that concerne him in his life If godlinesse and religion be not of force to command us in this thing it cannot be conceived that we have any sound knowledge of it and if outward things sway us most here they have the soveraignty and dominion of our hearts Shew your selves spirituall in choice of yoke-fellowes if you will enjoy the comfort of being so in good earnest and in sincerity And if any have done otherwise O let them be much humbled it is a great fault an hazarding of ones selfe to destruction or of his children a signe that one doth not rightly know neither sinne or goodnesse if in this matter wickednesse cannot disgrace all other things and vertue over-ballance all other and therefore if God have made such a match very dismall and unhappie to any one and that they have found these things unable to give content and with these they have beene turned aside from the right way let them acknowledge the justice of God and turne the punishments into a meanes of unfained repentance for the sinne It is just with God to crosse mens false opinions of things and make them meete with wretchednesse where they did falsely and unwarrantably promise to themselves contentment as they doe most times in such kinde of ill made marriages If any good man have so transgressed he is now called to repentance for it by Gods hand crossing and Gods Word warning him Againe beware I pray you of the next sinne viz. unjustice and violence that is taking away the goods of others by strong hand whether by manifest violence or by violent wresting and abusing of law through strength of wit or purse or both To take away that from another by any manner of strength which is his in right that is violence God hath often in his Word spoken against this for the waters of the floud have not yet washed it out but it hath place in the world still Those that are stronger then others will wrench and pull and make a shift to tug all they can unto themselves though they have no right unto such things covetousnesse and greedy desires beget oppression to satisfie such an unsatisfiable desire David complaines Psal 55.9 that hee hath seene violence in the citie and Psal 11.5 Him that loves violence his soule hateth By violence men tread underfoot the light of nature and bury their reason in passion and under it It is the property of beasts to be lead by will and passion what they desire to have if they can possibly get it by any device or power they will have it rules of right they acknowledge none nor can acknowledge because they want reason which is the sole distinguisher betwixt right and wrong But man that hath reason which can set downe limits and bounds to every mans possessions and benefits should follow his reason and not take so much as his hand can reach and pull unto it selfe but alone that which he findes the rules of equity to give him He that doth otherwise doth infinitely trespasse upon Gods Royalty over the whole world for he doth not carrie himselfe in this great family according to the will of him that is the sole maker and master of it and so lives as if himselfe were Master and chiefe Lord and not bound to any rules but those of his owne will Violence therefore is a grievous sinne It will bring Gods curse and anger and hatred upon the committer A violent man is odious in the world and in Heaven too his love of himselfe makes him iâ—jurious to all and therefore also loathsome Flie violence therefore either of hand or head and take nothing but what in true right you can prove to be your owne and if you have gotten any thing by violence repent of it and rid your hands of it else the hand of God shall be heavie upon you for it he will bring your violence upon your owne pates And know I beseech you that as there be two sorts of violent beasts so of men You know there be Lions and Beares and Tigers and great creatures that prey upon the weaker as upon the Sheepe the Cowe c. and then there be little beasts too that prey upon the lesser as the Weezle on the Mouse and on Chickens and such like that be lesser then themselves So there be two sorts of violent men too the great and wealthie man and the poore and meaner man The one can beare out his violence openly and doth it in greater things The other doth it more closely and in lesser things but both will have what equity doth not give them by one or other shift or wile or act of his hand And truly as great wickednesse is found in poore men this way as in the wealthier He that is as bad as his place will suffer is as wicked a man as another that in higher place is more apparantly wicked Give the Weezle the fangs and limmes of a Lion hee will doe as much mischiefe as a Lion Therefore the poore robbing the poore is compared to a sweeping raine that leaveth no food and none more violent then these little violent ones when they can tell how to make way and beare out their violence will not you see it evidently in the boldnesse of the poorer sort to steale corne at this time of the yeare He that will pull a piece of ones sheafe from him if hee were a great Prince of name and power would pull his whole living from him Beware therefore of those unjust waies of getting which are under your hands and in your powers incident to your places repent of them shun them and forbeare them for conscience sake that you may not provoke Gods wrath against you Further the men of this time were extreamely worldly as our Lord Jesus noteth they sold over themselves to the world and cared not for Noahs preaching nor for any thing that might concerne their soules but sold over themselves to earthly dealing as you reade in Luke 17.26 27. O be not many of you such are not your hearts fully possessed with all earthlinesse Doe not you set your selves altogether to the things of this life with the meere neglect of that which concernes a better Surely those that doe so are in heart Atheists they doe not thoroughly beleeve that immortality of the soule nor the being of another world For were every mans heart fully perswaded that his soule should continue for ever in another world either in eternall weale or woe it were not possible for him not to consider of the estate to come as well as of the state present if we did as well know and beleeve that there is an Hell and Heaven as that there is an earth and in it misery and welfare we could not but be as studious to get the future happinesse and escape the future misery as the present I pray you therefore strive against that sinne of the old World viz. giving up your selves
priviledge is it and this is a mercy promised to all Saints For so saith our Saviour If my mords abide in you and you abide in me aske what you will and you shall have it And againe S. Iohn telleth us This is our confidence that whatsoever we aske according to his will he heareth us Therefore let us keepe our interest into this mercy by not having respect to sinne in our hearts and by constant endeavour to walke holily before the Lord. And if we have found and doe finde God favourable to us in this kinde so that we lose not our prayers which wee make unto him let us then comfort our selves in this benefit and be carefull to yeeld as obedient an eare to his word as hee doth yeeld a patient eare to our supplications And now of Iacobs temporall benefits First he was blessed with a large estate in the world according to his profession being a Shepheard his flocks did thrive he had cattell and servants in abundance God blessed him in Labans house and made all the stronger cattell to bring forth just such kinde of young as Laban had consented to give him for his wages so that he could not but see a Divine hand taking Labans goods and giving them to him as himselfe noteth Riches are do great matter but when God giveth them as tokens of his love and tender respect they are desirable Let those that enjoy them be sure that they come to them from God as fruits of his goodnesse or else the worst men may be wealthier than the best And let those that are upright with Iacob learne to trust God with their estate and to know that what shall be good for them shall be seasonably provided for them Secondly God delivered him out of all adversity as himselfe saith on his death-bed The Angel that redeemed me from all evill His three greatest dangers were first from Esau both when hee went unto Padan Aram and when hee returned at the former time God brought him safe to Padan and so restrained the minde of Esau that then hee put off the thought of killing him to his Fathers death and at the later time God so melted him that hee shewed himselfe exceeding kinde and fell upon his neck and kissed him instead of killing him which hee had intended and therefore hee tels Esau that hee had seene his face as the face of GOD. Laban pursued him too with a purpose to strip him of all and to send him empty home and he had power in his hand to doe it as himselfe saith but God appeared to him and rebuked him that he durst not handle him amisse The Inhabitants of the Countrey were much insenced against him in respect of that outragious murder and rapine committed upon the Sichemites and by his Sons in so much that Iacob feared much that they would pursue him and cut him off but God cast a feare into their hearts so that they did not offer any violence unto him as is noted by the Story These three great deliverances God vouchsafed Iacob O let us learne to turne to God and to walke before him in truth and then we shall have God ready to help us in all our necessities and at that time and in those exigents to provide for us meanes of escape by his providence when our owne wit and strength faileth as we finde him dealing with Iacob What could he doe against Esau Laban or the Inhabitants of the Countrey Let us cleave to God that hee may be out Buckler also and our strong Tower and Rocke of defence and if we have found so much favour with God as to rescue us out of such dangers as seemed unpreventable let not us attribute the deliverances to any other secondary causes but even see God in them ascribe them to him and learne thence to feare honour and praise him Those deliverances are indeed profitable that are cords of kindnesse to tie us nearer to God Hee that improveth not such benefits to that end loseth the most desirable fruit of them Further Iacob had a large off-spring of children twelve sons and one daughter this is a favour to give a man store of children of these sons all had wealth enough Ioseph was very religious in his youth and Benjamin civill and orderly at least and at the end all of them turned home and became godly men O happinesse to have so many children some good betime all holy at last all prosperous in outward things and one much advanced Another mercy of God was the providing of Ioseph as a man before to maintaine him and his family in Aegypt and bringing him to see Ioseph and enjoy his preferment for seventeen yeares together where he lived in as great a fulnesse of prosperity and concluded his dayes as happily as ever man did living in Iosephs bosome as it were seeing all his children godly and prosperous and feeling no considerable adversity having Iosephs oath also to bury him in Canaan This is a singular favour of God to make ones old age prosperous and to cause his eyes to see so much happinesse as he can wish when now he is ready to leave the world Marke the righteous man in the Psalme it is said The end of that man is peace Study righteousnesse that you may inherite this blessing and never threaten your selves how miserable you shall be hereafter God can provide wayes that you know not to make you safe and comfortable beyond your thoughts O be faithfull with him and trust in him and feare nothing So much for Iacobs life Now for his death It was a most seasonable death after a large time of life a most peaceable death in the midst of his Sonnes a most religious death blessing them and confirming their faith with his last words a most comfortable death so soone as he had ended his blessing he pulled up his legs and gave up the Ghost and then he had also an honourable embalming and buriall as at large is set downe in the Story Who would not wish such a death And yet more after death he hath an honourable name on earth and liveth in eternall glory in heaven Now let us imitate Iacobs vertues and labour to be upright and then notwithstanding many sins we shall have at last eternall happinesse and so much happinesse in this world also as is needfull for us Now we will shew you what calamities he suffered for the people of God must looke to suffer much tribulation in this world as it is foretold them both because their owne need requireth it to make and keep them good and cause them to grow in goodnesse as also because the Lord sees it fit thus to magnifie his power justice wisdome and goodnesse in sustaining and delivering them His chastisements then were these First that his Father did not love him so well as his brother but did manifestly prefer hunting Esau before
and of all that die in the Faith of our Lord Jesus to whom bee ascribed all Might Majestie Dominion and Glorie both now and for ever more Amen This Man of God and faithfull Minister of Christ departed this life upon Friday the 10. of May Anno Domini 1639. neare the end of the six and fiftieth yeare of his age Feb. 25. 1639. Imprimatur THOMAS WYKES Banburies Funerall teares powred forth upon the Death of her late pious and painefull Pastour Mr. William Whately deciphered in this Sympathizing Elogy I am that Orbin which of late did shine An heav'n enlightned starre with raies divine Which did arise within mee and dispence Light life heate Heav'n-infusing influence And went before me steering right mine Eye Vnto the very place where CHRIST did lye He was a Cynosura in my motion To Heaven's bright haven on this worlds vast Ocean Or as the Aegyptian Pharos to descrie The rockes of sinne and errour to mine Eye Hee was my Glorie Beautie Consolation My very soule I but the Corporation I would goe on with bleedings to recite His and mine owne sad fall but I can't write Throbs shake mine hand and griefe my sight destroyes And when I speake ah teares doe drowne my voice Yet will I sigh and give my sorrowes pent Within my breast by mournefull breathings vent Come then speake sighs write teares and sadly storie The dark Ecclipse that hath befell my glorie My Starre is falne and Heavens did so dispose That there he fell where he at first arose The Starres above us thus their races runne Returning thither whence they first begunne But did I say hee 's fallen Stay me there He is translated to an higher spheare Where though to th' world he is obscur'd he may Shine forth unvailed in a purer ray Fixt to an endlesse rest in heavens bright throne Above all starry Constellation But ah alas Death hath dispos'd it so That his rise prooves my fall his weale my woe His weale my woe strange what a change is this My welfare was but now in wrapt in his But thus Death innovates and did he not Tell me that he Commission hath got And warrant for his fact from heavens great King I would have brought him into questioning Ah death what hast thou done Dost thou not care To make a breach which ages can't repaire So rare a Frame in peeces for to take VVhich Heav'n and nature did combine to make A Master-peece For who did ere behold So sound a spirit in so strong a mold Heaven's treasure which within his breast abode VVas by his liberall tongue disperst abroad All Graces gave a meeting in him even To make his breast a little map of Heav'n His lips distilled Manna and he stood Not so for Church-goods as the Churches good His voice it was a trump whose sound was made VVith breath divine which it from Heaven had His life a dayly Sermon which alas Methinkes was measur'd by too short a glasse Ah Death though Painters give thee holes for eyes Yet thou canst see to take the richest prize To hit the fairest mark yet I suspect It was my sinne which did thine hand direct My light had I improov'd it well for gaine VVould have remaind els lights sha'nt burn in vain Yet sure he is not dead for why I find Him still surviving in my breast enshrin'd And who can say that he 's of life bereaven That lives in 's works inpious hearts in Heaven He 's but a sleepe by death undrest not dead Or hath but changd his dresse for he in stead Of these sin-staind ragges of mortality VVeares a pure robe whose length's eternity M. B. EXAMPLE I. OF Adam and Eve AS all other knowledges are conveniently taught by Precepts and Examples so is that best of knowledges the art of living holily Hence it is that as I have instructed you to my poore ability in the Law and the precepts of good life so I doe now intend to set before your eyes the Examples recorded in Scripture of Men both good and bad that by observing the swervings of the one and the right walking of others you may better keepe your owne feete in the streightest paths Onely concerning Examples you must know this thing in generall that no Example at all hath the force of a precept either to binde the consciences of men to any thing as a duty or to restraine from any thing as a sinne because the knowledge of sinne is from the Law and where there is no Law there is no transgression and our care must be to walke in Gods waies not in the waies of any man whatsoever But Example prevaileth alone to perswade the will as a fit argument of Exhortation or Dehortation not as an argument to proove a thing needfull or sinfull Seeing then my duty is to perswade you to all goodnesse and to disswade you from all evill and the Examples of Scripture are undoubted and certaine and they offer themselves as it were unto the sences and so more worke on the will to allure or deterre I thinke it a convenient meanes of helping you in all righteousnesse and against the contrary to make a collection of those Examples of good or bad things which are left us upon record by a divine pen and I will range these Examples according to the order of time wherein they lived so farre as I can informe my selfe thereof by the Word of God And I will begin with Adam and Eve and put them both together because their good and evill was put togeher in practise thereof The Method I intend to take in each person is this I will consider his Birth Life and Death and in his Life I will looke to his carriage and behaviour in respect of the deeds he did good bad indifferent and doubtfull and the things that befell him either prosperously or adversely in benefits or afflictions Now for Adam and Eve because they were the first fountaines of mankind and therefore could not be borne in the same manner as others be for he that is borne must have a Parent and he that hath a Parent was not the first man or woman because his Parent was before him therefore I cannot tell you any thing of their Birth but of their entring into the world by another way which was to them the same in effect that our begetting and birth is to us I will informe you according to the Scriptures for it much concernes us to understand our originall and to know certainely how mankinde came into the world Know then in summe That God made Man of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soule Here is in briefe the Creation of Adam now Adam signifieth red Earth because his body was made of such kinde of Earth and concerning Woman it is noted that God caused a deepe sleepe to fall upon Adam and then tooke one of his ribbes
his name And this seemeth the rather to be the meaning because there is little reason to thinke that Adam and Seth did not long before this apply themselves to the carefull worshipping of God in their assemblies and to take all good meanes to save themselves from the corruption of the Kaynites Or it may be rendered then it was begun to call by the name of Lord that is men began then to have that name given them of the sons of God and this I like best of all the three because in the beginning of the sixt Chapter which continues the story and the fift Chapter is but a digression put in to shew the age of the world at the floud it is said the sonnes of God saw the daughters of the sonnes of men Whereby it is apparent that to the men that professed true religion with Adam and Seth the name of the sonnes of God was given and to the rest the name of the sonnes of men The professors of the true religion were called sonnes of God that did worship the true God after the manner that God taught by Adam The other were called sonnes of men that gave themselves over to worldlinesse and vanity and prophanenesse for my part I suppose that before the floud there was no Idolatry because the Holy Ghost would not have omitted the taxing of that sinne as well as those it doth taxe if it had beene then used in the world But let us take the words to meane then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord and then it shall be added as a commendation of Seth that in his daies religion began to flourish more then ever before by his diligence joyning with his Father Adam much more respect was had to piety and greater numbers of men imbraced the profession of piety And this ought to be the care of every good man to further the progresse of true religion and to cause the name of God to be faithfully called upon of many Now of the rest of Adams seed there is a Catalogue made in the fifth Chapter of all the ancient Fathers from the first man Adam to Noah in whose daies the floud fell out by which it appeares of what standing the world was when it was growne so corrupt that the Lord could no longer endure the manners of it And in this Catalogue the Holy Ghost takes this order 1. He shewes of what age every one was when he begat his eldest sonne How many yeares he lived after the birth of that sonne 3. How old he was when he died The number of the persons are in all ten Adam Seth Enoch Cainan Mahalaleel Iared Enoch Methuselah Lamech and Noah Adam at a hundred and thirty yeares begat Seth and after lived eight hundred yeares and had more children in that time and died aged nine hundred and thirty yeares Adam was in truth the eldest man all things considered for though Methuselah out-lived him thirty nine yeares for he was nine hundred sixty nine yeares and Adam but nine hundred and thirty yet Methuselah was borne an infant Adam was made a perfect man the first day and in those times a man was but a child at thirty nine yeares for no question they would give their mindes to marriage in that newnesse of the world paucity of men and plenty of ground so soone as they were fit for it So Adams perfect estate at the first countervailed the living of forty yeares and more Seth he lived a hundred and five yeares and begat Enos and living eight hundred and seven yeares begat divers more children and ended his daies at nine hundred and two Enos lived ninety yeares and begat Cainan c. as you may reade in the story Nothing is mentioned of any one but the length of his life the time when hee had his first sonne and that hee had more sonnes Onely of Henoch it is noted that he walked with God that is lived a most holy life and that he died not at all but was translated after hee had lived three hundred sixty five yeares The Lord shortned the daies of his pilgrimage and rewarded his singular piety with taking him up to Heaven soule and body immediately without dying He was changed without any separating of his spirit from his body and in him we have an example what should have beene the course that God would have taken with all men if man had continued in the state of innocency viz. he should not have died soule and body should never have departed one from the other but after a man had proceeded in godlinesse till hee had gotten so large a measure of it as in this life hee could for though Adam were perfect habitually yet not actually I meane though hee had an ability to attaine perfect knowledge of God and the creatures yet hee had not yet actually gotten all such knowledge as hee was to get both of God and of the creatures then should he have beene translated into Heaven to see God immediately and to know him better then in this life he could be knowne Sinne entring caused death had not that come in we should have gone to Heaven without death as this Henoch did Now out of all these things written concerning these Ancients the direct parents of our Lord wee gather this that death is common to all and how long soever a man lives at last hee must leave the world and therefore we learne two things principally First to prepare for death that whensoever it befalleth wee may change for the better not for the worse and this preparation for death must be not alone a little before it comes or at the houre of its approach but in the whole course of our life by beginning early to repent and continuing daily to turne and renew our repentance that so we may get an assurance of our being taken from earth to Heaven for he that begins unfaignedly to turne to God and so continues hee shall surely be saved and for the most part shall obtaine before his departure hence an assured apprehension of his salvation Therefore hee must as Henoch did walke with God in a continuall care of obeying him and labouring to hold fast a constant perswasion of his favour and love to him in his Sonne for it is testified of Enoch that he pleased God so that what in Genesis is called a walking with God that S. Paul calls pleasing of God and also that by faith he was translated that he should not see death even by his beleeving and resting upon Gods mercy for so it is said he beleeved that God was and was a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him which finding himselfe to do he resolved that God would reward him So must each of us walke with God constantly resolve and indeavour to please God in all things and retaine in our selves an assured peaswasion that God will graciously accept and reward us in Christ with giving us life eternall and
should not need to be slaves to Dice and Wine and Harlots and Sports if they would be servants to God in some worthy vocation or other But Iacob dwelt in Tents that is lived as a Pilgrim or stranger professing himself an heire of the Promise made to Abraham Though we be not all bound to dwell in Tents and to be Pilgrims in that sence yet we else are all bound to have our hearts withdrawne from earthly things and set on heaven to count this world and the things of it no better than a Tent or a Tabernacle weake fickle and uncertaine and so to carry our selves towards it and to be in it even as in a strange countrey not as in an habitation of our owne in which wee meane to settle our selves To behave our selves in the world as strangers and to the world and things thereof as to a strange place through which we are travelling to our own country This is a noble thing a divine a celestiall thing A most remarkable difference betwixt a true a false hearted Christian because one hath the right and the other contents himselfe with counterfeit goodnesse Thus did our Lord Iesus Christ live thus Paul thus all the Saints and thus are we commanded to live even as Pilgrims and strangers And it stands in this that we make no reckoning of earthly things in comparison of heavenly and that we desire earthly things none other way but in order to heavenly and use earthly things only so as to be furtherances to our earthly beeing and doe not suffer them to steale away our affections from heaven nor to hinder our diligent and constant practising of all those things that doe directly concerne our heavenly estate Thus to minde not the things below but the things above is a sure proofe of a man truly enlightned and sanctified and made conformable to the death and Resurrection of our Lord Iesus Christ In a word it stands in esteeming all earthly things as vanity and vexation of spirit and using them all as furtherances to our spirituall well-being otherwise making none account of them at all For so doth a stranger use the countrey wherein he travelleth and all the things and persons that he doth meet withall therein Now let us make use to our selves of this great vertue by blaming our owne selves for being so far unlike to Iacob in this matter How farre we are from dwelling in Tents and from behaving our selves as Pilgrims in the world is it not more than manifest O how much esteeme doe we make of worldly things and persons how are our hearts set upon them how eagerly doe we follow them how overmuch doe we rejoyce in them Certainly this argueth a great deale of folly For to mistake the worth and prices of things is a speciall point of folly we doe for the most part live like men of the world that are not acquainted with any things more excellent than the vanities of this life We thinke not of our mortality and uncertainty of earthly things wee have our consolation in earth rather than heaven This worldly mindednesse is to be observed confessed lamented refused we must blame our selves for it as for a great fault and must oppose it with serious meditations of earth and heaven and of our mortality We must earnestly pray to God to divorce us from the world and to pull our hearts upward that we may not be glued as it were to this dirt and dung To see this fault is a signe of some true grace for the world will not see it to be a fault that they are over earnestly bent unto the world as the Fish findes it not troublesome to live in the waters And now let me call upon you to be heavenly minded hereafter to use this world as though you did not use it to set it lower than spirituall graces and than the hope of heavenly things A childe is wedded to his gawdes so long as his childishnesse prevaileth but when he hath gotten more mature understanding he rejecteth them and mindes other things so must we if we will shew our selves to be perfect men in understanding If a master sets his servant to gather chips he doth it and should doe it diligently in obedience to his master but still he takes not the chips for excellent things but reckons of them as of chips so for conscience sake to God must we labour in the world yet still so that we account the world as a vaine shadow and must shew that we so esteeme it by being satisfied even with a small portion if God see it fit to give us no more and by being well contented if we have food and raiment yea and patient too if we be put to suffer need and want them And so much now for Iacobs vertues in generall He was a perfect man and dwelt in Tents Now let as consider them more particularly First let us see his carriage to God-ward then to men-ward both himselfe and others both those that were neerer to him and those that were further from him First then Iacob had true faith in God a common grace which is found in all Gods people and he shewed this faith by many comfortable and worthy fruits of faith viz. these which the Story of the Bible noteth First by his desire to get the birth-right and to buy it of his brother who despised it for if it was a testimony of prophannesse and unbeliefe in Esau to sell and sleight his birth-right then must it be also a proofe of holinesse and faith in Iacob to desire it and buy it Indeed they were both young and so Iacob gets it in a childish way by giving his brother a messe of broth on that condition that he would resigne up to him all interest right and title unto it that he had or might have But yet in the main matter Iacob beleeved Gods promises for the spirituall benefits annexed to the birth-right else he would not have sought it in that manner Graces worke in men according to the age and ability of discretion that is found in the party which hath them There be certain childish and imperfect expressions of grace mixed as it were with the weaknesse of head that is in children yet be these true proofes of grace and such as the Lord accepts for the substance of them though the weaknesses mixed with them deserve no acceptation and for the love of the good he passeth by those weaknesses Sure had not Iacob beleeved the promises of God concerning the land of Canaan and the rest he would never have tooke any care of the birth-right but in that he doth long for it and in such a fashion as a young man could doe contracts for it with his brother it argues his faith which caused him so to esteeme of it Indeed it was not that bargaine betwixt them that made it his but Gods promise before made to his mother The elder shall serve the younger
safe to heaven at the length Seeke this blessing of God If you feare God and walke in his wayes hee will blesse you if you faithfully beleeve in Christ and rest upon him alone you shall be blessed for Christ hath freed us from the curse and prepared the blessing for us if we be under the workes of the Law we are under the curse but if we be of the faith of Abraham we shall be blessed with faithfull Abraham as S. Paul tels us Labour to beleeve labour to goe out of your selves and to stay alone upon the righteousnesse of Christ by faith made yours and then you shall inherite the blessing and then you shall inherite the blessing and then you shall receive the promise of the Spirit through faith then God will keep his Covenant of grace with you pardon your sins give you his Spirit and make all worke together for good Through faith and patience you must inherite the promises and the blessing which Esau was excluded from though he would have inherited it because he sought it not of God but of Isaac his Father And you that have right unto Gods blessing because you are faithfull take comfort in it and be thankfull for it Gods blessing is a rich thing it is more than all honours it is fruitfull of all comforts he that is blessed of God shall want no good thing shall have earth and heaven and all things that his heart can desire If any say but we see that such men meete with evill enough in the world The answer is that if we looke with the eye of flesh alone wee thinke that we see it so but we thinke falsly for if wee would look with the eye of faith we should see it otherwise for the blessing of God causeth crosses to worke for our spirituall good for our increase of holinesse and happinesse and it is the efficacy of Gods blessing that it turneth evill things unto good for them to whom it is granted as it is the efficacy of Gods curse that it turneth all good things to hurt in them that lie under it You may therefore be assured you are under the blessing whereof you may be assured if by a firme faith you cleave unto God But further the Lord did often appeare to Iacob to confirme and establish his faith and to comfort his soule and fill him full of spirituall joy and peace First he appeared unto him when he was benighted in a desolate and solitary place when hee fled from his brother and gave him large and comfortable promises that he would be his God give that land to him and his seed multiply his seed as the dust and in his seed blesse all Nations and would keep him and bring him againe and never leave till he had fulfilled his good word Doe but thinke what a cheating this was to Iacobs heart in this exigent that God himselfe tooke care of him and came to him in such an excellent vision to comfort him Secondly God appeared to him againe when he lived in Labans house and received very hard measure from Laban about his wages and gave him gracious promises to sustaine his drooping spirit bidding him looke on the Rammes leaping on the cattel ring streaked and bade him returne home to his Fathers house promising him that he would be with him no doubt but though the grumbling of Laban and the discurteous carriage of his sonnes as well as himselfe did make the soule of Iacob sad and pensive yet the visions of God cleared up his sad countenance and enlivened his drooping spirit againe and made him able to take comfort notwithstanding all those injuries Thirdly God appeared againe unto him after Laban was departed from him causing an whole host and army of Angels to attend him making him know that he should be safe enough in his Church how weakly soever he seemed to goe provided for these two hosts of immortall spirits would serve him against any rage of man And againe God himselfe appeared to him a little before his brother Esau met him after he was informed of his comming and though he wrastled with him to try his faith yet at last he blessed him and called him Israel and told him that He had power with God as a Prince and with man too and should prevaile How did this chase away all his feares and fill his soule with confidence and joy A fifth time God appeared unto him and blessed him and renewed the name of Israel to him and promised to multiply him and give the land of Canaan to his seed after him This also was a great consolation to him and confirmed him against the feares he conceived lest the men of the Countrey might be insenced against him for the wickednesse of his sons Yet a sixth time God appeared unto him when he was about to goe downe to Aegypt at his son Iosephs sending for him and told him he was his God bid him not feare told him he would make him a great Nation c. as you may there reade which was a most joyfull and comfortable thing unto the old mans soule Here now is a great favour which God affoorded to this good man he appeared to him oftner than ever he had done to any of his Forefathers that ever we reade of If any say what is that to us to whom God useth not now to appeare in dreames and visions and like kindes of apparitions I answer It is much to us and we must consider whether God vouchsafe to appeare to us also For now he appeareth more spiritually but not lesse comfortably to his servants when we come to his Word and finde him there in his Ordinances confirming our faith strengthening our soules now he appeareth to us So when we come to his Sacrament and by it feele an increase of faith and in ward joyes now we see God So in meditations and soliloquies O labour to carry your selves so that you may see God in his Sanctuary as David saith in the Psalme and that your hearts may be filled with spirituall joy These spirituall visions are the comfortablest things in the world when we labour to walke humbly with God then will hee come to us and shew himselfe to us as our Lord promiseth and suppe with us even make us to feele his favour in sensible manner And if God doe appeare to us so you are to esteeme highly of his favour and to study to requite his mercy by a more carefull endeavour to walke holily before and with him Lastly a great spirituall blessing it was that God heard his prayers when he prayed to him in his severall necessities and that hee was able to prevaile with God as you have heard before that he did That a poore meane worme should have accesse unto the Throne of grace with confidence and should no sooner aske any thing of God but that the Lord opens his eare and grants it what a singular
on This is a lawfull invention and good and comfortable Cheerefullnesse and Mirth so that it be moderate and well guided for the circumstances is a lawfull thing whether Musicke by voice or instrument whether winde instruments or other hand instruments It is a very good and lawfull thing to solace ones selfe with musicke and a warrantable recreation so that it be not abused and hee that first found it out is to be counted a benefactor to mankinde But the last named he was the most profitable inventer he that found out the art of iron worke he was an excellent Smith This was Tubal Caine thought to be the same that the Heathens called Vulcane Smiths are a necessary calling Their art is helpefull to all other Sciences both for peace and warre to them belongeth the making of all the necessariest instruments of husbandry of all sort of tooles for other trades and of armes also for the Souldier No part of mans life can be without iron worke A knife a key an hatchet a forke a saw a mattock a sythe a raking hooke a chezill a sword a speare a shield an helmet who can reckon up the things that Smiths do make for mans use This was therefore an exceeding fruitfull invention so much the more to be commended by how much it is more wearisome and laborious for it is you know a strong labour in some things and a curious in other things and much of it is much annoyed with heate about the fire And thus hath God stored the world with needfull arts by meanes of Lamechs sonnes that were it seemeth unsanctified men We must make some use of all this first to be thankefull unto God that hath imparted to some men such good wits and understandings that they were able to finde out and perfect those severall Sciences and Callings for how toylesome and uncomfortable would our lives be if we did not enjoy these helpes and comforts Even this naturall ability is from God and deserveth thankes from us Againe men must set themselves to be profitable to the world by either inventing or adding to the inventions of others in any kinde It is good to doe something for which the world may be the better and not to come into the world meerely as rats and mice onely to devoure victuals and to runne squeaking up and downe Be you followers of such if you cannot invent and perfect an art yet learne and follow some that is already invented These men were not idlesbees doe naughts O be you as good at least as these sonnes of Lamech onely labour to be so moderate in following and using all these earthly things that you be not earthly minded thereby but may become carefull of things that pertaine to the soule and to another life as well as of those that belong to this present life and to this body of clay It is good to use the world but not to love it to set our hands on worke about the things of it but not to set our hearts upon it This is a baiting place and not a place of habitation we make a journey through this world we do not dwell in the world O let our mindes and desires and wishes be in Heaven and let us doe those outward things with reference unto Heaven that by profiting men and serving God in a calling we may make our way to Heaven the easier and our wages there the greater And so much for the linage of Caine. Now we come to another off-spring of Adam If is not to be thought that he remained childlesse till the birth of Seth or that God would smite him in that newnesse of the world with so long a barrennesse or that he so long forbare society with Evah As it is said that he lived an hundred and thirty yeeres and begat Seth so it is said hee lived long after and begat sonnes and daughters therefore it is likely also that in that hundred and thirty yeeres before he begat sonnes and daughters but because the Lord intended to draw out the linage of Christ therefore he lets all the rest goe and fastens alone upon Seth of whom the promised seed was to come in a direct line Of Seth then we must speake His Birth gladded Evah and Adam too no doubt because they understood by revelation from God that he should be a godly man Therefore hee is called Seth that is he hath appointed because saith Evah God hath appointed mee another seed instead of Abel whom Caine slew Loe it is an hundred and thirty yeares after and yet shee hath not forgotten the murder of Caine. The infamy of a sinne will cleave long to a mans name and the griefe of a crosse if it be a stinging crosse indeed as this was will lie long upon the soule But why saith shee a seede instead of Abel it may be it was because shee saw little piety and goodnesse in the other sonnes and daughters none of them was like Abel in religion and godlinesse But for Seth shee understood that God would make him as good a man as Abel and therefore shee rejoyceth in him for a good Parent is little gladded in children if they proove not pious and godly children Gods children as well as his or hers wherefore those children that would glad the hearts of their Parents must see themselves to follow the waies of vertue that their aged Parents may have joy in them Now of Seth nothing is said but that he begat a Sonne at an hundred and five yeares old as the next Chapter shewes calling him Enosh that is sorrow or griefe because of the many griefes and sorrowes to which men are subject in this life Well may man have the name of sorry given to him so full of miseries is he as Iob spake long after Onely it is added that in Seths daies men began to callon the name of the Lord. It may be rendred some thinke the name of God was prophaned in calling on that is men grew then very prophane in a carelesse abusing Gods publike Service and Worship Others thus then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord that is men began more publikely and religiously and openly to call on the name of God to professe true piety more carefully in publike assemblies It notes in the former sence a growing worse of the times in the latter a growing better I am in doubt whether sence to fasten upon I thinke rather of the twaine it is a taxing of the publike profanation of God in abusing his worship because it followes immediately upon the giving of the name Enosh sorrowfull miserable mortall man as a reason of that name why did his Father call him so because Gods name then began to be prophaned in calling upon men grew more and more carelesse and remisse in Gods service and did it in so bad and negligent and indevout a fashion as it was rather a profaning then a worshipping or honouring of
and if hee doe so much and often and almost continually then is hee guilty even of abundance of idlenesse I pray you every one set your consciences a worke to finde out your owne sinnefullnesse in this kinde Doe not many of your hands refuse to labour Are you not such as will not worke Some are idle because they have beene so ill educated that they have not fitted themselves for any calling they have nothing to doe nor cannot tell how to bestow themselves and their times These are a kinde of vagrant people though they have meanes enough to live of cyphers good for nothing but to eate and drinke vermine Apes Monkies whose whole life is to eate and drinke and sleepe and sport and sit and talke and laugh and be merry These are excrements in humane societies and the most miserable of the sonnes of men as having brought upon themselves by long use an habit of being idlesbees and a kind of necessity to continue naughty yet such a necessity as doth not excuse but aggravate the fault others againe are idle because though they have a calling yet they have no minde to follow it but are estranged from the workes of their vocation and love to be gadding and rambling hither and thither and every where but where they should be These are great offendors this idlenesse turnes their foode into poyson many such sloathfull doe-naughts there are in the world There be some servants sluggish slow-backs whose hand is no sooner from under the Governours eye but that it is also off from the worke and they leave all and sit downe to talke by the fire-side or in a corner being men of tongue and further then eye-service drives them to it their chiefe imployment is twattle Now I pray you if any be guilty to themselves of lazinesse unwillingnesse to exercise themselves painefully in their callings either with hand or head or both that they take notice of it sure they be of kinne to these miscreants the Sodomites now begin to labour in this worthy worke of repenting for thine unprofitable living For sure if men must give an account for every idle word then other parts of idlenesse must likewise be brought unto the reckoning I pray those that be of the richer sort that doe not finde a necessity of labouring laide upon them for their bellies sake to take heed that they passe not over their idlenesse as a small matter Most times riches make men turne Sodomites they are proud they give themselves to fullnesse of bread and to abundance of idlenesse they will not set themselves to any diligent following of any good worke but delight in that which Salomon saith his vertuous woman would not doe to eate the bread of idlenesse Surely the God that made them as well as other men with bodies and mindes fitted to doe service will not brooke their doing of nothing And secondly I pray you shun shun this Sodomitish sinne take not liberty to be idle but lay out your time so that you may comfortably answer it to God the Maker of it and of you Time is a thing most pretious all the wealth under Heaven cannot redeeme one mispent minute by how much it is more deare and irremediable by so much ought it to be more carefully husbanded and warily bestowed Therefore be you painefull in your callings breake off sleepe seasonably in the morning set close to some needfull actions in the day give not the greater part of your time to sports and sitting idle and discoursing of this and that but follow the workes of your calling and frame your selves to some calling make your selves a vocation in some matter or other that shall be worth your time Painefullnesse in a calling will kill many vices it will exercise all vertues it will prevent many temptations and sinnes it will make ones life comfortable and his heart in good measure humble and discreete It will be a content at death to thinke one hath not wasted his life for nothing Doe not dare to slip away from the workes of your calling but upon good ground when you are able to alledge some better thing to be done insteed of it or just occasion of intermitting it for your better fitting and inabling to it I doe not commend toylesomenesse to you but due diligence in your places that may cause you to differ much from the inhabitants of Sodome Especially give not your selves to excessive sleepe and sports Salomon hath condemned the sluggard and the man that loveth pastime to the stockes of want and one way or another the Lord will finde a time and meanes to cast them into those stockes Doe not all things invite you to diligence in a calling see what care the Sunne hath to runne his daily and yeerely course according to its proper nature see how all the rest of the heavenly armie doe keepe themselves in their owne places and swiftly performe their owne motions See how the waters doe ebbe and flow and that constantly see how the fountaines make hast to the brookes and rivers and the rivers to the Sea see how all things almost are still in action The earth that keepes in one place yet is still doing something in that place either nourishing the rootes or the branches of the trees and other things that grow on it or else gathering heart to it selfe to doe the same worke better for a little respite and intermission And in Heaven though these naturall actions cease yet the spirituall imployment of living rejoycing in honouring and praising of God doth never cease Quicken up your selves therefore to this virtue of diligence it is good for soule good for body good for state profitable every way and at last will proove easie and delightfull too to him that doth it with moderation The diligent man takes as much content in his moderate labour as the sluggard in somnolency and easefullnesse So much for this fault also A fourth is a sinne of Omission and that is they strengthened not the hands of the poore What is that They did not releeve his necessities with convenient supplie but gave him either nothing at all or but so small a pittance as would not suffice to give him any comfort It is you see a great fault to be pinching to the poore and either to give them nothing or a very small quantity almost as good as nothing Therefore he reckons it as a proofe of a good man that shall live Ezek. 18.16 Hath given his bread to the hungry and hath covered the naked with a garment but when our Saviour came to sentence the goates on the left hand he giveth this reason of their rejection I was sicke and you did not visit hungry and you gave mee no meate in prison and you came not to mee and when they alledged that they never saw him in such distressed cases and withdrew themselves from succouring him his answer is in that you did it not to these you did
given it even that blessing which contayned in it the causing of Christ the promised seede to come from his loynes the Church to continue in his posterity and spirituall benefits to belong to him and them There was a time when Isaac out of heedelessenesse or forgetfulnesse or some other carnall consideration was minded to have setled this speciall blessing upon Esau but being made to perceive that he had offended therein and gone against the will of God he returned to a right course and calling Iacob whom he had unwittingly blessed before thinking him to be Esau hee now againe wittingly and willingly blesseth under his owne name and in his owne person Parents have not now the bestowing of this spirituall blessing upon children as then Isaac had it ministerially but all parents should chiefely labour to interest their children in it For what will it availe to have the fat of the earth and dew of Heaven if wee goe without the favour of God in Christ And when any Father perceives that God hath vouchsafed to any of their children this spirituall blessing in that they be made carefull to serve worship and obey him as Iacob did these must inherit their affections more plentifully then others of their children in whom such grace is wanting The image of God must over-rule our affections not carnall things as at length it did Isaacs Thus we have shewed what was good in Isaac in respect of those that were of his owne family for wee reade not of any speciall point in his carriage to servants See now what a one hee was to his neighbours farther of First to Abimelech then to the men of Gerar. For Abimelech hee had wronged him in affirming his wife to be his sister Abimelech by seeing some familiar carriage betwixt them was induced to be fully perswaded that she was his wife and therefore cals him and begins to reprove him for it Isaac maketh no defence at all for himselfe but by his silence accepts the reproofe confessing his fault It is a good thing when we have done amisse and are charged with it at least to refraine our tongues from denying defending excusing and the like and at least by not gaine-saying to make it appeare that wee please not our selves still in the same offence Indeede a plaine acknowledging is the best of all but a not gaine-saying not shifting not winding out by words is at least necessary It were a grace to a number if they had a minde so willing to mend that they might not have a tongue ready to speake against a reproofe But further Abimelech came to him after to make a covenant with him bringing alone his chiefe officer and speciall favourite Though Abimelech had beene somewhat discourteous to Abraham before and had chased him away from him yet Isaac is not so farre leavened with discontent as to reject Abimelechs motion but having gently minded him of that unkindnesse is yet ready to imbrace his offer of amity Why be not wee all of a like mind in this matter to passe by unkindnesses quickly and be never a whit the lesse forward to any good office of love because we have met with some very unloving passages from the same men before It is a fruite of wisedome and charity to cover wrongs as from others by forbearing to blaze them abroad so from ones selfe by forbearing to call them to minde so as to be estranged from him that hath offered them and made lesse forward to interchange amity with him afterwards But hee hath little either love or humility or discretion that knowes not how to keepe downe the thought of an injury but that it makes him still averse from offering or accepting curtesies from the authors of it Againe Isaac made Abimelech and his company a feast It is fit to use good hospitality and with liberall entertainement to receive those that have occasion to come unto us according to their places Abraham did this before This degree of hospitality hath beene found in Heathens to their commendation but the best hospitality is that which entertaines the poore that are never likely to be able to make amends God will become pay-master of that cost which the poore is not able to requite Againe Isaac had something to doe with the men of Gerar for they contended with him unjustly for divers Wells of water which his servants had digged and hee patiently yeelds to them and will not make a brawle of it It behooveth us to shew the like moderation and not to be fierce in striving against them which will needs be unjust in striving against us Now for Isaacs estate he was a good husband dug Welles sowed corne and so increased his estate through Gods blessing upon his diligence Good husbandry is a thing commendable among all men as well as pleasing to God it hath the promise of sufficiency of maintenance annexed to it for incouragement We must every man with so much diligence and discretion order our estate that wee may become capable of abundance and may not deprive our selves of so comfortable a thing as plenty is Onely in our labour let us looke that wee be moderate that excessive labouring about earthly businesses doe not induce a neglect of those things that concerne a better life let your chiefe care be for Heavenly things and yet neglect not these temporary in their places but hee that through unthriftinesse undoes or hinders himselfe how can we conceive that he shall be wise enough to seeke spirituall things that hath no wit to get temporall Againe when Isaac digged a Well for which at length the Philistines contended not with him hee called the name of it Rehoboth and said now the Lord hath made roome for us and wee shall increase in the earth Gen. 26.22 taking notice of Gods goodnesse in the quiet enjoyment of that benefit and by faith perswading himselfe of Gods blessing upon him and so not carnally but spiritually rejoycing in the temporall benefit Ah that wee could make to our selves a spirituall use of earthly commodities as Isaac to see God in them with thankefullnesse and to learne to depend upon him for prosperity and not upon our owne indeavours and in particular that if God grant us quietnesse and restraine men from contending and quarrelling with us so that wee have peace in our houses we could then give praise to him and take comfort in him and repose our confidence in him The sight of God in outward things is infinitely more comfortable then the things themselves how great soever they be And thus much of Isaacs vertues some faults he had too which wee must looke upon to reforme in our selves not to imitate for it is a childish folly to follow after those that goe before us though they runne thorough puddles Isaacs faults were some in respect of God some in respect of man viz. his sonnes and Abimelech and some in respect of himselfe As for God he
worke at all or else will not work for your Families but your lusts to spend it on them I pray you at length be ashamed of such worse than brutish distemper of minde and more than beast-like misdemeanour what account can you give to God when he shall call you to an account Where was your naturall affection to your owne bodies and bowels where was your dutifull obedience to the Law of God and Nature and the Lawes of well ordered Common wealths where were your wits and your consciences and where be they that you live more sinfully and scandalously than the ignorant Goe home I beseech you with shame and sorrow in your hearts and countenances be not hardened against this reproofe after so many former reproofes but fall downe before God condemning your selves to the pit of Hell for such your unthriftinesse and confessing your owne extreme slavery to sinne and unfitnesse to mend that or any other fault beseech the living God to reforme you by his Spirit and to pardon you by the bloud of his Sonne and even beleeve his promise that he will grant your prayers and heale your Soules and forgive your sinnes for his Sonnes sake and so in Faith to his promises and Obedience to his Commandements set about the reformation of this and other faults and cease not praying repenting striving and you shall prevaile unthriftinesse will prove a disease of exceeding difficult care but not uncurable and you whom God hath pleased to make good and provident and thrifty husbands blesse him for it indeed and withall pray him to order you so in labouring for your families that it may shew it selfe to be a good Floure growing up as a Fruit of Gods Spirit not as a Weed springing up from a corrupt though restrained Nature by going into excesse making you so eager in providing for your houses as that you become niggardly unjust or otherwise excessive For the worldly minded man though hee live in better reputation on Earth hath no better reputation in Heaven than the waste-good nor shall have lesse torment in Hell seeing the worldly minded are enemies to God as well as the sensuall minded So Iacob provided for his family Now hee prayes for them as you see hee did when Isaac came against him Save me for I feare lest he come and strike the Mother with the Children Parents must blesse their children and in this sence also the whole families and cry to God for prosperity and peace If the Apostles bee bidden to pronounce peace surely then wee must pray for it If S. Paul prayed for the houshold of Onesiphorus were it not a wonder that Onesiphorus should not pray for his owne houshold You Governours shew your selves religious as well as thrifty call upon God for the people committed to your charge If publque supplications must be made for all men surely then even man must privatly pray for them that are his owne Be not prophane content not your selves alone to labour and toyle for your families but visit the Throne of Grace in their behalfe and call earnestly upon God to save them chiefly from sinne and wickednesse Further Iacob purged his family as you have it Gen 35.2 to the requiring them to put away the false gods and to bee cleane and change their garments and then having received of them all their idolatrous and superstitious trinkets hee buried them under the Oake mentioned there O that all Parents would be carefull to clense all vices out of their houses as well as Idolatry and this as well as other vices But Parents are most times too too carelesse of their families and see and winke at their sinnes their undecent behaviour ryot idlenesse disguised attire and any naughtinesse that doth not bring forth great discredit in the World Purifie your houses and so see the faults as to chase them out and call your people to amendment to cleannesse to changing their garments if they be proud vaine foolish as well as if they be superstitious Lastly Iacob instructed his people here and called them to the worship of the true God telling them that he would goe to Bethel and make an Altar to God that had fulfilled his vow and met him when he fled from Esau Wee should all call upon our families and bring them to Gods Worship and labour to instruct them therein that they may be able to performe it holily and fruitfully Surely had not Iacob taught his people what Duty they did owe to God in these sacrifices and how to performe them in spirituall manner he must have endeavoured onely to make them hypocriticall abusers of Gods service So much for Iacobs regard to his whole family Now see how he shewed himselfe in particular to his Wives and Ghildren To his Wives Hee was undoubtedly a very kinde Husband to them all for we read of no jarres or brawles O that Husbands would live void of contention with their Wives O that their houses might be peaceable It is a forerunner of ruine when an house is divided against it selfe But specially towards Rachael it is noted how hee loved her Gen. 29.30 that is very much more than the rest Indeed he had cause she was his true Wife for whom hee first agreed Leah was forced upon him he might lawfully have refused her yea and had not the custome of the times tolerated poligamy hee must have refused her and taken Rachael for whom hee made his agreement and so in a sort contracted himselfe too Now the light that hath shewed it selfe amongst us causeth that poligamy is banished therefore every one amongst us is bound to love his Wife as Iacob did Rachael which is also the speciall commandement Woe unto those Husbands therefore that what shew of love soever they make unto their Wives at first yet within a while are so sowre and churlish unto them that they shew an extinguishment of love to have befallen them So farre as any man faileth of loving his Wife he must also faile of loving God It is possible to love the Wife and not God but to love God and not the wife is impossible Therefore now you husbands strive to love your wives and you Wives carry your selves so respectively and humbly as to win love at your husbands hands Nothing but this can make you live happily together all riches honours pleasures be no farther soundly comfortable than the husband and wife are loving each to other Now God can give love to them that aske as well as wisdome and let him that would love his wife pray for it and withall withdraw his heart from strange women But againe Iacob could be duly angry with his wife and reprove her for her fault for when she in a great rage cals to him for children and would die if she had none He is angry at her but with such moderation that he gives her a due reproofe but no distempered language saying Am I in Gods stead that hath
be wondrous thankfull that God hath not so farre left us to our selves as to be drawne to such enormous offences He that can looke upon the worst men that have beene and the worst deeds so as to accuse himselfe of the same bad nature and to confesse himselfe obnoxious to the same crimes and therefore labours to be more humble in himselfe because of the badnesse of his nature and to be thankfull to God for the goodnesse he shewes in restraining that bad nature he makes a singular use of other mens sins But if we heare or see other mens faults onely to brag of our selves that we have not so offended nor will not so offend it is a testimony of much blindnesse and unacquaintednesse with our selves and may justly cause the Lord to make us know our selves by giving us over to our owne selves in like manner But now a word of the common goodnesse of all first to their Father they all gathered together to comfort him when he was in his great and exceeding sadnesse This was well done though they had wronged him in being a cause of his sorrow yet it may seeme they were greatly troubled to thinke of their naughtinesse and were carefull to to use all meanes of restoring him to contentment againe But ah what bitter accusations must those their words reflect upon their owne selves which they used to comfort their Father How could they choose but almost bewray themselves by blushing one while and palenesse another through the cheekes of their owne consciences when ever they heard him as often no doubt they did heare him name the name of Ioseph But howsoever it was commendably done that now they sought to asswage his sorrowes All good children should strive to minister matter of comfort to their grieved Parents and it is an hainous and unnaturall hardnesse to doe otherwise Further they were all dutifull to him in going downe to Egypt and not taking Benjamin with them secretly or against his will and shewed much love and honour in burying him and lamenting him and shewed themselves carefull of their families and very penitent to Ioseph at last and called to minde this sin in their troubles at Egypt and declared by their submission to Ioseph that they had truly repented besides in their behaviour to Ioseph before they knew him they shew lowlinesse and good discretion So in one word they grew better and better as fruits by time grow ripe and mellow and at last unfainedly repented and all turned godly men O that you which have beene rude wilde debaushed in youth would be carefull now in your more stayed time to be truly penitent and become truly godly There is a kinde of amendment by age which is nor sufficient to salvation though it something recover the credit It is to lay aside the practise of ones grosser faults and to frame to a civill carriage and to a creditable behaviour though still the heart remaine vaine and earthly and bee not humbled duely by the sight of these faults which were formerly committed Such a kinde of morall amendment is better then none but I pray you that be old doe not satisfie your selves with that but mend throughout See and lament your badnesse as well as your bad lives lament and bewaile in secret and frequently the former disorders Be base in your owne eyes because of them and labour to get them pardoned and your corrupt natures healed and to shine in piety and holinesse and all goodnesse so much the more by how much your youth was more sinnefull All you that have beene grievous sinners in youth take this counsell learne this lesson of Iacobs sonnes And you young men that have too too much broken forth O take your selves to taske betime and begin to amend betime Let your Parents have the happinesse to see you reformed in their life time to behold your change that they may rejoyce in your reformation and blesse God for his goodnesse in hearing their prayers and granting their desires and you may cause them to live so much longer and more cheerefully by seeing so happy and desireable a sight It will add a new youth to an aged Parent if he may see his much offending children returned quite backe to the waies of God and goodnesse most comfortably will they leave earth and goe to Heaven when they leave their children in such plight as they may hope to meete them there at last But let us looke into the benefits which the Lord bestowed upon them First they had a godly Father and Progenitors and were themselves members yea and pillars of the Church of God of them came a most populous and flourishing nation in whom the visible Church continued then when all the nations of the world besides did lie in darknesse A greater mercy then this the world cannot have to be the Church of God to have the Church continue in a mans posterity this is a singular favour and God pleased to take all these sonnes and to make them heires of his promise Isaac had but two sonnes Iacob and Esau God tooke Iacob and refused Esau Abraham had but two sonnes God cast out Ishmael and gave the blessing and promise to one alone even to Isaac but see the great favour shewed to all these they be all taken into the Church all partake of the blessing all are made heires of the promise If we consider their carriage Ishmael never committed so great and monstrous a fault against the second Table as Iudah for he never fell into incest but hee scorned Isaac Esau never did so foule a fault as Simeon and Levi but he despised his birth-right and hated Iacob So God did not take these for their goodnesse but of his mercy though they were of rude carriage hee suffered them not to despise and contemne the truth and so still kept them within the Church Furthermore foure of these were borne of hand-maidens as well as Ishmael and yet the Lord rejected them not This is the first benefit we must learne to esteeme it a choice mercy that God vouchsafeth us the same in making us members of his Church and in planting the true Church amongst us Further God saved them all from a great danger over-awing the Canaanites that they did not pursue and destroy them for that insolency they shewed at Shechem It is a great mercy if God represse the wrath of men towards any so that when they have both provocation and power yet they be restrained from taking vengeance God hath the hearts of men in his hand and can if he pleaseth and often doth over-rule and over-awe them in this manner Thirdly they had riches and wealth in abundance this is a common benefit learne not to over-esteeme it nor abuse it and be confident that if we feare God he will not denie us necessaries Lastly they had a good friend sent downe to Egypt to provide for them that their families and themselves
proceed not to such a height of wickednesse in your blossoming bud as to force God to destroy you before the midst of your daies How sure is his punishment in Hell whom God in his just wrath would not suffer to live on earth And O yee Parents be thankfull if God have not crossed you with such wicked children so notoriously so unsufferably naught or if hee have learne to prepare for some untimely end of theirs for often the Lord doth so at once correct the Parent and destroy the childe And take heed that you take not that course to bring the same evill on your children even to have God give them over to naughtinesse and destroy them for it How is that you will say Marry not sinfull wives Idolatresses and the like be not inward with bad men live not in bad places What could Iudah looke that Er should see other in the Family of Hiram and in that place and from that Mother and Grandfather but that which should make him very wicked Had he lived in Iacobs family and taken a better wife he might perhaps have had a better sonne let us not make our selves guilty of our childrens naughtinesse by choosing bad yoake-fellowes bad friends bad places of habitation Now as for Onan he was also a wicked man and cut off by Gods hand in his youth So much of Iudahs two sonnes Now of his daughter in Law Tamar who was a very bad and lewd woman it may seeme else shee would never have invented such a revenge upon Iudah as to way-lay him in the habit of an Harlot where shee knew he must goe and that of purpose to try if shee could intice him to commit folly with her and you may be sure that shee did use all the art shee could to draw him to this sinne seeing shee placed her selfe there for that purpose Indeed shee handled him subtilly that shee might be able to convince him if hee should as else no doubt he would have denied it For he would never have beene made to beleeve that this woman was Tamar Instead of hire shee askes his signet staffe and handkercheefe tokens that were past all gaine-saying Here is revenge and filthinesse and fraud and a number of naughts put together to make each other worse Why had shee not rather expostulated the wrong with her Father in Law and besought him to give her Shelah her husband If shee were ashamed to speake for a husband why was shee not more ashamed to entice her Father in Law by such a trick But herein marke the wickednesse into which revenge will draw them that harbour it even to hurt themselves that they may hurt another also and take heed you women of following her in a fact of so much impudency onely note Gods justice against Iudah that would punish him by giving him up to this disgracefull fact for his other sinnes that were not joyned with so much reproach So doth God oftentimes deale with men both good and bad Iudah cared not to goe from his Fathers house he cared not to deale falsely with Tamar and loe now God will shame him for all by suffering him to be catched in Tamars trap Beware that you sell not over yourselves to such sinnes as he world doth not intertaine disgracefully least God give you over to such as will bring disgrace We will proceed next to the Midianitish Merchants that bought Ioseph they were part Midianites part Ishmaelites an intermingled company and therefore are in the story called by both names here you must note a speciall providence of God over-ruling the journey of these Midianites to the saving of Iosephs life and conveighing him downe to Egypt God hath you see store of meanes to effect his owne purposes which men cannot finde out He goes beyond our thoughts and beyond the intentions of those which are his instruments as a man makes his horse serve his turne for the dispatch of those businesses whereof the horse is ignorant Therefore we must learne to trust his promises even then when our eyes can see no way how to have them accomplished it pertaines to him that makes a promise to finde meanes of making it good If another have given his word to pay mee money hee not I must take care to provide it We wrong God and take his office to our selves if wee be sollicitous about the meanes If hee give us any we may use them but if none wee should trouble our selves no further but waite upon him and let him alone with his owne workes Againe the Midianites and Ishmalites for the whole troope consisted of both were carrying the precious things of another countrey into Egypt that they might sell them there and so by commerce inrich themselves and profit the whole world It was well done of them that they employed themselves in Merchandize transporting by land the commodities of one place to another for the common good and their owne convenient maintenance Buying selling traffiquing transporting of commodities from place to place are necessary actions without which the inhabitants of the world could not partake of each others benefits nor supply each others wants and so should not be knit together in so neere bonds but by this meanes the severall parts of the world or of any Nation doe interchangeably communicate whatsoever necessary or delightfull thing they have either to other The more pitty it is to see men so besotted with pride and vanity that they thinke it a braver and gayer life to live idling at home and following base pastimes then to give themselves to a commodious and serviceable imployment But certainely no calling nor paines in my calling can so much dis-become a man or reproach and abase him before God and men that are not charmed with the same witchcraft that themselves then this of having no calling Better a mender of shooes then have nothing to doe better be the meanest member of the body then a boyle or ulcer such as the idle man is But let men that professe the name of Christians look to themselves that they shunne the vices with which mans corrupt nature doth polute trading and Merchandize in respect of many particular abuses Make not riches the end of your labour so saith Salomon Labour not to be rich shunne all injustice in your dealing shunne greedinesse of gaine that makes one troublesome to all about him and use justice equity and moderation Buy as if thou boughtst not sell as though thou soldst not Use the world as not abusing it and then the following of an honest trade doth leade you as readily to Heaven as those callings that carry a more glittering shew in the world Further we must consider their buying of Ioseph here we must speak a little of that custome of buying and selling men how it may seeme to have come into the world It may seeme to have entered either by warre or else by debt In warre the conquering side
and such quantity of griefe as is requisite for that end may well be entertained though it swell not so big as to write it selfe upon our cheekes and countenance But these two men whom imprisonment could not make to change countenance yet became sad when they wanted interpreters of their dreames It was one of the waies by which the Lord was pleased to reveale himselfe in those times this was a divine dreame offered unto each of them by God of purpose to finish the thing he had intended about Ioseph and hence they cannot be cheerefull till they know the meaning of the dreame To be heavie when we want fit meanes of making us understand that which much concernes us to know is not blame-worthy If these were sad for want of a fit Interpreter of dreames how much more cause have they to be sad that want an Interpreter of Gods Word unto them Did they as well know the neede of knowing the Scriptures as these knew the want of an Interpreter they would be sad upon a juster occasion But it may seeme much that we meete with interpreters of dreames yet it is likely nay certaine that there were some which undertooke that office as there were that exercised other curious arts I suppose that God who gave dreames to some gave then to others the knowledge of interpreting of dreames and hence the Divells imitating God did set his Idolatrous Priests a worke to doe the same thing and hence the Interpreters of dreames among the Gentiles It was not to be discommended but rather approoved in these men that having had dreames they would have sought to the Interpreters and were sad that their opportunity served them not How much more should we seeke to those that can teach us better things and are appointed for that purpose and even be sorry that wee want such helpes But another thing commendable is that they despised not Iosephs either youth or meane condition but open their dreames And indeed this is a thing which adversity will worke men even of high spirits unto not to deny familiarity unto those that be farre meaner then themselves It is a matter of necessity for a great Officer in prison to carry himselfe affably and sociably to a poore youth attending in the prison but to be affable to meane persons when preferment and liberty meete together that is a point of morall vertue at least It is more beautifull in a great mans carriage then any jewell or multitude of jewels in his apparell whosoever desireth to be had in good account let him shew forth this vertue Another good act we have in the chiefe Butler that when he was put in remembrance of Ioseph by the falling out of the dreame of Pharaoh and the insufficiencie of the other Wise-men to interpret then he did a good office to his King though I cannot call it a good office to Ioseph as he did it even to informe the King of it and bring Iosephs ability to light and make this gift of his serviceable to Pharaoh in this exigent They doe a good office to a King or any other man who helpe them to men of commendable sufficiencies to doe any necessary service for them and who certifie those with whom they live what benefits themselves have received by another that others may receive the like benefit in the like necessity All men should be so charitable to their neighbours as to commend unto them the spring from whence themselves have dranke refreshing waters But see the faults of these men first they both seemed to have committed some trespasse some matter of treason likely it was because the one died for it and the other should have died had he beene found guilty you see how dangerous a thing it is to commit trespasses against a Soveraigne King by any kinde of treacherous attempts or carriages yea so much as in thought or word for this is such a thing as indangereth the offendor both in liberty and life Therefore Salomon warneth us not to meddle with seditions and telleth us that the wrath of a King is like the roaring of a Lyon and that whosoever sinneth against him sinneth against his owne soule It may befall an innocent man to be suspected of this crime as here it may seeme the Butler found by experience but it is needfull that we carefully shunne the crime though we cannot shun the suspition Feare God and honour the King let your hearts be subdued to his Majesty and your tongues and much more your hands Doe nothing by which you may sinne against him or cause him to be wroth against you Kings are a little Modell of Gods Soveraignty he hath made them his deputies S. Peter calleth them the Supreame S. Paul the higher Powers How ill speed had Absalom and Shebah and Bigtam and Zeresh and others that attempted against Kings Learne to be duly subject unto them by whom the God of Heaven doth as it were keepe his possession of the world Hitherto their common faults Now the speciall fault of the Butler was forgetting of Ioseph though Ioseph had besought him to remember him signifying also the wrong that he had in being brought either as a slave into the countrey or as a prisoner into that place but the words of Ioseph vanished and the chiefe Butler had quite forgotten him whom he left in prison now that himselfe was gotten out of prison So is the guize of men when themselves have escaped crosses they remember not to be helpfull to others that are in like calamity yea though they have beene beholding to them in the time of their misery and have found them instruments of great comfort in their misery This is an unthankfull kinde of unmercifullnesse it is a compound of two faults want of pitty and want of gratitude I pray if any be guilty of this fault let him not forget it now but being put in minde of it by the hearing of a like offence in this Officer of Pharaoh let him see it to be as bad a vice in himselfe as at the reading of it he cannot choose but judge it in this Courtier Had he seene so much serviceablenesse so excellent skill in so hidden a thing as interpreting of dreames and such excellent parts in Ioseph and had himselfe found him so true an Interpreter as that all things came to passe according to his word and was he not worth once thinking of for a whole yeares space together Sure he was glutted with his owne prosperity that in all those daies could not find in his heart to cast one thought backe againe to the prison and thinke of the wrong done to that so worthy a young man who both ministred unto him in prison and foretold his deliverance out of prison This forgetfullnesse of a man to whom we have beene indebted in misery is a testimony that selfe-love hath so abounded in him as that it hath choaked and consumed all charity It