understanding Deut. 5.1 he first knocks as it were at the doore where wisdome must enter Prov. 1. â—8 and cries Hearken my Sonne The Kings daughter Psal â—45 10.13 the Spouse of Christ before she become all glorious within must first hearken and consider and incline her eare And the sheep of Christs fold John 10.4 must first hear his voice before they can follow him If either with the Adder we stop our ears and refuse to hear the voice of the charmer Psal 58.4.5 or fall asleep with Eutichus Acts 20.9 when we are come into the Church or be busied with Martha about other matters Luke 10.4 no marvell though the word be not fruitfull in us For as the ground cannot fructifie without the receiving of seed no more can we without the hearing of the word Lastly Seeing the hearing of the word is the receiving of seed it shews us from whence the hearing of the word becomes fruitfull in us not from any vertue that we have in our selves but from Gods blessing as the ground which is sowne cannot bring forth fruit but by the influence and vertue which it receives from heaven The ground ye know when it hath been sowne with seed must have the rain from heaven to moisten it it must have the heat of the Sun to cherish it otherwise it becomes fruitlesse and yields no increase And thus unlesse God give a blessing to his word unlesse he mollifie our hearts and illuminate our minds the word which we have heard cannot fructifie in us For Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is God that must give the increase And therefore as the ground when it hath been sown with seed if it be but a while without the rain it will thirst after it it will open as it were the mouth and gape towards heaven with a longing desire to be refresht with it and when the blade comes forth it will seem even to droop and to hang down the head till the Sun do strengthen it So must we be affected when we have heard the word we must long for a blessing from heaven upon it we must pray unto God for the assistance of his Spirit and we must thirst after grace even as the heart doth bray after the rivers of water Psal 42.1 and as the dry land doth thirst after rain in the drought of Summer And thus much for the first means of a good ground the receiving of seed or the hearing of the word The second means of a good ground is the receiving in of the seed or the understanding of the word The ground though seed be sown upon it yet if the seed stay there and go no further and if the ground recieve not the seed into it it must needs be fruitlesse And thus though we hear the word of God yet unlesse it do pierce further then the outward eare unlesse what we hear with our ears we understand with our hearts the seed of Gods Word cannot fructifie in us And therefore Saint James by an other like metaphor wils us to receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the engrafted Word to note unto us James 1.21 the Word must likewise be engrafted in the heart like a sience in a stock before it can bear and bring forth fruit The seed which fell before upon the stony ground soon withered away and became fruitlesse and our Saviour gives this as the reason of it because it had no root For though we hear the word never so often yet till the understanding be informed and the heart affected our superficial hearing will profit us nothing Therefore when Saint Paul did preach at Philippi and converted Lydia it is said there that God opened her heart so that she attended unto that which he spake Acts 16.14 And when our Saviour instructed his Disciples out of the Law and the prophets it is said there that he opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures Luke 24â—45 The Scripture is as it were a letter sent down from heaven wherein God hath revealed his will unto man the hearing and reading whereof are singular means to instruct us in righteousnesse but neither of them sufficient unlesse we understand what we hear and read Therefore our Saviour requires understanding to be joyned with hearing Marke 7.14 Hear saith he and understand Acts 8.30 And therefore Philip requires understanding to be joyned with reading Legere non intelligere negligire est imò neo legere est Vnderstandest thou saith he what thou readest as if reading were to no purpose without understanding For the end why we must hear and read the word is that we may bring forth the fruit thereof by endeavouring to conforme our lives unto it which we can never do unlesse we understand it no more then the ground which is sowne can bring forth fruit unlesse it receive the seed into it And therefore our Saviour makes the second means of a good ground the understanding of the word Vse 1 Seeing then the Word must be understood this first confutes that erroneous doctrine in the Church of Rome in holding it unlawfull to have the Scriptures translated into the vulgar tongue and will not suffer the people to read the Scriptures whereby they might be brought to the understanding of them But if the Scriptures be the covenant which God hath made with his people then must they not know what is contained in the Covenant If the Scriptures be writ even as Saint Paul tels us for our learning Rom. 15.4 then must we not know and understand what is written And if the Scriptures be written as Saint John tels us John 20.31 that we might believe and by believing have life everlasting then that we may know what we are to believe must we not necessarily know what is written To what end were the Apostles so miraculously furnisht with the gift of tongues John 5.39 but that all might come to the knowledge of the truth revealed in the word while every one heard it in his own language To what end are all commanded to search the Scriptures if they may not be translated into the vulgar tongue that the people may read and understand them Acts 17.11 we see the Bereans are commended in the Acts for examining the Doctrine of Saint Paul by the Scriptures we see when our Saviour did preach to the people he both preacht and read the Text in a known language Luke 4. and we see that the Jews were commanded by God to write his Laws upon the gates of their houses Dent. 6.7 to teach them their children to talk thereof in their ordinary conference and therefore if they were to be so skilfull in the Scripture then much more should we be now in the light of the Gospell of whom God requires a greater measure of knowledge Vse 2 Secondly Seeing the Word must be understood this therefore serves
ignorant of Gods will his vvill is sufficiently revealed in his vvord but we cannot discerne it to be his word till God by his spirit do inlighten our understanding And therefore St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 2. vve have received the spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.13 that we might know the things that are given us of God and presently after in the same Chapter but the natural man saith he perceives not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Now least we should imagine that because we are assured of the truth of Gods vvord onely by the testimony of Gods spirit that therefore till his spirit do work faith in our hearts the testimony of the Church and the hearing of the word is but vaâ—n and needless we are to understand that Gods spirit doth ordinarily beget faith in the godly by these outward meanes For first the Testimony of the Church concerning the vvord invites us to come with the rest to hear it and while we are diligent and attentive in hearing it Gods spirit doth ordinarily beget faith in our hearts whereby we believe it and when faith hath once taken root in our hearts then we are so fully resolved of the truth of the Scriptures that all those arguments whereof before we made but light account are now like infallible demonstrations unto us For then we see plainly how necessary it was that God should reveal his vvill unto us and that if he have not revealed it in the Scripture he hath revealed it no where But that it is his will which he hath revealed in his vvord these Reasons will confirm us First In that the majesty of Gods spirit doth appear in every part of the Scripture wherein there is nothing that savours of humane wisdom but every thing therein is heavenly and divine for if we consider the matter thereof it far exceeds all humane invention For who could tell us of the Creation of the vvorld and the fall of Angels of the corruption of the whole nature of man through the transgression and disobedience of our first Parents of the redemption of the vvorld by the coming of the Messias of the rewards of the faithfull in the life to come and the punishment of sinners These things and many other which the Scripture reveals do so far go beyond the capacity of man that had not God revealed them in his word they could never have been known Secondly If we consider who penned the Scripture we shall find them for the most part to be simple men and therefore of themselves not capable of those heavenly mysteries which they have revealed in their vvritings Hos 11.1 Zach. 11.12.13 Psal 22.16.18 They were not learned and yet they foresaw things to come as if they were present and foretold many things which many hundred years after did come to passe They were not eloquent and yet more powerfull in moving the affections then Tullie Demosthenes and all the Rhetoricians in the vvorld besides They lived not together but in divers ages and several places and yet they agree so perfectly without the least contradiction as if they had had but one mind among them In a word Deut. 32.51 Jonah 1.3.6 Jonah 4.9 they were not as other men given over to sin but lived more uprightly then the most in their times and yet they have registred their own sins and infirmities to remain as it were upon the file unto all Posterities which had they been led by humane wisdom they would never have done All which shewes that howsoever the Scriptures were written here by men yet they were indicted by God in Heaven Thirdly If we consider the perfection of the Law which is called the Decalogue we shall see that none but God could be the Authour of it For there is not any good either outward or inward which we are bound to perform to God or man but it is there commanded nor any evil from which we are to abstain but it is there prohibited all which to be comprized in so few words farre exceeds the invention of men or Angels Mens Lawes howsoever they fill many large Volums yet they are still imperfect and daily want something to be added unto them which when they were made was not thought upon Sometimes again they must have something detracted that being thought convenient for the time when the Law was made which afterwards is found to be inconvenient in regard that mens conditions do so often change So that as it is in the fable when the Moon upon a time begged a new Coat of her mother her Mother replied that it was impossible to make her a Coat which would be fit for her by reason that her shape did so often alter as being now in the full now in the wane one while in one form and strait in another So it is impossible for men or Angels to make Lawes which without adding or detracting should serve for all persons and all ages because their manners and conditions do so often change But this Law which we find recorded in the Scripture is so absolute and perfect that it serves for all persons in all places and all ages and yet needes nothing to be added or detracted All other Lawes extend no further then to mens sayings or doings their words and their actions and take hold of them onely if they be not answerable to the Law but for the thoughts of mens hearts they do not inflict any penalty upon them but do leave them free The Civilians say Cogitationis paenam in foro nostro nemo luat let no man be punisht in our Court for a thought But this Law doth search into the secrets of the heart not only restraining our actual sins but our sinfull thoughts even our very first motions and inclinations to sin though we do not yield our consent thereunto to put the same in execution Rom. 7.7 St. Paul saith Rom. 7. that he had not known concupiscence to be a sinne if the Law had not said Thou shalt not covet For like as the Sunshine doth make us to see the least atomes or moaths which if it were not for the bright light of the Sunne we could not discerne So this bright light of the Law discovers the least and most secret sins which without this Law we could not have known All other Lawes because they cannot judge of the heart do require no more then outward obedience and judge well of him that lives according to the Law for his outward Carriage But this Law which as the Apostle saith Heb. 4. is a discerner of the thoughts and intents Heb. 4 1â— requires both outward and inward obedience and judgeth not him to be a good man who frames himself outwardly to the observing of the Law but not inwardly For as a man is not to be counted well and in good health though his hands and feete and
Dioclesian a grievous persecutour when he had used all the means that ever he could for the utter abolishing of the Christian profession when he had sent out his Edicts for the burning of the Scriptures for the torturing of Christians and putting down their Churches and saw in the end that he could prevail nothing for very spight and anger he gave over his Kingdom I might further shew you this by the miserable ends of all those who have professed themselves enemies unto the professours of that Doctrine which the Scriptures teach Pharaoh the first persecutour of the Church that ever was was overwhelmed in the red-sea with all his host Dathan and Abiram the first Scismaticks that ever were were swallowed up of the earth with all their Consederats and such have been the ends of such as have succeeded them To passe over the examples which the Scriptures alledge Pilat Pilat who had unjustly condemned 〈◊〉 Saviour Euseb lib. 2. cap. 7. fell afterwards into such misery that he slew 〈◊〉 and so of an unjust Judge became a just Executioner Nero. Nero after that he had made havock of the Church of Christ he fell in the end into such extreamity that he would have accounted it for a favour of any man that would have slain him Ergone saith he nee amicum habeo nee inimicum as complaining that he could find neither friend nor foe that would vouch safe to kill him in the end he grew desperate and stabbed himself Maximinus Maximinus as great a persecutour as ever Nero was was struck by God with a strong disease an invisible fire as Eusebius writes inwardly eating and consuming his flesh and leaving him nothing in a short time but skin and bones his eyes burnt out of his head through the extreamity of his torments and he cried out before he died that now Gods vengeance was lighted 〈◊〉 him for his former persecutions Valerian Valerian the Emperour another persecutour was first taken captive and led in triumph in his Emperours robes afterwards by the command of Sapores the King of Persia he was flead alive and so was tortur'd himself as he had tortur'd the Christians Julian Apostata Julian the Apostata in his wars against the Persians was wounded on the suddain he knew not how nor by whom Theoderet thinks he might be smote by an Angell Callistus that was present saith he was struck by the Devill whosoever he was he was sent by Christ by Julians own confession for casting up some of his blood towards heaven he cried out against Christ Vieisti Galilee Thou hast got the victory thou Galilean and thus he died raving Nay when he was dead the earth opened saith Nazianzen and swallowed it down as not vouchsafing to bear so accursed a burthen It were endlesse to instance in all those particulars whom God for their persecuting his truth in the Scriptures hath made fearfull examples unto all others The same may likewise be said of Hereticks who seeking by their false impious doctrins to corrupt the truth have miserably perished in all ages Simon Magus Simon Magus the father of all Heresies as Eusebius calls him having gotten great credit by his sorcery and Magick persvvaded the people that he vvas God but through Peters prayers as he was flying in the aire his god-head failed him and he vvas fetcht dovvn head-long Olympius vvho blasphemously denied the Trinity Olympius vvhile he askt contemptuously hovv three could be one and one three vvas smote with three fiery darts from Heaven the points of these three joyning all in one Arrius Valent. Manes Montanus Nestorius Lucian Arrius while he was doing that which nature requires his bowels gusht out and he miserably perisht Valens the Arrian was burnt by the Gothes Manes was flead alive by the Persians Montanus became his own hangman like Judas Nestorius had his tongue eat a sunder with wormes Lucian was worried and torne in pieces with Doggs In a word God hath alwayes been so zealous in the defence of his truth that they who have opposed it have not escaped unpunished but howsoever he hath let them go on for a time yet in the end he hath payed them home bringing vengeance and destruction like a whirlewind upon them which evidently shewes that God is both the Author and Protector of the Scriptures Are the Scriptures then the word of God 1. Vse this therefore first serves te condemn the Papists who vilifie the Scriptures and magnifie traditions giving more then they should do unto traditions and less◠〈◊〉 Scriptures by making traditions to be more then they are and 〈◊〉 Scriptures lesse Which put me in mind of a certain Epitaph which one made of Erasmus and when he had made it he shewed it to his friend and willed him to read it The Epitaph was this Hic jacet Erasmus qui quondam bonus erat mus Rodere qui solitus roditur a vermibus Out upon 't saith his friend why what have you done be in bonus is short and you have made it long true saith the maker but therefore I hope ver in vermibus is long and I have made it short and so have made amends for the former fault And so do the Papists they give more then they should do unto traditions but therefore lesse to the Scriptures seeking to cover one fault with another and so double their fault and make it the greater Secondly 2. Vse This serves to condemn those who believe not the Scripture to be Gods word as they shew they do not who are not carefull to conforme their lives unto it For do they who securely go on in their sins believe what God threatens in his vvord against sinners Doth the profane swearer who can hardly speak a word but an Oath must follow it believe this for certain that God as he threatens will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain Exod. 20.7 Doth the common Drunkard believe this 1 Cor. 6.10 that no such shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Doth the Adulterer believe this that Whoremasters and Adulterers God will judge Heb. 13.4 Doth he that withholds the Labourers hire believe this James 5.4 that the hire of the Laborers doth crie in the eares of the Lord of Hosts Doth he that deferrs and puts of his repentance and yet presumes upon Gods mercy believe that to be true that they who despise the riches of Gods bounty and abuse his patience Rom. 3.5 treasure up wrath to themselves against the day of Wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God In a word doth any wicked liver believe this to be true Rom. 2.9 2 Thes 1.8 that tribulation and anguish shall be upon every soule that doth evill and that the Lord in flaming fire shall render vengeance to those that obey not the Gospell For if they believed these things it would strike such a terror into their soules that they
EIGHTEENE Choice and usefull SERMONS BY Benjamin Hinton B. D. Late MINISTER of HENDON And sometime fellow of TRINITY COLLEDGE IN CAMBRIDGE Contra rationem nemo sobrius senserit Contra Scripturam nemo Christianus senserit Contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit Imprimatur EDM CALAMY 1650. LONDON Printed by J. C. For Humphery Moseley at the Princes Armes in S. Pauls Church-yard and for R. Wodenothe at the Starre under S. Peters Church in Cornehill 1649. To the Right Worshipfull Master FRANCIS PHILIPS Auditor of LONDON Grace and Peace YOur love and kindnesse whereof I have had so long experience imboldens me to present these few Sermons unto you not as presuming of the worth of them but as desiring to testifie my thankfulnesse having so just occasion I am old and gray-headed wanting not much of seventy years yet not so old in years as I am in infirmities and in my age it pleased God to visite me through a fall whielâ— I took with an incurable lamenesse and through sicknesse which I had with great weaknesse both in my memory and voice whereby I have been much disabled to preach I was therefore the more willing with my pen to supply the defect of my tongue as Zachary wrote when he could not speake and made his pen to make known what his tongue could not Luke 1.63 And though many have done the like before me with far greater ability yet remembring that God at the making of the Tabernacle accepted as well the offerings of the poorer sort who brought thither but Goats-haire and Rams-skinnes as of those who were rich and offered blew silk and purple and scarlet I have offered these few mites into the treasury of the Church out of my want and penury when others offer talents out of their store and plenty And I doubt not of your favourable acceptance hereof as coming from him who will no longer desire your favour then he desires to remaine Your truely loving in the Lord BEN. HINTON Curteous Reader IT was the earnest desire of the Authour my Reverend Father that these Sermons might passe the Presse in his life for the furtherance of others passage to life eternall but being himself taken away by death before his purpose was effected I thought it my duty not to let his works die with him but to impart to others what GOD had imparted to him I desire that as they teach the word of Truth so they may be the word of life And although in these dayes Sermons are neglected by the most contemned by the worst and too little esteemed even by the best yet I doubt not but these will meete with some who will receive the Message for the Masters sake And as formerly the feet of those who brought glad tydings of the Gospel of peace were counted beautifull so will the Gospel it self I hope though plainly preached not be trod under feet but be acceptable and helpfull to augment their peace who indeed seek peace which shall be the prayers of him to the God of peace who is your Christian Friend WILLIAM HINTON The severall SERMONS I. ABrahams offring his Sonne Isaac GEN. 22.2 Take now thy Sonne thine onely Sonne Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the Land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt-offring upon one of the Mountains which I will tell thee of II. The good ground or hearer of the word MATTH 13.23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some an hundred fold some sixty some thirty III. Zacheus converted LUKE 19.8 Behold Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor c. IV. Gaining the world and losing the soule MATTH 16.26 For what is a Man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soule V. Man like the grasse and flowers of the field PSAL. 103 15. As for man his dayes are as grasse as a flowre of the field so he flourisheth VI. The Devil a coward if he be resisted JAMES 4.7 Resist the Devil and he will flee from you VII Gods best beloved most afflicted HEBR. 12.6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth VIII No peace to the wicked ESAY 57.21 There is no peace to the wicked saith my God IX God the Authour and protector of the Scripture 2 PETER 1.21 For the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of Man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost X. Christs miraculous Cures MATH 11.5 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk the Leapers are cleansed and the deaf heare the dead are raised up and the poore have the Gospel preached to them XI The Churches love to Christ CANTIC 3.1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soule loveth XII Both Poverty and Riches occasions of evil PROVERBS 30.8 Give me neither Poverty nor Riches XIII Gods pardoning great sinners a great comfort to others PSAL. 32.6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou maiest be found XIIII Steven Stoned ACTS 7.59.60 And they stoned Steven calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice Lord lay not this sinne to their Charge XV. Lawfull and unlawfull swearing JEREM. 4.2 Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth in truth in judgement and iâ—â—â—ghteousnesse XVI Jonas sent to Nineveh JONAH 3.1 c. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time saying arise go to Nineveh that great City and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh XVII Hiding of sinne no small sinne PROVERBS 38.13 He that covereth his sinnes shall not prosper but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy XVIII Christs coming to judgement both certain and uncertain 1 THES 5.2 For you your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a Thief in the night THE FIRST SERMON GEN. 22.2 Take now thine onely Sonne Jsaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the Land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt-offring upon one of the Mountaines which I will tell thee of Paradisus Genesis in quo pullulant Patriarcharum virtutes Ambr. Epist 41. THis booke of Moses is resembled by St. Ambrose not unfitly unto Paradise Genesis saith he is a Paradise wherein spring forth the virtues of the Patriarchs For as in Paradise there were variety of trees which brought forth variety of excelent fruits both pleasant to behold and good to eate Gen. 2.9 So in this Paradise this book of Genesis are many worthy plants Gods Children and Servants whose fruits of Faith of Love and obedience are both delightfull for us to read and profitable to imitate Now of all these plants the chief are the Patriarchs of all the Patriarchs the most fruitfull is Abraham and of all the fruits which he
full resolution to sacrifice his Sonne as God commanded he concealed his purpose from his wife and his Servants lest they should have hindered him from the execution of it Doct. 5 The Doctrine that may be gathered from hence is this That God the better to sound the hearts of his Servants makes often tryall of their obedience and after that one tryall is past and over he layeth another upon them for their further exercise If any man saith our Saviour will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Crosse every day and follow me Luke 9.23 Where we see two things 1. The generality of these crosses and tryalls which are laid upon us in that every Christian must be content to bear them If any man Will come after me let him take up his Crosse 2. The multitude of these tryalls Let him take up his Crosse every day and follow me Every day to shew that the tryalls which the faithfull undergo are many in number and that they come as it were thick and threefold one after another Job had no sooner heard that the Sabeans had taken away his Oxen as they were ploughing and his Asses as they were feeding in their places but presently there comes another and brings him worse tydings that the fire fell from Heaven and consumed his Servants and presently after he heares worse newes then the former that while his children were together at a banquet the house fell upon them all so that not one of them escaped And this is the condition of Gods servants many are the tryalls which they are to endure and the end of one tryall is many times but the beginning of another For we serve not God with this condition that after he hath laid one tryall upon us and we have borne the same we should crave as it were a pasport and seek to be discharged from any-further service but whatsoever it is that God requires at our hands and how often soever yet we must be ready with Abraham to performe obedience The comfort is this that though the tryalls which God layes upon us be never so many yet God will enable us to bear the same 1 Cor. 10. For God is faithfull saith the Apostle and will not suffer us to be tempted above our power but will give an issue with the temptation that we may be able to bear it and when we have borne it he hath promised to reward us and that infinitly for it Blessed is the man saith Saint James James 1.12 that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that Love him FINIS The Second SERMON MAT. 13.23 But he that received Seed into good ground is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it which also heareth fruit and bringeth forth some an hundred some sixty some thirty THese words are the conclusion of an excellent Parable Coherence which our Saviour did first propound to the People and afterwards expound unto his Disciples Wherein the word of God is resembled to seed The Preacher of the Word to the Sower of Seed and the Hearer of the Word to the ground whereon the Seed is sowed The ground proportionable to the diversity of Hearers is distinguished by our Saviour into four severall kindes whereof three are unprofitable and one onely fruitfull To note unto us that we need be very carefull how we hear the Word considering that the greatest part of Hearers do but heare in vaine as three parts of the ground were fruitless and barren where the seed was sowen and onely one part was fruitfull and good and this is that ground which is here described wherein we may observe these two things First The meanes of a good ground And Secondly the signes of a good ground The meanes of a good ground are two First the receiving of Seed or the hearing of the Word And Secondly the receiving in of the Seed or the understanding of the Word But he that received Seed into good ground is he that heares the Word and understands it The signes of a good ground are likewise two First The bearing and bringing forth fruit which also bears fruit and brings forth Secondly The quantity of fruit which it brings forth Some an hundred some sixty some thirty And these are the severall parts of these words whereof God willing I will speak in order And first of the first meanes of a good ground the receiving of seed or the hearing of the Word The Word of God is resembled to divers things in divers respects Psal 19.10 Sometime to the most refined gold and that for the perfection and purity of it Hebr. 4.12 sometime to a sharpe two-edged Sword and that for the power and efficacie of it sometime to a treasure hid in the field Mat. 13.44 and that for the value and excellency of it and sometime to bread to raine to seed and that for the use and necessity of it For seed is no more necessary to make the earth fructifie and give her increase then the seed of Gods Word to make us fruitfull in all good Works Ye know if the Earth do not give her increase there followes a Famin if seed be wanting and the Earth not sowen it cannot give her increase And thus where the seed of Gods Word is wanting there followes a dearth of all spirituall graces And therefore as we read Gen. 47. of a dearth or famine for want of seed Gen. 47.19 Amos. 8.11 Mat. 4.4 so likewise we read Amos 8. of a dearth or famine for want of the Word for man cannot live by bread onely but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God God is able indeed to make us fruitfull without the preaching of the word as he made the Earth fruitfull at the first Creation Gen. 2.5 without the sowing of seed he is able to save us when his word is wanting by some other meanes as he preserved the Israelites with Manna from Heaven when they had not the ordinary meanes of tillage but the ordinary meanes to make the Earth fruitfull is the sowing of Seed and the ordinary meanes to make us fruitfull is the preaching of the Word And therefore in those places where the People are not taught or the word is neglected we may see them abound in superstition and ignorance and all the unfruitfull works of darkness even as Salomon passing by the field of the sluggard he saw it all over growen with thornes and nettles Prov. 24.30.31 whereas on the contrary where the seed of Gods word hath been sowen and received John 4.35 Phil. 1.11 we may see the Regions even white unto Harvest and filled as the Apostle speaks with the fruits of righteousness Therefore David describing the godly man First brings him in meditating upon the Law of God Psal 1. and then bringing forth fruit in due season as our Saviour here
presence of God and desiring with Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ and therefore God in mercy hath shortned our dayes that we may the sooner come into his heavenly Kingdom and injoy his presence And lastly God hath shortned our dayes that we may be the lesse carefull for the things of this life considering we shall injoy them so short a time If a man be to travell into a farre Country he will be the more carefull to provide the more and to proportion his provision to the length of his journey but if his journey be short he will provide the lesse and the nearer he comes to his journies end the lesse carefull he is what provision he hath God knowes if we were to live long in this World we would be the more carefull for the things of this life and would think we could never provide enough and therefore he hath made our life to be short that we might be the lesse carefull to provide for it To draw then to a conclusion of all we have briefly heard why we are here resembled to the grasse and flowers of the field and from thence both of the certainty of our death and the shortness of our life and the reasons why God hath made our life so short all which may serve to teach us two lessons 1. Vse 1 Not to make account that we shall live long as many of us do but that we shall soon die That we shall die we all know but the most of us deceive our selves in this that we put off the day of our death stil further from us vvhen we are young we think we shal live til we come to be old when we come to be old we think we may live longer and so we put off the time of our death still further and further And hence it is that we are so carefull for the things of this life as if this World were the place where we should live for ever We read of Alexander that to shew his affection to a certain Philosopher he willed him to aske what he would of him and he would give it him The Philosopher desired him to give him the fee-simple of his life that he might be free from death O saith Alexander if I could do this I would do it for my self why then it seemes saith the Philosopher that you are mortall True saith Alexander Indeed saith the Philosopher that you are mortall I do not doubt yet I greatly doubt whether you think that you are mortall and shall ever die because you live so as if you thought you were immortall and should never die The like may be said to many of us for though we cannot deny but must needes acknowledge that we shall surely die yet man live so they seek so greedily after worldly goods they so pamper their bodies and are so sumptuons in their buildings as if they were immortall and should never die The Patriarcks though they lived so many years yet they lived in Tents and in poor Cabins but we that live not the half of their dayes do build our houses so faire and so durable as if we meant here to set up our rest and that we should never depart from hence which argues that though we know we shall die Theatr. Histor ex Guid. yet we think we shall live a long time whereas we should daily look to die Like Messodanus a holy old man who being invited by his friend to dinner for the morrow after Why saith he do you invite me to morrow to dinner I have not looked to live till to morrow this many a year For we no sooner begin to live but we begin to die and look how many dayes of our life are past so much of our life is already cut off and the lesse is remaining as the more of an Houre-glasse is already run out the lesse it hath to runne And secondly seeing we shall so soone die it may therefore teach us so to live as that death when it comes may be welcome and not fearfull unto us and that is by preparing our selves against the coming of death by a godly life For this is the comfort which a man can find when he lieth on his Death-bed that he shall enter into a better life when this life is ended and this comfort he cannot have at his death unless he have lived a godly life Death to the wicked may well be fearfull because as it is in it own nature it is the wages of sinne and imposed as a curse and punishment upon man for his transgression but by virtue of Christs death to the godly it is otherwise ceasing to be a curse unto them nay of a curse it is made a blessing even a passage out of a miserable life into the Kingdom of Heaven It was Sampsons Riddle Judg. 14.14 out of the eater came meat and out of the strong came sweetness Which was meant of the honie which was found in the Lyon which Sampson had slain for so the Philistins ye know expounded it what is sweeter say they then hony and what is stronger then a Lyon and it may not unfitly be applyed to death for what is stronger then death that subdues the strongest yet after that Christ had vanquisht death as he did for the godly out of the strong came sweetness for vvhat can be more svveet or pleasant unto us then the passage out of a miserable life into eternall happiness And such is death to the godly and therefore if we would find this comfort at the time of our death we must prepare our selves against the coming thereof by a godly Life FINIS The Sixth SERMON JAMES 4.7 Resist the Devill and he will flie from you IN the beginning of this verse we are exhorted to submit our selves unto God and the reason thereof is given by the Apostle in the words immediately going before because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble Now because we cannot submit our selves unto God unless we be carefull to resist the Devill who labours by all meanes to withdraw us from godliness therefore the Apostle addes in these words which I have read unto you Resist the Devill and he will flie from you Division The words consist of these two parts An exhortation to resist the Devill and a motive or reason because he will flie from us if we resist him For as God is overcome by our yielding unto him and therefore we must submit our selves unto God so on the contrary we must resist the Devill because he is overcome and will flie away from us if we resist him In the exhortatiō we may observe two things First the person vvhom vve must resist Secondly The manner how vve must resist him And first for the person it is the Devill vvhose name vvhich is here given him doth signifie an accuser And indeed his name is not given him for nought but as Abigail said of Nabal Nabal is his
postulat Our youth requires other kind of manners and it is needlesse for us to do thus till vve be grovvn in yeares For young men do commonly make account that they shall live long that God vvill allovv them more liberty vvhile they are young and vvill not require so much of them as of old men But they should rather consider that which experience may teach them that they vvho are young are as vvell subject to death as they who are ancient like glasse which is as brittle when it is newly made as when it is old and so though they be young yet they may die soone and therefore need alwayes to be in a readines against God shall call them They should consider that which reason may teach them that the longer it is before they seek God the longer it will be before they can find him as the further a man strayes out of his way the longer it will be before he can find the same And they should consider that which the Scripture teacheth them that young men as well as old shal be called to an account at the day of Judgement of all they have done And they should remember the precept which the Apostle gives here not in the future but in the present time Resist the Devill not resist him hereafter If God as they imagine regard not what they do in their youthfull daies what needed David to pray Psa 25.7 Eccles 12.1 Leuit. 5.7 Mar. 10.14 Remember not the sinnes of my youth or Solomon to say Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth Why did God in the old Law command that young Pigeons should be offered unto him Or Christ in the Gospel forbid that young children should be kept from him but to shew that our youth is to be consecrated to God and to be seasoned with Religion If they think it too soon to forsake their sinnes and to begin to serve God in their younger yeares God will think it too late when they come to be old to entertaine them to be his Servants and as they have spent the greatest part of their time in the Devills service so God will leave them to him whose work they have done to pay them their wages We our selves will be loth to take such a servant as is lame or old and so unfit or unable to do us service especially if he be one who while he was young and strong refused to serve us And do we think that God when we have refused to serve him in our younger years will be content to receive us when we are old and impotent to be his servants When we have served his enemie with the best of our daies will God be content to have the leavings Sardus de morib Gen. lib. 3 For if we serve him thus what do we else then as some of the Heathen were wont to do whose custome it was that when they had eaten the meat themselves they did sacrifice the bones unto their Gods Deut. 25. We are forbiden by God to have diverse measures a greater and a lesse because they that do thus are an abomination to the Lord. If God count it abominable for a man to have divers measures a greater for himself a lesse for his neighbour or a greater for his friend a lesse for a stranger How abhominable then must it needs be to God when we have divers measures for God and his enemies serving sinne and Sathan with the best and greatest part of our lives and alotting the least and the worst part unto Gods service And therefore it behoves us ever while we are young to resist and withstand the Devills temptations to renounce our pleasures and to betake our selves unto Gods service And thus much concerning the former part of these words Resist the Devill I come now to the reason which I will dispatch briefly Resist the Devill and he will see from you The Devill though he be fierce when he gives the first assault yet where he finds resistance he will break up the siege and fly like a coward Ye know when he tempted our Saviour Christ in the fourth chapter of St. Matthew though he gave the first blow yet he took the last and though he gave the on-set and set first upon him yet he was the first that sounded the retreate and was glad to leave him But it may be demanded Whether the Devill will flee if he be resisted Will he flee into Hell and be seen no more No that he will not but if he flee from tho godly he will be sure to take his pleasure of the wicked and he will make them pay for it If he cannot prevaile against our Saviour he will enter into Judas if he cannot have his will of men yet rather then faile he will enter into the Swine Math. 8.32 as a Hauke when she cannot speed of her prey she will sease upon carrion But though the Devill flee when we resist him yet we must not be secure for though he can not speed at the first assault yet he will come againe as when he took the foile in tempting our Saviour he departed from him as St. Luke saith Luke 4.13 Luke 20.40 but for a season He is not like the Sadduces Luke 20. who were so confounded with our Saviours answers that they never durst ask him any more questions but being overcome yet he will come againe like Pharaoh who though he were faine to let the Israelites go yet they were no sooner gone but he presently pursued them or like the Philistins Judges 16. who though they had often set upon Sampson and could not prevaile yet they would not give him over but still assaulted him For though the Devill do take the foile yet he will not quite give over but when he sees that he cannot prevaile one way he will try if he can prevaile another We see when God had given him leave to afflict Job to try whether he could draw him to impatientie and the Devill had taken away all his goods killed his servants and destroyed his children and could not in all this prevaile against him yet he would not leave him thus but got leave of God to assault him afresh and to afflict his whole body with sores and ulcers for he knows that our weaknes and infirmity is such that though he cannot prevaile one way yet another he may prevaile against us If he cannot prevaile against David to lay hands on Saul the Lords annointed yet he will try if he can tempt him to murder Vriah If he cannot draw the Pharisee to extortion adultery and the like Vices he will go another way to work and try if he can make him proud of his virtues And so though he be vanquisht in one temptation yet he will tempt us again therefore we are not to be secure but after that one temptation is past we must expect and prepare our selves for another yet this is our
the Lord Deut. 32. kill and make alive I wound I heal Therefore he wils us to call upon him in the time of trouble and he will deliver us Deut. 32.32 For howsoever by our sins we provoke him to afflict us yet if we call upon him for mercy and grace he hath an ear to hear us an eye to behold us a heart to pity us and an hand to help us And thus much concerning the first point the Agēt or party afflicting That it is God that chastens I come now to the second namely The Patient or party afflicted the beloved of God he chastens whom he loves Doct. God though he love whatsoever he hath made yet among all his creatures he loves man best and among men especially those who are of the houshold of faith which is his Church These he loves with an everlasting love he hath given his only Son for their redemption and hath adopted them in Christ Jesus to be his children And yet howsoever he loves them so dearly yet many times he doth afflict and chasten them for so we see here whom he loves he chastens The Doctrine that we may gather from hence is this That they who are in the love and favour of God are neverthelesse afflicted In the 11th of Saint John Behold Lord John 11.3 he whom thou lovest is sick Christ loved Lazarus and yet did not free and exempt him from sicknesse Dan. 9.23 Daniel was greatly beloved of God as the Angell Gabriel told him yet Daniel was cast into the Lions den The Virgine Mary was freely beloved of God as the same Gabriel told her Luke 1. yet a sword was to pierce through her heart Luke 1.28 Luke 2.35 1 Sam. 13.14 Job 1.1 as old Simeon prophesied David was a man according to Gods own heart yet David was often and many wayes afflicted Job was a just and an upright man yet Job was extraordinarily afflicted Saint Paul was a chosen vessel of God yet after he was converted his whole life was nothing but a continued affliction In a word Acts 9.15 all the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles and all the beloved children of God even from the beginning of the world to this present time have suffered affliction Therefore Christ saith Revel 3. As many as I love Revel 3.19 I rebuke and chasten Read over the Scriptures and ye see examples hereof almost in every leafe Gen. 39.20 In one place ye shall see Joseph cast into the dungeon Dan. 3.20 in another the three children into a fiery furnace 1 King 22.27 here ye shall see Michea fed with the bread of affliction there David washing his couch with tears in one place ye shall see Steven stoned to death Psal 6.6 in another ye shall finde John the Baptist beheaded Acts 7.59 To be short as it was said of Rome heretofore Mark 6.27 that a man could not step into any part thereof but he should tread upon a Martyre so a man can hardly read any part of the Scripture but he shall light upon the affliction of the children of God either one or other affliction being common to every one of them and more common then any thing The floud that overspred the whole face of the earth in the days of Noah was common generall yet eight persons ye know were freed frō the flood Gen. 6.18 preserved in the Ark Death is more cómon general then the flood Gen. 5.24 seizing upon the whole of-spring of Adam and yet two persons Enoch and Elias have been freed from death a King 2.,11 and were taken up into heaven while they were living upon the earth Sin is more common and generall then death and yet one person even Christ and he alone was free from sin but affliction is more generall then any of them all which hath lighted upon all men without any exception for even Christ himself though he were free from sin Esay 53.3 yet he was vir dolorum as the Prophet Esay calls him a man of sorrows as being subject through the whole course of his life to much sorrow affliction For this is the condition of all Gods children that first they must wear a crown of thorns before they receive a crown of glory first they must suffer with Christ in this life before they reign with him in the life to come Therefore Christ wills us if we will be his disciples to take up his crosse every day Acts 14. and follow him And the Apostle tels us That through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdom of heaven Vse 1 The use to be made hereof is two-fold First Seeing Goddeth visit his own children with the rod of affliction then much lesse shall the wicked escape Gods judgements if God chasten the godly whom he loves and is loved of them much lesse will he spare his enemies those that hate him Prov. 11.31 Therefore Solomon Proverbs 1◠Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth much more the wicked and the sinner And therefore Peter 1 Epist 4. Chapter If judgement saith he 1 Peter 4.17.18 first begin at us what shall the end of them be that obey not the Gospel and if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear For if God chasten the one much lesse out of doubt will he spare the other You will say but it is ordinarily seen in the World that the wicked are not subject to the like afflictions that the godly are Their houses as Job in his 21. Chapt. Job 21.9 saith of the wicked are peaceable without fear and the rod of God is not upon them and as the Prophet David saith of the ungodly they prosper in all their wayes and flourish like a green bay-tree It is true indeed and cannot be denied that the godly many times do suffer in this World more crosses and afflictions then the wicked but therefore we must remember that the punishment of the wicked is kept and reserved till the World to come Lazarus was farre more afflicted in this life that lay full of sores at the rich mans gates and would have been glad of a morsell of bread then the rich man was that fared so sumptuously and lived in pleasure but therefore what saith Abraham to the rich man Sonne saith he Luke 15.25 remember that then in thy life-time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus evill but now is he comforted and thou art tormented Whensoever therefore we see the godly to live in affliction and misery and the wicked in prosperity and hearts-ease yet it need not trouble us because there will come a time when the wicked shall be punisht and the godly comforted When the godly shall have all their teares wiped from their eyes Revel 7.17 and the wicked shall suffer Gods wrath and vengeance for if God afflict and chasten such as he loves much lesse
would not suffer their eyes to sleep nor the temples of their heads to take any rest till they had unfainedly humbled themselves for their sins past and had testified to the World by the reformation of their lives that they are assured that God is the Authour of the Scriptures And lastly Seeing God is the Authour of the Scriptures it may therefore teach us both to hear and read them with all reverence 3. Vse to renounce all Doctrines which agree not with the Doctrine which the Scripture containes and if occasion requires to stand in defence of the truth of those things that we find written therein even to 〈◊〉 losse of our lives as many Thousar â—â—oly Martyrs have done â—â—re us FINIS The Tenth SERMON MAT. 11.5 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk the Leapers are cleansed and the deaf heare the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospel preached unto them THese words are an answer which was sent by Christ unto John the Baptist For John the Baptist as we see before had sent two of his Disciples with this question to ouâ— Saviour Art thou he that should come or do we look for another Christ to prove himself to be the Messias refers them to the works which were done by him Goe saith he and shew John what ye hear and see The blind receive their sight and the lame walk the Leapers are cleansed c. Which words will not well admit any division but for order sake we may observe two things in them the persons and the cure which was wrought upon them The persons ye see are of divers sorts some blind some lame some Lepers some deaf some dead and some poor and every one of them had their severall cure The blind received their sight the lame walked the Leapers were cleansed the deafe heard the dead were raised up and the poor had the Gospel preached unto them But it may be demanded how Christ did shew by these works which he did that he was the Messias when we read that the like works have been done by others Acts 9.17 Did not Ananias Acts 9. restore Paul to his sight when he was struck blind Did not Peter and John Acts 3. restore the cripple Acts. 3.6.7 that had been lame from his mothers womb 1 King 17.23 Did not Elias and Elizeus raise some that were dead and have not the like miracles been wrought by others But the answer is That between the works which 2 King 4.36 were done by them and which were done by Christ there is a great difference For first the miracles which they wrought were not wrought by their own power but by the power of God God using them as his instruments to work those miracles Therefore saith Saint Austine Sancti non propria virtute miracula fecerunt sed deo in illis operante Those holy men did not work miracles by their own power and virtue but by the power of God that wrought so them Therefore we see that they alwayes wrought them in his name and prayed unto him that he would inable them Acts. 9.17 The Lord hath sent me saith Ananias to Paul that thou mightest receive thy sight Acts 3.6 In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth saith Peter to the Creeple arise and walk O Lord my God 1 King 17.23 I pray thee saith Eliah when he raised the Widowes son let this childs soule come unto him again And so Elizeus prayed when he restored to life the Shunamites Son 2 King 4.36 All shewing thereby that they did not these miracles by their own power but as God inabled them But Christ did all by his Word and Command as by his own power This was that which the Centurion acknowledged Speak saith he but the word and my servant shall be healed Mat. 8.8 and he proves it in the words following by an excellent reason For I am a man saith he under authority and have souldiers under me and I say to this man go and he goes and to another come and he comes and to my servant do this and he doeth it As if he had said If I can do this by my authority then what canst thou do I am a man and thou art God I am under the authority of another but thou art Lord over all I have souldiers and servants at my command to do as I will them Sicknesse is thy souldier and health is thy servant and thou mayest command them Say but thou to the palsie go and it will be gon say thou to health come and it will come and what thou willest them to do they will do the same Therefore in the Gospell we see how he commanded when he wrought any miracle So when he raised the young man to life Luke 7.14 Young man saith he I say unto thee Mat. 8.3 arise So when the Leper said to Christ Mat. 8. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean He presently answered I will be thou clean Luke 18.42 So to the blind man Luke 18. Receive thy sight And thus he wrought miracles by his Word and Command which others did not Secondly Though others have wrought some miracles yet Christ hath wrought more then they all together Some have cured the lame but have not restored the blind some have healed the sick but have not raised the dead some have done one cure but not another but Christ did all Healing as we see Mat. 4. all manner of diseases among the people Mat. 4.23 and doing those works John 15.24 as himself testifies John 15. which were never done by any other as we shall see in handling the severall cures which he wrought here Where first it said That the blind receive their sight We read in the Scripture of a two-fold blindnesse the one outward the other inward the one corporall the other spirituall the one of the body the other of the soul Christ cured many that were outwardly blind whereof some were such as had lost their sight and could have seen before and some that were born blind and could never see at all as the blind man that we read of John 9. the like cure whereof was never done by any but by Christ John 9.32 since the World began The blindnesse of the body is very grievous For that which the Sun is to the world the eye is to the body which being void of sight remains in a perpetuall night of darknesse A man would count it a very grievous punishment to be kept in darknesse but for a twelve-moneth together where he might see no light How grievous then must it needs be to them who for want of their sight do abide in darknesse and see no light for their whole life time Truly saith Solomon Eccles 11.7 the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun Therefore we read of some Countries which are near to the Pole
their sight and their hearing and had the rest of their sences the lame whom he cured did onely want the use of their feet and had the rest of their limbs the Lepers whom he cleansed did onely want their health and had the use of their limbs and sences but they which vvere dead had none of them all but vvere deprived of them altogether and so his raysing of such as vvere dead was a greater work then any of the former Therefore whensoever he raised the dead the people did greatly admire and honour him when he cured two blind men Mat. 9.31 Math. 9 They spread â—abroad his fame throughout all the land When he raised to life the Widowes sonne in Naim Luke 7.16 Luke 7. All that were present praised God and said A great Prophet is risen up amongst us and God hatâ— visited his people And vvhen he raised Lazarus from the dead John 11. it is said there that many of the Jewes that saw what Jesus did John 11. â—5 believed in him While a man is alive though he be never so much diseased or so dangerously sick yet vve send for Physitians and use other means because there is some hope that he may recover but when he is once dead there is no more hope and therefore we trouble our selves no further so when the Rulers daughter was sick he came unto Christ and besought him for her My little daughter saith he lyeth at the point of death but I pray thee come and lay thy hands on her and she shall live Mark 5.23 Mark 5.35 But his daughter dying before Christ came to her some brought the Ruler word Thy daughter is dead why troublest thou the Master any further as thinking it in vain when his daughter was dead to seek for help because the Physitian is not sought to for the dead but for the living But Christ that was as well able to revive the dead as to heale the sick raised diverse in the Gospel from death to life whereof some are not named but onely mentioned ingenerall as here it is said that the dead were raised up without specifying in particular who they were some are mentioned in particular as the Rulers daughter whom he restored to life when she was newly dead Marke 5. Mark 5.42 Luke 7.15 Joh. 11.17 The Widowes Son that was carried forth to be buried Luke 7. and Lazarus that had been foure dayes dead and was laid in his grave John 11. If Christ then were able to raise the dead while he lived here in the form of a servant we may well he assured that being in glory at the right hand of his Father he is both able to raise our souls from the death of sinne to the life of grace and to raise our bodies when they lie dead in their graves to the life of glory Indeed the raising of the body being dead see us a thing incredible unto flesh and blood And therefore when St. Paul Acts 17. did preach to the Athenians about the resurrection they were so far from believing that the dead should rise that they counted him a babler and laughed him to scorne But as Christ here raised some from death to life so at the â—â—st day he will raise all Act. 7.60 the one being as easie to him as the other Therefore our bodies when they die are said in the Scripture to â—all a sleep because Christ can as easily raise our bodies being dead as one man can wake another when he is faln a sleep If many be fallen asleep in a Chamber together yet one voice you know is able to waken them all and so the voice of Christ at the last day shâ—ll raise all that are dead in the whole world together The houâ—e shall come saith our Saviour John 5. John 5.28 in the which all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Sonne of Man and they shall come forth that have done good unto the resurection of life and they that have done evill unto the refurrection of condemnation 1 Cor. 15.42 And therefore the buriall of our bodies is fitly resembled by St. Paul 1 Cor. 15. to the sowing of seed because as the seed being sowen in the ground doth afterwards revive and spring up againe so our bodies after they are dead and buried shall be revived and quickned Qui tibi grana seminum mortua et putrefacta vivificat August de ver Apost Sermo 34. per quae in hoe saeculâ— vivas multo magis te ipsum resuscitabit ut in aeternum vivas He saith St. Augustine that quickens for thee the graines of Corne when they are dead and rotten whereby thou mayst live upon the earth for a time much more will he raise thy self hereafter that thou mayst live for ever in Heaven For he hath not onely redeemed our souls but likewise our bodies and therefore will not suffer them to perish in their graves but will quicken them again that both our bodies and souls may live with him And thus much concerning his raysing the dead The last thing which is here mentioned is that the poore had the Gospel preached unto them It is the saying of the Prophet Esay Chap. 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath annointed me to preach good tydings unto the poore he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Which words Christ expounding Luke 4. when he preached in Nazareth he applies them to himself This day saith he Luke 4.21 is this Scripture fulfilled in your eares to shew that he was annointed of God to preach the Gospel unto the poor Now by the poor to whom he preached the Gospel they are understood who are said by our Saviour Math. 5.3 to be poor in spirit For there are two sorts of poverty the one outward vvhen a man hath not means to maintain himself but wants outward necessaries the other inward vvhen a man is destitute of spirituall graces And thus every one of us all are poor but some do not see their poverty and want as the Laâ—diceans Revel 3.17 that thought themselves rich and increased with goods when they were poor and naked Some see their poverty and find in themselves a want of grace and therefore do hunger and thirst after it and these are the poore to whom Christ is said here to have preached the Gospel Therefore in the place which I named before the Prophet shews to what poor the Gospel should be preached by naming presently the broken hearted And Esay 66.2 The Lord promiseth to have respect unto him that is poore and of a contrite Spirit the latter of these explaining the former that they are the poor whom God respects who are humbled with the sight of their spirituall wants and bewaile nothing more then their want of grace Such were they to whom Christ here
heads to take any rest vvithout seeking of him For if David would not suffer his eyes to sleep till he had found out a place for the House of the Lord then much lesse should vve till we have found the Lord of the House even him whom here the Church sought night by night on her bed And thus much briefly for the two circumstances the time and place when and where she sought Christ I proceed to the Act in the vvord Sought By night on my bed I sought him Now Seeking implies these three things First A want of that which is sought For a man will not carefully seek that which he doth not want but that vvhich he wants he will seek vvith the more diligence as a man that is hungry will seek food because he wants it but if he were not hungry and vvanted not food he would not seek it So that seeking implies a vvant or need of that which is sought Secondly Seeking implies a desire of finding that vvhich vve seek For though a man do vvant a thing yet if he have not vvithall a desire to finde it he vvill not seek it as a man that is in prison though he want his liberty yet he will not seek it unless he have likewise a desire to have it So that seeking implies not onely a want of that which is sought but a desire to find it Lastly Seeking implies a hope and possibility of finding that which we seeke For though a man do want a thing and though he be never so desirous to have it yet if there be no hope of finding the same he will not seek it as a man that is sick though he want his health and be desirous to have it yet if there be no possibility and hope of his recovery he will give over seeking it And in all these respects we are to seek Christ as the Church here doth For there is nothing that we want so much as Christ nothing to be desired in comparison of Christ and nothing so easily found as Christ which are so many motives to make us the more willing to seek Christ First There is nothing that we want so much as Christ We are all by nature the Children of wrath enemies to God and bond-slaves to Satan and through the disobedience of our first Parents Damnati priùs quà m nati saith St. Augustine guilty of eternall condemnation before we were borne From this miserable condition we could not free our selves neither could we be freed by any other but Christ whom God hath made 1 Cor. 1.30 as the Apostle saith to be wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption unto us all which we must needes want if we have not him from whom we must have them and so there is nothing that we want so much as Christ Many indeed do not find in themselves any want of Christ because all their life-time they have lived without Christ in their natural estate and never have known any better condition For it fares with such as it fares with them that are borne blind who because they never had the benefit of sight cannot so well conceive what it is to want it And so these having never found any comfort in Christ do not know what it is to want him but if it please God to open their eyes that they may finde in themselves a want of grace and see the misery they are in for want of the same they will see they want nothing so much as Christ Secondly That there is nothing to be desired in comparison of Christ we may see by this because whatsoever we can desire without Christ can never satisfie us and give us content For till we be assured that Christ hath took upon him the discharge of our debts and hath reconciled us to God our sins must needes be such a wound to our soules and a terrour to our Conscience that nothing can give us any true contentment The riches pleasures and preferments of this World may give a man some little content for a time but ever and anon they are ready to faile him and when affliction sicknesse or death comes they do all forsake him Onely the comfort which he hath in Christ both in sickness and health both in life and death will never leave him and so nothing is to be desired in comparison of Christ Nay whatsoever we can desire for our good we may have it in him for God hath made him to be all in all unto us that in him we might have every thing If we be terrified with the sight of our sins Mat. 1.21 Luke 1.71 he is that Saviour that came into the World to save sinners If we desire light and fear darkness he is that day-spring from on high that came to visit us If we be hungry and desire food John 6.35 John 4.14 he is the bread of life that came down from Heaven If we be thirsty and desire to drink he is the Fountain of living water whereof he that drinks shall never thirst again If we desire to go to Heaven he is the way If we desire to be freed from error John 14.6 he is the truth If we desire to be freed from death he is the life In a word whatsoever we can desire for our good we may have it in him who hath every thing Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia He that hath him who hath all things hath all things with him and so nothing is to be desired in comparison of Christ Lastly As we want nothing so much as Christ and as nothing is to be desired in comparison of Christ so nothing is so easily found as Christ For he invites all to come unto him he never rejected any that came but was alwayes found of all those that sought him We see that at his Birth he called both Jewes and Gentiles to come unto him the wisemen that were Gentiles and the Shepheards that were Jewes to shew that he is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a respector of persons We see that in his life he called both young and old to come unto him some that were but infants and some of all other ages to shew that he is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a respector of times And we see that after his Resurrection from death he commanded his Disciples to preach the Gospel all over the World in all Countries to shew that he is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a respector of places but accepts of all and rejects none whosoever they be that come whensoever they come and from whencesoever they come unto him And though our coming unto him be for our good for otherwise we cannot but everlastingly perish yet he useth many motives to perswade us to come Mat. 22.23 To make us the more willing to come unto him he invites us in the Gospel by the parable of the King that made a great feast for the Marriage of his Sonne and sent forth his
only is to be prayed unto that can hear our praiers he onely can hear them that knows our hearts and understands with what affection we pray unto him But suppose again that Saints and Angels could hear our prayers and did know our hearts and suppose that God had put it to our choise whether we would pray to him or to them have we not more reason to pray to him who is the fountaine of grace then unto them who are but vessels of grace Would they be so propitious as he is unto us Would they be so ready to hear our prayers As he commands us to pray unto him so he promiseth to gives us whatsoever we aske John 16.23 Whatsoever saith our Saviour John 16. ye shall aske the Father in my Name he will give it unto you And because of our selves we know not how to pray nor what to aske he gives us his Spirit to help our infirmitie and to teach us to pray He prepars our hearts as David saith Psal 10.17 and his eare hearkens thereunto And because we are not so ready to ask as he would have us he therfore many times prevents our asking is more ready to grant our requests then we are to make them So he promises Esay 65.24 Antequam clament ego exaudiam Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear So he dealt with David in this 32 Psalme who had no sooner said he would confesse his sinne but God forgave him Nay as he prevents our asking so many times he exceeds our desires and gives us more then we aske of him 1 King 3.13 So he dealt with Solomon when he begged of God that he would give him a wise and understanding heart God gave him both that which he did desire and told him besides I have also given thâ—e that which thou hast not asked both Riches and Honour And can we have greater incouragements then these to pray unto God who is so ready to grant our prayers And so there is great reason why we should pray onely to him And thus much likewise for the Object of prayer I now procced unto the last point The time when the godly shall come unto God by prayer nuncly 〈◊〉 time when he may be found But some man may say why is there time when God may not be found will God at any time absent himselfe and keep himselfe out of the way when men seek after him Indeed Bâ—â—als Priests 1 King 18. They sought and all to besought their God sâ—â—â— morning to noon but could not finde him Cry saith Eluck 〈◊〉 aloud unto your god for it may be he is talking with some body anâ— doth not mark you or it may be he is rid on of town and is in his journey or it may be he is taking a nap and â—â—ust be Wakened before he can hear you Thus the Prophet derided their counterset good but it is not so with the God of Jacob Psal 12â— 4 the Keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps If David seek him David shall finde him nay David and every godly man shall find him whensoever they seek him Paul and Silas cannot pray at mid-night but the will hear them Acts 16.25 Mat. 18.20 Two or three cannot be gathered together in his name but he will be in the midst of them Nay he is so far from not being found that if thou offer thy selfe unto him with the Prodigall he will go forth to meet thee Luke 15.20 Luke 15.4.5 nay though thou be strayed away with the lost sheep he will go after to seek thee and never lin seeking untill he have found thee Why then saith David here In a time when thou mayest be found why is there a time when God may not be found The answer is That there is a time as the very words imply when God may not be found and therefore if we will find God we must come in a time while he may be found The time when God may not be found is two-fold Tempus impossibilitatis and tempus improbabilitatis the time when it is impossible to finde him and the time when it is unlikely to finde him The time when it is impossible to finde him is when this life is ended For after this life there is no time for grace no time for repentence no time for good works Therefore it is that Christ saith John 9.4 I must work the Works of him that sent me while it is day the night comes and then no man can work by day understanding the time of this life and by night death Hie amittitur vita aut reciperatur saith â—â—prian In this life the life to come is either lost or gotten He that defers the seeking thereof till this life be past he knocks with the foolish Virgins when the gates are shut and then it is to late he that seeks not for mercy till after this life he shall find none no not so much as a drop of cold water to coole his tongue For as the tree falls so it lies and as the day of our death doth leave us so shall the day of judgement find us The time when it is unlikely to find God is when he offers us grace and we reject the same when he calls us by his Word and we harden our hearts and when upon presumption of the mercy of God whensoever we repent we deferr our repentance to the end of our lives and so indeed do never truly repent And therefore the Counsell is very good Ecclesiasticus 5.7 Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord and put it not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of God break forth and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed And as there is a time when God may not be found so there is a time when he may be found this time is likewise twofold either more common and generall or more proper and speciall The common and generall time when God may be found is this whole life time from the beginning of our life till the end thereof And therefore if we must come unto God while he may be found and he may be found this whole life time then we cannot begin to soone to come unto him Therefore Solomon counsells us to remember our Creator in the dayes of our youth that so we may be seasoned with godlinesse and Religion in the beginning of our life The more speciall time when God may be found is when he cals us unto him by the preaching of the word for then he offers his grace unto us and knocks by his Spirit at the doore of our hearts that he may have entrance If we open unto him he will say to our souls here will I dwell for I have a delight herein but if we refuse to give him entrance if we harden our hearts when we hear his voice we know not when whether ever or never he will come againe