euerlasting But alas we are come to such a lothing disdaine or reiecting of heauenlie foode in this Country that where men in the beginning would haue gone some twentie miles some fortie miles to the hearing of this word they will scarcelie now come from their houses to the Church and remaine there but one houre to heare the word but rather abide at home Wel I say too much wealth withdrawes their hearts the abundance of this word ingenders such a loathsomnes that it is a rare thing to find out any that haue that thirst desire to heare the word as they were wont to haue in the beginning And for those that are in higher places they wil here it seldom or not at all for they cannot endure to heare the thing that accuseth them and conuicts them and therefore they auoyde it But they should not do so they should not shunne Christ nor abstaine from his word that accuseth them but they should heare the word and as the word accuseth them they should accuse themselues also that thereby they may come to a confessiō of their sin obtaine mercy for the same So when Christ accuseth thee thou shouldst not run from him but thou shouldest draw neere to him thou shouldest threaten kindnesse of him and as it were make a breach and forcible entry into his kingdome It is not the way when thy sinnes touch thee and when Christ accuseth thee to run from him no thou shouldest then turne to him thou shouldest confesse thy sinne cry Peccaui and seeke mercy and after that thou hast obtained mercy this word shall become as pleasant to thee thou shalt take as great delight to come to the hearing of it as euer thou delightedst to flie from it before But alas our lothsomnesse and disdaine is growne to such an height that truly I am moued to beleeue firmly that the Lord hath concluded that we shall not enter into his rest and that onely for the great contempt of his mercy and grace which is now so richly offred For why God can not deale otherwise with vs then he dealt with our forefathers the Israelites for the negligence of his word which was but then obscurely preached for then it was farre from the incarnation of Christ and the farther that it was from his incarnation the word was euer the more obscurely preached vnder darke types and shadowes Yet notwithstanding the Fathers that heard that word preached and beleeued it not they perished all in the Wildernesse except two as ye haue sometime heard out of this place And if they perished for the contempt of so darke a light much more must ye that are their children perish for the contempt of the Sun of righteousnes who is risen so plainly shineth so cleerly now in the preaching of the Gospel except the Lord in his mercie preuent you and except ye preuent his iudgements by earnest seeking and except ye seeke a feeling and seeke inward senses that ye may see and feele the grace that is offered craue againe that he will sanctifie your hearts by repentance that ye may repent you of your sins leade an honest a godly conuersation in all time to come that both body and soule may be saued in the great day of the Lord. The Lord worke this in your soules that ye may seeke mercie seeking mercie ye may obtaine mercy and in mercie ye may lay hold on Christ and that for his righteous merits To whom with the Father and the holie Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE SECOND SERMON VPON THE PREPARATION TO THE LORDS SVPPER 1. COR. 11.2 Let euery man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. IN the doctrine of our triall and due examination the Apostle as ye haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus gaue vs a speciall command that euery one of vs should try and examine narrowly our selues that is that euery man should condescend and enter into his owne conscience try and examine the estate of his own conscience in what estate he findes it with God and in what estate he findes it with his neighbour He enioynes this triall to our selues and commandeth that euery one of vs should take paines about the true examination of our consciences He enioynes this work to vs why Because no man knoweth so much of me as I do my selfe because no man can be sure of the estate of my conscience but I my selfe because no man can so diligently nor so profitably try my conscience as I my selfe Therefore chiefly it behooueth euery man and woman before they do enter in to the hearing of the Word before they giue their eare to the Word or their mouth to the Sacrament it behooueth them to trie and examine their owne consciences Not that the Apostle would seclude the triall of other men for as it is lawfull for me to try my selfe so no doubt it is lawfull for my Pastor to try me It is lawfull for other men that haue a care ouer me to try and examine me but no man can do this so profitably to me as I my selfe And though we had neuer so many tryers and examiners all is nothing if we trie not our selues So whether there be a second or a third tryer and examiner let our selues be one and the first And no doubt the Apostles minde was this to let vs see clearely that he that cometh to that Table and hath not that knowledge nor is not of that ability to try him-selfe is a profane commer cometh vncleanely and therefore must needs come to his owne destruction Let euery man therefore grow in knowledge grow in vnderstanding grow in the spirit that he may be the more able to try and examine his owne conscience To the end that ye may go forward and proceede in the worke of this triall with the better speed and with the better fruites in this examination we laid downe this order First of all I shewed what that is which we call a conscience and what is meant thereby Next I declared for what causes ye should put your consciences to this triall and narrow examination And thirdly so farre as time suffered I entred into the points wherein euery one of you should try and examine your owne consciences As for conscience that ye may call that definition to your memory I will resume it shortly We call a conscience a certaine feeling in the heart resembling the righteous iudgement of GOD following vpon a deed done by vs flowing from a knowledge in the mind A feeling accompanied with a motion in the heart a motion either of feare or ioy trembling or reioycing I leaue the opening vp of these parts to your memories and I pray God that they may be well sanctified I come next to the causes wherefore euery one of you should be carefull in trying examining your owne consciences The first cause is
It resteth also vpon the truth and power of God but especially vpon the promise of grace and mercie in Christ. The soule of the Papist being destitute of the feeling and taste of mercie dare not enter into this particular application and so he cannot be iustified Yea no doubt so many of them as are iustified in the mercie of God get a taste of this mercie and kindnesse before they depart this life Thus farre concerning the effects Then ye haue onely this to remember The opening of the heart the pacifying and quieting of the conscience they worke an assurance and a strong perswasion of the mercy of God in Christ. The more that the heart is opened the more that the conscience is pacified the more that the taste of that sweetnesse continueth and remaineth the more art thou assured of Gods mercie So then wouldest thou know whether thy faith be strong or not whether thy perswasion of Gods mercie be sure or not Looke to thy conscience If thy conscience be wounded assuredly thou wilt doubt and if thou doubtest thou canst not haue such a strong perswasion as otherwise thou wouldest haue if thy doubting were remooued Not that I will haue faith to be so perfect in this life that there be alwaies no doubting ioyned with it I require not that perfection but I say that a wounded conscience must euer doubt and the more we doubt the lesse is our perswasion So the more that thou woundest thy conscience the lesse faith thou hast Then thou must come to this point Keepe a sound conscience entertaine peace in thy conscience and thou shalt keepe faith and shalt haue thy perswasion in that same measure that thou hast of rest peace in thy conscience the more that thy conscience is at peace and rest the greater shall thy faith and perswasion be So this ground is certaine A doubting conscience causeth a weake faith and the more the doubting in thy conscience is the weaker is thy faith Then true it is that the Apostle saith That faith dwelleth in a good conscience that faith is locked and closed vp in a good conscience So that if ye keepe a good conscience ye shall keepe a strong faith and if ye wound your consciences ye shall wound your faith Now to make this more sensible How can I be perswaded of his mercie whose anger I feele kindled against me and against whom my conscience sheweth me that I am guiltie of many offences No question so long as the sence of his anger and feeling of my offences remaineth I cannot haue a sure perswasion that he will be mercifull vnto me but when I get accesse vnto his presence and a sight that he hath forgiuen me then I begin to be surely perswaded So then keepe a good conscience and thou shalt keepe faith and the better that thy conscience is the surer will thy faith be Then the whole exhortation that we gather from this point dependeth vpon this That euery one of you in what ranke soeuer ye be take heed vnto your consciences for losing it ye lose faith and losing faith ye lose saluation Are ye in the ranke of great and rich men Ye ought to take heede vnto your consciences especially in respect that the Lord hath placed you in a higher calling Ye haue many things wherein ye ought to controll your consciences ye ought to craue the aduice of your consciences before ye attempt any great worke in respect that ye are bound in manifold duties to God and to your inferiours And no doubt if some great men had aduised well with their consciences such dissolutions had not fallen out in their owne houses such oppressions of the poore deadly feudes with men of their owne ranke would not haue burst forth in so high a measure But the Lord seeing them take so little care vnto their consciences depriueth them of faith and of the hope of mercie and their end will be miserable Ye shall see that the God of heauen will make those who liue so dissolutely spectacles of his iudgements vnto the world for the Lord leaueth not such men vnpunished By their examples it wâ—re very necessarie that men of inferiour ranke should take heede vnto their consciences and â—herefore let euery man according vnto his calling examine his calling by the rule of his conscience Let the Iudges before they giue and pronounce forth iudgement aduise with their consciences and the law thereof and in iudgement not to follow their affections but to follow the rule of their consciences Likewise they that are of inferiour degree vnto Iudges let them controll their doings by their consciences and giue not the poore subiects iust cause to complaine of them Let them not terrifie them from the pleading of Iustice by exorbitant prices and extraordinarie kind of dealings but let them moderate all their actions so that they agree with the rule of their consciences that so far as in him lieth Iustice ceasse not Likewise the Merchants let not them looke so much to this or that as to the conscience that is in them what in conscience they may do according to the measure of knowledge that God hath placed in them and whatsoeuer they do let them beware that they do not against their knowledge I grant their knowledge will not be so learned as it should be and this maketh many deformed actions yet let no man do against his knowledge but let euery man do according vnto the measure of knowledge wherewith God hath indued him And though it be not well reformed yet do not any thing by guesse but aduise well with thy conscience and follow thy knowledge for that which is done doubtingly is sinne So whatsoeuer thou doest let not thy eye thy hand nor any member of thy bodie do against thy knowledge for this is a step to that high sinne against the holy Ghost This is the ready way to put all knowledge out of your mindes for if men do against knowledge and continue in doing against knowledge at the last they will become a masse of darknesse the Lord will scrape out all knowledge out of their mindes and all feeling of mercie out of their hearts Therefore let euery man follow his knowledge and according to the measure of his knowledge let his actions proceede It hath pleased the Lord to powre this liquor this precious ointment into vs though we be earthly and fraile vessels miserable creatures yet it hath pleased our gracious God to powre such a precious liquor into our hearts and mindes and to credite such a Iewell in our keeping that by vertue thereof we may take hold on Christ who is our iustice our wisedome sanctification and redemption Though we be miserable creatures yet the Lord of his mercy hath a respect to vs in Christ in giuing vs this precious liquor wherby our soules may be seasoned to life euerlasting In this that he poures it into our hearts we see cleerly that it growes
at his pleasure why is it not lawfull to craue it Indeed Iohn in his 12. Chap. 25. ver seemeth to gainsay this where he saith He that loueth this life shall lose it This knot may be soone loosed There is a loue of this life which is commendable and there is a loue which is worthie of reproofe whereof Iohn speaketh to wit an extraordinarie loue and such a loue whereby we place our whole felicitie in this life not looking for a better after this So this loue is damned by Iohn The other loue which is of God is whē we are readie to lay downe our life at his Maiesties feete and seeke the prorogation of our life for no respect but for his glory as this King did as he sheweth clearely in the end of his owne words in the 18 and 19 verses Thus farre concerning the petition So if we respect God and his glorie we may seeke this blessing Alwaies ye see in the greatest extremitie the onely comfort that he hath is the testimonie of a good conscience And this ought to be our stay when we are threatned of God either with plague or any other calamitie Well as I said in the beginning if it were possible that the Lords threatnings could make vs to haue recourse to him that he might cleanse our consciences in time we should haue as great comfort in our trouble as this King had Would God he would giue vs melting hearts Lord worke this in you Sir that as he hath honoured in your byrth so ye may honor him by your doings in your gouernment The Lord of his mercy giue vs hearts to craue this Lord giue vs hearts to sigh for the things we cannot amend Lord giue vs grace to haue recourse to Christ Iesus and by his mercy to enter into that City for without it there is nothing but swine and dogs nothing but Papistrie and idolatrie Let vs I say haue recouse to this God who is onely able to preserue both Church and Countrie To this God be all honour praise and glorie for euer and euer Amen THE SEVENTH SERMON VPON THE 38. CHAP. of the Prophecie of ISAIAH preached in the presence of the Kings Maiestie The text 4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah saying 5 Go and say vnto Hezekiah Thus saith the Lord God of Dauid thy Father I haue heard thy prayer and seene thy teares Behold I will adde vnto thy dayes fifteene years 6 And I will deliuer thee out of the hand of the King of Ashur and this City for I will defend this City IN the describing of this Kings disease we obserued first the manner and kinde of the disease We noted secondly the time when it tooke him We noted thirdly the greatnesse of this disease And last of all we marked his behauior vnder this disease As to the kind of the disease we marked it to haue bene a pestilent kinde of byle like vnto the botch of Egypt a byle of the worst kind that could be in those dayes So it pleased the Lord to exercise the patience of his tender seruant suppose he had an entire liking of this King yet it pleased him so roughly to handle him Vpon this we marked that the fauor hatred of God should not be esteemed by any externall thing in the earth suppose plagues and afflictions be common both to good euill yet the cause from whence they come is not common the end whereunto they tend is not common The Spirit of God assureth vs that this kind of exercise is the onely way to purge our iniquity By this kinde of exercise the sinnes of Iacob are remoued Then let no man iudge the woe of his brother by reason of affliction Secondly we marked the time when he tooke this disease we noted this time to haue bene the 14. yeare of his reigne shortly after he was deliuered out of the hands of Senacherib So he is not so soone deliuered from one fearefull warre but he falleth in the hands of a terrible plague And here we gathered that the life of a good King is a continuall griefe and a continuall tentation so that the issue of one trouble is the beginning of a greater and their whole life is as it were a continuall vexation So it pleaseth the Lord to exercise the patience of his owne to the end he may engender a bitternesse of this life into them that this life being bitter they may seeke for a better for the Lord feedeth not his owne as slaughter oxen No but he holdeth their backes vnder continuall crosses that by this they may learne to haue their mindes aloft that they may learne how to vse the world and all these trifles beneath to wit as they may serue them to the life to come Thus for the time As for the greatnesse of the disease we painted it forth by two circumstances First by nature it was deadly for there was no force of nature that could preuaile over it Secondly the seruant of God by a denunciation assured him that it was deadly and this aggrauateth highly the greatnesse of this disease Vpon this denunciation we tooke vp a generall lesson concerning the promises and threatnings of God to wit that in all his promises and threatnings there is a condition annexed which either is expressed or perpetually to be vnderstood So it is here for suppose the Prophet vsed the simple forme of denunciation yet it was not to bring him to despaire but that he might the more earnestly seeke grace and mercy at God Lastly we marked his behauiour vnder this disease and we found that suppose the plague threatned him on the one hand and God terrified him on the other hand yet in this extremity he maketh his recourse to him that terrifieth him It was an easie matter to haue retyred to him when the King of Asshur terrified him But this is a wonderfull triumph of faith that the Lord appearing to be his enemy yet he maketh his recourse vnto him This he could not haue done except he had bene sustained by the testimony of a good conscience it is not possible that he could haue retyred to God that is a consuming fire in a guilty conscience except he had bene vpholden by the testimony of a good conscience hauing this testimony he knew that this threatning was to amend him and not to slay him in word and not indeede Vpon this we gathered this obseruation Blessed is the man that is not condemned in his owne conscience for if we cannot escape the condemnation of our owne heart how much lesse can we be able to escape the condemnation of God who made the heart for The Lord condemneth no man but him whom his conscience first condemneth so the Lord hath placed this conscience here to resemble the iudgement which is to follow after For whom the conscience condemneth assuredly the Lord condemneth And whom the conscience with the warrant of the word approueth no
zeale or of force we shall be spoyled of it Thus farre concerning the second cause As to the third I shall touch it shortly and so I shall end The third cause is this he sayth he shall see man no more among the inhabitants of the earth Now what a cause is this This appeareth to be a very slight cause that he should be grieued at his death because he should see man no more For I am assured there were men in his daies whom he tooke no pleasure to see and whom he could not see without great griefe euen such monsters as are now in our dayes This generall must be restrained to this as if he would say I shal not see men that is faithfull men honest and obedient subiects to God and their King of whose company I had delight and whose protection I was I shall see these good men no more He had such a care of the Church and of the Christian subiects vnder him that in the very houre of his death he sheweth his compassion toward them and is grieued that they should lacke his protection in time coming Well the country is exceeding blessed that hath such a Prince who is endued with the care of his subiects and specially of the Church that in his death he is sorrie that they should be depriued of his protection And turne it ouer againe As cursed and vnhappy is that countrie who hath a King that hath no kind of care or respect of his subiects much lesse of Gods Church which is the best part of his subiects Therfore it is euery one of your duties that heare me see what it is to lacke this blessing to craue of God that he would distill his grace into his Maiesties heart which may moue him to take vp another manner of protection then hitherto he hath done Oh would to God it were so Thus farre for the exposition of the causes shortly In all these causes some things are worthy of praise and some things are worthy of dispraise for I stand not to iustifie him in them all They are worthy of commendation so far as they flowed from faith and tended to the glory of God and weale of his Church They are worthy of reproofe so far as they flowed from the foolish affectioÌ„ corruption of nature without the which none can be so long as we be in this life Then ye see the best goods that we haue to carry with vs of our owne is this corruption foolish affection No question Kings haue not this power to carry their iewels magnificencâ— with them but surely they carry their vices faults of their gouernment with them which shall meete them And surely if this good King caried any of this stuffe with him much more shall other Kings And as it is in Kings so is it in euery of vs we shall all carry with vs vertues or vices If we cary vertue with vs then shal we haue a good conscience to meete vs there Then to end this matter prepare your hearts and make both hand and heart voide of the loue and affection of the world that your hearts being busied onely with the loue of good things ye may cary your hearts with you when the Lord calleth And as your eares are bent to receiue this word so let it be digested in your hearts that in your death I may see the fruites and effects thereof And seeing we must either cary with vs vertues or vices the fauour of God to mercy or the fauour of sathan to iudgement should not our whole indeuour be that these foule vices may be remoued out of our hearts and should not our whole study be that our soule which is holden so fast bound in the chaines of wickednesse may be set at freedome and liberty That we may haue melting hearts acknowledging that by the bloud of Christ our sins are forgiuen that through a stedfast faith in his bloud sure hope in his mercy we may seale vp that peace which floweth from the pacification purchased by the offering vp of his owne body Now when I see mine owne conscience pacified and my soule so washed from the spots of corruption that all my sinnes are forgiuen me am I not happy and this can neuer be except in your hearts ye be as attentiue as with your eares ye are to heare me But if this matter as it is heard by the eare so it were learned remeÌ„bred by the heart we should see greater profite in sanctification and newnesse of life this day then we do and death would not be so fearefull to many as it is For the ready way to eschue the feare of death is not to delay your repentaÌ„ce but let the whole course of your life be a continuall repentance Happy is he that learneth this lesson and more then happy is he that followeth it and as vnhappy he that neuer practiseth it The Lord worke so with vs grant vs such increase of his Spirit that we may follow it and study to practise it in our life and conuersation The Lord grant this for the righteous merits of Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for now and for euer Amen THE NINTH SERMON VPON ISAIAH CHAPTER 38. 12 Mine habitation is departed and is remoued from me like a shepheards tent I haue cut off like a weauer my life he will cut me off from the height from day to night thou wilt make an end of me 13 I reckoned to the morning but he brake all my bones like a Lion from day to night wilt thou make an end of me 14 Like a Crane or Swallow so did I chatter I did mourne as a Doue mine eyes were lift vp on high O Lord it hath oppressed me comfort me IN our last sermon welbeloued in Christ Iesus the Prophet assureth the King of his health by a wonderfull signe which was giuen to him The manner and forme of the manifesting of the signe was this The King seeketh a signe and the Lord granteth a signe vnto him and after the same manner that he sought a signe it was giuen to him Thirdly the Lord manifesteth this signe by his owne power and vertue without the support of any creature The King seeketh a signe not that he is distrustfull of Gods promise nor yet to tempt God as the wicked do but he seeketh a signe to strengthen his beliefe in the Lords promise He belieueth the promise yet his beliefe was weake and to strengthen his weake faiâ—h he seeketh the signe The thing that weakeneth his beliefe was this The Prophet in an houre and shorter space cometh to the King and proposeth two contrarie sentences Fiâ—st he saith to him Make thee readie thou must die in an instant of time he pronounceth the plaine contrarie and saith Thou shalt liue both these two could not stand Therefore he seeketh a signe to strengthen
light This spirituall light is so proper to the Church that it discerneth her from all false Churches vpon the face of the earth for as the Apostle saith Faith which is no other thing but this light appertaineth not vnto all but this gift of iustifying faith is nothing else but that very light which is giuen to those who before all eternitie were appointed for saluation This speciall reuelation is not obtayned or purchased by any naturall force for so it were common to all men It is not purchased by naturall wit or vnderstanding for the wisdome of this world cannot know those things that are of God Yea the wisedome of the world is the greatest enemie to the wisedome of God and the wit of the world esteemeth the wit of God to be plaine foolishnesse This light is not gotten by the sight of the works of God or by looking vpon this great Vniuerse we get a light indeed by looking on the works of God but this light conueigheth vs not a far off we lose it in the threshold in the very entrie it is choked by our affections and the vile appetites that are in vs do choke it Now we get not this supernaturall light onely by the outward ministerie of the word no seuer me the Spirit from the word the word is nothing else but a minister of death to my soule and a slaying letter it serueth for nothing but to be a further testimonie of my iust condemnation Therefore this heauenly light whereby we are made heires of heauen and the children of God is purchased by the word and Spirit of God ioynctly By the word striking and piercing the eare outwardly and the Spirit penetrating the heart inwardly So where these two are conioyned that heauenly light is wrought and it is an earnest-pennie of thy euerlasting saluation Of this light and reuelation it cometh to passe that God is well knowne in Iudah that is in his owne Church and of this knowledge it cometh to passe that his Name is great in Israel that is his praise is highly extolled and his name renowmed among all them that know him rightly By the Name of God is vnderstood God himselfe as he maketh himselfe knowne in the wonderful works which he worketh as when he hath mercie on his Church he is called a mercifull God when he keepeth his promises he is called a true God when he deliuereth her mightily he is called a potent God And so as many works as he worketh so many Names he hath Now of this reuelation cometh the knowledge of God For except the Spirit of God take away the ignorance of our hearts it is as impossible for me to know God rightly as the dumbe element Except this veile of ignorance which sticketh so fast vnto our hearts be taken off that in time the mighty power of God may be reuerenced there remaineth no further sight then serueth vnto our eternall condemnation Therefore the Spirit must concurre mightily to take off this veile of ignorance that our hearts and minds being renewed we may begin to be new creatures in Christ Iesus Of this knowledge it cometh to passe that God is reuerenced and his praises are sounded for it is impossible that these who know God aright but they must praise him and reuerence his Name God is not like the great men of this countrey for they where they are best knowne there are worst loued But God by the contrary where he is best knowne he is best loued And this loue of God can neuer be idle but it must burst foorth into his praises So these two are ioyned together the Spirit of God bringeth knowledge which knowledge is helpefull to faith and true faith euer praiseth God Then examine your knowledge from the effect the praise of God and see whether the knowledge of God be in this countrey or not This conclusion must hold fast where God is highly praised he is well knowne and the contrary must hold as fast where God is no waies praised he is not knowne there Assume now But so it is that he is no waies praised in this countrey Therefore he was neuer well knowne of vs his goodnesse and mercie was neuer well tasted of vs. And surely if multitude of benefits or multitude of miracles might haue made God knowne to vs we haue had our large part Yea to omit all the rest I thinke though there were no more but this deliuerie past it is a sufficient argument to mooue the hearts of all creatures to praise his name But such is our horrible ingratitude that for lacke of praise we bring not onely a curse vpon the benefit but a curse vpon our owne persons And therefore mine exhortation is now as then That with such hearts as the Lord hath giuen vs we be readie to sound his praise for this great deliuerie the thankfull memorie of this last benefit shall be the readie way to purchase the next therefore with thankfull hearts let vs praise him And where they are not so disposed as the worthinesse of the benefit requireth let vs beg mercie for our euill disposed hearts let vs desire pardon for our vnprepared hearts and wish that it would please the Lord to sanctifie them further and further to his owne praises that being couered with his mercifull protection we may at all times rest vnder his wings and sauegard so that we shall be sure to assaile the enemy when he pleaseth Thus farre for the first benefit The second benefit wherein the Lord shewed himselfe gracious toward his people is this he made his residence with this people which he did with no other nation of the earth he taketh his abiding at Shalem as the tokens and ensignes of his presence did testifie God maketh his residence with no sort of people in the earth but with his Church he hath espied out and select to himselfe a people among all the nations of the earth and with them he hath made his residence It is no strange language to say that God hath chosen a people to himselfe and doth make his residence with such a people For albeit the maiestie of God fill and replenish both heauen and earth and his power reach euery where yet is it as true our God dwelleth euery where he hath selected a sort of people a number of persons with whom he maketh his residence And among all nations he selected this nation of the Iewes vnto whom he gaue the visible ensignes of his presence and in whose hearts he dwelt Now it hath pleased him in mercie to translate his Tabernacle to make his residence with vs and he hath chosen a few of the hearts of this countrey where he hath begun his dwelling place for God dwelleth now in the hearts and consciences of his owne by his holy Spirit and surely so he hath dwelt with vs these 30. yeares and in such puritie that he hath not done the like with any nation in the earth He hath
the Lord his trust and regardeth not the proud nor such as turne aside to lies 5 O Lord my God thou hast made thy wonderfull works so many that none can count in order to thee thy thoughts toward vs I would declare and speake of them but they are moe then I am able to expresse 6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire for mine eares hast thou prepared burnt offering and sinne offering hast thou not required 7 Thou said I Loe I am come for in the rolle of the booke it is written of me 8 I desired to do thy good wil O my God yea thy law is within mine heart 9 I haue declared thy righteousnesse in the great Congregation Loe I will not refraine my lips O Lord thou knowest 10 I haue not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart but I haue declared thy truth and thy saluation I haue not concealed thy mercie and thy truth from the great Congregation 11 Withdraw not thy tender mercie from me O Lord let thy mercie and thy truth alway preserue me 12 For innumerable troubles haue compassed me my sinnes haue taken such hold vpon me that I am not able to looke vp yea they are moe in number then the haires of mine head therefore mine heart hath failed me 13 Let it please thee O Lord to deliuer me make haste O Lord to helpe me 14 Let them be confounded and put to shame together that seeke my soule to destroy it let them be driuen backward and put to rebuke that desire mine hurt 15 Let them be destroyed for a reward of their shame which say vnto me Aha aha 16 Let all them that seeke thee reioyce and be glad in thee and let them that loue thy saluation say alway The Lord be praised 17 Though I be poore and needy the Lord thinketh on me thou art mine helper and my deliuerer my God make no tarying THis Psalme for the most part tendeth to praise and thankesgiuing For the Author of it Dauid partly praiseth God from his owne late experience and partly from the publike experience of the whole Church Therefore for this his experience he offereth his seruice to God protesting to be thankefull to him as he had bene thankfull in times past And in the end of the Psalme he retireth himselfe to prayer and commendeth his estate to the protection of God that as he had deliuered him in time past so he would continue the same in mercy to him in time to come This I take to be the summe of this Psalme Touching the parts of it we haue three in the first wherof we haue the praise and commendation of the mercy and kindnesse of God whereby it commeth to passe that he reiecteth not them that depend vpon him In the second for this experience that he hath found he offereth his seruice to God as he had proclaimed his iustice mercy in time past so he protesteth that he is ready to do the same in time to come In the third as I spake before he retireth to prayer he commendeth his estate to God that as it had pleased him to preserue him in time past so it would please him to preserue him in time to come Following the literall meaning this is the effect of the Psalme If you take it otherwise there is a notable prophecy concerning the office of Christ Iesus concerning the abolishing of the old couenant and establishing of the new and concerning the sacrifice of our high Priest the Priest of the new Testament Christ Iesus Then to returne to the first part therein we haue a singular experience set downe Indeed if the circumstances were well considered his experience is more then singular for by the last Psalme the estate and care wherein he was at this time may be easily gathered He was pursued by the treason of his owne sonne Absalon he was pursued by the skornes and Iests of his owne seruants In this great extremity he bursteth out into prayer beggeth of God that he would withdraw his hand from him for a space and why He was consumed with his owne iniquity he desireth that at the last he would incline his eares to his prayers and keepe no longer silence at his teares in respect he knew he was but a soiourner and a pilgrime in the earth as the rest of his fathers were he sayth Withdraw thine heauie hand O Lord and let the mercy that I looked for appeare to me Now in this Psalme he letteth vs see what issue and end his long wayting obteined to wit a most blessed and happy end For in this Psalme we see that the Lord at last inclined his eare vnto him and shewed in experience that though he answereth him not at first yet he was not deafe but accomplished his desire in drawing him out of his misery in the which he lay which misery he describeth by two proper similitudes The first similitude is taken from the pit The second is taken from the myre of clay At the last the Lord drew him out of this horrible pit and placed him vpon the shore he opposeth the rocke vnto the pit and the faire way to the myrie clay and placed him vpon a plaine and faire way and directed his iourney So his long expectation obtayned a most happy issue In this his experience there are three things that offer themselues to be considered First what was this that he susteyned in this long wayting what was it that made him to continue without despaire Secondly what was Dauids exercise all the time of this long wayting Thirdly what issue end this long wayting obtayned As for the wayting there was no other thing that susteined him but that same which we Christians call a Christian hope or a Christian expectation which hope is the worke of the holy Spirit wrought in vs by the power therof whereby it cometh to passe that we with great patience abide the performance of the Lords promises In this hope there are two things inclosed There is first the absence of the thing hoped for yet notwithstanding a certaine expectation of the same This hope of ours is different from our faith though it rise and spring thereof in two speciall points For the nature of faith taketh hold on the promise for nothing can be beleeued but the promise promises are propounded to be beleeued and commandements to be obeyed The nature of faith then taketh hold of the promise The nature of hope looketh not so much to the promise as to the thing promised The nature of hope is to looke continually vntil it possesse the thing that is promised The nature of faith maketh the thing which is absent in it selfe and in very deede to be present as if it were extant and subsisting before thy senses and therefore faith is called the ground substance of things absent for faith maketh them as sure by the promise as if the thing promised were in my hand It maketh me
despaire And though Dauid cry I cannot away with this consuming fire I cannot endure the fire of the Lords iealousie yet he despaireth not But the Lord casteth his seruants very low To what end To the end that they may feele in their hearts and consciences what Christ suffered for them on the Crosse in soule and body Yea we would thinke that there had bene plaine collusion betwixt the Father and the Sonne and that his suffering had bene no suffering except we felt in our soules in some measure the hell which he sustained in fullmeasure So to the end that we might clearely vnderstand the bitternesse of sinne that we might know how farre we are indebted to Christ who suffered such torments for our sinnes and that we may be the more able to thanke him to praise his holy Name he suffers his owne seruants to doubt but not to despaire he forgiues their doubtings he forgiues their stammerings and in his owne time he supports them and brings vs vnto the waters of life These doubtings as I haue often said may lodge in one soule with faith for doubting and faith are not directly opposite onely faith and despaire are opposite and therefore faith and despaire cannot lodge both in one soule For despaire ouerthroweth the pillars of hope and where there is no hope there can be no faith But as for doubting it may lodge it will lodge and hath lodged in the soules of the best seruants that euer God had Marke the speech of the Apostle We are alwaies in doubt saith he but we despaire not So doubting and faith may lodge both in one soule And from whence floweth this doubting We know that in the regenerate man there is a remnant of corruption for we haue not our heauen in this earth though we begin our heauen here yet we get it not fully here And if all corruption were taken away what should there want of a full heauen here So it is onely begun in this life and not perfected therefore there remaines in the soule a great corruption which is neuer idle but continually occupied This corruption is euer bringing forth the birth of sinne more or lesse euery sinne hurts the conscience a hurt conscience impaireth the perswasion so comes in the doubting For there is not a sinne that we commit but it banisheth light and casteth a mist ouer the eye of our faith whereby we doubt and stagger in our sight and were it not that the Lord in his mercie taketh vs vp giueth vs the gift of repentance and maketh vs euery day as oft as we sin to crie as oft for mercie and so to repaire the losse that we haue of faith to repaire the losse that we haue of the feeling of mercie we would wholly put out that same light But it pleaseth the Lord though we be euery day sinning to giue vs the gift of repentance and by repentance to repaire our faith to repaire the sense and feeling of mercie in vs and to put vs in that same state of perswasion wherein we were before Therefore if God begin not continue not end not with mercie in that very moment that he absâ—racts his mercie from vs we will decay So we must be diligent in calling for mercie we must be instant continually in seeking to haue a feeling of mercie Thus much for thâ— doubting Now howsoeuer it be sure and certaine that the faith of the best children of God is often subiect to doubting yet it is as sure and certaine that it is neuer wholly extinct albeit it were neuer so weake yet it shall neuer vtterly decay and perish out of the heart wherein it once maketh residence This comfort and consolation the Spirit of God hath set downe in his word to support the troubled heart That howsoeuer faiâ—h be weake yet a weake faith is faith and where that faith is there will euer be mercie Ye haue in Romanes 11.29 that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance But among all the gifts that are of this sort faith is one of the chiefest therefore it cannot be reuoked againe Ye haue in Iude 3. That faith was once giuen vnto the Saints Once giuen that is constantly giuen neuer to be changed nor vtterly taken from them The Lord will not repent him of this gift but the soule which he hath loued once he will loue perpetually It is true and certaine that the sparkles of faith which are kindled in the heart by the Spirit of God may be obscured and smothered for a long time they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption and with our owne ill deeds and wickednesse into which we daily fall It is true that the effects of a liuely faith will be interrupted and that thy lusts and affections will preuaile for a long time so that when thou lookest on thy selfe vpon the iudgements of God that hang ouer thy soule and bodie when thou lookest vpon thy dissolute life and on the anger of God against this dissolute life in the mind in the heart and conscience of him that hath so smothered and oppressed his faith it will oft times come to passe in his owne iudgement hauing his eyes fixed on himselfe onely that he will thinke himselfe to be a reprobate to be an outcast and neuer able to recouer mercie Where this corruption bursteth forth in this grosse manner after that the Lord hath called thee looke how soone the Lord beginneth to waken thee againe incontinent thou fixest thine eyâ—s vpon thine owne life and entrest into a deepe consideration as well of the weight of thy sinne as of the weight of the wrath of God which thou seest following thereupon and art loath to remit these cogitations to thinke vpon the deepenesse of the mercie of God Resting on these considerations it cannot but come to passe that in thine owne iudgement thou art an out-cast And yet God forbid it were so for though these sparks of the Spirit be couered by the corruption that is within thy soule yet these sparkles are not wholly put out And to let you see that they are not extinguished though they breake not forth in the outward effects that the world may know thee to be a faithfull man as heretofore yet these sparkles are not idle thou shalt find them not to be idle in thee As for confirmation of my argument that howsoeuer our bodies are let loose to all dissolution after our effectuall calling within vs in our soules that yet the sparkles are not idle ye see that though the fire be couered with the ashes yet it is a fire there is no man will say that the fire is put out though it be couered No more is faith put out of the soule though it be so couered that it neither giue heate nor light outwardly An example of this we haue clearely in the Prophet Dauid after his lamentation in that Psalme of Repentance Psal. 51.11 he prayeth
to God in these words Cast me not away from thy presence And what addeth he And take not thy holy Spirit from me Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther No for he would not haue said then Take it not from me but Restore it to me It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following Râ—store me to the ioy of thy saluation Not that he wanted the Spirit wholly but that the Spirit lacked force in him and needed strengthening and fortification it would be stirred vp that the flame of it might appeare Therefore I say in that Dauid speaketh so plainly after his adulterie and murther Take not thy Spirit from me it is a certaine argument that the faithfull haue neuer the Spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions The second point is this How proue I that these sparkles are not idle though the outward effects be interrupted As Dauid felt this in his conscience so euery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences The Spirit of God in mans heart cannot be idle but these sparkles during the time that the bodie is let loose to all dissolutions these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution are finding fault with thy manners these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie without great bitternesse and continuall remorse And these sparkles where they are will make the soule wherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other once in the twenty-foure houres Alas I am doing the euill which I would not do if I had power or strength to resist my affection if I might be master of my affections I would not for all the world do the euill which I do Againe if I had power to do the good which I would do I would not leaue it vndone for all the world So these sparkles though they haue not such force and strength presently as to resist the affection abstaine from doing euill deeds yet perpetually in the heart they are finding fault with thy corruption and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches If I had strength to resist I would not do the euill which I do Where these speeches are no question they are the words of a soule which the Lord hath begun to sanctifie and being once sanctified in despite of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vs this faith shall neuer perish but if the whole soule without contradiction with a greedy appetite and pleasure be carried to euill and hath no sorrow for it that soule is in an ill estate I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death except the Lord of his great mercie preuent it But where this remorse and sorrow and such speeches are in the soule that soule in the time that God hath appointed shall recouer strength The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkes to be wholly taken away but in his owne time he shall fortifie them and make them to breake out before the world in good works The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them he will scatter the ashes of corruption stirre vp the sparkles and make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the God then if he had neuer fallen Thus farre concerning the effects Though the effects of repentance be interrupted yet those sparkles are not extinguished For there is no man will thinke that the fire which is couered with ashes is extinguished but being stirred vp in the morning it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before There is no man will think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues fruite and externall beauty to be dead There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament though it be ouershadowed with a clowde of darkenesse and mist. There is great difference betweene a sleeping disease and death for men are not dead though they be sleeping and yet there is nothing liker vnto death then sleepe As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man and a dead man so there is great oddes betwixt the faith that lieth hid for a while and vttereth not it selfe and the light that is vtterly put out When we breake not forth into outward deedes God forbid that we should thinke that these sparkles are whollie extinguished Indeede the soule which is visited after foule and haynous backslidings from his calling and against his knowledge before this soule recouer the former beauty it is in a strange danger For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose in such sort that it carry thee as it will and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration when the Lord beginnes to challenge thee or to make thee reÌ„der an account of this life past the soule of that man when it is challenged is in great danger So that no question when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life the contempt and abuse of your calling assuredly your soules are so neere to the bâ—inke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer For wilt thou looke to God Thou wilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee Wilt thou looke to thy selfe Thou wilt see nothing but sin prouoking his anger thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire And what is the best pillar and surest retreat whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation may repose I will shew you the helpe whereupon When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine when there is nothing before thee but death when thou seest the diuell accusing thee thine owne conscience bearing him witnes against thee thy life accusing thee and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee whither shalt thou go Looke backe againe to thy forepast experience cast ouer thy memorie and remember if God at any time and in any measure hath loued thee if euer thou hast felt the loue and fauour of God in thy heart and conscience Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him and hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember this and repose thine assurance on this that as he loued thee once he will loue thee euer and will assuredly restore thee to that loue before thou departest this life The heart that felt once this loue of God shall feele it againe and looke what gift or grace or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life to
He changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts and minds be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change we are called new creatures and except you be found new creatures ye are not in Christ. Now to come to the point This secret coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy Spirit by faith we lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though we be as farre distant as heauen and earth are the Spirit serueth vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the Spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word What maketh you to haue any right or title to Christ Nothing but the Spirit nothing but faith What should be your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to get faith that as Peter Acts 15.9 saith your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your minds your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and bringeth a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy heart and consent of thy will to do that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith auaileth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and minds and doing so ye do the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that he would nourish your soules inwardly with the bodie and bloud of Christ That he would increase faith in your hearts and minds and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortalitie Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE FIFTH SERMON VPON THE LORDS SVPPER 1. COR. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Ancients of the Latine and East Churches we heard the chiefe ends wherefore and whereunto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted we heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued we heard also some obiections that might be obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine we heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted we heard how the faithfull soule is said to eate Christs body and drinke Christs bloud We heard the manner how Christ is or can be receiued of vs. And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot be perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way and apprehension Neither the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can be perceiued but by the eye of faith can be receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of faith Now faith is a spirituall thing for faith is the gift of God powred downe into the hearts and minds of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mighty working and operation of the holy Spirit So the onely way to lay hold on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature being spirituall it followeth therefore that there is no way to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but a spirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures familiarly by all these termes describe the nature and efficacy of faith We are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drinke his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefly in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passion of Christ the bloud that he shed vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse the commandement which he gaue Do this in remembrance of me I say we eate his flesh and drinke his bloud spiritually First in this point in recording and remembring faithfully how he died for vs how his bloud was shed vpon the crosse This is the first point a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mighty power of the holy Spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euery one of you beleeue firmely that he died for me in particular That his bloud was shed on the crosse for a ful remission and redemption of me and my sins The chiefe and principall point of the eating of Christ his flesh drinking of his bloud standeth in beleeuing firmly that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that bloud of his was shed for the remission of my sinnes and except euery soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and be perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule can not eate the flesh nor drinke the bloud of Christ. Then the eating of the flesh and drinking of the bloud of Christ standeth in a faithfull memorie in a firme belief and in a true applying of the merits of the death and passion of Christ to my owne conscience in particular There were sundry things obiected against this kind of receiuing I will not insist to repeate them But beside all the obiections which ye heard obiected against this kinde of spirituall receiuing by faith they say If Christ his flesh nor his bloud be not perceiued nor receiued but by the Spirit by faith in the Spirit then say they ye receiue him but by an imagination if he be not receiued carnally nor corporally but onely by the Spirit and by faith then is he not receiued but by way of imagination conceite and fantasie So they account faith an imagination of the minde a fantasie and opinion fleeting in the hearts of men I cannot blame them to thinke so of faith For as none can iudge of the sweetenesse of hony but they that haue tasted of it so there is none can discerne nor iudge of the nature of faith but they that haue felt it
moued him to do Now beside the retraction the force of his prayer appeareth in the health of his bodie in lengthning of his dayes in giuing him a prosperous and sure estate and last in confirming it by such a wonderfull signe that the like was neuer heard nor seene before Iudge ye then what is the force and effect of the prayer of a faithfull man The second thing that I marked was this the wonderfull inclination that the Lord hath to mercie how well he answereth to his names and stiles whiles he is called a God of compassion a God of exceeding and infinite mercie The third thing that we marked on this suddainnesse was that strict and entire coniunction that standeth betwixt the faithfull soule on the one part and God on the other part to wit the coniunction is so strict that it maketh God as present to the faithful soule as if heauen and earth were coupled together Thâ—s coniunction by faith maketh Christ our helpe to be as neare in time of neede as if he had placed his throne of grace in the bed where we lie Ye see how swiftly the Kings prayer mounteth ye see how swiftly the answer returneth ye see in such a celeritie the matter is dispatched as if there were no distance betwixt heauen and earth Then by this it clearly appeareth that there is no distance of place that can make the Lord consume time in doing of his will Also there is no distance of place neither thicknesse of walls that can hold the Lords presence from the faithfull soule but he is as present to the faithfull soule as any corporall obiect is to the bodily eye There is no obiect so present to the bodily eye as the Lord is present to the soule Thus farre we proceeded in the first circumstance Vpon this we gathered and let you see where the King lay It behoued him to haue bene layed in his owne house And we shew also that this was a signe of the fauour of God that he should be diseased there where he might be best eased without trouble to others As to the giuer of the gift it is God for there is no good gift but it floweth from him As to the bearer it is Isaiah not of necessity for the Lord is not bound to any second instruments but of a voluntary and free obligation he hath obliged himselfe to vtter his power and to worke by them Here I wished you in my exhortation be diligent hearers of the word be not deceiued with your foolish conceits I will reade as good at home better I say the Lord will not worke by thy reading when thou contemnest the ordinary meanes he hath bound him to his instruments that by hearing faith shall come he will not worke by his Spirit except thou heare Heare the word therefore as long as the Lord giueth thee grace and continueth it He hath bound himselfe to grant faith by hearing and not by reading in contempt of hearing As to the preface we shew it differed from the former preface in two poynts First there was mention here made of Dauid which was not in the other and consequently of Christ in whom the comfort of the King stood and on whom all the comfort of the olde Testament is grounded without whom there is no true comfort Secondly in this preface he is called Dauids sonne not onely by nature but by grace and therefore the whole promise of grace made vnto Dauid iustlie appertaineth to him whereas otherwise if he had bene his sonne by nature onely the promises of grace had no more concerned him in particular then they concerned his father Achas But because by grace he was made the sonne of grace therefore the promises of grace iustlie appertaine to him Here we did let you see that it is not carnall generation which we draw from our parents that maketh vs the sonnes of God faithfull as they are but the generation of the promise in following the trade of their faith we are made the sonnes of our faithfull predecessors There was two things marked in the preface First the Prophet returneth not vntil he got a command The lesson is this to office-bearers in their calling to enterprise nothing in Gods affaires vntill they get his owne aduice The other thing we see in him a wonderfull and ready obedience to God For suppose the Prophet saw his threatning in an instant of time to be turned in mercy yet he is not angry but reioyceth to see the Lord worke so with this King Vpon this we gathered a lesson for teachers They should not be moued greatly when they see the Lords threatnings in an instant of time if it were possible turned in mercy I thinke there is none as I spake then but they will be exceedingly reioyced to see these threatnings which are threatned against these bloudy butchers against these adulterers against these oppressors and sacrilegious persons there is none I thinke but he will be exceedingly reioyced to see the Lord worke so that the Minister haue as great occasion to comfort as he had to threaten I thinke also that there is none that feareth God who will not reioyce to see the Magistrate who is the ouerseer and should take order with these bloudy men there is none but he will reioyce to see the threatnings which are iustly pronounced and shall as iustly light if they be not preuented to be turned in mercy But surely there is no hope of it for iniquity groweth so and it is come to such a maturity that surely the Lord from heauen will take vengeance on it if the Magistrate put not to his hand in time On the other part we learne of Isaiah to blow mercy when the Lord biddeth and to sound iudgement when the Lord biddeth for seeing the Lord hath appointed vs to be his mouth we must not speak what we please for so we are not the Lords mouth but our owne mouth So he that taketh vpon him to be his mouth let him sound as the Lord biddeth him In the Narratiue he saith he heard the Kings prayer And as he heard the Kings prayer so he heareth the prayers and seeth the teares of the oppressed of this land which the Magistrate should both heare and see And as he heareth them so he hath gathered their teares in his viole and in his owne time he will prouide a remedy Lastly he pronounceth three things vnto him health of the body length of dayes and a sure and prosperous estate which neuer entred in his minde to seeke And therefore I exhorted him that was present and you all what so euer ye want seeke it of God seeke it in Christ Iesus whether it be for the soule or body in him are placed full treasures for both if ye keepe you in the fauour of God and keepe you in his protection nothing shall hurt you And by the contrarie if ye lose his fâ—uour ye shall lose all Thus farre we proceeded in our
mercie of God he shall find it terrible to fall into his hands It is terrible to fall into the hands of a consuming fire sport with flesh as they please but iest not with God he shall find in experience if he runne out this course that he shall curse the day of his birth disclaime the houre that euer he saw this light except that same God whom he blasphemed preserue him in mercie In the end of the verse he letteth vs see the manner how he was deliuered and he sheweth in the end of that verse that it pleased the Lord to turne his bitter bitternesse into a farre better contentment of spirit The way whereby he did it was this he remooued his sinnes from him he forgaue him his iniquitie for except the Lord had forgiuen him his sinnes it had not bene possible that the bitternesse of his soule and conscience could be remooued Then so soone as he turned him to his God acknowledged his life by-gone and sought mercie by all manner of waies as sometimes by word by groning by teares by sighs by dolorous moane and lamentation and by all kind of humble gesture he obtained mercie so that the Lord did cast his whole sinnes behind his backe The cause that moued the Lord to shew mercy he noteth in the middest of that verse There was no occasion in the King for he deserued the contrary it was onely the loue of the Lord onely the kindnesse of the Lord in Christ Iesus his Messias who was to come of this King himselfe In the manner of his deliuerance this King acknowledged three things which are worthy of marking First the King acknowledgeth that sinne is the onely cause of our misery whether it be in our conscience body or soule surely this King speaketh very true For there is nothing that God can hate in vs but sinne there is nothing that he can correct in vs but sinne there is nothing that his furious iealousie can burne vp but sinne there is nothing that he can purge in vs but sinne Take away sinne and the punishmeÌ„t of the wicked shall ceasse yea there shal be no such thing as a wicked one and the purgation of the godly shall not neede So both punishment and purgation shall ceasse sinne being taken way for sinne is the onely thing that is punished in them and purged in vs. Now this King acknowledging this ranne vnto God confessed his sinnes found mercy So note the lesson Whether the Lord visite vs with trouble of body or conscience seeing that sinne is the cause of our trouble let vs runne the high way to God examine our by-past life acknowledge our offences and run vnto the throne of grace for mercy And whosoeuer runneth to that throne shall find mercie in the day of his greatest necessity this is the first thing that he acknowledged The second thing that he acknowledgeth is this he acknowledgeth the remission of his sins the best and surest cure that can be applied to any disease For there cannot be a better cure nor a surer cure then to remoue the cause of the disease Therefore the remouing of sinne cureth the disease The vnhappy world when they are visited with any disease they runne onely to the body and seeke the cause of the disease onely in the body as though the body had the onely wit they runne neuer to the soule when in the meane time the body is but an instrument to the soule For if the soule were well it is impossible that we could be diseased Therefore seeing the cause of the disease lurketh in the soule when the Lord visiteth you with any disease runne to the soule acknowledge that sinne is the cause lay the fault where it is and craue mercy of God for this is the ready way to cure our diseases Would God this lesson were learned for if it were well obserued we should not see so many kinde of pestilent diseases raging in this countrey as at this day we do The third thing the King acknowledged is that it is not his owne integrity that procured his deliuerance he acknowledgeth that it was not his innocency in life nor his good deedes as may appeare in the beginning of the chapter For in his prayer he appeareth to haue made an ostentation of his good deedes and innocency of life but here in the end of this verse he resolueth this doubt he letteth vs see it was the mercie of God in Christ Iesus that was the onely cause of his deliuerance Thus farre for the meaning of the words Now let vs marke the forme of speech The forme is this because saith he he hath cast all my sinnes behinde his backe This forme of speach is borrowed from our custome For those things that men may not behold that are filthy and abhominable we cast them behind our backe that we may not see them Now sinne being the onely thing which is abhominable in the presence of God when he forgiueth vs our sinnes he is said to cast them behind his backe The only thing that hideth the countenance of God from vs is sin for there is nothing that can separate man from his creator but sinne onely And what lose we when we are separate from the countenance of God We lose true pleasure and perfect pleasure There can neither be true nor perfect pleasure but in the sight and countenance of God And whilest we are by sinne debarred from his countenance we are depriued both of true and perfect pleasure Then the diligent care of a Christian should stand in this that sinne debarre him not from the countenance of God But we should be diligent in begging mercy for Christ his cause that enioying his countenance we may haue satiety of pleasure to last for euer The second thing that I marke in these words is this Where he saith He hath cast all his sinnes c. he saith not he hath cast a part and lâ—ft another part he saith not that he hath forgiuen veniall sinnes and left mortall sinnes but he sayth all sinnes of what sort ranke or degree soeuer they be he hath cast them all behinde his backe Al these sorts of sinnes that seuer vs from God and deteine vs from his countenance may be all brought vnder these three sorts Vnder the first I vnderstand this originall corruption this foule puddle this rotten root of the which all these rotten fruits do flow and proceede This corruption in the which we are both conceiued and borne which maketh vs the children of wrath dead in sinne and in â—he vncircumcision of our flesh Vnder the second sort I comprehend all motions cogitations and actions of our whole life whereby we decline neuer so little and go aside from that perfect duty which we owe to God and to our neighbour So in a word I comprehend vnder this second sort all our actuall sinnes This naturall corruption which we call originall sinne by the which it
is so wicked and corrupt that it cannot hold it selfe within bounds nor containe it selfe in any mediocrity But as when we finde the fire of Gods wrath in any mesure kindled for sinne we would looke backe to desperation So if the conscience be acquainted long with the ioy with the taste of his mercy and of his peace the diuell in this world deceiueth vs and draweth vs to presumption Therefore as before being cast downe with the consideration of thine owne sinnes so eschue desperation thou withdrawest thy consideration to the mercy of God So now to esâ—hue presumption thou must cast backe thy thoughts to the consideration of thy selfe of thine owne sinnes and iniquities and looke what thou wast before thou wast called to repentance This is the way to hold thee low and humble and to distinguish grace from nature As to the sorts of repentance Of true repentance there are two sorts an ordinary repentance wherein euery Christian is bound to walke all the dayes of his life and an extraordinary and a speciall repentance The ordinary repentance is this when any man after he is called to the participation of grace falleth into some speciall sinne the rising from that sin I call a special repentance as Dauids rising In this ordinary repentance we are commanded all to walke the speciall repentance should waken them that are fallen into one speciall viâ—e or other From the extraordinary we should beseech the Lord to preserue vs. Alwayes if we fall the Lord waken vs. Now ye haue heard the parts of repentance according to the order and diuision which I haue layd There is nothing farther to be spoken of this head except onely this We ought to praise and thanke God for the victory that we haue gotten ouer our selues through him We haue to consider and see how farre we are bound vnto him that he should haue had such a speciall regard vnto vs vile finners that he hath poured out streames heapes and conduits of his mercy among vs which he hath denied to others who in the iudgement of the world were in a better ease then we The consideration of this no doubt will raise a thankefulnesse in vs and moue vs to consider how farre we are bound to so gracious a God As for the gift it selfe seeing it is not in vs we ought euer to be instant in seeking of it Therefore I recommend this repentance to be sought of euery one of you And ere we go further let vs pray for it both to out selues and others Then remember the things that haue bene spoken What is the chiefe thing that yong men should flie to wit the lusts of the flesh what is the chiefe thing that they should follow and strictly pursue the gift of repentance Therefore from your hearts seeke this gift And ere we go forward to the rest of our action let vs pray for it and pray that this matter may haue a good issue and succeede well that for the righteous merits of Christ. To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer The Sermon being ended the Minister directeth his speach to the Auditory assembled for the time in effect as followeth IT is not vnknowne to you all welbeloued in Christ Iesus how many means and sundry wayes the Lord hath to waken a sleeping conscience to bring men to the confession of their sinnes and to make them to seeke grace and mercy at his hands And as he lacketh no store of instruments and meanes so it hath pleased him of his mercy to the saluation of his soule who is penitent and to your good example who heare to worke this motion in the heart of this noble man in such sort that he is content from his hart vpon his knees to acknowledge and confesse those sinnes whereby he hath offended the maiesty of God and giuen euill example to the meanest and poorest of you And to let you vnderstand that this confession is willing and from his heart It is true and none of you can pretend ignorance of it that by the liberty of the Actes of our Church and custome receiued it had bene lawfull for him according to the order in his owne Church to haue made satisfaction yet such is the willingnesse of his owne heart that for the better satisfaction of you that are indwellers in this City he is content in this chiefe part and Church of the country and in that same place where he last shed innocent blood to repaire the same and in the presence of you all to seeke mercy at the God of heauen The Lord hath put this motion in his heart and that not suddenly not of late but he informed our brother Iames Gibson along time before his Maiesties departure out of this country and desired him to come and shew vnto vs that he was willing to make satisfactition to the Church not onely for his murther and bloodshed but for taking the name of God in vaine and for euery thing wherein he hath abused himselfe and for all his offensiue rash speeches generally for euery thing wherin he hath offended the least of you Which if we had vnderstood we had made more hastle to require the practise of it sooner Alwaies we haue euery one of vs to thanke God that he hath so moued his heart and to beseech of the Lord that it may be from his hatt that he may declare the effects of it in all time to come Therefore my Lord ye haue no further ado but fall on your knees craue of God mercy and pardon for your sinnes whereby ye haue offended him The Lord of his mercy grant it you THE WORDS WHICH THE EARLE Bothuell c. vttered being vppon his knees I would God that I could make such a Repentance as my heart desireth and I desire you all to pray for it The Lord of his mercy grant it to him and to vs all Amen THE SIXTEENTH SERMON VPON 2. TIMOTHIE 2.15 IN WAY OF EXHORTAtion to the Prouinciall assemblie of the Presbyteries of Louthiane holden at Edinborough the 16. of September 1589. 2. TIMOTHIE 2.15 Studie to shew thy selfe approoued vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed deuiding the word of truth aright IT is not vnknown vnto you Brethren that in Timothy we haue the true patterne of a Profitable Pastor set down how he should behaue himselfe in all things what he should do what he should leaue vndone what he should follow what he should flie In euery thing he is forewarned but chiefly among many of one thing that he study not to please men that he hunt not for their praise and commendation For why Experience from time to time hath taught that these men haue not onely endangered their owne estate but hazarded also the whole estate of the Church As namely there were two in his owne time in the dayes of Timothy who to get a name
Diuers opinions concerning the presence of Christs body in the Sacrament How a thing is said to be absent and present How the body of Christ is present Our difference with the Papists to whom the words ought to be directed c. SERM. VI. Out of Isaiah 38. Intreating of Hezechiahs Sickenesse v. 1.2.3 Sheweth that the greatest are not exempt from great and sore trials That Hezechiahs disease was though not in the greatest extremity that which we by an emphasis call the Sickenesse Why God thus visiteth his children The time when the King fell into this disease What is our duty in the like case of distresse from the Prophets plaine dealing with the King That the Prophet as appeareth was not too rigorous in his denuntiation in adding affliction vpon affliction to the King The Kings excellent behauiour in this Sicknesse His gesture in the same expressing the signes of a good conscience His recourse in extremitie to the same great power which now did smite him seeme to be his enemy our lesson from thence SERM. VII On Isa. 38.4.5.6 Intreating of Hezechiahs Sicknesse sheweth The speedy issue and hearing of the Kings prayer our lessons from thence It is a mercy to be visited at home as this King was The author of the Kings comfort was God vsing the meanes of his minister and word Why mention is made of Dauid in this comfort the King receiued Why Dauid is called the Kings Father Our lessons from this preface That the Lord is neare the prayers of his children That as this King receiued more then he asked from God so for the most part do all the Saints SERM. VIII On Isaiah 38.7.8.9.10.11 Intreating of Hezechiahs sicknesse Sheweth why the King sought a signe how some refuse signes How the signe was shewed Why the Signe was wrought in the Diall Why in the bodie of the Sunne What profit is to be gathered of signes By whose power this signe was wrought The force of prayer The Kings thankfulnesse for the benefit receiued A short summe of the Kings life Our lesson from thence The Kings song shewing first when he was troubled The diuersitie of the feare of death in the godly and wicked The way to eschue the feare of death The reasons why death seemes now so grieuous to the King A censure of these his reasons SERM. IX Out of Isaiah 38.12.13.14 Intreating of Hezechiahs sicknesse Sheweth the similitudes whereby the King amplified his present lamentation Why the Patriarks conuersed in tents Our vses thence The extremitie of the Kings disease Why God suffereth his children to fall into such extremities Our lessons thence By what meanes the King in this extremitie seeketh vnto God Why the King sought the prorogation of his dayes In what respect it is lawfull to seeke the prolonging of our dayes That faith and doubting may remaine in one soule If Christ in his agonie had contrarie voyces no maruell this King had also How this King teacheth vs to pray in extremitie SERM. X. On Isaiah 38.15.16 Intreating of Hezechiahs sicknesse Sheweth the Kings thankefulnesse in three things That a good conscience giueth thankes for euery thing receiued How the King expresseth the greatnesse of the mercy receiued What effects this mercy did breede in him How the sweetnesse of this mercy did make him burst forth in praise of the word How a man shall know if the Spirit of life be begun in him How the Spirit is saiâ— to be nourished in vs and how banished c. SERM. XI On Isaiah 38.16 to the end of the chapter Intreating of Hezechias sicknesse Sheweth how from the other effects of the word the King continueth to extoll the same The time when this King did thus fall sicke The manner of the Kings deliuery That sin is the onelie thing punished in the wicked and purged in the godly That remission of sinnes cureth all diseases That when God forgiueth sinnes he also forgetteth them That God onely forgiueth sinnes The cause and reasons why God did forgiue this King his sinnes Doctrine from thence why the Lord worketh by meanes and secondary causes SERM. XII Out of Psalme 76 From 1. to the 8. ver Intreating of the great deliuery in 88. from the Spanish tyranny Sheweth the purpose of the Prophet in this Psalme what is meant by the name of God That the true knowledge and praises of God accompany each other The profite which cometh to vs by thankesgiuing That it is a mercy to haue God neare vs and to dwell with vs. The place of this ouerthrow What that is which driueth God from any place How this victory was obtained How the Lord is said to rebuke Gods former dealing with his Church To what end the Lord appointeth enemies vnto his Church How of Gods great mercyes followeth admiration SERM. XIII On Psalme 76.8.9.10.11.12 Intreating of the former subiect Sheweth that God onely did this great worke The effects that this great work brought forth One lesson from thence The time of this great iudgment The times of Gods sitting and rising To what end God commonly riseth An obiection of the Church preuented Exhortation to thankefulnesse That we should vpon extraordinary mercyes chiefly stirre vp our selues to the same SERM. XIIII On Psalme 40. preached in a publike fast enioyned by authority The parts of this Psalme In the 1. part from Dauids experience diuerse obseruations How Hope differeth from Faith The life of hope Hope and mourning may stand together How to obtaine patience in trouble How to know when God heareth our prayer though he grant not instantly our sute How constant mourning in trouble vnto God argueth certaine deliuerance Why the Lord delayeth to helpe his seruants The end why our prayers are heard Two sorts of abusing the grace of God SERM. XV. Out of 2. Tim. 2.22 preached at the publike Repentance of the Earle Bothwell in the Church of Edinborough Sheweth the summe and meaning of the words what these things be which all yong men should flie What is meant by the lusts of youth Whence the restraint of sinne doth come By what meanes the Lord restraineth sinne in vs. What things yong men should seeke after The definition and sorts of Repentance In what respects wordly sorrow is called a blind terror What godly sorrow is A caution to be obserued in Repentance What the greatest sinne a a man can commit is The effects of godly sorrow The manner of Repentance Why some parts of Repentance haue the name of Mortification and Viuification That in the worke of Repentance the diuell stayeth nothing more then our sincere confession of Sinnes A caution to beware of Presumption That there be two sortes of Repentance c. SERM. XVI Out of 2. Tim. 2.13 In way of an Exhortation to a Prouinciall Assembly Sheweth at whose hands the Pastor ought chiefly to seeke approbation How to obtaine true approbation The weight of ministeriall function The groundworke of the ministery Whereupon it consisteth What it is to rule in the
in their soules of all men in the earth they are most miserable For as long as thou maist keepe in thy mind a sparke of this knowledge and spirituall light in the which thou maist see the face of God in Christ wherein thou maist see a remedy in the death and passion of Christ and wherein thou maist see the bowels of mercy offred in the bloud of Christ if thou haue any sparke of this light albeit it were neuer so little to direct thee and albeit this knowledge were neuer so much wounded yet there is mercy enough for thee in Christ but if thou close vp all the windowes of thy soule and of thy heart and make them to become palpable darknesse that thou neither knowest from whence the terror cometh nor yet perceiuest any remedy that is the miserie of all miseries We haue many things in generall to lament concerning the estate of this our Countrey wherein we liue Also particularly There is not one of you but hath great cause to take heede to your consciences now while ye haue time that ye banish not altogether this light which is yet offered vnto you and whereof some sparks yet remaine For I see the most part of men run headlong to banish the sparke of light that is in them and will not rest so long as there is any sparke of it left vntill it be vtterly banished And when they haue so done alas what can follow but a blinde and terrible feare in their consciences which they can neuer get extinguished a feare without remedie a growing feare and not a decaying feare a feare that will deuoure them wholly at the last Therefore euery one of you be carefull of this light that is within you take heede that the foule affections of your hearts draw not your bodies after them see at the least that those affections banish not this light And so long as the Lord offers you this light in time craue that of his mercy he would giue you the grace to embrace it to take a new course and yet to amend your liues while time is giuen you The body shall leaue the soule and the soule shall leaue the bodie but the conscience shall neuer leaue the soule but whither soeuer the soule goeth to the same place shall the conscience repaire and looke in what estate thy conscience is when thou departest out of this life in the selfe same estate shall it meet thee in the gteat Day So that if thy conscience was a tormentor to thee at the time of thy death if thou get it not then pacified it shall be a tormentor to thee in that generall Iudgement Therefore this matter would be well weighed euery one of you should studie to haue a good conscience that when the soule is seuered from the body leauing your conscience at rest and peace with God it may be restored vnto you and meete you againe with as great peace and quietnesse Thus far concerning conscience what it is I beseech the liuing Lord so to sanctifie your memories that ye may keepe these things and that euery one of these things may be so imprinted in your hearts that ye may be mindfull of them all your liues The second thing that we are to speake of is this We are to consider wherefore we should trie our consciences for what causes we should examine our owne soules consciences I will declare the reasons briefly It behooueth euery one of you to trie your conscience Why Because the Lord will make his residence in no other part of the soule but in the conscience He hath appointed his dwelling to be in the heart of man and in the will and conscience of man and therefore it becometh you to make his dwelling place cleane and to take heed vnto your hearts Next though the Lord of heauen made not his residence there yet in respect the eye of God is an all-seeing eye and able to pierce through the very thicknesse of mans flesh how darke and grosse soeuer it be and to enter into the very secret corners of thy conscience for vnto the all-seeing eye of God the most secret corner of thy conscience is as cleare and manifest as any outward or bodily thing in the earth can be to the outward eye of the bodie In respect therefore that this eye is so piercing and that he casteth his eye onely vpon our hearts it behooueth vs to try our hearts Thirdly he is the Lord of the conscience There is no Monarch on earth that hath any soueraigntie or lordship ouer the conscience onely the God of heauen onely Christ Iesus King of heauen and earth is Lord of the conscience he hath power onely to saue and lose Therefore when thou comest to this Sacrament of the Lords Table thou oughtest carefully to looke vnto thy conscience to try and examine the state of it Last of all which is a chiefe reason It behooueth thee to proue thy conscience because the welfare and health of thy soule dependeth vpon thy conscience If thy conscience that is within thy soule be well if it be at peace and rest thy soule is well if thy conscience be in a good estate thy soule must needs be in a good estate if thy conscience be in good health of necessitie thy soule must be in good health for the good health and happinesse of the soule dependeth vpon a good conscience therefore it concerneth euery one of you to try well your consciences There was neuer any law made or deuised that forbad vs to haue a care of our healths it is lawfull for vs to seeke such things as may procure and preserue it but the health of thy soule standeth in the health of thy conscience and in preseruing thereof therefore by all lawes thou oughtest to attend thy conscience If thou keepe thy conscience well thy soule is in health and if thy soule be in health let troubles come what will vpon thy body thou wilt endure them all but if thy soule be diseased with an euill conscience thou shalt not be able to beare out the least trouble that shall come vpon thy body whereas if the conscience were at rest and in good health that trouble could not happen vnto thy body but the strength of a good conscience would beare it out Then haue ye not reason and more then reason to take heede to your consciences to try and examine your consciences in what estate and disposition they stand Now because it is a fruitlesse thing to tell you that health is necessary and not to shew the way how this health may be obtained and preserued therefore to keepe your consciences in quiet and good health I will giue you these few lessons First of all be sure that thou retaine a stedfast perswasion of the mercies of God in Christ Iesus examine when thou liest downe and examine when thou risest vp in what estate thou art with God whether thou maist looke for mercy
at his hands or not Art thou perswaded of mercie Assure thy selfe thy conscience is in a good estate thou hast health in thy soule for by the keeping of faith the conscience is preserued as saith the Apostle 1. Tim. 1.19 Keepe this perswasion preserue it whole and sound hurt it not bring not thy soule into doubting stay not nor hinder thy perswasion if thou desire to keepe health in thy soule for if thou doubt or any way diminish thy perswasion and assâ—rance assuredly thy assurance cannot so soone be hindered nor diminished but at that very instant shall follow the diminishing of the health of thy soule yea it cannot be but in that very article of time shall follow the hurt of thy conscience for faith will not dwell but in a whole conscience Therefore at what time thou doest any thing against thy conscience at that very time thou losest a degree of thy perswasion of the mercie of God and vntill such time as thou fall downe at the feete of Christ and obtaine mercie for that wicked deede purchase peace at his hands and repaire thy perswasion thou shalt euer doubt of mercie and want health in thy conscience Then this is the first lesson to keepe health in your soules to be perswaded of mercie The second lesson to keepe a good conscience or to keepe health in thy soule is this Ye must flie eschue and forbeare whatsoeuer may trouble the health of your soule whatsoeuer may trouble the quietnes and peaceable estate of your conscience cast it out forbeare it and eschue it This generall is good But let vs see what it is that troubles the quiet estate of the conscience Onely sinne nothing but an euill nature Therefore we must of necessitie to keepe health in our soules forbeare and eschue sinne we must flie and auoide sinne It is not possible that ye can keepe a good conscience and serue the affections of your heart therefore to keepe peace and health in thy soule thou must take leaue of thy lusts thou must renounce the lusts affections of thy heart and thou must not do as thou wast wont to do thou must not be giuen to the seruice of thine affections of thine appetite to put them in execution as thou hast formerly done But in case thine affections or lust command thee to do any thing what is thy part Thou must try how far this may stand with the good will of God and how far that affection which commands thee may agree with the law of God Is there such an harmonie as that thing which thine affection commands thee may stand with Gods law and holy will Then no question it is a sanctified affection thou maist put it in execution But after this tryall if thou finde thine affections to be exorbitant and out of rule carrying thee from God and against his law beware of it resist it put it not in execution for if thou fulfill the will of thine affections what pleasure can it bring with it It may well bring a flattering pleasure in the entrie but it closeth euer with a bitter remorse in the end Then to eschue this bitter remorse should ye not all try your affections Ye must examine and try them by the square of Gods law ye must see how far they agree with his law and how farre they dissent from it and so farre as they are dissonant fâ—om that law let euery man deny himselfe renounce his affections and so this triall being taken in this maner by thy selfe it sanctifieth thine affections maketh Christ to lodge in thy soule maketh thy conscience to be at rest And the holy Spirit this way maketh both body and soule to be in good health and to reioyce Then flie from sinne This is the second lesson The third lesson is this Study to do well Wouldest thou keepe health in thy soule Studie to do better and better continually At the least haue a purpose in thy heart to do better daily which is the last lesson Seeing that when we studie to do best and that the iust man that is the most holy man falleth so often as seuen times a day yea rather seuenty times what is thy part in these slips and snares Though thou fall as thou canst not eschue to fall lie not still there sleepe not there where thou hast falne it is a shame to sleepe there therefore arise againe And how shouldest thou rise By lifting vp thy soule and running to the Fountaine of grace and mercy by repairing to Christ Iesus to obtaine mercy for thy soule and to craue that he would send out of himselfe that measure of peace that may put thy conscience at rest and restore thy soule to health So lie not where thou fallest but incontinent arise and craue mercy and in obtayning mercy thou shalt repaire thy fall thou shalt amend thy life by repentance and by repentance thou shalt get peace thou shalt haue thy conscience at rest and get health to thy soule Now keepe this rule if thou desirest to keepe thy soule in health looke that thou sleepe not in sin as Dauid did lie not still when thou art falne and so fall from one sinne to another as from adultery to murther from murther to the next c. As commonly if a man sleepe in sin and rise not in time one sinne will draw on another for there is no sinne alone but alwaies the greater and more haynous that the sinne is it hath the greater and worse sins wayting on it Therefore when ye fall delay not to arise but repaire to the fountaine of mercie and seeke grace in time run to prayer run to the Church of God wheresoeuer it be whether in the field or in the towne run to Christ Iesus and craue mercy of him that ye may haue peace in your consciences and so by these meanes euery one of you shall preserue health in your soules By these meanes ye shall learne what difference is betwixt this liuing word of mercy and grace which sounds in our religion and that slaying letter that killeth the soule of euery one that heares it I meane that idolatrous doctrine of that dumbe Masse I mention this vnto you because I see that many in these daies are falne to it and the Lord is beginning to abstract his grace and mercie from this Countrey for the contempt of this quickning word which hath so clearely sounded here and which our Countreymen for the greatest part running headlong to the diuell in a dumbe guise trauell vtterly to banish Is not this a miserable thing that so few of you haue eyes to consider and discerne of the time of peace mercy and grace which is so abundantly offred The Lord of his mercy giue you eyes in time Thus far concerning the reasons wherefore euery one of you should trie examine your owne consciences and this triall ought not to be for a day or for a yeare but it ought to be euery day and
in respect that faith is the ground whereupon all the rest depends and in respect that this fayth is such a Iewell as without the which it is not possible for any of you to please God without which all your deedes are abhomination before him without the which you are in the greatest miserie which miserie is so much the more terrible in that you are ignorant of it is it not good reason that ye know and vnderstand how this faith is first wrought and then nourished in your soules by the holy Spirit that seeing how it is created and the maner how it is brought about ye may examine your consciences and see whether ye may be in the faith or not My purpose was to haue insisted longer on this matter then this time will suffer Now therefore as time will permit and God shall giue grace I wil let you vnderstand how the holy Spirit imployes his trauaile in the heart and minde of man and what paines the holy Ghost taketh in creating and forming this Iewell of faith in your soules Yet before I enter this worke to let you see the trauailes of the Spirit of God in working of this fayth in your hearts it is necessarie and more then necessarie that ye vnderstand first your owne miserie and infirmitie and that ye know how the Lord was induced to recouer you out of your old estate and to recreate you who were lost by the fall of your father Adam Then to consider of this matter more deepely I offer to your remembrances this ground That man vniuersally and euery one particularly being corrupted and lost and that by our first fathers fall for if there were no more but that same first fault and sinne of his we are all of vs iustly condemned to a double death both of bodie soule for euer Man thus vniuersallie and particularlie being vtterlie lost without any hope at all of recouery left in his soule without any sense of the recouery of that former estate or repairing of that Image which he had lost through sinne long before he being I say lost by this sinne and left in this desperate estate in himselfe what doth God The euerliuing God onely wise whose waies are vnserchable hath found out a way how that man this way lost yet he may be saued herein he sought counsell from whom Not from any â—reature but he counselled with himselfe The persons of the Trinitie tooke counsell of themselues one God was moued to seeke counsell from himselfe onely moued in himselfe for he had not an externall principall without himselfe to induce him So he seeking this counsell at himselfe and being moued in himselfe thereto as Ephes. 1.9 what doth he When all men should haue died for euer it pleased him of his infinite mercy to select out of all and to elect a certaine number out of the lost race of Adam that should haue perished for euer In this his counsell and decree moued I say of himselfe and seeking counsell from himselfe onely he selects a certaine number out of this rotten race which certaine number he will haue sanctified he will haue iustified he will haue glorified And therefore to bring to passe the worke of their saluation what doth he He appoints his owne naturall sonne for he had but one naturall son he appoints the second person of the Trinity his owne naturall sonne God in power glory and maiestie as high as himselfe equall with God the father in all things he appoints him to worke this worke to bring to passe this worke of our redemption and eternall saluation This is but the mystery of it in some measure disclosed And therefore in the fulnes of time for he dispenseth all things according to his wisedome at such time as he appointed he makes his sonne to come downe to seise himselfe in the wombe of the Virgin to take on our flesh to take on the likenesse of sinne he tooke not on sin but he tooke on the likenes of sin What call I that likenes Our flesh is the likenesse of sinne he tooke on our flesh and nature the likenes of sinne which was perfectly sanctified the very moment of his conception in the very wombe of the Virgin He tooke on this flesh that in this flesh and nature sinne might be banished and cast out of vs for euer And whereas we should all of vs haue gone one-way for there was no exception of persons by nature Christ Iesus our sauiour hath elected vs and according as his Father in his secret election before the beginning of the world had elected vs the same Christ Iesus in his owne time calleth vs and maketh vs partakers of that saluation which he hath purchased and he repaires not onely that image which was lost in our forefather Adam he placeth vs not in a terrestriall paradise where Adam was placed at the beginning and what more could haue bene sought by vs but he giues vs a farre more excellent image then we lost he placeth vs in a more high and in a more celestiall paradise then we lost For so much the more heauenly is the paradise which he giues vs as the second Adam is more excellent then the first and as the Sonne of God and God himselfe is farre aboue any creature that euer was man or Angell Therefore it comes to passe that by the benefite of the second Adam Christ Iesus our Sauiour the Sonne of God whereas had we remained in that Image wherein our forefather was created we should haue setled our selues in the earth for euer we could not haue craued a better paradise then an earthlie paradise for earthlie tabernacles By benefit of the Son of God I say it cometh to passe that we are plucked vp out of the earth to the heauen and to a heauenly paradise And what haue we to do with heauen Are we not made of the earth to returne to the earth Becomes not an earthly paradise an earthly body Yet the Lord in his mercy sendeth downe his Sonne to draw vs vp out of the earth to the heauen This is so high a thing that it cannot be easily considered For this drawing of vs to a heauenly paradise is a thing more then could haue bene thought on That we should liue the life of Angels in heauen how could the heart of man thinke on this Yet it pleased the liuing Lord in the great riches and bowels of his mercie and in the exceeding greatnes of the power of his mercie towards vs the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians cannot get words enough to expresse this he knowes not how to begin nor how to end when he speakes of the riches of that mercie and if ye looke well into that Epistle to the Ephesians ye shall finde more high and excelleÌ„t stiles giuen to the riches of that mercie in that Epistle then in any other part of the Scripture It pleased him I say of his owne mercie not to giue vs simply the
what is my heart and mind doing There is not one of you but haue experience as I my selfe haue in what estate the heart and mind is before that this light enter The mind lieth drowned in blindnesse and the heart is hardned and they both conspire together in vice to set vp an Idoll in stead of God a domesticall and inuisible Idoll what sort of Idoll â—s that No doubt some worldly or fleshly affection or other this is set vp in the throne of thy heart and on this Idoll thou bestowest the seruice of thy whole heart of thy whole mind of thy whole soule and bodie So that the seruice of thy soule and bodie which should be bestowed vpon God onely is imployed vpon that Idoll which is set vp in thy heart that is in the place of God in the stead of the most high God And thou art more addicted to the seruice of that Idoll then euer thou wast to the seruice of the liuing God yea vntill such time that this Idoll of ours be banished and that this blindnesse whereby this Idoll is serued be takâ—n away there is not one of you but are seruants to one lust or other and thy soule that should be consecrated to the seruice of the liuing God is imployed vpon one affection or other vpon some worldly or fleshly lust of thine owne But from the time that the Lord beginneth to scatter the clouds of our naturall minds and vnderstanding and beginneth to chase away this thicke mist of the darke soule and placeth therein some sparke of heauenly light which floweth out of Christ and whereas we were children of the night and darknesse before he maketh vs to be light in the Lord and to be children of the light and of the day Then we see that all the things in the world besides the liuing God are vanities deceiueable allurements vnconstant shadowes fleeting and flowing without any abiding and then we see that our hearts and our minds were set on euill continually Then we begin to abhor that Idoll and to seeke to serue God onely Now except the Lord of his mercie and goodnesse place in vs this light vntill such time as we get some glimmering of this light we can neuer see our owne vanitie nor yet see God This then is the first worke of the Spirit he banisheth darknesse and errors placeth light in our minds Now this first worke of the Spirit is tearmed oftentimes in the Scripture vnder the name of faith for the mind hath it owne assent and perswasion in the owne kind as wel as the heart hath therefore the mind being illuminate and seasoned with this light the assenting knowledge in the same mind is called faith The Apostles and Euangelists giue to this knowledge the name of faith for from the time that thou once hast an eye to see God and whom he hath sent Christ Iesus when once thou gettest a sight of him and accesse to him if it were no more then in the mind it is called faith But we must not stand still here if faith go no further then the mind it is not the faith that we are seeking For the faith that iustifieth and doth vs good must open the heart as well as it openeth the mind it must banish that Idoll and affection out of the heart and in stead thereof place a throne for Christ Iesus So that except the good Spirit of God go further then the mind and banish this Idoll as well out of our hearts as out of our minds we haue not that iustifying faith whereby we may looke for mercie Yea the Spirit of God must not onely stay at the inlightening of thy mind but it must mollifie this heart of thine and change thine affections And whereas thy affections were wicked and euill Gods Spirit must change thy will and he neuer can change thy will except he make the ground of thy heart good that it may be set on God and bring forth good fruite abundantly to the owner And what teacheth this This teacheth you to seeke for an honest heart and to seeke instantly vntill ye obtaine it For what auaileth it any man to know what is good or what is euill except he haue a way shewed him how he shall eschue the euill and a meanes giuen him to make himselfe partaker of the good Is not this an idle and vnprofitable knowledge to me to see a farre off and to know that this is good for me when I find not a meanes how to be partaker of that good that it may be especially good to me Is it not an idle knowledge also to perceiue that this is ill for me that it will do me hurt if I do it and yet that same very thing I will do no other So the Spirit of God linketh these two together in this worke and as he reformeth the mind he reformeth also the heart and maketh you to be partakers of that good which ye see and to eschue that euill which ye perceiue And this is the second worke of the Spirit not onely to present a thing to thee but to make it thine in effect For howbeit the mind would do this part neuer so well and let thee see that Christ is thine and present him to thee neuer so often yet if thy heart be not reformed that will and crooked affection that is in thy heart will preferre it selfe to Christ and will make thee to account all but follie in respect of that Idoll And therefore it were an idle and a foolish thing to me to see my saluation except I get grace to be partaker of it and what auaileth it thee to see the works of the diuell to see thine owne sinnes that slay thee except thou get grace to eschue them And so the second worke of the Spirit is this he enters into the heart he danteth the heart and wonderfully changeth it making the will of it obedient he mollifieth the affection which was hard before in such sort that it is made to poure out thy affection in some measure on the liuing God whereas it was poured out on one Idoll or other of thine owne before Then except the heart wil do his part as the mind doth his part the whole soule is not consecrate to God for God hath not made the soule that the heart should serue thee and the mind onely should serue him but thy seruice is then onely acceptable to God when thou consecratest thy heart as well as thy mind to him Now this matter is so cleare that it needeth not to be illustrated by similitude yet to make it more plaine vnto you I will shew you by a similitude that the apprehension of the mind is not enough except ye get the apprehension of the heart also In corporall things in meate and drinke which serue for the vse of your bodies there must be of this meate and drinke two sorts of apprehensions and as there is two sorts of
because the Lord of heauen hath his eye continuallie vpon the conscience the eye of God is neuer from the conscience and heart of man as I proued to you by diuerse places Next because this God hath chosen his lodging and hath set downe his throne to make his residence in the conscience Therefore that he may dwell in cleannesse ye ought to haue a regard to his dwelling place Thirdly he is the Lord yea the onely Lord of this conscience who hath power onely to controlle who onely hath power to saue or to cast away therefore that it may do good seruice to thy owne Lord thou oughtest to take heede to thy conscience And last of all in respect that the health of thy soule standeth in the estate of thy conscience and if thy soule be in good health thy bodie cannot be ill therefore in respect that the soule and body depend vpon the estate of the conscience euery one of you should carefully looke to your consciences I will not amplifie this but leaue it to your memories how the health of the soule and welfare of the soule should be kept Next I come in the third and last place to the points in the which euery one of you should trie and examine your consciences And as ye may remember I set downe two points wherein ye ought to put your consciences in triall First to know whether your consciences were at peace with God or not Secondly whether your consciences were in loue and charitie and in amitie with your neighbour or not In these two points chiefly ye must trie and examinâ— your selues To know whether ye be at peace with God or not ye must first trie whether ye be in the faith or not as the Apostle saith whether ye be in the faith of Christ or not For being in the faith and iustified thereby of necessitie ye must haue peace with God Then the next care must be to trie your faith and to see whether ye haue faith or not Faith can no waies be tried but by the fruits Faith cannot be iudged of by me that looke vpon it onely but by the effects Therefore to trie whether ye be in the faith or not marke the fruits Take heede to thy mouth take heede to thy hand take heede to thy words and to thy deeds for except thou glorifie God in thy mouth confesse to thy saluation and except thou glorifie him also in thy deeds and make thy holy life a witnesse of thy holy faith all is but vaine all is but meere hypocrisie Therefore to know the sinceritie of thy faith thou must take heed that there be a harmonie betweene thy hand thy mouth and thy heart that there be a naturall consent that thy doings preiudge not thy heart that thy mouth preiudge not thy heart but that mouth and hand may testifie the sinceritie of the heart If the heart the hand and the mouth consent and agree in one harmonie together no question that heart that breaketh forth into so good fruits is coupled with God there is no question the light of thy actions the beames shining of thy life shall make the name of thy good God to be glorified Therefore the whole weight of thy triall stands chiefly vpon this point to see whether we be in the faith or not to trie and examine whether Christ dwell in vs by faith or not for without faith there can be no coupling or conioyning betwixt vs and Christ without faith our hearts cannot be sanctified and cleansed and without faith we cannot worke by charitie so all depends on this onely And therefore that ye might the better vnderstand whether ye haue faith or no I was somewhat the more exact in this matter and I began to let you see how the holy Spirit createth faith and worketh faith in your soules hearts and minds I began to shew you what order the holy Spirit kâ—pt in forming in creating this notable instrument in your hearts minds Not onely how he ingenders and begins faith but also how he entertaineth it how he nourisheth it And I shewed you the externall meanes and instruments which he vseth to this effect To beget faith in our soules the holy Spirit vseth the hearing of the word preached by him that is sent and the ministerie of the Sacraments as ordinary meanes and instruments which ordinarie meanes are onely then effectuall when as the holy Spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts with the word striking outwardly in our eares and with the Sacrament outwardly receiued And except the holy Spirit grant his concurrence to the word and Sacrament word and Sacrament both will not worke faith So all dependeth vpon the working of this holy Spirit the whole regeneration of mankind the renewing of the heart and of the conscience depend on the power of the holy Spirit and therefore it behooueth vs carefully to imploy our selues in calling vpon God for his holy Spirit By the same meanes and no other that the holy Spirit begetteth faith in vs by the same meanes he nourisheth and augmenteth that which he hath begotten And therefore as we got faith by the hearing of the word so by continuall and diligent hearing we haue this faith augmented and nourished in vs. And from hence I tooke my exhortation that if ye would haue that spirituall life nourished in you and if ye would haue a further assurance of heauen of necessitie ye must both continually diligently heare the blessed word of God Now it resteth that euery one of you carefully apply this doctrine to your owne soules and enter into the triall of your owne consciences to see if this faith as I spake be begun in your hearts and minds or not how farre or how little the holy Spirit hath proceeded in that worke trie with me and I with you The first effect of the holy Spirit whereby ye may trie your minds whether ye be in the faith or not is this Reuolue in your memories and remember if at any time it pleased the Lord in his mercie to turne the darknes of your minds into light to cause that naturall darknesse which was within you to depart through the which darknes neither had ye an eye to see your selues what you were by nature nor yet had ye an eye to see God in Christ nor any part of his mercie Examine I say whether this darknesse of the naturall vnderstanding be turned into light by the working of the Spirit or not If thou art become a child of the light a child of the day if thou art become as the Apostle speaketh light in the Lord if there be this alteration made in thy mind that whereas naturally before it was closed vp in daâ—kenesse whereas it was filled with vanities and errors wheras it was closed vp in blindnes If the Lord hath at any time inlightened the eye of thy mind and made thee to see thine owne misery to see the vglines of thine owne nature to see
the haynous sins in the which by nature thou liest If he hath granted to thee â—n insight of thy selfe in some measure and on the other side if he hath granted thee the remedie and hath giuen thee an insight of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus if thou hast obtained an insight of the riches of his grace in Christ no doubt the holy Spirit hath begun a good worke in thee a worke which will bring forth repentance which in his owne time he will perfect So this is the first care which ye ought to haue and the first point wherein ye ought to examine your minds to see if there be any light in it whereby ye may know your miserie haue an insight of the free mercie of God in Christ Iesus This being done that thou findest a sight of these two in thy mind fâ—om thy mind go to thy heart and as thou hast tried thy mind so try thy heart And first examine thine heart if it be altered or not that the will of it be framed and bowed to Gods obedience that thy affection be turned into the life of God and be poured out on him as it was poured out on vanities on filthinesse and on the world before Trie whether the ground of thy heart and the fountaine from whence thy motions and affections proceede be sanctified or not for from a holy fountaine holy waters must distill from a holy fountaine holy motions holy cogitations and sanctified considerations must flow Trie then and examine your hearts if the Spirit of God hath wrought any such reformation as I speake of in your hearts or not And that ye may perceiue the working of the holy Spirit the better in your hearts and consciences for the holy Spirit hath his chiefe residence in your hearts I will declare vnto you the fiâ—st effect that euer the holy Spirit bringeth forth in the heart in framing it in mollifying it and in bowing it vnto the obedience of God You shall know the working of the holy Spirit by this effect namely if your minds see and behold what is ill see behold what is good perceiue and discerne your owne miserie and your sinnes which haue brought this misery vpon you and withall perceiue and behold the riches of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus If as your minds see these two your hearts be reformed and prepared to loue the sight of them and as you see in your minds the mercy of God and that in Christ if ye haue hearts to desire mercy if ye haue a thirsting and earnest desire to be partakers of mercy where this desire thirst is there the holy Spirit is he hath no doubt opened the heart On the other side if as thou seeest mercie thou seest thy misery if as thy mind seeth thy miserie it seeth also the fountaine from whence thy miserie floweth to wit from thine owne sinnes if then thy heart also hate this the holy Spirit is there if as thou seest sinne which is the cause of thy miserie with the eye which is giuen thee in the minde thou hatest this sinne with thy heart no question the holy Spirit is there And as thou hatest it if also thou sorrow for it for it is is not enough to hate it if thou lament not the committing of it and with a godly sorrow deplore it the holy Spirit is there And thirdly if with thy lamenting thou hast a care and a study to eschue that sin for what auailes it to lament if like a dogge returning to his vomite thou fall into that same gulfe againe Therefore where there is an hatred of sinne a sorrow for sinne a care and a studie to eschue sin no question the holy Spirit hath opened the heart and is working out that pretious instrument Obserue all this in a word all the operation of the holy Spirit and working in the heart and by this examine thine heart See and perceiue it the holy Spirit hath entred so farre in thee to worke in that hard heaâ—t of thine an earnest and a diligent studie a carefull solicitude continually to be reconciled with the great God whom thou hast offended Is there such a thing as a thirst as a desire to be at amity with him whom thou hast offended to be reconciled with the God of heauen whom thou hast offended by thy manifold transgressions where this care and studie of reconciliation is if this care studie of reconciliation be in the heart there is no doubt but the heart that thirsteth for this reconciliation is heartily content not onely to renounce sinne to renounce all the impieties that separated thee from God but the heart that is endued with this thirst will be heartily content to renounce it selfe to cast downe it selfe as stubboâ—â—e as it was before to cast downe it selfe at the feete of the mighty God and be wholly content at all times after to be ruled by his holy will Not to follow it owne lust it owne will and appetite as it did before but to resigne it selfe wholly into the hands of the mighty God to be ruled by his will at his pleasure and to obey his commands And except ye finde this disposition in your owne hearts to acquire your selues to renounce your selues it is a vaine thing for you to say that ye haue a thirst to be reconciled So the greater thirst of reconciliation that we haue and the more that the care study thereof groweth the greater that the apprehension of my misery of the deepe gulfes and very hels whereunto my soule is subiect increaseth in my soule the more earnest would I be to be reconciled And to be reconciled I would not stand for the renouncing of the lusts of my heart but I would renounce my heart the obedience of the will and desire why Because I see I must die for euer except the Lord reconcile himselfe with me I see the huge deepes oceans of all misery into the which I shall fall in the end except inmercie the Lord reconcile himselfe with me To eschue these miseries and inconueniences is there any question but the heart that hath any sense and is touched with them will most willingly endeuour to acquite it selfe Againe seeing the Lord hath taken paines to deliuer me out of the deepe miserie in the which I had drowned my selfe and hath purchased my redemption by so deere a price not with gold nor with siluer or any drosse of the earth but by such a wonderfull meanes by such a pretious price and rich ransome looking to the greatnesse of our misery and to the greatnesse of the price whereby he hath redeemed vs what heart is it but would willingly renounce it selfe to get a part of that redemption and to be deliuered out of that hell wherein we are presently and wherein we shall be in a greater measure hereafter except we be reconciled So thâ—n with this there is ioyned a disposition in the heart whereby the
heart is willing in some measure to renounce it selfe This lesson is often taught vs by our Sauiour Christ we must both take vp the crosse and renounce our selues also before that we can follow him The more that this thirst groweth in the heart the more this renouncing of our selues groweth in the heart the more that this thirst decayeth is diminished in the hart the more we cleaue to the woâ—ld the more we loue the flesh and the more are we ruled and guided by them So either we must nourish a thirst of righteousnesse a hunger of life euerlasting a thirst of mercie a hunger after that iustice that is in Christ or it is not possible that in any measure we can be his disciples Now to proceede The heart that after this manner is prepared that with a thirst to be reconciled is resolued also to renounce it selfe this heart in the which there remaineth so earnest a thirst is neuer frustrate of the expectation is neuer disappointed But as the Lord hath imprinted in it an earnest studie to be reconciled and to lay hold on Christ so in his mercie he grants vnto that heart the possession of mercie he puts that heart in some measure in possession of mercie which it seeketh in possession of Christ Iesus himselfe whom it seeketh the which apprehension which it hath of Christ the heart sensiblie feeleth and apprehendeth in that peace which he giueth to the conscience So that the conscience which was terrified exceedinglie gnawen and distracted before by the approching of this peace and of Christ with his graces incontinent it is quieted and pacified there cometh a calmnesse and soundnesse into the heart and all troubles and stormes are remoued With this peace is conioyned a taste of the powers of the world to come the heart gets a taste of the sweetnes that is in Christ of the ioy which is in the life euerlasting which taste is the only earnest pennie of that full and perfect ioy which soule and bodie in that life shall enioy And the earnest penny as ye know must be a part of the summe and of the nature of the rest of the summe And therefore that earnest pennie of ioy assures vs that when we shall gette possession of the whole summe it shall be a strange ioy and these documents lift vp the heart and make it not to linger nor wearie in the expectation of that life but being refreshed now and then therewith by so many earnest pennies they assure vs of the full fruition of that ioy for the which in patience we will sustaine all troubles So as the holy Spirit worketh a thirst in vs to be with Christ a thirst of mercy and reconciliation with him the same holy Spirit disappointeth not that same expectation and thirst but putteth the soule and heart in possession of Christ by the which the conscience is pacified the heart is reioyced and we get a taste of the sweetnes and of the power of that life to come The sensible feeling of the which taste that passeth all naturall vnderstanding what doth it in my heart and conscience It worketh a wonderfull assurance and perswasion that God loueth me The feeling of his mercie in the bowels of my heart in the bottome of my conscience worketh a certaine assurance and perswasion that he is my God that he wil saue me for Christs sake that the promise of mercy which I durst not apply vnto my conscience before now by the feeling of mercie I dare boldly applie and say mercie appertainâ—th to me life and saluation belongeth to me For the conscience being exceedingly terrified and seeing nothing in God but fire and wrath it is not possible but it must flie from him it cannot approch to a consuming fire But from the time that the conscience getteth a taste of this peace mercie and sweetnesse how fast soeuer it fled from the presence of God before now after this reconciliation it will runne as fast to him and will possesse him more more fully So the assurance perswasion of mercie ariseth from the feeling of mercie in the heart and conscience And except the heart feele it and taste it in some measure no conscience dare apply God and his mercie to it selfe I may be sure in generall that all my sinnes are remissible and that I may obtaine mercie before I feele it But to applie this mercie particularly to my selfe vntil I feele a taste of it I dare not So this particular application whereby we claime God and Christ as a property vnto vs as if no man had title to him but we to call him my God my Christ to claime his promises as if no man had interest in them but we this cometh of the sâ—nce and feeling of mercie in the heart and the more that this feeling groweth and the greater experiâ—nce that we haue in our owne hearts of this peace and mercie the more increaseth our faith and assurance Our perswasion becometh sâ— strong that we dare at the last say with the Apostle What can separate vs from the loue of God Neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate me from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. This particular application which ariseth no doubt vpon the feeling and sence of mercie is the speciall difference the chiefe marke and proper note whereby our faith who are iustified in the bloud of Christ is discerned from that generall faith of the Papists Our faith by this particular application is not onely discerned from the generall faith of the Papists but it is discerned from all the pretended faiths of all the Sects in the world For the Papist dareth not apply the promise of mercie to his owne soule he accounteth it presumption to say I am an elect I am saued and iustified And fâ—om whence floweth this Onely from hence that in their consciences they haue neuer felt mercie they haue neuer tasted of the loue fauour and sweetnes of God For looke how fast the conscience flieth from God before it get the taste of his sweetnesse it runneth as diligently to him and threatneth loue of him after that it hath gotten that taste So they miserable men content themselues with this generall faith which is no other thing but an historicall faith which groundeth onely on the truth of God whereby I know that the promises of God are true But the Papists dare not come and say They are true in me Why Because they haue not felt it and their hearts are not opened But our iustifying faith as I told you consecrateth the whole soule vnto the obedience of God in Christ. So that it resteth not onely vpon the truth of God nor it resteth not onely vpon the power of God though these be two chiefe pillars of our faith also but especially and chiefely it resteth vpon the mercie of God in Christ.
not in our hearts nor breedes not in our nature No this gifâ— of faith is not at mans command nor vnder his arbitrement as if it were in his power to belieue or not to beleeue as he pleaseth It is the gift of God poured downe freelie of his vndeserued grace in the riches of his mercie in Christ. That it is a gift ye see clearelie 1. Cor. 12.9 where the Apostle saith And to another is giuen faith by the same Spirit As also Philip. 1.29 For vnto you it is giuen for Christ that not onely ye should belieue in him but also suffer for his sake So faith is the gift of the holy Spirit and this gift is not giuen to all men and women as the Apostle plainlie declareth All haue not faith This gift though it be giuen it is not giuen to all but is onely giuen to the Elect that is to so many as the Lord hath appointed to life euerlasting This gift where-euer it is and in what heart soeuer it be it is neuer idle but perpetually working and working well by loue and charitie as the Apostle affirmeth Gala. 5.6 This gift where-euer it is is not dead but quicke and liuely as the Apostle Iames testifieth in his second Chapter And to let you know whether it be liuely and working or not there is no better meanes then to looke vnto the fruites and effects that flow from it And therefore that ye by your owne effects may be the more assured of the goodnesse of your faith I will giue you three speciall effects to obserue by the which ye may iudge of the goodnesse of your faith First looke to thy heart and cast thine eye on it If thou hast a desire to pray a desire to craue mercy for thy sinnes to call vpon Gods holy Name for mercy and grace if there be such a thing in thy heart as a desire to pray if thy heart be inclined and hath a thirst to seeke after mercie and grace though the greatest part of thine heart repine and would drawe thee from prayer yet assuredly that desire that thou hast in any measure to prayer is the true effect of the right faith If thou haue a heart to pray to God though this desire be but slender assure thy selfe thy soule hath life for prayer is the life of the soule and maketh thy faith liuely And why Prayer is Gods owne gift it is no gift of ours for if it were ours it would be euill but it is the best gift that euer God gaue man and so it must be the gift of his owne holy Spirit and being his owne gift it must make our faith liuely Without this thou art not able nor thou darest not call vpon him in whom thou beleeuest not as the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 For if I intreate him by prayer I must trust in him Then prayer is a certaine argument of iustifying faith and beliefe in God for I cannot speake to him much lesse pray to him in whom I trust not And though the heart be not fully resolued and well disposed yet if there be any part of the heart that inclineth to prayer it is a sure gage that that part belieueth The second effect whereby thou shalt know whether faith be in thee or no is this Obserue and aduise with thy selfe if thy heart can be content to renounce thy rancour to forgiue thy grudges and that freely for Gods cause Canst thou do this And wilt thou forgiue thy neighbour as freely as God hath forgiuen thee Assuredly this is an effect of the right Spirit for nature could neuer giue yt. There is nothing whereunto nature bendeth it selfe more then to rancour and enuy and there is nothing wherein nature placeth her honour more greedily then in priuy reuenge Now if thy heart be so tamed and brought downe that it will willingly forgiue the iniurie for Gods cause this is the effect of the right Spirit This is not my saying it is the saying of Christ himselfe in the Euangelist Math. 6.14 where he thus speaketh If ye do forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father will also forgiue you And in the fifteenth verse But if ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your heauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses So that Christ saith He that forgiueth wrongs shall haue wrongs forgiuen him but he that will reuenge his wrongs wrong shall be reuenged vpon him Therefore as thou wouldest be spared of thy wrongs done vnto the mightie God spare thou thy neighbour I will not insist examine whether ye haue faith or not examine it by prayer examine it by the discharge of your owne priuie grugdes for if ye want these effects a heart full of rancour a heart voide of prayer is a heart faithlesse and meete for hell The third effect of faith is compassion Thou must bow thy heart and extend thy pity vnto the poore members of Christ his body and suffer them not to want if thou haue for except ye haue this compassion ye haue no faith Examine your selues by these three effects and if ye find these in any measure though neuer so small you haue the right faith in your hearts the faith that ye haue is true and liuely and assuredly God will be mercifull vnto you This faith of ours though it be liuely yet it is not perfect in this world but euery day and euery houre it needeth a continuall augmentation it craueth euer to be nourished for the which increase the Apostles themselues Luke 17.5 said Lord increase our faith And Christ himselfe commandeth vs to pray and say Lord increase our faith I belieue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe Then by Christ his owne command we plainely see that this faith needeth continually to be nourished helped and it cannot be helped but by prayer therefore should we alwayes continue in prayer That this faith should be helped and that we should be perpetually vpon our guard in feare and trembling to get it augmented the terrible doubtings the wonderfull pits of desperation into the which the dearest seruants of God are cast do dailie teath For the best seruants of God are exercised with terrible doubtings in their soules with wonderfull stammerings and they shall be brought at some times as appeares in their owne iudgement to the very brinke of desperation These doubtings and stammerings let vs see that this faith of ours would be perpetually nourished and that we haue need continually to pray for the increase of it It pleaseth the Lord at sometimes to let his seruants haue a sight of themselues to cast them downe and to let them see how vgly sinne is It pleaseth him to let them fall into the bitternesse of sinne and to what end Not that he will deuoure them and suffer them to be swallowed vp of destruction Though Hezekiah cryeth out That like an hungry Lyon the Lord is like to deuoure him and bruise him in peeces yet the Lord suffers him not to
that same degree of mercy he shall restore his creature before it depart this life So the soule that is tossed with high assaults and great dangers where present things will not helpe it is necessary that it haue recourse vnto things past and keepe in memory the fore-past experience of mercy which the Lord hath freely shewed towards that soule This same memory shall be so pleasant to the soule that it shall stay it presently from desperation and vphold it vnto the time the Lord pacifie that heart and giue comfort to that soule which being done that soule shall see that howsoeuer God was angry he was angry onely for a while I speake these things not that I thinke that euery one of you hath tasted of them yet in some measure the seruants of God must taste of them and ye that haue not tasted of them may taste of them before ye die And therefore whether ye haue tasted or not tasted of them it cannot be but profitable for you to locke vp this lesson in your hearts and remember it faithfully that if the Lord at any time strike at your hearts ye may remember and say with your selues I learned a lesson To looke backe vnto my forepast experience and thereon to repose And though ye be not touched presently your selues yet when ye visite them that are troubled in conscience let these things be proposed to them as comforts vse them as medicines most meete to apply to the griefe of the inward conscience and so ye shal reape fruite of this doctrine and possesse your soules in a good estate Thus farre for the first point wherein euery one of you ought to try and examine your owne consciences The second point is this Try whether ye haue loue towards your neighbour or not For as we are coupled with God by faith so by the band of loue we are coupled with our neighbour For loue is the chiefe and principall branch that springs from the roote of faith Loue is that celestiall glew that conioyneth all the faithfull members in the vnity of a mysticall body And seeing that religion was instituted of God to serue as a path-way to conuey vs to our chiefe felicity happy we cannot be except we be like vnto our God like vnto him we cannot be except we haue loue For as it is 1. Iohn 4.8 God is loue So seeing God is loue it selfe whosoeuer will resemble him must be endued with the oyle of loue This onely one argument testifieth to vs that this loue is a principall head whereunto all things that are commanded in religion ought to be referred To spend long time in the praise of loue I hold it not necessary seeing the holy Scripture resounds in blasing the commendations of it but that we speake not of any thing ambiguous I will let you see how this word is considered taken in the Scriptures Loue is considered either as a spring or fountaine from whence the rest proceedes that is for the loue whereby we loue God And as loue cometh first from God and is poured by his holy Spirit into our hearts so it first redounds vpward and strikes backe vpon himselfe for the loue of God must euer goe before the loue of the creature Next we take this word for that loue whereby we loue Gods creatures our neighbours especially them that are of the family of faith And thirdly it is taken for the deedes of the second Table which flow from this loue Now when I speake of loue I speake of it as in the second signification to wit as it is taken for the loue of our neighbour And taking it so I call loue The gift of God poured into the hearts of men and women by the which gift we first loue God in Christ our Sauiour and next in God and for Gods cause we loue all his creatures but chiefly our brethren that are of the family of faith the children of one cōmon Father with vs. We will examine this definition I say first the loue of God as it cometh from God it returneth to God as it comes down from him so it strikes vpward to him againe And is it not good reason And why Let thy heart fixe thy loue as long as thou wilt vpon the creatures thou shalt neuer be satiate nor thy affections shall neuer be content except thou lay hold on God but if once thou loue God in thy heart and cast thy affections vpon him once takest hold on him the longer thou louest him the greater safetie and contentment shalt thou haue thou shalt not thirst for any other For as to the creatures there is neuer a creature that God hath created but it is stamped with his owne stampe and euery creature beareth his Image and looking to the Image of God in the creature should it not draw thee to him that thou fixe not thy heart vpon the creature For his owne Image in his creature should leade thee to himselfe And therefore the more that thou knowest the creatures and the greater varietie of knowledge that thou hast of them the more should euery particular knowledge of them draw thee to God and the more shouldest thou wonder at thy God and know thy dutie towards him And seeing that delight floweth from knowledge and euery knowledge hath his owne delight as the varietie of knowledge that ariseth from the creature should make the mind to mount vp to the knowledge of God so the varietie of delights that arise vpon the diuersitie of this knowledge should moue the heart vpward to the loue of God and the heart getting hold of God and being seised with the loue of God and the mind being occupied with the true knowledge of God so soone as heart and mind is full of God the heart is quiet and the mind is satisfied So that the more this knowledge groweth in the mind the greater contentment thou hast and the more the loue of God groweth in thy heart the greater ioy and reioycing hast thou in thy soule And why In God ye haue not onely all the creatures but ye haue himselfe beside the creatures and therefore in God ye haue all the knowledge and delight that can arise of the creatures and besides the creatures ye haue God himselfe who is the Creator And so I say the minde of man can neuer quiet it selfe in the knowledge nor the heart can neuer settle it selfe in the loue of naked creatures in respect they are flowing and vanitie as Salomon calleth them But in the infinite God rightly knowne and earnestly loued the mind shall finde a full rest and the heart shall haue a perfect ioy For our affection is so insatiable that no finite thing will satisfie it nor there can be no solide setling vpon the thing that is transitorie So the loue ought to mount vpward first to God in whose face the heart shall find full and perfect ioy The second argument
worketh that same operation in my soule which the carnall head doth in my bodie therefore he is called a spirituall head therefore he is called the head of his Church because he furnisheth her with spirituall motion and senses which is the life of the Church So to be short there is nothing in this coniunction carnall there is nothing grosse in it there is nothing that may be compassed by our naturall iudgement and vnderstanding And therefore whosoeuer would attaine to any small in-sight of this spirituall coniunction betweene Christ and vs of necessitie he must humble himselfe earnestly pray for the Spirit otherwise it is not possible to get any vnderstanding no not the least apprehension how the flesh of Christ and we are conioyned except we haue some light giuen vs by the Spirit that is except our hearts be wakened by the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ this shall remaine as a dead closed letter vnto vs. So ye are to craue that the Lord in his mercie would waken you illuminate your vnderstandings and make you to haue a spirituall light to discerne of these spirituall things Next ye must studie and be carefull to remoue all vaine cogitations earthly fantasies when ye come to heare so high a matter ye must cast off all filthie thoughts ill motions and care of the world and ye must shake off all things that clog your hearts Thirdly ye must come with a purpose to heare the word to giue diligent eare to the word with a sanctified heart to receiue it with a purpose to grow and increase in holinesse as well in bodie as in soule all the daies of your life And coming with this purpose no question the holie Spirit shall reueale those things to you which ye want And though this word passe and bring no commoditie for the present yet the holie Spirit hereafter shall reueale to thee the truth of that which thou hast now heard This then is the end of all Be present in your hearts and minds and let your soules be emptied of all the cares of the world that they may receiue that comfort which is offered in the hearing of the word Now I come to the defining of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I call this Sacrament An holy Seale annexed to the couenant of grace and mercie in Christ. A seale to be ministred publikely alwaies according to the holy institution of Christ Iesus that by the lawful ministery thereof the Sacramentall vnion betweene the signes and the thing signified may stand and this vnion standing Christ Iesuâ— who is the thing signified is as truly deliuered to the increase of our spirituall nourishment as the signes are giuen and deliuered to the body for our temporall nourishment Now let vs examine the words and parts of this definition First of all I call this Sacrament a Seale because this Sacrament serueth to the same vse to our soules that a common seale doth to a common Euidence As the seale which is annexed to the Euidence confirmes seales vp the truth contained in the Euidence so this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ confirmeth and sealeth vp the truth of mercy and grace contained in the couenant of mercy and grace for this respect it is called a seale It is called An holy Seale Why Because it is taken from profane vse whereunto that bread serued before and that bread is applyed to an holy vse There is a power giuen to that bread to signifie the precious body of Christ Iesus to represent the nourishing and feeding of our soules And in respect it serueth now in the Sacrament to so holy an vse therfore I call it an holy seale This is not my word it is the Apostles Rom. 4.11 where he giueth the Sacrament the same name and calleth it a seale And further if the wisedome of Christ in his Apostle had bene followed and if men had not inuented new names of their owne for this Sacrament but had contented satisfied themselues with the names which God hath giuen by his Apostle that Christ himselfe hath giuen to this Sacrament I am assured none of these controuersies and debates which neuer will ceasse had fallen out but where men will go about to be wiser then God and go beyond God in deuising names which he neuer gaue vpon mens owne inuention such debates haue fallen out A lesson by the way that no flesh presume to be wiser then God but let them stoupe keepe the names which God hath giuen to this Sacrament Thirdly I say annexed to the Couenant annexed and hung to the Charter because it cannot be called a seale properly except it be hung to an Euidence What it is by nature the same it remaineth and no more if it be not annexed to some Euidence it is onely the hanging of it to the Euidence that maketh men account it a seale not being esteemed except it be hanged to the Euidence Euen so it is here if this Sacrament be not ministred and ioyned to the preached word to the preaching of the couenant of mercy and grace it cannot be a seale but what it is by nature it is no more As by nature it is but a common peece of bread so it is no more if it be not annexed to the preaching of the word and ministred therewith as Christ hath commanded Therfore I say the seale must be annexed and hanged to the Euidence to the preaching of the word for the confirming of the Euidence otherwise it is not a seale But it is not so with the Euidence which is the word of God for ye know any Euidence will make faith though it want a seale and it will serue to make a right if it be subscribed without a seale but the seale without the Euidence auaileth nothing Euen so it is with the word of God though the Sacraments be not annexed to the word yet the word will serue the turne it serueth vs to get Christ it serueth to ingender and beget faith in vs and maketh vs to grow vp in faith But the seale without the word can serue vs to no holy vse therefore I say the seale must be annexed to the word preached to the couenant of mercy and grace Now it followeth in the definition that this seale must be ministred publikely Wherefore say I publikly To exclude all priuate administration of this Sacrament For if this Sacrament be administred to any priuately it is not a Sacrament Why Because the Apostle calleth this Sacrament a Communion therefore if ye administer it priuately ye lose the Sacrament For this Sacrament is a Communion of the body and bloud of Christ therefore of necessity it must be by way of communication and so the action must be publikely ministred Secondly this Sacrament must be publikely ministred because Christ Iesus who is the thing signified in this Sacrament is no such thing as pertaineth to one man
of the Lords Supper is partly corporall and partly spiritual I call this action partly corporall not in respect onely that the obiects that is that bread and wine are corporall but also in respect my mouth whereunto these things are offered the instrument whereby and the manner how these things are receiued are all corporall and naturall I â—all the same action againe partly spirituall not onely in respect of Christ Iesus who is the heauenly and spirituall thing of the Sacrament but also in respect of my soule wherunto Christ is offered and giuen in respect the instrument whereby and the manner how he is receiued are all spirituall for I get not Christ corporally but spiritually So in these respects I call this action partly corporall and partly spirituall Now confound not these two sorts of actions the corporall and naturall signes with the spirituall thing signified thereby againe confound not the mouth of the body with the mouth of the soule Thirdly confound not the outward manner of receiuing by the hand of the bodie with the spirituall manner of receiuing by the hand of the soule And so it shall be exceeding cleare to see that each thing shall be present to the owne instrument that is the bodie of Christ which is the spirituall thing signified shall be present to the spirituall mouth and hand and the bread and wine which are the corporall signes are present to the corporall mouth and hand Then how is any obiect present A corporall obiect is corporally present and an inward obiect is inwardly present Of what nature is the thing signified It is of an heauenly natuâ—e Then aske you how he is present He iâ— spiritually and heauenly present to the soule and the mouth of the soule which is faith For it were a preposterous thing to make the thing signified present to thy bellie or to the mouth or eye of thy bodie for if that were so it should not be spiritually present because euery thing is present as it agreeth in it owne nature Is it a bodily thing it is bodily present and if it bâ— a heauenly thing it is spiritually present So I thinke no man can doubt how the bodie of Christ is present he is not â—arnally present but spiritually present to my soule and to faith in my soule Thus far concerning the manner of his presence Now the last part of our difference is this we haue to consider to whom the words ought to be directed and pronounced For we and the Papists differ in this last point we say that the words ought to be directed and pronounced vnto the people to the faithfull communicants They on the contrary say that the words ought not to be directed nor pronounced to the people but to the elements and not to be clearely pronounced but whispered on the elements So that if they be spoken to the people or spoken openly their charme auaileth not Now I say that as this holy action is peruerted by them in all the rest so they peruert it in this point also in speaking that to the dumbe elements which they should speake to the people of God For I shall proue it clearely by three arguments taken out of the Scriptures that the words ought not to be spoken to the bread but to the people of God And first I say the promises of mercie and grace ought to be directed and pronounced to them in whom the Lord performeth them and maketh them effectuall But so it is that the promises of mercie and grace are performed and made effectuall not in bread and wine but in faithfull men and women Therefore these promises should be directed to faithfull men and women Now here is the promise of mercie and graces This is my bodie which is broken for you and this promise is made to no other thing but to the faithfull and so to them onely it ought to be directed Secondly we haue to consider that this Sacrament seales vp a couenant of grace and mercie Now with whom will God make his couenant of mercie and grace will he make a couenant with a peece of bread or any dumbe element There is no man will enter into couenant with his seruant much lesse wil enter inter couenaÌ„t with a dumbe element So in respect this Sacrament seales vp a couenant this couenant of necessity must be made with a faithfull soule and in no wise with the dumbe element and therefore these words cannot be directed to the elements Thirdly looke to the end wherefore this Sacrament was appointed Is it not to leade vs to Christ Is it not to nourish my faith in Christ Is it not to nourish me in a constant perswasion of the Lords mercy in Christ Was this Sacrament appointed to make the elements Gods No for if ye marke Gods purpose in this institution ye shal find that Christ hath not ordained this institution to nobilitate the elements to fauour respect the elements which were Bread and Wine yesterday to be Gods to day We on the contrary say plainly that the institution of Christ respecteth not the elements to alter their nature Indeed it is appointed to alter vs to change vs and to make vs more and more spirituall and to sanctifie the elements to our vse But the speciall end is this to make vs holy and more and more â—o grow vp in a sure faith in Christ not to alter the elements nor to make them gods And therefore by all these three Arguments it is euident that the words ought nor to be directed to the elements but to the people and faithfull communicants Now to come to an end There is one thing without the which we cannot profit let vs discourse neuer so long vpon the right vnderstanding of the Sacrament Ye see now how all that is spoken concerning the Sacrament is grounded and dependeth vpon faith Let a man haue faith be it neuer so little he shall get some hold of Christ and some insight in the vnderstanding of this Sacrament but wanting faith though a man endeuour himselfe to make the Sacraments neuer so sensible it is not possible that he can get any hold of Christ or any insight of him For without faith we cannot be Christians we can neither get a sight of God nor feele God in Christ without faith Faith is the onely thing that translateth our soules out of that death and damnation wherein we were conceiued and borne and planteth life in vs. So the whole studie and endeuour of a Christian should tend to this To craue that the Lord in his mercie would illuminate his mind with the eye of faith and that he would kindle in his heart a loue of faith and worke in his heart a thirst and desire of the obiect of faith and more and more to thirst and hunger for the foode of faith that nourisheth vs to life eternall Without this faith how-soeuer the naturall man vnderstanding naturally would flatter himselfe surely there
be applyed to our times Then I say praised be the liuing God our King is not diseased but surely his country is heauily diseased for so long as Papists Papistry remaine in it so long as these pestilent men remaine in it and so long as these floods of iniquity which flowes from the great men remaine there is an heauie iudgement hanging ouer this Country And in my conscience I cannot but look for a heauy iudgement vntill these things be remoued There is no great man but whatsoeuer liketh him he thinketh it lawfull And not onely is this in this part of the land but in all other parts of this Nation grosse iniquities are committed and the Church is made a prey to all men there is such disdaine and contempt of the word in the whole estate Except these things be purged I cannot looke but the Lord shall raise some if it were out of the furthest Indies to plague this land Albeit I doubt not but the liberty of the Church here and the sobs and sighes of the godly here haue delayed the iudgement from the whole land yea I am assured of it and therefore I pray God that he may so worke in your heart Sir by grace that ye may put to your hand to purge your part of the I le The Lord of his mercy establish your heart by grace that for no mans pleasure ye communicate with other mens sinnes Three maner of wayes we are said to communicate with other mens sinnes First when both with heart and hand we do one thing with them Secondly when we consent with our heart only Thirdly when we ouersee where we should reproue and forbeare where we should punish And in this way Magistrates are onely guilty Thus farre for the application Now I go forward to my text The last thing that we haue to speake of is the manner of the Kings behauiour vnder so terrible a disease we haue in the second three verses his behauiour liuely expressed As to his behauiour I speake onely of it as the text speaketh I doubt not but he reasoned otherwise and gaue other answers to Isaiah But I content me with that which the text saith Then in his behauiour we see he retyreth himselfe first to God by prayer and to testifie that he prayeth â—rom his heart it is said that he weeped bitterly Surely this is an euident argument that his prayer flowed from his heart was indited by the right Spirit for if God leaue vs to our owne natural spirit we neither know what to pray nor how to pray But as it is said Rom. 8.26 it is the Spirit of God that inditeth our prayer that raiseth these sighes and these sobbes that maketh our heart to melt in those teares that are pleasing to him So it appeareth here by the earnestnesse of his prayer that it flowed from the right fountaine and therefore it can not be but pleasing to God This prayer and manner of his behauiour assureth vs of two things first it makes vs certaine of his faith Secondly of his repentance I say it makes vs certaine of his faith For how is it possible that I can craue any thing at the hands of him in whom I trust not Or how can we call vppon him saith the Apostle in whom we belieue not Then Prayer to God is an euident argument that we trust in God So I say it is an argument of his faith and where faith is of necessity repentance must be for these two companions Faith and Repentance are inseparable As Peter testifieth in the Actes 15. chap. For so farre as the heart is purged so farre is the life renewed so faith and newnesse of life going together faith and repentance must also go together Then his prayer testifieth his faith his faith testifieth his repentance his repentance testifieth of the secret condition inclosed in the threatning and the condition being fulfilled the threatning can not strike So by this deduction it may appeare that suppose the Prophet denounced very strictly yet vnder the denunciation there was a condition which condition taketh effect in the King Thus far concerning his behauiour Now as to his gesture I shall be short in it It is said that he turned him to the wall he did this out of question for two respects First that he might weepe the more bitterly for it is said that he powred forth his soule in teares And so he desired not that he should be seene Secondly he turned him to the wall to the end that his eyes should not carry his minde from God For we know easily that when any of vs is making our prayer in any publike place there is no obiect that falleth before our senses but it will draw vs from that communing which we haue with God So it is necessarie for them that would pray earnestly to withdraw them vnto a secret place according as our maister commanded his Disciples to enter into their secret chamber Thus farre for his gesture As to the words of the prayer they are set downe in the third versâ— in his prayer he suppresseth his petition for his petition is the prorogation of his dayes according to the custome of the godly men of old as Daniel 9.4 And in place of the petition he setteth downe the reason why his petition should be heard As to the reasons they are three in number The first is Remember Lord that I haue walked in thy truth Secondly I haue walked with an vpright heart Thirdly I haue done that which is good in thy sight In all these three it would appeare that he is boasting of his owne merits for the words appeare to be full of ostentation and pride But to answer to this the Lord measureth not ostentation and pride by words but by the heart from whence the words proceede A broken a contrite and humble heart is euer acceptable to him vse what forme of words you will And a proud heaâ—t is euer displeasing to him vse what forme of words it will Now what is he doing here he is not making a vaunt or bragging of his works onely he is shewing to God that howsoeuer his plague was great yet he had a good conscience the testimonie whereof vpheld him In such sort that suppose all outward things said that God was angry at him yet he could not be perswaded in his conscience but he was his friend And therefore in his whole prayer he reasoneth as though he would say after this manner Lord thou knowest that the prophane men of this countrie will thinke it an extreme curse that I shall die without children and by this they will esteeme the deedes to be accuâ—sed which I haue done before they will curse and damne the religion that I haue reformed and the order of thy house which I haue begun And yet notwithstanding I am assured in my conscience that I haue the warrant of thy Law in all that I haue done For I sought
not my selfe but thee onely therefore Lord deliuer me So this kind of reasoning commeth neither of ostentation nor of pride Now as to my selfe would he say when I examine my doings I find my conscience so pure that in all my proceedings I had a good warrant and in all my doings I sought not mine owne particular but thy glorie And therefore Loâ—d remember me take not my life from me that I be not a stumbling blocke to the weake ones and a reioycing to mine enemies This is the onely thing whiâ—h we aâ—e taught here We see this good King when all worldly comfort faileth him and in his greatest extremitie he reposeth himselfe vpon the testimonie of a good conscience this is the onely thing that sustaineth him this is the onely thing that comforteth him and wherein now in the very instant of his death he hath to glorie Surely when I reade through the Bible I find that all the seruants of God in their greatest trouble had recourse to this testimonie of consciâ—nce Ye see Moses when he hath to do with Core Dathan and Abiram he haâ—h recourse to the testimonie of his conscience Ye see Dauid when he hath to do with Saule he hath recourse to this testimonie of conscience Ye see Nehemiah maketh recourse to this Ye see Daniel maketh recourse to this 6.23 And the Apostle Paule 1. Cor. 4. maketh his recourse to this and saith I passe very little for your iudgment or any mans iudgement my glorie is the testimonie of mine owne conscience And the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes in his last Chapter I am assured saith he that I haue kept a good conscience in all things So go through all the seruants of God and ye shall see they haue had euer recourse to this testimonie of conscience and blessed is that man that iâ— not condemned in his doings by his owne conscience For if we are not able to eschue the condemnation of our owne heart how shall wee be able to eschue the condemnation of God who seeth all the secrets of the heart So that man is more then blessed that is not condemned of his owne heart For as to this conscience it is a faithfull pledge keeper the pawnes that it receiueth it rendreth of good turnes it giueth a ioyfull testimonie of euill turnes it giueth a bitter testimonie And suppose the most part of our deeds be now couered from the eye of man and her testimonie for the most part hid from our selfe yet there is a day coming which now is at hand in the which all these things that are now hid vnder darkenesse shall come to light and the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed The bookes of conscience shall be cast open and he that bringeth not in these bookes the discharge of his sinnes in register purchased by the bloud of Christ Iesus whereby our consciences are onely washen from these dead workes he that bringeth not this discharge with him to him shall his whole sinnes present themselues So that not onely shall he be iudged by the sentence of the righteous Iudge but his owne conscience which in this life foreiudged him shall coÌ„demne him there and all the Angels of God with his elect children shall iustifie his iudgement Therefore it is time we had now our discharge registred Now would God I might obtaine this of the office bearers in Church or Policie that they would now cast them in their life to haue the approbation of their conscience in the time of their death The Lord grant it to all them that seeke to serue him But specially the Lord make you Sir so to walke in your life that you may haue a ioyfull testimonie of your conscience in your death that being approued with your owne conscience and the testimonie of God within your conscience in the mouth of these two faithful witnesses your saluation may be sure not in your selfe but in the bloud of Christ Iesus whose mercie is onâ—ly our merit As this is desired in him so it is required in the rest of the office-bearers Lord grant that they may follow such a trade of life that in their death their conscience may make mention of their deeds to their ioy Thus far for this part of his behauiour Now resteth one thing to speake and so I shall end Tâ—ke vp the manner of his behauiour vnder this disease he is straitned with the extremitie of his disease on the one side and with the Lords threatning on the other what doth he in this strait pinch He seâ—keth by prayer to the same God that strooke him and now by his Pâ—ophet threatneth him This is wonderfull for if he had had to do with any other person as namely if he had had to do with the King of Ashur as before it had bene an easie matter to haue retired to God But now hauing to do with God and God apparently being his enemy it is wonderfull that he should haue recouse to God This is a notable faith in him for he hopeth against hope he runneth to that same God that smiteth him So notwithstanding that he threatneth him with death yet he runneth to him and he appealeth from his iustice to mercie in the merits of Christ he appealeth from God as a righteous Iudge vnto him as a Redeemer in Christ and his appellation is heard For as we shall heare hereafter by Gods grace he is healed Thus farre concerning his repentance Now as to the prorogation of his dayes the question might rise whether it was lawfull for him to craue it or not I shall touch it but in generall and first I say in Hezechias person it is very lawfull for he lacked posteritie and in this the promise of God had not taken effect in him and so it was lawfull for him to seeke the accomplishment of the Lords promise made to his father Dauid and also the reformation of the Church was but new begun the common-wealth was not as yet established and all these craued the presence of the King So if we looke to the particular in him it was lawfull I come to the generall it is lawfull at some times to seeke at God prorogation of dayes and my reason is this Length of dayes is one of the greatest blessings temporall that we haue as in that promise annexed to the commandement appeareth And as the Apostle in the 2. Chap. 27. to the Philip. when he maketh mention of the disease of Epaphroditus he saith No doubt he was sicke verie neare vnto death but the Lord had mercie on him and not onely vpon him but on me also So he counteth the prorogation of dayes a speciall mercie And there is no mercie nor benefit of God but it may be craued so that it be craued to the right end For we directing our life to the glorie of God and vsing it as Pilgrims and strangers seeking our home and hauing it ready to lay downe in the hands of God
great profite as by hearing proaching Yea suppose they say they can reade better then he can preach No reade as much as they will their reading shall neuer bring forth faith for it is by hearing that faith cometh and where the ministerie is and they contemne the hearing they contemne faith for faith cometh onely by hearing ordinarily Thus farre for the circumstances Now the effect of the comfort is set downe in three points the first two points agree with the petition the third is further then came in his minde to seeke The health of bodie is the first it agreeth with the petition Length of daies is the second it agreeth also with the petition The third is further then he could haue looked for and more then he sought what is that A sure estate a prosperous estate and a glorious estate promised to him during all the rest of his daies This was more then he sought Now as to the order that the Prophet keepeth ere he come to the comfort he vseth a short preface The words are these The Lord calleth on him and he saith Go to Hezekiah thus saith the Lord God of thy father Dauid This preface differeth in two points from the preface that he vsed in the beginning of the chap. First there is here mention made of Dauid which is not in the former and so oft as euer ye find mention made of Dauid in the beginning of any preface so oft let the singular fauour and mercie of God come in your mind And when euer ye see Dauid placed in any preface let Christ come in your mind because Dauid was a type of Christ. This mention of Dauid placed here is to let the King see that the readinesse of his comfort flowed from the Messias to wit Iesus Christ from whom all true comfort flowed and without whom there is neither comfort nor consolation He calleth himselfe the God of Dauid because the principall promises of grace were made to Dauid and his house and specially that promise concerning the Messias in whom all the rest of the promises are yea and Amen fully accomplished in him This is the first point of difference the second point wherein they differ is this in this preface he calleth Dauid the Kings father as if he would say The man whom I loue so well I see him to be thy father and thee to be his child and his sonne not onely by nature but by graces I see thee to be his sonne by faith And therefore the whole promise of grace made to him and his seede must properly appertaine to thee where otherwise if thou hadst bene his sonne by carnall propagation onely these promises of grace had no more appertained to thy person then they did appertaine to the person of Achaz thy father But by reason thou art not onely his sonne by nature but also by grace therefore the whole promise of grace appertaines to thee for as the Apostle saith Rom. 9. It is not carnall generation that maketh vs sonnes of the promise for not all that are of Israel are Israel in deede They are not all the sonnes of God that are the sonnes of the flesh but onely the sonnes of the promise are the children of God that is they that through beliefe in the promise of mercie become the sonnes of mercie and are made the children of God Then this beliefe in the promises maketh vs not onely sonnes to God but sonnes to Dauid and Abraham for following the footsteps of Abraham in his faith by imitation of his faith we become his sonnes Thus far concerning the words of the preface Of this I marke two or three things and first by these words ye see the Prophet stayeth not nor bideth not but holdeth forth his course till he be commanded of the Lord to stand and stay he hath a speciall command for him ere he returne This teacheth all Officebearers that in Gods errand no mâ—n ought to enterprise any thing at his owne hand but to haue the Lords own aduice ere he proceed to his worke we haue his aduice when we haue the warrant of his word The second thing I marke as soone as he is commanded to go he stayeth not but so soone as God saith the word he obeyeth he maketh no doubting he aâ—keth no reasons at God he taketh it not to his aduisement he maketh no opposition but incontinently he obeyeth and surely this is true that if euer flesh and bloud had any reason to haue repined Isaiah had reason at this time And why In a moment and with one mouth he was commanded to recall that seuere sentence which he had pronounced and to pronounce the contrary which might haue ingendered a wonderfull suspition in the Kings heart in respect of the suddainnes If Isaiah had bene as short and as angrie as Ionas no question he would haue asked a reason at God For Ionas was not commanded to recall his sentence neither was he sent in such suddainnes to call it backe but he seeing the words of his threatning not to come to passe therefore he fretteth and fumeth against God where if he had bene commanded in such suddainnes to go and recall his sentence ye may easily coniecture what should haue bene his part This perturbation that was in Ionas letteth vs see that he was ignorant of the nature of the threatnings of God For if he had vnderstood that in all the threatnings of God there is a condition annexed he would not haue taken it so highly And if he had vnderstood that the minde of God was not to cast off a sinner he had not taken it so angerly But being ignorant of this he falleth into this fuming and fretting against God So I say there is two things here to be noted one thing to be eschued of the teachers in the person of Ionas another thing to be followed of them in the person of Isaiah The thing that is to be eschued is this Ionas standeth so precisely vpon his reputation that he is exceeding angry that God should change his iudgement in mercie Now I say this fault would be eschued of all and specially of office-bearers and I am sure there is no office-bearer which hath the feare of God in his heart who would not reioyce exceedingly and be glad to see all these threatnings which from time to time are pronounced against these bloudy men all those threatnings that are pronounced against the manifest oppressors and against these sacrilegious persons I am assured there is none but he would exceedingly reioyce to see these threatnings turned in mercy Againe I am assured there is not a spirituall office-bearer that hath the feare of God in his heart who would not exceedingly reioyce to see all the threatnings and admonitions directed from this place to Magistrates of all rankes inferiour superiour and supreme turned in mercy He is more then vnhappy that is so inclined to threatning that if he see the
Spirit of God offer the contrarie occasion will not be a thousand times more ready to comfort And therefore the Lord in his mercy giue you grace Sir that ye may haue that testimony of a good conscience to vphold you without the which there is no true comfort But alas when I looke on the misery and calamity of this Country I am almost out of hope for why Your subiects haue gotten such a custome of sinne and euil doing whereby they haue drawne on such an habite and hardnesse of heart that nothing is pleasant to them but that which is displeasing to God and nothing displeasing to them but that which is pleasing to him What is it I pray you that custome wil not bow What is it that custome will not alter What is it that continuall vse will not harden There is no potion so bitter-tasted in the beginning but if thou vse it a litle while it shall appeare not so bitter continue yet further in it it shall appeare nothing bitter at all go forward yet in it and in the end it shal become sweete suppose in the beginning it were most bitter Euen so it standeth with that miserable man that casteth his whole delight in ill doing that he hath such a custome in euill doing that nothing is pleasing to him but whiâ—h is displeasing to God and nothing displeasing to him but that which is pleasing to God For the mischieuous custome of euill doing banisheth light out of the minde· And as it banisheth light out of the minde it so banisheth all feeling out of the conscience and in stead of light cometh darknesse and in stead of feeling cometh hardnesse Now the conscience being hardened the minde being darkened what remaineth but a desperate and an obstinate condition like to the diuell who is said to be bound in chaines vnder perpetuall darknes This is wonderful that such continuall thundering of these threatnings is not able to moue them But it is no maruaile for there is no words will moue them yea it is impossible to the bloody man or oppressor to refaine from time they be once giuen ouer to sinne For from time the sinne hath gotten superiority in them as Peter sayth it commandeth them more absolutely then a Prince would command his subiect for sinne hath made them such slaues and they are so carried with impotency of their affections that they dare no more refraine from the seruice of sinne then a good seruant from his masters seruice I pray God that he so multiply the Spirit of gouernment vpon you Sir that holy vnction of Kings that we may once see this great insolency that breaketh out in so great contempt condignly punished that ye may keep your conscience pure and holy Thus much concerning the thing that is to be eschued in Ionas Now followeth another lesson to be learned in the person of Isaiah ye see Isaiah is ready to do what the Lord commandeth When the Lord biddeth him blow the blast of iudgement he bloweth it When the Lord biddeth him come he cometh when the Lord biddeth him go he goeth Then the lesson is this We that are the Trumpetters of the Lord we must not blow as our affections and men bid but as the Lord biddeth vs we must not sound the retreate when we should sound the march nor we must not sound the march when we shauld sound the retreate We must not sound iudgement when the Lord biddeth sound mercy and we must not sound mercy when the Lord biddeth sound iudgement But now the sinnes of the Land craue that all pulpits sound iudgement Therefore iudgement must be sounded There is no way to auert this iudgement but that euery man according to his calling put to his hand to reforme according to the bounds and power that is committed vnto him And the best way were that ye that are Noble men concurre with your Prince and his Maiestie concurre with heart and hand to repaire the ruines of this Country Thus farre for the second lesson Now he subioyneth the Narratiue In the Narratiue he sayth to the King That the Lord hath heard his prayer and hath seene his teares as if he would say Suppose thou lay in thy chamber turned thee to the wall yet I heard all the words that thou spake and I saw all the teares that distilled from thee And suppose it was not in the temple yet all was manifest to me This is a great comfort Then the lesson in generall is this In all places and to all estates the Lords eare is euer fastned to the cryes of his owne he seeth their teares and he heareth their words And suppose he be not alway as ready to dispatch them as he was to Hezechia yet he leaueth them not but he susteineth them in the meane time by the comfort of his spirit and in the end he granteth them their petition so farre as is sufficient And if it be according to his will he giueth them more then they sought If this be true that the Lords eare is present to heare the prayer of his owne and his eye to see their teares will not the Lord be moued at the cryes of them that are oppressed with these bloudy men It is wonderfull that no threatning nor denunciation will moue these men but if euery teare be powred in the Lords viole and euery word heard of the Lord how much more shall euery drop of bloud be in the Lords viole What is the reason that these bloody men will not giue eare The reason is this they haue layed this ground and vpon this false ground they build all their false conclusions with Atheists that there is not a God and vpon this ground they build all their mischieuous workes But I would demand of these men that haue layd this ground if there be not a God whence floweth this feare and terror of conscience this trembling and vnquietnesse which gnaweth them if there be not a God how is it that they are so tormented Suppose they haue banished knowledge out of their minde feeling out of their conscience all that should feare them out of their heart yet they haue euen this feare trembling in their soule And it is not possible to banish this feare do what they can yea the more murthers they commit the greater is their feare So where men thinke to make themselues sure by slaughter it is the high way to cast themselues in greater vnsurety and make their heart more fearefull then it was From whence come these torments but from God forewarning them of Hell and these are the beginning of hell to thee in this life Which if God would let off the all full measure they would not faile to put violent hands on themselues thinking thereby to get an outgate to their soule for they thinke if the soule were out of this bodie it should be in a better case where in the meane time
his beliefe whereby he might know the truth of the last promise This signe was giuen him as ye heard and looke after what manner he craued it after that same manner it is granted according to his desire The Sunne is bâ—ought backe as also the shadow of it in his Fathers diall by ten degrees and the day which otherwise should haue lasted but twelue houres by this wonder it is made to endure for the space of 22 houres The signe was wrought partly in the diall partly in the body of the Sunne It was wrought in the bodie of the diall because it was a publike worke see vp in a publike place at the head of the palace ouer against the Temple to the end the miracle wrought in it which was in such an open and common place might be knowne to all the Citie and consequently to all that were in Iudea It was wrought in the bodie of the Sunne that the knowledge of that worke might come to the whole world that the whole world who saw that light might see in that worke a God whom they saw not so before This signe was exceeding fit and proper for the purpose for by this signe the King saw euidently that it was as easie to God to bring backe his life to a flourishing youth which was hastening to decay as it was to bring backe the Sunne which was very neare to his going down This signe is wrought onely by the vertue of God For that generall is true There is no creature yea not the diuell himselfe that hath power to shew any true miracle Then all those miracles that are in the popish Churches as the images of legs and armes waxe clothes and all the rest of that sort are deceiuing lies of the diuell The King purchaseth this signe by his owne prayer to learne vs this lesson That suppose the Lord be of minde and purpose to giue vs benefits and suppose he hath promised to grant benefits vnto vs yet he will not giue them but to the seekers he will haue vs first seeking them before we obtaine them And so he would learne vs this exercise to stand constant in honouring and worshipping of him who hath these benefits to giue vs. Before we entred into the song we declared vnto you the whole course of this Kings life from the 14. yeare of his reigne and in his whole course ye saw that his whole life was a continuall falling and rising a continuall praying and praising of God Praying in the time of his falles and of his trouble that the Lord would strengthen him by his Spirit And praysing God for his victories that he had so mightily deliuered him In this we see an image of a Christian life and of a Christian exercise to assure euery one of you that while ye are here your life shall be but a continuall falling and rising rising by the speciall grace and mercie of God in Christ Iesus And therefore it becometh you to be occupied in the same exercises wherein this King was imployed In the time of your falles and troubles to be diligent in prayer seeking strength of the Lord to endure and praysing him in your victories He that forgetteth to pray forgetteth to rise and therefore take heed that in all your troubles ye haue euer recourse to God by prayer We tooke the song to stand of these three parts In the first part is set downe the great trouble perplexitie and perturbation wherein the King was what he said during this trouble and what he did In the second part there is a rehearsall made of the great benefit that he obtained how singular and how excellent it was In the third part he maketh a faithfull promise to be thankfull to God for this benefit to praise him all the dayes of his life that so long as he liued he would neuer forget him In the first part we marked the circumstance of time when this trouble of mind ouertooke the King to wit at what time the seruant of God came to him told him it behooued him to die from the time he heard death denounced incontinently the mention of death striketh a feare and a trembling in him It casteth him in a great perturbation of mind Suppose he was a godly King and indeed such a King of whom there is as good mention made as of any other King in the Scriptures of God yet notwithstanding at the hearing of death he feareth and trembleth This death is indeed a renting asunder of those two parts which were appointed to haue remained together and therefore it is no maruell suppose the mention of it strike a feare in the heart Our owne sinne hath procured it and in some measure it is good that we taste what sin hath brought with it It is true indeed our death that are Christians is fully sanctified in the death of Christ Iesus But it is as true on the other side that suppose our death be fully sanctified yet so long as we remaine in this earth we are not fully sanctified And in respect there remaineth in vs yea in the best of vs all a remanent of corruption yea would God it were but a remanent of this floweth this feare trouble perturbation of mind It is true that this faith and the constant hope of a better life that dwelleth in the other part of the soule do temper the feare mitigate the trouble and swallow vp the paine of death yet in respect of the corruption that remaineth some feare must be and the greater the corruption is the greater feare falleth vpon the conscience The chiefe corruption that grieueth vs in the time of death is the loue of the world the cares of the world the inordinate loue of flesh and bloud So that he that would make himselfe voide of feare must prouide to rid his hands and his heart of these inordinate affections for experience although vnhappie teacheth vs that there is no man that can part with that he loueth without exceeding griefe And therefore in the point of death experience teacheth what it is to cast our affection on friuolous things that suddainly vanish So I say now it is time to rid your hands and purge your hearts of such preposterous affections that death which vnto others is so terrible when it cometh it may be a blessing vnto you I shew vnto you that all those care were forbidden goods expresly inhibited by the King of heauen which are neither profiâ—able for you nor to the countrey whither ye go And therefore I desired you to carrie with you the loue of God and the loue of your neighbour in God And these kind of commodities shall both profit you and be welcome to the countrey whither ye go In this trouble the first thing that he vttereth he sayth with himselfe I see I must die I am drawing neere to the ports of the graue Suppose he was very loath to die as his words do testifie yet he maketh
As the faithfull againe see the Scriptures and looke to that perfection that is required therein looke to the progresse and increase of faith that is required therein and see on the other side their great wants how farre we are from this progresse how is it possible but the soule must doubt Againe laying aside this trial and looking downe vpon our behauiour to these sinnes that are in our flesh and to the lusts whereunto our hearts are inclined and to the angrie face of God against sinne how is it possible but we must doubt Therefore I conclude There is neuer a seruant of God but in their soules they had this doubting looking on themselues they doubted looking on the mercy of God in Christ Iesus they beleeued That notable vessell acknowledged himselfe to be subiect to this doubting 1. Cor. 4.8 where he saith We are alwaies in affliction but not in distresse we doubt but we despaire not That good vessell acknowledged doubting onely he denieth despaire He granteth that this doubting hath place in the soule with faith but not despaire seeing despaire cutteth the pillars of our hope and consequently of our faith Therefore it cannot remaine in the soule with faith Vnder doubting he comprehendeth all other errours stammerings and wrastlings whereby the soule is troubled wrastling betweene hope despaire But all these imperfections are freely pardoned in the righteous merits of Christ or else there were no place of saluation for vs. I wished those who knew this to cōfort themselues with it they that had not experience of this to remember the lesson that they might make vse thereof if at any time it shall please the Lord to assault them with these terrible visitations The last lesson that we gathered of the last part was this We learned of this King to make our recourse to God in our greatest anguish of body and soule and when the benefite of our speech and tongues are taken from vs that we cannot pray to God in distinct language yet not to leaue off but make recourse vnto him by sighing of the heart by lifting vp of eies by continuall groning moning and lamentation that in these things God may be glorified for it is true the Lord knoweth the meaning of thy sigh and sob as well as thou knowest this language which I speake And how is this because they are raised by his owne Spirit and are the works of his owne Spirit and I pray you knoweth he not the meaning of his owne Spirit Therefore when the benefit of the tongue is taken from you that ye may not praise him with your tongue then let euery member of the body and soule concurre to praise him as long as there is any of them free There is none exempted from these troubles there is none can enter into the kingdome of heauen except first he taste of these troubles There is no estate Emperour King or Prince that looketh for life but he must enter in that narrow way Only they that are appointed for damnation walke in the broad way but terrible is the narrownesse that abideth them in the end They haue a short time of largenesse to be recompensed with euerlasting straitnesse Therefore their estate is rather to be lamented then enuied Alwaies ye that make you for the citie that hath her foundations for the kingdome that cannot be shaken ye should not be wearie to go forward in the narrow way but what euer trouble he hath laid vpon the soule or bodie let vs take it in patience for these are the pledges of mercie such as make conformitie betweene vs and Christ Iesus in whom onely is true comfort and saluation Thus farre we proceeded in our last exercise Now in that which I haue read he entreth into the second part of the song And first he bursteth out of hand as it were into the praise of God then after he sheweth the benefite which he hath receiued and the wonderfull comfort which he hath gotten of God And in respect that this comfort did flow from the word of promise he taketh occasion in the 16. verse to praise the word of God And in the 17. ver he noteth the time when he fell into this disease and in the end of that verse he letteth vs see the maner how he was deliuered Now to returne to the 15. verse I say while as the King is musing and pawsing vpon the greatnesse of the benefite rauished in an admiration of the wonderfull works of God he cannot containe himselfe but he bursteth foorth in these voyces of praise and thanksgiuing What shall I say A patheticke and cutted kind of speech signifying that his heart was so stuft and swolne his tongue would not serue him to expresse the matter What shall I say As if he would say Where shall I borrow any words to expresse the matter Where shall I borrow praise that I may answer so great goodnesse and kindnesse as I haue found in my particular in this God of mine I turned not so soone vnto him and the teares distilled not so soone from mine eyes but he accepted my person he granted my health and promised me his fauourable and mercifull protection all the rest of my dayes How am I able to meete these benefits in word much lesse in deed Yea it is not possible to the tongue to vtter that which the heart thinketh But suppose I cannot as I would I shall praise thee as I may and as thou hast giuen me the grace A notable kinde of thanksgiuing learned of his predecessor Dauid who when he was in like case vsed the like forme of praise saying What shall I render to God for all his benefits A forme of praise wherein this good King granteth three things first he granteth this ingeniously that the benefit which he receiued was free freely bestowed on him without any procurement of his Yea he acknowledged that he procured the quite contrarie Secondly he granteth that he hath nothing in himselfe to meete this benefit yea not one word much lesse a deed yea scarsly is he able to render praise for it Thirdly he testifieth that suppose he may not in such measure as his heart would and as the worthinesse of the benefit required burst foorth in the praise of this great God yet he would not be idle And surely suppose he speaketh few words yet in these few he giueth the signes of a more thankfull heart then if he had spoken a cart full of words or vttered millions of words It is not the babling of the tongue that the Lord looketh to but he looketh and hath an eie to the inward disposition of the heart he looketh to the constitution of the spirit because he is a Spirit And therefore the Lord liketh of this Kings heart suppose his words would not serue him Since those corporall sacrifices in the old law ceassed there is not a spirituall sacrifice more acceptable to God then is the sacrifice of
praise and thanksgiuing for the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing sanctifieth not only thy person but all the benefits which the Lord bestoweth on thy person For that which is true in meate and drinke is true in all the rest of the benefits which are pledges of his mercy in Christ Iesus Now the Apostle testifieth in the 4 to Timothie first Epist. 4. verse that thanksgiuing sanctifieth our meate and drinke and maketh it both holy and wholsome As this is true in these creatures so it is true in all the rest of the benefits and blessings of God So when I looke on this thanksgiuing I am mooued yea I am compelled to marke three things in it first I am mooued to marke the wonderfull goodnesse of God Secondly our horrible ingratitude Thirdly the great arrogancie of the enemies of God the Papists First then I say ye may easily see the goodnesse of God in this forme of praise who when he may require our life our soule and bodie and the whole actions of our life for his benefits yet he is content with a simple kind of praise and thanksgiuing in such sort that if the heart be good suppose we babble with words yet it is acceptable to him As this sheweth his kindnesse and wonderfull mercie on his part so on our part it sheweth our horrible ingratitude that albeit little will content our God yet we will not bestow that little on him it cometh neuer in our mind to thinke it much lesse to do it in deed So this is an intollerable ingratitude vpon our part This ingratitude maketh it come to passe that we possesse his benefits with an euill conscience This maketh it come to passe that the curse of God hangeth ouer all your riches which curse ye either see in your daies or else it is seene after you in your prodigall posteritie And this is onely by reason ye are vnthankfull to God for his benefits I am assured and this ground cannot deceiue me there is none of you that hath purchased any benefit in a good conscience but ye will thanke God for it for a good conscience will neuer shake off the memory of God altogether So when ye forget to thanke God it is an euident argument that the benefit is purchased in an euill conscience For the which cause the curse of God is hanging ouer your riches Which appeareth either in your time or suppose the Lord be long-suffering in your posteritie Then to testifie that the benefits are well come by be thankfull to God for them and purchase nothing but that whereof ye haue a sure warrant in your conscience Now the third thing that I am mooued to marke I say this letteth vs see the horrible arrogancy of the Papists who thinke that they can not onely be thankfull for his benefits in word but also they are able to do him one good turne for another in deede and when after their maÌ„ner they haue satisfied him they make a superplus which they call works of supererogaâ—ion Those their works of supererogation are a superlatiue follie and madnesse which cannot be expressed that whereas the best seruants of God found in experience that by word they were not able to satisfie him they thinke by their deeds to satisfie his infinite goodnesse But I leaue them and go forward He sheweth in the next words the greatnesse of the benefit and he taketh it vp briefly vnder two words after this manner He hath said it and himselfe hath done it he said it in his promise he did it in keeping of his promise he both said and did it himselfe that the whole glorie of the worke might appertaine to him he said it freely for I procured the contrary he kept it as freely for the Lord is true suppose all the world be false Ye see how properly he taketh vp vnder these two words the mercie and truth of God the mercie of God in promising the truth of God in keeping and peâ—forming of his promises The mercy of God in promising freely for he is debter to no man and therefore whatsoeuer he promiseth he promiseth freely for there is none of vs can make claime to any better condition then the naturall branches might haue made claime to and if ye list to reade of their naturall inclination ye haue many places of Scripture and in speciall I send you to Deuter. 32. Exod. 32. Isaiah 48. For there speaking of the Iewes the Lord saith I foreknew thy stubbornnesse I saw the sinewes of thy necke were of brasse and thy face of yron I foresaw that thou wouldst remaine false and vnfaithfull yet notwithstanding I made my promise freely vnto thee and as freely as I made it I kept it as feely It is I it is I saith he in the 43. of Isaiah that putteth away thine iniquities it is I that for mine owne name sake calleth not thy sinnes to memorie If this be true in the naturall branches how much more is it true in vs Then we haue nothing to lay betwixt vs the iudgements of God but his mercie freely offered vs in the bloud of Christ Iesus It is God saith he that hath done this As if he would say all the rest are lyars onely God is true and ere he faile in one iot of that he saith he is able to make the world turne vpside downe and to inuert the order of nature as ye may see in the former part of the Chapter in bringing backe of the Sunne by ten degrees And therefore this teacheth vs that there lacketh not in God neither a power nor a will onely on our part there lacketh an hand an instrument to receiue and belieue the promises And therefore suppose there be carts full of promises and as sure promises that there can be nothing surer it is not possible that these promises can auaile any thing except the Spirit prepare a way for himselfe except the Lord create in the soule faith Therefore all your care and diligence should stand in this to craue that with the hearing of the word the Lord would conioyne the working of his Spirit that faith being wrought and the heart being opened fully we may leane and repose stedfastly on the faithfull promises of God In the end of the verse he sheweth a blessed and happie effect which issued out of this notable benefit he saith I shall henceforth all the rest of my yeares walke ouerpassing the bitternesse of my soule As if he would say by this benefit the griefe of my conscience and the terrors and troubles of my soule are remoued He maketh no mention of the rest of the benefits of the health of his bodie of his sure and prosperous estate which was both promised and giuen vnto him But he touched that which troubled him most the griefe of his conscience was the thing that troubled him most and therefore he maketh mention onely of it This bitternesse made such a deepe impression
of the Ministery See then if the iudgement of God pronounced 2. Thes. 2. goeth not fast forward who hath giuen vs ouer as appeareth to be deceiued by the mighty power and working of the Diuell in such sort that euerie man striueth who shall put his appetites furthest in execution Oh! vnhappy and wrathfull countrey that hath so abused the merciful calling and great benignitie of God it is a wonderfull thing to looke vpon this matter and to consider our great ingratitude The more that knowledge groweth the more conscience decayeth as if conscience and knowledge could not both rest in one breast looke to the workes of all men it appeareth that the bringing in of light hath banished conscience which was in the time of darknesse What can be the cause of this that as light groweth the effect of light decayeth It is a thing that passeth the vnderstanding of man and the end of it shall be more then terrible Is it not more then wonderfull that the more that this Countrey is watered with the sauing and heauenly dew the more our hearts are hardened What must this bring forth It must bring forth at the last an eternall consumption which consumption must be so much the greater the greater that our contempt is For it is not possible but that ground which is so oft refreshed with raine and dew and yet bringeth foorth no other thing but thornes and bryars but at the last it must be burnt vp How is it possible that thornes that are prouided for the fire but they must be consumed by the fire And seeing our deedes testifie that we are nothing but thornes of necessitie we must be burnt vp except the Lord worke otherwise then I haue any expectation For the longer that iudgement is delayed it shall be heauier when it lighteth seeing the contempt is so great â—herefore the Lord giue you grace that as ye know there is a Hell and eternity of paine and as ye would eschue it so ye may take vp a new course of life But this cannot be except the Lord worke it by his holy Spirit except he forget our sinnes and assure vs of the remission of them in the blood of Christ. And therefore I haue to craue with you and ye with me that this may come to passe that in the bowels of his mercie we may eschue that terrible damnation from the which the Lord preserue vs for Christ Iesus his Sonnes sake To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour and praise now for euer Amen THE ELEVENTH SERMON VPON ISAIAH CHAPTER 38. 16 O Lord to them that ouerliue them and to all that are in them the life of my spirit shall be knowne that thou causest me to sleepe and hast giuen life to me 17 Behold for felicitie I had bitter griefe but it was thy pleasure to deliuer my soule from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sinnes behind thy backe 18 For the graue cannot confâ—sse thee death cannot praise thee they that goe downe into the pit cannot hope for thy truth 19 But the liuing the liuing shall confesse thee as I do this day the Father to the children shall declare thy truth 20 The Lord was readie to saue me therefore I will sing my song all the dayes of my life in the house of the Lord. 21 Then said Isaiah Take a lump of dry figs and lay it vpon the byle and he shall recouer 22 Also Hezekiah had said What is the signe that I shall go vp into the house of the Lord IN our last lesson welbeloued in Christ Iesus the King entred into the second part of his song And first of all as ye heard he bursteth foorth of hand into the praise of God Then after he setteth downe the greatnesse of the benefits receiued in two words with the chiefe comfort that he found And in respect the comfort flowed from the word of God he entered into the commendation of the word of God Then first of all whilest the King is musing and pausing vpon the greatnesse of the Lords benefits and rauished in admiration of the greatnesse of the workes of God he cannot containe himselfe any longer but the bursteth foorth into the praise of God and saith what shall I say A patheticke and abrupt kind of speech whereby he testifieth that his tongue would not serue him to expresse the matter his heart was so swolne with praise that he was not able to vtter it in any quantitie of words In this doing suppose his words be few yet he sheweth himselfe more thankfull then if he had vttered a million of words So thankfulnesse standeth not in the multitude of sillables and voyces but it standeth in the heart and disposâ—â—ion of the soule Where the Lord findeth the heart thankfull there is no word that can flow from that heart but it is acceptable And howsoeuer the Kings words be few yet in his words he granteth three things First he granteth the benefit was free and freely bestowed Secondly he granteth that he hath nothing to render for it yea not so much as one word much lesse a deed Thirdly he letteth vs see that howsoâ—â—er he was not able to answer to the worthinesse of this benefit yet he was not idle but he vttereth praise as God gaue him the grace for it is not possible that a good conscience and a godly soule can altogether forget God but in the due time it will euer thanke God for his benefits so â—â—at whosoeuer either forgetteth or casteth off this exercise they testifie their wealth to be euill purchased and that there is a curse hanging ouer them and their riches both which curse appeareth either in their owne times or suddainly after in their prodigall posteritie Therefore ye that would haue the curse remooued in time learned to thanke God for his benefits that ye may possesse them with the blessing of God to you and yours Therefore he taketh vp the greatnesse of the benefit and comprehendeth it vnder these two words He said and he himselfe did it he said it in his promise he did it in accomplishing of his promise he did it and said it himselfe that the whole glorie of the worke should appertaine to him he said it freely for the King confessed that he deserued the contrarie he did it as freely in keeping his promise For suppose all the world be false yet God remained true ye see how properly he taketh vp vnder these two words the mercie and truth of God his mercie in promising his truth in accomplishing All the promises which the Lord maketh they flow from his mercie and all his accomplishings they flow from his truth His promises from mercy why He is debtor to no man His accomplishings from his truth why He is truth it selfe and there is no promise that he hath made but he will keepe yea he will inuert nature rather as it appeareth in the drawing backe of the
Sunne whereof ye heard and heauen and earth shall perish ere a iot of his promise faile Yet notwithstanding this is true that there is such a constancie and fidelitie in him all these promises will not auaile vs except the Lord prepare our hearts yea except he sanctifie our hearts by meanes of faith that in our soules we may see this truth we shall neuer regard it and except he giue vs a heart to apply this truth all the promises which he hath made and is to make serue for no vse to vs. Therefore it is the dutie of all Christians to be instant in crauing that the Lord would prepare their hearts by faith that seeing him in their minds and feeling him in their hearts they may find his mercie and truth and repose in them for euer After this we entred into the recommendation of the word of God and generally we praysed the word from this that we haue the benefit of this temporall life by it as this is true in generall so he goeth forward and praiseth the word from his owne experience in particular and he granteth that not onely he hath the benefit of this temporall life by the word but of the spirituall also And as he hath the life whereby he liueth in his body by it so he hath by it the life whereby he liueth in the soule For as there is a life and death of the bodie so there is a life and death of the soule The life of the bodie may be conioyned well with the death of the soule for we may liue in the bodie and be dead in the soule at one time Also the death of the bodie may stand with the life of the soule for we may depart from this life and go to a better The life of the bodie standeth in the presence of the soule but the life of the soule standeth in the presence of the Spirit of life except our soules be borne anew againe by the vertue of that Spirit of life it is not possible that we can see God and taste of his ioy For by nature we are not onely hurt lame maimed but altogeâ—her dead in sinne so that looke how voide a corps is of a naturall life as voide are we of a heauenly and spirituall life The reason is this where death hath place there life must be wholly put out But by nature death hath place in vs therefore the spiâ—ituall life must be wholly put out If the Spiâ—it of life be wholly put out there remaineth not so much as a breath out of the which any good cogitations or actions may proceede If so be there is not so much as one breath where is all that free-will of the Papists where is that integritie which remaineth in the filthie nature Then I say we naturally remaine in the death of bodie and soule still vntill that by the paâ—ticipation of the Spirit of life which dwelleth in the bodie of Christ vntill I say that this Spirit free vs from sin and death And so vntill this time we shall neuer mount aboue the clouds nor see the face of God And therefore as I exhorted you the last day so I insist in the same exhortation now that euery one of you marke and perceiue your selues whether you haue such a life begun in you or not I gaue you three effects which will neuer deceiue you The first is if ye find your selues refreshed and recreate in your spirits from the terrours of your conscience and the feare of sinne which recreation and refreshment of the spirit is called that peace that passeth all vnderstanding whereof the world is ignorant he that findeth any of this if it were neuer so little within him no question he hath this life begun in him and the more this peace is augmented the more the life groweth But this peace groweth by remoouing of sinne Therefore our whole studie should be to remooue sinne for the onely thing that troubleth the conscience is sinne Take away sinne the conscience shall be at rest Wherefore this was the chiefe effect I willed you to take heede vnto The second effect is ioy and reioycing vnder trouble For we see trouble of the owne nature bringeth not foorth this effect but rather bringeth foorth sorrow heauinesse and lamentation Then when our spirit is so disposed that vnder trouble we reioyce and glorie in it this is the Spirit of life This ioy is not in all troubles it is not in the trouble which we procure but onely in the trouble which we sustaine for righteousnesse sake and which we sustaine for Christ his sake The third effect is if ye haue a loue of God and good men and a hatred of euill where these effects are in any measure no doubt but the Spirit of life is there As by the contrary where there is a loue of wicked and euill men no question let them speake of Christ as they will the spirit of the diuell hath full dominion This Spirit of life we shew was entertained by nourishing of the knowledge of God when we edifie our selues in our most holy faith when we nourish the exercise of prayer As by the contrary the Spirit is put out when by our euill doings we put out the knowledge of God when we diminish our perswasion of his mercie in Christ fall from the exercise of prayer Then ye that haue this life begunne nourish it by well doing for by well doing no question our faith is corroborate Delight therefore in well doing sow in the Spirit and not in the flesh run not with the thiefe nor consent not with the murtherer for so ye shall be participant of their punishment but sow in the Spirit and of this ye shall reape an euerlasting and comfortable life where otherwise of sinne ye shall reape nothing but shame and euerlasting condemnation I haue discoursed long on this head because it is very necessarie and I would wish you to consider of these things Thinke on the great benefits of God granted vnto this countrey Thinke againe vpon our ingratitude and vnnaturall behauiour There is no Christian that will weigh these two in one ballance but he shall conclude that it is wonderfull why the Lord suffereth iniquitie in this countrey so long to be vnpunished Formerly when there was but crums of the bread of life they ran to seeke it so that they compassed both sea and land and spared neither trauell nor cost to be ingrafted into the kingdome of Christ But now when there is plentie of it we haue taken such a lothsomnesse thereof that we abuse the liberalitie of God offered to vs and turne his grace and mercie into vengeance on our owne heads For as to the multitude ye see that they haue alreadie preferred the leauen of the Pharises and gone to mumchances mumries and vnknowne language wherein they pudled before As to the noble and gentlemen they are so drunken with sacriledge that rather then they will render these goods
cometh to passe that suppose the substance of our body and soule be not abolished yet both body and soule is so hurt changed and altered that they appeare not to be the thing they were at the first For as to the body by reason of this corruption it is subiect to death and from death it is resolued to powder and ashes As to the soule suppose the substance of it decay not yet ye see the qualities of it are so altered and changed that the light of the vnderstanding is turned in darkenesse the integrity of the will in wickednesse the vprightnes and intention to good is turned in a declining from good and in a bent purpose to do euill And shortly in a word by this corruption we haue lost the image of God which shined so brightly in vs in our creation Vnder the third sort of sin I vnderstand the lacke of the obedience and want of the accomplishment of the Law For by nature in our first creation we were not onely bound to abstaine from sinne but to accomplish all righteousnes and to conforme vs to the will of God perfectly in all things Now by this corruption we faile in this poynt as well also as in the rest and so we are guilty of all sortes of sinne and being guiltie of all sortes of sinne of necessity we must be subiect to death and condemnation for the reward of sinne as the Apostle saith is death Now the King sayth not that the Lord hath freed him from one or two sorts and not deliuered him from the third bur he saith he hath deliuered him from all his sinnes and consequently from death and condemnation For this is the custome of God in Christ if ye mark it wel from the time he beginneth to call his children to repentance and to worke with them inwardly he forgiueth them not a part of their sins but from the time he enters to this worke at an instant he forgiueth them all the sinnes of their whole life past present and to come as the Parable Mat. 18.23 testifieth where ye see the Lord forgiueth the whole debt The reason of this is Christ his Sonne who tooke our debt on him and was surety for vs he died not for a part of our sinnes onely nor satisfied not his Father for a part onely but for the whole businesse And therefore the debt being once payed the Father cannot require further and so when he beginneth to forgiue vs our sinnes he forgiueth vs all our sinnes simul semel The remission of sinnes is freely offered to all flesh in Christ by the publishing of the Gospell and is freelie applied by the working of the Spirit of God and is receiued onely by the hand of faith which is in the heart Except the Lord purifie the conscience cleanse the heart and open it as he did Lydias heart offer what remission ye will it is not possible we can apply it vnto our selues except the conscience and soule be recreated in the sweetnes and peace that floweth out of Christ. Offer remission neuer so oft the conscience dare not be so bold as to apply it to it selfe And therfore the whole study of a Christian should stand in this that he be not deceiued with presumption in steed of faith which presumption in the end tendeth to desperation And lâ—t vs not be flattered by euery sleight faith light opinion that flieth in the fantasie For iustifying faith must open the heart and be digested in the heart inwardly that the heart may be turned thereby For where the heart is onely touched with a light taste which is not stedfast incontinently as soon as the truth cometh this taste is spued forth but where this grace is digested in the heart in such sort that the stubbornnesse of our will is abated our vnderstanding changed our affections altered no question we haue accesse to God and seeing him in our minde and feeling him in our heart there is no storme that can make vs to runne from him but the greater the storme is the nearer we will draw to him Seeing we know there is a better life with him then is here all this is the duty of a Christian therfore euery one of you trie your hearts and mindes vrge God continually by importunate suiting and wring this grace out of him that it may please him to open our hearts For except the heart be opened that yee may feele the sweetnesse that your will and affections be altered it is not possible that ye can be inclined to good Desire of God therefore increase of faith that we may abide the storme blowe when soeuer it will Now ere we go from the words of this verse he sayth It is he that hath cast all my sinnes c. Which he is this God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost three persons one God hath done it no creature but God onely And ye see as ye may reade Luke 5. that the Pharisies were not ignorant of this that God onely might forgiue sinnes For in that same place Luke 5. in that conference which the Pharisies haue they say What a blasphemy is this Who hath power to forgiue sinnes but God onely Now looke to the behauiour of Christ after these words who paâ—tlie by his silence approueth them partly by a miracle he ratifieth their speach to be true that God in heauen hath onely power to forgiue sinnes there is a good reason euen in our naturall iudgement that ratifieth this to be true for who hath power to forgiue the debt but the creditor Now God onelie is our creditor therefore God onely hath power to forgiue for it is the law of God that is transgressed For all sin is the transgression of the Law therfore al sin offendeth him mediatly or immediatly and seeing he propeâ—ly is offended he onelie must forgiue As to Christ Iesus man he hanging on the crosse craueth mercie for his murtherers oâ— God his Father and saith Forgiue them Lord for they know not what they do And when he himselfe forgiueth sinnes in this he testifieth that he is true God as the Ancients gathered well by this effect that he forgaue sinnes that he was not a simple creature but true God also where the Church is said to forgiue sinnes they remit in the name authority of Christ Iesus or else when they forgiue they may be called pronouncers and publishers of Gods remission For in vttering his word they shew themselues to be his mouth not their owne mouth As to vs that are brethren we are said to forgiue others we forgiue others indeede but our remission relieueth not the man of his guiltinesse but the guiltinesse remaineth euer in the soule vntill God remoue it And in respect the guiltinesse remaineth vntill it be remoued by God none hath power to wash away the guiltinesse but God therefore it is God properly that is the forgiuer of sinnes and for this cause
it is that Dauid in his 51 Psalme cryeth out and sayth Against thee against thee onely I haue sinned Now seeing it is he onely that forgiueth sinnes let vs seeke remission at God and no other The last thing that I marke is the cause that moued God to forgiue him his sinnes he saith because he loueth his person and for this loue that he did beare vnto him he neither suffered the bitternesse to remaine in his soule nor his body to see the graue It is confessed by the King that there was nothing in himselfe worthy of this loue Therefore he is not loued for his owne cause of necessity then he must be loued for that mans cause that took away his sinne Now reade ouer the Scriptures what man is that who hath taken away our sinnes taken on him our debt discharged him honestly and honourably of it euen he that is God and man also Christ Iesus and therefore in these same words quietly he acknowledgeth his sins to be remoued for the loue which God did beare to him in Christ Iesus who was in his loynes as yet according to the flesh I say there was no man able to beare and discharge this burden saue this man which is God also able because he was God and as he was able so he discharged this burden in his owne time And Christ is iustly the onely Mediator betwixt God and Man And therefore whom the Lord loueth he loueth in him and to whom the Lord sheweth mercie it is for his cause onelie For why he perfectly satisfied for the whole businesse which may be easily seene in these three points For fiâ—st he deliuered vs from these sinnes which we call actuall sinnes And how by his perfect satisfaction whereby he satisfied fully in suffering hell in his soule and death in his body and that on the crosse And so freed vs from these actuall sinnes and the punishment thereof So that in this point he is a perfect Mediatour Secondly he deliuered vs from the puddle and rotten roote from the which they proccede For ye see Christ Iesus was conceiued in the wombe of the Virgin and that by the mighty power of his holy Spirit So that our nature in him was fully sanctified by that same power And this perfect purity of our nature in his person couereth our impurity for he was not conceiued in sin and corruption as we are but by the power of the holy Spirit who perfectlie sanctified our nature in him euen in the moment of his conception So he being throughly purged his purity couereth our impurity Now in the third point also he is a perfect Mediatour for he not onely satisfied for our sinnes but he accomplished the whole law for vs yea and more then the law required for the second Table requireth onely that we should loue our neighbour as our selfe But Christ did more then this for none loueth his neighbour so that willingly he will die for him So Christ in dying for vs sheweth that he loueth vs more then the law required And so he not onely accomplished the law for vs but did more then the law required Now this perfect righteousnesse of his cometh in betweene vs and his Father and couereth our rebellion and disobedience or else we could not be free from condemnation in this point also All these to wit perfect puritie perfect satisfaction and perfect righteousnesse are to be found in Christ perfectly And therefore onely mercie and remission of sinne is to be sought for in him and he that hath not Christ to be his intercessor that man shall neuer taste of mercie Now let vs go to the application what manner of intercession can Christ make for that man that blasphemeth his Father It is not possible that the Son can interceede where the Father is blasphemed wilfully and willingly Yea of all iudgements this is a most terrible iudgment where the spirit of blasphemie hath such power that he maketh a man to vtter such voyces against his maker Thus farre concerning these words Now in the next two verses he giueth two reasons wherfore the Lord forgaue him his sins and deliuered him from the death of his bodie and he sheweth in that 18 and 19 verses that the Lord in this worke had his owne entrie and speciall respect to his owne glorie which glorie he saw would be aduanced more by the lengthening of his dayes then otherise by the shortning thereof Secondly that the benefit of his deliuerie would be a matter of praise to al generations to the end of the world For it is said The fathers shal instruct their children and so fathers and children in their extremities they shall runne to God for the like mercie Now for these two ends that God might be praysed of the King in his owne person and of his posteritie and of all the posterities thereafter the Lord bestoweth this benefit vpon the King and giueth him health I take vp the reasons in these two verses the 18. and 19. And the first reason is taken vp in the 18 and beginning of the 19. for there he saith The graue cannot confesse thee death cannot praise thee As if he would say dead men and buried cannot praise thee as we do in these bodies of ours in the land of the liuing liuing in thy Church here Dead men that rest in their graues cannot looke for the accomplishment of thy promises And if I were dead and my bodie in the graue I could not looke for the accomplishment of thy promise in giuing me a sonne It is onely the liuing the liuing that is able to praise thee There he doubleth the word to let you see that they must be endued with a double life that praise the Lord aright They must not onely be endued with the life of the bodie but also they must liue in their soule Now the King saith I being restored to this double life both in body and soule I shall praise thee For none can praise thee worthily as I do this day but they that are aliue as I am This is the first reason Now to examine the words he meaneth not that they who are dead and buried leaue off this exercise onely he meaneth that they who are dead and buried will not praise God in their bodies will not praise him as we do here on earth And therefore we must not thinke that they leaue off this exercise Yea by the contrarie we must beleeue that the soules of the Saints departed are more busie in this exercise then when they were aliue and how prooue I this The nearer the soule is vnto God the greater plâ—asure and delight it taketh in him but after it is departed out of this life it is so much the nearer coupled with God Therefore it taketh the greater pleasure and delight in him Now the greater pleasure it taketh in God the greater praise it must giue to him for pleasure cannot come into the heart but it
must redound backe to him that gaue it Therefore the nearer the soule is conioyned with God it praiseth him so much the more Now after the death of the bodie the soules of the faithfull are more straightly coupled with God therefore after death they praise him the more Where Christ hath dwelt once in this life suppose the bodies die and be resolued in powder by reason of sinne yet the soule liueth by reason of righteousnesse Yea suppose the body be dissolued yet that Spirit of life that dwelt in the soule raiseth thy soule to heauen euen as the Spirit of life that dwelt in Christ Iesus raised his bodie from the graue And as the Spirit of life is the onely cause that made vs to praise him in our bodies so that same Spirit maketh vs to praise him out of these bodies by reason suppose we be absent in bodie yet are present in our soule with the Lord. For the words Rom. 8 are these If Christ dwell in you suppose the body be dead by reason of sinne yet the Spirit is aliue for righteousnesse sake The meaning of the words is suppose they that are departed leaue off to praise the Lord in their bodies and in the earth which he calleth the land of the liuing yet they leaue not off at all Now of this I shall marke one or two things Take vp the end wherefore the Lord deliuereth any person citie or country from any trouble within or without the chiefe end of his deliuerie is this That that person citie or countrey may serue as an instrument to preach his benefits to sound his praise and to render vnto him heartie thanks for it Are our sinnes forgiuen vs to this end is there any countrey or any citie set at libertie to this end that we should prouoke God to anger by heauier sinnes againe Is this the end wherefore he forgiueth sinnes Is this the end wherefore he bestoweth his benefits that we should vse them as weapons to fight against himselfe Is not this rather the high way to kindle him to greater seueritie and to sharpen his furie against our selues Yea and what exception I pray you can we vse in his greatest seueritie seeing we haue prouoked it our selues I speake it to this end there is not a person in particular nor any in generall but of naturall knowledge they will say There was neuer a greater benefit bestowed on a countrey then in releeuing vs of the feare of that barbarous Nation he must either confesse this or he is an asse This benefit if it were rightly measured and considered reade ouer the Scriptures conferre benefit with benefit miracle with miracle all circumstances being well considered ye shall finde that since the children of Israel came through the red Sea there hath not bene a greater To what end deliuered he vs is it that we should prouoke him with greater sinnes Looke since the feare of these strangers past what sinne is there but this countrey hath defiled her selfe with it See ye not slaughter in greater measure oppression murther without any mercie see ye not all law and equitie trampled vnder foote And briefly see ye not this confusion risen to such a height that euery Lord in his owne bounds is a King what sort of birth I pray you shall this confusion bring foorth At the last it must bring foorth one of these two of necessitie and take heeed ye may chance to see it except the Lord preuent it Either the supreme magistrate and inferiour magistrates must concurre in one voyce to put an end to this confusion or the confusion out of doubt shall put an end to him I am assured one of these two must follow for the weight of his wrath which hangeth ouer this land is insupportable the earth is not able to beare this birth of our iniquitie and if there were no other punishment as I haue often said the earth shall be compelled to spue foorth the inhabitants ere God want meanes to punish As this is true in the countrey in generall so it is as true in this Citie in particular for it neuer came yet for the most part in your hearts to thanke God aright for your deliuerie Therefore the Lord is beginning to let you see that he can raise strangers men who haue the hearts of strangers among our selues he hath meanes enough in the middest of our owne bowels to punish this countrey suppose he seeke not strangers But indeed in this late brag of our neighbour Lord he desireth you to go backe to the consideration of the greatnesse of the last benefit And if ye acknowledge it rightly and be thankfull for it there is no domesticke force ye neede to regard For as to the force that can proceede any way from that man ye know it And surely it would appeare to me that that man hath sold himselfe to iniquitie and the end will declare it except the Lord preuent him with his vndeserued grace which I desire most heartily Although in the meane time suppose there be peace promised yet stand ye on your guards and let it not come to passe by your misbehauiour and backwardnâ—sse that the glory of God and the libertie of this Citie be impaired in any wise but stand on your guardes that as this Citie hath bene a terrour to euill men before-time so it may terrifie him also For no question where God and a good quarrell concurre that side shall haue the vpper hand This onely by the way For it becometh me of my dutie to maintaine the good cause and to instruct you in this point of your dutie The second thing that I marke ye see the glorie of God is euer conioyned with the life of his owne so that we cannot aduance Gods gloâ—ie but we shall further our owne saluation and we cannot neglect the one but we shall neglect the other Seeing thâ—n that these two are necessarily conioyned for Gods sake let euery one remember to set forward the glorie of God in his life so farre as he may according to his estate and calling This life is so miserable in it selfe and there is none that seeth the confusion of this countrey to grow so fast that can looke for any redresse of these things in his own time So here beneath is no comfort all runneth on to such a desolation and miserable confusion that of all liues of the earth our liues were most miserable if we had not a sight of a better For all ioy to be looked for here beneath is taken away Well I leaue this second part and come to the last The third part of this song is in this 20. verse which is the conclusion of the whole song In this conclusion the King testifieth that he will not onely praise God for the present for the benefit which he hath receiued but he maketh a solemne promise that so long as he liueth he will neuer forget this benefit all the dayes of his life
mighty hand to her great comfort to his glory and to the perpetuall ouerthrow of his and her enemies that haue assailed her No doubt but some singular and particular deliuery hath giuen occasion to this notable song albeit the forme of the song is generall and may serue well to the vse of the Church in all ages following to the end of the world For these benefits wherefore the Psalmist praiseth God in this Psalme they haue bene common they are common and shall be common benefites to the Church so long as she is absent in the body from the Lord For he hath giuen the custody of his word to no other society in the earth but to his Church he dwelleth with no other company of men but with the company of faithfull men and women he taketh the defence of no other sort of people in the earth but of these faithfull men These people haue felt in experience his inward outward deliueries both in soule body the Church of this country at this day that she standeth on foote and that she hath liberty to assemble and that now she hath a mouth and voice to praise him she hath this God to thanke onely and not any flesh vnder the Sunne Therfore I say addres your hearts euery one of you in some measure to do this for surely ye had neuer better occasion theÌ„ ye haue at this time All men I know are not alike disposed yet were neuer more vnfit For I know there is a sort of men who thinke themselues by this deliuery disappointed who in their hearts are as sorowful of the Sparniards case as they theÌ„selues are of these I look for no praying There is another sort of men who were neuer touched with the danger and these men cannot be moued with the deliuery for he that saw not the perill it is not possible that he can esteeme of the deliuery There is thirdly another sort of men who both saw the perill sighed for the perill and desired the deliuery This sort of men will praise God for the benefite of deliuery Surely in this we haue all occasion to thank God that commandement hath passed from Church and King that all knees shal bow and do reuerence to this God whether they do it fainedly or truly to themselues be it said whether they do it vnder pretence or sincerity to themselues be it said for the weale and profite will redound to themselues onely Although we that feare God haue great occasion to praise him that his name is glorified this day suppose it be feinedly This Psalme hath three speciall parts In the first part he propoundeth certaine benefites in the which the Lord shewed himselfe both gracious mercifull to his Church In the second part he praiseth God for a singular deliuery for a worke more then wonderfull a worke in the which the Lord shewed himselfe to be a mighty preseruer of his owne and a terrible reuenger on his enemies a worke accomplished by his owne vertue and force onely without the support of any creature liuing In the third part he setteth downe an exhortation to the Church to grow in thankefulnesse towards God to grow in thankefulnesse towards him that he may grow in mercy and sauour towards her and that he may grow in anger and hatred towardes his and her enemies These are the parts of this Psalme In the first part there is first propounded a chiefe and principall benefite wherein still the Lord sheweth himselfe exceeding gracious towards his people the benefite is this that he hath reuealed himselfe so plainly and so familiarly to her besides all the rest of the world In such sort that he hath made her acquainted with him and made himselfe well knowne to her For first the Lord hath reuealed himselfe to his Church by a speciall and particular reuelation beside that generall reuelation which is knowne in the whole worlde for as to this generall reuelation which is knowne to the world it serueth nothing to our instruction profite nor erudition but serueth rather to our conuiction that the Lord may haue within vs a testimony of our iust condemnation And therefore beside this generall reuelation whereby he hath reuealed himselfe vnto all flesh he hath manifested himselfe to his Church by a speciall and particular reuelation beside that common light and naturall vnderstanding he hath opened himselfe to vs by an heauenly light supernaturall vnderstanding which heauenly light vndâ—rstanding maketh vs first the children of light and of the day which heauenly light discerneth vs from the rest of the world who are darkenesse and the children of the night as the Apostle calleth them For this heaenly light and supernaturall vnderstanding whereby we see God is proper onely to the true members of Christ Iesus who are his Church none hath this eye of Faith but they onely It is so proper to them that it seuereth them from all other societies in the earth whether they take vnto themselues the name of the Church or are altogether enemies therunto This supernaturall light and vnderstanding is offered by the word is giuen vnto vs by the Spirit of God for the naturall man as long as he remaineth in his naturall estate caÌ„not perceiue the things of God For why the greatest light and greatest wit that is in our nature is the greatest enemy that this heauenly light wit can haue as we haue in the Apostle writing Rom. 8. The best wit yea that which we call the bâ—st wit that is in a naturall man it counteth the word of God foolishnes And therfore seeing the world by her own wisdome yea the greatest Philosopher in it by his owne knowledge could not know God this God was moued by that same light and wit which the world counteth foolishnesse to make men to know him in Christ Iesus to their eternall saluation This wit I say is offered to vs by his word and giuen by his Spirit onely For as there is no man knoweth what is the minde of man toward hm except the spirit of the mans selfe or he to whom this spirit reuealeth it so there is none knoweth the wisedome of God nor knoweth his mind toward him except the Spirit of God and they to whom this Spirit communicateth the matter Of this Spirit he hath powred vpon his owne Church whereby he hath reuealed himselfe more plainely to her and giuen her a clearer sight of him then all the rest of the world can haue For as to that sight which we haue of God which is common to vs with the rest of the world in the mirrour of his workes it faileth vs in the very entry we lose it in the threshold it is choked and suffocate by the mischiefe of our affections within vs. Againe as to that sight which we haue in his word take once his Spirit from the word that this word be but a slaying letter and not a quickning Spirit the
ye will find it the more worthie of praise I am sorie in my heart that our disposition is so euill that we cannot praise him as we would yet howsoeuer it be that we can do it as we would let vs do it as we may according to that measure of grace that is granted to euerie one of vs. And for this default that is in vs let euery one of vs desire pardon following me after this manner Lord be mercifull to our vnprepared hearts Lord behold vs in the righteous merits of thy Sonne and suffer not this euill disposition of ours to be a hinderance to the second deliuerie if peraduenture that Balaak with his Priest Balaam make the second assault But Lord in thy mercies sanctifie our hearts more and more to all thy holy vses that thy mercifull protection may couer vs and being inuironed therewith we shall not be found naked let the furie and rage of the enemie assaile when he pleaseth Let vs I say after this manner be thankfull to God And surely the thankfull memory of this benefit shall be the readie way to purchase the second deliuerie in case as I haue said the enemies of God being possessed with that restlesse spirit of the Diuell make the second assault Thus farre concerning the first benefit The second benefit whereby he sheweth himselfe gracious to his people followeth in the second verse to wit He made his residence with them he dwelt at Shalem as his Tabernacle placed in Sion doth testifie He dwelt at Ierusalem which at that time was called Shalem where his Tabernacle was placed This dwelling of God with his Church is the second benefit wherein he sheweth himselfe gracious to her For suppose it be true that the maiestie of our God replenisheth heauen and earth and is euery where yet it is as true that this God of ours dwelleth not euery where for he dwelleth onely in his Church and among his faithfull For the Lord is farre off continually from the hearts of the wicked as the Apostle saith Therefore the Lord had made as yet his residence and dwelling to be in Sion He dwelt in the hearts and consciences of his owne people of old he gaue them ensignes of his visible presence as was the Tabernacle the Arke as types and ceremonies which were seates of his oracles and gaue many miracles and wonders for the confirming of his presence Now it hath pleased the Lord to translate his Tabernacle from the Iewes to vs and to set downe the ensignes of his presence among vs such as the preaching of his word as ye heare it this day the ministring of his Sacraments as ye see this day and the exercise of discipline as we haue at this time These are the visible ensignes of his presence whereby your senses are informed that the inuisible God dwelleth here he maketh his residence properly in the hearts of faithfull men and women And the Lord dwelleth in his Saints two manner of waies to wit by faith and by his holy Spirit It is by the benefit of faith the Spirit of God that we become the Church of God Temples of his holy Spirit Citizens with the Saints and domesticks of heauen For by this faith our hearts as Peter speaketh Act. 15. are purified whereby Christ Iesus may haue residence in them and as Ephes. 3.17 whereby Christ may dwell in vs. By the same faith againe we are builded on the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles that we may be an habitation to God by his holy Spirit as in the last verse Ephes 2. Then I say if the Lord dwelleth in his Saints by these two manner of waies by faith and by his holy Spirit he dwelleth not substantially in his Saints but he dwelleth so onely in his owne Sonne For the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth in him corporally By faith and his holy Spirit therefore he maketh his residence with you by the ministerie of his word and Sacraments he testifieth his presence here And surely moe and greater promises Ierusalem had neuer then this Church of ours hath moe notable testimonies of his presence and mightie deliuerances Iudah had neuer then we haue And God dwelt neuer in no nation of the earth at least since the Gospell began so long in such sinceritie and puritie without error or heresie as he hath done with vs. So that if there be any nation vnder the Sunne bound to praise God we are chiefly bound and of all nations we must be most vngrate if his name be not great among vs. But when I looke to the horrible ingratitude answering to this obligation I cannot promise a continuance of this light and presence For will ye looke vnto our answering in our liues the great men in this countrey are become companions to the eues and Pirates oppressors and manifest blasphemers of God and man Ye see murther oppression and bloodshed is the onely thing that they shoote and marke at As to the simple sort of people the prophane multitude they are altogether godlesse there is not such a thing in them as a naturall light whereby they may see God in his works much lesse the supernaturall As to the greatest part of our Priests our Ministers their mouthes haue lost the truth and their persons haue lost their reuerence the Lord hath made them contemptible in the eyes of men And by reason they haue forgot to giue him his due reuerence he hath taken their reuerence out of the hearts of men Well the Lord will not wearie and trouble himselfe perpetually as he hath done these many yeares past in offering pearles to filthie swine to curres and to dogs It is not possible that he should wearie himselfe still but at the last seeing there is no estate of life that testifieth any true loue to his truth therefore it is as ye see the most part of this countrey is giuen ouer alreadie to a strange delusion because they would not receiue his Sonne when he was offered therefore the Lord hath giuen them ouer to a strange delusion And to what I pray you Euen to prefer the leauen of the Pharisies and dregs of Papistrie to the wholsome and blessed word of truth And shal this be the end of these plagues No but in respect of the contempt of the truth their bodies shall be plagued also in the sight of you all whosoeuer they be that haue made foule defection from that blessed truth And vpon this we haue also a petition in the second place to craue of God as in the first place to craue that the Lord of his great mercie in time would preuent this vtter extermination which this great confusion both in Church and policie so terribly threatneth and portendeth For it is not possible that things can euer stand still in this estate but of necessitie either the Magistrate and in speciall the supreame Magistrate must put to his hand and make an end of this confusion or else this
end that he may draw them by the hand to repentance And now seeing they haue abused the time of his sitting he is euen at the rising And assuredly the Lord shall rise to be reuenged vpon the iniquities of the great men of this Country whose sinnes do so abound And whereby know ye this By one argument which is infallible Examine by your owne wit and iudgement which ye haue of the booke of God and by your naturall iudgement Is it possible that the ground of this country is able to beare a greater birth of iniquitie both in Hie-land Low-land Is it possible that it can be heauier loaden with mischiefe in all corners then it is now Yea the ground must be disburdened of this iniquity where the Leiutenant whoÌ„ God hath placed ouerseeth it and will not disburden the earth of her birth where the Magistrates that are inferiors neglect their duties of necessity he must extraordinarily from the heauen disburden the earth thereof And surely to let this passe if there were no more but these horrible confusions in all parts which no man can ouertake it appeareth that the Iudge of the world himselfe shall come downe shortly to disburden it And why Because I see all tokens that go immediatly before his coÌ„ming to be already passed faith is skarslie to be found yea no faith in promises much lesse faith in Christ Iesus For iniquity aboundeth so and there are so many confusions left vnouertaken by the Magistrate that it appeareth clearely â—he Iudge himselfe must needes come and that the Iudge of the world shall be the first that shall redresse this confusion And seeing it is so it becometh not vs to be idle for surely the time draweth neare And if the time shall be shortened for the elects cause now I thinke it shall be shortened for the cries of the poore of this land Therfore it is no time for vs to sleepe It is time for vs to prepare to go meete that great Iudge now whilst oyle is offered abundantly buy oyle to your lamps for so soone as the Trumpet blowes and that he is making homeward from the cloudes to his Fathers dwelling from whence he shall come it is no time to haue our oyle to seeke Now we haue this oyle of gladnesse freely offered Therfore it becometh you to prepare your selues that when he cometh whether it be at night or in the morning by night or by day he may not finde you vnawares These iniquities and wickednesse of the heart of man are so deepe that if the Ethnik might say iustlie that the labyrinths deceits of the hart of man are infinite how much more may we speak it hauing Ierem. his warrant who calleth it deepe and inscrutable aboue all things Ierem. 17. It is time therefore that we be busie in seeking the renewing breaking and humiliation of our hearts for the outward scarre suppose it appeareth to be whole where the inward is festered it auaileth nothing but maketh it to fester againe Therefore now it is time to study to haue your hearts broken for once they must be broken ere they be healed Once they must be low ere they be high For thine heart that was neuer touched with any sense of thine owne sinne and feeling of Gods iudgement knew neuer what the taste of mercy meant For there is no way to go to heauen but by the gates of hel Therefore it is time to beg of God that he would bring your hearts to that estate that ye may know your sin sorrow for it and that he may prepare your hearts so that ye may looke for the accomplishment of your happinesse in his coming And where the hart is so desirous of that day it may be welcome come when it will The Lord of heauen prepare your hearts It is not possible that this can be done O Lord except thou by the mighty power of thy Spirit humble them and hammer downe this naturall hardnes that is in them otherwise our hearts wil neuer giue obedience to thee Therfore O Lord worke it Now in the end of the verse he letteth vs see to what end the Lord rise and executed iudgment The chiefe cause that mooued him to rise was the poore and oppressed in all corners of the earth The great complaint and crie of the people in all countries was the cause why God did rise Examine then and try hath not God good cause to rise in this countrie I know wel there can not be more complaints of the poore in a countrie then in this so that it is no maruell but he rise and that suddainlie he is like vnto himselfe no was of before Then these great complaints and cries of the poore must make him to rise as ye haue it Psal. 12. And if they preuent noâ— his rising terrible shall it be to the wicked for euer with the saluation of his owne the destruction of his enemies is ioyned And out of these both saluation destruction he maketh himselfe to be glorified Then I would these bloudie men and oppressors that renowne themselues with shame and ignominie knew that the Lord will risâ— and that shortly except they preuent him whereof I see no appearance In the tenth verse he letteth vs see to what purpose the great furie of these men serueth and in the beginning he letteth vs see it with a constant affirmation Surely surely the rage of men shall turne to his praise Their greatest rage and highest furie is the highest matter of the Lords praise That same fury and rage whereby they thinke to dishonour God and ouerwhelme his Church he turneth to the contrary and maketh out of that same furie his owne glorie and the deliuery of his Church to shine The Lord is a wonderfull workman he bringeth about his purpose in such sort that he can draw out light out of darknesse and bring forth his owne praise out of their greatest rage Haue ye not seene this from time to time hath he not made his greatest enemies to testifie it and drawne a confession out of their owne mouthes Ye reade in the historie of Iulian the Apostata when he was in his greatest rage and in the top of his fury prouoking Christ to the combat in that high rage whilest he draweth his weapon to strike our head he striketh himselfe and after he had giuen himselfe a deadly wound he bursteth foorth and saith at the last Thou hast won ô Galilean so out of his owne mouth the Lord drew a confession of this praise Ye reade in the 6. of Exod. of those inchanters that opposed themselues to Moses and Aaron and counterfeited all that they did vntill it came to the plague of Lice there they stand and say It is the finger of the Lord as if they would say This plague is done by the mightie hand and power of God onely we are not able to counterfeit it Here we see they are compelled out of their owne mouth to confesse
ought any wicked vowes ought to be kept vowes which are rashly vowed to be wickedly performed for in so doing they make a double fault First they do a fault in vowing rashly secondly they make a fault in performing their rash vow All these vowes are beside the warrant of the word we should promise to be thankfull to God and to performe Then the exhortation riseth vnto vs after the example of the Prophet here that seeing in this great benefit although we had neuer receiued moe benefits the Lord hath deserued so well of you ye ought euery one of you to frame your hearts to grow in thankfulnesse to him whereby he may grow in mercie and loue towards you and in hatred and anger towards his enemies And although ye be thankfull thinke not that ye deserue any thing for when ye haue done this ye cannot adde any thing to his estate ye enrich not God one whit It is not possible that he who is absolutely perfect of himselfe can neede any thing whereby his estate may be enriched yea suppose we adde nothing to his estate our best thanksgiuing is no waies acceptable to him but by way of grace if Christ Iesus step not in betwixt vs and him it is not possible that our persons or any action that floweth from our person can be acceptable vnto him Therefore it is onely by way of grace and mercie in Christ Iesus in whom he cannot be displeased with vs that our thankfulnesse is accepted by him So it is not for our merits as the Papists foolishly alledge nor by way of our deseruing that he accepteth of vs it is by way of mercie and grace that he alloweth of vs and our thankfulnesse Indeed he accepteth so of our thanksgiuing that vnlesse we praise him nothing can please him And therefore seeing all our actions are acceptable to him onely in his welbeloued let vs praise him in Christ. Ye see we will thanke him for meate and drinke after dinner and supper and why should ye not thanke him for the rest of the creatures As for this benefit of your deliuerie and preseruation both of Church countrey the Lord giue vs hearts to thanke him Now in the end of this verse he saith Let them bring presents to him that ought to be feared We haue no other presents to bring but this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing which is called calues of the lips Psal. 51. Would God that this were truly giuen although not in such measure as is required Alwaies let vs bring these sacrifices and present them to him onely who is fearefull not onely to meane men but to the greatest Princes and Monarchs of the earth And how prooueth he this He prooueth this in the last verse where he saith He cutteth off the spirit of Princes that is he spoyleth them of their wit and force and last of all when it pleaseth him he spoyleth them of the life it selfe he taketh all from them euen from these same Princes that oppose themselues most against him he spoyleth them in an instant of heart hand and all forces and maketh them a spectacle to all nations Well they will not learne in time it is terrible for Princes to fall into his hands For when they fall into his hands he is not satisfied to spoile them both of heart and hand but after he hath spoiled them both of heart and hand he taketh the very life from them Senacherib found this for his owne sonnes laid hands on him slue him Our great men thinke they will eschue his hands There is no example or proclamation of iudgement that will make them leaue off from burning slaying and murther This is not looked to by the Councell and he who should punish this ouerseeth it and they that are inferiour magistrates ouersee it so that this land is so ouerwhelmed with sinne that it cannot be discharged vntill the great God himselfe doth it Terrible is he therefore to Kings looke how terrible Kings are to meane men farre more terrible is he to them The Kings of the earth at least since the Gospell began haue euer conspired to expell Christ out of the number of Kings and so to roote out his kingdom that he should not beare rule in the earth And this conclusion hath bene laid by them So by Kings here to whom he is terrible is to be vnderstood those mischieuous Kings that will not acknowledge Christ as King nor submit their scepter to his scepter but haue all conspired and assayed their forces to put him out of their number What profit they haue gotten of this time hath tried Ye see what the King of Spaine hath gained ye see what his predecessors gained And what followeth There is a secōd assault to be made and it is not possible but the second assault must be For the diuell must be euer like to himselfe So the second assault shall come in great rage he shall push at that same stone as he and his predecessors haue done oft before Is it sure that Spaine shall make the second assault It is sure and yonder argument letteth me see it for the spirit of the diuell cannot be at rest And what shall come of this The next thing that ye shall heare God shall cut off his life he that hath spoiled him first of his heart and hand shall spoyle him of all and so the second thing that ye shall heare the great Monarch of Spaine shall die And so he shall be disappointed in the second assault and all the kingdomes which are vnder the protection of this King shall be let loose For rather shall heauen and earth go together ere God suffer his Church to be rooted out if we remaine in any part of our obedience O then we ought earnestly to prepare vs to reuerence him who is onely fearefull For if they who haue the supreame place will not reuerence him he shall take their reuerence out of the hearts of men It is onely for Gods sake that they are reuerenced whosoeuer therefore honoureth not God he shall not honour him So we ought to honour God and giue him his due reuerence and his owne place that we reuerence no man nor the lawes of any man but God and for Gods cause And so honouring God God shall honour vs and extoll vs and that in the righteous merits of his Sonne To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and praise both now and euer Amen THE FOVRTEENTH SERMON VPON THE 40. PSALME PREACHED IN THE time of publicke fast 1 I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined vnto me and heard my crie 2 He brought me also out of the horrible pit out of the mirie clay and set my feete vpon the rocke and ordered my goings 3 And he hath put in my mouth a new song of praise vnto our God many shall see it and feare and shall trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is the man that maketh
exercise of patience For if the heart vnderstand that the Lord hath reiected our prayer altogether it is not possible to continue in prayer so when we know that the Lord heareth vs suppose he delay let vs desire patience to abide his good will The third thing that I marke is this his crying and weeping obteineth a prosperous issue for by his long crying he is drawn out of a terrible pit by his long crying he is drawn out of the myre and deepe clay There is no pit so deepe take it as thou wilt that can stay the eare of the euerliuing God There is no distance of place nor thicknesse of impediments that can stay the voyce of any suppliant Be the pit neuer so deepe wilt thou cry truly thou shalt be heard And it is as true on the other side whosoeuer cryeth and showteth if his pit were neuer so deepe he is not drowned hast thou this liberty to cry in crying thou risest the more thou continuest the nearer is deliuery Theâ—efore onely he is in a miserable estate who being throwne downe in a deepe and horrible pit knoweth not notwithstanding that he is there nor feeleth not his misery For as long as we haue the knowledge and some feeling of our misery be the pit as vgly as it will we are in danger but not lost but where knowledge feeling is away there we are drowned there is not one of vs all but so long as we are here we are in one pit or other The pit of iniquity circleth vs so long as we are here there is no meanes to be deliuered but by feeling our misery for feeling maketh vs to cry and by crying we are heard Thus much for the Prophets first experience Vpon this in the third verse he taketh occasion to praise God by reason of this his singular experience which gaue him the matter argument of a new song This song is called a new song by reason of the new occasion of the new deliuery which occasioneth to him the matter of new praise In the end of the verse he setteth downe two speciall vses of this praise whereunto it tendeth The first vse is it tendeth to stirre vp the Church to follow his example in praysing God The second vse of it tendeth to the edification of euery member of the Church in the feare and worshipping of God Of this verse I gather shortly two lessons and so I shall go forward The first who is it that putteth this song of praise in our mouth who maketh vs to sing this new song in our heart onely God putteth the song of praise in our mouth and maketh vs to sing this new song in our heart for by nature none hath knowledge to praise him nor will praise him The way and manner how to praise him is by a taste and feeling of his sweetnesse It is not possible that the heart can praise him except it haue a taste thereof All the benefites of the Lord whether they be spirituall or temporall should be as many occasions of praise but this silence is an argument of the hardnesse of our heart for surely if we were touched with a feeling of this sweetnesse we would burst forth in praise but our slothfulnesse sheweth the hardnesse of our heart And where this foule death continueth there is no reconciliation with God The second thing that I marke is vpon the end of this verse It is not enough to praise God thy selfe it is not enough to thanke him in thine owne heart But if thou be a true member of the Church thou must propose this benefit to the Church for benefites are not giuen as particular priuiledges to particular persons but as publicke testimonies of the fauour of God towards his Church Therefore euery benefit should be proposed to the Church that the Church may haue occasion to praise God in it Now vpon this third verse he bursteth forth into that notable sentence which we haue in the fourth verse Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust and regardeth not the proude Surely that man is exceedingly blessed who is not caried with the example of the proud and vaine in the earth for why by nature there is neuer a one of vs but we are all proud vaine Secondly how forcible euill example is all men by experience know Thirdly we know the multitude accounteth common custome and example for law Therefore of necessitie that man must be exceedinglie blessed that in such a sight of euill examples putteth his trust in God Surely these few in number that depend vpon God if they be compared with the rest of the world of all men of the earth they will be counted most miserable and vnhappy and as the Apostle sayth they were the ofscourings and sweepings of the world For as long as they are here beneath in the kingdome of patience their life is hid with Christ and will not appeare vntill the Lord appeare to be maruellous in his Saints 2. Thes. 1. At the which time their bodies shall shine as the Sunne and their soules shall shine as the Angels In hope of this estate the poore members of the Church repose in the present peregrination There are here two waies set downe There is a broad and an open way wherein rhe proud and vaine men of the earth walke There is a narrow and a strait way wherein the simple and they that depend on God walke Indeed the broad way is large easie and pleasant there is no throng nor trouble in it as would appeare for a while but the end of it is straitnesse euerlasting and terrible straitnesse On the other side the other way is strait in the entry and many impediments are in that way yet the end is large and pleasant and bringeth a ioyfull eternity I thinke that the soiourner that is certaine of a good lodging may well endure the difficulties of the way And therefore seeing we are certaine of our lodging that the way is short let euery one striue to enter into it how strait so euer it be the end is large The Lord of his mercy worke in euery one of vs that we may both know the way and walke in it till our liues end The last thing that I marke vpon this experience ye see two ends why the Lord delayeth to helpe his seruants The first and speciall end is that he may be the more glorified the more that he differeth The second end is that these hasty men that will not abide the leasure of the Lord may see themselues disappointed when they see the seruants of the the Lord so mightily deliuered For there is not one amongst a thousand that in patience will wait vpon the deliuerance of the Lord but runne to this or those meanes vnto vnlawfull meanes and euer seeke helpe for the present although it be with the hurt of conscience And these vnlawfull sorts of deliueries bring euer shame
in the end And therefore it is that the Lord delayeth his deliuerance that partly these hastie men may be ashamed and that his glory might be the greater in the deliuerance of his owne In the fift verse the Lord is praised from the publike experience of the Church for the number of his blessings which he bestoweth is to bestow vpon his Church caÌ„not be expressed There is no heart able to conceiue nor mouth able to expresse the infinite number of his blessings The eare hath not heard saith the Apostle the eye hath not seene nor hath it entred into the heart to coÌ„ceiue the ten thousandth part of the ioy prepared for the children of God for if this heart of ours were able to coÌ„ceiue any part of that ioy we should possesse more of it here then we do The little sparkes of that ioy and the feeling thereof haue such force in the children of God that they carrie their hearts out of their bodies as it were and lift them vp to the very heauens then how great shall the full ioy be I pray you when the whole soule shall be possessed fully As for the greatnesse and excellencie of the blessings of God the heart of man is no way able to conceiue or the tongue to expresse Albeit how euer we are not able to conceiue them let euery one trauell to make a further and a greater progresse in this knowledge for the more we profite in this exercise the more thankfull may we be to God Thus much concerning the first part of the Psalme In the second part I shall be short by Gods grace for this his experience which he hath found he offereth his seruice freely to God he offereth himselfe most voluntarily as one who delighted in the law of the Lord as one who hath proclaimed his mercie and iustice and the rest of his vertues in time past And he confesseth in the 6. verse that this obedience flowed not out of himselfe but of the piercing of the eare of his heart It pleaseth the Lord to prepare and open the eares of his heart that he might obey him for as to outward sacrifice and externall worshipping when it is disioyned from the inward seruice of the heart the Lord hath no liking of it Therefore it pleased the Lord to pierce the eare of his heart And of this it cometh to passe that he cometh and offereth his seruice willingly saying I heare thee crying on me Lord in thy booke In the first word of thy booke hearken and take heede ô Dauid and here he saith I am coming If we follow the literall meaning of the words this is the effect and meaning but if we follow the mysticall sence there is here a cleare prophecie of the Messiah For the Apostle to the Hebrewes Chap. 10.5 bringeth in Christ Iesus speaking these same words of himselfe which Dauid here speaketh in the 7.8 and 9. verses And for the better vnderstanding of this prophecie the Apostle in that place setteth downe the circumstance of time when he spake these words to wit when he came into the world when he tooke on our nature and was clothed with our flesh he spake these words contained in the 7.8 and 9. verses As to the words the Apostle applyeth them otherwise to Christ then Dauid here doth to himselfe for in the words which the Apostle citeth there is a clause changed for where Dauid saith thou hast pierced mine eare the Apostle saith thou hast giuen me a bodie There appeareth to be a great difference here yet I say the sentence remaineth one howsoeuer the words differ And to let you see that the sentence is one this is my reason As the boring of the eare was a signe of obedience of the seruant to the master Exod. 21. so the taking on of our body and of our flesh in Christ is a perfect signe of his obedience to his Father And looke how sure a signe of seruice the boring of the eare was to the master as sure a token is the assuming of our flesh of the obedience of Christ to his Father So obedience is signified by the one and obedience is signified by the other as for Christ he tooke not on this seruile forme for his owne cause but for our cause and for vs was his eare bored soule and bodie sustaining that full wrath which we should haue endured eternally And yet notwithstanding so vnthankfull are we that except he bore our eare afâ—er another sort that is bore our hearts and soules as Lydias was Act. 16. we can neuer thanke him nor know him for this benefit Then the effect and summe of the Prophecie may be this Christ would testifie to vs that he is now by the benefit of the Father become our high Priest not to offer legall sacrifices the bloud of lambs and goats as before but to offer his owne bodie which was the veritie of all other sacrifices that by this sacrifice our conscience might be purged We haue the abolishing of the old Testament set down in the 6. verse the establishing of the new Testament in the 7. verse the office of Christ in the 8. verse Now as to the lessons I marke two or three shortly and so I shall end The first lesson riseth out of the 6. verse he saith in the 6. verse it is not the worthinesse of externall worshipping it is not the worthinesse of legall sacrifices that made the prayers of the ancients to be heard It was not the worthinesse of their ceremonies that made their deliuerie to be purchased It is not the worthinesse of our merits and satisfactions that maketh our prayers to be heard it is onely the bloud of the Lambe that made Dauid to be heard at that time and vs to be heard now that purchased his deliuerance then and our deliuerance now Accursed therefore is that religion that mixeth any other merits with the merits of Christ and double accursed is the religion that derogateth any thing from the honour of this merite This for the first lesson The second thing that I marke is the end why Dauids prayer is heard and our prayer is heard The end is not to abuse the goodnesse of God to the wantonnes of the flesh not to take occasion of the grace of God to prouoke him the next time to anger but the end is to consecrate soule and bodie to his seruice and to make a publike protestation euery one in his owne calling to be thankfull to him in all time to come This is the end wherfore the Lord deliuereth vs and heareth our prayers I grant there is none of vs but in one measure or other we abuse the grace of God but there is an abusing with a fighting or reluctation and there is another with a loose reine And whosoeuer abuseth the grace of God with a loose reine he casteth himselfe into the hands of God and who so casteth himselfe oft into the hands
as if he had offended no creature he addresseth him to God and craueth pardon and mercy for his sinnes of him onely So this is the true repentance where men and women although they haue offended the creatures yet they run to God onely to seeke remission And indeed this is the right way for why it is onely God that can forgiue them their sinnes although they haue offended men women there is no man nor woman that is able to purge theâ—r conscience to take away the guiltinesse of sinne in their conscience It is onely God who by the vertue of the bloud of his Son doth purge the conscience Therefore they addresse them to God onely Properly also it is him whom they haue offended for as for men and women they may escape their eies but it is not possible that they can escape the all-seeing eye of God who seeth the sins of the heart as well as the sins of the body Therefore in respect of his all-seeing eye it becometh them specially to haue recourse to him to addresse them to him onely This is called the godly sorrow In this part ye haue onely this to beware of for the diuell is euer ready at thine hand and this caution is not onely necessarie for an hard wilfull heart but if men and women through the weightinesse of their sinnes conceiue ouerdeep sorrow in their hearts in this case they would be helped For I say at that time the diuel is present and so soone as he perceiueth thee beaten downe with the consideration of thine owne sins that thou art as it were presently in the pit of hell then he is busie to make thee to doubt to make thee to despaire and to make thee to thinke that thy sinnes are so many so vglie and so great that the Lord wil neuer forgiue them and casteth in this or that stay before thee to terrifie thee that thou come not to seeke grace at the throne of grace Therfore men should in this point take heed to themselues they should remit their cogitation not hold it euer fixed vpon the consideration of the vglinesse of their sinnes and weightinesse of their iniquities but thou oughtst to remit these cogitations sometime to take thee to the consideration of the mercy of God to hoise it vp to the consideration of the great goodnes of God to the infinite store of mercy which he hath promised to penitent sinners in Christ Iesus So when thou art cast downe and the diuell would draw thee to desperation withdraw rather thine heart to the coÌ„sideration of the riches of the mercie of God And whatsoeuer thou thinke of thy selfe and the more abiect so thou end in humilitie and not in desperation it is the better thinke nothing of God but more then excellent and of his mercy as a thing that passeth all his works an infinite thing that cannot be compassed For of all sinnes that can be committed I esteeme this the greatest when a man in his heart will match the greatnesse of his iniquitie with the infinite weight of the mercie of God when the diuell by his suggestion maketh thee to beleeue that thy sins are greater then the mercy of God and his mercy although it be infinit lesse then thy sinnes Of all sinnes I thinke this the greatest for in this thou spoilest God of his maiestie of his infinite power thou makest him not a God For if he were not infinite in all things he were not a God So I say in true dolor to preuent this thing men must not sticke perpetually vpon the consideration of their sins but sometime it is necessary that they withdraw their cogitation This sorow where it is appeareth in the effects For if the effects of it appeare not in thy life thy repentance is not true Where this godly dolor is first it bringeth forth in that person a hatred of that which God hateth it maketh that person to agree with God in that he hateth the thing which God hateth and loueth the thing which he loueth It worketh then first an hatred of sinne which God hateth This hatred of sinne bringeth forth a turning from sinne For I could neuer turne from it if I hated it not This turning from the sinne bringeth forth a flight that is a further turning continuance in departing This flight from sinne bringeth forth a care and studie how to please God and this studie bringeth a more earnest care how to hold fast that hold of him which thou hast gotten to retaine his fauour which thou hast felt All these effects flow froÌ„ the right sorrow dolor This part of repentance is called mortification or as the Ancients call it Contrition It is called mortification because by the power of the Spirit which worketh this dolor sinne is mortified It slayeth the lusts and affections that are in me it taketh away the strength and power of sinne within me in respect of the which slaughter it is called mortification For Christ not onely ouercame sin and death hell by vertue of his death perfectly in his owne person but he spoyled sin and death of his power and caried such a rich honourable triumph ouer them all that sin hath lost his power and death hath lost his sting So that whosoeuer can get hold of Christ and his power by the vertue therof sinne shall die in him and his affections shall be dayly by litle litle slaine In respect of the which effects this part of repentance is called mortification Of this godly sorrow springeth the other part of repentance whereby we turne our harts to God apply the mercie of God to our selues And this part is called by the Prophets conuersion by the Apostle himselfe Rom. 2. Circumcision of the heart And Christ speaking of repentance he speaketh of it vnder the name of conuersion as the chiefe part of repentance speaking to the men of Galilee Luk. 13. Except also ye repent ye shall all perish also that is except ye turne also This conuersion whereby our hearts are turned vnto God floweth from this godly sorrow But take heed this turning is not the first effect it is not wrought in an instant of time It is not possible that the conscience that is onely terrified with the sight of the owne sinnes can turne vnto God It is a great matter to the heart that feeleth the wrath of God in so great measure to wrastle out against desperation much more to turne vnto him It is a greater matter to the soule that is vnder the feare of hell and euerlasting death to turne vnto him But so long as I find him a fire burning me vp as stubble no question I must flie from him So long as the present torment remaineth in mine heart it is not possible that I can turne to him Therefore there goeth before this turning a feeling of mercie a feeling of his peace a feeling of his
sweetnesse whereby I find his wrath pacified I find his furie pacified And were not this taste of mercie I would neuer turne vnto him But from the time that mine heart getteth a taste of his mercy a taste of that peace that passeth all vnderstanding wherby I find his wrath to be pacified the terrors of my conscience to be quieted the fire of his wrath to be quenched then I begin to turne to him to beleeue in him and to apply the promise of mercie in particular to my selfe which I durst in no wise do so long as I felt nothing but the fire of his wrath vpon my conscience Vpon this feeling I say ariseth the application and vpon the application riseth the turning vnto him So this feeling of wrath in order although not in time goeth before the turning vnto God The turning bringeth forth a ioy and gladnesse for mercy that he hath gotten this ioy bringeth forth a loue toward him As the other part bringeth forth an hatred of sin so this part bringeth forth a loue toward God This loue againe bringeth forth a care and studie to please him and this care and studie bringeth forth an appetite of reuenge and indignation against thy corruption so that thou wouldest be reuenged vpon thy corruption which made thee to sinne and offend against him And this part of repentance in respect of the great and manifold effects of it is called Viuification As the other part is called mortification so is this called viuification in respect the Spirit of God maketh a new creation in vs maketh vs vp as new creatures of old endeweth our hearts with new affections our soules with new qualities bringeth forth in vs liuing motions actions and cogitations which are called liuing because as they proceed from a liuing Spirit so they carie vs to life euerlasting They are called also liuing in respect of those dead actions which we brought forth in former times which were called dead not onely in respect that they flowed from the flesh that is from corruption but because they caried vs vnto the death of body and soule In this respect I call this part viuification others call it confession and it getteth this name in respect the soule that is quickned cannot but burst forth into the praise of God and glorifie him with a confession he cannot conceale the kindnesse of God done vnto him but he will confesse it before the world and proclaime the riches of the mercy of God that they may glorifie a common God and Father with him And this confession is the chiefest thing in the earth which the diuell endeuoureth most diligently to stay For as there is nothing in the earth whereby God is glorified more then by a sincere confession so there is nothing in the earth that the diuell trauelleth more to stay then this confesson in respect he seeth God so farre glorified by it The Lord desireth not the death of a sinner he seeketh not the slaughter of his creature he seeketh but the repairing of his owne glory and this he counteth to be done by a sincere confession of thy sinne Therefore it is I say that the diuell laboureth to stay this confession And to hold them from this confession he casteth in the shame of the world the estimation before men this inconuenience that inconuenience For this ye may perceiue of his craft that where shame is and shame should be indeed when the action is in doing there he maketh vs bold and stout But where no shame is and no shame can follow of it where God should be glorified by a confession his Church edified and men moued through their example to do the like there he casteth in shame and maketh them beleeue it is the most shamefull thing that euer they did and all this that the soule should not be saued but holden drowned in his snare for euer and euer Therefore men would be aduertised of this that they be not ashamed to glorifie God with an open confession As they are not ashamed to sinne publikely so they should not be ashamed to confesse it as publikely that God may be glorified Remember this This is not spoken for this Noble mans cause onely It is spoken for euery one of you that are in inferiour ranks that euery one of you may confesse your owne sinnes And seeing this is the craft of the diuell by the holding you backe that ye may damne your soules be ye as careful to win your soules by confessing your sinnes to the world The confession of Dauid Psal. 51. serueth it to his shame or to his honour No of all the deedes that euer he did it is counted in all ages the most notable and honorable deede So let not the diuell deceiue men in this poynt As to the kinde of repentance which proceedeth of desperation it is nothing woâ—th it turneth not the heart nor the minde but this repenâ—ance which turneth the hearts of men proceedeth of the Spirit of Christ. So it is the Spirit of Christ that is the worker of this true dolor and conuersion As to the instruments which he vseth in working of it they are two First the Law next the Gospell He must first bring in the Law to bring vs to the acknowledging of our sinne For except the Law did threaten vs we would neuer come to the knowledge of our sinnes Then next he bringeth in the Gospell the promises of mercy and grace freely offered in Christ and through Christ to all them that beleeue So the Gospell cometh in the second roome By the Gospel he worketh faith after he hath wrought faith he draweth out exhortations out of the Law and out of the Gospell that according to the Law we may conforme our liues and obey the same in all time to come So the Law and the Gospell are the means whereby repentance is wrought in the soule of man exhortations out of the Law and Gospell are the meanes whereby a good life and conuersation is continued among men As to the Author he letteth vs see that this gift groweth not in our owne breasts nor it proceedeth not of our selues nor from any creature in heauen or earth but from God onely it is the gift of God giuen freely for Christ Iesus his sake For ye may consider with your selues and looke how impossible it was to make our selues the sonnes of men far more impossible it is for vs to make our selues the sons of God And by repentance we are made the children of God companions to the Angels and sonnes of light So that the second creation which is wrought in vs by the Spirit of repentance is a farre more great and excellent worke then our first creation in this world In this part of repentance whereby we are assured of the mercy of God as there is a caution in the other part to be obserued so there is a caution here to be taken heed of for our nature
kings life shewed in two similitudes 1. Similitude Doctrine to be gathered of the first similitude Why the Patriarkes dwelled in tents The second similitude Application His words beside the diseaâ—e of the bodie vtter the disease of his soule Why the Lord suffereth his children to fall into the disease of the soule Application By what waieâ— Hezechiah sought God Why the K. sought the prorogation of his dayes In what respect it is lawfull to seeke the prorogation of dayes First lesson Whether faith and doubting may be in a soule or not What the Apostle comprehendeth vnder doubting Doctrine The contrary voices that Christ vsed in his trouble The King teacheth vs how to pray in extremity Note Repetition Diuision Three things that the King granteth in his thanksgiuing Sacrifice of thanksgiuing haue succeeded to corporall sacrâ—fices of the law In thanksgiuing three things are to be marked A good conscience thanketh God euer for his benefits The King sheweth the greatnesse of the benefit receiued Deut. 32. Exed 32. Isa. 48. Isa. 43. An effect which issued out of the benefit The sweetnes of the benefite maketh him to burst forth into the praise of the word first in generall next in particular Math 4. How a man shall know if the Spirit of life be begun in him How the Spirit is said to be nourished in vs how he is said to be banished 1. Cor. 15. Recapitulation Application Diuision Application The manner how the King was deliuered Sin is the only thing that is punished in the wicked purged in the godly Lesson Remission of sinnes cureth all diseases When God forgiueth he also forgetteth God onely forgiueth sinner The cause that moued God to forgiue him his sinnes The reasonâ— wherfore the Lord forgaue him his sinneâ— They that are dead in their body leaue not off the execise of praise in â—heir soule 1. Obseruation 2. Obseruation Why the Lord worketh by means and second causes First end Second end Third end The purpose of the Prophet in this psalme Exhortation to be thankfull The diuision of the Psalme A mercy that God is neare vnto his people What is meant by the name of God in this place The true knowledge of God and the true praise of God accompany others mutually Application The profite thâ—t redoundeth to vs of giuing thanks A Prayer Verse 2. A mercie for God to lodge with his people Application A Prayer Diuision Application What is it that dislodges God What is meant by the moâ—ntâ—ines of prey Lesson Verse 5.6 How this victory was obtained How the Lord is said to rebuke Gods formall dealing with his Church What are the ends wherefore the Lord appointed enemies to his Church First end 2. end 3. end Verse 7. The end of his mercy is admiration Conclusion Recapitulation Diuision Verse 8. God onely did this great worke The effects of this great worke Vse Verse 9. The time of this great iudgement The time of Gods sitting He answered to an obiection of the Church Answer Exhortation to thankfulnesse Hope How hope differeth from faith The life of Hope Doctrine Hope and mourning may stand together How to know when God heareth our prayer though he granteth not instantly our suite Notâ— Constant mourning in trouble assures certaine deliuerance Note Lesson Lesson Why the Lord delayeth to helpe his Seruants He that belieueth shall not make hast A mysticall meaning The Prophet and Apostle reconciled Lesson The end why our prayers are heard Lesson Two sorts of abusing the grace of God Note Euil thoughtâ— make vs not guiltie if resisted Lesson The heads to be intreated of in this Sermon What is the chiefe thing that young men should flee What is meant by the lusts of youth Whereof cometh the restraint of sinne Why the Lord restraineth impiety Note Note An exhortation to the Lord Bothwell Whaâ— things yong men should chielfly seeke after Heads to be intreated of repentance Definition of repentance Two sorts of repentance In what respects the worldly sorrow is called blind terror What is the godly and right sorow A caution to be obserued in this part of repentance What is the greatest sinne a man may commit The effects of this godly dolor Why this part of repentance is called mortification Note A feeling and hope of mercie goâ—th before conuersion Why this part of repentance is called viuification There nothing that the diuel staieth more nor our confessioÌ„ A caution to be obserued in this part of repentance Two sorts of repentance Conclusion M. Patrik Adamson late Bishop of S. Andrewes The heads to be intreated of What it is to rule in the Lord.