or skie The Gentiles from their lawfull use did change And made them gods in their Idolatrie Nay even the dropping cloudes and fire was the god of the Chaldes who having devoured all the other woodden deities was confuted by Canopis with a cauldron of water which quenched that furious Idol Nothing so base but they gave Gods honour unto it Rom. 1. 23. Changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man c. Caesar as Tertullian upbraides them was so sacred that it was more tollerable to sweare forswear by all the Gods than by him Nay in all the whole course of their lives they were so abhominable and debauched that when the Scripture would aggravate and make a sinne seeme Hyperbolically great paint it in the true colours he sends us to the Gentiles for patternes being as truely Doctored in the acting of sinnes as the Iesuites in the art of poysoning As against distrust Math. 6. 32. For after all these things doe the Gentiles seeke They sought with all their might arising from a distrust of Gods providence For incontinent incest 1 Cor. 5. 1. It is reported that there is such fornication among you as is not named among the Gentiles that one should have his fathers Wife which is spoken as negative of the Gentiles to aggravate the hainousnes of it for we reade their common practice thereof in the Iliade of their abhominations as the wife of Seleucus a Gentile became after the wife of Antiochus his sonne Then were Nicholaitans in Ephesus Reu. 2. 6. a Church of the Gentiles in their common conversation not onely being dishonest but hating honestie in others in somuch as one Hermodorus was banished from Ephesus because he was an honest man â—s was Aristides out of Athens for no other cause but for his justice And so it was their opinion of honesty as Brutus opinioned vertue I honour thee vertue as something but thou art indeed nothing but an empty name No sinne so sensuall so sencelesse so unnaturall unreasonable but they have beene actors thereof And as the knowledge of CHRIST was preached to the Iewes by an Angell as to a people endued with reason so was it to the Gentiles by signes nor by voyce as to a foolish people with the Prodigall feeding themselves with the huskes of their base affections And as a burthen is easily stayed upon the backe of a Camell by reason of his bunch so the diveli kept those Gentiles easily in their blindnesse causing them for feare to worship him and offer him sacrifice as those soâ—tish Indians the Pigusians c. Then learne wee to magnifie the name of our God It is an honourable thing to speake of the workes of God Tob. 12. that was so mindfull of us when wee were not mindfull of our selves when our hearts like Ephraims Hos 7. 11. as a silly Dove deceived even then hee ranne to meete us fell on our neckes and kissed us with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1. 1. fearing to be too late in shewing mercy whereas in the execution of his justice and wrath Gen. 3. 8. hee walked slowly Vs that were Captaines in mischiefe hath hee called out of the fooles Paradise and inchanted castle of Satans baites and set us upon the Rocke that was higher than us the rocke of Salvation CHRIST IESVS So that wee may say with the Governour of the feast Ioh. 2. 10. The good wine was kept till now the firkins of the Iewes were but water to these beggarly rudiments See then and admire the infinite mercy of Almighty God to call thee beloved which wast not beloved to remove thee from under the regiment of Satan to draw thee out of his power as David did the Lambes from the Lyon and the Beare broken the shackles and manacles of that more than Aegyptian Babylonish or Turkish slaverie taken thee as Abraham out of idolatrous Chaldea Lot out of Sodome or a firebrand out of the fire and set thee in the glorious liberty of the new Ierusalem confirmed thy Charter to the Kingdome of Heaven Leape upon thy feete then with the Cripple at the beautifull gate of the Temple and praise thy God Acts 3. 8. Let him bee praised that hath brought thee home like the lost sheepe upon the shoulders of his Mercy sought thee out with the light and lanthorne of his Word perswaded thee by his Spirit called thee from thy banishment enfranchised thee Hee that was incarnate and made Man for thee grieved and wept for thee sweat water and blood for thee hung on the Crosse for the malice of Men and Divels for thee give then the glory unto him Here is a behold of stupefying wonder Psal 18. 43. A people whom I have not knowne shall serve me As soone as they heare of mee they shall obey me The Oxe hath knowne his owner and the Asse his Masters crib Esay 1. 3. I am found of them that seeke me not An admirable and surpassing miracle that those which did bandy themselves against the Lord and his Annointed should willingly put their neckes under his yoake O worke above all expectation Christ to ride upon the Asse-colt unused to the yoake Belial to bee turned to CHRIST Zoroastres into Moses Superstition into Religion Orgyes into mysteries sacriledge into Sacrifice dogs into Saints publicans and harlots to teach the way to heaven the scholler reading a lecture to the Master the one reading the most secret mystery of mans salvation wrapped in the sacred leaves of Gods eternall Counsell and that by a dumbe starre the other standing amazedly sottish at the lively voyce of Gods learned interpreters the one as it were striving whether faith the other whether unbeleefe should prevaile the nerer the Church the farther from God the poore receive the Gospell See then the unmeasurable riches of Gods free mercies hee will have mercy Vpon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardens Ro. 9. It is not of him that runneth nor of him that willeth but of God that sheweth mercy Consider further that mankinde may be divided into a tripartite ranke First are those most remote and farre off from the covenant upon whom God in his unfearchable judgements hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling Gen. 9. 25. Cursed be Canaan a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren as Pagans Infidels c. which stand in the outmost Circle which delight in Atheisme as Vultures passe over sweete meadowes and fragrant groves to passe to loath some carryon these like Noah do not awake from their drunkennes hardnesse of heart c. Secondly are those which stand in the next Court within the visible Church and are as tares with wheate bad fish with good corrupted humors in a sound body Cain with Abel drosse with gold Vessels of dishonour with Vessels of honour 2 Tim.
all true penitents wicked men have but one spirituall eye by which they see the horrid pitfall of their misery as Cain Iudas c. but the penitent hath two with the one he sees his misery by sinne with the other his hopefull comfort by Gods mercie and thus his feare becomes filiall Psal 130. 4. Thou art mercifull and worthy to be feared drawing the Argument of his sonne-like obedience from that mercie which he feares to misse the wicked mans service if ever he have any springs from a terrour of judgement and wrath which is only servile the penitent beares not the image and superscription of a Pharisaicall Iusticiarie Luke 18. who begins with gloria patri instead of miserere mei his motto I thanke thee O God that I am not like other men but the portraiture of the poore Publican perplexed and knocking upon his breast Crying Lord be mercifull unto me a sinner The second degree is Sorrow which ariseth from the former apprehension of Gods anger and mans perplexed guilt standing before him arraigned and convicted in his owne Conscience for so many and so manifold rebellions and transgressions And here we must distinguish Sorrow which is two-fold first a worldly sorrow which is a dessembled hypocriticall repentance as in Ahab Iudas Esau c. Secondly the other is a godly sorrow for sinne proper onely to the godly man and the true badge of the penitent both which we see 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh salvation by repentance not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death the former arising from the mercy of God as being sorrowfull that he hath offended him as David Psal 51. 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight the gracious favours which were bestowed upon him as his exhaltation from a poore ruddy-faced Shepheard to sit upon a Princely throne his severall deliverances from the Beare the Lion the Champion of the Phlistines and the sundry treacheries practised against him by his Master Saul hunting him as a Partridge upon the mountaines establishing his kingdome c. with infinite more being called into Davids remembrance and made the matter of his retired meditations with his owne ungratefull ungracious rebellions doe cause his eyes to distill like a Lymbecke and his rocky-stony-pumise-dry heart to overflowwith the Teares of a truely-sorrowfullpenitent and now his heart being hot within him as at other times upon other considerations Psal 39. 3. He breakes silence and in the griefe of his soule complaines of the ill requitall with which he had recompenced the Lord of his mercifull kindnesse The like wee may see in that patterne of penitents the profuse Prodigall Luk. 15. The sinne-loden-citizen woman Luke 7. 47. Comming attended with shame and sorrow lavishly washing the feet of her Saviour with teares from her soules stillatory that must wash not onely her feet as was said to Peter Iohn 23. 9. but also her hands and her head this hath been is and must be the course of every saved sinner to retire and returne by weeping crosse thus breaking the heads of Dragons in the water washing away great sinnes by great sorrow What shall then be said of the preposterous course of the world doing all by contraries like that Nation who in a crosse emulation of their neighbours whose custome in curtese is to put off their Hats in saluting one another these because they will be contrary put off their shooes at their meetings so in this maine matter you shall see the wicked man play cart before horse and in stead of sorrow for his sinnes bragge and boast of them as if the Peacocks pride lay in his blacke feete or the Theeves glory in their halters to boast of strength to quarrell and drinke wine Hab. 2. 15. To boast of lying stealing cozening policie c. with the bloudy Poligamist Gen. 4. 23. I have slaine a man in my wounding and a young man in my hurt which Scripture although Catharinus thinke inexplicable and upon which Origen writ two whole bookes and with divers have diversly interpreted yet with Calvin it is most likely to be a bragge and an insolent boast of his bloody strength What is this else but even to be proud of that which should be and at length will be the matter of our shame and the confusion of our faces Phil. 3. 19. They glory in their shame The third degree in repentance after our humiliation is the earnest craving and begging of pardon grounded likewise upon Gods mercifull kindnesse a glympse of which the penitent sees though dimmely as the newly-cured blindeman saw men walke like trees or as Zebul Iudg. 9. 39. Tooke men to be but the shadowes of the mountaines yet truely Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him turne to the Lord the reason followes and he will have mercy upon him and will abundantly pardon the like Hos 6. 1. Come let us returne unto the Lord the reason moving for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up and this assurance of mercie and willingnesse to forgive armes the sinner with boldnesse to sollicite the throne of Grace so that hee which unfainedly repents beleeves and prayes for pardon Repentance and prayer being inseparable Companions Eccle. 3. 12. Examine thy selfe than with what boldnesse thou prayest filling heaven and earth with the Abba Father how thou commest to God as thy father in the name of CHRIST as they Redeemer by the power of the Spirit of Adoption as by Gods mercy in the assurance of thy faith interessed in all the promises being drawne hereto by the cords of love and the bands of mercie and this hath been the pathway in which all the high Saints and servants of God have traced and troden to their Celestiall home it being Gods owne precept Psal 30. 15. Call upon mee in the time of trouble c. The fourth degree ushered by the former is newnesse of life springing Likewise out of the brazen mountaines of Gods constant mercies as continent Ioseph makes his advancement the argument of his chastitie Gen. 39. 8. Hee answered his Mistresse behold my Master woteth not what is with me in the house and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand there is none greater in this house than I neither hath he kept any thing from mee but thee because thou art his wife how then can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Three things stay Ioseph from committing this sinne first the feare of God secondly the love of his Master in regard of his liberality thirdty the dutie of the wife toward her husband as learned Mercerus hath well observed Or first the reverence of Gods Majesty seeing and beholding all things secondly the consideration of his mercie and benefits received thirdly the feare of judgement as Pererius he knew all
in nothing but cruelty and villany a strange Lycanthropicisme inward outward all wolvish that it is truely verifyed of him which was proved upon Pope Alexander the 6 his parallell in most things That he was a spounge of bloud And the like may we see in the Church of Rome degenerate from her primitive purity to that height of abhominations Therefore let us as it is counselled to the Church of Thyatira Râ—â— 2. 25 Hold fast let no man take away the crowne of our profession let us be knowne by our workes Let thy light shine when the cloudy children of darknesse grope at noone day as the blinded Sodomites Be thou that one among a thousand of whom the Heathen Vix repperit vnum Millibm è multis hominem consultus Apollo The Orâ—cleâ— Apollo being askt Scarce of a thousand findes a man but maskt Let then thy love to God to his word be without dissimulation thy profession without hypocrisie thy calling and conversation without staine that thou mayest be found blamelesse in the great day of the Lord. Last from these considerations ariseth an Elegiacall or dolefull Madrigall which like Ezekiâ—ls booke is written within and without the contents whereof is nothing but lamentations and mourning and woe Or Zacharies flying booke of judgements which shall light upon the head of every hypocriticall and impenitent person though he stand within the Circle of the visible Church even wrapped up with cursed Cham in the compasse of the Arke of safety standing in the way while CHRIST passeth by and not so much as touching the hemme of his garment abiding in the garden while it is watered and planted and yet remaining withered and rootelesse lying by the all-curing poole of Bethesâ—â— while the Angell moveth the waters Iob. 5. and not moving a foote to be washed having the prophet directing thee to Iordan and never bathing for thy leprosie 2 Kings â—5 living in the fruitfull Gilead and never tasting the sweetenesse of the balme Ier. 8. last verse Heare this all ye that stand as yet strangers from grace that have not yet broken the strong cordes of your sinnes have made no divorce and separation betwixt you and your iniquities what greife of heart should this be to consider how many have beene cloathed in white roabes and you still remaine in your Gibeonitish ragges to see the grace of God in abundance as the holy Ghost at Pentecost Acts 2. lighting on every side of you in the countrey towne family and society wherein we live and you remaine the barren figge tree troubling the ground To see the raine as in Ahabi time watering and fructifying every soyle but your owne To see the showre wetting euery stone in the streete and you still abiding under the pent-house to see euery one receiving a penny and you remayne idle in the market place to see lampes full of oyle and yours empty Should not this cause thee to breathe out thy dolefull Madrigall Wretched man that I am Rom. 7. how miserable and lamentable is thy estate Pray then beloved for the dew of grace supplicate with the spouse Awake O north wind come thou south blow upon my garden that the spices therof may flowe out that the spirit of Grace may season thee that the Lord would open unto thee the fountaine promised to the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and uncleannesse Zach. 13. â— Till then thou standest a stranger from God from Christ and hast no paâ—t or portion in salvation Suffer not thine eyes to sleepe nor thine eye lids to slumber untill thou finde out a place for the Lord even thy soule to be an habitation for the mighty God of Iacob Psal 132. 4. Let the want of Christ â—ent thy heart and distill as in a limbecke thy pumice eyes and flinty heart into teares and let the heads of the dragons thy sinnes Be broken in these waters In the meane time I dare not send thee to despaire I have no such commission so long as God vouchsafeth in the out ward calling to let thee stand in the way of grace wayting for thy yeare of Iubilee and deliverance but if it still passe by thee thou had better never have bin borne or strangled in the birth To teach us never to despaire of any mans salvation but to judge charitably of all men The first may be last and the last may be first and they that are not now under mercy may goe to heaven before us We must not be rash in this as those that have affirmed Salomons damnation No man must presume to understand above that which is meete to understand but he must understand according to sobriety and what it is to understand according to sobriety he expresseth 1 Cor. 4. 6. No man must presume to understand above that which is written Reuelation or Euthusiasmes we have none as the familists others haue thought and without word or Revelation wee cannot know Who knoweth the mindâ— of the Lord 1 Cor. â— 16. He onely knowes who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. He imparteth not this mystery unto us except upon the matter of malicious Apostacie and â—inne against the Holy Ghost as in Iuliaâ— Lâ—riaâ— â—â—â—phyry Heliodorus c. 1 Iohn 5. 16. A sinne unto death which God will not forgive either in this world or in the world to come a finall revolting and backsliding from God a totall separation of the soule from the life of grace without returne and so we must understand that â—eb 6. 4. It is impossible that they which were once lightned and have tasted of the good word of God and of the power of the world to come if they fall away viz. finally totally maliciously should be renewed by repentance c. Orelse we fall into that Heresie That a man fallen into sinne cannot be reâ—â—ored by repentance and so we understand that place Heb. 10. 26. If we â—inne willingly after we have received the knowledge of the trueth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement c. of a generall revolt from CHRIST mallice against his as in Arius and Iulian waging warre against God not in Abraham twice dissembling David adulterizing Ioseph swearing by the life of Pharaoh though they fell fearefully insomuch as David Psal 73. 22. confesseth himselfe to be a beast in Gods sight yet he fell not finally but still as a man in danger of drowning he started not from the anchor of Gods mercy Therefore let the rule of charity leade us to a charitable iudging of men which perhaps are not yet under mercy and say of them as David of the child 2 Sam. 12. 22. Who can tell whether God will be gracious or no Never things more unlikely to be performed than the promise concerning the calling of the Gentiles CHRIST may be found even upon the Crosse to the condemned theefe Luke 23. 40. all his
the honours of Egypt could not buy of the guilt of one sinne a good heart will rather lie in the dust then rise by wickednesse in offending a mercifull God and thus it is grounded 2 Cor. 7. 1. Vpon Gods mercifull promises Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God The same Apostle by the same Apostolicall spirit exhorts to renovation of life by the same reason Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable seruice Then beloved let the mercifull kindnesse of God which every houre thou triest upon thee and thine even in thy food raiment liberty friends breathing c. besides those inestimable treasures of his love in thy daily preservation c. draw thee to repentance in newnesse of life to stampe upon thee a new creature Turne not the grace of God into wantonnesse Iude 4. but know that the grace of God hath appeared to teach us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to walke honestly soberly and righteously in this present world Tit. 2. 12. Wee are delivered from the feare of our enemies to make our obedience without feare Luke 1. 74. being under grace then let us give up our members weapons of righteousnesse Rom. 6. 19. Seeing all the mercies of God like so many remembrancers cry unto us for this dutie let us not despise undervaluing and vilipending the mercies of God in living after our owne hearts and following our owne crooked wayes as those Heretiques of old which sprung up from the malicious seed of the Serpent immediately after the Apostles have wickedly taught else yee heape up wrath against the day of wrath and make the holy Gospell of CHRIST IESVS no better then the Turkes licentious Alcoran which is fraught with nothing but the merchandize of the corrupted flesh large promises of Epicurisme in Paradise But Christians must not so learne CHRIST backe againe by repentance is the better way loosing the Herculian gordian knot and unweaving with Penelope the webbe of thy sins else can we not hope for peace For there is no peace to the wicked Isa 48. 22. Our iniquities have made a division betwixt God and us Isa 59. 2. which must be broken downe by repentance if thou aske being in the Gibeonitish rags of thy sinnes as Iehoram asked Iehu Is it peace is it peace 2 Kings 9. 18. Shall there be peace betwixt God and thy soule the answer retorts it selfe vpon thee What hast thou to doe with peace so long as thou wantest Grace and lyest polluted prostituting thy Soule and Body to all prophanenesse What wicked man ever had peace Let Caine Achitophell Antiochus Epiphanes Nero c. With the whole garison of Scorners be brought vpon the stage and they will answer they never had peace because they never had renovation by Repentance Come then while the Lord is neere and seeke him while he may be found Isa 55. 6. Seeing the mercifull kindnesse of God is so largely extended to all Creatures but more and most especially to Man it teacheth us to be his followers and imitators in this and as he hath propounded himselfe an exampler and patterne in other things to be followed as in his Holines Levit. 9. 2. Cap. 20. 7. Be holy for I am holy Every of his morall actions being our instructors so he would be imitated in this act of Mercy Mat. 5. 45. Doe good to them that hate you that you may bee the Children of your Father which is in heaven who causeth his Sunne to shine both vpon the bad and the good and this our duty of mercy consists in two things 1. In giving 2. In forgiving First in Giving that is compassionately and pittying administring to the necessity of our brethren taught vnto vs in the Communion of Saints As citizens of one Corporation branches of one Vine members of one body all vnder one Head the body of CHRIST Colos 2. 17. so to sympathise in affections as to have a sensible feeling of our mutuall wants like Peters new converts Acts 2. 44. which is not Anabaptisticall denying all propriety of Goods or Lands to any Man nor all to be meum tuum Common but as a Christian tendering one anothers good and a supportation of their wants as Act. 11. 28. when Agabus signified by the spirit that their should be Dearth throughout the World the Disciples every man according to his ability determined to send reliefe to the brethren which dwelt in Iudea Heb. 13. 3. Remember them which are in prison as bound with them and them that suffer adversity as your selves being in the body for if one member suffer all the members suffer with it 1. Cor. 12. 26. And a Righteous man even pittyeth inferiour creatures hee regardeth the life of his Beast Prov. 12. 10. Like Xenocrates an Heathen Philosopher whose pittyfull heart succoured in his bosome the poore Sparrow eagerly pursued of her Enemie the Hawke Be then exhorted to this duty there are great numbers of poore Lazarusses which lye at thy Gates bearing the image of CHRIST in their naked bodies give vnto them not sparingly that thou mayest reape liberally for thy harvest must answer thy Seede-time an Almoner is like an Archer which aimeth at the marke in the middest of the white the White he seeth the Marke he seeth not the marke he cannot hit which he seeth not vnlesse he hit the white which he seeth so we cannot hit God the marke which we ayme at vnlesse we hit the white which is Man 1. Iohn 4. 20. If wee love not our Brother whom wee have seene how can wee love God whom wee have not seene those that abound with Gods blessings must be like the full end of an houre-glasse-emptying themselves into the needy Gregory Nazianzen regestring the life of great Basill commends a Zenodochium or house of Harbour which he built for strangers above the Egyptian Pyramides the famous Sepulcher of Mansolus or the famous Collossus of Rhodes or any other wonder in the world so thy mercy shewed to the poore shall make thy name like an odoriserous perfume made by the art of the Apothecarie smell after thee to blesse thine increase in all things the plow-man shall touch the Mower and the treader of grapes him that soweth seede Amos 9. 13. Thy mountaines shall drop sweete wine and all thy hills shall melt cast then thy bread upon the waters Eccles 11. 1. And when thou makest a Feast call in the lame and the blind Luke 14. 13. and like Elisha powre thy oyle into emptie not full vessels 2. King 4. 4. The seede of almes growes better thrives and multiplies more aboundantly in a poore then fat Earth let the feeble hearts of the Saints bâ—e comforted by thee Philemon 7.
temporall protection with the sending of CHRIST for our redemption where we see two things 1 The matter of the duty 2 The manner The matter to be performed is Thankesgiving commanded Psal 50. 15. 1 Thes 5. 18. Confirmed unto us in the practice of Gods children Exod. 15. 1. 2. Iudg. 5. 1. Luke 1. 68. And as it becommeth Saints to be obedient so to be thankefull Psal 33. 1. The Israelites are upbraided with the contrary 2 Chron. 32. 25. and Hezechia rendered not againe according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore the wrath of God was upon him upon Iuda and Ierusalem The unthankefull person is not worthy of the bread which he eates he is unworthy to be rewarded which returnes not thankes for the reward this causeth God to shut up heaven against us making it Brasse above us and the earth Iron under us whose hardnesse and unseasonable fructifying may sufficiently convince us of unthankefulnesse he stops up the channels of his love and the boundlesse streames of his favours because our hearts are dammed up with Ingratitude he would have open thankes for secret mercies as Rivers come from the Sea closely through the cranies and silent pâ—ssages of the earth but returne opeâ—ly giving manifest notice of their thankefulnesse to the God of the Sea all being his owne Hag. 2. 9. No benefit but should bee the mother of thankes Colos 3. 15. What can wee either thinke or speake or write which may be more acceptable to God then Thankesgiving sâ—â—th divine Augustine What can be spoken more briefly heard more chearefully understood more joyfully or done more fruitfully it is the Musicke which Saints and Angels make in heaven Rev 5. 9. and 19. 1. 3. and should be the burthen of all our mirth it is salt to season all our sacrifices the want whereof God will not dispence withall Ephes 5. 20. Giving thankes in all things at all times and by all meanes the contrary hath beene condemned as the poysoning of a vipor not only in the Schoole of Grace but even in the Academie of Nature an ingratefull person to be a short Epitomie of all odible and avoy dable things Rom. 1. 18. Collos 2. 7. 1 Tim. 5. 4. 2 Tim. 3. 2. as one unworthy to participate of any mans love Then praise the Lord O my Soule and be not unmindfull of any of his benefits c. Psal 102. To stirre up our hearts to a conscionable performance of this duety hee that Gulon-like devoures Gods blessings even to the eating of his daily food without giving thankes eates not to God Rom. 14. 6 lives not to God but to his belly is like Pharaohs butler to Ioseph Laban to Iacob Iudas to CHRIST the new Pharaoh to the Israelites and the Israelites to God how can we be thus unmindfull of him that howerly is so mindfull of us let our tongues cleave to the roofe of our mouthes and with the father of Iohn Baptist be dombe let us be beasts with Nabuchadnezar till we learne in a thankfull remembrance to acknowledge the most high let us perish with ingrateful Ierusalem Chorazin and Bethsaida Sodome and Gomorrha If it were so punished in the poore Gentiles having onely the purblind light of Nature to guide them onely reading their lessons in the darke volume of the Creatures to be given up to strange sinnes and strange Iudgements Rom. 1. 21. for their Ingratitude what shall then become of us which have not onely that but the day-light of the Scripture and of the Spirit Doe wee so requite the Lord O stubborne and unthankfull generation that we are CHRIST condemnes it with admiration in the ten Leapers Luke 17. 17. Are there not ten cleansed We do not wonder at ordinary things because every day obvious but we are amazed at a Centaure or Monster at any thing deficient or superfluous in Nature because extraordinary So wee doe not admire the ordinary sinnes of men because wee see them daily but wee gaze at an ingratefull person because hee is hatefull and almost unknowne to Nature it selfe It was a Custome among the Romaines That if a Servant made free became vnthankfull to bee adiuâ—ged to his pristine bondage GOD from time to time to moove us to this Dutie hath caused his Mercies to bee kept in remembrance as a pot of Manna in the Arke and also the fragments of his miraculous banquet Iobn 6. c. Bee not then like churlish Nabal like Horse or Mule that have no understanding but let thy tongue that so long hath beene mute and silent become the well-tuned Cymball of prayse and the silver trumpet of Thankesgiving this is thy Heauen upon earth and when the Word Prayer Faith and Hope shall cease it shall remaine Blessing and Honour might and Thankesgiving be unto our God for evermore Revel 7. 12. Having finished the matter which is both the prescript and postscript the Alpha and Omega the beginning and ending of this Psalme let us see in the last place the manner how this dutie must be performed and layd downe Collos 3. 16. Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalmes and Hymnes and Spirituall songs singing with Grace in your hearts to the Lord. Where note First that the service of God among Christians is not a sad dull melancholique and solitary kind of life but full of joy and myrth Secondly a Monasticall and Heremiticall life condemned Thirdly that there is an excellent use of singing Psalmes And lastly to what end with the uses First against which it hath beene long objected by the whole Colledge of the professors of prophainnesse that in Religion there is no mirth but only deepe lumpish melancholy to be found here we see the contrary and that euen under the law which might seeme the saddest time of Gods service yet was it performed in the Temple with Organes and Instruments of most ravishing mâ—sicke which as yet did but shadow to us and give a taste of that great joy which afterwards should follow under the Gospell Which is glad tidings of great ioy Luke 2. 11. first chaunted and tuned by those heavenly Choristers the Angels the like in every service Psal 2. 11. Serve the Lord with feare and reioyce with trembling Psal 95. 1. O come let us sing unto the Lord let us reioyce to the rocke of our Salvation chearefulnes and thanksgiving is required in all things Goe thy way then eate thy bread with joy and drinke thy wine with a merry heart for God accepteth thy cheerefulnesse in thy workes let thy garments be alway white and let thy head want no oyntment Eccles 9. 7. Wee see indeed the man that lookes through the spectacles of Nature soaring upon the laging wings of earth sees no further or higher then earths happinesse cannot rejoyce in Gods mercy in electing adopting c. or any other things spirituall which are and ought