time to vaine pleasures to idle talke to much sleepe wantonnes If God should account with me for yeres I can not with comfort answere him for dayâ—s nor well for one day in a yeere well and holily spent in good duties O how many Items may be found written in Gods Books of prouidence last iudgement for pleasures and sports and fleshly daliances and worldly couetousnes scarce a line seene registred in the same for any good exercise wayes and doings of good report Thus should euery Christian make a kinde of backe reckoning with the compassing of his wayes Thus should he retire himselfe for the due consideration of his life past and hauing opportunitie in secret beate his sins vpon his naked conscience by aggrauation and say I haue not onely sinned but most traiterously obstinately carelesly continually and rebelliously sinned and am not only a sinner but a most filthy leper and sinner not an ordinary offender but a stubborne offendor and disloyall person whose whole nature soule and body will and affections minde and iudgement words and deeds are onely euill and perfectly euill and continually so Gen. 6.5 Thus no doubt the lost Sonne came to himselfe and thus without doubt must we come to our selues if we will come home with him confesse with him and triumph vvith him So much for the worke of his minde the words of his lips follow How many hired seruants of my Fathers haue bread enough This yong man considered that the meanest seruant his Father kept was in better case then he for he was wel prouided for hauing bread enough and to spare where he had nothing And this made him looking homeward it is like with teares in his eyes and repentance in his heart for his former lewd life to say how many hired seruants of my Fathers c. as if he had said this necessitie that I am in is caused by my selfe who forsook the house of plenty for this land of dearth my Fathers house for the house where the dead are Pro. 9.18 Euery one there is prouided for and I perish with hunger in my absence thence This being his meaning the thing taught is God prouideth all things necessarie for those that serue him Dauid neuer found it otherwaies and therefore saith he neuer saw the righteous forsaken Psa. 37.25 as if he had said he neuer saw any long destitute or vnprouided for who followed righteousnesse and serued the Lord. S. Iohn sheweth that they who followed Christ were fed though Christ wrought a miracle of Loaues and Fishes to feede them Ioh 6.9.12 And how did God feede his people fourtie yeeres in the vvildernesse when they could not plow the Earth did not he plow the Heauens for bread and vvanting ordinarie food had they not Angels food for the Wheat of the Land the Wheat of Heauen Psa. 78.24.27 the Text saith it rained downe Manna v. 24. and they had meat enough ver 25. Elijah was zealous for the Lord and his altars therefore when men would not feed him the Rauens fed him 1 Kin. 17.6 and when men forsooke him an Angell looked vnto him 1 Kin. 19.5.6.7 Did God forget the widow of that Prophets son that feared the Lord and died in some debt did he not strangely prouide for her by Elisha and so as she had enough both to pay her debt and to finde her selfe and her children vvith the ouerplus 2 King 4.1.7 To be short of all the righteous it is sayd they shall not be confounded in the euill time and in the day of famine they shall be satisfied Psa 37.19 that is whosoeuer is ashamed they shal not take shame and vvhen others are famished they shall haue enough Thus nothing shall be wanting to them that serue God the reasons are First God hath promised to feed al his seruants Psal. 37.3 Now God will doe what he promiseth to doe for he is faithfull and can doe what he will for he is Almightie Secondly Gods seruants depend on his promise and take his word for their vvhole estate their eyes are vnto him Psal. 123.1.2 and their repose is in his prouidence and vvill he cause their eyes to faile Iob 31.16 Thirdly if it be a iust thing that the Master of a Familie should prouide for all he hath in his familie vvhether the children of the house or seruants in the house will not the iust God count it as iust and fitting for him to doe as much for his Familie and household to wit for the familie of his Saints and the household of Faith Vses A comfort to all that truly serue God for they shall haue good wages for that they do who faithfully serue him they shall want nothing that is good that is that is good indeed or good for them Ps. 34.10 When meanes faile God can and will without meanes and against them prouide for his The Sea shal run back and serue the Lords prouidence for the glorie of his name and safetie of his people vvhen Pharao with his fierce armie pursueth them to the sea Exo. 14.21 When men can not make tillage God can and hath giuen bread vvithout tillage as in the dayes of Hezekiah and Esa. Esa. 37.30 This Sommer the Lord laid his rod in Water the continuall raine that fell did much weaken the force and plentie of our common bread Yet if all our Graine had beene washed away with the waters that so preuailed God could haue set euen in those waters an Arke of reliefe for his Noahs that obey his word and sayings to enter into As the vvaters rose so rose the Arke Gen. 7.17 and so as the markets rise which are floods to the poore that lift vp their waues Psal. 93.3 God vvill arise to the helpe of his people An admonition to liue in Gods seruice and not out of our fathers house in the seruice of sin if we would be prouided for and not perish vvith vvant in the day of famine For as they who serue God in his House and by his Word are sure to be fed so contrarily they cannot expect with comfort any such assurance who serue their lusts and sinne in their mortall bodies In our seruice of God the creatures are ready to serue vs the Heauens with their blessing the Earth vvith her increase in our seruice of sinne all is contrarie For God vvill shut vp the Heauens as a Purse and turne a fruitfull Land into barrennesse Much raine shall destroy our fruits or lacke of raine much hinder them The Earth shall yeeld nothing or but store of vveedes good for nothing Obedience I meane to God in his Seruice and Word is the Chaine that bindeth all the creatures from hurting vs vvhere disobedience breaketh that Chaine and turneth them loose vpon vs for euill and not for good in the day of our necessitie In it there is perfect freedome and vvith it assured riches and blessed contentment To be called the seruant of God is an honorable title
and weaker in faith then himselfe and Christs words Be perfect as your heauenly Father is perfect implie onely a like qualitie but no way an equalitie Obiect How then can the Scriptures make vs perfect in all good works Answere The Scriptures are able to make vs perfect if there were no defect in vs the obiect they worke vpon and yet the way of the godly is called perfect not in respect of action but of endeauour and desire Luk. 1.6 There are great infirmities in our best works yet if we striue against our imperfections and labour to perfection the euill that we doe shall not bee remembred the good that wee would doe shall bee taken as done for we are by imputation what we are in affection and hee is no sinner who for the loue that he beareth to righteousnesse desireth to be none If then we would be perfect in Gods account and by imputation and bee meanes to make others so wee must attend to reading and as it were weare the Booke of God in our hands hauing it alway with vs Deut. 17.19 The practise of this we reade Psal. 119.97 Oh how loue I thy law it is my meditation continually Where the Prophet sheweth that the loue of God is the loue of his word and that so much as we loue him so much wee loue his truth The King must exercise it Deut. 17.18 and God be thanked that our King is so well exercised in it Now is it necesssary for the King often to reade in the word to teach him to rule and is it not as necessarie for common persons and all inferiours that haue more time to meditate in it that they may learne to obay Is it necessarie for him to grow learned by reading and by meditation to bee made wise in the Scriptures that he may not by the swelling of the heart a grieuous disease in Kings commaund things vnlawfull and intolerable and is it not as necessary for these with like diligence to exercise themselues in the word that in too great a basenesse of minde they yeeld not themselues seruilely to obay man rather then God That we may giue our selues thus to the studie of the word we must pray that we may loue it for where loue is there is delight and what we loue to doe that we delight to doe The rich man loueth to be rich and therefore meditateth of riches The ambitious person loueth prayse and therfore casteth to be praysed The Naturall man loueth naturally and therefore liueth naturally and so if we had no greater pleasure wealth or glorie then to meditate in the word our loue this way would constraine vs continually to reade and meditate in the same A reproofe to Popish superstition and our common peoples prophanesse who are so farre themselues from reading the word that they abhorre that others should read it The Papists keepe it from the people vnder the Loâ—ke of a strange tongue and our people that may reade and heare it read in their Mother-tongue neglect it altogether Of such we cannot say by their fulnesse in the word that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Luk. 6.45 For if wee shall iudge of their inward knowledge by their barren tongues we may truely giue sentence against them that there is no droppe of heauenly learning in them and that their Fountaines within are as a long drouth in Summer So farre for the manner how the Prophet will doe these good duties the time how long followeth Till thou come vnto me c. THe Prophet will doe wisely by the word and waite on God doing his will till he come vnto him that is as some restraine it during his interim of attendance and till God should giue him the Crowne of Saul by Sauls death but as I take it not onely so long but till his dust should returne to earth as it was and the spirit to God that gaue it Eccles. 12.7 that is till God by death should come vnto him calling him out of this land of his pilgrimage and valley of misery by his happie change and translation from an earthly to an heauenly Kingdome And so the Prophet promiseth to walke in the way of the Lord by his practise of patience till the Kingdome fell vnto him and of true wisedome after it was fallen for when God should set him in the Throne may we thinke that hee would leaue off to doe wisely nay but hee vndertaketh this taske by promise till God should call him out of this world by death Indeede though in that great distance and gulfe of time that was from his being annointed by Samuel when hee was by God owne mouth proclaymed beyre apparent to the Kingdome which Saul then had he saw many weary dayes endured many hard penances by the iniury of Saul yet he neuer hastned his owne aduancement by the making away of his Soueraigne And though by the prouidence of God Saul who deadly pursued him was offered into his hands once in the Wildernesse of Engodi 1 Sam. 24.3.5 And another time in the Desert of Ziph Ch. 26.8.9.10.11.12 yet he spared him and would offer no manner violence to him committing the iudgement to God and tarrying his leasure till hee should possesse him of the Royall Diadoâ—â— And when once he had it he promiseth to perseuere in a godly course till God should take him away and till his chaâ—ge came Before he had it he would not practise for it and when hee had it he would doe wisely in it First therefore hee promiseth to keepe within the bonds of dutie to his Soueraigne while hee was subiect to Saul which may be a good lesson to vs when God deferreth vs in any thing that hee hath promised to walke in hope not to goe out of the way of patience til 〈◊〉 comeâ— So Sarah receiued strength to conceiue seede being past children by ordinarie course because she iudged him faithfull that had promised Heb. 11.11 Isaac waited for children tvventie yeeres and prayed vnto the Lord that is vvaited Gods good pleasure for them and he had two at a birth Gen 25.20.24.26 The pittifull Church waited long for the God of her helpe did she therefore cast away her confidence and by meanes altogether vnlawfull become her ovvne helper no but shee practised patience and exercised prayer saying Let vs lift vp our hearts with our hands to God in the heauens Lam. 3.41 Of an excellent Prophet we read that his life claue to the dust but vvhat follovveth it follovvethâ— and his heart claue to Gods testimonies Psalm 119.25.31 Heere Dauid vvould bee Gods King 〈◊〉 King and as this was his practise so this vvas his precept waste vpon the Lord and hope in him Psa. 37.7 Now vvhy hath God in his vvord and in the vvorld left vs so many examples of this holy subiect but for our imitation and that vvee by them should learne to runne this race of patience and of a contented life in
not for him and that for all these things God will bring them to iudgement Eccles. 11.9 Generally all must learne here to redeeme the time and to bestow good houres well Ephe. 5.16 for time must be accounted for as how many dayes haue beene spent in vanitie and how few in Gods seruice how long time in sports how little time if any in prayer how wearie of an houres hearing and how little vvearie of a dayes play at Bowles Tables or Cardes vvherein vve doe not redeeme but lose time To recouer which losse vve must presently breake from this fellowship of the vvorld to haue fellowship with the Saints who number their dayes not vainely to bestow them but vvisely to passe them in Christian duties Psal. 90.12 Young men must remember their Creatour young Eccles. 12.1 And old men because they bee olde as they haue most cause so they should giue most diligence to remember him for young men may dye quickly and olde men cannot liue long A reproofe to the Atheists of our dayes vvho thinke there is no day of account or liue as if there vvere none of such Amos speaking sayth They put farre away the euill day and approach to the seate of iniquitie Amos 6.3 Indeede they are sometimes incumbred vvith the horrours of conscience and the sound of feare is in their eares but against all these Sathan doth succour them by teaching them to make out a power of blasphemies and derisions both of heauen and hell or to earth themselues in the canes of obliuion that the iudgment to come may not come into their mindes So farre for the meanes that the Prophet vvill vse for the performance of his song The things hee will performe in it first as a priuate man secondly as a publike King follow I will walke in the vprightnesse of my heart c. THe matters which the Prophet meaneth to sing of concerne his priuate Court and the publike Kingdome and these vvill hee looke vnto as a priuate man or as a publike King But in these vvords he speaketh further of his priuate behauiour and sheweth how he vvould carry himselfe priuately in his owne person and therefore saith that he will walke that is conuerse and carry himselfe but how in the vprightnesse of his heart and where in the midst of his house He saith that he will walke not as a Pharisee in open places to haue prayse of men but as a true Israelite in the close roomes of his heart that God who seeth in secret may prayse him And he saith that he will doe good not dissemblingly abroad when men may commend his doings but priuately in his house and more priuately in his chamber where he hath but a few witnesses Also that he will walke with an vpright or sound heart or heart wherein are no holes or clefis where hee compareth his heart to a Vessell which if it be close whole and sound will preserue the liquour that is put into it but being riuen and hauing holes will hold nothing So the Prophet speaketh of his one heart promising that it shall be entire and sound keeping faith and a good conscience and not leake through hypocrisie nor bee full of the holes of shifts and euasion from the truth as the heart which is deceitfull vseth to be and which therefore loseth quickly by such vnsoundnes all integritie and the very name of conscience The summe of all is The Prophet heere promiseth not onely to looke to the tackle of his heart his actions in publike place that they be sound but to the heart it selfe that it be kept in good plight and that the fountains be kept sweete from which must issue such a riuer of solemne reformation to Church and Common-wealth Euerie one is readie to commend a straight body but the Prophet vndertaketh heere to keepe that which is the commendation of a true Christian an vpright heart The doctrine from hence is The seate of integritie is not in a mans words or countenance but in his heart as Dauids heart was so was he and wee are truely that and that onely that wee are in heart and affection neither are they truelie godly though outwardly professing godlynesse whose Chambers Cabbins and Closets serue but for lurking holes or places of retyre for sinne The Prophet therefore solemnely promiseth that the windowes of his priuatest life and secretest heart shall be open to all that will desire to looke into him for the integritie of those matters that he publikelie dealeth in professing that if he doe them not well his desire was and labour shall be to doe them better And thus he will walks in the vprightnes of his heart knowing that without such a soundnesse within neyther his actions nor sayings could please the Lord. Therefore all semblance of conuersation in the olde Israelites was but meere flatterie because their heart was not vpright with God neyther were they faithfull in his couenant Psal. 78.34.35.36.37 Simon Magus continued with Philip and was among the Apostles yet not as a Christian but as an Intruder because his heart was not right in the sight of God Act. 8â—13 21 He that came to the wedding dinner and sate downe with the wedding guests was singled out to shame torments perpetuall because he had not on a wedding garment that is vvas in body there but not in affection there Mat. 23.11.13 And did not Iudas speake as good words and shew as great works as the other Disciples did yet the Diuell hauing put treason into his heart what good could be expected from him euen when he saluted and kissed his Master Ioh. 13.2 Mat. 26.48 Ananias and Saphira shall lose the reward and thanks of their contribution if Sathan fill their hearts and cause them to lye vnto the holy Ghost Act. 5.3.4.9 and so shall they vvho counterfait with their lippes but in their hearts lay vp deceit Pro. 26.24 The Reasons Hypocrites seeme to drawe in the same yoke of sinceritie with the Saints of God yet because their heart is not vpright as the heart of the Saints is they are as graues which appeare not and the men that walke ouer them perceiue not Luk 11.44 Or if painting will serue and smoothing be inough the carion Iezebel shall goe for a beautifull and well-fauoured creature looking out at the window 2 King 9.30 and where outward works are sufficient the veriest hypocrite and rankest Pharisee shall passe for a most sufficient Christian. Secondly it appeareth Psal. 119.1.2 verses that sound happinesse consisteth in a sound heart and that it is not in the action done or words spoken that blessednes is to be found but in the qualitie of these when all is done sincerelie and spoken soundly from a minde without guile Psal. 15.2 Thirdly the seruice of the hypocrite is as loathsome to God as a Toade to man be his outward colour neuer so fresh and worke glorious which would not bee if integritie could bee found in the externall deede
vvho haue set one foote ouer the threshold of true repentance for how many can be brought to this first step of wisedome wisely and with feare to looke into themselues to cast vp their estate to reckon vpon the booke for their debts to God which are in so many sinnes and strange kindes of sinning against him from their childhood till now And while men cannot be perswaded nor drawne thus to gage themselues for their faults and doings what hope is there that they will be sory for them with a godly sorrow to repentance Will a man that knowes not his estate suspect it and can he that suspects it not fall into thoughts about it So who will be truely grieued for his wretched estate who neither knoweth his wretchednesse what it is nor spirituall estate how poore it is S. Paul in the life of nature and sect of a Pharisie knew not that Concupiscence was a sin till he beheld himselfe in the glasse of that law that saith Thou shalt not lust Rom. 7.7 till he cast vp his bookes he was aliue that is seemed to himselfe and appeared to others to be in very good plight and â—aking for this life for eternall life But when the Commandement came and looked vpon him he by it into himselfe he found that he was no body a dead man sold vnto sin and laid in the graue of a dead body or body of death a man woâ—ully and pittifully miserable and therefore cryeth out as in great pain to be deliuered from such a body or from the body of such a death Ro. 7.19.24 The Church of the Laodiceans thought her selfe to be better gold then the Touch could finde her for she thought her selfe to be rich and increased with goods and to haue need of nothing where she was wretched and miserable and poore blinde and naked Apoc. 3.17 But this she knew not or cared not to know The reason was shee neuer entred into her selfe with purpose of inquirie and search in what tearmes she stood with God how short shee was of the welfare and good health shee boasted of and how neare to that desperate death which she neuer feared And this made her to boast of her righteousnes when she should haue beene humbled for her sins and to thinke her selfe rich she was poore Our common people at this day and not the worst sort of them looke no further into their doings then that they carry some good shew of opennesse to the world And when vvil such be sorie for their imperfect and hypocriticall righteousnesse And for desperate and bold sinners they dare not like bank-rupt debters looke with any eye of particular search into their poore and vvretched life lest they be tormented too soone or as the diuels cryed out before their time vvith sorrow and horrible feare Mat. 8.29 And vvhen vvill such come to repentance that they may be saued vvill they not rather blesse themselues in their heart saying they shall haue peace vvhen the Lord vvill not be mercifull to such Deut. 29.19.20 Let all Pharisaicall Papists consider vvho must needes be farre from repentance seeing by resting in themselues for saluation they affect to be ignorant of that poore estate vvherein the best are borne that by man are borne of a woman For though they be and be borne poore in Grace and corrupt in Nature as all that came from Adam are yet they so conceit themselues of a supposed vvealth of naturall righteousnes abiding in them of works of merit proceeding from them that they can neuer truly know how miserable how wretched how naked and how nothing they are in themselues that they may be beholden to him onely for all their spirituall increase who giueth liberally to all and reprocheth no man Iam. 1.5 It is the feeling of a disease that maketh vs so to desire the cure of it and so to esteeme of him that can cure it and it is the feeling of misery that maketh mercy to be mercy for till we feele our misery and weake estate we will boast as he of whom it is said There is who maketh himselfe rich and hath nothing Prou. 13.7 An admonition to Christians that would be truely repentant to reckon vvith themselues for their life past particularly and vpon speciall bill at night before they goe to bed or in the morning before they rise from bed and not generally and in grosse onely as most do It is the exhortation of the godly in the Booke of Lamentations that men would search try their wayes and so turne to the Lord Lament 3.40 that is that they would not sleightly and runningly goe ouer their sinnes but pausingly and with standing vpon them seeking euery sin as with a candle till they finde it if it be to be found and trying it by the touch of Gods Words when they haue met with it that they may come to amendment This is to turne to the Lord when we first turne out Sin and euery sin when wee sit downe and account with our selues impartially for euery disobedience that wee can remember bee it in greater or lesser euils or when we consider our wayes and hauing run along goale of foolish vaniies such as Ephraimâ—an â—an this lost Son after him doe with Ephraim smite vpon the thigh and with the lost Sonne come to our selues for our returning to God and for the healing of all our errors past that the Lord may haue mercy vpon vs and receiue his lost Sonnes in our conuersion Ier. 31.18.19 c. As therefore the lost Son here so at the end of our stage such as he ran we must if we will repent soundly come to our selues in particular words thus say to our selues as a zealous Preacher sometimes taught In such a place at such a time and in such a company I wrâ—tchedly and desperately offended GOD my good conscience and the consciences of Gods children by talking filthily by swearing horribly by drinking excessiuely and by â—ailing damnably bitterly against Gods word and his Ministers In such a priuate place on such a day and in such a corner in the darke I committed fornication or adulterie closely when the walles couered mee and no mans eye sawe meâ— I made no conscience of a Lie where I might be beleeued if it had beene for an aduantage to saue my credit and as little conscience to defraud my simple brother where I might doe it cunningly without blame On the Lords Sabbath when others wâ—nt to Gods house I went directly to an Ale-house or from Prayer to Playes and from the Sermon to the Stage The time that was giuen mee for repentance I abused to sinne and can giue no good account of time that is pretious and should be redeemed Eph. 5.16 For how haue I redeemed it that is bought it out of Satans hands and the hand of sinne for good employments or how rather haue I wasted and powred forth the good houres of