upon the cheek bone Use 4 4. This teacheth us our duty before the War in the War and after the War 1. Before the War and in the War to joyn prayers with our prepatations and our attempts for God declared in the Wars of Israel with Amalck that Moses praying on the hill with Aaron and Hur and Joshua fighting belowe in the valley Exod 17. were both of them the forces of God And that prayers were the better fighting for when Moses ceased praying Amalek prevailed 2. After the War we are taught to whom to attribute the victory and good successe of the War that is to give the glory thereof to the Lord and so say with David The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to passe So the daughter of Jephta came out with timbrels to meet her father and confest to her father Judg. 11.36 The Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies even of the chldren of Ammon Yet may we not herein smother the well deserving prowesse and valour of valiant Commanders and souldiers but give them their due honour so even the women meet Saul returning from the slaughter of the Philistines and they answered one another in their song saying Saul hath killed his thousands and David his ten thousands 1 Sam. 18 7. Doctr. 2 2. Whereas Israel saith to the Heathen Arise ye and let us arise making use of the power and strength of the Heathen against Edom we are taught that God doth use one evil man and one evil Nation to punish another The Lord did smite the Moabites by the Ammonites and took from them some part of their land Chedorlaomer maketh war against other kings and taketh away their substance The Midianiâ—â— were their own Conquerours The Lord set every ones sword against his fellow there wont all the host The children of Israel did call the Heathen here to them Jud. 7.22 they joyned in one war against Edom as if at this day Princes of the Popish Religion should joyn themselves with a Protestant Prince to maintain him in his Kingdom against the Emperour the Popes eldest son Is not this setting Egytians against Egyptians and defending the Church by the enemies of the Church Reason 1 The reason why God doth this is not for want of other strength for he is Lord of hosts but to declare him to be King and Lord over all he doth whatsoever he will in heaven and in earth and in the sea and all deeps What doth more declare his absolute Soveraignty then his Power to whip and scourge the enemies of his Church by one another of them which is to make Sathan cast out Sathan This sheweth that Sathans kingdom is subordinate to the Kingdom of God there is but one Kingdom of which it may be truly said Et Imperijs ejus non est finis There is no end of his Kingdom Christ shall one day make this good when he shall have put down all his enemies for then he shall deliver up the Kingdom to God In the mean time the subjects of Sathans kingdom are the vassalls of God and Sathan himself shall be and is at his command to be the rod of God for execution of his wrath where he pleaseth Reason 2 2. God useth to punish the wicked to declare to the Church that there can be no true love but where there is love of the Truth onely true Religion doth unite the hearts of men and all that embrace not that want the bond of peace They may cry a confederacy and give one another the right hand of fellowship for a time but if God be not the knot of their union all other respects will come short of setling a constant concurrency We see this clearly in the vicissititudes of confederacies and wars amongst the enemies of true Religion temporall respects make their leagues temporall respects do again dissolve them The Uses of this point Use 1 This doth serve to reform our judgements and to settle our hearts in our great vexation for did not the foot of David almost slip when he saw the prosperity of the ungodly and compared it with the main and great troubles of the Church For seeing God doth make this use of them to be his sword marvell not that he keepeth his sword by his side that he keepeth it in a sheath that he keepeth it bright And David saith Deliver my soul from the wicked which in thy sword that is one cause why God rewardeth the wicked with some temporall favours Psa 17.13 because he maketh use of them to punish his enemies this is fully exprest For thus saith the Lord to the Prophet Son of man Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus Every head was made bald and every shoulder was peeled Ezech. 29 18.19 yet had he no mages nor the army for Tyrus that served against it therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I will give the land of Egypt into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and he shall take her multitudes and take her spoils and take her prey and it shall be the wages for his army This may satisfie us that we grieve not at the prosperous estate of the wicked for God hath use of them and he will not let them serve him for nothing The elect of God have fairer hopes let them stay their stomack and let them wait the Lords leisure Use 2 2. We may see in this example in my text and in many more that God maketh use of the wicked in the behalf of his Church and therefore we must not give the glory of Gods justice to the means but to God The wicked know not what they do when they fight the battells of the Lord yet God doth put such mettall into them that they do most valiantly perform his will A full example hereof is The word of the Lord to Zedekiah king of Judah by his prophet Jeremiah Jer. 37.8 The Chaldaeans shall come again and fight against this city and take it and burn it with fire Thus faith the Lord deceive not your selves saying The Chaldeans shall depart from us for they shall not depart For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you and there remained but wounded men amongst them yet should they rise up every man in his tent and burn this city with fire This must needs be the hand of the Lord and therefore the glory must be given to God onely the means are weak but the Lord is strong he alone must be exalted and all the glory of victory must be ascribed to him The Church may use the help of the Heathen and of Idolaters in the Lords battells for they are the sword of the Lord as you have heard Use 3 3. We are taught that though Israel and the Heathen do come together though the godly do use the
it he looketh that it should bring forth grapes not fair and spreading branches onely not large and green leaves not shewes and semblances and seemings of godlinesse but grapes not labruseas not soure grapes But fructus dignos poenitentia fruits worthy of repentance These be the best presents we can make to God the best ensigns of our peace Otherwise the calamities of peace will fall on us worse then those of warre idlenesse wantonnesse fulnesse of bread drunkennesse and all the wormes of prosperity which will destroy our vine Doctr. 4 Because Ieremih saith Arise ye stirring up others to battel and addeth we will arise I conclude Doctr. That it is lawful for the children of God to make war For a defensive war nature provideth for that is no more but se tueri to defend himself But this is an offensive war against Edom their enemy and this is lawfull The Land of promise though given so many yeeres before to the sonnes of Sem in the line of Iacob yet was possessed by the sonnes of Cham of whose sonne Canaan took name and Israel came into the possession of that Land by the sword They had Gods own warrant for it Deut. 7.2 When the Lord bringeth thee into the Land whither thou goest to possesse it and shall root out many Nations before thee then thou shalt smite them thou shalt utterly destroy them c. Yea he doth not only allow of a just war but David saith He teacheth my hands to fight Reason 1 Moses from God Psa 8.34 Num. 25.17 saith to Israel vexe the Midianites and smite them 1. Because as I taught before war is one of the judgments of God one of the arrows of his quiver one of his rods wherewith he doth chasten the wicked therefore the faithfull may and must arise when they are called forth into battell In such a case it was said Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently Curse ye Meroz curse ye Meroz saith the Angel of the Lord Jer. 48.10 Curse ye the inhabitants thereof bitterly because they came not to the help of the Lord Judg. 5.23 to the help of the Lord against the mighty There it is called helping the Lord because men be the hands of execution in these lawfull wars by whom God doth punish his enemies and because God is holpen in those that are by just means maintained Reason 2 2. Because an offensive war is revenge of injuries and God hath said Vengeance is mine so that the Lord is called Lord of hosts and just Wars are called The battels of the Lord they that sight in such wars God covereth their heads in the day of battell The wars of Israel against Amalek were offensive they were the Lords vengeance against Amalek for smiting the hindermost and weakest of them in their passage to the promised land This war against Edom was such as it followeth Gods revenge upon Edom for their cruelty towards Israel Reason 3 3. We finde that when the Israelites came to John Baptist and asked What shall we do he did not bid them leave the profession of arms but onely said to them Do violence to no man accuse no man falsly Luk. 3.13 and be content with your wages Wherein he required of them fair wars without injury to any for none but unjust violence is there forbidden And we shall finde in the catalogue of the faithfull Gedeon Heb. 11.32.33 Barak Samson Jephthah David which through faith subdued kingdoms c. The Vses follow Seeing the faithfull may make lawfull Wars Use 1 1. We are taught to satisfie our conscience before we undertake any war that it is lawfull and just for else we cannot either promise our selves good successe or solicite God for his aid 1. It is a lawfull war to preserve our right against them that invade it as was ours in eighty eight against the Spaniard then our enemy who prepared himself for the invasion of this Kingdom 2. The Judges of Israel did redeem Israel from their oppressours that had invaded them and redeemed their own right So Abraham made a just war against those that had wronged the king of Sodom and took Lot prisoner 3. To chasten and destroy the common enemies of entercourse and trade between Nation and Nation such is the sea-war intended against the Pirates and sea-theeves that hinder the trade of Nations by their Piracies wasps and drones that rob the hives of painfull bees 4. To defend confederate Nations from the oppression of their enemie for so Joshuah will not suffer the Ammonite to vex and wrong the Gibeonites because the oath of God is between them Thus for the common peace it is lawfull for Christians to confederate with Turks and Infidels for Protestants to make leagues of peace and civil society with Papists Catholikes with Hereticks And when the league goeth no further then the just defence of them in their rights we may borrow and lend help each to other For the common love of humanity teacheth us to do as we would be done to Chron. 12 18 and the Apostle biddeth as much as in us to have peace with all men But to assist Infidels and Heretiques in their unjust wars it is utterly unlawfull so Jehoshaphat joyned with Ahab against Ramoth in Gilead and the Prophet of the Lord reproved him for it And Jehu the son of Hanani the Seer went out to meet him Chron. 19.2 and said to King Jehoshaphat Wouldst thou help the wicked and love them that hate the Lord therefore for this thing is the wrath of the Lord upon thee If the league between the godly and ungodly Nations have these bonds 1. To assure one another against injury from each other 2. To defend each others rights without prejudice of Religion 3. To maintain commerce between them I see no cause why it may not be lawfull for Christians and Infidels to confederate 1. For defence against injury of others if the Oxe of an Infidell or his Asse should fall into a pit ought I not to shew him mercy in his beast and to save him if I can shall I do this to his beast and shall I not do it to him If thieves would rob him shall I passe by and see him rifled and shall I not give him aid what duty one man oweth to another that doth one Nation owe to another this is preservation of Justice suum cuique 2. For binding our selves not to do Infidels any hurt unjustly it is the Law of God we must not only abstaine from robbing them but we must preserve their right we may not take away from them their lives their wives their goods or any thing of theirs we may promise interchangably to do them no wrong 3. For commerce Pâ—rk cont aur in 2. Praecept some of our late Divines affirme it unlawfull to sell to Infidels or Heretiques any commodity which they may abuse to any idolatrous use For example to sell the
shall be done to thee c. And after Metaphorically he expresseth the retaliation As thou hast drunk upon my holy mountain hereof we observe the change of the manner of speech that is here used we shall cleere the Text from that difficulty that hath distracted interpreters so that they have failed in the right meaning of these words For whereas before the Prophet speaketh to Edom here he bringeth in God himselfe speaking to Ierusalem comforting them in the declaration of his just judgement against her enemies for he saith to Iacob As thou hast drunk upon my holy mountains so shall all the heathen drink continually By the Metaphor of drinking which is referred to that which is called the cup of the Lords indignation of which David saith In the hand of the Lord there is a cup the Wine is red c. By this figure then the cup of affliction is understood the phrase was used after by our Saviour Let this cup passe from me again If thou wilt not let it passe but that I must drink thereof thy will be done We use that phrase to drink of the cup of God So the threatning runneth in this sense that as the people of God upon Gods holy mountaine have drunk of the cup of Gods wrath and have had their draught thereof which was but for a time So shall all the heathen drinke and their judgement shall not have end they shall drink continually there shall be no end of their affliction they shall swallow down the wrath of the Lord untill they be utterly destroyed for they shall be as though they had not been In which words is contained 1. A judgement against the Heathen 2. A consolation to the Church In the judgement observe 1. The certainty thereof the day is set 2. The propinquity of it it is neere 3. The extent of it to all the heathen 4. The equity of it as thou hast done 5. The certainty of it they shall drinke c. 6. The duration of it continually In the comfort note 1. He speaketh of it as of a judgement past and gone at ye have drunk thereof 2. He calleth their dwelling though thus punished My Holy Mountain 3. He revealeth to them his severe vengeance against their enemies 1. Of the judgement 2. Of the certainty The Lord hath set down and decreed a day for vengeance threatnings of woe at large do move but little but when the punishment is denounced and the day set for the execution thereof this cannot but pierce and draw blood And being here called the day of the Lord that is a day designed by the Lord for this execution it is more quick and penetrating There is no sin which is committed on earth but God hath both made a Law against it to forbid the doing of it and he hath declared his judgement against it yet hath he given us the light of his word or the light of the Law which his finger wrote in our hearts to declare it to us and he hath given us time also to repent and amend it and he is patient and long-suffering in his expectation of our amendment But where it is not amended he doth set down a day for the execution of his just judgement for he will not he cannot suffer his truth to faile His patience and mercy will take their day first and his justice will also have her day Saint Iames advertizeth us Let patience have her perfect work Jer. 1. â— We have a faire example of God for this For he will not let the work of his patience be unperfect he will forbear us till the very day of his justice designed for punishment Though all the masters of Assemblies all the Ministers of the word be continually striking at this naile we cannot drive it into the head to make men beleeve that God hath set a day for punishment of all our sins The promise of grace to the penitent doth so comfort us generally that we hope we shall have time enough to put off that day by our repentance and then again we often take that for repentance which is not it For it is not enough to remember our sins with a God forgive me Repentance is a putting off of sinne an hatred of it and a change of life and manners every sorrow is not such But were it that this day were thought upon with that feare and trembling that is due to it it would put sin out of countenance and the sinner out of hope The sinner that beleeves not this doth make God a lyar whose word of truth hath revealed the certainty of this day to us 2. It armeth the lusts of the flesh against the soule for who is he that liveth without fear that will bridle his affections or stop the swift current of nature in himself but runneth into sinne as an horse rusheth into the battaile But when we do consider upon every sin that we commit that the day of the Lord shall declare it the day of the Lord shall punish it this maketh us afraid of our secret sins for feare of shame and of all sins for feare of punishment The certainty that this day will come the uncertainty when it will come is the greatest motive to hasten repentance that may be 2. The Propinquity it is neere If our Consciences be convinced of the certainty of this day and the judgement thereof Sathans next allusion is to flatter us that it is afarre off and shall not come yet and there will be time enough to repent us of our sin If we tell you indefinitely that it is neere yet you may hope not so neere but that we may prevent it For the Apostle hath told his brethren long-agoe of the last day The end of all things is at hand But it is 1600 yeers since 1 Pet. 4.7 and where is the promise of his coming But let not that comfort thee in sin for even that day is neer seeing time is nothing to eternity but thy day wherein God shall visit thy sinnes with his judgements may be much sooner If we had Commission to tell you it is but forty dayes and the next day is the day of the Lord as Jonah did peradventure it would warn you but we have no Commission to say it is so it is a good proofe that it is neere when none can promise that this very day shall not be it Yet we see there were some that took the day of their death neere themselves cras moriemur yet they made evil use of it Edamus bibamus as the Epicure Dum vivimus â—rvamus For the sensuall and carnall man maketh that evil use of his neere end to live more sensually Post mortem nulla voluptas In every particular mans case St. John doth admonish us all well Now also is the Axe layed to the root of the Tree I learn a parable of Christ Do but consider thine own field and see the Com that grows upon it and observe
proofe of this truth we find in the example of the Philistims Garrison for Betweene the passages by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistims Garrison there was a sharp rock on the one side 1 Sam. 14.4 and a sharp rock on the other side Yet Jonathan climbed up on his hands and on his feet ver 13. and his Armour-bearer after him and they fell before Jonathan c. The reason of this is given by God himselfe I will bring thee down saith the Lord. The Lord taketh on him to bring down high looks and whosoever be the instrument and means of their overthrow it is the Lords doing In this very example in my Text God claimeth the glory of Edoms ruine for the Prophet asketh who it is that cometh from Edom and why his garments be red It is answered I have trode the wine presse alone Isa 63.1 there was not one with me Which prophecy looketh two wayes both to the destruction of Edom in the letter which God assumeth to himself as his own work And specially to the kingdom of Sathan which Christ in the blood of his passion did alone conquer We had a faire example hereof in Eighty eight the invincible Armado of Spain then our enemy now our reconciled friend came forth in the strength of ships and Ordnance and men and promised themselves the conquest of this Land they said we will rejoyce and divide Sichem and meet out the valey of Sâ—ccoth God gave us victory and declared that no strength prevaileth against the Lord. Therefore let no man trust in the strength of his dwelling we have an Iland encompassed and moted about with the Sea walled in with sands and rocks and shelves which maketh the passage to us full of dangers and is a great security to our land yet have the Romans the Danes and the Normans conquered this land Therefore our trust is not in the strength of our dwellings but God is our rock on the clifts of this rock we dwell safe so that Faith and not presumption do build our neast To him if we addresse our prayers to him if we give the Sacrifices of praise if to him we perform the duties of obedience who can harm us God of his goodnesse hath made our mountain so strong that we need not feare what man can do against us The trust of Edom was vaine and the vanity thereof is described in the miserable wast that was made therein Ver. 5. If theieves come to thee if robbers by night how art thou cut off would they not have stollen till they had enought If the Grape-gatherers come to thee would they not leave thee some Grapes V. 6. How are the things of Esau searched out How are his hid things sought up The words do expresse the full ruine of Edom for all his strong habitation Thieves that rob an house by night do not carry away all and they that gather Crapes neerly the Law requires to leave some clusters for the poore the fatherlesse and the Widdow But in the sacking of Edom Lev. 19.10 there should be a carrying away of all in sight and a curious search for all hidden things there should be nothing left Neither men nor goods should be concealed but the eye of search should find them out all There should neither be a satiety in their enemies nor a compassion neither fulnesse nor pitty should exempt any from spoyle That maketh the Prophet so patheticall that he interposeth this admiration How art thou cut off In the Prophecy of Jeremiah it is added for an interpretation of this Text I have made Esau bare I have uncovered his secret places and he shall not be able to hide himself his seed is spoiled Jer. 49.10 and his brethren and his neighbours and he is not This is not to be understood so as if the Nation and name of Edom should cease for ever upon this vastation but for a time for they were again to build and were again to pluck down as Malachy prophecyed But in the end there should be nothing left of Edom his very name should be forgotten upon earth even as it is at this day for who can say this is the seed of Esau From hence 1. We are taught that where God cometh to the spoyle there is no secret and close receptacle either for the persons or for the wealth and treasures of men but he will search it out and lay it open their bellies be full of hid treasures those bellies will he rip up and into those secret parts shall his search penetrate nothing shall be safe from it As in the fury of the warres of the Jews we read that some of the Jewes having no other means left to preserve something to relieve their wans swallowed certain pieces of gold to keep them from the hand of the enemy which coming to the eares of the Roman souldiers they ript up many of the Jewes bellies to seek for gold Edom dwelt in Mount Seir amongst the rocks and many of their dwellings were in roomes hewed out of the hard stone yet all their secret cabines were searched and spoyled Ishboseth is not safe on his bed nor Ehud in his Parlour Whither shall I flie from his presence saith David God himself hath spoken to this purpose I will slay the last of them with the sword Amos 9.1 he that flyeth shall not fly away and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered Though they dig into hell thence shall my hand take them though they climb up to heaven Ver. 2. thence shall my hand bring them down And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel Ver. 3. I will search and take them out thence and though they may be hid from my sight in the bottome of the sea Ver. 4. or go into captivity thence will I command the sword and it shall slay them and I will set mine eyes upon them for evill and not for good Those searchers of Edom be of Gods sending and they are his privie search he will bring to light things hidden in darknesse Vse Trust not to the secret treasures of ungodlinesse not to the goods thou hast sayed up for many yeers to come there is nothing so secret but shall be laid open Gods search is not like Labans he searched all the places but where Rahel sate but God leaveth no place unsought If the secret store escape fures persodiunt furantur Yet there is tinea arugo the moath and the rust and if nothing else Tempus edax rerum time the consumer of all things For so saith the Wiseman there is a time to gather and a time to scatter Let us not be too much in love with these things that we possesse here we know that when our Augustus Caesar began his reigne here over us all neighbouring and remote Nations offered him peace and he accepted it and turned all our swords into sights I need not
of his countenance shineth on us let us walke worthy of this light 2. Let us serve the Lord in fear and pray to God that the thoughts of our heart which are only evill continually may be forgiven us 3. Let us receive with meeknesse the word of truth and suffer it to be graffed in us that we may bring forth no longer our owne sins with the fruits of evill works but the fruits of the word 4. Let us pray that God would passe by our offences and establish us with grace and pluck up sin within us that root of bitternesse which bringeth forth corrupt fruits of disobedience that God would continue upon us the light of his countenance 5. Let us not flatter our selves and say none of these things shall come upon us because we have so long enjoyed the favours of God for Iudah where God put his Sanctuary and Sion where he made himself a dwelling was not spared The righteous Judge of the world is not such a one as we though he hold his peace a while our provocations may make him whet his sword and prepare against us instruments of death Observe the cruelty of the Edomite he not only joyneth in open hostility but in secret insidiation to cut off all root and branch all in a day he is implacable Such is the hatred of the Romish Church to ours did we not see it in the attempt in 88 for Invasion and possession did we not see the heart of Antichrist in the Powder Treason plotted to a perfect and full destruction Surely David had cause to pray to God let me not fall into the hands of man This is further declared in the next circumstance Neither shouldest thou have delivered those of his that remained in the day of distresse 4 Depopulation For if any remained whom neither the Invasion had met with in the City nor the insidiation without those the Edomite found out and delivered into the hands of their enemies Of those some fell off to the enemy others were carried away captives others of the poorer sort were left in the Land to serve the enemy there to be Vine-dressers and Husbandmen This is called sweeping with a Besome and wiping as one wipeth a dish Two things do aggravate this cruelty of Edom 1. against thy brother Iacob For a Turke to oppresse a Christian an Infidell a Believer is but a trespasse against humanity for Hebrews to strive and one Christian to afflict another woundeth Religion also The Papist calleth himself a Christian and pretendeth great love to Christ he is our unnaturall brother and he casteth us out by excommunication he hateth us in our affliction yet he saith let the Lord be glorified But for us to wound and smite one another of us Protestant against Protestant this is seven spirits worse then the former Brethren by Nation brethren by Religion should live as brethren by nature live as brethren and our father will be angry if we do not and the God of peace will fight against us 2. Another circumstance of time is much urged and it maketh weight for when was Edom so bloudy you shall see that in the time and you will say with Solomon that the mercies of the wicked are cruell Verse 11. In the day that strangers carried away captive his forces and forreiners entred into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem Ver. 12. In the day that thy brother became a stranger in the day of their destruction in the day of distresse Verse 13. Thrice named in the day of their calamity Verse 14. In the day of distresse 1. Observe in this how their cruelty is aggravated by the time the wofullest time that ever Ierusalem had called therefore the day of Ierusalem when all things conspired to make their sorrow full then in the anguish and fit of their mortall disease then did Edom arme his eye his tongue his heart his hand and joyne all those with the enemy against his brother 2. Observe that God taketh notice not only what we do one against another but when for he will set these things in order before thee for the God of mercie cannot abide cruelty To strengthen the hand of affliction and to put more weight to the burthens of them that be over-charged this is bloody cruelty as To oppresse the poor is alwayes abominable to God but to oppresse him in his tender and orphane infancie or in his feeble and decrepid age doubleth the offence To hinder the willing labourer from his labour at all times it is a crying sin and they are men of bloud that do so but in times of dearth or in times of his greatest expense to deprive him of his labour or his pay this God considereth for he knoweth wherof we are al made and he observeth our carriage towards one another of us VERSE 15 16. For the day of the Lord is neere upon all the heathen as thou hast done it shall be done to thee thy reward shall return upon thine own head 16. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain so shall all the heathen drink continually yea they shall drinke and they shall swallow down and they shall be as though they had not been This is the fourth part of this Section containing Gods revenge upon Edom which is before threatned particularly against Edom. Ver. 2. Behold I have made thee small among the heathen thou art greatly despised And after further declared it despeiring all the hopes of Edom. 1. The pride of their heart 2. The strength of their confederacie 3. The strength of their situation 4. The hope of their wise men 5. They hope in their own strong men Yet further Ver. 10. He saith Shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off for ever But now as Edom was not alone in that sin but joyned with others so are they all joyned together in the punishment The words are somewhat obscure For the day of the Lord he meaneth the day of vengeance to repay the violence done to his own people called the day of the Lord because God will shew himself who hath lyen concealed as it were all this while and been a looker on whilest his people did suffer punishment for their sins The time of Ierusalems chastisement was called the day of Ierusalem because their sins deserved that day to come upon them but the day of the heathen is here called the day of the Lord because now God doth awake as one out of sleepe and sheweth himselfe cleerly to his enemies This day the Prophet telleth them is now at hand and neere to them This is neere upon all the heathen Not only upon Edom but upon all those with whom Edom joyned himselfe against the people of God The Prophet Ieremie foretelling this day Jer. 25. nameth the heathen upon whom the wrath of the Lord was to come And the judgement is eye for eye tooth for tooth Lex talionis wherein he telleth her As thou hast done it
sate there before the Lord and fasted that day untill even and offered burat offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. Then they enquired of the Lord for there was the Arke and there was Phineas the sonne of Eleazer the sâ—nne of Aarâ—n standing And they said shall I yet go again to battaile against the children of Benjamin my brother or shall I cease And then God promised them victory It may be that they offended in the two first dayes in their preparation they were not enough humbled before the Lord or in the manner of their consultation with God But I must tell you plainely all these are the conjectures of some learned judgements concerning this question God hath left no accompt to us of his proceedings therein Neither hath he done the like in the example in my Text why he punisheth all the heathen for smiting Ierusalem seeing himselfe set them a worke Vse Therefore let not our prevailings against our brethren swell us up with pride making us presume that we have God our friend because we have had the upper hand of our enemies for God may punish our brethen and make us his rod to whip others and he may burne the rod when he hath done with it This is one of Gods strange workes that he doth upon earth he foretelleth one of them by his Prophet Habakuk and saith Behold ye among the beathen and wonder marvellously for I will worke a worke in your dayes Hab. 1.5 which you will not beleeve though it be told you and what is that For lo I raise up the Caldeans that bitter and hasty Nation which shall march through the breadth of the Land to possesse the dwelling places that are not theirs They are terrible and dreadfull their judgement and their diguity shall proceed of themselves Their horses also are swifter then the Leopards and are more fierce then the evening wolves c. These are sent of God and they prevaile and when they have done they thanke their owne god for the victory But the Church is comforted against them O Lord thou hast ordained them for judgement thou hast established them for correction Therefore the example of Israel having overcome Benjamin in the former story is excellent for when they had conquered their brother they did not say in triumph we have prevailed nor bragged of their victory But the people having fulfilled the will of God in that warre Came to the house of God Jud. 21.2 and abode there till even before God and lift up their voyces and wept sore They were sorry that God had used their sword and arme to their brother 4 The equity of this judgement As thou hast done it shall be done to thee thy reward shall returne upon thine owne head ver 15. The law of nature written in our hearts is Do as thou wouldest be done to For Aristotles abrasa tabula is not true Divinity Seeing the heathen will not do this the justice of God putteth it upon them They shall be done to as they doe Of this point see before 5 The Contents of this judgement They shall drinke yea they shall drinke and swallow downe and they shall be as though they had not been The old heathen had a fashion of capitall punishment by death to give the offender a potion of poison to drinke The Prophet here speaketh of the punishment of Edom and the Heathen in that very phrase alluding to that of David Vpon the wicked he shall raine snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest Psa 11.6 Psa 63. that shall be the portion of their cup. And Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us to drinke of the wine of astonishment this is the Cup that David speaketh of For in the hand of the Lord there is a Cup and the wine iâ— red it is full of mixture Psa 75.8 and he poureth out of the same but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drinke them Wine immoderately drunken doth set the body on fire it infatuateth the braine it maketh the parts of the body uselesse that neither head nor hand nor foot can doe their severall offices Drunkennesse is such a disabling to man that God hath chosen to expresse the severity of his wrath in the similitude of drunkennesse and the Prophet Jeremie hath used the very phrases thereof upon like occasion Take the wine of this cup of my fury at my hand and cause all the Nations to whom I send thee to drink it Jer. 25.15 16. And they shall drinke and be moved and be mad Yet more fully 27. Drinke ye and be drunken and spue and fall and rise no more Let drunkards behold themselves in this glasse and see how loathsome and how dangerous a sin they sin Every cup they drink immoderately is a cup of Gods wrath every Health they drink drunkenly is a disease even unto death drunkennesse maketh men the emblems of Gods indignation the very Images and pictures of divine vengeance In this phrase God often in Scripture doth expresse his judgement and his fury and vengeance against evil doers Therefore Be not drunke with wine wherein is excesse I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you would do no more so if any of you have by occasion been overtaken with that Epidemicall and popular fault do no more so wickedly sin not against your own bodies Morbus est it s a disease sin not against your good name it is a foule blemish to be called a drunkard they that are so are very impatient of that name Sin not against Gods creatures they were given us for use and service not that we abusing them should become servants to them and be overcome of them Sinne not against your brethren by evil example or by tempting them to this sin Above all God forbid that you should do this great wickednesse and so sin against your God You see he can and and will set you a drinking off his cup and he will make you doffe it as you call it and do him right to drink all even to the bottom till you fall and rise no more till as my Text saith You be as though you had not been The phrase of my Text hath carryed me thus far out of my way but I must do so if I will meet with drunkards for they are so brain-crased that they cannot keep the right way I return to the contents of this judgement thus exprest in the phrase of drinking Thâ—se Nations have filled the cup of affliction full for Jerusalem and Jerusalem hath drunk deep thereof now God will change the object of his fury he will take away his cup from the Church and he will give it to her enemies as Isaiah hath sweetly and fully declared it to the great griefe of the Nations the great joy of the Church 21 Heare thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine 22. Thus saith the
for the graces of God already bestowed prayer for the continuance and encrease of them this is the worship which is immediately directed by Christ to himselfe and for himselfe onely that is for his glory And in this the Holy Ghost helpeth our infirmities for being the greatest duty of Christian worship we cannot without great help performe it and great help we have the whole Trinity joyning with us The Holy Ghost in conceiving and uttering our prayers and putting life into them The Son in carrying them up to the Father And the Father in receiving of them Pray continually in all things give thanks 2. God performeth this mercy of deliverance to his Church first and then there shall be holinesse God is ever before hand and he would have us know that our holinesse is rather a fruit and effect of his deliverance then a cause of it procuring or meriting it And so the Lords deliverance of us is a free as well as a full favour it is no wages for our work as the Church of Rome doth not only erroniously but blasphemously teach So doth Zachary confesse ut liberati a manibus inimicorum festiamus ei that being delivered from the hands of our enemies c. not us servientes liberemur not that sâ—rving we should be delivered ut liberandi serviamus but he doth all his favours for us to winne us to his service The Church of God was punished for not serving of him as it should and now it is restored to her owne possessions that it may serve him hereafter in holinesse It is an excellent use that we make of the good favours of God when they make us the more holy and the more carefull to serve him But now being made free from sin Rom. 6.22 and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life 1 Delivered and made free from sin 2 Then our fruit unto holinesse 3 And then everlasting life 1 This deliverance a motive to holinesse 2 This holinesse a fruit of our deliverance 3 This Everlasting life a reward of our holinesse It is a great signe that God is not with us when his favours do corrupt us as when our knowledge doth beget in us spirituall pride and our riches and temporall preferments bring forth carnall pride when the many affaires of the world doe make us neglect the Church service or break Gods Sabbath which ought to be religiously consecrated to Gods worship and when any temporall happinesse doth worke in us any relaxation of the service of God for the true sanctification of all these doth consist in this that we do make them motives and provocations to holinesse This doth make holinesse our chiefest study and care because God in the promise of restoring Israel to his possessions doth not say then shall be outward peace and prosperity and wealth and ease but then there shall be holinesse as the proper fruit of Gods favours for peace and health and plenty may be lost againe but holinesse cannot be lost because that is a worke of the Holy Ghost in us which cannot perish for that spirit shall abide in the Church for ever This doth also shew whereby we may settle our possessions to us namely by embracing of holinesse for the enemy hath no power against as so long as we be holy and when Israel shall see that their unholinesse was their sinne God restoring them they shall make conscience of sinning any more least some worse judgement overtake them For God doth promise to restore Religion and his holyworship which is the only safety of his people which whilest they formerly corrupted they brought upon themselues deportation ruine upon their City and fire upon the Sanctuary of God You see all the earnestnesse of holy Scripture to perswade us to holinesse doth aime at our owne safety and God for our owne good perswadeth it for what good will our holinesse do him or what do we hurt him if we be unrighteousse our well-doing extendeth not to him to adde any thing to him our il-doing is no prejudice to him the benefit of our holinesse redoundeth to our selves and thy word that teacheth it is given to profit us withall God give us all grace to make a right and profitable use therof to his glory Amen VERSE 18. And the House of Jacob shall be a fire and the house of Ioseph a flame and the house of Esau for stubâ—lâ— and they shall kindle in them and devoure them and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau for the Lord hath spoken it 19. And they of the South shall possesse the Mount of Esau and they of the plaine The Philistines and they shall possesse the fuldes of Ephraim and the fulds of Samaria and Benjamin shall pâ—ssesse Gilead 20. And the Captivity of this Host of the Children of Israel shall possesse that of the Canaanites even unto Zarephah and the Captivity of Ierusalem which is in Sepharad shall possesse the Cities of the South 2. Their victories These are exprest two wayes 1 In the conquest of their enemies 2 In the dilatation of their kingdome by taking in their possessions The Kingdome of Israel in Ieroboams time was divided into two Kingdomes Iudah and Israel and the Kingdome of Iudah is here called the house of Iacob the kingdome of Israel is called the house of Ioseph and these two are promised this victory There were also two Captivities The Israelites were carried away captives by Salmanazar Iudah by Nebuchadnezar God promiseth that fire shall go out from those to consume Esau utterly till there be none of them remaining He promiseth them also victory over the Philistines their ancient enemies so that Ephraines portion shall come againe to them and Samaria wherein the King of Assyria having removed the Inhabitants thereof and led them Captives into his land and setled Assyrians in the possessions of their land that shall be recovered from them And Benjamin confining upon enemies should have quiet possession of Gilead This victory with the extent of their Kingdome here promised doth shew that the people after their returne shall have more room more glory and power then they had before their deportation From whence these comfortable Doctrines do arise 1 That the afflictions of the Church do turne to their greater good 2 That God punisheth the enemies of his Church even by those against whom they have prevailed 3 That the Church hath good warrant to settle their faith in this assurance for the Lord hath spoken it 1. The afflictions of the Church turne to their greater good And here a double benefit is exprest 1 Spirituall good he will endue them with holinesse 1 Of restitution 2 Of Dilatation 2 A Temporall 1 Of the spirituall good So David said It is good for me that I was afflicted for now I learne thy Statutes afflictions have their good uses for though afflictions for the time seeme grievous in the bearing thereof yet they
then was it better with me then now Therefore it is a great favour of God to his people to restore them their owne possessions againe that they may be as in yeares past for now they having wanted them do better know the favour of God then they did before in the use of them They would have esteemed it a greater favour in their captivity to have had but some ease of their burthens some liberâ—y to have eaten the fruites of their labours in great miseries every little breathing of ease is sweet and comfortable but here is a full restitution of them to their former possessions promised 2 But here is much more promised even dilatation of their borders they shall have more then they had they may call their place Rehoboth as Isaac called the Well when he had room to dig in Gen. 26.21 The Lord hath an open and a filling hand even in this also Multiplicat benefacere here is Copiosa redemptio copiosa restitutio For as it is another degree of favour to rise from restitution to dilatation so it may stand for a degree that he enlargeth their bounds out of the possession of their enemies and giveth away their Land to his people Let no man charge God with injustice herein for The earth is the Lords and all that therein is he giveth it where he will And Jesus Christ his Son hath promised the meek the inheritance of the earth for by right none but the Elect are true owners of the earth the ungodly are but intruders and usurpers thereof Thus much added to their owne to make them more territory and thus much taken from their neighbouring enemies the Edomites and the Philistims and given to them makes them gainers by their losse their banishment was a sowing in teares this is a reaping in joy David was so reasonable that he only desired of God saying Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the yeers wherein we have seen evill Ps 90.15 God is a more bountifull giver for he maketh his people glad not only with that which they lost but with much more he enpoverisheth their enemies to enrich them that they may take the labours of the people into their possession Job would have wisht no more then to be as he was in some months past Job v 2.10 and God not only restoreth him what he formerly had but he giveth him twise so much as he had before So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more then his beginning which Saint Gregory doth apply to the state of the Church in the last day when they shall receive full glory both in their souls and bodies in his Kingdome For in things temporal this doth not alwayes hold that God repaireth thus the losses of his children neither do they expect it for they have learned how to want but what wanteth in outward things is restored to them in spirituall graces in the gifts of patience and contentednesse in thankfulnesse and the spirit of supplications Doctr. 2 2. Doctr. God punisheth the enemies of his Church by those against whom they have prevailed for the house of Jacob shall be a flame and the house of Joseph a fire Not â—â—â—â—substant are into fire and flame as a Papist might prove as well out of this text as he hath the corporeal presence of Christ out of Hoc est corpus meum this is my body but by way of similitute and by reason of the effect that shall follow for they shall consume the house of Edom whom God will make as stubble for them easie to take fire It was Balaams Prophecy of the people of Israel then in distresse Num. 23.24 Behold the People shall rise up as a great Lyon and lift up himself 〈◊〉 a young Lyon he shall not lye down till he eate of the prey and drink the blood of the slain Which was begun to be performed by Moses continued by Joshuah further prosecuted by David fully accomplished by Christ Ps â—10 1 2 whom God made to rule in the midst of his enemies The Elect are built upon a rock in the sea of this world all the men of war that assault it shall dash themselves in the end against this rock Pro. 11.8 so Solomon The righteous escapeth out of trouble and the wicked cometh in his stead And again he saith Prov. 21.18 The wicked shall be a ransome for the righteous and the transgressor for the upright The reason of this is the equal law of Gods justice before mentioned that as it hath been done by them so it may be done to them and that their reward may fall upon them For he will avenge the blood of his servants and yeeld vengeance to his adversaries Deut. 31.43 but he will be favourable to his owne Land and be merciful to his own people Even this also must passe for a further degree of his love to overthrow the enemies of Israel by Israel for not only this Prophet but Balaam foretold it even this particular Seir shall be a possession for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly Num. 24. â—8 19. Out of Jacob shall he come that shall have dominion and shall destroy him that remaineth of that City In Amoz God saith I will send fire upon Teman which shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah Amoz 1.1 2 here Obadiah sheweth what fire Amoz meaneth the house of Jacob shall be that fire and the house of Ioseph that flame Both expounded in plain terms by the Prophet Ezechiel Ezech. 25.24 I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury and they shall know my vengeance saith the Lord. And what God threatneth the temporal and carnal enemies of his Church the same hath he also threatned to the spiritual enemies thereof The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly Rom. 16.20 It had been enough for us if God hâ—â— trodden him under his own feet but God will cover his enemies with shame and grief as well as smart and pain All the Elect have their part in this victory of the world for he that overcometh hath this promise such shall have power ever Nations so that they shall rule them with a rod of Iron Rev. 2.26 and as the vessels of a porter they shall be broken Which promise doth assure the Church that although here her enemies prevaile against her yet her Spouse whose power shall put down all rule and all authority and power shall conquer for her and she united to him by her faith shall by faith overcome all This admonisheth uâ— 1. Not to be troubled at the power and prevailings of the enemies of Gods Church though we see and hear evill news daily that toucheth us to the quick and all them that love the peace of this Land and the liberty of
is an unguent it corrodeth not 3. Great is the danger of those that shall speak any thing but the word of God to Gods people or shall conceal any thing of that which is given them to speak So God saith to Jeremiah Thou therefore trusse up thy loiâ—s Jer. 1.17 arise and speak vnto them all that I command thee be not afraid of their faces lest I destroy thee before them And to Ezek. Eze. 3.18 If thou sound not the trumpet nor give warning to the wicked man of his wicked way his blood will I â—â—â—pire al thy hand This is not our own trumpet but the Lords ours giveth an uncertain sound the Lords trumpet awaketh men to the battell From hence both the Minister and the people have their lessons 1. The Minister We are taught to exercise our selves in the Holy studies of the word of God that we may be able â—o divide the word of God aright that we may wifely understand the word of God to be able to minister the word of God in due season The ignorant and unlearned man is no â—it man for this imployment to such saith God Because thou hast refused knowledge Hos 4 6 I will also refuse thee thou shalt be no priest to me For why should any dare to intrude himself into this great service to teach others in the Word seeing himself untaught for the priests lips should preserve knowledge and the people must seek the law at their mouth Mal. 2.32 Doth any man send a lame man of his errand or put his message into the mouth of a dumb man We are the Lords messengers Doth any man set an unskilfull man to build that knoweth not how to use his tools we are the Lords builders Doth any man set an unexperienced man to take charge of his sheep we are the Lords shepherds of his flock Jeroboam took the right way to destroy true Religion and to set up Idolatry He made of the lowest of the people priests of the high places whosoever would he consecrated him 1 Reg. 13.33.44 and he became one of the priests of the high places And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the face of the earth Surely such ministers though they have the outward calling of the Church yet do they want the inward calling of God and being darknesse they possesse the place of light and they are blinde leaders of the blinde as Christ calleth them Two sorts of ministers are here excluded 1. Those that know not what the Lord saith and therefore use the Holy calling of the Ministery but as a means for their maintenance without care or conscience of feeding the flock of Christ and wo is to them because they preach not the Gospel they usurp the wooll and milk of the flock and have no right to the inheritance of God that is the tithes of the People 2. Those who know not understand not the word of the Lord yet trusting to their own naturall parts do boldly step up and usurp the chair of Moses and are imperitorum magistri teachers of the unlearned before they have been peritorum discipuli Schollers of the learned And these are the more dangerous of the two better an unpreaching Minister that readeth the Word of God distinctly then an ignorant preacher that presumeth ex puris naturalibus from his pure Naturalls to deal with those things which are too high and deep for him 2. Ministers are taught their great duty of faithfulnesse of which the Apostle saith Moreover it is required of stewards that a man be found faithfull He must say 1 Cor. 4 2. Thus saith the Lord. That is He must say 1. Quod dicit Dominus What the Lord saith is the truth 2. Omne quod dicit All that all the truth 3. Quomodo dicit In the same manner Thus. 1. For we may not go from our instructions to speak of our selves any thing but we must first receive from the Lord and then we must speak that It was Nathans errour when David did open to him his purpose for building of the Lords house that before he had understood the will of God therein he encouraged him saying Do all that is in thy heart and therefore he was sent again to him to unsay it 2. Neither may we suppresse any thing of that which is put into our mouths Act 4.20 the Apostle saith We cannot but speak those things which we have seen and heard And Saint Paul saith to the Elders of Ephesus I take you to record this day Acts 20.26 27. that I am pure from the blood of all men for I have concealed nothing but have revealed to you all the counsell of God For surely as God told Ezek It is as much as our salvation is worth to leave any part of Gods revealed will in Scripture untaught 3. Neither may we change the manner of Gods speakings for there is a form of Doctrine delivered to us and there is a form of words we must not only say This but Thus saith the Lord. For so Saint Peter admonisheth If any man speak 1 Pet. 4.11 let him speak as the oracles of God Not mingling humane fancies with divine Doctrines not mingling words of humane wisdom with Holy exhortations not mingling our own spirit of contradiction with our confutations of the adversary not mingling any of our own spirit of bitternes and passions with our just reprehensions of sin drawing against Satan and sin no other sword but the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God Thus shall we be unto God the sweet savour of Christ 2 Cor. 2. i 3. in them that are saved We shall meet with many discouragements in this our office and we shall lose a great deal of labour but so did our Master it is his complaint Though never any were so sufficient for this service as he was Isa 49.4 v. 1. 1. For his calling The Lord hath called me from the womb from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name 2. For his fitting to that calling v. 2. He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me and made me a polished shaft Yet he complaineth Then I said I have laboured in vain v. 4. I have spent my strength for nought and in vain Yet his comfort was Yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my work or my reward with my God Here some think that the limitation of us to Thus saith the Lord doth so restrain the minister of the word to the word of God that it is not lawfull to mention the names either of the ancient Fathers of the Church or of any Heathen writers in our sermons A point toucht somewhat to the quick by a great and learned Divine even upon this text in print To which my moderate and just answer is 1.
The sword of the Lord is filled with blood Isa 34.6 it is made fat with fatnesse c. for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Idumaea Rejoyce and be glad O daughter of Edom Lament 4. that dwellest in the land of Vz the cup also shall passe thorow unto thee thou shalt be drunken and shalt make thy self naked As to the young man Rejoyce O young man Iron q. d. Make thee merry whilest thou mayest for thou art like to have sorrow and care enough Amos also foretold as much Thus saith the Lord. Amos. 1.11 For three transgressions and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof because he did pursue his brother with the sword and did cast off all pity and did tear perpetually and kept his wrath for ever Which causes are after in this prophecie alleaged But I will send fire upon Teman which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah Thus saith the Lord God Ezech. Cap. 25.12 because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance and hath revenged himself upon them I v. 13. will also stretch out my hand upon Edom and I will cut off man and beast from it and I will make it desolate from Teman and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury and they shall know my vengeance saith the Lord. Son of man set thy face against mount Seir Cap. 35.2 and prophesie against it And say unto it Thus saith the Lord God Behold O mount Seir I am against thee and I will stretch out my hand against thee and I will make thee most desolate c. I may say now as the messengers sent to bring Michaias to King Ahab said but in a Contrary 1 Reg. 22.13 Behold the words of the Prophets declare evil unto Edom with one mouth And now you see what reason this Prophet hath to say We have heard for God hath revealed this threatened judgement to his servants the Prophets and with one mouth they declare it From whence we are taught Doctr. 1. That the decrees of Gods judgement upon the wicked are constant and unchangeable Reason 1 1. For God is without variablenesse and shadow of alteration Hos 13.14 The word is gone out of my mouth it shall not return empty but it shall finish the thing for which it is sons repentance is hid from mine eyes God is not as man that he should repent he hath sworn in his wrath they shall not enter into his rest and The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Rea. 2 2. From the nature of the wicked against whom he threateneth judgement for they have hearts that cannot repent and therefore they heap up wrath against the day of wrath Gods hatred doth deprive them of all the means of grace and none can be effectuall in them or to them and he hath said I have hated Esau Sin is folly sinners are fools bray a fool in a mortar yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him therefore they are under the rods and scorpions of wrath and cannot avoid the same 3. From the faithfulnesse of his Prophets for the Prophets of the Lord that threaten these judgements from his mouth shall not be found liars seeing their Prophecies are no self-given notions but inspirations of his spirit which is the Spirit of truth You know how Jonah was troubled to be a messenger of judgement to Nineveh when he was perswaded that God would shew them mercy and so his Prophecie fall to the ground he could rather have looked on to see the utter destruction of Nineveh then that his Prophecie should be found unperformed therefore he went another way at first would not come to Nineveh when he had prophesied he went out of the city there expected the event of his Prophecie was angry that it succeeded not Quer. We finde that in that example God changed and repented him of the evil which he had threatened against Nineveh how then do we say that the judgements of God against the wicked be unreversable And God saw their works Ionâ—h 3.10 that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them and he did it not Sol. To this we answer That Gods repentance was no change of his minde or any alteration of his counsell or decree but a deferring of the execution of his judgement The change was in Nineveh and the repentance was in them they humbled themselves before God and they both did the works of mortification and they also beleeved God Cap. 3.5 this was not a justifying faith which is Credere in Deum to beleeve in God but an historicall which is Credere Deo to beleeve God And God would have his Church see that if Ahab humble himself and go in sackcloth if Nineveh give over evil works and repent them of their sins he will turn from the fiercenesse of his wrath all to encourage repentance But Jonah was a true Prophet of Gods judgement their repentance was not poenitentia non poenitenda a repentance not to be repented of for they resumed their evil wayes and Nahum doth renew the threatenings of Jonah and declareth the Lords judgements against Nineveh For the repentance of the wicked is but for a season and as it is temporary so it removeth judgement for a time but they returning to their sins he returneth also to the execution of his intended punishment So Ahab was forborn for a time upon his humiliation but he escaped not the hand of judgement for God cannot lie His Prophets speak sure words as the Apostle saith We have a more sure word of Prophecie 2 Pet. 1.19 to which you do well if you take heed as to a light c. Que. When Abraham had heard the decree of God against the transgressing cities did not he know that Gods decrees of judgement were immutable how then did he solicite God for the reversing of the same did he well in so doing Sol. Abrahams plea doth clear this point for upon the first notice from God of his intended judgement he pleadeth for Sodom not to turn away the wrath from the ungodly there but he saith Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked c. Gen. 18.13 The care of Abraham was for the place and for the persons of the righteous he doth not solicite God for the wicked there Again to pray for the ungodly and wicked to divert judgement from them when God hath revealed his displeasure against them is not unlawfull 1. Because Christian charity hopeth all things beleeveth all things 2. Because many of Gods judgements are temporall and his anger against the sons of men continueth not long so that we may
scourge Edom. This rumour of warre is terror Domini the terror of the Lord And it stirreth up and awaketh those that are in danger to look to themselves which doth shew that this judgment threatned against Edom shall not surprise them suddenly they have warning to stand upon their guard and to arme themselves against invasion This is therefore declared as I conceive to shew the carelesse security of Edom that would take no warning for that is exprest in the prophecy of Isaiah in the burthen of Dumah contempt and scorne of their warning for he calleth unto me out of Seir Watchman what was in the night Watchman what was in the night As deriding the Prophet who had foretold their night of calamity which should put out their candle and leave them darkling For if the voyce of the Prophets will not move them how will they take it when they shall hear the nations sending Embassadours one to another to confederate against them But the wicked are despisers they will take no warning The old world made a scorne of Noahs preaching and building and thereby vexing his righteous soule even to the day that the floud came and swept them all away They of Sodom even the sons in law of Lot when he warned them of the wrath to come did despise the warning Yet God to make their judgment more heavie when it cometh and to make their scorne more inexcusable threatneth them with the rumour first before be smiteth them The pride and vanity of these times the drunkennesse and prophanesse the contentions and all the clamorous and loud voyced sinnes which over-grow into excesse they do all arise from the contempt of the word of God and from a negligence in observing the course of Gods justice in the punishing of these sinnes and from a scornfull undervaluing of those Embassadors whom God doth send into the world to reconcile the world to himself The Apostle saith We as Embassadours from God do beseech you But the Ministers of Gods word have very harsh welcome in the World for the prophane despise them all and will not hear their message the precise will hear but some of them they despise others they that be for Paul will not hear Apollo and they that be for Peter will hear neither Paul nor Apollo nor Jesus Christ himself But consider Embassadours are not sent but upon serious occasions this is such to awake and stir us up against our common enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil and to tell us of our great danger For we shall not fight against Flesh and Blood onely but against Powers and Principalities if we despise the noise of this rumour these enemies may take us at advantage Edom would take no warning no more will they whom God hath delivered over to the guidance of their own lusts 2. The effect of the message and rumour being the judgement it self 1 Judicium 2. effectum Judicij Numb 24.18 Arise ye and let us arise against her in battell When I compare these words with those of Balaams prophecie Edom shall be a possession Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly Out of Jacob shall he come that shall have dominion and shall destroy him that remaineth of that city I finde here from whence the Embassadour cometh even from the house of Jacob And Israel shall stir up the Heathen against Edom and Israel shall have dominion over them This appeareth in Ezekiels prophecie And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom Eze. 25 14 by the hand of my people Israel and they shall do in Edom according to my anger according to my fury they shall know my vengeance saith the Lord God So the people of God shall stir up the Heathen Nations against Edom. From whence we do learn these lessons 1. That all wars are ordered by God 2. That God punisheth one evil man by the hand of another and so one evil Nation 3. That war is one of Gods punishments by which he chasteneth men for sin 4. That the people of God may lawfully make war 1. Doctrine All wars are ordered by God It is the word of the Lord that these Nations shall come together in War against Edom. The horse is prepared for the day of battell Pt. 21.31 but the victory is of the Lord. He teacheth my hands to fight Psa 144.1 and my fingers to battell Melchisedech saith to Abraham after his victory in the rescue of Lot Blessed be the most high God Gen. 14.20 which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand When Israel prevailed against Benjamin for abusing the Levites concubine Judg. 20.35 Jud. 7.20 it is said The Lord smote Benjamin before Israel Gedeons cry was The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon The reason hereof is in sight Reason 1 1. By the generall providence of God who ruleth all things and all persons psa 113.6 for he abaseth himself to behold things in heaven and in earth Reason 2 2. By the particular interest that God hath in wars for he is called Dominus exercituum the Lord of Hosts The uses follow Use 1 1. In all wars to have respect unto the cause not to put our selves into an unjust quarrell let the cause be Gods and we may promise our selves to have God on our side The wise man saith pro. 20.18 pro. 24.6 By counsell wars must be enterprised By wise counsell thou shalt make thy war prosperous If Jehoshaphat joyn with Ahab against Ramoth in Gelead he shall speed accordingly The sword of the Lord first then of Gideon Use 2 2. The cause being good and warrantable we must not trust to our strength neither must we neglect the means presuming on the defence of God 1. Not trust our own strength for some trust in Charets and some in horses as Benhadah did in the multitude of his men so great that the land against which he fought was not enough to give every one of theâ— an handfull Put David saith A king is not saved by the multitude of an host psa 33.17 neither is the mighty man delivered by much strength an horse is a vain help 2. It is another extream to cast all upon God and not to use the means first the sword of the Lord and then with it the sword of Gedeon Use 3 3. This serveth to take off all fear from our hearts when we fight the Lords battells it was a cheerfull speech of Joah encouraging the people when he had divided his army part against the Syrians and part against Ammon Be of good courage and let us play the men for our people 2 Sam. 10.12 and for the cities of our God and the Lord do that which seemeth him good It was Davids resolution I will not be afraid of ten thousand of the people that should beset me round about Arise O Lord save me my God Psal 3.6 for thou smitest all mine enemies
help of the wicked to execute the will of God upon Gods enemies yet they must be very carefull not to joyn with them in their wickednesse and idolatry We may use the help of Papists for the maintainance of the Lords cause but we must take heed that we fall not into the sin of Israel Psal 106.35 They were mingled with the Heathen and learned their Wickednesse and served their idols which were their ruine Let us not make the covenant with them that Ruth the Moabitesse made with Naomi Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Ruth 1.16 The third Doctrine War is one of the punishments wherewith God doth punish his enemies And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrell of my Covenant Levit. 26.25 Ezech. 14.21 It is one of the four sore judgements as God himself doth call it and it is first named used to cut off man and beast When Israel was by the favour of God put into possession of the promised land they sinned against God in contempt of Religion in idolatry theft and whoredom For which God punished them with war for the Aramites Philistines Midianites Moabites Canaanites and Ammonites fought against them and opposed them three yeers as appeareth in the book of Judges The misery of war is great as Moses doth expresse it They shall not regard the person of the old nor have compassion of the young they shall eat the fruit of thy cattell Deut. 28.50.51 they shall consume the profit of thy land they shall besiege thee within thy walls they shall drive thee to eat thy children the fruit of thy body during the siege and streightnesse wherewith they shall compasse thee in thy cities Reason 1 God hath a quiver it is full of arrows this is one of them Ezech. 5.16.17 The reason hereof is because they that make no conscience of their duty to God nor of obedience to his Word have put themselves out of Gods protection and he is become their enemy The protection of God is the fence of the vine if that hedge be once broken up not onely the foxes will come in and devour the grapes but the wilde boar will also come in and root it up Reason 2 2. They that make no conscience of charity to their brethren in the just judgement of God are delivered into the hands of men and as one saith Nullum animal morosius so Nullum animal ferocius O saith David Let me not fall into the hand of man Let men fall softly and easily when they fall into thy hands so shalt thou fall gently into their hands for God is love and the mercifull man shall not want mercie But as in the naturall body sometimes it is wholesome to open a vein and let out blood so it is in the body politick the sword must sometimes draw blood to parge the body of noxious and offensive humours And wheresoever this punishment lighteth as Medicinall it amendeth many faults where it lighteth as a judgement of indignation it cutteth off evil doers from the face of the earth The uses of this doctrine follow Use 1 1. Let us consider the lamentable estate of those that professe the same faith with us who have no other outward means of safety to preserve their liberty and rights but by the sword against whom great and mighty Princes do say one to another Arise ye and let us arise against them in battell You know who is at this time thus endangered even some of the branches of that vine under which we sit The forward free and cheerfull offerings of your hands have testified your good affections to that rightfull cause let lifting up of your hands secute that free opening of them that is let your prayers sight for them and give God no rest till he hath setled Peace in these walls and prosperity within these palaces Surely they shall prosper that love it for our brethren and companions sake the worshippers of the same God the professourâ— of the same faith with us let us wish them now prosperity for the house of Gods sake which they seek to enlarge advance let us seek and study to do them good Use 2 2. Let us thankfully consider our own peace we are filij pacis children of peace born and brought up in times of peace the prophecie of Zechariah is fulfilled in our land We have old men and Women dwelling in our towns even men with slaves in their hands for very age Zech. 8.4.5 and the streets of our cities and towns full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof And that promise of God to the obedient is performed in us I will end poâ—â—â— in the land Levt 26.6 and ye shall sleep and none shall make you afraid and the sword shall not go thorow your land The happy dayes of the long reign of Queen Elizabeth of everlasting memory the mother of our Peace were crowned with peace and she left a legacie of peace in the Common-wealth in her succession Our Solomon her heir hath maintained peace under his happy government both at home and abroad What Nation is there now under heaven which saith Arise ye and let us arise against England in battell We may say this is the Lords doing Psal 46.9 and we must give him the glory of it for as David saith He maketh wars to cease he breaketh the Bowe and cutteth the Spear in sunder and burneth the Chariots in the fire The Use Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted in the earth Use 3 Seeing we have outward peace from forraine enemies and none riseth up against us in battell we must be tender of maintaining peace one with another take heede ye bite not one another lest ye be devoured one of another Better it were we had wars abroad then that we should fight one with another of us at home by uncivill contentions by fraudulent and cunning underminings by slanderous and lying calumniations or by any other uncharitable meanes of molestation to breed unjust warâ— amongst our selves For by this curst crosnesse we do provoke God to draw his sword against us Use 4 Seeing God hath delivered us from the calamity of war and given us the blessing of peace let us know that this is the fittest time for semination of the Gospel of peace this is the seeds time for the word of God In such a time was Christ born in the peaceable reigne of Augustus Caesar Then were swords turned into sithes and spears into plough-shares and so the noyse of our redemption and the sound of the Gospel went over all the world We see that those years of peace have made learning and arts flourish in our land and for the light of religion it never shined clearer then now and the light thereof still encreaseth Let us know that now God hath so fenced in his Vine in our Land and bestowed such cost on
If I have spoken evil Joh. 8.22.23 bear witnesse of the evil but if well why smitest thou me This then is spoken by our Saviour to forbid private revenge that no man should be the judge of his own wrong but should bear it with patience It is Saint Augustines answer Obedientia istanon in ostentatione corporis est sed in preparatione cordis And he saith Non maxillam tantum obtulit sed totum corpus dedit figendum cruci And he addeth Quanto melius et respondit vera placatus et ad perferenda graviora paratus est He could have withdrawn his cheek from the smiter Lam. 3 30 but he would fulfill the Prophecie He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him he is filled with reproaches Private revenge Christ forbiddeth us Christ did not take it against his adversary that smote him he reproved it in Peter he amended the maim that he made and healed his smiter But war is a publike revenge and the Magistrate beareth the sword to that purpose to execute revenge upon evil doers Vengeance is Gods and where he committeth the trust of execution thereof as he doth to the Magistrate there it is lawfull This cleareth many other like objections as that Qui gladio ferit Lam. 11. gladio peribit He that smiteth with the sword shall perish by the sword we must recompence to no man evil for evil For all this is meant of our revenge but the revenge of the Magistrate is the vengeance of God because he is Gods Minister Object 2 The prophet Isay foretold that in the time of the Gospel Isa 2.4 they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more Sol. These words bear three interpretations 1. That this was a signe of the coming of the Messias into the World he was born in a time of cessation from wars when the Romane Monarchy had leasure to leavie a taxation by the Poll so when David had rest then he thought of numbring his People 2. That this was fulfilled in the spirituall Peace and Unity of the Church collected now out of all nations of the World Iew and Gentile made one 3. That this is the proper effect of the Gospel where it was embraced faithfully to make Peace Under the name of Edom we may understand all the enemies of the Truth of God and Christian Religion such as are Schismaticks and Hereticks who understanding not the mystery of Godlinesse and Peace do set their wits against the Church to corrupt the Truth therein deposited and professed or to disturb the quiet professours thereof 1. Hereticks These are our brethren by outward profession 1. Heretiques calling themselves Christians but they see that we have gotten the birthright and the blessing from them and therefore they hate us and are comforted against us to destroy us The Church is Gods Israel the children of the Promise filij regni filij thalami filij lucis children of the kingdom of the Bridechamber and of the light The Embassadours that are sent to stir up to war against those be the Ministers of the Word of God for to this purpose we are sent forth to confirm the brethren against those to reconcile these to God And we are commanded to arise against these in battell The war and so the weapons with which we fight against these are not carnall but spirituall the clear light of the Gospel which is the power of God to salvation to them that beleeve and the Truth of God which is strong and prevaileth against them that beleeve not It is time for us to joyn together as one man in battell against these Especially the Papists whose Religion is ambition whose piety is worldly policy whose zeal is combustion whose faith is fury who hide the Word of Light in the darknesse of an unknown tongue to keep the people ignorant that they may not know Gods right hand from his left to emplunge them in the flames of their imagined Purgatory that they may be well paid to release them thence They mingle the sacrament of Baptisme with their own inventions which they make acquivalent in vertue to the power of Gods ordinance The mangle the sacrament of the Lords supper by robbing the people of one half thereof taking the cup from them They disable the sacrifice of Christs sufficient satisfaction for sin by addition of humane merits of erogation and super erogation They weaken the sole intercession of Christ by intrusion of more Mediatours Angels the Mother of our Lord and Saints They shorten the free and full grace of God which Christ himself from Heaven told Paul was sufficient by their lying doctrine of Free-will They flatter and abett some by their doctrine of indulgencies which attributeth to the Pope power of pardoning sins past and to come They dishonour the holy sufficient Word of God by acqui-ballancing with the same humane Traditions and false Legends They destroy true saving faith by their false doctrine of implicite faith teaching that is enough to beleeve as the Church beleeveth not declaring what the Church beleeveth and upon what ground their faith is built They maintain flat Idolatry by teaching the worshipping of Images and praying to Saints And for the power which they give to the Pope against God in dispensing with the breach of his Covenants in coining new Articles of faith in defining the interpretation of Scriptures in usurping authority over temporall Princes to enthrone and to dethrone at pleasure to arm their natural subjects against them to animate Incendiaries to abett treasons to blow up States All these things and many more call upon us take arms and joyn our strengths against this Edom this red and hairy and bloody enemy whose mercies are cruell The best weapon against this Kingdom of darknesse is the Light of Truth the more we carry this Light about us the more will the ignorant amongst them know how they are abused and mis-led For our war is spirituall not against their Persons but against their Heresies 2. Schismaticks These also call us brethren but they break the Unity and Uniformity of the Church All the children of Peace must arise against these in battel this also is a spirituall war and the sword of the spirit must be drawn and used against these to cut them off as Saint Paul wisheth I would they were cut off that trouble you Or if the Word of God cannot prevail with them to convert them to peace The discipline of the Church which Saint Paul calleth his rod must be used against them to cut them off from our congregations The Apostle calleth them Leaven and saith that a little leaven soureth the whole lump So do Schismaticks for a few of them do corrupt many and divert them from the congregations whereof they are members and distaste the established Ministery to them and set them in opposition to
Sam. 8.15 and all they of Edom became Davids servants There God made them small Again Amaziah king of Judah prevailed against them he slew of Edom in the valley of Salt ten thousand 2 Reg. 14.7 and took Selah by war This made them small They suffered many changes yet this is noted of them that 1. They were growen often very great yet still God made them small 2. That they were great before Iacob and continued so after Iacobs posterity were gone into dispersion 3. That now their memory is so extinguished on earth that their posterity is not known Let no man measure the favours of God by the accesse of his possession by the territories of his dominion by the multitude of his men by the force of his strength God gave all these things to Esau whom he hated Rather let men fortunate and prosperous in their wayes who have the desires of their hearts satisfied and whose paths be annoynted with butter suspect that God hath set them in slippery places Vivunt inter laquies Let them know that their fulnesse doth come of Gods open hand aperit implet and let them know that The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away and therefore let them take out both Saint Pauls lessons I have learned how to abound and how to want We are not to seek in our own times of examples of smalnes turned into greatnesse and of greatnesse again made small It is a judgment that David complained of Thou hast lifted me up and cast me downe how much more peace have they in their bosomes that were ever small then they who having risen above others are stooped beneath themselves and laid so low that the foot of pride treadeth on them down stout heart there is no perpetuity in things temporall Great Edom is made small rough and boysterous Edom that carries all by strong hand is made meek and tame 2. Made small amongst the Heathen These were numbred among the Heathen and amongst them they were great they separated from the Church of God like the sons of sober and religious parents that turne gallants and roarers and amongst these they shine awhile amongst these Edom was made small Abraham had an Ishmael that was cast out among the Heathen Isaac had an Esau that put himself in amongst them all the sons of Iacob were Patriarches great Fathers of the Church Esau where he rose to glory and greatnesse there he sunk into smalnesse the eyes that saw him in his shining saw him eclipsed 3. God hath done this there be few that look so high when they are down but they do rather complain of evill fortune or of some great wrong done to them here below failing of means disertion of friends or injustice in superiours The Heathen look to second causes and to naturall agents they consider not that it is God who lifteth up and casteth down But God taketh it upon himself and would have Edom know that this is Dextra Iehovae the right hand of the Lord. Others look high at first and upon every degree of downfall do charge God with hard measure and murmure at his uneven hand as if he had not done them right which as Job saith is to charge God foolishly But let men take it how they will God is the Author of the rising and falling of the sons of men of their growth and withering can God hate and his hatred sit idle and look on as his love is operative so is his hatred such is his love that all things work together for the best to them whom he hath called Saint Augustine addeth etiam peccata even their sins another etiam adversa their adversary and such is his hatred that all things work contrary to the ruine of them whom he hateth etiam prosperitas even their prosperity for the prosperity of fools doth destroy them 2. This judgment is aggravated by two circumstances from God and man 1. Thou art despised 2. Greatly despised 1. Despised The children of Edom had two great temptations to swell them that is riches and power these they insolently abused to oppression of their neighbours God who powreth contempt upon Princes covered them with contempt This is the severest vengeance that pride feareth Edom that was highest and bore rule over the Nations and lived by the sword is now made small after this fall followeth contempt God hath said it They that despise me shall be despised 2. Despised greatly Pride will have a fall it never falleth lower here on earth then when it falleth into great contempt 1. Of God that he turneth away from them or setteth his face against them 2. Of man and that 1. When the Prophets of the Lord do set their faces against them as in this case Son of man set thy face against Mount Seir Ezek. 35.2 prophecie against it it is no small matter to have the Messengers of God against us which do carry his sure word of prophecie for they speak from the mouth of the Lord and where they denounce the judgment of God against impenitent sinners whosoevers sinnes they retaine they are retained 2. When the Lord hath expressed his hatred and pronounced his judgment the Church of God despiseth their power and derideth their malice saying Thou O God seest it for thou beholdest ungodlinesse and wrong to take the matter into thy hand 3. This maketh it a great and full contempt when they that served them shall be Lords over them and their sword can no longer help them so is Edom despised among the Heathen this is great contempt to have the contempt of God and man You see their punishment These points of Doctrine do follow by just consequence 1. That Gods enemies though for a time they prosper and thrive in the world yet they shall by little be at last consumed The whole course of holy story runneth very clear this way Cain a runnagate and many learned do think after killed by Lamech Ishmael every mans sword against him Exod. 14.28 2 Reg. 20.37 Pharaoh drowned in the red sea Senacherio slain by his own sons Haman hanged on his own gallows Hâ—st 4 9. which the Poet calls Arte perire suà Nebuchadnezar turn'd beast Dan. 4 30. The Jewes have Christs bloud on them and their children Herod eaten with worms Act. 12.23 Judas went to his own place But in the execution of judgment God doth not all at once alwayes Moses telleth Israel Deut. 7.21 God will root out these Nations before thee by little and little Thou must not consume them at once As Amos prophecieth Amos 4.9 1. Blasting and mildew then the Palmer-worme then the Pestilence then the sword and at last as Sodom and Gomorrah So he destroyed Egypt with ten plagues one succeeding another he doth not empty his quiver all at once so here are two points considerable 1. He doth destroy them 2. Not all at once but by little and little 1. 2 Thes 6 7
shall perish all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered This is matter of comfort for the Church of God it is joy in the tabernacles of the righteous for they say the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to passe It serveth also to mingle some trembling with their joy and some fear with their faith to keep it from overgrowing to presumption therefore the Elect of God upon consideration of the severe judgements of God do feele in themselves a renewed fear of the Majesty of God which humbleth them as Habacuk confesseth When I heard my helly trembled my lights quivered at the voyce rottennesse entred into my bones and I trembled in my selfe that I might rest in the day of trouble Hab 3 16. This is the sweet fruit of that consideration for it prepareth rest for the soules of them that feare the Lord. Therefore let fortunes and times delicate minions the daughters of ease and plenty which study nothing but trimme and bravery and wast the pretious moments of time which should be spent in the contrite repentance of their sins in the curious dresse of their bodyes Let them read the judgement of God upon the daughters of Sion see how fine they were and how God threatning them with the scab with discovery of their nakednesse Isa 3.16 with stinke with baldnesse with devesting with sack-cloth Let the drunkards of our time heare what God threatned Ephraim Isa 28.3 The Crown of pride the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trode under foot Let the Schismatical resisters of authority which despise Moses their King Num. 1â— 1 and Aaron their Priest and think much to be subject to the Ordinances which are set down remember Miriam the sister of Moses who resisting Moses was punished with a Leprosie and though Aaron besought God for her could not be healed till she had been shut out of the Camp seven dayes Read and study holy Scriptures whatsoever is there written is for our learning our God is the same and his years fail not he hath the same eye that once he had to find out sinners he hath the same hatred that once he had to sin he hath the same Justice that once he had to censure it and the same right hand to execute his wrath All Scriptures will tell you that he doth it severely his sword is sharp and his arme is strong O Lord be mercifull to mee a sinner Ver. 7. All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border The men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee and prevailed against thee They that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee There is no understanding in them The third confidence of Edom diappointed This point is Rhetorically amplified 1. In the persons in whom Edom trusted 2. In the failing of them The persons are called 1. Men of their confederacy such as had entred into League with them saying your friends shall be our friends your enemies shall be our enemies we will engage our strength mutually with you we will seek our good in the common good of both as in the Proverbs one purse one Army 2. The men that were at peace with her that had promised them love from themselves and all offices of humanity 3. They that eat thy bread Such as did communicate with them in the necessities of life as Iudas did with Christ Commensales convivae Table Guests Their failing is also amplified 1. They have brought thee even to the border that is whilst Edom trusted to their help they came forth of their strong holds to meet with their enemies in the borders of their territories who but for their trust in them might have been more safe in their own Fortresses For trusting to their help whom they found perfidious they left their habitations and strong Castles empty to keep the enemy from coming upon their borders whilst their false friends expose them to invasion and their gates to direption in their absence Relinquentes prodentes Thus they gave their enemies advantage against them to keep them from returning again into their strong holds 2. They have deceived thee and prevailed against thee For they that were trusted as friends to Edom betrayed them to their enemies and fought against them and prevailed 3. They have layed a wound under thee that is they have secretly conveied under thee an instrument to wound thee therefore others read posuerunt insidias subter te Declaring how cunningly their false friends had concealed their malice how dangerously they had layed their plot for the overthrow of Edom so neer as under them even to blow them up Like our Powder Traytors for they layed wounds under the Parliament-house instruments and means to wound and to destroy all And therefore he concludes of Edom There is no understanding in him that is Edom was blinded and be fooled with this vain confidence to trust in the perfidious friendship of their false friends From this place these Doctrines arise 1. It was Edoms sin against the first Commandement to put confidence in man and therefore God punisheth them by those whom they trusted From whence ariseth this Doctrine That God punisheth one sin by another The sinne of injury and oppression of Israel by the sinne of false confidence in men 2. Consider against whom Edom offended even against Israel their brother for was not Esau Iacobs brother therefore God punisheth their perfidiousnesse to their brother with the perfidiousnesse of their friends to them From whence we conclude That God requiteth the wicked with the same measure which they have meated to others 3. Whereas the friends and confederates of Edom turn enemies and Traytors to them we conclude that There can be no true peace nor bonds of love between wicked men 4. From all these Antecedents we may conclude that those who trust in men have no understanding 1. Doctrine God punisheth one sin by another Edom first sinned against the second Table of the Law in wrong and violence and then he sinned in vain confidence in man against the first Table and God by this severe sin punished the first It is the manner of Sathan after a speeding temptation to one sin to suggest another to hide or to defend and beare up the other our lying comes in to conceale fraud as in the case of Ananias and Saphira And so cursing and swearing come in to maintain the credit of a lye as in Peters denyall of his Master So there needs a great many lyes to maintain one if interrogatories do presse the Lyer far If it were no more but so that one sin doth drive us into another even in this consideration one sin doth punish another because the more sin is committed the more punishment is deserved but this is much more that sinne is punished with sin Thus Edom first breaketh the second Table of the Law in doing wrong to his brother and fearing that this will one day cost blows
words and thoughts and wayes and labour our sanctification and strive against sin we need not fear in the evil day holinesse is our dore mark and our forehead mark the destroying Angel shall passe over VERSE 9. And thy mighty men O Teman shall be dismayed to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter 5. Their last hope is in the strength of their own mighty men this is addressed to Teman Which word as it signifieth the coast to which the Idumaeans lay from Jerusalem i.e. the east so it is the name of one of the Nephews of Esau Gen. 36.11 whose posterity inhabited a part of Arabia called also by his name He was the eldest son of Eliphaz the eldest son of Esau and under his name here the whole Nation of the Idumaeans is threatned And as the hope the Idumaeans had in the wisdome of their wise men faileth them for they have trusted to false friends and all their providence for their safety miscarrieth So shall they fail in the hope that they have in their own strong men for they shall not be able to preserve them from a finall destruction even so great that every one of the mount of Esau shall be cut off by slaughter Excellently is their judgment set forth for their confederates shall turne perfidious to them abroad and their strong men at home shall be dismayed Two things make wars advantagable to a Common-wealth Consilium fortitudo counsel and strength in the former verse God befools their wisdome in this he enfeebles their strength The reason is he hath decreed that every one of the mount of Esau shall be destroyed And when God turneth enemy neither head nor hand neither wisdome nor force can resist him David and his sling shall discomfit Goliah and his armour his sword and spear and admired strength The two little flocks of Israel the great armies of the Aramites It is worth our noting that God working by means and directing our operations so even in this work of overthrow threatned to Edom doth destroy them by disabling to them all the meanes of their safety as before he turneth the hearts of their friends against them He destroyeth the wisdome of their wise men and now he takes away all heart and courage from their strong men To teach us that all the outward means of safety are not sufficient to keep us from ruine except the Lord be on our side Therefore we pray Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done And we acknowledge Thine is the Kingdome power and glory And this enforceth upon us the law of the first Table to have no other gods but one to give him outward worship to sanctifie his Sabbath not to abuse his name And this filleth us with faith saying Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem I beleeve in God c. For as David saith Domine quis similis tibi Lord who is like to thee There is no wisdome or strength not that which is in the god of this world the Prince that ruleth in the air but it is a beame of the heavenly light can God suffer any of his own gifts to be abused against him to turn edge and point against the author of them There is a time when God winketh at the outrage of the ungodly for the exercising of the patience of his servants but when he intendeth a cutting off by slaughter of his enemies in that day the Lord will be known to be God These things are written for our sakes for the enemies of our Church are here threatned to be cut off by slaughter even Antichrist the man of sin who sitteth in the place of God as God and is worshipped whom God shall scatter with the breath of his mouth that is by the power of his word preached and we have comfort against him that neither his wit nor his force shall prevaile against us We have two examples which I hope no time will ever forget to praise God for till the second coming of Jesus Christ The power of Antichrist was defeated in 88. when the Pope gave away the Kingdomes of England and Ireland to the King of Spaine who sent his Invincible Armado hither not as a Challenger but as a Conquerer to take possession of these Lands They had speciall revelations to assure their victory and the prayers of the Popish Church were all in armes against us But as it is in my text their mighty men were dismayed their strong Ships either sunk in the sea or well beaten or constrained to flie because God meant to cut them off by slaughter and the power of Spaine so weakned and the coffers of their treasure so emptied that nothing was more welcome to them then the newes of peace with England The wisdome of Rome had no better successe in the yeere 1605. for when some men of bloud the sons of Belial had layed a plot for the destruction of the whole Church and Common-wealth then in Parliament by powder We cannot deny but the Serpent put his best wits to the rack to stamp a devise with his own image and superscription never was there nequitia ingeniosior a more witty wickednesse then to bring so many precious lives to the mercie of one excutioner who had nothing to do but to put fire to the train Yet in the very act of preparation and the night before the intended execution God put fire to his own train layed for them and discovered things hidden in darknesse and cast them into the pit which he had digged for them and their wit and policie proved hanging and quartering to the conspirators and declared the Papist our secret enemies such whom we must carefully look to for if by strength or wit he can destroy the state of the Church and Common-wealth the mercies of his heart are so cruell that we can expect no favour That is now the cause why his Majesty intending a Parliament doth require so strict a survey of the land for the detection of all Popish Recusants as now is both by the Ecclesiasticall and Civill Magistrate urged For they have given us fair warning that if they can do any thing by wit or force they will abate nothing thereof to the prejudice of this Church But as the confounding of the wisdome of Edom and the disabling the strength of Edom did fore-run their fall so our faith is that Antichrist Gods enemy and ours hath now but a short time and every one of the mount of Esau of the City built upon the hills shall be cut off by slaughter The pride of their own hearts who think they have the keyes of heaven and of hell not only Peters keyes but Davids also who bear the world in hand that they can save or condemn shall deceive them The rock of their habitation shall prove to them like an undefenced City Their confederates and men of their peace that eat bread with them shall
Ghost bringing but a part and affirming that they brought all For Peter saith to Ananias After it was sold Acts 5.4 was it not in thine own power Yet in that communication it was not lawfull for every man to take what he would Acts 5 35. but the Apostles distributed to every one according to their need Surely if Edom and the Chaldeans had had as good right to the City of Jerusalem and to the goods therein as Israel had God had not laid this for an evidence against Edom that he laid hand on their substance God is Lord of all and he hath given the earth to the sons of men yet not in common nor in equall distribution Here the rich and poor meet together Pro. 22. â— and the Lord is maker of them both The Apostle learnt how to abound and how to want and God giveth to the rich things necessary in possession as to owners thereof during his pleasure he giveth them things superfluous that their cup may run over to the relief of others as to his stewards put in trust to see that their brethren want not And there be two vertues commended in holy Scripture which make men Proprietaries in the things of this world that is Justitia qua suum cuique tribuis Justice whereby thou givest to every one his own Misericordia qua tuum and mercie whereby thou givest of thine own The Use of this point is Let every one know his own and not lay hand on the substance of his brother Eph 4 28. and let him that stole steale no more but let him labour not all for himself but that he may give to him that needeth that the poore may grow up with him as he did with Job and that none perish for want of meat and cloathing Godlinesse must be joyned with contentment the law doth not only bind the hand non furaberis thou shalt not steal but it bindeth the heart too non concupisces thou shalt not cover not his house not his ground not his wife not his servant not any thing of his There be many wayes of theft I am limited to that of violent taking away of our neighburs substance for that only is here named and judged and that is either directly by invasion or secretly practised by oppression Oppression like other sins putteth on the habit of vertue and passeth for good husbandry but all stopping of the Wels wherof Isacc and his cattel should drink is oppression and theft and whatsoever is saved from the poor by it is the treasure of wickednesse and the wise man telleth us Prov. 10.2 The treasures of wickednes profit nothing we shall see it clearer when we come to Gods revenge upon Edom for laying hand upon his brothers substance 3 They are charged with insidiation for life Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crosse-way to cut off those that did escape Verse 14. Edom divided himself against Israel some entring the City to rob and spoyle their goods and to destroy them that abode there others attended without the City to cut off them who to save their lives did escape out of the City The Chaldeans that came from farre to invade Jerusalem were not so well acquainted with the wayes and passages for escape neere to the City as the Edomites their brethren and neighbours were therefore that cruell office they take upon them to declare their full malice to Iacob and to make up a complete destruction The history of those times doth make this plaine And the City was broken up 2 Reg. 25. v. 4. and all the men of warre fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls which is by the Kings garden now the Chaldees were against the City round about and the King went the way toward the plain At that time the Edomite knowing the secret wayes mingled himself with the Chaldees to cut off such as escaped In this passage note Note 1 1. The miserable calamity of warre how it maketh desolations and filleth all places with blood no safety from invasion in the City and none from insidiation without the City 1. When you hear of these things thank God for the peace of the Common wealth in which you live reckon it amongst the great blessings of God that you are borne in a time of peace and live in peace every one under his own Vine and under his own Fig-tree every one enjoying the comforts of life without the noyse of invasion no leading into captivity and no complaining in our streets 2. Let us also think of the wofull calamity of that part of the Church wherein we have so great a part so much of the best blood of this Land and Crown in danger of this cruelty and if either our persons or purses or our prayers to God may relieve them let us not spare to comfort their distresses as we would desire in like extremity to be comforted our selves 3. Let us learne to abhor the bloody religion of the scarlet Strumpet of Rome that maintaineth and abetteth these quarrels and kindleth those coales in Christendome which threaten conflagration 4. Let us observe all them that make contention and move the hearts of their brethren to schisme to alienate their affections from the peace of the Church lest this sire which beginneth but amongst thorns and brambles enflame the Cedars of our Libanus Note 2 2. See the afflictions of Iudah and Ierusalem and search the cause thereof Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah 2 Reg. 24.3 4. to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh according to all that he did And also for the innocent blood that he shed for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood which the Lord would not pardon Have not we provoked the God of mercies to awake his justice against our Land Did ever pride put on more formes of costly vanity and shamelesse disguise then our eyes behold Did drunkennesse ever waste and consume more of the necessaries of life which many poor Christians want then now Were the Prophets and Ministers of the Word rebuking the vices of the times lesse hearkned to then in our dayes Was there ever a more curious search into mens estates and lands or more advantage taken or more new inventions to get wealth then we have heard of Was the Church at any time more rent with Schismes and maymed by defections and separations and the faithfull Ministers more opposed with contradictions and depraved by unjust calumniations by those that usurp the appearance of great professors then now Did knowledge ever swel and puffe men up more then now The times are foul and the crimes thereof are clamorous why then should not we expect Iudahs punishment that live in Iudahs sins O sin no more lest some worse evill fall on thee 1. Let us break off these sins by repentance and seek the Lord whilst he may be found and seeing the light
them contrition and sorrow for their sinne and a broken and contrite spirit God cannot refuse he will not discourage the contrite and sorrowfull but will have them to know that their groanings and sighes come up even into his eares He putteth all their teares in his bottle 2. Afflictions do turne the children of God into prayers and supplications and he will not neglect them that pray to him that they may see the power and vertue of prayer that upon all occasions they may prostrate their hearts before God in prayer God hath said of the just man He shall call upon me in trouble Psa 91.15 Hos 5.15 and I will heare him yes I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and glorifie him in their afflictions they will seek me diligently In the house of bondage he heard Israel Exo. 3.7 Then the Lord said I have surely seen the trouble of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry St Iames saith If any man among you be afflicted let him pray If that were not our comfort when all remedies faile us we were most unhappy for we can never be shut up so but we may send our prayers from us to heaven to plead our cause in the name of Iesus Christ 3 Sharp afflictions may be a strong temptation to make the children of God doubt of the love of God It was not lawfull for them in the judiciall Law to be immoderate in correction A trespasser might have forty stripes given him but not more lest if he should exceed and beat him above these with many stripes Deu. 25.3 then thy brother should seem vile unto thee God will not overdoe in his chastenings of his Church to prevent this danger lest his servant should think himselfe lost in the favour of God We see how David was put to it in this kind When his soar ran and ceased not his soule refused comfort yea once he complained My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yea he thought upon God and was troubled Therefore God doth carry a favourable hand in his afflictions to prevent the despaire of his children for he knoweth whereof we be made 4. Sharp afflictions may be an occasion to harden the heart of man and make himful away from God to sinne and that reason is given by the holy Psalmist For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous Psa 125.2 lest the righteous put forth their bands to iniquity Indeed some that have been well taught and do understand well and have lived in some measure of good life and walked conscionably when God hath tryed them with wants have fallen into snares and embraced temptations Magnum pauperies opprobrium jubes quidvis facere pati vircutisquâ— viâ—m deserit arduae Shifts fraudes secret stealths borrowings without meanes or hope of repayment c. The wise son of Iakeh prayed to God Give me not poverty lest I be poor and steale Pro. 30.9 and take the name of my God in vaine Extremity of paine in sicknesse and soarenesse is a great temptation two great lights in the Church of God were ecclipsed by it Iob the example of patience fell into bitter cursings of the do of his birth so did holy Jeremy the Lords Prophet To these respects God is tender and suffereth not his chosen to be tempâ—â—d above their strength but doth give issue to their temptations Yet sometimes he suffereth his Elect to see their owne weaknesse by some fall that when he putteth to his helping hand they may be more wary to keep a better watch upon their hearts Reason 3 3. God doth not suffer his Church to be forsaken in afflictions lest the enemies thereof should too much insult over them It is Davids suite to God Let them not say we have prevailed When Saul and Ionathan were dead David lamented them with great lamentation The beauty of Israel is slaine upon the high places how are the mighty fâ—llon 2 Sam. 1.19 20. Tâ—ll is not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce lest the daughters of the uncirâ—â—â—tised triumph For this addeth to the ungodlinesse of the wicked they grow proud upon it Let not their wicked imagination prosper lesâ— they grow too proud Reason 4 4. The afflictions of the Church when they do grow sharpe and smarting cause the ungodly of the earth to blaspheme the name of God It is not for nothing that David doth pray so earnestly Quicken me O Lord for thy names sake Ps 143.11 for thy righteousnesse sake bring my soule out of trouble The ungodly Iewes and Romanes standing by the Crosse of Christ did speake contemptibly of God and took his name in vaine in derision of his son It is the manner of the ungodly to blaspheme if once they prevaile against the Church then the God they serve is thought unable to protect them and the Religion that they professe is scandalized for untruth These be great reasons why God doth not forsake his Church in affliction but giveth them a heavenly issue out of them This point teacheth its own use for it serveth both to 1. Informe 2 Convince 3 Exhort 4 Rebuke 1 Information This is a sure and infallible rule That whom God once loveth he ever loveth as he saith I will never leave thee nor forsake thee for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance his love is himselfe and he cannot deny himselfe he hath given us to his son Rom. 8 35 and of them that thou hast given me saith he I have lost none and no man can take them out of my hand What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus he nameth the greatest miseries of life Shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword Nay in all these things we are more then conquerors Cant. 2.4 through him that loved us The love of God to his Church is a banner over it 2 Conviction This Doctrine convinceth the Heathen who deny that there is a any Providence because the best men drinke deepest of the cup of affliction which maketh the profane say It is in vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts Mal. 3.14 True that they who make conscience of their wayes are despised their soule is filled with the scorne of the proud True Ver. 25. that they that worke wickednesse are set up and they that tempt God are delivered but the Elect say for thy sake we are killed all the day long Yet the comfort that the just have in their affliction doth assure that verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth the earth And though for a time the wicked insult over the just the day will come
judge the world The parts of the Textare three 1. A gracious promise to Mount Sion concerning it selfe Servatores Saviours 2. A further promise concerning their enemies Iudicabunt Montem Esau shall judge the Mount of Esau 3. The issue and effect of both regnum erit Jehova the Kingdome shall be the Lords 1 Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion Doct. 1 This gracious promise revealeth to us a comfortable and cheerfull doctrine that God howsoever he punisheth yet he still loveth his people Which is thus proved Reason 1 1. Because God doth not look downwards upon his people to see what they do deserve but he looketh upward to the decree of his owne Election and the councel of his will If God should look downwards toward men even to his Elect who could stand in his sight he looketh with pure eyes and he found imperfection in his Angels Moses hath cleared this point to this people of Israel For thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God Deut. 7.6.7 8. the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a speciall people to himselfe above all people that are upon the face of the earth The Lord did not set his love upon you nor chose you because you were more in number then any people for ye were the fewest of all the people but because the Lord loved you From this fountain of his love did flow all those streames that made glad the City of the great King as Albeit they were few in number yea very few and strangers in the Land and walked about from Nation to Nation Psa 105.12 from one Kingdome to another people Yet suffered he no man to do them harme but reproved even Kings for their sakes saying Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets nâ— hor me Therefore let all afflicted consciences which are overcharged with the burthen of their sins Look up to thâ—se hills from whence their helpe cometh Let them 〈◊〉 Christ biddeth Lift up their heads Let them chide themselves as David did Why are thou cast downe O my soule the remedy is hope in God Psa 43.5 he is the health of my countenance and my God Faith and Feare worke together Faith doth take up the decree of Election and the just is bold as a Lyon Feare looketh down upon the corruptions of nature and propension to sin and trembleth under the mighty hand of God and the more we feare the faster hold we lay and the surer we tread on the steps of that ladder by which we scale heaven Thereupon doth the Apostle give this precept Make your Calling and Election sure that is having a strong faith of these and then the many failings in your obedience your lapses and relapses into sin may breed your grief they cannot bring forth despaire Reason 2 2. The decree of God is a secret and peradventure Satan will suggest that thou art not within this decree Therefore God hath revealed his decree to his Church and sealed it with gracious promises for so Moses saith to Israel Because he would keep the word which he had sworne unto your Fathers Deut. 7.8 This Oath as we doe learne from old Zachary in his Bendictuâ— hath two branches One concerning God Another concerning his people The Oath which he swore to our father Abraham that he would give unto us Luk. 1 73 that we being delivered from the hands of our enemies might serve him without feare c. 1. God bindeth himselfe by his Oath to deliver his Church from their enemies 2. The same Oath bindeth him to the procuration of his owne service for us for onely he must grant ut serviamus that we may serve by him we are liberati delivered for we cannot thinke a good thought without him In him we live and move and Christ saith Sine me nihil potestis facere without me you can do nothing This promise of God to his Church he hath sealed by giving to us the spirit of promise which spirit he hath dedosited in his Church to abide with it for ever and he hath given to all the Elect of God his Spirit the earnest of his Covenant this spirit serveth for a light in us to discerne our salvation afar off For a witnesse to testifie to our spirits that we are the sons of God And God is faithfull he will not suffer his truth to faile This also doth settle the faith of the Elect in all the tribulations of life I am the sonne or daughter of God I know it by the spirit which he hath given me which leadeth my understanding into the way of truth which converteth my affections and frameth them to his love which directeth my ways and ordereth them to his obedience this spirit doth teach me to lay hold on the promises of grace and to challenge my part in them these promises do lift me up as high as to the decree of my Election and therefore I will not feare David goeth farther I am thine O save me for the interest that we have in the love of God doth send us to him for salvation Doct. 2 2. Though God love his people and have all power in his hand to save them yet he doth use meanes and raiseth up out of themselves Saviours The providence of God worketh by meanes even from amongst our selves to effect our preservation 1. Because his immediate operations are full of terrour and therefore we cannot so well endure them therefore the people prayed Moses to speak to them and desired that God might speak no more to them The Angell that brought word to Mary that she should conceive a Sonne by the Holy Ghost began his Message with Feare not The Angel that proclaimed the birth of Christ to the Shepherds said to them Feare not We have so much cause to feare in respect of our own unworthinesse that if God did not abate somewhat of the splendour of his glorious Majesty by the employment of means familiar to us we could not abide it 2. God using weake meanes to effect his will doth magnifie his owne strength For his strength is made perfect through weaknesse Whereby we are taught 1. To content our selves with the meanes in the wisdome of God ordained for our preservation not expecting miraculous and extraordinary subventions The rich mans brethren shall not have a Preacher come to them from the dead Luk. 16.27 c. to give them warning that they come not to that place of torment where their brother is They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them God that sent his spirit on the Apostles could have done so upon the whole Church and when the Eunuch was reading Isaiah in his Chariot he could have opened his understanding to have known what he had read but he chose rather to use the Ministry of an Apostle and therefore he command Philip to joyn himselfe to that Chariot and by him he taught and baptized the Eunuch So was Cornelius directed to Peter
others their weaknesse strengthned others their young hopeful beginings encoraged others their zeaks enflamed 5. Conference is another good means to encrease our knowlodge for one mans memory may help anothers so one mans understanding may be more clear then anothers for as we are many members of one body so have we many graces bestowed upon us to make us usefull and helpfull one to another Conference one with another especially with our minister doth call to minde that which might else have slipt away from us and the very purpose of conference doth adde a desire to learn by the Word that we may rather teach then be taught 2. We must receive the Word of God in our judgement This is the wisdom that teacheth us to make use of it for knowledge is not for it self but for use we shall know whether we have wisely heard the Word by two things 1. By the encrease of our faith 2. By our new obedience 1. By the encrease of our faith for faith cometh from the saving hearing of Gods Word the Word is not the power of God to salvation but onely where it begetteth faith The Word never profiteth where it is not mixt with faith in them that heare it So soon as Sathan shook the faith of Evah Heb. 4.2 and made her doubt of the Word of God the Word had lost the power of God in her to preserve her 2. By our obedience many boast of their knowledge the Apostle saith He that doth think he knoweth any thing that is proud of his knowledge and loveth his knowledge for it self knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know For in religion he knoweth no more then he practiseth What is it for a man to get a clear and good glasse and to behold his face in it and to forget presently what his form is such are the knowers of the Word as Saint James saith that are not doers of the same And what profit is it to us to know our Masters will and not to do it but the gain of many stripes Doctr. 3 Here is a great judgement threatened the Prophets intelligence is rumor Domini a rumour of the Lord. There is great cause of fear when God doth give out what his judgements shall be and how he will punish for his word is like the sword of Saul It never returned empty from the blood of the slain We have no particular prophecies that do point out our nation as this and many more did point out Edom for judgement 2 Sam. 1.12 but yet we must not neglect the voice of God for As faith layeth hold on the generall pro mises of God to his Church and applieth particular examples in Scripture to the building of us up in comfort So fear layeth hold on the generall threatnings of Gods judgements and applieth them to the begetting and increasing of terrour So that when you shall hereafter see what sins Edom committed we shall perceive how those sins provoked Gods anger and how severely God threatned them you may say Auditum audivi a Domino We have heard a rumour from the Lord that if the land we live in or we that live in this land be guilty of these sins we have no quietus est no discharge against these plagues for these two go together Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues The drunkard may see in Noah and Lot who sinned but once that way how God did punish that sin Miriams sin resisting Moses The adulterer may see in David that God spareth not his own beloved children he maketh their sins smart upon them But the examples of his judgements upon the reprobate are full of terrour Cain and Saul and Judas Korah and his company This is rumor Domini The Scripture dealeth plainly with us to tell the Church these things ne veniant in locum tormenti that they come not into the place of torment Doctr. 4 4. To comfort the hearts of such whose consciences are tender and who do joyn with care and fear revenge upon themselves and all to destroy the body of sin Many of these do too much discomfort and deject themselves about giving themselves over as if they were vessels of wrath or deemed to destruction Sathan useth fiery darts to such and by all means tempteth such to dispair he saith unto them Non est tibi salus in Deo tuo there is no safety for thee in thy God Therefore to such I say Take heed and examine well the suggestion hearken diligently si rumor sit a Domino if it be a rumour from the Lord. Sathan laboureth most against our faith for that is the victory by which we overcome the World Christ told Peter Sathan hath desired to winnowe thee he knew which way he bent his strength Orav ine deficeret fides tua Luke 22.32 I have prayed that thy faith fail not Our own fear is another great enemy to our peace for when we do consider our selves and how weak our faith is we do presently apply to our selves all the judgements of God Yet this is rumor a Domino a rumour from the Lord. The Lord hath delight in this broken heart he will repair and build up the breaches thereof the ground that is thus broken up is fittest for the immortall feed of his Word and of his Grace to be sowen in it to bear fruit What a wofull case was David in when his foot had almost slipt when he feared that God would no more be intreated and hearkened to the rumour of his conscience till God who is greater then the conscience refreshed him with his sweet consolations And saint Paul hearkening to the rumour of his conscience crieth out O wrethed man that I am who shall deliver me c. but the sweet and comfortable voice of joy is heard in the tabernacles of the righteous as there Thanks be unto God through our Lord Jesus c. Therefore as he saith When you hear of wars and rumours of wars be not afraid that is fear not servilely nor dispairingly for the end is not yet Obadiah v. 1. An embassadour is sent amongst the Heathen Arise ye and let us arise against her in battell 2. Means of the intelligence An ambassadour is sent amongst the Heathen This is rumor populi a rumour of the people for commonly rumour of war doth go before war seeing the preparation of war cannot be concealed Concerning this Embassadour the learned Expositours of this Prophecie are not well agreed Some think he is some Prophet of the Lord sent to stir up a war between Edom and other Nations Others that one Nation doth by Embassadours stir up another against Edom. The 70 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereupon some understand that God sent his Angel to provoke this war The point materiall is agreed on by all that God hath an hand in this judgment and he useth the nations for a rod to
serve 1. To take downe the heart and to humble men under the mighty hand of God for the afflicted man cannot but like the Mariners in the Ship with Jonah being in a storme search for whose sake the storme ariseth When Manasseth was carried Captive into Babel and there put in chaines he soone found where the fault was and he fell to confession and prayers humiliavit se valde 2 Chro. 33.12 The Church of God under the crosse said Let us search and try our wayes and turne to the Lord. Lam. 3.4 In health liberty plenty ease we find something else to doe we have no leasure to search our wayes therefore God layeth his rod upon us and when the smart of affliction doth make us weary of the world and putteth us out of the way of our delights then we can consider and try our hearts within us and our wayes without us As Peter when he beginnes to sinke can cry for helpe and the Disciples in a storme will awake their Master The heart must be first broken and our stout stomack taken downe before we can enjoy the sweet fruits of liberty Behold his soule which is lifted up is not upright in him Hab. 2.4 Proud persons have crooked soules they do not look up but like the woman that had the spirit of Infirmity they are bent to the earth to see how many they can overtake But sicknesse disgrace imprisonment will make our Buls of Bashan as tame as Lambs and then a poore mans tale may be heard We have seene examples of great fals in our time and in them that stand now and looke up where they did sit it is as easie a matter to behold as great a change of their hearts as of their fortunes Truly so do men rise or fall indeed as their heart riseth or falleth for an humble man keeps the same posture alwayes he knowes how to abound and how to want and no prosperity can soare him up higher no adversity can cast him lower then his pitch for his heart is not exalted 2. Afflictions do serve to breed in us a conscience and feare of sinne when we see what smart it bringeth as here it turned Israel out of house and home it fired their City and their holy Temple and carried them away Captives to a strange land and fed them with the bitter bread of Banishmentâ— it filled their soules with the despite of the wicked and the reproach of the proud This affliction saith unto them Sin no more lest some worse thing fall upon thee But who makes that use of sicknesse imprisonment disgrace to cast it upon the merit of his sin that maketh the hand of God so heavie upon us and that returneth judgement so often to us But here Israel is brought to holinesse by it and let us mistrust our selves that we stand not in a state of grace with God except our affliction do mend us and bring us to repentance of our sins and to holinesse of life 3. Afflictions do bring us to an awe and reverence of the worship of God for they do declare God to be just and not to be dallied with he is whetting his sword whilest we are in our sinnes he is bending his bow and preparing instruments of vengeance he is still turning over the Book of remembrance wherein all our sinnes are recorded and perusing the Inventory of his graces which we have received in vaine and of his gifts which we have abused of his Talents which we have misimployed teaching us to feare him and to seare all our wayes before him So David will be wiser hereafter Against thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight These three humility conscience of sinne and of the Majesty of God will bring us to holinesse of life which is the way of peace and it is good for Israel to be afflicted to come to his 2 The Church here was the better for this affliction that they sustained even in their temporall estate 1. In the restitution of their possessions for it is a rule of truth though it shew a very great imperfection in our judgement as great corrupion in our affections Carendo magis quam fruendo by waiting rather then by enjoying we come to know the true worth of Gods savours And that carendo by wanting not so much in an ante-want as in a post-want In an Ante-want when we rise from poverty to wealth from basenesse to honour from labour to ease commonly as our good so our bloud ariseth and it is a great grace of God if the rising of our fortunes be not the sinking and falling of our faith and obedience to God For many in low estate have been humble whose pride in high estate have been importable many in poverty have had tender hearts who in wealth have turned great oppressours of their brethren and many in labour have been content with a little who in ease have growne resty and idle But in a post-want when men fall from wealth to poverty from honour to the dust from ease to labour then they can look back and recompt the sweetnesse of these outward favours Holy Iob hath two whole Chapters In one he confesseth his former estate the fulnesse and the power and the ease and the glory thereof he beginnes it with an optative O that I were as in monthes past as in the dayes when God preserved me Job 29. When his candle shined upon my head when by his light I walked through darknes as I was in the dayes of my youth Few of us in health do feel the favour of God to us therein few in wealth do taste the sweetnesse of Gods open and giving hand few content with their portion But in sicknesse every little mittigation of our paine is sweet and we are ready to fall on our knees before God to thanke him for it In poverty every almes given to us thankfully received and then if we were as in monthes past how much better would we use wealth For Job in the next Chapter doth feel the change and findeth bitternesse in it Job 30. and he endeth that Chapter My harpe is turned into mourning and my Organs into the voice of them that weed Therefore when we once come to want that which we formerly have possest we whose ambitious desires gave us no rest either to be thankfull for that we had or content with it would desire no more then to be as in some monthes before that God would but light that candle againe and restore us to what we have lost As in the spirituall state of the soule David that neglected the day of his salvation which God gave him before his fall and sold it for a little carnall pleasure when he came againe to himselfe he only prayes Restore to me the joy of thy Salvation Hos 2.7 And the Church revolting from God remembreth her selfe and saith I will go and returne to my first husband for