our dayes are ended Secondly observe that the Lord is not slacke of his comming as some men count slacknesse Many repine at Gods goodnesse toward others but never I warrant you toward themselves Their eye is evill because his is good They envy others the grace of God They are willing nothing should passe by themselves We see this in Ionah toward the Ninivites when he saw that God repented of the evill that he had threatned Ion. 4.3.9 he was angry even unto death and besought the Lord to take his life from him Thus did the labourers repine and murmure who boasted that they had borne the burden and heate of the day all those that were hired about the eleventh houre Math. 20.11.12 and wrought but one houre that they should be made equall unto them Thus the brother of the prodigall son was angry when his father had received him into his favour againe Luc. 15. Luc. 15.27.28 2 Pet. 3.9 This use the Apostle Peter concludeth God is not slacke of his promise as some men count slacknesse but is patient and long-suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Lastly seing this is the end of his patience take heed we doe not despise contemne and abuse it which provoketh the greater judgment and condemnation Shall a father see his lenity and gentlenesâ—e abused and not rise up with greater indignation This use the Apostle maketh of the doctrine Rom. 2. Rom. 2.4.5 Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance but thou after thy hardnesse c. O that we would diligently enter into the meditation of this use and lay it up in our hearts He hath spoken unto us earely and late but we have provoked him to wrath early and late and have heaped up one evill upon another yet hath the Lord spared us a long time yea and yet spareth us He might justly have begun with us have made us examples to them and who could have said unto him why doest thou thus but we hitherto remaine untouched and he maketh others examples to us and yet where is our repentance have we not cause to feare that his hand will make an end with us Then said he to the dresser of his vineyard Behold these three yeares I come c. Hitherto of the generall scope of the parable Bezae Annotat in hunc locum now we come to the
1 Cor. 15.55 all things fall out alike to the godly and ungodly to him that sweareth and to him that feareth an oath so that no man knoweth love or hatred by these outward things yet the venome and poyson is pulled out from these Scorpions so that albeit they may hisse at us yet they shall never hurt us Gen. 2.17 Rom. 6.23 Death is of it selfe the wages of sinne Gen. 2. Rom. 6. It came into the world by sinne and is the last enemy that shall bee subdued howbeit it hath already received his deaths-wound and the nature of it is quite changed to the godly Indeed death remaineth as a cup that all must taste off but behold the difference to the ungodly it is the reward of sinne the suburbs of hell the separation of the soule from God and the guide that conducteth them into everlasting torments To the godly it is no punishment of sinne but the abolishing of sinne the path and passage to a better life the haven of our rest the end of all our labours and the way by which we must come into the presence of Christ He is become the death of death so that they are bold in him to looke death in the face because they looke beyond death For he that will not feare it must cast his eye further then it as they feared not the fiery Serpents that lifted up their eyes to the brazen Serpent Thirdly if any meanes to uphold their life be wanting the Lord doth strengthen arme those that are his with patience contentednesse and inward comfort and consolation that he maketh them able to beare them he layeth heavy burdens upon them yet he supporteth theÌ„ with his hand that they sinke not under the waight thereof Albeit famine doe pinch and presse hard upon their bodies hee feedeth their soules with the precious food of his Word to eternall life and they are ready to answer with their Lord and Master Ioh. 4.32 I have meant to eate Iohn 4 32. that yee know not of Albeit they be vexed with warre yet he giveth them peace of conscience that passeth all understanding even peace with himselfe which the world cannot take away from them Albeit they fall into times of perils and dangers yet are they made to dwell in the secret place of the most high Psal 91.1 and to abide under the shadow of the Almighty Psal 91.1 The name of the Lord is a most strong tower and place of refuge the righteous flie unto it and are preserved Albeit they be sometimes enforced to endure nakednesse yet even then hee clotheth them with the precious robes of Christs righteousnesse Psal 45.8 all whose graces smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia whereby they are more adorned then with all the silver and gold in the world Lastly if he take away this temporall life he recompenseth the losse thereof with eternall life and happinesse We learne from hence first of all Vse 1 what need we have all of us of faith to lay hold on the promises of God made in Christ Iesus to such as are in him and have him dwelling in them For what is there can drive us out of this feare 1 Tim. 4.8 6.6 but faith Indeed godlinesse is profitable to all things and hath the promises of this life as well as of the life to come Of this life with condition so far as it shall be good for us of the life to come without any condition This godlinesse is great gaine nay the greatest of all other But what of all this if wee have not the hand of faith to receive them Offer meat never so much to the hungry soule yet if the hand be closed and the mouth stopped hee can receive nothing Powre water upon a Vessell all the day long it remaineth empty if the entrance thereof bee shut up so let us heare of the promises of God to sustaine us in times of famine want losse and necâ—ssity yet it is all one as if you spake to a dead man except wee have faith to quicken us and to put life into the soule For as the Apostle concludeth from the suffring of the Saints Hebr. 10.34 who endured with ioy the spoyling of their goods knowing they had a better inheritance reserved for them in the Heavens that we have all need of patience that after we have done the will of God wee may receive the promise Hebr. 10. So from this consideration that wee are ready every foot to faint and to feare want and beggery or else this dehortation were vaine and needlesse we are to gather that we may not cast away our confidence in God which hath great recompence of reward The just shall live by faith Hebr. 11.1 which is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene Take heed therefore and beware of infidelity For as covetousnesse is the root of all evill 1 Tim. 6. 1 Tim. 6.10 so is infidelity the root of covetousnesse What is the cause that we feare the lacking of earthly things which the greatest sort doe more feare then the lacke or losse or lessening of the feeding of the love and favour of God Doubtlesse this is nothing but the want of faith Let them lose but a trifle or the least pinne and profit that commeth to the purse what crying and complaining have wee how much adoe have wee to perswade them to bee contented to bee resolved to submit themselves to the pleasure of Almighty God and to beleeve that hee is able to give them more then that All the armor and furniture that wee can bring out of the Store-house of the Scripture is too little to settle their unbeleeving hearts upon the promises of God But these men can bee content without any scruple or touch of conscience to absent themselves from the house of God to lose many Sermons and much wholesome doctrine which is according to godlinesse many exhortations many instructions many comforts nay they may apparently feele their decaying and declining in knowledge in faith and in obedience yet it troubleth them no more then it did that prophane Esau Gen. 25.34 who when hee had sold his birth-right contemned and despised it The true cause of our carnall and corrupt feare is this want of a true lively faith when we dare not believe him that hath promised who yet is able to performe and is not as man that he should lie or as the sonne of man that hee should deceive Hence proceedeth feare of the losse of life and living that we are afraid to commit our state and standing to the safe garding of God as manifestly appeareth by the contrary Psal 27.1 2. Psal 27. The Lord is my light and salvation whom shall I feare The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid Though an host shall encampe against me my heart shall not feare though warre should rise against mee in this will I
6.6 The like we might say of Moses Exod. 4.10 13 Ier. 1.6 Dan. 9 8. I hn 1.27 Matth. 11.11 Exod. 4.10 13. of Jeremy chap. 1.6 and of Daniel chap. 9.8 John Baptist maketh it knowne that he was not worthy to unloose the shooes latchet of Christ that came after him albeit among them that were borne of women there hath not risen a greater then he The Prodigall Sonne being come to himselfe Luke 13.21 18.13 and to his Father confesseth Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight I am no more worthy to be called thy Sonne The Publican being come up to the Temple to pray stood a farre off and would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven but smote upon his brest saying O Lord be mercifull to me a sinner So Paul testifieth that he was as one borne out of due time 1 Cor. 15.8 9. not worthy to be called an Apostle not onely the least of the Apostles Ephes 3.8 1 Tim. 1.15 1 Cor. 15.8 but the least of all the Saints Ephes 3.8 and the greatest of all sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 The reasons are many and waighty Reas 1 For first what have we to be proud of or wherefore should we advance our selves 2 Cor. 3.5 we are not able of our selves to thinke any thing that is good and without the helpe and assistance of Christ we can doe nothing at all Joh. 6. so that to be proud of our selves is to be proud of nothing Secondly they know their sinnes to be moe in number then the haires of their head that they provoke him every day and are not able to answer him one of a thousand their iniquities are increased over their heads Ezra 9.6 Lam. 3.22 and their transgressions are gone up to the Heavens Ezra 9.6 so that it is his mercy that they are not utterly consumed The more the Lord vouchsafeth his grace unto them the more they behold their owne waies and are privy to their owne wants They know they have many knowne and open sinnes They know they stand in need to pray to God to clense them from their secret faults They know they must begge of him Psal 19.12 13. to keepe his servants from presumptuous sinnes that they may not have dominion over them They know they are daily to crave pardon for their errors ignorances and negligences for omitting good for committing evill They know their owne hearts smite them 1 Ioh. 3.20 and if their owne hearts condemne them God is greater then their hearts and knoweth all things And have they not therefore cause in all these respects to hang downe their heads and to humble themselves in the sight of God As for the ungodly it is not so with them they are blinde and can see nothing they are deafe and will learne nothing they are sencelesse and can feele nothing be it never so palpable Thirdly Christ Iesus hath left himselfe as a patterne and president unto us for he is meeke and lowly in heart Matth. 11.29 Matth. 11.29 who being in the forme of God and thinking it no robbery to bee equall with God tooke upon him the shape of a servant Phil. 2.6 7. and made himselfe of no reputation Thus he humbled himselfe and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Crosse Yea he disdained not to wash the feet of his Disciples Ioh. 13.5 15. and gave them an example what they should doe even as he had done to them Thus he that was both God and Man the Lord of Heaven and earth the eternall Sonne of the Father the brightnesse of his glory Heb. 1.3 the expresse Image of his person the Heire of all things upholding them by the Word of his power the King and Priest of his Church did stoope downe and abase himselfe for us even to the death and that also the cursed death of the Crosse Luke 21. 27. and was in the world as he that serveth Luke 22.27 Ought not we therefore to set evermore his example before our eyes as a glasse to looke upon and in lowlinesse of minde each one of us to esteeme of others better then of our selves that the same minde might be in us which was in him Fourthly wee are but dust and ashes whether we consider our rising or our falling our beginning or our ending Gen. 3.19 Iob 1.21 1 Tim. 6.7 our first or our last for dust we are and to dust shall we returne Gen. 3. We brought nothing with us in this world and it is certaine we can carry nothing out Is not the basenesse of the matter out of which we were formed and into which wee shall bee resolved argument waighty enough to pull downe every high conceit of our selves and to preach humility unto us Lastly God giveth all men somewhat to humble themselves in soule or in body or in name or in some that are neere unto them or in all these combined together at least if they know themselves It is an hard matter to know our selves aright for few doe it Wee are for the most part ignorant of our selves and strangers at home how quick-sighted soever we are abroad Wee cannot looke upon our selves or cast our eyes about us but we have causes and occasions of humiliation as Jacob after he had wrastled with God had his thigh out of joynt Gen. 32.25 31. 2 Cor. 12.7 8 9. and he halted of it all the dayes of his life afterward Gen. 32. So had the holy and blessed Apostle Paul asplinter in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations that were given unto him And albeit he besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from him yet he obtained in not but received this gracious answer My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakenesse The best servants of God therefore have had something to cast them downe even to the ground and if wee have not eyes to see this which every where offereth it selfe before us we are blinde and can see nothing at all First of all this serveth for reproofe Vse 1 and that of sundry sorts of persons It giveth a checke to all Iusticiaries and Merit-mungers who like Pharises being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse Rom. 10.3 and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God Such men swelling very bigge with the winde of their owne workes are farre from the humility and humblenesse of minde which we read to have beene in all the Saints of God from the beginning The continuall song and saying that hath beene evermore in the mouthes of all the godly of the Patriarkes of the Princes of the Kings of the Captaines of the Priests of the Prophets of the Apostles and of all true Converts and penitent persons when they speake of themselves hath beene this I
as afterward he beheld with his owne eyes so worthy and glorious an effect of his preaching 1 Thess 2.19.20 as might rejoyce his heart and be his crowne and glory before the Lord and in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ aâ— his comming who as a fisher of men cast his net into the sea and inclosed a great multitude of fish of all sorts But yet for all this it did not sufficiently content the Prophet through a carnall misdeeming and misjudging of the successe of his labours as if by Gods shewing of mercy his ministery were contemned his credit empaired and his person scorned and exposed to contempt because the Citie was spared and not destroyed as appeareth in the next Chapter In the 4. Verse and the rest that follow to the end of the Chapter we are to consider two things First the preaching of Ionah Verse 4. A Sermon consisting of judgement he singeth a mournfull song foretelling them of their full and final destruction Secondly the effect of his preaching in the residue of the Chap. The preaching of Ionah is a fearfull threatning of a fearful overthrow to come upon them for their wickednesse Circumstances in the threatning which was come up before the Lord did cry for vengeance to heaven Chap. 1 2. In this denunciation we may observe sundry circumstances to passe over the beginning of the verse first the circumstance of the time to come forty dayes are limited for their repentance as the dayes of Gods patience which once expired they must looke for suddaine destruction Secondly the circumstance of time already past implied in the word Yet putting them in remembrance that he had already spared them a long time not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance As if the Lord should have said by his Prophet I have spared you long enough already that I might justly poure upon you all my wrath yet neverthelesse I will spare you a little longer Thirdly the subject of the judgement Nineveh a great a mightie a populous and proud Citie whereby also are understood the inhabitants thereof from the greatest to the least and lowest of them Lastly the measure or quantitie of the judgement an utter overthrow not of one person or one family but of the whole Citty now whether it were by sword or famine or pestilence or by fire from heaven as God overthrew Sâ—dome and Gâ—morrha and the Cities of the plaine or otherwise is not expressed Now let us come to the words And Ionah began to enter c. Albeit the Lord might forthwith have destroyed the Ninevites yet he giveth them some time of repentance and sendeth his holy Prophet unto them which declareth the infinite and endlesse patience of God even toward these Infidels that knew him not neither called upon his name Rom. 2.4 First let us observe the generall doctrine out of the whole threatning and afterward come to the particulars Before the Lord would utterly destroy the City he raised up Ionah the Prophet to foretell their destruction Doct. 1 This teacheth Before the Lord destroyeth he warneth by his ministers that the Lord for the most part never bringeth any judgement upon any people or person but hee first foretelleth of it and maketh it knowne unto them hee warneth them and threatneth it by his Ministers This truth is to be seene every where in the Scripture Amos 3.6.7 Luk. 13.7 We reade that the world was once destroyed by water and it shall bee destroyed againe by fire Of the first destruction we finde that be foretold it unto Noah and by Noah to the world before ever the flood came And touching the second destruction which shall bee by fire 2 Pet. 3.10 when the Elements shall melt with fervent heate the earth also and the workes that are therein shall bee burnt up God hath not left us ignorant but in diverse places hath plainely set it downe unto us The reasons of this course and order of Gods dealing who warneth before he smiteth are eyther in respect of God or in respect of the godly or in respect of the ungodly In respect of God to justifie his proceedings and judgements with men even before the sonnes of men to stop the mouth of iniquitie that it might have nothing to object or plead against him 2 Chro. 36.15 Ier. 25.3 and 35.15 Secondly in respect of the godly because hee would not take his people at unwares who is friendly unto them and loveth them as his owne children Now it were the part of an enemy and not of a friend to come upon them surprise them at unwares as they doe that come to assault a Citty and therefore God to shew his favour and friendship to them that are his doth foretell and give them warning before hand that so they might happily prevent it by their repentance 2 Pet. 3.9 and thereby have judgements kept from them Thirdly in respect of the ungodly themselves because God would have those that are none of his to be left without excuse that they might not be able to accuse God of any unjust dealing or murmure against him for as much as they had warning but would not bee warned they heard of his judgements but they would not judge themselves neither labour to prevent them Matth. 24.14 therefore the damnation of such is just Vse 1. Vse 1 Behold from hence the wonderfull mercy goodnesse and patience of our good God whose manner is alwaies to give warning before hee proceede in judgement He seeketh not to take any at advantage neither desireth hee the death of a sinner And therefore the Prophet saith Lam. 3.33.36 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth to subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not Lam. 3.33.36 He would have none to perish that are his but all to repent and to be saved He instructeth that he may not threaten he threatneth that he may not smite he smiteth that he may not destroy 1 Cor. 11.32 yea and sometime he destroyeth temporally that he may not destroy eternally This is the course which he neede not observe because upon our owne perill the perill of our soules wee are bound to take heed of judgements to come that wee should prevent them before they come He would have us to send out our Embassadours which are our prayers to treate of conditions of peace betweene God and us Such as intend revenge and the execution of their wrath are not wont to give warning but to watch their opportunity as we see in Absolom 2 Sam. 13.22 who spake neither good nor evill to his brother Amnon because he hated him and then suddenly when his heart was merry with wine commanded him to be smitten If God had a purpose to destroy us as his enemies and to come upon us at unwares hee would never threaten us and give us
this threatning Chap. 3.9 Chap. 3. Let every one turne from his evill way for who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that we perish not Vse 1. Vse 1 There is comfort in the greatest the heaviest and most fearefull threatnings of certaine judgements there is hope of grace and mercy to be found if we doe repent as it were light shining out of darkenesse Let none say it is too late my sinnes are too great or too many that they cannot be forgiven as Caine said Gen. 4. The Elders of Iudah did profit better by the threatnings of Ieremy For when he had threatned desolation of the Lords house and the destruction of the whole land for which the Priests and Prophets would have put him to death they pleaded the practise and example of good King Hezekiah for their comfort as we noted before when the Prophet Micah threatned that Ierusalem should be plowed up like a field and lye desolate as a Forrest he did not put him to death Mic. 3.12 Ier. 26.18 but feared the Lord and the Lord repented him of the evill which he pronounced against them But it may be objected Ob. If God threatneth and willeth one thing and yet doth another as heere he threatned to destroy Nineveh and did it not then Gods will is changeable or else he hath two willes one will to destroy another to preserve which seeme contrary the one to the other I answer Answ as God is one so he hath but one will Howbeit it is distinguished into that which is revealed and secret The secret is of things hidde with himselfe and not manifested as Deutero 29.29 The revealed is of things made knowne by the word and by daily experience The secret will is without condition annexed unto it the reveald is with condition and it is joyned with exhortations admonitions instructions and reprehensions as may best serve for mans salvation and to keepe him in awe of God and his threatnings The secret shall and must be accomplished notwithstanding all the opposition and gainesaying of men and Angels Rom. 9.19 For who hath resisted his will and therefore albeit it bee most just and righteous yet it is not to us a rule of righteousnesse The revealed onely is the rule of our lives and the square to measure and direct all our actions The ignorance of these two parts of the single and simple will of God leadeth into manifold errour and the sound knowledge thereof beateth downe to the ground the perverse and corrupt practise of many For when they breake out into sundry evils and much prophanenesse contrary to the expresse commandement of God and rule of the word left unto us for our instruction a Plaut Aulid act 4. sc 10. Factum est fieri infectum non potest deos credo voluisse nam ni vellent non fieret scio Terent. in Eumuch Act. 5. sc 2. Quid. si hoc quispiam Coluit deus they follow the practise of the heathen and excuse themselves because forsooth it was the will of God it should be so or else it could not have beene done A grosse abuse of God and his wil. For when they walked in their owne waies as it were in by-paths and followed their sinfull lusts and pleasures did they set Gods will before their eyes or did they aske counsell of him or did they enter into such practises with a purpose to doe his will No doubtlesse they were ledde by their owne fansy as by a false guide that turned them out of their right way and therefore let them not excuse themselves by his will but rather accuse their owne wickednesse Secondly it is the duty of all men in hearing the threatnings of God to beware of all impediments and hindrances of repentance for as much as they must take effect unlesse we observe the condition If wee doe not keepe the condition the threatning is absolute and surer than the heavens Take heede therefore of these lets which as so many stumbling blockes lye in our way to cause us to fall Impediments hindring true repentance First wee must not slight the threatnings of God nor set light by them as the manner of many is who for the most part regard them no otherwise Esa 28.15 than as if they had made a covenant with death and were at league with hell and not with God to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life Such were the sonnes in law of Lot that should have married his daughters when they heard of the overthrow of Sodome with fire and brimstone and were exhorted to save themselves from that crooked generation and to depart from the tents of those wicked men and to separate themselves from among that Congregation least they were consumed with them hee seemed as one that mocked unto his sonnes in law Gen. 19.14 and therefore they perished in those flames Secondly we must not exempt our selves from them and post them over to others or thinke they belong not at all to us Esa 28.15 that albeit the overflowing scourge shall passe through it shall not come upon us for wee have made lies our refuge and under falsehood have wee hidde our selves Esa 28.15 These are they that hide their owne sinnes like Adam and turne them over to others as hee did to the woman and the woman to the Serpent Genesis 3. wee care not on whose shoulders wee lay the burthen so that wee doe not beare it nor touch it with our little finger neither who smart for it so that wee be free and doe not beare it Thus wee flatter our selves and never lay his threatnings to heart untill his judgements fall full upon our heads as they did upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians Thirdly bee not deceived to thinke by riches or honour by power or pollicy by favour or friendship to fave and deliver our selves from the punishments of God whereas nothing shall prevaile with him nothing in the world but repentance and turning from sinne hating and forsaking it True it is in the courts and consistories of men these may beare sway and get the upper hand a man may escape by his purse or winde himselfe out of trouble by might of men and so avoyd the danger of the Law but it is not so with God For howsoever men use to reason I care not I will doe well enough as long as I have money and friends howbeit this will not serve to free us from Gods Plagues and punishments as Zeph. I. Zeph. 1.18 When God had threatned to consume all things from off the Land both man and beast least they should imagine by their wealth or other wiles to escape hee saith Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath Fourthly delay not the time nor put off the threatnings which the Lord abhorreth as Ezek. Ezek. 12.22.23 12. Sonne
not to delay the time seing we know not what shall be on the morrow Iam. 4.14 First it is a just thing with God to contemne that man dying that despised him living He that calleth not upon God in his prosperity will God heare his cry Iob. 27.9 when trouble commeth upon him The best way to kil a Serpent is to bruise his head and when it is young so the safest and surest way to withstand sinne and Satan will be in the beginning not the latter and of our dayes in health not in sicknesse in life not in death betimes not when it is too late See this in the foolish Virgins that lingred their time of repentance but when the season was past they cryed againe and againe Lord Math. 25.11.12 Lord open unto us And what answer did they receive Verily I say unto you I know you not Luk. 13.24 verifying the saying of our Saviour Many I say unto you will strive to enter in and shall not be able because doubtlesse they strive when it is too late Secondly we must looke for a time when there will be judgement without mercy now is the time of mercy without iudgment Now are the dayes of grace now is the time of turning and repenting when this time is gone and past there will come a day of blacknesse and utter darknesse when there is no place nor time of turning For as the day of death taketh us the day fo judgment shal find us as we see in Caine Esau Iudas the rich man in the Gospell and such like Thirdly the houre of death to which the greatest sort post over their repentance hath many hindrances accompanying it that the sicke man cannot freely thinke of the state of his soule neither call to remembrance his sinnes that he hath committed Lastly beware of all lettes and impediments which as so many stumbling blockes lye in the way and keepe us from repentance Never was there good worke to be done but it hath found many oppositions Satan standeth at our right hand ready to catch hold of us The manifold impediments of true repentance when he seeth us sliding from him and resolued to leave sinne As then they that were bidden and called to the feast had all of them their excuses so such as are stirred up to repentance make not that hast which they ought but are wise to their own hurt and become the greatest enemies to their owne soules Let us therefore see their reasons or rather pretences which they use to hinder their returne into the right way First they alledge that repentance is full of difficulty a way hedged with thornes hard and painfull Be it so the harder the worke is the more excellent it is But what is the hardnesse of the worke in respect of the greatnesse of the wages and reward Besides this yoke of Christ is easie and this burden is light because the often practise thereof will make it so familiar unto us that we shall take pleasure and delight in it because we shall have God to put under his hand and assist us in the practise thereof because such vertue proceedeth from the death of Christ Rom. 6.6 that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serue sinne and we have him after a sort to draw in the yoke with us and because God powreth sweet and secret consolation into the hearts of such as resolve to turne to him whereby they find that peace of Conscience which passeth all understanding Another impediment is presumption of Gods mercy and a foolish and ungrounded perswasion that God will accept of them whensoever they returne to him True it is we have many precious promises of grace and mercy in holy Scripture Ezek. 18.32 33.11 Psal 103. 1 Tim. 2.4 But these men do abuse them and build upon a weake foundation they dreame of a God made all of mercy and forget his justice which is to set up an Idoll in their hearts they dwell so much upon the promises of the Gospell that they cast from them the curses of the law These are like to the Spider that gathereth poyson out of the sweetest flowers The goodnesse of God is published and Proclaimed so often for the comfort of the weake not for the encouragement of the wicked to raise up the penitent not to hearten or harden the obstinate it is bread for the Children to eate not for dogges to devoure To conclude Nah. 1.3 let us remember that as the Lord is slow to anger so he is great in power and wil not surely cleere the wicked The third impediment is contrary to the former and that is despaire of Gods mercy The former hoped too much this sort hopeth too little and both of them without cause This possessed the heart of Caine despairing of Gods goodnesse as if it were lesse than his sinnes Thus also Iudas perished who saw his sinne in the glasse of the Law but could not lay hold on Gods mercy and therefore died without hope Sathan hath two deceitfull glasses and brast asunder through despaire Thus doth Satan shew forth two false glasses to deceive the sight of sinners before sinne is committed he sheweth them his mercies greater than they are and his justice lesse than it is but after the committing thereof he maketh his mercies to appeare lesser and his justice greater than indeed it is But he is a lyar from the beginning and the father of lies trust him not beleeve him not the contrary to that which he speaketh is commonly true God hath mercy in store for all that doe repent from the bottome of their hearts Ezek. 18.21.22 and hath promised to put all their sinnes out of his remembrance To deny the infinitenesse of his mercy is to deny him to be God Remember the examples of old how he hath dealt with penitent sinners with Rahab the harlot with Manasses the King with Peter that denyed him with Paul that persecuted him with such as crucified the Son of God and delivered him into the hands of murtherers Luk. 7.38 with that woman which washed the feete of Christ with teares and wiped them with the haires of her head To conclude let us call to minde the description of the name and nature of God The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in truth Exod. 33.6.7 reserving mercy for thousands for giving iniquity transgression and sinnes The next impediment is the cares of this life and the deceitfulnesse of riches the pleasures of this world These are dangerous snares and baites of Satan wherewith he hunteth after the soules of men and catcheth them as fishes are with an hooke Luk. 14.17 Math. 13.22 Luk. 12.19 2 Tim. 4.10 and as corne is choked with thornes Luk. 8. For as full hands are able to hold and receive nothing no not the purest gold when they are
whirlewind as it fell out with the old world and the men of Soâ—ome We are here travailers when once our journey is at an end by death there is no place of turning from our evill wayes While it is day we may worke Ioh. 9. There is no working in the night when death taketh us away The day of judgement is called the day of the Lord because then he taketh an account Rom. 2.6 2 Cor. 5.10 and payeth men their wages Rom. 2.6 and giveth them their reward according to their workes for we must all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad 2 Cor. 5.10 Hence it is that the Apostle exhorteth us to heare his voyce to day not at our owne leysure or pleasure To day is Gods voyce to morrow is the Devils language to day is Gods perswasion to morrow is the Devils perswasion We know that Manna was gathered upon the sixe dayes but none the Sabbath the day of rest from our labours so upon the sixe dayes of our life the heavenly Manna of faith in Christ and of repentance from dead workes may be gathered but when the day commeth that we must rest from our labours faith and repentance are ceased True it is some went out to seeke Manna upon the Sabboth but they found none so the foolish virgins sought oyle for their lampes but they found none Math. 25. The life to come is the time of recompence not of repentance of wages not of working of judgment not of judging of our selues Secondly they are reprooved that thinke either of themselues or of others that they need no repentance at alâ— because they liue unblamably civilly and uprightly For what will it availe all their civill cariage that they love the Church formally frequent the word and Sacraments live in peace with their neighbours defraud no man oppresse no man pay every man his due all this outward honesty is farre from inward piety and being without faith and repentance it is no better before God then a beautifull sinne Luk. 16.15 Math. 5.20 and albeit it be highly esteemed among men it is abominable in the sight of God And therefore to such our Saviour saith Except your righteousnesse shall exceede the righteousnesse of the Scrâ—bes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdome of heaven Ob. Math. 5. But it may be objected upon the words of the Evangelist Luk. 15.7 There shall be more joy in heaven over one sinner that converteth then over ninety and nine just persons that need no amendment of life where our Saviour speaketh as though some were so righteous that it was needlesse and superfluous for them to repent Answ I answer the Scripture vseth to speake two wayes sometimes simply sometimes comparatively or respectively As the faithfull sometimes are said to be a great company and sometimes a little flocke many considered in themselves few compared with the rest So there are none in themselves so just that they need not repent for there is none righteous no not one but if we respect men already called and understand the words spoken comparatively in respect of sinners uncalled that never repented it is certaine they need not so much repentance as other as an house well repaired will not need so much repairing as that which hath beene let runne to decay and was never repaired For our Saviour having expressed the joy conceived by finding of the lost groate and the stray sheepe he enlargeth it by an unequall comparison wherein it is compared with the joy which is conceived for them that are now righteous and already converted as it were the greater with the losse True it is some understand the words as spoken of the Angels who need no returning to God because they never turned from him others of the Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Luk. 18.9 who thought themselues righteous men and despised others of whom our Saviour saith Math. 9.12.13 The whole need not a Physitian but they that are sicke and againe I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Howbeit the first interpretation seemeth to me to be most proper and naturall according best with the words of our Saviour in other places Lastly it is the duty of naturall men to use the meanes appointed of God to bring them to repentance Happy are all such as have repented they are entred into the way of Salvation and have one foot in heaven On the other side they lye in the state of damnation that have not wrought in them a true conversion It behoveth them therefore to learne and consider how God hath ordained to bring us to repentance The Apostle teacheth that we are borne againe not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible 1 Pet. 1.23 by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever It is a common thing for every one to boast of repentance but how came they to attaine unto it for they regard not the word the law they account too bitter a Pill to swallow and the Gospel or grace of God they turne into wantonnesse It is the voyce of our Saviour Except ye repent Luk. 13.3.5 ye shall all likewise perish but if the repentance of every one ware measured by their conscience to the word I feare we should not have much repentance found among us When the Prophet had threatned Nebuchad-nezzar Dan. 4.25.27 that he should be driven from men and have his dwelling with the beastes of the field he counselled him to breake off his sinnes by righteousnesse and his iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore as the meanes and ready way to lengthen his tranquillity so may I say to all naturall men that have their dwelling shall I say with the beasts nay with the Devill and his Angels who rule in them let my counsel be acceptable to you hearken to the word be swift to heare it let it dwell plentifully in you and be doers and practisers of it that ye may feele the power of it being conuerted by it and so glorifie God in the day of your visitation Turne every one from his evill wayes Here is the substance of the Kings Proclamation wherein one thing is expressed and under it an other is comprehended For it is â—o onely required of us to turne from evill Doct. but to returne to the Lord and to do good Repentance stands in turning from our euill wayes to God This teacheth the nature of true repentance that it standeth in turning from our evill wayes to God For the better understanding of this point we must obserue why it is called a turning and what manner of turning repentance is The Metaphor of turning is drawne from a traveiler in the way who missing the path and going astray hath no remedy but he must come backe againe and returne into the right way if
holy Sabboths so they are still They were drunkards and filthy livers ignorant and blind in matters of faith and religion so they are still Are these humble and repentant sinners do these turne to God where you saw them long a goe and where you left them twenty or thirty yeares a goe there you shall be sure to finde them never a whit changed unlesse happily from evill to worse But let such marke how it hath beene with other penitents and in them behold themselues as in aglasse I meane Paul the woman of Samaria Lydia the jaylour Zacheus the Iewes that crucified Christ the Lord of life Let him that talketh of Repentance boasteth of it and chalengeth it to himselfe even for his owne assurance shew the like fruites in himselfe for it worketh such a change and alteration that both our selues and others may discerne it as easily as light from darknesse So then as the Apostle saith Shew me thy faith by thy workes Iam. 2.18 so may I say shew me thy repentance by thy change For what shall it profit a man to say he hath repentance when he hath no friutes can such a repentance comfort him The third reproofe Thirdly it condemneth civill men that remaine in the state of nature and glory in their outward vertues that they are alwayes the same but these glory in their owne shame These cannot say they are become new creatures they cannot say they were ever borne againe yet without the new birth they cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven Ioh 3.3 They cannot say Old things are passed away 2 Cor 5.17 behold all thinges are made new yet no other are in Christ and made members of his body Such civill men that content themselues with civill honesty and have nothing wherein to rejoyce but nature stand as yet in a dangerous and damnable estate neither can they come out of it untill they begin to deny themselues and to loath and detest even these outward vertues forsamuch as the trust and confidence in them is no better then a selfe deceiving Secondly it serveth for information in other truthes First that no sinne is great and heinous but there is place for repentance if they can repent This was the end of Christes comming to call sinners to repentance Math. 9.13 he sayth sinners without exception This we see in Manasses a Sorcerer an Idolater a murtherer and almost what not yet he humbled himselfe and obtained mercy according as he prayed 2 Chr. 33. 2 Chro. 33.19 Paul confesseth that he was sometimes a blasphemer and a persecutour and an oppressour yet he obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbeleefe 1 Tim. 1.13 1 Tim. 1. The conspirators against Christ and his kingdome are called to kisse that is Psal 2.12 to embrace and obey him and his doctrine and accordingly they which shed his blood by murthering of him did drinke his blood by beleeving him Act. 2. Act. 2.37 A singular comfort for such as feele the burden of their sinnes lying heavy upon their consciences that they goe mourning all the day long and cannot lift up their heads to God unto such the Lord speaketh Esay 1. Come let us reason together Esay 1.16 if ye will wash and clense your hearts though your sinnes were as red as crimsin they shall be made white as wooll And Christ our Saviour calleth such as are heavy laden Math. 11.28 and promiseth to give them rest Math. 11. Sinne often bringeth us to the brimme or border of hell but it cannot bring us so low but Christ Iesus is able to bring us backe and to raise us vp againe by repentance Secondly there in no sinne so small and little though it seeme in our eyes as a more but it is able to bring to hell and therefore craveth repentance The world of naturall men judgeth that repentance is proper to none but to heinous and hideous sinnes as murther theft periury treason rebellion whordome and such like and that if they be free from the outward act of these they justifie themselues like the Pharisee and thinke repentance belongeth not to them as for others if they have any they hope to be dispenced with all It is nothing so with Gods children they have beene touched to the heart for such sinnes as the world taketh no notice off and never sticketh at as for the evill which appeareth in their best workes that they cannot do them as they would but infirmities creepe upon them and defile them not onely for committing evill but for omitting good things Rev. 2.4.5 the Church of Ephesus is called to repentance for leaving their first love they watch over their idle thoughts and idle words Gen 6.5 remembring that every imagination of the heart is onely evill continually and the threatning of Christ that for every idle word that men shall speake Math. 12.36 they shall give account thereof at the day of judgement Davids heart was smitten for cutting off the lappe of Sauls garment privily 1 Sam. 24.4 1 Sam. 24. Every thing is layd to heart of Gods children which he hath softned by the touch of his holy spirit by giving unto them an heart of flesh they will be troubled for the least sinnes accounting no sinne little which is committed against so great a God which offendeth so holy a law which deserveth eternall death as the just wages thereof and brought Christ Iesus from the bosome of his Father to suffer death for them and lastly they are grieved touched to the quick because they encrease not in grace according to the good meanes and occasions that God hath given knowing that the more is given and committed unto them the more is required at their hands and the streighter shall their account be Lastly let us examine our selues whether we be turned from evill to good and from the power of Satan to God This will appeare by these signes and tokens First there is a turning of the heart upward to heaven and a fastning of the eye upon God that it may be sayd of every true repentant that his behaviour is as of one that is journying going up to the heavenly Ierusalem the mother of us all Luk. 9.53 as it is said of our Saviour that his face was as though he would go to Ierusalem Phil. 3.20 So our conuersation must be in heaven and our whole life a travelling thither and a wandering in the wildernesse of this world untill we be brought into the true Canaan that is aboue But if the hearts of all were tried by this rule it would shew how little repentance is in the world when in all our thoughts workes and employments we are carried wholly downeward which way will bring us to hell in the end forasmuch as we have prophane hearts not savauring the things that are of God like prophane Esau Secondly we grow every day better and better when once we
reconciled I Answer Answ the Scripture speaketh of God two wayes sometimes properly and sometimes unproperly properly it agreeth not to God because in him is no change nor shadow of turning unproperly it may by the figure Anthropopatheja which is an attributing or ascribing unto God the parts properties passions and affections of men the more lively to represent the things spoken off before our eyes So then it is a borrowed speech from men in God it is a change of his worke not of his will as Gen. Gen. 6.6 6. it repented God that he had made man that is he purposed to destroy man whom before he had made From hence we learne where true faith is to apprehend and beleeve the truth and certainty of Gods threatnings Doct. there is a feare of judgements to come Faithworketh a feare of Gods judgments Faith worketh feare and feare often worketh faith This we see in these Ninevites they beleeved God and proclaimed a fast and therefore they feared the dreadfull sentence published and pronounced against them This appeareth in the commendation of the faith of Noah Heb 11.7 Heb. 11.7 He being endued with a justifying and saving faith is also touched with feare and reverence at the consideration of Gods judgements to come So it was with Iehoshaphat he beleeved the Prophets 2 Chro. 20.3 and therefore he feared and set his heart to seeke the Lord 2 Cor. 20. See the further practise of this in Hezekiah Ier. Ier. 26.18.19 26. Micah the Morashite prophesied and spake to all the people of Iudah Thus saith the Lord of hostes Zion shall be plowed like a field and Ierusalem shall become heapes did Hezekiah the king of Iudah and all Iudah put him to death did he not feare the Lord and besought the Lord and the Lord repented him of the evill which he had pronounced against them 2 King 22.19 The like we see in Iosiah 2 King 22. when he heard the plagues and curses that should come upon Ierusalem his heart was tender he trembled himselfe before God and when he heard the wordes against that place he rent his cloathes and wept before him The reasons are evident First God hath coupled both these together Reas 1 and therfore whosoever beleeveth his threatnings cannot but feare the evils threatned He that apprehendeth the wrath of a Prince to be as the roaring of a Lyon cannot but tremble it cannot but worke in him feare Amos. 3. Amos. 3.6 Can a trumpet be blowne in the Citty and the people not be afraid Secondly faith maketh things unseene to be seene Heb. 11.1 Heb. 11 1.1â— For it is the evidence of things me sinneâ—s Moses by faith saw him that is invisible vers 27. and Noah â—aw the worlds destruction as present though it 〈◊〉 an hundred and twenty yeares before it came and 〈◊〉 it But it may be objected Object the faithfull is not afraid of any euill â—idings for his heart is fixed and beleeveth in the Lord Psal 112.7 and therefore faith expelleth all feare I answer the words of the Psalme teach the contrary Answ Blessed is the man that feareth God and therefore to clâ—â—re this seeming-contradiction we must observe a two-fold feare as also care a distrustfull feare and an awefull or reverent feare The distrustfull feare argueth want of faith in God the awefull feare maketh us seeke to God and to fly to his mercy But where the true faith is it expelleth and driveth out distrust Psal 133.18 147.11 and therefore the Prophet ioyneth these two together Psal 133 The eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him that trust in his mercy and 147.11 the Lord delighteth in them that feare him that hope in his mercy Behold the true cause Vse 1 why there is so little feare of God in the world and of his judgments though imminent and ready to fall nay present and already fallen We never had more cause to feare generall judgments in regard of the generall corruptions and floods of wickednesse that overflow in all places yet never more security never lesse feare And what is the cause because there is so little faith Math. 24.37 as Christ our Saviour sheweth that iniquity should abound in the last dayes and men mind nothing else but their profits and pleasures as they did when the flood came and swept them all away at once disobedience to the word proceeding from infidelity was the cause of that cause 1 Thess 5. For when they shall say peace peace suddaine destruction shall come upon them as paines upon a woman in travaile and they shall not escape These shall make a mocke of the last judgment and never feare it untill they feele it These may be sent to schoole to Ahab to Iudas the sonne of perdition nay to the Devils themselues for they have not so much faith as Ahab had 1 King 21.27 not so much as Iudas had Luk. 18.8 Math. 27.3.5 not so much as the Devils Iam. 2.19 who beleeve and tremble where as the ungodly beleeve not and therefore tremble not but they would if they beleeved onely so much as the Devils do How then can prophaine persons escape the torments of Hell who come farre short of these that are already in hell and how fearefull an estate is it to be condemned of such as be condemned themselues Secondly see the difference betweene Gods children and carnall or worldly men these are quite contrary the one to the other as light and darknesse and as farre distant as heaven and hell Hic ubiopus est none verentur illic ubt nihil opus est the verentur Terent Andr. act 4. seen 1. When Gods judgements are threatned and men warned to take heed and looke to themselues they do feare least of all who have most cause and whom they most neerely concerne and they on the other side most of all whom they concerne We see this in the old world evidently and expresly for whom did the threatning of the drowning and destruction therof most neerly touch and concerne Doubtlesse the disobedient world of the ungodly But they feared least nay nothing at all they ranne on in their worldly and wicked courses till the flood came and swept them away Whom did the threatning least of all concerne as being in least danger to be drowned Surely Noah and his family for whom the Arke was prepeared but they feared most of all Nay Gods children oftentimes feare for the wicked Psal 119.53.136.158 when they feare not for themselues as Psal 119.53.136.158 as they pray for them when they pray not for themselues and desire their conuersion when they minde nothing lesse The Prophet was greeved for them when they were not greeved for themselues 2 Cor. 12.21 So it is said by the Apostle God will humble me among you and I shall bewaile many which have sinned and have not repented of the sinnes committed the more sorry he was for
them the lesse sorry they were for themselues These are like drunken men that dread nothing because all their wit is gone to discerne of danger or like little children that feare not the fire till they be burned Pro. 20.11 nor the candle till they be singed with it As Pro. 20.11 even a child is knowne by his doings whether his worke be pure and whether it be right Lastly it behoveth us to examine our owne hearts The trials of a true faith whether we have true faith or not But how shall we try and prove our selues let these be the trials First if our faith be not fruitlesse and barren but worke in us love and hatred joy and greefe hope and feare If this faith be in us it will make us that we shall not be idle or unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ It will make to a â—ound in us both the love of God and our brethren and of good things and the hatred of evill both joy to see Religion florish and greeve to see God dishonoured both hope of everlasting life and feare to offend the everliving God That faith which swimmeth in the braine descendeth not to the bottome of the heart is no found faith but in shew and shadow onely a dead and counterfeite fâ—ith Secondly it is sound if it make us stand in feare of his judgments executed upon others like children that shake and quiver when the father correcteth any of their brethren nay of the seruants of the house so it is with the children of God they feare and lay it to heart when he chasteneth his Church or any of his own people nay the ungodly and prophane persons of the world they by and by looke upon themselues and examine their own wayes to see whether they be not guilty of the same sinnes 2 Sam. 6.6.7.9 This appeareth in David when the Lord in his anger smote Vzzah for his errour that he died by the Arke of God because he put forth his hand and tooke hold of it when the Oxen shooke it be feared God exceedingly that day What did he nor feare the Lord before Yes doubtlesse but exceedingly at that time when he saw a visible example of his wrath before his eyes and this also made him say Psal 19.120 my flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgment This the Evangelist sheweth Act. 5. when Ananias and Sapphâ—ra were suddainly smittendown with suddaine death Act. 5.11 feare came upon the whole Church and upon all thâ—se that heard of it If it be the property of the child of God to tremble at his word Esay 66.2 Esay 66. as the heart of Iosiâ—h melted for feare at the hearing of the Iaâ—v 2 King 22. Because a reproofe entreth more into a wise man then an hundred stripes into a Foole Pro. 17. Pro. 17.10 how much more at his rods at his scourges and at the drawing and shaking of his glittering sword when his hand layeth hold on judgment like the child at the sight of his fathers rod So the Prophet Hab. 3.2 16. when he heard of the judgments of the Lord was afraid his belly trembled his lippes quivered at the voice rottennesse entred into his bones and he trembled in himselfe This feare of Gods anger is a worke of grace in the heart Thirdly if the feare of his judgments be an effectuall meanes preventing in us the feeling of them They that feare most now shall have least cause to feare hereafter and contrary wise such as feare least now when they are called to feare shall be suddainly overtaken with feare hereafter when they can neither prevent it nor avoid it Fourthly we may try the truth and efficacy of our faith if we can beleeve God on his bare word although we see not the performance thereof neither any appearance or likelihood thereof This we must consider in two respectes both of his promises and of his threatnings Touching his promises when we dare trust him on his bare word for the performance of them We say of some men we will trust them no farther then we see them or have some earnest pledge or pawne from them howbeit we must not deale so with God this is as much as not to trust him at all but our owne eyes and to trust our owne pawne not him But for us to trust him 2 Cor. 5.7 when he seemeth to go from his owne word or against his word even deny himselfe this is assuredly a true faith Thus it was with Abrahram when the Lord bad him kill his sonne his onely sonne even Isaac the sonne of promise by whom he looked to have issue in number as the Starres of heaven and as the sand by the Sea-shore he accounted that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure So it was with Iob H. b. 1.29 we must beleeve that God will save us even when he seemeth to goe about to destroy us Iob. 13.15 Thus we are taught to beleeve that he loveth us when he chasteneth us and frowneth upon us and maketh little shew of love toward us we must beleeve that he remembreth us when he seemeth to forget us Esay 49.4.15.16 And touching his threatnings we must beleeve them before they come The threatnings of God are manifold and evident The soule that sinneth Ezek. 18.5 Psal 68.21 shall dy the death Ezek. 18.5 and Psal 68. The Lord will wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalpe of every one that goeth on obstinately in his sinnes But because we see it not presently instantly and immediatly performed the ungodly put farre from them the evill day and they live merrily and pleasantly thereby seeming to escape the scourge here Eccl. 8.11 as Eccl. 8. Because sentence against an evil worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe evill These thinke God will be better then his word and that these threatnings are spoken onely to fray and affright men as scare-crowes do birdes to keepe them in awe not to bring them to ruine and destruction What are these but infidels who cannot beleeve that God will doe that which they see him not to do presently Here then is the worke of faith to beleeve that which may seeme to carry no likelihood of comming to passe remembring what Salomon saith Though the wicked live an hundred yeares and passe them all ouer in pleasure yet I know it shal not go wel with the wicked Eccl. 8.13 neither shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God The heathen do account it a point of mans misery above all other creatures that he alone is vexed with care and feare for the future but I account it a point of mans excellency and eminency above other creatures and of true Christians above
of his Angels Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish We have heard before that the scope of Christ in these words to which the examples one going before the other following after are referred is to perswade men to repentance This we must lay as the foundation of our weekly meeting together to make profession before God before men and Angels of our repentance to renew our Couenant with God and to seale to it with our hearts and to cry unto him to remove his judgements that lye heavy upon us Consider in this threatning farther an other doctrine to wit what danger it is to omit and reject repentance such persons are subject to death and destruction thâ—â— repent not Doct. This teacheth Such as continue in sinne without repentance shall certainly perâ—â— that howsoever God for a time spare and forbeare the Church and do not alway strike upon every occasion as he might do yet it is a sure and certaine thing concluded with him that such as continue to walke and wallow in evill without repentance their end is confusion their reward and wages is to perish See the truth of this in the Prophet remembred in a parable answearable to that which followeth of the Vineyard he had pruned trimmed and hedged about it he had digged and dunged done all that he could Esay 5.4 he looked for grapes but it brought forth wild grapes the conclusion is this I will take away the hedge and it shall be troden downe I will command the clouds and they shall raine upon it I will lay it waste and there shall come up briers and thrones This will farther appeare by sundry examples and by the wofull experience of many desolations made in all ages of the Church through default of repentance When the Lord had heaped his mercies upon the old world Gen. 6.3 and given them 120. yeares the dayes of his patience as the time of their repentance he sent the Patriarkes that called upon them and appointed Noah a Preacher of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.5 who confirmed his doctrine by building the Arke which was a figure of the destruction of the world of the ungodly yet they continued their evil wayes Luc. 17.27 eating and drinking c they never though of the day of the Lord they never considered the day of their visitation the flood come and destroyed them all a small remnant reserued and a few soules saved The like we might say of the Sodomites Gen. 13.13 19.25 Gen. 19. They were exceeding sinners before the Lord and were overturned with fire from heaven because they repented not And was it any otherwise with the Israelites themselues 2 Chro. 36. he sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes because he had compassion on his people and desireth not the death of a sinner 2 Chro. 36.16 Math. 23.37.38 but that they should turne vnto him but after all this they mocked his messengers and despised his word and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord in the end arose against his people till there was no remedy So then howsoever God sometimes spareth the sonnes of men yet such as continue in sinne and wholly delight in the workes of the flesh the end of them is fearefull they repent not and therefore they must perish Reason 1. Reason 1 He hath pure eyes and cannot like or allow that which is evill For can two walke together Amos. 3.3 except they be agreed but the Lord hath no agreement with evill neither have the evill any agreement with him He is holy in all his wayes but impenitency is contrary to his wayes and hath all sinnes following after it and attending upon it and consequently also all plagues Ier. 5. Secondly he taketh away his mercy and louing kindnesse from such What is it then that turneth away his heavy wrath and displeasure from us Is it any worthinessein our selues we are alas an uncleane thing Doth any deserve life or can he plead with his maker we are all corrupt and abominable The world the Church the Common-wealth our selues our owne Consciences know it and witnesse against us Lam. 3.22 It is his mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not His mercy is not reserved for the impenitent that proceed and goe forward in their sinnes this were to confound heaven earth nay heaven and hell God and the devill Therefore the Prophet Ieremy declareth that God had taken away his mercies from them Ier. 5. If then he will not shew mercy to such as walke in the stubbornnesse of their euill hearts conclude with me this point for a certaine truth that howsoever God forbeare the children yet wearying him by vrging and provoking him by our sinnes destruction is reserued for such impenitent persons Seeing such as have hearts that cannot repent Vse 1 doe heape up wrath as a treasure against the day of wrath and iust declaration of the righteous judgement of God Rom. 2.5 let us put farre from us the wayes of the impenitent let them not clea◠〈◊〉 as pitch unto our soules lest if we follow their workes we be partakers of their Plagues Let us be grieved for our former evils and returne to the Lord that be which hath sâ—ricken us may heale us againe But alas while we goe forward in our wicked wayes doe we hold this point that the impenitent are reserved to wrath So many of us as hold and beleeve this truth let us depart from our old courses and labour to heape up mercy upon mercy Iob. 21.30 being assured that the wicked is reserved to the day of wrath and destruction O how many things have we neede to repent of the dayes of our ignorance the sinnes of our youth our presumptuous sinnes If the Lord call us to an account who shall be able to abide Secondly let no man mocke at his judgements or set light by them let no man thinke himselfe safe and secure and no danger to be neere him because he seeth not his judgements at hand or upon him or evermore to fall out O how deepe are his judgements how neere oftentimes when we suppose them to be farthest off how unsearchable are his Counsels and his wayes past finding out Esâ—y 28.15 2 Pâ—t 3 3. Carnal men promise peace and have made a covenant with death and with hell and make a mocke of all judgements They see the wicked prosper and the ungodly florish but they cannot mealure him that is not to be measured there is no measure of that which is infinite God hath more workes to worke then one he will not speake peace for ever Esai 28.24 The husbandman doth not plough al the yeare long neither reap or gather into his barne all the yeare and God hath given to man this wisedome and understanding to observe the times and seasons and shall we not thinke that the Lord also hath his times of his judgements and of
the immediate hand of God rather then endure these manifold miseries that are upon them and those that belong vnto them Secondly it leadeth us to thinke that our hope and comfort is not heere upon the earth Our happinesse and the time or place of our resting and refreshing is not heere We must not looke for an heaven in this life but make our selves ready to take up our crosse and follow our Master Our Saviour never promiseth his Disciples to live ever in prosperity and be free from all adversity O how many followers should he have if the profession of his name were coupled accompanied with honour and temporall glory as appeareth by the Shechemites that would be circumcised for gaine Ioh. 6.26 Gen. 34. and by those that sought him because they did eate of the loaves and had their bellies filled Ioh 6. but he forewarneth them in all places of grieuous troubles he sent them out as sheepe in the middes of Wolves he telleth them that they will deliver them up to the Councils and scourge them in their Synagogues and the Apostle was assured by the holy Ghost Act. 20.26 that bands and afflictions did abide him It shall not be thus in the life to come when the Lord shall wipe away all teares from our eyes 1 Cor. 15.19 therefore the Apostle saith If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable This is the description of such as are wicked men Psal 17.14 their portion is in this life Psal 17. they lay up for themselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt where theeves breake through and steale and where their treasure is there is their heart also Math. 6.19 Math. 6.19.21 they say let us eate and drinke for to morrow we dy 1 Cor. 15. The happinesse of a godly man is heereafter Phil. 1.23 to be dissolved and to be with Christ is best of all Phil. 1. When this earthly house of this his Tabernacle is dissolved he hath a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 Phil. 3.20 2 Cor. 5. his Conversation is in heaven and from thence looketh for a saviour Phil. 3. Col. 3.1.2 he seeketh those things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Col. 3. he setteth his affections on things above not on things on the earth Thirdly seing be oftentimes chastiseth his children while worldly men feele nothing at all it behoveth us to beare his chastisements cheerefully humbly and patiently and not faint under the crosse as men out of heart Heb. 12.6 veing he correcteth every son whom hereceiveth and loveth and with this we should comfort our selves and strengthen the feeble-minded support the weake and be patient toward all men This condemneth all murmuring and complaining under the Crosse which causeth the Lord oftentimes not to remove but rather to double his strokes upon us When Parents perceive their children grow stubborne and wayward froward and foolish under the rod doe they not rather encrease their punishment then let them alone Lam. 3.33.36 Thus doe we constraine the Lord to deale with us true it is he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feete and to subvert a man he approveth not but when we are impatient and fret against him this is not the way to stay his hand and to call backe his judgements but rather to provoke him against us to strike againe and againe Motives to patience and to double and treble his strokes upon us Now there are sundry motives to move us to this patience and to stay us from all impatience First God useth bodily afflictions to cure spirituall diseases Every paine preventeth the paines of hell by drawing us to Christ We may learne more by adversity then we can doe by prosperity Manasses learned more in Babylon then in Ierusalem and profited more in prison then in his palace 2 Chro. 33. In prosperity David said I shall never be remooved but in adversity he confessed Psal 30.6.119.71 it was good for him to have beene afflicted that he might learne the statutes of God whereas before he was afflicted he went astray but now he kept his word Secondly the sorrowes and anguish we endure alas what are they if they be compared to those dolours and paines which Christ our saviour suffered for us for he might say more truly then any other Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me Lam. 1.12 wherewith the Lord afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger Thirdly our sorrowes are a thousand times lesser then our sinnes have deserved Let us enter into our owne hearts and consciences to try and find out this point and we shall easily discerne our sinnes and offences to exceed all our paines Fourthly nothing commeth upon us but that which the Lord hath sent and laid upon us affliction springeth not out of the dust though dust and ashes judge after that manner We looke too much to second causes to finde the cause of our visitations as also we trust too much in outward meanes and remedies to remove the same The Prophet saith Psal 39.9 I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou didst it This consideration wrought patience in him And our Saviour teacheth us to lift up our eyes higher then the earth Math 10.29 and to rest in his providence Are not two sparrowes solde for a farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father Fiftly God hath not given us ouer into the hands of our enemies to be chastened but he correcteth us with his owne mercifull hand When David had his wish to chuse his owne chasticement either warre famine or pestilence all sharpe weapons able to wound to death he chose rather to be corrected by the hand of God then by men or other meanes 2 Sam. 24.14 2 Sam. 24. Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of man for the very mercies of the wicked are cruelty For if we stood at the discretion of mercilesse men as sundry our bretheren at this day in other places doe and heard the alarme of battel sounding in our eares when mourning is in our streets Amos 5.16 and we should heare crying in all our high wayes Alas alas and all places be filled with weeping and wailing when the blood of the Saints shall be powred out like water that cannot be gathered up againe when so many widowes and fatherlesse children are left to lament we would confesse it a great mercy to fall into the hands of God and not of men if we considered aright these things Sixtly all the afflictions of this life are not worthy the glory laid up for us in the life to
the blood of the new Testament as an unholy thing and doe despite to the spirit of grace God for bid Lastly let all stand in feare to provoke him and breake off his patience least there come a wofull and heavy reckoning in the end Let us take heed and beware of after reckonings We are wary enough to prevent them in our dealings with men and ought we not to be wise more in our reckonings with God The increase of sins bringeth with them an heavier waight of vengance upon our selves when the Lord beginneth to enter into judgment with us He is slow to wrath and proceedeth leysurely but when once he commeth he striketh home We cannot be brought to feare before him because he doth not presently strike but be not deceived he is all this while fetching his blow the higher he lifteth his hand the heavier it lighteth and the sorer he striketh This the Prophet notably expresseth Psal Psal 7.12.13 7. If he turne not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his arrowes against the persecuters O that we could alwayes when we heareor read understand what we heare and marke what we read according to the commandement of our Saviour who so readeth Math. 24.15 let him understand There the Prophet compareth the Lord to A man of warre Exod. 15.3 that taketh some time to scoure up his sword bright and to sharpen the edge and point thereof to strike and wound his enemie as also to an archer that taketh a certaine time to bend his bow and to make ready his arrowes but in the end he draweth them up to the head never misseth his marke being more skilfull then those Benjamites that could sling stones at an haire bredth Iudg. 20.16 and not misse so that he shooteth sure and meaneth to pierce deepe to the very heart of all his aduersaries Thus it is with the Lord when we thinke him forgetfull oftentimes or unmindfull of justice and judgment we must thus judge that he is whetting his sword and bending his bow drawing out his arrowes and preparing to shoot all which require some time and therefore let us feare before him and not tarry untill his judgements be upon us Why combereth it the ground Hitherto of the commandement to cut down the figtree now we come to the reason The owner propoundeth the justice of his former doome or sentence The word importeth and signifieth not onely to make unprofitable fruitlesse barraine and good for nothing but to hinder the growth of other things which might be planted in the roome thereof that might bring forth good fruit They that professe the Gospel if they be not fruitfull are unprofitable and hurtfull to themselues and others Doct. Evill minded men are altogether unprofitable and full to the vvhole society where they remaine Iudg. 19.22 20.13 Iosh 7.11.12 This teacheth that evill minded men are noysome hurtfull and unprofitable to themselves and to others wheresoever they abide untill they be removed We see this in the rebellion of Korah Dathan and Abiram how hurtfull they were to the whole assembly Numb 16. in the shamelesse uncleannesse of Zimri and Cosbi Chap. 25. A notable example hereof is at large expressed Iudg. 20.15 Those wicked Beniamites the sonnes of Belial that committed folly in Israel were the causes of the ruine of many thousands and brought the whole tribe to a low ebbe yea this often falleth out to the children of God when they provoke him to wrath We see this in David 2 Sam. 24. When he had numbred the people in the pride of his owne heart 2 Sam. 24.17 and had exalted himselfe in his owne strength he said I have sinned and have done wickedly but these sheepe what have they done let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my fathers house Hereby many thousands perished The like we see in Ionah chap. 1. he forsooke his calling and the commandement of God he must be cast into the sea or else the passengers in the ship must perish who had beene almost drowned through his disobedience Ionah 1.11 for the sea wrought and was tempestuous And no marveil Reasons 1 For first they are the meanes and causes of judgments and punishments to others among whom they live as well as to themselves as trees twise dead reserved to the fire A tree albeit it were dead in it selfe and albeit it did keepe the ground barrne and hinder the growth of a better in his place yet it killeth not another that standeth beside it but one wicked man hurteth and destroyeth another and therefore we must needes judge such to be hurtfull and dangerous to an whole family or society We feare judgements but we seeke not to know and remove the true cause thereof The faithfull are commanded to depart out of Babylon Revel 18.4 the mother of fornications that they be not partaker of her sinnes and that they receive not of her plagues wherby we see these follow each other infection participation destruction He that is infected himselfe never resteth till he have made other partakers of his sinne and from them both followeth the destruction of them both as we shall shew afterward Secondly they are unprofitable hurtfull and dangerous and why because other vines and trees cannot prosper and florish or bring forth fruit neere unto them When any part of the body is putrified it passeth and spreadeth from ioynt to ioynt and from one member to another 2 Tim. 2.17 as the canker or gangrene fretteth or eateth the flesh next unto it so where loose livers are many others are brought to the same loosenesse and stand in danger to go to wracke 2 Cor. 5.6 Gal. 5.9 To this purpose the Apostle saith Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe Sinne is fruitfull and compared to the child in the wombe it groweth apace one sinne begetteth another and one sinner infecteth another which bringeth forth death Iam. 1.15 This reproveth such as reioyce in the fellowship of the ungodly and delight wholly in their company Vse 1 For what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse or what communion hath light with darknesse and what concord hath Christ with Belial or what agreement hath he that beleeveth with an infidel But what is more common in every place then this that which the Lord himselfe could never doe to reconcile these contraries and bring light and darknesse nay heaven and hell together sinfull men professe themselves able to doe These goe about to set God to schoole and to make God and the devill Christ and Belial good friends Gen. 3.15 God in the beginning put enmity betweene the woman and the serpent betweene her seed and his seed but these have broken downe this hedge and pulled away the wall of partition and have set them together againe The
strong servants of God strong in faith that send up many strong cries to the throne of grace nay the strong God that hath commanded this duty to pray one for another hath also promised to heare them This no doubt was a comfort even to Peter himselfe put in prison that he knew Act. 12.5 Heb. 12.5.12.13 Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him and for his deliverance Let us not therefore faint under the Crosse when we are rebuked of him neither despise the chastening of the Lord who aymeth at our profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse but rather lift up the hands which hang downe and the feeble knees and not cast away our confidence which hath great recompence of reward And let this be our comfort in these rerillous times that God heareth us for our brethren and our brethren for us and our elder-brother Christ Iesus our mediatour for us all who for his mercies sake for his truthes sake for his promise sake for his sonnes sake will in his good time send an happy deliverance that albeit for a season we be kept in affliction 2 Cor. 1.5.12 yet as our sufferings have abounded in us so our consolation should abound through our restoring when we had in a manner the sentence of death in us that thankes also may be given by many on our behalfe Secondly seeing Gods children for our comfort and consolation make request and intercession for us and are heard O how much more ought we to remember the sweet mediation of Christ Iesus our Lord and Saviour and comfort our selves and one another therewithall True it is we may and ought not a little to comfort our selves with the prayers and intercessions of other weake men our fellow servants like to our selves and subject to the same passions we are especially seing we know our whole Church at the same time assemble together to pray for us and to turne away his wrath from us and to call backe his destroying Angel that he may at length say It is enough 2 Sam. 24.16 stay now thy hand and so repent him of the evill upon our repentance and humiliation if I say we have much matter of comfort offered unto us by the publike prayers of the Church often as it were with one mind and with one mouth made and renewed on our behalfe how much more doth peace and consolation arise unto us by the mediation and intercession of Christ our Saviour the head of the Church the beloved sonne of God Heb. 1.2.3 Math. 17.5 the sonne of his love the heire of all things the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse image of his person in whom the father is well pleased Herein consisteth our cheefe comfort that we rest and repose our selves in him as our Advocate and rely upon the merit of his passion Ioh. 11.42 whom the father alwaies heareth Indeed he commandeth that supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thankes be made for all men 1 Tim. 2.1 and that we pray one for another that we may be healed Iam. 5.16 But if God at any time vouchsafe to heare any of his children it is for his sonnes sake not for any worthinesse or merits in them but for the Lords sake that is for Christs sake Dan. 9.1.7 for he is the Angel of the Covenant Revel 8.3 to whom was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the throne Therefore also the Apostle saith Heb. 5.16 In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares was heard in that he feared because he prayed to him that was able to save him from death Lastly it is our duty to performe this duty our selves toward others and to require this duty to be performed for us by others Thus did Daniel a man greatly beloved of God who had many deepe mysteries by vision declared unto him he spake to his Companions Dan. 2.18 that they should desire the mercies of the God of heaven to reveale his secret to him that they might not perish So the Apostle prayed the Church of the Thessalonians 2 Thess 3.1 to pray for him and the rest of his fâ—llow-labourers that the word of the Lord much hindred by the opposition of potent adversaries might have a free passage As then he prayed before for the Thessalonians so here he prayeth the Thessalonians to pray for him that he might be comforted together with them by the mutuall prayers both of them and of him The use of mutual praier To this duty we should be stirred up in regard of the mutuall profit that proceedeth from the practise and performance thereof For first it serveth as the ordinary meanes ordained and sanctified of God to prevent judgments threatned and to remove judgments already inflicted Remember the devout and zealous prayer of Salomon 2 King 8.33.35.37.44 when the people of Israel be smitten downe before their enemies because they have sinned against thee when heaven is shut up and there is no raine c. if there be in the land famine if there be pestilence blasting mildew locust or caterpiller c. whatsoever plague whatsoever sicknesse there be heare thou in heaven thy dwelling place and forgive the sinne of thy servants c. Secondly it is a cordiall to preserve and strengthen us in all spirituall graces as we see that by Christs prayer Peters faith was kept from failing Luc. 22.32 Luc. 22. and thus he prayed not onely for the rest of the Apostles but for all them that should beleeve on him through their word Ioh. Iob. 17.20.24 17. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me c. Prayer therefore is a notable preseruative to keepe the precious treasures and iewels of grace in the Closets of our hearts and serveth to strengthen and encrease good things in us For as it obtaineth blessings at Gods hands so it procureth the encrease of them and it is no lesse vertue to keepe and continue to enlarge and encrease what we have obtained then at the first to obtaine it Thirdly to bring remission of sinnes to subdue in us the power of sinne Iam. 5.15 Psal 19.13 Iam. 5.15 The prayer of faith shall save the sicke and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sinnes they shall be forgiven him For the cause of sicknesse and all diseases is sinne and therefore our Saviour healing the man sicke of the Palsie said unto him Math. 9.2 Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes be forgiven thee dealing like a good Physitian who removeth the cause that he may remove the effect So then faithfull prayer and a purpose or resolution to continue in sinne cannot poffibly stand together Lastly it
name of good workes which neuerthelesse are neither the onely good workes nor the chiefest good workes For we looke upon our selves in the glasse of the law and try our selves thereby These workes are of two sorts some generall and others speciall The generall are such as concerne all among which the workes of the first Table being the first and great Commandements Math. 22.38 must have the first place to love God above our selves to feare him to beleeve in him to trust in him to pray unto him to serve and worship him to reverence his name and to sanctifie his Sabbath and the workes of the second Table are like Gal. 5.22.23 for the fruits of the spirit are manifest love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse faith meekenesse temperance and such like These belong to all and must be practised of all persons high and low rich and poore none may excuse themselves The speciall workes are such as belong to every man in his particular calling For as we have all a generall calling as we are Christians so we are set in severall callings such as are superiors and inferiors as the Magistrate and subject the husband and wife father and sonne master and servant we must labour to be found faithfull in these how low so ever our place be if we be found carefull and conscionable even the meanest servant that drudgeth in the Kitchin if his calling be nothing but to scoure spittes Eph. 6.6.7 or to wipe shooes yet if he be obedient to his Master as unto Christ not with eye-service as men pleasers but as the servant of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men he is no lesse accepted of God in his place then he that preacheth the word or he that ruleth a kingdome Well or thou shalt let it alone These words are expresly mentioned but they or some such like must necessarily be understood as if it were said let it stand and continue in the Vineyard that it may bring forth more fruit as Ioh. Ioh. 15.2 15. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit Doct. This teacheth us that the fruits of repentance obtaine the pardon and forgivenesse of all sinnes and offences Repentance obtaineth forgivenesse of sinnes and the favour of God and prevent Gods wrath and judgements and procure his love and favour He hath made a sure promise of remission of former offences to all such as truly turne unto him Thus the Prophet hath Wash you make you cleane take away the evill of your workes from before mine eyes c. then though your sinnes were as crimsin Esay 1.16.18 55.6.7 they shall be as wooll and though they were as scarlet they shall be as white as snow and chap 55. Seeke the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is neere let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous his owne imaginations c. let him returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him Ezek. 18.23 And the Prophet Ezekiel chap. 18. I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he repent and live where he coupleth these two together The truth of this point is farther confirmed by sundry examples as 2 Sam. 2 Sam. 12.13 12.13 When David had acknowledged his sinne against the Lord the Prophet said for his comfort The Lord also put away thy sinne The like we see in Manasseth when he was carried away captive and clapt up in prison being in great tribulation prayed unto the Lord 2 Chr. 33.12 and humbled himselfe greatly be fore the Lord God of his fathers and God was intreated of him and heard his prayer and brought him backe againe to Ierusalem and set him upon the throne of his fathers The Publican smote his brest saying Lord Luk. 18.13.14 be mercifull to me a sinner I tell you this man went downe to his house justified rather then the proud Pharisee The like I might say of Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 he obtained mercy and forgivenesse when he was converted so the penitent theefe upon the Crosse said to the Lord Iesus Lord Luk. 23.42.43 remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome and Iesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Mar. 1.4 Hence it is that the Evangelist witnesseth that Iohn did baptise in the wildernesse and preach the baptisme of repentance for the remission of sinnes where we see he knitieth repentance and forgivenesse of sinnes together The reasons first Reason 1 all penitent persons shall have the blood of Christ Iesus to wash clense their soules from all their sinnes a singular benefit This reason the Prophet vrgeth Esay 1.17.17.18 For to speake properly nothing can clense us but Christs blood so foule and filthy we are and therefore it is called cleane water Ezek. 36.25 1 Ioh. 1.7.9 I will powre cleane water upon him and thus the Apostle Iohn saith If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and the blood of Iesus Christ his Sonne clenseth us from all sinne Secondly such shall have right to carthly blessings and to a right use of them to their everlasting comfort as Esay 1. Ye shall eate the good things of the land Esay 1.19.20 but if they refused and rebelled they should be destroyed for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Let us apply these things First conclude Vse 1 that all impenitent persons are out of Gods favour and protection and lye under all the plagues and punishments that God denourceth against sinners This is a fearefull estate and condition Deut. 28.16 to be cursed in the whole course of our life at home and abroad in the City and in the field in all that we put our hand unto Deut. 28. The curse of God bringeth with it all miseries of this life and of the life to come If then we repent not we die Secondly they that are truly penitent are truly happy for that man is blessed Psal 32.1.2 38.4 whose transgressions are for given and whose sinne is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity There cannot be a greater blessing befall us in this world then to get pardon of our finnes for all the burdens that we can beare are not to be compared to the burden of sin and therefore to be lighted of it is one of the greatest blessings of all the spottes staines that can sticke unto us Iam. 1.21 sinne is the filthiest and therefore to be clensed and washed from it maketh us cleane in his sight Lastly hence ariseth matter of comfort to all such as earnestly endeavour this worke of clensing and purging of themselves The vvay and the meanes to attaine
haue filled up the measure of their sinne being disobedient and to every good worke reprobate Math. 23.32 it is now come to the top and his judgments lye even at the doore ready to fal heavy upon them then will God fill up the vials of his wrath and powre them downe upon their heads To apply these things to our selves it ought to move us to turne to the Lord betimes Vse 1 while there may be an healing and binding up of the wounds least the heart be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne which of all judgments is the most grievous If it be once said of us as it was of the Iewes That the Lord sent to us his servants rising up continually and carefully because 2 Chro. 36.15.16 he hath compassion on his people but we on the other side mocke his messengers ministers despise his words what remaineth but that the wrath of the Lord arise against us either by the plague pestilence as he hath upon our brethren or by the sword of the enemy which wil have no coÌ„passion upon the yong the maiden or him that stooped for age He hath other man or secret judgements which the world taketh no knowledge of neither judgeth them to be any judgements at all these as they are more secret so they are more sharpe as when he taketh away his word from us or if he continue it yet maketh it unprofitable through our abuse and contempt of it Secondly wofull is their estate which goe forward in their evill wayes are not these nigh destruction Doubtlesse there is but a step betweene death and them nay they have as it were one foot in hell already being readier to draw the other after a thousand times then to withdraw the other from thence Hence it is that the Prophet saith Ier. 30.12 Thus saith the Lord thy bruise is incurable and thy wound is grievous there is none to plead thy cause that thou maist be bound up thou bast no healing â—â—dicine there is no Balme in Gilead to heale them whom the Lord seeth thus without remedy and thus past recovery They are like a man desperately sicke whom all the Physitians have forsaken The husbandman taketh his weeding instruments and laboureth to grubbe up the thornes and thistles and weedes out of his ground that the good corne might the better prosper and flourish but when once he seeth there is no end of his worke nor fruit of his labour but the more he toyleth and moyleth the more they grow and encrease he is without hope to overcome them and so withdraweth himselfe and letteth all alone For why or to what end should he busie and bestirre himselfe in vaine Thus it is with the Lord he sendeth his messengers and chargeth them to warne his people in season to admonish and exhort them but when they stop their eares and pull away their shoulders and refuse to hearken what can we thinke but that the Lord is determined to lay waste his Vineyard that it shal not be pruned or digged or dunged any longer but there shall come upbries and thornes Esay 5.5 and to command the cloudes that they raine downe no more raine upon it yea to take away the hedge thereof that it may be eaten up and to breake downe the wall thereof that it may be troden downe as he threatned to the Vineyard of the house of Isâ—ael when he looked for judgement but behold oppression and for righteousnesse but behold a cry Thirdly let not the Ministers neverthelesse be discouraged though they see oftentimes they must be driven to plough the waste and barren wildernesse and then sow among thornes and thistles The sower goeth out to sow his seede and it falleth not all or alwayes in good ground but some by the high-way side some in stony ground and other falleth upon thornes without any fault either of the sower or of the seed We may not not be ouâ—own chusers to chuse our ground where we will sow neither lay our plot-forme where we will build much lesse can we make the earth fruitfull or the building healthfull The Prophet complaineth Esay 53.1 49.4 that no man beleeved his report and prophesying of the labours of Christ Iesus to plant the Gospel who was the best labourer in the field and the best shepheard of the sheepe he bringeth him in complayning that he had laboured in vaine and spent all his strength in vaine neverthelesse he was not discouraged but comforted himselfe in this that the reward of his worke was laid up in heaven Salomon giving directious for workes of charity Eccl. 11.1.6 chargeth them that have this worlds good to cast their bread upon the waters because they should find it after many dayes and afterward he addeth to the same purpose In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening withdraw not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be alike good much rather should it be thus with us we should cast the bread of life upon the waters even when we have small hope to find it againe as if a man should sow his seed in the sea and use all diligence and take all occasions to doe good leaving the issue of our labours to the cheife husband man And the rather we ought to doe it because we are unto God the sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved 2 Cor. 2.15 and in them that perish that is in all persons because all men whatsoever either are such as shall be saved or such as shall be condemned and the reward shall be according to the faithfulnesse of the Ministers teaching not according to the fruitfulnesse of the peoples hearing Lastly it behoveth us in time to take heed how we heare not onely what we heare touching the matter Mark 4.24 Mar. 4 24. Luk. 8.18 but also how we heare touching the manner Luk. 8.18 and regard how it be performed as well as that it be performed The more the word of God soundeth in our eares and we respect it but as a sound the more our hearts are hardned like the anvill that is beaten and hardned by the continuall strokes of the hammer Gods word is in regard of the effectes resembled compared to fire to an hammer as Ier. 23. Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord Ier. 23.29 and like an hammer that breaketh the rooke in pieces There is more hope of men that never heard the word and never lived under the ordinary ministry and preaching of it then of such as have had their eares beaten with it yet it cannot enter into their hearts as our Saviour speaketh to the chiefe Priests and Elders of the people Math. 21.31 Verily I say unto you that the publicanes and the harlots goe into the kingdome of God before you If the word do not convert us it doth condemne us and if
not feare the lacke of lesser blessings But the faithfull have a Kingdome promised unto them Therefore the faithfull need not feare the lacke of lesser blessings The power and strength of this reason is good and exceeding great Christ our Saviour doth never argue weakely who ministreth strength to all his that are weake In this reason the giving of heavenly things to us is made an argument to prove the not with-holding of earthly things from us Wee may not feare or faint in our faith and profession as though God would quite forsake us or give us over And wherefore Because he hath promised to us the Kingdome so that there is nothing so great that he will sticke at or doubt to bestow upon us Doct. 12 The force of this reason layeth before us this instruction that the consideration of the Kingdome of Heaven and of the eternall joyes prepared for the faithfull ought to be a strong and sufficient reason to stay us up in all trials and troubles whatsoever True it is the righteous have many troubles and we have likewise many promises fitted to every estate as it were medicines applied to the diseases but among them all there is none more forcible and effectuall then this promise in this place which is the accomplishment of all promises to wit the Kingdome of Heaven Doe we finde our faith at any time weake and faint fearing tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword or to be separated from the love of God and his Sonne Iesus Christ Rom. 8.35 â— Cor. 11.27 or to be oppressed and overburdened with wearinesse and painfulnesse with hunger and thirst with fastings with cold with watchings with poverty with reproaches with feare of death and such like behold the promise here set before us let us lay fast hold upon it Let us with joy and comfort lift up our eyes or rather our hearts to Heaven and remember that wee have the reversion of a Kingdome promised unto us by him that did never falsify his Word in regard whereof we are more then Conquerers through him that loved us whereby we may easily see an issue out of the former tentations Hence it is that Abraham Moses and all the Prophets in the middest of all their afflictions wherewith they were afflicted did comfort themselves hereby they had respect to the great reward they knew to be laid up for them in the Heavens The Hebrewes tooke joyfully the spoiling of their goods while they were made a gazing-stocke by reproaches and calamities This is no easie thing to beare but hard for flesh and blood to doe For no doubt their goods and good names were as precious unto them as ours to our selves or to any other What then was the cause that made them able to beare all these injuries and indignities Surely this they knew in themselves that they were Heires apparent to a Kingdome and had in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Heb. 10.34 Heb. 10.34 11.9 10 24 35. then they knew that what teares soever they shed he would not onely keepe them in his bottle of remembrance but then he would wipe them away from their eyes that they should shead them no more Revel 7.17 21.4 Here is their time of weeping but then shall be the time of their rejoycing here is their time of sowing but then shall be the time of their reaping as Lazarus while he was here was distressed but after this life he was comforted Luke 16.25 Ioh. 16.20 21 22. 1 Ioh. 3.2 Then there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more paine for the former things are passed away Revel 21.4 the sorrow of the Saints shall bee turned into joy and their joy shall no man take from them The reasons follow First Reas 1 the greatest blessings assure the lesser and take away all doubt from us that might any way stay or stagger us in our obedience No man having a promise of a greater benefit from an honest man that he knoweth hath ever beene wont to bee as good as his word can or will make any doubt of his performance of the lesser so ought wee to learne to strengthen our faith against the feare of earthly wants by consideration of the heavenly promises that are found in the Word of God none of which did ever fall to the ground Rom. 8.32 as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 8. He that spared not his owne Sonne but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Secondly all the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed Rom. 8.18 Rom. 8. Let the meditation of this glory be once thorowly laid up as a treasure in our hearts and we have thereby a soveraigne preservative against all dangers whatsoever which beset us round about whereas such as are daunted and distressed with every blast or bruit of danger like men that are at their wits end it is plaine they were never well grounded in the Article of everlasting life Thirdly all calamities and troubles how many and great soever are short temporall and momentany they endure but a little season as Christ comforteth the Church Revel 2.10 Psal 30.5 Esay 54.7 8. Yee shall have tribulation ten dayes And the Prophet Psal 30. His anger endureth but a moment in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning But the Kingdome of Heaven is not for a night nor for one yeere nor two yeeres nor five yeeres neither ten yeeres nor twenty yeeres nor as a flower that flourisheth for a season and suddenly fadeth away but it is unchangeable incorruptible and everlasting 2 Cor. 4.15 18. as the Apostle sheweth 2 Cor. 4. Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh in us a farre more exceeding and eternall waight of glory while we looke not at the things which are seene but at the things which are not seene for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall Lastly this is as a staffe of sufficient force put into our hands to uphold us and stay us up because the Kingdome of Heaven is the end of all sorrowes and miseries whatsoever 1 Cor. 17.54 for then this mortall shall put on immortality and death the last enemy shall bee destroyed and swallowed up in victory The Traveller that hath a great way to goe and to passe thorow many troubles not without much labour and sweating oftentimes comforteth himselfe with the remembrance of the end of all his journey Wee are Pilgrims and strangers in this world and we passe our dayes in travelling toward the Kingdome that is everlasting Wee should make this reckoning and account that our life from our birth day to our dying day is nothing else but as a pilgrimage thorow the wildernesse
done away in the great Day of the Lord when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of God 2 Thes 1.11 then indeed he shall be made marveilous in all them that beleeve And as the ends of the world are come upon us and the Day of our perfect reconciliation draweth neere so ought we to rejoyce the more and to lift up our heads the higher that as we have said in our trouble Psal 22.15 Thou hast brought us into the dust of death so we may say againe with joy of Spirit Thou Lord hast drawne us out of many waters His right hand hath done great things for us for which we reioyce Lastly it is our duty to walke worthy of such a Kingdome and to live godly in Christ Iesus that so wee may have comfort in that Day Such as looke and hope hereafter to be made like unto Christ must wash their hands 1 Ioh. 3.3 and clense their hearts and purifie themselves even as he is pure But it may be said Wee may repent at leisure and at the last Day and that is farre off Nay the Scripture putteth such foolish conceits from us and telleth us that the Lord is at hand 1 Pet. 4.7 the comming of the Lord draweth neere Besides then is not the time of mercy but of justice to the impenitent For as death leaveth us so shall the Iudgement Day finde us Rom. 2.5 Rom. 2.5 Wee must all appeare before the Judgement Seat of Christ But wherefore to bring us to repentance and to see whether we will turne from our sinnes to him No that is not the end but to receive the things which we have done in our body whether good or evill The old world no doubt when they saw the raine that fell were desirous to enter into the Arke but the flood was come and it was too late Exod. 14.23 25. The Egyptians pursuing Israel into the middest of the Sea were desirous to turne backe and to flye from the face of Israel but the Lord tooke off their Chariot wheeles that they drave them heavily and it was too late The foolish Virgins cried Lord Lord open unto us Matth. 25.11 12. but the doore was shut and they received this uncomfortable answer Verily I say unto you I know you not which verifieth the saying of Christ elsewhere Many Luke 13.24 I say unto you will seeke to enter in and shall not be able Such as can wish for Heaven should also study to learne the way to Heaven It was the wish of Balaam the false prophet though himselfe were unrighteous that hee might dye the death of the righteous Numb 23 10. For albeit hee regarded not to lead the life of the righteous yet hee could be content to die their death though he were at warre with God yet he was desirous to enter into their peace and though he would not be like them in the beginning of his daies yet he was willing his latter end should be like theirs But as hee was ignorant of the way so he was as carelesse to enter into it This putteth us in minde of sundry meditations First it is our duty to consult with the Word and to try all our actions by it whether they please God as the gold is tryed by the touch-stone whether it bee currant or counterfeit and as the worke is tried by the rule whether it be right or crooked Hence it is that Christ teacheth Ioh. 3.21 He that doth truth commeth to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God but he that doth evill hateth the light neither commeth to the light lest his deeds should be reproved For naturally men love darknesse rather then light because their deeds are evill 1 Cor. 11.31 Secondly we ought to iudge our selves here that so we may escape the Iudgement of God hereafter If we will not judge our selves we shall be condemned with the wicked world for the Lord himselfe will enter into Iudgement with us We must to this purpose summon accuse examine convince and condemne our selves that he may acquit us discharge us and absolve us Wee must try and examine our selves by the Touch-stone of the Law and looke into it as upon a glasse whereby wee may see the least spot and wrinkle Thirdly we must watch and pray alwayes Luke 21.36 that wee may bee found so doing when the Lord commeth Luke 11. and be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to passe and that wee may stand before the Sonne of man But if the evill servant say in his heart My master deferreth and delayeth his comming Luk. 12.45 46. and shall begin to beate his fellow servants and to eate and drinke and to bee drunken the Lord of that servant will come in a day when hee looketh not for him and in an houre when hee is not ware and wil cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbeleevers Fourthly we must practise the workes of mercy toward the members of Christ and bountifulnesse to the godly in all their distresses Happy will that Day be and joyfull to them that have fed and clothed and visited Christ in his members that have come to such as have beene sicke and in prison which workes of mercy the Lord Iesus will account accept and reward as done to himselfe But woe shall it be to such as shall have this charged upon them by Christ himselfe the Iudge of quicke and dead Matth. 25 4â— I was an hungred and ye gave me no meate I was thirsty and yee gave me no drinke I was a stranger and yee tooke me not in naked and ye clothed me not sicke and in prison and ye visited me not Neither will it serve their turne to excuse their want of charity to say Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sicke or in prison and did not minister unto thee For then it shall be answered them Verily I say unto you in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me Lastly let us hold fast the faith and the heavenly graces given unto us and not give over neither suffer them to be wrested from us by any illusion of Satan for then wee lose all our labour and all the paines that we have taken Let us stand out to the end Revel 3.11 and be faithfull unto the death and then we shall receive the Crowne of eternall life This is the exhortation to the Church in Philadelphia Hold fast that which thou hast that no man take away thy Crowne from thee And the Apostle John Looke to yourselves 2 Iohn 8. 1 Cor. 15.58 that ye lose not the things that yee have done that so ye may receive a full reward The Lord God Almighty who hath promised to reward our service even to a cup of cold water grant that we may be steadfast and unmovable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord forasmuch as wee know that our labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord Amen FINIS