little of her argument whereby shee forced the blessed Apostle and the rest to her house If yee have judged me faithfull IT is a most binding argument If you judge me faithfull you must judge me a child of God an heire of heaven the Spouse of Christ you must judge mee all these and the like If you have judged mee faithfull come to my house And if you judge me so can you denie me this courtesie It is a conjuring wondrous forcible argument If you have judged mee faithfull It implies that S. Paul and holy men would be more strange else And so there should not be intimate familiaritie converse there may be but not familaritie with those that are not faithfull Indifferent carriage to all alike shewes a rotten heart those that make no difference betweene good Christians and formall hypocrites No but if you have judged me faithfull come to my house As if she had said I know your spirits are such that except you judge me faithfull you will not take this courtesie at my hands Againe she supposed if Paul judged her faithfull he would not denie her that courtesie Those that upon good grounds wee judge faithfull we should be gentle to them and easie to be intreated The wisedome that is from above is so Grace Sweetnes the Carriage and alters a mans disposition Those that have felt pittie from God are mercifull to others Therefore if you have judged mee faithfull c. It was an argument of a great-deale of sinceritie to appeale to their knowledge and judgement If you have judged me faithfull If she had not beene sincere she would not have done so but sinceritie makes a man bold to appeale to God himselfe Lord thou knowest that I love thee saith S. Peter and If there be any iniquitie in my heart saith David they dare appeale to God and to Gods people if yee have judged me faithfull In this speech likewise shee desires to have confirmation of her estate from the Apostles And indeed it is a great confirmation of weake Christians to have the judgement of strong Christians that they are good If you have judged mee faithfull doe me this courtesie And would it not comfort her soule to have the judgement of so strong a man as Paul It is a great strengthening not onely to have the spirit of God witnesse for us but the spirit of God in others And sometimes in temptations the judgment of others will doe us more good then our owne in a darke state Therefore wee should appeale to those that feare God to judge us faithfull though we be in a mist and in darkenesse sometimes that we are not able to judge of our owne condition And indeed when we judge the people to be truly good and true hearted to God we owe them this dutie to thinke them good people and to shew it it is a debt we wrong good persons when wee take wrong conceits of them Shall wee not affect and loue them that God loues It is as if shee had sayd God hath taken me into his family and will admit mee to heauen and will not you come to my house when Christ shall take men to be members of his body shall not we take them into our company It is a wrong to good people to be strange to them sometimes there may by way of censure in some sin be a little strangenesse but ordinary stangnesse becomes not Christians it becomes not that sweet bond the Communion of Saints If you haue judged me faithfull That is the bond Her invitation is Come to my house and and abide there YOU see many sweet graces presently after shee beleived here is a loving heart Why did shee desire them to come to her house To expresse the loue she did beare to them for their works sake shee felt the loue of Christ by their ministery and now she desired to expresse the fruit of her loue in maintaining them And not onely so but she desired to be edified by them shee was yongly planted and shee desired to bee watered from them Shee knew Paul would drop heauenly things and giue her that that might stablish her therefore she desired that they would stay at her house that she might haue benefit by their heauenly discourse and be built vp and edified further and further So you see these two graces especially upon beleeuing a bountifull louing heart shee intreated them not onely to come to her house but to abide there a good while as they did And here was her desire to bee edified And a boldnesse to appeare to owne Christ and his ministers in dangerous times for in those times it was a dangerous thing to appeare to be a Christian they were worse hated then the Iewes were though both were hated yet Christians were aboue all Therefore false Christians would be circumcised they would be Iewes to auoid the Crosse that they might not bee accounted Christians You see in Generall true faith that works loue and workes by loue It workes loue in the heart and by loue it works all duties of hospitallity and bounty by loue When it hath wrought that holy affection it works by that holy affection You see here it is neuer without fruit presently faith brings forth fruit as soone as shee was baptized shee shewes her loue to the Apostles and their company and her bounty and her boldnesse in the cause of Christ. We say of a graft it is grafted to purpose if it take and bring forth fruite so shee being a new sience graft into Christ shee tooke presently as soone as she was baptized into Christ here is the fruite of loue and bounty and boldnesse in the cause of Christ. Zacheus as soone as euer he beleeved halfe my goods I giue to the poore So wee see the Gaoler afterwards presently upon beleeving he entertained the Apostles with a feast and washed their wounds Take heed of a barren dead faith it is a false faith if thou beleeue indeed faith will worke loue and worke by loue as it did in this blessed woman her faith knit her to Christ in heauen her loue was as the branches of the tree her faith knit her to the roote but loue as the branches reached to others her branches reached fruit to the Apostle and his company So it is the nature of faith that knits us to Christ the same spirit of loue knits us to others and reacheth forth fruit to all wee converse with As wee desire to haue evidence of the soundnes of our faith let us see what spirit of loue we haue especially loue to these three things loue to Christ to whom wee are ingrafted and loue to the ministers of Christ. We cannot shew kindnesse to Christ he is in heauen but his ministers and his poore are upon the earth when wee can buy ointment to poure on Christs feete his poore members and his Ministers and loue to the word of
Could he in his humiliation before his great abasement on the crosse strike downe his enemies with his word what shall he doe at the day of judgement when all flesh shall appeare before him And what can he doe now at the right hand of God in heaven Let us never despaire what state soever we be in in our owne persons or in respect of the Church or common wealth Let us yet pray yet solicite God and wrastle with him for wee see here when they were at the gates of death he fetcheth them againe with his word hee can fetch things againe when they are at destruction as it were when mans wit is at a losse that he knoweth not what course to take God with a word can turne all things againe Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wondrous works to the children of men Let them sacrifice the sacrifice of Thansgiving and declare his workes with rejoycing YOU see that God the great Physitian he is good at all disseases hee is never set at any thing for he can create helps and remedies of nothing if there be none in nature hee can create peace to the soule in the the middest of trouble of conscience God can make things out of nothing nay out of contraries you see here what this great Physitian hath done hee fetched them from the gates of death when their soule abhorred all manner of meate and what doth he require for all this great cure surely the text tells us he looks for nothing but prayse Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnesse c. In which words you haue these circumstances considerable together with the substance of the duty First the persons who must prayse God Oh that men would prayse the Lord And then the duty they are to performe to prayse God to sacrifice to God to declare his works one main duty expressed by three termes The third is for what they should prayse him For his goodnesse It is the spring of all for all particular actions of God doe come from his nature his nature is goodnesse it selfe and indeed all other attributes are founded on goodnesse why is he gracious and mercifull and long-suffering because he is good this is the primitiue attribute And then another thing for which we must praise him For his wondrous workes for the children of men Fourthly the manner how this should be done with rejoycing and singing as the word signifies declare his workes with rejoycing For as all holy actions must be done joyfully and chearefully so especially prayse God loveth a chearefull giver much more a chearefull thanksgiver for chearfulnesse is the very nature of thankesgiving it is a dead sacrifice of thanksgiving it is a dead sacrifice else these are the mayne things considerable in these words First of all of the persons Oh that men would prayse the Lord. THE blessed Psalmist whosoever he were directed by the spirit of God hee would haue all men to prayse God not onely those that participate and haue interest in the favour but the beholders also of the goodnesse of God to others for here hee that was not interressed in these favours for his owne particular yet hee prayseth God for the blessings to others and hee wisheth that God might haue praise from them For we are all of one societie of one family wee are all brethren therefore wee must prayse God for his blessings and benefits on others and not onely our selues but we must wish that all would do so and specially wee must prayse God for our selues when we haue part of the benefit for shall others prayse God for us and shal notwe for our selues Shall the Churches of God abroad prayse God for his great deliverance of this citie as there is no Church in the world that heares of it but is thankfull for it and shall not wee for our selues Shall the angels in heaven prayse God and sing for the redemption of the Church by the blood of Christ Glory to God on high peace on earth good will to men and shall not we that haue interest in the worke of redemption For Christ is not a mediator of redemption to Angels hee hath relation to them in another respect yet they out of loue to God and the Church and a desire to glorifie God hey prayse God for this and shall not wee much more for our selues wee must prayse God our selues and desire that all would doe so as he saith here Oh that men would prayse the Lord c. and in some other Psalmes he stirs up ' all the creatures hayle and snow and winde and all to prayse God How can these praise God They doe it by our mouthes by giving vs occasion to prayse him And they praise him in themselues for as the creature groaneth Rom. 8. That none knowes but God and it selfe they groane for the corruption and abuse that they are subject unto and God knowes those groanes so the creature hath a kind of voyce likewise in praysing of God they declare in their nature the goodnesse of God and minister occasion to us to praise GOD therefore the Psalmist being desirous that GOD might be praysed for his goodnesse and mercy hee stirres vp every creature Psal. 103. even the very Angels insinuating that it is a worke fit for Angels The children of God haue such a loue and zeale to the glory of GOD that they are not content only to prayse GOD themselues but they stirre vp all they need not to wish Angels to doe it but only to shew their desire oh the blessed disposition of those that loue God in Christ What shall wee thinke then of those wretched persons that greiue that the word of God should run and haue free passage and be glorious and that there should be a free use of the sacraments and the blessed meanes of salvation they envie the glory of God and the salvation of peoples soules What shall we say to those that desire to heare God dishonoured that perhaps sweare and blaspheme themselues or if they doe not yet they are not touched in their hearts for the dishonour of God by others this is far from the disposition of a Christian he desires that all creatures may trumpet ouâ— the prayse of God from the highest Angell to the lowest creature from the Sunne and starres to the meanest shrub only divellish spirited carnal men take delight to blaspheme God that can strike them with his word and send them to their owne place to hell without repentance and can heare him dishonoured without any touch of spirit a child of God desires God to be glorified from his very heart roote and is greived when God is dishonoured any kind of way so much breifly for the first Now what is the dutie this holy man wishes That men would prayse God And sacrifice the sacrifice of thankesgiving and declare his workes OUT
to GOD and importune him that hee would bee good to the State that as he hath given us a pledg of his favour in delivering us from the plague so hee would not bee weary of doing good unto us but that hee would still make it a token of further favours and deliverances hereafter That as Hee delivered us in former times in 88 and magnified his mercie to us so now Hee would not expose us to the crueltie of Idolatrous enemies whose mercies are cruell Let us stirre up our selves Securitie and carelesnesse alway fore-runnes one destruction or other Prayer will doe a great deale more good now then when trouble hath overtaken us for now it is a signe it comes from a religious seeking of God then it comes from self-selfe-love There is a great deale of difference when a malefactor seeks to the judge before the time of the Assises and when hee seeks to him at the present time for then it is meerly out of selfe respect and not respect to him If wee seeke to God now hee will single and marke out those that mourne for the sins of the time and poure out their spirits to him in prayer that hee would still dwell and continue the meanes of salvation amongst us when God I say comes to gather his Iewells Mal. 3. He will single and cull out them as peculiar to himselfe Therefore let us in all our prayers put in the Church things doe more then speake they cry to us to cry to GOD earnestly put case wee bee not in trouble our selves our prayers will bee the more acceptable before trouble come it is the onely way to prevent it as it is the only way to rescue us when we are in trouble I come now to the remedie Hee saved them out of their distresse GOD is a Physitian good at all manner of sicknesses it is no matter what the disease bee if GOD bee the Physitian though they bee as these at the gates of death hee can fetch them backe herein GOD differs from all other Physitians First of all hee is a generall Physitian hee can heale a Land a whole Kingdome of sicknesse of pestilence and as it is in 2 Chro. 7.14 Then he is a Physitian of body and soule of both parts And then he is not tyed to meanes Other Physitions can cure but they must haue meanes Other Physitians cannot cure all manner of diseases nor in all places but GOD can cure all He saved them out of their distresse Other physitians cannot bee alway present but God is so to euery one of his patients he is a compassionate tender present Physitian Which should incourage vs in any extremity especially in sicknesse of body to haue recourse to God and never to despaire though wee bee brought never so low he that can rayse the dead bodies can rayse vs out of any sicknesse therefore let vs use the meanes and when there is no meanes trust God for hee can worke beyond meanes and without meanes They cryed to the Lord and he saved them out of their distresse It was the fruit of their prayers There was never any prayer from the beginning of the world made to God successelesly What should I speake of prayer our very breathings are known to God when wee cannot speake our sighs as it is Psal. 38. My groanes and sighs are not hid from thee God hath a bottle for our teares and preserves our sighes and groanes there is nothing that is spirituall in us but God regards as in Rom. 8. We know not what to aske but the spirit of God stirreth vp in us sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed And God heares the voyce of the sighs of his owne spirit Let us also bee exhorted from this issue to cry vnto the Lord for there was never any man did sow prayers in the breast and bosome of God but he received the fruit of it he is a God hearing prayer hee will not loose his attribute Nay further marke the instances in this Psalme are not made onely of men in the Church but likewise of men out of the Church of men that have not the true religion they pray to GOD as creatures to the Creator and though GOD have not their soules yet hee will not bee beholding to any man for duties if Ahab do but hypocritically fast Ahab shall haue outward deliverance for his outward humiliation and these men mentioned in the text if they call to GOD but as creatures and not to Idols GOD will regard them in outward things and deliver them GOD will not be in any mans debt for any service to him though it bee outward And doe we think that he that regards dogges out of the Church will neglect his children in the Church Hee that regards heathen men when they pray to him in their extremity and delivers them to shew his over-flowing bounty and goodnesse will hee not regard his owne children that haue the spirit of Adoption of supplication and prayer that put vp their suits and supplications in the mediation and sweete name of Christ will he not regard the name and intercession of his sonne and of his spirit the Holy Ghost stirring vp prayers in them and the state of his children being his by adoption since he regards the very heathen Nay more then so God heares the very young ravens and spreads a table for euery living thing and will not suffer them to die for hunger but provides for them because they are his creatures and will hee not for his children those that he hath taken to be so neere him to be heires of heaven happinesse Let us I say be incouraged to cry unto the Lord upon all occasions if God bee so good as to deliver sinfull men that haue nothing in them but the principles of nature when they flye to God in praier as the author and preserver of nature much more will hee heare his owne children he will giue his spirit to them that aske him Luke 11. But here may an objection be made I haue cried long I am hoarse with crying I haue wayted a longtime I have bin a long time sick or annoyed with some particular trouble God seemes as it were to stop his ears to harden his heart against me to shut up his bowels of compassion and pitty therefore I were as good giue ouer as continue still crying and not be heard I answer there is no one duty almost more pressed in scripture then waiting watching to prayer waite still hath not God waited thy leasure long enough and wilt not thou waite on him A patient when he feeles his body distempered with Physicke oh hee cries out partly for the Physick and partly for the sicknes that trouble him both together and make civill warre in his body yet notwithstanding the Physitian wisely lets it worke he shall haue no cordiall nor nothing to hinder it
sweet to vs Deliverance from troble and sicknesse because it is a pledge of our spirituall deliverance in Christ the deliverance from hell and damnation what comfort can a man haue that knowes not his state in grace in the enjoying of his health when hee shall think he is but as a sheepe kept for the slaughter hee knows not whether hee be in the favour of God or no Therefore let vs come and renew our faith in the forgiuenesse of our sinnes through the blood of Christ of whom we are made partakers in the Sacrament For if we beleiue our deliverance from hell and damnation by the body of Christ broken and his bloodshed then every thing will be sweet when we know God loues us to life everlasting then every thing in the way to life everlasting euen dayâ—â— bread will be sweete because the same loue that giues heauen giues dayly food and the same loue that redeemes us from hell redeemes us from sicknes therefore let us labour to strengthen our faith in the maine that wee may bee thankfull for the lesse And as we enter into new couenant with God so labour to keepe it in Levit. 26. euery thing auengeth the breaking of Gods couenant when we make couenant to serue him better for the time to come and yet breake it God is forced to send his messenger he sends sicknesse to avenge his Covenant considering that he hath lately so auenged it let it make us so much the more circumspect in our carriage So much for this time and text FINIS Imprimatur Thomas Wykes May 11 1638. Vers. 9â— Parts of the text God takes particular notice of his Womens affections to religion strong Reas. 1. 2 3 Great things in religion from small beginnings Callings allowed by God Commerce lawfull Vse of garments The selling and wearing rich attire lawfull Object 3. Sorts of people before Christ Workes of preparation necessary to conversion Preparations are from God Preparations remooue hindrances Quest. Answ. Progresse of preparation God brings his elect under means Preparations not to be rested in God opens the heart 1 The heart naturally shut 2 God alone opens the heart 1 There is want of ability in the soule 2 There is an opposition Vse Patience to others 2 Tim. 2. Thankfulnesse What ment by heart The mind must bee sanctified to attend to the word God opens the heart to attend Vse Triall whether our hearts be opened The Gospell the Ground of faith The word preached the usuall meanes of faith Rom. 10. Vse To pray â—or labouâ—â—ers in Gods harâ—est To prize the ordinance of preaching Attention necessarie 4 Things requisite to â—ight Directions to attend on the word 1 Search our wants 2 Come with subjection 3 To get the word ingrafted 4 Meditation Quest. How to know we attend aright Answ. 1 When wee know not the word but the things 2 The soule ecchoes to the word 3 They see things in their owne light They judge according to their profit Baptisme the seale of salvation How to thinke of our Baptisme Honour of good governours of families Good instructions may be effectuall long after Christians easie to be intreated Approbation of strong Christians confirmes the weake To judge well of Christians Lydias invitation To shew her loue To be further instâ—â—cted Faith fruitfull Triall of faith by love 1 To Christ. 2 To his members 3 To his Word The scope of the Psalme 4 Instance of Gods providence vers 4. vers 10. vers 17. Verse 23 Division oâ— the text Who ment by fooles Why wicked men are termed fooles 1 For lack of discerning 2 For passion Passion presents things falsely 3 Iesting with sinne 4 Forgetfulnesse of his end Wicked men wittie in their generation 5 He wounds himselfe Vse 1. To humble wicked men 2 Aggravation of sinne 3 Begge spirituall wisdome 4 Not to passe for the censures of the wicked Folly in Gods children Psa. 38.5 Psal. 73. The breach of the second table comes from the breach of the first â—nhappy succession of sin Vse Take heed of beginnings of sinne Doct. Sinne the cause of sicknesse 1 Cor. 11.31 Vse 1. To justifie God 2 To be patient 3 Search out our particular sin To seeke God in trouble The course of worldlings Psal. 32. Divinity transcends other arts Sicknesse how from God how from sin The cause of murmuring in trouble Sin puts a rod in Gods hand Sin a poyson Salvian Extremity of sicknes Naturall cause of sicknesse Happines of Epicures vnstable To blesse God for appetite How to converse with the sicke Gates of death Death it selfe 2 Authority of death Misery of wicked men Rom. 5. 3 Power of death Vse To disarme death 2 Cor. 15. Doct. God suffers men to fall to great misery Reas. 1. 3. Gods children cry to him in affliction Atheisme against nature Why God sendeth affliction To submit to God patiently Prayer a speciall remedie in affliction To be in a state fit to pray 1 Take heed of knowne sinne 2 Heare God calling on us Exhortation to prayer Prayer best before affliction Mal. 3 Remember the Church in our prayers God the best Physitian 2 Chron. 7.14 Vse To haue recourse to God in sicknes Doct. Prayer to God successefull Psal. 38. Rom. 8. God hears heathens Much more his children Luke 11. Object Answ. Wayting after prayer necessary God deferres for our good Beloved sins hinder prayer Gods powerful word Gods command over all things Vse Take heed of displeasing God Jncouragement to pray from Gods power Christs word in his abasement powerfull All men praise Goâ— To praise God for others Especially for our selues Luke 2 1â— 14. Creatures prayse God bow Rom. 8. Psal. 103. Wicked men only dishonour God Prayse a duty fit for Angels Prayse the fruit and end of all we doe Of hearing Of the Sacrament Praysing God the end of the creation Rom. 1. It is the end of redemption Ephes. 1. Psal. 50. Jt is the end of our particular deliverances Rev. 4. Rev. 5. Helps and meanes to praise God Consider our owne vnworthinesse 2 Not to rest on second causes The necessity and use of the blessing 4 Dayly register Gods favours To prayse God with that which is in us Psal. 103. Our vnderstaning Memory Ioy. Tongue In the great visitation 1625. Simile Concerning deliverance from the plague to blesse God 1 That hee would correct 1 Cor. 11.33 2 That hee would do it himselfe 3 That he stayed the Pestilence 4 That our lives were spared 5 That it spread not farre God by his Word heales the soule Symptome of a sicke soule To recover spirituall appetite What to do in spirituall distempers Levit. 26.