by their loud and vnbeseeming as well as vnseasonable complaints and outcryings whereby they disquiet the whole family for some ouersight which they espy yea they haue oft times no cause at all to doe so or at least if they had any iust cause to be grieued yet a little patience and bearing with the trespassers as the cause requireth and sober and kinde telling them of it might haue done farre more good and haue kept the whole family quiet The same I may say of the wife if she be giuen to waspishnesse and bee shrewish hot and wrathfull who thereby troubleth both husband and the whole house and this accusation reacheth yet further euen to the spitefull and malicious who are not onely oft iarring and at strife with their neighbours vpon small or no occasions but are ready to sue them at the law for euery trifle and so trouble both them and themselues also Whereas the vertuous Queene Hester beholding how shee was the onely hope and helpe vnder God of the Churches deliuerance from Hamans plot and deuising to wast and destroy it vtterly tooke vpon her the going about it though it was with most likely perill of her life and that without the hurt of any one beside saying in so doubtfull a case If I perish I perish Yea Saul himselfe who yet had no commendation through the story for vprightnesse and goodnesse would not suffer any of the murmurers and repiners against his entring in to bee punished at his first comming to his kingdome as some would haue had it but chose rather to put vp the disgrace saying there shall no man die this day for to day the Lord hath saued Israel And this by occasion of Ehuas sending the people away that went with him being the first of the three things mentioned to be contained in these 3. verses Now followeth the second thing to wit of Ehuds second going to Eglon and what he said Hee returned in hast from the place neere Gilgal in the land of Israel whither hee had conducted the people which could not bee farre from the place where King Eglon lay for hee hauing brought the Israelites into subiection to him it is cleere thot he lay neere their borders the better to see them kept vnder and he comming to him told him hee had a message which was of secresie to doe vnto him Whereat the King required him to stay the vttering of it till the company standing by were commanded out of the place For hee hauing so lately receiued a present at his hand had no suspition of any trechery to be intended by him The company being gone Ehud was admitted to come neare vnto him And telling him that his message was from God hee stood vp to doe reuerence at that name and so by this meanes he had the way made more easie for him and the better opportunitie to doe the worke he went about And in these two verses we may see considering that the Lord called Ehud to this worke for the destroying of that his peoples enemy and to deliuer them out of his hands for else it had been a most bloody and trecherous act we may see I say the courage and confidence that was in him to aduenture that great danger that hee did by going about to kill Eglon the King who if before his attempt he had been detected and found out had been put who doubteth to most extreme tortures among enemies and no friend of his standing by or in presence And what had hee to vphold himselfe by in that great difficulty and fearfull danger but his trust in God and confidence that hee who laid that worke vpon him would bring him well through it And yet how hard a thing it was for him who seeth not if he will rightly consider it in that difficulty and great straite that hee was in to beleeue that God would make way for him and enable him to such a worke all likelihoode thereof being taken away And this teacheth vs what the nature of faith confidence is whersoeuer and in whomsoeuer it is to be found that they looke not vpon things that are seene which may-work deadly discouragement and anguish but vpon that which is not seene with mortal eye and that is Gods power and willingnesse ready at hand to helpe vs forward and to encourage vs to waite for the accomplishing of that which we beleeue and looke for in our greatest need This it was that animated and strengthened Ehud to attempt this dangerous worke And this faith and confidence hartened and emboldened the Priests when the Lord by Ioshua commanded them for their passing into the land of Canaan to set their feet on the water to goe ouer the riuer Iordan how vnlikely soeuer it was their beleeuing I say the Lord by the mouth of Ioshua that a way should be made for them to passe through safely as on dry land euen that it was that hartened them to doe it who yet in so doing must of necessity haue been drowned by mans reason and iudgement And this faith made Peter bold to pronounce to the lame and diseased euen while they lay visited to pronounce I say in the hearing of all that stood by when he saw no likelihood thereof appeare Iesus Christ maketh you whole arise and walke For hee beleeued Christ who had said to him that he should worke a miracle whensoeuer it was expedient and that faith made him bold to say so whereas if that had not been immediately done indeed which he foresaid should come to passe that the parties should bee healed he should haue been vtterly discredited and laughed to scorne and cast out from mens company as a deceiuer This faith made the holy Martyrs yeeld their bodies to the fire for the defence of Gods truth while they beleeued not onely that they should bee receiued after into glory but also that God would strengthen them for the present time to endure the flame And this it is that inableth vs to suffer the hardnesse which wee willingly sustaine throughout our liues euen this that we trust and rest perswaded that God will bring vs well through it and afterwards receiue vs into his eternall kingdome Which caused Saint Paul to vtter these words Why weepe ye thus and rend my heart for I am resolued and ready not to bee bound onely but also to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus and euen so he taught writing to Timothy Therefore we suffer because we beleeue in the liuing God who is the sauiour of all but especially of them that beleeue And this of Ehud in these two verses and of his words spoken to the King and as for such as aske why he deluded the King with a lie while hee went about to kill him seeing hee vttered no message to him at all when yet hee told him hee had a message from God vnto him to them I answere the word
the shame of Popery this that I haue said is to be marked for the professors thereof doe challenge them for their difficultie and hardnesse so as they are not to be suffered in the hands of the common people whom if they withheld not from the true vnfolding of them they might reape great profit by reading them Also to the iust reproofe of many both Atheists and other not much differing from them this is to be noted for they that is the Atheists scoffe at the Scriptures and bouldly iustle against Moses and Christ these who are the prophane as bouldly and yet blindly reason dispute and quarrell against some particular Scriptures which they vnderstand not as if they were competent iudges as that in the Psalme Moab is my washpot ouer Edome will I cast my shooe which yet is as they would see and acknowledge if they were not more bold and rash then wise and skilfull to very good purposes as setting downe Gods threatning of iudgements against his enemies as also that of Samsons tying foxes tailes together with firebrands to spoile the Philistimes corne with such like also they raile against the doctrine of predestination and the sinne against the holy Ghost But not counting them worth the answering I conclude seeing the Lord hath left the Scriptures so pure and free from all error the matters in them being so profitable and heauenly I conclude I say that if we desire to liue comfortably by the benefit of them let them bee our treasure while the world trample them vnderfoot yea and let our meditation and delight bee so much the more in them and that continually And this bee noted out of all these verses generally to the 17. in that they are a repetition out of Ioshua Now more particularly in that so worthy things were done by this Tribe before and that therefore they were chosen now rather then any of the other Tribes to guide the rest seeing that they were wisest and faithfullest in Gods matters as appeareth by the mentioning of these great actes done by them let it teach vs this that such as are wisest and faithfullest ought to bee vsed and placed in the chiefe roomes of the seruice of God aboue the rest So Paul was endued with excellent gifts and counted faithfull before God put him in his seruice and then he imployed him in the most waightie businesse So Ioshua sent faithfull spies to view the land of Canaan This thing had such force in the heathen Kings as in Pharaoh that hee preferred Ioseph aboue all the chiefe Nobles of the land though he was but a stranger saying where shall we find a man like this man fitted for this worke and in the Kings of Babylon that they committed the great and waighty matters of the Kingdome to Daniel and the three Children because they saw that the spirit of God was in them to doe well aboue others So Abraham trusted Eliezer his seruant in that waighty matter of the marriage of his sonne Isaac hauing none like him yea Ahab himselfe made Obadiah a worthy man Steward of his houshold though hee had inough of other beside The holy Ghost makes mention at large of those Worthies which Dauid for their good seruice in the warres against the enemies of the Lord exalted to the highest roomes next him So did Iehoiada Hence it is that the Wise man saith Wo to that land whose Princes are chilaren and being not fit for any gouernment rise vp earely to drink strong drink Yea Salomon being put to his choice desired an vnderstanding heart wisely to goe in and out before the people And such ought Masters of families Magistrates and Gouernours in Townes to be as well as Ministers And this order God hath set and taught vs in commending and commanding faithfulnes and diligence which are excellent vertues in seruāts who yet are the meanest persons therby teaching vs much more to prefer these gifts in them who are vsed and imploied in higher callings and places and so much the more if wisdome be ioyned with them And these qualities Iethro required in such magistrates as should be chosen and the like Paul required in such as are called to the ministry besides other like furniture which giueth vs great cause of mourning when wee see the contrary and of reioycing where these vertues are to bee seene and found in them who are put in trust And such should executors of willes and schoolemasters be into whose hands men are constrained to put their children and goods and comprimitters of cases betwixt neighbours should be like vnto them who are trusted with much oftentimes And this honour honest and faithfull men haue with many that in iudging of matters they will if their case be good desire to haue such to giue their sentence and iudgement for them in their doubtfull causes rather then others though they set not greatly by religion themselues And this ought to incourage vs all to labour for Gods graces seeing they make a man stand before the honorable though money fauour or other respects are the chiefe gifts which most obtaine great places by Now whereas a doubt may arise here where it is said that Iudah had taken Ierusalem how it appeares to haue been so seeing it is not expresly set downe in Ioshua chap. 10. To that I answere though it bee not plainely so said yet it may well be vnderstood by the things that are written there namely that the King of Ierusalem was taken and put to death and that Iudah dwelt in the citie and could not cast out the Iebusits that dwelt therein By which I say it appeareth that the citie was then taken although it was not as yet wholly possessed and so did they slay the inhabitants and set the city on fire Here by the occasion of the destroying of these cities Ierusalem Hebron Debir and others many let vs consider the desolation that God sendeth vpon goodly places and the inhabitants thereof when his hand is against them and when hee is purposed to blow vpon them and to set them as it were on the stage to the view of the world Yea doubtlesse when he pleaseth to take the iudgement into his hand all the beautie and glorie of the world must vanish at his presence and the gloriousest solemnities and monuments come to vtter decay And to put vs in mind hereof is this written and set downe to shew vs the changeable estate of the flourishingest prosperitie of flesh The which a man would thinke that should behold them in their beauty and time of their glory that the enioyers thereof did liue in a paradice and petty heauen euen here vpon earth whereas when God hath blowne vpon them they are more desolate then the winter and like to an house waste and ruinous When Nabuchadnezzar and the fooler in the Gospell prided themselues the one in his great Babell the other in his abundance
end then they vse them for namely to honour him and not themselues doe neuer thinke of any such matter but dare more boldly sin against him then otherwise they durst doe and all because hee hath bestowed some gifts vpon them as personage beautie strength wealth euen as one should strippe a poore body out of his ragges and put costly and comely apparel vpon him For though men be but earth and wormes meate yet how doe they set vp themselues some for their high aduancement some for their riches which yet are but borrowed and other for their painted sheath till they take all honour that they can from God yea as if they were petty Gods themselues and he onely to bee called God of them Oh admirable pride blindnesse and forgetfulnes in flesh and oh as great patience and long suffering in God that he can beare it at their hands And yet for all that I haue said I denie not but hee can afford them these his gifts and farre greater if they could giue him his due thereby and vse them to set forth his goodnesse by them as were meete The same I might say of learning and all other gifts of God they are the Lords and bestowed at his pleasure not to puffe them vp that haue them but that in loue and humility they should vse them for the good of others And much more then his supernaturall gifts of the spirit as godly zeale care to please God and such like ought to be vsed to the same ends Now to proceed when God had giuen his spirit to Othniel it is said Hee iudged Israel that is he did as a valiant captaine pull them out of seruitude and take the yoke of bondage from their necks and restore to them the true worship of God and gouerne them and so the land had rest All this with such like befell them when Gods anger was turned away from them at the repentance of the people In their bondage and misery who would haue said that it could easily or in short time haue been remoued especially that such a change might haue been seene But this teacheth that when Gods anger is remoued from a people or person all things goe well there punishments are turned into blessings and great heauinesse into ioy and comfort Euen as a cloudie darke and tempestuous day is forgotten when the cleare and faire sunshine ouerspreadeth and beautifieth the earth and like as when two great men who by their strife and contention disquieted all are againe made friends and reconciled for then the people in that towne reioyce and hold vp their countenance So it is said heere of this people that they hauing been brought into such extremity for eight yeeres God sent this Othniel a deliuerer and a Iudge to whom he gaue courage and wisedome so that he brought their enemies into subiection and the people had rest and deliuerance By all these signes of his fauour God declared that his anger was remoued And euen so we shall see good daies if we take heed that God be not prouoked to anger by vs and though his anger be kindled yet if we cry and grone to him vnder our burthen lift vp our hearts and beleeue that he will be mercifull vnto vs as most certainly he will and turne away his wrath and displeasure from vs for in his fauour is life and when his louing countenance shineth vpon vs all other things shall turne to vs for the best And the Lord doth either remoue outward punishments from vs or else vphold vs so with his grace to beare them patiently and meekely that they shall be no burthens but matter of comfort vnto vs. Oh that we should not be so wise as to preuent this one thing namely that the wrath of God might be kept from our soules while the body shall want no looking to that I say no more yea and the meanest haue both care and skill when the tempestuous and vnseasonable weather commeth to shroud themselues from it and beware that it doe not annoy them But further heere in that both estates of this people are set downe together as their bondage with their freedome their rest with their trouble the time of the one with the time of the other the holy Ghost I say in setting downe both together doth teach vs to consider of both in the like case the one as well as the other and by the grieuousnesse of the calamity to meditate thus Oh what should wee haue done if wee had so long continued in the estate that they were in wee I say who by the mercy of God haue enioyed much peace with plenty of commodities if enemies euen strangers had brought vs into subiection to them how should we haue borne the burthen So likewise by our deliuerance from them wee should meditate of Gods goodnesse to vs after trouble and from enemies and to bethinke vs which too seldome is done of vs what a great fauour of God it is vnto vs when paine penurie or the like are taken from vs and to prize the same at an high reckoning And he that desireth to stirre vp himselfe to true thankfulnesse to God for such a change and deliuerance will doe thus as hee seeth good cause and hee shall in best manner performe it by supposing in our best estate that the contrary would be very distastfull painfull and irksome vnto vs and yet might haue oppressed vs which yet being through his exceeding goodnesse passed away from vs behold now light and ioy is come in the place of it For as the light is the more esteemed by our being in the darke and faire weather is the more welcome to vs after tempestuous and vnseasonable times euen so is the considering of sore troubles lately oppressing vs an especiall meane to bring prosperity into an high reckoning with vs which a man would say wee had need to doe who shall obserue how soone we make it a common thing and little worth or rather abuse it to our owne great hurt and detriment Concerning the time of the peoples rest vnder Othniel euen fortie yeers I take it to be the true meaning of the story and agreeable to the originall howsoeuer the interpreters differ about it the best translation maketh for it But in the story of Ehud vers 30. more if God will shall be said of it where the vse of it shall be also added So Othniel hauing serued his time was gathered to his fathers as we are to looke and waite for the same after the like seruice in our places And this of the first example of the three before mentioned Vers 12. Then the children of Israel againe committed wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the Lord strengthened Eglon King of Moab against Israel because they had committed wickednesse before the Lord. 13. And he gathered vnto him the children of Ammon and Amalek and went and smote Israel and they possessed the city
them was preserued from his crueltie and kept out of his reach it was done by Gods speciall prouidence both to hold him in feare seeing hee that was kept aliue was the lawfull sonne of Gedeon and borne of a lawfull wife Abimelech himselfe comming but of a concubine and further it was also a good dashing of his ioy And moreouer wee see there was good vse of the Lords sauing aliue of that one of his brethren Iotham I meane because of the prophecie that he vttered therein foretelling the destruction of Abimelech To teach vs that although the committers of euill haue their humors satisfied and their turne serued and things to fall out euen as they would wish yet there is and shall be euer somewhat reserued to vex and pay them home euen here in this world and to giue them a taste of further torment For example who had better successe then Haman and yet by Mordecay who was of no place to stand with or to crosse him how was his ioy quailed by him rather then there should be none to resist him yea and that which was very vnlike to be came vpon him for by Mordecaies counsell and well handling the matter Haman was ouerthrowne with his whole house So Herod and Herodias had nothing that troubled them but Iohn Baptist and yet when they had taken Iohn out of the way our Sauiour Christ role vp who through this that Herods conscience put him in feare kept him at that stay that he could not bee quiet Ahab had been at hearts ease but for Eliah and yet afterward Michaiah vexed him as much Gehazi sped well a while but at length his master dashed all And all this is a sauour of their woe before it come vnlesse they be teared driuen from their bad courses thereby and so humble themselues to seeke mercy as that third Captaine of Ahazijah did to Eliah seeing the danger And thus God feareth the whole rabble of the vngodly and by other terrors also when his word wil not doe it his workes shall and euen thereby I meane by the casting them downe by the law liuely preached to them and the feare of death iudgement day and hell hee doth so torment many a man that all his shiftes and deuices cannot deliuer him there-from neither is al that hee hath able to comfort him and cry downe this voice of the Ministery although it worke no true feare of God in him to repentance but onely awake and astonish him True it is that some though they bee apparantly crossed by God yet they feele it no more then the dead palsey as we see in Nabal But in that they be hardned they are in worse case So then God dealeth thus commonly that the wicked shall haue somewhat to make them lesse eager of their pleasures as either paine sicknesse or some such thing or else inward feare or the like Although alas what although they should neuer be interrupted they should yet be but caried to hell merrily when others goe mourning And when Gods seruants fall to the like sinne as to nestle themselues in the deceiuable inticements of this world hee giueth them the like medicine to cure them of their disease that they shal euer haue one thing or other to hold them in vnquietnesse and to feare them with which is euer like to light vpon them to vexe and sting them if they shall dare delight themselues in any euill thing or to rest in that which is transitory and so goe from the Lord. As the feare of losing a good wife their nearest companion to them to partake their commodities and delights with them or their crosses and decaies in the world to make them easilier borne which affliction disquieteth them much and dampeth all their earthly repast So also he exerciseth them with weakenesse of body meannes in estate petty losses c. and al to weane thē from the breast as it were sucklings by laying such bitter and distasteful corrections vpon them The vse of this is to rest and ioy our hearts in nothing here below but to see that our delight bee in the fauour and feare of the Lord continually which is the one thing though we may make them two that is necessarie And if nothing will rouse vs out of spirituall slumbering in earthly prosperitie and peace wherein to lie senselessely and sottishly is more then to haue one foot in hell already let this doe it that wee know not how soone wee must leaue al and goe to iudgement and to the yeelding vp of our account And yet if the Lord crosse vs in our enterprises that bee euill we may know the worst that the meaneth toward vs is that he would stop vs in our race toward destruction and misery that it may not come vpon vs. When Abimelech had so vnnaturally slaine his brethren which ought to haue stricken such a terror into the men of Shechem that they should haue abhorred him and pursued him openly calling the rest of the Tribes to ioyne with them therein till he had receiued his due punishment he so subtillie woound in with them and they were so credulous that they beleeued for all that hee would deale well with them as hee had promised them and therefore proceeded O fearefull to be spoken and vndertooke to make him King and this they did in a place that pertained to them none of the other Tribes being either called or made acquainted with the matter who yet had a farre greater stroke therein then they which must needs raise great dissention and deuision betwixt them But this they regarded not seeing they had taken in hand the effecting of the other Here we see when one sinne is intended of a man to be committed it goeth not alone but draweth with it many other as companions to it For neither can it be brought to passe without the helpe of other neither can a man take pleasure in it without the company of other sinnes He seekes to be King and how many sinnes doth he adioyne to the effecting of it As he here vsed fraud flatterie and cousonage and rose vp and drew after him a band of seditious hang-bies he slew his brethren and when he was made King what contention did he cause among them It is too manifest that sinne is no solitarie bird nor is euer seene out of company Euen as S. Paul teacheth to the Romans how strife carrieth enuying with it and gluttony draweth drunkennesse and chambering wantonnesse And this is the more to be marked because wicked persons alleage for themselues when they are reprooued for their faults that al men are sinners yea some sinne grossely in many kinds and for themselues they say they hope if they haue done amisse yet they may be borne with seeing it is but one trespasse and further they will say euery one for himselfe Such a man hath this blemish and such a one that all haue some one
repentance and he had receiued them into his fauor and protection this caused the Lord now to stand with him who before was against them so that they did know they had his direction and help to go about to deliuer thēselues out of their bondage and miserie The Ammonites seeing Gilead was a goodly citie and richly furnished they laboured and determined first of all to destroy that Israel was assembled in Mizpeh while the other camped in Gilead but that was too farre off from aiding the Giliadites their brethren who were then besieged by those Amonites Therefore as they were directed by God they propounded betwixt themselues namely the Princes to the people that he who would begin the battell against the Ammonites he should be guide to them and Iudge ouer them And that they were led hereto by God it may appeare by this that the Lord raised vp those that were Iudges ouer them and after confirmed Iphtah in going against them The story being thus laid foorth I wil here stay a little and say some thing of them both the Ammonites and Israelites And first this if the children of Ammon had gone about to take the cities and ground of the people of Israel into their hands and possession and oppressed them by warre before Israels repentance and turning to God they might easily haue done it for none of them durst or had any heart to resist them as appeareth in the story for they suffered them to oppresse them till now in the last yeere especially they were sore distressed and tormented by them And besides they then had God also against them But now after they sought the Lord in the truth of their hearts he was now with them and they were heartned and imboldned to resist and stand against them by the hope they had in him as wee see they did manifestly declare By the which wee may see how God keepeth many euils and troubles from his deare seruants till hee hath made them fit for them and them able to goe vnder them whereas if they had come vpon them before they had been vtterly ouerwhelmed by them For as he turneth many afflictions away from them altogether which they saw not how they could auoide euen so hee deferreth many so that they shall not touch them till he hath strengthened their shoulders and put courage into their hearts and so made them able to beare them And yet he leaueth them not vnexercised with one or other more small and easie as he seeth it profitable for them and that they are fit to beare them But if any of vs well consider it we shall find that his goodnes hath herein exceeded toward vs and who can choose but see it that at his first inlightning of vs by faith when wee were weake and might easily haue been dismaide hee hath kept many of our sinnes from our sight when by those which we saw we were hardly kept from despaire and sundry troubles also which if they had appeared to vs when as yet wee were nothing able to heare of them much lesse to beare them they would haue swallowed vs vp and haue driuen vs to vtter desperation And as this is true we vnderstand it of our first conuersion or after euen so is it also with vs throughout our whole life He spareth vs to the end we may be better incouraged to serue him faithfully in that which we know that so afterward we may be fit to see more both of our sinnes and also to take part of the afflictions which abide vs. Euen as wee vse our children tenderly while they bee young but after they be growne vp we set them to worke and shew them that they must labour and suffer some hardnesse they being now better able to goe vnder it Thus did the Lord cal backe Saul from the pursuit of Dauid when it was likely that he could not haue escaped his hands if he had been let alone So when Nashash the King of Ammon might easily haue destroyed the Giliadites at the first onset while they were vnarmed the Lord stopt him and caused him to hearken to a needlesse condition whereby the time being protracted they had helpe sent them in the meane season and ouerthrew them In this kind of dealing the Lord resembles a friendly person who spying a furious enemy comming fiercely with weapon against his neighbour vnarmed and vnprouided to meet him stayeth the rage of the one till the other haue got himselfe arm or fit to encounter him or may escape his hands or when hee hath done so he commits them together knowing that the innocent partie hauing the better cause will easily foile the doer of wrong Thus the Lord often doth although when he seeth his time he can also either quite diuert the enemy as he did the King of Ashur from comming against weake Ierusalem or else take his peoples part as Moses did the Israelites against the Egyptian and fight for them while they stand still and looke on So he did to Pharao and Zenacherib Now when the Lord reserues his people till such a time of strength and courage not suffering as I may so say the Canaanites to come vpon his people being weake through their late circumcision it is a greater fauour then if he remoued their triall wholly from them for in this they haue onely proofe of Gods goodnesse but in the other they haue beside that a triall of their faith and grace more precious then gold which triumpheth hauing got the victory ouer the enemy whether spirituall or earthly Thomas Bilney a godly man during his imprisonment had a strong assault giuen him by his owne flesh against the paine of the fire which he feared he should not be able to endure And who knoweth what he would haue done if the triall had been hottest when hee was weakest But the Lord so suited the time that when fire was put to him he that feared the foile of weake became strong Heb. 11. and ouercame the fire by yeelding his whole body to wast it whereas his finger could not before abide the candle It is a great grace therefore to beleeue that as the Apostle implieth God wil keepe from vs such afflictions as we are not fit to honour him in but liker to be ouercome of our corruption and betray our cause If any obiect the foiles of diuers seruants of God preuented and taken vnawares by strong trials as Cranmer in the first assault of his enemies forced to yeeld to that which he ought not c. Let such know God hath a diuers end of a diuers method and teacheth men humblenesse and knowledge of themselues by such assaults as they cannot answer to the end that they may be abler for those trials afterward hauing renounced themselues and got firmer hold vpon the alsufficiencie of God without whose protection they are weake as other men Now then let men beware how they abuse this dealing
zeale which they pretend they neede not by breaking oath nay prison prouide for themselues as sundrie of them haue done to testifie what a good cause they haue to maintaine who betray it so grossely And this further condemneth that common vnfaithfulnesse and falsehood which also I haue noted before but cannot too much complaine of at this day practised to the vtter vndoing of many thousands by breaking both promise and bond and running away with mens goods or playing the banckroupts and all to defeate them Now in that it is said he did to her according to his vow it is a sufficient proofe that he vowed her not to virginitie I haue in the verses before shewed how these words are to be vnderstood to wit that he sacrificed her as his vow was to doe to that which should first meet him and did not tie her to liue a virgine and therefore I say no more of it lest I should make a needles repetition and if I dissent herein from any they are those who confessed it was but their opinion in that they thought otherwise then I doe and I haue shewed my reasons of this my assertion Now though hee did so performe his vow vpon his daughter of meere conscience for he thought that he ought to keepe and performe that vow which hee had solemnely made though it fell out vpon his owne daughter yet this that he did consult with none in all that time about it which is admirable that he did not doth admonish all in doubtfull and dangerous cases to aske counsell and seeke resolution But withall let them take this to seeke where they ought namely in the Scriptures or at the mouth of the godly and learned to be resolued by the Scriptures See before verse 30. It is said further that it was kept as a custome of the daughters of Israel that they went to bewaile the daughter of Iphtah foure times in the yeere Some translate the Hebrew word to talke with and to comfort other to bewaile the word yeeldeth both significations But whether of the two is to be vnderstood in this place is easie to see for the vow of Iphtah being taken in this meaning that he ment thereby to offer her in sacrifice it followeth of necessitie that these maides bewailed her when they met and did not talke with her shee being dead For although the Hebrew word in deed signifieth both to common with and to bewaile yet I haue shewed that the latter sense here is to be imbraced Now in that they held this as a custome to lament her that she was sacrificed it appeares they sought this thereby that it should not bee forgotten and besides that it is like enough they did it that all parents might be warned to make no such vowes This custome while it was not abused nor brought to any superstitious vse was the lesse to be misliked whereas otherwise it had been fit to breake it off accordingly should customes be thought of and dealt with For as they agree with Gods law and with charitie they are to be obserued and kept but otherwise as they be superstitious and prophane to hinder or put by Gods worship or when there is danger that they will grow to such abuse they are to be broken Also when they tend to the maintaining of needlesse charge and expences the hurt and hindring of any or bee otherwise vnlawfull as there are many such at this day maintained and keept they are to be abolished And therefore the blind and wicked practise of spending the twelue daies at the Natiuitie in play reuell and disorder also the leaud customes still retained in some parts of this land to keepe their prophane customary feasts and drinkings on the Sabbath with al other misrule of like sort are vtterly to bee rooted out and better plants set in their roomes if it may be of which I say no more hauing before more fully discoursed thereof THE SIXTIETH NINE SERMON ON THE TWELFTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Verse 1. And the men of Ephraim gathered themselues together and went Northward and said vnto Iphtah Wherefore wentest thou to fight against the children of Ammon and didst not call vs to goe with thee we will therefore burne thine house vpon thee with fire 2. And Iphtah said vnto them I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon and when I called you ye deliuered me not out of their hands 3. So when I saw that yee deliuered me not I put my life in mine hands and went vpon the children of Ammon so the Lord deliuered them into mine hands Wherefore then are yee come vpon me now to fight against me 4. Then Iphtah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim because they said Ye Gileadites are runnagates of Ephraim among the Ephramites and among the Manassites 5. Also the Gileadites tooke the passages of Iorden before the Ephramites and when the Ephramites that were escaped said Let me passe Then the men of Gilead said vnto him Art thou an Ephramite If he answered Nay 6. Then they said vnto him Say now Shibboleth and he said Sibboleth for he could not so pronounce then they tooke him and slew him at the passages of Iorden and there fell at that time of the Ephramites two and fortie thousand THe summe of this Chapter consisting of two parts is this first the sedition of the Ephramites but to their owne cost For they quarreling with Iphtah for a light or rather no cause and comming to make warre with him many of them were slaine by him and others of them in flying were in the like manner put to the sword and this to verse 7. this is the summe of the first part The second declareth and setteth downe the time of the gouernment of Iphtah and of the three other Iudges who succeeded one another and of their death and buriall to wit Iphtahs and the other who were these Ibzan Elon and Abdon and this to the end of the Chapter The first part of the Chapter IN this former part these two things are contained First the bitter contending of the Ephramites with Iphtah threatning to burne him and his house with fire and Iphtahs answere and defence to verse 4. The second thing is how Iphtah killeth diuers of them in the skirmish and fight and others of them in their flying away to verse 7. The sinnes of these Ephramites which they shew here in one action are many of the which it shall not be amisse to take a view as the text offereth occasion in the most whereof I will bee the briefer because I haue handled them already vpon the like fact Chap. 8. 1. The first is sedition in rising against their lawfull gouernour Iphtah and this came of pride whereby they attributed so much vnto themselues aboue other Then their vnthankfulnesse to him who had farre indangered himselfe to the
as if it it had been sword staffe or other weapon And when hee had slaine them hee shewed what heapes hee had made with so slight a helpe or instrument Heere we see that these Philistims lately so exceedingly ioyfull did not onely lose their ioy but their liues also And this may tell vs yet a heauier thing then the former For it teacheth that for the most part looke what fearefull and blind estate the blind and bad people liue in and chuse to repose themselues in in the same they continue for the most part and end their daies For is there almost any place left for amendment Therfore the Apostle saith The wicked and the deceiuer wax worse and worse and when they crie peace peace and all things are safe then commeth destruction suddenly vpon them before they be aware as the trauell vpon a woman with child and they shall not be able to auoide it When the rich man in the Gospell reioyced most in that he had he was nearest a wofull end So Baltazzer when he was drinking wine merrily with his Princes and Concubines in the vessels of the Temple then the fearfull hand writing appeared on the wall hauing this meaning God hath finished thy kingdome So Agag And as such liue so they die Although I denie not but God where it pleaseth him can giue a new hart where it is sought and cause such vanity to bee distasted as wherein men haue delighted and worke found reioycing instead thereof Therefore chuse wee the best delights and so the longer we hold them the soundlier wee shall enioy them vntill we keepe them vnto our end Another thing that he did was that when he had slaine an heape he correcteth himselfe when hee smote them on both sides with the iaw-bone they preasing about to take him and he saith two heapes or many as if he should haue said heapes vpon heapes had been slaine by him And seeing hee knew that God gaue him the strength thereto hee being a godly man why doth he vtter these words but that al might see and acknowledge what a great worke God had wrought by him and that by a weake meane euen with the iaw bone of an Asse To teach vs that where the Lord will haue vs execute iustice without pitie vpon euill doers we must not faint nor be negligent to doe his commandement vpon them as Samson did here Ioshua before on Achan Ehud vpon the King of Moab and Shamgar on the Philistims God will haue the wicked smart for their trespasses openly committed to smart I say by men according to the weight and hainousnesse of them and vtterly forbiddeth foolish pity to be shewed in such a case according to the saying of Salomon It is an abomination to iustifie the wicked The like may be said against that foolish pity which ariseth in vs when wee behold Gods immediate hand vpon them and yet wee ought not then for all this to insult ouer them but we must ascribe honour to God with those 24. Elders in the Reuelation and Dauid vpon the death of Nabal Now followeth the third point that as Samson honoured God in shewing what hee had done by him in slaying heapes of men euen a thousand so he added this thereto that he gaue a name to the place where hee did it as a memoriall thereof that all posterity comming after might know vnto the end of the world what great things God did for his people against their enemies The name of it he called Ramath-Lehi as if he should haue said the lifting vp of a iaw-bone which remaineth as a monument of Gods mighty worke by him euen to this day Thus and by this meanes Gods seruants haue praised him in times past as in the booke of Numbers Ioshua and other is to bee seene as well as other times by songs and dances that wee all may marke and remember his benefits and great workes and praise him among the generations following to the quickening and comforting of his people and the feare of his enemies although not in the same manner that some haue done in ages past But of this before once or twice The fourth part of the Chapter Vers 18. And he was sore athirst and called on the Lord and said Thou hast giuen this great deliuerance into the hand of thy seruant and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hand of the vncircumcised 19. But God claue an hollow place that was in the iaw and there came water thereout and when he had drunke his spirit came againe and he reuiued wherfore he called the name thereof En-hakkoreh which is in Lehi vnto this day 20. And he iudged Israel in the daies of the Philistims twentie yeeres NOw followeth the fourth and last part of this Chapter wherein is shewed what an exceeding great thirst Samson had after the slaughter of these Philistims and that he prayed to God and he giue him water so that he reuiued and so he praised God there And 〈…〉 time that hee iudged Israel is in the last place adioyned and set downe â—â—ch was twentie yeres By this thirst of his the Lord would haue him to know himselfe and to be held vnder lest by that which hee had done to the Philistims hee might haue been lifted vp aboue that which was meet Thus he dealeth with his intermixing his chastisements with blessings that both they may be held in humility by the one and yet may haue sufficient encouragement to abide constantly in a good course and not forget the Lord and become high minded as they are easily brought to bee by the other to wit his benefits And thus the Lord saw good to deale euen with Paul himselfe who was buffeted by Satan when hee had been listed vp to the third heauen by the rauishing of Gods spirit yet hee had that humour remaining in him which needed setling and cooling that his ioy might be kept within holy lists and bounds And the same I haue noted in that famous accident of Iphtah his daughter whom God set on to abase him that hee might proceed on to the triumph more soberly Wee must thinke Gods seruants are deare to him when hee sticketh not to bereaue them of their preciousest delights to the end they may hold their delight in him and not turne their sweetnesse into bitternes I meane their holy reioycing into fleshly presumption The reason hereof is because else God cannot trust vs in the businesse he sets vs about except hee giues vs coolings and abasements to consume the superfluity of our hypocrisie conceitednesse of our selues pride and security which are as vnfit dealers in heauenly matters as Nadab and Abihu their strange fire was to kindle incense or offer sacrifice withall And secondly the Lord honoreth many of his deare seruants whose faith and setlednesse in grace and freedome from such grosse staines hee is priuie vnto by giuing them
the proofe of their patience vprightnesse and humility presently after the exercise of their thankfulnesse and reioycing that so the crosse suddenly comming vpon great blessings or deliuerances they may approue themselues soundly religious in that they are fit to goe vnder the one without murmuring as well as they vsed the other without foolish lightnesse and vaine glory And it is a rare gift for a man by his wise carriage vnder such kind of afflictions to shew that hee waited for his abasement euen in the greatest welfare as Iob in the height of his prosperity looked for his change Whereas the common sort of professors if God endow and furnish them with any priuiledge aboue others as good successe and thriuing in the world victory ouer their aduersary in sute of Law credit and good account either for labour in the the Ministery or for profession of the Gospell liberty to heare the Word and to enioy the Sabbaths fellowship of the faithfull or the like they presently are sicke of a spirituall Plurasie and rankenesse of corrupt blood which if God by some sudden change abate not would soone oppresse them And this nurture wee should all learne that wee may keepe compasse in our liues and neither turne to the right hand nor to the left which is a great portion and sauoureth of much grace and godly wisedome For if we swell know wee for certainty that God will pull vs downe and lest wee should faint and be loden with trouble to our discouragement hee will put vnder his hand in due time to lift vs vp againe And if wee regard to bee guided by his word his handie worke and corrections shall bee fewer or more fauourable and fruitfull in vs. As for hypocrites and time seruers God vseth no such discipline toward them but lets them fall from one extremity into another See that I haue said of this in the eleuenth Chapter In that this extreme thirstines did not breed in him murmuring against God for that he who had done him such seruice should now be suffered to miscarrie as it were and to fall into the hands of Gods enemies as they fell into his it is to admonish vs that we should beware of that sinne of impatience and breaking out against God when we are crossed as wee are too prone and ready to doe as though he must helpe and deliuer vs when wee would or else he doth vs great wrong euen as Mary in the want of wine at the marriage looked vnwisely that Christ should prouide it by miracle by and by Nay rather let vs know that we are euer vnprofitable and that God seeth we haue need oft times to be spurred forward and therfore with Samson Dauid and other his people it behoueth vs to sue humbly to him that so his helpe may be the more sweete vnto vs when it commeth and that we thinke not our selues too good to waite vpon him patiently but rather with importunitie call vpon him in the meane season We make a good shift while the Lord spares vs but if once he lay his hand vpon vs then we verifie that which Satan spake falsely of Iob that is we curse him to his face Not vnlike in this to him that seeing himselfe and his hoste in perill by thirst murmured saying What hath the Lord brought three Kings together and their armies to destroy them And the like was his behauiour after in the famine of which we reade 2. King 6. So the Israelites in their returne from Egypt of whom the Prophet complaineth Psal 95. And these the more is the pitie are our presidents which we follow yea euen in pettie trials rather then Iob who in the middest of his miseries was so far from charging God foolishly that he blessed him and reioyced in suffering tentation as S. Iames saith are blessed and therefore as wee heare of his patience so we see what end the Lord gaue him Farre are wee from considering that our owne sinne being the cause why we suffer we may well bow our shoulders to beare our affliction Or that he who sent one might haue sent tenne and set them on tenne times deeplier and might haue begun sooner But this I haue oft vrged by occasion of shewing what the power of faith is in the well bearing the crosse without which patience is a stranger He vpholdeth and strengtheneth his prayer by two maine and strong pillars that hee might be confident that God would heare him One was the acknowledging of his power and mercie in the late victorie for thus he saith Thou O Lord grantedst by thy seruant this great preseruation to thy people The second this I am thy seruant and in this businesse against the Philistims I haue done thy worke which thou settest me about therefore leaue me not now to this reproch And this with that in the last verse that he is said to haue iudged Israel doe still proue that God in all this resisting the Philistims did appoint him to it and that hee is not to be blamed as a priuate man that did rashly and furiously take it in band as some more ignorant and hastie then wise will be bold to iudge Our instruction is from hence twofold first that the remembring of Gods former benefits and fauour doe adde great force to and cause much feruencie in our prayers this being added that wee quench not the same by any sinne committed against conscience for then we may be sure God will heare vs as he hath done oft before And here that of the Apostle hath place Experience bringeth hope which maketh not ashamed because God is not changed and therefore wee suing to him feruently as in times past may rest the better perswaded but the forgetfulnes of Gods former kindnesse and our vnthankfulnes doth on the contrary as much weaken and coole our prayers For we can nothing so confidently looke for help from God whom by nature wee are afraid of as when wee daily remember his former kindnesse and that it abides for euer towards vs and yet which is much to bee pitied few awake out of this drowsie forgetfulnes and vnthankfulnes wherein they lie By this wee see that it standeth euery Christian very much vpon to hold his confidence and comfort in the promises of God whereby hee may stay himselfe and be vpholden in his trials till God giue a good issue For why The benefit hereof doth not onely reach to the present time but prepareth him also for all crosses in time to come to entertaine and beare them the better Because his experience formerly being ioyned with this That the arme of the Lord is not shortned makes euery new triall seeme more tollerable Whereas hee that vpon occasion of each sudden and vnwelcome trouble fetcheth help rather from his head then his heart and falleth rather to contriue fleshly shifts how to auoid or ease him of his distresse like Saul in getting him
And he had a house of gods and made with the rest of the money all garments and ornaments fit for a Priest signified by the Ephod the vpper garment of the Priest which was the chiefe and when all other things fit for Idolatrie were prouided then he brought the Images which are here called Teraphim into the house of his gods as he called them and made his sonne his Priest And whereas it might be said Was all this abomination done in Israel how could that be It is answered in the sixth verse as the reason of all there was then no ordinary Magistrate in the land to see good order and put downe the contrary and that was the cause Whereas she had dedicated the money to the Lord all that heare what she said would thinke her meaning was that she had vowed it to the vse of the Tabernacle and seruice of God which had been commendable in her but she did so dedicate it to the making of an Image not to the intent to worship false gods but the true God euen Iehouah though in an vnlawfull manner Whereby wee see two kindes of Idolatrie haue been and are practised in the world one when a strange god is worshipped or made for that end another when the true God is worshipped therein but not in such manner as hee hath commanded but by and in Images or some other way that men haue inuented and of this second kinde was this womans sinne So when an Image is made by any set vp to bring God to remembrance we must vnderstand that although they doe it of deuotion intending no other thing then to worshippe him thereby yet all such doing of theirs is but meere ignorance and superstition and that which God doth vtterly abhorre Such as that was of the children of Israels deuising in making a Calfe to worshippe mentioned in Exodus and such as now is practised in Poperie who professe when an Image is set vp before them they pray not to it but to God whether it bee the Crucifix or the picture of the Virgin Mary as they call it or any other neither worship they it if ye will beleeue them they say but they doe so to put them in minde of their Sauiour which is little better But whatsoeuer they meane or intend in such their doings their worke is accepted of God euen as this womans was and that is that he taketh and counteth it for Idolatrie But let vs all as well as Idolaters beware that we offer not to God any seruice or sacrifice whereby we should but mocke him as Micahs mother did Whether it bee will-worship which he neuer allowed or done in hypocrisie which he detesteth as well as Idolatrie most of all condemned but let vs alwaies be guided by his word in the worship which we offer him As she had dedicated the whole summe of the money to the Lord which she tooke againe of her sonne so accordingly she put to the founder a part of it to make a molten Image and the rest of the eleuen hundred shekels she gaue backe to her sonne for the like vse to wit for the maintenance of his Idolatrie The which doing of hers seeing she was so franke in bestowing and yet reaped no fruite of all her cost doth giue iust cause of wondring and lamenting that such Idolaters as they were and as they of our time be can so readily lash out their money vpon that for which they shall neuer be the better for in vaine doe all such worship God and yet many of vs are so slow and backward to lay out our money that may bee well spared to comfort the hearts of Gods people and to other good vses when wee yet may reape and enioy most certaine yea and that vnspeakable fruite thereof I meane when we beleeuing that we are beloued of God do shew this fruit of our loue and thankfull heart to him againe that wee maintaine his true worship with our goods and also pitie and incourage the true worshippers of him I meane his poore members as he requireth of which poore sort he might haue made our selues to be But oh it grieueth me to speake it that for such good vses to wit for the refreshing of Gods poore Saints and the furthering of the true preaching of the Gospel men haue so small deuotion that they thinke all too much that is bestowed that way But they shall receiue their reward accordingly though they hold the truth in the letter as long as they serue God negligently and pinchingly whereas we haue learned of our Sauiour that his heauenly father is not honoured of vs neither then shall we of him be except we bring foorth much fruite And because in the entrance vpon this chapter I referred the reader to this place as a fit occasion of vrging so important a dutie therfore I will here adde somwhat to the former This I say therefore there is not that lauish expence and needlesse lashing out of mens money in some kinds through the land God be thanked which hath been I meane in bestowing much meate drinke vpon idle ones and gamesters and rogues but wherfore is it spared which was wont to bee ill spent To clothe the poore naked members of Christ thinke we or to feed their hungrie bellies to relieue either poore students in the Vniuersitie or Christian poore and distressed ones in the countrey or any other good way This were a good change indeed and a wise frugalitie to spare from the wicked and vile vses to the making of friends that may receiue men into eternall habitations No no but the Popish rout spareth for the maintenance of fugitiue Iesuites and Seminaries and the vpholding of the Popes kingdome the other that they may the better defray the great charge which the seruice of their lusts puts them to I meane pride of life the lust of the couetous heart and vncleane eye all which neuer so swarmed in this land as at this day and yet neuer so great and generall complaints and penurie nor so many and daily vses of reliefe as now in so great increase of pouertie as the people is increased Well gorgeous apparell royall feastings costly pleasures great summes laid vp and purchases made for the vse of posteritie may presently giue contentment to the flesh but when the Lord shall call for a reckoning these expences wil not be allowed nor this account taken for currant but a wofull backe reckoning shall bee exacted at the hands of these euill stewards for such wasting of their Masters goods And that pinching and niggardly contribution to Christs vse being laid with the huge summes that men bestow vpon their lusts shall be an inditement sufficient against them to their condemnation Few there are alas able to doe any thing to purpose towards the easing of the generall burthen and therefore that among those few the most should want an heart as a wofull miser confessed
A COMMENTARY VPON THE WHOLE BOOKE OF IVDGES PREACHED FIRST AND DELIVERED IN SVNDRIE LECTVRES SINCE collected and diligently perused and now published For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and Repentance and especially of them who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the Saints recorded in diuine history PENNED BY RICHARD ROGERS PREACHER of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex HEBR. 12. 1. Wherefore seeing we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses let vs cast off euery thing that presseth downe c. Whatsoeuer is written was written for our instruction that wee through consolation of the Scriptures might haue hope BY WISDOM PEACE BY PEACE PLENTY LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON for Thomas Man and are to be sold at his shop in Pater-noster Row at the signe of the Talbot 1615. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE SIR EDVVARD COKE KNIGHT LORD chiefe Iustice of England and one of his Maiesties most Honorable priuie Counsel R. R. wisheth all blessing internall externall and eternall from God our Father through Christ Iesus RIght Honourable as it hath alway befallen the best both Diuine and Humane lawes to be peruerted by common profanenes and lewd custome so may it be verified in all other things of like precious nature that they could neuer escape the taint of humane errour and abuse Witnesse the institution of the holy feast of Shiloh mentioned in this booke which though first was chiefly vsed as a memoriall of Gods benefits yet in processe of time grew to extreme abuse and gaue occasion to the vnlawful stealing of the virgins in their dances Nay witnesse euen this approueable custome of Dedicating bookes which though it hath been long taken vp and continued for good and respectiue reasons yet hath it been of old the practise of heretikes and still is of vnworthy writers to conueigh the poison of their books into the inferiour sort by stiling and gracing them with the names of remarkable personages Religion and Christianitie the ministerie of the Word and the Profession thereof are things in name and nature of the highest value howbeit as the fairest apple to the worme so are these exposed to the treble corruption of error infidelitie and hypocrisie Semblably the writings of Diuine argument whether vpon Scripture as this or Treatises consonant thereto are of singular vse in the Church yet neuer free from the malignitie of some men Especially such as who either out of their curiositie can endure nothing which clawes not their leprous humor or through their carelesnes professe either to meddle with no mans writings at all or without putting difference to embrace good and bad with equall affection For the two former of these three I meane the vngratiously nice and the gracelesly sensuall this I must say that since the Scriptures themselues the most solemne of all other both for matter and stile cannot rellish with them I despaire that my writings should procure their appetite Yea peraduenture this worke of mine will displease their daintie eyes and fingers by the very bignes and so preiudice their further handling These therfore if their disease be incorrigible I professe not myselfe a cooke for to dresse their diet but rather leaue them to feede vpon the chalke and morter of their vnsauourie Pamphlets while others nourish their minds with more wholesome meate and send them to the trough and akornes since they refuse Angels food For the latter sort since there is more hope to correct their error then the others vice I pray to God that with their generall willingnes to reade he would giue them an vnderstanding heart to discerne aright of things that differ that the holy eye of their iudgement may be like a Musicall eare in the distinguishing of sounds and like the fining pot of the Goldsmith in seuering the gold from drosse or his touchstone in discouering of mettals Also my hope is that such as buy new bookes of all sorts may happily light vpon this among others which if they shall doe I wish them no worse then that the gaine they reape and the taste they get from this may disgrace and distaste with them all fruitlesse and offensiue authors Pardon me right Honourable if I haue been ouer bold in aduenturing to publish these poore labours and thrust them vnder your patronage I haue not sinisterly aimed at the Poets marke who wisheth all writers to set a glosse vpon their worke by a glorious entrance But partly to shroud myselfe in God vnder your authoritie against the tempest and violence of all vniust censurers such as I named before and partly yet chiefly to commend the diligent perusall of this booke to all religious or indifferent Readers by your Honours example perswading myselfe that you will not more willingly become patrone to the writer then a patterne of the things contained in the writing itselfe And as by Gods ordinance the oyle of Consecration was first powred vpon the head of Aaron yet staied not there but ranne downe thence vpon his beard and to the nethermost skirts of his clothing so I iudged this order no whit preposterous if first I presumed to powre this oyle fetcht out of the Lords Tabernacle vpon your Honours head that so from you as the sweet showres trickling downe from the hill to the valley the fragrancie and fruite hereof might descend lower vnto meaner persons Among sundrie other bookes of holy writ which in the course of my Ministerie these fourtie yeeres past God hath assisted me to explane and go through with my Audience I haue for some causes chosen this to leaue as a poore pledge and memoriall to Gods Church of my fidelitie paines and loue And though I respected also the good and request of my owne Congregation herein into whose hearts I desire doubly to fasten the naile of wholesome instruction which soone slippeth out yet seeing my time is short and my voyce cannot reach beyond her vsuall limits I haue endeuoured with my pen to draw a long and a wearisome line that the other defect might be supplied looking vp to him for a requitall who hath promised not to conceale the labour of our loue I haue Right Honourable purposely altered the course of my writing which formerly I haue vsed in my Treatise As Elisha the Prophet put his hands vpon the King of Israel his hand when hee bad him shoote so when wee vndertake the handling of Scripture the holy Ghost allowes vs not to say all wee can inuent but requires vs to put our hands in his hands and to applie our selues more strictly vnto his drift then in Tractates of our owne wherein generally our scope and libertie is more large Yet as the text hath led me I haue held myselfe to these two markes The one more generall to build vp the Christian Reader in faith and good life To the which end as I haue alreadie written a large Discourse if it haue yet come
thereof fit for the people and that out of the bad as well as the good euen as well as out of other Scripture which all haue not learned to doe neither haue attained vnto and therefore doe oft times offer violence to the Scriptures by making allegories of them and so wresting them to another sense then the holy Ghost hath made of them without which manner of handling them they can draw none or little matter out of the most examples in the stories of them and so beside that their doctrine is not soundly gathered so they giue too fearefull suspition to the ignorant that such parts of the Scripture are barraine and drie while they doe by such shifts and yet indirect so hardly draw matter and doctrine out of them when yet it is certaine and cleere that they are full of sound instruction But to come to my purpose I will now set downe some generall things before I enter into the text which may giue some light to the better vnderstanding of the whole book such as I gather partly by obseruing laying together that which I read in it comparing one thing with another and partly out of that learned and reuerend Father Master Peter Martyr whose workes neither the most priuate men can vnderstand nor many Ministers though they may vnderstand them can come by neither if they can shall they finde there that which shall be much for their simpler hearers benefit And first let the reader marke how this booke agreeth with all the former from Genesis to the end of Ioshua and what is the summe of them and this Concerning the booke of Genesis after mention is made in the beginning of it of the creation of the world and the generations to the flood it doth afterward shew how God chose his people out of Abraham and his posteritie and how they were sent into Egypt to auoid the famine In Exodus these things are the principall how the people of God multiplied and increased in the land of Egypt till there rose a King who cruelly oppressed and vexed them sore and how they were deliuered out of the bondage which they were in there by Moses and how they had lawes giuen them to gouerne them And this last point is the summe of Leuiticus also The booke of Numbers declareth their diuers resting places in the desert and their goings forward toward the land of Canaan In Deuteronomy Moses being to depart out of this world and to leaue the people doth most faithfully repeate the law to the generation which came after the former and which then liued I meane to the posteritie of Abraham Then came Ioshua and led the people into the promised land and diuided the land of the Amorites and Canaanites which partly was subdued and gotten out of their hands and partly remained to be conquered he I say diuided it amongst the twelue tribes according to the commandement of God after he had brought them ouer Iordan slaine many of the Kings of Canaan and possessed their cities and grounds in that countrey This is the summe and contents of the booke of Ioshua After his death to come to our purpose the Lord gouerned his people the Hebrewes being placed in that land by Iudges whom to that end he indued with excellent gifts and by them deliuered and kept the people out of the hands of their enemies who as yet did all the daies of the Iudges remaine in great numbers to vex them But to vnderstand better the meaning of the word Iudges a materiall point in this booke to be vnderstood though to iudge signifie to know the cases of such as contend and be at variance and to giue sentence of iudgement betwixt men yet these Iudges mentioned in this booke had not that office neither were called Iudges in that respect But as the word signifieth also to reuenge and to redeeme out of bondage thus did those Iudges deliuer and redeeme the people as in this booke is at large declared I speakâ— not of Samuel who is said after to iudge them also by deciding controuersies and ciuill causes But these Iudges had that office assigned them of God to deliuer the people as I haue said out of their enemies hands and so to iudge them and therefore were called by that name of Iudges and this booke that intreateth of them and their acts throughout is called The booke of Iudges And briefly to lay out the state and condition that these people the Hebrewes then liued in whereby the office of the Iudges may the better be vnderstood they hauing not yet conquered the land were occupied as at their first entrance into it and after Ioshuas death a while in subduing it and their enemies but afterward they suffered them to remaine and become tributaries to them and were thereby as God saw it meete and as need required in great perill and miserie by them and then because they were his people lest they should haue been vtterly destroyed these Iudges were raised vp by him without the election of men to rescue and deliuer them But afterward when they were at rest and peace God gouerned them not by those Iudges therefore Iphtah when he was desired would not raigne ouer them neither had they authoritie ouer them but he vsed the help of someother excellent persons fit by their vertues and gifts for that purpose and they ruled the people but the Iudges as I said were stirred vp by the Lord in great dangers brought vpon them by their enemies to be helpers and deliuerers vnto them and to keepe them in peace afterward while they lined So that these Iudges were not chosen by succession as Kings neither by the voyces of the people but were raised vp by God as wee haue heard indifferently as well out of one tribe as another and how meane and vnfit soeuer they were before for that purpose God did furnish them by and by after he had stirred them vp with most excellent gifts for that end to the which he appointed them And it went farre better with the people while they were vnder them then it did afterward when they would needs haue a King to raigne ouer them For they did alwaies deliuer the people of Israel out of the calamitie with which they were oppressed whereas their Kings did sometimes waste them and bring them into captiuitie and were the most part of them Idolaters And although vnder the Iudges the people were somtimes oppressed grieuously by strangers and especially vnder Samson by the Philistims for why we must know their horrible sinnes deserued it and prouoked God to deale with them in that manner yet they were neuer led into captiuitie while they liued with them Againe there were few of the Kings good men in Israel not one the Iudges for the most part were all such A good testimonie whereof we haue in the Epistle to the Hebrewes where we thus reade of the commendation of them The time would be too short
his profession rediculus And to let him see what this will grow to hee may further vnderstand that God dealeth with such after this manner that first he suffereth them to be vnsetled in their course so that they serue God awkly and vntowardly as he goeth to worke that vseth dull edged instruments they cannot pray nor walke roundly and cheerefully in their calling but are full of vnquietnes with much grudge of conscience and a very tast of hell which to continue many houres or dayes is yet an heauier burden and greater bondage And yet if they relent not when they be vnsetled and when they see themselues thus far out of the way of godlines a greater danger is like to follow that is that they shall be hardened and so farre from repentance and then they fall from euill to worse till they breaking into other open offences bee met withall and requited with sundry open and shamefull punishments This is the Lords manner of dealing with his owne euen as he dealeth with the vngodly first to warne them secretly by the accusation of their conscience and if that doe them no good to call them backe then he casteth them into bodily or visible iudgement And so the bestende they haue of their bad doings is to goe backe with shame and sorrow whereas they might haue shunned both and haue liued in peace and with comfort Which being duly considered hath made mee oft to maruell that men whom I know to be very carelesse can yet bee so quiet Me thinks where much sinne is committed and such as the persons cannot be ignorant of it when they haue done it they should not put it vp so cleanely and sleepe vpon it so easily but that it ought to trouble them euen as the stomacke ouercharged seeketh to be vnburdened So I say I thinke they should haue but small peace within when so much may bee seene to bee amisse without for let them set as faire a face on their bad doings as they can yet can they not be the whole men that they goe for and God wil not be mocked they must cast vp their vnsauorie gorge and clense their harts and hands from euill before God will accept and take knowledge of them for his For if the conscience being tender and like the apple of the eie can suffer no violence how can they loade it with so great a burden of knowne sinnes but they must needs cause it to cry out if they doe not with true repentance seeke to God for mercie to ease it For a penitent soule cannot feele the least violence to be offered to the conscience by sinne committed but it crieth out to be cured and therefore they who giue greater cause cannot bee in good case when they set it light hauing so sore offended And thus much by occasion of the Canaanites sinne It followeth THE THIRD SERMON VPON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES VERS 5. And they found Adonibezek in Bezek and they fought against him and slew the Canaanites and the Perezites VERS 6. And Adonibezek fled and they pursued after him and and caught him cut off the thumbes of his hands and of his feet VERS 7. And Adonibezek said Seuenty Kings hauing the thumbes of their hands and of their feete cut off gathered bread vnder my table as I haue done so God hath rewarded me So they brought him to Ierusalem and there he died TO make entrance into these verses which I haue read yee haue heard how God gaue victorie now it is shewed more particularly how the victorie before mentioned was gotten the place being set downe where the battel was fought that is in Bezek and the King of the people is mentioned who was Adonibezek who fled in the battell as being too weake but was taken and handled as is set downe in the text to wit hee had the thumbes of his hands and feete cut off Whether the men of Iuda knew that he had so dealt with other or no or whether the Lord directed them so to doe without knowing any such thing it is not expressed but he himselfe confessed that hee had done so to others and that God had requited him with the like That which was said of the Canaanites punishment that it was inflicted vpon them when their sin was growne ripe may as truly be said of their King as by his owne confession may be gathered but hauing spoken of that point alreadie I omit to say any more of it But seeing this Adonibezek being taken as he fled had his thumbs cut off as he had cut off others before out of these verses let vs first note this that God measures out to men euen as they measure and mete to others according to the words of our Sauiour With what measure ye mete shall bee measured out to you againe So that as we haue done to other so shall we be dealt with The Lord confirmes this truth where he saith He that sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed Which was rightly verified in Haman and that in many points For first as he accused Gods people vniustly so he was charged and that by the King himselfe where yet he was not guilty and he was condemned without solemne iudgement seeing he had done so to others and when he was handled most reprochfully and adiudged to most shamefull punishment yet there was none that pitied him a wonderfull thing to be spoken of one that had been in so great fauor with the King and why this euen because he had been pitilesse towards other that it might be verified which was then true and afterward written Iudgement shall bee mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy Why was he hanged and that vpon the gallows that he had set vp for godly Mordecay I say stil euen that the scripture might be fulfilled euery way that as he had done so it might be done to him again for in that hee purposed to doe it it was done alreadie in Gods account Now that wee may bring this neerer to our selues many among vs complaine how they be wronged in their dealings with men they are euill spoken of slandred railed vpon they say and many other waies abused And they thinke they receiue very hard measure at mens hands hereby they maruell at it and complaine that none are vsed as they be but what blindnes is it that couereth there eies For doe not all that liue with them know at least their owne consciences can tell them that they haue dealt euen so with other and thereby haue giuen cause to be so dealt withall againe But oh blind selfe-loue that cannot see that which all other doe see I meane which thinkes that tolerable in ones selfe which yet hee accuseth and condemneth in another and seeth not the iust iudgement of God vpon himselfe by other mens wronging him which hee himselfe by his iust desâ—â—ts hath brought vpon
abide therein then will he be with them to guide keepe and comfort them and otherwise they may haue God with them I deny not sometime as I haue said though hee owe not euen that to them but so yet they may be miserable and vnhappie still but in a better manner hee was here with Iuda both before and at the time here mentioned also he declared the same by giuing their enemies into their hands This confuteth the conceit of such as measure Gods being with them by his raising them in wealth or giuing them their desires As Micah an Idolator applauded himselfe as beloued by God because hee gaue him a Leuite to be his priest whereas he giueth many wicked men their desires in wrath when yet he denieth to his owne theirs in fauour And this is that which we haue to make profit of out of the words before mentioned that Iudah prospered seeing God was with him We haue heard that they ouercame the inhabitants of the hill countrey seeing God was with them Now in the same verse it is added that they did not ouercome the inhabitants of the valleies seeing they had charriots of iron And hereby this vnbeliefe of theirs began their sorrow and miseries which the other tribes followed them in to the end of the Chapter The common translation is they could not driue them out but it is not so in the Hebrew the better translation addeth another word namely that they went not about it Neither of both is out of the originall but that seemeth to bee the sense for it is otherwise vnperfit For it is thus there they did not to driue them out which is to be supplied they went not about to doe it Whither of both soeuer it was that they did not either go about it it was their fault or whither we take it thus that they could not euen that was their fault also For God promised that although they had chariots of iron yet hee would deliuer them into their hands then they failed in beleeuing Gods promise and so they going from God by vnbeliefe God likewise went from them so that God being with them and they beleeuing him they ouercame them them that dwelt on the mountaines but they not beleeuing God as he had promised in Ioshua 17. seeing they had iron chariots therfore they did not ouercome them in the vallyes Therefore howsoeuer we take it there was a fault in the men of Iuda For though it may be obiected that God would not giue them victory ouer the one as well as ouer the other I answere that is true but that was through their fault that they beleeue not that his word as he had promised So that the doctrine which we are taught from hence is this that though God bestow many good blessings vpon vs while we beleeue in him hauing promised it euen as he did here on Iuda and so long hee shewes himselfe to be with vs yet if wee giue in and withdraw our selues through vnbeliefe and belieued not his promises he will faile vs in other blessings and deny vs them A most worthy truth and much to be regarded of vs. For so it is now with vs as it was then with the men of Iuda So saith our Sauiour to the man that brought his son to be healed that had a dumbe spirit If thou canst beleeue all things are possible to him that belieueth meaning thereby that all things that are agreeable to the will of God shall be granted to him that beleeueth for faith seeketh nothing that is contrary to his will or not reueiled in his word So saith Saint Iames If any man want wisdome let him aske of God who giueth to all plentifully and casteth no man in the teeth but let him aske in faith and wauer not and so speaketh the Scripture throughout And to bind this more sure the Lord himselfe saith to the Hebrewes If any man withdraw himselfe my soule shall haue no pleasure in him that is if he beleeue not Excellent is that saying of the Lord to this purpose in the Chronicles The Aethiopians and the Lubims were they not a great people yet because thou diddest rest vpon me I deliuered them into thy hands but now thou hast done foolishly in relying on the King of Syria and not on the Lord therefore hee leaueth thee to thyselfe to beleeue and so driuen and disswaded from the contrary Yet this causeth mee oft to maruell that wee being so incouraged neither the vnbeleeuers doe hast or long and thirst for faith as though it were little worth neither can other who yet should bee most readie bee brought to waite daily and constantly to grow in this grace of beleeuing neither doe although they haue obtained alreadie to belieue for al that nourish faith as they are taught that so they may abound therein with thanks-giuing And much it is to be lamented that seeing God is not with vs to blesse and beautifie vs otherwise we should for all that neglect so great good as we might get thereby and rather with others follow fancie and reason sloath and example and that is to beleeue no more then we see Oh wofull vnbeleefe that fillest our liues with so many fretting sorrowes and deadly discomforts True it is that many to make their fault small doe answer that the people that liued before the comming of Christ might much easier beleeue then wee now because they reade in the stories such examples not onely of Abraham but also of Ioshua and many of the people in the destroying of Iericho to haue done so And the Priests aduenturing to set their feet on the waters beleeuing that they should giue place to them to go ouer them on dry foot as God had promised with many other like But they are grossely deceiued who thinke so euen as much as they who will say that in the dawning morning light a man may see as clearely as at noonetide For who is ignorant of this that the mystery of faith is nothing so clearely reuealed in the old Testament no not by many degrees as it is in the new So that although some of the chiefe fathers who were to goe before the people and bee lights to them as Moses Noah Abraham and others receiued inlightning of God more and in greater measure then we doe in these daies yet the Church consisting of the common people at this time hath cause a great deale more to beleeue and farre more easily may imbrace the promises by the ordinary meanes they they haue I say not what God may do and so liue by faith more easily I say then they did or could doe But this is our sinne that we search not into our selues so much as to see whither it be so neither if we find it to be otherwise are we grieued for it or seeke to amend it But there will be occasion offered to speake more largely of this matter in many
places of this booke therefore I will here containe my selfe But one thing more here by so good occasion I will note about faith worthy our remembrance and regard and that is this that though the Tribe of Iuda beleeued the Lord and his promises in one thing and did therfore valiantly I meane in expelling the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill countries and the Lord was with them accordingly yet in another thing they did not beleeue namely that God would expel the enemies that dwelt in the valleyes because they had iron chariots and therefore they went not about it neither did they obtaine any such thing of God Whereby we see that we may possibly beleeue one promise and yet not another and which is no great maruell wee may beleeue when the case is more easie and the thing which is promised is of lesse difficultie to obtaine as here it was with them then when it is otherwise Euen so we may beleeue at one time and yet not at another The reason of both is seeing wee are fickle and inconstant therefore wee fleet and change in time and wee are also timerous by meanes whereof it commeth to passe that although we may be brought to belieue a thing of lesse moment or which in former time we haue belieued yet at some other time and in another thing where in we haue no experience and which striketh vs with greater feare there we faint and giue ouer The vse of this is that we accustome aquaint and bend our selues when we haue giuen credit in some things to God that we may do the same in other and if we find it otherwise then that we take knowledge of our weakenesse and thinke our strength in beleeuing not to be very great And therefore we thus seeing our wants therein are not to please our selues and rest in that which we haue done but looke to that which is yet to be done of vs and as Saint Iames speaketh of patience that it should haue her perfit worke so faith must haue her perfit worke also That thus wee may goe a degree further as the Apostle willeth the Colossians namely to abound in faith Which cannot bee without thankes giuing to God and much ioy to our selues VERS 20. And they gaue Hebron to Caleb as Moses had said and he expelled thence the three sonnes of Anake THis giuing Hebron to Caleb is repeated for it had been giuen to Caleb by Moses before as it is said in the booke of Ioshua and now the warres of the Tribe of Iuda being set downe the chiefe captaine whereof Caleb was this is againe spoken of And it is said that to him this citie with the coasts thereof was giuen namely by Ioshua as God had appointed in Deutronomie That which is the chiefe matter here of giuing Hebron to Caleb as it was before promised and he was not holden backe no nor deferred nor defeated of it teacheth that wee ought in no wise to detaine any mans due from him though it bee in our power to doe it nor to withhold reward from him that hath deserued it Gods will is that euery man inioy his owne as wee would ours which he hath bestowed vpon him And this being so sharpely reprooued by Saint Iames in masters towards their seruants withholding their due from them doth much more challenge them who in waightier cases haue wrought vnrighteousnesse against any Thus hee writeth Behold the hire of the labourers which haue reaped your fields which is of you kept backe by fraud crieth and the cries of them that haue reaped are entred into the eares of the Lord of hostes It hath been a pollicie vsed by gouernors to promise great rewards to such as shall bewray dangerous practises of traitors or find out open malefactors or performe good seruice against the enemies of the Church and their countrey which if they be not regarded and rewarded accordingly how shall the hands of men be strengthened and they incouraged to doe these duties Ahashuerosh an Heathen King when he had been deliuered from the treason that two of his seruants intended against him and that by Mordecay who detected it as soone as he vnderstood after it had been forgotten a time that he had not been rewarded for his faithfull seruice he did in most ample maner command and saw it effected that he should be rewarded So Belshazzar did to Daniel for his faithfull seruice and Pharaoh to Ioseph in an admirable manner Much more that which is a mans owne is to be restored or pay him at the due time as by the executor the borrower or any other who by right ought to doe it But euen among Christians the neglect hereof and the shifting of many contrary to couenant oath promise and bond calleth their profession into question among such as would gladly conceiue better of them But God meetes with such iustly for neither are they trusted in their health nor yet pitied in their distresse but beare a marke of their vntrustines and vnfaithfull dealing vnto the day of their repentance or to their graue And therfore they who are put in trust and defeate the orphan or other to whō it is due as also those banckrupts who inrich themselues with the goods of other men and then giue it out that they are not able to pay though they haue it in their power to do it or disable thēselues by their vnthriftines carelesnes and all such as hold from men that due that belongs to them shal feele Gods anger as bitter as masters shal who detaine hold backe their seruants wages But they doe no better who will claime it before it is due or else will bee displeased and will prouoke to sute although they know no iust cause for that which is sought in such a case I meane before it be due is to be obtained either by intreaty if it may bee yeelded or by agreement and composition but the rule before mentioned bindeth only to lawfull not irreligious promises As for that which is here said in this 20. verse that Caleb expelled out of Hebron the three sonnes of Anak vnderstand that they are those three who are mentioned in the 10. verse Sheshai Ahiman and Talmai where the driuing of them out is ascribed to Iuda in the general which in this verse is particularly said to haue been done by Caleb who was chiefe in the worke For the doctrine to be gathered hence reade verse 10. THE SEVENTH SERMON VPON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The second part of the Chapter VERS 21. But the children of Beniamin did not cast out the Iebuzites that inhabited Ierusalem therefore the Iebuzites dwell with the children of Beniamin in Ierusalem vnto this day NOw followeth the second part of the chapter which laieth out the beginning of the calamities of the people of Israel as to the end of the chapter may bee seene namely that
it is that which the Lord did foresay would come to passe thereby And he forbad them such mariages principally for this cause seeing he foresaw and knew that by vnequall matching together his worship would bee greatly impaired if not turned into the contrary For godly and religious persons are often alienated by the parties contrarily minded vnto them from the true God as in Salomons example so wise a man is to bee seene who was exceedingly corrupted and builded places for strange Gods to worship them in being inticed thereto by strange women whom he loued And our age hath sustained most grieuous shipwracke of conscience and goodnesse in that many therein haue ioyned in marriage with Papists and other prophane hellish Atheists For when they haue by their familiarity together made marriages with them what remaineth but that they as these did heere doe turne to their religion also and serue in the manner that they doe But of this before chap. 2. vers 2. THE EIGHTEENTH SERMON VPON THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The second part of the Chapter VERS 7. So the children of Israel did wickedly in the fight of the Lord and forgat the Lord their God and serued Baalim and Asheroth 8. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Cushan rishathaim King of Aram-nabaraim and the children of Israel serued Cushan-rishathaim eight yeeres 9. And when the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord the Lord stirred vp a sauiour to the children of Israel and he saued them euen Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs younger brother 10. And the spirit of the Lord came vpon him and hee iudged Israel and went out to warre and the Lord deliuered Cushan rishathaim King of Aram into his hand and his hand preuailed against Cushan-rishathaim 11. So the land had rest fortie yeeres and Othniel the sonne of Kenaz died NOw I hauing shewed how God tried his by people dwelling among the idolatrous nations what they would do and we hauing seene also what they did to wit that they made marriages with them and serued their gods both which haue bin set downe in the first part of this chapter I will now proceed to the second part and come to the three examples therein set downe by the holy Ghost and heerein I will speake chiefly of these things therein to wit of the sinne punishment repentance and deliuerance of the people and how they turned away againe from the Lord afterwards The first example is to the twelfth verse the second to the 31. verse the third to the end The first hath these foure things to bee considered one is the peoples reuolting from God in this verse another the punishment brought vpon them for it in the eighth verse the third the peoples crying to God vnder it vers 9 and the fourth the Lords sending helpe in the rest vnto the 12. verse with the fruit that followed Their sinne is set downe first generally that they did euill in the sight of the Lord and then more particularly that they forgot him and fell to Idolatry Heere I giue this watchword to the reader that seeing I shall in this booke often meet with things that I haue already spoken of at least that there are diuerse things mentioned oft and sundry times heerein therefore I will not goe ouer them againe as oft as I meete with them being the same specially in the same manner which were but a wearying of the reader with repeating one thing oft but I will note and chiefly follow such things as beside them are occasioned there All the things in this verse are such I will therefore doe as I haue said and referre the reader for the rest to that which hath been said of them before Their sinne set downe in generall that they durst offend God secretly and do that which was euill in his sight and that they forgot the Lord and remembred not his kindnesse and many benefits and their Idolatry and worshipping the gods of the nations which arose of the two former these things I say duly considered of vs do teach this worthie point to wit how men breake out into grosse and foule sinnes by the forgetting of Gods goodnesse toward them and the taking of boldnesse to sinne against him in doing that which is any way euill in his eyes And so by the contrary the direct way to liue godly and to bee free from reprochfull sinnes is to feare to do any thing amisse in the sight of the Lord in secret and to keepe in mind his benefits by daily recording them with feruent and hearty thankes For if the child be drawne to a naturall loue and ioying in the parents and so to bee afraid to displease them seeing they make much of it and giue it all good things what maruell is it if the Lords benefits which are renued vpon vs euery morning being duly recorded of vs should draw vs to delight in him and make our songs of him also that we being ready to doe his will and afraid to offend him in secret what maruell I say if we should abhore to dishonour him openly And if elder children endued with grace will be faithfull to their parents in their absence and so shunne boldnesse in offending them in presence who doubteth but that if we feare to offend our God in secret we shall shunne open and greater offences also So by the contrary this is cleere that if we grow to this point that we dare doe that which is euill in Gods eyes and to forget him and his vnspeakeable kindnesse though wee commit not by and by the grosest and most odius things yet it will not belong before wee breake out euen grosly wax bold also and worke that which is odious in the sight of men Whereas we ought euer to haue before vs Gods bounty and kindnesse in such wise that they may be barres in our waies to keepe vs euen from smal offences that so the groser sinnes may much more bee kept from vs. And so Dauid affirmeth that if he had not been bold to sinne against God in secret he had neuer broke out shamefully before men We know the diuell is called a serpent which word signifieth properly a creeper because his property is by little and little creepe and winde into vs to withdraw our hearts from vprightnesse and constancy therein also to cause that Gods benefits shall be more meanely accounted off of vs and then boldnesse in sinne will creepe vpon vs easily and after that wee shall not feare the attempting of great and grieuous sinnes also It is our wisedome therefore to consider Gods goodnesse to bee so great and the same so continued to vs daily as who shall but meanely obserue and weigh the same but he must needs confesse as much that we should be afraid and ashamed to offend and displease him through negligence much more by forgetting ourselues in both
of this people is their seeking to God and that in faith and repentance For when sorrow pinched them by reason of their grieuous bondage and they saw all helpe of man failed them they fled to God acknowledging that they had now proued by wofull experience that the worshipping of strange gods had done them little good my meaning is they had thereby and by their other sinnes brought those calamities vpon themselues And this their crying to God was not the action of one man or family but of the body of the people in generall and some among them no doubt did it soundly and vnfainedly therefore they repented though it bee not so expresly set downe as in some places and so we must vnderstand this that is said of them heere It is laid out by this word crying as the holy Ghost in the first of Samuel 7. doth set down the repentance of the people after the like manner namely by their lamenting after God and in other places the same is done either by some signe or by some fruit of it so heere by crying As if it should be said that by this they testified their sorrow for displeasing God their beleeuing of pardon purpose of amendment and their feruent prayer and confession of their sin as all these are required by the Lord in true repentance in Hosea 14. And this is the fruit of calamity in the elect or rather of Gods goodnesse towards them whereby he calleth them to himselfe by affliction This place though briefly yet pithily teacheth all Gods people what to doe when they haue prouoked God to afflict them for their sinnes and that is this they should after the thinking vpon both seriously cry vnto God and call vpon him assoone as they shall bee able and this is to draw neare to him as the people in Iames are directed to doe And this I teach by so good occasion heere offered because though men bee for the most part secure and carelesse yet if their sinnes bee once brought to mind and laid before them in any deepe and dreadfull manner they are in another extremity as in feare and terrour doubting that God will not heare them though they pray for this is their disposition in that time through tentation when they haue prouoked God to bee alienated and turned from him by dreadfull feare and vnbeliefe to whom they were wont while they walked vprightly to haue accesse by prayer before Adam after his sinne was afraid of Gods voice wherein yet before he reioyced and did hide himselfe in the thicket for feare of it So Dauid cryeth and complaineth when hee felt his sinne that his soule cleaued to the dust meaning that for very griefe hee was almost brought to the graue and againe that hee was in the depth of trouble as not seeing for the time how to get out of it This anguish he felt in his soule though he was deare in the eyes of the Lord. And the 51. Psalme testifieth how hee was wrapt in sorrow as if his bones had been broken thinking for the time that hee had lost all grace of the spirit And no lesse cleerely doth this appeare in Ionas after that the Lord had pursued him for his sinne when in the bellie of the fish he cried thus I said I am cast away out of thy sight the waters compassed mee about vnto the soule So I may say of Gods best seruants when they haue seene the horror of his wrath against them for some sinne that wounded them they haue been dismaied and almost past hope and brought to fainting for the time And by this wee may see that the secure and carelesse people who wee know are not behinde other in sinning are in a contrary extremity But to returne to the other if Gods seruants apprehend his wrath and then fal into the tentation of the diuell who can cunningly deceiue them in making it seeme greater then it is to be kindled against them they are cast downe as it were with a deadly blow and thus I say doe all in that case till God put away feare from them And seeing these two are contrary to wit to bee turned from God by feare and vnbeliefe and to returne and come home neare vnto him againe by faith and seeing they meet so neare together in one person so that one of them oft times immediately succeedeth the other therefore all possible speed and care is to bee vsed that when feare through the accusation of the conscience taketh place faith should be at hand to expell and ouercome it But againe to obiect further it is said God heareth not sinners and therefore hee will not they say heare them crying vnto them But to this I answere that when men repent he heareth them as wee see in Dauid Peter and other And such need not be discouraged from comming to him but take hope assuredly that hee will heare them Indeed they that dare not come and humble themselues to him after their offence and so stand firme in their hearts or other that doe call vpon him yet for all that doe it in shew rather then in faith and repentance they I say doe all one as if they did not cry to God at all They therefore who haue learned that God will certainely smite and punish if they sinne let them also learne what they must doe and how they must seeke to the Lord when hee punisheth as these men did heere taking heed of the extremities before mentioned If they desire to turne away Gods wrath from them then cry they to him also in seeing their sinne and laying it neare their hearts and if they relent and turne from it let them beleeue that his anger is also turned away from them they vnfainedly purposing amendment of life and looking duly to it afterwards but more happie are they who looke warily about them that they prouoke him not at all but dutifully and constantly hold on their Christian course And this of their crying to God the third point The fourth thing in this first example now followeth to wit of their deliuerance in this and the next two verses wherein consider these foure things first God raised them vp Othniel to be their deliuerer then secondly how he furnished him thereto and thirdly how hee gaue his aduersary into his hands and fourthly what followed thereof Othniel is described heere to be the same man of whom wee heard in the first chapter and who won the city Debir He is called a sauiour because he saued Israel out of the hands of their great aduersary Cushan that had held them long in bondage by which deliuerance they had good testimony that Gods displeasure was turned away from them The Lords thus speedy turning vnto them vpon their repentance is marueilous but yet agreeable to that which is spoken of him in the Scripture namely that hee is slow to wrath and very readie to forgiue And
through the hardening of their hearts when yet if they could confider aright of it euen that is the greatest punishment of all And although they rise out of it againe in time afterwards yet it is done confusedly or if they see their sinne and repent of it it is after a good space and so much time hath at the least been lost or vnprofitably passed ouer by them And whereas this punishment that was cast vpon them was bondage to a forraine nation both cruel and idolatrous Oh it was a yoke most vnwelcome and so we are to account of it whensoeuer and whomsoeuer of vs it shall fall vpon Subiection in children to parents in seruants to masters in subiects to Prince is naturall and kind But no such thing is bondage to strangers but fearefull and tedious as we haue heard oft times when some persons heere among vs haue been taken by the Turkes yea and Dunkirks into what wofull state they haue been brought And although God hath mercifully perswaded our nation it selfe from it yet we know in what danger we haue been especially to the Spaniard and namely in that yeere 1588. And let vs not be senselesse in hearing this or carelesse for if these reuoltings in the better sort and prophanenesse with many particular sinnes in the common sort continue if the Lord punish vs not with that one kind we may be sure that some one or other shall be in the roome of it yea and if we be not blind in beholding it the plague and dearth hath already seazed vpon many thousands whatsoeuer be behind to arrest such as remaine Vers 15. But when the chilhren of Israel cried vnto the Lord the Lord stirred vp a sauiour to them Ehud the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini a man lame of his right hand and the children of Israel sent a present by him to Eglon King of Moab The third point and fourth in this second example follow namely the cry of the people testifying their repentance and the Lords mercy who pitying them sent them another like Othniel who should deliuer them The man is named and described in the text He first slue the King of Moab and after ten thousand men of his strong and good warriours and so deliuered Israel out of bondage This followeth in the story but it was necessary for me to mention it heere seeing otherwise this sending of a present by him to the King of Moab which the people of Israel are in this verse said to haue done should haue been hard to vnderstand to what end it is set downe whereas the sending of it to him by the men of Israell was the meane of killing the King of Moab and the pretence that they had to couer their intent But more of this afterwards as the words of the text when I come to them shall offer occasion But now let vs handle the points that are in this verse as they lie in order and as for this time we shall be able First it is said that the people cryed to the Lord from vnder their sore bondage wherewith they were oppressed And had it not been better for them to haue been without it and to haue serued the Lord with comfort as they did while Othniel liued with them so should they not haue needed to cry How this their crying was a signe of their repentance I haue largely shewed in the former example vers 9. and that may serue for both But that which I will note now from their crying is this that the best end of our pleasures of sinne is howling and crying which though it did heere accompany repentance as seldome it doth yet is it painful but without it dreadfull and deadly neither doe many meet with that as I said though too many haue their part in this For the times that follow sinne when it is done and ended are not like the time in which it is committed they full of smart and sorrow this taken vp in deceiueable pleasure Consider this all you that are giuen to your appetite and will haue your pleasure where ye can come by it howsoeuer the Lord forbids it and how deare soeuer it cost you If ye may end with crying which yet they can ill away with who hunt after vaine pleasure I meane that which is companion to repentance ye haue infinitely to thanke God for it but who can assure you that ye shall speed so well and haue so good an end thereof who may iustly feare an hundred to one that painfull crying which maketh way to perpetuall howling and gnashing of teeth As your sinnes haue been great so shall your cries be great saith the Lord as namely he doth by Abraham to the rich man Sonne in thy life time thou enioyedst thy pleasure but now thou art tormented Is not this lamentable when we might liue comfortably enioying our health peace liberty and welfare with Gods good liking But oh wofull it is that none of his benefits how precious soeuer are commonly accounted of vs according to their value to wit thankfully nor vsed soberly and aright but so as we are inforced to cry out at the last at least we haue cause so to doe of our abusing of them For there cannot a iot or tittle of Gods word fall to the ground who saith Reioyce O young man in thy youth and let thine heart cheere thee in the daies of thy youth and walke in the waies of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know that for these things he will bring thee to iudgement But I cannot goe through this whole verse at this time But thus much of this third point beside that which I haue spoken of it elsewhere THE TWENTIETH SERMON ON THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw followeth the fourth point in this example and that is how God had mercy on the people when they cried vnto him and gaue them another deliuerer this Ehud by name of the family of Iemini which pertained to the tribe of Beniamin and lame on his right hand And by this as it appeares that Gods hand is not shortened in raising vp one deliuerer after another so we may see how good and kinde the Lord is in hearing the cries and grones of his people and that often times euen againe and againe when they make their complaint vnto him And this hee doth as well in the daily pardoning of our infirmities which are innumerable for who can reckon them as also in such falles as are more grieuous if it repent vs from our heart as he willeth vs to doe in Hosea Which doctrine is warily to be receiued for wee are ready to fall into extremities on both sides For some doubt and feare that God will not receiue them againe though they returne to him remembring their former shamefull and wilfull transgression but that errour of theirs must be amended Other are ready when they heare of Gods
aduanced in this world and yet so soone and suddenly spoiled and bereaued of all their honour and excellency as I haue said and to change it with a base death and a worse estate afterwards doe liuely set before our eyes the misery of all such as looke no further then after brauerie iollity vaine pleasure and large possessions which they can neither keepe when their deadly blow is giuen them and when their dreadfull woe commeth so that they might bee any comforts to them nor lose and part from them if they haue any time to thinke thereof without deadly dislike and most bitter vexation So that it may worthily warne all such as be of high degree and much more vs that are inferiour persons and therefore ought first to stoope to consider of and prouide for our ende that when we must departhence which time is most vncertaine we may bee prepared to die happily and prouide to be receiued into heauenly habitations For wee see what a pitifull and dangerous thing it is to rest vpon that which we enioy heere as wealth pompe young yeeres or any other earthly prosperity The Lord scatters men in the imaginations of their hearts He sweepes downe their warped thoughts as copwebs with beezome It had been well with Eglon and such as hee was all that heare of him will say if he had enioyed nothing and much better if hee had been nothing Euen thus the hand of God is against all his enemies and when the day of reckoning commeth they perish It is reported in the history of that time that an Emperour of Rome Adrian by name when hee should die and leaue all his iollity being suddenly stricken with great terrour vsed these words Oh my poore wandring sillie soule which hast been long a companion and guest of my body what shall hereafter become of thee or whither wilt thou goe Thou hast been iollie merrie and full of sporting and pleasures but now thou must goe where theee is no such matter forlorne desolate and forsaken Behold in this great man the wofull apprehension and fearefull presage of the woe to come euen while he liued the which doubtlesse seazing vpon the mighty and glorious when no outward thing can comfort them should flaight and terrifieal sorts and degrees of men from resting vpon any earthly props wanting Gods fauour for their chiefe stay and refuge And heere in laying out the fearefull manner of killing Eglon occasion being offered to make mention of that which was lothsome to the eare in that it was vttered in more seemly termes and words we may learne how warily wee should speake of things more vnseemely or which are more harsh in the hearing and follow the holy Ghost in our termes namely to vtter that which might else offend the eares of the most in more seemely and honest words So the action of the marriage bed is vsually expressed by the holy Ghost in most chast and seemely words As it is said of Dauid when Abishag the Shunamite was brought vnto him to minister to him though she cherished him and lay in his bosome in his extreme age that he might get heate by her it is said in modest words that the King knew her not so Mary how can this be seeing I knew not a man Such are the termes vsed by the holy Ghost of discouering the shame and couering the nakednesse of Noah our father as Shem and Iaphei did And although education and good manners teach vs modesty yet grace must teach the language of Canaan whereof this is a part The Lord commanded Israel to couer their excrements with their paddle because hee walked among them and so ought we to behaue our selues especially Preachers must beware of brode vnseemely and offensiue speech in this kinde because they are to vtter the will of God in the most seemely and reuerent phrase and manner And diuers other such might bee brought forth but that I would not bee long in this matter where fewer words may serue Which is to the iust reproofe of many in our time who as they are rude and brutish in their behauiour so haue they as beastly and filthy tongues to vtter their mindes by in too vnseemely manner as they know who are their companions and like vnto them And this of Ehuds killing Eglon. THE TWENTIE TWO SERMON ON THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES VERS 23. Then Ehud got him out into the porch and shut the dores of the parlour vpon him and locked them 24. And when he was gone out his seruants came who seeing that the doores of the parlour were locked they said surely hee doth his easement in his sommer parlour 25. And they tarried till they were ashamed and seeing he opened not the doores of the parlour they tooke the key and opened them and behold their Lord was fallen dead on the earth 26. So Ehud escaped while they tarried and was passed the quarries and escaped to Seirah NOw of the things that followed this action and pertained to it according to the diuision made in the end of the fifteenth verse they are set downe in these foure verses and tend all to this end to shew how God made way for Ehuds safe escaping And therefore first note we somewhat generally and then more particularly afterward For his comming forth in that none of the Kings seruants were at hand to goe into the Kings parlour presently or if they were there attending yet that they should be so negligent and forgetfull to goe in forthwith but to tarrie till Ehud might be gone past all danger it was as I said of his going about it so ordered by God that all might say thus hee would haue it and then we know that none can withstand or resist it To teach vs the same so that although a man would thinke that there might be many waies to ouerthrow and frustrate Gods purpose yet none of them shal stand for why there is no counsell against the Lord. Who would not haue thought but that Pharaoh might haue kept the people of Israel still in his land and that none could haue brought such a mighty people euen many hundred thousands out of it against his will But yet behold seeing God would deliuer them it was not he nor all his chariots no nor all the Kings in the world if they had ioyned with him that could haue hindred it It might likewise haue been thought an easie matter for King Ahab and Iezabel full of spite and cruelty with all their strength friends and retinue whom they might haue commanded and set about it to roote out and take out of the way the poore Prophet of God Elias which they desired most earnestly to haue done but seeing God would preserue him to honour his name it was in vaine for them to attempt or goe about it So for Paul one seely Apostle to conquer so great a part of the world by the preaching of
thriue and prosper when they who delay the time doe apparantly sit in their owne light and worke their owne sorrow and annoyance as wee haue heard euen as he who hauing foolishly refused a good bargaine which might haue been for for the benefit and maintenance both of him and his long after mourneth and dispaireth of the like offer and opportunity The diligent hand maketh rich and he that watereth shall also haue raine Cursed is hee that doth the Lords businesse negligently The people in Iohn Baptists time receiued the word with greedinesse happie was hee that could enter first into the kingdome of God and they that make no hast doe neuer come thither And yet they that striue to enter in at the straite gate shall bee receiued into glory when other shall seeke to enter afterward too late and shall not bee able And therfore the Apostle tels vs that such as can redeeme the time are wise men the foolish beleeue euery thing and so driue off and are taken in the snare Thus wee see the wise take the opportunity and bring their matters thereby to a good passe But for all that I haue said of speedinesse yet vnderstand me thus that rashnesse is as farre from commendation as driuing off the time and delay Thus much of Ehuds first worke in killing the chiefe enemie of Gods people that Eglon the King which was a great meane of their deliuerance and rest Vers 27. And when he came home he blew a trumpet in mount Ephraim and the children of Israel went downe with him from the mountaine and hee went before them 28. Then said he vnto them follow mee for the Lord hath deliuered your enemies euen Moab into your hands So they went downe after him and tooke the passages of Iordan toward Moab and suffered not a man to passe ouer 29. And they slue of the Moabites the same time about ten thousand men all fed men and all warriors and there escaped not a man 30. So Moab was subdued that day vnder the hand of Israel and the land had rest four score yeeres THe second meane of Israels deliuerance followeth and that was the cutting off of ten thousand of the valiant men of Moab which was the other good helpe toward their deliuerance beside the killing of the King which now followeth to the ending and making vp of this Story to vers 31. But first it is shewed what Ehud did to the bringing of this to passe The things that Ehud went about whereby so many of the Moabites were slaine and Israel was deliuered were these three first as hee was a valiant man so he comming to the place heere mentioned Seirah by name it was not Seir in Idumea but neare to mount Ephraim in the land of Canaan as was said before hee did not leaue the worke vnperfect which hee had begun in killing the King of Moab but 1. with a trumpet he called together the men of Ephraim and by his authority stirred them vp to warre and 2. to encourage them the better therto he assured them from God of the victorie and 3. with this they tooke vp and beset the foords of Iordan where the Moabites passed ouer too and fro out of Israel into the land of Moab and by this meanes they stayed such of them as were on that side the riuer that they could not escape and goe ouer and those that came out of the land of Moab ouer the riuer to rescue their fellowes and pursue Israel they slew also till ten thousand men of good courage were cut off And this if they had not done the Moabites being so inraged against them for that which was done to their King they had made spoile and hauocke of them whereas now they subdued them and obtained a long time of rest themselues Thus much for the clearing of these 4. verses Now of that which we are to learne out of them Ehud did not delay as we see for that had bin full of danger but now while the Moabites through astonishment at that which was befallen them could not by and by see and determine what was best to be done he plied it and went to worke as wee haue heard It is as hard a matter to vse an opportunity wisely and pursue the occasion effectually when it is offered as it is at first to get and take it But Ehud lost no time but followed it hard and as he had eicaped while the seruants delayed so now hee gathers his army together while the Moabites being amazed with terrour were fit by passing to and fro to bee pursued and discomfited And as this doth shew how vnwearied wee ought to be in those actions that tend to the glory of God the good of the Church and the confusion of the enemies thereof so more generally it teacheth vs when we haue made a good beginning in any thing that we should not bee slacke in going forward and following it but as Ehud heere did wisely and carefully labour to bring our worke vnto an end It is a thing much more common to begin well then to goe forward so whether wee vnderstand it generally to make a beginning in Christianity or in any particular part thereof it is most true For the formost many of vs come to professe the Gospell indeed and imbrace it commendably by hearing it ioyfully in conuersing with Gods people kindly in forsaking many parts of our former bad liues But when wee should hold on in this good manner to search further into our selues to finde out our ranke corruptions and to purge our selues of them and to be grounded in our most holy faith and stablished as we may attaine to we waxe soone weare and begin to stand at a stay and so we lose all our labour that we haue bestowed already and frustrate the work that was well begun And so to say the same of particulars it is well seene that many attempt sundry good actions commendably as the labouring for a good Minister and the drawing of the people to godly society and loue in a towne and to haue an eye to the vnruly other begin good exercises and orders in their family and namely prayer morning and euening and some vse good meanes for the well ordering and good gouerning of their liues and labour to roote out particular abuses out of them and to entertaine grace and good duties and many such like I might mention But I cannot tell how it commeth to passe that as if they thought these good things should last but for a while or as though they would hold in good plight without meanes wherin they shew that they are not well grounded though they did well for a season so they goe to worke and what with discouragements and crosses on the one side and allurements and prouocations on the other side they faint and breake off whereas that should not bee till the worke were brought to a good end that so they
But who this Shamger was or of what tribe hee came the Scripture doth not let downe But it appeareth that when they had enioyed long peace vnder Ehud after his death the Philistims began to vexe and oppresse them and then the Lord stirred vp this Shamgar to defend them that they might not againe be brought into bondage as they had bin before And among other of their victories which were many this one is brought in as most admirable though it be but briefly mentioned For a great number euen hundreds to be slaine by one man and he vsing so weake an instrument and the whole nation of the people to bee preserued thereby from so fierce enemies what is in this whole booke spoken of of the like kind to be for strange and admirable vnlesse it be the like act of Sampson Wherein we may see that euery slight thing may be a weapon or warre for Gods people when hee will say it shall preuaile and that it is not the number of men nor the meanes that God regardeth when hee will get the victory Therefore Dauids small and smooth stones to throw in his sling were sufficient furniture and armour to sley the Philistims champion Goliah and Sampson with the iaw bone of an Asse slew a thousand men and Iael with a bare naile killed Sisera that valiant captaine of Iabin King of Canaan And so great an act did this Shamgar by so weak an instrument when the Lord pleased to giue the victory And this truth should wee see verified as clearely as euer they did if we would hold this sure and constant that wee are his and deare vnto him secondly when we feele our outward oppressions and discouragements or our inward infirmities feares and tentations if then I say wee did not looke how weake wee our selues are and vnfit to wade through them all and beare them forgetting Gods power which serueth for the vse and comfort of his weake seruants and to be made knowne in their infirmities euen so wee see Dauid did namely in his sore distresse comfort himselfe in being wearied with Sauls pursuing of him And yet what a grace that was in him we may see by this that hee being at an other time and forgetting himselfe in a sore combat brake out thus and in his rashnesse said I shall one time or other fall by Saul But wee should looke how strong the Lord is who loueth vs who also lookes downe from heauen to see who are weake that he may be strong with them For indeed when wee see our owne impotency this should lift vp out heart and cause vs to reach out our hand to Gods mercy which is in a readinesse for vs. So that if he be able to helpe vs that should bee enough for vs how vnable soeuer wee bee to beare the burthen our selues So wee haue learned to beleeue and to speake The Lord is my light and saluation whom shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid Remember wee also what the Apostle said I am able to doe all things through him that maketh me able And againe I will reioyce in mine infirmities for when I am weake then am I strong euen so we not fainting in our many troubles but by faith drawing and deriuing Gods power vnto vs as we haue good leaue to do yea as we are commanded by himselfe to doe we may rest quiet for God will not disappoint vs and in that respect the Apostle Iames willeâ—â— vs to bee greatliest comforted when we fall into diuerse tentations that to our faith may be tried to be sound and that is better then gold bringing patience with it And yet if the Lord be not with vs nor wee cling not to him by faith no munition or warlike furniture when it is needed nor the strongest nor surest helpe in time of peace shall be able to doe vs any good Therefore neither could the walles of Iericho preserue the city when God went against it nor Goliahs sword defend him but turne against him not Pharaeohs Chariots get victorie for him but faile him when the Lord would not go with them And therefore euen as it is said in the Psalme that a King is not saued by the multitude of an host neither is the mighty deliuered by his great strength so an horse is but a vaine helpe to saue a man And so wee may say of all creatures If the Lord be at peace with vs they are on our sides to stand with vs but if he frowne vpon vs they shall be against vs. Lo such a thing it is to bee in league and fauour with him that all shall turne to the best vnto vs thereby yea euen the fiercenesse of our enemies the heauens the earth the creatures shall be all at one with them who are in couenant with him who is the Lord of them But I will proceed in the next chapter THE FOVRTH CHAPTER OF THE booke of IVDGES Vers 1. And the children of Israel began againe to doe wickedly in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead 2. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Iabin King of Canaan that raigned in Hazar whose chiefe captaine was called Sisera which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles 3. Then the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord for he had nine hundred Chariots of iron and twentie yeeres he had vexed the children of Israel very sore 4. And at that time Debora a Prophetesse the wise of Lapidothiudged Israel 5. And this Debora dwelt vnder a Palme tree betweene Rama and mount Ephraim and the people of Israel came vp to her for indgement IN this Chapter is set downe another falling of the children of Israel from God and Gods correcting of them their repentance also and lastly his deliuering of them by Debora Barak and Iael The first of these is in the first verse the next in the second verse their repentance in the third and their deliuerance in all the rest of the verses to the end of the chapter The first part of the Chapter In that this relapse of theirs was said to be after Ehud was dead as though Shamgar had not been betwixt both it was most likely it was for that hee was but a very short time a deliuerer vnto them But yet he was after Ehud a deliuerer of the people though but for a short time as appeareth in the last verse of the former chapter For the first of the foure things I meane the sinne of the people of Israel which againe they committed for so it is said heere that they did againe that which was euill in the sight of the Lord vnderstand it of them who had seene the former deliuerance and also of their posterity who enioyed the blessing Of the phrase or manner of speech vttered by the holy Ghost to wit that they did euill in the sight of the Lord I will not
vnto in the next place let our care be that the Church of God may giue vs allowance and see iust cause to report well of vs. As it is said of Zacharie and his wife that both they were iust before God and toward men vnreproueable and therfore of good report So Cornelius had a good name among the Iewes Now glorie or good name is a certaine good opinion and estimation conceiued of a man for his well doing For those things which good men doe vertuously and well doe purchase commendation and glorie vnto them The end to the which which we ought to vse and direct this good report is this namely the aduancing of the name of God and also to giue good example to other of following vs and as the ends are both good so is that good also by the which they are procured Therefore although a good name bee not to bee sought for it selfe as though that were the thing wee chiefly intended and rested in and no other yet it is not to be despised for those ends which I haue mentioned namely the glorifying of God and the edification of our brethren Now to end this verse let this be briefly added that Debora yeelding to and helping the weaknes of Barak in going with him teacheth vs thus to regard helpe and incourage our weake brethren by counsell trauaile and example Vers 10. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh and hee went vp on his feete with tenne thousand men and Debora went vp with him Vers 11. Now Heber the Kenite which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses was departed from the Kenites and pitched his tent vntill the plaine of Zaanaim which is by Kedesh Vers 12. Then they shewed Sisera that Barak the sonne of Abinoam was gone vp to Mount Tabor Vers 13. And Sisera called for all his charets euen nine hundred charets of yron and all the people that were with him from Harosheth of the Gentiles vnto the riuer Kishen IN these foure verses the holy Ghost sheweth how they did on both sides prepare their armies both Barak and Sisera He accompanied with Debora at Kedesh gathered together ten thousand men out of the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to Mount Tabor which of the writers is called also Ithaberins not farre off from Kedesh for they went on foote The place is neere to the borders of Asher Naphtali and Zebulon And this mount hath neere it the riuer Kishon where the Prophet Elias killed the priests of Baall And note for the better vnderstanding of the story that al the places mentioned to wit Kedesh the plaine of Zaanaim mount Tabor were all neere ioyning together and to the riuer Kishon This of Barak Sisera hearing of this preparation of Bazak did also make ready his armie which is not mentioned here saue his nine hundred charets of yron but Iosephus saith he had thirtie thousand footmen tenne thousand horsemen of the Canaanites and three thousand other charets But howsoeuer it was sure it is that hee made a mightie preparation and therewith he came to this riuer Kishon And this of the preparation on both sides mentioned in these foure verses And with both there is a briefe storie put in of the dwelling of Heber the Kenite the sonne of Hobab Moses father in law that he had pitched his Tabernacle and was by Gods prouidence come to dwel nigh the riuer Kishon and in a part of the border of Kedesh But why this is brought in shall appeare better afterward in vers 18. The chiefe thing in this verse to bee noted is the faith wherein all these agreed and consented which are here spoken of and mentioned I meane Barak and his armie with Debora For they tooke in hand a most hard work against so fierce a Captaine as Sisera was so well prouided and appointed by Iabin who was King ouer the Canaanites And who would not haue said that their preparation against the Israelites must needs in the reason of man haue wrought an vtter ouerthrow of them As sure it is if they had been ouercome as they were an handfull and few to many and weake also but their enemies strong they had bin most cruelly and barbarously handled by them But notwithstanding all this when they were perswaded that as they were set on worke by God so in his power they went about it and tooke it in hand not casting their eyes vpon the difficulties and disparagements that were in the way against them for God they beleeued would stand with them and giue them the victorie And this indeede is the right propertie of faith thus to doe to look vp to God who hath commanded that which we take in hand and promised blessing thereto By this and by no other meanes Abraham the father of beleeuers forsooke his owne countrey and went whither God sent him from all his kindred not knowing what he should finde in the place whither he went And Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God in the wildernesse then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season in the house of Phaeraos daughter which the Scripture saith he did by faith And thus did the walles of Iericho fall downe as God had promised at the seuenth daies end the people beleeuing it should be so and compassing them about all that time with the blowing trumpets of rammes hornes as God had commanded And this is it which we should intend and looke to doe in all that we goe about This faith for which also these worthie persons are by name commended in the eleuenth to the Hebrewes is able to carrie vs as well as euer it did them through all difficulties while we haue an eye to the charge giuen vs and the promised reward although we see nothing with bodily eyes but that which is against vs and matter of discouragement For so the Apostle S. Iohn saith that this saith ouer commeth the world euen all the difficulties that are in it This faith when it is once setled on the great promise of saluation is afterward the fitter to apprehend and lay hold on these temporarie promises of this life about the which it being a Iewell of inualuable price if we were occupied and exercised with so constant a care as wee are about matters of lesse waight if not needlesse and vnprofitable we should be able to say much of the benefit that commeth by it and haue neere acquaintance with God by the helpe of this our faith But seeing I haue spoken of this matter before I will bee the briefer in it though wee cannot heare too often of it from good ground of the word as occasion is offered But whiles I am thus in commending of Bararks faith me thinkes I heare so me obiecting that the last thing spoken of him in the ninth verse was his vnbeleefe how is hee therefore say they so suddenly brought to such a change I
those that receiue them The example of Lot is alleaged who for the defence of those strangers that turned in vnto him offered much inconuenience to himselfe and his daughters that hee might free the strangers whom he receiued from iniurie The like is said of the care of that old man mentioned hereafter in this booke to the Leuite and his concubine whom he had receiued as strangers into his house Hereupon and by the like it is concluded that as it were by an vniuersall law the promises that are made to strangers for their safety should bee inuiolably kept The very Barbarians shewed much kindnes in a like case as wee reade in the booke of the Acts to Paul and his company entertaining them kindly yea and did more also then that vnto them for they laded them with necessaries at their departing To all that hath been said of faithfulnesse to bee shewed to such as it is promised to as Iael did I answere that I am of the same mind that it ought to be so and the Scripture doth straitely vrge the same But yet wee must know that no bands of familiarity and equity are so neerely ioyned together and so iust but that if God for causes best knowne to him command otherwise they are to bee broken And so it may seeme to bee of this act of Iael For seeing the Lord had now cursed and commanded to be destroyed these Canaanites and Sisera their captaine therefore neither shee nor any other might heere take vpon them to saue or spare them but doe to them as God directed them and so she did Thus the Leuites followed and obeyed Moses in killing their friends and kindred who had committed idolatry with the Calfe which they had made and pleased God highly in so doing In this respect and by vertue of this commandement of God Abraham went about to kill his sonne and they that thinke foolish pitie ought to be shewed contrary to the word of God let them remember what befell the King of Israel who when hee had spared Benhadad the King of Aram contrary to the word of God was reproued by the Prophet at the cōmandement of God in these words Because thou hast let goe out of thy hands a man whom I appointed to die thy life shall goe for his life And therefore to returne to Iael forasmuch as I see that the Lord was the only gouernour of this worke and commended her for it in the next chapter by Debora yea pronounced her blessed when the action of killing Sisera is spoken of therefore I conclude that she being certainly perswaded of Gods wil in that which she did and commanded of God so to doe her deceiuing of his hope was no more since in her then Abrahams attempt to kill his sonne was or the Leuites sleying of their kindred for their idolatry And this for answering the question The doctrine hath been taught already that wee haue no authority to follow her example but the word wherby our actions must be guided as by a rule and by no example without it Thus wee haue seene as I said in the beginning of the chapter that the Lord by Barak Debora and Iael subdued Sisera with his huge armie It followeth Vers 22. And behold as Barak pursued after Sisera Iael came out to meete him and said Come and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest and when he came into her tent behold Sisera lay dead and the naile in his temples Vers 23. So God brought downe Iabin the King of Canaan that day before the children of Israel Vers 24. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered and preuailed against Iabin the King of Canaan vntill they had destroyed Iabin King of Canaan NOw it is shewed how Iael came out to meete Barak who not finding Sisera among those who were slaine followed after him and she told him what she had done vnto him and thus she preuented Barak lest hee should wearie himselfe with seeking him and bee grieued when he found him not and hee came into her tent and found it so And by Baraks pursuing him it appeareth that Sisera was not deceiued in that hee feared it and warned Iael to preuent it Likewise it appeareth here that the Lord deliuered his people out of the hands of Iabin and destroied him Here let vs note two or three things and so come to an end of the whole chapter And first though Iael must imbrace and hold peace with Iabin yet wee see her heart went not with him neither did she like his crueltie and oppression of Gods people but sought to turne it away and she reioyced to see the people of God to preuaile and to helpe them all that she could as Nehemiah and Ester did vsing their fauour they found with Kings to this end It teacheth that the godly doe giue good testimonie how they dislike it when the wicked rule and haue all in their hands as Iael did here by her worthie helping to beate downe Iabins and Siseras power For as Salomon saith when they beare rule the people sigh And contrarily what ioy they haue when God giues them godly guides and makes them to prosper such as Moses and Iosua were with other who did more aduance the Lord and his true worship as it became them then they did themselues And so it is in meaner estates that we haue great cause to praise God when he feebleth and disgraceth the vngodly and prospereth the enterprises of his seruants in any place of superioritie and gouernment and so in meaner conditions And let all such as are vnder them glorifie God by bringing foorth much fruite when they enioy such liberties and let them feruently intreate for much good may be done in such times the Lord when it is otherwise to change it remembring that which is written in the Psalme Pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that loue thee I will procure thy peace c. Further we may learne that as Barak pursuing Sisera as he was commanded obtained a great blessing of God so shall all that incline their hearts to follow the commandements of God with a pure heart For it is the fruit of Gods promise and he is not pleased if wee walking wisely and diligently in our calling doe not beleeue the same For through vnbeleese wee depriue God of his honour and our selues of our owne due which hee hath freely and graciously bequeathed vs. But contrarily by giuing credit to God and walking in a good course as frailtie will permit we may in reuerence and yet in confidence looke surely for blessing either outward with other or at the least the inward ioy of a good conscience that is as continuall feasting which is alwaies a companion in such a case And therefore great pitie it is that wee should through our owne folly at any time depriue our selues of such a benefit And especially this
man is commanded to walke in his particular calling and the duties therof For so saith the Apostle in the first epistle to the Corinthians Let euery man abide in the same vocation wherein hee was called But it followeth in the text Vers 12. Vp Debora vp arise and sing a song arise Barak and leade thy captiuity captiue thou sonne of Abinoam 13. For they that remaine haue dominion ouer the mighty of the people the Lord hath giuen me dominion ouer the strong NOw that Debora hath called all the people of Israel to thankesgiuing for the victorie in the three former verses shee stirreth vp her selfe in this twelfth verse by an elegant figure that other might bee whetted on by her example to doe the same And she calleth Barak to triumph and with a certaine pompe to make a shew of his enemies captiuity and conquest which was to the great honor of God when all might vnderstand that the Canaanites were for the most part slaine and they that remained aliue were prisoners to the Hebrues who were most like a little before to be chopped to pieces of them other of Gods enemies In the 13. verse she amplifieth the victorie by another comparison of the conquerers with those who were conquered these hauing been valiant wise and well prouided but that they ouercame them namely the Israelites were but as a remnant and yet base and contemptible This is the summe of these two verses Out of her prouoking of her selfe to praise God as if shee had been much behinde in that dutie when yet she had been commendable therein as wee haue heard and had also vrged other thereto wee may see that this hath been the manner and course of Gods people to thinke they could neuer do enough in praising God when they haue entred seriously into consideration of his goodnesse but euer thought themselues cold and backward in respect of that they ought to haue been Doubtlesse the due weighing of the cause made her stil to see more and more into Gods admirable kindnes till she was ashamed of her vnthankfulnesse But some will say all cannot be as Debora was it is well if we can be thankfull when we be prouoked by others they say and by good meanes as by the word c. To which I answere It is cleare indeed wee come behinde her in the duty but is there not enough to moue vs to be equall to her yea to excell her therein Shee is thus thankfull for the victorie wee haue no need nor cause to fight shee praiseth God for peace recouered with the hazard and danger of ten thousand men we enioy ours without putting it into question shee for bodily blessing we haue infinite to the maintenance of health and welfare then the which what could shee haue more for this present life besides many that are spirituall to season the other and yet wee come short of her in thankfulnesse neuerthelesse And that which I haue said of Debora the same we may see in Dauid Anna and others Hee in the Psalme hauing none equall to him in the performing of that duty affirming that hee would doe it three times nay seuen times a day and that hee would doe it openly in the congregation and priuately by himselfe yet as though hee had much forgot himselfe and had waxen dull and been behind other therein hee quickeneth vp himselfe to it saying O my soule praise thou the Lord and al that is within me praise his holy name Hee stirreth vp himselfe wee see to bee feruenter when yet he was very forward before Which I speake not as if both he and other Gods best seruants and most feruent did not feele oftentimes a kind of sleepy deadnesse in them to good duties and remissenesse of spirit creeping vpon them as it is certaine they doe seeing they carry that corruption about them which will oft cause a wearinesse in them of well doing for the time but they hauing a greater power of grace working in them to subdue it they gather vp and stirre themselues againe by such occasion to more earnestnesse and so finde themselues refreshed by a new meditation of their slacknesse with double courage to set vpon their duties And to that end they helpe and sharpen on themselues as Dauid and Debora did and sometime are supported by other as we see Moses his weake hands were faine to be holden vp by Aaron and Hur against Amalek By this we see a manifest difference betwixt them and the wicked who though as they say they like well of prayer and hearing and of thankesgiuing yet they professe they cannot endure nor away with such continuall seruice affirming where that is vrged that men shall neuer haue done For as they who beleeue how greatly they are beholding to God for his goodnesse do charge themselues with their vnthankfulnesse euen when they are forwarder then the most considering they are then but vnprofitable seruants so the other are ready to post it off to others as testifying thereby that they be more beholding to God then they hold themselues to be and thinke euery little to bee enough that they are to doe to God yea and that a word and away may serue the turne euen very froth it is that they offer to him a mocking no sacrifice the heart neuer enclining for it cannot to any such thing Another thing in this verse is concerning Barak and that is that hee should in a shew and with solemne pomp set out the conquest and victorie which God had giuen them ouer their enemies Which though after the victory in warre it was vsed to bee done by the Heathens ouer such as they conquered to the priding of themselues and the vttermost disgrace of them that were subdued yet this was we see spoken by the Prophetesse to the end that God might haue honour therby for one end she propounded both of his act and of her owne and that was the giuing of honour to the Lord. For the seeking of a mans owne glory is no glory but a taking it from God and a prouoking of him thereby Nay where men would thinke that it as a due desert to them yet euen there let them beware that they take it not but let vs all acknowledge Gods goodnesse with thankfulnesse for that he will vse our seruice to the honouring of his name But to flesh and pride our selues in the yoking and subduing of our enemies this were no better then the act of Adonibezek who most cruelly cut off the thumbs of the hands and feet of seuenty Kings and made them as dogs to eat bread vnder his table that hee might glorie in their extreme reproch and shame This act of triumph was common to the people of God with the Heathen but not done in so prophane and common a manner And as it hath been in war so the like in some sort we see at this day in the time of peace that tehre
meane experience of the truth of it but hard is the case of them who haue neither of both The third thing that made the Canaanites fight vnprosperously against Israel was the breaking of their horse hoofes with the oft beating together of the mighty The horse hoofes are naturally most sound and strong so that they be not easily cleft asunder nor broken but they ranne heere with such violence in that skirmish to saue themselues and so smote one against another that they broke their hoofes In which case wee know that they could neither sit their horses to pursue their enemies neither shift for themselues by flying This most liuely teacheth vs that no man should trust in his owne strength nor in the strength of an horse in charrets or in riches no not in Princes power nor in any earthly thing whatsoeuer It is as easie for the Lord now to leaue men and disappoint them in their vaine confidence of young yeeres great wealth hope of long life or such like as it was to plucke off Pharaohs chariot wheeles and heere to breake the horses hoofes of the Canaanites and so to bring vpon them destruction thereby Thus we haue heard in this second branch of this second part of this chapter how hard and ill successe the Canaanites had in this battell Vers 23. Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty 24. Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shall be blessed aboue other women blessed shall she be aboue women dwelling in tents 25. He asked water and she gaue him milke she brought forth butter in a lordly dish 26. She put her hand to the naile and her right hand to the workemans hammer with the hammer smote she Sisera she smote off his head after she had wounded and pierced his temples 27. He bowed him downe at her feete hee fell downe and lay still at her feet hee bowed him downe and fell and when he had sunke downe he lay there dead IN these verses and this part of the song followeth the third and last branch of the second part of the chapter wherein Debora first setteth downe the wrath of God against such as refused to helpe in the worke of the Lord as were the Merozites and that shee doth in this 23. verse And then she declareth the fauour of God toward them that helped therein besides those who were in the battell as Iael and this she doth in the other 4. verses More particularly in this 23. verse she calleth all in her song to curse this city with her for that it being neare the place where the battell was yet the inhabitants thereof refused to helpe their brethren being called thereto and requested The other tribes before mentioned had some kind of excusing themselues neither were desired though they knew of it but these beheld and yet would not set hand to helpe therefore they are thus dealt with But seeing it might be thought to come of stomacke and reuenge that shee pronounced such sharpe threats against them therefore she saith the Angell of God bad her sing so And thereafter we are to learne what we may doe about cursing that it is in no sort lawfull for vs to curse any man for to satisfie our owne reuenging mindes For when we deale in our owne matters we must loue our enemies and as our Sauiour teacheth blesse them that curse vs but if God it any time shew that hee will haue any to bee destroyed they who know his will they are to approue the same This is the harder to learne because that corruption which lurketh in vs and is chained vp from notorious breaking out willingly seeking the opportunity and pretence of zeale to shrowde it selfe vnder euen as a secret traitor seeing the dore open which leadeth to the Princes chamber dare not goe in alone but waiteth till some of the nobles or guard passeth in and in that company he cunningly conueyeth himselfe to worke mischiefe Pray we for grace therefore to watch the dore of our lips through which many good words of blessing passe and let vs beware that no cursed speech passe by also vnder what colour soeuer And thus did Dauid directed by God and other of the faithful who cursed Gods enemies as in the Psalme who yet as they were did otherwise in kind affection and the same not euill bewaile them As Samuel and Ieremy and our Sauiour did bewaile and weepe for the destruction of wicked men wherin we haue no doubt but they pleased God Now to such as demand what they shall doe to them who vexe the godly and rage against the Gospell the answere is that we are to pray God to change their minds or to weaken their power that they may not be able to doe the euill they would and if this be not granted then wee must craue strength to beare that which wee must goe vnder And heere wee must further learne on the contrary by the example of these of Meroz to obey God calling vs to any duty as they did who followed Debora and Barak and to helpe those that are in want and need especially if they follow their calling contrary to that which these men of Meroz and the people of Peniel and Succoth in the seuenth chapter did who denied to refresh Gedeon his men as they pursued his enemies and theirs But if these were pitifully handled and the men of Meroz cursed for not helping their brethren what thinke we shall be done to them who not onely helpe not the seruants of Christ but vexe grieue and oppresse them And if no other thing can disswade them from such a course yet let this that they themselues are euer like daily to bee taken hence by death then shall they come to their accounts as they see on euery side many to be who were as vnlike as they and while they remaine here they shall haue God against them who hath professed that hee will bee an enemy to those that are enemies to his And this of Meroz briefly for in so long a worke I am vnwilling to repeate the same thing often Now she calleth all Gods people to blesse and wish well to Iael as one blessed among other women of her linage and kindred who dwelt in tents as the Kenites did and repeateth the words for more force Thus the Lord would haue her commended vnto all posteritie to the rouzing vp of other who are slack and backward in all good things that when they shall see that God doth so highly account of the readinesse of some in his businesse other may be quickned to the same care in well doing For were this deeply imprinted in mens hearts and throughly perswaded to thē and often thought of that God knoweth their workes and is a plentifull rewarder of all that seeke to please
so it hath bin in former times that when mens waies haue pleased the Lord he hath caused not only their very enemies to be at one with them but also their very hearts to be intirely knit to them Yea many sillie persons so furnished with grace by God haue forced great ones to wish from their hearts for all their wealth and power that they were like to them And yet this is more that a Minister of the Gospell who is to challenge them openly that keepe not the commandements of Iesus and in his name to rebuke and threaten the workers of iniquitie though all this is of the louing and kinde Preacher done to saue their soules by turning them from their euill waies that such a Minister I say who is not only hated for his good will and counted their enemie for telling them the truth but also accused by them pursued also and not suffered to be quiet among them yet should constantly hold out his labours with a life vnoffensiue what a work of God thinke we is that in him who were like to continue so gracious a course in the middest of so many discouragements whereof I haue mentioned but a few if the Lord should not giue them faith to beleeue that of their loue to him they should feed his lambes and his sheep and that in so doing they assure themselues they shall be plentifully rewarded and to this end that he will giue them shoulders I meane courage to beare their so great a burthen These are no small things which yet God worketh among vs that we may see he regardeth vs as he did some in former times The other and last thing to be noted in this second part is of Sisera that the Lord pulled him downe and cast him from his so great honour and valiantnes For as it was a great abasement for such a Nimrod to be driuen to so great a streight as to lurke in another mans house not daring to peere foorth as the sillie bird beaten into the bush by the hawke so it was yet farre baser to fall by the hand and at the feete of a woman Let vs learne that the Lord bringeth to naught the high and haughtie and that to their vtter shame who were so great and proud It is no strange thing in the Scriptures to finde it thus though fooles wonder at it who will learne no instruction by it The Lord casteth the mightie from their seate Witnesse Abimilech who in his desperate mood being striken on the head with a milstone by a woman called his page and bid him to runne him through lest it should be said A woman slew him And yet that which was said of him was reprochfull enough to wit that a base page slew him and agreeth well with the point in hand Thus Absolon who had stomacke to rise against his father so kinde to him was brought to a base and reprochful death very fit for such an one being thrust through by Ioabs common souldiers And Iezabel scorning God and his Prophets was according to the foretelling of the Lord made dogges meate and dung vpon the earth being throwne out of the window from her royall palace The proud and stout Iewes who railed on Peter calling him despitefully a drunken man were so terrified with their sin that they were glad to seeke to be comforted euen by him whom they had scorned And well is it with them whose pride the Lord resisteth in mercie for their good as hee did Pauls by appalling him first and then sending him to poore Ananias who being his comforter now had been a prey for him if God had not preuented it For the rest whom I haue mentioned they excepted also in the second of the Acts the other I say were resisted to their cost and vtter vndoing And so by the foolishnes of preaching as it pleaseth the world to call it and an humble submitting of themselues to his holy doctrine they that are saued must attaine but as that generation of vipers the Pharisies were glad to come to Iohns ministerie if so be they tooke any good by it Be we therefore humble and meeke they who are graced are they that finde fauour with him but as for the proud he resisteth them and setteth himselfe against them till they be confounded if they so abide and be brought to naught And therefore let the scorners and enemies taunt and mocke the simple professors of the truth like Edomites they shall one day wish they had been like them and iudge them more happie then themselues as Diues for all his superfluitie did wish that he might haue had not the estate of Lazarus which he saw no hope to attaine but the thousand part of it euen that he might dip his finger in cold water and quench his thirst which yet might not be granted him And therefore let vs but stay a while and containe our selues and wee shall see these boasters and contemners if they will needs hold on their course wee shall see them I say swept away and they shall be no more so little cause shall we see of hauing our teeth water after their dainties They are wise who can in the iolitie and prosperitie of the enemies of the Church see their ouerthrow by faith and count their florishing and bragges to be but vaine crakes And thus much be said of the second part of the Chapter THE THIRTIE FIVE SERMON ON THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The third part of the Chapter Vers 28. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the lattesse Why is his charet so long a comming why tarrie the wheeles of his charets c. Vers 29. Her wise Ladies answered her yea she answered her selfe with her owne words Vers 30. Haue they not gotten and they diuide the spoile euery man hath a maide or two Sisera hath a prey of diuers coloured garments a prey of sundrie colours made of needle worke on both sides for the chiefe of the spoile Vers 31. So let all thine enemies perish O Lord but they that loue him shall be as the Sunne when he ariseth in his might And the land had rest fortie yeeres IN these words is contained the third and last part of the song of Debora and so of the Chapter and hath two members in the first she bringeth in the boastings of the women that were enemies to Gods people and Siseras deare friends and derides them in the first three verses In the last member she opposeth a propheticall prayer against their boastings wishing therein to the remainder of Gods enemies destruction and to the Israelites all increase of good things and that increase she laieth out by a comparison of the Sunne from the rising to the noone tide euen such she wisheth it to be More particularly to come to the first point she saith that Siseras mother was looking
vpon this stone and powre out the broath and hee did so Vers 21. Then the Angell of the Lord put foorth the end of the staffe that he held in his hand and touched the flesh and the vnleauened bread and there arose fire out of the stone and consumed the flesh and the vnleauened bread so the Angell of the Lord departed out of his sight Vers 22. And when Gedeon perceiued that it was the Angell of the Lord Gedeon then said Alas my Lord God for because I haue seene an Angell of the Lord face to face I shall dye Vers 23. And the Lord said vnto him Peace be vnto thee feare not thou shalt not dye Vers 24. Then Gedeon made an Alter there vnto the Lord and called it Iehouahshalem vnto this day it is in Ophrah of the father of the Ezrites OF the first of the foure things mentioned in the 11. verse to wit who should deliuer Israel out of the hands of the Midianites which was Gedeon wee haue heard now followeth the second namely of the signe which Gedeon asked by which he might know who he was who talked with him To proceed therefore Gedeon hauing a promise of so great a matter as the victorie from the Angell who spake to him whom he tooke to be neither Angell nor God but a man to vtter the words of God vnto him he desires of him a signe that he might not be deceiued with a fancie but might know that he was such an one as could make good his word to him that is a man of God as hee tooke him to be Here before I goe on further in the storie I will stay a while by occasion of this speech of Gedeon And let vs know that which he did in desiring this of the messenger was meet for him to doe for it behoued him to trie the spirits whether they were of God or no. For an euill spirit can change himselfe into an Angell of light And this is especially to be done when any thing is vrged vpon vs that is doubtfull and which may seeme vnlawfull to be done For there a man may not easily assent vnlesse he be perswaded that such a thing is from God Excellent and commendable are the examples of Manoah Cornelius the men of Beroea for this wisedome And this is to teach vs that we ought to haue the like scruple and make the like question when any thing doubtfull is vrged vpon vs that for no mans pleasure nor by example of any we be led but to proue all things by the waights of the Sanctuarie which is the word of God that so wee may be satisfied And if in the mouth of two or three witnesses that bee confirmed which is brought vnto vs wee are there to rest and that should be enough to vs but as for miracles or signes now that it is the truth which is taught vs we are not to seeke or aske for any And the like we are to doe in all our troubles and feares and not to fetch comfort from conceit or the spirit without the word or from any thing else which is but a false ground And this wise regard in Gedeon to deale sure in so weightie a case and not rashly to depend vpon a bare mans word for the effecting of so great a work as hee knew none but God could enable him vnto laieth greatly to our charge who in matters of farre greater weight doe yet deale farre more loosely and slenderly then he did in this The wise man saith The foole beleeueth euery thing meaning euery thing which hee desireth and would faine haue he beleeueth and is easily perswaded of it that it is so as he would haue it though he haue nothing of moment and good ground to shew for it Among men it is counted a signe of great folly to deale thus rawly in things onely concerning our temporall estate and to rest vpon euery mans word and report yea though it be but ambigious and obscurely vttered and the reason is good why it is so they who doe so giue euery man aduantage to ouerreach abuse deceiue and wrong them besides the great controuersies and contentions suites and charge which they procure to themselues needlesly thereby But to speake of weightier matters what one among many counteth it his folly to hold his saluation vpon sandie grounds and euidences as vpon his owne good meanings and desires vpon the good opinion that others conceiue of him vpon some slight sorrow for sinne or confessing of it to God also vpon his hearing of the word vpon a blinde hope or vpon some good yet common fruites of hearing as good speech in some places vpon taking liking of good people liking the Ministerie or lending and giuing some thing to the poore in their distresse these things are good indeed and I am perswaded found to be in few but yet these are not to be taken for infallible tokens Nay concerning this waightie matter men are willing to build the hope of their saluation vpon the bare word of a Minister though hee neuer saw sound reason for his so speaking and assuring them thereof but for that they haue been baptized and doe liue in the visible Church neither haue they any thing out of the word of God to quiet and resolue themselues whereas the triall of a mans state to Godward stands in this that by the Scripture he can proue himself to be an happy person because the word hath humbled him changed him reformed him and wrought in him faith in the promise an earnest longing after that which is promised and a waiting for it till it be enioyed without wearinesse and an heartie desiring that other did so likewise with such other But of this much is written To proceed further Gedeon now hauing desired a signe for the confirming of his faith and thinking him to be as I haue said a man of God desired him to stay till hee went and prepared for him as Abraham and other had done in the like case and while he should refresh himselfe he purposed to talke further with him about the signe And the things which he prepared for him were both fit to be eaten as nourishment as also to serue for sacrifice though the word signifieth both a gift an offering but for proofe that Gedeon brought not these things foorth to the man of God as hee tooke him to be for sacrifice but that he might be refreshed by them hereby it may appeare that he neither set vp any altar there as he did afterwards to offer peace-offerings thereon reade verse 24. neither did hee take the man to be God to consume it with fire I haue set downe that meaning of the verse which by weighing both I take to be the truest And yet I denie not but that the Angell vsed that meate beside the expectation of Gedeon he vsed it I say for a sacrifice as appeareth in the 21. verse and thereby gaue the
partly naturall nay bee taken in the good part this is euer euill for it is a meere corruption and contrary to loue for loue enuieth not and Paul more plainely forbiddeth it to the Galathians where hee also sheweth the cause of it namely Desire of vaine-glory For so he saith be not desirous of vaine glory prouoking one another enuying one another Which heere is to be seene in the Ephramites who desiring the glory of the victory themselues did enuie Gedeon for it This affection sheweth it selfe in all such things as we desire to excell in yea in the best euen the gifts of the spirit for therein we would haue none to be in account aboue vs as appeareth in them that preached Christ of enuie and him that repined at his fellow for that comming at the eleuenth houre hee had his pennie as well as himselfe Now though we are not the worse for the prosperity of other neither doth it diminish any thing from the good of our estate yet the enuious man thinketh that the gifts that are in himselfe are darkened and blemished thereby vnlesse he haue especial grace to abate and mortifie such thoughts Therefore to aggrauate this sinne know we that as the enuious is sad by the prosperity of another so which is worse he is made ioyfull by his disgrace and abasement as the Pharisies were in and for the crucifying of our Sauiour and Iosephs brethren when they had sold him Yea so cursed an humor is enuie and so opposite to loue that whereas hee who loues vnfainedly would part euen with the most precious iewell for the sake of that which it loueth the enuious person would willingly pull out one of his owne eyes vpon condition he might lose both his at whom he grudgeth So that not vnfitly Pauls speech of fornication may be applied to enuie Other sinnes are without a man but the enuious sins against his owne body and the health and prosperitie thereof God iustly plaguing it in the kinde in that whiles it pines at the eminencie of another it reflecteth and beateth backe the hurt vpon it selfe and feedeth vpon the most precious spirits of the soule and life and consumeth them seldome doing any harme to the other while it fretteth out the very heart blood and bowels of it selfe This enuie is remedied by shaming our selues for that wee cannot abide that our brethren should haue and doe good with Gods gifts to other considering also that thereby we hinder Gods glorie Also we shall loosen the rootes of this enuie if we thinke meanely of our selues and that God is onely wise who denieth for iust cause that vnto vs wherewith he blesseth others And thirdly this shall helpe to weaken it if wee consider that God hath rather deserued infinite thankes of vs for granting vs other blessings which those perhaps may want whom in other respects wee enuie for it is his great mercie that wee be not consumed the one wee will not see the other wee behold too much Whereas our eye seeth not the worse because anothers seeth better how much lesse if in another kinde we see as well Doth the foote enuie the eye because it seeth or the eye the foote because it goeth But of the contrarie vertue I spake before twice in Gedeons souldiers and Gedeons communicating with Nephtali and Ephraim the victorie And because I now speake of the Ephramites I thinke it not amisse to adde this of them that their father Ephraim the younger being preferred by Iacob before the elder brother Manasse the stocke and ofspring of them exalted themselues since from age to age and are noted for it oft times in the historie of the old Testament As in Iosuah we reade they among other were discontented with their portion So in the twelfth of this booke the posteritie of them contended with Iphia for not calling them with him to battell against the Ammonites after he had ouercome them euen as these Ephramites did here with Gedeon So Esau himselfe deadly hating his brother deriued this sinne to his posteritie the Edomites so Ahab did Idolatrie to the generations that came after him And hereby we may learne what force some blemishes and corruptions in a stocke or kindred haue to infect almost the whole posteritie God iustly thus punishing the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children to many generations punishing I say sinne with sinne As for example if a kindred bee proud haughty stomackful boasters giuen to adultery hollownes of heart flatterie lying mocking stealing the rest of the same stock that are not guided by grace are for the most part such Euen as bodily diseases runne in the blood to the posteritie And as wee see that a noble stocke stained with treason may easiler be restored in blood ciuilly by the indulgence of the Prince then reformed naturally and reduced to loyaltie and fidelitie so the truth is the most forcible meane of all outward meanes is scarce able to expell this â—eint onely grace can doe it although euen grace it selfe often times can scarce roote it out so but that some sprigs or other of the old stock will appeare when it is grafted in another stocke And yet one thing more note in these Ephramites namely the slights subtilties doublenes and hollownes that lie hidden in mens hearts till they haue occasion to shew them or grace to repent of them These would now seeme to haue had great iniurie that they were not called to the battell whereas it was their owne sin that they went not for they did forbeare for feare of danger were willing to stand by as it were lying in the winde to waite for the issue So that if Gedeon and their brethren the Israelites that ioyned with him had lost the day then all the blame should haue bin laid vpon them by these Ephramites but now they had got the victorie by Gods direction and blessing they complaine on the other side that they had iniurie theÌ„selues for that they were not as they said bidden to helpe in the battell Wherein wee may behold deepe subtiltie and hypocrisie and how farre all such are from simplicitie and plaine dealing that according to the prouerbe howsoeuer the world goe they will saue one and howsoeuer it fall out they will prouide for themselues Such a one was the harlot that pleaded before Salomon against her fellow and they in the twelfth of this book where Iphta being set vpon by the Ammonites he sought aide at the hands of the men of Ephraim and they would not help him and afterward when he fighting against the Ammonites preuailed ouer them the Ephramites came to make warre with him because he called them not to goe with him against them A sinne now adaies in common practise namely in bargaines where gaine is not so certaine there they play on both hands cunningly for they will so couenant in generall and doubtfull manner that if it hit and fall out well it
and sorrow oft times As how shall he answere his follie who neglecting the Physitian in the case before said shall thereby finde his wife father or master dead or past recouerie Such cases may be and by one wee should measure the rest Paul vpon this ground omitted the opportunitie of doing good in Asia Act. 20. and 21. that hee might goe to Ierusalem Let vs not be ouer much iust Eccles 7. He that wringeth the nose forceth blood Prou. 30. Now to this I will ioyne a caueat and that is That vnder colour of preferring the greater dutie wee take not occasion to neglect the smaller afterward which if we doe wee shall bewray our selues rather to be subtill shifters and dispensers with our duties boldly and loosely then wise redeemers of the time As for example If the publike worship of God fall out vpon the time of our ordinarie priuate worship let this yeeld this to the other howbeit so that wee readily returne to the priuate againe in his due place and time and not pretend our diligence one way to colour our negligence another way A feast is better then an ordinarie but the feast may better be spared then a man should be depriued of his ordinarie and so starue all the weeke after This I adde because so preposterous is our nature that whereas one dutie should make vs fitter for another wee rather neglect the one for the other as hearing for conference meditation or prayer We sucke poyson out of sweetnes and waxe the more auke and vntoward yea wearie of priuate because wee thinke wee haue sufficiently quit our selues in the publike dutie either of preaching or hearing In like manner it is not vnlawfull for a man to preferre the companie of the choice seruant of God either one or more when we may haue the benefit of thē before our callings or attending to our families but to bee carried so after this that we should grow to distaste and neglect our callings or the duties of Gods priuate seruice is most inconuenient yea argueth that the diuel hath blinded vs with delusion strongly either through our ignorance simplicitie or which is worse because we are weary of the most necessary dutie for continuance vnder colour of our zeale for those which fall out seldome Now as he preferred not the lesse needfull dutie before that which was more needfull so hee did not leaue it off I meane the pursuing of the rest of the Midianites though hee might easily haue been discouraged by the vnthankfulnesse of his brethren and their scoffing at him as many would haue done in such a case For mens vnthankfulnesse and discouraging of vs with scoffes doth cause vs many times to breake off good beginnings whereas he was neither by the men of Ephraim nor by these of Succoth put out of his course It should teach vs when we haue our warrant from God for that which we goe about or auoid then not to regard or so to regard temptations and discouragements that we be hindered and broken off from our good course by them As neither Elisha was by mocking 2. King 2. nor our Sauiour or his Apostles by the opposition they found Nay rather they were incouraged For so Paul was by the disswasiues of others Actes 21. and Dauid by Michols scorne and wee ought likewise so to be when we see fewest countenance or assist vs saying as he did I will yet be more vile for the Lords sake and then our reward shal be more then common And as for this that we shall be counted medlers and busi-bodies I answer let God be more with vs then men by whose commandement we do meddle as they call it and be we aduised and perswaded before what ground we haue that so we may reape the good and comfortable vse thereof and receiue the fruite of the promise And this of the men of Succoth THE FIFTIE TWO SERMON ON THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw I will goe forward with the rest of the text that remaineth from the eight verse in these words And he went thence to Penuel and so forth as they are to be read before the last Sermon Here we may see another discouragement and repulse that Gedeon sustained by the men of Penuel for he being with his souldiers faint and weary was denied bread not only by thē of Succoth as wee haue seene but by the men of Penuel also as appeareth in this verse For to them he went in the faintnes and wearines of himself and his souldiers and had the repulse whereby he might easily haue been tempted and brought to thinke and feare that God did not approue of his iourney but did set himselfe against him For so we are wont to conclude by the ill successe we haue euen in good attempts especially when the lets be forcible many and diuers and one in the necke of another as Iobes afflictions were when among hard messages brought to him of other calamities that were befalne him this was one that the fire of God was fallen from heauen and had burnt vp the sheepe and the seruants as if God had been against him So that we may learne by this that things sometime may goe so contrary to our desire liking and expectation and that in duties which God requireth and will haue to be done of vs as if he were not with vs but against vs yea as if hee would crosse vs in them of set purpose Our dutie here is to looke what God bids vs doe as the man of God sent from Iuda should haue done who was drawne by the old Prophet of Bethel contrary to Gods commandement to eate there But indeed the case is not alway alike when such difficulties befall vs for sometime we may more clearely see cause thereof then at other For it may bee the same mans case at one time to doe a good action yet in an euill and inconuenient manner and at another time to be well occupied and take a good thing in hand and doe it in a good manner in both kinds it may fall out that he hath many discouragements If things succeed not with him whē he goeth about them in the best manner that is the latter of these two What then may not the Lord trie his faith and patience by so crossing him And in the first kind much more I may say what maruell if the Lord crosse him when he hath done a good thing in a bad manner to the end he may call himselfe to a more due examination of himselfe and amend that which was amisse ere he take in hand such holy duties It was Gods wil that the eleuen Tribes should fight against Beniamin but were they persons for their true repentance fit for that businesse yea and for all their zeale they wanting the principall to wit faith that God would bee with them did they not goe to worke amisse was there not great cause
they thought their Idoll a sufficient treasurer and keeper of this siluer or else they would not haue made his Temple the treasurie and durst trust him with the preciousest things they had who yet had neither eies to see it or hands and power to defend it from robbers This is no wonder may some man say that they durst trust him with their money who durst venture their liues and soules vpon his protection as they in the daies of Eliah 1. King 18. did I answer It were the lesse wonder indeed if wee saw not Christians worshippers of God who professe themselues to ieopard their saluation vpon his promise to be yet farre behind these Idolaters in this thing For they will not venture nor cast their goods vpon his safegard nor thinke the Lord a meet and trustie keeper of their wealth they will put no more in his hands then they are willing to lose To such we may say Is he not much beholding to you the whilest He hath giuen you liuing Temples not of stone temples not of Baal but of his owne making euen the poore members of the Lord Iesus Into these he commandeth you to cast not your superfluities but some of your substance hee promiseth to be the ouerseer and steward of this treasurie he will reckon and returne againe such beneuolence of yours double and trebble vnto you yea tenfold which is vse and gaine enough nay an hundreth fold rewarding it with euerlasting habitations For why he hath vndertaken and is become the Surety as I haue said to repay all such loane againe abundantly But wee thinke these to bee but words and keepe the principall fast let the interest goe where it will for vs. As for these Temples we count them Sepulchres deuouring al asking giue giue but neuer returning ought againe and as they in Ecclesiastes who thinke all lost and cast vpon the waters that is well bestowed But these Idolaters and their confederates in Baal-berith shall stand foorth and witnesse against such to their shame Again when they had thus helped him forward we may see what maner of persons he hired prouided to bring his wicked purpose to passe to wit such as were empty light-headed and naught worth and which were lewd and loose and were carried headlong to that which they did and not by sound reason Whereby we haue a description of such graceles and wicked hangbies what they are and wherefore they serue which shall be to good purpose to note as for other causes so for this one to wit that we may see what iustice should be done and executed on such who liuing idly for the most part further then they needs must must worke should be laid for as of late yeeres they were by that Honourable Counseller of worthie memorie and kept from ranging about But seeing they are seldome punished the best vse we can make of them is to beware of them First they are if we will know them such as haue spent all and liued idlelie without practising any profitable trade or calling and how haue they spent it full leaudly and badly in gaming whoring gusling caualering fray-making c. and yet hanging in mens debts Secondly they are male-contents both with their owne penury and the welfare of others yea with the State it selfe often of the Common-wealth wherein they liue Thirdly they are such as are not to be ruled by reason much lesse by religion But their disposition is to run on head to bee set on gadding rouing c. And wherefore stay or waite they but euen for such troublesome times as these here were and for some tumult and insurrection that they may fish in troubled waters desiring a change of the present condition of these peaceable times as a fit occasion to practise and set a work this their diuellish disposition which in peace and gouernment is as it were emprisoned in them some by ioyning themselues with vaine and loose persons like themselues and wandring to and fro if there be no imployment for them at home into forren countries not through a desire of getting knowledge or experience much to trafficke for their maintenance but to trie their fortunes as they prophanely speake being wearie of their owne countrey wherein they are defamed for their leaudnesse prodigalitie and needlesse debts or other dishonesty others being readily hired to sort themselues with such as will rifle mens houses and companions in helping to make a head and if none of these hit as they say nor come to passe then fall they to robbing by the high waies And such dangerous and diseased members haue there alwaies been and are in al Common-wealths In the booke of the Acts in two or three Chapters the Iewes got such hang bies to make stirres and tumults in cities and then charged Paul to be the author of them when he yet was in danger of his life by them and all to make him seeme seditious and a raiser of trouble where he came Euen so such there are at this day idle companions who cannot choose but like Vultures and Cormorants pray vpon other mens goods who might easily haue been staied from these courses while they were young if they had not been suffered to haue their owne will so farre til this trade as miserable as it is yet because it is ioyned with ease waxed sweete vnto them And againe if they had not been saued and kept from prison and correction when they had so iustly deserued it which correction if the ciuill Magistrate or the Head-borrowes of townes wherein they lurked had neglected yet their owne parents and kindred should haue seene executed And if such as worke not ought not to eate why are they suffered whose life is idlenes Let such therefore be purged out from among vs and in all places let prouision be made that they who are idle and vagrant be restrained and set on worke though they haue somewhat of their owne that so will they nill they as they will doe no good they may bee compelled to stoope to good order and be held in from doing mischiefe at least that this euil may cease which threatneth so great danger to Church and Common-wealth which I must needs say is hard to doe considering how such persons flocke together to such places of the land as are populous and frequented where they may be in harbour and the safer from search and punishment but then that which we cannot amend let vs lament and blesse God if we be free from such molestation in the places where we dwell When this Abimelech saw how his bold and shamelesse deuices and attempts prospered and how he thriued in them he waxed much bolder and tooke heart to goe fall vpon his innocent brethren and slew them And herein is verified that of Salomon Eccles 7. There is a wicked man saith he who continueth in his malice meaning because he prospereth and is not resisted Thus Adonibezek chap. 1.
and to abhorre the sinnes of the times they liue in but especially if they abhorre sin in themselues secretly that they may be farre from committing it openly and feare to offend God for the loue they beare him But I leaue the rest to the next Sermon THE FIFTY SEVENTH SERMON ON THE NINTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Verse 7. And when they toldit to Iotham he went and stood in the top of mount Gerazim and lift vp his voice and cried and said vnto them Hearken vnto mee you men of Shechem that God may hearken vnto you 8. The trees went foorth to annoint a king ouer them and said vnto the Oliue tree Reigne thou ouer vs. 9. But the Oliue tree said vnto them should I leaue my fatnesse wherewith by me they honour God and man and goe to aduance me aboue the trees 10. Then the trees said vnto the Fig tree Come thou and be king ouer vs. 11. But the Figtree answered them Should I for sake my sweetnesse and my good fruit and goe to aduance me aboue the trees 12. Then said the trees vnto the Vine Come thou and be king ouer vs. 13. But the Vine said vnto them Should I leaue my wine whereby I cheare God and man and goe to aduance me aboue the trees 14. Then said all the trees vnto the Bramble Come thou and raigne ouer vs. 15. And the Bramble said vnto the trees If yee will indeed annoint me king ouer you come and put your trust vnder my shaddow and if not the fire shall come out of the Bramble and consume the Cedars of Lebanon 16. Now therefore if ye doe truly and vncorruptly to make Abimelech King and if yee haue deali well with Ierubbaal and with his house and haue done vnto him according to the deseruings of his hands 17. For my father fought for you and aduentured his life and deliuered you out of the hands of Midian 18. And yee are risen vp against my fathers house this day and haue slaine his children about seuentie persons vpon one stone and haue made Abimelech the sonne of his maid seruant King ouer the men of Shechem because he is your brother 19. If yee then haue dealt truly and purely with Ierubbaal and with his house this day then reioyceye with Abimelech and let him reioyce with you 20. But if not let a fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and the house of Millo also let a fire come forth from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and consume Abimelech 21. And Iotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and dwelt there for feare of Abimelech his brother The second part of the Chapter WE haue heard how Abimelech and the men of Shechem prospered and pleased themselues in that which they had done Now in the rest of the Chapter and first in this second part to the 22. verse is shewed that God would haue them blancked and damped in the midst of their doings and first by Iotham one that was reserued for that purpose Therefore when it was knowne to Iotham the youngest sonne of Gedeon who escaped the bloodie hands of Abimelech that the men of Shechem were gathered together to make him king hee waited his opportunitie by Gods directing of him when they should meete together and came to a place where hee might be heard of them and that was mount Gerazim which was neere to Shechem on the top whereof hee stood to tell them of their doings and how they should speed for them That he came thither by Gods instinct three reasons doe proue as also Iothams words in the 7. verse First in that he went safe away after which to reason was not likely Secondly for that it came to passe as hee prophecied Thirdly the thing was good and to good vse and not found fault with His reprouing and denouncing against them for more plainnes he set down by a parable giuing them to vnderstand a truth by a thing imagined as by a maner of speech more plausible and perswasiue then if he had made a direct inuectiue against them Herein first let vs see the meaning of some things in this scripture which are hard to be vnderstood before we proceed further In parables we know there must be no precise agreement with truth looked for in euery circumstance nor sense wrung out of euery word but the scope and substance must bee looked to and regarded By the oliue therefore vine and figtree briefly hee meaneth such of Gedeons familie as might haue been profitably employed By the Trees seeking a king hee meaneth the Shechemites By the bramble Abimelech good for nothing And as the bramble which is one of the worst shrubs in the field ought not to be taken aboue any of the best trees for any principall vse but is most fit to bee burned So neither ought Abimelech to haue been preferred before Gedeons sonnes who yet would not raigne Therefore both Abimelech and they who chose him should be as they had deserued euen worthily cut off In this scripture are two things the one a preface desiring to hearken to him with a reason lest God hearken not to them the other to what they should hearken to wit to the laying out of their sinne to verse 16. and to the punishment denounced against it to vers 22. In that Iotham when hee knew certainly the premisses being stirred vp of God went thereupon and told the men of Shechem of their doings and denounced the iudgement of God against the same it teacheth that it pleaseth God who set him aworke and his will is that iniquitie should be laid open to the committers thereof and be resisted as speedily as may be and that all as their place and calling giue leaue ought to be ready to goe against it and pursue it The Ministers by zealous teaching to deface it the Magistrates by punishing the gouernours of families in their places to do both These are as they are bound to preuent and take order as they can lest such euill things should come to passe and so to roote out and reforme when they are come For thus both Church and Common-wealth is and should be preserued The vse hereof and in a manner of all which in the first three doctrines I noted touching the contrarie fact of the kindred of Abimelech and the men of Shechem is that they who doe euill ought iustly to feare for God hath set many to pursue them yea euen their owne kindred and though they escape one way they shall be taken another Wilt thou then liue without feare euery way feare God then and doe well for if ye doe the thing that is good who shall harme you For the eyes of the Lord as the Apostle saith are as the mothers vpon the child that it may take no hurt ouer the righteous and his eares open to their prayers and the face of the Lord euen his anger
the places of high office and honour whereunto their excellent gifts haue lawfully aduanced them not degenerating by pride crueltie and couetousnesse the common companions of men bred meanely when they are got aloft I say when such are not regarded it is a great contempt not of them onely but of God in them for hee that despiseth the poore despiseth his Maker and much more hee that reprocheth them in authoritie to call them vpstarts or to defame them by their base blood that so their more eminent vertues may be blemished A common disease among the factious and flattering followers of great and vicious persons to staine the honour of such as are more truly noble then they in vertue and wisdome by this that they are but men of yesterday and cannot shew the Armes which their patrons can But whether is it better as hee in the history answered to raise vp a new or to bury the old Gentrie and Nobilitie Of this the lesse because I haue said somewhat in the two points before not impertinent hereto Now as we haue heard that God chose out of Ishaker a poore Tribe Tola to Iudge Israel so also we see here that he chooseth the Noble to bee Gouernours as he did this Iair here who for his wealth was able to giue a City to euery of his thirtie sonnes To teach vs that Nobilitie is no let to the gouerning of the common-wealth but the honourable and mightie hauing examples of their ancestors to prouoke them to vertue and many other helpes and complements to the well discharging thereof they may be seene in many respects to be the fittest this being added if they bee not lifted vp with insolency and high conceit of themselues which they haue no cause to do if they consider that they came of nothing and are but wormes meat and also if they would weigh their mutable state and how full of lamentables changes their liues be And to say the truth it is an vtter shame for vs that when God hath done much for vs we should be found vnfaithfull Neither is high place any greater impediment to priuate godlinesse then publike gouernment Although if euery man might tell his owne tale there is none so poore nor any so rich but will alleage somewhat why they should not be tied to dutie precise but liue as they thinke good and bee released from this burden as they count it whereby what doe they but lay stumbling blocks in their owne way Therefore wee may boldly giue it foorth as a rule in Christian practise it is a miserable and vnlawfull estate of life which cannot stand with the daily and carefull practise of Christianity Somewhat I deny not must be yeelded to the occasions and vnseparable businesse which attend vpon greatnesse but yet so farre foorth onely as men defalke and detract nothing from the substance of that high and great due which the greatest owe to a greater then themselues But yet if men dare goe thus farre they shall find that God wil not giue his honour to another but rather his iealousie wil breake out against them like fire that maintaine their honour by treading his vnderfoot Psalme 2. This be said of those things which were seuerall in these two Kings and which they did in their life now of that which was common to them both I meane their death For so it is said of both that they died and that was when their dutie each for his time was discharged in procuring and maintaining Gods true worship and outward peace to their countrie a long season thē they gaue place and were gathered to their fathers their bodies were laid in the earth in hope of the resurrection To teach vs that all of vs are here to doe our duties in our callings to serue God therein who hath giuen and committed to our trust talents with a charge to occupie them till he come and allowes none of vs to bury them in the earth but straightly forbids it to wit to bee idle and to suffer our gifts to rust in vs and to this end we inioy euery man his proper gifts The Lord hath set vs our habitations and stinted our time of dwelling in them with commandement that we should not be idle nor vnprofitable in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus nor in our particular calling but to attend thereunto for profitable vses to our selues and others and hath for that purpose appointed that we should haue comfortable fruite thereof in all necessarie things of this life to incourage vs to our duties that so we might be none of the refuse and idle hang-byes in the world and in both our generall and particular calling to serue God for conscience sake and with comfort To this end I say God hath set vs here alwaies to haue our eye vpon our departure and with good father Barzillai to prouide for our graue And when wee haue thus discharged our selues and the Lord shall giue vs warning by sicknesse paine disease of our end to bee at hand or call vs home with small warning wee should be readie for his comming to yeeld our soules into his hands and our bodies to the graue for a season in hope of receiuing them againe which shall be no hard matter for vs to doe who haue as strangers here prepared for it before as wee haue learned to doe Neither should we looke or desire to haue any more abode or continuance here but giue ouer our selues in peace and willingly commend our selues vnto the Lords safe keeping as I haue said And therfore in the meane time we should soberly vse all the transitorie helps of this life as wealth friends wife and our life it selfe so that they may not be clogs with their deceiuable shew to hold vs from farre better things And in the meane while take the best vse of them to profitable ends and doe the good that wee may doe by the helpe of them seeing in the graue there is no such thing to bee looked for And so the remembrance of the time well passed shall be most comfortable but as for those that are calling in for their cheare and merry making in this world otherwise then they are sure they shall be able well to giue their reckoning for it hereafter such can neither possibly dye well nor willingly vnlesse they bee desperate To the which purpose I haue spoken elsewhere as the diligent reader shall finde The second part of the Chapter Vers 6. And the children of Israel wrought wickednesse againe in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and Ashtoroth and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistims and forsooke the Lord and serued not him 7. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he sold them into the hands of the Philistims and into the hands
heard to wit that the children of Israel did offer violence to themselues rather then they would in the least manner wrong other therefore they would much lesse take away so great a portion of ground from him with whom they had nothing to do neither were prouoked by him Where we learne this that we should neuer finde sweetnesse in comming by any profit amisse and namely with the hurting and wronging of other First seeing wee thereby prouoke God against vs for God is the auenger of such things and what is our life if God be against vs Besides as we deale to other so shall we be dealt with againe and lastly besides an ill name wee shall haue an ill conscience also as wee may see in Iudas And as we should offer hard measure to none so least of all to the poore and to such as cannot beare the losse and are not able to stand with vs in suite For wee being by the commandement of God to relieue them what pleasure should wee take in plucking from them and God threatens to heare their crie against their oppressors And yet how are the poore griped and pilled But he that obserueth it shall find that either God maketh themselues who so wrong them to crie out of it for feare of his reuenging hand one time or other or else it shall be to them I meane their sweete morsels as they count them which they take in by wronging other as the Israelites Quailes were who died with them while they were in their mouthes Euen so shall they haue small liking of their iniurie they doe that I say no more But let them rather make restitution and that speedily while they may in token of their repentance which is the onely good end that can be made of such doings This point hath oft come to hand and largely been insisted vpon See verse twelfth Only let vs marke the example of Iacob for the proofe of the doctrine who rather then he would giue Laban a quarrellous and vnreasonable man the least occasion to challenge him for pillage and robberie did more then he needed euen make good euery sheepe which was cassually destroyed or perished with his owne Now if all this our good dealing doe not preuaile with our euill aduersarie nor stop his mouth yet as Iacob answers Laban the Lord who seeth vs in secret will take our cause into his owne hand and plead for vs whereas otherwise although all men should stand out for vs yet our conscience and God being against vs wee should not be able to stand vnder our burthen Another reason Iphtah setteth downe in these verses thus Sihon king of the Ammonites would needs come out against vs as wee were going toward Canaan and God gaue him into our hands so that by him wee enioy this land which ye contend for and which he enioyed and therfore what haue ye to doe to claime it or what right haue yee vnto it For yee neuer possessed it but Sthon of whom we wonne it by the law of warre So that if the Lord our God hath cast him out and giuen his land to vs commest thou in who hast nothing to doe with it against vs to possesse it Hee further in the 24. verse sheweth that which he said cleerely by a similitude thus Yee Ammonites worship the Idoll Chemosh for your god and you thinke that the land which yee possesse yee inioy it by his benefit and so by good right so we haue this by the benefit of the true God and therefore we possesse it by very good right And as for Chemosh hee called not that idoll a God for that hee tooke it to bee so but for that the Ammonites so iudged it to be We may see here how farre we may lawfully enioy such things as are taken in warre and that is when the warre is lawfully taken in hand as by Israel it was That which we thereby obtaine by good successe that may we enioy as giuen into our hands by the Lord. And to speake of things more priuat the same may be said of all that God giueth vs by the good will of our friends or by our lawfull dealing and by Gods blessing in our calling But yet with this watchword that wee honour him therewith in Christian life and glad the hearts of Gods people thereby which we ought as well to do as to be able to prooue and shew that the commodities we enioy are no fruites of our owne rapine oppression couetousnesse and euill conscience but indeed the bequests of our father which as Iacob said the Lord our God hath bestowed as a blessing vpon vs his seruants seeking first the things that concerne our happinesse and God his kingdome and receiuing from him these smaller things againe in token of his allowing and approouing of vs. But this is an vsuall argument in this booke therefore I passe by it More particularly let vs note out of this verse in that Israel would not and was guided by God therein when he had great need so much as goe through the land of Sihon without his leaue learne we hence I say that no man may vsurpe or challenge to himselfe another mans right but euery man is to be content with his owne portion and allowance yea in this the Lord will haue the meanest free from the tyrannie of the greatest and taketh the cause of the poore into his owne hand against their potent enemies though there be none vpon earth that can iudge them as in the case of Ahab and Iezabels extorting Naboths vineyard doth appeare And the reason is good for next to the good of the Church the Lord hath a special care of vpholding of societie among men by order and good gouernment which are ouerthrowne when proprietie in goods and commodities is taken away by the vnequall vsurpation of the greater ouer the smaller And in truth as there is small oddes betwixt beasts and men when the common bands of equitie are broken so much lesse is it like that a Church can bee setled and established in such confusion and the greater is their sinne who euen in the Church exercise this mischieuous practise whereof not God who is the God of order but Satan is the author euen as he is of all other disorders Therefore let none be troublesome or iniurious to other more then he would be content that another should wrong or hurt him in that which is his None should be oppressed in bargaining or otherwise as the Lord by the Apostle hath giuen in charge which if it were well regarded much complaining of iniurie and hard dealing would cease But this is a branch of the other It came of the Lord that Sihon did not only deny passage to Israel through his land but also that he should prouoke them to warre that he might giue him and his land into their hands and withall giue them passage through his country Euen so it
that answer is to be made to false accusations when they bee proudly giuen out against vs and are to our reproch and hurt as these of the Ephramites were against Iphtah such I say are not to be suffered to passe lest the authors of them bee imboldned thereby to doe so still yea and goe further So Salomon teacheth saying Answere a foole according to his folly lest he be wise in his owne conceit and so he waxe bold to make a practise of it For though wee walking in our innocencie and vprightnes in all good conscience should not regard the taunts and vniust reproches of euill tongues which they commonly send after vs much lesse hearken what they say of vs for then wee should neuer be quiet yet in weightie matters that touch our profession and the credit thereof we ought if we can obtaine it to vse the helpe of the Magistrate both to restraine the slanderer in which respect Mephibosheth complained to Dauid of Ziba and to procure vnto him his due vnlesse he repent But especially take wee heed that we giue them no iust cause to speake euill of vs while wee suffer as euill doers for so wee bring a double punishment vpon our selues And because much seed of contention is sowne in the world by bad persons this I say further of it that it is our part and dutie to roote it vp as fast and as much as in vs lieth And if ye aske how that is done I answere besides that which before I said we should carefully looke that we take all in good part if it may be but if it cannot be yet in defending our innocencie let vs shew all meeknes and striue against all bitternesse if the offender see his fault we haue good blessing of our labour if not it is lawfull to goe further and according to the greatnes of the fault so let satisfaction be vrged at his hands but in any wise let vs see that wee keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace This I thought good to adde to that I haue said before in the eleuenth chapter in Iphtah his answere to the Elders of Gilead and in his replie to the King of Ammons lying answere To come more particularly to the matter we see that whereas they make this the chiefe cause of their quarrell against him that he called them not to helpe against the Ammonites hee telleth them hee did call them but they would not come So that he conuinceth them of a lye But who would thinke that so many should consent together so boldly to maintaine a false matter And men of the visible Church and of the tribe of Ephraim one of the famous tribes among the rest Therefore they who at this day doe carrie their heads aloft both for their profession and outward estate in the world haue great cause to suspect and feare themselues both in and about this sinne and the like But to terrifie and withhold men from standing stiffe in a lye let that fearefull example of Gehazi preuaile with them with such like in Scripture The heart of man is false and naught and will easily carrie men to that which is odious and vile especially if the matter sauour of profit or pleasure and selfeloue shall so blindfold them that they shall not see the euill they haue done till they smart for it vnlesse they be such as keepe a narrow watch ouer their hearts and a searching into them faithfully to finde out that which is amisse And this that it may be done God hath giuen vs two especiall good helpes the first is our comming to the light that our euill deedes may that way be made knowne to vs. The other our owne examinings priuatly of our waies and arraigning of our selues before God that so we may cast out such filthinesse of lying dissembling and the like sins See branch 3. of verse 1. These Ephramites dealt with Iphtah as the men of Succoth and Penuel dealt with Gedeon when hee followed the Princes of Midian to wit Zeba and Zalmunna for they dealt roughly and vnkindly with him So these when Iphtah their gouernour sent to them for helpe they most vndutifully denied it and yet which was much worse they came and quarrelled with him now when hee had got the victorie for that as they shamelesly affirmed he had not called them to the battell and so they would bee thought to haue deserued as much fame and commendation in that victorie as Iphtah seeing they boasted that they were as ready to haue gone against the Ammonites as he when indeed they meant it not Therein they bewrayed two foule faults very odious and to bee taken heed of the one hard-heartednes and barbarous vnkindnes not to helpe their brethren in their need the case being their owne as well as theirs and this was ioined with disobedience in that Iphtah was their gouernour The other fault was their subtiltie in that they did which way and on which side soeuer the victorie should goe prouide for themselues By the first we are taught to beware of this vnkindnes and incompassionate hard heartednes to bee senselesse of the miseries and necessities of our brethren but to be moued with pitie toward them in their distresses and this wee should doe as for the commandement of God and other causes so for this that we our selues are subiect to fall into the like troubles and doe also at one time or other In which case our consciences beare vs witnesse that we are iustly forsaken of other and left to sinke in our sorrowes and smart by our calamities and that none should offer themselues to pitie vs seeing wee shewed â—o little mercie and kindnes to other before in the like troubles but were rather hard hearted towards them And it is doubtlesse one cause as wee may see by the euill seruant who had no pitie on his fellow and therefore his master was wroth with him and deliuered him to the tormentors it is one cause I say why God afflicteth vs for as much as we should otherwise neuer pitie our brethren in their troubles but thereby we learne commiseration towards them Looke chap. 5. in Deboras complaint of the 〈◊〉 and chap. 8. vers 6. and 8. The other fault was their subtiltie and double dealing for they hauing an ill conscience propounded this to themselues that if the Ammonites had the victorie ouer Iphtah then they should be free from hurt and danger seeing they had not stirred against them to aide him and if Iphtah should preuaile against them as he did then they would come forth florishing boldly with a lye affirming that they had cause to take it hardly for that hee got the victorie proudly with a few and would not call them to bee partakers with him and so they did indeede And thus they had as men say two strings to their bow This falsehood is so common in the world
had told her all his heart shee sent and called for the Princes of the Philistims saying Come vp once againe for hee hath shewed mee all his heart And they came vp to her and brought the money in their hands 19. And shee made him sleepe vpon her knees and she called a man and made him to shaue off the seuen locks of his head and she began to vex him and his strength was gone from him 20. Then she said the Philistims be vpon thee Samson And he awoke out of his sleepe and thought I will goe out now as at other times and shake my selfe but hee knew not that the Lord was departed from him IN these verses is set downe the second part of the Chapter wherein Samson sinned againe in like manner as before but he had not the like issue as he had out of the former wicked fact For God did not arrest him vpon that trespasse nor pursue him but seeing hee made no benefit of that his conniuence when hee went away without punishment but proceeded to the like sinne againe behold he now paid dearly for both accordingly as he tempted God farre by this sinne of whoredome For here it is said that he loued another woman of the Philistims and when they vnderstood it they considered by what meanes he vexed them and that was by the great strength of body which he had whereby hee wrought them great mischiefe and they by and by enticed and flattered the woman and easily wonne her by promising her a great summe of money and so agreed all of them together therein to perswade her to get of him by subtilty where his great strength lay that so they might when they knew it vse some meanes to weaken him and then handle him afterward at their pleasure The which practise she being so hired readily went about and he being made drunke with the sottish and inordinate loue of her suffered her to moue such questions to him about it that although hee held her off a while yet at last hee told her all his heart euen that which she asked of him how he might bee made weake till hee saw too late with Adam that God was gone from him and that hee had lost all the great strength which God had giuen him In these verses containing the second part of the Chapter seeing they are many and the matter of them much therefore for auoiding confusion and tediousnesse in the handling of them I will draw them to these two points The first how by a new occasion the Philistims laid wait for Samson againe And this is to the end of the fifth verse and that was in this manner to wit by most earnest suing to Delilah to learne where his great strength lay The second how she neuer ceased til she had found it out and brought them word of it to vers 21. And first touching Samson the holy story relateth what the occasion was of pursuing him in verse 4. and then how the Philistims thereby were moued to lay for him in vers 5. The occasion was that he cast his affection vpon another woman not an Israelite but of the nation of the Philistims and the holy story expresseth the place where shee dwelt which was the plaine of Sorek and the womans name whom he loued was Delilah By this that is said of Samson that hee went to another woman as before note that filthy lust is not satisfied by yeelding to it no more then anger and wrath is that is onely for the time but breaketh out and rangeth still yet further For as the fire when it is broken out into a flame standeth not still but taketh hold of one house when it hath burned another Euen so it is with wicked lust It is not one woman two or twenty that can satisfie the vnbridlednesse and outragiousnesse thereof but it would if it might be serued and yeelded vnto goe as farre as Salomon did euen to defile a thousand As Iehu in his answere to Iehorams demand of peace 2. King 9. tels him that his mother Iezabels witchcrafts were without number The reason hereof is because the vnlawfull pleasure of sin doth as the bait doth the fish egge on the sinner to goe forward and blinds him from seeing the manifold vnfruitfulnesse thereof Like gamesters who will neuer leaue off their trade while there is a pennie left them Which sheweth that the wickednesse of the heart is in that one kind as in many other out of measure sinfull For what though there bee no cleare proofe of this alwaies that I speake of I meane the vnsatiablenesse of mens filthie appetite It is so partly seeing the sinne is secretly committed for the most part and therefore can hardly be knowne to many how far it proceedeth and partly for that such as sinne in that kind can hardly haue ordinary opportunity to effect that which they desire But the truth of that which I say appeareth by this that it hath been found out as by other waies so by the confession of some who haue gone farre in that wicked course of life and howsoeuer they may haue come short in the number of so many as a thousand with Salomon yet they haue made it vp to the full in the longlying in the sin with them who were their leaud companions when they haue not been intercepted but haue had their full swinge So true is it which is affirmed of the guilt of sinne that it is infinite both in respect of the transgression against an infinite Maiestie and also because the sinners appetite though actually finite yet extendeth itselfe to a desire of multiplying sinne infinitely if it could And it is death to bad men to thinke that their euill course should bee stopped or that they may not do as in times past they haue done yea because that age and death if no other thing must needs end all their iollity And not to insist in this instance alone it may bee seene in sundry other kindes of sinne as theft prodigality drunkennesse and the rest how the heart is out of measure sinfull and giueth not ouer euill doing till it want opportunity or till it must cease by necessity and that violence bee put vnto it It delighteth the old ribald to see and heare and report the pageants stories and practises of vncleannesse which he remembreth he hath wrought and though his old bones cannot bestirre them so liuely as in times past yet old Adam within is aliue and as lasciuious as euer The angry man when hath he done till he haue none to be angry with or till hee be cut off so as he cannot shew it But I might bee endlesse if I should follow particulars How oft thinke wee had Peter been like to haue denied his Master who did so three times and vehementliest at the last when yet hee did it onely through feare of meere infirmity and not professedly which had been much worse neither yet were
either helpe of any man or vse of warlike instrument All haue not Samsons strength to lose but all wilful sinne wasteth a Christians strength alacrity I meane and cheerefulnesse of spirit to the duties of Gods worship I said enough of this point vpon cap. 5. in the complaint of Debora that there was not a speare found nor courage to vse it among the fortie thousands of Israel Let the reader looke backe to that place Heere this I will say The faithfull vse and imployment of God his heauenly graces and gifts is the onely way to keepe and augment them vse a gift and haue a gift employ it not and lose it If this bee the fruit of bare sloth and neglect how much now of contempt and wilfull sinning against knowledge So that we shall not need greatly to care how we may lose our grace for not only the quencher but euen he that nourisheth it not as fire shall soone enough lose it Adam and Eue had strength giuen them to stand in their good estate and seeing they wilfully spoiled themselues of it they brought vpon themselues a weakenesse so that they could not but sin So they that haue had better things in them and are now become luke-warme professors or secure sottish and sleepie conscienced and couetous how decline they in their zeale and lose their gifts and sauour not at all religious exercises but wax barren of grace and at length fall to leaud company follow the common fashion of the world nay become disgracers of the truth and of the louers thereof as most repugnant to their practise Neuer was a poore vnarmed traueller falling among theeues so bereft of money of apparell and of all comfort or a gamester shrigged of all being ouer-reacht by a false handed cosoner or a tree so stript of her beautiful leaues and fruit by the violence of a tempest as poore Samson heere was of the gratious furniture of the spirit by the vnkindly assault of his sinfull lust Oh what a difference was there betweene Samson when he was himselfe and betwixt his disguised nakednesse which his sinne caused The vse heereof is to teach vs that seeing hee grew to this low ebbe by the degrees forementioned therefore we promise our selues no priuiledge beyond him otherwise then by preuenting the meanes leading thereto And let vs not thinke that the grace we haue seeing it cost vs much paines to obtaine much hearing long practise vse of many good meanes with watchfulnesse and prayer let vs not thinke I say that therefore wee need feare no such sudden losse of it Ah foole it comes in a day that came not in seuen yeeres and as the houses of Iobs children were blowne downe all at once so may a mans goodnesse and strength bee all wasted suddenly by a dangerous fall yea the fruit of many yeeres growth and gaine may perish in a day though I denie not but vsually it paireth by degrees rather through sinnes committed daily and duties neglected The strength of a Christian lies in his faith as truly as Samsons did in his lockes and if faith be quailed by wilfull sinning as how can a man feele God louing him when he giues leaue to himselfe to offend him then how much more if the fruites also decay as feruency care feare diligence in good duties c. As the one growes to vnbeleefe so the other degenerates to deadnesse carelesnesse and loosenesse c. Now whereas some cauiller lying in the wind for aduantage might say I see Samson is condemned for shauing of his lockes therefore long haire is no such blameworthy habite as some would seeme to make of it I answere him two waies First that this guise of Samson was not common or generall for then it had been only permitted as indifferent to all but personall and belonging to the vow of the Nazarite which now is abolished As that other of abstaining from strong drinke was which I suppose the greater part of them that plead for long haire will not so easily yeeld to abstaine from Secondly I say though this liberty were to be further extended yet in all equitie those might challenge it of most due who are most proportionable to the Nazarite in the pure worship ping of God Now these in the former respect see small cause to vse any such habite but condemne it as most vnseemly The wearers thereof are most of them prophane no worshippers and the best of them I suppose are none of the most pure worshippers of God Therefore let this abuse returne to the heires of them that first inuented it for a couer of the shame which their lewdnes first brought vpon them But enough to a wise man was said of this vpon the thirteenth Chapter as for the foole though hee were braied in a morter yet would not his follie depart from him It is said further in these two verses that when his strength was gone she began to vexe him by calling the Philistims who were at hand to fall vpon him and handle him at their pleasure and so they did Oh wee see it is an easie matter to bring miserie vpon one when he shall not onely be destitute of earthly helpe but haue God against him also Euen so it was with Iudas when the time of his visitation came that hee was vtterly forsaken of God but beside hee had cast off his Master and the Disciples who had been his fellowes and the Priests his pretended friends had cast off him So Samson was forsaken of his louer hated of the Philistims and the Lord had left him and therefore how neerely was the prouerb verified in him Woe to him that is alone Not vnlike to that thriftlesse debtor who by his folly is come vpon by his creditor haled to prison forsaken of his friends and destitute of all comfort who might haue liued in a comfortable manner and haue been a comfort to others if he had been wise and carefull in managing his businesse The vse of this is thus much that if we should fall into this danger as to haue men yea and friends against vs as sometimes it may befall vs for a good cause yet to lay this foundation strongly that the Lord forsake vs not which doubtlesse he will not doe if we forsake not him Touching her cruell trecherie in betraying him thus when he had reueiled himselfe to her it detecteth the like vnfaithfulnes wheresoeuer it be found in Christians to be more then monstrous and such false-hearted ones to be farre worse then Philistims Samson being awaked by her did not by and by see what was done to him but thought hee would doe as hee had before done namely by his strength to shift for himselfe but he could not for the Lord was departed from him leauing him as hath alreadie been said both without strength of body which he had before and the vse of all grace to guide himselfe or comfort his minde By this we see
to haue been done in these fiue Chapters could not bee done after the death of Samson as they by their placing may be thought to haue been but long before vnlesse we grant that Phineas and the rest as Ionathan and the Danites that went to Laish liued three hundred and more yeeres which none then did for three or foure generations before that in Moses time the daies of a man were reckoned but threescore yeeres and ten or fourescore at the most to speake of and those also with paine and wearinesse To these may this be added that the Citie Ierusalem then called Iebus part whereof fell to the Beniamites at the peoples first comming into the land of promise and part of it was in the hands of Iudah this Iebus was now said to be possessed of the Iebusites in the 19. Chapter Now that which was giuen to Beniamin three hundred yeeres before and enioyed of them Iosh 18. being taken from the Iebusites could it be in the possession of the Iebusites so long after being driuen out so long before And though they were not wholly expelled as Iosh 15. yet part of them was Iudg. 1. And the men of Iudah who tooke it slew the inhabitants with the edge of the sword and burnt the City with fire The other part of it was as I said pertaining to Beniamin and though some remained to the time of Dauid yet they enioyed not the City though they could not bee wholly cast out but were onely in holds as may be seene 2. Sam. 5. Therefore that which is said of Iebus in the next Chapter that it was called the City of the Iebusites is not to bee vnderstood to haue been so called now after the death of Samson but three hundred yeeres before when it was not yet giuen to Beniamin nor taken by Iudah I say therfore that in this and the other 4. Chapters following is shewed that the Common-wealth of the Israelites was most corrupt both in religion and manners after the death of Ioshua and the other good rulers that ouerliued him for in a short time after by little and little another generation arose which knew not the Lord and the whole tribes fell to Idolatry and horrible wickednesse of both which an example is set downe here one of their Idolatry in the 17. and 18. Chapters and another of the monstrous life that was then in vse among them which is set downe in the other three Chapters following This being said of the time when the acts of this and the Chapters following were done I proceed now after the manner that I vse in the former Chapters to set downe the summe and parts of this The summe of it is this That a woman mother to one Micah in this Chapter mentioned lost a good summe of money as it might be about an hundred poudd after our reckoning which her sonne Micah had stollen from her This money when he hearing how shee cursed for the losse of it had restored to her againe she bestowed it vpon idolatrous vses For she procured a molten and grauen Image to be made with part of it and her sonne made other Images and ornaments for them both of the rest of it and hired a Leuite for the better furnishing and setting out of the matter to be in his house as his Priest with him The parts of the Chapter are two the one concerning the Idolatry of the woman and her sonne vnto the 17. verse the second how Micah hired himselfe a Priest for the purpose to the end of the Chapter And by this example we see how Idolatrie in those bad times was first brought into a priuate familie which after spread into a whole tribe The first part of the Chapter IN the first part we are to consider of the woman in the sixe former verses And here first of the things which are spoken of her before her Idolatry as they are laid out in the text Where after that she is said to bee the mother of this Micah a man of mount Ephraim it is added that certaine money which she had vowed to the Lord was stollen from her by her son whereat shee cursed the theefe not knowing who hee was that had taken it away And when he confessed his fault and that he had it shee blessed him who restoring it to her againe shee answered him that shee had vowed it to the Lord for his vse and therefore bad him take it againe So shee tooke two hundred shekels therof to make a molten Image of it and put it in the house of Micah and as it may be gathered by her owne words added the rest to other like apurtenances thereunto Many things offer themselues to vs heere worthie the noting And first this that this Micahs mother had of her superfluitie and great wealth wel nigh an hundred pound to vow to superstition and idolatrie for so it appeareth and that they were both very wealthie in as much as hee was able to make maintaine and furnish an house or chappell of Images not of the meanest mettall and to adorne them and she to increase them This sheweth that howseuer many want and are in great need whose penurie should be relieued with the superfluitie of others yet in the meane while there are who haue more then they can tell well how to bestow or imploy But alas they haue no heart to doe good with it especially to others neither wil be taught to lay aside as God blesseth them to good vses and ends nor to themselues to doe the best good namely that they may bring foorth much fruite that so their soules may fare well Yet this was not the fault of these two that they had no heart to lay it out for that they were ready enough to doe but they did it amisse and to idolatrous vses For though they thought they did well imploy it yet they were superstitiously and blindly led to that which they did And as it was the sinne of these that their zeale was carried amisse through want of knowledge which yet excuseth them not seeing they were the posteritie of the visible Church and in likelihood themselues lately of it so others whose knowledge is greater offend in their kind as grossely For either they cannot depart from it at all and forgoe it I meane any portion of their superfluitie which is one extremitie or they lash it out vnlawfully vpon their lusts either in voluptuousnes as adulterie drunkennesse and such like which is another and more dangerous extremitie and to one of these though not all in a like measure tend the most mens vsing of their goods Few aime at the best manner of disposing them If they did God hath giuen enough that as it was in gathering the Manna he that gathered lesse then a homer wanted not and that hee who gathered more had nothing ouer So for the condition of euery man God hath giuen
the young man was vnto him as one of his sonnes 12. And Micah consecrated the Leuite and the young man became his Priest and was in the house of Micah 13. Then said Micah Now know I that the Lord will doe me good seeing I haue a Leuite to my Priest THis second part of the Chapter sheweth that this Micah hauing brought that new and strange worshippe namely Idolatrie into his house so pleased himselfe therein that now wanting nothing to the setting of his new trade on worke but a worke man I meane a Priest now I say he tooke the opportunitie offered by a Leuite who sought a seruice and takes and entertaines him Before he was content as we heard with his son to serue for a Priest though none might be by the law but such as came of Aaron wherby we see that the law of God is little regarded where men are set to haue their owne will But now behold accordingly as hee wished there is offered him a Leuite as little to his commendation which hee much better liking as the taking of his sonne before for that businesse and him he took and therefore receiued him into his house neuer examining him nor prouing him by inquiring about him further that he might well throughly know his behauiour but makes him his Priest forthwith applauding himselfe in his successe and reioycing not a little in his supposed well doing But first in these two verses it is further shewed how Micah got him a Leuite to be his Priest in his sonnes roome and that was thus This young man Ionathan who is here described by the place where hee dwelt and the familie he was of and by his tribe for the Leuites were scattered through all their tribes in their dwellings went about to seeke a place where hee might stay himselfe hee wanting maintenance and as it fell out came in his trauell to this Micahs house and by that meanes hee staied and abode there Where first wee may see another note of the badnesse of the times which then were in that the Leuites which were appointed by God to serue in the Tabernacle and were also prouided for by him of maintenance of whom this man was one they I say many of them at least were now as appeareth by him left destitute of both So this man had neither imployment dwelling nor maintenance but went about to seeke them all By this we see when it goes ill with the Magistracie that it goes not hard with the Common-wealth onely as wee haue seene in part but with the Ministery also For when there are either none or when they be not carefull in their places to do the good they are set for the Ministerie which should bring foorth many children to God maketh his house but a barren family for some are driuen to seeke a place as this Leuite did which is a very base and vnmeete thing and vnfit for those that are to serue God in so holy a calling some come into their places by money which causeth them to be lesse regarded of the people neither do the most of them any good among them although they haue some gifts and many of them are not able for want of fitnesse to direct the people aright I meane soundly and plainly vnto true happinesse and many are offensiue by their scandalous life In stead of all these and many other abuses good gouernours will seeke for and incourage those that bee worthie onely or of good hope and prouide that they may preach and attend on their charge with cheerefulnes to the which end they are appointed by God and see that they may not go about to seeke a place as wandring persons whereas they who are best backed and incouraged doe good little enough And as the Church and Common-wealth are knit together as the soule and body into one so that they like enemies laugh and weepe fare ill and well together as two in one ship either enioy safetie or miscarrie alike so ought they to consent and accord sweetly together for the preseruation of each other The soule we see followes the temper of the body and the body is as much affected with the distemper of the soule neither of both well if either be out of frame And it is as true that seldome that Common-wealth is happy wherein the Church and Ministerie hangeth downe the head And that is partly by the prouidence of God iustly punishing the neglect of his seruice and partly by a naturall reason namely because the light of knowledge not restraining and the rule of conscience not gouerning the corrupt nature of man can not but breake square to commit all vnrighteousnesse with greedinesse although there be law and penaltie to keepe men in awe much more where Anarchie and confusion is Therefore let the Magistrate backe the Minister with authoritie and by the sword of iustice sharpen the edge of the sword of the word that it be not despised and made vnprofitable and let the Minister requite him againe in forcible perswading the conscience and working vpon the soule till hee haue brought mens thoughts into subiection to God so that they neither presume to despise authoritie nor forbeare to transgresse for terror so much as for Gods sake and conscience which is no small vantage to the Magistrate as some will themselues confesse But some will aske perhaps Why what confusion was there in this that the Leuite thus trauailed to seeke liuing and worke Indeed I thinke well there be some that thinke no otherwise of the Minister then of another tradesman who goes about the countrey to enquire for worke and they are such as thinke that a Minister should doe like Paul that is worke with his owne hands that they might be the lesse troubled to maintaine him But to leaue such Gargarites I answere to the point first this disorder there was in it that as I haue said the Leuite was not employed if he had been worthie in the priuate instructing of the people and the publike at the Alter or the like The like disorder it were that the Minister should as this Leuite goe seeke himselfe a place it is sufficient that he is willing to giue the Church an account of the gifts which God hath giuen him for her vse being demanded lawfully but a place must seeke vp him and not he it and approue welcome and entertaine him in the best manner fit for the well discharging and executing of his dutie Such as call themselues let them shift as they can Gods ordinance they haue violated if discredit discouragement or ill successe befall them the mends is in their owne hands If God had sent them he would haue seene to them But secondly there was confusion in this that the Leuite was compelled to runne about to seek reliefe although he had been setled For what a shame is it for the people if their neglect be the cause or for a Minister if prouided for
And this of the foure points in this story from the 12. verse namely 1. the reuolting of the people from God 2. the Lords punishing them 3. their crying to God and 4. his sending a deliuerer to them And thus much of this matter But these foure things in this second story thus ended there remaineth somewhat in this verse that hath not yet been spoken of and much in the whole chapter by occasion of the last point I meane of Ehuds deliuering them with which I will proceed and first with that part of this 15. verse that remaineth The words are these And the children of Israel sent a present by him to Eglon King of Moab Heere if this trouble any that the largest part of this story remaineth behinde vnhandled and wherefore it should bee so seeing the foure materiall points or parts of the chapter haue as wee haue seene been handled already I answere all that is behinde to the 31. verse doth issue and grow out and by occasion of the last point of the 4. namely of the deliuerer whom God raised vp to the people I meane Ehud and is set downe to illustrate and amplifie the deliuerance of the people as shall appeare euen how God deliuered them from the bondage of the Moabites and gaue them rest The person being this Ehud as hath been said the story shewes how hee wrought this their deliuerance and it was thus first by slaying the King of Moab himselfe which reacheth to the 27. verse then by killing ten thousand of the men of Moab which is to the 30. verse after the which followeth the subduing of the Moabites and the deliuerance and rest of the people to the 31. Now of the first of these in the first place namely of killing the King For the laying forth of the which wee are to consider first the things that went before it namely by what meanes hee wrought such a great worke and they are set downe to the 21. verse then the act it selfe which is to the 23. and the things that followed to the 27. The things that went before it as the meanes to worke it by were the double going or iourney of Ehud to the King of Moab the first when hee deliuered the present to him onely to the nineteenth verse the last when he did the act it selfe to the 21 In his first iourney to him note these three things one the occasion of it that was a carrying of a present to him the second his furnishing himselfe to do the deed with a short and sharpe dagger then the deliuering of the present Thus the storie being set downe at large in the text I haue laid it forth in the seuerall parts of it so farre as in this place is expedient for the better vnderstanding of the reader Now let vs go through them all in order And first whereas it is said in the latter end of this 15. verse That the children of Israel sent a present by Ehud to the King of Moab for so it was indeed as the word in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth and not tribute this as I said was the occasion by which he went to him so by this present the King of Moab was blind folded that hee might not suspect any such matter afterward to bee intended by Ehud when hee attempted and went about the fact in deed For though it was lawfull for him and the Israelites to goe about to kill him yet it was nothing meet that they should by any vndiscreetnesse giue him occasion to suspect it And by this which was allowed in them we may see that it is lawful and not displeasing to God for a good man being in danger or displeasure with another and namely a superiour to remoue it if he can by a gift or present I know presents may be lawfully sent in other respects namely to shew thankfulnesse for kindnesse receiued and I know also that a gift somtime is sent to the helping forward of a bad matter and for the corrupting of iudgement which is most odious neither of both these is meant heere But to get fauour and namely with our betters by such meanes when we know no other to bee like to preuaile there is nothing against it but that wee may serue Gods prouidence that way for the remouing of displeasure And so did our father Iacob seeke to put away the wrath of his brother Esau and to procure his fauour And although he who receiueth it doth oftentimes offend therein for that hee should yeeld fauour without it yet for the giuer wee know what Salomon saith A gift in secret pacifieth wrath And it doth as well pull downe the heart of him that sendeth it as mollifie him that receiueth it which is farre better then that both or either of them should ranckle and bee inflamed each against the other And this may suffice to haue been said of this matter and so of the whole 15. verse Vers 16. And Ehud made him a dagger with two edges of a cubit length and he did gird it vnder his raiment vpon his right thigh 17. And he presented the gift vnto Eglon King of Moab and Eglon was a vnry fat man 18. And when he had now presented the present he sent away the people that bare the present 19. But he turned againe from the quarries that were by Gilgal and said I haue a secret errand to thee O King who said keepe silence and all that stood about him went out from him 20. Then Ehud came to him and he sat alone in a sommer parlor which he had and Ehud said I haue a message to thee from God Then he arose out of his throne EHud whom God had giuen to the people for a deliuerer was by the consent of them chosen to goe with the present to the King of Moab and he knowing that he was to deliuer the people out of his hands did thus goe about it namely to prouide him a sharpe dagger for more speedy expedition thereof and girded the same vnder his right thigh that there might be the lesse suspition of that he intended For though the danger could not be but very great and he notwithstanding be doubted not of good successe from God yet he cast with himselfe how many and great the perils were in going about it that he might the wiselier auoid them I confesse that this act that they intended to doe namely to kill the King of Moab secretly and thus to prouide for it and to couer it by the present that hee offered him I confesse I say that if God had not called him to it and set him about it it had been an action in many respects odious and highly to be condemned But God raising him vp to such an end hee was approued of him therein and that was his encouragement and emboldening that God had called him to accomplish that worke And heere note from that which I haue now said that this is
that which must encourage vs in the difficultest matters that we in taking thē in hand are set a worke by God and do know that he is pleased with the things that we goe about this I say is that which we must be perswaded of that wee haue him with vs to the end wee may cheerefully goe through with them Looke wee carefully to this and wee shall prosper and make we it our common practise in our affaires and we shall throughout see good daies But if we haue no allowance from him in doubtfull cases and much more in such as haue apparant shew of euill we may not enterprize them any more then Ehud might heere without his warrant And where wee haue no commandement for that which we take in hand as in a thing that is indifferent let vs know our liberty and that wee doe that which wee are perswaded doth please God best and so wee shall haue peace in that wee goe about But how little this is regarded and how men take in hand the things which they doe of their owne head and to their owne liking and how ill successe they haue in such of their actions as it is lamentable to behold it so I refer the reader that is desirous to know more of it to chap. 1. vers 19 22. where I haue said more of it This be said of the first thing of the three in sending the present In this second of the three things in that he went so well appointed let vs marke that when Ehud was sure of good successe in this great worke and that God would be with him hee was not idle nor carelesse but had greater regard how to goe about in the best manner furnishing himselfe and prouiding this weapon for the purpose Wherein againe wee must learne that it behoueth vs to vse all good meanes as diligence prouidence and wisdome for the well bringing to passe euen of those things wherein God hath promised good successe and to bee with vs. Yea and further to doe them with readinesse and cheerfulnesse as we see we haue good cause being so wel encouraged And so all may see and we our selues may know that we goe not to worke as men of the world doe I meane coldly and deadly onely for the hope of profit pleasure or such like whetting vs on which are the motiues and perswasions that earthly minded and worldly men haue in doing their busines And what a grace and blessing is that in our earthly businesse and common workes that wee may bee so heauenly minded in them for much more we may looke and hope to be well assisted as the workes which wee goe about are more heauenly But thou maiest reade more of this Chapter 1. verse 4. The third thing of the three now followeth which was the presenting of the gift in carying and offering this present to Eglon the King of Moab which seemed to such as heare of it no matter commendable that Ehud should kill him vnder pretence of kindnesse yet hee intending a further matter thereby then he shewed to wit the deliuering of Gods people by killing him their enemie it was not onely lawfull but also praise worthy in him And this act of his teacheth that when we doe such things as are not of best note nor most commendable in the eyes of men such as this of Ehud seemed yet lawfull allowed of God we should if it may be intend some further and better thing thereby as Ehud here did And although it haue no effect for the present time I meane that good which we purpose and aime at yet to wait opportunity to bring it so to passe But this wil be better vnderstood by laying it out in particulars As for example if a man be in the company of a bad person which in it selfe is no credit to him yet it is not vnlawfull or if a man giue almes to a poore man who hath no goodnes in him which may be thought of some to be a maintaining of him in both these cases and the like he that I speake of ought to haue a further reach and meaning that is a desire and endeauour to do the parties good as to admonish and reproue as there shall be cause seene or exhort seeke to draw them as he shall see best opportunity to repentance and thereby to stay all from taking offence thereat And so I say of all such actions Hester as we reade bad Haman the enemie of Gods people to a banquet It was like to sauour ill to the godly that should heare of it but at his first comming thither though she spake nothing against Haman to the King yet at the second banquet shee obtained deliuerance to Gods people who were appointed by Haman to bee slaine and beside that shee procured is ouerthrow To both which she made way by bidding him to the first banquet and entended it though she made no shew then of any such thing So our Sauiour did eate and drinke with the publicans and sinners It was hardly thought off by the Pharisies but he sought their conuersion by it Therefore in such actions as haue not the best shew of goodnesse to the end we may bring no violence to our consciences nor disquiet to the godly and the better also to stop the mouthes of others it shall bee meete for vs to aime at and intend better things then are seene at the first shew But then it may bee truly said on the contrary that they who doe things in shew scarce honest as to haunt suspicious places and the company of those who are of ill note and name and yet meane worse then is seene namely to practise whoredome and fall to drunkennesse and ill rule it may I say truly bee affirmed that such are vile persons and very bad indeed And most of all they who will shew signes of goodnesse as of loue by friendly familiarity sobriety and religion and yet spite vs and our holy profession behinde our backes and carrie themselues leaudly are of all other the worst But to returne the like we see in Iehu who although he seemed cruell to the view of the world in murthering the house of Ahab yet hauing an eye to the calling of God went through it with courage which was to be commended But heere must bee a caueat obserued that is that no man presume by these examples to enterprize such like matters without warrant from God alleaging for himselfe that his end is good and profitable this is to go to worke of our own head yea to call euill good and to doe euill that good may come of it As in a mans priuate case to take vpon him to reuenge his owne wrong which belongs to the Magistrate For as the Lord warrants a man by the sincerity of his intention to goe forward when the thing is lawfull as we see in that act of the two tribes and an halfe building an
with Dauid against Absolom when hee himselfe withheld his beast from him at such time as he would full gladly haue gone and whereon he should ride because he was lame Another is that of the Iewes slandering our Sauiour that he said Destroy the Temple and in three dayes I will reare it againe Whereas hee said destroy this Temple meaning his body so they that hearing Christ say of his beloued disciple Iohn If I will that hee abide till I come what is that to thee c gaue it forth erroniously that hee said I will that hee abide till I come and so gathered that Iohn should not dye Concerning this soundnesse and fidelitie in reports hearing bearing and telling this I say that he must bee a man well ballanced with grace and girded with veritie as a peece of his christian furniture who lesse or more lieth not open to the diuell in this kinde who will doe much to make them that goe for professors to lose the credite of their godlinesse Was it not a goodly ornament for the old Prophet whose honour is to be true of his word to be taken in a lye both warpe and woofe making and telling Was it not a sweete nosegay to the Church thinke wee that two great and forward professors should be drawne forth and censured for lyars I meane Ananias and his wife Euen christians rake vp the common scumme and scurfe of the age they liue in and hauing heard reports doe out of a corrupt vanitie or a leaud and sinister intent altogether corrupt the truth and text thereof with glosses and comments additions and detractions of their owne making Psalm 15. this is no good signe of a man that shall dwell with God if we may collect by contraries If the Lord require that wee bee wise and beware of beleeuing euery thing lest we become reporters of an vntruth vnwillingly how shall they escape that cast each tale in their owne mould and hammer it in their owne forge ere they giue it out and when it is broched it is no more like that which they heard from another then an apple is to an oyster as the speech is Whereas the breast of each honest man should be an harbour for truth to lodge in and should be as precisely carefull to see it safely deliuered and vttered forth as of a pledge or secret pawne left him by his friend And let this worke a detestation of this Popish practise of lying and giuing foorth reports yea and coyning them oft times which they thinke will make for their vantage not onely falsely but so incredibly and shamelessely that the very hearers blush for shame thereof It hath been is and euer will bee one of the rotten pillars wherewith they stay vp their kingdome and maintaine their diuelish doctrine But here I ende THE SEVENTIE TWO SERMON ON THE XIII CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES IT appeareth that Manoah beleeued his wife and therefore hee prayed to the Lord that the man might appeare againe to them who had brought the message to his wife that they might not be left in doubt what they should doe to the childe euen as they beleeued him that it should be borne And the Lord heard his prayer and sent him againe vnto them and hereby it was that the man of God appeared the second time as in this second part of the chapter may be seene In that Manoah gaue credite to his wife as appeareth by his prayer to send him to them againe we see that there was faithfulnesse and trustinesse betwixt them in that as shee reported the message by and by that was brought vnto her so hee beleeued it at her mouth accordingly A liuely glasse for couples to looke in to direct them in this poynt how they should be true and trustie one to the other according to that which Salomon speaks of a faithfull wife Prou. 31. That her husbands heart resteth in her and a man would thinke that there had need to bee no lesse betwixt them who must liue for their whole life time together And much wearinesse and discontentment must there of necessitie bee betwixt them otherwise as they finde who respect not grace chiefely in their matches but either to satisfie their eye saying with Samson giue me her for she pleaseth me or else make them vp for wealth or begin their marriage in a worse manner then by both the former Such finde litle trustinesse one at ahothers hand as appeareth within a small time after who yet haue that which they sought and reape the fruite of their owne labours when they meete with many curses in their matches euen as God hath foretold them But of this I will adde no more here hauing so oft spoken of it And it is well to be marked that in this doubtfull case of the childes bringing vp about which they were carefull but yet knowing not what to doe in this doubt I say he therefore prayeth to the Lord for direction by the appearing againe of the Angell for he knew that God would not leaue them in suspence about such a thing as he would haue them doe Which should teach vs that in all difficulties and doubts as well as in other troubles wee should seeke to God to guide and assist vs they being matters in doing whereof we must giue proofe of a good conscience both as Iehosophat did and as the Lord commandeth in the Psalme saying Call on mee in the time of trouble c. We can skill to complaine and make our moane to euery one that wee meete with what heauy affliction haue befalne vs who yet cannot helpe vs but rather increase our sorrowes but with God to whom they should chiefely complaine and make their moane men haue no acquaintance But as it is with them in this that they bee strangers to him euen so they haue helpe and thriue accordingly Let the reader see chap. 1. 2. and often in this booke touching this argument as also the next poynt which is answerable thereto As he sought to the Lord so hee obtained that which he asked to teach that it is not in vaine to pray and as he seeing that God hauing sent to them a strange and vnusuall message which Manoah did not well vnderstand knew hee would not leaue him in suspence and feare but would make his minde knowne to them more perfectly and therefore prayed in faith in like manner we are to doe to beleeue that we shall obtaine that which we pray for He must pray in faith and wauer not saith Saint Iames and in an other place It is the prayer of faith that must saue And Saint Paul saith that we cannot call vpon him in whom we beleeue not Which I say both because that is no prayer but babling that is voyde of faith and also for that such prayer of faith euen by one much more by many being seruent obtaineth most vnlikely things at
Gods hands And in all difficulties this is the speediest remedy both because for the time present it easeth the heart well and for the time to come giueth hope of redresse one way or other and vnburdeneth the minde of that vnprofitable heauinesse which cloggeth it and deteineth it from being well occupied Although more particularly the occasion that mooued Manoah hereto was a trouble which concerned the married estate which howsoeuer it neuer falleth out in this kinde now adaies to couples yet in stead thereof many other doe as care of bringing vp the children employing them in the fittest trade of life bestowing them in marriage defraying the charge of housekeeping with many more such In all which are there not many difficulties feares and doubtings which arise in the minds of carefull and tender Parents and gouernours Yes doubtlesse and such I meane so daily and successiue that they will breede no small distemper inwardly by fretting carking and contriuing nor disturbance in the family by impatience and discord if a wise course be not taken to stay and preuent the one and the other Now what course can bee like this of Manoah who being troubled about a message which God had sent him doth repaire to the same God and desireth him to free him from the feare and doubt which hee had caused so should the husband and wife do together that seeing the Lord is the ordainer of marriage the blessing of posteritie is from him and he hath vndertaken to prouide for them and theirs to many generations that feare him therefore it would please the Lord to giude them in their gouernement to frame their mindes to patience and contentednesse in their crosses to giue a blessing to their education and care of their children to blesse their labours and callings that there may bee sufficiencie and in a word to shew them the best way or issue out of those troubles of household and familie which vnsettle and disquiet them A man would thinke it were a iollie ease in such cases to haue God a mans friend ouer it is with them that neither haue God nor friend to counsell them but vncomfortably to beare their burdens by their owne strength which none at all is able to doe The Angell at the prayer of Manoah appearing againe to the woman in the field without her husband she made hast to tell her husband that he appeared againe to her as hee had done that day already which newes shee knew would not a little ioy his heart and ease him of much doubting that troubled him And this teacheth the wife another dutie to her husband to fulfill his ioy and to doe the things that may make him cheerefull and a glad man as farre as she is able as on the other side the husband should yea and that much more doe the like to her againe And such countenance gesture and speech with their whole carriage should be betweene them as might free them from feare or doubt of heartie loue and kindenesse but rather by all good occasions might make one another ioyfull As for brawling chiding prouoking each other or secret dislikings tetches or conceits which might cause the same though there will neuer want occasions nay if they should yet the euill heart ministreth too many they I say should be farre from them especially from nestling and being seated in them Therefore Salomon speaking of such a woman saith of her thus Who shall finde a vertuous woman For her price is farre aboue the pearles The heart of her husband trusteth in her euen as hers also should rest in him for they haue many other troubles and such also as accompanie marriage so that they haue little neede to trouble one another also but ought euery way to allay and stoppe occasions or to remooue them by their sweete and christian societie and liuing together And therefore it is most absurd that one of them should doe that which may grieue the other but monstrous that one should seeke to vexe the other And indeed where both are of one minde and will in good things this is no difficult matter thus to ioyne and worke together that naturall loue and content in each other and so which is the fruite thereof ioy and peace in the good successe they haue in their endeauours and affaires may be procured and augmented I say among such as be of one sound minde it is more easilie obtained though the best had need to watch for such grace that ficklenesse estrangement and wearinesse doe not breake in but how shall this bee found among other couples wholely corrupt and voide of goodnesse such as the greatest number is Surely not easilie especially if trials come for alas the worst make a shift to please each other while they prosper as we see in that foolish woman Iobs wife who while things went well with them is not said to haue broken out so grossely but seeing her husband plunged into miserie added to his sorrow by her vnseasonable speech whereas shee should then aboue all other times haue spake somewhat in season to haue comforted him when all other outward helps failed No man saith the Apostle euer hated his owne flesh but nourished and cherished it so that selfeloue might somewhat perswade this dutie that couples should seeke the peace and welfare of each other And if the example of our Lord Iesus may preuaile as we know married persons are sent to that rule to learne of him then let them consider how tenderly hee careth for his Church and spouse by all meanes procuring delight to her and auoiding molestation from her saying I charge you wake not my spouse till she please This charinesse and care of remoouing all such things out of the way as might cause each others heauinesse and griefe and bearing the burthen of each other that the afflicted partie might bee eased is the best way to witnesse in them this sympathie of affection and like mindednesse Now when Manoah commeth to the Angell to be satisfied in his doubt marke the manner of his speech he vseth no long circumstance but directly goeth to the matter Art thou the man saith hee that appeared to the woman Such was the simplicitie of that age that one might aske of another that which concerned them and be answered How farre was that from the practise of our time for now there is much courtesie glosing and coloured hypocrisie and subtiltie but little good meaning and honest simplicitie neither shall a man be sure of the minde of his neighbour when he hath faire words enough tending that way A shew of loue but with dissimulation Touching vnfaithfulnesse in dealings and conuersation among men I haue elsewhere spoken chap. 12. 2. 3. to the which this as a limme thereof may bee added which I am to speake of to wit vnfaithfulnesse in speech Both are birds hatcht in the same neast of a false deceitful heart I meane as well Ioabs