euen then when he feasted his Princes and captaines and chiefe estates of Galilee A dead mans head besmered with bloud was very vnseasonable and vnfit sawce for such a banquet Yet then was Iohn Baptists head brought before Herodias in a platter What did she to it Doubtlesse all the disgrace she could One thing St Hierome in his second booke of his Apollogie against Ruffinus specifieth that * Veriloquam linquam discriminalâ— acu confodit she thrust his tongue through with a needle In the 19. of Iohn ver 34. it is recorded to the memoriall of all ensuing ages that when Iesus had by his sufferings vpon the Crosse and paiment of the price of our redemption giuen vp the ghost then a Iew a souldier of the Iewes with a speere pierced his side whereout forthwith issued bloud and water Vpon that cruell souldiers fact Å¿ Salmeron comment in Euangel Tom. 10. Tract 48. one asketh this question Quid est quod filius Dei tormentis in vitae toleratis non contentus voluit etiam post mortem vulnera accipere What is it that the sonne of God not content with such torments as in his life time he endured would also after his death be wounded Among many and they great causes he giues this for one Vt innotesceret nostra immanitas saeuitia qui etiam in mortuum saeuimus that notice may be taken of our immanitie crueltie for as much as we spare not the dead It is the propertie of a Lyon to spare a man not onely that is dead but also that lyeth prostrate and flat vpon the ground What fauour a man receiues from a Lyon Christ Iesus the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah the sweete Sauiour of mankind could not receiue from man A souldier with a speare pierceth his side though he be dead To exaggerate this St Chrysostome homil 48. vpon Iohn sayth Illudere mortuo quà m ipsum crucis supplicium longe peius est It is farre worse to offer any contumely or disgrace to one that is dead then is the punishment of the crosse In the 79. Psalme ver 2. the Prophet in Israels behalfe complaineth vnto God against the surprisers of Ierusalem that they gaue the dead bodies of Gods seruants to be meat vnto the fowles of heauen and the flesh of his Saints to the beasts of the Earth So he aggrauateth their crueltie and inhumanitie Monstrous was their crueltie barbarous their inhumanitie to cast the dead bodies and flesh of Gods seruants and Saints here and there to the end they might be a prey to dogs to wolues to rauens to vultures or other beasts or birds that liue by carion You see partly by prophane examples partly by instances out of the sacred Scriptures how crueltie against the dead hath vsually beene censured But what is this to you who vse towards the dead all ciuilitie All ciuilitie I grant you giue the dead religious and solemne buriall And so doing you doe well You doe well not to suffer t Lanctantius Jnstitut lib. 6. figuram figmentum Dei the workmanship of God Gods image to be exposed and cast out for a prey to wild beasts and birds To bury the dead it is u Ambros â—ib de Tobia quotidianum opus magnum it is euery dayes worke and a great worke and you doe well so to account of it For if the law commands you to couer the naked while they are liuing how much more ought yee to couer them when they are dead If your friend vndertake any long iourney you will take the paines to bring him part of his way how much more ought ye to affoord him your company when he is going in illam aeternam domum to his long and euerlasting home whence he shall returne no more vnto you You will say Cadaueribus nullus sensus dead bodies haue no sense What need then is there of such care of committing them to the earth I reply in St x Lib 1. de Ciuâ—tate Dei cap. 13. Austins words Deo placent etiam talia pietatis officia such offices of pietie humanitie and ciuilitie doe please God The bodies of the dead belong to Gods prouidence He hath appointed the buriall of the dead to confirme our faith in the Resurrection of the dead Thus farre by occasion of the first part of my proposition which was All kind of crueltie committed against a man highly displeaseth God You remember the reason of it the reason is Because it is against the sixt Commandement The vse of it was a reproofe of such as delight in crueltie whether against the liuing or the dead Now followeth the other part of my proposition this That crueltie which violateth or extinguisheth the rites of consanguinitie and naturall affection specially displeaseth God For God the God of nature cannot in any wise like that natures lawes be violated By natures lawes it s enacted that there should be that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much spoken of in the Schooles a peculiar affection of loue from the parent to the childe and from the childe to the parent from a brother to a brother from a kinsman to a kinsman Now if crueltie shall be exercised from a parent towards his childe or from a child towards his parent or from a brother towards his brother or from a kinsman towards his kinsman that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I spak of is laid aside the rites of consanguinity and naturall affection are violated are extinguished This doctrine may teach vs to carry our selues peaceably and louingly towards our parents our children our brethren our kinsmen all that are of our bloud There cannot be a greater bond betweene man and man as men then is this bond of bloud I say precisely betweene man and man as men there cannot be a greater bond then is this bond of bloud For betweene man and man as Christians there is a greater bond the bond of one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father of all which is aboue all and through all and in you all as St Paul speaketh Ephes 4.5.6 The strength of the former bond of bloud sheweth it selfe in the Patriarch Abraham when there was a debate betweene his seruants and the seruants of Lot All the tales his men could tell him could not worke in him any dislike of Lot To end that debate Abraham goeth to Lot Abraham Lots elder and vnckle his better in euery respect yet he stands not vpon that he looks not when Lot should come and stoope to him but as in yeeres so in wisdome in mildnesse in humility in temperance of affections heâ— passeth him Ouer-ruled by such sweet vertues hee goes to Lot tels him of their kinred and mooues him there by as by a strong reason or a mighty bond that loue and peâ—â—â— might remaine betwixt them and theirs His words arâ—â—â— the words whereof Salomon speaketh Prou. 25.11 they are like apples of gold with pictures of siluer they
Antipater Epigram that running in a race from the bâ—ginning to the end no man could see him so swift he was of foote But these I take to be either fabulous or hyperbolicall Yet say there were such say there are such I say neither was there for them neither is there for these any evasion or escaping from God No not any at all My Prophet in the next verse the 15. of this Chapter speaks it in plaine tearmes He that is swift of foote shall not deliuer himselfe Not deliuer himselfe and yet swift of foote It is euen so Why may he not attempt to flee Perchance he may yet shall his attempt be frustrate for thus saith the Lord Amos 9.1 He that fleeth shall not flee away and he that escapeth shall not be deliuered Yea saith he though they digge into Hell thence shall mine hand take them though they climbe vp to Heauen thence will I bring them downe And though they hide themselues in the top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence and though they be hid from my sight in the bottome of the Sea thence will I command the serpent and he shall bite them And though they goe into captiuitie before their enemies thence will I command the sword and it shall slay them In this Hyperbolicall exaggeration for such it is in the iudgements of S. Hierome Remigius Albertus Hugo and Dionysius he sheweth how impossible it is for man by seeking to flee to lurke or to hide himselfe to exempt himselfe from the power or wrath of GOD. This impossibilitie of hiding our selues from the power or wrath of God either in Heauen or Hell or Sea or darke place or any where else is elegantly and fully illustrated by the sweetest singer of Psalmes David Psal 139.7 Whither shall I goe from thy spirit or whither shall flie from thy presence If I ascend vp into Heauen thou art there if I make my bed in Hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the vttermost parts of the Sea Euen there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me If I say Surely the darknes shall couer me euen the night shall be light about me Yea the darknesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darknesse and the light are both alike to thee You see nor Heauen nor Hell nor Sea nor darknesse could hide Dauid from the presence of God Could they not hide Dauid and shall they be able to hide others They shall not God makes it good by that his vehement asseueration Ierem. 23.23 Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God a far off Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Doe not I fill Heauen and Earth saith the Lord You see againe At hand or further off in Heauen or Earth in places of most secrecie our Lord he is God he seeth all things he fills both Heauen and Earth Thus haue you the confirmation of my doctrine which was When God resolueth to punish man for sinne there is no refuge for him no evasion no escaping by flight though he be of a swift an expedite and an agile bodie Is there no refuge for vs no evasion no escaping by flight when God will punish No there is none How can there be any sith our persecutors shall be swifter then the Eagles of the Heauen to pursue vs vpon the mountaines and to lay waite for vs in the wildernesse according to the mone that the daughter of Sion maketh Lament 4 19. Flee we as we may to mountaines to the wildernesse to hide our selues our flight shall be in vaine for our persecutors shall be swifter then the Eagles of the Heauen they whom God will employ to be the executioners of his displeasure towards vs shall still haue meanes to ouertake vs and to finde vs out Will there be no refuge for vs no evasion no escaping by flight when God will visit for our sinnes What shall we then doe beloued What Vis audire consilium Wilt thou heare counsell saith S. Austine in his sixth Treatise vpon S. Iohns Epistle Si vis ab illo fugere ad ipsum fuge If thou wilt flee from him flee to him Ad ipsum fuge confitendo non ab ipso latendo Flee to him by confessing thy sins but hide not thy selfe from him Latere enim non potes sed confiteri potes For its impossible thou shouldst lye hid from him yet mayst thou confesse thy selfe vnto him Say vnto him r Psal 91.2 Refugium meum es tu Lord thou art my refuge and my fortresse my God in thee will I trust Refugium meum es tu Lord thou art my refuge To like purpose the same S. Austine vpon Psal 71. saith Non est quo fugiatur ab illo nisi ad illum there is no flying from God but by flying to Him Si vis evadere iratum fuge ad placatum if thou wilt flee from him as he is angry flee to him as pacified So vpon Psal 75. Non est quo fugias à Deo irato nisi ad Deum placatum there is no flying from God angry but to God pacified Prorsus non est quo fugias beleeue it there is no flying from God Vis fugere ab ipso fuge ad ipsum Wilt thou needs flee from him then flee to him Flee to him From whence and whither Can I flee from any place where God is not to some place where he is Or is he not euery where Fills he not Heauen and Earth How then can I flee to him Vnderstand not any locall flying de loco ad locum but a flying de vitâ ad vitam de actu ad actum de bonis ad meliora de vtilibus ad vtiliora de sanctis ad sanctiora as Origen speaketh Homil. 12. in Genesin and so mayst thou flee to God Flee from life to life from an euill life to a good life from act to act from an euill act to a good act from good to better from profitable courses to more profitable from sanctified thoughts to more sanctified and thou doest flee to God The performance of this thy flight must be non passibus pedum sed mentis profectibus not by the agilitie or swiftnes of thy feete but by the increase or bettering of will and vnderstanding Thus to flee to God is nothing else then to draw neere vnto him to haue accesse vnto him to come vnto him To draw neere vnto him we are exhorted Iam. 4.8 Draw nigh vnto God and he will draw nigh to you Draw nigh to God! but how Pedibus aut passibus corporis with your bodily feete or paces No sed cordis but with the feete and paces of our heart Per bona opera saith the Glosse by good workes per morum imitationem saith Aquinas by honestie of life and conuersation fide affectu pijs precibus
Whatsoeuer things are true and honest and iust and pure and doe pertaine to loue and are of good report if there bee any vertue or praise thinke we on these things Thinke we on these things to doe them and we shall not need to feare any going into captiuity yea the destroying Angell shall haue no power ouer vs the raging waters shall not hurt vs our cattell and whatsoeuer else we enioy shall prosper vnder vs. For God euen our owne God shall giue vs his blessing THE Twelfth Lecture AMOS 1.6 7 8. Thus saith the Lord For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure I will not turne to it because they carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom. Therefore will I send a fire vpon the walls of Azzah and it shall deuoure the Palaces thereof And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon and turne mine hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the Lord God THese words doe containe a burthensome prophecie against the Philistines I diuide them into three parts 1 A preface to a prophecie vers 6. Thus saith the Lord. 2 The prophecie vers 6 7 8. For three transgressions c. 3 The conclusion in the end of the eighth verse Saith the Lord God In the prophecie I obserue foure parts 1 An Accusation of the Philistines vers the 6. For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure 2 The Lords protestation against them vers the 6. I will not turne to it 3 The declaration of that grieuous sin by which the Philistines so highly displeased God vers the 6. They carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom. 4 The description of the punishments to be inflicted vpon them in fiue branches One in the seuenth verse and foure in the eighth verse The great Cities Azzah and Ashdod and A hkelon and Ekron and all the rest of the Philistines are partners in this punishment This prophecy for the tenor and current of the words is much like the former against the Syrians the exposition whereof in sundry sermons heretofore deliuered may serue for the exposition of this prophecie also The preface is first Thus saith the Lord Not Amos but in Amos the Lord. The Lord Iehouah who made the heauens and spread them out like a curtaine to cloath himselfe with light as with a garment and can againe cloath the heauens with darknesse and make a sacke their couering the Lord Iehouah who made the sea to lay the beames of his chamber therein and placed the sands for bounds vnto it by a perpetuall decree neuer to be passed ouer howsoeuer the waues thereof shall rage and roare and can with a word smite the pride thereof at his rebuke the flouds shall be turned into a wildernesse the sea shall be dried vp the fish shall rot for want of water and die for thirst the Lord Iehouah who made the drie land and so set it vpon foundations that it should neuer moue and can couer her againe with the deepe as with a garment and so rocke her that she shall reele to and fro and stagger like a drunken man Thus saith the Lord The Lord Iehouah whose throne is the heauen of heauens and the sea his floure to walke in and the earth his footstoole to tread vpon who hath a chaire in the conscience and sitteth in the heart of man and possesseth his most secret reines and diuideth betwixt the flesh and the skinne and shaketh his inmost powers as the thunder shaketh the wildernesse of Cades Thus saith the Lord Hath he said it and shall he not doe it hath he spoken it and shall he not accomplish it The Lord Iehouah the strength of Israel is not as man that he should lie nor as the sonne of man that he should repent All his words yea all the titles of his words are yea and Amen Heauen and earth shall perish before one iot or any one tittle of his word shall escape vnfulfilled Thus saith the Lod Out of doubt then must it come to passe Here see the authority of this prophecie and not of this only but also of all other the prophecies of holy Scripture that neither this nor any other prophecy of old is destitute of diuine authority This point of the authority of holy Scripture I deliuered vnto you in my second and sixt Lectures vpon this Prophecie and then noted vnto you the harmony consent and agreement of all the Prophets Euangelists and Apostles from the first vnto the last not one of them spake one word of a naturall man in all their ministeries the words which they spake were the words of him that sent them they spake not of themselues God spake in them Whensoeuer were the time whatsoeuer were the meanes whosoeuer were the man wheresoeuer were the place whatsoeuer were the people the words were the Lords Thus saith the Lord Then must we giue eare vnto him with reuerence But what saith hee Euen the words of this Prophecie For three transgressions of Azzah and foure I will not turne it Azzah Palestina the country of the Philistines was diuided into fiue Prouinces or Dutchies mentioned Iosh 13.3 the Dutchies of Azzah of Ashdod of Askelon of Gath of Ekron These fiue chiefe and the most famous Cities of Palestina are recorded also 1 Sam. 6.17 where the Philistines are said to haue giuen for a sinne offering to the Lord fiue golden Emerods one for Azzah one for Ashdod one for Askelon one for Gath and one for Ekron Against foure of these Cities all saue Gath and against Gath too in the generall name of the Philistines this prophecie was giuen by the ministery of Amos. In the offence or blame Azzah is alone nominated but in the punishment are Ashdod and Askelon and Ekron and the residue of the Philistines remembred as well as Azzah Azzah It 's first named Gen. 10.19 In the vulgar Latine and in the Greeke it 's commonly called Gaza it hath no other name in the new Testament but Gaza It 's so called Act. 8.26 And you may call it by which name you will Azzah or Gaza it 's not materiall Now by this Azzah or Gaza you are to vnderstand the inhabitants of the City and not them only but also the borderers all the inhabitants of the country adiacent to all which our Prophet here denounceth Gods iudgements for their sins For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure These words containing an accusation of the Philistines for their sins and the protestation of Almighty God against them for the same I haue heretofore in my sixt Lecture at large expounded occasioned thereto by the beginning of the third verse and therefore I shall not need at this time to make any long iteration thereof Yet let me relate vnto you the summe and substance of them For three transgressions of Azzah c. It is as if the Lord had thus said If the
against Iudah These might haue serued Israel in stead of so many mirrours or looking glasses wherein they might haue beheld the iudgements that hung ouer their heads also From the iudgements of God denounced to forreine nations the people of Israel might thus within themselues haue reasoned Our God! All his a Deut. 32.4 wayes are iudgement he is a God of truth without iniquitie iust and right is he The Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites must they for their misdoings be punished How then shall we escape They sillie people neuer knew the holy will of God and yet must they be measured with the line of desolation What then shall be the portion of our cup who knowing Gods holy will haue not regarded it Againe from the iudgements of God pronounced against Iudah the people of Israel might thus within themselues haue argued God b Psal 9.7 ministreth his iudgements in vprightnesse He threatneth destruction to our brethren the people of Iudah that people whom all that saw them acknowledged to be the c Esa 61.9 blessed seed of the Lord that people that was the d Esa 5.7 plant of the Lords pleasures that people with whom God placed his e Psal 114.2 sanctuarie vpon that people will the Lord send a fire to deuoure them What then shall be the end of vs They our brethren of Iudah haue preserued among them Religion the worship and feare of the Lord in greater puritie then we haue done and yet will the Lord send a fire vpon them to deuoure them Certainly our iudgement cannot be farre off Amos hauing thus prepared his auditors the Israelites to attention maketh no longer delay but beginneth to deliuer his message to them in the words which I haue now read vnto you For three transgressions of Israell and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof c. Herein for our more direct proceeding may it please you to obserue with me 1. Autoritatem sermonis The authoritie of this Prophecie Thus sayth the Lord. 2. Sermonem ipsum The Prophecie it selfe For three transgressions of Israel c. In the Prophecie as farre as this Chapter leadeth vs we haue 1. Reprehensionem A reproofe of Israel for sinne vers 6 7 8. 2. Enumerationem A recitall of the Benefits which God had heaped vpon Israel vers 9.10.11 3. Exprobrationem A twitting of Israel with their vnthankefulnesse vers 12. 4. Comminationem A threatning of punishment to befall Israel for their sinnes ver 13. to the end of the Chapter The Reprehension is first and first by vs to be considered In it we may note 1. A generall accusation of Israel For three transgressions of Israel and for foure 2. A protestation of Almightie God against them I will not turne away the punishment thereof 3. A rehearsall of some grieuous sinnes which made a separation betweene God and Israel Because they sold the righteous for siluer and the poore for a paire of shoes and so forward to the end of the eyghth verse You haue the deuision of my Text. Now followeth the exposition The first thing we meete with is Autoritas sermonis the authoritie of this prophecie Thus saith the Lord Iehovah Now the thirteenth time is this great Name of God Iehovah offered to our deuoutest meditations We met with it in the first chapter of this book nine times and thrise before in this and yet by this name Iehovah is not God knowne to vs. We know him by the name of a strong omnipotent and All-sufficient God but by his Name Iehovah we know him not Abraham Isaac Iacob by this Name knew him not it is so recorded Exod. 6.3 Nor can we by this Name know him For this Name is a Name of Essence It designeth God vnto vs not by any effect of his but by his Essence and who euer knew the Essence of God who was euer able to define it The f Pet. Galatinus de arcanis Cathol verit lib. 2. cap. 1. schoole-men say there are three things whereof they can giue no definition One is that first matter out of which all things were produced The second is Sinne that hath destroyed all The third is God who preserueth all The first which is the Philosophers Materia prima they define not obsummam informitatem because it is without all forme The second which is mans bane Sinne they define not ob summam deformitatem for its exceeding deformitie The third euen God the prime cause of all his creatures they define not ob summam formositatem for his transcendeÌ„t beautie It pleaseth the Schoolmen sometimes thus to play with words For the matter they are in the right It is true g Aquin. par 1. qu 1. art 7. ad â—â— De deo non possumus scire Quid est We cannot attaine to so great a measure of the knowledge of God as to define what he is When the Poet h Cic. de Nat. Deorum lib. 1. Simonides was asked of K. Hiero what God is He wisely for answere desired one dayes respite after that two then foure still he doubled his number at last of his delay he gaue this for a reason Quanto diutiùs considero tanto mihi res videtur obscurior the more I consider of this matter the more obscure it seemeth vnto me Cotta in i Ibid. Tullie said not amisse Quid non sit Deus citiùs quà m quid sit dixerim I can with more ease tell what God is not then what he is This goeth for a truth in the schooles k Aquin. par 1. qu 3. in principio De Deo scire non possumus quid sit sed quid non sit we cannot know of God what he is but what he is not So saith Saint l In psal 85. Augustine Facilius dicimus quid non sit quam quid sit Deus We can more easily say what God is not then what he is And what is he not The same father in his 23. Tract vpon the Gospell of S. Iohn will tell you Non est Deus corpus non terra non coelum non luna non Sol non Stellae non corporalia ista God is not a bodie he is not the earth he is not the Heauen he is not the Moone he is not the Sunne he is not the Starres he is not any of these corporall things From hence sprang those Negatiue attributes of God which we meete with either in the sacred volumes of the New Testament or in the writings of the ancient Fathers from hence is God said to be m 1. Tim. 1.17 immortall invisible n Rom. 1.23 vncorruptible o Bernard serm 6. Supra Cantica incorporeall p Aug. de verb. Apostoli Serm. 1. ineffable inestimable incomprehensible infinite q Bernard paruorum sermonum serm 51. immense vndiuided vnuariable vnchangeable All these shew vnto vs not what God is but what he is not And
fornication and in the former not once to name it Thirdly it is malum lubricum a sinne full of great danger So meaneth Salomon Prou. 23.27 where he sayth A whore is a deepe ditch and a strange woman is a narrow d Prou. 22.14 pitt The comparison is plaine A Harlot to a deepe ditch and to a narrow pit The meaning of the holy Ghost is As a man that falleth into a deepe ditch or into a narrow pit breaketh either an arme or a legge and with much adoe getteth out againe so is it with them that are ouertaken with this vile sinne of fornication the woman e Eccles 26.7 whose heart is as snares and nets and her hands as bands will bee to them more bitter then death with much adoe shall they escape from her Fourthly it stoppeth the passage into Heauen S. Paul affirmeth it 1. Cor. 6.9 Fornicators shall not inherite the kingdome of God and againe Ephes 5.5 No whoremonger hath any inheritance in the kingdome of Christ S. Iohn Reuel 21.18 sayth as plainely Whoremongers shall haue their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Thus haue you of many foure reasons why wee may not commit fornication 1. It is vnlawfull by the law of Nature 2. It is forbidden by the law of God 3. It is full of great danger 4. It stoppeth the passage into Heauen Now see the validitie of my former inference We may not commit fornication for the reasons now specified much lesse may we commit adulterie much lesse incest much lesse other sinnes of vncleannesse sinnes against Nature monstrous and prodigious sinnes All these S. Paul 1. Cor. 6. hath euen chayned together to cast them into Hell And that you may take notice of it he hath a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for you vers 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not deceiued Neither fornicators nor adulterers nor the effeminate nor abusers of themselues with mankinde shall inherit the kingdome of God Thus farre hath the first vse of my doctrine led mee The second followeth My doctrine was Incestuous persons adulterers fornicators and other vncleane sinners are oftentimes the cause of profaning the holy name of God This in the second place serueth for the reproofe of such as suffer themselues to be kindled with the burning fire of luxuriousnes or carnall lusts And hereby are all incestuous marriages condemned f Caietan in Aquin 2. 2. qu. 154 Art 9. §. Respondeo Emanuell King of Portugall married his wiues sister g Caietan ibid. Ferdinand the younger King of Sicilie married his fathers h Joannam sister Philip the second King of Spaine married his sisters i Annam daughter Henry the eight King of England married his brothers k Catharinam wife All these were incestuous marriages and are by this doctrine condemned But some may say these marriages were not concluded but by the Popes dispensation Why then say I they are condemned I say so because they are precisely against the law of God written Levit. 18. But may not the Pope dispense against that law What! Dispense against the law of God! We are not ignorant that the chiefe patrons of the Pontificiall law howsoeuer they grant l In cap. MennaÌ„ 2. q. 5. Annotat. marg Papam quandoque nimiùm papaliter dispensare that the Pope sometimes dispenseth too much Pope-like doe notwithstanding expresly affirme m Gloss in Cap. Post translationem Extra de Renuntiatione 25. qu. 1. Cap. Sunt quidam Papam bene dispensare contra Apostolum that the Pope well dispenseth against the Apostle n Rainold Thes 5. pag. 141. Neither do they grant vnto the Pope this power of dispensing only in causes perteining to the positiue law of man with which colour they now paint ouer that same flagitious glosse of dispensing against the Apostle but also in matters ratified by the law of God I could here tell you of many wicked dispensations that haue bin granted by the Pope as that o Cap. ad Apostolicae in Sexto de Sentent re iudicat Bulla Pij 5. contra Reginam Angliae subiects may be discharged of their oath and fealtie and may be licenced to withdraw their allegiance from their Prince yea to take armes against him yea to lay violent hands on him that p Concil Constans Sess 19. Cap. Quòd non obstantibus Câ—luis conductibus promise may be broken with God and man that most horrible q Rainold Thes 5. § 41. pag. 188. abominations may be committed that all things diuine and humane may be peruerted right and wrong Heauen and earth lawfull and vnlawfull may be confounded togither But I may not so far digresse from my present purpose Let it suffice for this time that you see the impietie of the Popes dispensations or rather dissipations as r De Consid ad â—ugâ—n lib. 3. c. 4. S. Bernard calleth them in his allowing of incestuous mariages that a man may marry his wiues sister or his fathers sister or his sisters daughter or his brothers wife all precisely against the law of God Here might we stand amased and wonder that such irregular and shamelesse dispensations should passe with the approbation of the Pope who beares a face as if he were most holy yea Holinesse it selfe Speake we to him or write to him our compellation must be Pater Sanctissime most holy Father and Sanctitas Tua your Holinesse But knowing him to be that Å¿ 2. Thess 2 3. man of sinne that sonne of perdition that grand Antichrist who according to the prophecies of the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures was to be reuealed in these latter times we need not wonder though he dispenseth with all the most horrible and abominable impieties that may be Can we t Matth. 7.16 gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Can we expect that the Pope who u 2. Thess 2.4 opposeth himselfe against God and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God should either himselfe liue or cause others to liue according to the holy law of God For the Popes themselues would the time and your patience permit I could rip vp their liues and shew vnto you how they haue bin stained and defiled with all manner of fearefull notorious and abhominable sinnes But my text will not suffer me so farre â—o range The sinnes of vncleanenesse wherein those holy fathers haue to the astonishment of the world wallowed are the sinnes in my present text and doctrine smitten at What shall I tell â—ou of the incest committed by many of them by Iohn the 13. with Stephana his fathers concubine by Iohn the x Aliâs the 24. 23. with his brothers wife by Paul the 3. with two of his Nieces by Pius the 5. with his owne sister by y Joan. Iovian Pontan Alexander the 6. with his owne daughter I could make true report vnto you of many of
and they haue rebelled against me What Children and they rebell If seruants had done it if bondmen if the sonnes of Agar of whom it was sayd of old m Gen. 21.10 Cast out this bondwoman and her sonne if these had rebelled against me it were the lesse to be maruailed at but they are children mine owne children children of mine owne education nourished and brought vp by my selfe That these should rebell against me Heare ô Heauens and hearken ô earth stand yee hereat astonished Marke I beseech you how the Lord goeth on to amplifie this Vnthankefulnesse of his people ver 3. The oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his Masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider See you not how God setteth his people as it were to Schoole to the Oxe and to the Asse to learne of them what their dutie is And no maruaile is it sayth a good n Calvin Interpreter For it often times falleth out that bruit beasts doe make a greater shew of humanitie then man himselfe doth It is a commendation giuen vnto dogges that they are fidelissimi dominis gratissimi most faithfull most grateful vnto their Masters that by night they watch and ward and keepe their Masters houses that by day they attend their Masters abroad that they fight for them yee and sometimes o Bosquiâ—r sâ—cundâ naufragij tabulâ Conc. in dâ—dicativis Templi pag. 158. die for them too The Dogge that in K. Pyrrhus his p Theatâ—â—m mundi Launaei lib. 1. sub finem Campe in the middest of his armed souldiers inuaded the parricide and murderer of his Master is recorded for a paterne of thankefulnesse So is that Merchants dogge that in the Iland Teos lay vpon a bagge of money of his Masters which his Masters boy had by negligence left behind him in a by-way and so long he lay vpon it that at his masters returne to seeke what he had lost tùm custodiae finem fecit tùm caninam efflavit animam sayth my q Elias Cretens comment ad â—rat 2. Naziazenus de Theologia p. 60. Author hee yeelded vp the custodie of the bagge and dyed I could tell you of as great thankefulnesse in Lyons It was a thankful Lyon that spared Androclus a runnagate from his Master put into Circus Maximus at Rome to be deuoured by the Beasts there The kindnesse he had done to the Lyon was in Africa and it was nothing else but the plucking of a thorne out of his foote It was a kindnesse and the Lyon forgat it not It s registred by Gellius Noct Attic. lib. 5. cap. 14. It was a thankefull Lyon that followed Gerasimus the Abbot to keepe his Asses the kindnesse that the Abbot had done to the Lyon was done at the riuer Iordan It was nothing else but the remoouing of a little bramble from the Lyons foote It was a kindnesse and the Lyon did him seruice for it It s reported by Iohan. Moscus in his pratum spirituale c. 107. And Fran. Costerus the Iesuite cites it to be true in his r Pag. 255. Sermon vpon the thirteenth Dominicall after Pentecoast It was a thankefull Lyon that followed a certaine souldier that went with Duke Godfrey of Bullein to the Conquest of the Holy land The kindnesse that the souldier had done to the Lyon was done not farre from Ierusalem And what was it A serpent that had gotten this Lyon at the aduantage and was like to be his executioner was slaine by this souldier This was a kindnesse and the Lyon was thankefull for it It is storied by Bernardus Guidonis in his Chronicle And Philip Diez a Fryer minorite of Portugall in his Summa predicantium at the word Ingratitude takes it for true and vpon the relation thereof breaketh out into this exclamation Å¿ Pag. 4â—5 O magnam bestiae gratitudinem ingentem hominum ingratitudinem Quare haec audientes vos non confunditis O the great thankefulnesse of a beast and the exceeding great vnthankefulnesse of men How is it that you heare this and are not confounded Salomon the wisest among the sonnes of men Prov. 6.6 sends the sluggard to the Ant to learne of her to labour Goe to the Ant thou sluggard consider her wayes and be wise Shee t Prou. 6.7 hauing no guid ouerseer or ruler prouideth her meate in summer and gathereth her food in the haruest Goe learne of her doe thou likewise Is the sluggard sent to the Ant to learne Then well may the Vnthankefull man be sent to the Lyon to the dogge to the oxe and to the asse He may learne to be thankefull of the Lyon and of the dog I haue shewed it vnto you by humane testimonies The oxe and the asse may also teach it them diuine demonstration makes it good Remember I beseech you that same exaggeration of the ingratitude of Israel The oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his masters cribbe but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider And let this suffice to shew that God doth seuerely reprehend vnthankefulnesse Now in the third place I am to shew that he doth punish it The punishments wherewith God repayeth vnthankefulnesse are of two sorts They are eyther Temporall or Eternall Among Temporall punishments I ranke the losse of the commodities of this life Such a punishment a temporall punishment it was wherwith God repayed the Vnthankefulnesse of the Israelites in the wildernesse of Pharan at Kibroth-Hattaauah or the graues of lust their thirteenth mansion so called because there u Num. 11.34 they buried the people that lusted for flesh This punishment Psal 78.30 31. is thus described While their meate was yet in their mouthes the wrath of God came vpon them and slew the fattest of them and smote downe the chosen of Israel In the 11. of Numbers ver 33. thus While the flesh was yet betweene their teeth ere it was chewed the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague A temporall punishment it was wherewith God repayed the mother x Hos 2.5 that played the Harlot Hos chap. 2. for her vnthankfulnesse Shee knew not that the Lord gaue y Ver. 8. her Corne and wine and oyle and multiplyed her siluer and her gold For shee sayd verse 5. I will goe after my louers that giue me my bread and my water my wooll and my flax mine oyle and my drinke You may see her punishment resolued vpon vers 9. I will returne saith the Lord and will take away my Corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and I will recouer my wooll and my flax Mine sayth the Lord. They are all his It was the Harlots Vnthankefulnesse to call them hers But shee was punished with the losse of them A temporall punishment it is which is threatned to fall vpon euery Vnthankefull wretch Prov. 17.13 Who so rewardeth euill for good euill shall not
also in particular I speake not now of the prouidence of God as it is potentialis immanens but as it is actualis transiens not as it is the internall action of God but as it is externall not as it is his decree of gouerning the world but as it is the execution of that decree This prouidence of God this his actuall and transient prouidence this his externall action and the execution of his inward and eternall decree is nothing else than a perpetuall and vnchangeable disposition and administration of all things or to speake with Aquinas it is nothing else than ratio ordinis rerum ad finem it is nothing else than the course which God perpetually holdeth for the ordering of the things of the world to some certaine end Such is the prouidence of God whereof I am now to speake which is by some diuided into a generall and a speciall prouidence by others into an vniuersall a special a particular prouidence Gods vniuersall or generall prouidence I call that by which he doth not only direct al creatures according to that secret instinct or inward vertue which he hath giuen to euery one of them at the time of their creation but doth also preserue them in their ordinary course of nature Of this vniuersall or generall prouidence of God Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus in his first Sermon concerning this argument discourseth copiously and elegantly You that say in your hearts there is no prouidence of God consider the things that are visible and are obuious to your eies consider their nature their site their order their state their motion their agreement their harmony their comlinesse their beautie their magnitude their vse their delight their variety their alteration their continuance and then if you can deny God's prouidence Gods prouidence is manifest in euery worke of creation you may behold it in the Heauen and in the lights thereof the Sunne the Moone and the Starres You may behold it in the aire in the clouds in the earth in the sea in plants in hearbs in seeds You may behold it in euery other creature euery liuing creature reasonable or vnreasonable man or beast and in euery beast whether it goeth or flieth or swimmeth or creepeth There is not any thing but it may serue to magnifie the prouidence of God But why runne I to the Fathers for the illustration of a point wherein the holy Scriptures are so plentifull so eloquent The 104. Psalme containeth an egregious description hereof a faire and goodly picture and a liuely portraiture of this prouidence of God drawne with the pencill of the holy Ghost I see therein the aire and clouds and winds and water and the earth and the like so ruled and ordered by the immediate hand of God that should he remoue his hand but for a moment this whole vniuerse would totter and fall and come to nothing I goe on to the 147. Psalme There I see God numbering the starres and calling them by name I see him couering the Heauens with clouds preparing raine for the earth giuing snow like wooll scattering the hoare frost like ashes casting forth his ice like morsells making grasse to grow vpon the mountaines giuing food to beasts to Rauens all this I see and cannot but acknowledge his vniuersall prouidence I looke backe to the booke of Iob and Chap. 9. I finde God remouing mountaines and ouer-turning them I finde him shaking the earth out of her place and commanding the Sunne to stand still I finde him alone spreading out the heauens and treading vpon the waues of the sea I finde him making Arcturus Oâ—ion Pleiades and the chambers of the South I finde him doing great things past finding out yea and wonders without number All this I finde and cannot but admire his vniuersall prouidence Infinite are the testimonies which I might produce out of the old Testament for this point but I passe them ouer contenting my selfe with only two out of the new That of our Sauiour Christ Iohn 5.17 My Father worketh hitherto and I worke is fit to my purpose The words are an answer to the Iewes who persecuted our Sauiour and sought to slay him for doing a cure on the Sabbath day vpon one that had beene diseased 38. yeares They held it to be vnlawfull to doe any worke vpon the Sabbath day Christ affirmes it to be lawfull The ground of their opinion was God the Father rested the seuenth day from all his workes This Christ denieth not but explicates the meaning of it It s true My Father rested the seuenth day from all his workes yet true also it is Pater meus vsque modò operatur My Father worketh hitherto He rested the seuenth day from all his workes and yet he worketh how can this be so It is thus according to Aquinas He rested the seuenth day à nouis creaturis condendis from making any new creatures yet notwithstanding hee euer worketh creaturas in esse conseruando preseruing his creatures in their being It may be thus enlarged Requieuit die septimo God rested the seuenth day from creating any new world or from making any new kinds of creatures but nor then rested he nor at any time since hath he rested from prouiding for and caring for and ruling and gouerning and sustaining the world Neuer resteth he but causeth his creatures to breed and bring forth after their kinds and restoreth things decaying and preserueth things subsisting to his good pleasure This is that saying of our Sauiours Pater meus vsque modò operatur my Father worketh hitherto My Father worketh hitherto Hom. 37. in Ioan. 5. Saint Chrysostome well discourseth thereupon If saith he thou shouldest aske How is it that the Father yet worketh sith he rested the seuenth day from all his workes I tell thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He prouideth for and vpholdeth all things that he hath made Behold the Sunne rising and the Moone running and pooles of water and springs and riuers and raine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the course of nature in seeds and in the bodies of man and beast behold and consider these and all other things whereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this vniuerse consisteth and thou wilt not deny the perpetuall operation of the Father but wilt breake forth into the praises of his vniuersall prouidence That branch of Saint Pauls Sermon to the Athenians Act. 17.28 In him we liue and moue and haue our being is also fit to the point we haue in hand In him that was to the Athenians the vnknowne God but is indeed the only true and euer-liuing God we liue we moue we haue our being Saint Ambrose in his booke De bono moutis cap. 12. thus descants vpon the words In Deo mouemur quasi in vià sumus quasi in veritate vinimus quasi in vitâ aeternâ In him we moue as in the way we haue our being as in the truth we liue as in the life eternall S. Cyprian or whosoeuer
a Prophet or a Priest the Priest Exod. 28.30 that hath in the brest-plate of iudgemement the Vrim and the Thummim Againe God speaketh vnto men by a voice either sensible or spirituall if with a sensiblâ— voice then he striketh the outward eares if with a spirituall then the inward as well the left eare which is the Phantasie as the right which is the Vnderstanding Thirdly God speaketh vnto men either sleeping or waking So Serarius Quaest 1. in cap. 1. Ioshuae What the ancient Fathers haue thought of this point touching God his speaking vnto man I haue long since deliuered out of this place in my third Lecture vpon the first Chapter of this Prophecie What was Saint Basils opinion what Saint Augustines what Saint Gregories you then heard Later Writers haue reduced all the speakings of God to two heads Deeds and Words Christophorus à Castro vpon the first of Zachary Et factis loquitur Deus verbis God speaketh both by Deeds and by words Franciscus Ribera vpon the same Chapter Deus ita rebus vt verbis loquitur God speaketh as well by things as by words A learned and a very orthodox Diuine Dauid Pareus in his Commentary vpon Genesis at the third Chapter well liking of Saint Gregories opinion thus resolueth vpon the point God speaketh either by himselfe or by some Angelicall creature By himselfe God speaketh when by the sole force of internall inspiration the heart is opened or God speaketh by himselfe when the heart is taught concerning the word of God without words or syllables This speech of God is sine strepitu sermo a speech without any noise It pierceth our eares and yet hath no sound Such was the speech of God vnto the Apostles at what time they were filled with the Holy Ghost Act. 2.2 Suddenly there came a sound from Heauen as of a rushing mightie wind and it fillâ—d all the house where they were sitting and there appeared vnto them clouen tongues like as of fire and it suâ—e vpon each of them Per ignem quidem Dominus apparuit sed persemet ipsum locutionem interius fecit By the fire indeed God appeared but by himselfe he spake in secret within to the heart of the Apostles Neither was that fire God nor was that sound God but God by those outward things the fire and the sound Expressit hoc quod interiùs gessit hee shewed what he did within and that he spake to the heart Those outward things the fire and the sound were only for signification to shew that the Apostles hearts were taught by an inuisible fire and a voice without a sound Foris fuit ignis qui apparuit sed intùs qui scientiam dedit the fire that appear'd was without but the fire that gaue them knowledge was within So may you iudge of the sound the sound that was heard was without but the sound that smote their hearts was within So Gods speech is a speech to the heart without words without a sound Such was that speech to Philip Act. 8.29 Goe neere and ioyne thy selfe to yonder Chariot It was the Spirit said so to Philip Bede expounds it of inward speech In corde spiritus Philippo loquebatur The Spirit said to Philip in his heart The Spirit of God may then be said to speake vnto vs when by a secret or hidden power it intimateth vnto our hearts what we are to doe The Spirit said vnto Philip that is Philip was by the Spirit of God inwardly moued to draw neere and ioyne himselfe to the Chariot wherein that Aethiopian Eunuch sate reading the Prophesie of Esay A like speech was that to Peter Act. 10.19 Behold three men seeke thee It was the Spirit said so to Peter And here Bede In mente haec ab spiritu non in aure carnis audiuit Peter heard these words from the Spirit in mente in his vnderstanding non in aure carnis not by his fleshly eare The Spirit said vnto Peter that is Peter was by the Spirit of God inwardly moued to depart from Ioppa and goe to Caesarea to preach to the Gentiles to Cornelius and his company From this inward speaking of God by his holy Spirit in the hearts of men without either words or sound we may note thus much for our present comfort that whensoeuer wee are inwardly moued and doe feele our hearts touched with an earnest desire either to offer vp our priuate requests to God or to come to the place of publike prayer or to heare the preaching of the word or to receiue the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist or to doe any good worke we may be assured that God by his holy Spirit God by himselfe speaketh vnto vs. Thus you see how God speaketh vnto vs by himselfe Hee speaketh vnto vs also by his creatures By his creatures Angelicall and others And he doth it after diuers manners 1 Verbis by words By words only as when nothing is seene but a voice onely is heard as Ioh. 12.28 When Christ prayed Father glorifie thy name immediatly there came a voice from Heauen saying I haue both glorified it and will glorifie it againe Here was Vox Patris the voice of God the Father yet ministerio Angelorum formata it was formed by the ministery of Angels 2 God speaketh Rebus by things By things onely as when no voice is heard but some thing onely is obiected to the senses An example of this kind of Gods speaking is that vision of Ezechiel chap. 1.4 He saw a whirle-wind come out of the North with a great cloud and a fire infolding it selfe and in the middest of the fire the colour of Amber All this he saw but here is no mention of any voice at all And yet the Prophet saith Omninò fuit verbum Iehouae ad Ezechielem the Word of the Lord came expresly vnto Ezechiel The word of the Lord came and I looked and behold a whirlewind Here was res sine verbo a thing but no voice 3 God speaketh Verbis simul rebus both by words and things as when there is both a voice heard and also some thing obiected to the senses So He spake to Adam presently after his fall when he heard the voice of God walking in the Garden and saying Adam where art thou Gen. 3.8 4 God speaketh Imaginibus cordis oculis extensis by some images shapes or semblances exhibited to our inward eyes the eyes of our hearts So Iacob in his dreame saw a ladder set vpon the earth the top whereof reached to Heauen and the Angels of God ascended and descended on it Gen. 28.12 So Peter in a trance saw Heauen opened and a certaine vessell descending vnto him as it had beene a great sheet knit at the foure corners and let downe to the earth wherein were all manner of foure footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowles of the aire Act. 10.10 So Paul in a vision in the night saw a man of Macedonia standing by
the summer house and the houses of iuory shall perish and the great houses shall haue an end Thus much bee spoken for the exposition of the words Now let vs see what point of obseruation may from hence arise for our further profit In that our Prophet here seemeth to reproue and tax the rich men Princes and others in the Kingdome of the Ten Tribes for their variety cost and state in their buildings by threatning destruction to their winter houses and summer houses to their houses of iuory and to their great houses this question is propounded Whether it be lawfull for Kings Princes and other men of state to build such houses Petrus Lusitanus thus resolues it If Kings Princes and other men of state be otherwise godly and faithfull and studious of Gods worship and mindfull of the poore they may without sinne build such sumptuous and magnificent houses and palaces according to their owne reuenues and estate Such houses King Salomon built and is not reproued He was building of his owne house thirteene yeeres He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon 1 King 7.1 and he made a house for Pharaohs daughter All these houses were of precious stones according to the measures of hewed stones sawed with Sawes within and without euen from the foundation vnto the coping 1 King 7.9 These doubtlesse were costly and magnificent houses yet is Salomon commended for building them And yet neuerthelesse is all such building blame-worthy and to be reproued if it exceed the measure of the ability and dignity of the builder For then there is a necessity of oppressing the poore Against such builders there is a wo gone forth Ier. 22.13 Woe vnto him that buildeth by vnrighteousnesse and his chambers by wrong Againe though a builder exceed not the measure of his ability and dignity yet may his building bee reproueable through the vanity of his intention if his intendment be not Gods honour but his owne praise for haughtinesse and pride of minde makes the best action faulty So much for the question proceed we to the obseruation From the demolition and ouerthrow here threatned and after in due time brought to passe vpon the winter house with the summer house vpon the houses of iuory and vpon the great houses in the Kingdome of the Ten Tribes we may make this obseruation that All the aid and succour a man hath from his buildings whatsoeuer is vaine if once the wrath of God break forth against him If once the wrath of God breake forth against vs alas what shall faire rich and great buildings auaile vs If these might haue yeelded any succour in the day of the Lords visitation the Israelites might haue found it But they together with their buildings thoughfull of state and pompe are perished and come to nought And is it not in like sort fallen out with other most flourishing common wealths and most mighty Kingdomes The daily change of things doth abundantly euict that there is nothing in this world perpetuall Here then may Filii huius seculi this worlds darlings some rich men be reproued for a vanity of theirs They see that death comes alike to all to the rich as to the poore and yet they dreame of nothing else than of a perpetuity of life here For so they order all their waies as if they were to liue here for euer They build them houses great and goodly houses and spare no cost to adorne and deck them gorgeously supposing hereby to continue a perpetuity of their name This vanity of theirs the Psalmist of old hath very well discouered Psal 49.10 11. They see that wise men also die and perish together as well as the ignorant and foolish and leaue their riches for other And yet they thinke that their houses shall continue for euer and that their dwelling places shall endure from generation to generation and call their lands after their owne names By which their vanity they seeme to acknowledge no other life but this Whatsoeuer we preach vnto them of that better life that heauenly and eternall life they beleeue it not but rather they deride it as fabulous But if at any time they are conuinced in conscience that there remaineth after this a better life yet they desire it not Their onely desire and wish is to dwell here for euer Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for euer and their dwelling places to all generations and for this purpose they call their lands after their owne names They will no other Paradise but this As vaine were they that built the Tower of Babel Gen. 11.4 Goe to say they Let vs build vs a City and a Tower whose top may reach vnto Heauen and let vs make vs a name lest we bee scattered abroad vpon the face of the whole earth Let vs build vs a City and a Tower One reason is a desire of dominion Hugo saith Gen. 10.10 Factum esse cupiditate regnandi that Nimrod set forward the worke that it might be the beginning and chiefe of his Kingdome Another reason is Ne diuidaemur lest we be scattered They built them a City and a Tower to maintaine society that they might dwell together and not be scattered vpon the face of the whole earth Antiq. Iud. lib. 1. cap. 5. Iosephus thinks they did it of purpose to oppose themselues against the ordinance and commandement of God who would haue them dispersed into diuers parts that the world might be replenished A third reason is Vt celebremus nomen nostrum to get vs a name They built them a City and a Tower to grow famous thereby De confus ling. 468. Philo saith they did write their names in this Tower to reuiue their memory with posterity In this their proud enterprise they sinned grieuously They sinned through their impiety towards God Erigebant turrim contra Dominum saith S. Augustine De Ciuit Dei l. 16. c. 4. they erected a Tower in despight of God The Prophet Esay according to this patterne bringeth in the King of Babel thus vaunting himselfe I will ascend aboue the height of the clouds I will be like the most high Chap. 14.14 Secondly they sinned through vanity For what more vaine than to neglect Heauen where onely immortality is to be found and to seeke to be famous on earth where there is nothing that is not vaine and transitory See saith Chrysostome the root of euill they seeke to be famous aedificiis non cleemosynis by buildings not by almes Thirdly they sinned through disobedience For knowing that it was Gods ordinance that the earth by them should be replenished they did wilfully oppose themselues against it They would liue together and would not be dispersed as euen now I told you out of Iosephus Fourthly they sinned through impudency Philo cries out vpon it O insignem impudentiam O notorious impudency whereas they should rather haue couered their sinnes they proclaime their pride their tyranny their
Besides these there are other workes of God as begun so ended also extra personas externally and they are of two sorâ—s either supernaturall such I call the â—â—raculous workes of God or naturall such as are the creation of the world the preseruation of the same and the gouernment of it All these workes of which kinde soeuer whether miraculous or workes of nature are common to the whole Trinity The Father worketh the Sonâ—â— worketh and the Holy Ghost worketh as in doing of wonders so in creating all things in preseruing all things in gouerning all things Whereupon followeth that which before I affirmed that as the Father is Lord so the Son is Lord and the Holy Ghost iâ— Lord also So the Lord whom I commend vnto you foâ— the speaker in my text is the Vnity in Trinity one God in three persons God Almighty the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Before I goe on to shew you how he speaketh I must make bold vpon your patience to tell you of some duties necessarie duties to be performed by vs towards him as Lord. God is the Lord we are his seruants The duties wee owâ— him in this respect are three to obey him to serue him to profit him The first duty required of vs is obedience vnto God his word laws and commandements This duty whosoeuer performeth shall easily performe the second duty to wit faithfull seruice with all care and diligence to doe whatsoeuer worke it pleaseth God to employ him in and shall not leaue vndone the third duty but shall doe good and be profitable vnto the Lord. All these duties were well discharged by our first parent Adam As long as he was inuested with his robe of innocency he was perfectly obedient a faithfull seruant and profitable to his Lord. Now if it will be doubted here how a man should be profitable to God thus I answer That Gods riches doe consist in his glory and therefore if his glory be increased and enlarged his aduantage is procured The parable of the talents Mat. 25.14 confirmeth this point The parable is there plainly deliuered vnto you The meaning of it is that God giueth vs his graces to this end that wee should vse and increase them for his aduantage Yea God there compareth himselfe to a couetous vsurer â—o greedy of gaine as that he reapeth where he sowed not and gathereth where he scattered not By all meanes he laboureth to gaine glory to himselfe Eliphaz in the 22. chapt of Iob vers 2 3. seemeth in word to thwart and crosse this doctrine For saith he may a man be profitable vnto God Is it any thing to the Almighty that thou are righteous Or is it profitable to him that thou makest thy waies vpright I answer that God indeed is not so tied to man but that he can set forth his glory without him or his righteousnesse yea hee can glorifie himselfe in the vnrighteousnesse and destruction of man yet I say that to stirre vp man to holinesse it pleaseth God in mercy to count only that glory gained which is gained by the obedience of his seruants And therefore I say againe that Adam in the state of his innocency was perfectly obedient a faithfull seruant and profitable to his Lord. But alas man once beautified with innocency with holinesse and with the grace of God is now spoiled of his robes the Queene once cloathed with a vesture of needle worke wrought about with divers colours is now strâ—pt of her iewels and the soule of man once full of grace is now robbed of her ornaments rich attire My meaning is that man once able to present himselfe spotlâ—sse and without blame before the lambe is now fallen from that grace The Preacher Eccl. 7.20 doth assure vs that there is no man iust in the earth that doth good and sinneth not So much doth Solomons question import Prou. 20.9 Who can say I haue purged my heart I am cleane from my sin O saith Eliphaz vnto Iob cap. 15.14 What is man that he should be cleane and he that is borne of a woman that he should be iust Behold saith he God hath found no stedfastnesse in his Saints yea the heauens are not cleane in his sight how much more is man vnstedfast how much more abominable and filthy drinking iniquity like water When the Lord looked downe from heauen to see whether there were any childe of man that would vnderstand and seeke God Ps 14.2 could he finde any one framed according to the rule of that perfection which he requireth He could not This hee found that all were gone out of the way that all were corrupt that there was none that did good no not one So sinfull is man in his whole race sinfull in his conception sinfull in his birth in euery deed word and thought wholly sinfull The actions of his hands the words of his lips the motions of his heart when they seeme to be most pure and sanctified yet then are they as vncleane things and filthy â—â—uts Esay 64.6 So that that which is spoken of cursed Cain Gen. 4.14 may in some sense be applied to man in generall that for his sinne he is cast forth from the presence of God and is now become a fugitiue and a vagabond vpon the earth I will not prosecute this point of mans nakednesse any farther By this which hath beene spoken it appeareth plainly how vnfit man is to fulfill those good duties required of him by his Lord God For his first dutie in stead of obedience hee continually breaketh the commandements of his God in thought word and deed For his second duty in stead of waiting vpon God to doe him seruice he serueth Sathan sinne and his owne corrupt desires For his third duty in stead of bringing any aduantage of glory vnto God he dishonoureth him by all meanes leading his life as if there were no God You haue seene now the miserable and wretched estate of man by nature the vassall and slaue of sinne with whom it fareth as it did with Pharaohs seruants when they had sinned against their Lord Gen. 40. You know the story how Pharaohs chiefe Butler was restored to his former dignity when as the Baker was hanged These two seruants of Pharaoh may resemble two sorts of men exiled from paradise and from the presence of God because of their sinne to liue vpon the face of the earth as it were in a dungeon full of miserie namely the reprobate and the elect For the reprobate as they liue so they die in this dungeon and doe die eternally but the elect they are pardoned and restored to their former dignity and enabled by Christ their redeemer and reconciler to God to performe their duties to their Lord their duties of obedience of faithfull seruice and of profitablenesse to obey the commandements of God to performe whatsoeuer seruice is enioyned them and to procure aduantage of glory to their Lord. Beloued I doubt not but that all we who are now
light in great measure readily to conceiue what God would haue reuealed and faithfully to publish it according to the will of God S. p De Genesi ad literam lib. 11. cap. 33. Austen enquiring how God spake with Adam and Eue writeth to this purpose It may be God talked with them as he talketh with his Angels by some q Jntrinsecus infabilibus modis internall and secret meanes as by giuing light to their minds and vnderstandings or it may be he talked with them by his creature which God vseth to doe two manner of waies either by some vision to men in a trance so he talked with Peter Act. 10. or else by presenting some shape and semblance to bodily senses So God by his Angels talked with Abraham Gen. 18. and with Lot Gen. 19. S. r Expos Moral lib. 28. incap â—8 â—â— Iob cap. 2. Gregory most accurately handleth this question to this sense God speaketh two manner of wayes 1. By himselfe as when he speaketh to the heart by the inward inspiration of the holy Spirit After which sense we must vnderstand that which we read Act. 8.29 The spirit said vnto Philip go neere and ioyne thy selfe to yonder chariot that is Philip was inwardly moued to draw neare and ioyne himselfe to the chariot wherein the Aethiopian Eunuch sate and read the Prophecie of Esay The like words we finde Act. 10.19 The spirit said vnto Peter Behold three men seeke thee the meaning is the same Peter was inwardly moued by the holy Spirit to depart from Ioppa and to goe to Caesarea to preach vnto the Gentiles to Cornelius and his company Where we may note thus much for our comforts that whensoeuer we are inwardly moued and doe feele our hearts touched with an earnest desire either to make our priuate requests vnto God or to come to the place of publike prayer or to heare a sermon we may be assured that the Holy Spirit God by himselfe speakes vnto vs. 2 God speaketh to vs by his creatures Angelicall and other and that in diuers manners 1 In word only as when no forme is seene but a voice only is heard as Iohn 12.28 when Christ prayed Father glorifie thy name immediately there came a voice from heauen I both haue glorified it and will glorifie it againe 1 In deed only as when no voice is heard but some semblance only is obiected to the senses S. Gregory for illustration of this second way of Gods speaking by his creatures bringeth for example the vision of Ezechiel 1.4 He saw a whirlewind come out of the North with a great cloud and fire wrapped about it and in the middest of the fire the likenesse of Amber All this hee saw but you heare no mention of any voice Here was res sine verbo a deed but no voice 3 Both in word and deed as when there is both a voice heard and also some semblance obiected to the senses as happened vnto Adam presently after his fall Hee heard the voice of the Lord walking in the Garden Gen. 3.8 4 By shapes presented to the inward eyes of our hearts So Iacob in his dreame saw a ladder reach from earth to heauen Gen. 28.12 So Peter in a trance saw a vessell descend from heauen Act. 10.11 So Paul in a vision saw a man of Macedonia standing by him Act. 16.9 6 By shapes presented to our bodily eyes So Abraham saw the three men that stood by him in the plaine of Mamre Gen. 18.2 And Lot saw the two Angels that came to Sodome Gen. 19.1 6 By Celestiall substances So at Christs baptisme a Å¿ Matth. 3.17 voice was heard out of a cloud as also at his t Matth. 17.5 transfiguration vpon the mount This is my beloued son c. By Celestiall substances I doe here vnderstand not only the Heauens with the workes therein but also fire the highest of the elements and the Aire next vnto it togeher with the winds and Clouds 7. By Terrestriall substances So God to reproue the dulnesse of Balaam enabled Balaams owne Asse to speak Num. 22.28 8 Both by Celestiall and Terrestriall substances as when God appeared vnto Moses in a flame of fire out of the middest of a bush Exod. 3.2 You see now how God of old at sundry times and in diuers manners did speake to man either by himselfe or by his creatures and by his creatures many wayes sometimes in word sometimes in deed sometimes in both word and deed sometimes in sleepings sometimes in watchings sometimes by Celestiall substances sometime by Terrestriall sometimes by both Celestiall and Terrestriall To make some vse of this doctrine let vs consider whether God doth not now speke vnto vs as of old he did to our forefathers We shal finde that now also he speaketh vnto vs by himselfe whensoeuer by the inspiration of his holy Spirit he moueth our hearts to religious and pure thoughts and also by his creatures sometime by fire when he consumeth our dwelling houses sometime by thunder when he throweth downe our strong holds sometime by heat sometime by drouth sometime by noysome worms Locusts and Caterpillers when he takes from vs the staffe of bread sometime by plagues when in a few months he taketh from vs many thousands of our brethren and sometime by enemies when he impouerisheth vs by warre All these and whatsoeuer other like these are Gods voices and doe call vs to tepentance But as when there came a voice from heauen to Christ Ioh. 12.28 the people that stood by and heard would not be perswaded that it was Gods voice some of them saying that it thundred others that an Angell spake so we howsoeuer God layes his hand vpon vs by fire by thunder by famine by pestilence by war or otherwise we will not be perswaded that God speakes vnto vs we will rather attribute these things to nature to the heauens to starres and planets to the malice of enemies to chance and the like As peruerse as we are there is a voice of God which we cannot but acknowledge to be his and at this time to be directed vnto vs. Mention of it is made Heb. 1.2 In these last dayes God hath spoken to vs by his sonne The Gospell of Christ is the voice of God It is the voice of God the rule of all instruction the first stone to be laid in the whole building that cloud by day that pillar by night whereby all our actions are to be guided This Gospell of Christ and voice of God cals vs now to obedience O the crookednesse of our vile natures Our stiffe necks will not bend God speaketh vnto vs by his Ministers to walke in the old way the good way but we answer like them Ier. 6.16 We will not walke therein He speaketh to vs by his watchmen to take heed to the sound of the trumpet but we answer like them Ier. 6.17 We will not take heed Turne vs good Lord vnto thee and wee shall bee
literally It is also taken spiritually for the Church either militant here on earth or Triumphant in heauen For the Church Militant Psal 128.5 Thou shalt see the wealth of Ierusalem all thy life long And for the Church Triumphant Gal. 4.26 Ierusalem which is aboue is free The Catholique Church Militant and Triumphant is called Ierusalem because Ierusalem was a type thereof Ierusalem was a type of the Catholike Church in sundry respects 1. God did choose Ierusalem aboue all other places of the earth to r Psal 132.13 Psal 135.21 dwell in So the Catholike Church the company of the predestinate God hath chosen to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe 2. Ierusalem is a Citie Å¿ Psal 122.3 compact in it selfe by reason of the bond of loue and order among the Citizens So the faithfull the members of the Catholike Church are linked together by the bond of one Spirit 3 Ierusalem was the place of Gods sanctuary the place of his presence and worship where the promise of the seed of the woman was preserued till the comming of the Messias Now the Catholike Church is in the roome thereof In the Catholike Church we must seeke the presence of God and the word of life 4 In Ierusalem was the t Psal 122.5 the throne of Dauid So in the Catholike Church is the throne and scepter of Christ figured by the Kingdome of Dauid 5 The commendation of Ierusalem was the subiection and obedience of her citizens The Catholike Church hath her citizens too Eph. 2.19 and they doe yeeld voluntary obedience and subiection to Christ their King 6 In Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register So the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Reuel 20.15 You see now what Ierusalem is literally and what spiritually Literally it is that much honoured City in Iudeâ— the u Psal 46.4 City of God euen the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the most High Spiritually it is the holy Church of Christ either his Church Militant on earth or his Church Triumphant in Heauen Now the Ierusalem in my text from whence the Lord is said to vtter his voice is either Ierusalem in the literall or Ierusalem in the spirituall vnderstanding it is either Ierusalem the mother City of Iudea or Ierusalem the Church of Christ Militant vpon earth or Ierusalem aboue the most proper place of Gods residence So that Ierusalem here is the same with Sion an Exposition of Sion The Lord shall roare from Sion that is in other words The Lord shall vtter his voice from Ierusalem Marke I beseech you beloued in the Lord The Lord shall roare not from Dan and Bethel where Ieroboams calues were worshipped but from Sion the mountaine of his holinesse and he shall vtter his voice not from Samaria drunken with Idolatry but from Ierusalem the x Zach. 8.3 city of truth wherein the purity of Gods worship did gloriously shine We may take from hence this lesson Sion and Ierusalem are to be frequented that thence hearing God speake vnto vs we may learne what his holy will is To speake more plainly This is the lesson which I commend vnto you The place where God is serued and the exercises of his religion are practised must be carefully frequented That I may the more easily perswade you to come vnto and to frequent this place this house of God his holy Church and Temple I bring you a guide This guide is a King and leads you the way the blessed King Dauid I beseech you marke his affection Psal 84.1 O Lord of hosts how amiable are thy tabernacles My soule longeth yea and fainteth for thy courts Marke his loue Psal 26.8 O Lord I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Marke the earnestnesse of his zeale Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God Let this holy King King Dauid be the patterne of your imitation Beloued you must haue an earnest loue and desire to serue God in the assembly of his Saints you must much esteeme of the publike exercise of religion It is Gods effectuall instrument and mean to nourish beget you to the hope of a better life In what case then are you when you absent your selues from this and the like holy assemblies when either you come hither carelesly or else doe gracelesly contemne this place Here is Sion here is Ierusalem here God speaketh to you in the language of Canaan and here may you speake to him againe with your owne mouthes It is euery mans duty the duty of euery one that loues God to come vnto Gods house his house of prayer In this respect thus saith the Lord Esay 56.7 Mine house shall bee called the house of prayer for all people For all people there is no difference betweene the y Galat. 3.28 Iew and the Grecian betweene the bond and the free betweene the male and the female for our Lord who is Lord ouer all z Rom. 10.12 is rich vnto all that call vpon him Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people To imprint this sentence in your hearts it is repeated vnto you Mat. 23.13 Where Iesus Christ to the mony-changers and doue-sellers whom hee found in the Temple vseth this speech It is written mine house shall be called an house of prayer but ye haue made it a den of theeues Iunius his note vpon the place is good Qui domo Dei non vtitur ad orationis domum is eò deuonit vt speluncam latronum efficiat eam Whosoeuer vseth not the house of God for a house of prayer he commeth thither to make it a den of theeues Let vs take heed beloeed in the Lord whensoeuer we come vnto the Church the house of God that we be not partakers of this sharpe censure Ecclesiastes chap. 4.17 giueth a profitable caueat Take heed to thy feet when thou â—nterest into the house of God intimaâ—ing thus much that of duty we are to enter into the house of God Though the Temple in Ierusalem and all the worship in ceremonies that was annexed to it are taken away yet is Salomons caueat good for vs still Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God For we also haue Gods house where he is chiefly to be sought and worshipped euen in euery place appointed by publike authority for publike assemblies Wherefore I pray you hath God giuen his Church a 1 Cor. 12.27 some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors some Teachers Is it not as we are taught Ephes 4.12 for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edifying of the Body of Christ See you not here a forcible argument and
euident proofe for this your publike meeting There is Matth. 18.20 a speciall promise of a blessing to light vpon you as oft as you shall come to this place and thereof the author of all truth assureth you Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them O weigh and consider this If you loue and would haue the societie fellowship and company of your sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ you must frequent this place hither must you come Know this you cannot be right worshippers of God in priuate if you refuse or neglect to frequent this publike assembly the Sion the Ierusalem from whence God is pleased to speake vnto you Much then very much to blame you whosoeuer doe for none or for small occasions absent your selues from this plâ—ce this house of God at appointed times where and when your publike prayers should be as it were a publike renouncing of all sects and society with idolatry and prophanesse an acknowledgement and confession of the true God and a publike sanctification of Gods holy Name to the glory of God The time was and I dare auouch it Act. 21.5 when all the congregation of Tyre with their wiues and children bringing S. Paul out of the towne to the sea shore kneeled downe with him and prayed Shall we in these dayes finde this zeale among Christians I much doubt it and am perswaded men will be ashamed in imitation of those Tyrians to kneele downe in an open place to pray vnto God publikely I will not rub this sore I know somewhat and you know more than I how backward many of you haue been from doing God due seruice in this place Shall I say you haue dishonoured him some by irreuerence some by much absence some by wilfull refusall to bee made partakers of the blessed Communion of the body and bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ I thinke should any one of you inuite your neighbour to sup with you but once and he refuse it you would take some displeasure at him and shall God Almighty the mighty creator of Heauen of Earth and of all you that heare me this day inuite you many times to come and sup at the table of his blessed Son and you refuse it Beleeue it he cannot take it well It is no indifferent or arbitrary thing to come or not to come to the Lords table Come you must of duty though of duty you are first to examine your selues Whosoeuer therefore wilfully refuseth to come he sinneth very grieuously as a learned b Butanus Iâ—c 48. Diuine well noteth 1 Because he contemneth not any humane but a diuine edict the expresse commandement of the Lord of life Doe this in remembrance of me 2 Because he little esteemeth the remembrance of Christ his death by which we are redeemed 3 Because he neglecteth the communion of the body and bloud of Christ 4 Because he sheweth himselfe to be none of the number of Christs disciples I beseech you dearely beloued lay vp these things in your hearts let this day be the beginning of your reformation resolue from henceforth to performe your due obedience to God in this place to powre forth your prayers before him to heare his holy word and to frequent the Lords table where by faith in his death and passion you may receiue many a gracious blessing forgiuenesse of your sins your reconciliation with God the death of iniquity in you and the assured pledge of eternall life I haue now by occasion of Sion and Ierusalem the place from whence God will speake vnto you exhorted euery one of you in particular to come to the Church I pray you note this to be but a part of your duty It is not enough for you to come your selues to the Church you must sollicite and exhort others to come likewise Fathers must bring their children Masters must bring their Seruants For old and young should come My warrant for what I say I take out of Ioel 2.15 16. Call a solemne assembly gather the people sanctifie the congregation gather the elders assemble the children and those that sucke the breasts Marke I beseech you Children and such as sucke the breasts must be assembled You must haue the spirit of resolution to say with Ioshua chap. 24.15 I and my house will serue the Lord. Your duty is yet further extended beyond your children and seruants to your neighbours and also strangers if they come in your way This we may learn out of the prophecies of Esay Micah and Zachary First Esay 2.3 The faithfull shall say Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his wayes and wee will walke in his paths for the law shall goe forth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem Againe Micah 4.2 You shall finde the very same exhortation made by the faithfull and in the same words Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of thâ— Lâ—rd to the house of the God of Iacob c. The Prophet Zachaâ—y chap. 8.21 for summe and substance speaketh the same thing They that dwell in one towne shall goe vnto another saying vp let vs goe and pray before the Lord and seeke thâ— Lord of hosts I will goe also Thus farre of the place from whence the Lord speaketh expressed by two names Sion and Ierusalem THE Fifth Lecture AMOS 1.2 And he said the Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither OF the speaker and place from whence he speaketh I haue heretofore spoken Now proceed wee to the sequels of the speech which shall for this time be the ground of my discourse The dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish So doe the words sound for their substance Yet after the letter in the originall and Hebrew copy we are to read otherwise the fruitfull or pleasant places of the shepherds haue mourned Let vs briefly take a view of the words as they lie in order The dwelling places So is the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 englished not vnfitly For though properly it signifieth fruitfull and pleasant fields and pastures yet because shepherds did vse in the wildernesse neare vnto such fields and pastures to erect themselues little cottages and cabins that they might be at hand to defend their harmlesse sheep from sauage and rauenous beasts it may here well be englished the dwelling places The dwelling places of the shepherds In my first lecture vpon this prophecy I told you there were two sorts of shepherds In the first ranke I placed sheepmasters in the second their seruants Among the first sort of shepherds was Mesa King of Moab who 2 King 3.4 is called a shepherd and there registred to haue rendred to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambes and an hundred thousand rammes with the wooll The
beloued able to make vs if grace be in vs to be wary and to take heed that we bee not ouertaken with three transgressions and with foure It is a very dangerous thing to adde sin to sin This is done h Perkins Cas Consc three manner of wayes 1 By committing one sin in the necke of another 2 By falling often into the same sin 3 By lying in sinne without repentance Here we must remember that we are not simply condemned for our particular sins but for our continuance and residence in them Our sins committed doe make vs worthy of damnation but our liuing and abiding in them without repentancei s the thing that brings damnation Great is the i D. King B. of London in Ion. Lect. 31. strength that sin gathereth by growing and going forwards The growth of sin k In Amos 1.3 fol. 43 c. Albertus Magnus shadoweth in marshalling the order of sinning first is peccatum cogitationis next loquutionis thirdly operis then desperationis The beginning of sinne is inward an euill thought it hasteth out into an euill word then followeth the wicked worke what is the end of all Desperation waited on by finall impenitency Tom. 5 pag. 93. E. This growth of sin S. Hierome plainly expresseth The first step is cogitare quae mala sunt a wicked thought the next cogitationibus adquiescere peruâ—rsis to like well of wicked thoughts the third quod mente decreueris opere complere to put that in action which thou hast wickedly imagined What is the end of all Non agere poenitentiam in suo sibi câ—mplacere delicto euen impenitencie and a delight or pleasure to doe naughtily Hugo the Cardinall in sins proceeding noteth In Psal 7.4 5. Persequatur per suggestiones CoÌ„prehendat pâ—r consensum Conculcet per actum gloriam meam in puluâ—rem deducet per consuetudinem 1 Suggestion 2 Consent 3 Action 4 Custome and pleasure therein Suggestion is from the Deuill who casteth into our hearts impure and vngodly thoughts the rest are from our selues such is the corruption of our nature we readily consent to the Deuils motion what he moues vs to we act accordingly we take pleasure in it and make it our custome This Custome is not onely a graue to bury our soules in but a great stone also rolled to the mouth of it to keepe them downe for euer I say no more to this point but beseech you for Gods sake to bee wary and heedfull that you be not ouertaken with three transgressions and with foure You haue now my propounded doctrine and the first vse to be made of it My doctrine was Three transgressions and foure that is Many sins doe plucke downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners The first vse is to make vs wary and heedfull that we bee not ouertaken with three transgressions and with foure A second vse is to moue vs to a serious contemplation of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God who did so graciously forbeare to punish those Syrians of Damascus till they had prouoked him to displeasure by three transgressions and by foure God is mercifull and gracious long-suffering and of great goodnesse He cryeth vnto the fooles See Serm. 5. vpon Hebr. 10. pag. 76. King vpon Ion. Lect. 31. pag 420. and are not we such foolâ—s Prou. 1.22 O ye foolish how long will yee loue foolishnesse Hee cryeth vnto the faithlesse and is our faith liuing Matt. 17.17 O generation faithlesse and crooked how long now shall I suffer you He cryeth vnto the Iewes and are not we as bad as the Iewes Matth 23 37. O Ierusalem Ierusalem how often He dressed his vineyard with the best and kindliest husbandry that his heart could inuent Esai 5.2 afterward he looked for fruit he requ red it not the first houre but tarrying the full time hee looked that it should bring forth grapes in the autumne and time of vintage He waiteth for the fruit of his l Lâ—k 13 6. fig-tree three yeares and is contented to be entreated that digging and dunging and expectation a fourth yeare may bee bestowed vpon it Exod. 34.6 Thus we see Gods patience is wonderfull He is mercifull gracious long suffering and of great goodnesse Yet may wee not hereon presume Our safest way shall be to rise at the first call if we defer our obedience to the second call we may be preuented Then may God iustly say to vs as he said vnto the Iewes Esai 65.12 I called and ye did not answer I spake and yee heard not And albeit some fall seuen times a day and rise againe albeit to some sinners it pleaseth the Lord to iterate his sufferance yet may not we take encouragement thereby to iterate our misdoings We know that God punished his Angels in heauen for one breach See Lect. 12. p. 135. King vpon Ioh. Lect. 31. pag 421. Adam for one morsell Miriam for one slander Moses for one angry word Achan for one sacrilege Ezechias for once shewing his treasures to the Embassadours of Babel Iosias for once going to warre without asking counsell of the Lord and Ananias and Sapphira for once lying to the holy Ghost Esai 59.1 Is the Lords hand now shortned that he cannot be as speedy and quicke in auenging himselfe vpon vs for our offences Farre be it from vs so to thinke God is not slacke in comming as some count slacknesse He maketh the clouds his Chariots Psa 18.11 Reuâ—l 22.12 he rideth vpon the Cherubins he flieth with the wings of the wind and so he commeth and commeth quickly and his reward is with him to giue to euery one according as his workes shall be THE Seuenth Lecture AMOS 1.3 Because they haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron THis is the third part of this Prophecie the description of that great sin by which the Syrians so much offended Let vs first examine the words Gilead Gilead or Galaad or Galeed in holy Scripture is sometime a hill sometime a citie and sometime a Region or country A hill Gen. 31. So named as appeareth verse 47. of the heape of stones which was made thereon as a witnesse of the league betweene Iacob and Laban for Gilead is interpreted an a Aceruus testimonii heape of witnesse This mountaine Gilead is the b Adrichom greatest of all beyond Iordan it is in length 50. miles and as it is continued and runneth along it receiueth diuers names From Arnon to the city Cedar it is called Galaad then to Bozra it is named Seir afterward Hermon and so reaching to Damascus it is ioyned to Libanus and therefore as S. * Comment in hunc locum Hierom saith in the 22. of Ier. verse 6. Lebanon is called the head or beginning of Galeed Gilead or Galaad or Galeed is also a city built vpon mount Gilead as S. Hierome witnesseth Here was borne and buried the valiant
snow the frost the whirlewind the raine all these God ruleth and gouerneth after his good pleasure And who I pray you ruleth man and mans affaires but the Lord O Lord saith Ierem. chap. 10.23 I know that the way of man is not in himselfe neither is it in man to walke and to direct his steps King Salomon confesseth as much Prou. 20.24 The steps of man are ruled by the Lord. From this ruling prouidence of God King Dauid Psal 23.1 drew vnto himselfe a very comfortable argument The Lord feedeth me therefore I shall not want Let vs as comfortably reason with our selues The Lord feedeth vs therefore we shall not want It is spoken to our neuer ending comfort by our blessed Sauiour Matth. 10.29 Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing and one of them falleth not on the ground without your father Feare ye not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrowes In the same place he further assureth that all the haires of our head are numbred Doth Gods care reach to the falling of the haires of our head and can we doubt of his perpetuall rule and gouernment in the world It must stand true Almighty God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth The third degree by which we may discerne the act of diuine prouidence I called gradum ordinationis the degree of ordination or direction It implyeth thus much that God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth and setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seem to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end all must make for his glorie In this diuine ordination three things doe concurre Constitutio finis mediorum ad finem dispositio and Dispositorum directio First God appointeth an end to euery thing secondly he disposeth meanes vnto the end thirdly hee directeth the meanes so disposed To discourse of these particulars seuerally would carry mee beyond my time and your patience I will but only touch the generall which was God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth or setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seeme to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end they all make for his glory Hereupon dependeth the truth of my propounded doctrine inuiolable No calamitie or miserie be falleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture For if it be true as true it is and the gates of Hell shall neur be able to preuaile against it that God by his wonderfull prouidence maintaineth and preserueth ruleth and gouerneth ordereth disposeth and directeth all things in this world euen to the very haires of our heads it cannot be that any calamity or misery should befall any one of vs by aduenture by hap-hazard by chance by fortune The Epicure in the booke of Iob 22.13 was in a foule errour to thinke that God walking in the circle of heauen cannot through the darke clouds see our misdoings and iudge vs for them Dearely beloued we may not thinke our God to be a m See Lect. 1. page 10. God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the moone a God vpon the mountaines and not in the vallies a God in the greater and not in the lesser employments We may not thus thinke We haue liued long enough to haue learned better things out of Amos 9. Ierem 23. Psal 139. that God is euery where present and that there is no euasion from him Serm 4. in Iames 4.10 infra Lect. 14. pag. 159. No corner in Hell no mansion in heauen no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captiuitie no place of any secrecie any where is able to hide vs from the presence of God Wee haue learned Zach. 4.10 that God hath seuen eyes which goe thorow the whole world You may interpret them with me many millions of eyes He is * Hieronymus in illud Psal 94.9 Qui plantauit aurem non audiet aut qui finxit oculum non considerat Ego autem dico quod Deus totus Oculus est totus Manus est totus Pes est Totus Oculus est quia omnia videt Totus Manus est quia omnia operatur Totus Pes est quia vbique est totus OCVLVS altogether eye for he seeth all things We haue learned Esai 40.12 that God hath hands to measure the waters and to span the heauens You may interpret it with me that he hath many millions of hands He is totus Manus altogether hand for he worketh all things We haue learned Matth. 5.35 that God hath feet to set vpon his foot-stoole You may interpret it with me that he hath many milions of feet He is totus Pes altogether foot for he is euery where We shall then be very iniurious to God if we deny him the ouersight of the smallest matters The holy Scriptures doe euidently shew that he examineth the least moments and tittles in the world that we can imagine n Supra pag. 10. to a handfull of meale to a cruse of oyle in a poore widowes house to the falling of sparrowes to the ground to the clothing of the grasse in the field to the feeding of the birds of the aire to the caluing of hindes to the numbring of the haires of our heads Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord whatsoeuer calamity or misery hath already seized vpon vs or shall hereafter ouertake vs let vs not lay it vpon blinde Fortune but looke we to the hand that striketh vs. Hee who is noted in my text to cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden euen He it is that for our sins bringeth vpon vs calamities and miseries The late fearefull floud raging vpon this land to the vtter destruction of great store of cattell and much people and the late rot of sheepe in this and other places of this land are Gods visitations vpon vs for our sinnes and admonishments for vs to amend our liues Shall there be euill in a city and the Lord hath not done it saith Amos chap. 3.6 It s out of question there is no euill in the city no not in the world but the Lords finger is in it and that iustly for our sinnes sake What remaineth but that we rent our hearts and turne vnto the Lord our God He is gracious mercifull slow to anger of great kindnesse and repenteth him of euill How know we whether he will returne and repent and leaue a blessing behinde him for vs Let vs therefore goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that wee may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need THE Eleuenth Lecture AMOS 1.5 The people of Aram shall goe into captiuity vnto Kir saith the Lord. WEe goe on with that which yet remaineth vnexpounded in this 5. verse
Philistines had offended but once or a second time I should haue beene fauourable vnto them and should haue recalled them into the right way that so they might be conuerted and escape my punishments but now whereas they doe daily heape transgression vpon transgression and find no end of sinning I haue hardned my face against them and will not suffer them to be conuerted but indurate and obstinate as they are I will vtterly destroy them For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure The doctrine is Many sinnes doe plucke downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners See my sixth Serm. on Hos 10. God is of pure eies and beholdeth not iniquity he hath laid righteousnesse to the rule and weighed his iustice in a ballance The sentence is passed forth and must stand vncontroulable euen as long as Sun Moone Tribulation and anguish vpon euery soule that doth euill the soule that sinneth it shall bee punished God makes it good by an oath Deut. 32.41 that he will what his glittering sword his hand shall take hold on iudgement to execute vengeance vpon sinners His soule hateth and abhorreth sin his Law curseth and condemneth sin his hand smiteth and scourgeth sin Sin was his motiue to cast downe Angels into Hell to thrust Adam out of Paradise to turne Cities into ashes to ruinate nations to torment his owne bowels in the similitude of sinfull flesh Because of sinne he drowned the old world and because of sinne ere long will burne this Thus doe many sins plucke downe from heauen the more certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners One vse of this doctrine is to teach vs heedfulnesse in all our waies that we doe not by our many sinnes prouoke Almighty God to high displeasure A second vse it to moue vs to a serious contemplation of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God who did so graciously forbeare these Philistines of Azzah till by three and foure transgressions by their many sins they had prouoked him to indignation It 's true our God is a good God a gracious God a mercifull God a God of wonderfull patience yet may not wee thereby take encouragement to goe on in our euill doings See my sixth Lecture pag. 70. The Lord who punished his Angels in Heauen for one breach Adam for one morsell Miriam for one slander Moses for one angry word Achan for one sacrilege Ezechias for once shewing his treasures to the Embassadors of Babel Iosias for once going to warre without asking counsell of the Lord and Ananias with his wife Sapphira for once lying to the holy Ghost out of doubt will not spare vs if wee shall persist to make a trade of sinning day after day heaping iniquity vpon iniquity to the fulfilling of our sinnes If so we doe it shall be with vs as the Apostle speaketh 1 Thes 2.16 The wrath of God must come on vs to the vtmost Now therefore as the Elect of God holy and beloued let vs walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs. As for the works of the flesh cast we them far from vs adultery fornication vncleannesse wantonnes hatred debate emulation wrath contentions enuy drunkennes gluttony and such like for which the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience let them not once be named among vs as it becommeth Saints But the fruits of the Spirit let vs wholly delight in them hauing laid vp in the treasury of our memories this lesson Three transgressions and soure Many sinnes doe pluck downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners It followeth Because they carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom These words are the third part of this Prophecie and do containe that same grieuous sin by which God was prouoked to come against the men of Azzah and the rest of the Philistines in iudgement the sinne of cruelty rigour vnmercifulnesse hardnesse of heart They carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom Here the abstract is put for the concrete captiuity for captiues or persons in captiuity as Psal 68.18 Thou hast led captiuity captiue The whole captiuity It 's well translated for the sense the word in the originall signifieth absolute perfect and compleat By this whole captiuity the holy Spirit meaneth an absolute perfect and compleat captiuity meram captiuitatem apertam atque manifestam saith Arias Montanus a captiuity indeed open and manifest such a captiuity saith Caluin as wherein they spared not either women or children or the aged they tooke no pity no compassion vpon either sex or age but all of all sorts male and female young and old they carried away prisoners What was their end and purpose in so doing Euen to shut them vp in Edom that is to sell them for bondslaues vnto the Idumaeans In Edom Esau Iacobs brother and Isaacks son by his wife a Gen. 25.21 Rebâ—kah for selling his birthright for a messe of b Vers 30. red broth was surnamed Edom and of him lineally descended the Edomites or Idumaeans Gen. 36.43 Of this posterity of Esau or Edom the land which they inhabited was called the land of Edom or Idumaea and it was a southerne prouince of the land of promise diuided as c Theatr. Terra Sancta Adriehom and d Obseruat lib. 14. cap. 13. Drusius haue obserued out of Iosephus his fifth book of the Iewish antiquities into two parts Idumaeam Superiorem and Inferiorem the higher and the lower Idumaea The higher wherein were two of the cities mentioned in my Text Gaza and Askelon in the diuision of the land of Canaan fell to the lot of the Tribe of Iudah The lower Idumaea commonly known by the name of Idumaea fell to the lot of the Tribe of Simeon and this lower Idumaea I take to be the Idumaea in my Text. Esau pursued Iacob with a deadly hate so did the posterity of Esau the posterity of Iacob the Edomites were euermore most maliciously bent against the Israelites Here then appeareth the hainousnes of that sin wherwith the Philistines are charged It was the sin of cruelty in a very high degree It is a cruell deed to carry away any one from his natiue Country but him that is so carried away to sell to his mortall enemy this is a cruelty than which there cannot be a greater Such was the sin of those Philistines the inhabitants of Azzah They sold whether the Iewes or the Israelites the posterity of Iacob and seruants of the liuing God to their professed enemies the Edomites with this policy that being carried farre from their owne country they should liue in eternall slauery and bondage without hope euer to returne home againe This very crime of cruelty is in the Prophecie of Ioel also Ch. 3.6 laid to the charge of these Philistines The children of Iudah and the children of Ierusalem haue ye sold to the Grecians
proposition The whole world with all things therein is wholly and alone subiect to the soueraigntie dominion and rule of Almightie God by whose prouidence all things are preserued all things are ruled and things are ordered These were the three degrees by which I told you you might discerne and take notice of the act of diuine prouidence The first was gradus conseruationis the second gradus gubernationis the third was gradus ordinationis the first degree was the degree of maintenance or preseruation the second degree was the degree of rule or gouernment the third degree was the degree of ordination or direction The first implieth thus much that All things in generall and euery thing in particular are by Almightie God sustained ordinarily in the same state of nature and naturall proprieties wherein they were created The second thus much that Almightie God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth The third thus much that God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth and setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seeme to be most out of order he bringeth all to his chiefly intended end all doe make for his glory In this diuine ordination three things doe concurre Constitutio finis mediorum ad finem dispositio and dispositorum directio First God appointeth an end to euery thing Secondly he disposeth the meanes vnto the end Thirdly he directeth the meanes so disposed From these points thus summarily rehearsed I inferre my propounded doctrine No calamity or misery befalleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture For if it be true as true it is and the gates of Hell shall neuer be able to preuaile against it that God by his wonderfull prouidence maintaineth and preserueth ruleth and gouerneth ordereth disposeth and directeth all things in this world euen to the very haires of our heads it cannot be that any calamitie or misery should befall any one of vs by aduenture by hap-hazzard by chance by fortune The Epicure in Iob Chap. 22.13 was in a grosse and soule errour to thinke that God walking in the circle of heauen cannot thorow the darke clouds see our misdoings and iudge vs for them Farre be it from vs beloued so to be conceited We may not thinke our God to be a God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the Moone a God vpon the Mountaines and not in the Valleyes a God in the greater and noâ— in the lesser employments We may not thus thinke beloued We haue learned better things out of Amos 9. Ier. 23. Psal 139. that God is euery where present and that there is no euasion from him No corner in Hell no mansion in Heauen no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captiuity no place of any secrecie any where is able to hide vs from the presence of God The least moments and tittles in the world that you can imagine God his care and prouidence reacheth vnto to a handfull of meale to a cruse of oile in a poore widowes house to the â—â—ing of sparrowes to the ground to the cloathing of the grasse of the field to the feeding of the birds of the aire to the caluing of â—indes to the numbring of the haires of our heads and of the teares that trickle downe our cheekes Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord whatsoeuer calamity or misery hath already seized vpon vs or shall hereafter ouertake vs let vs not lay it vpon blinde fortune but looke we rather to the hand that striketh vs. He who is noted in my text to cut off the inhabitant of Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon he it is that for our sinnes bringeth vpon vs calamiti s and miseries Whatsoeuer calamities or miseries doe molest or trouble vs be wee assured that they are Gods visitatio vpon vs for our sinnes and admonishments for vs to amend our liues What remaineth then but that in time of misery and heauinesse wee louingly embrace Gods hand and kisse the rod wherewith he smiteth vs If hee smite vs with any kinde of crosse or tribulation our best way is to turne vnto him as with a spirit of contentment and gladnesse because so louing a Father doth chastise vs so with a sorrowfull and contrite heart because we haue offended so gracious a Father and thus shall wee finde comfort to our soules THE Fourteenth Lecture AMOS 1.8 And turne mine hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the Lord God THe last time I began to expound the 8. verse then I passed ouer two branches thereof And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon whence considering the cutting off of king and subiect from Ashdod and Ashkelon to be the proper worke of the Lord I tooke this lesson No calamity or misery befalleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture Now let vs proceed to the remainder of that verse And turne my hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the Lord. Is not God a spirit How then hath he hands The letter killeth but the spirit giueth life saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 3.6 An ancient a Augustin de Doctrina Christiana lib. 3. cap. 5. Father vpon those words aduiseth vs to beware that we take not a figuratiue speech according to the letter for saith he Anshel in 2 Cor. 3. Echard Compend Theol patrum 〈◊〉 1 ap 6. pag. 157. when we take that which is spoken in a figure as if it were spoken properly it is a carnall sense Neque vlla mors anima congruentius â—ppeâ—â—atur neither is there any thing more rightly called the death of the soule If a figuratiue speech be properly taken or if the letter be vrged against the spirituall meaning that which was spoken to giue life to the inward man may subuert the faith and endanger the soule A trope vpon good reason to be admitted not admitted is a cause of errour It caused the Iewes to erre They tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching his owne body Iob. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three daies I will raise it vp againe It caused Nicodemus to erre Hee tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching mans regeneration Iob. 3.3 Except a man bee borne againâ— he cannot see the Kingdome of God It caused the Dis ples of Christ to erre They tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching the execution of his Fathers will Ioh. 4.32 I haue meat to eat that ye know not of I hold it to be an errour of Nicephorus and others to take it after the letter as if Paul had indeed fought vpon a theatre with Lions at Ephesius because he saith 1 Cor. 15.32 that he fought with b
vengeance We therefore may not interpose our selues 3 It may serue for a comfort to the Godly against whom the wicked haue behaued themselues proudly and dispiteously God in due time for such their behauiour will render vengeance vnto them and punish them with euerlasting perdition The second circumstance concerneth the punishment which is by fire I will kindle a fire By fire here we are to vnderstand not so much a true and naturall fire as a figuratiue and metaphoricall fire The sword pestilence and famine quodlibet genus consumptionis euerie kinde of consumption quaelibet species excidij euerie kinde of destruction haile water thunder sicknesse or any other of the executioners of God his wrath for the sinnes of men may be signified by this name Fire The Doctrine The fire whether naturall or figuartiue that is the fire and all other creatures are at the Lords Commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked Of this Doctrine heretofore The vse of it is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to carrie our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the meanes as to the Lord that worketh by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and preuaile against vs we must know that God by them worketh his holy will vpon vs. Here wee see hee resolueth to kindle a fire vpon the wall of Rabbah for thus saith the Lord I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof There was a Citie of this name Rabbah in the Countrie of Moab called Rabbath-Moab So saith Drusius But the Rabbah in my Text was a Citie in the Country of the Ammonites called 2 Sam. 12.26 Rabbah of the children of Ammon where it is named the citie of the kingdome For it was their metropolitical chiefe city In the verse following it is called the citie of waters because it was situate neere vnto the riuer Ieboc The destruction here threatned to this citie is likewise denounced by two other Prophets Ieremie and Ezechiel In Ieremie chap. 49.2 Thus saith the Lord I will cause a noise of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites and it shall bee a desolate heape and her daughters shall be burnt with fire Crie ye daughters of Rabbah gird you with sacke-cloth mourne and run to and fro by the hedges for their King shall goe into captiuitie and his Priests and his Princes likewise And Ezechiel Chap. 25.5 I will make Rabbah a dwelling place for Camels and the Ammonites a sheep coat By which two places of Jeremie and Ezechiel the meaning of my Prophet is opened Here in the person of God he saith I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof It is as if he had said The a Ierem. 7.34 voice of mirth and the voice of gladnesse shall cease to be heard in Rabbah the noise of warre shall be heard there and I will make it a dwelling place for Camels a sheepe-coat an heape of desolation Must Rabbah the chiefe Citie of the Kingdome be measured with the line of desolation It yeelds vs this Doctrine It is not the greatnesse of a Citie that can be a safeguard vnto it if God his vnappeasable wrath breake out against it for its sinnes For confirmation of this Doctrine I need not send you to the old world to behold the ruines of cities there There may you see the citie which Caine built Gen. 4.17 and whatsoeuer other cities were erected between that time and the floud you may see them all swept away with the floud After the floud you may see Sodom and Gomorrah with other cities of that plaine ouerthrowne with brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heauen Gen. 19.24 I need not present you with other like desolations of cities townes or villages wrought by Almightie God in the dayes of old This one chapter and first chapter of this prophecie of Amos yeelds vnto vs plentifull proofe for this point Here hâ—ue we seene desolation vpon desolation not the shaking only but the ouerthrow of foure states namely of the Syrians of the Philistines of the Tyrians and of the Edomites In the state of the Syrians we haue seene the ruines of the house of Hazael and of the palaces of Ben-hadad and of Damascus and of Bikeath-Auen and of Beth-eden and of Aram vers 4 5. In the state of the Philistines we haue viewed the rubbish of Azzah and the palaces thereof of Ashdod also of Ashkelon and of Ekron vers 7 8. In the state of the Tyrians we haue beheld the waste done vpon the proud Citie Tyrus and her palaces vers 10. In the state of the Edomites we haue considered the destruction of Teman and Bozrah vers 12. All which doe euidently and strongly proclaime vnto vs the truth of my propounded Doctrine namely that It is not the greatnesse of a Citie that can be a safeguard vnto it if God his vnappeasable wrath breake out against it for its sinnes One vse of this Doctrine is to lesson vs that wee put not any confidence in any worldly helpe but that so wee vse all good meanes of our defense that still we rely vpon the Lord for strength and successe thereby A second vse is to put vs in minde of the fearefull punishments which God layeth vpon men for sinne He deuoureth their Cities throweth downe their strong holds and spares them not Hath God dealt thus with strong Cities and shall poore villages escape If the secure worldling shall here obiect that our dayes are the dayes of peace that our King is a King of peace that peace is in all our ports in all our quarters in all our dwelling places and that therefore there is no need to feare the subuersion either of our cities or of our villages to such I must answer in the Prophet Esayes words Chap. 48.22 There is b Esa 57.21 no peace to the wicked saith the Lord. No peace to the wicked For though God the c Rom. 15.33 God of peace which d Psal 46.9 maketh an end of warre in all the world and breaketh the bow and knappeth the speare asunder and burneth the chariots with fire doth now protect vs from forraine inuasion and hostilitie yet being e Amos 3.13 Deus exercituum a God of hosts he hath armies of another kinde at command to worke the sudden subuersion and ouerthrow of all our dwellings Hereof hath God made good proofe in these our dayes To say nothing of his arrow of pestilence which is grandis terror mortalium the great terrour of men as being Deaths chiefe Pursuiuant and Sumner who in Iob 18.14 is called Rex Terrorum the King of feares to say nothing of this arrow how it hath for these f This Sermon was preached Ann. Dom. 1610. Ian.
thus haue argued Will not God spare the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites the Moabites Then out of doubt he will not spare vs. They silly people neuer knew the holy will of God and yet shall they be so seuerely punished How then shall we escape who knowing Gods holy will haue contemned it You see now why Amos sent with a message to the Ten Tribes of Israel doth first prophecie against foreine Nations In the last place are the Moabites This prophecie against the Moabites Tremellius and Iunius in their translation of the Bible do add to the first Chapter as a part of it But sith the Hebrew text so diuides it not I will not follow them but will expound it as belonging to the second Chapter The words then which I haue read vnto you are the burden of Moab a heauy prophecie against Moab And doe conteine three generall parts 1. A preface vers the 1. Thus saith the Lord. 2. A prophecie vers the 1. For three transgressions of Moab c. 3. A conclusion vers the 5. Saith the Lord. The preface and conclusion doe giue authoritie to the prophecie whereby we learne that the words here spoken by Amos are not the words of Amos but the words of the euerliuing GOD. The prophecie consisteth of foure parts 1. The generall accusation of Moab For three transgressions of Moab and for foure 2. The Lords protestation against them I will not turne to it 3. The declaration of that grieuous sinne whereby they so highly offended God Because they burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime vers 1. 4. A commination or denuntiation of such punishment as should be laid vpon them for their sins vers 2. 3. This punishment is set downe 1. In a generalitie Therefore will I send a fire vpon Moab and it shall deuoure the pallaces of Kirioth 2. More especially Where I obserue 1. The manner of the punishment as that it should come vpon them with feare trouble and astonishment And Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet 2. The extent of it None might escape it neither Prince nor King For thus saith the Lord vers the 3. I will cut off the Iudge the King out of the middest thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him Thus haue you the Analysis resolution or diuision of my Text. Returne we now to the Preface Thus saith the Lord whose name in my Text is Iehovah Sundry are the Names of God in holy Scripture by which albeit the substance of God cannot aptly and clearely be defined yet they serue vs thus farre to bring vs to some further knowledge of God then otherwise we should haue These Names of God are obserued by ancient Diuines to be of two sorts Negatiue and Affirmatiue The negatiue Names of God are Vncreated Incorporeall Invisible Incorruptible Infinite and such like and these describe not what God is but what he is not and doe euidently declare vnto vs that he is bonum quoddam excellentissimum some most excellent Good free from all imperfection of any creature The affirmatiue Names of God are ascribed vnto him either essentially or by way of relation or by a Metaphor The Names of God ascribed vnto him essentially are either proper to him alone or common to others also Among the essentiall Names of God proper to him alone is Iehovah the Name of God in my Text. His other essentiall Names communicable vnto others as to men doe yet belong vnto God either modo excellentiae by an excellencie or modo causa independentis as he is the primarie cause of all things By an excellencie God is said to bee Good Iust Wise Mighty Holy Mercifull and as he is the primarie cause of all things so is he called a Creator a Redeemer and hath other like appellations Now the affirmatiue Names of God ascribed vnto him by way of relation are the Names of the Trinitie in which there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no coÌ„meation no vnion each person hath his proper name Father Son Holy Ghost The other affirmatiue Names of God ascribed vnto him by a metaphor are affirmed of him either per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that euery man may vnderstand what they meane as when God is said to be Angrie or per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by analogie or similitude as when God is called a Lyon a Stone a Riuer Of these many Names of God now repeated vnto you his most proper Name is his Name in my Text his Name Iehouah a Name that cannot be attributed to any creature in the world no not by an analogie or similitude It is the honourablest Name belonging to the great God of Heauen I might spend much time about it would I apply my selfe to the curiosity of the b See my third Lecture vpon Amos 1. Cabalists and Rabbins They say it is nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a name not to be pronounced not to be taken within polluted lips they call it nomen tetragrammaton a name of foure letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by an excellency for as much as the Name of God * Abrah Broviê° in festo Circumc Dom. Conc. 3 Dei nomen significat quaternarius ea ratione quia fere omnibus nomen Dei QuadriliteruÌ„ Latinis Deus Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Italis Idio Germanis Goth Polonis Illyrijs Bogh Gallis Dieu Hispanis Dios Hebraeis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. Garhard lor. Theol. Tom. 1. de Natura Dei §. 26. Obseruant nonnulli appellationem Dei esse omnibus fere populis quadriliterum Sic Hebraeis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Assyrijs Adad Aethiopibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aegyptis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arabibus Alla Illyricis Bogi Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turcis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hetruscis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latinis Deus Hispanis Dios Italis Idio Gallis Dieu Germanis Gott Polulis novi orbis Zimi Vide P. Gregor lib. 6. Synt. art mirab c. 2. in all tongues and languages generally consisteth of foure letters and they obserue these foure letters in Hebrew to bee letters of rest to signifie vnto vs that the rest repose and tranquillitie of all the Creatures in the world is in God alone they teach that it is a powerfull name for the working of miracles and that by it Christ and Moses haue done great wonders But these their braine-sicke superstitious and blasphemous inventions my tongue shall not enlarge Yet thus much I say of this Name that there is a secret in it It is plaine Exod. 6.3 There thus saith the Lord vnto Moses I appeared vnto Abraham to Isaac and to Iacob by the name of a strong omnipotent and all-sufficient God but by my name IEHOVAH was I not knowne to them This secret I haue heretofore vnfolded vnto you after this manner This great name
corporall death there is a spirituall death and there is an eternall death Which of these deaths were the Moabites to dye The letter of my text is for the corporall death This corporall death is a separation of the soule from the bodie it is called corporall in respect of the spirituall it is also called a temporarie death in respect of the eternall This death corporall or temporarie is twofold either naturall or accidentall if accidentall it is subdiuided into a violent or a voluntarie death and is common as well to the godly as to the wicked inflicted vpon them by Gods iust iudgment for the sinne of Adam This is the wages of sin and this is the way of all sinfull flesh All must once dye We may a long time wrastle with the dangers of this world both by Land and Sea thousands may fall on our right hand and ten thousands on our left while we stande we may haue so good store of friends that we may well say with the Shunamite 2. King 4.13 I neede no speaking for me either to the King or to the Captaine of the Hoste I dwell among mine owne people where I can command we may walke in the light of the sunne that is our prosperitie may be waxen so great that we want nothing we may haue sailes and oares at pleasure as Antiochus seemed to haue who thought in his pride to make men saile vpon the dry land and to walke vpon the Sea 2. Mac. 5.21 we may thinke our selues to be in league with death and in couenant with the graue and so promise to our selues many a prosperous and pleasant day as many as are the sands of the Ocean yet a time shall come when all these things shall proue but vanitie and Moab shall dye All must once dye A great d Dr. King B. of London Lect. 20 vpon Ionas pag. 264. Prelate of this Land for this point hath well fitted this comparison As one that shooteth at a marke sometimes is gone and sometimes is short sometimes lighteth on the right hand sometimes on the left at length hitteth the marke so Death shootes at Noble men beyond vs at meane men short of vs at our friends on the right hand at our enemies on the left at length hitteth our selues The longer her hand is in practise the more certainely she striketh Looke into the fift of Genesis there shall you finde that Death was ayming at e vers 11. Enosh 905. yeares and at last smote him at f vers 14. Kenan 910. yeares at g vers 5. Adam 930. yeares at h vers 20. Iered 962. yeares at i vers 27. Methushelah 969. yeares but in the end ouerthrew them all Now shee strikes sooner within the compasse of fewer yeares within 60. yeares or 70. she seldome stayes 80. yeares And sometimes shee strikes vs in our youthfull dayes yea in the day of our natiuitie All must once dye Moab shall dye All must once dye Death It is of all miseries the last and the most terrible A holy k Apud Lud. Granatensem Exercit de Orat. Medit. Father hath made against it this exclamation O Death how bitter is the remembance of thee How quickly and suddainely stealest thou vpon vs How secret are thy paths and wayes How doubtfull is thy houre How vniuersall is thy signiorie and deminion The mighty cannot escape thee the wise cannot hide themselues from thee the strong loose their strength before thee the rich with their money shall not corrupt thee Thou art the hammer that alwayes striketh Thou art the sword that neuer blunteth thou art the snare wherein all must be taken thou art the prison wherein all must lye thou art the Sea wherein all must perish thou art the paine that all must suffer thou art the tribute that all must pay In a word thou art such a one as Almighty God washeth his hands of thee and cleareth himselfe in plaine words by the mouth of the Wiseman saying Wisd 1.13 that he neuer made thee Surely thou hast thine entry into the world by the very enuie and craft of the Deuill This exclamation against Death is very iust in some sense for Death may be considered in a double respect one way as it is in its owne nature another way as it is changed and qualified by the death of Christ. Death in its owne nature is a punishment of sin a plague a curse or fore-runner of condemnation the very gates and suburbs of Hell it selfe and in this respect the forecited exclamation hath due place But on the other side death being changed and qualified by Christ his death it is no more such it is no more a punishment of sinne it is no more a plague it is no more a curse For it is become a blessing it brings an end to all our miseries it giues full deliuerance to all our miseries it giues full deliuerance from all dangers it is made vnto vs a passage a way an entrance into euerlasting life it is like a portall or litle gate by which we passe from out this litle prison of our bodies into the kingdome of Heauen The graue meane while is but a resting chamber sweetly perfumed by the Death of Christ for our bodies from whence at the sound of the last trumpet our bodies shall awake and rise and be receiued into the paradise of heauen to enioy the most comfortable presence of Almighty God there If death now changed and qualified by Christ his death be a blessing if it be but a passage from this wretched life to that happiest estate in heauen why should death be feared This is a Case of Conscience and may be resolued There are two sorts of men in the world the one of them who liue in their sinnes and dye without repentance the other of them who with vnfeigned repentance and faith in Christ doe leaue this world The first haue great reason to feare Death Death being vnto them the very gate and introduction into the Hell of the damned of whom we may well say as Christ said of Iudas Math. 26.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it had bin good for them had they neuer bin borne The second haue no reason to feare Death Death being vnto them as the gate of Heauen To such Optimum est nasci its best that they are borne and the next best for them is mature mori to dye in a good houre Their birth is to them a preparation to eternall happinesse whereof their Death giues them full possession The consideration whereof made King Salomon the wisest of Kings or men praferre diem mortis diei ortûs it made him preferre the day of death before the day of birth his words are Eccles. 7.3 Better is the day of death then the day that one is borne Hence is it that most righteous Iob chap. 17.14 calls Corruption his father for as chilren haue fathers for their comfort so had Iob death and rottennesse
This was not the practise of olde Of old time in the primitiue times of the Church the Holy Scriptures had their free passage All sorts of people might read them might search into them might iudge of them The vnlearned as the learned the laitie as the clergie women as men base as noble yong as old all had their shares in reading in hearing in meditating in practising the sacred doctrines contained in the Holy Scriptures There can be no iust reason to the contrary For as S. Chrysostome in his first Homilie vpon S. Mathew saith The Scriptures are easie to the slaue and to the husbandman to the widdow and to the slaue and to him that may seeme to be very simple of vnderstanding To which purpose S. Austine Epi. 3. ad volusian affirmeth that Almightie God in the Scriptures speaketh as a familiar friend without dissimulation vnto the hearts both of the learned and also of the vnlearned The like S. Basil avoucheth vpon the 1. Psal The Scripture of God is like an Apothecaries shop full of medicines of sundry sorts that euery man may there choose a conuenient remedie for his disease Vpon this ground S. Chrysostome Hom. 2. in Iohan would perswade his auditors not onely in the Church to bee attentiue to the word of God but that at home also the husband with the wife and the father with the childe would talke together thereof and would to and fro inquire and giue their iudgments and would to God sayth he they would once beginne this most approued and most excellent custome Theodoret in his fift Booke de curatione Graecarum affectionum seemeth much to reioyce at the knowledge which the Christians generally had in the sacred Scriptures Our doctrine saith he is knowne not onely of them who are the doctors of the Church and Masters of the people but also euen of Taylers and Smiths and Weauers and all Artificers of women too not such onely as were learned but also of labouring women and Sewsters and seruants and hand-maides Neither onely Cittizens but Country folkes also doe very well vnderstand the same Ditchers deluers Cowheards Gardiners can dispute of the Trinitie and the creation of all things Thus was it of old and why should it not be so now in our daies The Holy Scriptures are the same now that then they were Now as in the dayes of q Sermon de Confessorib sive Dispensat p. 610. Fulgentius In Sacris Scripturis abundat quod rebustus comedat quod parvulus sugat There is in the Scriptures plentie whereof the strong may eate and the little ones may sucke Now as in the dayes of r Epist ad leandrum Gregorie Scripturae flumen sunt in quo agnus ambulet Elephas natet the Scriptures are as a great Riuer wherein a Lambe may walke and an Elephant may swim Now as in the dayes of Å¿ De Lazarâ— Theophylact Scripturae sunt Lucerna quo fur deprehenditur The Scriptures are as a lanterne whereby you may descry and discouer that great theefe the Deuill who is euer readie to steale away your hearts from God Let vs deaâ—ely beloued follow this lanterne Let this Lampe of Gods word direct your footsteps So shall we bee safe from errour But if we will not follow it if we will decline if we will swerue from it we shall be suddainly involued and inwrapped in deceit and cannot choose but erre This was my first doctrine I can but touch the second Their lies caused them to erre after which their Fathers walked You haue vnderstood by my precedent exposition of these words that the Inhabitants of Iudah are here blamed for adhering to the blind superstitions of their forfathers The doctrine arising hence is this In matters of Religion we are not tyed to follow our forefathers This truth is plainely deriued from my text for if we will make it our rule in Religion to follow our forefathers their lyes that is their blind superstitions and idolatrous worship of God may deceiue vs and cause vs to erre Were not the elders of Israel thus deceiued and brought into errour The twentie Chapter of the prophecie of Ezechiel makes it plaine that they were so there shall you finde it obiected to them that they were polluted after the manner of their fathers and committed whoredome after the abomination of their fathers ver 30. And to draw them from adhering to the ill courses of their fathers the Lord himselfe is pleased ver 18. 19. thus to speake vnto them Walke yee not in the statutes of your fathers neither obserue their iudgements nor defile yourselues with their Idoles I am the Lord your God Walke in my statutes keepe my iudgements and doe them What will you more for the confirmation of my propouÌ„ded doctrine You haue alreadie the warrant of Almightie God from heauen for it that in matters of Religion we are not tyed to follow our forefathers It is backed with another text Zach. 1.4 Be not as your Fathers your Fathers they heard me not they hearkened not vnto me saith the Lord. Be not you therefore as your fathers Your father 's tempted me in the desert Psal 95.9 Will you also tempt me Be not as your Fathers Your Fathers were a stubborne and rebellious generation Psal 78.8 Will you also be stubborne and rebellious Be not as your Fathers It is out of doubt Our fathers must not be followed in euill Yea in matters of Religion we are not bound to follow our Fathers If our fathers in their religion were blinded with superstition and worshipped God otherwise then they were directed by Gods holy word we are not to follow them yea we are plainely charged not to be as they were Thus briefly of my Doctrine In matters of religion we are not tyed to follow our forefathers This truth serueth for a reproofe of Iesuits Priests Recusants and all other popishly affected within this our country who are so strangely devoted to the Religion whereof their fathers were that they purposely shut their eyes against the light of Gods word will not suffer it to shine vpon them To whom shall I liken them They are like to certaine Iewes that dwell in Pathros in the land of Egypt who when Ieremie in the name of the Lord dehorted them from their Idolatrie did as it were defying the Prophet thus protest Ierem. 44 17. We will not hearken vnto thee We will doe what seemeth good to vs as we haue done we and our Fathers our Kings and our Princes so will we doe We will burne incense to the Queene of Heauen we will powre out drinke offerings vnto her For so long had we plentie of victuals we were well we saw no euill Doe not our popelings in England now sing the same song Call them t Esa 8.20 ad lâ—gem ad testimonium call them to the word of God Their answere is readie at their tongues end we will not hearken to it we will doe what
the Iewes for their prerogatiue nor Ierusalem for her goodly buildings From this vnpartialitie of God in his workes of iustice my proposition stands good Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Will you a reason hereof It is because the Lord takes impietie for impietie wheresoeuer he finds it and for such doth punish it And he finds it euery where For the eyes of the Lord Å¿ 2. Chrâ—n 16.9 runne to and fro throughout the whole earth and are in t Prâ—u 15.3 euery place to behold as well the euill as the good His eyes are u Iere. 16.17 vpon all our wayes he seeth x Iob 34.21 all our goings he y Iob 31.4 counteth all our steps no iniquitie is z Iere. 16.17 hid from him This doth the Prophet Ieremie Chap. 32.19 wall expresse Thine eyes O Lord are open vpon all the wayes of the sonnes of men to giue euery one acccording to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings This the very Ethnickes guided onely by Natures light haue acknowledged Sybilla in her Oracles could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Almightie and inuisible God he onely seeth all things Hesiod could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath an All-seeing eye Plautus could say a Capte ivi Est profecto Deus qui quae nos gerimus auditque videt Doubtlesse there is a God who both heareth and seeth whatsoeuer we doe And b Metamorph. lib. 13. Ovid could say Aspiciunt oculis superi mortalia iustâ—s There is a God aboue who hath iust eyes beholdeth all the doings of mortall men c Thales interregatus an furta â—â—mâ—â—um Deos fallerent Nec cogiâ—ata â—nqâ—it Valer. Mar. lib. 7 cap. 2. Dioge Laert. lib. 1. in Thal s. Thales of Miletum the wisest of the seauen being asked whether mens euill deeds could be kept close from God! No sayd he nor their euill thoughts The Hieroglyphicke the mysticall or aenigmaticall letter whereby the Egyptians would haue God to be vnderstood was an eye And why so But as d Hierâ—glyph lib. 33. Pierius saith because Deus ille optimus maximus the great God of Heauen is mundi oculus the eye of the world It may be such was the conceit of that auncient e Augustin Father who sayd of God that he was totus oculus wholy an eye He giues his reason quia omnia videt because hee seeth all things All things are to the eies of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naked and opened seene as well within as without So saith the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews chap. 4.13 All the impieties of man in deed word or thought are manifest vnto the Lord he seeth them all and for impieties will punish them Well saith f De constantiâ lib. 2. cap. 16. Lypsius Culpae comes iustissimè poena semper est Paine is alwayes the companion of a fault And g Jbid. cap. 14. againe Cognatum immo innatum omni sceleri sceleris supplicium Euery wickednesse brings a punishment with it As the worke is so is the pay if the one be readie the other is present h Lipsius de constant lib. 2 c. 13. Neuer did any man foster within his breast a crime but vengeance was vpon his backe for it If there be impietie there cannot be impunitie Witnesse the blessed Apostle S. Iames chap. 1.15 Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death And S. Paul Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death Many are the texts of holy Scripture which I might alledge to this purpose I will for this present trouble you but with one It is Psal 34.16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe euill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth From these now-touched considerations first that Almightie God in iudgement accepteth no persons then that his Al-seeing eye beholdeth whatsoeuer impietie is done not onely in our workes and words but also in our most retyred thoughts thirdly that in iustice euery impietie is to receiue a due punishment from these considerations my position stands firme and vnmoueable Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties they are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Here let all good Christians be admonished with their greatest carefulnesse to looke vnto their wayes that they walke not in the by-pathes of sinne to imitate the Heathen in their impieties Qui attrahit ad se culpam non potest effugere poenam sayth i Comment in Hebr. 12. Hugo Cardinalis Thinke not that thy prerogatiue of being a Christian can be a shield vnto thee Christianus k August enchir ad Laurent ca. 5. nomine non opere A Christian in name not in deed may be called a Christian but is no Christian l Bernard Sentent Christianus as he is haeres nominis Christi so must he be imitator sanctitatis A Christian is heire to the name of Christ and therefore must be a follower of Christ in holinesse A Christian sayth S. Austine if he be the Author of the Booke m Lib. 1. cap. 6. de vita Christianâ A Christian is a name of iustice of goodnesse of integritie of patience of chastitie of prudence of humilitie of courtesie of innocencie of pietie A Christian is he who is a follower of Christ who is holy innocent vndefiled vnspotted in whose brest there is no wickednesse who hurts no man but helpeth all He that can truely say I hate not mine enemies I doe good to them that hurt me I pray for them that persecute me I doe wrong to no body I liue iustly with all men hic Christianus est he is a Christian But if in the profession of Christianitie a man liues the life of a Heathen the name of a Christian shall doe him no pleasure If he take delight in the n Galat. 5.19 workes of the flesh in adulterie fornication vncleannesse laciuiousnesse drunkennesse hatred variance wrath strife or any like sinne God will forsake him the holy Angels will flie him the blessed Saints will detest him the Reprobate shall bee his companie the Deuils his fellowes hell his inheritance his soule a nest of scorpions his bodie a dungeon of foule spirits and at last both bodie and soule shal eternally burne in fire vnquencheable Wherefore dearely beloued suffer a word of exhortation o Ecclus. 21.1.2.3 Haue you sinned Doe so no more Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent For if you come too neere it it will bite you the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a Lyon slaying the soules of men So sayth Ecclus chap. 21.2 Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent Sinne It s like a leauen that will leauen the whole lumpe It s like a scab that will infect the whole flocke It s like
taxed for Crueltie and Couetousnesse for Cruelty because they sold the righteous and the poore for Couetousnes because they sold them for siluer and for a paire of shoes The lesson which we may take from hence is this Cruelty and Couetousnes in Iudges and Magistrates are two of the sinnes for which God bringeth States to ruine You see it plaine in my text God would not turne away his punishments from Israel because of the Cruelty and Couetousnes in the Iudges of Israel These sins are most eminent in Iudges and Magistrates but are reproveable in all sorts of men The Cruell and the Couetous be they of whatsoeuer rancke in a Common wealth they are very burdensome to God himselfe God himselfe in this chapter vers 13. cryes out against them Behold I am pressed vnder you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues The time will not suffer me to inlarge my meditations vpon the discouerie of these two sinnes Cruelty and Couetousnes I shall haue occasion to meete with them againe in the beginning of the next verse where they are amplified and may hope for the benefit of your new attention For the present let vs be admonished that we suffer not our selues to be ouercome of these or any other sins Sinne It produceth very sad and dolefull effects It blindeth our vnderstanding while it taketh from vs the supernaturall light of diuine grace it staineth and defileth our consciences with its filthinesse it accuseth vs before the Lord of grieuous iniuries done against his Maiestie it impouerisheth vs when it spoiles vs of all spirituall good it dishonoreth vs when it diffameth vs in the sight of the Angels and the whole Court of Heauen it holdeth vs captiue and depriueth vs of all liberty of well-doing it bindeth vs with the chaines of euill custome and brings vs within the danger of falling daily from bad to worse vulnerat nos in bonis naturalibus occidit in gratuitis saith Cornelius Mussus B. of Bitonto it woundeth vs in all the good faculties of our nature and slayeth vs in the free graces wherewith God hath beautified our soules You see dearely beloued in the Lord you see what a tyrant Sinne is It stoppeth vp the fountaines of Grace and hindereth the streames of heauenly comfort from comming to vs. Yet yet our life is nothing but a trade of sinning In vs in our flesh there dwelleth no good Day by day yea many times a day we transgresse Gods holy Commandements we heape sinne vpon sinne and repent not What remaineth but that we powre forth our prayers to Almightie God that he will be pleased to giue vs true repentance for the wickednes of our fore-passed liues and in his good time to loose vs from this bodie of sinne and to couple vs to himselfe in Heauen where we may with the whole multitude of Saints sing vnto him an Halleluiah Blessing saluation honor glory and power be vnto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lambe for euer and euer Euen so be it THE IX LECTVRE AMOS 2.7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore and turne aside the way of the meeke and a man and his father will goe in to the same maide to profane my holy Name And they lay themselues downe vpon clothes laid to pledge by euery Altar and they drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God OF those grieuous sinnes with which the people of Israel are in this Chapter charged two were touched in the former verse their Crueltie and their Couetousnesse They sold the righteous and the poore this was Crueltie they sold them for siluer and for a paire of shoes this was Couetousnesse Now in the beginning of this 7. verse are those two sinnes amplified Their Couetousnesse thus They were neuer satisfied till they had cast downe the righteous and the poore to the dust of the earth Their Crueltie thus They were not content thus to haue exhausted and spoyled them but did also conspire against and gape after their liues for They panted after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore Before we take a further view of these sinnes Crueltie and Couetousnesse let vs for a while examine the words themselues They may seeme to be very intricate and perplexed by the diuersitie of the readings The word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Septuagint do render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that tread vnder foote vpon the dust of the earth the heads of the poore The Vulgar Latin hath Qui conterunt that breake or bruise vpon the dust of the earth the heads of the poore The Chaldee Paraphrast hath Qui contemnunt who despise as it were the dust of the earth the heads of the poore But these expresse the sense they render not the word For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifieth to fetch winde to draw breath and by a metaphor to swallow downe to sup vp to deuoure or earnestly feruently and with pleasure to desire to doe any thing By this phrase then our Prophet giueth vs to vnderstand that the Israelites the rich and the mighty among them did with delight behold the dust of the earth vpon the heads of the poore that to them it was a pleasure to see the poore by vniust exactors oppressed throwne to the ground trodden vnder foote Which sense our English Bibles seeme to point at The Geneva Bible hath They gape ouer the head of the poore in the dust of the earth The late Church Bible They gape for breath ouer the head of the poore in the dust of the earth or They presse vpon the head or They tread vpon the head of the poore in the dust of the earth The new translation That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore This varietie varieth not the sense Howsoeuer for the the first word we read They gape or gape for breath or presse or tread or pant ouer on or vpon the head of the poore yet is not the sense varied The mention of the dust of the earth keepeth that entire The dust of the earth Old a Drusius Obseruat lib. 15. cap. 5. Samaeus in b Cap. 44. Ioseph Ben-Gorion tells vs of an ancient custome among the Hebrewes concerning such as were impleaded or arraigned before their Iudges They were to stand at the barre in mourning attire with dust vpon their heads If â—â— that custome our Prophet here alludeth as Drusius thinketh then are the Magisâ—â—ates of Israel here nipped and checked for selling the cause of the poore to their rich aduersaries thereby making to themselues vnlawfull and excessiue gaine and lucre The dust of the earth on the head of the poore The casting of dust or earth vpon the head was of old and long time a ceremonie whereby men in sad and dolefull plight were wont to expresse their griefe Mention is made of it Iosh 7.6 There it is said that
Christ for its durablenesse stabilitie may well be likened to mountaines and that the Cedars of Lebanon doe not so much ouergrow other trees in tallnesse as true Christian religion for its reuerend maiestie shall ouergoe whatsoeuer blind bushie and thornie superstitions It is out of doubt Cedar trees are verie high So high that neuer man neuer Gyant was so high How then is it that my text thus speaketh of the Amorites Their height was like the height of the Cedars It is by a figure which the Greekes call Hyperbole Whereof many instances may be alledged out of holy Scripture In the 2. of Sam. 1.23 it is said of Saul and Ionathan They were swifter then Eagles they were stronger then Lyons Swifter then Eagles and yet the Eagle of birds is the swiftest stronger then Lyons and yet the Lyon of Beasts is the strongest They were swifter then Eagles they were stronger then Lyons they are two Hyperboles or prouerbiall speeches By them the holy Ghost lets vs vnderstand that Saul and Ionathan were exceeding swift of foot and strong of bodie In Psalme 107.26 it is sayd of the waues of the Sea in a great tempest They mount vp to Heauen they goe downe againe to the depths They are two Hyperboles By them the Psalmist setteth as it were before our eyes the greatnesse of the daunger wherein they often times are that trade by Sea In Genes 13.16 The Lord said to Abram I will make thy seede as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth then shall thy seed also be numbred I will make 〈◊〉 seede as the dust of the earth saith the Lord. It is an Hyperbole S. Austine so takes it de Civ Dei lib. 16. c. 21. And well For who seeth not how incomparably greater the number of the dust is then the number of all the men that euer haue bin are or shall be from the first man Adam to the end of the world can be And therefore where the Lord saith I will make thy seede as the dust of the earth we are not to imagine that the posteritie of Abram was to be in number as the dust all the people of the earth put togither cannot stand in this comparison but wee are giuen to vnderstand that they were to be a very great people I passe ouer with silence many instances of like nature and returne to my text where it is said of the Amorites Their height was like the height of the Cedars The speach is prouerbiall its hyperbolicall We may not from it collect that the Amorites were as high as the Cedars but this onely that the Amorites were a people very tall and high of stature Neuer did any man equall the Cedars in height yet shew me a man that is of a vaste bodie and of an vnusuall proceritie I may take vp this Scripture phrase and say of him His height is like the height of Cedars Thus you see the Amorites for their height or talnes are likened to the Cedar For their strength or valour they are resembled to the Oke in the next words He was strong as the Okes. The figure of speach is as before It s prouerbiall The Oke you know is a hard kinde of wood strong firme and durable Hence is the prouerbe Quercu robustior or robore validior stronger then the Oke Neuer was there man of so firme a constitution that he can properly be said to be stronger then the Oke Yet shew me a man of extraordinarie strength I may take vp this Scripture-phrase and say of him Fortis ipse quasi quercus he is strong as the Okes. And in this sense it is here said of the Amorite He was strong as the Okes. That the Amorites were of an vnusuall and extraordinarie height and strength as they are here described by our Prophet Amos you may further know by the relation which the Spies made vnto Moses after their returne from the search of the Holy land Their relation is Num. 13.28 The people be strong that dwell in the land we saw the children of Anak there At the 32. verse they speake more fully All the people that we saw in it are men of great stature And there we saw the Gyants the sonnes of Anak which come of the Gyants and we were in our owne sight as grashoppers and so were we in their sight By this relation of the Spies you see that the Amorites the inhabitants of the land of Canaan were more then ordinarie tall and strong The tallest and strongest of the Amorites of these Amorites which the Lord destroyed before Israel was Og the King of Basan Of his height and strength the Iewes make strange reports For his height they say he was in his cradle and swadling cloutes thirty cubits high and as he grew in yeares so grew he in tallnesse For his strength they say when he had heard that the tents of the children of Israel tooke vp the space of three miles he rooted vp a mountaine of like space and set it on his head with purpose to cast it vpon the tents of Israel but as he caried it Ants made a hole through the midst of it and so it descended and rested vpon his necke whence by reason of his teeth excessiuely increasing and running into the holes of the mountaine the mountaine stuck so fast that he could not remoue it to cast it as he had purposed vpon the campe of the Israelites This the Iewes do write in their booke of Benedictions and Lyra in his Postill vpon Num. 21. makes mention of it but withall censures it to be so absurd that it needs no other refutation yet he makes mention of it that we may see quanta coecitas est in Iudaeis how blinde the Iewes are to beleeue such fables It is I grant one of those Iewish fables whereto S. Paul wished Titus chap. 1.14 not to giue any heed and I beleeue it no more then I doe that the Gyant Antaeus was threescore cubits high because Gabinius in the 17. booke of Strabo his a pag. 960. Geographie affirmes it or that in Scythia in a rocke by the riuer Tyres there was to be seene the print of Hercules his foote of two cubits length because Herodotus in his b pag. 110. Melpomene is the relator of it Yet beleeue I that Og the King of Basan was of more then ordinarie tallnes and strength And you will beleeue it too if you will estimate a monument of his which was to be seene in Rabbath the Metropoliticall Citie of the children of Ammon now called Philadelphia The monument was a bedsted of his It is described Deut. 3.11 His bedsted was a bedsted of yron nine cubits was the length thereof and foure cubits the breadth of it after the cubit of a man Of a man of reasonable stature not of a Gyant nor of a dwarfe Nine cubits long was his bedsted and bedsteds vsually exceed the common stature of
refused him Eliab notwithstanding the prioritie of his birth and notwithstanding the comelinesse of his person he is refused and Dauid little Dauid little in his fathers eyes and little in the eyes of his brethren neglected and despised of all for hee was the yongest of all he is chosen to be the Lords anointed He is taken o Psal 78 70.71.72 1. Sam. 16.11 2. Sam 7.8 from the sheepe-folds from following the Ewes great with yong and is placed in rule and gouernment to feed Iacob the people of the Lord and Israel the Lords inheritance Thus much may serue for the confirmation of my propounded doctrine God respecteth not the tall man for his tallnesse nor the strong man for his strength You may adde nor the great man for his greatnesse nor the rich man for his wealth nor the wise man for his wisedome The reason I haue alreadie touched It is expressed 1. Sam. 16.7 The Lord seeth not as man seeth For man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart He looketh on the heart and therefore he chooseth not as man chooseth the tall the great the strong the rich the wise but the low man the little man the weake man the poore man the foolish man Whereto else tendeth the Apostles speech to the faithfull among the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1.26 You see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mightie not many noble are called But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weake things of the world to confound the things that are mightie and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to naught things that are And what is the end of all It s this that no flesh should glory in the presence of God It is the vse we are to make of the doctrine now deliuered We are vrged vnto it Ierem. 9.23 There thus sayth the Lord Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome neither let the mightie man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches But let him that glorieth glory in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise louing kindnesse iudgement and righteousnesse in the earth In like sort say we Let not the tall man glorie in his tallnesse neither let the strong man glorie in his strength though the height of the one be like the height of the Cedars and the other be strong like the Okes yet let them not glorie therein but let them glory in this that they vnderstand know God to be the Lord which exerciseth louing kindnes iudgement and righteousnesse in the earth that is in the Apostles phrase 1. Cor. 1.31 He that glorieth let him glorie in the Lord. And againe 2. Cor. 10.17 He that glorieth let him glorie in the Lord. All other glorying is vaine Glorie not in thy tallnesse what can it auaile thee Glory not in thy strength it cannot helpe thee Say thou wert as tall as the Amorites in my text and thy height were like the height of the Cedars say thou wert as strong as they strong as the Okes yet notwithstanding the one or the other height or strength thou maist perish and come to nought as they did Glorie thou therefore in the Lord. Here may the man that is low of stature or weake of body be comforted for as much as God seeth not as man seeth nor chuseth as man chuseth Be thou little or be thou weake thou art neuer a whit the further from the grace fauour of God No further then Zacheus was Zacheus was a verie little man In the 19. of Luke ver 3. it is sayd of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee was little of stature Iesus passed through Iericho Zacheus was very desirous to see him but could not for the presse of the people because he was little of stature To supply this defect of his he gets him vp into a tree and seeth Iesus Iesus for it spake graciously vnto him Zacheus make hast and come downe for to day I must abide at thy house You see Iesus respected Zacheus for all his little stature He was of little stature Statura brevis magnus in opere S. p Tâ—m 8. fol. 310. H. Austin saith it Enarr in Psal 129. Zacheus was in deede little of stature but was great in good workes Great in his loue toward Iesus whom he was so desirous to see and great in charitie towards men to whom he was readie to make a fourefold restitution if he had done wrong to any Zacheus little of stature Chrysologus Serm. 54. thus meditates vpon it q Pag. 225. Satis hic animo magnus erat qui pusillus videbatur in corpore Nam mente tangebat coelos qui corpore homines non aequabat Zacheus was great enough in mind albeit he was but little in bodie in bodie he was no match for men and yet his minde reached vp to Heauen Whereupon he frames this exhortation Nemo de brevitate corporis cui addere nil potest curet sed vt fide emineat hoc procuret Let not any man be grieued because he is little of stature whereto he cannot adde one cubite but let euery mans care be to be eminent aboue others in faith You haue hitherto heard of the varietie of mens statures you haue heard of the Amorites that their height was like the height of the Cedars Of King Saul that he was higher then any of his people from the shoulders and vpward of Eliab that he was high of stature of Zacheus that he was low of stature This varietie of mens statures is by euery dayes experience confirmed vnto you And why is there such varietie of mens statures One reason may be to stirre vs vp to this consideration that God is the most prouident author of euery mans stature It is not in man to adde any thing to his stature not one cubite sayth our Sauiour Mat. 6 27. He sayth it againe Luke 12.25 Which of you with taking thought can adde one cubite to his stature No man No man can doe it Nay it is not in man to amend the imperfections wherewith he is borne into the world The man that was borne blind confesseth it Ioh. 9.32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind We cannot supply any defect wherwith we are borne into this world much lesse can we adde any thing vnto our stature It may thus farre serue for our instruction Vt ex illo capite neminem contemnamus vel exagitemus saith Franzius Disp 2. in Deuter. Thes 92. that we despise not any man nor speake ill of him for his stature be it great or little or for any defect he hath in nature from his natiuitie A second reason why there is
Sublimitas Profundum God he is Length Breadth Height and Depth He is Length for his Eternity Breadth for his Charity Height for his Maiestie Depth for his Wisdome Length He is for his Eternity Dan. 7.9 Esay 57.15 Psal 90.2 He is the Ancient of dayes and inhabiteth Eternitie Before the Mountaines were brought forth or euer the earth and the world were formed euen from euerlasting to euerlasting He is God Breadth he is for his Charitie for his Loue. Wisd 11.24 He loueth all the things that are and abhorreth nothing which he hath made Neither would he haue made any thing if he had hated it He maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and the good Matth. 5.45 and sendeth raine on the iust and on the vniust The Gulfe or rather the Sea of this Loue of God is exceeding broad Height He is for his Maiesty His Maiesty Prou. 25.28 it is inestimable He that searcheth into it shall surely be oppressed with the glory thereof From the glory of this Maiestie in the day of the Lord of Hosts when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Esay 2.19 20. will the proud man the loftie man euery wicked man seeke to hide himselfe in the clefts of the rockes Psal 72.19 and in the caues of the earth but all in vaine for all the earth shall be filled with his Maiesty In regard of this his Maiesty He is * Gen. 14.18 Iob 31.28 Psal 7.18 9◠2. c. Psal 147.5 often in holy Scripture stiled Altissimus the most high So for his Maiesty he is Height Depth he is for his wisdome His wisdome it is infinite there is no end thereof It is inuariable incomprehensible ineffable Finding no fit words to expresse it with I betake my selfe to the Apostles exclamation Rom. 11.33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! How vnsearchable are his iudgements and his wayes past finding out Thus farre of my first generall the Reuealor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adonai Iehouih the Lord God The Lord God will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secret to his seruants the Prophets He will doe nothing The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lo jahaseh dabar he will not doe a word A word in the Hebrew tongue signifieth sometimes any thing or matter that is either said or done In the 18. of Exodus vers 16. Moses in his reply to Iethro his Father in law saith when they haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dabar a word they come vnto me and I iudge betweene them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dabar a word with the Greekes it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a controuersie with the old Latine Interpreter it is Disceptatio a contention with Tremelius it is Negotium a businesse with our late English Translators it is a matter So Moses saith in effect thus much If there happen any businesse or matter of controuersie or contention betweene a man and his neighbour they come vnto me and I iudge betweene them In the 24. of Exodus vers 14. Moses with his Minister Iosuah going vp to the Mount of God saith vnto the Elders Tary yee here for vs vntill we come againe vnto you and behold Aaron and Hur are with you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mi bahal debarim who so is a master of words let him come vnto them And here words with the Greekes are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a iudgement or controuersie with the old interpreter quastio a question in our now English they are matters if any man haue any matters to doe The meaning is who so hath any question or controuersie let him come vnto Aaron and Hur for a resolution In the 39. of Esay vers 2. it is recorded of Hezechiah King of Iudah that when Merodach Baladan the son of Baladan King of Babylon had sent messengers to visit him and to congratulate his recouery Hee was glad of them and shewed them the house of his precious things the siluer and the gold and the spices and the precious oyntment and all the house of his armour and all that was found in his treasures It is added in the end of the verse Lo hajah dabar there was not a word in his house nor in all his dominions that Hezechiah shewed them not Not a word A word for a thing according to the custome of the Hebrew It is Saint Hieroms note vpon the place It is well rendred in our new Bibles There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominions that Hezechiah shewed them not This Hebrew custome of putting verbum pro re a word for a thing frequent in the old hath place likewise in the New Testament In the first of Luke vers 37. The Angell Gabriel tells the Virgin Mary that with God no word shall be impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no word His meaning is with God no thing shall be impossible In the same Chapter vers 65. The Euangelist hauing set downe what had passed concerning Elizabeth and her husband Zacharias saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all these words were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Iudaea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all these words that is all these things were dinulged and made knowne In the second of Luke vers 15. When the Angels who related to the shepherds Christs Natiuitie were gone away from them into Heauen the shepherds said one to another Let vs now goe euen vnto Bethlehem and see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this word that is come to passe which the Lord hath made knowne vnto vs. This word that is this thing this whole businesse whereof wee haue heard by the Angels It is the Hebraisme which I haue hitherto obserued whereby that I may speake as Logicians doe the Abstract is put for the Concret taken either actiuely or passiuely as Verbum pro re dictâ a word for a thing that is spoken of Or to speake as a Rhetorician would it is Metonymia adiuncti the Adiunct is put for the Subiect Still it is Verbum pro re a word for the thing or matter whereof the speech is So it is in this text of mine Surely the Lord God non faciet verbum he will not doe a word that is he will doe no thing no such thing as the verse before speaketh of no euill of paine punishment or affliction He will doe no such thing but hee reuealeth his secret to his seruants the Prophets He reuealeth his secret I am come to my second generall concerning the thing reuealed it is the secret of the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sodh◠his secret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagint translated Eruditionem suam his instruction or chastisement Saint Hierome expounds it Correptionem suam the Interlinearie Glosse Correctionem suam his reproofe or correction Theodotio no ill Interpreter of old turned it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his counsell and Drusius seeth no cause why it may
wherein for Elohe hatzebaoth the God of Sabaoth they haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God Almighty Whence is that rule of Saint Hierome to Damasus Epist 142. We are to know that wheresoeuer the Seuentie Interpreters haue expressed Dominum virtutum and Dominum omnipotentem the Lord of Hosts and the Lord Almighty there in the Hebrew it is Dominus Sabaoth which is by Aquila's interpretation Dominus militiarum the Lord of Hosts The Lord of Hosts by Aquila's interpretation is God the Almighty by the interpretation of the Septuagint Well Elohe hatzebaoth the God of Sabaoth Be he with the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or bee hee with the Latines Dominus or Deus virtutum or Militiarum or Exercituum all will be well expressed in our language with one title The Lord or God of Hosts But what are these Hosts whereof God is the Lord There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an host of Heauen Act. 7.42 And what that is Saint Hierome expoundeth to the noble Lady Algasia Epist 151. quaest 10. The Host of Heauen is not only the Sunne and Moone and glistring Starres but also the whole multitude of Angels and their armies called in Hebrew Sabaoth which is in Latine Virtutum or Exercituum Hispalensis for this host of Heauen doth reckon vp in the place aboue alleaged Angels Arch-angels Principalities and Powers and all the Orders of the armies celestiall of whom God is the Lord. For they are all vnder him and subiect to his soueraigntie It is true what those Ancients haue said of the Host of Heauen True it is that the Angels are of this armie Micaiah tels King Ahab so 1 King 22.19 I saw the Lord sitting on his Throne and all the Host of Heauen standing by him on his right hand and on his left There the Host of Heauen are the Angels who attend the Lord to put in execution whatsoeuer he shall command At the birth of Iesus Christ our Sauiour the Angell that appeared vnto the shepherds had with him a multitude of the Heauenly Host Luke 2.13 and that multitude was of Angels and they were by likelihood created in the first day with the Heauens because those sonnes of God did shout for ioy when God laid and fastned the foundations of the earth Iob 38.7 These the sonnes of God the Angels Bartas 1 day 1. Weeke sweetly described by the Nightingale of France to be The sacred Tutors of the Saints the Guard Of Gods elect the Pursuiuants prepar'd To execute the counsailes of the Highest The Heauenly courtiers to their King the nighest Gods glorious Heralds Heauens swift Harbengers Twixt Heauen and earth the true Interpreters these the Sonnes of God the Angels are of the glorious Host of Heauen So are the Starres the Sun the Moone the goodly furniture of the visible Heauens they are all of the Heauenly host So shall you finde them called Deut. 4.19 The Sun the Moone and the Starres euen all the Host of Heauen Of this host of Heauen it is prophecied Esai 34.4 All the Host of Heauen shall be dissolued and the Heauens shall be rowled together as a scroll and all their host shall fall downe as the leafe-falleth off from the Vine and as a falling figge from the fig-tree As for the Starres they in their courses fought against Sisera Iudg. 5.20 The Sunne and the Moone stood still the Sunne vpon Gibeon the Moone in the valley of Ajalon till the people of Israel had auenged themselues vpon their enemies the Amorites Ios 10.12 The Sunne the Moone the Starres all the twinkling spangles of the firmament you see are of Gods host Nor is Gâ—ds host only of Celestiall creatures but also of all other creatures in the world In the second Chapter of Genesis v. 1. where it is said the heauens and the earth were finished and all the host of them by all the hast of them we are to vnderstand all creatures in the Earth and Heauens which stand as an armie seruants to the Lord Psal 119.91 Esay 45.12 and are by him commâ—nded That all things are Gods seruants is auowed Psal 119.91 The Heauen and Earth continue to this day according to the ordinances of the Lord for they are all his seruants Heauen and earth and all things therein contained Continue safe sound and sure euen to this day wherein we liue and so shall doe to the worlds end by the ordinance and appointment of God for all are his seruants all creatures yeeld obedience to him as seruants to their masters They are all by him commanded For thus saith the Lord Esai 45.12 I haue made the earth and created man vpon it I euen my hands haue stretched out the Heauens and all their host haue I commanded The innumerable Hosts of creatures both in Heauen and Earth are all by God commanded Now from this which hath hitherto beene deliuered the reason is plaine why this title of God Elobe hatzebaoth the God of Sabaoth or the God of Hosts is by our Prophet added to the two former appellations Adonai Iehouih the Lord God It is the more liuely to set forth his rule dominion and soueraigntie ouer all It sheweth that as an armie or an Host of souldiers obeyeth their Emperour or commander so all things all creatures celestiall terrestriall and infernall are of Gods host and doe yeeld vnto him as to their Emperour and commander all obedience They all stand readie in martiall order and battell-ray prest to doe whatsoeuer God willeth and therefore is the Lord God the Gâ—d of Sabaoth or the God of Hosts From this consideration that our Lord God is the God of Hosts we are taught the feare of so great a Maiestie For who is he that will not feare him by whom he shall finde himselfe to be beset and compassed about with very many and potent armies aboue beneath before behinde on the one hand and on the other that there can be no euasion no escaping from him Our God is the God of Hosts Man sinfull man how shall he consist if God once arme his hosts against him The feare of God will be his surest refuge Feare him and all his Hosts shall be on your side and fight for you Feare him and both flouds and rocks shall feare you all winds shall blow you happinesse ship wracks shal auoid the place where your foot treadeth as to the apples of Gods own eies so shall all his creatures yeeld to you reuerence they shal not dare to approach the channell where your way lyeth Hills shal fall downe mountaines shall be cast into the sea but who so feareth the Lord he shall neuer miscary This feare of the Lord will both land your ships in an happy hauen and after your trauels vpon the earth will harbour your soules in his euerlasting Kingdome And thus much be spoken of the first thing obserued in this Mandate euen the Giuer
not broach or publish any vâ—in imaginations of their own but those things onely which God g ueth them in charge They must heare what God saith and that alone must be their message Againe they must remember they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 15.27 and Act. 1.8 they are witnesses for Christ They are to beare witnesse to the truth of Christs person to his threefold office his Priestly Princely and Propheticall office and to the benefits that doe flow from thence for the edification of the Church All this they are to heare from the mouth of God speaking in his holy Word and thereof to make their contestation in the house of Iacob to beare witnesse thereof to Gods people not by their preaching only but if need be by their dying too The other vse is for hearers For if the Preacher be first to heare what God speaketh and then to testifie the truth thereof to the house of Iacob the people of God then are the people of God all the house of Iacob to giue attentiue care to the Preachers message Hearers in hearing are to know that they are to deale with God and are to receiue the Word deliuered by the Minister not as the Ministers word but as the Word of God Such Hearers were those Thessalonians commended by S. Paul Epist 1. Chap. 2.13 For this cause saith he thanke we God without ceasing because when ye receiued the word of God which ye heard of vs ye receiued it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that beleeue The example is well worthy our imitation Beloued if an earthly Prince speake or send a message to vs we giue all shew of reuerence and heare him with diligence This Word whereof we now entreat is not of flesh and bloud it proceedeth not from Kings or Emperours or Parliament or from Councels of men but from God the Father and from our Lord Iesus Christ When this Word is read Princes and Emperours stand vp and lay downe their sword and vncouer their head and bow their body in token of reuerence because they know it to be the word of God which God himselfe hath vttered that it should be as the a Deut. 32.2 dew of Heauen to moisten our drie soules as a b Ioh. 4.14 Well of water springing vp to euerlasting life as a c 2 Cor. 2.16 sauour of life vnto life and the very d Rom. 1.16 power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth Without this Word we are vndone we perish we receiue no comfort we see not the light we grow not in faith we abide not in the Church of God Wherefore suffer yee a word of exhortation It shall be in S. Peters words 1 Epist 2.2 As new borne babes desire yee the sincere milke of the Word that yee may grow thereby Be yee so affected to the word of God as new borne infants are to their mothers milk You know well how that is A little infant euen by the instinct of nature almost as soone as it is borne seeketh that nourishment it is not long well without it when nothing else will that will stil it So euen so be ye affected long ye after the word of God as your spiritual nourishment reioice in it place your happinesse in the vse of it let it be your chiefest comfort This indeed hath beene euermore the right disposition of Gods holy ones O how great was the felicity that Dauid felt in this word of God In one Psalme Psal 119. He preferreth it before profit before pleasure before glory Before profit V. 127. I loue thy Commandements aboue gold yea aboue fine gold Before pleasure vers 103. How sweet are thy words vnto my taste yea sweeter than hony vnto my mouth Before glory vers 57. Thou art my portion O Lord I haue determined to keepe thy words and vers 111. Thy testimonies haue I taken as an heritage for euer for they are the reioycing of my heart Now because in a spoile all those things doe meet together Profit in the treasure Pleasure in the ouerthrow and Glory in the conquest or triumph he addeth vers 162. I reioyce at thy Word as one that findeth great spoile Thus was holy Dauid determined and resolued to content himselfe with the word of God in stead of all profit pleasure and glory For his profit was his support in trouble and aduersitie his pleasure was the peace of a good conscience his glory was to be in the fauour of God All which is wrought by the precious and vnvaluable word of God This word of God was vnto Ieremy Chap. 15.16 the ioy and reioycing of his heart And Ezechiels roll the symbole of this word was in his mouth as hony for sweetnesse Chap. 3.3 And Iohns little book which he receiued from the Angell the badge of this word was in his mouth sweet as hony Reu. 10.10 When Philip was gone downe to the Citie of Samaria and had preached Christ vnto them the text saith there was great ioy in that city Act. 8.8 When the same Philip had taught the mystery of Christ to the Eunuch the Eunuch went on his way reioycing in the same Chapter vers 39. The Angell relating to the shepherds the Natiuity of Christ said vnto them Feare not for behold I bring vnto you good tidings of great ioy that shall be to all people Luk. 2.10 Good tidings of great ioy Happy shepherds to heare so good tidings from an Angell Princes would haue been glad to haue heard it but they heard it not Yet to Princes as well as to others this good tidings of great ioy belongeth Good tidings of great ioy Great ioy it is first in respect of the matter thereof which is very great euen our reconciliation with God Secondly it is great ioy for the diuturnity and stability thereof it abideth and continueth constant for euer Thirdly it is great ioy for the vniuersality of it it reacheth vnto all generibus singulorum to all kinds of people though not singulis generum to all particulars of all kinds but only to such as shall receiue it by a true faith Last of all it is great ioy quia spirituale because it is spirituall and belongeth to the saluation of the whole man body and soule And the good tidings of this great ioy is deriued vnto vs in these our dayes through the ministery of the word of God Wherefore dearly beloued let me againe put you in minde of your Christian duty concerning this word of God that as new borne infants ye desire the sincere milk thereof to grow therby Long ye after it it is your spirituall nourishment reioyce in it place your happinesse in the vse of it Let it be your chiefest comfort Whensoeuer you shall heare this word of God read or preached remember whose Word it is you heare and thinke yee thus euery man with himselfe Surely this is the