despised Christ and wondered why the Church should make so much adoe for him had a while conuersed with the Church about him and heard her speake with such affection admiring and extolling him then they also fall in loue with that beloued and offer their seruice to the Church in ioyning with her to seeke him out Whither is thy beloued gone say they O thou fairest amongst women whither is thy beloued turned aside that we may seeke him with thee Thus holy conference with such as loue Christ is an excellent meanes to enflame our hearts also with a loue to him The last helpe is Praier For Euery good and perfect gift commeth from aboue Aske it therefore at Gods hands for he giueth liberally to all men and vpbraideth no man These are some helps for the attainment of this grace which if we conscionably practise I doubt not but we shall soone finde kindled in our bosomes to our endlesse comfort And that is our second vse A third we now inferre but briefly and that for Consolation of such as loue the Lord esteeming him as their best beloued setting their whole hearts and soules vpon him In so doing they haue performed a worthy worke and such a worke as in the end brings peace Oh the priuileges the superexcellent priuileges that belong to such a one He that loueth me shall be loued of my Father and I will loue him and manifest my selfe vnto him saith our Sauiour So that we see here is no loue lost Christ will respect them most graciously for euermore and alwaies doe them good Yea euerything shall further their good and welfare and so saith the Apostle All things worke together for good to them that loue God Euery thing the least ens and being any thing that can be named or conceiued shall worke thy good thy good of grace here and glory hereafter so that the Deuill in the end shall get nothing by tempting thee to sinne but the greater ouerthrow of his owne kingdome and thou thereby shalt grow the better it shall make thee more humble lowly watchfull carefull c. Thus blow what winde can blow the illest winde shall blow thee good hap what happen may it cannot make thee miserable Thou standest in a Center the Circumference is mercie whatsoeuer commeth to thee be it losse crosse paine sicknesse death it must first come through the circumference of mercy and so taste and relish of mercy before it come at thee or touch thee Oh! what a priuilege is this how excellent how admirable This is thy priuilege who louest God for to thee it is made and to none else besides Can we maruell now at the Apostles words Eie hath not seene nor eare heard neither hath entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Many excellent and beautifull obiects hath the eie beheld and the eare hath heard relation made of things farre surpassing those which the eie hath seene but the heart is able to conceiue of things more excellent than either eie hath seene or eare hath heard yet neither eie hath seene nor eare heard nor yet can the heart conceiue saith he the things that God hath prepared for such as are louers of him He hath promised saith S. Iames a kingdome vnto such and a crowne of life which they shall receiue Let then the loue-sicke hearts of the godly be cheared vp for God doth not forget their labour and loue but he will recompence it with an euerlasting loue Let it serue likewise to enkindle our loue so that where it is now but in the sparke it may breake out into the flame louing him with all our soule strength and might desiring nothing aboue him equally with him or without him louing him for himselfe and all things else for him And so to end the point and vse with that sweet meditation of Austine Blessed is he O Lord who thus loueth thee and his friend in thee and his enemie for thee for onely that man cannot lose any thing which he loueth who loueth nothing but in thee who cannot be lost And thus much for the first reason that is giuen for this Title or Appellation come we now to the second and see whether we can be briefer there In a more particular respect also might the Prophet call the Lord his welbeloued viz. in respect of his office and calling as he was a Prophet to whom the charge of Christs Queene the Church was committed And in regard of this Ministers are called Christs friends according to that saying of S. Iohn He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroome but the friend of the Bridegroome which standeth and heareth him reioyceth greatly because of the Bridegroomes voyce where by friend he vnderstands himselfe and in himselfe all other Ministers both Prophets and Apostles and that both because they labour to make the mariage betweene the Church and Christ as also endeuour to hold fast the Church vnto Christ being iealous ouer her for his sake lest shee should be seduced Taking this as a reason which indeed is the vsuall reason rendred by our Expositors for this Appellation by good consequence it will follow that Ministers are Christ Paranymphs In a speciall manner they are his friends to wooe the Church and winne the Church vnto himselfe to fit it and prepare it for himselfe So witnesseth the Apostle when he saith We warne euery man and teach euery man in all wisdome that we may present euery man perfect in Christ Iesus whereunto saith he I also labour And writing to the Corinthians he thus speaketh I am iealous ouer you with a godly iealousie for I haue espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin vnto Christ By whose practise we see the Ministers dutie dignitie and office both to fit and prepare the Church for Christ as also to hold fast the Church vnto Christ that shee breake not her mariage-couenant with him I hasten to the Vses for in this I haue promised breuitie Let vs Ministers hence learne our duties And seeing we haue the Church committed to our care and are so farre honoured as to be betrusted with Christs Queene let vs vse all possible meanes that we may deliuer vnto the Bridegroome a pure and chaste virgin When Abraham sent his seruant to setch a wife for his sonne Isaac he brought him godly and beautifull Rebeccah We are the Lords seruants sent to fetch a wife for Iesus Christ the Sonne of God O let vs be as faithfull to God the Father and to Iesus Christ his Sonne as that good seruant was to Abraham and Isaac Let vs doe our message with diligence and execute our charge with faithfulnesse and prayer Let vs speake of Christ and only of Christ making him the scope and subiect of all our preaching And as is the old Embleme of S. Christopher vnder which
or such a Preacher deliuered it in a Pulpit As if there were not some who runne before they are sent and publish the visions of their owne braine prophesying that which God neuer spake In matters ciuill we are more cautelous and wary no gold almost we take before wee haue tried it by the touch or weighed it in the ballance and what 's the reason because there is much of it light and naught yea hardly we will take a groat without bowing bending rubbing it and the like being therein oftentimes ouer-curious But in religious matters which concerne our saith and soules saluation wee are ouer-carelesse albeit we are forewarned of many false Prophets that are gone into the world and therefore willd not to beleeue euery spirit but to try the spirits whether they be of God This is a great yet common fault amongst vs. Were he an Angell from heauen that preacheth to thee yet art thou bound to looke into his Doctrine and examine it and not to take it vpon credit without hee bring sufficient proofe and warrant for it By vertue of our place we challenge Audience hearken to a matter you must because we say it but we cannot by and by challenge Credence for you may not beleeue it vntill you know vpon what ground we speake it And therefore like good Beraeans see you search the Scriptures whether these things be so The Matter Subiect of this Song is the last thing to be considered in the Prooem the text saith it is Touching his Vineyard Of which Vineyard we shall hereafter speake more largely In the meane time this obserue we The good of Gods Church is the subiect of a Preachers labours that is it whereupon he must especially attend as did our Prophet whose Art wit learning time and paines was especially spent about that which might make for the welfare of Gods Vineyard Hereunto tends that exhortation of the Apostle Let vs wait on our ministring he that teacheth on teaching or he that exhorteth on exhortation with which dutie he straightly chargeth Timothie and vs in him Giue attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee Meditate vpon these things giue thy selfe wholly to them Preach the word be instant in season and out of season c. And according to this Doctrine was his and the other Apostles practice who would not admit any other charge to be ioined to their Ministerie no not the Office of Deacons but laid the charge of prouiding for the poore on others thinking it not fit to leaue the word of God to serue tables And did we but consider the weightinesse of the calling we would soon confesse a Minister had little need to employ himselfe in any by-affaires For as it is an honor so it is a burden and such a burden as is too much for halfe a man it requires the whole man yea the strength and abilitie of Angels to stand vnder it and therefore saith the Apostle who is sufficient for these things But Saint Paul exercised a manuall occupation and became a Tent-maker labouring with his hands and that after he was called to his Apostleship And so Saint Peter and others were fishers and followed fishing I grant the Apostles did so but it was only in case of necessitie in time of the Churches wants and pouertie to the end they might support the need and necessitie of it as also that they might cut away all occasion from them who watched for an occasion whereby they might disgrace them and winne credit to themselues And thus for a Minister to ioine another calling to his calling when he is not able to maintaine his charge and in the generall want and pouertie of the Church it not being able to maintaine him and his cannot be thought vnlawfull But where there is a Church well established and reformed this cannot be allowable This Doctrine likewise like Rebeckaes wombe doth twinne it affords a double vse one to vs who are the Lords warriers that we entangle not our selues with the things of this life The Lord hath laid a heauy burden vpon thy shoulders couch not downe with Isachars Asse to receiue any other load What ashame is it for to see a Minister to turne Farmer Grasier Physitian or the like and all for a little pelfe so loading his minde with the burden of cares and couetousnesse as if he were exonerated of the burden of the Gospell May we not well wonder with Synesius how he comes to gaine so much leisure as to serue two Masters God in Choro and Mammon in Foro I know there is a care of secular affaires belonging to vs For a Bishop must be able to rule his owne house honestly And againe if there be any without exception that prouideth not for his family he denieth the faith and is worse than an Infidell But these things must not hinder our constant care for the welfare of Gods Vineyard Neither doe I thinke it a thing vnlawfull for a Minister to studie Physicke or haue to doe with some other calling for besides in the forenamed cases so it be at spare houres and vsed rather as a recreation than occupation it is allowable yet still Diuinitie must be our most and mainest studie that we may saue and winne soules to God Let vs then that are Ministers of Gods word neither be idle nor ill occupied and when we are about any thing which belongs not to our calling then remember we the checke that Christ gaue to Peter What is that to thee The Church is thy proper element and the Pulpit thy right vbi the Temple should be the center of all thy circumference Doe that which belongs vnto thy Office as Valentinian said to Ambrose Thou art a Minister minde thou that And now for our people this vse concerneth them I doubt not but you will subscribe to what hath now beene taught and say Thou hast well said in all that thou hast spoken but now marke your duties for if this be so then ought you so to prouide for your Ministers and their families as that they may haue no cause to diuert their studies A necessary liuing saith Chrysostome ought plentifully to be ministred vnto your Teachers lest they should be discomfited and that they might not depriue themselues and you of great things while they be busied about the smallest And surely this is one of the blemishes of our Church that many well-deseruing Ministers are of necessitie compelled to leaue studying of Sermons and studie for bread to put in their owne and childrens mouthes What Vocation is there in this land honest in it selfe and industriously followed by the professors of it wherein a man may not liue and leaue well behinde him for the maintenance of such as shall some after except only in the Ministerie Physicke and Law bring wealth
behaued himselfe not so well in his Kingdome as he ought it was taken from him and giuen vnto Dauid Hold that thou hast O England lest misery come vpon thee And thus much for the Appeale which was the first thing wee considered in the Plea The Indictment followes in these words What could haue beene dore more to my Vineyard that I haue not done in it Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wilde grapes Wherein wee haue an Action commenced against them of Ingratitude which is prosecuted and proued to their faces and therein More particularly we see first how the Lord excuseth himselfe from being in any fault for that their barrennesse No way was he defectiue he had done as much as might be done to make it fruitfull What could haue beene done more to my Vineyard saith he that I haue not done in it And secondly hee accuseth them for horrible vnthankfulnesse in making so vngratefull a returne which accusation is amplified by an Antithesis betweene his iust demand He looked that it should bring forth grapes and their vniust demeanure for it brought forth wilde grapes The forme of the words as we see is Interrogatorie What could haue beene done Wherefore when I looked c. And it is obserued by some that before man fell to sinning God fell not to questioning all his speeches to him were either commendatory or commandatory But when man turned his heart to another obiect then God turned his voice to another accent and the first word he speakes to him after his transgression was a question Adam where art thou and with the same forme and method of speech hee goeth on Who told thee thou wast naked Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldest not eat And euer since it is vsuall with the Lord to discusse with man after the same manner sometimes to teach him sometimes to reproue him sometimes to confirme him and oftentimes to conuince him For albeit mans questions are for the most part effects of dubitation doubting being the mother of them that breedeth them and causeth them yet Gods questions are of another nature and haue another vse for they for the most part tend to conuince the conscience and bring it to a sense and science of sinne And so here God doth Appeale to the consciences of these Israelites and fetch euidence against them from the impartiall euidence of their owne hearts What could haue beene done more q. d. Is there any thing that could haue beene desired of a Husbandman wherein I haue been wanting Shew me wherein I haue failed of my dutie alledge what you can against me let your consciences speake Wherefore when I looked c. Some reade it Why haue I looked as if God should expostulate with himselfe why he expected any good fruit from so naughty and peruerse a people and that he doth after the manner of men who oftentimes complaine of themselues and are offended with themselues when the euent of a thing doth not answer their hope and expectation for that they haue bestowed such cost and paines to so little purpose But others thinke this sense to be the plainer Seeing I haue fully discharged my dutie and haue done aboue all that could haue beene expected in husbanding my Vine whence comes it that it yeelds me so euill recompence Now haply some may obiect that albeit God had thus planted and watered his Church and vsed all outward meanes for the fertilitie thereof yet seeing as the Apostle sheweth Pauls planting is nothing nor Apolloes watering without Gods blessing how could God say he had done all that could be done when he withheld a blessing and softned not their hearts that the meanes might become profitable Might not this man of Iudah and in habitant of Ierusalem haue had replied in the words of the Leper Why Lord if thou wilt thou canst make vs cleane For answer hereunto First we are to know that God here speaketh of the sufficiencie of the outward meanes and not of inward grace That was done to this wicked Vineyard which if it had beene good would haue brought forth the fruit of repentance and new obedience The Raine fals the Sunne shines vpon the earth the garden hereupon brings forth herbes the desart thornes whence is this but from the nature of the ground there is as much done to make one fruitfull as the other Thus God had done enough the meanes he vsed were sufficient had not this people been of such a peeuish and froward disposition And secondly God speaketh not here of his absolute power whereby he can doe whatsoeuer pleaseth him he could make iron swim and cause stonie rocks to yeeld forth streames of water he could raise vp of stones children vnto Abraham and giue Christ more than twelue Legions of Angels to deliuer him but he denies that he was bound to doe any more for them than he did And therefore that cauill would haue beene but friuolous saith Caluin for their consciences pricked them in such wise as that they could not escape by laying the fault vpon another For albeit God doe not pierce with efficacie into the hearts of men by his holy Spirit to make them teachable yet it will be in vaine for any notwithstanding to mutter that this was wanting to them seeing that their externall vocation doth sufficiently cut off all pretext and shew of ignorance whatsoeuer And now let vs come to some such Instructions as the text will naturally afford And first we see how God is altogether out of fault and can no way be charged with the sinfulnesse and barrennesse of mens hearts and liues In another place of this prophesie we finde the Lord complaining that he had held out his hands all the day long to a gainsaying and rebellious people His armes were stretched out he ready to receiue but they did gainesay and rebell and refused to come into his armes And by the Prophet Ieremiah he telleth the people how he sent all his seruants the Prophets vnto them rising early and sending them saying Oh doe not such abominable things which I hate But they harkned not nor enclined their eares to turne from their wickednesse And by the Prophet Hosea he thus speaketh I haue spoken vnto them by the Prophets and I haue multiplied visions and vsed similitudes by the ministerie of the Prophets The meaning is that he had declared his will and made knowne his minde vnto them so plainly as that they could not plead ignorance or any way charge him with fault And our Sauiour Iesus Christ complaines thus O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thy children together euen as a Hen gathereth her chickens and yee would not Where we see clearely how God would their conuersion vnderstand it of his
behold oppression for righteousnesse but behold a crie Here we see first what fruits they were which God especially expected and they were fruits of the second Table Iudgement Righteousnesse And secondly what were the fruits which they returned namely Oppression A crie I might obserue hence from the Prophets elegancie adorning of his speech Rhetorically by a figure thus much that Rhetoricke is an Art sanctified by Gods Spirit and may lawfully be vsed in handling of Gods word There might be brought diuers instances out of holy Scripture wherein all the parts of Rhetoricke are vsed and euery approued rule of it practised yea euen in this very Prophesie But I hasten towards a conclusion and therefore passe from this with a word of admonition to all that we beware how we condemne the lawfull vse with the abuse For the Art it selfe is to be approued and onely the abuse thereof to be condemned But I come to the particulars in my Text. He looked for iudgement righteousnesse He doth not say he expected Oblations and Sacrifices which this people were abundant in as Chap. 1. 11. but he expected that Iudgement and Iustice should be administred the cause of the poore pleaded and all good duties and offices of loue should be shewed towards our brethren and those who were in need Sundrie points might hence be raised but I will only obserue this one which is as the summe of all The works and duties of the second Table are in speciall manner expected and respected by God In the first Chapter of this Prophesie wee may reade how forward this people were in the outward duties of the first Table offering multitude of sacrifices and burnt offerings of Rammes and the fat of fed beasts c. But God he cals them off and tels them he would none because they had no regard of the duties of the second Table for their hands were full of bloud Then exhorting them to repentance hee wils them to testifie the truth thereof by bringing forth fruits meet for repentance And for their better direction he instanceth in some particulars making choice not of such duties as immediately concerne himselfe but of such as especially concerne our neighbour Seeke iudgement releeue the oppressed iudge the fatherlesse pleade for the widow As if he had said vnto them You offer multitudes of sacrifices and obserue solemne daies and Feasts the new Moones and Sabbaths and the like and are not wanting in the outward duties of the first Table But I especially respect the duties of the second wherein you haue beene wanting and therefore labour to finde out what is right and seeke after that iustice that God requires in his Law dealing with others as you would be dealt withall giue ouer your crueltie exercise mercie and stretch forth your helping hand for the releeuing and defending of such as are in need And in the 58. of this Prophesie we may reade how God reiects their prayers and fastings because they regarded not to shew mercy and kindnesse vnto the poore and needie and withall shewes them what manner of Fast it was that he required namely to loose the bands of wickednesse to vndoe the heauie burdens and to let the ppressed goe free To deale bread vnto the hungrie to bring the poore that are cast out vnto their houses to cloath the naked and the like This was the Fast that God did especially respect In the Prophesie of Micah we may reade what large proffers the wicked make They will come with burnt offerings and calues of a yeere old they will offer thousands of Rammes and ten thousand riuers of oile they would giue their first borne for their transgression the fruit of their bodie for the sinne of their soule so that God would be pleased herewith But yet all this would not please him He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to walke humbly with thy God without this all the former is nothing worth Thus we see verified what we finde recorded by the Prophet Hosea I desire Mercie and not Sacrifice It is better pleasing vnto God to see the duties of Iustice and Righteousnesse of Mercie and louing kindnesse performed to our neighbour than to haue Sacrifices neuer so many or great seuered from these done vnto himselfe The workes and duties that the second Table requires to be performed of vs are most expected and respected by him For the touchstone of piety and true religion towards God is our iust and righteous dealing with our brethren Herein are the children of God knowne and the children of the Deuill whosoeuer doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither hee that loueth not his brother True faith is operatiue and worketh by loue and is to be manifested by our workes without which it is to be iudged dead as S. Iames speaketh No maruell then if God doe so much set by the practise of these duties Which serueth to reproue such as bring forth faire leaues of profession in the first Table but are little or nothing at all in the duties of the second Table In the outward and publike exercises of religion they are very diligent as in repairing to the Congregation hearing the Word receiuing of the Sacraments and the like But looke on them in those things which concerne men and there you shall finde them exceedingly faulty being vnmercifull vniust and vnrighteous in their dealings Certainly the religion of these men is in vaine their best seruices doe stinke in Gods nostrils when righteousnesse towards man is wanting Let all such as are in the place of iustice for to them this is especially intended aduisedly consider of this and beware how they turne iudgement into gall and wormewood as Amos speakes and the fruit of righteousnesse into hemlocke I would such would often put Iobs question to their soule What shall I doe when God riseth vp and when he visiteth what shall I answer him It would be a good meanes to make them take vp his practise Not to with-hold from the poore his desire nor cause the eies of the widow to faile not to lift vp their hand against the fatherlesse though they saw their helpe in the gate and might doe it vndiscerned Yea let vs all consider this and endeuour to bee conscionably iust and vpright in our dealings betweene man and man When the question is made to God what manner of men should dwell in his Tabernacle and rest in his holy Mountaine i. which should haue a good estate here and an habitation in heauen for euermore he describeth them by their innocent and harmlesse behauiour towards their brethren He that walketh vprightly and worketh righteousnesse and speaketh the truth in his heart Certainly hee regardeth that worke very much which hee rewardeth with such and so great wages And hee is well pleased with that