what danger to both We can never repent heartily till we come to this and we are very loath to come to it Now David seeth his sinne clearly the whole sinne the motives the means the acts the colours and conveyances there all coram me before me Coram populo before the people shame to him Coram Ecclesia before the Church griefe to them Coram inimâ—cis before the enemies joy to them Coram Deo before God anger against him Coram Nathane before Nathan a chiding But if any hope of repentance and amendment it is in Peccatum meum coram me my sinne before me Here is the distresse of a sinner he never discerneth how unhaphie he is till his sinne is before him Excused be the masks of sinne pleasure is the sweetning of sinne secrecie is the night of sinne Remove all these and let thy sinne appeare naked and stript of this shelter Mulier formosa supernè turpiter atrum desinet The fairest womans face Foule nether parts disgrace How quickly could David see his own sinne in another person in the parable of Nathan It was ten moneths before his own sinne was before himself We are very blinde to behold our own faults yet we are most beholding to them that help our weak sight and cleare our eyes that way It was the wish of a well-minded heathen man that he might ever dwell either by a true friend or some very malitious and spightfull enemy because either love or malice would ever tel him his own and he should be sure to know his faults Christ What say men that I am we must use all the meanes we can to search our wounds that they may be healed To know our disease ut curetur it is S. Gregor note upon this Text Ascendat tribunal mentis suae constituat se ante se Videat foeditatem suam at corrigat ne nolens videat erubescat Let him ascend the tribunall of his minde and place himself before himself let him see his foulnesse to correct it lest against his will he see it and be ashamed at it Some put all their vertues before themselves as the Pharisee he gave not himself an ill word in his confession I am not like other men I fast I pay tithes I give almes I pray c. The poore Publicane could not see any good Corn within his field it was so over-grown with tares Lord be mercifull to me the sinner Great persons have so much the more danger from sinne because they have so many flatterers to keep their vertues ever in their sight or to lay vertues to their charge that they have no right too And so few Nathans to shew them their sinnes and to say Tueshomo thou art the man How can they repent when their sinne is yet behinde their backs and no body dares put it in sight Or if it come in sight there may be foâ—nd law to make it good Sinnes when they are grown to have countenance of authority and strength of custome to establish them are no longer sinnes Leges fiant they are made laws And time cals that a sinne now which anon is a singular vertue But let us call sinnes and vertues by their proper names and let them be in our sight and we shall begge the grace of repentance very heartily 5 Sempe alwayes Sinne is sweet in the mouth Job speaks of hiding it under the tongue but in the stomacke it is unwholsome and upbraiding David found it so when once it came before him it was ever in his sight as before he said There is no rest in my bones propter pâ—ccatum by reason of my sinne Sometimes he thought how he had sinned against Vriah a faithfull servant in defiling his bed in betraying his life sometimes how he sinned against his own â—oul and body in defiling it with the flesh Sometimes how he had sinned against Joab to make him an instrument of injury against Vriah to defile him also with innocent bloud Sometimes how he abused the good creatures of God to make Uriah drunk how he twice wronged the honorable state of matrimony once desiring to make Vriahs repaire to his house a cover for his sinne and when that failed and Vriah was slain he veiled his sinne with his own marriage of the defiled widow alwayes he thought how he had sinned against God This case of David is a lively peece describing to the life the unrest of an unquiet conscience overcharged with sinne That which Poets feigned of Furies ever disquieting some persons was nothing else as Tully found and applied it but a troubled conscience which hath no peace And we can never attain to peace before we have felt the sting of sinne the rigour of the law the terrour of the Lord the rods and scorpions of an afflicted and unrestful conscience And this will hold till our repentance Gods pardon sealeth our quietus est no company no pleasure no comfort will help this no such sorrow as Animus dolet the minde is sorrowfull VERSE 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 3. HIs confession expresseth where he hath given offence which hath two parts For 1 He accuseth himself 2 He cleareth almighty God 1 In his self-accusation 1 Here is the height of sinne against God Tibisoli c. Against thee onely 2 Here is the boldnesse of his sinne In thy sight In the first here is 1 Ego I the person 2 Peccavi have sinned the trespasse 3 Against thee Pars laesa the party offended 1 Ego I the person This comes in still for it maketh weight alwayes in the confession Some charge the malevolent aspects of their starres some charge Sathan with all their sinne Others have other put-offes to save themselves harmlesse David takes all upon himself his own corruption his own rebell flesh his unregenerate part his old Adam did it Me me adsum qui feci Here here I am that did it I whom thou tookest from following the ewes great with lambe whose sheep-hooke thou hast changed for a Scepter whose sheep for thine own people Israel upon whose head thou hast set a crown of pure gold I whom thou diddest lately invest in the full Monarchie of thy people to whom thou gavest the possession of Ierusalem from the Iebusites I who setled peace Religion and Courts of justice in Ierusalem that thou mightest be served and honoured and I would faine have built thee an house there Ego I to whom God committed the trust of government to rule others the trust of judgement to punish others as King over his inheritance I to whom God committed the care of others souls to guide them by his word to direct them by good counsell to allure them by his gratious promises to terrifie them by his threatnings as the Lords holy Prophet I who both wayes as King and Prophet should have beene an example of holinesse and righteousnesse to all Israel Nathan said Tues homo thou art the
letter that which weakeneth the power of our Baptisme and maketh the Lords Supper an eating and drinking of judgement that which maketh all our praises of God a sacrifice of fooles that which turneth all our prayers into sinne and transformeth the grace of God into wantonnesse is We either hide our sinne out of sight cautè closely wherein we may deceive the world but we cannot shut up the eye of God or benight the light of our own conscience Or we plead Non est factum not our deed against two witnesses at least one in heaven another in our own bosomes Or we put on some honest names upon our dishonest carriages calling wantonnesse recreation and prosecution of revenge a standing upon our credit and a maintenance of honour Or we face out our sinnes with societie as drunkards plead they do no other then is done in Court in City in Countrey and amongst all sorts and degrees of men these times adde women too for many will not sit out in a fashion And if we reprove such they regest that some of our selves are good fellows too Here the proverbe failes The more the merrier when they go in the wayes of death Or we devolue our fault upon others as Adam Mulier quam dedisti the woman which thou gavest me It falleth upon God Vinum quod dedisti inebriat vestes quas dedisti superbum me cibus gulosum c. The wine which thou hast given me makes me drunken the clothes thou hast given me make me proud thy meat gluttonous c. Some proceed further the full growth of impudence and impenitencie justifying their sinnes and calling evill good and good evill treading under foot the bloud of the covenant as an unholy thing raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame wandring starres for whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever whose condemnation sleepeth not Beloved your reason and judgement and common understanding doth call swearing blasphemie It calleth doing that which you would not suffer injury It calleth immoderate eating gluttony intemperate drinking drunkennesse It calleth unlawfull copulations adulterie and fornication By the light of nature and of Religion we abhorre the denomination of these sinnes who is willing to be called a blasphemer an oppressour a glutton a drunkard If the names of these sinnes be shamefull make conscience of the sinnes themselves For it was ever in fashion in the world and will be that they which do wickedly and foolishly shall be called wicked and foolish persons I conclude with Joshuahs speech to Achan My sonne give I pray thee glorie to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him tell now what thou hast done and hide it not He that hideth his sinne shall not prosper shame and feare are the two great hinderances of confession they are also the rods of sinne These should rather move us to confession and repentance for repentance removeth them both ut ante And my sinne is ever before me 2 Here is a great motive to confession for David found his sinne troublesome to him Sinne is taken commonly for the fault and so our fault alwayes in sight bringeth shame Sinne is also taken sometimes for the punishment and that in our sight alwayes bringeth fear It must needs be combersome to have these two roddes alwayes lashing of us shame and fear Sinne is also said to be before us 1 Either in the eye of understanding and judgement and reason knowing and disliking it 2 Or in the eye of our conscience pleading guilty to it And this is ever so till our repentance and Gods pardon hath removed it Our first parents in paradise did see the forbidden fruit 1 That it was good for food 2 It was a desire to the eyes 3 To be desired to make one wise They considered not that the eating of it was against the commandment that it was certain death to eat of it I he sinne was not before them In every temptation to evill and commission of evill there is a pleasure that offereth it self to the eye upon that our yeelding weaknesse fastneth That is ever before us to put us into sinne and when we have done it that is before us to keep us from repentance That was it that corrupted Davids holinesse at first to sinne and that held him so long impenitent But when God had awaked him by his Prophet then the pleasure of finne ceased and the shame and fear and sorrow of it succeeded then was his sinne ever before him The words of Davids complaint weigh heavy if we take the full weight of every one of them they amount to a talent of lead and we may call them The Burthen of David 1 Here is sinne 2 My sinne 3 Coram in sight 4 Coram me before me 5 Semper ever 1 His complaint is of sinne All sinnes are not alike deadly nor all of equall provocation There be different magnitudes of sinne one sinne differeth from another in qualitie Some more offensive then other to God to man to our selves Some in quantity of number hath more sinnes retaining to it then others have for no sinne doth ever go alone Some in quantitie of dimension greater then other more provoking Some in quantitie of weight heavier and more incurving and slooping towards and immerging deeper into the gulf of perdition Some in quantitie of measure more filling and more heaped up more pressing down more running over Some in the seed of concupiscence some in the root of delight some in the blade of consent some in the eare of perpetration some in the full growth and ripenesse of custome some shedding self-sowing by defence and justification of it and by publique profession and maintenance When Sathan would strike us with a fiery dart he will shew us our sinne at the worst In confession of sinnes to God we must consider that we are in his eye to whom all things are manifest from whom no thing can be concealed and therefore there is no slubbering or mincing our confession We must confesse all as we desire to be made clean from all let us be as particular as we can in the enumeration of our sinnes And because our memorie may fail us in particularities let us help it with opening before God our Corpus peccati body of sinne So I understand here my sinne that is Corpus peccati the body of sinne in the grosse summe is ever before me David doth come to particular sinnes after in his confession This peccatum sinne is that corruption of nature which is ever striving against the Law that flesh which is ever rebelling against the Spirit that old man which is corrupt according to the deceiveable lusts of the flesh The bed of sinne in us the stool of wickednesse the throne of Sathan the remnants of sinne which abide even in the regenerate upon which S. Paul complaineth so much I know that in me that is in my flesh is
man in just accusation and now David saith Ego sum homo I am the man in humble confession Great Princes and persons in eminent ranke can take it upon them highly in termes of honour then ego I am the man They must do so here also 2 The trespasse Peccavi I have sinned David ever had a tender conscience for sinne he never slept in any of his trespasses so long before or after as in this For when he had opportunitie to come so neare to Saul as to cut off his skirt of his garment his heart smote him So did it after he had numbred the people now he feeleth the weight of sinne upon his conscience and cries Peccavi I have sinned Every true penitent doth so but every one is not a true penitent that doth so for Cain said more Mine iniquitie is greater then it can be forgiven Pharaoh said as much I have sinned this time The Lord is righteous I and my people are wicked for the thunder and haile mingled with fire After he said more upon the judgement of the locusts I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you Now therefore forgive I pray thee my sinne this once and intreat the Lord for me Judas went further I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent bloud He repented saith the Text he said with the price of his sinne in his hand in the act of restitution But Cain and Judas confessed in finall desperation Pharaoh shrunk onely at the punishment the sinne grieved him not Davids peccavi I have sinned had more in it he knew his sinne fully it was ever before him And he was more troubled with his fault then with his punishment he made the worst of it yet he had faith in the loving kindnesse and in the multitude of the tender compassions of God he had the spirit of supplications and prayed fervently His first suit is for his washing and his strong cries are like them of the Leper to Christ Lord that I may be clean and the further we go in this Psalme the more pregnant remonstrances he maketh of his true repentance the more cleare example doth he give for ours As feare shooke him and as shame covered his face so faith supported him and prayer to God sanctified his mortification Such a peccavi I have sinned so open in confession without so stinging with compunction within so quickened by a lively faith so winged with zealous prayer will soone finde the ready way to the throne of grace and finde mercie there in a time of need 3 Parslaesa the party offended Here the spirit of David is troubled he is full of passion 1 He confesseth the wrong done to God Contra te against thee 2 He resumeth it with a duplication Against thee 3 He putteth it home with a soli Tibi tibi soli peccavi Against thee thee onely have I sinned 1 Contra te Against thee That is the sting and torment the rodde and scorpion of the conscience when we consider that our trespasse hath beene bent and aymed against God Si non Jehova pro nobis If the Lord had not beene on our side is Israels word we had perished Auxilium nostrum à Domino Oâ—r help is from the Lord In his favour is our life This makes every wilfull sinne we commit mortall because it trespasseth the majestie of God therefore no sinne in this nature is veniall and this makes every sinne of infinite merit because it is a sinne against an infinite majestie And for that our persons are finite and not capable of infinite punishment there is no way to satisfie this infinite majestie offended but by eternity of punishment This appeares in this sentence Go ye cursed into everlasting fire The smoke of their torment shall arise for evermore The worme never dyeth the fire never goeth out We have many great motives to make conscience of trespassing against this majesty of God 1 For the good that he is 2 For the good that he doth 1 For the good that he is He is one that hateth iniquitie no evill shall dwell with him He is all holinesse and righteousnesse 2 For the good that he doth 1 He is our faithfull Creator He made us not we our selves he fashioned us in the wombe he kept us there he took us thence 2 We came naked into the world he clothed us we came hungry he gives us daily bread we came ignorant he taught us weak and he strengthened us unclean and he washed us in the laver of regeneration 3 We were born children of wrath he adopted us heires of grace and glory and redeemed us with the deare cost and expense of his Sonnes bloud 4 He is the preserver of men he giveth us spirituall and temporall favours His loving kindnesse and mercie followeth us all the dayes of our life 3 We may adde for the evils that he doth For is there any evill or punishment which he sendeth not He is velox ultor a swift revenger and his right hand doth finde out all his enemies We would not willingly anger a person that hath power to do us hurt though we have no hope that he will ever do us good But our God is a father as well as a judge and with him is mercy that he may be feared that we may not runne our selves upon the edge of his sword Let us consider how all things else serve him but we onely and the Angels that sinned They unhappied their estates by sinning against God and of glorious Angels became unclean devils there is no part of the work of Gods hands so eternally cast away reserved in chains of darknesse for the judgement of the last day We had a way opened to us a new and living way 2 He therefore resumeth this against thee either doubling the consideration of his sinne or doubling the consideration of the party offended by it both which shews that he had laid it to heart and that lay heavy upon his conscience he had throughly considered against whom he offended We cannot think too much of it we cannot confesse it too often we cannot deplore it too bitterly that we have sinned against God For many are the pressures of this life but they are all comforted with a sure refuge to God He is our help in trouble Vana salus hominis the help of man is vaine But when we sinne against God we lop the tree that should shelter us from a storme We undermine the tabernacle of our dwelling Whither shall we go for our healing when we are wounded Whose counsell shall we aske when we are sick Who shall feed our hunger c. Who shall then have pitie upon thee O Ierusalem or who shall be moane thee or who shall go aside to aske how thou doest Thou hast forsaken me saith the Lord thou art gone backwards therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee and destroy thee I am weary with repenting
foule shame In the Apostles time it was a modest sinne he saith They that are drunke are drunke in the night Now day and night are both guilty of it it is a sinne in fashion meetings of purpose called and intended for it The farewels of friends parting the welcomes of friends returning the celebration of great Festivals as if Bacchus had washt us in the bloud of the grape from our sinnes But God will be justified in his sayings he will declare his justice in his severe punishment of this sinne here and if it be not sincerely repented he hath told us home what he will do No drunkard shall enter into the kingdome of heaven I should lay your sinne to my own charge if I should not let you know the terrour of the Lord in this case The defence of it by the societie of sinners aggravateth the sinne God hateth it so much the more Malum quo communius Sinne the more common the worse 2 He declareth his justice in the performance of his mercie to his elect For even in these examples in my text alledged 1 To Adam he shewed mercy who sinned having onely a Law for his obedience with a penalty threatned in case of disobedience but there was no promise a foot if he should trespasse that Commandment And that made Adam when he had sinned hide himself from the presence of God ashamed and afraid to come in sight But God in free favour did seek him out and before he called him to his answer for his sinne he reveiled mercie in the promised seed When he laid his curse upon the Serpent that tempted him and therefore ever since his time sinners have a way of grace opened in that promise and no sinnes if sorrowed for can evacuate the force of that promise it standeth good to all that truly and sincerely repent So as David saith In judgement he remembreth mercie There he did so in the very sentence of judgement upon the Serpent was the first revelation of mercie to man He had no Obligation of a former promise to binde him to it but it was a free and voluntarie tender of favour growing out of his own perfect and absolute goodnesse In the tender whereof he hath given us strong assurance that if in free favour he would do so much much rather when he had put us in securitie thereof by promise 2 The example of favour to Noah doth justifie God in his sayings for he shewed him much favour after his fatherly correction of his fault 1 In verifying his blessing upon his two sonnes Sem of whom Abraham came and the twelve Patriarches and David and Christ Iesus And to whose tents in the fulnesse of time he invited Japhet and brought in the fulnesse of the Gentiles 2 In accomplishing his curse upon his yongest sonne many yeares after by giving away their Land from them and rooting them out with a violent destruction This performed upon the repentance of Noah which thought it be not in expresse and full termes set forth in the storie yet we may take it so signified when Moses saith And Noah awoke from his wine that is not onely recovered after sleep to sober judgement but to a penitent recognition of his sinne And by the spirit of prophecie he was enlightned to looke into times to come and to foresee the future estate of his posteritie and by the spirit of supplication to desire God for his eldest sonne and by the spirit of faith to beleeve in the resolved goodnesse of God to his second sonne And in all the story of holy Scripture we finde that the sinnes of repentant men though chastened with some temporall roddes of affliction yet never failing of mercie Davids children that transgressed were threatned with the roddes of men but with reservation of favour not to take his mercie utterly from them as from Saul 2 We shall now see how David did beare himself in the wise consideration of these two things 1 When he confest his sinne whereby God was justified in his threatnings of judgement He declareth his own humble patience submitting himself to the holy hand of God q. d. I confesse all my sinnes this my horrible and crying sinne that the world may see thy justice in punishing me and my patience in bearing it Stripes were ordained of purpose for the backs of fools I am one of them and I put my self under thy punishing hand He is content that as he hath made himself an example of a grievous sinner so God should declare in and upon him an example of his severe justice and so be justified in his sayings If God did forbeare all other punishments of our sinne in our own persons in our house and familie in our goods in the necessaries of life in which kindes he ordinarily avengeth himself upon offenders yet if the sinner shall but truly repent him of his sinne repentance it self is a greater punishment then all these There is more in it when it is said of Peter that he went forth and wept bitterly then in the disciples Reliquimus omnia We have left all And Saint Paul felt more smart in the thorne in his flesh and the Angell of the Lord bufferring of him then in all his dangers by Sea and Land his stripes shipwracke imprisonment When our own consciences are upon torture our souls upon the rack when we judge and take vengeance upon our selves it is judgement without mercy We ever feare we underdo Therefore the conscience of his sinne doth beare witnesse to the justice of God and he findeth no fault with his punishment Surely murmurers that repine at the punishing hand of God and think much of his judgements enflame the anger of God more by their resisting his right hand which hath found them out If they went in Davids way to take a just dimension of their sinne and did confesse it contritely to God they would be content that he should declare his justice in their punishment and they would see that he would overcome if he came to be judged Speak thy conscience when thou abusest thy drink to drunkennesse if God punish thee with thirst hast not thou well deserved it If thy meat to surfet if thy strength to wantonnesse c. 2 He sheweth faith For notwithstanding these many and this foule great sinne he beleeveth that God will be justified in his sayings that is declared just in his gracious promises of mercie The sinnes of the elect cannot outgrow the mercies of God nor our offences make his truth faile David is so full of this faith that as he spendeth part of this Psalme in a deploration of his sinnes so he bestoweth also part of it in supplications whereby he declareth his faith VERSE 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquitie and in sinne did my mother conceive me 4. HE recounteth his originall sinne the corrupt fountaine of all his impurities he makes way to it with an Ecce for now he is at the
the latter end it will not be a luxation of our bones putting them out of joynt but a breaking literally this must not be understood of the breaking of bones neither the contrary spoken also by David Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him our of them all He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken for wee know that not onely alive but dead the bones of the Lords servants have beene violated their dead bones lye scattered like chippes of wood at the mouth of the grave By bones the strength of the body the inward strength and vigour of the soule is meant And the conscience of sinne and the terrour of judgement doth breake the heart of a true penitent so long as he beholdeth his sinne deserving his death his judge ready to pronounce the sentence of it hell open to receive him for it and the evill Angels Gods executioners at hand to hurry him to it Here is extremity of anguish even anima doloris dolor animae the soule of sorrow the sorrow of the soule enough to make a man goe weeping all the day long I beseech you lay this example to heart David that walked with an upright heart and the holy Ghost hath testified him unblameable save onely in this matter of Vriah the Hittite Yet see how he afflicteth himselfe for all his other transgressions which were not laid to his charge his conscience forgiveth him nothing No question but David had many infirmities and many other aberrations some upon record yet they were all by his repentance and the favour of God past over yet they upbrayd him now all of them come upon him like a breach of waters with so fierce irruption and so deluging inundation that they steepe him in deepe waters and cover him all over with affliction The reason is as in sinne the fault he that breaketh the least Commandement and repaireth not himselfe by repentance is guilty of the whole law so in transgressions he that repenteth of all the sinnes he hath done and hath his pardon under seale by the next offence is lyable to all the evidence againe of his former sinnes he cancelleth and forfeiteth his pardon for pardon ever bindeth to good behaviour This breakes the bones of David to have all this weight upon him 2 The author of this Thou hast broken God in favour to his children doth afflict them for sinne and the very phrase of breaking his bones though it expresse extremity of misery and paine yet it hath hope in it for broken bones by acunning hand may be set againe and returne to their former use and strength so that a conscience distrest for sinnes is not out of hope yet upon that hope no wise man will adventure upon sinne saying though I am wounded yet I may be healed againe though I am broken I may be repaired for let him consider 1 Who breakes his bones Thou he that made us our bones and put them in their severall places and tyed them together with ligaments and covered them with flesh he that keepeth all our bones from breaking it must be a great matter that must move him to breake the bones of any of us The God of all consolation that comforteth us in all our distresses when he commeth to distresse us this makes affliction weigh heavy It was Iobs vexation The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God doe set themselves in array against mee He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse What greater sorrow can be then to have God in opposition 2 The paine of the affliction exprest so feelingly in the breaking of bones which as is said is the anguish of the soule for sinne and feare of the consuming fire of Gods wrath and the tempest as Iob cals it of anger 3. The paine of setting these bones againe for though bones dislocate may be put in joynt and though bones broken may be set againe yet this is not done without paine and great extremity to the Patient Repentance setteth all our broken pained bones it recovereth the soule from the anguish thereof but hee that once feeleth the smart of a true repentance will say the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season are as hard a bargaine as ever he made and as deare bought they cost teares which are sanguis vulner aticordis the bloud of a wounded heart they cost sighes and grones which cannot be exprest they cost watching fasting taming of the body to bring it in subjection even to the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore let no man adventure his bones in hope of setting them againe But how did God breake the bones of David here 1 Outwardly by his word sent in the ministerie of Nathan the Prophet for the word and voyce of God is a two edged sword This was all the strength by which Jeremie was sent forth by God on that great businesse over nations and over kingdomes to root out to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe Behold I have put my words in thy mouth This is the sword of the spirit and though our doctrine drop as the raine gently and easily if we drinke it in and become fruitfull by it yet when our sinnes doe overgrow we shall finde it a sharpe Conlter to rend the fallow grounds of our hearts we shall finde it a rod of iron to breake our soules in pieces and this word runneth very swiftly it is gladius versatilis a sword that turneth every way 2 But it is a dead letter and draweth no bloud till it come to the conscience for so long as it beateth the eare and ayre onely and worketh no further than the understanding there is no great cumber with it as wee see in those who daily heare their swearing and drunkennesse reproved in the house of God and threatned with losse and deprivation of the kingdome of God it worketh not upon them but when Nathan comes home to their consciences tu es homo thou art the man God hath sent mee to thee to charge thee with this sinne and to tell thee hee is angry and is whetting his sword to cut thee off for it this breaketh and shattereth the bones and though our publike ministery doe not descend to such particulars as tu es homo thou art the man and our private reproofes are subject to ill constructiou yet a plaine dealing death bed will roare it in our eares of our inward man Tu es homo thou art the man thou hast lived a blasphemer of the name of God a glutton a drunkard c. This fils the soules of many dying persons with so much bitternesse that when the sorrowes of death are upon them and the judgement of their whole life in sight the conscience of their sinnes doth make their soules much sicker then their bodies One of
have power in his name to pronounce his absolution and free pardon of that and all the rest sincerely repented saying Whosoever sinnes yee remit they are remitted And the true penitent hath comfort to his heart in that absolution Some of our owne brethren at home have quarrelled this as popish not well advised of the ordinance and institution of Iesus Christ our Master by whose commission we performe this as the cleare Text doth warrant Tertullian calleth the Clergie a distinct order separate from all other callings to a speciall worke of Gods holy service for the enlightening of ignorants and converting transgressors and comforting the disconsolate and confirming such as are weake And what greater comfort can we administer then the assurance of forgivenesse to distressed soules languishing under the oppression of their conscience for their sinnes Therefore Christ in our Commission useth the same word for our pardoning of sinnes that he teacheth us to use in our owne prayers to God for our pardon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whosoever sinnes yee remit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Forgive us A departing soule being to leave the world and hearing that he that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper having the sting of conscience and the Angell of Sathan buffetting him can no longer hide this fire in his bosome which burneth him but hee bringeth it forth in confession And wee finde in the capitall punishment of malefactors that the feare of judgement and terrour of conscience a little before their end hath detected many murthers adulteries felonies and foule transgressions which till then lay hidden in the secret of their hearts concealed from the worlds intelligence and suspicion In such cases having disburdened their soules and declared their repentance our absolution is of force and then the penitent cryeth Nâ—nc dimittis servum tuum Domine in pace Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace and as one that hath his yoke taken off and his burthen eased he removeth hence with joy 2 This petition teacheth that the sinne of shedding innocent bloud oppresseth the conscience and is of a crimosin dye hardly washt out After the fall of our Parents the first sinne we reade recorded was murther the first death by it He that maketh inquisition for bloud beginneth his search and vengeance at the bloud of Abel That sinne of bloud in Caine is set for terror in the beginning of the holy story of the Bible to advise us of that roaring Lyon who goeth about continually seeking whom hee may devoure He was a lyar and a murtherer from the beginning hee practised upon the soules and bodies of our first Parents and by a cunning lye brought in death upon them in Paradise Then he incensed a brother against a brother in the first infancie of time Observe that murther 1 In the conception of it 2 In the act and execution 3 In the sequell and event of it 1 In the conception the provocation was onely Gods accepting of his brother in his service and his refusing him which made his death a persecution in Caine a Martyrdom in Abel This put murther into the heart God saw it there yet he taketh notice of it by the countenaÌ„ce of Cain Anger cannot well conceale it selfe and God is so tender as not to endure a frowning countenance in us to one another He expostulated the cause with Caine he layed the fault upon himselfe If thou doe well c. he gave him place of his brother and promised him his subjection Hee would have cured Caine of this disease but he would not 2 In the act It was the foulest that could be Cain talked with Abel his brother no question but it was a faire â—poken parley which tempted him â—alone with him into the field and there he arose against him and slew him A strange act worthy to be recorded The first borne in the world a murtherer the first recorded sinne in the generation of man murther the first brother a murtherer the first death murther Death followed sinne God would rather have it performed by the hand of man than by his owne hand the better to shew the effect of his justice and mans sinne according to the sentence Thou shalt dye the death 3 The sequell to that I hasten for 1 Cain sought not out God said nothing to him the text saith The Lord said unto Cain he spake first and enquired after the murther he maketh inquisition for bloud 2 His question where is Abel thy brother he calleth for him by name Abel God nameth him by the name that his Mother gave him He challengeth a right in his person hee challengeth their right in him who named him And the interest that the murthered had in the murtherer frater tuus thy brother 3 When this would not bring forth a confession and repentance of the fault but was frowardly answered first with a nescio I know not a lye then with a surly question Am I my brothers keeper Then God replieth with 1 Detection of the murtherer What hast thou done for hee so troubleth the conscience of such persons as shed bloud 2 Production of evidence vox sanguinis fratris tui de terra inclamat me the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryes unto me from the earth 3 Vpon so cleare evidence he proceedeth to judgement 1 The earth is cursed for his sake to him so before in his fathers sinne we thinke much if the earth serve us not with the fruits thereof we may thanke our sinne 2 His person is cursed a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be on the earth 4 When hee stood convicted in his conscience by the voyce of the Iudge and evidentiâ facti the plainenesse of the deed done 1 He turnes desperate and speakes a speech which beares a double construction My punishment is greater than I can beare or My iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven 2 He takes upon himselfe a necessity of grievous punishment which he distributeth into foure great griefes 1 Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth 2 And from thy face shall I be hid 3 And I shall be a fugitive and vagabond upon the earth 4 And it shall come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Observe the first punishment of murther in this full example for it is notable 1 In the Iudge secondly in the judgement 1 The Iudge is God himselfe he taketh it into his owne judicature conventeth convinceth judgeth the offender himselfe The fault is exprest in the words of my Text vox sanguinum the voyce of blouds for hee not onely spilled the bloud of his brother but he destroyed the posterity that might have bin derived from him and he is called Abel the just so he might have had semen sanctum an holy seed All this hope of after-generations all their bloud spilt in him The judgement an heavy curse 1 Without him in the earth 2 Excommunication from the face
gold and pictures of silver 3 Ubi Where As there is a time so there is a place to open our lips Christ was like a Lambe non aperies es thou shalt not open thy mouth before Pilate 4 Cus to whom David refrained even from good words whilst the â—icked â—â—â— before him Counsell and reproofe are cast away upon fooles and mad men and scorners Saint Gregory addeth there must be 1 Gravitâ—â— in sensu Weight in the sense 2 Moâ—â—â— in verbis Measure in the words 3 Poâ—dâ—â— iâ— sermone Weight in the words Otherwise wee open our own mouthes God openeth them not It is Davids prayer to God Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keepe the doore of my lips Saint Augustine noteth that it is osâ—iâ—m â—riâ— ergo aperiatur claudatur Aperiatur aâ— confessioneÌ„ â— laudatur ad excusatione in peccati The door of the mouth therfore let it be opened and shut opened to confession shut to excusing of sin And Luâ—olphus faith Aperiri debet Deo clauci diabolo aperiri Deo in oratione claudi in vanalâ—cutione It must be opened to God shut to the Devill opened to God in prayer shut to the Devill in vain-speaking David for ten moneths together was mute sinne had shut up his mouth for as long as we live in impenitencie a spirit of dumbnes possesseth us we cannot neither pray or prayse God In this time his acultery did cry alowd so did Uriahâ— drunkennesse so did his letters to Joab to did the murther of Uriah Now hee prayeth that the mouth of accusation may be stopt and that God would open his mouth that he may speak for himself against these accusing sins that hee may magnifie the loving kindnesse of the Lord. 1 I conceive that this petition for the opening of his lips intendeth a â—itting preparing of him for the praise of God Wee advise well before wee put up a petition in the causes of our estate or good name to any superiour authority More ought wee to God he best knoweth himself how to accommodate us to his service and therefore Domine aperias Lord open thou The necessity of an holy preparation for any part of Gods Service doth admonish and exact an holy advice with God before we go about it Reading of his word meditation invocation of his Name by prayer that hee would put our hearts in tune and set our song of his prayses for us that wee may sing Canticum Domini the song of the Lord and then it will be Canticum Domino a song to the Lord. 2 We may also conclude from hence that though an inward worship of the heart be much commended to us in Scripture so Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spiâ—it rejoyceth â—n God my Saviour and David stirreth up his soule to this service My soule prayse thou the Lord c. Yet that menâ—all and animal service is not all that God requireth hee would have the service also of our lips of our tongue which is our glory And to make the voice of Gods prayse to be heard be saith I wil prayse God with my glory Awake Lute and Harpe awake my tongue of my glory And he calleth upon the Church to prayse him in the sound of the trumpet with timbrell and pipe with stringed instruments and organs Upon the lowd Cymbals upon the high sounding Cymbals For as we have our private Chappels for our private duties the secret of our heart and the closets of our conscience So we have our part in Choâ—â— in the Congregation of Gods Saints and there wee must sing cheerfully and lowd that God may be praysed according to his excellent greatnesse this is heaven upon earth 3. The bold sinners say Our lips are our own who is Lord over us These assume to themselves both power and skill to menage their tongue and acknowledge no Lord above them to restrain or check them David in his Domine aperias Lord open thou confesseth a Lord above him And there is no such way to impudent freedome of speech as a bold contempt of autority It is one of the provoking sins of our time the over-bold liberty of speech and procacity of the pen censuring and depraving Superiours scandalizing all that our dislike hath set light The ground of this gall and worm-wood in the tongues and pens of the time is a vain opinion that there is no Lord over us to stop our mouth and to tongue-tie us Yet wee know the lash of the Law smarteth upon some that shoote for arrowes bitter words and some are made examples of terror to awe others But if men feare not those Lords and Lawes which take this petulancie of the tongue to talke David confesseth a Lord in my Text to whom he committeth the opening of his mouth Domine aperias Lord open thou Let us take heed how we rule our Lips and how wee open them before him for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned And of every idle word that we speake we shall give accompt to him in the day of judgment Evill words corrupt good manners and such as doe evill are but hardned and exasperate by Libels and scandalous obloquies When Michael the Archangell disputed against the Divell about the body of Moses he durst not bring against him a rayling accusation True and just quarrels by intemperancie of the tongue may turne into rayling accusation and it is not reproofe but rayling so Aug. Quicquid lacerato animâ— dixeris malè dixeris Whatsoever thou speakest with a distructed minde thou speakest evill Beloved there is a Lord over us who hath dominion of all our parts if he open our eyes we shall see clearely if he open our earâ—s we shall heare quickly if he open our lippes we shall speake wisely and soberly This is our Master-piece to governe our tongue well to open and shut the doore of our lippes wisely and seasonably He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life but hee that openeth wide his lippes shall have destruction The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lippes but a man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth Who so keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soule from troubles We have no better way to decline the danger of the tongue to reape the good fruit of it then 1 To pray as here Domine labia Lord open thou my lips or as David Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable c. Set a watch O Lord before my mouth 2 To resolve as David to take heed ne peccemus lingua lest wee offend in our tongue To keepe our mouth bridled not to speak thine own words 3 The promise subjoyned setteth the tongue a work and giveth it matter of long and speech And my mouth shall shew forth c. Saint Gregory observeth the sequence of the text first
the voice of them that weep Their whole bodies and mindes and soules are living sacrifices holy unto God and therefore acceptable for so it followeth God will not despise them Here ariseth a Quaere Now wee have seene the excellency and necessity of these sacrifices What hindereth that wee doe not offer them up to God continually We do bear about us a body of sin and in it these hinderances of this excellent and holy service 1 An over-bold presumption of the favour and remisnesse of God in putting us to this pain 2 An over-delight in our works of darknesse and the forbidden pleasures of life 3 A naturall slothfulnesse in doing such things as carry with them painfulnesse in the doing of them 4 A naturall tendernesse of our selves whereby wee do favour our own flesh and cannot put it to griefe 5 The cares of life I Presumption on the favour of God to us We think the word more severe and the killing letter of it more cutting then it need to be and the minister of this word more harsh then is cause We confesse that for terrour these things are set down and the Ministers must threaten us with heavy judgement if our hearts be not broken But it is God who is veiled in the parable of that Master to whom his servant deep in his debt came and besought him for favour and hee forgave him all the debt So we confesse that this sacrifice of broken hearts is a due debt but our Master is so gracious and pitifull to forgive it all There be many fair spoken texts that seem to nourish this presumption in us As a father hath compassion of his children so hath the Lord compassion but it is on them that fear him not on them that presume on him And the parable of that father of the prodigall who did not so much as chide his unthrifty son but met him afarre off fell on his neck welcomed him with a kisse and feasted and clothed him doth expresse a great tendernesse But let no man presume upon that for that sonne came home with a broken hart Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Non sumdignus vocari fac me unum ex mercenariis tuis I am not worthy to be called and make me one of thy hyred servants His father was sensible of his contrition hee was lost by his sin and found in his repentance he was dead by the wound of his own conscience and made alive by his fathers favourable pardon receiving him againe to his grace And the servant to whom his master forgave all his debt was put to his miserere have mercy his master saw his heart broken with the grief of his debt and heard his willing protestation to pay all and received his humble supplication for mercie God is a loving Father but not indulgent he loveth not so but that he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom hee receiveth for â—ods are for the backs of fools Iudgment beginneth at the house of God and the righteous are hardly saved Saint Peter would put any man out of heart to presume too much upon the favour of God for by three great examples he declareth the severe justice of God against sin For if God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judgment And spared not the old world bringing in the floud upon the world of the ungodly â—urning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished 2. Peter 2. 4. Presumption doth make an Idole of God for it advanceth the mercy of God against his holinesse which hateth sinne against his truth which threatneth sinne against his justice which punisheth sinne Presumption crucifieth againe the Lord Iesus and layeth on more stripes upon him Presumption resisteth grieveth quencheth the holy Ghost by whom wee are sealed to the day of Redemption and so boldly trespasseth the whole Trinity I need not urge any other evidence against presumption on the favour of God then his severity against his own Son Misit dedit non pepercit non fuit dolor sicut He sent he gave he spared him not there was no sorrow like unto his And was this to quite us from all passion No if wee suffer with him wee shall also reigne with him hee did not drinke of a sponge of vineger and gall Transeat calix Let this cup passe from me Hee began the health of his Spouse the Church all the faithfull must doe him right they owe him a pledge Some are put to it to suffer for him none are exempt from suffering with him This is the least and easiest plunge wee can be put to to break our hearts with contrition for our own sins ò mihi tum quà m molliter ossa quiescent ô then my bones shall take their sweet repose When I can tender to my God a broken heart no laceration no dissipation of it can so unfashion it but that he can put it together again like the dry bones in Ezech. Vision and say unto it live In our mortification it dieth a naturall heart in our first resurrection it riseth againe a spirituall heart I conclude with Davids suite O keepe thy servant from presumptuous sins that they have no dominion over me so shall I be innocent from the great offence 2 A second impediment to the sacrifice of a broken heart is an over-delight that we take in the vain pleasures of life God was pleased to make a singular triall of two men in two contrary wayes for example of others 1 Hee made tryall of his servant Job by afflictions they came upon him suddenly and they came thick In all the things wherin he had blessed Job above most men he afflicted him beyond example In his honor autority he tryed him with disgrace and contempt In a fair posterity he tried him with orbitie In his abundance of riches he tryed him with poverty In his friends with paucity he had few left and they proved grievous to him In his health he afflicted his body with painfull and lothsome diseases and sores Yet you have heard of the patience of Job saith the Apostle hee came off faire In all this Iob sinned not neither did hee charge God foolishly 2 His servant Solomon he tryed with honour riches and power with victory over his enemies and the cup of temporall pleasures of life he made to over-flow never did any man on earth drinke so deep of that cup. In this tryall Solomon miscarried pleasures stole away his heart Solomon lost his integrity his wisdome wherin he excelled all that were before him was benighted in him the salt in him was infatuate Such power have worldly pleasures against wisdome See his Ecclesiastes
his recantation you shall see how hee declareth himself against them pronouncing them all vanity and vexation of spirit It is an old Proverbe Fortis in bello sapiens in ira amicus in adversis Strong in warre wise in anger a friend in adversity This is the Purgatory in which these are tryed If they comefairly off in these probations we esteeme them approved I may adde hereunto that a true Christian is tryed also in temptatioÌ„s of pleasure Ioseph was not so put to it either in the pit wherinto his brethren let him down or in the hands of the stranger Merchants into which he was sold not in the prison where his feet were in the stocks and the irons entred into his soule as in the hand of his Mistris when she laid hold of him and said lie with me Pleasures corrupt our understanding and cast our reason and judgment into a dead sleep They steale away the heart There is none that understandeth and seeketh after God Non est Deus in viis corum God is not in their wayes God sends Ezech. to Ierusalem on this errand Sonne of man cause Ierusalem to know her abominations For as Eliphas saith in Iob Man beleeveth not that hee erreth in vanitie therefore vanitie shall be his change His branch shall not be green but shall be cut off before his day Epaminondas is recorded a rare example of stayednesse that was able to walk sadly and gravely nothing moved with the vain delights of the people whose hearts were all set upon a merry pin on their wanton holyday It is a great example of Israel being in pursuit of the Philistines when Saul had cursed him with a curse that should eat any food till night that hee might be avenged on his enemies The story saith The men of Israel were pressed with hunger And all they of the Land came to a wood where honie lay upon the ground And the people came into the wood and behold the hony dropped and no man moved his hand to his mouth for the people feared the oath Wee are in pursuite of three dangerous enemies the Flesh the World and the Devill We have taken an oath in our Baptisme to fight strongly and constantly against these Fasting is one of our weapons we shall not want the sweet temptation of hony that is of pleasure dropping before us entisements to break our fast Let us remember our early oath sworne to God in our Baptisme Let us keep a devout fast from all sinfull delights what though it cost us a pinching and pressing bunger This is the way to get victory of our enemies before night for when night commeth we can no longer work Pleasant to the eye and delectable to the taste was the forbidden fruit But nakednesse and the losse of Paradise the sweat of the face and the multiplyed sorrows of Child-birth followed eating our first parents were no longer happy then whilest they were fasting It will be a very hard matter to perswade a man in the vanitie of his pleasure to offer God a sacrifice of a broken heart For in our full dishes and overflowing cups wee cannot remember Ioseph's affliction we shall hardly then arise from our banquet to visit him and suffer with him There is nothing in the world that so dimmeth the sight to behold the course of Gods judgments in the World nothing so deafeth the eare against the Word that runneth very swiftly nothing that fatteth the heart to slaughter so much as pleasure doth If Iobsâ—onnes â—onnes feast Iob feareth and sacrificeth least they should offend God in their mirth It is a spirituall kinde of martyrdome to absteine from pleasures when they are in our power as Bernard Inter epulas esurire To be hungry amidst banquetâ— as Israel did when the hony dropped and lay on the ground to tread upon it and passe over it Naturall death doth not spare us for our businesse for our delights and Iobs children were surprized with a violent death when they were feasting Mortification which iâ— the breaking of our hearts the thrashing grinding of our spirits should be so willing so 〈◊〉 so peremptorie as to do execution even upon the body and soule at a short warning not regarding the present delights of the world lâ—st another giâ—d us and carry us whither wee would net least like Haman wee be harried from the Queenes Banquet to the tree of execution A third impediment of this Sacrifice is a natural slothfulnesse in us to do those things that have any painfulnesse in them S. Pauls precept is Not slothfull to doe service The slothfull will not plough because of Winter therfore he shall beg in â—ummer but have nothing Ever since our first parents tasted the forbidden fruit that sweet meate had sowre-sawce Man was made for travaile and hee that would not labour might not eat So when we pray panem nostrum our bread wee mean not the bread of idlenesse for there is no â—read ours but what wee labour for so they go together in the sentence Insuâ—ore vultus tui vescêris pane tuo In the sweat of thy race shalt thou eat thy bread And we must labour for the bread that endureth for ever We must work out our salvation It is an idle prâ—tense to cry out Leâ— est in vsae There is a Lion in the way We know that our adversary the Devill goeth about like a roring Lion there is no way out of his walk Hee compasseth the earth to and fro we must resist him The Apostle hath fitted a Panoply to arme us against him We must fight a good fight Vincenâ—i dabitur To him that overcommeth shall be given If we be so idle that we will not stirre or so faint-hearted that we dare not see our own bloud or so pitifull that wee cannot finde in our hearts to destroy such an enemie our own idlenesse is our ruine It is one of the greatest tasks that ever thou undertookest by thy repentance to breake thine owne heart Thou hast armies against thee within thy selfe to preserve it from contrition and breaking 1 All thy imaginations of thy thoughts for they are onely evill these are an innumerous armie the miâ—â—tia warfare of the brain 2 All thy affections and passions which proceed from the heart these are all Cardiacall 3 All thy sins which Concupiscence hath brooded in thy heart the nest of them all These are the militia warfare of the heart Nate Deo potes hoc sub casu ducere somnos ô born of God in troubles deep and midst of anguish canst thou sleep The man of God that fighteth these battailes must not be idle The true cause of this spirituall idlenes in us is the reluctation of our corrupt nature to the work of our own salvation for our progression of our nature is easie the way lieth all down-hil our sayling is with winde and tyde and he that maketh his voyage for Hell may ship his oares and never needeth
Achivi great ones desart makes the poore smart The Apostle biddeth us pray for Kings and for all that are in autority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty Wee shall all go more safely in our wayes if God guide the hearts and wayes of our Rulers aright But if God give us Kings in his fury our portion will be sorrow for their sins will set Ierusalem and Sion a mourning Who then shall pittie thee ô Ierusalem or who shal be sorry for thee I speak not of our Kings God hath blest us graciously I know where I am and addresse this point to the common use of the Church as it may concern all Countries For as we are all members of the Church and of the houshold of faith so our iniquities which are offensive to God and hurtfull to our selves may be also scandalous and hurtfull to the Church A wicked man in a Congregation the Apostle calleth leaven Know yee not that a little leaven sowreth the whole lumpe Sins like the disease of Leprosie infect per contactum by the touch The point is when any of us come to make our peace with God for our sins as we have care of our selves and our owne reconciliation to God so let us remember to commend to God the care of his Church which by our sins is wronged For can the toe stumble at a stone without the hazard of a fall to the whole body seeing wee are members one of another Therefore the care of Gods Angels descendeth solow as the foot Ne offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum lest thou dash thy foot against a stone He that desireth by true Repentance to set al to rights let him look every way where his sin hath done hurt and labour to repair it Great is the example of Gods proceeding against his own people Israel in judgement for the sin of Achan The Lord saith Israel bath sinned and they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them Therefore they fled before their enemies And when this matter came to scrutinie the fault was found to be in Achan onely Hee had stolne a Babylonish garment two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold c. All Israel fared the worse for his one sin his one sin is charged upon the whole Kingdome Lyran. quia factum unius de communitate in malis toti communitati attribuitur because the deed of one that communicateth in evill is ascribed to all them that communicate with him We do not beare one anothers iniquity the soule that sinneth shall die but such is the conjunction of the body of the Church that wee cannot commit grosse and eminent sins without the hurt and infection one of another Therefore to accomplish our Repentance and heale all wee have here a good example to close our penitentiall prayers as David here doth This remayne of the Psalme hath two parts 1 Davids petition verse 18. 2 The successe of his prevailing in his suite verse 19. The petition hath two parts 1 Do good in thy good pleasure to Sion 2 Build thou the walls of Ierusalem 2 The successe is double 1 God shall be pleased 2 His servants shall do their duty to him 1 Of Davids petition 1 Of his first petition Do good in thy good pleasure to Jerusalem wherin we must consider 1 The petitioner David 2 For whom he petitioneth for Sion for Jerusalem 3 The petition it self Do good 4 The limitation of the petition in thy good pleasure 1 Of the petitioner David whom wee againe consider foure wayes 1 As he was a private man a member of the Church 2 As he was an holy Prophet of the Lord 3 As hee was the head of the Church the King of Israel 4 As he was a penitent Convert now again received into the favour of God 1 As a private man It is the dutie of every private man to pray for the welfare of the Church of God The Church is called a Communion of Saints and we are knit together vinculo amoris with the bond of love there is unus amor one love but as it hath a double reflection 1 Vpon God whose honour wee preferre above all things 2 Vpon our neighbours whom wee ought to love as ourselves So wee have two great arguments to induce our devotion to this holy duty of prayer for the Church 1 In respect of God The three petitions in the first Table of the Lords prayer do maintain this For 1 Herein we sollicite our God for the honouring of his own name the sanctifying of it here amongst men for his name is great in Israel In his Church every thing speaketh of his glory The Church is the Congregation of them that call upon the name of the Lord. It is the prayer of Iesus Christ Father glorifie thy name Wee have great reason for it because our helpe is in the name of the Lord. It was the old petition of the Church To beseech God for his Names sake 2 We pray for the comming of Gods Kingdome His Kingdome of power is over all the World But his Kingdome of grace is the holinesse of his Church onely and his Kingdom of glory is the Crown of the Church onely Here God reigneth The Lord is King and hath put on glorious apparell he hath clothed himself with majestie and honour His Kingdome is within us his wisdome our guide his word our law his mercy our hope his judgements our feare his truth our faith his will our obedience 3 Wee pray that the will of God may be done on earth sicut in coelo as in heaven So if the Church thrive and prosper here will be an heaven upon earth and wee shall be like the Angels of God who obey him by fulfilling his will For the Church is the Congregation of such as labour to walke with God in all pleasing 2 In respect of our neighbours We consider our selves as members one of another so the welfare of the members dependeth on the welfare of the body Every ones good ought to be as precious to us as much desired of us as our own God is rich in mercy and we need not feare that what is bestowed on our brethren will abate any thing of his bounty to us which in things temporall doth often disquiet us And herein the weakest members of the Church may be helpfull to the whole body of it for prayer and wel-wishing which proceed from zeale and love may come from the poorest the sickest member of the Church no prison can shut it up 2 Consider him as a Prophet of the Lord. The prayers of all men have good accesse to the throne of grace but Prophets of the Lord beside the common obligation as members of the body of the Church have a speciall duty ex officio by their office and are as it were Masters of Requests to put up the prayers of the Church to God Samuel God forbid
for this life no â—arther then panâ—m quotidianum our daily bread And there is enough to suffice nature in the world without any mans want And our sentence in Adam was Vesâ—â—r is paâ—e thou shalt eate thy bread c. The sonne of Iakeâ— Give me not riches feed me with food convenient for mâ— This limitation may destroy in us all these corruptions of distrust of covetousnesse of pride of envie For that feare which undoeth charitie lest God should abate from us to supply the want of others we have great examples oâ— his â—ulnesse The poore widow payed her debt with oyle she was relieved and no body the worse for it Christ payed his tribute and no body had the lesse he sent to sea to a fish and had it He improved a short provision â—o the suffisance of many We need not feare to pray one for another God is rich to all that call upon him 2 Secondly we are here taught to pray God for the state of his Church she is our mother let us seeke her peace Here we were new borne of water and the holy Ghost At her breasts we sucke the sincere milke of the Word of God she feedeth us with strong meat and feasteth us with the body and bloud of our Redeemer We have great cause to ply God with our devoutest supplications and to give him no rest for his Church for his Lillie is ever among thornes And his Church complaineth Circâ—ndederunt me tanquam apes They have compassed me about like Bees Strepitus a noyse and stimulus a sting We see the bow of God bent against our brethren in other Lands we see the enemie prevaile and insult What are we or how have we setled the favour of God upon us that we should be spared in the day of his wrath or that a Passeover of mercie should skip our Cities and townes and houses We may in the inventorie of our sinnes reade our danger better then we can discerne an issue out of it in the course that we runne Let our prayers comfort the sorrows of the Church and establish our comfort And let our teares runne downe like a river day and night and let not the apple of our eye cease Let us poure forth our hearts like water before the face of the Lord and lift up our hands towards him for his favour to his poore distressed Church God seeth the corne yellow and ready for the sickle the day of the Lord is at hand it was hor a novissima the last houre in Saint Johns time now the last minute of that houâ—e approacheth he is comming to judge the world in righteousnesse And judgement beginneth at his owne house Turne thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned renew our dayes as of old 3 The petition Do good Do good O Lord to the good and to them that are upright in their hearts Deale favourablie or bounteously Benignefac Do good Lâ—rgam benedictionem impende Bestow a great blessing Which may be done 1 Peccata diâ—â—ttendâ— by forgiving of sinnes 2 Graciam conferendo by giving of grace And this is the summe of Davids whole supplication for himselfe he knows that all the members of the Church have need of this favour The petition in the letter hath respect to Sion and Ierusalem and desireth the bountie of God to them For God hath promised to receive an house there builded to his name and to establish his holy Arke there the visible Sacrament of his reall presence This was also after performed and not onely the outward peace and strength and plentie and honour of Ierusalem is here desired but the establishing also of the holy worship of God and the seats of justice as after This is good for Ierusalem for any state when Religion and justice are cherished But this is not all he looketh prophetically into the state of the universall Church to the worlds end and prayeth for the welfare of it That God would do it good that he would be favourable to it in his bountie It is a short prayer Subita ejaculatio a sudden ejaculation but it is full of content for it may comprehend summam petendorum the summe of thing to be prayed for It is the Lord prayer in little for wherein may we desire or God shew us favour which may not be comprehended in this petition Do good Every good and perfect gift cometh from this Father of lights to whom David saith Thou art good and thou doest good This request of David Benefac do good doth begge the favour of God to Ierusalem For it is not peace nor strength nor plentie nor honour nor victory over enemies that can make a state happy except God be pleased to turne all these in bonum to good Therefore they have fared better that have fed on green herbs then they that have had their share of a stalled oxe Daniel thrived better of his pulse then others â—ed from the Kings trencher Riches have beene given to the owners of them for hurt The prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them Many carefull parents gather wealth for their children which proves their ruine therefore our prayer in all things must be Benefac c. Do good For neither prosperity shall corrupt our faith nor adversitie our patience If God do us good we shall finde as David Bonum est mihime affâ—igi It is good for me to be afflicted 4 The limitation of the petition In thy good pleasure We must take â—eed in all ouâ— suits to God that we submit our selves to the holy will of God And that we confine our desires to his good pleasure Not like unto Israel who turned backe and tempted God and limited the holy One of Israel God is many wayes limited by us in our petitions 1 If we â—â—â—â— his power by our infidelitie doubting whether he can performe to us what we desire As Israel Can God furnish a table in the wildernesse They remembred â—â—â— his hand 2 If we limit his goodnesse and mercy doubting whether he will do us good which is a great wrong to him from us after our full experience of his loving kindnesse to David was perplexed Hath God forgotten to be gracious â—â— his mercy cleane gone for evermore But he recovered and calleth this his own infirmity and remembred the yeares of Gods right hand 3 For the kinde of favour we may limit God if we hold him to this speciall favour and leave him not to his owne wisedome to do us good in what kinde he pleaseth The Lord hath copiosam redemptionem plentifull redemption and he will either give quod petimus what we aske or quod novit utilius what he knows to be more profitable Christ Take this cup from me but with reservation of the libertie of his Father Si vis If thou wilt 4 For the quantity of favour we limit God when we appoint him in what measure he shal relieve uâ— and how much good he
these in this distresse can tell you whether this be not a breaking of their bones Let the Word therefore work upon us and let every hearer when he heareth his sinne reproved take the reproofe to him and prevent an accusation tu es homo thou art the man with a confession Me me ad sum qui feci I I have done it So breaking our bones with remorse and contrition wee shall save them from his breaking we shall reserve them to his healing and binding up I conclude this point in the words of our Saviour He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day 2 Davids suit wherein 1 Where he seeketh remedy it is from God the hand that â—â—oke his bones can set them againe no other hand can doe it Come let us returne to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up David knoweth that God hath a multitude of tender compassions he layd that foundation of his faith repentance and prayer Verse 2. Whom have I in heaven but thee there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever David had good friends in heaven Abraham the father of the faithfull Isaac the seed promised Iacob that wrastled with God and prevailed yet he seeketh to none of these and I never read in either Testament of any one that had any suit to Abraham but the rich man in hell To countenance the use of invocation of Saints yet that hath no life in it to encourage any such mediation All the booke of God through the addresse of prayers hath beene onely to God and he hath revealed so open a way of accesse to him that wee need not goe so farre about for David saith He also will heare their prayers and will helpe them David was put to it to try all the wayes of comfort and hee used no other invocation The sorrowes of death compassed me the paines of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soule God maketh this good use of our sinnes to bring us to him and sinne never undoeth us till it driveth us away from God to seeke help elsewhere You see what good successe the richman had with Abraham he could not get a drop of cold water he was sent to Moses and the Prophets for his brethren They sought no helpe any where but immediately in God he hath healing under his wings wings are the emblemes of speed he is swift to heare our complaints to heale our sores He healeth all our infirmities and forgiveth us all our sinnes 2 How he seeketh remedy by prayer he doth not come pharisaically to God to justifie himselfe by his former conscionable living he doth not â—lledge how he hath walked and done that which is right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the daies of his life save onely in this thing All our former holinesse will not beare us out in any one sinne but when we fall we cause all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in the sinne that he hath sinned in them shal he dye rather our sinne is aggravated thereby therefore the way of prayer is the way of remedy Let us seeke the face and favour of God so by confession deprecation and supplication The fountaine is deepe but we have wherewith to draw up the waters thereof our prayer is a bucket that will not come up empty The Apostle biddeth semper orate pray alwayes Christ biddeth aske seeke knocke This the Prophet calleth buying without money when we have all good things for asking The Church of Rome hath not a worse barre to keepe her children from God and other men from their communion then by teaching them to say prayers in a strange tongue for all such petitioners have their answer nescitis quid petatis ye know not what ye aske our understanding our affections our faith our hope all must be exercised in our prayers 3 What is his suit Make me to heare joy and gladnesse We may demand why David doth desire this now seeing he had no sooner confest his sinne but Nathan pronounced his absolution he heard joy in his pardon he heard gladnesse in the remedy of his punishment non morieris thou shalt not dye 1 David had heard this comfort from Nathan yet hee desireth further assurance of it from the spirit of God for in so sudden joyes we are not our owne men so are wee transported with the gladnesse thereof When thou broughtest againe the captivity of Sion we were like to them that dreame Our foule sinnes doe make us feare that it is too good to be true 2 He desireth more of this comfort more joy and more gladnesse The joy of sinne and delight of sense doth much hinder repentance the joy of the holy Ghost doth crown repentance 3 David openeth himselfe in his phrase of Petition he doth not say give me joy and gladnesse but make me heare for the vessell of his heart was not yet capable of the joy that was now tendred to him griefe and anguish had filled it he prayeth therefore for capacity to receive this gladnesse Five notes grow upon this point 1 When he had heard already he desireth to heare more they that have once tasted of this joy are never satisfied but cry alwaies give give till they come to the fulnesse and fatnesse of Gods house 2 See what a distressed man a sinner is Enosh he is â—â— fraid he shall never have joy enough â—â—◠〈◊〉 prayeth here for double joy joy and gladnesse joy in his pardon of sin gladnesse in his favour 3 See how long the conscience of a sinner is tost like to the sea after the winde is laid 4 Observe how he would have his joy come to him ex auditu fac me audire by hearing make me to heare for ex auditu fides faith comes by hearing he lost his joy by harkening to the voyce of the Serpent 5 It will not come so except God make him heare fac me aâ—dire make me to heare he must say ephata to our eare that we may not onely receive the sound of comfort in our eare but sound comfort in our heart If the foure windes should breath nothing but joy and gladnesse and all the Prophets and Angelâ— of God should like Ababs Prophets prophecie good to us unlesse God by his spirit did suggest to our spirits this joy wee were still in evill taking for till our spirit witnesse with Gods spirit wee have no joy He desireth assurance in his faith 4 The