nosegay betwixt our breasts according to that which is written in the Canticles My beloued is vnto me as a bundle Cant. 1. 12. of myrhe he shall lye betwixt nay breasts For what is the passion of Christ but a samplar and patterne of all piety wherein the Lord hath described and set downe for vs the very Images and formes of many good vertues needfull for the leading of godly and christian liues that we may learne thereby to be perfect as our father in heauen is perfect Mat. 5. 48. The passiion of Christ is as a book wherin wemay read many good sweet comfortable lessons it is a glasse wherein we may see our defects wants and wherin we come short of many good giftes and persections which are required of vs and wherein the Lord hath discouered vnto vs the wayes of life and the pathes of righteousnesse There we may see and learne humility obedience charity patience hatred against sin contempt of this world and of all the ritches pleasures and vanities therof there we may see how the eternall and naturall sonne of God he that was equall to the father and so equall that he thought it no wrong nor robbery to make himselfe equall vnto him because he was equall to him by nature Phil. 2. 6. and right how he humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto death euen the death of the crosse which was the most shameful and reprochful death of all other and the lowest degree of humiliation that might be there wee may see a certaine admirable and miraculous loue wherewith he loued vs and so loued vs that hee layd downe his life for vs. For greater loue then this can no man haue then that a man dye for his freinds Iohn 15. 13 there we may learn patience in aduersity and how to suffer all the aflictions and miseries of this life to enter into heauen by many tribulations and to contemne this world which is altogeather set vpon naughtinesse For as a good father sayth the man Iesus suffered and indured all the euills and aduersities of this world that he might teach vs how they are to bee suffered and hee despised and contemned all the pleasures yea the best things of this life that he might shew vs how they are to be contemned that neither in the one we should seeke for our felicity nor in the other feare aduersity but euer with a stedfast and vnmoueable mind and a good courage go foreward to the end our hearts alwayes there fixed where our treasure is set vppon the cheefe and supreame good but the cheifest lesson that we may learne in this book is obedience For what is it that brought the sonne of God from heauen into the Virgine wombe from the wombe into the manger from the manger to the crosse from the crosse to the graue but obedience to do the will of his father the wil of him that sent him Wherevppon the prophet Dauid in the Psalme induceth and bringeth in the same sonne of God comming into the world taking our nature vpon him and speaking to God the father thus sacrifices and burnt-offerings thou wouldst Psal 40. 6. Heb. 10. 5. not but a body hast thou ordained me then said I loe I come that I should do thy will O Lord where the holy Ghost confesseth that the cheefest thing that brought Iesus Christ from Heauen to earth was obedience to apply himselfe to the will of God the Father in all thinges So his self confesseth in the Gospel And as my Father gaue me cōmandement so doe Ioh. 14. 15 I. Wherefore seeing that euery action of Christ is our instruction and as a learned father speaketh not only the words of the word Iesus Christ are our documents and lessons but the facts and deeds of the word are our examples also it followeth that the first and greatest businesse whereunto we are to apply our selues in this world is to know the will of God and to doe it And as our Lord and Master his selfe hath taught vs this lesson so his seruants and Apostles Peter 2. Pet. 3. 15 and Paul according to the wisdome giuen vnto them doe vrge and presse the same that as Christ obeied God the Father for vs so ought wee to obey the Lord our God in all things yea that in God and for God euery one in his place calling is to obey his superiors whom the Lord hath placed ouer him subiects must obey their Princes wiues their husbands children their parents and seruants their Masters with all feare And to this end they lay before vs this patterne and sampler the sampler that was shewed vs in the mount I meane the passion of Christ and his obedience to mooue and stirre vs vp thereunto euen as Antiochus the tyrant laied before 1. Matth. 6. the Elephants in the day of battaile the red and bloudy iuice of grapes and mulberies to make them fight more fearcely and valiantly The passion of Christ is such a thing if it be well considered of that nothing to a Christian man can be so bitter but it may be indured nothing so sweete but it may be refused I meane that nothing is so powerfull and able to withdraw a man from euill and to stirre him vp to good as is the passion of Iesus Christ our Sauiour And here in this Chap. ver 13. Peter beginneth with the duty and obedience of 1. Pet. 2. 13 subiects toward their Kings and Princes Submit your selues saith hee to all manner of ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it bee to the King as vnto the superior or vnto gouernors as vnto thē that are sent of him for the punishment of euil doers for the praise of them that do wel for so is the will of God that by well doing yee may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men Where the Apostle giueth vs two reasons why subiects must obey them that bee in authority first for that as hee saith so is the will of God God will haue it so it is Gods ordinance which can not bee resisted without sinne Secondly that yee may saith hee put to silence the ignorance of foolish men that whereas foolishmen doe ignorantly bely and slander you reporting you to bee traitors and rebels and enemies to the states and higher powers by well-doing that is by your obedience and orderly subiection yee may stop their mouthes and they haue nothing whereby iustly they may speake euill of you Indeed in the primitiue Church when the Christian faith first beganne many newly made Christians new borne babes as Peter calleth them hauing 1. Pet 2 2 scrupulous consciences doubted whether they beeing now become the seruants of Iesus Christ and entred into so holy a profession might and ought to obey such wicked idolatrous kings such as Nero others which succeeded him then were yea many seruants then also being vnder the yoke doubted after the same manner whether
the holy Scriptures yee shall find examples both of good and euill seruants whereby yee may learne what to follow and what to auoide For the holy Scriptures lay before vs as a looking-glasse both the vices and vertues of men their vices to auoide them their vertues to follow them to teach vs both to decline from euill and to doe good vpon which two points al Christian doctrine Psal 34. 14 is grounded Iudas the sonne of Iscariot was a Seruant but neither good nor faithfull for hee was a Traitor and a Theefe hee carried the bagge the purse and receiued Joh â—2 6 those things which were giuen yea hee dealt falsely and kept that to himselfe which was giuen to Iesus his Master for the releefe of himselfe and of those which followed him This couetousnesse this inordinate desire of hauing this roote of all euill increasing and growing in him more and more at the length it brought him to that wicked and horrible designement that hee was content for lucre sake to sell and betray his Master his good Master euen the Lord of life the King of glory which when he had done his owne conscience became vnto him an accuser a witnesse a iudge and a hangman and forthwith he Act. 1. 18 tooke an halter and hanged himselfe his belly burst and his bowels gushed out and so he perished fearefully to the great terrour and admiration not onely of all that were then at Ierusalem but of all the world beside as many as haue or shall heare of it hereafter Wherefore by his example let Seruants beware and take heed how they bee false and deceiue their Masters let them bee true and lust and faithfull in all things let them take heed of coueteousnesse which is such a pestiferous and cancrous thing eating and creeping still more and more into the heartes of men that it consumeth and deuoureth in them all fayth to God and loue to men and bringeth them to most wicked resolutions and attempts Couetousnesse sayth an ancient father neither feareth God nor regardeth man neither spareth father neither knoweth mother with his brother he accordeth not nor with his freind keepeth be truth This made the 1 Tim. 6. Apostle Paul to say that the loue of money is the roote of all euill and the wise man Syrach to conclude that there is nothing worse then a couetous man nor Eccl. 10. a more wicked thing then the loue of money For sayth he such a man wil sell euen his owne soule not onely his friend and his maister as Iudas did but his own 4 Reg 5. soule also Such a Seruant had Elisha the Prophet and man of God called Gehezi who crossed his good maister in that which he hated that is in forging of lyes and in taking gifts and bribes when his maister had healed the noble man of Syria freely and as he freely receiued the gift so freely had bestowed it for the honour of the God of Israel this fellow esteeming a little money and rayment more then the glory of God and his maisters credit ranne after him and by a lye obtained money and apparrell But the Lord to whose eyes al thinges are open and naked discouered the fraud of Heb. 4. this seruant vnto his maister the Prophet who reproouing him for it the fearefull plague of Leaprosie which hee had that was cured was layd vppon this fraudulent fellow to cleaue to him and to his seed for euer Let Seruants take heed of lying dissembling and such cunning practises to get vnto themselues without their maisters knowledge and let them shew all good fidelity and faithfulnesse assuring themselues that howsoeuer Eccl 23. 19. they may deceiue the eyes of men for a time yet they cannot deceiue the al seeing and al-knowing God whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne who will lighten the hidden 1. Cor. 4. 5. thinges of darkenesse and make knowne the very counsells and thoughtes of the heart There bee many seruants in these daies such as this Gehezi was greedie bribing companions yea one can not come to a man of any place or fashion to seeke for fauour iustice and equity but Gehezi waiteth and gapeth for somwhat or else hee shal hardly be welcome he may chance to stand without And thus Couetousnes and Bribery beganne to creepe into the houses of great men of such as be in sublimity and authority by meanes of the Seruants but now rhe Maisters perceiuing this practise gaine of the seruants haue taken it into their owne handes not that they would not haue their seruants couet and take but that they would haue them doe it for them and not for themselues the maister his selfe will not bee seene to take any bribe or any way to be corrupted because these thinges be directly euill but he wil haue one about him that shall take bribes out of the bosomes of men and put them into his maisters pocket By which meanes much wickednesse and many euills are committed much wrong oppression and iniustice as in the dayes of Amos the Prophet which made him complaine against the Rulers magistrates and say yee haue turned iudgement into gaul and the fruit of righteousnes into wormewood meaning that whereas Amos. 5. 7. men poore and oppressed looked for iudgement and iustice helpe and deliuery and thereby for ioy and comfort they on the contrary fide find nothing but bitternesse of soule sorrow and heauinesse of heart Ioab one of the sonnes of Zeruia was a seruant to King Dauid and the cheife Captaine and gouernour of his host and Garrisons but he was not a good seruant and that for two causes first for that he dealt not simply and plainely with his maister the King but by craft and subtilty practised to reconcile Absolon vnto 2. Sa 14 2. his father for he prouided a bold and audacious woman a subtill woman sayth the text such an one as the world is full of now which can lye and dissemble And this woman after this Ioab had instructed and taught her her lesson commeth to the king fayning and counterfeiting a certaine heauinesse putteth a case to him the King beeing a mercifull man and one that euer pittyed the needy and distressed spake so much and so comfortably vnto her that when he perceiued what her drift and meaning was hee granted her request and asked her whether the hand of Ioab were not in that businesse where vppon she confessed the whole matter how he the said Ioab subornd her to that end that is to worke that with the King by subtilty and cunning wherevnto hee would not haue beene brought with direct and plaine dealing The King because he had spoken the word was content that his incestuous and rebellious sonne should be recalled from banishment and come to the citty but not admitted to his sight and presence which fact of Ioabs the king remembring although hee were content to be ouer-ruled for the
The Col. 3. 22 same Scriptures which call vpon seruants to doe their duties toward their Masters the same crie also to the Masters to doe the like vnto their seruants After that the blessed Apostle Paul had charged the seruants among the Collossians to bee obedient to their Masters in all things seruing them in singlenesse of heart fearing GOD knowing that of the Lord they shall receiue the reward of inheritance c. By and by he turneth his speech to the Masters saying And ye Masters doe vnto your seruants that which Col. 4. 1 is iust and equall knowing that yee also haue a Master in heauen Where it is apparant that as seruants owe much duety to their Masters so there Masters owe a duty to them also and that is to vse them well and to doe nothing vnto them but that which is iust and meet and beseeming men which professe piety and Christianity and this is the reason which the Apostle giueth Because they also haue a Master in heauen beecause there is one common Master of vs all who if Masters doe abuse their seruants and the power which they haue ouer them hee will requite repay and reuenge it as it is said there by the Col. 3. 25 Apostle Hee that doth wrong shall receiue for the wrong which hee hath done and there is no respect of persons with GOD the Lord will reward abundantly all that doe wrong and euill whether they bee Masters or Seruants Wherefore yee that bee Masters heare this it is your parts and duties if your seruants doe well to vse and intreate them as brethren and coheires with you of the same grace and of the same glorie as the Lordes free-men and Christs 1. Cor 7. 22 Ioh. 15. 14 Seruants as the friends of Christ as Christs little ones and as partakers of the benefit That hard and cruell seruitude bondage and slauery which was vsed among the Gentiles which knew not God is taken away by the law of grace by that grace mercy loue and commiseration which Iesus Christ our Sauiour bought vs brought vs and taught vs one toward another Yea God as hee hath created vs all alike redeemed vs all alike and called vs all alike so hee esteemeth vs all alike With him there is neither Iewe nor Gentile poore nor rich young nor old Master nor Seruant but in euery Nation in euery state calling or degree of Act. 10 34 men whosoeuer feareth him and doth righteousnesse is accepted of him and whosoeuer doth otherwise shall receiue for the euill which hee hath done GOD is no acceptour of persons Harken also what good counsell the Col. 3. 25 wise man giueth you If thou haue a faithfull seruant let him bee vnto thee as thine owne soule intreate and vse him as thy brother for thou hast neede Eccl. 3. 29 of him as of thy selfe and in another place hee saith Whereas thy Seruant worketh truely intreate him not euilly c. Let thy soule loue a good seruant and defraude him not of Eccl. 7. 20 his liberty neither leaue him a poore man In Deut also it is written thou shalt not opresse the hired seruant that is poore and needy neither of thy brethren nor of the stranger that is in thy land within Deut. 24. 14 thy gates thou shalt giue him his hire for his day neither shal the sunne go downe vpon it for hee is poore and therewith sustaineth his life least hee crye against thee vnto the Lord and so thy sinne remaine mark first what is sayd thou shalt not oppresse a poore hired seruant what is it to oppresse him to denye and detaine from him his hire his wages for which thou hiredst him thou must not detaine Eccl 34. 14 and keep back this from him no not one night the sunne shall not goe downe so much as once vpon it because his wages is that wherewith he nourisheth and maintaineth his life The wages of the needy is the life of the poore seruant and therefore he that defraudeth him thereof taketh away his life and so killeth him take heed of this for it followeth if hee crye against thee vnto the Lord the Lord will heare him and then thy sinne shall remaine written and registred in Gods infallible knowledge and in the booke of thine owne conscience as a thousand witnesses against thee So Saint Iames speaketh to certaine euil hard-harted and cruell rich men and maisters Ia. 4. 5 behold the bire of the Labourers which haue reaped your fieldes which is by you kept back by fraud cryeth and their cryes are entred into the eares of the Lord of hosts Where yee may see and learne that it is a greeuous and a crying sinne to wrong and hurt a poore hired seruant and a poore labouring man and specially to detaine and keepebacke from them their hire and wages Aud yet this notwithstanding good Lord it is an vsuall and common thing in euery place so to doe many men haue no remorse nor make any conscience at it but when this wages is due and there is great reason that the poore man had it hee is constrained to goe to a Iustice and fetch a warrant or else hee is sure to haue none there and when the maister hath promised and giuen his word before the Iustice to pay it yet by your leaue for all that hee shall stay his maisters leasure and come twise for it before he haue it and perhappes in the end not haue it at all Some time it may bee because they will not of malice Some time because they cannot through want and haue it not These bee horrible crying sinnes and the cries of them which bee thus wronged as Iames saith entred into the eares of the LORD of Hosts that is of the GOD of Israel and the same Lord will auenge them quickly if they crie vnto Luk. 18. 8. him day and night and sure I am that the patient abiding of the poore shall not bee forgotten for euer Wherefore beloued Psal 140. 12 in the LORD let euerie man remember his vocation whereunto hee is called Art thou called to bee a Seruant care not for it Thinke thy state and condition 1. Cor. 7. 21 neuer the worse thy saluation is neuer the further from thee onely indeuour that thou maist bee found faithfull and haue the wages of the good Seruant Labour suffer serue Labour faithfully suffer patiently obey diligentlie and humbly Grudge not at thy labour for thereunto thou art called Labour is common to all men yea Iesus Christ him selfe made choice of a painfull and laborious life Grudge not at thy seruitude for it is Gods ordinance and the effect of sinne as all the euills and miseries of this life are for if there had beene no sinne there had beene no misery no seruitude no bondage The Lord for a punishment of the womans sinne said vnto her Thou shalt bee vnder the power Gen. 3. 16. of the man and hee shall rule ouer thee Neither doe thou murmur that men beeing all of one and the same Nature are so vnequally placed one to rule and another to obey for this also is of GOD euen his good ordinance which thou maist not resist nor cotemne And to this end I meane that thou beeing a seruant maist performe these duties pray vnto the Lord to make thee meeke and lowly that thou maist bee in thine owne eies a little one little not in sence and vnderstanding but concerning all maliciousnesse otherwise thou wilt neuer humble and bow thy selfe to these good duties For as a wise man saith and wee see it by experience onely those things quae exilia sunt fllexibilia sunt which are small and little are flexible and apt to bow as in a twigge or rodde looke how much more it is little so much the better will it bend and bow euen so a seruant looke how much more hee is meeke and lowly that is little in his owne eyes so much the better hee plaieth the seruant and bendeth his heart and affections to those things which are required of him When a seruant is proude high-minded and wel conceited of him selfe there is no hope of him Pro. 26. 12. there is more hope of a foole There can bee no true seruice and obedience without humility and lowlinesse of minde Therefore harken what your Lord and Master saith to you and to vs all Mat 11. Come learne of mee because I am meeke and lowly of heart and yee shall finde rest for your soules And now if yee know these things blessed are yee if you doe them Ioh. 13. 17 And that yee may the better doe and perfourme them The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and his good spirit bee with you labour with you and remaine with you all for euer-more Amen FINIS