just man when he was robb'd of his goods and cattel had his houses burnt his children slain and his body filled with botches and sores neither chargeth these on the Chaldeans Sabeans or Egyptians nor on the fire no nor on the Devil himself but acknowledging the hand of God in all gives God thanks for all saying It is thou Lord who gavest all that hast taken away all and blessed be thy name that is the power and mercy of the Lord and in all this Job sinned not Job 1.21 nor charged God foolishly but wisely and thankfully entertained these sufferings as great benefits and blessings from the Lord. We finde S. Paul vehemently afflicted complaining of the thorn in his flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 and the messenger of Satan buffetting him suppose these to be like unto the wrongs and injuries done thee by thine enemies and then learn by S. Pauls example how to behave thy self in this case where we hear the Apostle praying thrice that is earnestly and often that it might depart from him and though his Saviour had promised that whatever he asked in his name it should be granted yet in this case S. Paul is not heard but his suffering is continued but know why for though the thorn and the devil bâ— not removed yet they are continued for his greater good for by them he hath the presence and assistance of Gods grace for so the Spirit of God answered My grace is sufficient for thee V. 9. and hereupon the Apostle in stead of grieving or complaining most gladly rejoyceth that the power of Christ may rest upon him and for this cause he not onely rejoyceth but as there he professeth he takes pleasure in his reproaches necessities persecutions and distresses and he gives his reason for all When I am weak saith he to the world and the flesh then am I strong and comforted in the Lord Can there be any greater benefit then this redounding to the heart of man while he suffers and revengeth not the hate and wrongs of his enemies whereby saith our Saviour ye are not onely made like to your Father Matâ— 5. â—8 but are made perfect like your Father And this may satisfie the question Whether it be of more merit to love a friend or an enemy which is answered first by that of our Savior to love your friends and those that love you is to do no more then the publicans and sinners do and he that doth but this saith our Saviour hath his reward in returning love for love but to love our enemies saith Christ is to attain the height and perfection of love and so be like and perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect The old Proverb with the Heathen was I am a friend till I come to be sacrificed for my friend but then no longer a friend but God saith S. Paul commendeth his love towards us that he would dye for us Rom. 5.8 while we were yet sinners that is as in another place they are called enemies so that the height perfection and merit of Christian love is seen in the love of our enemies more then of our friends We may urge this duty further from the great and eternal reward held forth and promised to the lovers of their enemies in a tempest on the sea when the ship is tossed the best way to keep thy brains steady is to look up to heaven the application is ready at hand and this course took that holy Martyr S. Stephen Acts 7.34 who when his enemies gnashed upon him with their teeth as enraged against him be then saith the Text looked stedfastly into heaven where he â—â—w the glory of God and Jesus on his right hand and this caused him not onely to pray for himself Lord Jesus receive my spirit but to pray for his persecuting enemies saying Lord lay not their sins to their charge It is storied of Abraham that his seed should be strangers in Egypt where they should serve Gen. 1â— 13 and be afflicted 400 years but that nation God saith be will judge and not onely so but that his Israel shall go forth out of Egypt with great substance and after that shall go to their fathers in peace and shall be buried in a good old age so that the patient suffering of the worlds injuries is rewarded with freedom plenty of goods long life honorable burial and peace that peace of God which S. Paul saith passeth all understanding Christ when he gave this law of love to our enemies hath explained and made it Gospel-proof when he saith Hereby ye shall make God your Father and if he be our Father then we are his Sons and if Sons saith S. Paul then also we are heirs with Christ in the heavenly kingdom The last reason to provoke us to this duty may be the example of Christ and the holy ones praying for their enemies and the inevitable necessity that we cannot in this world live without enemies and therefore are to make as we say a vertue of necessity and therein imitate God who draweth sweet out of sowre and good out of evil and by a godly alchymie draw patience from their persecution and praise to God for granting us patience and a greater reward after all our sufferings If some Country as Crete Ireland or the like want poysonous beasts yet no land or countrey is without contentious rancorous men yea no village is without some such for aâ— David said so may we They have compassed me round about and are as bulls and lyons roaring and seeking where and whom to devour I have read of one who foolishly bragg'd that be had never an enemy in the world to whom another more wisely replied saying Then I conceive you have never a friend for sure there is not a man living that hath any thing in him worthy a man but for his wisdome his justice his valour his honour or wealth he shall be envied quarrelled with pursued or persecuted so that he that will think to live free from these must as S. Paul go out of this world In this world saith our Saviour unavoidably ye must and shall suffer tribulation onely be of good comfort saith the same Saviour for I have overcome this world and that by my suffering and leaving this act and suffering of mine as an example to you that as I so ye likewise should suffer For so not onely Moses S. Stephen and S. Paul did suffer and yet pray for their enemies and persecutors but above all let our Lord and Master Christ be as our Law-giver so in this our pattern and example for imitation who descending from heaven and humbling himself to the ignominious death of the Cross for his desperate enemies yet then on the Cross suffering under them prayed for them in these words Father forgive them Luk. 23.34 for they know not what they do their malice hatred and revenge is such that they know not what they do
be content to be alone in the world without any society or solace but their wealth For when all other creatures Angels beasts plants live and move as ministring Spirits helps and nourishments for man yet man as if he were made only for himself desires all to terminate and end in himself as though he desired to be the sepulchre or grave wherein all the world should be buried I observe the subtile Serpent the Devil Matt. 4. â— 9 when he tempted Christ he began his temptation on him as on the Son of God and used two subtile arguments to worke upon him thereby to show his power but when these weapons in the Devils hands were soon repelled by our Saviour the Devil then sets upon him as a man and though he knew well his severall batteries yet at first that he might not be long about his work and be foiled a third time he used that which he knew seldome failed and this was to shew him 〈…〉 kingdoms and glory of the world and to 〈…〉 him all these which when the Devil 〈…〉 that Christ refused he then perceived that Christ was more then man and then and not till then the text faith the Devil left him for he saw it was time to leave tempting him any further knowing that if the proffer of the worlds wealth would not perswade that nothing could be able to move him And being upon this temptation I cannot but observe another thing in it that the Devil in his two former temptations layed the baites so that they might seem to be for Christs good as in the first to turn stones into bread to relieve his hunger and in the second to cast himself down from the pinacle of the Temple to manifest his power whereas in this last temptation when he offers Christ the worlds wealth he plainly professeth it that the end thereof was and is only this that he might be brought to worship him And when S. Paul saith that Covetousness is idolatry herein the covetous man proves it Col. 3.5 that he doth worship and adore as his God Mammon which in the Syriack tongue signifies riches and see how in this worship the covetous man imitates or apes the right worshippers of the true God For doth the true worshipper of God often fast and pray to God Doth he disobey the commands of Parents and Superiors to gain God doth he suffer shame labour pain losse of health and life for God Why all this doth the covetous man for his God Mammon and herein hath proved the Apostles words fully in evidencing himself to be an 〈◊〉 or a worshipper of the heathens God 〈…〉 who having his name from riches was 〈…〉 â—â—m feigned to be the God of hell and the â—â—ch mans God Judas we know was Christs purse-bearer and is called in the Gospel the theef and the traytor now when the Devil had an especiall piece of service to be performed as the betraying the Lord of life to death he surely bethought himself where to find out a proper and fit instrument for this damnable design and having thought probably on the other eleven Apostles the seventy Disciples and other followers of Christ yet he pitched on none of these as fit for his purpose but Judas knowing him to wait on Christ only for profit was confident that this was the man for his turn and therefore as S. John speaks 〈◊〉 13.2 the Devil put it into the heart of Judas to betray his Master which he did for thirty peeces of silver as an other text hath it for so vile and base a price the covetous wretch would betray his Soveraign Lord. And from this part of the story observe again that as Judas carried his Master Christs purse so he was purse-bearer to the Devil and this purse of the Devils was Judas his heart and into this the Devil put the thought of betraying Christ for money so that this double purse that I may so call it of Judas his heart though it were carried by Judas yet the Devil had both power and a share in it so that for the present the Devil and Judas might be said to go halfes though at the last and casting up the reckoning the Devil will have all for in this point the purse of the heart the Devil is as covetous as his servant the Idolater for as the Covetous person desires all the whole purse of gold so the Devil not caring for the gold 〈…〉 this to the Covetous as his reward but 〈…〉 that which pleaseth him the whole purse 〈…〉 is the covetous mans heart Now to turn back Can we say that the covetous man having forfeited and given up his heart for the worlds goods that he hath and injoyes the goods of the world we cannot deny but that he possesseth much but can we say properly that he hath them but rather that he is had by them for he is rather their slave then they his servants but if he may in some sort be said to be master of them in that he commands them to build him stately houses and purchase ample revenues and they obey yet I cannot say that he hath them as Lords of lands are said to have them for ever for the Psalmist tells us that which we dayly see I have seen these men in great power Psal 37.35 and spreading themselves like a green-bay tree But how long sees he this truly no longer as we say then you may tell ten for in the next verse v. 36. I sought him but he could not be found for be was passed away and loe he was not So that the man hath resigned up his interest by death and being gone from his wealth hee hath them not for himself for ever No nor for his heires or assignes hath he them for ever for that verse before cited in the Psalme which our translation renders he could not be found speaking of the person the other vulgar edition reades his place could no where be found as though soon after his departure his Mansion house and land were sold or alienated to some other and not to his heires or assignes Christ when he askes the rich man when thy soul is gone Luk. 12.22 whose shall these things be which thou hast provided intimates that 〈◊〉 â—ich man could not tell Tell he might to 〈…〉 he intended them but who should have 〈◊〉 hold them neither the rich man nor the best Lawyer can with good assurance tell us And yet could we say that the man the owner of his wealth may prove so happy as to have it for himself and his after him yet the question may be whether either of them may be strictly said to enjoy them for the care in getting the fear in keeping the sorrow in parting but above all the trouble of conference for these cares feares and griefes are such as well may be thought to qualifie or allay that which may be called the enjoyment of wealth Yea many
sight of the Lord yet because he might have been unprepared at that time therefore God gave him time to think and prepare himself and that all things were not so well in order for the soul of that good King as they should have been for a dying man it appears by the message of the Lord sent unto him saying set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live They come short who say by house here is meant only houshold affaires for can we think that God had more respect or care to these then to the soul of Hezekiah which is the Temple and house of God though trusted to Hezekiahs keeping and when Hezâ—kiah is commanded to set his house in order before his death 2 King 18.3 it is apparent enough that somewhat therein necessary to be put in better order was out of good order and therefore as apparent it is that the very best may pray if for no other reason though many more there are yet for this that he may set his house in order before he dye for as the best swept house may gather some dust or uncleannesse in an hour so the purest soule of man and therefore as he is ever bound to pray Lord forgive me so he is ever bound to pray From sudden death good Lord deliver me that he may before his death say the same prayer which many suddenly surprised by death have not had time to say neither at their death to pray or say as S. Stephen or our most blessed Saviour who though they were before their deaths approach as well prepared for death as could be yet even then and as blessing God for this benefit and mercy they prayed not only for themselves but for others whereas he who is suddenly stroke dead hath no time with that blessed Martyr or the son of God to say Father forgive them or Lord have mercy on me The theef that dyed near Christ found this as an especiallmerc y from heaven that before his death he had time and grace to say Luk. 23.42 Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome and this mercy was a thousand times greater to the theef on the Crosse then if he had dyed on his bed without prayer I am not ignorant that such seeming Saints as mislike of this prayer against sudden death reply that men are daily put in mind of their death by the frequent preaching of the Gospel and the hourly spectacles of mortality and these are enough to prepare them against a sudden death I know that the like frequent preaching might be means enough and sufficient to prevent and resist all sin and is it therefore so effectual but that notwithstanding al the preaching sin continues I would I could say it abounds not for all the preaching and would I could not truly say that it more abounds by the latter kind of preaching But tell me I pray did not Noah preach unto the old world of the deluge which should destroy them and therefore that they should repent and be prepared for death had not Sodome fair warnings in the like kind and had not Jerusalem caveats and preparatives given it by Christ himself to prepare and prevent that which might suddenly fall on them But did these warnings and preachings produce the effect and to tell us we should be ever prepared for death is no more then to tell us we should avoid all sinne but this telling this preaching works not ever the effect for which preaching was ordained and therefore in Gods name pray against sudden death In the Prophet Ezekiel and the Revelations of S John Ezek. 1â— Rev. 1. we find the Beasts said to be full of eyes as though they had eyes not only in their heads but in their hands feet tongues that all should watch against the approach of death and for a preparation to Judgement and not only the Apostles but Christ himself often preached this lesson to his disciples and lest they might forget it three times a little before his departure out of the world Christ bids his disciples watch Mat. 26. and in the parable of the Virgins he gives the reason of this advise for ye know neither the day nor the hour Mat. 25.13 wherein the son of man calleth either to death or judgement For as it is in another parable he shall come secretly and closely as a theef that he may not be discovered Mar. 13.39 but take thee unawares he shall come in the night therefore saith he that you be not surprised watch He that hath any enterprise or great work to do and hath but an hour a day or a week or a short set time allotted for the same how carefull he is to observe the time how it passeth that it slips not away before his work be ended And can man be sayed to have any greater work to finish then so to negotiate and do his business here that he may be ready and prepared whensoever he shall be summoned by death to give an account of his stewardship and so not fear that doome Go thou accursed into hell fire but rather that other Come ye blessed of my Father enter into the kingdome prepared for you S. Peter for close of this point 2 Pet. 3. 16 11 12 is most worthy our reading and best consideration Seeing saith he the Lord will come suddenly unexpectedly and to us uncertainly as a theef in the night what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God And as the frailty and uncertainty of mans life should instrnct us to this so should the iniquity and misery thereof cure the itch of the desire of life which is no less to the best then what Job speaks Job 14.1 Ge. 47.9 man is of few days and full of trouble which is verified in Jacob who pronounced his to be such when he sayed Few and evill have the days of the years of my life been the years few but all the days full of evill of evill either of sin to be lamented or of affliction to be suffered and for this cause as many Philosophers blamed nature as a stepmother to man so many nations and people rejoyce at their friends going out but weepe at their comming into the world And Tertullian hath a conceit call it a conceit because I cannot warrant it that male children as soon as born express their lamentation by A A as sons of Adam and the females by E E as comming from Eve the parents of all their misery and sorrow Yet this is apparent that when God had fashioned the earth and the two great lights Gen. 1â— the Sun and the Moon and after that he had made the waters and the beasts that after every days work of each of these it is said God saw them that they were good which he forbeares to speak of man in speciall
being beloved directs the soul without any force to a return of a love reciprocall And as love mollifies the heart of the beloved drawing from it a return of love so this return of love gives ample satisfaction and reward as it were for that love that was bestowed And so the Spouse in the Canticles Can. 1.2 for her love to her beloved desires some kisses as testimonies for the assurance of his love to her again And neither the first nor the second neither an inviting nor the return'd love are purchased wonne or procured by gifts greatnesse or power These have no force on a generous heart to cause love which is onely begotten by it self through love and this may be well called the mysterie of love that the same thing and nothing else should beget it self And this love being of so rare an extraction so amiable and so much to be desired we shall finde God of all things desiring it and in comparison of it nothing else but our love and therefore useth it as a conjuration to the effecting his will and commands as when he saith John 21.16 If ye love me keep my commandments to Peter thee times as it were in a breath lovest thou lovest thou lovest thou me Peter and then follows three times Peter feed feed feed For this thou canst not chuse but do and keep my 〈…〉 Love as we say breaks through stone walls intimating that nothing is hard to a loving heart but that this tender love as is said of the milke of the Goat is able to mollifie and soften the hardest Adamant God willing to draw man to himself first used his power shewed in the great deluge of the world after that he used his goodnesse bringing his people out of Egypt into a goodly and plentifull Land but when neither power nor goodnesse prevailed he takes the ready course if any could prevail to shew his love unto them in sending his onely Son into the world there to suffer so ignominious a death for them And if this did not he never meant to use other means to draw them to him For if love such love could not then nothing in heaven earth or hell can work or move their conversion Charit as Christi urget nos saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 3 14. the love of Christ this this or nothing doth or can with a sweet delightfull force as it were constrain us Christ sheweth this in the parable of the Creditor and Debtor concluding that to whom most was forgiven that he should and must love most For love freely shewed to the well beloved may be resembled to the depositing or trusting a great Treasure in a friends chest or Cabinet which friend if he return it not when desired deserves the note and estimation not of ungratefull alone but of a false and most wicked man and no friend CHAP. XII The Love of God is not to be parallel'd THe essence or being of God is pure and simple and the infinity of his attributes and perfections are single so that his omnipotency is his mercy his mercy is his justice his justice his goodnesse his goodnesse his love neither is there in these any distinction reall or formall onely mans apprehension conceiteth a variety in this simple unity Now the love of God differeth from the love of man as in many other things so in this that mans love oft times wants power to effect what it loves and desires whereas Gods love is both operative and effective it both works and accomplisheth whatever it will so that to love with God is the same thing as to do us good And this is so large as to do that beyond which nothing more can be done Isaiah expresseth this in Gods person saying Isa â— 4 What could have been done more that I have not done so that if we would enter into and consider all the works of Gods love in creating redeeming sanctifying and glorifying man how can they be fathomed mans soule cannot apprehend it in the least degree To help mans weakensse in this and by shadows as it were to make some appearance of this love Isa 49.15 the Prophet Isaiah tells us of the love of a mother to her childe when he asks the question Can a mother forget her sucking childe that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe Which can she is as much as she cannot but saith God If she could yet such is my love to man that I will not I cannot my love is my self and therefore I may be said as well to forget my self as to forget or deny my love to mine own Image man The Prophet Isaiah seems to go a little farther by a similitude to set forth Gods love when he compares it to the love of a Bridegroome 〈◊〉 62.5 married to a Virgin in whom he is delighted and rejoyceth saith the text where it addeth and so shall thy God rejoyce over thee Nay the Prophet Jeremiah goes farther yet saying If a man put away his wife for her lewdnesse and adultery shall he return unto her again â—eâ— 3.1 But thou Judah lift up thine eyes unto the high places and see where thou hast not been lien with in the waies thou hast sate for them and thou hast polluted the Land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickednesse and yet heare the husband of this wife which is God notwithstanding all this crying out and proclaiming thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet returne againe to me saith the Lord. Tell me now whether a greater love can be exprest than this in God As the love of God is infinite so might I be in the prosecution of this argument but I contract my self and wish you to remember that as God in holy Writ is parabolically called King Father Husband Physician Shepherd Head of his Church so under all these and many other names and notions his love is manifest unto us for as the head he governs as the Shepherd he leads us to good pastures and defends us from destroying beasts as the Physician he cures and heals our infirmities and soares as an husband he imbraceth and delighteth in and rejoyceth over us as a Father he nourisheth and provideth for us and as a King he not onely protects us from oppression and danger but gives us honours yea makes us heires with his onely begotten Son Christ Jesus to reigne with him in his heavenly Kingdom for ever And is there any love that can be compared to this All that I will adde for close is this love requires love And O my soule though thou wilt not love this thy Father this thy King first yet when he hath so super abounded in his love to thee too flinty hearted I must needs say thou art if thou shalt refuse to return all the love thy heart can affoord or conceive to him again for that infinite and endlesse love which he hath bestowed on thee Chap. XIII By the
loved her not because he did not open the secrets of his heart unto her for so she said How canst thou say I love thee when thy heart is not with me and when thou tellest me not where thy great strength lieth When God purposed the destruction of Sodome Gen. 18.17 he saith I know Abraham that he will command his children and his houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement Here God rests assured in Abraham's love and service to him and what followeth why this that though God intended a secret and sudden burning of Sodome yet he will not do it before he acquaints Abraham therewith and therefore saith Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do We reade the like of God to Moses Exo. 33.9.13 that when God spake face to face with Moses in the Tabernacle that there was a cloudy pillar at the Tabernacle doore so that the people might not see them And at this interview and conference betwixt God and Moses Moses saith unto God If I have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way The Prophet saith Psa 147.19 20. the Lord shewed his word unto Jacob. And then addeth He hath not dealt so with any Nation but this his beloved And S. Paul saith Col. 1 2◠The mysterie of salvation by Christ Jesus hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest to his Saints In a word he that loveth me saith Christ John 14 21. shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and 〈…〉 my 〈◊〉 unto him And accordingly he saith unto his Disciples To you as my friends it given to know the mysterie or secrets of the Kingdome of God but unto those that are without all these things are done in parables And why in parables to these that seeing Mark 4◠11. saith Christ they may see and not perceive and hearing they may heare and not understand lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them Whence we may gather and learn that whom God loves to those he reveals his word and will so that they may see and heare and understand it to their conversion and salvation of their souls which none can deny to be an especiall argument of Gods love the fruition whereof the Lord grant unto us in Jesus Christ CHAP. XVI God seemeth to be solitary without man which is an especiall argument of his love to man THe Scriptures tell us of thousands of Angels that attend Christ and in the Gospels we finde them upon all occasions at his birth in his life and at his passion with him how then having such a company of holy Spirits ever with him and at his command can he be said to be alone if without man It is true in respect of the sweet society of Saints and Angels he cannot be truly said to be alone yet in regard that he made man to his own Image and every one loves that which is most like unto himself and that God hath said My delight is to be with the Sons of men in this respect without this his like with whom he is delighted he may well be said to be alone In the parable of the lost sheep Matth. 18.12 it is seen that the shepherd had 99. besides that which was strayed yet he left them all Suppose these to be the Saints and Angels in heaven and all to seek the one that was lost which is man The Prophet saith Psal 33.10 The Lord looked down from Heaven to behold the Sons of men and seeing them captiv'd by the Devill weltring in their filth of sin and therefore lamentably afflicted for them he came down and never rested but underwent all travell hardnesse and death that he might exalt them and bring them where himself was to have his everlasting residence in Heaven God under the Law when he saw his Israel scattered in Egypt he rested not till he brought them together and though in the wildernesse yet there he commanded them to make a Tabernacle and after that a large and glorious Temple that he might be with them and injoy as it were their company there together And Christ God in heaven that he might have the company of man he descended from heaven and as though this were too little to have the more full society of man he took his nature and was made man yea so that as it was spoken of Adam to Eve he was so married to mans nature that he might truly say He is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh More yet see Christ in his agony and torture on the Crosse and wanting the company of his Disciples and men believing in him he cries out My God! my God! Mat. 27.46 why hast thou forsaken me and as soon as the the Thief on the one hand was converted and prayed unto him Lord Luk. 23.43 remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome he was so pleased with this that he readily granted his petition and told him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and so gently departed and took his new convert with him to Heaven And it is the opinion of many ancient and learned Fathers that the Saints and holy men which rose out of their graves at the time of our Saviours resurrection that they likewise as pleasing company ascended with Christ into Heaven there to be with him and as of the Chore to sing continuall Allelujahs of glory Glory to the Lamb that was and is and ever shall be S. Hierome cries out O ungrateful man to thy God who ever thou art considerest thou not the wonderful and unspeakable love of him the Lord of heaven to be thus delighted and to do and to suffer so much for thee and thinkest thou thy self best when thou art in the company of the wicked blasphemers murderers adulterers drunkards and profane persons return rather Shunamite return and run to him who is delighted with thee and is thy Saviour CHAP. XVII Charity is most eminent among all the vertues EVery vertue hath its proper opposites as liberality hath covetousnesse and prodigality to encounter whereas Charity is enemy to and opposeth not two or more but all vices And if any particular sin be more opposite to Charity then other it is the enmity to God And it being so that there is no sin that man committeth but more or lesse is tainted with this enmity hereby Charity is become a generall enemy and opposer of all sin When David had wickedly deflowred the wife of his faithfull Souldier Vriah and basely slaughtered the husband here were sins of murder adultery scandall and all these sins and enmities against his neighbour but as though these were nothing in comparison of that one sin and enmity to God Psa◠51.4 he saith Against thee alone O Lord have I sinned But although against this sin principally Charity opposeth her
forces yet no lesse doth she abhor and resist all other sins of the lower rank S. Paul when he saith Charity suffereth long 1 Cor. 13.4 what saith he lesse than that as the impatient man acts against the long suffering Charity so Charity works against all impatience and as Charity that envieth not is assaulted by the envious so Charity fighteth against envy and as Charity that vaunteth not nor is puffed up is opposed by pride so Charity labours to beat down pride And what from S. Paul I have said of those sins mentioned is alike true of those other sins instanced by S. Paul and of all other sins committed in the world And therefore not onely the Apostles but their and our Lord and Master Christ hath taught us this lesson that Charity is the fulfilling of the Law Insomuch as Rom. 13.10 so far as Charity can prevail to the killing of sin Mat. 22.40 which is the transgression of the Law she may well be called the fulfilling of the Law And so high an esteem had our Lord Christ of the great virtue and power which Charity hath in the work of our salvation that when he had largely preached of the whole duty of man and given him many precepts and expositions of the Decalogue necessary to be understood and followed by old and young learned and illiterate for the relief of mans memory and the greater incouragement to his proceeding he summes up all and tells us all the Law and all that God requires of man is nothing else but Charity that is love to God and for his sake love to thy neighbour S. Augustine addeth that as God calls himself Love who is all in all 1 John 4.8 for all things are from him by him and for him so the like in a quailfied and reverend sense we may speak of Love or Charity we say he that hath not houses nor Vineyards nor Lands yet if he hath Money he hath potentially all so may we say of Charity in respect of other graces and endowments of the soul In the place before cited S. Paul speaks that of himself 1 Cor. 13.1 which the best of men may say of themselves with the like truth that could I preach as though I spoke with the tongue of Angels yet this without Charity will make me but like an empty sound of brasse or like the bell in the sleeple that calls others to the Church and so to Heaven while it self hangs without doors Nay do I give all my goods to the poore and my body to martyrdome for the truth and have no charity these will profit me nothing Yea if I understand all the mysteries of God and have all faith saith he and have not Charity observe this he saith not of this last as of the former gifts of preaching martyrdome or goods that these without Charity profit nothing but he saith that although he hath all understanding all knowledge and all saith yet these without Charity make him not onely as a sound or which profiteth nothing but he saith that having these and not having Charity he is plainly nothing nothing as in Gods acceptance and nothing as appertaining to the Kingdome of Heaven The Prophet Isaiah tells the people that God regards not Isa 1. but abhors the sacrifices which he requires of them and that when they lift up their hands to Heaven he will hide his eyes and not see them and when they make many long and loud prayers unto him yet he will not hear them And how or why is God become so averse to his own commands and ordinances the Prophet tells us the cause is want of Charity when he saith Your hands are full of blood your works are full of evill injustice and oppression In a word I see not I hear not saith God but I abhor you and your works because both want Charity Much like this hath the same Prophet Isa 58. taxing the falshood of the Israelites who hypocritically cried out saying Have we not held our Fasts and have we not afflicted our souls yet thou O Lord seest not neither takest thou knowledge of our holy acts To whom the Lord in truth makes answer T is true I neither see nor take knowledge nor pleasure in your sounds and shews of holinesse For in or by these saith God ye exact your labours or things wherewith ye grieve others And ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickednesse and call ye this your fasting saith God no saith he the fast that I have chosen is to loose the bands of wickednesse to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoak of Taxes Excize and the like these these and not praying preaching fasting with murder robbery and oppression are the works of Charity well pleasing to and required of God Without which no man by his crying Lord Lord Mat. 7.23 shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven CHAP. XVIII Our love to God is to precede all other loves SUch was the exceeding goodnesse of God to his people that he knowing the many delights and enticements of the world the flesh and the Devill to withdraw mans love from his God that he not onely wrote in the heart of man that he was to love his Creator but that he might never forget it he gives him this as a spirituall Law written in the Tables of stone Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Deut. 6. with all thy soul and with all thy might In which words not onely the precept is exprest to love him but the reason is annexed because he is the Lord of all and thy God in speciall And that thou mayest keep this commandment it shall be in thy heart And because from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh therefore thou shalt talk of it sitting walking lying rising that thy children thereby may learne the same and thou shalt binde it on thine hand and between thine eyes and shalt write it upon the posts of thine house and on thy gates I do not remember that any law or precept was so largely and strongly injoyned as this binding heart tongue eyes and all the faculties of the soul to love God Probably some may demand wherefore the Almighty should so earnestly and desirously require our love before or more then any or all things else that are in mans power In answer whereunto I may say that man hath nothing else to present that is so much his own or that is so much worthy of Gods acceptance nor so easie and beneficiall to himself for man to give as his love And therefore that which is least painfull or chargeable and most easie and beneficiall to the giver man and which withall is most pleasing to the Receiver God God the Receiver in his infinite goodnesse hath required of man the giver onely his love If a man were in danger to lose
then Esau the elder I and Jacob affected his two youngest Joseph and Benjamin more then his first born Reuben and Simeon and King David placed the crown on the head of Salomon contrary to the Jews law and custome though he had six sons elder then Salomon and a great part of this act in King David we may ascribe to the affection policy and power of Batsheba the mother as that other the like act of Isaac in preferring Jacob to Esau may be attributed to Rebecca Now from this root of love in the parents shoot out the branches of their care in nursing breeding and providing for their children all which are so naturall and necessary that who neglects the performance of these duties deserves not the name of father and mother nor yet so much as to be called Syre or Damme for beasts and birds generally performe these cares for their young untill they are able to provide for themselves for did we ever know or read that an Ewe a Doe or a Sow put out her young to nurse or would suffer any other to give their young suck but themselves so long as themselves were able to do it and must we conceive that nature hath less power or works less in a woman which hath reason then in a beast or will ye have me think that reason and grace which add unto and strengthen the gifts of nature do both weaken nature in the woman and if not which indeed cannot be thought by any indued with grace or reason why then think we that nature hath given the mother breasts and fountains of milk if not to suckle her young or why think ye that a strange womans milk should be so naturally and properly good for the child as the mothers which brought it into the world and why rather consider you not that as children with the milk draw that humour which makes for the good or ill of their bodies so many by sucking cruell drunken unchast women have become such in quality and condition as their nurses were It may be instanced in Tiberius Commodus Emperors of Rome and divers others but not to be long on this subject remember that Sarah is said to have given her son suck from which act I shall draw no other inference but that of S. Peter 1 Pet 3.6 whose Daughters ye are as long as ye do well doing as she did who gave suck to her child But the mothers duty ends not in this but that she with the husband and each and both must labour with the soonest to administer the spirituall milk of the knowledge and fear of God thereby to nourish the childs soul to everlasting life and this duty lies more straightly and strongly upon the parent in as much as the soul the Temple of God is more excellent of greater esteem then the body which is but an house of clay The father and mother of Samson inquire of the Angell of the Lord saying Judge 13 12. How shall we order the child and bow shall we do unto him and that the child Samuel may be ordered aright his mother brings him very young to the house of the Lord and she lent saith the text or returned him to the Lord 〈◊〉 1 2â—.8 to be his as long as he lived and what follows so good an entrance and beginning I Sam. 2.11 as in the very next chapter that the child according to his matriculation did ever after minister unto the Lord. And what the further duties of parents are in this kind S. Paul intimâ—â—es in one place when he saith I Thes 2.11 I exhort and not only so but I charge you as a father doth his children that ye walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdome and in another text he expresseth it more plainly as a precept to parents fathers bring up your children in the nuâ—ture and fear of the Lord. and if you will have a more especiall and particular account of the severall lessons to be taught this child you may read them set down by the wise man in his Proverbs â—â—ov 4. where that whole chapter contains the full instruction of a child in the ways of godliness and the fruit thereof the parents shall find in the same book where it is said Prov. 23. â—4 The father of the righteous shall have great joy and be shall rejoyce that hath a wise son And that Parents may receive this joy Prov. 22. â— the wise man counsels them Train up or catechise the child in his youth in the way he should go Prov. 23.13 14. and with hold not correction from the child for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not die but thou shalt deliver his soul from hell Prov. 29. â—5 Whereas a child left to himself brings his mother to shame I have read of a son who on the Gallows called to speak with his father where he bit off his eare telling him that if he had done the part of a Father in training him up with due correction he had never come to that end And was not Eli to blame suffering his sons to behave themselves wickedly when all the correction he gave them was Why do ye so my sons And what was it leste if not more in Lot to drink immoderatâ—ly with his daughters whereby he came to uncover both their nakednesse and Jacob himself deserved to be reprehended for suffering his daughter Dinah to ramble among the strange young men whereby she caught that clap which caused so much bloud-shed the Apostle therefore saith what son is he whom the father chastneth not Heb. 12.7 8 9. yea and if the son be without chastisement then is he a bastard and no son but if chastned he gives his father reverence and the mother saith S. Paul 1 Tim. 5.10 that hath brought up her children in the faith is well reported of whereas the Prophet tells us that it became a proverb Ezek. 16.44 as is the daughter so is the mother which appeared true in David whose children after himself had committed folly and murder were found loose rebellious and murderers And yet to this admonition lest Parents grow too severe and rigid I must give this caution that Parents be not like Rehoboam to threaten or use scorpions that is whips having sharp thongs like points of thorns or stings of Serpents but ever that they remember the counsell of the Apostle Eph. 6.4 Fathers provoke not your children unto wrath lest that as himself speaks they may be discouraged Col. 3.21 correction with discretion and moderation is the chastisement required in a father to his child for that as S. Gal. 4 â— Paul speaks the heir as long as he is a childe differeth not from a servant And yet the duty of the Parent ends not here but extends it self to a further point that he provide for his child the Apostle is expresse herein when he saith