preachers tell vs goe forwarde I beseech you in all other sinnes and you shall finde but a verie small number that say I beleeued and therefore I heard The medicine to purge out all these corruptions is a true faith the which if either you leaue at home or lose it by the way the labour is all lost that you take therein Oh how lamentable and damnable a sinne is infidelitie when the iudgements of God are not beleeued and the mercies of God are abused But this greeueth all godly hearts to the quicke that euen in our daies and times there should be such that as a godly father saith are armed with the name of good christians yet fight against the faith of true beleeuers Looke vpon it in time least as death followeth sicknes through want of phisicke so the death of your soules follow their sickenes through want of faith Beleeue saith Christ and al things are possible the dead haue beene raised by faith the sicke haue beene releeued by faith the mountaines may be remooued by faith and the diuell himselfe is droue away by faith therefore bring faith with you vnto the hearing of the sermons the scriptures are the Lords wordes and they are set to sale by the preaching of the ministers themselues beeing his factors faith must buye them as money doth or bee exchanged for them as one thing is for another for there is no crediting vpon wordes no obligations vpon dayes that can get them from vs but present payment of a liuely faith Therefore if any will knowe howe to heare the Gospell with profit and to enioy it with comfort let him bring faith with him that the worde deliuered may bee sealed for truth and sinnes beeing reprooued may bee receiued for truth and suffer no starting holes of infidelitie to carrie our soules from the rocke of God his truth into the sea of heathenish securitie or endlesse aduersitie O yee elders That is you gouernours of the people whom the Lord hath honoured with long life and the world with great authoritie And from hence we note this doctrine that the most honourable must most of all giue eare to the worde of God whether that honour bee in the Church as the ministers or in the common wealth as the magistrates or in the familie as the father thereof or in the warres as the generall thereof all these beeing exalted aboue other haue also a charge aboue other that euerie one walke worthie of his profession which is onely by studying and hearing the word of the Lord. The Lord so commandeth Deut. 17. 19. That the king himselfe shall cause to be wrote a booke for him of the lawe that he keepe it with him and read therein all the daies of his life Those which haue the greatest charge must vse the greatest labour to discharge their places as none could be iudges in Israell till the Lord had giuen them of the spirit of Moses so none can sincerely execute their duetie that the world may be satisfied the Lord may be glorified and their owne soules comforted vnlesse they receiue of the spirit of God and by the ministerie of the word is the spirit deliuered Gal. 3. 2. Hearken therefore you rulers of the Lordes people that which excelleth all glorie being richer then all wealth and wiser then all learning euen the spirit of God may be receiued when the word of God is deliuered Oh how are they deceiued that thinke the ministerie a base profession not meete for any but for the poore to liue by for the lame disfigured for yonger brothers for bankerupt for seruingmen for blunt-headed-schollers and such as can be good in nothing How are they also deceiued that thinke it not an exercise fit for noble men and persons of estate knights and gentlemen and such great ones which haue the world at their wils and the countrey at their pleasures shall these say they make themselues drudges to the Gospell schollers to the preachers and goe on pilgrimage to a publike sermon Yea all these must resigne their crownes of maiestie their gownes of nobility their swords of chiualrie and their estimation of gentrie vnto the voice of the blessed spirit of God speaking in the scriptures and preaching in his ministers And if these must bend their knees we must bow our bodies to the earth and put our necke vnder the yoke of Christ Iesus that he may lift vp our head liues to the participation of glorie The Lord that bindeth kings in chaines and nobles in fetters of Iron and maketh the mountaines to cleaue in sunder at his roaring willeth and commandeth vs from heauen to heare his son and it shal so come to passe that the soule shal be cut off from the Lords people that hath not kissed the prince of glorie and commeth not to offer obedience and seruice to his royall Lord who is able to cast him body and soule into fire euerlasting Let vs therefore study to enter into the courts where the Gospell of Christ soundeth and reigneth least we fall away from grace and glorie after the euill example of those long agoe condemned infidels and reprobated apostataes which gaue their eares to falshood their toongs to blasphemie their liues to vanitie their bodies to luxurie and their soules to euerlasting miserie Let not the graye haires of old men the great wealth of rich men the worship of Magistrates nor the honour of gouernement draw away our hearts from the hearing of this message which being hid from vs maketh vs cursed castawaies but being declared vnto vs regenerateth vs to the hope of eternall happines The reasons of this doctrine are also easily gathered out of the word of God First the same which Samuel vseth in his first booke cap. 12. ver 14. at the annointing or crowning of their new king Saule to perswade them and their king to the diligent hearing of the word and reuerent feare of God he vseth this as a reason That then they shall be the people of the Lord God As if Samuel had said vnto them you know that this is the glorie of our nation that we alone are the selected band and chosen soldiers to fight the Lords battles and this is an honour against all the world beside that they seruing Idoles and worshipping diuels we serue the Lord of hostes if therefore you will indeed be the Lords people you must in truth heare the Lords word what could be said more forcibly to mooue a rebellious nation to a quiet submission And this being the badge and liuerie of the Church of God we may be bold to say openly and defend confidently that they which heare not the Gospell as now it is preached in our English nation are none of the true followers of his heauenly maiestie Euen all whether they be the archenimies of Christ the Papists or the new sectary of Recusants the Brownists or the vaine religion bablers the Newters or the priuy haters of the
word of the holy one of Israell But for vs which haue already giuen vp our names to the Lorde let vs with Dauid Psal 73. 28. drawe neere vnto our God that our zeale in preaching our labour in hearing our feeling in praying and our ioy in all manner of reuerence to the holy Gospell of Christ may euer arise higher and higher to the intent that we also may declare his works vnto other rather then in lamentable rebellion be made examples of his feueritie But now let vs come and see the vses of this doctrine as they are left in the holy worde of God and this may be one that seeing only in the word of God is the foreknowledge of hurt and the continuance of our peace oh then let vs beware of whatsoeuer that shall endeuour or any way be able to pull vs away from the same Our Sauiour himselfe hauing preached a long and sweete fermon vnto his Disciples to arme them against troubles and to forewarne them against corruptions shutteth it vp with this exhortation Luk 21. 34. Let not your harts be ouercome with surfeiting and drunkennes and cares of this life and so that day shoulde come vpon you at vnawares whereby the whole church of God are likewise taught that the diuell shoulde mightily labour by these instruments of drunkennesse and worldly care to burie the worde of God and to blot out if it were possible the very names of the elect from the booke of God and when were these daies if nowe they be not Shall we looke vpon the families of all our lande the very speciall and distinct persons therein we shal find very fewe that are not infected with one of these poisons Drunkennes hath banished all religion inuaded the houses of court and countrie and already made the heauens to weepe the earth to fast the beastes to pine the poore to famish the enimies of God to reioice the saints of Christ to be sorrowfull and the soules of many to be vtterly destroied The cares of this life haue also so farre preuailed that hell may seeme to be enlarged and the diuell with golden apples hath raised vp contention in all kingdomes and by this meanes gained infinite possessions Some haue all their minds on warres thinking it long till they be at the spoiles of their enimie do these men either thinke vpon the word of God which is or the day of God which shall be No no the cares of this life haue ouercome their harts some are too noble som are too base some are too rich some are too poore some are too learned and some are too ignorant thus by one way or other many are ouerthrowne But yet let vs not be hindered from preaching or discouraged from hearing let vs not want the meanes to obtaine life eternall and much more let vs not refuse the same being offered If the Niniuites had not repented when Ionah preached within fortie daies had Niniueh been destroyed oh happie Niniueh that thus was warned by the preaching of one yea rather blessed be our God that woulde not suffer a citie to perish before he had called them by his prophet But howe blessed are we that haue had many prophets and preachers and yet haue not repented in sackcloth and ashes yea although the worlde be hardned with preaching and say where is the promise of his comming where is the destruction that you haue prophesied where are the desolations that so many preachers haue threatened Yet take heede although the cocke crowe at midnight yea many times before the day will you say therefore it will neuer be light so although wee haue a great while agoe and yet continue to crie and call on you to awake before danger come bee assured it will come as the morning star after the nightlie darknes Oh then let vs arise put on your clothes trauaile to the Lordes house and hearken euery one what he will enforme vs to amend vs or instruct vs to forewarne vs. Another vse heereof we may make for the conuersion of them that are yet hardned in their sinnes then the prophet hath taught vs that our whole conuersion and safetie dependeth on the word of God in the mouthes of the ministers and we haue learned to watch ouer our liues that none steale away the same from vs. But yet we haue nothing to saie to them that are no drunkards no couetous misers no open and prophane persons nor yet despisers of the ministerie and meanes of reconciliation but rather louing vnto them and yet for all this make no conscience to knowe God out of his worde or to doubt of many maine points of saluation or to disport themselues in vaine and vnseemely mirth and such like euen vnto them I say with Paul 1. Cor. 15. 34. Awake to liue righteously and sinne not You haue liued indeed as Herod that honored Iohn Baptist as Pilate that thought Christ a good man as the Iewes that followed him from towne to towne but what change hath there beene of your liues since you knew these things if there be none as there can be none as yet then let Paul and Ioel crie vnto you Awake to liue righteously I may say vnto these men as Christ said to the Lawyer that they are not farre from the kingdome of God they are asleepe but not heauily asleepe and they may say of themselues as Agrippa saide of himselfe that they are almost perswaded to be Christians but not altogither Yet one thing more wanteth my beloued not the selling of your houses nor the distribution of your goods nor the reliefe of the poore nor the chastening of your bodies but the banishing of your vaine pleasures the ouerruling of your affections the crucifying of your lustes the putting from you your ignorance your pastimes your oathes your tabling your dicing your gaming and all your cost and time that is euill spent You haue indeede made a good beginning but also I wish you to make a good ending you haue cast the diuell out of the hall of your harts oh cast him out also from the parlour you haue thrust his head out of your mindes suffer not therefore his feete to remaine within you Is it as sweete as sleepe vnto you to do as yee do beware least it be as bitter as gall vnto you to receiue as you haue done therefore awake my brethren and cast off the couerlets of your euill forsake the sheetes of iniquitie and leape out of the soft bed of selfe-pleasing delights put on the garments of righteousnes embrace the crosse of christianitie and breake the neck of all your pleasures as Sampson did of his enimies The Lorde biddeth vs awake to iudgement the Gospell biddeth vs awake to righteousnes the church biddeth vs awake to sobernes the preachers bidde vs awake to holines the creatures bid vs awake to obedience the earth biddeth vs awake to fruitfulnes and the heauens from an high bid vs to awake either to saluation or else
soules by repentance for nature cannot helpe no more then Balaam coulde curse The reasons of this doctrine are these bicause nature it selfe as a creature of God is subiect to the curse of God as wee may see in all the storie of Egypt and also Isay 28. 22. where the Lorde threatneth to bring a consumption vpon the whole earth meaning the whole course of nature that hee can as easilie curse them as it were by sicknesse as men are vndone by consumption And verily I thinke when I looke into the specials I see as Dauid saith All thinges come to an ende but the lawe of God is exceeding large The heauens waxe olde the earth groweth barren the golde is but dust the pearles come to nothing and all creatures saith Paul are subiect to vanitie What is then the studie of nature but the studie of vanitie Yea how vainely are their daies spent which are alwaies in the bellie of Philosophie and Poetrie and humanitie not thinking diuinitie to bee woorthie of their fine wits which they say is the refuge of fooles but if their studie bee vaine then are their wits vaine and therefore of them it may bee saide in seeking to become wise they are made fooles Rom. 1. Another reason is bicause there is no other way to life but conuersion to the Lorde Hos 5. 15. Heere is the remedie for our landes to make the earth furitfull not in dunging and compassing it but if wee can turne our selues to God then let vs cast from vs our pleasant sinnes to rot in the earth and water our newe sowed corne with teares of our eies Then shall the earth yeelde hir increase and God euen our God shall giue vs his blessing Balaams asse woulde not goe for all his beating til Balaam had spoken with God and promised more obedience euen so the earth will not bee fruitefull for all our cutting of it and mending it and poking it vntill we be returned vn to the Lorde and confesse our follies and promise a newe life Oh let husbandmen heare this and learne to liue heereafter or else their worship is like to the sacrifice of Cain which the Lorde refused The vses which we must make of this doctrine are these First that we put no trust or confidence in any earthly or worldly things for seeing these cannot deliuer vs from any little iudgement then let vs learne to trust in the Lords powre Esay 31. 1. It is but follie to trust in kings for they are but men it is but sinne to trust in castles for they are but earth and stones it is but madnes to trust in multitudes for they are but flesh and it is but idolatrie to trust in wealth for it is but vanitie therefore it must needes bee best to trust in the Lord. Art thou afflicted praie vnto him art thou distressed runne vnto him art thou in danger looke vnto him and art thou a liuing soule let him bee thy strength and thy defender The heauens cannot bende to helpe the earth cannot rise to succour thee the waters cannot flowe to receiue and the cloudes cannot fall to couer thee But heere is thy helpe the Lorde can bowe the heauens and com to thee exalt the earth to rescue thee open the way for the waters to saue thee and let the cloudes come downe to take thee into heauen as once he did Christ and at the latter day shall doe all his elect Oh therefore cast not away the hope of your calling thy christian profession thy holie religion and thy hope of saluation for prince or magistrate friende or father heauen or earth man or angell much lesse be not terrified by any enimies which come with fire and sworde to worke thy desolation Craue not their helpe trust not in their strength feare not their rage and distrust not thy God but in warre let him fight for thee in sicknes let him heale thee in famine let him feede thee and in death he shall receiue thee for it is better to trust in God then to put confidence in princes Another vse is this seeing wee cannot auoide any of the Lordes iudgements by nature or naturall meanes then it also followeth that wee cannot escape out of that great iudgement of condemnation by any naturall vertue or worldly meanes but wee must all by nature remaine the children of wrath Ephes 2. 3. Whereby wee must take occasion to lament not onely the weakenes but also the filthinesse of our nature which bringeth into the worlde that euill which it cannot auoide Oh how much are wee bounde to our blessed Sauiour that hath deliuered vs from the wrath to come I might also out of this verse note vnto you that God his wrath shall not onely extende to the liues of men or those thinges which concerne their necessarie maintenance in this worlde but also to euerie part of their possessions as this prophet speaketh euen their barns and houses as we may see Esay 6. 11. Luke 21. 4. 5. And good reason for as worldly men for their owne pleasures do pul down many times both houses barnes as we may see of the worldly man in the Gospell Luke 12. so may the Lorde for his pleasure doe the like Againe these thinges do make vs to be proude euen our buildings and aedifices as wee may see in Nebuchadnezzar and also Iehoijakim Ierem. 21. 16. And therefore let vs knowe that the Lord in his iust iudgement will cast downe all these as hee saith Amos 3. 14. 15. And if he left not one stone vpon another where the temple stoode much lesse will he suffer houses of extortion oppression and gaming and whooring and other filthines to haue any place to stande in Againe seeing we may heere see what are our worldly buildinges let vs learne to laie vp our treasures in heauen which shall neuer bee destroied and lay a good foundation against the worlde to come How did the beastes mourne the heardes of cattle pine away bicause they haue no pastures and the flockes of sheepe are destroied Nowe he commeth to the most pittifull out crie of other creatures for as the corne coulde not growe no more coulde the grasse and one misery doth not commonly come alone and if wee well looke vnto this matter wee shal finde great matter lie hid here in For it cannot be that beastes shoulde be faultie or sinfull before the Lorde why then although guiltles are they thus tormented why did not the people make a hand with them to eate them and so to saue their liues that waies Vvnto which I answere that the people would not kil all their tame beasts bicause some they must keepe for store other for their labour and manie for offering which although it now ceased by reason of the wante of corne yet they hoped would shortlie come to passe againe as appeereth by their tillage As for the other the beastes are punished for mans cause which is the doctrine
that they might know that as none but God could be the author of these so none but his maiestie coulde bee the sender of them These heauenly signes or rather signes in heauen are described in the two next verses first the shaking of the world secondly the darkening of the lights and thirdly the great and terrible thunders which should then be heard all which is supported by a strong reason vers 11. By this verse we may first of all learne that the extraordinarie signes of heauen are the forerunners and most euident prophets of calamitie and destruction following Isa 29. 6. God which woulde haue all his iudgements not onely felt but feared doth not let them come stealing on the world as if he could not doe them against our will or not hinder them against their nature but proclaimeth them by manifold fearefull signes in heauen The reasons are first because we should knowe that the euill onely proceedeth from him 2. Sam. 5. 24. it doth not any whit distaine the Lords honor to be a reuenger of sinne vpon the bodies and soules of many thousands but rather it maketh for his glorie for hee must iudge the world in righteousnesse Another reason is because by this meanes the Lorde doth most earnestly affect good mens harts and afflict the wicked Ezech. 32. 9. for the sight of terrible signes cannot choose but mooue the brute beastes of the earth much more reasonable men who are more giuen to feare because they are more giuen to sinne and our Sauiour saith in the gospell that mens harts shall faile them because of the signes of heauen The vses are these first let vs not be superstitious or heathenish in fearing the signes of heauen aboue the rule of faith Ier. 10. 2. For alas what can any planet or any signe doe but by the Lordes assignement and therefore in fearing it superstitiously we feare not God we distrust his prouidence we restraine his power and we cast away our owne confidence and faith It was a great signe in heauen when fire came downe and destroyed Sodom and Gomor and all cities cattel and pastures of the plaine Gen. 19. yet little Zoar was saued standing among them when all the residue were burning about it therefore beware of the slauish feare of the signes of heauen for it is the Lorde that gouerneth the starres Another vse as we are not to feare them too much so wee are not to regard them too little but vse them as promptors and furtherances to another life Luk. 21. 28. when you see these saith Christ then lift vp your heads and know that your redemption draweth neere Be it therefore that the heauens be burning the lights be darkening the stars be falling the earth be shaking and the ayre be thundering yet feare it no more then the Israelites did in Egypt but rather now thinke that the Lord will amaze sinners erect his throne of righteousnes to stand for euermore This must much encourage vs in these our later daies wher in euerie hower we looke for the accomplishing of all the signes before Christs comming and let vs watch for the appearing of our Sauiour that we be not comfortles when other shall bee both witlesse and faithles but know that good men shall stand in the middest of all these terrours and fires as the men did walke in the middest of the Babilonish furnace and not haue one haire of our head diminished When he saith that the earth shall tremble he noteth that earth quakes are notable tokens of the Lordes wrath Psal 18. 7. we are not onely to impute it to the ayre shut vp in the furrowes of the earth as in philosophie they do but we must goe to the principall cause which is the hand of God and the finall cause which is to shew his wrath for in his wrath saith the scripture he casteth downe whole mountaines Oh how terrible is this to consider that the whole earth should be shakē at the chiding of God yet man which is made of earth and standeth on earth and liueth on earth and shall returne to earth againe will not shake or tremble for the same I thinke there is more terrour in the dead bones in the graues then in liuing bodies in their houses The reasons hereofare these because the law of wrath was giuen in fire and earth-quakes Exod. 19. 18. Heb. 12. 18. for God did then shew himselfe most terrible when the mountaine seemed to burne and there was nothing but cursing and death for the law that then was giuen did condemne many millions which now do know the same Againe earthquakes do commonly proceede and goe before the alteration of religion Reuel 6. 12. for as when Iehu altered the idolatrie of Baal the prophets and the God were both displaced so when religion is altered God is as it were displaced and all his seruants persecuted which must of necessitie shew the heauie indignation of God for he will not haue his image defaced nor endure that his glorie should be giuen to another Let vs therefore learne that if the strong earth be not able to abide the wrath of God then much lesse shal weake and sinnefull men Num. 16. 1. Againe let vs learne to preach the word more earnestly by the consideration of earth-quakes We may read Amos 1. 2. that two yeere before the earth-quake the Lord sent him to prophesie as it were to plant the minds of his church that they might haue liued without wauering Now it is well knowen that wee haue had one great and terrible earth quake in our times would God it might so worke that the preachers would for that cause preach more diligently and the people heare more attentiuely least it prooue vnto vs a token of the decay of religion Truely as yet blessed be God religion is not altered but it is much defaced and God graunt that as the earth-quake at the death of Christ was the decrease of Iudaisme and Paganisme but the increase of christianitie so that in our time may worke the like effect and may seale vnto vs the decay of Poperie and heresie but may assure vs of the continuance of veritie and pure religion We might also note out of this verse that seeing the heauens and earth are afraide of him therefore the most guiltles creatures of God cannot abide his anger But this we will deferre vnto the next chapter Againe in that the sunne and moone are darkened we may obserue not onely that God is the author of light and darkenes but also that he will not let sinners in his anger haue any benefit of them Isa 13. 9 10. The reasons are First because they are enimies to good men and good things Exod. 10. 22. Secondly bicause they are ashamed of the sinnes of men as we may see at Christs death Matth. 27 45. Let vs therefore so glorifie God in our places as these creatures do in theirs for they
hee may remember thee in thy death for as thou seruest thou shalt be serued againe The xxxj Sermon Vers 30. And I will shew woonders in the heauens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoke 31. The sunne shall bee turned into darkenes and the moone into blood before the great and terrible daie of the Lorde come 32. But whosoeuer shall call on the name of the Lorde shall bee saued for in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliuerance as the Lord hath saide and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call NOw we are come to the last parte namely the manifestation of the power of God by great and fearfull signes in heauen and secondly by giuing saluation to the faithfull Concerning the great and feareful woonders much hath already beene spoken and nowe the lesse shall suffice For the interpretation take thus much That when Christ is come and ascended into heauen and the worlde conuerted from infidelitie vnto him then shall appeere manie extraordinarie tokens of the Lordes power both in the heauens and in the earth the lights shall bee most fearefully ecclipsed being in shew turned into darkenesse and blood the aire shall bee troubled and many terrible and strange things shall be seene So that heerein is described the constitution and euent of all thinges at the change of the worlde when God shall come to take vengeance on his enimies as it is in the chapter following I will briefely touch euery thing that I purpose to handle in this vers First in that hee telleth vs of these fearefull woonders presently to succeed or rather to accompanie the preaching of the Gospell the powring foorth of the spirite and conuersion of the worlde we may learne that God will giue vs temporall calamities with spirituall benefits Luk. 21. 9. So that there is no maruaile that in our times there haue been seene so many terrible things in heauen and earth seeing the Gospell hath beene preached vnto vs for calamities make vs to beleeue it more willingly Hos 5. 15. And if the Gospell bee not shadowed in this trouble and wee not ouerthrowne by them then haue wee a notable triall of the Lordes promise towarde vs Luk 21. 18. For as Gedeons fleece was drie when all the earth about it was wet so shall we be safe when many shal be cast down Let vs learne to commit our soules vnto him 1. Pet. 4. 19. that although the heauēs fall down the earth be remooued the sea be dried and the light be darkened yet we may possesse our soules and our soules may possesse our Sauiour for it is God that sendeth woonders ruleth all signes the same cloude did leade the Israelites to Canaan that brought other to destruction the same signes are for our saluation which are for other mens condemnation Secondly when hee saith hee will set woonders in heauen wee are taught that God will manifest his wrath before it commeth Rom. 10. 18. Heauen is in the sight of all and naturally we are inclined to looke vpward so that whatsoeuer we there see we know it commeth from God and therefore there are the signes manifested because euery one might see them The reasons first because wee may either confesse them or be confounded by them Isai 2. 18. Secondly that the greatest enimies of God may be stilled Psal 8. 2. Therefore learne so soone as you see the rod to feare him that ordained it Mich. 6. 9. Againe let vs make a good vse of the signes that wee haue alreadie seene and not trie the Lords patience any longer or tempt the power of God any more Amos 5. 18. The wicked Iewes would haue had Christ shewe them a miracle when he was on the crosse and then they woulde beleeue him but yet they were wicked and so you which desire more tokens of the Lords power that you may be amended are still wicked for if you cannot beleeue the liuing word you shall not beleeue the dead miracles Thirdly when he saith that all these shall come before the great and terrible day of the Lord we must note that all the woonders and signes in the aire must prepare vs to iudgement Isa 29. 6. Oh how can the Lorde change vs when he thus changeth the world and how doth hee prouide for our safetie and preach our repentance by all the woonders of heauen and earth Darknesse putteth vs in minde of hell fire putteth vs in minde of the latter day blood putteth vs in minde of destruction smoke doth admonish vs of the vanitie of our life the earth would moue vs to repentance by remoouing her selfe the light would couer our sinnes in darknesse by withdrawing it selfe and the cloudes would call vs to heauen Let vs learne to feare the power of God more earnestly in his creatures that if these strange things come vpon vs yet we may not forget our Sauiour who shall come in the cloudes But whosoeuer Least wee should thinke that these troubles shoulde ouerturne and ouercome all in the world when there shall be no light but darknesse no peace but thunders no comfort but fires nor any appeerance but wrath and iudgement the prophet in these words telleth them that then euen in those most desperate miseries God would remember to heare the praiers of his children for the godly cannot choose but feare mightily when they should see all the world in an vprore and heauen and earth roaring to their destruction Whereby I might note that good men must endure the feare of those euils which shall come on the world Isa 33. 4. because they loue their life too much Psal 119. 108. and because their whole life must bee mortified and mangled with many sorrowes Rom. 8. 36. yet let vs not so feare that we despaire how neer soeuer we seeme to destruction Isa. 41. 14. but be obedient as Noah was Heb. 11. 7. though the waters and cries of all the world be as neere to vs as they were to him First when he saith that all that call on the name of the Lorde shall bee saued we may note that saluation must bee praied for before we can haue it Heb. 7. 25. Saluation commeth not as honour came on Dauid which made him a king before hee thought on it but it must come on vs as cleannesse and health came on Naaman which he trauelled for and praied for and washed for seuen times in Iorden before he could be cleansed And as the poore Canaanitish woman entreated Christ a good while before he would graunt so the Lord looketh that men should entreate for saluation many daies and nights and times with many teares and sighes and grones thorough many sorrowes and cares and troubles before they can be saued The reasons first because saluation is the Lords Psal 3. 8. and therefore it must be praied for secondly we must be saued by faith now faith is no faith that praieth not for grace Ephes
soule that it may stande in all stormes swimme in all seas abide in all dangers liue in all deathes and raigne in all glorie So you shall know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion my holy mountaine then shall Ierusalem be holy and no strangers shall goe through her any more Now the Prophet drawing to a conclusion of his Sermons shutteth them vp with many sweete promises of the Lords fauour as first of all his presence then his bountie his presence in this verse which shall sanctifie them and keepe them from enimies Concerning the former part of this verse where the Prophet saith they shall know him to be their God dwelling in Zion sufficient hath beene alreadie spoken and I will not stand any longer thereon but referre you to the former chapter This therefore his promise vnto Ierusalem that it should be holy teacheth vs the perfection or greatest honour of the church namely Holines Ephes 1. 4. when the Lord promiseth that his church should bee holy hee thereby teacheth vs that all gifts and goodnes and mercy and glorie and dignitie of the church proceedeth from this that she is holy neither can the Lord in this world bestow any greater benefit vpon his church then hir sanctication This Holines consisteth not in learning nor in studying nor in knowledge nor in prophesie nor in miracles nor in church-offices but in a good life and in all them so that a holy man is a perfect christian Now verily when the Lord promiseth Ierusalem to be Holy he giueth hir all things for he giueth hir grace to be righteous his fauour to be honorable and his benefits to be glorious Without holynes men are heathens but with it they are christians without it they cannot enioy the earth but with it they may enioy the heauens without it they are sathans slaues but with it they are the Lords sonnes and to conclude Holines is the will of God the ende of our redemption the fruit of the Spirit the cloathing of our soules the ioy of the godly and the perfection of the church By Holynes landes are established euil is banished kings thrones are maintained and it maketh a nation dwell without danger no enimie can touch them no famine can dismay them no misery can ouerthrow them because they be holy and so may euery mans soule by Holynes driue away the diuell continue in the church and obtaine the kingdome of heauen The first reason because in nothing do we resemble God more then in holines Exod. 22. 23. who is only holy Reuel 15. 4. Holines and righteousnes was the image wherein God created vs and therefore he caused to bee wrote vpon the breast of the high Priests roabes Holines to the Lord. Contrarie vnto this holines is prophanesse when men abuse whatsoeuer is appointed to be holy whereby I see that they are verie iustly termed prophane men who haue no maner of shew of holines God his fearefull name which is holy they blaspheme the sabbaoths which are holy they prophane religion which is holy they contemne the congregation which is holy they persecute praiers which are holy they seldome vse and to be briefe al the lawes of God which are holy they violate these are carnall men these are miserable men these are subiect to all abhominations So that as there is no blessing but it belongeth to the holy so there is no curse but it belongeth to the prophane Another reason is because holynes is freed from sin hell Isa 11. 8 9. now to be freed from sin is the greatest blessing in this world to be freed frō hel is the greatest blessing in the world to come indeed one followeth another for whosoeuer is freed from sin is also freed from hell But there are many that thinke it a great paine vnto them to be free from sin because they cannot endure to be free from the meanes of sinning yet let vs know that this is or ought to be our prayer that wee may once be freed from committing of sinne that whereas we haue a minde to idolatrie or Poperie it may be turned from it or if we be inclined to swearing we may fall to leaue it and hate it and if we be addicted to be enuious we may be charitable or to lusts we may be chaste or to falshood we may bee true or to couetousnes we may be liberall or ignorance of the scriptures we may be learned in them and finally if to any vaine or vnlawfull thing we may no more desire it then children do the rod oh happy were we if we were thus cleansed from sinne that we might be thus sanctified Let vs learne that exhortation of the Apostle 1. Pet. 1. 15 16. That seeing God which hath called vs is holie so let vs bee holie that wee may purge our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite And surely this reason of the Apostle is very effectuall to mooue vs vnto holinesse when hee telleth vs that God which called vs is holie Therefore looke to thy selfe that hearest the Gospell preached and leadest a lewde and prophane life for I tell thee that this very call of God whereby thou art seuered from Iewes and Turks shall at the latter day tell thee of thy euill which wouldest not walke in holinesse although God which called thee were holie The first image of God created in thee is decaied and it can neuer be repaired but by holinesse wouldest thou be glorified thou must first be sanctified thy bodie must be holy abstaining from pleasure thy soule must be holy not yeelding to temptation thy affections must be holy not corrupted with vanitie and thy life must be holy not drowned in sinne Oh be holy as God is holy it is a part of his essence so let it be of thine it is neuer parted from him so let it be euer with thee it is alway found in him so let it be alway found in thee God is holy in the earth so be thou he is holy in the church so be thou he is holy in the day so be thou he is holy in the night be thou so also and he is holy in heauen oh that we may be so his iudgements are holy so let thine be his words are holy so ought thine to be and his works are holy so let thine be Oh that we could be holy as he is holy that we might be perfect as he is perfect holy without sinne holy without want holy without loue without sinne that they were pardoned without want that all graces might be supplied and without loue that life and health and world and pleasure and lands may giue place to holinesse for holy people are redeemed of the Lorde but the wicked and prophane are damned to hell Another vse is that now we are exhorted to holinesse let vs learne how to bee holy which Iohn teacheth vs 1. Ioh. 3. 2 5. which is first by expectation of Christs
miserable manners they had rather goe with musicke to the gallowes then with mourning to a sermon they choose rather to goe singing to hell then weeping to heauen cursed are they which speake euill of the way of righteousnesse and say to the prophets depart from vs. The Lorde shall come with speede to render vengeance to them that receiue him not The second Sermon Vers 2. Heare this yee elders IN these wordes the Prophet declareth the second part of the description of this booke namely the subiect thereof that is the persons whom it concerneth and the wordes are thus much in effect You that are the elders and gouernors of the people heare the worde of the Lord and all you which are the inhabitants of the land of Iudea the Lords inheritance hearken you also hereunto and tell me whether you euer heard the like in your daies or in the daies of your fathers which went before you Out of these words obserue these doctrines following first that the prophets and ministers of God must call vpon the people to heare the word for you see in the entry of this prophesie the prophet crieth to the people to giue audience to his sermons And indeed this is a most necessarie obseruation to be kept as an entrance to call the peoples minds at the beginning and as a remembrance to stirre them vp in the midst and a conclusion to admonish them in the end For this cause also the prophet Isa cap. 1. vers 2. thinking that if men would not giue an eare to his sermons yet he would not want audience calleth in this sort Heare O ye heauens hearken O earth shewing that if men will be so deafe at the crie of the Lords ministers as not to lend them their eares to their preaching yet the heauens and the earth shall tremble at their word giuing obedience to their heauenly voices the dumbe creatures shal condemne such intollerable rebellion In the booke of the Apostles Act. cap. 13. ver 16. We may read when Paul and Barnabas came to Antiochia being entreated on the Saboth day to giue some words of exhortation to the people Paul standing vp and beckning with his hand called vnto them saying Men and brethren hearken The people in most places are busied in vaine speculations when the peacher is most diligent in opening the word of truth some are drousie when their hearts should be waking to heare what God wil say concerning them others are scraping in the churches with their feete superstitiously conceited when they heare but the name of Iesus mentioned and yet they wil sweare by him and make no bones at all againe others are wearie thinking euerie minute an hower till the preacher be out of the pulpit and many shew the whole congregation their backes by departing out of the church All these let the preachers call with the voice of Trumpets Heare the word of the Lord put away your vanities rouze vp your drowsines take pleasure in godlines staye your disquietnes and continue your presence in the Lords assemblies know you not that the stones you tread on the heauens you gaze on the earth you walke on and the wordes that we preach vnto you shall all come against you like witnesses and tell the Lord your disobedience therefore we often say in our sermons Heare this men and brethren The reasons of this doctrine may euidently be gathered out of the word of God and the first is the practise of the Lord himselfe Psal 81. 8. beside many other places in the scripture where the Lord calleth vpon the people before he declare his minde vnto them for audience and attention saying Heare O my people and I will speake hearken O Israell and I will testifie vnto thee What shall it auaile if we bring the toongs of angels into the congregations none or few wil lend vs their eares Although I easily graunt our perswasiōs enter as deeply into the wals of the churches as into the eares hearts of most of our hearers euen in this we are like these Israelites that if the Lord himselfe should come at one time as here he did cry Heare O my people of England yet it is much to be feared that at another time he might come and crye vnto vs Oh that my people of England would haue heard me as to them he doth in the latter ende of the Psalme Secondly another reason of this doctrine is this bicause by hearing commeth faith Rom. 10. 17. Faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God so that if the hearing of the preachers beget faith in the hearers who shall more fitly or may more conueniently crie vnto them in their sermon time to heare this point of faith diligently to marke this doctrine carefully to lay vp this lesson aduisedly and remember this exhortation continually then the preachers themselues which are the midwiues of their faith Oh how wonderfully doth this doctrine condemne this faithlesse age wherein we liue for if faith come by hearing and hearing by the word of God whence haue they their faith that come so seldome to our sermons Doth not this argue forcibly that their faith is as litle as their hearing therefore saluation is as little as their faith How wil they answer this argument now before men and afterward before the sonne of God that they which heare not beleeue not they which beleeue not are cōdemned alreadie and they which are in such damnable estate it is not their reuenues of thousands their pallaces and houses of glorie the garments of brauerie their prouision of delicates their gentle friends their soft beds their hungry hounds their rauening haukes their pampered horses and their retinues of seruants that can fray the deuill from taking away their soules Is not this pitie that such glorious gentlemen should be cast away for not hearing a seely preachers sermons being otherwise learned in the toongs skilfull in the artes excellent in the lawes eloquent in speeches valorous in war and comely in stature Surely I beleeue Paul was deceiued when he said Faith came by hearing and hearing by the word of God What an impudent blasphemie were this to say that Ladies and gentlewomen on whose faces the sunne is not good inough to looke whose legges must not walke on the ground but either keepe aloft in their bowers or take the ayer in their coaches whose hands must touch nothing but either chaines of pearle cloath of golde embrodered and fine needle wrought garments that these beautifull stars I say should come downe from their nicenes and learne faith at the mouth of preachers Yet farther must our gallant youthes and proper seruing then whose heads are hanged with haire as if they would fright away both Christ and his ministers from the place where they stand come frō the tauerns from gaming houses from the play houses frō the Ale houses from the whoore houses and from al their disports to be ratled vp
such bridegromes which keepe them for to serue the lustes of their owne bellies haue no care to marrie thē to the Lord. Take you heed you that haue the wealth of the world search and rake in the sinkes of your houses in the stables of your horses in the staules of your oxen and in the harts of your seruants that you may bring soules into the kingdome of heauen a pearle taken out of the dung is as good as that which is hoarded vp in a princes treasurie and a simple soule saued from the walking of horses or turning of spits is as glorious to the Lorde as he that ruleth in the throne Another reason for the çonfirmation of this doctrine our sauiour giueth Iohn 10. 26 27. There are none that heare not Christ which beleeue in Christ and there are none the sheepe of Christ but those that heare the voice of Christ meaning that at that time when he was liuing in the worlde and preaching to the Iewes they could not be his flocke that came not at the call of the Gospell and when he should be dead and taken from the earth they shoulde not bee reckoned for the lambes of his church which flocked not to the cries and sermons of the preachers So that in one word he setteth vs downe thus much that they are none of the Lordes which are not hearers of his worde Therefore one saide well Ecclesiae non iungitur qui ab Euangelio separatur Hee which is separated through ignorance or idlenes from the Gospell is also through infidelitie parted from the church for they which heare not Christ are none of his The weight of this reason must be put into the balance of euery ones hart and let him reason thus with himselfe My poore seruant my drudge my simple slaue my maid my cooke and euery one of my familie they knowe nothing of the Gospell but some voices that there is a Sauiour and a Christ that they must come once in a yeere or peraduenture once in seauen yeere and receiue the Lords Supper and neuer know or thinke more of it they are diligent to me they worke when I play they runne when I ride they watch when I sleepe they fare hard when I feast and they finde me all things keeping nothing to themselues onely indeede through my busines they come not at the church except very seldome they know little more then infants they haue beene baptized when they were yoong they may follow any religion or rather superstition their obedience is so little to the Scriptures yea they hardly can tell me whether there be any Scripture whether the holie Ghost had any hande therein or no if I will let them plaie on the Sundaies according to their pleasures the popes profession the Turkish religion the Infidels practise and all heretikes opinions may be sected in them But what shall become of their soules Surely it greeueth vs that such diligent and faithfull seruants shoulde after a miserable and slauish life haue a mercilesse and a cursed death Yet Christes words are generall they are none of his that heare not his voice and follow not his call O consider this you wealthy and poore people of this lande thinke on the miserable condition of these your owne flesh and fly from that terrible danger which threatneth your soules horror all yea euery mothers childe must be present when the worde is preached bicause this trieth vs whether we bee ashamed of Christ or no. When Dauid was absent from Saules court the king presently missed him and asked after him for his place was voide In like maner if we be absent from the assemblies of the faithfull the king of heauen and earth seeth our roomes be emptie and calleth for our presence Let this therefore perswade vs that we cease not hearing the Lordes word and following his heauenly call least of sheepe we become goates wanton and wilde and so when the generall appeering shall be the Lorde separate the goates from the sheepe and sende them to euerlasting perdition The vses which may arise from this doctrine are these first that sharpe sentence of our Sauiour Mark 10. 14. Suffer little children to come to me and forbid them not for vnto such belong the kingdome of heauen The well minded people desiring the blessing of Christ to rest vpon them their posteritie brought their little babes to be touched by our Sauiours hande the which thing was reprooued and forbidden by the disciples and therefore they were rebuked and reprehended by Christ There is none though they be as yoong as babes as simple as children as weake as women as base as seruants or as bonde as apprentices but if at the ordinarie times of preaching I meane the Sabbaoth they will trauell to the Lords house and there spend their time they must not be restrained they must not be forbidden I am not ignorant of the vaine and wicked authoritie which some chalenge to haue ouer their families thinking that their duties are discharged although their seruants be wandring from the Lorde about their idle busines and seruants thinke themselues satisfied bicause their masters who haue rule ouer their bodies command them thereunto And thus men crosse one line of their reckoning and leaue a whole sheete behinde and race out the condition letting the obligation stande they heape vp one sinne vpon another and while they mende one breach in a christian life they make two more For by this meanes it commeth to passe that masters thinke it lawfull to busie their seruants whom they hire for their money at al times when any smal occasion offereth it selfe sending them on messages in keeping them at home to waite on themselues and in sauing an houre or two or three to worke in the weeke daies they make bolde with the Lorde and giue them leaue on the Sabbaoth daies to visite their friendes Doe we not thinke that the ministers of God may haue their actions of maintenance against such carelesse masters which beare out their seruants and themselues contrarie to the law of God whereby their owne hearts are hardened their neighbours offended the glorious worke of the minister despised the heauenly voice of the Gospell neglected and themselues with their seruants in danger both body and soule to be damned May we not call for the law if not of man yet of God to turne away these euils from vs But Oh lamentable maners in this latter ende of the world which regardeth as little the voice of Christ as wise men do the noise of yoong children Againe sometime the seruants are of godly disposition and would willingly vse the libertie of Christians to goe as the Israelites did and sacrifice to the Lord but then commeth one or other and many times their parents and gouernours of their owne mother wit forbiddiding them to vse it encreasing as Pharaoh did the measure of their workes and forbidding them to come neare vnto Christ as these disciples
that there is a speciall iudgement of God when hurtfull creatures are increased If either the flies or the wormes or any small beasts arise aboue their vsual number thē know for a certain that these little beasts are infallible tokens of the Lords wrath Psal 105. 34. The Psalmist describing vnto vs the woonderfull workers of God which he wrought for his church saith He spake there came Grashoppers and Caterpillers innumerable so likewise the Prophets Ieremy and Ezechiell among the grand and inuincible plagues of God reckon this for one the growing or multiplying of noysome beastes For the Lord which is infinitely wise is able infinite waies to manifest that deuine power of his maiestie whereby once hee created all things of nothing and euery day sheweth vs our sins by changing his good creatures into hurtfull destroyers making the earth to pine vs the heauens to burne vs the aire to benum vs and the silly beasts to annoy vs. The reasons of this doctrine are these First because the Lord by these meanes doth not onely admonish vs all of our transgressions but especially punisheth vs for our singular rebellion Exod. 10. 4. 5. Among all these plagues which were wrought in Aegypt to punish hard harted Pharaoh and the blinde minded Egyptians the Lorde in great number sendeth grashoppers that prince and people might bee brought to destruction And surely if the Lorde haue so many meanes to reuenge the cause of his Saints that hee maketh bruite beastes the executioners of his wrath then let vs learne neuer to molest any in whome any graces of God appeere for then shall wee bring an heauie house of wrath vpon our heads Another reason of this doctrine is because that hee sometimes sendeth and multiplieth plentifullie his good wholesome creatures to the destruction of them that receiue them and if the good creatures of God be sent that he may more freely take vengeance by them vpon our iniquities much more when the noisome hurtfull beastes are increased doth he powre out his wrath and execute his anger We may reade Numb 11. 31 33. that the Lorde brought abundance of quailes vpon the tents of Israell but withall he sent leannes into their soule and his wrath came vpon them while the meate was in their mouthes that the lustes of their mindes cost them the bloud of their bodies and although they seemed to haue a great blessing yet it turned to a heauie curse In like maner they are not alwaies the happiest persons which haue all things at their wish nor yet is it alwaies a good thing to be aduanced to the highest roomes as Haman was to eate of the daintiest meate as the rich man did to be clothed with the softest raiment as the courtiers are to haue the poore bowing to our persons the worlde woondring at our wealth and the voices of all men to commende our workes For notwithstanding all these the soule may be poore naked comfortlesse and despised in the eies of the Lorde and what shall it profite vs to winne the whole worlde and loose our owne soules Let not pouertie dismaie vs for that was on Christ let not riches aduance vs for they were on Herod let not aduersitie trouble vs for good men professe it and let not prosperitie reioice vs for euill men enioy it Now let vs make some vses of this doctrine which may either strengthen our faith or amende our liues Therefore first of all the Lord shewing how manie iudgements he had powred vpon the Israelites Amos 4. 9. telleth them the vse of all which was that they should be cōuerted vnto his maiesty so that as Dauid saith He maketh his angels his ministers in like maner Amos might say He maketh the beastes of the earth to preach repentance vnto men For it is most requisite that when men become beastes in their liues drowning al reason within them then should beastes like themselues in reason though not in bodie come vnto them to reprooue their follie whose blowes should breake their harts that woulde not turne them at the preaching of men Now then the whole course of nature and naturall things do remember vs and helpe vs to worship the Lorde for if they bee subiect to vs and serue to our vses they tell vs that we must be subiect to God serue in his vineyard if they rebel against vs annoy vs with their presence they preach repentance to our liues conuersion to our soules whither then shall we go from the presence of the Lorde If we burie our sins in the earth as the wicked seruant did his talent yet we must bring them foorth againe to receiue our condemnation if we keepe them in secret yet the birdes of the aire shall reueale them if we neglect them and not regard them the lyons of the woode shall requite them if we dissemble them the Lord himselfe in flaming fire shall disclose them and if we continue in them the little woormes the seelie grashoppers and the simple creeping creatures shall reuenge them But wee in our daies haue not much tasted of this fourth plague which is the multiplying hurtfull beastes I meane our lande hath not been giuen to the locusts and our labours haue not beene spoiled by the caterpillers yet we are more troubled with more hurtfull beasts I say in the similitude of men such beasts as wander not in the fields but lodge in our houses being more vnreasonable then the palmer-wormes and more vnresistable then all the heards of canker-wormes The godly may cry out with Dauid the fat buls of Bashan did roare vpon me and with the Apostle that they fight with beastes in the likenes of men and yet Dauid neither feared the buls nor the Apostle fought with beastes indeed But such beasts as haue al reason against reason and no reason to any religion are swarming almost in euery corner of England we may as easily perswade the oxe to eat no grasse the birds to eate no corne the lyons to seeke no pray the lambe to refuse the pap of his dame as reclaime this kinde of beasts from their euill kind of sins Deafe adders they are they wil not heare wittie and politike foxes they will not be taken vipers without feeling the sorrowes of others wanton kine euer kicking against the poore stately lyons rauening whatsoeuer liketh them greedy beares byting al that com nigh them sleepy dogs profiting no body and what shall I say more They depriued themselues of all kind of humanitie therefore let these great beasts mooue vs seeing we haue no feare of little beasts These sleepe in our bosomes eate at our tables gather vp our profits and consume God his benefits Let these I say make vs innocent watchfull warie diligent obedient meeke gratious and zealous in religion that either our liues may conuert them or their beastlinesse amende vs. Another vse of this doctrine is this that as God can vse and also doth these his
their body were changed into wormes as Herods was should not this neither Oh yes but seldome times will you say are these things wrought I graunt it so indeede but much seldomer are men amēded by hearing of them in other or feeling them in themselues Tarry not to conuert I beseech you till these wonders be wrought againe tempt not the Lord of heauen and earth with deferring the day of repentance For bee you assured that contemning the riches of his grace and abusing the patience of his long suffering while his word and Gospell is preached and not beleeued he will verifie that prophesie vpon you that was long agoe pronounced Reuel 19. 17. vpon the enimies of Christes Gospell Come ye foules of the heauen to the great supper of the great God that yee may eate the flesh of kings and captaines and mighty men of horses and riders offree and bond of small and great Oh then will it be too late to cast away pleasures to curse your delaies to imbrace the Gospell and to crie peace when the sword of God is dipped in blood Another vse hereof may be this that seeing the greatest and strongest creatures were by nature and creation subiect to man now not onely they but also all other both great and small through our transgressions are become either our enimies or else our conquerors This must teach vs how odious and abhominable a thing is sinne and wickednesse in the presence of the eternall God and his vnreasonable creatures it was forbidden by God it was condemned by angels it is reuenged by beastes and punished by diuels it droue Adam from paradise it kept Moses from Canaan it destroyed the inhabitants of Ierusalem and hath excluded infinite thousandes from the kingdome of heauen It was committed by the blood of soules it was redeemed by the life of Christ it was reprooued by the death of martyrs and yet it is maintained by the practise of multitudes Oh whose hart is not diuided to see such a monster more made of than all good things which was hatched by the diuell and fed by the life of soules and yet raigneth that it may winne millions of soules to condemnation Shall reasonable men rescue it when vnreasonable beastes fight against it euery creature in his kinde cries vengeance against it It made the angels damnable it made the world abhominable it maketh the beastes corruptible and it maketh men miserable Miserable I say by birth for they are borne in it miserable by life for they are vexed with it and most miserable by death for they are cursed with it We haue already heard that the sinnes of Egypt were punished and reuenged by lice and the sinnes of Herod were requited by wormes and vnto these adde the sinne of the prophet that reprooued Ieroboam 1. Reg. 13. 24. which was rewarded by a lion Thus doth the earth crie woe vnto it for it cursed her thus doth the heauens hate it for it destroyeth her children thus doth the starres fight against it because it dazeleth their light and thus doe wilde beastes warre against it because it encreaseth their grones Oh then let not vs men bring vp that mōster hatch vp the coccatrices egs which so soone as it is deliuered and conceiued it giueth our liues mortall woundes If wicked Herod in slaying the children of Bethleem thinking thereby to slay Christ did not refraine his crueltie from his owne houshold but also put his owne sonnes to death least they should afterward trouble him for his kingdome how much more ought we not to imitate his crueltie but his policie to bridle our natures to chaine our affections to subdue our lustes to conquer our desires and to forsake our pleasures that we might bathe the sword of God his lawe in the blood of our owne sinnes seeing if it liue we must die and if it die we shall liue It commeth vnto vs with the Sirens song it embraceth vs friendly as Ioab did Abner but while it saluteth vs with one hand it stabbeth vs with the other It promiseth vs faire as Iael did to Sisera and it giueth vs milke in steede of water it serueth vs in plate it clotheth vs in purple it lodgeth vs in ease but in the end it slaieth our soules as she did Sisera it maketh much of vs as the high priests did of Iudas it maketh vs gentlemen of rascals it maketh vs rich men of beggers it maketh vs companions of princes it deliuereth vs when others are endangered but in the ende it tieth the halter to our necks and maketh speede for our execution it serueth vs as the harlot did the yoong man Prouerb 7. it kisseth vs it flattereth vs it pleaseth vs and it promiseth vs all sugred ioyes but yet it draweth vs as the oxe is drawen to the slaughter it biddeth vs take our ease followe pastimes auoide preaching loue not the prophets come not at the churches and forget all manner of godlinesse but in the ende it serueth vs as a noble man doth his olde spannell commending some to the gallowes some to the prisons some to noysome sicknesse some to pouertie some to slauerie some to madnesse some to vntimely death and some to vnmercifull hell Therefore heare and follow Salomons counsell Prou. 7. 24. Heare O my children let not your hearts decline to her waies and walke not in her pathes for she causeth many to fall downe wounded and strong men are slaine by her her house is the way vnto the graue which goeth downe to the chambers of death The sixth Sermon Vers 5. Awake O yee drunkards and weepe and howle O yee drinkers of wine because of the new wine for it shall be pulled from your mouth NOw we are to handle the exhortations of the prophet made and grounded on the premised calamitie The which exhortations for our more orderly and formall proceeding I will thus diuide some of them concerne the miserable ouerthrowe of their countrey by famine whereunto they are prepared by the prophets sermons and these are in this first chapter and to the twelfth verse of the second chapter the other generally stirre them vp vnto repentance from the twelfth to the eighteenth The first of these whereby the inhabitants of the land are admonished prepared for the iudgement is either for the people as in ver 5. 8. 11. or for the cleargie or ministerie as in the 13. of the first chapter the first of the second chapter That part which is directed to the people is by speciall names notes of persons described which are of two sorts either for their manners as drunkards ver 5. or for their occupation or trade of life as husbandmen ver 11. And also these exhortations haue their seueral reasons to mooue the people withall as in this we haue in hand he moueth the drunkards either to awake or to lament ver 5. 8. Vpon these causes the first concerne themselues vnto the nienth and from the nienth to the
the continuance of the earth and all thinges created doe witnesse the perpetuitie of his worde Therefore let vs by considering of this same knowe of a certaintie that rather than any iot or title of the Lordes worde shoulde be brought to nothing not onely the earth and all the course of nature shall bee altered but also the heauens so high and so immutable bee vtterly changed and passe away as nothing then also will not God spare his workmanship in the bodie of man but to verifie and iustifie his worde hee will bring manie to condemnation Let vs not nowe thinke to escape the better or the longer bicause nature shall continue for without changing of nature can God easilie bring vs to destruction as he coulde without breach of promise destroy all the Iewes and of the stones of the streete make newe children for Abraham He can destroy as well in light as in darknes as well in drought as in waters as wel by meat as by poyson as well by our own hands as by the mouthes of lyons tigers All the earth was not parted when Corah was punished al the world was not afflicted when Samaria was famished but the Lord will heere and there picke out the men that transgresse his law as he founde out Achan and the posteritie of Saul committing the guiltie to death and reseruing the guiltlesse for life Againe let vs feare how we endanger our selues to God for in his wrath he forgetteth that we be his worke and will cast vs off although we were as neere vnto him as the signet on his right hande Say not thou hast beene a professor or a preacher or a hearer or a martyr or a miracle-worker through the power of God for notwithstanding this he wil say vnto thee I know thee not if thou be not conuerted He casteth much golde into the sea he bringeth great kings into slauerie he taketh away plentie from whole countries and dasheth in peeces many yoong infants therefore thinke not thou but he will be reuenged on thee for thy presumption Yea to punish the Iewes he destroied his owne temple and therefore he wi spare neither house nor building nor nation nor person but in his wrath he wil bring all to cōfusion The xvij Sermon Vers 3. A fire deuoureth before him and behinde him a flame burneth vp the land is as the garden of Eden before him and behinde him as a desolate wildernesse so that nothing shall escape him IN this verse is contained the first similitude whereby the force of these beasts are described comparing their biting of the fruites to a fire for after an herbe hath beene bitten with a locust it will looke blacke like a cole Again he compareth the land before he touched it to the garden of Eden meaning the fruitfullest place in the world but after the beastes had ouerrun it it was like the most barren and forsaken wildernesse Concerning the comparison of fire it hath beene spoken alreadie and it noteth the vnmercifulnesse of the destroier But in this that he saith before him the land is as Eden and behinde him a wildernesse we may obserue that there is not any land so fruitfull so fertill and so pleasant but it is subiect to the curse of God and to barrennesse Gen. 3. 17. It is apparant in all the creatures of the worlde what the sinne of man hath wrought how it destroied themselues corrupted their soules annoied the beastes defiled the aire and brought the earth which was all good and no part there of but very fruitfull into brambles and briers and thistles and thornes and weakenesse and barrennesse to be tilled without ease kept with all labour and reaped with little profit And as we see in the best ground so we may knowe it is in the best man that he is also subiect to vanitie curse and destruction when the Lord shall in iudgement waigh their disposition And thus may euery husbandman that tilleth the earth and euery other man that treadeth thereon behold euery day with his bodily eies how sinne is punished and let vs feare that as the vnfruitfull land is not onely cursed but neere vnto burning so their soules more vnfruitfull are not onely cursed but neere vnto condemnation The reasons hereof are manifest first because the Lord in cursing the land destroieth the sinners Isa 15. 9 Againe he will destroy the fruites of the earth because men doe breake his couenant for when men doe breake bargaine with God the Lorde will make the earth to deceiue man and looke what authoritie man hath ouer the earth to plow to cut to drowne to harrow to dresse and to burne it so hath the Lord ouer man to kill to vexe to trouble to saue and to condemne him at his pleasure Therefore looke as the earth doth loose her fruitfulnesse so shall thy soule her blessednesse and when thou seest thy good land become barren beware least thy life be alreadie made wicked and know that the Lord setteth as little by a wicked man although a man as thou dost by a barren field although it be a peece of land Wherefore let vs make that vse that God teacheth Adam Gen. 3. 9. that seeing the earth is become vnfruitfull in the sweate of our faces let vs get our liuing that is as euery mans sinne is a cause why the earth is cursed and so become barren so let euery mans hande be a meanes whereby her fruit may be encreased that she and we may be both blessed They are not woorthy of land that labour not to amend it and to make it fruitfull for we may see that it is one part of our obedience since the fall of Adam to labour in the earth for our liuing It is a fault in many men which keepe the earth in barrennesse and onely sucke out the sweete from that land which is good by nature but we must knowe as God tilleth euery mans hart to bring it to goodnesse so ought man to trie euerie kinde of ground to bring it to fruitfulnesse like that good gardiner in the gospell which two or three yeeres together digged about his vnfruitfull tree Againe seeing the earth is cursed for our sakes let vs lament the barrennesse thereof Isa 16. 9. for in so doing wee sorrowe most iustly for the punishment of our owne sinnes The beholding of him is like the sight of horses and like the horsemen so shall they runne In this next place he compareth them to horses bicause in battle they are most fierce as we may see Iob 39. 20. Againe hee compareth them to horses for speede bicause as these are most swift in running so are the other most speedie in executing the Lordes wrath Aba 1. 8. Againe the horse is most terrible in battle Reu. 9. 7. and so shall these bee Heereby wee may obserue that the onely sight of punishment before it bee felt doth wonderfully perplexe a guiltie conscience Reu. 1.
are dark at his chiding and they shine at his bidding so let vs liue to praise him while he giueth life and die to honour him when he sendeth death And the Lord shall vtter his voice before his hoste for his hoste is very great for he is strong that doth his word for the day of the Lord is great and verie terrible and who can abide it Hauing spoken of the darkning of the lights the shaking of the earth now it followeth that we proceed to the vttering of the Lords voice which signifieth thunder Psal 29. 3. and most plainely Psalm 18. 14. The Lorde thundred out of heauen and the highest gaue his voice By the consideration of which phrase wee are giuen to vnderstande the infinite and vnspeakable power of God which hath so wonderfull and powerful a voice the which when the Israelites heard Exod. 19. 20. they were not able to abide and so desired that Moses shoulde speake vnto them euen so are we vnable to endure the same if the Lorde shoulde so speake vnto vs as we shoulde haue had no benefite by Christ except hee had taken vpon him the nature of man so wee coulde not endure the powerfull worde of God if it were not offered by the toong of man As the waies of God are not like the waies of men so the voice of God is not like the voice of men that is stronge but this is weak that is high but this is lowe that is fearefull this is simple that is terrible this is easie The people that coulde not abide Salomons gouernment had a worse then was Salomons for they lost their kinges and their God euen so when wee can no longer abide the voice of man then let vs looke for the fearefull thunderclaps of heauen wherefore heare the wordes of God in the mouthes of men or else you shall feare and tremble and melt at it in the stroke of the ayre Againe the prophet Dauid Psalm 29. 11. maketh another vse of thunder telling vs that for the power thereof euery one in his temple doe speake his praise It is a wicked and damnable opinion of the multitude that the diuel can raise thunder whereas we are to account it onely in the Lordes power Iob 38. 25. although the diuell can doe much yet is hee but weake and his power restrained therefore wee need no more feare his power in the time of thunder then in the cleerest sun shine day but rather let vs praise the Lorde for his power who is so woonderfull in all his works Againe if thunder be the voice of God why do the papists in the time of thunder ring their bels to staie it as if it were an vnholie thing surely it well be commeth them for seeing they will not heare God in the Scriptures they wil not heare him in the cloudes if wee oppose Scripture to them they say wee speake as heretikes if the Lorde sende thunder then they say there is a diuell abroade Oh blasphemous mouthes and hearts that are so simple and yet so great great in blasphemous heresie and simple in true diuinitie Againe when the prophet saith that he will vtter his voice before his hoste for his hoste is very great hee meaneth the noisome beastes that hee shoulde sende like an hoste of men as hath beene alreadie shewed Whereby we are taught that euery creature since sinne entred into the worlde is become an enimie one to another like to the enimies in warre Psal 105. 34. The great birdes are enimies to the small the great fishes to the little the great beastes to the inferiour and so are the great men to the little ones the oxe cannot abide the lyon the sheepe cannot endure the woolfe the foxe will not tarrie with the goate the horse will not dwell with the Beare the Hart will not attende the hounde and many moe liue in hatred one with another but most of them al are enimies to man The reasons are these First as man destroyed his owne nature so God destroieth or rather altereth the nature of all other things Secondly God will surely be knowne that hee giueth power to the spoile Amos 5. 9. What can an enimie doe in warre or a theefe by the high way side or a beast that deuoureth man surely nothing but by the working hand of God for the diuels themselues are vnder his correction One lion destroied a prophet 1. Kinges 13. yet we know that Daniel was cast among a denne of lions and had no hurt at all surely it was the Lorde that opened the mouth of the one and muzled the iawes of the other Let vs therefore knowe that whensoeuer either man or beast shall annoy vs that it commeth of God Iob. 1. 4. When Shemei cursed Dauid Dauid woulde not haue him punished bicause saide hee The Lorde hath bid him curse and so if wee be bitten by any beastes or stung by any serpent or haunted by any foules or oppressed by any enimies let vs then thinke with our selues this hath the Lord done to vs and praie for the remission of sins This doctrine wil take away al reuenge against man for any iniurie when we shal bee perswaded that God by them doth fatherlie correct vs. Againe let vs thinke with our selues how many waies the Lorde hath to correct vs for our sinnes the angels are about vs when God biddeth them they strike the beastes are among vs when hee commandeth they discomfort vs the flies and wormes ouercome vs wee are enimies one to another and one wound and kill another as Cain did Abel yea we cannot trust our owne hands for feare they destroy vs as we see in Saul Achitophel and Iudas and when all this is done there are ready all the diuels in hell to torment vs. Now who would loue his life nay who would loue his sinnes that bring with them vpon him such an euerlasting and intolerable hatred Againe when he saith that he is strong that doth his word he meaneth him that doth his commandement whereby we are taught that euery creature hath power giuen him to doe that which God assigneth him 1. King 17. 4. The rauens at the commandement of God fed Elijah morning and euening with bread and meate and so euery one when he biddeth them goe they goe when hee biddeth them come they come The reason is first because they waite vpon God Psal 145. 15. secondly they worship their creator Reu. 5. 14. and so we may learne that God neuer aduaunceth any but he giueth them giftes to performe their callings When he saith that the day of God is great and who can abide it he thereby teacheth vs that the wrath of God is intolerable Deut. 9. 18. 19. The reasons are because there is no way to flie frō his presence Amos 5. 18 19. Secondly there can be no mediator in wrath Ier. 15. 1 2. By which we are taught how inestimable is the benefit of redemptiō by Iesus
13. what a matter is this that our knee-praiers our lip-labours our Easter-communicants our time-seruing hearers and all of that broode whose deuotion is as hot as Iacobs stone should wearie the Lord with their vaine petitions their idle presence their outwarde reuerence and their temporall obedience that he abhorreth both them and theirs Whose toong shall perswade them of the truth hereof verily if the prophet Isay should come from the immediate presence of God with his toong purified by a Seraphim yet they would no more beleeue him then they doe vs except they feele the smart of their idlenesse Another reason because God doth not regarde temporall sorrowe for sinne as wee may see in Esau and Ahab and therefore much lesse that seruice which is but temporall and outwarde also And although Ahab was spared for his fained repentance yet it was but respited and the iudgement came notwithstanding whereby we may see how vnwilling is our mercifull father to take vengeaunce of our sinnes if there appeere in vs any small sparkles of grace or any remorse for punishment Let vs therefore learne that no visor can deceiue God and that there is no halting before him it is not our lifted vp eies our knocking of breastes our sighing our whipping our launcing fasting and pining that can satisfie the Lords expectation or minister any comfort vnto vs at the day of iudgement Let vs learne from hence that exhortation of the Apostle Gal. 6. 7. that we be not deceiued The maine point of religion is this that wee bee assured of life euerlasting What shall we be if wee bee deceiued if we haue ghesses in steede of knowledge wauering in steede of constancie weaknesse in steede of faith darknes in steede of light and vanitie in steede of diuinitie what are we but deceiued If we make Christ in our mouthes religion in our eies and mortification in a friday fast or Christianitie to continue no longer then while we be in the churches if we be not deceiued in this then were neuer any deceiued We deceiue our brethren with shadowes our God with shewes and our selues with sinne we deceiue our harts of knowledge our liues of holinesse and our soules of meate and life euerlasting Oh how doe men deceiue themselues and deceiue other when in the meane season the Lorde crieth out Be not deceiued What fooles are men to be so besotted with follies making hypocrisie their heauen Sathan their God and counterfeite religion their soules worship The Lorde hath sent strong delusion among men that they might be damned which receiued not the loue of the truth yea it is most equall that they should be damned by falshood which would not be ruled by truth Yet let vs take heede to our soules that we deceiue them not and mocke the Lord for the case is dangerous if we consider it and desperate if we fall into it We will sing in voice and we will sing in spirite euen so we will repent in hart and repent in teares let vs professe with the mouth that wee may bee saued and beleeue in the soule that we may bee iustified Let vs also receiue the exhortation of the Lord Isa 1. chap. that we wash our selues from dissimulation and haue the euill thereof remoued from vs. The filth of this sinne is so odious in the eies of God that vntill it be scowred off there is not any thing in vs that may satisfie his wrath or pacifie his displeasure Therefore if either the feare of his highnesse or the regarde of our owne soules may any way mooue vs to amendment let vs wash away this abhominable filthinesse It is but a painted hew the water will purge it it is like snowe the water will melt it and it resembleth hoare frost which the water dissolueth but I meane not the water of the earth but the blood of Christ for that is the onely medicine against hypocrisie Pray for it and thou shalt haue it wherewithall if it be once washed it shal neuer be defiled againe Flatter not thy selfe and rest not in the shew of holinesse but reforme thy soule throughly Of all sicknesse the falling euill is the worst for it maketh one seeme without life and so of all euill hypocrisie is the worst for it maketh men liue as if there were no God it defaceth good things it denieth religion for it maketh it to haue a harlots face mens liues it defileth and mens minds it corrupteth therefore bring not such a monster into the Lords sight which altereth all thy proportion and lineaments disfigureth the glorious gifts of God But of this thing we haue elsewhere spoken and now it sufficeth to touch it lightly Lord your God Now the prophet telleth them to whome this conuersion must bee made that is to God for whose sake onely men must repent From hence obserue that so long as wee are vnrepentant wee erre and runne away from God Psalm 119. 67. Vntill God called Adam so wrought repentance in him he hid himselfe from the sight of God and so doe all the posteritie of Adam flie from the Lorde as Ionah did vntill wee are repentant We abhorre his Gospell we deny his truth we renounce all goodnes so long as we are vnregenerate we speake euill of the things wee know not and corrupt our selues in the things we knowe Iud. 10. we eate in riot wee sleepe in pride we walke in pleasure and liue in vnthankfulnes Rich men aduaunce themselues aboue other poore men murmur against God yoong men liue in open sinne and old men die in wicked ignorance and all because they are not repentant Thus men wander some one way and some another and few or none the right way What maruell is it to see so many abhominations arise in the world seeing men run from the truth that is Christ forsake the light that is the spirit and die in miserable death because they haue departed from the life that is God Oh miserable men that cast themselues into such a sea of euils wherein the farther they wade the deeper they are plunged and the longer they go the harder they are reclaimed and if at any time they straine at any euill it is not for loue of God for him they haue forsaken but it is for shame of the world which they feare more then death The first reason is because of our selues we haue no knowledge of saluation neither can we inherite the kingdome of God Matth. 18. 17. whereby it is euident how little wee are able to do in any good thing but euery day waxe woorse and woorse And this may serue vs for a notable and lamentable spectacle to behold our vile nature which draweth vs the farther from God that it might drowne vs the deeper in condemnation If wee haue nothing in vs but good nature there is nothing in vs of God his grace we are not building timber but fire wood it is repentance that chuseth vs and squareth
our selues neuer so sinful Psal 9. 9 10. although we bee neuer so poore in spirit yet let vs know that ours is the kingdome of heauen So that if thou reason with the diuell himselfe who will if it be possible deceiue thy soule telling thee that thou art more vile then others and therefore it is but follie for thee to call on God for mercie yet say to thy soule that the Lord neuer despiseth the sighings of the poore although I haue sinned yet I haue sorrowed although I haue neglected grace yet with the Lord there is more grace be it that I haue no goodnesse in me the more neede haue I to goe to God the author of goodnesse Men seeke not to the phisition in health but in sicknesse and the more desperate is their disease the more speedily they sollicite him and a good phisition commeth quickly so I want the health of my soule and I see death standing at the doore and knocking for me therfore my praier shall goe to the Lord my physition and I knowe that he will speedily come vnto me He abhorreth not my weakenesse he hateth not my person he willeth not my destruction and therefore wil I pray for saluation I am exceeding base but he will bende to me I am very poore but he will giue mee the riches of the spirite I am a sinner and he is a Sauiour why shoulde I not goe vnto him and fall downe lowe vpon his footestoole for hee neuer despiseth the sighing of the contrite Giue not thine heritage That is the people whom thou diddest take vnto thy self aboue al the nations of the world from hence we may obserue as in a singular metaphor how deere the church is vnto God Deut. 4. 20. euen as deere as any mans inheritance is to himselfe for indeed an inheritance doth very fitly resemble and shadow out vnto vs the nature and condition of the church First because it is not woorth any thing except a man do plant sow the same and so is it in the church wherin if the Lord plow not and sow not there can no good thing grow therein Againe an inheritance is sometimes sold away for the barrennes thereof so when the church groweth secure and bringeth not foorth good fruits the Lord giueth it ouer for a season to be spoyled by strangers Againe if an inheritance will no way be amended then is it accursed and burned Heb. 6. 8. so if no means will reclaime the world from their wicked life then he accurseth them and giueth them ouer to the fire of hell Also as a man taketh singular comfort in his inheritance so the Lord doth in his church and as a man hedgeth and encloseth his inheritance to keepe it from being wasted euen so the Lord hath set a brazen wall about his church the which all the diuels in hell shall neuer be able to ouerthrow but men and angels shall fight for their safegarde and maugre sinne and hell they shall endure as the earth doth euen for euer and euer The first reason because hee might powre his blessing on it Esa 19. 25. for hee hauing many most excellent benefits in store hath made choise of his church to powre foorth all that he hath thereupon for whether we consider the blessings of this life or the benefits of the life to come they are all ordained for the good of them that be godly He is wise to instruct vs he is mightie to defend vs he is liberall to maintaine vs he is mercifull to receiue vs for our sakes were the heauens created the earth established the waters remooued and the fruits appointed for our sakes were the angels condemned the sonne of God crucified and the age and yeeres of the world is plunged Another reason because we should be holy vnto him Deut. 19. 2. Of all the creatures of this worlde there is none that can bee holy vnto the Lord saue onely mankinde for they are the image of God and if the lande whereupon Moses stood was holy much more is the land of our harts holy whereupon the Lord himselfe standeth for he raigneth in vs. And this is the cause why the Lorde hath made vs his inheritance that we should serue him in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our life for the heauens are holy whither wee are going the angels are holy with whom we shall dwell the church is holy wherein we liue and therefore we must bee holy or else we are accursed Seeing we are the inheritance of God purchased by his sonne then let not any of vs liue to our selues but to him that redeemed vs 2. Cor. 5. 15. how many waies might I vrge this doctrine that as the earth beareth not fruit for it selfe but for vs so should not we eate the fruits of our owne labours but offer them to the Lord. Our harts are the grounds our bodies are the hedges God his law is the plough the worde is the seede and himselfe is the husbandman Oh let vs not be ploughed and planted in vaine let vs not frustrate the Lords expectation and our soules saluation If we were but seruants yet we ought to worke for our hire but being his inheritance we must liue and die day and night to beare him fruit wee cannot put him away but he may put vs away our fruits do not profit him and yet the want of them will curse vs. Let vs not be for the weedes of sinne nor for pleasures to feede on as bullockes do on pasture-land but let vs bee his garden of sweete flowers his vineyard of fruitfull grapes his field of fine planted wheat and his possession for an euerlasting inheritance Let our words be as gratious fruit let our religion be as pretious pearle let our loue be as rockes of golde and let our bodies bee as fruitfull garners let vs bring him all for first fruits tenthes and offerings and sacrifices that we may be his blessed land vnto the worlds end Another vse seeing we are the Lords inheritance we may see that the Lorde will be very hardly driuen to forsake vs for he gaue a lawe Numb 27. that none shoulde sell awaie their inheritance but at the ende of fiftie yeeres euery one should reclaime thereunto So that if the Lord shall giue ouer his inheritance as hee did Israell Hos 5. 15. the case is very desperate but not perpetuall A man that hath manie barren fieldes doth not presently sell them away no more the Lorde which hath many barren soules in the compasse of his church doth presently forsake them but rather dresseth them by the ministerie of the worde that they may be made fruitefull Oh heare this you that are in the Lordes folde although he beare for a season with your barren hearts and suffer you manie yeeres to lie in rest thinking at the last you will bring him some profit bring it foorth with speede or else knowe that the Lorde which redeemed you from
former wee haue heard the wonderfull troubles vpon the afflicted Iewes so now we shall heare the same spirite assisting vs the singular comforts and promises which the prophet maketh vnto them vnto the ende of this prophesie These comforts are either the restitution of their owne abundance in this whole chapter following or the promise for the ouerthrow of their enimies in the last chapter vnto themselues in this chapter he promiseth worldly benefits vnto the 27. vers and spirituall benefites or graces from the 27. to the ende The worldly blessings are of two sortes First that hee will spare them from farther vengeance vers 18. Secondlie that he will heape on them many benefites In this vers he promiseth to be iealous ouer his land and spare his people Meaning that hee will watch ouer them with a reuenging hand to annoy and destroy all those that rise against them For iealousie signifieth an inordinate loue tending to reuenge Num. 25. 13. In this verse considering the order which the prophet maketh in that he first exhorteth them to repentance to praier and so presently descendeth to these sweete promises following wee may obserue that so soone as a man hath repented so soone is he capable of the tender mercies of God All this while wee haue heard of no mercie but iudgements threatning and thundering most fearefull wrath but now at length after some woorthie exhortations to repentance commeth this cheerefull promise of mercie to tell vs that we can no sooner repent on earth but the Lord will seale our remission in heauen Iob. 11. 14. 15. Naamans seruant told him that the Prophet bad him an easie thing when hee said goe wash and bee cleane and therefore if he would not wash he should not be cleane so is it but a short commaundement that wee should be repentant and then be saued therefore if men will not repent it is no pitie if they be not saued Oh I would to God that they might goe out of this life as free from sinne as Naaman went out of Israell free from leprosie but if the promises of God cannot be had without repentance no more then a cable roape can goe through the eie of a needle except it be spun as fine as any thread then are they like to lye on the Lords owne hand for there are but few that will buye them so deerely rather had they passe a short life without promises in the possession of vanities then lead a sorrowfull life in the fruition of godlines so that the contrarie shall bee saide to them that heere the Prophet speaketh God will neuer bee iealous ouer them and spare their soules The first reason because in repentance we mitigate the intolerable wrath of God Ion 3. 3. that thing which the euerlasting paines of hell cannot performe may be redressed by the sorrowes of our harts the teares of our liues for no blood no money no riches no torments nor any friends can appease the Lords wrath but a sorrowfull perplexed spirit can doe away all For as the ground is fit for the seed when it is ploughed so a heart is fit for the Lord when it is broken By this we may see what is the folly of wicked men for if by repentance good men escape damnation then without repentance euill men shall possesse damnation Tell me haddest thou leifer be drunk one meale and then fast for euer after or fast at one meale and then eate for all thy life following Canst thou not abide two or three blowes with a rod to auoide ten thousand with an iron scourage or were thou not better haue thy nailes pared then suffer thy fingers to be cut off and rather suffer a little blood to be taken from thee then let all thy life be lost so endure here mourning for an hower rather then in hell for euer and abide here the chastisement of God his worde rather then in hell the punishment of diuels let thy life loose all her ioy rather then thy soule should loose her saluation Another reason because it worketh or bringeth life eternall Act. 11. 28. now life eternall is all in all he that can haue this what matter is it though his life be poore his bodie be starued his name be odious his miseries be tedious his libertie be closed vp in irons his health be layed vp in sickenes and his friends be turned into mortall foes what are all these if a man be assured of heauen surely lighter then feathers easier then soft beds and welcommer then a long life Nay rather what are all things without life eternall great liuings daintie fare many friends obedient seruants goodly houses easie daies soft beds and long life but as the pleasant sting of a serpent which a while doth so tickle the veines and sinewes of the bodie that it delighteth euery member but in the end it swelleth the body poysoneth the blood breaketh the veines and destroyeth the life so are the goods of this life without the goods of the world to come Let vs therefore make this vse thereof that if it be but to dwell in our land let vs be repentant Ierem. 25. 5. God will not spare our land till we haue repented Oh how fearfull is it to thinke that we should begge in Italy or Spaine or Fraunce when we may enioy our reuenewes in England Let vs weepe at home that we lament not in other lands let vs sorrow in our houses that we complaine not in forreine prisons Now would the Lord feed vs with the finest flower the sweetest hony the fattest oxen and the best lambes in the flocke Oh why should we abuse all these to be carried where wee shall want all sustenance for life Some men hold their landes by suite of law and continuall danger let vs bestow as much for repentance to hold ours as they do to defend theirs Let vs repent for our selues for our possessions for our wiues and children and for our bodies and soules or else all will be taken from vs. Another vse God will neuer withdraw his mercy from a repentant man Zech. 1. 3. and this was it that our Sauiour meant when he said that all things are possible to him that beleeueth namely that he should begin continue and end well Feare not the assistance of God in any trouble or triall or death or affliction if thou haue repented for thou shalt hold out to the end Repentance made Abraham to trauell longer and be well contented it made the Israelites to waite for Christ it incouraged the Martyres to die for Christ therfore if thou haue repented thou maiest boldly assure thy self that thou shalt haue patience in euery trouble zeale in all thy life and comfort in any distresse and abilitie for euery temptation with power to abide death and glorie to reward thy soule For although thou maist slip after thou hast repented yet thou canst not finally perish for all the sinnes done after
tell them to our parents our wiues our children our seruants our friendes and our neighbours that they may bee signed by the same seale and saued by the same grace Thirdly God will haue none other to bee knowen in Israel but himselfe alone Whereby wee are taught not to stand in doubt whom where whē we ought to beleeue feare loue or worship but onely and perfectly to relie on the Lord. 1. King 18. 21. It is not good to halt betwixt two opinions but either we must bee constant professors or obstinate blasphemers I would they woulde consider this that say they know not whether to be papists or protestants for both liue alike and therefore both shall be saued alike But they must knowe that Cham escaped the flood as well as Sem but yet he escaped not damnation so easily and so wicked professors in this life doe many times as well as good but death and iudgement shall trie the cause The reasons first because the halting part is often turned out of the way Heb. 12 13. and indeede it is fearefull that alway euill doth surpasse goodnesse as weedes ouergrowe corne and sicknesse ouer commeth health Therefore let vs beware least when we doubt what is best we take the worst as Ieroboam did Moreouer while we doubt in religion wee are carried away by the craftie deceit of men Ephes 4. 14. For heretikes and euill men doe alway labour first to drawe vs into wauering and then to bring vs into condemnation Let vs then abide in that which we haue heard 1. Ioh. 2. 24. for that which is first is truth and that which is last is falshood Let vs not haue tickling and itching eares such as many in our daies haue which like not our doctrine our preachers our praiers our gouernment our sacraments our people and our prince and what will they doe shortly but fall in dislike with our God and all manner of religion Let vs also learne to bee constant 2. Tim. 3. 14. that we be not mooued from it but as Ioab would not come out of the temple but would die holding the altar by the hornes so let vs die holding fast by our altar Iesus Christ And that seeing we must die let vs die in his armes for his sake to his glorie and our owne saluation The xxx Sermon Vers. 28. And afterward I will powre out my spirite vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your olde men shall dreame dreames and your yoong men shall see visions 29 And also vpon your seruants and your maidens in those daies will I powre our my spirite THese two verses containe the second part of the spirituall benefits to be powred on them namely the spirite and the graces thereof for when hee saith that he will powre foorth his spirite he meaneth not to diuide the holy Ghost into parcels but by a vsuall figure of the scripture hee putteth the spirite for the graces because wheresoeuer any one grace is there is the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 12. 6 11. By this we may see that the olde fathers and the prophets had some knowledge of the Trinitie of persons in the Godhead for not onely here but in many other places is mention made of the Spirit and we knowe the name of sonne is and was very familiar in the scriptures Hee saith he will powre out his Spirite by a vsuall metaphor taken from water because the holy Ghost is resembled to water Heb. 10. 22. meaning also that hee woulde giue it abundantly in more plentifull manner then heeretofore so that all this pertaineth properly to the kingdome of Christ as Peter sheweth Act. 2. 17. and not to their returne from Babylon By the cohaerence of this verse with the former where is promised knowledge as is heere the holy Ghost wee may note that after God hath giuen vs knowledge hee also will giue vs the holy Ghost Act. 15. 8. so that there is not any one that can assure himselfe that he knoweth God by the word preached but he may also be assured that he is made the temple and dwelling house of the holy Ghost Ioh. 1. 12. this is the onely rewarde in this world of the obedience to the Gospell that we haue the spirit dwelling in vs and opening vnto vs the things of God If the affaires of Potiphar were blessed because he had Ioseph in his house much more blessed are the workes of a christian because he hath the holy Ghost in his hart Oh learne I beseech you to know the Lord by the scriptures for then shall you haue the Lord dwelling in you for then shall not sinne hurt you nor the diuell annoy you you shall not feare any danger nor any death for the spirit shal still comfort you and carrie your spirits into heauen The reasons First because we should euermore haue him in our soules Ioh. 14. 16. the Lord knoweth that wee haue a great deale of sorrow to suffer in the world and therefore he hath prouided for vs a comforter that may helpe vs to beare it and they which care not for their profession care not for the spirit and they which care not for the spirit care not for the Lord. By which we may see how fearefull a thing it is to forsake the profession of the Gospel for then the Lord forsaketh vs seeing vs giue ouer his spirit also the Spirit of the Lord is fire and if it purge vs not it will burne vs. Another reason bicause it may perswade vs that we are in the truth Ioh. 15. 26. for if our profession were but barely gathered out of the scriptures by men then might it be altered as the ministers thereof haue beene altered but the spirit abideth for euer and doth assure our hearts that this Gospell this faith this hope this obedience and this kingdome is the same that Christ taught the saints beleeued good men receiued the disciples liued and all the faithfull haue obtained So that if thou stand in faith and dost peaceably enioy the profession of religion and knowest by the infallible word of God thou art in the way of saluation then reioyce boldly because the holy Ghost is in thy heart as Simeon did when he had Christ in his armes But yet many haue peace in their harts thorough the diuel which are in errour in Poperie in Mahometisme and Idolatrie being perswaded they are in the truth but this perswasion is but counterfaite like as the miracles of the Magitians in Egypt were but counterfaite to the miracles of Moses and therefore not euerie one that is perswaded he is in the truth is to bee thought to haue the holy Ghost but onely they that are perswaded by the scriptures and relye vpon nothing in the world besides Let vs then trie whether as yet we haue had the holy Ghost giuen vnto vs or not for the Lord teacheth Iohn 16. 8. when the holy Ghost is come he will reprooue the
enioiedst them Therefore beholde iudgement and terrour and thunder and fire and the ouerthrowe of all thinges which one daie shall bee that thou maiest feare thy proude and sinfull nature and so behold mercie the resurrection the life to come the face of God and the fellowship of Angels that thou maiest quietlie repose thy soule in the sweete profession of the Lordes Gospell The reasons of this doctrine are these first because they are base minded if not beastly affected which onely looke to the temporall things that they see and not to the heauenly and eternal things which they see not as the Apostle in the before-named place saith and therefore it is farre more honourable that thou shouldest beleeue the things that are to come when we heare them in the word then the things that are past and present which our eies beholde Againe our Sauiour saith Marc. 9. 23. that all things are possible to him that beleeueth which is verified in nothing more then in this when we giue vp our whole harts to the things that are preached and daily waite when they shall be performed And if all things be possible then is saluation and the ioyes of heauen possible for thee if thou canst beleeue them and so liue as thou maiest obtaine them The vses which wee are to make of this doctrine are these first seeing wee must be instructed by the word of God to behold the things that are to come as if they were present then let vs euermore bee faithfull the which thing the Apostle teacheth vs when hee saith that wee stande by faith Rom. 9. 23. so that as our bodies stand vpon our legs so our soules stand vpon our faith And if this be so how many lame soules are there in the world nay they are not lame that neuer had legs but those that had them yet are they monsters and such monsters are faithlesse and infidel men If thy legs be sicke thou wilt goe to thy surgeon and if thy faith be sicke goe to thy Sauiour what comfort hast thou of the worlde if thou canst not walke in the world and what ioy hath thy soule if it haue no faith to walke in the scriptures Stand by faith and fall not beleeue soundly and strongly bring not a woodden leg I meane a woodden faith such as men can make but a true and substantiall faith which the Lorde onely giueth Let not any thing mooue thee for all things are possible to the beleeuer though the earth remooue bee not thou afraide though the heauens passe yet the world shall not passe beleeue all things say not this will be long or that will be late or the other is doubtfull or God is mercifull his minde may alter or the preachers are but men they may be deceiued or the iudgements be conditionall they may be reuersed or the promises be vncertaine they may be recalled Oh beware of an infidell hart Heb. 3. 12. and depart not from the liuing God Moses because hee did but once distrust God he could not enter into the land of Canaan the gouernour that would not beleeue the prophet was trod to peeces the princes which would not beleeue Ieremie were slaine by the Babylonians and the soules which will not beleeue the preachers shall be ouercome by diuels Oh consider how fearefull a thing it will be for you to say as the Iewes Ezech. 33. v. vlt. surely there was a prophet among vs. Therefore as the husbandman looketh to the haruest in the winter when the corne appeereth not as the seruant thinketh on his wages long before it commeth as the birde thinketh on her yoong ones long before she breedeth and the builder thinketh on his dwelling long before it be finished so doe you thinke on the ioyes and woes which shall bee long before they come And account your selues the happiest men aliue whome God warneth with his owne word that you may auoid the day of destruction for if you liued not vnder the check of the gospell and the controulment of preachers you might goe as other barbarous nations doe blindfolded that is vnwitting and vnknowing to the slaughter of your bodies the butcherie of your soules Surely the Lord doth nothing but he reuealeth the same to his seruants the prophets and therfore blessed are they that liue among them but more blessed are they which heare them beleeue thē loue them receiue them regarde them because God hath sent thē Secondly in this vers we may obserue when he saith In those daies and in that time that God wil haue the redemption and deliuerie of his saints and church to bee most certaine and knowen for vpon this occasion doth the prophet double the note of the time as it were noting both the day and the moneth So as once hee tolde Abraham that his seede shoulde be a stranger in another land fowre hundred and thirtie yeeres and no longer to shewe vnto him that they shoulde bee assuredly deliuered So doth hee heere by this prophet though not so precisely note the assurance of their redemption The reasons of this doctrine are these First because wee are not redeemed with any temporall worldly or earthly price but by and with the most precious blood of Christ Iesus 1. Pet. 1. 18. Againe another reason is because as the Apostle saith 1. Timoth. 2. 6. that this was done in due time The vses which come of this doctrine are these First seeing the Lorde will haue the redemption of his people to bee sealed and certainly knowen then let vs looke for that time and that day when Christ shal finally deliuer vs from the wrath to come 1. Thess 1. 10. What shoulde make good men to feare the latter day their redemption is certaine the Lorde is their Sauiour the Sauiour is their head their head is their brother and vntill Christ come they are subiect to wrath but when he is come they are deliuered from death Againe let vs receiue any pledge or token of the Lordes loue and fauour towarde vs which is shedde in our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. and seeing this is it that we are certainly redeemed and our soules health is not builded vpon peraduentures but it is surely established then let vs certainly perswade our selues that God loueth vs with an euerlasting loue What will hee keepe from vs that giueth vs his owne sonne and will kill him to acquite vs If this perswade vs not to bee penitent and to loue God againe then is not the loue of God nor the bloude of Christ sprinkled in our hearts Naaman woulde haue giuen to Elisha manie thousande poundes bicause the water of Iorden had clensed his leprosie what woulde he haue giuen if Elisha had cured him by medicine But Christ hath cured our soules and bodies by the riuer of his owne bloud and by the losse of his owne life then are we worthie to giue heart for heart bloud for bloud bodie for
goods whereas you should haue laide your goodes at the Apostles feete what will ye doe when the mouth of God shall pronounce your destruction for medling with his tithes and his offerings and his sacrifices and his liuings as the hand of God did Belshazzars depriuation on the wall surely not your knees will bend but your harts wil quake not your countenance will change but your conscience wil tremble not your loines wil be loosed but your liues not your wealth shall be only destroied but your soules bodies for euer euer Secondly we may obserue out of this vers when he saith that they haue caried into their temples his goodlie pleasant things that God accounteth preciouslie of the meanes of his worship howe basely soeuer the world and all worldlings doe iudge thereof Leuit. 1. 2. for he calleth them his goodly and pleasant things The which thing I woulde haue most diligently obserued that wee may so thinke of the thinges of God as the spirite of God doth deliuer them vnto vs that we finde them goodlie as full of grace and pleasant as filled with delight that we may all saie Oh Lorde howe sweete are thy lawes vnto our hearts yea sweeter then honie to our mouthes For carnall minded men see no more grace in a church then in a tauerne nor no more delight in a christian then in a ruffian nor esteeme any whit better of a preacher then a craftesman or finde any more sweetenesse in a sermon then a plaie or take any more delight in the Gospell then in a little pedlars french Oh howe basely are you minded that cannot thinke better of the Lords matters One of you thinke that there is great goodnesse in an eare of wheate another findeth great delight in a fielde flower another sporteth himselfe with the smell of a rose but none of you can feele any pleasure in that corne that bringeth bread of life or that flower that sheweth the worke of life or that rose that offereth the smell of heauen Laie away thy base thoughts of spirituall matters and knowe that the church is the Lordes house who is greater then a king that the preachers are the Lordes stewardes who are better then lordes that the Gospell is thy soules food sweeter than any iuncate that a christian is the Lordes friend better than any rich man that a sermon is thy Sauiours praise higher then any prince and that the fellowship of saints is more woorth then the valour of knights Thinke I saie howe goodly and pleasant are the wordes full of grace the companie full of goodnesse the praiers full of sweetenesse the Psalmes full of melodie and the soules full of sorrowe which are gathered togither before the Lorde in his church The reasons of this doctrine are these First because hee euermore regardeth what himselfe hath appointed Cant. 5. 1. His church is his garden and therefore he hath planted euery flower growing therin wherewithall hee cannot chuse but bee highly delighted as he was at the beginning when hee sawe that all his workes were good Another reason is bicause he punisheth them seuerely that contemne any part of his ordinance Heb. 2. 2. 1. Cor. 11. 30. and therefore he accounteth preciously of his worde which hee defendeth by his power and of his poore saints whom hee maintaineth by his angels and of his mercie which hee manifested in his sonne and of the neglect of his Gospell which hee punisheth by condemnation Let vs therefore honour whom God honoureth Act. 10. 15. and that which God accounteth precious let vs not cast awaie as vile Because Assuerus honoured Haman all the people of his kingdome did him reuerence and therefore because the Lorde thinketh well of the worde and of the Sacraments and of praier and of preaching and of hearing the Gospell let him bee a dead dogge that speaketh against the same But alas alas as Vasthi would not come although the king hir husband sent for hir so will not our Vasthies men women olde and yoong followe religion and come to the Gospell although God our father and Christ our husband send for them neuer so earnestly but she was rewarded for hir disobedience and was diuorced from the king and so I feare will bee the ende of verie many in our daies to be put out of the Lordes fauour and diuorced from the blessings of Christ And again let vs learne to put on our eies of faith that wee may commend that which God commendeth for except wee can beholde the workes of God and the Gospell of God with spirituall eies it shall neuer bee goodly and pleasant before vs and cast away the blockish dulnesse that oppresseth your braines like a drouzie nap in a shining daie which will not suffer you to beholde the light with any comfort But lift vp your eies as the children of light that you may see the beautie of Christes church the riches of the Lords spirit the treasures of the Lordes saintes the ornaments of a faithfull soule and the glorie of another life The children also of Iudah and the children of Ierusalem haue ye sold vnto the Grecians that yee might send them farre from their border This verse contayneth the last cause of the Lordes iudgement vpon his enimies for that they had sold his seed and seruants vnto the heathen nations with this policie because when they were carried far from their own countrey they should liue like slaues without hope euer to returne home againe These Grecians to whom they solde the people of God were Gentiles or heathens the posteritie of Iauan the sonne of Iaphet who was the eldest sonne of Noah And in this that the Lorde now calleth them to a reckoning because they had solde away his people although they were their captiues vnto infidels we may obserue that it is not lawfull to commit the children of the beleeuers into the handes of vnbeleeuers And for this cause it is reported Gen. 12. 5. that when Abraham was commaunded by God to goe out of Haran where all were fallen to idolatrie into the promised lande of Canaan he tooke with him Sarai his wife and Lot his brothers sonne for he would not leaue him in the hands of Terah Abrahams father and Lot his grandfather because with the residue he then was fallen to idolatrie And this example is a sufficient proofe of the matter to teach vs that we should so loue the soules of the righteous seede that we leaue them not resident among the infidels or Atheists or Papistes or other prophane wretches but to our owne cost and labour redeeme them from the diuels tyranny But in this we may lament First that euen in our times we may see many of yeeres of discretion to runne away into papistical and heathenish warres or else to sauegarde themselues vnder the liueries of them that are open enimies to the Gospell and many to binde and put their owne children the fruit of their bodie
verie sorie to execute his wrath vpon the wicked for so our Sauiour expressed his griefe for Ierusalem Luk. 13. 34. when hee cried out O Ierusalem Ierusalem howe often woulde I haue gathered thee c. The which thing putteth vs in minde of the infinite loue of God whereby hee woulde pittie our losse reuoke his sentence silence his wrath and saue vs from heauie destruction But such is our nature as is the nature of children in their birth which thinke not vpon the paines of their mothers in trauaile although they die in extremitie yet they forget them when they bee olde and so doe we both the anger and the loue of God we regarde not his mercies nor his iudgements nor his gospell nor his teares nor the bloud of our Sauiour The reasons of this doctrine First in regard of vs because we knowe not the things that belong to our peace Luke 17. 42. So wretched is the estate of men that they are not able to discerne when God blesseth them or curseth them when hee wisheth them well and when he wouldeth them euill This is cleerer then the sunne for Christ and his Gospell being offered to the worlde and preached to euery degree of men you shall see nothing more vilely esteemed or basely regarded insomuch as wee may say that the men of our time doe not knowe the thinges that belong to their peace For if the Lorde threaten them then they spurne if he blesse them then they are wanton if he punish them then they murmure if hee honour them then they are proude and euerie one thinketh that the Gospell serueth but for a time and they shall doe as well without it as with it They knowe not that nowe is their visitation or that nowe they worke their death or life or that nowe they are married to God or the diuell Surely if men beleeue not the Gospell and walke not thereafter they are sathans bond-slaues although their wealth be as great as Salomons and their authoritie as great Hamans but if they ioyfullie embrace it in the ministerie of the worde then are they the wife of the lambe and the elected heires of grace Another reason secondly in regard of God because hee rather willeth repentance then vengeance of this wee haue often spoken Let vs make this vse First when we see the froward and wicked disposition of the world that will not bee reclaimed by any warning or any mercy of God let vs doe as Christ doth for the Pharisies Marke 3. 5. Mourne for the hardnesse of their heartes It is the custome of some vaine professours for so I may terme them to raile odiously at them that will not bee ruled by their wordes and so it is of some cholericke and vnwise preachers who will take libertie in their pulpits rather to reuile men then to reclaime them except at the first they come and lay their hands vnder their feete in the one it is foolish zeale in the other vaine folly Learne therefore by our Sauiour how to be affected when thy people or thy children or thy seruants or thy friends or thy neighbours will not bee gouerned by thy instruction namely to mourne for their hardnes of hart and no maruell for thou seest God to mourne for them when thy words can no longer preuaile then let teares and if they will not be mooued by warning let them be by mourning Hardnes of hart is a sickenes sent by God and it lyeth not in the power of man to cure the same therefore cast not away a man when he is sicke not a soule when it is hard but let sorrow and prayer speake for it to God when there is no helpe in mans phisicke Another vse seeing God is vnwilling and therefore mourneth for our destruction and so do all good men also oh let vs not despise and neglect all their sorrowes and cares and teares which they powre foorth for vs it is vngodlines not to regard the Gospell but it is vnnatural not to regard the sorrowful In heauen is nothing but ioy oh wretches that wee should make the Lord sorrowful for vs in the church there is al sorrow oh vnkinde and pitilesse men that we should encrease their sorrow and mourning and teares and adde to their affliction but that which is worst of all wee are hardened and will not care for their cries Be mooued to repentance and conuersion and holines and religion for God and men do mourne for thy rebellion let their teares make thee weep in this life or else they will make thee roare in another life Secondly we may obserue in this verse when hee calleth vpon the multitude to come to destruction that God careth no more for a multitude then for one man and will as easily cast many into hell as one soule as we may see in the drowning of the old world Gen. 7. 21. The reason because all are but flesh Gen. 6. 3. that is but vile made of earth but weake wanting strength and abhominable corrupted with sinne Now what should the Lord striue and stand with earth or weaknes or sinne he hath not an angell but it is stronger then a world and therefore a multitude are as easily giuen to damnation as one or two Let vs learne not to doe euill after the example of a multitude Exod. 23. 2. Although many be blasphemers or Atheists or heathens or papists or whooremongers or neglecters of the Gospell despisers of preachers and such like yet bee not thou so for it is no ease to haue company to hell Againe when he calleth them to come into the valley of threshing meaning the place of wrath vsing no other meanes to draw them thither but his call we may note that the onely word of God shal bring men to iudgement Psalm 50. 1 2 3. and the reason is because he is strong that giueth the word Ierem. 30 7. Oh therefore that the same word might stirre vs vp to saluation which shall prepare vs to condemnation and iudgement 2. Thess 3. 1. For verily if it be so powerfull as to bring all the world in one companie togither and to raise the dead out of their graues and make liuing men out of the dust of the earth in whom I beseech you is the fault that it gathereth not vs to heare it when the Lord speaketh in the congregation and rayseth vs not vp to the life of righteousnes surely as the Lordes hand is not shortened so his word is not weakened The xlj Sermon Vers 15. The sunne and the moone shall be darkened and the starres shall withdraw their light 16 The Lord also shall roare out of Zion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the heauens and earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel AS in the former chapter when the destruction and calamities of the Lords owne people the Iewes were threatened the heauens were said to be
deadly warre disquieteth them then are they heauie then onely are they sorrowfull Reu. 18. 9 10 11. Luc. 17. 27. Hose 7. 14. They account it a speciall madnesse to mourne for the affliction of Ioseph that is to weepe for their owne sinnes for the persecution of the Lords flocke for the decrease of the faithfull and contempt of the Gospell also they thinke it a meere follie for men to reioice at the hearing of a sermon or the reproouing of sinne or the planting of a preaching minister and the remoouing of a cypher or the establishing of religion But let them knowe it is a thing accursed to reioice for vanitie and not for godlinesse to weepe more for the losse of a father or the want of bread or the feeling of sicknesse then for the famine of God his worde or the death of a faithfull man The reasons for confirmation hereof may be these because onely in these temporall and worldly things they place the rest of their soules Luc. 15. 19. The rich man hauing new builded his barnes reaped his corne and filled his storehouses biddeth his soule to take her ease for he had store ynough for many yeeres we maruell then that the losse of these things goeth so neere them when with them they loose the very health of their soules What shall wee say to the greedy cormorants which to gather wealth as this man did reposing therein the hope of their health while vnlawfully they would saue their soules vnrighteously they condemne them Oh let them also beware which being the outwarde professors of the Gospell yet neuer make an ende to encroach more liuing I cannot say they hope to be saued by them but I may be bolde to say that they much distaine the glorie of God while they aduaunce their names they endanger their soules Secondly another reason is because the loue of these carnall commodities banisheth away the loue of God 1. Ioh. 2. 16. How shal men which haue denied God and are become idolaters as all worldly men are Ephes 5. 5. care for any religion or reioice for any goodnesse yea rather lament it or how shall they lament any euill but rather reioyce in it because they are voide of all goodnesse themselues A godly father saide of them in this sort that they account that euill which doth not make them euill as famines sicknesse and other calamities but for swearing drunkennes whooredome and other vices they call them not euils They are not ashamed while they praise good things themselues to be euill and they thinke it a greater disgrace to haue a ragged towne a thatched house an vnhansome legge or a poore estate then to haue an ill life This said hee long agoe and now with teares I may say it againe that men in our times through the want of religion which through abundance they haue loathed and rebellion they haue vomited vp feare no God but the enimy loue no knowledge but their law euidence and they care for no health but bodily medicines and thus they weepe when they should reioice and reioice when they should weepe The vses which arise from this doctrine are these First that these carnall mindes and men shall neuer be eased in their carnall sorrowes or comforted in their worldly comforts Therefore Iames said cap. 4. 2 3. Ye lust and haue not ye enuie and haue indignation and cannot obtaine you fight and warre and get nothing be cause you aske not you aske and receiue not bicause you aske amisse that you might consume it on your lustes Wherein the heauenly Apostle hath set out to the full the nature of al worldly wishers carnal criers wherin these things I be seech you to obserue most diligently First that this is the nature of wicked mē in their praiers being in distresse that they enuie and haue indignation euen at God himselfe thinking that he doth them great iniurie thus to disquiet their ease and to trouble them with want Oh fearefull condition of wicked men that their very praiers are nothing else but murmuring against the Almightie Secondly he noteth the verie cause why the wicked craue any thing at the hand of their creator that saith he they might bestow it on their lustes And surely I am much afraid that the feigned praiers of a great number in this time of dearth and famine haue had the like inward motion which is the cause that the Lord regardeth not our praiers and remooueth not his iudgements Thinke not therefore that euer your cries for corne for bread for meate for plentie for cheapnes and for comfort shall take any effect although you fill the aire with your outcries or the earth with your teares vntill your carnall mindes be banished your enuying spirits be humbled your vniust and vnlawfull suites be silenced yea vntill you haue more regard to your soules then to your bodies to the Gospell then to the corne fields and to the glorie of God aboue wife or children life or saluation Another vse belonging to this doctrine our Sauiour giueth Mat. 6. 31. 32. Take no thought saith he what you shal eat or what you shall drinke or wherwithal you shal be cloathed for after these things seek the Gentiles your heauenly father knoweth that you haue neede of those things but seeke you first the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof and all these things shal be ministred vnto you Here may we learne the medicine for our sicknes the supply of our want the comfort of our distresse who shall bid vs mourn because we haue no meate Indeed it is to be lamented yet Christ saith take no thought for it thou art a poore man so was he thou hast a familie so had he thou liuest by thy labour so did he thou liuest in times of scarsitie so did he Then he speaketh by experience sorrow not for thy want he was the sonne of God so art thou it was his meate to do his fathers will so let it be thine Say not as the woman did to Eliah we will eate this and then die but rather we will endure this and then die The Gospell is my meate the sonne of God is my cloathing and the kingdome of heauen is my inheritance shall I lust after other meate or desire a woollen garment and wish for a worldly inheritance No no heauen is all things there is for me and my children Christ is all things he will cloath me and my children and the Gospell is all things it shall feed me and my family my soule shall eate my body my body shall not deuoure my soule Thus let vs comfort the poore members of Christ that want and encourage one another in distresse against distrust let vs weep with them that weepe and mourne with them that mourne that we may reioice with them that shall reioice in the kingdome of heauen For it shal be pulled from your mouth Hauing awaked these persons by calling and troubled them
with mourning least they should esteeme the matter lightly that their sinne could be washed away with teares he telleth them plainly that the wine shal be pulled from their mouth and this he doth in my iudgement to driue them to a deeper conscience of their sinnes and consideration of the Lordes wrath So that he may seeme thus to say vnto them it is alreadie decreed that your euill shall not be turned away therefore lament your calamitie And from hence we may note that all the feigned repentance vncōfortable cries of the wicked shall neuer turne away the wrath of God from them So doth the holy Ghost declare Heb. 12. 17. Gen. 27. 38. when Esau with abundance of weeping cried out for the blessing yet he could not obtaine it Wherein there appeereth their endlesse misery that their teares shal be no more accepted of God then are the cries of a beast in the hand of a butcher The Lord knoweth that they are not humbled for his sake but for their owne and were it not more for the fear of their own misery then of his iudgements they would neuer take his name in their mouthes except to blaspheme him The Lord can and will shewe himselfe froward with them that are froward Psal 18. and haue as deafe eares at their cries as euer they had at our sermons he will be as merciles vnto them as euer they were to their brethren no children which seeme innocent no women which seeme penitent no olde men which seeme religious no yoong men which seeme glorious nor any bloode which seemeth precious shall remooue their paines and reuerse his sentence And this doth the holie Ghost alwaies perswade vnto the wicked bicause hee telleth them in other places as Prou. 15. 8. Mich. 6. 7. That their sacrifices are abhomination vnto him and if they woulde giue him the fruite of their bodies for the sinne of their soules yet will he not be mercifull vnto them What did the Lord in outward shewe better accept then sacrifice and what coulde outwardly shew greater obedience then with Abraham to offer vp their owne children yet it being done of a wicked man or womon all were woorth nothing Secondly the Lorde hath appointed a time wherein he woulde haue our conuersion performed which being passed there can bee no redemption Psalm 95. 7. Cant. 5. 6. To day if you will heare his voice then harden not your harts the fruitlesse tree in the Gospell had a time wherein it should beare fruite which being omitted without all mercy is hewed downe Therefore haue you also a time in the which if you be conuerted then shal your death be deare in the sight of the Lord but if you neglect this time your bloud shall be vile in his presence But when will you say is this time and how shall we knowe it Surely if a man in his last testament giue a legacie of money to his sonne or seruant and name not the time of the payment the lawe doth adiudge it to bee due at the death of the testatour so the Lorde hauing set no time in his testament when thou shalt repent either in yoong or in olde age in the day or in the night he thereby teacheth vs that euery day yea euery minute is appointed for our repentance till we haue repented therefore how much we liue without conuersion so much we loose and euerie day calleth vpon vs to fulfill our fathers testament except we be bastards Seeing now that the case of wicked men is so pitiles at the Lords hande let vs see what exhortations we may gather from hence for our instruction and first of all let vs take that which our Sauiour hath left Luk. 13. 24. Striue saith he to enter in at the straite gate for the time shall come that many shall striue and not be able to enter Labour I beseech you for Religion for the knowledge of the Gospell for obedience to the ministerie that your prosperitie may be continued and your aduersitie may be relieued What a shame is it for men of wealth woorth to be shut out of a noble mans gates or rather what a shame is it that the teares and sute of a sonne being in prison or beggerly shall not mooue his owne parents to clemencie so shall it be with you when you shall haue mercy shut against you bicause you cared not for the bloude of Christ and you shall haue your owne father by creation not once acknowledge you to be childrē or pitty your calamity bicause you disobeied him therfore now striue that then you may enter now obey that then you may be receiued now humble your selues that then you may be lift vp let this prouoke you like an iron grate vnto the embracing of the fear of God Presume not on the Lords mercie despaire not of your owne estates say not it is too soon for that is impietie yea the houre now is thinke not it is too late for that is blasphemie but if now thou canst enter now also thou shalt be receiued Another vse heerof doth the Lorde himselfe make Esay 17 13. That euen the same things wherein we trusted being in prosperitie shall if they can deliuer vs vp when we are in aduersitie when thou criest saith the Lorde the things that thou hast gathered togither shall deliuer thee but the winde shall take them away vanitie shall pull them away but he that trusteth in me shall inherite the lande and possesse my holie mountain The Lord mocketh and derideth at the wicked men as if he should say vnto them in this sorte you olde men you haue gathered many fables you yong men you haue hoarded many pastimes you women you haue laid vp many trifles you rich men haue encroched many purchases you noble men haue encreased your wordly honor now call to these your gods in sicknes in famine in warre in pouertie in miserie in death but I will blow them from you they cannot helpe you you shall onely knowe that they which haue relied on my blessing beleeued in my promise delighted in my truth they onely shall haue the earth for their possession and the heauens for their inheritance How foolish are men that seeke not for these things before hande that knowe not that in their wealth they choose for their life which they must abide and cannot auoide when they are in distresse either godlinesse which procureth their worldly ignominie and their heauenlie glorie or else wickednes and vnlawfull riches that causeth their worldly maiestie but their euerlasting miserie The eight Sermon Vers 6. For a nation commeth vpon my land mightie and without number whose teeth are like the teeth of a lyon and he hath the iawes of a great lyon NOw the Prophet commeth to his metaphoricall allusions whereby sometimes hee mooueth the people somtimes he describeth the persons which are the workers of this calamitie as in this vers where hee resembleth the beastes to a nation
as he doth the Pismires and conies Prou. 30. 25. 26. Then he sheweth for the terrour of the people howe they are armed to destroy euen as lyons with their greedie iawes and sharpe teeth which teare in sunder whomsoeuer they meete neither shall they onely execute this malice vpon men but they shall take vengeance on the vines and figge trees stripping off the barke breaking downe the branches and deuour the fruit and the body togither From hence we may first of all note seeing he maketh these beastes infinite in number mightie in power and a nation for pollicie and vnitie that it is in vaine to resist the iudgements of God seeme they neuer so small What coulde bee more base then to threaten the Iewes which had so many cities so many castles so many corne fieldes so many store-houses and so many inhabitants to be destroied by a few grashoppers and caterpillers which a man may treade on the ground or phisicke or naturall meanes may driue away yet wee see in this place the spirite of God so dealeth and armeth them with sufficient power to dismay and deuoure all things Shall we nowe saie that anie iudgement of God is small and of no reckoning when hee can make the vnarmed wormes to wearie the harnished souldiours No verily for he hath set his iudgements some in the heauens some in the earth some in the aire and some in the waters that euery where we might be driuen from rebellion and drawne from disobedience We may see in the heauens sometimes darknesse who can remedie it we may feele in the earth barrennesse who can redresse it we may smel in the aire loathsomnes who can purge it and a little billowe of the waters can ouerwhelme vs who then can saue vs For this cause Salomon Prou. 27. 12. called him a foole that running against iudgement destroyed himselfe Oh saith he in sicknesse why should I repent I hope the physician can remedie this and so delaieth till it be too late If he be poore then saith he I will take of other mens goodes and they shall maintaine me and considereth not that the gallowes are at hand Nay that which is woorse they see the iudgements of God against idle teachers vnfruitfull hearers vncleane liuers and intolerable blasphemers and yet they cannot hide themselues from it Oh my deere brethren we haue many iudgements in our lande and how doe men resist them the husbandman by plowing the gentlemen by fining the rich men by gayning and almost euery one by vngodly flattering therefore I beseech you let vs no longer be hardened for we doe striue against the streame and bid warre against the almightie if there be any meanes to escape them it is by yeelding or else assuredly we shall neuer bee eased Let vs then set our harts at rest and neuer wage battell against the Euerlasting for he as we may reade Iob. 34. 20. and 29. 37. can easily without all might destroy the strongest catch the wisest ouerturne the swiftest and confound the noblest why doe we then take a contrarie course as Balaam did which the Lorde hath not hitherto blessed It is not in our labour to releeue vs or in the earth to redresse vs it is not in our repentance or submission but principally in the mercie of God to deliuer vs. Then I beseech and entreate by your morning and euening praier that our harts may be plowed and then shall our barnes and garners be filled Againe why should we delay to worke our owne reconciliation who is able to abide the angrie countenance of the Lord for the Psalmist saith If his wrath bee kindled but a little then blessed are they that trust in him Oh how infinite is his mercie towards vs which haue so long felt his iudgements and yet hath not his wrath beene kindled I may feare and all that haue any soules may feare that all this time the coles of our transgressions are in gathering together and shortly will the Lords wrath set them on fire and then who shall not bee burned This is euident that wee resist the iudgements of God because we seeke not a truce with him And therefore looke shortly to be serued as the Iewes were to haue our flies turned into lions our wormes into beastes our friendes into foes and these small euils which already we haue shall be growen vnsufferable The vses which arise from hence is first the same that Elihu Iobs friend maketh Iob. 37. 24. when he had reckoned vp the wonderfull iudgements and works of God he thus concludeth Let men therefore feare before him for he regardeth none that are wise in their owne conceites Wherein he teacheth vs that although the Lord worketh strangely in the world and yet forbeareth to destroy vs it is because that thereby we should learne to feare him for in the feare of God is all religion and assurance of saluation Dauid saith it is the beginning of wisedome Peter telleth vs it is the continuance of our adoption and Paul saith it is the ende of our profession when he biddeth vs to finish vp our saluation with feare and trembling Then my beloued let vs feare God for so the word of God exhorteth and the Lord commandeth and the worlde and course of nature teacheth Feare him not as a iudge for then thou shalt bee condemned feare him not as a seruant for then thou shalt be punished but feare him as a father and then thou shalt be deliuered But some waxe desperate through feeling of the Lords iudgements and others are hardened because they haue seene others taken and themselues escaped and in our times although we haue so many causes to feare him oh fearefull times wherein is so little feare we may feare this one thing least as it falleth out with a sicke man a little before his ende he hath a lightening of his paines so that he feeleth himselfe voide of pangs and then presently dieth so now hauing so little feare after so long feare we be suddenly destroied But some will say if wee knew that the Lorde had sent it and not appointed any meanes to redresse then we would rest contented and in the meane time we cannot choose but labour to be eased by some way or other I graunt if the Lord should sounde from heauen vnto you or send an angell to reprooue your rebellion then it is like you would giue ouer but why are you not contented to knowe this by his word that it is the punishing of your sinnes and till you doe away your sinnes he will not doe away his iudgements Well saide Elihu Iob. 33. 13 14. Why dost thou striue against God for he doth not giue account of all his matters for God speaketh once or twice and man seeth it not then he openeth the eares of men by their corrections which he had sealed that hee might turne them from their euill hide their pride and keepe their soule from the pit So long therefore as
put thee in minde of the maker Because thou art forgetfull let thine inheritance remember thee of heauen let thy purchase remember thee of regeneration let thy fruites remember thee of thy life let thy haruest remember thee of thy death let thy store remember thy soule and let all remember thy poore brother The reasons of this doctrine are these first because the most prophane and wicked idolaters Iere. 4. 17 18 19. thinke that the onely cause of multiplying the fruites of the earth is for the worship of God and therefore who but Atheists can denie the same vnto him for he onely it is that maketh them to growe and blesseth all our stores and therefore most vnthankfull wretches are wee if for all we should render him none againe And this is much to be feared that the little regard which is had hereof in our land is the onely cause why our former yeeres haue brought forth no greater plentie for if we generally regarde the multitude we shall finde that those which haue the greatest fieldes the largest barnes the widest patrimonies and most store of riches haue and do make most bolde with the Lord and come least into his presence Another reason of this doctrine may be this because these benefites are the promised blessings to them that loue him Deut. 28. 1 2 3. which ought euermore to put vs in minde of our loue to God that we might loue him more and more and so receiue of him more and more abundantly let vs I beseech you consider our estate and not fall away from our first loue for seeing we haue had in former times greater plentie then now we haue let vs knowe for certaintie that our store is lesse because our loue is lesse When the Gospell came first among vs how ioyfully did we followe it and how diligently heare it in so much as the preachers being but few we would haue giuen them our owne eies if it had beene possible to doe them good but now we are as wearie of them as the Israelites were of Moses when they would haue stoned him and therefore then were we filled with loue and with plentie but now we are emptied of godly care and plagued with mortall want The vses which arise from the consideration of this point are these first that we desire of the Lorde to haue pitie and care for our lande which is wasted and to cast his eies to our poore and penurious time offamine and dearth Deut. 11. 12. For alas our miserie groweth so great and incurable euery day more more that we haue great cause to feare least his long suffering turne into wrath and our pinching famine into death Who hath beene cast downe throughly not for a day but for a yeere in this occasion surely few or none and therefore is the Lorde as a stranger among vs and as one that tarrieth but for a night O my deere brethren let vs at the length yet learne the true and right way to remedie our euill and to encrease againe the fruites of the earth how haue our pastures beene drowned our medowes ouerflowed our corne blasted and our tilled lande made barren insomuch as we may see or might not long since haue seene how the hils and mountaines wept foorth whole streames of water for their barrennesse Let vs followe their example and be ruled by their line to doe the like for it as it hath done for vs. It is not we see in the planter or in the waterer but in the Lorde that giueth encrease of him let vs entreate this blessing that his hande may bee staied in time before all bee left destitute and the face of our countrey like the lande of Sodom let vs labour in praier as we haue done in tillage let vs bestowe as much cost in supplication to pacifie our glorious God as we haue done in husbandrie to amende our barren lande if he say but the worde all shall bee remedied Oh let vs powre foorth wordes and liues and harts and soules that this may bee remooued Another vse heereof seeing these creatures as great crops of corne large fieldes and other things must onely serue vs that wee may serue God then how fearefull a thing is it to abuse any of these whereby both the worship and workmanship of God are defaced therfore the holy Ghost admonisheth Rom. 14. 20. that we destroy not the work of God for meates sake Some surfet in their abundance to their death other disfigure the good shape of their bodies through pride and vanitie such as are yoong gallants and gentlewomen and the more they haue receiued the more they haue abused some in their ease and idlenes are growne like tunnes in compasse being vnfit for labour vnprofitable to any goodnes and vnwoorthy of any blessinges The labouring mans estate is much to be commended though it be poore yet it is happie he is an image of Adam created to worke he is an image of God created in righteousnes and the image of Christ created for calamitie his health is maintained by labour his bodie is refreshed with rest his minde is renewed with religion and his life is studious of the Lordes worship his hungry morsels make him more thankefull to God then the great delicates of the rich his bare bread and water or small drinke giue him more healthie nourishment then the fowles and dainties of the other his life is wearied with labour his minde is prepared for God and his soule is readie for rest Let vs all liue in this trauaile that we may die in this manner let vs keepe vnder our bodies and lustes as we refraine a yoong colte and let moe bridles of abstinencie and sinceritie curbe shorter all our pleasure and vanitie Another doctrine which we may gather out of this verse may be this that seeing the creatures of God do call vpon vs to worship him and therefore they be helpers vnto vs therein wee gather that our worship of God in this life cannot possiblie bee absolute and perfect that wee shoulde bee alway like affected and obserue time place order and zeale in our religion for heere wee see that the worship of God was violated bicause the fruites of the earth ceased our knowledge is obscured by naturall ignorance our time is omitted through sorrow sickenes care and worldly busines our harts are hindered through feare loue ioy pleasure vanitie and temptation and a thousand other waies shall wee finde that all we can doe in the Lordes seruice is but in part as Paul prooueth 1. Cor. 13. 9 10. How wicked are the bragges of them that boast of their vprightnes whereby they serue the Lorde thinking that there is nothing but of themselues they bee able to performe it But wee must know that the greatest doctor the learnedest preacher and the painfullest hearer cannot comprehende or teach or learne whatsoeuer is requisite to our saluation no not the whole church of God togither so
that if you looke vpon all that is to be done of a faithfull man you shall finde many vnwilling and ineuitable slippes and falles in the purest obedience of all men The church of God hath felt and complained of this miserie in all ages that she coulde neither doe as she woulde nor performe what she ought to the Lordes obedience For if we be rich and neuer so godly then wealth hindreth vs if wee be poore want oppresseth vs if wee be magistrates gouernmēt doth let vs if we be seruants worldly obedience doth staie vs. So that as it cannot be but that in the purest corne there will growe some weedes so in our holiest worship of God there will appeere some wantes Dauid coulde not worship when he was at Gath and the saints of God although they haue willing mindes want powre and meanes to accomplish their desire And therefore let vs not bragge but confesse as our Sauiour saith in the Gospel when we haue preached our whole life long praied with neuer so entire affection and laboured with neuer so great diligence in the kingdome that wee are vnprofitable seruants hauing left moe things behinde which we ought to haue done The reasons of this doctrine are these first bicause that we shoulde neuer leaue of labour more and to encrease farther and farther so long as wee liue in this worlde as the Apostle saide of himselfe Phil. 3. 13. The which lesson I woulde to God were oftener learned and better followed in our daies wherein men thinke if they haue done a little seruice on the Sabbaoth day they holde themselues contented for the whole weeke following and hauing gotten a little knowledge of the common profession they are satisfied and trauaile for no more Oh howe strange is it that men are neuer satisfied and haue their fill of any thing saue onely of religion the which presently cloyeth them bicause they thinke it is no part of their dutie to bestowe their daily labour in some part of godlinesse I knowe this doctrine will please them well that no man can worship God perfectly and therefore they will worship him sparingly and coldly But they must knowe that there is not any man which hath his perfect health and yet he liueth and mooueth and groweth in stature so there is not any mans religion absolute yet it must striue labour for perfection as a sicke man doth for health Another reason of this doctrine is this that considering our imperfection through the sinne of our natures we should more earnestly desire to bee with Christ Philip. 1. 23. for he that is wearie and cannot goe as hee woulde yet he hath this in his wish to desire the perfection of the worship of God Whereby we may note that there is not any thing that may mooue vs to loue the being in the world the world it selfe wil hate thee if thou be a Christian why shouldest thou desire to liue therein thou canst not knowe the maiestie of God thou shalt not feele the loue of Christ and thou canst not enioy the end of the faith If thou wouldest haue the wish of Dauid to liue and to declare the works of God yet it shall be better to die that thou maiest liue in the glorie of God In this life thou art sometimes sicke carefull heauie hated oppressed enuied and hast but a little comfort of God because thou canst not professe him but a little therefore desire the other where friendes and ioies and health and loue and peace and comfort shall be euerlasting and they worship most absolute without sinne or ceasing The vses which arise of this doctrine are these first that although we can neuer be absolute in this life in God his worship but we shal haue as many lets as we haue howres yet let vs not cease to lament them and to desire their absence when Dauid had beene long absent from the place of the Lords seruice he cried out saying How long shall I dwell with Mesech and be constrained to abide in the tents of Kedar why might not Dauid thinke that it was not his fault but his enimies rage that did constraine him to that neglect because he was banished from his people Indeede it is apparant he knew it well enough yet least he should be contented with his miserie he calleth to God for a remedie so although we dwell in sinne and liue in a thousand wants of bodies and soules because they cannot be remooued in this life yet let vs not rest contented herewith but lament this mischiefe that we must so doe and desire a speedie release Art thou lodged in thy chamber through sicknesse or banished from the companie of the faithfull through persecution or kept away by imprisonment or hindered by hard parents or maisters or molested through pinching pouertie all which thou canst not auoide yet that the Lord may knowe and that thy soule may liue desire to bee eased of this burden Thinke not that thou shalt bee excused if thou canst not come and worship as thou oughtest but will the thing thou canst not performe and thinke it long till thy bondage be at libertie thy want be supplied and thy soule remooued from thy bodie that thou maist see God and loue him and liue with him and praise him for euer and euer Art thou a Christian and hast thou not greater cause to wish for heauen then Dauid had for Ierusalem and if you haue then pray with as great zeale that thy will may be turned into action thy lets into helpes thy wants into supplies thy soule into pietie and all thy worship into sinceritie Another vse may be this that men doe not any thing the lesse esteeme of the worship of God because they haue hearde that it is but temporall O this were accursed that a sicke man should be lesse regarded because he is sicke and not rather be the more attended shall a sonne despise his owne father because he is poore this were iniquitie and so is it a greater abhomination that men should lesse serue the Lord because the greatest measure is imperfect Although Dauid might not builde the temple yet he prouided wherewithall to do it and so although thou canst not loue God as thou wouldest and as thou oughtest yet loue him as thou canst and as farre as thou art able be not discouraged because thou art not able to goe through with religion for if thou haue any religion knowe thou that the least things of God are greater then the greatest of the world and the weakest things of God are stronger then the strongest of men Honour them that haue the giftes of God in them although they be imperfect for who despiseth a crased peece of gold or who throweth out of doores a broken siluer pot and therefore who but a mad man would lightly regarde the small graces of God in men But alas it is the miserie of our time wherein religion is measured by wealth and deuotion
rebukes of sin for the Lord. Hos 4. 4. cōplaineth of the desperate estate of the people for he saide they rebuked the prophet This is the sin of England for there are among vs that will teach wise men and themselues being fooles they will controule learned men themselues being ignorant they will sohoole preachers yet they cannot heare they will rule magistrates themselues being subiects and they will seeme to doe all things being able to doe nothing But this is the point woorthie to be stoode vpon they will reprooue the minister of the Gospell If they suspect vs they condemne vs if there be but an vncertaine rumour they make it a certaine sclander so that our life our liuings our doctrine our calling and all our preaching is contemned by them Our life to be idle our liuings to be too great our doctrine to be suspitious our calling to be burdensome and our preaching to be onely for a worldly respect Oh incurable vndurable mischiefe why do men at once set Christ to schoole teach God to be wise refuse the Gospels gouernment and choose the tyranny of sinne Why do they rebuke vs and yet thinke they do well if the rod of magistrates light on vs for our sinnes let vs abide it but to let euery drunkard and ruffian and seruingman and euery base companion to crow against the Gospell and our calling let vs neuer abide They hate vs because they loue sinne they loue liberty because they abhorre discipline they regard not the ministery because they regard not God and therefore looke for a present and speedie calamitie for since that base fellowes became ministers base fellowes haue regarded none so that now we may preach out our hearts and pray out our soules and weepe out our eies yet we shall receiue nothing but scoffes and scornes rebuke and scander for our labor Weepe and howle hauing bidden them to be ashamed now he biddeth them to bee sorrowfull for well hee knew that their hope and health was lost when their corne and fruites were destroyed wherein they trusted more then in GOD. And from hence wee may obserue that if the worshippe of God bee once decaied there is not any so desperately wicked or dissolute but he shall smart for them we may say Esay 9. 10 11 12. That the wicked make great bragges if they were depriued of preaching the word they say they would turne brickes into hewen stone and tymber into Cedar trees but the Lorde telleth them that their enimies shall beset them and he will cut off both honorable and taile So is the course of his iudgement that when hee hath taken away his worship which is a helmet of proofe to keepe his wrath from vs then he sendeth greatest calamitie when we thinke we shall liue in greatest securitie The filthie Sodomites thought that they were well when Lot was gone from among them but there followed presently fire and brimstone from heauen By this our gallants may perceiue that if the Gospell be in the wrath of God translated from our countrey their brauerie and pride and wealth and prosperitie shall be ouerturned into perpetuall miserie They thinke it a burden intollerable to liue vnder the checke heereof but let them know that the little finger of humane tyrannie shall bee heauier on them then the loines and body of all christianitie Oh how do men deceiue themselues with sweete promises of great and incredible ease which they shall reape by the abasing of the ministerie by the decay of good men and the abandoning of all goodnes when they shall haue libertie to commit any kinde of sinne O miserable wretches saith one to whom it is lawfull to do wickedly surely you shall come out of a little brooke and runne headlong into the maine sea The reason of this doctrine is this bicause the wicked shoulde knowe that all goodnesse which they receiue is for the Gospels and godly mens sake Prou. 11. 11. there is not any thing in the worlde which the godly haue not a title vnto insomuch as all the wicked men are but vsurpers of the goods and landes and wealth and dignities they enioy so long as a godly man is liuing The worlde is a bodie religion is the soule thereof which being remooued is dead and fit for nothing The worlde is a building and the worship is the pillar postes thereof which being remooued it must needes fall as the house wherein Sampson slewe the Philistines So that it is most plaine that when our knowledge is turned to ignorance and the preachers of the worde of God cease to speake in the name of God and when the Gospell is banished from our lande and there bee a free libertie to doe what they list then I saie will the heauens threaten destruction the mindes of men shall be made blinde their vnderstanding shall bee taken from them and they shall liue as other people do without God his word to be slaues to their enimies drudges to their labours beastes in their liues enimies to God haters of good things and diuels by their death The vses which commeth from this doctrine is first of all that wee labour with speede to amende those things which are amisse among vs for else that iudgement which the Lorde once threatened to the Ephesian church Reuel 2. 5. shall take holde namely that the Lord will take away his candlesticke from vs if the light bee gone we shal liue in darknes if the word be gone we shall liue in blindnes if God his worship be taken from vs wee shall die in miserie This onely is the meate which if wee want will consume vs it is a sworde and if it bee not in our handes it will wounde vs it is a scepter which if the king of heauen holde not foorth we shall be condemned Feare the want of the Lords worship for if it goe from vs then he will depart if he depart then our prosperitie will cease and there shall not be a man aliue which will not desire to die Consider I beseech you if you haue enioyed great possessions goodly landes faire houses many friends delicate liues and many children but in one night thy aduersarie stealeth away thy euidence whereby thou holdest thy lande and then thou art turned out of possession thy landes are taken from thee thy friendes forsake thee thy children crie on thee and thou bee constrained either to harde labour or vnlawfull beggerie how wouldest thou take it but wish for a thousande deathes to bee deliuered from this shame So shall it bee with thee in the Gospell which is the euidence of thy peace thy health thy landes thy ioy and the kingdome of heauen the which being taken from thee thou canst neuer enioy any of these then thou shalt weepe without comfort sorrowe without hope liue without ioy die without peace and be damned without mercie Oh whose heart is not cleaued asunder to thinke vpon the danger of his soule Loue the
as he bid them so doe thou performe what thy generall or captaine commandeth if it be lawful and possible Thirdly he noteth another duetie of martiall men which is this that they performe their busines with all celeritie and speede Ios 8. 19. The reason is because it is the greatest commendation of a souldier that can bee to bee swift and of a ready dispatch Psalm 19. 5. 2. Sam. 2. 18. for as a sluggish seruant a heauie oxe and a tyring horse are verie discommendable so a slowe and heauy souldiour is not tolerable Gedeons armie was but three hundred and their dexteritie was such that they ouerthrew an innumerable rabble of Midianites and so shall souldiours prooue it verie aduantagious to surprise their enimie on a sudden But yet for all this trust not too much in thy legges or in the strength of an horse Psal 147. 10. for they are but vaine things to saue a man Asahell coulde runne well yet Abner slewe him and therefore beware least thou make thy owne agilitie to ouerthrowe thee Neither shall one thrust another but euery one shall walke in his path and when they fall on the sword they shall not be wounded In this verse he expresseth other duties of souldiers which they must obserue in their aray which are first of all that they keepe their places and be not one hurtfull to an other Iudg. 7. 16. 22. Achans gadding out of place was the losse of his owne life and of many moe And therefore let them learne that exhortation of Moses Deut. 23. 19. to abstaine from euill especially when they goe to warre Secondly let them as it is here expressed keepe themselues from wounding although they fall on their enimies sword that is let them looke to the matter that they be not onely carefull to annoy the enimie but also to defende themselues for it is an euill victorie which is purchased with the losse of many mens liues and wee knowe that all Canaan was woon with the losse of a very few men It is a great butcherie of men to presse still on the enimie where there is no hope but of death Therefore it is good for a souldier sometime to looke to his safetie as well by an vnwilling retire as by a desperate and a voluntarie march They shall run to and fro in the citie they shall run vpon the wall they shall climbe vp vpon the houses and enter in at the windowes like a theefe Now we are come to the last part of this similitude wherein the victorie is reported and the manner how the poore conquered are oppressed shewing vnto vs that as it is when a city or towne is sacked so shal it be when this iudgment shal be executed for some shal flee to goe foorth and some shall fight to come in euery mans house shall be sacked great booties shall be obtained and no spare shall bee made of any thing that can bee founde Where we might note that in the conquest or winning of any citie or towne there is a mightie confusion euerie one running to and fro for themselues they tread vpon the aged vpon the women vpon the children and no eie doth so much as pitie them But when he saith they shall climbe ouer the wals and creepe in at the windowes like a theefe we are taught that in warre they account not any thing vnlawfull that is done to an enemie the robbing of houses the rauishing of women the killing of olde men the braining of children the burning of cities the spoiling of corne and the rasing downe of dwelling houses are accounted vertues whereupon a Father saide well Bellum malis videtur voluptas bonis necessitas euill men make a pastime of warre but good men accoūt it a hard necessitie Wherin we may see one sinne punished by another neglect of law in peace is punished by contempt of lawe in warre for there is no lawe to bridle the conquerours Oh how happie is Englande which neuer for these many yeeres hath hearde so much as a trumpet sounded vnto warres wee haue not seene the shaking of a speare wee haue had no leading into captiuitie no complaining nor lamentation in our streetes But yet vnhappie which in these peaceable times hath laide the foundation of hir owne woe and scattered the seede of hir owne destruction Let vs therefore learne to continue our peace if by any conditions of equitie and reason it may be obtained Numb 6. 26. were we not better in these times to buy our peace with gold siluer or other possessions then to aduenture all that wee haue by giuing nothing If the enimie come home to vs it is not ten subsidies that wil satisfie him why are men so wretched as to pinch at one or two were you not better keepe them in doing abroad with your armour and money then suffer them to come home and take away your wiues and children what do I saie take away they will rauish them and you shall beholde it they will slaie your children before your face your houses and landes they will either giue to strangers or set them on fire ouer your heades and if any remaine aliue they shall be made drudges slaues or prisoners and captiues Therefore praie for the peace of Englande vse the meanes to keepe it refuse the waie to loose it let them prosper that loue it For the keeping of our peace let God bee our gouernour let the Gospell bee our lawe let the saints dwell among vs let the churches bee our courtes let the preachers bee our counsellours let religion be our exercise let praiers be our weapons let holines be our armour and then shall the angels be our wals Let vs builde our cities with loue let vs plant our fieldes with truth and then shall peace flourish in our lande For the auoiding of the things that wil break off our peace let vs banish Atheisme and all manner of carnall profession let vs roote out all the weedes of sinne from our harts let vs wash off al the spots of euill from our liues let vs cast downe all the castles of the diuell in our land let vs driue away whosoeuer worketh vnrighteousnesse let vs abrogate all the counsels of wickednesse let vs auoide sedition rebellion and confusion and come from the sea of infidelitie and then shall all be peace because the God of peace dwelleth among vs. Then shall the earth tremble before him the heauens shall shake the sunne and moone shall be darke and the starres shall withdrawe their shining After the former description of the terrible calamitie which these beastes should bring to that nation now he addeth these heauie tidings for their greater daunting and farther astonishment for least they should thinke that all the former came to passe by naturall meanes the Lord not directing it or not regarding it the prophet ioyneth these tokens of the Lords peculiar power to all the former iudgments
all sorrowes to put away thy sins Another reason bicause vnto outward tokens of repentance the Lord is readie to giue remission Dan. 4. 23. when men satisfie their for iniuries distribute their goods weepe for their euils and pray for pardon then is the Lord most willing to seale a release in the blood of his sonne For in truth there must be a change in al the parts of a mans life possessions When a sicke man is recouered he weareth not the same clothes he vseth not his old diet or apparell and rest so when our soules are recouered by repentance then we cannot eate stolen bread nor weare gorgeous apparell nor yet rest in that wealth which wee vnlawfullie gayned but all must bee turned into charitie and pietie The first vse of this doctrine is this Isa 31. 6. seeing wee haue sunke deepe in rebellion let vs turne againe vnto the Lorde from whome wee are fallen as we were not ashamed to sinne so let vs not be ashamed to be conuerted As couetous men care not for their names so they may get wealth and vncleane persons little esteeme their infamie so they may fulfill their lusts and as theeues make but a pastime to rob and steale if they may escape the gallowes so let vs account it a farre lesse discredit to confesse our faults in goodnesse then they doe to commit them in wickednesse Turne therefore as we haue sinned we haue many sinnes let vs shed many teares we haue great sinnes let vs sigh many sorrowes we haue long dwelt in them let vs speedily forsake them we haue watched in sinne now let vs watch in praier we haue loued sinne let vs embrace correction we haue delighted in vanities let vs reioice in teares How can a man reioice in teares verily vnto a good soule teares are more welcome then ioyes and it reioiceth in tribulation finding it more safe to bee washed with weeping then to bee delighted in musicke There is not any man that hath felt the power of godlinesse that will denie this and if he doe let Dauid teach him when he protesteth that teares were his repast when the enemies of God reproched him Looke on thy soule weeping as thou wast woont to beholde thy pleasure reioicing and thinke that this is the Lordes great mercie towarde thee which hath yet knocked at thy hart for amendment loue the meanes which will make thee tender harted delight in those sorrowes which will procure thy endlesse ioyes shed thy teares here that hereafter thou maist be freed lament in sorrowes this life that in another thou maist reioyce in comforts Secondly let vs not alway lie in sorrowes and liue vnreformed but follow the counsell of the prophet Ier. 26. 13. to make our waies of euill good When men are repentant they enter into a new iourney for as before they were ioyfully sailing to hell so now they are painfully trauelling to heauen and seeing a good way is the wish of a traueller let vs amend our waies that we may hasten to our iourneyes ende When thou hast well drenched thy soule in sorrowes then proceede to reformation and remooue those blocks out of thy life which would haue hindered thy passage into heauen If thou hast beene a drunkard be now temperate hast thou been an Atheist now feare God if thou haue beene a swearer vse his name more reuerently and as Paul said of theeues Let him that stole steale no more so say I of all notorious sinners let them be so no more but rather labour to doe good vnto other By this we may see that repentance is not in shew but in hart not in hart but in works not in works but in affections not in affections but in conuersation Some thinke they haue well repented if they be a little sorrowful other thinke they are well reformed if they be a little reclaimed and wearie of theirvanities but these men must knowe that if good liues bee not ioyned with godly mindes and reformed waies with weeping harts neither the one nor the other shall profit them Therefore now my deere brethren let vs win the field from our sinnes and ouerthrowe the troupes of our pleasures let vs now conquere our desires and reforme all the abuses of our liues that wee may yeeld to the gospell liue in the church eate at the Lordes table and worke out our owne saluation with feare and trembling In the second place the Lord biddeth them to fast that is to abstaine from all delights and desire of meates that as they haue alreadie pined their soules with sinning so now they should punish their bodies with fasting And in this place the prophet speaketh of priuate fasting for as yet he is not come to the publike fasts which must be directed by the cleargie-men who onely had authoritie to proclaime them of the which we haue spoken in the first chapter In this place we may obserue that hainous offences and generall must haue greeuous and generall lamentation It is most requisite that when we haue any graund cause to craue at the Lords hand we vse most humble tokens of an instant and longing desire Iudg. 20. 26. The Israelites ouercome by the Beniamites fast and pray al the day till euening and the day following they get the victorie the which is a warrant for vs to doe the like that wee may so slay our sinnes as they did their enimies The which must instruct euerie man in his familie during these times of vengeance wherein we haue no more power to be deliuered then a woman in trauell to cast foorth her childe that they abstaine from glutting and deuouring the Lords benefites For the Lord will not redresse our want till wee haue generally lamented our miserie and we can no way better punish our bodies then by fasting that the Lorde may be mooued to pitie vs as he did Abraham being willing to sacrifice his sonne yet he restrained him The first reason is this bicause fasting maketh vs praie with more feeling affection which our Sauiour insinuated Matth. 17. 21. when he saide that fasting and praier woulde heale the falling euill and nothing else Indeede to shewe you howe men are affected in the time of their fasting I can hardlie doe it except youfelt it howe sweete are their sorrowes howe earnest are their praiers howe strong are their grones and howe acceptable are their hearts vnto the Lorde their teares are their drinke their cares are their meate their nakednes their brauerie ashes their beauty humilitie their health their eies are not drouzie their mindes are not wearie their handes are not filthie and their cries are not easie The Lorde accepteth their obedience in doing that they are not able and their faith in beleeuing that they haue not in them and their praiers in desiring that which is aboue them then can men affoorde to die for God that they may liue for euer for themselues Another reason is bicause fastes doe mightily mooue
doe not alway mooue him and shall we then tempt him to our and others euerlasting destruction in his wrath hee is an vnquenchable fire an vnresistable flood an vnpacifiable iudge and a destroyer of all that come in his way But alas with teares we may lament to see him prouoked euery day who is so sicke that sinneth not against him who is so weake that striueth not with him who is so vnwise that pleadeth not with him Looke with teares ouer all sorts of men the poore despise him the lame run from him the blinde come not at him the dumbe speake against him the rich will not feare him and the dead will not confesse him By all meanes we prouoke his wrath by tempting by murmuring by denying by abusing and abasing his glorie We tempt him in thinking he will pardon whatsoeuer we commit we murmur when wee haue not all our desires we denie him when we esteeme not his gospell we abuse him vsing our wealth to luxurie and our meate to gluttonie and wee abase him when wee more feare a mortall mans displeasure then the wrath of the highest When we see the Lord being angrie and so hardly pacified let vs vse all meanes to please him againe although it bee with the hazard of our owne liues as Moses did Deut. 9. 18 19. perceiuing the Lord to be mooued to wrath he fell downe on his face to entreate him for his people tarrying with him fortie daies and fortie nights neither eating nor drinking yea he desired God to be pacified with his people although he rased his name out of the booke of life What coulde bee done with greater zeale or more earnest affection the Lorde was angrie who coulde appease him but Moses and how could he be satisfied but with offering his body to death through fasting and his soule vnto condemnation Marke it I beseech you that we al learne with more zeale to entreate the Lord to be turned towarde vs. Offer we must our bodies to pining our members to tortures our health to sicknesse our wealth to pouertic our pleasure to paine and our life to death rather then the wrath of God shoulde proceede vpon vs. Oh let vs come vnto the Lord and offer him his whole man to satisfie his mercies neither be afraide to doe so but put it in speedie practise Come to him though thou be lame run to him though thou be blinde pray to him though thou be sicke and trust in him though thou be poore Abide not one miserie but all miseries that thou maist dwell with him neither care for the rage of man the want of maintenance the loue of friends or the feare of death for if thou loue these more then him thou art not woorthy of him Hauing willed the sucking babes to come to mourning he also inuiteth the new married folkes bridegroomes and brides to leaue of their vsuall dalliance and come among their neighbours to this sorrowfull banket From whence we obserue that wee must not in any thing be it neuer so lawfull hinder true repentance or the profession of godlinesse For there is nothing more honaurable then marriage more lawfull then a wedding feast more vsuall then pleasant mirth and more commendable then a ioyfull marriage day but all these being hinderances vnto repentance must bee laide aside as a mourner doth his daily attire Wee may reade Luc. 14. 21. how they were cursed that came not to the Lords feast among whome there was one that had married a wife it shall be no excuse before the Lord that they did but the course of the world in vsing these things it were better for vs to forsake our wiues then to loose our soules to renounce our mirth then to relinquish our liues to deferre our pleasure then to depart from the Lord. Let this I beseech you be your care in the Lord that you offend him not in the vse of his creatures neither let those comforts which you receiue in wedlocke in feasting in riches in beautie and the like worke your euerlasting discomfort in another worlde Liue not in mirth for then thou canst not repent reioice not in youth for it is but vanitie distrust thy ioyes for they are deceitfull be not alway mourning for thou canst not be thankfull bee euer repentant that thou maiest bee faithfull One reason heere of is giuen by the Lorde himselfe Ierem. 7. 34 bicause a desolation shall come and of all reasons there is none more forcible then the rod of vengeance and desolation so that in this sort might Ieremy and Ioel and other the Lordes ministers reason with the worlde Laie away your mirth let not the voice of musicke the day of marriage the means of ioyfulnesse or the comfort of pleasure bee had or heard among you for a desolation shall come Drawe the childe from the breast the elders from their ease the married from their loue and the people from their vanitie for a desolation commeth Houses shall be desolate without inhabitants parents shall be desolate without children cities shall be desolate without citizens and whole kingdomes shall bee desolate without professors Therefore put away this ioy like an vnlawfull wife come againe to the Lord with much weeping and reioice not in thy youth or thy age or thy wealth or thy friends or thy marriage Another reason bicause by this kinde of mirth we growe to hardnes of hart and neglect the wrath of God Amos 6. 1 5. It is much that men esteeme not the faire promises and sweete blessings of God but yet it is more fearefull when they make light account of his heauy iudgements Now if you marke who they be that care not for iudgement you shall see that they are those who eate in abundance liue in pleasure enioying wealth and children at their will and want is not knowne vnto them Againe poore people liuing in continuall scarsitie and are content with simple allowance hauing learned the feare of God a shower of raine and a cloudie day humbleth their knees to the earth and lifteth their praiers to heauen Let vs learne not to reioice in any vnlawfull manner all the time that the church of God is in aduersitie Psal 137. 2 3 4. Good men in captiuitie commanded by their enimies to sing one of the songs of Sion refused it bicause they were in a strange lande and so if we hope for mirth and ioy in another worlde let vs refuse it as much as may be in this life present for we be but strangers and pilgrims on the earth And verily if wee consider the matter well we haue as many causes to lament olde and yoong married and vnmarried as these people had to whom Ioell preached Famine was threatned to them but felt of vs they were vnder the Babylonian gouernment and we are subiect to the tyrannie of sathan they had abused manie benefites and prophets of God and so haue we they had reioiced in many worldly pleasures and
wicked pastimes and so haue we they were warned to turne all into lamentation and so must we be Therefore if now you looke on the miserie of our time you shall finde it high time for all to be humbled Let the elders beginne the yoonger will followe yea the little children will crie for companie Let vs all take vs to the houses of mourning olde men bicause they haue seene good daies yoong men bicause they haue liued ill liues and children bicause they are appointed to fearefull destinies parents bicause they haue begotten sinne children bicause they were borne in sinne rich men bicause they haue gathered much married folke bicause they haue loued too much and poore men bicause these daies are but the beginning of sorrows Death calleth for the old let them weepe age calleth for the yoong let them bee sorrowfull correction calleth for children let them crie warres call for strong men let them lament and repentance calleth for all men therfore let al mourne But some will say doe you condemne all mirth that is vsed in our times and shall we liue eate drinke marrie and die in continuall sorrow then can we not account it anie benefite to liue in the world To whom I answere that this is no where commanded that men should so liue in continuall sorrowe but rather Eccl. 2. 24. Salomon saith That it is the onely portion of a man to reioice in the things that God giueth him for all men in health shall conceiue a naturall ioy by their eating drinking as Bohaz Ruth 3. 7. and Salomon saide That wine maketh glad the heart of man the which is lawefull for Christians and necessarie for health Againe there is another ioy which is spirituall and heauenlie which is called the ioy of the holie Ghost Rom. 14 17. This maketh all our afflictions seeme light and little to be regarded Rom. 5. 7. and without this inward ioy one can hardly be a christian the which is neuer lost though we endure neuer so many torments yet in repentance it is darkned and seemeth vtterly gone howbeit it returneth againe with greater measure as the sunne rising But whether naturall ioye bee lost in repentance it is hard to say for sometime a hart that is humbled hath no more ioy in meate and drinke then a sicke person As for carnall ioies which are inuented by iniquitie practised with greedines and loued with too much affection they are neither lawfull or necessarie for a christian and whosoeuer receiueth any comfort by them hee may iustly suspect that his sorrowe was not godly but some other heauie conceit which is easily remooued by company or ioy conceiued of pleasure The xxv Sermon Vers 17. Let the priests the ministers of the Lorde weepe betweene the porch and the altar and let them say Spare thy people ô Lord and giue not thine heritage into reproch that the heathen should rule ouer them Wherefore should they say among the people where is their God NOw the prophet sheweth vnto the priests how they must behaue themselues namely that they should weepe and hee telleth them the place betwixt the porch and the altar that is in the vtter court where the people waited for the blessing after the sacrifice For the people must now be gathered as we haue heard and it was not lawfull for them to come within the precincts of the priests wherefore the priestes must come foorth to them and in their place and assembly make their lamentation By the description of this place for the priestes to weepe and pray in we may note that all the publike exercises of the ministerie ought to be done in a place where the people may heare and see them and for this cause are they commaunded to weepe betwixt the porch and the altar So wee may read did Iehoshaphat 2. Chro. 20. 5. when hee made prayer for the people against the children of Moab and Ammon I thinke there is not any in their right mind but they will confesse the necessitie hereof except those which care not whether they pray for or against themselues standing aloofe in the Church as if they were afraid to heare what the preacher saith Let men therefore labour not only to pray but to come with diligence into the Lords house and publique place of praier where they must bestow thēselues with such care as they may pray when the pastor prayeth and heare when the word is preached that there be not one in a congregation but hee may depart better instructed and better edified The first reason because they can haue no knowledge of that which they heare not and vnderstand not 1. Cor. 14 15 16. alas it is a maruell to see that so many haue so little regarde what is prayed or taught in the congregation especially the poorer sort who are thrust behinde the doores in the greater assemblies by which it commeth to passe that all that is taught is little regarded and whatsoeuer is prayed for is coldly desired it is your duetie to presse into the middest of the assembly that you may hear vnderstand the mysteries of saluation modestie in chusing places is not to bee regarded where danger followeth too much curtesie Another reason in a conuenient place of hearing our harts are more touched and awaked by the word Act. 1. 13 14. there can bee no zeale in them that cannot heare the voice of the preacher neither any reuerence to almightie God and it is much better that they come not at all or depart out of the church then to sit there without obedience to God attention to the word or profit to their owne soules Let vs therefore so sorte our selues in the congregation where our eares may be beaten with an vnderstanding sounde and our hearts bee touched with a heauenly power that the coales of zeale may bee enflamed and the light of knowledge may be kindeled Therefore let this bee the forme of a congregation that the minister so speake and the people so heare that with one soule their praier may ascende to heauen and so wee may reade Acts. 4. 24. that the Apostles with one consent lift vp their voices to God and the place shooke where they were assembled one spake and all agreed their eares were attentiue to his wordes and all their harts were lifted vp at once to the Lord. The which honourable practise commendeth a congregation when as they being many make but one man at praier as the wheate-cornes being many make but one loafe at table Our Sauiour hath taught vs that if two or three shall agree on any thing in earth the same shall bee sealed and confirmed in heauen Agreement in battle getteth victorie consent in a common weale maketh peace vnitie in musicke maketh harmonie and the fellowship in praier conquereth the diuell getteth peace of conscience and soundeth sweetely in the eares of God Therefore if euerthou come into the place of any godly exercise ioyne thy mouth
defend them against the force of men Christ to fight for them against the rage of Sathan Let vs therefore learne to giue all diligence that wee may bee sure of the fauour of God Psa 23. 6. And for this cause Peter biddeth vs giue all diligence to make our election sure meaning that this is the greatest worke of the world that men should be certaine of the promises of God When we haue the promises and cannot certainly yeeld vnto them then are we like sicke men which haue good phisicke but cannot be perswaded to take it because they thinke it will doe them no good so wee thinke these promises vncertaine and some they haue holpe but some they failed But we must know that the promises neuer failed if the men were not vnfaithfull for as men will not plant corrupt impes and graftes so God will not make vnstedfast promises but as the ground doth many times alter a good plant that it groweth not so men doe choke the promises that they helpe not Therefore if God bid thee not feare then cast away feare if he bid thee not weepe then cease from teares as when hee biddeth thee not kill thou refrainest from murder The assurance of the Lordes fauour must growe by a continual practise of repentance as the Apostle teacheth when he saith Patience worketh experience Rom. 5. and therefore this benefite wee may reape by our often sorrowes that we may come with confidence to the throne of grace Another vse seeing the promises of God must be so auailable in vs that they must expell all feare of euill then let vs especially bee armed with them against the feare of death that euery one of vs may say with Iob. 13. 15. that although God slay vs yet will we trust in him What doth more trouble all the worlde then doth the departure out of the world for it maketh good men pray with Dauid I will not die but liue and it maketh euill men at their wits end to thinke on the paines of death therefore blessed is the remedie of the sweete promises of God which enable vs against death Daniel being once preserued among the lions aliue would neuer be afraide to be cast among them againe so we which once were not and now are once were dead and now aliue once were vnder the diuell but now vnder Christ let vs not I say feare the gates of death or the sorrowes of the graue To whome doe I speake but to them that shall passe vnder the hande of death therefore learne attentiuely what is deliuered when thou beginnest to drawe towarde the sunne setting of thy life I meane thy death then looke vpon al the promises of God which euer thou heardest at Sermons or didst read in the Scriptures laie them to thy soule bidding it not to feare death for the Lorde hath commanded thee not to feare it But peraduenture it will replie vnto thee say the paine of death is intollerable how can I but feare it then tell it againe that it is not so for death hath lost hir sting as the apostle saith O death where is thy sting what is an adder a viper or a serpent when they haue lost their sting Surely euerie yoong childe may play with them and handle them And as the paines of a trauailing woman do bring foorth a man child so thy paine shall worke pleasure thy life shall bring death thy sorrowes shall gaine ioyes thy friendes shall bee turned into saints thy parents into angels and thy gouernours into God himselfe If thou bee a woman hee will be thy husband if thou bee a man hee will be thy wife and if thou be a seruant hee will bee thy Lorde Oh feare not death but learne the promises of God to comfort thee against it and thinke what shall bee thy blessednesse to forsake the worlde to goe to heauen to forsake thy pouertie to goe to riches to forsake thy sicknes to go to health to forsake thy friendes to goe to God and to forsake a liuing of house and lande for a whole kingdome Oh trust in God in life that thou maiest trust in God in death beleeue in Christ in health that thou maiest beleeue in him in sicknesse praie vnto him in thy ioyes that thou maiest praie vnto him in thy sorrowes And be not afraide while thou art liuing of the power of man that thou maiest not be afraide when thou art dying of the power of death and condemnation For God shall Nowe hee giueth them the reason of this exhortation why they shoulde not feare bicause the Lord would do mightie things for them whereby wee may note that the vnspeakeable power of God shoulde make men to reioice Esay 14. 27. For what can better assure vs of his promises then this that hee is able to performe them and therefore as the godly comfort themselues with this saying The Lorde is king bee the earth neuer so vnpatient so let vs lift vp our selues in comfort in the kingdome glorie maiestie power and mercie of God that hee can doe what hee will and will doe what we praie for The first reason bicause for the godlies sake hee worketh myracles Exod. 15. 12. and therefore wee ought to reioice in his power We may reade Marke 2. that for one myracle all the people gaue praise vnto God Wee haue many myracles and woonders done for vs and who is able to tell what God hath done for his soule therefore yet let thy heart reioice when thy toong is not able to expresse the power of God Another reason bicause nothing can stande against the saluation of his elect Psal 107. 14. For the sea shall be emptied the earth shall be remooued the rockes shall be broken and the heauens shall bow themselues that the power of God may be manifested and his saints be saued Let vs learne by consideration of his power to serue him more earnestly as Dauid doth Psal 118. 27. when he had tolde howe mightilie God destroied his enimies as a fire of thornes then hee presently addeth Binde the sacrifice with coardes vnto the hornes of the altar As God is powerfull to saue so is hee powerfull to destroy and therefore bee afraide least as hee is able to blesse thee if thou doe well so hee curse thee if thou doe euill Pilate woulde haue had Christ haue answered bicause he saide hee had power to loose him or to deliuer him but hee was rebuked for his labour let vs much more answere the Lorde for hee hath absolute power to doe with vs whatsoeuer he will Againe let vs learne by consideration of the power of God to beleeue in him more confidently as Abraham did Rom. 4. 21. although hee sawe no reason howe the promise of God shoulde be fulfilled if Isaac were sacrificed yet this did animate him that God was able to raise him from death to life and so let vs bee obedient to the Lordes commandements when they are
Againe let rich men especially looke to themselues Iam. 5. 1. for they for the most part esteeme more of gaine then of grace and of a great gentleman though he be an infidell then of a poore and true member of Christ Let them remember how fewe good rich men are named in the Scriptures and let them alway set before their eies that most dreadful saying of our Sauior It is easier for agable to goe thorough the eie of a needle then for a rich man to enter into heauen Let them bee liberall to good vses courteous to euery christian sparing in all expenses humble in all authoritie not gorgeous but clothed with Christ not couetous but open handed not ambitious but content with their place and not infidels but as farre exceede other in faith as they doe in wealth He shall giue you the first raine In those countries they had ordinarily two raines in the yeere especially desired wherof the first was most acceptable when they first sowed their seede and the latter raine was in the spring of the yeere which is here called the first moneth answering in some part to our March and Aprill because the world was made as it were in the spring of the yere But in this that the Prophet promiseth them the first and the latter raine we must obserue that it is the Lord that ruleth the cloudes giuing al seasonable and vnseasonable weather 1. King 18. 1. The reasons are bicause he will onely be knowen to blesse the workes of our hands Deut. 28. 1. Againe it is onely hee which decketh the heauens with clouds Psal 147. 8. Let vs therefore learne to feare the Lord by the consideration of raine Ierem. 5. 24. for hee reserueth for vs the appointed weeks for haruest Me thinkes that euerie creature of God do so admonish vs of our duetie that not so much as the little drops of raine but they teach vs to feare him Oh that our soules could so thirst for the mercie of God as the earth thirsteth for the water drops or the grace of God might so fall from heauen on our hearts as the raine doth issue from the cloudes on the ploughed land Againe let vs seeke for the testimonie of the Lords fauour towards vs in them Act. 14. 17. the Apostle sheweth the raine of the clouds the spring of the earth and the encrease of temporal things to be a sufficient meanes for the old world to haue searched for and found out God but yet they did not search into it and so is it now a good meanes for many ignorant soules to leade them to God at the first if they consider the world continueth the grasse groweth the corne increaseth the raine falleth down from heauē that by these as it were by the crosse-row of letters they might com to greater knowledge in religion When he saith that their barnes shall be full of wheat and their presses shall abound with oyle and wine he noteth thereby that their decaied houses shall be builded againe and their full ioy restored And also that if God do once begin to do good to his people hee neuer thinketh any thing too much that is bestowed on them if they be repentant The xxix Sermon Vers 25. And I will render vnto you the yeeres that the grashopper hath eaten the caterpiller and canker-woorme and palmer-woorme my great hoste which I sent among you NOw he toucheth the restitution of their goods lost in famine telling them that all their former yeeres deuoured by the beasts shall bee restored againe By which we may note a woonderful example of the Lords kindnes that he wil giue to the repentant whatsoeuer they haue lost in trouble It were enough for him yea more then he oweth vs if he did onely ease our miserie yet is he not contented therewith but giueth vs as much as we desire and beyond our desires as much as we lost so he dealt with Iob. cap. 42. 10. giuing him a thousand for fiue hundred sixe for three fourteene for seuen The first reason because he would haue none to be like him in mercie and liberalitie Mich. 7. 18. Secondly that the wicked may note a difference betwixt the iust and the vniust Mal. 3. 18. therefore let not any thing in the worlde hinder thy conuersion Ierem. 7. 14. for thy sinnes shall bee chaunged into much holines thy pouertie into great wealth thy sorrow into double ioy and thy short life into twise so many daies If thou hadst little ease now it shall be more or little peace it shall be increased or little grace it shall bee augmented or little ioy it shall be multiplied and thus will God take away curse and change it into blessing and turne our punishment into pardon Againe let vs hereby be instructed that there shall neuer be any hinderance to the ioy of the Lords saints Isa 40. 2 3. the crooked shal be made straight the high shall be made low the low shall be made high the weake shall be made strong the sicke shall be made whole the lame shall be made wel limmed the sorrowfull heart shall bee reioysed and the contrite soule shall be glorified the great power of sathan shall not hinder the tyrannie of sinne shall not preuaile nor the space twixt heauen and earth shall keepe vs from ascending to ioies Oh come on my brethren with hope and comfort and bestow your labour in the word more cheerefully that our single sorrowes may receiue double ioyes So you shall eate and bee satisfied and praise the name of the Lorde your God that hath dealt maruellouslie with you and my people shall neuer bee ashamed Hauing signified vnto them their plentie nowe hee granteth vnto them the free and lawfull vse of euerie creature telling them they shoulde eate and drinke them and praise the name of God for them When hee saith They shall eate and bee satisfied we may note a great blessing of God vpon meate temperately receiued for it satisfieth vs meaning it nourisheth and maintaineth life Hag. 1. 6. but when it is riotously and gluttonously deuoured then men fall into sicknesse in steade of health into raging in stead of quietnesse and this is the very cause why our affraies and quarrels are begunne at tauernes and alehouses and at great idoll and glutton feastes bicause men receiue them not in moderation but in excesse The first reason bicause meate so taken giueth strength to the body 1. Sam. 1427. Ionathan tasted but a drop of hony and his wearied body was strengthened and his eies almost blinde recouered their sight Another reason because meate thus taken cheereth the hart of man Ruth 3. 7. Let vs therfore learn what a singular benefit it is to eat be satisfied with the labours of our owne hande Eccle. 5. 16. 17. for if the Lord should breath thereon then were our trauaile in the dust meate hath no life in it and yet it
shall bee more against them then all the worlde and their helpes of nature shall giue them ouer and they left destitute of all hope shall be deliuered into the hande of diuels and surely they which scorne the companie of God his saints on the earth are woorthie to bee torne by the teeth and clawes of diuels in hell But hast thou no grace to consider this before hand and to thinke with thy selfe howe thou shalt see an infinite companie of Angels driuing thee to iudgement and then presently all the diuels in hell haling thee to damnation Be willing therefore to come to God in earth that thou maiest bee desirous to goe to God in heauen for bee assured that if thou feare iudgement and wishest it might neuer be thou art in a pitifull case for thy conscience doth alreadie condemne thee and if thou despise iudgement and watch not for it thou art more retchlesse for thou resistest God but if thou crie for the last day and say Come Lorde Iesus come quickly thou art a happie man for the Lorde is in thee Christ hath clensed thee sinne is dying in thee thou louest God his kingdome and therefore thou shalt possesse his kingdome Oh that we coulde willinglie submit our hearts to the Gospell and then shoulde wee not vnwillingly offer our soules to iudgement The reasons of this doctrine are these First because they shall be compelled by the power of God Matth. 26. 64. They which will not feele the power of God in sauing them shal feele it in condemning them and therfore as the power of God made Pharaoh to yeeld to Moses and Aaron and made Sisera to yeelde to Deborah and made Goliah to yeelde to Dauid and made the temple to rende a sunder when Christ was crucified and the sunne to loose hir light shall compell the wicked to the iudgement seate of God Another reason is bicause their hope for helpe or mercie or pardon is but in vaine Lam. 4. 17. And therefore although they woulde escape yet their hope shall deceiue them as the mother and wife of Sisera which told of the victorie when in the ende it turned to their owne ouerthrow I doe but briefly touch these things bicause I haue handled them more at large alreadie The vses which arise from hence are these First that wee come willinglie to the throne of grace Rom. 5. 2. or else we shall be vnwillingly drawne to the throne of wrath Come to all godlie exercises ioyfully heare the Gospell diligently reade the scriptures zealously loue the godly tenderly and praie to the Lorde comfortablie and then shalt thou come to grace not to wrath to glorie not to shame to life not to death to heauen not to hell Make no excuses for thy absence admit no delaies for thy hinderance suffer no temptations for thy allurement and let not the wife of thy youth keepe thee from praier and the throne of grace Feare God more than loue the worlde hate euill more than loue thy wife Saie vnto all cumbrancers awaie from mee for I will keepe the Gospell of my God I had rather loose my finger than my hande my haire than my heade my bodie than my soule my friendes than my GOD. I will feare the Lorde before wrath that I may reioice in iudgement Againe let vs learne to acknowledge and perswade our selues of this terror of God 2. Cor. 5. 11. for except wee consider before hande howe the heauens shall be consumed howe the earth shall bee burned howe the worlde shall bee ended and howe the Lorde shall be manifested the Gospell will be but a weake worde and an idle tale vnto vs But if thou canst beleeue the last iudgement and with the eie of faith beholde it a farre off and tremble at the secret meditation thereof then thou maiest easily feele the power of life vnto life and happily forsake the sentence of death Therefore euermore remember iudgement at thy feast in thy bed on thy table in the morning at thy labour before thy sleepe and with thy friendes that thou and they be not of the kindreds of the earth which shall waile and lament before the comming of Christ Reuel 1. 7. There will I pleade with them Hauing finished the gathering togither of the wicked into the place of iudgement now it remaineth that wee goe on to the causes of their destruction which the Lord heere openeth as pleaders do in their courts at the law and therefore he saith that he will plead with them for his people alluding to the manner of worldly iudgements so that heere wee may see that the Lord is both iudge counsellor for his church which may greatly comfort vs and discomfort our enimies for the Lord who is to tally for vs and eagerly against them hath the whole law in his owne hand But in this that he saith he will plead with them we may note that God will open all the sinnes of the wicked in iudgement Eccles 11. 9. For pleaders will not omit any thing which may discredit their aduersarie or the cause against which they speake yea they will suspect those things which they cannot gainesay and condemne those things very peremptorily which they can any way blemish In like sort the Lord when he shall draw thee to iudgement will there open all thy life and tell thy secret whooredome thy hidden theft thy often blasphemies thy idle words thy vaine expences thy proud gestures thy idle worship thy friend-pleasing vanitie and all thy hypocrisie Thy charitie he will defame with vaine-glorie thy prayers hee will account abhomination thy fasting he will call dissembling and thy gentle nature shall be accounted a flattering vertue All this will hee bring to iudgement hee will prooue it by thy conscience he will condemne it by his Gospell and he will punish it by condemnation oh then shall thy faults be written in thy forehead that al may know them and thy priuie doings blowen with a trumpet that all may heare them and thy forsworne sinnes opened by a crier that all may loath them Oh wretched wretches which had rather abide this iudgement of God then that which is in this life but if thou haue any meanes to perswade thy soule vnto goodnes or to terrifie thy flesh from euill let this helpe it forward that God shal open all thy faults at the day of iudgement and discredit all thy vertues be they neuer so many or neuer so glorious Thinke not that thy good deedes shall ouercome thy euil but as one blemish disfigureth a whole bodie so one sinne will disgrace a whole bodie of vertues The reasons of this doctrine are these because the counsell of euerie hart shall then be manifested whether it be good or euill 1. Cor. 4 5. and if the counsels of men be opened much more their sinnes Another reason is because they are remembred before God Reuel 20. 12. and if all the sinnes of the wicked be in the Lords
and the posteritie of the righteous much happier and godlier if more often with Moses wee remember him to take awaie his wrath by continuing his church Another vse are wee taught Ier. 32. 39. which is that wee likewise pray that our posteritie may haue one and a single hart that they may dwell for euer in the presence of God We can no way so much benefite our posteritie as by praying for them for then wee lay vp their treasure in heauen before the Lord making him the ouerseer of our willes and his kingdome their inheritance So that as hee promised Dauid that he should neuer want a man to sit on his throne if they would continue in his couenant so may euery righteous man assure himselfe that they shall neuer want posteritie if they continue in the Lords worship As there is but one God so men should haue but one hart and as there is but one heauen so men shoulde haue but one soule now the hart is one when it abideth in the worship of God but when it wauereth and is distracted into as many follies as affections there is no hart at all as it is all one to make mo gods and to denie God so is it all one to haue many harts and no hart Therefore pray for thy children whom thou hast nourished in the worlde that they may bee single harted and remaine before the Lorde for euer and euer for surely if they multiply their harts God wil remooue their graces For as Ahab by seeking to winne Ramoth-Gilead lost his owne life because he woulde encrease his territories so shall wee loose our owne soules if wee enlarge our harts for more vanitie Remember that Ierusalem was so built as it was at vnitie in it selfe and so must euery member of Ierusalem that is of the church haue one hart in himselfe that his hart may fit the Lorde and his soule may serue for heauen Secondly wee may obserue in this verse that the policie of wicked men cannot alway preuaile against the good Psal 124. 1 2 3. It was one of the wonders of the world that euer the counsell of Achitophel was so soone confounded that hee tooke against Dauid but the Lords hand was in it for seeing he had promised that Dauid shoulde raigne was not wise Achitophel a foole that woulde assay to breake the couenant and so were these gentiles in taking counsell against the Iewes to keepe them from euer returning to their countrie againe The first reason the Lord will purge iniquitie from his sanctuarie Dan. 8. 13 14. and therefore he will not suffer iniquitie to ouerthrowe his sanctuarie For the policie of wicked men in the destruction of the godly is not so much against mankinde as it is to burie for euer the worship and worshippers of God Would God that this reason might be well waighed of them who are euermore corrupting the sanctuarie of God who broach all the deuises of the world to corrupt the gospell But as the Romaine Image standing in the holy place was called the abhomination of desolation in like manner shall the imaginations of hereticall and proud men standing in the church be called the abhominable desolation of religion Another reason because good men might not fall from God by enduring their iniuries Psal 125. 4. and therefore be assured if God will make one of his owne saints worth a thousand of his enimies then will hee rather destroy their counsels then want his worshippers The vse is let vs then knowe that not all the counsell of men nor all the policie of the diuell nor all the power of the angels shall euer cast downe the members of Christ Apoc. 7. 3. Oh sweete instruction for vs miserable deemed wretches when we neede not to feare all the engins and deuises of the diuell if hee stirre vp princes yet God is greater if wise men God is wiser if strong men Christ is stronger and if learned men yet God catcheth the learned What shall I say more all the diuels in hell cannot take away one soule from the Lord. They are bound they cannot roue they are muzled they cannot rore they are ruled they cannot rage and they are damned they cannot hurt vs. Nay they can neither hurt body nor soule for the same that redeemed soules redeemed bodies and preserueth both Therefore feare not death that hath lost his sting and feare not the diuell that hath lost his force Another vse let this confidence for our raising vp out of miserie into glorie out of iniquitie into holinesse out of death into life and quitteth vs from the wicked stirre vp euery mans soule and hart to cleaue to the Lorde for euermore for as Dinah was safe in her fathers house and none could touch her so shall we be safe in the Lords presence none can hurt vs. Thirdly by this verse when he laieth to their charge the selling of his people that they might neuer return againe which they coulde not bring to passe but yet hee telleth them he woulde punish them wee may note that God punisheth our deuises and thoughts of euill although they proceede no farther as if the thing had beene effected and the sinne perfected Genes 11. 4 8. The builders of Babell thought to builde a tower to reach to heauen but they coulde not preuaile and yet God punished their enterprise by confounding their language So that imagine with thy selfe howe often thou hast stollen by coueting howe often thou hast committed adulterie by lusting and how often thou hast deserued actuall punishment by mentall transgressing wee doe therefore all of vs most iustlie suffer the danger of all kinde of deathes because we liue in the danger of all kinde of sinne neither is there anie man liuing but at one time or other hee hath lusted after euerie sinne that he knewe for if we knewe not sinne we shoulde not sinne And indeede these builders and this building of Babel doth notablie describe and decypher vnto vs the nature of sinners and sinne for as Babell was built without God his consent so is sinne as the builders made the substance and frame thereof of themselues so do wee of sinne As they did it to continue their names that the floud shoulde no more ouerflowe them not trusting to the former promises of God so doe sinners forsake God his promise and for worldly causes fall into many follies Againe as they would build neuer cease building till they had brought it vp to heauen so is the measure of sin it woulde neuer cease till it ascended vp into the sight of God and filled all the space betweene heauen and earth And lastly as the building was not staied but by the confounding of their toongs so shall not sinne be staied but by confounding the soules of men The reasons of this doctrine are these First bicause they which consent to sinne and goe no farther are woorthie of death Rom 1. 32. So that it
euer admitted none can be exempted from religion because they are honourable or from the gospell because they are rich or from sermons because they are learned or from the churches because they are tender or from praier because they are sicke or from warre because they are weake but the weake must say I am strong Rather pray the more and goe the farther and heare the oftener and obey the willinglier and professe more earnestly because God hath made thee sicke or poore or weake or rich or tender or honourable or learned for I tell thee that there is no excuse from comming into the Lords vineyarde Thou canst not come into heauen by a proxee or substitute another to heare the gospell for thee but in thy owne person and soule and strength or weakenesse thou must enter into it Therefore now looke to the matter if euer thou wilt obtaine grace for although we satisfied the wrath of God by another namely by Christ yet we cannot be sanctified in any mans person but in our owne All the lazers and lame diseased men of Israel came from all quarters thereof to be laide by the poole of Bethesda to be washed and cured and none suffered any let to keepe them away in like manner let all the weake and lame soules of the world come to worship the Lord and let not any hinderance keepe them backe The xxxix Sermon Vers 11. Assemble your selues and come all yee heathen and gather your selues togither round about there shall the Lord cast downe thy mightie men 12. Let the heathen be wakened and come vp to the valley of Iehoshaphat for there will I sit to iudge all the heathen round about AS in the former verses he called the souldiers which shoulde bee the ministers of his wrath to destroie his enimies so nowe againe the second time hee calleth the heathen to iudgement to prepare them for the execution and although their destruction shoulde come of themselues yet the Lorde calleth them to battle that they might knowe it proceedeth from him Concerning the first part of these two verses namely the gathering of the heathen into the valley of Iehoshaphat wee haue alreadie spoken in the seconde verse of this chapter Therefore we wil brieflie touch that which is not hādled already I might first note vnto you that the Lord careth not for all the multitude of the world althogh they were vp in armes against him when hee saith Assemble your selues and come all yee heathen meaning to warre and defende themselues against his souldiers before called Secondly in these words I might shew you how the heathen and infidels in all their warres trust to their multitudes and bring all the force they can make as we may reade of the Madianites against Gedeon and the Philistines against Barac but it is the Lorde that ouerthroweth the horse and the ryder I will cast downe thy mightie men By these wordes the prophet telleth vs that God will deale with the strongest and confounde them Luk. 1. 52. The Lorde who is of great wisedome and infinite strength and power doth buckle alway with them that are of greatest account suffering the pride of the lesser to be punished by men but he himselfe controuleth the oppressions of the mightie Whereby wee may see that there is no cause why wee shoulde feare anie force or furie or rage of man for hee can and doth take the mightiest to ouerthrow them When we see any lifting vp themselues aboue their brethren then are wee to thinke their pride is ascending vp before the Lorde to be crossed This is a sweete instruction and comfort for the poore members of Christ for as there are none in the worlde more humble than themselues so there are none more oppressed by the pride of other than they are But they may heere learne that their mightiest foes are neerest to the vengeance of God The reasons First because his name is omnipotent Exod. 15. 4. this was the reason that Moses gaue of the ouerthrowe of Pharaoh and therefore it is no maruaile if any man or army or nauie or castle or king or emperour be throwne downe as the snowe falleth from heauen for the omnipotencie of his name remaineth for euer By it he drowned the giants he burned the Sodomites he ouerthrew the Egyptians hee slewe the Cananites hee captiuated the Israelites hee hath changed the liues of great princes and shall at the latter day iudge both quicke and dead Another reason bicause strong and mightie men doe mightily abuse their strength as we may see in Goliah who knowing his owne strength came and defied all Israell And surely heerein we may greatlie lament the estate of the worlde for men doe abuse all the benefits of God Such is the corruption of sinne in Adams children that their riches are the coales of iniquitie their authoritie a libertie to transgresse their health a patent for worldly vanity their strēgth a sufficient charter to reuile God and oppresse man But as Dauid the least in Israel cut off that monsters head so shall the least part of the Lordes power take reuenge vpon our highest abuses Let vs therefore learne to be humbled vnder the hande of God 1. Pet. 5. 6. For if we be poore and base men will punish vs but if we be high rich God himselfe will plague and cast vs downe But alas we are neuer humble till it be too late namely till we be laide in our graues for while wee liue pride is rooted in vs that it will not out of vs there is such league betwixt the life of man and the sin of man as was betwixt Naomi and Ruth for nothing but death can part them in sunder Who would be rich to be spoiled by theeues who woulde be wicked to be damned by diuels and who would be proud to be plagued by God Aduance not thy soule for thy birth or thy wealth or thy friendes or thy office or thy libertie or thy strength for God will cast downe the mightie men distrust thy vertues and thy cause and thy fauour and thy health and thy ioy and thy life for if thou bee exalted in anie of these God will surelie humble thee to thy shame Let the heathen bee wakened Nowe hee sheweth vs that the heathen after they had spoiled the church grewe to securitie and therefore hee calleth on them to bee awaked for there were no manhood in it to slay them in their sleepe By which we may note that the wicked in their greatest securitie shall be drawen vnto iudgement Ier. 22. 23. when their buildings are stately their bodies healthie their mindes loftie their wealth abundant and their liues past feare then then commeth the alarme of their miserie waking them from their soft beds heauie sleepe sweete loue pleasant pastime easie health and happy ioy to gather them into the slaughter-house of hell Oh that men would mitigate their desire of pleasure and once distrust their
harts when they be ioyfull for as Herod was strooke with death while hee sate vpon his throne of maiestie so are we neuer neerer to our woe than when we are mounted to honour or seated in quietnesse The phisitions say that want of motion and loue of rest breedeth more diseases than all euill surfeits and so must we say that are the phisitions of mens soules that moe perish by ease than by labour by ioie than by sorrow by pleasure than by paine and by idle religion than by earnest and zealous profession The reasons the same that Isay taught chap. 65. 12. because God is refused in his word and good reason why it should be so for as already we haue shewed that the word must be a light for our pathes and a remembrancer to our soules which being forgotten no maruell if in our greatest securitie the Lords wrath ouertake vs. Therefore let the idle followers of the gospell perswade their soules with more zeale and diligence to bee informed by the Lord least the wrath take them sleeping or selling or drinking or playing or dicing or dauncing to their condemnation Secondly another reason because they loue pleasure more than God 2. Tim. 3. 4. therefore as Saneherib Isay 37. was slaine at that instant when hee was worshipping his idoll so shall their bane bee wrought when they are in their belly-worship following their pleasing delights Let vs therefore neuer put danger out of our mindes but then when wee are in most quiet comfort of soule and body let vs trouble our peace with one thought or other Mich. 3. 11. If thou haue children feare their death if thou haue parents feare their wrath if thou haue friends feare their hatred and if thou haue health feare thy sicknesse if thou be ioyfull at a feast thinke on the miserie of famine if at a pleasure thinke vpon the paine of the wounded if at libertie thinke vpon the irons of the imprisoned if in life thinke on the pangs of death Neuer exempt thy selfe from danger but in peace remember warre in youth remember age in play remember labour and in the heauen of the worldes delight thinke vpon the hell of another life Let sorrow be in thy sense mourning in thy soule danger in thy life feare in thy musicke trouble in thy sleepe paine in thy health want in thy plentie dislike in thy loue and distrust in thy desire so shalt thou neuer be called to sicknes but with lesse griefe or to danger but with lesse feare or to death but with lesse trouble or to iudgement but thou shalt be prouided for it Another vse seeing the wicked shall be drawen to iudgement in their greatest securitie then we may learne whether they feare wrath and euil or feare it not yet all is one it shall come vpon them Dauid said that the feare of the wicked shall fall on him and herewee see Ioel saith that though they sleepe yet shall they be awaked with and for their danger so that if wicked men feare their sorrowe is the more and if they feare not their danger is not the lesse Oh miserable captiuitie of wicked men which are hardened to feele more paine and softened to feare more wrath would not this bring vs out of loue with our sinne and make vs earnestly to lament our follies which giue vs no peace till we desire them and no rest after wee possesse them But of this often haue wee spoken before For there will I sit When he saith that he will sit in iudgement we may note that the Lord will with no labour condemne the wicked as it is Mal. 1. 4. euen as one that sitteth in al ease Againe in this that he sitteth in iudgement he alludeth to the iudgements of men which were most lawfull shewing that his proceedings against the wicked were not vniust or extraordinarie but according to equity But this is especially to be regarded when he nameth the persons whom he will iudge saying all the heathen rounde about meaning all those which dwelt neere vnto Israell Whereby we are taught that those which are our neighbours and see our worship and liue neere or among vs and yet be not of vs but are our enimies God will iudge them more seuerly Ierem. 12. 14. For if they which liue among vs and see euerie day the workes of God for vs and in vs will not be ruled by vs or turned to vs they may waite for the heauier iudgement And therefore was Philisthia more iudged then Arabia and Syria more vexed then Ethiopia because they were on the confines of Israell Then surely this may teach the loose Protestants and vaine professors among vs what great daunger they liue in all this while they haue heard the Gospell and not beleeued it the neerer they were to the truth the more is the Lordes wrath against them and the longer they haue liued in our peace and seene the glorious workes of God the more shall bee their heauie iudgement It were better for them that they liued in Rome or in Barbarie or in Tartarie where the gospell is not talked of for then should they be farther from danger but now they liue with vs eating at our tables treading on our Land standing in our churches cloathed with our garments and blessed by our God Oh how deere shall they pay for all these benefits for the Lord will iudge them that dwell neere vs much more them that dwel with vs he will condemne them that dwel about vs much more them that dwell among vs. The reasons of this doctrine are these First bicause they should be subiect to the church Isa 60. 5. The members of the church are the true lawfull kings of the world all other ought to be their subiects therefore when the subiect rebelleth against his naturall prince he is more punished then a stranger so when the neerest neighbours of the church are most of all negligent they are more endangered then other are for when the Lord giueth most meanes of instruction such as is to liue among the godly then he rewardeth such neglect or contempt with more seuere punishment Another reason because they should succour thē in their necessitie Isa 21. 14. but if they will taste of their benefits and not beleeue their sayings or cōfort them in their sorrowes they are the more woorthie to be destroyed The vse let vs neuer meddle against good men Matth. 27. 19. for their iniuries will be rewarded double vpon our heads If thou liue with them honour them if thou heare of them goe visite them if they teach thee beleeue them if they want thee relieue them and neuer be an enimie vnto them The Lord saith that our treading on the earth is sufficient to make vs without excuse if we beleeue him not and then surely it is sufficient to condemne those that liue vnder the Gospell and receiue not the Gospell that they tread on our lande see our
comming secondly by hoping for our glorification and thirdly by purging our selues in a word this is all We are made holy by regeneration and sanctification for a new minde is a holy minde as a new life is a holy life So then wouldest thou be holy the word must beget thee in the wombe of the church and the blood of Christ must purge thee in the tabernacle of thy flesh this is the way to make a saint first by the word thē by the blood of Christ and all of this must bee done in this life for they doe but mocke and delude the world which canonize saints after they be dead except they can bring them to life againe So then a pure life maketh not a saint that is holy without a new minde nor another minde without a cleane life Some are of opinion that there are no saints but in the kingdome of heauen but they are easily confuted by the scripture which calleth the godly at Corinth at Ephesus at Colossa and many other places by the name of saints But they say we do all them saints which the scripture calleth holy men and I pray what difference is there betwixt a saint and a holy man surely none at all but euery holy man is a saint in all toongs that euer I learned But if they vnderstand saints to be the soules of godly men in heauen then I say that in all good diuinitie and sound writers there are none such spoken of I meane that the blessed soules in heauen are onely called saints To conclude heare the gospell beleeue the promises waite for the appeering of our Sauiour and take but a drop of his blood to purge thy soule and life and thou shalt bee holy thou shalt be a saint otherwise thy life lead in long iniquitie shall ende in euerlasting woe paine and miserie And no strangers In these words he telleth them one benefit of his presence and their sanctification or holynes which is this that no strangers shall any more go thorough Israell meaning that they should neuer be ouercome by any enimies otherwise to harbour strangers is the commandement of God But by these wordes we are taught that onely religion maketh a common-wealth or kingdome to bee peaceable and happie 1. Sam. 12. 14 15. Although humane policie and worldly wisedome do much in the gouernment of any nation yet there is not any thing that so establisheth a people and maketh them happie as religion which is the wisedome and written word of God Why was not Ahabs gouernment as good as Dauids or Ieroboams a most politike king as good as Salomons Surely because the one was stablished in the law of God and the other was mingled with filthie idolatrie Let all the Polititians of the world and cursed Machiuillian Atheists murmur what they dare into the eares of kings and great persons that they must sometime regard Stratagems contrary to the Scriptures or else thrones cannot stand yet they are all deceiued for no policie nor counsell can stande against the Almightie Oppression breach of promise toleration of malefactors insinuations examinations extortions creations of offices and all the like policies cannot stand without religion for there was neuer yet any Polititian but he ended his life in great sorrow as did Achitophel I meane such as are not ruled by the scriptures We haue reade many policies of wicked men as of Pharaoh to keepe the Israelites in Egypt of the Philistims to keepe them without weapons of Ieroboam to keepe them from Ierusalem of the kings of Assyria to keepe them from returning home againe of Herod to kill our Sauiour Christ but what gained they all by their policie◠surely nothing but their owne sorrow and death for as Dauid saith The Lord intrappeth the wicked in the net that he laid for other Psalm 9. The reasons of this doctrine are these First because for sinne God dissolueth kingdomes Prouerb 28. 2. and therefore for religion he establisheth them for there is not any thing so contrarie to sinne as is the Lords worship I meane religion for all other humane vertues are rather in the compasse of sinne then in the shadow of true godlinesse Neither yet are all policies so condemned as it is vtterly vnlawfull to vse any for some are godlie and may bee practised as wee may see in Ioseph with his brethren who was a great courtier and yet vsed no vnlawfull extremitie of his authoritie so wee may reade of Moses that sent spies into the land of Canaan of the Israelites fighting with the Beniamites and of Gedeon when he slew so many of the Ephramites whom he found out by pronuntiation of the word Shibboleth but if policie bee grounded vpon any sinne or accompanied with any vnlawfull thing then better abide the hazard than that wee should do euill that good may come of it Another reason because Kings raigne by the Lord and by him Princes beare rule Now we must not thinke that he fauoureth or accounteth any nation blessed without his worship for he regardeth not a soule that feareth him not For this cause he droue Nebuchadnezzar from the throne to the heards of cattle that he might teach him that his throne depended vpon him Now shall we say that God is where there is no God accounted or if accounted yet not worshipped or if externally worshipped yet not sincerely where euery fancie of a worldly wise man is preferred before that truth which is sealed with the Lords blood I graunt that Iethro a heathen gaue Moses counsell how to behaue himselfe in his gouernment but GOD approoued it and so let euerie man speake for the good gouernment of a nation but let the word of GOD gouerne their sayings The vses first let vs take that counsell of the wisest king that euer was Prou. 25. 5. Take away the wicked from the king and his throne shall be established in righteousnesse If the wicked be remooued wicked counsell will be silenced and if wicked counsell be silenced then will the princes throne bee established in righteousnesse Dauid would not haue them to be his courtiers that slew Ishboseth his enemie and no more woulde he haue any vaine persons or liers to bee his seruants Psalm 101. 5 6. for as Gedeons armie was most honorable when he had sent away all dastardes and fearful soldiers although it was small so a kings court is most glorious when all wicked are banished from it although very fewe be left Multitudes are verie dangerous many men many wicked men Our Sauiour Christ had but twelue and yet one of them was a traytour and so it is most likely there is not any great company liuing in court or countrey but there are some wicked among them Although wicked men may bee good for the common wealth yet they cannot establish the kings throne in righteousnesse therefore I woulde that all the princes of the world would say with Dauid Psal 119. Awaie from me yee wicked
away the peace from the church take away all glory from God and all comfort from men Let vs which liue in these blessed times looke to our selues aboue all other for as God hath made our earthly estate better then other mens so will he doe our condition in the other life woorse then all mens for the abusing heereof Let me lament my countrey as Esaie lamented Israel cap 43. 22 23 24. saying Thou hast not called vpon me ó Englande but thou hast wearied mee Thou hast not brought mee the sheepe of thy burnt offeringes neither hast thou honoured mee with thy sacrifices I haue not caused thee to serue with an offering nor wearied thee with incense Thou hast not bought mee sweete sauour with thy money neither hast thou made me drunk with the fat of your sacrifices but thou hast made mee to serue with thy sinnes and wearied me with thine iniquities O my brethren thus may the Lorde complaine of vs. We haue had peace who hath beene honoured for it we haue had money who hath beene worshipped for it we haue had cattle and corne to whom haue wee sacrificed surely wee haue honoured our policie for our peace wee haue worshipped our goods and landes with our money and wee haue sacrificed our corne and flesh to our bellies What coulde the Lorde giue more then he hath or beare more then he doth or tarrie longer then he must or we receiue more then hath beene cast vpon vs Oh that I could now powre foorth my selfe in words to lament the estate of our times We haue much preaching but little religion for the prophets scant beleeue themselues wee haue much peace but little knowledge of God is reaped thereby we haue great plentie but verie small thankfulnesse our peace hath bred pride our pride hath bred want our want hath caused mourning our mourning hath brought foorth plentie and our plentie hath hatched pride againe Let the harts of men cleaue in sunder to consider this point that now we fall as fast to our former vomites as any ruffian to his former follies We haue beene humbled and God hath heard vs God hath heard vs and we regard it not for the rich men eate their flock in plentie lauish out their money in wantonnesse spende God his fruites in riote and neuer thinke of thankefulnesse This saith hee my friendes left me or I gained by such a bargaine or I wonne at such a game or got by such an office or I saued in my shop and nowe I will bee merrie with it And the Lorde hath no sweete sauour by their money nor any sacrifice by their flockes But to come to the point they beginne alreadie to forget that there was a famine and as the staruen kine in winter become wanton and wilde in the spring so they which of late coulde speake pitifully and mourne bitterly for want now they begin to forget their want and their God and all Oh my deere brethren we are nowe in more danger to perish by plentie then wee were to fall by famine for ease slaieth the foolish and the prosperitie of the wicked shall destroy them When the children of Israell went euery day poore and rich to gather Manna and to eate thereof they liued well but when the quailes came and they eate thereof the plague tooke them while the meate was in their mouthes so not want of foode but want of grace and thankefulnesse destroieth men Therefore now let the magistrates looke to the lawes let the ministers discharge their places let the fathers admonish their children and let all men gouerne themselues least our plentie of fruits cost the death of our soules Nowe be as diligent to render praise as you were woont to bee vigilant in praier let the teares burst foorth for ioy for our peace reioiceth both men and angels We are come to our first heauen I meane the peace of our church if we now waxe proud and grow insolent as the diuels were cast out of heauen aboue so shall we be out of heauen beneath Remember sicknesse followeth health death followeth sicknesse iudgement followeth death and damnation followeth iudgement nowe are our soules sicke let vs recouer thē for else they die if they die they will be iudged if they bee iudged they will be damned Secondly he promiseth that a fountaine shall goe foorth of the house of the Lord to water the valley of Setim meaning that the Gospell should be preached to the Gentiles for it began at Ierusalem as at the spring head and so flowed thorough the whole world of the which the Prophet Ezechiel saw a vision Ezech. 47. 3 4 5 c. whereby wee are taught first that God caused saluation to flow from the Iewes vnto the Gentiles they had both spring and streame and yet wanted grace to drinke thereof whereupon shee speaketh Cant. 1. 5. that they made her the keeper of the vines but she kept not her owne vine Secondly in that the Gospell is compared to a running water we may note that it neuer standeth still but goeth as it were a flood thorough the world and there is no power to resist it And this is the cause why all the kings and counsellers of the world could neuer stop the course thereof onely the Bishop of Rome is that starre called Wormewood Reuel 8. 10. 11. that fell from heauen and corrupted these fountaines of water whereby they beeing made bitter caused the death of many that dranke thereof Thirdly the valley of Setim was a very dry place and these waters made it fruitful so were al the Gentiles wherof we are a part if these waters of the Gospel had not come vnto vs we had remayned vnfruitfull lande verie neere vnto cursing and burning Lastly we may see that no other doctrine or profession whatsoeuer is to be receiued but this which is deriued from Ierusalem We must not fetch our water frō Rome or from Mecha or from any other place but take of these which flowed from the temple And it is verily thought that God would not suffer Ierusalem or the temple to stand nor conuert it into a Bishops-seate least the antiquitie or dignitie of the place should challenge authoritie to send forth what waters and what Gospell they pleased into the world Egypt shall be wasted and Edom shal be a desolate wildernes for the iniuries of the children of Iudah because they haue shed innocent blood in their land Once againe he mentioneth the destruction of their enimies for in their ouerthrowe standeth the felicitie of good men when they shall not be able to molest the church by their power nor to corrupt it by their euil example Hereby we see first of all noted vnto vs that the blood of the Lords saints shal be certainly reuēged although it cost whole coūtries Isa 9. 12. The reasons First bicause they are the images of God Gen. 9. 6. the Lord saith that hee will haue his blood shed that sheddeth
any blood Secondly the nature of it is to crie for vengeance in the eares of God Gen. 4. 10. as the Lord saide to Cain and therefore I thinke verily there will come a day that our recusants which are the ofspring of many bloodie persecutours shall haue the blood of the Lords saints reuenged vpon them But if the blood of saints shall be so reuenged then much more shall the blood of Christ Heb. 10. 29. There are only two kinds of people vpon whom the Lord wil bring the blood of his son the Iewes whom we see scattered ouer all the world being accounted a verie miserable and forlorne people the other are the contemners of the Gospell which make no account to be saued thereby who are in a maner as guiltie of the death of Christ as were the soldiers Iewes that nayled him on the crosse Wherfore God will not forget how they tread vnder their feete his pretious blood Againe let vs take occasion to praise the Lord which letteth not the blood of his children be shed in vaine Deut. 32. 43. as he blesseth them that take reuenge vpon his enimies make them fall to the earth so he curseth thē that cause any of his seruants to com to their latter end Again by this verse we may note that the blood of the Lords saints is innocent 2. King 21. 16. whatsoeuer lawes of princes or decrees of men be laide to their charge yet this must stil comfort them that if they die for the Lords cause they are innocent and shall certainly receiue life eternall The reasons because thorough hatred and malice of the world are they deliuered Ioh. 17. 4 Secondly being the seruants of righteousnes they cannot bee iustly executed for the same Rom. 6. 18. Let vs bee heereby encouraged not to feare death 1. Pet. 2. 19. for if we die naturally we die happily and if we die violently we die innocently Againe let not any of vs that are Christians suffer for our euill doing 1. Pet. 4. 15. but rather let vs watch ouer our liues that no sinful danger of humane lawes doe euer ouertake vs. But Iudah shall dwell for euer and Ierusalem from generation to generation For I will clense their blood that I haue not clensed and the Lord shall dwell in Zion These verses containe the last promises of the Lord vnto his church grounded vpon the presence of God among them First for their perpetuitie Secondly for the declaration of their innocencie which hee noteth when he saith that he will clense their blood c. when as vpon the report of the iniuries receiued in the former verse he presently addeth that they shall dwell for euer we may note that the wrongs which good men in this life endure shall bee one meanes to forwarde their rest and glorification Psa 12. 5. For this is the fruit of our afflictions to perswade the Lord for our immortalitie for as when the Israelites cried in Egypt then the Lord brought them into Canaan so when wee crie for our wrongs we are readiest for heauen The reasons God euermore hath an eie to the afflicted Psal 9. 13. Secondly then are we most like to the sonne of God and when we are likest to him on earth wee are neerest to him in heauen Let vs so beare our afflictions and wrongs as if we were borne for them 1. Cor. 4 9. for we see they shall turne to our greater ioy But of this matter we haue spoke often I might also remember out of this verse when he saith that Iudah and Ierusalem shall dwell for euer hee meaneth not the citie Ierusalem for that is long agoe destroied but he meaneth that the Iewes shall neuer be vtterly destroied but many of them shal be saued in the world to come When he saith that he wil clense their blood that is hee will manifest to all the worlde that they were not iustly executed but vniustly murdered whereby we may see at length that the wicked whether they were wilfully blinded or ignorantly affected in persecuting good men yet they shall know and so shall other that they murdered them vniustly as the Iewes which shall see Christ whom they pearced Reuel 1. 7. Mat. 27. 3 4. for wilfull murders cannot be euerlastingly concealed and it is al one before God to steale by authoriti◠or without law to kill by law or without authority Lastly we may see when he saith he will dwell in Zion that the presence of God preserueth the church Reuel 1. 13. how can it euer perish when the Lord maintayneth it Surely sathan told Christ that he could not do amisse for the Angels watched about him and held him vp that at no time he should dash his foot against a stone If the helpe of Angels in the diuels conceit was so great to preserue Christ then much greater is the presence and hand of God to vphold his church Hee alone buildeth it that it fal not keepeth it that it fade not dresseth it that it may be holy preserueth it that it may be godly so that so long as the Lord endureth so long shall the church stand maugre the might of all the diuels in hell To the which God euerlasting immortall and onely wise the most glorious Trinitie the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost let vs render all praise ascribe all maiestie and giue our whole spirits soules and bodies that he may be glorified in vs and we be glorified in him Amen Amen FINIS Cassianus Ioseph de antiq lib. 12. Herod lib. 7. Sabel Enn. lib. 9. Enn. 5. Ioseph lib. 7. cap. 24. Stobaeus ser 96 Fulg. lib. 1. 2. Cypr. aduers Demetr Aug. de Ciuit. lib. 7. cap. 11. Sab. lib. 4. Ennead 6. Plutarch Boeth lib. 8. Eurip. Plut. de amore Duditius de cometis The time of this prophesie The scope of this labour The diuision of this prophesie Cap. 1. vers 1. The prophets sermons are the Lordes owne words Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. Vse 2. If God did not send his word none would aske for it Reas 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 Men preferred before angels in the preaching of the word Reas 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 The ministers must call on the people to heare Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 The greatest men should be the greatest professors Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. a Principes cum ad limen delubri veniunt proinde sunt atque priuati 2 None must liue in the Church vnlesse they outwardly bee subiect to the Gospell Reason 1. 2 Vser 2 God his works must be perpetually remembred Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 We must tell our children what God hath done in our daies Reason 1. 2 Vse 1 2 Be carefull what we commit to posteritie Reason 1. No impiety but it will find some followers 2 Vse 1. 2 A speciall iudgement to increase hurtfull beastes Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 Euery little beast can ouercome the welfare of man * Ecce me inquit qui vobis Deus videor