vs nay that prayer that Mat. 2. strengthened Sampson to rent a yong lyon as one should haue rent a kid hauing nothing in his hand shall smite and shut vp the mouth of this Lion As for his pollicie and walking vp and downe seeking to deuour vs it can not preuaile For the prayer of the faithfull shall saue them Iames. 5. 15. and the Lord shall raise them vp and if they haue committed sinne it shall bee forgiuen them and after this conflict ended they shall triumph for euer with Iesus Christ our Sauiour But in any case see you vnite to your prayer knowledge that you bee not seduced to offer your petitions to strange gods as Saints stockes or stones Then Iohn 16. consent that wee aske onely in the name of Christ Iesus not for any desert of our owne for whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall haue remission of sinnes hee shall not perish but haue life euerlasting hee shall not come into Act. 15. 10. iudgement but shall passe from death to life Lastly a confidence which is a certaine perswasion of Gods mercy towards vs this is that prayer of which the Lambe testifieth That what soeuer wee aske by prayer it shall bee giuen vs by God the Father A thing dearely beloued so precious that nothing is more accepted in Heauen nothing more gratefull to God a seruice commaunded of God himselfe taught by Christ our Sauiour and frequented by the Angels a thing of more force with God then any oration of the eloquent Hast thou not heard how the Sunne stood still in the firmament and was not suffered to run his course Iosua Iosh 6. 2 King 20. Dan. 6. and Ezechias prayed and the Sunne stood still Hast thou not heard of the stopping of the Lyons mouthes Daniel prayed and his prayer stopped the Lyons greedy and deuouring throates Hast thou not heard of the diuiding of the red sea The Israelites prayed and the waters of Iordan were dryed vp yea the Israelites prayed and the waters stood about them like to a wall Hast thou not heard how Exod 14. the fiery furnace lost his heate The three children prayed and the fire lost his heate Hast thou not heard how the heauens were opened and shut Elias prayed and the Dan. 3. heauens were shut vp three yeares Elias prayed and the clouds powred downe rayne from heauen 1. King 8 O sure fortresse more forcible then any engine and stronger then the gates of hell and to conclude the sum and substance of all in few words the onely thing whereby mortall men haue the clouds and the starres and the Angels and all the powers of heauen at commandement For as Deborah sung in her song They fought from heauen euen the starres in their courses fought against Sisera for all creatures haue beene subiect to the prayers of the faithfull to reuege the Lords quarrell to helpe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mightie Prayer hath euer beene the cognisance and the victorie and the triumph of the faithfull for as the soule giueth life to the body so prayer giueth life to the soule O that I could engraue the loue of it in your hearts as with a Diamond and so instill your mindes that my words might bee prickes to your consciences and thereby giue you occasion to pray often It is a wonderfull matter to bee able to perswade men but if prayer bee able to perswade the liuing God O how great is the force thereof it goeth through the clouds and ceaseth not till it come neere and will not depart till the most high haue respect thereunto O that you would therefore pray often and learne of Christ the most absolute paterne of our life to pray continually Hee prayed in his baptisme in the wildernesse Luke 6. Iohn 11. Mat. 26. Iohn 18. Luke 22. Luke 23 Mat. 19. Psal 40. Rom. 8. 2. Tim 4 in preaching in working of miracles in his passion on the mount in the garden in his last supper in commending his spirit to God at all times and in all places that hee might leaue vnto vs an example of the same It followeth And pray to the Almightie To those three former reasons which I brought why wee must seeke and pray to GOD alone I added this as a fourth because there is none so able to helpe vs as the Lord. Hee that trusteth in the Lord shall bee as mount Sion If God bee on our side who can bee against vs It is God that iustifieth who condemneth the Lord destroyeth the counsell of the heathen hee maketh their deuices to bee of no effect Christ is the Angell of great counsell wisedome and Psal 83. Esay 9. Pro. 2. vnderstanding and there is no deuice against the Lorde The world notwithstanding is come to that frame that euery man hath got him a strange kinde of beleife Some beleeue not the Lawe but the Prophetes Some bee perswaded in the Supremacie but not in the Sacrament some in free-will but not in merite Some in inuocation on Saintes but not in Purgatorie Some in pilgrimages and pardons but not in Images Some like the doctrine well enough but not the Preachers the most beleeue little yet many beleeue somewhat few beleeue all therefore to deale plainely because plaine dealing is best you must not beleeue by the halfes I meane you must not repose some trust in GOD and some in Saintes but all in the Lord. Psal 10. 5 The Gods of the Gentiles they haue mouthes and speake nâ—t eyes and see not eares and heare not then what can be looked for at their hands But the Lord is strong and mightie a mercifull God and therefore through the Scriptures hee is called a Rocke a fortresse a strong tower a Shield a horne of saluation a refuge the Lord Psal 18. of hostes with other such like appellations that wee might be assured that our helpe and deliuerance commeth from the Lord. Puttest thou any trust in man whose breath is in his nostrils Cursed is hee that maketh man his strength and flesh his arme Surely Pharao and all Princes are a broken Iere. 67. 1. Kin. 16 Psal 18 staffe on which if a man leane it will strike into his hand and peirce it and lay him groueling in the dust It is better therefore to trust in the Lord then to put any confidence in Princes Thinkest thou that Angels or Saints or Images can helpe thee O foolish and impious pictie to attribute more vnto the Angels then they dare arrogate vnto themselues The Angell in the Reuelation forbiddeth Iohn to worship him As for the Image wee reade that Reue. 19. to turne the glorie of the incorruptible God into the similitude of a corruptible creature is Idolatrie Rom. 1 Well may I then affirme with Moses Cursed be the image Deut. 27. and the image-maker The conclusion therefore of this point is this that wee seeke the Lord and his strength euermore that wee pray vnto
good God would prosper them better that vse it but neither winners nor losers are gainers I know not how but there is not so much wonne as lost as though the Deuill did part stakes with them and drawe away with a blacke hand when no man seeth for the winner saith he hath not won halfe so much as the loser hath lost One would thinke that some of them should flow when so many ebbe there is neuer an ebbe without a flowing neuer one looseth but another winneth but at dice. What a cursed thing is this that turnes no man to good which robs others and beggars themselues the schoole of deceit the shop of oathes and the field of vanities Thou doest not onely hazard thy money in this game but venturest thy saluation and castest dice with the Deuill who shall haue thy soule For euery thing that commeth well to a man hee giueth thankes but for that which commeth by dice hee is ashamed to giue thanks which sheweth that in conscience that gaine is euill gotten and that he sought it without God Can this be good when worst men vse it most if it were good the euill would like worse of it then the good but the more a man sauoureth of any goodnesse the more hee begins to abhorre it and his conscience doth accuse him for it as for sin They which doubt whether God doe allow it neede but looke how he doth prosper them that vse it but they trust not in God the termes of their occupation discrie for they call all their casts chances as though they relyed not vpon God but vpon chaunce Therefore if dice make strife without cause if they take away others goods for nothing if wee may not liue by playing but by labour if they which haue beene dicers repent it among their sins if the holy men neuer vsed this recreation but the worst most delight in it if thou wouldest not haue God see thee when thou playest at Dice nor take thee at it when hee comes to iudgement if nothing but pleasure and couetousnesse speake for them if they doe not prosper which take pleasure in it if they trust not vpon God but relie vpon chaunce if thou doest not onely venture thy money but hazard thy soule then the best cast at dice is to cast them quite away And the lot fell vpon Ionah The lot fell vpon Ionah not because he was the greatest sinner of them all for so is the opinion of the common people to censure them worst whom they see most afflicted Luke 13. 1. 2. c. If any one be seene to beare his crosse then many will say This is a wicked man and so thinke well of themselues supposing that God is not bent against them to punish them as well but because Ionah should feele the Heb. 5. 8 1. Pet. 4 17. 18 hand of the Lord both punishing and preseruing him and bee reformed for God correcteth all his 〈◊〉 hee did his Sonne to learne them obedience But if iudgement begin with the house of God what shall become of the vngodly And the lot fell vpon Ionah Now when the sinner that troubled the ship is taken now Ionah can hide himselfe no longer Now hee might also feare to bee sacrificed by the mariners presently For the mariners partly for the paine they had endured partly for the losses they had sustained partly for the danger wherein they remained were no doubt as the shee-Wolues robbed of their whelpes out of measure furious and fully bent to sacrifice him on whome the lot fell to appease the wrathfull God But God stayed and restrained the rage of the mariners and made them afterward willingly to abide the tempest a while and put themselues to more paine to saue him endeuouring by rowing to recouer land For hauing heard of the true God and though they lost their goods hauing found God who is all good shall wee say they destroy him that hath saued vs Shall wee giue him vp to death vnnecessarily that hath brought vs to life and assured vs to raigne with God in all glorie euerlastingly Surely the thankelesse are gracelesse especially they that loue not and shew not forth the labour of loue for their gratious guide to God but therefore wee may see that the hearts of men are in Pro. 20. 1. Psal 33. 15. Ps 106. 40. Isa 3. 10. 6 Ezra 1 14. Isa 3. 24. Ne 11. 1 Ps 105. 1 Sa. 2. 30. Ps 146. 3. the hands of God and hee turneth them which way hee list hee fashioneth their hearts euery one yea euen kings hearts as riuers of water doth hee turne to water and make fruitfull his vine to pittie and to persecute to honour and to shame to loue and hate his people to deliuer their power to the beast Reue. 17. 13. and againe to eate the whores fleshe and to burne her with fire 17. 16. 17. Therefore let vs neuer feare to performe our duties whatsoeuer to whome soeuer for hee formeth the hearts of all who hath promised to honour them that honour him but to make them contemptible that doe despise him Neither let vs put confidence in man nor in Princes for their hearts are riuers of water of them selues fleeting easely as they bee led following But especially let vs not forget chiefly to make praiers supplications intercessions and to giue thankes for all those on the godlinesse or prophanesse of whose hearts the flourishing 1. Tim 2. 1. or defacing of the gospell of Christ Iesus and the chosen of God doth most depend And the lot fell vpon Ionah Now Ionah could not deny he was that sinner vnlesse hee would accuse God of vnrighteous iudgement for the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposition there of is of the Lord. Now therefore he must needs confesse it The winds thundring the waues tumbling the ship cracking the mariners quaking vpon their gods crying their wares forth casting Ionahs prayers requested to cast lots consulting Ionah kept himselfe close hee would not bee thought that sinner The wind said I will ouer turne thee the water said I will drowne thee the ship said I cannot hold thee the mariners said We cannot helpe thee his prayers said Wee cannot profit thee his conscience within bleeding and God at the doore of his heart knocking and the lots now ready for casting said threatningly For thee the tempest is come thoufugitiue and wee will discouer thee Yet Ionah conceales his sin so much did heabhorre the shame of men of strange men a few men fraile men or the feare of the furie of the fleshe Therefore after the windes had roared and also the waues raged and the ship reeled and the mariners cryed and the lot his conscience and God himselfe threatned him the lot also condemned him and the feare of being sacrificed by sinners to Sathan terrified him so that he foorthwith repented throughly he declared it openly and confessed his sinne freely Such a stir hath God
others for they haue none for themselues they haue not wherewith to relieue the wants of others for they haue not to relieue their owne When Martha had thus entertained Christ as hee was man into her house Marie began to entertaine him as hee was GOD into her heart shee sat at his feete to heare his preaching for no sooner was Christ come into the house but that he tooke occasion to teach and instruct the family and in stead of bodily foode which they bestowed vpon him to giue vnto them the foode of the soule Thus doth hee alwaies shew himselfe a thankfull ghest into what house so euer hee entreth hee leaueth better things behind him then hee findeth he loues not to be in Zachees debt for his dinner for in stead there of hee Luke 15 bringeth saluation to his house neither doth hee leaue his supper vnpaied for here for in stead thereof hee bestoweth vpon them an heauenly Sermon This should bee the exercise of faithfull Ministers when they are inuited to great feastes that as they are called the salt of the earth which serueth to season the meates to make them sauourie and Mat. 5. 13 preserue them from putrifaction so they should season the table talke with some godly conference to minister grace vnto the hearers Ephe. 4. 29. These sisters were godly women and both earnest fauourers of Iesus Christ and yet in the maner of their deuotion there is such difference that the worldly affection of the one may in some sort bee misliked in respect of the godly exercise and practise of the other Martha is sore in cumbred with much seruing where a little seruice had bin sufficient but Mary is attentiue to heare the word of God which neuer can be heard sufficiently Marie sitteth to heare the word as Christ vsed to sit when hee preached the word to shew that the word is to bee preached and heard with a quiet mind In a still night Mat. 5. Luk. 4. Iohn 8. euery voyce is heard and when the body is quiet the mind most commonly is quiet also But Martha is troubled with other affaires therefore vnfit to heare the word as the ground that is surcharged with stones or ouergrown with weedes and thornes is vnfit to receiue the seede or yeeld any fruit to him that tilleth it As often therefore as Mat. 5. 13 wee come to heare the word of God wee must not come with distracted minds we must not trouble our selues with Luk. 8. 14 the cares of this life which as our Sauiour said are thornes of choake the world and to make it vnfruitfull For Moses was vnfit to walke with God till he had put off Exod. 3 Mar. 10 his shooes and the blind man vnfit to come to Christ till hee had throwne away his cloake so we must thinke our selues vnfit to heare the word and vnapt for euery heauenly exercise till wee haue put of our shooes that is our worldly cogitations and affections and till we haue cast away our cloake that is all lets and impediments which might hinder vs from profiting in our profession When our mindes are quiet wee are fit to deale with heauenly matters therefore the Doctors conferred sitting in the Temple and God delighteth to deale with vs when wee are most priuate hee appeared to Abraham sitting Gen. 18. Acts. 2. in the doore of his Tent. The holy Ghost came downe vpon the Apostles and filled all the house where they were sitting The Eunuch sitting in his chariot was Acts. 8. called and conuerted by Philips preaching Marie sat at Iesus feete yet sat shee not sleeping as many sit at the preachers feete but shee sat at Christ his feete and heard his word As Paul was brought vp at the feete of Gamaliel and was perfectly instructed in the lawe of the fathers Act. 22. Her humilitie is commended in that she sat at Iesus feet to shew that the word is to bee heard with all humilitie her diligence and earnestnes appeareth in that shee would not depart to helpe her sister to signifie that the hearing of the word must bee preferred before all worldly businesse Her diligence and humilitie serueth to condemne our negligence and contempt of Christ and his word wee doe not sit at Christ his feete nay wee rather set Christ at our feete when wee are so negligent in hearing of his word Wee are as slowe to come to the Church as the Rauen was to come to the Arke and as Ioath to spend any Gene. 8. time in the seruice of God as Pharao was Ioath to let the Israelites goe to serue the Lord. If a commoditie were Exod 8. 32. to bee seene whereour some profit might arise how carefull would wee bee to procure it what paines would we take to get it Absolon was not more desirous of a kingdome then the rich men of our time are desirous of golden 2. Sa. 15. gaine But if it bee a matter of cost or trouble if they cannot heare the word preached without some hinderance to their wordly businesse and some extraordinary Luke 8. Ma. 13. 40. charge to their purse then like the Gadarenes they are content to take their leaue of Christ and his word and had rather lose that heauenly pearle than they would part from their worldly pelfe Thus in Christ we haue the patience of a good pastour and in Marie the patterne of a good hearer Let Ministers 2 Tim. 4. 2 learne by his example to take all occasions to preach the word to bee instant in season and out of season and let Christians learne by her example first to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnes and then to prouide Math. 6 for the things of this life While Marie was carefull for the foode of the soule Martha was curious to prouide foode for the body her greatest care was to entertaine Christ and to make him good cheere to testifie her thankfull mind vnto him that had done so great things for them he had raised her brother Lazarus from death to life therefore he was worthy to be well entertained If Elias deserued to be well dealt withall at the hand of his hostesse whose sonne hee had restored to life or Elisa deserued such entertainement for her sonnes reuiuing 1. Ki. 17. then surely our Sauiour Christ is worthy to bee welcome hither where hee had raysed Lazarus out of his 2. King 4 graue wherein hee had lyen by the space of foure dayes before It was well done therefore of Martha to shewe her thankefull mind vnto Christ but it was not well done at that time to shew her felfe thankfull in that maner it was Iohn 11. then time to heare the word for at that time Christ preached the word it was no time for her to spend that time in other affaires and to neglect the greatest affaire the meanes of her owne saluation It was not vnlawfull for Martha to labour
doe the worke of a Magistrate hee which is a Iudge should doe the worke of a Iudge hee which is a Captaine should doe the worke of a Captaine he which is a minister should doe the worke of a minister as when Noah was called an husbandman hee did the worke of an husbandman This contempt of the country doth threaten danger to the land as much as any thing else in our dayes vnlesse their burthen bee eased and their estimation qualified in some part to their paines Thinking that you haue not heard of this theame before seeing the words of my text did lye for it thus much I haue spoken to put you in mind how easily you liue in respect of them and to rectifie our minds towards our poore brethren which in deed seeme too base in our eyes and are scorned for their labours as much as wee should be for our idlenesse Then saith Moses Noah hegan to bee an husbandman In that itis here said that Noah began it doth not disprooue that hee gaue not himselfe to husbandrie before but it importeth that Noah began to set vp husbandry againe after the flood before any other so this good man recomforted with the experience of Gods fauour which had exempted him and his seed out of all the world and reioycing to see the face of the earth againe after the waters were gone though an old man and weaker then he was yet hee returned to his labour a fresh and scorned not to till and plant for all his possessions as though hee were an husbandman such a lowlines is all wayes ioyned with the feare of God that they that are humbled with religion doe not thinke themselues too good to doe any good thing Heere note by the way that none of Noahs sonnes are said to begin this worke but Noah himselfe the olde man the hoary head and carefull father begins to teach the rest and shewes his sonnes the way how they should prouide for their sonnes and how all the world after should labour and trauell till they returne to dust so the olde man whome age dispenceth withall to take his ease is more willing to prouide for the wants of his children then they are which are bound to labour for themselues and their parents too as the Storke doth feede the dam when shee is olde because the dam fedde her when shee was young What a shame is this to Shem and Iapheth that is to vs which are young and strong that the father should bee called a labourer when the sonnes stand by Now the ground was barren because of the flood and could not bring foorth fruit of it selfe because of the curse therefore it pittied Noah to see the desolation and barrennes and slime vpon the face of the earth which hee had seene so glorious and sweete fertile with all maner of hearbes and fruits and flowers before Therefore hee setteth himselfe to manure it which waited for nothing now but a painfull labourer to till and dresse it that it might bring forth delights and profits for sinfull man as it did before By this wee may learne to vse all meanes for the obtayning of Gods blessings and not to lose any thing which wee might haue or saue for want of paines for that is sinne as Salomon noteth in the 24. of the Prouerbs when hee reproueth the slouthfull husbandman because his fielde brought forth nettles and thistles in stead of grapes not because the ground would not beare grapes but because the slouthfull man would not set them Shall God commaund the earth and all his creatures to increase for vs and shall not wee further their increase for ourselues As wee increase and multiply our selues so wee are bound to ioyne hand and helpe that all creatures may increase and multiply too or else the fathers should eate the childrens portion and in time there would bee nothing left for them that come after this regard Noah seemeth to haue vnto his posteritie and therefore hee gaue himselfe vnto husbandry which is commended in him vnto this day and shall bee recorded of him so long as this booke is read whereby wee are warned that hee which liueth onely to himselfe is not to bee remembred of them which liue after But as Dauid cared how the realme should bee gouerned after his death as well as hee did during his life so though we die and depart this world yet wee should leaue that example or those bookes or those workes behind vs which may profit the Church and Common wealth when wee are dead and buried as much as wee did when wee liued among them Euen as Noah planted a vineyard not for himselfe but for the ages to come after Some doe thinke that Noah planted the first vineyard and drunke the first wine and that there was no vse of grapes before which opinion they are led vnto that they might excuse Noah and mitigate his fault if he did sup too deepe of that cup the strength and operation whereof was not knowne vnto him nor vnto any man before But it is not like that the excellent liquor and wholsome iuice of the Grape did lye hid from the world so many hundred yeares and no doubt but there were vines from the beginning created with other trees for how could Noah plant a vineyard vnlesse hee had slips of other vines or graps that grew before seeing hee did not create fruits but plant fruites as wee doe For this is principally to be noted that so soone as hee had opportunitie to doe good hee omitted no time but presently after the flood was gone and that the earth began to drie hee plied it with seedes and wrought it till hee saw the sruites of his labour By this wee learne to omit no occasion to doe good but whensoeuer wee may doe good to count it sinne if we doe it not But if wee be so exercised then all our works shall prosper like the vineyard of Noah because the fruit of the vine doth cheare the countenance and glad the heart of man Therefore some haue gathered vpon the planting of this vineyard a signification of gladnesse and thankfulnesse in Noah for his late deliuerance as the Iewes by their solemne feastes did celebrate the memoriall of some great benefit but I rather iudge that God would haue vs see in this example what men did in those dayes and how wee are degenerare from our parents that wee may prepare against the fire as Noah prepared against the water This is worthy to bee noted too that GOD did not so regard his husbandrie but that hee had an eye to his drunkennesse and speakes of his faulte as well as his vertue whereby wee are warned that though God blesse vs now while wee remember him yet hee will chasten vs so soone as wee forget him though wee bee in a good name now infamy will rise in an houre though wee bee rich at this present pouertie may come presently though wee bee whole while