si sanctus si iustus sit debet orare vt exaudiat eum Dominus secundum misericordiam suam non secundum merita virtutis alicuius quia rara virtus multa peccata A man were he neuer so iust or holy should euermore pray that God would heare him according to Gods mercy not according to the merit of his vertue whatsoeuer because in the best men their vertues are rare their sinnes are many It is true they vse also secondary arguments taken from God his graces in themselues as that they loue him or feare him or call vpon him but these in effect are but the alledging of the conditions whereupon God out of his kindnesse hath made the promises and so being his owne graces freely giuen may lawfully be vsed to moue the Lord to the performance of his promises Quicken me See ver 37. 40. 50. 88. 93. According to thy iudgement Iudgement is sometime taken for the execution of Gods threatnings against transgressors and this Dauid declines Psal. 143. Enter not into iudgement with me Sometime it is taken for the performance of his promises according to his word and this Dauid desires as in this Verse See ver 7. 13. 20. 30. 39. 43. 52. 62. 66. 75. 84. 102. 106. 108. 120. 137. 149. 156. 160. 164. 175. VER 150. They drawe neere that follow after malice and are farre from thy Lawe HEe reiterates againe his complaint against his enemies whom he describes after this manner That toward God they were impious men farre from his Lawe toward Dauid they were malicious yea such as followed malice and hunted after all occasions to doe him euill This is the condition of the children of God as their head and Lord Christ Iesus was set for a signe of contradiction so is it with his seruants they are set as a marke butte whereat Satan and his instruments shoot all the arrowes of their indignation but in vaine for God is their buckler And truely it should greatly comfort all the godly to remember that such as are their enemies are Gods enemies also sith they are farre from the obedience of Gods Law what maruell they be also farre from that duety of loue which they owe vnto vs It may content vs to want that comfort in men which otherwise we might and would haue when wee consider that God wants his glory in them Let this sustaine vs when we see that Godlesse men are enemies vnto vs. VER 151. Thou art neere O Lord for all thy commandements are true FRom the meditation of his enemies malice hee returnes againe to the meditation of Gods mercie and so it is expedient for vs to doe least the number and greatnesse and malitiousnesse of our enemies make vs to faint when we looke vnto them It is good that we should cast our eyes vpward to the Lord then shall we see they are not so neere to hurt vs as the Lord our God is neere to helpe vs and that there is no euill in them which we haue cause to feare but we shall finde in our God a contrary good sufficient to preserue vs. Otherwise we could not indure if when Satan and his instruments come neere to pursue vs the Lord were not neere to protect vs. Comfortable is it that when Laban with great fury followed Iacob the Lorde stepped in betweene them and commanded Laban not to hurt him and when Satan many a time intended to destroy Iob hee found that hee could not because the Lord was a hedge and defence vnto him This is of GODs marueilous working that wee being in the middest of the wicked who like so many rauening Wolues thirst for our bloud and before the mouth of that roaring Lion that seekes to destroy vs we should still be preserued for the which we may giue thankes with Dauid It is so O Lorde because thou art neere vnto vs. But let vs remember if wee would haue this presence of the Lorde rendring vs comfort wee must also bee moued by it to render him reuerence Prope est omnibus qui vbique adest nec refugere eum possumus si offendimus nec fallere si delinquimus nec amittere si colamus He is neere vnto all who is euery where present if we offend him wee cannot flie from him if we ◅ne we cannot siele nor couer his eyes if wee worshippe him we cannot want him neere to vs in all our necessities De sole non dubitas quod vbique resplendeat de Deo dubitas quod non vbique fulgeat Thou doubtest not of the Sunne that it shines into euery place why doubtest thou that the Lord is present in euery place Be where thou wilt hee is neere vnto thee be thou also in thy affection neere vnto him to feare and loue him in all thy wayes walke with him as Henoch did set him alway in thy sight as Dauid did Vnlesse thou be with him to waite vpon him and serue him how can he be neere vnto thee to preserue and comfort thee in all thy necessities Hee is neere vnto all illum tamen fouet qui appropinquat sibi but he comforts and nourisheth such as come neere vnto him He that hides himselfe from the light of the Sunne and closeth the dore and window of his house that it shine not vnto him what maruell hee haue no comfort by the light thereof In tenebris ambulat in omnium luce ipse sibi est causa caecitatis He walkes in darknesse and in the middest of light shining vnto all hee becommeth a cause of blindenesse vnto himselfe If by iniquity wee depart from the Lord wee may finde him neere as a Iudge to punish vs not as a Father to protect vs. For all thy Commaundements are true His meaning is Albeit O Lorde the euill will of wicked men follow me because I follow thee yet I knowe thy commaundements are true and that it is not possible thou canst desert or faile thy seruants who stand to the maintenance of thy word Then ye see Dauids comfort in trouble was not in any presumptuous conceit of his owne wisedome or strength but in the truth of Gods promises which he was perswaded could not faile him And heere also hee makes a secret opposition between the word of the Lord and the word of his enemies Somtime men command but without reason sometime they promise but without performance sometime they threaten but without effect Herods cōmanding Rabsac◅e his ray ling Iezabel her proude boasting against Elijah may proue this But as to the Lord our God he is alway better then his word and his seruants shall finde more in his performance hereafter then now they can perceiue in his promise like as his enemies shall finde more weight in his iudgements then now they can apprehend in his threatnings VER 152. I haue knowne long since by thy Testimonies that thou hast established them for euer THat which he hath
men knew this or could apprehend it they would not redeeme the pleasures of sinne so deerely as for them to defraude their ownesoules of saluation despising against themselues the counsell of God And this Oracle of God should confirme vs against all these tentations which arise vnto vs by looking to the prosperity peace and worldly pompe of the wicked What is the glory of their outward state to be regarded so long as this fearfull sentence lies vpon them that the saluation of God is farre from them This sustained the Apostle S. Paul when he saw the great pompe of Agrippa he would not for all that exchange estates with him he wished not to be like vnto Agrippa but rather that hee had beene such as he was Because they seeke not thy Statutes Heere is noted the cause of all their misery namely the contempt of Gods word they did not so much as seeke the Lords Statutes An argument they esteemed nothing of it for who will seeke that whereof they account not or who will despise that which they esteeme pretious and necessary to them This is much more then if he had only said They transgresse thy Statutes The children of God may be guilty of the one transgression for in many things we sinne all And if any man say he sinnes not he is a lâ—…ar and the truth is not in him but they are farre from the other to dis-esteeme of Gods word and cast off all care to seeke it VER 156. Great are thy tender mercies O Lord quicken me according to thy iudgements NOw Dauid turns his consideration from wicked men vnto himselfe acknowledging that he was no better by nature then they but that Gods his mercy had made a difference between him and them where there was none by nature And therefore prayes he that the work of Gods mercy may be continued with him to quicken him and giue him life that he defile not his conscience by dead workes as they doe nor yet haue fellowship with them in their vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but that being quickned by God he may liue the life of God from which he saw them to be strangers Thus we see that how-euer the godly exercise somtime their consideration about other things yet in the end they returne still to themselues What-euer they heare or see or speake of others they enter into their owne hearts and edifie themselues by it if they looke to such as are godly they are confirmed to follow themâ—… if they looke to the manners of wicked men they are affraid of their owne weakenesse runne to Gods mercy praysing him who hath preserued them from the like impiety and praying also for grace to keep them that their harts incline not to walk with them Thus of euery thing they reape some profit to themselues but naturall men look so to things which are without them that they enter not into their owne hearts to edifie themselues by that which they heare or see in others Againe the manner of the children of God in their prayers is to flie alway to Gods mercy it is of mercy that they begin well of mercy that they continue well of mercy that they looke for any good at the hands of God let them leane to merits who will we wil depend vpon mercy Are we able to giue vnto God himselfe Are we able to requite his benefites which we haue gotten Quis potest debitum referre naturae debitum salutis gratiae Can any man requite him for benefits of nature which we haue receiued farre lesse for benefites of grace saluation these are debts which wee are neuer able to pay Where then are thy merits Quis nostrûm sine diuina potest miseratione subsistere Who among vs all can subsist without diuine miseration Quid possumus dignuÌ„ facere praemijs coelestibus Or what can we do worthy of a heauenly reward Let vs therfore learnat Dauid to send vp our requests Non secundum merita nostra sed misericordiam Dei not according to our merits but his mercies Two Epithets he ascribes to Gods mercies first he cals them great and then he cals them tender mercies They are great in many respects for coÌ„tinuance they endure sor euer for largenes they reach vnto the heauens are higher then they yea they are aboue all the workes of God And this is for the comfort of poore sinners whose sinnes are many and great let them not despaire his mercies are greater and moe for sith they are greater then all his works how much more greater then thou and all thy sinsull workes All the Nations of the earth are but like the droppe of a bucket or as a graine of sand compared with his Maiestie what art thou then that thou shouldst magnifie thy deedes aboue his rich mercie as if thy sinnes were so great that his mercie could not compasse them Onely doe not abuse his mercy neyther turne thou his grace into wantonnesse but if thou vnfeinedly repent then doe thou also stedfastly beleeue that thy sinnes were they neuer so great shall easily be swallowed vp by his infinite mercies As the Ocean when it flowes couers sands and rockes and all that they are not seene so where the floud of Gods compassions breaks out how easily doth it ouerflow and couer all thy transgressions This is the meditation of the Apostle that where before he had beene many manner of wayes sinfull and ignorant a blasphemer an oppressor a persecuter yet the grace of our Lord had beene exceeding abundant toward him where sinne had abounded grace had superabounded to ouer flow and couer it And in this he stands for an example to all that will beleeue that they should neuer distrust Gods great mercies for the greatnesse of their sinnes The other Epithet he giues them is That they are tender mercies because the Lord is easie to be intreated for he is slowe vnto wrath but ready to shew mercy S. Iames saith that the wisdom which is from aboue is gentle peaceable easie to be intreated If his grace in his children make them gentle and easie to be intreated what shall we thinke of him selfe Sith he will haue such pitie in vs poore creatures that seauenty times seauen times in the day hee will haue vs to forgiue the offences of our brethren O what pitie compassion abounds in himselfe Thus we see our comfort is increased that as his mercies are great so are they tender easily obtained where they are earnestly craued Quicken me Dauid found the life of grace in himselfe continually hindred impugned yea oft-times sore weakened by the power of his corrupt nature and therefore the more frequent is he in this petition that God would quicken him VER 157. My persecuters and my oppressors are many yet doe I not swerue from thy testimonies A New protestation of his constancy vnder affliction that albeit
are not so they are as I said pilgrims on earth not indwellers Suppose they walke on earth their conuersation is in heauen they are risen with Christ and set their affections on those things which are at the right hand oâ—… God They vse this world as if they vsed it not knowing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the shape or figure thereof passeth away they soiourne in it but vvill not dwell in it But like vnto the Eagles as they are figuratiuely called in the parable they see and sent things which are aboue and mount vp toward their prey Christ Iesus counting the most excellent things on earth to be but doung in respect of him On earth He makes no exception heere the whole earth hee acknowledged a place of his pilgrimage Not only wheÌ„ he was banished among the Moabits Philistims was he a stranger but euen when he liued peaceably at home in Canaan stil he thinks himselfe a stranger This consideration mooued godly Basile to despise the threatning of Modestus the deputy of Valens the Emperor when he braued him with banishment Ab exilij metu liber sum vnam hominum cognoscens esse patriam paradisum omnem autem terram commune Naturae exilium And it shall moue vs to keepe spirituall sobrietie in the midst of pleasures if we remember that in our houses at our owne fire end and in our owne beds wee are but strangers from which we must shortly remoue and giue place to others Hide not The maner of Dauid his reasoning we touched before to be this I am heere a stranger and knowe not the way therefore Lord direct me The similitude is taken from passengers who comming to an vncouth countrey vvhere they are ignorant of the way seeke the benefit of a guide but the dissimilitude is heere In any Countrey the country people can guide a stranger to the place where he would be but the indwellers of the earth cannot shew the way to heauen and therefore Dauid seekes no guide among them but prayes the Lord to direct him Thy commandements We are not to thinke that Dauid was ignorant of the ten commaundements no doubt hee knew them and could distinctly repeat them but hee craues that GOD would further teach him the vse the necessity the vtility the obedience of them And this for our carnall professors who if they can repeat the beliefe and the commandements think they are religious enough albeit they neither belieue nor obey but remaine ignorant of the vse practice of theÌ„ both without which ignorance is better then knowledge for the seruant that knowes his Masters will and doth it not is worthy of double stripes VER 20. Mine hart breaks for the desire of thy iudgements alway HEre is a protestation of that earnest desire he had to the obedience of the word of God he amplifies it 2. waies first it was no light motion but such as beeing deeply rooted made his hart to breake when hee saw that he could not do in the obedience therof as he would Next it was no vanishing motion like the morning dew but it was permanent Omni tempore he had it alway Thy iudgements Gods iudgements are of two sorts first his Commands so called because by them right is iudged discerned from vvrong Next his plagues executed vpon transgressors according to his word Dauid here meanes of the first Let men who haue not the like of Dauids desire remember that they whose hart cannot break for transgressing Gods word because they loue it shall find the plagues of GOD to bruse their body and breake their hart also Let vs delight in the first sort of these iudgements and the second shall neuer come vpon vs. Now that Dauid this way presents his desire is an effectuall manner of supplication for desire of grace is a great grace Non est potestatis nostrae desiderium sanctum sed gratiae and the Lord hath bound himselfe by his promise to fulfill it Blessed are they vvho hunger and thirst for righteousnes they shall be satisfied And againe The Lord will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Cum oblectarinos viderit Deus cupiditate iudiciorum suorum sobrium auget affectum And therefore Dauid here presents his hart full of desires to the Lord that he may fill it And here because the profane world makes a scorne of the contrite disposition of the godlie laughing at their teares taunting them in their sighes and sobs let vs looke heere to Dauid If it cannot alway be an argument to mooue men to godlinesse yet is it forcible to moue God to mercie The broken hart for the griefe of sin and loue of righteousnes how euer the world despise it the Lord wil not despise it yea it is the sacrifice of God acceptable to him in Christ Iesus VER 21. Thou hast destroyed the proud Cursed are they that do erre from thy commandements HEre Dauid confirmes himselfe in godlines by meditation of the miserable estate of the wicked who lead a life coÌ„trary to Gods word wherof the sum is The begun iudgements of God executed on the wicked may let vs see the curse of God on them who follow their footsteps Walking in the trade of their sinnes how-euer they seem to prosper flourish for the present there is a curse of God vpoÌ„ them which will consume and destroy them Begun or present iudgements of God vpoÌ„ the wicked should moue vs to abhor their sins But in this great securitie we haue many Lamechs few Dauids Lamech saw the impunity of Caine because he was not punished for his cruell murthering of his brother therefore his hart was prouoked to the like impietie and he reioyced in it I would slay a man in my wound and a young man in mine hart if Caine shall be avenged seauen fold truly Lamech seauentie times seauen fold Thus in the pride and profaneness of his hart did he mock and abuse the patience of God And so fareth it with many of whom Salomon speakes Because iudgement is not speedily executed on the wicked therefore the hart of the children of men is set in them to do euil But few are like Dauid who when he saw Vzzah striken to death for vnreuerent touching of the Arke was mooued in his hart to a greater reuerence of God The proud This is a stile commonly giuen to the wicked because as it is our oldest euill so is it the strongest and first that striues in our corrupt nature to cary men to a transgression of the borders appointed by the Lord. From the time that pride entred into Adams hart that he would be higher then God had made him he spared not to eate of the forbidden tree And what else is the cause of all transgression but that man in his ignorant pride vvil haue his wil preferred to the will of God Satan in his
the power of Grace preuailing but this comfort wee haue that at length Grace shall preuaile the power of corrupt Nature shal be captiued vnder the obedience of Christ. Quicken me Dauid being sore oppressed as I said and dead in himselfe doth now beseech the Lord to quicken him raise him vp againe for he knew that not onely the beginnings but the continuance of our life must come from the Lord. Thus we see how the children of God are wakened by their wants stirred vp by their falls and decaies to a greater feruencie in prayer And truely these changes of our life which this manner of waie wakens vs and prouokes vs to prayer we are to account them as the mercifull hand of God stretched out toward vs to drawe vs home to himselfe â—…et no man thinke euill of that trouble that chaseth him to the Lord. Yea I may say his falls which make him more humble and feruent in prayer are of Gods dispensation who when he will in most maruailous manner can bring light out of darknes But seeing hee was aliue how prayes hee that God would quicken him I answere The godly esteeme of life not according to that they haue in the body but in their soule If the soule want the sense of mercie and a heauenly disposition to spirituall thinges they lament ouer it as a dead soule for sure it is temporall desertions are more heauie to the godlie then temporall death According thy word This is a great faith that vvhere in respect of his present feeling he found himself dâ—…ad yet he hopes for life froÌ„ God according to his promise Such was the faith of Abraham who vnder hope belieued aboue hope And truly many times are Gods children brought to this estate that they haue nothing to vphold them but the word of God no sense of mercie no spirituall disposition but on the contrarie great darknes horrible feares and terrors Onely they are sustained by looking to the promise of God and kept in some hope that he will restore them to life againe because it is his praise to finish the worke which he beginnes VER 26. I haue declared my waies and thou heardest me teach me thy statutes THis verse containes a prayer vvith a reason after this forme O Lord I haue oft before declared vnto thee the whole state and course of my life my wandrings my wants my doubts my griefes I hid nothing sroÌ„ thee thou according to my necessity didst alway hear me therfore now Lord I pray thee to teach me by thy light illuminate me that I may know thy stâ—…tutes receiue grace to walk in theÌ„ This is a good argument in dealing vvith the Lord I haue gotten many mercies and fauourable answers from thee therefore Lord I pray thee to giue memo sor whom he loues he loues to the end where he begins to shew mercy he ceaseth not til he crown his children with mercy And â—…o gratious is the Lord that he esteemes heâ—… is honoured as oft as we giue him the praise that we haue found comfort in him and therefore come to seeke more It is farre otherwise with men if they doe vnto vs any small good they thinke it vncourteous importunity to require them to do any more But as the Strand is easily emptied where the Ocean can neuer be exhauâ—…ted so mans liberality is soon dried vp but the goodnes of the Lord remains for euer who hath not the less because he hath giuen but stil delights â—…o giue more to such as are thankefull vnto him Next is to be marked how he saith I haue declared my wayes and thou heardst me these two go well together Mercy Truth Truth in the nearâ—… of man confessing Mercy in God hearing forgiuing happy is the soule wherin these two meete together Many there are who want this comfort they cannot say God hath heard me â—…nd all because they deale not plainely and truely with the Lord in declaring their waies vnto him For the wicked neyther will nor dare manifest heir wayes vnto the Lord. As the eye which is â—…urt dare not look to the light so the conscience of him that doth euill dare not look to the Lord â—…ea they doe what they can to hide their wayes â—…rom him and to conceale the iniquity of their bosome against such the Prophet denounces a wo â—…o to them that seeke in the deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord their workes are in secret and they who sees it Their turning of deuises and flying to refuges of vanity in the infidelity of their hearts will no more auaile them then the figge leaues did Adam to hide his nakednes For the Lord will bring euery worke to iudgement Better were it for vs to iudge our selues in time and with Dauid to examin our harts in our secret chamber to declare truely our wayes vnto the Lord that if they be good he would by his grace confirm vs in them if they be euill he would diuert vs from them then that otherwise we should sleep securely in our sins tarry till our aduersary accuse vs and the Lord enter into iudgement with vs nay rather let vs tell our sins our selues that the Lord who is gratious may forgiue and Sathan who is a most shameless and malitious accuser may be confounded Qui se accusauerit vocem parati accusatoris excludit qui solet acerâ—…are peccata vniuscuiusque exaggerare â—…agitia obstruit â—…s eius qui de seipso fuerit ante confessus This is the great vantage we haue by declaring our own sins to the Lord Qui sua delicta non taâ—…uit videtur in se doluisse quod fecit in diabolo prodidisse quod suasit that in so doing wee shewe our selues sorrowfull and penitent for the euill we haue done and therwithall also becom accusers of Sathan by whose subtile instigation we did the euill Last of all we learne here that then our life is well gouerned when we declare the course of it to the Lord lay open our harts nakedly before him This Dauid protests of himselfe Acta mea tibi Domine manifestani omnia and in another place that he set the Lord alway before him And this is it which is praised in Henoch that he walked with God Happy is the man whose wayes are so ordered that before his actions he consults with the Lord in his actions he remembers the Lord when he hath done presents them to the Lord if they be good seeking his approbation if they be euil seeking pardon forgiuene â—…of theÌ„ Teach me thy Statutes Now follows his prayer wherein he seekes light from God to direct him in his waies Non satis est vt confiteamur errorem verumetiam si corrigi volumus à Domino postulemus vt doceat nos iustificationes suas ne postea errare possimus It is
your Master My Lord at yee haue learned to serue most faithfully a King on earth and for good seruice haue receiued the recompence of his Princely liberality so thinke with your selfe how greatly ye shall be conuinced if ye doe not learne to serue the King of heauen whose wage to his seruants doth as farre exceed any thing yee haue as the heauens are aboue the earth The third is Ye are now striken in yeares your Almond tree is flourished these fiftie and eight yeares hath God spared you and not taken you away in your ignorances and sinnes as he hath done many others both at your right hand and at the left My Lord the patience of God is called long but his mercy euerlasting the vse of his mercy toward his owne is to beare with them till they be deliuered into the hands of his mercie then are they out of all danger for his mercy endures for euer and whom once he receiues he neuer casts away again But wo is to the wicked for they abuse Gods patience to fulfill the measure of their iniquity heaping vp wrath to themselues by the multiplication of sinnes as it were in a treasure against the day of wrath Thus as the Fish of Iorden goe sprinkling and playing in the streame thereof till at length they fall into the Loch or salt Sea of Sodome where they die so are all the wicked abusing Gods patience carried on by their deceitfull pleasures of sin to a miserable end For where in their young yeares they will not repent in their olde age custome of sinne so confirmes them in euill that they cannot repent no more then a Leopard can change his spots or a Blacke Moore his colour Of this your ◅may perceiue that God his long pattence whereby he spares a man is not a blessing if mercy to pardon sins past and grace to renne for the time to come doe not follow it yea rather quo diutius expectat districtius iudicabit the longer he tarie and spare the sharper will he strike when he comes Let this waken in your L. a care to redeeme the time and a resolution to sacrifice the residue of your few yeares vnto the Lord your God For which cause it shall not be vnprofitable your L. remember these counsels first that ye examine diligently your by-gon life No man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of a man this will tell you more of your selfe then all the world can tell you In this examination spare not your selfe if you would haue God to spare you iudge your selfe accuse your selfe correct your selfe and GOD shall not iudge you Remember when yee come to iudgement there will be none to stand against you if it be not your owne sinnes so long therfore as you haue time fall vpon them fight with them and doe all that ye can to vndoe them Where if your L. would know how is it that a man may vndoe the euill which he hath done The answer is that two manner of waies ye may doe it first if with good Ezechia ye recount your by-gon sinnes in the bitternesse of your heart mourning for them euer when ye thinke vpon them and with the eyes of faith looke to him who being righteous died for our sinnes sending vp strong supplications to God that by the merit of Christs death your sinnes may be buried in the graue and haue neuer place to stand against you in iudgement If they be such as may be m◅nded by restitution faile not to do it after the manner of good Zaccheus if they be not of that nature mend them by doing the contrarie good This is that holie reuenge which the Apostle commends as a not able effect of repentance That we should be reuenged of our by-gon euils by doing the good which we know is most contrarie vnto them This being done for annulling of your by-gon sinnes let your next care be to rectifie your life for the time to come Salomon saies The end of a thing is better thē the beginning thereof His meaning is of good things for euill men waxe worse and worse but an elect man by grace makes his latter end better then his beginning and they who are planted in the Courts of the Lords house flourish and bring forth fruit euen in their olde daies And here againe I recommend to your L. a three fold duetie First remember how manie are the obligation vvherein ye stand bound to the Lord your God thinke vppon that question of godlie Dauid What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me Take an answer for it out of these vvords of Salomon My sonne giue me thine heart Euerie morning offer vnto the Lord Primitias cordis oris tui the first fruits of your heart and mouth thinke vpon nothing before yee thinke on him speake of nothing till first yee speake vnto him be feruent and continuall in prayer Si non semper precamur semper debemus habere paratum precantis affectu◅ ◅f we be not alway praying we should alway haue readie a heart disposed to pray The vessels of mercy should smell of mercie and the Temples of God should neuer want the sacrifices of God giue to the Lord both the thankes and the seruice of all the good ye haue receiued from him Many giue him verball thankes for his benefites acknowledging themselues debitors to him for the good which they haue who will not serue him with his owne benefites Let these men know that their thanks are not acceptable to him The second point of your care I would haue entended to the poore and needy as ye haue receiued mercy from God or looke to get it shew mercy for Gods sake to such as are vnder you Salomon saith The mercies of the wicked are crueltie but the mercies of a righteous man extend euen toward his beast how much more then will he be mercifull to his Christian brother Remember what comfort Iob found in the day of his trouble arising from this That he restrained not the poore of their desire and caused not the eyes of the widdow to faile that he did not eate his morsels alone but the fatherlesse eat thereof that he saw none perish for want of clothing nor suffered the poore to be without a couering that the loynes of the poore blessed him because hee was warmed with the fleece of his sheepe It is a great grace where a man not onely sets his owne heart to praise God but hyreth the heart and tongue of others to praise God with him and for him therfore To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased And with these thinke it a peece of your honour to honor the seruants of the Lord. Beautifull saith Esay are the feet of those who bring the glad tidings of peace If their feet be beautifull what should their face be Looke not to their weakenesse but for their Master and their
turne asâ—…e after their crooked wayes So that in the life of euery man there are two motions courses the one seene which is common to good and euill the other more secret the seene course is the way of a man from the wombe to the graue this is common and as Ioshua calles it The way of all flesh this is so sensible that all men perceiue it the growing of a man from infancie to child hood from child-hood to young age from young age to olde age the other I said is more secret wherein some by the crooked wayes of sinne walke on vnto perdition others by the way of holinesse to glorification And this way I call more secret because the course of wicked men is oft-times couered with hypocrisie the course againe of godly men obscured by calumnie both of them being esteemed among men the one for good the other for euill that which indeed they are not Who walke in the Law of the Lord. What before he spake obscurely hee now deliuers more plainly namely that they who walke in the Law of the Lord are vpright in way The Lawe of God is the rule of our life that narrow rodde within the limits whereof we should alway containe our selues neyther declining to the right hand nor to the left but euer proceeding by this one rule we should forget that which is behind and endeuour our selues to that which is before and truely seeing by the lawe onely our actions will be iudged wisedome requires that by the lawe onely our actions should be squared VER 2. Blessed are they who keepe his testimomonies and seeke him with their whole heart EVery man desires to be blessed euen they who had but the light of nature sought after it but could not find it here the Lord who in the last day will pronounce some to bee blessed and some to be cursed dooth now tell vs who they are What can comfort them to whom the Lord shall say Depart from me ye cursed Where away shall they goe whom the Lord shall command to depart from him And what greater ioy can com to a man then to heare the Iudge of all saying vnto him Come to me ye blessed Oh that we were wise in time to thinke of this that so we might endeuour to becom such men as to whom God in his word hath promised the blessing The doubling of the sentence Blessed blessed in the first verse and second is to let vs see the certainty of the blessing belonging to the godly The word of God is as true in it selfe when it is once spoken as when it is many times repeated the repetition of it is for confirmation of our weake faith That which Isaac spake of Iacob I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed is the most sure decree of God vpon all his childen Sathan would faine curse Israel by the mouth of such as Balaam was but he shall not be able to curse because God hath blessed Keepe his Testimonie The word of God is called his Testimony not onely because it testifies his will concerning his seruice but also his fauour and good wil concerning his own in Christ Iesus If the word of God were no more but a Law yet were we bound to obey it because we are his creatures but sith it is also a Testimony of his loue wherein as a father he witnesseth his fauour toward his children we are twise inexcusable if most ioyfully we doe not embrace it And againe sith the word is Gods Testimony let vs take heed what it testifies vnto vs. Achab complained to Iosaphat on Michaiah that he neuer prophecied good things vnto him but the blame was in Achab himselfe Are not my words saith the Lord good vnto him that walkes vprightly If the word of the Lord witnesse no good vnto vs it is because we are not good our selues Vtilis enim aduersarius est it is enemy to none but such as are enemies to themselues Let vs therefore take heed vnto it for if the word condemne vs then our conscience and the Lorde who is greater then them both will much more condemne vs but if we repent of our sinnes and continue in mourning seeking mercy amend our liues then shall the word bring vnto vs the glad tidings of peace yea not onely shall the word without but the spirit also testifie to our conscience within that our sinnes are forgiuen vs. Now as concerning the keeping of Gods Testimonies the children of God do it in minde in affection in action In mind as Mary laid vp the words of the Angell in her heart and Dauid laid vp the promises of God in his hart that he should not sin against the Lord in affection they haue euer a godly desire and a purpose to practise it ioyfull when they doe the commandements of God sorrowfull when they transgresse them in action they haue a begun obedience which God at length shall perfite in them for The righteousnesse of the Law shall be fulfilled in vs also And seeke him with their whole heart The seeking of God so often recommended in holy Scripture imports that naturally men are strangers from God diuided from him by sinne for what needeth a man to seeke that which he hath not lost This is man his most miserable condition by nature he hath lost the familiar presence of his God â—…or lo they that withdraw themselues from thee shall perish thou destrâ—…yest all them that goe a whooring from thee What shall we do to remedie it but practise that which there Dauid protests hee had concluded with himselfe As for me it is good for me to draw neere vnto God we lost him by sinne let vs seeke him by grace we went a whooring from him by our iniquity let vs returne vnto him by repentance other-way as he that will hide himselfe from the Sunne empaires not the light thereof hee may well shut himselfe in miserable darkenesse so he that departs from the Lord shall derogate nothing to his all-sufficient Maiesty hee may well plunge himselfe in the bottomlesse pit of remedilesse misery But this euill the losse of Gods familiar presence is not felt by carnall men so long as they enioy the comfort of his creatures and therefore is it that where they can seeke any other thing they want with solicitude and care eyther else they seeke him not at all or then seeke him not as they should As he that seekes a jewell which he hath lost lookes still to see it with so earnest an attention that what â—…uer other thing is in his way he sees it not casting all other things out of his minde Vnum illud intendit quod solum requirit so is it with him that seekes the Lorde Mundana omnia pertransieâ—…s illum solum inquirit passing by all other things in the world he makes inquisition for God only
our aduersary that seeks to snare vs by the transgression of them is diligent in tempting For he goes about night and day seeking to deuoure vs next because we our selues are weake and infirme by the greater diligence haue we need to take heed to our selues thirdly because of the great losse we sustaine by euery vantage Sathan gets ouer vs. For we finde by experience that as a wound is sooner made then ◅ is healed so guiltines of conscience is easily contracted but not so easily done away VER 5. O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Statutes IN the former verse Dauid hath meditated vpon the commandement of God Now the fruit of his meditation is ye see a prayer vnto God wherein he wishes that all his actions were answerable to the commandements of God this is customable vnto the godly to answere all the precepts of God by prayers what he commaunds them to doe they seeke from himselfe grace to doe it My wayes In this Psalme sometime ye see mention is made of Gods wayes as Vers. 3. and sometime of man his wayes as Vers. 5. It is well with man when his wayes and Gods wayes are all one for if man haue another way then the way of God of necessity his end must be miserable God is the fountaine of life he that walks not with God abides in death God is the father of light he that will goe from him shall goe to blacknes of darknes yea to vtter darknes where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth Loe all they that withdraw themselues from thee shall perish therefore will we resolue with Dauid It is good for me to draw neere vnto the Lord. Dauid knowing that naturally man is diuided from God and hath a way of his own which will not faile to lead him vnto a miserable end he wisheth from his heart to be vnited with the Lord that Gods will were his will and Gods way were his way This is a worke aboue the power of nature and therfore he humbly prayes that God would worke it Dignoscens quod ex seipso nihil possit efficere nisi Dei ope gratia adiutus fuerit humbly acknowledging that in the framing of his waies to Gods will of himselfe he was able to do nothing without the help of grace We are not of our selues able to thinke a good thought our sufficiency is of God neither is it in him that wils nor in him that runnes but in God that shewes mercie VER 6. Then should I not be confounded when I haue respect vnto all thy commandements SInne hath many euill fruites it offends God and grieues his Spirit it hurts thy neighbour for by it thou temptst some and infectst others but the sosest wound it giues to thy selfe for it brings vpon thee shame confusion and in the end eternall death For sinne when it is finished brings out death Thy owne wickednes shall reproue thee and thou shalt knowe that it is an euill thing a bitter that thou hast for saken the Lord thy God How were Ad◅m and Euah consounded after their fall how ran they away from the Lord in whom they delighted before How lurked they among the b◅shes thinking shame of thēselues they sought to couer their nakednes Praeuaricationis enim fructus est cōfusio If we think to pluck better fruit from the tree of sinne we doe but deceiue our selues It standeth true in all which the Apostle spake of the Romans When ye were the seruants of sin yee were freed frō righteousnes what fruite had yee then of those things wherof yee are now ashamed The end of these things is death If therefore vvee thinke euill to be confounded with shame let vs bevvare we be not perverted by sinne Respect to all thy Commandements Wee must not make a diuision at our owne hand of the commaundements of GOD making a shew to keepe some and taking libertie to transgresse others as Naaman did who resolued that hee vvould offer no sacrifice vnto any other God saue onely to the Lord onely this he reserued that he would bow with his Master the King of Assur to the Idole Rimmon Like him are many now vvho professe they will serue the Lord but still reserue an Idole of their owne to the which their heart enclines so answer the Lord with halfe obedience like the Eccho which makes not a perfit respondence of the voice of men but of some part thereof But the commaundements of GOD are so vnited among themselues that hee who failes in one point of the law is guiltie of all and therfore to euery one of them should we giue obedience wherin if wee cannot doe what wee should yet at least should we haue a respect a purpose and a care so to do hauing a begun obedience to them all not exempting our selues frō any And this for them who thinke all is well if they be not adulterers when in the meane time they are idolaters and so forth of the rest VER 7. I will praise thee with an vpright heart vvhen I shall learne the iudgements of thy righteousnes IN this verse wee haue a prayer for further knowledge together with a protestation of Dauid his thankfull affection for it Thankfulnes is a dutie wherein we are all obliged to the Lord. It is a good thing for vpright men to praise thee Lord. It is good first in regard of the equitie of it Sith the Lord giues vs good things shal not we giue him praises againe especially seeing the Lord is content so to part all his works between his Maiestie and vs that the good of them be ours the glorie of them be his owne When we haue taken good things from him why shall we defraude him of his part that is glory by thanksgiuing Surely the earth vvhich renders increase to them that labour it the oxe that knowes his owner and euery beast in their kind that bowes to the hand of him who giues it meat shal condemne vnthankfull man who receiues dailie from the Lord but neuer returnes praises vnvnto him Secondly it is good to praise the Lord in regard of himselfe who is the obiect of our prayses Sith he is the treasure of all good the author of all blessings it cannot be but a good and blessed thing to blesse him Thirdly it is good in respect of our associates companions in this exercise the Angels Cherubins and Seraphins delight continually in his praises Our elder brethren that glorious congregation of the first borne are described vnto vs falling downe on their faces casting their crownes at the feet of the Lord to giue him the glory of their redemption Now seeing wee pray that the will of God may be done in earth as it is in heauen why doe we not delight in these exercises of praising God by which we haue fellowship with them who are glorified in heauen Lastly
presumption vsurped to be equal with GOD Similis ero altissimo like vnto the most high Cum sit ne quissimus peiores tamen discipulos erudiuit He himselfe is a Prince of spirituall wickednesse yet hath he trained vp disciples more vvicked then himselfe such as That man of sinne who as if it were little to be equall with GOD extolls himselfe aboue GOD. And like him are many blinded captiues of Satan vvho in the pride of their heart doe all they can to subiect the Lord his throne his will to their wicked and corrupt will These are fooles and of all fooles the greatest they set themselues as parties against the Lord for he resists the proud not considering that he is stronger then they they cannot stand before him The Lord is the most high GOD but it is not height makes a man stand before him None so sure to stand in his sight as they who are humble and little in their own eyes to them he giues grace Humilis non habet vnde cadat where it is the iust recompence of the proud that because they vsurpe to be before all others the Lord puts them behind all casts them down to the lowest roome for mounting to the highest A notable example heereof we haue in that Pharisee who was not so farre before the Publican in his ovvne estimation as he was behind him in the account of Christ who iudgeth of things according as they are O quantum crimen superbiae vt ei etiam adulteria praeferantur Cursed are they which doe erre from thy commaundements Heere first we haue to see hovv these words must be vnderstood Saith not Dauid of himselfe that he wandred like a lost sheepe Saith he not also of others Who knowes the errors of his life How then doth he pronounce them cursed which erre from the commandements of God The answer is easily made if we conioyne his words together The proud which erre are cursed Heere then we must put a difference between sinnes of pride and of infirmitie he that of rebellion and pride departs from Gods comman dements not so he that sinnes of weaknesse in whom euery sin committed increaseth a griefe for sinne a hatred of sinne and a care to vvithstand it for these there is no condemnation These are not vnder the law but vnder grace Mercie alwaies waits on them as a refreshing medicine to restore them when of infirmitie they fall But as for the wicked who sinne are proud and impenitent in their sinnes the curse of God is vpon them though it be not seene at the first Like a Moth or secret cōsumption it eates them vp it shall deuoure their substance shal quickly turne their glory and prosperitie into shame and confusion VER 22. Remoue from mee shame contempt for I haue kept thy testimonies DAuid beeing a young man liued godlie in the Court of Saul and for godlinesse was mocked and disdained of others For so the blind world counts religion a matter of mockerie which in the estimation of Gods Spirit is man his greatest gaine and glory But from time they saw that Saul the King was displeased with Dauid then did all his flatterers speake against Dauid doing what they could to sley his honest name with calumnies and slaunders And hee borne downe with the iniquitie of time commits his cause to the Lord beseeching him who knew his conscience to cleere his innocencie Which he also did for the shame and contempt which they thought to bring vpon Dauid God poured it vpon themselues For I haue kept thy testimonies Sometime Dauid iustifies himselfe in regard of men And if at any time he reioyce in his vprightnesse before God it is not a boasting of his owne perfection but rather a comforting of himselfe from the honestie of his affection VER 23. Princes also did sit and speake against mee but thy seruaunt did meditate in thy statutes THese two last verses of this section containe two protestations of Dauid his honest affection to the word The first is that albeit he was persecuted and euil spoken of and that by great honorable men of the world such as Saul and Abner and Achitophel yet did hee still meditate in the statutes of God It is a hard tentation when the godly are troubled by any wicked men but much harder when they are troubled by men of honor authoritie And that first by reason of their place the greater power they haue the greater perill to encounter with their displeasure therefore said Salomon The wrath of a King is the messenger of death Next because Authorities and Powers are ordained by God not for the terror of the good but of the euill And therefore it is no smal griefe to the godly when they find them abused to a contrary end that where a Ruler should bee to good men like raine to the fields new mowen on the contrary hee becomes a fauourer of euill men and a persecuter of the good Then iustice is turned into wormwood that vvhich should bring comfort to such as feare God is abused to oppresse them And therefore it should be accounted a great benefit of God when he giues a people good and religious rulers The Christians in the Primitiue Church being sore troubled by the bloody persecutions of Nero and Domitian thought it a great benefit vnto them when vnder Nerua the persecution was relented Albeit he did not professe Christ with them yet he did not persecute them What then should we account of such a King as is not onely a protector of the Church but a professor himselfe so farre from persecuting Christian religion that for professing of it many times hath his Maiestie been persecuted to the death but blessed be the Lord who hath giuē many glorious deliuerances to his annointed Alway we learn here to arme our selues against the like tentation if at any time it shall please the Lord to try vs with it It was an argument the Pharisees vsed against our Lord Doth any of the Rulers belieue in him The Apostle confirmes vs against it Brethren yee see your calling Not many wise men not many noble hath God chosen c. We must not haue our faith in respect of persons nor measure religion by the authoritie of men that are with it or against it but resolue with Iosua Albeit all the vvorld should forsake the Lord yet vvee vvill worship him No Number no Greatnes of men can take out of the harts of such as are truly godly the loue of God and of his truth And speak In externall actions the first weapon wherby the wicked fight against the godly is their tongue Where Satan looseth their tongues to speak euill against vs we may be sure if hee be not restrained he will also loose their hands to do euill And where otherwise it falls out that wee are
not enough to confesse and declare our former errours to the Lord but ◅e should seeke to be coriected by his grace in ◅ime to come These two benefits the Lord giues them together ◅emission of sinnes and renoua◅ion of their sinfull nature and his Saints seeke them together Mercy and Grace Mercy for remission of former sinnes and Grace for renoua◅ion of their hearts in time to come And this is to be marked for carelesse and carnall professors who seek pardon of former sinnes but haue no care of amendment for the time to com these ◅buse the mercy of God and turne his grace into wantonnesse seeking as it were a libertie to sin and not a deliuerance from sinne More concerning this petition see out of the twelfth Verse in the second Section Beth. VER 27. Make me to vnderstand the way of thy precepts and I will meditate in thy wondrous workes DAVID yet continues in his former supplication for further illumination of his vnderstanding If the light that is in thee be darknes how great is the darknes Where the mind is darkned the heart can neuer be rightly ordered therefore prayes he the more instantly for light vnto his minde The wayes of sinne we know them and can walke in them without a teacher yea man out of his owne corruption hath been the first inuenter of many sinfull waies which before him haue not beene knowne but as for the wayes of God we can neyther know them nor walke in them vnlesse we be taught of God Againe in this continual opposition which he makes betweene his wayes and Gods wayes let vs remember how by nature man hath a way of his own different from the way of God This diuision began by the first transgression wherein man preferred the way of Sathan to the way o◅ God yet the diuision continues because man naturally is enclined to walke in a way contrary to that which God commaunds him which if in time it be not remedied will not faile to bring man to a miserable and vnhappy end for he who walkes not in the way of God can neuer come where God is but must be diuided frō the light ioyes of God and haue his portion in vtter darkneesse in that lake that burneth with fire brimstone And I will meditate If we seeke good things from God we should secke them for good ends specially that we may be enabled by them to serue God so will the Lord be intreated to giue them when he sees we seek them that we may return them to himselfe Ye aske saith S. Iames and receiue not because ye aske amisse that ye may consume them on your own lusts therfore Dauid seeking knowledge from God promiseth to vse it well not as many doe who by knowledge waxe proud seeking knowledge to get glory to themselues Dauid seeks it that he may be the more able to meditate on the workes of God and in them to shew forth his glory He stiles the works of God maruellous works and so indeed they are both his works of creation whereby he made the things which are and of his administration or prouidence whereby he conserues them but most of all maruellous are his works of mans redemption that is the Great mysterie of godlines But som of them we admire not because we know them not others of them custom drawes in contempt VER 28. My soule melteth for heauinesse raise me vp according to thy Word THe meaning is that he was sore weakned by the greatnes of his griefe therfore prayeth the Lord to reuiue strengthen confirm him Euen as a thing which melteth consumes away by piece-meale till nothing be left Vires eius paulatim difflu◅hant sicut aquae so did he finde the life strength of his soule docaying through the extremity of his griefe In the first part of the verse his eye is vpon him selfe in the second it is vp to the Lord. Happy is the man whose whole care is about one of these two that eyther he is looking to himselfe considering his necessities or looking to the Lord attending his mercies Heauiness There is nothing may comfort a naturall man but Dauid had it yet cannot all these keepe him from that heauinesse wherunto as witnesseth St. Peter the children of God are subiect in this life through their manifold tentations The men of the world are so farre from this disposition that if they haue health and wealth they maruell what it is should make a man heauie they are not acquainted with the exercises of a feeling conscience they know not the defects of the spirituall life are not grieued at them being dead in sinne they feele not that they want life all their care is to eate and drink and make merry But miserable are they for in their best estate they are as Oxen fedde for the slaughter Wo be to them who laugh now they shal mourne but blessed are they who mourne now for they shall be comforted The particular causes of the heauinesse of a Christian are according to their particular tentations which no man is able to rehearse where because it is a common disease to them all that euery one of them thinkes his own tentations singular let them remember that warning of the Apostle No tentation hath ouertaken you but that which appertaines to men But seeing our Sauiour saith that His yoake is easie and his burden light how is it that his children finde such heauinesse in bearing of it and following him It is true indeede the burden of Christ is light Quidenim leuius eo o◅ere quod non solum non oneraet sed portat omnom cui portandum imponitur for it is such a burden as is not burdensome but rather bears vp euery man who bears it not vnlike the wings of a fowle which are so borne by the body that they beare it and make it more agile or light If then we finde any heauinesse it is because our corrupt nature will not conforme her selfe to the similitude of Christ and refuseth to submit her neck vnto his yoke This is it that breeds in vs heauinesse and griefe that wee finde a power of corruption in vs which will not subiect it selfe to him whom our soule loueth Raise me vp according to thy word They haue not all learned to pray who vse prayer many in this age send vp vnto God confused prayers rising from the sense of their miseries whereof they desire to be relieued Pagans doe as much when they are in trouble they lift vp their eyes to God and desire to be deliuered from it But we must remember first to offer vp our prayers in the name of CHRIST whom because Pagans know not the Father cannot bee well pleased with them Next to frame our petitions according to Gods promises as heere Dauid doth otherwise to offer prayers for
for the truth I haue determined to keepe thy word This he brings in by way of probation of that which hee said in the former words Many wil say with Dauid that God is their portion but heere is the poynt how doe they proue it If God be their portion then they would loue him if they loued him they would loue his word if they loued his word they would liue by it and make it a rule of their life If it were demaunded of these bastard Christians as Chrysostome enquired of the like Wherby shall I know you to be Christians their onely defence behoued to stand in their tongue for if yee looke to the works of their hands yee shall not discerne them from Infidels Looke to their eating and drinking they are like Epicures look to their garments they are vaine-glorious looke to their feet they delight in any place more then in the courts of the Lords house Is not this then a small defence all the parts of their conuersation testifie against them onely their words speak for them let them beware for this will bee no sufficient proofe of true Christianitie when God shall iudge them Hee saith not onely that hee will keepe Gods word but he had determined to keepe it Many enter into religion but not vpon determination these doe no otherwise saith our Sauiour then if a man should goe to battell and not consider if he may fight it out or as if a man should build a house and not lay his count whether or no he is able to finish it for this man leaues it at the last with more shame then if he had not begun it so fareth it with many who embrace religion lightly and as lightly fall away from it they not beeing rooted nor grounded nor built vpon Christ Iesus Three helps of a godly life are heere vsed by Dauid the first is Determination this makes a man to begin well The second is Supplication this makes a man to continue well The third is Consideration and this makes a man when hee goes wrong to come home againe to his determination He that begins to liue well not laying his grounds by Determination is easily altered and hee that vpon Determination beginneth to do well if by instant prayer he obtaine not grace from God shall ouer readily faint and fall away for what are best purposes if grace from aboue strengthen vs not to performe them but vanishing motions And in the third roome because in many things we sin all wee haue need of Consideration whereby we doe examine our waies and returne againe to our first course when wee haue wandred from it VER 58. I haue made my supplication in thy presence with my whole hart be mercifull to mee according to thy promise THese words stand of a protestation and prayer They teach vs to second our determinations vvith prayers both because our purposes shall perish if God blesse them not as Psal. 127 as also for that Satan then doth most busily impugne vs when hee sees wee haue most resolutely concluded to serue the Lord. Three things are to be obserued in Dauids praier 1. His reuerence 2. His sinceritie 3. His faith His reuerence is heere that he made his supplication in Gods presence if we did so thinke when we go to pray we goe to shew our selues in Gods presence how would it humble vs in our selues make vs reuerent toward God Wee know what we do when we come before Kings of the earth wee prepare our selues wee come with the reuerence of Hester to Ahasuerus of Bathsheba to Dauid and good reason so we should doe But how much are we bound to do as Abraham did when wee come before the Lord to remember wee are but dust ashes and that it is a great benefit that wee should get license to speake to the Righteous Iudge of all the world And this reuerence our Sauiour commends vnto vs when in the preface of the prayer which he hath taught vs he remembers vs that our father to whom we speak is in heauen we should not be rash with our mouth nor hasty in our hart to vtter a thing before God For God saith Salomon is in heauen and we are in the earth Let faith mooue our harts to goe to him when we haue neede let feare bridle vs that we be not suddaine but first temper our harts ere wee speake with our tongue to so reuerent a Maiestie It is abhomination to offer vnto the Lord the Sacrifice of fooles that is words without affection and yet alas how often doth our infirmitie miscarie vs to doe so Magni certè ingenij est seuocare mentem à sensibus cogitationem à consuetudine abducere It is a worke of great difficultie in prayer to sunder our soule frō our senses and to withdrawe our cogitations from their custome The second thing to be obserued in his praier is his sinceritie in these words With my vvhole hart Hypocrisie is a vile sinne in dealing with men but much more abhominable when by it men presume to mocke the Lord making a shew in his presence of that which they are not Rebecca decked vp Iacob in so subtile a maner that Isaac his father mistooke him but Satan now pranks vp his coūterfet Christians in more subtil maner for there Isaac tooke some notice of him by his voice but now men haue learned to speak so cunningly and Christian-like that hardly can a man think how a false hart should lodge vnder so faire a tongue But let not men deceiue themselues God wil not be deceiued his eyes are not dimme as Isaacs but liuely quick and pearcing like vnto flames of fire he can see they are but a potshard ouer laid with siluer drosse and a little time shall discouer them Certum est nihil simulatum aut fictum verae esse virtutis sed nec diuturnum for it is sure that a counterfeit thing can neuer haue solid vertue nor continuance in it Let vs studie with Dauid to make our hart good vpright before God The third thing to be marked in his prayer is his faith grounded vpon the promises of God in these words Be mercifull vnto me according to thy promise He protested before that he sought the Lord from his whole hart and now he prayeth he may find mercie So it is indeede boldlie may that man looke for mercy at Gods hand vvho seekes him truely there Mercie and Truth meet together and embrace one another where truth is in the soule to seeke there cannot be but mercie in GOD to embrace If truth be in vs to confesse our sinnes forsake them wee shal find mercy in God to pardon and forgiue them Again we see that as our prayers should be sent vp in Christes name so shold they be groūded on Gods promises It is a shame that the prayers of many Christians
wee saw the end of Gods worke which is euer his glorie the good of his Church and euery member therof we would not offend at his workes whereby he works that end a way that is vnpleasant to vs because it is vnknowne to vs. That thy iudgement The iudgement of God is taken in two significations first for the plagues whereby hee punisheth wicked men in his anger proportionall to their sinnes And this iudgement Dauid declines Psal. 143. Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant Secondly for the roddes and corrections wherewith hee chastiseth his owne children And these are called iudgements because iudiciously he measures and moderates them according as the state of his children requires not powring out the ful viol of his wrath as he doth on the wicked but proffering a temperate cup to be drunken by his owne as their weakenesse may beare it And in this sense Ambrose speaking of Gods chastisements sayes Omnia Dei iudicio fiunt That hee sends sickenesse rather then health pouertie and not wealth it is because in his most iudicious consideration hee findes it expedient that it should be so Thus then wee see how among many other differences betweene the afflictions of the godly and the wicked they differ also these two wayes first in measure Hath hee smitten Iacob as hee smote those that smote him No no hee powers a violl on the one but proâ—…ereth a moderate cuppe to the other secondly in the end for the one hee strikes for punishment the other for purgation And that thou hast 〈◊〉 mee iustlie More of this see ver 7. 20. 30. 39. 43. 52. 62. 75. 67. 107. VER 76. I pray thee that thy mercie may comfort me according to thy promise made to thy seruant IN the former Verse hee acknowledged the Lord had afflicted him now in this he prayeth the Lord to comfort him This is strange that a man should seeke comfort at the same hand that strikes him it is the worke of faith Nature will neuer teach vs to doe it Come and let vs returne to the Lord for he hath spoyled and he will heale vs he hath wounded and he will binde vs vp Againe wee see that the crosses which God layes on his children are not to confound nor to consume them only to prepare them for greater consolations With this Dauid sustained himselfe against Shimei his cursing The Lord will looke on my affliction and doe me good for this euill with this our Sauiour comforts his Disciples Your mourning shall be turned into ioy As the last estate of Iob was better then his first so shall the Lord render more to his children at the last then now at the first he takes from them let vs therefore beare his crosse as a preparatiue to comfort According to thy promise Dauid had a particular promise of a particular benefit to weet the kingdome of Israel And this promise God performed vnto him but his comfort stood not in it For Saul before him had the kingdom but the promises of mercy belonged not to him and therfore when God forsooke him his kingdom could not sustaine him But Dauid heere depends vpon the general promises of Gods mercie made to his children wherein hee acknowledgeth a particular promise of mercie made to him For the generall promises of mercy and grace made in the Gospel faith makes them particular to euery beleeuer Of this see verse 41. 58. 76. 170. VER 77. Let thy tender mercy come vnto mee that I may liue for thy law is my delight HE prayed before for mercy now againe he prayeth for mercy The children of God haue such an earnest and feruent desire of mercy that what-euer sense therof they get they still cry for more and sure it is in this life they can neuer be satisfied Neuertheless happy are they who now hunger thirst for hereafter they shal be satisfied And when I awake I shal be satisfied with thine image But if we marke more narrowly we shall find that Dauid heere seekes another sort of mercie then he sought before For first he sought mercie to forgiue his sinnes then he sought mercy to comfort him in his troubles now hee seekes mercy to liue and sinne no more Alas many seek the first mercy of remission and the second mercy of consolation in trouble who are altogether carelesse of the third mercy to liue well It is a great mercy of GOD to amend thy life where this is not let no man think he hath receiued either of the former Magna est miseratio Dei quae non solem remissionem tribuit peccatoruÌ„ sed etiam certantibus addit calcaria vt in suscepto certamine pergant It is a great mercie of God which not onely pardons euill that is done but strengthens vs also to further good that we haue not done and this is the mercy which here Dauid seekes For thy law is my delight Of this reason see verse 70. VER 78. Let the proud be ashamed for they haue dealt wickedly and falsely with mee DAuid here praieth not against the person of his enemies but against their course their false wicked dealing against him Or rather as we may think with Basile Orat pro inimicis The reason hereof is giuen by Ambrose Pudor enim plerumque corrector est nostri dum incipit nos pudere commissi ne diutius pudeat deserere quaeerubescenda sunt admonemur For shame oftentimes corrects our waies when wee thinke shame of that which we haue done we are admonished not to doe that againe which may make vs more asham'd in time to com For where a gentle shame cannot moue men to amend it is a iust recompense of God to poure vpon them shame with contempt and confusion Still wee see how the Spirit of God stiles the wicked by the name of proud men for a wicked man shakes off the yoke of God and will not be subiect to his Maker and so spares not to exalt himselfe ouer men in such sort that there is nothing in man so sacred so worthy reuerence which he tramples not vnder his feet But heere is the iust recompence of his pride Let the proud be ashamed Hee would faine haue honour or preheminence which God will not giue vnto him hee flies shame contempt but God shall poure them vpon him For they haue dealt Hee complaines of the wicked and false dealing of his enemies against him and it is written to vphold vs in the like tentation For Satan is alway like himselfe hating them whom the Lord loueth hee may well be worse he can neuer be better and therfore with restlesse malice stirres he vp all his cursed instruments in whom hee raignes to persecute them who are loued and protected of the Lord. But I meditate Dauids enemies fought against him with the armour of flesh wickednesse and falshood he withstands
him his enemies The reason hee vseth lurks in the Interrogation How manie are my daies My time is not long my dayes are but few then let them not passe comfortlesse but let me see that thou art a God of iudgement who wilt do according to thy word and men There is fruit for the righteous Verely there is a God that iudgeth righteously on the earth To shew the breuitie of mans life he reckneth it not by yeers but by daies And this consideration of the shortnes of our life Dauid vseth it as an argument somtime to moue the Lord to compassion and sometime to stirre vp himselfe to further piety godliness as we may see Psa. 39. And truly it were good for vs oftner then we doe to thinke vpon this question of Dauids How many are my daies For we are deceiued vvith the shadow of this life cōceiting it to be longer then we shall find it to be whereof it comes to passe that men are prodigall of their daies as if they would neuer be done Their rents their money their garments or any other thing they haue they spend sparingly with moderation onely they are wasters of their daies as if they had Methusalems yeeres in a treasure Let vs pray vvith Moses for grace to number our dayes that wee may apply our harts vnto wisedome When wee look to the by-gone time and see how wee haue misspent it when we looke to the time to come and see how vncertaine we are of it let vs redeem the time we haue to vse it well When wilt thou execute Dauid was far from hatred crueltie or priuate affection for in all these his petitions he was the pen-man of the holy Ghost and spake nothing of any priuate motion Where that wee may know how farre forth wee are to follow him in these let vs remember that God executes two sorts of iudgements vpon men some are preparatiues to mercy such as were inflicted vpon Saul when hee went to persecute the Saints at Damascus he was cast from his horse and strooken with blindnesse and for these we may pray that God will execute them vpon them who are sleeping in their sinnes that rather they may be wakened by Gods iudgmēts and moued to repent then perish in their impietie Others again of his iudgments are but forerunners of that great and last iudgement which he wil execute on all the wicked such as were the punishments of Caine and Iudas The first works conuersion the second confusion and for these wee can not pray against our enemies because howsoeuer their works be euill for the present yet wee know not what the Lord may doe with them heereafter Who persecute mee Dauid was a godly man approued of God and a profitable instrument to his King and Country When Saul was vexed he did mitigate his trouble with the Harpe hee slew Goliah and ouerthrew the Philistims yet ye see how he is recompenced Such commonlie is the reward which godly men gette in this world at the hands of them to whom they haue been instruments of greatest good And this persecution many waies are the wicked guiltie of The railing of Shimei against Dauid the mocking of Isaac by Ismael these the world esteemes no sinnes or very small but the Lord ranks them in among bloudie sinnes and calls them persecution learning all men not to speake euill or scorne the godly least they fal into greater sinnes then they are aware of VER 85. The proud haue digged pits for mee which is not after thy law HE insists stil in his complaint against his enemies describes them first frō the quality of their persons They were proud Next from their labor subtilty They digged pits for him Thirdly from their manifest iniquitie Their courses against him were not according to Godslaw The proud See ver 69. 21. 51. 78. 85. Haue digged pits Their labour and subtiltie whereby they oppugned Dauid is heere noted Whereby this seemes strange that a proud man should be a digger of pits but so it is that pride for a time can submit it selfe for a greater vantage ouer him whom it would tread vnder foot The wicked is so proud that he seeks not God yet hee croucheth and boweth to cause heapes of the poore fall by his might So proud Absalom abased himselfe to do all men reuerence subiecting himselfe to meanest subiects that so hee might prepare a way to vsurpation ouer his king and father But mark he saith not that he had fallen in the pits which his enemies had digged No no in Gods righteous iudgmēts the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands while the godly escape free He hath made a pit and digged it and is fallen in the pit that he made his mischiefe shall return vpon his own head his cruelty vpon his owne pate Thus Haman hanselled the gallowes which he raised for Mordecai and Saul when he thought by subtilty to slay Dauid with the Philistims sword when he sent him out to seeke two hundreth of their fore-skinnes in a dowrie was disappointed of his purpose but he himselfe at length was slaine by their sword Which is not after thy law As Dauid by this aggrauates the grosse impiety of his aduersaries so doth he also greatly comfort himselfe For why shall we be discouraged to haue these men our enemies of whom we clearely see that neyther their persons nor actions are according to Gods lawe VER 86. All thy commandements are true they persecute me falsly helpe me HEere he reasons from the equity of his cause the iniquity of his enemies vpon these sends he vp his prayer Lord helpe me As for my enemies they persecute me falsly and without a cause as for me I know thy commandements are all true and that they cannot be deceiued who depend vpon them nor yet prosper that are against them He shal neuer want comfort in trouble who cleaues vnto the word of God who euer be against vs keepe it on our side and it shall be well with vs. Againe it is to be marked that he declines no persecution but seeks Gods help in it He knew that all they who will line godly in Christ must suffer persecution Deuotionem fidei praelia persequuntur Cito fides inexercitata languescit Faith not exercised with tentation easily languishes yea sith the Lord chastises euery one whom he loues hee may iustly suspect himselfe who liues without a crosse Si desint certamina vereor ne deesse videatur quicertare desideret If there be a man who hath no battell it is to be feared least he be such a one as desires not to fight and so what can he be but a captiue of Satan But in al our persecutions let vs euer take heed that our cause be righteous and we may say They persecute me falsly potest
are alway to take heede that if wee would haue the argument effectuall toward vs wee make it sure to our selues that we are of the number of them who loue him VER 133. Direct my footsteps in thy word and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer me AS before he sought mercy so now he seeks grace There are many that seeke mercy to forgiue sin who seeke not grace to deliuer them from the power of sin this is to abuse Gods mercy turne his grace into wantonness He that praieth for mercy to forgiue the guilt of sin onely seeks not that by sin hee should not offend God but that he may sin and not hurt himself but he who craues deliuerance also from the commanding power and deceit of sin seekes not onely a benefit to himselfe but grace also to please serue the Lord his God The first is but a louer of himselfe the second is a louer of God more then of himselfe And truly he neuer knew what it was to seek mercy for sin past who with it also earnestly sought not grace to keep him frō sinne in time to come These benefits cannot be diuided he who hath not the second howsoeuer he flatter himselfe may be assured hee hath not gotten the first My steppes These steps Ambrose restraines ad profectus animae to the progresse of his soule onely but we may very well thinke that Dauid here commends the whole course of his life to be gouerned by God both outward and inward conuersation The body is carried to good or euill by steps of the feet the soule by the motion of affections is caried either to the Lord or from him therfore he praies that God would direct them for according to our gouernour or directour so goes the course of our actions Thy word By the word of the Lord all creatures are ruled At his word fire comes downe contrarie to the course of nature the sun stands or goes back the moone and starres keep forward their course yea the raging sea abides within his prescribed bounds Strange is it that man makes it not the rule of his life but let this be an awe-band to him That by this word he must be iudged at the length And let none iniquitie haue dominion Dauaid takes vp very wisely the controuersie that is betweene Satan and vs hee seekes by sinne to haue dominion ouer vs. Wherein wee may consider what an vnreasonable Tyrant Satan is and what iust cause wee haue to wage battell with him The Lorde our God made vs hee redeemed vs hee conserues vs none but he can claime any title vnto-vs Is it not then most vnreasonable that Sathan should seeke superioritie ouer vs or that we should be so beastly as giue it vnto him Neyther is it onely against all equity but also most hurtfull vnto our selues for what wages can Satan giue to his slaues but the wages of sinne to make them partakers of his owne damnation Can he giue vnto others better then he hath to himselfe Besides this also he exacts seruice without rest or intermission Most cruell oppressors Turks and Pagans giue some rest to their captiues Satan giues none in eating in sleeping he abuseth them to serue him And which is worst of all where this Tyrant sends out sundry officers and seruants that is sinfull affections to exact seruice from thee they are all so insatiable that they may well consume thee spend all thy means and all thy daies but thou shalt neuer bee able to satisfie the least of them And therefore great neede haue we to seeke the helping hand of God against them praying with Dauid that iniquity may neuer haue dominion ouer vs. VER 134. Deliuer mee from the oppression of men and I will keepe thy precepts NOt one but manifold are the troubles of the righteous they haue not onely to wrestle against their owne corruption but against Satans malice the pride and enuy of all his wicked impes and instruments Against them the best armour we can vse is patience and prayer they are but like roddes in the hand of the Lord as our Sauior said to Pilat Thou couldst haue no power ouer me if it were not giuen thee from aboue The rodde is not able to moue but by the hand of him that holdes it let vs runne to the hand of God let vs pacifie him by prayer and wee shall not neede to feare what flesh can doe vnto vs. But aboue all things let vs beware we fight neuer against the wicked with their own weapons From the oppression The word is generall imports not only oppression by violence but by calumnies and any other iniury And they are well ioyned together for such as doe euill one way will not faile to doe it another They who loose their tongues to calumniate Gods seruants will not faile if they may to loose their handes also to oppresse them and such also who oppresse them will not spare to speake euill of them that they may iustifie themselues None of all the seruants of Saul would drawe the sword to slay the seruants of the Lord albeit their Master commanded them onely Doeg who before had calumniated Dauid and so by his tongue had begunne the persecution spared not to murther with the bloudie swords such seruants of God as for Gods sake had shewed fauour to Dauid Let vs not looke for better from them whose tongues are bent to speake euill of the seruants of God but that their handes also when they may haue the occasion will bee ready to shedde their bloud Of men The word he vseth is Adam this is the first name that God gaue to man after his fall signifying earth or redde earth and it sheweth how weake and silly a creature man hath made himselfe by his sinne The consideration of it confirmes Dauid against his enemies that they were but men of earth if we could remember we would neuer be troubled at their inimity Who art thou Iacob that thou shouldst feare a mortall man and all flesh is grasse And againe the consideration of this serues to humble the pride of man Sith they are but men of clay why waxe they proude to oppresse others It was a very worthie warning which a certaine Ambassadour gaue once to Alexander the great that flies and wormes at length would eate the flesh of Lions If proude men considered this That they are but earth and that shortly their beautifull bodies will become carcases to bee eaten by the wormes it would abate their naturall pride by which they trample downe others poorer and weaker then they vnder their feete And I will keepe The benefites or deliuerances of God obtained by prayer should not bee abused to licentiousnesse to nourish our selues in our sinnes and wonted security but the more wee receiue from him the more should vvee acknowledge our selues bound and obliged to him Otherwise if benefites
we giue him the more profit by new benefits reap we at his hands And thy iudgements shall help me How Gods word is called his iudgement See verse 7. 13. 20. 30. 39. 43. 52. 62. 66. 84. 102. 106. 108. 120. VER 176. I haue gone a stray like a lost sheepe seeke mee for I doe not forget thy commandements IN this conclusion of the Psalme wee haue three things a confession of sinne a petition of mercy and a protestation The confession I haue wandred like a lost sheep Euthymius Vatablus vnderstand this to bee a complaint of his persecution he sustained of Saul who like a rauening Wolfe of Beniamins tribe chased Dauid like a poore sheepe from his natiue soyle hunting him to and fro like a Partrige through the mountaines of Israel and that therefore leaning to the testimonie of his good conscience he makes bolde with GOD that hee would reduce him and bring him home againe And this exposition is also agreeable to the Analogie of faith But wee rather take this with Basil and Ambrose to be a petition for spiritual deliuerance froÌ„ his sinnes wherein first he premiâ—…s a confession of his misery that he had wandred from God Hoc et propheâ—… a post peccatum omni humanae naturae dicere conuenit and this not onâ—…lie the Prophet but the whole nature of man after the transgression is bound to confesse Quod lapsum fateris in eo tibi cum omnibus commune consortium est quia nemo sine peccato negare hoc sacrilegium est solus enim deus sine peccato est confiteri hoc deo impunitatis remedium est that thou confessest thy sin in this thou hast a common fellowship with all mankinde there is no man without sinne that is Gods prerogatiue to deny this is sacriledge to confesse it is the waie to impunity Dic itaque et tu iniquitates tuas vt iustificeris Confesse thou therefore thy sins that thou maist be iustified It is the presumptuous voyce of Antichrist That a man in this life can be without sinne and fulfill the law in perfection If their eies were opened to see either the Lord or themselues they would be farre froÌ„ this abhominable presumption When holy Esay saw a vision of the Maiestie of God he cryed out Woe is me I am vneleane When patient Iob had seene the Lord it was his voyce Now I haue seene the Lord therefore I abhorre my selfe And Dauid heere by his deepe meditations of Gods word is moued to acknowledge his great disconformity from it by reason of his sinnes As the small motes of the â—…yre Atomi are onely seene where the sunne shineth so the manifold imperfectioÌ„s of our nature are best seene where the light of Gods word shines most cleerely And therefore to all such presumptuous papists as boast with the Pharisie of their perfection and fall not down with the penitent Publican and humble Dauid to make confession of their sinnes wee returne that answere of Bernard Site videres tibi displiceres mihi placeres If thou saw thy selfe thou wouldst be displeased with thy selfe shouldst please me Sed quia te non vides tibi places mihi displices but because thou seest not thy selfe thou pleasest thy selfe and displeasest mee Veniet autem dies quandâ—… nec tibi nec mihi placebis non mihi quia peccasti nec tibi quia in aeternum ardebis But the day will come wherein thou shalt neither please thy selfe nor mee thou shalt not please mee because thou hast sinned against mee neither shalt thou please thy self because thou shalt be punished with euerlasting fire In any spirituall disease the knowledge of our sinne and confession of it is the first token of the returne of health Soluit criminum nexus verecunda confessio peccatorum the bands of sinne are loosed when they are confessed And againe Erroris medicina est confessio Medicine for error is confession But to this purpose notable is the saying of Gregory Mirentur quâ—…cunque volent in quolibet castitatis continentiam mirentur viscâ—…ra pietatis egâ—… non minus admiror in â—…o confessionem humilimam peccatorum Let men admire as they please in others either their continency or commiseration I will much more admire in a man to see the humble confession of his sinnes Scio enim per infirmitatis verecundiam grauioris esse certaminis praeterita peccata prodere quam non admissa vitare For I knowe through the infirmitie of shame that the godly haue a greater battel to confesse sinne committed than to represse it that it be not committed Seeke mee The second thing in the verse is petition of mercy after the confession of sinne I haue wandred like a lost sheep but thou who art the great pastor of thy sheepe who causest ioie in heauen at the conuersion of a sinner thou that leauest ninetie and nine feeding in the mountaines to seeke one of thy sheepe that hath wandred from thee Come thou Lord and by thy grace bring me home againe Quaere me quia te requiro Seeke mee for by thy grace I seeke thee Potes inuenire quem tu requiris Thou maist finde him whom thou seekest Dignare suscipere quem inueneris Vouchsafe to receiue him whom thou hast found Impone humeris quem susceperis And lay him vpon thy shoulders whom thou hast receiued Non est tibi piuÌ„ onus fastidio It is no wearisom burden to thee to beare thine owne and bring them home againe vnto thy selfe Thus we see how not onely in our first conuersion God did communicate life to vs when wee were dead as he followed Apostate Adam that ranne away from him and brought him again but in all the course of our life he is the conseruer and restorer of life to our soules No man can reckon the errours of his life We should perish in the least of them if the mercy of God did not watch ouer vs to saue vs when we haue lost our selues to reduce vs when we wander to raise vs when we fall So that the whole praise of the beginning continuance and consummation of our saluation belongs to the Lord our GOD onely For I forget not thy commandements The third and last thing in the verse is this protestation Where if it be demaunded How do these agree with the former He hath euen now said that he wandred like a lost sheep now he saith that he forgets not the coÌ„mandements of God The answere is The godly neuer so fall but there remaines in them some grace quae spem medicinae reseruat which reserues a hope of medicine to cure them so Dauid here Licèt quaedam mandatorum dei transgressus est omnimodam tamen illorum obliuionem non admisit Albeit hee transgressed some of Gods commandements yet hee fell not into any full obliuion of them And last we see here
364. A warning for Iudges 344. Iudgements of God secret and reuealed 38. Iudgements of God double Directory Correctory 57. 191. Of Conuersion and Confusion 203. Iudgements of God diuersly applied by Dauid and by Lamech 59 Iudgements Awe-bands to keep vs in 266. Iudgement and Iustice distinguished 273. How Dauid desired to be dealt with in Iudgement how not 335. Iudgements past shold perswade the certainety of Iudgements to com it doth with the Godly 358. K GOds Kindness mans much different Pag. 110. Gods Kindnesse a sufficient defence against Mans malice and ill will 111. 209 Gods Kindnesse generall special 209. Gods Kindnesse is the Godlies argument in prayer 334. Knowledge which reformeth not is dangerous 93. Knowledge of this life farre inferiour to that of the life to come 169. Knowledge and Feare of God go together and so destroy both superstition and presumption 197 L THe Lawe of God the rule of mans life Pag. 8. Then learned when writ in the heart 83. A Lanterne and why so called 240. 241. Lawe written in the Scripture and in the conscience which the wicked would destroy if they could 287. Gods Lawe his image 315. True Libertie what and wherin it is 116. Carnall is thraldome 114. Naturall Life maketh a Reprobate worse because Life without grace is death 49. Our Life a race and restlesse battell 90. Mans Life measured by dayes not yeares 201. The Life of the Godly excelled diuersly but he in the Life of grace excelleth all 262 263. Of a Godly Life three helpes Determination Supplication and Consideration 145. Of Life naturall eternall 39◅ Light not onely to bee had but grace withall to be desired to walk after the Light 95. The Light of the Gospel clearer then the Light of the Law 240. At the Light of the Lanterne of the Word we must light the Light of the Lanterne of our mind 242. Light externall internall speciall of Creatures of Conscience of Gods Countenance 308 A Looke of mercy a Looke of displeasure 302. To Loue to liue to sinne is wicked but to Loue to liue to repent of sinne good 50. Louers of God loue the Godly 161. Gods Loue to his exceeding great 221. Dauids Loue to Gods Law not counterfeit but complete 228. Loue is all God asketh the tryall thereof 229. Loue coupled and conserued with feare 270. Loue of obedience an argument of Godlinesse 255. 289. Loue of creatures must be conditionall ibid. Loue in God the fountain of his benefits Loue in Man the fountaine of his obedience 320. Loue to God in vs assureth vs of the Loue of God tovs 371. Two trials of true Loue. 372. 278. A Lying way the way of nature 81. Lyes trimmed vp with the garment of truth 177. M MAn quick to works of sinne dead to works of grace 100 Man Gods work manship therfore loued by him 185. Man without vnderstanding a Beasts fellow 186. Man at the best standeth in need of mercy 301. Martyrs of inuincible courage whence 362. Meditation necessary 43. The matter of Meditation 44. Members naturall one neede another 39. Mercies begun moue God to more mercies 72. 165. Gods Mercy in forgiuing and mans Truth in confessing meete together 73. Desire of Mercy vseth the means of Mercy 106. Memorials of mercy to be maintained 167. Mercy receiued maketh men thirst for more 193. Mercy for remission for consolation for reformation ibid. Gods mercies are registred constant not onely for our consolation but for our confirmation 303. Mercy in God and grace in man meet together ibid. It is Gods mercy that differēceth the gratious gracelesse 347. 348 Gods mercies why called great why tender 349. Mans minding God may be seen by his godly life 133. The troubles of the minde distemper the body 200. 300. The godly shold open their mind when God openeth his mouth 301 Moabs curse 386. Mockeries of euill men a part of Christs crosse 126. Motions of sinne Grace 105 Mourning for our selues for others commended why 312. N A Good Name to be regarded and why Pag. 213. Naturall men cannot mount aboue the earth 268. Nature cannot conioyn whom Grace doth not 175. Not Nature but Faith leadeth vs to the hand that smiteth 192. Necessities hinder spirituall duties 156. As God is Neere vnto vs so we should be Neere vnto him 338. Nero his miserable end 376. O A Godly Oath necessary to a godly resolution Page 243. Obedience qualified how 57. Obedience resolued on by the Godly for eternity 114. The Oblation of a mans selfe most pleasing vnto God 248. The Oblation of his hart is euer in the godly mans hand ibid. Obl◅uion leadeth to rebellion and defection 17. 323. Offences offred God should grieue vs more then iniuries offered vs. 286. He must Offer to God that asketh of God 330. The Opening of sin before God 780. A spirituall Oppression in Dauid 68. Oppressors of our soules to bee most prayed against 274 P TWo great motiues to Patience Pag 246. Our Perfection is rather in desires then in deeds 105. 379. 396. Persecutions and Persecutors diuers 203. 306. 352. True Godlines neuer wants the crowne of Perseuerance 87. Gods last Plagues the more grieuous 172. Pleasures diuers 2. Pleasures earthly all vain 225. God is the Portion wherein a boue all the Godly do glory 138. Motiues to make God our Portion ibid. God a Portiō no whit lesse thogh communicated vnto all 141. Comfort to the Poore that God is their Portion 142. Our Practise must proue that God is our Portion 144 Pouerty not to want golde but grace 184. To Practise what we prescribe 31 Prayer the life of the soule 47. The Godly answer Gods precepts with Prayer 18 Rules for Prayer 80. Argument of Prayer ariseth out of all our diuers dispositions 82. Prayer to be feruent frequent why 108. 265 294. 385. When to be long when short 295 In Dauids Prayer 3. things his Reuerence Sincerity Faith 146. For Prayer Christs and Dauids precepts and practise 158. Nothing to be Prayed for but what warranted by the Word 199. Prayers to bee framed to God promises 261. 385. Praier is seed to be sowne 328. Prayers of the Godly interrupted 382. Euery crying is no piercing Praying 328. Prayer must be with Perseuerance 331. Prayers to be prayed for 382. Praiers reiected a sore plague ibid. Error of pride accursed 61. Prides policy 203. A preseruatiue against pride 307 Religious Princes a great blessing 64. Princes though Persecutors to be reuerenced 361. Presumptuous Professors reproued 210. Gods Promises most sure in themselues must be made sure vn to vs by Prayer 100 All Gods Promises are conditionall 102. 262. He that prayeth vnto God must Promise vnto God 109. 386. The generall Promise of mercy containeth euery mans particular comfort that is godly 120. It standeth with Gods honor to performe his Promise 122. Gods Promise is our hopes warrant 279. Gods Promises some made with a time set some without 284. 285. Not onely Gods Promises but his precepts
Commended for the truth and righteousnes thereof 357. Euery thing contrary thereto is falsehood 366. It is the keeper of religious order 389. It is like Manna 392. Gods Works are wondrous 77. All his Works serue him 217. Worldlings treasure is without them The Christians is within them 33. The Worldlings ioy The Godlies griefe 69 Y YOuth and Old age both to be godly 30. To be considered 234. Z THe Zeale of the godly to Gods word not soon satisfied 317. The nature of Zeale ibid. Sundry sorts of Zeale 318. The effects of Zeale ibid. Zeale and Knowledge twowings of the Soule 319. The Tryall of Zeale ibid. Zeale in Prayer 328. What may seem wanting in this Table the references of certaine verses will supply FINIS Iob 31. Heb. 13. So many waieâ—… doth God teâ—…ch man that man is inexcusable if he learn not Matth. 11. 17. Euthym. Gods courle in dealing with man contrary to Sathans Esa. 5. 4. A commendation of the booke of the Psalmes Aâ—…ib Dauid both the heart and the tongue and the pen of the great King If we be partakers of Dauids disposition we shall also be partakers of his approbation ☜ A notable sentence of Cyprian to this purpole Iob 1. 1. 8. Pontius We should marke these verâ—…es for which God hath commended his seruants In euery verse of this Psalme except one Dauid makes mention of Gods word Vatablus Such as are regenerate by the word liue by it as by the food of their soules Others cannot account of it ☜ The order and diuision of this Psalme The felicity of man stands in a conformity with God Basil. praeâ—…in Psal. Rom. 9. 5. Foure wayes is mans felicity described in holy Scripture Ephes. 1. 3. Psalme Psal. 3â—… 1. Matth. 5. Euthym. Euery mans life is a Way wherein without intermission he walkes to the graue Basil. Psal. 125. The different courses of good and euill men in it For there is one common to them both which is seene one other proper to each of them which is secret A godly man directs his course by the word 〈◊〉 3. 1â—… Mans felicity stands in God his approbation No malice of Sathan no wrath of man can curse where God hath blessed Why Gods word is called the Testimony of God Euery man should take heed what Gods word testifies to him Mich. 2. 7. ☞ Aug. How the children of God keepe his word in mind affection and action Rom. 8. How necessary it is for vs to seeke the Lord. Psal. 73 27. Ver. 28. Miserable are they who seeke him not With what affection God should be sought Chrysost. in mat hom 24. Euthym. ☞ Six conditions to be obserued in the seeking of God 1 Seeke him in Christ. Heb. 7. 25. 2 Seeke him in truth Ier. 10 10. Ioh. 4. 2â—… Pâ—…l 51. 3 Seeke him in holinesse Heb 12. 1 Ioh. 3. 4 Sâ—…eke him aboue all things and for himselfe Hos. Aug. ☞ 5 Seeke him by his owne light Rom. 1. 21. 6 Seek him without wearying Psal. 34. 5. If we keepe Gods word it keepes vs. How it is that the Saints of God worke no iniquity Rom. 7. Three things concurre to the working of iniquity ☞ 1. Ioh. 3. Why the life of a godly man is called Gods way The sinnes of this age are either of obliuion or rebellion excuse of ignorance is taken from them By obliuion men are easily caried to rebellion Psal. 123. 2. Three reasons to moue vs to a carefull diligence to obey the Lord. The godly answer Gods preâ—…epts with a prayer It cannot be well with man when his way is contrary to Gods way It is a worke of Gods mercy and power to draw a man from his owne way to Gods way Euthym. The miserable effects of sin Iam. 1. It offends both God and man but hurts him most that did â—…ommit it Ierem. â—…asil Wee should make conscience of all God his commaundements The halfe obeâ—…ience of the wicked is like the voice of an Eccho Iam. 2. 10. Thankfulnes to God commended for foure causes Psalme First for the equitie of it sith wee take good things from God why should we not giue him glory Secondly for the obiect thereof which is God the treasure of all good Thirdly for the associates wee haue in this exercise namely Angels our elder brethren Lastly for the great good we get by it The best musicall instrument for Gods prayses is an vprigh â—…are Both the matter the grace of thankfulnes is from God Purposes wold be seconded with prayers A resolution to be godly is a great beginning of a godly life A fearefull plague to be forsaken of God â—…asil Gods children many times exercised with temporall desertions To a godly man a â—…hort time of Gods absence is long Gods word is a glasse representing to vs both Gods image and our owne As words and sentences cannot be without letters so no good in religioÌ„ or manners without the word ☞ Dauid edifies others with that which had done himselfe good The word is needfull for all specially for young men and why Amb. lib. de viduis Naziâ—…n orat 46. in Ecclesiast Prou. 22. 15. Lam. 3. 27. Youth commonly most profane Amos. 2. It is an euill diuision when young yeeres are giuen to Satan and olde age to the Lord. Leuit. 2. 14. Malach. How the strength of young age should be declared 1. Ioh. 2. 14 15 16. It a double sin and shame for old men to be vngodly A miserable euill to come to Canaans borders and be put backe againe ☜ Knowledge to gouern the life aright is the good gift of God Amb. Dauid practised that which he taught to others Hee was far froÌ„ Pharisaicall boasting of his owne perfection Basil. The beginning continuing and perfecting of our saluation is of God Heb. 12. Dauid hid not the talent hee receiued Psal. He that edifies not his owne heart with mercy is not meet to speake of it vnto others Christians haue their treasure within Worldlings without them The godly make not a vaine shew of grace but lock it vp in the heart to hide it from their enemies Basil. Worldlings carelesse of the heauenly treasure conuinced If we keepe the word it will keepe vs. The soule of the godly cannot be satisfied in this life Men are carelesse to seeke God because they know not what a iewell he is But seeke the creatures as if their happines stood in them To be taught by man is nothing if God teach not Amb. Doctrine shold be deliuered and receiued with prayer ☜ Such as haue solid knowledge of saluation desire to know more And none thinke they know enough but they who know nothing Bern. Benefits receiued being well vsed may make vs bold to seek more How sayth Dauid he declared Gods iudgements 〈◊〉 the Apostle saith they are vnsearchable Psal. 35. Rom. 11. Ambrose Iudgements of God are twofold secret and reuealed Men should learne before they teach Bern. Man made with such wisedome that no member in the body
can say to another I need thee not Speech taken from good men for two causes Iob 12. 1 For punishment of their people 2 For correction of themselues The ioy gotten by Gods word surmounts all worldly ioy whatsoeuer Basil. Ambrose In a miserable estate are they to whom Gods word is a wearinesse Sathans baits â—…e pleasure or profit but we should not be moued with any of them and why Amb. 1. Cor. 1. It is not the hearing or reading of Gods word that will worke vs ioy if we practise it not ☞ Basil. Of the vexation and vanity of worldly riches Ambros. in Luc. cap. 16. They flie farthest from vs when we haue most need of comforts A threefold internall action of the soule about the word ☜ How a godly man is euer fruitfull in good The necessity and vtility of meditation The minde of man is restlesse and vexes it selfe with euill if it be not exercised with good Gods word should be the matter of our meditation August Marcellinâ—… Iob 22. The word is Gods way because by it God commeth to vs and we go to him The more good a godly man doth the more he desires to do The graces of the Spirit are linked together lose one lose all keepe one keep all ☞ Our best estate vpon earth is that we haue not that which we should and yet want not altogether The strength of a Christian is in his prayer The greatest benefit men receiue from God is grace to obey him Constantine the great his notable saying It is more to be a Christian then a Monarch of the world So Dauid reioyceth more in this that he was Gods seruant then king of Israel Sith Angels serue him shal we think shame to serue him Naturall life makes a reprobate man in a worse case then if he had neuer been But to an elect man euen naturall life is a great benefit This life without grace is but a death Num. 19. Math. 8. Eph. 5. Miserable are they who desire to liue for loue of the pleasures of sin A worthy meditation of Nazianzen Satan by experience is found a false deceiuer How blind maÌ„ is by nature ☜ Our regeneratioÌ„ is wrought by degrees Ambrose If we be ignorant of the word the blame is in our darke mind not in it Vatab. 2. Cor. 3. 14. Why many learned men attaine not to the knowledge of the truth ☞ Basil. Illumination of the mind is Gods worke Psal. 104. Luk 24. 2. Cor. 3. 16. Euery Article of our faith â—…s a wonderful mysterie Man on earth is a stranger knowes not the way hee should walk till God shewes it vnto him Ambrose Worldlingâ—… shal not continue on earth yet cannot say they are strangers in it And that because in affection they be content with this desire not a better Phil. Reuel 8. Psal. 17. Worldlings â—…e inhabitants of the earth Christians are â—…ut strangers in it Basil. Luke The whole earth is but a place of banishment Nazian in vita Basil. A man euen in his owne house should esteeme himselfe a straÌ„ger This world can neither wil nor teach men a way to go out of her selfe we must seeke a guide froÌ„ heauen ☞ The right knowledge of the ten Commandements Two things required in true obedience Both the word and the plagues of God are called his iudgments how Such as are not moued by the first shall be confounded by the second A hart full of spirituall desires is an argument of great grace Ambr. Ambrose Comfort against coÌ„tempt of men wherby they scorne the godly for sighing and teares The begunne wrath of God on them shold confirme vs against their contempt But many wax worse with Lamech when they see euill men spared Gene. 4. 24. Few become better with Dauid when they see them punished Eccles. Wicked men coÌ„monly styled proud men and why Proud Satan hath made disciples prouder then himselfe Esay 14. Ambr. The miserable condition of a proud man Iam. ☞ Ambrose Euery error is dangerous but proud error accursed Sinnes of pride and of infirmitie should be distinguished Curse of God on the wicked is like a secret consumption Dauid his appellation to God from the wrongful iudgments of men How Dauid iustifies himselfe before God and man A triall of true religion A hard tentation to be troubled by men of great authority for two causes 1. For their power Prou. Rom. 13. 2. 〈◊〉 place Psalm Princes godly and râ—…us are a great blessing of God Great cause haue we to be thankfull for the King hee hath set ouer vs. Psalm christians measure not the veritie of religion by the number or greatnes of them that are with it or against it Such as persecure the godlie with their tongues will not faile to loose their hands against them if they may Where we find that God binds their hands we should beare their tongues the more patiently ☜ Ierem. 12. Armour of godly men is the word and prayer Ambrose ☞ The word renders vs both counsell for gouernment pleasure for delectation Comfort gotten by other recreations continues not ☜ No wisedome without the word The word of God is conuenient for euery state of life Dauid sore troubled with a spirituall oppression Tentations of the godly somtimes cannot be told sometimes it is not expedient they should be told In a worldling the very heauenly part is becom earthly Ambrose The contrary disposition of Christians Ambr. Cant. 4. 4. The royall towre of christ is a soule moâ—â—ting vp to heauen Change of estates wherevnto the godly are subiect ☞ Godly men by 〈◊〉 waÌ„ts falls infirmities become more godly The life of a ChristiaÌ„ wherin stands it It is great faith to belieuâ—… when there is no feeling of mercie Dauids argument to moue the Lord vnto mercie Where God begins to shew mercy he ceaâ—… not tâ—…ll hee crowne with â—…cie Mans liberality is but like a Strand Gods like the great Ocean Happy is the soule wherein mercy truth meet together An euill conscience hides it self from God Esa. What a great benefit it is to manifest our wayes to God in time Ambrose Sathan confounded when we confesse our sinnes ☞ A profitable rule to make vs liue godly Basil. After confession he ioynes prayer for amendment Ambros. See ver 12. Remission and renouation are two inseparable benefits ☜ We haue great need to pray for further light We can walke the wayes of sinne without a teacher not so the wayes of God Miserable is man so long as his way and Gods way are different Good things should be sought from God for good ends Iam 4. The works of God are all maruellous The godly sore humbled by affliction A Christian is eyther looking to his owne necessities or to God his mercies Naturall comforts cannot sustaine a man iâ—… spirituall troubles 1. Pet. 1. Luk. 6. Christians should not thinke that their tentations are singular 1. Cor. 10. Christs crosse is such a burden is easeth them on whoÌ„
a true word Malac. 3. 18. The Vnderstanding is the taster of the soule that discerns between truth falsehood Phil. 1. 9. Many want this Sense ☜ Our knowledge in this â—…ife â—…ar infeâ—… to that we shâ—… haue in the 〈◊〉 â—…o come 2. Cor. 5. 7. Gods promises cannot coÌ„fort vs if we be not of their number to whom they belong Affliction in the godly worketh humiliation Worldlings can not vnderstand how good can come by the Crosse. Onely sanctified Crosses worke good Ambrose ☜ To be afflicted not purged chastiâ—…ed not corrected is an euill token Ierem. 6. Esay 1. Many now become worse after deliuerance from trouble These are reserued to sharper scourges Gods last stroke is alway heauiest Amos 5. 19. A godly man is couetous of heauenly instruction How due vnto God is the praise of goodnesse Ambros. in Psa. 119. It is his owne goodnesse that makes him good to his creature Luke 11. A great blessing to be in fellowship with God Constancie in Religion Wicked men are restlesse enemies to the godly Ambr. in Psal. 119. No band of nature can conioyne them whom grace hath not conioyned Why wicked meÌ„ are termed proud men Pâ—…ide an horrible euill ☜ Grace workes humility in the godly Gen. 18. 27. Iudg. 6. 15. Examples prouing that they who are greatest in Gods estimation are least in their owne eyes Satans two armes wherby he wrestles against the godly are violence and lies ☜ Lies trimmed vp with the garment of truth We should not fight against Satan and his instruments with their armour ☞ Rom. 12. 20. Dauids disposition and his enemies contrary How different effects are wrought in godly men by their different sights Luke 18. Acts 26. 29. A soft and melting heart a great blessing A hard stony hart a fearfull cuâ—…se ☞ How a sanctied crosse may be discerned from a cursed Namely if the crosse be a correction Nature of affliction changed to the godly Three things wee see in trouble better then in prosperitie Iob. 5. Rom. 5. The crosse makes a man learned by experience The goodnes of wicked men ends wheÌ„ their trouble ends it is otherwise with the godly Esay 38. The less worldly comfort wee haue the stroÌ„ger is the coÌ„fort of Gods word The authoritie of Gods word should be distinguished froÌ„ the ministrie thereof 1. Sam. 3. Vanity of worldly riches It is not pouertie to want gold but to want grace Chrâ—…s in Mat. hom 9. Otherwise Angels might be called poore Man is Gods workmanship and euen in that respect beloued of God Ambr. in Psal. 119. None caÌ„ rightly seeke from God who consider not what he hath already done to them The priuiledges of our first creation are all lost We haue neyther hope nor comfort in theÌ„ A man without vnderstanding is a companion of beasts True knowledge is that which works godlinesse Practise of pieâ—…e is the art of Artes. Ambr. oâ—…i lib. 1. cap. 26. Moses learning The three designes of a godly man The power of godlinesse Amb. in Psal. 119. The sight of a godly man suppose he be silent teacheth others The communion which is among Christians The working of God with one of his seruants teacheth all the rest To praise God in affliction is a great grace ☜ All Gods waies are righteous suppose we see them not Ignorance of this makes men murmure where they haue no cause Iudgement put for plagues and for corrections Why the crosses of godly men are called iudgements Amb. in Pâ—…s 119 Afflictions of the godly and wicked differ 1. In measure Esa. 27. 7. 2. In their ends Faith and not nature teacheth a man to runne to the hand that strikes him Hos. 6. 1. Comfort for men vnder crosses Promise of mercy rendred more ioy to Dauid then the promise of a kingdome Mercy receiued makes the godly thirst for more Psalm 17. 15. Three ranks of mercy craued by the godly ☞ Prayer against enemies how it should be framed Basil in Psalme 119. Ambrose in Psalme 119. Shame with contempt reward of sin The wicked are proud men A proud man â—…is iust punishment Let vs not look for peace from the wicked Satan may wex worse but shall neuer be better Dauids armor Euery Christian hath need of anothers help By reason of the diuersitie of grace dispensed to theÌ„ Publique sin is like Miriams leprosie that separated her froÌ„ the Congregation Why God suffers the countenaÌ„ce of good men to bee cast down on other good men Knowledge â—…are of God â—…equired together Desertions spirituall doe sore cast downe the godly As a body wanting meat fainâ—…th so c. The godly neuer so faint that they lose all life ☜ Our petitions should all be warranted by the word Answer of our prayers delaied many times and why Chrys. in Math. The troubles of the mind distemper the body Gods children exercised with sharp afflictions Reasons hereof giuen The reason of Dauids supplication Psalm â—…8 11. Mans life measured by dayes not yeeres A question alway to be remembred ☞ ☜ Prayer against our enemies how it should be framed Such iudgements as are preparatiues to mercy may be prayed for But not those iudgements that are forerunners of wrath ☜ Godly men euil recompenced of the world Sundry sorts of persecution Enemies of Dauid described Pridecan humble it selfe for a greater vantage Psal. 10. 4. 10. The wicked are taken in their owne sâ—…are Psalm 7. 15. Example hereof in Saul and Haman Comfort when we see wicked men are our enemies The Word giues comfort against all trouble Profitable for vs to be exercised with afflictions Amb. in Ps. 119 ☞ We should take heed to the cause for which we are troubled Cyprian 1. Pet. 4. Malice of the wicked is insatiable against the godly They rent both their names and their bodies after they are dead It is mans infirmity to be cast down with tentations coÌ„ming from men more then those that come from God Nazian ☜ Why God will haue his children brought very low by affliction 2. Cor. â—… Infidelity readie to goe â—… whooring froÌ„ God Desertion is like death to the godly Gods kindness is our defence against mans malice Psalme 52. 1. A two-fold kindnesse in God Psal. 145. Psalm 106. Man without grace is but dead and can doe no good Presumptuous professors reproued ☞ A comfortable meditation of the eternitie of Gods word The word of God opposed to the word of man Cypr. lib. 4. Epist. 2. Philo. The good name of a christian should be regarded and why Innocence defends vs not froÌ„ the calumnies of mâ—…n Words of men most effectless when they are stoutest What is meant here by heaueÌ„ The changes of this world cumber our faith Vatab. Then it is good to looke vp vnto heaueÌ„ Heb. 6. 19. The visible frame of heauen a witnesse of Gods eternall truth The creatures cannot teach the way of saluation but coÌ„firme vs in it ☜ Iere. 31. 35. The certaintie of our saluatioÌ„ The glory of
without griefe nor yet griefe without ioy ☜ Of the right gouernement of our eyes Reasons mouing vs to mourning 1. If we mourn not for other mens sinnes they become ours 2. If we mourn many blessings follow it ☜ A three-fold comfort that sustained Dauid 1. A meditation of the righteousnesse of God 2. A meditation of the equity of Gods commands flowing from his righteous nature The Lawe of God represents to vs the image of God How horrible an euill sinne is ☞ If any man desire to know what will be his end let him inquire at Gods word The loue which godly men carry to the word cannot be satisfied in this lâ—…fe The nature of zeale Sundâ—…y sorts of zeale ☞ Rom. 10. 2. Ambrose The effects of holy zeale Rom. 12. Knowledge Zeale two wings of the soule How true zeale may be tried from false ☜ Who are enemies to godly men 3. A meditation of Gods constant and continual working according to his word As God hath a mouth to speake so a hand to doe as continuall experience hath proued ☞ Loue in God the fountaine of all his benefites Loue in man the fountaine of all his seruice ☞ Temporizers in Religion Carol. Sigon de rep 〈◊〉 lib. 1. c. 3 ☞ They are little esteemed of men who are great in the account of God Macar â—…om â—…â—… 1. Ioh. 3. Persons should â—…e regarded for heir faith Iam. 2. Obliuion of our duety is the first steppe to defection What a sure comfort we haue by the word of God The Crosse is necessary for a Pilgrime and why The kindly sonnes of God cannot want a Crosse. Carnal and spirituall ioy consist not together Delight in the word an argument of true Godline The fearefull recompence of them who loue not Gods word Vatab. Three things in this verse Praier is a seede which now wee should sowe plentifully that in haruest wee may reap the fruit thereof ☞ Feruency and zeale of heart required in praier Ambrose Psal. 119. Euery crying pearces not heauen The voice of the wicked in praier â—…uailes not Great things should be asked from the great God Praier a seruice due to God only He that seeks from God should also offer to him Continuance in praier recoÌ„mended vnto vs Ambrose in Psal. 119. ☜ How time posts away and we should striue with it ☞ How a man on earth may imitate the life of Angels Ambrose The first fruits of our hart and tongue euery morning shold be offered to God ☜ Gold professors reproued who spend all their time on the world If they cannot giue all at least they should giue the halfe of it vnto God Prayer mitigates trouble The common argument of al Gods children in Prayer Ambâ—…n Ps. 119 Is from his mercy not from their merit How Dauid desires God should deale with him in iudgement The godly are a mark of contradiction to Satan and al his instruments Comfort against the contempt of men No enemy so neere to hurt vs as God is neere to helpe vs. Comfortable examples therof Vpon what condition will the Lord be neere vnto vs. Amb. in Psalm 119. If we in our heart be also neere vnto him They that in affection goe farre from the Lord hurt themselues ☜ The word is a â—…affe to sutaine vs in trouble Man commands without reason he proâ—…es without performance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without effect not to the Lâ—… Experience of the truth of Gods word doth greatly comfort vs. The Word an Anchor of the soule The prouidence of God by stable order ruleth all things ☜ Eurip. Aug. in Matth. Ephes. 1. Dauids prayers proper to euery member of the Church How God is a spectator and partaker with vs in all our afflictions ☞ A good conscience makes a man familiar with God An appellation from men to God To be vsed of them who are wronged by men A warning to Iudges 2. Chron. 19. ☞ Wicked men are the authors of their owne wracke Amb. in Psalm 119. Basil. in Ps. 119. The word of God and his saluation are conioyned together Externall prosperity of wicked men not to be regarded Acts 26. The godly guilty of transgression but not of conteÌ„pt It is grace only by which one man differs froÌ„ another in godlinesse Godly men edifie their harts by euery thing they see in others In Gods mercy not in our merit stands our comfort Ambrose The mercies of God why they â—…re called great Esa. 40. Comfort against the greatnesse of our sinnes ☜ 1. Tim. 1. The mercies of God are called tender why Iam. 3. ☞ Life of grace should be cherished continually Constancy in Religion Trouble a tryall of true Religion Iob 1. Such as are not sincere worshippers will not continue ☞ Manifold were Dauids troubles There is one persecuter of the godly Satan but he hath many instruments Corrupt affections sore persecutors 1. Cor. 6. ☞ By visible enemies also he persecutes vs. ☜ The godly esteeme more of Gods glory then their owne liues A good thing that a man can desire God to look vpon him Ambrose Psal. 119. Vanity to hide our way from the Lord. Loue of Gods word in the godly is inuincible Not only Gods promises but his precepts also are loued of the godly Rom. 7. 8 Worldly things sought earnestly by worldlie men May make vs ashamed that cannot seek excellent things with an excellent affection Perswasion of the truth of Gods word brings out obedience Vatab. 2. Pet. 1. 19 The iudgement by-gon should warne the wicked of iudgements to come Euery man feares when iudgement comes Onely godly men feare before it come Euery example of godlie men learnes vs some lesson How Dauid saith he was persecuted without cause He compares not himselfe with God but with men Princes suppose they were wicked yet should they be reuerenced ☜ Murther of Kings is from the spirit of Saâ—…au 1. Sam. 24 The feare of Gods wrath ouercomes the feare of man his displeasure Psal. â—… The awe-band of wicked men is without them The awe-band of godly men is within them ☜ Ambrose Psal. 119. With what affection Gods word should be receiued ☞ Why naturall men esteeme not of Gods word The godly find ioyfull tydings by the word and therfore esteeme of it But the wicked finde it a message of their damnation What maruaile then they like it not Euery thing contrary to Gods word is a falsehood and why Colâ—… hatred of euill shortly turnes into a liking of euill ☜ Bodily vncleannes vnseemely for Gods people Ambrose Much more spirituall vncleannes He that hateth sinne must loue Gods law Affections if they be strong cannot lurke but will breake forth in actioÌ„s Ambrose Such is our coldnesse that we scarse pray so frequently on the Sabboth as Dauid did euery day Yet on the sabboth the daily sacrifice should be doubled ☜ It is not for one but for all the godly what euer comfort is in Gods word Godly men many wayes described in holy Scripture and why ☞ Yet are they