Lord had wrought amongst them did then most cruelly oppresse the Israelites when the Lord was neerest to deliuer them and to ouerthrow the said Pharao and all his hoast in the red sea As therefore Moses said to the Israelites greatly fearing and murmuring when Exod. 14. 13. they saw Pharaoh following them behind hard at the heeles and the red sea before them Feare ye not stand still and see the saluation of the Lord for the Aegiptians whom ye haue seene ye shall neuer see againe so may I and all other the Lords Ministers say to all the Lordes people now fearing because of the Romanists present raging and preuailed against the Churches Feare not stand still and see the Saluation of the Lord. For the time cannot be far off when this Reu. 17. 16. and 18. 18. great Whore of Rome shal be iudged and burnt with fire and her Cittie laid wast and desolate Then shall all her friends howle and cry as bitterly as euer they merrily reioyced and tryumphed and much more then euer they made the Lords people to weepe and mourne As therefore Right Honorable you are wise iudiciously to consider of these things as you are godly to helpe the Lords people against the mightie by your daily praiers for performance of his promises in confounding his said mightie aduersaries and doing to them as sometimes he did to Midian and Sisera and Iabin and to other his Psal 83. 9. old enemies so be you also strong in the Lord and in Ephes 6. 10. the power of his might to do whatsoeuer you now may or shall hereafter be able to do by your selues or by your acquaintance of like place and honor with your selues yea also with all such as ouer whom you shall haue any authoritie from his most excellent Maiestie Too much is knowne to be done for the said enemies of the Lord euen by the papists heere at home and much more is done then is knowne Shall therefore such friends of the Lord as your Honors are doe little for him and for his people God forbid As therefore the Apostle exhorteth Heb. 10. 24. the Hebrewes to consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and to good workes in generall so I beseech you to suffer the wordes of exhortation to do the like in this speciall against that Belzebub of Rome and all his deuouted and sworne friends that by your noble examples all other may be the more prouoked to doe the like also Do the new Edomites cry one to another against the Church Rase it Rase it euen to Psal 137. 7. the foundation thereof and shall not all that loue the Lords Ierusalem cry the like against the new Babilonians the enimies of the Lords said Ierusalem for whose downefall and vtter ruine we haue so many promises deliuered in the presentence as certainly to assure vs of their performance as if they were already performed Farre be this from all such noble spirits as yours is Hate you therefore that shamelesse and gracelesse Whore of Rome Hate her I say and all her bauds the Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests Hate them hate them with perfect hatred The more you shall hate them the more assurance you shall haue of the loue of God towards your selues especially if with the hatred of them you shall loue all them that do hate her and hers You haue most worthily begun Since also your Cal. 5. 7. beginning you and your noble ancestors haue run well Let nothing hinder your obedience to the truth vnto the end Let none take your crowne from you That crowne I say that much more excelleth all the Crownes and Diadems of all Emperors Kings and other Princes in the world then all the said Crownes and Diadems doe excell the basest pebble-stone that is It may be also that sometimes you may with other your like Peeres of this Kingdome speake a word in such a season to his most excellent Maiestie for the helpeing of other Churches abroad against the furie of their Antichristian Roman aduersaries and for the repressing of Iesuites Seminarie Priests and other obstinate traiterous harted Papists at home It may be I say that you with other may speake a word in such season that shal be as apples of gold in pictures of siluer Pro. 25. 11. both for the greater glory of God and also for the better comfort of the Churches and the like safetie of his Maiestie himselfe of his Royall posteritie and of all his kingdomes As the Lord sometime in the very like case cursed him that did the worke of Ier. 48. 10. the Lord negligently and kept backe his sword from bloud so shall all Princes and other most certainly be blessed that in these distresses of the churches shal be mercifull according to the mercie of God whereby themselues haue bin aduanced for they shall obtaine Mat. 5. 7. Iam. 2. 23. mercie and their said mercie shall reioyce against iudgement As hitherto Right Honorable I haue directed my speech to both your Honors ioyntly so giue me leaue now to conuert my selfe to you my yong Lord more especially whom before in the inscription of this myepistle dedicatorie I haue mentioned And so much the more do I presume thus to do because you are not nobly desended onely according to the flesh but also because you come of a stocke as noble for religion and the profession of the Gospell For of my knowledge you are now the fourth of that Honorable house in a right line that haue bin renowned in the Churches for profession of the Gosspell and fauour vnto the professiors and Ministers thereof Your Honorable great Grand-father maintained in his house learned Mr. Wright afterward called from thence to be Preacher at Ispwich in Suffolke then from thence remoued to Dinnington where yet I hope he remaineth a graue reuerend and vigilant pastour My selfe also once being at Hampton-Court about some 43 yeares past when Doct. Some was to preach before most renowned Queene Elizabeth of most blessed memorie did there see your said Noble great Grand-father in his humilitie to be as carefull yea also painefull to see all things in pulpit to be fit for him as if he had beene some inferour officer in the chappell to haue looked vnto such things Of your late Noble Grand-father the memoriall was and is most sweet and precious and will neuer die Of your most Noble Father I haue said ynough before in this my epistle dedicatorie to him and your selfe Heere also may not be forgotten the most virtuous and gracious Countesse and Ladie your Mother of pietie and modestie a most worthy patterne to all other Noble women of like sort How good also is the Lord vnto you in your christian education and instruction vnder Mr Collens the godly and painefull pastour of Braintree as it were at the feete of Gamaliel In which respect it Act. 22. 3. may be said of you as Paul writeth of Timothie
of the number and power of our said aduersaries but also in repect of their great craft and subtiltie With these mercies of God concerning the life to come we may also ioyne the afflictions wherewith the Lord doth chastise our outward man because by them he schooleth vs to make vs the fitter for the life to come and humbleth vs to make vs more capable of his graces accompanying saluation In which respect the Prophet saith It Psal 119. 71. is good for me that I haue bin afflicted that I might learne thy statutes And the Lord threatning that if his people would not hearken vnto him to do all his commandements he would Leuit. 26. 14. c thus and thus afflict them and if by such afflictions they would not learne to refraine their wayes then he would send seuen times more plagues vpon them according to their verse 21. sinnes c. The Lord I say threatning these things doth not onely teach vs that afflictions are for sinne but that also they are medicines to cure vs of sin and so to reforme vs that we may present our selues such a sacrifice as here we are exhorted vnto The same is manifest by other places Iob 5. 17. Psal 94. 12. Pro. 3. 12. Heb. 12. 5. Reuel 3. 19. that in the former considerations pronounce him blessed whom the Lord chastiseth as also that teach the Lord to loue them whom he correcteth By all these things we see that we may well reckon the Lords chastisements among his mercies And therefore the more the Lord hath exercised any in such maner the more euery such man should labour to present himselfe such a sacrifice to God lest he send seuen times more such plagues vpon him Leuit. 26. 18 c such chastisements not being the least of Gods mercies For whom he loueth he will not leaue but though he make no vse of one affliction to the bettering of himselfe yet he shall haue another till he be reformed of such euils as for the which the Lord hath so before once or twice or thrice afflicted him Let euery man therefore be admonished by Gods chastisements not onely according to these Scriptures before alledged but also according to the counsell of our Sauiour to him that had bin so impotent for 38 yeares that he was not able to helpe himselfe and Ioh. 5. 14. whom he had restored with a word of his mouth Behold thou art made whole sinne no more lest a worse thing come vnto thee But of this somewhat more afterward All the former mercies and euery one of them concerning the life to come are so great that he is more then stonie yea of a steely heart that will not be prouoked by them to giue himselfe such a sacrifice as here is commended Notwithstanding although the Apostle in the former part of the Epistle hath treated onely of Gods mercies for the life to come and from them especially doth in this place exhort the beleeuing Romanes and all other to giue their bodies a sacrifice vnto God yet Gods mercies also of this life being appendices of them and appurtenances vnto them ought to moue vs so to do the rather because that God by the giuing of Christ for vs as the fountaine Rom. 8. 32. of all mercies hath assured vs freely with him to giue vs all things If all things then also the mercies of this life Hath not Christ also promised also all mercies euen for this life to be cast vpon them that first seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse And indeed the blessings of Math. 6. 33. this life great and small are not onely free gifts in respect of our vnworthinesse of them but they are also mercies both in respect of that miserable state wherein all men are first borne euen the children of Princes as well as of the poorest yea more weake and miserable then any other creatures at their first comming into the world and also because the first parents of all mankind by their first sinne brought themselues and all their posteritie into all miseries of this life depriuing themselues and all theirs of all those blessings euen of this life that before the Lord had most richly endowed them withall In this regard therefore we here in England haue greater cause thus to present our selues a sacrifice vnto God because as the Prophet after enumeration of many blessings and mercies bestowed vpon the Israelites whereby he had prouoked them to praise the Lord he concludeth with these words He hath not dealt so with any nation so we may truly say Psal 147. 20. that the Lord hath not dealt so with any nation in his bountifull blessings and mercies euen of this life as well as of the life to come as he hath dealt with vs here in England especially at this time may we say so because we daily heare and almost see all our neighbors round about vs as sheepe appointed to the slaughter to be killed all the day Psal 44. 22. Rom. 8. 36. long without all mercie according to the religion now of that man of Rome and contrary to the religion that is of God or else to be forced to flie for their liues Iam. 1. 27. and 3. 17. whereas we with our children in the meane time dwell safely here euery man vnder his fig-tree from Dan euen to 1. King 4. 25. Beersheba that is from one end of the land vnto the other all the dayes of our present Soueraigne and of our former most renowmed Queene Oh that we had hearts to consider of these mercies as we ought to do so by them to prouoke our selues to offer our selues such a sacrifice to God as also we ought and so much the more by how much the more vnworthy we are of the least of them But do we so Oh that we did Nay rather we are all the more seâ—ure and do the more adde sinne vnto sinne soothing our selues in our said mercies saying with old and new Babylon I shall be a Ladie for euer and giuing our selues Isai 47. 7. 8. to pleasure and dwelling carelesly and with them saying also in our hearts We are alone viz. honorable and happy and none else besides vs we shall not sit as a widow neither shall we see the losse of children We are also like to them that were at ease in Sion â—and trusted in the mountaine of Samaria Amos 6. 1. c. Ezek. 12. 27. putting farre away the euill day c. But oh that at length we would be wiâ—e and see the euill to come and hide Pro. 22. 3â— 27. 12. our selues from it Oh that we would take heed lest we feele that which the Prophet Isaiah in the place before mentioned threatned euen in a moment to come to that old Babylon in one day the losse of children and widowhood that is those euils that she neuer dreamed of yea that she in her pride and securitie boasted she
places Onely herein is the difference that in the one place he saith the mercies plurally and in the other the meeknesse and gentlenesse singularly secondly that in the one place there is the name of God in the other of Christ By mercies he meaneth also in this place Gods works of mercie onely concerning our soules and the life to come For this word therefore referreth vs onely to those things that the Apostle had before written euen to all those passages of Gods dealing before mentioned and before in part recapitulated by me as to iustification by faith without the workes of the Law c. In all the former part of the Epistle the Apostle had not mentioned any mercie of God concerning this life all before said concerneth euerlasting saluation Now by speaking plurally of mercies he noreth that all All the mercies of God do concurre in the saluation of any Ephes 4. 7. the former mercies of God do concurre and must concurre to the saluation of euery one appointed to saluation Whosoeuer hath one hath all One is not enough without all Yet this is to be vnderstood first of all common mercies I meane common to all the elect secondly of all such in seuerall measures There are many mercies of the life to come specially belonging to some speciall persons as appeareth by those particulars here mentioned in verses 6. 7. 8. All such graces are not necessarie for all neither do concurre in all The speciall workes 1. Cor. 12. 4. also of Gods mercie to speciall callings are not all alike and wrought in equall measure But to euery one is giuen grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ And there vers 6. are diuersities of gifts but the same Spirit And in this Chapter Hauing gifts differing c. And what need so graue an admonition in verse 3. by the grace giuen to Paul that euery man among these Christian Romanes should not thinke of himselfe more highly then he ought to thinks if all mercies or graces were alike in all Gods mercies to come greater then any past or present Not to stand any longer hereupon but to proceed by the mercies of God in this place he meaneth not onely mercies past and mercies present but also mercies to come which are greater then any we haue had or haue First because they shall be in heauen whereas these are all here below Secondly because they shall be without feare of any losse of any depriuation of any of diminution Thirdly they shall not be by degrees as here but all at once and euerlasting But are our mercies here vncertain Not so yet in respect of our weaknesse and of the multitude 2. Cor. 7. 1. and power of our aduersaries both without vs and Philip. 2. 12. 1. Pet. 1. 17. also within vs we are neuer without feare neither must be not of losing but of ceasing them and of weakning and obscuring our assurance of them Fourthly Gods mercies to come are greater then any past or present because they shall be without any misery at all And as in these respects they are greater so they are also as certaine as those that here already we haue And the mercies of God which here we haue are assurances Gods future mercies as sure as any past or present Numb 23. 19. Iam. 1. 17. Heb. 6. 17. 1. Pet. 1. 19. of those we shal haue And for our better assurance of them we are first of all to consider the immutable promise of God bound with a solemne oath euen by his owne name Secondly they are as sure as those that we haue in respect of the great price of our redemption euen the precious blood of Christ Iesus For hath Christ redeemed vs with so great a price and will he lose vs Thirdly in respect of Christs intercession in our behalfe for those mercies first whilest he was here in earth secondly Ioh. 17. 24. Rom. 8. 32. Ioh. 11. 42. now in heauen This reason is the stronger because Christ is heard alwayes and God cannot but heare him because he is his Sonne in whom he is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. 1. Pet. 3. 18. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. and he was alwayes iust neuer sinning either in any other thing or in praying Fourthly as before he did and now doth make intercession for vs so it was the end of his ascending into heauen to prepare a place for vs. Hath he prepared a place for Ioh. 14. 2. vs and shall we be frustrated of it Fiftly Christ hath not onely promised these future mercies but also vpon his promise and to bind himselfe the more to the performance thereof he hath giuen vs the earnest of his Spirit Will he lose his earnest Can any force 2. Cor. 1. 22. Ephes 1. 13 1â— withhold that from him for which he hath giuen earnest or can we withhold our selues Hereunto belongs our sealing by the Spirit of redemption Are not mens writings â— phes 4 30. sure that are sealed and shall not the writings of God and of Christ Iesus sealed in our hearts with a seale of such a price be much surer God Spirit is the seale of our redemption to assure vs both that we are already redeemed Tit. 2. 14. from all iniquitie and also that we shall be redeemed from all miseries of this life and from death it selfe as they are punishments of sinne so that we may say euen whiles we liue here Death is swallowed vp into victory O Hos 13. 14. 1. Cor. 15. 54. 55 death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victory Sixtly the mercies of God to come are as sure as those that we haue because in the former respects God is not Heb. 6. 10. See more in Chap. 1. in the end Ioh. 13. 1. Rom. 11. 29. Gen. 27. 33. vnrighteous that he should forget our works and labour of loue c. Seuenthly whom God loueth he loueth to the end and the gifts and callings of God are without repentance Did Isaac say of Iacob I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed and wicked Pilat to the wicked Iewes of the title of Christ that he had written vpon the crosse What I haue written Ioh. 19. 19. 22. Luk 10. 20. Philip. 4. 3. Reuel 3. 5. I haue written and shall not God say the same much more of them whom he hath blessed and whose names he hath written in heauen and in the booke of life Eightly There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets Math. 24. 24. and shall shew great signes and wonders insomuch that if it were possible the very elect shall be deceiued It is not therefore possible that they should be deceiued and consequently that they should perish Ergo they shall be most certainly saued Ninthly all partake of the mercies of God before spoken Ephes 5. 30. 1. Cor. 12. 14. of in this Epistle are one with Christ Iesus by which vnion they as certainly
Salomon spread forth his hands 1. King 8. 22. toward heauen A speciall point of hands sacrificed is in distributing and giuing to the poore In which respect a vertuous woman is commended for stretching out her Pro. 31. 20. hands to the poore Is it not also before shewed to be the end why the Apostle would haue men to labour with their hands namely that they might haue to giue to him that needeth There be many that labour and take great paines with their hands but either they spend all in drinking or playing or whoring or else they keepe all to themselues not one of twentie so labouring hath sacrificed his hands to God for giuing to them that need The feete also must be sacrificed both by restraining To sacrifice the feete Esay 54. 7. Rom. 3. 13. them from swiftnesse to bloodshed or to commit any other euill and also by being nimble for performance of any good particularly to do any worke of kindnesse or mercie What haste made Abraham to his tent to make Gen. 18. 6. prouision for entertainment of the Angels What haste and 20. 20. also made Rebecca to shew kindnesse to Abrahams seruant before she knew the said seruants errand What haste did Zaccheus make out of the Sycomore tree for entertainment Luk. 19. 6. of our Sauiour Most worthy especially of our obseruation is the example of Abrahams haste about a work most heauie and dolefull to flesh and blood euen the sacrificing and slaying with his owne hands his owne sonne Gen. 22. 3. his onely sonne his sonne whom he loued most dearely his son in whom the promise was made for the blessing of all nations yea and that immediatly after that at the Lords commandement he had sent away his sonne Ishmael borne of the bondwoman yea further whilst Isack was yong and before he had any issue in which all natioÌ„s might be blessed And is not this haste with our feete and whole man the more necessarie in respect of this dull slow age wherein men are as hardly perswaded to any good worke especially of mercie as we say The Beare is drawne to the stake and wherein we may sooner catch a Hare with a pipe and a tabret at least with many pipes and tabrets set in diuers places for the scaring and wearing of her then we can perswade most men to any such worke what necessitie soeuer require the same Yea sometimes prophane persons of a ciuill disposition onely are more easily perswaded to shew kindnesse then some that are great professors Alas also that the wicked should be hastie to commit any wickednes against God and men as the daughter of Herodias Mark 6. 25. 27. being instructed by her mother made haste straightway to aske of Herod the head of Iohn Baptist and Herod himselfe to grant that diuellish request and immediatly to send an executioner to cut it off and that Christians should be so slow to any good worke either towards men or for the comfort of men If these men had learned that of Salomon As vineger is to the teeth and smoake to the eyes Prou. 10. 6. so is a slothfull messenger or a sluggard to him that sendeth him or if they had learned that the Lord saith I will haue Hosea 6. 6. mercie and not sacrifice would they be so slow in that work of the Lord to the doing whereof the Lord sendeth them whether Ministers of the word or any other As therefore the Prophet and Apostle doth exhort vs To day if we will Psal 95. 7. Heb. 3. 13. c. heare his voice not to harden our hearts and as another Prophet saith Seeke the Lord while he may be found So while Isai 55. 6. we haue time to do good euen any thing the Lord requireth of vs either concerning his worship and glorie or concerning our neighbour lâ—t vs make haste to do it lest that light we do yet enioy be taken from vs and the night Ioh. 12. 35. 36. and 11. 9. 10. come vpon vs when either we shall not see to do anything as we ought to do or that in doing it we stumble Who Eccles 11. 2. knoweth what euill shal be vpon the earth and what need himselfe may haue of the mercie of others If the Lord pronounce him accursed that did his worke negligently and Ier. 48. 10. that kept backe his sword from blood for execution of iudgement and vengeance vpon his enemies the Moabites what may they look for that negligently do and that withhold their hands from the workes of mercie Touching other particular parts of our bodies I shall not need to speake of the sacrificing of them the former parts being the principall by that which hath bin said of them we may haue direction for the rest Let this generally suffice that we do not apply them to any thing whereto the Lord hath forbidden vs to apply them but onely to such things as the Lord hath coÌ„manded or allowed them to be applied vnto and that also in such maner as the Lord hath prescribed We must not apply any meÌ„ber of our bodies to euery thing for doing whereof it hath strength but for doing whereof the Lord hath giuen order and according to that order that God hath gâ—uen so must our whole bodie and euery member thereof be vsed In all that hitherto I haue said of the actiue sacrificing of those former members of our bodies that I may not seeme too singular in particularizing those former parts of our bodies let it be considered that I haue but troden Chrysost in Rom. 12. 1. and tom 1. pag. 980. in Psal 150. in the steps of Chrysostome who writeth thus Quomodo corpus hostia nihil mali respiciat oculus factus est hostia nil turpe loquatur lingua facta est oblatio c. How is our bodie a sacrifice let thine eye behold no euill and it is made a sacrifice let thy tongue speake no filthinesse and it is made an oblation let thy hand commit no inquitie and it is made a burnt offering Imo non sufficiunt ista sed bonorum nobis studio lucro opus est c. Yea let not these things suffice but we haue need also of a desire and of the benefit of doing good namely that the hand giue almes that with the mouth we blesse them that raile on vs that our hearing do continually attend to diuine words For a sacrifice hath no vncleannesse it comprehendeth the first fruits of all other and therefore let vs render vnto God the first fruits of our hands of our feete of our mouth as well as of all our other parts such a sacrifice pleaseth God when in the meane time the sacrifices of the Iewes are vncleane And againe when we haue mortified our members then we shall begin to liue For this is a new law of this our sacrifice and therefore here is a maruellous kind of fire for
greatnesse of them as also our long continuance in them and let vs measure our said sorrow by the mercies of God towards vs by our knowledge by our callings by the offences we haue giuen to other by our said sinnes especially by our causing the name of God and his doctrine to be blasphemed and euill spoken of Yea in these and other the like respects let vs mourne Psal 37. 4. and 107. 37. c Ierem. 30. 15. more for our sinnes then for any outward losses indignities wrongs iniuries sicknesses or other afflictions of this life whatsoeuer because all such things come for sinne Of this sorrow for sin the Prophet saith The sacrifices of God Psal 51. 17. are a broken spirt a broken and contrite heart O God thouwilt not despise Notwithstanding in this sorrow for our sinnes we must always haue an eye to the mercies of God before mentioned lest we be swallowed vp of sorrow and fall into despaire Therefore the Apostle bâ—ddeth vs to Rom. 11. 22. behold the goodnesse and the seueritiâ— of God not the goodnes of God alone nor his seueritie alone but both together the one with the other the goodnes of God that we do not despaire the seueritie of God that we do not presume As hitherto I haue generally spoken of the actuall sacrificing The sacrifice of righteousnes and prayse Psal 4. 5. of our selues soules and bodies and as we are in this sacrificing of our selues to remember the generall sacrifice of all righteousnesse that is of all obedience to the first and second Table so let vs not forget to offer the sacrifice of praise vnto God which is called the calues of our Psal 50. 14. Hos 14. 2. â— lips The more the mercies of God haue abounded towards this land aboue all other lands in his word in our peace in our wealth c. the more must we abound in the calues of our lips in that behalfe yea so much the more must we abound therein because thereby we shall please the Lord better then they did in the Law that offered Psal 69. 31. 1. Cor. 13. 13. oxen and bullocks that had hoxnes and hoofes yea as the Apostle preferreth loue aboue faith and hope in respect of the continuance thereof when faith and hope shall haue Praises more excellent then prayers an end so in the same respect this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing may be preferred before prayers themselues because when prayers shall cease as whereof there shall be no need euen then shall thanksgiuings and prayses remaine and continue As the glorious Angels of heauen Luc. 2. 13. Reuel 5. 11. are already employed in this dutie and are alwayes readie to performe the same vpon euery occasion so shall all the elect being glorified glorifie God without ceasing for their said glorification The more difficult also any duâ—ie is and the more hardly performed the more excellent without question the same is to be acknowledged But the difficultie and hard performance of this dutie aboue prayers appeareth by the ten Leapers all ioyntly crauing Luk. 17. 12. c. helpe of our Sauiour and being healed one onely returning to giue thanks Yea this greater difficulty of thanksgiuing aboue prayers is manifest by all experience For who being vnder any affliction is not ready to craue release but release being granted who almost is as ready to giue thankes The more that God hath dignified any of his children with his mercies of this life or of the life to come the more such ought to abound in these sacrifices of praise and of the calues of their lips for the same With those notwithstanding in the second ranke of The sacrifice of prayers Col. 4. 2. 1. Tim 2. 1. 1. Thes 5. 17. 18 these particular sacrifices whiles we liue in this world let vs ioyne the sacrifice of prayers and supplications and intercessions as the Apostle ioyneth them together And although the Apostle to Timothie vseth more words touching this sacrifice then touching the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing yet that is not for the excellencie of prayers aboue praises or thanks but because whiles we liue here our wants are greater then the mercies we haue already and future mercies are more and greater then all that we haue receiued These prayers are by the Prophet called incense and the lifting vp of our hands an adiunct of Psal 141. 2. them and put for them is compared to the euening sacrifice As we are to praise God for his mercies receiued so we are to pray both for the increase of them and also that we may still enioy such as we haue and that God will alwayes so shut the gates of our kingdome and make the Psal 147. 13. barres thereof strong and so bolt them as Amnon commanded 2. Sam. 13. 17. his seruant against Antichrist and all his champions Iesuits Priests and other greater then they that hauing bin long from hence banished and abandoned they may neuer returne and be entertained by vs againe lest by their returne we become worse then before as our Sauiour speaketh of him out of whom the vncleane spirit being cast and returning againe and finding the place Mat. 12. 43. c. from whence he was cast swept and garnished he taketh seuen other spirits more wicked then himselfe and entreth again and so maketh the last state of that man worse then the first We haue the more cause to feare this because all the Iesuites and their consorts are euen of the same disposition that such vncleane spirits are yea euen possessed with 1. King 22. 22. them as the prophets of Ahab were possessed with that lying spirit whereby they deceiued Ahab to his ruine and ouerthrow With those our prayers oh that we would also ioyne Fasts holy fasts as the which haue bin often commanded and highly commended in the Scriptures by the admirable successe of them and which be reckoned also among the Leuit. 23. 27. feasts of the Lord and finally the which rightly performed haue alwayes ended with ioy and feasting Is not this 2. Chron. 20. Ezra 8. Nehem. 1. Ester 4. euident by the fasts of Iehosophat of Ezra of Nehemiah of Ester and diuers other Yea haue not we our selues often had experience hereof Oh therefore that we would turne some of our riotous feastings into such religious fastings lest as the Lord hath threatned he turne our feasts Amos 8. 10. into mournings and our songs into lamentations and bring vp sackcloth vpon all loines and baldnesse vpon euery head and make it as the mourning of an onely sonne and the end thereof as a bitter day Yet fie vpon all the hypocriticall and detestable fasts of the Papists which are plaine mockeries of the fasts of the Lord yea which are so much more detestable in the eyes of the Lord by how much the more in number they exceed the fasts of the Lord. For whereas the Lord
first also seemeth two-fold either for some speciall sinne or for the demonstration of some speciall worke of Gods power or mercie for the greater glorie of his name This distinction I gather from the answer of our Sauiour to his Disciples asking him of the man borne blind whether he or Ioh 9. 2. his parents had sinned that he was borne blind that is whether he or his parents had committed any speciall sinne for which the Lord had laid this blindnesse vpon him To this our Sauiour answereth Neither hath this man sinned ver 3. nor his parents but that the worke of God should be made manifest in him Our Sauiour thus answereth not altogether to free him and his parents from sinne for there is no man 1 King 8 46. Iam. 3. 2. that sinneth not and in many things we offend all and euery man must daily aske the forgiuenesse of his trespasses neither to teach that this blindnesse was not from sinne and for sinne For â—â— death entred by sinne so also all afflictions Rom. 5. 12. Psal 38. 3. 4. are the fruites of sinne This answer therefore was onely made according to the supposition and opinion of the Disciples and other that thought not onely all afflictions to come from sinne but also euery speciall affliction to haue some speciall sinne for the cause thereof and that the greater afflâ—ction any had the greater sinner he had bin as Iobs friends thought of him Howsoeuer the Lord afflicteth any man whether for some speciall or personall sinnes of himselfe or onely generally for sinne but yet for manifestation of some speciall worke of God for his owne further glorie thereby all must be patiently and without grudging or murmuring borne in respect both Heb. 11. 6. of the cause thereof in God namely his loue and also in respect of the desert thereof by mans sinne and in respect of the end of such afflictions namely that the person so chastised might either be reclaimed and conuerted from sinne wherein before he had altogether liued as Manasses the greatesâ— sinner that euer we reade to haue bin conuerted was notwithstanding by his captiuitie and bonds so 2. Chron. 32. 12 greatly humbled before the God of his fathers that he prayed vnto him and found mercie and became a most worthy conuert for euer after either I say that the person so afflicted Psal 94. 12. might be conuerted or that hauing before bin conuerted he might be better instructed in the law of Heb. 12. 1. Ioh. 5. 17. Psal 94. 12. God and made more plentifully partaker of the holinesse of God In all which respects a man so afflicted being said to be blessed what great reason hath euery man so afflicted patiently to beare such affliction This being added that such afflictions are as fire to purge vs of all our drosse as gold is tried and made finer by the fire whereby we may 1. Pet. 1 7. be the fitter sacrifices for God and the said triall of our faith may be found to our praise honour and glorie at the appearing of Iesus Christ Most cause especially haue such to be patient how many how great and how heauie soeuer their said afflictions are that before haue enioyed great mercies according to those excellent words of Iob to his Iob 2. 10. foolish and troublesome wife What shall we receiue â—ood at the hands of God and shall we not receiue euill In such afflictions also euery man ought to make so much more vse of them that by them he mâ—y more mortâ—fie his old man with all the lusts thereof in him and be the more renewed in the inward man that so his whole man may be a sacrifice to God more liuing holy and acceptable as here the Apostle speaketh Of this passiue kind of sacrifice Iob is a Iam. 5. 11. most worthy example highly commended to our imitation so also is Dauid who notwithstanding he had many Psal 39. 9. afflictions yet was dumbe and opened not his mouth because the Lord did it and though many sought after his life laying Psal 38. 12. snares for him and speaking mischieuous things against him yet as before he was as a deafe man not hearing and as a dumbe man not opening his mouth How did he manifest this euen when he was King and when wicked Shimei 2. Sam. 16. 5. not only most impudently railed of him and rauâ—d against him in the rebellion of Absolom but also most villanously cast stones at him All which was the more grieuous in respect of his other great calamitie by the rebellion of his owne sonne against him Thus much briefly of the first kind of our passiue sacrificing of our selues to God The second passiue sacrificing of our selues is by suffering The second passiue sacrificing of our selues persecution both in word and deed for Christ and his Gospell the which as it is often commanded to all that will be indeed his Disciples euen to take vp his crosse Math. 10. 38. 16 24. and follow him he being pronounced vnworthy to be his disciple that will not so do and that by the example of Christ himselfe suffering for sinnes and for the vniust himselfe 1. Pet. 3 18. being without all sinne and most iust as I say this is often commanded so is it likewise commended they being pronounced blessed that suffer persecution and be railed Maâ— 5. 10. 11. on for Christs sake because theirs is the kingdome of heauen 1. Pet. 4. 13. 14. and the Spirit of glorie resteth on them By such sufferings Christ himselfe entred into his glorie Would we be partaker of his glorie more easily then himselfe So indeed we shall Luk. 24 26. 1. Pet. 1. 11. be because our sufferings how great soeuer are but flea-bites in comparison of his For though we had the strength of all Angels we could not suffer so much for him as he hath suffered for vs. Notwithstanding if we will be glorified Rom 8. 17. ver 29. together with him we must also suffer with him And whom God before knew them he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Sonne And alas what are the sufferings of this present time verily not worthy to be compared reckon ver 18. how we will or can to the glorie that shall be reuealed Yea the sufferings of Christ were the more in respect of the eminencie Phil. 2. 6. c. of his person he being in the forme of God c. and yet taking vpon him the forme of a seruant and humbling himselfe to the death of the crosse euen to such a death as would haue broken the backs of men and Angels The sufferings also of Christ for vs were the more because though he suffered them of necessitie as before we heard yet that necessitie was by the decree of himselfe with his Father and the holy Ghost neither was it by any coaction or constraint but most freely most