is smitten 〈◊〉 when our father is railed vpon nay shall Dauid 〈…〉 out my son my son for a wretch that would haue kâ—â—â— hâ—â—â— and shall not we mourne ouer Gods son whom wâ—â—â—â—â— mine yes brethren we must mourne if we will be comforted 〈◊〉 make Gods case ours if he shall make ours his which 〈…〉 then behold what comfort is here offered for 〈◊〉 is there such affection in an earthly father what then may we expect at Gods hand who is an heauenly father whose loue as farre exceedeth ours as the heauens are aboue the earth can Dauid I lead you no further loue Absaloms such a child because a child can his heart came after him can he be pacified toward him at Ioabs request when he hath slaine his sonne and is it not possible that GOD should be frieÌ„ds with v8 at Christs request though we haue slaine our selues and the Lord of life Can Dauid loue Absalom when he hath defiled his concubines when he seeks his kingdome his life can he then die for him when Absalom would be his death can hee doe all this though his sonne doth not submit doth not repent doth not craue pardon but is vp in armes against him and will not God whose loue is infinite for Christs sake forgiue his children when they come vnto him coÌ„fesse their fault be sorry for it and desire amendment O my brethren do not we wrong God exceedingly when wee will not yeeld him as kind as Dauid say thou hast beene as bad as euer Absalom was vnholy vncleane vnnaturall would not Dauid be friends with Absalom if he had confessed his fault and shall we doubt of God O but Dauid was fond God is iust yea but the question is whether Dauid hath more fond loue than God hath true loue say it were his fault here is the point is there so much badnes in Dauid as there is goodnes in God nay I put it vpon thy selfe whatcan thy child doe but thou canss pardon the trespasse against thee so now he will behon 〈◊〉 wherefore then for conconclusion this I say what soeuer thy sinnes be never 〈◊〉 downe discouraged despairein thy selfe but ever hope the best of God so long 〈◊〉 itself his meanes thou hearest that he is a mâ—â—â—s ust 〈◊〉 do now as Benbadad did to Ahab humbl◠〈…〉 confessethy sinnes bewaile them 〈◊〉 off 〈…〉 of them and endeauour new obedie 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 hadst as many sins vpon thee 〈…〉 the sea shore and those 〈◊〉 great 〈…〉 shoul◠〈◊〉 find mercy and be pardoned 〈◊〉 sin 〈…〉 ere find God onely insinite Thus in a more generall maner we haue run thorow the chiefe maâ—ters of this text Now it shall sulfice to name onely the particulars or rather some few of them such as are these following In that 〈◊〉 this stirre it for Absalom 〈◊〉 delight we see that the more Gods children serther hearts on an outward thing the more they shall bee crossed in it Let David please him solse too much in Absalom and Dauid shall smart for is this his greatest ioy shall prooue his greast cnosse Againe if Gods people can bee content that their children should crosse God God will bee content â—â—t their children shall he crosses to them If David will be so tidde that his child must not bee chid nor shent God will bee so good as to give him his payment for it Againe if Rulere wil giue life when God calles for death they shall help ether themselues him to sorrow and their friends so spared to shall if Dauid will be so nice alas prety ducke who can find in his heart to execute yea or to correct such a sweet baby and so let him goe God will finde a time to pay Dauid and to reach Absalom for it Againe in Dauid we see that in the best when crosses come the flesh will play its part and lay about its while Dauid must run himselfe out of hiâ—â—h before anâ— can stand on 〈◊〉 ground c. FINIS 1. Sam. 10. 10. 11. Vide Vatabl. ad locum Polyd. Virgil. Adag 374. Doct. 1. Read his life in the bookes of Samuel Read his story from the 28 of Gen. to the 46. Chap. Pro. 24.16 Psal 34.19 Reason 1. Psal 30. 2. Kings 20. Vse 1. Mat. 7.14 Act. 12. Doct. 2. Iob 3. Ionah 4.1 Chapter 4. Reasons 7. Vse 1. Rules 1. 1. Sam. 30.6 Chap. 4.6 Act. 27. Act. 27. 1. Sam. 30.4 Doct. 3. Read 1. Sam. 25. 2. Sam. 16. 2. Sam. 12. c. 2. Sam. 15.26 c. Iob 1. vlr verse See chap. 13 3.16.21 23.3.4.5 c. Reason 1. Iob 35. penult 2. Sam. 12. Vse 1. 1. Pet. 2.13 Doct. 4. Cant. 8. Vsc 1. 5 verse Zach 12 Psalm 119 156 2 Sam 10 As Leuir 24 11 1. King 20
our selues euen the best of vs all Poore Dauid that scarce euer came where prosperity grew had but a little rest and he beganne to dreame of golden mountaines hee thought crosses had now taken their leaue of him and would be afraid to looke into the court and therfore Absalom is sent out of his bowels to confute him And good Hezechiah who was first humbled at the comming of Saneherib and the second time brought to deaths dore by gricuous sicknes had no sooner a little respit but he begins to looke big and to lay about him whem embassadors came to visite him he carries them from place to place and sets the best side outward he swaggers not onely with them but with Esay too who tooke as small pleasure in this his courting as many of his cloath doe now in preaching ô Esay saith he you cannot tell who haue beene here great states the king of Babell sent Embassadors to vs such Princes so farre from vs take notice of vs and they I would haue thee know were royally entertained wee shewed them withall what store of gold siluer our treasuries could afford we would haue them know that all the wit and wealth is not lodged in Babell but that Gods people haue it in them and about them too as occasion shall serue Thus Hezechiah thought he spake but reason but the Lord seeing him so ranke thinkes it time to let him blood and therefore Esay giues him a cooler you haue made saith he for so in effect hee speakes a faire hand of your wealth you haue you haue brought the wolfe to the fold and now keepe him out if you can Gold-thirsty Babell now knowes where to haue a draught and as for your selfe sith you thinke the better of your selfe for your wealth the Lord hath made your will and the king of Babell is your executor Thus because Hezechiah surfeited he is physickt and this is onother reason of the Lords thus dealing with his people because the difference is not great whether you eate bad meate or surfet on good Thirdly God had but neede to diet the best of vs sometimes because we be so lazie when we are full much like to a man that comes newly from a feast fit for nothing we follow our calling as if we would drop on sleepe we performe exercises of religion as children say their lessons minding euery thing rather than that in hand wee come to the ordinances of God as fed wantons to a feast nothing pleaseth vnlesse it be some odde sawce or new inuention the worst dish on the table so it is with vs when wee come to the word the sense must be pleased as well as the heart edified else it is but a dry feast one tricke of wit doth more affect than twenty gratious sentences now when the Lord sees our mouth so farre out of taste that it cannot relish our meate and discouers in vs such a lazinesse about our busines he thinkes it reason to prouide some remedie in time lest these fore-runners of sicknes breake forth into worse inconueniences and surely Dauids practise and case may affright vs all for alas how did he gather mud when he had stood still a while and how would his corruptions againe haue growne to some head had not Absalom beene raised vp to breath him and to disperse them Now if Dauid were so foggie after so many breathings Dauid a man of so good a diet how resty should wee bee if neuer walkt how grounded on our lees with Moab if neuer turned forth from vessell to vessell It stands the Lord therefore vpon if hee will prouide for his haruest and our good to take some paines with vs lest otherwise he faile of his vintage whilst we want dressing Fourthly and in a word crosses had need to come and come thicke and come in strength to the strongest of vs because in the best there be many and strong corruptions ô the pride the pride the vnbeleefe the ignorance the selfe-loue that lodges in the purest soule would yee not haue thought that Dauid by this time had almost emptied himselfe of all pride that all passions all loue of the world all carnall affections had beene well nere buried but see see when crosses come how he laies about him hee sobs he roares he would die in a passion as if he knew not what he did or cared not what he said now should not such a stomach as this be taken downe yes the child had beene spilt there if the rod had beene spared and therefore God laies it on Now if good Dauid after so much breaking and so long standing in religion be so waspish so impatient so passionate do not you thinke that there is some store in vs let vs be crossed a little cannot we chafe let vs be abused cannot we find our tongues adde to this our worldlines cannot wee bee content to liuelonger in this world bad though it be do we not dote too much on one Absalom or other be not our hearts yet vnbroken why then you see God must smite and smite againe and smite home draw blood for no sound heart must go to heauen as none but sound hearts must come thither sound I say from hypocrisie but broken with sinne and sorrow thus wee see great cause of great affliction on Gods part sith our sinnes are great which must be purged and preuented our surfers great which must be cured our deadnesse great which must be quickned our inside bad which must be cleansed Time will not giue to speake of all One more reason shall bee drawne from our owne practise and so an end As God laies many crosses on vs so we may thanke our selues for many too not onelie in that we doe deserue them but in that 〈◊〉 worke them out of our owne bowels for many we diaw vpon our selues by riot Idlenesse vnthrifâ—nes rage c. and the most we make more heauy that are heauie enough already through our owne folly and that is whilst we rake into our wounds looking no higher and what with vnbeleefe and impatience doe double the crosse on our selues Dauids burden was heauy enough already hee did not neede to increase it yet such is Dauids weaknesse he cannot choose it is his Absalom prety Absalom and therefore he must pay for his passions and thus when God afflicts vs in measure as euer he doth his children wee make our crosses beyond measure because we keep no meane in mourning and not onely so but we prouoke our father to giue vs somewhat for brawling and for strugling thus we see some reasons of ours so great neare afflictions taken partly from our selues partly from our God The wicked will happily thinke themselues wronged that we giue not them and their master the credit of the Saints troubles but to speake properly they are no causes but onely executioners they are hangmen and bedles when an execution is to be wrought and the
Lord hath assigned some of his shrewdest children to punishment they shall haue the office sometimes to bee the gaoler or belman that is their preferment Leauing therfore these scullians in the kitchin there to scoure a vessell or licke a dish when they shall bee called vpon let vs make our vse of this so large a Doctrine and see whether wee can bee briefer there First then Is this so that Gods dearest children haue and must haue such great and piercing crosses in this life then must all who would be knowne by that name make account of such and prepare for them Such is our follie for the most part when the sunne shines we neuer thinke of a darke night when the morning is faire wee neuer feare a storme and therefore are sometimes taken without our cloake as it were Such also is our conceit of our selues and confidence in worldly helps that we hope they will not see vs want or if they faile yet we thinke to shift better then others can to liue by our wits hence it is that we are almost growen to Babels conclusion Though others be widowes fatherles childlesse comfortles yet wee shall see no sorrow But it will be granted I trow that our nature needs physicke as much as other mens there is no difference in the mould that our carriage hath not beene so good but that iustly we may feare some brushing It may be Dauid was as honest a man as some of vs perhaps Hezechiah was not farre behind vs possible Paul might match vs in any grace and haue as little pride hypocrisie self-loue passion in him as the best of vs all yet were these holy men greatly afflicted and wonderously straitned why should we dreame of peace If wealth would discharge a man of crosses Hezechiah was not poore if honour Dauid was a king if either witte or grace Paul was no babe but these will not serue the turne kings children must haue physicke if sicke as well as poorer mens why should they not so must the Lords Our Prince is consecrated through afflictions our way is an afflicted way as you would say and it is the voice of heauen that thorow manie tribulations we must enter into heauen Now then sith the case so stands that either wee must disclaime the right of children or else indure afflictions either passe vnder the rod or be bastards let vs vnlesse we meane to shame our selues arme our selues for crosses before hand and not prepare onely but prepare for all yea the nearest of all For what hath befallen Dauid and others why may not the same befall vs some wiues haue great crosses in their husbands some husbands in their wiues some parents in children some children in parents some are neerely toucht in their body some in their estate some other in their name in their soule othersome and where is our discharge who hath exempted vs may not we neede them as much as others doth not God loue vs as well as others are not these things written for our vse O then let vs thinke on these things in this our peace and now lay in for a rainy day now whilst wee can pray now whilst our bodies are free from distemper and our affections from trouble now whilst wee are our owne men and haue freedome as it were of heart now let vs hoard vp praiers against the time of trouble when as either in respect of sicknes in body or sorrow of minde we can say no more then Dauid now can my son my son my paine my paine my heart my heart Now let vs treasure vp faith and patience and wisedome as loseph did corne sith a day of vtterance will come a day of spending not of getting a day wherein our owne stocke the Churches treasury too I meane others praiers will bee little enough do notthinke it sufficient to haue somewhat before hand wee are not at agreement with crosses to depart when we giue warning neuer forget Dauid a man not meanely graced nay a great husband who had his soule well stockt and in good plight and yet how vnhandsomely doth hee now behaue himselfe Ah Dauid thou wast wont to haue praiers and gracious meditations as ready as Aburs sword that would drop out of the sheath But now here is nothing but my son my son and little doe we know how we shall fling out in distresses vnlesse we are very wel appointed Now lastly whilst the Lord doth offer himselfe vnto vs as a louing father let vs come vnto him like obedient children let vs confesse against our selues and reconcile our soules vnto him Let vs seeke to him as once the Sidomians did to Herod through Christ as they through Blastus for his fauour as they for Herods loue and then being at peace with him in our peace and acquainted with him in our prosperity he will know our soules in aduersity and we shall alwaies haue a rocke to sly vnto in the greatest waues and surges Thus we see what course must be taken if crosses shall not hit vs on the bare take vs on the blind side the practise we put vpon you as you loue your ease for there is little comfort to bee hoped for in crosses vnlesse there bee some preparation for them Men may thinke themselues armed when they haue men and money to befriend them but then neuer till then are wee fitted for crosses when God our owne consciences are friends with vs and stand for vs and therefore if we will make sure worke let vs go to heauen for friends not to the earth and be more carefull to get grace in our hearts then gold in our chests for crosses bee as the minde and man bee not as the outward estate And this is the first vse that I would haue made of this point The second standeth thus Is this so that the dearest of Gods children haue great and neere afflictions in this life then this must teach the wicked to leaue iudging abroad and to looke homeward they are on horsebacke they when Gods children are vnderfoote it is their ioy to see the faithfull grieue they cannot hold but role it out These say they be the fellowes these preachers so much magnifie these the happy ones these goe away with all the comforts they cannot doe amisse they but by your leaue such a iudgement hath befallen one such a plague another and which of them escapes better and this they get by running to sermons thus they triumph But stay a while and pause better on the matter are Gods children thus wounded what shall become of his enemies are the righteous thus paid how much more the sinner Is this done to the greene tree Doth the Lord thus visit those vpon whom his name is called doth iudgement thus begin at Gods house where shall the wicked appeare are infirmities accompanied with crosses what will be the end of idolatry of blasphemy of murther of adultery of oppression
joy in Absalom he cannot be master of them nor command them when he is dead hee will bee fond whilst he hath Absolom no body must touch him the winde must not blow vpon him therefore hee will extremely lament when hee loseth him and no body must comfort him because his Absalom is not Adde vnto this in the third place the deceitfulnes of our owne heart which doth but cosen vs and the subtiltie of the diuell who to the end he may carrie vs headlong with the whirlewind of passion into a sea of troubles will beare vs in hand that wee haue reason to grieue and to bee passionate Thus Ionah stands vnto his cause and beeing drunken with passion he cannot see but he hath the better of God Thus Dauid had a man closed hith him and asked him what he meant to be so loud would quickly haue beene his talsemaster what would hee haue said would you haue me vnsensible of such a stroke as this is there no thing to be done by the parēt when the Lord thus singles out his child ought not the father to take notice of it especially I must sith I did not the part of a father to him he should ere this haue beene executed for his sinnes I let him run on but now the Lord hath met with him and mee too to my woe It is iust vpon me and I am perswaded I ought not to let it passe without some vse I must greeue and yet were I sure his soule were now in heauen I would care the lesse but alas the example is searefull so to liue so to die Faire words good Dauid he speakes as he thinkes good man but he knowes not his owne heart is this the cause that you would haue died for him was it because he had sineed because you had failed in duetie alas what could your death do for his soule or your owne discharges no no hee was your darling you cannot spare him you must alwaies beare him in your eie hence those teares and thus we run on many times in a tale and would faine perswade our selues that what we do is done with iudgement when God knowes our sorrow is as full of flesh as Dauids here was and thus what through the errrour of our minds and disorder of our affections and deceitfulnesse of our owne hearts and Sathans cunning it comes to passe that we are in the depth of sorrow and passion as the Aramites in the mids of Samaria before we know where we be Now this being so that the best of vs all are subject to immoderate sorrow for outward things we must not onely learne to beare with one another in this our common frailty but further euery one for himselfe must fence and mound his heart against these absurd passions and excessiue griefes Many outward things be so base in respect of man that they should not once moue him they be not worthy his cares or thoughts vnfit to belodged in the meanest roome of mans soule to name them the same day with man were to set them aboue their place to bestow teares on these were to wash stables with sweet water not worth the while nor the cost All of them are but finite none absolutely good and therefore our griefe for them must be limited with respects and vsed with great moderation els it will degenerate and turne carnall Neither will it serue the turne to plead that our sadnesse hurts no body but our selues and that therein we are enemies to none but to our selues for were this a true plea yet were it vnsufficient for who gaue vs a commission to hurt our owne persons and to practise murther vpon our owne bodies but this is not all for besides a priuate wrong wee rob God of his glorie and men of that seruice we owe vnto them indeed worldly sorrow makes vs both vnthankful to God and vnprofitable to man and vnnaturall to our selues as hence might be shewed but we cannot stand on all and therefore let vs striue against it Let vs will some man say let vs if we can but how should we be armed against the excesse of worldly sorrow can you giue me any preseruatiues against it Answere some we will many we might but so farre as we practise these following we shall be freed of this vnprofitable guest 1. Let vs denie our selues in all worldly matters and not engage our affections vnto them either to be eagerly set vpon them when we haue them in chase or to bee foolishly puft vp with them whē we haue them in possession for if we do not leaue them till they leaue vs it is sure they will leaue vs in the lurch in the end witnesse Dauid Absalom was gone ere Dauid had denied himselfe in Absalom and therefore now here is nothing but roaring whereas if he before had sacrificed his name and crucified his affection he would neuer haue stood vpon those termes ô my sonne my son what will the world say that my sonne should come to this but he would haue comforted himselfe in his GOD as elsewhere he did and said It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth best to him and so if wee could denie our selues in our husbands wiues children names c. we would neuer take on so when wee part my son my son my husband my child c but as we were not doted with them whilst we had them so neither would we be discouraged when we lost them But heere is the misery let vs see it and amend it we lay the whole strength of our affectiōs vpon the things we fancy as the creeple laies his ful waight vpon his crutches and therefore when they are taken from vs as Pharaohs chariot wheeles we are downe vpon all foure and sticke in the mud yea we set on our affections as the Bee his sting with all our might and strength wee conuey vnto others our very bowels and hearts and therefore when they are gone we are heartles We see the errour what is the remedy Reioice as if we rereioiced not and then we shall mourne as if wee mourned not be not too glad when the sun shines and then thou wilt not be too sad when a cloud comes To this we must adde a second thing which in part hath beene alreadie toucht and that is often to thinke on crosses before they come and to promise our hearts no great matters from the world for what is the reason that wee grow so passionate sometimes but this ô I neuer lookt for this I neuer dreamed of such a day yea but whose fault and folly is that not to looke for crosses on the sea why should wee not thinke to be crossed as well as Dauid and as soone as Dauid Absalom was lusty in the morning dead ere night may not the like crosses steale suddenly on vs but this was Dauids owne errour he thought when God had giuē him a fine child that hee must needs bring comfort
vngratious impe yet he is my child my child saith Dauid I cannot but loue him and indeed he ouerloues him which I doe not commend but onely obserue to note the strength of parents loue if it bee naturall a loue indeede as strong as death as hot as fire like that which Salomon speakes of in another case which cannot bee put out with water nor bought out with siluer and can it be otherwise when parents bee religious sith God and nature both command grace and nature both enforce loue though not fondnes you that be parents saue me the proofe of this point and do but heare why I note it First do kind and godly parents so loue their children that you may sooner finde too much carnall then too little naturall affection in them then shall they neuer make it good to their owne or others soules that there is any goodnesse in them who beare no affection to their owne children Those parents that haue no naturall affection can they be spiritually affected Doth that spirit which makes vs louing to all lodge in the vnnaturall brest Can they loue Gods children that beare no loue to their owne bowels Can they loue their enemies can they call God Father that are tyrants to their owne children their owne flesh No no it argues grosse sinnes and a fierce conscience when men be so fierce and violent against mankinde I might say I must say themselues What parents not to feele their children when they crie Father not to finde their bowels mooued when they thinke of a childe what not of a religious childe Why then blush ye Dragons and be ye ashamed O Beares and Tigres that your Lords should be so beastlike say I nay so diuellish for what creatures but Diuels hate their seed Nay could Diuels haue naturall seed would they hate their owne trow yee But why spend we words on them who haue the curse vnder seale as Paul shewes Rom. 1.5 Secondly heere is somewhat for children also Is the affection of godly parents such that they cannot chuse but loue their children and out of their loue grieue at their vnkindnesse weepe for their impietie mourne for their sorrowes and take to heart their follie why then the children of such parents must take to heart their former stubbornnesse and for the time to come forbeare those practises that might be matter of griefe to their parents How canst thou refresh thy selfe with that which is a sword in the heart of thy dearest friends how canst thou thinke to escape the hand of God when thou wilt feed vpon the bloud of thine owne parents and make them as weary of the light as Dauid now is Is it not sufficient that already they haue cared and sighed and groaned and wept for thee but still thou wilt kill their soules with griefe What if thou canst shake it off Can a father shake out his heart Doth their loue nothing mooue thee nor their care northeir paines nor their teares nothing O that Absalom had seene or heard his fathers complaints he thought that now because he loued not his father his father could not loue him but that is thy errour cursed viper The father loues when the child hates and then can Dauid say most feelingly Handle the young man Absalom well when Absalom could say if shame did not stop his mouth Handle the old Carle Dauid roughly at my request yea then can Dauid die for Absalom when Absalom had as leese die as see Dauid liue Had Absalom knowne this would not he thinke you haue relented would not his rockie heart haue yeelded What could hee haue said if Dauid had said but this vnto him O Absalom O Absalom did I call thee Absalom for this Is this to be a childe Doest thou also thinke my griefes too few Was it not enough to be crossed in my familiars in my father in law in my owne brethren in my wife but my owne children must adde vnto my griefe Must Absalom that I loued so well Is it not sufficient that thou hast robbed mee of my children and brought mee almost to the graue but now thou wilt haue my crowne and my bloud Did I spare thee for this Was I a meanes of thy life and wilt thou be of my death Would I die to doe thee good and wilt thou die vulesse thou maist hurt me what thou my son Is not Dauid thy father Maacah thy mother dost not know vs c. canst thou forget vs hast thou been a father thy self yet risest vp against thy father what I say could Absalō haue said to such a salutatiō but he is not so happy to heare his father therefore he proceeds till vengeance will not suffer him to liue but hangs him vp against the sunne And let all disobedient and rebellious children take warning by this one thus hanged vp in gibbets and know that if the kindnes of their parents cannot breake their hearts and worke them to remorse the hand of God will bee vpon them and pursue them till the rauens of the vallies haue pickt out their eies and the flames of hell haue scized vpon their soules Last of all heere 's a word both of instruction and consolation for all sorts both parents and children high and low Is the loue of an earthly father if godly so great doth he take so much to hart the vnkindnesses of his children is he so sensible of their griefes so wounded with their sorrowes What then is the affection of our heauenly father towards vs how tenderly doth he take disobedience at our hands and therefore how great should our mourning be for our great and many contempts how ought wee to powre forth our soules in teares and to lament with a great lamention like that of the Egyptians for Iacob that of the Israelites for Iosiah that of a father for his first his onely sonne how deere should the name of our God be vnto vs how tenderly should wee take those contempts and indignities that are cast vpon him who is so feeling of euery sorrow that befals vs O Lord that we had an heart to weepe ouer Christ and that the rebukes of God did fall on vs ô that our owne sinnes could cause such teares as other mens did wring from Dauid O that the word would smite our hearts and cause water to gush out of these rockes ô that we stood affected to God as Mephibosheth to Dauid he mourned he fasted he wept in this distresse of Dauid we laugh we feast we do not we cannot weepe though we our selues haue risen against our soueraigne and holpen to dethrone him Ah brethren shall Dauid mourne for others sins in his Psalmes shall not wee for our owne Shall Dauids good subiects take to heart his afflictions shall not wee rebellion against our king shall Dauids seruants bee ready to smite him thorow that shall raile vpon him and shall 〈◊〉 our hearts arise when the name of our God