yee are thinking of the earth somtime of your pleasure sometime sleeping sometime yee know not what yee are thinking At preaching yee heare the voyce of a man speaking but say not Amen And sometime your voyce is repeating some idle and deafe sounds your heart no whit being moued Simil. but as a Parrat or Pye vttering incertaine sounds or a Bell sounding it knowes not what so are ye with your mouth praising God your heart being absented from him Faith only fixed on God Lifting vp of the heart presupposeth a former deiection Next his faith is not carried about hither and thither but only fixeth it selfe vpon God Thirdly the lifting vp of the heart presupposeth a former deiection of his soule The soule of man is pressed downe with sinne a 〈◊〉 with the cares of this world which as lead doth the net draweth it so downe that it cannot mount aboue till God send spirituall prayers as corke to the neâ— to exalt it Simil. which arise out of faith as the flame doth out of the fire Heb. 12.1 and which must bee free of secular cares and all things pressing downe which sheweth vnto vs that worldlings can no more pray Simil. than a Moule is able to flie But Christians are as Eagles which mount vpward Simil. Seeing then the heart of man by nature is fixed to the earth and of it selfe is no more able to rise there-from Simil. then a stone which is fixed in the ground till God raise it by his power word and workmen it should be our principall petition to the Lord that it would please him to draw vs that we might runne after him that he would exalt and lift vp our hearts that we might raise them vp to heauen and not lie still in the puddle of this earth Here the future tense vsed for the present In the Hebrew it is I will lift vp by a common phrase vsing the future time for the present but he sayes not I lift vp my voice or my hands to thee which both he did for these are in vaine without the heart So Anna the mother of Samuel saies 1 Sam. 1.15 I poured forth my heart in the sight of the Lord as a body without the soule VERSE 2. My God I trust in thee let me not be confounded let not wine enemies reioyce ouer me THe second argument that hee vseth is taken from the person of his aduersaries 2. Argument taken from the person of his aduersaries opposing his faith to their fury Mat 10.13 Psal 20.7 who albeit they were furiously bent against him yet hee onely runneth to God without whose permission they were not able to cause one haire of his head fall to the ground Some seeke for the helpe of men some trust in horses and chariots some goe to Beelzebub and deuils by witches 2 King 1.2 1 Sam. 28.8 but let a true Christian with Dauid here haue his refuge to God I trust in thee Doct. Faith is the ground of prayer Here is faith the root and ground of prayer When Christ bestowed any benefit vpon his patients he asked them Doe ye beleeue Mark 9.23 Mat. 8.13 Simil. and then answered Be it 〈◊〉 thee according to thy faith It is a naturall dependance that all creatures vse this argument to their superiors and masters As my trust is in you helpe me And should not we vse this same to our Lord and say My trust is in thee O Lord therefore helpâ— me He stands vpon the points of his honor will he then cast off his dependants No truly Faith in God a stroÌ„g argumeÌ„t wherby God is moued to defend vs. Mark 9.23 24. there is no stronger argument to mouâ— God to defend thee then if thou alledge thy faith in him there is nothing impossible to him that beleeueth Let vs therefore crauâ— the augmentation of our faith and say Lord increase our faith and then wee need not to doubt but God will giue vs all things His prayer is grounded vpon faith 1 Cor 4.13 Prayer grounded on faith Paul saith I beleeued therefore haue I spoken therefore such prayers as proceed of an incertaine faith are abhomination in the sight of the Lord and scorning of his Maiesty Doe yee not thinke Words without faith and feeling vnprofitable that if wee conceiue words in our owne language if we want a feeling of them that they will bee acceptable to God no indeed but much lesse will they please him Doct. if in an vncouth language wee repeat vaine words Shame the daughter of sinne we know not what Let me not be confounded Shame is the laughter of sinne and a condigne punishment for sinne Rom. 6 2â— What fruit had ye then in those â—hings wherewith now ye are ashamed For the â—nd of those things is death But no shame can befall to a Christian Qui credit non erubesceâ— He that beleeueth shall not be ashamed Doct. RepentaÌ„ce blotteth out the memory of sinne Heb. 11.31 2 Pet. 2.7 for â—f hee fall in sinne it will by Gods blessing turne to the best to him and his repentance will blot out the memory of his sinne Rachabs faith hath blotted away the remembrance of her whoredome Dauids repentance and Manasses hath blotted out their sinnes Lots righteousnesse is remembred their sinne is not shamefull for God honoured them with such vertues as tooke away the filthinesse of their sinne Simil. If a gold ring should fall in the mire the price of the gold remaines and the dirt may soone be wiped away Albeit Iacobs thigh made him to halt Gen. 32.3 yet the strength of his armes who wrastled with the Angell his reuelations that he got and his holinesse made not that to bee thought a deformity in him Simil. Doct. The afflictions of Gods children are honorable what the worse is a Captaine for a scarre in his face whose valorous armes haue beene so well tried Next his afflictions and persecutions cannot bee shamefull but honourable for the Apostles themselues thought it great honour to be beaten 〈◊〉 3.41 to be beaten yea to bee scourged for Christs sake They now are crowned with martyrdome who to the worlds opinion haue suffered as euill doers Let not mine enemies reioyce ouer me The deuils reioyce at euill Luke 15.10 The wicked doe imitate the nature of the deuill for he is neuer glad but at the destruction of sinners as the Angels reioyce at their conuersion whereby ye may trie if yee be a true Christian The triall of a Christian by coÌ„passion 2 Cor. 11.29 if ye lament with those that lament and haue compassion on them and say with the Apostle Saint Paul Quis affligitur ego non vrâ—r Who is afflicted and I doe not burne Gods children haue many enemies hee is not one of Gods lambes if he haue not a Lyon or a dogge to pursue him Doct. Gods children
learning but doe neuer attaine to the power of godlinesse and his couenant to giue them vnderstanding His couenant is specially mentioned Doct. because the Iewes brag of the couenant made to Abraham their Father Gods couenant belongeth to such as feare him Iohn 8.33 But here he declareth to them that they haue no title to the couenant except they feare God The Iewes bragged that they were descended of Abraham but Christ sends them to their father the deuill because they follow his manners and are murtherers Therefore there is no part in the couenant to those who haue not the true feare of God VERSE 15. Mine eyes are euer towards the Lord for who will bring my feet out of the net NOw he doth apply the benefits of God which generally were propounded to the Church to himselfe as he began the Psalme so he ends it with a prayer for his deliuery from his enemies In this Verse hee perswades himselfe by faith that God will set him free for as saith the Text his eyes are euer towards the Lord that is he depended on God as the eye of the handmayd is towards her mistresse This he testifieth when he saith Psal 123. Psal 121. And I lift vp mine eyes to the mountaines my helpe commeth from thee O Lord for thou wilt deliuer me who trusts in thee Note Men may looke for helpe at the hands of men but in vaine But God will not frustrate the expectation of his owne which should make vs not to turne our eyes from him seeking helpe from Aegvpt Wee cannot at one time looke vp to heauen downe to hell or the earth no more put our confidence in God and man Next ye see that if we desire to get deliuery we must in al our actions set him before our eies direct all our actions to glorifie God and edifie his Church Psal 16.8 I haue set the Lord alwayes before my face for he is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide Will God defend an vnrighteous man who aimeth not at Gods glory but his owne designes Note If thou haue him before thine eies then will he stand at thy right hand to maintaine thee He will bring my feet out of the net Comparison He compareth his estate to a bird insnared in the fowlers net for his enemies were fowlers their engins were nets himselfe was the poore bird circumnened The Churches enemies vsing subtilties to intrap her The Church hath many enemies but none are so crafty as these fowlers fraud and craft is a marke of Gods enemies they imitate their father the deuill who is a wily Serpent and more subtile then any beast of the field Gen. 3.1 Let Christians haue their conuersation in heauen God will breake the snare Thirdly let Christians be birds that as they haue their chiefe abode in the ayre so we may haue our conuersation in heauen as they fill the aire with their sounds so let vs praise God Fourthly Gods children may be ensnared but God will breake their nets and deliuer them as Paul Silas and Peter out of prison Acts 16.26 for that which seemes impossible to men is possible with God Psal 124. Simil. Man is as the bird escaped out of the snare of the fowler for as the bird compassed cannot deliuer it selfe no more can man escape their attempts by his owne strength but onely by Gods power VERSE 16. Turne thy face vnto mé and haue mercy vpon me for I am desolate and poore HE thinkes in aduersity that God turnes away his face Doct. whose presence to a creature is as the turning of the Sun vnto the earth Aduersity makes mē feare Gods absence He craueth mercy oftentimes in this Psalm acknowledging that to be the fountaine from which all blessings flow to him Doct. this argument is taken from God himselfe Gods mercy the fountaine of all blessings The next argument from his misery For I am desolate and poore This is the obiect of Gods mercy Doct. vpon vvhich it must worke as the vvounded Iew was an obiect of the Samaritans mercy Misery the obiect of Gods mercie How would Gods mercy be knowne if man had no misery How would the Physitians skill be tried if not by the patients diseases Luk. 10.33 How would the liberality of Princes their Iustice be notified Simil. but by the pouerty of their subiects and their distresses VERSE 17. The sorrowes of mine heart are enlarged draw me out of my troubles THe sorrowes of mine heart are enlarged Doct. God hath many meanes to humble the sonnes of men God multiplieses sorrowes because wee multiply sinnes and namely he turnes their ioy of sinne into sorrow the right sorrow whereof the Lord send vs. God multiplies sorrowes because we multiply sins Dauid found a cause of sorrew in euery thing he gat from God for his brethren enuied him 1 Sam. 17.28 and 18.9 2 Sam. 6.20 and 15.31 his father in law Saul persecuted him his vvife mocked him his familiars and companions deceined him his children pursued him the Ziphims and the Lords of Keilah betrayed him 1 Sam. 23.12 and 26. 1. and 29.4 the Philistims reiected him The ioies which God propineth vs with are as so many roses but in the bottome of them are enclosed as many thorner to pricke vs Simil. As Paul was pricked with the messenger of Satan 2 Cor. 12.7 lest he should haue beene exalted through the great reuelations So if we found not some discomfort in euery creature we should be bewitched with the delight thereof that we could not settle our affection on God And therefore God peppers euery pleasure and giues vs some soure sauce thereto Exod. 12.8 as he gaue soure hearbs to be eaten with the Paschal Lambe Draw me out of my troubles Doct. Many are the tribulations of the righteous If the pleasures of this world were not painfull we would too much delight in them but the Lord will deliuer him out of them all God vseth to draw them by which hee would testifie that it is a work of Gods power to deliuer the innocent as Dauid deliuered his fathers sheepe from the Lyon and the Beare and the vessels out of the hands of a strong man VERSE 18. Looke vpon mine afflictions Psal 34.11 1 Sam. 17.34 and my trauell and forgiue all my sinnes THere he acknowledgeth the root of al his troubles to be sin Doct. for which he craueth mercy at God The root of all our trouble is our owne sinne Ye may see here that sin toucheth him so neere the heart that he cannot find ease but in the remission thereof Sin is sweet in the mouth as honey Simil. but it is in the womb as grauell Pro. 20.17 There is no venome in the affliction but sinne so being quit of sin he esteemes nothing of the affliction Sin is
to the eternal monument of Gods booke but he committeth it to the euerlasting momuments of Gods booke where of one iote cannot perish but shall endure for euer in despight both of the Diuell and Antichrist the Pope his first borne A Psalme of Dauid He putteth to his name prefixing and subscribing it himselfe neither will suffer any to publish it but himself as he was not ashamed to sin he is not ashamed to repent as he was not ashamed to sin openly Let not those be ashamed to repent for sinne who haue not bin ashamed to sin Theodosius his repentance he is not ashamed publikly to declare his repentance Theodosius the Emperour is renowned in all the world for his humble repentance before Saint Ambrose after the slaughter at Thessalonica where in the place of the penitents he fell downe on his face and said Agglutinata est terra anima mea My soule is glued to the earth None are ashamed to sinne but all are ashamed to repent and so God powreth shame vpon many because they will not honour him whom they haue dishonored To the chiefe Musitian or to him that excelleth on Neginoth This same is the title of the 4. Psal LaÌ„menatzeah oftentimes in the Scriptures is taken for the Presidents who are chiefe in any thing as 2. Chron. 18. 34.18 The sweete singer of Israel giues it to a sweete singer I thinke it to be best translated To him that excelleth Neginoth was an instrument of musick vpon which they played So they did not only reade the Psalmes but also sing them yea so distinctly that the people easily might vnderstand them not so much addicted to tâ—â— note or tune as to the matter as our Sauiour did sing after the Communion Mat. 26 3â— and Paul commandeth it Col. 3.16 Musicke is an Art very pleasant delectable and profitable to stirre vp the affections of man to Gods seruice The commodities of musick 2. Kin. 3.15 or to restraine the anger and perturbations of our nature as was in Elizeus who sought for a minstrell to appease him But first we haue to see that this excellent Psalme is committed to an excellent person who hath great cunning to put it forth to the vse of the Church teaching vs hereby that spirituall exercises are not to be put into the hands of ignorant dolts who haue no wisedome or skill to set forth the glorie of their God For the subiect being most glorious why should it be concredited to such as haue neither learning nor wisdome And if that singing should haue so worthy instruments what do ye thinke of the preaching of the Gospell of which the Apostle saith Who can be sufficient for those things Happie then is that Church when learned men are promoted to good places whereby the word may be further aduanced And in a miserable case are those who are committed to the charge of ignorants Against ignorant and idle preachers idle bellies and such like who are vnfit to take the care of Gods people for whom they shall be countable to God at the great day and Gods vengeance shall be vpon them in this world Dauid he aduanceth musick very much as Solomon also after him 1. Chron. 15.16 and the Musicians were distributed into certaine classes and orders Col. 3.16 1 Cor. 14.15 The antiquitie and ancientie hereof maketh much for its commendation for God did inuent it This is a principall science and yet it hath few aduancers Mens deafned eares betoken their beastly ignorance who will not suffer themselues to be wakened and roused vp from their security and sleepe There are some good Christians chalenged Obiect who being of a melancholious nature are thought to abhorre all musicke and musicall instruments Solut. But men are deceiued herein if musicke be free of profanitie and superstition there is no good man of religion who cannot but like it well and delight greatly therein But the auarice of our age as it hath bin the decay of many sciences so likewise of this Nota. The Church being spoiled of her rents is not able to entertaine this science as it should be which God supply wheÌ„ he thinketh time And this I say not that I do like either the profanitie of beastly men that in stead of heauenly songs sing bawdie ballads or of such superstitious Papists who sing and tune Latine words in their Masses thereby mocking God and making religion a sport But the abuse of that science I disallow the vse I allow and approue as most necessarie to Gods glorie And seeing it will be perpetuall in the heauens why should it not begin on earth There shall be a naturall not artificial song of which we shall sing for euer the song of Moses the seruant of God Apoc. 15.3 Let vs therefore begin on earth learne of our Gamma and enter into our Alphabet here Nota. that we may be perfect Musitians when we become perfect our selues in glorie Here let vs sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord Col. 3 16. reiecting vaine idolatrous and profane ballads and sing spiritually vnto the Lord. When Nathan the Prophet came to him Dauid as is thought lay a yeare almost in this sinne asleep till God wakened him by Nathan Ionah 1.6 as he did Ionas by the Pilot. It is certaine we would sleep vnto death before we awake from sinne if God did not put vpon vs Man is lying asleepe till God waken him and stirre vs vp We are so benummed by the spirit of slumber and possessed by a lethargie that all our senses are stupified till Nathan come and awake vs. Next God sends him that which he praied for euen a faithful admonisher Psal 119. One Prophet cometh to another yea a greater then himselfe 1. King 13.18 not as the old Prophet came to the yong at Bethel to deceiue him but as a father to admonish his child Pastors should freely rebuke the vices one of another There should be an holy freedome and libertie among Preachers each one should freely rebuke another when they see them doing wrong One should not winke at an other as most part do and others being reproued rage mightily saying with Zidkiah When went the Spirit of the Lord out of me to thee They rebuke the rebuker 1. King 22 24. Esa 30 1â— They say to the Prophet Prophecie not Obserue moreouer that Nathan cometh first to Dauid not Dauid to Nathan the Physitian to the patient not the patient to the Physitian Christ himselfe came to the sinners and Publicans and called them to repentance This is against the pride of some Mat. 9.13 Against the pride and lazinesse of Preachers and lazinesse of others who will not come or take the paines to visit weake Christians yea will scarce admit them to their presence when they come as though they were Princes Woe to their pride who come not to the sicke and heale not the
â—nd Apostles And it is no maruell though â—t this time in the triall of the Church Nota. maâ—y be found to be but men God is not to be blamed he is pure when he trieth And seeing triall is prophecied to be not onely the Church of Philadelphia Reu. 3.10 1. Pet. 1.7 but also in all the earth which is called the houre of tentation or a time of fiery triall either by heresies schismes or defection from the â—ruth of God or by bloodie persecutions of Gods Saints and his Church as all Europe hath experience this day what shall we do but keepe Gods word Nota. possesse our soules in patience suffering the reproches calumnies cruell dealings yea all that the diuell and his children can do to vs. If we be tried by fire let vs be found gold if by water let vs abide in the Arke and in the Apostles boate let vs be found sure builders vpon the foundation which the Apostles laid euen Christ 1. Pet. 2. if by the aire and winds let vs be as wheate and not chaffe If finally by the earth and earthly allurements let vs be fouÌ„d to haue our conuersatioÌ„ aboue the time of trial is come already We learne also out of this that in all our trials whether inward in our conscience or externall in our bodies yea though our bodies were giuen to the beasts and foules of heauen In all our trials externall or internall God is pure yet God is pure and without fault In the best of vs all there is cause why we should be tried Verse 5. Behold I was borne in iniquitie and in sin hath my mother conceiued me THis is the fourth reason by which he would moue God to forgiue him That our nature from the very originall is corrupted from the seminarie and fountain of our conception For from our mothers wombe we bring nothing but sinne And surely we cannot throughly acknowledge our sins vnlesse we condemne our whole naturall powers and faculties of vncleannesse So the knowledge of this one sinne bringeth him to the examination of his whole life Actuall sins are as streames which proceed from original sin which is the fountaine till he find nothing in himselfe but sin For if the fountaine be poisoned what will the streames be that flow from it If we would looke backe to our originall sin we might haue cause the more to lament our actual sins as poisonable streames flowing from such a fountaine So soone therefore as our conscience accuseth vs of any one sin we should call to remembrance the whole course of our life Let the remembraÌ„ce of one sin put vs in mind of all the sins we haue committed Simil. that it hath bin nothing else but a continuall sinning against God that thus the last putting vs in mind of the first we may not be content to repent and aske pardon for one but for all A sick man hauing obtained health doth remember how long be was sicke whereby for the present he both considereth his own frailtie and Gods mercie in deliuering him as also encourageth and inanimateth him in time to come by remembrance of former mercies obtained Happie were we if we would begin to remember our miseries and Gods mercies Lorinus the Iesuite to ecce addeth enim which he confesseth is not in the Hebrew veritie and that Saint Ierome hath forgot it yet maintaineth that it is rightly put in to giue force to the words of his sin See the Sophist who granteth the Scriptures and yet would empaire their credit as though Gods Spirit were not wise enough and the sense could not hold without enim The like do they in these words Hoe est corpus meum they adde enim and say Hoc est enim which is not in the Scriptures and were altogether vngrammaticall In a word they alter and change the Scriptures as they please bringing in their enim as a particle of reason which carieth with it no reason Ye see then what the miserable corruption of our nature is so soone as we take life Man no soouer beginneth to liue but he beginneth to sinne Gen. 6.5 we begin to sin An infant of one day is not cleane before God The masse whereof we be formed is filthy and sinfull and so much the more filthy seeing it is possessed with a soule vncleane and polluted The cogitation of mans heart is only euill continually God knoweth our mold Psa 103.14 We erre froÌ„ the womb And albeit mariage be a bed vndefiled Heb. 13.4 by reason of the institution yet the concupiscence and lust polluteth the ordinance which is most holy Children haue of iginall sin Then children are not free of original sin for then why should they be baptized and why should they die as many do daily But it may seeme wonderfull strange Obiect that châ—ldren who can neither doe thinke or speake euill should be culpable I answer by another question what is the reason that a yong fox new whelped Solut. Simil. doth not slay a lamb is it not because it lacketh strength and is not come to that maturitie to execute their inclination which is naturally cruell So are infants naturally inclined to sin and therefore so soone as they can think any thing speake or do any thing it is euill as daily experience teacheth vs. Parents should take care to amend by good education that which is deficient in their children by nature Simil. Originall sin is sin And therefore it becometh Christian parents to take paines to amend that which is deficient and imperfect by nature in their children by art instruction and correction That as wilde beasts are tamed by the industrie of men and barren grounds haue become fruitfull by labouring and manuring so euil natures may be corrected by good education Ye see also out of this that originall sin is sin and offensiue to the law of God and the roote of all others that the most secret thought of our heart is sufficient to condemne vs if God would deale extreamely Which impugneth that diuellish and erronious doctrine of some who think that the first intentions and thoughts are veniall if consent come not with them Our Lord saieth that whosoeuer seeth a woman and lusteth after her committeth adulterie Mat. 5 28. and is as culpable before God as if he had sinned with her But that concludeth not that the motion is not sinfull to which such a wicked consent is added the greater sin cannot excuse the lesser Therefore we must go with Elizeus to the countaine and cast in salt in those rotten and stinking waters 2 Kin. 2.20 that they being purified all the streames flowing therefrom may be also cured This parentall sin hereditarie radicall the leuen of the primitiue corruption the law of the members naturall and generall to all mankind Nota. cannot be taken away but by the conception and natiuitie of Christ But here ariseth a question how
albeit the doctrine of repentance be irksome and vnsauory to the flesh yet it is wholesome to the soule Naturall men esteeme this doctrine to be an enemie to them Simil. which would slay their corruptions and lusts Medicine which at first seemeth bitter afterward becommeth more comfortable so the doctrine which is salted with salt and hyssope is fitter for vs then that which is sweetned with hony for hony was neuer appointed to be vsed in the Lords sacrifices but salt omnis victima sale saliatur An obseruation of Cyrillus concerning hysop Cyrillus obserueth in the hyssope an hot operation whereby it sharpneth the grosse humors and purgeth the concretion of the priuitie so grace maketh vs feruent in the spirit Moreouer hysop purgeth the lungs phtiriasis rests The propertie of hysop Plin. lib. 20. cap. 4. nourisheth the natiue colour of the bodie killeth filth and vermine growing on man cureth the bites of serpents prouoketh appetite sharpneth the sight is enemie to feuers of which it is written Parua calens pectus purgans petrosa streatrix Ius sapidat pleurae congrua spargit aquam So grace is hot by charitie purging by contrition spitting forth by confession seasoning the body by temperance sauing the soule and inward parts by application of Christs blood which being drunken purgeth our plurisie and bloodie eyes The hysop of Christs blood a medicine for all our corruptioÌ„s Then seeing all these diseases are in the soule of man are we not much beholden to God who hath made one salue to cure all our sores the blindnesse of our mind is remoued by the water of his blood the foule corâ—uptions of our heart are euacuate and dissolued that we spit them forth our coldnes is warmed our fiery feuers and in flammations quenched our spirituall vigour colour is restored which we lost by sin Wash me and I shall be whiter then the snow What meant by washing He acknowledgeth that none in heauen or earth is able to purge him but God onely He hath that fountaine in his owne garden he will communicate the glorie of our redemption to none but to himselfe For by this washing is meant the washing of iustification and remission of sins that as creation belongeth onely to God so doth redemption by Christs blood Wo to them who leauing the waters of life go to any other to seek water out of these rotteÌ„ cisterns Then seeing it is the proper work of God to wash vs let vs go to the lauer of baptisme that there we may be once washed and after daily pray that he may wash our feete by sanctification And I shall be whiter then the snow He perswadeth himselfe of a full purgation by Christs blood Though I were as blacke as the Moore yet shall I be white as snow Nothing can blot out our sinnes but this blood If we would wash our selues with snow waters our righteousnesse shall be as a menstruous garment Esa 64.6 What is all the righteousnesse of man but an abhomination before God Yea Christ himselfe if he had bin onely man could not haue bin able to satisfie the iustice of an insinite God he must be God himselfe and therefore it is called the blood of God But how shall we be whiter then snow I answer Act. 20. Obiect Soâ—â—â— our estate is more perfect and surer by Christ then it was by nature in Adam forasmuch as we haue our perfection by Christ which cannot faile or alter and it is the perfection of God which belongeth to vs so that we stand not before God as men but as gods before God being couered with his perfect obedience who is our Redeemer blessed for euer So there is no cause why we should feare or despaire seeing we are cleansed perfectly if we beleeue be sanctified Let vs put on Christ whose garment is white as snow Mat. 17.2 And his Church is made white in him Who is this that commeth vp white 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cant. 8.5 Apoc. 7.14 And the Bride hath white garments made white in the Lambes blood The proper office of the holy Spirit is to wash vs and purifie our conscience by Christs blood lest our filthinesse keepe vs back from accesse to God And this ye were saith the Apostle but ye are washed 1. Cor. 6.11 ye are sanctified ye are iustified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of our God And againe speaking of the Church that he may sanctifie her purging her by the washing of water by the word that he may make the Church glorious to himself not hauing spot or wrinkle Eph. 5.27 or any such thing but that she may be holy blamelesse So it is the onely worke of God to sanctifie his children make them clean Finally obserue that iustification and sanctification are vndeuided companions Doctr. Iustificatiâ— and sanctification go together whomsoeuer the Lord washeth by the hysop of his Sonnes blood he also sanctifieth by his Spirit Studie therefore to get holinesse without which none shall see God Let holinesse to the Lord be written on your brests Exo. 28.36 Leuit. 20.7 Holinesse becometh the house of God Be holy Manystudy to attain to knowledg but not to sanctification as I am holy For what fellowship can the most holy God haue with vncleane and profane people This miserable age studieth to aâ—taine to knowledge but not to sanctification Let Atheists call you what they please studie you to puritie of life A true Christian will make more conscience of an idle word or filthy thought which wil arise in their hearts Nota. and will correct it more sharply then those lend miscreants will do for adultery and the worst actions they commit Verse 8. Make me to heare ioy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may reioyce HAuing craued before remission of sins now he beggeth the fruite which followes vpon the same that is ioy and gladnes which is one of the fruits of the kingdome of God and marks of Gods children Ioy proceedeth of sorrow This ioy which he suiteth must of necessitie presuppose a sorrow which he had for his sinne For as repentance can neuer want sorrow no more can remission want ioy So that ioy springeth out of the bitter roote of sorrow And the greater sorrow we haue the greater shall our ioy be The deeper thy griefe be the higher shall thy comfort be He doubleth ioy and gladnesse both of soule and bodie he will not be contented with some one or two consolations but wil haue them to be multiplied that as his tribulations did increase so his comforts in Christ Iesus might be enlargad Of all men a Christian hath most cause to reioyce As a Christian is the most sorowfull man in the world so there is none more glad then he For the cause of his ioy is greatest in respect his misery was greatest his deliuery greatest therefore his