for thy fatherly care ouer vs in prouiding all things necessary for our soules and bodies for our food rayment health peace liberty friends which many of thy children want that are as déere vnto thée as our selues But especially aboue all we praise thy name for the blessings of a better life as namely for our election in Christ Iesus before the world was for our creation after thine owne image in the beginning for our estectuall vocation out of the darkenes of this world into thy glorious light and kingdome by the outward preaching of thy word and the inward operation of thy spirit for our iustification by the obedience bloudshed of thine owne sonne for our adoption from the thraldome of Satan into the glorious liberty and priuiledge of Sonnes for our sanctification in the crucifying of the body of sinne and quickning of the inner man for our continuall preseruation against the temptations and conquest of sinne Satan and this euill world for the frée donation of thy holy spirit the earnest of our inheritance vntill the redemption of the possession purchased and for the continuance of thy Gospell the word of truth and the meanes whereby wée are partakers of all these blessings O Lord open our blinde eyes euery day more and more to sée and consider of thy great and maruellous loue towards vs in all these things that by the due consideration thereof we may be drawne néerer vnto thée to loue thée much because thou hast giuen much And as thou doest abound towards vs in all goodnes so grant that wée may abound toward thee in all obedience and thankefulnesse And as O Lord thou being infinite in mercy hast had mercy on vs when wée deserued iudgement euen so we beséech thée be mercifull to all them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death cause the glorious light of thy Gospell to shine in their hearts according to the good pleasure of thine owne will and in whom thou hast already begun the worke of conuersion vouchsafe them also the grace of perseuerance that continuing to the end they may be partakers of glory with thy Saints in light And whereas saluation came of thine ancient people the Iewes but they through vnbeléefe were cut off that wée by faith might be grafted in Lord call them in thine appointed time take away the vaile from before their blinde and vncircumcised hearts and reueale the knowledge of thy sonne vnto them that they and wée may be one shéepefold vnder one shepheard Christ Iesus In the meane time destroy the kingdom of sinne Satan and Antichrist euery day more and more Build vp thine owne kingdome of Grace in the hearts of euery one of vs and hasten thy kingdome of glory that when this miserable life is ended wee may raigne with thée eternally in glory Be gratious and mercifull to them that suffer affliction for the testimony of a good Conscience deliuer them out of the hands of their enemies or so strengthen them with the comfortable assistance of thy spirit that in dying they may ouercome the world death and hell Comfort all that are troubled in mind with the burthen of their sins speake peace to their Consciences say vnto their soules I am thy saluation Come vnto me all ye that are weary and heauy laden and I will ease you And to this end giue the tongue of the learned to thy Ministers that they may know to Minister a word in time to him that is weary Be mercifull to them that are afflicted in body with paines sicknesses or diseases giue them grace to beare the crosse with patient thankefulnesse and to learne by those visitations to confesse their sinnes to acknowledge their faults to call vpon thy name to amend their liues that as heretofore they haue gone astray after the course of this world through the inticements of naturall concupiscence so they may now be brought to the knowledge of thée and of themselues And also strengthen them that are any manner of wayes assaulted by Satan giue them a ioyfull issue with the temptation that thy grace in their deliuerance by them may be glorified and thy power conquering Satan in their weakenesse may be manifested and for euer magnified Thankesgiuing before meate VVE thanke thée O Heauenly Father for all thy blessings and mercies heretofore bestowed vpon vs and still continued renued vnto vs. Especially at this time for these thy good creatures that of thine owne goodnesse and bounty thou hast ordained and prouided for the maintenance of our bodies giue them vertue and power to nourish vs that thereby our strengths being renued we may be more fit and able to serue thée in the duties of our callings to thine honour and glory and to the comfort of our owne soules and consciences through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Thankesgiuing after meate VVE desire to return all honour glory praise thankesgiuing to thy Maiesty for thy fatherly care ouer vs since the beginning of our dayes till this present houre Chiefly for thy heauenly word the foode of our soules for thy Sabaoths and the peaceable exercises of all holy dueties therein And in speciall at this time for these thy good creatures whereof at this present wée haue béene partakers by thy good prouidence beséeching thée so to blesse and sanctifie the same vnto vs as that we may walke in the strength of them in the performance of all good duties to thy glory and our owne comforts through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS
Lord of Heauen and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding hast opened them vnto babes It is so O Father because thy good pleasure was such Héerein the Disciples might learne First that the Gospell cannot be comprehended with mans vnderstanding and reason Secondly that there is no power disposition or inclination in mans will to receiue the Gospell being not onely not congruous but flat contrary to the same For these Cities though they were not such brutish sinners as the Sodomites but ciuilly honest or naturally vertuous yet they were as vnbeléeuing and more vnbeléeuing then the Sodomites would haue béene therefore they shall receiue the greater condemnation Thirdly the Disciples héereby might learne that to repent and beléeue is the meere mercy and grace of God Fourthly that this mercy and grace méerely procéedeth of the good pleasure of his will Fiftly that God being absolute Lord of all the world and maker of all men respecteth not persons but hath mercy on whom hée will and passeth by whom he will Rom. 9. 15. Therefore séeing that these old rotten rags our darke hearts cannot retaine the new péece neither that these olde corrupt vessels can conteyne the new wine of the Gospell there must a new heart be giuen vs and a new spirit put within vs Ezech. 36. 26. 27. We must be borne againe before we can enter into the kingdome of grace and of glory Iohn 3. 5. Now this second birth is not of flesh and bloud nor of the will of man but of the spirit of God who regardeth not persons ages sexes worldly prerogatiues 1 Cor. 1. 26. 27. 28. Brethren you see your calling how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the mighty things and vile things of the world and things that are despised hath God chosen and things that are not to bring to nought things that are Christ chose not nor called any of the Politicians or Péeres of Ierusalem to bée the planters and builders of his Church and Kingdome nor yet any of the Pharises Scribes or Lawyers for they were not fit nor apt to make Disciples of those rotten tattered garments and fusty vessels were too farre worne and spent and too much corrupted with fleshly wisdome worldly policy and craft sensuality bodily pleasures pomp vanities of naturall life So far were they ouergrowne throughly corrupted herewith as they could not empty themselues nor lay aside these things to prepare themselues for Christ vnlesse they should lay their whole selues aside But hée chose simple and silly Fishermen which hauing their businesses and getting their liuing by sea had least fellowship and smallest dealings with men which were men of no imployment little acquainted with the subtilty craft of the world and were as babes in comparison of Citizens and such as deale in great and many matters These and such like as are least infected with the world and whose bodies are broken and tamed with labour and trauell hunger and cold are fittest instruments for the holy Ghost to worke in They are the fittest by whom God might shew forth his sauing wisedome and by and in whom his goodnesse mercy and grace might be most clearely manifested to the world And this is the glory of his mercy and grace to exalt honour and glorifie the foolish weake and contemptible things of the world by calling them to be the greatest in the kingdome of grace to whom the honour glory and wisedome of this world must stoope and yéeld it selfe in homage yea the least in this kingdome is aboue all principality and power Another example hereof there is in the poore family of Lazarus of Bethania whether Christ often resorted to dinner to supper and to lodging and where he had his heartiest intertainement Why was not Ierusalem the most conuenient place for the Lord of Heauen and earth the King of glory to be intertained in Was it not more fitting that Herod the King that Pilate the Romaine president or rather that Caiphas the high Priest or that some of the Princes or at the least-wise that some of the Elders should haue giuen him royall intertainment according to the maiesty of a King Where were the Scribes and Pharises that sit in Moses chaire whose Disciples they boasted themselues to be How could they be better imployed then in receiuing and glorifying the Sonne of God before all the people teaching all men by their owne example to reuerence to fall downe and worship him Why doe they not with all submission and prostrate humilitie as their Maister Moses commanded them heare this Prophet that the Lord their God hath raised vp vnto them which is greater then Moses than Elias than Salomon being the Lord of life the Prince and Sauiour of the world If Christ had appeared in earthly royalty worldly ostentation pompe power dignity then would Annas and Caiphas the high Priests the Elders the Pharises haue gathered to him and giuen him royal intertainment because they would haue hoped by him to haue béene freed from the tributes taxations and seruitude of the Romains from the pollage and pillage of the Publicanes and Officers because that by him they might be honoured and graced in the sight of the Commons and because that by him they might be promoted to worldly dignities But because his appearance was spirituall not worldly hée hath neither forme nor beauty Esa 53. 2. they saw nothing in him wherefore they should desire him They saw onely out of their proud couetous and enuious hearts matter of contempt because that for the endlesse comfort of the meanest and basest estate he appeared in forme of a seruant And though the brightnesse of the glory of the Father together with his mercy compassion and goodnes towards man more manifestly shined heerein yet they looking on him with fleshly eyes iudge of him according to the outward appearance Ioh. 7. 41. Therefore as a seruant they estéeme him and vse him And because he wholly did the workes of God in gathering together and sauing the Elect to the onely honor and glory of God and not to the honour of himselfe and of them especially therefore do they condemn him for the most wicked man and handle him like the vilest creature of the earth Let our litterall teachers that are so ripe headed but dead-hearted and all common Protestants commonly carnall Gospeliers thinke and consider well of this and apply it to the present times and their present selues if so be that in séeing they can perceiue and in hearing they can vnderstand For as Christ the head was receiued intertained and vsed then so shall his true members be to the worlds end among them that professe his name For this is the mistery of iniquity And the Apostle testifieth that the afflictions of Christ are accomplished in his members And all that are in
Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution though not at all times with extremity as very many of the children of God haue done yet in some measure and degrée euen in the most reformed and established Church yea and almost in the best reformed house Noahs family was the most godly and best in all the world yet is there in it an vngratious Cham. In Abrahams house a mocking Ishmael In Isaaks a prophane and reuengefull Esau and amongst the Disciples of Christ a couetous theefe and a traitour Where was our Sauiour crucified but amongst his owne He came amongst his owne but his owne receiued him not Iohn 1. And where are the members of Christ afflicted persecuted but amongst their owne The brethren of Christ euen Church-men as we say betrayed him sold him put him to death so the brethren of the godly shall be their persecutors euen they I meane of the same profession as Dauid complaineth It was not mine open aduersary that did me this dishonour but euen thou my companion and familiar friend wee tooke sweet counsell together and went to the house of God as friends Vse This teacheth Christian men not to thinke the better of themselues for their worldly wisedome wealth honour learning degrées in the Vniuersity c. Séeing a man in the ample possession of all these these may be the least in the kingdome of heauen I speake not this to derogate from learning In Luke 10. 17. The seauenty Disciples that Christ sent to preach in the Cities whether himselfe would come returned againe with ioy saying Lord euen the Deuills are subdued to vs through thy name but in vers 20. Christ curbeth their reioycing which sauoured too much of the world Reioyce not saith hée that spirits are subiect to you but that your names are written in the booke of life Whereby wee plainely learne that a man may be excellently furnished with gifts for the discharge of any calling and for the ministery as well as any other and yet notwithstanding be a reprobate for the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life Therfore let a man glory in a good conscience which is a continuall feast Let him reioyce in that he féeleth the loue of God shedde abroad in his heart and in the testimony of the holy Ghost assuring his spirit that hée is one of the sonnes of God Secondly this teacheth the poorest not to thinke the worse of themselues for their meane estate because they want these outward things 1 Cor. 7. 21. 22. Art thou called being a seruant Care not for it For hee that is called in the Lord being a seruant is the Lords freeman likewise also he that is called being free is the Lords seruant And Iam. 1. 9. 10. Let the brother of low degree reioyce because hee is exalted Euen to be the brother of Christ the sonne of God and heyre to the kingdome of glory Ver. 10. And he that is rich in that hee is made low for as the flower of grasse so shall he vanish away The inward man of the one is euer flourishing the outward man of the other perishing He that hath much worlds wealth and dignity and but a small measure of Grace is inferiour to him that hath a great measure of grace and but little or no worlds wealth For spirituall things among themselues admit comparison but betwéene spirituall things and earthly things there is no comparison at all This knowledge and consideration that worldly men want whose felicity consisteth in these outward things this I say in the children of God worketh lowlinesse of heart humility of minde méekenesse of spirit in such sort as that they had rather make themselues equall with them of the lower sort than to stand vpon comparisons and to striue for preheminence as the fashion of the world is Lazarus the beggar found matter of reioycing and glorying in Christ though depriued of all earthly things Dauid the King found matter of reioycing and glorying in Christ onely Psalme 4 6. 7. 8. As other men euen the men of this world reioyced and gloried in the increase of their substance with the rich man in Luke 12 So he on the contrary reioyced in the loue fauour and countenance of the Lord. And Psalm 119. Thy Law is deerer vnto mee than thousands of gold and siluer And Paul the Apostle found matter of glorying in Christ onely Phil. 3. 8. He counteth all things losse for Christ and iudgeth them to be but doung And as concerning any worldly thing hée will glory onely in his infirmities and reioyce in this that he is counted worthy to suffer for Christs cause These thrée examples teach all men of all estates degrées and callings to reioyce in Christ alone and to estéeme of themselues by their Christianity not by worldly prerogatiues For as for the prophane rich though he had all the world with the glory thereof yet the losse of all shall be his inheritance and the godly poore though hée want all or rather séeme to want all for the time present yet shall hée haue not onely this world but the world to come for his inheritance Thirdly this reformeth the erronious conceit of them who measure men by the measure of their learning they haue indéede the greatest meanes and helpes but the grace of God is the onely cause reuealing the mistery of Christianity to whom hée will Otherwise the most learned men are often the most enemies of Christ and Christians and when they thinke themselues to be most wise they become the greatest fooles To this purpose Dauid acknowledgeth Psal 119. 98. 99. 100. That he had more vnderstanding than his teachers than the ancient than eyther the man of great reading or the man of much obseruation and great experience by reason of yéeres And why because hée kept the commaundements For indéede how much a man practiseth so much hée sauingly knoweth and vnderstandeth He that knoweth a country and can plainely describe it onely by the mappe is not to be compared with him that hath trauailed it through although the one be learned and eloquent and the other vnlearned and plaine of spéech The man that hath no tast may by relation of others talke and discourse of tasts and the differences therof euen so may hée talke much of the Lord that neuer tasted how swéet the Lord is and speake much of the Scriptures in whom they were neuer powerfull to his conuersion Hereof the Lord complaineth by Ieremy They say the Lord liueth and yet they sweare falsly Ier. 5. 2. Likewise by Ezechiell They say let vs goe and heare the word of the Lord and sit before the Preacher as the people vseth to do but their heart goeth after their couetousnesse and after their pride and after their adultery Ezech. 33. Their outward pompe sheweth their inward humility and not their heart-sicke but braine-sicke deuotion Thus much of the ground we know The Doctrine God heareth not sinners The Interpretation of the words First to heare