is the commandement of God namely that we trust in him here positiuely imperatively trust thou in Iehouah this is pointed out with the finger of God vnto vs in the first commandement Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me wherein we are commanded to worship God and him alone which worship standeth on these soure pillars 1 louing God aboue all 2 fearing God aboue all 3 praying to God and none but him 4 in acknowledging God to be the guider of all things and therefore to trust in him which though the last is not the least in the affirmatiue part of this precept It is commanded oftentimes in other place of the Scripture as in Proverb 3.5 fiduciam habe in Iehova ex toto cordetu◠in Psal 4.5 offer the sacrifice of righteousnesse and put your trust in the Lord in the 5. verse also of the 37. Plalme Devolve super Iehovam viam tuam confide in eo commit thy way c. in Psal 62.8 trust in him at all times ye people poure out your hearts before him God is a refuge for vs. this is worthy to bee noted with no lesse then Selah in Isay 26.4 trust ye in the Lord for euer for in the Lord Iehovah is euerlasting strength This then is the diuine voice of God dixit Dominus which him selfe hath said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and as hee hath spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets since the world began which command implyes obedience The Rechabites are commended by the Prophet Ieremiah for that they obeyed the commandement of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab Iere 35.8 in abstayning from wine all their dayes and in dwelling in tents for which obedience the Lord promised that Ionadab the sonne of Rechab should not want a man to stand before him for euer I inferre from the Rechabites if wee faithfully trust in the Lord as not Ionadab a mortall man but the high and most mighty Iehouah hath commanded vs we shall stand before him for euer we shall dwell in the land and bee fed in faith foreuermore Reason 4 Because of the infinite profit which acreweth to those that trust in the Lord so testifieth Solomon Pro. 22.18.19 for it is a pleasant thing if thou keepe them within thee they shall be fitted in thy lips that thy trust may be in the Lord c. Againe he that trusteth in the Lord shall be made fat that is he shall be enriched with all the blessings of God Prou. 28.25 So we see that those which trusted in the Lord haue alwaies prospered and obtained victory of their enemies hitherto is that memorable victory of the people of Iudah ouer the Israelites to be referred 2 Chro. 13.18 when God deliuered them into their hand and they slew of Israel fiue hundred thousand chosen men And the reason is there rendred because the men of Israel had forsaken the Lord and trusted rather in the calues of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which caused Israel to sinne whereas the people of Iudah kept the charge of the Lord their God and did trust in him Hitherto is that notable victory of Asa to bee referred in these words Hanan the Seer challengeth Asa the King Iudah hauing made a league with Benhadad King of Syria 2 Chron. 16.7 Because thou hast relied on Benhadad King of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God therefore is the host of the King of Syria escaped thy hand Were not the Aethiopians and the Lubims a huge host Vers ◠with very many charrets and horsemen yet because thou didst rely on the Lord he deliuered them into thy hand And yet behold a greater profit for confidence in God bringeth tranquility and security and peace of conscience as is shewed in the example of Dauid I layd me downe and slept I awaked for the Lord sustained me I will not be afraid for ten thousands of people that haue set themselues against me round about Psal 3.6.7 In a word confidence in God omnigenam benedictionem homini praestat procureth all manner of blessings A plaine and comfortable proofe is that of the holy Prophet in these words Ier. 17.7.8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the riuer and shall not see when heat commeth but her leafe shall be greene and shall not be carefull in the yeere of drought neither shall cease from yeelding fruit So Dauid Psal 21.7 for the King trusteth in the Lord therefore through the mercy of the most high he shall not be moued Againe Psal 125.1.2 they that trust in the Lord shall be as the mount Sion which cannot be mooued for euer This was the promise which the Lord made vnto Ebedmelech the Ethiopian that when he accomplished his word in bringing euill vpon the city that he should be deliuered and not be giuen into the hand of the men of whom hee was afrayd Ier. 39.17.18 for I will surely deliuer thee thou shalt not fall by the sword but thy life shall be a prey vnto thee And why all this mercy Because thou hast put thy trust in me sayth the Lord. In respect of the great profit and the exceeding great reward that followeth our confidence Good reason that we trust in the Lord Reason 5 Because of the prouidence of Iehouah whereby hee defendeth and preserueth those that trust in him Hence saith Dauid I will lay mee downe in peace and sleepe Psal 4.8 for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Thou by thy prouidence preseruest me Hence is that of Esay Isay 26 4. Trust in the Lord for euer for in the Lord Iehouah is euerlasting strength Hence is that of our Sauiour Take no thought for your life what you shall eat or drinke or what you shall put on Behold the fowles of the ayre for they sow nor Mat. 6.26.28 nor reape nor gather into barnes yet your heauenly Father feedeth them Are yee not much better then they Consider the Lillies of the field how they grow they toile not neither spin yet Salomon in his glory was not clothed like one of these Wherefore if God so cloath the grasse of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the ouen shall hee not much more cloth you ô yee of little fayth After these things the Gentiles seeke as if hee had sayd you that know God and his prouidence ought not to be like the Gentiles which because they know not God therefore trust not in God If he so well prouide for the Rauens when they call vpon him how much more shall hee prouide for his children that put their trust in him Some Philosophers thought it too great a labor for God to gouerne the whole world and other on the contrarie too base But diuines answer them both in one word Apud Ambros de offic
we apprehend all the promises of God 2 Reason and apply them to our comfort in time of need hence it is that the Apostle S. Paul or els who to the Hebrewes sayth Heb. 11.6 Without fayth it is impostible to please God For hee that commeth to God must beleeue that he is and that he is a rewarder or as our purpose is a deliuerer of them that diligently seeke him So then without faith no apprehension of God as he is without apprehension no deliuerance Faith then is the meanes and God vsually shapeth the end according to the meanes Naaman had neuer beene cleansed of his leprosie if he had not beene washed in Iordane God is not tied to meanes but men are which wee both may and must vse if we expect or desire the issue God could sauevs without the preaching of his word but he will not Hee hath ordayned no meanes so effectuall to beget fayth as this and therefore we must haue a constant dependance thereon God could raise vp children to Abraham from the stones he could of Diuels and reprobates make Saints and Angels but he will not it is one thing what hee can doe another what he will doe And therefore monstrous absurdities might be concluded if that we should dispute from his power to his will It is well taken that the father of the Prodigall would neither fetch the robe nor suffer his son to fetch it neither but commanded his seruants to bring it foorth and put it on and why If not to bring meanes into credit for which the Gospell aboundeth with examples in all those miraculous deliuerances wrought by our Sauior ascribing them still to fayth Hence when Peter began to sincke hee attributeth it to his in fidelity and distrust in that he sayd O thou of little fayth wherefore didst thou doubt As if hee had sayd if thou hadst trusted in me Mat. 14.31 thou couldst not haue miscarried And in another place it is sayd he could doe no works there because of their vnbeleefe saue that he laid his hands vpon a few sicke On the other side in many miracles we finde the truth of this point confirmed When the distressed woman of Canaan whose daughter was miserably vexed with a Diuell cried vnto him for help Mat. 15.28 saying Haue mercy on me O Lord thou sonne of Dauid c. whom for importunities sake the Disciples besought to send her away he answered I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Then came the woman and worshipped saying Lord helpe me to whom hee replied It is not meete to take the childrens bread and to cast it to the dogges And she sayd truth Lord yet the dogs eate the crummes which fall from their masters table Hence the deliuerance O woman great is thy faith be it vnto thee as thou wilt and her daughter was made whole So likewise the Leper that came vnto him beseeching him and kneeling downe vnto him said If thou wilt thou canst make me whole behold his faith and see deliuerance Iesus moued with compassion put forth his hand and touched him Mark 1.40 and said I will be thou whole and hee was cleansed Againe in him which was sick of the palsie we see the same thing when they could not come nigh vnto him for the presse Mark 2.4.5 they vncouered the roofe where he was and let downe the bed where the sick of the palsie lay When Iesus saw their faith he said vnto the sick of the palsie sonne thy sinnes be forgiuen thee So the woman with the bloody issue hauing beene troubled twelue yeeres and spent all on Physitians and become much worle when she had but touched his garment for note her faith she had said if I touch but his clothes I shall be whole the fountaine of her blood was dried vp Mark 5.25 and she was healed of that plague And all this is ascribed to her faith daughter thy faith hath made thee whole goe in peace The like is to be instanced in the deliuerance vouchsafed vnto Iairus in his daughter when the people told him she was dead why troublest thou the master Mark 5.36 Iesus said vnto the Ruler of the Synagogue be not afraid onely beleeue and he raised her So in the miracle wrought vpon the mans sonne which was dumbe the deliuerance is ascribed to faith in that our Sauiour said all things are possible Mark 9. â—4 if thou canst beleeue And the father of the child cryed with teares I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleefe and then and thus hee cured him Plaine for this purpose is that of blind Bartimeus the sonne Timeus also who hearing that Iesus passed by cried out Iesus thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me What wouldest thou said Christ Mark 10.46 Lord that I might receiue my sight to whom he answered goe thy way thy faith hath made thee whole So the Leper which was cleansed goe thy way Luk. 17.14 thy faith hath made thee whole So to the woman which brake an Alabaster box of ointment and stood at his feet weeping and washing them with her teares and wiping them with her haires and kissing them and anointing them and being a sinner to whom Christ said thy sinnes which are many are forgiuen Luk. 7.50 but whence this vnspeakable mercy hence thy faith hath saued thee goe in peace Whence it not from hence also was that miraculous raising of the Centurions seruant as it were from death euen from bis faith he had built a Synagogue he said in all humility Lord trouble not thy selfe for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter vnder my roofe neither thought I my selfe worthy to come vnto thee Luk. 7. â— onely say the word and my seruant shall be healed Whereupon our Sauiour verily I say vnto you I haue not found so great faith no not in Israel and so he cured her But why wade I so farre into the Sanctuary for testimonies to proue this when as among so many it is hard not to be infinite In a word our Sauiour most diuinely not only by example but positiuely by precept confirmeth and concluded this point When his disciples maruelled that the tree which he cursed was withered away hee said to them haue faith in God for I say vnto you whosoeuer shall say vnto this mountaine be thou remoued and bee thou cast into the sea and shall beleeue that those things which he saith shall come to passe shall haue whatsoeuer he saith Mar. 11.23.24 And whatsoeuer ye shall desire when yee pray beleeue ye shall receiue them and ye shall haue them Thus then seeing so much is attributed to faith as you haue heard it we would be deliuered we must trust in the Lord and that for this reason drawne from the profitable end which followeth namely to bee deliuered on the contray the meanes neglected no maruell if the end be not obtained Reason 3 Because this
present but all together not anodins to take away for some few howres the sence of our paine not the paine it selfe but they are saluation and as it were resurrections from the dead Euen as Daniel saith Dan. 6.27 he deliuereth and rescueth and hee worketh signes and wonders in heauen and earth So he deliuered Israel our of Egypt So he deliuered Dauid from Saul So he deliuered Hezekias and Iehosaphat from their enemies So hee deliuered Shadrach Meshach and Abednego from the furnace So he deliuered Daniel from the Den. So his people out of the Dungeon in Babylon and such hath euer been his deliuerance O how easie is it to be infinite in this matter how well might wee loose our selues in the wood rather the world of these wonders Such lastly was his deliuerance of the Church in England from the tyranny of the bloody Byshop of Rome from the Spanish inuasion 88. from that mercilesse and matchlesse treason both for fict and faction the gunpowder treason Nouemb. 5. 1605. O then being compassed about with deliuerances such deliuerances of such a Lord such a Sauiour such a Redeemer Let vs trust in our Lord God Let me now say to you all to conclude this vse as Dauid to his people Let Israel yea let vs all trust in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with our God is plenteous redemption With him is force and a strength to redeeme Israel out of all her troubles he may doe it hee can doe it he will doe it search and looke through all generations of men which haue beene since the World began and you shall not finde one forsaken that put his trust in the Lord therefore from hence foorth and for euer let vs trust in the Lord. Vse 2 Thus farre of the first vse for our information a second followeth for reproofe and terror For terror for it is written Thus saith the Lord Ier. 1◠5 Cursed be euery man that trusteth in men and maketh flesh his arme for reproofe then of all those which trust not in the Lord but in other both transitory and transient meanes such there are for Some me put their trust in vncertaine riches and say to the wedge of gold thou art my confidence but these intollerably offend Iob. 31.24 and grosly deceiue themselues for riches auaile not in the day of wrath Pro. 1◠4 The hoarders vp of siluer and gold come to nought and goe downe to hell as it is in Baruch 3.17 O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee where is now thy god thy gold and thy trust yet this cankered gold is the worldlings god nothing more ordinary then to trust in vncertaine riches for the rich mans wealth is his strong City saith Solomon Now where will a man account himselfe safe but in his fort He sees Mammon to be a great Lord of great command he sees he can doe much and heares him say he can doe as much more yea all things and now no maruayle that hee trusteth is him Mammon is so proud a boaster that his clients must needs be confident in him what doth not he brag to doe Siluer answers to all sayth Solomon This wee grant yet wee would be loth it could command truth iustice iudgement yet he sayth he can procure all conquer all pacifie all He sayes he can procure all secular offices titles and dignities yea in some sacrilegious wretches Simonaicall patrons the promotions of the Church ye remember the old song of the Pope Claues altaria Christum Simon Magus the grand father of these made full reckoning to haue bought the holy Ghost for mony He sayes he can pacifie all a gist pacifieth wrath Let them in place of iustice looke to it whom it may concern he can bribe off sinnes and peruert iudgement He sayes he can ouercome all for so he singeth in the Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fight with Launces of siluer and thine shall bee the victory With this weapon hee thought to foyle the sonne of God All these will I giue thee briefly according to the French and Greeke prouerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things obey the Lord Mammon this is a great Lord if this be true he saith the worldling beleeueth and trusteth But let me tell you in a word what gold can doe He can both open and then barre the gates of hell to the vnconscionable soule and helpe his followers to damnation this he can doe and this is all As for other things though the foolish siluer Smiths of the time shout out great is Mammon of the worldlings yet weigh his power in the ballance of iudgement and you will conclude of him as Paracelsus of the Deuill that he is a base and beggarly spirit For tell me I beseech you what hee can doe Can hee make a man honest can he make him wise can hee make him healthfull can he giue to liue more merrily to feed more heartily to sleepe more quietly yea rather will hee not procure the contrary make dishonest foolish sick and vnquiet Can he buy off the gout cares death much lesse the paines of hell Gee to now yee worldlings God meanes to punish thee with death now try what thy bags can doe see if thou canst bribe God with a gift will the Lord bee pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousand riuers of oyle See if thou canst bribe death the Serpent of God he lookes thee sternly in the face and tels thee with Ehud his message is from God and sheatheth his sword in thy bowels yet See if thou canst bribe the Bayliffe of death thy disease he will tell thee as Laban this is proceeded of God I can therefore say to thee nor good nor euill In a word disease will summon thee to death death will arrest thee to the iudgement seat of God God will passe his doome and in all these true is that of Solomon Riches auaile not in the day of wrath Those therefore which make their wealth riuals with God shall be burned in die fire of his iealousie they that leane on them trust to a reed which will not only breake but also runne into their hands for he that trusteth in riches shall fall Some put their trust in their owne worth and holinesse as the Pharisee Luk. 1◠who thanked God that he was not like other men for which he receiued no thanks of God for he that trusteth in his owne heart is a foole his trust with himselfe will suddenly decay Pro. 28.1 Some put their trust in their politick counsell as Achitophell of whom it was said his counsell was reputed as an oracle of God 2. Sam. 16. But the Lord saith Iob catcheth the wise in their owne craftinesse and the counsell of the wicked is made foolish Iob. 5.13 Some put their trust in their strength as Goliah did in their sword and shield but cursed is he that maketh flesh his arme Some