indeed he is in a miserable case considering unto how many calamities all mortall men are subject against which they can neyther promise themselvs before hand nor finde in time other sufficient remedy then this of patience which is a salv for all soars and the same also so approved that though it make not miseries cease to be miseries yet it keeps the person that hath it and suffers them from being miserable Yea as deadly poysons may be and are so mixed and tempered as they become in cases more wholesom then meat so do calamities deadly in themselvs tempered with patience become better then their contrarie delights Sicknes with this is better then health without it and poverty so tempered then riches otherwise and so all the works of Gods justice unto which the faythfull are lyable are better to them then any work of his mercy to others Lastly so absolutely necessarie is this grace and the use of it for all Christians as that the Apostle tels the beleeving Hebrews and other beleevers in them that they had need of patience that having done the will of God they might receav the promise With which accords an others exhortation that patience may have its perfit work in the Saints that they may be perfit and intire lacking nothing A man would think in reason that he who hath done the will of God and been carefull in all things to keep a good conscience towards God and men should have nothing lacking for the receaving of the promised reward But the wisdom of God tels us that we must first doe our duetie in all things and then afterwards suffer evill with patience before we receav the reward promised In which our patient suffering for or in the way of righteousnes we please God more if it may be then in our former weldoing as Christ our Lord performed the greatest work of his obedience unto his father and of our redemption therein by his innocent and patient suffering of death Of all manner of crosses none are so hard to bear by Gods servants without despayr as those wherein the Lord seems to theyr sense and reason to be their enemy by reason of some strange and unusuall working against them as we have Iob for an example Nor any so hardly born by them without inordinate stirring and spurning again as those in which a man must be a meer patient using as they call it that passive patience and may or can say or do nothing in defending himself or offending an adversarie A blow or wound receaved in fight or action is scarse perceaved But if a man must sit still and suffer himself to be bobbed on the mouth or as the Prophet sayth must give his back to the smyters and his cheeks to them that pluck of the hayr or must be coupt up alone in a dungeon or prison where none may come at him this goes near him and tryes his patience and how he hath hearkened to the Lord God the holy one of Israell saying In returning and rest shall ye be saved in quietnes and in confidence shall be your strength Where mens injuries are joyned and concur with Gods providence in a crosse there the flesh and fleshly passions take more libertie I haue known some who have atteyned to a good measure of patient bearing calamities and crosses by other ordinarie hand of Gods providence and yet have been most impatient of any prejudice or damage by mens injurious dealing And this may seem not to want reason To be stirred against God for a crosse is divelish against unreasonable creatures brutish but hath a shew of manlines for a man to be stirred against a man that injuries him But be the shew what it will the truth of the ground for the most part is that pride causeth this swelling of the heart against him who is deemed to injurie us specially if we conceav it to be out of contempt whereof all men are impatient Against the pang of impatiencie this way it is best we labour not to overvalue our selvs nor easily to think that others dispise us and as we have Iob for a pattern of patience so to follow his steps who looking through the violence and wrongs of men the Sabeans and Chaldeans beheld by the eye of fayth which sees a far of Gods providence as the soul of the worlds body and ruling all things in it and thence took instruction for quiet and patient submission unto the Lord seeing saying in all the outragious practises against him by the divell and wicked men that God who had given had taken away CHAP. XXXVI Of Peace THE Hebrews by comprehending under the name of peace all both safety prosperitie whether bodily or spirituall do shew therein how both pleasant and profitable a thing peace is for all persons and societies And though to strive contend yea and wage war also be in cases and at times not onely lawfull but also necessarie yet are they never so much as tolerable for themselvs but onely for peace as the launching of the wound is for the cureing of it From peace with God through the forgivenes of sins by faith and a good conscience aryseth peace with a mans self with the angels with all men after a sort yea with all creatures in the world Such a one is in league with the stones of the field and at peace with the beasts of the field sayth Eliphaz Yea his very enemies sayth the wise man are at peace with him I add that though he be burnt in the fire drowned in the water or otherwise killed yet that fire water and other instrument of his bodily destruction and therewith all other creatures are in a kinde of secret league with him and do even in killing him bodily work for his spirituall and eternall good And if they which are at peace with a king have his subjects at peace with them how much more shall Gods servants and people have all the creatures in heaven and earth at peace with them for their true good by the favour of him their absolute king and Lord. God to shew how peaceable man should be hath denyed him such instruments of offence and naturall weapons as many other creatures are furnished withall of which some have horns some hoofs some paws some tushes some talents But alasse how hath sin armed man with hatred and mallice and they with weapons of violence and destruction so as more men are destroyed by men then by all other creatures When the Lord would shew himself to Elijah he did it not in the great and strong winde nor in the earthquake nor in the fire but in the small still voyce which came after them And when he would have a temple built to dwell in he would not have David build it because his hands were full of bood though of Gods enemies but Salomon the king of peace In the building of which there was
are helpfull to their fellow as they are able and the other need As none can sin against the Holy Ghost and irremissibly but they whom God hath receaved into some degree of fellowship with him at least in the knowledg of the truth so there is no so great enmitie amongst any others as amongst them who of freinds become enemies A brother offended is harder to be wonn then a strong citty and such contentions are like the bars of a castle A twyne thread if it be broken is more easily knit together then a cable And the hard Adamant if it hap to be beaten in peices with the hammer flyes into such small dust as is scarse discernable And no marvayl if where men look for love and kindenes they finde in truth or supposition the contrary that which agrees not with a freindly affection that there they conceave most indignation and greatest matter of alienation It is therefore requisite that a freind shew himself freindly for the preserving inviolated that bond of amitie with his freind and avoyd all make-bates persons or things And of this sort not onely greater unkyndenesses use to be but even smaller also if they be frequent as men consume their states many times by small if dayly losses and mispendings And if it so come to passe that our freinds become or appear so ill as that in their freindship there is more hurt or danger then in their hatred it is yet better we untwyne then break the coard of former freindship save where some extraordinarie unworthines suddeynly breaks out and which urgeth present renunciation Lastly when we are necessarily pressed eyther to the one or other let us rayther do it with sorrow then anger and withall have in us a disposition to reassume our old course of kindenesse if there appear cause afterwards as the storks when the winter is over do affect their former nests CHAP. XXXVIII Of Credit and good name CRedit and good name with men so follows vertue and good deserts like the shadow the body as it remayns notwithstanding Gods good gift sundry wayes First in bestowing upon men vertue and goodnes to deserv it for which also the gifts of God are to be the more welcom Secondly in guiding them to manifest and improve their endowments to the advantage of their good name not as stage-players but as good stewards of the gift of God that way Thirdly by moving the hearts of other men to have them in due respect and estimation to which purpose it is sayd of Ioseph and others though of most singular desert in regard of men that God gave them favour in their eyes Many rayther desire a great name then a good and therefore rayther enterprise great then good matters Some matters greatly great as they in the East who to get them a name would build a tower whose top should reach heaven Such also was the levell of the huge and high Pyramides built by the Egiptian kings Some things greatly strange though mean as Parmeno in his artificiall imitation of the gruntling of a sow Some greatly dangerous as those Funambuli who rayther will venture their necks then want a name Some again things if no otherwise yet greatly odious as Herostratus in burning the temple of Diana in Ephesus with wilde fire And so Pilate is famous for crucifying Christ and Iudas for betraying him so is Ieroboam known by this brand He that made Israel to sin But a great name so got and left to posteritie is like to the great stinck of a lamp or candle when it is gone out whereas the memoriall of the righteous is blessed and like the smell of the costly oyntment of spykenard wherewith Mary annoynted our Lords feet the sweet sent whereof filled the whole house And this good name of the godly and vertuous living amongst good men upon earth when they are dead is a kinde of pledge of their souls living for ever with God in heaven This none neglect but they who mean to do nothing to deserv it nor despise but with endangering their own hardning in evill both against the fear of God and shame of the world This good name is rayther to be chosen then great riches sayth he who could well discern what was best Which shews both that he who impayrs anothers credit by slaunder is worse then a theif and steals a more pretious thing as also that he who seeks and gets it to himself undeservedly is as well to answer to God for his undeserved credit with men as is a theif for his stoln goods This credit and good name we may desire as a good pleasing naturall thing and for our more comfortable living amongst men and so David prayed sundry times in one Psalm that God would turn away reproach from him which he so feared But this good name and note with men we are specially to desire to honour God withall and to further and prefer goodnes with others as otherwise so chiefly by the good regard and respect wherein they have us to advantage the example and other provocations of vertue and godlynes proceeding from us for more ready imitation by and better acceptance with them And them who thus labour to honour God with the honour and respect which he vouch safes them from others he will surely honour with men so far as is meet and with himself for ever Whereas the vaynglorious and ambitious that eyther seek honour above their desert or onely thereby to advance themselvs and theirs above other men they lift up themselvs against God and climbe higher then that the bow will bear them and God first or last will throw them down into perdition And whereas God would have us seek good name fame by well doing if any seek it by evill as in evill times and companyes too many do as Austin confesseth of himself that in the dayes of his vanitie he oft did evill not onely in lust of the thing but for prayse by it amongst his consorts and sometimes also slaundered himself with the evils which he had not done lest seeming more chast he should be more contemptible then the rest such do no better then set the divell in Gods place and glory in their shame whose end without repentance is damnation For God will keep his place in heaven and from him shall men at length and for ever receave prayse for wel-doing and not from the divell for evill Neyther yet is credit alwayes gotten with men by following it no more then a mans shadow is but he that seeks to honour God in his mayn intention God will cause some strinkling of his own prayse to reach unto him and covering his sins from his divine eyes will so farr as is meet cover them from the eyes of men also and therewith as it were commend his vertues to their acceptation specially if withall such a man joyn with his
to the knowledg of God This knowledg we must seek with all earnest diligence and store it up carefully in the treasurie of our hearts that knowing God we may love him and trust to him and fear him and honour him that as the Daughters of Ierusalem though before marvailing what ailed the Spouse of Christ to be so affectioned towards her beloved and so earnestly to seek after him as she did when they once came to take knowledg of his perfit beautie would then seek him with her So we knowing God specially in the face of Christ Iesus may so be ravished with love of his Majestie as to have our whole heart set to seek and find him in whose presence is satietie of joyes evermore CAP. II. Of Gods love GOd loveth himself first and most as the cheifest good and all other good things as he communicates with them lesse or more the effects of his own goodnesse And from this infinit love of his own infinit goodnesse is it that he so severely punisheth some Creatures though the Work of his own Hands which he alwaies loveth For first The Creature by sin violating Gods Holinesse and despising his authoritie in his righteous Commandments and so going on in impenitencie and unbelief and withall it being impossible that Gods love of his own Holinesse and Iustice and the honour of the same and the love of the Creatures happinesse so obstinatly dishonouring him should stand togither it cannot be but that the latter must give way to the former and greater and the Creature so sinning become miserable rather then God forgetfull of his own honour and glorie God reveales his glorious Majestie in the highest Heavens his fearfull Iustice in the Hell of the Damned His wise and powerfull Prouidence is manifest through-out the whole World but his gracious love and mercie in and unto his Church here upon Earth which he therefore hath chosen and taken near unto himself that in it might be seen the riches of his glorious grace And albeit all things in God are infinit and one yet are the effects of his love more wonderfull and excellent then of any other his Attributes as appeares in that his greatest and strangest work of giving his only begotten Son to the cursed death of the Crosse for his Enemies out of his love and mercie This the Scriptures and worthily call a great mysterie and which for the rarenesse of it was not onely hidden from the Sons of Men but also from the verie Angels in their perfection of created knowledg Which manifold grace and wisdom of God they therefore desire to look into and learn by the Church Love in the Creature ever presupposeth some good true or apparent in the thing loved by which that affection of union is drawn as the Iron by the Load-stone But the love of God on the contrarie causeth all good wrought or to be wrought in the Creature He first liveth vs in the free purpose of his will and thence worketh good for and in us and then loves us actually for his own good work for and in us and so still more and more for his own further work And hence ariseth the unchangablenesse of Gods love towards us because it is founded in himself and in the stablenesse of the good pleasure of his own will And although the arguments of comfort be great which we draw from the certain knowledg of our love to him yet are those infinitely greater which are taken from the consideration of his love to us as being not onely the ground of the other but in him also infinite and vnchangable And hereupon it was that the Sisters of Lazarus seeking help for their sick Brother sent Christ word not that he who loved him though that were not nothing but that he whom he loved was sick As by the hand of a friend reached unto us we are made partakers of the strength of his whole body to hold or help us up so by the hand of the love of God reached down from Heaven in the Gospel we become interessed in the most comfortable apprehension and happy use of all other his attributes whatsoeuer The more wise powerfull holy glorious eternall and infinite God is the more happy are we by means of his love and mercy in Christ which moveth him to use and improve them all for our good and to communicate them with us as his friends in their effects so far as serves for our happinesse He whom God loves though he know it not is an happy man He that knows it knows himself to be happy Which caused the Apostle to make in his own name and in the names of all the beloved of God that glorious insultation over all the enemies of his their happines that they could not seperate him or them not from the power or wisdom or holinesse but not from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus From this love of God as from a Spring head issueth all good both for grace and glory Yea by it which is more all evill by all Creatures intended or done against us is turned to good to us By it our afflictions work together with our election redemption vocation c. for our good By reason of it the stones of the Feild are at league with us the beasts of the Feild at peace with us yea even the very Sword that killeth us the Fire that burneth us and the Water that drowneth us is a kinde of Spirituall and invisible league with us to do us good Vpon the knowledg of this love of God shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost is laid the foundation and ground-work of whatsoever good thing we return again unto God with acceptation at his hands Vpon this we do build our Faith and confidence in him By this our cold and frozen hearts are not onely thawed but inflamed also with love again to him and to men for him As the Earth being heated by the beams of the Sun beating upon it reflecteth heat again towards the Heavens upon all the bodies between it and them Lastly from hence arise all the pleasing services wherewith we present his Majesty For howsoever we ow our selvs and whatsoever we are or can do vnto him as our gracious and powerfull Creatour absolute Lord yet can we do nothing heartily as we ought but from the Faith feeling of his love in Christ by the motion of the Spirit of a sound minde given unto us But being once drawn sweetly by the coards of Gods goodnes love we readily pleasingly follow after him as being debters and constrained not by necessity but w ch binds more strongly by love The tokens of this love of God in Christ are not onely by us highly to be prized but carefully to be discerned lest we bring our selves into a fools paradise and grow presumptuously secure which is the fore-runner of suddain and
true goodnes He who gets this generall grace to have his heart indeed and seriously bent upon the course of piety towards God and innocency towards men the Lord wil not so far suffer to erre in his way as to misse of heauen in the end notwithstanding his particular aberrations of humayn frailty which God will cover under the veyl of his rich mercy by the persons sincere fayth and generall repentance CHAP. XXV Of Means MEans are so called of the middle place which they hold betweene the efficient and finall causes serving the one for the furthering and atcheiving of the other And so all creatures whether persons or things come under this account in respect of him from whom and for whom all things are God is able without meanes to doe whatsoever work of power he doth or can doe by them and the reason is playne for that he both creates and provides the meanes and also giues the blessing upon them by which they are avayleable Neyther if we minde it hath the Lord ever done greater workes then those which the hand of his power hath wrought eyther immediately or by meanes very weake and feeble which being improved by Gods omnipotency haue produced wonderfull effects Thus God and froggs could plague Pharaoh and all Egipt So can the H. Ghost and simple preaching make men wise unto salvation God often useth meanes verie weake and base not because he wants better but partly for his owne glory as first for the glorie of his goodnes that being so mightie and excellent in majestie he will vouchsafe to imploy them and secondly of his greatnes in bringing to passe what he will by them as he tould Gedeon the people were too many for him to saue Israel by when men make wars they geâ—t the powerfullest helps they can therein bewraying their owne weaknes whereas God on the contrary wanting no mans help oft times makes choyse of weake meanes as needing none Partly the Lord doth this for the means themselvs that they which God so farr honours specially for good to men should not be despised and partly for others that none should be overmuch affected with or to them To trust to means is Idolatry to abuse them want of wisdom or of conscience or both to neglect them eyther desperatenes when a man is without hope of good by them or presumptuous tempting of God when he expects good without them or sloath when he will not trouble himself with them With all which unthankfulnes to the Lord is joyned who provides them as helps against our infirmities and therewith profane sawcines also if with the contempt of the means which we have we long after such as we have not as did the Israelites in the wildernes in loathing manna and lusting after flesh and the Iewes in despiseing Christs miracles upon earth and desiring to see a signe from heaven of him We must then as one sayth mingle our owne sweate with faith to make a sweete odour withall to God For though his power be not bound to means yet his will bindes us to such as he in mercie affoardeth partly as helps of our fayth which need such glasses wherein to see Gods helping hand and partly to exercise our obedience and partly to stir up our diligence And this we must do the rayther for that when God purposeth good to or by a man eyther he commonly provides him means accordingly which when opportunity servs he expecteth he should use in good conscience for atteyning to the good unto which they as it were lead him which to neglect is to disobey a kynde of reall calling from God In the carefull use of naturall means we shew most wisdom and that we are not like beasts without understanding and of supernaturall means prayer and the like the most grace and that we are not as men which know not God A man must be sure in his most carefull use of means alwayes to bear in mynde the end for which he useth them that he be not like the messenger who so myndes his way as he forgets his errand To sever the means and end to which they lead ordinately is vanity in all courses in divine matters mere madnes He that sinning without repentance looks to escape hell separates the end from the means He that without fayth and obedience lookes for heauen separates the means from the end which he aymes at Both would pervert Gods word and work of providence CHAP. XXVI Of Labour and Idlenes GOD who would have our first father even in innocency and being Lord of the whole world to labour though without payne or wearisomnes in dressing the Garden and when he had sinned to eat his bread with the sweat of his brows would haue none of his sinfull posteritie lead their life in Idlenes no nor without exerciseing themselvs diligently in some lawfull calling or other I say diligently For as poore men play for recreation now and then so do rich men work But that sufficeth not For God who hath in the naturall body appointed unto every member its office and function which it is constantly to exercise would have no member in any societie or body of men ordinarily unimployed Neyther doth that man how great or rich soever keep a good conscience before God who makes labour but an accessorie and not a principall and that which takes up his ordinarie tyme. Man is borne to sore labour in body or minde as the spark to fly upward In heauen is onely rest without labour in hell restles payn and torment and as sin makes the earth which is between both liker to hell then heauen so God for sin hath given to the sons of man soar travail to afflict them upon earth And that in most wise and gratious providence considering the mischiefs that come by idlenes as The weakning of the endowments of nature whereas labour brings strength to the body and vigour to the mynde yea the consumption of grace as rust consumes the iron for want of using yea whereas idlenes brings bodily poverty like an armed man it brings not onely spirituall povertie in graces with it but withall a legion of vices like so many armed divels puffing up the flesh with pride and makeing the heart Sathans anvile who is commonly least idle when men are most whereon to forge a thowsand vanities and sinfull lusts as having a fit opportunity to perswade men to doe evill when he findes them doing nothing that so they who will not sweat in earth eyther with the labour of the hand or heart though king Alphonsus sayd that God and nature had given kings hands as well as other men might sweat in hell and that if they will not bear their part in the payns of men they might partake in the payns of the Divils Whereas on the contrary if we doe that which is good and well done though with labour and
will and making small or none account that either the rules of the Word appertain unto them for direction or the precepts for obedience or the threatnings for restraint yet do lay their sacrilegious hands boldly upon the promises as their true and undoubted right And the reason is because the promises contain in them things good and pleasing to mans nature which because we would gladly have true we readily beleeve and apply But such seperate what God hath joined together and in effect take away from the Words of the Book of God and God will take away their part out of the Book of Life Others again trans-form commandments into promises with great and dangerous errour For example where it is said The Priests lips should preserv knowledg the Romish Priests chaleng an immunity from erring whence they should take warning that they er not So from Christs teaching that a city set upon an hill cannot be hid they will wring a promise of perpetuall visibility of Church and Ministery from him where he intends onely an exhortation to his Disciples after to become Apostls unto answerablenesse both in life and doctrine to the eminencie of their places Some again make conditionall promises absolute as that Whose sins ye binde upon earth they are bound in Heaven forgetting that it must be the Church gathered together in Christs name that is both furnished with lawfull authoritie useing it lawfully Likewise that Christ will preserv the Ministery and Ministers and be with them to the end of the World leaving out the condition going before which is that they do their duty in their places in makeing Discipls and baptizeing them and teaching them to observ whatsoever he had commanded them Lastly How many because God promiseth forgivenesse to sinners whensoever they repent promise unto themselvs repentance upon an howers warning before their death though they go on in sin all their life long But the saying of the Ancient is memorable in this case He that promiseth forgivenesse to him that repents doth not promise repentance to him that sins But on the contrarie as he that makes a bridg of his own shadow cannot but fall in the Water so neither can he escape the Pit of Hell who layes his own presumption this way in the place of Gods promise CAP. IIII. Of the works of God and his power wisdom will goodnesse c. shining in them IT is a receaved truth in Divinity that whatsoever is in God is God So the will of God considered as the foundation of that which he wills and as inherent in him is nothing els but God willing his justice nothing els but God just his mercy but God mercifull and so for the rest of the Divine Attributes And as everie work of God is founded in some of those Attributes and that by name in his understanding as judging the thing to be good in his holy will agreeing thereunto and in his power effecting all things So this foundation and first cause of them all being immanent and inherent in God is God essentially of what nature soever alwaies good the work be without him which his will and power effecteth Neither is this will of God to work by his power wrought in him by any thing without himself for then he should receav addition of perfection from the creature moveing him thereunto though yet it be most certain that there are many things which God neither in his wisdom judgeth fit to be done by him nor wills the doing of them nor would work or do them by his power but upon the creatures work going before For example God wills and works the condemnation of some sinners because he judgeth fit willeth and will work therein the manifestation of the glorie of his justice but this condemnation which otherwise he would not lay upon any he both wills and works by and for the Creatures sin according to his eternall and unchangeable purpose of will in himself When the Scriptures speak and we according unto them of any thing done by God in respect of the Creature before the World was made it must be understood as meant onely of his foreknowledg and decree of will and purpose of doing For things could be done no otherwise then they could be nor could be otherwise then in God who alone was nor could be in God otherwise then in his foreknowledg and will according to which he works them actually in time by his power These three Attributes as before I intimated his power will and wisdom do concur to the produceing of all and everie one of his works His power worketh and effecteth all things his will sets his power a working his wisdom directs both the one other his will in willing and his power in working Touching his power The right hand of the Lord which in men is the instrument of strength is exalted and by it he can do what he will and much more then he will And whereas God cannot ly or denie himself or the like it is immediately because he will not and that not of impotencie in him but of potencie and perfection of excellencie as on the contrarie it is the power of mans weaknesse that he can do amisse So for things importing contradiction as that the same thing should be and not be at once or not be that which it is or the like it is Religiously said by some rather that such things cannot be done by God then that God cannot do them seeing the reason of this impossibilitie of their so being is not in Gods Nature but in theirs The will of God is one as God is one But as there is one Spirit but diversitie of manifestations so this one internall will of God doth exercise and extend it self diversly to and upon divers objects This extention and exercise of this one will of God is of us to be considered in divers degrees The weakest and most remisse degree is to will the suffering of evill For though God to speake properly wills not sin yet he willingly suffers it not as ignorant of it nor as neglecting it nor as unable to prevent it but as willingly wittingly and of purpose suffering that evill to be done which he could easily hinder if he would oppose his omnipotent power The next degree of Gods willing stands in commanding good and approveing of it where it is found And thus God wills and commands that all men should repent thus he wills that all should come to the knowledg of the truth and be saved and thus lastly he would haue the wicked turn from his wickednesse and live and not dy And these things and the like he seriously wills to wit by way of commanding requireing them and of approveing them wheresoever they are found The highest and most intent degree of willing in God is when he so wills a thing as withall he imploys his omnipotent power for the effecting of it and
or all which they spake by the Spirit written but onely so much as the Lord in wisdom and mercie thought requisite to guide the Church in Faith and obedience to the worlds end so as the Scriptures should neither be defective through brevitie nor burthensom by too great largenesse and prolixitie And thus to judg is more answerable both to Gods providence in preserving the Scriptures from miscarrying and to the Churches care and faithfulnesse in keeping safe this heavenly treasure committed to her custodie then to say with some that any of the Books or parts of the Canonicall Scriptures are lost It no more detracts from the authentique authoritie or generall use of some parts of the Holy Scriptures that they were penned upon some speciall occasions then of the Sermons of Christ the Prophets and Apostles that some of them were preached upon speciall occasions And surely it seems a strange conceipt that the authoritie of the writing should be the lesse because the thing written was suggested by the Holy Ghost and so penned upon speciall occasion offered as such Scriptures were The Scriptures are not onely authentique in themselvs as having the Spirit of God for the Authour both of matter and manner and writing but do also as they say carrie their authoritie in their mouthes binding both to credence and obedience all whomsoever unto whom they come by what means soever And if God left not himself without witnesse in his works of creation and providence how much lesse in his written Word Wherein without comparison he reveals himself much more clearly then the other way which is therefore discernable by its self as is the Sun by its own beams and light and which as one saith he that studies to understand shall be compelled to beleev Their assertion therefore who hold and teach that we are to receav the Scriptures for the Churches testimonie because usually as others more truly and religiously speak we receav them by its testimonie is in effect none other then that we are to beleev God for mens cause whereas on the contrarie if a man should finde the Book of Holy Scriptures in the high-way or hidden under a stone yet he were bound to learn receav beleev and obey them and everie part of them in his place though without yea against the likeing and approbation of all the men in the World except God must not be God without mens likeing And if the Word preached by Christ the Prophets and Apostles in their time whether to Iews or Gentiles were absolutely to be beleeved and obeyed by everie one that heard it without other or further testimonie why not as well and much now by all that read it written He that receavs the testimonie of Christ for it self whether exhibited in speach or writing sets to his seal that God is true He that receavs it for the testimonie of the Church sets to his seal that men are true But the Childe of God knows his Fathers voyce The profit and power of the Scriptures both for stay of Faith and rule of life and comfort in all manner of afflictions no tongue or pen is able so fully to expresse as everie true Christian findes and feels in his own experience There is but one true happinesse life eternall one giver of it God one Mediatour Iesus Christ and so but one means of imparting it the Word of God by which he that is both Authour and finisher of all both begins and perfits all Blessed is the man that hath his delight therein and meditates in the same day and night that so he may learn the things upon Earth the knowledg whereof will fit him for Heaven When we avow the Scriptures perfection we exclude not from men common sense and the light of nature by which we are both subjects capable of understanding them and directed in sundry manners of doing the things commanded in them yea besides other humain helps we both acknowledg and beg of God as most needfull for their fruitfull understanding the light of his holy Spirit onely we account and avow them as a most perfect rule neither crooked any way nor short in any thing requisite This their sufficiencie and perfection is not to be restrained to matters simply necessarie to Salvation For who can say how many or few and no more nor lesse they are But to matters necessarie to obedience that we may please God in all things great or small expressed or intended and to be gathered by proportion and just consequence Without Faith we cannot please God and Faith comes onely by the Word of God which we must therefore make our guide in all our wayes And if we be to give an account for everie idle word and so for every vain thought or work there is then a Law of God for these smallest matters for where no Law is there is no transgression and where there is no transgression or fault there is no account to be given But as Phylosophers say that the least naturall things are not sensible by reason of their smalnesse so may and doth it too easily fall out that we fail through want of skill or care in applying our rule of direction both in smaller matters and others of greater moment also But this is not because the Scriptures are defective in directing but we either blinde in discerning or negligent in searching or both And if the Holy Scriptures direction reach unto the whole course of our life how much more of our Religion or worship of God In which nothing is to be practised but that which is to be beleeved nothing to be beleeved but that which is to be taught nothing to be taught but according to the Scriptures This being the first thing that we are to beleev that we must beleev nothing but according to them All things els are humain and humain it is to er and be deceaved The custom of the Church is but the custom of men the sentence of the Fathers but the opinion of men the determination of Councels but the judgments of men To conclude One onely place of Holy Scriptures rightly understood and fitly applyed will have more power and fasten deeper upon a truly good and godly heart then all the consenting authorities of men and Angels though uttered with the tongue of men and Angels As the title set over the head of Christ crucified was the same in Hebrew Greek and Latin so are the Scriptures the same whether in the Originall or other Language into which they are faithfully translated Yet as the waters are most pure and sweet in the Fountain so are all writings Divine and humain in their Originall Tongues it being impossible but some either change or defect or redoundancie will be found in the translation either by default of the Translatour or of the Tongue into which it is made In a Translatour is required specially skill in words and
in respect of men howsoever such wiâ—y-beguiliâ—s may for a time if they carrie close amongst other advantages get the opinion of prudent and politick persons and be accounted the more wise by how much they have the more skill to deceav yet if their craftinesse come to be found out and appear they become oftens a prey to all alwaies a scorn to the most simple like the wily fox who being once catched hath his skin pluckt over his ears wherewith everie fool will have his cap furred as a worthy Lord was wont to say Such are heirs apparent to Achitophels comfort and reward His rule was peremptorie that said A wise man will not deceav nor cannot be deceaved So was his profession both of wisdom and honestie lowd who chose this Motto Fâ—llere vel falli res odiosa mihi And though usually it be worse to deceav then to be deceaved though Austin and who not met with many that would deceav but never with any that would be deceaved as a sin is worse then a crosse yet whereas to be deceaved is alwayes either a crosse or a sin or both a man may in some case and manner deceav without either as did Athanasius the President Lucius who pursuing him and approaching neer the boat wherein he was asked for Athanasius and was answered by him whom he knew by name but not by face that Athanasius was hard before him and that if he made hast he might presently overtake him who thus escaped deceaving his Arian persecuter by speaking nothing but the truth and that both wisely and with good conscience CAP. XVI Of Wisdom and Folly SOme have been found not onely contented with but glorying in the name of irreligious and unhonest but hardly ever any were willing to bear the note of foolish or unwise And even of them in whom is found some true love of vertue and goodnesse how few are there that either indeed do or would be thought to do any thing in fauour thereof which might in the least degree impeach the credit of their wisdom in the eyes of the partiall world So fain would all be counted though few in truth be wise The main reason of this seems to be that whereas the want of wisdom imports impotencie and inabilitie Irreligion and dishonestie are by election and free choyse The pride of men if Gods grace correct it not makes them more impatient of a want either inward or outward arguing them to be weak and impotent then of a grosser vice in either upon their own free election and choyse of will And hence it is that many boast of things done by them for some particular advantage which they know to be evill and unlawfull It is the first and a great point of wisdom to know wherein true wisdom stands specially seeing that the thing which God cals wisdom and which the world cals wisdom are as different as Heaven and Earth yea as Heaven and Hell That cannot but be best which God so valueth It is known from the Worlds wisdom by first its object Secondly the properties which attend it Thirdly the School where it is learnt Fourthly the end to which it tends The object is Christ primarily who of God is made unto us wisdom and in whom are hidden all the treasures thereof which the Gospel the wisdom of God openeth unto us He that knows Christ aright in the Gospel knows both God and man and the most gracious and glorious effects of both united in one Secondly The wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated full of mercie and good fruits without jangling and without hypocrisie The other is clean contrarily qualified thick and muddie with lusts and monstrously compounded arrogant self-willing and self-loving inexorable quarrelsom craftie and cruell Thirdly The wisdom of God is learnt in the School of Christ and upon the Book of Holy Scriptures the other hath so many Masters as there are corrupt either lusts within a man or customs in the World Lastly The wisdom of God teacheth to provide surely for the Spirituall and Eternall state though with prejudice to the bodily and temporall The other bids make sure worke for the flesh and pinch not it though the Spirituall man speed hardly by it He that will be wise to God must be a fool to the World which yet makes him not a fool in worldly affairs but skilfull how to order them aright both for the Spirituall life and naturall also as far as it is subordinate unto it The high-way to wisdom Divine or humain is to observ and consider the reasons and causes of things He that beleevs a thing because God affirms it shews faith he that does it because God commands it obedience but he that joyns with these the reasons of the Doctrine or exhortation in the Word gets into his heart the props of wisdom against the storms of temptation both of unbelief and disobedience So in humain affairs he that minds or remembers things to be thus or thus gets skill in the things but he that observs and learns the reasons and causes why they come so to passe or are so done he takes the right course to become wise in the matter of what kind soever A wise man is the same though his outward state be changeable yea changed from a prosperous to an afflicted or the contrarie way els he but hits right at aventure when he doth well in either of both His condition is rather happily fitted to him as the howre once a day comes to the hand of the Clock that stands alwayes still then he to it by true wisdom A wise man will wish the more prosperous state but fear the more afflicted and use that which falls and his wisdom in it The Sayler which wants skill may misse his course or drown his Ship in a fair wind but he needs most skill in a tempest So is the wisdom of a man most seen in the right guiding of himself and his affairs in a stresse of trouble and affliction I have seen it in experience that many specially women and women like men who have shewed forth much goodnesse in a quiet and prosperous state of things if any great storm of tryall have happened to have overtaken them have through the want of wisdoms chart and compasse lost all and not onely been altogether uncomfortable but above measure burthensom both to others and themselvs The Apostle by the work of the wisdom of God knew both how to be abused and how to abound He that is not wise for himself first cannot be wise for another either in bodily or spirituall things though he may do him good in both But that is rather by occasion or in humour then upon ground of true wisdom God and nature which teach everie man to love himself most and his neighbour truly and heartily as himself teach him withall to use his best wit and
giveing therein an ensample to all how far they ought to put from them a secure and impudent heart countenance And though that monster of men Caligula accounted it the most commendable thing in his nature that he was ashamed of nothing yet doth both nature and grace teach it to be a most odious thing for a man to have a dogs face as the proverb is or as the prophet speaks a whâ—res forehead that refuses to be ashamed It is piâ—ttie any should speed so well by mere boldnes without reason or other defect as many do who become thereby of audacious impudent having once broken the bounds of modestie specially to their advantage Towards men of such foreheads the proverb must be put in practise A bold begger must have a bold nay-sayer It was the unrighteous judg that did that for the widows importunitie which conscience would have had him done for the goodnes of her cause and povertie of her person Though to speak as the thing is to be overcome by importunitie argues noâ— so properly injustice in what case soever as impotency of minde to resist Peter and Iohn with the other Apostles prayed to the Lord for boldnes in the speaking of his word Many others also pray for boldnes as they did but forget that they are not Apostles nor infallibly directed as they were Who if they knew themselvs aright and how prone they are to speak their own word in stead of Gods would rayther pray for modestie and advisednes that they rush not upon the rock of errour Besides they so prayed in regard of the threatnings of unbeleevers with whom they had to do But amongst brethren and christians let us rayther affect the lambs bleat then the Lions roar CHAP. LIX Of Mariage GOD hath ordeyned maryage amongst other good means for the benefit of mans naturall and spirituall life in an individual societie as the Lawjers speak between one man and one woman and hath blessed it alone with this prerogative that by it in lawfull order our kinde should be preserved and posteritie propagated And though the Lord have sometimes suffered that almost unreproved by the prophets other bodily conjunctions then between the proper husband and wife and altogether unpunished by the magistrate and withall shewed the effect of his powerfull providence as still he doth so far as for the procreateing of children in that disorder yet did he never approve of any other or exempt the same from guilt of sin in the court of conscience and seldom from manifest signes of his displeasure as experience and the scriptures teach Not onely heathen poets which were more tolerable but also wanton Christians have nick-named women necessarie evils But with as much shame to men as wrong to women to Gods singular ordinance withall When the Lord amongst all the good creatures which he had made could finde none fit and good enough for the man he made the woman of a rib of him and for a help unto him neyther is she since the creation more degenerated then he from the primative goodnes Besides if the woman be a necessarie evill how evill is the man for whom she is necessarie Some have sayd and that in their own and others judgment both wittily and devoutly that Mariage fils the earth and virginitie heaven But others have better answered How should heaven be full if the earth were empty I ad that because Christ hath sayd that the children of the regeneration neyther marry wives nor are marryed but are like the angels in heaven many whilst they would by preposterous imitation become like the angels in heaven have in truth become liker the divels in hell for they also neyther marry wives nor are marryed But this is indeed the very drâ—gs of poperie to place speciall pietie in things eyther evill or indifferent at the best as is abstinence from mariage and the mariage bed which is no more a vertue then abstinence from wine or other pleasing naturall things Both maryage and wine are of God and good in themselvs eyther of them may in their abuse prejudice the naturall or spirituall life neyther of them is unlawfull no not for them which simply need them noâ— which also not to need argues bodily strength in the one but a kinde of weaknes in the other The ancient heathen used to place Mercurie by Venus to shew what need the affections of mariage have of the rule of reason and wisdom to order them Neyther in truth is there any thing wherein persons more need lesse use reason and true discretion then in their maryage choyse in which the most are unreasonably transported by one affection or other And if he moralized well who made this a reason why God cast Adam into a heavie sleep whilst he prepared and made him a wife of one of his ribs that the affections ought to sleep about this work the reason to wâ—kâ— how do they misse whose manner is to have their affections onely wakeing or working in this busines whilst their reason and conscience also is fast asleep I have alwayes thought that good men crossed with ill wives or good wives with ill husbands are ordinarily least to be pittyed of any others in misery considering how wilfully and presumptuously for the most part they tempt God in their choyse I ad herewithall that there is no one particular in which men and women bewray whether their hearts be set upon worldly riches and honours or sensual pleasures on the one side or on the other side upon the nourishing and promoteing of vertue and godlynes both in themselvs and their posteritie then in their choyse this way When the sons of God take for wives the daughters of men Gyants are born and all monstrous confusion followeth first in the family and after in church and common wealth But when the sons of God take the daughters of God to wives and the daughters of God are taken by the sons of God there is an equall yoak for the persons themselvs to draw in with comfort and a right course taken for the leaving of an holy seed behinde them Some marry by their eye as did those sons of God formerly mentioned and therein follow favour which is deceipâ—full and beauty which is a vain thing others by their fingers as mynding what the woman is worth in the worlds sense Others by the ear as specially respecting their wives title and high birth and so many times get themselvs so many Lords and maysters over them as she hath freinds But they that specially respect vertue and godlynes which being attended by the other handmayds as Hester by her seaven mayds is the more beautifull and desireable they marry not onely the daughters of such or such men but the daughters of God himself A woman that feareth the Lord she shall so be praysed and the man so blessed that marryâ—th her We say
betimes that so we may be old long But who would desire to be that loâ—g which is but a long infirmitie Save as age accompanyed with wisdom and godlynes ads authoritie to the aged for the more effectuall enforceing of these and the like vertues upon others CAP. LXII Of Death NAturall death stands in the separation of the soul from the body spiritúall of the soul and whole man from God in respect of grace eternall in respect both of grace and glorie with the sense of the contrarie evils By sin death in all three degrees came into the world For albeit God onely have immortalitie and unchangeablenes from and in himself and that all creatures and so man with the rest in regard of his elementarie body be subject to change save as they do depend upon him that uncreated beeing and are susteyned and upheld by the word of his power and by a continuall influx from him yet God having engraven his image in man did both so temper his body and order all creatures under his providence for him as that nothing but sin could possibly impeach his life or welfare By his sin he actually lost spirituall life and the right both to temporarie and eternall The first death is a naturall evill the second a spirituall the third both For although in regard of the universall and of Gods supernaturall ends it be better that a man bee to be continued though in eternall miserie then that he should cease to be altogether yet in regard of the persons particular as better eye out then ever akeing better never to have been born or by death utterly to be abolished as the bruit beasts are then to live and continue alwayes accursed and miserable By naturall death divers men how like soever they have been in their temporall state become most unlike in their eternall the wicked miserable without hope and the godly happy without fear And by the same death both they and all other in other things altogether alike how unlike soever they have been in them formerly After death remayns no naturall or civill relation as of father son housband wife or the like all these are for this life onely The liveles earth unto which the body returns is altogether uncapable of them so is the soul being a spiritual substance whether in heaven or hell With them in glory after the end of the world God shall be all in all and men shall be like the angels neyther taking wives nor giving in mariage nor remayning maryed Peter and Paul neyther are nor shall be Apostles there neyther is the virgin Mary Christs mother there but they onely remayn those persons which sometimes upon earth had these states and relations upon them If there be any naturall or bodily difference after death it is that the bodyes of the richer sâ—inck the more by reason of their greater fulnes and aboundance whilst they lived And for the good and bad which are mingled together in this life but cannot agree death parts them for ever being hastened of the Lord that the godly dying may no more be vexed with or by the wicked nor the wicked any longer persequute the godly If men should live alwayes in the world or but so long in our age as did the first patriarks to what a height would many come in worldly happines or misery How extreamly rich would many be how many extreamly poore How mightie and powerfull some how dejected and depressed many more But the wise providence of God is to be honoured herein by which it comes to passe that the more men are set to drive things to extreamitie the lesse time should be allowed them for their courses one or other in the world Onely man being both mortall and reasonable can think of his death Not the angels for though they can by understanding conceav of death yet are they by their spirituall state set without the reach of it nor bruit beasts though mortall because it is not perceaved by sight or other sense but being a privation to wit of life is onely discernable by understanding If a beast see never so many of its own kinde slaughtered before its eyes it fears not death which it sees not though it may fear the instrument which it sees or other terrible and sensible object And hence it comes to passe that the more brutish men are they have the lesse thoughts or fear of death for the most part It is appointed unto men once to dye ordinarily and after this the judgment I say as the Apostle means ordinarily for some dye not but are changed onely Some dye twice as Lazarus and others This death which will certeynly once come and with it eternall and unchangeable happines or miserie we should alwayes bear in mynde as if Phillips deaths head were set before us For though the thoughts of death be not sufficient to rayse the heart to heavenly things yet are they so avaylable to draw it from earthly which is first to be done as no thing is more then the frequent and serious meditation thereof We should think seriously of that part of our life which remayns unfinished that we may provide things necessarie for it and also of our death that we may cut off superfluityes and use that moderately which we must not use long The saying Nothing more certayn then death and yet nothing more uncertayn then the hour of death is common and commonly abused The certayntie of it should teach us moderation in the use of the world and all worldly things and that we abuse them not because the fashion of this world passeth away But contrary-wise many take hereby occasion to lay the faster hold of it eyther in the profits thereof for themselvs or theyrs or pleasures saying let us eat and drink to morrow we shall dye And whereas God would have us ignorant of our last day and hour that suspecting it alwayes we might alwayes be ready we are apt on the contrarie because we know not the certayn tyme to be the lesse ready at all times and which is worse not to take warning neyther as we ought by any or all those known messengers of death which are reckned three 1. Casualâ—ie 2. Weaknes and 3. age the first shewing our death to be doubtfull the second and third to be near and at hand Hardly any so old but thinks he may yet live a year or so sick but that he may live a day longer Not onely the foolish but even the wise virgins are too prone to slumber if the bridegroome defer his coming a litle Few regard the good counsayl given to account every day the day of our death and as that wherein we are it may be to appear before the Lord. Few watch because they know not what hour the Lord wâ—â—l come as all are warned But the servant that so doth and is