neither he that loueth not his brother All which duties of the Law also concerning God and man must be done in like manner wholly and that from a sound heart And therefore if thou shalt soothe vp thy selfe in some duties doing and shalt in the meane while faile in other know this from the Apostle Iames who saith For whosoeuer shall keepe the whole Law and yet faileth in one point is guilty in all Where then the true feare of God is there is first integrity of heart and then whole obedience that is a continuall striuing vnto the performance of all and euery duty with care of doing what wee doe for Gods cause or because of the loue that wee doe beare to God constrayning vs thereunto But because in either getting or keeping a good report whilest men dealet together in matters of this World as in borrowing and lending there be many windings and turnings so that it is hard for a man to passe away without some staine of his credit especially if hee bee one that striueth vnto godlinesse whom all the World seeketh to speake ill of it stands euery man in hand therefore so much the more truly to â—ift himselfe especially when Gods hand is vpon him in this affliction of being in debt He therefore that will not be deceiued in himselfe in looking vpon the Law of the ten Commandements as vpon a looking-glasse wherein he desires to behold the errors of his life let him cast his eye aside and with good care looke into the extreame part of that Glasse euen the tenth Commandement Thou shalt not couet c. Or as the Apostle saith Thou shalt not lust and there shall hee learne this lesson that if hee haue giuen but way to any sinne to make proffer to him and so suffer it to rest and Sathan the first mouer or suggester to sinne with any though neuer so small an entertainment of him yea if he haue but granted time vpon the motion and first suggestion thereunto to demurre and as it were to aduise whether it be best to thinke or not to thinke to doe or not to doe thereby calling the Law of God into question or doubt put the case it be vpon this point of borrowing vpon a deceiueable purpose to serue thy present neede if that party whosoeuer hath not giuen either in the point in hand as borrowing vpon deceiueable purposes or any the like motion or prompting vnto sinne as our Sauiour Christ did vnto Sathan the present auant or auoid Sathan and with Dauid Away from me all yee workers of iniquitie or rather with the same Prophet in the like words Away from me yee wicked I will keepe the Commaundements of my God let him know that hee hath sinned already against his owne soule euen in this that by demurring with Sathan as by way of counsaile-taking he hath giuen him some hope to preuaile at the last which to doe is sinne with God and therefore to this purpose speaketh the holy Apostle Paul Let not the Sunne goe downe vpon your wrath neither giue place to the Deuill For how small soeuer a sinne not to resist sinne vpon the first sight in outward seeming appeares to be because the beginnings of sinne are very deceitful it being a common saying A little is not so much Yet so great it is doubtlesse as once being entred vpon thee hardly after if euer vntill thy dying day will it be got out for the very regenerate haue their sinnes vnder the which they doe continually labour which maketh them goe heauily mourning all the day long and oftentimes to water their couch with their teares as Dauid did who complained saying I fainted in my mourning I cause my bedde euery night to swimme and water my couch with my teares and this doth the looking into this first glasse of the Law cause yea in them who truely feare God But here they must not stand There is another more cleare cristalline and comfortable glasse of the Gospel which also they must with all good speed looke into where they shall euen vpon the very first view so sodainly behold Christ Iesus that onely comforter of them that mourne in Sion and the refresher of those that goe heauily laden vnder the burthen of their sinne and seeke their refreshing where it is to be had for faith in Christ Iesus is the onely marke of that filial son-like and true feare of God without the which faith there is no true feare of God at all and when thou seest him goe to him lay hold on him make thy moane to him shew him thy soares thy wounds certifie him of the foyles thou hast had since thou entredst thy selfe a Souldier vnder his Banner challenge him for thy Captaine acknowledge thy strayings and wandring out of his Campe let him know thy seuerall and particular sinnes hide nothing from him though he know all before it shall be his greater glory and in the end thy greater comfort bewaile his so long absence from thee with the great dangers thou wast in whilest thou wast left to thy selfe Say with the Church in Salomons Song I sought him but I found him not I called vpon him and he answered me not Giue me leaue a little longer because this feare of God as is said Hoc est totum hominis it is all that God requires of man and it is that thou must haue and it is a point whereupon thou must trie and often examine thy selfe euen King Queene Prince Nobles Gouernours Ministers Husband Wife Father Children Masters Seruants I cannot therefore end I am as in a maze giue me leaue yet in a word who is it that as the Church before saith hath not called vpon God often and yet hath not preuailed and what then shall he therefore giue ouer No shall he not still pray Yes Wilt thou aske how long leaue him not vntill he haue mercy vpon thee let not the terriblenesse of thine enemy although he be as a roaring and deuouring Lyon laid downe by the Apostle Peter before thee let it not daunt thee but awaken thy spirits the more the rather and therefore to the purpose it is that the Apostle saith Watch ye stand fast in the Faith quit you like men and be strong And as in the Ephesians Hauing finished all things stand and to thy greater hope of preuailing adde as the Apostle Paul in that very place immediatly after saith thereunto Prayer And pray alwayes saith he with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit and faint not And howsoeuer euery sinne whereof Sathan will hauing beene the first mouer of thee thereunto be thy accuser shall appeare to thy wounded conscience as a most fearefull and terrible monster greedily and with open mouth gaping wide doe seeke to swallow and deuoure thee vp euen aliue yet as thou fearest God and desirest the report thereof in the World in life in death and after death as this poore
also the Prophet was so much the more willing to listen carefully to her suite Good indeede is to be done for all but especially to them who are of the Houshold of Faith Another doctrine also out of the words of the woman doe issue in that shee speaking to Elizha calles her Husband his Seruant and afterward her selfe his Hand-maide and it is this That the Prophets of God as now the Ministers of the Gospell are each to respect other with a speciall respect and that betweene themselues with difference according to age grauity knowledge vnderstanding and the differing gifts of Gods grace in them as is here somewhat to be seene A lesson slenderly respected in these dayes wherein all things goe out of square so great is the pride and disdaine each of other yea and that among the teachers themselues But to the purpose in hand It appeares that her said husband deceased brought vp in one of the Schooles of the Prophets whether Bethel or Iericho as an ordinary Minister of the Church accordingly trayned vp did whether in prayer interpretation of the Scriptures doctrine or exhortation performe his duty in the Churches seruice according to the ordinary calling whereunto he was and that by ordinary labour and trauaile prepared But in that shee submits her husband so low as to terme him Elizhaes seruant she may seeme too much to abase her Husband and too highly to aduance Elizha Nothing lesse She speakes of them both according to the seuerall gifts that were in them wherein Elisha extraordinarily called did thereafter shine in gifts extraordinary worthy therefore in her account of double honour By occasion whereof somewhat may be said as concerning the titles of the Lord Bishops now amongst vs and that very fitly although they can no way approue themselues equall to Elisha neither doe they seeke it in respect of that calling and those extraordinary gifts of working miraculously being ceased But the rather to lay it downe not as an answere to those who doe dispitefully in tearmes carry themselues towards the Church-gouernours disdayning them for their titles sake for they are such as will neuer be answered and indeede are not worthy an answere but for the further confirming of them in the truth who are in the same already this is the thing It is not forbidden simply to giue to the Ministers of the Church honourable titles prouided alwaies that it be not done in flattery or besides true knowledge Neither are those places Be not called Rabbi Call no man Father vpon earth Be not called Doctors any way of force to abridge the Ministers of the Gospel of their due honour It serued indeed to restraine the ambitious Pharisees ' who hunting after vaine titles desired so to be called and would also that the people should wholly rest themselues vpon whatsoeuer was propounded vnder their names as meerely authenticall and no way to be gain-said Neither that of Elihu For I may not giue titles left my Maker should take mee away suddenly Neither that of Iames Be not many Masters so to be taken as if all title of honour or reuerend estimation were taken away or forbidden to be giuen to the Ministers of the Church This is onely forbidden them and thee Them that they doe not ambitiously seeke and hunt after the titles of those places and callings for the honour and titles sake without purpose to doe the duties beseeming those places and callings or as if vnder that name or title of honour whatsoeuer seemed good in their eies they might propound and it not to be refused which to doe were meere Papal and antichristian Thee that thou also doe not tie thy iudgement or faith concerning God and holy things to men for their outward respects sake But let them be called Fathers of the Church and so call thou them for so Paul was called and so called he himselfe For though ye haue ten thousand instructors in Christ yet haue yee not many Fathers saith hee for in Christ Iesus I haue begotten you through the Gospel yea hee called himselfe the Doctor and teacher of the Gentiles and thus they are and may be called so as they doe wholly and simply submit themselues to Christ as to their onely Master sent of God and seeke also to subiect and bring thee and thine by their authoritie vnder the obedience soueraignty and dominion of Christ himselfe their teacher and thy teacher their Lord and thy Lord their Master and thy Master And thus much by the way vpon that the Widdow called her Husband Elisha his Seruant and herselfe his Hand-maide There is further vpon this poynt that hee feared God notwithstanding hee died in debt this Doctrine to be obserued that a man may be indebted and yet be free from the common fame of the World that is to be an ill Man Which is no more true then on the other side to say such and such are wealthy rich and of good credit in the World and therefore they must needes be good honest and godly men when as yet perhaps they neuer knew what true godlinesse meant But how can this agree then with those places will some say where God makes a large promise to his people vpon condition that they hearken to the voyce of their God to obserue and doe all his commaundements as by Moses is written Then thou shalt lend to many Nations and not borrow thy selfe And againe the Prophet Dauid saith A good man is mercifull and lendeth And on the other side the Prophet Dauid hee sets it downe as a speciall marke of a wicked man to borrow and not to restore The wicked man borroweth and saith hee payeth not againe c. I answer Howsoeuer the promise of Gods blessings to the whole body of the people of Israel is no longer proper to them then they shall ioyntly and together bind themselues sincerely and simply to keepe and in so being bound doe indeede keepe Gods Commaundements yet in some other respect God both may and at his pleasure doth oftentimes temporally punish the godly with the wicked as the Apostle Peter layeth it downe in these wordes For the time is come that iudgement must beginne at the house of God Yea and amongst other punishments with this as one God punisheth thee it being incident to the children of God rather to want then to abound and this as hee doth iustly inflict vpon man for sinne as Ieremy saith Man suffereth for sinne Yet some other ends there may be and are with God as the triall of the faith and patience of his seruants vnder the crosse whereby to the further glory of his name some hidden vertues may more fully appeare out of them which before were not knowne A second end may be a greater manifestation of Gods care ouer them vnder present wants as ouer Eliah the Prophet for whose reliefe God had prouided the Rauens to feede him and by the widdow of
Widdowes Husband haue faith in God and shrinke not behold his loue to thee in Christ and be of good cheare although thou hast liued in the wayes of the World without regard of God and his Law heretofore yet vpon this thy faith fruitfull in repentance be comforted with Paul It is not thou but sinne in thee as is said It is no more I for now thou beleeuest thou art another person in Christ Iesus before God thy sinne is not looked vpon but saith he It is sinne that dwelleth in me For I allow not saith he that which I doe for what I would that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. It is that naturall corruption which doubtlesse cleaueth to them who are regenerate and although daily in conquering yet not cleane conquered But in this triall of thy selfe as concerning the true feare of God to be in thee if thou feelest that thou hast thus farre profited goe on still with the blessed Apostle as one wearied with these miserable conflicts of Sathan and shew thy faith more and more by still going to God as thy onely helper and crie aloud with groanes and sighes Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death And againe to despite Sathan to his teeth as if thou hadst already gotten the victory for Faith whose obiect is Christ with all the graces of his Spirit giueth to each beleeuer things absent as already present be bold to out-face him and say as Dauid to Saul Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall but the Lord he hath holpen me To the end then that all iust suspitions of deceitfull shifts in borrowing may be taken from thee and that thy name may be free from all iust slander pray with Dauid to God and giue not ouer Remoue from me shame and contempt and againe in the 39. verse Take away my rebuke that I feare c. And in thus doing and preuailing thou shalt reape vnto thee for thy comfort both liuing and dead this report that thou haft feared God Now to proceede to that which followeth concerning the Creditor in these words of her complaint And the Creditor is come to take my two Sonnes to be his bond-men The Law of bondage as appeareth both by the Scriptures as also by the Law of Nations hath been ancient which also may be found to haue beene amongst vs as by certaine Instruments of Manumission for the release of bond-men or villaines and this before the time of the Gospell may euidently appeare By the Law of Nations it appeares so to haue beene It was decreed saith Aulus Gellius by the Iudge that after the Debtor was demaunded by the Creditor his debt hee not hauing to pay at the instant that then hee should haue thirtie dayes more giuen him and if within that time he could not make satisfaction then the poore man was fettered by the feete and further being fast bound with a cord or long line was so deliuered ouer to the Creditor who leading him home as an Oxe or an Asse hee put him to what seruile worke soeuer vntill that by his most slauish and more perhaps then Egyptian-like bondage he had by all toylesome labour wrought out vnto his Master ful satisfaction of his debt and thus for the time of their bondage were they bought and sold from one to another as beasts are sold in a market For proofe wherof vnder the law of Moses we read If thou buy an Hebrew seruant hee shall serue sixe yeares and in the seauenth he shall goe out free for nothing Before the Law written we read of Ioseph who was twice sold once by his brethren to the Ishmaelites and then after by them to Potiphar an Eunuch of King Pharaohs In the Booke of the Psalmes the Prophet Dauid setting downe as by way of bewayling the miserie of Gods people to God himselfe vnder the hard seruitude wherewith they were oppressed Thou sellest thy people for nought saith hee and thou doest not increase their price And in the Prophesie of Esay saith the Prophet as in the person of God who is the creditor to whom I sold you Behold for your iniquities are yee sold c. As if he should say You are indeed vnder bondage but your selues haue made slaues of your selues by your owne vngodlinesse Likewise vnder the New Testament where our Sauiour likeneth the Kingdome of Heauen to a certaine King which would take account of his seruants and when hee had begun to reckon one was brought vnto him which ought him 10000. talents and because he had nothing to pay he commaunded him to be sold and his wife and his children and all that hee had and the debt to be paid c. So that the creditor did the widdow no wrong shee being insufficient to take her two sonnes to be his Bond-men and yet shee complaines to the Prophet I will not say of the cruelty of the Creditor the Law then so requiring it but rather of her owne distressed estate who was in danger of the losse of so great comforts the losse whereof how great it was may appeare by the example of a poore man of whom Saint Basil writes who hauing many children in a heauie time of Famine was with all of them euen at the point of a famishment ready to starue for want of food for the relieuing of whom one of them must be sold to buy corne and victuals withall to saue all the rest aliue The father cals his wife and causes her to call all his children together they aduise each with other which of them they should depart from and so not without teares the father beholding the eldest the beginning of his strength the excellencie of his dignitie the first that called him father the second too young the third like the father the fourth the mothers darling the fift the expresse image of the grand-father the sixt well made and like to proue a souldier the last wittie ingenious and very fit to make a Schollar so tender-hearted was this kinde and naturall father as that he could not find any one amongst them from whom he might depart chusing rather to redeeme all their liues with his owne perill and danger then to suffer any one of them to depart vpon so hard conditions Blame not then this poore woman although shee complaine for this her losse of the hope of her comfort in both her sonnes at once considering that the sodainenesse of her change vpon the death of her husband together with the hastinesse of the Creditor to see his owne perhaps was such as it could not but moue her greatly to labour euery way for her release But on the other side to this of debts to be payed by the taking of the debtor his wife and children to be as bond-men to the Creditors behoofe by their labours and trauailes so to be imployed vntill the debt be satisfied
occupyed wholly in the things concerning the Creditor and the Debtor that hee doe not by casting his eye too much vpon what his poore Debtor hath left hauing nothing left but what must serue present necessity perhaps to lust after it and to seeke to wind it wholly out of his hands to his owne vse but he must rather forget himselfe and set vp all his thoughts how that which remaineth may be disposed of to the mutuall good of them both according as God may blesse it in time to both their goods choosing rather to loose all his debt then so hardly to draw from the poore distressed man that thing the losse whereof cannot but withall hazard his life There be that make godlinesse in the profession thereof to be a very large cloake to gaine by but such persons are condemned as hypocrites according as the Prophet Esay sets them downe in their colours seeking as it were to out-face God by iustifying their holy Fasts against him when indeede there was nothing but cruelty in their hearts and vnmercifulnesse in their deedes Wherefore haue we fasted and thou seest it not say they on the one side we haue punished our selues and thou regardest it not the Lord answeres them as a iust Iudge and searcher of their hearts Behold in the day of your fast you will seeke your will saith the Lord and require all your debts As if he would say The true fast that I make reckoning of is to fast from your owne gaine and testifying it by releasing of your poore Debtors of the straight bonds you haue them in and thus much for that point Onely I adde this with the Apostle Paul God loueth a chearefull giuer to stirre thee vp that whatsoeuer thou doest in any worke of Christian compassion to thy Neighbour to doe it freely and chearefully knowing that what thou doest so thou doest it to the Lord who will recompence it againe as Salomon saith He that hath mercy vpon the poore lendeth to the Lord and the Lord will recompence him that he hath giuen And thus hauing set downe that both the Debtor and the Creditor are each to respect other according to the rule of Christian equity I will proceede to the answere of the Widdow with the Prophets replie wherein he counsels her what to deo for her reliefe vpon that poore remainder of her Pitcher of Oyle Her answere in the end of the second verse Thine Hand-maide hath nothing at home saue a Pitcher of Oyle It appeares in the holy Scriptures that Oyle was of speciall vse and thereafter also in great request and according to their seuerall vses so the kindes were sundry some seruiceable vnto the sacrifices some to the annointing of Kings Priests and Prophets some other to the chearing and refreshing of mens countenances some more common to the seruice of their cakes or bread-making instead of other liquour to that of sacrifices as Moses prescribeth After thou shalt put Oyle vpon it and lay incense thereon for it is a meate offering In the annointing of Kings it is said Then Samuel tooke a Viall of Oyle and poured it vpon Sauls head c. For the chearing of the heauy countenance It is said And wine that maketh glad the heart of man and also in the 92. Psalme and the 10. And I shall be annointed with fresh Oyle Oyle that maketh the face to shine And to this our Sauiour opposeth sowre lookes when he saith to the beating downe of hypocrisie in religious fasts But when thou fastest annoint thine head c. to common vses where the Widdow of Sareptah saide to Eliah As the Lord thy God liueth I haue not a cake but euen a handfull of meale in a barrell and a little oyle in a cruse Of this Oyle which appeares to be of the most vsuall and common kinde shee had but a small quantity farre vnfit to pay debt withall euen one poore Pitcher of Oyle But thus doth God most vsually deale with his dearest seruants to bring them very low yea to beggars estate wherein our Sauiour himselfe did seeme to walke and that to speciall purpose first to teach that his Kingdome was not of this world neither came he to abound with earthly riches as where hee affirmes to the Scribe The Foxes haue holes and the Birds of the Ayre haue nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head which also he doth as to another and second end that is to teach his Disciples not to set vp their rest in him as vnder hope to obtaine as from him either profits promotions or pleasures here on the earth but rather to looke vpward to Heauen and there setting their affections where he is to seeke the endlesse comforts of euerlasting ioy according to which purpose the Apostle Paul speaketh 1. If ye be risen then with Christ seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God 2. Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things which are on earth saith he Which whilest men shall seeke to doe vnfainedly it cannot possibly be auoyded but that by how much they shall finde out his goodnesse in small things by so much the more their tongues shall be occasioned to acknowledge the greatnesse of his power Maiesty and mercy towards them and so finally to returne the praise of them all to him againe Which is a speciall vse that we must make of this point viz. that although wee are poore not to esteeme the more meanely of our selues as in Gods presence considering that he hath sent his owne Sonne our Lord and Master Christ Iesus in a base estate to fulfill his seruice here vpon earth to his glory and our good vnto whom as his seruants wee to conforme our selues are not to account of it as any disparagement at all These lessons are to be laboured vpon very much first the corrupt iudgement of the World which doth make reckoning of men who are poore needy indebted and out of credit with the World to be no otherwise with God besides the feare that many men haue to fall into pouerty thereby keeping them from the performing of the workes of mercy and iust dealing arising from the great distrust that is in them to God-ward because of the care ouer their owne These two are mightily to be withstood vpon this point that this poore widdow had no more then one poore pitcher of Oyle But now to proceede to shew to what end the Prophet would know what she had at home which was doubtles to this end that he might aduise her as also deale for her with God how out of that little which shee had remaining some release of her selfe from care and griefe as also some satisfaction of the Creditor might be wrought and indeede that is the maine point that ouer-spreadeth it selfe in this Treatise viz. Debts in all that possibly may be must be paide To the