those which are praeter fundamentum and a man ought not to leave a Church for these Secondly there are errours in doctrine 2 Circa fundamentum circa fundamentum which weakens the foundation although they overthrow it not and for these men should not leave a Church 3 Contra fundamentum Thirdly there are errors contra fundamentum and raseth the foundation for these a man shold not leave a Church if the Church be not wholly infected with them totally There were amongst the Galathians some who maintained the doctrin of Iustification by works but because all maintained it not therefore they were not to leave the Church for that error So in the Church of Corinth there were who maintained that there was no resurrection from the dead but because this was not holden by all therefore the Church was not to be left for this So there were in the Church of Pergamus who held the doctrine of Balaam yet all held it not therefore the Church was not to be left for that The whole head may be sicke and the whole heart faint Esay 1.5 and yet may recover againe as the Church of Thyatira was ready to die yet the Lord exhorts her to repent and to watch Rev. 3.3 and to strengthen the things which remaine that are ready to die but when once shee is dead and no life to be found in her then men are to separate themselves from her Hence it was that the Priests and Levites in this case left Israel and came to Iudah 2 Cor. 11.13 because shee was a dead Church and not a decaying Therefore the Lords soule hath no delight in those who separate themselves from the Church and make a rent finding but small blemish in her Quest But was not this against nature for Abraham to leave his countrey and old parents Answ This is onely against corrupt nature Abraham left his father and countrey for Gods cause Primum vinculum est fortius secundo which preferreth it selfe to God but hee that loves father or mother better than God is not worthy of him The nearest conjunction of all is betwixt God and man and therefore he should leave all for God It is said of Levi Deut. 33.9 That he said unto his father and to his mother I have not seene him neither did hee acknowledge his brethren nor knew his owne children for they have observed thy word and kept thy covenant So the disciples Matth. 4.23 When Christ called them left their fathers and the ship and followed Christ When Hanna wept because shee had no children her husband comforted her saying Am I not better to thee than ten sonnes 1 Sam. 1.8 A man should love his wife better nor his father or his mother yea than tenne sonnes what love then should we carrie to God who should be deater to us than tenne fathers tenne wives twentie sonnes and all the world God can chuse out of any societie some to himselfe except out of hell He called him from the Idolaters there is no societie so bad but the Lord can choose out some from amongst them except onely out of hell As in Nero's court hee had some Phil. 4.22 Salute them of Cesars house And in Creete although they were slow bellies and wilde beasts there yet the Lord planted a Church there and in Ahabs house he had Obadiah who feared the Lord greatly 1 King 18.3 And amongst the Pharisees the Lord had Nicodemus and in superstitious Athens he had Dionisius Areopagita and Damaris Act. 17.34 By this we may see that the Lord reignes even amongst the midst of his enemies Psal 110.2 He called Abraham and Sarai out of Chaldea when they were Idolaters When God would teach his people thankfulnesse he wills them to looke backe first to their naturall estate Iosh 24.2 The Lord when hee would teach his people thankefulnesse bids them looke backe to their former estate first how hee multiplied them out of a drie stocke Esa 51.2 Looke unto Abraham your father and to Sarai who bare you and hee called him alone and blessed him and encreased him Looke to the rocke whence ye are hewen and to the hole of the pit whence yee are digged Secondly to their poore estate So he willeth them to looke backe to their poore estate that they may be thankefull to pay their first fruites Deut. 26.4 And the Priest shall take the basket out of thine hand and set it downe before the altar of the Lord thy God and thou shalt speake and say before the Lorh thy God Iacob was called a Syrian not that he was borne there but because he dwelt there with Laban So Christ is called a Nazaret because he dwelt there I professe this day unto the Lord a Syrian ready to perish was my father Syrus perditionis non Syrus perdens meaning Iacob that served in Syria under Laban and then he brought him downe to Egypt and sojourned there with a few and became there a mighty and a great people for this the Lord would have him to be thankefull And thirdly to remember their Idolatry And lastly hee calls them backe to remember their Idolatrie how their fathers were Idolaters and served Idols beyond the flood Ios 24.2 So the Apostle wills the Corinthians to looke backe to their former estate how they were Idolaters 1 Cor. 12.2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto dumbe Idols even as ye were led SECT 6. Of the increase and decrease of Idolatrie in the family of Jacob. THis Idolatry tooke increase in the family of Iacob The increase when Rachel stole her fathers Idolls Gen. 31.19 and in his retinue was polluted with these strange gods the Idolls that shee brought from her father Labans house shee was not free of Idolatry yet neither was her sister Leah and her handmaid Zilpah free of that Idolatrie Gen. 30.11 Bagad is read two wayes first bagad venit turma vel exercitus Secondly it is reade conjunctim bagad i.e. fortuna vel fortunate and Rabbi Salomon reades it Venit sidus bonum seu planeta bonus and she acknowledged this her child fortunae influentis donum a good gift from fortune Esa â—5 11 gad they interpret fortunam and the Arabians as Abenezra witnesseth cald God Gad or Mars hence come this word God and Leah called this her sonne Gad or good fortune because in Labans family they worshipped Gad or Fortune as a God Rachel brought these Idols from her father Labans house Idols are a dangerous treasure to carrie about which was a dangerous treasure for her to carrie about with her Saint Iohn saith in his first Epistle Chap. 5. vers 21. Little children keepe your selves from Idolls they are soone insnared with them and as children delights much to play with puppets so Idolaters are much delighted with their Idols Q. But did she not wel in taking away her fathers Idols Answ She was but a private woman and had no
most probable which Iosephus holds that Ioshua Eleazar and some of the elders of Israel went up with Moses to the mount Nebo but after his death that the Angells carried his body to the valley of Moab and then it was buried where no man knoweth The Angels buried Moses his bodie The Angels are ministring spirits to the godly in this life and at their death they carrie their soules to heaven but they carry not their bodies to the grave This was a singular favour showne to Moses that the Lord buried him by the ministrie of Angels They attended Christs grave but yet they buried him not as they did the body of Moses Not to be buried is a great judgement Eccles 6.3 An untimely birth is better than he that gets no buriall It was a great judgement upon Iehojakim Ier. 22.18 who got insepultam sepulturam and no man lamented his death saying Ah my brother ah my sister or ah my Lord ah my glorie vers 18. The Iewes pray to deliver them from foure things first from the circumcision of the Sechemites Gen. 34.26 Secondly from the Religion of the Samaritans Thirdly from the death of the uncircumcised Ezech. 28.10 And fourthly from the buriall of Iehojakim that they get not the buriall of an asse Ierem. 22.19 Moses his buriall was the most honourable buriall that ever was it was more honourable than their buriall who got the burning of their fathers 2 Chro. 21.19 1 Chro. 16.14 And more honourable than the burial of Gamaliel for whom Onkelos burnt an hundreth pound of frankincense for the honour of the dead It was a more honourable buriall than the buriall of those who were buried in the garden of their fathers buriall 2 Kin. 21.18 It was more honourable then these who were buried in the citie of David But consider the attendants who attended his buriall Abner his buriall was an honourable buriall when all the people mourned for him and the King himselfe followed the hearse and wept 2 Sam. 3.31 But here the Angels waited upon his buriall and God himselfe attended the hearse to the buriall and was the chiefe mourner there When a private man died lamentation was made but seven dayes for him Syrac 22.13 but they lamented for Moses thirtie dayes and they cryed out ah our brother ah our Lord ah our glorie Ier. 22.18 thus God honoureth them who honour him He buried him in a place where no man knew He buried his body Where no man knew ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the abolishing of Idolatry yet Moses was present with Christ at the transfiguration Mat. 17.3 So these who are buried in the sea blowne in the aire and burnt to ashes and no man knoweth what is become of their bodies yet they shall appeare before the Lord in the day of the resurrection Michael buried the body of Moses What if the Church of Rome had the body of Moses now and knew it to be his body would they burie it or not Whether would they stand for Michael or the devill They might say that it was a fit thing to burie it at that time because the people was an ignorant people then and Satan was ready to move them to Idolatrie But now seeing they would give no worship to it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they might safely set it up to be worshipped In the time of Ioshua Idolatrie did not so increase the elders who out lived Ioshua and who were in age when they came out of Egypt and remembred what the Lord had done for Israel the iniquitie of Baalpeor did not cleave unto them but the rest were not cleansed from the iniquitie of Baalpeor Iosh 22.17 Is the iniquitie of Baalpeor to little for us from which we are not cleansed unto this day they committed no new Idolatrie but the filthinesse of Baalpeor clave unto them because they repented not of that iniquitie In every sinne there are foure things to be considered first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the transgression of the Law secondly reatus the guilt which obligeth the partie who sinneth to undergoe the punishment Thirdly macula the blot which defileth the soule and lastly the punishment it selfe The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the transgression of the Law and the consequents of the transgression are the guilt the blot and the punishment The guilt of sinne bindes a man to answer for the transgression of the Law and it stands in the middest betwixt the sinne and the punishment and goeth immediately before the punishment and it is more terrible than the punishment Cap. 4. de divinis nomi nibus part 4. Therefore Dionysius said well non est malum puniri sed fieri poena dignum that is it is not evill to be punished but to deserve punishment yet wretched sinners are affraid of the punishment but not of the guilt but the martyres of God chose rather to indure the greatest torments then to incurre the guilt of sinne If we would escape the punishment we must first looke that the guilt be removed Manie thinke when the sinne is past and forgotten in their mindes then there is no more punishment to follow but if the guilt lie still unpardoned the sinne remaineth still Iosephs brethrens sinne lay over twenty yeares and this sinne which they committed at Baalpeor lay over a long time unrepented of but as long as the guilt remained so long were they subject to punishment the punishment alwaies followeth the guilt as the shadow doth the body The Apostle 1 Cor. 11. faith ye shal be guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ that is of the punishment which he deserveth who abuseth the body bloud of our Lord. The third thing considerable in sinne is the blot or staine of sinne in the soule This staine blots the soule as Inke cast upon a Laune cloath defileth it and even as in bodily things spots taketh away that nitor and brightnesse which is in the body so doth sinne deprive the soule of grace and makes it deformed Saul was as comely and proper a man as was in all Israel and he was Tobh bonus id est pulcher Tobh 2 Sam. 9.2 Yet this blot of sinne so defiled him that he was no more the sonne of Kish the Benjamite Kish Kush but the sonne of Kush the Blacke-more or Ethiopian Psal 7. in the inscription The Lord that he may take away this guilt and this blot he opened a fountaine in the house of David for sinne and uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 for sinne to take away the guilt and for uncleannesse to take away the blot Christ was not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the price of our redemption Math. 20.28 but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Laver of regeneration to wash away these spots Ephes 5.26 Tit. 3.5 He came not by blood onely nor by water onely but both by blood and water by blood for our justification and by water for our sanctification He that is washed
in the firmament as Ioshua did This error conditionis joyned with the two former errors is deadly They deny that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh then they hate the Lord Iesus Christ deadlie and they expect still a worldly King therefore miserable are they Cursed is he that loves not the Lord Iesus Christ saith Paul 1. Cor. 16.22 Let him bee Anathema maranatha The Apostle curses them here in two languages to show that this is a peremptorie curse to bee divulgat through the world And as the Lord would have Christs death knowne through the world therefore the inscription over his head when he hang upon the crosse was written in Hebrew Greeke and Latine to signifie that the Lord would have his death knowne through the world so the Lord would have this curse written in Hebrew and Greeke to signifie that hee would have this curse knowne through the world To be accursed as to be separate and set apart or appointed to evill so that these Iewes who love not the Lord Iesus Christ are separate and set apart that no man should meddle with them and as the Saints are set apart that no man might hurt them so are they set apart that no man may doe them good Isaac said of Iacob Gen. 28.35 Iacob have I blessed and he shall bee blessed so the Lord sayes of the Iewes the Iewes have I cursed and they shall be cursed SECT 5. Of the horrible crueltie of the Jewes in killing the Lord of Life THe Prophet Amos cap. 1. before hee comes to denounce the Iudgements of God against Israel for their sinnes hee sets downe first foure horrible sinnes of the countries about for the which the Lord denyes that he will pardon them and he sayes for three sinnes and for foure I will not pardon which is like unto that of Salomon Praescriptum numerum corigit auget scriptura Pro. 30.18 There be three things hid from me yea foure things which I knew not so v. 21. for three things the earth is moved yea for foure it cannot sustaine it selfe so Pro. 6.16 Sixe things doth the Lord hate yea his soule abhorreth seven that is hee most detests the seventh so Psal 18.1 The Lord delivered him out of the hands of Saul and the hard of all his enemies that is especialie out of the hands of Saul So search the land and Iericho Ios 2.1 that is especially Iericho so tell the Disciples and Peter Mar. 16.10 that is especially Peter because hee had fallen from the Lord this is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So for three transgressions and for foure that is especially for the fourth when many transgressions concurre together and the last is the greatest then he will not spare The sinne of Damascus was this The cruelty of Damascus against Gilead That they threshed Gilead with instruments of Iron Amos 1.3 and this they did when Hazael smote the land of Gilead 2 King 10.33 and they threshed them with instruments of Iron as they had beene beating out the corne and cutting the straw with their wheeles made with teeth of Iron This was the cruelty of Damascus to Gilead their neighbours Then he comes to the sinne of Gaza The cruelty of Gaza which was one of the five Cantones of the Philistines v. 6. Their sinne was that they carried away the whole captivitie that is they left none uncaptivated whether this be understood of Israel or of Iudah it is not expressed but they sold them to their barbarous enemies the Edomites It was a cruel thing to carry away people captive and to carry them all captive but most of all to sell them to their enemies the Edomites The third was the sinne of Tyrus vers 9. because they delivered the whole captivitie to Edom The sinne of Tyrus and remembred not the brotherly covenant There was no brotherly covenant betwixt them of the captivitie and Gaza when they led them captive but there was a covenant betwixt them and Tyrus for Salomon and Hiram made a covenant together 1 Kings 9.13 So the sinne of Tyrus exceeded the sinne of Gaza The fourth is the sinne of Edom The sinne of Edom surpassed the sinne of Tyrus his sin surpassed the sinne of Tyrus for he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pitty and his anger did teare perpetually and he did keepe his wrath for ever v. 11. Edom was Israel his brother because their predecessors were one yet hee cast off all naturall affection as Esau hated Iacob so did Edom his posterity hate the Israelites Esau hated Iacob and thought to have killed him returning out of Mesopotamia So when he desired liberty to goe through Edom his Countrie hee withstood him So 2 Chron. 28.27 And his anger did teare perpetually Then he comes to the cruelty of the sinnes of Ammon verse 13. Who did rippe up the women with child of Gilead The cruelty of Ammon exceeded the cruelty of Edom. that they might inlarge their borders that they might possesse a land voyde of people that they might revenge that cruelty This cruelty of the children of Ammon exceeded the cruelty of Edom for they killed the women and they killed their posterity The Lord forbiddes to kill the dame sitting upon the egges to take both the young and the old It was a cruelty in Rechab who killed Ishbosheth in his owne house lying upon his bed 2 Sam. 4.6 To kill a man in his owne house which should be a place of refuge to him is a great sinne but to kill him in his bed that is a greater cruelty but to kill the children in their Mothers belly being in their first Mansion and at rest there that is the greatest crueltie of all and then to kill them that they might possesse and inlarge their inheritance then occiderunt possiderunt So that their sinne was greater than the sinne of Edom Then he comes to the sinne of Moah chap. 2. verse 1. because he burnt the bones of the King of Edomes sonne into lime The sinne of Moab exceeded the sinne of Ammon this was a greater cruelty than the cruelty of the sonnes of Ammon first hee burnt the bones then the bones of a Kings sonne and then burnt them into Lime while they were turned into ashes and as the Hebrewes say they sparged the walls with them Then he comes to the sinne of Iudah The sinne of Iudah is greater than the sinne of Moab ver 4. Because they kept not the Commandements of the Lord and their lyes caused them to erre after the which their fathers have walked They kept not the Commandement he seemes to say lesse here than he spake before but it is not so for the Hebrewes use by denying a thing to affirme the contrary the more strongly as they say Exod. 20. He will not hold him guilt lesse that taketh his name in vaine that is he will punish them severely So riches not well gotten profit not
is most necessary for the preservation of the societie of men The diversitie of tongues was a great judgement to the world Gen. 11. that one of them could not understand another But this distinction of faces is a great blessing to the world for without it no societie could stand then the husband should not know his wife from another woman neither should the father know his children from other men and if the malefactor were not taken in the very fact he needed not to be afraid S. Austine cap. 8. adversus paganos Saint Augustine writing against the Panims calles this diversitie of faces a great miracle Men are distinguished from other sometimes by some marke as the Iewes who lives amongst Christians But these markes may alter and be changed So men are distinguished by their languages and by their dialects as amongst the Iewes some said Shibboleth and others said Sibboleth Iudg. 12.6 So these about Ierusalem had a proper dialect to themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 2.8 So Peter was knowne to be a Galilean by his speech Matth. 26.73 and so the Levite Iudg. 18.3 was knowne by his dialect but these may soone varie and so doth not the faces of men Many things distinguisheth man from man but the face above all This diversitie of the faces of men proves that there is a God for this diversitie of faces comes either from nature from chance or from God here is not a fourth This diversitie of faces comes not from nature for nature endeavours alwayes to bring forth things alike as in a bushell of barley This diversitie of faces comes neither from nature nor from chance but onely from God or wheate wee see all the graines alike This diversitie of faces proceedes not from chance If a man throw a die and desire alwayes a diverse number to fall out to him yet not withstanding the same number shall occurre to him often which argues that this diversitie of faces comes not from chance It rests then that this diversitie of faces comes onely from God who hath onely distinguished the faces of men for the preservation of societie amongst men Object But if they say that this diversitie of faces comes from phansie then I would aske them seeing phansie is seene more in beasts than in men what is the reason that there is no such diversitie amongst beasts as there is amongst the faces of men therefore it rests that it is onely God who makes this diversitie of faces Argu. 4. Non datur progressus in infinitum We cannot be led from Iudicatorie to Iudicatorie therefore at last wee must stay at the barre of the Iudgement of God wee cannot make an infinit progresse in things but we must rest in one chiefe and supreme cause If a man be condemned by an inferior Iudge and the sentence be just then it is altogether unlawfull for him to appeale but if he be wrongfully judged by an inferiour Iudge he may appeale to his superior as Saint Paul did to Cesar Act. 25. Nam appellatio est defensio justa innocentiae praesidium An appeale is a just defence and a safetie of ones innocencie and the law of nature teacheth us this that a man is bound to stand in defence of his owne life as farre as he can by lawfull meanes neither doth he wrong to any when hee stands thus in his owne defence and as in naturall causes the inferiour causes are subordinate to the influx of the superiour So in cases morall the inferiour Iudges are subject to the superiour and if they proceede not aright in judging then they are not their deputies and the partie wronged may seeke for redresse at the superiours hands and because men should not be led from judicatorie to judicatorie there are in all well constitute common wealths some supreme judicatorie from the which men may not appeale as in Iudea the great Synedrion in Athens Areopagus and in Rome the Senate but because all men may doe wrong and erre in judgement the last and supreme Iudge is God himselfe to whom men appeales He is the judge of the whole earth who cannot but judge rightly Gen. 18.25 Hee when he enquires for bloud forgets not the bloud of the poore Psal 9. Who sayes Bene appellatum sed male Iudicatum He approves the appeale but dislikes the wrong judgement By this the Atheist may understand that there is a God who is the Iudge of all A comparison betwixt the Christian the Devill and the Atheist Let us make a comparison betwixt the Christian the Devill and the Atheist The Christian by a justifying faith beleeves that there is a God and he workes out his salvation with feare and trembling The devill by an historicall faith beleeves that there is a God Iam. 2.19 and feares and trembles but hopes not for salvation but the Atheist he trembles onely neither beleeves he by a justifying faith as the Christian doth neither by an historicall faith as the devils doth therefore he is worse than the devill in this point A comparison betwixt Balaam and the Atheist Secondly let us compare the worst of men and the Atheist together let us compare the Atheist and Balaam the Diviner Balaam said Num. 23.10 Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Balaam beleeved the immortalitie of the soule and the happinesse of the life to come but the Atheist beleeves neither of these two therefore the Atheist is worse than Balaam the Diviner Thirdly A comparison betwixt the Saducee and the Atheist let us compare the Atheist with the Saducee the Saducees beleeved not the immortality of the soule neither the resurrection of the body yet when they were demanded Why then study ye to keepe the commandements of God they answered That it might goe well with them in this life they admitted also the five Bookes of Moses but the Atheists they acknowledge not the immortalitie of the soule nether study they to observe the commandements of God that it may goe well with them in this life neither admit they any Scripture therefore they are worse than the Saduces Fourthly A comparison btwixt the Epicure and the Atheist let us compare the Epicure and the Atheist the Epicure denies all Religion that hee may prove the soule to be mortall as Lucretius did following Epicurus Therefore he falls upon this conclusion 1 Cor. 15. Let us eate let us drinke for to morrow we die That is we shal be quite extinguished in soule and body and there shall be no more of us than of beasts when they are knockt in the head But the Atheist gos further than the Epicure for he denies all Religion and the immortalitie of the soule that he may come to his conclusion that there is not a God these three go alwayes inseparable together If the soule be immortall then there must be a Religion and if there be Religion there must be a God
my name false things saying they have dreamed a dream Ier. 29.8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel Let not your Prophets nor your Diviners that be in the midst of you deceive you neither hearken to your dreames which ye cause to be dreamed Such a deceiver was Semaiah the Nehelamite or dreamer Ier. 29.32 The Poets fained that there were two gates by the which dreames went The one was cornea and the other Eburneavia Homer odyss 19. The one of horne and the other of Ivory gate The true dreames went by the gate of horne And the false dreames by the Ivory gate And they say more dreames passeth by the Ivory gate then by the horne gate And therefore they should for the most part not be regarded Whether all impure dreames be from the devill or not Quest. Whether may all impure dreames be called diabolicall dreames or not Answ in this sense they may be called diabolicall dreames because they come from the devill but they come not all immediately from the devill for out of the heart of man comes murthers and adulteries Mat. 15.19 There are some thoughts immissae and there are thoughts emissae these which are cast in into the heart come immediatly from the devill but those that come out of the heart come but mediately from the devill And Bernard sayes well Est morsus mentis morsus serpentis est malum innatum eque ac seminatum est partus cordis preter seminarium hostis That is we are bitten with the corruption of our owne heart within as well as we are bitten with the biting of the serpent without And wee have inbred evill into us as well as that which is sowen into us When Satan put it in the heart of Iudas to betray Christ This was tentatio immissa a tentation cast in by the devill So when the devill moved David to number the people this is immissa tentatio a tentation cast into his mind 2 Sam. 21.1 So when he filled the heart of Ananias Act. 3. But when Christ said to Peter goe behinde me Satan This tentation of Peter came out of his heart and was not cast in into his heart So impure dreames for the most part come out of the corruption of the heart and are not put in into the heart Our dreames for the most part are uncleane dreames We had need to pray to God to pardon us the impurity of our dreames therefore we had need to pray to God to pardon them And to pray as the Iew did Heale them O Lord heale them as thou didst the waters of Marah by the hand of Moses and the waters of Iericho by the hand of Elisha Arba turim lib. orach chanic cephillah 130. And as thou healedst Miriam from her Leprosy and Naaman from his Leprosie Seeing the devill is so malicious and so crafty When we are going to rest then we should especially begge the Lord to save us and to guard us that he labours to tempt us in our dreames when we are a sleepe Our greatest care should be when we goe to sleepe to begge of God that he would keepe us under the protection of his wings And to send his Angels to protect us against all the assaults of the devill Philip. 4.7 The peace of God which passeth all understanding keepe your hearts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a speech borrowed from Kings who being guarded by their guard are safe from the assaults of their enemies So we being guarded by the protection of the Angels are safe from the tentations of the devill Alexander was asked upon a time how it came that he sleeped so soundly the enemie being hard by Hee answered because Antipater waketh He who keepes Israel neither sleepes nor slumbers Psal 141.4 Therefore we may lye downe safely neither can Satan hurt us at all We have also gnirim the watchfull Angels Dan 4.10 Pitching their tents about us and we may be more secure then Salomon was who when hee went to bed had 70. valient men to watch him Cant. 2.8 Quest. How shall we know dreames to be from the devill How we should know those dreames which are from the devill Answ If they be contrary to the word of God then they are from the devill Such was Semajah his dreame contrary to Ieremies prophecy Ier. 29.32 So if they move men to filthinesse or uncleanenesse they are uncleane dreames so if their dreames be one contrary to another ye may know they are from the devil Catarina Senensis said that in her sleepe it was revealed unto her that the Virgin Mary was conceived in originall sinne But Brigitta said that it was revealed to her in her sleepe Petrus Laiserius lib. 4. de spectris that she was not conceived in originall sin This contradiction shewes that these dreames was from the devill In libro de probatione spirituum It is a good observation of Gershon that men the elder that they grow they are the more subject to dreames so sayes he when the world is now fallen into the doting and old age they are the more given to follow dreames and false illusions then they were before Two sorts of trances divine and diabolicall Extasis or a trance was a higher degree of revelation then a dreame and there were two sorts of them first a divine trance or extasis secondly a diabolicall A divine trance was this when as the Servants of God were taken up in spirit A divine trance separate as it were from the body and out of the body that they might see some heavenly mysteries revealed unto them as St. Peter was in such a trance when a sheete was let downe to him from the heaven and all cleane things and uncleane things in it and he was bidden eate of them But S. Iohn was taken up in a higher measure when he was taken up in the spirit upon the Lords day Revelat. 4.2 and saw so many heavenly visions of those things which should befal to the Church afterward But S. Paul was in the highest degree of al when he was taken up into the third heaven and saw and heard such things which he could not utter and whether he was in the body or out of the body then he could not know Quest. Whether goes the soules out of the body at any time The soules goes not out of the body in a trance and returnes to them againe in this mortall Life Answ If the soule be once a glorified soule It comes never backe againe to a sinfull body to dwell in it againe I say to a sinfull body To put a difference betwixt the glorifyed soules which hath returned to their bodyes againe and those soules which hath not beene glorified and hath returned to their sinfull bodyes againe The glorified soules Glorified soules when they come to the body againe they come to a body without sinne when they returned to their bodyes againe
when the diseases are not knowne whence they proceede wee should ever looke up to the first cause When Iob was robbed of his goods by the Chaldaeans he looked up to the first cause and he said the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken So no doubt when satan strook him with such sores he said The Lord woundeth and the Lord healeth people commonly when they are stricken with some diseases they say some witch hath done this but they never looke up to the first cause the hand of God but the greatest witch that bewitches them is their owne infidelitie The Iewes markes two sorts of spirits which hurts men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Iewes for the most part ascribes all sudden diseases to evill spirits and they make two sorts of spirits one sort that killes in the night And this they call Debher And another which killes in the day time and this they call Ketebh and all the ground which they have for this is that which they take out of Psal 91.6 hee will deliver thee from the pestilence which walkes in the darknesse and from the destruction which wastes in the day time And the Targum following the Iewes opinion Paraphraseth it thus A caetu daemonum perdentium in meridie that is from the company of the devills who destroyeth in the noonetyme of the day aâ—d the 70. translates i◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daemonio meridiano that is from a devill that flies in the day tyme. As Satan can hurt the bodies of men so hee can hurt the soule Satan can hurt the soule when it is in the bodie To strike the soule with madnesse when it is in the bodie as the evill spirit of the Lord came upon Saul and strooke him with madnes and this is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and opposite to this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 5.15 So hee can strike the heart with blindnesse and hardnesse but for the will of man it is moved by no externall cause but only by God himselfe The Lord perswaded Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Shem Gen. 9.27 It is the Lord onely who can peswade the will Satan cannot perswade the will God onely doth this satan propounds and suggests tentations to the will but cannot enforce the will Hence it followeth that the devill cannot be said to be the cause of sinne directlie moving the will as God moveth the will to good the will is a free working cause and determinates it selfe to sinne therefore the Devill cannot necessitate the will to sinne unlesse the will give its owne consent non cogendo sed suadendo nocet non extorquet consensum sed petit Therfore it is that the scripture so often exhorts us to resist the devill Ephes 6. and Iames 4. Resist the devill and he will flie from you And if the devill should draw men necessarily to sinne then it should bee the devills sinne onely and not mans when as all sinne is willingly committed Therefore he is but indirectly the cause of sin Satan is indirectly the cause of sinne by the will propounding and suggesting such objects which may affect the senses and draw the will at last to give consent willingly to the sinne When the soule is out of the bodie the devill can doe nothing to the soules of the children of God What Satan can doe to the soule when it is out of the bodie for they are bound up in the bundell of life 1. Sam. 25. but hee can punish the soules of the wicked according to that power which is granted unto him and so much the more as the soule is the more immateriall then the bodie So the punishments of the soule are more fearefull then the punishments of the bodie and although the bodies bee more passible then the soule yet the spirit hath more understanding and when there is more understanding there the paine and the griefe is the greater And there is the greater harmony betwixt spirits and their delights then betwixt the senses and their pleasures and consequently there is more griefe in the soule then in the body Reasons moving us to acknowledge the power of the Devill If wee would consider either the number strength order or agreement of the devills amongst themselves we must acknowledge their great power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The order of the devils First there order There is Belzebub the prince of the divels there are also inferiour divels as Rev. 12. the DragoÌ„ fought his Angels and Ashmodeus Lucifer princeps daemonioruÌ„ Augustinus Nyphus in his book de daemonibus cap. 17. saith Omnis multitudo dictat ordinem maxime in perpetuis substantijs Every multitude requireth order but especially those immortall substances for as it is ordained saith he that men may live the more quietlie and peaceably that there be superiors to rule and inferiors to obey So amongst the devills that they may hurt annoy man the more there are some superiors and others inferiors which power and superioritie of theirs shal cease when they can hinder no more the salvation of man And as all principalities shall bee given up then 1 Cor. 15. So shall also saith hee this principalitie of the devill cease then When wee consider their number If we consider then there nuÌ„ber we may see what great power they have A Legion possessed one poore man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are called Gibborim potestatés Thirdly consider that they are called Gibborim potestates strong ones Psal 78.25 hee fed them with the bread of the strong ones that is with the bread of Angells There agreement And lastly consider their agreement It is not Regnum divisum a divided kingdome they all conspire together for the overthrow of man by all this wee may understand what power the devill hath to trouble and molest poore man Now to conclude this point concerning the power of the devils this is our comfort that there power is a limitate power and that they can goe no further then God permits them 1 Sam. 18.10 It is said that the evill spirit from God came upon Saul why is hee called the evill spirit that came from God because hee was sent by him and restrained by him at his pleasure The Lord can rule the devills at his pleasure he cannot only restraine them that they hurt us not but can make them instruments to serve for the good of his Saints 1 Cor. 5. the Lord biddes deliver the incestuous Corinthian over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh that his spirit might bee saved in the day of the Lord Iesus The Lord makes the devill here his instrument for the mortifying of the corruption of the incestuous Corinthian 1 Cor. 5.5 So hee used the messenger of Satan to buffet Paul that hee might humble him 2 Cor. 12.7 The Lord can make Satan an instrument for the good of his Saints The planets the nearer that they are
can come neare to the crueltie of the Devill Luk. 22.31 Satanas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deposcere ad supplicium vel questionem that is hee desired that they might bee put upon the racke There is no creâ—ture that the Devill studieth to hurt but man or for mans cause which argues his inveterate hatred against man Man hath a threefold life A man hath a threefold life first his naturall life secondly hee hath a civill life and thirdly a spirituall life Satan hates all these three and studies to bereave us of them First his naturall life He hath a naturall life Mar. 9.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to tare and rent as the dogge doth Mat. 7.6 Marke 9.20 discerpit eum and Luk. 8.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee made him runne violently as the horse when hee is spurred and made him teare and cut his owne flesh with stones Mar. 5.5 The worship which the devills affected The worship which the devills affected to have man sacrificed to them shewes the great hatred which the devill hath against the naturall life of man showes their great hatred against the naturall life of man of all the sacrifices which was offered unto him he delighted in none so much as in the blood of men as when the Iewes offered their children to him Psal 106.37 and in Creete they sacrificed men to him So did the Phoenitianes and the Lacedemonians did offer 300. men to him at one time This kinde of sacrifice was abhorred by the heathen Eusebius de praeparatione evangelica lib. 4. Vide Morne Pless pagina 385. The King of Cyprus changed this sort of sacrifice and in stead of men he would have oxen offered to the gods and Hercules travelling through Italie caused to make so many men of straw to bee cast into Tiber when as before they used to cast men into it and hee is more commended for that then for danting all the monsters which he overcame Satan hateth this our naturall life therefore they are mightily deluded who runne to a witch for their health As Ahaziah sent to Baalzebub the god of Ekren for his health 2 King 1.2 the tender mercie of the wicked are cruell saies Salomon Prov. 12.10 when satan heales the bodie and destroyes the soule that is a cruell mercie wilt thou preferre the vile bodie Phil. 3.21 to the precious soule Pro. 6.26 The soule is called unica mea Psal 22.20 my darling which is farre to be preferred to the body wilt thou lose thy darling for to save thy poore body propter vitam horae wilt thou lose vitam saeculi thy eternall life Therefore those who hold that there is some devills milder which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a milder sort of devills that hurts not but takes away evill are deceived and likewise that there are some witches which the common people calles the Loosing witches who does no hurt at all but removes onely that hurt which the binding witch layes on the sicke person But they are most of all deceived who thinke that they can command this malicious and cruell devill for he will never bee commanded with one of his slaves One blamed Aristippus that he haunted too much the company of the harlot Thais more then became a man of his profession Aristippus answered to him who reproved him This is the difference betwixt me my corrivalls that shee commands all the rest but I command her but what replyed the man to him Thou art saith he so much the more taken in the Net of Thais So these who bragge that they can command the devill are so much the more his slaves and they are twofold more the children of hell The devill is a maliciovs and subtill spirit Therefore if a man be possessed it were not lawfull for us to aske any questions of the devill as Christ posed him Mark 5. what was his name how many was there of them and why he entred into the man Christ having absolute power over the devills might aske him these questions But wee have no such power over them Therefore we may not oppose them this way for by this meanes wee might bee brought in familiarity with the devills 1 Cor. 10 20. I would not that ye should have fellowship with the devills and by these meanes hee more easily insnares us we should not be ignorant of his deceits 2 Cor. 2.11 The Casuist Lessius holds that it is lawfull to aske such questions of him Lessius lib 2. cap. 42. note 70. providing that they be asked Sine ullo signâ— benevolentiae without any signe of good will Naevarrus cap. 11. not 28. And Navarrus the casuist addes further that if of curiosity men demand of the devill such questions it is no mortall sinne So it is not lawfull either to seeke health of him or of his instruments the witches and sorcerers the casuist Lessius holds If a witch by certaine magicall signes given by the devill hath hurt a man Lessius lib. 2. cap. 9. not 48. In this case if there be no other remedy he may compell her by beating scratching of her to remove this hurt or sicknes which she hath layd upon him but withall he addes that she must not remove this evill by another charme which is as evill neither must he expect a positive effect from the devill but onely that he cease from hurting of him any more But we answere that to seeke a cure by scratching of the witch and shedding of her blood is a breach of the sixt commandement and we are onely to seeke of the Lord that he would remove these evills for it is he that woundeth and he that healeth The Lord Commanded when the Israelites were numbred that every one should pay a ransome to the Lord halfe a shekell Exod. 30.12 that there be no plague amongst them by this the Lord taught them that it was he who was Lord of their lives As Satan envies our naturall life so he envies our civill life when he takes away first our goods Satan envies our civill life and then our good name Mans goods are called his life Luke 8.43 consumpsit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she spent her whole life that is the goods which maintained her life Vivere est secundis rebus uti Iob 21.7 So Prov. 27.27 Thou shalt have life for thy maydes that is thou shalt have maintenance for thy maydes and because our goods are the meanes to entertaine our life therefore Deut. 20.19 Ye shall not cut downe the tree of the field Quia homo est arbor agri because man is the tree of the field that is the tree entertaines the life of man and therefore it is called a man So Deut. 24.6 the over and the nether milstones are called a mans life because they are the meanes by the which the life of man is entertained The Devill tooke these helpes from Iobs life and the witches commonly kills mens
Idols by violence Iudg. 18.18 they stole them not away secretly but tooke them by violence sixe hundred men came to take them away these were called aggressores who came by force to take a thing They steale his gods The Idolaters preferred their Idols to all that which was most deare to them the gods which they affected so much and loved so dearely See how Laban expostulates with Rachel for stealing his gods The Idolaters preferred their Idoll gods to all their ornaments and comelinesse when the Gaulles beseiged the Capitoll because they had no strings to their crosebowes Caelius pag. 689. the women caused to shave off their haire to make strings thereof in defence of their Palladium and their gods And they preferred their Idols to their deare parents When the Grecians burnt Troy pittying their captive enemies they gave every one their choise to carry away that which they liked best Aeneas made choise to carry away his gods before his old father and therefore he was called Pius Aeneas they preferred not onely their gods to their Parents but also to their lives As Metellus when he saw the temple of Vesta burning Seneca declamationum 4 he ranne into the fire to save the Palladium and very hardly he escaped with his life yet he lost his eyes and his Priesthood for no man who wanted a member might be a Priest in the temple of Vesta They tooke away his gods If a Christian should steale the Idols of an Idolater that were but theft but for an Idolater who holds Idols to be gods to steale Idols were sacrilegious theft And they being men of the same profession and zealous as it might seeme in their profession this aggravates their sinne for the unitie of profession should bind men one to another In Israel they had sundry dialects whereby they were discerned They knew the Levites voyce In Israel they had sundry dialects as some said Shibboleth and others said Sibboleth The Ephraimites were discerned by their lisping and Peter was knowne to be a Galilaean by his speech And so they had about Ierusalem a peculiar dialect of their owne Act. 2.8 some of them said Aceldama and others Akaldama so here they knew the Levite by his peculiar dialect They desire this Priest to aske counsâ—ll of God for them And he answers them according to their humour Goe in peace for the Lord is in your way where ye goe hee will goe before you and assist you flattering Prophets spake alwayes placentia as the false Prophets did to Ahab These are bad Physitians who give alwayes phisick according to the patients humour Next they perswade him to goe with them and to leave Micah his house Micah and his family follow tO restore their gods and Micah seeing that he was not able to recover them he falles out into this pitifull speech Ye have taken away my gods and my priest and what have I move We may learne of this Idolater Micah to esteeme more of God and his worship then of all things beside Eli his daughter in law when the Arke of God was taken called her sonne Ichabod no glory That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the Arke was taken all glory was gone from Israel She was more sorry for the taking of the Arke then for the death of her father in law and of her husband They disswade Micah from following of them for feare of his life verse 25. Least thou lose thy life with the lives of thy houshould In the originall it is What the Hebrewes meane by gathering of the soule Ne colligas animam tuam animam domus tuae that is least thou dye and thy houshold to gather is usually put for to dye in the Scripture as Gen. 49.33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iacob is said to bee gathered unto his people So Psal 26.9 Gather not my soule with sinners neither my life with bloody men So. Num. 20.24 Aaron shall be gathered to his people So Hosea 4.3 fishes shall be gathered that is they shall be taken away This phrase to be gathered to their fathers is as well spoken of the wicked as of the godly as Ishmael was as wel gathered to his fathers as Abraham Gen. 25.17 Therefore this will not follow such a man was gathered to his fathers therefore he was elect and chosen of God this is meant onely of death which is common both to the good and the bad Ionathan and his sones become Priests to this tribe of Dan. This tribe fell first to Idolatry The Tribe of Dan fell first to Idolatry and therefore were carried away first to captivity and therefore was first carried away to the captivitie Ier. 8.16 the snorting of the horses is heard in Dan that is of Salmanassar who carried away this tribe first So that when all the tribes were sealed in the forehead This Idolatry of the tribe of Dan laffed to the captivitie Dan is omitted Revelation 7. which wants not a mysterie Lastly this Idolatry lasted in the tribe of Dan unto the day of the Captivity of the Land and verse 31. all the time that the house of God was in Shilo By the day of the captivity of the Land here is meant that time when the Philistimes oppressed Israel mightily it must not be taken here for captivity which was in the time of Senacherib By the day of the captivity is meant the captivity of the Phistimes when the Arke was taken for David would not have suffered this Idoll to have beene in Dan all this time it must bee taken then for this captivitie of the Philistimes and all the time that the house of God was in Shilo then the scourge of the Philistimes came upon Israel conferre 1 Sam. 4.3 with Psal 78.60 and ye will see this clearely Psal 78.58 He gave his strength to the captivity and they provoked him with their high places and mooved him to Iealousie with their graven Images This Micah his image was one of them that moved the Lord to Iealousie most The Arke of the Lord was in Gilgal Shilo Nob Gibeon It was in Gilgal all the time that they were subduing the Land and dividing of it for foure and twenty yeares it was in Shilo till the death of Eli three hundred sixty and nine yeares after the death of Eli Shilo was destroyed and the Arke was carried to Nob where it remained to the death of Saul thirteene yeeres and it stayed in Gibeon untill the Temple of Salomon was builded fifty yeares after Eli his death fell this captivity of the Land the Arke was taken then the Lord forsooke the habitation of Shilo and delivered his power and strength to the captivity Psal 78. The greatest Iudgment befell them when the Arke was taken away Greater was the judgement which fell upon Israel for this Idolatry then for all the former for this Idolatry he left Shilo the Arke was taken captive and the people Eli brake his