to our owne selves 1 Cor. 1.29 The doctrine of the nevv Sectaries This is to reioyce in an arme of flesh and not in the mercy of God 1 Cor. 1.29 The new Sectaries teach that Election resteth and dependeth upon the foreknowledge of faith and that it is made for faith foreseene which the sounder sort of Papists begin to be ashamed of as appeareth in Bellarmine The Apostle teacheth plainely Ephes 1.3 4. that all spirituall blessings whatsoever are given us according to Election before the foundation of the world Ephes 1.3 4. and therefore Election must of necessity bee before those blessings Againe we are elected that we should be holy and without blame he saith to holinesse not for any holinesse and consequently to faith not for faith So Paul obtained mercy 1 Cor. 7.25 Acts 22.14 That he should be faithfull 1 Cor. 7.25 not because God considered him as already faithfull Christ Iesus chose his Disciples not already bearing fruit but that they should bring forth fruit Ioh. 15.16 Acts 13.48 Ioh. 15.16 This also Luke sheweth that such as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Act. 13. Election therefore is before faith and it is the cause why men doe beleeve whereas our new Sect-masters and Strife-makers set the Apostle and the rest of the Church to Schoole and teach him to speak as they do yong children that they beleeved afterward were ordained to eternall life Rom. 9.16 The words of Paul It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy could not be true if God had mercy on men for faith foreseene For what could he foresee but his owne gifts which himselfe determined to bestow upon us This teacheth us also to pull downe all high conceits of our owne worth as if our salvation depended upon our owne selves and that wee were able to guide our waies and order our steppes to life and on the other side admonisheth all Gods Children to thinke humbly of themselves and of all that they can doe or have done touching the cause and foundation of their salvation and withall to magnifie highly the riches of the mercy of God and the aboundance of the love of Iesus Christ our Saviour shed abroad in our hearts acknowledging the beginning proceeding continuing and finishing of our salvation to spring from him onely True it is our destruction is not of God Hos 13.9 Iam. 1.13 14 15. but of our owne selves but our salvation is not of our selves but of God Wherefore then hath God chosen us and refused others made us vessels to honour 2 Tim. 2.20 Rom. 2.5 and left others to be vessels to dishonour why hath hee taken away the hardnesse of our stony hearts and given over others to walke in their hardnesse and hearts that cannot repent as he did Pharaoh Wherefore hath he sanctified us with his Spirit and passed by many thousand others that they might worke out their owne destruction and damnation Doubtlesse he hath not done all these nor any one of all these things for any good he saw in us nor for any goodnesse he foresaw would be in us nor for any inclination to goodnesse hee could perceive in us nor for any workes of preparation to make us fit for grace for what could he see in us though he be of pure eyes but matter of his wrath to feed upon as the fire doth upon the fuell It was not greatnes of wealth noblenesse of birth highnesse of estate worthinesse of condition multitude of friends that hee respected who respecteth no mans person so that when we consider what we are of our selves and how graciously God hath dealt toward us we should cry out with the Apostle Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding out Rom. 11.33 Lastly seeing it is of Gods good pleasure that he saveth us and not any thing that is in our selves that moued him this ought to stirre us up to thankefulnesse and our thankefulnesse to dutifulnesse and obedience toward him The greater his mercy is and the more free his grace is the more wee ought to praise and magnifie his great Name It is he that hath given us all let him therefore have the praise of all We have nothing in our selves therefore let us challenge nothing to our selves The worke is his owne and properly belonging to him let us take heed we commit not sacriledge and robbe him of the glory due to his Name They are pure or rather impure naturall men that set up nature and they are destitute of grace that pull downe the post or piller of Gods grace which holdeth up the whole building We cannot ascribe too much to him wee cannot detract too much from our selves We cannot deny too much to Nature we cannot ascribe too much to grace Our good thoughts our good desires our good deeds our good words if we have any come from without Matth. 15.18 as evill thoughts come from within and doe defile us as water comming from an uncleane fountaine All our good is of his good pleasure and therefore it is good reason that hee should bee honoured and glorified in it and for it Hence it is that the Apostle saith What is it that thou hast not received Wee are so farre from comming to our iournyes end without his direction that we cannot set one foot forward in the right way Wee are so farre from being able to practise any thing that is good that wee haue no power to prepare our selves to it Psal 10.17 forasmuch as it is he that prepareth the heart Psal 10.17 And the Apostle saith We are not sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves 2 Cor. 3.5 but all our sufficiency is of God This use doth Christ our Saviour point unto Mat. 11. I thanke thee O Father Matth. 11.25 26. Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes even so Father for it seemed good in thy sight That which Christ our Saviour doth ought we all to practise and performe It belongeth to all the Elect and godly to shew great love to him that hath loved us first and continuall thankefulnesse toward him because wee hold our selves and all that we have of his gracious favour We enjoy not any good through our owne deservings but all besides our merits nay directly against our merits For by the guilt of sinne we deserve to be in the same condition with the reprobate and it is the great goodnesse and mercy of God who hath separated us and allotted unto us a better estate and that it goeth better with us How often doe we requite his love with unkindnesse for wee give him nothing but he giveth us all neither doe we prevent his liberality but he preventeth our ability if
we have a lively and sensible feeling of the same while we live at ease and in prosperity Iob 29.6 while we wash our steps in butter and the Rocke powreth out rivers of oyle shall we call this a true faith Tit. 1.1 The faith of the Elect to make shew of many good things in us so long onely as God bestoweth good things upon us and no longer but if he once change our estate to be ready to repine against him and to rent him in pieces like mad Dogs that flie in their Masters face This rule ariseth from Satans false measuring of the practice of Job Iob 2.5 Chap. 2.5 Put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face This is contrary to the application of Gods servants who when he doth afflict them and his hand is most heavy upon them even then they sticke fastest unto him as the Traveller that claspeth his cloke closest unto him in blusterous windes and stormy weather The hypocrites will doe this in time of prosperity onely whereas in trouble and persecution they fall away and are offended Matth. 13.21 Lastly this is comfortable to every one that is able though it be with much weaknesse and with many infirmities A vveake faith applieth as truely as the strong faith to apply in particular the promises of God to himselfe These may be comforted yea these onely for they shall be sure to finde God gracious unto them in the end If they be stung they shall be sure to be healed because they are able to looke up to the Brazen Serpent that God had commanded to be shewed If they be hungry they shall bee satisfied and saved because they can in part apply Gods promises to themselves It is a rule that the Civilians have that mine is better then ours so we say in this case of faith for a man to say by particular application Christ is mine is better then to say in generall Christ is ours or others and God is my Father then to say he is our Father or their Father Neverthelesse we must not on the other side be discouraged to thinke or to feare wee doe not beleeve when indeed we doe beleeve True it is unbeleevers doubt and true beleevers doubt and yet there is great difference betweene the doubting of the one and of the other The hypocrites or temporary beleevers are like a man that is in a dreame Esay 29.8 that thinketh hee eateth and behold when he awaketh hee is hungry that thinketh he drinketh and behold when hee awaketh he is thirsty that he enjoyeth many good things and when he awaketh he is disappointed and findeth no such matter Or like one who being in a deepe sleepe supposeth he holdeth somewhat in his hand and that he claspeth and gripeth it so fast that none shall be able to wring it or wrest it from him by any meanes howbeit when he awaketh his hand is empty and he perceiveth plainely he hath nothing at all in it So doe all temporizers they have many a pleasant dreame they thinke verily they have true faith when indeed they have nothing lesse they are without the feares and terrours and tremblings that Gods Children doe often even in their best meditations finde in themselves whom Satan will not suffer to be quiet If any aske How commeth this to passe Obiect that the true beleevers should thus doubt and stagger and the unbeleevers no way so much distressed may not the state of these seeme to be much better then of the other I answer This ariseth from sundry considerations Answ Sometimes the effects of Gods grace are not so lively in them as formerly they have beene as we might easily shew in the examples of Job of David and of divers others that we might learne to walke by faith 2 Cor. 5.7 and not by sight or feeling Sometimes the heart of man too full of corruption will cast forth doubts as the Furnace doth sparkles concerning his faith seeking as it were to throw mire and dirt in the face of his faith and sometimes Satan is ready to interrupt us and to hinder the course of our beleeving because he is evermore an enemy unto us For the life of a Christian is like the daies of the yeere one while the daies are very faire another while they are full of clouds of stormes and of showres So a man that doth beleeve shall sometimes finde all faire as when the Sunne shineth in his strength and have a long time of breathing and gathering new strength lest he should be swallowed up with over-much heavinesse For as God will not suffer the rod of the wicked to rest upon the backe of the righteous Psal 125.3 lest he should put forth his hands to iniqiuty so he will not suffer the tentations of Satan to dwell evermore with him and to continue upon him lest he should be discouraged and dis-heartned Sometimes againe whiles stormes and tempests of doubting are raised and the waves and floods of infidelity threaten to drowne or at least to shake the foure corners or pillers of the house that it may fall downe and we are like a troubled Sea Iob 7.19 we have not leisure so much as to swallow our spittle this falleth out lest we should grow secure and that he might draw us or drive us thereby neerer to himselfe Then the Sunne hideth his face in a cloud then we are full of wavering Notwithstanding this may bee no matter of discouragement but rather of much comfort and encouragement forasmuch as this is a token of true faith and God doth it for these ends to make us more certaine of our faith afterward to cause us to lay better hold on the promises of God and to finde more joy in them at the latter end Good pleasure Here is the third branch of the promise noting the ground thereof not the free will of man but the good pleasure of God From hence are all good things conveied unto us This is called in holy Scripture His grace his mercy his love his kindnesse his purpose his will the purpose of his will the good pleasure of his will and such like all of them pointing out the supreme and highest cause of all the good meant toward us and bestowed upon us Doct. 9 This teacheth that the good pleasure of God is the fountaine of all good gifts and graces whatsoever His free love and favour is the first and principall cause of all blessings externall internall eternall This Moses sheweth Deut. 7.8 The cause why the Lord brought his people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and redeemed them out of the house of bondmen and from the hand of Pharaoh was because he loved them Deut. 7.8 Revel 1.5 Luke 2.14 This is the saying of the Angels after the birth of Christ Luk. 2. Glory to God in the highest on earth peace good will toward men The Apostle James teacheth
any were to worke in us such duties as may please him To give The fourth branch of the reason These words containe the manner of bestowing the promise and the meanes how it is convaied unto us As the fountaine of it is Gods good pleasure so the chanell to convay it is his free gift Some kinde of gifts are given but they are first well deserved by them that receive them Againe some things are given Luke 14.11 but it is with hope and expectation to have as great or greater bestowed upon them againe as they that give to Kings and Princes Some things are said to be given when a sufficient recompence is tendred and offered withall as Gen. 23.9 Give me the cave for as much money as it is worth Gen. 23.9 and 1. King 12.2 Give me thy Vineyard and I will give thee for it a better Vineyard then it This giving by way of commutative justice is no other then bargaine and sale or exchange But it is not thus with the gifts of God who is a free giver and bestower hee doth not alter them neither barter them for other he doth not chop and change buy and sell his blessings as men doe Bullockes in a market that he should be as much beholding to us as we to him He offereth with a willing heart Doct. 10 and performeth with a free hand This teacheth us that all spirituall gifts and graces are bestowed upon us frankely and freely They come unto us neither by inheritance nor by exchange nor by bargaine and sale nor yet by purchase True it is our Salvation and Redemption were purchased by Christ who paid a deare price to bring us to God because his Iustice required it Ephes 1.7 yet was this also of meere grace We have Redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of our sinnes according to the riches of his grace So then albeit Salvation were purchased and as I may say dearely bought in respect of Christ yet neither the whole worke nor any part or parcell thereof was purchased in regard of our selves who are made partakers thereof through Gods speciall grace We conferre nothing toward the attainement of Salvation to procure to our selves this unspeakable benefit Wee cannot gratifie Christ Iesus againe in any matter or measure Esay 63.3 who trode the wine-presse of the wrath of the Father alone for us and hath paid the utmost farthing that could be required of us and therefore it commeth as a meere gratuity unto us without any purchase or paiment without any money or satisfaction Rom. 3.24 6.23 This the Apostle teacheth Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Christ and Chap. 6.23 The gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Peter speaketh to the same purpose 2 Pet. 1.3 According to his divine power hee hath given us all things that pertaine unto life and godlinesse 2. Pet. 1.3 Thus the Prophet long before proclaimed the free gift of God without either money or money-worth or any price all that are a-thirst may come freely to the waters of life Revel 22.17 Esay 55.1 2. John 7.37 The reasons are Reas 1 first from the generall to the speciall All good gifts and perfect gifts whatsoever are from above and come downe from the Father of lights Jam. 1. They spring not out of the earth Iam. 1.17 Ioh. 3.27 as John 3. A man can receive nothing except it be given him from above neither yet come unto Christ except the Father draw him John 6. Secondly wee cannot obtaine a bit of bread to doe us any good but we must have it by Gods gift as appeareth in the Lords Prayer where wee are taught to come to him to have our daily bread given unto us Matth. 6.11 Deut. 9.5 The Israelites could not inherit the Land of Canaan by any inherent righteousnesse in themselves the uprightnes of their hearts neither yet conquer it by their owne sword Psal 44.3 Psal 44.3 They gate not the Land in possession by their owne sword neither did their owne arme save them but thy right hand and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them much lesse then are we able to possesse the heavenly Canaan by any godlinesse in our owne persons This doctrine overthroweth all Iustification by our owne workes and merits whether done before grace Vse 1 or in the state of grace The Apostle saith Rom. 3.20 By the deeds of the Law shall no flesh bee iustified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sinne And Tit. 3. Rom. 3.20 The kindnesse and love of God appeared Tit. 3.4 5. not by workes of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy hee saved us and againe 2. Tim. 1.9 He hath saved us and called us by an holy calling 2 Tim. 1.9 not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which is given us in Christ Jesus before the world began What can workes before a mans conversion availe for as much as wee are borne dead in sinnes and trespasses as wee have shewed before being without faith without hope without any good so that wee should be justified by our sinnes and our righteousnesse should be by unrighteousnesse if we should bee justified by these or any such workes Neither can workes of righteousnesse done in faith and after our conversion present us as righteous in the sight of God because they are all unperfect even the best and the holiest of them that we cannot challenge righteousnesse by them Psal 143.2 130. 3. 32.1 2. but must with the Prophet cry out Lord enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified And againe to like purpose If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquities O Lord who shall stand but there is forgivenesse with thee that thou maist be feared This is our justification to obtaine remission of our sinnes Psal 32. The Servants of God doe not in the pride of their hearts advance themselves against God through their owne righteousnesse but they aske forgivenesse for their unrighteousnesse The Apostle John saith 1 Iob. 1.10 If we say that we have not sinned we make him a lyer and his Word is not in us All our righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloth Esay 64.6 spotted with the flesh Obiect But the Adversaries object that the Scripture never saith We are justified by faith onely and complaine that this word is fraudulently foysted and cunningly thrust into this Question as an Addition of our owne whereupon notwithstanding the chiefe state of the Controversie betweene us and them dependeth I answere Answ The putting to of that word is not alwaies an Addition to the Text but rather an exposition or explication Luke 4.8 Deut. 6.13 as wee see the like case in Christ our Saviour Luke 4.8 compareth with Deut. 6.13 who
the cheefe Priestes Math. 21.25 the baptisme of Iohn whence is it From heaven or is it of men Is our ministery of God or is it of men For the hearer must confesse his treacher to be sent of God if his teaching beget faith and repentance in him and praise the name of God for it and acknowledge the blessing of God upon his labours to be an infallible token of his lawfull calling Ier. 23.21.22 Mal. 2.46 2 Cor. 3.1.2 On the other side God doth not convert men to himselfe or establish them in grace by false and Antichristian Ministers and meanes The holy martyrs were members of our Church I would likewise aske the Question of the holy Martyrs of our Church which accounted not their owne lives precious vnto them but laid them downe for the truthes sake are these martyrs of God or of the Devil were they members of a true Church or of a false and were they instructed in the faith by Christian ministers or by Antichristian nay doubtlesse they were not ashamed to professe themselues children of our Churches and reuerenced our ministers as their spiritual fathers and would have accounted it no small blessing if they might have beene suffered to heare them Thirdly they are reproued who thinke that above all other things the preaching of the word may best be spared and that the office of the Ministers is least of all usefull and necessary But is faith necessarie is repentance of any use is saluation out of request If these be giftes absolutely necessary then must the preaching of the truth and the publishing of the Gospel be necessary also without which they cannot be attained of us Christ Iesus is the greatest gift under Heaven after him the ministery of the word is the highest benefit whereby we come to know Christ and him crucified I say it is the greatest benefit which God hath given to the Sonnes of men Eph. 4.12 Eph. 4. for the gathering together of the Saints and the edification of the Church Whosoever therefore despiseth the preaching of the Word 1 Thess 4.8 despiseth not man but God and is guilty of his owne condemnation For as our bodies cannot live without food so our soules prosper not without the word Lastly it reproueth all drowsie and carelesse hearers that are a sleepe when they should heare these exclude and shut out faith that it should not enter But how should God open our hearts when we will not keep open our eares or how should he heare our praiers when we will not heare his Fastours Is it not all one altogether to be absent and to be thus present Secondly it serueth for information First it is a matter of great comfort for the lost sheepe of Christ straying from the sheepefold to understand that there is a way left to recover wandering sinners which is the hearing of the word and thereby to come to saluation Secondly it is a speciall blessing to live in such places and among such people where the word is taught and where they may be partakers of hearing Happy are they that hearken to the saving doctrine of the Gospell with a desire to understand it and care to obey it But wofull and feareful is their estate that live in such barraine places where the dearth of the word pineth away the soule we may say of them in deed and in truth Num. 13.32 They are lands that eate up the inhabitants thereof and in that day shall the faire virgins and young men faint for thirst Thirdly it teacheth that the sense of hearing is a great and necessary blessing of God and therefore fitly called the sense of understanding and of beleeving True it is God can worke without and no doubt he doth true it is also that our other senses are good helpes of many notable things especially the eyes are speciall furtherers of knowledge God hath two bookes whereby he teacheth us and wherein we reade his marueilous wisedome the one Psal 19.1 Rom. 1.19.20 1 Cor. 1.21 the great booke of his Creatures wherein we see his eternall power and godhead and learne to give him the glory the other is his written word inspired of God and iâ— profitable for doctrine for reproofe for correction and for instruction in righteousnesse that the man of God may bee perfect throughly furnished unto all good workes 2 Tim. 3.16.17 Fourthly where the word is not taught according to the Ordinance of God there ordinarily sinners are not converted to God For there is no other ordinary meanes under heaven to conuert sinners and to worke faith in us than the Ministery of the word How then can we learne what true faith and true repentance is without the word Without which we must perish and be condemned Hence it is that Salomon saith Where vision failâ—th Pro. 29.18 the people perish Behold therefore the misery of the people who are as sheep dispersed and scattered without a Sheepheard and without such leaders as may shew them the good and right way wherein they should walke and so come to the kingdome of heauen Fiftly all such as through negligence carelesnesse contempt and wilfulnesse refuse the hearing of the word doe cast from them the meanes of their salvation and forsake their owne mercies nay they renounce faith and turning to God and account themselues unworthy of eternall life Such were those Iewes which are spoken of Act. 13. who resisted the word Act. 13.46 railed at it and spake against those things that were spoken contradicting them and blaspheming and therby renouncing their part in Christ Iesus Such are many carelesse and dissolute persons among us little better than Atheists who are never touched with any love of the word or desire of it but cast it behind their backe and set it after all the vanitie and pleasures of this life Lastly Mar. 4.24 Luk. 8.18 it is our duty to take heed how we heare For it standeth us vpon to regard not onely what we heare but how we heare and to looke to the manner as well as to the matter For we may perish as well by not hearing aright as by hearing that which is not right and consider that it is not enough to heare the truth but we must heare truly That we may attaine to this we must performe these seuerall duties to attend unto it to marke it to understand it to hold it fast and lastly to apply it The first point required of us The first duty of hearers is that we attend hearken unto it diligently It is not sufficient to heare It is one thing to heare but hearkning and giuing eare is another thing To heare requireth no more but the eares of the body to hearken requireth the eares of the mind Hence it is that Christ saith Math. 13. He that hath eares to heare Math. 13.9 let him heare Where he sheweth that there is a double hearing outward and inward or else he would never charge
bettered by it So we have small profit by that which others heare except we apply it to our own soules What good hath the wounded man that hath a Soveraigne salue and plaister when hee layeth it not unto the sore And proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from c. Hitherto of the faith of the Ninevites Now of their repentance expressed by two signes of it proclaiming a fast and putting on sackcloath to make themselues thereby the fitter to pray and intreate the Lord to spare them and to shew mercy and compassion upon them They come not to God with full bellies or with meat in their mouthes or in gay and gorgeous apparell but in the commonest and coursest which they had These are the witnesses of their sorrow yea helpes and occasions and furtherances to more acceptable workes than they are of themselues For considered in themselues and in their owne natures they are little worth seeing bodily exercise profiteth little 1 Tim. 4.8 1 Tim. 4. But as we see that which is blunt in it selfe and not able to cut Horat. dâ— arte poet may not withstanding sharpen other things so fasting in it selfe no better than feasting and sackcloath than silke and costly apparel may neverthelesse further holy duties and quicken us in the persormance of them with greater zeale The Prophet therefore could not complaine of these Ninevites as our Saviour did of the Iewes Luk. 7.32 We have mourned to you and yee have not wept Let us now come to the meaning of the wordes Fasting importeth an abstaining not only from meate and drinke and sleepe so farre as humane infirmity wil suffer but from labour and the workes of our callings most of all from delights pleasures plaies pastimes recreations idlenesse haunting of tipling houses surfetting and drunkennesse the common sinnes of the Land which have drawne downe the hote wrath and heavie displeasure of Almightie God upon us 2. They Proclaime it That is they leave it not indifferent and arbitrary to the will and pleasure and discretion of every person to doe what they best fansied but they are bound by a Law and decree to performe it and undergoe it For doubtlesse were every man left at his own liberty whether he would serue the Lord or not or when to serue him O what a decay in religion should we find in the world in a short time Yea touching the Lords day though it be but one for seven Luk. 14.23 and God have left the rest to our selues or our lawfull labours yet if no man should be compelled to the seruice of God should we finde any knowledge of God in the land or any faith in Christ So backward we are in matters of our owne salvation to which a man would thinke we should be so forward as we should need no spurre of exhortation 3. They put on sackcloth It may be it was not sackcloth in his proper kind which is commonly so called which they could not possibly in such plenty and abundance supply themselues withall at such a suddaine but their ordinary and meanest attire so that were it that in civility and modesty they might they would have stripped themselues to the bare skin thereby acknowledging and confessing themselues unworthy of any creature to cover their nakednesse They had sinned through their wealth and superfluity in both these in pride and excesse The Pampering up of backe and belly are as the two daughters of the horseleech that sucke the very blood of the land have wasted the substance and estates of many persons and consumed great families Both these lay aside and cast away from them yea they punish and revenge themselues of their surfetting drunkennesse by fasting professing themselues unworthy to tast one bit of bread or to drinke one drop of water and of their pride and excesse in apparell by putting on sack cloth acknowledging themselues unworthy to weare any thing upon them Doct. This practise of theirs teacheth that it is a fruit of repentance to take vengeance of our selues for our sins It is required of us to be revenged of our sinnes This the Apostle teacheth 2 Cor. 7.10.11 Godly sorrow worketh repentance to saluation not to be repented of Behold what revenge this hath wrought in you This will shew what affection we beare to our sinnes when we daily strive to mortifie the deeds of the flesh Before repentance they are so deare unto us and so beloved of us that we cannot abide to be reprooued of them but when true repentance and sorrow for sinne commeth then we begin to brooke and digest not onely reproofe of them from others but vengeance also upon them from our selues And when once we can be avenged of them it is a plaine token we account them our utter enimies For no man desireth revenge but upon him whom he supposeth and accounteth his enemy 1 Sam. 24.19 and no man findeth his enemy that will let him goe well away 1 King 3 26. Salomon knew the right mother 1 King 3. by her tender heart and yerning bowels which could not endure to see the child divided by the sword so surely when we cannot abide the sword of reuenge to wound and slay our sinnes we have iust cause to suspect our repentance and that as yet we love our sinnes too wel when we are loath to have our enemy wounded This revenge the Apostle calleth the beating downe of the body 1 Cor. 9.27 or the keeping it under and bringing it into subjection and the offering up our bodies as sacrifices to God Rom. 12.1 Our sinnes must be dealt with all as Sarah dealt with Hagar hardly and roughly that she fled from her face Gen. 16.6 so we must handle them that they may depart from us we must claspe them and crush them hard as men doe nettles and other noysome plants that they doe not sting us But if we pamper them and use them delicately 2 Sam. 18.5 as David bade Ioab intreate the young man Absolom gently for his sake they will soone over-master us and get the upper hand of us Let us make use of this point Vse 1 This revenge standeth not in wounding our selues and offering violence to our owne bodies The Romanists glory in whipping themselues like the old heretikes called Flagellantes This they call penance howbeit it is no better than a mocke-repentance this revenge is a will-worship Esay 1.12 the which God never accepted but will say unto them Who required these things at your hands Eph. 5.29 The Apostle teacheth that no man yet never haâ—ed his owne flesh but nourisheth cherisheth it even as the Lord the Church 1 King 18.28 none ever did the contrary that we reade of but onely the Priests of Baal who cut themselues after their manner with knives and lancers till the bloud gushed out upon them and the man possessed and thereby after a sort distracted Mark 5.5 who
conceale a thing secret Nay in this many miracles on an heape concurre together Is it not a miracle in the body to open the eyes of the blind Math. 10.8 11.5 Act. 26.18 2 Cor. 7.1 Eph. 2.1.5 to restore hearing to the deafe to raise the dead to clense the Lepers The penitent person hath received all these in his soule his eyes are opened his eares are boared he is clensed from his filthinesse and restored to life for being naturally borne dead in sinnes and trespasses he is quickned O how great a change and alteration is this But here a question may be asked Object whether this be a worke and effect of the Law are the threatnings thereof able to do it Answ or is it a fruit of the Gospell I answer the Law helpeth it forward it cannot worke it or bring it forth It prepareth to repentance but produceth it not so that the law is not excluded or quite shut out Rom. 3.20 Gal. 3.24 It serueth to bring us to the knowledge of our sinnes and miseries and thereby fitteth us to receive grace and mercy like eating salues that make way for curing medicines or like the sharpe needle that maketh way for the threed But it is the Gospell that hath the promise of pardon and forgivenesse and worketh repentance from dead workes and therefore it is a fruit of the Gospel The Law knoweth no remission of sins but is a letter that condemneth it promiseth no mercy but threatneth the curse against the transgressors Gal. 3.13 Vse Vse 1 1. This condemneth such as forsake and forget the ordinary way that God hath left to bring us to saluation and gape after miracles or revelations This is all one as if when the Lord heareth the Heauens and they heare the earth Hos 2.21.22 and the earth heareth the corne and the corne the people they will not feed thereof as base food but looke for Manna and bread from heaven are not such worthy to perish Hence it is that Abraham is brought in Luk. 16.31 answering the rich man that would have the dead sent to his brethren to reclaime them and bring them to repentance If they heare not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead How vainely then and idlely doe they prattle who to disgrace the Ministery of the word and the high ordinance of God to teach man by man alledge that they know not whether men speake the truth because all men are lyars and they are not able to try their doctrine but if they should heare the Lord himselfe speake or an Angel from heaven they would beleeve Iudg. 6 2â— 13.22 Gen. 16.2 Esay 6.3 These men neither know their owne weakenesse nor the power of God Not their owne weakenesse that are not able to endure the glory of him that speaketh from heaven nay this was the common voyce of such as heard an Angel We shall surely dy alas because I have seene an Angel of the Lord face to face not the power of God because he is infinite the Angels cover their faces before him the heavens are not cleane in his sight the earth trembleth when he sheweth his glory When the Israelites saw the lightnings and heard the noise of the thunder and sound of the Trumpet waxing lowder and lowder in the mount Exod. 20.18.19 so that Moses himselfe said I exceedingly feare and quake they sayd unto Moses Speake thou unto us and we will heare Heb. 12.21 but let not God speake unto us lest we die Deut. 5.25.26.28.29 If we heare the voyce of the Lord our God any more then we shall die for who is thereof all flesh that hath heard the voyce of the living God and lived This they spake and the Lord said They have well spoken all that they have spoken O that there were such an heart in them that they would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes that it might goe wel with them and with their Children for ever If this were wisedome in them to call for Moses to speake to them and not God what a foolish choise doe they make that call for God to speake to them and not Moses But of this also else where Secondly their case is fearefull and dangerous that are without the word there is no vision and therefore the people must needes perish Pro. 29.18 There the sheepe are without a sheepheard See examples Exod. 32.1 2 King 12.2 and none to have compassion upon them Math. 9.36 Neither is their state any better who albeit they are not without it yet regard it not but despise it in their hearts These are both alike saving that the latter is worser and more fearefull then the former The one are without the ordinary meanes the other without the use of the meanes and therefore without hope to come to repentance It was a fearefull judgement when our Saviour commanded the twelue saying Go not into the way of the Gentiles Math. 10.5 and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not And when the Apostles went through the Cities to preach the Gospel Act. 16.6.7 they were forbidden by the holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia and afterward when they assaied to goe into Bithynia the Spirit suffered them not Was not this in effect as much as if the Lord had sayd give them no bread let them be famished I will not have these converted and consequently saved He that taketh away the meanes of life it is plaine he would not have that man live Woe then to all such retchlesse and carelesse persons as set light by this high ordinance of God that neither have it nor desire it but doubly wretched are they that despise it and wish in their hearts to be without it Can these perswade themselues they have attained to repentance What without the meanes but such is the necessity of repentance that without it we must perish for ever I may therefore say to such as the Apostle doth to the Iewes Well spake the holy Ghost unto our fathers Esay 6.9 Act. 28.26 Go unto this people and say hearing ye shall heare and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and not perceive for the heart of this people is waxed grosse and their eares are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heale them Thirdly behold the happy condition of such if they knew their owne happinesse to whomsoever God hath vouchsafed the preaching of the Gospell It is a manifest proofe he hath a people there whom he would have converted For as he shewed the Disciples to whom they should not goe Math. 10.6 Act. 18.9.10 so he sent them to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Thus also he spake to Paul Act. 18. Be not afraid but speake and
Thirdly it is a very difficult and hard worke to attaine to any good Vertue is planted groweth upon the top of an high hill it is painfull to climbe up unto it or upon a steep rocke to which we can hardly ascend we shall be driven to creepe up on all foure 1 Sam. 14.13 as Ionathan and his armour-bearer did to the garrison of the Philistims This is that which the wise Solomon teacheth Pro. 15.24 The way of l fe is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath Hence it is also Psal 15.1 Phil. 3.19 Col. 3.1 that the Rrophet David compareth heaven to an high hill Psal 15.1 We should clime and get up nearer and nearer unto it euery day So our Saviour teacheth that the way to life is narrow Math. 7.14 and the gate strait it is not wide and broad as the path that tendeth to death and therefore much striving and strugling much fighting and wrastling is needfull for us Math. 11.12 that the kingdome of heaven may suffer violence and the violent take it by force The way is onely one that leadeth to life and we must make straight steppes unto it but the by-pathes and crooked lanes and crosse turnings that tend to death are many nay infinite This instructeth us to admonish one an other Vse 1 to consider one an other to provoke to love and to good workes to exhort one an other and so much the more Heb. 10.24.25 because we see the day approching This the Saints have practised thus the Prophet foretelleth it should be in times of the Gospel under the kingdome of Christ Esay 2. Esay 2.3 Mic. 4. â— many people shall goe and say Come let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob he will teach us his wayes and we will walke in his pathes So the Apostle chargeth us to exhort one an other to reprove and comfort We see in the things of this life how ready men are to helpe one another and to doe good to the body nay we are commanded to shew our love and compassion to the beast yea of our enemy Exod. 23.5 If he lye downe under his burden wilt thou forbeare to lift him up thou shalt surely helpe him up how much more then should we doe good to the soule which is more precious than the body and further him in the matters of salvation which are of more worth a thousand times than a temporal possession Especially this duty is to be performed by parents and masters that are bound by a nearer and straiter band to their families than others are and so are charged with the same in a double respect and generally it is required of all to keepe watch and ward over others for their good For they that are truly religious must approve themselues to be so by seeking to draw others thereunto Where true religion possesseth the heart of a man The properties of true religion there also cannot but be a desire kindled and inflamed to bring others to it also This is not onely as a good tree that bringeth forth good fruit but it is also as a fire which having matter to worke upon will send forth light and heat to comfort and refresh others And who is he that knoweth and considereth from what misery he is delivered and to what freedome from sinne and Satan he is brought that can be so unthankfull to God and so mercilesse and hard-hearted to his brethren as to rest contented in his owne happinesse and be altogether carelesse to give glory to God for his happinesse Cant 1.4 Iam. 5.19.20 and to testifie his love to his neighbour and desire to pull him out of the state of damnation and make him partaker of the inheritance in the heavenly places We see in the examples of the Disciples how diligent they were so soone as they were brought to Christ to perswade draw others to the knowledge and feare of God When Andrew was brought to Christ he never rested till he had found his brother Simon Ioh. 1.41.42 and sayd unto him We have found the Messias and he brought him to Iesus and when the Lord Iesus had called Philip and willed him to follow him Philip findeth Nathaniel and sayd We have found him vers 45.46 of whom Moses and the Prophets did write come and see him The like also we see afterward in the woman of Samaria when once Christ had touched her heart and given her to drinke of the fountaine of living waters springing up into everlasting life she could not rest her selfe contented therewith to be partaker of so great a benefit alone Ioh 4.29 but shee lest her waterpot and ranne into the City and called them out to tast of those waters whereof she had drunke Indeed he asked of her but he gave unto her waters of life Let us be therefore like to those Lepers who being almost affamished and ready to dye and finding a rich booty meat and drinke silver and gold in great abundance would not nay could not keepe such a benefit long to themselues but they accused themselues and reproved one another 2 King 7.9 saying We doe not well this day is a day of good tidings and we hold our peace if we tarry till the morning some mischiefe will come upon us now therefore come that we may tell it abroad So when God in great mercy hath opened himselfe unto us which is better than to find siluer and gold should we then hide his mercy as the unfaithfull seruant did his talent and not rather put it out to the exchangers Math. 25.27 that the Lord at his comming might receive his owne with usury And should we not say with those Lepers This day is a day of good tidings and should we hold our peace and not communicate this good to others This is the charge that the Lord layd upon Peter Luk. 22. I have prayed for thee Luk. 22.32 that thy faith faile not when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Thus the sheepheards after the Angels were departed into heaven encouraged one another to see the thing that was come to passe and to make that knowne abroad in the City which the Lord had made knowne to them in the field Luk. 2 1.5 Secondly it reproveth sundry sorts that offend against this doctrine First such as shake off this duty The first reproofe as too heavy a burthen from their owne shoulders and lay it upon the Ministers of the word and it is posted over from one to another as Adam laid the blame vpon the woman and the woman upon the Serpent whereas every private man ought to be a meane according to his calling to perswade others to the hearing of the word that they might be saved If every one would perswade himselfe that it is his duty to perswade others then would the Church be enlarged
other men that they are not all for the present but have their eyes in their fore head to foresee and so to prevent evils to come as Eccl. 2. The wise mans eyes are in his head Eccl. 2.14 but the foole walketh in darknesse The naturall man seeth with one eye to witt the carnall eye of naturall reason that can pierce no farther then the light of nature reacheth but Christian men have together with it the spirituall eye of faith also to foresee evils to come such as sense and reason are not able to apprehend Bernard in Psal Quihabitat Serm. 1. There are foure sortes of men in this case to be considered of us some hope but feare not others feare but hope not some neither hope nor feare others both hope and feare The first sort is of those that hope but feare not these runne through thicke and thinne and stand at nothing they feare not when there is cause but they presume without cause These hope for his mercy but they feare not his wrath they have their eyes fastned upon his mercy but they shut them upon his wrath least they should looke upon it and thereby take liberty to sinne without any remorse of conscience or of repentance from dead workes We have infinite examples both written and unwritten of such persons and therefore the Prophet David prayeth to God to keepe his servant from presumptuous sinnes least they have dominion over him Psal 19.13 This faith is no faith but a fancy or rather a frenzy These set up an idoll instead of God made all of mercy that is an other kind of God then he hath described himselfe to be in his word Exod. 20 and 34 he will by no meanes cleare the wicked Exod. 34.7 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the childrens children unto the third and to the fourth generation Wherefore all mercy and no feare is all fansie and no faith An other sort is of such as feare but hope not at all These are contrary to the former They feare his judgments too much but they hope in his mercies too little as Caine Saul Achitaphel Iudas and such like who had no more hope then the Devils have and so come to be swallowed up in the deepe gulfe of desperation The third sort neither hope nor feare neither hope in his mercy neither fear his justice It is al one with such which end goforward whether God be offended or not whether he be pleased or displeased These are like the Laodiceans neither hote nor cold but luke warme whom God wil spew out of his mouth Revel 3.16 Rev. 3. These are seiled in their lees or dregs of their sins that say in their hearts the Lord will do neither good nor evill Zeph. 1.12 These are Epicures or Atheists that make God sit idle in heaven and do nothing The Fourth and last sort are such as both hope and feare also In the first sort raigneth presumption in the second desperation in the third prophanation in the last religion These so hope in his mercy that they stand in feare of his wrath as Noah David Iosiah and sundry others Such must we be to regard both of his mercy and judgment We must not be any of the former sinners neither presumptuous nor desperate nor prophane but fearefull of his wrath and yet confident in his mercy 10 And God saw their workes that they turned from their evill way and God repented of the evill that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not Hitherto we have heard what the Ninevites did Knowledge is of Apprehension Heb. 4 13 Approbation Psal 1.6 Math. 7.23 here we are to consider what the Lord did he saw their works and repented of the evill which he had denounced Let us first marke the meaning of the words and consider them in order as they lie He saw First he not onely beheld what they did but he approved their workes Chap. 1.2 and conceiveth a liking of the service they performed as Gen. 1.31 4.4 Lam. 3.6 But doth not the Lord see the wicked and their workes Ob. did he not see before this their wickednesse Yes doubtlesse Answ or else how could it come up before him For answer unto this we must understand that he is said to have a two fold eye the eye of knowledge and the eye of alowance He seeth all persons and all things good and evill with the eye of his knowledge that nothing can be hid from him for he that formed the eye shall not he see the night Psal 94.9 139.11 and the light are both a like with him but he seeth not all things in this maner with the eye of his alowance liking loving and approving In this sence he did not looke upon Caine and upon his offering but upon Abel and his offering to whom he had respect Their workes First their faith their conversion from their evill wayes their fasting and prayer how they cryed mightily unto him God repented of the evill First God is after a sort transformed and transfigured into our nature as we sometimes read of his eyes eares hands heart feet nostrils and other bodily members not that he is so indeed not that he hath these parts but the Scripture speaketh after our capacity and understanding as they do that speake to children we are not ignorant what use office and property these severall parts have in our selues and we conceive not how a man should see without eyes or heare without eares or walke without feet or worke without hands and to teach us therefore that God seeth heareth worketh and understandeth all things those parts are ascribed unto him by which we see heare worke walke and understand But properly repentance is not in God as we have noted before but the effect is Repentance not properly in god which is nothing else but the undoing of a worke which he had formerly done So then the Ninevites turned and God turned they turned from their evill and God from his evill Howbeit these evils differ the one from the other for theirs is criminall his penall Doct. they turned from the evill of their sinne he from the evill of his punishment God knoweth whatsoever we do and approoveth of that which is good From hence we may obserue two points which because they have affinity one with an other we will consider together namely that God seeth knoweth and heareth whatsoever we do speake or thinke yea he acknowledgeth aloweth Whatsoever we do and approoveth of that which is good Psal 139.2.3.4 33.13.14 praiseth and commendeth good things in whomsoever they are Touching the first branch the Prophet saith Psal 139. Thou vnderstandest my fitting my rising my thoughts afarre off there is not a word in my tongue but thou knowest it wholly thou possessest my reines my bones are not hid from thee and 33.13.14 The Lord looketh from
this in the consideration of the power of God how we erre two waies In time of adversity we contract it and make it to little as if he could not do so much as he had promised and we cannot beleeve more then we see Numb 11.4.13.21.22.23 Psal 78.19 neither can looke beyond the ordinary meanes as Numb 11. with Psal 78. they spake against God saying Can God furnish a table in the wildernesse Yea Moses himselfe spake unadvisedly with his lippes Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people whereunto the Lord answereth by way of reproofe Is the Lords hand waxed short thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to passe unto thee or not So in the seige of Samaria a noble person on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God who had prophesied of great plenty If the Lord would make windowe in heaven 2 King 7.2 might this thing be but when men live in peace and plenty how many do extend his power too farre and encourage themselues in the excesse of all ungodlinesse and propha esse of life because he is able to pardon their sinnes though they be never so great and there upon harden their hearts and gather that they need not make conscience of any thing Thus upon a firme foundation they build a false conclusion The like we may say of the presence of God When we have all that heart can desire that we prosper in the world and encrease in riches we dreame we must needs be highly in Gods favour and that he is present with us with his grace but when we are plagued and chastened every morning how do we presently conceive that he is departed farr from us that he hath forgotten to here us and will remember us no more Eâ—ccl 9. but no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them and if sinne do not seperate betweene us and our God Esay 59.1.2 his hand is not shortned that he cannot save neither his eare heavy that he cannot heare Lastly touching the second branch hence ariseth a reproofe of such wicked and envious men that will never remember any good thing or any grace of God that appeareth in his faithful servants unlesse it be to lessen them discredit them mock and scoffe at them and to deride them as Ismael did at Isaac Gen. 21.9 as Michal did at David 2 Sam. 6.20 Nay there be some so fowle-mouthed and corrupt hearted if they can find nothing whereby to defame them they will inuent and devise matter out of their owne braine See the partialily of these brainsicke men and the difference betweene God and them for first though they see never so much grace the way to glory shine in the servants of God they passe it over and will take no notice thereof Secondly what blemish defect or infirmity so ever be in them they bruit it and blaze it abroad no time no place no company is free but they ring of them they proclaime and publish them in every place before every person at every meeting and they will be sure to adde something of their own beyond the truth And what marveil is it if being evill theÌ„selues they speake evill of others Thirdly they can readily passe over the foule spottes and prophanesse not onely in themselues Malèdeme loquuntur sed malâ— Sen. but in their owne crue and companions because therein they have oftentimes themselues a great and principall hand and therefore they see the discrediting of them tendeth to their owne reproch Fourthly if there be the least civill vertue breake out of the ungodly that they after a sort stumble upon them accidentally rather then purposely and that but once or if it be onely a shadow of vertue appeare in any of their fellowes O how they praise and applaud them they light up a candle to see them and they blow a trumpet for men to heare of them In all which they shew themselues contrary to God for he passeth over the frailties and infirmities of such as feare him and have given their hearts unto him though sometimes they stumble and fall as we see in Iob. Iob. 42. Iam. 5.11 1 King 15.5 Math. 13.31.8 25.23 12.20 42.8 Iam. 5.11 and in David 1 King 15.5 and wheresoever he seeth any grace to grow though it be as little as agraine of mustardsecd if he encrease but two talentes or bring forth only thirty fold if they be but as the smoking flaxe or as the bruised reed he accepteth it maketh much of it highly commendeth it On the other side he hateth and abhorreth wickednesse as he loveth righteousnesse and albeit the ungodly have the glory and applause of the world because the world will love his owne yet will he bring upon them shame and perpetuall contempt And God repented of the evill that he had said Albeit the threatning against this citie expressed no condition Doct. God is merciful to all pâ—nitent sinners as we have already declared yet we see in this place by the issue and event that it included it As the threatning denounced was very fearefull so the fruit of their repentance was as joyfull This teacheth that God is mercifull and gratious to all penitent sinners he turneth their mourning into mirth and all their heavinesse into laughter All such as truely repent them of their sinnes shall find pardon forgivenesse at his hands as Ezek. 18. Ezek. 18.21 If the wicked will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keepe all my statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live and shall not die Thus in sundry places we are cummanded to turne to God and then he promiseth to turnt to us to save us Ioel. 2 12.13 Ier. 31.18 Lam. 5.21 Hereunto come sundry examples of Manasses 2 Chro. 33. of Paul Act. 9. of the Iewes that crucified the Lord of life Act. 2. The like I might say of sundry others The reasons Reas 1 First No penitent person ever perished from the foundation of the world to this present neither shall from this present to the end of the world God which cannot lie hath promised grace to the humble and and contrite heart Repentance is as a table on which we take hold after shipwracke to bring us safe and sound to land Nosinne is unpardonable if the sinner could repent no not the sinne against the holy Ghost Secondly Gods mercy is above all his workes he knoweth whereof we are made he remembreth that we are but dust he is slow to anger and of great kindnesse Psal 103. Thirdly he hath shewed some mercy in a temporall deliverance for a temporall repentance 2 King 21.27 as we see in Ahab who obtained the respite of punishent when he had but an outward humiliation 2 King 21. if wicked Ahab who did sell himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight to the Lord repenting with fasting
sackcloth God deferred his judgment threatned how much more shall true repentance obtaine the love and favour of God and blot out all our offences out of his sight From hence arise sundry uses Vse 1 First from the nature of contraries we learne that to such as continue in sinne and have hearts that cannot repent there is no mercy to be looked for because they treasure up vnto themselues wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to every man according to his deeds And therefore the Apostle saith Vnto them that are contentious and doe not obey the truth but obey unrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath Revel 2.5 tribulation and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill of the Iew first and also of the Gentile Woe then to all such as lie in sinne and please not God they fill up their sinnes alway and his wrath shall come upon them to the uttermost True it is every unrepentant sinner can say the Lord is mercifull and Christ is the Saviour of the world but to whom is he mercifull and whom will he save Not every one that can say Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of the father which is in heaven To this purpose consider these few rules First God hath made no promise in all the Scripture to impenitent persons Search the Scriptures for in them ye looke to have eternall life but in the whole volume of that booke ye shall not find one line or letter that will minister comfort to the soule that continueth in evill doing Secondly they deceive themselues that looke for mercy that lie under wrath and see not their owne misery Indeed there is promise of mercy yea sundry promises in every Prophet and in the writings of the Apostles but they are made to the penitent The Lord God hath no pleasure at all that the wicked should die but then they must returne from their owne waies Ezek. 18.21.23 that they may live he will put all their wickednesse out of his remembrance but first they must turne from all their sinnes that they have committed and do that which is lawfull and right he hath promised to draw neere unto them Iam. 4.8.10 but then they must draw neere unto him yea they must clense their hands and purifie their hearts he hath said he will lift them up but first they must humble themselues in the sight of the Lord. Thirdly Christ Iesus is a Saviour but he saveth none but such as are his people none are his people but such as beleeve in him and none beleeve in him but those whose hearts are purified by faith Except we be new creatures let us never say we are in Christ or that he is a Saviour unto us he hath wrought the great worke of redemption and paid a deare price to ransome us his own pretious blood but let us remember and never forget that he gave himselfe for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquity Tit. 2.14 and purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Tit. 2. Lastly consider that notwithstanding the shield sheiter of the mercy of God to which every man runneth he hath brought sundry both generall and particular judgments upon the children of disobedience and his wrath hath beene revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men Rom. 1.18 who no doubt builded with the untempered morter of supposed mercy but were swallowed up with his justice Such were the old world who no doubt set up an Idol all made of mercy but they found him to be a God of justice Such were the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah with the rest of the plaine Gen. 19. Such were Pharaoh and the Egyptians that pursued Israel to the red Sea and infinite others Nay see how God hath whipped his owne children Pro. 11.31 1 Pet. 4.17.18 and scourged them with greevous chastisements as we see in David and other Saints if judgment have begun at Gods owne house what shall the end of them be that obey not the Gospel of God and if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare Secondly hence ariseth matter of much comfort to the humble and contrite spirit that is weary and heavy laden with the waight and burden of his sinnes lying heavy upon his conscience Math. 11.28.29 Nothing indeed can come hereby to the impenitent that is to the obstinate and wilfull offender thaâ— resolveth to continue in his sinne neither can he looke for any thing but judgement that hangeth over his head and lyeth at the dore but to the humble and repentant sinner there are a thousand comforts a treasury of mercies laid up in store for him to keepe preserue him from doubting and despaire Such Christ Iesus calleth unto him embraceti them in the armes of his mere that they should not be dismaied all the multitude or greatnesse of their sinnes but rather lay hold upon the multitude and greatnesse of his mercies which are infinite higher then the heavens broader then the Seas deeper then the earth and surmount all the sinnes which they have committed O what comfort is it to a sicke man lying and languishing upon the bed of sorrow to heare of a certaine and Soveraigne medicine a present and effectuall remedy of his discase and ought it not to find rest in our soules when we are willed to come to Christ the Physitian of the soule ought it not to be as marrow unto our bones and bring peace to our soules forasmuch as his yoke is easie and his burden light Who ever came penitently unto him and weat away heavily or discomfortably Suet. in vita Titirespatâ—c If it were the saying of a great Prince that none should depart from his presence heavy-hearted how much more may we be assured it is the voyce of the King of kings that no penitent person shall ever go from him without grace and favour comfortlesse Repentance is a salve that healeth all the woundes of the soule Search into the examples of all the Saints from the beginning of the word What was it turned Noahs drunkennesse into sobriety Gen. 9.25 19. cum 2 Pet. 2.8 1 Tim. 1.13 2 Chro. 33.12 Esay 11.9 Repentance What changed the unnaturall lust and excesse of Lot into eleannesse and purity repentance What was it that cast Manasseth Paul and many others into a new mould and of oppressors persecuters blasphemers made them meeke and gentle as Lambes repentance No man was ever saved without repentance for finall impenitency bringeth damnation Damnation is a necessary effect of divine justice from the just God brought upon vniust offenders Such sinners and transgressours can have no peace with God without reconcilement there is no reconcilement without remission no remission without Christ no Christ without faith no faith without repentance Woe
then to such as presume of hope of pardon without paiment these disioyne faith and repentance and separate mercy and justice asunder in God to whom both are alike essentiall in whom both are infinite for albeit his mercies exceed his justice in his workes toward us yet in himselfe they are alike And woe unto such as say though we give our selues to the free and full practise of sinne yet God is abundantly nay infinitely mercifull for such shall certainly perish in their presumption and to make him all mercy is to leave him to be uniust in suffering sinne to go unpunished whereas the judge of all the world should do right Gen. 19.25 Lastly it is our duty as we desire grace and mercy so to practise repentance betimes All will seeme to be willing to have remission of their sinnes but all do not take the right way Motiues to stirre up to repentance nor use the meanes to attaine unto it which is by repentance Now we have sundry motives to move us and perswade us to repentance which we must no lesse affect then we do repentance it seâ—fe First the man that liveth without repentance is farre worse then the basest creature then the bruit beast It would be thought a base comparison to compare such to a dogge or Swine or Serpent but it is too good for such base and worse then brutish persons that forsake God and will have no communion with him For their misery and torments begin after this life whereas the bruit beasts perish and there is an end of them with this life That which our Saviour speaketh of impenitent Iudas who ended his his daies in despaire may be said of every impenitent person Math. 26.24 Woe unto that man by whom the Sonne of man is betrayed Ioh. 6.70 3.18 it had beene good for that man if he had not beene borne and in an other place one of you is a Devil and is condemned already because he hath not beleeved and repented Secondly such a one is under the power of Satan which is the greatest and sorest bondage 2 Tim. 2.26 all the Pharohs and Hazaels in the world cannot be compared with his tyranny as 2 Tim. 2. for impenitent the are taken captive by the Divell and holden in his snares to do his will Thirdly such are in danger of all the judgements of God to fall upon their heads every houre For albeit they should escape thâ—m in this life yet they are but respited or reprived as the judge sometimes doth the malefactour that is afterward executed and in the meane season all the fearfull plagues and punishments that have come upon sinners are imminent may suddainly swiftly come upon them They may be summoned to the barre of Gods judgement in this life as Adam was Gen. 3. and Caine chap. 4. Gen. 3.9 4.9 6.7 they may be drowned in the waters with the old world Gen. 6. with Pharaoh and the Egyptians Exod. 14. Fxod 14.28 Psal 136.15 they may be overthrowne and overturned with fire brimstone from the Lord out of heaven as Sodome and Gomorrha were Gen. 19.24 Gen. 19. they may perish with the arrowes of Famine Pestilence the Sword banishment and evill beastes Ezek. 5.15.16.17 Exod. 7. 8. 9. 10. as many in Israel Ezek. 5. they may suffer sustaine all the plagues of Egypt as the King and people of Egypt Exod. 7. c. they may be burned and consumed with fire as the captaines and their fifties 2 King 1. 2 King 1.10.12 they may be stung with fiery Serpents and perish as the people in the wildernesse Numb 21. the earth may open and swallow them as it did Dathan and Abiram Numb 6. Psal 106. Numb 21.6 16.31 Psal 106.17 1 Sam. 31.4 2 Sam. 17.23 Act. 1.18 Act. 12. â—3 Act. 13. â—1 Gen. 19.11 2 King 6.18 they may destroy themselues and lay violent hands upon themselues as Saul and Athithophel 1 Sam. 31.2 Sam. 17. they may fall headlong and burst a sunder in the middle all their bowels gush out as Iudas Act. 1. they may be smitten by the Angel of the Lord be eaten up of wormes as Herod was because he gave not God the glory chap. 12. they may be smitten with blindnesse by the hand of the Lord and a mist darknesse may fall upon them Luk 13.3 that they may seeke some to lead them by the hand as Elymas the sorcerer and sundry others This is that of which our Saviour warned his hearers by occasion of the suddaine slaughter of the Galileans and those eighteene upon whom the tower in Siloe fell and slew them that except they did returne they should all likewise perish Luk. 13. Fourthly such are in danger not onely of these corporall plagues to fall upon the body but of eternal death and everlasting damnation from the comfortable presence of God Act. 17.30.31 the heaviest judgment of all the rest as Act. 17. Now God commandeth all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousnesse Fiftly God oftentimes knocketh at the dore of our consciences to open unto him This is the acceptable season of comming to Christ This is the time appointed for repentance make much of it we know not whether we shall have it againe He that abuseth and mispendeth that time forfeiteth his Salvation as Eccl. 9. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do Eccl. 9.10 do it with thy might for there is no worke nor devise nor knowledge nor wisedome in the grave whither thou goest Lastly none can be made partakers of eternall life but such as are penitent It is vaine with Balaam to wish for heaven Numb 23.10 and to dye the death of the righteous except we live the life of the righteous and repent us of our sinnes and so turne from our evill wayes with these Ninevites To conclude let us take heed least these men rise up in judgment and condemne us who repented at the preaching of one Prophet the more hath beene committed to us the more shall be required at our hands The Lord that searcheth the hearts and tryeth the reines Ier. 7. to give to every man according to his waies and according to the fruite of his doings turne us unto him and then we shall be turned to whom be glory and praise in the Church for ever Amen A Recapitulation of the doctrines in this Treatise GOd warneth before he punisheth Gods threatnings are conditionall Generall all sinnes procure generall judgmentes The preaching of the word is the meanes to worke faith It is a fruit of repentance to take revenge for sinne of our selues Publike fastes were alwaies called and solemnized in dangerous times Repentance is wrought by the preaching of the word Repentance must be speedy and not prolonged Superiors must give good example to their inferiors We have need to stirre up
no fruit then thou maiest cut it downe This is the summe of this Parable the application whereof is So God hath placed you of Iudea in a fertile place hath bestowed many blessings upon you and hath looked for good fruit from you but behold ye bring forth none I tell you therefore except ye repent that speedily ye shall all likewise perish Now for our better proceeding in the orderly handling of these words Observe herein 2. things An exhortation to repentance or a threatning of destruction to the impenitent vers 3. 5. An amplification or enlargement thereof in the residue The amplification or illustration is By examples By a parable The examples are of the Galileans Eighteene upon whom the tower fell and slew them The second amplification which is by parable we will relerue to the proper place handle the same particularly For all these things belong vnto us as well as unto those to whom they were spoken by our Saviour and may be applied to us as well as unto them The doctrine of repentance was never more needfull to be preached and the threatning also as fully concerneth us Except we repent we shall likewise perish as Marke 13. least we passe by the exhortation uttered to the Disciples by our Saviour as impertinent to us he addeth What I say unto you Mark 13.37 I say unto all Waâ—ch So it is in this place as if he had said what I say unto these I say unto all Repent Wherefore Doct. the generall point that Christ laboureth to presse and perswade is to worke in them and in all others repentance The way to prevent Gods judgments is to amend our lives This teacheth that the onely way to prevent and escape the judgments of God is to amend our lives and turne unto him with all our hearts and to repent from dead workes We live in the dayes of many judgments some lying heavy upon us others hanging over our heads so that we may say with the Prophet Psal 1â—0 1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee O Lord and 42.7 deepe calleth unto deepe at the noyse of thy water spoutes all thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me The meanes ordained of God to revoke his heavy hand gone out against us is to turne from our evill wayes See this Deut. 4. Deut. 4.29 30 31. after that God punisheth his people for their sinnes he saith When thou art in tribulation and all these things are come upon thee even in the latter dayes if thou turne to the Lord thy God and shall be obedient unto his voyce hee will not forsake thee nor destroy thee 2 Chro. 17.13.14 if thou seeke him with all thine heart and with all thy soule Thus the Lord said to Salomon 2 Chro. 7. If I shut up heaven that there be no raine or if I command the Locustes to devoure the land or if I send postilence among my people if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselues and pray and seeke my face and turne from their wicked wayes then will I heare from heaven and will forgive their sinne Ier. 3 22. and will heale their land And the Prophet Ieremy bringeth in the Lord speaking Math. 3.7.8.10 Returne ye back-sliding children I will heale your backsliding So doth Iohn the Baptist reprove the Pharisees O generation of vipers who hath warned you to sly from the wrath to come bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance and now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewne downe and cast into the fire So then the onely way to stay Gods hand and to stop his judgments now that his arrowes fly through the land is to returne from all our evill wayes and to cause others to returne The reasons follow Reas 1 First because untill we repent all judgements hang over our heads and shall overtake us as they did the old world as they did Sodome and Gomorrha as they did Pharaoh and infinite others We may be destroyed by fiery Serpents burned in the fire drowned in the waters swallowed up in the earth as Dathan and Abiram and may looke every day for some plague or other to find us out and seaze upon us Secondly when we truly repent forgivenesse of sinnes and other blessings do follow For repentance and remission go together We see this in the Ninevites Ionah 3.10 God saw their workes that they turned from their evill wayes and he repented of the evill he had said he would do unto them and he did it not If then we would prevent Gods judgments Vse 1 first we must beware of all false counterfeite turnings and by-pathes of our owne invention and walke in the Kings high way Some make confession of our selues to have sinned and to say I am a sinner to be true repentance but thus every civill man should repent Some make all kind of sorrow and greefe and sheding of teares to be turning to God but so should Esau repent Some content themselues with a little humbling and an outware casting downe of themselues to hang downe their heads for a day like a Bulrush but so should Ahab repent Some thinke every good word Lord Lord to be repentance and if they can but say Lord have mercy upon me they have truly repented but so should every sicke man repent Others turne not from sinne untill sinne turne from them and they leave it not till they can follow it no longer but thus every old man repenteth Others turne from one sinne to an other as many from one disease into another and from evill to worse as it were from a fever into a frenzy Lastly others turne from some sinne but not from all they will keepe some beloved sinne still but thus Herod and Iudas repented but this must be the Covenant that we make with God to keepe us from all sinne remembring that he which faileth in one point is guilty of all Iam. 2.10 All these blind wayes wherein the greatest sort doe walke must be avoyded of us True it is wicked men may walke in all these pathes they may confesse their sinnes and desire others to pray for them but this is an enforced repentance this is compulsion not conversion and thus Pharaoh repented whereas true repentance must be voluntary and as a free-will offering They may confesse some heinous and capitall sinne knowne to others as well as to themselues whereby they have brought shame and confusion upon themselues howbeit they will not confesse all but thus Iudus repented saying I have sinned Math. 27.4 in that I have betrayed innocent blood but he acknowledged not his covetousnesse that he was a theefe and kept the bagge They have often some remorse and touch of conscience but it is a great deale more for the punishment threatned or inflicted then for the sinne committed if they might any way escape
his mercies Hee hath preached unto us by his mercies a long time and the dayes of his patience have long continued among us How neere hath Gods hand bin unto many of us in the great plague When it hath beene in the same house one hath bin taken away and another hath bin spared Nay in the same bed one hath bin smitten another hath had his life granted him for a pray Consider this yee that have forgotten this mercy of God and labour to appease his wrath before his judgement falleth upon us He commeth with a leaden foote but he striketh with a rod of iron and dasheth his enemies in pieces as a potters vessel The Lord complaineth in the Prophet Ier. 8.7 that the storke in the Heaven knoweth her appointed times and the turtle and the crane and the Swallow obserue the time of their comming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord they have rejected the word of the Lord c. Every man even by the light of nature obserueth his times for his several workeâ— Skilfull Physitians have their times of the yeare and of the Moone for their purges and potions The Mariner stayeth not when the tide is come the Husbandman soweth while it is winter the Smith striketh while the iron is hote the Merchant buyeth while the market lasteth thus doe these take their time while the time tarrieth onely men in the matters of God and their owne Saluation know not or will not know the time of their returning Eph. 5.14 They will not awake from their deepe sleepe in sinne they will not stand up from the dead that Christ may give them light and life They will not heare his voyce while it is called to day but suffer themselves to be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne The Lord speaketh in the time present behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation but we will take a further day with God as desperate debters doe with men they can abide no present reckonings Thus doth Satan beguile carelesse sinners he promiseth them time enough hereafter like to biting Vsurers as one saith who are wont to give day to young heires from yeare to yeare untill at last they wind and wring their inheritance from them So the Prince of darknesse August Confâ—s lib. 8. cap. 5 the God of this world suggesteth to the children of disobedience that they may let repentance alone a little and it will be soone enough to come anone to repent heereafter Remember that Esau losing the opportunity of the blessing sought it afterward with teares Heb. 12.17 and yet found no place for repentance Remember that the rich man cryed for mercy but it was too late Lne 16.24 Remember the foolish Virgins that cryed Lord Lord open unto us Math. 25.11.12 7.22.23 but the doore of mercy was shut and they received their answer verily I say vnto you I know you not Remember that many shall say in that day Lord have we not Prophecied in thy name and in thy name have cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderfull workes but it shall be said to them Depart from me yee that worke iniquity Let us therefore beginne betimes to turne to God while the day of grace endureth let us cease to doe evill learne to doe well eschew evill and doe good Lastly let no man flatter himselfe with the enioying of earthly blessings health wealth peace plenty and prosperity nor with the bare continuance of the Gospel among us as though it must therefore goe well with us and that we must needes be highly in Gods fauour This was the folly of Micah Iudg. 17.13 Now I know that the Lord will doe me good seing I have a Levite to my priest This was the vaine flattery of the Iewes who because they had Abraham to their father together with the law and the Oracles the Arke and the Covenant thought themselves in a good case and that they must needes be Gods people they cryed the Temple of the Lord this is the Temple of the Lord. But Iohn the Baptist putteth them from this foolish confidence in the flesh Math. 3. Math. 3.9 thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father for I say vnto you that God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham And the Prophet Ieremy chap. 7. Ier. 7.8.9 Behold ye trust in lying words that shall not profit will ye steale murther and commit adultery c. and then come and stand in this house before me which is called by my name and say we are delivered to doe all these abominations behold I see it sayth the Lord. O let it not be so with us to prophane the house house of God to continue in our sinnes farre be it from us to bring them to the place of Gods worship for this will cause him to curse all our meetings and assemblies that they shall be for the worse not for the better to encrease our plagues not decrease them and to double his judgements not diminish them Let us therefore leave them behind us and cast them from us never to returne to them againe 2 Pet. 2.22 lest we be like the Dog that returneth to his vomit and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Otherwise let us not boast of the Gospel and flatter our selves because we have the Gospel as the Iewes did glory in the Temple but seeke to bring forth the fruit of the Gospel For our sinnes are the causes of all plagues and judgements neither can we looke that he should stay his hand or say to the destroying Angel 2 Sam. 24.16 It is enough stay now thy hand as he did in the dayes of David And doubtlesse then we have begun to profit vnder the correcting hand of God when we seeke the cause of his judgments within us and acknowledge out sinnes to be the cause of all For what is the true cause of this plague and pestilence Our sinnes And what is the cause of the continuance of his heavy judgement Rom. 1.18 doubtlesse the continuance in our sinnes We must confesse that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse of men When Israel had received an overthorw and turned and their backes to their enimes Iosh 7.10.11 When we are chastened we must looke to our sinnes 1 Cor. 11.30 Esay 64.5.7 Lam. 3.39.40 Levit. 26. the Lord said unto Ioshua Get thee up wherefore lyest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned and they have also trespassed my Covenant which I coÌ„manded them for they have even taken of the accursed thing and have also stollen and dissembled also Nay as we encrease our sinnes in number and measure he will not onely continue his judgements but encrease them also and if we will not for all this hearken vnto him but walke contrary unto him he will walke
fighting and quarreling chalenging and provoking others contrary to the earnest persuasion of the Apostle As the elect of God Col. 3.13 holy and beloved put on tender mercy and kindnesse hum blenesse of minde meekenesse long suffering forbearing one another and for giving one another if any man have a quarell to an other even as Christ forgave you even so doe ye And doubtlesse if the spirit of the Lord were in us and we had any feeling of his love in sparing and forgiving us we could not but expresse the power thereof and the spirit of meeknesse would mortifie in us more and more this thirst after revenge and we would learne of our Saviour Math. 11.29 who hath said I am meeke and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest unto your souleâ— Thirdly to procure any way the death of others and the shortning of their dayes What cruelty is shewed in infectious times This may be done many wayes either by the sword or by famine or by false accusations and such like But not to speake of all these meanes it is done in these infectious times when the pestilence walketh in darknesse destruction wasteth at noone day three wayes especially by such as restraine them by such as are restrained and by such as are appointed to attend them that are restrained First they offend that restraine them but doe not relieve them that are very carefull to shut them up and then shut up their compassion from them and their farther care of them like those that bind a man hand and foot and then beate him This is extreme cruelty that a naturall man would not shew to his bruit beast If a carnall man have any of his cattell sicke and he shut them up he will use all meanes to recover them and ought we not much more to supply the wants of our poore brethren made after the jmage of God and for whom Christ Iesus died shall we adde affliction to them that are afflicted and make the heavy burden they beare more heavy and cause them to breake out into unlawfull and ungodly courses which may not be warranted Secondly when such as are infected goe about to infect others These are unruly persons the very sons of Belial that breake all lawes of God and man that cry out shall we be restrained cooped up as it were imprisoned like malefactors we will breake their bands and cast away their cordes from us We will have our liberty and who shall hinder us we will have what we list or else we will make those rich grubbers repent it These are impatient under the hand of God and will not stoope downe at his correction but as refractary beasts lift up the heele against him whereas they should consider that it is God which restraineth them and not man Hence it is that the Lepers in the law were shut up Levit. 13.46 and dwelt apart by themselves as Levit. 13. All the dayes wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled 2 Chro. 26.21 he is uncleane he shall dwell alone without the campe shall his habitation be yea even Kings and Princes dwelt in sever all houses and were cut off from the house of the Lord. This rule holdeth by proportion in contagious diseases Therefore when God visiteth us and striketh us we must not strike others and when we are infected we must not infect others for then we make our selves guilty of blood in Gods sight Be it that we may goe away scotfree and not be accounted as murtherers in the courts of men yet we shall be arriagned as guilty in the high court of heaven and albeit the lawes of men should not take hold upon us yet the law of God will find us out wherein we are commanded to preserve life and therefore much more forbidden to shorten the dayes of any bring them to an untimely death This is an heinous crime and horrible cruelty and bringeth a blot upon our own soules True it is we may hurt their bodieâ— but we hurt our own soules wound our consciences more then we can annoy others and we may carry the plague into their bodies but we admit a greater plague into our owne soules Thirdly when such as are appointed or hired to looke to such as are infected doe not only shew no mercy but rather cruelty and rather regard to enrich themselves then recover the diseased The properties required in Church-widdowes that were to attend the sicke and the poore ought to be found in these that they be such as be well reported of for good workes and have relieved the afflicted washed the Saints feete and have diligently followed every good worke 1 Tim. 5.10 This is a glasse wherein such should behold themselves and their office that are called to looke to others in their extremity to exhort to counsell and comfort them to support them to feed them that are not able to helpe themselves An other branch of cruelty is by using any of the creatures of God hardly This doth Salomon reprove Pro. 12.10 a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast how much more ought he of his servant though he be never so meane poore or simple In the institution of the Sabbath the Lord had regard and reference to the servant Deut. 5. Deut. 5.14.25 That thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou and remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt c. And wherefore did the God of all mercies forbid in the law to kill the damme when they had taken her young ones away Deut. 22.6 but that he would have it known that he alloweth cruelty wrong to be offered no not so much as to the seeliest birds or beastes It is true that the mercies of the wicked are cruel and it is true that many wicked men regard the liues of their beasts and provide plenty of fodder for them but wherefore doubtlesse it is not simply in mercy and love to the creature but in love to themselves covetousnesse and desire of their owne gaine either that they may doe them the more worke or carry them the better on their backes or live the longer to doe them service or be more sailable to yeeld them mony and not to obey God therein that made them The mercies of the wicked how they are cruell True it is the wickedst man will pretend mercy but their mercy pretended is cruelty extended for first they are or would seeme to be very carefull that their people and families should have their recreation and refreshing their liberty from their labour and times for their sports and delights yea they pretend necessity and plead their cause that they must have it What say they would you not have them take any pleasure what nothing but droyling and moyling and never be at rest But when shall this be if at any time I warrant you upon the Lords day
is not so easie to let it out againe so it is with sinne it is no hard thing to make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience and to pull up the bankes of the feare of God whereby sinne is kept out but we shall find it one of the hardest things in the world to cast it out of the heart when it hath gotten firme possession and therefore it must be our labour and wisedome to prevent sinne in the beginning lest by continuance it take roote and be as a disease that is incurable Secondly it serveth as an instruction to the Ministers of God that we cease not with the Dresser in this place to digge about them that remaine unfruitfull and dung them that is to labour 〈◊〉 â—yeth in us to further their conversion Let us all follow the example of Peter when the Lord had said unto him Launch out into the deepe and let downe your nettes for a draught he answered Master Luk. 5.5 we have toyled all night and have taken nothing neverthelesse at thy word I will let downe the net Matt. 13.27 so must we cast out the net of the Gospel into the sea and gather the good into vessels but cast the bad away And if it fall out that we draw none to the shore 2 Cor. 2.15 yet are we the sweet savour of God as well in them that perish as in them that are saved and God no lesse accounteth of our labours if we have beene faithfull and conscionable then if we had converted many thousand soules To this end the Lord himselfe commandeth Paul not to hold his peace at Corinth Act. 18.10 but to speake boldly because he had much people in that City The husbandman must digge and dung his ground and cast the seed into the earth but he cannot give the earely and the latter raine and albeit he finde a thinne harvest he may be greeved yet het he is not discouraged We are commanded to feed the flocke committed unto us woe to us if we preach not the Gospel but we must evermore commit the successe to him that hath the hearts of all men in his owne power Mat. 3.11 Iohn Baptist did baptize with water to the remission of sinnes but he could not Baptize with the holy Ghost So we may teach and preach the word of the kingdome but as it fell out with the sower that went out to sow some fell by the high way side Matt. 13.4.5.7 some in stony ground and other among thornes so must we make our account it will be with us yet this is our comfort our judgment is with with the Lord and the reward of our worke with our God Esa 49.4 1 Pet. 5.4 and when the cheefe shepheard shall appeare we shall receive a crowne of glory that fadeth not away Lastly it teacheth generally a good duty and direction to all the faithfull namely that upon this ground we exhort and admonish one another and seeke to winne and gaine them to God that so we may bring home the lost sheepe upon our shoulders This the Apostle prescribeth exhort one another daily Heb. 3.13 while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Who accounteth not him a mercilesse man that having escaped danger of robbing or drowning yet giveth not warning to him which traveleth that way lest hee fall into the hands of theeves and be robbed or passe by the waters and be drowned but much more is he without mercy and guilty of the blood of the soule that seing his brother overtaken in sinne and taken in the snare of the Devill ever seeketh to set him at liberty Now we have sundry motives to move us to this worke of mercy farre more profitable to men and acceptable to God then the sacrifice of Almes-giving that toucheth the body in respect of God in respect of our selves and in respect of others In respect of God Rom. 11.23 for it maketh manifest his power to be infinite that he is able to graft them in againe as the Apostle speaketh of the unbeleeving Iewes albeit through unbeleefe they were broken off and it turneth to the greater praise of his glory and the honour of his name which we ought to seeke above all things The more dangerous the disease is and the longer it hath continued the more doth the skill and learning of the Physitian appeare Rom. 5.20 so are we the more to magnifie the mercy of God in that where sinne bounded grace doth much more abound Touching our selves we thereby exercise the giftes that God hath given doe not as wicked and sloathfull servants Mat. 25.26 digge them in the earth and hide our Lords mony besides we know not how soone it may be said to us Come give an account of thy steward-ship Luk. 16.1 for thou maist be no longer steward Lastly we shall free our owne soules and not make our selves partakers of other mens sinnes for by conuivence and holding our peace we draw guiltinesse upon our owne soules In respect of others we may be meanes to save a soule as Iam. 5. Iam. 5.19.20 If any of you doe erre from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the errour of his way shall save a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes Vers 9. And if it beare fruit well and if not then after that thou shalt cut it downe We heard before of the intreaty and intercession of the Dresser now the condition followeth which is double first if after all his labour it bring forth fruit Secondly if it bring not forth fruit one of the twaine it must of necessity doe there is no third either it must be fruitfull or vnfruitfull either we must make the tree good or evill The first part of the speech is defective for there is nothing in the originall to answere to the Condition the translaters have supplied the word Well and somewhat is necessary to be supplied to make the sense and sentence perfect I would thinke a word might be borrowed and supplied out of the former verse where the Vine-dresser saith Let it alone this yeare also so in this place If it bring forth fruit Let it alone or thou shalt let it alone as also appeareth by the contrary condition in the last words If not thou shalt cut it downe He expresseth bearing fruit first besore he mention the cutting of it downe because it was the chiefe and principall in the dressers intention and because all his labour of digging and dunging tended to this end and purpose Now he intreateth that it may be let alone if it bring forth fruit he yeeldeth to the cutting of it downe Doct. if it continue unfruitfull This teacheth in both the conditions Promises and threatnings are both of them condicionall 1 King 8.25 that as well the promises of grace mercy as all the
the body to see one eye lifted vp to heauen and the other cast downe to the earth It choketh the Word as a rancke Thorne and stoppeth yea stuffeth the mouth so full with earth that it cannot be opened to pray to God Psal 14.4 Ezek. 33.31 Psal 119.36 The third is broken because it draweth men to cursing and swearing and forswearing in buying and bargaining and that sometimes to get a penny Hence proceed false waights and false measures making the rules of Iustice to be the meanes of iniustice Such oftentimes take the name of God in vaine The fourth is trangressed because it thrusteth men headlong to the breach of the Sabbath they thinke it commeth too soone they iudge that it beginneth too earely they suppose that it lasteth too long they imagine that it is urged too strictly being ready to ioyne with those in the Prophet Neh. 13.20 Amos 8.5 When will the Sabbath be gone that we may set forth wheat c The fifth Commandement maintaineth the dignity of our person which the couetous man defaceth If wee should see Kings and Princes or the children of Kings and Princes that are heires to a Kingdome busie themselues in base Trades or handy-crafts and occupations Turk History in the life of Aemet as the Turkish Emperours doe what a reproch would wee thinke it to their high calling God hath made his children Kings and prepared for them a Kingdome shall we therefore be so base bad-minded as to follow after this world and forget the things of the World to come The sixt Commandement is pulled vp by the rootes because this sinne is often a bloody sinne and taketh away life from the owners thereof as we see in Ahab and in Judas When a man is once couetous it cannot be but he shall giue himselfe to hatred malice cruelty violence rage and reuenge It causeth the breach of the seuenth Commandement for when whoredome hath taken away the heart of many to maintaine their unbridled lusts they oftentimes oppresse rich and poore small and great without difference so that sometimes whoredome is the cause of covetousnesse and sometimes covetousnesse of whoredome The eigth Commandement is principally broken by this sinne aboue the rest Here the couetous are as it were in their proper element and make shipwracke upon it as upon a rocke They devise all mischiefe they regard no Contracts nor Couenants their word is yea and nay as standeth most with their owne profit They rush against the ninth Commandement because they are faithfull to no man they are voyd of all true dealing they sticke not to lye and beare false witnesse as appeareth in Gehazi 2 King 5.25 and in those that were hired for mony to dissemble deny the resurrection and to make report that the Disciples came by night Matth. 28.13 15. and stole away the body of Iesus out of the Sepulchre while they slept The tenth Commandement striketh at the root of all these evils and forbiddeth the couetousnesse of the heart before consent which is throughly setled therein All these things considered what a blot is it to our holy profession that wee should professe our selues Christians and yet live as the Gentiles Infidels and Pagans as Christ himselfe speaketh Matthew 6.32 After all these things doe the Gentiles seeke whereas our heauenly Father knoweth that wee haue need of all these things If wee should see a young man rake and scrape all he can together shifting for himselfe and no other upon the earth prouiding for him or looking after him or mindfull of him wee would presently conclude Doubtlesse his father is dead Even so when wee see men in this world bestow all their thoughts studies endeauours and practices reaching and ouer-reaching day and night for the things of this world it argueth plainely that they take God no longer for their Father but imagine in their unbeleeving hearts that he hath cast away the care of them and will no longer provide for them otherwise they would not thus shift and shave for themselues Hitherto of our duty respecting our selves Our duty toward our brethren learned out of this Title now we have somewhat to learne from hence in respect of our brethren For if we have all of us one Father are wee not to demeane and behave our selves uprightly and lovingly toward those that are his Children and our owne brethren Wee must be like our heavenly Father if we beare his Image and not as bastard-children that carry but the Image of his Image And first wee must imitate him and walke in his steppes that hath gone before us 1 Ioh. 4.11 Ioh. 13.34 15.12 loving them heartily that are his Children as well as our selves Jo. 4.11 Beloued if God so loved us we ought also to love one another And againe This is my commandement that yee love one another as I have loved you This duty must appeare especially in two points first in loving them that hate us and in doing good to them that persecute us Math. 5. That thereby we may shew our selves to be the Children of our heavenly Father Matth. 5.45 Luke 6.32 For if wee love them onely that love us what reward have we or what singular thing doe we for sinners also love those that love them And if we doe good to them onely which doe good to us what thanke have we for sinners also doe even the same And if ye salute your brethren onely what doe ye more then others doe not even the Publicanes so Wee must therefore labour to goe beyond them and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect who maketh his Sunne to shine upon the good and bad and the raine to fall upon the godly and ungodly Secondly wee must doe good and shew mercy to the poore and impotent Luke 6.76 that we may also be mercifull to others as our heavenly Father is mercifull unto us who is a Father of the Fatherlesse of the Stranger and of the Widdow Lastly hence ariseth much comfort to all the Children of God that he is become their Father Consider first from hence the dignity and prerogative of all true beleevers Is it not a great honour to be the Sonne and Heire of a great King an honour doubtlesse that belongeth and befalleth to a few Thus doth David debate the matter with Sauls servants 1 Sam. 18.23 Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a Kings Sonne in law seeing that I am a poore man and lightly esteemed howbeit it is a thousand times greater honour to be the Sonnes and Daughters and consequently Heires of the King of Kings the eternall God This Christ our Saviour sheweth Joh. 1.12 Ioh. 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave prerogative to be the Sonnes of God So the Apostle saith and speaketh it with admiration 1 Ioh. 3.1 Behold what love the Father hath shewed to us that we should be called the Children of God! This preeminence