of the psalme which is this concerning the Morning star and aijeleth signifieth Stellam matulinā as well as ascensum aurorae Nowe seeing that this Psalme is a prophecie of Christ and that Christ is expresly called the Bright Morning starre Apoc. 22.16 the day starre by the Apostle 2. Pet. 1.19 and the day spring from an high Luk 1.78 The argument of the Psalme and this translation will very well sort together as we see Of the complaint the first part of the psalme In the complaint comprised in these two verses may be obserued thesed sixe seuerall points to be handled My God my God why hast thou forsaken c. which will cleare vnto vs the true meaning of the words which are darke and darkened more by some 1 How Christ could pray vnto God he beeing himselfe God equall to the father 2 How Christ could pray in faith seeing he could not beleeue in himselfe 3 How it can be said that Christ was not heard by God when he prayed 4 How Christ can be said to be forsaken of God These foure points appertayne to Christ the other two concerne Dauid the godly 5 How god forsooke Dauid and how he may be said to forsake his children 6 Lastly the properties of faith here exprest Vers 2. O my God I cry First how Christ God could pray vnto God For the clearing of this point consider we that Christ was God and so paraduenture could not pray vnto his father for that might seeme to imploy some disparagement to God the sonne being equall to the father open a gap for the heresie of Arrius but furthermore Christ also was man and so made vnder the lawe and so could and might yea and ought to pray as beeing a creature bound to worship the creatour yet besides this Christ beeing the mediatour of the Church according to both his natures he therfore prayed according to both his natures My 〈…〉 Go◠〈…〉 tho◠〈…〉 c. 〈…〉 thus his manhood actiuely powring forth prayer his godhead dignifying his prayer and making it meritorious and purchasing audience Christ prayed to his father therefore as man and as the mediatour Now if it be alledged that seing himselfe was God hee must therfore pray vnto himselfe which may seeme absurd or els if he do exclude himselfe then committ idolatry the answer is that he prayed to his father directly and primarily in respect of order the father being the first person in Trinitie ordine but indirectly inclusiuelie and secondarily he praied to himselfe and the holy Ghost also here the distinction of nature and person must be admitted necessarily againe it may be supposed that no absurditie would followe if we say that the second person in the trinitie did pray vnto the first that is did testifie his will to haue the Church saued but that is abusiuely in very hard Catachresis In summe it is no absurditie to say that a man may pray to himselfe that is perswade himselfe to grant that which is for his owne aduantage for as affectiō or desire sometime obtaineth of a man that which his iudgement disalloweth which is a kinde of praier or intreatie or contrariwise as the iudgement perswadeth the affection that which it disliketh so Christ-man may aske something of Christ-God and no absurdity as it seemeth be admitted Secondly how Christ could pray in faith V. 1 2 My God For the further enlightning of this doubt a distinction of faith must be remembred Faith is legall and euangelicall of the law and of the gospell Faith required in the lawe Adam had in paradise and Christ had when he prayed whereby the creature relieth it selfe vpon the creatour for all manner of good things deliuerance from all euill if Christ had wanted this faith he had not presently obeyed the law which to say were to blaspheme Euangelicall faith or the faith required in the gospell is that whereby the creature relieth it selfe vpon God through Christ and his mediatour beleeuing to obtaine all good things from him by the meanes of Christ now although Christ were made vnder the lawe yet he was not made vnder the gospell for he was not bound to faith and repentance as sinners are himselfe beeing without sinne he is the matter and author of the Gospell wherefore to the Christ to the obedience of the law through and by vertue of the Gospell as we are tied is to suppose him sinfull by making him his owne sauiour Wherefore to answer directly Christ praied a legall prayer as Adam did but Christ praied not an euangelicall prayer except we vnderstand an euangeli-praier in this sense that he made intercessiō for vs which may rather be called a meritorious praier Christ praied in faith of gods infinite mercy but not in faith of the pardon of sinne through a Sauiour which he needed not and which we neede Thirdly Howe was Christ not heard when he praied V. 2 But thou hearest not V. 1. Farre frō the words of my roaring There is no contradictions in holy scriptures although there may sōtime seeme shew of opposition we read in the Heb. 5.7 that Christ was hard from that which be feared here in this place we read that god did not heare Christ but was farre from the wordes of his roaring in shew here is an opposition but in substance things being aright distinguished there is none The art of reason teacheth that one rule of opposition is that the thinges opposed be opposite in the same sence secundum idem as the logicians say now Christ was hard in one sence and he was not heard in another sence and so the prophet the Apostle are not opposite wherefore thus these two places are both verified and may well be reconciled Christ was heard in that he was not swallowed vp of the wrath of god but was deliuered from it and from the power of our spirituall enemies again Christ was not heard in that gods wrath lighted vpon him and possessed his soule a competent season or thus 2. Christ was heard in regard of the conditions of his praier if it be possible and if it be thy will and againe Christ was not heard in regard of the petition absolutely considered without conditions or thus 3. Christ was heard as the children of God are heard to whome sometime the Lord denieth the very particular thing they aske and in liewe thereof giueth them a thing as good or better then it 2. Cor. 12.8 9. So the Lord did not deliuer Christ frō his wrath for he tasted the cuppe of his wrath as he saith Math. 20.22 But the Lord gaue him power and strength and grace to beare it and to vanquish it at the length for euen then did hee ouercome the wrath of God when Gods wrath killed him These things beeing thus distinguished we see the Prophet in this psalme and the Apostle in the Hebrews are not at variance so we perceiue also howe Christ was not heard when he
sacrifice into ashes which was a tipe of this fire which thus dryed and scorched our Sauiour Christ and melted his heart as waxe melteth at the sunne How came it to passe that Christs tongue claue to his Iawes My tongue cleaueth to my Iawes was it immoderate drought that caused it but then it should haue bene said to the palate but the prophet saith to the lawes according to the latine phrase vox faucibus haeret Christ was not able to speake but his words were halfe words words sounding a farre of faintly his tongue faultred as it were in speaking it may be that Christ was drie but that drought signified in the Gospell when they gaue him viniger mingled with gal should haue beene mentioned in the 16. verse in due place when he suffered vpon the crosse and not here where the effects of an other torture are repeated namely of that which imediately affected his soule as hath beene said surely in all likelihood of reason some extraordinary tortures are here implyed which produce so strang effects and make such deepe impressions in al the faculties of the soule animall vitall naturall reareasonable whereby the parts of the body seruiceable to the soule for the execution of her faculties are forsaken The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs carefully to auoid sinne which wrought such strange affectes in Christ satisfying for sinne beeing god also alas how shall wee vild wretches be able another day if it fall to our Lott for our sinnes to sustaine the least hellish torment it is no maruaile though the rich glutton in hel crie out of his tong though Baltashars knees knocke to gether though Iudas hanged himselfe and Cayn blasphemed and Saull fell vpon his sword seeing there are such intollerable effectes followe the warth of God euen in the sonne of God himselfe as are here mentioned Thou hast brought me into the dust of death Here the prophet turneth his speech vnto the Lord whereas before he had made a narration of the might mallice and mischeefe of his enemies how they had afflicted him by terour and temptation and how straungelie this affliction tortured him that it caused the faculties of the soule to intermit there functions in there proper parts of the bodie now he maketh an apostrophe as it were vnto the Lord and telleth him that it was he that had brought him to his death for though his estate nowe was in all likelihood of reason irrecouerable and remedilesse beeing spilt like water vpon the ground which cannot be gathered vp againe yet all this sorrowe did not kill him but he changeth his speech and saith thou hast brought me into the dust of death whēce two things may be obserued the one is that God had a stroak in the death of Christ not onely by permitting the Iewes to kill him which shall be handled afterward in the 16. and 17. verses but by pouring his wrath vpon him which hastened his death the sooner in so much as the historie in the gospell saith he was dead sooner then the theeues who died the same death with him as is likely which hastie death of Christs was caused no doubt by some inwarde cause which was Gods wrath that had wrought the former strange effectes in Christ that it may be properly said that God killed Christ rather then the Iewes though the Iewes also tortured his bodie so as that in time he should haue died The other thing that we note here is that all the might malice and mischeife of the deuills and the Iewes which was exprest in the torturing and tormenting of Christ could not haue killed Christ except God had killed him For Christ beeing God could if it had pleased him and if the decree of god had not beene otherwise haue retained his spirit cured his wound or destroyed his enemies that they should not haue beene able to wound him in regard whereof hee saith Ioh. 10.18 that he had power to lay downe his life and to take it vp againe and that his life was not wrested out of his hand but seeing God had decreed it otherwise therefore Christ must needes die and yet the principall crucifier of Christ that I may so speake generally was God himselfe who besides that he vsed the Iewes and the Deuills as his instruments to murder Christ yet he retayneth in his owne handes one soueraigne torture the most fearefull wrath of God to bee inflicted vpon Christ our surety in regard whereof the propet saith of Christ thou hast brought me into the dust of death Summarily to ende the torments which immediatly tortured Christs soule wee may here obserue that Christ was thus afflicted as is rehearsed alreadie both willingly and necessarily willingly in that he suffered the Deuills thus to assault him with terour and temptation necessarily in that God had a hand in killing him and bringing him to the graue which is deaths dust and indeed Christ did willingly and yet necessarily suffer all that hee suffered hence then two consequents followe immediately 1 Christ infinite loue that was content and willing to suffer such hardship for vs wretched caitifes and. 2 That no lesse then that which Christ suffered was sufficient for our redemption reconcilation to God seeing that he suffered all that he suffered necessarily for if it bee supposed that the least suffering of Christ had beene enough to haue appeased God towards vs then it is superfluous and vnnecessary that Christ should come into the dust of death should haue such straung effectes in his bodie before his death should be subiect to the terour and temptations of the deuil to the woundes and stripes of the Iewes but because it was necessary that Christ should suffer all these things and so enter into his glorie therefore the least suffering of Christ was not sufficient This also might call into question the lawe of God to his beloued sonne in that hee would bring him to the dust of death if it were not necessary and if it were necessarie that Christ should die that by Gods owne hand rather and more then by the Iewes woundes and the Deuills worke as is here noted I would knowe what that hand of God was if it was not the wrath of God working the former straung effectes in Christs bodie and if Christ must of necessity die why must he not of necessitie suffer Gods wrath properly shall we say Gods loue would not suffer that But Gods Iustice did require it and Gods loue would suffer him to die but necessitie vrged a despensation What necessity I pray you euen this perhaps that if Gods wrath had seazed vpon Christ hee would haue bene forsaken of God why he was forsaken of God Psal 22.1 all comfort was secluded from him and yet all grace was present with him but it was impossible that Christ should suffer gods wrath wherefore impossible because he was God therefore also it was impossible that he should die but possibility
nation it seemeth that noble men haue some priuiledge that way that they die not as other sorts of persons die And lastly the death of the tree hath no curse in it selfe we reade of diuers men that were godly men that died vpon the tree as the penitentiarie that died with Christ Christ himselfe also and experience teacheth vs that eeuery yeare for many men betwixt their condemnation and execution haue beene deepely humbled for there sinnes and so haue died the true seruants of God where fore the death of the crosse which Christ suffered was not thus accursed how then was it accursed surely by the iudiciall and ceremoniall lawe of Moses and not otherwise that lawe which Moses gaue from God the lawgiuer of the Iewes Deut 21.23 conteyneth a prohibition with a reason annexed thereto The prohibition is in these words Thou shalt not suffer his bodie that is hanged vpon the tree to remaine all night vpon the tree and this prohibition is a meare Iudiciall law of Moses the which the people of the Iewes onely were bound to obserue which lawe if the people of the Iewes had violated they sinned so against God that the land was defiled with the sinne Deut. 21.23 The reason of that prohibition is in these words For the curse of God is on him that is hanged and this reason is a meere ceremoniall lawe for it hath bin prooued that neither by the lawe of nature by ciuill or positiue lawe or of it selfe to be hanged vpon a tree is accursed it is therefore a meere ceremonie but we know that Christ is the substance of euery ceremonie wherefore the Lord foreseeing that Christ should die vpon a tree vpō the tree suffer the curse of the lawe due vnto our sins as our suretie therefore he typically figured out this curse in the death of malefactours amōg the people of the Iews that were hāged vpō the tree so that euery malefactor that was hāged amōg the Iews was a type of Christ and therfore was accursed not really for it is want of charitie to think so but ceremonially and typically represēting vnto vs Christ who was truely and really accursed for vs in that he sustained gods wrath which is the curse of the lawe which we should haue sustained wherefore seeing Christ was really accursed as hath beene prooued by this discourse therfore he vndoubtedly suffered gods wrath which is the curse Yet they behold looke vpon me Whē they had nailed Christ to the crosse and wrackt his ioynts so as that his bones might bee numbered they heape vpon him all other indignities they can and therefore first they behold look vpon him alas it was a pitifull fight for one that had any manhood in him to see a man nayled hands and feete with great nailes as they must needes be seeing the hebrue word signifieth such a pearcing as was more like diggig or such a pearcing as a lyon maketh with his clawes to see the blood issue abounly out of the woundes to see his bodie strecht so as that one ioynt was seuered from an other which is an extreame torture for a bodily torment and yet they behold and look vpon him without any pitty at all nay they mock and derid him as appeareth plaine in the historie of the Gospell when he would haue had a litle drinke to asswage his thirst they gaue him viniger mingled with gaul to increase his thirst the more gaull beeing a thing biter of it selfe all these shamefull outragies they offered to Christ nowe in dying whence we may cōsider not only the barbarous crueltie of these persons but further the nature and property of him which is to grow one from degree to degree till it come to an heigth and a fearefull excesse these persons first contemned Christ a doctrine depraued his life cōsented to his death now most cruelly murder him and yet that doth not satisfie them but they mock at him in the middest of his misery will not affoard him any ease at al It is good to gainstand sinne at the first least if it get groūd of vs at length it conquer and subdue vs for the Lord sometime accustometh to punish one sinne with another and when men will not preuent small sinnes they shall bee plunged into a sea of fearefull impietie as the Gentiles because when they knewe God they did not glorifie him as God fell to Idolatrie and after that to sinne against nature and they in the seate of Antichrist because they receiued not the loue of the truth therefore are giuen ouer to strang delusions to beleeue lies that they might bee damned Rom. 3.2 Thes 2. when they had thus shamefully handled Christ They part my garments and cast lottes one my vesture they proceede to the deuiding of his garments for they stript him of his cloathes when they crucified him and here wee may obserue diuers points worth our noting for what should be the reason that the holy Ghost should thus carefully expresse this practise of the souldiers in deuiding his garments casting lottes for his vesture no doubt this is some speciall matter euen in this their practise especially seeing the Euāgelist also testify the same thing to be done by the soldiers some allegory the matter after this manner the garmēts of Christ say they are the scriptures the vesture of Christ is his Church the souldiers are heretiques For although the heretiques rend the scriptures with false exposition c. yet they cannot dissolue the vnitie of the Church with there errours This doctrine is true but it is not intended in this place It is a meere folly and dotage thus to abuse the scriptures though the allegorie be neuer so wittie But we are to knowe that one reason why the Euangelistes expresse these things is for the verifying of the prophecy that the euent might declare the truth of the prophecy other profitable considerations may hence be raised 1 The souldiers deale as theeues which haue gotten a bootie they make no conscience of robbing a man yet they make a scruple in deuiding the spoile the soldiers make no bones to kill Christ and rob him of his garments yet they are curious in the deuiding his apparrell amongst them for it is a right propertie of an hypocrite to swallow a carnell and to strayne at a gnatt to tith mint cummin and annise seed and to neglect Iudgement mercy and faith the soldiers neuer strayne curtesy to iniury Christ but they wil not iniury one another 2 Againe the Holy Ghost seemeth to laie another fault among the soldiers that they cast lottes for trifles as if men should card and dice for a coate we neuer read in all the scriptures that lottes were vsed but in waighty matters and it seemeth to be to take the name of God in vaine to sport our selues with his immediate prouidence as lots are 3 Furthermore if that bee not assented vnto yet here is another thing flatly
and in his graue and to doe this is al the difficultie And be satisfied Third property is ioy and peace and quietnes or conscience when a man is assured of the pardon of his sinnes through faith a man knoweth that God loueth him and doth accept of his person and watcheth ouer him to doe him good hee knoweth that he is freed from death and damnation through the redemption of Christ that life euerlasting appertaineth to him vnder hope whereof he reioyceth yea in the midst of affliction though somtime this peace bee disturbed thorough some sins wherin to the children of God fall through temptation this is termed here satisfying not for that a man that hath it neuer desireth grace more but because nothing in the world can satisfie him til he haue comfort in the assurāce of his sins pardoned when a man is once throughly humbled or because a man neuer is barren and drie and cleane void of grace and comfort after that once hath it Fourth propertie is desire of increase of grace Seeke after the Lord. which is obtained by seeking the Lord where and howe he is to be found that is in the word and the meanes of grace for he that wanteth grace can neuer desire it onely he that hath it and hath felt the sweetnes of it longeth for it still like vnto the man that finding the treasure hid in the field and the pearle neuer resteth till he get both by this also a man may knowe the trueth of grace in his soule for he that neuer regardeth the word neuer attēdeth vpon instruction nor watcheth to praier that man wanteth grace for the heauēly couetousnesse and dropsie of grace is insatiable and therefore the Church is sicke of loue vnto the Lord Iesus Christ in the Canticles A fifth propertie is the leading of a godly life according to gods commaundements Shall praise him with a constant profession confession of the trueth to the praise of God that others may see our good works and glorifie God also Also a thankefull heart whereby a man in himselfe blesseth God for all his goodnes saying with the Prophet All that is within me praise his holy name Euerlasting life is the last propertie Your 〈◊〉 shall liue for euer which is the reward of all the former and which is the complement of our happinesse and felicitie After the description of the subiects of Christs kingdome by their properties follow the seuerall sorts of them Gentiles as wel as Iews poore as well as rich malefactors condemned to die as well as guiltlesse persons the childrē as well as the parents Yea and the kingdome of Christ consisteth of all other sortes of persons that may be rehearsed as bond and free mā woman master and seruāt c. Generally hence may be noted two instructions First wherefore the church is called Catholike because it cōsisteth of al sorts of persons it is in al places it is at al times v. 27.29.30 31. V. 29. All that be fatt all that goe downe into the pitt Secondly that grace is vniuersall no sort or estate of men excluded form Christs kingdom ethe poore haue intrest to grace and Christ aswell as the rich the gentill aswell as the Iewe women aswell as men yet wee must knowe that the note of vniversality must not be stretcht to euery particular man but to euery estate and condition of man For it is more then grosse absurdity to say that all and euery particular rich mā and poore man shall bee a member of Christ shall eate and worship that is beleeue and serue God wherefore this doctrine serueth to admonish first the welthie and fatt men of the earth not to contemne and despise the poore and the leane needie soule and the poore not to enuie the rich and malice the wealthie but both to serue togither in their places and to preserue the communion of saints mutually remembering the Apostles rule Iam. 1.9.10 that the poore is exalted and the rich is made lowe in Iesus Christ that though the rich be the poore mans masters yet he is Christs seruant and though the poore man be the rich mans slaue yet he is the sonne of God and fellow heire with him and with Christ of the kingdome of grace and glory Besides these generall instructions certaine particular obseruations also are here to be noted which followe The Prophet saith Vers 27. The ends of the world The kindreds of the nations that the Gentiles shal become subiects to Christs kingdome which prophecie we see verified amongest vs at this day wherevpon we are to be stirred vp to glorifie the mercie truth of God who hath cast off his owne people and receiued vs that were wilde branches of the wilde oliue that were strangers and aliants from the common wealth of Israel without God in the world which must also teach vs not to be hie minded but to feare and looke to our selues that we stand fast Againe the conuersion of the Gentiles is here noted out vnto vs in the 3. parts thereof 1 They shall remember themselues Shall remember that is their sinfull and accursed estate they shall take notice of it by the powerfull preaching of the Gospell humiliation Turne to the Lord. 2 They shall turne to the lord forsaking their false way of Idolatry and other sinnes and turning their feet into the truth walking in obedience of Gods lawes obedience 3 They shall worship before God Worship before thee by partaking al the meanes of saluation as the word prayer sacraments c. publikely and priuately as good christians adoration Va◠Kingdome i◠the Lords Nowe because this may seeme a very staunge thing to the Iewes that the gentiles should be admitted into the fellowship of the Church the partition wall beeing broken downe one people beeing made of two the prophet rendreth a reason hereof designing out the principall worker of this conuersion of the gentiles and the meanes the workman is the Lord who is able to raise vp children vnto Abraham euen of the stones who is able to put life into the dead bones in the Church-yard and the meanes whereby God will effect and bring to passe this great worke is his rule and dominion which hee exerciseth among the nations He ruleth among the nation by his word and spirit which breatheth where it listeth whence that doctrine may be noted that was handled before v. 3. that conuersion is Gods worke Furthermore not only we that now liue Vers 10. Their seed shal serue him c. but euē our seed posterty that shal succeed vs in time to come shall serue the Lord for the Couenant of grace stretcheth not onely to vs but to our seede also euen to the thousand generation on of them that loue God doth the Lord promise mercie and the promise is made to vs and our children and to all that are afarre off euen to as many as
the Lord our God shal cal which giueth vs hope for our children as well as for our selues yea for our infants that die before yeares Yea and here is one thing more They shall be counted to him for euer wherein it seemeth we haue a priuiledge beyonde the Iewes that the Church of God shall abide among the Gentiles to the worlds ende not as though no particular Church shall be cast off for we see that otherwise but that the Church shall not vtterly faile among the gentiles for ouer as it did among the Iews for although the church of Ephesus Colossa Gallatia c. fayled yet from the time of calling the geÌ„tiles hitherto there hath bin some church of the gentiles And although the Iewes were cut of and we grafted in yet wee shall not be cut of and they grafted in but we shal remaine and they shall be grafted to vs and both of vs stand and growe vp together and as they were a meanes to bring vs into the Church so we againe shall be a meanes to bring them vnto the fellowship of the gospell as it were a recompence vnto them Ver. 31 They shall declare his righteousnesse Againe the church of the gentiles beeing gathered shall performe one principall office which is beeing come home into the bosome of Christ by effectuall vocation and true faith shal declare the righteousnes of Christ God-man that righteousnesse which he hath wrought for vs in suffering and obeying the lawe manfully auouching it against the Turkes and Papists that denie imputatiue righteousnesse and mocke at a crucified Christ which must cheere vs vp in this spirituall conflict against that man of sinne that we faile not in defence of Gods righteousnesse If any man list to vnderstand by righteousnesse that which God exercised in the whole worke of our redemption shewing himselfe most righteous therein he may for me He hath wrought it for a people to be borne The foresaid worke of the church of the Gentiles in auouching Christs righteousnesse must be performed eueÌ„ to a people that is not yet borne by spirituall regeneration to a people vnbaptized for we are to labour by all possible means to bring home the Iewes and the Turkes and all other barbarous nations where we traffique to the knowledge and loue of the trueth that they may partake in this righteousnesse which Christ hath wrought for as many of them as appertaine to his election If any man thinke better to expouÌ„d a people to be borne such as are not borne by naturall generation we may obserue that it is our dutie to teach our children and posterity especially the article of iustification by faith onely least the subtill and crafty Iesuites the supporters and pillers of popery wrest it from vs who labor to perswade the meritt of good workes and so to shoulder the Lord Iesus Christ his righteousnes out of dores Thus the kingdome of Christ also is described FINIS The Author doth intreat the gentle reader in the behalfe of the Printer to pardon and to correct these faults ouerseene in printing Page 19 lin 23. for p iuately read primarily p. 20 l 2. for practise read parts p. 21. l. 23. for men more p 32 l. 23. for this thus p. 34. A I salme p 35 of Dauid these two clauses are wanting on the margents of these two pages p. 45. l. 9. for in very in a very p. 47. l 2 and is supe fluous p. 62. l 9. For faith feâ—re p. 6â— l. 18. the note of interrogation is so perfluous p 66. l 13. for Scripture scepter p 68. 1 9 for and read of the. p. 69. l. 22. for conieâ—ation confutation p. 78 l 13. for world of beginning read worlds beginning p 83. l 1. for woman worme p. 91. l. 24. are denied are superfluous p. 92. l. 1. for that yet p. 121 l 6. for law loue p. 128. l. 15. for yet that p. 137. l. 16 for him read sinne