easily parteth with his worldly goods to these uses unless by faith he be assured that he shall have in lieu of them heavenlâ—y and everlasting treasures The merciful man is ever a faithfull man Fourthly it testifies our unfeigned repentance whereof it is that Daniel saith to Nebuchadnezer Wherefore O King break off thy sins by repentance and thine iniquities by shewing mercy unto the poore Dan. 4 27. The which Zacheus practised Luke 19. For no sooner was he converted unto God but to testifie his unfeigned repentance he giveth half his goods unto the poore Verse 8. Fifthly giving much is an infallible signe that many sins are forgiven us as our Saviour speaketh of the woman Luke 7.47 Sixthly by it we may know our selves to be the children of God 1 Iohn 3.14 Yea and others may also know it Iohn 13.34 35. And hereby we know the unmercifull to be none of Gods children â—or the Father of Mercies hath no children but the mercifull Seventhly it is said that Obadia feared God greatly for when Iesabel destroied the Prophets of the Lord he took an hundred Prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave and he fed them with bread and water 1 Kings 18.3.4 Therefore it is a sure signe of the fear of God Eightly they are undoubted signes of our love towards God When as we so love the poore for his sake as that we be content to spare somewhat even from our own backs and bellies that we may the more liberally communicate unto their necessities But this a wicked man will never do the onely loves the Lord is 〈◊〉 did 〈◊〉 onely 〈…〉 riches by him Or as Saul loved Samuel to gain honour by him True they will say they love God and perhaps think so too but let them say what they will if unmercifull I will never believe against Scripture that they love God whom they have not seen that love not their brother whom they have seen if we love him we will love one another 1 Iohn 4.20 21. If any man saies the Apostle have these worlds goods and seeth his Brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him 1 Iohn 3.17 And as they are manifest signes of our love to God so also of our love towards our Neighbours when as we carry our selves in all Christian bounty towards them as unto Children of the same Father and members of the same body suffering with them in their wants through compassion and fellow-feeling and rejoycing with them in their fulness and prosperity Hereby we know that we love the brethren because our hearts and hands are open to them for love is bountifull For otherwise it is but an unprofitable counterfeit and hypocriticall love to make shew of kindness and compassion in word and to perform nothing in deed as Saint Iames plainly affirmeth Iamesâ— 15. But that this alone is the best touchstone to shew the sincerity and truth of our love many places demonstrate as 2 Cor. 8.8 24. 1 Iohn 3.18 CHAP. XXVII And as our Almesdeeds are a sign of our love to God and our Neighbourâ— so the quantity of our almes respect being had to the proportion of our estate is a signe of the quantity of our love for he loveth but little that having much giveth but a little and contrariwise his heart is inâ—lamed with fervent love who hath it inflamed with bounty towards his poore brethren the extension of our love towards them being the true touchstone of the intention of our love towards God And as a great tree with many and large branches is an undoubted sign of a root proportionable in greatness and a small shrub above the ground plainly sheweth that the root also is small wch is under it so is it with our Almesdeeds which spring from it For if we be bountiful in Almes we are plentifull in love if we be slack in giving we are cold in loving but if we be utterly defective in bringing forth these excellent fruits then it is a manifest sign that this grace of love is not rooted in us 1 Iohn 3.17 Ninthly It is an evident demonstration that we have saving knowledge and spiritual wisdom for the wisdom that is from above is full of mercy and good fruits Iames 3.17 Otherwise we are not wise our wisdom descends not from above but is earthly sensuall and devillish Verse 15. Tenthly By these works of mercy we make our calling and election sure for if we do these things we shall never fall as St. Peter speaks 2 Pet. 1.7 8 10. And St. Paul infers Col. 3. Put on as the elect of God holy and beloved the bowels of mercy and kindness Verse 12. Which makes him in another place call charity a never failing grace 1 Cor. 1.8 And a little afâ—er he useth these words Now abideth Faith Hope and Charity these three but the greatest of these is Charity Verse 13. Eleventhly This is a duty which undoubtedly must justifie the truth of our religion or else condemn us as hollow hearted and swayed by hypocrisie Iames 1. This is pure religion and undefiled before God to visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction Verse 27. O that this lesson would enter home into every one of our hearts before we go out of our houses For men may cry up this side and cry down that but of all the three the Priest the Levite and the Samaritan none but the Samaritan that shewed mercy to him that was fallen into the hands of theeves was wounded and stript of his rayment was justified and approved of by our Saviour Luke 10.36 37. And indeed God so highly prizeth and esteemeth mercy and the works wherein it is exercised towards the poore that he preferreth them before the outward acts of religious duties Hosea 6.6 I desired mercy and not sacrifice that is rather then sacrifice This is the oblation which he chiefly requireth yea if we but look Micha 6. we shall fiâ—d that God esteemeth it more or above all sacrifices and burnt offerings were it thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oyle Verse 6.7 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God Verse 8 Finally these works of mercy are not onely an odor of a sweet smell and a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God as the Apostle speaks Phil. 4.18 But also such an oblation as if we offer unto God with a lively faith the use of all the creatures shall be clean unto us according to that of our Saviour Luke 11 4â— See more Heb. 13.16 Isa. 58.6 7 8. Iames 1.27 And this is a Twelfth benefit CHAP. XXVIII Thirteenthly another no small benefit that we have thereby is by our bounty towards the poor we have the benefit of their prayers unto God the which are very available for the obtaining of all good things for us the which
or suffered was either to purchase fame to themselves or to merit reward by it their aym and end was not Gods glory but their own honour and glory and vertues are to be judged not by their actions but by their ends Yea they called vertue Bonum Theatrale as if a man would not be vertuous if he had not spectators to take notice of him but it is false for vertue will be as cleer in solitudine as in Theatrâ— though not so conspicuous only it may grow more strong by the observation and applause of others as an heat that is doubled by the reflection But O the difference between these naturall and meer morall men and a true Christian the Christian loves goodnesse for it self and would be holy were there no Heaven to reward it he does all and suffers all out of sincere affection and a zeal of Gods glory and the Churches good Matth. 5.16 to the end his Name may be magnified and others won and edified 1 Pet. 2.12 as most fit it is that the profit being mans the honour should be Gods And this his sincerity the rather appears in that he holds out maugre all opposition disgrace persecution c. whereas the other like wind-mills would not turn about to do any good service but for the wind of mens praises Now it is one method to practise swimming with Bladders and another to practise dauncing with heavy shooes We read of some that in the Monastery could fast whole dayes together with ease but in the desart they could not hold out untill noon but their bellies would be craving presently 4. The one doth it in faith which only crowns good actions for whatsoever is not done in faith is sin Rom. 14.23 and therefore cannot please God Heb. 11.6 the reason is this If our best actions be not the fruits of a lively faith they spring from ignorance and infidelity as herbs may do from a dunghill And its evident they have not faith for how should they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard Rom. 10.14 And it were well if all that are meer civill and morall men would look to the Rock where-out their works are hewn and to the Pit where-out they were digged for God looketh at no action further than it is the work of his Spirit but the spirit is no where but in the sons of God Gal. 4.6 and no sons but by faith in Christ Gal. 3.26 So that obedience without faith is but as the shell without the kernell the husk without the corn the carkasse without the soul which the Lord abhors as the sacrifice of fools Isa. 66.3 Whence it is that all the vertues of the Heathen are called by Divines splendida peccata shining or glistering sinnes sinnes as it were in a silken Robe 5. The sum of all Morall Philosophy is included in these two words sustain and abstain and a wicked man may restrain evill as do the godly but here is the difference the one keeps in corruption the other kills corruption 6. The Philosopher and so all civill and morall men can forbear the Christian forgive they pardon their enemies we love ours pray for them and return good for evill and if not we no whit savour of Heaven For if you love them that love you saith our Saviour what thanks shall you have for even the sinners do the same such as see not beyond the clouds of humane reason But I say unto you which hear Love your enemies blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which hurt you and persecute you Matth. 5.44 Luk. 6.27 32 33. shewing that if we will ever hope for good our selves we must return good for evill unto others In which words you may note a triple injunction one to the hâ—art the treasury of love another to the tongue loves interpreter the third and principall to the hand which is loves Factor or Almoner Wherein our Saviour seems to set man like a Clock whose master wheel must not only go right within nor the bell alone sound true above but the hand also point straight without as for the motion and setting of the wheel within he sayes to the heart love your enemies for the stroke and sounding of the bell above he saith to the tongue blesse them that curse you and for the pointing of the hand or Index without he saith to the hand Do good to them that hurt you Now well may naturall men sayâ— with the winde of their naturall passionâ— and corrupt affections in rendring evill for evill but Christ the Master and Pilot of his Ship the Church hath charged all passengers bound for Heaven the Haven of their hope and Harbour of their rest like Pauls Mariners Acts 27. to sayl with a contrary wind and weather of doing good for evill and like the Disciples on the Lake of Genazereth Râ—â— through the raging waves of their enemies reproaches with a contrary breath not rendring rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise to blesse 1 Pet. 3 â—â— And the better to teach us this lesson he practised it himself adding example to precept for his word and his work like mercy and truth were together his precept and his practise like righteousnesse and peace kissed each other for when they in devilish malice sought nothing but his condemnation he in great love went about the work of their salvation when they shed his blood to quench their malice he swet water and blood to wash their souls Yea when the Iews were crucifying of him he at the same time though the torments of his passion were intollerable incomparable unconceivable solliciteth God for their pardon Luk. 23.34 Now his prayer could not but he efficacious and a pardon for such murderâ—rs was no mean good turn And this likewise is the practice of the Saints who strive to imitate their Master in all things which he did as man St Steven at the instant while his enemies were stoning of him kneeled down and prayed Lord lay not this sinne to their charge Acts 7.60 Where is one thing very remarkable he stood when he prayed for himself but kneeled when he prayed for his enemies hereby shewing the greatnesse of their impiety which easily could not be forgiven as also the greatnesse of his piety And indeed as to render good for good is the part of a man and to render evill for evill the part of a beast and to render evill for good the part of a devill so to render good for evill is only the part of a Saint Be mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull Luk. 6.36 It were easie to abound in examples of this kinde How often did Moses return good unto Pharaoh for his evill in praying to and prevailing with God for him to the removall of nine severall plagues notwithstanding his cruell oppression And David what could he have done for Saul that he left undone notwithstanding he so cruelly persecuted him and hunted after his life
15.14 Eph. 4.18 19. 5.8 1 Pet. 2.9 whereas Beleevers are called Children of light and of the day 1 Thess. 5.5 1 Pet. 2.9 And as no man can see the light of the Sun but by the benefit of the Sun so no man can know the secrets of God but by the revelation of God 1 Cor 2.11 12 13. Mat. 16.16 17. To know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven we must have hearts eyes and ears sanctified from above Deut. 29.2 3 4. Psa. 111.10 Luk. 24.45 Ioh. 15.15 Rom. 8.14 15. No learning nor experience will serve to know the riches of the glory of Gods inheritance in the Saints to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Eph. 1.17 18. 3.19 Reason and Faith are the two Eyes of the soul Reason discerns natural objects Faith spirituall and supernaturall But as meer sense is uncapable of the rules of Reason so Reason is no lesse uncapable of the things that are divine and supernaturall Jer. 10.14 1 Cor. 2.14 15 16. Eph. 5.8 And as to speak is only proper to men so to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven is only proper to Believers Psa. 25.14 Pro. 3.32 Amos 3.7 Faith and illumination of the Spirit addes to the fight of our mindes as a prospective glasse addes to the corporall fight Mat. 16.17 1 Cor. 2.7 8 10 11 12 14 15 16. Joh. 12.46 Sense is a meer Beasts Reason a meer Mans Divine knowledge is only the Christians Some men are like the Moon at full have all their light towards Earth none towards Heaven Others like the Moon at wain or change have all their light to Heaven-wards none to the Earth A third sort are like the Moon in Eclipse having no light in it self neither towards Earth nor towards Heaven Now according as men are wise they prise and value wisedom and endeavour to obtain it Pro. 18.15 like Solomon who prayed for wisedom and Moses who studied for wisedom and the Queen of Sheba who travelled for wisedom and David who to get wisedom made the word his Counsellour hated every false way and was a man after Gods own heart As O the pleasure that rational men take in it Prov. 2.3 10 11. 10.14 Phil. 3.8 Whereas on the contrary brutish and blockish men as little regard it Prov. 1.5 7 13. A man desires not what he knoweth not saith Chrysostome neither are unknown evils feared wherefore the work of regeneration begins at illumination Act. 26.18 Col. 1.13 1 Pet. 2.9 Knowledge is so fair a Virgin that every clear eye is in love with her it is a pearl despised of none but Swine It is more true of divine wisdome then it was of that Grecian beauty no man ever loved her that never saw her no man ever saw her but he loved her Lucian tells of an Egyptian King who had Apes taught when they were young to dance and keep their postures with much art these he would put into rich Coates and have them in some great presence to exercise their skill which was to the admiration of such as knew them not what little sort of active nimble men the King had got And such as knew them thought it no lesse strange that they should be trained up to so man-like and handsome a deportment But a subâ—ile Fellow that was one admitted to see them brought and threw amongst them a handfull of Nuts which they no sooner spied but they presently left off their dance fell a scrambling tore one anothers rich Coats and to the derision of the beholders who before admired them they discovered themselves to be meer Apes These ensuing Notions which I have purposely taken as a handfull out of the whole sack to squander away amongst my acquaintance are such Nuts as will discover not a few who are men in appearance their own opinion to be as wise and well affected as Aesops Cock that preferred a barley Corn before a Pearls or Plinies Moal that would dig under ground with great dexterity but was blind if brought into the Sun Or Diaphontus that refused his mothers blessing to hear a song Or the Israelites who preferred Garlick and Onions before Quails and Manna And so much for overplus to this division A SOVEREIGN ANTIDOTE against all Grief Extracted out of the choisest Authors Ancient and Modern both Holy and Humane Necessary to be read of all that any way suffer Tribulation The Fourth Impression By R. YOUNGE Florilegus Imprimatur Thomas Gataker CHAP. 33. Vse and Application of the former Reasons Vse 1. THese latter Reasons being dispatcht return we to make use of the former for I may seem to have left them and be gone quite out of sight though indeed it cannot properly be call'd a digression seeing the last of the former reasons was That God suffers his Children to be persecuted and afflicted for the increase of their Patience First if God sends these afflictions either for our Instruction or Reâ—ormation to scoure away the rust of corruption or to try the truth of our sanctification either for the increase of our patience or the exercise of our faith or the improvement of our zeal or to provoke our importunity or for the doubling of our Obligation seeing true gold flies not the touchstone Let us examine whether we have thus husbanded our affliction to his glory and our own spiritual and everlasting good I know Gods fatherly chastisements for the time seem grievous to the best of his Children Yea at first they come upon us like Samsons Lion look terrible in shew as if they would devoure us and as Children are afraid of their friends when they see them masked so are we But tell me hath not this roaring Lion prevailed against thy best part Hast thou kept thy head whole I mean thy soul free For as Fencers will seem to fetch a blow at the leg when they intend it at the head so doth the Devil though he strike at thy name his aim is to slay thy soul. Now instead of being overcome doest thou overcome Hath this Lion yielded thee any Honey of Instruction or Reformation Hath thy sin died with thy fame or with thy health or with thy peace or with thy outward estate Doest thou perceive the graces of Gods Spirit to come up and flourish so much the more in the spring of thy recovery by how much more hard and bitter thy winter of adversity hath been Then thou hast approved thy self Christs faithful Souldier and a Citizen of that Ierusalem which is above Yea I dare boldly say of thee as Saint Paul of himselfe That nothing shall be able to separate thee from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord Rom. 8.39 To finde this Honey in the Lion more then makes amends for all former fear and grief and in case any man by his humiliation under the hand of God is grown more faithful and conscionable there is Honey out of the Lion or is any man by his
and a true use of his riches Thirdly he cares not for grace but for gold therefore God gives him gold without grace He longs not after righteousness but riches therefore he shall neither be satisfied nor blessed whereas both are their portion that thirst after the former Mat. 5.6 He desires riches without Gods blessing he shall have it with a curse he loves gold more then God and desires it rather then his blessing upon it or grace therefore he shall have it and want the other Whereas if he did first seek the kingdom of heaven all things else should be added thereunto Mat. 6.33 But this worldlings appetite stands not towards the things of a better life he findes no tast in heavens treasure let him but glut himself on the filthy garbage of ill-gotten goods he cares not for Manna He sings the song of Curio vincat utilitas let gain prevail he had rather be a sinner then a begger The Apostle Saint Peter said silver and gold have I none Act. â— 6 The devil says all these are mine Luk. 4.6 The Rich man I have much goods laid up for many years Luk. 12.19 Now ask the covetous muck worm whether had you rather lack with those Saints or abound with the devil and the rich man his heart will answer give me money which will do any thing all things Eccles. 10.19 Now if he prefers gold before either God grace or glory no marvail if God grant him his desires to his hurt as he did a King and Quailes to the Israelites CHAP. XIIII FOurthly he puts his trust in his riches not in God loves serves Satan more then God therefore he shall have his comfort reward from them and not from God Yea Satan shall have more service of him for an ounce of gold then God shall have for the Kingdom of heaven because he profers a little base pelf before God and his own salvation He loves God well but his money better for that is his summum bonum yea he thinks him a fool that does otherwise What part with a certainty for an uncertainty if he can keep both well and good if not what ever betides he will keep his Mammon his money though he lose himself his soul. And yet the Lord gives far better things for nothing then Satan will sell us for our souls had we the wit to consider it as we may see Isa. 55.1 2. Again he loves his children better then the Lord oppressing Gods children to inrich his own for so his young ones be warm in their nest let Christs members shake with cold he cares not He loves the Lord as Laban loved Iacob onely to get riches by him or as Saul loved Samuel to get honor by him He will walk with God so long as plenty or the like does walk with him but no longer he will leave Gods service rather then lose by it That the Mammonist loves not God is evident for if any man love the world the love of God is not in him 1 John 2.15 yea the two poles shall sooner meet then the love of God and the love of money Not is this all for he not onely loves Mammon more then God but he makes it his god shrines it in his coffer yea in his breast and sacrifâ—ceth his heart to it he puts his trust and placeth his confidence in his riches makes it his hope attributing and ascribing all his successes thereunto which is to deny God that is above as we may plainly see Iob 31.24 28. Nor ought covetous men to be admitted into Christian society We have a great charge to separate from the covetous Eat not with him sayes the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.11 and also wise Solomon Prov. 23.7 Covetousness is flat idolatry which makes it out of measure sinful and more hanious then any other sin as appears Col. 3.5 Ephes. 5.5 Iob 31.24 28. Ier. 17.5 1 Tim. 6.9 10. Fornication is a foul sin but nothing to this that pollutes the body but covetousness defileth the soul and the like of other sins Yea it is such a sordid and damnable sin that it ought not once to be named among Christians but with detestation Ephes. 5.3 It is a sound Conclusion in Divinity That is our God which we love best and esteem most as gold is the covetous mans god and â—ellychear the voluptuous mans god and honor the ambitious mans god and for these they will do more then they will for God Yea all wicked men make the devil their god for why does Saint Paul call the devil the god of this world but because wordly men do believe him trust him and obey him above God and against God and do love his wayes and commandments better then the wayes and laws of God We all say that we serve the Lord but as the Psalmist speaks other Lords rule us and not the Lord of heaven and earth The covetous Mammonist does insatiably thirst after riches placing all his joyes hopes and delights thereon does he not then make them his God yeâ— God sayes lend clothe feed harbor The devil and Mammon say take gather extort oppress spoil whether of these are our gods but they that are most obeyed Know ye not saith Saint Paul that to whomsoever ye give your selves as servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey Rom. 6.16 the case is plain enough that every wilful sinner makes the devil his god he cannot deny it I wish men would well waigh it The goods of a worldling are his gods Ye have taken away my gods says Micha and what have I more to lose Jud. 18.24 He makes Idols of his coyn as the Egyptians did of their treasure They have turned the truth of God into a lye and worshipped and served the creature forsaking the Creator which is blessed for ever Amen Rom. 1.25 The greedy Wolfe Mole or Muckworm who had rather be damned then damnified hath his Mammon in the place of God loving it with all his heart with all his soul with all his minde making gold his hope and saying to the wedge of gold Thou art my confidence and yet of all men alive he is least contented when he hath his hearts desire yea more then he knows what to do withall the issue of a secret curse For in outward appearance they are as happy as the world can make them they have large possessions goodly houses beautiful spouses hopeful children full purses yet their life is never the sweeter nor their hearts ever the lighter nor their meales the heartier nor their nights the quieter nor their cares the fewer yea none more full of complaints among men Oh cursed Ciatifs how does the devil bewitch them Generally the poorer the merryer because having food and raiment they are therewith content 1 Tim. 6.8 They obey the rule Heb. 13 5. and God gives his blessing But for those that make gold their god how should not God either deny them riches or deny his
for such glory or service from us as he is worthy to receive but as we are able to give Our praises and performances are not sinnes yet they are not without some touch of sin Duties and infirmities come from us together but Christ parts them forgiving the infirmities and receiving the praises and performances They are full of weaknesses yet does not he except against them for their imperfections He takes them well in worth though there be no worth in them and vouchsafes them a reward which had been sufficiently honoured with a pardon Neither can we hurt or take away any thing from him For if we be wicked our wickednesse may hurt a man like our selves but what is it to him Job 35.7 8. Yet neverthelesse we may do many things which he accounts and rewards as done to himself of which I will give you one in special and I pray mind it Though we can do nothing for Christ himself he being now in Heaven yet we may do much for his poor members those excellent ones whom David speakes of Psalm 16.2 3. which Christ accounts all one as if it were done to himself as appears by many expresse testimonies When I was an hungred ye fed me when I was naked ye cloathed me when sick and in prison ye visited me c. For in as much as ye did it unto one of these little ones that believe in me ye did it unto me Matth. 25.34 to 41. He that giveth unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord Prov. 19.17 And many the like which I have formerly cited CHAP. XVII Now do we love Christ or would we indeed expresse our thankfulnesse to him for what we have received from him Or do we desire to do something again for Christ who hath done and suffered so much for us here is a way chalked out unto us which he prefers before all burnt-offerings and sacrifices Mark 12.33 When David could do the Father Barzillay no good by reason of his old age he loved and honoured Chimham his son 2 Sam. 19.38 And to requite the love of Ionathan he shewed kindnesse to Mephibosheth So if thou bearest any good will to God or Christ whom it is not in thy power to pleasure thou wilt shew thy thankfulnesse to him in his Children and poor members who are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Ephes. 5.30 Is our Ionathan gone yet we have many Mephibosheths and he that loves God for his own sake will love his Brother for Gods sake Especially when he hath loved us as it were on this condition that we should love one another Iohn 15. This is my Commandement saies Christ that ye love one another as I have loved you Vers. 12. And greater love than his was cannot be Vers. 13. And untill we consider how infinitely good God hath been unto us we can never shew any goodnesse towards our Brethren We must know he hath given us all we have before we will part with any thing for his sake God in the beginning had no sooner created the Heavens and the Earth but he said Let the Earth bring forth grass the Herb yeelding seed and the fruitfull tree yeelding fruit c. Gen. 1.11 12. So when he hath by his Word and Spirit created us anew he commands us to be fruitfull in the works of Piety and Charity Col. 1.10 And the river of Charity does alwaies spring from the fountain of Piety Faith is as the leads and pipes to bring in and Love is as the cock of the cunduit to let out And what availeth the one without the other What avileth it my Brethren saies St Iames though a man saith he hath faith when he hath no works that is works of Charity can the faith save him For if a Brother or a Sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them Depart in peace warm your selves and fill your bellies notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needfull for the body what helpeth it Even so the faith if it have no works is dead in it self James 2.14 to 18. A just man lives by his faith Hab. 2.4 Heb. 10.38 and others live by his charity Pure Religion and undefiled before God even the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widdowes in their adversity and to keep himself unspotted of the world James 1.27 Love is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10 and Faith is the fulfilling of the Gospel Act. 13.39 16.31 1 Thes. 4.14 1 John 3.23 A Christian in respect of his faith is Lord over all 1 Joh. 5 4. 2.14 in respect of his love he is servant unto all Gal. 5.13 Faith is the mother grace by it we are justified Lukâ— 7.47 50. Gal. 3.8 our hearts are purified Act 15.9 our persons are accepted and our soules saved Ephe. 2.8 9. Luke 18.42 Yet in many respects love is preferred before it as 1 Cor. 13.13 Now abideth Faith Hope and Love even these three but the chiefest of these is Love So that what the diamond is among stones the Sun among Plaenets and gold among mettals such is Love among the graces Love will make us to have publique spirits resembling the Moon which borroweth her light from the Sun that she may convey it to all the inferiour creatures takes from the Sea that she may give to the lesser rivers It will inforce us to practice what the Apostle exhorts unto Phil. 2. Look not every man on his own things but every man also of the things of other men let the same mind be in you that was eâ—en in Christ Iesus c. Vers. 4 5 6. It will make us remember them that are bound as if we were bound with them and them that are in affliction as if we were also afflicted in the body Heb. 13 3. Which is but reason As mâ—ist not thou thy self be in affliction or want and wouldest not thou in thy need be relieved Why then shouldest not thou know it reason to do to others as thou wouldest have them do to thee We ought to love our neighbour as our selves Levit. 19.18 but how do we so if we take not care for them as we do for our selves There is nothing that any one doth or indureth but any other may We are all lyable to the same common misery if unsustained Therefore insult not over him that is cast down but let it make thee humble thankfull and compassionate because it is a goodnesse not our own that makes the difference though pride will scarce believe it The proudest he cannot say this or that shall never befall me Who can say saies Menander I shall never do nor suffer this or that For that we go not the round of others sinnes or punishments it is neither our goodnesse desert policy or power preventing but from those lines of gracious Providence from Gods preventing and preserving mercy Doubtlesse he had been counted a prating fool that should have told Haman
he should have held Mordecai's stirr up much lesse have changed preferment with him That Mordecai should be lifted up into Hamans favour at Court and Haman should be exalted to that fifty cubits eminency above ground in Mordecais room But go we on Love will cause us to open our hands unto such as are in want and lend or give them sufficient for their need as God commands Deut. 15. 8. It will make us of Iobs spirit who would not eate his morsells alone but invited the fatherlesse to eate with him Job 31.17 It will make a man love his enemies and do good for them that do hurt to him Luke 6. 35. Yea if need so require as in a famine or common persecution it will make us sell our possessions and goods and distribute them to all as every one hath need as did the Christians in the Primitive Church Acts 2.44 45. And lastly which is above all It will make a man to lay downe his life for the brethren 1 John 3.16 Whereas he that hath not this Christian grace feels and is sensible of common calamities just so much as appertains to his own private estate interest and no more It is the want of compassion that takes no compassion of others wants Yea this is an argument that the love of God is not in us 1 John 3.17 Whatsoever we thinke or say it is not at all in us Iohn 3.14 15.17 CHAP. XVIII Again It 's impossible that he who hath love should be ungratefull Mary Magdalen had received much and this made her love much and loving much she thought nothing too much to bestow even upon the most remote members of Christ to expresse her thankfulnesse Luke 7.38 And the like of Naaman when Elisha had done that great cure upon him whose hands were no lesse â—ull of thankes then his mouth Dry and barren profession of our obligation where is power to requite are unfit for noble and ingenuous spirits And so of Iacob If saith he I come again unto my fathers house in safety then shall the Lord be my God and this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be Gods house and of all that he shall give me I will give the tenth unto him again Gen. 28.21 22. And Hannah who vowed a vow and said O Lord of Hosts if thou wilt looke on the trouble of thine hand-maid and remember me and not forget thine hand-maid but give unto thine hand-maid a man Childe then I will give him unto the Lord all the dayes of his life and there shall no razor come upon his head and she did it accordingly 1 Sam. 1.11.27 28. An ingenuous disposition cannot receive favours without thoughts of return Behold thou hast been carefull for us sayes Elisha to the Shunamite with all this care what is to be done for thee wouldst thou be spoken for to the King or to the Captain of the Host what is there to be done for thee And when he understood that a sonne was the onely thing she wanted and desired her husband being old he obtained of the Lord to fulfill her desire 2 Kings 4.13 to 17. Both Christ and the Angels the Prophets and Apostles were wont to be very beneficial guests to their hostes and hostesses and ever payd a blessâ—ng for their entertainment Elias requited his hostesse with a supernatnrall provision He gave also her owne and her sons life to her for his board Yea in that wofull famine 1 King â—7 He gave her and her sonne their board for his house-room Yea it is storied of Pyrrhus an Heathen that he did exceedingly grieve for that a friend of his hapned to dye before he had required his many favours Those hearts that are truly thankâ—ull delight no lesse in the repayment of a good turn then in the receit and do as much study how to shew their fervent affections for what they have received as how to compasse favours when they want them Their debt is their burthen which when they have discharged they are at ease and not before Resembling Homer who never forgot to requite a benefit received nor could be at rest untill he had done it CHAP. XIX Nor can there be a better signe of true love and â—ound amendment then that we can be content to be loosers by our repentance Many formall penitents have yielded to part with so much of their sinne as may abate nothing of their profit It is an easie matter to say yea and think what they say to be true that they love God and Christ. There is no Dives among us but he thinks scorne to be charged with the want of love What not love God But aske his conscience the next question What good hast thou done for his sake No he can remember none of that no goodnesse no workes of mercy or charity hath come from him all his life long But know this thou wretched rich miserly muckworme that thoâ— artbound to performe these works of mercy to the poore both ouâ— of duty and thankefulnesse to him who hath given thee thy selfe and all that thou hast Yea if thou beest not a meere beast or blocke When thou beholdest them the poor I meane behold how thou art beholding to Him that suffered thee not to be like them Hath God given thee all things and dost thou then thinke it a great matter to give him back something especially seeing thou givest him but of his owne as David gladly acknowledged 1 Chr. 29.14 For shame consider of it and let thy conscience make answer to what I shall aske thee what can be more equall and just then to give a little unto him who hath given all unto us especially seeing he hath granted unto us the use onely of what we possesse reserving still the chief propriety unto himselfe and to spare something unto the poor out of our abundance at his request who hath not spared to give unto us his onely begotten and dearly beloved sonne that by a shamefull death he might free us from everlasting death and condemnation and purchase for us eternall happiness Yea in truth what madnesse is it to deny being requested to give at his appointment some small portion of our goods who by his owne right and authority may take all And what senselesse folly were it to turne away our face from him when he asketh in the behalfe of the poor some earthly and momentaâ—y trifles from whom we expect as his free gift Heavens felicity and everlasting glory CHAP. XX. But to drive home this duty to mens consciences see further what cause we have to extend our liberality to the relief of Christs poore members For here I shall take occasion to slide into a discourse which in the Title page 1 durst not once mention as well knowing how averse most men are and how desperately most rich mens hearts are hardned against the poore whereof I le onely give you an instance Some six years since having taken no small paynes
this question What would you give in those scorching flames to be delivered out of them into Abrahams bosom or the Kingdom of Heaven Yea what would you not give if you then had it Let Nabal be but ransomed out of Hell he wil no longer be a Churl Let Dives return from that fiery Lake to his former riches the sensible World shall admire his Charity Let Iudas be ransomed out of Hell he wil no more betray his Master for money Let Esau find the same favour he will never again sell his Birth-right Nabal then would no longer oppress Achitophel then wil be no longer a false-Counsellor nor Ahab a bloody Tyrant Finally if all damned souls could but be admitted to come out of Hell and get a promise of Heaven upon condition of extraordinary obedience for a thousand years how precisely would they live And how would they bestir themselves that they might please God having once tasted of those torments which now many are in doubt of because no man ever saw Hell that returned back to make the relation yea if the offer were but made to these Churls on their death-beds when Conscience begins to accuse God appears to be angry and Satan is ready to seize upon their souls they would then give all they have had they ten thousand worlds for a short reprieve to the end they might have the like possibility As certainly when Pharoah saw the Sea ready to swallow him he was heartily sorry that ever he had wronged poor innocents and oppressed God's own portion How much more when he felt the flames of Hell-fire about his ears And the like of Ahab touching Naboth and all such covetous and cruel men What gained Laban and Nabal or Dives or that rich man in the Gospel by heaping up Riches and ingrossing all to themselves when shortly after by their covetousness and cruelty they both lost their Estates and themselves The foolish Virgins to save or spare a a shilling brought no Oyle but when their Lamps were out and the Bridegroom was come what would they have given Yea what would they not have given for a little Oyle and for entrance with the wise into the Wedding Such will one day be the case of all covetous men Indeed at present none are wise but they for they account poor honesty but a kind of simplicity but then they wil acknowledge themselves to have been of all fools the greatest nor deserve they any pity Who pities that man's death that having the Medicine by him which can help him dyes and will not take it If ever you see a drowning man refuse help conclude him a wilful Murtherer O my Brethren look not for Dives nor Iudas to come out of Hell to warn you since all this that I have said and much more is written for your learning and warning lest it fare with you as it did with the Greeks of Constantinople who had store of Wealth but because they would spare none to the reparation of the Walls and maintenance of the Souldiers they lost all to the Turks which afterwards no money could recover Or as it fared with Hedelburough which was lost through the Citizens Covetousness for being full of Gold and Silver they would not pay the Souldiers that should have defended them Though neither their folly nor loss was comparable to this of yours For what is the Loss of Life or Countrey to the loss of a man's Soul and the Kingdom of Heaven The covetous Iews spoken of by Josephus loved their money dearly when being besieged they did in gorge their Gold for all the night and seek it in their close Stooles the next morning But nothing so wel as these Cormorants I am speaking of who by covetousness and overmuch sparing resolve to lose Life Substance Soul Heaven Salvation and all O wretched wicked and foolish generation CHAP. LIV. FOurthly If there needs no other ground of our last and heaviest doom than Ye have not given Ye have not visited If the main point which Christ wil scan at the day of Judgement is the point of mercy If he wil accuse the Wicked at the last day not onely for taking the meat out of the poors mouths or plucking their apparel off their backs but for not feeding them and putting cloaths upon their backs as is evident by Matth. 25. and as I have made plain then are all Negative Christians in an ill taking It is strange to see how many several ways men have to deceive themselves One thinks it enough that he is of the outward visible Church born of Christian Parents hath been baptized c. Another so confidently hopes for Salvation by Faith that he little regards honesty or true dealing amongst men Another sort flatter themselves with promises of mercy as Christ suffered for all God would have all to be saved At what time soever a sinner repents he shall be forgiven and the like and with these they batten their own presumptuous confidence be their lives never so licentious Yea where is the man that wil not boast of his love to Christ though they even hate all that any way resemble him but of all others such as live harmless Lives and do no hurt think it sufficient and that it greatly matters not for doing good so they do no evil And in these conceits they go on to the end of their lives without once questioning how they shal enter in at the straight Gate Their deceitful hearts serve them as Iael did Sizera who flatteringly said to him Come in my Lord giving him Milk and covering him with a Mantle but withal nailing his head to the gronnd As see how the Rich Glutton flattered himself with hopes until he was in Hel-flames For notwithstanding he had denied poor Lazarus the very crumbs that fell from his Table yet he could challenge Abraham for his Father saying Father Abraham have mercy on me c. Luk. 16 But refused he was because he had not the works nor indeed the Faith of Ahraham though he might seem to profess and pretend it And the like of those Iews Iohn 8. For they could boast to Christ that Abraham was their Father but he gave them a cutting Answer If ye were Abraham's Children ye would do the works of Abraham ver 39. Vainly do they speak of their love to Christ who yet are wanting to his members Neither can there be a truer argument of a godless person then unmercifulness If we know a man unmâ—rciful we may boldly say He is ungodly Iohn 3.17 The lack of Charity is the conviction of Hypocrisie 1 Cor. 13.1 2 c. The righteous is merciful and giveth Psal. 37.21 22. But the Wicked are so far from this that they borrow and pay not again The Father of Mercies hath no Children but the merciful Matth. 5.7 He that is not a feeling-Member of others miseries is not of that Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head It is not who is called a Christian or
Abrahams faith Iobs patience Pauls courage and constancy if they had not been tried by the fire of affliction their graces had been smothered as so many lights under Bushel which now to the glory of God shine to all the World Yea noâ— only their vertues but the gracious lives of all the Saints departed dâ— still magnifie him even to this day in every place we hear of them anâ— move us likewise to glorifie God for them wherefore happy man thaâ— leaves such a president for which the future Ages shall praise him and praise God for him And certainly if God intends to glorifie himself by his graces in us he will finde means to fetch them forth into the notice of the World Who could know the faith patience and valour of Gods souldiers iâ— they alwayes lay in Garrison and never came to the skirmish Whereaâ— now they are both exemplary and serve also to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men 1 Pet. 2.15 Yea without enemies valour and fortitudâ— were of no use Till we have sinned Repentance either is not or appearâ— not Neither is patience visible to others or sensible to our selves till we are exercised with sufferings whereas these vertues in time of misery and exigents shine as stars do in a dark night And what more glorious than with Noahs ' Olive-tree to keep our branches green under water Or with Aarons Rod to bring forth ripe Almonds when in appearance we are clong and dry Or with Moses's Bush not to consume though on a lighâ— fire One Iupiter set out by Homer the Poet was worth ten set out by Phidiaâ— the Carver saith Philostratus because the former slew abroad through all the World whereas the other never stirred from his Pedistal at Athens so at first the honour and splendour of Iobs integrity was confined to Uz a little corner of Arabia yea to his own Family whereas by means of the Devils malice it is now spread as far as the Sun can extend his beams or the Moon her influence for of such a Favourite of Heaven such a Mirrour of the Earth such a wonder of the World who takes noâ— notice Who could know whether we be vessels of gold or dross unless we were brought to the Touchstone of temptation Who could feel the odoriferous smell of these Aromatical Spices if they were not pounded and bruised in the Mortar of affliction The Worlds hatred and calumny to aâ— able Christian serves as bellows to kindle his devotion and blow off the ashes under which his faith lay hid like the Moon he shines clearest in the night of affliction If it made for the honour of Saul and all Israel that he had a little Boy in his Army that was able to encounter that selected great Giant Goliah of the Philistims and overcome him how much more doth it make for Gods glory that the least of his adopted ones should be able to encounter four enemies The World 1 John 5.4 The Flesh Gal. 5.24 The Devil 1 John 2.14 and The Death Rom. 8.36 37. The weakest of which is 1 The Flesh 2 The World Now the Flesh being an home-bred enemy a Dalilah in Samsons bosome a Iudas in Christs company like a Moath in the garment bred in us and cherished of us and yet alwayes attempting to fret and destroy us and the world a forreign foe whose Army consists of two Wings Adversity on the left hand Prosperity on the right hand Death stronger then either and the Devil stronger than all And yet that the weakest childe of God only through faiâ—h in Christ a thing as much despised of Philistims as Davids â—â—ing and stone was of Goliah should overcome all these fourâ— wherein he shews himself a greater Conquerour then William the Conquerour yea even greater then Alexander the Great or Pompey the Great or the Great Turk for they only conquered in many years a few parts of the World but he that is born of God overcometh the whole World all things in the World 1 Joh. 5. And this is the victory that overcometh the World even our faith Vers. 4. And makes not this infinitely for the glory of God Yea it makes much for the honour of Christians For art thou born of God Hast thou vanquished the World that vanquisheth all the wicked Bless God for this conquest The King of Spains overcomming the Indies was nothing to it If Satan had known his afflicting of Iob would have so advanced the glory of God manifested Iobs admirable patience to all Ages made such a president for imitation to others occasioned so much shame to himself I doubt noâ— but Iob should have continued prosperous and quiet for who will set upon his Adversary when he knoweth he shall be shamefully beaten This being so happy are they who when they do well hear ill but much more blessed are they who live so well as that their backbiting Adversaries seeing their good works are constrained to praise God and speak well of them CHAP. 4. That God suffers his children to be afflicted and persecuted by ungodly men that so they may be brought to repentance NOw the Reasons which have chiefly respect to the good of his children in their sufferings being thirteen in number are distinguished as followeth God suffers his children to be afflicted by them 1 Because it Brings them to repentance 2 Because it Works in them amendment of life 3 Because it Stirs them up to prayer 4 Because it Weans them from the love of the World 5 Because it Keeps them alwayes prepared to the spirituall combate 6 Because it Discovers whether we be true beleevers or Hyprocites 7 Because it Prevents greater evils of sinne and punishment to come 8 Because it makes them Humble 9 Because it makes them Conformable to Christ their head 10 Because it Increaseth their Faith 11 Because it Increaseth their Ioy and Thankfulness 12 Because it Increaseth their Spiritual Wisdome 13 Because it Increaseth their Patience First the Lord suffers his children to be vexed and persecuted by the wicked because it is a notable means to rouze them out of carelesse security and bring them to repentance He openeth the eares of men saith Elihu even by their corrections that he might cause man to turn away from his enterprizo and that he might keep back his soul from the pit Job 33.16 17 18. The feeling of smart will teach us to decline the cause Quia sentio poenam recogitâ— culpam saith Gregory the Great punishments felt bring to my consideration sins committed Those bitter sufferings of Iob toward his latter end made him to possess the iniquities of his youth Iob 13.26 whereby with Solomons Eves-dropper Eccles. 7.21 22. he came to repent of that whereof he did not once suspect himselfe guilty it made him not think so much of what he felt as what he deserved to feel in like manner how do the clamours of Satan our own consciences and the insulting World constrain us to possess
like a fire of green wood which burneth no longer than whiles it is blown Affliction to the soul is as plummets to a Clock or winde to a Ship holy and faithful prayer as oars to a Boat And ill goeth the Boat without Oars or the Ship without winde or the Clock without plummets Now are some afflicted in reputation as Susanna was others in children as Eli some by enemies as David others by friends as Ioseph some in body as Lazarus others in goods as Iob others in liberty as Iohn In all extremities let us send this messenger to Christ for case faithful and fervent prayer if this can but carry the burthen to him he will carry it for us and from us for ever Neither can we want encouragement to ask when as the sick of the Palsie but asked health and obteined also forgiveness of sins When Solomon but desired wisedome and the Lord gave him wisedome and honour and abundance of wealth When Iacob asked but meat and cloathing and God made him a great rich man When Zacheus desired only to have a sight of Christ and was so happy as to entertain him into his house into his heart yea to be entertained into Christs Kingdom We do not yea in many cases we dare not ask so much as God is pleased to give Neither doest thou ô Saviour measure thy gifts by our petitions but by our wants and thine own mercies True if the all-wise God shall fore-see that thou would'st serve him as the prodigall son served his father who prayed but till he had got his patrimony and then forsook him and spent the same in riot to the givers dishonour as too many use the Ocean of Gods bounty as we do the Thames it brings us in all manner of provision cloaths to cover us fuel to warm us food to nourish us wine to chear us gold to enrich us and we in recompence soil it with our rubbish filth common shoares and such like excretions even as the Cloud that 's lifted up and advanced by the Sun obscures the Sun In this case he will either deny thee in mercy as he did Saint Paul 2 Cor. 12.8 9. and our Saviour himself Matth. 26.39 or grant thee thy request in wrath as he did a King to the Israelites and Quails wherewith he fed their bodies but withall sending leanness into their souls Psal. 106.15 And well doth that childe dâ—serve to be so served who will lay out the money given him by his father to buy poison or weapons to murther him with Wherefore let thy prayers not onely be fervent but frequent for thy wants are so And be sure to ask good things to a good end and then if we ask thus according to Gods will in Christs Name we know that he will hear us and grant whatsoever petitions we have desired 1 Iohn 5.14 15. CHAP. 7. That it weanes them from the love of the world 4 FOurthly our sufferings wean us from the love of the world yea make us loath and contemn it and contrariwise fix upon heaven with a desire to be dissolved Saint Peter at Christs transfiguration enjoying but a glimpse of happiness here was so ravished and transported with the love of his present estate that he breaks out into these words Master it is good for us to be here he would fain have made it his dwelling place and being loath to depart Christ must make three tabernacles Mat. 17.4 The love of this world so makes us forget the world to come that like the Israelites we desire rather to live in the troubles of Egypt then in the Land of Promise Whereas S. Paul having spoken of his bonds in Christ and of the spirituall combate concludeth I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Phil. 1.22 23. Yea it transported him to Heaven before he came thither as Mary was not where she was but where her desire was and that was with Christ. Prosperity makes us drunk with the love of the world like the Gadarens who preferred their swine before their souls or him in the Parable that would go to see his farmâ— and lose Heaven or the Rich Gluâ—ton who never thought of Heaven till he was in Hell and thousands more who if they have but something to leave behinde them 't is no matter whether they have any thing to carry with them But as sleep composeth drunkenness so the cross will bring a man to himself again for when the Staff we so nourish to bear us becomes a cudgel to beat us when we finde the world to serve us as the Iews did Christ carry us up to the top of the hill and then strive to throw us down headlong Luk. 4.29 When the minde is so invested with cares molested with grief vexed with pain that which way soever we cast our eyes we finde cause of complaint we more loath the World than ever we loved it as Amnon did his sister Tamar yea when life which is held a friend becomes an enemy then death which is an enemy becomes a friend and is so accountted as who having cast Anâ—hor in a safe Road would again wish himself in the storms of a troublesome Sea Yea in case we have made some progress in Religion and found a good conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ the marrow of all comforts and resolved with Ioseph to forsake our coat rather than our faith yet if the World make new offers of preferment or some large improvement of profits and pleasures we begin to draw back or at least we know not whether to chuse like a horse that would and yet would not leap a ditch And after a little conflict having half yielded to forsake that with joy which cannot be kept but with danger we resolve thus The same God which hath made my crosses chearful can as well make my prosperity conscionable Why then should I refuse so fair an offer but alas having made choice it is not long ere these pleasures and honouâ—s these riches and abundance prove as thorns to choak the good seed of Gods Word formerly sown in our hearts as it is Matth. 13.22 For prosperity to Religion â—s as the Ivy to the Oake it quickly eats out the heart of it yea as the Misselâ—o and Ivy sucking by their straight embraces the very sâ—p that only giveth vâ—getation from the roots of the Oake and Hawthorn will flourish when the Trees wither so in this case the corruption of the good is alwayes the generation of the evil and so on the contrary crosses in the estate diseases of the body maladies of the minde are the medicines of the soul the impairing of the one is the repairing of the other When no man would harbour that unthrift son in the Gospel he turned back again to his Father but never before Lais of Corinth while she was young doted upon her Glass but when she grew old and withered she loathed it as much which made
once the Grecians were known from the Barbarians by their vertuous lives as Quintus Curtius notes Shall a wilde Olive tree growing upon the barren mounts of Gilboa and nature where neither dew of the spirit nor rain of grace falleth bear such fruit and shalt not to thou a green Olivetree in the house of God planted beside the waters of comfort bring forth this fruit of the Spirit We see that civill honesty severed from true piety humility saving knowledge sincere love to God true obedience to his word justifying faith a zeal of Gods glory and desire to edifie and win others God accepts not as proceeding from the love of our selves and other carnall respects namely to obtain praise or profit thereby So that to suffer as the Heathen did without observing other circumstances is but to imitate that foolish Patient who when the Physician bade him take that prescript eat up the paper Wherefore do not only subdue thy passions but sayl with that contrary breath of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.12 We are reviled and we blesse and with that of St Steven who rowed both against winde and tyde not only through the raging waves of his enemies reproaches but even in a storm of stones being as earnest to save their souls as they were to slay his body Meer Civill and morall men have speculative knowledge if thine be saving it will take away barrennesse and make thee fruitfull in the works of obedience Who planteth a Vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof we expect this of the Earth that hath only nature and shall not God expect it of us who have sense to govern nature Reason to govern sense grace to govern reason Iesus Christ to govern all The little World Man is so the compendium and abridgement of all creatures that whatsoever is imprinted with Capitall Letters in that large Volume as in Folio is sweetly and harmoniously contracted in decimo sexto in the brief text of man who includes all Planets have being not life Plants have life not sense Beasts have sense not reason Angels have being life reason not sense Man hath all and contains in him more generality than the Angels Being with Planets life with Plants sense with Beasts reason with Angels But the beleever hath over and above Gods Spirit and faith which are peculiar prerogatives belonging to the godly which no man being a mâ—er man is capable of Here also if it were as orderly as pertinent I might take occasion to shew another peculiar and proper adjunct belonging to the patience of a Christian which a Philosopher may sooner envy than imitate yea it must put him besides his reason before he can conceive it possible namely That a Christian rejoyceth in his sufferings We rejoyce in tribulation saith St Paul knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience and patience experience and experience hope c. Rom. 5.3 Yea he goeth yet further and saith I am filled with comfort I am exceedingly joyfull in all our tribulation 2 Cor. 7.4 which is to over-abound exceedingly with joy such an exuberation of joy as brake forth into thankefulnesse And St Iames the like saying My brethren count it exceeding joy when ye fall into divers temptations knowing that the trying of your faith bringeth forth patience and let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and intire lacking nothing Jam. 1.3 4. Gods people do not only acknowledge that they suffer justly frrm God even when they suffer unjustly from men as Iosephs brethren did who were no Spies nor corners as they were accused yea they had faithfully presented their Monies for their Wheat neither had they stolen their Lords Cup yet say they justly is this evill come upon us because we have sinned against our brother Gen. 42.21 As a trespasse being committed perhaps thirty or forty years ago and no punishment till now inflicted behold thy Creditor is now come and thou must pay the debt hast thou any wrong done thee I trow not But this is not all though nature will scarce acknowledge so much for we must proceed and not alwayes continue in the nethermost Forme like drones he is not uppermost in this School of Patience who suffereth things patiently that must be suffered but he who doth it willingly cheerfully and thankefully Paulus Diaconus relates how the Empresse Irene being deposed from ruling by her own servant said I thank God who of his free mercy advanced me an unworthy Orphane to the Empire but now that he suffereth me to be cast down I ascribe it wholly to my sinnes blessed be his Name for his mercy in the one in the other for his justice And St Iamâ—s being cut into pieces limb by limb was heard to say God be thanked upon the cutting off of each member or joynt The very Heathen saith St Hierome know that thanks are to be given for benefits received but Christians only give thanks for calamities and misâ—ries But because this path leads from the way of my intended discourse and you affect not to have mee digresse come we to the sixteenth Reason CHAP. XXXI That they may follow Christs example and imitate the Patience of the Saints in all Ages 16. Reason 6. IN the sixth and last place they bear the slanders and persecutions of wicked men patiently that they may follow Christs example and imitate the patience of the Saints in all ages Christ also suffered for you saith St Peter leaving you an example that you should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 And it is written of him that When he was reviled he reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not 1 Pet. 2.23 He was called of his enemies Conjurer Samaritane Wine-bibber c. was scoft at scorned scourged crucified and what not yea he suffered in every place in every part First In every place hunger in the desart resistance in the Temple sorrow in the Garden contumelies in the Iudgement-hall Crucifying without the City c. Secondly In every part his eyes run down with tears his temples with blood his ears tingled with buffetings glowed with reproaches they afflicted his taste with Gall spit in his face pierc'd his head with thorns his hands with nayles his side with a spear his heart was full of sorrow his soul of anguish his whole body was sacrificed as an offering for sinne and yet he suffered all for us to the end he might leave us an example that we should follow his steps Neither was it so much what he suffered as with what affection willingnesse and patience he suffered that did Nobilitate the merit of his sufferings As touching the first Why descended he to take our flesh but that we might ascend to take his Kingdom he descended to be crucified that we might ascend to be glorified he descended to hell that we might ascend to Heaven Touching the second What King ever went so willingly to be Crowned as he to be crucified Who so gladly from execution as he to it What
merit But if wee think of our deliverance from the fire of Hell â—his is cause enough to make us both pâ—tient and thankfull though the trifles weâ— delight in bee taken from us Lord take away what thou pleasest for thy glory and my good so long as thou savest mee from the fire of Hell and thy everlasting wrath Neither is there a better remedy for impatience than to cast up our receipts and to compare them with ouâ— deservingâ— if thou lookest upon thy sufferingâ— thou shalt find them far easier than thy sins have deserved nothing to what thy fellow Saints and Christ thy elder brother hath suffered before thee at a Lyons den or a fiery furnace not to turn tâ—ile were a commendation worthy a Crown do but compare thy own estate with theirs and thou shalt find cause to bee thankfull that thou art above any rather than of envy or malice that any is above thee to domineer and insult over thee Yea compare thine own estate with thine enemies thou shalt see yet greater cause to bee thankfull for if these temporary dolors which God afflicts his people with are so grievous to thee how shall thine and Gods enemies though they suggest to themselvs that God is all mercy as if hee wanted the other hand of his justice endure that devouring fire that everlasting burning Isa. 33.14 Psal. 68.21 Doth he make bloody wayls on the backs of his Children and shall bastards escape doth hee deal thus with his Sons what will hee do with his Slaves cannot all the obedience of his beloved ones bear out one sin against God as wee see in Moses David Zachary c. Where will they appear that do evill onely evill and that continually The meditation whereof may bee of some use to thee Thales beeing asked how adversity might best bee born answered By seeing our Enemies in worse estate than our selves CHAP. 39. That the more wee suffer here so it bee for righteousness sake the greater our reward shall be heareafter 5 FIâ—thly wee shall bear the Cross with more patience and comfort if with Moses wee shall have respect unto the recompence of reward which is promised to all that notwithstanding what they shall suffer persevere in well doing Great are our tryals but salvation in heaven will one day make amends when we shall have all tears wiped from our eyes when wee shall cease to grieve cease to sorrow cease to suffer cease to sin when God shall turn all the water of our tears into the wine of endless comfort Yea when our reward shall bee so much the more joyous by how much more the course of our life hath been grievous First see what promises are made to suffering Blessed are they which mourn saith our Saviour for they shall bee comforted Matth. 5.4 Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven ver 10. They that suffer here for well-doing shall bee Crowned hereafter for well-suffering Blessed shall you bee when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evill against you for my sake fasly Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven ver 11.12 And nothing wee suffer here can bee compared either with those woes wee have deserved in Hell or those joyes wee are reserved to in Heaven When Maâ—cus Marcellus who was the first that saw the back of Hanniball in the field was asked how hee durst enter into battaile with him hee answered I am a Romane born and a Souldier and by him I shall make my â—â—own everlasting How much more should the hope of life immortall wâ—â—ch is the life of our lives mortall whet our sortiâ—ude and encourage us in the Christian warfare And so it hath done with thousands Origen was so earnest to suffer with his Father when hee was but sixteen years of age that if his Mother had not kept his cloaths from him hee would have run to the place where his Father suffered to profess himself a Christian and to have suffered with him which was a common thing with the Martyrs making all hast lest they should miss of that noble entertainment Yea it hath not onely been common for men in a bravado to encounter death for a small flâ—sh of honour but you shall see a hired servant venture his life for his new master that will scarce pay him his wages at the years end And can wee suffer too much for our Lord and Master who giveth every one that serveth him not Fields and Vineyards as Saul pretended 1 Sam. 22. Nor Towns and Cities as Cicero is pleased to boast of Caesar but even an hundred-fold more than wee part withall in this life and eternall mansions in Heaven Iohn 14 2. Therefore Bazil when hee was offered money and preferments to tempt him answered Can you give me money that can last for ever and glory that may eternally flourish And certainly nothing can bee too much to endure for those pleasures which endure forever Yea if the love of gain makes the Merchant refuse no adventures of Sea if the sweetness of honey makes the Bears break in upon th hives contemning the stings Who would not get heaven at any rate at any cost or trouble whatsoever But to go on Behold saith God it shall come to pass that the Devill shall cast some of you into prison that yee may bee tried and yee shall have tribulation ten days yet fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer For be but thou faithfull unto death and I will give thee the Crown of life Rev. 2.10 And again Blessed is the man that endureth temtatation for when hee is tried hee shall receive the Crown of life Jam. 1. veâ— 12. A Crown without cares without rivals without envy without end Now if you consider it The gain with hardness makes it far less hard The danger 's great but so is the reward The sight of glory future mitigate the sence of misery present For if Iacob thought not his service tedious because his beloved Rachell was in his eye what can be thought grievous to him that hath Heaven in his eye Adrianus seeing the Martyrs suffer such grievous things hee asked why they would endure such misery when they might by retracting free themselvs to which one of them aleadged that text Eye hath not seen nor ear heard c. the nameing whereof and seeing them suffer so cheerfully did so convert him that afterwards hee became a Martyr too Lastly not to enlarge my self as I might in promises of reward Whosoever shall forsake Houses or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands for my name sake he shall receive an hundred-fold more and shall inherit everlasting life Matth. 19.29 This is â— treasure worthy our hearts a purchase worth our lives Wherefore eye not the stream thou wadest through but the firm Land thou tendest to And indeed who is there that shall hear these promises and compare
may work in us some flashes of desire and purposes of better obedience but we are constant in nothing but in perpetual offending onely therein we cease not for when we are waking our flesh tempts us to wickednesse if wee are sleeping it sollicites us to filthinesse or perhaps when we have offended thee all the day at night we pray unto thee but what is the issue of our praying First we sin and then we pray thee to forgive it and then return to our sins again as if we came to thee for no other end but to crave leave to offend thee Or of thy granting our requests we even dishonor thee and blaspheme thy name while thou do'st support and relieve us run from thee while thou do'st call us and forget thee while thou art feeding us so thou sparest us we sleep and to morrow we sin again O how justly mightest thou forsake us as we forsake thee and condemne uâ— whose consciences cannot but condemne our selvs But who can measure thy goodnesse who givest all and forgivest all Though we be sinful yet thou lovest us though we be miserably ingrateful yet thou most plentifully blessest us What should we have if we did serve thee who hast done all these things for thine enemies O that thou who hast so indeared us to serve thee wouldest also give us hearts and hands to serve thee with thine own gifts Wherefore of thy goodnesse and for thy great Names sake we beseech thee take away our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh enable us to repent what we have done and never more to do what we have once repented not fostering any one sin in our souls And because infidelitie is the bitter root of all wickednesse and a lively faith the true mother of all grace and goodnesse nor are wee Christians indeed except we imitate Christ and square our lives according to the rule of thy Word Give us that faith which manifesteth it self by a godly life which purifieth the heart worketh by love and sanctifieth the whole man throughout Yea since if our faith be true and saâ—ing it can no more be severed from unfained repentance and sanctification then life can be without motion or the sun without light give us spiritual wisdom to try and examine our selvs whether we be in the faith or not that so we may not be deluded with opinion onely as thousands are Discover unto us the emptinesse vanity and insufficiencie of the things here below to do our poor souls the least good that so we may be induced to set an higher price upon Jesus Christ who is the life of our lives and the soul of our souls considering that if we have him wee want nothing if we want him wee have nothing Finally O Lord give unto us and increase in us all spiritual graces inlighten our minds with the knowledge of thy truth and inflame our hearts with the love of whatsoever is good that we may esteem it our meat and drink to do thy blessed will Give us religious thoughts godly desires zealous affections holy endeavours assured perswasions of faith stedfast waiting through hope constancy in suffering through patience and hearty rejoicing from love regenerate our minds purifie our natures turn all our joies into the joy of the Holy Ghost and all our peace into the peace of conscience and all our fears into the fear of sin that we may love righteousnesse with as great good will as ever we loved wickednesse and go before others in thankfulnesse towards thee as far as thou goest in mercy towards us before them Give us victory in temptation patience in sicknesse contentment in poverty joy in distresse hope in troubles confidence in the hour of death give us alwaies to think and meditate of the hour of death the day of judgment the joies of heaven and the pains of hell together with the ransome which thy Son paid to redeem us from the one and to purchase for us the other so shall neither thy benefits nor thy chastisements nor thy Word return ineffectual but accomplish that for which they were sent until we be wholly renewed to the image of thy Son These things we humbly beg at thy fatherly hands and whatsoever else thou knowest in thy divine wisdome to be needful and necessary for our souls or bodies or estates or names or friends or the whole Church better then we our selvs can either ask or think and that for thy Names sake for thy promise sake for thy mercies sake for thy Sons sake who suffered for sin and sinned not and whose righteousnesse pleadeth for our unrighteousnesse in him it is that we come unto thee in him we call upon thee who is our Redeemer our Preserver and our Saviour to whom with Thee and thy blessed Spirit be ascribed as is most due all honour glory praise power might majesty dominion and hearty thanksgiving the rest of this night following and for evermore Amen A Praier to be used at any time O Almighty Eternall most Glorious and onely wise God giver to them which want comforter of them which suffer and forgiver of them that repent whom truly to know is everlasting life Wee they poor creatures acknowledge and confess unto thee who knowest the secrets and desires of all hearts that of our selvs we are not worthy to list up our eyes to heaven much less to present our selves before thy Majesty with the least confidence that thou shouldest hear our praiers or accept of our services but rather that thou shouldest take these our confessions and accordingly condemne us to the lowest place in Hell for our continually abusing thy mercy and those many means of grace which in thy long suffering thou hast affoarded for our reclaiming Wee are the cursed seed of rebellious Parents wee were conceived in sin and born the children of wrath And whereas thou mightest have executed thy fierce displeasure upon us so soon as thou gavest us being and so prevented our further dishonouring thee wee have instead of humbling our selves before thee our God and seeking reconciliation with thy Majestie done nothing from our infancy but added sin unto sin in breaking every one of thine holy Laws which thou hast given us as rules and directions to walk by and to keep us from sinning Yea there is not one of thy righteous precepts which we have not broken more times and ways then we can express so far have wee been from a privative holiness in reforming that which is evill and a positive holiness in performing that which is good which thou maist justly require of us being wee had once ability so to do if wee had not wilfully lost it for thou did'st form us righteous and holy had not wee deform'd our selves whereas now like Satan wee can do nothing else but sin and make others sin too who would not so sin but for us for we have an army of unclean desires that perpetually sight against our souls
hath been to serve Satan and fulfil the lusts of the flesh VVe even suck in iniquity like water 〈…〉 It hath been the course of our whole life to leave that which God commands and to do that which he forbids The Word and Spirit may work in us some flashes of desire and purposes of better obedience but we are constant in nothing but in perpetuall offending onely therein we cease not for when we are waking our flesh tempts us to wickednesse if we are sleeping it sollicits us to filthiness Whatever God commands we do the contrary We prophane his Dayes contemn his Ordinances resist his Word grieve his Spirit misuse his Messengers hate our reprovers slander and persecute his people seduce our friends give ill example to our neighbours open the mouthes of God's and our enemies to blaspheme that glorious Name after which we are called and the truth we profess Yea we have done more against God in one week then we have done for him ever since we were born and whereas the least of Gods mercies is greater then all the courtesies of men we are not so thankfull to him for them all as we are to a friend for some one good turn Sect. XV. Neither are we sufficient of our selves to think much less to speak least of all to do ought that is good 2 Cor. 3.5 Iohn 15.4 5. There is so much wearisomness pride passion lust envy ignorance awkwardness hypocrisie infidelity vain thoughts unprofitableness and the like cleaving to our best actions to defile them that even our praying and fasting and repenting our hearing believing and giving our holiest communication our most brotherly admonition c. are in themselves as filthy rags Isa. 64.6 were they not accepted in Christ covered with his righteousness and washed white in his most precious blood Our very righteousness is as a menstruous cloth Isa. 64.6 What then is our sinfulness As bring we our lives to the rule Look how many sins are cherished so many false gods there are chosen Look how many creatures thou inordinately lovest fearest trustest rejoycest in so many new gods hast thou coined and wilt thou not then pleade guilty when the first and second Commandment arraigneth thee Thou canst not away with swearing but dost thou reprove others for their swearing Didst thou never hear Sermons unpreparedly irreverently c Does thy heart upon a Sabbath rest from worldly thoughts much more thy tongue from worldly speeches There is murther of the heart hatred Hast not thou murthered thy neighbours soul by thy negligence perswasion evil example c. Thou hast not stoln but hast thou not coveted Hast thou been liberal to those that are owners of a part of thy goods hast thou not robb'd thy brother of his good name which is above silver and gold Hast not thou robb'd God of his worship of his Sabbaths of his Tythes c. Lying flattering detracting listning to taâ—â—s yea not defending thy brothers good name is to bear false witness 〈…〉 very first motions of sins springing out of our hearts though presently rejected and a thousand the like and yet for every drop of wickedness that is in the life there is a sea in the heart that feeds it Sect. XVI True if thou lookest on thy sins in Satans false glass that will make them seem light and contemptible but behold them in the clear and perfect gâ—ass of Gods law and they will appear abominable Which makes our Saviour call hatred murther a wanton eye adultery c. Yea consider thy sins rightly and they will appear as the Iudasses that betrayed the Souldiers that apprehended bound smote and wounded thy Saviour as the gall and vinegar in his mouth spittle on his face thorns on his head nails in his hands spear in his side c. This is the way to know thy self sinful and as thus to know thy self is the best Divinity as Demonax said of Philosophy so thus to aggravate thy sins in thine own sight is the only way to have them extenuated in the sight of God Whence the more holy a childe of God is the more sensible he is of his own unholiness thinking none so vile as himself as it fared with holy Iob Iob 40.4 and 42.6 and with Isaiah chap. 6.5 and 64.6 and with Saint Paul 1 Tim. 1.15 Rom. 7.14 to 25. and with holy David who almost in every Psalm so much bewails his sins originall and actual of omission and commission Carnal men are only troubled for those sins that appear to the world but those in whom Christs is formed anew think they cannot be humbled enough for their evil thoughts vain and unprofitable words for the evil which cleaves even to their best actions for sins of omission as the want of faith and love and repentance want of the true fear of God the neglect of preparation and unprofitable hearing of praying and reading in their families of instructing their children and servants of sanctifying the Sabbath and seeing that all under them do the same their unfruitfulness under the means of grace their not growing in grace and the like And thus do all experimental Christians all that have spiritual eies The want whereof I take to be the cause of all desperate wickedness as what else but invincible ignorance is the cause why wickednesse so abounds in every corner oâ— the Land Sin indeed at first was the cause of ignorance but now ignorance is the cause of Sin swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whoring abound saith the Prophet because there is no knowledge of God in the land Hosea 4.1 2. It is a people that do erre in their hearts saies God Why Because they have not known my ways Psal. 95.10 Ye are deceived saith our Saviour because ye know not the Scriptures neither the power of God Matth. 22.29 VVhen Christ wept over Ierusalem what was the cause Even their blindnesse If thou hadst known saith he at the least in this thy day those things which now are hid from thine eyes Luke 19.42 Because men know not the wages of evil therefore they do it and because they would securely do it therefore they refuse to know it O that men knew how good it is to obey to disobey how evil for this would soon disperse and dispel all the black clouds of their reigning sins in a moment If they were wise saith St. Bernard they would fore-see the torments of Hell and prevent them but they that wander in by-paths declare themselves ignorant of the rightway of salvation Rom. 3.17 I grant many that are wicked have a shew of wisdom but let them seem to know never so much yet it is through ignorance that they do so ill Sect. XVII And so having given you a short survey of our wretchedness by reason of Original sin and actual transgressions by which we must confess to have deserved double damnation I come now to declare the means which God of his infinite goodnesse hath found out both for
us is to look at those below us But leaving the application until the conclusion CHAP. IX FIfthly Consider but seriously who they are that hate scâ—ff and jeer you and that have persecuted the Saints before you and mockt at holiness and 〈◊〉 exceedingly to support you against whatever you shall hear or 〈◊〉 As first What is their Character in Scripture are they not 〈◊〉 A company of hypocrites Psal. 35. Hypocritical mockers v. 16. 〈◊〉 Drunkards Psal. 69. I am a song of the Drunkards vers 12. a sort of vicious persons following their lusts 2 Pet. 3.3 There shall come mockers walking after their own lusts A company of abject persons Psal. 35 15. like those enemies Acts 17. Lewd fellows of the baser sort ver 5. A â—ou of prophane godless irreligious Atheists and ignorant fools that do no more know the power then Turks and Heathens know the truth of godliness Psal. 14 1. to 6. And it is a shrewd suspition that he who is a mocker is an Atheist It well becomes him to mock at Religion that denies a God And it is evident enough that he denies a God that mocks at godlinesse But secondly Experience sufficiently acquaints us what they are and the examples before rehearsed for such as Cain and the Sodomites and Ishmael and Esaâ— and Haman and Eliab and Goliah and Michal and Doeg and Shemei anâ— Rabshekeh and Ahab and Iezabel and Tobiah and Sanballat and Pashur and Zedekiah and Herod and Iudas and S. Paul before his conversion and Ananias the High Priest and Demetrius the silver-smith and Alexander thâ— Copper-smith and Elimas the Sorcerer such as these I say are the men whâ— amongst us do the like things that they did And will any wise man stumb at Religion for such mens scoffs and reproaches what better can be expected from them What said the Orator to Salust It cannot be but he thaâ— lives thy life should speak thy language yea a man would choose his Religion by such mens enmity and it is a great honour to Religion that it hath such adversaries For as the Primitive Christians used to say when Noâ— persecuted them they that know him must needs think it some great goâ— which Nero so hated and condemned so every wise man will love Religiâ— the better and take it for a great honour to the Saints that hypocrites drunkards vitious followers of their lusts base and lâ—wd fellows godlesse Atheists and blind Sensualists are her scoffing adversaries And scarce do I know a better argument to perswade to love and imbrace it then that such men hate 〈◊〉 deride it neither can it be the true Religion which is not every where 〈◊〉 spoken against Act. 28.22 But CHAP. X. SIxthly and lastly Observe but the reasons why they do it and this will notably confirm and strengthen you against their scoffs and scorns Convert Have they any reason for their so doing Minist Not properly For as the Prophet very often complains they 〈◊〉 mine enemies without a cause and they hate me without a cause c. Psal. 7. and 69.4 though they pretended many causes So they have no 〈◊〉 nor reason to hate censure ard slander us as they do for no evil deed 〈◊〉 a good reason yet they do it not without many by reasons and felt and 〈◊〉 First The main aâ—d most material cause why wicked men so mortally 〈◊〉 the godly and which breeds so many quarâ—el is the contrariety of the 〈◊〉 tures being as contrary one to the other as are God and the devil the 〈◊〉 ing the children of God and partaking of the divine nature aâ— being one 〈◊〉 Father and the Son 2 Cor. 6.18 Gal. 3.26 Joh. 1.12 and 17.14 〈◊〉 4. being like God in holiness 1 Pet. 1.15 Brethren of and heirs annexed Christ Rom. 8.17.29 Members of his body 1 Cor. 12.27 Bone of his bone and 〈◊〉 of his flesh Eph. 5.30 having his spirit dwelling in them Rom. 8 9-16 〈◊〉 Temples of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.19 Jam. 1.18 Joh. 〈…〉 And the other being the seed of the serpent and children of the devil and so partake of his nature as is plain by 1 Joh. 3.8 10 12 14. and 6.70 and 8 44. Matth. 13.38 39. 2 Cor. 4.4 2 Tim. 2.26 Gen. 3.15 and 5.3 Eph. 2.2 c. Which being so how is it possible they should ever agree although God had not proclaimed an enmity between them For there can be no amity where there is no sympathy no reconciling of the wolf and the lamb the winds and the sea no neighbourhood no alliance no conjunction is able to make the cursed seed of the serpent and the blessed seed of the woman ever agree For fire and water light and darkness heaven and hell are not more contrary One bloud one belly one â—ouse one education could never make Cain and Abel accord Iacob and Esau Isaac and Ishmael at one Yea though they be man and wife parent and childe yet if they be not like they will not like 2 Cor. 6. 14 15. As how many a wife is so much the more hated because a zealous wife how many a childe lesse beloved because a religious childe how many a servant lesse respected because a godly servant And no marvel for though they dwell in the same house yet they belong to two several Kingdoms and albeit they both remain upon earth yet they are governed by two several Laws the ones Burguship being in heaven Phil. 3.20 and the other being a Denizen belonging to hell as Irish men are dwellers in Ireland but denizens of England and governed by the Statutes of this Kingdom And indeed what is the corporal sympathy to the spiritual antipathy Can there be such a parity between the parent and the childe the husband and the wife as there is a disparity between God and Satan no certainly A wicked man can agree with all that are wicked be they Papists or Turks or Atheists Prophane or Civil man for all these agree with him in blindness and darkness and are all seed of the same Serpent but with sincere Christians and practisers of piety he can never agree the religious shall be sure of opposition because their light is contrary to his darknesse grace in the one is a secret disgrace to the other Yea let wicked men be at never so much odds one with another yet they will concur and joyn against the godly Acts 6.9 The Sadduces Pharisees and Herodians were Sectaries of divers and adverse Factions all differing 〈◊〉 from another yet all joyn together against our Saviour Matth. 22. â—â—erod neither loved the Iews nor the Iews Herod yet both are agreed to â—ex the Church Yea Herod and Pilate two enemies will agree so it be against â—hrist they will fall in one with another to fall out with God CHAP. XI NOr is this of theirs an ordinary hatred but the most bitter exorbitant unlimited and implacable of all others No such concord no such dis 〈◊〉 saith one of the
man often but Covetousness is a fine and recovery upon the purchase then he is sure of him as when a Goaler hath lockt up his prisoners safe in a Dungeon he may go play Coveâ—ous men are blinde to all dangers deaft to all good instructions they are be sotted with the love of money as Birds are with their bain yea they resolve against their own conversion The Scribes and Pharisees who were covetous shut their eyes stopt their ears and barriâ—â—â—dâ—ed their hearts against all our Saviour did or said yea they sâ—oft at his preaching Luk. 1â— 24 and of all sorts of sinners that Christ preached unto â—e was never 〈…〉 but by them when he preached against covetousness Christianum dogma vertitur in scomma and what 's the reason but this rich worldlings think themselves so much the wiser as they are the richer These things considered no wonder that our Saviour expresly affirmeth that it is easier for a camell to go througâ— the eye of a needle then for a rich man that is a covetous rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven as well knowing that no Physick can be found strong enough to purg out this humor Well may they gnaw their tongues for sorrow when they shall be tormented with fire and boyl with great heat and blaspheme the God of Heaven for their pains and for their soars but repent of their works they will not as it is Revel 16.8 to 12. only others may make some good use of that evil they see in them at least learn to beware of covetousness I grant that to God who hath commanded us to use the means all things are possible for he is able even of stones to raise up children unto Abraham Mat. 3.9 but in respect of ordinary means it is no more possible for a covetous miserly muck-worm to be converted then it is for a dead man to be raised And therefore though I had rather be a Toade then a Drunkard yet had I rather be a Drunkard then a covetous Miser and should somewhat the more hope to go to Heaven Mat. 21.31 32. CHAP. XXIII AND so much of the tenth plague which God inflicts upon the miserly muck-worm I might give you many more for almost every thing becomes a deadly snare to such men even every thing they see or hear of each thought that comes into their minds yea the very Word of God the mercy of God and the merits of Christ become their bain and shall inhanse their damnation for as all things shall turn together for the best to those that love God so all things shall turn together for the worst unto them that hate God as they do Iohn 15.24 Rom. 1.30 But enough hath been said as I suppose to make good what I promised and to prove that the câ—uell and unmercifull Miser is never the better for his riches but the worse and how God bestows these outward blessings upon him rather in wrath then in love with the reasons thereof but as you have heard what it is not to be Rich and Happy so in the next place hear what it is to be so For to clear mens judgements and for the further and fuller discharge of what I promised in the beginning that also is to be discovered which when I have dispatcht I shall honestly acquaint you how of poor melancholy and miserable you may become rich happy and comfortable now as touching the former of these you are to know That a competency of earthly things is indeed and really the best estate in the world if we had but the wit to know when we are well which makes Agur pray Give me neither poverty nor riches but feed me with 〈…〉 〈…〉 30.8 9. He prayes against riches as well as poverty and that which we are to pray against we may not desire and what is it our Saviour teacheth us to pray but Give us this day our daily bread Maâ— 6.11 We are never so happily fed as when we wait upon God for our daily bread and are therewith content and lest our Saviours words should not be enough he teacheth us this lesson no less by his own practice then by precept for though he was owner of all things in the universe yet he would have no more then just what he needed as when he wanted money to pay tribute he sent for no more then he was to disburse presently Matth. 17.27 he might have commanded twenty pounds as well as twenty pence but he would not to shew that we should desire no more then will serve our turn A competent measure of wealth to retain an honest reputation in the world so that we â—either need to flatter nor borrow is sufficient He is rich enough saith Ierom that lacketh not bread and high enough in dignity that is not forced to serve I would saith another desire neither more nor less then enough I may as well dye of a surfeit as of hunger This worlds wealth that men so much desire May well be likened to a burning fire Whereof a little can do little harm But profit much our bodies well to warm But take too much and surely thou shalt burn So too much wealth to too much wo does turn It is a great skill to know what is enough and greater wisedome to care for no more if I have meat drink and apparrel I will learn therewith to be content if I had the world full of wealâ—h beside I could injoy no more then I use the rest could please me no otherwise then by looking upon as wise Solomon shews Eccles. 5.11 and why can I noâ— thus solace my self while it is anothers It was a dainty disposition of one that followed a great Lord who was often heard to say I bless God I have as much in effect as my Lord himself though I am owner of little or nothing for I have the use of his Gardens and Galleries to walk in I hear his Musick with as many ears I hunt with him in his Parks eat and drink of the same with him though a little after and so of other delights which my Lord enjoys And indeed what great difference is there save in the pride and covetousness of a mans mind for my part let me speak it to Gods glory and out of thankfulness I have no share with either of them in these delights I enjoy neither curious gardens nor delicious musick nor sumputous fâ—re my body will scarce permit me a cup of strong drink I do not know that I have been free from getting cold in my head more or less one whole day this thirty years my means will not afford me to keep either horse or maâ— except with the unjust Steward I should cozen my master yet I would not change my con 〈…〉 sâ—nds of my mind as preferring a retired life spent in conversing with Authors before all the honors pleasures and profits that others enjoy This is the gift of God Eccl. 5.15 to the end
things that may make them every way happy as that their prosperity shall be durable and lasting That with riches they shall have credit honour and promotion with long life added That they shall be happy and prosper in all they have or do as having God their Protector who with mercy is said to compass them about on every side Psal. 32.10 That they shall be freed from all fears and dangers and obtein victory over all their enemies together with death hell and the devil That they shall be freed from the Law and likewise from sin and the penalty thereof That they shall have peace external internal eternal And joy even the joy of the holy Ghost which is both glorious and unspeakable That they shall not only persevere but also grow in grace and true wisdom Thâ—t all things whatsoever shall make for their good That both their persons and performances shall be good and acceptable which before were wicked and abominable That by the prayer of faith they shall obtein of God whatsoever they shall ask in Christs Name and according to his Word And in fine all other good things that can be named whether temporal spiritual or eternal are by the promise of God entailed upon them that love him and keep his commandements and upon their seed as I could plentifully and most easily prove were it pertinent to the matter in hand Nor is all this that God hath promised to those that serve him so great a matter comparatively as that we need wonder at it or once question the same For If he spared not his own Son but delivered him to death for us how shall he not with him freely give us all things also Rom. 8.31 32. It is the Apostles argument Great yea too great things are they for us to receive but not too great for the great and good God of Heaven and earth to give all the fear is on our part whether we be such to whom the promise is made For all Gods promises are conditional And though of these outward good things he hath promised abundance yet it is upon the condition of faith and obedience as appears by all the fore-mentioned places so that if we be not wanting in out duty and obedience to God God will not be wanting in any good thing to us Nor can we look that God should make good his promises if we make them void by not observing the condition as that we may do by our distrusting him If we will not dare to trust God upon his promise so confidently as we would a friend or some great man that is able and honest Besides the Lord hath promised that there shall be no want to them that fear him and that no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Psal. 34.9 84.11 Where observe two things there shall be no want to such and such shall want no good thing so that he must be such an one to whom the promise is made and he must also be sure that it is good for him which is promised But oftentimes it is not good for a man to abound with earthly blessings as strong drinke is not good for weake brains Yea if any thing be wantiug to a good man he may be sure it is not good for him and then better that he doth want it then that he did enjoy it and what wise man will complain of the want of that which if he had would prove more hurtful then gainful to him as a sword to a mad man a knife to a childe drinke to them that have a Fever or the Dropsie No good thing will God with-hold c. and therefore not wants themselves which to many are also good yea very good things as I could reckon up many want sanctified is a notable means to bring to repentance to work in us amendment of life it stirs up to prayer it weans from the love of the world it keeps us always prepared for the spiritual combate discovers whether we be true believers or hypocrites prevents greater evils of sin and punishment to come It makes us humble conformable to Christ our head increaseth our faith our joy and thankfulnesse our spiritual wisdom and likewise our patience as I have largely shewen in The Benefit of Affliction To coonclude All good things were created for the good and therefore are they called goods because the good God created them for good men to do good withal Therefore as Jacob got the blessing so he gat the inheritance also to shew that as the faithful have the inward blessing so they have the outward blessing too when they will do them good and cause them to do good Yea in this case even as the sheaffs fell before Ruth so riches shall fall in our way as they did to Abraham and Lot and Iacob and Iob and Ioseph upon whom riches were cast they knew not how but as if God had onely said Be rich and they were rich straight But that this is the true and only way to wealth and happiness needs no more proof then that which is recorded of Solomon 1 Kings 3. 2 Chron. 1. where the Lord appearing to him in a dream said Ask what I shall give thee And he asking only an understanding heart to discern between good and evil that he might the better discharge that great place whereunto God had called him wherein Gods glory and the peoples good was his principal aime and end Heare what the Lords answer is Because this was in thine heart and thou hast not asked riches wealth or honour nor the life of thine enemies neither yet hast asked long life but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thy self that thou mightest judge my people over whom I have made thee King Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee and I will give thee riches wealth and honour such as none of the Kings have had that have been before thee neither shall there any after thâ—â— have the like c. Yea he was so surpassing rich that he gave silver in Ierusalem as stones and gave Cedars as the wilde fig-trees that grow abundantly in the plain 1. King 10.27 2 Chron. 1.7 to 13 14 15. Lo the true way to Wealth honour and happiness is to desire grace that we may glorifie God and do good for cleering whereof I 'le give you a similitude A man spies a fair apple on a tree hath a longing desire to it whereupon he falls a shaking the tree with all his might at length it not only comes down but many other come down to him together with it And so much to prove that the way to become rich is first to become godly If any shall ask why the godly are not alwayes nor oft rich notwithstanding these promises I answer that God not seldom withholds these outward blessings from his own people in great love only affording them all things that they have need of Our heavenly Father who knows us better then
pounds for a falling Band five pounds for a Tulip ten twenty pounds for a yard of Lace But will Christ take this well and count them good Stewards when he shall sit upon his Throne and judge every man according to his deeds Matth. 25.31 to the end To these might be added the vast sums of mony that are lavisht out without measure in needless and unnecessary Buildings and trimming of houses as if the owners were to dwell for ever in this world So many Walks and Galleries Turrets and Pyramides such setting up pulling down transposing transplacing to make gay habittations for the memory and honour of mens Names So much yearly bestowed in costly furniture with which their houses were well stuft and filled before whereas multitudes of people by reason of the late civil wars are driven to wander about as having no certain dwelling-place yea no other house then the wide world no other bed then the hard ground and no other Canopy then the wide Heaven And so I might go on to many hundreds spent in Law-suits for the satisfying of a self-will so much spent in sports and needlesse Iourneys in Gaming and Revelling in kindnesses to Friends and Neighbours and many the like Whereas they should be sparing in other things that they might be the more bountiful in this duty They spend where they should spare and spare where God biddeth them spend Yea whereas the godly man spareth not onely from his superfluities but even from very necessaries that he may have the more to spend in bounty and beneficence These only spare in the works of mercy that they may have the more to spend upon their sinful Vanities But as the niggard that soweth not shall not reap so the prodigal Worldling that soweth onely to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption as it is Gal. 6 8. Now for conclusion of this point if Frugallity and saving be so great an help to bounty and liberality let it be our care to practice it avoiding both the extreams Prodigality on the one side and Avarice on the other for this as all other vertues is placed between two extreams as the Planet Iupiter between cold Saturn and fiery Mars Let it be used as a razor of all wicked and superfluous and as a rule of all good and necessary expences For that stock is like to last that is neither hoarded up miserably nor dealt out indiscreetly We sow not the furrow by the sack full but by the handful and the wise man knows it is better looking through a poore Lettice-window then through an Iron Grate Let it quite shave off all expenses about Surfeiting and Drunkenness Harlotry and Wantonness with other debauched courses which many amongst the Heathens have been ashamed of and therefore should not be once named among Christians Eph. 5.3 Nomina sunt ipso pene timenda sono And let it also moderate and diminish those excessive charges which too commonly men are at about things lawful and commendable because if men would so do the poor would be richly provided for As how much might be saved how many millions of money every year and how abundant might we be in works of mercy and yet be never the poorer at the years end Yea how would they praise God and pray for their bountiful Benefactors And how would God bless us in our souls bodies names estates and posterities As he hath abundantly promised in his Word CHAP. XLIV AND so much of the means enabling to this duty Now of the ends we are to propound to our selves in the doing of it wherein I wil bebrief Fourthly As our Alms or Works of mercy should flow from faith obedience charity mercy unfeigned love c. which are proper onely to true believers and such as in Christ are first accepted because as a woman that abides without an Husband all her fruit is but as an unlegitimate birth So until we be marryed to Christ all our best works are as bastards and no better then shining sins or beautiful abominations as the Apostle telleth us Heb. 11.6 Rom. 14.23 So our aim and end must be the glory of God the good of our brethren who are refreshed with our Alms the adorning of our Profession with these fruits of Piety the edification of others by our good example the stopping of the mouths of our Adversaries our own present good both in respect of temporal and spiritual benefits and the furthering and assuring of our eternal salvation all which shews that howsoever any man may give gifts out of natural pity yet onely the Christian and godly man can rightly perform this duty of Alms-deeds for it is a good work and there are none do good but those that are good neither is it possible that there should be good fruit unless it sprung from a good Tree Charity and Pride do both feed the poor the one to the praise and glory of God the other to get praise and glory amongst men in which Case God will not accept but reject a mans bounty As when one sent a Present to Alcibiades he sent it back again saying He sendeth these Gifts ambitiously and it is our ambition to refuse them The Hypocrite aimeth chiefly at his own glory and good either the obtaining of some worldly benefit or the avoiding of some temporal or everlasting punishment or finally that he may satisfie God's justice for his sins make him beholding unto him and merit at his hands everlasting happiness But the Christian doth these works of mercy with great humility remembling that whatsoever he giveth to the poor for Gods sake he hath first received it from God with all other blessings which he enjoyeth In which respect when he doth the most he acknowledgeth that he doth far less then his duty and that with much infirmity and weakness and therefore in this regard he humbly confesseth that his Almes are sufficiently rewarded if they be graciously pardoned the which as it maketh him to carry himself humbly before God so also meekly and gently towards the poore And indeed our axes saws hammers and chisels may as well and as justly rise up and boast they have built our houses and our pens receive the honor of our writings as we attribute to our selves the praise of any of our good actions And it were as ridiculous so to do as to give the Souldiers honor to his sword For of him and through him and for him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen Rom. 11.36 If we have any thing that is good God is the giver of it if we do any thing well he is the Author of it Ioh. 3.2 Rom. 11.36 1 Cor. 4.7 11.23 We have not onely received our talents but the improvement also is his meer bounty Thou hast wrought all our works in us saies the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 26. ver 12. We do good Works but so much as is good in them is not ours but God's We for these things magis Deo