thy portion but the Lord. Whom haue I in heauen but thee And I haue desired none in the earth with thee Let vs looke to the creatures consider how they are very good let vs vse them also but so that we remember alway how with them a greater good then they are is offred vnto vs namely that good GOD that made them What is the creature if it be compared with him that made it Can the vvorke of a mans hand bee so excellent as man that made it And vvhy then shouldst thou thinke that there is either beautie or vertue in a creature for which it should bee more desired and loued then the Lord vvho made it Pulchrum coelum pulchra terra sed pul chrior qui fâ—…cit illa Ethnicks saw by the light of Nature specially the Platoniques that whatsoeuer good is in the creature it is but Splendor quidam summi illius boni a certaine beame of that great and infinite good which is in God and that then onely was the good which is in the creature rightlie vsed when by it men learned to goe vp and returne to the Creator But alas such is our wretched corruption that the same things which should cary vs vpward toward God drawe vs downe and we are oftentimes so snared with the loue of the creature that wee forget the Creator not that any blame is in the creature but as I saide in our owne corrupt nature for euery creature in the own kind sends vs to him that made it speaking with such a voice as it hath Seeke not rest nor contentment from vs Goe vp and seeke it in him that made vs no contentment no satisfaction haue wee to giue you The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare filled with hearing This then is the first motiue that as the Lord would not rest till hee had made man so man is bound of his dutie neuer to rest till he find the Lord. The other motiue is It is impossible that man can get rest or contentment to his soule in any thing but in the Lord his God Man vvas made for God and to the image of God and therefore can no other thing fill and content the desires of his soule but GOD himselfe Caeteris rebus occupari potest repleri non potest Other things may busie and vex the spirit of man but cannot fill or replenish it Fecisti nos Domine propter te semper in quietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te thou madest vs ô Lord for thy selfe and our hart is alway vnquiet till it rest in thee As the point of the Mariners compasse touched with the Adamant trembles euer till it be directed toward the North so doth the hart of man till it bee directed to the Lord. And as the Doue which Noah sent forth of the Aâ—…ke went flying abroad and could find no rest for the sole of her foot the earth being couered with waters till she returned againe to Noah so the soule of man may goe through the world caried in the body as a chariot or otherwise flee abroad and view al the creatures vpon the wings of contemplation but it shall find no place of rest no creature to content it till it returne to the Lord. Otherwise anguish of spirit and sore tribulation shall be the portion thereof But heere it is demaunded whether or no is this preiudiciall to the rest of Gods children that Dauid saith The Lord is his portion I answer no manner of way for the Lord shall not be the lesse the portion of one that feares him because he is the portion of another hee is sufficient for all Earthly heritages are the lesse when they are communicated to many and therefore oftentimes is there stâ—…ife among them about the diuision heere it is not so there needs no contention about the diuision of this inheritance one shal not haue the lesse because another hath much the Lord shall bee all in all euery one of his Saints shall be filled with his glory Wee see the Sunne in the firmament shineth vnto all the vvorld neither is there any man who thinks that the light is the lesse because it is common to many If GOD haue created the Sunne with such maruailous wisedome that the light thereof is not the lesse to euery one because it is common to many what may wee looke to find in himselfe The generall vse of this towards vs all is to assure vs of our election If from our heart wee haue made this choise that we can say in sinceritie with Dauid O Lord thou art my portion we may be assured that first of all hee did choose vs to bee his inheritance Yee haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you saith Christ. Heerein is loue saith Saint Iohn not that wee loued him first but that hee loued vs. If the Lord had not chosen vs to be his peculiar people we should neuer haue chosen him to be our portion The particular vse of it is first to those vvho are poore in worldly things let this comfort them that GOD is become their portion The Lord is my Shepheard I shall not want vvhat matter is it who haue the greatest measure of Gods mooueables sith the permanent goods of the inheritance are ours His mooueables I call the things of this world which goe from hand to hand the permanent good is himselfe his fauour his loue toward vs in Christ Iesus It was the infirmitie of our father Abraham when the Lord said vnto him Feare not I shall be thy buckler and exceeding great reward that hee answered What canst thou giue mee Lord seeing I goe childlesse As if this were no more then all children or gifts temporall whatsoeuer that the Lord promised to giue himselfe to him for a reward It is marked in him that by his weakenesse wee may learne to gather wisedom and strength neuer to thinke vvee can vvant any thing seeing we haue the Lord himselfe for our portion The other particular vse of it is toward those who haue receiued a greater measure of worldly things from the Lord if with it they haue also grace to loue and feare him Let them knowe they haue gotten a double portion which obligeth them in a double seruice beyond their brethren I wish of God men of honour in the world professors of the Gospel could shew as much holy zeale for the maintenance of the gospel which is the testimony of God witnessing that he is become their father and portion in Christ as they can declare carnall zeale against those that would preiudice them in the smallest portion of their earthly inheritances yea for a foote bredth of their land But this is the time wherin men are fallen from their former zeale not onelie is the fruite decaied but the leaues also are fallen away and there is no courage
turne asâ—…e after their crooked wayes So that in the life of euery man there are two motions courses the one seene which is common to good and euill the other more secret the seene course is the way of a man from the wombe to the graue this is common and as Ioshua calles it The way of all flesh this is so sensible that all men perceiue it the growing of a man from infancie to child hood from child-hood to young age from young age to olde age the other I said is more secret wherein some by the crooked wayes of sinne walke on vnto perdition others by the way of holinesse to glorification And this way I call more secret because the course of wicked men is oft-times couered with hypocrisie the course againe of godly men obscured by calumnie both of them being esteemed among men the one for good the other for euill that which indeed they are not Who walke in the Law of the Lord. What before he spake obscurely hee now deliuers more plainly namely that they who walke in the Law of the Lord are vpright in way The Lawe of God is the rule of our life that narrow rodde within the limits whereof we should alway containe our selues neyther declining to the right hand nor to the left but euer proceeding by this one rule we should forget that which is behind and endeuour our selues to that which is before and truely seeing by the lawe onely our actions will be iudged wisedome requires that by the lawe onely our actions should be squared VER 2. Blessed are they who keepe his testimomonies and seeke him with their whole heart EVery man desires to be blessed euen they who had but the light of nature sought after it but could not find it here the Lord who in the last day will pronounce some to bee blessed and some to be cursed dooth now tell vs who they are What can comfort them to whom the Lord shall say Depart from me ye cursed Where away shall they goe whom the Lord shall command to depart from him And what greater ioy can com to a man then to heare the Iudge of all saying vnto him Come to me ye blessed Oh that we were wise in time to thinke of this that so we might endeuour to becom such men as to whom God in his word hath promised the blessing The doubling of the sentence Blessed blessed in the first verse and second is to let vs see the certainty of the blessing belonging to the godly The word of God is as true in it selfe when it is once spoken as when it is many times repeated the repetition of it is for confirmation of our weake faith That which Isaac spake of Iacob I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed is the most sure decree of God vpon all his childen Sathan would faine curse Israel by the mouth of such as Balaam was but he shall not be able to curse because God hath blessed Keepe his Testimonie The word of God is called his Testimony not onely because it testifies his will concerning his seruice but also his fauour and good wil concerning his own in Christ Iesus If the word of God were no more but a Law yet were we bound to obey it because we are his creatures but sith it is also a Testimony of his loue wherein as a father he witnesseth his fauour toward his children we are twise inexcusable if most ioyfully we doe not embrace it And againe sith the word is Gods Testimony let vs take heed what it testifies vnto vs. Achab complained to Iosaphat on Michaiah that he neuer prophecied good things vnto him but the blame was in Achab himselfe Are not my words saith the Lord good vnto him that walkes vprightly If the word of the Lord witnesse no good vnto vs it is because we are not good our selues Vtilis enim aduersarius est it is enemy to none but such as are enemies to themselues Let vs therefore take heed vnto it for if the word condemne vs then our conscience and the Lorde who is greater then them both will much more condemne vs but if we repent of our sinnes and continue in mourning seeking mercy amend our liues then shall the word bring vnto vs the glad tidings of peace yea not onely shall the word without but the spirit also testifie to our conscience within that our sinnes are forgiuen vs. Now as concerning the keeping of Gods Testimonies the children of God do it in minde in affection in action In mind as Mary laid vp the words of the Angell in her heart and Dauid laid vp the promises of God in his hart that he should not sin against the Lord in affection they haue euer a godly desire and a purpose to practise it ioyfull when they doe the commandements of God sorrowfull when they transgresse them in action they haue a begun obedience which God at length shall perfite in them for The righteousnesse of the Law shall be fulfilled in vs also And seeke him with their whole heart The seeking of God so often recommended in holy Scripture imports that naturally men are strangers from God diuided from him by sinne for what needeth a man to seeke that which he hath not lost This is man his most miserable condition by nature he hath lost the familiar presence of his God â—…or lo they that withdraw themselues from thee shall perish thou destrâ—…yest all them that goe a whooring from thee What shall we do to remedie it but practise that which there Dauid protests hee had concluded with himselfe As for me it is good for me to draw neere vnto God we lost him by sinne let vs seeke him by grace we went a whooring from him by our iniquity let vs returne vnto him by repentance other-way as he that will hide himselfe from the Sunne empaires not the light thereof hee may well shut himselfe in miserable darkenesse so he that departs from the Lord shall derogate nothing to his all-sufficient Maiesty hee may well plunge himselfe in the bottomlesse pit of remedilesse misery But this euill the losse of Gods familiar presence is not felt by carnall men so long as they enioy the comfort of his creatures and therefore is it that where they can seeke any other thing they want with solicitude and care eyther else they seeke him not at all or then seeke him not as they should As he that seekes a jewell which he hath lost lookes still to see it with so earnest an attention that what â—…uer other thing is in his way he sees it not casting all other things out of his minde Vnum illud intendit quod solum requirit so is it with him that seekes the Lorde Mundana omnia pertransieâ—…s illum solum inquirit passing by all other things in the world he makes inquisition for God only
are not so they are as I said pilgrims on earth not indwellers Suppose they walke on earth their conuersation is in heauen they are risen with Christ and set their affections on those things which are at the right hand oâ—… God They vse this world as if they vsed it not knowing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the shape or figure thereof passeth away they soiourne in it but vvill not dwell in it But like vnto the Eagles as they are figuratiuely called in the parable they see and sent things which are aboue and mount vp toward their prey Christ Iesus counting the most excellent things on earth to be but doung in respect of him On earth He makes no exception heere the whole earth hee acknowledged a place of his pilgrimage Not only wheÌ„ he was banished among the Moabits Philistims was he a stranger but euen when he liued peaceably at home in Canaan stil he thinks himselfe a stranger This consideration mooued godly Basile to despise the threatning of Modestus the deputy of Valens the Emperor when he braued him with banishment Ab exilij metu liber sum vnam hominum cognoscens esse patriam paradisum omnem autem terram commune Naturae exilium And it shall moue vs to keepe spirituall sobrietie in the midst of pleasures if we remember that in our houses at our owne fire end and in our owne beds wee are but strangers from which we must shortly remoue and giue place to others Hide not The maner of Dauid his reasoning we touched before to be this I am heere a stranger and knowe not the way therefore Lord direct me The similitude is taken from passengers who comming to an vncouth countrey vvhere they are ignorant of the way seeke the benefit of a guide but the dissimilitude is heere In any Countrey the country people can guide a stranger to the place where he would be but the indwellers of the earth cannot shew the way to heauen and therefore Dauid seekes no guide among them but prayes the Lord to direct him Thy commandements We are not to thinke that Dauid was ignorant of the ten commaundements no doubt hee knew them and could distinctly repeat them but hee craues that GOD would further teach him the vse the necessity the vtility the obedience of them And this for our carnall professors who if they can repeat the beliefe and the commandements think they are religious enough albeit they neither belieue nor obey but remaine ignorant of the vse practice of theÌ„ both without which ignorance is better then knowledge for the seruant that knowes his Masters will and doth it not is worthy of double stripes VER 20. Mine hart breaks for the desire of thy iudgements alway HEre is a protestation of that earnest desire he had to the obedience of the word of God he amplifies it 2. waies first it was no light motion but such as beeing deeply rooted made his hart to breake when hee saw that he could not do in the obedience therof as he would Next it was no vanishing motion like the morning dew but it was permanent Omni tempore he had it alway Thy iudgements Gods iudgements are of two sorts first his Commands so called because by them right is iudged discerned from vvrong Next his plagues executed vpon transgressors according to his word Dauid here meanes of the first Let men who haue not the like of Dauids desire remember that they whose hart cannot break for transgressing Gods word because they loue it shall find the plagues of GOD to bruse their body and breake their hart also Let vs delight in the first sort of these iudgements and the second shall neuer come vpon vs. Now that Dauid this way presents his desire is an effectuall manner of supplication for desire of grace is a great grace Non est potestatis nostrae desiderium sanctum sed gratiae and the Lord hath bound himselfe by his promise to fulfill it Blessed are they vvho hunger and thirst for righteousnes they shall be satisfied And againe The Lord will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Cum oblectarinos viderit Deus cupiditate iudiciorum suorum sobrium auget affectum And therefore Dauid here presents his hart full of desires to the Lord that he may fill it And here because the profane world makes a scorne of the contrite disposition of the godlie laughing at their teares taunting them in their sighes and sobs let vs looke heere to Dauid If it cannot alway be an argument to mooue men to godlinesse yet is it forcible to moue God to mercie The broken hart for the griefe of sin and loue of righteousnes how euer the world despise it the Lord wil not despise it yea it is the sacrifice of God acceptable to him in Christ Iesus VER 21. Thou hast destroyed the proud Cursed are they that do erre from thy commandements HEre Dauid confirmes himselfe in godlines by meditation of the miserable estate of the wicked who lead a life coÌ„trary to Gods word wherof the sum is The begun iudgements of God executed on the wicked may let vs see the curse of God on them who follow their footsteps Walking in the trade of their sinnes how-euer they seem to prosper flourish for the present there is a curse of God vpoÌ„ them which will consume and destroy them Begun or present iudgements of God vpoÌ„ the wicked should moue vs to abhor their sins But in this great securitie we haue many Lamechs few Dauids Lamech saw the impunity of Caine because he was not punished for his cruell murthering of his brother therefore his hart was prouoked to the like impietie and he reioyced in it I would slay a man in my wound and a young man in mine hart if Caine shall be avenged seauen fold truly Lamech seauentie times seauen fold Thus in the pride and profaneness of his hart did he mock and abuse the patience of God And so fareth it with many of whom Salomon speakes Because iudgement is not speedily executed on the wicked therefore the hart of the children of men is set in them to do euil But few are like Dauid who when he saw Vzzah striken to death for vnreuerent touching of the Arke was mooued in his hart to a greater reuerence of God The proud This is a stile commonly giuen to the wicked because as it is our oldest euill so is it the strongest and first that striues in our corrupt nature to cary men to a transgression of the borders appointed by the Lord. From the time that pride entred into Adams hart that he would be higher then God had made him he spared not to eate of the forbidden tree And what else is the cause of all transgression but that man in his ignorant pride vvil haue his wil preferred to the will of God Satan in his
se conuertit quod lux oculo non praestat GOD who is the light of the inward man doth more to him then the light doth to the externall eye for the light illuminates the eye that lookes vnto it but forsakes the eye which is closed and turned from it But the Lord doth not onely illuminate the mind conuerted to him but he also converts the mind vnto him Which thing the light cannot doe to the eye Diligenter itaque notandae sunt hae loquutiones in scripturis Conuertimini ad me cum his comparandae Conuerte nos Deus sanitatum nostrarum ne putemus libero arbitrio nos ad Deum conuerti Wee haue diligently therefore to obserue these manner of speeches in the Scripture wherein God commaunds vs to conuert to him and to compare them with others wherein we are taught to pray that the God of our saluation would conuert vs and then shall wee be conuerted least otherwise wee thinke that wee conuert to God of our owne free will This choise which Dauid makes here of Gods truth proceeds from that choise and election vvhereby the Lord before all time made choise of Dauid in Christ to be one of his Elect. For as it is true of loue Heerein is loue not that wee loued God first but that he loued vs vvec could neuer haue loued him if first he had not loued vs so is it true of election if he before time had not chosen vs to be his people wee could neuer in time haue chosen him to be our God And this I mark in them vvho loue the word of God delight in it who can say out of a good heart that the Lord is their portion and the ioy of their hart this is a sure seale of their election imprinted by the finger of God in their heart assuring them that what they are in loue and affection toward him that hath he been first toward them and so much the more aboundant in his loue toward vs as he himselfe is greater then we What is the eye to the sunne vvhat is the Well to the Ocean what is the earth to the heauen By infinite degrees is man lesse then his Maker and as farre our loue and affection to him inferiour to his loue affection toward vs. As far as the heauens are aboue the earth so far are my thoughts aboue yours saith the Lord. This doth some-vvhat shadow it but how far his thoughts are aboue ours no similitude can expresse it And thy iudgements Gods word is called his iudgement because it discernes good from euill and is not a naked sentence but as it points out euill so it pronounceth plagues against it vvhich shall be executed according to the sentence therof The remembrance of this scrued as an aw-band to keepe Dauid from sinne and shall keepe vs also if as saith he Psal. 16. wee set the Lord still in our sight and if as heere he doth we lay his iudgements before vs. VER 31. I haue cleaued to thy testimonies O Lord confound me not THe protestation of his former affection is amplified by this that as he had once chosen the testimonies of God so by a constant affection hee cleaued vnto them Dauid was not a Temporizer to make choise of the word this day and reiect it to morrow as were those Iewes who for a time reioyced in the light of the Gospel brought to them by the Baptist and after reiected his testimonie True godlinesse wants neuer vpon her head the garland of perseuerance where the hypocrisie of temporizers who make a shew of beginning in the spirit and end in the flesh is expressed by our Sauior by coâ—…n which springs shooteth to the blade but grows not to perfection because it was neuer vvell rooted And Basil compares these qui bene coeperunt noÌ„ perseueraruÌ„t who begins well but continues not to vnhappy passengers qui naufragium prope portum patiuntur vvho suffer shipwracke not farre from the harbour Confound me not Forasmuch as Dauid in a good conscience endeuoured to serue God hee craues that the Lord would not confound him This is two waies done either when the Lord forsakes his children so that in their trouble they feele not his promised comforts and then great confusion of mind perturbation is vpon them or otherwise when hee leaues them as a prey to their enemies who scorne them for their godly and sincere life and insult ouer them in time of their trouble when they see that all their prayer and other exercises of religion cannot keepe them out of their enemies hands Hee trusted in God let him deliuer him From this shame and contempt he desires the Lord would keep him and that he should neuer be like vnto them who being disappointed of that wherein they trusted are ashamed VER 32. I will run the way of thy coÌ„mandements when thou shalt enlarge mine heart HIs affection toward the word of God is yet further amplified by this that as in time past hee had cleaued to it so hee promiseth with ioy alacritie to continue in it for the time to come which he expresseth by the word of running But hee adds this protestation or rather condition that the Lord would enlarge his hart without which grace hee grants he can make no progresse in the way of godliness Heereof wee learne how wee should doe the will of God not by constraint but cheerfullie willingly as one that runneth a race intends the whole force of his body to advaunce himselfe forward toward the end thereof But heere we may stand and lament Alas we runne not with Dauid oh that we could halt to Canaan with Iacob or at least creep forward like children to our fathers house But many in steed of running lie downe and which is worse goe backeagaine like dogges to their vomits or carnall Israelites to their flesh-pots of Egypt for whom it had beene better not to haue knowne the way of rightcousnes HE. VER 33. Teach mee O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it to the end THE life of man is compared by the Apostle to a race wherein all must run that looke to obtaine the high prize of the calling of God and so run that all the way they must fight with sundry aduersaries that stand vp against them There must be no declyning neither to the right hand nor to the left but as souldiers direct their way according to the commandement of their Imperator Non ipsi pro suo arbitrio viam carpunt nec voluntaria captant compendia ne à signis recedant so must it be with Christians we should stedfastlie looke to IESVS the authour and finisher of our faith who for the ioy set before him despised the Crosse and endured shame let vs remember our life should be a following of him As Israel in the vvildernesse
one grace which the Apostle cals a most excellent grace all other graces of the spirit will come to be tried That faith which workes not by loue is no faith that obedience which flowes not from faith is no obedience Loue is the balance of the Sanctuary wherein euery thing is weighed which is offered vnto God let vs therefore couet this most excellent grace That this comfort may be made the more sure vnto vs let vs consider these two infallible tokens of our loue the first is the loue of Gods law the next is the loue of his Saints The law of God hath in it a certaine pourtraiture of his image What he is in himselfe he hath declared in his lawe therefore such as knowe him and loue him cannot but loue his law If any man loue me said the Lord Iesus he will keepe my commandements Dauid ioynes these two together in the 16. Psalme hee protests that God was the portion of his inheritance and againe in the III. verse of this Psalme That he had taken the Testimonies of God as an heritage for euer Alas that foolish man should think to disioyne these two pretending to loue God when he shewes himselfe a plaine contemner of his word The other marke whereby Gods loue is tryed is the loue of his Saints By this shall yee bee knowne to be my Disciples if yee loue one another He that loueth not his brother whom he hath scene how can hee loue God whom hee hath not seene Man was made to the image of God Can he be a louer of God who loues not man made to the image of God Dauid many times hath protested that he loued God dearely but he proues it by this That he loued the lawe of God and the Saints of God I am companion said hee to all them that feare thee ver 63. And againe My loue extends not to thee but for thy sake my delight is in thy Saints and excellent ones vpon earth There are many good Christians who when they heare that Marie washed the feete of our blessed Sauiour with her teares and wiped them with the haire of her head they doe wish they had the like occasion that they might shewe the like affection toward him These would do well to remember What thou cannot do to himselfe why wilt thou not doe to such as hee loues and hath recommended to be loued of thee for his sake accounting that done to himselfe which is don vnto them When Ionathan was slain in the battell with Saul and Dauid came to the Kingdome how diligent was he to seeke any that did belong to Ionathan to whom hee might shew kindnesse for Ionathans sake at length he found a â—…ame and infirme sonne of Ionathan and for Ionathans sake he intertained him Very kinde was Ionathan to Dauid but not so kinde as Iesus hath beene to vs and should not we for Iesus sake be kinde to those who belong vnto him If thou be willing to doe it and carefull to enquire Is there none to whome I may shewe fauour for that fauour Christ shewed to me in euery place thou shalt still finde some Mephiboseth some poore some lame and infirme Christian. Why then wilt thou defraude thy selfe of this comfort that by extending comfort to those which are his thou declare thy louing affection toward himselfe considering also that the smallest benefite giuen to any in his Name though it were but a cuppe of colde water shall not want the reward Shall haue great prosperitie This being spoken of the description of godly men now sollowes the priuiledge and benefite heere promised to them They shall haue great prosperitie for so by the word of peace the Hebrewes expresse all manner of good Godlinesse saith the Apostle hath the promises both of this life and of the life to come euen in their present troubles the godly are comforted with vnspeakeable ioy or if for the present they feele it not yet are they borne out with a liuely hope thereof afflicted on euery side but neuer forsaken casten downe but they perish not But our greatest comfort is promised now not exhibited now excellent promises are made vnto vs but sure they are farre inferiour to that which shal be performed Worldlings haue their heauen vpon earth they enioy their portion heere but we looke for a better Serua futuris mercedem tuam keepe thou thy reward for the time to come When we shall passe this redde Sea of tribulation and be possessed in our heauenly Canaan then shall we know the performance of this promise They that loue thy lawe shall haue great prosperitie This he expounds more cleerely in the negatiue part when he saies They shall haue none hurt he meanes not that they are exempted from all trouble but indued with this priuiledge That no trouble can hurt them for all things worke for the best to them who loue the Lord. By the contrary most miserable is the condtion of them who hate Gods law There is no peace to the wicked saith my God The prosperity they seeme to haue is their ruine and their peace like the calmes of the Sea which incontinent is troubled with stormie windes in such sort that the waues thereof are dashed one against another it rageth and foometh out the dirt and myre which is in the bowels thereof So is it with the wicked so soone as trouble cometh vppon them they walter from one perturbation to another foming out their shame and at length ende in comfortlesse desperation Thus before they bee aware all their mirth and apparant prosperity is concluded as Beltasars banquet was with a cuppe of Gods wrath For their comfort being onely in things externall and not in the Lord their God so soone as the one failes them who can tell the horrible confusion wherein they fall For want of the other they are casten as Esay saith in a strait bedde wherein they can finde no ease nor reliefe for at one time the earth failes them and the heauens also are closed vpon them Such comforts as they had in creatures vpon earth forsake them and if they looke to heauen they finde nothing but the angry countenance of God looking downe vpon them so was it with Saul Achitophel Iudas and with Aero O what a straite bedde was hee casten into when the Senate discerned him an enemie to Rome when Galba came against him to execute the sentence when hee shaken with the plague of the heart and his owne conscience within him did torment him when the heauens cast downe their countenance vpon him when the earth whereupon hee was flying opened as hee thought her mouth to swallow him when such as hee had murthered seemed to rise and pursue him Such shall be the miserable end of all those who loue not the Lord they shall finde no comfort who cannot comfort themselues in him VER 166.
aduantage it is not so with the Lord our God all his commandements are for the vantage and benefite of his seruants Nihil iubet quod sibi profit May a man be profitable vnto God Is it any thing to the Almighty that thou art righteous Or is it profitable to him that thou makest thy wayes vpright yet are we bound to obey and we must be countable for them and therefore should they neuer goe out of our mind And consider thy wayes Dauid his second internall action concerning the word is Consideration where marke well how by a most proper speech he calles the word of God the way of God partly because by it God comes neere vnto men reuealing himselfe to them who otherwayes could not be knowne of them for he dwels in light inaccessible and partly because the word is the way which leades men to God So then because by it God commeth downe to men and by it men go vp vnto God and know how to get accesse to him therefore is his word called his way Of Consideration see Ver. 59. VER 16. I will delight in thy Statutes and will not forget thy word HEe protested before that he had great delight in the Testimonies of God now he sayth he will still delight in them A man truely godly the more good he doth the more he desireth delights and resolues to do Temporizers on the contrary who haue but a shew of godlines the loue of it is not rooted in their hart how soon are they weary of wel-doing If they haue done any small external duty of religiō they rest as if they were fully sanctified there needed no more good to be done by thē True Religion is known by hungring and thirsting after righteousnesse by perseuerance in wel-doing and an earnest desire to do more But to this he addes that he will not forget the word The graces of the Spirit do euery one fortifie and strengthen another for ye see Meditation helps Consideration who can consider of that whereof he thinkes not Consideration againe breedes Delectation and as here ye see Delectation strengthens Memory because he delights in the worde hee will not forget the worde and Memory againe renewes Meditation Thus euery grace of the Spirit helpes another and by the contrary one of them neglected workes a wonderfull decay of the remnant Faile in Loue or in Patience c. Praier decayes faile in Prayer all decayes We haue therefore so much the more carefully to eschue the neglect of any one grace because in the losing of one we lose many and if we want grace we are altogether inexcusable because if we haue a care to keepe any one principall grace one shall keepe many graces vnto vs. GIMEL VER 17. Be beneficiall vnto thy seruant that I may liue and keepe thy word IN the end of the former Section Dauid had protestations now in the beginning of this he hath prayers In his protestations he acknowledgeth the beginnings which by grace he had made in godlinesse to the praise and glory of God in the prayers he acknowledgeth his wants that he was farre from that which he should be and therfore still beseecheth the Lord to bring forward to perfection that which he had begun in him If ye marke the course of this Psalme ye shall see Dauid cannot long abide in any purpose without prayer he learned by experience that prayer is the life of the soule No more can the Soule liue without prayer then the Body can without breathing and as Samsons strength was in his haire so a Christians strength is in the grace of prayer If this be taken from vs we soone become a prey to the spirituall Philistims Now the first thing he craues as a speciall benefite is that hee may liue and keep the word of God Many benefits had the Lord bestowed vppon him of a Shepheard he made him a King to them all he seeks this benefit grace so to liue that he might keepe the word of the Lord he knew that without this all other benefits are nothing and so doe all Gods children illuminate with the light of God if they were preferred to be Monarches of the world They count more of this To be Christians wanting earthly Kingdoms then To be Kings wanting Christianity As good Constantine albeit he knew he was obliged to the Lord for making him an Emperor yet much more bound to his mercie for making him a Christian. And indeede this life without the other grace though it were seconded with the highest honour and wealth that euer befell to any man in his life what is it Not an Introduction onely to eternall death but a procuring and iust deseruing of it Thy seruant That hee stiles himselfe so frequently the seruant of GOD notes in him tvvo things first a reuerent estimation hee had of his GOD in that hee accounts it more honourable to bee called the seruant of God who was aboue him then the King of a mightie auncient and most famous people that vvere vnder him And indeede sith the Angels are styled his ministers shall man thinke it a shame to serue him with them and especially sith he of his goodnes hath made them our seruants Ministring spirits to vs Should we not ioyfully serue him who hath made all his creatures to serue vs and exempted vs from the seruice of all other and hath onely bound vs to serue himselfe That I may liue Dauid ioynes heere two together which whosoeuer disioynes cannot be blessed He desires to liue but so to liue that he may keep Gods word To a reprobate man who liues a rebel to his Maker it had bin good as our Sauiour said of Iudas that he had neuer been borne that the knees had not preuented him or that incontinent after his birth he had been buried The shorter his life is the fewer are his sinnes and the smaller his iudgements But to an elect man life is a great benefit for by it he goes from election to glorification by the way of sanctification The longer he liues the more good he doth to the glory of God the edification of others and confirmation of his owne saluation making it sure to himselfe by wrestling and victory in tentations and perseuerance in well dooing Without grace this life is but a death so the Spirit of God accounts of it and therefore giues to most liuely naturall men the name of dead men Omnia hic plena mortis sunt By the law if a liuing man had touched the dead hee was defiled and wee beside that wee carry death in our selues where can we go and not touch the dead Great need therfore haue wee with Dauid earnestly to seek this grace that we may liue keeping the word of God aunswering that commandement of our lord Relinque mortuos and of his Apostle Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead For as
promise to Dauid The meaning is I knowe ô Lord that thy promise is sure enough in it selfe but I pray thee make it sure to me Sure it is the promises of God are most cercertaine the earth may mooue and mountaines may fall yea the earth at length shal be shaken and the heauens wimpled vp like a garment but one iot of the word of GOD shall not faile This is the maine poynt vvhereat in all our life vvee should aime To make sure our calling election that the promises of God most sure in themselues may be made sure vnto vs. Many waies hath GOD confirmed his promise to vs First by the blood of his sonne Next by his owne oath he hath not onely spoken that he will giue mercie to the penitent belieuer but hee hath sworne it that by two immutable things wherin it is impossible that hee should lie he might shew to the heires of promise the stabilitie of his counsell But for all this neuer is his promise sure vnto vs till we receiue the seale of the spirit of adoption For this let vs pray For so long as we are in this body of sinne our infidelitie will euer be sending out feares and doubtings and distrusts against vvhich vvee haue neede to pray the Lord alwaies to confirme vs. Omnes enim Dei benignitate indigemus et qui extremum consequutus est virtut is apicem hac indiget continuò No man hath made such progresse in faith but hee hath neede further to be confirmed Lord incrcase our faith Lord helpe our vnbeliefe And therefore let not our wants and great weakenesse driue vs to despaire but so much the more vvaken and prouoke vs to feruent prayer To thy seruant Dauid frequently vseth this stile as very honourable and indeed so it is The seruaunt of God onely is a free man yea and a King but hee who is not the Lords seruaunt though hee were a Monarch and ruler of the whole earth he is but Satans captiue and a seruaunt of seruaunts O quam multos Dominos habet qui vnum non habet Because hee feares thee Hee who hath receiued from the Lord grace to feare him with loue may be bold to seeke any necessary good thing from him because the feare of GOD hath annexed the promises of all other blessings vvith it Sometime Dauid brings the reason of his petition from the Lord as from his mercy or his truth sometime from himselfe as from this that hee trusts in the Lord ver 42 or that hee hath a great desire toward the Lord ver 40 or that he feares God as heere All the promises of God are conditionall if the condition bee no way in vs how shall the promise be performed vnto vs It is true the Lord is gracious mercifull readie to forgiue c. But what is that to thee who repentst not belieuest him not louest him not and trustest not in him VER 39. Take away my rebuke that I feare for thy iudgements are good THere is a rebuke which comes vpon the godly from men without a cause and this suppose it grieue the godly yet they feare it not but rather reioyce in it according to that of our Sauiour Blessed are yee when men reuile you and speake all manner euill of you for my names sake be glad and reioyce for great is your reward in heauen With this meditation did Augustine confirme himselfe against the detractions of his Aduersarie who sought to empair the credit of his name Quisquis volens detrahit famaemeae nolens addit mercedi meae Hee that willingly would empaire my name against his will increaseth my reward And Dauid glorieth in this that the rebukes of them who rebuked the Lord had fallen vpon him There is againe a rebuke and shame comming from God as the fruite and iust punishment of sin for this the godly are afraid if they looke to their begun sinnes they know they haue deserued it they feare it and therefore pray vvith Dauid Psalmo 6 Lord rebuke mee not in thine anger If againe they looke to the time to come they feare least their infirmities bring them to shame euery one of them according to their seuerall tentations And this also they preuent by prayer as heere Dauid doth For it is to be marked that a godlie man is more afraid for sinnes vvhich hee may doe then a vvicked man is for sinnes that he hath done as hee liues in a continuall sorrow for begun sinnes so also in a continuall feare of sinnes wherein he may fall Semper est in dolore et tremore the one for repenting of sinne the other for preuenting of sinne For thy iudgements are good This reason heere subioyned declares that the rebuke which he feared was Gods rebuke The meaning is As to man his iudgement it is so peruerse that I passe not for it at all I knowe hee condemnes vvhere thou vvilt absolue It is high many a time in mans eye vvhich is abhomination to thee but as to thy rebuke I know Lord it comes neuer vndeserued for thy iudgement is good And therefore prayes he that the Lord vvould keepe him from those sinnes which may bring shame and reproach vpon him VER 40. Behold I desire thy commandements quicken me in thy righteousnesse SOmetime he confesseth his naturall inclination to euill as yee may see out of his prayers in the verses preceding sometime his new disposition by grace vnto that which is good The children of God finde in themselues motions of sinne but not without motions of grace to restrain them the one fights against the other and in this battell are we militant here vpon earth let vs mourne for the one and giue thankes for the other with the Apostle Rom. 7. He offers his desires to the Lord to be looked vpon It is an argument of a well set and disposed heart when a man dare present it vnto the Lord that hee may looke vpon the desires and intention thereof An euill conscience dare not doe this for as an eye when it is hurt craues some couering to hide it from the light so the guiltie conscience flies from the Lord and hath no desire to come before him let vs refuse to liue in that course of life wherein we dare not be bold to looke to the Lord nor content that he should looke vnto vs. I desire Our perfection in this life is rather in godly desires then in a full obtayning of things desired Phil. 3. yet haue the godly this comfort that where desires goe before satisfaction shall follow for the Lord hath promised to fulfill the desires of them that feare him Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied yea sure it is how great soeuer our desires be we cannot desire so much as the Lord hath to giue vs for he is rich in mercy
able to doe abundantly aboue all that we can aske or thinke Example hereof we haue in Zaccheus he desired but to see Christ and hee got not onely a sight of him but familiar speech of him yea Christ went to his house and dined with him and made him by grace the childe of Abraham So shall the Lord do to all his children he shall giue them more then eyther they desired or looked for at his hands For the heart cannot vnderstand those things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Thy commandements He saith not I haue done thy commandements but I desire to do them Let this serue as a Commentarie to other places wherein he makes protestation of his begun obedience so gratious is the Lord that in his children he accepts their will for a deed There is no man so wicked but he desires mercie but the godly doe so desire mercy that first they desire the way to mercy They know that without sanctification no man can see the Lord therefore all their care is to purge themselues euen as God is pure as here ye see for this end Dauid prayeth for the grace of obedience It was a preposterous desire of Balaam who wished the death of the righteous and would not liue the life of the righteous no better are the desires of wicked men Quicken me He acknowledgeth that his desires were nothing vnlesse the Lord gaue him life As a false conception which evanisheth and comes not to the birth so is the desire of man not quickned nor continued by the grace of God More of this see ver 149. 159. VAV VER 41. And let thy louing kindnesse come vnto me O Lord and thy saluation according to thy promise OVt of this Psalme we see how feruent and continuall Dauid was in prayer Euery third Verse hee turnes him to prayer No maruell he was inriched with a great measure of spirituall grace for hee sought it diligently Not like the colde professors of our time to whom a colde morning prayer is sufficient for the whole day and of that also oftentimes they are weary before they haue done it A lamentable euill that hauing all good for the seeking yet we should not seeke If we would consider how many sinnes we haue contracted which we must craue to be forgiuen would offer vp but one supplication for euery one of them and againe that albeit all our sinnes vvere presently forgiuen yet hovv readily should we fall into new sinnes if we get no grace daily to reforme vs and thirdly how difficil a thing it is against so many strong enemies as Principalities Powers and spiritual wickednes which with restlesse tentations pursue vs vpon the right hand the left to enter through them all into the kingdome of God and lastly how our time is short and when it is done no more place of supplication will be left vnto vs If all these with many moe wee did consider they would waken in vs a more earnest care to call vpon our God while we haue time This whole section consists of petitions and promises Petitions are two ver 41. 43. Promises are six This among many is a difference betweene godly men and others all men seeke from GOD but the wicked so seeke that they giue him nothing backe againe nor yet wil promise in sinceritie to giue Their prayers must be vnprofitable because they proceed from loue of themselues and not of the Lord. If so be they obtaine that which is for their necessitie they haue no regard to giue to the Lord that which is for his glory but the godly as they seek so they giue praise to God when they haue gotten and returne the vse of things receiued to the glorie of God who gaue them They loue not themselues for themselues but for the Lord vvhat they seeke from him they seeke it for this end that they may be the more able to serue him Let vs take heed vnto it because this is a cleere token whereby such as are truly religious are distinguished from counterfet dissemblers Let thy louing kindnes c. In his first prayer he ioynes these two Gods louing kindnes and his saluation and so it is they goe together inseparably As for the kindnes of man thou maist haue it and not be the better for it the friend may loue his friend and not be able to help him yea the Father may looke with compassion vpon his child in danger and not be able to relieue him but the kindnes of the Lord euer works saluation he can doe what he will and none is able to resist him All creatures in heauen earth are vnder his commaund health sicknes life death heauen and hell for he hath the keyes of both Let vs seek his fauour that we may be saued let vs feele his loue and none euill present nor to come temporall nor eternall shall make vs afraid According to thy promise As Dauid seekes his comfort in GOD onely so seekes hee it for Gods sake alleaging nothing in himselfe for which hee should obtaine it but that the Lord as of his mercie hee had promised so of his truth hee vvould performe And this is first for Papists who either doe seeke from others beside the Lord or if they seek from him they seeke for others sake then for his founding their prayers vpō the merits of others not vpon the mercie of God and merits of Christ onelie And next it giues this vvarning vnto all men that seeing the chiefest argument vvee can vse in prayer to mooue the Lord to pittie is his own promise vvee should remember alwaie to make conscience of our promise of seruice and obedience vvhich vve haue made to the Lord otherwise vvee can not vvith boldnesse seeke comfort in that promise which God hath made vnto vs. VER 42. So shall I make aunswer to my blasphemers for I trust in thy word SEe what great effects the sense of Gods louing kindnes works in the harts of his children hee feares no malice nor power of man vvho finds the Lord kind and mercifull to him This works gloriation against euill men a bold confession before all men as after followes and toward God an holy conuersation in all his obedience to the law For I trust Confidence in the promises of Gods word is the anchor of the soule vvhich holdeth it fast that it abide stable not driuen to and fro with the wind of tentations nay not with the feares terrors of death I know whom I haue belieued VER 43. And take not the word of truth vtterly out of my mouth for I wait for thy iudgements BY the word of truth Euthymius vnderstands the grace of prophecie by which Dauid comforted his owne hart and was able to speake to the edification of others and to stop the mouthes of his Aduersaries This grace
be indeede religious euen in priuate hee presents his heart to GOD seeking it to bee approoued by him For his prayse is not of men but of God Againe this argueth his feruencie in religion for as else-where he protests that he loued the vvord more then his appoynted food so heere hee protests hee vvanted his nights rest that hee might meditate in the vvord But now so farre is zeale decayed in professours they will not vvant their superfluities farre lesse their needfull refreshment for loue of the vvord of GOD. And haue kept thy vvord Dauid vvas not a naked professor of the vvord but a practiser of it also his life declared that hee remembred the Lord Fides probitas innocentiae memorem probant VER 56. This I had because I kept thy precepts AS sinne is a punishment of sinne and the wicked waxeth euer worse worse so godlinesse is the recompence of godlinesse The right vse of one talent encreaseth moe and the beginnings of godliness are blessed with a growth of godlinesse Dauids good exercises held him in memory of his God and the memory of God made him euer the more godly and religious CHETH VER 57. O Lord that art my portion I haue determined to keepe thy word IT hath pleased the Lord to teach vs not by precepts onely but examples also in the one hee teacheth vs what we should doe if we would be saued in the other he lets vs see what the godly before vs haue done that they might be saued If wee were the first who haue entred into that narrow way that leads to eternall life our faintings fallings backslydings were somewhat excusable but that way is now Via trita in euery part of it we see the footsteps of our brethren who haue trode it before vs. All of them entred into Canaan standing on the other side of Iorden and calling vpon vs by their example who yet are iâ—… the wildernesse and on this side of Iorden Come forward feare not faint not the way indeede is hard and difficile but the end is sweet and ioyfull Wee haue felt with you the paines of the one come yee forward and enioy with vs the pleasures of the other Thus being compassed with so great a clowde of witnesses who haue trode the way before vs and by faith haue inherited the promise wee are altogether inexcusable if wee doe not follow Among many wee haue heere the Prophet Dauid who hath gone before vs and by his counsell and instruction teacheth vs how to follow him There is no doubt but as wee spake in the first Section if wee follow him in disposition wee shall also be partakers of his approbation Some part of his disposition wee haue seene alreadie let vs yet goe after him foot by foot neither turning to the right hand nor to the left not as Asahel followed Abner that was for euill and therefore in this course hee perished as many shall doe vvho seeke from Dauid a patrocinie for their sinnes but make him not a paterne to them of repentance But let vs follow him as the Prophet Elisha follovved his Maister Eliah vvhom hauing once found hee would neuer againe goe from him Let vs walke with Dauid in one way that wee may bee partakers with him of one happy and blessed end O Lord. This verse containes a two-fold protestation In the first hee protests that God was his portion In the second that hee had determined to keepe the word of GOD. And this hee conceiues in such manner that hee directs his speech to God Laying open his heart to God he dare make bold out of a good conscience that God was his portion It is a thing common to all sorts of men to speake of God but to speake to him is a grace proper to his children euen to them onely Either the vvicked dare not come vnto him their conscience beeing so euill that it is afraide to looke vnto the Lord no otherwise then a wounded eye which can not behold the light or if at any time forced by necessity they would yet they cannot come to him beeing voyde of faith without which there can be no prayer Accesse to the throne of grace that vvee may speake with God while wee are in the bodie is the first degree of eternall life hee shall neuer be afraid to goe out of the body and ascend to the Lord who when he was in the body went vp by prayer and got accesse to the Lord. This is the comfort of the children of God that sometime they get such ioyfull accesse to God by prayer that they wish and desire that their soule at that same instant might goe out of their bodie vvith their supplication 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vt simul egrediatur anima cum precatione But who is this that glories the Lord was his portion Euen Dauid a King of a most mightie people of a florishing kingdome and a fertile land flowing with milke and hony but in this hee reioyceth not all his comfort is heere that God was his portion This I marke to make those worldlings ashamed who haue lesse portions of the earth then Dauid had and yet reioyce so in them that they neglect altogether the Lord their God They brag with Nabuchadnezzer of their buildings Is not this great Babel that I haue built for honour of my Maiestie They talke foolishlie with Nabal Shall I take my flesh and my bread and giue away As if all that they haue were their owne And they glorie with that Glutton when their Garners and Barnes are full Novv my soule thou hast enough for many daies but a short time shall declare that they haue nothing at all who haue not the Lord to be their portion Now that wee may be mooued to make this same election which heere Dauid makes let vs first consider the louing kindnesse of the Lord our God toward vs who passing by all his creatures hath set his hart vpon man all things hee hath made for man and man for himselfe and for no other thing beside himselfe This is euident in the creation when hee had made his glorious works the first second third fourth and fift daies hee considered them all in their kinds and saw they were very good but still he proceeded to create more and could not rest till he had made man When man was created then is it said that the Lord rested No sight of the creature could content the Lord till hee had seen man all the thoughts of the diuine mind aymed at him When the Lord had created man as the perfection of his workes the compend of his creatures and the end wherevnto he looked in creating all other creatures then it is said that hee rested O man where-with shalt thou require the kindnesse of the Lord thy GOD but by resoluing with Dauid that thou wilt choose none for
are nothing different from the prayers of Turks for what shall ye heare among them but the like of these voyces God helpe vs God be mercifull to vs these are prayers which any Ethnique will make in time of his distresse but we must learne to frame our prayers another way when we pray wee must pray in the name of Christ and to be heard for Christes sake because he is the Mediator and peace-maker betweene God and man and in him the father is well pleased And againe wee must not take libertie to seeke what wee like out of our corrupt humors as the custome of many is but we must ground our prayers vpon Gods promises which in Christ Iesus he hath made vnto vs. And lastly seeing this is an argument which commonly we vse to moue God to be mercifull vnto vs Because he hath so promised if we wold haue this argument forcible let vs make conscience of those promises which we haue made vnto God Offree mercie hath the Lord made promises vnto vs but of bouÌ„d duty we haue made promises vnto him With what face can that man desire that the Lord should keepe his promise to him who had neuer any care to keep his promise vnto God More of this see ver 76. 116. 176. VER 59. I haue considered my waies and turned my feet vnto thy testimonies NExt vnto determination and supplication consideration would be vsed in all our actions to try and examine whether or no wee haue done according to our purpose and prayers Consideration is so necessary that without it no state of life can rightly be ordered The Mariner considers his course by his Compasse if he neglect it he runneth into remedilesse dangers The Merchant who adviseth not his affaires with his Count-book becommeth quickly a bankrupt The Pilgrim who hath proposed to himselfe an end of his iourney considers euery houre whether or no hee bee in the right way that may bring him to his proposed end and if he see many waies before him stat cogitat ipse secum vtram debeat eligere nec prius adoriendum iter quam animo definierit et pleniore mentis intentione deciderit hee stands and adviseth vvith himselfe which of them he should choose neyther will hee goe forward till he haue by inward consideration resolued what is best How much more should hee whose course is to the kingdome of heauen consider his waies and thinke with himselfe Non omnis via illò ducit non omnis via dirigit ad Hierusalem illam quae in coelis est that euerie vvay directs not a man to that Ierusalem which is in heauen Seeing no estate of life can be rightly ordered without consideration shall onely a Christian be so carelesse as to thinke he can goe from earth to heauen and not vse consideration But what is that which Dauid did consider I haue saith he considered my waies He was not like them who vse the eye of their mind as they doe the eye of their body for with it they looke vnto all things but not vnto it selfe so is it with many carelesse of themselues curious to censure others iudging of euery mans waies and not regarding their owne The godly indeede they looke into all things and make their advantage of all but so that first they looke into their own estate And heere is wisedom All men are naturally wise enough to looke vnto that which is theirs onely religion teacheth a man to looke to himselfe Take heed to your selues saith Moses to Israel the same said the Apostle to Timothie and in them the warning stands for vs all Aliud tu aliud tua there is a great difference betweene thy selfe and that which is thine but this is a pittiful folly that a man shall take a time to consider and take heed vnto all that is his his houses his fieldes his rents his garments and shall take no time to consider himselfe that hee may amend his waies vvhere hee hath gone wrong and repaire his decaied estate which before hee hath hurt by inconsideration And turned my feete vnto thy testimonies As oft as Dauid considered his waies he found alwaies some defect that needed redresse Who can â—…ay hee hath in such sort cleansed his hart that hee hath not neede to make it more cleane Quis ita ad vngueÌ„ omnia à se supersluà resecaâ—…it vt nihil se habere putet putatione dignum Who hath so cut away his superfluities that hee may thinke he hath nothing that needes to be cut away Crede mihi putata repullulant effugata redeunt reaccenduntur extincta Beleeue me when sinnes are lopped they grow againe when they are chased away they returne againe and their fire being once quenched kindles againe Sape putanduÌ„ est imò si fieri possit semper quia si non dissimulas semper quod putari oporteat inuenis Wherefore we should often loppe our superfluous affections yea if it be possible alwaies if a man wil tell the truth as it is he findes alwaies something in himselfe that needs to be reformed Thy Testimonies Of this see ver 79. 95. VER 60. I haue made hast and delayed not to keepe thy Commandements HEere is another protestation of his earnest loue affection toward the Lord That hee delayed not to keep his commaundements It is one of Satans customable policies to tempt men with a delay of repentance hee dare not plainely say that repentance is not needfull onely to deceiue the simple he craues a delay and so after one hee steales away another till all the time bee past wherein man should repent And in this snare many one perisheth that where in their young yeares they will not repent but delay till they be older in their olde age they cannot repent the affection through long custome of sinne waxing strong euen then when the body is weake So that the day of death which they thought to make the day of their repentance becomes to them a day of fearefull perturbation by reason of the great debt of sinne which oppresseth their soules that would not take order with it in time Thus the miserable man for lacke of timely repentance ends not his pilgrimage in peace but in fearefull perturbation vnder this punishment that Moriens obliuiscitur sui qui dum viueret oblitus est Dei When hee dyeth hee forgets himselfe because when he liued he forgat his God In things perteyning to this life delay of good is dangerous If a wound bee not cured before it rotte it becomes incurable if the fire be not quenched in time it becomes vnquenchable and if flesh be not salted before it stinke it becomes so vnsauorie that it cannot be mended If a motefal in the eye or a thorne in the foot we take them out without delay but in things perteyning to the health of the soule delay is much more dangerous
rest of his creatures Psal. 104. But this is intollerable That vnder pretence of a little time allowed vnto vs the halfe of our time should bee exacted from vs. Ethniques in this point may make vs ashamed It is written of Alexander and Caesar among many moe that they parted the night in three the first they tooke vnto rest the second to the workes of Nature the third to their studies for encrease of knowledge and learning and that because they were forced to spend the day time in gouernment of their Kingdomes and administration of their warlike affaires Yet we haue now such a number whom wee may call Monsters of Nature who are not content to spend all the night ouer in works of darknesse such as Drunkennesse and Gluttonie and Chambring and slumbring but they turne also the noon-tyde of the day into midnight Per diem illis fit media nox yea not sparing the holy Sabboths of the Lord they sleepe by themselues like Howlets in their holes when the Saints of God are assembled together to praise him but miserable are they for as they tooke no part of Gods seruice so shall they bee strangers from the recompence The third circumstance pointing out the cause or matter of his thankesgiuing is here because of Thy righteous iudgements Where by iudgements he vnderstands Gods iust working according to his word both in executing threatned plagues vpon the wicked and performing promised mercies to the godly And for this cause Dauid praiseth God because he found him alwayes as good as his word and what he promised with his mouth hee performed with his hand And this cause which moued Dauid to praise God should moue vs all for wee haue felt his promises kept to our selues and his iudgements executed on the wicked in so manifest a manner that men might say as in the Psalme Verely there is a God that iudgeth righteously on earth and there is fruit for the righteous There is no transgression of Gods law which in som wicked men we haue not seene punished If the Lord did only speake and neuer punish men would say There is not a God and if on the other hand all transgressions were punished here men might say we need not look for a iudgement to come Of such sinnes as we haue seene punished let vs learn that there is a Iudge and of such sinfull men as we see spared let vs also learne that there is a iudgement to come VER 63. I am companion of all them that feare thee and keepe thy precepts HE said in the first verse of this Section that God was his portioÌ„ now he saith All the Saints of God are his companions These two goe together the loue of God and the loue of his Saints He that loueth not his brother made to Gods image whom hee seeth how shall he say he loueth God whom hee hath not seen Seeing our goodnes extends not to the Lord if it be shewed to his Saints and excellenâ—… ones vpon earth for his sake it shall be no small argument of our louing affection toward him selfe Godly Dauid when Ionathan was dead made diligent inquisition Is there none of Ionathans posteritie to whom I may shew kindnes for Ionathans sake and at length he found a silly lame Mephiboseth So if we enquire diligently Is there none vpon earth to whom I may shew kindnesse for Christs sake who is in heauen wee shall euer find some to whom whatsoeuer wee doe shall be allowed as done to himselfe Euery mans company wherein hee delights tells what manner of man he is himselfe Qualiscunque quis fuerit cum tali se coniungit The fowles of heauen flocke together according to their kinds ye shal not see Doues assembling with Rauens Inter dispares mores quae potest esse amicitia What fellowship or friendship can be among men of inequall manners Non potest homini amicus esse qui Deo fuerit infidus he can neuer be friendly to man who is false vnto God But there is yet a greater argument the Lord IESVS hath honoured vs to be his companions so wee are called Psal. 44. God hath anointed thee aboue thy fellowes To worke this fellowship he assumed our nature he abased himselfe he was baptized as we are he died as vvee doe hee rose againe as we shall doe hee walked in all our waies that hee might traine vs vp to walke in his waies and might euery way make vs like himselfe and shal we thinke it a derogation to our honor to humble our selues for Christs sake to men of a rank inferior to vs and euen for the feare and loue of God that is in them to account them our companions Yet further his great modestie is to bee marked Non dixit imitantium te sed timentium he saith not I am companion to all that follow thee but to all that feare thee The feare of God is the beginning of wisedom Inter rudes se constituit humilitate cum veteranos superaret deuotione hee placeth himselfe among nouices in humilitie when he excelled antients in pietie That feare thee The godly are commonly described by this grace That they fear God but so that they also loue and obey him therefore Dauid ioynes these two together That fear thee and keepe thy precepts Apostat Angels saith S. Iames feare GOD but there-withall they hate him and rebell against him In the Godly feare prepares a way to loue when loue is perfected then feare shall cease but in the wicked fear prepares a way to despaire restlesse perturbation Abraham looked for no good in Gerar because he thought the fear of God was not there on the contrary Ioseph confirmed the timorous harts of his brethren that they should looke for none euil at his hands because said he I feare God Therby letting vs know that this is a sufficient reason to assure vs of all good duties from a man if truly it may be said of him He feareth God VER 64. The earth O Lord is full of thy mercies teach mee thy statutes HEere is a prayer with a reason Seeing ô Lord thou art good to all thy creatures shew thy goodnes also to mee in this that thou teach me thy statutes Gods generall benignitie is extended to all his creatures his speciall benignity is for his children and this is it that Dauid here craueth And indeed Gods generall goodness vnto all his creatures should serue to confirme his children in the assurance of his more speciall fauour toward them as heere Dauid vseth it If hee care for sparrowes if he feed the young Rauens when they cry if hee clothe the Lilies of the fielde are not his own children much more worth will he not much more care for them Seeing of his goodnesse he sends raine to the wicked makes his sunne to shine on the vniust will he not of his mercie lift vp the
to be iudge of his loue to the word Nec speciem sed plenitudinem charitatis tali conventione testatur Witnessing thereby that it was no counterfet loue but compleat and sincere loue which he bare vnto it The like protestation was vsed by S. Peter Thou knowest O Lord that I loue thee It were good that in things pertayning to godlinesse wee did declare our vpright hart by speaking as they spake Sith at the length wee must be presented before him and made manifest such as wee are let vs in time present our selues vnto him for many by custome speake that of themselues which in conscience they durst not speake beeing presented vnto God All that GOD craues of vs is loue Therefore saith the Apostle that the end or perfection of the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is loue and againe that loue is the fulfilling of the law Amari exigit qui omnes amat quia charitas est hee desires to bee loued of all who loues all because hee is loue it selfe This one commaundement containes all and it is most reasonable for what excuse can a man bring for this that he loues not God Yet many in word profess that they loue him who loue not indeed The triall of our loue to God is our loue to his word our care to keep his commaundements If any loue mee he will keepe my commaundements Qui enim diligit ex voluntate facit quae sibi sunt imperata This one triall conuinceth many to be lyers who say they loue God and yet delight not in his word nor are carefull to obey him It is my meditation continually Hee proues that which hee hath spoken The nature of loue is that it is euer thinking of the thing beloued and vseth all meanes to obtaine it Strong loue is like fire that cannot be quenched with much water So Dauid proues his loue to God by his loue to Gods word and his loue to Gods word by his continuall meditation in it no change of other exercises could make him forget it Marke againe the meanes by which after Dauids exāple we must grow in the knowledge of the word of God First meditation of that which wee haue heard or read Secondly prayer for grace to belieue and practice it Thirdly thanksgiuing for grace receiued Fourthly godly conference thereof one of vs with another All these shal a man find carefully practiced by Dauid And truly the greatest cause why now there being so much preaching there is so little profiting in godlinesse is that men before hearing prepare not in hearing pray not after hearing neither meditate thereof in themselues nor speak thereof vnto others VER 98. By thy cōmandements thou hast made me wiser thē my enemies for they are euer with me NOw he prayseth the word for the singular profit fruit which he reaped by it to weet that he learned wisedom by it And this he amplifies by cōparing himselfe with three sorts of men his enemies his teachers and the ancients And this he doth not of vaine glorie for bragging is farre from him who is gouerned by the Spirit of grace but to commend the word of the Lord and to allure others to loue it by declaring to them what manifold good hee found in it Wiser then mine enemies But how can this be seeing our Sauiour saith that The men of this world are wiser in their owne generation then the children of God The answer is Our Sauior doth not call worldlings wise men simply but wiser in their owne generation that is wise in things pertaining to this life Or as Ieremie calls them Wise to doe euill and when they haue so done wise to conceale and cloak it All which in very deed is but folly therfore Dauid who by the light of Gods word saw that it was so could not be moued to follow their course Well there is a great controuersie between the godly the wicked either of them in their iudgement account the other to be fooles but it is the light of Gods word which must decide it VER 99. I haue had more vnderstanding then my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation HEere is the second amplification That the word of God had made him wiser then his teachers which might indeed seem to be Incongrua presumptio Where note stil hee is magnifying not himselfe but the grace of God toward him It is no new thing to see many teachers often pretending to learne others that which they haue not learned thēselues and who can tell how miserable these men are who will be Doctors but not disciples teaching others but not taught of God themselues because they are not carefull to learne from him To such saith Nazianz. Our Lord was 30. yeers old ere hee beganne to be a Preacher Et tu magister vis fieri antequam discipulus and thou wilt be a master of Christians before thou be a scholer of Christ. Vnus verus est Magister qui solus non didicit quod omnes doceret caeteri omnes discant prius quod doceant ab illo accipiant quod alijs tradant There is one true Master who teacheth all and learnes of none as for all others they must first learne what they should teach and receiue from him that which they should deliuer vnto others But alas Quam multi sunt qui sermone valent loquuntur non tamen sale coelesti conditi sunt recensent que multa de mensa regia quorum nullum adepti sunt gustum How many are powerfull in speech who are not seasoned with heauenly salt rehearsing many delicates which are on the table of the heauenly King whereof they neuer tasted themselues More wise was the holy Apostle who subdued his body by discipline least while as he preached to others he should haue beene a reprobat himselfe God grant that wee may follow his example And yet euen where the Preacher is godlie partaker of that grace himselfe whereof hee is an Embassadour to others it falls out oftentimes that greater measure of light and grace is communicated by his ministrie to another then is giuen to himselfe As Augustine first illuminated and conuerted by Ambrose did far excell both in knowledge and spirituall grace him that taught him And heerein God wonderfully shewes his glory That whosoeuer be the instrument he is the dispenser of light and glorle giuing more by the instrument then it hath in it selfe And this is so farre from beeing to a godly Teacher a matter of griefe that it is rather a matter of glory The wicked glory to make others more wicked then themselues as our Sauior said the Pharisees did with the Proselyts that they made them tenne times more the children of Satan then themselues and shall the godly grudge to see that they haue made others more godly then themselues Nay truely but rather such
Let men beware of this lest they also be punished after the similitude of his condemnation VER 114. Thou art my refuge and shield and I trust in thy word HEe makes heere a secret opposition betweene the armour of the wicked by which they impugned him and his armor wherby he defended himselfe As for them by their worldly wisedome they are subtill in inventing wayes to hurt and craftily lay many snares wherein to trap me but my defence is in thee onely Dauid was in many most desperate dangers and still he found the Lord prouiding vnlooked-for deliuerances the strong Cittie of Keilah could not defend him the Lord warned him to come out of it and he was a shield vnto him the solitarie Wildernesse of Maon could not secure him for euen there Saul and his souldiers had compassed him but God had a care of him and turned his pursuers another way These by-gone experiences of Gods louing care and fauour towards him doe now confirme him to rest in God how many wayes soeuer his enemies pursue him he will still make the Lord his refuge and shield and trust in his word VER 115. Away from me yee wicked for I will keepe the commandements of my God AS before he protested that he would cleaue vnto God so now that he will sunder from the wicked True fellowship with God bindes vs to diuide our hearts from all them who will not walk Gods way and therefore this is brought in as a sufficient reason of improbation against the wicked to proue they were not the Lords because saith the Lord If thou see a thiese thou runnest with him and art companion with the adulterers what then hast thou to doe to take my ordinances in thy mouth Euery mans company wherin he delights may tell what maner of man he is himselfe As Rauens flock together by companies and Doues flie together and beasts of the earth gather themselues to other of their own kinds so wicked men loue the company of wicked and godly men through grace delight in the fellowship of such as are like them Which is not so to be vnderstood as if in regard of personall conuersation we behoued to separate from the wicked for so as saith the Apostle we should goe out of the world but euen in the midst of their company we must separate from them both in fashions and affections as we see Lot did in Sodome And this Dauid did for two causes First for offences don against God he withdrew himselfe from the company of the wicked for their sport and pleasure is in those things which grieue the spirit of the Lord. Sure it is he neuer loued God who mislikes not men for offending God Doe I not hate them that hate thee Doe I not contend with them who contend with thee I hate them as if they were mine vtter enemies The other cause is the feare of his owne infirmities lest by the exāple of the wicked either he should be allured to euill or relented to good For euery company warnes vs to walke in feare and trembling Quoniam vndique scandala nos obsident innumeris vitijs refertusest mundus quae extinguunt vel saltem corrumpunt in nobis legem Dei legis studium On euery hand we are compassed with stumbling blocks the world is replenished with innumerable euils which eyther extinguish or corrupt in vs the studie of Gods lawe and for which we haue neede to walke circumspectly if we be in the company of godly men we should watch ouer our wordes and wayes lest we offend them and if we also be in the company of the wicked we should likewise feare lest we be offended or infected by them For I will keep the commandements of my God There is the reason of his protestation Your course and mine are contrary I haue resolued to walke another way then the way wherein I see ye are walking and therefore your company is not for me Of my God As a man can esteeme of any thing which he knowes is his owne so if once he know that God is his he cannot but loue him and carefully obey him neyther is it possible that any man can giue to God hearty and permanent seruice who is not perswaded to say with Dauid He is my God All the pleasures all the terrours of the world cannot sunder that soule from God who can truely say The Lord is my God Againe a true Christian hath nothing in the world wherein he can reioyce as in his owne but onely in the Lord his God A worldling will speake with Nabal My flesh and my bread and with Nebuchadnezer Is not this my Palace and with Alcibiades boast of their Rent A Christian hath none of these of his owne but vseth them like moueables a mans own flesh yea his owne heart his friends and all that he hath will faile him To these a Christian will neuer say They are mine but God is the strength of mine heart and my portion for euer VER 116. Stablish me according to thy promise that I may liue disappoint me not of my hope DAuid after his former resolution turnes him to prayer for our intentions and conclusions are nothing except the Lord blesse them and therefore now Dauid craueth that God would stablish him The godly are subiect to a two fold instability the first is a wauering from a constant beleeuing of Gods promises And this is an instability of faith not that I think the faith of a man regenerate can faile but because oft-times it is sore combred shaken with the winde of manifold tentations Who can tell how many wayes Gods children are tempted with vnbeliefe It may truly be said that he nere knew what it is to beleeue who knowes not what it is to wrestle with vnbeliefe great neede therefore haue we to pray with Dauid Lord stablish me and with that Father interceding for his sonne in the Gospell O Lord I beleeue helpe thou my vnbeliefe The other is an instability of loue obedience for the godly finde their hearts many times carried away by externall allurements to a forgetfulnesse of the Lord their God and there-thorough also to an offending him Alas how instable a thing is the heart of man by nature euery obiect intangles it and it is ready to goe a whooring after euery creature vnlesse that golden nayle of the holy loue and feare of God bee driuen into it And in this respect also we haue great neede to pray with Dauid Lord stablish me Adam created by God was indued with many excellent graces but wanted this perseuerance and stability in grace which now wee haue in Christ for by him we haue not onely the grace of conversion but the grace also of confirmation the one makes vs godly the other continues vs godly But now many so leane to the shewe of their conversion
constraint nor for feare onely but willingly and with ioy as being such seruants as are also his sonnes He acknowledgeth here his owne wants that as a naturall man he had no vnderstanding of the wayes of God his Word is full of mysteries which we cannot know till God reueale them And as a Regenerate man hee had not so much knowledge as he should haue Habebat intellectum sed vt redundaret vberiorem inquirit he had vnderstanding but he craues he might more more abound in all knowledge iudgement We will not with Euah aspire to that knowledge which God hath forbidden but that which God hath reuealed vnto vs wee will neuer thinke wee can learne it so well but that still we haue need to learne it better To knowe thy Testimonies Hee prayed before for knowledge of Gods Statutes now he prayeth for the knowledge of Gods Testimonies The Statutes more strictly taken are that parte of Gods Word declaring his Will which wee should obey the Testimonies properly are that part of Gods Word declaring his Promises which we should beleeue To know the first without the second will not make vs godly for it is the sense of Gods loue and faith in his Testimonies that workes kindly obedience and therefore Dauid prayeth for it See vers 2. 14. 22. 24. 36. 46. 59. 79. 88. 95. 99. 111. c. VER 126. It is time for thee to worke for they haue destroyed thy Lawe HEe hath complained before of the oppression of his aduersaries besought the Lord to arme him against them with knowledge vnderstanding now he complaines their iniquity was come to such a height that they did giue battell euen to God himselfe and were not only enemies to Dauid but such as had done what they could to destroy the law of God So the verse containes a prayer that God would work and a reason taken from the ripenesse of the wickednesse of his enemies According to our sense there is a time wherin God worketh not whereof proceedes in the godlie the like of these complaints Arise Lord why sleepest thou How long wilt thou forget It is true in himselfe hee is a continuall working vertue but wee beeing ignorant of the waies whereby he walkes to his owne end think sometime that hee is not working because hee is not executing although euen then when wee so thinke hee be most busily working a way to effect his owne determinate conclusion But how is this that hee prescribeth a time to the Lord Is not this to fall into that fault which is reprooued Psalme 78 They limited the Holie one of Israel For answere of this GOD hath made some promises with a time declaring to his children when hee would performe them So hee promised to free Abrahams seede from the Egyptian persecution after foure hundred yeeres as hee did for it was no lesse between the beginning of that persecution in Ismael mocking Isaac the deliuerance from it in Pharao oppressing Israel with burdens Again he promised to bring Israel out of Babel after seauenty yeers and therfore the godly who thought very long for expiring of that date praied earnestly that God would haue mercy on Sion because the appointed time was come So also he promised to send Shiloh the true deliuerer of his people at that time when the Scepter shold depart from Israel and therefore at that time Simeon waited for the consolation and his eyes saw the saluation of God Other promises againe hee makes without a time that is not telling when he will performe them He put Noah in the Ark but told him not when hee would bring him out and hee taried a yeere and a day waiting Gods time with patience He sent Ioseph and Mary into Egypt commaunding them to tarie there till he told them they inquired not how long neither did hee tell them Learning vs when God layes a crosse on vs not to capitulate with him concerning the time of our deliuerance but patiently to beare it till his time come It was Sauls ouer-hastiness he taried for Samuel seauen daies but would tarie no longer And it was the blasphemous speech of Iehoram Why should I attend any longer Let vs not dishonour the Lord by prescribing a time to him If he should alway tell vs the time of our deliuerance the praise of our patience should be the lesse and our prayer the colder but when hee conceales the time and wee with patience wait vpon it we giue good proofe of our faith and patience and finde our deliuerance the sweeter when it comes Yet in publick troubles of the Church when the pride of the enemie is become great and the cup of the Amoâ—…ites seemes to be full when the children of God are brought low their soules humbled to the dust it is no limitation of the Lord when with Dauid they pray that GOD would haue mercy on them because the time is come For they haue destroyed thy law It is a great proofe of true godlinesse when we are more displeased with offences done against the Lord our GOD then with such as are done against our selues But it is now far otherwise with most part of Professors so that they bee not preiudiced in their names and commodities they care not what be done against the glory of God An euident argument that they neuer loued him In the second verse of this Section hee complained that the proud would oppresse him now he complaineth that they destroyed the law of God Who then are Dauids enemies and seek to oppresse him Onely such as are enemies to God and seeke to destroy his law A great comfort haue we in this that if we loue the Lord and studie in a good conscience to serue him wee can haue no enemies except such as are enemies to God And so long as God wants his due at their hands that is loue and seruice may not wee be content to want their affection toward vs Truly it should greatly increase our patience to remember that if they were not enemies to God they would neuer be ouâ—… enemies But how is this hâ—… 〈◊〉 They haue destroyed thy law Is this posâ—…ble that Gods law can be destroyed No indeed yet because their malice would if their power might they shall be charged with it There is a law of God written in holy Scripture which the wicked in all ages haue sought to destroy but GOD hath marueilously preserued it There is a law written in the booke of euery mans conscience which the most profane in the world doe what he can is not abloto scrape out but still it iudgeth him conuinceth him and rebukes him when he doth wrong And as for the execution of the law all the wicked in the world are not able to stay it when Gods time commeth yet because as I said the wicked would do it if they might they are charged with
it that they haue done it For as the godly shall haue imputed to theÌ„ that good which faine they would haue done albeit they did not performe it so shall the wicked be charged as verely with that euill which they would haue done albeit they neuer did it O what a heape of finnes shall be gathered against them wheÌ„ with the sinnes of their actions and words the sinnes of their affections shall be conioyned also And here we see how-euer God for a time tolerate them yet he hath his owne appointed time to punish them and will not passe it Omnia in statera gubernat Deus God ruleth all things in a balance Diu quidem fert 〈◊〉 peccata vbi verò patientiae eius intuitâ—… aâ—…geri malitiam videt tum pâ—…nas sumit Long doth the Lord suffer the sinnes of mortall men but when they abuse his patience to increase their wickednes then hee doth punish them he doth nothing out of time Totum oportunum est quod fecerit but whatsoeuer hee doth hee doth it most seasonably and therefore whether it bee deliuerance to vs or iudgement vpon our enemies that God delaies let vs knowe it is because his houre is not yet come VER 127. Therefore loue I thy Commandements aboue gold yea aboue most fine gold WE may see here that Dauid was not a temporizer in religion whose affection towards Gods word depends vpon the state of times and persons of men but euen when his enemies did disdaine it yea because they sought to destroy it therefore he loued it This is a tryall of true religion euen then to cleaue to the word of God and professe it constantly when honourable and great men of the world are against it This was Iosua his resolution Albeit all the world should for sake God yet I and my fathers house will worship him And Peters in like manner when many of Christs disciples did forsake him and it was asked at them Will yee go also from me he answered where away shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life To professe religion when it is warranted by law when both rulers and people professe it is no great matter but when the powers of the world forsake it then to stand to it is an argument of true religion Loue I thy commandements Hee professeth not that hee fulfilled them but that hee loued them and truely it is a great progresse in godlines if we be come thus far as from our heart to loue them The natural man hates the commandements of God they are so contrary to his corruption but the regenerate man as he hates his owne corruption so he loues the word because according to it he desires to bee reformed And here is our comfort That albeit we cannot doe what is commanded yet if we loue to doe it it is an argument of grace receiued Aboue gold It is not vnlawful to loue those creatures which God hath appointed for our vse with these two conditions the one is that the first seat in our affection of loue be reserued to God and any other thing wee loue that we loue it in him and for him and giue it onely the second roome Thus Dauid being a naturall man loued his naturall foode but he protesteth hee loued the law of the Lord more then his appointed foode and here he loues the commandements of God aboue all gold VER 128. Therefore I esteeme all thy precepts most iust and I hate all false wayes IN this verse are two protestatioÌ„s In the first he declares how he esteemed of Gods word in his minde in the second how in his affection he was disposed toward it As the minde of a man esteemes of any thing so are his affections moued to flie or follow it It is shame for many professors now to say they esteeme of Gods word when they shew their affections more set vpon any thing in the world then vpon it Most iust In two respects is the word of God iust first because it commands nothing but that which is most reasonable and next because it shal not faile one iot but the euent of things shall bee according to the predictions of this word What cause haue we then to reioice That how euer our tribulations be many yet wee heare out of this most iust word It cannot bee but well with them that feare the Lord And again what cause of feare is there to the wicked when this same word saith There is no peace to the wicked saith my God And a sinner of an hundred yeeres old shall dy accursed If wee behold the wicked in their most flourishing estate and looke to them in the glasse of the word we shall see their miseraend long before it come And I hate all false wayes The best tryall of our loue to God and his word is the contrary hatred of sin and impietie Yee that loue the Lord hate that which is euill He that loues a tree hates the worme that consumes it he that loues a garment hates the moth that eates it he that loueth life abhorreth death and he that loues the Lord hates euery thing that offends him Let men take heede to this who are in loue of their sinnes how can the loue of God be in them All false wayes Religion binds vs not onely to hate one way of falsehood but all the wayes of it As there is nothing good but in some measure a godly man loues it so is there nothing euil but in som measure he hates it And this is the perfection of the children of God a perfection not of degrees for we neither loue good nor hate euill as wee should but a perfection of parts because euery good we loue and wee hate euery euill in some measure The worst man in the world loues some good and hates some euill Plerumque enim peccata huiusmodi sunt vt si alterum declines incurras alteruÌ„ ofttimes he that declines one sin fals into another It may be thou haâ—…est couetousness yet art snared with lechery there is one very temperate of his mouth but of a proud hauty heart there is another not ambitious of honour but a seruant to gluttony Diuerso vsu in eundem indeuotionis errorem vterque concurrit And this is very dangerous when as men because some good thing is in them take the greater liberty to coÌ„mit some euill for if Sathan get a gripe of thee by any one sin is it not enough to carry thee to damnation As the butcher carries the beast to the slaughter sometime bound by all the foure feete and sometime by one onely so is it with Satan Though thou be not a slaue to all sin if thou be a slaue to one the gripe he hath of thee by that one sinfull affection is sufficient to captiue thee P E. VER 129. Thy testimonies are wonderfull therfore doth my soule keepe them THE familiarity of
must be tryed by knowledge first let vs consider that to be the zeale of God which fights with the armor of God the Worde Prayer and patient Suffering That againe is a zeale but without knowledge which fights with carnall armour hatred euill speaking and bloudy persecution such a zeale breedes superstition spares not to deale cruelly with all such as are contrary minded By this rule Papists may trie of what spirit they are Because mine enemies Dauid had many enemies but none except such as had cast the Lawe of God behinde their backe It is a great comfort to the godly to see that they haue no enemies but such as are enemies to God VER 140. Thy word is proued most pure and thy seruant loueth it HEere is the third ground of comfort which sustained Dauid to wit that Gods word was tryed to be true by his constant and continuall working according to it To expresse this he compares the word of God here Psal. 12. vnto golde tryed in the fire which not onely indures but becomes fineâ—… when all réfuse or counterfeit matter faileth and vanisheth So will Dauid say when the fire of affliction was kindled I haue seene all comforts perish onely thy word proued a word of consolation for the more the flames of affliction increase the more powerfully doth the word expresse that hidden vertue of consolation which is in it And because he had so felt it so now he speakes of it Where it is to be marked for our greater comfort that albeit the time be not yet come of the full accomplishment of Gods word in the which the least iot thereof must be fulfilled yet the Lord giues vs as many present proofes of it by experience as may confirme vs in assurance of the verity thereof If we be wise to marke the working of the Lord we shall finde witnesses in euery age in euery yeare yea in euery moneth and day to confirme vs that as God hath a mouth to speake so hath he an hand by which he workes according to his word giuing ioyfull deliuerance to his own out of all their troubles and rendring iudgement to his enemies according to their pride And thy seruant loueth it Loue in God is the fountaine of all his benefits extended to vs and loue in man is the fountaine of all our seruice and obedience to our God He loued vs first to doe vs good and hereof it comes that we haue grace to loue him next anâ—…â—…e him seruice Loue is such a duetie as the want whereof cannot be excused in any for the poorest both may and should loue him yet without it all the rest thou canst doe in his seruice is nothing nay not if thou shouldst giue al thy goods to the poore and offer thy bodie to be burned Small sacrifices flowing from faith and loue are welcome to him where greater without these are but abomination vnto him Proofes of both we haue in the Widowes myte and Caines rich oblation wherof the one was reiected the other receiued Happy are we though we cannot say We haue don as God commands yet if out of a good hart we can say We loue to do what he commands VER 141. I am small and despised yet doe I not forget thy precepts HEe renues againe the protestation of his vnfained affection toward Gods word with an amplification therof that albeit his estate was meane and himselfe despised and contemned also of his enemies yet he did not forget the word of God There are many who can professe Religion as long as they see peace and honour following it who rather then they would indure trouble and contempt will vtterly forsake it The Samaritans could very wel reioyce in their new Temple built on Mount Garizin boasting that they were the posterity of Ephraim companions to the Iews no lesse worshippers of God then they were hauing also a Temple of their owne but when they saw that Antioehus Epiphanes King of Syria did cruelly persecute the Iewes for the worshipping of God then did they alter their profession they called themselues not Israelites but Sidonians and that their Temple was dedicate not to Iehoua but to Iupiter Cretensis and so eschued they the fury of the persecutor Many such Samaritan professors are in this age who to eschue the present wrath of men spare not to renounce Religion and so cast themselues in danger of the fearefull wrath of God whom they will finde a consuming fire From such temporizing and counterfeit dissembling the Lord preserue vs and blesse vs with this grace of a constant affection toward Gods word in euery state of life Againe it is no new thing to see them small and despised in mens estimation who with the Lord are highly esteemed being men as here Dauid was according to Gods owne heart Honourable in the eyes of the world was that rich glutton clothed in purple despised was Lazarus but ye see the one was an heire of glory the other but an inheritor of hell A godly man is an excellent treasure in an earthen vessell compared by Macarius to a precious pearle in a contemptible purse despised by many because they know not the jewell that is within it The worla knowes them not because it knowes not the Lord whose sonnes they are neyther doth it yet appeare what they shall be Nazianzen for this compares men in this world to those who in a Stage-play represent another thing then they are there the beggar is busked like a King and by the contrary But when the Play is done and their garments layed by then shall euery one of them appeare such as they are For this Saint Iames giues vs a profitable instruction That wee should not haue the faith of Christ in respect of persons to honour a man onely for his riches or despise an other for his pouertie but where wee see the grace of Christ be they rich or poore we ought for Christs sake to haue them in honourable estimation Yet doe I not forget thy precepts We see by experience that our affection leaues any thing from the time it goes out of our remembrance but earnest loue euer renues remembrance of that which is beloued The first step of defection is to forget what God hath commanded what we are obliged in duety to doe to him for vpon this easily followes the offending of God by our transgression Such beasts as did not chew their cudde vnder the lawe were accounted vncleane and not meet to be sacrificed to God that was but a figure signifying vnto vs That a man who hath receiued good things from God and doth not think vpon them cannot feel the sweetnesse of them so cannot be thankfull to God VER 142. Thy righteousnesse is an euerlasting righteousnesse and thy Lawe is truth DAuid considers here two things in the worde of God first the equity of it next
he was persecuted and sore oppressed for his profession yet no trouble could make him swerue from the testimonies of God Trouble is the best tryall of true Religion Non est magnum si tune a Dei testimonijs non declines cum te nullus persequitur It is no great thing to cleaue vnto the testimonies of God when none pursues thee for it when authority allowes it when honour and prosperitie follows it it is no great praise then to professe it When the Lord gloried of his seruant Iob that he was an vpright man fearing God c. Satan replied And what maruell Doth Iob worship God for nothing He knew there were many hyrelings temporizers in the world that worshipped not God sincerely and therefore would not continue in it He thought Iob to be one of these Lay now thine hand vpon all that he hath and he shal blaspheme thee to thy face But he was deceiued for the more he was crost the neerer did he cleaue vnto the Lord. Let vs remember as S. Paul hath warned vs We haue not yet resisted vnto the bloud neither yet that which S. Peter cals The siery tryall haue we endured And yet what a shame is it to see how many moued by the naked example of the Apostles are becom colder in Religion An euident argument that they were neuer truely religious for if they cannot stand against offences how should they stand against oppressions and persecutions What persecuters they were and what was the kinde of persecution Dauid expresseth not Basil thinkes Quod quacunque sibi acciderant omnia hoc Psalmo congessit that what-euer befell him of any trouble eyther by Saul or Absalom or vncircumcised Nations among whom he soiourned all is gathered together in this Psalme which containes eyther prayers he made when he was in trouble or prayses he gaue when God deliuered him out of trouble or else spirituall gloriations of that strength constancy which God gaue him to indure it Properly there is but one persecuter of all the godly this is Satan the enemie of Gods glorie of our saluation Vnus persequutor est sed multos habet ministros but he hath many seruants instruments vnder him some inuisible some visible and according as they are so is the kinde of persecution eyther bodily or spirituall There is an euill spirit of fornication another of auarice another of pride Hi sunt persequutores graues these are fearefull persecutors Otherwise the Apostle would not say Flie fornication if the spirit of fornication were not a pursuer Many are stout in the outward persecution qui occulta hac persequutione ceciderunt who by this secret persecution haue beene ouercome Hi tibi hostes cauendi hi grauiores tyranni per quos Adam captus these are the enemies whō thou must eschew these are the most grieuous tyrannes by whom Adam was captiued and thou art to beware of them By visible enemies also Satan fights against vs but these are not so dangerous as the other yet for the present more displeasant let vs not bee discouraged with them Si multae persequutiones multae et probationes If our persecutions bee many so are our trialls and probations tryals I meane both of our sinceritie and of the truth of God If Daniel had not by wicked men beene cast into the denne of Lyons and the three children by Nebuchadnezzars fury into the fiery furnace then should not their constant affection towarde God and his truth power in preseruing them haue beene so clearely manifested Tibi ergo prodest quòd multi persequutores sunt vt inter multas persequutiones facilius inuenias quomodo coroneris The more waies thou be persecuted the more wayes hast thou to bee crowned for by many tribulations doe wee enter into the kingdome of heauen VER 158. I saw the transgressours and was grieued because they did not keep thy word ALbeit his trouble were great by the restlesse malice of his enemies and his dangers oftentimes desperate yet he protests none of these went so neere his heart as the dishonour of God and contempt of Gods word The glory of God shining in his word is dearer to the godly then their liues and they haue no pleasure to liue but melt away for griefe when they see wickednes and idolatry exalted pietie and true religion trode vnder foot This made good Eliah desire that the Lord would take him out of this life this made Dauid pine away for griefe And it may condemne many who if so be their owne estate be peaceable they will not disquiet themselues with griefe for any dishonor that by impiety of wicked men is done vnto God See ver 136. VER 159. Cōsider O Lord how I loue thy precepts quicken me according to thy louing kindnes THis verse containes a protestation of his great loue toward the word of God for probation whereof hee appeales to the testimony of God desiring the Lord to consider if it be so or not It is an argument of a good conscience when a man dare present his heart vnto God and desire him to looke into it Nemo dicit vide nisi qui iudicat se si videatur esse placiturum No man saith to God Looke vpon me but he who knowes that God will like him when hee lookes vpon him for hee that doth euill hates the light and an euill conscience dares not stand before God but hides the selfe so farre as it can from him as we see in Adam But sith so it is that the knowledge of our estate cannot be hid from the Lord but wee must be presented naked before him it is but vanity now to hide our wayes from him Woe be vnto them that seeke in deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord their waies are in secret and they say who seeth them But He that made the eie shall hee not see Wisedome rather craues that wee should lay open our hearts to the Lord in time walking so in a good conscience before him that we might be bold to say with Dauid Looke vpon mee Lord and consider me How I loue He saith not consider how I performe thy precepts but how I loue them The comfort of a Christian militant in this body of sin is rather in sinceritie and feruencie of his affections then in the absolute perfection of his actions He failes many times in his obedience to Gods precepts in regard of his action but loue in his affection still remaines so that both before the temptation to sin and after it there is a griefe in his soule that hee should finde in himselfe any corrupt will or desire contrary to the holy will of the Lord his God and this proues an inuincible loue in him to the precepts of God Thy precepts He saith not that he loued Gods promises onely for euery man hath a liking of these but his precepts also Naturally
364. A warning for Iudges 344. Iudgements of God secret and reuealed 38. Iudgements of God double Directory Correctory 57. 191. Of Conuersion and Confusion 203. Iudgements of God diuersly applied by Dauid and by Lamech 59 Iudgements Awe-bands to keep vs in 266. Iudgement and Iustice distinguished 273. How Dauid desired to be dealt with in Iudgement how not 335. Iudgements past shold perswade the certainety of Iudgements to com it doth with the Godly 358. K GOds Kindness mans much different Pag. 110. Gods Kindnesse a sufficient defence against Mans malice and ill will 111. 209 Gods Kindnesse generall special 209. Gods Kindnesse is the Godlies argument in prayer 334. Knowledge which reformeth not is dangerous 93. Knowledge of this life farre inferiour to that of the life to come 169. Knowledge and Feare of God go together and so destroy both superstition and presumption 197 L THe Lawe of God the rule of mans life Pag. 8. Then learned when writ in the heart 83. A Lanterne and why so called 240. 241. Lawe written in the Scripture and in the conscience which the wicked would destroy if they could 287. Gods Lawe his image 315. True Libertie what and wherin it is 116. Carnall is thraldome 114. Naturall Life maketh a Reprobate worse because Life without grace is death 49. Our Life a race and restlesse battell 90. Mans Life measured by dayes not yeares 201. The Life of the Godly excelled diuersly but he in the Life of grace excelleth all 262 263. Of a Godly Life three helpes Determination Supplication and Consideration 145. Of Life naturall eternall 39◅ Light not onely to bee had but grace withall to be desired to walk after the Light 95. The Light of the Gospel clearer then the Light of the Law 240. At the Light of the Lanterne of the Word we must light the Light of the Lanterne of our mind 242. Light externall internall speciall of Creatures of Conscience of Gods Countenance 308 A Looke of mercy a Looke of displeasure 302. To Loue to liue to sinne is wicked but to Loue to liue to repent of sinne good 50. Louers of God loue the Godly 161. Gods Loue to his exceeding great 221. Dauids Loue to Gods Law not counterfeit but complete 228. Loue is all God asketh the tryall thereof 229. Loue coupled and conserued with feare 270. Loue of obedience an argument of Godlinesse 255. 289. Loue of creatures must be conditionall ibid. Loue in God the fountain of his benefits Loue in Man the fountaine of his obedience 320. Loue to God in vs assureth vs of the Loue of God tovs 371. Two trials of true Loue. 372. 278. A Lying way the way of nature 81. Lyes trimmed vp with the garment of truth 177. M MAn quick to works of sinne dead to works of grace 100 Man Gods work manship therfore loued by him 185. Man without vnderstanding a Beasts fellow 186. Man at the best standeth in need of mercy 301. Martyrs of inuincible courage whence 362. Meditation necessary 43. The matter of Meditation 44. Members naturall one neede another 39. Mercies begun moue God to more mercies 72. 165. Gods Mercy in forgiuing and mans Truth in confessing meete together 73. Desire of Mercy vseth the means of Mercy 106. Memorials of mercy to be maintained 167. Mercy receiued maketh men thirst for more 193. Mercy for remission for consolation for reformation ibid. Gods mercies are registred constant not onely for our consolation but for our confirmation 303. Mercy in God and grace in man meet together ibid. It is Gods mercy that differēceth the gratious gracelesse 347. 348 Gods mercies why called great why tender 349. Mans minding God may be seen by his godly life 133. The troubles of the minde distemper the body 200. 300. The godly shold open their mind when God openeth his mouth 301 Moabs curse 386. Mockeries of euill men a part of Christs crosse 126. Motions of sinne Grace 105 Mourning for our selues for others commended why 312. N A Good Name to be regarded and why Pag. 213. Naturall men cannot mount aboue the earth 268. Nature cannot conioyn whom Grace doth not 175. Not Nature but Faith leadeth vs to the hand that smiteth 192. Necessities hinder spirituall duties 156. As God is Neere vnto vs so we should be Neere vnto him 338. Nero his miserable end 376. O A Godly Oath necessary to a godly resolution Page 243. Obedience qualified how 57. Obedience resolued on by the Godly for eternity 114. The Oblation of a mans selfe most pleasing vnto God 248. The Oblation of his hart is euer in the godly mans hand ibid. Obl◅uion leadeth to rebellion and defection 17. 323. Offences offred God should grieue vs more then iniuries offered vs. 286. He must Offer to God that asketh of God 330. The Opening of sin before God 780. A spirituall Oppression in Dauid 68. Oppressors of our soules to bee most prayed against 274 P TWo great motiues to Patience Pag 246. Our Perfection is rather in desires then in deeds 105. 379. 396. Persecutions and Persecutors diuers 203. 306. 352. True Godlines neuer wants the crowne of Perseuerance 87. Gods last Plagues the more grieuous 172. Pleasures diuers 2. Pleasures earthly all vain 225. God is the Portion wherein a boue all the Godly do glory 138. Motiues to make God our Portion ibid. God a Portiō no whit lesse thogh communicated vnto all 141. Comfort to the Poore that God is their Portion 142. Our Practise must proue that God is our Portion 144 Pouerty not to want golde but grace 184. To Practise what we prescribe 31 Prayer the life of the soule 47. The Godly answer Gods precepts with Prayer 18 Rules for Prayer 80. Argument of Prayer ariseth out of all our diuers dispositions 82. Prayer to be feruent frequent why 108. 265 294. 385. When to be long when short 295 In Dauids Prayer 3. things his Reuerence Sincerity Faith 146. For Prayer Christs and Dauids precepts and practise 158. Nothing to be Prayed for but what warranted by the Word 199. Prayers to bee framed to God promises 261. 385. Praier is seed to be sowne 328. Prayers of the Godly interrupted 382. Euery crying is no piercing Praying 328. Prayer must be with Perseuerance 331. Prayers to be prayed for 382. Praiers reiected a sore plague ibid. Error of pride accursed 61. Prides policy 203. A preseruatiue against pride 307 Religious Princes a great blessing 64. Princes though Persecutors to be reuerenced 361. Presumptuous Professors reproued 210. Gods Promises most sure in themselues must be made sure vn to vs by Prayer 100 All Gods Promises are conditionall 102. 262. He that prayeth vnto God must Promise vnto God 109. 386. The generall Promise of mercy containeth euery mans particular comfort that is godly 120. It standeth with Gods honor to performe his Promise 122. Gods Promise is our hopes warrant 279. Gods Promises some made with a time set some without 284. 285. Not onely Gods Promises but his precepts
vs in the certainty of our saluation 1. Cor. 1. Phil. 2. Christians are sure of perseuerance proued by foure reasons Gal. 2. Rom. 6. 1. Pet. 1. 1. Ioh. 2. Commendation of Gods word â—…t will vphold vs when all other comfort will faile Ambrose If we make no conscience of Gods word in prosperity it shall not comfort vs madueâ—…sity The Word of God is the life of our soule If such fruit be in his promise what is in the performance Mockeries and tauntings of euill men is a part of Christs crosse Ismael first began this kind of persecution Gal. 4. Godlines hath many impediments If we remember time begun forethinke time to come the tentations of the time present shall not readily ouercome vs. Prou. 1. Godly men pitie the wicked Euthym. Not so much for wroÌ„g done to them as for the euill that redounds to theÌ„ who doe it Ambr. ☜ The weight of sin aggrauated by this that it is a forsaking of Gods law They who couÌ„t Gods word a wearines which Dauid accounted a refreshment are in a hard estate The word is conuenient for euery state of life In it wee haue prayers for crosses and psalmes for euery deliueraÌ„ce Bodily banishment brings the godly neerer to the Lord how euer it put them further from men Our life vpon earth is but a banishment ☞ It were a sore punishment to dwell for euer in our bodies as they are ☞ Iob. 18. Priuate exercises are surest tryalls of true godliness and why Rom. 2. 29. This age conuinced of coldnes in religion Euery mans life declares if he remember God or no. Ambrose How the beginnings of godliness are euer blessed with increase ☞ God teacheth vs both by precepts and examples All the godly who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before vs. call vpon vs. ☜ Heb. 12. Among the rest Dauid calls vs to follow him If we would be partakers of his approbation 2. Reg. 2. A two-fold protestation in this verse It is a commoÌ„ thing to speak of God not so to speake to him Accesse to the throne of grace in the body is the first degree of eternal life ☜ Macar hâ—…m 8. Dauid a great King yet glories onely in this that God was his 〈◊〉 Worldlings may be ashamed who hauing lesse portions on earth yet for them neglect the Lord. Why we should chuse God to be our portion God rested not in his worke of creation till he had made man ☜ And man shold not rest content with any creature but set his hart vpoÌ„ God Psal. 73. 25. ☜ August The greatest good in the creature is but a sparkle of that infinite good in the Creator Euery creature sends vs from it vp to him that made it ☞ Prou. 1. 8. Man was made for God no other thing but God can content him Bernard August ☜ God is not the lesse portion of one because he is the portion of another Earthly inheritances are diminished being coÌ„muncated to many heauenly are not so How the assurance of our election may be gathered 1. Iohn 4. Comfort for such as are poor in worldly things Psal. 23. 1. Abrahams infirmitie should learne vs to gather strength ☜ Information for such as are rich in the world Shame that they are more zealous to maintain their earthly portion then the heauenly Ierem. 8. It is not enough to say God is thy portion vnlesse thou qualifie it Chrys. in Mat. hom 4. An InterrogatioÌ„ of Chrysostoms meet for professors of this age ☞ Such as enter into religion without determination cannot continue Three helps of a godly life 1. Determination 2. Supplication 3. Consideration Iam. 3. Our purpose perisheth if God blesse it not Three things obserued in Dauids prayer 1 His Reuerence The like reuerence recommended to vs. Eccles. 5. August The second is his Sinceritie Against a false hart vnder a faire tongue ☜ ☞ Pro. 26. 23. The third is his faith Prayers of bastard Christians nothing different from the prayers of Turkes ☜ God promiseth of mercy wee promise of dutie If we would haue the one effectuall let vâ—… make conscience of the other Consideration so necessary that without it no estate of our life can be well ordered ☞ We should not vse the eye of the mind as we doe the eye of the body ☜ By the one we look to others by this wee should look to our selues It is a lamentable folly for a man to take heed to any thing that is his more then to himselfe Basil de verbis Mosis Attende tibi As oft as wee â—…oke to our selues we shal find something 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bern. Delay of repentance dangerous How it brings many to damnation ☜ August Against the delay of repentance Satan seeks but â—… delay God crâ—…ues present repentance ☞ All men seek the Lord at length wise meÌ„ seek him in time True godlines endureth great tentations What the wicked are to the godly ☜ The combination of the wicked shall not helpe them Three things to be marked in this verse Our necessities hinders our spiritual exercises that they can not be continuall as it is with them in heauen Yet wee should indeuour vnto it Why Salomon made Harps of Almuggim trees We soone faint in prayer Though our performance faile our purpose should remaine Time a most pretious jewel ☜ How the time of the day and night should be spent after Dauids example The same Christ teacheth by his example Ambrose Sleepe is the deaw of nature Yet we should quit it to keepe the deaw of grace or else worldlings and Idolators shall accuse vs. ☞ Sleep compared to a sory customer that takes vp more then he should How Alexander and Caesar parted the night Monsters of Nature turne the day into night Ambrose What God promiseth with his mouth he performeth with his hand Sin punished now tels there is a Iudge Sinne spared now tells there is a iudgement to come He that loueth God wil loue his Saints Euery mans company declares what himselfe is Ambr. ad virg deuotam Ambr. offer lib. 3. ca. 16. Christians of an inferior rank to ourselues should be vsed as our companions ☞ An example of great humility ☞ In the godly feare is with loue not so in the wicked No good is to be looked for where the feare of God is not Gods benignitie generall is to all speciall to his owne children The goodness of God toward his creatures should coÌ„firme his children in the assurance of his loue Blind are the wicked who see not Gods goodnes in his creatures ☞ Gods mercy shewed to a man is an vndoubted argument that hee will shew more mercie His present gifts are but pledges of greater Psalm 23. How God is gracious euen wheÌ„ he afflicts Ambrose The same declared by sundry similitudes Basil. Memorials of mercy should be kept The seruant of God an honorable and comfortable stile Iudg. 16. The wicked dishonor God when they call in doubt the truth of his word Esay 37. Zach. 1. But they shall find it
without griefe nor yet griefe without ioy ☜ Of the right gouernement of our eyes Reasons mouing vs to mourning 1. If we mourn not for other mens sinnes they become ours 2. If we mourn many blessings follow it ☜ A three-fold comfort that sustained Dauid 1. A meditation of the righteousnesse of God 2. A meditation of the equity of Gods commands flowing from his righteous nature The Lawe of God represents to vs the image of God How horrible an euill sinne is ☞ If any man desire to know what will be his end let him inquire at Gods word The loue which godly men carry to the word cannot be satisfied in this lâ—…fe The nature of zeale Sundâ—…y sorts of zeale ☞ Rom. 10. 2. Ambrose The effects of holy zeale Rom. 12. Knowledge Zeale two wings of the soule How true zeale may be tried from false ☜ Who are enemies to godly men 3. A meditation of Gods constant and continual working according to his word As God hath a mouth to speake so a hand to doe as continuall experience hath proued ☞ Loue in God the fountaine of all his benefites Loue in man the fountaine of all his seruice ☞ Temporizers in Religion Carol. Sigon de rep 〈◊〉 lib. 1. c. 3 ☞ They are little esteemed of men who are great in the account of God Macar â—…om â—…â—… 1. Ioh. 3. Persons should â—…e regarded for heir faith Iam. 2. Obliuion of our duety is the first steppe to defection What a sure comfort we haue by the word of God The Crosse is necessary for a Pilgrime and why The kindly sonnes of God cannot want a Crosse. Carnal and spirituall ioy consist not together Delight in the word an argument of true Godline The fearefull recompence of them who loue not Gods word Vatab. Three things in this verse Praier is a seede which now wee should sowe plentifully that in haruest wee may reap the fruit thereof ☞ Feruency and zeale of heart required in praier Ambrose Psal. 119. Euery crying pearces not heauen The voice of the wicked in praier â—…uailes not Great things should be asked from the great God Praier a seruice due to God only He that seeks from God should also offer to him Continuance in praier recoÌ„mended vnto vs Ambrose in Psal. 119. ☜ How time posts away and we should striue with it ☞ How a man on earth may imitate the life of Angels Ambrose The first fruits of our hart and tongue euery morning shold be offered to God ☜ Gold professors reproued who spend all their time on the world If they cannot giue all at least they should giue the halfe of it vnto God Prayer mitigates trouble The common argument of al Gods children in Prayer Ambâ—…n Ps. 119 Is from his mercy not from their merit How Dauid desires God should deale with him in iudgement The godly are a mark of contradiction to Satan and al his instruments Comfort against the contempt of men No enemy so neere to hurt vs as God is neere to helpe vs. Comfortable examples therof Vpon what condition will the Lord be neere vnto vs. Amb. in Psalm 119. If we in our heart be also neere vnto him They that in affection goe farre from the Lord hurt themselues ☜ The word is a â—…affe to sutaine vs in trouble Man commands without reason he proâ—…es without performance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without effect not to the Lâ—… Experience of the truth of Gods word doth greatly comfort vs. The Word an Anchor of the soule The prouidence of God by stable order ruleth all things ☜ Eurip. Aug. in Matth. Ephes. 1. Dauids prayers proper to euery member of the Church How God is a spectator and partaker with vs in all our afflictions ☞ A good conscience makes a man familiar with God An appellation from men to God To be vsed of them who are wronged by men A warning to Iudges 2. Chron. 19. ☞ Wicked men are the authors of their owne wracke Amb. in Psalm 119. Basil. in Ps. 119. The word of God and his saluation are conioyned together Externall prosperity of wicked men not to be regarded Acts 26. The godly guilty of transgression but not of conteÌ„pt It is grace only by which one man differs froÌ„ another in godlinesse Godly men edifie their harts by euery thing they see in others In Gods mercy not in our merit stands our comfort Ambrose The mercies of God why they â—…re called great Esa. 40. Comfort against the greatnesse of our sinnes ☜ 1. Tim. 1. The mercies of God are called tender why Iam. 3. ☞ Life of grace should be cherished continually Constancy in Religion Trouble a tryall of true Religion Iob 1. Such as are not sincere worshippers will not continue ☞ Manifold were Dauids troubles There is one persecuter of the godly Satan but he hath many instruments Corrupt affections sore persecutors 1. Cor. 6. ☞ By visible enemies also he persecutes vs. ☜ The godly esteeme more of Gods glory then their owne liues A good thing that a man can desire God to look vpon him Ambrose Psal. 119. Vanity to hide our way from the Lord. Loue of Gods word in the godly is inuincible Not only Gods promises but his precepts also are loued of the godly Rom. 7. 8 Worldly things sought earnestly by worldlie men May make vs ashamed that cannot seek excellent things with an excellent affection Perswasion of the truth of Gods word brings out obedience Vatab. 2. Pet. 1. 19 The iudgement by-gon should warne the wicked of iudgements to come Euery man feares when iudgement comes Onely godly men feare before it come Euery example of godlie men learnes vs some lesson How Dauid saith he was persecuted without cause He compares not himselfe with God but with men Princes suppose they were wicked yet should they be reuerenced ☜ Murther of Kings is from the spirit of Saâ—…au 1. Sam. 24 The feare of Gods wrath ouercomes the feare of man his displeasure Psal. â—… The awe-band of wicked men is without them The awe-band of godly men is within them ☜ Ambrose Psal. 119. With what affection Gods word should be receiued ☞ Why naturall men esteeme not of Gods word The godly find ioyfull tydings by the word and therfore esteeme of it But the wicked finde it a message of their damnation What maruaile then they like it not Euery thing contrary to Gods word is a falsehood and why Colâ—… hatred of euill shortly turnes into a liking of euill ☜ Bodily vncleannes vnseemely for Gods people Ambrose Much more spirituall vncleannes He that hateth sinne must loue Gods law Affections if they be strong cannot lurke but will breake forth in actioÌ„s Ambrose Such is our coldnesse that we scarse pray so frequently on the Sabboth as Dauid did euery day Yet on the sabboth the daily sacrifice should be doubled ☜ It is not for one but for all the godly what euer comfort is in Gods word Godly men many wayes described in holy Scripture and why ☞ Yet are they
God shineth in the worke of creation Iob. 38. Earth founded without a fouÌ„dation Creation as a mother Prouidence a nurse conseruing things created ☞ Out of the wholsom word profane men like wasps gather poyson 2. Pet. 3. 4. All creatures froÌ„ the Angel to the worme serue the Lord of Hosts Psalm Gene. 6. Sith other creatures are vpholdeÌ„ by his word much more the Christian. Comfort which is not from Gods word brings two great euills The word hath comfort for euery estate of life An answer to worldlings who say they find no delight in Gods word ☜ Men fruitful in godlinesse by affliction made more fruitfull Iohn 15. ☞ None coÌ„temne Gods word but such as haue gotten no benefit by it Basile in Psal. 119. It is not the Word that quickens but God by his Word Sith man is carefull to keep that which is his owne shall we thinke that God loues not those who are his owne Euery man câ—…n not say to the Lord I am â—…hine Basil. in Ps. 119 Rom. 6. 16. Ambrose Yea rather men now are so profane that euery kinde of siâ—…ne may say vnto them Thou art mine ☞ Cent. How the Lord acknowledges not profane men to be his How Satan challenged Iudas as his owâ—… ☜ How Dauid proues that he was Gods man A great miracle that the sheepe of Christ are preserued in the midst of rauening Wolues Psal. 124. The vanitie instabilitie of all earthly pleasures ☜ Iudg. 16. Esay 14. 1â—… Psalm 1. A cleere declaration of the vanitie of this life Chrys. in Math. hom 24. ☞ The word of God is called large because the comfort therof indures Euthy in Psalm 119. WheÌ„ all world ly comforts fai'e Many speake that by custome which in conscience they dare not present vnto God A great grace to speak to God froÌ„ an vpright hart ☞ God craues nothing of man but loue 1. Tim. 1. Ambr. in Psal. 119. We are inexcusable if wee giue it not How loue to God may be tryed The nature of loue it cannot lurk but will tell where it is Means to grow in grace are meditation prayer thanksgiuing conference ☞ Dauid coÌ„pares himselfe with three sorts of men his enemies his teachers and the ancient Not to commend himselfe but the word of God Worldlings in what respect they are called wise Time will try whether they or the godly be more wise Godly men tel what they are but not of presumption Nazian He is not meet to be a teacher of Christians who is not a disciple of Christ. Ambr. lib. 1. off cap. 1. Macar hâ—… 16. ☞ That God giues more grace by an instrument then the instrument hath proues that hee is the dispenser of graoe ☜ Sith the wicked glory to make others more wicked shal we grudge that others by vs are made more learned godly then our selues How youth old age are to be considered A warning to aged men To resist sinne not to want sin is our greatest perfection on earth Amb. in Psalm 119. He can resist no sinne who resists not all sinne ☜ Euery sin receiued within vs opens the dore to another Our naturall inabilitie to good They onely learne who are taught of God God when he teaches speaks to the heart Euthym. The causes why many now profit not by hearing of the word ☜ A Christian apprehends good offered in the word not with one but all his leâ—…ses Sith Gods promises are sweet how sweet will their performance be 1. Cor. 2. 9. Two great benefits Dauid got by the word Lukewarme professors of this age convinced The word of God compared to a Lanterne Euthym. in Psal. 119. 1 Because it sheweth light in darkenesse 2 We shall set it by when we come home Reuel 22. 5. The light of the Gospell is clearer then the light of the Lawe 2. Pet. 1. 19. As the Sun is necessary for the day so the light of the word to direct our way Ambr. in Psal. 119. Ambrose Our waies are in darknesse without the word As Israels course in the wildernes was directed by the Lord so should ours be As a maÌ„ lights one light at another so should we light our minds at the word ☞ Dauids resolution confirmed by an oath A godly oath a necessary helpe of our great weaknes Ambr. in Psal. 119. The obiection of a weak conscience concerning an oath Why we should not cease to coÌ„firme our good purposes by an oath albeit we be weake in performing ☞ Gods word why called his iudgement How familiar the godly are in declaring their griefes to the Lord. Afflictions no arguments of hatred Amb. in Psalm 119. Heb. 12. By the contrary impunitie libertie to sin is an argumeÌ„t of Gods anger Hosea 2. The state of the godly in trouble after trouble to be distinguished Hebr. 12. Two great motiues to patience in trouble Vatab. It is a great sauour that the Lord accepts any thing from vs and that in three respects 1. If we consider who the Lord is Psalme 16. 2. If we consider who our selues are 3. If wee consider what our oblation 〈◊〉 1. Chron. 29. No gift so smal if it come from a good hart but God accepts it A reproofe of them vvho praise not God with their lips And of theÌ„ also who offer seruice of their words not of their harts vnto him Mich. 6. 7. The godly maÌ„ hath his life alway ready in his hand to offer to the Lord. ☜ It is far otherwise with the wicked Three things concurre in wickednes Which are not in the godly Constancie of Christians Excellencie of Gods word aboue all other things Phil. 3. 8. It is the sure Charter of our heauenly inheritance The contempt of Gods word reproued ☜ Seeing mans hart is not in his owne hand how saith Dauid he had applied his hart How a man after grace receiued works his own saluation Basil. in Psalm 119. The godly fail in performaÌ„ce not in purpose ☞ Beginnings of good are nothing without perseuerance Greg. moral In trouble mans comfort consists in one of these two 1. A by-gon good life 2. Or else a present vnfained repentance Three things in sinne to be escliued 1. The occasioÌ„ 2. The beginning of it ☜ 3. The perfection Iam. 1. 15. Men grow more skilfull in sinning then they were before In most desperate dangers God comes with vnlooked for deliuerences Why our hearts should be diuded from wicked men Psal. 50. Euery mans company tels what he is Wicked company for borne for two causes 1. Because they offend God Psal. 1 39. 2. For feare they hurt vs. How euery company warnes vs to walke circumspectly Vatab. Wicked company not meet for godly men and why He that knows God to be his God by no meanes can be 〈◊〉 from him ☜ A Christian hath nothing wherein he reioyceth as in his owne but the Lord. Psal. 73. 26. Prayer strengthens all our good intentions A two-fold instability incident to godly men 1. One of faith ☞ 2.
The other of loue and obedience Adam indued with many graces but not with perseuerance ☜ The prayers of godly meÌ„ how they are framed Gods promises are made on a coÌ„ditioÌ„ which we must regard Iudg. 10. Many thinke they haue life who are but dead Amb. in Psalm 119. In the life vegetatiue trees excell man In the life sensitiue beasts excell man In the life rationall reprobates excell Christians ☜ Wherein then stands the life of a Christian by which hee excells all Wisedom prouides for the time to come But the foolish are so snared with things present that they see not what is to com Lamentable that we should want when wee may haue grace for thâ—… seeking Iohn 4. Words without affection a dead sacrifice Three things caused Dauid to fear least hee should fall 1. Tentation 2. Corruption 3. The falls of others The iudgemeÌ„ts of God executed on wicked men should be awe-bands vnto vs. Eccles. The Lord strikes not the godly as hee doth the wicked Sin is a departing froÌ„ God Ambr. in Psal. 119. Deceit of sin is two-fold The fall of the wicked is Gods worke who-euer be the instrument The wicked are restlesse in raging now but God shall bridle them The fruit of temporall sin is eternall paine Naturall man cannot mount aboue the earth Comfort wheÌ„ the godly are disesteemed of the wicked The testimonies of God what they are and for whom Euerything that a godly mâ—…n sâ—…es sends him back to consider himselfe Greg. moral Our loue not without feare Loue of God conserued in our hart by feare Ambr. in Psal. 119. Gene. 6. Familiaritie with God breeds no contempt of him but greater reuerence â—…ith the godly are not freed from feare what horrible feare abides the wicked A good conscience makes boldnes in prayer Amb. in Ps. 119 Iudgement and iustice how distinguished Basil in Psalm 119. We cannot in 〈◊〉 life be 〈◊〉 oâ—… trouble by wicked men How should we pray against our soules oppressors Calumnies of men heauy crosses Psal. 35. 16. Basil. God is a partaker with his owne in their innocent sufferings 1. Pet. 4. Dangerous to commend a wrong cause to Gods protection Gen. 19. Or yet were our cause neuer so good we must not think to beare it out by our wisedome Psal. 37. 34. 1. Pet. 5. 7. Mans greatest honor is to be Gods seruant The seruice is not base but honourable wherein God imployes vs. Ambrose Dauids seruent desire of Gods saluation Basil. Saluation is of two sortes Dauid seekes the best Psal. 4. The restlesse vanity of worldlings ☜ Gods promise is the warrant of our hope Small present gifts more esteemed by worldlings then promises of greater things to com ☜ We cannot serue God as we should Yea our best seruice is farâ—…e inferior to his wages Amb. in Psalm 119. Two things proue a man to be Gods seruaunt Outward and ordinary teachers are nothing if God teach not They may lawfully seeke all good from God who can truely say they are his owne Amb. in Ps. 119 Basil. in Ps. 119. The godly can not learne so much but they would still vnderstand more Ambrose Statutes and Testimonies of God would be learned together Dauids complaint against his enemies God is a continuall working vertue euen when we think he is resting How Dauid prescribes a time to the Lord. Some promises made with a time when they shall be performed Some without a time In these wee should haue patience waiting till Gods time come ☜ When the godly may vse this reason in their prayer The time is come Offences done against God should grieue vs more then our owne iniuries Godly meÌ„ haue no enemies but such as are enemies to God Seeing Gods law can not be destroyed how are the wicked charged with this crime The law written in the Bible they cannot destroy The law written in the conscience they can neuer destroy Yet because their malice would doe it if they might they shall be charged with it ☜ There is a time appointed for the punishmeÌ„t of euil men Basil. Ambrose True religion cannot be tryed without trouble Loue of Gods obedience an argument of true godlinesse With what coÌ„ditions Gods creatures may be loued As the minde esteemes of any thing the affections go after it The word of God called iust in two respects 〈◊〉 of euill â—…s a â—…val of our 〈◊〉 to God The perfection of the godly is in parts not in degrees Ambrose It is sufficient to mans damnation if he be captiued by any one sinne If we heare not God when hee speakes in his word we shall not be welcom when we pray If men seek not from God it is because they know him not Our manifold necessities require manifolde prayers To continue long in praier and be feruent also is a difficult thing August ad Probam Prayers would be short frequent ☜ Praiers should be made long or short according to our disposition Good to deale with God by teares more then by talke Two things in this verse CommendatioÌ„ of Gods word Euery article of our faith is a mystery 1. Tim. 3 ☞ The word serues for food and light to the soule Without the word men walk in darknes Shame it is now to see aged men children in vnderstanding Vatab. Onely simple men and not they who are high minded profit by the word No maruaile Papists profit not by it Papists calumnie of the obscuâ—…ity of scripture confuted Basil. Euthym. Iren. l. 2. c. 46 Lactan. l. 6. c. 21 How a moued mind affects the body The feruent desire of godly men toward the word When God opens his mouth to giue wee should open our hearts to receiue Psalme In our best estate we haue need to seeke mercy A good conscience presents it selfe vnto God Godly exercised with spirituall desertions To some God looks in mercy to others in wâ—…th Examples of Gods mercy oâ—… others should confirme vs. Mercy gracâ—… are benefits in diuisible foolish are they who seek the first and not the second ☞ The steps of the Soule are motions of the affections Al creatures except man and apostate Angels are ruled by Gods word Satan an vnreasonable Tyrant Seruice to Satan hurtfull to them who yeeld it Satans officer can neuer be satisfied ☜ Armour of the godly is patience prayer The wicked are but roddes in the hand of God They who persecute with their tongues will not faile if they might to persecute with their hands also Man by sinne is become a weake and silly creature A preseruatiue against pride ☜ Benefits should binde vs to the loue and obedience of God who gaue them A common light externall A common light internall A speciall light internall Basil. in Ps. 119. Angry face of God most fearfull Prou. 16. How God forsakes his children Not according to his truth but our sense Gods countenance illuminates the â—…inde and changes the heart of him vpon whom he lookes Amb. â—… Cor. 4. 6. No ioy in this life