man of so meane place within his charge Ye would thinke these should be the words of Abraham talking with God and checking himselfe as being but dust and ashes when he had a glimpse of Gods presence with him but the Centurion confesseth him no better before Christ commeth neere him Iob layed his hand on his mouth after he had spoken the Centurion before he spake There was more appearance of Majestie in Gods presence to Abraham but specially to Job then could any way be gathered by the outward state of Christ So that the Humility of the Centurion in not thinking himselfe worthy to speake unto Christ doth import an excellent lesson of reverence which is due unto God and how great an impression should Christs Majesty as hee now sitteth at the right hand of God worke in us when we pray unto him when his state in Humility was so apprehended by this Centurion that neither his greatnesse nor his goodnesse could imbolden him to adventure immediately by himselfe to petition him Our best devotion commeth short of this preparation yet should wee rather exceed it then any way be inferior to it The more we know Christs glory the more humble we should be in doing our duty This is the first part of his confession touching the eminency of CHRISTS person so far as is expressed in the comparison of CHRIST and himselfe But it must be gathered also by the Embassage he sends to Christ an Embassage of the greatest in the Towne and the dearest to himselfe he sent the Elders of the Iewes at the first and seconded them with the dearest of his friends Iewes he sent and so declined that which the woman incurred I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of Israel He supposed Christ would gratifie the Jewes though hee had no respect to him being a Gentile But God had a further reach to let these Iewes be witnesses to the faith of the Gentile and the relating of his words unto Christ to give judgment against themselves for their contempt of Christ for seeing they were means in the judgment of a heathen meetest to prevaile with Christ it was a shame for them not to acknowledge how much they were bound to Christ that was not only good unto them but also would be good unto the very heathen to pleasure them Abraham and Iob have it attributed as an honour done by God unto them for that God would heare Abraham for Abimelech and cure his family and Iob for his friends and forgive their sinne But these gracelesse Iewes doe not esteeme the favours of Christ but rather seale their owne condemnation by the manifold proofe of his goodnesse towards them God doth this honour to all Christians to be their God and the God of their seed to blesse the children for the Parents The more GODS mercy the more our debt and our judgment the greater if our neglect do rise with Gods mercy But the Embassage as it was of the Iewes so it was of the Elders of the Iewes had there beene any greater he would have made them his meanes being for to send he would send the best because he conceaved that the best were but too meane to be sent unto Christ It is the curse that GOD pronounceth in Malachy against them that vowed unto God and having a Male in the flock would offer a Female or some contemptible thing he gives the reason because I am a great God and hath God a care of Sheep or rather speaketh be it not for men that we must use the best of all sorts when we have to doe with God And what wonder when God sent his owne Sonne unto man Is there any person so great that man should think too great to send to God there is none too great none too deare Christ as hee is the onely begotten Sonne of God so is he the deerely beloved Son of his Father and this Christ was sent unto men Answerably hereunto doth this Centurion frame his Embassage unto CHRIST hee sendeth the greatest and the dearest he hath he sends the Elders of the Iewes and he sends also his friends that he might seeme not only to honour Christ in them that are great but also to affect CHRIST in them that are deare and indeed it is a compleat present for Christ when we serve him with the best and our best affection too and our devotion both mature and also hearty when both outward and inward man are devoted unto him And thus much of the Centurions confession of the eminency of CHRISTS person I come now to the second part of the confession which expresseth the efficacy of Christs power wherein there are three things to be noted First that he will not have Christ to trouble himselfe he meaneth unnecessarily as if his corporeall presence were superfluous and in desiring that he should wrong Christ and not to the full expresse the strength of his owne faith So that this word is a retractation of his first desire which was come and cure but now he confesseth that the first is too much Come is not requisite to the cure Behold the modesty of the man that was little ambitious to have his house made a theatre of a miracle wrought with pompe and state which Christ presents and in a great assembly Such thoughts were fit for Herod who when Christ was sent by Pilate to him was glad because of long time he had desired to see him because he hoped to satisfie his curious desire by seeing some strange worke done by him This Centurion apprehends better that Christ is farre from yeelding unto such vanity therfore that he may not seeme to affect it he begins with Lord trouble not thy self and give us this good Item that we must not intermingle the idle desires of flesh and blood by desiring any thing that is unnecessary at the hands of God Come is unnecessary we must be contented with the Cure and the Cure may be wrought with only Speake the word Here is the very object of his faith even this word of Christ or if you will Christ the word for the curing word is the word of the word even the Word of God which word is God the word that in the beginning made all and when it was lost restored all This word is that of which David speaketh in the 107 Psalme Ps 107.10 Wisd 16.7 Misit Verbum et sanavit eos and the booke of wisedome in the 16 Chapter It was neither her be nor pasture that healed them speaking of those that were stung of the fiery Serpent but only the word that healeth all things in respect of which vertue in Christ Saint Matthew observes out of the Prophet that Christ tooke upon him all our infirmities which by Saint Matthew appeareth when hee cured all kind of diseases This word the Centurion would shape Christ to speak which S. Paul to the Hebrews calleth the word of Gods power a word mighty in operation and as it
windowes to let in lust but also against GODS judgment day are the Registers of Lust In this sence Saint Paul speakes of throats which are open Sepulchers and tongues that are tipt with poyson of Aspes In a word no part of our body or soule which records not the sin that is committed either by our body or our soule Secondly the staine of sinne cleaveth to the creature abused in sinne for Ier. 17. Ier. 17.1 Ier. 2.2 7 18. the Idolatry of Israel is layd on the hornes of the Altars and Ier. 2. God teacheth the peoples sinne by the places where they committed sinne Moses speakes of graves of lust and waters of strife Iames of witnessing Rust of gold and silver and moths fretting our garments which speeches meane noâ—hing else but the staine of sinne abiding on the creature abused by sin And in this sense sin is said to have a voyce the voyce of sinne being the measure of sinne small sins oft have soft voyces the greater the sinne the louder it cries Murther is a great sinne therefore a loud sinne luxury a great sinne and therefore a loud sinne oppression a great sinne and therefore a loud sin not but that the eare of jealouâ—e heareth all things but he is not alike moved with all things neither will he take vengeance upon all sins therefore sin is not only said to have a voyce but also a testifying voyce for so the word here signifieth and that sin is said to give evidence on which God is purposed to take vengeance and such is the sin of perversenesse And thus much of the first part wherein you have heard the nature the community and the property of the Jewes sin all which are contained in Ieremies confession The supplication followeth O Lord yet deale with 〈◊〉 according to thy Name Names serve to expresse natures if the nature may not be conceaved the name can not be truly fitted God is infinite we cannot comprehend him therefore have we no name whereby fully to expresse him Notwithstanding that we may not be altogether ignorant of God the Scripture gives divers names to God I will touch only three which respect the Church anâ— are usually remembred in the prayers of the Church When Moses was sent to Pharaoh he asked God whâ— was his Name God answered I am that I am in the next verse he addes J am the God of your fathers the Gâ— of Abraham Isaac and Iacob this is my Name and this 〈◊〉 memoriall for ever When Moses would see the glory 〈◊〉 God he had poclaimed this Name of God the Lord To Lord strong and mercifull and gracious slow to anger 〈◊〉 abundant in goodnesse and truth reserving mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne not makâ—â— the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upâ— the Children and the Childrens children unto the fourth â—â—neration The Coherence of the three names is this Tâ—â— first doth shew the Truth of God by which he performe his promises the second Covenant of God from whenâ— doe flow his blessings a third the excesse of his Meâ—â— above his judgment when he is to powre forth curses 〈◊〉 blessings the practise of the first name we have I appeared unto Abraham Isaac and Iacob by the name 〈◊〉 Almighty by my Name Iehovah I was not knowne unâ— them the practise of the second name Because the Loâ—â— would keep the Oath which he had sworne to your Fâ—thers the Lord hath brought you out with a mighty haâ—â— and delivered you out of the house of bondage and frâ—â— the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt on this Name Daâ—Daniel Esay and Moses ground many prayers The prectise of the three Names we have When God would plague the Iewes for murmuring when they should have entred the holy land I beseech â—hee saith Moses let the power of the Lord be great acâ—ording as thou hast spoken when thou shewedst me thy â—ame saying The Lord is slow to anger and of great mercy â—â—rgiving iniquities and in this place Jeremy appealing 〈◊〉 the name of God doth meane either the first which in this verse is expressed in these words O Lord or else the other two joyntly with the first because they have the â—ne a dependance of the other So that the effect of his prayer is this Although our owne consciences doe acâ—use us and our sinnes witnesse against us cleaving both to us and the creatures that have beene abused by us calling for vengeance against us and inevitably convicting us that we have contemned thy word abused thy gifts and not relented at thy plagues yet performing those â—romises which are contained in thy owne Covenant the â—lory whereof must be given to thy Name which conâ—ines more mercy then judgment otherwise we must â—eeds perish in our sins if thy mercy did not rejoyce aâ—ainst thy Iudgment Last of all marke how he prefixeth an humble confession before his earnest supplication to teach us that we must cast downe our selves and confesse our owne deserts unto God if we mean to taste of the sweet mercies of God which mercies are most sweet A SERMON PREACHED IN TRINITIE CHVRCH IN WINCHESTER PSALM 62. ver 11.12 God spake once or twise have I heard it that power belongeth unto God And that to thee O Lord is mercy for thou rewardest every man according to his workes THe argument of this Psalme is King Davids exemplary experience for the worlds malice and Gods deliverance The world doth envy them whom God doth honour it persecuteth them that rely upon him but this is the comfort that the event doth not answer nay crosseth their designes their designe is deadly but the event happie Or if deadly it is so to the wicked not to the godly In the godly it encreaseth their confidence dependancy upon God which is never destitute of a seaosnable deliverance from him This King David affirmes upon his owne experience in the first part of this Psalme and in the second desires that it might be drawn into an example by others He would have us in the like case to take the like course to repaire to God to trust in him not in any worldly person or thing for all persons even the chiefe of all yeeld lesse then no help and great wealth especially if it be ill gotten wealth is but a treasure of nought both persons and things will faile will hurt us If any man notwithstanding K. Davids example and counsell doubt whom to trust God or the world how to live righteously or unrighteously he may be if he be not wilfull resolved throughly by the close of this Psalm by those words of my Text he may be resolved from an Author undeceaveable by a witnesse unchangeable from God by King David God spake once or twise and King David heard him from and by these he may be resolved what God is and none but God how he deales and deales with all God and only God is powerfull and which is strange the
TEN SERMONS VPON SEVERALL OCCASIONS Preached at Saint Pauls Crosse and Elsewhere BY The Right Reverend Father in GOD ARTHVR LAKE Late LORD Bishop of BATH and WELLS HEBR. 11.4 Being dead hee yet speaketh יהוה LONDON Printed by Thomas Badger for Humphrey Mosley and are to bee sold at his Shop at the PRINCES Armes in Saint Pauls Church-Yard 1640. A short PREFACE of the Publisher to the Reader IT was my purpose to let these Sermons passe into the world without a Preface But that casting my thoughts at once on the quality of the Author and the Maladie of this present Age I remembred withall that of Aristotle Aristot Rhet. 3. c. 36. in his Rhetoricks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proems are many times in effect Medicines they serve to cure and heale the indisposition of the sicke Auditour J could wish this short one might prove Medicinall against the disease of these times broken out into such an heat of distemper and malignity against those sacred Magistrates of the Church of which Number this Reverend Father Our Author was one Bishops in the Primitive Church were anciently called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Nazianzen insinuates heavenly S. Naz. or 1. as in regard of their originall and institution derived most undoubtedly from Christ and his Apostles so likewise heavenly also for their most Christian exemplary and godly lives who though they lived on earth yet had their conversation in heaven Phi. 3.20 Philip. 3.20 And such a one indeed was this Bishop whose memory is yet bleeding and precious to all that knew him How ever some may stand affected to that venerable Hierarchie yet it shall alwayes bee my prayer to God that first the line of Episcopall and Apostolicall succession may never be interrupted or faile in the Church of Christ. And secondly that she may continue still to flourish under a happie and gracious supply of many Religious and able Bishops like to this Author Of whose Grave Iudgement renowned Piety and learning J desire thee Christian Reader to take a better Character from his owne mouth and penne in the Sermons ensuing Farewell A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT PAVLS CROSSE In the first Session of Parliament of King IAMES PSAL. 160. VER 29 30. Thus they provoked God to anger with their owne inventions and the Plague brake in upon them But Phinees stood up and prayed and the Plague was stayed THis Psalme in the name of the Iewes distressed whether under Antiochus or in Babylon or before both in the dayes of King David it much skilleth not because the Scripture necessarily proveth it not but whensoever questionlesse in the name of the distressed Iewes declareth foure principall points first the peoples Sinne secondly Gods Iudgement thirdly their Repentance usuall in affliction fourthly Gods readinesse to Commiseration leading us to consider herein a double correspondencie one of Gods judgements to mans sinne the other of Gods mercie to mans penitencie If man sinne God striketh if man repent of his sinne God relenteth from his wrath This is manifested by divers stories of the Iewes here for this purpose onely touched but in Moses and the Bookes historicall they are with their circumstances farther enlarged Amongst the rest the Psalmist pointeth at the storie which is recorded Num. 25. Whereupon he observeth first the Iewes sinne and that in speciall Ver. 28. They joyned unto Baal Peor and eate the offerings of the dead and in generall Ver. 29. They provoked God to anger with their owne inventions secondly Gods judgement The Plague broke in upon them thirdly The meanes used to pacifie God Phinees stood up and prayed fourthly the effect that this meanes tooke with God The Plague ceased fifthly The blessing conferred upon Phinees who used the meanes It was imputed to him for righteousnesse throughout all generations All which points are in themselves fruitfull and for us behoofefull but considering mine owne strength your patience and the time allotted to us both I shall forbeare the specialties of the Iewes sinne and the reward of Phinees zeale and speake to the rest briefely and in their order The Iewes sinne as it is here opened in generall offereth to our consideration two markes common to all sinnes first they are our owne inventions secondly they provoke God to anger First Their owne inventions The Hebrew word was so anciently and is now ordinarily translated and fitted unto sinne Wicked workes are justly tearmed ours not as if they were not common to the Devil with us yea and at first learned of the Devil by us but the exclusion is of Gods will revealed in his Word to be obeyed by the grace of his Spirit both which are appointed the one outwardly the other inwardly to instruct and conduct us in those things which are meet to be observed by us There is no rule of true wisdome which is not a Lesson of Gods Word no true vertue which is not an effect of Gods Spirit The first Moses teacheth Dent. 4.1 5 6. Behold saith he to the Iewes I have taught you Ordinances and Lawes keepe them therefore and doe them for that is your wisdome and understanding in the sight of the people which shall heare all these Ordinances and shall say onely this people is wise and of understanding and a great Nation The second we learne of Esay who prophecying of Christ out of whose fullnesse we all receive Grace for Grace saith Esa 11.2 The Spirit of God shall rest upon him the effects of which Spirit are after specified to be Wisdome Counsell and Fortitude the feare of the Lord Righteousnesse and other Vertues which make a perfectly good both Man and Governour And the same Prophet speaking of the Covenant of Grace conjoyneth these our two Guides as Gifts which God will impart to those that shall partake his Covenant of Grace Esa 59.21 My Spirit that is upon thee and my Word which I shall put into thy mouth shall not depart from thee nor from thy Seedes Seed from henceforth even for ever Psal 119. v. 105. David confesseth of Gods Word that it was a Light unto his feet and a Lanthorne unto his steps and prayeth Psal 143. v. 10. that Gods Spirit may lead him into the Land of Righteousnesse But the Iewes would not sayle by this either Card or Compasse of Gods Word and Spirit the Wisdome of the flesh was their Load-starre and the Lust of the flesh did steere their Helme Esay confesseth it humbly Esay 53.6 All we as Sheepe have gone astray from Gods wayes we have turned every one his owne way Stephen rebukes them for it sharply Acts 7.51 calling them men of uncircumcised eares and hearts they alwayes resisted the Holy-Ghost in their hearts and the Prophots in their eares Ier. 6. v. 16 17. Ieremie of all the Prophets sets it out most plentifully Thus saith the Lord stand in the wayes behold and aske for the old way which is the good way walke therein and ye
impeached their state impaired and their bodies violated This was a popular but a pestilent counsell farre be it from all Christians either to approve or practise it Let us not bind heavie burthens to lay on Ministers shoulders which the better sort of Commons will be loth to lift with the least of their fingers distinguish our persons from our Vocations and let the meanest of our persons sare the better for the greatnesse of our Vocations The time was when the lower Clergie was reckoned in place next to the Peeres let it not downe so many degrees as to range it with the meanest of the Commons Remember you have your Spirituall Birth from us and your Spirituall Life is maintained by us Our hands wash you from your sinnes our mouthes instill into you Gods grace you owe more unto us then to all Professions besides ours Why should there then be such Fetters clapt on our Legges Such meane Portions be thought enough for us In the Life of Charlemaine it is reported That warring against the Sarazins in Spaine he so farre â—ressed them that their King was content to become a Christian so that Peace might be granted them During the Treatie Charlemaine feasted Aigoland the Sarazin King As they sat at meat the Sarazin perceived a companie of men in the same Roome meanely attended and thinly dieted and asked Charlemaine what they were Charlemaine and his Nobles answered Oh these be the Ministers of God The Sarazin replyed In sooth yours is a pettie God that hath such miserable and contemptible servants And thereupon as the Storie addes brake off the Treatie and would not become a Christian You are wise enough to understand it I will not apply it you shall doe well to make use of it The contempt of the Minister is the reproach of God and therefore in all your deliberations thinke of us speake to us and deale with us as the Embassadours of God and procurers of your greatest good If any man will be obstinate in another course shall I say with Michael Iude 9. The Lord rebuke him Nay rather I will pray with Christ Father Luc. 23.34 forgive them they know not what they doe Their Posteritie will rue their over-sight all such workes will prove their owne And thus much of the first marke of sinne it is our owne invention The second followeth It provoketh Gods wrath a Esa 27.4 Wrath is not in me saith God b Wisd 1.13 God made not death c Eze. 18.32 He delighteth not in the death of a sinner d Exo. 34.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long suffering slow to anger and when he punisheth he e Lam. 3.33 doth it not ex animo This appeareth by that passionate speech of his f Hos 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee up O Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim My heart is turned within me my repentings are rowled together Whereupon we may thus reason Is God displeased Then Man hath offended For God begins with no man g Esa 50.1 Where saith God is the Bill of your Mothers Divorcement whom I have cast off Or who is the Creditor to whom I have sold you Behold for your iniquities are you sold and because of your transgressions is your Mother cast off This rule God observed with Iosua in the case h Jos 7.11 of Achan Saul acknowledged it when i Sam. 14 38. God did not answer him The Heathen k Ion. 1.7 confessed it when the storme pursued them and no mervaile For God delighteth in the prosperity of his servants l Deut. 5.29 Oh saith he that there were in them such a heart to feare me and keepe my commandments that it might goe well with them and their posterity for ever No better experiment then this present Historie In the Israelites journey to Canaan God sent his terrour before them The Midianites were disheartned with the sight of them Balaam being sent for to Balac instead of a Curse though unwillingly of himselfe and unacceptably to the King was on every quarter compelled of God to blesse them Behold Gods love toward them how desirous he is that no Protection due on his part should be wanting to them But when God would not forsake them their Enemies could not match them The Witches sorcerie could not prevaile upon them Their owne wits and lusts did serve them to forsake God to betray themselves and by Luxurie Incontinence and Idolatrie to strip themselves both of favor and mercy Let us heed to our selves in this Example God hath dealt with us as he did with Israel The Moabite is disheartned Balaams tongue is tied In stead of a Curse and a Sword they send us a Blessing and desire Peace The worke must be ascribed to God and for the work we must give glory to him onely But let us not loose our peace with God while we like the peace of Man Doe I disswade Peace God forbid A Minister is a messenger of Peace and the Apostles rule is That m Rom. 12.18 with all men as farre as it is possible we should entertaine Peace But in the Name of God I must remember unto you a peece of Christs Epistle to the Church of Pergamus n 〈◊〉 2.24 I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that maintaine the doctrine of Balaam which taught Balak to put a stumbling blocke before the children of Israel that they should eat things sacrificed to Idols and commâ—t Fornication I doe not entermeddle with the affaires of Princes I speake of private Men the ordinary repaire of unnecessary persons to the Moabites Tents not onely to feast with them but also to commit Fornication assuredly spirituall it may bee corporall too may breed us warre with God while wee treate of Peace with Men. My desire is that all avoid this and that those who are in Authority provide against it God is not moved unlesse he be provoked The word provoked is applied indifferently both to God and Man but the thing must bee conceived to bee otherwise in God then in Man whether wee respect the cause the nature or the manner of it 1 The cause moving anger in Man is not alwayes sinne but sometimes vertue and that not onely in wicked Men but also in the best Moses was angry with the Commandment of God Ionas with the mercy of God Iob with the triall of God but nothing can stirre anger in God but onely sinne a Psal 75.8 In the hand of God saith David there is a Cup and the Wine is Red it is full mixt and hee poureth out of the same Surely all the wicked of the Earth shall wring out and drink the dregges thereof Speaking of that Wine that is mentioned Revel 14. And there called b verse 10. the Wine of the wrath of God Saint Paul speaking of Fornication Covetousnesse and foolish talking
addeth that for c Ephes 5.6 such things commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience 2 Anger in man is a passion and causeth alteration it is though a short yet a sharpe madnesse But Gods nature being without composition admits no mutation as d Exo. 3.14 Hee is that which hee is so with him there is e Iam. 1.17 no variablenesse nor shadow of change 3 Mans anger keepes no measure Saint James observeth it saying f Jam. 1.19.20 Bee slow to anger For the wrath of Man fulfilleth not the righteousnesse of God But the wise man speaking of Gods judgements saith That g Wisd 11.20 he orders them in number weight and measure And the same phrase is used in the Storie of Belshazzar where the hand-writing hath h Dan. 5 25. Mene Mene Tekel Vpharsin that is Thou art numbred and weighed and thy Kingdome is divided So that by the anger of man wee cannot learne what is the anger of God except we will fasten on God the imperfections of man What then is anger in God Wee must thus conceive it As sinne is contrarie to Gods holinesse so is it proceeded against by Gods justice The dislike that Gods holinesse takes against sinne is called his hatred and the processe of his justice is called his wrath And that processe may be considered either as by Gods Ministers it is threatned and so Saint Paul calls it i Rom. 1.18 Gods revealed Wrath or as by Gods powerfull hand it is executed in which sense the Scripture remembreth us of a k Rom. 2.5 Day of Wrath. When men are said to provoke Gods wrath the meaning is that what Gods Ministers in his Name have threatned that same punishment by Gods power is inflicted upon irrepentant godlesse men And in this sense must we take the phrase in this place and learne there-out to imitate God not to be offended but with evill not to be offended before we be provoked with evill not to passe a meane when wee have a just cause to be offended with those that are evill an imitation fit for the best men seeing the defect thereof hath beene an imperfection even in the worthiest men And thus much of the second marke of sinne Now couple these two together and observe in a word the viperousnesse of sinne so naturall so unnaturall unto us It is unto us both our brood and bane like the Devil himselfe who is a Serpent and a Satan cunning to seduce us malicious to accuse us Our owne sinnes insnare us our owne sinnes separate betweene God and us our owne sinnes testifie against us our owne sinnes are a destruction unto us And therefore we have good reason to hearken to Saint Peter l 1 Pet. 2.11 I beseech you brethren as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the foule and to the sonne of Sirach saying m Eccl. 21.2 Flie from sinne as from a Serpent for if thou commest too neere it will bite thee the teeth thereof are as it were the teeth of a Lyon slaying the soules of men Our owne workes provoke Gods wrath against us And thus much of the first point which is the peoples sinne described by two marks the one it is our owne invention the other it provoketh Gods wrath I come to the second point which is Gods judgement contained in these words The Plague brake out upon them The word Plague is streitned in our English Tongue and commonly referred onely to the Pestilence but in other Languages it reacheth farther and notes any extraordinarie stroake that comes from God The Prophets under that word containe these foure Famine Pestilence wild Beasts and the Sword which by an excellencie are called the foure Plagues of God Not that God doth not create all both a Esa 45.7 Light and Darknesse Good and Evill as the Prophet speakes but because stroakes if they be private particular or ordinarie doe not move us their second causes not the first are observed by us Gods Iustice in them is not reverenced his Hand is not discerned his Power is not feared men doe not reason Hodie mihi cras tibi b Luc. 13.3 Except we repent we shall likewise perish Therefore as men have crying sins that pierce the Heavens and ascend unto the very Throne of God and call for Vengeance at the hand of God so God hath crying Iustice that pierceth the Heavens descends unto man rowzeth the guiltie Conscience and importuneth mans repentance This Voice is the Voice of Sinai so terrible that Moses himselfe will c Heb. 12.21 quake and feare such stroakes fall not but from most men they wrest the confession of Pharaohs Enchanters d Exo. 8.19 This is the finger of God In our Language wee call the Pestilence the Visitation of God and the Tokens thereof Gods marks and the inscription of our doores is Lord have mercie upon us which testifieth our confession whilest that punishing Angel stirreth we stand all at the mercy of God Some learned men are of opinion that a Pestilence wasting many of the Iewes was a part of that Plague wherewith God is said here to have stricken them but because the proofe is not pregnant we will not further pursue it Of this we are sure that that which is evident is equivalent for in one day how many wayes soever they died 24000. were destroyed But come we to the second part of this note wherein it is said This Plague brake out upon them Onely remember that the heavier Gods judgement lighteth upon us the louder he calls for repentance unto us The Plague brake out upon them The word hath many significations which hath caused many interpretations It signifies to breake out and it signifies to multiply the word bearing both wee may make good use of both If we translate it brake out then it notes first that Gods mercy is as it were a wall betwixt us and his justice a Psa 103.3 If thou Lord saith David shouldst be extreame to marke what is done amisse O Lord who can abide it But there is mercy with thee that thou maist bee feared And in another place b Psa 116.5 The Lord is mercifull and righteous and our God is full of compassion Where it is to be observed that the placing of the words imports that Gods Mercy is double to his Iustice and that his Mercy compasseth on every side and senceth us against his Iustice Yet the sonne of Sirach observeth well that there is c Eccl. 16.11 with God not onely Mercy but also Wrath he is mighty to for give and to poure out displeasure If men elevate Gods power blemish his Holinesse or deferre Repentance they shall find that as his Mercy is great so is his punishment also d Wisd 12.17 When men think thee not to be of a perfect power thou declarest thy power and reprovest the boldnesse of the wise e Psal 50.21 These
besought the Lord that he might be rid of the messenger of Satan that buffeted him and he received a comfortable answer My Grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weakenesse The world is now much subject unto falling because indeed it is little given to praying Many flocke in Gods house in the time of preaching but you shall every where find it empty in the time of praying people not remembring that the Preacher giveth them good armour but it is God that giveth them good arms and legs too Scanderbegs sword was sent to the Turke but not his arme The second duty is Humility when thou dost stand What hast thou that thou hast not receaved saith St. Paul And if thou hast receaved it why boastest thou as if thou hadst not received it Quis te discernit Men usually fall into love with themselves so farre forth as to thinke themselves fit to be Gods as did the Angels and Adam whereas he should serve the Lord in feare and rejoyce before him in trembling serve the Lord with feare and trembling seeing it is God that worketh in us the will and the deed especially seeing that God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Wee must ever remember how unworthy we are of that grace we doe receave how short we come of him from whom we do receave it that wee beare not the root but the root us and therefore ever have an awfull respect to him that doth so graciously respect us The angels in heaven ever behold not their own face but the face of GOD and so must we be ever submissely plyable to the will of GOD. This is a mans second Take heed The third is to use our Talent put on our Saviour as Saint Paul speaketh Be doing good as King David for babenti dabitur Yea as GOD punisheth sinnes with sinnes so doth he multiply Grace for Grace Therefore we must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stirre up the grace of God blow off the ashes that will still cover it not out of the nature of grace but out of the subject of grace Gods grace is like fire when it is in its owne Element it is pure but being a fuell it encreaseth and decreaseth A mans strength is not like the strength of a Bee is cleerer and more dustie according to the fuell and care of the fueller Yea if he stirre it not in greene wood it will goe cleane out Therefore as when God kindled fire from heaven upon the Altar he commanded the Levites carefully to attend it and imploy it so must we entertaine the grace of God that from Heaven is kindled in our soule we must blow it and cherish it God kindled that fire Intendamus medijs non solliciti de fine fire from Heaven but he commanded men to cherish it on earth Men now take little care of God and gifts they do little good Therefore doth God so seldome multiply his graces upon men The last meanes is Mortification He keepeth himselfe from a fall that doth not strengthen his enemy to give him a fall A regenerate man is a common subject both of nature and grace whence it cometh to passe that he hath a double inclination to evill by nature by grace to goodnesse according as his will is corrupt with concupiscence or reformed by holinesse We must both with Saint Paul chastise our body and keepe it under mortifie the flesh with the deeds thereof not violating the substance but restraining the concupiscence that the servant may obey and the Lord command The flesh though it rebell yet prevaile not against the spirit Strange it is that Philosophers observe that man is a little world and indeed so he is he hath his elementary and his aethereall part but sinne hath inverted not the places but the vertues of them the aethereall being made the patient and the elementary the agent And so doth that become corruptible which by nature is incorruptible or the sonnes of God have an eye but it is to see the daughters of men visu concupiscentiae not providentiae and so instead of heeding them they enter into league with them and â—â—ence are borne Gyants Nephilim their name shewes â—â—heir case they are no standers but fallers they take and give fals that History is inserted as a cause of the â—â—eluge Lubrica spes est saith Saint Cyprian quae inter foâ—â—enta peccati salvari sperat And the rather because we must take no care for the flesh if we will take care of our selves The more we bridle the flesh the more we love it verè si severè therefore though grace and concupiscence lodge both in our hearts and passe both from one man yet they should as the Opticks write of the â—â—ames of the Sunne passe impermixti You have seene â—â—en the meanes of heed and God if he keepes us from â—â—lling will keepe us by this meanes and he that chooâ—â—th this way of wisedome walketh without offence And a stander especially must use this meanes for Christ saith Gregory figured in his Baptisme the case of a stanâ—â—r and the dragon waites for the childe borne Lib. mor. 24 12. he â—â—aweth the starres My sonne when thou enterest c. Eccles This is the cause why Christian Princes are so â—â—ch oppugned the devill doth not so much envie our â—â—odnesse as our glory And therefore when he cannot â—aw us in hatred of God he would make us sinne that â—e might sinne against God and so fall The grievousâ—â—sse of a standers fall must make him also to take heede â—hen the foule spirit is gone out of a man c. Better were 〈◊〉 never to have knowne the way of righteousnesse The 〈◊〉 when they degenerate prove the worst because the â—ill will take the stronger hold of them and Gods â—â—ath for their perfidiousnesse is greater in forsaking â—â—m Examples The angels the sonnes of God Iudas â—â—non Magus A King how dishonourable a traytour â—â—th he count him that will yeeld a towne well furâ—â—â—hed Mors servituti anteponenda and bad men when â—â—â—y recover a fall prove rare Saint Peter David Solo 〈◊〉 Saint Paul Saint Austine The devill loveth evill â—â—ruments and God doth detest rebellious traytors If we cannot escape falling into sinne yet let us by repentance escape falling into plagues for God commonly doth give space for repentance that in judging our selves we be not judged of the Lord. We stand in need of his mercy so soone as ever we sinne but as a Tenant that hath a clause of reentry in his lease when he breaks his covenant makes his lease voydable rather then voyd so are sinners depriveable not deprived actually oâ—â— right unto all Gods promises is suspended but restitutâ— in integrum is not denied It was an errour in the Novatians to thinke otherwise yea irrepentance is a greateâ— sinne then any other for to despise Gods mercy is much worse Rom. 2.4 5. Jeâ— 13.16 then to provoke his justice Rom. 2.
sinnes hast thou committed saith God unto the wicked and I held my tongue therefore thou thoughtest that I was like unto thee but I will reprove thee and set thy sinnes in order before thee f Rom. 2.4.5 Hee that despiseth the riches of Gods patience not knowing that his goodnesse should lead men to repentance doth but treasure up unto himselfe wrath against the day of wrath when God shall reward every man according to his workes God can be g Ier. 15.6 wearie of repenting as he tells Ieremie namely when he is h Anos 2.13 pressed under our sinnes as a Cart is pressed that is full of sheaves When the i Ioel 3.13 harvest of our sinne is ripe God will put in his sickle Then will the Lord God say even the mightie One of Israel k Esa 1.24 Oh I will ease me of mine adversaries I will avenge me of mine enemies Againe in this breaking out of the Plague we may observe not onely that Mercie sometimes gives place to Iustice but also the unresistablenesse of Iustice when it comes it beares downe all before it Wherefore Gods wrath seizing upon sinners is compared to a whirlewind a Psal 1.4 scattering chaffe to a devouring fire b Mal. 4.1 consuming stubble to a violent c Nahum 1.8 floud bearing downe cum stabulis armenta all that stands against it Lastly here wee may observe the correspondence of Gods justice to mans sinne the same word is applyed to both to man sinning to God striking both of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Hos 4.2 doe breake forth first man breakes through Gods Law no tye being of force to hold him and then man breakes through Gods defence his mercie not restraining him nor mans power being able to resist him Therefore if we will that God set bounds to his wrath we must keepe within the bounds of our owne dutie Some respect not so much the violence as the varietie of the Plague and translate it The Plague was multiplyed First as the Sinne so the Plague was manifold They fell spiritually and corporally by Idolatrie and Incontinencie therefore their Plague was not of one sort some were hanged some were stabbed and some consumed with Pestilence Man cannot be so wittie in varying of Sinnes but God will be as wittie in varying of Plagues Secondly the Plague was multiplyed not onely in kind but in degree The Iewes in the Wildernesse sustained many Plagues Of those that perished in many of them the number is not specified but of those that are specified this is the greatest At first there dyed but a Exod. 32.28 3000 at the second b Num. 16.49 14000 at this which is the third c Num. 25.9 24000 To teach us that though the judgement wee have felt be terrible yet God hath in store more intolerable and the deeper wee sinke in sinne the lower wee shall descend in Hell All Histories are records of it all Countrâ—yes doe preach it but wee shall doe best if wee reade it in our selves and scape best if wee apply it to our selves I hasten to the third point which containes the meanes to pacifie God Phinees stood up and prayed Phinees the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron a Priest by birth and function the neerer he was to God the more zealous he was for the glory of God Levi had this testimonie of Moses a Deut. 33.9 He said to his Father and Mother I regard you not to his Brethren I acknowledge you not and to his Children I know you not that he might observe the Law of God and keepe his Covenant Here a sonne of Levi hath this testimonie from God that he was zealous for his glory and pacified his wrath for both hee is commended and plentifully rewarded A good example for such as have the like charge to stirre them up to the like zeale And God grant we may doe so with God that God may deale so with us and with our seed for ever But the fact of Phinehas hath something extraordinarie He stood up Being a private man and a Priest he used the Sword so some observe but that hee was a private man is not so true Besides the High Priest there were other chiefe Priests which had charge of many both persons and things the Bookes of Numbers Chronicles and the Gospel cleare this point And that Gods pleasure was that the Priests should sometimes use the Sword it is plaine by the examples of Eli Samuel and the Maccabees Iudges and reformers of the Common-wealth oâ— Israel the two first expressely thereunto called of God and the thirds lawfull power may be argued by the manifold blessings it was accompanied with from God But this was in defect of Civill Power which ordinarily by Gods appointment beares the Sword and we must be well warranted before such examples be imitated when there is a Civill Governour the Priest can have no pretext to usurpe the Authoritie of the Governour The greater is the sinne of the B. of Rome who hath combined so great a Sword with so great a Key and executeth ungodly zeale with unjust power But Phinees his case is not such God beares witnesse to his zeale and approves his fact his zeale was discernable onely of God but the fact excusable in the judgement of men not onely commendable by the witnesse of God For against the sinne God had pronounced death Moses had specified the kind of death they were backward that should have executed the Sentence but rather then God should be openly dishonoured the Magistrates charge not obeyed up stood Phinees and by him the parties were executed So that Phinees did debase himselfe to be an Executioner rather then exalt himselfe as an Vsurper he leveld his action by Gods and Moses his former direction which I observe the rather because some too farre amplifie the irregularitie of Phinees his fact and some are too forward upon warrant of this Example to usurpe the Magistrates Sword but neither find good ground to build upon in this Historie I goe on Phinehas stood up and prayed The word hath divers significations and they have bred divers interpretations among both ancient and later Divines The Translations are three The Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did propitiate or pacifie GOD the Chalde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He prayed unto God And some are perswaded that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was then written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither is it improbable for it is no Article of our Creed that the Masoreth containes all various Lections yea there are strong presumptions to the contrarie Those that are later then either the Septuagint or Chalde and whose Masters I suppose were worse translate it He executed judgement whose ground is the Conjugation of the Verbe enforcing as they thinke this for the fittest signification But it cannot be justified that this is the onely signification of that Conjugation and the places alledged may make it