let every soul submit it selfe Let no man let not a confederacie of men seditiously and maliciously advance themselves against the Lords annointed hand off offer him violence use not the tongue to curse him use not the pen against him to libel him Curse him not in thy heart touch him no noxious and offensive way and if subordinate Magistrates do let wrong judgement proceed appeal from them to him that sitteth on the Throne of Iustice who doth drive away all evil with his eye If he will not do thee right go in the Prophet Habakkuks way wrastle with God by thy prayers and make thy complaint to him He heareth the complaint of the poore 2. He complaineth and chideth with God for shewing him all this iniquity and violence Vid. sup p. 36. Doctr. From whence we are taught It is lawful in our Prayers to expostulate and contest with God Habakkuk goeth farre in this you have heard Jerome saith Nullus Prophetarum ausus est tam audaci voce Deum provocare Yet we shall find that others have gone very farre this way David for one My God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so farre from helping me Psal 22.1 and from the words of my roaring O my God I cry in the day but thou hearest me not and in the night season I am not silent And he professeth it I will say unto God Psal 42.9 My rock why hast thou forgotten me why go I a mourning because of the oppression of the enemy David is very frequent in these expostulations so is holy Job so is Jeremie and both these are very much overgone in passion and therefore examples rather of weaknesse which we must decline then rules of direction to imitate St. Paul doth give us good warrant for this wrastling with God it is his very phrase Rom. 15.30 Now I beseech you brethren for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God He useth a word that signeth such striving as is in trying of mastery who shall have the best And Jacob is a type hereof who wrestled with the Angel till the break of the day and though he got a lamenesse by striving with his over-match yet would he not let him go till he had gotten a blessing Representing the fervent petitioners that come to God in the name of Christ as the woman of Canaan did for her daughter neither the Disciples nor Christ could make her turne aside or be silent But here is a Quaere for the Apostle doth say Quer. Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou that replyest against God When once God hath declared himself in any thing how daâ—e we call him to accompt and aske him a reason for any thing he doth And again the Prophet Isay saith Isa 45.9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker Further is it not contrarie to that petition in the Lords Prayer Fiat voluntas tua For doth not the Prophet declare here a dislike of that which God did as seeming to wish it had been otherwise when he asketh why dost thou shew me iniquity and make me to behold violence The best way to clear this doubt Sol. is to behold this passion in some chosen servant of God and see what he makes of it we will take David for our example and let us hear him first complaining and then answering for himself his complaint is passionate Will the Lord cast off for ever Psal 77.7 and will hee be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever Vers 8 doth his promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious Vers 8. hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies He recovereth himself saying And I said Vers 10. this is mine infirmity but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high Surely there be infirmities in the Saints of God and this expostulation with God is an effect of infirmity Yet shall you see that this doth no way weaken the doctrine before delivered that it is lawfull to expostulate with God in our prayers The infirmities of Gods servants are of two sorts 1. Naturall 2. Sinfull We must so destinguish for when Christ took our nature into the unity of his person with it he took upon him all our infirmities but not our sinfull ones For he was like man in all things but sin Three especially are noted in the story of the Gospel that is to say Sorrow Fear Anger 1. Sorrow for he wept and mourned 2. Fear for he was heard in that he feared 3. Anger for he did often chide and reprove These affections be naturall and so long as they be affections they are without blame when they exubrate and grow into perturbations then they are faulty For there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the inclination and there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the inflammation of nature God who in creation gave these affections to nature hath not denyed us the use of them yea he hath ordained them as excellent helps for his work of grace in us Therefore we find fear mingled with faith to keep it from swelling into presumption that fear is not a sin in the Elect as some weak consciences ignorantly mistake it but it is Cos fidei the whetstone of faith to give it the more edge As in that complaint of David My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Where the first part of that complaint is vox fidei the voice of faith My God my God the second is vox timoris the voice of fear quare me direliquisti and we say fear is a good keeper it makes us lay so much the faster hold on God by faith Yea it is a warning to us to avoyd any thing that may do us hurt The wise-man feareth and departeth from evill Pro. 14.16 Sometimes we find fear mingled with joy as for example When the Lord brought again the captivity of Sion Ps 126.1 we were like them that dream They were overcome with joy for their deliverance and restitution and yet they felt withall a fear that it was too good to be true and doubted that it was but a dream We do not receive any good newes but before the hearing of it we fear Luk. 1.13 the Angel that appeared to Zecharie the Preist found him afraid The Angel that came to the Virgin Mary found her afraid so did he that brought the newes of the birth of Christ to the shepheards for all men know that we have no cause to expect any newes from heaven wee are so evill and sinfull And although the comforts of God do remove that fear for a time yet God would not have it quite extinguished in us for the Prophet biddeth us Serve the Lord with fear Psal 2.11 and rejoyce with trembling And the Apostle doth bid us too workout our salvation
punishment God himself assumeth it to himself Shall there be evil in a city Amos. 3.6 and the Lord hath not done it Malum poenae the evil of punishment So Moses Ps 90.7 For we are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled So David Ps 39.11 When thou with rebuke dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth 1. Because every sinne is a trespasse against God as David Tibi Reas 1 tibi soli peccavi Against thee only have I sinned for every sin is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a transgression of the Law and therein God is offended and he is a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children The trespasses against our brethren in the breach of the second Table be immediate sins against God For as when the plate is not cut for the mint to clippe it is no breach of the law but when it hath the stamp impressed and is coine then to clippe or wash it is treason not for the matter but because of the stampe So the matter of our brethren is but earth and the violation of it is but the defacing of earth but bearing the image of God in it it is a trespasse against him whose image is therein insculped to wrong it 2. Because every punishment as it is poena a punishment Reason 2 so it is vindicta a revenge and God layeth claim to that by Prerogative vindicta mea my revenge no man can take the sword out of his hand it is virga tua saith David thy rod. 3. Because none but God can search the heart where sinne breedeth Reas 3 and knoweth how to proportion punishment to the sinne Punishment is the Physick of the Church as Augustine Quod pateris medicina est non paena that thou sufferest is thy medicine not thy punishment He only knoweth how to temper the medicine for the health of the Patient for he knoweth wherof we be made he only can work good out of evil 4. Because there is none but God that doth whatsoever he will none but he can ordain or establish judgement Reas 4 the judgements are called Iudicia dei the Judgements of God in that cruel execution done upon Christ in our flesh Acts 2.23 as there were the wicked hands of the Jews and the Romanes so there was the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God 1. Let us not therefore sinne against God Vse 1 and make an idol of him by making him all mercy for though we call him father doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth the world who upon the wicked will rain snares stormes and tempest this shall be their portion to drink rather meet a temptation with Ioseph and say How then shall I do this great wickednesse and so sin against God For our God is a consuming fire And It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God 2. Let us not fret at the means ordained by God for our correction Vse 2 remembring that God hath established them for our chastisement Psal 39 9. but let us rather say with David obmutui non aperii os meum quia tu domine fecisti I was dumb c. because thou Lord hast done it let us know and confesse who it is that smiteth us and say Thou hast smitten me and thou wilt heale me 3. Let us remember when God taketh off his hand and restoreth us again to the chearful light of his countenance Vse 3 to acknowledge his mercy to us and as Christ saith to sinne no more least some more heavy judgement fall upon us Let us with David remember the vows which we made to God in our affliction and spend the time of our so journing here in feare 4. Lastly Vse 4 Seeing God hath comforted us let us also comfort our brethren 2 Cor. 1.9 as the Apostle saith for God comforteth us in all our tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which be in any trouble by the comfort wherewith our selves are comforted of God so as Christ said to Peter when we our selves are converted we shall strengthen the brethren and the God of Peace and all Consolation shall give unto us the blessing of his Peace 2. The Prophets dispute with God The Prophet seemeth amazed at the course of Gods proceeding against the Jews by the Chaldaeans And the remain of this chapter doth contain his expostulation with God wherein 1. He layeth a ground of this Argument The eyes of God are pure 2. He questioneth God how these inconveniences following are born withal by him which are these Grievances 1. How God should look on whilst men deal treacherously v. 13. 2. How God should hold his tongue whilst the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he vers 13. 3. How God can expose the Jews his People as a prey to the Chaldaeans ver 14. And thou makest men as the fishes of the sea and as the creeping things that have no Ruler From which liberty given to them They break forth into all extremes of cruelty ver 15. They take up all with their Angle they catch them in their net and gather them in their dragge 4. They insult over the conquered ver 15. They rejoyce and are glad They commit self-idolatry ver 16. Therefore they sacrifice to their net and burn incense to their dragge because by them their portion is made fat and their meat plenteous 5. How God can so long dispense with the enemies of his Church and whether he will so forsake them ver 17. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations 1. Of the ground of his contestation Thou art of pure eyes This phrase is according to the capacity of humane understanding and it is doubly figurative 1. In that eyes are attributed to God 2. In that they are said to be pure 1. It is a thing frequent in Scripture to give the parts of a mans body to God the eye the eare the hand the heart the foot the bowels the arme the face the back-parts whereupon certain hereticks literally understanding those phrases have believed and taught that God is like to man in shape of bodie and that the image wherein God made man was corporeal These hereticks are called Anthropomorphites because they ascribed to God the image and corporeal likenesse of man Whom some ignorant Persons have used to point in the representation of a grave old man against the clear text of Scripture and warrant of truth Of this I will only tell you what Saint Augustine writing to Fortunatianus a bishop concerning the judgment of another Bishop Epl. 1.11 who maintained this heresie saith The text of Scripture attributing the parts of humane bodies to God must not be literally understood for then we must allow God also to have bodily wings for we read also often of the wings and feathers of God But saith he as
vvhose hearts do smite them and vvhose consciences do accuse them that though the zeal of Gods house do bring them to Church yet the fear of their unvvorthiness doth make them stand a far off beating their breasts and not daring to lift up their eyes to heaven These had need of comfort we must labour to put metall into such by telling them that he whose face they seek is God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 and the God of all comfort David is a full example of a distressed man Psal 119.107 fearing and yet praying for he confesseth I am very sore afflicted yet he prayeth God to quicken him he saith My soul is continually in my hand he was even ready to yield it up yet the comfort that he had in God established his heart And herein God is most gratious for when our sins come in our sight and we are horribly afraid of Gods judgments even then God sendeth his Spirit to us not to take away our infirmities quite but to help them not to turne our sorrow into joy but to sanctifie our sorrow and to supply it with sighs and groanes and this addition of fear and grief doth also mend devotion To such we must say that though he to whom we pray be in Heaven yet he is our Father and though great and glorious be his Majesty yet he is the preserver of men David calleth him our Sun and Shield the brightnesse of this Sun may dazle our weak sight but the protection of this shield will save us from danger Be strong then and God shall establish your hearts he shall anoint you with the oile of gladnesse and he shall say to your soul I am thy Salvation 2 Subjectum Vide divis supr Pag. 29. This prayer is for the Church that is for all those that then were the visible society of such as worshiped the onely true God It is the duty of every child of God Doct. and member of the Church to pray to God for the whole body of the Church The Church at this time was within a pale and confined to the house of Abraham not in his whole bloud for Ishmael was excluded in Isaac was the promise not in his whole bloud for Esay was excluded Jacob was Israel and prevailed with God of him came the Fathers and in his seed was the Church continued This Church was now threatned with deportation and sundry great judgments the Prophet teacheth them how to pray one for another To this there are great motives 1 The direction of Christ in the Lords Prayer which calleth God our Father and in the processe of it sheweth that the Church of God is still included Give us forgive us lead us not 2 The content that we give to God in these generall prayers which the Apostle doth well expresse I exhort that first of all prayers c. be made for all men For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 1 Tim. 2.1 3.4 who will have all men to be saved All are or may be members of the Church of God for ought we know 3 The benefit that we reap hereby is great for thus we come to have our portion in the charitable prayers of others Ambrose Si prote rogas tantum prote solus rogabis Hâ—xam 1. si autem pro omnibus rogas omnes pro te rogabunt 4. It is a true rule that extra Ecclesiam non est salus without the Church there is no salvation Acts 2.47 it is said that God added to the Church daily such as should be saved the reason hereof is because Christ is no where to be found as a Saviour but in his Church and the meanes of salvation Preaching Prayer and Sacraments they are only found in the Church Without are dogs enchanters Revel 22.15 c. Christ is the good Shepheard and he hath his fold all the sheep that are without must be brought to that fold as himself saith alias oves habeo quae non sunt de ovili hoc illas oportet adducere I have other sheep c. they shall hear my voice Joh. 10.16 and there shall be one fold and one Shepheard Therefore there is no safety in singularity they that forsake the Church forsake the fold the unity of spirit not the singularity is the bond of peace We are members one of another the common safety of the body communicateth perticular safety to all the members of the body In the temporall state the peace of perticular persons is included in the peace of the whole kingdome therefore Jeremiah saith to the Church then in deportation Seek the peace of the City Jer. 29.7 whether I have caused you to be carried away captives and pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace Much more shall we have peace in the peace of the Church seeing Christ bequeathed his legacy of peace not to some parts and members of his Church but to the whole body thereof Joh. 14.27 Pacem meam do vobis I give unto you my peace It must be so understood for as he left his Spirit the Comforter so he left his peace the comfort not to his Disciples onely but to all the Church therefore pray all that it may be well with thee in communi bono in the common good This teacheth us to incorporate our selvs in the communion of Saints per communionem pietatis et charitatis by the communion of piety and charity to be one anothers Orators but especially to study and pray for the peace and welfare of the Church let us consider it is the Spouse of Christ it is a Lilly among thorns it is a flower in the field not only open to all weathers but to the tooth and foot of the beasts of the field Satan going about seeking to devoure it Let our prayers to God resist Satan and fight the Lords battail against him We heare of the troubles of the Church in other countreys we heare of the tyranny of Popery and the oppressions of faithfull professours if we give them no other help yet let our prayers give God no rest till he have mercy on them and give them deliverance This teacheth us to maintain truth and peace amongst our selves let not the wounds and soars of a Church that is heresie and schisme and separation be so much as named amongst us as it becommeth the Saints of God let not the common enemy of our Religion hope to build upon our ruines and to raise up himself by our fall to strengthen his peace by our contentions to be-night our clear and glorious Sun-shine of the Gospel so many happy years crowned with peace and the fruits of peace propagation with his Egyptian and Cymmerian darknesse Let us be of good comfort their darknesse dare not come so near our light for our light will discover it their errour dare
need no other rods to scourge us here no other fewell to enfire us hereafter then our owne sins this is Hilaris insania to make our selves merry with these and to set in the chair of the scornfull 6 Incorrigibility when the gratious warnings of God do not lead them to repentance when the angry threatnings of God do not draw bloud of them when the rods of Gods favourable chastisement doe not smart upon them O Lord saith Jeremy Jer. 5.3 Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved Correction had wont to be the way to reclaime sinners but when iniquity is come to the full ripeness God may lay on while he will they that have not known the way of peace will harden their hearts as Pharaoh did and correction will but make them curse and blaspheme God to his face This was the full iniquity of these nations whom God threshed and wounded and digged up and cast out that he might plant his Israel therein And it teacheth us to be wise to salvation Vse as the Apostle saith Thou man of God fly these things And let me say to you as Lot to the Sodomites I pray you my brethren do not so wickedly Take heed of Idols Babes keep your selves from Idols Idolatry hath growen bolder of later then heretofore the Factors of Rome are busie amongst us trading for proselites but God stirreth up the spirits of his religious servants to solicite the cause of Religion and the worthies of our land stand up with zealous fervency of spirit for the truth of God This is the light of Israel so long as we keepe the fire of God burning upon our Altars we shall have hope that God is with us and that he will give us his blessing of peace Let us break off our sins by repentance that we may turn away the indignation of God from us let not sin reign in our mortall bodies that we should obey it in the lusts thereof Let us take heed that we give not way to sin either in our selves or in others left it over-grow us but let us examin our own hearts in our chambers and turn to the Lord. And if a brother by occasion fall into sin let them that are spirituall restore him with the spirit of meeknesse Let shame cover our faces for the evils that we have done it is no shame to be ashamed of our evils as there is a godly sorrow so there is a godly shame let us say with Job I covered not my transgression with Adam by hiding my iniquity in my bosome Let it grieve us that wee have sinned and let us not boast thereof but say with Job Peccavi quid faciam tibi with Saul I have sinned and done foolishly Let the remembrance of our sin smite our hearts as Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people and let us do no more so Let the judgments of God make us afraid Let the corrections of God humble us and cast us at the feet of God that he may shew us mercy and with Paul let us pray three times that the Angel of Satan may be taken from us Then shall we neither feel the flail of God threshing us nor the sword of God wounding us nor the spade of God diging up but we shall rejoyce every man under his own Vine and under his own Fig-tree 2 What he did in favour to his own Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine annointed David saith Truly God is good to Israel The everlasting comfort of the Church hath been planted and grounded in the favour of God by the mediation of Jesus Christ his anointed For although Christ were not so manifest to his Church before and in the time of the law as he hath been in the time of the Gospel yet he hath been always the hope of all the ends of the world The reason is Reason because Christ is not onely a Mediatour of intercession to pray for us and a Mediatour of satisfaction to die for us and a Mediatour of salvation to prepare eternall mansions for us but he is and ever was and will be a Mediatour also of temporall protection all to keep and defend us from all evils So that the Sun shal not smite us by day nor the Moon by night For as God created us to his own image so he fitted to his only begotten Son a body in our image he was made of a woman and so soon as his word had made him the promised seed so soon was he crucified for us and was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World Then did he take his Church into his bosome and married her to himself and they became one body and ever since his Angels have charge over her to keep her in all her ways and this must comfort Israel in Babylon that God vvent before them vvith his anointed to setle them in the promised Land There be no other mercies that vvill tarry by us but those which God doth vouchsafe us by the means of this Mediator He importeth many outward blessings even to the vvicked by the means of his holy ghost For all the knovvledg that they have all the vvisedome in arts and sciences be the gifts of the holy ghost but they have no portion at all in the office of Christ he vvas not anointed for them From hence the Apostle doth conclude that God hath not forsaken the Jevvs but that they shall be called again for he saith Hath God cast away his people he ansvvereth God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew Ro. 11 1 2. The election of grace vvhich made them his doth confirm them to him forever and therefore they mention his going before them with his anointed to assure them that though they go into captivity and abide a long time there yet they shall not be left in bonds for ever For the spirit of the Lord is upon this anointed to preach liberty to Captives Isal 61.1 and the opening the prison to them that are bound This is now the true comfort of the distressed parts of the Church which groan under the burthen of oppression and bloudy persecution They cry for the help from men and no Nation doth succour them they weep and pray to God and to his annointed and no doubt but in good time he wil come down to them to visit them in his mercy they are Christians and they carry the name of Gods anointed his name is in them and his righteousnesse and truth are their hope and strength It is time for thee Lord to put to thy hand for the wicked sons of Belial the children of Edom cry out against thy Church down with it down vvith it even to the ground The Bishop of Rome abetteth the unchristian shedding of Christian bloud by his letters and disperseth his vvhetstones to sharpen the sword of Gods enemies against Gods Church Let us say vvith old Jacob O Lord
they mis-do all these are excluded from this salvation Jesus Christ died for none such and goeth not forth with his anointed amongst them These shall have no salvation hereafter they can have no true joy here and therefore when the evill day commeth they are shaken with the terrour of the Lord and they finde no balm in Gilead their sins do appear to them greater then the mercies of God Let those who have the comfortable assurance of their salvation rejoyce therein in the Lord Vse 2 and take heed of presumption of Gods mercy which is one of the worms of faith let them take heed of receiving the grace of God in vain of recidivation and relapse into their former sins of murmuring at the Lords chastisements of quenching the spirit of crucifying again the Lord for we see that it is possible Heb. 6.4 5 for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made pertakers of the holy Ghost have tasted the good Word of God and the power of the world to come to fall away which putteth Jesus Christ to open shame Therefore the joy of our salvation must not be rooted and grounded in our selves but in the Lord that the whole honour of it may redound to him as the whole benefit and profit of it doth redound to us Our salvation is onely of God Doct. 2 It is Jonahs faith Salvation is of the Lord. It is Davids faith Salvation belongeth onely unto the Lord. Jonah 2.9 Psal 3.8 Ps 43.11 God taketh it upon himself I even I am the Lord and beside me there is no Saviour He giveth it as a reason of his first Commandement Ose 13.4 Thou shalt know no God but me for there is no Saviour beside me I may call heaven and earth to record this day to avouch the truth of this for who is it that supporteth the great frame of the whole universe who is he that knoweth the numbers of the stars and calleth them all by their names that sendeth forth the Sun as a bridegroom out of his chamber and as a mighty gyant to run his race who is it that maketh and keepeth the covenant between day and night to take their turns for the use of man who is it that clotheth the lilies that feedeth the birds of the ayr that can neither labour nor spin that preserveth man and beast but the Lord Psal 36.6 All these look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season It is glory and happinesse enough for the Angels in glory to behold the face of God always Hail and snow stormy winds and vapours the dragons and all deeps mountains and all hils fruitfull trees and all cedars beasts and cattel creeping things and feathered fouls Kings of the earth and all people yong men maids old men and children all Queristers in this great temple of the world and this is the matter and argument of their song salus Jehovae salvation is of God for their being is derived from him their supportation is borrowed of him their operation is guided by him their whole addresse is directed to him The Angels that kept not their first estate of glory man that kept not his first estate of innocency could not lose could not forfeit their existence and being their happy being they might they did forfeit he preserveth the Devils and the reprobate and he maketh them immortall that he may be glorious in his just punishment of them But especially he is the salvation of his elect so St. Paul We trust in the living God 1 Tim. 4 10 who is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe He is the saviour of all men by universall providence but of them that believe by singular and especiall grace And that is the salvation here meant our preservation in this life our sanctification for a better life our glorification in heaven is of the Lord. Because the Kingdome is his and none hath power to make us Kings but he Reas 1 whose Kingdome ruleth over all and salvation maketh us Kings Because salvation is a work of power and none can give it but he who is able to put all our enemies under our feet and none but God can do this Because salvation is a work of glory of glory to him that worketh it of glory to them upon whom it is wrought for he maketh his Saints glorious by deliverance and the saved do serve him and glorifie him in earth and in heaven These three we ascribe to him in our Lords prayer for thine is the Kingdome the power and glory Salvation is a work of mercy and David saith Apud te est misericordia with thee is mercy and God hath committed the dispensation of mercy to no creature it is one of the glories of his Crown and prerogatives of his supream Diadem onely his son who thought it no robbery to be equall with him hath the dispensation of his mercies This teacheth us where to seek and finde salvation Vse 2 God saith seek ye my face We are wise enough in our quest of temporall either protection or preferment to observe which is the way to the fountain of honour and to direct our observance that way let us not be wise for this life and fools for the life to come With men on earth there be some small brooks of a present life but apud te est fons vitae with thee is the well of life and the brooks and cisterns that we seek after do derive themselves from this fountain These brooks doe often change their channell for men have their breath in their nostrils they die and their thoughts perish but God is the same and his years do not fail And our Saviours method that he teacheth his Disciples is seek ye first the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof and then all these things shall be cast upon you This also serveth to stir us up to a godly life Vse 2 for that hath the promises of this life and of the life to come David putteth us in good comfort Psal 84.11 For the Lord God is a Son and shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that live uprightly and the Apostle saith For the eyes of the Lord are open to the righteous 1 Pet. 3.12 and his ears are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord is against them that do evill And who is he that wil harm you Verse 13. if you be followers of that which is good Let the wicked take root in the earth and spread his boughs never so far God hath not denyed him this yet his face is against him and though the Sun shineth on him for a time and the early and later rain do make him grow and flourish yet our Saviour will tell us that Every plant which his heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted out This
too hot for them God cast them down ejecit conjecit dejecit rejecit subjecit and that anger is yet their burthen and shall be for ever The first tenants of Paradise could not they fled from the face of God and the curse of God lay heavie upon them Cain confest his punishment more then he could bear the old World all but eight persons sunk under this wrath and were drowned in the great deep The transgressing Cities suffered the consuming and tormenting flames of fire and brimstone The very earth trembled and shoke Psal 18. the foundations also of the mountains moved and quaked because hee was angry smoake went out at his nosthrils and consuming fire out of his mouth Beloved let me tell you what I fear never any times did more put almighty God to it to reveal his anger from heaven and to raine down burthens upon the sons of men for the clearer the light of the Gospel shineth the more his expectation is of walking in the light but our knowledge is rather floating in the braine then working in the obedience of our life Christ saith It shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of the Lord then for those of that generation to whom the light appeared in his Ministery so clear and glorious and yet they love darknesse better then light because their works were evill Great is the weight of a milstone hanged about our neck and wee cast therewith into the bottome of the sea yet the burthen of Gods wrath hee sayeth is much heavier then that And yet we make no care nor conscience and live without fear of this anger we do this and that great wickednesse and sin against God and provoke him to anger with our actions and inventions as if the Lord saw not this as if there were no knowledge in the most High As if he could not pluck his hand out of his bosome as if we had stollen away his sword and his quiver full of deadly arrowes I beseech you my brethren do not so wickedly your oaths and blsalphemies your pride and vanities your crueltie and oppressions your frauds and circumventions your abuse of Gods good creatures in excesse and wantonnesse they are all gone up to heaven and awake vengeance and chaleng the God of mercy to declare his justice Doth not some part of the Church now in the Palatinate and in Bohemia groan under the burthen of warre wherein the goods the liberties the lives of men Christian men professours of the same faith with us do lie at the stake and bloud toucheth bloud Doth not our neighbour Church in France tremble for feare of a new massacre hath not the sword of violence tasted already of Protestant blood do not the Jesuites the incendiaries of the Christian world blow the coal and incense the King thereof to grassation and destruction of all that have not the marke of the beast either openly in their foreheads or secretly in their hands and dare we anger our God who gives us the early and the latter rain who crownes our land with peace and the daughter of peace plenty Shall we flatter our selves and say that although we do wickedly this burthen shall not fall upon us let us pray for them and amend our own lives and sin no more least some worse judgment do fall upon us for we shall else finde too late that the wrath and judgment of God is too heavie a burthen for us to bear 2 The wrath and judgments of God they are a burthen to God 2. Deo he professeth it As I live saith the Lord I delight not in the death of a sinner he calleth upon his Israel why will yee perish O house of Israel When he punished his people how heavy was the burthen of their punishment upon him He smarted under his own rod the burthens that he put upon his people wearied him Why should you be stricken any more Isay 1.5 The whole head is sicke and the whole heart is faint From the soal of the foot to the head there is no soundnesse in it c. Truly God doth bear with us in a double sense for he doth forbear our punishment in expectation of our amendment and he doth suffer with us in our sufferings he is our father and every stripe he layeth on us smarteth upon him O greive not the Spirit of God by whom you are sealed up to the day of your redemption 3 The word of God threatning sin is a burthen 1. To God 2. To the Prophet 3. To the People It is a burthen to God to threaten judgment 1 Deo he loves to speak us faire and to speak and treat kindly with us to draw us with the cords of men and with the bands of love to be as one that taketh off the yoake for he knoweth whereof we be made for he made us and not we our selves he will allure and perswade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem. If Adam do transgresse his one commandment given to him in Paradise he tarrieth expecting when Adam will come to him to acknowledge his fault and cast himself at his feet to seek mercy if Adam will not he will come to him but it shall be the cool of the day first and he will call him to accompt but yet so fatherly that he cannot execute the law without preaching the Gospel he cannot banish him the earthly Paradise til he have opened to him an heavenly He cannot threaten till he have promised he cannot punish till he have pardoned 3 This is a burthen to the Prophet and that two wayes 2 Prophetae 1. In respect of his fidelity to him that sendeth him 2. In respect of his zeal 3. In respect of his charity and compassion to them to whom he is sent 1. In respect of his fidelity It is a burthen to him to keep in the word of this Prophecy he cannot conceal it When Jeremy found the people incorrigible and that the word of God in his Ministery was despised and made his reproach Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name Jer. 20.9 but his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay Some carnall men do confesse that it is true that we must preach the judgments of God against sin that is our trade but let children fear those bugbears they know as well as we can tell them that God is mercifull and his mercy is above all his works It is true that we must preach judgment against sin for we have fear of the burthen of all those sins of others which we reprove not to fall upon our selves If thou givest him not warning his blood will I require at thy hands Therefore this word of excommunication Ezek. 3 18. is our burthen and we must not conceal it 2. In respect of his zeal For the
exposition to shew to whom this judgment doth belong say Behold yee despisers and wonder and vanish away Acts 13.40 for behold yee amongst the heathen This is Gods own word He that despiseth me shall be dspised Yea as the Psalmist saith He poureth contempt upon Princes Two things that are most priviledged from contempt shall here suffer it 1. The Majesty of Kings 2. The strength of fortifications But when the supream Majesty of God is offended and despised these cannot escape both destruction and contempt This the generous nature of man doth more fear then any temporal evil let me ake and smart and lose all but let me not be despised When the Jews began after the captivity to build again the wals of the city they had strong opposition by their enemies Tobiah and Sanballat and others who laboured to hinder the building all they could But when they despised the Jews and scorned their work Nehemiah took it to heart and grew very earnest with God in complaint against them For Sanballat mocked the Jews and said before his brethren and the army of Samaria Nehem. 4.1 What do these weak Jews will they fortifie themselves will they sacrifice will they finish it in a day will they make the stones whole again out of the heaps of dust seeing they are burnt And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him and said although they build yet if a fox go up he shall even break down their strong wall This sends Nehemiah to God saying Hear O God we are despised and turn their shame upon their own head This heavy judgment shall God inflict upon the Jews The reason is Reason because this is the fittest punishment for their pride Now they shall see that so long as a People walketh humbly before God so long they live in glory and reputation but when God faileth them for their sinnes their enemies do prevail against them and cover them with disdain When God tryed Job with all kind of corporal and temporal calamities in the agony and smart of his passion he looketh back to the former mercies of God wherein I observe that he giveth the first place of his temporal happinesse to that respect that was given to him When I went out to the gate through the City Job 29.7 when I prepared my seat in the street The young men saw me Verse 8. and hid themselves and the aged arose and stood up The Princes refrained talking Verse 9. and laid their hand on their mouth The Nobles held their peace Vers 10. and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth When the eare heard me Vers 11. then it blessed me and when the eye saw me it gave witnesse to me But in the next chapter recounting the miseries which had come upon him he gives the first place to contempt But now they that are younger then I have me in derision Job 30.1 whose fathers I would have disdained to sit with the dogs of my flock They were children of fooles Verse 8. children of base men they were viler then the earth And now I am their song Verse 9. I am their by-word They abhor me Verse 10. and fly far from me and spare not to spit in my face Read on at leasure But thus did the Jewes abuse Christ Is not this the Carpenter And after they put on him a purple garment and put a Reed in his hand and crowned him with thornes and saluted him scornfully King of the Jews They spit on his face and even hanging on the Crosse of pain and shame they laughed him to scorn Some referre the non sicut to this especially Have ye no regard all ye that passe by the way consider and behold if ever there were sorrow like my sorrow which was done to me Lam. 1.12 For the grief of contempt must needs be the greatest humiliation because of the eminencie and excellencie of his person And for Christian Religion in the Primitive times of the Church the common evill opinion of it was that it was Heresie but the learned Grecians did call preaching foolishnesse ubi sapiens ubi scriba The way to avoid this contempt is humility Vse a vertue unknown to the moral wisemen of former ages it is the proper vertue of the Christian Discite à me quia mitis humilis This is the vertue and he the only teacher of it the best example of it the fullest reward of it You heard from Obadiah to Edom The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee Vers 3. The pride of life is the Queen of vices as you heard then it trespasseth the Majesty of God it turned Angels into devils and cast man out of Paradise Hugo Superbia mihi deum aufert Humility doth make us think reverently of God and charitably of our brethren and worst of our selves Saint Paul of whom I am chief Humility makes us think all the least favours of God too good for us and so joyneth contentednesse with godlinesse Contempt cannot smart upon the humble in respect of themselves but in respect of God who is despised in them study and pray to God for this grace this keeps peace in the Church and quietnesse in our common conversation for only of pride cometh contention Let me once say with Jacob I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies and we shall value the very crummes that fall from the childrens table the least of Gods favours will be sweet to us and God shall be praised for them And with such as be of a contrite and lowly spirit God will dwell God himselfe boweth the heavens and cometh down to such to visit them at que humiles habitare casas Behold I stand at the doore and knock Not at the door of the proud for their self-love keepeth him out The humble man is the Lords temple and he saith Here will I dwell for I have a delight therein I will satisfie their poore with bread the holy ones shall rejoyce and sing I tooke David from the sheepfolds there will I make the horne of David to flourish I have ordained a lanthorn for mine annointed Ver. 11. Then shall his mind change and he shall passe over and offend imputing this his power unto his god 3. WHat shall become of the Chaldaeans thus victorious 1. They shall change their mind 2. They shall passe over 3. They shall offend 4. Their fault 1. They shall change their mind The prosperous and victorious successe of the Chaldaean shall so infatuate the Chaldaean that he shall be transported with the pride thereof and God shall give end unto his violence God shall change his mind for their sakes whom he reserveth as his remnant amongst the Jews The rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous Doct. The wicked are the sword of the Lord he will not always chide nor strike but he will put up his sword in his sheath his arme in
expostulation with God for bearing so much with them and therefore did stirre up God to judgement to chasten them in the first section of this chapter Now that God hath answered him in the second with declaration of his purpose to punish the iniquities of the Jews by the Chaldaeans whom God would stirre up to fight against them and to prevail Now in this third section the Prophet is as much troubled and grieved at their punishment as he was before at their sin Now he chides as fast and disputes as hotly against the remissenesse and patience of God toward the Chaldaean as he did before toward the Jew Before he pleaded the cause of the glory of Gods Iustice in punishing the iniquity of the Iews now he pleads the glory of Gods mercy in sparing them The first part was imprecation this deprecation And herein the Prophet doth declare his mixt affection to the Jews for out of his hatred to their sins he desired their correction but now out of his love to their Persons he prayeth against their punishment so farre that it may be moderate as in Ieremies Prayer Correct us O Lord yet in thy judgement not in thy fury lest we be consumed and brought to nothing Which teacheth us that Religion hath the bowels of compassion Doctr. Truly they have no true religion that have no mercy This is given us in precept with a sicut Reason 1 Luk. 6.36 Be yee merciful as your heavenly father is mercifull there is nothing wherein the image of our God doth more shine in man then his mercy because that is the heavenly nature the wisedome of God is too high for us the power of God too great for us the justice of God too strict for us all these vertues of the Godhead be out of the reach of our imitation The furthest that our Saviour goeth in the patterne and president of wisedome is est ote prudentes ut serpentes Wisedom Be yee wise as serpents In innocency Innocentes ut columba be ye innocent as doves it is not estote prudentes ut pater vester Be yee wise as your heavenly father Concerning fortitude The mother of Samuel saith Fortitude Non est fortis sicut deus Sicut leo Salomon hath it siout quorcus Amos hath it Concerning Iustice let us take the righteous men at their best Justice then Iustus fulgebunt ut sol the righteous shal shine as the Sun but to misericordes ut pater vester We must strive to imitate him in mercy that is the divine nature because it is super omniâ— operadei above all the works of God and that is the humane nature also because it is called Humanity and therefore wel-becometh the man of God 2. There is nothing that every one of us doth more stand in need of then mercy Reason 2 without which all the frame of nature would shake and dissolve it is anima mundi the soul of the world it is the juncture of every limb thereof it is the garment that hideth our nakednesse it is the grave the sea that burieth that swalloweth all our reputed sinnes it is the taylour to our backs the cater to our bellies the soule that quickneth us the strength that supporteth us the grace that saveth us the power that raiseth us the glory that crowneth us And they that shew no mercy shall have none 3. The consideration of our own infirmities doth plead for our mercy to our delinquent brother Reas 3 not to make the most of their faults and scrue their punishment to the uttermost rather to save our brethren Ga. 6.1 and to pull them out of the fire least we also be tempted for we have many suits to God for pardon of our own sinnes and therefore by the law of Justice let us do as we would be done to that is sollicite the favour of God for our brethren and although the zeale of Gods glory do put us to it to pray for their correction that they may be amended yet considering how bitter the medicine is that healeth sinne let us entreat the Physitian to look but on the corrupt humours in the body of the Church to purge them to take no more blood from the body thereof then may stand with the health of the body 4. It is a more easie suit to obtain the mercy of God Reas 4 then to stirre up his anger for as he is slow to wrath and long-suffering and when he doth begin to chide he will not keep his anger continually so he is rich in mercy abundant in goodnesse oleum supernatat vino the oyle swims above the wine Christ his sonne the character of his fathers glory of his mercy the true coppie of that sicut Pater vester qui est incaelis as Our father which is in heaven Of whom Saint Augustine sweetly commenting upon his pater ignosce eis father forgive them saith De utilet paen l. 1. he left them not quojusque ejus jam sanguinem possent bibere credentes quem fuderant saevientes they know how to drink believing the blood which they shed raging which is called in the Psalmist Multitudo dulcedinis Saint Hilary upon the Parable of the parable in the vineyard saith Ad spem omne tempus est liberum In Ps 129 mercedem non operis sed misericor diae undecimae horae operarii consequuntur God loves to be sollicited for mercy 4. Because in the contrary Ionah had a chiding from God himselfe Reas 4 that he stood more upon the credit of his office then he did upon the honour of his God that sent him being so angry at Gods sparing of Niniveh Wherein God himself pleaded the cause of his own mercy and justified his suspense of the threatned judgement against Iohan c. David had good cause to choose to fall into the hands of God rather then into the hands of men for with God there is mercy And had Niniveh been in the hand of Jonah their fasting with sackcloth and repenting should not have cleared nor calmed the storme threatned God said in Niniveh there were more then six score thousand Persons that knew not the right hand from the left there were a great many more in the nation of the Jews many also that served God with a true heart many that was not yet com to the height of sinning of whom there was hope many that had drunk deep already to the Cup of affliction by the sins of others who had thereby provoked God Therefore Habakkuk could do no lesse then stand in the gap now and keep out some of this wrath To make use of this doctrine Vse and of the holy example of this Prophet let me use the words of the Apostle to you Put on therfore as the Elect of God holy and beloved Col. 3.12 bowels of mercies kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-suffering Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have aquarrell against
not borne till almost 4000 yeers after yet the faithful in those times waited for the coming of Christ and tarried with patience till he came 4. God himself waited 120 yeers for the repentance of the old world all the while the Arke was preparing it is the Apostles phrase The long-suffering of God waited If God have the patience to wait on us for our good 1 Pet. 3.20 this may perfect our patience in our waiting on him for our own good Saint Paul calleth this The riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering Rom. 2.4 and saith that The goodnesse of God leadeth to repentance If we consider his provocation and how our daily sins tempt him to repent that he either did make us or do any thing for us all which are in his sight and all which his soule abhorreth and if we compare this his patience with our passionate bitternesse upon the least provocation and consider how ready we are to call for fire from heaven to consume them that anger us we shall see that God doth wait for our repentance with much patience and who would not wait upon such a Lord 5. Let us consider how willingly we do attend and observe those that can do us any good how early we rise to be sure to prevent their hours how well our hopes do support us and stay our stomacks though many delays interpose their stop and threaten failing yet the successe of expectation in things temporal depending on men is always uncertaine for there are no bounds that can oblige humane favour not merits not rewards not promises not oaths but the promises of God are Yea and Amen as he saith The vision is yet for an appointed time at the end it shall speak and not lye it wil surely come This assurance that we have from the Word doth make expectation easie it is no pain to tarry for that which shall not faile us Jacob thought the seven years a short time bestowed for Rachel because he loved her though he served and was not his own man till he had fulfilled the time Neither doth that of Solomon discourage our tarrying the Lords leasure because he saith Pro. 13.12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick 1. Because if that hope be of some things temporal depending upon the favour of the times or persons of men there may be a failing therefore delay is a disease in such cases and maketh the heart sick 2. But hope in-the promises of God determined to their certain time cannot be said to be delayed for his hope is in vain who hopeth any thing before the time 3. And again where hope resteth in the Word and Promise of God neither the alterations of persons nor the vicissitude of times not the intercurrence of impediments can any way crosse the purpose disable the means or defeat the end of Gods decree Further if we understand Solomon of hope rightly grounded on the promise and construe the deferring it not to any protraction beyond the time but to the long expectation of it in tempore suo which desire of fruition doth make long that that hope maketh the heart sick we must not understand this sicknesse as a disease of the heart for when the Church saith Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples for I am sick of love Cant. 2.5 Let no man think that this sicknesse was any disease in the Church we may say of it as our Lord did of Lazarus his sicknesse This siknesse is not to death This is but fervour of the Spirit and earnestnesse of desire as Bern. saith it is taedium quoddam impaetientis desideris he means and holy impatience quo necesse est affici mentem amatoris absente eo quod amat dum totus in expectatione quantamlibet festinationem reputat tarditatem This is an wholesome sicknesse it is the disease of the whole creation and of all the Elect For we know that the whole creation groaneth and traveleth in pain together untill now Rom. 8.22 And not only they Vers 23. but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body This vers 19. is called the earnest expectation of the creature waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God This is not weaknesse of the flesh in the Elect but fervour and strength of the Spirit So David longed as he professeth My soul longeth Ps l 84.2 yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God And this desire goeth with us to heaven for even there the souls must wait and they are full of this holy desire which proves that their happinesse is not consummate till the resurrection For the soules under the Altar cry with a loud voice saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and averge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth Rev. 6.10 This desire is Cosâ—orationis the whetstone of prayer for the more our hearts are established in the assurance of the truth of Gods promises the more is the fire of this desire kindled and enflamed in us and then it breaketh forth into prayer and the prayers that are fired at the Altar of zeal asend the next way to the throne of grace Christ himself kindled this heat in us when he taught us to pray to our father fiat voluntas tua thy Will be done for we may tarry the leasure of the fiat in faith and yet desire it with fervency for in nothing do we more declare our concurrence with the will of God then in our earnestnesse in prayer to him to fulfill his Will For Application of this point let us look back to the Vision it is double For God revealeth 1. The purpose of his fierce wrath against the enemies of his Church whom he threatneth to consume 2. His promise of mercy to his Church that he will restore it to the joy of his countenance and give it rest from all her enemies This promise of God holdeth to the worlds end even the whole Vision is for appointed times Therefore the distresses of the Church must ever be comforted with those comforts for these the Apostle doth call The comforts wherewith we are comforted of God All other comforts spend themselves into breath and vanish and leave the heart oppressed as it was the Vision of Gods revealed comfort establisheth the heart for this telleth us where we may have rest for our souls namely in the decree and promise of God And needfull is this comfort now for though our Church by the good favour of God do enjoy the liberty of the Word in peace under the gracious government of our King whom God hath annoynted defender of the Faith The Protestant and reformed Churches in other parts of the world do at this present smart for it long have they lived under
And the Ministers of the Gospel do speak even as if Christ himself spake in us 2 Cor. 5.10 we speak in Christs stead But as in the time of the Law God sent his Prophets sometimes to such as would not give them the hearing so doth he now in the time of the Gospel but that must not discourage our Ministry at their peril be it Gods Word will ever be Gods wisdom though the prophane count it foolishness and it will be Gods truth though heresie and schisme pick quarrels Therefore if you would learn to pray and be prepared for that holy worship hear Gods speech first and that will teach you what to ask as you ou ought Hear the word from us as the Thessalonians did 1 Thes 2.13 When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe 2 Here is metus I was afraid the Seventy read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was in an extasie as St. John saith when he saw the vision of the Son of man Rev. 1.17 I fell at his feet as dead There were two things to strike the Prophet vvith astonishment 1 The Majestie of the Speaker 2 The matter of the speech And both these must both meet in our understandings and in our affections to enlighten and to move them that vve may know what vve have to do and vvith vvhom vvhen vve pray that vve may come before him vvith fear and holy reverence 1 The great glory and Majesty of God to vvhom vve resort in prayer is such as no creature can endure the sight thereof The Angels standing before him Isa 6.2 cover their faces with their wings 2 The matter of his speech conteined in his vvord to the Prophet is the summe of the Bible Justice punishing sin in his Church Vengeance destroying the enemies of his Church and Grace redeeming his Church from the povver of Satan by the glorious Kingdom of Jesus Christ Quae. Why should the Prophet be afraid at this here vvas matter of comfort the heaviness of the night is promised the joy of the morning The Church though it must suffer for a time for sin hath here a promise of tvvo main consolations 1 Their ovvn deliverance from dangers into a restitution of them into Gods favour 2 Their eye shall have their desire also upon their enemies they shall see the vvheel of vvrath go over them and the Lord shall let out of their throats the bloud of his people vvith vvhich they have made themselves drunk all this is matter of joy and vvhat needeth this fear Sol. Who can come without fear before him that can and will do all this for if he be angry yea but a little they are blessed that trust in him fear is a proper passion of a true believer and is inseparably joyned with saving faith For seeing the bond of our union with Christ by faith whereby he dwelleth in us is Partly the hold that he hath of us by his Spirit Partly the hold that we have of him by faith The first is firme Joh. 10.27 There shall not any one pluck them out of my hand he giveth a strong reason for it for my Father who gave them me is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my Fathers hand we are his gifts and his gifts and calling are without repentance But the flesh doth put the Spirit to it so hard some times even in the elect of God that the hold on our part is weak which breedeth fear and that fear makes us hold so much the faster From hence it comes that all the intelligence between God and man doth begin at fear in us This is not the fear of an evill conscience as it was in Adam when he hid himself from God but the fear of reverence of God and the good conscience of our unworthinesse being fallen from our originall righteousnesse The Shepheards that were keeping watch by night because of their flocks were sore afraid when they saw the light shining at that time of night that the Angel began with Nolite timere fear not yet were they in the lawfull businesse of their calling The blessed Virgin no doubt wel and holily employed Zecharie the Priest in the Church about the occasions of his office yet all afraid This is the seasoning and preparing of the heart for God to be cast down before him it is humbling our selves under the mighty hand of God and we cannot pray as we ought without it When the Apostle saith we cannot pray as we ought and that the spirit helpeth our infirmities he sheweth that such as he have infirmities and they feel them when they come to appear before God and where infirmities are there must needs be fear if they that have them be sensible of them Yea I dare say that they that come to prayer without fear come without faith and all their prayers are turned into sin Ob. We read of comming with boldnesse to God Because we have an high Priest which is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.15 16. in all points tempted like as wee are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that wee may obtein mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Sol. this is cleered by the same Authour in the same Epistle declaring how many considerations must concurre as ingrediences in this our spirituall boldness 1 Let us draw neer with a true heart Heb. 10.22 2 In full assurance of Faith 3 Having our hearts sprinkled from an evill Consciences 4 Our bodies washed with pure water 5 Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering 6 Let us consider one another to provoke to love and good works 7 Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together c. 8 Exhorting one another Let a man before he pray try his vvayes and examine his soul upon those interrogatories and I dare say the best of us if we sin not also in presumption vvill finde himself short in every one of these perticulars of that perfection that should accomplish boldnesse But having those things in some measure and more in desire and endeavour our boldness must needs be as much shaken with fear as these graces in us are shaken with infirmity And upon this fear our Church teacheth us to pray to God in these words Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid 12 Dom. post Trinit and giving unto us that which our prayers dare not presume to ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. And this some of our brethren have quarrelled as a contradiction in our prayers because we say we pray for tha we dare not pray for To whom I answer in these words of my Text O Lord I heard thy voice
mercies Psal 5.7 The Church knoweth that God is more glorious in his mercy 3 Reas then in all his other attributes for his mercy is above all his works the justice of God is against us because we are unrighteous the wisedom of God is against us because we have walked as fools and not as wise men The holiness of God is against us because we are unclean conceived in sin and born in iniquity The truth of God is against us for omnis homo mendax every man is a lyer The power of God is against us because we have forsaken him the fountain of living water c. The Patience of God is against us because he is a God that loveth not iniquity neither shall evill dwell vvith him he hateth all those that work wickedness Onely Mercy is our friend that maketh Christ our justice our wisedom our sanctification and redemption that maketh truth perform gratious promises and his power becometh our protection his patience our peace Divitiae misericordiae riches of mercy This seemeth to excellent use 1 To assure to us the favour of God 1 Vse because it is built upon the foundation of Gods mercies of which Dauid saith The mercy of God endureth for ever his mercy is euerlasting The knowledge of salvation given by the remission of our sins is Through the tender mercy of our God Luk. 1.77 78. whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us So that if God be angry with us for our sin yet his vvrath doth not burn like fire but as he sayd of Solomon I will chasten him with the rods of men but my mercy will I not take utterly from him 2 It seemeth to rebuke those that put their trust in humane merits or works of the Law they that come to God for wages forsake their own mercy nothing so contrary to Divine mercy as humane condignity 3 Because here is anger and mercy together 2 Cor. 1.3 Naâ—u 1 2. this killeth all presumption for he that is called The God of mercies is called a jealous God and a furious Avenger And the rods of men well laid on will smart and draw bloud 4 This inviteth to new life because The goodness and mercy of God leadeth to repentance and the Crown of it Rom. 2.6 5 Seing we have so much need of mercy our selvs let us shew mercy unto others Estote misericordes ut pater vester coelestis be ye mercifull as your heavenly father for there shall be judgement vvithout mercy to him that sheweth no mercy Christ abideth yet naked and sick and imprisoned and hungry and thirsty in our poor brethren as his mercy embraceth us so let our mercy embrace him that he may say esurivi pavistis I was hungry and ye fed me Ver. 3. God came from Teman and the holy one from mount Paran Selah His glorie covered the Heavens and the Earth was full of his praise 4 And his brightness was as the light he had horus coming out of his hand and there was the hiding of his power 5 Before him went the pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet THe second part of this Psalm doth contein a celebration of the prayses of God Vid. divis p. 23. which also doth declare upon what grounds the Church in affliction and captivity doth put trust in God The whole Section is a commemoration of the great power and glory and power and mercy of God shewed in behalf of his own people v. 3 4 5. ad finem v. 15. 1 In his coming to them from Paran and Teman 2 Of the same power and glory declared in giving of the possession of the land of Canaan to Israel 3 In the dismay of the Nations v. 7. 4 In the marvellous Water-works 8 9 10. 5 In their great victories within the Land I begin at the first God came from Teman and the holy one from Mount Paran The best exposition that I do finde amongst many of these words is that here is remembred the coming of God to Israel when he gave them the Law written in two Tables of stone with his own hand For God came then from Teman and Paran Paran was a great mountain neer to mount Sinai but Teman signified the South so God came from the South thence came God to give Israel his Law wherein he did express himself the King of this people by coming so neer to them by shewing himself so openly and by revealing his wil to them so plainly This was so great a favour done to them that he addeth Selah which word is onely used in Davids Psalmes and in this Psalme and the word in the judgments of the learned is sometime vox optantis the voice of one that wisheth aequivalent to Amen or vox admirantis the voice of one admiring shewing some speciall matter or vox affirmantis of one affirming avouching what is said or vox meditantis of one meditating requiring consideration of what is said But withall it is a rest in Musique Jerome saith it is commutatio metri or vicissitudo canendi his glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise And His Brightnesse was as the Light he meaneth the brightnesse of that glory wherein he appeared when he gave the Law set forth Exod. 19.16 For there were Thunders and Lightnings He had Horns comming out of his hands by Horns in Scripture strength is signified the horne of salvation is the strength of salvation the exalting of the horne is the advancing of power and these are said to be in his hands because the hands and arms are called the strong men in the body they are the instruments of power And there was the hiding of his power there in that apparition God did hide his power from the rest of the world and declared it perticularly to his Church as David saith He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgments Psal 147.20 they have not known them Before him went the Pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet His meaning is that God then declared himself mighty in the punishment of his enemies and the enemies of his Church for under these tvvo kinds of punishments by pestilence and fire he shevveth that God hath the command of all the instruments of vvrath of vvhich these tvvo by plague and fire are the most licking and devouring putting no difference where they go And this hath reference to the many plagues wherevvith he punished the Aegyptians vvhen he brought his people from the land of Aegypt from the house of bondage The summe of all is this that God hath declared himself glorious 1 In his speciall favour to his people 2 In his just vengeance From vvhence these points of doctrine issue 1 That the consideration of Gods former mercies doth strengthen faith in present tribulations 2 That the Church of God hath a speciall interest in the povver and protection of God 3 That
hardened our heart from thy fears 3 Sometimes when we have the zeal of Gods glory and a strong desire to serve him we feel a failing in the act of obedience and as the Apostle complaineth when we delight in the Law of God concerning the inner man Rom. 7.22 We finde another law in our members rebelling against the law of our minds and leading us captive to the law of sin which is in our members for Sometimes when we set and dispose our selves to the worship of God in prayer and thanksgiving or to the hearing of the Word either a covetous or a wanton or an envious or an ambitious thought thwarts us and carries us quite away for a time and we have much a doe to redeeme our selves from it 4 Sometimes we do feel such want of the Spirit of God in us that Satan takes advantage thereat perswadeth that God hath forsaken us and thus many of Gods deare children feel the bitternesse of despaire for a time in which agony Job cries For the arrows of the Almighty are within me Job 6.4 the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrour of God do set themselves in array against mee In this fit of deep agony some have died despairing and blaspheming the name of God some have done violence to themselves and have died of their own hand of whom let christian charity hope the best seeing that God hideth the horne of his salvation out of sight Therefore David prayeth O forsake not me utterly Ps 119.8 the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 usquè valde as our English over-long for the word utterly is somewhat too full of fear and the hiding of this power giveth hope to the distressed the light will rest in darknesse 3 Doctr. God is armed with instruments of vengeance to punish sin pestilence and burning coals The 10 plagues of Egypt do prove this and the destruction of Pharoah his hoast in the red Sea And lest the Church should presume too far upon his favor the story of the passage of the children of Israel from the Land of Egypt to Canaan is full of examples of terrour to evill doers which the Apostle doth urge and presse to the Corinthians and giveth them warning of the wrath to come For he saith 1 Cor. 10.5 first in generall termes that with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness And in perticular he nameth some sharp judgment For fornication Vers 8. Num. 25.9 there fell in one day twentie three thousand That was the plague and St. Paul speaks within compasse for we read 24000. For tempting Verse 9. Num. 21.6 Verse 20. of God they were destroyed with serpents these were the fiery serpents For murmuring they were destroyed of the destroyer which I understand the plague Those men which did bring up the evill report of the Land num 14.37 died by the Plague before the Lord. David describing the judgments of God in those dayes saith Ps 106.18 Num. 16.31 A fire was kindled in their company and burnt up the wicked meaning the 250 that offered incense who murmured against Moses and Aaron Thus you see how the pestilence still walked before him and burning coals at his feet Not onely without the pale amongst the enemies of his Church but within foul amongst such as were reckoned with the Church In which course of powerfull justice 1 Reas he hath still gone forward to put the sonnes of men in fear that they may know they are but men and that they may not dare to resist the right hand of the most High For Satan doth still suggest that God is mercifull and so animates sinners to do evill by feeding their presumption Therefore the children of God who set God always before their eyes do not only behold him as he is togatus in peace or as he is rogatus easily entreated but as he is oculatus to behold and aculeatus to sting sinners it is the voice of the Church In the way of thy judgments have we waited for thee Isa 26.6 this keepeth children in awe this shewing of the rod saves them many a swinging and for the ungodly of the earth it filleth them with the terrour of the Lord they dare not do all that they would for fear of the pestilence that destroyeth at the noon day and for fear of stirring these coals at the feet of God which can so soon overtake them So God hath these judgments at hand to put men out of hope of impunity which is the greatest flattery to sooth up sin that is The false Prophets seduced the people of God saying peace peace Ezek. 13.10 and thereby They strengthened the hands of the wicked Verse 22. that he should not return from his wicked way by promising him life It is said of the Magistrates of the earth That they do not bear the Sword in vain and can we think that this supream Lord of all doth carry these rods of vengeance so near him the Pestilence before his face and these burning coals at his feet for nothing 2 Hee nameth these two judgments for all 2 Reas because they be of sudden dispatch and of quick execution the plague we do know how speedy it is in a work of destruction three days pestilence swept away threescore and 10000 in Davids time We cannot forget what desolations it hath made in this our great City and what terrour it made all the Land over Fire is a merciless Element sudden and cruel in consumption of all combustible matter the Apostle chose that resemblance to express God in a fury Deus noster ignis consumens Our God is a consuming fire Here is not onely the violence of wrath 1 Thess 5. but the suddainess also expressed the last fire that shall destroy the world shall come as a Thief in the night as that shovver of fire and Brimstone fell upon Sodom This teacheth the man of earth 1 Vse vvho is but man to feare vvhen the plague commeth to consider that he is but stubble and therefore not fit to encounter this fire he is but man and not fit to meet this devouring pestilence therefore let him not provoke the God of this povver let him not stir up these coals nor avvake judgement rather let him quench this fire with the tears of true repentance As Christ said to the Church of Sardis Remember how thou hast received and heard Râ—v 3.3 hold fast and repent if thou wilt not watch I will come to thee as a thief It is not the vvay of peace to put avvay the evill day Amos 6.3 rather let us put avvay the evil and break off our sins by repentance that vve may obtein mercy in the time of need He that hath such ready instruments of vvrath to punish sin is not to be dallied vvith he may surprise us on the bed vvhereon vve study mischief he may meet
the end of the world saith that The Sun shall be darkned Matth. 24.29 and the Moon shall not give her light St. Augustine proves the Divinity from these things which we call portenteous and he blameth the Mathematicians for affirming those extraordinary effects in naturall bodies caelestiall or terrestiall to be contra naturam against nature De Civit. 21.8 quomodo est enim contra naturam quod Dei fit voluntate cum voluntas tanti Creatoris Creaturae natura sunt Portentum enim fit non contra naturam sed contra quod nota est natura 3 This station of the Sun and Moon at this time doth serve to justifie the lawfulnesse of a just war Reas 3 for they attended the arrows and the spear of God This was a just war for 1 It had a warrant from God to possesse Gods Israel of their own land which God had given them this is the warrant of policy 2 It was against Idolaters whom they were sent to destroy the warrant of Religion 3 It was in the behalf of the Gibeonites their confederates by oath Lex Gentium the Law of Nations It is a sin to set and look on when either our Common-wealth or Gods Religion or the Oath of confederacy suffereth This war was here managed openly and in the sight of the Sun and God declared himself both of the Council of War and an auxilary friend to his Israel in the same for none but he could have stayed the course of the Sun and Moon Now these extraordinary operations of God Vse as St. Austine saith are called Monstra ut a Monstrando so they are called portenta à portendo prodigia à porro dicendo therefore let us see what they shew and what they teach us 1 They teach us the great Comandement of the law to love God and to keep his Comandements This power in doing so great things and this mercy in doing the same for Israel doth well deserve that service from his Church observe it in a touch remember it in the front of the law I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt for that leadeth us into the full story of Israels peregrination and is there used to move obedience And we cannot make a bettter use of our frequent Commemoration of the manifold mercies of God to us then to stir up our selves to serve him so Christs greater deliverance is urged by Zecharie ut liberati serviamus 2 It serveth to direct us in the estimation of the creatures of God for the honour that we can do them lawfully is but to glorifie God for the good we receive by them honour is onely due to him that implyeth them Take heed of Idols take heed of superstition let not another Gospel bewitch any of us when the Sun communicateth his light to all the world every corner and part of the world is not illuminate alike there be some pretious stones that reflect the light of the Sun more then others doe vve value these above other yet we know that the light is all borrowed of the Sun And though in our fellow creatures the gifts and graces of God be in differing measures given for which we value them above an ordinary price yet we reserve to our God the honour of the gift of every good and perfect gift who is the Father of lights and we do him wrong if we draw any of our fellow creatures into the communion of his glory 3 Let me adde this for caution let not our thoughts be so ravished with the contemplation of Gods extraordinary power sometimes expressed in the service of his creatures as that we do neglect his ordinary providence which in true judgement is more admirable It is Saint Austins note Quae sunt rara sunt mira But he saith it is more admirable to behold so many faces so unlike in forme feature and proportion yet we do more wonder to see two faces alike It is not so admirable in true judgment to see the Sun stand still in heaven as a glorious candle set upon a Candlestick as to see it move and set and rise in so constant manner as it doth Therefore let the common providence of God loose nothing by his extraordinary lightnings of Power and flashes of Prerogative 4 This serveth also to encourage us in the cause of religion or in the just defence of the oppressed to awake our courage and to take pains It belongeth not to us who are Gods Ministers to enquire what cause of wars we have at this present what means must be used to commence and maintain them This belongeth to us to animate all that are called to just wars to take courage from this example If the sun stood stil whilst Joshua did fight for the Gibeonites because Gods oath had bound Israel to them is confederacy I cannot doubt but the Son of righteousnesse the Captain of Gods guards the Lord of his Hosts will cover their heads in the day of battail that fight for the oppressed Church of God their brethren the professors of the same faith the worshippers of the same God Whereas this miracle of the station of the Sun and Moon was done at the instance of Joshua we are taught to behold the truth of Gods promises made to his servants He had promised Joshua to magnifie him in the sight of his people and the blessing of the people on Joshua was onely the Lord be with thee as he was with Moses So he was in the division of the waters of Jordan Iosh 1.17 so was he in the conquest of Iericho and Ai and never was there such a thing seen that the Lord heard the voice of a man to make the day two days long 1 This was done to prevent Idolatry that the people might not erect any memory to Moses to honour him with divine honour which also God feared and therefore he buried Moses himself and would let no man know where he was buried to prevent Idolatry The Devil no doubt knew the place that was the quarrell between Michael and the Devill about the body of Moses for the Devil would faine have discovered where it was to have mis-led the people to Idolatry but Michael resisted him Now when the people see that he which was great in Moses is as great in Joshua and they have experience that Joshua hath of of the same spirit that Moses had this doth direct their judgements not to look upon the instruments by whom wonders are done but on God who doth them and can do them as well by Joshua as by Moses 2 This was done to assure the former promises of the quiet and full possession of the land against the fear which the Spies suggested Iosh 10.14 for if God declare by these signes that he fighteth for Israel as it is said upon this signe Israel need not fear the power of their enemies they may go forth in the strength of the Lord his
Church of God that when Christ left his sheep among Wolves saying In the world you shall have affliction He left the Holy Ghost in his Church in the office and under the name and title of a comforter to assure this David gives a good reason hereof Reas 1 for he knoweth whereof we be made he remembreth we are but dust Indeed we are made of such stuffe and by our sin we have so marred our own first making that if God did not support us in afflictions with a strong supply of faith wee should soon sink under the burthen of our own infirmities David confesseth as much I have fainted unlesse I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27.13 Blessed be God that ministreth ever some comfort to sweeten the calamities of life and to keep the soul from fainting to keep the head above water that the deep waters swallow us not up The true Church of God when the ambition of the Bishop of Rome to be universall Bishop began to sway Religion to the service of humane policy then began to lose of her full numbers many of them most of them defecting to popery and superstition the true professors of the Gospel were pursued with all kinds of bloudy persecution and in many years the true Church of God lived in concealment yet God did never suffer this little remaining spark to be quite put out and when the Pope thought himself absolute Lord of all then arose Martin Luther an arrow out of their own quiver and in the low ebbe of the true Church he opposed the Pope and put a new life into the true Christian Church which ever since his time hath grown to a cleerer light and the man of sin is more and more revealed and the mystery of ungodlinesse detected and in many parts of Christendome the Pope ejected as an usurper both in Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy and temporall Sovereignty At this time this poor Church doth suffer persecution in France and is threatned with utter extirpation In Bohemia the Protestants feel the uttermost of extremity the Prince Palatine and the Kings Children remain under proscription and in exile from their inheritance and their country invaded and depopulated doth groan under the fury of war Religion is oppressed the fig-tree and the vine and olive fail the earth is not husbanded to profit to feed the inhabitants In this extremity what comfort surviveth but this that our God the husband of his Church will not chide continually nor reserve his anger from generation to generation but even in this extremity of distresse we have joy in his favour and love to his Church This holy care of Religion now assaulted and the naturall care that our loyall allegiance to our Sovereign and his children doth lay upon us inciteth us to joyn as one man with united strength to work for God and his truth to the uttermost of our best abilities and who knoweth whether God having crowned our land so many years with peace and truth doth now try us what we will do for Religion and peace and how forward we will be in his cause and how charitably compassionate of the afflictions of our brethren abroad wherein if we shall acquite our selves like the children of light and the sons of peace we may prevent a further tryall of us neerer hand in our own land Blessed be the God of mercy and of all consolation who hath revealed to us this comfort and joy in him in all our afflictions that we may be able to comfort the distresses of our brethren as we our selves are comforted of our God His Majesty by his letters gratiously inviteth all his loyall subjects to this commiseration of his children to this religious compassion of Gods afflicted Church he requireth us your Ministers to lay this as neer as we can to your hearts to stir up your willing and forward affections to a tendernesse and encrease of zealous love of this cause and he believeth that our labour in the Lord will not be in vain If it be heavy to us to part with some small portion of our estates to this assistance what is it to his children to lose all Impius haec tam culta novalia miles habebit Barbarus has segetes shall we look on whilst Papists possesse the inheritance of Protestants while superstition and Idolatry usurpeth the temples where the holy worship of God and the gospell of truth and peace have been so many years gloriously mainteined Hia Majestie hath well acquited himself to us to be a Prince of peace who hath with unmeasurable expence assaid by mediation and treaties to compose the bloudy wars in Christendome with fair conditions of peace he hath shewed himself tender in the case of Christian bloud and he would have all the Christian world bear him witnesse that if he could recover the inheritance of his children in peace he would not draw a sword nor hazard a life in that cause He is now put to it to seek peace by the way of wars and his children being shut out of their own in the way of inheritance must wade in again by way of conquest or sit out altogether If that part of the afflicted Church have hope in this disconsolate extremity and trust in God for deliverance and restitution they shal sing Carmen in nocte and let God strengthen their faith and trust in him and let them not think it long to await his leasure till he have mercy upon them Worse was the condition of Jerusalem and the people of Judah Gods own inheritance yet when they had summed up their miseries and cast them into one totall of full calamity they have both faith to assure both deliverance and restitution and hope to expect it and joy to recreate and refresh their present droopings And truly to our understanding it is time for the Lord to put to his hand for the cause is his The strife was for a kingdome but Religion is such a party in the quarrell that it cannot but share in the sufferings of those who fare the worse for Religions sake Be we comforted in the Lord. Rome and Roman Idolatry can neither spread further nor gather more strength then her elder sister Babylon did her armies are called here the troops of God God employed them and God prospered thē they prevail'd against Gods inheritance But the same Prophets who are sent to tell Judah of their deportation into Babylon do also foretell the ruine of Babylon for this read at your leasure Isaiah 46.47 Chap. Jerem. 50 51. and when you have read them compare them with Revel 17.18 Chap. and you shall see that Babylon in Chaldaea was but a type of the present Babylon in Rome a double type of sin and punishment Therefore comfort your selves in the Lord God worketh as we see against the usurper of Rome by his own domestiques and they tell tales of him and discover the nakednesse of that