ioyning others with Christ in it Making some prayers to God and some to creatures making some religious bowing of the body to the Lord and some religious bowing of the body which they thinke lawfull to giue vnto Saints not reseruing falling downe for worship to God onely doe faile against this Commandement and how euer they please themselues with distinctions thinking to hide their sinne vnder a couering of words yet this most cleare word of the Lord doth conuince them of the crime of Idolatry They say that the worship of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they giue vnto God onely as due vnto him To Creatures they giue no more but the worship of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But against their owne distinction sometime they teach that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be giuen to others than vnto God And if we take these words according to the vse of Scriptures it is cleare that these two are indifferently vsed for one the whole seruice men owe to Christ is comprised vnder the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 16. 18. And the Apostle condemnes the Galathians of Idolatrie because they gaue the worship of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to those things which by Nature are no Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which manner of reasoning were not forcible if this distinction of the Papists were true that the worship of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be giuen to those which are no Gods according to the vse thereof in Scriptures But what euer they meane by these words of Worship why do they bowe the knee to things of Gold siluer and stone they cannot say it is for ciuill reuerence for their Images haue not eyes to see them nor tongues to answere them If it be as it is for religious Worship why doe they not remember that by this the Lord distinguisheth true Worshippers from false I haue seauen thousand that neuer bowed their knee to Baall and that the three Children are commended for that they would not bowe the knee to fall downe and worship Nabuchadnezars Golden Image Or how can they excuse their offering of Incense to their Images seeing it is commanded to be offered vnto God himselfe and the Iewes are condemned for offering Incense to the brasen Serpent and to Baal Where if they obiect vnto vs that we doe great wrong in comparing their Images which are of Saints now glorified in heauen with the Images of Nebuchadnezzar of Baal c. I answere wee acknowledge a great difference betweene the Saints of God and those falsely reputed Gods of the Heathen but in this point wee affirme it is no lesse Idolatry to giue religious worship to the Saints or their Images then it was for the Iewes to giue it vnto Baal It is true Paul and Barnabas are more excellent Creatures being the chosen vessels of the liuing God then Iupiter and Mercurius yet to giue religious Worship to them is no lesse Idolatry then to giue it to Iupiter and Mercurius for if they be compared in this point Paul and Barnabas are no more Gods then Baal Iupiter or Mercurius But to returne let vs for our owne instruction take diligent heede to those things which the Lord hath reserued to himselfe onely and be content with those things which hee hath offered vnto vs. Where hee saith Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God onely farre be it from vs to breake that limitation by giuing any part of his worhip vnto another I will not saith the Lord giue my glory to another that which the Lord will not giue how dare man be so bold as to giue that vnto another what greater glory hath the Lord then the glory of a Sauiour and Redeemer hee made vs wee made not our selues What greater glory hath hee then that hee is the Father of lights from whom euery good gift doth descend shall wee take this glory and giue it vnto another shall wee seeke from another the fulfilling of our necessities then from him is there any eyther more willing to help seeing hee is our father or more able seeing hee is almightie Shall I goe to him by another Mediator then by his Sonne seeing the Father hath proclaimed This is my Sonne in whom I am well pleased Or shall we ioyne other Mediators with him seeing the Apostle saith Hee is able to saue perfectly all those that come to God by him From such impieties the Lord deliuer vs for his great names sake to whom be all praise honour and glory for euer Amen FINIS MEDITATIONS for Instruction and Consolation Very profitable and right necessary for euery Christian to read PSAL. 119. 15. I will meditate in thy precepts and consider thy wayes LONDON Printed for Iohn Budge 1612. MEDITATIONS for Instruction and Consolation The glory of Britaines Ile EVery Kingdome glorieth of their priuiledges we haue our owne also wherein wee are nothing inferiour to them but let this be the greatest glory of our Ile that 2600. yeeres agoe the Lord promised to giue the ends of the earth for a possession to Christ which in our time blessed be his holy name for it is abundantly performed The Law came forth of Sion the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem and with a speedy course ouer-shadowed this Ile with the brightnesse thereof whether it was by S. Paul as Theodoret affirmes or by Simon Zelotes as Dorotheus and Nicephorus witnesseth or by Ioseph of Arimathea as many testifie sure it is by some either Apostle or Apostelique man soone after the death of our Lord from Gentilisme we were conuerted to Christianitie long before that Papistry or papall power was knowne in the world for which by the testimonie of the aduersaries themselues euen they who dwell in the Northmost part of the I le are honoured with the stile of ancient Christians Scoti antiquiores Christiani A warning to the I le of great Britaine AS the going forth of the Sun is from the one end of heauen vnto the other rising in the East and running on like a mightie man in his course toward the West so hath the light of the Gospell from them in the East shined towards vs in the West where now it stands more marueilously then the Sunne did in Gibeon in the dayes of Ioshua till the fulnesse of Gentiles in these parts be brought into the Tents of Sem. And sure we are it shall stand like a cleare light in the Firmament of his Church till all his Saints be gathered together Now the Candlesticke is remoued from them in the East the Sun is gone downe ouer their Prophets darknes is vnto them in stead of diuination While we haue the light let vs walke in the light for woe shall be to vs also if the Lord depart from vs. Time of Grace how dispensed by the Lord. THe time of grace is called by the Lord an acceptable yeere or day of saluation to tell vs it is but short and therefore wee should redeeme
Sathans craft discouered hee shewes him the glory of worldly kingdomes but not the vanity and misery that followes them In appearance it seemes to be Paradisus bonorum but in very deede it is as Chrysostome called it Euripus malorum but Sathan like a craftie fisher makes a shew of the baite but hides the hooke so he in all his temptations makes a vaine shew of the apparant pleasure or profit a man may haue by sinne but lets him not feele the terrour or paine comes by it till he be snared in it Fourthly wee marke here a difference betweene the kingdomes of this world and the kingdome of heauen the kingdomes of this world may be shadowed and represented they are seene and perceiued by our senses yea the glancing shew of their glorie doth farre exceede the substance which in effect any man hath euer found in them All the glorie of flesh is but like the flower of the field and but a phantasie so S. Paul speaking of the great pompe of Agrippa and Bernice saith they came downe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but what figure can represent the glory of that heauenly kingdome as it is None at all the eye saw neuer the eare heard neuer neither is the heart of man able to vnderstand those things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Here hee comforts men by things which hee hath made there he shall satisfie them with himselfe Deus est vita beatae non de his quae condidit sed de seipso verissimus largitor So it is indeed Sed nemo dormiens solem intuetur but as no man while he sleepes can behold the sunne quae putat se videre figmenta sunt and those things which in his sleepe hee thinkes hee sees are but plaine fictions so cannot a man in whom is no more but the spirit of the world taste of that glorie which is to come Relinquamus itaque vmbram qui solem quaerimus deseramus fumum qui lumen sequimur let vs therefore forsake this shadow if wee be seeking the bright shining sunne let vs goe forth from this smoke and darknes if wee be following the cleare light In a word as we are taught by the Apostle let vs awake from our sleepe and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall giue light vnto vs. And this is yet further confirmed when it is said he shewed them in the twinckling of an eye It was a glorious shew but it lasted not a short time tryes the vanity of al earthly pleasures they quickly vanish and which is worthy the marking if they did continue of pleasures they would turne into paines and sore displeasures let vs not therefore iudge of them by the present shew wherein Sathan may deceiue vs but by their continuance which Sathan is not able to giue The pleasures of sinne endure but for a season like the calmenesse of the sea like the fulnesse of the Moone like the fairenesse of winter so is all the prosperitie and pleasure of this life apparet ad momentum disparet in perpetuum for a moment it appeares and for euer againe it vanishes All this power will I giue thee HAuing seene the obiect which Sathan presented to our Sauiours eye now followes the offer hee makes in his eare both tending to this end to assay if by them hee could infect his heart In his offer wee see two notable lyes first saith he all these are mine al this power is deliuered into my hands The Psalmist saith The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof and wee reade in Daniel that honour glory and dominion are the Lords he changes kingdomes c. and this shamelesse Beare saies all is his when in very deede not so much as any beast in the world is his farre lesse any kingdome thereof for hee could not doe so much for all his pretended power as enter into a Sow vntill the Lord gaue him power Where if ye obiect vnto mee how is it then that Sathan is called by the Apostle the God of this world I answere that is onely in regard of the reprobate whom the Lord in iustice hath giuen ouer vnto Sathan and in whom hee commands and workes at his pleasure no otherwise then an executioner to whom the iudge giues power to punish a malefactor sometime in his goods sometime in his person and sometime by taking away of his life if this executioner should vaunt that he were Lord of life and death or had power of health and sicknes riches and pouertie such as knew him would not regard him It is euen so with Sathan he is but a false deceiuer for hee being the executioner of God imployed by the Lord to punish the wicked in their bodies in their mindes or in their goods will notwithstanding beare his blinded wretches in hand as if all this power were his owne The other lye hee makes is that he pretends hee would giue all these vnto Christ which as it was not in his power to doe so was it farre from his minde for he enuies that man should enioy any creature that euer the Lord made so the ende will declare when he shall bring his miserable captiues to such a scarsitie and famine of all good things that if a drop of water might comfort them they shall not get it We must therefore put a difference betweene Sathans promises and his performance liberall in the one poore in the other faire in promises but false in deeds He promised to make Euah like vnto God but hee made her like vnto himselfe with Laban hee can name a Rachel and giue a Leah Like Ioab hee can kisse with the mouth and slay with the hand he can promise victory to Achah that so he may chase him to confusion name what he will what can he giue but a part of his owne portion that is to make miserable man a partaker with him in his most fearefull condemnation And yet alas how many are dayly bewitched by him to follow him as if the world were at his Donation for where as men doe seeke the things of this world by stealing lying deceiuing oppressing thinking to be rich and honourable by iniquitie Is not this to take out of the hand of Sathan Such as multiplyes children by harlotrie and encreases their rents by impietie can they reioyce with Iacob saying with my staffe and bagge came I ouer Iordan and now God hath giuen me these bands or can they glory with Abraham I will not haue so much as the latchet of a shooe from the King of Sodome least it should be said hee it is that made Abraham rich Good were it for such men that the Lord in time of his mercy and not in his wrath would giue a purgation to cause them vomit by restitution all that substance which wickedly they haue deuoured for euen reprobate Iudas at length shall cast back againe the wages of
the vvant of worldly necessaries The dignitie of Gods sons stands not in aboundance of worldly things Comfort against the want of worldly things How wee shold confirme our selues in the assurance of our Election and Adoption We should do nothing for sathans command though it seeme neuer so reasonable Sathan in his temptations aymeth at this to make vs earthly minded Mat. 4. 3. Many care for this life as if it wer eternall for eternall life as if in a moment it might be obtained Christs reply to Sathans first tentation The word is the sword of the spirit by which we should fight against Sathan Christin Math. hom 2. Papists conuinced who take the vse of the word from the people 〈…〉 vpon themselues a famine of the word Amos 8. 11. Chris. ibid. Two parts of Christs answere Of the first we learne that second meanes ordained by God should not be despised This serues first for weake Christians who through errour of conscience defraud their bodies of necessary foode Next for idle men who neglect the ordinarie meanes by which they should liue And yet we should not trust in the second meanes but in God Who sometime workes without meanes sometime by small meanes and sometime makes the meanes of life instruments of death The nature of the second meanes proues that our life is not by them Experience also confirmes the same This is made more cleare out of the second part of Christs answere Psal. 90. 3. The great stupiditie of men who rebell against God of whom they hold their life Comfort when ordinarie meanes failes In the right wing of Sathans battell stands Presumption Sathan changes tentations for his owne aduantage Sathans second captaine ouerthrowne also by our Lord. After victory in any temptation let vs stand ready for a new battel Christs transportation whether mentall or corporall Offences that may arise of Christs corporall transportation remoued In it the inuincible power of our Lord is made manifest Comfort for Gods children whose bodies are afflicted by Sathan for a time The place of this temptation is Ierusalem the holy City No place on earth free from the temptations of Sathan Yea in most holy places he is a most busie tempter The Lord casts down that hee may raise vp Sathan by the contrary raises vp that he may cast downe The pith of this second tentation The temptation of presumption preuaileth greatly in this age Christs death abused to nourish the life of sinne Sathans tentations to vaine-glory customable among men Pro. 25. 27 Sathan can not hurt vs except wee helpe him Sathans proper voice is Cast downe thy selfe Still seeking mans disgrace destruction The reason vsed by Sathan to strengthen his most vnreasonable desire He seekes to remoue godly fear that hee may bring men to a remediles most fearefull estate Greg. moral lib. 6. This testimony of Scripture is falsely vsed by Sathan in three respects 1 Ioh. 2. 1. That hee makes any place of Scripture to confirme a sin How Atheists Sathans disciples doe learne at him Greg. moral lib. 2. That reciting such a place of Scripture as reproueth his sinne he is touched with no remorse This proceedeth from his obstinacie which lets him not repent By presumption he fell by obstinacie he cannot rise Gods great mercy to vs worthy to be marked His Grace hath put a difference betweene vs and others wher there was no difference by Nature Such as heare their sins condemned by the word and are not moued are here conuinced How the children of God tremble at the rebukes of his word Acts 2. 37. Act. 16. 30. Chrisost. in Mat. hom 6 Thirdly he abuseth Scripture in mutilating of it The promises of God can be no comforts to vs if we neglect the condition wherupon they are made In the right vse of this testimonie we consider two things First the great glory and maiestie of God Dan. 7. 10. Psal. 68. 17 How farre inferiour the most glorious Courts of Kings is to the Lords Court Secondly the fatherly care and prouidence of God toward his Children Sathan should alwayes be refused resisted 2 Tim. 2. 26 The best weapon whereby wee can fight against him is the sword of the Spirit Scripture should be expounded by Scripture The summe of our Sauiours answere to this temptation How men tempt God In his prouidence In his mercie In his Iustice By neglecting the ordinarie meanes Both the wing◠of Sathans army being discomfited he now comes forward with his maine battell Sathan againe seeketh vantage by the place Num. 23. Christ tempted here at the eye with a faire shew at the eare with faire offers How it is that Sathan presented to the eye of our Lord al the kingdomes of the world One of Sathans customable policies is to infect the heart by the eye And therfore if we would keepe the heart we should first haue a care to keepe the eye Augu. Gregor lib. 21. Moral Nazian in deploratio calam animae sua Sathan speakes of earthly kingdomes but not of the heauenly which he hath lost Worldlings by their talke declares that they are of the same spirit Gregor Moral lib. 7. Sathans great subtiltie in shewing the glory of worldly kingdomes but not their misery Earthly kingdomes may be represented not so the heauenly 1 Cor. 29. Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 10. cap. 18. Ephes. 5. 14 Vanitie of earthly pleasures proued by their breuitie Heb. 11. 25. Gregor Moral lib. 15. Sathan hauing assaulted the eye of our Lord now goes about and assaults his eare Psal. 24. 1. In this he makes two notable lyes first in affirming that the kingdomes of the world were his How Sathan is called The God of the world Next he lies in pretending that hee would giue them to Christ which he neuer would albeit he might Sathans promises are alwaies to be distinguished from his performances Yet blinde worldlings follow Sathan as if the world were at his donation Sathan frames his temptations according to the estimation he hath of men He bids but a small price for such as hee knowes may be easily conquered ☜ This is their shame who doe Sathan seruice for small rewards Hee seekes more from men then he is able to giue vnto them If he offer earth it is vpon this condition that wee forsake heauen The blind folly of men bewitched with Sathans offers Many abhorre to be called Sathans worshippers who abhor not to be so indeede As namely they who worship the Lord otherwise then according to his owne will And they in like manner who serue their own beastly affections Rom. 6. 16. Why Christs last answere is sharper then any of the former In worship the Lord can suffer no companion 1 Sam. 7. 3. Papists worshipping others with God guiltie of Idolatry How the distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not excuse them Religious bowing of the knee to creatures a note of Idolaters Leuit. 2. 1. 2 King 18. 4. 2 King 23. 5. An obiection of the Aduersaries answered Worship and the glory of saluation should be reserued to the Lord onely Psal. 19. Ios. 10. 2. Cor. 6. Rom. 10. Psal. 119. 57. Psal. 119. 77. Mal. 2. 15. 1. Pet. 3. Aug. Nazian De ira cap. 5.
iniquitie but happy is he who repents in time that euer hee tooke any thing out of the hand of Sathan that so hee may get mercy while it is to be found But marke here yet further in that he offers to giue vnto Christ all the kingdomes of the world how he can frame his temptations to men according to that estimation which he hath of them great things offers he for them whom hee sees cannot easily be conquered but smaller for those of whom he accounts lesser euen as an experienced Marchant bids but a small price for that which is little in his estimation but spareth neither gold nor siluer to giue for that which he esteemes more precious or may make him most gaine there are some whom hee sees to be so base creatures that hee bids but a small price for them so bought hee Achan for a wedge of Gold and Esau for a messe of pottage and many an intemperate man like him for a belly-full of drinke so bought hee Iudas to doe him seruice for thirtie pieces of siluer and many a couetous man at this day doth hee hire to lye to sweare to forsweare and deceiue as wee see in buying and selling daily practised for one very small piece of mony whereas againe of others hee esteemes so much that hee offers them greater things to become his as high honours and rich rents but to none did hee euer make so liberall an offer as here vnto our Lord All the kingdomes of the world will I giue vnto thee c. And this I marke to make the men of the world ashamed who for smallest trifles make ship-wracke of their consciences and bowe downe to Sathan to serue him If there were no more but a sparke of true man-hoode and courage in them this were sufficient to beget in their hearts a disdaine of the Diuell that they see in his estimation they are but base creatures and therefore hee thinkes by smallest trifles to make conquest of them If thou wilt fall downe and worship me HItherto wee haue heard Sathans offer now followeth his petition wherein wee haue to see what it is hee craues for his offer For will hee thinke wee at any time giue any thing except it be for the better if hee giue any thing it is to get thy selfe for it Hee gaue Adam an Apple and thereby made him his owne slaue if mercifully the Lord had not recouered him hee offered Esau a messe of Pottage conditionally hee would loose his Birth-right and it is his daily practise to offer vnto men the things of this World but with such an hard condition as of necessitie bindes them to for-goe their part of that heauenly Kingdome and so like blinded fooles they lose them both Alas that men would alwaies remember that warning of our Sauiour If a man should gaine the whole world and lose his owne soule what recompence can it be vnto him What can Sathan giue vnto a man worthy of that which he would haue from him Shall a reasonable soule made to the Image of God and redeemed by the bloud of God come vnder the bondage and seruitude of Sathan for the vaine shew of any perishing pleasure that Sathan can offer vnto it The Lord open our eyes to discerne the deceit of this craftie Iugler that wee may beware of him that so oft as hee makes any offer vnto vs wee may giue him that wise and couragious answere which the fourtie Martyrs gaue the Deputie Putas ne tantum te daturum nobis quantum eripere contendis Dost thou thinke that thou canst giue vs so much as thou striuest to take from vs But here the men of the world I know will obiect and say Is there any man so beastly as to fall downe and worship the Diuell that is an impietie which all men abhorre to heare but would to God they thought it also an abhomination to doe it Wee are commanded to haue no God but one that is to trust in him onely to feare him to loue and obey him Wee are also commanded to worship him not after our owne will for that wil worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plainly condemned in which of these soeuer wee faile we fall in among them who are charged in Scripture to be worshippers of Sathan for there the worshippers of Idols of gold and siluer timber and stone which haue eyes and see not c. and the worshippers of Deuils are put in one ranke and though there be many who by corrupt iudgement faile not this way in the matter of Gods worship yet by reason of their peruerse affection and heart not rightly set to the loue and obedience of their God are charged also among those who haue gone after a strange GOD. Thus is the couetous man called an Idolater and the intemperate man said to haue his belly for his God And more generally euery man is declared to be a seruant vnto that whereunto hee giues obedience as hee that will not obey the Lord by sanctification of the Saboth nor by sanctification of his owne body in that holy manner which GOD hath commanded him or hee that in the pride and impenitencie of his spirit careth not to deliuer all that hee hath yea himselfe both soule and body to Sathan If these and such as they be be examined according to the rule of the Word it will be found they are worshippers of Sathan in deede how euer in their words they say it is an abhominable thing to doe it And Iesus answered and said THis last answere which our Lord giueth to Sathans last temptation is sharper then any of the former teaching vs by his example that wee should not so much as here it required of vs without anger that we should giue the glory of God to any other then himselfe especially to his aduersary It is true that Sathan in all his temptations should be resisted but sometime hee is to be repelled rather with a disdainefull reiecting of him then with reasoning as namely when hee dare be so bold as to deny those grounds of Religion which most iustly are to be holden for vndoubted truths then is this answere meete for him Hence from me Sathan For it is written THe testimonie our Sauiour alledgeth against him is out of Deut. 10. ver 20. Out of which it is cleare that in the matter of Worship the Lord will suffer no Companion If yee come said Samuel to the Lord with all your heart then put away the strange Gods from among you for yee cannot keepe both If God be the Lord said Elijah then follow him if Baal be hee then follow him the Lord can suffer no halting betweene two Out of which it is euident that the Aduersaries while they part the worke of our saluation ascribing part of it to Christs satisfaction and part to humane satisfactions while againe they part the worke of mediation