of God and this is the assurance that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth vs. Faith is an hand or arme by which wee lay hold vpon blessings if once wee bee perswaded that God hath giuen vs Christ wee will easily beleeue that hee will giue vs all things with him for he that giues the greater will not denie the lesse Our Sauiour when diseased persons came for bodily health or ease was wont to say According to thy faith be it vnto thee so in all our requests the presence or absence of faith giues our prayer returne according to the weakenesse or strength of the arme of faith so is the coldnesse or abundance of comfort to our heart so that faith onely giues taste and rellish to the prayer which a beleeuer makes Fifthly Christ in his prayer teacheth vs to begin with Our Father teaching thereby that he must call God Father who must pray acceptably and that includeth sundry child-like affections all concurring in a rightly disposed person to pray as first Reuerence and feare when hee comes before his heauenly Father A Sonne honoreth his Father If then I bee a Father where is mine honor and feare Malach. 1. 6. Secondly a child-like boldnesse comming through Christ to a Father full of mercy and compassion pittying his children more then earthly parents can Isa. 49. 15. By Christ we haue boldnesse Heb. 4. 16. Thirdly loue to God as to a Father for a godly man seekes not himselfe in prayer but Gods glory with his owne shame Fourthly charity and loue to our brethren for when wee come into the sight of our Father wee dare not bring prayers in one hand and malice in another but pray Forgiue vs as we forgiue Sixtly onely the godly man can pray acceptably because hee alone hath remoued the barre and partition-wall that stood betweene God and him bringing repentance and godly sorrow for sin with him The blinde man could say God heareth not sinners that is impenitent ones but hee heareth those that are repentant Psal. 66. 18. If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me Incense in the Law was a type of prayer yet in Isa. 1. 13. the Lord tells the Iewes who came in their sinnes that incense was an abomination vnto him God hates our incense our prayer if we come with prophane hearts as they did he neither receiues it from vs nor we any good thing from him but a godly man hath remoued this rub First Note hence the miserable condition of an impenitent sinner and of an vngodly man that is without remorse and wallowes in vnconscionable sinnes hee cannot pray he neuer prayed in all his life he was neuer in mercy heard in his prayer but loseth all his labour and well if it were no worse for all his prayer is turned into sinne his prayer is abominable Prom. 28. 9. as often as he went about to pray he did nothing but multiply sinne against God he mumbled vp a few prayers and fared accordingly If this be so then it seemes vnlawfull for the wicked to pray if he pray not it is condemnation if he pray it is no lesse He is bound to pray but not to sinne in prayer in the second Commandement hee is inioyned to bow downe and worship God in prayer and the third bindes him euer to doe it well lest he pray in sinne and so take Gods name in vaine Alas then what must he doe only the grace of repentance can reconcile these two and draw the sinner out of this maze and make him pray aright Yea but God heareth the wicked often-times and granteth what they aske as peace vnto Ahab vpon his humiliation God heareth what a wicked man saith in prayer and yet heares not his prayer no not when he giues the same thing that he asketh for first all that the wicked get from him is externall and common to good and bad but no one fauour of speciall grace Secondly he giues them euen that in wrath and vengeance not for their prayers sake Thirdly when they aske things good in themselues and euill for them not knowing to vse them aright hee granteth in iustice what it had beene mercy to haue denyed as contrariwise hee heareth his children in mercy denying them that which they haue sinfully asked Fourthly that which he giues shall turne to their woe and miserie and shall but heape coles vpon their heads euen wealth prosperitie and dignitie all shall but make their sinne out of measure sinfull whereas all things shall worke together for the best to the godly euen crosses and afflictions Fifthly God giues nothing but by vertue of the promise no promise but is by Christ a wicked man hath no part in Christ and therefore neither in the promise a plaine case Sixtly neither is the wicked mans prayer a meanes of granting the request or obtayning his desire so as God stil heares not his prayer for how can that prayer finde accesse or acceptance which is not preferred in Christ but they are fed onely by a generall prouidence as the beasts are Psal. 14. 4. The wicked man calls not on the Lord that is either prayes not at all or as good he did not Let this be a motiue to further our repentance for else if a man vtter neuer so many words of prayer God will not heare him how iust is it that he that will not heare God when he calleth should not be heard of God when hee calleth that he that is a prophane mocker of God God should mocke him in his destruction that he that turnes his eare from the Law should haue Gods eare turned from him that he should aske and not receiue that asketh amisse How iust was it vpon the Iewes who were cruell and of bloudy hands that God should hate their persons and prayers and is it not as iust that vnmercifull men Oppressors Vsurers Ismaels Quarrellers whose hand is against euery man and euery mans against them hard-hearted persons that stop their eares against the cry of the poore that they should cry and not be heard Surely the sentence is passed already that iudgement mercilesse belongs to him that shewes no mercy Secondly this doctrine ouerthrowes the idle conceit wherewith numbers of men delude themselues O if they haue but time at their death to say Lord haue mercy then they shall doe well enough though all their life they cast off all care and counsell But what Is the godly man he that shall pray and find mercy and shall prophane wretches that haue set their faces all their dayes against heauen thinke to bee heard in the day of their distresse and death How canst thou then claime any one promise and much lesse all when thou neuer keptest the least condition of faith and repentance How then shall God be iust who hath said that he will laugh at such when their sorrow commeth Besides we must obserue a
thy worthinesse is the sense of vnworthinesse and an apprehension of Christs worthinesse What worthinesse was in Israel when the Lord couered her with his skirt and shee became his Did shee not wallow in her blood and filthinesse And is not God the same promising and performing mercie to them that confesse their sinnes and forsake them Oh but my sinnes haue abounded and haue so separated betweene God and mee that I doubt I shall neuer finde him Not so For where sinne hath abounded grace hath abounded much more and in the forgiuenesse of many sinnes God shall haue honour of much mercy and loue from the sinner in greater measure And if hee delighted in the death of a sinner or tooke pleasure in the death of him that dyes any one sin would furnish him with matter of reuenge enough but he is much in pardoning and delights therein The Apostle Paul saith I was a persecutor an oppressor a blasphemer c. yet God had mercie on me to be an ensample in time to come to all that should beleeue in Christ Iesus Alas he sinned of ignorance but I of knowledge against the light of my minde the voice of God the motions of his Spirit the cryes of my owne conscience and haue so quenched and grieued the Spirit that hee will come no more I may not look to finde God as Paul did Tell mee when Iohn said The blood of Iesus Christ his Son cleanseth vs from all sinne 1. Epist. 1. 7. doth he meane onely sinnes of ignorance No verily and if GOD haue made no distinction of small great sinnes sinnes of knowledge and of ignorance of weaknesse and of presumption you may iustly and must defie a distinguishing deuill Thirdly the godly must bee incouraged by this doctrine to seek the Lord in a time when he may be found Oh that I knew that time when is it First one time of finding is when a man hath beene truely humbled and-toucht for his sinne Of this time our Prophet speakes in the Text after humiliation Dauid found God and teacheth that euery godly man shall then find him It is the troubled spirit that God respects and at whom else doth the Lord looke Isai. 66. 2. CHRIST came not to the righteous in their owne conceit but to call laden and humble sinners Secondly another time of finding God is when all good meanes and care haue been vsed to finde him God will not be found at first because he will try the diligence of his seruants in which hee sees the price they set vpon him and the thing asked The Spouse in her bed cannot finde Christ but if she get out and vse all good meanes enquiring and seeking after him at last hee is found and a godly heart cannot but thinke that the comforts Christ brings with him are worth all his paines and labour And it will manifest our care if wee seeke him First early as Prou. 8. 17. I loue them that loue mee and those that seeke mee early shall finde mee Secondly if we seeke him with all our heart as Deut. 4. 29. Thou shalt find him if thou seeke him with all thy heart and all thy soule Thirdly in perseuerance not by starts and fits as the carelesse and temporizers but as the Church that neuer rests till she finde him Thirdly another time of finding God is the godly mans extremitie and vrgent necessitie for that is Gods opportunitie The Lord will be a refuge for the poore a refuge in due time euen in affliction when hee hath no refuge elsewhere Psal. 9. 9. and Psa. 10. 1. Why hidest thou thy selfe O Lord in due time euen in affliction Deut. 4. 29 30. When thou art in tribulation and all these things are come vpon thee at the length if thou returne to the Lord he wil not forsake thee When Ionas was wrapt with waues and weedes in the bottome of the Sea hee cryed and God spake to the fish to set him on land Dauid called out of the deepe and God heard him Moses cryed at the Red Sea and then God was found Christ in his agonie in the garden prayed and GOD sent the Angels to comfort him Abraham found God three dayes after the commandement on the mount And after three dayes when the case was hopelesse and the Disciples faith was a little preiudiced Christ rose againe Therefore wait thou art not yet in the deepes nor yet at the mount the third day is not yet come Fourthly another time of finding God is when God offers himselfe to be found in the preaching of the Gospell for by it God comes and knockes at our doore and seekes entrance Reu. 3. 20. and the opportunitie of the Gospell is called the day of saluation and the day of visitation Let vs walke while wee haue the light this is the acceptable time The Iewes knew it not till it was past and they were left in their sinnes let vs take heed it be not so with vs. How can wee want motiues to seeke the Lord with comfort and assurance of finding him for First God hath a fatherly care ouer vs and as a faithfull Shepheard seekes thee leauing ninetie nine to saue one and is not he willing to be found if thou seeke him oh goc and meet him Secondly Christ seekes and sues to thee Open vnto me my beloued and why should not wee set open the gates of our hearts that the King of glory may enter in Euen when wee runne away from him hee seekes vs and offers vs conditions of loue hee runnes after fugitiue ADAM that if hee will beleeue in the promised Messiah hee shall bee saued And haue not wee encouragement enough to knocke at the doore of his mercy Thirdly consider what a wofull threatning is sent out against such as will not seeke the Lord as Zeph. 1. 6. Hee will stretch out his hand against all them that turne from him that sought not the Lord nor inquired after him and Zech. 7. 13. It is come to passe that as I cryed and they would not heare so they cryed and I would not heare saith the Lord of Hosts Fourthly the Gospell is the hammer by which God still knockes now if thou wilt lay hold on mercy offered thou shalt haue a blessed answere but if thou wilt bolt vp thy heart with securitie and ignorance how can he come vnto thee Christ when hee was borne found no roome in the Inne but was content to lie in the Stable and surely the world is no changeling it is as vnthankfull still men are loth to make Christ a roome in the Inne of their hearts If now in his glory he would be content with Stables that is hearts filled with noysome lusts as so many filthy beasts this roome they could afford him But know that hee is past infancie and abasement and hath shewed himselfe a Lord of glory and will haue a roome and entertainement like himselfe and if thou
his brothers sinnes so much as he can Men haue nimble eyes to rip other mens sinnes to the bottome whereas loue would couer a multitude of sinnes Can we looke for a Sea of mercy from God and will not let one drop fall on our brethren VERSE 2. To whom the Lord imputeth not sinne THis is the third phrase wherein the Prophet setteth down free remission of sinne In the words are two things first what must not bee imputed Sinne. Secondly who must not impute it the Lord. But before wee enter into the phrase one question may be mooued Why doth the Prophet vse such variety of phrases as easing couering not imputing of sinne any one seemed enough to expresse his minde For sundrie weighty reasons as First to shake if it were possible the drowsinesse and deadnesse of men who are without sense of this doctrine for the most haue cast their conscience on a sleepe or slumber and while they turne away from the iudgements of God or fauour their owne lusts are farre from seeing the danger of sinne and their vnfeelingnesse causeth them to sing peace to themselues therefore the Prophet implying sinne to be first an vnsupportable burden secondly a lothsome nakednesse and filthinesse and thirdly a desperate and infinite debt would driue out the lazie to seeke peace with God and neuer hold such peace with their sinnes Secondly to shew how hardly a troubled conscience receiueth comfort in this perswasion that his sinnes are forgiuen and therefore needeth more force and perfwasion whence it is that as needing a speciall prop in the Lords prayer that Petition is backed with a reason Forgiue as we doe for giue and secondly we haue not only Gods promises for this Article as for others but his oath also for hee hath sworne to put away our sinnes though he cannot lie that wee might haue strong consolation Thirdly that by all these formes of speech we might conceiue a plenaric pardon and full remission of all sin guilt and punishment temporall and eternall If we be eased then the punishment is forgiuen as well as the fault else were there little ease If God see it not hee seekes out no rods for it If the sinne be couered so are we also from punishment If the Lord impute not sinne how can he iustly punish it only guilt bindes to punishment but here is no guilt it is forgiuen it is couered it is not imputed Besides remission and satisfaction are opposite that is not remitted which is punished Lastly the Apostle addeth Coloss. 2. 14. that the bill or bond is cancelled if the hand-writing be cancelled there remaines no action Fourthly to note the persons to whom and the degrees by which this happinesse is attayned The persons are such as are weary laden burdened and broken-hearted those not who lye snorting and sleeping in sinfull pleasures nor such as swell in conceit of their wealth and righteousnesse are puffed with an opinion of felicitie but such as see their pouertie and inabilitie to discharge their debt such as who by the stirring of their conscience and spirit of bondage haue beene driuen out to seeke happinesse in Christ and out of sorrow gayned their ioy Now the staires to rise to this blessednesse are in these three wordes First being pursued by the wrath of God to the sacrifice of Christ that by faith apprehended easeth him of his burthen Secondly the bloud of the couenant purgeth him from an euill conscience and the robe of Christs righteousnesse couers the corruption of his nature so as God with a cleere countenance can behold him and thirdly because he is still subiect to sinne and pressed as with a weight the Lord imputes not his weaknesses to him but makes them as if they were not and thus giues him heauen before heauen by these degrees he iustifieth the vngodly Now to the phrase it selfe The word imputation signifieth properly an accounting reckoning and allowing some thing to another of fauour as marchants who when they will forgiue a debt doe not put it into the reckoning and so doe not impute it Here it is vsed metaphorically and not to impute sinne is an action of God whereby he putteth out of his booke and reckoning the sinnes and transgressions of beleeuers and by imputing to them the righteousnesse of Christ to become theirs makes all their vnrighteousnesse as if it had neuer beene as contrarily when he requireth the sinne and inflicteth the penaltie he is said to impute it How can God account of sinne as no sinne or if hee doe how can he be iust It is proper to God to account of things that are not as if they were yet without any violence or impeachment to his iustice for though hee impute not the sinne to the beleeuing sinner himselfe yet he doth to his surety Iesus Christ of whom he exacteth his whole debt One cannot be wise by the wisedome of another nor learned by the learning of another and therfore it seemes one cannot stand righteous by the righteousnesse of another Christ and the beleeuing Christian are one as two ordinarie men cannot be and therefore the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to the beleeuer is the beleeuers owne righteousnesse by reason of that vnion which is between Christ the head and the members But the same soule that sinneth shall die This must be vnderstood with these exceptions first if he continue in his sinne without repentance Secondly if he become not a beleeuer in Christ. But there is no man but abideth a sinner so long as he carryeth the body of flesh about him So soone as a man is iustified hee is vnguilty before God and further that sinne which is present with him is in-dwelling sinne but not raigning so as he is not denominated from it But euery man doth daily fall from his righteousnesse both by reason of inherent corruption and of actuall sinnes which passe from him and therefore faileth of the former imputed righteousnesse No the couenant of God is an euerlasting couenant more stable then the Mountaynes and no vnfaithfulnesse of man can make God vnfaithfull Isa. 54. 10. The Mountaynes shall remoue and the Hills shall fall downe but my mercy shall not depart from thee neither shall the couenant of my peace fall away saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee The phrase of not imputing sinne implyeth this doctrine that Sinne is a debt and often the word debt is put for sinne as Matth. 6. in the Lords prayer Forgiue vs our debts what Matthew calls debts Luke calls sinnes Matth. 18. 24. In the Parable the King begun to reckon with one that owed him a thousand talents Luc. 7. 47. Of the sinfull woman many debts are forgiuen her therefore shee loued much Luc. 13. 4. Thinke yee that those on whom the Tower of Siloam fell were greater debters then the rest Now we may not thinke that sinnes are therefore called debts because
heresie vpon these rather then the godly not deseruing it Thirdly this is a ground of instruction how to carry our selues towards them that are afflicted in soule and soundly humbled that we aggrauate not their sinnes or the danger of their estate but rather comfort them seeing they can and doe speake more basely and thinke more vilely of themselues then we can doe It is the part of a miserable comforter to adde sorrow to the afflicted Old Eli should haue had more compassion on Annah and not haue beene so inconsiderate as to say shee was drunken Oh my Lord said she I am not drunken but my soule is troubled within mee 1. Sam. 1. 16. It was the fault of Iobs friends that in stead of comfort they went about to proue him an hypocrite Of such the Church complaineth in the Canticles Thus I was wounded in the house of my friends If Gods childrens estate be alreadie heauy they lay it heauier on them But blessed is he that wisely iudgeth the poore Fourthly seeing in confession of sinne a man should become his owne greatest enemie we must conscionably vse the meanes to become our owne enemies not the enemies of our bodies but of our owne body of sinne And what are these meanes These First let vs search and sift our selues our estates and wayes Zeph. 2. 1. Fanne your selues fanne your selues O Nation not worthy to be loued Lam. 3. 40. Let vs search and try our wayes and turne againe vnto the Lord. Let vs carry lights into our soules to see the secrets of them Ier. 3. 13. Know thine iniquitie How by the Law of God whereby commeth knowledge of sinne the more insight into the Law the more sight of sinne miserie being right it selfe it is index sui obliqui shewing vs what to do and what is done amisse See Ier. 6. 8. Secondly let vs take knowledge of the rottennesse and corruptnesse of our nature for if wee could see our nature aright we should finde iust cause enough to hate our selues it being a stinking sinke a filthy puddle and an impure fountaine that sends forth muddy streames a bitter roote sending out odious fruit such as whereby we shew our selues enemies to God and righteousnesse hauing the spawne of all sinne in our hearts Thirdly meditate on the greatnesse of sinne examine in what degree and circumstances thou hast sinned and as thou hast risen in the degrees of sinne so rise accordingly in the degrees of humiliation and hatred of them and of thy selfe for them A low degree of humiliation will not serue Dauid and Manasseh when their sinnes are in high degrees Fourthly let vs looke vpon our sinnes in the numberlesse kindes of them in the fountaine and streames of them in wandring thoughts idle words and prophane hurtfull actions sinnes by omission of good and commission of euill sinnes of knowledge and presumption or of ignorance Psal. 19. 12. for many sinnes we know not which we must giue vp to the Lord to bee searched by him and by his mercy either to be brought to our remembrance or graciously passed by sinnes of youth or past to repent vs of them and of age either present to grone vnder them or future to feare and preuent In regard hereof say Lord who knoweth the errours of this life they are in number as the haires of our head Fiftly let vs labour to see the danger of our sinnes for he that sees an euill will be the more carefull to preuent the danger of it First see the danger of sinne in the infinite Maiestie of God offended for he will set himselfe stubbornely against all offenders that haue not set themselues against themselues in regard of their sinnes and put forth his wrath in flaming fire to render vengeance vpon the disobedient Secondly in trampling vnder foote the blood of the Couenant as an vnholy thing God sent his onely Son Christ Iesus from heauen to take our nature vpon him and to shed his blood for vs and yet in sinning we tread it vnder foote what a dangerous thing is this See Heb. 10. 29. Thirdly in quenching the motions of Gods good Spirit who hath often striuen with vs in the ministerie and betrusted vs with his gifts and graces Ephes. 4. 30. 1. Thes. 5. 19. Fourthly in staining our honourable profession which we should rather haue adorned and beautified as though other men would not debase our profession enough vnlesse we doe too We should walke worthy of our high Calling 1. Thes. 2. 12. and in holinesse whereunto we are called chap. 4. 7. being Saints by calling 1. Cor. 1. 2. and ought to bee holy as hee which hath called vs is holy 1. Pet. 1. 15. What a shame is it to infringe so excellent priuiledges Fiftly in repetition of sinne when wee commit the same sinne againe againe euery yeere moneth weeke and day yea euery moment of the day Better had it been for vs to haue been Gentiles and Painims who neuer knew the trueth then to heare sinne reprooued and yet rush presumptuously into it and after repentance to wallow againe in the mire See 2. Pet. 2. 21 22. it is a pittifull and lamentable thing that a man should wash himselfe from sinne by repentance and then go and pull Gods vengeance vpon him againe by tumbling himselfe in them Sixthly and lastly the danger of sinne is great because wee haue sinned against such great meanes of sanctification as namely first against our vowes made in baptisme and renued in the supper or which wee haue made of our selues vpon certaine occasions that wee would doe such or such things no more all these wee haue kept very slenderly or not at all whereas ciuill honestie requires performance of a promise made to man and is it nothing not to keep touch with God who hath commanded vs to keepe touch with men Remember the precept Eccles. 5. 3. Secondly against the light and checkes of conscience and is this nothing Christ saith This is the condemnation of the world that light is come into the world and men loue darknesse more then the light Rom. 1. 18 21. Wee reade that God plagued the Gentiles for neglecting the means of knowledge by the creatures how much more will he punish vs that professe the light of grace and yet spurne against it as if we were still in the night of darkenesse how many among vs liue in a number of sinnes more odiously then did many of the Gentiles who could liue somewhat ciuilly and honestly in respect of our outragious enormities Thirdly against many of Gods corrections both in our selues and in others when a childe receiues no good by correction we thinke his parents wil goe neere to thrust him out of doores so is it betweene God and vs. See an excellent place Dan. 5. 18. to 29. Because we are no whit benefited by other mens chastizements the sentence is not far off but
creatures and therefore he cannot seeke God to finde him A man that seekes a lost iewell lookes still to see that for other things comming in his way hee sees not them but passeth sleightly ouer them hee seekes not them so hee that seekes GOD makes inquisition onely for himselfe no other thing contents him but himselfe no other thing takes vp his minde and therefore the worldling indeede wants not God nor seekes him Secondly if the godly man seeke God in prayer then he frequents the places where God hath promised to bee found Hee hath pleased to tye himselfe to the assemblies of the Saints that there those that would meet with him might be sure to finde him Gracelesse men therefore are they that turne their backes vpon God that leaue the Church and assemblies that take their horse and trauell about worldly businesses on the Sabboth day with pretence that they can pray as well in the way and serue God on horseback as well as the best But they are deluded by the Deuill whom they serue they haue no God but their belly and their wealth And is it not a strange enchantment that while a man runnes from God from his presence and assemblies yet hee should thinke to meete with him and finde him And so he shall hee will at last meete with thee and finde thee out in thy hypocrisie and if his patience let thee goe on waiting for amendment remember that he is fetching a stroke which the higher it is lifted the heauier it will fall Be warned by others example A certaine Noble man for hunting vsually on the Lords day had a child borne with the head of a dogge that seeing he preferred his dogges before the seruice of God he might haue one of his owne getting to make much of Theatr. Histor. Also a Flaxe-woman at Kimstat in France dressing her Flaxe commonly on the Sabboth for meere couetousnesse and eager greedinesse vpon the world after two faire admonitions on two Sabboths together by fire was the third day burnt with her Flaxe and two children A warning for women who on the Lords day minde their Brewing Baking Buckes-driuing c. and will not be reclaimed A certaine man working hard at haruest on the Sabboth in the meane time a fire kindled in his barne and consumed all according to the word of the Lord Ier. 17. 27. At Paris garden at a Beare-bayting anno 1583. eight persons were slaine many hurt and all affrighted by the sudden breaking of the scaffold Thus God hath waies enow to finde out prophane persons thou canst not runne from God but thou shalt know how farre thou art gone from him and thou that carest not to find him shalt be sure he will find thee in iudgement and if thou growest rich by breaking Gods holy Sabbath the Lord sends leannesse into thy soule and the rust of thy money shall crie out against thee one day Oh this is the money which I haue got by breaking the Sabbath The like may be said of them that banish Gods worship and godly speech from their houses and tables Oh they will haue no such salt at their bankets such words are neuer seasonable whereas they ought rather to bring in goodnesse into their families then nip it in the head and cast the Arke out of their houses So much of the first doctrine the second followes and is this There is a time when God will not be found though he be sought And this is true both in the wicked and the godly first the wicked still pray in a time of not finding God if they seeke they neuer finde as Luk. 13. 24. Many shall seeke to enter but shall not be able Iames 4. 5. Yea aske and haue not because ye aske amisse now the wicked alwaies aske amisse Iohn 9. The poore blinde man concluded against al the Scribes and Pharises that Christ was a good man and righteous because God heard him First because the promise of hearing prayer is not made to the prayer it selfe but to the person praying and not vnto him farther then he is inuested with Christs righteousnesse in whom he and his prayer is accepted Secondly God wil not be found when he is not sought in truth of heart which can be found no where but in a conuerted person for then he is truly sought when the heart bringeth these things first an earnest desire of recōciliation for no sacrifice is acceptable but from a contrite heart Secondly a speciall word and promise Aske what is agreeable to his will and you shall obtaine it 1. Iohn 5. 14. Thirdly a speciall faith in the promise which is necessarie to a true seeker Iames 1. 6. Let him aske in faith And Mark 11. 24. If yee beleeue yee shall haue what yee aske Fourthly it brings the exercises of pietie and mercy a putting off of the old man and a putting on of the new Isai. 1. Wash and cleanse you and then come and seeke me These conditions a wicked man cannot performe in seeking and therefore he findes not Thirdly the wicked seeke not commonly till the time of finding be past they seeke too late so did the foolish Virgins it was too late when the gate was shut it was too late for Pharaoh in the sea it was too late for Esau to seeke repentance and the blessing with teares hee prophanely reiected it while it was in his power While they haue light commonly they spurne at it and while the day lasteth are idle they neuer seeke God till they must needes and therefore when the night comes they cannot worke or helpe themselues Fourthly if we consider what the finding of God is we shall see they cannot finde him Then God is found first when according to the prayer of faith he visiteth vs in mercy Secondly when by some signe of his mercy hee testifieth a fatherly care and loue ouer vs. Thirdly when he vouchsafeth not a generall but a speciall and gracious presence with vs Thus Hos. 10. 12. the Church seeketh God till she finde him But how is this finding exprest thus till he comes and raines downe righteousnesse vpon vs that is when by the power and dew of his Spirit our hearts otherwise like a drie and barren ground are watered so as his Word may bring vp in vs blessed fruites of righteousnesse acceptable to God But no wicked man hath any testimonie of Gods care ouer him as his Father but onely as a Lord neither enioyeth he more then a generall presence not the presence of any speciall loue Ahab praying in hypocrisie was heard in mercy and his prayer obtained a remoouall of the euill threatned 1. King 21. 29. Gods mercie is twofold first temporall secondly spirituall God often giues to hypocrites to be heard in temporall mercies as here an externall humilitie is recompensed with an externall benefit a temporall repentance with a temporall deliuerance but for any spirituall deliuerance from the guilt and bonds
of his sinne or any spirituall blessing concerning saluation in Christ to come from God as a father this Ahab did neither seeke nor could finde Secondly in temporall things the wicked are not heard in mercy so much as in iustice not in loue but in anger and wrath Thus the Israelites asked Quailes and had them but While the meate was in their mouthes the wrath of God was vpon them Psalm 78. 30. The same people asked a King and he gaue them one in wrath as himselfe said afterwards It is not alwaies a mercie that God grants a request for then the Lord had shewed mercy to the deuill to whom none belongs when hee granted him his request against Iob and the Swine wheras he did it for to bee a meanes of his owne shame and iudgement Secondly the godly also seeke sometimes when God will not be found but this must be vnderstood with two cautions First for the present he will not be found as Cant. 3. 2 4. the Church sought Christ whom her soule loued but found him not shee went a little farther and found him How strange did Christ shew himselfe to the woman of Canaan what grim countenance and contempt shewed he by his silence not vouchsafing to speak to her and when hee spoke what rough and churlish words gaue he to a woman in that distresse calling her a Dogge and yet in two or three words more shee heard from him Be it vnto thee euen as thou wilt Secondly in their sense God will not be found though indeede he neuer sends away emptie the prayer of faith for though hee obscures his face as the Church complaines and couers himselfe with a cloud that our prayers cannot come vnto him yet the very sustaining of vs in seeking to him argues his presence When the prodigall sonne was but resoluing to goe to his father the father went out to meete him with compassion and loue while he was yet a farre off and had no sense of it Thus Dauid often complaines Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer hath he forgotten to be mercifull and will he be neuer more intreated Why art thou so farre from the words of my complaint thou makest as if thou heardest not And what be the reasons that the godly finde not the Lord alwaies first the Lord will not bee found of the godly to chasten and correct them for their sinnes Why cannot the Church finde Christ seeking him so earnestly Cant. 3. 1 because she will seeke him in her bed and prouide for her owne ease and is loth to rise out of her bed sometimes in the Streets where shee list and not where she should sometimes she is heauie to go to the tents of shepheards or the Temple sometime shee hath reiected him when he offered himselfe kindly Cant. 5. 3 6. she wil not receiue him at the threshold and therefore she must trudge vp and downe after him and he will be farre from her finding Secondly the Lord will not be found of a long time that the continuance of their trouble might let euen his owne children see the greatnesse of their sinnes which haue plunged them so farre into Gods displeasure as now he will not be intreated For if our corrections were alwaies light and short we would not conceiue sufficiently the weight of our sinnes And this dealing of God though it may a while dismay his children yet is good for them that they may throughly feele their sinne and being bitten with it might both seriously humble themselues for the present and beware of it for time to come Thirdly God will not alway be found oftentimes to trie their faith hope patience and obedience Abraham must not find God retrayting his heauie commandement till the third day till hee was on the Mount and had bound Isaac to the wood Iob was tried to the vttermost before he could find God taking his part and so became a mirror of patience The Canaanitish woman was held off so long that her faith might bee a shame to all the Iewes she being a Gentile and therefore Christ said O woman great is thy faith Fourthly euen the repentance of the godly in respect of outward afflictions may come too late and God will not be found For though hee will not take his louing kindnesse from them yet if they be stubberne in sinne he will visit them with the rods of men If the decree bee once gone forth they shall frustrate many meanes and he will not repent nor spare nor bee intreated Ezech. 24. 13 14. Thou remainest in thy filthinesse and wickednes because I would haue purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinesse till I haue caused my wrath to light vpon thee c. Moses no question repented of the sinne in that hee glorified not God at the waters of strife yet in regard of the temporall correction it came too late he must not goe into Canaan Notwithstanding all Dauids repentance and praying the childe of adulterie must die because if once God passe sentence it may not be called backe Therefore Search O search your selues O people not worthy to be loued before the decree come forth Zeph. 2. 1 2. Fifthly the Lord will not be found often for a time to the sense of his children to whet vp their desires after him both to make them long after him in his longer absence and also to make more account of his presence as the Mother stands behinde a doore and lets the Childe cry after her it sees it owne weakenesse and gets a knock and thereby perceiues the need of her Further we enioy no good thing as health wealth or libertie but the harder it is come by the more it is set by and whatsoeuer lightly comes lightly goes a disease easily cured is easily incurred and not so carefully preuented Cant. 3. 3. When the Spouse had sought Christ here and there and could no where finde him at length finding him shee tooke fast hold on him and would not let him goe Sixtly God will not alway be found that wee might herein see a resemblance of that eternall displeasure of God against impenitent sinners when as those that seeke after the Lord with true repentance stick in their trouble and cannot easily get discharge This vse Peter maketh 1. Epist. 4. 17. If iudgement begin at the house of God what shall be the end of those that obey not the Gospell and if the righteous scarcely be saued where shall the vngodly and the sinner appeare But to whom then is that promise made Matth. 7. 7. Seeke and yee shall finde if the godly seeke and find not To the godly but first all such promises goe with exception of the Crosse for tryall and correction Secondly we must distinguish between Gods delayes and denyalls he giues not that we aske for the present but giues it after when we are fitter to receiue it and the giuing will make more to
his glory and our comfort Abraham Zachary Annah prayed no doubt for children in their yong dayes but were not heard till they were stricken in yeeres whereby God had more glory and themselues more exercise experience and comfort Thirdly God is found often in another kinde better for vs when we thinke he will not be found as in Paul Hee prayed God to remoue the pricke of the flesh but God would not be found in that yet he was in supplying sufficient grace Christ himselfe praied that the cup might passe from him his Father was not found in that particular but hee was found in passing him well through it which was far better So if God giue not the particular we aske but some thing better then it for it as patience exercise and increase of grace and strength that holds the heart in faithfull expectance who can denie but that he is found and sometimes God giues more then our request and is this a denyall A poore man askes a penny we giue him a shilling is this to denie his request Fourthly the godly in seeking are tyed to some conditions of which if they faile let them blame their owne vnfaithfulnesse and not the faithfulnesse of God who cannot denie them as First if they seeke not according to his Will or as his Word alloweth but as Zebede's Sonnes they know not what they aske they must haue not what is good for them but what seemeth good to them this was Moses his fault see Deut. 3. 25 26. Secondly if they aske without faith in wauering and doubting of Gods hearing or answere Thirdly if they aske without patient wayting the Lords leisure making more haste then good speed prescribing the manner and time of hearing which sinne was noted in the Israelites Psal. 78. 41. they limited or stinted the holy one of Israel here it is iust that the Lord is not found of his owne seruants But keepe the conditions of seeking and in some of these wayes the promise is true Seeke and yee shall finde Well if there be a time when God will not be found then must the godly hence learne rightly to conceiue of Gods not hearing their prayer for it proueth not that either they are out of Gods fauour and loue as hastie persons are ready to gather and conclude against themselues The Lord regards them not oh hee hath broken the bottle of their teares and they are none of his children or that the Lord grudgeth their good or is loth to afford it them or to discourage them to the breaking off of their prayers or God hath forgotten his promise But it serues to teach them to turne against their sinnes which hide good things from them and to ioyne watching against euill with wishing and prayer for good Secondly the longer our prayers are put off enter we into a more serious examination seuere proceeding against our sinnes Thirdly say thus with thy selfe The Lord now tries my faith patience loue hope and perseuerance I must not limit him as the Bethulians did or send for him in post-hast but wait his leisure though the vision stay be yet appointed for a time yet at length it shal speake and not lye Hab. 2. 3. And were it fit for a subiect by poste to send for the King Fourthly it may bee I know not well what I aske and the Lord knowes to giue mee better or aboue that I aske If it bee a good thing perhaps it is not good for me or not yet I must be kept humble still with a pricke in the flesh to let out my winde of vaine-glory What haue I a promise for that I pray for else I offer strange fire And is not this promise conditionall let me pervse it and so pray Fiftly doubtlesse the thing I aske is worth more prayer and more labour and I vnder-value it God by this delay would make mee know the worth of it by hard obtayning and learne to vse it well when I haue it that I may not forfeit it great things must bee sought with great affection Sixtly I must know my prayer is a seed-time it is sowne in heauen and cast into the bosome of God and as we cannot sow and reape presently but the husband-man waits patiently a whole winter so must I wait the comming vp of my prayers for certainely if the prayer of faith presently returne vs not some good it layes vp good in store for vs to enioy afterward And if God intend my bettring by present denial of my prayer so must I. Secondly the godly must learne hence to pray for their prayers seeing it is so hard for them to pray well to the end that they may finde entrance to God and acceptation before him Thou that hast not found God vpon thy prayer tell me Hast thou prayed that God would heare thee therein and direct thee to pray aright Know this for certaine Thou must sanctifie all things euen the word and prayer by the word and prayer Take vp Dauids practice Psal. 119. 169 170. Let my complaint come before thee O Lord and giue me vnderstanding according to thy Word Let my supplication come before thee and deliuer me according to thy promise Or else thou mayest pray in a time of not finding Thirdly the wicked may here see what a great plague is vpon them seeing God reiecteth their prayers and turnes them to sinne First the soule of a naturall man is dead to God and a dead man we know vtters no voyce Secondly seeing we liue at Gods allowance and liberalitie and hee giues not till wee seeke how poore and miserable must they bee that can not seeke him to obtayne Thirdly the strength of a Christian is in his prayer as Sampsons strength was in his haire if this bee taken away he is a prey for all the spirituall Philistims Fourthly it was the curse of Moab to pray and not preuaile and it was the comfortlesse case of Saul in his need not to be answered But God will not deale so roughly with his Creatures as you talke of why he is gracious and ready to heare We acknowledge these attributes of God but what is that to thee that art a Moabite and out of the couenant what will Gods mercy profit thee that lyest in sin vnrepented Mercy belongs onely to the vessels of mercy What good can a conditionall promise doe him that no way performes the condition promises of mercy belong onely to those that keepe the condition of beleeuing There is yet a third doctrine to bee considered and that is this There is a time wherein God will be graciously found of euery godly man if he seeke him Matth. 7. 7. Seeke and yee shall finde this is a generall promise made to all the followers of Christ and Whosoeuer seeketh findeth Ier. 29. 11 12. There is a promise that Gods people shall cry vnto him and he will heare them they shall seeke him and finde him because
Pet. 2. 7. God deliuered iust Lot vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the wicked Thirdly get thy heart washed with the bloud of Christ bee a true Israelite a true beleeuer for God is good to Israel euen to the pure of heart Psal. 73. 1. and Deliuer Israel O Lord. Fourthly get innocency and vprightnesse into thy life to be able to say with DAVID Deliuer me according to mine vprightnesse Fifthly draw daily neerer vnto God and if God bee with thee or thou with him thou needest not feare though thou walkest in the shaddow of death Psal. 2â— 4. and doe this three wayes first get neere him in thy affection loue him in his Word and Image Psal. 91. 14. Because he hath loued me I will deliuer him and exalt him that is set him out of the reach of trouble Secondly in obedience I am thine saith DAVID O saue thy seruant Thirdly in thy confident prayer so Psal. 91. 9. For hee said to the Lord Thou art my refuge VERS 7. Thou art my secret place thou preseruest mee from trouble thou compassest me about with ioyfull deliuerance SELAH NOw followes a second vse of this worthy doctrine of Dauid which concerneth affiance in God when the heart can lay hold vpon God as Dauid doth here First for the present time Thou art my secret place Secondly for time to come Thou shalt preserue mee from trouble and compasse mee about with ioyfull deliuerance Whether these be the wordes of Dauid holding in his soule the sweet sense of remission of sinne or whether it be a forme of prayer which the godly man comming vnto God doth preferre in his presence it is not materiall but howsoeuer it is the speech of one assured of the pardon of his sinnes and from that assurance this confidence ariseth to say Thou art my secret place whence note that The Fountayne of Gods protection and our assurance of deliuerance in trouble is from the remission of sinnes A man cannot say Thou art my secret place till he can say Thou forgauest my sinne Iob 22. 21 to 25. Acquaint thy selfe I pray thee with God and make peace and so shalt thou haue prosperity If thou put away iniquitie the Almightie shall be thy defence when others are cast downe thou shalt say I am lifted vp Psal. 103. 3. The Prophet prouoking his soule to praise the Lord for all his benefits reckons vp the healing of all his infirmities and the redeeming of his life from the graue but before all these hee setteth forgiuenesse of sinnes as the Leader and the cause of all the rest thereby shewing that all other of Gods mercies haue their rise from hence as from their head and originall First sinne layeth open the sinner to all Gods wrath and the curses of the Law in this life the life to come it sets a man as a butt against whom the Lord shooteth all the arrowes of his displeasure sinne not remitted makes vs enemies to God and God to vs so as we cannot expect any other but fruits of hatred Exod. 32. 25. Israel hauing worshipped the Calfe was naked to Gods iudgements and hauing sinned a sinne could not stand before the men of Ai Iosh. 7. 11 12. Sinne is transgression that is a thrusting of vs out of our way and so from vnder Gods protection who hath giuen his Angels charge ouer vs to keepe vs no longer then we are in our way Psal. 91. 11. Secondly this is Gods couenant who promising to put his Law into their inward parts and to write it in their hearts and to become their God and accept them for his people he giueth the reason of all the former articles because he would forgiue their iniquitie and remember their sinnes no more Ier. 31. 33 34. And indeed euery-where wee may obserue how God begins all our good here Ier. 32. 41. First he takes away the sinnes of his people and then delights to doe them good to watch ouer them to build and to plant them And Hos. 2. 17 18 First the Lord takes their Baalim from his people and then makes a couenant and marries his Church vnto himselfe and then to safeguard his Spouse hee makes a league with the Beasts of the field with the Fowles of heauen and creeping things then will hee breake the Bow and Sword and battell out of the earth that they may sleepe safely While man kept couenant with God hee had dominion ouer the Creatures but rebelling against God by sinne the Creatures rebell against him and now God making and renewing his couenant againe with man himselfe reneweth also this clause of it concerning the Creatures that they shall be at peace which is no other then a promise of protection Thirdly confidence is a fruit of faith for wee must first beleeue God to be our God before we can be perswaded that his mercy and truth belongs to vs our ground for our confidence in outward mercies and deliuerances must bee an assurance of his inward loue in which wee may glorie as Psal. 42. 5. Why art thou cast downe O my soule trust in God he is my God and my present helpe And Rom. 8. 33. the Apostle laying this ground It is God that iustifieth challengeth with great confidence principalities and powers things present things to come and all creatures as too weake and impotent to separate vs from Christ. Fourthly what doe the Scriptures else teach vs while euery-where they make the particulars of our comfort fruits of this root as Luk. 1. 74. Deliuerance from all enemies proceedes from the release of the punishment of sinne Our peace with God boldnesse with him accesse to the Throne of grace come from our iustification by faith Rom. 5. 1. Peace at home in our owne soules is a fruit of remission of sinne Luk. 7. 7. Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Goe in peace Yea our whole redemption from first to last from all enemies spirituall and temporall and all the fruits of sinne is called by the name of remission of sinne Ephes. 1. 7. and Col. 1. 14. and in the entrie of our Psalme we haue shewed that all our blessednesse is placed in remission of sinne But then it seemes that where men are not protected and deliuered from danger that their sinnes are not remitted This was the error of the Iewes that they thought those on whom the Tower of Siloam fell greater sinners then the rest and those whose bloud Herod mingled with the sacrifices But wee must know that the Lord doth performe his promises of temporall deliuerances and benefits not absolutely but conditionally so farre as will stand with his wisedome and glorie and the good and saluation of his owne children Sometimes the Viper cannot hurt Paul nor the Lyons Daniel but againe sometimes they may bee ouer-taken with dangers and seeme to be left in them but so as first they are sanctified to the former mayne ends and secondly as they are good for
is either secret or manifest Manifest when he mightily preserues men in the sight of others for the confirmation of the faithfull and confusion of their enemies as the three fellowes of Daniel in the furnace and Daniel himselfe in the den of Lyons Secret and spirituall by which he eternally deliuereth from all trouble those who manifestly seeme to perish as the Martyrs who seemed left in their enemies hand the body is slaine but the soule is preserued and sent to a better life here is a secret spirituall and eternal preseruation these are in occulto coronati Augustine According to which grounds our Prophet is bold to declare his confidence in God being fully assured that the Lord of whom he had so good experience would in all troubles make some way for him and either by himselfe or some other meanes vouchsafe either a secret or a manifest deliuerance But seeing none are more troubled then the faithfull and none indeede lesse preserued from troubles how can Dauid or any other beleeuer so confidently vtter this It is true none are more troubled then Gods children for first there is a perpetuall enmitie betweene the serpent and his seede against the woman that is the Church and her seede and if there be hope that the deuill and the wicked may grow kinde to the godly there may be more hope of lesse trouble Secondly the word of truth hath said In the world yee shall haue tribulation and The world shall laugh but you shall weepe Thirdly the way to heauen is straite and narrow and troublesome because of the crosses it is strewed withall Fourthly experience hath concluded that all that will liue godly in Christ must suffer persecution wherein they are conformable to Christ their head who by the crosse went to the crowne Fifthly the blessing of sound peace and ioy is promised and bestowed onely vpon them that mourne But this is not the meaning of the text that they should be so preserued from trouble which Dauid was neuer without as trouble should neuer come neere them or afflict them but as the word in the original signifieth Thou shalt saue me from the straitnesse or in the distresses of trouble Note that The godly shall not bee exempted from trouble but preserued from it that is kept in it and happily led out of it For Dauid himselfe notwithstanding his confidence here said Certainely I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul 1. Sam. 27. 1. And when he asked God if he had forgot to bee mercifull did he see any way to escape death and danger So as his resolution here is this that though the godly be in neuer so deepe distresse they perish not but are preserued in the straite they are raised out of this depth of miserie and this stablisheth the heart with confidence as the words following intimate Thou shalt compasse me with songs of deliuerance This doctrine and phrase is expressed and confirmed by other places of Scripture Psal. 4. 1. Thou hast set me at libertie when I was in distresse implying that he was in a straite and as it were strongly besieged with enemies or dangers but the Lord inlarged him and so preserued him Psal. 25. 15. He will bring my feet out of the net the godly may be in as great danger as a silly bird in a net but the Lord will breake the net that the bird may escape Psal. 1 24. 7. 2. Cor. 1. 10. who deliuered vs from so great a death and doth deliuer vs in whom we trust that he will hereafter deliuer vs. First Gods care of his children though it free them not from the exercise of troubles yet leaueth them not till he haue deliuered them Can a mother forget her child she may let it get a knocke and feare it with the sense of some danger but leaue it in danger she cannot And who be they towards whom the Lord thinketh thoughts of peace or to whom he will remember mercy but vessels of mercy Once haue I heard saith Dauid yea twice that mercy belongs to God Psal. 72. 11. And therefore it is so true as it can neuer be false once yea twice that is once by the Scriptures and another time by the holy Ghost Secondly Gods promise is that hee will not suffer his to be tempted aboue that they are able to beare and therefore at length they find him as Dauid saith Psalm 73. 2. My feete were almost gone but not altogether the man of God may slip and slide and much adoe to keepe his feete but at worst his feete are but almost gone and this comes from Gods promise Thirdly Gods prouidence limiteth the times in which his Church shall suffer and no longer sometimes a longer time as Israel in Egypt foure hundred yeeres sometimes shorter seuentie yeeres in the Babylonish captiuitie sometimes shorter then so Yee shall suffer tribulation for ten daies Reuel 2. 10. Sometimes three daies as Ionas in the Whales belly and Christ in the graue sometimes but one night Sorrow may indure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning and sometimes there is but an houre for the power of darknesse then Gods time is come and the godly see the saluation of the Lord. Fourthly he preserues them in their troubles by his presence first of power and so a fourth like the Sonne of God was in the furnace with the three children and it is said I will be with thee in sixe troubles and in seuen in fire and water Secondly of grace his right hand is vnder their heads giues them grace sufficient proportions their strength to the burden mitigates their sorrow makes them possesse their soules in patience yea reioyce in sorrow which else would sinke them and at length recompenseth their light affliction with an eternall weight of glory But sometimes the godly are not preserued but made meate for the sword and appointed as sheepe for the slaughter they die of the plague and are slaine in battell as well as others Consider the Church either in the whole or in the parts First the Church for the body of it is euer preserued as in all ages may appeare the case being with it as in a militarie condition wherein although some souldiers bee wounded and slaine as the Martyrs and other godly persons yet the Church carries the victorie out of the field and is preserued the Church for the body of it is euer the conquering part for Michael and his Angels must ouerthrow the Dragon and his angels Secondly the particular members are often slaine and seeme not preserued as Steuen and Iames whom Herod slew Peter Paul c. yet they are first preserued by that secret and spirituall preseruation Secondly sinne and corruption which is alway present with vs makes our preseruation to bee but imperfect Thirdly God turnes the corporall destruction of his Saints to the best so as Heb. 11. 35. They would not be deliuered
well as in crauing mercies they expresse this condition and binde themselues the surer vnto it as Psal. 51. 14. Deliuer me from bloud O Lord and my tongue shall sing ioyfully to thy righteousnesse Hence sprung all those holy vowes of the Saints as of Iaakob Gen. 28. 20 21. and that of Dauid which hee would performe in the midst of the people Psal. 116. 14. This is the ende why God deliuers vs the ende of his mercies and therefore is better then the deliuerance Secondly it is a good thing to praise the Lord Psal. 92. 1. and it well becomes the iust to bee thankefull Psal. 33. 1. for first hereby the Lord shall haue his due which is a part of iustice He is content that we haue the good of his creatures but he reserues the praise of them to himselfe still He is content we should haue the comfort of them onely with this reseruation that the glory of them be his still Secondly it is good for vs for al the benefit of our thankes comes to our selues seeing by it we both retaine the old and inuite new mercies Thirdly it is impossible for such as haue truely tasted Gods mercies but to speake of it sense of mercy in the heart will vntie the tongue fire wil not be kept close but will breake forth And heere is a plaine difference betweene the godly and the wicked They reioyce in the Lord for his mercy whereas the most that these can do is to reioyce in the mercy not in the Lord as a false friend that delights more in the gift of his friend then in the giuer Fourthly the godly know that God doth require not onely the heart to acknowledge him but the tongue as well as that whereby we doe not onely praise God our selues but also excite and stirre vp others to the same And then a mans tongue is his glory when it can readily glorifie God and this sometimes by bare voice and speech and sometimes by singing out his praises as in this place Nay the whole man which is so continuall a receiuer is little enough to manifest the praise of the giuer and because the mercies of God follow all the life of man the whole life and conuersation ought to be framed to the glorifying of God and to expresse our thankfulnesse Fifthly vnthankfulnesse for mercies receiued vnbeseemes a reasonable man much more a Christian man The vnreasonable creatures acknowledge their Masters Feeders and Benefactors as the Oxe and the Asse nay the senselesse earth yeelds all her burden to the tillers of it Heb. 6. 7. and the trees and plants all their fruit to the Gardner that trims them Yea this sinne of vnthankfulnesse leades a man to idolatrie makes him sacrifice to his owne net and ascribe things to his owne power wisedome and industry thrusting God out of sight and out of minde It prouoketh God to take away euen his temporall fauours as Hos. 2. 9 10. When Israel said vers 12. of his Corne Wooll and Oyle These are my rewards that my Louers haue giuen me the Lord answered in displeasure I will take away my Corne and Wooll c. And at length the wicked seruant that doeth not trafficke with his Lords talent for his Masters aduantage hath not only his talent taken away but himselfe cast into vtter darkenesse Let vs therefore take heede we depriue not the Lord of this part of his honor but prouoke our selues to thankefulnesse for so great mercies Let no mercy slip vs without thankefull acknowledgement And to this purpose vse these meanes First learne to acknowledge Gods goodnesse to thy selfe with particular application as Dauid saith here Thou shalt compasse me with songs of deliuerance Not only confesse his goodnesse to others as to Abraham Isaac Iaakob nor only his deliuerances of Noah Daniel Lot but also his mercies to and deliuerances of thy selfe as Paul did Christ gaue himselfe for me and dyed for me This will exceedingly whet vp thankefulnesse whereas only to acknowledge God good in himselfe or to others and not to thy selfe will make thee murmure and repine Secondly set before thee the number of Gods mercies and muster them somtimes take a view of them or because they are numberlesse and so large as they reach vp to heauen suruey them in their heads temporall and spirituall positiue and priuatiue publike priuate and personall either continued or renewed according to thy seuerall necessities and so seeing thy selfe compassed with mercies thy songs and praises may be in the same measure as Dauid takes it vp for his practice As he is compassed with mercies so with songs of deliuerance and thou likewise as the mercies thou receiuest are innumerable oughtest to renew thy songs and praises Thirdly highly prize them according to their goodnesse Psal. 116. 12. 13. Dauid valuing and weighing Gods mercies towards him enters first into a deliberation what he might render to the Lord and finding that the Lord was beyond all that he could recompence in the second place he setteth vpon this determination that when he could finde nothing else he would take the cup of saluation and call vpon the Name of the Lord. And we shall much the better prize them if first we consider our miserie without these mercies euen the least we enioy Common mercies are commonly neglected or vnprized because they be so ordinarie the Sunne the Aire Meat and Drinke are common and continuall mercies how miserable were our life without any of them Secondly our vnworthinesse of the least Gen. 32. 9. I am lesse then the least of thy mercies saith Iaakob Nay seeing we haue forfeited all and deserued all the curses of the Law it is Gods mercy that wee are not consumed and a further and more liberall mercy to renew mercy but Thirdly especially if we can receiue them as loue-tokens and pledges of further grace sealing vp vnto vs the Couenant and that spirituall Marriage betweene Christ and vs. A small token from a deare friend but especially of a Louer to his Spouse is therefore most welcome because it assureth of the marriage and further fellowship Fourthly if we consider the greatnesse the excellency the iustice the wisedome the power and the mercy of all Gods workes especially of his mercies that a piece of bread should feed not choke vs is from this greatnesse of power wisedome and mercy Fiftly another meanes to become thankefull is to remember his mercies and not let them slip from vs Psal. 103. 2. My soule praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits and our Sauiour Christ Ioh. 5. 14. saith Thou art made whole goe sinne no more as if he had said Keepe this blessing in memorie and let it euer prouoke thee to thankefulnesse Now the way to recall into our memorie Gods mercies is first by occasion of euery renewed mercy to looke backe to the former and account it as an addition to the other Tradesmen make a
their whole course How peruert they authoritie to iniustice wrong oppression How doe they by meanes of their wealth swell in pride and arme themselues to contentions to contempt of inferiours equals and betters and to tumble in all voluptuousnesse and lusts so strengthning themselues against God Some blaspheme GOD in his goodnesse in stead of thankes as the Israelites did Deut. 1. 27. saying Because the Lord hated vs hee brought vs out of Egypt to destroy vs What could bee greater blasphemie then this yet this is our horrible sinne also to receiue good things of God and repay euill Secondly as many of vs faile in doing the dutie First when wee can vse some common tearmes of thankefulnesse as many can thanke God for all but first without all affection beseeming the dutie there is no heartie acknowledgement nor glad entertainment of the mercie wee are farre from these Songs of deliuerance we tell not of Gods goodnesse as Dauid did Psal. 66. 14. Come and I will tell you what the Lord hath done for my soule and as Moses told Iethro what God had done for them Exod. 18. 8. If a friend should doe vs a kindnesse wee would reioyce in it and tell others what such a one hath done for vs and according to our ioy in it would our care be to testifie thankefulnesse and our sorrow and accusing of our selues to bee backeward herein Secondly without all action as though wee would pay all our debt to God with good wordes whereas soundnesse of thankefulnesse is seene in actions and the life of the dutie is not in a sound of wordes but in the carriage of the life and course Dauid did loue the Lord because he had heard him Ps. 116. 1. Euerie new mercie is a new testimonie of Gods loue and a nevv spurre of our loue to God as Dauid in the same place would pay his vowes to God which hee made in affliction to set forth Gods prayse he would keepe his iudgements and doe righteously alwayes Psal. 106. 3. see Psalme 111. 1. 2. to the 10. This is that which GOD requires of his people when hee hath giuen them the good land and accomplished all his promises that they should not forget him but feare him and walke in his wayes Deut. 6. 10. 11. If a Land-lord should come to demand his Rent and the Tenant thinke to please him with good words but neither pay him his due nor regard any of the conditions of his Lease agreed vpon should not hee both deceiue himselfe and cause the Lord to re-enter for not paying Would God we were so wise to acknowledge that the Lord lookes for another manner of Rent then words and that as wee will not let Leases goe for not paying of Rent to man so wee would giue the Lord no iust cause to straine vpon vs and all that wee haue for breaking our conditions with him To him that doth vs a great pleasure we professe our selues in his debt and acknowledge our selues at his command to the vttermost of our power Oh let vs blush and be ashamed to be so superficiall in actuall and substantiall thankefulnesse towards our God! Secondly a number make shew of many thankes but all is in pride and hypocrisie and can thanke God for that they neuer had and much lesse the sense of it The Pharise praysed God for that he neuer had Luc. 18. 11. Oh he was neuer so bad as the Publicā no Extortioner nor an vniust person like others Ciuill men will thanke God they doe no man harme come to Church liue in compasse and good fashion they thanke God they beleeue as well as the best without all doubting they be good subiects and they loue God with all their hearts Here is a Pharise iustifying himselfe but hee goes not away so he departs not iustifyed But the poore Leper fell downe humbly on his face at Christs feet praysing God and the Publican at the Church-doore Iaakob is lesse then the least of Gods mercies and Abraham before God is but dust and ashes The Papists make shew of thankes to God for their saluation which yet they can merit for themselues all one as to thanke God for nothing for they must come to Heauen by their owne good deeds and what needes then the mercie of God Some of our ignorant people thanke God they can serue God and say their Prayers as well as any but what Prayers the tenne Commandements and Creed the Aue-Mary A Popish thankesgiuing when there is not a word of prayer in them all Thirdly euen the best of vs are infinitely wanting in this dutie when wee set our selues to the best performance of it as appeareth by these things First in our prayses wee cast our eye chiefly on temporall things and are more feeling and feruent in our prayses for them then for spirituall mercies wee dote too much vpon them as the Israelites did Numb 11. 5. saying Wee remember the Fish which wee did eate in Egypt freely the Cucumbers Leekes Onyons and Garlicke that wee had there but now our soules are dryed away and there is nothing but this Mannah Whereas the Apostle counted all things but doung for Christ and in comparison of spirituall blessings wherewith he beginneth his prayses Phil. 3. 5. and Ephes. 1. 3. Blessed be God who hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heauenly things and so he goeth on in this Argument as one that cannot get out of it Wee had cause of comfort in our affections if wee could forget the things that are below in comparison of heauenly blessings Secondly how partiall are wee in our thankesgiuing for a great blessing wee can giue some thankes but those that wee count smaller wee passe sleightly whereas were our eyes so cleere as they ought wee could not but see God in the least of them Besides wee can sometime giue thankes for a present mercie with some affection but wee forget eaten bread whereas Salomon gaue thankes as well for the promise made to Dauid as the accomplishment of it to himselfe 2. Chron. 6. 10. but the great workes of GODS mercie are to vs but nine dayes wonder Further whereas wee are bound to thankefulnesse euen for those mercies which GOD hauing promised hath in store for vs how doe wee confine our thoughts to the present not looking beyond the day to prouoke our selues to this dutie Dauid goes further and sayth Oh how great good things hast thou laid vp in store for them that feare thee especially seeing they are such as eye hath not seene nor eare hath heard neyther can enter into the heart of man to conceiue 3. When we set our selues to be thankful how sleight how short are we in this dutie part of Gods worship we can in the grosse lumpe turne ouer a great heape of mercies not willing to trouble our selues with the particular recounting of fauours which would bee a speciall helpe to the dutie Iaakob farre otherwise Gen. 32. 10. I am
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Luc. 13. 28. Thirdly in the punishment of sense when they shal be wrapped in that cursed sentence Depart from mee I know you not when they shall be bound hand and foot and cast into torments prepared for the deuill and his Angels which torment is amplified first by the place a prison a lake of fire and brimstone a dungeon for the darkenesse blacker then that of Egypt where shall bee a perpetuall night in a word an hell Secondly by the company the deuill and his Angels with all the rout of reprobates Gods deadly enemies and whom God is a deadly enemie vnto such as they chose for their companions in this world and would not bee separated from now they shall not Thirdly by the exquisitenesse of torment set out by fire and brimstone and that which is most terrible to sense yea not onely outward but inward also described by the worme of conscience which as a gnawing griefe shall eate and fret the heart of the sinner in memorie of ancient and hatefull sinnes Fourthly in sinfull concurrences as hatred of God blasphemie despaire cursings for all the parts of soule and body shal curse the day of their wretchednesse and confusion when the fire of Gods iealousie and his hot wrath shall seaze vpon them Fifthly in seeing all mercie and pittie excluded nay God and his Saints whose affection shall be conformable to his shall reioyce and laugh at their destruction this shall breake the caule of their hearts with sorrow Sixthly in the eternity of their sorrowes the worme within dyes not their fire neuer goes out but the wrath of God abideth vpon the sinner without all remission or abatement without any intermission or release without end or mitigation not one drop of water shal coole their tongue and so long as God is God the smoke of their torment shall ascend vp night and day continually This is Tophet prepared for the wicked in which one word how many sorrowes be there Now the reasons to cleare Gods iustice in all these sorrowes of the wicked are these First where many sinnes are vnrepented of there must needes be many sorrowes euery sinne hauing sorrow enough belonging to it Secondly where an infinite God is offended an infinite law transgressed and an infinite iustice prouoked there must needes an infinite reuenge be returned vpon the sinners head and sorrowes in infinite measure bee conceiued Thirdly Infinite mercie hath been reiected the blessed meanes of saluation neglected and despised good meanes without in the ministerie counsell and example of the godly inward motions of the spirit quenched yea some checks of conscience contemned and some resolutions deaded and vnfollowed All these yet bring on more stripes and sorrows especially in remembrance of hatefull sinnes against knowledge meanes and conscience Fourthly it is now too late to repent when these sorrowes haue beset the sinner on euery side hope of mercie is cut off the Sunne is set vpon him the doore of grace is shut against him now hee can heare no other voice then that Reu. 18. 6 7. Giue him torments according to his sinnes Here is an Ilias an vpheaped measure of infinite sorrow a mercilesse sorrow without sparke of hope or ioy Fifthly now hee sees with horror and despaire that which he would not heare of first that he hath in his whole course piled vp wrath against himselfe Secondly that God whom he thought to be made all of mercy is a God of infinite iustice and a consuming fire and how dreadfull it is to fall into his hands Thirdly that the sentence of death is passed irrecouerably and the heauie doome of damnation for such sinnes as he thought to be lighter then a feather Fourthly that himselfe is a vessell of wrath filled with Gods indignation that shall seaze on him so long as God is God seeing Christs bloud can be shed no more and teares of repentance come now too late a Sea of them is not able to quench one sparke of this fire First then let this be a motiue to restraine all men from sinne seeing it brings such after-claps If there be any that like the Horse or Mule wil not vnderstand nor be perswaded to seeke the Lord but will obstinately persist hardning his heart against the Word for such a man are all these sorrowes prepared Thou that delightest in any sinne open or secret that wilt drinke with the Drunkard sweare with the Swearer and breake the Sabbath after so many admonitions thou that liuest in pride wantonnesse idlenesse vncleannesse contempt of God and his Word and Seruants thou that euery way multipliest thy sinnes remember what Dauid saith Psal. 16. 4. Thou multiplyest and heapest vp thy sorrowes euen wrath and fuell for thy selfe against the day of wrath Thou that canst with a bold face braue out thy sinnes and glorie in that thy hand is strong to practise vngodlinesse and canst triumph when thou canst bring others to thy bent thou shalt one day crie for sorrow of heart and howle for vexation of spirit Isa. 65. 14. and curse the day that euer thou knewest thy Companions and with bitter lamentation shalt waile and gnash thy teeth at thy vnhappy condition and all this in all eternitie Oh consider these terrors of the Lord and be perswaded to turne to the Lord seeke in time thy blessednesse in the pardon of sinne that thou mayest escape all these things Consider the end of all sinne in that one Pro. 5. 3 4. Though it be as an hony-combe in thy mouth the end will be bitter as wormewood And if now thou seest thy danger but wilt runne on headlong vpon all these sorrowes excluded from all pity and mercy say thou wast warned the time commeth wherein thou mayest be pitied but not helped or rather neither pitied nor helped the Iudge hath said it Behold I come shortly and my reward is with me to render to euery man according to his workes Secondly if so many sorrowes and they of this nature belong to euery wicked man then it followes that no sinne is small in it selfe to euery of which all these sorrowes belong Our Text plainely teacheth that they belong not only to Murtherers Theeues Adulterers Lyers Swearers but also to ciuill honest men in the worlds account if they be ignorant of the Word or wayes of God To him that liues obstinately in any knowne sinne that holds on for his profit or pleasure any practice condemned in the Word and in his owne conscience let him be neuer so ciuill sober sociable peaceable and harmelesse all his ciuilitie cannot keepe off these sorrowes if there be not knowledge of God softnesse of heart a teachable disposition and an hungring after Gods mercy in Christ alone aboue all things in the world Where be the Papists that teach some sinnes to be veniall in their owne nature when as all these sorrowes are the wages of the least Rom. 6. vlt.
sorrowes of it freed vs from the guilt of sinne appeased the wrath of God abolished eternall death and destroyed the Deuils Kingdome Now the Sonne thus freeing vs we are free indeed Oh! the greatnesse of this deliuerance should astonish vs whereby we auoid those great and insuperable euils which otherwise had for euer oppressed vs. Now in way of thankefulnesse First beware of turning backe to the seruice of sinne and obey the precept giuen to the blind man Thou art made whole sinne no more Secondly loue him much who hath forgiuen so much Luc. 7. 47. Thirdly Studie to please him in all things Psal. 116 8. Because thou hast deliuered my soule from death mine eyes from teares and my feet from falling I will walke before the Lord in the Land of the liuing Fourthly magnifie and speake of this great deliuerance and saluation as the Church did Psalme 126. 3. The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof wee reio yee and say with Mary Luc. 1. 49. Hee that is mightie hath done great things for me and holy is his Name But hee that trusteth in the Lord mercie shall compasse him THis is the second motiue or enforcement of Christian obedience wherein first consider the meaning of the wordes Hee that trusteth in the Lord here is a description of a godly man by a Periphrasis A godly man is not hee that wants all sinne but he that being a Beleeuer manifesteth the fruit of faith in reposing himselfe vpon Gods mercie as the rocke of his safetie Thus the Church is described comming out of the Wildernesse and leaning on her well-beloued Cant. 8. 5. And the people of Gods delight are such as feare God and attend vpon his mercie Mercie hee sayth not ioy as in true opposition he should haue said for ioy is properly opposed to sorrow not mercie but in this Word First he both includeth that and Secondly he noteth also the ground of the godlies reioycing which is mercie not merit Thirdly mercie also vpholds and preserues this ioy Shall compasse him opposed to the many sorrowes of wicked ones and it noteth First a full and complete felicitie of the godly Secondly the large goodnesse of God towardes them not giuing them onely one blessing or mercie or of one kind but besetting them and meeting them at euery corner with mercies Thirdly that Dauid had here tasted abundantly of mercie and hauing assurance of the pardon of sinne had experience in his owne person and here speakes of it according to his abundant sense of it Fourthly that being now compassed with mercie hee would allure and perswade euery godly man to get the pardon of his sinne also and that is mercie enough Out of this exposition ariseth this instruction namely that Hee that trusteth in God shall haue a plentifull part in the mercies of God mercie shall compasse him Psal. 103. 11. As high as the Heauens are aboue the Earth so great is his mercie towards them that feare him Psal. 125. 2. As the Mountaines compasse Ierusalem so the Lord is round about his people Zach 2. 5. The LORD promiseth to the Church to bee a wall of fire round about her and her glorie in the midst of her Here are euery where mercies within and without And the reasons of this point are these First the godly are vessels prepared for mercie Rom. 9. 23. Whom God hath chosen to declare the riches of his glorie vpon Secondly where Gods comfortable presence is there are great mercies because he is great in mercie Isa. 55. 7. and rich in mercie Ephes. 2. 4. Where the Sunne is there is abundant light and where the Sea is there must bee abundant water Now Gods promise on his part and the faith and trust of the godly on their part holds God present with his people at all times Thirdly the mercie that God sheweth to the godly is great in kind because it is a speciall mercie which is peculiar to them flowing from speciall loue True it is that the Lord is good to all and his mercie is ouer all his worke Psal. 145. 9. that is there is no worke of his hands which receiueth not from him some mercie But that is but a generall mercie as when the Sunne shines on the good and bad and the raine fals on euery mans ground by this hee sends away the worst men with good gifts But there is a speciall mercie reserued for the Elect and reseruing the Inheritance for them to these hee is not only a mercifull Lord but a mercifull Father a Father of mercies rich in mercie Psal. 103. 3. As a Father pities his Children so the Lord pities them that feare him A mercifull man pities his beast much more his brother but if his childe bee in distresse his pitie is more inward and working as his affection is such is the compassion of God towardes his Children who is therefore sayd to haue bowels of compassion Fourthly GODS mercie is great in quantitie and measure it filleth all the space betweene the Earth and Heauen and all the distance betweene East and West Psal. 103. 11. 12. so as if a man bee betweene Earth and Heauen or within the quarters of eyther this mercie must compasse him Dauid shewes the vnmeasurable measure of it Psal. 40. 5. O Lord thou hast made thy wonderfull workes so many that none can count in order to thee thy thoughts toward vs I would declare and speake of them but they are more then I am able to expresse For the better cleering of the point although wee can neuer set out the infinite mercies with which God compasseth his Elect yet wee may point at some of them especially those speciall ones which are peculiar to the godly and which like the childrens bread are not cast vnto Dogges it faring with the godly as with a mightie rich man that knowes no end of his wealth Though hee cannot haue his eye ouer it all yet his thoughts sometimes are vpon his goodliest Mannors his Treasury his most precious Pearles and Iewels The kinds of this mercy towards the godly concerne eyther this life or the life to come The first and chiefe mercie the fountaine of all is that euen in this life God hath pleased to afford vs himselfe the chiefe good that himselfe is become our portion Psal. 16. 5. and that the soules of his people can rest and stay themselues in him alone and ioy in the light of his countenance when the World doth what it can to make them miserable Psalme 73. 25. Whom haue I in Heauen but thee and whom haue I in comparison of thee My flesh faileth and my heart also but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer Now can an Hypocrite euer reioyce in God or what comfort can he haue in God who is not in couenant with him heere then is a speciall mercy without bound or banke euen infinite as God himselfe is Secondly from hence
flowe all other mercies that we enioy as streames of it first temporall concerning this present life as health life liberty wealth peace prosperity good name c. Oh but the wicked haue all these True but first not in a right tenure they are vsurpers they haue no right in themselues no part in Christ to recouer it Secondly not by vertue of any promise or couenant Thirdly not in any holy or sanctifyed vse for To the impure all things are impure Fourthly none of their prosperity is ioyned with Gods loue but his hatred which is a secret poyson in them whereas Psal. 35. 27. the Lord loueth the prosperitie of his seruant he ioynes them both together Secondly spirituall things euen in these also how hath God compassed vs with mercies euen for the present First What a world of mercy was and is in that one gift of his Sonne to bee our reconciliation when we were firebrands of hell that the blessed Sonne of God would descend from the glory of heauen and giue himselfe to the death of the Crosse and the paines of hell to redeeme vs from all iniquitie The Apostle conceiues of this as of a rich mercy Ephes. 1. 7. by whom saith he we haue redemption through his bloud euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes according to his rich grace This is the com passing mercy meant in our text euen redemption from sinne by Christ both from the guilt and punishment of it a free mercy a full mercy an Ocean of mercy drawing vs out of a gulfe and bottomlesse sea of sorrowes euerlasting Dauid amplifyeth this mercy Psa. 86. 13. Great is thy mercy towards mee for thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest hell Secondly What an infinite mercy peculiar to the godly is that of his spirit to take vp our hearts for his temples when wee were spiritually possessed of the deuill by the same spirit hee doeth daily cleanse vs and wash vs and beautifyeth our soules with heauenly graces teacheth vs leadeth vs into all trueth comforteth vs with heauenly consolations in all distresses What a great mercy was it when Christ opened the eyes of the blinde or healed the deafe and lame yea or when hee raised Lazarus being dead but God regenerating vs by his Spirit doeth all these for vs he giues sight to vs being blinde sayth to our deafe eares Be open yea restores vs to life being dead in trespasses and sinnes and makes vs able to mooue and stirre in good wayes Those great workes of the Sonne of God were all miraculous but heere is a miracle aboue them all yea one mercy consisting of many miracles Thirdly What a mercy is it not onely to giue them his word as hee doth also to the wicked but also to make it the immortall seede of their new birth and the syncere milke to feede them to make it a preseruatiue from many great sinnes which the wicked daily commit open and secret to put it into their handes as a sword to cut off Satans temptations to make it vnto them a rule of faith and a rule of life able to make the man of God perfect to euery good worke to make it a sound stay and comfort to support them in all their troubles wherein else they must needs sinke In this respect the child of God is compassed with a multitude of mercies all which the wicked are strangers vnto Fourthly What an inexhaust treasure of mercy is it that the godly enioy that whereas God heareth not sinners that is wicked ones he not onely giueth them leaue to come freely to the throne of Grace to aske any good thing for them but also much assurance in their soules of obtaining any thing they aske because of his promise Aske and yee shall haue If earthly fathers can giue good things to their children much more will our heauenly Father giue not onely what we aske but euen abundantly aboue that we are able to aske or to thinke Ephes. 3. 20. Can that man bee other then beset with mercy who hath a meanes to get within Gods store-house and treasury when hee will Can hee that is able by the prayer of faith with Israel to preuaile with God want abundance of blessings Great is the power of feruent prayer for mercy It can obtaine and force the sunne to stand still It can commaund the cloudes to raine or not to raine It can get children for the barren and life to the dead and if our prayer be weake Christs intercession hath power enough for vs Iohn 11. 22 42. Oh that wicked men knew the power of prayer how quickely then would they come to Gods mercy-gate Fiftly What a mercy is it peculiar to the Saints to haue peace of conscience and ioy of their estate that whereas wicked men are often vexed euer lyable to infinite horrors feares and inward torments which are the beginnings of hell they beeing iustified by faith haue peace with God the spirit of bondage and feare and tumult is gone and the spirit of adoption dwells in their hearts which makes them cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. And whereas the wicked haue no peace but a senslesse vnfeelingnesse of their estate the godly haue peace in them which as the Apostle saith passeth vnderstanding because first neither can the vnderstanding of man sufficiently conceiue it Secondly neither can the vnderstanding of man sufficiently esteeme or prize it according to the worth and value of it plainly implying it to bee such a mercy as for the greatnesse ouerwhelmes him that hath it an infinite and vnbounded mercy called the peace of God which hee beginneth and maintaineth heere and perfecteth and preserueth for all eternity But how standeth this with all those euills and miseries with which the godly are beset in this life Can they be beset both with misery and mercy too This is a sixt and last mercie therfore special to them that they are neuer more compassed with mercie then when they seeme most miserable Habak 3. 2. The Lord in iudgement remembreth mercie For first nothing is properly euill but that which comes from diuine reuenge but nothing comes so vpon the godly Christ hath carried away all the reuenge of their sinnes so that their crosses come from mercie Secondly they are attended with mercy for God hath first fitted his seruants for afflictions before he brings them Religion hath patience which if the house be not filled with plenty makes a sallet of green herbs more daintie thē the sweetest dishes of wicked men it hath strength aboue which the triall shall not be it hath subiection and silence to God and can blesse him both in giuing and in taking away Thirdly Gods mercy reioyceth in iudgement against iudgement three waies first magnifying himselfe secondly training his chosen thirdly teaching others and all by the troubles of his children The first in two respects first when iudgement begins at Gods house he declares his hatred against sinne and mercifully by
them forewarnes the wicked of their danger For if iudgement begin there where shall the wicked appeare Secondly hee most manifesteth his power in his childrens weakenesse in supporting their soules and bodies Now if his power and mercie were not aboue the iudgement they should perish in it Secondly he traines and betters his children which is great mercie by the iudgement first he scowres and purgeth their sinne afflictions are as Gods laundrie wherin his children by beating scowring and rubbing are made whiter and whiter Venimous creatures breed not in winter nay a sharpe winter kils the Vermine so afflictions nip and stay our corruptions This is another mercie aboue the iudgement Secondly by them hee exerciseth and stirreth vp the grace that is in them as the winde blowes vp the sparkes of fire yea manifests the synceritie of their hearts to themselues and others for a man is that indeed which he is in triall Thirdly he fits them by afflictions to comfort others in triall with the same comforts wherewith hee hath comforted them A great mercie to fit them to mercifulnesse and to set out Gods mercie to others See Exod. 23. 9. Fourthly he teacheth them to esteeme more of his blessings in the want of them Is there not an ouer-ruling mercie in all this that whereas afflictions are in themselues euill and reuenges of sinne yet they make the godly better now whatsoeuer makes vs better is from a hand of mercie Thirdly the Lord by his seruants trouble would teach all first that the euils chiefly esteemed so in the world are not so indeed for the godly are exempted from the greatest euils if only wicked men were blind blindnesse would bee thought a fearefull iudgement therefore to confute that Isaac must bee blinde Secondly how such euils should be borne It is a mercie that by the godly the world may bee taught how to beare the hand of God Thirdly an infallible marke of the resurrection Luc. 16. 25. Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy good things and Lazarus euill things therefore now hee is comforted and thou art tormented Fourthly that all their miseries end in mercie and are turned to their best Marke and consider the godly man for his end is peace his light afflictions are recompensed with an eternall weight of glory From all which we may conclude that if godly men in the midst of their miseries bee so compassed with mercie in the beginning carriage and conclusion of them that the doctrine propounded is most true But if we turne our selues to the second branch and consider those kindes of mercies which shall meete vs in the life to come we can looke no way but we are intrenched with such mercies as eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither can enter into the heart of man to conceiue much lesse can wee speake of them as they are but must breake out into Dauids admiration Psal. 31. 9. O how great is that goodnesse which thou hast layd vp for them that feare thee But yet as Moses wee may see the good land a farre off and with the searchers let you see by a cluster or two and giue a taste of the good things therin If God loue vs sayd they he will bring vs vnto it so many as God loueth shall be brought to it and not onely taste as here how good and gracious God is but shall drinke plentifully of the riuers of his house for with him is the Well of life and in his light wee shall see light First how can the Elect but be compassed with mercie when all the miserie and sorrow with all the causes and effects wherewith they are now compassed shall be abolished and vtterly chafed away Now we are vexed with the remembrance of euils past with the sense of euils present and with the feare of euils to come but all these first things must passe away and all teares must be wiped from our eyes In our bodies all weakenesse naturall infirmitie sickenesse labour mortality and corruption shall bee remooued they shall need neither meate nor cloth for which here we toyle so much nor Marriage nor Physicke nor sleepe there shall be no care for the familie no toyle in the calling for they rest from their labours no labour spent in teaching or learning in preaching or hearing mortalitie hath put on immortalitie and death being destroyed it can dye no more The soule shall be from all sinne and sinfull passions from ignorance vnbeliefe pride enuie and all the workes of the flesh yea not onely from sin but from the power of sinning the will hath no freedome to euill being perfectly freed to good neither can the affections set themselues vpon any other obiect In our names we are now lyable to many contumelies and reproches and slanders as our Lord himselfe was numbred among the wicked Hee was not knowne no more are wee but then shall our innocencie breake out as the light and it shall be manifest what we are 1. Ioh. 3. 2. When Christ our Head shall appeare we also shall appeare with him in glory Now wee are in spirituall combat but then wee shall bee perfectly freed from the deuil from his Angels from sinne and sinners from the world and the lusts that are in it and God shall fully and finally tread Satan vnder our feete Secondly If wee be so happie in Priuatiue mercies what shall we be in Positiue how shall we be compassed with them First how shall wee be beset with mercie yea and glory in enioying the immediate fellowship and vision of God in whose face is fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand pleasures for euermore If a man had all the paines of hell vpon him this blessed vision of God would make him an happie man We see God now but as in a glasse and yet that sight of him vpholds vs in all our troubles how much more shall we be fully happy when we shall see him as he is face to face euen so fully as being glorified we shall be capable of So many mercies compasse the Elect in this one as if I had a thousand tongues and should doe nothing but speake them till the day of Iudgement I could not recount them Secondly what a wonderfull mercie shall compasse vs in our immediate vnion and coniunction with Christ our Head by which we shall be like him not like him as he was a man of sorrowes and in the shape of a seruant for thus he was like vs but like him as hee is now the glorified Head of his Church not equall to him but like him both in soule and body Our soules perfect in knowledge holinesse and righteousnesse and standing in a perfect image of God like to the perfect holinesse of Christ himselfe Our bodies clothed with beauty strength shining agilitie and glorie as his is He walketh in white so shall wee His face is shining and glorious so shall ours As hee sits on his Fathers
heart is ready to make any thing thy portion but God and when by sinne thou hast prouoked him to hide his face or stand aloofe from thee then say thou trustest in God and not before True it is that the godly haue some failings and slidings from these rules but yet hereunto they striue and in some comfortable measure attaine Now if these bee the practices and qualities of such as mercy belongs vnto wee see easily by the contrary that there bee sundry kindes of men to whom the Lord doth couenant wrath as First many ciuill men who content themselues without the knowledge of God they say they meane well and doe no man harme liue in peace with their neighbours and follow their Church as others doe yet haue no care of religion but for fashion they say they trust in God but doe not because they vse not the meanes nor walke in the way of faith and repentance nor in the conscionable hearing and obeying of the word Secondly such as walke stubbornely against God and the meanes of Saluation mercy belongs not to these How know you that Well enough first out of the text which saith Mercy belongs to him that trusteth in God Now he that trusteth in God walketh on in a course of godlinesse and cannot stand out against God Secondly by an expresse text Deut. 29. 20. He that heareth the curses of this law and yet blesseth himselfe saying Though I walke in the stubbornnesse of my heart the sword shal not come neer me I will not be mercifull to that man saith the Lord. Secondly heere is a great comfort for the godly who haue no small security hence that whatsoeuer their outward estate is or may bee Gods mercy compasseth them as the hilles compasse Ierusalem see it in some instances First If Satan assault vs on euery side with temptation to vex and disquiet vs with inward feares he shall not haue so nimble eyes to spy our weaknesse as the eye of the Lord to spy meanes to strengthen vs. Let him obiect the greatnesse and infinite number of our sinnes yet hee shall but amplifie the great mercie of GOD which is greater and more large then all the sinne and miseries in the world Thus Moses comforteth GODS people Deut. 4. 31. The Lord thy God is a mercifull God he will not forsake nor destroy thee nor forget the Couenant of thy Fathers which he sware vnto them Secondly If vnmerciful men compasse them and come about them like Bees Psal. 118. 12. and sharpen their stings yet the mercies of the Lord are neerer them then that they can hurt them Thus Dauid comforted himselfe Psal. 86. 14. 15. O Lord the proud are risen against mee but thou Lord art strong and mercifull gracious and long-suffering and a pitifull God Thirdly If a man should conflict with Gods owne hand by inward temptations or outward tryals of sicknesse pouertie persecution if hee were so beset as hee could see nothing but troubles without and feares within now is the time to mound and fence himselfe with this comfortable Doctrine that euen now GODS mercies doe guard and compasse him seeing he cannot deny himselfe nor faile of any of his promises Dauid when he was to chuse one of the three Rods of GOD the Sword Famine or Plague he chose to fall into the hands of God because he is mercifull 2. Sam. 24. 14. Hee may afflict and chasten vs a while and for a moment seeme to forsake vs but with great compassions he will gather vs Isa. 45. 7. 10. For Hee chides not alwayes neyther retayneth hee his wrath for euer Psal. 103. 8. Fourthly If a man were in the hands of Death and the Messengers thereof had already taken hold on him as on Hezekiah yet euen then hee need feare none ill seeing Gods mercies compasse him this is euer our couer though wee cannot alwayes see it as Elisha his seruant saw not the great mercies of God compassing him and his Master euen then when we know not GODS mercie is all about vs there are still more with vs then against vs our Mountaine is alway beset with Heauenly Warriours Was Ionas euer more compassed with mercies then when he was in his owne sense cast off and compassed with Waues and Weedes Was Israel euer more compassed with mercie then when they were compassed with Mountaines Sea Enemies Death and deadly things these our extremities are Gods oportunitie Nay fiftly suppose a man were in the house of death in the graue yet euen this separates not from GODS mercies which being eternall leaue vs not in death but when we are most compassed with dust and corruption shall then bee most abundant and mightie for vs. Oh therefore let so many as trust in God flye in all their straits to this Sanctuarie which can make not onely Deaths forerunners but euen Death it selfe welcome which depriues vs of all things else but this mercie into the full estate of which it setteth vs. Thirdly labour aboue all things in the World to get part in this mercie by getting assurance of the pardon of sinne get this and thou gettest a mercie reaching vp to Heauen a Crowne of Blessings a plentifull Redemption Our Prophet here cals it a compassing mercie for a godly man thinkes not himselfe compassed whith mercie when hee is compassed onely with outward blessings when GOD hath hedged about his house and hee hath wealth to tumble in though the World breathe after nothing else but when he hath a voyce telling him that God in Christ is mercifull to his sinne and hath couered his iniquitie oh now thinkes Dauid himselfe compassed with mercie and not before although hee was a King and had all outward things to his hearts wish Zacheus had mercie enough when saluation was come to his house hee neuer got so fast before as now hee forgoes and restores hee was neuer compassed with mercy till now though he was a great rich man neuer so rich as now when hee was impouerishing himselfe to entertaine Christ in his house and heart Iaakob when hee saw Iosephs face his best beloued sonne Now sayth hee I haue enough let mee now dye seeing I haue seene my sonne Iosephs face How much more shall wee haue enough to see the face of the well-beloued Sonne of God yea and of God himselfe in that wel-beloued one appeased and fully pacified Simeon hauing seene Christ with his eyes and held him in his armes Now Lord sayd hee let thy seruant depart in peace for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation But to see Christ by the eye of faith and hold him in our hearts will make death much more welcome to vs we shall thinke we haue enough the sweet sense of it within will frame the mouth to speake plentifully of it as our Prophet doth in this place Neyther can any good heart eyther lightly account or speake slenderly of such a mercy neyther content it selfe with slight meanes to get it or with superficiall
phrases in holding it In a word if once we can claspe hold on this mercy of God in pardoning our sinnes we could desire euen to liue no longer in this World were it not to come to a more full sense and fruition of it VERS 11. Bee glad yee righteous and reioyce in the Lord and bee ioyfull all yee that are vpright in heart THese words containe the fourth and last vse of the generall Doctrine and a conclusion worthy the Psalme to which it is notably fitted for seeing the whole Psalme hath taught vs that hee is a blessed man whose sinnes are remitted and couered then may and must that man who hath this Doctrine sealed vp in his owne heart reioyce with great and vnspeakeable ioy And as it notably concludeth the whole Psalme so is it most aptly knit to the former wordes which haue layd downe the diuers estate both of the godly and wicked man and how when as sorrowes eate vp and consume the vngodly man remedilessely the portion of GODS people shall bee his owne compassing and infinite mercie and therefore vpon those premises hee inferreth this sweet conclusion that the godly hauing so sound cause of Christian ioy must mind yea and ouercome all their sorrowes with an holy and Christian reioycing in the LORD In the Verse are three things to bee considered first the persons to whom this precept is directed described by two titles first righteous secondly vpright in heart Secondly the Commandement to be glad to reioyce and be ioyfull Thirdly the obiect of their ioy and limitation In the Lord. First of the meaning Hee that is called in the sixt Verse a godly man and in the former Verse one that trusteth in God is here also set forth by two inseparable properties first hee is a righteous man And secondly vpright in heart Who is this righteous man A man is righteous by righteousnesse eyther Legall or Euangelicall First Legall righteousnesse is that perfect righteousnesse in nature and actions which the Law of GOD requireth euen perfect and full conformitie with the whole rule of righteousnesse as it was first written in mans heart by the law of nature By this was neuer man righteous but the first Adam in the time of his innocencie and the second Adam the innocent Sonne of God in whom besides the righteousnesse of his humane nature and life wee read of the righteousnesse of God that is the same righteousnesse being in a person that was God was so farre aduanced that it was able not onely to fulfill but to satisfie the rigour of GODS most righteous Law Secondly Euangelicall righteousnesse is that which the Gospell reueales and that is when a man being reconciled to God iustified by faith deliuered from all the guilt and punishment of sinne and inwardly sanctified by Gods Spirit is accounted of God righteous by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed vnto him as Saint Paul speakes 1. Cor. 1. 30. Christ is made vnto vs of God righteousnesse And although this bee in part and imperfect in this life attended with much frailtie and infirmitie of flesh yet because First they are perfectly iustified euen in this life Secondly haue begunne in a righteousnesse which shall be perfected Thirdly haue a will and endeuour striuing to perfection Fourthly are accepted of God as perfect for Christs sake in whom all their vnrighteousnesse and defects are couered therefore they are called euery where righteous So our Prophet here calleth such as according to his former Doctrine haue made sure their discharge with God and gotten euidence of remission of sinne and reconciliation with God through Iesus Christ. Secondly This person is vpright in heart that is sound and sincere without guile verse 2. and this is when the heart is set right towardes God in doing all duties of pietie and charitie towardes GOD or men truely ayming at the pleasing of GOD and not at by-respects this is straightnesse of heart called truth in the inward parts Psal. 51. 6. Thou louest truth in the inward parts And although no man is indeed vpright without some crookednesse and declining from the straight rule yet because heere is first a drawing neere and endeuour to full perfection Secondly a comparatiue rightnesse in respect of the vnregenerate whose course is wholly crooked Thirdly the acceptance of a mercifull Father therefore they are called vpright And vpright in heart first because there is the beginning of soundnesse for the first worke by which God distinguisheth betweene man and man is the purifying of the heart by Faith Act. 15. 9. and the worke of conuersion is called the circumcision of the heart which the Lord promiseth Deut. 30. 6. Secondly because all outward shewes without this ground are vnsound and deceitfull and whatsoeuer we doe must haue this ground to make it acceptable euen a sincere and honest heart 1. Pet. 1. 22. all obedience to the trueth all loue to our brethren must come from a pure heart Thirdly because if the heart be vpright it will from thence shine into all the actions for a righteous man must be vpright also in his way Psal. 119. 1. Now vprightnesse of heart is like a great wheele in a clocke that sets all the other a mouing or like a light in a lanthorne that shines through euery side of it A wicked man may bee vpright in some one action as Abimelech pleaded for himselfe Gen. 20. 5. With an vnperfect heart haue I done this but the generall vprightnesse of the whole life is peculiar to Gods people it must issue from the heart where if there be a liuing fountaine the streames will euer runne Secondly the Commandement enioyning spirituall reioycing hath diuers branches as there are diuers words in the originall which are to be distinguished First Bee glad the word Shimen comes of Shamaâ— which properly signifyeth inward and harty ioy conceiued by the presence or hope at least opinion of some good or desirable thing as Psal. 35. 26. Let them be confounded that reioyce at my hurt now none of Dauids subiects durst make show of this ioy in his hurt onely it was conceiued in their hearts Secondly Reioyce Gila riseth of Gil which signifieth to expresse our ioy by some outward gesture sometimes vsed for dauncing as Psal. 65. 12. The hilles skippe for gladnesse Thirdly Bee ioyful Harninu of Ranan vociferatus est prae laetitia Isa. 35. 6. The dumbe mans tongue shal sing Vetaron So as vpright men are commaunded not onely to conceiue and conceale their inward ioy but to expresse it in their actions in their speeches and euery way they can And this Commaundement runneth vp these three staires for sundry causes First to shew that there is great cause why the righteous should reioyce Secondly that where sound ioy is within it will not be hid but made manifest Thirdly to shew that Christian ioy is not perfect at first but riseth by degrees first within conceiued and then by little and little expressed as the degrees
Delays of God to bee distinguished from denials 233 Directions and comforts in Gods delays six 235 Sundry wayes of Gods Deliuering his his seruants Difference betweene the deliuerances of the godly and of the wicked in three things 249 Difference betweene trouble of conscience and melancholy in foure things 80 Difference betweene Gods heauie hand on the godly and on the wicked in foure things 103 Difference betweene Christian confession and Popish Auricular in foure things 145 Difference betweene the prayers of the godly and wishes of the wicked in 3. things 197 Difference betweene the godly and wicked in their seeking of God in fiue things 219 Difference betweene the hiding place of the godly of other creatures in two things 258 Difference betweene Gods smiting his children and his enemies in 3. things 1. measure 284  2. intention   3. issue  Difference betweene the godly and wicked mans misery in 4. things 368. Directions to help vs in the considering of our selues three 123 Directions how to goe in the wayes of God six 333 E ENemies to thankefulnes 4. 298 Examples of Gods iudgements no Sabbath-breakers 227 Experience is the best teacher foure reasons 265 Experience of Gods word necessary in euery mans owne person 67 Three things concurre to make vp Experience 268 Exhortations in Scripture to things aboue our present power for foure reasons 346 The Godlies extremitie is Gods opportunity 242 F FAce of God what 220 Many Failings in our best performance of duties of thankefulnes 301 To become fearelesse in troubles three rules 270 Finding of God what when and how 229 God will not be alwayes found of godly seekers two cautions 230 Why the godly alwayes Find not God when they seeke him sixe reasons 231 Godly fayle in Finding when they faile in the conditions of seeking 234 Gods glory findeth out many wayes when he is found of his children 237 Foure especiall seasons when God wil be found 241 Folly of many who in danger runne from their hiding-place 264 Forgiuenesse of sins two wayes 158 Fruits of remission of sinnes three 172 G CHrist our Garment vse of it meanes to put it on 17 Gods Child may hold some parts of Godlinesse for a time and yet not see nor confesse his sinnes 73 A Godly man must become his owne greatest aduersary 150 God is sought in his presence not in his essence 220 Godly finde a want of God in seeking him fiue wayes 225 Godly sometimes left to wickeds crueltie for sundry reasons 248 Godly not exempted from trouble but preserued in trouble foure reasons 274 Godly course called a Way for foure reasons and Gods Way three reasons 326 Godlinesse is a going in Gods way three reasons 326 God bridleth intractable sinners three reasons 361 God must bee yeelded to gently calling foure reasons 362 God bestowes outward gifts on wicked men foure reasons 377 Godly neuer more compassed with mercy then when compassed most with misery three reasons 385 Godly alwayes finde some mercy aboue the present iudgement foure reasons 386 God teacheth foure things by his seruants sufferings 386 Godly man is an vpright man foure reasons 402 Godly onely can soundly reioyce two reason 406 Godly often out of loue with their owne conditions 411 Godly in sorrow want no cause of ioy foure reasons 412 Godly haue often lesse ioy in their estate then they neede two reasons 413 God onely can forgiue sinne foure reasons 29 Godly must see the vilenesse of sinne three reasons 136 Euery Godly man prayeth to the true God onely fine reasons 212 Godly why sometimes seeke God and finde not sixe reasons 238 Grace restraining distinguished from renewing grace by sundry notes brought to foure heads 52 Grace if sound is neuer quite shaken out of the heart 127 Grace is giuen often before the feeling of it 161 Grace onely prayeth for grace sixe reasons 192 Grace if true is communicable three reasons 311 Grace compared to Fire Water a sweet smell Leauen Light and why 313 Greatnesse of the deceit of heart in sundrie things 63 Grounds to bee knowne to raise vp experience 269 Guile of heart in respect of God three instances 44 Guile of spirit in respect of sinne before it be committed in foure instances 46 Guile of spirit after sinne committed in three particulars 47 Guile of spirit in respect of grace sixe instances 49 Guile of spirit in respect of the worke of the word and spirit 51 H HAnd of God how many wayes taken 91 Hand of God must release from trouble 97 God layes an heauie Hand often on his owne deare children seuen reasons 98 Gods heauie Hand no certaine signe of hatred foure reasons 101 Heauy Hand of God lyeth long on many of his deare ones six reasons 104 Happinesse must bee placed in Gods mercy pardoning sinne for sundrie reasons 36 Deceitfull Heart can counterfeit any grace 50 A wicked Heart will deceiue it selfe what way soeuer God deale with it 45 How a deceitfull Heart carrieth it selfe to sinne both before the committing of it and after 46 Godly Heart vtterly shames it selfe that God may be glorified 69 Hatred of sinne distinguished from rash anger against it by sundrie notes 53 Health a speciall blessing of God why 81 The way to bee heard in prayer is to be godly 198 Heart must bee plowed before Gods seed can thriue in it 112 Hiding place of godly is God himselfe two wayes 258 Beasts hide themselues in earth but the Christian in Heauen 260 To make God our hiding-place three practices 261 Not hinderers of grace in others onely but not helpers of the grace of others condemned 315 House of God manifold 222 I IDolatry of the Romish Church as base as heathenish 218 Iesuitisme the Rebels Catechisme 208 Imitation of the Saints how farre 185 Incredible instances of Romish crueltie 207 Inuocate the true God onely in trouble three reasons 211 Sound Ioy hath eight causes all proper to the godly 406 Ioy of godly men shall breake out at length as the Sunne from vnder a cloud three reasons 412 Our chiefe Ioy must bee in the chiefe good 421 Christian Ioy and sorrow may and must stand together foure reasons 87 Iudging ones selfe the manner and parts 149 The greatest Iudgement can not doe the godly the leastharme foure reasons 246 L NO learning to DAVIDS learning 3 Light of God by which himselfe will be found twofold 223 Loue to Gods children knowne to bee sincere by fiue markes 54 M MArkes to know whether euer a man had the Spirit of God or no. 131 Markes of Gods way fiue 332 Markes of spirituall Ioy fiue 422 Markes of that sence of misery that shall finde mercy sixe 114 Meanes to be disburdened of sinne 01 Of Sanctification 15 To get sinne couered foure 19 To keepe the heart in good order eight 64 Of the spirits preuailing against flesh foure 133 Of sound hatred of our owne sinnes foure 155 To be heard in prayer 199 To helpe forward thankefulnesse three 289 Meanes
came in by nature in singulos but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christi comes not but by speciall grace But now in respect of the number redeemed the benefit of Christ is lesse and so the gift is not so large as Adams fall for then all should be vessels of mercy which is most false Against which if that in Rom. 5. 18. be obiected As the offence of one came vpon all to condemnation so the benefit abounded to all to the iustification of life The answere is easie for the Apostle in the very next verse shewes who hee meanes by all namely many So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous 2. That word all is not absolutely to be taken neither is by the Apostle but with reference vnto the limitation of the 17. verse immediately going before namely to all them which receiue the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousnes which words are an elegant Periphrasis of beleeuers who alone raigne in life through One who is Iesus Christ. 3. Whereas all is opposed to all as by the first all is meant all Adams seede by nature so by the second all must be meant all Christs seede by grace that is onely the Elect and thus the opposition is truely and aptly reconciled And thus farre haue I waded for your sakes in this deepe and graue question whom as in all other truths I wish firmely stablished against the foolish whisperings of vaine conceited and vnsettled persons who when they haue run thorow all their schismaticall Lutherane and Libertine opinions shall goe neere with many of their Leaders to end in plaine Atheisme To these I onely wish at this time humilitie and conscience The former would not permit them then onely to thinke themselues somewhat when they can cut out to their Teachers their taske as their worke to their Apprentises and define to them what doctrines are fit for them to teach and which because themselues cannot taste them are vnfit for them to meddle in The latter would fashion them to the practice of pietie according to wholsome doctrine and not suffer them to lose themselues in fond conceits farre aboue their owne apprehensions As for you who haue giuen your selues to God and vs your Ministers bee encouraged in your godly course as such who haue your hopes in your eye feare not the reproch of men or rather of Christ himselfe but stand fast and vnmoueable in the worke of the Lord as knowing your labour shall not be in vaine Walke wisely redeeming the time you haue many eyes watching for your falls especially the eye of God and your owne conscience obseruing you Account it your true honour to honour God and your honourable Profession by keeping the Doctrine receiued euen the Truth of Christ as it is in Christ and shewing your selues copies and patternes yea the very models of it by your good conuersation in Christ. Practise that great and new Commaundement the badge of Disciples by louing one another retaining those strong synewes of Christian societie Meekenesse and Mercy Consider the confusion comming vpon an house diuided against it selfe and how strong the consent of brethren is in things both of God and of men Be much and often in thankfulnesse to God for the libertie and peace of the Gospell and that you liue in the daies of such meanes and protection of them Reiect not wheat for some tares Pray to God which is all you haue to doe in things which might be better and praise him that they bee no worse Thinke the Churches peace next precious to the peace of your owne consciences And onely magnifie Truth aboue Peace because God hath magnified it aboue all things Frequent the Ministerie as Gods arme stretched out for your saluation Affect the Word not for persons but for truth not for knowledge but for conscience not for speech but for practice so as your holy obedience comming abroad you may set a Crowne vpon the heads of your Teachers who watch ouer you as they that must giue account Beware of this euill world let the holy couetousnesse after the best things eate out the hungry desires of it Account godlinesse the onely gaine the best wealth to be rich in God and the best reuenue to be abundant in good works As for the euils of the times O complaine of them to God as yee be sure the world be not the worse for you but the better as they that are going to a better world In which journey I wish you all good speed cheerefulnesse and constancie and in the end of it the hoped and happy rest of Gods people purchased by the bloud of the Lambe in whom I euer rest Yours in all Christian bands T. T. The method of the 32. Psalme followed in this Commentarie The parts of the Psalme are two 1. A generall doctrine 1. Propounded in vers 1. 2. 1. The matter of it Blessednesse 1. Cause 1. Whose wickednesse is forgiuen 2. Whose sinne is couered 3. Whose sinne the Lord imputeth not 2. Effect or fruit And in whose spirit is no guile 2. The man to whom it belongs described by the 2. Proued by the Prophets experience of two things 1. Of Gods wrath for his sinne in it vers 3. 4. 1. The touch of his conscience for sinne described by the 1. Cause While I kept close my sinne 2. Grieuousnesse by 1. Effects 1. Change in his body 1. Bones consumed 2. Moysture turned into drought of Summer 2. Roring of his voice 2. Continuance All the day long 2. The reason For night and day was thy hand on me 2. Of Gods mercy in pardoning it vers 5. where 1. The meanes Confession in which 1. The time Then 2. The ground of it I said I will confesse acknowledge not hide 3. The matter My sinne my iniquitie my wickednesse 4. The manner in respect of 1. God To thee 2. Himselfe Against my selfe 2. The end Remission And thou forgauest the iniquitie of my sinne 2. The generall vse fourefold concerning 1. Prayer in it 1. The practice where the 1. Inference Therefore by my example 2. Person praying Euery godly man shall make his prayer 3. Person to whom To thee 4. Time when In a time when thou mayest be found 2. The promise Surely in the flouds of great waters they shall not come neere him 2. Affiance in God 1. For the present Thou art my secret place 2. For time to come 1. Thou wilt preserue me in trouble 2. Thou wilt compasse me with songs of deliuerance 3. Obedience to God where three 1. A Preface to the instruction In it the 1. Person teaching I Dauid 2. Person instructed Thee euery Christian. 3. Matter in three particulars 1. I will instruct thee that is by precept 2. Teach thee the way to goe in namely by my example 3. I will guide thee with mine eye that is keepe thee in that way 2. A dehortation 1. From brutishnesse Be not like the Horse or Mule 2. Wherein 1. Vnteachablenesse Which
to Gods iustice and wrath like prodigall ding-thrifts that neuer regard how much they runne vpon the score and neuer think that a day of reckoning and payment will come If wee see a man who is a borrower of euery man and takes no care to pay any man wee vvill conclude he must needs breake one day And many vvho scorne shame at such courses with men are bold with the Lord and runne in with him still but let the Creditor care for his debts they will not torment themselues with them Many deceiue themselues and thinke GOD respects not their sinnes especially if they bee small ones but small or great they be vvritten vp and stand in Gods debt-booke or inuentorie till they bee wiped away the least debt imputed casts thee into perpetuall prison Besides seest thou not what a fearefull debt one sinne of ADAM hath brought vpon vs all Secondly considerest thou not how the LORD enquires to punish sinne in the third and fourth generation euen as the fathers debt is required of his sonne and posteritie Thirdly thou that owest the least doest thou not owe too much already and if thou summe vp thy Debt-booke thou shalt see thou hadst neede runne in no farther for thou art so farre in as thou must be sold for it or else CHRIST must for thee Fourthly thou that thinkest sinne a small thing and a trifling or dribbling debt consider of the blood of Christ and the merit of it which must wash away small sinnes as well as great Consider the forfeit in the exquisitenesse and eternitie of the torments of hell and then tell me how small a mote sinne is Thirdly seek to come out of debt and that is by seeking pardon of our debt Math. 5. 25. Agree with thine Aduersarie while thou art in the way The aduersarie is the Lord who will prosecute and put his bond in suite against vs and the greater the Creditor the more heauie is the debt it will be our wisedome to agree with him in the way whilest hee friendly reasoneth with vs in the Ministrie lest Death the Lords Sergeant arrest vs and we be cast into perpetuall prison into hell neuer to bee released Pray and intreat him as Christ hath taught to remit our debts not to impute not to require them not to exact our forfeits not to sue our bond nor cast vs into prison but to pardon our faults and punishment and accept of Christs satisfaction whereby hee hath cancelled that handwriting which was to bee layed against vs and by fasting it to his crosse did crosse out all our reckoning and seeing he must be satisfied pray him to take it out of his Sonnes coffers who is become suretie for vs. Fourthly acknowledge a wonderfull mercie of God to forgiue and not impute so great a debt for a rich man to forgiue a poore man a debt of a pound or two would be thankefully taken our God rich in mercie forgiues our debt not by pieces and not because he cannot get it from vs but freely and fully forgiues the whole debt Luk. 12. Did not I forgiue thee all yes the good Samaritane will discharge all for vs. Now in way of thankefulnesse what remaines for vs to doe but First beware of running into further debt A man that hath felt the burden of debt and hath bin in bonds will make hard shift to keepe out and doe not thou heape vp wrath against thy selfe Secondly though we shall daily by corruption runne vpon scores yet wee must take heed our debts stand not too long in Gods Booke vnraysed but daily renew our repentance and so wipe them away As they be daily written let them bee daily blotted out let them not bee like the sinnes of Iudah written with a penne of iron and with the point of a Diamond Thirdly if thy Creditor forgiue thee all Luk. 12. goe thou and doe the like bee mercifull as thy heauenly Father is mercifull In wrongs and iniuries offered abstaine from malice and reuenge count the wrong and iniurie as if it were not impute it not for thus thy heauenly Father doth with thee and thus thou desirest hee should doe for thee Wouldest thou haue an Ocean of mercie fall vpon thee and wilt not thou let a drop fall on thy brother Thus shalt thou testifie thy thankefulnesse and thus as Rom. 3. 5. our vnrighteousnesse shall commend the righteousnesse and glory of God which is not in the nature of our sinne so to doe for our sinne rather rewards him with shamefull contempt and dishonour but First both in respect of his admirable goodnesse in pardoning so great sinnes Secondly and our thankefull acknowledging of that grace in walking answerable and worthie of it The second thing in this phrase is The person that must not impute sinne is the Lord Isa. 43. 25. I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes So Chap. 48. 9. 11. For my Names sake will I deferre my wrath and for my prayse will I refraine it from thee that I cut thee not off For mine owne sake for mine owne sake will I doe it For first not all the Angels and Saints in the World whether in Heauen or Earth can forgiue the least sinne because they cannot satisfie the debt nor cancell the bond Secondly the Scribes and Pharises saw cleerly though blind in many other things that none but GOD could forgiue sinnes Luk. 5. 21. Thirdly the Lord is the father of mercies and the God of all comfort whereas there is no comfort without pardon of sinne And with thee is mercie Psal. 130. 3. that is with thee alone to whom it is proper to say I will forgiue sinne Fourthly who can forgiue sinne but he who is a God like thee that passest by the iniquitie of thy people who can remit a debt but he to whom it is due If another doe it he abuseth both the Creditor and debtor Whose sinnes yee remit they shal be remitted therefore Ministers can remit sinne and not God alone God onely remits sinne by his proper authoritie and power which is here meant the Minister onely ministerially declaring that which God doth Can Ministers remooue burdens giue a couer large enough and remit anothers debt Is my sinne against a Priest or against the Pope of Rome that he must bestow pardon on me Shall I hide me vnder the Saints wings or what bond of theirs haue I broken which they can release mee of Nay rather say First Against thee against thee haue I sinned and prayeth for mercie onely from him Secondly If I owe a man nothing I care not for his forgiuenesse and forbearance Thirdly There mercie is a poore mercy I need a rich mercy Eph. 2. 4. God rich in mercy 1. Pet. 1. 3. who of his great mercy hath begot vs. Theirs is too strait a mercy I need those large mercies of which Dauid speakes Ps. 119. 156. Thy compassions
are very large And now hauing spoken of the person whose sinne is thus freely remitted wee come to speake of the blessednesse promised vnto him Blessed NOw we are to enquire First what is meant by the blessednesse pronounced on such a man as hath this ease couer and acquittance from his sinnes Secondly the instructions to be learned By blessednesse is meant an effect of iustification namely that happy state and condition of a man arising from all those heauenly blessings in Christ which are chained together Ro. 8. 29. 30. as from Gods prescience predestination vocation iustification sanctification and glorification This blessednesse of a man in Christ hath two degrees First in this life which may bee called a blessednesse of grace Secondly in the life to come which is a blessednesse of glorie The former is heere principally meant which may be reached in this life and necessarily draweth after it the other as he that draweth one linke of a chaine draweth the whole Pardon of sinne is such a gift as makes a man fully happy for the Text cleareth it thus First that which remoueth all miserie and burden maketh a man happy such as are the curse of God due to sinne in this life and the life to come the guiltinesse of conscience horrour of soule and expectation of vengeance which is hell before hell c. But this doth pardon of sinne it is the ease of our burden Secondly that which brings into fauour with GOD otherwise an enemie so as God and man can now walke together as friends God can looke with a cleare countenance on man and man looke vp with sweet comfort in his God This makes a man a happy man the light of Gods countenance is better then life But this doth pardon of sinne which couereth all our nakednesse and deformitie Thirdly that wherein we are iustified before God is our blessednesse but in not imputing of sinnes is our iustification as the Apostle from this place proueth Rom. 4. 6. 7. Hence is it that Zachary in his Song Luk. 1. 77. sayth that God by remission of sinne teacheth the knowledge of saluation Fourthly and lastly euen nature will draw this confession from the worst that the best to be happy need pardon that if God straitly mark what is done amisse none could abide and that euery man by the Law is accursed Secondly and much more doth the Scripture teach that before God haue begunne his grace with a man his whole life is hatefull his mind and conscience polluted yea and after euery thing is imperfect so as the best workes need pardon Thirdly and most of all the experience of the godly confirmeth this truth Neuer did any man feele the burden of sinne and Gods wrath in his soule for it but hee could say his happinesse was to be eased Neuer did any see the ougly face of his sinne and Gods angry face beholding it out of Heauen as a consuming fire but hee would proclaime him happy whose sinne is couered Neuer did any feele Gods Tribunall set vp in his conscience and God and his conscience casting him for his insufficiencie but he did place his peace and happinesse in Gods not imputing his sinne vnto him If blessednesse stand in the pardon of sinne and imputation of righteousnesse then not in merits and satisfactions This vse the Apostle draweth out of this place Rom. 4. If righteousnesse stand in the hiding of sin then not in meriting it Besides there are but two wayes of discharging debts eyther forgiuenesse or payment If I pay it is not forgiuen Popish doctrine standeth here against the light of the Scripture in the Campes of naturall reason which suggesteth that something must bee done by a man to his owne iustification as the young man What good thing shall I doe to be saued And the Papists neuer asking God what they should doe set themselues on workes satisfactorie which hee neuer enioyned as Donations to Churches Pilgrimages Fastings Pater-nosters Aueës Creeds Inuocations Visitations Oblations to Saints keeping and kissing yea praying to Reliques Merits of Saints Workes supererogatory Purgatory Vowes Vigils Masse-chantings Iubileës martes of pardon and a thousand such Symoniacall trickes to make a sale of remission of sinnes all which wage battell and warre to this learning of Dauid Of all these in generall will one day bee said Who required these things at your hands these things so derogatorie to the bloud of Iesus Christ which cleanseth vs from all sinne Secondly to the nature of iustification which is the full absolution of a sinner before God by reason of Christ who is made our righteousnesse by imputation Thirdly so derogatory to the truth of the doctrine concerning good Workes which are farre from iustifying or meriting I speake of good Workes euen of grace which first are imperfect in number secondly in degree not being done with all due intents nor the whole heart and strength neither can be because the heart is partly spirituall partly fleshly the best workes therefore haue flesh and corruption in them and whatsoeuer is defiled performeth not the Law needeth a couer and cannot in it selfe be accepted Thirdly they are imperfect in the person No good worke can proceede from any but a good worker and a iustified person first make the tree good and then the fruit will be good also therefore they cannot iustifie seeing the person is already iustified And the iustified person when he doth the best is vnprofitable he cannot answere one of a thousand and if the Lord should marke what is done amisse who could stand The best worke hath matter of humiliation which may exclude all our reioycing Paul knew nothing by himselfe but had practised workes of grace many yet saith he was not thereby iustified But they say God hath promised a reward of life eternall to good workes Let them shew a place where it is promised to the worke but to the worker being a beleeuer to whom Christs righteousnesse is imputed in which regards all such rewards are meere mercy But Christ hath merited that our good works should merit That is false for then Christ merited that our good workes should fulfill the iustice of the Law which they cannot being stayned with sinne and that they are dyed in the bloud of Christ maketh them not meritorious of eternall life but that they bring not eternall death Dauid prayeth Psal. 7. 3. to bee iudged according to his righteousnesse Righteousnesse is either of the cause or of the person Dauid here speaketh of the former for hee had a good cause and conscience though Saul pursued him to the death but he speaketh not of the righteousnesse of his person before God of which Iob speaketh when hee saith that if hee should iustifie himselfe namely before God his owne clothes would defile him The last iudgement is by workes and therefore iustification These are diuers workes of God in the first
namely in the iustification of a sinner he doth accept and make a sinner iust and this is onely by Christs righteousnesse in the latter hee declares him iust and this may bee by workes so Saint Iames Let me see thy faith by thy workes thus they iustifie before men not before God A man is condemned for euill workes and therefore saued for good workes If a good worke were as perfectly good as an euill is perfectly euill he should but not being so we are saued by Christs good workes which were perfect Let vs detest therefore that doctrine that misleadeth vs out of the plaine path to saluation and cast downe our selues at Gods feet confesse our sinne pray for pardon and plead not merit but mercy Let vs flie forth of our selues to Christ our head life and saluation hee is the carcasse whereunto we must resort let vs with Paul account our best workes but dung and much more all Popish deuices He hath nothing in Christ who hath any thing in himselfe and he that will not rest in that righteousnesse restored by Christ hath no part of blessednesse Secondly if it be a blessed estate to haue sinnes forgiuen then must a man certainely beleeue the pardon of his sinnes for this blessednesse is to bee enioyed in this life as we noted and no man can hold and enioy that he hath not The Church of Rome teacheth that to doubt is a vertue and so with-holdeth a man from the sense of this happinesse Their reasons are these We must worke out our saluation with feare and trembling This feare is not in regard of Gods mercy and our saluation but feare of sinne and his displeasure and this is not contrary but stands with assurance of forgiuenesse of sinnes Psal. 130. Mercy is with thee that thou mayest be feared It is presumption to beleeue so It is obedience to Gods Commandement 1. Ioh. 3. 23. This is his commandement that we beleeue in the name of his Sonne now to beleeue in his name is more then that he dyed for sinners else doe the Deuills beleeue as much as we but they cannot beleeue that Christ dyed for themselues None knowes Gods minde concerning him and so can haue no assurance but may only hope well No man knowes the secret will of God but his reuealed will he may know namely that whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued the application of which draweth necessarily this conclusion Therefore I shall bee saued being a beleeuer which is infallible Experience sheweth that the most faithfull and best are full of doubtings therefore there is no certayne beliefe Doubting and Faith may stand and will dwell together else would not Christ haue said O thou of little faith why doubtedst thou euery Christian consists of Flesh and Spirit therefore Faith will bee assayled with doubtings and yet in the end triumph Hence we see as vve are to labour for pardon of sinne so also for assurance of pardon else can wee haue little peace in our selues and a comfortlesse happinesse Am I the richer because I know many other be or fuller because many eate I must take comfort in my own wealth strength by my owne foode and ioy in my owne pardon Thirdly vvee must euery one herein place our happinesse euen in Gods mercy pardoning sinne and accordingly set our hearts and affections vpon it longing after this assurance aboue all things in the world If a malefactor were condemned and at the place of execution what is it that would make him happy What wisheth hee aboue the vvorld onely a pardon from his Prince gold and siluer lands and honors can doe him no good only a pardon is the most welcome thing in the World This is euery mans case we are Traytors and Rebells to God our sins haue proclaymed vs Rebells through heauen and earth the Law hath condemned vs we are going on to execution and euery day neerer then other wherein then ought wee to place our happinesse if wee well weighed our estate but in a gracious and free pardon We would striue for pardon as for life and death Miserable men they be that place their felicitie in any thing else For consider that notwithstanding first the greatest part of men place their happinesse in wealth pleasure honor and these carry all their hearts yet this is an earthly and sensuall and farre from Christian happinesse which cannot leaue a man vnhappy in the end as all these doe Secondly the most wicked ones that the world hath had haue enioyed the greatest outward prosperitie Thirdly the most deare seruants of God haue beene strangers in the world and met with the strangest entertaynement Fourthly those whose portion hath beene outwardly most prosperous yet neuer thought themselues happy out of Gods mercy pardoning sinne an example in Dauid he had riches honor pleasu re a crowne kingdome subiects treasures but did he place his fclicitie in these things No but in the forgiuenesse and couering of sinnes in whose steps wee must tread Fifthly he that would build a firme house must lay a sure foundation and wilt thou lay the foundation of thy happinesse in the dust Lay it in wealth they haue wings and when they fly away so doth thy happinesse why doest thou trust a fugitiue seruant Lay it in pleasures it will end in sorrow and the Apostle saith It makes a man as a corps liuing dead while he liueth Lay it in honor what a vanishing thing is that like the footsteps of a ship in the Sea carried with a strong gale Yea lay it any where but in God and his assured mercies it will proue a tottering happinesse and the fall of such an happy man shall be great Secondly others thinke themselues most happy in the committing of sinne and practice of their iniquity and these are most miserable captiues to the Deuill so farre from thinking their happinesse to stand in the pardon of sinne as that they place it in the practice of it Hence is it that Monsters of men Deuills incarnate professe to sweare quarrell drinke riot whore and take them the greatest enemies to their happinesse that would helpe to pull them out of the snares of the Deuill I would know what other happinesse the Deuill hath then incessantly to sinne against God and draw so many as he can into his owne damnation which expresse image hee hath stamped on numbers marked to destruction Fourthly let vs checke our hearts that can find so much ioy in these earthly things and so little in these heauenly gifts of Gods loue such as are election vocation iustification adoption sanctification which are called the pleasures of Gods house and they blessed that enioy them and surely well may they suspect themselues to be as yet vnpurged that finde not a ioyfull sense of it Alas will the beleeuer say I finde little comfort of this doctrine I finde my heart much more affected to earthly things I finde
so it calls in company gaming merriments and other exercises like water to a dropsie Little is the ease of forgetting that paine the cause of which remaineth it will certainly returne againe Secondly by contenting a man with some short humiliation and as vnsound as short to flatter God withall onely forced by feare and selfe-loue The Iewes confessed their sinnes and promised to doe so no more but they dissembled with their double hearts and their goodnesse was like the morning dew How many such flashes made Pharaoh how many sickemen on their beds haue in their affliction sought God but it was onely for ease and to get out of his hands or for feare because they saw no way to get out affecting deliuerance not repentance nor seeking sound reconciliation and peace but a truce for no sooner recouered but they are out in the field with God againe al the time of their straitenesse being quite forgotten And let soft-hearted Protestants that at some Sermons can melt with great motion to teares and yet afterward make little or no conscience of their waies but yeeld libertie to their lustes thinke vpon this point and consider how the deceit of spirit ouer-reacheth them Thirdly by satisfying with some outward ceremonie and formall seruice which when they haue done they shall find that God is not friends with them Some after sinne committed and accusing them by saying or framing a prayer though without heart-breaking faith or the spirit draw a skinne ouer their heart and there is peace for a time others whose whole life was spent in oppression and euery penny worse got then other if about the time of their death or after they giue a little money to the poore or bee liberall for a guilding Sermon they haue peace without any satisfaction or restitution according to the law of repentance What they haue wickedly got they leaue to their heires who are made happy by their fathers going to the deuill as the prouerbe saith They neuer loosed their bonds of wickednesse and now are chained in the bonds of blacke darknesse for euer The third guile of the heart is in respect of vertue and grace whereby the vnsound heart doth rest it selfe vpon counterfeit vertues for the wickednesse of euerie mans heart by nature is such that let it be neuer so vicious yet it will counterfeit any vertue First it will make a man outwardly seeme a true worshipper of God it will bring the body and frame it to reuerence when there is none within it will make the lips draw neere when the heart is farre remooued it makes Congregations and people sit before God when their hearts are gone after their couetousnesse Idols in Churches are put downe but idols in mens hearts are set vp and this is the reason why the Word and Prayer are so forcelesse wee haue mens bodies now and then when they list but seldome or neuer their hearts Secondly it will make a man outwardly seeme a good Christian when inwardly he is a Iudas or Demas an vnsound heart will make a man professe religion but vtterly neglect the work of it the forme of godlinesse contents him without the power so he haue a lampe of profession he cares not for oyle in it it suffereth him to get knowledge and rests in that without conscience it suffereth him to pray but publikely more then priuately and to neither ioyneth watching to his prayer yea he can shew the shell of any duty but neuer cares for the kernell Secondly inwardly it can counterfeit the most excellent graces as first faith when it hath neuer a iot it wil presume of Gods mercy and thinks this presumption faith What man saith not hee beleeues that hee shal be saued but all men haue not faith saith the Apostle therefore it is a shaddow without substance Secondly repentance a man in sicknesse will cry out of himselfe and his sinnes he will promise if he liue to become a new man and practise godlinesse but when God hath restored him his wicked heart carries him as farre backe as euer hee was here was a shew of repentance but it was counterfeit Thirdly loue where is nothing but deuillish malice two neighbours are fallen out and are at deadly hatred at the time of the Sacrament both of them dissemble loue and charitie but after it they are as malicious and mischieuous as euer they were before Fourthly strength in temptation where is none Peter while he was with Christ would die with him before he would deny him but when the maide daunted him he saw that that was but a flourish and that he was not so well acquainted with the wiles of his heart as he should haue been And so of the rest of the graces A fourth guile of the heart is in respect of the worke of the Word and Spirit when the deceitfull heart forceth the sinner to rest in the restraining of some corruption in stead of renewing grace for example the Word by a common worke of the Spirit planteth some kinde of vertues as temporary faith ioy in the word reuerence to Preachers loue to Professors releeuing them speaking for them and helping them euery way and yet such are not cleansed from their filthinesse all their hearts are corrupt all is ioyned with deepe hypocrisie Herod heard Iohn gladly reuerenced him tooke him for a good man and did many things but his heart was right in nothing for it claue to that speciall sinne of keeping his brothers wife And as the heart is so is euery action so is the ioy loue and labour some sinister respect it hath and doth not good purely and for it selfe Thus our Sauiour witnesseth that the good and bad hearers are both in appearance fruitfull and for a time but the one is purely affected in bringing fruit so is not the other But doe not the best finde such deceit in doing good as that they haue great cause to bewaile it Yea but although reliques of natural hypocrisie mixe themselues into their actions yet they sway not the hart but are striuen against and the maine motion of the heart is sincere and chooseth good for goodnesse sake as in the other it is not Now when a wicked heart findeth in it selfe knowledge consent confession and defence of the word al which were in Iulian the Apostate hee rests in this as sauing knowledge whereas it is a common gift whereby the Lord will haue his truth witnessed by the enemies of it Againe when a guileful heart comes to a sight of sin to feare it to terror of conscience griefe and vexation for sinne it rests in that as a sound feare of God whereas it is a seruile feare like that of the deuils and the vexation is not for sinne but for the punishment of it it is a common worke of the Word and Spirit to prepare the wicked to iust damnation Further when a guilefull heart sees many corruptions cast out
is quite deiected Thirdly we haue the experience of many who haue sought the pangs of death to auoid these pangs of conscience Iudas could find no ease but in a desperate death in hanging himselfe Reuel 9. 6. Such as wish to die seeke death and cannot finde it they follow it but it flies from them and all this in the paine of a despairing conscience But here come three questions to be resolued First How can it bee that the wicked binde vpon themselues such heauy bundles of sinnes and carry all so easily whereas the godly finde such bitternesse in sinnes forgiuen how comes it to passe that the godly feele such sorrow in sinne pardoned and the wicked feele nothing in sinne vnpardoned For these reasons first because now is the time of Gods patience and forbearance of his bountifulnesse and long-suffering towards the vessels of wrath Secondly now is the time of their reioycing but when the daies of their banquetting are gone about then shall come many heauy messengers to tell them of fearefull newes there comes a day of wrath when they shall reape as they sowed and drinke the dreggs of Gods wrath to the bottome of the viall They treasure vp sorrow with their sinne and their griefe shall be full That sinne that now sets no sorrow to their heart shall hereafter be a worme euer gnawing a fire neuer going out a Riuer of brimstone kindled by the wrath of the Lord of hosts and a perpetuall weeping and gnashing of teeth Secondly how comes the body to be troubled by the minde First by the strait vnion and sympathie betweene the soule and the body vnited into one person for while the soule is possessed with feare sorrow languishing wearinesse and heauinesse it is impossible that the body can take any delight in the comforts of nature but that sleep shall depart from it or bee not so short as troublesome the meate and drinke shall be tastelesse or lothsome or mingled with teares I forgot to eate my bread saith Dauid Psalm 102. No comfort shall bee comfortable to him for when the spirit which should sustaine all a mans infirmities failes him what can sustaine him Secondly by the righteous iudgement of God who correcteth together those who haue sinned together and as they haue been vndiuided in sinne so are they not diuided in the smart of it The body hath been a seruant to the lusts of the soule and so receiueth the wages of sin with it Dauid abused the vigor strength and health of his body in the sinnes of adultery and murther and now the Lord chasteneth him in both Thirdly how comes it to passe that all the godly haue not this torment for sinne that they are not thus struck with terror nor so affected for sinne as to haue their strength impaired and their body dried First their persons are not alike and therefore Gods dealing with them is not alike some are more obscure in the world then other and haue onely more secret exercises some are more fitted by God to be speciall vessels for his glory in whom he will shine to his whole Church as Dauid Hezekiah c. and these he will specially worke vpon to make them patterns of his mercie both in leading them in and out of trouble for first hereby he lets the world see that great grace is ioyned with great corruption Secondly that the best haue matter of correction in them Thirdly that hee will not spare to rebuke sinne in those that are neerest and dearest vnto him Fourthly he will haue others to looke vpon them and Gods dealing with them in their casting downe and raising vp Secondly according to the difference of sinnes may be the difference of sorrow many men of greater grace then others haue fallen into greater sinnes then others and their knowledge being more then others is their apprehension of the sentence of the Law hath been deeper and so of wrath due to their sinne Besides in some others some speciall corruption which hath often preuailed or the constitution of body may adde a sting to the sorrow of mind some are naturally more fearefull as melancholy constitutions and so their impressions are deeper and of longer continuance Thirdly although in ordinarie Christians before sense of remission there is a sufficient measure of labour and wearinesse vnder the burthen of sinne yet some of all kindes God will exempt from such depth of griefe that he may shew himselfe free in all his working O that men would hence come to feare the paines prepared for sinners for if first a drop of Gods displeasure let fall secondly in loue thirdly on his owne children fourthly for a moment doe so amaze them and drinke vp their spirits their soules and bodies how much more shall the Ocean and deepe sea of Gods wrath against his enemies for all eternitie consume and torture them in hell Blind people of the world wil not know what hell meaneth till they be in it Secondly let vs learn to haue compassion on such as are troubled in spirit seeing such is their heauines as presseth downe both soule and body let vs apply our selues to comfort them as Dauid did here in his owne person and example Many thinke this sicknesse to be but passion conceit or melancholy and because it changeth the body often they thinke it to arise from the body but there is no disease like to this for symptomes and torment First they all are naturall this supernaturall SeSecondly they from the constitution of the body this from the constitution of the soule Thirdly in them the humours first or imagination as in Melancholy are distempered in this the conscience first and the humours after Fourthly they all may be cured by naturall remedies and bringing the body to a temperature all naturall medicines vnder heauen cannot cure this sicknesse Blessed is hee that iudgeth wisely of the poore to relieue the sicke conscience is mercy indeed Christ had the tongue of the learned giuen him to speake a word of comfort to such weary soules and was sent to bind vp the broken in heart and not onely ministers but euery Christian hath receiued of his anointing Thirdly in that Dauids sicknesse of body was from the sinne of his soule learne that health is a special blessing of God seeing wee euer carry that about with vs which might change it the first and most noysome humour which breeds bodily diseases is sinne the disease of the soule and therefore if God change his hand and bring weakenesse vpon our bodies we must not fixe our eyes vpon second causes not on abundance of peccant humours but looke backe to our sinnes and life past consider how silent and impenitent we haue been turne to God bewaile and forsake sinne resolue to vse our health better and our strength for God and not against him and thus the sicknesse of our body shall turne to the soundnesse and health of the soule
peace and create euill I the Lord doe all these things So also Genes 45. 8. Ioseph said to his brethren God sent me before you Iob confesseth the like Chap. 1. 21. The Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away 2. Sa. 16. 11. The Lord bade SHEMEI to raile vpon DAVID Hosea 6. 1. He hath spoiled and he hath smitten Thirdly afflictions are from Gods hand ordering and disposing them first in their causes circumstances kinds manner measure and time both of their beginning and ending Secondly in their ends and issues which are first his owne glory in manifesting his mercy iustice wisedome power c. Secondly the euerlasting saluation of his children whilest by afflictions First he stops them in their course of sinne as with an hedge of thornes Hos. 2. 6. that they should not breake ouer into the pleasant pastures of sinne therein to be fatted to the slaughter Secondly hee brings them to a true hatred of sinne when they taste the bitter fruite of it Thirdly to the exercise of mortification and desire of heauen and heauenly things and thus they are iudged of the Lord that they may not be condemned with the world Yea but afflictions are euill in their nature the curse of sinne and flashes of hellish torment so the Lord calls them euil and makes the daies of the afflicted euill they are enemies to the ioy peace and comfort which the godly at length shal eternally enioy how then can they be the hand of God True afflictions are in their nature euill but not euill so simply and absolutely but that there is some respect of good in them for first as they proceed from the chiefe good whose will is the chiefe rule of all good and euery thing is therefore good because he willeth it thus are afflictions good yea euill of sinne is so farre good as it is willed by God Secondly as they are punishments inflicted by a righteous iudge they are good thus all execution of iustice vpon Pharaoh Saul c. is good Thirdly as they are chastisements comming from the hand of a mercifull Father vpon his children they are good for a father doth good and his dutie in correcting his child Fourthly as they are ouer-ruled by Gods wisedome and power they are good not onely harmelesse but profitable and by his blessing are meanes to draw vs neerer the chiefe good by furthering both our graces heere and our glorie heereafter Fifthly as they are sanctified by Christ they are good for had they been simply euill Christ had not been so laden with them but as himselfe was consecrated by them so himselfe consecrateth them to the wholesome vse of all beleeuers and so they are finally good because they are a part of that straite way that leadeth vnto life But how can afflictions bee the hand of God when such wicked instruments as all wicked men and the diuill himselfe band themselues against the Church Ans. Very well for first it is not against the honor of the Iudge and course of iustice that some base slaue bee vsed for the hangman and executioner Secondly it cannot preiudice the iustice and goodnes of God but rather magnifies his wisedome and power when by the most wicked wiles of the diuell and his instruments he brings his owne righteous will to passe here is a mightie worke of God that can draw light out of darkenesse Thirdly it exalteth his iustice in the ouerthrow iust destruction of such as exercise their malice against his seruants for while they hate and maligne them vniustly they heape vp coales vpon their owne heads This teacheth vs that we must with the Prophet acknowledge euery affliction befalling vs to bee Gods hand It is easier to feele a sorrow then to conceiue or see Gods hand inflicting it men thinke it enough in generall to say and beleeue that the world and all things in it are ruled by Gods prouidence but come to applie it to this or that particular there they faile If prosperitie come vpon vs and things fall to our minde wee can thanke God but when the crosse comes we are willing to see any thing but God then we runne vpon inferior causes either we are wronged by wicked men or it came by our own ouersight or by the vnconstant wheeling about of worldly things As if a man beaten should altogether looke at the staffe wherewith he is smitten and not at the hand mouing and ruling it or as the foolish Curre bites at the stone and looks not after the thrower Neuer seuer thy crosse from Gods hand though there be neuer so many instruments Ioseph looked beyond his brethrens sinne and said The Lord sent me before you Iob beyond the Sabeans and Chaldeans robbing and stealing and said The Lord hath taken away Dauid beyond Shimeis wickednesse and said The Lord hath bidden him Christ himselfe looked beyond the Pharises Priests Iewes Iudas and the souldiers to his Fathers cup which he must drinke Iohn 18. 11. So if we can see Gods hand the affliction will be borne meekely but if we gaze on men or meanes it will be intolerable and we must needs breake patience 1. Sam. 6. 7. The Philistims would trie whether Gods hand strucke them or it was a chance thou needst not doe so But may we not looke at second causes Yes but not as the hand but as rods in the hand of God as Isai. 10. 5. Ashur is called the rod of Gods wrath and whilest such rods serue our heauenly Father in chastizing his children and amend them themselues are torne in peeces and worne to the stumpes and quickely after cast into the fire For a man therefore to flie vpon wicked men and to complaine of them is rather to confesse their sinne then his owne and to shew that he knoweth what was their dutie better then his owne To fret and storme at second causes were as if a man deepely wounded should chafe at himselfe because hee auoided not the blow or should fal to biting the sword that stickes in his flesh whereas his businesse were to plucke it out and runne to the Surgeon Let vs therefore consider of these three things First that all power is from God and in his hand Secondly that none haue any power against vs but from aboue Thirdly that the iust Iudge of the World would not afflict vs if there were no cause in our selues Secondly heere is a notable ground of patience in that our afflictions are the hand of God 1. Pe. 5. 6. Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God that is with meekenesse and silence buckle and bow vnder it for First it is his hand who is infinite in glory power and Maiesty and may dispose of his owne as he pleaseth and it is to no purpose to struggle by murmuring or impatiencie to get out of his hand Secondly it is the hand of our Father thus Christ sustaineth himselfe Ioh. 18. 11. Shall
smiting them he will haue his blowes felt the strong purgation at last worketh out most health and soundnesse Thirdly the greater the affliction is the more odious doth sinne appeare to bee vnto God a strong poyson must haue a strong antidote the more the godly are striken downe for sinne the more are they stirred vp to godly sorrow to hatred of it to zeale against it the better and more watchfully do they preuent sinne to come and looke better to themselues as a good Physician oftentimes letteth blood not to make a man sicke but to preuent sicknesse Fourthly the greater the tryall is the better experience haue they of themselues for first God afflicts the body heauily but it is for the soule the soule would neuer perceiue the owne euill but for the euil of the body nor feele the miserie but by the body Secondly in great trials there is experience of a great combat betweene the flesh and the Spirit where any faith is it will lift vp the heart in inuocation silence and an expectation of the good hand of God but the flesh will be complaining of Gods absence desertion and deferring his hand and helpe here is sense of the spirits willingnesse and the weakenesse of the flesh Thirdly there is great experience of their graces in great trials that both themselues and others may take knowledge of their constancie and patience Thus Iob was made a mirror of patience and a patterne of constancy which he could not haue been if the trial had not been so sharpe as it was Then the Mariners skill is best tried when the tempest is vehement and the valour of a Captaine is best seene in the hottest skirmish Fourthly in great trials there is great obseruation of Gods dealing of the comforts of God and of the strength of God and therefore the Lord brings many of his as it were vpon the stage and theater of the world that they may be instruments of his praise and may by their experience be able to teach others how they shall finde God in affliction for as one piece of yron cannot be soldred and fastned to another vnlesse both be made red hot and beaten together so one Christian cannot be so soundly affected to another vnlesse both haue had experience of the like miserie Fifthly Gods children haue great afflictions and are pressed with an heauie hand that God himselfe may be cleerely seene to bee their deliuerer when in the eyes of all flesh they are lost therefore they see themselues in the red Sea of affliction and in a wildernesse of temptation and sometimes with Ionas in their owne and other mens sense drowned in the bottome of the sea in the belly of the Whale that as Lazarus lay foure dayes in the graue that Christs power might bee manifested in raising him so also may the goodnesse of God who after two daies will reuiue vs and in the third will raise vs vp Sixthly as great afflictions make way for abundant mercy from God to vs so also for abundant thankes from vs to God If one cure a trifeling matter it neither so bindes the patient nor yet commends the Physician but if any be cured of some deadly and almost-vncurable desease then we professe we could neuer haue met with such a Phisician in all the world againe and we are accordingly thankefull Seuenthly were it not for great afflictions we could neuer know the power of Gods Word in quickning vs chearing and comforting vs in them that it is the Word of life is most euidently seene in death it selfe First then let vs hence take a view of the wickednesse of our nature and of the working of it euen after our calling and conuersion and cease to wonder that the Lord often brings violent afflictions vpon his owne children which he sees most necessarie to awake them out of their slumbers and quicken them to their seeking of sound peace and reconciliation Dauid himselfe before hee was afflicted went astray like a lost sheepe Secondly we may learne hence that vehement afflictions and Gods heauie hand is no signe of his hatred to his children good Dauid had Gods heauie hand lying sore vpon him For First all outward things fall alike to all and no man knoweth loue or hatred by the things that are before him Eccles. 9. 2. Secondly in iudgement hee remembreth mercy Hab. 3. 2. and afflicteth in measure though our sinnes haue beene beyond all measure and deserue that our crosses should be so too Isa. 64. 9 12. Thirdly his wisedome knoweth the due quantitie and proportion that will doe vs good and though there wants no will in Satan and wicked men to passe it yet the miserie shall not exceed Gods limit who hath said to the proud waues Hither shall ye come and no further Fourthly he hath a seuerall measure for the godly and the wicked for his children hee measureth iudgement according to their strength to the wicked according to the measure of their sinnes but as the best garden and flowers lye open to stormes and haile to fall on them as well as the wildernesse so the dearest of Gods Saints to afflictions Thirdly if the Lord chastize and punish his children so heauily the whole burthen of whose sinnes Christ hath borne in his body on the crosse where shall the wicked and vngodly appeare 1. Pet. 4. 17 How heauie shall his hand lye on those who with high hand sinne against him the weight of the mountaines shall be nothing to it to which they shall say Fall vpon vs and couer vs. If the way to heauen be so strawed with crosses and heauinesse what is the way to hell and of wickednesse strawed with but woes and curses Shall not many prayers and teares much sorrow and strife against sin nay nor the request of the Spirit and the intercession of Christ keepe off such bitter things from them who seldome and not without some resistance breake out What then shall become of those who neuer pray neuer sorrow for sinne but sell themselues to commit wickednesse if infirmities be so lashed what shall rebellions If weakenesses in his children what shall wickednesse in his enemies Fourthly this admonisheth the godly not to bee too much discouraged if they lye vnder an heauy hand but consider of these foure things First that to expect continuance of outward prosperitie is earthlinesse or selfe-loue yea a meere folly seeing it is a priuiledge of the Church triumphant Secondly that through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdome of God Acts 14 22. and therefore that there is more cause of discouragement in the want of them then in their presence Thirdly that no new thing befalls them Dearely beloued saith Saint PETER thinke it not strange concerning the fierie triall which is among you to proue you as though some strange thing were come vnto you But reioyce inasmuch as yee are partakers of Christs sufferings c. 1. Pet.
prayers and teares we keepe more carefully and make meere account of whereas lightly come by lightly set by The euill we hardly auoide we are more watchfull against for afterward whereas a disease soone cured is not much cared for to preuent it Sixthly and lastly God by the continuance of his heauie hand vpon his children would haue vs acknowledge how heauy and continuall those torments are which are prepared for impenitent persons If repentant sinners be laid vnder such lingring euills in this life what shall the wicked and vngodly endure If the Lord shew himselfe so stiffe to his children that often he will not be intreated of a long time how will he pursue the hard-hearted sinner that still stiffeneth his necke against him surely his wrath shal abide and settle vpon such and come vpon them to the vttermost But how will all this stand with those many places of Scripture as that the Apostle calles our afflictions light and momentany 2. Cor. 4. 17. and that God endureth but a while in his anger Psalm 30. 5. and that for a moment he hides his face Isa. 54. 8. doth not both this text and our owne experience shew that they belong and tedious and therefore I am either no child or else God may lay tedious euils vpon his children First euills cannot belong where life is so short as a spanne if our daies be euill yet are they but few saith Iaacob Secondly they are long to sense but not to faith though they last al the life faith expecteth a blessed fruit and is supported by patience Thirdly they are long if they be compared with the continuance and terme of our life but not long if they be compared as in that place of the Apostle they are with that eternall glory and neuer-ending happinesse which followes them This is Gods Arithmetike with whom a thousand yeeres are but as one day Fourthly afflictions are long if wee looke at themselues alone and not at our sinnes but compare thy sufferings for weight or continuance with thy sinnes thy afflictions with thy transgressions and they will seeme short and light Fifthly they would not onely seeme but also be long indeed if we should not see Christ in them lightning and shortning them but when we see Christ sanctifying our lingring afflictions and sorrowes and carrying a way the eternitie of them by his suffering which was short for time but infinite in merit then they are short indeede euen a moment seeing they last but a part of this life the whole being but short and momentany First then those who are neere vnto God haue no reason to flatter themselues or beare vp themselues vpon his fauour when they embolden themselues to sinne against him For he lookes to be glorified in them that come neere him and though hee take not away his grace yet he will scourge them with such rods as they shall thinke him to breake their bones Secondly if Gods hand be on thee which thou wouldest haue remoued take heed of delight in sinne or coldnesse in goodnesse harden not thy selfe in thy departure from God for then thou shalt surely find him hardning himselfe and walking stubbornely against thee Thirdly in lingring euils iudge thy selfe and thy lingring in sinne if the Lord were not mercifull to vs as he was to Lot we would neuer go out of our Sodom and therefore all this is righteously vpon vs. Fourthly this serues to comfort the godly who are longer exercised with trials both inward and outward Oh they thinke God neuer dealt so with any and crie How long Lord and will he neuer be more intreated Yea but stay a little First know that Gods waies are aboue the reach of flesh and bloud Secondly compare thy sufferings with thy sinnes thy afflictions with other godly mens yea with Christ the deare Son of God thē thou wilt see that no affliction hath befallen thee but as great or greater hath befallen thy fellow-members and thy Head also Thirdly know this for certaine were health peace and prosperitie as good for thee as troubles thou shouldest haue it but thy present estate is best for thee and doth God enuie that to his children which he throwes to his enemies see wee not numbers that it were better for them to be bound on their beds and perpetually sicke and bedrid then to abuse their health and strength as they doe hast not thou also abused thy health peace c. and thereby forfeited them Selah An Hebrew word Some thinke it to bee a note of Musicke because it is most vsed in Meeter or Song and the Iewes put it in the end of their Epitaphs either Selah or Amen Some take it for a note of perpetuitie in the praise of God for euer and euer Some for a word of asseueration for verè or Amen It is most probable that it was a note of intention or lifting vp of the voice comming of the roote Salal to lift vp for wheresoeuer it was met with the Singers were to exalt their voices signifying that here was required more then ordinarie intention of the mind and consideration Where this note is al things are worthy more speciall obseruation And it is here added as Bucer saith first to shew what a torment it is rightly to feele the burden of sinne Secondly what weight this doctrine hath and how worthy it is of our consideration VERSE 5. Then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee neither hid I mine iniquitie for I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sin SELAH NOw wee come to the second branch of Dauids experience in the sense of Gods mercy hiding his sinne the meanes to come by it was acknowledging not hiding confession the ende hereof remission The former hath these foure parts 1. The time Then 2. The ground I thought or said 3. The matter or what he will confesse his 4. The manner Sinne Iniquitie Wickednesse 1. In respect of God to thee 2. Of himselfe against my selfe The latter which is the fruite of all in these words And thou forgauest c. Then I acknowledged my sinne WHen I was in such perplexitie all day and all night then and not before Hence wee may learne that The sense of miserie must goe before the sense of mercie God first called Adam and said Adam where art thou in what estate and then promised him a Sauiour Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in teares shall reape in ioy Mat. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted Prou. 28. 13. He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall finde mercy Psal. 51. DAVID before he could be restored to the ioy of his saluation had a deepe sense of his sinne a deepe sorrow and touch of conscience for it And good reason that this should be so for First touch of conscience though it be no grace yet it
vse vnlawfull meanes but depends vpon God Dauid comforts not himselfe in corne wine or oile but in Gods countenance Psal. 4. It is instant with God in prayer as the Canaanite Luk. 7. Finde these notes in thy selfe and thou mayest support thy selfe in the deepest distresse that is for if thy soule thus truly mourne for sinne thou art in the high-way to blessednesse Thirdly this rebukes the common error of men who account conuersion and the attaining of happinesse a matter of nothing men thinke that heauen stands by their beds-sides it is but a light Lord haue mercie whereas neuer hee went to heauen that sailed not by hell it is a burdened soule that seekes and gets ease a weary soule which Christ refresheth a soule pressed with an heauie hand that sues for mercy No man can taste of the sweete fruite of mercy that hath not tasted the bitter fruite of sinne and of a wounded and distressed conscience And whosoeuer hath not felt the griefe and smart of his sinnes may iustly feare hee neuer truly repented and thou that saiest thy sinnes neuer troubled thee thou thankest God shalt find that there is more trouble behind Fourthly labour to feele thy spirituall miserie and wants that with Lazarus thou maiest get thee to Diues his gate and examine thy selfe if thou hast felt it How loth are men to feele the smart of sinne to heare the law come vpon their conscience for feare they bee set into dumpes and melancholy to feele the crosse whereby God breakes the stubbornnesse of nature and subdues it Alas poore soules that nip true repentance in the blossome and blast it in the beginning that thinke they are very neere heauen when they are loth to point their foot into the first step which is to mourne and to be cast downe to hell in their owne sense and in the feeling of their owne sinnes till which time thou hast not mooued one foote or finger toward eternall life therefore know First that thy case is dangerous and thou art still in thy sinnes who wilt not let the word come home to thy heart and wilt not suffer Gods Spirit to meete thee in the Ministerie and canst not indure the power of the Word to wound either thy soule or thy sinne but it hath been in vaine to thee a certaine signe of a man as yet out of the state of grace as it is Rom. 1. 28. Such as regarded not to know God he gaue them vp to the lusts of their hearts Secondly know that an accusing conscience for sinne is better then a dead conscience a sleepie benummed or seared conscience is the most grieuous plague that God can strike a man withall in this life his wrath followes drowsie consciences to giue them vp to a spirit of slumber and at length to a reprobate sense Psal. 81. 11. My people would not heare my voice Israel would none of me so I gaue them vp to the hardnesse of their hearts and they walked in their owne counsels Thirdly let vs bee mooued to make search into our miserie considering first that if we shead not teares on earth God can neuer wipe them away in heauen and if we do here shead teares for sinne God carries an handkerchiefe to wipe them all away such Aprill showres bring the May-flowres of grace and comfort Secondly that our soules in their swaruing from God are like bones out of ioynt the longer they goe vnrespected the more painefull they prooue Thirdly for the health of the body men will purge and sweat and make shift to swallow and get downe bitter pills and potions so the vomit of the soule is the griefe of repentance take it betime and the danger is lesse Were the medicine of repentance grieuous to take yet in regard of the euerlasting health to which it restoreth vs wee should like wise men take the sweete with the sowre and chuse this rather then to feede on such sweete meates as please the palate while they bee tasted but cause at length vomits more bitter then death Fourthly how highly doth God esteeme of a man or woman of a broken heart 2. King 22. 19. Good Iosiahs heart melted and God had a care to take him to himselfe from the euill to come Isa. 57. 15. I walke with him that is of a contrite spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and giue life to the contrite heart Now followes the ground of Dauids confession which is first in order I said or thought THat is I purposed I resolued Dauid had been in a long conflict in himselfe what to doe he could neither part with his sin nor yet hold it in a woe case hee found himselfe and as a man whose bones were broken yet loth hee was to goe to the Surgeon faine hee would haue hid his sore but the paine would not suffer him Long hee reasoned with himselfe how hee might carry away his sinne most quietly but found no peace in hiding it but still his terrors were increased and then he grew at last to the best resolution that neither feares nor terrors nor sorrowes should any longer as an hedge shut vp his way to confession he will no longer be tossed betweene feare and hope doubts and desires deliberations and resolutions but now I said that is I thought in my heart I spake with my mouth and presently I resolued and acted that I would present my self before God in humble confession of my sinne The same phrase we haue Luke 15. 17. when the lost sonne had lost himselfe in straying and wandring from home and had spent his money and strength on harlots and was now a fitter cōpanion for swine then any thing else when he who had wallowed in the mire of his sin and fed himself with the swil of iniquity was now rightly sorted for his bed and boord with swine cast out of mens company and none pitying him to giue him so much as huskes to eate Now he begins to consider what a wofull estate he was in he thinkes of his fathers house but with what face can he behold the face of his father he considers of the seruants in his fathers house but he is not worthy of a place among them these and such thoughts would haue kept him from his father but necessitie so vrging and famine sore pinching him vpon consideration he came to the like resolution I said I will goe to my father that is I resolued to goe and so he went so Dauid said he would confesse and confessed Hence we may see in the first place that Sound consideration brings forth sound resolutions Deut. 32. 29. Oh that men were wise that they vnderstood this that they would consider their latter ende Psal. 119. 59. I considered my waies and turned my feete vnto thy testimonies and Psal. 4. 4. to still Gods enemies he bids them examine themselues and be still And the reason hereof is good for First consideration is an applying of
I knew what meanes to vse what are they If thou wouldst haue the preuailing of the Spirit take these courses First bee humble in thine owne eyes empty thy selfe of pride and vaine conceits the promise is that God giueth grace to the humble nay he dwels with the humble and broken heart Isay 57. 15. that is abides and continues with it Secondly be diligent in the ministerie of the Word of reconciliation which the Apostle cals the ministerie of the Spirit for it is as fuell to feede and strengthen the Spirit yea as bellowes to blow vp the graces which else lye idle 2. Tim. 1. 6. Stirre vp the gift of God that is in thee 1. Thes. 5. 18. Quench not the Spirit Despise not Prophesying marke the neerenesse of Spirit and Prophesie Thirdly obserue the motions of Gods Spirit feede them and from motions proceede to resolutions and practices not the worst man but hath some good motitions as Balaam and Saul acknowledged that Dauid was more righteous then he but imitate thou good Dauid here hee followes the motion that hee had hee said he would confesse and confessed So the Prodigall Son had a good motion he remembred his estate he had been in and his Fathers house but said he I starue here then hee resolues to goe to his Father and went Goe and do thou likewise this is to adde thy strength to the Spirit and thus a conuert is not meerely passiue in working out his saluation but actiue once being acted Fourthly pray earnestly for the Spirit for he is powred on thirstie grounds as Isay 44. 3. I will powre water vpon him that is thirsty and floods vpon the dry ground and Luk. 11. 13. If yee being euill know how to giue good gifts vnto your children how much more shall your heauenly Father giue the Holy Spirit to them that aske him I acknowledged my sinne neither hid I mine iniquitie HEre is Dauids confession it selfe he did not resolue suffer his resolution to dye but he said he would confesse and confessed but many are of another spirit they resolue professe promise 1. Tim. 1. 13. Paul saith of himselfe I was a Blasphemer a Persecuter an Oppresser but I was receiued to Mercie Here were three heinous degrees of sinne the sight of which made him confesse himselfe the chiefe of all sinners verse 15. and made him admire and magnifie the Mercie of God who vouchsafed so aboundant grace to such a desperate wretch as hee vvas and of this kinde are the confessions of all the godly The Reasons of this point are very good First a Reason hereof is drawne from the nature of grace which First worketh alike against all sinne and he that hath grace to confesse one sinne aright by the same grace confesseth all he that truely hateth one sinne truely hateth all If a man truely feele the weight of one it makes him grone vnder the burthen of all much more For all sinnes are of the same nature so as repentance cannot be sound if any one sinne be laid hold on which made our Prophet being humbled for one to repent of all Thus also doe the Israelites in their conuersion 1. Sam. 12. 19. Pray for thy Seruants said they to Samuel that we dye not for wee haue sinned in asking vs a King besides all our other sinnes Secondly the grace of sound conuersion suffereth not starting holes and hollownesse in the soule but worketh it to sinceritie Now the sincere heart deales truely betweene God and it selfe it knowes that God loues trueth in the inward parts therefore it will confesse fully and frankely vvithout hiding or lessening any sinne Againe it knowes that God loues a free-will offering and therefore it will offer a free and heartie confession and there can bee no better signe of sinceritie then this Thirdly sound grace is an open enemie and at warre with all sinne especially the sinne which is next it and will not spare to disgrace it by all meanes it vvill shew true hatred against it that if confession will discouer the loathsomenesse of sinne it will not bee nice in it but bring it into discredit with it selfe And where grace is more abundant there is more abundant sense of sin and this sense brings abundance of words like so many swords and weapons against it euery one expressing greater hatred of it then other as Dauids words here Secondly another Reason hereof is drawne from the nature of sinne which first is a debt as we haue heard a debt which is impossible that euer we should bee able to pay this debt stands vpon our heads in Gods debt-booke Now it vvill not stand with an honest disposition to deny or seeke to out-face or lessen a due debt to any man and much lesse will it stand with a godly disposition to deny or conceale our debts to God with whom wee cannot play false if we would And therefore it is as little as a man of a broken heart can doe to goe to the Creditor and in humilitie confesse the debt and craue pardon and forgiuenes So Christ our Lord hath taught vs to pray Forgiue vs our debts which implyes confession And Dauid prayes the Lord to blot out all his sins wherein hee secretly confesseth that hee hath a large score in Gods booke which he is vtterly vnable euer to satisfie Secondly sinne is a loathsome filthinesse and vn cleannesse and a good heart is ashamed of euery nakednesse of the Soule which it sees Gods eye to bee vpon and because it knowes that the next way to couer this nakednesse is to vncouer it as the whole experience of Dauid in this Psalme teacheth it labours by confession to couer all whereof it is or may be ashamed and indeede all true confession must proceede from the shame and confusion of face for sinne Thirdly sinne is a gash or wound in the soule and a man hauing many wounds or diseases seekes the cure of them all howsoeuer of the greatest first and soonest yet he neglecteth none because the least of them is dangerous and painefull so it is in sinne the confession of which is as the laying open of a sore that the plaister may bee fitly laid on a man that would haue all cured will not hide any but vncouer euen the least Thirdly God will haue his children in some measure like himselfe herein and resemble his owne image that as hee esteemes of sinne not as a light or small thing but the most vile and odious thing in all the world and so hee euer speakes of it and carries himselfe to it so shall his children in their measure and for this purpose First he vsually putteth forth his worke of iustice and layeth an heauy hand on the soule as on Dauid here when the eye of the soule beholdeth the Lord frowning vpon it without and the conscience within accusing then shall nothing be small little sinnes shal be counted great enough that which Satan did
extenuate to make it as small as a graine and as light as a feather shall now swel thicker then the Mountaines and seeme heauier then al the sands of the Sea Secondly the Lord will haue his children to know the price and worth of mercie before he bestow it vpon them hee will make them hunger and thirst after it aboue all desires hee will haue them to see their sinnes in as hatefull and ougly a visage as may be for the more the sight of sinne is the more earnest is the desire of mercie Thirdly God will teach his children in the serious acknowledging of their sinne so much the more to glorifie himselfe For the more wee confesse our owne basenesse and vilenesse by sinne the more wee magnifie the power and goodnesse of God in pardoning the same First then this serues to confute the wicked doctrine of the Church of Rome taught and defended at this day concerning merits and supererrogations which most diametrally opposeth it selfe to all this doctrine of sound confession whereas the Parable Math. 18. 27. shewes that the master must forgiue all the debt or els nothing but perpetuall prison is to be expected Secondly this reprooues the confessions of mostmen which are in grosse and in generall They are sinners as other men bee without any touch or feeling of particular sinnes which though it be taken for a sufficient confession yet indeede is such as the vilest Atheist may performe nay I say a reprobate and cast-away that shall neuer be saued shall doe this and more as wee may see in the examples of Cain Pharaoh and Iudas who came to particulars in their confessions and so goe farre beyond these men Nay numbers of these that poste off their sinnes in the lumpe with such slubberd confessions cannot tell wherein they haue particularly offended Yea if they were examined they would make you beleeue they had kept all the Commandements of God If thy body vvere sicke to death and the Phisician came it would not content thee to tell him thou art sicke and no more but thou wouldst shew him thy particular griefe and disease with the speciall manner and circumstances of it and this must thou doe also by all possible meanes before thou carrie away the cure of thy sin and be restored to spirituall soundnesse Thirdly contrarie to this sound confession are many other vile practices of men who are in loue with their sinnes First such there bee in the world that hood-winke themselues and would rather lose both their eyes then with either of them see the foulenesse of their sinnes they wil smother the checkes and stifle the voice of their own consciences they follow their sports their pastimes their merry company and take any course to thrust away the remembrance of their sinne by any meanes possible but alas they returne againe because the guilt remaines how should a man repent of that sinne which hee will not see lest he should sorrow small is the ease and comfort that a poore fellon gets against the sentence of execution by shutting his eares lest he should heare it he were madde if he should thinke to scape hanging by so doing his onely way were to humble himselfe and begge pardon Secondly others there bee that can sport themselues with their sinnes and boast of them and this is as if a thiefe should boast of his robberies here is a confession of them but such as is the committing of the same ouer againe for there wants nothing but the same opportunitie againe seeing there is the same affection Thirdly others can iustifie and defend yea patronize and plead for their owne sinnes and others by writing preaching example and countenance What saith one I am not alone I haue company I loue not to be singular I do but as others doe it is the fashion to sweare at least by faith and troth and not to doe it were to be out of fashion I hope if I neuer do worse to doe well enough I hope God is not so straite-laced as you bee And some are not ashamed if they be put in minde of themselues and bee rebuked for their swearing drunkennesse or pride to say What neede you care you shall not answere for my sinnes you haue enough of your owne to care for all who must know that their case is most fearefull for First an euill and a naughty heart it is that can cloake and excuse sinne and farre from true humiliation as may appeare in Saul who in stead of aggrauating his sinne found out many excuses The people did it and It is to offer sacrifice to the Lord 1. Sam. 15. such is the power of corruption which we sucked from our first Parents the Serpent saith one the Woman saith the other gaue it me as though they had reason so to doe Secondly it is a most dangerous case to lessen a mans owne sinne for it suffers him not to see his misery hee takes himselfe to be in good case and to stand in neede of no repentance For such Christ came not Math. 9. 12. they be whole men and neede not the Phisician But I pray you is not that the most dangerous sicknesse of all when a man hath no feeling of his sicknesse Thirdly it is a signe that such a man lyes vnder a seuere iudgement of God seeing the onely way not to be iudged of the Lord is to iudge our selues 1. Cor. 11. 31. Nay it is a thing to be obserued that euen when the sentence is euen comming out against the wicked then will they excuse their sinnes Math. 25. 44. Lord when saw wee thee hungry or thirsty or in prison or naked and ministred not to thee and presently these shall goe into euerlasting paine Fourthly how vnlike are these men vnto God who sets out sinne in a most odious sort how vnconformable to Gods Law that sets an eternall curse vpon the head of the least sinne how farre from the disposition of the godly who thinke nothing so vile and hatefull as sinne And how seruiceable to Satan whose trade is to aduance sinne and colour it Fourthly this teacheth vs to reuerence that ministrie which would set our sinnes distinctly before vs which helpes vs to sound confession and remission A necessary doctrine because as men naturally loue nothing better then their sinnes so they can abide nothing lesse then the discouerie of them Hence Ahab hates Micaiah for hee neuer prophecyeth good that is he dealt plainely without flatterie hence the world hated Christ because hee testified of it that her workes were euill So many now a dayes are discontented The Preacher is too peremptorie some say too sawcy and busie and takes too much vpon him what neede he speake of such and such things certainely hee receiues information and opens it in the Pulpit he is euer in the Law and bindes me too hard I would thinke his feete beautifull if hee would bring tidings of peace But here is a man
loth to know himselfe and his sinnes and farre from holy Dauids minde who saith Let the righteous smite me for that is a precious oyle Psal. 141. 5. he desires as in Zach. 1. 11. that all the world might be still and at rest and neuer a Trumpet or voice like a Trumpet to waken it to shew the people their transgressions and the house of Iaacob their sinnes These men say to the Ministers as the Sodomites did to Lot Shall hee iudge and rule Gen. 19. 9. and as Corah and his complices said to Moses and Aaron Yee take too much vpon you Numb 16. 3. therefore come let vs breake their bonds in sunder and cast away their cords from vs Psal. 2. 3. But know whosoeuer thou art that thou must looke for no peace by vs till thou warrest with thy sinnes Shall wee preach mercie to thee that feelest no neede of mercie Shall we cast a pearle to a swine Thou that art of the frozen generation that needest a Boanerges a sonne of thunder why expectest thou a Bar-Ionah Vnto the Horse belongs a whip and to the Asse a bridle and a rod to a Fooles back prou 26. 3. Wert thou an humble soule and hungry after Christ then our word would be as good newes out of a farre countrey Prou. 25. 25. but till thy wound be lanced and the core thrust out wise Surgeons will neuer powre in oyle doe thou let the plough of the Law breake vp thy fallow ground and then blame vs if wee bring not the seede of the Gospell Now followes the fourth point in Dauids confession the manner of it First in respect of God Secondly of himselfe For the first First hee will confesse before the Lord and make his sinne knowne to him Secondly he will not hide it the one amplifying the other as it is also in these phrases Thou shalt dye and not liue Iohn confessed and denyed not so here I made knowne and hid not the doubling of the phrase shewes that hee doubled not but did that he did to the purpose In that Dauid saith hee will confesse vnto the Lord note that all true confession of sinne must be made vnto God So Psal. 51. 4. Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned And what is the reason hereof First because it is God that is most offended with sinne his Law is transgressed his displeasure incurred and his reuenge prouoked and what reason haue I to confesse a debt to him to whom I owe nothing God is the partie offended therefore I must go to him alone Secondly he onely can properly forgiue sinne Who is a God like vnto thee that passest by the sinnes of thy people saith the holy man The Iewes that were blind in many things yet could see well enough that onely God could forgiue sinnes and indeede who can remit a debt but he to whom it is due therefore S. Iohn saith If we confesse our sinne he is faithfull to forgiue vs Chap. 1. 1 9. Thirdly confession is a part of prayer and diuine worship whereof it is said My glory I will giue to none other Isa. 41. 8. Fourthly this is manifest by the sence of such as truely confesse who need many compassions but great are thy tender mercies O Lord Psal. 119. 156. and hee is rich in mercy Ephes. 2. 4. All the mercie that can come from Man or Angell is but a poore mercie a little mercie which can doe no good to the satisfying of the debt or cancelling the bond Men and Angels are but children in whom are drops onely but God is the Father of mercies in whom is the sea and seate of mercie But how can a man make his sinnes knowne to God by confession seeing he knowes them before First it pleaseth God so to speake of himselfe and to suffer vs to speake of him as wee our selues are capable Thus he brings himselfe in like an earthly Iudge who though he know the facts of the prisoners yet seemes for the orderly course of iustice not to know them as Gen. 18. 21. Come Let vs goe downe and see if it be according to the cry of Sodome how can hee goe downe who is euery where and how can hee but see who is all an eye but thus hee speakes after the manner of men So he saith to Abraham Now I know thou louest me who sparedst not thine onely Sonne for mee God knew Abrahams loue to him before but now Abraham knoweth that God knowes it Secondly men are said to hide their sinne when they seeke to extenuate or lessen or conceale any necessarie circumstance of it or seeke colours and shifts that it should not bee presented naked and bare as it is in the Lords sight and then it is said to bee hid from God not that it is so indeede for it is so much the more manifest to God but because it is so in the corrupt iudgement of the sinner which folly soone tooke hold of Adam after his fall who thought himselfe well hid from God with trees and his sinne with leaues But seeing God knowes all so well why must we confesse to him First not to make God know any thing which hee knowes not but hee will haue vs performe homage and duety to him as an absolute Lord and soueraigne Iudge So Ioshua said to Achan My sonne confesse and giue glory to God Iosh. 7. 19. Secondly that our selues may take better knowledge of our sinnes and humble our hearts in the sight and sense of them Thirdly because this is a meanes in which himselfe will be found mercifull and which he hath appointed for vs to attaine ease and comfort by wee must take Dauids course here if we would obtaine an happy discharge of sinne as he did But was not Dauid farre ouerseene to confesse onely to God Why did hee not goe to the Priest and tell all his sinnes in his eare Auricular confession of all a mans sinnes in the eare of a Priest as necessarie to saluation was not knowne in Dauids time besides he knew he had not sinned against the Priest and therefore he cared not for his forgiuenes it was not the Law or bond of any Priest that hee had broken and therefore what had he to do to forgiue him Doe you then condemne all confession of man to man Doeth not S. Iames say chap. 5. 18. Confesse one to another We allow confession of sinnes to men First publike Secondly priuate in sundry cases Publike confession thus First for the setting vp of Gods glory with the shame of a mans selfe Thus did the holy Pen-men of the Scriptures writing of themselues proclaime their owne sinnes to all the world that God might thereby bee glorified and his Church edified And Gods speciall prouidence hath detected in sundry persons those sinnes which they haue kept close by them and forced them by a free confession vnto men to glorifie God
as may be seene in Achans example Gehazi not confessing his sinne vpon examination of his Master to whom God had detected him was stricken with Leprosie Ananias and Saphyra with death Ionas by his confession to the Mariners glorified God and the fruit was They feared God exceedingly Secondly men must sometimes publikely confesse their sinne vnto men for the good of the Church as when Christians haue publikely offended the Church of God they are to giue publike satisfaction by open and free confession for hereby First the truth of their Repentance is testified Secondly Gods mercy is publikely implored by the whole Church which is forceable Thirdly a whole Congregation is instructed and warned to take heede of like sinnes Fourthly the loue of Gods people is notably confirmed againe to the party Vpon such a publike confession and humiliation was the Incestuous person receiued in againe 2. Cor. 2. 6. it is sufficient that the same man was rebuked of many and Act. 19. 18. it is recorded of the beleeuers of Ephesus that being stricken with a great feare they came and confessed their workes before the multitude It is much to bee desired that this publique confession being an ordinance of Iesus Christ were more practised in euery congregation then it is or is like to be for if those that sinne openly were rebuked openly others would feare 1. Tim. 5. 20. Secondly we allow also priuate confession of man to man in two cases First in priuate iniuries betweene man and man for by our sinnes wee may also wrong men as Dauid did Vriah and here it will be meete to come and confesse our fault to the party wronged to testifie First our repentance Secondly our sound reconciliation This is intended by the speech of Christ Luk. 17. 4. If thy brother trespasse against thee seuen times a day and hee come and say It repents mee thou shalt for giue him Yea God himselfe sends Abimilech to Abraham whom he had vnwittingly wronged and offended to reconcile himselfe to him that hee might obtaine Abrahams prayers So likewise hee sent Iobs friends hauing wronged him to Iob to confesse their fault and get him to intreat of Gods peace for them Secondly in trouble of conscience to finde peace it is fit to vse the helpe of some speciall man minister or other and being a man of wisedome gifts and secresie to confesse to him both the trouble of conscience and the cause of the griefe Of this the Apostle Iames saith Confesse one to another pray one for another Now in this case although the Minister should bee the fittest man as hauing a learned tongue and studied in the cases of conscience to minister vnto a wearie soule a word of comfort inseason and hath speciall promise to be heard as being a minister of reconciliation betweene God and his people and it is not for nothing that the Lord vseth this reason to Abimelech Goe to ABRAHAM for hee is a Prophet Yet that place shewes that the troubled conscience is not to be tyed to one person nor to a Priest but to bee performed also to priuate Christians Hence wee may see how farre all this differeth from Popish Auricular Confession For first we hold it not a matter of absolute necessitie to confesse vnto men as they doe but that there be cases wherein it may be conuenient or necessarie Secondly we vrge not confession of all sinnes with all the circumstances to bee necessarie yea the very thoughts and intentions of the heart which is First the rack and gibbet of consciences and no easer Secondly it is fit for such as would know all the secrets of States Kings and Kingdomes all a Kings reuenue cannot maintaine so many intelligencers as make knowne so much to the Pope as this common leager of confession in all States and Courts and Houses yea bosomes of men and women Thirdly it is a fit meanes to know the disposition of all persons by which they know where to haue fit agents for their villanies fit Patients for their lusts resolute Catholikes to stab Kings and blow vp Parliament houses But wee leaue it free and to be onely of those sinnes which most trouble the conscience and hinder the peace of the soule Thirdly we inioyne it not at set times as once a yeere at Easter but onely when the fore-named occasions are offered Fourthly we say it may be made not to a Priest onely or Fryar and their owne Parish Priest but if the Minister be a fit man then to him and if hee be not then to some other Minister or in the defect of such a one then to some ordinarie faithfull Christian to whom hee may discouer his trouble with the cause of it And if all this be so that confession must be made to God then consider before thou sinne that thou must go backe to God againe after thy departure from him by sinne the Prodigall goes from his Father but hee must come backe againe if there be a going from God there must be a returning to him if thou hide thy sinne thou must againe vncouer it Secondly if sinne must be confessed vnto God then doe it sincerely as before God In all things the heart and tongue ought to agree because the Lord made the one to expresse the other and so our Prophet in this confession suffered not his tongue to runne before his wits but hee thought hee would confesse and confessed so in all the parts of Gods worship the first thing respected is the heart whereas contrarily many in confession publike or priuate haue one thing in their mouth another in their heart Againe thou sinnest before God before his face in his sight the Lord looking on and standing by there is nothing which is not naked to his eyes no darknesse nor night can couer thee for that is as day to him with whom is no darknesse and therefore it is a bootlesse thing to seeke to hide thy sinne from him hee heard thee lye sweare and forsweare hee saw thee drunken and committing vncleannesse thou couldst not flye from his Spirit his fierie eyes did looke on thee himselfe stood at thy elbow Thirdly if thou confessest vnto God then in confession euer set thy selfe before God and this will season it with necessarie qualities as first thou wilt bring shame in thy face and an holy blushing as it is said What fruit haue ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed And it is hollownesse and impudencie to offer to confesse foule sinnes without blushing and shame before God Oh said the holy man Ezra I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eyes vnto thee A good heart seeing Gods eyes to be set on his nakednesse stands agast and ashamed in it selfe and there is no quietnesse to it till it bee couered with the garment of Christs righteousnesse Ezek. 16. 61 62 63. Then thou shalt remember thy wayes and be ashamed and confounded
and neuer open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done c. Secondly if thou settest thy selfe before God in confession it will breed anguish and sorrow of spirit for that sinne which is confessed as the conuerts Act. 2. 37. were pricked in their hearts in conscience of their sinnes there will be inward griefe for offending a good God and grieuing his good Spirit Thirdly it will bring in a purpose to leaue and forsake that sinne which is confessed and all other Can a man setting himselfe before God confesse that sinne which he purposeth to liue in and hold and not forsake this is but to aske leaue to sinne Nay the setting of a mans selfe before God wil bring in a resolution to renounce all sinne as Hos. 14. 9. Ephraim shall say What haue I more to doe with Idols Fourthly it will bring in a secret but most earnest desire of forgiuenesse for it cannot but consider in God First the Maiestie offended Secondly the danger of his wrath which is a consuming fire and an execution of all the plagues written in the booke of the Law and thirdly the riches of his mercie in prouiding so precious a meanes of redemption which neither man nor Angell could once thinke of 1. Pet. 1. 18. Fiftly it breeds a reforming of that which is amisse and an healing of the error as Zacheus did Luke 19. 8. Lord halfe my goods I giue to the poore according to the counsell of Samuel 1. 7. 3. If ye be come againe to the Lord with all your heart put away the strange gods frō among you Sixtly it breeds an holy feare for time to come because it beholds Gods eye vpon euery sinne his anger on euery one till by the bloud of Christ he be appeased his mercie in forgiuing that he may be feared and this feare abates the rage of sinne nay it will feare the occasion and hate the appearance of euill 1. Thes. 5. 22. and the garment spotted with the flesh Iude 23. Seuenthly there is a mourning and complaining vnder the burden and bondage of sinne Oh who shall deliuer me from the body of this death saith Paul and Isa. 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made vs to erre from thy wayes and hardned our heart from thy feare Eighthly there is great desire 2. Cor. 7. 11. namely a longing to satisfie Paul and the rest of the members of the Church with desire to be restored to their fauours and fellowship Ninthly Confession to men For duties of Pietie and Charitie must goe together or else all is abominable as appeares Ier. 7. 9. 10. Will ye steale murder and commit adultery and sweare falsely and burne incense vnto Baal and walke after other gods whom ye know not and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name and say We are deliuered though we haue done all these abominations So Isay 1. 11. What haue I to do with your sacrifices c. for your hands are full of blood verse 15. Against my selfe This is the second branch of the manner of Dauids confession hee will confesse against himselfe Hence note that He that will truely and soundly confesse his sinne must become his owne vtter enemie he must set himselfe against himselfe as much as possibly he can So did DAVID here hee shamed himselfe to all posteritie and spared not his owne name though a King so GOD might haue the praise of his mercie and the Church the benefit of his example Iob 42. 6. When Iob was reproued for his inconsiderate words he brake out at last into this speech I abhor my selfe and repent my selfe in dust and ashes He is a great enemie that hates man but farre greater that abhors him yet so was Iob to himselfe Daniel in his prayer saith I am confounded and ashamed to looke vp to heauen shame and confusion of face belongs vnto vs this day Dan. 9. 5. c. So close doth he follow the matter against himselfe 1. Tim. 6. 13 15. Saint Paul rippeth vp his owne grieuous sinnes in such sort as his greatest enemy could not haue spoken more against him then he spake against himselfe Hee was not contented to call himselfe a vile person but as though he had said too little he adds that he is the chiefest of all sinners Who could more accuse the poore Publican then he did himselfe Oh I am not worthy to lift vp mine eyes to heauen Luc. 18. 13. and the Prodigall Son I am not worthy to be called thy Son Luc. 15. 18 19. And good reason it should be so for First sound confession is called a iudging of our selues 1. Cor. 11. 31. Now in the course of iudgement there are foure things all against the partie to be iudged First arraignement and this in confession is when wee present and summon our selues before the barre of Gods iustice Secondly examination and this is when wee narrowly inquire of our selues what wee haue done wherein as the Kings Atturney sifteth out and exaggerateth euery circumstance of the crime against a Traytor to make it seeme as odious as may be so should we sift out euery circumstance of our sinne to make it as vile to our owne eyes as may be so as our hearts may be conuinced Thirdly conuiction or pleading guiltie and confession that is when with the penitent Thiefe our soules can say We are righteously here and iustly laid vnder Gods indignation worthy to be cast into Hell And neuer was he truely humbled that is more ashamed to confesse sinne then to commit it Fourthly there is an execution and holy reuenge 2. Cor. 7. 11. and this is when we beate downe our bodies and mortifie our members and vndertake good duties that the like occasions may be preuented for afterward These parts of an enemy doth euery humbled soule take vp against it selfe when it iudgeth it selfe before God and who can be a greater enemie to himselfe then he that doth so Secondly it is an essentiall difference betweene the sound confessions of the godly and the slubberd confessions of the wicked the godly renounce themselues and their sinnes but hypocrites doe not they neuer learned the first lesson of Christianitie which is selfe-denial their mindes are set vpon euill workes and therefore how can they be against them They repent not but with a repentance to be repented of Thirdly all the accusers and enemies that the child of God hath if they be put together cannot obiect halfe so much against him as hee can against himselfe men may speake much but not so much as himselfe And therefore if he deale truely betweene God and himselfe he will so shame himselfe as all his enemies cannot And for this end God hath seated the conscience in the middle of the soule as a Iudge of the actions and hath giuen it an eye to pry into the secrets of the heart and cleared
is alreadie pronounced against vs We are weighed in the ballance and found too light Fourthly against the great mercies of God this doubles the sinne in Gods sight 2. Sam. 12. 7. to 13. the Prophet Nathan exaggerates Dauids sinne by shewing him the particular benefits wherein God had remembred him and concludeth the greater Gods loue was the greater was his ingratitude and forgetfulnesse What a number of mercies haue we in this one that the glorious light of grace shineth so bright vpon vs in the Ministery whereby we may be put in minde of Gods exceeding loue and what he deserues at our hands and what are our sinnes against him which giue him iust occasion to remooue his blessings from vs Let vs looke to it if we doe not vse these large blessings conscionably our sinne will be so much the more heauy in the punishment Let vs confesse our sinnes and vnthankfulnes especially and in our confessions become enemies to our selues for wee see true confessions are to bee thus qualified and that by these meanes prescribed which may helpe vs thereunto And thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne DAVID had made himselfe an enemie to himselfe and now to obtaine that which he laboured for he makes God his friend this is the fruite of serious confession Thou forgauest The Word signifies to wipe off all the score namely the debt of sin and of punishment The punishment or rather iniquitie of my sinne as the Word may be better translated that is my wicked sinne as if he had said Though it was against my conscience a foule filthie and bloudy sinne yet thou madest it as if it had neuer beene God forgiueth sinne two waies first in his owne secret counsell according to his owne decree and this is when he accepts the satisfaction of Christ for the sinne committed against him Secondly actually vpon humiliation and repentance and this is when he puts foorth actuall forgiuenesse in mens owne consciences whereby he perswades them that their sinne is forgiuen And this latter is here spoken of Dauids sinne was remitted before by faith in the Messiah but now the remission thereof is testified to his owne conscience and hence hee comes to retaine his former ioy and his mourning garment is turned into a garment of gladnesse he had now a comfortable experience of his happie estate Now in that Dauid thought and purposed to confesse and then it followes presently Thou forgauest note that So soone as euer a sinner doth truly and soundly confesse his sinne the Lord doth presently follow with forgiuenesse remission of sinne doth immediatly follow a very intent and purpose to confesse it Prou. 28. 13. Hee that hideth his sinne shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh it shall haue mercy There must be forsaking of sinne with confession to shew the soundnes of it and then presently followes remission And why First it is grounded on Gods faithfulnesse who hath made a promise for this fruite of confession 1. Iohn 1. 9. If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse As if he should say God of his infinite mercy hath promised to all true penitents and confessors that he will forgiue and neuer remember their sinnes any more he must stand to his promises or else he should be vnfaithfull and hee is iust saith the Apostle to forgiue a man would haue thought he would rather haue said Hee is mercifull to forgiue no but hee is iust to forgiue the sinnes of true beleeuers because they are all satisfied for their whole debt is paid and Gods iustice will not let him demaund the same debt twice of the suretie and of the debter Secondly true confession is a fruite of sound conuersion at the first act whereof all a mans sinnes are done away although the tydings of it comes not so soone to his owne conscience This appeares in the example of Dauid here he no sooner said that is truly resolued to confesse but the Lord remitted his sinne and preuented him saying Thy sinne is put away thou shalt not die see the storie 2. Sam. 12. 7 13. The prodigall sonne saies He will goe to his Father and whilest yet he is comming before his confession his father sees him a farre off runnes to meete him falles on his necke and kisseth him Thirdly true confession is a signe of adoption Now where this is there is a heart resolued to seeke God so that a man puts off all his former hatred of him and the affections of his heart are sanctified to desire peace and reconciliation with God this cannot proceede from a heart that is now at enmitie with God as it was by nature but which is a friend and reconciled A wicked and reprobate person can desire saluation out of selfe-loue and to saue his skinne but not properly reconciliation but a godly man desires Gods loue and friendship and reconciliation with him for his owne sake more then and aboue his owne saluation Fourthly remission must needes attend sound confession because this confession is ioyned with some kind and seede of sauing faith which be it neuer so small is a fruite of the sanctifying Spirit and makes a man partaker of Christ and in him of God the Father with all his blessings for in this confession as wee haue noted there is First a deniall of a mans selfe which is a worke of the renewing Spirit which whosoeuer hath he is the childe of God Secondly there is in it an apprehension of Gods mercifull nature with application and taking hold of it for himselfe which application is either not at all or false in the wicked Thirdly there is in it a true touch which holds on in seeking God whereas in the wicked there are some good wishes and confused apprehensions but being without sinceritie fall off and come to nothing Whence we conclude that true confession of sinne goeth alwaies with remission and pardon of it But how can confession be sound before sin bee pardoned seeing nothing can be acceptable where sinne is not pardoned it seemes rather that confession should follow remission To answere this we must conceiue that in God the iustifying of a mans person his sanctification faith repentance and confession are al giuen at once at the same moment because at the first acte of grace there is a change in the whole soule but in respect of vs of our apprehension and application one grace goeth before another as the cracke of thunder and lightning are both at one time but we see one before we heare the other because our sight is more quicke and apprehensiue then ourhearing Likewise these graces are wrought all together by God yet in regard of vs and our sense and apprehension pardon comes after confession Secondly God in the beginning of our conuersion giues vs that grace the which he doth not presently giue the feeling of
that suppose Christ as man had power to forgiue sinnes yet not that they should bee equall vnto him herein and haue the same power that he had And the similitude stands in these foure things First Christ was before all Worlds ordained to bee a Mediatour so they were ordained to the office of Apostleship not of Priesthood Secondly as Christ himselfe was immediately called to the publike execution of his office of Mediatorship by the voice of his Father as appeares in his Baptisme This is my well-beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased so were the Apostles immediately called by Christs owne voice And this was their prerogatiue aboue other Ministers to come from Christs owne bosome as he did come from the bosome of his Father Thirdly as Christ in publishing the Gospell had supreme and absolute authoritie to giue Lawes to his Church from which there might be no appeale So his Apostles had from him an immediate assistance of infallibilitie so as they could not faile in their doctrine and writings howsoeuer as men they might erre yet not as Apostles so that from them there lay no appeale Fourthly as Christ was made a King and a Prophet not onely of the Church of the Iewes but ouer all the Churches in all Nations so the Apostles commission was not tied to any one Countrey but they must goe and teach all Nations And thus it is true that as God sent Christ so Christ sent them but all the while here is no equalitie for to make ordinarie Ministers equall to Christ in power is to make them Mediatours and redeemers yea gods Secondly this ouerthrowes another doctrin of theirs teaching that no man can be perswaded of the remission of his owne sinnes vnlesse it be by a speciall reuelation or by a morall certaintie of workes whereas we see Dauid here had this perswasion of forgiuenesse by neither but by a certainty of faith vpon true confession Thirdly seeing remission of sinnes is a fruite of confession we see the errour of silly ignorant people that say they are as sure of remission as any man in the world they hope as well as the best nay are sure to bee saued with the first if any get remission of sinne they are sure it shall be they and all this without sound confession But how is this remission sealed vp vnto them by what pattents they neuer had any doubting no touch of conscience for sinne no dislike of themselues they neuer confessed to the Lord against themselues and therfore the Lord neuer answered them in assuring them of forgiuenes There is nothing yet in their liues but wickednes and rebellion and therfore this is but a senselesse presumption which destroyeth their soules Others not a few there are that thinke to ease their conscience by lessening their sinne or excusing it Some say before the Angell it was their ignorance and so mince their sinne and harden their soules till the Lord be angry at their words Eccles. 5. 6. Others seeke to forget God while he knocketh and vrgeth their consciences If they can thrust him out of presence and put out the remembrance of himselfe and the feare of his iudgement Oh then they be safe But how are these men wofully deluded that thinke themselues safest and best when God is farthest off them Others when sinne comes afresh vpon them draw their thoughts and turne their sailes another way as when Sauls furious thoughts come vpon him they must be appeased by Dauids musike whereas remission must be gotten by confessing and not by committing of sin Some must haue Iesters to fill their hearts full of folly to take God and all good motions and remembrance of sin out of their soules whereas of all the delights that euer Salomon tried his heart withall wee neuer reade that hee kept a Iester or Foole. Some when a warning peece of humiliation is shot off by God haue no better way to resist it and to driue away the qualmes of conscience then by sorting themselues with drinkers gamesters and good fellowes as they call them and as euery mans delight drawes him so is his practice But this is no other then the brawning of the conscience farre from lasting peace which comes from remission of sinnes and remission comes not from commission but confession of sinne If men that are now called to confession and repentance by the Word or the Spirit or any of Gods works on themselues or others will yet doe as the hardned Iewes kill Oxen and Sheepe and drinke wine in boules and in the meane time deride the threates of God and make a tush at these warning peales let them feare and tremble the ende of such laughter shall be heauinesse Thou forgauest me THe person that receiued this mercy was Dauid a true beleeuer and a true penitent sinner which teacheth vs that God remitteth not the sinnes of any but such as being touched with true repentance confesse them Iob 33. 27 28. God looketh vpon men and if one say I haue sinned and peruerted righteousnesse and it did not profit me he will deliuer his soule from going into the pit and his life shall see the light He shall pray vnto God and he will be fauorable vnto him and he shall see his face with ioy vers 26. So also 1. King 8. 47. If they turne againe vnto their heart in the Land to which they be carried away captiues and returne and pray vnto thee saying Wee haue sinned wee haue transgressed and done wickedly then heare thou their prayer in heauen c. This is the forme of repentance set downe for the people returning vnto their God Hoshea 14. 3. Take vnto you words and turne to the Lord and say vnto him Take away all iniquitie and receiue vs graciously What cannot God without the condition of repentance and sorrow and confession of sinne remit sinne and conferre fauour vpon sinners Yes if we speake of Gods absolute power whereby he can doe a number of things which he neuer will hee could haue made 10000. Worlds when he made but one hee could raise vp of stones children to Abraham Christ could haue prayed for 12. Legions of Angels and his Father could haue sent them to deliuer him or hee could without them haue deliuered him from the Crosse but would not Thus if God would hee could remit sin without repentance and confession and that without all impeachment of his goodnesse because whatsoeuer hee can will is most iust and good but if we consider Gods actuall power and his reuealed will which belongs to vs and our children he cannot because he will not the reasons hereof are these First it will not stand with his eternall decree by which he hath tied the meanes and ende together the end is saluation the meanes to come to it is faith and repentance So God hath decreed that a mans body should liue by meanes he could now preserue it without meat drinke sleepe
c. but hee will not because it is against his decree Againe God hath not eternally decreed to saue all but out of all a few a little flocke now if hee should remit the sinnes of the impenitent and of vnbeleeuers then he should saue all and so the way to heauen should bee the broad way and not many but all should goe in it which was Origens errour directly against Gods decree and word Secondly it will not stand with the iustice of God to forgiue their sinnes who repent not of them but rather loue them who obey their lusts and follow the leading of them most willingly 2. Thes. 1. 6. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you If God haue any iustice he must exercise it against such as hate him and reiect all his commandements but to saue all would prooue him to bee a God all made of mercy Thirdly God could haue no mercy if hee should forgiue the sinnes of all good and bad for there could be no difference betweene his mercie and his iustice this is mercy to some to pull them out of the common corruption and curse of sinne and mercy only reioyceth against iudgement if there were no iudgement neither could there bee any mercy Besides will it stand with Gods wisedome to bestow and giue mercy to him that refuseth and despiseth it or to fill with mercy the vessels of wrath Fourthly where were Gods truth if he should forgiue the sinnes of impenitent and vnbeleeuing ones what strength were in the curses of the Law that the soule that sinnes shall die to what vse could the promises of the Gospell serue what vse of the prayer of Christ for beleeuers that his Father would keepe them in the truth why did he put such difference betweene men that hee would not so much as pray for the World What neede of the death of Christ of whom the Apostle saith The Iust died for the vniust but so as they should be righteous in him or what neede of any part of his righteousnes and obedience who fulfilled the Law for righteousnesse to euerie one that beleeueth Fifthly God hath made it a priuiledge of the Church and the members of it onely to haue their sinnes forgiuen So we say in the Creed I beleeue the Communion of Saints and remission of sinnes Isa. 33. 24. The people that dwell there shall haue their iniquitie forgiuen and 62. 12. They shall call them The holy people the redeemed of the Lord. Forgiuenesse of sinnes then is a part of the promise of God made to those that are in couenant with him Ier. 31. 31 34. The dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new couenant for I will forgiue their iniquitie and remember their sinnes no more Yea this Psalme in the first verse makes it a note of a blessed man and a prerogatiue of the Saints Sixthly if God should bestow remission of sinnes in generall to all what neede is there of any grace what vse of the feare of God of faith c then we might set open all the doores of licenciousnesse and sinne and euery man might doe what hee list without all restraint or bridle So that to tye remission of sinne to repentance makes not onely for our saluation hereafter but also to correct and bridle sinne here and set vs into the beginnings of eternall life euen in this present World But how is this remission of sinne free if wee cannot haue it without these conditions of faith repentance confession c Yet is it still free first because though it bee not giuen without these yet it is not giuen for these as our iustification is free though it cannot be had without faith because it is not giuen for the dignitie of our faith Secondly euen these conditions are not of our selues but the gifts of God and so can merit nothing Thirdly faith and repentance are required not to shew for what but to whom remission of sinnes is bestowed namely to such only as haue obtained mercy and for whom Christ hath freely merited the same This serues to confute a grosse and ignorant conceit of many who say That God who made all will saue all and so lay all the care of saluation on God and neuer trouble themselues in vsing the meanes Alas poore soules No no neuer thinke that thou canst diuorce what God hath coupled namely the ende from the meanes it is true which Saint Augustine saith Hee that made thee without thee doth not saue thee without thee Why say some did not Christ dye for all and euerie man and shall not they bee saued for whom Christ dyed To this the Schoolemen say that Christ dyed for all sufficienter but not efficaciter Christs merits were sufficient to redeeme 10000. Worlds if they had faith to apprehend them saith Leo. But we speake of the effectuall shedding of Christs bloud which was shed for many not all to the remission of sinnes Matth. 26. 28. Secondly Christ died for all that is for all those many saith Augustine namely all the Elect for the sinnes of the World of the Elect for there is a World of the Elect standing of Iewes and Gentiles who are brought to faith and repentance Thirdly all and euery singular man cannot receiue remission of sinnes but onely beleeuers by the hand of faith some of all sortes of men now the Apostle saith that faith is not of all men and therefore it is called the faith of the Elect Tit. 1. 1. Therefore let no man deceiue you with vaine words for for such things commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of disobedience Ephes. 5. 6. Secondly by this doctrine wee may see that no man can be assured of remission of sinnes but the true beleeuer who truly repenteth of his sinnes Euery man indeed will professe in his Creed that he beleeueth the remission of sinnes but this is but a vaine blast in the most whose sinnes binde them ouer to eternall death Onely the true beleeuer hath the right markes of remission of sinne which are these First he onely is weary and heauy laden and sees his neede of Christ whereas the wicked are whole in part or wholly and neede not the Physician Secondly onely hee hath a spirit free from guile which is made a note of remission vers 2. Of all other we may say as Peter did of Simon Magus Thy heart is not right with God one mans heart is a temple of Gods Spirit another hath not the Spirit of Christ and therefore is not his Thirdly onely a true beleeuer hath the consequents and fruites of remission of sinnes from which as from fruites we may goe to the tree as First the first of them is regeneration he is borne of God and sinneth not that is he hath not raigning sinne with him nor sinne vnto death because the seed of God is in him
as for others who professe remission of sinne they are slaues to their sinnes and these haue dominion ouer them Secondly another is a daily purging and clensing of the reliques and remainders of sinne as 1. Iohn 1. 9. God is faithfull to forgiue vs and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse he that hath his sinnes couered hath them also cured Of Christ it is said that he came by water and bloud c. Hee that is made whole goes and sinnes no more that is he feares sinne for time to come Professe then remission of sinnes as long as thou wilt If Christ wash thee not thou hast no part in him if thou beest as foule as formerly thou wast euery man but thy selfe may see what thou art Thirdly a third fruite is faith working by loue and this loue worketh first towards God who is much loued because he hath loued and forgiuen much Luk. 7. 47 and much praised for so happie a change But the wicked are haters of God and neuer care for his prefence for his word or children or Sabbaths and yet they hope vainely for forgiuenesse of sinne Secondly it works towards man and manifests it selfe in forgiuing our brethren and enemies The godly looke vpon the commandement Ephes. 4. 32. Forgiue one another euen as God for Christs sake forgaue vs. But alas many pray Forgiue vs as we forgiue our debters and therein plainely curse themselues for their minds lust after enuy and wrath and hence are those common speeches I may forgiue him but I will not forget him and He may come in my Pater noster but not in my Creede A manifest signe that God hath not forgiuen thee at all and that his forgiuenesse of thee is not to forget thee nor thy sinne Thirdly here is refuge for a wearie soule and a burdened conscience doest thou want the voice of ioy and gladnesse in thy soule and lyest groning vnder the burden of sinne be not dismaied for in that thou canst approch Gods presence in the full and free accusing of thy selfe in complaining of thy self and iudging thine owne soule here is a sound ground of comfort thou art hee who hath right into the tree of life thou art hee on whom the Lord will looke in mercy thy repentance and faith intaile pardon of sinne vnto thy soule Fourthly is it so that God remits onely the sinnes of repentants then aboue all things labour to attaine this grace of repentance and testifie it in sound confession before God In the Courts of men confession brings shame and punishment but in Gods a couer and reward In great Princes Courts no mourner might come and therefore Ioseph must put off his prison-garments before he come to Pharaoh but none but mourners are accepted in Gods Court mourne therefore and bewaile thy sinnes this alone can assure the heart of remission of sinne Oh I haue repented long of my sinnes but feele no such assurance Yet feare not but ioyne to these endeuours these helpes First vse conscionably the Word and Sacraments which make knowne and seale vp to the beleeuer the pardon of sinne by Christ meditate and feede on the promises which are made to the penitent Secondly grow vp in humility euery day bee more low in thine owne eies then others and beware of pride because it becomes thee to bee humble for the more contrite the spirit is the fitter it is for Gods Spirit to dwell in Thirdly vse earnest and daily prayer for the earnest of the Spirit to witnesse vnto thy spirit that thou art the childe of God for he being the Comforter must bring these comfortable tidings to thy heart he must apply the promises of life and saluation Fourthly take heede of actuall sinnes which grieue the Spirit and are as water to quench the comforts of the same especially beware of presumptuous sinnes which wound the Spirit most and most preuaile ouer thee Psal. 19. 13. Fifthly exercise thy selfe to godlinesse and to the duties of sanctification in thy generall and speciall calling and this will assure thee of the presence of the good Spirit leading thee These things if thou failest in blame thy selfe if thou walkest heauily and vncomfortably God will be found in his owne waies and no other VERS 6. Therefore shall euery one that is godly make his Prayer vnto thee in a time when thou mayest bee found surely in the flood of great waters they shall not come neere him HAuing spoken of the maine Doctrine of this Psalme concerning the iustification of a sinner before God wherein Dauid placeth true blessednesse wee come now to the sundry vses of that Doctrine in the rest of the Psalme being the second part of it The first of them concerneth Prayer in this verse where of there are Two parts First the practice of a godly man Therefore shall euery c. Secondly a promise made vnto it Surely in the flood c. In the former are these foure points First the inference of it Therefore or for for this cause Secondly the Person praying Euery godly man Thirdly the person to whom hee must pray To thee Fourthly the time When thou mayest bee found Therefore that is because I haue had experience of thy loue and thou hast answered mee graciously in my request euery one that is in the like misery and touch of conscience as I was shall vse the same meanes as I did to obtaine the same mercy This dealing of thine with me shall be an instruction and encouragement to euery humbled soule to take the same course for comfort as I did Dauids experience shall teach all the godly to seeke God in their distresse Hence note that Those are the best teachers that can speake from experience of the Lords working in themselues Psal. 91. The Prophet teacheth confidence and securitie in God to those that are vnder the secret of the most High but the best ground he thought was to lay it on his owne experience verse 2. I said to the Lord O my hope and fortresse that is I had a good cause so to say and then followes Surely hee will deliuer thee from the snare of the hunter c. So likewise the Apostle Paul being to perswade that the remnants of corruption cannot condemn the regenerate man Rom. 8. 1. hee inforceth it from his owne experience thus For the Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death as if he had said Of like things and persons there is the like consequence My infirmities are not imputed vnto me to death no more shall yours The reasons of this point are these First he that hath a flame in his owne heart may easily kindle another and hee that doth not first edifie his owne heart shall not be so meete to edifie and speake to the heart of another a godly mans zeale will warme such as are by when another shall speake but
coldly Secondly this man shall deliuer the Word with much certainety and assurance because hee speaketh with feeling A man may out of reading and light of vnderstanding be powerfull in speech and yet want the seasoning of grace and speake of many delicates which are vpon the Kings table whereof himselfe neuer tasted but hee that hath tasted and fed on them shall both speak more and more certainely and be better beleeued Thirdly hee that hath experience of the Word hee teacheth will build euery way not onely by doctrine exhortation and reproofe but also first by example which greatly preuailes and vrgeth men to glorifie God in the day of visitation Secondly by Prayer in secret with God for his people his experience of the sweetnesse of godlinesse inflames his affection as Pauls whose loue to his countrey was such as hee could haue beene contented to be accursed for their saluation he wisheth all like him and that euery man had part in Christ as he hath and as earnest is his endeuour And this prayer of faith hath great power with God and a promise of blessing vpon a mans selfe and his labours which another wants Fourthly God giueth more speciall gifts and experience to speciall men to this purpose to inable men to his worke as 2. Cor. 1. 14. We were comforted in our tribulation that we might be able to comfort them that are afflicted with the same comforts wherewith God hath comforted vs plainely noting that hee is not so fit to comfort others who hath not experience of the comforts of God himselfe The same Dauid professeth of the matter of knowledge Psal. 40. 10. I haue not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart but haue declared thy trueth and saluation and haue not concealed thy mercy and trueth from the great congregation where hee shewes that his first care was to confirme and strengthen himselfe by Gods promises and when God had taught his heart he would and did publish not onely Gods trueth but also his mercy and saluation vnto others namely that which his own soule had experience of Fiftly a good teacher is the Phisician of mens soules now a good Phisician is the experienced Physician that can finde out the disease and maladie of sinne and hath approoued medicines to cure a sinfull heart not so much out of books and reading as out of practice that knows the danger of sinne in himselfe and thereby hath pittie and loue to remoue it in another And hence in the Law no man might be entred into the ministerie before hee were thirtie yeeres old that the Priests might first learne to teach and be of some ripenesse and experience before they taught others Whence Nazianzen saith Our Lord was thirty yeeres old before he began to be a Preacher tu magister vis fieri antequam discipulus yet is it he that teacheth all had need learne of none and therefore wee should learne before we teach But whether may an vnregenerate Minister saue and conuert a man I mooue this question the rather because many can scarce be perswaded to heare such whose liues are scandalous as being vnworthy to take the Word into their mouthes and vnable to conuert or amend others In satisfying of whom I would not any way confirme or harten Ministers who being Phisicians cure not themselues or who like the images in high-wayes point others the way but themselues stirre neuer a foote in it or like the file which smootheth other things but it selfe remaines rough Howbeit euen of these I know no restraint in the Scripture or let why they may not bee meanes of conuersion to others The Reasons that mooue mee to thinke so are these First the ministerie is Gods owne ordinance and the power of it stands not in the person of the messenger but in the worke of his owne spirit 1. Cor. 3. 5. Paul may plant and Apollos may water but God must giue the increase The fruit of preaching is not left to the highest Ministers in the New Testament not to Euangelists no nor Apostles A gracious Prince giues a Pardon to a condemned person Now suppose he should send it by the very est miscreant in his Kingdome doth the Pardon lose his vertue therefore or were hee not mad who should therefore refuse it So a Physician sends a soueraigne potion or cordiall by some rakehell boy in the shoppe doth this hinder the worke and vertue of the Physicke to him that takes it according to the direction The case is the same and sheweth that the Word is not made worse by his vnworthinesse who bringeth it And neither doth the worthinesse of the Preacher make the Word effectuall the best being but earthen vessels in whom God puts this heauenly treasure that the power might be knowne to bee of God and not of men 2. Cor. 4. 7. and Rom. 1. 16. it is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeueth and not of man Secondly the praise and glory of our conuersion must wholly bee ascribed vnto GOD whereas this conceit would much turne it off vpon man And if a man shall say that an vnregenerate Minister can goe as far in conuerting a man as a regenerate it wil not seeme vnreasonable to him that considers first that God often doth excellent good and great workes by bad agents wherein hee gets himselfe the more glory of his wisedome power and goodnesse Secondly where God giues a man a calling he may and doth often blesse the worke which is his though not the person working Thirdly that the whole worke of a man in conuerting others is externall which this man can performe as well as hee that is conuerted for the true preaching of the Word is the parent of faith and wholesome doctrine is the immortall seede of our new birth which none denies but many vnregenerate men do and can deliuer Fourthly that vnlesse God giue more then the most gracious Preacher can giue nothing can be done nay that God giues more by a Minister then himselfe hath be he good or bad Augustine was first conuerted by Ambrose and afterward went farre beyond him in light and in grace so Dauid out-stripped his teachers Psal. 119. 98 99. And doth not God herein make his glory shine and manifest himselfe to be the giuer of all that grace when the instrument conuayes more then it selfe hath Thirdly why hath the Lord thought good to send both sanctified men and vnsanctified Balaam speaketh Scripture Saul is among the Prophets Iudas teacheth and worketh miracles among other Apostles and in the day of iudgement many shall say Lord wee haue preached and wrought miracles in thy name whom Christ neuer knew but will say to them Depart from me yee workers of iniquitie Why doth he make the Word in a sanctified mans mouth oftentimes the sauour of death Why are wee straitly commanded to heare wicked men that sit in Moses his chaire and to doe what
is vnchangeable and the Spirit euer like himselfe looke as his course hath been towards his children in times past so he will still deale proceeding by the same rule of iustice and mercie hee neuer takes a wicked man by the hand neither did any innocent person euer perish vnder his hand as a iust God he punisheth like sinnes with like iudgements and remembers mercy to the godly because mercy pleaseth him Thirdly God would not onely describe a way to life in the Scriptures but also hath there set before vs leaders and guides in that way whence there is not a vertue in all the Scripture commended in the precept but it is exemplifyed and made to shine in some patterne and that for these two ends First that the godly might haue full and assured direction Secondly that the wicked despising both holy doctrine and holy example might iustly be condemned Fourthly God would set a testimonie of his grace and glory in his children whom because they giue witnesse to his truth and proceedings hee calleth a cloud of witnesses Heb. 12. 1. First because in their life and conuersation they witnessed by word and deed to Gods Church Secondly in their death many of them witnessed by their blood Thirdly hereafter they shall witnesse for or against vs The Saints shall iudge the world and therefore euery godly man ought to make vse of their example And is this so then this first ouerthrowes that wicked and tyrannicall practice of the Church of Rome which takes away the Scriptures from the Laiety as vnnecessarie for simple people though they be the deeds of their inheritance as if God had onely entred couenant with Monkes Priests and Regulars and not with Christian men and women who may not know either what God hath promised on his part or expecteth on theirs But if according to our doctrine all must make vse of the foresaid examples then they must haue the Scripture to know them by being therein registred When God gaue his Word to the Hebrewes hee wrote it in the Hebrew tongue a tongue familiar to them and gaue charge that euery one should teach it their children and deriue it from one generation to another After when GOD would propagate it to the Gentiles and the Monarchy came to the Grecians God put into the heart of Ptolomie Philadelphus to prouide seuenty two of the most expert Hebrews skilfull in the Greeke to translate it into Greeke which language was generally knowne in all Nations of Europe Asia and Africa which translation of the Septuagint is extant at this day Afterward when the Roman Empire preuailed and the Latine speech began by that meanes to be most common God would haue the Scripture translated into Latine to what other end but that it should be read and vnderstood and remembred practised of all because it concerned all But why doe the Papists thus cofer vp the Scriptures now the true cause is that the light thereof may not discouer their workes of darknesse but what say they Oh it is darke and obscure hard and knotty a breeder of heretikes and matter of strife What did God giue the Scripture for a remedie and is it turned to poyson did it once serue as a hammer to bruise errors and now doeth it serue to breed them was it once profitable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to improue and now to impaire the trueth Did God send it for a doctrine of peace and is it now no other then a make-bate All controuersies must be decided by it and peace established on earth with God and men The Word is a Lanthorne and the Commandement a Light and plaine to the simple Psal. 19. 7. and 119. 130. And is it now so darke as no man can see his way by it hath God giuen all rules of doctrine and manners of faith and life and not onely that but witnessed all his way with man in examples of mercy and iustice encouraging piety and vertue and punishing the contrary and all in vaine what could the Lord doe more to make it easie and plaine and fit for instruction then he had done In a word by remouing the Scriptures they doe not onely depriue men of sauing doctrine in the precepts but also of the chiefe helpe of godly life in the practice of beleeuers Secondly if euery godly man must make vse of Gods ordinary dealing with his children then wee must take the counsell of Bildad to Iob chap. 8. 7. I pray thee looke to the examples of the former age and prepare to search of thy fathers namely whether if thou be pure God will not awake to thee looke whether any pure in heart were euer forsaken of God and as thou shalt find so conclude that God will deale with thee too make this vse of their example And we must not onely obserue Gods waies with them but also their waies with God following their ordinarie examples in vertue and watch our selues against their vices Many search into the liues of the Fathers and there spy Abraham perhaps lying Noah drunken and Salomon with many wiues and hence they boulster themselues in sinne they alleage the example of Dauid for adultery and of Paul for rage against God and the godly but this is to walke by the darke side of the cloude with the Egyptians to destruction therefore let vs turne to the light side to the Saints graces Ye shall haue some that being exhorted to piety and to a narrow watch ouer their waies will say presently Doe any thus or thus as you would haue vs why then we shall be singular we shall haue no company I wish men would consider their waies by this rule If thou seest no godly man before thee suspect that way and get out of it but howsoeuer few in the world walk in the straight way to life because few find it yet look to the Word and thou shalt see on all hands some or other in that way there thou hast a cloude to follow to goe when it goes to stand when it stands so thou be on the light side of it a notable guide through this pilgrimage of our life Oh there is no example of such precise carriage as you would haue vs take vp none but a few strait-lac't Ministers vrge or keepe it Yes looke to the Scriptures and thou shalt finde such as haue gone before any that are now liuing it would be counted too much precisenesse now to walke with God as Enoch did or for Masters to instruct their families and call them to an account for what they haue heard and yet Abraham did so If a man should be euer plodding in the Word to draw good lessons from it he shal be counted but a Bible-carrier whereas Dauid meditated on it day and night and Marie laid vp and pondered the Word in her heart these would be surely accounted too precise if they were now liuing Oh but if a man stand on these
precise points he shal be generally condemned What then Dauid cast away all such by-respects and Moses forsooke all euen Pharoahs court to abide reproch with Christ Heb. 11. 24 25 26. the Apostle left all and followed him and the Saints alway counted the reproches of Christ aboue the treasures of a Kingdome They so ordered their families that they would not brooke a lyer a swearer a deceitfull person a prophane and scoffing Ismael all must be cast out Oh then we shall shortly doe our worke ourselues But Dauid did so Psal. 101. 5 7. and other of Gods children are we not also counselled Heb. 12. 16. that no prophane person be amongst vs Thus we see that there is no such strictnes but an example therof may be found in the Scripture therefore let the world scoffe and laugh while it will yet the godly must make vse of these examples Thirdly we must hence learne to be ready to speake of our experiences of God to euery godly man that others may learne from vs to trust in his mercie so doth Dauid Psal. 66. 16. Come harken all ye that feare God and I will tell you what he hath done to my soule Thus are Fathers charged to tell their children and the children their children concerning the Passeouer and the stones that were pitcht in Iordan So Hezekiah said when longer life was granted him Isa. 38. 19. The liuing the liuing shall confesse thee as I doe this day the father to the children shall declare thy truth And by this meanes there shall be a succession of men still vpon earth to tell of the mercies of God when we are gone and so while we in our owne persons shall doe it in heauen others by our meanes shal do it on earth Fourthly here is a note to know when a man makes right vse of the Scripture not onely when hee beleeues the storie for so doe the deuils but when he affects it applies it to himselfe mingleth it with faith to make it profitable to admonish himselfe and others by it Hence issue three great benefits First a Christian shall be in no condition but he shall bee able to parallell his estate in some of the Saints hee shall see his owne case in some of them and so shall obtaine instruction direction and consolation by them Secondly wee shall testifie to God and his Saints when our liues shall be exemplarie and conformable to godly precepts and examples Thirdly in the day of iudgement we shall haue all the Saints Patriarkes Prophets and Apostles to witnesse with vs and for vs. In a difficult case a man would giue all hee hath for a witnesse on his side and we in this great assise of life and death shall haue the witnesse of all the godly God shall stand for vs the practices of the Saints shall iustifie our practices if we iustifie their practices here they shall iustifie ours hereafter Euery one that is godly HEre is the person that must pray the godly and euery one of them The word translated godly signifies in Hebrew two things first one whom God sheweth mercy vnto a gracious man in fauor and grace with God so the elect are vsually called vessels of mercy that as a vessell is filled with liquor so are they with Gods mercy Secondly it signifies one that sheweth mercy a mercifull man which is a propertie of a godly man who is like his father mercifull as he is the lionish and wooluish nature is put off and hee is become humble meeke gentle as the Lambe and the little childe Isai. 11. 6. Out of the former consideration wee may note that Onely the godly man is fit to pray or onely hee that hath grace can pray for grace vessels of mercy can pray for mercy and none else Prou. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable vnto him Genes 4. 4. The Lord had respect to Abel and his offering but vnto Caine and his offering he had no respect Now by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice then Cain Heb. 11. 4. First His person was accepted because he was in Christ and then his sacrifice Iames 5. 16. The prayer of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent Ier 11. 11. Though they crie vnto me I will not he are them What is the reason see it in the tenth verse They turned backe to the iniquities of their forefathers which refused to heare my words c. The reasons of this point are these First he must be a good man that must pray a good prayer a good tree that must bring forth good fruit a bad man cannot make a good prayer for such as the roote is such is the fruit Secondly he only can pray aright that hath the Spirit of prayer which teacheth vs to cry Abba Father this is the Spirit of adoption Rom. 8. 15. neither doth God know any other voyce but the voyce of his owne Spirit Ephes. 6. 18. Pray in the Spirit Yea but it is said Luk. 11. 13. the holy Ghost is giuen to them that aske him therefore hee can pray and obtayne the Spirit that wants him The scope of this place is not to shew whether the holy Ghost or prayer goe before but to shew how those that receiue the Spirit are to be exercised who where he is lyeth not dead or idle in the heart but stirs vp desires and grones vnspeakeable But how can a man pray for the holy Ghost and obtayne him when he hath him already By the holy Ghost is meant first the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost Secondly the inward sense and feeling of him in the heart thus we may pray both for increase of his gifts and for a comfortable sense and feeling of him for neither of them is euer so great but we may still pray for more to haue them increased Shall we not pray for daily bread because we haue bread or shall not we say Forgiue vs our sinnes because wee beleeue the remission of our sinnes yes because we pray for Gods staffe and blessing on the former and a more full and comfortable feeling of the latter Thirdly onely the godly man can pray because hee only hath the promise of prayer all the promises of life in grace and glory are made to godlinesse the promise to be heard in prayer is made to the go dly man Ioh. 15. 7. If yee abide in me and my Word in you aske what ye will and it shall be giuen you How can hee aske mercy that hath no part in mercy or how can he be heard in mercy to whom mercy belongs not Fourthly because onely the godly man hath faith without which nothing can please God this faith assureth vs of that we aske and issueth from iustifying faith see 1. Ioh. 5. 13 14. That yee may beleeue in the name of the Sonne
great difference betweene the prayers of the godly and the wishes of the wicked First the one is an earnest desire of the heart prizing greatly that which he desires the other is but a snatch or a sudden flash out of an illumination of the vnderstanding but not out of any affection of the heart because he vnderprizeth the thing prayed for and will not sell all for it That which others get with much labour and strong cryes a wicked man thinks he may only call for it and haue it hee will enioy his lusts all his dayes and then the last day promise reformation No no God is not so prodigall of mercy as to take thy leauings and be beholding to thee for a little lip-seruice in all the Scripture there is but one example of one receiued to mercy the last houre thinke not that thou shalt bee the second Secondly the one is a true desire with endeuour in the right meanes and care to referre it to the right end he will obtayne heauen by Faith Repentance Mortification c. but the vngodlies proceeding is but a iump to the end without the meanes Cursed Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous but he would leape ouer the life of the righteous so many leape ouer the meanes and thinke to come to the end immediately but twentie to one if they leape not too short Simon Magus desired the gifts of the holy Ghost but to a bad end to make gaine of them and that he might be beleeued to be some great man whereas a godly man aymes onely at Gods glory in his owne saluation And thirdly if euery true desire hath assurance to obtayne because it must be directed by the Word lifted vp by the Spirit and encouraged by the Promise then can no such vnsettled and vncertaine wishes bring any comfort to the heart when a man hath all his life long resisted the Word despised the meanes of Faith contemned the Promises and grieued nay despighted the Spirit how can hee haue any comfort by his prayer and how can he haue any elsewhere if not from that Thirdly this shewes vs that the way to bee heard of God in prayer is to be godly to bring Godlinesse and Religion an heart mortified to sinne and quickned to grace adorned with faith and settled in good conscience Dauids example of finding deliuerance in trouble and comfort in affliction of Spirit belongs only to godly and humble men that shall confesse and pray as hee did If thou wilt be heard of God in prayer First get the notes of Gods child vpon thee and thou shalt obtayne mercy for it is the priuiledge of a child to be heard in whatsoeuer his father sees good for him What saith Christ If you being euill can giue good things to your children how much more will your heauenly Father Secondly become Gods seruant for it was the vsuall ground of Dauids prayer to say Lord I am thy seruant heare and deliuer thy seruant Thirdly get humilitie vnto thee for the sacrifice of God is a contrite spirit Psal. 51. 17. such sacrifices hee is well pleased with Fourthly the poore blinde man sheweth the qualitie of that man whom God heareth Ioh. 9. 31. God heareth not sinners but if any be a worshipper of him and doth his will him he heareth The same condition is required of him that would speed in his suites 1. Ioh. 3. 22. Whatsoeuer wee aske wee receiue of him because wee keepe his Commandements and doe things pleasing in his sight Yee aske and haue not saith IAMES because yee aske amisse and when doe wee aske amisse when wee doe not keepe Gods Commandements but how shall we know that we keepe them Vers. 23. if we loue one another for charitie is an vndiuided companion of true pietie To conclude this point let vs take Iobs friends counsell vnto him Acquaint thy selfe with God and he shall prosper thy way before thee thou shalt cry vnto him and he shall heare thee Iob. 22. 21. Now in the second place in that the word translated Godly signifies a mercifull man note that No seruice of God or exercise of Religion can be acceptable to God which is not performed by mercifull men All Gods worship must be ioyned with mercy for here it is said The mercifull man shall pray Isa. 1. 11. to 16. God reiected all the Iewes seruices because they did not fast from strife as wel as from meat and because their hands were full of bloud Zeph. 2. 3. Seeke yee the Lord all the meeke of the earth whence is noted both that this is a denomination of a righteous man to be meeke and that none but such meeke persons can seeke God to find him Mat. 15. 5. The doctrine of the Pharises was that if men brought oblations to the Temple though they relieued not their poore Parents yet God was well pleased with them but the words following shew that this was but an hypocriticall tradition reuersing the Commandement of God Matth. 5. 7. Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtayne mercy what is it that we aske for when wee come to doe God his due homage but to obtayne blessednes and happinesse but this we cannot doe to be accepted without mercifulnesse So Vers. 24. If thy brother haue any thing against thee goe first and bee reconciled and then come and offer thy gift Reasons of this point are these First those things which God hath ioyned together no man must separate but God hath ioyned together the workes of the first and second table the loue of himselfe and of our brethren of himselfe and of his image of our forgiuing our neighbours and his forgiuing of vs these are inseparably ioyned and therefore we must not dissolue them Hence Isa. 58. 10. hypocrites pretending Religion are called to breake their bread to the hungry that is the true fasting Secondly vnmercifulnesse hindreth both the preferring of our prayers and likewise the preuailing of them First it cuts off prayer 1. Pet. 3. 7. Husbands must dwell with their wiues like men of knowledge and take heed of strife lest their prayers be interrupted The very husband and wife the neerest couple cannot pray priuately if they doe not put away strife and how can the same but hinder publique prayer also The Spirit of God cannot light on a Christian but in the shape of a Doue as it did on Christ the Temple that is fit for the holy Ghost to dwell in must be mercifull see Isa. 11. 6 7. Secondly it hinders our prayer from preuailing because of the promise and the threatning the promise of being heard is made only to the mercifull that the meeke shall inherite the earth Psal. 37. 11. and that the Lord will hide them in the day of wrath Zeph. 2. 3. So threatning is gone out against the mercilesse euen iudgement mercilesse belongs to him that shewes no mercy and as a man iudgeth so he shall be iudged
and his owne measure shall be met to him againe Mat. 7. 1 2. so that if a man be an Ismael rough against euery man God will be rough against him and if we be vnpittifull we shall be vnpittied of God and Men. Thirdly no sound worship can proceede but from a sound Religion and that is the Religion and wisedome which is from aboue and the qualitie of it is that it is peaceable Iam. 3. 17. gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits The Gospell which we professe is a Gospell of peace fostereth peace and seeketh it by all meanes Fourthly so long as any aâ—e slaues to the deeds of the flesh it is impossible they can be acceptable to God but debate hatred anger rage murthers are condemned for the vvorkes of the flesh which shut a man out of heauen Gal. 5. 21. But vvherein stands this mercy vvhereunto prayer must be coupled It stands in these things First in pittying the bodies of men in their wants Secondly their soules much more Thirdly in supplying their wants as reliefe succour comfort counsell c. to be rich in good workes and restore them that are fallen by the Spirit of meeknesse This teacheth all of vs that professe the doctrine of the Gospell and true Religion and the pure worship of God how wee ought to be disposed when wee come to performe vnto God religious duties as prayer c. Those that come neerest to God to present seruice acceptable to him must more especially look to this point namely to take heede of the spirit that lusteth after enuie and sets men in a rage against Gods image and those of the same profession with them and they must take the counsell of the Apostle 2. Cor. 13. 11. Bee of one minde liue in peace and the God of peace shall be with you And let vs consider First we are all members of one bodie wherof Christ is the head nature teacheth one member to pitie and help another if one bee ill affected to get remedy for it and so must Christians Secondly a meeke and mercifull spirit is much set by of God and called for at our hands by Christ of whom wee must learne to bee humble and meeke a sure note of one that is brought into Christs Kingdome and sheepefold Thirdly God hath taken all execution of vengeance out of our hands Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord Deut. 32. 35. and if we will take the sword of reuenge into our hands it will prooue but a sword to our owne destruction Fourthly if we looke at the recompence of reward we are to be prouoked to the workes of mercie As a man sowes so shall he reape sowe mercy and reape mercy sowe liberally and reape liberally God giues seede to the sower 1. Cor. 9. 10. and makes men rich vnto the works of mercie ver 11. How was the poore widdowes oile increased when shee sowed mercie to Elias in his want She had sufficient till the hard yeere was blowne ouer Thy expences shall haue a rich returne it shall bee but a lending to God with abundant vsury for earthly and base things we shal obtaine heauenly and glorious it is a sowing on earth to reape in heauen Fiftly if we desire patternes and presidents in mercifulnesse we haue enough First wee haue God himselfe whose mercies are aboue all his workes how mercifully did he forbeare the world an hundred yeeres and what experience haue our owne soules how he daily forgets and forgiues innumerable sinnes Therefore be we mercifull as our heauenly Father is mercifull Secondly Christ the Sonne of God is a president herein whose mercy and compassion was such as hee laid downe his life for vs that wee should also lay downe our liues for the brethren 1. Iohn 3. 16. Thirdly the Saints of God haue gone before vs in examples of mercy Moses was a man mightie in word and deede yet the meekest man on earth Numb 12. 3. Abraham yeelded to Lot his inferior Isaac swallowed many indignities at Abimelechs hands and Iaacob as many at Labans Dauid spared Saul his enemie when he had him at an aduantage and pardoned Shimei a Traytor when hee had cursed him and threw stones at him Yea all the Prophets Apostles and Saints as much as lay in them had peace with all men If wee professe our selues the Sonnes of God how are we so rough against our brethren so without pittie and charitable disposition as Lamech Ismael or Cain who learned of the Deuill who was a murtherer from the beginning to hate and kill his brother Let professors leaue these workes of the flesh to such as are in the flesh let vs be led by another rule as Christians mercifully considering one another and not as bruit beasts ledde by sensualitie We must not follow noysome lusts and humours but the rule of Gods Word to blesse though we are cursed and take things at the best and seeke peace and follow after it Let professors consider the sweet fruit of Christian communion which by a mercifull and meeke spirit is enioyed but by wrath and rash anger violenced how that the peace of the Church and publike quietnesse the honour of their profession the comfort of their conscience and acceptance of their prayers or any seruice cannot stand by them if they subdue not their spirits in this behalfe Secondly this shewes vs what to thinke of that religion which vpsetteth and vpholdeth it selfe by crueltie and malicious rage and furie it is a religion which God hath no delight in hee neuer did set it vp nor accepted it It cannot be the right religion which by crueltie sword and fire either planteth it selfe or seeketh to supplant others Therefore wee may note in the Scripture that those religions that were hated of God were cruell and vnmercifull One might haue read in Cains forehead what religion he was of no maruell if God reiected his sacrifice seeing hee bore such deadly malice against his brother Of what religion were the Egyptians that kept vnder the Israelites so tyrannically but barbarous wicked and idolatrous Iaacob must haue a place by himselfe to dwell in because his religion was an abomination to them they must not see him performe the seruices of it Manasseh set vp Idols sought to witches yea himselfe was a Magician or Coniurer and what was his practice Looke and wee shall see that no man euer shed more innocent blood then hee did Here was a note of a false religion euen cruelty such as wee read not of in any of his predecessors Antiochus Epiphanes a monster among Idolaters did so prodigiously waste the blood of the holy people as neuer was since there began to be a Nation till that time Dan. 12. 1. The heathen Emperours made such butcheries vpon the bodies of the Saints as euery street seemed a shambles of Christians and euery line of the story written in blood and their religion was sutable
against Elizabeth our Queene often at the perswasion of Walpoole a Priest and Cardinall of Coome or by Gunpowder against three Countries at the perswasion of Garnet Prouinciall of Iesuites in England Fifthly not only the Pope but also all Christian people are bound arctissimo conscientiae vinculo extremo animarum periculo to resist any hereticall King sirem praestare posuit if he can bring the matter about So Creswell Sixthly Kings as soone as they begin to be heretikes are presently ipso facto deiure excommunicate and depriued of their Kingdomes and their subiects freed from the oath of alleageance so saith Allen who for the same obtained a Cardinall-ship This saith he is a iust holy and honourable warre and hence he speaks to the English Nobles to rise vp in armes against Queene ELIZABETH Seuenthly Henrie the third a French King was iustly slaine before excommunication published because publike sorrowes waite no formes and in such publike things euident knowledge sententiae locum habet is in place of sentence So said William Reinolds Eightly a secret heretike is not onely ipso iure excommunicate but his children also deposed from the Kingdome because leprous parents beget leprous children Thus Symancha a wicked Knaue cuts off branch and roote Ninthly Yea but the Pope-holy-Father he approues of no such things no not he because he cannot erre Yes then Gregorie the seuenth and Gregorie the ninth erred not in teaching that so soone as a King is an heretike his subiects are freed from all loyaltie Nor Sixtus the fifth in making a laudatorie oration vpon the murder of Henrie the third King of France Nor Pope Pius Quintus in his Bull saying Volumus inbemus We will and command that all subiects take vp Armes against Queene Elizabeth Tenthly no murder without a Iesuite no Treason without a Priest Mariana found an apt scholer of Rauilliac and gaue him a poysoned Dagger to kill the French King Catesby Percy Faux were apt scholers of Garnet so Gerard Parsons Greenewell Nay these peaceable men themselues one strucke out the tooth another the heart of Henrie the fourth Who after all this can doubt of the wickednesse of the Romish Religion or who can thinke it acceptable vnto God seeing the godly the mercifull man onely can performe acceptable seruice What is not God pleased with that religion which he hath prospered so long neuer any Religion so rich so strong so embraced so defended by the Kings and Princes of the World First the Kingdome of Antichrist hath taken deepe rootes for many ages because First the shaddow neuer leaues the body Antichristianisme a shaddow of Christianitie so Antichrist began to worke in the Apostles daies and shall continue to the ende of the world Secondly the Lord will haue his Church still combate in this world to shake it out of securitie and to get Gods Armour which is onely able to preserue it from the deadly poyson that is in that enchaunted cup. Thirdly by prolonging this warre he hath occasion to shew his wisedome mercy and iustice in preseruing his Church through such danger and to trie the faithfulnesse and constancie of his Saints Heere is the patience of the Saints Fourthly sinne and want of zeale in the Church is a cause why he still stands a farre off the time of deliuerance is not yet Dan. 12. 1. But yet the sentence is passed against that Church It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great Citie Reuel 18. 2 6. and giue her double to that shee hath done Secondly that Church is already blasted by the breath of Gods mouth Gods Word hath detected the Man of sinne 's fraude wherewith hee hath blinded the world his Bulls that were once as terrible as thunder and affrighted all Christendome are now accounted but paper-shot or a flea-bite and as winde in great part his Pardons and Indulgences which were once bought at so deare a rate are now contemned euen of little children as things of no value his claimes are disclaimed by Princes and notwithstanding all his Phisicians about him he is consumed and much withered Thirdly he shall bee quite abolished in himselfe and his members at the comming of Christ when himselfe and his whole sent shall bee cast into the burning Lake as a Mill-stone into the bottome of the Sea neuer to be raised vp againe Vnto thee HEre is the third point namely the person to whom the godly man must pray and that is God himselfe Whence note that Euery godly man in his affliction prayeth vnto the true God and to him alone Psal. 116. 2 3 4. In my day I called vpon the Lord and the Lord heard me Hezekiah in his day when his daies seemed to be cut off turned his face to the wall and wept and prayed to the Lord who heard his prayers saw his teares and gaue him his desires Isai. 38. 3 4 5. Paul also in his day being buffeted with the messenger of Satan prayed thrice that is often to the Lord and the Lord answered That his grace was sufficient for him 2. Cor. 12. 8. The reasons of this point are these First he cannot be a godly man that in the time of his peace and prosperitie approues not his godlinesse by being much and often in this dutie of prayer and much more in his affliction and distresse because first a godly man cannot bee without the Spirit of adoption which makes the heart thirst after the liuing God and formeth sighes and grones and desires in the soule after him the Spouse calleth Christ him whom her soule desireth whereas it is a signe of a dead soule and of a bad constitution to be without these desires and requests as DAVID makes it a note of an Atheist not to pray Psal. 14. 4. Secondly a godly man cannot deny vnto God the principall part of his worship which himselfe hath prescribed for his owne so great glorie and our owne so great good and vtilitie A godly man cannot but giue him the honour of Maiestie in seeing our hearts and wants and abilitie to relieue them and the honour of mercy both in confessions petitions and praises Thirdly a godly man cannot but depend vpon God as the Fountaine of grace as the Father of lights the Staffe of his life the Length of his daies the Strength of his heart his Portion for euer neither can a godly man testifie this confidence in God otherwise then by resorting to him as a God hearing prayer Fourthly a godly man cannot but sanctifie all his actions and gifts and all Gods creatures by this meanes which else are not pure vnto him Nay a godly man cannot but increase and strengthen his graces by the meanes of prayer and by the same meanes preserue his holinesse and grace and exercise them which stand or fall are weake or strong as this grace of prayer is Secondly a godly man cannot but much more in affliction and trouble seeke God by prayer If
them all things falling out to the best to them that loue God Neither may it be strange that although remission of sinne be the ground of all deliuerances yet all that haue remission of sinne haue not deliuerance from temporall dangers but some of the Saints are hewne asunder tempted slaine burnt hanged and ignominiously put to death For as the subiection of the creatures to vs dependeth vpon our subiection to God and our peace with men vpon our keeping peace with God so our subiection and peace with God here being only begunne and imperfect we must recouer our safetie from the creatures and peace with men but in part and imperfectly But yet that which is wanting here is recompensed with spirituall peace euen here as Ioh. 16. 33. In the world yee shall haue affliction but in me yee shall haue peace and afterward with that peace that is euerlasting First then where God begins our safetie let vs begin it in labouring to feele our inward peace with God which will quiet our hearts in the assurance of Gods prouidence and protection in outward things it will be an easie descent from the greater to the lesse In the want of outward things say to thy selfe God out of his loue hath giuen me his owne Sonne and will hee not giue mee all things with him Shall he giue me heauen and not earth In the want of inward comforts say to thy soule Why art thou cast downe my soule while I was yet an enemie and a sinner God hath reconciled me by the death of his Sonne how should hee now cast mee off being reconciled In bodily dangers what a prop doth this doctrine giue vs Hath my Lord prouided with so much cost so great saluation for my soule and will he neglect to saue and preserue my bodie hee that doeth the greater will not hee doe the lesse In molestation by externall aduersaries What hath my Lord and head foiled the Deuill for me troden Satan vnder my feet and trampled vpon all spirituall enmities for mee and will hee not beate backe the endeuours and vniust practices of my enemies Shall I beleeue the greater and not beleeue the lesse Secondly in receiuing and enioying outward benefits labour to see them all to be the riuers streames of this fountaine for then they be sweet indeed as the streame is then sweet when the head and fountaine is so but if the Fountaine be bitter or poisoned so are the streames For first they are no further mercies then they proceede from mercy and then they be mercies indeed as they are called Secondly else we enioy them by a broken title if not by vertue of the Couenant and euen those creatures are in a kinde of bondage from which God frees them often by plucking them from vniust owners as Hos. 2. 9. Thirdly else we distinguish not our selues from the wicked scarce from the beasts who find and taste the sweetnesse of the creatures as we do but not of GOD in them Naturall men stay in the fruition and delight of the things themselues and can goe no further whereas as the riuers lead vs to the sea so ought wee to bee led by them to the minde of the Lord towards vs in them Fourthly those that delight themselues in the pleasures and delights of things below and want the pardon of sinne are as if a man should drinke off a cup of sweet poyson with much delight but presently or not long after it workes deadly Thy sinne is poyson which thou castest into the cup that the Lord hath made to run ouer Fiftly a little gift with loue and good will is more acceptable then a great deale with strife and grudging If a man can see Gods loue and good will toward him in Christ hee will be content with a little thankefull for a little cheerefull with a little and his portion though very small will bee very precious Sixtly if assurance of remission of sinnes giueth vs such ioy in trouble and affliction that the Saints can reioyce in tribulation Rom. 5. 3. how will it reioyce the heart in the fruition of Gods mercies Oh then how ought we to labour earnestly by the eye of faith to discerne the beames of Gods loue and fauour chasing away the cloud of our sinnes without which all our comforts are but bitter and vnsauorie Thirdly hence gather the priuiledge of Gods children to whom remission of sinnes is sealed vp which is to be secure either from perils or in perils For first once in Gods Couenant and euer safe for the couenant is vnchangeable as God himselfe is an euerlasting couenant Isai. 55. 3. Secondly their afflictions are not punishments of sinne but either tryals or louing corrections the sting of them is gone Thirdly whereas the wicked whose sinne is not pardoned are haunted and vexed with terrours and feare where no feare is a godly man is as bold as a Lyon yea in the presence and sense of danger Iob 5. 22. Thou shalt not bee afraid of destruction when it commeth but shalt laugh at destruction and death For the stones shall be at league with thee and the beasts c. Who would not be exempted from danger or fearelesse in danger as seeing his owne safetie Surely the way is to get the Lords louing countenance vp vpon vs and then we shall be safe Psal. 80. 3. 7 19. Thou art my secret place THe Prophet borroweth a comparison from liuing creatures who being in danger or in chase or pursuit haue their hiding places to defend themselues in the Lyon hath his denne the Foxe his hole the Conie his burrow and the Godly man hath his asyle or refuge but with this difference First the beasts haue their dens caues in the earth wherin they hide themselues but the godly hath his hiding or secret place in heauen Secondly they may be fetcht and hunted out of their hiding places and be destroyed for all them but so cannot the godly who make God their secret place seeing none is able to plucke them out of his hands who is stronger then all Hence we may note that The Lord is the hiding place of the godly in trouble and danger As a man in a storme or showre seeketh shelter so in the stormes of the Church and Common-wealth in which the enemies thunder and roare and seeme to mingle all into one confusion then the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous flye vnto it Psal. 27. 5. In the time of trouble hee hath hid me Psal. 91. 1. The godly is said to dwell in the secret of the most High How is the Lord the hiding place of the godly First by his promise Secondly by his protection First his promise couereth and compasseth his Elect vnder which they are as safe as in a towne of warre Psal. 119. 114. Thou art my shield I trust in thy Word Many were the plots which Dauids enemies impugned him withall
sack-cloth went into the house of the Lord and spred open the letter before him and the Angell of the Lord in one night slew an hundred fourescore and fiue thousand The Niniuites seeing the storme approching in the threat Yet fortie daies and Niniue shall be destroied did flie to this shelter for high and low man and beast did humble themselues in sackcloth and fasting and they cried mightily to the Lord and he was intreated But how shall I know that God will bee my hiding place By these notes First that in the Text if thou hast got assurance of the pardon of sinne Dauid by long trauell hauing got this assurance breaks out into these words Thou art my secret place This assurance must be gotten by confessing and forsaking sinne and such a man is a blessed man Prou. 28. 13. Adam so long as he would hide his sinne could get no thicket thicke enough to hide him the way to remooue iudgements is to remooue our sinnes Hearest thou of a iudgement or seest thou an approching danger meete the Lord with sorrow of heart and with humilitie of soule and his wrath shall be appeased and his furie turned away Dauids wrath when he was strongly resolued to kill and slay was by Abigails humble and dutifull submission appeased Esaus fury being resolued to slay his brother was turned away by Iaacobs seuen times humbling himselfe before him much more will the Father of mercies in whom is no passion Secondly if thou trust in the Word of God for man liueth by euery word of God and then thou canst not seeke to any other shelter thou canst vse no vnlawfull shifts and wicked meanes to accomplish thy desires Euery man saith He trusts in God but that is onely a vaine blast for whereas the first thing our Prophet doth is to goe to God many men looke to be hid euery where else first of all and at last when all meanes forsake and faile them they would come to God First they flye to the wedge of gold and say Thou art my hope Secondly or else lye hid in humane strength and the arme of flesh as the Prophet saith Some put their trust in Charets and some in Horses Dauid had gold men strength and Townes of warre but yet the Lord was his hiding place hee knew how vaine it was to hide himselfe vnder the wings of wealth that with those wings would flye away and leaue him in the suds Thirdly some runne to Idols Images Saints the Crosse or Holy-water all which driue them from their hiding place Fourthly others in strange visitations and dangers run to hell and to the deuill to hide themselues this is a common sinne to consult more with one Witch then all the Ministers in a Countrie And now when none of these can doe a man good hee must come to God as Pharaoh when none of his Princes or Sorcerers could helpe him then came to Moses and Aaron but he that did thus deceitfully hide him the Lord hid and couered him and his Armie vnder water Thirdly thou must be a member of the Church Psal. 27. 4. Dauid desired one thing euen to dwell in the House of God and then he is sure God will hide him in the secret place of his pauillion Assemble thy selfe with the Saints frequent the publike places of Gods worship euery Master will protect a good seruant in his seruice and especially while he is vnder his eye and much more will the Lord but when a man will get him out of Gods sight then is he numbred to the sword to the beasts and to destruction Ier. 15. 2 3. Fourthly thou must cleaue vnto God in the loue and obedience of his truth The promise is he will keepe thee in thy waies Israel being out of his way and hauing made a Calfe was naked but before that the Lord as a couer hid them How can they make account of safety in danger who to hide themselues from persecution of the Gospell leaue it vpon the plaine field Oh say they I loue the Gospell and desire to giue obedience to it but I was afraid of my name of my libertie of dishonour What were dangers toward and must thou therefore depart from thy secret place one would thinke thou shouldest rather haue run vnto it Must thou needs run out of doores because a storme or tempest is comming the filly vnreasonable creatures can teach thee more wit then so why thou runnest from vnder his wing who would haue kept thee safe Wilt thou saue thy life by flying from Christ who is the way and the life wilt thou auoide the sword of man by an euill conscience which is a sharper sword within thy bowels striking through and pearsing thine owne soule Wilt thou auoide the flames of natural fire by kindling the fire of Gods wrath against thee yea the flames of hell within thee How doe the deceitfull bewitchings of this world at this day winde into men professing the Gospell who to sit in the warme Sunne dare not to bee seene with Christ by day but like Owles and Bats and hateful birds cast themselues into the night and wilhold such a course of Religion as that they seeme none of the forwardest would faine speake for good men so as none might heare them would willingly supply their wants and helpe their wrongs were it not for feare of hearing that voice which would strike them to the heart Surely thou art one of them Fifthly thou must be a sincere-hearted Christian and carrie thy selfe vprightly He that walketh vprightly walketh safely vprightnesse is a brest-plate which hides the chiefe parts from danger Noah was an vpright man in his generations and the Lord shut him in the Arke Lot was a iust man vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the wicked and the Lord pulled him out of Sodom and hid him in Zoar the Angell could doe nothing till he was gone Vprightnesse hides a mans selfe and others for his sake he may glory in the power and truth of God in extremest perils Thou shalt preserue me from trouble DAVIDS confidence confines not it selfe within the time present but is such as that he can leane vpon God for afterwards How came Dauid to be so confident for future time He had experience of Gods mercy in the pardon of sin and drawing him out of former deepes as the Psalme sheweth and therefore hee resolueth thus for time to come whence note that Experience is a notable Mistres and the surest teacher of affiance for time to come experience of God will carry the heart through such trials as flesh can neuer buckle withall 1. Sam. 17. 36. When Dauid was to encounter with Goliah and Saul told him he was but a boy he reasoned builded his victorie vpon the former experience of God saying Thy seruant in his keeping of sheepe slew a Lyon and a Beare and so shall it be with this Philistim Psal. 23. 10.
his children so also of reioycing and comfort This whole Psalme teacheth it in the beginning of which how was Dauid deiected What an intolerable burden of sinne complaines he of how were his bones dryed and broken how did his moysture drie vp as in the drought of Summer how did hee roare night and day vnder the heauie hand of God and all this misery pressed him a long time together But now towards the end of the Psalme his confidence supporteth him his ioy comes againe his comfort not onely returnes but also in such abundance as hee seeth himselfe compassed with Songs of Deliuerance Psal. 126. 5 6. They that sow in teares shall reape in ioy spoken of the Church returning out of captiuitie they went weeping and carried precious seede but they shall returne with ioy and bring their sheaues Psal. 30. 5. Heauinesse may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning As certaine as is the vicissitude and change of darknesse and light euening and morning so certaine shall the changes of the godly be their darknesse shall bee turned into light Eccl. 3. 1 4. To all things there is an appointed time a time to weepe and a time to laugh a time to mourne and a time to dance All times are limited by God to the faithfull but first for sorrow and then for ioy Exod. 15. 27. As it was with Israel in their iourney through the wildernesse so is it with Gods people in this world After they had gone through many barren and dry places then they came to Elim where were twelue fountaines of water and seuentie Palme-trees the Lord at length brings them to a pleasant station So the Lord hath appointed after labour a time of rest after heauinesse a time of ioy hee brings his children from Marah to Elim Numb 33. 9. from a place of bitternesse to springs of water First because God is not alwayes angry with his children neither doth hee delight in punishing his anger is but for a moment and for a little while he forsaketh but the end is with euerlasting mercie to haue compassion on them Isai. 54. 8. True it is that he punisheth and correcteth sinne in his deadliest enemies and in his dearest children but all this as a iust and righteous Iudge and as forced to it not as a tyrant that punisheth with affection desire and delight Secondly the troubles of Gods children are ouercome already by Christ who hath carried the heauy burden of them and hath left onely the crosse for them to beare so as they cannot still lye vpon them For if euen the troubles which Gods chosen are exercised withall here were euerlasting and there were no time of release appointed by God they would be out of measure ponderous and weightie but this makes them easie among other considerations that if they bee heauie they are but short and as the Apostle saith but momentanie Thirdly the vse of afflictions and sorrowes of the godly is but for a time to exercise their faith and patience and therefore cannot bee perpetuall for when the try all is ouer the burthen must bee remooued The time of Winter is bitter and barren and cold through frosts and stormes but besides that it is profitable for the earth and plants to kill weedes and wormes and to mellow and rot the ground it is a forerunner of a pleasant Spring and a fruitfull haruest Such is the state of the godly often here Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse sometimes departs further off and leaues the beleeuer in a wintrous estate laid open to many stormes and sad showres but besides that all this winter prepares the soyle and kils the weedes and vermine of the soule it goes before an happy spring haruest which will bring in fruits of righteousnesse to those that are exercised Ioh. 16. 22. I goe away for a while and ye shall be sorrowfull but I will come againe and your heart shall reioyce and your ioy shall none take away Fourthly the promise of God must stand firme who hath promised blessednesse to them that now mourne for sinne Math. 5. 4. for they must bee comforted therefore there is a time appointed wherein mourners shall bee comforted Prou. 24. 16. The iust man falleth seuen times a day that is into distresse and trouble but riseth againe The state of the godly in the sea of this world is like the Sea Euripus that ebbes and flowes seuen times a day it ebbes no oftner then it flowes againe so the godly haue as many comforts as sorrowes And most full of trueth and assured comfort is the promise made by Christ to his Disciples Ioh. 16. 20. Yee shall indeede sorrow but your sorrow shall bee turned into ioy It had been a great comfort if Christ had onely promised that their sorrow should bee mitigated and more to haue said it should bee shortly ended but to say it shall bee turned into ioy ministreth abundant consolation and strength in the patient expecting of so happy a change Hence is it that the sorrowes of the godly are often compared to the sorrows of a woman in trauel as Isa. 26. 17. Like as a woman with child beeing neere her time is in sorrow and cryeth in her paines so haue wee beene in thy sight O Lord. Ier. 6. 24. Sorrow is come vpon vs as vpon a woman in trauell And the sorrowes of the godly are like these sorrowes First in bitternesse and sharpenesse Secondly in the vtilitie and profit of them both tending to a birth Thirdly it is not without hope of deliuerance and in euery hope there is some ioy and comfort in the midst of sorrowes mixt with them Fourthly in the trauell of a woman there is not only an expectation of an end of that sorrow but also of the fruit of it which is the ioyfull fruit of the wombe Fiftly there is a certaine time set both for the one and the other All which our Sauiour cleerely confirmeth Ioh. 16. 21. A woman when she brings forth hath sorrow because her houre is come but when shee is deliuered she remembers not the sorrow for ioy that a man-child is borne So you are now in sorrow but your hearts shal reioyce so as there is a time set by God not onely to finish the sorrowes of the godly but also to turne them vnto ioy as the winter not onely endeth but is turned to Summer Fiftly there must bee some difference of the sorrowes of the godly from the wickeds as there is in their persons and estates and this is the difference that they sorrow without mixture of ioy or hope or expectation of deliuerance by any promise no time is set for their deliuerance nay all their light must bee darkened their sunne must set and neuer rise more and they left in an euerlasting night but the godly sorrow quite contrariwise Isa. 27. 7 8 9. Hath hee smitten him as hee smote those that smote him Or is he slaine
for taking away and not for good and for giuing Iob 1. Now further this dutie of thankesgiuing being so great a seruice as that it is sometimes put for all the worship of God it shall not be amisse to enter into our selues in particular by a more narrow view of our selues to take better notice of our estate both by iudging our selues in the things we faile in and by prouoking our selues with more cheerefulnesse to so holy a dutie Many wayes haue we erred first in not doing the dutie at all Secondly in doing it First in not doing the dutie many stray many wayes as First how few of vs take notice of Gods mercies with which he compasseth vs when as we say we cannot see Wood for Trees being beset with numberlesse mercies and yet see none or as good as not and therefore cānot to any purpose open our mouthes in thanksgiuing further then in generall termes slubbering ouer the dutie as hauing the heart vpon euery thing else How few consider how being dead in sinne they are begotten to the life of God how of Enemies they be become Friends how they haue part in the first resurrection in grace and assured hope of the second to glorie How many sinnes are there which God hath not let them know How many of vvhich he hath let vs know the pardon How hath he kept vs from diseases How restored vs out of sicknesse How vvardeth he vs all the day long feedes vs and leades vs in our going in and out How carryeth he vs in his armes saues vs from danger and maintaynes our peace of soule and body our health and reputation How keepes he vs and ours euery night and refresheth vs with sleepe For he giues sleepe to his beloued draweth our curten watcheth ouer our houses from fire from robbers and from ruine and euery morning yea euery moment reneweth mercy vpon vs. These things while wee take no notice of wee must needs faile in this dutie for vvere there thankefulnesse it vvould smother no mercies but novv 〈◊〉 is vvith vs as vvith children vvhose eaten bread is quickly forgotten Secondly Numbers of men count basely of and eleuate Gods mercies and then there can bee no thankesgiuing So much as a man esteemeth a gift so much he is thankefull for it neyther is it hauing of things but hauing them in estimation which breedes thankefulnesse Numbers 11. 6. The Israelites hauing Mannah thought basely of it and were so farre from giuing thankes for it as they murmured and said Wee see nothing but this Man and so men speake at this day of the spirituall Mannah the Word of God We thinke it an ordinary thing to dispatch our ordinary businesse as a iourney or the like and esteeme not of Gods successe and blessing vpon it as Abrahams seruant did Gen. 24. 27. saying Blessed bee the Lord God of my Master I being in the way the Lord led mee to the house of my Masters Brethren Wee thinke it a slight thing to bee carryed day by day through our way and not to bee surprized by Satan or temptation but Dauid otherwise esteemed of it as 1. Sam. 25. 32. Blessed bee the Lord and blessed bee thy counsell and blessed bee thou that hast kept mee from doing this thing Wee count it no great matter to bee drawne out of weaknesse or sicknesse of bodie Oh it is but an ordinarie thing whereas if wee did esteeme rightly of it with the Leper wee would glorifie God with a lowd voyce Wee thinke it a common thing and neuer prize the benefit to bee fed and clothed euery day to be able to enioy these creatures to our life health and strength whereas if a man bid vs to supper or meate once in a yeere or quarter wee will then thanke him and after meeting him againe thanke him for our kind welcome or checke our selues if we forget it and will bee ashamed to make no neighbourly requitall but God gets not so much thankes for his continuall spreading of our Table and furnishing it and filling of our Cups daily as a man doth for one meales meate as though GOD were more bound to vs then a man or wee lesse bound to him then a man to his Neighbour And when men haue thus vnderualued Gods blessings while they haue them from him how iustly doth hee depriue them of them till they know the price and worth of them and in their restraint make them enioy a small thing more thankefully and comfortably then when their plentie hindred them from being daintie Hunger were good sawce and would giue rellish and taste to courser things then men now contemne Thirdly others are discontented with their estate and then can neuer be thankefull Oh God giueth them not what and when or how much they would haue or others haue more then they or they deserue more then they haue or their troubles are aboue the fauours they haue and thus they enioy nothing eyther thankefully or comfortably But alasse First how little doe wee see what vnprofitable seruants wee are when wee haue done all wee can Luc. 17. 10. and how we deserue nothing but stripes like Whelps vnder the Table of our Lord not deseruing the crummes Secondly how doe wee harpe vpon our wants more then our receits so to depriue God of his glorie and our selues of comfort as Ahab was vnthankefull for a whole Kingdome and sicke because hee wanted Naboths Vineyard Thirdly how doe wee rather repine at that which others haue then consider what is our owne need as if a bitter medecine were not as good in season as the sweetest dainties Fourthly how doe we cast our eyes onely on that which God can giue and not vpon that hee hath giuen or we can receiue Fiftly how doe wee gnabble vpon the shell which is the gift and neglect the meat which is the goodnesse of the Giuer which were it once tasted in the soule would bee thought sweeter then life and would make it breake forth into prayses Fourthly others peruert and blaspheme Gods mercies and in stead of thankefulnesse load him with wicked and vngracious behauiour Some haue receiued gifts and talents of learning and knowledge but in stead of employing them to his prayse they eyther hide them in a Napkin and doe no good as the vnprofitable seruant Matth. 25. 25. liuing as drones and vnprofitable burdens in the Church and Common-wealth and as corrupt trees fruitlesse themselues and keeping the ground barren or else they doe much hurt with their learning opposing the truth and goodnesse and good men defending corruptions maintaining corrupt opinions and making bridges to Poperie or prophanesse or else they corrupt others by making filthy Poems and such like Some haue receiued wealth and a large estate of earthly things some honours fauour and authoritie of whom GOD may looke for more because they haue receiued more But how for mercies returne they rebellion in all their liues and dissolutenesse in
not worthy sayth hee of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant for with my staffe I passed ouer this Iordan and now I am become two bands And to conclude how little are our hearts stirred to thankesgiuing vnder crosses and afflictions whereas our Commandement is In all things giue thankes euen in crosses and losses We can receiue good from God but no euill whereas our dutie is with Iob to blesse God as well in taking away as in giuing Thus seeing how farre wee are from our dutie let vs iudge our selues and take our selues tardie in the slips and amend what we haue failed in and for time to come so frame this dutie to this Doctrine as God may haue his prayse and we his mercies continued to vs and ours There is yet remaining a third point of Doctrine namely that the matter of the godly mans songs ioy must be spiritual and heauenly as here the ditty of Dauids songs are Gods deliuerances praises of God for deliuerances And this his practice elsewhere Psal. 22. 25. My prayse shall be of thee in the great Congregation Psal. 59. 16. 17. I will sing of thy power and prayse thy mercie see the place Psal. 57. 8. I will sing vnto thee among the Nations And in respect of this argument of all his Psalmes Dauid is called the sweet Singer of Israel 2. Sam. 23. 1. First the Commandement enioyneth vs this Ephes. 5. 19. Speaking vnto your selues in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs therefore our songs must be spirituall first for matter not prophane Secondly they must proceede from Gods spirit as the Author of them Thirdly they must be framed with honest and gracious wordes beseeming the Spirit Fourthly to a spirituall end which is first Gods glorie and secondly our owne and others edification And in the same place it followes Singing and making melodie in your heart to the Lord euer looking and referring your Psalmes to God as the right obiect of them and our ioy Col. 3. 16. 17. there is required first that our songs come from the Word dwelling plentifully in our hearts Secondly that they be spirituall for the former causes Thirdly that they be to the Lord that is first before the Lord. Secondly to his praise as Ver. 17. Whatsoeuer yee shall doe in word or deede doe all in the name of the LORD IESVS giuing thankes to God and the Father by him and Psal. 37. 4. Delight thy selfe in the Lord. Secondly the godly ought euer to giue testimonie of that heauenly ioy vvhich delighteth their soules and vvhich is a fruit of the spirit Gal. 5. 22. seeing they professe to be led by the spirit and by this they notably incite themselues and inuite others to pietie Thirdly it is fit there be a difference betweene wicked and godly mens songs They sing like themselues either vvickedly vvantonly and filthily or the best of their songs vvhich they sing with any feeling are but vvorldly vvhen their Wine and Oyle are increased and they enioy temporall prosperitie But the godly must be in another tune they must sing because God hath lifted vp the light of his countenance vpon them they haue a peculiar ioy the ioy of Gods people vvhich Dauid desireth the Lord to visit him vvithall Psal. 106. 5. The Stranger enters not into this ioy Prou. 14. 10. Fourthly if the godly should not make their songs of God he should haue little or no praise on earth for all his mercies seeing the vvicked cannot praise him the dead in sinne cannot praise him they can reioyce naturally in eating drinking sporting building and such props of the flesh yea and are neuer so glad as when God is farthest off out of sight and out of minde Now if the Christian man vvho hath a true sense of God should not sing vnto God he should haue no praise at all of all his goodnesse Fiftly the songs of godly men on earth are best when they be the same for kinde and matter with their songs in heauen seeing the same heauenly life and ioy is begun on earth vvhich vve must haue in perfection in heauen and there is no difference but in the degree And this vve see plainely in the Scripture both vvhat is the matter of that new song of the Saints in heauen vvho had gotten victorie ouer the Beast Reuel 15. â— the song of Moses and the song of the Lambe saying Great and maruellous are thy workes Lord God Almightie iust and true are thy wayes King of Saints And that the songs of the godly haue commonly beene of the same argument and matter is cleere by the Church in generall and in the speciall members of it The Church Exod. 15. 1. 2. sang this song vnto the Lord and said in this manner I will sing vnto the Lord the Lord is my strength and my song he is become my saluation c. My song that is first the matter of the song the Lord to whom all praise belongeth and secondly he in whom the Church reioyceth and glorieth all the day long Isa. 5. 1. I will sing to my beloued Christ is the song of the Church the whole booke of Canticles is a song of Christ and the Church which singeth out his beauties perfections and affections and describeth him in excellent manner from top to toe So for the particular members of it Dauid professeth it saying My song shall be of thee all the day long the like we may see of Hanna Zachary Simeon Mary Deborah and Barak Iudg. 5. All whose songs record how they made God their glorie and the matter of their Psalmes and praises in a word they were no other then songs of deliuerance Sixtly let a man turne his face any way else from God let him sing of his wealth of his pleasure or any of the delights of the sonnes of men his song shall be but a short one and as vnsound as short Salomon tryed his heart and tyred himselfe in worldly pleasures treasures honors and all kinde of earthly happinesse but he comes at length to a recantation and sings a new song and tells vs that all that is vnder the Sunne is but vanitie and vexation of spirit And trie it after him who vvill hee shall surely change his note as hee did vvhen his laughter shall be no better in his owne eyes then madnesse and the reason is because nothing out of God can afford matter of sound ioy We see hence what to thinke of musick in Gods seruice of which kinde songs are In the old Testament it was of diuine institution and a part of the ceremoniall Law In the new Testament God requires a more spirituall worship and yet we are allowed vs that musicke whether naturall or artificiall whereby the heart is raised vp and prouoked to glorifie God Is any man merry saith Iames let him sing Psalmes Chap. 5. 13. The conditions of
this musicke must be these first it must tend to edification and therefore it must be vnderstood Secondly it must not carry away the heart or eare either of the Singer or of the Hearer but stirre it vp Thirdly it must not consist more in fragore quà m feruore more in contention of voice then intention of heart Fourthly it must be orderly not wasting the time of preaching for the better must take place and take vp more time Here therefore is not approued that practice of the Papists in turning out of the preaching of the Word for their chanting of Masses and musick which is first in Latin and therefore cannot be vnderstood nor edifie Secondly superstitious for all of them hold Masse sung to be more holy and meritorious then Masse said Thirdly they sing to Idols and God is not the matter of their songs The best Organe in Gods seruice is a Christian and faithfull mans heart set that in tune and there will be sweet musicke But as for our singing of Psalmes in publike and priuate the vse of them is excellent if vsed aright first to celebrate the Name of God in the acknowledgement of his mercies Secondly by singing to awaken our dull hearts and raise them towards God Thirdly as to testifie our owne thankefulnesse and shew our affection and reioyce our selues in him so also to stirre vp others to zeale and feruencie as Psal. 34. 3. O magnifie the Lord with me and let vs exalt his name together Fourthly to comfort and refresh our sorrowfull spirits as Paul and Silas being in prison sung to God euen at midnight Act. 16. 25. Fiftly to learne by the examples of the Saints to feare God to trust in him in aduersitie and so to confirme our selues in pietie Sixtly to be acquainted with the Psalmes and learne them by heart in which is a most artificiall anatomie of the soule of a Christian shewing most liuely his whole state and constitution Secondly if the matter of our songs be best when diuine it condemnes all those wanton songs and tunes which misse-tune the heart and affections and tend to nothing but corruption Dauids songs were of God but how vaine and vile are the songs of our common people How happily might they make exchange of their wanton Sonnets and filthy Ballads with these holy Psalmes first doth not the Apostle include such amorous lewd songs vnder iesting or foolish talking which he aduiseth Christians to exchange with thanksgiuing Ephes. 5. 4. Secondly must we giue an account of euery idle word and not of euery idle song which is hurtfull to our selues and others and keepes out better Thirdly it is a manifest note of a carnall man to be delighted with wicked or foolish songs Doth not want of spirituall affection argue the want of the Spirit And doth not want of spirituall songs argue want of spirituall affection And if it be so our eyes see a generall decay of godlinesse and increase of Atheisme and prophanenesse among our people who are generally decayed in singing Psalmes and delight to sing nothing but prophane Ditties barring grace out of the heart But I cannot passe ouer the practice of wicked Fidlers who make it their profession and get their liuing by the daily poysoning of many with themselues by most filthy and ribaldrie songs shamelesse and vnchaste Ditties setting themselues to please the foule and wicked hearts and eares of men to the displeasure of God and their owne damnation without timely repentance I may not name Dauids songs almost the same day with these detestable Ditties But if filthinesse and fornication ought not to be named among Saints then should there be no place for such Teachers of filthinesse whose mouthes were better be without tongues then filled with songs of any such kinde for as these doe much infect and poyson others so any better vnbeseeme themselues Cannot we by all our labour and best endeuours preuaile with men while wee prouoke them to puritie of heart and life such is the gulfe of naturall vncleannesse and filthinesse And is there any neede of such firebrands and incentiues of lust Doe men neede spurres and prouocations to vnchastitie and filthinesse If it be not in the power of Christians to stop the mouthes of such Satanicall Factors yet let them be wise to stop their owne eares lest hereby the Deuill cast a sparkle into their Gunne-powder Thirdly let vs learne to checke our selues when we finde our selues heauie and wearie in talking of good things and of our gracious God seeing the godly account this a refreshing and matter of godly songs and when we finde want of Spirit and coldnesse of heart in singing Psalmes publike or priuate for this argues decay in godlinesse and coldnesse in Religion seeing the heart must leade the tongue and a ioyfull tongue accompanies a gracious heart Meanes to help forward our songs in God are these First make vp thy peace with God Acquaint thy selfe with him then shall the Almightie be thy delight Iob 22. 21 26. Grow vp in the knowledge of God the more thou knowest him the more full will thy ioy be especially get assurance of the pardon of thy sinnes Secondly delight in his Word and Ordinances as in the deedes of thy saluation Psal. 119. 54. Thy Statutes haue beene my songs in the house of my pilgrimage Thirdly get sinceritie of heart for Can an hypocrite delight himselfe in the Almightie Iob 27. 10. No hee cannot Fourthly beware of intangling thy heart with wicked or worldly pleasures for these are as water cast into heauenly heates keepe out carnall ioyes and labour to make thy ioy more heauenly VERSE 8 9 10. 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt goe and I will guide thee with mine eye 9. Be not like an Horse or like a Mule which vnderstand not whose mouthes thou doest binde with bit and bridle lest they come neere thee 10. Many sorrowes shall come to the wicked but he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compasse him NOw we come to the third vse of the former doctrine laid downe in the former part of the Psalme which concerneth our obedience vnto God the summe of it is this that when a Christian hath gotten remission of sinnes hee must take heede of offending God any more and indeuour to walke worthy of so great a mercy These three Verses contayne first a Preface to the exhortation in the eighth Verse Secondly the exhortation it selfe standing of a graue and sharpe counsell or aduice Be not like the Horse or Mule that is be not so indocible as thou wast neither stand out stubbornely with God as thou didst before thy iustification Thirdly the Reasons or inforcements of the counsell drawne first from the plagues of God vpon indocible and incorrigible persons Many are the sorrowes of the wicked Secondly from Gods great good wil towards his own who haue got assurance of remission of sinne Mercy or goodnesse shall
vvhich is fit for him this makes the Word dwell plentifully in Christians by this holy doctrine is fastned as by nailes by the Masters of Assemblies If a man should set a great browne Loafe before Children vvhat good vvould it doe them they may starue vvell enough vnlesse it be diuided Gods Word is in it selfe nourishable but being not diuided it vvill not be nourishing to vs. Away then with Sermons if they be afraid to come neere by application away vvith idle and intricate discourses further then to lay them as grounds for exhortation herein is learning and the life of the Word Secondly people must learne to cleaue constantly to an effectuall ministrie vvhich hath life and stirring in it and praise God for it seeing their necessitie requires it In hearing the Word apply it to thy selfe not to others mingle it vvith thy faith helpe the Minister in his labour and paines-taking Oh what a deale of labour vvould it saue vs if men vvere able and vvilling to apply doctrine to themselues Thirdly vve must all learne to suffer the Word to be applyed in particular vnto vs. A man that hath a sore or fester vvould be loth to be put to paine by a sharpe plaister but vvithout it there is no cure vvhat vvill it helpe him to haue it lye on the cupboord or on the table Before thou canst be a liuing stone in Gods temple thou must suffer hewing and squaring nay so long as thou art here in the Mountayne thou must be hewne as the stones were for the Temple Obiect What must Gods children heare the Law applyed Answ. Yes to condemne their sinnes not their persons and vve know that rods which are prouided for seruants are laid in the sight of children to feare them But here is all the quarrell that we reproue speciall sins Oh saith one he hates me it is I that he reproues What needes all this adoe What hath he to doe with my pleasures and dealings What neede these fellowes make Pulpit-matters of euery thing And were it not for speciall application we should please men well enough but first are we enemies for speaking the truth Secondly is not the Word a Sword And can a man be strucke or thrust thorow with a Sword and not feele it Is it not Gods sacrificing knife Act. 10. 13. Kill and eate Peter was commanded with the sword of the Spirit to prepare the Gentiles an acceptable sacrifice and ioyne with them in the communion of Christs body And can a man be sacrificed without paine Thirdly doth not euery man desire that the strong man were cast out of his heart yet we must not shake his Towres he vvill not let any of his holds which are his owne sinnes to be touched Fourthly vvee may not preach mercy to him that stands in no neede of it for then we shal preach false doctrine by misse-applying that which in generall is true Fiftly the Saints of God haue beene contented to beare particular reproofe Dauid vpon admonition confessed his sinne euen before Nathan why he might haue said Get thee going silly fellow tell me of no such matters goe deale with your equals Our great men vnder Kings vvould haue said so but Dauid put it vp and indeede where had he beene but for Nathans plaine dealing If vve had Dauids heart we vvould be contented to say with him elsewhere Psal. 141. 5. Let the righteous smite me for that is a benefit and let him reproue me and it shall be a precious Oyle that shall not breake mine head Beloued if it were profitable for you it vvere peaceable for vs to speake at randome but both our dutie and your edification calls for particular application In the way that thou shalt goe THis is the third point in the Preface the matter wherein the Prophet promiseth to instruct the Christian man namely in the way wherein he is to goe the most necessarie difficult and profitable discipline that a man can teach or learne By way here is meant the course and conuersation of a godly man called a way First because God hath laid it open and allowed it vnto vs as an high-way betweene vs here being in a strange Countrie and our home whither we trauell Secondly God directs approueth it Psal. 1. 6. The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous Thirdly as in an high-way there is a continuall motion of Trauellers who in the way are at no rest till they come to their wayes end so a Christian man is still moouing and proceeding in godlinesse forgetting that which is behinde and pressing hard to the marke that is before him and doth not finde this World his resting place Fourthly as a way leades to some desired place and if a man keepe in it it will bring him home or to some great Citie where his businesse lyeth so godly life leades a man home to heauen the great Citie of the great King the end of which is rest and glorie Thus it is called Gods way first being taught vs by God Secondly tending to God Thirdly approued of God and fourthly ending in God The going in this way is the ordering of our whole course and euery action of it so as we be daily neerer our ayme and perfection As in a way a Traueller obserues and orders euery step that he may come to his iourneyes end so the heauenly Pilgrime makes right steps to his feet and seeth that euery seuerall duetie which is as a step in our way to heauen be an obedience of faith performed in the way either of his generall or speciall calling Hence we may learne this lesson that Euery godly man must be carefull that his course be a going and proceeding in the wayes of God Prou. 4. 26. Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy wayes be ordered aright Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright the sonnes of faithful Abraham must keepe a course of walking in Gods wayes as he did Psal. 119. 32. I haue considered my wayes and turned my feete to keepe thy Commandements First this is the only true wisedome to make God our guide in our way Deut. 4. 6. Keepe his Ordinances for this is your wisedome and men shall say Only this is a wise people Psal. 101. 2. I will doe wisely in the perfit way where marke how Dauid tyeth wisdome to the perfit way and giues vs to vnderstand that whosoeuer refuse to walke in it let them seeme neuer so wise Politicians yet we may say of them as the Apostle did of the Gentiles Rom. 1. 22. Professing themselues wise they became starke fooles without this way all is but folly and meere craft and shall be turned to a mans hurt If a man or people will reiect the Word of God what wisedome can be in them Ier. 8. 9. When Dauid had but stept out of the way in numbring the people out of the pride of his heart for otherwise Moses might number them Num. 1.
out of this obstinacy and stiffenesse betimes lest the Lord giue vs vp to fall away by perpetuall rebellion This we shall doe by yeelding our selues tractable and laying aside obstinacie in sinne and by giuing vp our selues to be ruled by Gods word and spirit This point is so much the more necessary because the great sinne of these dayes is obstinacy of heart men cannot plead ignorance nor want of good means to helpe them out of their sinnes and yet few or none leaue their sinnes but wilfully perseuere in them against the word and their owne consciences Besides this God hath giuen vs many warnings of our estate by many plagues of the highest kind threatned and not a few and those not insensible executed with seuerity but for all this we are in generall senselesse and are resolued to hold our sinnes without humble sorrow and suing to God for reconciliation And this is rebellion against God of knowledge to depart from the knowne trueth in whole or in part Now to helpe vs out of this sin of obstinacy consider these motiues first neither Gods couenant of mercy nor the least part of it belongs to that man that obstinately goes on in sinne for the first condition in the tenor of the new couenant is to take away the stony heart Ezek. 11. 19. It is a brand of a man in the state of death to bee hard and brawnie-hearted Secondly all the hope and expectation of such a man is euill and mischiefe to meet him at euery corner Prou. 28. 14. He that hardneth his heart shall fall into euill he may with Balaam shuffle from one way into another but cannot auoid the Angel with a drawne sword ready to kill him Now what a fearefull and desperate estate is it for a man to goe vnder Gods curse continually as a man vpon whom sentence of death is passed and knowes not but expects euery moment execution yet so hardned are some who harden themselues that when the parts of this curse are in executing vpon themselues and theirs they are further hardned still Thirdly euery sinne is damnable but yet not so much sinne as obstinacie and impenitencie in sinne condemneth especially where all good meanes of softning haue been vsed nothing but repentance cuts off sinne and that is the only remedy which by the hardnesse of heart being reiected the wounded soule dieth irrecouerably Fourthly while hardnesse and obstinacy continue no means can helpe or auaile a man to saluation He cannot pray because he turnes away his eare from hearing the law Hee cannot heare the word to doe him any good for To day if ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts The Sacraments are bane and poyson to him because he comes with a wicked heart In a word no Seruice or sacrifice is acceptable but from a broken heart which hee hath not therefore hee is like a sicke man giuen ouer by the Phisician Fiftly the longer a man continues in obstinacie the more he increaseth the wrath of God vpon him Ro. 2. 5. Thou through the hardnesse of thy heart which cannot repent treasurest vp to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath As if a great malefactor should for twenty or fortie yeeres euery day be carrying a faggot to make a fire to burne himselfe withall so the sinner the longer he continues in his sinne the greater wrath is layd vp for him as the more faggots the greater fire What a wofull condition were this but nothing to the fire of hell the burning of which is fire and much wood and the wrath of the Lord as a riuer of brimstone kindles it Isa. 30. 33. Is it not a lamentable thing for a man to abide in that estate in which hee is continually carrying as it were a faggot to hell-fire to burne himselfe withall Oh but I will repent in the end of my dayes Doe not trust vpon that for first late repentance is seldome true repentance he that repents not till hee be dying it is to bee feared lest his repentance dye with him Secondly the longer a man perseuers in sinne the longer and more he increaseth the hardnes of his heart and it prooues daily the harder to repent euery day addes something to hardnesse of heart as in the body a sore the longer it is delayed the more incurable it is so is it in the soule And thirdly this thy speech makes as if a man would bee sure to pay his debts by running further in Know this for a certaintie that the soules sweruing from God is like bones out of ioynt which the longer they are let alone are the hardlier set Notes of a man gotten out of his obstinacie are these first pouertie of spirit all our liues for sinne which is an humble sight and sense of sinne and misery when a man findes a want of all goodnesse in himselfe and in an holy despaire of himselfe hee flies wholly to the mercie of God in Christ longing after it aboue life and hungring after it aboue all things in the world Secondly a trembling at Gods word for these two are ioyned Isa. 66. 2. I will looke to him that is of a contrite heart and trembleth at my Word and yet loueth the sharpest reproofes of it which is ioyned with the former Psal. 119. 119. 120. I loue thy testimonies My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy iudgements Thirdly silent submission to Gods corrections Psal. 39. 9. I was dumbe I opened not my mouth because thou diddest it Micah 7. 9. I will beare the wrath of God because I haue sinned we must get into our hearts a patient waiting in all iniuries and wrongs till God plead our cause Fourthly a mourning vnder the grudgings of our owne hardnes of heart and that we cannot mourne and get them to through subiection so did the Church returning to God Isa. 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy wayes returne for thy seruants sake and for the tribes of thine inheritance Fifthly a feare of the occasions of sin and hatred of appearance of euill of the garment spotted by the flesh Whose mouthes thou doest binde with bitte and bridle OVt of these words we may note that If a man wil continue indocible and intractable God hath his bitte and bridle for him to curbe and hamper him If men will be as Horses and Mules God will deale with them as men doe with Horses and Mules Prou. 26. 3. Unto the Horse belongs a whip to the Asse a bridle and a rod to the fooles backe God hath rods enough in store to whip the folly of sinners otherwise incorrigible Leuit. 26. 27. If yee will yet walke stubbornly against mee I will walke stubbornely against you in mine anger and will chastize you yet seuen times more according to your sinnes Now then a man walketh stubbornely when hee regards no admonitions nor precepts nor corrections and iudgements to bring him
sorrowes in number many in kinde many in this life many moe in the life to come many within him many without him and many on euery side as the next branch in the opposition shewes that God on euery side compasseth his children with goodnesse and mercy Whence Note the vnhappy and cursed estate of euery wicked and obstinate sinner in the world his sorrowes shall bee many and great Isa. 65. 13 14. Behold my seruants shall eat and yee shall bee hungry my seruants shall sing for ioy of heart and and yee shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howle for vexation of minde and yee shall leaue your names for a curse vnto my chosen Reu. 9. 12. One woe is past and two are to come and Chap. 8. 13. The Angel flying thorow the midst of heauen cryed Wo wo wo to the inhabitants of the earth All these many woes are proclaimed against the wicked of the world cleauing either to the Kingdome of Antichrist in the West or of Mahomet in the East Turkes Saracens Arabians Tartarians and after them to all the wicked that cleaue not to God in the purity of his worship and in obedience of his word And that they are onely denounced against them appeares Chap. 9. vers 4. because the children of God are sealed and exempted from them Deutron 28. 58. 59. If thou wilt not obserue to doe all the wordes of this Law then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull and the plagues of thy seed euen great plagues and of long continuance and sore sicknesses and of long continuance But many are the woes and miseries of the godly and therefore what is it better to bee a godly man then a wicked There is great difference betweene them for first these are all mingled with mercy Indeed a child that is deare to his father if he runne another way with Ionah must bee whipt and fetcht backe againe yet the Lord puts not off fatherly affection but remembreth mercy in iudgement and smiteth with the rods of men but his mercy he taketh not away Whereas the sorrowes of the wicked are destitute of all mercy and no maruell seeing all their blessings are leuened and sowred and tend to their bane through a secret curse of God blowing on them and blasting them Secondly the godly call not their miseries on them by a trade and course in sin as the wicked do but when for tryall or correction of some slip God leads them where they would not they follow him taking vp the crosse thereby learning the will of God prouing what is in themselues amending that which is amisse confirming themselues to euery good work this cannot the wicked do who whatsoeuer they suffer fall from euill to worse Thirdly the Lord deliuers the godly out of all putteth vnder his hand and reares them vp and leaueth them not in the sorrow till hee haue enlarged their feete and brought them where all teares shall bee wiped away Whereas he leaues the wicked in sorrow laughes at it and suffereth the fire of his iealousie to seaze on them to the bottome of hell Fourthly the Lord recompenseth the light afflictions of his seruants with an exceeding weight of mercy first in this life iustifying sanctifying beautifying teaching feeding protecting them and theirs Secondly in death bringing their soules to heauen and laying vp their bodies safe till the resurrection Thirdly at the day of iudgment bringing both body and soule into the glory of the iust But these sorrowes of wicked men are farre other both for number and measure in this life and afterward much more all of them void of all mercy And to conceiue aright of them consider first the kindes of them Secondly the causes or reasons of them Thirdly the vse For the first these sorrowes are partly in this life and partly after it First In this life these sorrowes are partly in the present practice of sinne and partly in the consequent fruits of it Secondly the very course of a sinner although Satan present it to him through a false glasse and it seeme pleasant and care to be quite away yet indeed it is a sorrowfull and heauie course for the laughter of a wicked man is but in the face not in the heart and euen in laughter the heart is heauie or hath cause so to bee That which Salomon speakes of a voluptuous course which most agreeth with the flesh is true euen in the passing of it It striketh as a Dart through the liuer Prou. 7. 23. The same is true in the purchase of other sinnes as 1. Tim. 6. 10. the Apostle noteth of the course taken vp in earthlinesse and carking care after the things of this life that this man though hee seeme to liue merrily yet he pierceth himselfe through with many sorroweâ— The intemperate person meetes with many diseased dayes and houres of paine and sorrowes as the Gowt Dropsie Palsies Surfets which make his life a burden vnto him so as though the sinner see it not yet in the practice of sinne there is more gall then honie and at the best it is but a bitter-sweete But Secondly after the sinne is committed comes a fearefull and more sorrowful sence of it for if the best fruits of sin euen in the godly that are renued by repentance be shame and sorrow no maruell if the wicked be hanted and hunted with horrors of conscience desperate feares restlesse torments and be as the raging Sea which cannot rest for there can bee no peace to the wicked man so long as his conscience hath any sense but let him goe and ride where he wil he pursues himselfe with hue and crie and so long as he cannot runne from himselfe hee carries his accuser and tormenter with him as Cain did and Baltasar euen at his Feast was pierced with feares and sorrowes that made his ioynts loose and his knes knocke together so shal Gods hand-writing be on the walles of profane consciences How many sorrowes after his sinne ouertooke Iudas and so oppressed him that his heart being not able longer to susteine him his best ease was to hang himselfe a wofull remedy not much better then his disease but such shifts are the wicked sometimes put to when their sweete meates are recompensed with sowre sawce Secondly after this life is the consummation of his sorrowes euen in Christs appearance for all that this life can load him with is but the beginning of sorrow The parcels of this sorrow shall especially bee in these particulars First they shall waile and sorrow to see him come in the clouds whom they haue pierced he shall bee their Iudge whose lawes and person all their villanies haue been committed against Secondly in that wofull separation first from God in the losse of glory and happinesse and then from Gods people when they shall see Abraham Isaac and Iaakob and all the Saints in the kingdome of heauen and themselues shut out
to recall Gods mercies into memory two 291 To helpe vs in singing to God foure 308 To know our selues in Gods way foure 332 To get vnderstanding foure 350 Of assurance of remission of sinnes fiue 174 To helpe memory of good things foure 270 Mercy of God twofold 230 Mercy manifested to any one must bee of vse to euery one reasons foure 183 Mercy which must attend prayer stands in three things 201 Nothing is Mercy but what proceeds from mercy 256 Mercies of God how to be prized fiue rules 290 Mercies of God towards the godly enlarged in three seuerall kindes 381 Mercies spirituall in this life reduced to sixe heads 382 Mercies meeting the Saints in the life to come distinguished into one Priuatiue two Positiues 387 Mercies positiue in the life to come reduced to three heads 388 Ministry that setteth mens sinnes plainely before them to be reuerenced 139 Minister must haue a flame in his owne heart that must kindle another 176 A good Minister must be a good man 182 Minister must be a leader as well as an instructer foure reasons 339 Misery of a wicked man who cannot pray in foure things 195 Motiues not to runne in further debt with God foure 27 To sincerity seuen 60 To diligent custodie of the heart foure 61 To get a sence of our spirituall mysery foure 115 To consider of our wayes and estates fiue 120 To mercifulnesse fiue 202 To seeke the Lord foure 293 To get experience of God three 271 To Thankefulnesse fiue 294 To call one another forward in grace three 319 To get vnderstanding foure 352 To lay aside obstinacy in sinne fiue 356 Musicke in Gods seruice and the rules 305 N NAturall men to be pitied 320 Naturall men obstinat against God and his word 353 Naturall man vnderstandeth nothing of God and his word without a teacher three reasons 311 Notes of a sincere heart foure 57 Of godly sorrow fiue 83 Notes or attendants of sound confession nine 148 Notes of a man discharged of his sinnes 172 Notes to know when a man maketh God his hiding-place foure 262 Notes of a man gotten out of obstinacy fiue 358 Nothing shall preuaile against godly men to their hurt 277 O OBiections for humane merites answered fiue 33 Obiections to prooue that one wicked man cannot conuert another answered 180 Obiections why men should not be so precise answ 190 Obiections for praying to Angels 214 Obiections for inuocating Saints departed 215 Obiections against certaintie of saluation answ 35 Obiections of the troubled heart not finding God so comfortably as it desireth resolued 290 Obiections terrifying from godly life answered 409 Obseruations to helpe forward experience 269 Obstinacie ariseth out of fiue causes 354 In the Old Testament the Sword and Word might better concurre in one person then in the new 310 No Ordinances of God bring any true ioy to wicked men proued by sixe instances 415 P PAtience sundry wayes vrged from consideration of Gods hand 46 And from the shortnesse of time 285 Pardon of sinne maketh an happie man foure reasons 31 Pardon of sinne must be certainly beleeued 35 Pardon belongs onely to penitent Confessors sixe reasons 167 Pastour must haue his eye on his flocke foure reasons 340 Patternes of mercie to bee im'tated 203 People must indure speciall application of the Word 324 People must diligently attend to things taught three reasons 338 Plague of wicked men not to bee heard in prayer foure reas 236 Popish positions trumpets to rebellion and treason 208 Practices contrary to sound confession of sinne 137 Prayer is a seeking of God 220 Presence of God both of Power and grace euer with his children 276 Gods Preseruation is Mediat or Immediat 273 Priuiledges of such as whose sinnes are remitted 257 Promises of deliuerance true when godly seeme most left in their enemies hands foure wayes 249 Gods promise limiteth the measure and his prouidence limiteth the time of his childrens trouble 275 Properties of true trust in God foure 392 All vse of Psalmes must edifie 2 Q Quest. VVHy men feele not the heauy burden of sinne foure reas 8 How sinne can be couered seeing God cannot but see it 14 How good men may comfort themselues discouering the deceit of their owne hearts 51 Why wicked men feele not so great a burden of sinne vnpardoned as the godly of pardoned sinnes 78 How the body commeth to bee troubled by the minde two reas 79 Why all the godly are not alike terrified by sinne three reasons 79 How a man may know his sorrow to be godly 84 How Christian ioy and sorrow may stand together 87 How Afflictions euill in themselues can be the hand of God fiue wayes 93 How they be the hand of God when the Deuils hand or wicked mens be in them 94 How a man in crosses may looke at second causes 95 Why the Lord layeth so heauy things on his children seuen reas 99 How long and tedious afflictions are short and momentany in fiue respects 107 How a man by confession can make his sinnes knowne to God who knowes them before 141 Why we must confesse to God that which God knoweth already three reasons 142 How Confession can be sound before sinne be pardoned seeing nothing is acceptable before pardon of sin 161 How can faith be a full perswasion when it is not perfect answered in sixe conclusions 163 Whether God cannot pardon sinne without the condition of Repentance and godly sorrow 168 How Remission of sinnes is free seeing we cannot haue it without condition of Faith Repentance Confession c 170 Whether Christ died for all and euery particular man 171 Whether an vnregenerate man may saue and conuert a soule 177 How can a man pray and obtaine the holy Ghost who hath him alreadie 193 Whether a wicked man may pray seeing if he doe it is sinne if hee doe not it is no lesse 195 How God heareth or rather heareth not wicked men 196 Whether Romane Religion be not of God being so prospered so strong so embraced and defended by the great Kings of the earth 209 Why the Kingdom of Antichrist hath taken so deepe roots in the world or somany ages foure reas 210 Why none are more troubled then godly men 274 How the Church is euer preserued in trouble and from it 276 How we can seeke or finde God who is neuer absent but euery where present 220 Whether a man hath free will to change himselfe 345 Who is a righteous man 397 Why and how sinners are called righteous and perfect 4. reas 398 Why godly men are called vpright in heart 3. reasons 399 How we are said to reioyce in the Lord namely when our ioy hath fiue properties 401 How we may lawfully reioyce in outward things 417 R REasons why God will only pardon sins of such as are godlysorrowfull six 168 Reasons to looke to vprightnesse of heart three 403 Reioycing of godly men ought to be in the Lord 3. reas 417 Religion vpset and vpheld
by cruelty not of God 264 Remission of sins followeth a sound purpose of confession of sins 4. reasons 159 Remission followeth not confession of sins ex opere operato against Popish doctrine 163 Sound Remembrance includeth four things 270 Repentance of Gods children in respect of outward afflictions may come too late 232 Righteousnesse Legal and Euangelicall 398 Romish Religion accursed of God for the cruelty of it 205 Rules to vphold a weak Christian not feeling his reconciliation with God foure 38 Rules of limitation of godly sorrow six 86 Rules of discerning the same godly sorrow six 83 Rules to know if we haue the Spirit of God foure 131 Rules of direction what to doe in our falls foure 335 S HOw to be Safe in dangers fiue rules 251 God begins our Safety in remission of sins and so must we 255 To be Safe be syncere 265 Saints departed not to be inuocated why 215 Scriptures most wickedly taken from the Layty by the Church of Rome 187 Security may cast a godly heart asleepe till God awake it 6. reas 70 Selah what it meaneth 109 Sence of misery must go before sence of mercy 5. reas 110 Seruice of God only acceptable from mercifull men 4. reas 199 Sin a most intolerable burden fiue reasons 6 Sin a most odious thing in 3. respects 15 Sin is an infinite debt 4. reas 23 Sin Sin is only forgiuen by God 29 Sin pardoned makes an happy man 31 Sin before it be committed how it insinuates it selfe 46 God worketh a serious sight of Sin in his children for 3. causes 136 Sins against many meanes very sinfull 157 To see Sin in a true glasse 4. things 375 Songs of praise be seem seasons of ioy ' 5. reasons 287 Matter of Godlies Songs must be spirituall six reasons 302 Songs and wanton tunes mistuning the heart condemned 306 Euery godly mans sorrow is not godly sorrow 4. reas 82 Wicked mans sorrow for sin most helplesse and why 89 Sorrowes of the godly compared to the sorrowes of a woman in trauaile in 5. respects 283 Sorrowes of wicked men in this life of many kindes 370 Sorrowes of the wicked after this life in six things 371 Sorts of by-wayes beaten by many six in number condemned 330 Stayres to rise vp to happinesse three 21 Spirit of God at length preuaileth against the corruptions of flesh 4. reasons 125 We must Speake of our experience of God to euery godly man 191 State of an obstinate sinner most accursed 5. reasons 367. 372 State of Gods children not vncomfortable in their sorrowes sundry reasons 409 Summers fruits are not to be condemned for Winter-stormes 278 Syncerity of heart vrged at large 57 T THe best Teachers are they who teach out of their owne experience 5. reasons 175 Teachers must make people to vnderstand the word and their owne way two reasons 337 Testimonies of Thankefulnesse for deliuerances foure 378 Thankefulnesse is as much and as little as we can return to the Lord for all his mercies 287. Many faile in Thankefulnes many wayes 299 There is a Time when God will not be found though he be sought 4. reasons 228 Time is when God will be found of euery godly man seeking him fiue reasons 237 Times of ioy euer succeed times of sorrow to godly men 5. reas 280 No Torment in the world like torment of conscience 3. reasons 77 In Trials godly must set 3. things before them 278 Troubles of the godly are already ouercome by Christ. 281 Trusting in God hath abundant mercie 4. reasons 380 V VErtues and Vices of the Saints recorded the former for imitation the latter for our instruction 185 True Vnderstanding hath foure things 339 Vnmercifulnesse hindereth both the preferring of our prayers and preuailing of them 200 Vnthankefulnes vnbeseemeth a reasonable man and much more a Christian. 288 Uprightnes what 398 Vprightnes discerned by 5. notes or marks 404 W VVArre with thy fins brings peace by the word 140 Way of God preferred before all other in foure respects 327 Wicked men seeke not God till too late 229 Wicked men cannot be happy two reasons 376 Wicked haue temporall mercies but no true right before God 4. reasons 382 Wicked haue often some ioy but no cause 4. reasons 414 Wicked how they are heard of God or rather not heard in six particulars 196 Wicked in trouble how he seeks God fiue things 219 Willing and free subiection to God vrged by 3. reasons 365 Word of God limiteth our ioy for matter 419  manner   measure  Good Works cannot merit or iustifie 33 Works of Gods iustice recorded in Scripture for our instruction 185 Word of God must be specially applied 4. reasons 321 FINIS Errata Pag. 19. l. 26. adde Christ teacheth Pag. 24. l. 28. for seat of a debtor reade state of a debtor Pag. 25. l. 12. for are able read are not able to pay Pag. 57. l. 32. for darting reade darling sinnes Pag. 300. l. 3. put out yes Pag. 369. l. 22. for Secondly reade First the very course Elephas or elephantiosis 2. King 15. Rules of inquisition 1. 2. 3. Rules of preuention Rules of cure Verse 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 2. 3. Gal. 1. 6. 1. Proposition Mandatū dei est 1. Probationis  2 Praestationis Prius datū non vt illud facto ipso exequamur sed vt obsequiū probet posterius vt facto ipso illud impleamus Exod. 32. 2. Assumption Pro quibus Christus passus est pro ijs interpellat etiam Spiritus Ambros. li. 5 epist. 23. A communione naturae ad 〈…〉 Obserue All vse of Psalmes must edific Obseru 2. No learning to Dauids learning Vse Doctrine Sinne is an intolerable burden Isay 1. Reasons Vse 1. Vse 2. Quest. Answ. Why men feele not such an heauy burden as sin is Vse 3. Meanes to be disburdened of sinne Obiect Answ. Vse 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obiect Answ. Vse 5. 1. Thess. 5. 14. Vse 6. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Tum tecta peccata dicuntur cum Deus nolit punire August Isa 44. 22. Doctrine Sinne a most odious thing Exod. 32. Rom. 6. 21. Vse 1. Act. 15. Vse 2. Ier. 3. 3. Ier. 2. 26. Vse 3. Doctrin 2. Euery one must get a couer for his sin 2. Vse 1. Vse 2. Obiect Answ. Reuel 3. 18. Meane to get sinne couered Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Doctrin Sinne an infinite debt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Use 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 3. Reasons Obiect Answ. Doct. 1. Pardon of sin maketh an happie man Reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. Use 1. Sequuntur iustificatum non praecedunt iustificandum Obiect Answ. Obiect 2. Answ. Obiect 3. Answ. Obiect 4. Answ. Obiect 5. Answ. Vse 2. Obie ct 1. Answ. Obiect 2. Answ. Obiect 3. Answ. Obiect 4. Answ. Use 3. Vse 4. Answ. Rules to
and wishes of the wicked 2 3. Vse 3. Meanes to be heard in prayer Doct. 2. All acceptable seruice must bee from mercifull men Reas. 1. 2. 3. 4. Quest. Answ. Vse 1. Motiues to mercy Rom. 12. 18. Use 2. Romish religion accursed because so cruell Obiect Answ. Iesuitisme the rebels Catechisme Obiect Answ. 1. 2. 3. Doctr. The true God must onely be inuocated in trouble Reas. 1. 2. 3. Vse 1. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Vse 2. Obiect Answ. Biel in Can. Miss Lect. 8. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Use 3. Vse 4. Obiect Answ. Doct. Praier is a seeking of God Quest. Answ. God is sought in his presence not in his essence Obiect Answ. Quest. Answ. 1. Conditions in seeking God 2. 3. Obiect Answ. 4. 5. Vse 1. Obiect Answ. Use 2. Doct. 2. There is a time wen God will not be found although he be sought Reasons When God is found Obiect Answ. Why the godly themselues alwaies find not God Quest. Answ. Gods delayes to be distinguished from denyalls Vse 1. Peccato grauescit oratio Vse 2. Vse 3. Obiect Answ. Doct. 3. There is a time wherein God will be found of euery godly man seeking him Reason 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Obiect Answ. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Use 3. Vse 2. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Vse 3. Quest. Answ. Certain times when God will be found Motiues to seeke the Lord. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Doct. The greatest iudgement cannot do the godly the least harme Reas. 1. 2. 3. 4. Obiect Answ. Sundry wayes of Gods deliuering of his seruants Psal. 125. 3. Obiect Answ. 1. Difference between the deliuerances of the godly and the wicked in three things 2 3. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. How to be safe in dangers Psal. 18. 24. Doctr. Assurance of deliuerance in trouble from remission of sinnes Reason 1. 2. 3. 4. Obiect Answ. Vse 1. Use 2. Nothing is a mercy but what proceeds from mercy Use 3. Difference betweene the hiding place of the godly man and of other creatures Doctr. God himselfe is the godly mans hiding place Quest. Answ. How God is so Vse 1. Use 2. Quest. Answ. 1. Sam. 23. 11 12. Note Quest. Answ. 1. How to make God our hiding place 2. 3. Quest. Answ. 1. How to know that God is our hiding place 2. 3. 4. Folly of many in danger who run from their hiding places 5. Quest. Answ. Doct. Experience the best teacher Reas. 1. 2. 3. 4. Obiect Answ. Vse Quest. Answ. Three things concurring to make vp experience 1. Knowledge Speciall grounds to be knowne for Christian experience 2. Obseruation 3. Memory Helpes of memorie Motiues to get experience of God Quest. Answ. Why none are more troubled then the godly Doctr. Godly not exempted from trouble but preserued in it Reas. 1. 2. 3. 4 Obiect Answ. How the Church is euer preserued in trouble yea from trouble Vse 2. Summers fruits not condemned for Winters stormes Use 3. Doct. 10 Times of ioy succeed times of sorrow to godly men Reason 1. 2. 4. Sorrowes of the godly like the sorrow of a woman in trauell why 5. Difference betweene Gods smiting of his children and his enemies Vse I. Vse 2. Doct. 2. Songs of praise beseeme seasons of ioy Reas. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Use 1. 1. Meanes and helps to thankfulnesse 2. 3. How to prize Gods mercies Meanes to recall Gods mercies into memorie Use 2. Obiect Answ. Obiect Answ. Motiues to thankfulnesse Many faile in not doing this dutie Enemies to thankfulnesse 1. Carelesnes 2. Slight regard 3. Discontentment 4. Abuse of mercies Others faile in doing it Failings in our best performance of this dutie 1. Thess. 5. 18. Doct. 3. The matter of the godly mans songs must bee spirituall Reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Quest. Answ. Doct. True grace is cōmunicatiue Reasons I. 2. 3. Use 1. Motiues to forward one another in grace Prou. 10. 21. Prou. 31. 26. Use. 2. Doct. 1. No man naturally vnderstandeth the things of God without a Teacher See Psal. 14. 3. Reasons 1. 2. Vse 1. Use 2. Use 3. Vse 4. Doct. 2. Gods Word must bee applyed in speciall Reasons 1. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 2. 3. 4. Vse 1. Use 2. Vse 3. Why the godly course is called a way Doctr. Godlinesse is a going in Gods way Reasons 1. 2. 3. Gods way compared with all other waies 4. Use 1. Many by-waies beaten by many Use 2. Quest. Answ. Meanes to know the markes of Gods way Psal. 119. 33. The markes themselues Use 3. Directions how to go in the way of God What to bee done in our falls Doctr. 1. Teachers must make the people to vnderstand the Word and their owne way Vse 1. Use 2. Vse 3. Doctr. 2. A Minister must be a leader by his life and example Vse Doctr. 3. A Pastor must haue his eye vpon his flock to guide them Reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. Use. Quest. 1. Answ. Quest. 2. Answ. Quest. 3. Answ. Doctr. A brutish propertie not to learne by Gods Word Reasons 1. 2. 3. Use 1. Use 2. Vse 3. Meanes to get vnderstanding Motiues to get vnderstanding Doct. Euery man naturally is obstinate against God and his Word Reasons 1. Ephes. 2. Vse 1. Obiect Answ. Use 2. Motiues to lay aside obstinacy in sinne Obiect Answ. Notes of a man gotten out of obstinacie Doctr. God hath a bridle for vntractable sinners Quest. Answ. Gods bridles what Reason 1. Vse 1. Vse 2. Doctr. The state of an obstinate sinner is accursed Obiect Answ. 1. Difference between the godly and wickeds misery 2. 3. The kinds of the wickeds sorrowes 1. In this life 2. After this life Reasons of all these sorrowes of wicked men 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Vse 1. Vse 2. Quoad reatum omnia peccata sunt paria nisi fiat reconciliatio Luther A true glasse to see thy sinne in Vse 3. Why no wicked man can be happy Quest. Answ. Why God giueth outward things to wicked men Vse 4. Doctr. Hee that trusteth in God shall haue abundant mercie Reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. Mercies intayled to the godly 1. Temporal Obiect Answ. 2. Spirituall Obiect Answ. Godly neuer more compassed with mercy then when cōpassed with miserie God offreth to teach vs many things by the troubles of his seruants Mercies meeting vs in the life to come 1. Priuatiue 2. Positiue Similes non pares The absolute sufficiencie of future happinesse Reu. 21. 6. Use 1. Obiect Answ. Vse 2. Vse 3. Quest. Answ. How we reioice in the Lord. Doctr. Euery godly man is an vpright man Reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. Use. Reasons to looke to the vprightnesse of our hearts 1. 2. 3. Quest. Answ. Notes of vprightnesse Doct. Only the godly can soundly reioyce Reasons 1. 2. 1. True causes of sound ioy only among godly men 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Vse 1. Obiect 1. Answ. Obiect Answ. 2. 3. Godly in sorrow want not cause of ioy Why the godly haue lesse ioy in their estate then they neede Use 2. Wicked men haue often some ioy but neuer any sound cause Doct. All the reioycing of godly men ought to be in the Lord. Quest. Answ. How Gods wil limiteth our ioy 1. For the matter 2. Manner 3. Measure 1. 2. 3. Exod. 18. 9. Rom. 1. 8. Philem. 4. 5. Col. 1. 3. Phil. 1. 4. Use. Quest. Answ. Markes of spirituall ioy
because they looked for a better resurrection This serues to comfort the godly in their troubles that they shall be preserued in them and from them the gates of hell shall not preuaile against them First Satan the Red Dragon may create them trouble so that they shall want no molestation that he can procure them but hee cannot hinder their deliuerance nor without leaue hinder their peace no nor touch an haire of their head Secondly the wicked of the world will see they want no tryalls or vexation but on the contrarie GOD will see they shall not want seasonable deliuerance for Psal. 37. 8. hee will not leaue him in his hand and although such is their imbred malice that they would neuer take off their rods from the backes of godly men yet God will not suffer the rod of the vngodly alway to lye on the lot of the righteous Psal. 125. 3. Thirdly their owne sinnes beset them hard and so dismay them as though they should neuer get freedome and this is the strongest band of all which tyeth them to trouble and all other troubles were but a play so that the heart were perswaded of the pardon of sinne as the Saints in sicknesse of conscience can confesse but sinne shall slay the vngodly as for the righteous the promise is Psal. 34. 24. Though they fall they are not cast off not that their sinne doeth not deserue they should but because the Lord puts vnder his hand and reneweth his grace to raise them to repentance Secondly this may teach vs not to condemne the state of Gods children when they are in trouble For either in darknesse they see light when God stablisheth their hearts with inward peace or patience or supplyeth strength or lightneth their burden so as they can cheerefully carrie it or at least with Iob after darknesse they see light If in Winter when we see the heauens blacke the clouds bent to stormes and tempests windes roaring waters raging the earth couered with frosts cold and snow and barrennesse or deadnesse were it not madnesse to say that there would neuer be any summer againe that the yong springing corne couered with such stormy and winterly weather and lying buried vnder the cloddes should neuer reuiue againe and grow vp to the haruest or that the frost-bitten rootes and blasted blades should neuer spring forth to flower or seed No man is so mad as to condemne summers fruits because of the winters stormes and barrennesse This present life is the winter of Gods children wherein the seedes of grace lye hid and couered vnder the clods of heauy afflictions disgraces and a number of tryalls shall we now condemne and curse the life of Gods people here and their summer fruits to come in the haruest because the fruits of grace and the glory of their resurrection are couered and hid vnder persecution affliction and tryalls Wherein we meet not only with the generall misconceit of vngodly men but euen of the godly themselues who sometime with Dauid think their owne estate most infortunate and are ready to slip to see and compare the wickeds outward prosperitie and happinesse with their owne vnhappinesse and apparent miserie whereas the Sanctuarie telleth them of the end of both and so quieteth their hearts Thirdly this serues to teach the godly their dutie First to set before them in their tryalls these three things First the commandement of God Psal. 50. 15. Call vpon mee in the day of trouble Secondly the promise And I will deliuer thee Thirdly the accomplishment of it or the experience of others who haue found Gods assistance in trouble as Psal. 22. 4. Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliuer them Secondly in the deepest of troubles wait for Gods preseruation and know that though hee come not of a long time yet at length hee that shall come will come and willnot tarrie In this expectation beware of haste and of euill meanes and trust when thou seest no meanes yea and against meanes as Iob did saying If the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him The stile of the godly is to be brands plucked out of the fire Zech. 3. 2. Is not this a brand taken out of the fire which shews that the godly may be cast vpon the coales yea into the fire an vnmerciful creature may be smeared and scorched yea in part burnt and consumed but at length the Lord in extremitie wiâ— snatch them out of the fire and preserue them as a man will catch speedily at that which he would haue burnt Thou shalt compasse me about with Songs of Deliuerance IN these words the Prophet Dauid riseth vp by a gradation and goeth beyond that that hee had formerly said concerning his confidence in God First he had said that God was his hiding place Secondly that he would preserue him in trouble and now thirdly that the Lord would make him ioyfull and to triumph ouer his troubles and enemies by compassing him in stead of troubles with mercies In the words are two things to bee considered First the matter of Dauids assurance namely Songs of Deliuerance Secondly the measure Thou shalt compasse mee about First Songs of Deliuerance This implyes the matter of these songs and that is Gods helpe deliuerance which when the Lord affordeth then there is matter of singing and setting forth that mercy for a song beseemes him that reioyceth with great ioy the which ought alwayes to attend our praises Secondly to be compassed with Songs of Deliuerance is not to haue one or two or a few occasions or deliuerances to sing praises to God for but abundant yea innumerable causes to praise and magnifie God so as a man can looke no way round about him but he shall see many and infinite mercies and so many songs and praises euery new mercie being a new matter of a new song of Deliuerance For looke as when a man hath endured an heauy darke and vncomfortable night the morning approcheth and light begins to appeare not in any one side of the heauens but on euery side that let a man looke where hee will the light compasseth him and it groweth lighter and lighter vntil perfect day So although Gods children seeme to be in darknesse and in the night of affliction yet GOD affords some deliuerance and brings the ioyfull morning and then they see the light of comfort on all sides and can say Now they are compassed with light and saluation So as the thing which our Prophet here professeth is First that the Lord would afford him matter enough to frame compile holy songs of ioyfull praise and thankes Secondly that this matter should be so plentiful and abundant that nothing should on any side be about him but that whence hee ought to prouoke himselfe to returne ioyfull thankes he should be begirt with blessings and mercie Hence in the first place we may learne that As God hath appointed times of sorrow and straitnesse for
according to the slaughter of them that were slaine by him c Here the Prophet shewes great differences betweene Gods afflicting hand vpon his people and vpon his enemies and theirs and the difference is First in the measure on the one but drops on the other a sea of wrath One drinke a cup the other draw a viall of his displeasure hath hee smitten him as hee smote those that smote him Secondly in Gods intention his intendement in afflicting the godly is to lop off their superfluous boughs In the branches thereof wilt thou contend with it He saith not with the root of it But hee quite stockes vp the roote of the vngodly In the one he intends purgation by taking off fruitlesse boughes and branches Ioh. 15. 2. in the other he intends punishment to ouerthrow them with his rough winde in the day of his East winde Thirdly in the issue and fruit of them By this shall all the iniquitie of IAACOB be purged and this is all the fruit the taking away of his sinne In the one the sinne onely in the other the person is destroyed The Lord therefore doth not so punish the members of his Church either as the enemies of the Church would punish it or as himself punisheth them As for example The Deuils the greatest enemies of the Church are punished without hope of all mercie no time of deliuerance is set for them but the Church is assured of a good and ioyfull end The Egyptians were terrible enemies to the Church did God euer smite his Church as he smote them though it was long vnder their oppression yet it had a promise of deliuerance a time set for it and a ioyfull departure when all Egypt was lasht with that terrible whip of ten cords and drowned and destroyed in the Sea by Gods immediate hand Here is then first of all a notable ground of patience in sorrowes God hath set the time how long they shall last and shall not exceede the appointed time yea hee hath not onely set a time of duration but also of exchanging thy sorrowes into ioy Art thou in any trouble or vnder any molestation of Satan or wicked men vnder reproch scandall hatred persecution c nubecula est transibit it is a storme too violent to last long nay it shall bee changed into a calme into a faire and comfortable season Suppose thou be in the night of disgrace blacked and darkned by wicked ones as Dauid was suppose thou haue things laid to thy charge that thou neuer knewest and art forced to repay that which thou neuer tookest yet waite still the good time after thou hast endured a little scouring all the soile will tend to thy brightnesse and the time comes that God will make thy innocencie to breake out as the light Art thou sicke in thy soule or pained in thy body and seest no way but present death waite the time and thou shalt meete not onely with perfect cure but perfect health also onely see thou makest Christ thy Physician God had appointed a time of Abrahams tryall for three daies but the third day turned his sorrow into ioy in which he had the comfort both of his sonne and his owne obedience Ionas had his appointed time of sorrow in the belly of hell in the bottom of the Sea when he was cast out of sight but at the ende of three dayes he was cast on the drie ground and his sorrowes and feares were turned into ioy and praises The thiefe on the Crosse was euen in the hands of death his paines and sorrowes increasing as hee felt his life decreasing how did our blessed Sauiour comfort him and support him with patience but with this assurance that the ende was comming and a time appointed which should instantly turne that shame and sorrow into glory and ioy This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Lazarus was not onely in the hands but in the house of death foure daies yet a time was appointed euen the fourth day wherein the bands of death were to be loosed and he restored to his former life And thus shall it be with all the Disciples of Christ whose troubles shall not last alwaies the longest they can last is but for this life and while they doe last they haue the comfort of both those petitions of Christ first that the Father would keepe them in the world and secondly that after they bee safely passed through the world and the troubles and disgrace of it they may bee where himselfe is to behold his glory Iohn 17. 15 24. Secondly in all troubles learne to iudge and measure thy selfe by this doctrine not according to thy present feeling and comfort which faith doth not alway minister for that may be where there is no feeling Looke out at the ende and at that time which shall change thy state and giue thee the fruite of this sorrowfull seede-time Should an Husbandman measure himselfe by his seede-time what is there but labour and losse but when he considereth that without a seede-time he shall neuer see haruest and the more liberally he sowes the more abundantly he shall reapc he is well contented to so we in all weathers So if the godly could consider that their sorrow shall not onely end in ioy but that their ioy must rise out of sorrow they would cheerefully sowe euen in teares for the hope of a ioyfull haruest How do men out of their sorrowes disquiet and vexe themselues and thinke themselues cast off whereas out of the quantitie and qualitie the measure and manner of their sorrow springeth their truest ioy Againe in the maner of Dauids speech saying that the Lord would compasse him not with mercies but songs Note what the godly man must doe in the times and occasions of ioy and in receiuing deliuerances and comforts from God namely breake out into songs or speeches of thankefull praises Thus Dauid professeth elsewhere being deliuered from danger Psal. 40. 3. He hath put into my mouth a new song of praise he neuer receiued a new mercie into his hand but withall a new Song into his mouth Psal. 66. 20. Praised be the Lord which hath not put backe my prayer nor hid his mercy from me I called vpon him with my mouth and he was exalted with my tongue It was the practice of the Church after her deliuerance from Pharaoh to compile a Song of praise Exod. 15. and of Deborah Iudg. 5. 1 2. and of Ionah chap. 2. 9. I will sacrifice vnto thee with the voice of thankes-giuing First this is the returne that God lookes for of all his benefits and is all that we can giue him for all and as it is as much as we can do so it is as little as we can do yea it is the condition vpon which he promiseth mercies Ps. 50. 15. Call vpon mee in the day of trouble and I will heare thee and thou shalt praise me Which the godly know so