engraven us upon the palmes of his hands verse 16. sometime in the tendernesse of hennes to their Chickens Mat. 23. 37. which how tender it is we see in the continuall care that she hath in hatching feeding and to her power in defending her young and yet all these are but shadowes in regard of substantiall and everlasting love which CHRIST IESVS the heavenly Henne hath over his beloved ones his love is as himselfe infinite for whatsoever is in God is God his mercy his justice c. and all those backe-parts of the mighty IEHOVAH Exod. 34. 6. When he is called mercifull what is he but mercy it selfe in the abstract saith Savanorola if they were al gathered together that are in heaven and earth and it be demaunded of them how they have been saved they all stand as a cloud of witnesses to testifie Gods free mercies and to say with the Church Psal 115. 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the praise Now consider further that the mercifull kindnesse of God is 1. Generall 2. Speciall The generall is his providentiall care over all his creatures in creating preserving sustaining and maintaining of them Psal 36. 6. Thou O Lord wilt save both man and beast Mat. 5. 45. He maketh the Sunne to rise on the evill and the good and sendeth raine upon the just and unjust Iohn 5. 17. My Father yet worketh and I worke with him meaning in his generall care in the supporting of the creature this is called Psalme 51. 1. Loving kindnesse or benignity extending it selfe to the very Ravens Psal 147. 9. Luke 12. 24. The speciall mercy is that by which hee loves his owne in CHRIST redeemes sanctifies and saves them by his free grace 1 Tim. 4. 10. He is the Saviour of all men especially of those that beleeve this he exerciseth toward us both in giving and forgiving both which Moses describes at large Exod. 34. 6. Mercifull in which he doth as it were clothe himselfe in the affections of man Ier. 31. 10. His bowels are troubled for Ephraim Matth. 9. 36. His bowels even earned in compassion to see the multitude wandring as sheepe without a shepheard how pathetically he perswades the reformation of his Church Cant. 6. 7. Returne returne O Shuâ—â—mite returne how passionately he deplores Ierusalem Luke 19. 42. If thou haddest knowne even thou in this thy day the things which belong to thy peace in a word he rejoyceth in his owne mercie but sorrowes for our miserie Gracious which intimates a forwardnesse to doe us good he is never weary in doing it Iam. 1. 5. he gives liberally to all Slow to anger full of patience Gen. 6. 3. How long did he wait the repentance of the old world in his mercy stopping the course of his deserved vengeance Psal 95. 10. Fourty yeares long did he suffer the murmuring Idolators and Adulterers in the wildernesse Psal 106. 43. Many a time did they provoke him to anger by their Counsels yet Is 30. 18. he waits that he may have mercie Aboundant in goodnesse and truth noting his disposition by kindnesse to win men the immutable constancie of his promises which is the inexhaustible fountain of his mercies he reserves them for thousands his goodnes is not like the morning dew dispierced and exhaled by the Sunne nor like the Coffers of the greatest Potentate which may be drawen dry but a Lamp which is fed by the oyle of Immortalitie and which makes up the measure he forgives iniquity transgression and sinne no marvell than if David call them in his experience the multitude of his tender compassions in which he tenderly embowelleth his chosen as the womb enfoldeth nourisheth the new conceived Embryo where he shewes mercies he shewes them by multitudes if the royall heart of Alexander thought it not honourable to give small things how much more than shall the all-sufficient God give that exceeds him as much as the maine Ocean the least riveret he is ready to forgive Isa 55. 7. Father of mercies and God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. Very pittifull and full of mercy Iam. 5. 11. The heighth length bredth and depth thereof passeth all understanding Eph. 3. 18. All these compassions and mercifull kindnesses may be reduced to a sixe-fold ranke First preventing Mercies whereby hee did us good when we knew not keeping us from many sins which otherwise we had committed many and many have we coÌ„mitted against him but far more should we have done if his mercie had not prevented us acknowledg than Gods mercy toward thee even in those sins which thou hast not coÌ„mitted If thou seest one which is debtor to me for a sin and I forgave him know also that thou art a debtor to me because I prevented thee from the like because there is in every mans corrupted brest since the fall of Adam the Seminarie and seed-plot of all iniquitie springing from the bitter root of that originall Corruption the match and tinder the fuell and fountaine of every actuall transgreson so that there is no enormitie which the most debauched wretch hath committed but thou hadst acted the like if grace had not preuented boast not thy selfe then in this but with devoute Bernard extoll the mercie of the Almighty Secondly are his sparing mercies experienced in his longanimitie and patience in which thou mayest say I have sinned and thou heldest thy tongue I have transgressed and thou hast spared me when thou lookedst upon Zimri and Cosbi slaine in the act of uncleannesse Ananias and Saphira the old world Sodome and Gomorrha Iulian Herod with thousands more the dierfull spectacles of Gods powerfull Iustice hast thou not sufficient cause to glorifie that God that hath so long suffered thee to wallow in the puddles of thine iniquitie and hath not sunke thee downe to the pit of perdition but still waites that hee may have mercie Thirdly his pardoning mercies else what benefit were it to be long spared and at last paid home as it shall be with every impenitent though he enjoy the sun-shine of Gods patience yet in the end the wrath of God shall burne as an Oven as Tophet against him though now he see the hand of Gods justice behind his backe clouded and vailed in his daily continued mercies yet the conclusion will prove a tragicall Catastrophe though he passe with a slow pace yet he goes in order though with leaden feet yet with Iron hands but this feare is taken away by these pardoning mercies by which in the bloud of Christ he makes us as cleane as if he never had been poluted Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne Fourthly are his renuing mercies by which he gives not onely remission of sinnes but also the grace of renovation by which they become new creatures trees of righteousnesse bearing and abounding in the fruits
till returning to the Arke of Gods mercie Comfort thy selfe then in Gods mercie which will not suffer thee to bee over-yoaked with thy sinnes plead with him in the receiving of Adam Manasses and the whole troupe of reconciled sinners and though thine adversarie Sathan write a booke against thee answere cursed Cain disabling Gods mercy Gen. 4. 13. with Augustine Thou lyest Cain for greater is Gods mercie than mans iniquitie and say to thy disconsolate spirit Why art thou so sad my soule Psalm 11. And as we ought and in dutie are enjoyned to give thankes for all things so are we chiefely to sing our Haâ—â—elu-jahs unto God for the performance of the promised Messiah and that in the practise and phrase of the Priest Zacharie Lu. 1. 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for hee hath visited and redeemed his people c. And with old Simeon in his Cygnean dying Hymne Blessed be thou O Lord for our eyes have seene thy salvation Lâ—ke 2. 30. That fountaine of living waters Iere. 2. 12. In regard of whom all other things are but the broken Cysternes of vaine and disconsolate hope The refreshing waters of Gods free mercies the purchase whereof is without money or prize Esa 55. 2. least you thinke it too deare and because water if you thinke it not worth the labour it 's wine and milke whose worth and necessitie you well know that true Aqua vitae which whoso drinketh shall never thirst but it shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life Iohn 4. 14. He is our Bethlehem and house of bread the living bread that came downe from heaven Ioh. 6. 35. He is a ship of safety which beares us by the comfortable goale of his love and the gentle Zephirus of his mercie from the shelves and rocks of blacke dispaire so that though immodest Modest as Generall to the Emperour Valens the Arrian burne the ship wherein the Christian Legats were imbarked seeking to destroy the Confessors and professors of Christianity which though they perished in their wooden barke were sure enough in the heavenly Arke by CHRIST He is that unspeakeable gift of God for which we must give thankes 2 Cor. 9. vlt. And if thou knowest the gift of God Iohn 4. 10. Which is the gift of all gifts which is given to us Esa 9. 6. In comparison of whom all other are but as the drop of a Bucket to the whole Ocean in whom appeare the bowels of Gods love and the inscrutable depths of his mercy in him through him and by him while we were sinners and enemies to bring to passe that wonderfull worke of our Redemption Ioh. 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. In him by this wee see the fulnesse of it 1 Iohn 4. 9. And as Bethlem to Iurie and Scicilia to Italie were accounted their granary for their fruitfulnesse the Poets faining Ceres to keepe residence there so may our Saviour CHRIST be accounted as the store-house and Cornu-copia of all good things to his Church Col. 2. 3. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily ver 9. In him we are compleate ver 10. Knowledge and wisedome are in men by revelation in Angels by vision but in him by union of whose fulnesse wee all receive Iohn 1. 16. Thy being well-being and eternall being have their dependance on him this consolation of Israel this expectation of the Gentiles this Noah to comfort thee Gen. 5. 29. This crucified Lord shewed to Constantine to comfort him in his expedition against the Tyrant Maxentius with a promise of victory is opposed against all thy feares and discontents if finne presse and oppresse thee he is thy righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30. If the curse vexe thee he is thy blessing Gen. 12. 2. Galath 3. 8. If weakenesse pinch thee he is thy strenght Phil. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 12. 9. If the great debt of thy sinnes lay hold on thee charging to pay that thou owest he is thy paiment Matth. 17. 27. If damnation make thee afraid he is thy salvation Acts 4. 10. If death he is thy life Iohn 14. 6. If Sathan he hathover come him Heb. 2. 14. If hell shall open her mouth upon thee he hath victoriously Sampson-like borne away the gates quelled and quashed the power of it Hos 13. 14. So that in and through him onely thou art more then a Conquerour Be not like the Horse or Mule that have no understanding nor like the sonnes of the earth the cockered Darlings of unstable Fortune who gaping after the transitory things of the world can onely now and then in a carnall humour send forth a short ejaculatory Thanksgiving for their temporals which they possesse but seldome or never for CHRIST IESVS which they possesse not without whom they must be content to perish for ever This is that rich pearle bestowed upon the Merchant resolving above all things to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse setting saile for the Cape De bona Speransa fraught and bound for the New Ierusaleâ— than let thy mouth from thy heart the fountaine of all true praise be as this silver Trumpet filled with Hallalu-jahs for this heavenly and unspeakable gift Thirdly this Doctrine just in the phrase of another Baptist preaching in the wildernesse of Iudea cryes unto us in a more then necessary exhortation especially in these last and worst dayes Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand Matth. 3. 2. The selfe-same holy use which the Spirit of holinesse drawes from the Doctrine Rom. 2. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance 2 Peter Chapter 3. verse 9. The Lord is not slacke concerning his promises as some men count slacknesse but he is long suffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Turne yee then unto the Lord your God for hee is gracious and mercifull slow to anger of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evill Ioel 2. 13. and that you may rightly turne find ease and refreshing for your soules Consider that as in Iacobs ladder which reached from earth to heaven there were certaine steppes for ascending and descending so are there certaine degrees in descending to this all-curing Bethesda of repentance First is an inward perplexitie sitting like Hagar Gen. 21. 15. when her bottle was emptied or like the Prodigall Luke 15. which by his want is forced to a consideration of his estate retorting his thoughts into himselfe is deepely affected with the solid apprehension of his owne misery verse 17. and in this perplexed case concludes against himselfe that if he remaines as hee was his case was desperately hopelesse and hee must perish for ever upon which hee resolves with himselfe to goe home to his fathers house by repentance seeing the gate of Mercie opened to
to see their charmers because one of them laughed not to see another in their antique and apish Idolatries which are more fit to please babes than any way to satisfie the conscience of man all in the shadowe nothing in the substance If these then or any such have forestalled the market of our affections and have taken a lodging in our hearts let us deale with them as Iacob did with his false Gods or as Ephraim with his Idols cast them out And let the current of our affections run in the right streame and be fixed on the right obiect Praise ye the Lord. Whence and from what hath bin spoken and the naturall genuine sence of the words themselves let us erect for our supportance in this duty the doctrine following viz. It is a chiefe duty necessarily enioyned to all creatures and especially to man to become instruments of the glorious praise of their omnipotent Creator This was the gracious practise of old Zacharie Luke 1. 68. for receiving his gracefull sonne Iohn supposed to be the Messiah Ioh. 1. 21. a blessing from God no sooner given but a blessing from man returned Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. rightly called in the language of Canaan a blessing ingratitude being the devils text wicked men the Glossers and Expositors both which must end in a cursed destruction Blessed Marie in her song cals it a magnifying Luke 1. 46. My soule doth magnifie the Lord. To magnifie is to make great Now God is the best the greatest and cannot in himselfe be made lesser or greater by us all that we can doe either in the magnifying or vilifying of him is in regard of others when we sweare falsely protest rashly blaspheame like an Atheist or Turke we do to our power lessen his greatnes when we unthankefully returne not his due praise for his mercies we vilipend debase as much as we can his gracious goodnes and when we magnifie him wee make him great wee proclaime him good To make this more plaine and to drive this dutie deeper into our soules it is in regard of vs the end of our election foreseene in the mercy and love of God before the foundation of the World as over-looking our estate in Adam as changeably good to that in Christ immutably glorious Ephes 1. 6 To the praise of his glorious Grace It is the end of our creation even enjoyned to insensible animals the visible and legible booke of our instruction and lessoning in this duty the sunne moone day night Psal 19. 1. and every thing that hath breath are summoned by Davids Trumpet to become the well uned Cymball of their Creators praise But Man the rare Epitome of all these hath an instrument of speech to tune it to a higher key Rev. 4. 11. Thou art worthy O Lord to receive honour and praise for thou hast created all things for thy wils sake and for thy pleasures sake were they created It is the end of our redemption Rev. 5. 9. Thou art worthy to take the booke and open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud And thus I must instance in the rest even to the lowest particular deliverance from the hellish and the highest to the least and lowest danger as Exod. 15. Iudg. 5. c. no sooner a deliverance but a song of thanks giving to the deliverer And it is the summe of what thy God for this requires of thee Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the time of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise mee Reas 1. Because as all rivers come from the sea and returne thither againe returning as it were a thankefull tribute to their Lord Even so all things come from the Father of lights Iam. 1 17. which are for our good as from the fountaine of goodnesse and must or at least ought in thankefulnesse to returne to him againe All the gifts of fortune falsely so called as riches and possessions the gracefull endowments of the body as agility beauty strength all the goods of the minde as wit learning No silver in Benjamins sacke till Ioseph put it in and no good in man except God bestowe it Even that noble skill in physicke standing upon two legs Reason and Experience is an excellent meanes to preserve our health and yet for all this it is the great Doctor which hath Heaven for his chaire that keepeth us alive for so soone as he is angry wee are gone wee bring our yeares to an end as a tale that is told Psal 90. 9. If the keepers of our house doe not tremble and the grinders cease not and the golden ewer be not broken and our eyes the windowes of our bodies be not darke it is from the Father of lights Hence renowned Salomon and all the learned Clearkes have their wisedome and the same it was which tooke away that great knowledge from the learned Trapezuntius who was not onely infatuated in his learning but forgot his owne name Hence are all students counselled by Sarisburiensis in Policratico to knocke at heaven gate to God for their good speede that the key of knowledge may open a doore of utterance So there are diversities of gifts diversities of administrations and diversities of operations but all from the same Spirit from the same Lord who worketh all in all 1 Cor. 12. Among the Apostles Paul was good at planting Apollos at watering Among the Fathers some construed the Scriptures all egorically as Origen who excelled others either in effect or defect Augustine dogmatically Hierome more literally Gregory the great Morrally and Chrysostome pathetically And also among our moderne writers Erasmus was full of matter and words Luther had store of matter without many words Carolostadius neither c. as Luther himselfe wrote upon the wals of his Chamber So also among our ordinary Preachers some have good utterance but a bad conceite some an excellent utterance but a meane wit some both some neither As for the gifts appertaining to the will 2 Cor. 3. 5. All our sufficiencie is of God For faith which as some thinke belongeth both to the will and understanding it is also the gift of God 10. 6. 29. This is the gift of God that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent God worketh in man the first desire to beleeve ipsumvelle credere saith Augustine The staying of the bloudy fluxe of thy corruption comes from some vertue in Christ Mar. 5. 30 The purging of thy lippes from lying swearing blaspheaming c. is by a coale from the Altar Esay 6. 6. The gift of Prayer powerfully solliciting the throne of mercy and filling heaven and earth with Abba father proceedes from none but the Spirit which makes intercession for us with groanes which cannot be expressed Rom. 8. 26. The tongue of the learned it is from the Lord Esay 50. 4. If thou hadst
comming a plaine testification of their calling which afterward increased as the sand of the Sea the daughter of Aegypt forgot her fathers house and the prophane barren Gentile bore children unto God The wise men come here among the Iewes as Apostles and teachers of their Rabbinicall Doctors that so long had held the chaire of Moses blind fat-bellyes that could not see so farre as the auncient Sybils or those strangers that so oft had tossed over those divine Oracles of this starre of Iacob and the mighty volumes of their Master Moses but Thou O God hidest those things from the wise and prudent of the world and revealest them to babes and sucklings even so it is thy will Thou pullest downe the mighty from their seate and exaltest the humble and meeke Luke 2. revealing that mystery that was hid from ages and generations Testified likewise Iohn 4. 27. he is found talking with a Gentle-woman shewing himselfe to be a Iesus a Saviour to her vers 10. If thou knewest the gift of God that is mee which am given of my Father 2 Cor. 9. 15. so called by the Apostle Thankes be unto God for his unspeakeable gift And if thou knewest mee which am the true immortall Ambrosia Nectar and aqua vitae of the Soule-sicke sinners The fountaine of living waters Ier. 2. 13. The fountaine of Israel Psal 68. 26. all this he is even to the Gentile Iohn 4. 26. I that speake unto thee am hee I am the expectation of you Gentiles The sides of the North which Satan challenged for his owne seate and Pontificiall throne Esay 14. 13 are become the Citie of the great King Iesus Christ Psa 48. 3. so that even as a stone though malleable is hardly brought to frame and square to his fit place in a building yet being laboriously hammered is durable and of long continuance so the Gentiles were a most crabbed wilde stocke to plant in a most crooked timber to hewe for Gods building yet being planted and brought to the faith they are most permanent gathered into the inclosed garden of Gods Church Reason 1. That they might shewe forth the wonderfull riches of Gods mercy the greater the sinner the richer the mercy that saves him as Gods mercy appeared more in calling one covetous Publican one incontinent Magdalene one Saul as bloody as Nero or Iulian one lost sheepe to be brought home Luk. 15. one prophane Gentile than in a multitude that needed no repentance It is a greater worke of Gods divine majestie to change a wicked man to a godly than of nothing to erect the glorious arches of thewhole world as Paul said of himselfe Where sin abounded there grace more abounded 1 Tim. 1. 16. For this cause I obtayned mercy that in me first Christ Iesus might shew forth all long suffering for a patterne to them which should hereafter beleeve on him to life everlasting As the Orator spake He that exalts his dejected adversary to his auncient place and dignities and not onely thus but amplifies his honours I not onely comparatively equall him with the best of men but judge him most like to God himselfe It is the glory of a King to passe by offences saith Eccles so is Gods mercy made great in pardoning the innumerable sinnes of the East the abhominations of the Gentiles In the East was the fall of our first Parents the unbeleefe of Eva the disobedience of Adam Gen. 3. the fratricide of Cain Gen. 4. Nimrods rebellion first Idolatry Magicke delivered and taught by those Phantasticke divels Incubus and Succubus with many more so that here is the magnifying of his mercy also of his glory As it is a great glory to a King to have strangers from remote parts of the world to bring presents and submit themselves to his scepter and governement So is it to have the raging Gentiles that so long had bandied themselves against the Lord and his annoynted to yeeld their necks under his yoake and those lands which like Ezechiels bloudy pots had nought but theyr scum in them full of Mephyticall stinckes like the five Cities or like the pot among the children of the Prophets in which was nought but death and the entoxicating poyson of abhominable villaines should at the last like Noahs sacrifice be a favour of rest in the nosthrils of Almighty God pots of holinesse like those in Zach. 13. last And so here is the mercy love and glory of God manifested in the calling of those long-loathed Gentiles Thus wee see Christs Kingdome according to his promises and prophecyes reaching from sea to sea and from the great river to the ends of the World as the Angell said Of his Kingdome shall be no end not onely in regard of the stability and durance but also of the boundlesse interminable amplitude thereof The Ocean shall not bound his regiment His fame shall flie above the firmament Else where had beene those huge Nations which have bin converted to the faith some by Apostles c. to omit the rest our selves which long lay in the darknesse of superstitious Gentilisme and of late times by those famous Colonies in Virginia brought from worshipping of Divils mirabile dictu to worship the true God in spirit and truth the instruments of whose happy calling were our famous English If the mercy of God had not appeared how had wee and the most part of the world still remained in horrible blindnesse slaves to Satan and heires of eternall perdition Come unto us then miserably blinded Turkes Infidels and Pagans and we will tell you what God hath done for our soules we have tasted how true how gracious the Lord is the Sea of knowledge which Esay spake of is accomplished among the Churches of the Gentiles Ieremie said They should come unto God from the ends of the earth and it is fullfilled the concourse to the preaching of the Word foretold by Micah and Zacharie is verified Mic. 4. 1. Zach. 8. 20. This day are these Scriptures fulfilled in our eares Thus much for confirmation of the Doctrine the uses follow First to teach us to magnifie the glorious name of God who hath called us out of darknesse into the marveilous light of the saving knowledge of Christ If we should make a quare with David concerning the generall estate of man What is man that thou art so mindfull of him or of himselfe What am I and what is my Fathers house Why we were even a refused people in whom there was neither favour nor beauty without hope without God in the World children even whose profession was disobedience drowned in the sinke of abhominations Our religion if we had any was mere idolatry Quicquid humus pelagus coelum mirabile gignit Id dixere Deos colles freta flumina flammas What'ere the God of nature hath made strange In Sea in earth in hill floud fire
or skie The Gentiles from their lawfull use did change And made them gods in their Idolatrie Nay even the dropping cloudes and fire was the god of the Chaldes who having devoured all the other woodden deities was confuted by Canopis with a cauldron of water which quenched that furious Idol Nothing so base but they gave Gods honour unto it Rom. 1. 23. Changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man c. Caesar as Tertullian upbraides them was so sacred that it was more tollerable to sweare forswear by all the Gods than by him Nay in all the whole course of their lives they were so abhominable and debauched that when the Scripture would aggravate and make a sinne seeme Hyperbolically great paint it in the true colours he sends us to the Gentiles for patternes being as truely Doctored in the acting of sinnes as the Iesuites in the art of poysoning As against distrust Math. 6. 32. For after all these things doe the Gentiles seeke They sought with all their might arising from a distrust of Gods providence For incontinent incest 1 Cor. 5. 1. It is reported that there is such fornication among you as is not named among the Gentiles that one should have his fathers Wife which is spoken as negative of the Gentiles to aggravate the hainousnes of it for we reade their common practice thereof in the Iliade of their abhominations as the wife of Seleucus a Gentile became after the wife of Antiochus his sonne Then were Nicholaitans in Ephesus Reu. 2. 6. a Church of the Gentiles in their common conversation not onely being dishonest but hating honestie in others in somuch as one Hermodorus was banished from Ephesus because he was an honest man â—s was Aristides out of Athens for no other cause but for his justice And so it was their opinion of honesty as Brutus opinioned vertue I honour thee vertue as something but thou art indeed nothing but an empty name No sinne so sensuall so sencelesse so unnaturall unreasonable but they have beene actors thereof And as the knowledge of CHRIST was preached to the Iewes by an Angell as to a people endued with reason so was it to the Gentiles by signes nor by voyce as to a foolish people with the Prodigall feeding themselves with the huskes of their base affections And as a burthen is easily stayed upon the backe of a Camell by reason of his bunch so the diveli kept those Gentiles easily in their blindnesse causing them for feare to worship him and offer him sacrifice as those soâ—tish Indians the Pigusians c. Then learne wee to magnifie the name of our God It is an honourable thing to speake of the workes of God Tob. 12. that was so mindfull of us when wee were not mindfull of our selves when our hearts like Ephraims Hos 7. 11. as a silly Dove deceived even then hee ranne to meete us fell on our neckes and kissed us with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1. 1. fearing to be too late in shewing mercy whereas in the execution of his justice and wrath Gen. 3. 8. hee walked slowly Vs that were Captaines in mischiefe hath hee called out of the fooles Paradise and inchanted castle of Satans baites and set us upon the Rocke that was higher than us the rocke of Salvation CHRIST IESVS So that wee may say with the Governour of the feast Ioh. 2. 10. The good wine was kept till now the firkins of the Iewes were but water to these beggarly rudiments See then and admire the infinite mercy of Almighty God to call thee beloved which wast not beloved to remove thee from under the regiment of Satan to draw thee out of his power as David did the Lambes from the Lyon and the Beare broken the shackles and manacles of that more than Aegyptian Babylonish or Turkish slaverie taken thee as Abraham out of idolatrous Chaldea Lot out of Sodome or a firebrand out of the fire and set thee in the glorious liberty of the new Ierusalem confirmed thy Charter to the Kingdome of Heaven Leape upon thy feete then with the Cripple at the beautifull gate of the Temple and praise thy God Acts 3. 8. Let him bee praised that hath brought thee home like the lost sheepe upon the shoulders of his Mercy sought thee out with the light and lanthorne of his Word perswaded thee by his Spirit called thee from thy banishment enfranchised thee Hee that was incarnate and made Man for thee grieved and wept for thee sweat water and blood for thee hung on the Crosse for the malice of Men and Divels for thee give then the glory unto him Here is a behold of stupefying wonder Psal 18. 43. A people whom I have not knowne shall serve me As soone as they heare of mee they shall obey me The Oxe hath knowne his owner and the Asse his Masters crib Esay 1. 3. I am found of them that seeke me not An admirable and surpassing miracle that those which did bandy themselves against the Lord and his Annointed should willingly put their neckes under his yoake O worke above all expectation Christ to ride upon the Asse-colt unused to the yoake Belial to bee turned to CHRIST Zoroastres into Moses Superstition into Religion Orgyes into mysteries sacriledge into Sacrifice dogs into Saints publicans and harlots to teach the way to heaven the scholler reading a lecture to the Master the one reading the most secret mystery of mans salvation wrapped in the sacred leaves of Gods eternall Counsell and that by a dumbe starre the other standing amazedly sottish at the lively voyce of Gods learned interpreters the one as it were striving whether faith the other whether unbeleefe should prevaile the nerer the Church the farther from God the poore receive the Gospell See then the unmeasurable riches of Gods free mercies hee will have mercy Vpon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardens Ro. 9. It is not of him that runneth nor of him that willeth but of God that sheweth mercy Consider further that mankinde may be divided into a tripartite ranke First are those most remote and farre off from the covenant upon whom God in his unfearchable judgements hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling Gen. 9. 25. Cursed be Canaan a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren as Pagans Infidels c. which stand in the outmost Circle which delight in Atheisme as Vultures passe over sweete meadowes and fragrant groves to passe to loath some carryon these like Noah do not awake from their drunkennes hardnesse of heart c. Secondly are those which stand in the next Court within the visible Church and are as tares with wheate bad fish with good corrupted humors in a sound body Cain with Abel drosse with gold Vessels of dishonour with Vessels of honour 2 Tim.
2. Which may have the ordinary giftes of the Spirit they may prophecy with Saul and Cajaphas preach and doe miracles with Iudas speake like the Oracle of God with Achi tophel cry Lord Lord Math. 7. 22 challenge an interest in the free demesnes of heaven Math. 25. 11. Open to us and yet are sent packing to their hell home with a nescio vos I know ye not If ye aske the reason and cause of it Our Saviour CHRIST orally and oraculously returnes it Math. 11. 25. This mystery of Salvation is hid from some and revealed to others even So Father for so it seemed good in thy sight as in a Princes Proclamation It is our pleasure All the workes of these men failing in their end not done in faith to the glory of God and if God rewarded them it was temporally for temporall respects the good of mankind civill order and society not shewing any approbation thereof in respect of himselfe their mercy justice continency c. being without faith was sinne as Augustinâ— saith which indeed ariseth not from the act of compassion but from the privation of faith they may have these and many more honest civill moralities but they never have the inward calling the donation of faith the true knowledge of God I know my sheepe and am knowne of mine Iohn 10. 14. which knowledge is like the Sunne casting his beames upon us by whose reflection we looke upon and viewe the Sunne Gal. 4. 9. Seeing ye know God or rather are knowne of God If they have any it is a literall no saving or spirituall knowledge no true love of God for he never knew or loved them 1 Iohn 4. 19. We love God because he loved us first If these carnall Capernaites follow CHRIST doing his will in any thing it is more for his loaves than his love Ioh. 6. 26. all proceeding from some sâ—nister respect their praise or profit they never have the inward beautifying of the Church To be all glorious within Psal 45. 13. the rich habiliments and garments wherewith as Isaac decked his beloved Rebecca and the King of Persia religious Mordecai CHRIST Iâ—SVS bespangleth his spouse These be the foolish Virgins which a long time had their lives blossoming as if their soules had bin the maidenly bride of CHRIST when in the end they were unvailed and found the speckled adulteresses and uncleane concubines of Satan Math. 25. This is the man boldly intruding himselfe into the marriage supper not having on a wedding garment his faith but figge leaves notable to cover his nakednes Math. 22. These walke like friends in the Church of God together But many are called and fewe are chosen In the third ranke are they which out of the brazen mountaines of Gods election flowing out of the rivers of his endlesse mercy which are not onely within the skirts and territories of his regiment as the former but they are inwardly sanctified called and culled out of the whole heape and masse of Mankind by a lively Faith engraffed and planted into the mysticall body and have as neare an union and communion with their head CHRIST as the branch hath with the vine the members with the head or the husband with the wife Ephes 5. 30. We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones these are built upon the sure foundation the rocke of safety and horne of salvation Luke 1 69. He is the corner stone upon which their whole building is coupled Eph. 2. 20 No other foundation can any man lay than that which is already laid which is IESVS CHRIST 1 Cor. 3. 11. and These are living stones built upon him 1 Per 2. 5. Othoniel delivered the Israelites from Chushan and is therefore called their Saviour Iudg. 3. 9. but they fell againe into the hand of Moab Ehud rescued them from the Moabites and they became servants to the Canaanites Iudg. 4. 2. A Physitian may cure a man of one disease and he may after fall into another or the same and dye of it But CHRIST hath them sure Iohn 10. 28. I give my sheepe eternall life and they shall never perish hee hath washed away theâ—r sinnes and made a passage to heaven a perfect and sure rocke of safety upon which these are placed Antiquam generis labem mortalibus agris Abluit obstructique viam patefecit Olympi Poore mortals sicke he washed hath from auncient staine Originall And opened wide Olympus path that barred was and shut to all So that here the gates of Hell and Luciferiall powers of darknesse may shoote their darts of poysoned malice as against CHRIST the head Math. 4. so against these the members to be retorted upon themselves as from a tower of brasse for â—hee that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe and though the two first parts be cut off and dye the third will the Lord fine as Silver and Gold Zach. 13. 9. And from this consideration ariseth a Cordiall a Caveat and a dolefull Madrigall First it affords a comfortable cordiall to the Christian that he is one of those secret ones inwardly called separated from the world and endued with power from above This is the summum bonum and chiefe dignitie and blessednesse of all other So that it may be said of him as a certaine heathen of a wise man of a wise man He is onely lesse then God And as another spake of the vertuous He that hath vertue hath with her as a dowrie all good things As the Lord of hoastes and of the whole earth and all that therein is Psal 24. 1. accounteth it his greatest dignity and title of honour to be stiled The Lord God of Israel of his Church Luk. 1. 67. as thence receiving his greatest honour So is it the chiefest honour of a man to be an Israelite a limme and member of that Society of the Communion of Saints It is indeed the worlds felicity to build pillars with Absalom towers with Nimrod to call our lands after our owne names to engrosse rich revenewes Parsonages and patrimonies for our posterity to build our nests on high and to covet an evill covetousnes to our houses while The stones cry out of the wall and the beame out of the timber answere it Hab. 2. 9. worse than the King of Sodome Gen. 14. 21. Give me the soules and take the goods to thy selfe But we say to the spirituall king of Sodome the divell give us the goods and take our soules to thy selfe This is our hope and our posterity praise our doing selling our Saviour for thirty pence our heaven for a messe of pottage and our soules laied in the banke for a quid dabitis What will ye give me Ps 4. 6. Who will shew us any good O miserable mucke-worme that sellest thy soule and thy solace thy heaven and thy happinesse for these faile-friends which in the time of neede cannot so much as cure the aking of
all true penitents wicked men have but one spirituall eye by which they see the horrid pitfall of their misery as Cain Iudas c. but the penitent hath two with the one he sees his misery by sinne with the other his hopefull comfort by Gods mercie and thus his feare becomes filiall Psal 130. 4. Thou art mercifull and worthy to be feared drawing the Argument of his sonne-like obedience from that mercie which he feares to misse the wicked mans service if ever he have any springs from a terrour of judgement and wrath which is only servile the penitent beares not the image and superscription of a Pharisaicall Iusticiarie Luke 18. who begins with gloria patri instead of miserere mei his motto I thanke thee O God that I am not like other men but the portraiture of the poore Publican perplexed and knocking upon his breast Crying Lord be mercifull unto me a sinner The second degree is Sorrow which ariseth from the former apprehension of Gods anger and mans perplexed guilt standing before him arraigned and convicted in his owne Conscience for so many and so manifold rebellions and transgressions And here we must distinguish Sorrow which is two-fold first a worldly sorrow which is a dessembled hypocriticall repentance as in Ahab Iudas Esau c. Secondly the other is a godly sorrow for sinne proper onely to the godly man and the true badge of the penitent both which we see 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh salvation by repentance not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death the former arising from the mercy of God as being sorrowfull that he hath offended him as David Psal 51. 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight the gracious favours which were bestowed upon him as his exhaltation from a poore ruddy-faced Shepheard to sit upon a Princely throne his severall deliverances from the Beare the Lion the Champion of the Phlistines and the sundry treacheries practised against him by his Master Saul hunting him as a Partridge upon the mountaines establishing his kingdome c. with infinite more being called into Davids remembrance and made the matter of his retired meditations with his owne ungratefull ungracious rebellions doe cause his eyes to distill like a Lymbecke and his rocky-stony-pumise-dry heart to overflowwith the Teares of a truely-sorrowfullpenitent and now his heart being hot within him as at other times upon other considerations Psal 39. 3. He breakes silence and in the griefe of his soule complaines of the ill requitall with which he had recompenced the Lord of his mercifull kindnesse The like wee may see in that patterne of penitents the profuse Prodigall Luk. 15. The sinne-loden-citizen woman Luke 7. 47. Comming attended with shame and sorrow lavishly washing the feet of her Saviour with teares from her soules stillatory that must wash not onely her feet as was said to Peter Iohn 23. 9. but also her hands and her head this hath been is and must be the course of every saved sinner to retire and returne by weeping crosse thus breaking the heads of Dragons in the water washing away great sinnes by great sorrow What shall then be said of the preposterous course of the world doing all by contraries like that Nation who in a crosse emulation of their neighbours whose custome in curtese is to put off their Hats in saluting one another these because they will be contrary put off their shooes at their meetings so in this maine matter you shall see the wicked man play cart before horse and in stead of sorrow for his sinnes bragge and boast of them as if the Peacocks pride lay in his blacke feete or the Theeves glory in their halters to boast of strength to quarrell and drinke wine Hab. 2. 15. To boast of lying stealing cozening policie c. with the bloudy Poligamist Gen. 4. 23. I have slaine a man in my wounding and a young man in my hurt which Scripture although Catharinus thinke inexplicable and upon which Origen writ two whole bookes and with divers have diversly interpreted yet with Calvin it is most likely to be a bragge and an insolent boast of his bloody strength What is this else but even to be proud of that which should be and at length will be the matter of our shame and the confusion of our faces Phil. 3. 19. They glory in their shame The third degree in repentance after our humiliation is the earnest craving and begging of pardon grounded likewise upon Gods mercifull kindnesse a glympse of which the penitent sees though dimmely as the newly-cured blindeman saw men walke like trees or as Zebul Iudg. 9. 39. Tooke men to be but the shadowes of the mountaines yet truely Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him turne to the Lord the reason followes and he will have mercy upon him and will abundantly pardon the like Hos 6. 1. Come let us returne unto the Lord the reason moving for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up and this assurance of mercie and willingnesse to forgive armes the sinner with boldnesse to sollicite the throne of Grace so that hee which unfainedly repents beleeves and prayes for pardon Repentance and prayer being inseparable Companions Eccle. 3. 12. Examine thy selfe than with what boldnesse thou prayest filling heaven and earth with the Abba Father how thou commest to God as thy father in the name of CHRIST as they Redeemer by the power of the Spirit of Adoption as by Gods mercy in the assurance of thy faith interessed in all the promises being drawne hereto by the cords of love and the bands of mercie and this hath been the pathway in which all the high Saints and servants of God have traced and troden to their Celestiall home it being Gods owne precept Psal 30. 15. Call upon mee in the time of trouble c. The fourth degree ushered by the former is newnesse of life springing Likewise out of the brazen mountaines of Gods constant mercies as continent Ioseph makes his advancement the argument of his chastitie Gen. 39. 8. Hee answered his Mistresse behold my Master woteth not what is with me in the house and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand there is none greater in this house than I neither hath he kept any thing from mee but thee because thou art his wife how then can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Three things stay Ioseph from committing this sinne first the feare of God secondly the love of his Master in regard of his liberality thirdty the dutie of the wife toward her husband as learned Mercerus hath well observed Or first the reverence of Gods Majesty seeing and beholding all things secondly the consideration of his mercie and benefits received thirdly the feare of judgement as Pererius he knew all
the honours of Egypt could not buy of the guilt of one sinne a good heart will rather lie in the dust then rise by wickednesse in offending a mercifull God and thus it is grounded 2 Cor. 7. 1. Vpon Gods mercifull promises Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God The same Apostle by the same Apostolicall spirit exhorts to renovation of life by the same reason Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable seruice Then beloved let the mercifull kindnesse of God which every houre thou triest upon thee and thine even in thy food raiment liberty friends breathing c. besides those inestimable treasures of his love in thy daily preservation c. draw thee to repentance in newnesse of life to stampe upon thee a new creature Turne not the grace of God into wantonnesse Iude 4. but know that the grace of God hath appeared to teach us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to walke honestly soberly and righteously in this present world Tit. 2. 12. Wee are delivered from the feare of our enemies to make our obedience without feare Luke 1. 74. being under grace then let us give up our members weapons of righteousnesse Rom. 6. 19. Seeing all the mercies of God like so many remembrancers cry unto us for this dutie let us not despise undervaluing and vilipending the mercies of God in living after our owne hearts and following our owne crooked wayes as those Heretiques of old which sprung up from the malicious seed of the Serpent immediately after the Apostles have wickedly taught else yee heape up wrath against the day of wrath and make the holy Gospell of CHRIST IESVS no better then the Turkes licentious Alcoran which is fraught with nothing but the merchandize of the corrupted flesh large promises of Epicurisme in Paradise But Christians must not so learne CHRIST backe againe by repentance is the better way loosing the Herculian gordian knot and unweaving with Penelope the webbe of thy sins else can we not hope for peace For there is no peace to the wicked Isa 48. 22. Our iniquities have made a division betwixt God and us Isa 59. 2. which must be broken downe by repentance if thou aske being in the Gibeonitish rags of thy sinnes as Iehoram asked Iehu Is it peace is it peace 2 Kings 9. 18. Shall there be peace betwixt God and thy soule the answer retorts it selfe vpon thee What hast thou to doe with peace so long as thou wantest Grace and lyest polluted prostituting thy Soule and Body to all prophanenesse What wicked man ever had peace Let Caine Achitophell Antiochus Epiphanes Nero c. With the whole garison of Scorners be brought vpon the stage and they will answer they never had peace because they never had renovation by Repentance Come then while the Lord is neere and seeke him while he may be found Isa 55. 6. Seeing the mercifull kindnesse of God is so largely extended to all Creatures but more and most especially to Man it teacheth us to be his followers and imitators in this and as he hath propounded himselfe an exampler and patterne in other things to be followed as in his Holines Levit. 9. 2. Cap. 20. 7. Be holy for I am holy Every of his morall actions being our instructors so he would be imitated in this act of Mercy Mat. 5. 45. Doe good to them that hate you that you may bee the Children of your Father which is in heaven who causeth his Sunne to shine both vpon the bad and the good and this our duty of mercy consists in two things 1. In giving 2. In forgiving First in Giving that is compassionately and pittying administring to the necessity of our brethren taught vnto vs in the Communion of Saints As citizens of one Corporation branches of one Vine members of one body all vnder one Head the body of CHRIST Colos 2. 17. so to sympathise in affections as to have a sensible feeling of our mutuall wants like Peters new converts Acts 2. 44. which is not Anabaptisticall denying all propriety of Goods or Lands to any Man nor all to be meum tuum Common but as a Christian tendering one anothers good and a supportation of their wants as Act. 11. 28. when Agabus signified by the spirit that their should be Dearth throughout the World the Disciples every man according to his ability determined to send reliefe to the brethren which dwelt in Iudea Heb. 13. 3. Remember them which are in prison as bound with them and them that suffer adversity as your selves being in the body for if one member suffer all the members suffer with it 1. Cor. 12. 26. And a Righteous man even pittyeth inferiour creatures hee regardeth the life of his Beast Prov. 12. 10. Like Xenocrates an Heathen Philosopher whose pittyfull heart succoured in his bosome the poore Sparrow eagerly pursued of her Enemie the Hawke Be then exhorted to this duty there are great numbers of poore Lazarusses which lye at thy Gates bearing the image of CHRIST in their naked bodies give vnto them not sparingly that thou mayest reape liberally for thy harvest must answer thy Seede-time an Almoner is like an Archer which aimeth at the marke in the middest of the white the White he seeth the Marke he seeth not the marke he cannot hit which he seeth not vnlesse he hit the white which he seeth so we cannot hit God the marke which we ayme at vnlesse we hit the white which is Man 1. Iohn 4. 20. If wee love not our Brother whom wee have seene how can wee love God whom wee have not seene those that abound with Gods blessings must be like the full end of an houre-glasse-emptying themselves into the needy Gregory Nazianzen regestring the life of great Basill commends a Zenodochium or house of Harbour which he built for strangers above the Egyptian Pyramides the famous Sepulcher of Mansolus or the famous Collossus of Rhodes or any other wonder in the world so thy mercy shewed to the poore shall make thy name like an odoriserous perfume made by the art of the Apothecarie smell after thee to blesse thine increase in all things the plow-man shall touch the Mower and the treader of grapes him that soweth seede Amos 9. 13. Thy mountaines shall drop sweete wine and all thy hills shall melt cast then thy bread upon the waters Eccles 11. 1. And when thou makest a Feast call in the lame and the blind Luke 14. 13. and like Elisha powre thy oyle into emptie not full vessels 2. King 4. 4. The seede of almes growes better thrives and multiplies more aboundantly in a poore then fat Earth let the feeble hearts of the Saints bâ—e comforted by thee Philemon 7.