it not to mee When the rich man refused to sell all and give to the poore upon an extraordinary command from him he lets him goe and admits him not to follow him nay by his words spoken immediately after it is as possible he excludeth him from Heaven for he must needs be understood of that rich man and such as he was Now if not giving of all upon an extraordinary occasion will shut a man out of the Kingdome then the not giving of some convenient quantity upon an ordinary occasion must needs procure the like punishment because the disobedience is equall in both cases The reason is first this is a flat disobedience to most expresse plaine and frequent Commandements There is scarce a duty of the second Table which God hath more plainely laid downe more often repeated more earnestly pressed then this of giving to the poore He therefore that liveth in perpetuall negligence of this dutie and either will not acknowledge it or will not practise it lives in a wilfull and constant rebellion against God Thinke not my Brethren that it sufficeth to proove a man upright if hee doe not live in a sinne of commission that is in the continuance and allowed doing of something forbidden by God Nay if he live in a sinne of omission i. e. in the continuall and allowed neglect of a duty commanded this is not to obey God in all things this shewes ones heart is not universally subject to God This prooveth that some vice hath dominion in him and that he loveth and respecteth something more then God which cannot stand with uprightnesse yea beloved this hypocrisie which is so much over-awed as it were by cleerenesse of knowledge that it scarce dares discover it selfe by taking boldnesse to commit sinnes of commission but knowes how to hold in with sinnes of omission and to give them allowance enough is so much the more dangerous by how much it is lesse discernable For hee seemeth to himselfe to have much to say for himselfe why this duty should not at this and this time binde him because no affirmative precept bindes to all times and so hee will shift it from himselfe in such manner as not to take notice that hee offendeth whence groweth the greatest perill of all Therefore know you that this unmercifullnesse to the poore as prooving that obedience is but partiall and so that the heart is not upright is sure a very great sinne But secondly it declareth that a man beleeveth not the promises of God and so that his faith is not unfained It is sure that as hee which obeyeth not all Gods Commandements obeyeth none so he that beleeveth not all his promises beleeveth none For if we submit to his truth because it is a perfect truth wee must grant that hee cannot lie nor be deceived in any thing and if wee build not our consenting to his words upon his truth that cannot be called faith at all Now God hath made so many so evident so full promises to those that are mercifull to the poore as no other duty almost can alledge for it selfe A promise throughly beleeved must needs produce obedience to the Commandement whereto it is annexed because every man is so truly desirous of his owne welfare that what hee doth stedfastly perswade himselfe will procure good unto him with the paines and cost for that hee will surely put himselfe to the paines and to the cost Hee theerefore that is not mercifull doth not beleeve these promises because hee doth not obey the Commandements to which they be joyned How then doth hee beleeve any other promise So we have prooved him by this argument to be voide of faith and is not that a great sinne which convinceth him to be void of faith in whom it is Further no man hath true charity that hath not a heart to confirme the hand of the poore for S. Iohn makes the conclusion thus Hee that loveth not his Brother whom hee hath seene how doth hee love God whom he hath not seene And hee doth but lie that saith hee loves a man unlesse he be ready to releeve him for S. Paul saith that love is bountifull wherefore S. Iohn is peremptory in this conconclusion saying He that hath this worlds goods and seeth his Brother hath neede and shutteth up his compassion against him how dwelleth the love God That therefore is a great offence which prooveth that a man hath either none or none but counterfeit charity I have shewed you what a grievous offence this is of the Sodomites afore I passe from it let mee shew unto you a necessary distinction of poore men Some are Gods poore as I may terme them some the Divels Gods poore are they whom his hand crossing them or some naturall meere indiscretion of their owne or abundance of charge want of worke or the like hath brought into and doth keepe in poverty The Divels poore are those whom idlenesse wastfullnesse and unthriftinesse doth make poore because either their hands refuse to labour or else they consume it all up superfluously when they have gotten it The former kinde of poore you ought to strengthen and the not strengthening of them is a sinne To strengthen the hands of the latter is to strengthen their sinne and therefore their hands must not be strengthened for S. Pauls Canon is against it He that will not labour shall not eate Now consider every man of himselfe may it not be justly said of you that you doe not strengthen the hands of the poore Are not a number of you in your owne consciences convinced or if you would not winke might bee convinced that you doe not strengthen the poore mans hands When have you with any willingnesse given to any poore man any reasonable quantity Yea how backward are a number of you to give any thing at all Here is such complaining amongst you of your being seised too much one and too much another that it is more then evident you have little will to part with your money to his purpose I know not what skill to use for the fastening of a reproofe upon a niggard I will not so much as strive to doe it therefore But I call upon each of your consciences to become a just and true Judge against you and to finde one your guiltinesse and to give you no quiet till it have made you confesse the fault and blame you for it But I call upon conscience in vaine I feare for the conscience of a niggard is alwaies a bad conscience so inthralled to the love of money that he will not want excuses to make himselfe thinke he need not do that duty by which he should lessen his heape But these excuses shall one day aggravate the sinne therefore whosoever is an offendor in neglecting this duty of strengthening the hands of the poore I pray you give your consciences leave to passe a right sentence upon you viz. that your faith love obedience
towards his wife Rebeccah and that also in two things mentioned in Scripture First it is said that hee loved her Gen. 24. ult This is a thing required of all husbands they must account themselves and their yoake-fellowes but one flesh one body as S. Paul commands yea they must love them not with an idle and meere verball love but with such a love as they beare unto themselves that causeth them to love and cherish themselves so as above all things they must not be bitter against them as S. Paul informeth the Collossians Indeed because the Lord hath knit man and wife together in the neerest bond causing them to be but one flesh therefore should their loves be most fervent and abundant A man must therefore love his wife above all other persons hee must forsake father and mother and cleave unto his wife as Adam said at first yea in respect of matrimoniall love he must love her alone and none other but her You therefore that are husbands and have wives come and answer before God how doe you love your wives how doe you cherish them with all comfortable maintenance and kindnesses how are you carefull to shun all tartnesse and bitternesse all froward peevish words and gestures all discurteous quarrellings with them and rating revelling and upbraiding tearmes If your consciences accuse you of unlovingnesse and bitternesse you are great sinners before God and must apply to your selves that of S. Iohn hee that loveth not his wise whom hee seeth daily how shall he love God whom hee never saw Lay not the blame of your want of love upon your wives in respect of their ill qualities and carriage men love their childrens persons above all other mens children though they be neither so personable nor well conditioned and should they not know how to doe the same also to their wives No man is dispensed withall from doing his owne duty because of another persons failing in his duty for we must doe our duty every one out of conscience to Gods Commandements not alone because of other inducements It is therefore a great offence in an husband not to beare a tender and constant love unto his wife And now all you husbands profit by Isaacs example and humbly pray to God to frame your hearts to the unfaigned love of your wives This is the way to make you like comfortably and chastly a man shall be happy if he enjoy what he loveth and love what he must enjoy They live with great peace in themselves that for conscience sake to God have their soules knit unto their wives but hee whose affections are disjoyned and divorced from his wife doth live in perpetuall vexation because he hath not subjected his affections to the commandement of God and fixed his heart on her to whom God would have it united And he that loveth not his wife honestly is in perpetuall danger to bee caught with the unchast love of another woman therfore Salomon bids one wander in the love of his owne wife for why saith hee shouldst thou be taken with a strange woman This duty therefore is very requisite and every good man must heartily crie to God to worke in his heart this vertuous affection towards his wife that love may make him able to performe all other duties without which he must needs be defective in all other matrimoniall offices Another thing very commendable in Isaac towards his wife was this that hee contented himselfe with Rebekah alone and did not take that unlawfull liberty which yet the common custome of those times did make to seeme lawfull to many otherwise godly men of having more wives then one as had Abraham the Father of Isaac and Iacob his sonne A man should keepe himselfe wholly to the wife of his youth and not divide himselfe betwixt two remembring that God at first made them male and female and created but one for one as Malachie 2.15 noteth though hee had abundance of spirit because hee sought a godly seede yea hee said a man shall cleave to his wife not wives and they two as our Saviour interprets it shall bee one flesh The custome of our times inforceth men to this duty but it is a fault when they doe it not heartily but rather for custome then for conscience yea many that shame will not suffer to keepe more wives then one yet secretly give themselves to other women and so violate their covenant of marriage and defile themselves with great pollutions Lastly Isaac was ready to hearken to his wife Rebekahs counsell and when she complained of Esaus wives evill and froward behaviour telling how bitter her life would prove if Iacob also should bring in such ill nurtured wives he sends him away according to her desire to take a wife in Padan-aram So should every good man be ready to hearken to his wives advice and counsell and to gratifie her in those things that are fit not to crosse and contradict her This is a part of due kindnesse to your wives see that you neglect it not to the procuring of mutuall and continuall discord betwixt you So have we considered Isaacs good carriage towards God and his parents Father and mother and towards his wife hee was a parent and had children even two sonnes Esau and Iacob Now he blessed both of them and that out of Faith for his blessing was not a bare wishing and praying for a blessing upon them but a propheticall prediction of a blessing in Godsname whereof if he had not received a promise from God and also beleeved that promise neither he nor his children would have made so great account of it All of us cannot blesse our children in this manner for the gift of prophecie is wanting unto us but all of us must in Faith blesse our children that is pray for a blessing at Gods hand upon our seede as well as our selves Yea wee must all apply our selves to the sincere obedience which hath an ample promise of blessing annexed and cannot faile to procure a blessing since God will not faile to fulfill his word Why is a propheticall blessing of some valew surely because it is a certaine thing as having its originall in Gods fidelity who having said it shall be so must either accomplish it with his hand or else falsifie his word which is impossible Now it is as impossible that God should neglect to keepe his promise as to fulfill his predictions wherefore seeing all blessings are plentifully promised to him that walketh before God uprightly and constantly doe this O yee Fathers this is to blesse your childeren in faith but if you follow your owne hearts and leave the wayes of God and goe forward in pathes of impiety and unrighteousnesse then doe you curse your selves and your children and worse then pronounce a curse even pull downe a curse upon your selves and them Further Isaac did conferre the principall blessing upon Iacob to whom God had
that concerne him in his life If godlinesse and religion be not of force to command us in this thing it cannot be conceived that we have any sound knowledge of it and if outward things sway us most here they have the soveraignty and dominion of our hearts Shew your selves spirituall in choice of yoke-fellowes if you will enjoy the comfort of being so in good earnest and in sincerity And if any have done otherwise O let them be much humbled it is a great fault an hazarding of ones selfe to destruction or of his children a signe that one doth not rightly know neither sinne or goodnesse if in this matter wickednesse cannot disgrace all other things and vertue over-ballance all other and therefore if God have made such a match very dismall and unhappie to any one and that they have found these things unable to give content and with these they have beene turned aside from the right way let them acknowledge the justice of God and turne the punishments into a meanes of unfained repentance for the sinne It is just with God to crosse mens false opinions of things and make them meete with wretchednesse where they did falsely and unwarrantably promise to themselves contentment as they doe most times in such kinde of ill made marriages If any good man have so transgressed he is now called to repentance for it by Gods hand crossing and Gods Word warning him Againe beware I pray you of the next sinne viz. unjustice and violence that is taking away the goods of others by strong hand whether by manifest violence or by violent wresting and abusing of law through strength of wit or purse or both To take away that from another by any manner of strength which is his in right that is violence God hath often in his Word spoken against this for the waters of the floud have not yet washed it out but it hath place in the world still Those that are stronger then others will wrench and pull and make a shift to tug all they can unto themselves though they have no right unto such things covetousnesse and greedy desires beget oppression to satisfie such an unsatisfiable desire David complaines Psal 55.9 that hee hath seene violence in the citie and Psal 11.5 Him that loves violence his soule hateth By violence men tread underfoot the light of nature and bury their reason in passion and under it It is the property of beasts to be lead by will and passion what they desire to have if they can possibly get it by any device or power they will have it rules of right they acknowledge none nor can acknowledge because they want reason which is the sole distinguisher betwixt right and wrong But man that hath reason which can set downe limits and bounds to every mans possessions and benefits should follow his reason and not take so much as his hand can reach and pull unto it selfe but alone that which he findes the rules of equity to give him He that doth otherwise doth infinitely trespasse upon Gods Royalty over the whole world for he doth not carrie himselfe in this great family according to the will of him that is the sole maker and master of it and so lives as if himselfe were Master and chiefe Lord and not bound to any rules but those of his owne will Violence therefore is a grievous sinne It will bring Gods curse and anger and hatred upon the committer A violent man is odious in the world and in Heaven too his love of himselfe makes him iâ—jurious to all and therefore also loathsome Flie violence therefore either of hand or head and take nothing but what in true right you can prove to be your owne and if you have gotten any thing by violence repent of it and rid your hands of it else the hand of God shall be heavie upon you for it he will bring your violence upon your owne pates And know I beseech you that as there be two sorts of violent beasts so of men You know there be Lions and Beares and Tigers and great creatures that prey upon the weaker as upon the Sheepe the Cowe c. and then there be little beasts too that prey upon the lesser as the Weezle on the Mouse and on Chickens and such like that be lesser then themselves So there be two sorts of violent men too the great and wealthie man and the poore and meaner man The one can beare out his violence openly and doth it in greater things The other doth it more closely and in lesser things but both will have what equity doth not give them by one or other shift or wile or act of his hand And truly as great wickednesse is found in poore men this way as in the wealthier He that is as bad as his place will suffer is as wicked a man as another that in higher place is more apparantly wicked Give the Weezle the fangs and limmes of a Lion hee will doe as much mischiefe as a Lion Therefore the poore robbing the poore is compared to a sweeping raine that leaveth no food and none more violent then these little violent ones when they can tell how to make way and beare out their violence will not you see it evidently in the boldnesse of the poorer sort to steale corne at this time of the yeare He that will pull a piece of ones sheafe from him if hee were a great Prince of name and power would pull his whole living from him Beware therefore of those unjust waies of getting which are under your hands and in your powers incident to your places repent of them shun them and forbeare them for conscience sake that you may not provoke Gods wrath against you Further the men of this time were extreamely worldly as our Lord Jesus noteth they sold over themselves to the world and cared not for Noahs preaching nor for any thing that might concerne their soules but sold over themselves to earthly dealing as you reade in Luke 17.26 27. O be not many of you such are not your hearts fully possessed with all earthlinesse Doe not you set your selves altogether to the things of this life with the meere neglect of that which concernes a better Surely those that doe so are in heart Atheists they doe not thoroughly beleeve that immortality of the soule nor the being of another world For were every mans heart fully perswaded that his soule should continue for ever in another world either in eternall weale or woe it were not possible for him not to consider of the estate to come as well as of the state present if we did as well know and beleeve that there is an Hell and Heaven as that there is an earth and in it misery and welfare we could not but be as studious to get the future happinesse and escape the future misery as the present I pray you therefore strive against that sinne of the old World viz. giving up your selves
is worth and so they agree the one also payes currant money in full weight and the other giveth present and good assurance and so here is justice and plaine upright dealing betwixt them O that you would learne of him to bargaine and pay without any over-reaching or tricks either in bidding or asking or other devices that you might shew your selves not to be possessed with the love of money which is the vice of all vices even the roote of all evill But I am sure the contrary driving of bargaines is usuall amongst us that it may appeare we doe not buy and sell out of respect of our duty unto God and the common good but alone out of desire to waxe as rich as we can yea though it be by other mens losses Next consider Abrahams carriage to Aner Eshcol and Mamre First in making a Covenant with them it seemeth to have beene a league of peace offensive and defensive Secondly in making bold with them to crave their aid in his battell against the King of Shiron by whom Lot was captivated Thirdly in allowing them to take their part of the booty though himselfe would not doe it So a good man may and in some cases must joyne himselfe in covenants and leagues so farre as his owne benefit and the benefit of other men requireth it and must use prudence and discretion to keepe himselfe safe not relying on the care of God without care of using meanes Hee may also challenge of others the performance of covenants and must be content to make himselfe beholding to his friends as occasion serveth and not stand too much upon termes of being troublesome to them And hee must also leave his friends to themselves in point of their right and not presse them to those things whereto yet it may seeme convenient to binde himselfe for you heare Abraham saying Let Aner Eshcol and Mamre take their part of the booty though himselfe bound himselfe by oath to take no part of it O that we could carrie our selves so to our friends and not be still pinching to them so as we will part with nothing unlesse they will be perswaded to part with as much It is a most base and abject disposition and carries a relish of excessive self-selfe-love when a man is so greedy of his owne gaine that unlesse others will beare as great a part as himselfe in such and such things he will hold and keepe and let nothing goe from himselfe But it is a noble and magnanimous part and a signe of true charity when a man will rather put himselfe to losse and yet give others leave to have an eye unto their profit Now see how Abraham carrieth himselfe to Abimelech as you finde it recorded Gen. 21.22 33. Abimelech with his chiefe Captaine and inward friend came to Abraham desiring to make a Covenant of peace and amity with him perceiving that hee was a man blessed of God and prosperous and Abraham condiscended to the motion and makes the oath unto him So should we willingly imbrace offers of peace and concord and covenants of love and amity even if need be to binde our selves therein with a solemne oath for the Lord of Heaven is so great a lover of unity betwixt men that hee is well content his holy and great name should be used as a bond or obligation to tie them faster and surer together When therefore a lawfull oath is required of us for the assuring of others that we will deale faithfully in any part of our duty we shall not doe well to refuse such an oath but must informe our selves by the practise of so good a man as Abraham of the lawfullnesse and usefullnesse of such an oath only that we be carefull to deale uprightly and sincerely both in taking and in keeping our oathes Yea when an oath is ministred to binde as to forbeare all wrongfull carriage and doe good in our places we should be glad to have our consciences firmely tied in such cases Further note that Abraham dealeth plainely with Abimelech and reprooveth him concerning a well of water which the servants of Abimelech had violently taken away from Abraham So must wee deale freely and plainely with our neighbours and friends in expostulating such and such wrongs as may fall out to be done unto us by them and theirs and must not lay the matter up in our mindes so to keepe our selves estranged from them For it may so come to passe that we may finde that it was without their privitie and against their will that such bad measure hath beene offered unto us as it fell out in the matter whereof Abraham doth complaine to Abimelech But we must be sure Beloved in all occasions of such complaints to temper our anger and keepe our selves in so good tune that we breake not forth into words of choler and discontent tending to provoke and exasperate them with whom we deale in such cases but do it with gentlenesse and mildnesse of speech that quiet words may pacifie wrath if any be stirred not grievous words stirre up that which was ready to goe forth of it selfe Yea when a just and reasonable apology or excuse is used by any upon our complaints we must be ready to accept of it and to be satisfied that we may not prove our selves to be of an implacable disposition Yea we see that Abraham dealeth also bountifully with Abimelech for it is said v. 27. he gave him Sheepe and Oxen when they made a covenant so men that have wealth must be free handed and free hearted and ready to bestow convenient gifts and presents upon those whose favour they would keepe and to whom they would have it manifest that they resolve to be fast and sure friends Nothing lesse be seemeth a wealthy man then niggardlinsse and close-fistednesse whereby he is so held in captivity that he cannot willingly let any thing goe from him but what he cannot keepe though he would Indeed bounty is chiefely to be exercised to the poore and needy but yet so that in due time we must learne to practise it by a free giving to our equals also and those that stand not in absolute neede for gifts are fit meanes to expresse the lovers good will as well as to supply the wants of the receivers Lastly Abraham sets apart 7. Ewe Lambes and when Abimelech demanded the reason he tells him that he should receive those Lambes at his hand in testimony of his acknowledgement that Abraham had digged that well and that the right thereof appertained to him So we should in wisedome learne to make all matters cleare betwixt our selves and others in cases that have beene in controversie that so wee may cut of all occasions of heart-burning or contention for the time to come and that though wee put our selves to a little cost for the setting of things in stable peace betwixt them and us The last part of Abrahams good carriage is to strangers which
it by renewing our meditations of Gods promises and putting our selves often in minde of the power and truth of God the promise-maker which are the pillars and foundations of our faith For if Abraham when these doubts began to stirre in his minde had called to minde Gods promise of giving him seede and had reasoned with himselfe thus hath not the living God possessour of Heaven and Earth undertaken to give mee a seede to inherit this land after me How then can I be killed by the Philistins How can they take away my life whilst this promise is not yet fulfilled Surely God both can and also will give mee life and preserve me from the hands of these godlesse Philistins for how else should he fulfill his promise to me of giving me seed after me If Abraham I say had thus stirred up his faith by serious consideration of Gods power and truth he had not beene foyled so as he was Let his weaknesse and failings be our warning that we may escape the evills which he fell into Againe as Abrahams faith was weake and yeelded a little to doubtings so was he possessed somewhat strongly for the time with a kinde of carnall feare of death Gen. 12.12 and afterwards Gen. â—0 13 He said they will slay mee for my wives sake So you must note another weakenesse in Gods people flowing from the former imperfection of faith They are apt to be over-fearefull of dangers and by name of death even to be so much terrified with the apprehension of danger especially of loosing their lives that they cannot must upon God and rest upon him for safety as they should doe This feare was found in David it was found also in Peter and in divers others of Gods people The ground of it is as I said partly the weakenesse of their faith and partly the terriblenesse of death which is the terriblest of all terrible things as being a separation of the soule from the body and a stripping a man at once of all those things that are most deare unto him and conveighing him out of this world into another concerning his happinesse herein he is not alwaies so full of assurance as he should be For when these feares doe suddainely seize upon a man upon occasion of some sensible object that threatens him they pull out of the minde for the time the thought of Gods promises and hold the soule alone in the apprehension of the greatnesse and inevitablenesse of the danger which looketh him in the face Let us therefore learne not to be heartlesse our selves because we hare have beene so transported with feare as was Abraham nor yet be censorious to others whom wee shall see thus for a fit even shaken and almost overcome of feare It is a fault indeed and we must blame our selves for it and be humbled but it is such a fault as may stand with truth of grace and which doth not give just reason to conclude ourselves unsanctified or not to be Gods true children And let us learne to beware of feare to resist and oppose it at the beginning by the opposition of Gods love and protection yea let us labour to worke in our mindes such a true apprehension of the harmelesnesse of death and other crosses that we may learne not to be afraid of them though we must needs suffer them For why should we feare that which cannot hurt yea that which shall be an advantage to us Feare none of those things that you shall suffer saith the Lord and David saith I will not feare what man can doe unto mee and againe I will not feare though I walke in the valley of the shadow of death It is an excellent thing and very comfortable when our heart is so setled that feare may not dismay us And the way is to get assurance of Gods favour and of eternall life and that all things shall worke for our good and speedily to set this faith on worke when dangers shall offer themselves unto our sight But further Abraham to avoid this danger consulted with flesh and bloud and used deceit and shifting and falsehood for though his words were in some sence true as he telleth Abimelech because Sarah was his sister by one side yet in the meaning which he would have those to interpret his words to whom he spake them they were not true For his intent was to make them conceive that she was so his sister as not his wife He resolved to use false speeches and draw his wife likewise to joyne with him in these false speeches yea they agreed upon it before hand as he tels Abimelech Gen. 20.13 Abraham said to her this is the kindnesse thou shalt shew mee at every place whether wee shall come say he is my brother You see they agreed before hand to dissemble and to continue dissembling yet sure dissembling is a sinne and ought not to be done as Abraham heares even from Abimelech himselfe verse 9. Thou hast done deeds unto mee that ought not to be done So it may befall a good Abraham out of inconsideratenesse and heedlesnesse in not pondering their pathes nor thinking of their waies or in a suddaine to dissemble and deale falsely for the preventing of danger as may be seene also in David and in Peter when he denied Christ and when he withdrew himselfe from communion with the Gentiles for feare of them which came from Iames to Antioch For a thing not considered of is for present as uselesse as if it were not knowne at all Therefore here also we must learne not to be utterly discouraged if we have run into such a fault when we bethinke our selves after of such offences we must be humbled bewaile them confesse them condemne and judge our selves for them but we must not be fearefull of asking pardon and of intreating mercy to forgive them must not conclude that there was no truth of grace in us because of such palpable failings yea we must take boldnesse to goe to the throne of grace renewing our repentance and earnestly suing for pardon And we must also take heed of censuring others and bitterly and harshly for such offences though they be grosse even Abimelech did not esteeme Abraham a dishonest and naughty man because he had found him tripping in this matter onely take heed least we misuse this Example and the like to build upon them a boldnesse to such sinnes that were a great wickednesse They must imbolden us to repent and crave mercy after we have through weakenesse offended they must not imbolden us before hand to resolve on a sinfull deed Yea when we behold their stumblings it should make us to be earnest in our prayers to God for a great measure of strength that we may escape such offences and to be more frequent and firme in renewing our purposes of not finning in the like kinde Resolve therefore that nothing shall make you lie or dissemble and if you doe resolve you will seeke
have a little forme of godlinesse to forbeare some sins and doe some good things for your Parents sake This is to be an Esau even to enjoy the meanes of grace and salvation in a godly house and there to conforme a little outwardly and to abstaine from some sins out of respect to the Governours though you have no true conscience to God Search your hearts you wives children servants that are educated and live under the roofe of good men in the Church of God under good meanes and see your misery if you be no better than this man was And now labour to profit by the means of grace to get the truth of grace causing you to stand in awe of God and to depart from all wickednesse out of due obedience to his Majesty that it may be said of you these and these and all sins you resolve to leave not for sinister respects of this or that person or thing of a Father or the like but out of love to God and a true desire to honour him that hath taken you to be his people Thinke not well of your selves because some self respect or humane consideration keeps you from running into grosser sins but drive to imprint such a filiall regard to the living God in your hearts that may cause you to shun all wickednesse for the Lords sake and then you may comfortably say in your selves now I know I am a true member of the Church and not as Esau was at least then a rotten and a withering and a fruitlesse branch that bringeth forth leaves alone and no good fruit But let us more particularly search into Esau First in respect of his carriage of himselfe in respect of outward things then of his carriage for matters of religion and the things of God Thirdly His behaviour to his Parents Lastly to his brother For the first his life was very faulty in the manner of his orders for the world for in his younger time he gave himselfe wholly to hunting as it is said of him Gen. 25.27 The boyes grew up and Esau was a cunning Hunter a man of the field He meaneth a gallant fellow that gave himselfe to little else but the sport of hunting and was still in the field following that sport He was a rich mans son and his Father had great meanes and allowed him enough wherefore he cared not for any usefull kinde of living but followed sports and jollity and by name was a great hunter still in the fields to please himselfe in that humour Is not this also the common sin of many richer persons who as they had wealth given them to be fewell to idlenesse and voluptuousnesse give themselves over to sports and some to this of hunting and regard not to profit in any good study or profitable trade of life Esaus hunting may seeme not to have been according to our present custome with kennels of bounds but with bow and quiver as it is noted Chap. 25. But howsoever he was set wholly upon sports and sold himselfe to that kinde of delight leting goe other things of better note and use Surely then it is a sin to live voluptuously to have none other calling but pastimes and vaine sports to make that ones occupation that should be alone his recreation and to spend himselfe in such a trifling vaine thing that should be used as a triflle alone to refresh our selves after matters of greater consequence Nimrod was an hunter Ishmael was an archer Esau a field man you reade no such thing of Sem Abraham Isaac Iacob Why should you follow the patterne of those men whom the Scripture speaketh of with disgrace and not theirs rather who have an honourable name in the book of God I pray you call your selves to an account for your expence of time must we not answer to God how we have lived how we have bestowed our dayes and houres will this be a good answer I spent the day in hunting hawking carding dicing and so I did from time to time one day at one sport or merry meeting another at another but all in such toyes Can you bee so fond as to imagine or beleeve that God for this cause gave you wit sences lives health strength wealth and other like meanes of doing good See this fault now so many as are guilty and set your selves to a more profitable kinde of living or else the day will come when you shall bootlesly wish that you had never been O so lay out your life that the world and your selves may be the better for it Live as Abraham and Iacob did not as Esau follow some study follow some good husbandry Live as those that know there is another life after this and that there be more weighty and honourable things to doe than playing and sporting Take heed of bringing your selves into the number of those that are Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God If you say why Then do you condemne all use of sports as hunting fowling or the like I answer no. I doe not but I say let not this in a manner be the totall summe of your employment Have figures as well as cyphers in the number of your dayes let these kindes of exercises have some small quantity of time for your refreshment but spend your selves in better things or else you shall be censured with S. Iames his censure You have lived in pleasure upon earth and then I am sure you shall live in torment when you must leave the earth But another fault we have in Esau for the manner of his hunting ver 29. He came from the field and was faint he followed his pastime over-eagerly and excessively and knew not how to breake it off in due time till very hunger and faintnesse brought him home Sure reason will conclude that it must needs be folly and a sin to be so bound to some sport that one knowes not a due season of leaving it off but must run after it a long time together till faintnesse or hunger follow To be eager after pastimes and stay so long at them as if they were great matters even till extreame wearinesse and hunger take one off and rather compell than perswade him to leave this is an inordinate using of sports For these recreations are in the very wisdome of nature appointed alone to cheere up the minde when it is wearied with great imployments that it may be fitted the better for them afterwards and they are not to be followed for their own sakes as not being worthy to bee made any part of the end of a wise mans life Now he that follows them with so immoderate eagernesse and so long together makes it appeare that he doth not use them as their nature requireth and instead of fitting himselfe for better actions by them doth altogether unfit himselfe for any good action For what can he performe well that hath toiled himselfe in a toy till hee bee quite spent Learne I pray you
walke with God live to him seeke him please him or else some bare naked good deeds will not suffice to prove us his children and his heires So much for the good of Laban now his evill must be observed too First to God-ward though hee had Iacob living in his house and had observed by experience that God did blesse him for his sake yet hee would not leave his false gods his Idols his Teraphim but keepe them still and made such store of them that hee tooke it very ill that Iacob should steale them away as hee conceived hee had done though falsly and therefore also hee sware by the gods of Nahor and the gods of their Fathers Hee was brought up an Idolater and continued an Idolater living and dying in the worship of false and imaginary gods which they that doe shall not inherite the kingdome of God hee had Images of these false gods Images of men it may seeme they were by their name O how naturall it is to man to erre in the conceit of a multiplicity of gods and in setting up pictures and representations of God to himselfe Great darknesse possesseth the mindes of men in the matter of Gods nature hee will take upon trust any fable in this kinde and will scarce use his own reason to examine religion but for the worshipping God in an Image though it bee a point of the greatest foppery in the world hee will count it singular wisdome and count himselfe so much devouter by how much hee is liker the blocke or picture before which hee doth his false devotions Let us blesse God that hath delivered us from conceit of fantasticall gods and from the love and liking of Images and pictures which the Lord may seeme to have in detestation because in likelihood they were occasions of inducing the damnable opinion of multitude of gods into the world And let us pray to God to bring the poore ignorant persons that run after other gods or else dote upon pictures out of such their miserable condition and to set up the truth in so great power that men may no longer cast themselves headlong by that which themselves account religion and the right way to please God But Laban dealt very ill with Iacob First the love hee bare him was a meere worldly self-respecting love hee found hee gate well by him therefore hee desired his company But for Iacobs piety and true religion he regarded him not a jot the better So most times yea evermore the love of worldlings doth grow from the roote of worldlinesse If by some good Iacob they have attained or hope to attaine profit and advantage they are loath to part with him but unlesse such things doe commend a man to them hee may sit without doores long enough and his goodnesse with him before they will take him into house Such a carnall love to good men is none other thing than may bee seene in as bad a man as hee of whom wee entreate You must therefore learne to love a Iacob as a Iacob and in the name of a Iacob that love will demonstrate some piety to your selves And when wee perceive the kindnesse of any man to have its originall in such base ends wee must esteeme it a point of discretion not to trust at all in their loves they will soone turne enemies for gaine whom gaine maketh friends Further Laban did palpably deceive and cousin Iacob in a matter wherein deceit should least of all bee used even in point of Matrimony Iacob intended to live contentedly with his owne wife as his Father Isaac had done before him and therefore setting his affections on the younger daughter Rachel agrees to serve Laban for her seven yeares instead of dowrie which hee had not to give Laban agrees to it as I shewed you before and assembling his neighbours celebrates the marriage with a feast It must not bee doubted but that they were all made to understand which of the maides was the Bride as well as which young man was the Bridegroome But at night it may seeme the Bride was brought into the Bridegroomes Chamber vailed for modesty sake Laban perswades his eldest daughter Leah to possesse the place of her younger sister whether with or without her consent it is not expressed but most likely without and so is Iacob in the morning greatly discontented to see a stranger bedded with him instead of his owne Spouse Wherefore complaining of the wrong to his Father in Law hee is answered with a shift that the custome of that place is not to bestow the younger before the elder but if hee would serve seven yeares more for Rachel hee should have her too for Polygamy was not then reputed a sinne Iacob must needes bee content with that which hee could not helpe and is compelled to make his apprentiship longer by halfe than hee intended here was flat cousenage To winde in Iacob for seven yeares more than hee meant at first and to bestow both his daughters upon so thriving a man and so advantage himselfe more wayes than one at once this fellow feares not to breake Covenant and to beguile and defraud a man in his wife And when hee was told of it hee pretends a contrary custome If there were no such custome hee playes the lying fellow in saying wittingly that which was not for the excusing of his fault If there were such a custome hee playes the cousening companion in concealing it before and not acquainting Iacob with it when hee made the motion He should have said I would willingly give her thee but that the custome of the countrey hinders but if thou wilt have them both first the elder then the younger I am content This had beene plaine dealing but to leade Iacob on with words and then at last pull him on in this fashion to seven yeares bondage more was flat dishonesty And such is the disposition of a worldling for advantage sake that hee cares not with trickes to out-reach and beguile any with whom hee deales but wee have a better direction from Gods Word saying Let none of you defraud or over-reach another in any matter for God is an avenger of all that doe such things Hee used the like guilefull dealing after in changing his wages so many times and all proceeded from the same evill humour of covetousnesse But now see another sinne whereof Iacob makes mention to his Wives in way of perswading them to depart with him Iacob beheld Labans countenance that it was not to him at before Loe hee lookes doggedly upon him and hath a kinde of envious grudge against him not for any fault of his but alone because hee hindered his wealth in that God gave his riches to Iacob by causing most of the Ewes and shee Goates to bring forth still young of such colour as was agreed upon for Iacobs wages ver 8. If hee said the speckled shall bee thy wages all the cattell bare speckled and now
that hee was forcibly driven out of Gods Inheritance and wished nothing more then that he might have liberty to dwell in Gods Tabernacles Let us if we have banished our selves from such habitations be carefull to returne with speed from our voluntary wandring Secondly Iudah shewes himselfe somewhat humbled for his sinne with Tamar for seeing the tokens he had left with her and knowing his fault hee confesseth his fault and saith shee is more righteous then I. For Shelah was growne up and was not given unto her So must wee doe if wee have sinned and beene an occasion of others sinnes let us justifie them above our selves and condemne our selves more then them and not bee possessed so with the partiality of self-selfe-love as still to stand in our owne light denying the fault or laying the blame upon another True repentance will be ready to blame it selfe but an impenitent heart is witty to cast the blame still from it selfe upon another Againe it is said hee knew Tamar no more afterwards and wee reade not of any other wife or childe he had afterwards so that he forbare her because shee was his daughter in Law and forbare to take another wife voluntarily it is like in humiliation for this unbridled fact he had committed If any have sinned in unlawfull deeds of this kinde his care must be with Iudah to offend so no more and to be so humbled with his former offence that the consideration of it may make him temper himselfe for the future Further Iudah carried himselfe well towards his Father for hee was earnest to get him send Benjamin with them to the Governour in Egypt and at last prevailed by interposing his faithfull promise to bring him backe againe as you reade in the Story It is a good thing in an Inferiour to turne away his Superiour from stiffenesse in an indiscreet purpose and he hath performed a worthy office that hath so farre prevailed with his superiour for the good of himselfe and of others wherefore doe this good deed with humblenesse and discretion as occasion serveth The last good deed of Iudah and most commendable was his faithfull keeping of his promise with Iacob in offering himselfe to be a bondslave in Benjamins roome whose absence he knew would even kill his old Father so that hee was content to take the punishment of anothers fault upon himselfe rather then falsify his word of presenting the Lad againe unto his Father How was love and faithfullnesse joyned both in one act We must learne to practise even so to love a Parent so as if it be possible to prevent his griefe with our owne so great a misery as perpetuall bondage during life How much are they to blame that occasion their Parents misery by their wilfull sinnes and can well enough be content to see their Parents goe mourning to the grave even for their incorrigible naughtinesse Sure the affection of good children is farre otherwise And now children have a loving pittie to your Parents and frame your selves rather to suffer any misery then the sight of your Parents pining away in griefe especially then the procuring of it by your owne misdemeanours Againe he shewed here great fidelity for having given his Word to his Father that he would bring Benjamin againe to him he preferres the performing of his promise before his owne liberty and would rather keepe his promise with his Father then live at home with him in freedome Let us learne to shew the like care in keeping our promises even to doe what wee have said chiefely in matters of weight though wee cannot doe it without great inconveniences to our selves let us keepe promise though it be to our hurt Againe Iudah makes a most pithy and rhetoricall speech to Ioseph for affection will make a reasonable wit to doe the office of a good Orator This was a commendable thing in Iudah to beare so sudden and terrible an accident with so much strength of minde that he could apply himselfe to take that course which was fit and behoofefull notwithstanding his griefes Let us labour to be of so well compact a spirit that extremity of sudden blowes may not disable us from carrying our selves discreetely even in such unexpected accidents This is a gift that we must beg at Gods hands and the best way to get it is as Iudah did to see God in it and be humbled before him for our sins that procured it And so much for Iudahs particular good deeds Now his crosses were first that he had two sonnes so wicked that God himselfe could not brooke them but even slew them for their extreame wickednesse It is a crosse that hath befallen many a Father to have very lewd children Labour what you can to prevent it by being good your selves and carry not your selves so wickedly as to pull this crosse upon your selves as Iudah did in running to Hiram and marrying a Canaanitish woman for what could he looke for but that the sonnes of such a woman and brought up in such a place should proove wicked And if it doe befall any of you or have befalne you be indeed humbled by it but not put quite out of heart Let it helpe to make your selves better if your children be wicked Another crosse was that his daughter in Lawes discontent drew her to prostitute her selfe to him in the disguize of an Harlot and so drew him to incest when he thought but to have committed fornication It is a misery to be drawne into a more grievous sinne then one intended to commit Let us resolve to commit none at all that such an addition of faultinesse may not be put upon our sinnes beyond our owne knowledge and if it have befalne us let us learne to be humbled very much It is just with God to give a man over to a worse sinne then he thought of that is bold to take liberty to commit some sin which he ought not to have done Lastly God did cause the sinne of Iudah to breake forth to his shame as you know though hee feared the shame more then the sinne And this is surely a great punishment to make ones evills knowne which he hoped should have beene kept still in secrecy And a just thing it is with God to dishonour a man before men when hee will dishonour God by sinning boldly in secret And if God have buried any mans faults in darkenesse let him bury them by repentance else they shall breake out more reproachfully at last day to his utter confusion But if God have cast the dirt of any mans sin upon his face and layd his grosse crimes open to all the world he must make this use of it to be more humbled before God and improve the griefe that shame and reproach will stirre in him to the more hearty bewailing of the sin that deserved it otherwise to be greatly grieved for the shame is nothing else but a carnall and unsanctified