The most probable opinion is as I thinke that because he was a Preacher of righteousnesse and did more largely and plainely denounce Gods wrath against sinners and his blessing to the godly for a Preacher of righteousnesse must needs doe both these things therefore he gave much refreshing to the soules of the godly and made all their labours easie Even as now if Gods people have a painefull Minister amongst them that ceaseth not to acquaint them with Gods mercy and justice and to revive the remembrance of Heaven and all the Promises in their hearts they live much more comfortably then any outward thing without this helpe could make them to live So it was in those times also with those godly Patriarkes Againe as it would be a great comfort to good men now if any man were sent by God to assure them of the last day of judgement for they would even lift up their heads and rejoyce so Noah in telling of the floud which to that world was a kinde of judgement-day did greatly solace the spirits of the good against all their sorrowes Now this Noah was the sonne of Lamech the sonne of Methuselah in the 1056. yeare of the world He was the tenth after Adam inclusively borne after Adams and Seths death and Henochs translation and lived to see the death of Enos Kainan Mahalaleel Iared Methuselah and Lamech This is all we have to say of his Birth or entrance into the world Now concerning his life I pray you consider foure things 1. His goodnesse 2. His bad deeds 3. The sorrowes and miseries he met with 4. The benefits God gave him And let us make use of all as we goe along and so come to his death last of all First for his goodnesse it is set forth in the Scripture generally and particularly In generall these three things are affirmed of him Gen. 6.9 He was a just man and upright or perfect and walked with God Before it is affirmed of Henoch that hee walked with God and the Scripture told us also of Abel that hee obtained a divine testimony that hee also was just and Iob is said to have beene a perfect man yea it is added by way of amplification to his goodnesse that hee was a just man and perfect in his generations that is in his owne time in those most sinfull daies when all were naught Noah was good when all had corrupted their waies he was sincere and upright in his waies For this is the truest commendation of vertue when it keepes a man unspotted of those evils which are every where practised in the world Let us now request you to consider of your selves every man whether he be a Noah Surely none but Noahs shall be admitted into the Arke and escape the waves of destruction none but Noahs shall finde favour with God and be delivered from eternall death Whosoever cannot approve himselfe to be such a one as this good man let him never dreame of comming to Heaven But who is a just man who a perfect who walketh with God I answer A just man is first he that renounceth his owne justice which is of the Law and imbraceth the righteousnesse of faith even the righteousnesse which is of God by faith relying wholy upon the merits of Christ and Gods mercy in Christ for pardon of his offences and acceptation of himselfe and his indeavours to salvation The Scripture witnesseth that Noah was an heire of this righteousnesse Heb. 11.7 And this is that that must be first found in every man He must see and confesse his owne unrighteousnesse and utterly disclaime his owne righteousnesse as knowing that it is no better then a menstruous rag in respect of his justification Doe you this my Brethren Are you made to see your selves grievous sinners such as in your selves must needs be damned and cannot possibly bee saved by the worth and merit of your owne goodnesse Secondly a righteous man must stay rest depend on beleeve in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ labouring to build up in his own heart a particular perswasion and assurance that the Lord of Heaven will accept him as perfectly righteous in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ his Sonne and that alone for so was Abraham made partaker of that blessednesse which stood in the imputing unto him of righteousnesse without workes and Abraham is the Father of the faithfull as he was justified so must all we be justified and no otherwise See into your selves doe you rely upon our blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus for pardon of your sinnes or doe you waver from him or stay upon any other besides him Lastly a righteous man must himselfe also worke righteousnesse and give himselfe to be a servant of righteousnesse that is to say he must resolve and indeavour to leave every sinne by Gods Word condemned and to doe every duty by Gods Word commanded and that also for Gods sake with reference to him and out of a desire to please him that is to keepe his favour This is a righteous man He strives in all things to please God according to his Word but finding his defects bewailes them and resteth alone on Gods goodnesse in Christ for pardon and salvation If you be such then are you Noahs indeed and shall surely bee saved if not you bee but dissemblers and no shew of religion shall save you from destruction Therefore all of you that are not such I pray you feele your unhappinesse you are not good enough to goe to Heaven yet whatsoever you have imagined of your selves Therefore also now seeke to be such begin with lamenting your unrighteousnesse before God and craving pardon and helpe and so proceed to pray for and indeavour after all the things before prescribed Be the better for Noahs example Let not this story be preached unto you in vaine you know Noah was one whom God loved whom God hath saved study to be such as Noah What riches he had the Scripture takes no notice of but righteous he was studie you to be such and be happier then all riches can make you And especially I pray you labour to follow Noah in this onething to be good in your generations in those things I meane wherein your present times take generall liberty to be nought that so you as Noah may at once glorifie God and condemne the world What evill things all doe commit those doe you forbeare what good things all doe neglect those be you more carefull to performe Many things are growne into common fashion swearing pride in apparell formality in religion covetousnesse monstrous fashions mishapen long haire O be yee in these things carefull to avoid the corruption which is in the world Many good things are growne quite out of all fashion almost constant reading Gods Word holy conference keeping a treasure or purse for God in your houses meditation of Gods Word and carefull sanctifying of the Lords day O strive to performe these duties He
not much mention of the bringing forth of any woman before the flood therefore it may be thought that their birth is comprehended in the narration of the birth of the more worthy Sexe and that together with man they were conceived and and borne but whatsoever became of this conceit it is evident Caine had but one wife and that is commendable in him And this is all that I can picke out of the Story that is good in this bad man for even in a bad man also may be found many things that for the matter of them are very good I proceed now to set forth the evill of Caine who was an unsanctified man as witnesseth S. Iohn 1 Epist 1.3 He was of that evill one that is the Divell a child of Satan hee was notwithstanding all that good that he did A man unsanctified therefore may be painefull in his calling a man unsanctified may worship God and bring him gifts a man unsanctified may build Cities a man unsanctified may live honestly with his wife Neither must any man conceit himselfe a childe of God because hee can truly affirme of himselfe that he doth these and many other good and commendable things This is no more then may be found in a Caine who was of that evill one But let us looke into his vices and faults The first and worst fault is he was an Hypocrite one in whom hypocrisie ruled for had he not beene such a one the Lord would not have forborne to shew the same respect to him and to his gift that hee shewed to his Brother Abel and his gift God is not an accepter of persons he doth not regard one sincere man and neglect another that hath the same sincerity but hee heares all that call upon him in truth as saith the Psalmist and in every nation those that feare him and worke righteousnesse are acceptable to him seeing then God did not testifie of his gifts they were but the gifts of an hypocrite For an hypocrite is hee which contenteth himselfe with a forme of religion in performing the externall acts of it and is not sanctified by it hath not the dominion of sinne broken hath not the image of God renewed in him hath not the divine nature bestowed upon him nor cares nor seekes to have it but contents and satisfieth himselfe in these externall devotions Whosoever is carefull to come to Gods Ordinances to pray heare reade receive the Sacraments and the like acts of religion and doth so carelesly overly and negligently performe them as not in them to seeke and attaine true sanctity and recovering out of the snare of the Divell and power of sinne for these effects of true religion are not denied to any in and by those ordinances but to those which neglect to serve for them in and by these Ordinances he is a very Caine that is an Hypocrite Hypocrisie is a fearefull sin and this was Cainâ—â— first and worst sin that he was an Hypocrite he performed indeed â—â—e outward work of religion but performed it not out of faith and with a desire therby to do true honour to God and to give himselfe unto God and â—o get grace from God to make him his but barely out of custome oâ— respect to his Fathers authority who had so trained him up or out of a kinde of imperfect naturall devotion that he might seeme to himselfe good and nourish in himselfe good hopes of escaping Hell and getting Heaven Notwithstanding his taking leave to himselfe to commit other sins which liked him or such other like corrupt and meere selfe respecting ends as credit with his Father and Mother and the rest of his Brethren and Sisters the Lord that saw deepely into Caines heart and found it fild with guile that it did not draw neere to him when his body did would at first make it appeare that it was not possible to deceive him by disguises and therefore by not shewing any note of respect did plainely discover his utter dislike of such meere outside service as hee hath also done at other times saying that those which draw neere to him with their lips and have their hearts farre from him doe worship him in vaine and that if any man seeme to be religious alone his religion is in vaine and that hee is not a Iew which is one outwardly The second sinne of Caine followes that when he perceived that God had not respect to him and his sacrifice hee was wrath and his countenance fell he had a furious inside and a dogged outside whereas hee should have looked into the cause he onely chased at the thing This is a fearefull sinne when a man is punished to be vexed at the punishment and not take care to see and reforme the sinne which causeth the punishment This is to accuse God as the Author of the evill and not himselfe and so to justifie himselfe above God this is to shew a predominancy of pride and blindnesse that out of an high opinion of himselfe hath his minde mufled as it were from seeing his owne faults it is to shew that he serveth that sinne which punishments cannot make him humbly to confesse and this wrath and falne countenance was procured through envie against his Brother for he did not onely vexe himselfe because his one Sacrifice found no approbation but also hated his Brother because his was accepted as appeares because God in reprooving his sullen and dogged lookes doth tell him instantly that unto thee shall be his desire that is I know Caine what aileth thee thou art wrath against thy Brother and hatest him because he is more regarded by mee then thy selfe but know that I intend not to take away the superiority which thine age gives thee he shall be thine inferiour in respect of governement though he be better then thy selfe in vertues Thou shalt be the ruler of the Family after Adam and not hee For at that time the governement of the world was onely domesticall and the elder Brother was the chiefe Magistrate under and after the Father So envie ruled in Caine discontent festred to an hatred of his Brother because he thought his Brother had more respect then himselfe and so that his Brother hindred him from being accepted This envie is much condemned It is said Envie not sinners much lesse the righteous and S. Paul saith Let us not be covetous of vaine-glory provoking one another envying one another noting vaine-glory to be the roote on the which envie growes and Salomon saith Who can stand against envie noting it to be one of the most unreasonable faults that is as hating a man because hee is not as miserable as himselfe or at least because he is more happie than himselfe This is a second fault of Caine. A third is that when God himselfe did gently and duely admonish him of his fault and sought to asswage his hatred and his wrath yet he did nothing at all reforme
justifie himselfe his owne cloathes would defile him This righteousnesse standeth in an exact conformity to the Law of God in that a man hath not committed neither is prone and inclined to commit any of the things which the Law doth forbid nor hath not omitted nor is not prone to omit any of the things which the Law doth command but is utterly free from all sinne of omission and commission and hath perfectly fulfilled the Law in all points and degrees Such a righteousnesse since Adams fall was never found but in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ Therfore the Apostle saith If righteousnesse were by the Law Christ were dead in vaine he meaneth that if God appointed us now to come to Heaven for Christs sake upon condition of our perfect fulfilling the Law it would be to no purpose for we should not be saved by his death and after he saith that the Law concludeth all under sinne that the promise through the faith of Iesus Christ may be given to them that beleeve and before he had said If there had beene a Law given which could have given life righteousnesse had beene by the Law so that there was not a Law given that could give life and therefore the Psalmist confesseth that in Gods sight there is no flesh righteous and S. Paul durst not stand to this righteousnesse which was his owne by the Law This Legall righteousnesse it would justifie if we had it but wee have it not for wee lost it in our first Parents in whom all sinned and all died all were made sinfull and mortall creatures and a sinfull mortall creature cannot possibly performe such a Law as was given to a sinnelesse and immortall creature Therefore wee must finde out another righteousnesse by which some men may be called righteous and by which Abel was righteous seeing that by this righteousnesse the Scripture testifieth that neither hee nor any other can be made righteous This is the righteousnesse of faith the righteousnesse of the Gospell the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ even the righteousnesse of God without the Law and the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ Now there is a double righteousnesse taught in the Gospell The one is made ours by imputation and is not ours by inherencie wee never performed it our selves but another performed it for us and we have it imputed to us It is by S. Paul described thus A righteousnesse without workes imputed to the happy man not simply without workes for that is impossible because the Law cannot be fulfilled but by working according to its direction and unlesse the law be fulfilled there is no perfect righteousnesse but a righteousnesse without any workes of ours and therefore without the Law too for the Law accepteth of no righteousnesse but that which is wrought by our selves as it is said of Abraham that hee wrought not but did trust in him that justifies the ungodly Abraham wrought diligently and plentifully how then can it be said that he wrought not hee meaneth that he did not worke that by his owne workes hee might attaine this righteousnesse By this righteousnesse alone we are justified It is the perfect and exact righteousnesse of our Lord Jesus Christ accepted for us and put to our reckoning For he was our surety he tooke our nature hee bare our sinnes hee fulfilled our duty and bare our punishment and so satisfied Gods justice in our roome and is become The Lord our righteousnesse This is the one righteousnesse commended to us by the Gospell To this and this alone we must cleave for the obtaining of remission of sinnes and life eternall at the hands of God By merit of this are we pronounced just by God at his heavenly Tribunall and in the judgement of our owne consciences and hereafter shall be so pronounced openly at the last day to this S. Paul cleaved This the Gospell taught for therein is declared the righteousnesse of God from faith to faith But the Gospell telleth of another righteousnesse that is a companion of this alwaies at the same time and by the same meanes given that this is given and it is a quality inherent in us and wrought in us by the Spirit of God and floweth immediately from our faith The Apostle S. Paul doth describe it plainely saying that Wee must count our selves dead unto sinne but alive unto God and then saith Wee must not yeeld our members as weapons of unrighteousnesse unto sinne but as weapons of righteousnesse to God and saith Wee are become servants to righteousnesse and that wee must yeeld our members servants unto righteousnesse and againe must raigne by righteousnesse unto life eternall It is not the cause of our life but the way to it It is a vertue wrought in us by which we are made able to strive and indeavour and desire to keepe the Law A man till he be justified by faith and reconciled to God is estranged from the Lord and from the life of God and is an enemy in his minde and is dead in sinnes and loves sinne and will not leave it and out of a stiffe and strong bent of will to sinne cannot but serve sinne and will and resolve to continue serving it in one kinde or other Now this is also a righteousnesse of the Gospell and it differs from that of the Law in two things 1. In regard of the degree it is imperfect and defective failing in many things but it is upright and sincere allowes not its failings but with an upright desire striveth to perfection and is still labouring against its imperfections 2. It differs from the righteousnesse of the Law in use for the Law doth require this righteousnesse as an accomplishment of the Covenant of workes to justifie us before God by the merit and worth of it but the Gospell requireth this as an act of obedience alone to shew our thankfullnesse and to proove us truly justified before God because as it is said There is not a Law given which could give life seeing that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and whosoever goes about to put this righteousnesse into the use of justifying him before God I meane of attaining eternall life and remission of sinnes from God by vertue and worth of it that man cannot but be damned because he cannot have the imputed righteousnesse and the inherent both for that purpose If he trust to Christs righteousnesse he cannot trust to his owne if to his owne he cannot trust to Christs seeing S. Paul opposeth them as things contrary saying not having mine owne but Christs which were weakely spoken if a man could have both to the use of justifying yea he saith He that will be justified by the Law is fallen from grace and Christ is become of none effect unto him and by the Law he seekes to be justified that
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
of them bethought himselfe of making an Arke but this fellow hath gotten some new revelation and hee is a building a huge thing like a Chest almost so long c. So you think the man is not in his right wittes Bretheren you easily perswade your selves that this good man was laden with these scoffes and the like behind his backe and like also before his face and to his very teeth For wicked wittes will never cease gybing at those good things that crosse their sence and reason Yet Noah obeyed went on built the Arke that is was obedient to God in a thing that made him ridiculous to the world So will true Faith do it will make a man obey the Lord in those actions by which hee shall make himselfe a derision to all men almost and more then a derision a prey and spoile too The Obedience of Faith is such an Obedience as will make all men to be at Gods becke in acts of that nature as will cause him to be blamed and despised of all the world as we see in Abraham in Moses and in all those almost that are reckoned up in the 11. of the Heb. Because it makes a man firmely and stedfastly to apprehend greater good things and greater evill then those that are seene and so those visible ones do not sway him and rule on him for hee that sees a greater danger or evill will easily cast himselfe upon a farre lesse to shun the greater so contrarily a good thing And so much for Noahs goodnesse before the floud Now see in and after the floud how he carried himselfe Hee entred into the Arke as God bad him and committed himselfe to Gods protection trusting on him for safety Here was no mast oare rudder canvasse or marriners to steere and guide this vessell a wonder it was that the billowes did not cast it over and over that they did not breake the barres by their continued rage and that it had not perished with all its burden But in went Noah taking all the Beasts with him assuring himselfe to be safe for so God had told Here is an excellent act of faith even to use Gods meanes of attaining the good things promised and there rest himselfe without any further carking and perplexity of mind This was the act of Noahs faith all the floud time hee heard it raine as if Heaven and Earth would come together he perceived the cloudes to be in a fury with the sonnes of men the waters raged and roared and through the windowes hee might see how all was changed into a Sea yet there he kept himselfe quiet and made account that himselfe and his houshold should do well enough in all this confusion of nature Hee had Beares Lions Tigers Wolves and all manner of devouring beasts within the Arke hee was never a whit afraid of such neighbours but rested himselfe peaceably upon Gods promises O Beloved that we could do so for our soules for our estates for every thing use Gods meanes and then promise our selves the wished effect and trouble our selves with no further feare and dismayednesse as S. Peter saith doing well and not being dismayed with any feare O how happy would our lives be in the midst of a deluge of dangers if we could thus enter into our closets as it were and shut the doore I meane use Gods meanes and rest on him Againe Noah continued in the Arke till God bad him come out hee perceived the waters to cease raging hee discovered the tops of the mountaines hee sends out the discoverers the Raven and the Dove and learnes by them great abatement and he sees with his eyes all day when he had removed the top of the Arke yet hee stirres not out till God bad him goe out who had bidden him goe in So must you do my Bretheren you must tarry in the Arke as it were so long as God sees fit and not make hast out of it of your owne heads Be so long in affliction as God will have you goe not out till hee leade you out you may wish the time of deliverance and send out the Raven and the Dove use the best meanes you can to helpe your selves especially by prayers to God and you may remove the covering of the Arke you may looke round about by faith and with joy see your deliverance comming forward but keepe this as a certaine conclusion not to stirre out of any estate though never so troublesome till you have good warrant from God going before and guiding you Now at last see what good Noah did after the floud hee built an Altar to God and offered sacrifice in thankes for his deliverance and in a desire to frame his houshold to true piety and to establish the worship of God amongst them O let each of us learne carefully to acknowledge Gods goodnesse in great deliverances and to offer him the sacrifice of praise if hee have safe guarded us from the raging flouds of adversity and calamity And let us be carefull to establish and set up the worship of God in our families and amongst our people publikely and privately every way Build Gods altar offer Gods sacrifices I meane exercise Gods religious worship pray heare read meditate come to the Sacraments set not Gods ordinances at variance Doe not picke quarrells with anyone of them exalt not one to depresse another let them all goe together in their times and especially performe the true meaning of these sacrifices Offer up the sacrifice of Christ in a perpetuall renewing of the memoriall thereof in your soules to God and renewing of your faith in it offer up the sacrifice of a contrite spirit and broken heart sighing daily for daily sinnes and infirmities offer the sacrifice of earnest prayers for all good things and of hearty praises for what wee have received already and offer up your selves to God by him to be sanctified to doe him faithfull service in all holy obedience to all his holy lawes Be truely heartily uprightly religious and devoute in your whole lives But next Noah planted a vineyard hee fell to husbandry for my part J doubt not but that God had made vines from the first and that though wee heare of no vineyard yet there might have beene store of them But howsoever Noah set himselfe to his calling to husbandry O let us every man follow him and give himselfe to his husbandry and his vineyard the tradesmans trade is his vineyard every mans calling is his vineyard be like Noah fall to planting and dressing this vine Abhorre idlenesse have some vineyard O how miserable is hee that hath nothing to do O how unhappy a thing is it to be in the world as a cipher in Arithmeticke But lastly Noah is a faithfull Prophet and pronounceth Gods curse even against his owne sonnes herein he becomes to us a patterne of fidelity in the calling of a Minister even to denounce all things that God puts into our mouthes against all
his Father as a sonne in the family and house-hold of his Father and bids him leave kindred and Fathers house and goe into a Countrey which God should shew him promising him large off-spring great blessings and that the promised and blessed seed should come of him for S. Paul saith that God preached the Gospell before to Abraham when he said in thee shall all Nations be blessed so that he was more largely instructed by God of remission of sinnes and salvation everlasting by one that was to be borne of him Now God caused him also to beleeve these promises so that he left his Fathers worship and obeyed God If any of us have had the Word of God preached in our eares and by name the promises of the Gospell and hath found his heart so affected with those promises and the true beliefe of them that it hath made him follow God in a holy conversation of life and leave his former sinnes travell towards the land of life that land which God had shewed him in the paths of righteousnesse and true holinesse this is effectuall calling happy and blessed is this man Rejoyce in this calling and blesse God for it more then for all earthly things whatsoever And if any of you be not as yet so called let him see his misery and now call upon God so to call him till he finde his prayers granted for if we turne to God he will turne to us and if we seeke to him for the performance of his gratious Covenant in putting his Spirit of Sanctification in our hearts he will not faile to doe it But a second spirituall blessing was 1. He gave him most gratious promises 2. He appeared to him many times to renew those promises 3. He entered into a Covenant with him and his seede after him 4. He gratiously accepted his prayers and after this life he saved his soule First he made him gracious promises Gen. 12.2 I will blesse thee and make thee a great Nation and thou shalt be a blessing and I will blesse them that blesse thee and will curse them that curse thee Againe he appeares to him to renew this blessing and these promises Gen. 13.4 promising him a large off-spring againe and the possession of the land of Canaan understood by Abraham to be a figure of an heavenly inheritance for he sought a Citie to come saith the Author to the Hebrewes Againe Chap. 15.1 and in the whole Chapter hee confirmeth the promise againe by another vision I am thy shield and thine exceeding great reward so to comfort him against the doubts which hee might have that the vanquished Kings might prepare an army and returne upon him and there also againe he renues the promise of giving him a sonne yea giving him a multitude of children after him and by a signe confirmes it to him Looke up to Heaven saith hee and count the Starres c. yea gave him faith to beleeve it and assures him that hee was justified and that hee accepted that faith of him for righteousnesse accounting him by meanes of that faith for the sake of him in whom hee beleeved as perfectly just as if hee had perfectly fulfilled the Law And yet more fully assuring him of his goodnesse by entring into a covenant with him in a vision and by sacrifice And in Chap. 17. hee renewes the same covenant with him againe and confirmeth it by the seale of circumcision and by changing his name assuring him also that he should have the sonne of the promise by his most beloved wife Sarah and telling him also what name hee should be called by Isaac from his laughing at the promise not by way of distrust and unbeleefe but of faithfull joy and gladnesse in it And in Chap. 18. hee appeareth unto him againe in forme of a man and tells him the particular time of the childs birth and acquaints him with his purpose concerning the overthrow of Sodom And last of all after he had offered Isaac hee appeares unto him againe and by an oath confirmes to him the former blessings Gen. 22.16 which hee had never done before This is a singular mercy to Abraham to give him so many promises to renew them so often to him and confirme them so strongly to him And you must looke whether God vouchsafe to shew himselfe thus to you even to bring home to your soules in the reading and hearing of his word and exercises of religion the gracious promises of his word giving you by his Spirit assurance that hee admittteth you into the covenant is your God pardons you blesseth you and will give you all needfull things for soule and body and make you partakers of eternall felicity All Gods servants that are the seed of Abraham have this holy communion with God in his word in prayer in his ordinances which Abraham had in these dreames and visions for to the Fathers God shewed himselfe by those meanes to us by these and Christ saith that his Father and hee will come and shew themselves unto those that love him and keepe his commandements and suppe with them O if you find this spirituall familiarity with God how happy are you If not truly earthly blessings are of no great valew they be common to good and bad And now seeke you seeke you these spirituall blessings Gods assuring you of pardon of sinne and appearing unto you more and more to confirme your faith in the promises of the Gospell and to make you assured of your eternall happinesse and that he is your God untill at length he do even as it were sweare it unto you and make you certaine of it And Bretheren be you incouraged to answer Gods call to repent to live holily to cast of your sinnes and become obedient as was Abraham for though perhaps you may not be so rich as he nor have so many childeren nor have so great outward favours yet will God be your God he will be your shield he will be your reward hee will blesse you in all things he will give you the inheritance of life eternall as sure as he did to Abraham he will heare and accept your prayers and he will bring you safe to the land of rest to Heaven that true rest where you shall have no more unquietnesse inward nor outward Into Abrahams bosome will he receive all those that be the true sonnes of Abraham Learne to esteeme of these spirituall blessings though perhaps they may be separated from the temporall God therefore alone divideth them because he sees you be not fit for both but would be hindered from injoying the one and growing in the one by the overfull enjoyment of the other But the better I say you shall surely have as well as Abraham God will more and more assure you of his favour and of his kingdome and shew himselfe more and more graciously unto you in confirming to you his comfortable promises more and more This is better then all
fell upon her The benefits shee received were two first shee was redeemed from the Captivity of the Kings that had taken her selfe Husband Daughter and whole Family prisoners in the Conquest of Sodome where they dwelt at that time and upon their deliveance neither shee nor her husband had the grace to consider of it and to remoove from Sodome and dwell againe in some better place neerer Abraham Secondly shee was delivered out of the burning of Sodome together with her Husband and Daughters saving that shee made the benefit unprofitable to her selfe by her sinning And her sinne though it seemed little in respect yet indeed was very great The matter was small the transgression was great as in great poyson fullnesse may be found in a small quantity of liquor even in a drop or lesse then a drop Shee was forbidden by the Angell that sent her forth to looke backe to Sodome and yet expressely against that charge shee did looke backe the cause of that prohibition may seeme to have beene this the Lord knowing her too eager affection to the goods shee left behinde her would have her now cast off that inordinate passion and accepting the goodnesse of God in giving her her life for a prey not so much as to turne and looke towards Sodome but trust God for goods who had now vouchsafed them life but shee belike thinking as many of us would have thought as good die as be sent away a beggar and destitute of all things could not keepe her heart constant in taking notice of the great benefit of escaping the fire but out of griefe to leave house and all after her turned backe to salute them once againe with her eye This sinne was compounded of disobedience to God speaking in the Angell and dis-esteeme of the present mercy and over-grieving the losse of her wealth Take heed you give not your selves leave to commit a thing expressely forbidden for usually much naughtinesse concurreth to produce such an act so the Lord that searcheth the heart accounteth that great which your blindnesse maketh you to esteeme nothing and so to punish it many times with some heavie punishment As it befell this woman her punishment was to be turned into a Pillar of salt The Lord instantly smote her with death and taking her soule from her body changed the body into a pillar which whether it be called a pillar of salt because it was of that matter or because of the everlasting continuance of it as an everlasting Covenant is called a covenant of salt I cannot determine The latter seemeth to mee the more probable howsoever shee is set forth to us for an example by which wee may informe our selves thus much that when God hath chastened us and by our chastisements taken pittie upon us and granted us deliverances and yet wee profit so little by both as to continue faulty in the same faults wee shall then finde his hand more heavie upon us by some exemplary blow as it is noted by David that though the Lord brought the people out of Egypt yet hee did after destroy them in the wildernesse that did not beleeve Let us feare least the Lord set us up also as Monuments of his just severity when hee findes us not reformed by former goodnesse and gentlenesse * ⎠* THE TVVELFTH EXAMPLE OF LOTS Daughters and others of that time WEE have finished the things that are recorded of Lots selfe and his Wife Next let us tell you what is recorded of his two Daughters Their names their birth their death the Lord vouchsafeth not to mention and of their life not much is written and that which is tends all to their reproach First good deeds we have none for which to commend them or in which to follow them but bad deeds too many considering how great they were Their first sinne was that they consulted together and agreed about a most abhominable sinne nay a paire of grievous crimes at once In which the first-borne did make the motion and the younger gave her consent In the consultation about it see what reason induced and what it is to which they were induced by that reason The reason is 1. Their Fathers age who being now shortly to leave the world they would not have his off-spring perish in themselves 2. The want of other men to company with them there is not a man in all the earth to come in unto us after the earth They wanted other husbands to beget children of them in lawfull matrimonie Surely their late abode in Zoar might cause them to know that the whole world was not destroyed if they meant that there was never another man left with whom they might joyne themselves they did beguile themselves too too palpably for onely Sodome and Gomorrha and Admah and Zeboim foure Cities of the plaine were consumed with fire from Heaven the rest stood in their former estate Zoar they had seene standing and left it with their Father and seeing they dwelt upon a Mountaine they could not but discerne other Cities round about for that Countrey was full of Townes and people It is like therefore that they meant none neere unto us none of our blood and kindred But why should they make doubt of marrying any other besides their owne kindred They had beene betrothed to husbands in Sodome might they not as well marrie any other Cananite as a Citizen of Sodome It is apparant that their reasons were frivolous and vaine yet upon them they build a full resolution of committing two fearefull offences for they agree together saying Come let us make our Father drinke Wine and then let us lie with him to preserve seed of him They would seeme each to other to be carried with libidinous fancies as if lust led them but that a desire of preserving seed was the motive to the villanous designe Wee see how mans nature is easily drawne by weake and poore grounds to runne into very loathsome and foule crimes Better the world should have wanted continuance and ended in their persons then have it stored with an incestuous off-spring No other meeting together of man and woman if it had beene in the way of Matrimony is simply and of it selfe unlawfull but onely that of Parents and children for there was a time when the Brother married the sister without fault as in the beginning when the world had no other persons in it but brethren and sisters but never at any time was it lawfull for the daughters to have the Father or the Mother the sonne This therefore was the most unlawfull mixture in the same kinde and of different Sexe that possibly could be Yet upon a slender pretext that they knew not how to come by any other man and so their Fathers posterity should perish they consent to accomplish it Had they not beene made more then ordinarily immodest with the conversation of impure Sodomites they would have beene restrained with shame and
working for they are such as worke not in this sense is imputed Perfection of parts is when all the parts of goodnesse are found in a man As a childe of five yeares is a perfect man in respect of parts he hath a soule and body he hath hands head heart legs c. and therefore is that way perfect though stature and strength and discretion be not found in him in the same degree that after when he is a growne man Now there are two kindes of parts found in every thing first First the parts essentiall as matter and forme Secondly the parts integrall viz. as the severall members of the matter heart head c. in a man So in the point of goodnesse goodnesse is perfect when it hath all the parts of goodnesse viz. the matter which is the act of doing good and leaving evils 2. The forme which is the subjection of the will to the will of God in that a man is therefore carefull to leave evill and doe good because he acknowledgeth himself to owe and is willing to performe all obedience unto God his maker and Redeemer and these are the essentiall parts of goodnesse The integrall are the doing of good in every kinde and leaving of evill in every kinde with an endeavour and striving and wishing to doe it in every degree even to leave all evill the very least degree and to do all good in the very highest degree Thus you see what perfection is It is an endeavour and resolution to doe all things which God commandeth and to leave all the things which he forbiddeth perfectly in obedience to his authority or if you will in briefe Perfection of the Gospell is a striving after the perfection of the Law Now we must be thus perfect because it is a singular goodnesse of God to accept such an imperfect perfection at our hands For he might have held us still to the condition of workes and so rejecting our endeavours because falling short of what the Law requireth might have destroyed us notwithstanding such endeavours but he hath been pleased to make a new Covenant in which he requireth and accepteth our hearty endeavours though there be much failing O should not this move us to labour and strive As if a debtor owing an hundred pounds and not able to pay it should have these conditions propounded to him from his Creditor well pay me what you be able so you bring me good money not counterfeit and I will accept it Should not this make them very carefull to bring him so much as they were able and that in good silver not copper and false coine Againe we lose both our goodnesse and our selves also if we be not plaine and perfect If we have respect to all Gods Commandements and be found in Gods presence wee shall not be ashamed but confusion will cover our faces at the end if we satisfie our selves with hollow and defective goodnesse for a lame sacrifice will not be acceptable on Gods Altar Now I pray you let each of us consider of himselfe whether he be such a dissembler that hath little shew of piety and is not pious indeed We must be followers of them that by patience and faith inherite the promises and be such as they that have gone to heaven if our selves purpose to goe to heaven And if you be not so but openly sinfull or hollowly and dissemblingly good now see your misery you shall never be heires with Abraham Isaac and Iacob if you labour not to be like unto them in this perfection And the way to be perfect is to see our want and to pray to God to make us such Wee have him tyed by a just faithfull promise to fill the hungry and to heare them that call upon him Further it is said that Iacob dwelt in Tents not only meaning that he was a man brought up to tend cattell as they did that dwelt in Tents whereas Esau was an huntsman first and a souldier after but chiefly that he did not set himselfe to seek great possessions and faire palaces and houses in the world but sojourned in the land of Canaan as in a strange countrey dwelling in Tents with his Father Isaac as before him Abraham had done which thing the Apostle taketh notice of as a profession of their being Pilgrims and Strangers upon earth and seeking an enduring City So here are two things observable and imitable in Iacob one that he gave himself to tend cattell and was a very skilfull and able Shepheard as appeared after when he undertooke to tend his Father in lawes flocks It is necessary that a man have some calling some profitable employment by which he is able with the common benefit of others to maintain his own selfe and family and to uphold his estate It is a promise Thou shalt eate the labour of thine hands Loe labour must get our food else we have not the good mans blessing In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou get thy bread This is a punishment so far as it tendeth to inflict disquietment and troublesomenesse upon men in their labours but so far as it enjoyneth labour it is not a punishment but a precept He that tilleth his ground shall have bread enough Tilling of ones ground that is diligent following of ones honest calling is required and how shall a man follow that which he hath not Also nature teacheth this plainly enough the contrary also is full of danger to the soule exposing a man to many temptations and filling the heart with noysome lust and making it harder to escape and to walk in a Christian manner of life Wherefore those that have imitated Esau rather than Iacob and have given themselves to sports and vanity so that they be not able to doe any thing for their maintenance if need required have much to answer for before God and have brought much misery on themselves in regard they are in greater difficulty of being saved than other men in giving Satan and flesh an exceeding great advantage against their soules He that hath no calling is in danger to be a follower of idle companions and the troupes of such persons leade not in the way to heaven Therefore I call upon all you that are Parents and all you children that are come to yeares of discretion requiring you to be carefull of your childrens education and to traine them up for some due vocation and calling and you children to be obsequious to your Parents in this behalfe yeelding your selves to their directions and this exhortation I would inforce not only upon the poorer sort whose belly craveth it of them as Solomon saith but even on the wealthier sort too whose soules I am sure doe as much crave it of them For there is no man of so great birth and blood but that there is some noble study or other and some honourable employment wherein it will be to his honour to be skilfull and conversant Men of place
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
but this affecting of it shewed that he had been taught by his mother this his interest and that he was possessed with an earnest desire of getting it which is the first fruit of his faith Secondly he desired also and highly esteemed the blessing as is seen in his condescending to his mothers motion of getting it according to her advice Here also weaknesse discovered it selfe but the desire of attaining the blessing shewed it selfe in this weaknesse and the fruit of faith is to be allowed though the corruption joyned with it be blame-worthy Indeed Esau also had a desire of the blessing as appeareth by his earnest entreaty and teares to his Father but Iacobs desires looked more to spirituall things Esaus to earthly So the ones was a fruit of faith in Gods promises the other a fruit of meere naturall love to ones selfe by which every man would faine attaine that which hee thinkes would prove beneficiall A third note and fruit of Iacobs faith was his gratefull accepting of Gods promises when he appeared to him in a dreame as hee was going on his way for he presently tooke notice that Gods was there and began to be reverently affected towards God and was carefull to erect the stone for a Pillar and to poure oyle upon it which was nothing else but a thankfull expression of his faith in Gods promises which also caused him to make the Vow following unto God as you have it Gen. 28.10 to the end A thankfull and comfortable receiving of Gods promises being cheared with them as with things most certaine proveth faith to the promise maker and to the promises shewing that a man is perswaded they shall be performed without faile Further Iacob shewed his faith in making choice of his wayes when Laban would have him to continue looking to his sheepe after the fourteene yeares of service were past for his two daughters for he desired to have the spotted speckled and browne cattell that should fall after for his wages Shewing that he looked to God whose hand alone could dispose of this so abstruse and hidden a thing in the course of nature Hee was willing to stand to Gods kindnesse and love rather than to any certain agreement with Laban which hee would not have done had he not beleeved Gods promises to blesse him and to encrease him as was told him in his dreame forementioned And therefore he tels his wives that the Angell came to him in a dreame and bad him looke on the Rammes leaping the Ewes which brought forth the Lambes spotted and grizled and so it was of God that he used the meanes of laying pilled sticks in the troughes at the time when the stronger cattell went to the Males Let any man make triall of the same course now and he shall not finde the same successe Such a sight before the ingendring cattell will hardly cause the yong to be spotted but that be did in faith as having been I guesse guided to it by the Angel which bid him look and see the cattell bringing forth Lambes and Goats of that colour And here is a good proofe when a man can rest himselfe upon God for his wages and for his meanes even in this world and not upon his owne wisdome or any such like outward thing A man would have thought this a very uncertaine match but Iacob staying on Gods promise was desirous of this way rather than any other to receive his reward by it Lastly he shewed his faith in blessing the two sons of Ioseph yea and all his owne as a sensible declaration to his children that he did not make any doubt of their possessing that Land according to Gods covenant with Abraham and promise to himselfe often renewed Now brethren I pray you let us labour to give credit unto that which God speaks to us and rest upon his goodnesse for the gracious performance of his faithfull promises which is the roote of all graces and will cause us to live holily if we once get it confirmed and strengthened in our hearts and let us labour to shew our faith by the same fruits that are to be seen in Iacob as was before noted Let us highly esteeme those signes of his goodnesse and meanes of attaining his spirituall benefits as Iacob did of his birth-right Let us make great account of his blessing especially spirituall blessings in things concerning our salvation whereof the Land of promise was a figure Let us receive his promises with reverend joyfulnesse and thankfulnesse Let us trust upon him for our reward of any faithfull service in any kinde that we performe labouring to bee perswaded that he will see us requited abundantly if men should neglect us A good man must trust to Gods blessing on his labours in things that depend upon his gracious providence and the disposition of things by it rather than to any other course wherein his wit may seeme to make matters more certaine Let us shew our faith by trusting also on God to blesse our children and by leaving proofes even at our dying that we be mindfull of heaven and that we make no doubt but God will performe his promises If our faith shew it selfe by these good effects it is true and wee must more and more see our weaknesse in faith by the contrary effects and more and more labour to prove the truth and strength of it too by its more and more producing those and the like effects Iacob also shewed his faith by running to God when Esau came against him and by praying to God to give his sonnes favour in the fight of the man and by offering to God when his sons sent for him for to have recourse to God still in our needs and make his name our refuge is an excellent proofe of our faith in his promises Now secondly Iacob was a religious and devout man that was carefull to serve the true God in the true exercises of religion as appeared in the particular duties of religion which hee performed First he was prayerfull and ready to call upon Gods name on all occasions when his brother Esau met him hee presently framed himselfe to call upon the name of God as you have it Gen. 32.9 Where is also an excellent forme of prayer for first he layes downe the grounds of his boldnesse to come to God in prayer saying God of my Father that is thou art my God in Covenant with me therefore seeke I helpe of thee and Thou saidst unto me returne as if hee should say I have thy word of Commandement and promise guiding me to this journey therefore I seeke to thee And secondly hee humbleth and abaseth himselfe before God as unworthy any benefit saying I am lesse than the least c. Then he makes his request Deliver me I pray thee c. and confirmes it by the greatnesse of the danger and his inability to save himselfe procuring great feare Whom I feare c. and next from the promise made
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
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
crosse Say then wast thou ever driven out of thine owne habitation to serve in a strange place and an hard master that wronged thee and used thee discurteously Wast thou ever in danger to have all thy goods taken from thee by an enraged man stronger than thy selfe and pursuing thee with a revengefull minde nor wast thou never in perill of thy life by a revengefull person armed with foure hundred souldiers nor wast thou never tormented with seeing thy sonnes murderers couzeners and robbers nor hast thou never lost a deare childe and thought him slaine by a violent death nor did never no son of thine commit incest with his mother in law if not see how favourable God hath been to thee above Iacob and praise love an honour him and make his gentlenesse an argument of turning and obeying for if thou compare thy sins with Iacobs there need be no doubt but that thine have been as great as his and thy repentance as little But it is our good not our sins that God lookes to in correcting as a Father corrects not a little childe for as great a fault so much as he doth a stronger Againe learne to beare the crosses thou hast with more patience and quietnesse of minde by comparing them with Iacobs crosses which have been more in number and more weighty and grievous Why doth any of you my Brethren take the matter so heavily that some childe of his is somewhat stubborne and ill disposed When none of them have committed murder incest rapine and such sins as Iacobs sons did commit Why doe you make such a stir at wrongs When none of you were ever so pursued by any foe as Iacob was by his brother and Father in Law Why doe you take on so for the ordinary and naturall death of a childe seeing none of you hath had such a childe torne by wilde beasts or some other like violence as Iacob conceived Ioseph to have miscarried Why doe you complaine of famine and of want When none of you hath suffered such a famine as compelled him to send so far as Iacob sent to Aegypt for Corne which is thought to be not much lesse than two hundred miles We complaine of ease If our so much lamented afflictions were laid in the ballance with Iacobs we should finde them very light and trifling businesses in comparison Want of looking about and observing the burdens that are fastened unto other mens shoulders causeth us to aggravate our owne so much in our owne conceits as that by making them seeme extraordinarily heavy wee even wilfully cast our selves into excessive sorrow for them But againe you that are yet at ease and have not tasted any so bitter a cup as Iacob did many must bee perswaded to take some paines with your owne hearts to make your selves thinke that some such crosses may befall you and therefore to prepare for them by resolving to beare them and praying God to sit you for them and sanctifie them to you Mans self-loving minde is willing to flatter it selfe with good hopes rather then to forewarne it selfe with wise warnings O I hope I shall never see my children my wife so naught I shall never finde such ill usage I hope Come hither vaine man and either give a good reason of thine hopes or else confesse them to be fruits of thine extreame folly and doting self-love Hath God ever promised thee that no such thing should befall thee I am sure thou canst shew no such promise Hast not thou deserved as much as Iacob to be severely chastened of God I am sure thou oughtest to say yes Doth not thy body soule name children lie abroad in as open a Sea and as tempestuous Here also thou oughtest to say yes and therefore shouldest also condemne these silken soft hopes of thine and say Well God may make me as afflicted as Iacob and therefore I will even expect the same or as bad and if they come I will beare them all seeing God and my ill deservings in them Yonder is a very towardly boy I love him dearely what if I should heare he were torne of beasts Lord if it be thy will let it not be so but if it be make me to beare it with quietnesse and why should I not so stoope to thy will in every thing yea I will doe it by thy grace If thou say I see many escape such crosses I answer and thou seest many afflicted with them and why maist not thou be amongst the number of those that suffer them as well as of those that escape them But lastly take heed of making over-bold with Gods favour as a wanton childe that presumes he shall not be whipt and therefore cares not almost what wanton and evill prankes he playes Doe you not see here that the Lord of heaven knowes how to whip his owne children throughly and to purpose You have not to deale with a foolishly pittifull Father that cannot finde in his heart to heare his children cry and see them smart and bleed No he can strike he can lay it on soundly he can make you roare and cry and bleed hee can doe it yea and he will doe it too if he finde that your conceit of his love and gentlenesse brings forth no better fruit in you than this that by presuming of it you are made more wicked Wherefore say to thy selfe if such abominable fancies arise foolish man that I am doe I so requite the Lords kindnesse Doe I put his clemency to this use Did he not cut and wound Iacobs soul Did he not handle him roughly even though we never reade that he did entertaine such presumptuous conceits How then will hee deale with me if I doe so exceedingly provoke him by so exceedingly abusing his goodnesse And so frame to condemne and blame thy wickednesse in having such motions and pray to God to worke in thine heart a reverend awe of his Majestie by making his justice and anger so terrible to thee as to make sin abominable that would insence that wrath and justice against thee * ⎠* THE TWENTIETH EXAMPLE OF IACOBS Wives FRom the Story of Iacob I proceed to his Wives and Children and so to other his contemporaries Iacob had foure Wives It was not his own seeking that his Wives grew to such a number for he was painfull and laborious and a chaste man that would very contentedly have satisfied himselfe with one woman But he was drawne into this way of Polygamy by severall occasions Now of his Wives the true and lawfull Wife was Rachel for her he agreed with her he espoused himselfe as it is like for we cannot thinke but that after his Father had promised to give her to him upon seven yeares service he would acquaint her with it and desire her good will and unlesse he had attained it the marriage would not have proceeded and been as it was solemnly celebrated to her hee bare singular affection and her alone he looked for Now for Rachel you
know whose daughter she was viz. Labans the brother of Rebekkah here Cousin-germans married without scruple but no marvell for they made no question of nearer matches A man might marry his Fathers daughter his sister as Abraham did Sarah A man might marry with two sisters as Iacob did Rachel and Leah The Lord had not yet abridged the liberty of contracting mariage as with any more remote so with them that were nearest in blood and alliance Therefore their examples must be no president for us in this matter But of Rachel let us consider after her Parentage her life and death and in her life 1. Her faults 2. Her vertues 3. Her crosses 4. Her benefits and so to her death First then her faults She was a woman of great imperfections these are plainly noted in her First she was envious towards her sister as you see Gen. 30.1 It vexed her not alone that she had no children but that her sister had Envy is a sin much to be blamed you may see in this Example what it is such a vexing at anothers having what I have not as doth estrange my minde and work a degree of hatred towards the person that hath it The first and most remarkable example of this vice is found in Cain it shewes it selfe here againe in Rachel Let us consider what a loathsome vice it is that we may the better shun it The Word of God hath given us frequent warning of it in blaming it so often it shewes how apt we are to it and how diligently we should oppose it and preserve our selves from it our Saviour is pleased to reckon it among the evill things that come out of the heart and doe defile the man and giveth it the name of an evill eye because it shewes it selfe presently in the eye and countenance and causeth a dejected countenance and a vile looke towards the party envied as it is seen in Cain and Saul It is a passion that will not be kept in but will bewray it selfe in odde lookes and casts of the eye S. Paul reckons it up among those sins wherewith the Gentiles were full viz. of Envy murder c. and you see with what companions he joynes it murder debate for these indeed be the fruits that follow from it as in Saul Cain and the Pharisees is evident S. Paul also reckons it amongst the number of the things which are fruits of the flesh and which he that doth shall not inherite the kingdome of heaven envyings murders where you see likewise how he fellows it with murders as he had done before In the same Epistle he forbids it saying Let us not bee covetous of vain-glory provoking one another envying one another Saint Iames saith that Where envying and strife is there is confusion and all manner of evill workes It is thought to have been one of the first sins of the devill For what could move him to seeke the overthrow of our first Parents Adam and Eve but together with an hatred of God from whom himselfe had fallen an evill affection towards them that stood entire in that good estate which himselfe had lost viz. the favour of God and true happinesse Now this vice is injurious to God to the party envyed to the enviers selfe and to the societies of mankinde First to God to whom it will not grant the freedome of disposing his owne gifts according to his owne good pleasure Envy against him that excels us carries with it by way of implication at least and sometimes expresly blaming condemning muttering against him that hath granted to another what he hath denied unto me They murmured against the housholder in the parable that were troubled to see those of the eleventh houre to have equall wages with them at the first Now what an audaciousnesse is this in the creatures to set rules to the Creator and to binde him that he shall not shew himselfe more bountifull to another than to ones selfe Are not we discontented if one childe grudge because another hath a bigger or better thing than himselfe We cannot endure that our inferiours should set lawes to us and appoint us what to give to others what to them We must know our selves to forget our selves much if we will prescribe to God and it is nothing else but a very prescribing to God when we take occasion from his bounty to repine For if it be well done why are we vexed If not upon whom is the blame laid Further it is a wrong to the party envyed for it is to measure such measure to him as we would not have measured to our selves by another Who doth not blame another for vexing at his prosperity and for having a grudge against him because God hath done him good Would we not that all should rather love us respect us more and rejoyce with us Therefore we doe injury to our neighbour in doing what we would not have done to our selves The envious wrongeth himselfe both because he doth vexe and eate out his owne heart to no purpose for neither shall another prosper lesse nor he more because of such his inordinate distempers as also because he makes himselfe lie open to most grievous sins of detracting slandering and practising all injuries yea and murder at the last He is in the high way that will lead him to many sins yea to the shedding of innocent blood that entertaineth this diabolicall humour of envy And he wrongeth the whole society because he is distempered at that which maketh for the common good even the distribution of Gods gifts differently as himselfe sees fit and in that he is broody of quarrels which all hinder the common welfare of the places where they be Besides this is a fruit of pride and uncharitablenesse and must needs be hatefull to God who loves only the humble and charitable Envy is a vice unto the making of which many vices concurre Ignorance folly pride uncharitablenesse self-love and the like It is a vice which bringeth forth many other vices contention strife swellings tumults whisperings back-bitings murders and all evill deeds Therefore let us finde it out and chase it away You shall easily perceive that it is a weed which growes in our corrupt nature How soon doe children begin to shew it how doth it grow stronger by continuance increasing in strength as the body increaseth yea how doth it live in old men too and vexe them also that should have more understanding as experience sheweth Indeed the elder can use more craft to hide it but many times they have no more wisdome to subdue it than the younger I pray you finde it out each one in himselfe and fight against it as one of the most loathsome fruits of the flesh And strive you to get such a measure of humility and charity as may not alone preserve you from this vice but make you rejoyce with them that rejoyce and turne the prosperity of others into matter