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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09376	A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1607 (1607)	STC 19677.5; ESTC S2273	415,205	614

should come forth and incourage the people that their hearts might not faint nor feare nor dread their enemies because of the powerfull presence of God fighting for them The Papists obiect this by way of reproach against Zwinglius who was one of the restorers of the Gospel That hee died in the fielde among Souldiers But this indeed is no reproach but rather a matter of great commendation vnto him in that for the increase of faith and knowledge in them that were weake Christians about him hee was content to hazard his owne life And thus much of the eight effect The ninth effect of faith for which these worthy men are commended is this They turned to flight the Armies of the Alients This may be vnderstoode of the most of the Iudges and of the good Kings of Iuda and Israell But I will make choyse especially of two Gedion and Iehosaphat for Gedion one of the Iudges with three hundred Souldiers Iudges 6. and 7 altogether vnweaponed onely with light pitchers in their hands put to flight a mighty huge Armie of the Midianites And Iehosaphat a godly King being assaulted with a mighty and great Armie of Moabites Ammonites and men of mount Seir knew that by force of armes hee could not withstand them and therefore by faith makes a worthy prayer vnto the Lord and the Lord heard him and set his enemies one against another and so did he put them to flight which hee could neuer haue done by any strength of his owne Heere wee may learne how Kingdomes and people may become able to put to flight their enemies The best way is to put in practice their faith in God by humbling themselues truly for their sinnes past with vnfained confession of them vnto God praying withall earnestly for the pardon of them and for Gods aide assistance protection against their enemies The power of this meanes is euident in Scripture and therefore when Eliah was taken vp Elisha cried My Father my Father the Chariot of Israell and the horse-men thereof 2. Kings 2.12 giuing him this notable commendations that he was as good to Israell by meanes of his faith as all their Chariots and Horse-men Question How could that possibly be true Answer If we reade the Story wee shall finde it to be most true that by his prayers which he made in faith he did as much or more then al the strength of the Land could doe And so it shall be with all Christian Kings and people if they can shew forth their faith by prayer vnto God they shall doe wonderfull much hereby in subduing of their enemies To apply this to our selues wee haue had many and dangerous assaults from Popish enemies both domestical and forraine who haue of long time and no doubt stil doe purpose our ouerthrowe Now how shall wee be able to withstand their might and to escape their malice True it is Christian policy and warlike prouision must be vsed yet our stay and rest must not be thereon but wee must stirre vp our faith both Magistrates and Subiects Prince and people and first of all humble our selues for our sins and shew forth our repentance by new obedience in time to come and then pray for a blessing vpon the outward meanes which shall be vsed This is the right practice of faith in the case of danger by our enemies which we shal finde if we exercise it vnfainedly to be a surer meanes of safety and victory against our enemies then all worldly munition and policie For hereby we shall haue the Lord for our protection and his blessing vpon the outward meanes giuing strength and good successe thereunto when as omitting this duty the Lord will not be with vs and then we shall finde that vaine is the strength or wit of man Let vs not therefore betray our selues wilfully into our enemies hand but by this practice of faith enable our selues against all our enemies whatsoeuer otherwise wee may iustly feare to be deliuered into their hands for a prey vnto their teeth And therefore if we loue our owne safetie and the wel-fare of our Land let vs practice this duty For the prayer of faith auaileth much with God if it be feruent and therefore the Lord saith to Moses when he fell down before him to turne backe the wrath that was broken-in vpon the people Let me alone as though Moses had held or bound the Lords hand by his prayer that hee could not smite his people And thus much for the ninth fruite of faith The faith of the widowe and the Shunamite VERSE 35. The women receiued their dead raised vp to life THis is the tenth and last fruit of their faith which must be vnderstood of these two women especially the widow of Zarephath and the Shunamite The widow of Zarephath giuing entertainment o Eliiah in the great famine had this blessing vouchsafed vnto her for her faith that her dead sonne was restored to life by the Prophet And the Shunamite that prouided lodging for the Prophet Elisha had her onely son restored to life from death by the Prophet through faith Now heere we must obserue that these two women did not only beleeue in the true God but more particularly that God would vse these his seruants as meanes to restore to life their two children that were dead as appeares by this that both of them made means to the Prophet for the reuiuing of their children which they did by faith But some wil say This last effect of faith may seeme to crosse the Scripture else-where which saith that Christ is the first fruites of them that sleepe How then could these that were before Christs incarnation be restored from death to life Answer Saint Pauls meaning is this that Christ is the first of all those that rose from death to life to die no more but to liue for euer So indeede Christ is the first fruites of them that sleepe for he rose to liue for euer As for these two and some other mentioned both in the olde Testament and the new that were raised from death to life they rose not from the sleepe of death to liue for euer but to die againe In this tenth fruite of faith all Parents may learne their duty towards their children in the case of sicknesse or such like They must follow the example of these two godly women and labour especially to shew forth their faith in such duties as God requireth in such a case to wit they must humble themselues for their owne sinnes and for the sinnes of their children and family praying earnestly to God for the pardon of them for GOD may visite the iniquity of the Parents vpon the children in bodily iudgements and entreating the Lord to restore them to health and liberty and withall they must vse the ordinarie lawfull meanes of recouerie in physicke and such like praying to God for a blessing thereupon This is their dutie but alas the manner and practice of

him alone three whole daies in great perplexity and Abraham goes forward according to Gods commād euen to lay his knife to his sonnes throat Here then we see what is the Lords dealing with his seruants Hee lets them alone for a long season in temptation and pittifull distresse and at the length when it comes euen to the extremitie and when the knife is as it were at the throate then hee shewes himselfe and brings comfort vnto them The Spouse in the Canticles which is the Church of God or a true Christian soule whether you will for it is true both in the generall and particular Cant. 3.2.3 Shee seekes Christ euery where in the streetes and open places but shee findes him not then shee goes to the watch-men which are Gods ministers and there inquires after him whom her soule loued and they cannot tell her where shee might finde him so that now all hope of finding him might seeme to be past but when shee was a little from them then shee found him and Christ comes to her when shee was most in feare not to haue found him at all The people of Israel were many yeares in bondage in Egypt and when the time came that Moses was sent of God to fetch them thence and to be their guide and deliuerer when he had brought them out and carried them to the red sea then came Pharaoh with a huge armie after them to destroy them Exod. 14.25 Before they had beene in great affliction and bondage but nowe they were quite past all hope of recouery for they had before them the redde sea and on each side of them great hilles and mountaines and behinde them the huge hoast of Pharaoh and therefore they cried out vnto Moses who then by GODs commaundement did diuide the redde sea and made it drie land and deliuered them through the middest of the redde sea but as for their enemies Pharaoh and all his hoast the Lord drowned them in the middest thereof So for our selues when God shall exercise any of vs in cases of extremitie wee must looke to bee so dealt withall at Gods hand Hee will let vs alone for a time and neuer helpe vs till the last pinch and therefore we must waite for his good pleasure with patience for this he will doe to trie vs to the full and to make manifest the graces of God wrought in vs. The third circumstance to be considered is this In what manner did Abraham receiue his sonne from the dead This we may read of Gen. 22.13 Hee must take a Ramme that was caught behinde him in a bush and offer him in stead of Isaac so Isaac is saued and the Ramme is sacrificed and slaine Now whereas Abraham offered Isaac in sacrifice to God and yet Isaac liueth and the Ramme is slaine in his stead Hence some gather this vse and we may profitably consider of the same to wit that the sacrifices which wee offer vnto God now vnder the Gospel must be liuing sacrifices for Isaac he was offered in sacrifice to God yet he liued and died not but the Ramme is slaine for him So must we offer our selues in sacrifice vnto God not dead in sinne but liuing vnto God in righteousnesse and true holinesse And thus shall we offer vp our selues liuing sacrifices vnto God when as we consecrate our selues vnto Gods seruice and obey him in our liues and callings And looke as vnder the Law the burnt offerings were burnt all to smoake and ashes so must wee in our liues wholly and altogether giue our selues vnto God and renouncing our selues be nothing to the world but wholly dedicated to God Neither must wee come vnto him in our sinnes for sinne makes our sacrifice dead lame halt and blinde which God doth abhorre but wee must bring our selues liuing sacrifices vnto God as Paul saith Ro. 12.1 I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God Hence also some gather that this sacrificing of Isaac was a signe and type of Christs sacrifice vpō the crosse For as Isaac was sacrificed and liued so did Christ though he died yet rose againe and now liueth for euer but because it hath no ground in this place though it be true which is said of both therefore I will not stand to vrge the same And thus much of this third reason whereby Abrahams faith is commended with the circumstances thereof and consequently of all the examples of holy Abrahams faith Isaacs Faith VERSE 20. By faith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau concerning things to come IN the three former verses the holy Ghost hath particularly commended the faith of Abraham Now in this verse hee proceedes to set downe vnto vs the faith of Isaac particularly also Wherein we are to marke these foure points First a blessing wherwith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau Secondly the cause of this blessing that is his faith Thirdly the parties blessed which are Iacob and Esau Fourthly the nature and matter of this blessing in the end of the verse Concerning things to come Of these in order First for the blessing That we may knowe the nature and quality of it wee must search out the kindes of blessings how many they be In Gods word wee finde three kindes of blessings 1. whereby God blesseth man Now God blesseth man by giuing vnto him gifts and benefits either temporall or spirituall and so he blessed all his creatures in the beginning but especially man The 2. kinde of blessing is that whereby man blesseth God and this man doth by praising God and giuing thankes vnto him who is the Author of all blessings So Paul saith Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heauenly things in Christ Ephes. 1.3 beginning his Epistle with this kinde of blessing that is by praising God And so Zachary after the birth of his sonne and the receiuing of his sight hee sings vnto God this song of praise Blessed be the Lord God of Israell Luk 1.68 that is praise and thanksgiuing be vnto the Lord c. The third kinde of blessing is that whereby one man doth blesse another and vnder this kinde we must vnderstand Isaacs blessings in this place Now further this kinde of blessing whereby one man blesseth another is either priuate or publike A priuate blessing is that whereby one priuate man whatsoeuer he be in his place prayes to God for a blessing vpon another And this is common to all men for euery man may blesse another that is pray to God for a blessing vpon another but especially it belongeth to Parents thus to blesse their children by praying to GOD for a blessing vpon them And therefore the Commaundement goes thus Honour thy fa-thy father and thy mother that they may prolong thy dayes in the Land which the Lord thy God giueth thee Exod. 20.12 Now

actions 1 The hiding of Moses their childe when he was borne 2 Their courage and boldnesse in that action in not fearing the Kings commandement Of their hiding of him we will first intreat generally and then come to the circumstances thereof In generall Their hiding of the childe was this They kept him close and vnknowen to the Egyptians for three moneths space because the King had giuen commaundement and charge to all his people that they should drowne euery man-childe born among the Hebrewes Exod. 1.22 In this action of their faith we may obserue some speciall points First Moses was to be a worthy Prophet and Captaine or guide vnto the people of Israell and therefore howsoeuer other men-children were drowned vpon the cruell commaund of Pharaoh yet the Lord prouides for him so soone as he is borne that he shal be hid and so preserued from the tyrannie and rage of Pharaoh Whence wee learne that God in the middest of all persecution doth euermore preserue the seede of his Church There be two estates of Gods Church in the world the first is quiet and peaceable when the Gospell is publikely professed taught and receiued without hostile opposition as by Gods great mercy it is in our Church at this day The second is an hidden estate when as it cannot shew it selfe visible but the open profession of the Gospel is suppressed by the rage of the enemie the diuell and by wicked cruell men that be his instruments Thus GOD suffereth his Church somtimes to be shadowed and in these times many of his deere children to be slaine put to death for the sins of his Church yet so as that alwaies he preserues the seede of his Church When Isay had shewed the Iewes the fearefull desolation of their Land that the Cities should be wasted without inhabitant their houses without man yet then he saith There shall be a tenth in it and the holy seede shall be the substance or vnderprop thereof Verse 13. God doth not deale with his Church as hee doth with the enemies thereof hee but loppes off the branches in his Church when as hee stockes vp the roote of the enemies Isay chapter 27. verses 7 8. When hee visited Sodome and Gomorrah hee destroyed them vtterly out of the earth but the Lord doth euer keepe fast the seede of his Church that when the storme of persecution is blowen ouer his Church may spring and flourish afterward Here some may say Seeing God purposed to make Moses such a worthy man ouer his people why did he not by some wonderfull powerfull and mighty manner preserue him against the rage of Pharaoh Answer God indeede was able to haue sent a legion of Angels for his preseruation or to haue done it after some strange visible manner but yet he would not for we must knowe and remember that it is Gods pleasure to shew his power in weak means He can preserue euery seruant of his from all kinde of iniurie but he will not alwaies doe so When Christ himselfe our Sauiour was in his infancie persecuted by Herod God his Father was then able to haue preserued him in Iudea and to haue ouerthrowen his persecutor by manie legions of Angels yet hee would not but onely vseth the poore helpe of Ioseph and Marie with the ordinarie weake meanes of flight and all this hee did that hee might be glorified in the weakenesse of his seruants for when all meanes faile then doth hee magnifie his power and prouidence in preseruing those that trust in him And thus much of this Action in generall The circumstances to be considered in the hiding of Moses are foure 1. The time when hee was hid the Text saith When hee was borne Moses as wee saide must be afterward a notable seruant and a worthy instrument of GOD whereby hee would worke the deliuerance of his people out of the bondage of Egypt and yet we see he is faine to be hid so soone as he is borne Hence wee learne that those that be the seruants of GOD and are in speciall fauour with him must looke for trouble and affliction in this life from the cradle to the graue from the day of their birth to the houre of their death Moses is in danger of his life by Pharaoh so soone as hee is borne And so was our Sauiour Christ by Herod when hee was but a babe whereupon his Parents fled with him into Egypt for his safety And aunswerable to their infancie was the rest of their life full of danger full of trouble And as it was with them so is it with others 2. Timothie chapter 3. verse 12 Hee that will liue godly must suffer persecution and hee that will be Christes Disciple must take vp his Crosse euery day and followe him Luke 9.23 This is a point which all of vs must marke wee must not looke to haue ease and ioy in earth It is enough for vs to enioy that after this life If Christ himselfe carie his crosse out of the gate we then with his disciples must take vp our crosse and followe him euery day The 2. circumstance to bee considered is this How long was Moses hid namely three moneths Question Why was he hid no longer Answer Because they could not for it is likely there was search for him and therefore they made a basket of reed and dawbed it with slime and pitch and laid the childe therein and put it among the bul-rushes by the riuers brinke Thus did the Parents aduenture the childes life for the sauing of their owne wherein we may see a great want and weakenesse in their faith for they kept their childe a while by faith but afterward cōmitted him to the dangers of the waters of wilde beasts and fowles of the aire So that it is plaine their faith was weake and mingled with feare and with some doubting For in keeping the childe three moneths they shew forth liuely faith but when as they expose him to danger for their owne safety heerein they bewray some want of loue and weakenesse of faith and yet we see they are heere commended for their faith Which sheweth plainely that if a man haue true and sound faith though it be but weak yet God in mercy will take knowledge of it and commend it passing by the weakenesse of it yea and vnto that faith will giue the promises of life euerlasting made in Christ The third circumstance to bee considered is this Who it was that kept Moses three moneths In Exodus it is said that his mother kept him but here it is said his parents kept him where the holy Ghost includes his father also How can both these be true Answ. Wee must knowe that the Mother was the chiefe doer in this worke and the father though he was not a doer yet he gaue his consent Now we must remember that consent is a kinde of doing whether it be in good things or in euill for when Saul did but

did the Gadarens there was set before them Christ Iesus the Lord of life and their hogges and cattell Now they prefer their hogges before Christ A most miserable and senselesse choice And is it not as ill with vs There is set before vs on the one side heauen and on the other side hell but men for the most part chuse hell forsake heauen Ciuill worldly men whose delight is all in riches they prefer earth before heauen the seruice of sinne which is the greatest slauerie before the seruice of GOD which is perfect freedome and glorious liberty of the Saints in light and thus doe all men without Gods speciall grace Whereupon Paul prayes in his Epistles for the Churches that God would giue vnto them the spirit of wisedome that they may be able to iudge betweene things that differ And this wisdom we must labour for that when these different things are set before vs we may make a wise choise otherwise we shew our selues to be like brute beasts without vnderstanding do quite ouerturne our owne saluation In the Ministerie of the word we haue life and death good euill set before vs as Moses said to the people Deut. 30.15 19. Let vs therfore endeuour our selues to chuse life by embracing and obeying the word of God so shall we followe both his precept and practice To suffer aduersity with the people of God Heere wee may obserue what is the ordinarie state and condition of Gods Church and people in this world namely to be in affliction and vnder the crosse Hence Paul saith That we must come to heauen through manifold afflictions Acts 14.23 The Lord knoweth what is best for his seruants and children and therefore he hath set downe this for a ground that all that will liue godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution 2. Tim. 3.12 Thus the Lord dealeth with his children for speciall causes for first all crosses as losse of goods friends liberty or good name they are meanes to stirre vp and awake Gods people out of the slumbring fit of sinne for the godly are many times ouertaken this way The wise virgines sleepe as well as the foolish Now afflictions rouze them out of the sleepe of securitie See this in Iosephs brethren who went on a long time without any remorse for selling their brother But when they were stayed in Egypt then they are rowzed vp and can say Genesis 42.21 This trouble is come vpon vs for selling our brother Secondly afflictions serue to humble Gods children Leuiticus 26.41 So the Church of God speaketh I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him Micah 7.9 Thirdly they serue to weane the people of God and to driue them from the loue of this world for if men might alwaies liue in ease they would make their heauen vpon earth which may not be And heerein GOD dealeth with his children like a Nurse when shee will weane her childe she layes some bitter thing vpon the pappes head to make the childe to loathe the pappe so the Lord to draw our hearts from the world and to cause vs to loue and seeke after heauen and heauenly things hee makes vs to taste of the bitternesse of affliction in t●is worlde Fourthly afflictions fer●e to make Gods children to goe out of themselues to seeke sincerely vnto GOD and to relie onely vpon him which in prosperity they will not doe This Paul confesseth of himselfe and others Wee saith hee receiued the sentence of death in our selues because wee should not trust in our selues but in God 2. Corinthians chapter 1. verse 9. So good King Iehosaphat when hee was compassed of his enemies Hee cried to the Lord and said Lord wee knowe not what to doe but our eyes are towards thee 2. Chronicles chapter 20. verse 12. Yea the rebellious Iewes are heereby driuen to seeke the Lord whom in prosperity they forsooke as wee may see at large Psal. 107.6.12.13.19 Lastly afflictions serue to make manifest the graces of GOD in his children The Lord saith Iob knoweth my way and trieth me Iob 23.10 Deuteronomie 8.2 Remember all the way saith Moses to the Israelites which the Lord thy GOD ledde thee this fourtie yeares for to prooue thee and to knowe what was in thine heart Hence Iames calleth temptations the triall of faith Iames chapter 1. verses 2.3 And Paul makes patience the fruite of tribulation Romanes chapter 5. verse 3. For looke as the showers in the spring time cause the buds to appeare so doe afflictions make manifest Gods graces in his children Patience hope and other vertues lie close in the heart in the day of peace but when tribulation comes then they breake forth and shew themselues Hence wee learne that it is not alwayes a token of Gods wrath To suffer affliction If any man or people be laden with crosses it is no argument that therefore they are not the children of GOD for as Peter saith Iudgements begin at Gods house 1. Peter chapter 4. verse 17 and any crosse vpon a people family or particular persons if it bring forth the fruite of grace in them is a true signe they belong to GOD. Yea when men wander from God by an euill way these afflictions are meanes to call them home to GOD. Psalme 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray And they that forsake their sinne and returne to GOD in the time of affliction are certainly Gods people for the wicked man fretteth and murmureth against God when a crosse commeth and he cannot abide it But the godly man is humbled therby and it makes him more obedient in all duties vnto God This wee should consider for by an outward profession wee beare the world in hand that we are Gods children and therefore wee come to heare Gods word and to learn how to behaue our selues as beseemeth his children But if we would be knowen to be Gods children indeede then when any of Gods iudgements doe befall● vs wee must make this vse of them namely labour thereby to be humbled for our sinnes and to forsake our sinnes and to make conscience of all bad wayes for euer afterward and then wee shewe our selues to be Gods children indeede but if vnder the crosse or after the crosse wee be as dissolute as euer wee were and still followe our olde sinnes then wee cannot be iudged to be Gods people and children but rather a wicked and stubborne generation which the more they are corrected the worse they are like a stithy the more it is beaten the harder it is Let vs therefore by the vse of Gods iudgements shewe our selues to be Gods children so shall wee say with Dauid with much ioy and comfort It is good for vs that wee haue beene in trouble Psal. 119.71 Thus wee see what Moses chose now come wee to the thing he refused To enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season By pleasures of sinne wee must vnderstand the riches and dignitie that Moses

Saul persecuted Dauid but his end was to kill himselfe with his own sword 1. Samuel 30.4 And Iesabell she persecutes the Prophets children of God but her end was this the dogs did eate her flesh The whole stock of the Herods were great enemies to Christ But their name was soone rooted out and Herod called Agrippa that slew Iames and persecuted Peter was eaten vp of wormes Many great Emperours in the primatiue Church were persecuters but they died desperatly And Iulian for one once a Christian died blaspheming Christ casting his bloud vp towards heauen cried Thou hast ouercome ô Galilean thou hast ouercome And to come neerer these times what reward from God the persecuters of the Church haue had we may reade in the booke of Acts monuments which was penned for that purpose And to come to these our daies the whole band of those that call thēselues leaguers in Fraunce Italy Spaine c. like the Tabernacles of Edom and the Ismaelites Moab and the Agarims c. Psal. 83.5 6 they vow the destruction persecution of Gods Church but yet Gods Church stands he so cōtriues the matter that they draw swords against thēselues slay poyson one another Herein doth God graciously make good his promise to his Church that the weapons made against her shal not prosper And Zachary 12.3 there is a prophecie of the Church in the new Testament the Lord saith He wil make Ierusalem that is his Church an heauy stone for all people that lift it vp shal be torn though all the people of the earth be gathered against it where the Prophet setteth down notably what shal be the condition of those that persecute Gods Church the more they persecute her the more they shall haue Gods hand against them to confound them Dan. 2.34 there is mention made of a stone hewen out of a rocke without hands which smote the image vpon the feete which were of yron clay brake them to peeces By that stone is meant the kingdom of Christ which shall dash in peeces the kingdomes of the earth which set themselues against Christ and his kingdome For Christ must raigne till hee haue put all his enemies vnder his feete so that destruction is the ende of the enemies of Gods Church For the hand of the Lord shall bee knowen among his seruants and his indignation against his enemies Isay 66.14 And thus much of the 2. circumstance Now in this whole fact of the Israelites passing thorough the red sea towards the Land of Canaan there is a notable thing signified namely Baptisme So Paul saith The Israelites were baptized vnto Moses in the sea 1. Cor. 10.2 Yet wee must remember it was not ordinary Baptisme but extraordinary neuer administred before and neuer shall be so again for ought we know The Minister of this Baptisme was Moses an extraordinary Minister as the Baptisme was extraordinary The outwarde signe was the red sea or rather the water of the redde sea The departing of the children of Israel out of Egypt thorough the redde sea signifieth the departing of the children of GOD out of the kingdome of darkenesse from the power of sin and Satan And the drowning of Pharaoh with all his hoste in the redde sea signified the subduing of the power of all spirituall enemies with the pardon and death of sinne which stands partly in the abolishing of sinne and partly in newnesse of life And to this alludeth the Prophet Micah saying He will subdue our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea Micah 7.19 As if he should say Looke as God subdued Pharaoh and all his hoste in the bottome of the sea so will he cast and put away the sinnes of his people From this we learne two points 1 That the Baptisme of infants hath warrāt in Gods word howsoeuer some mē be of a contrary opinion for here we see all the Israelites were baptized in the sea and among them no doubt were many children If it be said this baptisme was extraordinary and is no ground for ours Answ. True it was extraordinary for the manner but yet herein the matter and substance and the thing signified is ordinary and the end all one with ours and therefore the baptizing of infants in the red sea is some warrant for the baptisme of infants in the Church now adaies Secondly here we may learne another instruction As the Israelites went through the red sea as through a graue to the promised land of Canaan so we must know that the way to the spirituall Canaan euen the kingdome of heauen is by dying vnto sinne This is a speciall point to bee considered of euery one of vs we professe our selues to be Christians wee heare Gods word and receiue the sacraments which are the outward badges of Christians and we perswade our selues of life euerlasting after death wel if we would haue that to be the ende of our iourney then we must take the Lords plaine way in this life which is to die vnto all our sinnes So it is said they which are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lustes thereof where this duty is inioyned to euery Christian hee must crucifie the lusts and affections of the flesh and not liue in sinne For a man cannot walke in sinne and so runne the broad way to hell and yet waite for the kingdome of heauen these two will not stand together and therefore if we would walke worthy the calling of Christianitie wee must haue care that all our sins whether they bee of heart or life little or great new or olde may be mortified and abolished Many will for a time become ciuill and seeme to be religious especially when they are to receiue the Lords supper but when that time of the sacrament is past then they returne to their old custome in sinning againe wherby it appeares that their change was but in shew to blind the eies of men And doe we not each Sabbaoth professe our selues good Christians and seeme to glory in it by keeping this day with such solemnitie But alas as soone as that day is past many some euen this day runne into all ryot This is not Christianity this is not the way to heauen but if euer we thinke to come to Canaan we must kill and bury our sinnes we must die vnto them or else we shal neuer come to the ende of Christianity namely eternall life And thus much of this circumstance and also of the example it selfe Iosuahs Faith VERSE 30. By faith the walls of Iericho fel down after they were compassed about seuen daies FRom the beginning of this chapter to this 30. verse we haue heard two sorts of examples of faith the first of beleeuers from the beginnning of the world to the flood The second of such as were from the time of the floode to the giuing of the Lawe in Mount Sina and of both these we haue