hath mercy vpon vs. These are the principall helpes whereby the sight of God is begun in earth which will be perfected in heauen CHAP. XXVIII The other thing wherein Iacob shewes his thankefulnesse is his obedience Verse 31. And the Sunne arose to him THe other thing wherein Iacob vttereth his thankfulnes is in the obedience he giues to the Lords calling walking on in the journey which God commanded him Without this the other had beene nothing for except we obey serue the Lord in our callings doing that which is commaunded vs wherein can wee be thankfull to him and truely there is no better token that we haue beene refreshed by the countenance of God who is the strength of his people then this if with boldnesse and spirituall courage we follow him where away he cals vs albeit we should finde neuer so many impediments before vs. But it is to be marked Moses saith he halted as he went on in his journey This is the meruailous working of the Lord no doubt that Iacob being hurt in the night his thigh-bone disjoynted yet walkes vpon it in the morne and the hurt which he receiued of the Lord hinders him not nor stayes him from going forward in the journey which was enjoyned him by the Lord. We haue shewed you before how the children of God in their wrestlings do in such sort preuaile that they get no victory without a wound who is able to say that hee hath in such sort fought against Sathan and sin but oftentimes hee hath beene buffeted by Sathan and wounded by sinne Yet such is the gratious dispensation of the Lord that as Iacobs hurt made him not giue ouer the journey but rather confirmes him to go forward with greater boldnesse now halting on one thigh then before when hee went straight vpon both so the Lord doth so dispence the spirituall battailes of his Children that out of their manifold falles buffets and wounds which they receiue in this warfare hee workes in them a greater hatred of sinne and loue of righteousnes a greater attention and circumspection in all their wayes and a greater feruency and zeale to run out the race which is set before them and to renue the battaile against Sathan and sinne And this wee may see cleerely in Dauid who after his adultry murther being renued by repentance â—…iseth againe with a greater hatred of sinne and more earnest desire of mercy than euer he had before And did not Peters fall bring forth in like manner the like fruits in him that hee sheddeth teares now more aboundantly then at any time before hee now stands boldly to confesse the Lord Iesus before the Counsell whom before he had denied before a Dâ—…msell and in all the rest of his life he shewes himselfe an example of godly zeale labouring to confirme his brethren by a good conuersation whom before hee had offended by his stumbling and falling Thus the Lord by some one sinne wherein hee sussereth his children to haue experience of their weakenesse wakeneth them to a narrower inquisition of their sins for a light paine in the head men runne not to the Phisitian nor to the water for a light spot in their garments but if the defiling be great then we doe take occasion thereat to wash away euen the smallest spot that is in them So the godly when oftentimes they passe ouer small sinnes without remorse the Lord permits them to fall into greater that so they may be moued to mourning hasten to an earnest reformation of all Where wee are not to thinke that this commeth of any goodnesse that is in vs or in sin which we haue brought forth but of the excellent wisdome and goodnesse of God Deus etiam summus est medicus qui benè nouit vti enim malis For God is that great Phisitian who can vse to good euen those things which are euill And it doth saith the same Father more aduance the glory of Gods goodnesse etiam de malis bene facere quam mala esse non sinere euen to draw good out of euill rather then that he should suffer euill not to be Thus the Lord our God maketh all things serue and worke for the best to them that loue him so as euen the wounds which we receiue in spiritual wrestlings may well worke in vs a greater humiliation but shall not confound vs so that we leaue off the race and course to our heauenly Canaan Wherein if we cannot alway runne in the strength of the spirit with Eliah yet let vs by Gods grace endeauour to halt forward with Iacob at least creepe forward towards our heauenly Father as his little babes children who are but yet learning to walke proceeding alway from strength to strength till we appeare before the face of our GOD in Sion whereunto the Lord that is the author and finisher of our Faith the beginner perfecter of our saluation bring vs of his great mercy in Christ Iesus To whom with the Father the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS A CONDVIT of Comfort Full of sweet Consolations for all those that desire the comfortable sweetnesse of Iesus Christ. By WILLIAM COVPER Minister of Gods word LONDON Printed for Iohn Budge and are to sould at his shop at the great South doore of Paules 1608. A CONDVIT of Comfort Rom. 8. 28. Also wee know that all things worke together for the best to them that loue God euen to them who are called according to his purpose My helpe is in the name of the Lord. THis Chapter may be conueniently tearmed A compend of Christian consolation for wheras many kinds of comforts are dispersed throughout the holy Scriptures for the strengthening of the man of God some of euery kinde are here gathered together in one and like chosen flowers picked out of the word of God are knit together in one bunch presented to thee who art a Christian. There are two things onely which trouble vs in this life The first is the remanents of sinne in our corrupt nature this was such a matter of griefe to the holy Apostle that it made him to crie ouâ—… O miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death So displeasant was it to him to lâ—…ue in that body wherin hee found the motions of sin rebeling against the law of God And if the Apostle accounted this but then so weighty to him alas how should wee complaine and what cause haue wee with Ezechia to walke weakly in the bitternesse of our soules all our dayes in whom the life and power of that sinning is farre lesse restrained Yet least we should be so cast downe with the sense of sinne that we despaire and perish being swallowed vp with griefe the Lord furnisheth vs with many comforts against it from the beginning of this Chapter to the middest of the 17. Verse The
translate his Church from Aegypt to Canaan then hee altered Pharaohs countenance hee raised vp a new king which knew not Ioseph and turned the Aegyptians harts away from Israell so that they vexed Israell and caused them to serue by cruelty and all this the Lord did to the end his people should become weary of Aegipt and inforced by violence to make forward to Canaan whereas otherwise as it well appeares if they had beene dandled as in the beginning they would haue neglected the promised land and contented themselues with Onions and Flesh-pots of Aegipt Thus Pharaoh by his obstinacy brings on himselfe his iust deserued punishment the Lord workes to his people their vndeserued deliuerance and afterward when the sins of his people drew to that ripenes that they had caused their dayes to draw neere and were come to their terme the Lord stirred vp the king of Babell as the rodde of his wrath and staffe of his indignation he sent him to the dissembling Nation and gaue him a charge against the people of his wrath to take the spoyle and the pray and to tread them vnder feet like mire in the streets and then that the Lord might be auenged of the sins of Israell hee subdued all kingdomes round about them vnder the king of Babell that no stop or impediment should be in their way to hold off the iudgement from them But yet againe when the Lord had accomplished all his workes vpon Mount Sion and the appoynted time of mercy was come and the 70. yeares of Captiuitie was expired then the Lord visited the proud heart of the King of Ashur and for his Churches sake hee altered againe the gouernement of the whole earth translating the Empire to the Medes and Persians that Cyrus the Lords annoynted might performe to his people the promised deliuerance All which should learne vs in the greatest changes and alterations which can fall out in the world to rest assured that the Lord will worke for the good of his Church though the earth should bee moued and the mountaines fall into the middest of the Sea yea though the waters thereof rage and be troubled yet there is a Riuer vvhose streames shall make glad the Cittie of our good God in the middest of it and therefore it shall not bee moued yea they who should bee as nursing fathers and Mothers to the Church of God may forsake her and become her enimies but assuredly they shall perish and comfort and deliuerance shall appeare vnto Gods people out of another place The Lord for a while may put the bridle of bondage in the Philistines hands to humble the Israelites for their sins but it shal be taken from them and the day shall come wherein wee shall with ioy draw water out of the Wels of saluation and prayse the Lord saying Though thou wert angry with me thy wrath is turned away and thou comfortest me Yea Sion shall cry out and shout for ioy for great is the holy one of Israell in the midst of her and therefore in our lowest humiliations let vs answere our Aduersaries reioyce not against me oh mine enimie though I fall I shall rise and when I shall sit in darknesse the Lord is a light vnto me I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntill he shall pleade my cause and execute iudgement for mee hee will bring me forth to the light and I shall see his righteousnesse then hee that is mine enimie shall looke vpon it and shame shall couer him who said to mee What is the Lord thy God CHAP. VII What is a Christians best WHat is the Lord thy God Now shall he be trodden vnder as the mire in the street yea so let al thine enimies perish O Lord For the best This best is no other thing but that pretious saluation prepared to be showne vs in the last time reserued in the heauens for vs and whereunto wee are reserued by the power of God through Faith whereof we learne that our best estate is not yet wrought so as it is accomplished it is onely in the working saies the Apostle and therefore wee are not to looke for it in this life There is a great difference between the godly and the wicked the one inioyes their best in this life the other lookes for it and are walking toward it For if it should be demaunded when a wicked man is at his best I would answere his best is euill enough but then a wicked man is at his best when hee comes first into the world for then his sinnes are fewest his iudgement easiest It had bene good for him that the knees had not preuented him but that he had died in the birth for as a Riuer which is smallest at the beginning increaseth as it proceeds by the accession of other waters into it till at length it bee swallowed vp into the deepe so the wicked the longer hee liueth waxeth euer worse and worse deceiuing and being deceiued saith the Apostle proceeding from one euill to worse saith Ieremie till at length he bee swallowed vp in that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone And this the Apostle expresseth most significantly when he compares the wicked man vnto one gathering a treasure wherein he heapes vp wrath to himselfe against the day of wrath For euen as the Worldling who euery day casteth in money into his treasure in few yeares multiplies such a summe the particulars whereof he himselfe is not able to keepe in minde but when he breaketh vp his Boxe then he findeth in it sundry sorts of Coyne whereof he had no remembrance Euen so is it and worse with thee O impenitent man who not onely euery day but euery houre and moment of the day doest multiply thy transgressions and desile thy conscience hoording vp into some dead work or other to what a reckning thinkest thou shall thy sinnes amount in the end though thou forget them as thou cōmittest them Yet the Apostle telleth thee that thou hast layde them vp in a treasure and not onely so but with euery sinne thou hast gathered a portiō of wrath proportionable to thy sin which thou shalt perfectly know in that day vvherin the Lord shall breake vp thy treasure and open the booke of thy conscience and set thy sinnes in order before thee then shall thine owne wickednesse correct thee and turning backe shall reproue thee then shalt thou know and behold that it is an euill thing and a bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God And shalt be astonished to see such a multitude of witnesses standing vp against thee then shalt thou perceiue that these sinnes which thou hast cast behinde thy backe the Lord hath set them in the light of his countenance and then woe shall be vnto thee for the Lord shall turne thine owne wayes vpon thy head when thou hast accomplished the measure
Sanctified in Christ Iesus to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glory for euer Amen FINIS A PREPARATIVE for the new Passeouer Very profitable to bee perused and read of all those who are called to the holy Table of our Lord. By WILLIAM COVPER Minister of Gods word Prouerbs Chap. 9. Verse 5. Come eate of my meate and drinke of the wine that I haue drawne 8 My fruit is better then Gold euen then fine gold and my reuenewes better then fine siluer LONDON Printed for Iohn Budge and are to sould at his shop at the great South doore of Paules 1608. To the right worshipfull Sir Dauid Murray speciall Gentleman of the Prince his Bed-chamber multiplication of mercy grace and peace RIght Worshipfull albeit no distance of place can disioynt them in affection whoÌ„ God hath conioyned by the band of one spirit yet is it no small stop of that Christian conference wherby eyther of them might happely edifie and be edified of others I haue therefore taken mee to the next remedy since I cannot reach towards you with my tongue I haue endeuoured by writing to bestow vpon you some Spirituall Gift according to my line or measure for recompence of that Comfort which I haue reaped of that Grace of God which is in you I know these colder parts of the I le wherein we soiourue doe not vsually render such ripe fruites as those on which the Sunne beates more hotely yet are they also profitable in their kinde for nourishment specially of such who from their youth haue beene accustomed to feede vpon them Neyther hath the Lord our God debarred vs from Communion of that which is the greatest glory of the I le the Sun of righteousnesse hath shined vpon vs also The Lord hath made our darknesse to bee light and lead vs who were blinde a way wee knew not The Lord hath set his Standard amongst vs. Hee hath not onely sayde to the South keepe not backe but hee hath also commaunded the North to giue and to bring vnto him his Sonnes from farre and his Daughters from the ends of the Earth As the going forth of the Sunne is from the one end of Heauen to the other rising in the East and running on like a mighty man his race towards the West so hath the Law gone forth of Sion and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem the light of the Gospell through many nations hath come from them of the East toward vs in the West where now it stands more meruailously then the Sunne stood in Gibeon in the dayes of Ioshua till the fulnesse of the Gentiles in these parts the remnants of Iaphets house bee brought into the Tents of Sem. How long it will so continue the Lord knoweth Now the shadows of the euening are stretched ouer them of the East the Sun is gone downe ouer their Prophets Darknesse is vnto them in stead of Diuination If our vnthankefulnesse prouoke the Lord to withdraw it from vs woe in like manner shall bee to this Land when God departs from it There was neuer people before vs had any more but their day of Grace some longer some shorter but as they had a Morning so hath an Euening also ouertaken them While therefore wee haue the light let vs walke in the Light Blessed shall wee bee if wee know those things which belong to our peace for in our dayes that promise which the Lord made two thousand and sixe hundred yeares agoe is aboundantly performed that hee would giue the ends of the earth to his Sonne for a possession Happy are they among vs who shall be found of that number sought out by the Candle of the Gospell as peeces of lost Money and like wandring Sheepe taken out of the mouth of the Lyon and giuen in a Gift to Christ that hee may saue them these are the Redeemed of the Lord let them praise the Lord and among them come yee in also and giue glory to God take in your heart and mouth with Dauid that Song of thanksgiuing The Lots are fallen vnto mee in pleasant places and I haue a faire Heritage It is written of Theodosius that hee thanked God more for that hee was a Christian then for that he was an Emperour because the Glory hee had by the one would vanish but the benefits hee enioyed by the other hee knew were to continue for euer and though it may bâ—…e most iustly great matter of your ioy that by the fatherly care of our Gracious Soueraigne yee haue beene placed a Domestique Attendant on his Maiesties most Princely Sonne euen from his very Cradle wherein hetherto you haue beene praised for Fidelitie and I hope shall be so to the end yet let this bee your greatâ—…st Glorie that the Lord hath made you partaker of that blessing which commeth by the Gospell and giuen you the earnest of that Inheritance prepared for them who are sanctified by Faith in Christ Iesus For increase whereof in you as I daily send vp my weake Prayers vnto the Lord so shall I be aboundantly contented to know that these small fruits of my hâ—…sbandry which haue growne this last Sum mer in the pleasant valley of Perth not far from your natiue soyle may be any way profitable to confirme and establish that which GOD hath wrought in you 〈◊〉 them therefore right Worshipfull come towards you as those fruits which Iacob sent to Ioseph from Canaan Southward to more plentifull Aegipt though not as supplements of your neede yet as Testimonies of that loue which I beare toward you in the Lord to whose mercy I commend you for euer in Iesus Christ. Your W. in the Lord Iesus M. William Cowper Minister of Christ his Euangell at Perth A PREPARATIVE for the new Passeouer CHAP. I. Of the feruent desire Christians haue to be vnited with Christ. How Inexcusable they are who neglect this holy sacrament The great danger in comming vnprepared The parts of the precept First that we try Secondly that wee eate the last handled first AS the soule of a Christian longeth for nothing more then to be fully vnited with the Lord Iesus so doth he greatly account of euerie meane whereby this vnion is aduanced The Apostle S. Paul was so inflamed with the loue of Christ that in comparison of him he esteâ—…med all other things to be but doung and euerie thing an aduantage that might serue to conioyne him wiâ—…h Christ for albeit the nature of man abhorreth nothing more then death yea euen the soule of the godly desires not to lay aside the body if it might stande with the Lords dispensation which the Apostle is not ashamed to protest of himselfe We would not saith he be vncloathed but would be cloathed vpon that mortalitie might be swallowed vp of life Yet did the loue of Christ so far ouercome him that he was content through the valley of
the more earnestly should we practise this Lesson because now by Iacobs example vvee learne that then the Lord doth deale most familiarly to shew himselfe vnto vs when wee are best content to separate our selues from all other pleasures that we may get conference with the Lord whereas by the contrary when we neglect to seeke him and will not doe so much as redeeme a time and occasion to speake with him by forgoing for a while the company of men the Lord accounts that hee is dishonoured of vs that we are such as haue little delight in the Lord yea preferres euery thing before him and therfore also it is that the Lord delights not to be homely with vs and to acquaint vs with his familiar presence because we doe not carefully waite vpon him The Lord therefore encrease in vs this delight disposition to pray that we may esteeme it a benefit vantage to vs to haue the least occasion to pray for it was neuer yet seene but that a hart to pray hath euer been an vndoubted forerunner of a speciall blessing of God to ensue If we open our mouth wide the Lord shall fill it seeking must goe before finding we must knocke before it be opened If we haue the first we may be sure of the second Our Sauiour hath assured vs that our heauenly father will giue his holy spirit to them who desires him When Abraham prayed to the Lord the Lord answered him in such sort that euery petition hee sent forth returned back with some new gaine at sixe petitions he brought the Lord from fiftie to ten that the Lord promised to spare all Sodom for tenne righteous And that which is most comfortable the Lord left not off answering till first Abraham ceased from praying As that Oyle miraculously multiplyed by Elisha continued so long as the poore widdow had an emptie vessell wherein to receiue it so may we be sure that the grace of our God shall without ceasing bee multiplyed vpon vs so long as our hearts are enlarged to call vpon him Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied CHAP. V. The second circumstance the persons betweene whom the wrestling is THe second thing that here comes to be considered is the persons betweene whom the wrestling is Hee that wrestles here with Iacob is not a Man albeit Moses so calleth him because so hee appeares neither is hee a created Angell albeit Hosea call him an Angell of God But hee who wrestles is the sonne of God the great Angell of the couenant hic homo verus Deus est non ex nuncupatione sed natura hee it is who in this combat is the wrestler with Iacob Where first it is to bee demanded how it is that Iesus Christ appeared to the Fathers vnder the law in forme and shape of a man hee not being yet incarnate and made man indeede The answere is that appearing of Christ in forme of a man was as Tertullian calleth it praeludiū humanitatis a presignation of his manifestation after in the flesh but there is a great difference between the appearing his incarnation that followed in the fulnesse of time For first albeit christ before his incarnation tooke on verely the body of man yet was he not then a man indeede he was not then of the seed the woman but whē fulnesse of time came God sent his son into the world made of a woman then the word was made flesh then tooke he on the seed of Abraham became in al things man like vnto vs except sin then hee assumed our nature and joyned it into one subsistance vvith his diuine nature that is into one personall vnion for the straitnesse of the which conjunction it is sayd and most truely that Christ Iesus Man is God and Christ Iesus God is Man vvhich before his incarnation could not be said of him Secondly vvhereby Christ vnder the lavv tooke on the body of man was but temporall and for the doing of some particular errand vvhich so soone as he had finished he laid away againe But Christ Iesus hath now assumed the nature of man neuer to be laid away againe as hee hath joyned our nature vvith his diuine nature in a personall vnion so also in an euerlasting vnion so that there shall neuer be a separation betweene them Alway in this manner of Christs appearing vnto Iacob other of his seruants before the law let vs take vp the loue of Iesus toward his owne that for their sake hee is content to abase his majestie and appeare to his seruants not in a shape answerable to his glory but in such a forme as their weakenes might best comport vvith for vvhat kind of more homely and familiar apparition can God vse to man than to appeare as a man in the shape most familiar to man Not as God clad with glory and Majestie for that way no flesh might abide him In this O Lord thou hast shewed thy goodnes to man in this our father Abraham Isaac and Iacob had a proofe of thy louing kindnesse and in this all thy children may see what great account thou makest of them vvho loue and feare thy holy name But what is all this if it be compared with that which after followed I doe meane with that great loue which now in this last age of the world according to the truth of his promises he hath shewed vnto his Church in that he hath kept the precise promised and appoynted period of time wherein he hath appeared to his Church not in sh◅pe of a man onely as he did to our fathers but in the very nature of man A man indeed albeit not made man after the manner of other men For hee is the stone cut out of the mountaine without hands He vvas not made man by the operation of man He is a flower of the field not of the garden he grew vp like a Branch of the root of Iesse but not by the ordinary labour of a Gardiner Hee is the second Adam very man but not begotten by man He being the God of glory made himselfe of no reputation hee tooke vpon him the shape of a seruant and was made like vnto men and all this he did that in our nature he might work the work of our redemption Hee came downe from the bosome of his Father as the great Angell of his counsell to reueale to vs his fathers will concerning our saluation It is not customable that honourable personages should come to the poorer but his compassion of our necessities constrayned him Iacentes enim paralytici in grabbato diuinam illam non potteramus attingere celsitudinem For we lying sick of the palsie in our cowch vvere not able to reach vnto that diuine and high majestie therefore hee humbled himselfe to come vnto vs because wee were not able to goe vnto him And herein
our owne deceitfull refuges of vanitie And here is discouered the foolishnesse of the wicked who being impatient in trouble haue recourse with Achaziah to Beelzebub to Sathan or his instruments seeking by sorcerie charming or some other such vnlawfull meanes to preuent the Lords deliuerance Alas these blinde wretches see not that which after this manner they seeke to read themselues they fall vnder the danger of an euerlasting wrath When Hananiah that false Prophet brake that yoke of timber which the Lord put about the necke of 〈◊〉 to presignifie the captiuitie of Babel the Lord insteede of it put a yoke of yron about his necke which Hananiah was not able to breake So shall it bee with thee O thou who withdrawest thy selfe from thy Lord thou who wilt cast off the yoke of God and not tarry till the Lord deliuer thee Insteed of a yoke of wood the Lord shall fasten thy neck with a yoke of iron that is in stead of a light temporall affliction whereof thou hast freed thy selfe for a time by meanes vnlawfull The Lord shall sting thee with Serpents and Cockatrices which thou shalt not bee able to charme he shall cast thee into that Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone and shall bind vpon thee for euer that terrible wrath which is a wrath to come except in time thou repent But leauing the wicked let vs learne at Iacob who with patience continues in the wrestling as long as the Lord will wresâ—…le with him so that as the Lord began it so is hee the first that breaketh it off Wee may indeede with a good warrant pray for deliuerance out of trouble saying with Christ our Lord If it be thy will Lord let this cup passe by mee but alwayes so that vvee submit our wil to the Lords most holy will Neuerthelesse not as I will but as thou wilt And in the meane season so long as it shal please the Lord to keep vs vnder affliction let vs bewaâ—…e that wee murmure not neyther limite the holy one of Israel to preseribe vnto him eyther the time or manner of our deliuerance 〈◊〉 to the Lord his owne praise He is the God that saueth vs and vnto the Lord belongeth the issues of death Waite thou patiently on the Lord Commit thy way to him trust in him and he shall bring it to passe CHAP. XI Verse 25. And when hee saw that he could not preuaile THe fift thing vvee promised to speake of is the euent and issue of the wrestling where wee see that the wrestling is so dispensed by God that in the end the victorie inclines vnto Iacob So saith Moses here The Lord saw that hee could not preuaile This speach doth not import any superiour strength in Iacob but an abundant mercy in God The Lord cannot is no other thing but he will not hee is the God of heauen and earth hee that speaketh and it commeth to passe all thâ—… nations of the earth compared with him are but as the drop of a bucket if hee had pleased to haue taken from Iacob his breath out of his nosthriles hee might easily haue confounded him and laid him dead vnto the ground But it pleases him by secret strength to make Iacob victorious yet not so but that he carryeth away some mark of his weaknesse and infirmitie For the Lord disjoynts his thigh bone and maketh him to halt and that partly for Iacobs humiliation least he should impute the victory vnto his own strength rather then the Lords mercy and partly that it might bee a memoriall vnto him all the dayes of his life and prouocation to thankfulnesse As also the Lord gaue him this marke in his body as Theodoret thinketh to assure him that it was no fantasie nor vaine vision which had appeared vnto him And in this is shadowed vnto vs the manner of that victory which the children of God obtain in their wrestlings to wit that it is such a victory as is not without a wound A notable wrestler was Dauid yet got he sundry times the foyle A notable wrestler was Peter and such a one for whom Christ prayed that his faith should not faile because hee knew that Sathan was to sift him yet was he deadly wounded by a very weake instrument A notable wrestler also was the Apostle Paul many rare reuelations receiued hee of the Lord much did he in his calling to draw many to righteousnesse hee laboured more abundantly then all the rest of the Apostles he founded powerfully that â—…umpet which cast downe the wals of spirituall Iericho wheresoeuer hee came so that from Ierusalem to Illyricum hee made the Gospell of Christ to abound Yet least he should bee exalted out of measure an Angell of Sathan was sent to buffeâ—… him Noah that preacher of righteousnesse to the originall world spotted with drunkennes So Moses speaketh of him though Basill excuse his fact that in respect he was the first planter of a vineyard his drunkennesse came rather of the lack of experience that hee knew not the strength of wine then of his intemperance Yet the Spirit of God marketh it in him as a blemish No victory then to the Children of God in their battels in this life without some wound Who can say he hath so fought against sinne that at no time hee hath beene ouercome by sinne The best he that euer liued in the world our blessed sauiour excepted hath had his breuia leâ—…iaque peccata quamuis pauca quamuis parâ—…a non tamen nulla And those sinnes as they were done by them so are they written for vs not for our imitation but for attention not that wee should make sport of their weaknesse as Cham did of his fathers nakednesse Qui lapsu alieno gaudet gaudet Diaboli victoria Hee that rejoyceth at another mans fall rejoyceth at Sathans victorie but rather Ut medicamenta nobis de alienis vulneribus faciamus that so knowing our owne weaknesse we may learne by their example to take heed to our selues CHAP. XII Verse 26. And he said let me goe HAuing spoken of the wrestling that was betweene the Lord and Iacob it now remaines wee speake of the conference that vpon the wrestling fell out betweene them The Lord beginneth the conference and he craues of Iacob that hee would let him goe This may seeme very strange that the Lord this manner of way should speake vnto his seruant he that loosed the coupling of Iacobs thigh might hee not haue loosed the grasps of Iacobs hand he that came to Iacob without Iacobs knowledge might hee not haue gone without Iacobs license He might indeed yet doth he make intimation of his departure vnto Iacob and why onely to stirre him vp the more earnestly to seeke his blessing before he goe This is the Lords manner of dealing with his Children that he makes the mintes of his departure from them to bee meanes that prouokes them to draw neerer vnto him so
customable to the Lord to rebuke the friuolous curiositie of his own children that we may learne to be sober and not presume aboue that which is written In his quae de Deo dicuntur maxima est scientia ignorantiam fateri terraÌ„ inhabitas terrae fines ignoras quo modo conditorem terrae comprehendes animam habes cuius facultates enumerare non vales stellas vides quas numerare non potes numera prius illa quâ—… vides tunc illum qui nonapparet enarra In those things which concern the diuinitie it is a great knowledge to acknowledge our ignorance thou dwellest in the earth and knowest not the borders thereof how then shalt thou comprehend him who is maker of the earth thou hast within thee a soule the faculties whereof thou art not able to enumerate thou seest the stars and canst not tell the number of them begin first and reckon on those things which thou seest and then if thou canst him that is not seene Let vs therfore restraine our selues from such idle speculations if others spare not to proue vs with the like of these rash perillous questions which I haue condemned then remember with Basil TaliuÌ„ optima medicina est silentium CHAP. XXV The Lord somtimes refuseth to giue that which his chidren seekes that he may giue them other things more conuenient for them YEt it is to bee marked that albeit he refuse to tell Iacob his name yet hee refuseth not to giue Iacob his blessing Sometime the Lord graunteth his children their desires because hee sees it is for their weale Other times hee refuseth them and that also for their weale but whether hee say yea or no to their petitions hee workes alway in mercy towards them He granted flesh to the children of Israel because they sought it but therewithall his wrath fell vpon them of the which it is euident that sometime he graunteth men their petitions because he is angry with them Others againe hee refuseth because he is mercifull to them denying vnto them that which they craue but graunting another thing which is much more profitable for them Multi Deo irato exaudiuntur multis propitius Deus non tribuit quod volunt vt quod vtile est tribuat The Apostle Paul being buffered by the Angell of Sathan besought the Lord thriâ—…e that he might be deliuered from him he receiued a refusall of that which hee sought and yet the Lord left him not destitute of comfort Saepe multos Deus non exaudit ad voluntateÌ„ vt exaudiat ad salutem In the first of the Acts the Disciples aske a question of Christ Wilâ—… thou at this time restore the kingdâ—…me to Israel but what answere receiue they a plaine refusall It is not for you to know the times and seasons yet hee promiseth to them a better thing But yee shall receiue power of the holy Ghost O happie exchange let it be vnto vs O Lord according to thy Word denie vs O Lord any thing thou wilt but neuer deny vs thy holy spirit that it may lead vs into all truth so long as wee remaine here and in the end may bring vs vnto the sight of thy ioyfull face Let vs giue vnto the Lord this glory that hee is our mercifull father not onely when he graunteth but euen when he refuseth some of those things which we desire It may well stand that being diseased thou dost seeke of the Lord bodily health and seeke it too with this restriction if it please him and yet thou obtaine it not the Lord thinking it good to keepe thee vnder a sicke body to the end he may restore vnto thee health of thy soule for so may ye read in the Gospell that many being moued by bodily diseases who otherwise were not minded to come vnto Iesus Christ hath found in him health both of body and soule It may also fall out that thou dost seeke from the Lord temporall riches and that conditionally if it please him for a benefit that thou be not burdenous vnto others and yet the Lord thinkes it more expedient to refuse thee least riches should be a snare vnto thee for vnto many they are but speciosa vincula quibus alligantur à quibus possidentur magis quam possident Beautifull bands wherewith they are bound which they possesse not but are possessed of them Thus their posteritie and riches becomes their ruine so corrupt is our nature that the same gifts which should draw our hearts after the Lord are allurements to turne them from him Facile enim cor humanum omnibus quae frequentat adhaeret adeo vt vix aut nunquam sine amore valeant possideri For the heart of man cleaueth very easily vnto that wherewith it is acquainted so that hardly or neuer can we possesse the things of this world without immoderate loue of them And therefore the Lord in great mercy take them from vs that they do not take vs from him Let vs therefore commit the successe of our prayers to the Lord let vs not presume to limite the Holy One of Israel being alway comforted with this that if the Lord deny vs that which we would haue hee shall giue vs another thing which is more expedient for vs. CHAP. XXVI How Iacob shewes himselfe thankfull to God for the benefits receiued in two things Verse 30. And Iacob called the name of the place Peniel c. THe conference between the Lord and Iacob being ended Moses now makes mention of Iacobs thankfulnes which he declareth in two things first he impones such a name to the place as might stand for a perpetuall memoriall of Gods familiar apparition vnto him And next hee rendreth himselfe obedient not regarding any danger that might be before him trusting vnto the word of the Lord hee goeth with courage forward in his iourney First I say hee impones a name to the place and calleth it Peniel the face of God he giueth the reason because I haue seene the face of God and my life is preserued Seeing the Lord will hee say hath showne mee this mercy that I haue seene his face and am not confounded I will neuer burne it in vnthanfulnesse and therefore that it may be remembred of the posteritie I call this place by the name Peniel It becommeth saith the Psalmist vpright men to be thankfull Seeing all good things come of God it is good reason the praise of all should returne vnto him As the waters that come secretly from the Sea through the veines of the earth return againe in their troghs publikely vnto it so euery good thing which the secret blessing of God hath conuayed vnto vs by publike praise should againe returne vnto him If wee haue gotten comfort from the LORD we should giue vnto the Lord his glorie And it is the manner of the children of God they cannot rest contented when God hath refreshed them
heart of man cannot vnderstand What then shall wee thinke of him who prepared them Must not his glorious Majestie by infinite degrees surpasse the reach of our vnderstanding CHAP. XXVII What sight of God shall wee haue in the heauens YEt I speake not this to take away that sight of God which wee shall haue in the heauens It must bee true which the Apostle saith Wee shall see him as he is it being vnderstood with these restrictions First the sight of God vvhich vve shall haue in heauen shall bee perfect in respect of vs the Lord shall dwell in vs fully and replenish euery power and facultie of soule and body vvith his joyfull presence Hee shall fill my whole minde with â—…is light no darknesse shall bee left in it he shall quicken my whole heart no more deadnesse shall bee in it and the whole affections shall bee replenished with his peace and joy Now the Lord dwels in vs but he fils vs not Wee are yet hungry and thirstie Wee know but in part but in the heauens wee shall be filled perfectly with that presence wherein is the fulnesse of ioy the Lord shall then be all things in all vnto vs. Now the greatest measure of the sence of mercy is called by the holy spirit a tasting tast and consider how gracious the Lord is but there is promised vnto vs a full satisfaction ye shall bee satisfied Inebriabor ab vbertate domus tuae I call this sight perfect in respect of vs the Lord shall fill all that is in vs wee shall desire no more but we shall not be able to comprehend all that is in the Lord. Augustine expresseth this by a proper similitude for he compares the godly in the heauens to vessels cast into the sea were they neuer so large they shall be filled full of water and yet that which they containe is nothing in comparison of that great aboundance which is about them So euery godly man glorified in heauen shall be fully filled with gods comfortable presence so that hee shall know no want and yet shall he not be able to comprehend that infinit majestie and peace and joy and glory of the incomprehensible God Therefore said I that in respect of vs wee shall haue in the heauens a perfect sight of God that is so farre as we can bee capable of him Mensuram plenam superfluentem tunc dabit in sinâ—…s vestros A good measure prest and running ouer saith our Sauiour shall bee then giuen into your bosomes Secondly that sight of God that in heauen wee shall injoy shall bee immediate and this is such a sight as none can vnderstand till wee get it Yet to make it as plaine as we may let vs compare it with that which we haue here in earth The sight that now we haue of God is as through a glasse or a vaile that is by mediate reuelations Now vvee know him by seeing him in his Creatures wee know him by hearing him in his word we know him also euen in the earth by spirituall meditation that begetteth some secret sense of his mercy yet al these are a walking by faith not by sight at the least but a dark sight of God and through couerings but in the heauen we shall see him not by halues but by an immediate sight which wee shall then best vnderstand as I sayd when we shall attaine vnto it The Lord of his mercy purge and prepare vs in time and then hasten that day wherein we shall see him And yet because eternall life must be begunne on the earth and that it is not possible wee can see God in the heauen vnles wee haue first seene him in the earth let vs take heed vnto those three things whereby wee may attaine vnto the sight of God First remember that God without his own light cannot beseen the eye suppose it be an organe of sight were it neuer so quicke seeth nothing in the darke the Sunne without the Sunne cannot bee seene farre lesse can the Lord be seene without the Lord. In light saith the Psalmist shall we see light If therefore we would begin to see the Lord let vs walke in his light making his word a lanthorne to our feete in all our wayes taking heede vnto it as vnto a most sure word and a light shining in darknesse therewithall joyning to the Lords prayer Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of thy law Secondly we must remember that wee cannot see God without some similitude and conformitie with him Therefore saith Christ. Blessed are the poore in spirit for they shall see God Among all the members of the body none can see the Sunne but the eye because of some similitude that is betweene them For as God hath set 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the great world the Sunne and Moone in the sirmament as instruments of light to serue it so hath hee placed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the little world which is Man two eyes in the highest part of his body as organes of light to serue him But the eye being any way troubled or offended as we see by experience â—…bhorres the light wherein it otherwise delights and after the same manner the minde of man polluted with sinne neyther can nor dare looke vp to the Lord. Oculus cordis parturbatus auertit se à luce iustitiae nec audet eam contemplari The eye of the heart being perturbed saith Augustine turneth it selfe away from the light of righteousnesse and dares not behold it And to the same effect he sayes in another place Male viuen do videri à Deo non potes videre Deum not potes bene autem viuendo videris vides If thou liue an euill life thou shalt be seene of God but shall not see him but if thou liue a good life thou art not onely seene of him but thou maist also see him So necessary is this conformitie with God by sanctificati on that without it we cannot see God Thirdly to the sight of God there is requisite attention and consideration a meeke and quiet spirit a heart stablished by grace separate from other things and fixed on the Lord Oculus circuÌ„mactâ—…s non videt etiam quae ante se sunt A watering and reeling eye sees not those things which are before it and an vnstable minde tossed too and fro with restlesse cares and perturbations is not meete to see the the Lord. When the Lord appeared to Eliah there went before him a mighty winde an earth-quake and fire but God was not in any one of them hee followed in a soft and still voyce to teach vs that we must haue meeke setled and pacified spirits if we looke that God should bee familiar with vs and wee must set the eyes of our soules stable and sixt on the Lord attending on his shining mercies like the eyes of seruants on their maisters and while the Lord
of thine iniquitie the Lord shall giue thee to drinke of the cup which thou hast filled with thine owne hand and shal double his stripes vpon thee according to the multitude of thy transgressions CHAP. VIII The Christian is not at his best now it is the working onely BVt as to the children of God if you will aske when they are at the best I answere praised bee God our worst is ended our good is begun our best is at hand as our Sauiour said to his Kinsmen so may we say to the Worldlings your time is alway but my time is not yet come We are at the worst immediately before our conuersion for our whole life till then was a walking with the Children of disobedience in the broad way that leads to damnation and then were wee at the worst vvhen vvee had proceeded furthest in the way of vnrighteousnesse for then vvere wee furthest from God Our best beganne in the day of our recalling wherin the Lord by his word and holy spirit called vpon vs and made vs turne our backs vpon Sathan and our face toward the Lord and so caused vs part company with the Children of disobedience among vvhom vvee had our conuersation before then we came home with the penitent forlorne to our fathers familie but they went forward in their sins to judgement That was a day of diuision betwixt vs and our sinnes In that day with Israell we entred into the borders of Canaan into Gilgall there were circumcised and the shame of Egypt was taken from vs euen our sinne vvhich is our shame indeede and which vvee haue borne from our mothers wombe the Lord graunt that we may keepe it for euer in thankfull remembrance and that wee may count it a double shame to returne againe to the bondage of Egipt to serue the Prince of darknesse in Bricke and Clay that is to haue fellowship any more with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse but that like the redeemed of the Lord wee may walke from strength to strength till we appeare before the face of our God in Sion Alwayes this difference of estates of the godly and wicked should learne vs patience let vs not seeke that in the earth which our gracious God in his most holy dispensation hath reserued for vs in the heauen let vs not be like the foolish Iewes who loued the place of their banishment in Babell better than their home for here wee are not at our best now our life is hid with the Lord and wee know not yet what wee shall be but wee know when he shall appeare wee shall bee like him the Lord shall carry vs by his mercy and bring vs in his strength to his holy habitation Hee shall plant vs in the mountaine of his inheritance euen the place which hee hath prepared and Sanctuary which he hath established then euerlasting ioy shall be vpon our heads and sorrow and mourning shall slie away from vs for euer And now till the Lord hath accomplished his work vnto vs let vs not faint because the vvicked flourish neither thinke we haue cleansed our hands in vaine because they prosper they are to bee pittyed rather then enuyed let them eate and drinke and bee merry sure it is they will neuer see a merrier day then that they see presently they haue enjoyed their heauen in the earth they haue receiued their consolation in this life and haue gotten their portion in this world Oh what tongue can expresse their misery And yet as Samuel mourned for Saul when God rejected him and Ieremy wept in secret for the pride of his people that would not repent of their sinnes how can wee but take vp a bitter lamentation for many of you whom in this time of grace wee see to bee strangers from grace Wee vvish from our hearts ye were not like the kinsmen of Lot who thought hee vvas scorning when he told them of a iudgement to come and therefore for no request would goe with him out of Sodome but tarried while the fire of the Lords indignation consumed them But rather as Sara followed Abraham from Calde to Canaan so you would take vs by the hand and goe forward with vs from hell to heauen But alas The lustes of the flesh holds you captiue your sinnes hath blinded you and the Loue of the world doth bewitch you but all of them in the end shall deceiue you For All the labour vnder the Sun is but vanitie and vexation of spirit When you haue finished your taske you shall bee lesse content then yee were at the beginning you shall be as one wakened out of a dreame who in his sleepe thought he was possessor of many things but when hee awaketh behold he hath nothing Like that rich man who said in his securitie Now my soule thou hast much good for many dayes and euen vpon the next day vvas reducted to greater pouertie then that dispised Lazarus that hee had not so much as a drop of cold water to coole his tongue with then shall you lament we haue wearied our selues in the way of iniquitie and it did not profit vs. Alas how shall I learne you to bee wise The Lord when he created man set him in a roome aboue all his creatures and now degenerate man sets euery creature in his heart aboue the Lord. O fearefull ingratitude Doe you so reward the Lord yee foolish people and vnwise There is nothing which you conceiue to be good but when you want it you are carefull to seeke it when you haue it you are carefull to keepe it onely you are carelesse of the Lord Iesus though he be that incomparable iewell that brings light in darkenesse life in death comfort in trouble mercie against all iudgement you should set him as a signet on your heart as an ornament on your head put him on as a glorious attire that gets you place to stand before God But what paines doe you take to seeke him what assurance haue you that ye are in him or what mourning do you make because ye are strangers from him Can yee say that the tenth of your thoughts and wordes are imployed vpon him Alas how long will you wander after vanities and follow lies Will ye for euer forsake the fountaine of liuing waters and digge to your selues broken pits that can hold no water O consider this in time yee that forsake the Lord least he teare you in peeces and there be none to deliuer you CHAP. IX All things worke to the worst to the wicked THe last lesson wee obserue in this part of the verse is this as All things worke for the best to them that loue the Lord so all things worke for the worst to the wicked there is nothing so cleane which they defile not nothing so excellent which they abuse not Make Saul a King and Balaam a Prophet and Iudas an Apostle their preferments shall be their
destruction If they bee in prosperitie they contemne God and their prosperitie becomes their ruine if they bee in aduersitie they blaspheme him and like raging waues of the sea cast out their owne durt to their shame Yea what speake I of these things euen their table shall be a snare to them Iesus Christ is a rocke of offence to them the Gospell the sauour of death to them and their prayer is turned into sinne to them And what more excellent things then these as a foule stomak turneth most healthsome foode into corruption so their polluted Conscience turne iudgement into gall and the fruit of righteousnesse into Wormewood And all this should prouoke vs to become good in our persons or else there is nothing were it neuer so good can be profitable vnto vs. To them that loue God Here followeth the second part of the Verse containing a discription of the persons to whom this priuiledge appertaineth together with a reason of the former comfort Of force all things must worke for the best namely to saluation to them that loue God because they are called namely to saluation according to Gods purpose The strength of this reason stands in the necessitie and immutabilitie of the purpose of God more stable then the decree of the Medes and Persians for what hee hath decreede cannot be reuoked anulled or hindered It is that supreame cause of all which orders all inferiour causes and incidents whatsoeuer in such sort that they must worke to the aduancement of that most high purpose of God This reason is made clearer in the subsequent Verse where the Apostle lets vs see how the links of the golden Chaine of our Saluation are knit together inseperably by the hand of God that no power in heauen or earth can sunder them whereof it comes that he that is sure of one is sure of all And now let vs take a short view of it for confirming of the Apostles Reason Election is the first and it is the most auncient Charter of the right of Gods Children to their Fathers inheritance Calling is the second and it is that gift of God whereby wee are knowne the sonnes of God and our Election secret in it selfe is made manifest to our selues and others Iustification is the third and it is the grace of God whereby we are infeoft in Iesus Christ in such sort that wee are made one with him and pertakers of all that is his Glorification is the last and it is that grace of GOD whereby vvee shall bee entred in the due time full Heyres to our heauenly Father No King on earth can produce so auncient a right to his crowne as the Christian effectually called No man on earth can bee knowne his fathers heire vpon such sufficient warrant as the Christian for in his Regeneration the Father communicates to him his Image his Nature and his Spirit whereby he begins from feeling to call God his father and in life and manners resembleth him No Free-holder so surely infeoft in his Lands hauing so many confirmations of his right as hath the justified Christian who vpon his guift hath receiued the earnest the Pledge the Seale and the Witnesse of the great King and last of all the Christian shall be entred to the ful fruition of his inheritance with such joy and triumph in the glorious assembly of the Saints as the like was neuer seene in the world no not in Ierusalem that day when Salomon sate downe in his fathers Throne then their joy was so great That the earth rang with the sound of them but nothing comparable to this And herein stands the excellency of a Christian and certaintie of his saluation CHAP. X. How the Christian is made sure of his Election and Glorification FOr this Chaine of our Saluation reacheth as I may say from eternitie to eternitie the beginning of it albeit before beginning is our Election the end of it albeit without end is our glorification and these two ends of the Chaine the Lord keepes them sure secret in his owne hand but the two middle links of the Chaine to wit Calling and Iustification the Lord hath letten them downe from the Heauen to earth that we should gripe and apprehend them that being sure of the two middle Links wee might also bee sure of the two ends because the Lord hath knit them inseparably together Then thou who wouldest be comforted with the assurance of thy Saluation take heed of this making it knowne to thine owne Conscience by a holy life that God hath called thee and iustified thee Gripe sure as it were with one hand the linke of Calling and with the other hand the linke of Iustification then maist thou know assuredly Election before the world is thine Glorification after this shall also be thine To make this yet more plaine we are to remember this mortall life of ours is a short interiected point of Time betwixt two Eternities if so I may call it or like a stepping stone betwixt two Gulphes whereupon some in feare and trembling worke out their Saluation and so steps from Gods eternall Election to endlesse glorification Others againe in wantonnesse and carelesse securitie drinkes in iniquitie with greedinesse and so steps from the decree of Reprobation that most iustly they procure their euerlasting condemnation So that euery man is to consider of his euerlasting weale or woe by his present disposition in this life Oh that wee had sanctified memories to remember this so long as wee are here If of weaknesse wee fall wee may rise againe and if wee haue not learned well to repent in one day wee haue leaue of the Lords patience to learne it better another day his name bee praysed therefore who hath opened a doore of mercie to sinners and with long suffering waits for our repentance But he who in the day of his transmigration steps the wrong step will neuer get leaue to amend it Where the tree falles it shal lie there the wicked dies in their sinnes and so steps downeward to the deep pit and gulph out of which there is no redemption Let vs therefore be wel aduised before wee leape Let vs fasten our feete in the borders of that Canaan in time which shal be done if wee make our whole life a proceeding from Election to Glorification and that through Calling and Iustification which two hath inseparably following them the Sanctification and Renouation of the whole man The Lord make vs wise in time that we may consider our course and think of the end wherevnto it leades vs for there is but one of two as Moses protested to the Israelites so doe I vnto you I haue laid this day life and death before you the Lord giue you grace to make choise of the best But now to returne to the words of this discription of the persons to whom this priuiledge appertaineth wee haue these things First the Purpose of God Secondly his Calling according to
his purpose Thirdly the euident token according to Gods calling which is the loue of God The purpose of God concerning thy saluation thou maist know by thy calling and if againe thou wilt try thy calling try it by the loue of God which thou finds in thee And of these three I will now speake briefly CHAP. XI What comfort wee haue in this that our saluation is grounded on the Lords vnchangeable purpose ACcording to his purpose Here you see then how the Apostle draweth our Calling from the purpose of God and so when hee will comfort vs vvith the certaintie of our saluation he leads vs out of our selues vp to the Rocke that is higher then wee hee teacheth vs to cast our Anchor within the vaile and to fasten our soules vpon that vnchangeable Purpose of God It is most expedient for the Children of God to mark this because the manifold changes wee finde in our selues doe oftentimes interrupt the peace of our minds that the Lord our God hath in such sort dispensed our Saluation that the ground thereof is laide in his owne immutable Purpose but the markes tokens and pledges hee placeth in them after their Calling for whom it was ordayned The tokens are changeable as we our selues in whom they are are changeable but the ground holds fast being laid in the vnchangeable God in whom can be no shadow of alteration and this should comfort vs against our daily vicissitudes changes defects and temporall desertion our faith may faint our spirituall life may languish our hope hoouer our harts in praying fall downe like the infeebled hands of Moses yet let vs not despaire no change in vs can alter the Lords vnchangeable Purpose he vvho hath begun the work in vs will also perfect it Because I am not changed saith the Lord therefore is it that yee O Sonnes of Iacob are not consumed This purpose of God is called otherwaies The will of God and the good pleasure of his will and it doth learne vs to giue to the Lord the praise which is due to him namely the praise of the whole worke of our saluation should bee ascribed to the good pleasure of his will onely and not to our foreseene merits that poyson of pride which Sathan powred in our first parents wherby hee prouoked them to aspire to be equall with God doth yet appeare in their posteritie the corrupt heart of man euer ayming at this eyther in part or in whole to haue the praise of saluation ascribed to himselfe and so would start vp in the roome of God vsurping that glory which belongeth to the Lord and hee will not giue to another then the which no Sacriledge more fearefull can be committed against the Lord. O man content thee vvith that which the Lord offers thee and let that alone vvhich the Lord reserueth to himselfe My peace saith the Lord I giue vnto you but my glory I will not giue to another It is enough that the saluation of the Lord is thine but as for the glory of saluation let it remaine to the Lord hee is for this called the Father of Mercy because mercy is bred in his owne bosome many causes without himselfe found hee moouing and procuring him to execute Iustice but a cause moouing him to shew mercy found hee neuer saue onely the good pleasure of his will Therefore saith the Apostle The Lord hath called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his purpose and grace Surely except the Lord had reserued mercy for vs vvee had beene like Sodome and Gomorrha but it hath pleased him in his mercy of the same lumpe of clay to make vs Vessels of honour whereof he hath made others vessels of dishonour and who is able sufficiently to thinke of so great a benefit Therefore let the re deemed of the Lord cry out with a lowder voyce then Dauid O Lord what are wee that thou hast beene so mindfull of vs Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glory for thy louing kindenesse and for thy truths sake for our Saluation commeth of god that sitteth vpon the throne and of the Lambe to thee therefore be praise and honour and glory for euer and euer CHAP. XII Two callings outward and inward TO them that are called The purpose of God which is sufficient in it selfe is made knowne and manifest to vs by his Calling for our Calling is a declaration of the decree of our Election and as it were the secret voice of God bringing from the Heauens to our soules this comfortable message That wee are the sonnes of God Now wee must know that Gods Calling is twofold one outward which is common also to the wicked of it speakes our Sauiour Many are called but fâ—…w are chosen The other inward and effectuall proper only to the godly whom the Lord is purposed to saue And this will learne vs to consider of three sorts of men in the world wherof some are not called at all some called but not chosen some chosen and therefore are called to be sanctified iustified and Glorified Yee that will take a right view of all mankinde shall finde them as it were standing in the three circles they onely being happie who are within the third In the outmost Circle are all those on whom the Lord hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling and here stands the greatest part of the world In the middlemost Circle which is much narrower are all those which are partakers of Gods outward calling by the word Sacraments And in the third circle which is of smallest compasse in regard of the rest stands those who beside the outward calling of God by his word are called also inwardly and effectually by his holy Spirit These are Christs little flocke the fewe chosen the communion of saints the Lords third part so to speake with Zacharic the two parts shall be cut off and die but The third will the Lord sine as siluer and gold of them will the Lord say This is my people and they shall say The Lord is my God It is a great steppe indeede that we are brought from the vttermost Circle vnto the second but it is not sufficient to saluation yea rather they who stand in the second Circle hearing the voice of God call them to repentance and yet harden their hearts and will not follow the Lord may looke for a more fearefull condemnation than they who are in the vtmost ranke of all Waightie are all those warnings of our Sauiour Sodome and Gomorah shall be in an easier estate in the day of iudgement then they to whom the Lord hath spoken by his worde but they would not receiue it and that double stripes are for him that knowes his Masters will and doth it not Content not your selues therefore with this that you are brought within the compasse of this visible Church and made partakers of an outward
Calling that ye haue bene baptized in the name of Iesus and communicated at his holy table for not euerie one that sayes Lord Lord shall enter into his kingdom except ye find also the Lords inward and effectuall Calling that the arme of his grace hath drawne you within the compasse of this third circle and so brought you to be of his owne third part and set you downe among the generation of them that seeke the face of God and therfore forsakes their sinnes that they may finde him CHAP. XIII Of the inward Calling THen wee see this excellent priuiledge is restrained to them who are called inwardly and therefore let vs yet a little consider it This inward Calling is the Communication of Christs sauing grace vvhereby the minde is inlightened the heart purified by faith the affections sanctified and the whole man reformed For as the Lord by his Gospell offers to his children righteousnesse and life so by his holy spirit he giues them that iustifying Faith and openeth their hearts to receiue that Grace which is preached and proclaimed to them in the Gospel So then this worke of our Calling is altogether the Lords It is his praise that hee cals things which are not and makes them to be the Lord that commaunded light to shine out of darknesse hath giuen to our mindes the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Christ Iesus hee it is that creates in vs a new heart and putteth a new spirit into our bowels that vvee may walke in his statutes The Lord promised that hee would call many of the Gentiles to the spiritual Ierusalem to suck out the milke of the breasts of her consolation and be delighted with the brightnesse of his glory shall I cause others to bee fruitfull saith the Lord and remaine barren my selfe and this his gracious promise hath he most abundantly performed in our dayes his name be praised therefore As this worke is onely the Lords so he restraines it onely to them who are his owne The outward Calling is extended to all but the inward calling makes a particular seperation of a few from the remnant where it is wonderfull to see the distinction which is made betwixt man and man in all rankes and estates by this effectuall calling of two Brethren as Iacob and Esau of two Prophets as Moses and Balaam of two Kings as Dauid and Saul of two Apostles as Peter and Iudas of two theeues the one is taken the other reiected and thus the arme of the grace of God goes through to euerie corner of the earth according to his pleasure culling out by his word from among the remnant of the world those who belong to his Election This grace of God it enters in a Land and not into euery Cittie it enters into a Cittie but not into euery Familie yea it will enter into a Familie and â—…et not come to euery person of the Familie or husband and wife of Maisters and Seruants of Parents and Children of Brethren and Sisters oftentimes the one is taken the other is left It came to Iericho and chose out Zacheus It came to Philipi and weiled out Lidia and the Iaylor It came to Nero his court and not to himselfe It entred into the familie of Narcissus and yet past by Narcissus himselfe It is the worke of God and merueilous in our eies The Gospell is preached to many but the blessing brought by the Gospell lights onely vpon the children of grace And hereof ariseth this dayly distinction which we see betweene man and man all heare alike but all haue not Faith all are not edified alike Some forsake their sins and followes the Lord others forsaking the Lord walkes on in their sinnes As the Lord gouerneth the raine and makes it fall vpon one Cittie and not vpon another so hee dispenseth the dew of his grace that hee makes it droppe downe vpon one heart and not vpon another And of this I would wish that so many of you as yet are strangers from Grace should learne to know your miserable state What a fearefull thing is this that God hath conuerted so many in the Cittie wherein thou dwellest yea perhaps many in the familie wherein thou remainest and yet his grace neuer lighted vpon thee but thou art left in thy olde sinnes Consider it rightly I pray you If the Lord should do to you as hee did to Israel in the daies of Achab causing it to raine for three yeares a halfe on all the lands about you but not vpon your Land would you not conceiue in it a sensible curse of God vpon you O Hypocrite thou that canst discerne the face of the skie and take vp the tokens of Gods anger in the creature canst thou not discerne the state of thine owne soule nor apprehend this for a sensible curse that thirty or forty yeares the showers of sauing and renewing grace hath descended vpon the people round about thee but neuer vpon thy selfe thou possessest thy old sins and keepest still a hard a barren and a fruitlesse heart What shall I say to thee to cut thee off from all hope of mercie and so send thee to despaire I haue not that in commission the Lord hath his owne time of calling and can when he will of Saul a persecutor make Paul a Preacher But one thing I can certifie â—…hee of so long as thou aâ—…t in that state mourne if thou vvilt thou hast much cause of mourning for if this effectuall calling by grace goe by thee in time to come as it hath done in time beganne it is an euident declaration that thou art a man reserued to wrath and not ordained to mercie CHAP. XIIII In the inward calling the Lord begins at the illumination of the minde NOw that this Calling flowing from Election may bee yet made sure to our Consciences for our greater comfort let vs marke the manner of the Lords proceeding into it and so gather vp some tokens whereby vvee may discerne it As in the first creation the Lord began at the light so in the second Creation he begins at the illumination of the minde For wee can neither know the Lord to feare and loue him neyther yet our selues and our sinnes aright till the Lord vvho commanded light to shine out of darknesse shine also into our hearts to giue vs the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Iesus Christ and this light of God discouers to vs so many workes of darknes wherewith in ignorance wee defiled our Consciences that wee begin to be ashamed of our selues in the sight of God yea our very flesh trembleth for feare of his iudgements and vvee crie out with Iob Now my eye hath seene the Lord therefore I abhorre my selfe And thus the Lord proceeds from the minde to the heart working into it such a contrition and godly sorrow as causeth repentance vnto saluation whereby the heart that
take yee heede how ye come he saith not simplie let a man eate but let a man try himselfe and so let him eate This warning then of the Apostle stands in the entrie of this holy action like that Cherubin armed with a sword in the entry of Paradice yet not to hold out the Sonnes of Adam but onely to terrifie vs that wee presume not to draw nere without sanctification And herein doth our Lord Iesus discouer his wonderfull loue towards vs who before he inuite vs to eate and drinke at his table doth first of all instruct vs how we should doe it Absalom called his younger Brother Ammon to a banquet onely of purpose to slay him hee prepared delicate meate and drinke aboundant'y for him but concealed the danger It is not so with our elder bro ther he calls vs here to a banquet noâ—… of purpose to slay vs but to saue vs 〈◊〉 is no way willing we should make thâ—…s Table a snare to trappe our selues to damnation which he hath ordeined aâ—… a meane of our Saluation and therfore before hand forewarnes vs of the danger that we may eschew it It is pittie to see how the great multitude runne to this holy Sacrament without tryall examination of them selues and all because they heare of a bread of life which heere is exhibited to the Communicants at this holy Table it is verie true that great thinges are exhibited heere indeed but thou shouldest first of all enquire of thy selfe who art thou what interest thou hast in this Communion and whether or no thou be one of those to whom these holy things doe appertaine for if thou in thy person be a profane vnsanctified creature thy touching of these holy things may defile them and make thee guiltie of the contempt of them but shall not benefit thee yea a greater curse then that which Elisha pronounced on the vnbeleeuing Samaritane Prince shall light vpon thee thou shalt see the Table of the Lord and heare of the plentie of the bread of life therein communicate but shall not eate of it Let a man therefore trie himselfe so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. For as this Sacrament is a holy and excellent thing so should they who celebrate it bee holy and seperate persons It should not bee receiued with common hands that is with earthly harts and vnsanctified affections The Pharises would not eat their common meate with vnwashed hands and that was but superstition but heere to wash before we eate both our hands and our head with Peter yea to wash as Ieremy exhorts vs Our hearts from our wickednesse is deuotion and good Religion both commended and commaunded by the word of God Otherwise fearefull is that warning of our Sauiour If I wash thee not thou shalt haue no part with mee To the vncleane all things are vncleane for euen their consciences are defiled CHAP. V. Vnreuerent handling of holy things hath neuer beene left vnpunished The Lord will not shew his presence without preparation The excellencie of this Sacrament and an exhortation to come vnto it with reuerence THe Lord hath neuer suffered vnpunished the vnreuerent looking to or handling of the holy signes of his presence Them of Bethshemesh looked vnreuerently into the Ark the Lord slew fifty thousand of them Uzza touched vnreuerently the Arke and the Lord in like manner strook him instantly to death Abimelech would not giue to Dauid the hallowed bread of proposition but conditionally that the young men who were with him were sanctifyed No vncircumcised man might eate of the pascall Lambe vnder paine of death and such as were circumcised being vncleane behooued to abstaine till they were clensed according to the law yea such of them as were cleane did not eate without foure daies preparation for the Lord commaunded them to take the Lambe the tenth day and not to slay it till the foureteenth day at night that all the space betweene they might the better prepare themselues to that holy action Neither will the Lord any other way be familiar with vs except we be sanctified Before the Lord came downe on Mount Sinai to giue his law to Israel hee appointed them three dayes of preparation wherein to sanctifie themselues The Lord appeared to Moses in the fiery bush but reuealed not his will vnto him till hee put off his shoes I will be sanctified saith the Lord in all that draw neere vnto me The Lord will not take a wicked man by the hand nor haue fellowship with the Throne of iniquitie his eye is so pure that hee can behold no iniquitie vnlesse we put off our worldly thoughts and sinfull affections whereby we haue troad in the vncleane wayes of sin it is not possible that the Lord can bee fa miliar with vs. All these stand vp as examples warning vs to draw neere to this holy action in assurance of Faith sprinckled in our hearts from an euill Conscience Here is a Sacrament more excellent then the Passeouer here is bread more holy then that Shew-bread here are the tokens of Gods presence more glorious then the Arke here the Lord commeth downe and saluation vnder his wings not to sound by Angels the precepts of his Law on Sinai but to scale vp by his Spirit the promises of his Gospell to the inhabitants of Sion shall wee then presume to come to this holy Table without sanctification Or if we will may wee not looke assuredly for iudgement The Corinthians were stricken with death and sundry diseases because they discerned not the Lords body that which is most feareful of al he that came to the marriage wating his wedding garment was he not taken from the banquet Table and cast into the place of vtter darknesse and shall we looke to escape the like iudgement if we fal into the like contempt of God Prepare thy selfe oh Israell to meet thy God let vs search and trye our wayes let vs lift vp our hands with our hearts vnto God in the heauens If wee be this day come to the Lord with our heart let vs put away our strange Gods which are our sinnes from among vs let vs with Iosephs Brethren make ready our presents sith we haue no better thing then our heart let vs sacrifice our hearts to the Lord and that in the best estate that possible wee can get it for the Lord our God is a great king Cursed is he that hath a male in his stock and voweth and sacrificeth a corrupt thing to the Lord. Beware therefore we offer not that which is lame and torne to the Lord a diuided heart a halting heart betweene two an vnpenitent heart is neyther a meete Sacrifice to offer vnto the Lord nor a meete vessell wherein to receiue that holy thing which here the Lords offers vnto thee CHAP. VI. Not to put new wine into olde vessels Comfort for
is none of vs all but wee haue in vs our owne Idol whereunto many times we do seruice to the great offence of God And albeit this narrow tryall of our sins shall discouer to vs a wonderfull discoâ—…dance betweene our nature and the most holy law of the Lord yet let vs not be discouraged considering that wee are best in the eyes of God when we are worst in our owne eyes and most acceptable to him when we are most displeased with our selues The Lord was mooued euen with Achab his temporall humiliation seest thou not said he to Eliah how Achab is humbled before mee because hee submitteth himselfe before mee I will not bring that euill which thou hast spoken in his daies and will not then the Lord much more bee mooued with the true humiliation of his owne Seruants No doubt if wee cast downe our selues before the Lord he shall lift vs vp if wee humble our selues he shall exalt vs. If we iudge our selues we shall not be iudged of the Lord for the Lord is neare to them that are contrite will saue such as are afflicted in spirit But if wee come before the Lord in the presumption of our minds and not touched with the sence of our sinnes then shall hee execute that fearefull threatning vpon vs I will enter into iudgement with thee because thou sayest I haue not sinned though thou wert high exalted like the Caedars of Lebanon and the Oakes of Bashan proud and hautie in thy conceit the Lord shall abase thee and bring thee low for hee is the Lord that resisteth the proud giueth grace to the humble The other poynt of our tryall and preparation stands in putting on that three-fold Christian disposition that towards our God wee bee holy and heauenly minded towards our neighbour louing righteous and mercifull and as concerning our selues that wee be sober and lowly for so the grace of God which hath appeared teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse and wordly lusts and should liue godly righteously and soberly in this present world This is our wedding garment euen that pure fine and shining linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints A Garment not partie coloured like Iosephs but compact of many vertues graces of Christ Iesus These be his badges and Cognisances whereby vvee are knowne to bee his the putting on of these is the putting on of Christ for his grace translateth vs out of nature and transformeth vs into his image by his owne spirit And first as concerning our disposition towards God it should not onely be holy as I haue said but also heauenly for since wee call him our Father which is in heauen vvee must see vvhat heauenly disposition vve haue to goe after him and whether wee be weary of our absence from the Lord like Dauid weary of his dwelling in the Tents of Keder and desire with the Apostle to remoue out of the body that wee may dwell with the Lord for here is not the place of our rest The best of our life vpon earth except it be the little tast of that hid Manna wherewith the Lord now and then comforteth our soules in this barren Wildernesse it is but like the life of that forlorne Sonne who hauing banished himselfe from his fathers house vvas driuen to fill his belly vvith the huskes that was giuen to the Swine oftentimes could not get them Wee haue experience enough of the vanitie of worldly comforts wherein there is no contentment would to God vvee could also learne with that prodigall Son to be think our selues and conclude to make home againe to our fathers house in whose face is the fulnesse of ioy surely the least of them that dwell in our Fathers house haue bread enough they are filled with the fatnesse of his house and receiue drinck out of the riuers of his pleasures what pleasure then should it be to vs to liue here in this strange Land where our soules are almost dead for hunger There is no greater thankfulnesse that man can shew to the Lord then to declare in his affection that he cannot liue vvithout the Lord nor rest content so long as hee is absent from him The Lord in the vvorke of creation neuer rested till hee had made man and man can doe no lesle of duty then passing by all Gods Creatures to resolue with himselfe I vvill neuer rest till I enioy the Lord. The Soule of man should bee like that Doue of Noah vvhich being sent forth from the arke found no rest to the sole of her foot vntill she returned againe to him that sent her and indeed without the Lord where can wee rest Goe thy way with Salomon and proue all the goodnesse of the children of men which they inioy vnder the Sunne thou shalt finde it is but vanitie and vexation of Spirit whatsoeuer man cleaâ—…eth to beside Iehouah the true subsisting Lord it is but a lying vanitie which hath not in it that substance and certaintie which man imagineth yea man without God in his best estate is altogether vanitie and his wisest actions are but a disquieting of himselfe in vaine It is a godly saving of Augustine which the word of God and experience taught him Fâ—…isli nos Domine ad tâ—… semper inquietum est cor nostrum donâ—… requiâ—…at in te thou madest vs O Lord vnto thy selfe and our heart is euer vnquiet till it rest in thee The wicked vvho are strangers from the wombe pretend in their countenance vvhat they will yet euen in laughter their heart is sad for there is no ioy nor peace to the wicked saith my God their heart is moued as the Trees of tâ—…e Forrest shaken with the Winde As the point of the Marriners compasse so long as it is not direct to the North trembles continually so the spirit of the wicked not set vpon the Lord is neuer quiet but tossed too and fro with restlesse perturbations which in a part presently he feeles but shall better perceiue it when he goeth out of the body For tribulation and anguish shal be on the soule of euery man that doth wickedly this is the portion of them that forsake God and wander after vanitie It is good therefore for vs to draw neere vnto God saying with Dauid whom haue I in the heauen but thee and I haue desired none in the earth with the. The Lord worke this heauenly disposition in vs. And now to helpe forward ouâ—… earthly minds vnto it we haue to consider both the time space when and where our Sauiour did institute this sacrament The place is recorded by Saint Luke to haue beene an vpper Parlour the consideration of the place saith Nazianzin doth some way warne vs that wee should celebrate this holy sacrament with high heauenly affections When God gaue the law hee came downe from heauen to the top
of Sinai and Moses went vp from the plaine to it and so saieth he had familiar conuersatiō with the Lord and heere as the Lord commeth down as low as he can in this Sacrament for our capacitie it becōmeth vs to mount vp as high as pos◅ible we can in our affections if so be wee be desirous to meete the Lord otherwise if the Lord shall abide in his glorie and inaccessible light and if man shall lye still in the darke dungeon of this base and earthly minde what familiar meeting can there be betweenne God and man And as to the time Saint Iohn witn◅sseth that our Sauiour ordeined this sacrament when he was to goe out of the world to his father wherin said Augustine Spes membris in Capite data quod essent in illo transeunte sine dubio sequutura Yea not onelie should it nourish our hope that where hee is there once we shall be but should waken our affection and desire to goe after him we should eate and drinke at this holy table not as if we were here to remayne but should celebrate this supper like a passeouer standing as pilgrimes and our loynes gi◅ded vp hauing our staues in our hands readie to follow our Lord who is gone into heauen before vs and euerie day of our communion should bee a new departing of our hearts out of this world vnto our heauenly Father yea wee should receiue this meate from the Lord with that wa◅ning which the Angel gaue to Eliah in the wildernesse vp and ◅ate for thou hast yet a great iourney to goe This bread is giuen vs that in the strength thereof wee may walk forward the way which is before vs not that wee should lie downe and rest vs in this vvildernesse as if we had now attained to the end of our iourney The Angell wakened Eliah twice sleeping vnder the Iuniper twice he touched him and twice he bad him vp eate and walke at length hee rose and vvalked in the strength of that bread forty dayes But alas our securitie is greater then his many a time hath the Lord warned vs of the iourney that is before vs many a time hath hee proposed heauenly food vnto vs and now against this day the Lord reneweth his mercy towards vs. The Lord vvaken vs and graunt at the length that wee may rise and walke following the Lord till we appeare before the face of our God in Sion But of all other meanes the most forcible to rauish our hearts after the Lord is a deepe meditation of the loue of God towards vs. The Apostle protesteth it is a loue that passeth knowledge the height breadth the length and depth vvhereof none is able to comprehend he that at one time cryed out Come and I will tell you what God hath done to my soule is compelled another time to confesse O Lord my God thou hast made thy wonderfull works so many that none can count in order to thee the thoughts towards vs I would declare and speake of them but they are more then I am able to expresse And yet although vvee bee lesse able then the Elephant at one draught to drink vp the Riuer of Iordaine let vs bee content with the wearyed Passenger willingly to take in so much as may refresh vs we cannot measure the waters of the Sea in our fist nor number the stars of heauen and how then shall vvee number his mercyes which are aboue all his workes shall vvee therefore not looke to them nor behold that glory of God which shineth in them Though we cannot comprehend his incomprehensible loue yea blessed are wee if it shall comprehend vs let vs notwithstanding earnestly and feruently meditate vpon it not by starts and vanishing motions for as a Candle doth not at the first receiue light from the fire were it neuer so blowne but if for a time it bee holden constantly to the fire it is at the length enlightened so it is not vanishing meditations that will warme our harts vvith the Loue of God but if wee shall continue without wearying to exercise our thoughts vpon this great loue that the Lord hath borne towards vs it shall happely fall out at length that the powers of our Soule shall bee inflamed with his loue and vve shall find the sauour of death in euery thing that smelleth not of his loue No greater Loue then this sayeth our Sauiour can bee shewed among men then that a man should bestow his life for his friends but that which man is not able to shew our Lord Iesus God and man hath shewed to his children his good will for the Loue hee bore to vs hee gaue himselfe in a sacrifice for our sinnes on the Crosse euen when wee vvere his enimies and hath here in this Sacrament giuen himselfe a food and nourishment vnto vs for so that disciple beloued of him doth testifie When Iesus knew that his houre was come that hee should goe out of the world vnto his Father forasmuch as hee loued his owne vnto the end hee loued them therefore did hee institute this Sacrament that therein he might communicate himselfe to them O wonderfull loue stronger then the loue of Ionathan to Dauid When Ionathan and Dauid were forced to part company because of Sauls Tyranny Ionathan gaue Dauid his Garment his Girdle and his Armour he had no better and could giue no better and so with many teares and mutuall imbracings departed from him but our blessed Sauiour before hee remoued his corporall presence from vs gaue his life to redeeme our life from the death hee sent out bloudie sweat aboundantly as the witnesses of his burning loue towards vs hee powred out an euerlasting prayer to his father for vs he hath left behinde him in his last will his peace for our portion hee hath giuen vs his spirit for a Comforter his Word for a warner and this Sacrament for a spirituall foode vntill his second comming againe No meruaile his spouse in the Canticles praised his loue to be far aboue the loue of women for though in some of them the naturall strength of affection bee so great that it makes them indure the painefull bearing and bringing vp of their children with the milke of their breasts yet what is that comparable to this nothing indeede Such a Loue as here our Sauiour hath discouered towards vs is not to bee found againe in the world for whereas mothers saith Chrisostome eyther commit their Children to Nurses or else brings them vp vpon the milke of their owne breasts Iesus Christ feeds vs not with the milke of another but with his owne flesh and his owne bloud Necessitie sometime hath compelled the Mother to eate her owne Children but we neuer read that compassion hath moued the mother to giue her owne flesh to preserue her Children that they should not dye in famine But our Lord Iesus is that
kinde Pelican that sendeth out his owne bloud to nourish his young and all this hath our Lord Iesus done not grudgingly but willingly prouoked hereunto by that feruent Loue hee bare to the glory of God his father and to our saluation Which shall yet appeare more euidently out of his owne comfortable saying to his Disciples I haue greatly desired to eate this Passeouer with you O word full of consolation sundry Passeouers had hee eaten before with them but hee protesteth this was his desired Passeouer See yee not here his vnquenchable Loue hee knew it was the last hee was to eate vpon the earth he knew he was to drink no more with them of the fruit of the Vine till it was fulfilled in his Fathers kingdome hee knew that the same night they would â—…ay him and that after Supper a bitter Cup of Passion was abiding for him yet his loue ouercame all these impediments and made him thinke long to eate of this Passeouer And which is much more before euer hee gaue himselfe to bee crucified for vs on the Crosse hee prouided this Sacrament as a meanes of the communication of himselfe vnto vs thereby assuring vs that his subsequent passion should not defraude vs but rather affoord vnto vs and make ready for vs that righteousnesse and life by Christ purchased on the Crosse and communicate in his holy Table to them who are his In the one hee was prepared and made ready as the onely foode of our soules to eternall life in the other hee is applyed Communicated and giuen vnto vs both of these necessarily behooued to bee done for the work of our Saluation Sicut enim ad potandum vinum venire nemo potest nisi botrus calcetur ante prematur sic nos sanguinem Christi bibere non potuimus nisi Christus prius fuisset calcatus pressus It was a great Loue which made our Sauiour content that his bloud should be shed out on the Crosse and so should bee made both a ransome and a conuenient foode for vs for the father sent him Quasi saccum plenum misericordia in passione conscindendum vt effundatur quod in eo latet pretium nostrum So is this also a new declaration of his loue that before his body was broken and his blood was shed hee first ordeyned the meanes whereby it should be communicated vnto vs. These and many more spirituall meditations should bee vnto vs as the breathings of the mouth of God to kindle in our soules that little sparke of the loue of God which alas for fault of entertainement is almost ouer gone and extinguished with the ashes of our corruption for seeing our Sauiour longed to eate with vs shall not we long to eate with him he greatly desired to giue himself to vs in this table and for vs on the crosse shall not we earnestly desire to receiue him hee knew it was the last he should eat vpon earth that after it heauy sufferings abode him wee know that our banqueting here is the banquet that shall be accomplished in heauen it is begun here it shall not end here Comfortable is that word of our Sauiour it shall be fulfilled in my kingdome and will not we then ioyfully begin this banquet shall we be so foolish as to wait vpon lying vanities and forsake our owne mercies shall we turne our back vpon the fountaine of liuing waters and digge to our selues Cisterns that can hold no water certainely our darknesse is grosser then the darknesse of Egipt and our hearts harder then the Adamant except this burning loue of the Lord Iesus rauish vpward our hearts after him The spouse in the Canticles professeth she was sicke of the loue of her glorious husband the Lord Iesus but alas wee are not touched with the like loue wee feele not the smell of his oyntments therefore with the rest of the Virgins we runne not after him Eliah touched Elisha with his Mantle and therwithall the Lord ioyned his inward calling and suddenly Elisha left his plough of Oxen and of a husbandman became Prophet Now the Lord cals vpon vs by his word and Sacrament let vs also pray that the Lord would shed abroad in our harts by his holy spirit the sence of that loue of God then should wee neglecting all things runne after the Lord seeking onely to inioy him The men of this world maruell to beehold the suddaine change of life which is made in the children of God by his effectuall calling they maruell to see them running so feruently after Christ seeking him by continuance in prayer by hearing of his word by participation of his Sacrament and that with such an insatiable desire that in this life they can neuer be satisfied with hearing reading praying and communicating but if the Lord should in like manner touch their harts and let them feele the power of an inward calling then would they marueile no more farre lesse disdaine yea they would make hast and ioyne themselues to the company of the godly And Saul also should become amongst the Prophets The woman who had liued before a licentious life would now change it with Mary Magdalene shee had beene a great sinner in the Cittie but became an example of Repentance to all the sinners in the Cittie shee prostrates no more her body to her carnall Louers but falles downe at the feete of Christ to craue his mercy in stead of her wanton lookes her eyes poure out teares and her beautifull hayre which before shee set out as a proclaimer of her Lust now shee pulleth downe to wash the feete of Christ. Thus all the former meanes of her sin shee maketh new witnesses of her repentance the man in like manner who had sate all his dayes with Mathew at the receipt of Custome that is who had liued in the sinfull trade of vnlawfull gaine would now in like manner forsake it but where the Lord by effectuall calling workes not in the heart an earnest loue of God no meruaile they lye still in the graue of their sins and rise not to walke after the Lord. We are therfore so much the more to vse all the ordinary means which may entertaine in vs that little sparke of the Loue of God till it grow vp vnto a great flame for the farther vnion and coniunction of our Soules with Iesus Christ and this for our disposition towards God As concerning our Christian disposition to our neighbour it is vsuall to the spirit of God to comprise it vnder Loue. Our Sauiour saith that loue is the Cognisance of his Disciples and the Apostle calleth it the band of perfection and fulfilling of the Law and no meruaile for Loue speaketh with the tongue of euery Vertue All the sundry precepts wee are commaunded to doe vnto our neighbour are summarily comprehended vnder this one Loue one another As this Sacrament sealeth vp the Communion of the
members with the head so it seales vp the communion of the members among themselues for this bread whereof we eate is of many graines of wheate made vp into one bread and the wine is the iuyce of many berryes collected and vnited into one to teach vs that all the Communicants at this holy Table how many soeuer they bee ought to agree together in one like members of one body as hauing one Father one Faith one Baptisme one Inheritance as Brethren quickned all by one and the selfe same spirit which is not to bee found againe in all the world except in this excellent brother-hood as wee cannot bee ioyned to the head without faith so can wee not bee knit to the members without Loue. Stones and timber cannot make vp a building till they be ioyned and sundry peeces of mettall cannot bee melted in one work without fire no more can Christians be vnited in one mysticall body without Loue and therefore our Sauiour at the celebration of this Sacrament recommended Loue to his Disciples by a new Commaundement which hee so called because it should neuer waxe olde yea so much doth he account of it that he will accept no seruice wee owe to himselfe without that duty of loue we owe to our brethren If thou bring thy Gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leaue thy offering goe thy way and first be reconciled to thy brother then come and offer thy gift Of this it is euident that without Loue to our brethren we can doe no acceptable seruice to the Lord. In this therefore let vs trie and examine our selues what compassion finde we in our hearts toward our brethren what willingnesse to doe them the good wee can what loue to beare one anothers burthen what readinesse to forgiue when we are offended what humblenesse of minde to aske them forgiuenesse against whom wee haue sinned practising these precepts While yee haue time doe good to all men And againe forbeare one another forgiue one another euen as God for Christs sake forgaue you The Maiestie of God suppose first offended did first seeke man to bee reconciled with him and shall man that hath offended thinke euill to seeke his Brother to bee reconciled with him but alas are these fruites of Godlinesse now to bee found amongst men if thou seeke them thou shalt finde them as the Sommer gatherings or as the grapes of a Uintage cut downe though thy soule desire to eate the fruite thereof thou shalt not finde it for the good man is perished out of the earth such as are Christians by name they liue like Iewes and the Samaritans of whom it is written that they might not conuerse together to forbeare and forgiue one another to them are precepts of an vncouth language which they vnderstand not as a sparkle of fire easily kindles a heape of powder so a small offence remoueth all their affections they are not slow vnto wrath like the Lord and far lesse like him in readinesse to forgiue As men saith Lactantius are mortall so should their anger bee mortall our Sauiour saith the Sunne should not goe downe vpon our wrath the Apostle commaunds vs to bee Children concerning anger and maliciousnesse who as they doe not deepely coâ—…eiue it so they do not long retaine it but are shorly familiar with them with whom they were a little before offended but as it vvas doubted of Sylla Sylla ne prior an Sylla iracundia sit extincta so is it out of all doubt that in many vipers of this age anger dieth not till they die themselues And as for doing of good to their neighbors and brethren they liue in the world like monsters or like those Gyants The sonnes of Anack they alone will be Lords of the earth as if the world were made for them onely or they at the least were borne for themselues Churlish like Nabal shall I take said hee my bread and my flesh and giue vnto Dauid all that they haue they account so to be theirs as if they had not receiued it or were not the Lords stewards bound to distribute to the necessities of his Saints the rich gluttons they vse it as a morsell for their owne mouth Now my soule thou hast enough for many dayes let Lazarus finde as he may they thinke with Cain they are no keepers of their Brethren That which dieth let it die These and many moe are the common and seene corruptions of this age wherein we are to examine our selues how farre the renewing grace of the Lord hath made vs to depart from them and what holy loue we haue put on For hee that loueth not knoweth not God because God is loue and he that loueth not his Brother whom he hath seene how can hee loue God whom he hath not seene hereby wee know that wee are translated from death to life because wee loue the Brethren And thus much vve are content to haue touched of our disposition toward our neighbour Now last of all concerning our disposition in our selues let vs bee sober esteeming basely of our selues highly of the Lords mercie hungring and thirsting for his saluation and in verie deed the more we shall consider how God hath magnified his holy name by his meruailous mercies towards vs the more shall wee bee compelled to cast downe our selues before him in all humilitie and submission of our spirits When Dauid promised to Mephiboseth that hee would shew him kindnesse for Ionathan his fathers sake Mephiboseth humbled himselfe to the ground and saide what is thy seruant that thou shouldest looke to such a dog as I am but here the Lord our God not onely promiseth vnto vs kindnesse for his Sonne Christ Iesus sake but presently performes it and inuesteth vs againe vvith our Fathers inheritance which vve forfaited in Adam and where we vvere of our owne nature but deade dogs vncleane creatures dead in sinne and trespasses Now behold what loue the Father hath shewen vs Hee hath made vs partakers of this heauenly vocation as to be hiâ—… sonnes and his heires and shall not wee then in our very hearts bee humbled before him acknowledge our great vnworthinesse and his excellent mercies Let vs confesse vvith Godly Iacob I am not worthy O Lord of the least of all thy mercies and let euery one of vs say with the Centurion I am not worthy Lord that thou shouldest enter vvithin my roofe Let vs vvith the vvoman of Canaan acknowledge our owne roome if the Lord should giue vs but the benefit of vvhelps dogs that is should suffer vs to goe vnder our maisters Table and eate of the crummes that fall from it yet were it more then any way we haue deserued and how then are we bound to haue our hearts and our mouthes filled continually with the praises of our God who hath bestowed vpon vs his greatest mercies when we
great anguish of minde tumbling as it were betweene feare and confidence betweene hope and despaire hope bidding him goe forward in his iourney despaire by the contrary disswading him confidence promising him safetie feare threatning him with danger His hope leanes on the word of God who promised to be with him and prosper him his feare is conceiued of the words of Esau who had vowed to slay him and is now wakened againe and augmented by the report of his seruants who tolde him that Esau was comming against him with an army Thus did he walk staggering vpon feet not vnlike the feet of Daniels Image partly of clay partly of iron Some of his thoughts being weake and impotent others strong and forcible to carry him forward In this perplexitie now stāds Iacob hauing no conclusion nor counsell within him without contradiction vncertaine what to doe or which way to turne him not vnlike Iehosophat which being straited with the Ammonites Moabites and Edomites stood vp before the Lord and said O Lord there is no strength in vs to stand against this great multitude neither doe wee know what to doe but our eyes are towards thee In like manner say I doth Iacob here being assaulted with a force hee was not able to resist hee turnes him to the Lord and exponés to the Lord in humble manner his feare Deliuer me O Lord from the hand of my brother Esau for I feare him least hee come vpon me and smite me and the mother vpon the children Therfore is it that now the Lord comes as in due season and conuenient time to shew himselfe for the comfort of his seruant No helpe for Iacob in man the Lord puts to his right hand comforts him Ibi enim incipit diuinū auxilium vbi deficit humanum When all other helpes failes the Children of God then commeth in the helpe of God for he knows best the very point and article of time wherein it is meete that hee should bee the diliuerer of them who wayt vpon him As to the manner of the apparition the Lord is not content to answere Iacob by word onely nor by sending secretly patience and comfort vnto his troubled spirit which way many a time he answeres the prayers of his owne but he confirmes him by an extraordinary vision For he appeares to Iacob in the forme of a man and wrestles with him he assayes him not with a superiour strength which he was not able to withstand but applies himselfe to Iacobs weaknesse and disposes the wrestling in such a manner that Iacob gets the victory albeit not without a wound for his thigh-bone is disjoynted and put out of the joynt so that he haulteth all the dayes of his life which as for the present time it was a matter of his humiliation being a discouery of his weaknes and of the Lords indulgence whereby onely he preuailed victor in the combat so was it for all time to come a memoriall and remembrance vnto him of this most comfortable apparition And as to the end of the Lords appearing the end saith Theodoret was the confirmation of Iacobs hart against feare ideo enim Angelus cū Iacob luctari voluit vt timenti fratrem fiduciam inijceret And this ye may perceiue out of the words which the Lord vtters when the wrestling is ended thou hast wrestled with God and shalt also preuaile with men Feare not therefore will the Lord say O my seruant Iacob to encounter with Esau who is but a mortall man I who haue furnished thee with strength to stand in this wrestling with GOD shall furnish thee with strength also in all thy conflicts vvith men and thou shalt preuaile This is the ground of all our comfort in trouble which if we could remember then would we not be cast downe nor disquieted with feares but would sanctifie the Lord of hosts in our hearts and make him our feare It is not in our name nor strength nor in the power of nature that we stand and wrestle We go forth against our Goliah in the name of our God weake in our selues yet in him more then Conquerours Maior enim est qui prae est in nobis quam qui in hoc mundo nec plus ad deijoiendum potest terrena poena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela He is stronger that rules in vs then the Prince of this world Neyther are these euils which earthly men are able to inflict vpon vs so forcible to cast vs downe as the heauenly helpe is able to raise vs vp let vs alwayes walke forward in this our strength The Lord is my light and saluation the Lord is the strength of my life of whom then shall I be afraid But now before that yet wee enter into the particulars let vs marke this profitable lesson that vpon the groūds I haue laid arise to be obserued If wee consider what is the Lords purpose and intention what againe are the meanes that he vseth to bring about his purpose and yee shall see that the Lord vseth meanes which appeares contrary to his end His purpose is to confirme Iacob the meanes hee vseth is wrestling with Iacob a strange manner of working that the Lord should shake him hee mindes to strengthen that he should wound him whom hee purposes to confirme and thus and this manner of way on a sodaine terrifie by a strange wrestling in the night in a solitary place his seruant whom hee came to comfort but so it is the working of the Lord oft times is by contraries In the first worke of creation hee made all things of nothing He commanded light to shine out of darknesse Hee formed the body of man his most excellent earthly creature of the basest matter dust and clay of the vilest creature hee made the most honourable and all to shew the glory of his power In the worke of redemption in like manner our Sauiour Iesus by sustaining shame hath conquered to vs glory by induring the Crosse hath obtayned the crowne by suffering death hath destroyed death and him who had the power thereof and after the same manner of working hee is yet daily meruailous in his Saints By death he brings them vnto life He kils and he makes aliue Through doubtings hee leads them to assurance by temporall despaire hee brings them to abound in hope he afrayes them with his terrors to make them the more capable of his consolations It is strange and meruailous in our eyes may not wee learne it by daily experience that God deliuereth vs from Sathan by letting Sathan loose for a while vpon vs Hee saues vs from our sinnes by gathering all our sins against vs and laying them to the charge of our conscience and by a present feeling of his wrath hee maketh vs flee that terrible Wrath which is to come Be not therefore discouraged yee who finde this working of the Lord faint not
though the Lord after this manner doe exercise you that when ye cry for mercy yet to your feeling ye apprehend nothing but anger reuerence the working of God suppose for the present yee vnderstand it not let the Lord walke on his owne way and wait thou with patience for comfort in the end the Lord will send a gracious raine vpon his inheritance to refresh it when it is weary though he kill vs he shall make vs to liue againe When he hath humbled vs to the graue yet will he raise vs againe After two dayes he will reuiue vs and in the third he shall raise vs vp and we shall liue in his sight It is no rotten foundation we leane to the foundation of the Lord remaines sure therefore albeit the Lord should sâ—…ay vs yet will we trust in him He sent a fearefull darknes on Abraham or euer hee shewed him the comfortable vision He stroke Paul vnto the ground and confounded him before that he conuerted him he strake him with blindnes or euer hee opened his eyes hee began hardly with Iacob but ends with a blessing at the first he dealt rigorously in his answers with the woman of Canaan but in the end comforted her As Ioseph for a long time made it strange with his brethren but at length his inflamed affection compelled him to embrace them So the Lord though hee make a shew of an angry countenance towards his owne yet his inestimable loue and fatherly compassion shall force him to reueale himselfe vnto them in the sweetnesse of his mercy For a little while haue I forsaken thee for a moment in mine anger as it seemed I hid my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercy haue I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer We shal perceiue in the end that which now in the midst of trouble we see not though in our afflictions we take him vp as an aduersary through the weaknes of our faith yet shall we finde that then God was with vs working for our deliuerance when hee seemed to be against vs. Let vs not therefore be cast downe when the Lord worketh with vs after his own manner of working by meanes vnknowne to vs. Let vs learne of Iacob to wrestle with the Lord and with that woman of Canaan cleaue to him the faster that he seemes to put vs away we shall feele in the end the Lord is neere vnto them who aâ—…e of a contrite heart will saue such as be afflicted in spirit Yea we shall with Dauid reioyce and glory in the Lord it is good for me that euer the Lord corrected mee The Lord be blessed therefore for hee hath shewen his meruailous kindnesse towards me It is now time that we enter into the History it selfe which hath these two parts The first sets downe the Angels wrestling with Iacob The second contaynes the conference of the Angell with Iacob which followes vpon the wrestling As for the wrestling we haue in it fiue things to bee considered first the time of it secondly the persons between whom thirdly the manner of the wrestling whether corporall onely spirituall onely or mixt fourthly how long continues the wrestling and last of al the euent issue of this wrestling CHAP. IIII. The first circumstance the time of the wrestling AS to the first the circumstance of time is noted by Moses when Iacob sayth he was left alone Amongst many reasons that might moue Iacob to bee alone I encline to none more then this he sought to be solitary to the end he might haue the fitter occasion to pray and poure out his griefe the more freely and homely into the Lords bosome For we know that the presence of men is oftentimes a great impediment of the free communing of our soules with God and that the children of God will boldly communicate those secrets to the Lord which they will not vtter to their dearest friends We haue here then to learne with Iacob sometime to with-draw our selues from the dearest company of men that wee may haue the better occasion by prayer to conferre with our God For hee who loueth wisedome will separate himselfe to seeke it Yet are wee to remember that solitarinesse auailes not without vnlesse there be silence within For though the body bee remoued from the eyes of men if the soule in the meane time bee disquieted with bands of restlesse and troublesome motions it is not possible that we can pray Maxima est segnitia alienari capi ineptis cogitationibus cum Dominum deprecaris quasi sit aliquid quod magis debeas cogitare quam quod cum Deo loquaris quomodo te audiri à Deo postulas cum te ipse non audias vis Deum memorem esse tui cum rogas cum tu ipse memor tui non sis hoc est ab hoste in totum non cauere hoc est vigilare oculis corde dormire cum debeat Christianus etiam cum dormit oculus corde vigilare It is saith Cyprian a very great sloath to be alienate and carried away with vnmeet cogitations when thou prayest vnto God as if there were any thing wherof thou shouldest thinke more then this that thou art speaking with God How desirest thou that God should heare thee when thou hearest not thy selfe or that hee should be mindefull of thee who art not mindefull of thy selfe By so doing thou art not warie enough of thy enimie this is to watch with thine eyes and sleepe with thy heart whereas it becommeth a Christian euen to wake with the hart when the eye is asleepe I sleepe but my heart waketh When therefore we goe to pray we must doe as did our Sauiour when he went to raise Tabitha from the dead he put the Minstrels and the Mouâ—…ners to the doore and wee must put worldly thoughts out of our mindes tollerable seruants if so be wee vse them as seruants at another time but no way tollerable in the time of prayer Like the Asses and Seruants of Abraham which he vsed as helpes to carry him forward in his journey but left them at the foote of the mountaine when he went vp to pray and sacrifice to the Lord. And thus the perturbations of our mindes within being quieted then let vs eschew as farre as possibly wee can all occasions of distractions without vs. Let vs with his spouse in the Canticles follow our Husband to the fields and there talke with him or with Dauid let vs examine our hearts vpon our â—…eds and be still or as our Sauiour commandeth vs Let vs enter into our chamber and shut the doore and there in secret pray to our heauenly father After this manner went Daniel to his chamber alone and Peter to the top of the house alone and Iesus Christ went alone to the mountaine to pray all night And so much
from God Not so much as a Sparrow nor a haire of our head fals to the ground without the prouidence of our heauenly father He that keepes our hearts will hee not keepe our selfe Si sic custodiuntur superflua tua in quanta securitate est anima tua If thy haires bee kept in what safety is thy soule What euer cup of trouble men prepare for vs we shall not drinke of it vnlesse the Lord appoint it and temper it first with his owne hand Nabuchad-nezzar boasted the three children with a fiery furnace yet were they not afraid all because they considered that God aboue him ouer-ruled his intention Shimei cursed Dauid and he was not incenced with anger because hee considered that the Lord had sent him And Nahomi with this comforted her selfe against the losse of her husband It is the Lord said shee who humbles me All these doe warne vs vvhom God hath appointed for greater conflicts that it is a great feeblenes arising of inconsideration to suffer our soules to be dimoued out of the state of patience by the inordinate behauiour of any outward instrument of our trouble Absit à seruo Christi tali inquinamentum vt patientia maioribus praeparata in minoribus excidat Let such a spot and foule blemish bee farre from the seruants of Christ that our patience which is prepared for greater conflicts should faile and fall away in smaller tentations If when we run with foot-men they weary vs how shall wee match our selues with horses If when wee wrestle with men who are flesh and bloud we are so easily ouer-throwne with euery breath of their mouth and wounded with their smallest injuries that vvee faint and become impatient how shall we wrestle against principalities and powers or how shall vvee resist the fiery darts of the Diuell We haue therefore for helpe of our weaknesse to gather our thoughts and remember that whosoeuer bee the instrument of our trouble it is the Lord vvith whom vvee haue to doe so shall vvee the more easily possesse our soules in patience and giue glory to God CHAP. VIII The third Circumstance the manner of the wrestling corporall spirituall or mixt IN the third roome wee promised to speake of the manner of this wrestling whether it bee corporall onely or spirituall onely or mixed Now that it is mixt and so partly corporall and partly spirituall will appeare by comparing Moses and the Prophet Hosea together That the wrestling was corporall it is cleare of the disjoynting of Iacobs thigh whereof Moses makes mention and that it was also spirituall appeares partly of that which Moses saith that Iacob straue for the blessing and partly of that which Hosca saith that hee preuailed by wrestling and praying These are the sorest kinde of wrestlings when the Lord at one time exercises his children both in body and minde that his heauie hand of sicknes pouertie or some such like is vpon their bodyes and therewithall heauy inward troubles vpon their mindes This is indeede a very hard estate for as Salomon saith the spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded spirit who can beare it and yet with both those at one time hath the Lord exercised his dearest seruants so hardly that the vehemency of their trouble hath forced them to poure out most lamentable complaints My heart saith Dauid is wounded within me My spirit is in perplexitie and my soule is amazed The Lord renewes his plagues and encreaseth his wrath against me saith Iob So that changes and armies of sorrowes are against me the Lord suffers me not to take my breath but fils me with bitternesse The Lord saith Nahomi hath giuen me much bitternesse I haue fightings without and terrours within sayth the Apostle It is a common disease of the Children of God in their troubles to thinke that their troubles are singular I haue therefore marked this that none of them should think themselues marrowlesse when the Lord deales with them after this manner For no tentation hath ouertaken you but that which appertaines to men Wee haue here in like manner to mark another kinde of tentation wherby God tryes the faith of his children which is when his work seemes directly to fight against his Word so that in working with his children hee appeareth to come against his promise As for example the Lord hath promised that if I repent hee will forgiue if I mourne for my sinnes he will comfort me if I aske from him hee will giue vnto mee so sayes he in his word Yet I finde in his working with mee the contrary will the troubled conscience of the Childe of God say I doe repent from mine heart of my sinnes and am sorrowful that euer I offended my God but I cannot feele the Remission of them I mourne but the Comforter who should refresh my soule commeth not I call and cry night day but the Lord heareth mee not Vnto this estate I know that oftentimes the dearest of Gods children are brought as if the Lord had forgot to bee mercifuli vnto them and shut vp his tender mercies in displeasure they can finde no promised rest to their soule nor peace to their troubled mindes CHAP. IX How we should be haue our selues in this tentation we are taught THou therefore whose heart is set to seeke the Lord in this perplexitie wouldst know what to doe and how to behaue thy selfe I can no better way resolue thee then to send thee to looke vnto Abraham Iacob Iob and the rest of these who haue been exercised with the like tentations before thee Marke therefore and consider how the Lord commanded Iacob to go backe againe vnto Canaan and promised to be with him yet now in the iourney as it would seeme he comes against him He bad him goe forward and yet disioynts his thigh bone so vnables him to goe as he was wont Notwithstanding Iacob still cleaues fast to the promise of the Lord being perswaded that the Lord could not faile him and therefore contrary to his present sence and feeling trusting still on the word of the Lord for all the appearing contrarietie of his working he craues a blessing from him that wrestles vvith him Againe will ye looke vnto Abraham our father the Lord made him a promise that in Isaac his seed should be blessed and yet hee commands him to slay him A wonderfull tentation that the Lord commands him to slay that child in whom hee had promised the multiplication and blessing of his posteritie for here the promise of God his commandement seemes to fight together Yet Abraham strengthned in the faith as he receiued Isaac from the dead wombe of Sara doth not doubt but God was able to raise him from the dead againe and therefore resting on the Lords promise he spares not to sacrifice Isaac being fully assured that the Lordes apparant contrary working could
no way be prejudiciall to the veritie of his word O strong O rare O wonderfull Faith Therefore the Lord who giueth no vaine stiles to his seruants honoureth Abraham with this name the father of the faithfull For by his example our weakenes is strengthned to giue credit to the Lord when he speaketh to vs. And the same lesson of Faith is in like manner taught vnto vs by the example of patient Iob for many schoolmasters and examples haue wee on whom the ends of the world are fallen No doubt he had laid vp the promises of God in his heart whereupon he dependeth yet doth the Lord handle him sohardly both in body and minde as if hee were determinate to keepe no promise vnto him Yet Iob for all this distrusts not the truth of Gods promise but gripes them so surely that in his greatest extremitie he resolues O Lord albeit thou shouldest slay me yet will I trust in thee That is albeit Lord thou shouldst deale hardlier with me then thou hast done yet will I neuer thinke but thou wilt bee mercifull to me according to thy promise there is a heart knit to the Lord there is a soule cleaning to God without separation that thus concludes O Lord none of thy workes shall make me to misbeleeue thy word though thou cast me downe to hell my eye shall bee vpward towards thee my soule shall loue thee euen when it appeares thou saist that thou hast no delight in me And the like also may we see in that woman of Canaan according to that promise askâ—… and it shall be giuen call on me in thy trouble and I shall heare thee and deliuer thee She 〈◊〉 O Lord haue mercy on me but at the 〈◊〉 gets no answere She cryeth againe againe but contrary to another promise as it would appeare God giues to all men liberally and reproches no man not onely is she refused but reproched as a dog and one not meet to eate the childrens bread But at the length leaning without wauering to the Lords promise shee receiues a fauourable answere O woman great is thy â—…aith CHAP. X. Let vs euer leane to the Word of God how strange soeuer his worke sâ—…eme vnto vs. OF all this then the lesson ariseth vnto vs that when ere the Lord shall exercise vs so hardly as to our Iudgement Gods working with vs seemes to fight with his promise made vnto vs so that suppose wee pray and wee mourne and we seeke comfort we can find none yea the more we pray the more our trouble encreaseth yet let vs not despaire but learne at our brethren who haue fought the like battailes before vs to rest assuredly on Gods promise For in the end his hardest working shall bee found to tend vnto the performance of his promise made vs in Christ Iesus let the Lord walke on in his secret wayes knowne to himselfe and let vs giue to the Lord this glory I know O Lord that it cannot 〈◊〉 but well with them who loues thee I know O Lord that thy iudgements are right for thy word endureth for euâ—…r in heauen and thy truth is from generation to generation Heauen earth shal passe away but one iotte of the Word of God shall not passe 〈◊〉 O happy are they to whom the Lord hath made a promise of mercy they shall sing in the end with Ezechiel The Lord hath said it and the Lord hath done it he will stablish the promise he hath made to his seruant and hee will not alter the word that he hath spoken with his lips Wherfore O thou that art afflicted humbled in spirit disquieted within thy selfe waite vpon God and thou shalt yet giue him thanks Now in the fourth roome we haue to speake of the time how long the wrestling continueth Moses saith it lasted to the breaking of the day Here then is a new mercy to bee marked the Lord will neuer so exercise his children with wrestlings but in regard of their weaknesse graunts them some intermission and a breathing time least they should faint he will lay no more vpon them then they be able to beare neyther suffer his rods to lye longer vpon their backs then may serue for their weale Al our afflictions are measured by the Lord in quantitie qualitie and continuance of time For quantitie the Lord propines to each one of his Children a câ—…p of affliction conuenient for their purgation and as to qualitie he tempers also our afflictions that where of their owne nature they are exceeding bitter being the fruites of sinne worse to drinke then the waters of Marah vntill Moses changed them by prayer and made them sweet He alters them in like manner by the vertue of the Crosse of Christ and his intercessions for vs the become so sweet and delectable that wee reioyce in tâ—…bulation And as for time hee giues vs but dayes of try all affliction houres of tentation attending to his good pleasure and wishâ—… dispensation If we cast Shadra Mesah and Abednego into the fire one like the sonne of God shall go with them to waite vpon them and relieue them in conuenient time Yea no gold-smith waites so diligently vpon his gold to take it out of the fire in due time as the Lord attends vpon his children that in due season hee may draw them out of their troubles Iacob wrestles no longer then the dawning and all our troubles haue an appointed time of deliuerance Weeping may abide in the euening but ioy commeth in the morning And of this ariseth to vs a lesson of patience that so long as it pleased the Lord to exercise vs with any crosse so long should we bee content to beare it No minting to cast off the yoke vntil it please the Lord to take it from our neck Noah was weary of his abiding in the Arke a yeere and a day for so long he remayned and no doubt when he saw the ground he was greatly desirous to come forth but he will haue no deliuerance till the Lord who closed him in command him also to come out and in very truth there can be no deliucrance but that which commeth from the Lord as this one notable example among moe makes manifest vnto vs. When the Angell commanded Lot to escape for his life to the mountaine â—…e requested the Angell for license to â—…arry at Zoar. And so where the Loâ—…d pointed out the mountaine for the place of his deliuerance hee himselfe makes choise of another but when he obtayned that which he desired durst he for all that abide in Zoar no certainly he could neuer liue without feare vntill he went forward to the mountaine whervnto the Angell at the first directed him So that both the time the place the manner of our deliuerance must be referred to the Lord and not elected by our selues Then wee rest in quietnesse when wee rest on the will and mercy of God not vpon
that spirituall desertions are prouocations whereby God his Children are wakened more effectuously to desire the continuance of Gods mercy with them When lesus Christ accompanied his two Disciples vnto Emaus communed with them by the way when they drew neere to the towne Iesus made him saith the Euangelist as if he would haue gone a little further onely to stirre them to seeke his abiding with them In the doing of our Sauiour is figured vnto vs the manner of the Lords working with his children who sometimes doth so behaue himselfe as if he were instantly to depart and take his holy Spirit from them which mints of spirituall desertion because they are exceeding grieuous to the godly let vs for our comfort consider the Lord by them seeketh no other thing but to encrease our faith to kindle our loue to stirre vs vp vnto greater feruency in prayer that we may vvith Iacob constrayne the Lord to tarry and blesse vs. And with the two Disciples may cry Lord abide with vs and forsake vs not For we are to vnderstand that the same blessings which God hath concluded to bestow vpon his children he will haue vs to aske them before that he giue them the Lord came at this time to Iacob of purpose to blesse him and yet he makes as if he would go away and not blesse him not that hee had changed his minde but because he will haue Iacob to pray for that blessing of corroboration which he had concluded to giue him And let this warne vs in the least threatning of a spirituall desertion to lay holde on the Lord by prayer least for fault of seeking wee close vp the Lords hands which are full of blessings ready to bee bestowed vpon vs. Againe we are to consider that the Lords presence in a like manner cannot be continually kept in this life neither from the beginning haue any of the children of God enioyed it at all times Where for the better vnderstanding of the lesson and our farther comfort we must distinguish between thâ—…se two kindes of the Lords presence there is a presence of the Lord which is felt and perceiued there is another which is secret and not perceiued yet knowen by the effects The secret presence of God is continually vvith his children vvhere-euer they goe ruling guiding sustayning them in all their troubles according to his promise when thou passest through the waters I will bee with thee that they doe not ouerslow thee when thou walkest through the sire thou shalt not be burnt As to vs wee haue our owne vicissitudes of feeling and not feeling wee are changeable but the Lord remayneth the same whom hee loues hee loueth to the end hee will neuer leaue vs nor forsake vs but by his secret presence he intertaines life in our soules when to our owne judge ment wee are become altogether dead and senceles as there is a substance in the Elme and Oke euen when they haue cast their leaues And thâ—…s as I sayd appeareth by the effects that vve haue stood in many tentations wherein wee could feele no present grace vpholding vs. CHAP. XIII What notable effects the felt presence of God bringeth with it THe other sort is when not onely God is present vvith his children but also make themselues sensibly perceiue it by inward glorious feelings this presence when we get it makes a sodaine change of the whole man it raises vs from death to life it maketh a comfortable light to shine vvhere fearfull darknesse abounded it makes our faith liuely our loue feâ—…ent our zeale burning and our prayer earnest Then is our water turned to wine our sighes are turned into songs our mourning into glorious reioycing because the Bridegroome is with vs and the Comforter that doth refresh our soule is come to visite vs. This presence is as euidently felt of them to whom it is graunted as was that descending of the holy Ghost perceiued of the Apostles to whom he came This presence sometime is graunted before trouble as here vnto Iacob and then it is a preparation of him that gets it to the battell it embouldens incourages and strengthens him in such sort that hee feares not in Gods cause to encounter vvith vvhatsoeuer aduersarie He triumphs vvith Dauid the Lord is the light of my saluation whom shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my liâ—…e of whom shall I be afraid This presence makes Iacob with his familie goe forward in the face of Esaâ—… and of his armed men vvithout feare where before he was afraid at the rumour of his comming This presence made Moses lightly regard the angry countenance of Pharaoh because hee had seene him who was inuisible This presence made Paul goe vp with joy to Ierusalem where he knew he should be in chains for the name of Iefus This presence hath emboldened many faithfull Martyres to offer their bodies more freely and willingly to the fire for the testimony of Iesus then euer any worldling hath stept into his bath to wash himselfe or to his bed to rest him Let Peter bee prepared with this presence and hee will preach Christ boldly in the face of a Counsell that condemned Christ Let Peter bee vnprepared of this presence and hee will denie Christ at the voyce of a sâ—…ple damsell Sometime againe this prescence is graunted to his Children after their long continuance in some trouble and then it is to them as the neesings of that childe whom after swouning Elisha reduced vnto life or as a glimps of the bright shining Sunne to the tender fruites of the earth which before hath beene oppressed with blasting and consuming tempests it brings to the children of God a pacifying of all these distrustfull perturbations which did before disquiet them yea it so delights and rauishes them that with the three Disciples on Mount Tabor when they had seene a little glance of Christs glory they cry out It is good for vs to bee here Yea they wish oh that my soule might for euer abide in this happy state and condition But as I said before to enjoy the Lord continually in this manner is not giuen to any man vpon earth for a while he will be familiar with thee as hee was with Iacob but soone after he must goe and thou must learne to reuerence this dispensation of his presence and not to be dis couraged because for a while he is gone from thee yea albeit with Mary one sword of many sorrowes should peirce through thy soule yet with her also magnifie the Lord and let thy spirit reioyce in God thy sauior blessing him with hart mouth that he looked to the base estate of his seruant Account thy selfe happy that at any time the Lord shewes thee his mercifull face being assured that he who hath giuen thee an earnest penny wil in his own good time giue thee the principall summe and that the glimps of mercy
which thou hast gotten are pledges of a fill of mercy vvhich yet abides thee For so Dauid of that which he had felt concludeth doubtlesse kindnesse and mercy shall follow mee all the dayes of my life CHAP. XIIII The presence or absence of God is euer dispensed for the weale of his owne Children FOr the Morning appeareth These words containe the reason why the Lord desires that Iacob should let him goe because the Morning appeareth This at the first seemes a strange reason Is it not a like to thee O Lord to abide with thy seruants in the morning as in the euening or is there O Lord with thee any such distinction of time Surely none at all for thou O Lord art couered with the light as with a garment euen the darknesse with thee is light yea those bright Angels that stand about thy throne makes the midnight where they come for shining light like the noone-tide of the day But we must consider that this reason respecteth not the Lord it respecteth Iacob and so the meaning is It is for thy cause O my seruant Iacob that I desire to goe for now the morning appeareth and thou must goe on in thy journey thy seruants family will wait for thy comming as being vncertain whether they shall remoue or remaine till thou direct them and therefore that I be no more to stay thee from them let me go And of this we may more euidently perceiue that which I said how the going and comming of the Lord to and fro his children is alway ordained and dispensed for their weale when hee commeth when hee goeth all is for our weale Ne timeas ô Sponsa nec existimes te contemni si paulisper tibi sponsus subtrahit faciem suam omnia ista tibi cooperantur in bonum de accessu recessu lucraris Be not afraid saith Bernard O spouse neither thinke that thou art contemned albeit for a short while the bridegroome withdraw his face all that he doth works for the best vnto thee thou hast gaine both of his comming to thee of his going from thee And this for the comfort of one exercised with spirituall desertion doth hee explaine more cleerely in the wordes vvhich hee immediatly subjoynes tibi venit recedit venit ad consolationem recedit ad cautelam ne magnitudo consolationis extollat te ne si semper adesset exilium deputares pro patria arrham pro praeâ—…ij summa paulisper permittit nos gustare quam suauis sit antequaÌ„ plane sentiamus se subtrahit ita quasi alis expansis te prouocat ad volandum Hee commeth saith he for thy consolation and goes for thy warning and humiliation least the greatnes of his comfort should puffe thee vp and least if hee were alwayes present thou shouldest esteeme this place of thy banishment for thine own country and should take this earnest for the principall summe hee lets thee tast of his sweetnesse for a short while and incontinent before thou feele it fullie he withdrawes himselfe and so as it were with his wings stretched out ouer thee he prouokes thee to mount vp and slie after him This is the reason why the Lord dispenses in such sort his presence and absence vnto his Children If at no time hee shewes himselfe vnto vs then would wee bee ouercome of that heauinesse vnder which we lye through manifold tentations and if alwayes he should be familiar with vs then would we take the earth for the heauen and forget our fathers house which is aboue therefore sometime he with-drawes his presence from vs that hee may teach vs to become weary of this barren wildernesse wherein we liue absent from our Lord Hee ascends many times from vs that we may stand like these Disciples on the Mount of Oliuet not looking downeward to the earth but gazing looking vpward towards our Lord who hath gone from vs he giues vs a little tast of his graciousnesse and then hee goes but goeth in such sort that he cryes after him Come and see Not of purpose to defraud thee of any joy that is in him doth he goe from thee onely that hee may prepare thee to follow him to that place wherein he will communicate to thee the fulnesse of ioy and let thee see that glory he had with his father from the beginning Hee will not alway tarry from vs least we despaire neither yet alway remaine with vs on earth least vve presume Sometime he will kisse vs with the kisses of his mouth and as it were vvith the Apostle rauish vs vp to the third heauens other times againe as it seemes he casts downe his angry countenance vpon vs he humbles vs to the hell and permits Sathan also to buffet vs least wee should be exalted out of measure Alwayes this comfort vvee haue of the Lords vvorking with vs that as here wee see hee comes to Iacob and goes from him for his vveale so vvhether he shew himselfe familiar vvith vs or againe for a vvhile hide his face from vs in both the one and the other hee is vvorking for our comfort and vveale Onely let vs possesse our soules in patience and giue glory to God CHAP. XV. How their inward exercises of conscience workes in the godly a diuorcement of their soules from all creatures and a neerer adherent to the Lord. WHo answered I will not let thee goe Perceiue here how the mint of the Lords departure workes into Iacob a more constant cleauing and adhering to the Lord. This as I said before is that notable fruite which all the Lords spirituall desertions worketh in his children it augments in them a desire of mercie and a more earnest carefulnesse to seeke the Lord. And this also wee see in our dayly experience for among all them who professe the name of Iesus Christ yee shall finde none more feruent in praier more continuall in mourning and sighing for their sinnes none that thirsteth more earnestly for mercie then they whom God hath humbled in their spirits with threatnings of spirituall desertion As here Iacob is more wakened by this one word Let me goe then by all the rest of the wrestling so is there nothing goeth so neere the heart of the godly as doth the mint of the Lords departure from them they are neuer so louing to him as at those times when hee seemeth to count least of them if hee looke angerly vpon them the more pittifully looke they vnto him if hee threaten them they threaten kindnesse vpon him the hardlier that hee answeres them the more importunately doe they cry vpon him Then with Dauid they water their couch with tears and call vpon God all the day long Their eyes cast out water continually when the comforter that should refresh their soules is away from them In a word these desertions worke in Gods children a diuorcement of their soules from the delight of euery creature a straiter adherence
our possession they shall be found but comfortles comforts in the end vnlesse we enjoy his fauour towards vs in Iesus Christ. CHAP. XXI Faith obtaines euery good thing that iâ—… craues Verse 27. Then hee said VPon this earnest desire of Iacob the Lord resolues that hee will blesse him we haue a promise of God Aske and it shall be giuen you we haue also manifold confirmations of this promise Zedekiah spoke it in a slattering manner to his Princes Ye know that the King can denie you nothing but it is most true in the Lord our God such is his louing affection towards all his subiects of the kingdome of grace that in very deed he can deny nothing which they ask in faith As to the wicked saith S. Iames they ask get not because they ask not in faith nor for the right end It is written of Uitellius the Emperour that one of his friends being denied his petition which was not rea sonable waxed angry and said vnto him what auailes to me thy friendship seeing I cannot obtaine that vvhich I craue vvho replyes vnto him what auailes to mee thy friendship if for thee I must do that which is vnlawful If such equitie hath beene found in man vvhat shall vve think of our God with vvhat face dare wee seeke that from God vvhich is vnlawfull to bee giuen But whatsoeuer vve aske of the Lord in faith we are sure to obtaine it or a better So rare a jewell is faith that hee vvho hath it hath all things to bee his God for his Father Iesus Christ for his Sauiour the holy Ghost for his Comforteâ—… the Angels for his ministâ—…ing Spirits this world for a sojourning place all the good creatures therein for his Seruants and the heauen for his inheritance therfore said Cyril Lata merâ—…atura est sides Before the Lord blesse him he asks Iacob what his name vvas hee answered My name is Iacob to vvhom the Lord sayes Thou shalt no more bee called Iacob onely but shalt be called Israell also I giue thee now a new name and this blessing that thou hast had power with God so hereafter shalt thou preuaile with men feare not therefore the face of thy Brother Esau. Hee that gaue thee strength in this vvrestling shall sustaine thee also in all thy conflicts with men Thus the Lord will haue Iacob vse the present experience of Gods mercy at this time as a confirmation of him in all time to come Iacob then as yee see hath two names and both of them he gets from wrestling Hee wrestled once vvith his brother Esau in the wombe of his mother and from it he receiued the name Iacob because he held his brother by the heele Now againe hee wrestleth with the Lord and from it he receiueth this other name Israel a prince of God As it was with Iacob so it is with all the true Israelits of God wrestling abides them and in wrestling they must bee exercised sometimes vvith God as Israell sometime with man as Iacob with Esau and Paul with beasts at Ephesus No man is crowned before he striue the husbandman must labour before he receiue the fruit and wee by many tribulations must enter into the kingdom of God Againe yee see that as the Lord bestoweth vpon Iacob a new name so therewithall hee bestoweth vpon him new graces increase of faith and spirituall strength to resist tentations It is not the Lords manner of dealing to set out his seruants with vaine glorious titles which imports nothing when hee giues them a new name he giueth also new graces answerable to the name by his vvord he cals things to be which vvere not Soli Deo idem facere quod loqui for vnto God it is one to speake and to doe And hee giues names to things according as they are Somtime he changeth a name from the better to the vvorse as the place once called Bethel the house of God the Lord called it Bethauen the house of vanitie and this the Lord doth not but where a change is indeed from good vnto euill Sometime againe hee changeth the name from the worse to the better Where it was said vnto you Yee are not my people it shall be said yee are the sons of the liuing God and this he doth not but vvhere a change is indeede of the persons who gets the name from euill vnto good And this is a rule whereby we may try our selues vvhether the new name that appertaineth to Christians be ginen vnto vs of the Lord or not or if vvee haue vsurped it our selues If the Lord haue changed thy name as he did Iacobs name let it appeare in this that he hath also changed thy selfe Hath he giuen thee that grace which the name imports Hast thou receiued an oyntment from that holy One Hath he illuminated thy darknes quickned thy dead heart sanctified thy vnclean affections Then maist thou be sure that thou hast receiued thy name from God but if yet we be such as remain in our naturall estate liuing in our old sinnes vnder the new name of a Christian as now the most profane men haue gotten on the couering of a Christian name Esau doth put on him the apparrell of Iacob thou that so dost maist bee sure the Lord neuer gaue vnto thee this new name but thou hast violently vsurped it vnto thy selfe It shall be no more auaileable to thee then was the garment of good king Iehosophat vnto wicked Achab yea it shall augment so much the more the wrath of God vpon thee because that vnder an holy name thou hast liued an vnholy life Beltasar sinned against God by excesse and intemperancie but that hee abused the holy vessels of the house of God to serue him to prophane drinking was a double sinne a horrible sacriledge yet not so horrible as thine Hee abused dead Vessels but thou profanest a liuing soule body they are not thine owne they were once made by the Lord and bought againe by the price of his bloud and so by all right are the Lords by Baptisme they were separate to the seruice of God and his mark put vpon them Notwithstanding all this thou darest sacrilegiously abuse them and make them weapons of vnrighteousnesse to the seruice of Sathan O miserable man what fearefull judgement maist thou looke for at the hands of God The wrath of God is reuealed against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse of man Tribulation and anguish shall be vpon the soule of euery man that doth euill euery man shall receiue according to that which hee hath done in the body Turkes and Pagans shall not escape vnpunisht but thou that abusest thy soule and body to the seruice of Sathan which by Baptisme wert separate consecrate to the Lord committest a double sacriledge and therefore must looke for a double judgement except in time thou repent CHAP. XXII It is the curse of the wicked to pray
with his mercies till the Lord get his 〈◊〉 praise And hereof it commeth that they erect publike monuments memorials or at the least send out publike thanksgiuing for these mercies which God priuately and secretly hath bestowed vpon them But as to the wicked they swal ow vp the benefits of God in vnthankfull obliuion if the Lord increase then wealth and prosperitie they sacrifice to their owne net as though their prouidence and wit had done it and if hee doe preserue them from dangers they impute their deliuerance to their idoll they make their mouth to kâ—…sse their hand as if their owne arme had saued them Thus are they like vnto that salt sea whereinto Iordan floweth it swalloweth vp all the water of Iordan but waxeth no greater neither yet doth the salt and bitter waters thereof become sweeter for all that the wicked receiue from the LORD their old scent remayneth in them they are not the better neither is their hart enlarged to praise him They doe take from the Lord without giuing againe like barren and vnprofitable ground that deuoureth seede and renders nothing And therefore is neere vnto cursing whose end is burning Learne therefore O man to be thankfull to thy God euery benefit that thou hast receiued that encreaseth not thy thankfulnesse shall assuredly encrease thy iudgement Quâ—…m enim beneficia accepta meliorem non reddunt is certè etiam grauius supplicium commeretur He whom benefits receiued maketh not the better doth assuredly thereby demerite heauier punishments We are next to consider how it is that Iacob accounts it a great mercy that he hath seene God and yet his life preserued Seeing the Lord is the God of comfort how is it his presence should bring a terrour vnto men it is his countenance that makes glad the hart when he hides his face the creature is troubled but when he sends forth his spirit they are created and the face of the earth is renued When thou didst hide thy face saith Dauid I was sore troubled How is it then that Iacob here should say that the sight of the face of God causeth death and that his countenance should confound man Adam in Paradise in the state of innocency was familiar with God he saw and heard the Lord was comforted from whence then commeth this change that man cannot see the Lord and liue Surely the fault is not in the Lord his countenance is the wel-spring of life hee is the father of light and the God of all consolation The fault is in vs in our sinfull and peruerted nature Faultie weake eyes cannot behold the light without paine not for any euill which is in the light which is good and comfortable but for the infirmitie which is in themselues And sinfull men cannot see the Lord without feare not for any fault in the Lord who is merciful and gracious but for that peruerse disposition which sinne hath wrought in our selues This made the Israelites to tremble when they heard him and made that holy Prophet Esay cry out woe is me when he saw but a similitude and representation of his Maiesty And who then may abide that Maiestie in it selfe These three pillars of the Church Peter Iames Iohn fell downe to the ground astonished at a small manifestation of his glory the brightnesse of his glorious face shining like the Sunne confounded them how then should they beare the glory of his diuinitie And in vs it is this same sinfull nature which only hinders vs from the sight familiarity of our God What then shall we do but embrace the counsaile of the Apostle S. Iohn Whosoeuer hath this hope in himselfe namely to see God purgeth himselfe euen as God is pure We must remoue our sinnes and draw the powers of our soules to some neerer conformitie with the Lord if so be wee hope to dwell with him For without peace and sanctification none can see the Lord. But here againe it is to bee asked how sayes Iacob he saw the face of god seeing the Lord gaue Moses this answere when hee sought a sight of his face No man can see me and liue and we know that Iohn the Baptist saith No man hath seene God at any time but the sonne who is come from the bosome of the Father he hath reuealed him How is it then I say that Iacob here saith I haue seene God face to face I answere that this is spoken in comparison of other visions and reuelations made to Iacob before his meaning is no other but that hee had now seene the Lord by a more excellent and notable manner of apparition then euer he had seene before And where Moses is said to haue seene the Lord face to face this is only spoken in comparison of Moses with other Prophets who had not so cleare a reuelation of the Majestie of God as Moses had this is euident out of the Lords owne words If there be a Prophet of the Lord among you I will be knowne to him by a vision and speake to him by a dreame my seruant Moses is not so who is faithfull in all my house to him will I speak mouth to mouth not in darke wordes and hee shall see the similitude of the Lord. Yea let no man thinke because of these words that any of the Fathers saw the Lord as hee is thou canst not see the Sunne as it is Hee that a farre off lookes to the sea sayes truely that hee hath seene the sea but what is it that hee sees in respect of that which hee seeth not Yea wee cannot see a mortall man as he is and how then shall wee see the Lord as hee is If the Fathers had seene the Lord as he is then all the fathers had seene him one manner of way because God in himselfe is one simple and vndiuided essence but they saw him many manner of wayes in diuers soâ—…mes and apparitions To Iacob hee appeared in a siery busâ—… to the Israelites in a cloude to Elias in a soft and calme ayre to Esay in another manner of vision all which doe proue that hee shewed not himselfe neyther did they see him as hee is but onely in such manner of manifestation as the Lord thought most expedient for the time But what speake I of the sight of GOD on the earth wee shall not see him as hee is in the heauens For euen those holy Angles which stand about his Throne are described vnto vs couering their faces with their two wings witnessing thereby that there is a God of a more infinite glory then they are able to comprehend And no meruaile for euery Creature Man or Angell is finite a vessell of limited and definite bounds Now sure it is that no finite thing can comprehend that which is infinite that peace of God promised vnto vs passeth all vnderstanding and these things prepared for vs are such as the
other thing which may discourage vs is the manifold troubles that follow vs in following Christ. For the Church of God on earth is as a Lilly among Thornes and our Lord Iesus as an Apple tree among the trees of the forrest If wee delight to sit vnder his shadow and if his fruit be sweet in our mouth wee must be content to walk toward him through many sharp afflictions therefore are wee commaunded not onely to suffer afflictions as the good souldiers of Iesus Christ but also to rejoyce in tribulations and if we cannot attaine to that perfection at least to count it exceeding joy when we â—…al into diuers temptations Yet because no chastisement is sweet for the present it hath pleased the Lord of his fatherly indulgence and pittie towards our weakenesse to seison the cup of our bitter griefes with his sweet comforts which as hee doth in many other parts of holy Scripture so especially from the 17. verse of this Chapter to the 30. wherein the Apostle abounds with consolation shewing himselfe a faithfull Steward in the house of God most carefull to lead as it were by the hand the weary sons and daughters of the liuing God into the wineceller there to refresh and stay vs with the Flagons of his wine to comfort vs with his Apples to strengthen vs with his hid Manna and to make vs merry vvith that Milke and Honny vvhich our immortall Husband Iesus Christ hath prouided for vs to sustaine vs that we faint not through these manifold Tribulations vvherewith vvee are compassed in this barren vvildernesse That this is the Apostles purpose and order of proceeding in this Chapter I thinke his conclusion makes it manifest which you haue from the 31. verse to the end vvherein hee drawes all that he had said into a short summe containing the glorious triumph of a Christian ouer all his enimies the triumph is first set downe generally in the 31 Verse What shall wee say then to these things If God be with vs who can be against vs thereafter he parts this generall in two there is would he say but one of two that are against vs eyther sinne or affliction as to sinne hee triumphs against it Verse 33. and 34. Who will lay any thing to the charge of Gods Chosen It is God that iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ who is dead or rather who is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and makes request for vs. As to affliction hee begins his triumph against it Verse 35. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ his answere mounts vp by a gradation Will tribulation or anguish doe it Yea will death it selfe doe it or that which is more will Principalities and powers doe it 10. In all these things wee more then Conquerours through him that loued vs. Thankes therefore be vnto our God who alwayes makes vs to triumph in our Lord Iesus Christ. Now in this verse as Iacob gaue his sonnes his greatest blessing in the last roome so the Apostle giueth to christi ans his greatest comfort in the last roome whereof this is the sumâ—… ouâ—… afflictions are so farre from being pâ—…eiudiciall to our saluation that by the contrary through the Lords merueilous working they tend to the aduancment thereof he in largeth the comfort Not onely afflictions but all other things workâ—… for the best together to them that loue the Lord. The parts of the Verse are two the first containes the comfort the second a discâ—…ption of the persons to whom the comfort appertaineth Now I come to the words Alâ—…o that is besides all the comforts which I haue giuen to you before I giue you yet this further learning vs that albeit our troubles be many yet our comforts are more Many saith Dauid are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth them out of all As if he would say for euerie trouble the Lord hath a seuerall deliuerance Euery temptation saith the Apostle hath the owne issue Euery horne that riâ—…eth against vs to push vs hath attending vpon it an hammer to represse it saith the Prophet Esau mourned vpon his father Isaac although he was prophane yet he cryed pittifully Hast thou but one blessing my Father But we with the holie Apostle may blessâ—… our heauenly Father who comforteth vs so in all our tribulations that as the sufferings of Christ a bound in vs so our consolations abound through Christ not one but manifold are his blessings and the storehouse of his consolations can neuer bee emptied The Lord our God hath not dealt nigardly nor sparingly with vs but a good measure of consolations pressed downe and running ouer hath hee giuen to vs in our bosome his name be praised therefore and yet how little is all this that wee now receiue in comparison of those inestimable ioyes of God that he hath prepared for vs the like whereof the eye neuer saw the care neuer heard of and the heart cannot vnderstand Surely the greatest measure of comfort that wee haue in this life is but the earnest penny of that principall which shall be giuen to vs hereafter If the earnest bee so great what shall bee the principall If the first fruites of the heauenly Canaan be so delectable how shall the full masse thereof aboundantly content vs when we shall behold the face of our God in righteousnesse and shall bee satisfied vvith his Image vvhen vve shall be filled vvith the fulnesse of joy which is in his presence and with those pleasures which are at his right hand for euermore CHAP. II. The Priuiledges of a Christian cannot be knowne of them who doe not possesse them WEe know If you ponder the Apostles words you shall finde that by an Emphasis he restraines this knowledge to the Children of God excluding Worldlings and Naturalists from it The spirituall man discerneth all things but hee himselfe is iudged of no man A naturall man cannot vnderstand the things that are of God The Gospel is Wisedome indeed but Wisedome among them that are perfect Euery Article of our faith and point of Christian Doctrine euery priuiledge of a Christian is a Mistery therefore no meruaile that the Gospell bee foolishnesse to the naturall man who perisheth And this doth draw vs to consider that the excellent things of Christianitie can be knowne of none but of those that possesseth them The value or rather vanitie of earthly Iewels hath beene better knowne of some that neuer enjoyed them then of them who possessed them but the Iewels of gods kingdome such as Peace Righteousnesse Ioy in the holy Ghost can be known of none but of the Christian only who enjoyes them The new Name giuen to the Christian who can know but hee that hath it and none can know what is the sweetnes of hid Manna except hee tast it therefore saith the Psalmist Tast and consider how
gracious the Lord is telling you that the graciousnesse of the Lord cannot be considered by him who neuer diâ—… tast it If you goe to speak to a vvorldling of inward Peace of spirituall Ioy or of the Priuiledges of a Christian you shall seeme to him a Barbarian or one that speaketh a strange language which he vnderstaneth not or if he himselfe speak of them which he sees learnedly hearing or reading yet shall hee speake like a Bird vtteâ—…ing voyces vvhich shee vnderstandeth not As the bruit Beast knoweth not the excellency of mans life and therefore delighteth it selfe vvith Hay and Prouender seeking no better because it knoweth no better So the naturall man knoweth not the excellency of a Christian and therfore disdaines him counting him a foole a mad man and the off-scum of the world hee taketh the dongue of the earth in his armes for his inheritance let him brook the portion of Esau that the fatnesse of the earth may be his dwelling place let his wine and his wheat abound to him hee cares for no more he knowes not vvhat it is to haue his soule made glad with the countenance of God This is your miserable condition O ye wretched Worldlings ye are cursed with the curse of the Serpent yee creepe as it were on your bellyes and licke the dust of the earth all the dayes of your life yee haue not an eye to looke vp to heauen nor a hart to seeke those things which are aboue most fearefull is your estate vvee warne you of it but it is the Lord vvho must deliuer you from it This resolute knowledge is the mother of spirituall courage constancie and patience therefore the Apostle vrgeth it in this place that the Christian may be made thereby strong and patient in tribulation and indeed what needes hee feare in the euill day yea though the earth should be remoued and the Mountaines fall into the middest of the sea vvho knoweth that the Lord sitteth on his throne hauing the whole vvorld as a glassie Sea before him gouerning all the walterings changes and euents of things therein to the good of them that loue him Oh that we had prosited so much in the schoole of Christ all our dayes that without any doubting or making any exception vvee could beleeue this vvhich here the Apostle layeth for a most sure ground of comfort that so vvee might chaunge all our thoughts and cares into one namely how to grow in the loue of God that in a good conscience vve might say to the Lord vvith Peter Lord thou knowest I loue thee And as the rest of our feares griefes and temptations which many times doe so compasse vs that to our judgements vvee can see no out-gate cast all the burthen of them vpon the Lord who careth for vs and hath giuen vs this promise for a Premunire All comes for the best The Souldier with courage entreth into the battell vnder hope to obtaine the victorie the Marriner with boldnesse committeth himselfe to the stormie Seas vnder hope of vantage and euery man hazardeth in his calling and yet are they all but vncertaine venturers and know not the end But the Christian runnes not as vncertaine but as one sure to obtaine the Crowne for he knows that the God of peace shall shortly tread Sathan vnder his feete What then shall he not with courage enter into that battell wherein hee is made sure ere euer hee sight that all the Warriers of Iesus shal become more then Conquerours through him If wee will onely stand still we shall see the saluation of the Lord. Gedion and his three hundred fought against the great Host of Midian without feare because he was sure of victorie Dauid made hast and ran to encounter with Goliah because hee was perswaded the Lord would deliuer him into his hands The Israelites spared not to enter into the flood of lorden because they saw the Arkâ—… of God before them diuiding the waters And shall onely the Christian stand astonished in his temptations notwithstanding the word of God goe before him to resolue him that whatsoeuer fall out shall worke for the best vnto him The Lord increase vs make vs abound more and more in loue of our God for perfect loue casteth ouâ—… fear The Lord strengthen our Faith that through these misty clowdes of afflictions which now compasseth vs wee may see that comfortable end which the light of God hath discouered vnto vs. But wee are to beware of the subtile sleights of Sathan who to the end hee may spoile vs of this comfort in trouble endeauoureth by many meanes either to quench this light of God in our minds or else to darken and obscure it by the precipitation of our vnbeleeuing hearts carrying vs headlong to iudge of the works of God by their beginnings and to measure our selues in trouble by our present estate and condition not suffering vs to tarrie while we see the end whereof it comes to passe that our hearts beeing tossed to and fro with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like trees of the Forrest shaken with the winde in our necessities we hasten to be our owne prouisors in our dangers we will be our owne deliuerers euery way we become the caruers of our own condition we haue so much the more to beware of this precipitation because the dearest seruants of God haue fallen through it into fearefull sinnes against the Lord their God and breed great vnquietnesse vnto themselues When Dauid was in extreame anger in the wilâ—…ernesse of Maon hee said in his feare that all men were liers O what a blasphemy that euen the promises of God made to him by Samuel the Lords Prophet were but lies and how many times thought hee in his other troubles that God had forgot to bee mercifull and had shut vp his tender mercies in displeasure But when hee saw the end then was hee compelled to accuse himselfe to giue glorie to God and to say I should haue beene dumbe and not opened my mouth because thou didest it I said it in my feare but now I see Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Aâ—… this precipitation made Dauid to stumble and fall so will it carry vs also to the like inconuenience too except we beware of it For if we shold looke to Lazarus in the dongue hill full of Byles and sores hauing no comfort but from the dogges and compare him with the Rich man cloathed in purple and faring daintily euerie day What can wee iudge but that Lazarus is the most miserable of the two yet tarrie while the Lord haue ended his worke and Lazarus hee conueyed to Abrahams bosome and the rich glutton be gone to his place then shall truth appeare manifestly All things worke together for the best to them that loue God Let vs learne therefore to measure the euent of things not by their
best to them that loue the Lord not according to his purpose in deede but because the Lord trappeth him in his owne snare If vnder the serpents shape hee deceiued Adam vnder the Serpents name shall the Lord curse him and all these weapons whereby hee intends to destroy the worke of Gods grace in vs shall the Lord make forcible to destroy the workmanship of Sathan in vs I meane that whole bastard generation of sinfull affections which Sathan hath begotten vpon our mutable nature by a most vnhappy and vnlawfull copulation The experience of all the saints of God will proue this that Sathan by his restles temptations doth destroy himselfe which is most euident both in his temptations for sin which tend to desperation as also in his temptations to sin which tend to presumption Eâ—…ery accusation of the conscience for by-past sins is a preseruatiue to the child of God to keepe him from sinne in time to come hee reasoning with himselfe after this manner If my eni mie doth so disquiet my mind with inward terrors for these sins which foolishly I did by his inticement why shal I harken to him any more hereafter and so increase the matter of my trouble for what fruite haue I of all the sinnes whereof I tooke pleasure but terrour and shame And shall I looke that this forbidden Tree shall render any better fruite hereafter O what a faithlesse traytor is Sathan he intiâ—…eth man vnto sinne and when hee hath done it hee is the first accuser and troubler of man for sinne When hee works in vs he is a temptor when we haue finished his worke which is fin hee is an accuser of vs to the iudge and when he returneth hee returneth as a troubler and a tormentor of vs for our sins Stop thy eare therefore O my soule from the voyce of this deceitfull enchaunter His temptations againe vnto sinne are so many prouocations spurring vs forward to the throne or grace for whilst we finde his restlesse malice pursuing that sparkle of spirituall life whereby the Lord hath quicned vs and our owne weaknesse and inhabilitie to resist him then wee are forced with Israel in Aegipt to sigh for the thraldome and to cry with Iosah O Lord our God we wot not what to do but our eies are turned toward thee And who feeles not this that the grace of feruent prayer wherein otherwise wee faint our hands being more ready to fall downe then the hands of Moses except they bee supported is greatly weakned and abridged in the children of God by the buffets of Sathan So they weakned the holy Apostle and stirred him vp to such feruency in praier that hee besought the Lord thrice that is many times to deliuer him from them Yea which is more the Lord made them effectuall meanes to beate downe the power of naturall pride in him least he should haue beene exalted out of measure through the greatnesse of his reuelations A wonderfull worke that the Father of pride becommeth against his wil a represser of pride and hee who first powred this poyson into the nature of Man is made contrary to his entent an instrument to suppresse it Thus the Lord our God out-shooteth Sathan in his owne bow and with the sword of Goliah cutteth off his owne head his holy name be praised therefore for euer Now as concerning outward afflictions it is true that as the Philistins could not vnderstand Sampsons Riddle how sweet came out of the sower and meate out of the eater So can no Worldlings vnderstand that tribulation bringeth out Patience and that our light and momentary afflictions causeth vnto vs a far more excellent and eternall waight of glory but the Children of God haue learned by experience that albeit no visitation be sweet for the present yet afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse vnto them vvho are thereby exercised that there is more solide joy in suffring rebuke with Christ then in all the pleasure of sinne which indure but for a season For as Moses the mediator of the old Testament by his prayer made the bitter waters of Marah sweete that the Israelites might drinke of it so Iesus the mediator of the new Testament by his passion hath mittigated to his Children the bitternes of the Crosse and not onely mixed it with joy but made it most profitable The forlorne Son concluded neuer to returne home to his Father till he was brought low by affliction And many in the Gospell were forced by corporall diseases to run to Iesus where others enjoying bodily health did nothing but disdaine him The earth which is not tilled and broken beares nothing but Thornes and Bryers the Vines waxe wilde by time except they be pruned and cut so would our vaine hearts ouergrowe with vilde affections if the Lord by sanctified trouble did not continually manure them Therefore said Ieremy It is good for a man to beare the yoke in 〈◊〉 youth And Dauid confessed It was good for him that hee was afflicted Yea saith our Sauiour Euery branch that beares fruite my heauenly Father purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruite No work can be made of Gold and Siluer without fire and stones are not meet for Pallace worke except they be pollished and squared by hammering no more is it possible that wee can bee vessels of Honour in the houses of our God except first wee bee sined and melted in the fire of Affliction neither can wee bee as liuing sâ—…ones to be placed in the wall of the heauenly Ierusalem except so long as wee be here the hand of God beate vs from our proud lumps by the hammer of Affliction As standing waters putrifies and rotâ—… so the wicked feares not God saith the Psalmist because they haue no changes And Moab keepes his sent saith the Prophet because he was not powred from Vessell to Vessell but hath beene at rest euer since his youth And therefore O Lord rather then we should keepe the old sent of our naturall corruption and liue in carelesse securitie without the feare of thy holy name and so become sit-fasts in our sins no rather O Lord change thou vs from estate to estate waken vs with the presence of thy hand purge vs Lord with thy fire and chastice vs with thy rods alway O Lord with a protestation that thou stand to thy promise made to the Sons of Dauid I will visite them with my rods if they sinne against mee but my mercy will I neuer take from them CHAP. V. How death also workes for the best to Christians THe same comfort haue vvee also against death that now in Christ Iesus it is not a punishment of our sinnes but a full accomplishment of the motificatian of sinne both in soule and body for by it all the Conduits of sinne are stopped the weapons of vnrighteousnesse broken and though our bodyes seeme to bee consumed yet
are they but sowne like graines of Wheate into the field and husbandry of the Lord which must dye before they be quickned but in the day of haruest shall spring vp againe most glorious and shall be restored by the same holy spirit who now dwels in them and as to our soules they are releeued our of this house of seruitude and that they may depart and turne to him from whom they came therefore haue I compared death to the red sea wherein Pharaoh his Aegiptians were drowned and sanck like a stone to the bottome but the Israelites of God went through to their promised Canaan So shall death bee vnto you O miserable Infidels whose eyes the God of this world hath so blinded that no more then the blinde Egiptians can you see the light of God that shineth in Goshan that is his Church although you bee in it to you I say your death shall bee a sea of Gods vengeance wherein yee shall bee drowned and shall sincke with your sinnes heauier then a Milstone about the neck of your soule to presse you downe to the lowest Hels But as to you that are the Israelites of God yee shall walk through the valley of death and not neede to bee afraide because the Lord is with you His staffe and his rod shall comfort you Albeit the terrours of Hell the horrour of the Graue the gultinesse of sinne stand about thee like mountaines threatning to ouerwhelme thee yet shalt thou goe safe through to the land of thine inheritance where with Moses and Meriam and all the Children of God euen the Congregation of the first borne Thou shalt sing prayses ioyfully to the God of thy Saluation And thus we see how that not onely our present afflictions but Sathan Sinne and Death are made to worke for the best to them that loue the Lord. CHAP. VI. How the plots and imaginations of men worke for the best to the Christian. NOw in the last roome concerning the imaginations of men against vs wee shall haue cause to say of them in the end as Ioseph said to his bretheren You did it vnto mee for euill but the Lord turned it vnto good The whole Historie of Gods Booke is as a cloude of manifold witnesses concurring altogether to confirme this truth I content my selfe therefore for all to bring one When Dauid was going forward in the battaile against Israel with Achish King of Gath vnder whom hee soiourned for a while in the time of his banishment the remnant Princes of the Philistines commanded him to goe backe and this they did for the worse to disgrace him because they distrusted him but the Lord turned it to him for the best Consider Dauids estate now and ye shall see him set betwixt too great extreamities If he had gone backe of his owne accord the Philistines might haue blamed him handled him as an enimie if hee had come forward hee should haue beene guiltie of the bloud of Israell and especially of Saul the Lords annointed who was slaine in that battaile In this strait the wit of man can find him no out-gate but the prouident mercy of God deliuers him in such sort that no occasion of offence is giuen to Saul and his people because Dauid came not against them neither yet could the Philistines condemne him because hee went back by their commaund So notable a benefit did Dauid receiue euen by that same deede wherein his enimies thought they had done him a notable shame and it should learne vs in our straitest extreamities whereunto men can driue vs to depend on the Lord and euer then to hope for an outgate when we see none For such is thy prouidence O Lord whereby in mercy thou watchest ouer those euils that are intended against them that by thee they are turned into good to them And here we haue further to consider that seeing this is the priuiledge of euery one that loues the Lord much more must it appertaine to the whole Church of God It is the portion of Abraham being the father of the faithfull and one of Gods children I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee and shall it not belong thinke wee to all the congregation of the first borne will not the Lord be a Wall of fire round about Ierusalem and the glory in the midst of her will he not keepe her as the apple of his eye Shall not Ierusalem be as a cup of poyson vnto all her enimies and a heauie stone Yea surely all that lift vp themselues shall be torne though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it the weapons made against her shall not prosper euery tongue that shall rise against her in judgement shall bee condemned This is the heritage of the Lords seruants the portion of them who loue him For the Church is the Arke of God which may mount vp higher as the waters increaseth but cannot bee ouerwhelmed the bush which may burne but cannot be consumed the house built on a rock which may bee beaten with the winde and raine but cannot be ouerthrowne The Lord who changeth times and seasons who takes away Kings and sets vp Kings hath reproued Kings for his Churches sake and he gouerneth all the kingdomes of the earth in such sort that their risings fallings their changes and mutations are all dispensed for the good of his Church for there is but one of two sentences wherein all the Iudges of the world may iudge of themselues see cleerly their end Either that which Mordecai said to Ester who knowes if for this thou art come to the Kingdome that by thee deliuerance might come to Gods people Or else that which Moses in Gods name sayd to Pharaoh the first oppressor of Gods Church in his adolescency I haue set thee vp to declare my power because thou exaltest thy selfe against my people How miserable then are they who when they are highest abuseth their power to hold the people of God lowest Haue they not cause to feare least the Lord haue set them vp against him as an object of his power and Iustice if we will marke the course of the Lords proceeding euer since the beginning of the world we shall finde that as he orders the state of earthly power for the accomplishment of his wil concerning his Church so euermore a blessing followes them who are instruments of her good and by the contrary an ineuitable curse followes them who are the instruments of her euill When the Lord concluded to bring his Church from Canaan to sojourne in Aegipt he sent such a famine in Canaan as compelled them to forsake it but made plenty in Aegipt by the hand of Ioseph whom the Lord sent before as a prouider for his Church and by whom Pharaoh was made so fauourable to Iacob that he was allowed to dwell in Goshen but when such time came that hee would
was senselesse before being dead in sinne and trespasses begins now to stir and moue as Iosiahs heart melted at the reading of the Law and the hearts of those penitent Iewes which were pricked at the sharpe Sermon of Peter then feeling our selues vnder death through sinne wee begin to thinke vs of the wayes of life and to aske with the Iaylor What shall wee doe that wee may bee saued These motions meltings and prickings of the hart wrought in the â—…lect by the operation of Gods word are the very plucks of the hand of God translating thee out of Nature into Grace yet must wee not rest here for Felix may tremble while Paul is preaching and many for a while may receiue this word with joy and yet afterward fall away in the time of temptation Wee must therefore consider if there bee in the hart a respondence and answering vnto the Lord so oft as hee calleth doe wee present our selues before him ready to follow him saying with Abraham here I am Lord and with Samuel after hee knew the Lords voyce Speake on Lord thy Seruant heareth thee This answering and following of the Lord are vndoubted tokens of effectuall Calling So oft as the Lord calleth the Christian answereth When thou saidst Seeke yee my face my heart answered O Lord I will seeke thy face If the Lord commaund the Christian answereth O Lord quicken me according to thy louing kindnesse that I may apply my heart to keepe thy statutes alwayes to the end If the Lord promise mercy the Christian answeres Stablish O Lord thy promise to thy Seruant and let it bee to me according to thy word for I beleeue in thee but Lord help my vnbeleefe And thus in the heart of one effectually called there is a continual respondence to the voyce of God a waiting on the Lord a walking with him and a following of him where euer hee goe If the Lord haue called thee sure it is thou wilt follow him and no power of the Diuell of the world or of the slesh shall hold thee back from him When Eliah touched Elisha with his cloak he left his Oxen and came after him When Iesus called on Andrew and Peter they left their nets their ship and their Father and followed him when hee called on Mathew hee left all his gainful trade of the receipt of custome and followed him when hee called on Mary Magdalâ—…ne shee forsooke her sinfull life and followed him Here is the finest Touchstone to trye an inward calling If the Lord hath called thee thou wilt follow him but if yet thou bee wandring after vanitie walking on in the course of thy sinne turning thy backe and not thy face vnto the Lord deceiue not thy selfe pertalcer of this heauenly Calling wherein stands the onely comfort of a Christian hast thou neuer beene CHAP. XV. The loue of God a sure token of an inward calling and of the commendation of loue THat Loue of God And last of all to returne to the words againe the whole effects of out inward Calling the Apostle compriseth vnder one to wit The loue of God and that most properly for Loue compriseth all the rest vnder it Loue is the Cognisance of Christs Disciples sayes our Sauiour It is the band of perfection saith the Apostle and accomplishment of the Lâ—… Loue speakes with the tongue of eueâ—… Vertue Pittie bids thee help the indigent Iustice bids thee giue euery man his owne Mercy bids forgiue Patience bids suffer but the voyce of Christian Loue commaunds all these Holy Loue is the eldest Daughter of a iustifying Faith that is the fiâ—…st affection that Faith procreateth and sanctifieth and whereby she workes in the sanctification of the rest Loue is the strongest and most imperious affection in the whole nature of man all the rest of the affections giues place vnto it which wee may see euen in the man naturall and vnregenerate Where Loue is kindled Feare is banished Couetousnesse coucheth Ambition is silent A Coward inflamed with Loue becomes valiant and a couetous man is oft times â—…y Loue made to bee more prodigall yea the proud and ambitious man who otherwise giues place to 〈◊〉 man for obtayning that which hee 〈◊〉 cares not to prostrate his honor 〈◊〉 the dust If carnall Loue be so forciâ—… what shall wee say of the spirituall Loue How much more doth it draw 〈◊〉 whole powers of soule and body 〈◊〉 the Lord neyther is it possible to 〈◊〉 otherwayes for euery thing returns to his owne originall as the waters go 〈◊〉 to the deepe from whence 〈◊〉 came and fire tends vpward to his owne place and Region euen so holy Loue being a sparke of the heauenly fire kindled in our hearts by the holy Ghost doth continually enflame them towards the Lord from whom it came and suffers vs neuer to rest while vvee enjoy him then vvee begin to liue when vvee begin to Loue. As no Creature can liue out of his owne Element so the Soule is but dead in sinne vvhich is destitute of the loue of God No feare to offend him no care to please him no obedience to his Commaundements can bee giuen by the heart that loues him not It were tedious to speake of all the properties of Loue we make choise of a few as chiefe tryals of our Loue. CHAP. XVI First triall of Loue. THe first propertie of Loue is a burning desire to obtaine that which is beloued as a Woman that loueth her Husband vnfainedly cannot bee content with any Loue token she receiueth from him in his absence but longeth more and more till she receiue himselfe So the soule which is wounded with the Loue of Iesus her immortall hushand hath a continuall desire to bee with him I graunt enerie token sent from him brings comfort but no contentment till shee inioyes him whereof comes these and such like complaints As the Hart brayes for the riuers of water so panteth my soule 〈◊〉 thee O my God O whâ—…n 〈◊〉 I come appeare before the presence of my God my soule desireth after the Lord as the thirstie land for I would be dissolued be with the Lord therefore come euen so come Lord Iesus But alas here are we taken in our sins Thou sayest thou louest him but how is it then thou longest not to see him neither desiâ—…est to be with him yea a small appearance of the day of death wherein we should goe to him or mention of the day of judgement wherein hee shall come to vs doth terrifie and affright thee Thou that contents thee with the gifts of God and thinkest not long for himselfe thou art but like an adulterous woman who if she possesâ—…e the goods of her husband regards not albeit she neuer see himselfe The Iewes are blamed because they called on thâ—… Lord rather for oyle and wine then for himselfe The Gentiles are conuinced for worshiping the creature rather then the creator but more iustly shall the bastard
death to follow his Lo◅d yea most desirous to be dissolued by death in so much as hee knew it to be a meane to conioyne him neerer vnto Christ. And herein he stands vp to witnesse vnto vs that vnlesse wee haue a most feruent desire to participate of this holy Sacrament which the Lord hath instituted to seale vp and increase our spirituall Communion with him wee are manifestly conuinced to be such as in whom their is no loue of the Lord Iesus If we will not goe with him to eate and drinck in his Parlour at Ierusalem it is not likely that we will follow him out of the Cittie bearing his reproach to bee crucified with him on mount Caluarie The Apostle is desirous to goe through death that hee might come to Christ and it was the notable word of that auncient Ignatius the scholler of Christs best beloued Disciple Saint Iohn Nihil visibilium moror nihil inuisibilium modo Christum acquiram I stand said hee vpon nothing visible nor inuisible I care not what torments come vpon me so that I enioy Christ Iesus and will not wee then casting away all impediments come ioyfully forward to this holy Table wherein our blessed Sauiour communicates himselfe vnto vs and wherevnto this day so louingly he inuites vs Now hee standes at the doore and he knocks offering to come in suppe with them who will open vnto him Now the maister shall say to his Disciples Take re and eate this is my bodie Now saies the bridegroome to his friends Eate O my friends and make you merrie my welb◅loued Now doth the Angel intimate that proclamation which hereafter will be resounded with greater ioy from heauen Let vs be glad and reioyce for the marriage of the Lambe is come And now the Sauiour calles vpon sinners with outstretched armes Come to me all ye who are wearie and laden and I will refresh you Those diseased creatures who lay at the poole of Bethesda wayted diligently on the occasion when they should step downe into the water for he that first stepped in after the Angell had troubled the water was made whole whatsoeuer his disease was Praysed be God though we haue not now those waters of Siloam wherein with that blind man wee may cure our bodily diseases wee haue the waters of that Shiloh of the which whosoeuer drinks shall not thirst any more these are the waters of life that are able to cure all our spirituall infirmities the benefit is not restrained to one that first sits downe at his Table but is extended to all those who make themselues readie to come vnto him Let vs not therefore neglect so faire an occasion of grace but let vs vp arise let the Bride make her selfe readie and go foorth to meete the Bride-groome Let vs begin in this wildernes to eate the fruits of our promised Canaan which is aboue Let vs open to the King of glory that knocks let vs go to our sauiour that cries come and ioyfully communicate with our Lord who commaunds Take and eate this is my body For here is giuen the greatest gift and that in the most excellent manner that God hath to giue on earth vnto the sonnes of men for here he giueth it as it were with both his hands that is not onely by his word but also by his Sacrament onely take heede to this warning let a man trie himselfe and so let him eate There is danger in hearing of the word and therefore our Sauiour forewarnes vs Take heede how you heare Ther is danger also in communicating in the preceeding verse the Apostle forewarned vs of it He that eates of this bread and drinks of this cup of the Lord vnworthely is guiltie of the bodie and blood of the Lord. In the subsequent verse hee forewarnes vs also of the danger He that eates and drinkes vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation And in this interiected verse which now by the grace of God wee haue to handle hee sheweth vs the way how to eschew them both and therefore let vs harken the more attentiuely vnto it This precept hath two parts in the first we are commaunded to try before we eate in the second wee are commaunded to eate af◅er triall Before we communicate he requires triall and after triall hee commands to communicate and so he encounters with two sorts of men whereof the one eates of this bread and tryes not and these faile against the first the other tries themselues but eates not of this bread and these faile against the second both of them are here corrected by the Apostles precept In handling whereof we begin first at the last part that such as are resolued to bide away if it please God may bee made willing to come and then by God his grace we shall return to the first that such as are willing to come may bee instructed how they should communicate And so let him eate It is not then as ye may perceiue left free vnto men to communicate or abstaine from the Communion as they please but we are bound by a commaundement to eate and drinke at this Table Doe this said our Sauiour in remembrance of mee Our first father Adam failed in eating of that tree of knowledge of good and euill whereof God forbade him to eate but many of his sonnes failes in refusing to eate of that tree of life whereof God commaunds them to eate In their words they condemne the fact of their fathers because they were Sicut omniū parentes ita omniū peremptores prius peremptores quam parentes perishers of their posteritie ◅re euer they were parents and in their deede they are dayly imitators of their folly It was a punishment vnto Adam to be debarred from the tree of life and it is but a pastime to many of his foolish posteritie to debarre themselues from it Thus stands the corrupt nature of man still in contrarie termes with the Lord And the children fulfilles the measure of their fathers iniquitie where God forbids man to eate there will he eate and where the Lord commaunds him to eate there will he not eate The Serpent spake from the earth albeit ye eate of that tree which God hath forbidden yee shall not dye and man hearkened vnto it The Lord Iesus speakes from heauen come and eate of the tree of life and yee shall liue but man will not heare him O silly and fearefull Rebellion the Seducer is beleeued and the Sauiour is not beleeued This day wisdome hath prepared his Table hee cals vpon you all Come and eate of my meate and drinke of the wine that I haue drawne hee that find eth me findeth life and shall obtaine the fauour of the Lord but hee that sinneth against mee hurteth his owne soule and all that hate mee loue death Thus are wee louingly called and fairely forewarned and all those are made
is neuer lawfull If that which sometime is lawfull cannot excuse thy delaying to come vnto Christ when he cals vpon thee what mockery of God is it to alleadge that which neuer is lawfull And here also beside the offence done against thy God consider what preiudice thou dost vnto thy selfe what folly is this that because thy neighbour hath sinned against thee thou wilt also sinne against thine owne soule I suppose as thou hast said hee hath wounded thee and hurt thee in thy body goods or name is that a reason why thou shouldest contemne the calling of Christ who offers to cure thy wounds and heale al the infirmities of thy soule yea to pacifie all those passions and perturbations of minde wherewith thy impatience disquiets thee hee forewarned his owne that in the world they should finde trouble but in him they should haue peace If thou finde as he forespake trouble in the world why wilt thou not go and seeke that peace in him which hee hath promised As to thy right I require not thou shouldest loose it neyther yet forbid I that by ordinary meanes thou shouldest seeke a redresse of those wrongs which against order are done vnto thee for the law is the stay of confusion and the Sinew of the Common-wealth without which no fellowship can be entertained amongst men and God hath appointed the Magistrate that vnto good men hee should be like the raine to fields new mowen vnder whom they may flourish but should bee to the wicked like that Westerly winde which draue those Locusts into the red Sea that troubled the Land but as for grudge rancour hatred malice and such like what haue they to doe in the hart of the childe of God Since we are commanded to forgiue on another euen as god for Christs sake forgaue vs and plainely foretold that if we doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will our Father forgiue vs our trespasses A fearefull recompence that wee should possesse our owne sinnes because wee will not forgiue the sinnes of others Certainely thou that dost so giuest out a hard sentence against thy selfe for in stead of mercy thou cryest for iudgement as oft as thou prayest forgiue me my sins as I forgiue them that haue sinned against me for that is Lord forgiue me not at all It was a horrible sin of the Iewes that they preferred Barrabas a wicked malefactor to the Lord but I pray thee consider how nere thy sin drawes to theirs if thou iudge rightly of it for when thou refusest to come to this holy table vnlesse thou haue amends of such wrongs as are done vnto thee thou saist in effect rather then I le renounce my will I will renounce my part of Christ and communion with him for heere is the verie question whether wilt thou forsake thy communion with Christ or thine owne corrupted will say not now to me these are hard speches God forbid that euerie one who is no partaker of this sacrament should in so doing forfeit his part of communion with Christ. I grant indeede they are hard speeches but true speeches and no harder then thy sin deserueth for I pray thee to what end did our Sauiour institute this Sacrament was it not that in it he might communicate himself to thee how canst thou then excuse thy selfe say thou hast â—…ot reiected him seeing thou reiects the means whereby hee is giuen to thee When Eliezer the seruant of Abraham sought Rebecca in marriage vnto Isaac what way did she testifie her consent surely not onely by word but by acceptation of those iewels of siluer and gold which he gaue her as loue tokens in the name of Isaac Now wee are sent forth to you as the Ambassadors of the liuing God to win you in mariage vnto his sonne and to prepare you that yee may bee presented a Chast spouse vnto him and wee are commaunded to minister vnto you this holy Sacrament as a pledge of his loue towards you If yee agree to the marriage and be content to forsake your fathers house and goe with vs to the house of Abraham then testifie your consent by receiuing these holy tokens of his loue which in his name wee exhibit vnto you but if yee will not then shall we stand vp as witnesses against you that wee haue called you and yee refused to come O man what wilt thou doe for thy Christ that wilt not come and banquet with him at his Table how canst thou say thou louest him when so small an impediment keepes thee back from going vnto him hast thou not cause to hang downe thy head for shame when thou art conuinced to haue lesse loue to thy Sauiour then Esau had to Iacobs pottage for loue of them he sould his birth right which he should haue kept but thou for loue of Christ wilt not forsake thy corrupt will which thou art bound to abandon Abraham for the loue of God was content with his own hands to slay his onely lawfull Sonne and thou for the loue of God wilt not slay thy vnlawfull bastard affections nor doe the holy will of God except thy wicked will be first fulfilled This euidently proues that thou hast not Abraham for thy father but art of the race of wicked Cain that hated his Brother vnto the death Assuredly except thou repent that merciles iudgement bides thee presignified in that mercilesse seruant who hauing gotten mercie from his King could shew none to his Companion Oughtest not thou to haue had pittie on thy fellow aâ—… I had pittie on thee Thy former sinnes shall bee imputed vnto thee and thou shalt be deliuered to the Iaylor till thou pay all that is due vnto thy Lord which thou shalt neuer be able to doe But that the pittifull ignorance of both these sorts of Recusants may the better appeare and farther light may arise to such as are willing to communicate wee are to consider what a banquet this is and what are the delicates vnto the participation whereof wee are here called The Apostle saith not let a man eate bread and drinke wine but let him eate of this bread and drinke of this Cup. The particle This tels vs it is no common Bread and Wine no surely the comfort is great that wee are commaunded to eate of that Bread whereof our Sauiour saith This is my body and to drinke of that Cup which he cals his Bloud of the New Testament shed for the remission of the sins of many Hee that eates of my bread and drinks of my Cup vnworthely becomes guiltie of the abuse of Gods Creatures but hee that eates of this Bread and drinkes of this Cup vnworthily becomes guiltie of the Body and Bloud of the Lord and eates his owne damnation because he discerneth not the Lords body And therefore that wee fall not into this fearefull sinne wee are to know that this Sacrament is not a simple thing but a
a figuratiue speech vnlesse thou â—…ate of the flesh of the son of Man saith Christ here hee seemes to commaund a hainous action and therfore it is a figure commanding vs to communicate with Christs passion and sweetly and profitably to lay this vp in our memorie that his â—…lesh was crucified for vs. And after this maner also the perpetual phrase of the holy spirit doth teach vs to interpret them when he cals circumcision the couenant the Lambe the Passeoueâ—… Baptisme the Lauer of regeneâ—…ation the Wine the cup of the new Testament In all these they are forced to acknowledge a figure Onely here This is my bodie they will ad here to the letter The learned and godly fathers haue with vs also acknowledged this for a Sacramentall speech so Tertul. Expounds Hoc est corpus meum id est â—…igura corporis mei This is my bodie that is the figure of my body And againe Dominus pane corpus suum repraesentat God represents or resembles his body by bread And Augustine said in like maner Non dubitauit dicere hoc est corpus meum cum signum daret corporis sui He doubted not to say This is my body when he gaue onely a signe of his bodie And againe Iudam adhibuit ad conuiuium in quo corporis sanguinis sui figuraÌ„ commendâ—…uit discipulis Christ admitted Iudas to his supper in which he commended to his disciples the figure of his body and blood As Iesus Christ is called a stone and called bread so is this bread called his bodie and that saies Bernard is per significationem non proprietatem by signification not that properly it is so And as for carnall professors they are also euill discerneâ—…s because they esteeme lesse of this Bread and Wine then they ought putting no difference betweene it and common bread and wine whereas it is not so indeed for in all the world there is not the like of This bread and this wine except in the like action it is changed by the ordinance of Christ and vertue of his institution not changed in the substance but in the vse and end Panis enim terrenus percipiens vocationem Dei iam non communis panis est sed Eucharistia for that earthly receiuing Gods appointment is now no common bread but the Eucharist The Lord who calleth things that are not and maketh them to bee doth here appoint this bread and this wine to a farre more excellent vse then that whereunto they serue by nature As wax stamped with the seale of a King in substance differs not from other wax and yet for value is much more excellent and may not be vnreuerently handled with out contempt of the king so this bread though in substance it differ not from other bread yet concerning the vse it is seperate and much more precious then any other Bread in the world being now appointed by God to bee a signe and a seale an exhibiting instrument of Christ his bodie and therefore cannot bee profaned nor abused without contempt of Christ Iâ—…sus Against the second condition required in the right discerning of the Lords body Papists faile in like manner because they peruert Christs institution and vse not this sacrament as hee com maunded for seeing our Sauiour is the ordayner of this Sacrament saies Cyprian â—…tique id nos facere oportet quod Christus fecit et quod faciendum mandauit Of truth wee ought to doe thaâ—… which Christ did and which he commanded vs to do And Ambrose writing vpon this same place saith plainly Indignum est domino misterium hoc aliter celebrare quam ab eo traditum est Iâ—… is an indignity to our Lord to celebrate this mystery otherwise then hee deliuered it Christ ordained it a sacrament for the communication of himselfe to the faithfull at the Table they haue turned it inâ—…o a sacrifice for the oblation of Christ to his Father on an alter Iesus brake the bread and gaue it but they if they break the bread they giue it not and if they giue it they breake it not In their daily Masse the Priest breâ—…kes the bread he abuses the words of Christ secretly whispering them accipite comedite he bids others take eat but giues them nothing when he giues he stops it whole in the mouthes of the people and breakes it not Thus most sacrilegiously they alter our sauiour his sacred institution as though of purpose they had concluded to bee contrary to him Besides this they withdraw fâ—…om the people the vse of the cup and so mutilate the holy sacrament a horrible sacriledge in like maner yet ratified by the decree of that haereticall Councell of Trent Si quis dixeret ex dei praecepto vel de necessitate salutis esse omnes et singulos Christi fideles vtramque speciem Eucharistae sumere debere Anathema sit If any man auouch that it is by Gods commaundement or vpon necesâ—…itie of our Saluation that all Christs faithfull people should receiue the â—…ucharist vnder both kinds let him bee accursed To whom it contents vs at this time to oppose the decree of their owne Pope Gelasius Comperimus quod quidam sumpta tantummodo corporis sacri portione a calice sacraticruoris abstineant qui proculdubio quoniam nescio qua superstitione docentur astricti aut integra samenta percipiant aut ab integris arceantur quod diuisio vnius eiusdemque misterij sine grandi non sit sacrilegio Wee vnderstand that certaine receiuing onely the portion of Christs body abstaine from the cup of his sacred blood which men because vndoubtedly they are trained vp in some kinde of superstition let them bee inforced either to receiue the whole sacrament or to be restrayned from the whole because this diuiding of one and the same mysterie cannot bee without great Sacriledge In this 〈◊〉 â—…mong themselues which way I pray you shâ—…ll the poore people tuâ—…ne theâ—… The councell curses all them who â—…ffirme this Sacrament should be 〈◊〉 with bread and wine The Pope saâ—…es plainly it is supeâ—…stition and sacriledge to giue the one without the other and commands that eyther we abstaine from both or retaine both together If ye follow the counsell the Pope shal condemne you if you follow the Pope the Councell shal accurse you but curse as thâ—…y 〈◊〉 the Lord shal blesse them who in faith communicate at his holy Table according to his institution and the curse of God shal not faile to cleaue vnto them surer then the leprosie of Naaman to Gehesi yea their part shall bee taken out of the booke of life who dare presume to change the ordinance of God The Apostle hath deliuered vnto vs that which he receyued from the Lord how not onely hee tooke the bread blessed it and brake it and gaue it but that in like manner hee tooke the cup and gaue also to his Disâ—…iples What boldnesse
is it then to take fâ—…om the people that which Christ by his Apostles hath deliuered vnto them and thus while they boast of antiquitie they are found fathers of noueltie And against the third they faile who vse not this Sacrament to the right endes which aâ—…e especially two The first is the commemoration of Christs death and pâ—…ssion with thanksgiuing for the which also the Gâ—…ecians called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The second is the communication of Christ to them who are his And for this the Apostle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first I take out of our Sauiour his words doe this in remembrance of me And from the Apostle So oft as yee eate of this bread and drinke of this cup shew forth the Lords death till his comming againe And in very deed this holy Sacrament being vsed according to Christs institution is a liuely representation of Christ crucified while as the signes of his blessed body and bloud being sundred one of them from the other the one is broken the other poured out remeÌ„bring vs how his blessed body was broken with the Crowne of thornes the Scourge the Nayles the speare and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes which should worke in vs so oft as wee behold it an inward contrition and godly sorrow for our sins wherewith wee peirced and wounded our blessed Sauiour vnto the death And indeed if wee be of the number of those vpon whom God hath powred out the spirit of grace and compassion so often as wee looke vpon him whom we haue peirced as here in this Sacrament wee may see him crucified before our eyes as often shall wee â—…ament for this as one mourneth for his onely Son or is sorrowfull for his first borne but of this wee shall speak God willing hereafter Now here is also discouered the vanitie of that errour of concomitance wherewith the aduersaries would excuse their disâ—…embring of this holy Sacrament for say they by concomitance where the body of Christ is ther is his bloud and therefore the bread which is his body being giuen there is no neede to giue the cup. But as the Lord asked the King of Tyrus in dirision Art thou wiser then Daniel So may wee aske of them are yee wiser then Christ will yee amend his institution This assertion takes away one of the principall ends of this Sacrament to wit the Commemoration of Christs death and passion for to haue the bloud within the body is no declaration of a crucified man nor a shewing forth of the Lords death whereas our blessed Sauiour ordained them to be exhibited and receiued sundry that it might not only be preached to our eares but represented also to our eyes how his blessed body and bloud were sundred for our sinnes The second end for which this Sacrament was ordayned is that it might bee a meanes of the communication of Christ to all them vvho are his for the sealing vp of our spirituall vnion with him ideo enim sacrameÌ„tuÌ„ illud hominibus datur vt Caput in terris corpori coadunetur And this as I sayd I take out of the word of the Apostle This bread which we break is it not the coÌ„munion of the body of Christ And in this respect this holy bread and wine are not only signes representing Christ crucified nor seales confirming our faith in him but also effectuall instruments of exhibition wherby the holy spirit makes an inward applycation of Christ crucified to all that are his And herein stands our greatest comfort for if wee had no more to doe in the celebration of this holy sacrament but to remember Christs death and passion then certainely looking to it onely were sufficient to put vs in remembrance thereof but when wee heare and see that this bread which is his body it giuen vs and vve are commaunded to take and eate it vvhat shall wee thinck but that wee are called to this high mercy as to bee pertakers of Christ and all the benefits that flow from his death The Lord doth neyther deceiue vs with words to bid vs take vvhen hee giues nothing neither calleth hee vs onely to a communion of naked bread and wine farre be it from vs to thinck so basely of this holy Sacrament Certainely hee that with any measure of light and grace wil ponder these words of our Sauiour Take and eate this is my body Shall perceiue that there is here a reall and effectuall exhibition made of the Lord Iesus to the penitent and beleeuing receiuer And yet let no man thinke that albeit the breaking and giuing of the bread be the communication of Christs body that therefore the bread is transstubstantiate into his body or that euery one receiues the body of Christ who receiues the bread for there is great difference betweene communication and acceptation on the part of God In this Sacrament there is indeede a communication and exhibition of Christ but on the part of the vnbeleeuing receiuer it fayles for fault of acceptation because they haue no saith whereby to receiue him nor a purified heart wherein to lodge him It is therefore a vile errour also of the Papists who affiâ—…me that the wicked in this Sacrament eate Christ but to their damnation It is contrary to the Word of God reformed antiquitie For whosoeuer saith Christ eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day Sacramentum quibusdam ad vitam quibusdam ad exitium res vero ipsa cuius est sacramentuÌ„ omni homini ad vitam nulli ad exitium 〈◊〉 Qui non manet in Christo in quo non manet Christus proculdubio non manducat spiritualiter earnem nec bibit sanguineÌ„ eius licet visibiliter premat dentibus Sacramentum sanguinis et corporis eius The wicked who beleeue not may with Iudas eate Panera Domini non panem Dominum The bread of the Lord but not the bread which the Lord himselfe is to his worthy receiuer Of all this then it is euident that this banquet is most heauenly and excellent wherein as there is no lesse offered then Christ Iesus so no lesse is refused by them who refuse to communicate they proclaime by their deed if they continue in it that they haue No poâ—…tion in Dauid neyther inheritance in the Sonne of Ishai But now wee leaue them and returne to speake as wee promised of that tryall which they who mind to communicate are to take of themselues CHAP. IIII. The second part of the precept commands triall before we communicate The Lord wil not that this table be a snare to vs as was Absalom to Ammon Banquetters at this table should be holy persons LEt a man therefore try himselfe This Particle therefore is relatiue to that which went before since there is a daunger will he say and many eates and drinks vnworthily therefore
we are to take of our selues for if as I said the Iewes had assigned to them the space of foure daies for preparation before they eate their Passeouer what shall we doe that haue to celebrate a more excellent misterie they searched diligently euery corner of their house to see that no leauen were in it but more diligentlie should we search euery corner of our hearts that no knowne leauen of wickednesse maliciousnesse be left in it which wee haue not purged and cast out by repentance Then shall wee find that euery new sight of our selues shall discouer a new corruption for the heart of man is a great deepe and deceitfull aboue all things manie Chambers of corruption are in it If we haue entred into one and seene the abhominations which are there thinke not for that wee haue entred in all No doubt the Prophet Esay knew before that he was a sinfull man but a new vision of the Maiestie of God brought him to a deeper insight of his owne vncleanenesse and made him to crie out woe is me for I am vndone Because I am a man of polluted lips and mine eyes haue seene the King the Lord of Hostes I haue seene saith Iob The Lord therefore doe I now abhorre my selfe And this I speake that none of vs thinke a new triall vnnecessary but that euen ye who through grace haue bene accustomed euerie morning to chastice your selues and euerie euening to examine your hearts in your beds may be warned to you also belongeth this precept Let a man try himselfe and so let him eate CHAP. VII What a laborious work is enioyned a man when hee is commanded to try himselfe Two things necessary for this tryall First the Spirit of God Secondly the Word of God Many try themselues by wrong Rules and are so deceiued VVHich shall appeare more euidently if thou ponder this preprecept Try thy selfe it is a restlesse and laborious work that here is inioyned to thee thou art set to a task which may hold thee exercised all the dayes of thy life The Lord by this precept will haue euery thing that is in man brought vnder examination Man as hee is the workmanship of God is euerie way so meruailous that no meruaile the Philosophers called him a little world Augustine in his Estimation accounted man a greater miracle then all the miracles that euer were wrought among men but as he is peruerted by sinne and become the workmanship of Sathan hee is so fraughted with iniquitie that Saint Iames cals one member of his body a world of wickednesse and if in the tongue onely which is but a small member of the body there is so much wickednesse that the Spirit of God who giueth names to things as they are calleth it a world of wickednes what shall we think of the rest what bottomlesse depth of iniqui tie must there bee in the fountaine when there is so much in the streame and therefore I say hee had need to be full of eyes within and without that will practise this precept of the Apostle Let a man trye himselfe For if ye shall begin to take a view of your minde and consider how farre it is enlightned and what naturall darknesse yet remayneth in it how many bands of strange cogitations at seuerall times soiourne in it some flowing from the loue of the World and her deceitfull pleasures intending to steale our hearts after them some from the roote of concupiscence and her inordinate Lusts that oftentimes violently oppresse vs and some from the roote of bitternesse raysing wonderfull commotions and perturbations within vs reeling too and fro by courses in our swelling and restlesse mindes raging like waues of the Sea carryed with furious windes besides infinite armies of other vaine and idle cogitations whereof wee cannot tell from whence they come nor whether they goe and if from the minde they proceed to the heart which is the seate of the affections take a particular view of them how our loue and our hatred our feare and our confidence our ioy and our griefe our care and our contentment are renewed and framed according to that word which is the rule of righteousnesse And if againe yee goe to try the affections and see how the members of your bodyes are imployed as weapons of righteousnes in the seruice of God if yee haue made a Couenant with your eyes or not that they regard not vanitie or if negligently yee let them stand open as windowes at the which death enters euery moment into your soules and if yee haue learned to take heede to your lips that yee sinne not with your tongue if yee shall also take a time to consider the ignorances of your youth and sinnes of your old age if I say yee looke vnto all these which yet are few in regard of many moe we haue to looke vnto what shal appeare but a new found world of wickednesse dicouered vnto thee which most iustly may make thee ashamed and compell thee to cry out with Dauid O Lord who knoweth the errours of his life Lord cleanse me from my secret sinnes and keepe me from presumptuous sinnes that so I may bee made cleane from much wickednesse yea thou shalt wish with Ieremie O that my head were full of water and mine eyes fountaines of teares that all the whole day long I might with Ezekiah recount my sinnes in the bitternesse of my heart and all the night cause my bed to swim and water my couch with teares for the manifold transgressions wherwith I haue offended the Lord my God And now because this tryall of our selues is so necessary let vs here remember that there are two things without which wee cannot profite in this work of tryall The one is the Spirit of God the other the Word of God As to the first man by nature is so blinded with selfe Loue that hee accounts his owne deformitie beauty and his bondage libertie what viler bondage then the Seruitude of sinne O quam multos Dominos habet qui vnum non habet said Ambrose and yet man vnregenerate counteth it his libertie to liue vncontrolled in the seruice of his lusts to doe what hee will what libertie againe so excellent as to be the freeman of God Seruire Deo est regnare and yet foolish man accounts the obedience of Gods Law which is the law of libertie a seruitude and the Commandements of God he esteemes as bonds wherwith he will not be bound walking the footsteps of other Rebels before him hee cryes out Let vs breake their bonds and cast their cords from vs. It vvas not the disease of the Laodiceans onely to account themselues happy vvhen indeed they were miserable it is the naturall disease of all the Sons of Adam for euery mans way seemeth good in his owne eyes A pittifull blindnes that death should raigne ouer man and man not feele it
ioy because we found the Lord. And lastly let vs take heede that the Apostle commaundeth vs to trie our selues and not to trie other men It is a corrupt custome of men at those times of holy communion to sift the conuersation of their neighbours and brethren more narrowly then euer Laban searched the stuffe of Iacob to see if he could finde any thing wherewith to charge him and this they doe not of a heart to forgiue which were commendable but of purpose to seeke the vttermost recompence and satisfaction for smalest offences done against them and so where they should cast open the dore of their hearts to the King of glory and prepare in the desart a path for our God by making low that which is high within them making straight that which is rough by the contrarie they stoppe all the passages and wayes of God his accesse vnto them for now their affections are exalted so high by pride against God that they dispise the counsell of his word crooked were they before but more crooked now they liued without loue before and dissembled it but now are not ashamed when God calleth them to the table of loue plainely to professe with rough and sierce speeches the hatred of their hearts they put off that which the Apostle commaunds them to put on as the elect of God namely tender mercy humblenesse of minde meekenesse and long suffering they insist to search out the sins done against them by men and ouerpasse the sinnes by themselues done against God Louers of themselues more then louers of God I graunt indeed it is a poynt of Christian duty to admonish our brethren of their sinnes if it bee done in Loue for so vvee are commaunded Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy hart but shalt reproue him It is hatred and not Loue for the father to spare correction or the brother to spare admonition to his brother in his sins I confesse in like manner that he who hath offended is bound to reconcile himselfe vnto thee before hee offer his Sacrifice to the Lord but in case that hee neglect to doe it yet standest thou bound and obliged to forgiue him and to take heede that thou despise not so great a Saluation offered by the Lord because an other dischargeth not that brotherly duety which he ought vnto thee As another mans faith will not iustifie thee so another mans sinne will not condemne thee And therfore mourning for that which vvee cannot amend in others let vs chiefly attend to our selues as wee are here commanded CHAP. VIII The points of preparation are two First that wee lay aside our old sinnes Secondly that we put on the new Christian disposition consisting in three things First that towards God we be holy and heauenly minded Secondly that towards our neighbours wee bee louing Thirdly that wee be sober and little in our owne cies The comfortable fruit arising to vs at this holie Table BVt now leauing to speake any more of this tryall ingenerall we enter to speake of the particular points of this tryall The whole tryall and examination required in those who are to bee banquetters at this holy Table I reduce to these two the first is that wee try our selues vvhether or not with Ioshua vvee haue cast away our filthy garments that is if vvee haue cast off the old man vvhich is corrupt through deceiuable lusts And next if we haue put on our marriage garment that is put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse First of all therefore we must take paines to remoue the impediments that may hinder our Vnion with Christ that wee come not to this Table as Iudas dâ—…d with our old sinnes hauing that lodged in our hearts which wee dare not present vnto God for seeing no man will sit downe at the Table of his enimie what great presumption is it in vs to sit downe at the Lords Table as long as our sinne which is the cause of enmitie is not remoued There can bee no communion betweene light and darknesse Let vs therefore bee changed from that vvhich we are let vs cast away the works of darknesse and be renewed in the spirit of our minde if so bee we desire to be vnited with the Lord hee is the holy One of Israell God blessed for euer in vvhom there can be no shadow of alteration so that of necessitie the change must bee vpon our part It is written of the Lionesse that hauing had con mixtion with the Leopard shee washes her selfe in water before shee company againe with the Lyon that so hee should not by sent dâ—…scerne her adultery And Basile in his Hexameron writes that the Vipeâ—… a most pernicioâ—…s kind of Serpent before his copulation with that Sea-fish called Muâ—…aena doth fiâ—…st vomit and cast out his venemous poyson thus the Beasts in their kinde so farre as they can do reuerence one to another to teach man that hee is woâ—…se then a Beast indeede except hee cast off the filthy slâ—…e of his olde sinnes that hee may bee ioyned with the Lord for by nature wee arâ—… more adulterous then the Lyonesse for what is the vanitie after which vve haue not gone a whoring more venemous also we are then the Viper full of hatred malice enuy debate and therefore haue neede to vomit out our iniquities by repentance and to wash our selues in that fountain opened to the house of Dauid Before that Ester was presented to Ahasuerus shee was purified by the space of twelue monthes sixe moneths with oyle of myrrhe and sixe monthes with sweet odours shall such reuerence be done to mortall flesh whose carkasse was shortly to bee made a pray to the wormes and shall wee carry no reuerence to our immortall husband the Lord Iesus shall wee take no paines to purifie our heart that we may be presented as a chast spouse vnto him Let vs not deceiue our selues except we forsake our fathers house and our owne people that is except we be deuorced from our old sins wherein wee were borne and brought vp it is not possible that the king shall haue pleasure in our beautie Let vs call our deeds to examination before the tribunal of our conscience let vs cast out the Cananits and not pitty them that the peace of God may dwell with vs let vs deliuer Barrabas to be crucified that Christ Iesus may liue in vs why shall these Serpents I meane our crooked affections bee nourished any longer in our bosome which liue vpon our bloud and cannot liue except we die Oh that wee could make this day a day of new diuision betweene vs and our old sins Neither must wee heere thincke it enough to fight against our sinnes but we must euery one of our selues make a particular inquisition of these domestique sins and predominate euill affections that hath most of al oppressed vs for there
were not vvorthy of the least and hath set vs downe as Sonnes and Daughters and Heires at the Table of his children that were not vvorthy as dogs and whelps to creepe vnder it haue vve not cause to crie out with Dauid O Lord what is man that this manner of way thou art mindfull of him Elizabeth maruailed that Mary came to visite her and in the humility of her heart cryed out Whence commeth this that the mother of my Lord should come vnto mee but we haue more cause to maruell at the maruailous mercies of the Lord for what are we that the fairest among the Children of men should be delighted with our loue and our Lord should come to visit the base estate of his Seruants communicate himselfe his light his life and his grace vnto vs Let no man thinke that I haue multiplied these places of scripture vvithout a cause The beginning of the diuision betweene vs and the Lord slowed from the pride of our nature vnlesse vve humble our selues and bee content in our minde to sit lower then dust and ashes by reason of our sin it is not possible vve can bee vnited with the Lord This is the councell that in fevv vvords Michah giueth vnto vs He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee surely to doe iustly and to loue mercie to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God The Lord is indeed a most high God yet he is nearest vnto them and they goe soonest vp vnto him who are least in their owne eyes and tremble at his words And beside this inward humiliation arising of the sence of our own vnworthinesse let vs come with a hunger thirst of the Lord his righteousnesse saluation For he will satisfie the hungry but the full he sendeth away emptie onely they that haue the spiritual appetite hunger thirst are meete to be communicants at this holy table As that oyle multiplyed by Elisha ceased not so long as the widdow had any vessell wherein to receiue it so shall neuer that oyle of grace decay but be multiplyed and increased vnto all that with open and inlarged hearts are ready to receiue it Thou therefore who art more ready to faint for spirituall hunger then was Ionathan come hether put out the hand of faith eate of this hony make thee full and thou that art sicke with the Spouse in the Canticles for the loue of Iesus come hether and the Lord shall stay thee with the flagons of his wine Art thou almost dead like that Egyptian the Seruant of an Amalekite whom Dauid found in the fields take and eate of this bread and thy Spirit shall returne againe vnto thee But alas where is this spirituall appetite to be found amongst vs the deadnes of our hart is lamentable wee see not our wants wee see not his beauty wee smell not his oyntments wee tast little of his goodnesse and therefore we make not hast to run after him Dauid mourned ouer the dead body of Abner but alas if wee could wee haue much more cause to mouâ—…ne ouer our dead soules Oh that there were in vs that holy desire which Dauid protesteth to haue beene in him My soule fainteth for the saluation of God As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of waters and thirstie ground desireth raine so my soule panteth after the liuing God Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for his righteousnesse for they shall bee satisfied These onely are the guests and banquetters that shall eate of the delicates which here hee hath prepared and whose soule shall bee delighted with his fatnesse These shall goe from this Table as Moses came downe from Mount Sinai his countenance changed They shall arise with Eliah and walke on in the strength of this bread all the whole dayes of their pilgrimage They shall goe on in their way with Sampson eating of the hony which they haue found They shall depart from this Table as the two Maryes did from the Sepulcher with great ioy These shall goe home to their owne houses iustified with the Publican reioycing because they haue found a treasure and hath felt the sweetnesse of this Manna they shall not bee able to conceale this great ioy from Israell but shall be forced to tell euery Nathaniell whom they meete We haue found the Messiah And in all time to come their soule shall cleaue to the Lord without separation more straightly then the men of Iudah and Ierusalem cleaued vnto Dauid their King They shall say to the Lord as Elizeus said to Eliah As the Lord liueth and as thy soule liueth I wil not leaue thee and with Peter whither O Lord shall I goe from thee seeing thou hast the words of eternall life The Lord worke this spirituall disposition in vs for Iesus Christs sake to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glory for euer FINIS A Table wherein all the Chapters of the three forenamed Bookes are particularly set downe 1. Iacobs wrestling with God A Priuiledge of the Godly that say God is with them none can bee against them to hurt them Chap. 1 Gods fatherly compassion appeares in that he handles vs most tenderly when we are weakest Chap. 2 The cause mouing the Lord to appeare to Iacob at this time Chap. 3 The first circumstance the time of the wrestling Chap. 4 The second circumstance the persons betweene whom the wrestling is Cha. 5 Consolations for the Godly afflicted Chap. 6 Comfort for Christs souldiers Chap. 7 The third circumstance the manner of the wrestling corporall spirituall or mixt Chap. 8 How we should behaue our selues in this tentation we are taught Chap. 9 Let vs euer leane to the word of God how strange soeuer his worke seeme vnto vs. Chap. 10 Verse 25. And when he saw that he could not preuaile Chap. 11 Vers. 26. And he said let me go Chap. 12 What notable effects the felt presence of God bringeth with it Chap. 13 The presence or absence of God is euer dispensed for the weale of his owne Children Chap. 14 How their inward exercises of conscience workes in the godly a diuorcement of their soules from all Creatures and a neerer adherent to the Lord. Cha. 15 Prayers of the Godly must be forcible acceptable to God seeing they come from his owne Spirit Chap. 16 Iacob cannot end till God haue blessed him Chap. 17 Faith through death espies life Chap. 18 The Godly in their prayers aboue all things seeke Gods fauour and blessing Chap. 19 Worldlings in their Prayers dishonour God and preiudges themselues Chap. 20 Faith obtaines euery good thing that it craues Chap. 21 Verse 27. Then he said It is the curse of the wicked to pray and not preuaile but it is not so with the Godly Chap. 22 The Lord by inward exercises of conscience makes his children strong to
endure outward troubles which come from men Chap. 23 It is a sinnefull curiositie to seeke to know that which God hath not taught vs. Chap. 24 Verse 29. And Iacob asked What is thy name The Lord somtimes refuseth to giue that which his children seekes that he may giue them other things more conuenient for them Chap. 25 How Iacob shewes himselfe thankefull to God for the benefits receiued in two things Chap. 26 Verse 30. And Iacob called the name of the place Peniell c. What sight of God shall wee haue in the heauens Chap. 27 The other thing wherein Iacob shewes his thankefulnesse is his obedience Chap. 28 Verse 31. And the Sunne arose to him The Table of the second Booke entituled A Conduit of Comfort Rom. 8. 28. ALso wee know that all things worke together for the best to them that loue God euen to them who are called according to his purpose Chap. 1 The Priuiledges of a Christian cannot be knowne of them who doe not possesse them Chap. 2 Many working Instruments of contrary qualities and intentions in the world yet agrees all in one end Chap. 3 All Sathans stratagems work for the best to the Godly Chap. 4 How Death also workes for the best to Christians Chap. 5. How the plots and imaginations of men worke for the best to the christian Chap. 6 What is a Christians best Chap. 7 The Christian is not at his best now it is the working onely Chap. 8 All things worke to the worst to the wicked Chap. 9 How the Christian is made sure of his Election and Glorification Chap. 10 What comfort we haue in this that our saluation is grounded on the Lords vnchangeable purpose Chap. 11 Two callings outward and inward Chap. 12 Of the inward calling Chap. 13 In the inward calling the Lord begins at the illumination of the minde Chap. 14 The loue of God a sure token of an inward calling and of the commendation of Loue. Chap. 15 The first tryall of Loue. Chap. 16 The second tryall of Loue. Chap. 17 The last tryall of Loue. Chap. 18 The Table of the third Booke entituled A Preparatiue for the new Passcouer OF the seruent desire Christians haue to be vnited with Christ. How inexcusable they are who neglect this holy sacrament The great danger in comming vnprepared The parts of the precept first that we try secondly that we eate the last handled first Chap. 1 Ignorance the mother of all recusancie to communicate The Reasons of diuers Resusals condemned Better Excuses reiected by Christ in the Gospell then these They consent not to the Marriage of the Lambe who refuse the smallest token of his loue Chap. 2 Three Rules to be obserued in the right descerning the Lords body First that euery thing in this Sacrament bee taken in his owne kind Who failes in this and how Secondly that this Sacrament be vsed according to Christs institution How the Papists faile in this Thirdly that this Sacrament be vsed to right ends and those ends set down The conclusion of the first part of the precept Chap. 3 The second part of the precept commands tryall before we Communicate The Lord will not that this Table bee a snare to vs as was Absalom to Ammon Banquetters at this Table should be holy persons Chap. 4 Unreuerent handling of holy things hath neuer beene left vnpunished The Lord will not shew his presence without preparation The excellencie of this Sacrament and an exhortation to come vnto it with reuerence Chap. 5 Not to put new wine into old Uessels Comfort for the tender conscience cast downe with the sight of sin after tryall two sorts of tryals the one of things perfect the other of things vnperfect Daily tryall most necessary Chap. 6 What a laborious work is enioyned a man when hee is commaunded to try himselfe Two things necessary for this tryall First the Spirit of God Secondly the Word of God Many try themselues by wrong Rules and are so deceiued Chap 7 The points of preparation are two First that wee lay aside our old sinnes Secondly that we put on the new Christian disposition consisting in three things First that towards God we be holy and heauenly minded Secondly that towards our neighbours wee bee louing Thirdly that wee be sober and little in our owne eies The comfortable fruit arising to vs at this holie Table Chap. 8 FINIS Psal. 36. 7. How excellent is thy mercie O LORD therefore the children of men trust vnder the shadow of thy wings They shall bee satisfied with the fatnesse of thine house and thou shalt giue them drinke out of the riuers of thy pleasures Psal. 65. 4. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to come to thee hee shall dwell in thy courts and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thine house Reuel 1. 5. Unto him that loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud and made vs Kings and Priests vnto God euen his Father to him bee Glory and Dominion for euermore Amen FINIS Ius Mar. Apol. 2. ad Anton. Imp. Bern. Yet good men may be crossed in a good course 2 King 9. 20. But God shall either bridle or change or confound their enimies As the sufferings of Christ abounds in vs so his consolations aboundeth 2 Cor. 1. 5. Verse 2. An image of our weaknesse We haue need that the Lord should euery day renew his mercies towards vs. Psal. 80. Not once but often doe the godly fall and that many times in one the selfe same sinne We haue our spiritual faintings and sownings warning vs of our owne weaknesse Acts. Psal. And that God is the strength of our life Malac. Ps. 37. 24. This rare vision teacheth the manner of Gods wrestling with his children Iacobs perplexitie Dan. 2 Chro. 20 The help of God begins when other help failes The manner of the Lords apparition is both by word and vision The end of the Lords apparition is Iacobs cōfirmation Esay 8. 13. Cyp. lib. 2 epist. 6. Psal. 27. How meruailously God in dealing with his children workes by contraries So did hee worke in them the worke of creation So also in the work of redemption And so daily in his Saints Psal. We should not therefore be discouraged when God seemes vncouth and strange to vs. Psal. Hose 6. Tim. Genesis Acts. Esay 54. 7 For in the end he shal shew himselfe a louing father to his own Psal. 1. 19. Diuision of the history 1 The wrestling and fiue circumstances thereof 2 The conference betwixt God and Iacob 1 Solitarines conuenient for prayer And yet solitarines auailes not without inward attention Cypr de orat dom Cant. What preparation should goe before prayer Cant. Psal. 4. Mat. 6. 5. Dan. Acts. How carefull wee should be and why to seeke occasions to pray Neglect of prayer is a contēning of God True prayer alwayes returnes with profit to vs. Psal. Genes How at six petitions Abraham brought the Lord from fifty to ten