pardon and strive to transgresse no more Also note that Abraham drawes Sarah here to sinne in such a kinde as did even hazard and indanger her chastity once or twice O let good men take heed of drawing one another to sin for our sin will so indanger another that we know not when we shall be rid of the evill fruits of our feares and dissemblings When a man is in perill he doth not likely look about him to see those mischiefes that will follow the bad courses he takes to free himselfe from the present evill Sure if he would fore-see them he would rather suffer the danger of feare then expose himselfe to the bad consequents of his escape Would not Abraham rather have hazarded himselfe by saying she is my wife then of making her commit adultery by saying she is my sister if he had well considered of it before hand But yet note we that Abraham fell into this sinne once and againe and if occasion had served was ready to fall into it often as we have alledged his agreement with Sarah before He did it first in Pharaohs Countrie then in Abimelechs Countrie and intreated Sarah to doe so where ever he came so for want of due considering a good man may runne into the same grosse sinne againe and againe yea and be ready to runne into it very often if he were put to it as we see also in Isaac in the same kinde There is a double sinne of ignorance One concerning the fact in generall when one knowes not that such a thing is unlawfull the other concerning this particular fact when I doe not take notice and observe that this act of mine is such a sinne Often it falls out that Gods children through the strength of some passion or corruption as here out of feare doe not consider of their particular actions and so run often into foule offences out of this particular ignorance as I may call it they know the proposition deceit is a sinne but the assumption this is an act of deceit is not added for want of considering and therefore the conscience doth not presse this is a deceitfull act you must not doe it Now when we finde our selves upon better consideration to have beene carried thus to doe evill we must not be dismayed but renew our repentance and rest on Gods mercy in Christ for pardon and so for the future resolve to forbeare the sinne Also we must learne often to consider of our owne waies least any such faults be found in us Mans heart is full of blindnesse and selfe-deceit and unlesse he shake himselfe as it were and examine his waies often in his owne heart he may live in some great offence and not finde it and though these kinds of sinnes will not hazard his salvation yet they may bring divers crosses and miseries and much reproach and give much offence and procure sore temptations and much disquietment of conscience to him afterwards Let us not animate our selves to sinne by the falls of the Saints but rather worke in our selves an holy feare of our selves and care of avoiding such sins Now I come to Abrahams last sinne which was his taking of Hagar a fault in it selfe for God made one Man and one Woeman to shew that he would have marriage an individuall society of life betwixt one Man and one Woeman But that point was not knowne it seemes in those times and therefore both Sarah perswaded her husband and he condescended to take Hagar A good man may live in a few sinnes of ignorance and never particularly repent of them Take we heed therefore of condemning those who conceiving such and such things not to be sinnefull take boldnesse to live in them If want of will to see the light make a man to resist the light offering it selfe to his conscience because that he will not know fearefull is such a mans estate and I cannot see that this may stand with sanctification But if want of light or strength of impediments hinder from knowing wee should not condemne a man that in other things is upright for such faults onely we must labour with God to reveale to us our secret faults that so much as maybe we may free our selves from those sinnes of ignorance and take heed of taking things on trust upon the opinion and example even of most worthy men Wee goe forward in considering Abrahams example and must observe the benefits which God bestowed upon him These are of two sorts First Temporall then Spirituall The Temporall blessings are of two sorts First Those that were given to himselfe Secondly Those that were granted to others for his sake First for himselfe besides the common benefits of health and strength and wit and limbes and the like which most men receive at the hands of God He gave him first a good Wife Sarah who was obedient unto him as the Scripture noteth and did shew all respect and reverence to him calling him Sir or my Lord and though shee was a woeman and had her fraileties yet she was a good and dutifull wife unto him and in the maine a comfort unto him Abraham had his Sarah with whom he lived very comfortably in the state of matrimony and there never fell out that we read of but one alone discontent and brawle betwixt them which yet by the wisedome and moderation of Abraham was quickly made up and healed Now this benefit must be marked as a singular and excellent blessing to have a loving chast dutifull and respective wife is a great blessing All those to whom God hath vouchsafed the same mercy must see and acknowledge it with all thankfulnesse And if we consider that a bad wife is like continuall droppings and as rottennesse in ones bones and like oyle in his right hand which will quickly discover it selfe we shall learne the better to prize and esteeme this favour Hee that obtaineth a wife saith Salomon obtaineth mercy of the Lord. For house and goods be the inheritance of the Fathers but a good wife is of the Lord. And Salomon saith Who shall find a vertuous woeman her price is above the pearles The heart of her husband shall trust in her shee will doe him good and not evill all the dayes of his life This great benefit the Lord gave unto his servant Abraham All therefore that have obtained the like mercy in some measure must observe and valew aright so principall a blessing Though a man have an yoake-fellows in some things imperfect and weake yet if she be generally good will joyne with him in piety as Sarah did with Abraham and beare him company in all good things and will leave house and all to journey with him if God call them forth to any service it is a speciall goodnesse and a chiefe instrument of his comfort and welfare Sarah honoured Abraham Sarah obeyed Abraham she was ready to provide a feast for the Angels at
that thou shouldst not come neere her meaning Sarah It is a great favour of God to preserve a man from sinning by his providence I meane to order things so that hee hath not opportunity or freedome to doe such things as else hee would commit because hee doth not know them to bee sinnes And this is one of the graces that God doth shew to those whose hearts hee findes upright with him O strive to get sincerity of soule that hee which searcheth the heart may vouchsafe you the same goodnesse but if you bee hollow and guilefull the Lord may and will justly punish you by giving you over to great offences And if any man finde that God hath restrained him from doing some wickednesse which hee did not know and therefore should have done much more which hee did know and would have done he must blesse the name of God for it with heartiest prayers Hee that was in likeliehood afore hee knew of it to have falne into some great pit or other like danger travelling in the night and findeth in the morning how neere he came to mischiefe and yet escaped the fame is either very blockish and prophane or else hee must needes lift up his heart and eyes and hands to Heaven and magnifie the name of God that caused him to scape so much more must wee doe if when wee were in a forwardnesse to runne into grievous offences the Lord hath used some or other meanes which our selves did not provide to restraine us from that evill Spirituall preservation deserveth serious and thankefull acknowledgement as well as naturall Another mercy of God is that hee revealed himselfe unto him in a dreame by night and declared his will by a commandement promise and threat I doe not reade of such a kindnesse afforded to any wicked man except it were to Balaam the false Prophet which was done not in favour to him but unto Israel that hee might not dare to curse his people therefore am I conceited that Abimelech was a godly man especially because the Lord doth please to talke as it were in so friendly and familiar a manner with him as if hee had nor beene a stranger to God but rather of inward knowledge You shall finde if you reade the dreame a kind of lovingnesse expressed on Gods part and a kinde of dutifull boldnesse on Abimelechs so that for my part I have a very good opinion of the man and thinke that the feare of God was in the King of that people which were themselves so wicked that good Abraham said there was no feare of God in them But the favour affoorded him is this he was taught of God his duty by a dreame Dreames were one of the ordinances whereby God did reveale his will unto men in those times Pharaoh was shewed a thing in a dreame and so was Nebuchadnezar but God did not appeare unto them and speake to them in dreames this was an ordinance of his I say in which most times hee used to teach good men Now this was a note of Gods kindnesse to Abimelech that hee so taught him and not by heavy plagues as hee did Pharaoh King of Egypt forementioned How much more mercy shewes the Lord to us to whom hee shewes himselfe in the word and in the preaching of it whereby wee are taught our damnable estate and shewed the meanes of escaping it and called upon with continuall threats and promises to use those meanes let us pray to God to worke upon us by these his ordinances that they may winne us to obedience in a thorough reformation of life as Abimelech was wonne to reform e this one fault and then happy shall wee bee But if wee imitate the naughtinesse of Israel and harden our hearts that wee may not hearken then shall this mercy aggravate our sinnes and wee shall onely have this fruite of it wee shall know there was a Prophet amongst us when those greater fearefull punishments befall us which were formerly threatned against us in the word Bretheren God doth not please to speake to men now in person by dreames but hee revealeth his will by Pastors and Teachers speaking in his Name Hee hath imployed mee to you this thirty yeares well neere to informe you that you are but dead men because of the sinnes you have gone a whoring after and to threaten you with death if you refuse to leave them and encourage you with promise of life upon your converting and amending O when will you hearken as this man did I beseech you before you come to Church to heare take sometime to beg of God the assistance of his Spirit to make you obedient hearers and then blessed be your eares that heare Another benefit afforded to this King Abimelech was this that hee found God as favourable to him as could be in a speedy removing of the chastisement which was sent upon him because of Sarah viz. the barrennesse of all his family for it is said vers ult that God healed Abimelech his wife and his maides and his hand-maides and they conceived for hee had fast shut up every wombe in the house of Abimelech by which it may bee thought that God sent some gentle sicknesse upon him by which hee was disabled from comming neere to Sarah Now so soone as hee did reforme the fault the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham and cured him and his house This is a great favour of God to make hast to our deliverance and very quickly to heare our owne prayers and the prayers of others made for us and instantly to remove the miseries which did lie upon us for if the long lying on of a crosse bee tedious and heavy because of the much sorrow it bringeth and many complaints it wringeth from the mouth even of good men saying Lord how long then surely freedome from all that anguish must bee received as a point of great grace O my Bretheren doe you imitate Abimelech in the speedy mending of your faults that the Lord may also favour you so much as to remove your crosses quickly If iniquity bee in your heart put it from you and remoove it out of your tabernacle and then your light shall spring as the morning as one of Iobs friendes speaketh to him But when we linger and holde sinne under our tongues and are loath to cast it away no wonder if God doe take us in our owne nets as it were and make sorrowes and crosses linger as much upon us Make hast to obey God and amend your lives that he may also make hast to heale These be Abimelechs mercies The crosses that the Scripture telleth us of are no more but one onely viz. God did strike him with sicknesse and weakenesse and his women with barrennesse and this crosse was rather sent upon him as a mercy to keepe him from touching Sarah then in anger or displeasure against him Sicknesse of a mans person wife and family are crosses but sometimes the Lord
fall the making of them after his owne Image in knowledge righteousnesse and true holinesse with a most beautifull strong swift healthie and comely body free from all danger of sicknesse death or other misery giving them dominion over all creatures planting so excellent a place for them as Paradise and granting them the use of all the trees and that of life and putting on them so pleasant a service as that of dressing and keeping the Garden besides the hope and assurance of Eternall life upon condition of their obedience of which Paradise it selfe and the tree of life were signes unto them For if wee should live the life of glory by obeying the Law so should they have done seeing they also were under the same Covenant of workes that we be under Now after their sinne God bestowed divers benefits on them The chiefe was the promise of a Saviour viz. The seede of the Woman to tread on the Serpents head that is to destroy the Divell and the workes of the Divell and to deliver them from the mischiefe which Satan sought to bring upon them By which words he did make the Covenant of grace with them and their Posterity providing a remedy equall to the disease and the meanes of revealing it to all in that be manifested it to them that they might teach it to their children and so one to another till all knew it and then making them Breeches and continuing their life and granting them children These be the benefits The miseries they felt were pronouncing a curse upon them adjudging them to an inavoidable necessity of naturall death to much sorrow in their life he by tilling the ground which should bring forth ill things to him and that with sweat and labour and shee by bearing children in sorrow and by being compelled by subjection to her husband then by casting them out of Paradise debarring them the tree of life and giving Caine over to kill his Brother better then himselfe which must needs be an heavie crosse to them which God did somewhat mitigate by giving them another godly sonne even Seth. This is their life their death followes Adam lived 900. yeares and for Eves death it is not mentioned how long shee lived for God hath not thought it fit to tell us the length of the life of any woman except Sarah in Scripture upon what consideration it is hard to guesse but sure it is to humble womankinde that because they were first in bringing in death deserved not to have the continuance of their lives recorded by Gods pen. So have I briefely runne over the first man and the first woman And now I will make use of all First from their Creation and the benefits bestowed upon them in and after their Creation let us learne to acknowledge God to be our Creator the Fountaine of our being and to submit our selves wholy to him in all things seeing we have received our being from him for in making them he made us in them and whatsoever benefits he gave him in Creation he gave them to us in him seeing if he had not cast them away we should not have wanted them Wee must not lesse praise God and be lesse thankefull for that happy estate because Adam forfeited it for his naughtinesse in sinning cannot diminish the goodnesse of God in granting to him and his so great a heape of pleasures here with certainty of Eternall life after Doe you not see that God made us all to happinesse and life in our first Parents fitting all things so that he might have stood and delivered over all those benefits unto us Let us not murmure against God for the punishment justly inflicted upon us in them and on them for the sinne committed by them especially wee must praise God for the promise of the seed of the Woman which now God hath performed to us by whom salvation and life was offered and tendered to all so that by the second Adam all might have received happinesse as they lost it by the first if the fault had not beene and were not meerely in themselves that have beene and are carelesse of Gods goodnesse neglecting to consider of his mercy to beleeve in him and to turne to him Secondly in Adams sinne let us all see our owne sinfullnesse and our mortality and misery in his misery For by one man sinne came into the world and by sinne death and so death passed over all This sinne is our sinne after a sort we must lament it and bewaile it and be humbled for it and in the sence of our wretchednesse runne to the promised seed to deliver us from sinne and death and to repaire the Image of God in us by the mighty worke of his Spirit which is as easie for him to doe as to create us just at the first and which he will as certainely performe for us if we seeke it as hee did then in our first making Againe let us learne to hate and loath sinne and Satan not to hearken to his suggestions but to beleeve Gods threats and submit to his Commandements let the husband resolve not to obey the voice of his wife against God let the wife take heed of drawing her husband to sinne let the husband rather reforme her then be corrupted by her O beware of thinking to get any thing by doing wickednesse disobedience will bring nothing in conclusion but misery and unhappinesse Let us take heed of flying from God and of excusing our faults and casting the blame upon others chiefely upon God himselfe as Adam did but let us rather confesse lament and trust in his mercy and implore it then dawbe and dissemble and thinke to escape by frivolous shifts and extenuations and especially learne not to be proud of apparell which is no better then a badge of our wicked rebellion and of our shamefull nakednesse Let us be the better for the things we know concerning Adam and Eve our first Parents Againe let us be carefull to follow them in all good deeds which they did O let us repent and beleeve in Christ hoping for life by him according to the Covenant of grace as they did when they had broken the Covenant of Workes For by trusting in Christ we shall goe to Heaven in the way of Evangelicall obedience standing in a resolution and indeavour not to sinne and a carefull humbling our selves and seeking pardon when we faile as sure as they or we should have done in the way of Legall obedience if they and we had remained innocent and God will as surely inable us to this Evangelicall obedience if we seeke to him for grace and the renewing of his Image in us as hee had inabled him to Legall and exact obedience In truth Christ hath made the way to life eternall as easie to us in the path of the Gospell as it was to him in the path of the Law for wee have grace to keepe us from loving and
yea it doth appeare often that riches are laid up for the owners thereof for hurt And these be the benefits temporall which Abraham had for himselfe a good wife good children in their kinde and one religious good servants good friends good name good favour and great wealth to which add one particular benefit a great and famous victory over foure great and conquering Kings as the Holy Ghost telleth us Gen. 14.15 he pursued them he divided himselfe against them he and his servants by night and smote them and pursued them to Hobah and brought backe all the goods and Lot his brother and his goods and the women and his people An absolute victory was obtained by Abrahams wisedome and valour God gave him the wisdome God gave him the valour God gave him the successe The Prophet Esay sets forth Gods goodnesse to Abraham in generall as a sure argument that God will shew the like mercies to his people in after times bidding them looke unto Abraham and Sarah and saying Isa 51.2 I called him I blessed him and increased him and 41.2 3. He setteth forth this very benefit in magnificall phrases saying who raised up the righteous man from the East called him to his foot gave the nations before him and made him rule over Kings gave them as dust to his sword as driven stubble to his bow hee pursued them and passed safely by the way that he had not gone with his feete God would have his people take notice of this mercy in saving Abraham and making him victorious to assure them of his like love in defending them and giving them victory over all their enemies even the whole Church and each particular member thereof He that sheltered Abraham was with him gave Kings before him shall not he declare his love as much in future ages to his people Surely he is the same for ever Let this comfort us against all those that rise up against us But what did God for others for Abrahams sake First he blessed Lot the more for Abrahams sake and as it is noted Lot that went with Abraham had heards and after when God destroyed Sodome he thought of Abraham and delivered Lot also So God for a good mans sake will blesse and helpe even his friends and well-willers and those that belong to him shall be much the better for him according to the promise that he had made saying I will blesse them that blesse thee And for Abrahams children he blessed Isaac and gave him great outward things yea gave him also grace and made him heire of the Covenant and continued the Church in his house giving him a sonne in the life time of Abraham For Abraham had Isaac at a hundred and lived 175 yeares and Isaac married at forty and had Esau and Iacob at sixty so Abraham lived to see those two sonnes about five yeares old and gave outward things to Ishmael and abundance to him that Princes came of him in likelihood during Abrahams life time and he sent away his sonnes by Keturah with great riches and you know that even after Abrahams death God honoured him still by calling him his friend in many places and for his sake did great things for his sonnes after him in many generations Thus you see how worth the while it is to serve feare and obey God what abundant blessings he grants what honour and same even after death though all Gods people have not all these outward things in like manner bestowed upon them yet they have that which is sufficient for them and those that finde their friends and children happy in outward respects must observe Gods hand to be thankfull Yea we must all take notice of Gods like dealing with many of his people whose posterity flourish when they be dead some in goodnesse as well as goods and some at least in earthly respects and leave a good name behinde them so that many yeares after their decease their names are honourably mentioned and all men count them good and faithfull servants of God The name of the righteous is had in everlasting remembrance whilst they live and when they die God shewes himselfe gratious and bountifull to them even in temporall blessings oftentimes as well as spirituall But if any want these outward benefits they must consider of themselves whether their sinnes doe not deprive them thereof For sometimes such mercies are denied to Gods people to chastize and keepe downe and roote up some vices in them David was crossed in his children to correct his fondnesse and to chastize his adultery and murder Salomons posterity was brought low to chastize his Idolatry If in outward things the Lord seeme carelesse of his people they might easily finde by searching that some evill carriage of theirs hath caused him to chastize them in this life that by being brought to repentance they might not be destroyed and perish in another world and so much for these temporall benefits Now for spirituall blessings the first was that God called him out of his Countrey and Fathers house from the Idols of his Fathers house for they served false gods there Iosh 24.2 and acquainted him with himselfe the onely true God No greater blessing can befall a man here then to be called from a false religion to the true religion so that his heart be inclined also to the practise of the true religion and that he be effectually sanctified as was Abraham Wee must looke that wee have this mercy of effectuall calling Indeed from Idols and such kinde of false gods wee are called or rather we have beene kept from following them at all but ah are we called to walke before God in holinesse and righteousnesse not alone turning from darkenesse to light from a false religion to the true but from the power of Satan unto God that is from serving the Divell in a wicked life to serve God in an holy life If we be not so called we are not sonnes of Abraham and outward blessings will doe us little good If we be then wee have cause to rejoyce before the Lord our God with exceeding great joy for he that is so called happie is he This is a mercy of mercies to be a Saint by calling one whom God hath so wrought upon by his Spirit that his outward call hath wonne him from the state of corruption to the state of grace And if any finde not himselfe so called or finde it doubtfull to himselfe whether he have beene so called yea or not let him earnestly seeke to God for it and if wee would know whether we be called yea or not compare our selves with Abrahams Call Gen. 12.1 God had said meaning before his Fathers death before he dwelt in Charran saith Steven for though because Terah was the Father the departure is ascribed to him yet God gave the call first to Abraham and he acquainted his Father with it and so his Father went out and he with
man doth disobey God and transgresseth his Law in suffering it he doth alone receive misery to himselfe now the greatest misery is not so great an evill as the least sinne It behooveth us to take heed that our carnall reason doe never so over-sway us no not on the suddaine that wee should consent to act any evill for the procuring of any good And if wee have done otherwise wee are to impute it to our selves as a great weakenesse and so to confesse it and humble our selves for it before God Againe Lot lingred in Sodome till the Angels tooke him by the hand and in a kind of gratious violence set him in safety against his will Willing hee was to escape the destruction which was now falling upon Sodome but loath he was to save his life at so deare a rate as the loosing of all his substance It is a sinne to cleave so fast in affection to goods as not to be willing with the losse of all to save out lives He loves riches too well that will cast his life upon great danger for the saving of them and not gladly leave them all to free his life from perdition Satan could say Skinne for skinne and all that a man hath will hee give for the redemption of his life If wee have at any time found our heart so glewed to wealth that we have beene lingring about it to the manifest indangering of our lives much more our soules we should even heartily condemne our selves for too great lovers of riches Another sinne in Lot was that he was too timerous and durst not commit himselfe to the Mountaines whither yet he was faine at length to flie for feare least some or other mischiefe might befall him there and therefore was he so over-importunate for the sparing of that City because it was little might he not as well have trusted the Angels direction as his owne conceits and sought and expected safety in the Mountaines when they commanded him to escape thither Doubtlesse it is a fault not to trust God with our welfare but to cast in our heads what evill may befall us there where he doth send us for safety Let us not yeeld to our owne fancies nor frame perill to make us discontent with that estate to which God doth call us for we shall finde at length that our owne hopes will deceive us and we shall be never the farther of from danger because we followed our owne heads Let mee goe to Zoar saith he and my soule shall live but after he found that his soule could not live with comfort there Live where God would have us live and looke for his protection there where it shall please him to appoint us to live Now I come to his two last offences he suffered himselfe to be made drunken by his daughters two severall times one shortly after another You see how a good man may be overtaken with grievous sinnes and drawne by those whom he loveth and trusteth to grievous abhominations O let us feare our selves and pittie others and take heed wee suffer not our neerest friends to be a snare unto us Especially beware of drunkennesse it is not alone a great offence it selfe but laies us open to all other crimes Make a man drunken and he will easily be drawne to defloure his owne daughter Keepe your selves from excessive drinking of wine or strong drink It is raging it is mocking it will change you into very beasts and make you runne into such crimes as your soules at other times would even loath to thinke of Labour to be temperate or else you do hardly be chaste and modest Deprive not your selves of reason by pleasing your palate expose not your selves to the danger of the foulest of all sinnes by so base a pleasure as satisfying the tast with the relish of this liquor And all you Governours and Magistrates set your selves with all diligent severity to prevent and beate downe drunkennesse if this offence abound all other evills will abound with it Now wee come to Lots benefits First God drew him out of his sinnes and gave him repentance else S. Peters words had not beene true that called him a just man O how great a mercy of God is this not to call us from the state of corruption at first but when wee have almost departed backe againe to folly to recall us from our grievous sinnes and heale our wounded soules by causing us to repent unfainedly Presume not on this mercy but if you have found it praise God most earnestly for it and let not the greatnesse of sinne discourage you from returning unto God againe for such is his grace that he will readily receive you after such wandrings Againe you see that God gave him riches great store the Lord can give the same to other of his people with as plentifull a hand but if hee doe not you see in Lot what cause there is not to murmure for riches did undoe Lot almost and therefore was God faine to take them all againe because hee could not so use them as not to set his heart too much upon them If God hath beene pleased to grant you these things let Lots example make you carefull to keepe your hearts from being too much inamoured of them Further Lot obtained a gracious deliverance for himselfe and his wife and his daughters out of the burning of Sodome hee lamented their sinnes and escapeth the punishment Learne the best way to save your selves from common stroakes even by bewailing the common sinnes and prooving your selves to be righteous persons Yea God yeelded much to Lots weakenesse in granting him leave to goe to Zoar and saving that City also for his sake Surely God is as ready also now to passe by weakenesses and will much more willingly grant the better digested petitions of his servants Now Lots misery first hee was taken Captive and lost all his goods Secondly hee lost his goods againe in Sodome Thirdly his Wife Lastly hee was plagued with wicked children that drew him to grievous offences Prepare to loose all you have especially if you finde your soules over-earnestly addicted to them and cause not God to pull them out of your hands by setting your hearts upon them Prepare your hearts to loose your yoake-fellowes by some strange and unexpected accidents Prepare to have your children naught and wicked and take heed that your owne folly in choosing for wealths sake an evill place of habitation be not an instrument of making them such yea learne to be thankfull that God hath yet saved you from such miseries and make your smaller crosses seeme lighter to you then else they would by comparing them with these so heavie and burdensome crosses Now what became of Lot after all this the Scripture doth not speake and therefore here wee leave and will speake two words of his Wife also first the benefits shee received Secondly the sinne shee committed Thirdly the punishment that
priviledge is it and this is a mercy promised to all Saints For so saith our Saviour If my mords abide in you and you abide in me aske what you will and you shall have it And againe S. Iohn telleth us This is our confidence that whatsoever we aske according to his will he heareth us Therefore let us keepe our interest into this mercy by not having respect to sinne in our hearts and by constant endeavour to walke holily before the Lord. And if we have found and doe finde God favourable to us in this kinde so that we lose not our prayers which wee make unto him let us then comfort our selves in this benefit and be carefull to yeeld as obedient an eare to his word as hee doth yeeld a patient eare to our supplications And now of Iacobs temporall benefits First he was blessed with a large estate in the world according to his profession being a Shepheard his flocks did thrive he had cattell and servants in abundance God blessed him in Labans house and made all the stronger cattell to bring forth just such kinde of young as Laban had consented to give him for his wages so that he could not but see a Divine hand taking Labans goods and giving them to him as himselfe noteth Riches are do great matter but when God giveth them as tokens of his love and tender respect they are desirable Let those that enjoy them be sure that they come to them from God as fruits of his goodnesse or else the worst men may be wealthier than the best And let those that are upright with Iacob learne to trust God with their estate and to know that what shall be good for them shall be seasonably provided for them Secondly God delivered him out of all adversity as himselfe saith on his death-bed The Angel that redeemed me from all evill His three greatest dangers were first from Esau both when hee went unto Padan Aram and when hee returned at the former time God brought him safe to Padan and so restrained the minde of Esau that then hee put off the thought of killing him to his Fathers death and at the later time God so melted him that hee shewed himselfe exceeding kinde and fell upon his neck and kissed him instead of killing him which hee had intended and therefore hee tels Esau that hee had seene his face as the face of GOD. Laban pursued him too with a purpose to strip him of all and to send him empty home and he had power in his hand to doe it as himselfe saith but God appeared to him and rebuked him that he durst not handle him amisse The Inhabitants of the Countrey were much insenced against him in respect of that outragious murder and rapine committed upon the Sichemites and by his Sons in so much that Iacob feared much that they would pursue him and cut him off but God cast a feare into their hearts so that they did not offer any violence unto him as is noted by the Story These three great deliverances God vouchsafed Iacob O let us learne to turne to God and to walke before him in truth and then we shall have God ready to help us in all our necessities and at that time and in those exigents to provide for us meanes of escape by his providence when our owne wit and strength faileth as we finde him dealing with Iacob What could he doe against Esau Laban or the Inhabitants of the Countrey Let us cleave to God that hee may be out Buckler also and our strong Tower and Rocke of defence and if we have found so much favour with God as to rescue us out of such dangers as seemed unpreventable let not us attribute the deliverances to any other secondary causes but even see God in them ascribe them to him and learne thence to feare honour and praise him Those deliverances are indeed profitable that are cords of kindnesse to tie us nearer to God Hee that improveth not such benefits to that end loseth the most desirable fruit of them Further Iacob had a large off-spring of children twelve sons and one daughter this is a favour to give a man store of children of these sons all had wealth enough Ioseph was very religious in his youth and Benjamin civill and orderly at least and at the end all of them turned home and became godly men O happinesse to have so many children some good betime all holy at last all prosperous in outward things and one much advanced Another mercy of God was the providing of Ioseph as a man before to maintaine him and his family in Aegypt and bringing him to see Ioseph and enjoy his preferment for seventeen yeares together where he lived in as great a fulnesse of prosperity and concluded his dayes as happily as ever man did living in Iosephs bosome as it were seeing all his children godly and prosperous and feeling no considerable adversity having Iosephs oath also to bury him in Canaan This is a singular favour of God to make ones old age prosperous and to cause his eyes to see so much happinesse as he can wish when now he is ready to leave the world Marke the righteous man in the Psalme it is said The end of that man is peace Study righteousnesse that you may inherite this blessing and never threaten your selves how miserable you shall be hereafter God can provide wayes that you know not to make you safe and comfortable beyond your thoughts O be faithfull with him and trust in him and feare nothing So much for Iacobs life Now for his death It was a most seasonable death after a large time of life a most peaceable death in the midst of his Sonnes a most religious death blessing them and confirming their faith with his last words a most comfortable death so soone as he had ended his blessing he pulled up his legs and gave up the Ghost and then he had also an honourable embalming and buriall as at large is set downe in the Story Who would not wish such a death And yet more after death he hath an honourable name on earth and liveth in eternall glory in heaven Now let us imitate Iacobs vertues and labour to be upright and then notwithstanding many sins we shall have at last eternall happinesse and so much happinesse in this world also as is needfull for us Now we will shew you what calamities he suffered for the people of God must looke to suffer much tribulation in this world as it is foretold them both because their owne need requireth it to make and keep them good and cause them to grow in goodnesse as also because the Lord sees it fit thus to magnifie his power justice wisdome and goodnesse in sustaining and delivering them His chastisements then were these First that his Father did not love him so well as his brother but did manifestly prefer hunting Esau before
earnestly strive to disswade or perswade a Ruler in such things It is weakenesse enough in a Governour on such an occasion to say nay but to chafe and bee angry is a double fault wee finde noe such distemper in Iacob This is the good of Reuben His afflictions so farre as is recorded were not many indeed none but what was common with his other Bretheren except we may count that a crosse that hee was suffred to sinne so farre and doubtlesse it was a corrasive to him all his dayes after and that his fore-mentioned griefe as it was in some sence an act of vertue so it was a suffering of evill For to be grieved for some misery like to befall our friends is a great misery to him that so grieveth But one crosse hee had that his Father did minde him of his fault on his death-bed before all his bretheren and did then and there dis-inherit him he tooke it well and made no angry reply It is an affliction to bee dis-inherited or otherwise deprived of any benefit which else wee should have had because of our sinnes And wee must learne when such a crosse is laid upon us to beare it quietly and fruitfully too I meane so as not to breake forth in anger and discontent against him that doth withdraw such things from us nor yet to passe it over sleightly and carelesly as not regarding the hand of God but to accept it as a just punishment of our faults and make it a meanes of renewing and increasing our Repentance Of the benefits of Reuben besides the common we read of his fruitfullnesse for hee had divers sonnes when they went downe to Aegypt and so hee made one of the twelve Tribes Wee have noted this mercy afore in others let us take heed that the commonnesse of this mercy make us not disvalew it A benefit is no whit lesse to be esteemed because the Lord vouchsafeth to communicate it to many and it is nothing but our folly that takes occasion to sleight such favours Now I come to Simeon and Levi we have their speciall sin and the punishment of it noted The sinne is double First They were the Actors of that bloudy and ragefull murder and spoyle committed on the Sichemites in killing Hamor Shechem and all the Males They drew their swords and went in boldly on the third day when all were sore and slew all the men they met withall Iacob doth curse their rage and anger and doth abominate the same It is a grievous sinne to kill men in a wrathfull passion without just warrant and calling from God indeed to kill one particular person is sinne enough and calleth for the Sword of the Magistrate to cut of the sinner how much more to fill ones hands with bloud and kill as here a whole city or towne Murder is a sinne against the light of Scripture and of Nature against the Lawes of GOD and every well ordered Common-weale a grosse sinne and palpable a mischievous sinne wronging the Person murdered in his life the pretiousest thing hee hath with an irrecoverable wrong wronging his Friends wronging the Common-weale and wronging GOD extreamely in presumptuous incroching upon his prerogative to be the taker as hee hath beene the giver of life O be thankfull to the living God that hee hath kept you from this red and crimson sinne especially if any have beene so inflamed with rage as once David that he hath even desired and resolved and intended and attempted to commit murder as it fell out to David and he hath kept him from it either by preventing the occasion or some counsell comming betwixt or some diverting of the blow or the like O let him be thankfull that he hath escaped the fact of murder as well as be humble that he hath desired to commit the fault Wee must not ascribe to our selves the immunity from grosse sinnes and please our selves in our estate because of it but we must give God the glory and loath and abase our selves and our bad nature that should fall into them if wee were left to our selves chiefely if nothing have stopped us from them but want of opportunity And now ever mortifie anger and wrath and revengefull boyling of heart for he that nourisheth wrath malice envie in his spirit within shall at last be carried away so farre with that inward distemper that if occasion offer it selfe he shall flame forth into the grosse act of murder All corruptions being fed in the heart within doe gather such strength that if there be fitnesse of occasion they will breake out indeed O bring not your selves into such a temper that the Divell shall have you in readinesse to make murderers of if ever hee can fit you with time and place and other circumstances Beware of blouds beware of blouds this sinne teares the conscience in an hundred peeces when once it is made sensible This sinne leaves a deepe staine it begets grievous horrors and makes the soule still fierce in pronouncing evill against it after it hath beene fierce in doing so great an evill unto others Pray to God to preserve you from it and get meeke gentle quiet patient spirits which may keepe you from being provoked with wrongs And if any of you have transgressed in this kinde though not in so high a degree let the example of these two incourage him to repent and make him flie to the throne of grace that God would worke in him true repentance and both pardon and heale him You see two young men here drowned in a river of bloud most innocent bloud by them most causelesly and groundlesly spilt you see them yet pardoned Nay they were stained with their brothers bloud whom they consented to kill and actually sould for a slave and yet they be pardoned Runne to God hee can pardon many murders as well as one angry word and will doe it if you submit and convert He that judgeth himselfe for his sinnes past resolving thoroughly by Gods helpe to reforme his heart and life and takes boldnesse to aske remission and sanctification at Gods hand in Christs name shall be pardoned although the guilt of the bloud of God the son did sticke to his fingers But another fault they committed when their Father in the bitternesse of his soule and his great feares told them of their fault and their danger they shewed no repentance no feare at all either of God or men but returned him a surly kinde of foolish excuse saying should he abuse our sister as a whore If you frame this answer into a due forme of reasoning and apply it to the justifying of their murder for to that purpose they alledged it it must runne thus If any man wrong us notoriously wee may and will kill him and there is no cause of reprehending us but hee hath done so for he hath abused our sister as an whore wherefore we doe not deserve to be reprooved for killing them First if
even in the land of Goshen Thus it behoveth a good King yea and a good man to favour still whom he hath begun deservedly to favour and for his sake to shew all good esteeeme to his friends and kindred so farre as they shew not themselves unworthy to be favoured Constancy in loving and honouring a worthy man becomes Kings and largenesse of love even a kind of royall love beseemeth their persons and places for a worthy servants sake to advance his Father Bretheren and kindred This is a right Kingly love and such as can sort alone with men of such high quality Meaner persons want meanes to shew their favourable respect in such a spreading manner Indeed to preferre unworthy persons because they be of kinne to a man of great worth and much favoured is not agreeable to the rules of wisdome but let them be men capeable of favour and he doth not love a man thoroughly that for his sake doth not also love those that are neere unto him And if Princes have such a Princely love to their vertuous favourites how much more hath the living God to his These be things commendable in Pharaoh For his faults God hath beene pleased to reveale none but that common fault hee continued an Heathen though he had a Ioseph in his Court and highly preferred by himselfe It is a hard matter to get out of darkenesse and to come into light a divine spirit must joyne with the meanes or else the meanes will prove ineffectuall Let us pray to God to leade us into the knowledge of his truth or else we may live long with them that know it and yet learne nothing of it It is in our nature to settle our selves in the religion of our forefathers and not to consider whether it be true and good yea or not A kind of slitenesse in matter of religion doth raigne in the world men will not be at the trouble to examine that which they find in use they will not hazard themselves in crossing the common-voice so they swimme downe the streame and runne into perdition for company Let us be carefull to examine the things that we finde and seeing God hath vouchsafed us the happy guidance of his word let us learne to try all things and hold fast the good Onely in crying we must take heede that we be not of a kind of crosse humour that will strive to goe in a single way and will refuse things upon sleight grounds as if they were glad to find occasion to goe alone And so much for Pharaohs faults too Now his prosperity was great First God warned him of the Famine before hand that hee might prevent the danger of it to his people a great mercy to be made to understand evills long before that a man may hide himselfe from the evill of them the wisedome of man can alone guesse of future things and of some it cannot so much as guesse O how great favour doth God shew to men when he will lend them a little part of his Wisdome and tell them what mischiefes are comming on the world So God told David how Saul and the men of Keilah would have conspired against him Christ foretold his Disciples of the ruine of Ierusalem and made them able to save themselves out of that destruction Now wee must learne to esteeme it a greater mercy that we are forewarned of the evill to come in another world and acquainted with the onely meanes of flying from that unsufferable wrath Let us be as carefull to beleeve those predictions and to follow that counsell for escaping the mischiefe foretold as here Pharaoh was to beleeve Ioseph and to take his counsell and then shall we as assuredly escape the misery of eternall destruction as he and his Countrey escaped the unhappinesse of Famine A second benefit God gave Pharaoh a Ioseph a worthy servant a man of excellent Wisdome and faithfullnesse fit for that high honour of being Second to Pharaoh who in all things behaved himselfe as became a wise and godly man The Lord cannot give a greater benefit to a King and a Kingdome then by preferring a Ioseph by providing such a man and inclining the hearts of Kings to favour such this is a mercy which our prayers must obtaine for our King and for our selves Lord send Iosephs to the Court and guide the heart of his Majesty to love and advance Iosephs A third mercy he grew exceeding wealthy and a mighty Prince possessor in a manner of all the land of Egypt and had all the people as his servants to plow the ground for him so that he was a rich and mighty Prince But when Princes or other men become very great and high many times their weakenesse and corruptions turne that benefit into a misery and occasion of much mischiefe learne so to receive this benefit as to be earnest for grace to use it well that it may not turne to your destruction But of Pharaohs crosses we reade nothing he was so prosperous a King that no adverse accident is recorded to have befallen him Even to escape great crosses must be accounted a great mercy and if the Lord have caused any mans life amongst us to runne with so even a threed as it were that no adversity hath interrupted it he is so to take notice of this mercy as to take heed withall that he flatter not himselfe with vaine thoughts as if he were therefore much in Gods favour because of such immunity from outward evills Not so but we must ever remember that in the Psalme That the wicked are lusty and strong that they have no bonds in their death and that they be not in adversity as other men Hitherto of Pharaoh now of the Aegyptians both the land in generall and the chiefe officers about Pharaoh The land of Egypt was a rich land and fertile the Holy Ghost doth not speake much of their idolatry in Genesis But in after times they were infamous for it and there did Israel learne to be Idolatrous If God leave a people to themselves they will soone degenerate either into prophanenesse and a meere contempt of God or into false worship and Idolatry How thankfull ought wee to be to whom the Lord hath pleased to reveale his truth and to keepe us farre from worshipping a false god or embracing a false religion But we have an example of some good in these Egyptians and a great vertue it was they submitted themselves to their Governours with a very great submission The Famine lay upon them they were content to buy corne of Ioseph for money and when that failed to pawne their cattell and when that meanes was gone to sell their lands and themselves and did not rebell and with strong hand take corne to themselves whither Pharaoh and Ioseph would or not This was a most commendable thing in the Egyptians they would rather sell themselves to the skinne yea sell themselves
your owne strength and of boasting that you will never commit such and such a sinne for if these two in their innocency could not escape when they neglected to sue to God for strength O how much more shall not we stand if we adventure to bragg and boast and promise much of our selves but when sinne begins to gather upon you and Satan to tempt then flie to prayers and to requests and to the threats and Commandements and apply those threats and pray God to inable you to keep the Commandements then shall you doe so well as you can wish else large promises will bring forth nothing but sorry performances Thus should Eve have done and then shee should have had her prayers granted and her faith stablished and escaped the fault And as I thinke the first of all the faults of Evah was that shee was led away by the wary speeches of the Serpent by which he sought by step and step to descend to this solicitation that then shee did not revive in her mind the consideration of Gods presence and of her dependance upon him and of his readinesse to give her helpe on her seeking it and of her owne imbecillity as being a creature to stand without continuall support from him For sure the Morrall Law lay upon Adam and Evah as well as upon us and they ought thus to have behaved themselves in temptation here therefore I say was her first failing For we must not thinke that there was no sinne precedent to the actuall eating of the forbidden fruit yea her being enticed and drawne away to distrust Gods Truth to deny his threats to affect knowledge against Gods allowance and to be bold to sinne when shee conceived that no danger would grow from it but much benefit all these were faults and preparations to the great actuall fault Indeed it is probable that if shee had taken her selfe in these slips and set her selfe and graces on worke to have resisted them before they had come to such an head that then shee should not have beene corrupted by them so as to fall into sinfullnesse and mortality because the Lord had limited the threat of death to actuall eating but howsoever these things were faults in Eve and now wee must learne therefore not to presume any thing of our selves but to confesse that if wee doe not seeke to God for his sustentation and so obtaine the same from him we shall surely be overcome to commit any sinne though never so grievous But againe wee must be incouraged to repent of sinne and to crave pardon of it any greatnesse of it notwithstanding for even this sinne of our first Parents is to them pardoned This first and grand sinne the sinne of sinnes that did inwrap in it all the blasphemies and Idolatries c. of all after-times and was as I may so speake in power all sinne even this sinne is forgiven Adam which cast all into sinne out of Paradise and out of Heaven what in him lay even this Adam is in Heaven himselfe yea Eve that drew Adam to it and perswaded her husband to the committing of so monstrous a Trespasse to the poysoning of him and all his shee is pardoned shee is in Heaven As God set forth the riches of his Mercy in pardoning so vile and capitall a sinner as Paul was that in him he might shew an example of all long-suffering so hath he set forth the abundance of his Grace in Christ by remitting the fault and saving the soules of these and these sinners which did not what they did in false zeale as Paul but in wilfull unbeleefe and rebellion Wherefore let no man doubt of obtaining pardon by the grace of God in Christ because of the greatnesse of his sin For if by the offence of one many be dead much more shall the grace of gift and the gift by grace abound unto mercy and if in Adam all die that is be made subject to death so in Christ much more shall all be made alive if they trust in him and turne if death raigned by the first Adam much more shall grace raigne by the second Adam If by one mans disobedience many were made sinners much more by one mans obedience shall many be made righteous It is an extreame dis-valuing of Christs righteousnesse and under-prizing of Gods mercies in Christ if any greatnesse of sinne hinder us from seeking to God for pardon and trusting to finde it If we should be appointed to deserve remission of our owne sinnes every man for himselfe then a man might hope to get out of little sinnes but not out of great and so greatnesse of sinne might dishearten him but seeing it is Christ the Sonne of God as well as Man that hath satisfied at once for the sinnes of all by being a Propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world now it is too too great a weakenesse and too too palpable an ignorance of Christ and disparagement to him to doubt of pardon because of the greatnesse of sinne and that wee may assure our selves loe Adam and Eve saved a couple that let in the floud-gares to all sinne and that in committing so great a disobedience did commit at once all the sinnes of all the world There cannot be thought any offence greater for the time place persons sinning occasions of sinning helpes against sinne Commandement transgressed no nor the matter of the sinne neither For though the thing materially considered were but eating an apple a plum or whatsoever fruit it might be yet that apple was as it were a Sacrament a visible profession of their care to forbeare all sinne by forbearing it and so the taking of that was a worse sinne then if it had beene very actuall adultery or murder as if a man should take the Sacramentall bread and give it to a dogg or cast it into the fire or trample it under feet knowing it to be the Sacrament sure he were as vile and farre more vile an offender then if he should lie in waite at his neighbours doore to defloure his wife or to murder himselfe or any of his household Now therefore take heart to runne to God penitently for pardon in Christ and be sure of successe And if greatnesse and multitude of sin offer it selfe to discourage you and to dampe your hopes referre your selves to Adam and Eve and say their one sinne was more in badnesse then all my sinnes and yet they were pardoned upon their repentance and so shall I and then even violently breaking thorough all objections give over thy selfe to sorowfull confessions and supplications and thou shalt be pardoned If any say my sinne was worse then Adams for I have sinned against the Holy Ghost I answer if thou hast sinned against the Holy Ghost repent and thou shalt be pardoned for the cause why that sinne cannot be forgiven is not want of mercy in God or merits in Christ but such abundance of hardnesse in them that they will not
it but rather grew worse shewing that envie carried him away still and hee did nourish and foster not oppose and resist it For God came and shewed him good reason both that hee should not be angry at his not being accepted and also that he should not have a grudge against his Brother because he was accepted for if thou doe well saith the Lord shalt thou not be accepted that is not thy Brother is an impediment to any respecting of thy selfe and thy Sacrifice but thine ill doing Thou servest mee with outward service but thou art a bad man and livest not well therefore must not I regard thy service for I tell thee my pure nature is such that if men be of sinfull lives and wicked their prayers and oblations are so farre from pleasing me that they be abomination to me therefore doe I not care for thee nor thy religion so long as thou continuest impenitent and a wicked liver but if thou frame thy selfe to doe well to repent and amend thy life and live holily then also shalt thou be accepted as if hee had told him that hee ought to amend his life and might so set himself about it as to obtaine help and power to do it For even to any reprobate may any man say as much as God to Caine here there is no necessity of thy being cast off by God set to amend thy life and he will take thee into favour and then should he also be taken into favour and his gifts regarded For though the Sacrifice of sinners be odious to God yet the prayer of the upright is his delight So no cause of Caines wrath and envie seeing the cause of his Brothers being preferred before him is his owne naughtinesse not any partiality in God nor trickes that his Brother had used Againe there is no cause he should hate his Brother who should still continue an inferiour in subjection to him All this notwithstanding uttered by God himselfe yet Caine continued his sower lookes and bitter thoughts against his Brother onely because his Brother was better than himselfe and had received more approbation and acceptation from God then himselfe Note this fault he would not be amended by words he hardned himselfe against an admonition A fourth and a worse fault was he spake to his Brother and gat him into the field out of company for no doubt there were more men and women in the world though wee doe not reade of any more and there he knocks him on the head with what weapon it is folly for us to enquire but sure his tooles of husbandry yeelded him fitter helpe to doe it then the jaw-bone of an Asse which some will needs thinke to have beene used So his envie and hatred boyled so long and prevailed so much in him that it makes him dip his finger in blood and in the blood of his own Brother notwithstanding the greatnesse of the sinne in it selfe and great torment that would ensue thence unto his Parents Moreover Murder that is Caines sinne and with this sinne of murder is joyned fraud and guile and fearing man more then God for he spake to him and gat him out and then rose up against him when they were together alone in the field so it was a pretended and premeditated murder he used words of kindnesse at least which did not shew forth any ill intention for then would not Abel have gone with him and having him in a solitary place where no man could see him to discover or hinder him there not regarding Gods presence hee tooke away his life and spilt his blood on the ground You see Caines fourth sinne The fifth was he did not repent of the sinne when hee had done it nor of himselfe ranne to God with humble confession nay when God came to bring him to repentance then hee stood in deniall of his fault and was angry with God for going about to charge him with his Brother for when the Lord came and asked him where his Brother was he made answer that he could not tell lying to God himselfe you see and shewing himselfe to be altogether ignorant or at least heedlesse of his All-seeing eye and in a kind of discontent asking the Lord why he should aske of him where Abel was seeing no man had ever appointed him to be Abels keeper Here is a fearefull sinne not to confesse a sinne committed but to lie and seeke if he could to hide it from God by deniall So that Caine was growne worse then Adam he onely excused the fault he denies saying he could not tell what was become of him whom himselfe had murdered so denying in his heart that God was present in all places and saw all things So his heart was hardned in wickednesse and he was growne a despiser of God a denier of his Omniscience and he had made himselfe quite impenitent Impenitencie in his sinnes that was another of Caines faults Instead of falling downe and saying I have sinned he saith I have not done it thou dost unjustly in asking me such a question like the Pharisees that after they had killed Christ were so farre from repenting that they seemed to take it in high disdaine that the Apostles would seeme to bring that mans bloud upon them Marke this sinne I say marke it he hides his sinne denies it will not goe to God with humble confessions and supplications This is to be a Caine to commit great sinnes and continue remorselesse and unrepentant not regarding to confesse no not to God himselfe though God use meanes to make him see and confesse Now another fault is that after God had censured him for his offence he grumbled and despaired for his speeches carry an impression of both these vices and are uttered so that they will beare both renderings My sinne is greater then can be pardonad or My punishment is greater then I can beare So Caine was possessed with a mixture of desperatenesse and murmuring he denies God the honour of his mercy in not conceiving him able to forgive that sin therfore he thought it in vaine to confesse and aske pardon and so forbare to doe it and he thought the punishment unjust and too severe as being more then hee could beare as if God in punishing an unpenitent sinner should looke not what the sinne did deserve but what the sinner could undergoe Whereas punishment must be proportioned to the greatnesse of the fault not the strength of the offendor He should have cryed out of the greatnesse of the sinne not of the punishment hee should have confessed the greatnesse of Gods mercy but he mutters against him as both unjust and unmercifull and so repents not but repines complaining that God had laide him open to all mens injuries now so that every one might kill him This is a Caine a man so hardned with sinne that he can neither submit to Gods justice nor implore his mercy but denies the one and calumniates the
Caine nay willing to be at cost in Gods Worship and for it Also satisfie your selves with one wife for Caine did so he knew his wife wives he had not Yea be builders up of your families by thrift and husbandry for so could Caine not pullers of them downe by riot and unthriftinesse say to thyselfe How shall this first of all bad men rise up in judgement against mee if I cannot frame my selfe at least to be as good as he was A man should even blush to thinke what is the eldest sonne of the Divell more vertuous then I am O how bad a man am I then Secondly we must make some good use of that was bad in Caine which is double First to take great heed to our selves to mortifie those vices and shun those sinnes which we finde related of him Caine was a very Hypocrite a man that contented himselfe with the outward acts of Gods Worship but was not Sanctified did not frame his heart to please God and set himselfe to doe well O take heed to your selves that you be not such but labour to present your hearts to God and in all his services to offer your soules and bodies to him and not alone the externall service seeke in and by the duties of religion to be made new creatures Joyne care of a good life in your whole conversation with your outward devotion then you shall not be Hypocrites but uprright Beware of Hypocrisie find out it selfe and its ill effects lament them confesse them pray against them Be afraid least you should prove Hypocrites cry to God to keepe you from being such and to make you sincere An Hypocrite is apt to runne into all sinne nothing is accepted from him he is apt to fall away into open profanenesse and to be quite cast of by God for his sins And you may see in Caine what be the signes of an Hypocrite 1. Envie at those that be better then himselfe and even hating them because they have better esteeme then himselfe 2. Not striving to reforme his sinnes when hee is admonished nor confesse them to God and craving helpe against them but rather persisting in them and denying them 3. Chasing at admonitions 4. Casting of at last all care of religion 5. Murmuring against God for the greatnesse of his punishment and so despairing of his mercy as to run away from him O beware of all these signes of prevailing Hypocrisie and do as Caine should have don Strive against guile set against envie labour to profit by Gods admonitions in his Word though hee come not now in person to admonish you If you have sinned confesse it to God stoope to his Justice confesse him righteous if he destroy you Hold fast a perswasion of the possibility of having your sins pardoned how great soever and a hope of finding pardon at least in such a degree as may make you runne penitently to God and boldly to crave pardon And most of all take heed of growing utterly impenitent out of despaire and goe not about to burie your selves in the world and so to ease the torments of your consciences but by humble falling downe before God seeke for mercy which will indeed refresh you Profit your selves by the lamentable and tragicall story of Caine. And above all take heed of letting envie proceed to that height as to carrie you into actuall murder but resist and oppose it and cast it out of your hearts that it may not bring you to be spillers of innocent blood that is a crying sinne and you see what torment and hardnesse it is apt to bring upon the committer chiefely if the cause of hatred and envie be goodnesse Againe blesse God heartily for preserving you from envie from murder from hypocrisie from muttering from despaire from open profanenesse from meere and prevailing worldlinesse For wee have the same nature that Caine the same corruptions full of pride full of hypocrisie full of ignorance of God and apt to be bold to any evill if wee may conceale it from men Wee who have the selfe-same bad nature if God have preserved us from so mighty prevailing and breaking forth of corruption let us not lift up our selves above others but give the glory to God and be satisfied with the comfort not daring to take the praise unto our selves each one of us in his kinde would be as bad as Caine if God had in like manner left us unto our corruptions and the temptations O that wee could be humbly thankefull for our preservation from such soule sinnes and crimes Now let us remember Caines miseries and crosses and let us affright our selves from sinnes by them Thinke would I have God make mee a fugitive and a runnagate fill mine eares with the voice of terrour and make a dreadfull sound possesse mine heart alwaies curse the things I take in hand for my sake as hee did the earth for Caines sake deliver mee up to grosse sinnes to hardnesse and utter prophanenesse to impenitencie and despaire and a meere forsaking of God and Apostacie then let mee not be an Hypocrite let mee not mocke God with shewes let mee not sleight reproofes not caring to amend Let me not hide my sinnes and allow my selfe to doe evill in secret fearing mans eyes more then Gods Let mee not mutter against his Justice let mee not denie his Mercy Let mee not runne into the sinnes of Caine which by degrees procured to him this mischiefe Hypocrisie brought forth rejecting his service not profiting by that chastisement brought forth discontent and envie against his Brother not hearkening to reproofe to resist envie brought forth murder not confessing and lamenting that but hiding it brought forth Gods judgement to make him a fugitive not stooping to that but murmuring brought forth despaire and that utter Apostacie and profanenesse Beware of these sinnes which you see so fearefully punished and affright your selves from these faults by the miserable effects of them in Caine. Take great care that sinne make not such a progresse in your soules till it utterly separate you from God as it did Caine. Wee have more and clearer meanes then Caine besides his evill to be our warning if wee proove as bad as he wee shall fare much worse because of that aggravation of sinne which it will receive from this consideration Tremble to thinke of yeelding to Hypocrisie envie murder muttering despaire c. flie from those waies which brought Caine to ruine Yea learne thankefullnesse to God that hee hath not laid such miseries upon you as upon Caine viz. a terrified conscience and a curse upon your estates that can affoord you no comfort and an heart possessed with desperate fancies and impatient risings against God These be fearefull evills wee also have deserved them but God hath not inflicted them upon many of us O let our hearts rejoyce in his goodnesse that hath delivered us and let us make use of his patience to draw us to repentance that wee doe not
seeketh to be justified before God by doing this and by his owne working Now of a man that is thus righteous there are three sure plaine and evident signes 1. Hee desireth to know and doe all that God revealeth to him out of his Word I have lifted up mine hands unto thy testimonies which I have loved and O that my heart were directed to keepe thy righteous judgements then shall I not be confounded when I have respect to all thy Commandements 2. Hee confesseth and bewaileth before God his failings and errours that breake forth in him quite contrary to his purpose and desire Against thee have I sinned and He that confesseth his sinnes c. And if you turne to mee I will turne to you for If wee say we have no sinne wee deceive our selves But if wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull c. 3. He resteth wholy upon the mercy of God in Christ for pardon of his failings and acceptation of his indeavours So saith Iohn If any man sinne wee have an Advocate with God Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is the Propitiation for sinne and Abraham beleeved in God that justifieth the ungodly S. Paul would have the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ I beseech you looke that you be so righteous men as Abel was else you shall never be saved For even Balaam saw that only the righteous should be saved and therefore he wisheth Let mee die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Now we have the good of Abel we should speake of his evill but wee have none to speake of For the Holy Ghost hath not told us of any evill that hee committed not because he had none but because his life was so short and withall so good that the Lord saw it not fit to make mention of any and surely though the Scripture doe report the faults of other godly men yet it seemes here to set forth Caine and Abel as the two seeds the one of the Woman the other of the Serpent and therefore of the good seed mentions no faults because in him God saw none that is would not impute any Now let us consider the things that befell him 1. Good 2. Bad. The good are two first God had respect unto his gifts Secondly God gave witnesse and testimony of his gifts He had respect unto them for the present he gave testimony to them both at that time and also after by the pen of Moses and by the tongue of our Lord Jesus calling him righteous Abel We cannot affirme any thing concerning the meanes by which the Lord did expresse the liking of Abel and his Sacrifice but that it was by some sensible and evident signe discoverable by Caine as well as by himselfe Caines doggednesse stirred up by it doth clearely evince The Lord hath respect unto his true hearted servants that worship him in truth and in faith and are truely righteous he hath respect unto them and to their Services he likes their persons loves their workes The prayer of the upright is his delight saith Salomon The righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse God doth to his faithfull children sooner or later evidently discover his approbation and liking of them and their workes as David prayeth Accept the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart yea he doth make knowne this his favourable acceptation by which as it is in the Psalme he accepts their burnt Sacrifices that is all their holy services he makes it knowne by the comfortable testimony of the Holy Ghost as Paul saith This is my glorying the testimony of my conscience that in simplicity c. When Gods people walke in Gods waies he causeth his Spirit to witnesse with their spirits and their spirits to witnesse to them that themselves and their waies please God by which their spirits are refreshed and comforted against all the taunts and opprobries of sinners and scoffers And this is a sufficient recompence to all our labours and for all our sufferings that God accepteth us If hee accept us what need wee care though the world deride and scorne and hate us O let those that have seene God thus vouchsafing to respect them comfort themselves in that yea I shall not need to give them such advice this apprehension of Gods gratious accepting us is a thing so sweete and delightfull that the people of God which have enjoyed it will preferre it before the approbation of all men For whom he thus respecteth them will hee likewise approve in the face of all the world and therefore beare testimonie to their workes even at the last day yea the light to which he that doth well delighteth to come that will make it knowne that his workes be wrought of God Iohn 3.11 If Gods Spirit within if Gods Word without doe testifie of your deeds that they bee wrought in God how easie a thing is it to sleight and despise the false and foolish censures of the world But now come we to the evills that he suffered for Gods people must suffer evill for well-doing his Brother hated him laied a traine for him slew him Abel was the first Martyr the first man that died for goodnesse hee was Gods first Witnesse as Steven was Christs Those that will live godly in Christ must suffer persecution and of whom even of the dearest friends they have in the flesh and how farre even to the lying in waite for their lives and taking the same away The Lord would have the first bloud that was spilt spilt in his quarrell in his holy quarrell in standing for righteousnesse sake that we which follow after might learne to stick close to this cause and not to feare to lay downe our lives for it S. Iohn tells us no wonder if the world hate us The world is the number of unsanctified men in the world these will hate such as Abel the righteous yea if Father be unrighteous and Sonne righteous Brother righteous and Brother unrighteous Husband righteous and Wife unrighteous the Father Brother Wife will hate and maligne the childe the Brother and the Husband God hath put enmity betwixt the seed of the Woman and of the Serpent good and bad are of two contrary natures what the one loveth the other hateth and contrarily this contrariety in disposition will breed contrariety in affection Hee that is Caine a formall Hypocrite and satisfieth himselfe with a bare outside service will hate him that worshippeth in spirit and in truth They that are after the flesh will persecute them that are after the spirit and all that will live godly must suffer for it Prepare your selves to meete with the same measure that Abel met withall you had need of patience saith our Saviour Be not discouraged at the hatred and ill usage of wicked men but have respect to the recompence of reward looke to the end of your faith set
did shew his goodnesse to Noah and gave him dominion over all creatures and power to eate flesh which before God had given them no warrant to doe and therefore I suppose the godly did not usually unlesse in sacrifice if then And herein the Lord was gratious to Noah that for his sake he made a covenant And he was a figure of Christ in whom the Lord did make a covenant with all mankind then the second time not to destroy them with eternall destruction if they would trust in his mercy and repent of their sinnes For this temporall covenant was a shadow of that eternall into which all mankind was againe admitted through Christ that was to come But they did soone cast of this covenant in running to other gods which may seeme to be the onely sinne that then did cast the committers quite out of the covenant other sinnes did keepe them from injoying the good things of the covenant but this did cast them out of it altogether so that having runne into that they were no longer in the covenant Now see Gods grace more fully to us that hath renewed this covenant which is in Christ more evidently and take we heede of casting our selves out of it againe by following strange Mediators and Jesusses as I thinke the Papists doe Whosoever doth seeke to any other merits but only those of Christ thrusts himselfe out of the covenant of grace and Christ is become of none effect unto him Lastly Noah had two Godly sonnes and this is a singular favour to give a man a Sem and Iaphet if he have a Cam and that all his sonnes be not discoverers of their Fathers shame Lastly after 950. yeares Noah died and so must we all after not so long a life O therefore prepare wee for the comming of death that it may not take us away in the midst of our impenitency * ⎠* THE SEVENTH EXAMPLE OF HAM NIMROD Babilonians I Have offered to your consideration the Examples of the Old World I proceede to speake of the World that now is as S. Peter calles it 1. from the floud to Abraham and then from Abraham to the death of Ioseph for there the Booke of Moses called Genesis is concluded Now here first I will set before you the bad examples of bad men then the good examples of good Of the bad we have Cam Nimrod particulars and the builders of Babel in an heape as it were and of the good wee have Sem and Iaphet and the godly posterity of Sem whose geneologie is noted to shew the age of the world till Abram First J will begin with Ham and note his parentage and life for of his death in particular Moses hath made no mention For his parentage he was the son of Noah borne to him before the floud after his 500. yeare for to that age lived he before he became a Father and after that in the whole time of his life hee had no more children God of purpose it may seeme giving him but few children because his minde was to begin the present world with a few as he did the first with one man that so his blessing in the large increase of mankinde afterwards might be more evidently discovered But the youngest sonne was this Ham. Now for his life I marke three things in it First the great benefits God bestowed upon him Secondly the great sinnes he committed Thirdly the great punishments which God inflicted upon him for his sinnes First God vouchsafed to save him in the Arke from the Deluge of waters so that he perished not with the world but escaped with his Father and Brethren It was a speciall and singular favour to make him one of the few that is eight persons that were delivered from the raging waves and enjoyed the benefit of a miraculous preservation of that little handfull of men whereof the Church visible did then consist Wee see that one was an Hypocrite a dissembler a wicked unsanctified man who though he continued a professour of the true religion and worshipper of the true God with his Father and Brethren yet was destitute of true piety and continued gracelesse a servant of sinne voide of due reverence and charity towards his aged Father Gods Minister and the most holy man of all those times and served God with them alone in outward forme and fashion For had he beene truly good he would not have run into so foule a sin at least he would not have persisted in it without repentance as he did See then that the Lord shewes a great deale of patience long-suffering and goodnesse to hypocrites in the Church and maketh them partakers of all outward benefits and priviledges which are bestowed upon the Church so did Ishmael live in Abrahams family a long time and Esau longer in Isaacs So Core Dathan Abiram and the rest of those rebels and murmurers were brought out of Egypt passed thorough the sea saw the miracles and did eate Manna and drunk water out of the rock and were shadowed with the cloud and conducted by the pillar of fire among the rest of the sons of Iacob And I pray you to take heed by this warning of priding and pleasing your selves in this that you be members of the Church escape divers punishments enjoy many mercies live in good esteeme among the godly and carrie away as great credit as any other men in the Church All this befell Cham a wicked Hypocrite and at last a damned Reprobate It is a dangerous thing to flatter our selves in a bad estate and to couzen our selves with false arguments making our selves to trust upon a false conclusion and to judge our selves Gods children and in the state of salvation upon such reasons as have no verity nor stability in them You live in the true Church so did Cham you live amongst godly men have beene borne of godly parents have beene instructed in the doctrine of godlinesse so was Cham you have escaped great punishments enjoyed great benefits and beene well reputed of by godly men all this befell Cham and all this notwithstanding Cham was cursed and damned and so may you In after times the Jewes bragged of the Temple of the Lord and the Temple of the Lord are we and yet the Lord rejected them and cast them out of his sight In Christs daies the Jewes bragged that Abraham was their Father for Iohn Baptists warning would not serve the turne to make them forbeare such idle boasting of their Pedigree but our Saviour telleth them that the Divell was their Father yea Iudas himselfe was one of Christs Familie and Disciples and Apostles and trusted with the bag and yet a Divell O therefore beguile not your selves with ill grounded hopes and build not upon a rotten foundation If you say unto mee why then you leave us in uncertainty and affoord us no sure pillar upon which to ground our hopes I answer not so but I will turne you to
agreement is not so cordiall and hearty as it ought to be But the next Crosse in Lot was worse for in the spoile of Sodome he was spoiled and taken captive by those that tooke the Sodomites captive This comming to Abrahams eares pierced him indeed that his loving Cousin who had beene brought up in his house with him and had borne him company in all his peregrination from Vr till almost that time should fall into the hands of so cruell enemies should have his cattell and goods seized upon and himselfe and wife and children made slaves and bondmen This affliction is usuall enough in the world Much misery and distresse befalls them to whom wee wish well and we suffer in their sufferings whom naturall affection doth so indeere us unto as that wee cannot but have a fellow-feeling with them in their distresses as the members of the body suffer by consent But a second evill that I had almost forgotten pinched Abraham in Lot for Lot lost all in Sodome and went and dwelt in the Mount and there lay with his two daughters and begat of each of them a sonne This was no doubt noised abroad it came to Abrahams eares and filled his heart with a great deale of griefe that such a man as he had taken Lot to be and found him to be after God had afflicted and chastened him and also shewed him mercy and delivered him should runne into so monstrous and unnaturall sinnes as to commit incest not with one of his daughters which had beene farre too much but even with both of them one after the other This I say pierced Abrahams soule to thinke of he could not but be sensible of all the bitter reproachfull taunts that the true religion of God would suffer for this crime of Lot The sinnes and crimes of those that are deare to us and the reproach that followes thence both upon themselves and sometimes upon the truth of God which they professe must needs breede much heavinesse unto good men and sometimes the providence of God so disposeth of things that the people of God shall be humbled so as Paul saith God would humble him he feared when he should finde many impenitent sinners in Corinth and it had brought anguish to his heart that the incestuous man had not alone so shamefully offended but also beene tolerated by the Church as no doubt also the heare-say of Rubens incest was a great vexation of heart to Iacob when the report of it was brought unto him Now see what Abraham suffered in his owne house in respect of his wives and children First his wife Sarah a good woman and deare to him was twice taken away from him once by the King of Egypt and after by the King of Gerar and he could not but be grieved at it so much the more because it came to passe by his owne default and sinne and because shee was so taken away as that it was likely every day that shee should have beene married to another man or at least have beene made a minister to serve his lust What an anguish was this thinke you How did this gaule his heart when he abode alone in his Tent and Sarah was not in hers when he lay alone at home and Sarah bare him not company yea when shee was perhaps in the bosome of another man to whom he had betrayed her by his cowardly feares and dissembling it scarce befalleth any of us to meete with such a crosse in his wife But secondly Sarah his wife was barren shee had no children fruitfullnesse and shee were parted as the Holy Ghost noteth This affliction hath befallen many good women and it was so much the more bitter to Abraham because he did not intend to take any other woman but that at last Sarah when her selfe was now by meanes of age past all hope did earnestly perswade him unto it To be childlesse is a crosse wherewith some are exercised but to Abraham it was a worse crosse then ordinary because the want of a childe was to him the want of salvation too for himselfe and all Nations were to be blessed in his seede So that if hee had had no sonne hee could have had no Heaven and nothing stood as a stronger objection against his being saved then his being childlesse Barrennesse with this aggravation comes not to any of us and if God had not eased this burden to Abraham by often renewing the promise of a child unto him doubtlesse it would have afflicted him sore But another crosse in Sarah upon occasion of Hagar there fell out a great jarre betwixt him and Sarah and shee that ever before had shewed her selfe a dutifull and respective wife now brake forth into much tartnesse and passion with him eagerly and wrongfully charging him to maintaine Hagar against her and to be the cause of her stubborne and contemptuous carriage This sounded harshly in Abrahams eares and this language was tedious to be so rated by Sarah it made him thinke the case strangely altered Indeed he by his wisdome calmed the tempest very soone it continued not long but it was a soure thing for the time many a man hath the same trouble for matter but more frequent and more lasting A wives passions are an husbands sufferings her anger and discontent and brawles with maides and men and children sometimes fall upon him and shee is ready causelesly to quarrell with him when she is displeased with them this crosse is so much the more tedious by how much a man doth more affect and love his wife and sometimes too it is aggravated by this that hee hath some way beene an occasion of it though unwittingly But lastly Abraham buried Sarah she died before him and he was faine to part with her unto the dust This calamity falleth upon many men to bury their wives but to many it is not a calamity they know how very quickly to make this affliction nothing by a speedy bringing in of another but to Abraham who loved Sarah and had long lived with her it must needes be matter of sorrow and so the Scripture witnesseth saying Hee rose up from before his dead whether hee had gone before to mourne and weepe for her These things he suffered in his wife Sarah Now in his Concubine Hagar first her ill carriage to Sarah was surely a griefe to Abraham when two such persons fall at oddes hee that is a common friend to both suffers in both The custome of Poligamie is weeded out of the Christian world so that men now are happier then to be vexed with the mutuall brawling of two Antagonists as I may call them but now the contentions of neere friends do fall out somewhat bitter sometimes to them that love both so well that they know not where to take part Secondly When shee was now great by him she ran away from him and Sarah and carried the fruite of his body away with her This no doubt
too If when we reade of this worke of his grace to others we praise him for it he will graunt it to us as well as to them The Lord is able to make any other man or woeman godly as well as Sarah Shee had as bad a nature and as unable to make her selfe good as wee have for she also was a daughter of Adam Therefore if you find your selves yet not to be indued with faith and holinesse take notice of these wants and goe to the throne of grace for grace beseeching the Lord to fulfill his covenant to you in giving you his Spirit to make you his children and it shall be unto you according to your constant and humble supplications And those whom God hath beene pleased to deale so graciously with let them heartily and constantly praise him labouring to make all crosses seeme nothing to them in comparison of this benefit Say though I bee poore despised afflicted yet God hath given mee some faith and some holinesse and begun to sanctifie and will preserve me in this estate to life eternall What cause have I to be discouraged at crosses to make one truely godly though they be not without their faults is the worthiest of all mercies In Heaven the Saints rejoyce in God and are not interrupted in his service by remembrance of former afflictions we one earth should labour so to be glad in hope of that eternall weight of glory that neither feeling of present miseries nor feare of future should much hinder us therein Secondly Sarah had a godly husband and did partake with him of his riches honours credit and all the good things which hee enjoyed This is a great favour to a wife if she be married to a good and holy man and a man also of convenient estate and good esteeme that she may be comforted by his goodnesse shewing it selfe in good carriage towards him and may taste the sweetnesse of his good and of his credit To have an yoake-fellow that can patiently beare with ones wants that is diligent and trusty and so provideth for his family that nothing is wanting to her selfe and family that lives in so good repute as she for his sake is better respected in a word such a one as is a comfort and credit to her a saviour of his body as indeed the husband should be is a singular benefit She hath a great blessing that hath such a husband and must not forget to be much and often thankfull yea though in some things he may be faulty to the hurting and hazarding and bringing crosses both upon himselfe and her as twice Abraham did though an excellent man Take notice of his favour and learne to be carefull in doing your duties so much the rather because your husbands be vertuous But next she had Isaac at length if God give a woman children and good children godly and holy partakers of the blessing of God in their soules that is a benefit to the wife as well as to the husband She shall have joy of such a child as well as hee both the parents of righteous children shall have joy of them Let woemen as well as men acknowledge this mercy wee see that those which are crossed in children are much troubled at it should not those whom God doth free from that little crosse giving them the contrary mercy learne to praise and rejoyce in him for it But further God did vouchsafe to deliver her twice out of that miserie into which twice she had cast her selfe by her owne fault If any one by their owne unbeleefe carnall feares or other evill behaviour have thrust themselves into the brambles and God by his speciall providence and care hath granted them an happy issue and escape they must even admire and applaud Gods goodnesse that hath so undeservedly pittied them and passing by their faults hath carried himselfe fatherly to them Sarah by saying I am Abrahams sister procured that she was taken by Pharaoh to be his wife God hindered Pharaoh from comming neere her and after by a dreame warned him of the matter and so hee dismissed Sarah untouched After she offended in like manner againe and againe the Lord in like manner delivered her what a graciousnesse of God was this She knew not in the world what to doe she had intangled her selfe in a snare and could not get out now God hee sets in hee breaketh the snare and sets her at liberty Without doubt Sarah and Abraham both were exceeding glad of this escape and praised God for it If by the meere providence of God without any fault of our hand miseries breake in upon us and then we crie to God and be rescued we have cause to acknowledge it as a great favour How much more then when he drawes us out of the evills into the which we have sinnefully thrust our owne selves sending some such meanes of helpe as we could never conceive of or procure to our selves Call to mind such deliverances to praise God with great fervency and humility for them and learne both to trust upon his goodnesse after the more stedfastly especially if more then once wee have thus insnared our selves and more then once the Lord hath pittied us and helped us we must never cease wondering at his goodnesse resolving also to take heed of ever provoking him by like folly for he that can open the doore of danger when we our selves by seeking sinnefully to escape some other evill have locked it upon our selves can surely yea and will keepe us if we doe cast our selves upon him and refuse to take up sinnefull and unlawfull shifts Could not the Lord have found a good and holy way of saving Abrahams life and Sarahs chastitie of restraining the cruelty of these men as well as their wantonnesse If God can helpe out of reall and present danger beyond our hopes he can surely keepe us out of feared and imaginary dangers aboue our thoughts And if any of Gods people have wound themselves into crosses they must not be dismayed from seeking to God for helpe by aggravating their crosses with this thought O foolish and sinnefull man I have pulled it upon my selfe by my folly how can I expect helpe from him but most humbly acknowledge their owne folly and yet take boldnes to sue to him for mercy both to pardon and to helpe them These be the speciall benefits given to Sarah Now her crosses must be considered First She was barren a long time this was a crosse to her no doubt because of her earnest desire to have childeren and because as I said of Abraham the hope of her salvation did hang upon the fruit of her wombe Barrennesse is such a crosse you see as hath befallen a godly woeman Let them therefore that are exercised with it learne to beare it with patience and labour to get hearts so much more fruitfull of good workes that such spirituall fruitfulnesse may make amends for the want of the
sanctified because they were imperfect in patience Why should we make such untrue and uncharitable and indiscreet conclusions either against our selves or others with whom we live As an extenuating of faults to make them seeme nothing and make our hearts hard under them is to be condemned so an over-aggravating of them to make our selves seem no children making our case worse then ever any mans before is likewise to be condemned Satan is author of both these follies and the effect of the latter is to drive us from God as well as of the former and all things are ill used when they tend to keepe us from comming to God and trusting in him So much of Rebekkahs good and bad now of the good and evill occurrents that befell her Her prosperity first was great for God called her from her Fathers house in which Idolatry did raigne and false worship prevailed to be a member of Abrahams house and a mother of the Messiah and a professor and practiser of Gods true religion and not alone so but gave her grace to be a godly woman an heire of the promise made to Abraham together with her husband This is the greatest of mercies here below to be called from darknesse to light from serving the devill and Idols to serve the true and living God If God have granted to any this mercy even to call them effectually to himselfe out of the darknesse of a false worship and religion to the light of a godly life How much cause hath he to blesse God and to rejoyce in this mercy above all mercies and bee freequently and heartily thankfull But if you have not yet attained it for many live in the Church that be not of it take notice of your wretched condition and now cry earnestly to God to bring you to the effectuall and saving knowledge of his truth that you also may be indeed and â—ot in bare profession of the houshold of Abraham the true Church But Rebekkah had other benefits beauty health and strength for ought we reade after marriage as before A rich and godly husband in whom she was doubly happy for her soule and state and one godly childe too whom she dearely loved and who shewed himselfe a man worthy to be loved A good husband a good state a good childe good health bee they not benefits indebting us to God in many praises and thankes and much carefull obedience Let not these mercies be strangers to your thoughts but ponder upon them to stir up your selves to thanksgiving and obedience Now for her crosses some shee suffered in her dayes as well as others First her husband fell blinde and weake and almost bedridden No doubt but she did participate with him in this affliction and it was a griefe to her to see him so imprisoned in darknesse and some trouble it must needs be though her love made it easie to give attendance upon him in that estate Likewise she could not but grieve to see her husbands affections to be so much more than they should have been for a long time upon her elder but worser son It was also a great griefe unto her to see the rudenesse and bloodinesse of her son Esau who comforted himselfe against his brother with an intention so soon as his Fathers funerals were over to dispatch him and rob him of the blessing though he could not get it to himselfe Would it not cut the heart of one of you Parents to heare that one of your sons you having but a couple in all the world should resolve to become a murderer of the other and so you stood in danger of being deprived of them both at once would not both these things grieve you Againe it was a griefe to her to have her good son as it were banished from her house and compelled to fly away in secret for his life For had he not been compelled to steale into Padan Aram in respect of Esau as to steale thence again in respect of Laban his Fathers estate was not so low that he must needs have travailed over that Iordan with a staffe and come to Labans house all alone and there have served an hard service for a wife Sure Isaac was not a prodigall he had not consumed his estate so that Abrahams grandchilde must be sent out so poorely appointed whose steward when he fetched a wife for Isaac had ten Camels well laden with rich things and many servants to attend him and so with speed returned home with his errand But feare of Esau caused him to goe speedily and secretly that no man might know it lest so he might have fallen into mischiefe by his meanes and to tarry so long till he might heare his brother was pacified Now did not this think you wound Rebekkahs heart Did she not part with a great part of her comfort when she parted with her beloved son Iacob so far so long and in such a manner But worst of all so long as she lived with her daughters shee was miserably vexed with their frowardnesse and ill conditions Indeed at length Esau tooke his journey to mount Seir where her friends dwelled and made this crosse more easie by removing his habitation with his wives and all he had but in the mean it was an anguish to her and that viz. losse of Esau too when Iacob was gone could not but minister matter of some affliction to her in minde Now let all of us be perswaded to looke for these and the like crosses that by fortifying our selves against them we may be made more patient and so beare them with lesse discontent for what are we that God should handle us with more indulgence than this so good a woman And those that lie under any such crosse in husband sons daughters daughters in law let them frame themselves to a more contented suffering because they finde that they bee no other kind of evils than those wherewith their Father hath exercised their betters in former times as he doth also for the present Hee must be an unruly childe that will roare and take on when he beareth no more than his other brethren and sisters beare before him yea and if we have escaped these particular crosses let us be thankfull to God for our freedome even from them and make the bearing of the rest more easie because we have not as we have deserved and might have had the same we have and these also for an overplus of misery THE SEVENTENTH EXAMPLE OF ESAV WEE are now to handle the example of Esau Hee was a twin Iacob being the other twin We must treate of his birth life and death First for his birth we are informed that hee was the son of Isaac and of Rebekkah the wife of Isaac daughter of Bethuel by his wife Milcah Which Bethuel was son of Nachor the brother of Abraham He was borne in the yeare of the world 2108 as some thinke and as others
blessing was this that he made him a godly man giving him true faith so that he did unfainedly beleeve in God and was a right godly and religious man For it is noted of him that he beleeved in God and was an heire with Abraham of the same promises both concerning the land of Canaan as a Type and heaven it selfe the thing figured by the land of Canaan So Iacob was a true servant of God and member of Christ and inheritour of heaven and from him the Church is many times called by the name of Iacob and Israel And this is the greatest good that can be found in this life in comparison of which all other benefits are of no value and without which other things are not sufficient to make a man happy though he should possesse them in never so great abundance for what will it advantage a man to win the whole world and lose his owne soule Now therefore we must learne most earnestly to seeke this benefit which God is ready to give to us as well as to him For Iacob was not godly by nature nor by any power of his owne but by the free grace of God and the mighty and saving worke of his owne blessed Spirit which Spirit he hath promised to all that aske even as undoubtedly as any tender hearted Father will give food unto his hungry childe that shall crave it at his hands Let no man be discouraged because of the corruption and naughtinesse of his nature for the same bad and depraved nature was found in Iacob that in himselfe seeing Iacob also was a son of Adam by corrupt nature a childe of wrath and heire of death as well as any other but God did circumcise his heart as well as his flesh and made him partaker of the divine nature by which he prevailed against the corruptions that are in the world through lust Wherefore let each of us take notice of his owne wickednesse and inability to make himselfe good and of his manifold sins and inability to procure pardon of them to himselfe and let him earnestly call upon God to worke true repentance and unfained faith in him and the Lord will graciously worke these things in him as well as in Iacob and will pardon his sins and sanctifie his soule and make him an inheritour of his heavenly Kingdome I beseech you therefore bury not your selves in the world and in the study of earthly things but Seeke first the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and labour to come into the state of grace by meditating on the Gospell seeing your misery in your selves and endeavouring to turne unto the Lord. For in the Church no man is left destitute of grace but through his own default in neglecting the great salvation that is there offered unto him Againe those to whom the Lord hath pleased to shew the same goodnesse working in them true faith inabling them to beleeve in his mercy through Christ and to walke in his wayes with truth and uprightnesse of heart must learne to shew themselves exceeding thankfull to God for this mercy and strive to take comfort in it and to walke worthy of it Blesse God with constant and daily blessings that hath blessed thee with spirituall blessings in Christ and rejoyce in the riches of that inheritance to which thou are interessed and shalt possesse whatsoever wants afflictions crosses thou maist bee exercised withall yet be glad in the Lord and count thy selfe an happy man because the Lord hath granted thee that which may abundantly satisfie thy soule in the want of all outward things and support thee in all afflictions and miseries and countervaile and more then overweigh all manner of calamities Let not the rich man rejoyce in his riches nor the wise man in his wisdome nor the strong man in his strength nor any man in any terrene thing he hath but Let him that rejoyceth rejoyce in this that he knoweth me saith the Lord. It is our duty to raise up our hearts so that no earthly adversity may coole or damp our prayers and dismay our hearts and fill us with anguish and grief and that no outward benefits may glut and satt our hearts and turne us away from taking comfort in this true and everlasting mercy God hath made us his owne given us faith sanctified us by his Spirit united us to his Son and caused us to see beleeve and embrace his promises What though we want wealth honour pleasure and these sensuall benefits He hath given us Wheate What though he feed us not with huskes He hath given us Gold What though he lade us not with dirt Hee hath given us himselfe and his Son What though he give us not the vanities of this life It is a sin for a godly man to be out of heart and comfortlesse because of any other want and any other crosse If God have granted you this chiefe benefit glory in it and thinke that you have gotten a good portion though your estate in the world be never so low and poore only be sure that your faith bee true by causing you to abound in those fruits of it which we shewed you before that it brought forth in Iacob Now I come to some lesse principall mercies flowing from this First he gave him the priviledge of the first-borne that Christ should come of him and that the visible Church should continue in his posterity That part of the dignity of the primogeniture to have Christ the blessed seed come of him cannot be bestowed upon any of us neither that to have a great Nation flow from our loines that shall be also the Church of God and a Nation in which true religion and piety shall be continued But to have our children godly and become members of the Church that we must earnestly desire and seeke for and that we may hope for and attaine if we pray earnestly for it and make our children as good as we can by bringing them up in the true knowledge and worshipping of God Further Iacob had the blessing given him First by his Fathers mistake when he tooke him for his eldest son Esau to whom he intended the blessing then after by his Fathers witting and deliberate pronouncing it upon him by the direction of Gods Spirit The former you may see pronounced upon him in Genesis where he saith God give thee of the dew of heaven and after God Almighty blesse thee and give thee the blessing of Abraham This blessing is the bestowing upon him all temporall benefits so far as they are subordinate to his spirituall and then spirituall benefits viz. all sorts of graces by which he may be happily guided to the possession of life eternall This is an excellent mercy to be freed from the curse of the Law and to be made partaker of the blessing of Abraham even that God shall love one take care of him and prosper him in all things hee takes in hand and conduct him
more sin to hide and conceale that which they have already committed as it did Iacob and David and others because feare of shame or danger disturbeth the minde and turneth away the thoughts from considering the mischief of sinning Therefore let us all take heed of entring into the path of evill for if we be once in no man can tell what lying dissembling and other evils the devill will draw us into by meanes of that sin He intangles himselfe as a sheepe in the bryers that run into any grosse or shamefull sin and he can hardly come off with one wound alone And if you have thus covered sin with sin bewaile it as a great fault but yet take heart to repent and turne to God for favour for it is no new thing with God to forgive such trespasses only doe not embolden your selves of purpose to sin because you know how to conceale it and hope to keepe it close for then shall the same become a presumptuous sin and so much more hardly pardoned I have shewed you Rachels faults Her good deeds be but few yet some First she was one of her Fathers sheep-keepers and did not disdaine to drive them to the water at least when the Shepheards were otherwise imployed So it is a commendable thing in a young maide to be ready to take paines and doe service in domesticall businesses such as accord to her Fathers state But an idle coy finish maide is so much the more disdained of wise persons by how much she doth more disdaine labour in any profitable businesse for which God did make men Further Rachel at last saw God in her barrennesse and fell to prayer for it is said God hearkened to her and opened her wombe This gives us some hope that she was humbled and sought God which is good in our wants of any good thing by it to be drawne to God in fervent prayers Then be they graciously supplyed when our need of them makes us supplicate to his bounty Rachel got nothing by chafing envying or giving her maide to her husband all that time the womb is not opened but when she remembred God God remembred her and when she prayed he hearkened and gave her a son Let us in all our necessities make all the hast we can to this remedy comfort and deliverance will never come halfe so happily by other meanes without this They be our prayers that must sanctifie other meanes and procure Gods co-operation with them for our good successe Iacob was Rachels husband before but prayer had not made her fruitfull till now God is the ruler of all things learne to call upon him and trust in him He can remove any crosse as well as barrennesse Againe it was a good thing in her to desire children and when she had one to see God and blesse him and say God hath taken away my reproach When we have gotten things by prayer we must also see God in them and give him thankes yea she saith God will give me yet another son the thankfull receiving of one benefit may assure us of another God will adde to mercies if we take notice of his goodnesse after we have called upon him in hearing our request Every benefit gotten by prayer may and should be called a Ioseph Another good thing was that her envy to her sister did not so prevaile with her but that she would aske her for her sons Mandrakes Though the humour of envy was sharpe in her yet it may seeme to have waxed a little milder after a while and she could both request a kindnesse from her and returne a kindnesse to her Let us looke that envy doe not continue in its height so as sometimes it doth to make us grow bitter enemies And she did well in granting to Iacobs motion to returne into Canaan for a wife is to forsake Father and Mother and cleave to her husband Shee shall doe farre amisse that prefers not her husband before her Parents and goes not with him rather than tarries with them So you have what is good and bad in her now looke upon her crosses we can finde but few and one which at last too was removed she was barren This barrennesse God sent of purpose to keepe her downe because she should not too much sleight her sister but she made this a great crosse though it be no great one in it selfe you see that barrennesse is a crosse and to some people a great crosse because of their earnest desire of issue on some or other consideration But it is needfull that God tame and humble us with some or other crosses and either make them great or make use of our folly to our further humbling by giving us over to our selves to make them great that else would not be so Wee must pray God to sanctifie crosses and then we shall never repent of them when they be past many a man hath repented for other things but sanctified crosses were never yet bewailed afterwards Perhaps one may esteeme it a crosse that she was faine to leave her Fathers house but indeed that was a benefit for by that meanes she was quite we hope freed from the Idolatry of her Fathers house from which so long as she lived there she was not quite purged But her crosses that she felt with her husband in respect of her childrens ill carriage were heavy for a good woman cannot bee sencelesse of her husbands sorrows only death shut up her eyes from beholding that crosse which in likelihood would have killed her quite seeing it went so neare to Iacob she was dead afore Ioseph was taken away from them But her benefits were common benefits of health strength maintenance and the like and she had beauty and her husbands love and after her prayers were heard and a son given her and it pleased God to hide her fault which she committed in stealing her Fathers Idols which if it had come to light would have much provoked her Fathers anger and her husbands We must observe even such mercies to be thankfull to God that hath not dealt with us after our sins And wee hope that shee was a godly woman too because shee prayed to God and it is said God remembred her and heard her but her death was an heavy death she dyed in childbed or in travell and tooke it heavily calling her son The son of her sorrows whom after Iacob called The son of his right hand Women with childe should even prepare for death they passe through the danger of it And me thinkes notwithstanding whatsoever hath been to the contrary delivering out of childbed-perils is a mercy that may well be acknowledged with a publique and solemne giving of thankes and a feast The equity of Iewish ceremonies remaining though the ceremonies be abolished and though there be no legall uncleannesse yet there is a reall danger escaped and a reall benefit attained and that should me thinks crave an
might not perish by famine and he forgetting all their cruelty and injustice tooke care of them and their children comforting and succouring and countenancing them even after their Father was dead so that they lived most comfortably during his life This is a most remarkeable favour that God provides long before for the helping of his people out of distresse and that by such waies as they could never guesse of advancing such persons as they did least conceive should be helpfull to them and inclining their hearts to doe them good of whom they could least expect kindnesse But see the folly of man that is often bitter against those things by which God intends their great welfare as Iosephs Brethren against his preferment without which they had perished Now for their crosses we reade of few they were in danger from Esau when they were children yet not so young but that they had some sence of it but that was soone over and they were never the better for it They were in danger at Shechem but that they considered not of and God saved them afore they were aware But the famine pinched them and their family and their rough handling in Egypt crushed them so that they were tamed with it and throughly brought to repentance It is a great goodnesse of our heavenly Father to heale the soules of his people by fatherly chastizements and by blowes to leade them to repentance We must be thankefull to God for our escaping of famine rough usage and other like crosses but specially wee must beseech him that what crosses hee sees fit to inflict may bee sanctified unto us to bring us to repentance to revive in us the remembrance of sinnes past and humble our hearts for them farre better is it to have medicinable crosses then to live at ease without crosses * ⎠* THE TWENTY THIRD EXAMPLE OF REVBEN SIMEON LEVI IVDAH SOmewhat must be spoken of Iacobs sonnes in severall so many of them as the Scripture sets forth unto us in respect of any speciall thing done by them These are Reuben Simeon Levi Iudah Ioseph First for Reuben wee note his bad deeds his good deeds his crosses and benefits First for his bad deeds Besides what was common with the rest He committed incest with his Fathers Concubine Bilhah the maide-servant of Rachel whom Iacob had taken to himselfe at the instance of his wife her Reuben defiled Incest is a great sinne it defileth the Fathers bed it is a wrong to himselfe and the party with whom hee offendeth as any sinne in that kinde and it is much against nature shewing a most violent and brutish rage of lust treading downe all considerations even of the lawes and rules of nature it selfe in discovering the Fathers nakednesse and wronging so deare a person in so high a degree and in a thing so neere unto him Paul speaketh of it as of a thing not so much as named among the Heathen and was greatly grieved that it was committed and not duely punished among the Corinths Absalom committed it with an high hand and extreame wilfullnesse and presumption even upon ten of his Fathers Concubines one after another and that openly and of purpose to vexe his Father and make the jarre betwixt them irreconcileable the law plainely forbad it Now how comes it to passe that men run into such grosse sins Answer First God pleaseth to leave men unto themselves and permit their breaking forth into such horrible crimes to make the wickednesse of mans heart knowne to humble the offendours and make way for the demonstration of his mercy or else to shew his justice in punishing one sinne with another and in punishing all at last with much severity and to warne others by the example of the offenders and therefore this Gods permission is not to be blamed or murmured at for he is ready to forgive such enormous evills to the penitent as he did also pardon Reuben Againe the Divell out of the filthinesse of his owne nature and his most outragious wickednesse and deadly hatred of God and man is ready to thrust men out even into such abhominations because the greater the offence the more it dishonours God and hurts the soule name and all of the offenders which he delighteth in and he hopes by one bad example to draw others to the like evill and so to doe more mischiefe to mankinde And for man his corruptions are very strong and there is little or no feare of God before his eyes wherefore by degrees he will waxe extreamely wicked and runne into crimes against the very light of nature for when any thing begins to corrupt it doth grow worse and worse till it come to extremity because it is a kinde of easie motion to goe from bad to worse and especially it is so in this corruption of the soule because every sinne addes blindnesse and hardnesse to the minde and heart and so causeth the sinnes to seeme farre lesse vile and mischievous then they be besides all sinnes doe flatter with a kinde of carnall and sensuall content and so carry away the fancie and passions and by them also the will to give consent and to act the wickedest things Wee must learne first to see our vile nature and to feare and looke to our selves striving against lesse sinnes that we may not be delivered over to greater through Gods justice and the strength of our lusts yea to repent of lesser sinnes and strive to get them pardoned and healed and to cry earnestly to God that he would keepe us seeing alas wee be sorry and simple keepers of our selves thus we may escape grosser evills we must not therfore bragge and censure and presume but know our owne nature pittie others and heedfully watch over our selves Againe we are to be greatly thankfull to God for keeping us from such notorious vices for such is his goodnesse that he restraines the greater number from such crimes because he will not have humane societies too much disordered and polluted to hasten his vengeance on the world this restraint is a favour deserving thankes O how often hath God in the time of our unregeneracie held us off from most foule evills that wee would have committed Let us magnifie God therefore and not lift up our selves for such preservation And if any have committed such vile sinnes let them be much humbled and make hast to repent knowing the goodnesse of God who if we cast downe our selves is ready to pardon such sinnes and sinners Be not hardened grow not impudent in sinning neither seeke to extenuate great sinnes but labour to be greatly ashamed of them sorrowfull for them and earnestly sue for grace to heale your natures and willingly confesse them before God if they breake out so as to proove scandalous before men also Now see Reubens particular good deeds First he turned his Brethren from their purpose of killing Ioseph not by earnest opposition which would rather have
twinnes 2. Caines bad carriage 1. In generall He was a wicked man Caines faults in particular 1. He was an Hypocrite What an Hypocrite is 2. Was vexed at his punishment The governement of the World domesticall Envie a great evill Gal. 5 26. 3. Did not mend his fault though he was gently admonished by God himselfe 4. Murthered his Brother But with what weapon is uncertaine 5. Did not repent of his murder 6. He muttered and despaired 7. Persists impenitently in his sinnes 3. His prosperity and adversity 1. His benefits had posterity and lived a long life and was preserved from the violence of all men 2. God vouchsafed him meanes to keepe him from sin and to draw him out of sinne 2. His crosses 1. God aggravates his fault and sentenceth him for it 2. Curseth the earth to him 3. He was full of terrour Caines death not mentioned The use of all The signes of an Hypocrite Abel what it signifieth His Birth His vertues 1. Was painefull in his calling It is good to have a calling and be faithfull in it 2. Was religious 3. He offered in faith 4. Was righteous A twofold righteousnesse of the Law and Gospell Gal. 2.16 Rom. 3 10. Job 9 31. Gal. 2.21 Gal. 3.22 Gal. 3.21 Psal 143.2 A double righteousnesse in the Gospell 1. Imputed Rom. 4.3 2. Inherent Rom. 6.11 Verse 13. Verse 19. Via ad regnum non causa regnandi Bernard Gal. 3.21 Rom. 3.23 Phil. 3.9 Gal. 5.4 Three signes of a righteous man Psal 119.48 Psal 119 5 6. Psal 51.4 Prov. 28.13 Zach. 1 3. 1 Joh. 1.8 9. 1 Iohn 2.1 Numb 23.10 No sinnes of Abel mentioned in Scripture and why 3. His prosperity 1. God had respect unto his gifts 2. Gave witnes and testimony of his gifts Pro. 15.8 Psal 11.7 Psal 19.14 2 Cor. 1.12 4. His adversity was hated and killed by his Brother 2 Tim. 3.12 Gal. 4.29 His death 1 Cor. 15.19 Col. 3.3 4. Abels death was violent and sodaine Caines posterity Irad what it signifieth Naamah why so called the first woman named after Eve and why Lamechs faults His Polygamy the first beginner of it Luke 16.18 2. His revengefullnesse What it is to revenge His benefits he had children 2. His crosses hee led an unquiet life by reason of his wives The uses of all Revenge is a great sin Mat. 18.22 Lamechs three sonnes inventers of Arts. Jer. 35. The uses of all Gen. 5.3 Seth little said of him Gen. 4.25 Gen. 4.26 Henoch Heb. 11.5 Psal 119.166 Why the Patriarkes lived so long 2 Pet. 2.5 The sinnes of the old world 1. In generall Gen. 6.5 Verse 11. They all were given over to sinning except some in Noahs house Why sinne was so great then 2. In particular Mat. 24.37 38. 1 Pet. 3.20 Mat. 24.38 Gods mercy to them 2 Pet. 2.5 1 Pet. 3.20 Their punishment The Deluge The uses of all Violence what it is A great sin Prov. 28.3 4 Disobedient 1 Pet. 3.20 The floud came upon them and they knew nothing * 120. 2 Pet. 2.5 Gen. 9.11 2 Pet. 3.6 7. Jude verse 14. 2 Pet. 3.10 Noah what it signifieth His Birth His life In which 1. His vertues 1. In generall Was a perfect man and walked with God Gen. 5 22. Heb. 11.4 Who is a just or righteous man Rom 4. 2. His vertues in particular 1. Was a Preacher of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.5 Isa 49 4. 2. Had faith Heb. 11.7 What faith is Heb. 11.7 Gal. 3.10 3. He was moved with feare Heb. 11.7 A double feare 2 Cor. 5.11 Rom. 8.13 1 Cor. 6.9 Col. 3.6 Prov. 8.13 Psal 34.9 4. He built an Arke as God bad him Noahs goodnesse in the floud 1 Pet. 3.6 Noahs goodnesse after the floud Noahs sinnes 1. Hee was drunke Noahs crosses 1 No man regarded his preaching 2 Hee lived to see all mankind destroyed 3 Hee had a wicked son 4. Lived to see his ofspring naught Josh 24 2. His benefits 1 He found favour with God 2. Hee was directed by God to a way of saving himselfe from the floud with his family Psal 46.2 3. 3 The Lord accepted his sacrifice 4. He had two godly sonnes Noahs death Ham. His birth His life In which 1. His benefits he was saved in the Arke from the Deluge 3. Epist of Iohn 11. ◠His sinnes 1. He was a Hypocrite 2. He saw the nakednesse of his Father Gen. 9 22. 1 Cor. 13.6 He acquainted his Brethren with his Fathers nakednesse Whispering is a great sin 3. His punishments 1. God cursed him in his son Canaan Gen. 10. Nimrod What his name signifieth The first that strove to erect a Monarchie Was as a tyrant and ambitions The Babylonians Their faults Vaine-glory Carnall confidence Obstinacie Vaine-glory a sinne 2. Carnall confidence is a sin 3. Obstinacie is a sin Their punishment The punishment of strange languages is a heavie punishment Sem and Iaphet their vertues they covered their Fathers nakednes Gen. 9.23 Their benefits true religion was continued in their posterity The seede of Sem. Gen. 11.10 Abrahams Birth His Life His vertues toward God 1 His faith Heb. 11.8 James 2.23 What faith is Heb. 11.1 Three acts of faith 1. Faith of God which hath foure acts 2. Faith to God Gal. 3.8 3. Faith in God Rom. 4 3. Psal 32.2 2. He feared God Gen. 22.12 3. Was obedient Some speciall acts of Abrahams obedience 1. Left his Countrey at Gods Commandement 2. Lived in tents at Gods Commandement Heb. 11.9 3. Circumcised himselfe and all the males of his family 4. He expelled his wife Hagar and sonne Ishmael 5. Hee would have sacrificed his sonne Isaac at Gods commandement Heb. 11.18 The excellency of Abrahās obedience 4. He was religious 1. His vertuous carriage toward men 1. He was truely humble Phil. 1.7 2 Cor. 12.11 1 Sam. 24.14 Luk. 14.11 2. Trained up his Family in the knowledge and feare of God The Hebrew word is ambiguous Eph. 6.4 3. Was loving and gentle to his wife 1 Pet. 3.7 Posse nolle nobile 4. He loved his two sonnes very well 5. He provided a good wife for Isaac Another grace in Abraham toward God his Patience He mourned moderately for Sarah Abrahams good carriage toward his servants to Eliezer his principall servant Gen. 15.3 A good servant should be respected Deut. 15.12 13 Prov. 27.18 Abrahams carriage to his kinsmen He was peaceable 2. He rescued Lot and redeemed him out of his enemies hands He was loving to Lot He was couragious What courage is Meanes to get courage Abrahams carriage to the Sodomites Hee prayed for them 1 Tim. 2.1 2. He shewed humanity and kindnesse to the Sodomites he had taken His carriage to the King of Sodome hee would receive nothing from him Abrahams good carriage to the Cananites Planting of wood is a commendable thing Hee shewed lowly and respective carriage toward the Hittites Abrahams carriage to Hephron His carriage to Aner Eshcol and Mamre Abrahams carriage to Abimelech 1. Maketh a covenant
other and so persists impenitently For that is the last of all his sinnes he goes away quite from God and his Father ceaseth to continue a member of that family and of that Church gives over all outward shewes of religion turnes meere worldly and earthly and seekes to ease the smart of his conscience by building and busling in the world declaring a piece of vaine glory too by calling his City after the name of his first-borne as it were boasting of it that hee should have his sonne the Lord of a City of his owne name Henoch of Henoch A fearefull offence to persist still in impenitencie to cast of all shew of religion to excommunicate himselfe out of the Church and burie himselfe in vanity and worldlinesse so to stifle his owne conscience and deaden his owne heart more and more Now I have done with Caines carriage good and bad I come to the things that befell him good and bad First good you see God gave him a sonne and sonnes sonne and continued his life along time to give him space of repentance and set a mark upon him to save him from the violence of all men threatening to punish him seven-fold that is seven times as much as he had hurt Caine if any should kill him Seeing it pleased not God to tell us what this marke was with which hee noted this prime murtherer it is fondnesse in us to weary our selves with conjectures some think it was visible to all men but what I know not nor I am sure can any man else tell but it was the goodnesse of God to secure him of life who had deserved death for the Law of putting the murderer to death was not yet and God would not put Adam to so hard a taske as killing his owne sonne but would shew himselfe to be above Law in forbearing to doe that which he will not suffer a Magistrate to forbeare even putting to death of a wilfull murderer yea it was the great goodnesse of God to give him health and many children and childrens children and to grant him riches and prosperity in the world abundantly if it had beene possible to have drawne him to repentance yea it was a great benefit that God came gently to admonish him of his inward malice if it might have beene to have hindred the breaking of it out into murder and after it was done to come againe with this gentle second admonition if it had beene possible to have melted him and have drawne him to submissive humiliation So God vouchsafed him meanes to keepe him from sinne and to draw him out of sinne and time long enough to make use of those meanes and many benefits to allure him to make use of them thus good is God even to sinners and impenitent sinners to offer them meanes of repentance and acceptation upon their repentance and vouchsafe them store of good things for a long time notwithstanding their obstinatenesse in refusing to repent Now lastly let us consider Gods punishments viz. the evill things he met withall The first is sentencing him for his fault and laying open the greatnesse of it in saying What hast thou done thy Brothers blood cryeth to mee from the earth which hath drunk it in at thine hand Secondly hee curseth him from the earth that is in respect of the earth which shall not be halfe so fruitfull to him as before nor yeeld its increase as it had done for he doth not meane simply it shall yeeld no fruit but nothing so much nor so easily Lastly thou shalt be a fugitive a runnagate that is a man full of unquietnesse and terrours that canst have no rest nor peace in thine heart nor any content any where yea it signifieth a giving him over to cast off all goodnesse and leave him to himselfe to forsake his Fathers house and so a selling him over to profanenesse and utter impenitency Thus we have done with Caines life and for his death the Scripture vouchsafes not to mention it nor how long he lived but he lived a long time even to see the sonnes of Lamech who was the sixt generation from him and vaunted that if God would so avenge Caine he would be avenged more by which speech it is very probable that Caine was then alive So we have spoken all we have to speake of Caine. Now I will make some use of all First from that that was good in Caine I pray you learne at least to be as good as so bad a man was and therefore may sure be attained by naturall indeavours You see Caine did not give himselfe to runne idling about the world but submitted to his Fathers government so farre as to give himselfe to Husbandry O let no man turne himselfe into a cipher nay into an excrement that lives in the world to no purpose yea to bad purpose for hee shall not but doe naughtily that will doe nothing set your selves therefore to have and to follow some calling and employment Live not like those playfull creatures imperfect pictures of men but of such men the fitrest emblemes like apes and monkeys onely to skip up and downe and to make sport but live to bestow your selves in some profitable vocation for your owne and the common good If any say Caine was necessitated to it because there were no other to till the ground for them he being Adams first-borne I answer first I desire you should live somewhat better then Caine and doe good out of choice which perhaps he might doe out of necessity Secondly I answer that though you be not necessitated to any calling by want yet wisdome and a good conscience binde you for must you not submit to that of God In the sweate of thy browes shalt thou eate and to that of the Psalmist he shall eate the labour of his hands and to that of Paul which condemnes the inordinate walkers which wrought not at all and is it not wisdome to forbeare walking on a thorne hedge which Salomon saith the idle man doth and to prevent many occasions as the having no calling and being carelesse of it will surely bring I say againe then be as good as Caine have and follow some calling Againe looke that there be some at least outside of religion in you worship God and be not so much lovers of money as not to give him something even to be at cost for his worship in such kind as cost is now needfull as they were to performe a worship then required the cost notwithstanding Be not profane to neglect Gods Worship out of sleighting it be not niggards to put of God with as little as you can but give him of the fruits of your ground and now know that that is given to God which is given to the maintenance of his Ministers which performe his Worship and other instruments necessary to the performance of it as a fit place and the like O be as good as a
doth send them upon men in favour to prevent divers sinnes which else hee knowes they would have committed in that time if health had continued Let us not murmure against GOD because of such crosses but rather take notice of his goodnesse in the same especially in point of sicknesse if it linger upon us and thinke thus with our selves how many sinnes might I have runne into if this bodily feeblenesse had not kept mee within dores And when wee bee sicke or otherwise affected let us turne our thoughts round about us to finde out if any such thing be some sinne that wee should have runne into but for such prevention See if thine heart have not harboured some unconsidered fault and further the health of your bodies by turning sicknesse into purging physicke for your soules So have we finished the example of this King Somewhat about that time there lived foure Kings whose names are recorded in holy Writ but nothing at all for their praise Their names were 1. Amraphel King of Shinar that is as it is thought of Chaldea or Babilon where it may seeme that Nimrod erected a Monarchie and it may bee that this man was some successor of his or one of his Posterity and would needes inlarge his Monarchie so farre as the land of Canaan with whom was joyned Amoch King of Elkasar Chedarlomer King of Elam and one Tydall King of Nations What these Kings were or whether mentioned in Heathen Stories or not it matters not to enquire But here they are patternes of unjust violence in Warre They had the keener swords and therefore would make themselves Lords over other Kings and compell them by brunt of Warre to receive their yoke and acknowledge some Homage Nothing more usuall then for potent Kings to make at least unnecessary Warres for their growth in greatnesse many times they doe not so much as alleadge a shew of title but their owne ambition is the ground of their plea and sometimes they pretend most frivolous titles So doe they disquiet themselves and others and cause much innocent bloud to bee shed almost inforcing their Subjects to become wilfull murderers Wee must blesse God that hath caused us to live now a good time under peaceable Princes and must inforce our prayers to God begging the like mercy still The Conquering side is often more miserable by sinning then the conquered by slaughter or captivity But God doth use these great Cockes of the game as instruments of his Justice to punish the naughtinesse of those that abuse peace and become more wicked by so great a benefit Let us learne to take heede of wickednesse that the God of Heaven may not also make us a prey to violence and ambition And though you bee not Kings to whom I speake yet I pray you take heed that you runne not into the same fault that these Kings though not in so high a degree use not injustice and injuriousnesse and violence so much as your lower places will suffer a Weesell is a ravenous beast as well as a Lion But the maine sinne that these committed and which brought upon them their ruine was this that they would needs take Lot among the Sodomites Suppose the Sodomites did owe them Homage and gave just cause of quarrell yet was Lot no Sodomite nor Patron of their rebellion They should have spared him that never had beene their subject nor done them any wrong at all Indeed if Lot had gone to Warre against them and involved himselfe in the Sodomites evill cause if their cause were evill hee was justly taken captive with them but the briefe narration seemeth rather to intimate otherwise Chap. 14. verse 11 12. They tooke the substance of Sodome and their victuals and went their way and they tooke Lot also and his substance for hee dwelt in Sodome intimating as I said that hee was taken not in the battell but in the spoiling of the City afterward but you see what is the manner of insulting conquerours they sweepe away all they meete and every thing and person shall bee good bootie that lies within their reach but they smart for this spoile for hence was Abraham justly occasioned to put forth his courage for the reskue of his Kinsman and so were they deprived of the whole victory because they spared not a man whom they should have spared It often falleth out that one act of injustice looseth much that otherwise was justly gotten Beware of swallowing ill gotten wealth it hath a poysonfull operation and like some such evill simple in the stomacke will bring up the good foode together with ill humours It is said the King of Sodome had rebelled so intimating a kinde of justification of the Warre with him but it is not said that Lot had rebelled and therefore they should not have seized on him for the Sodomites sake Use justice and take nothing from any man that is due unto him neither punish any without right chiefely touch not a good man that feareth GOD unlesse his faults require that hee bee made to smart for them GOD can beare the carrying away Captive of many Sodomites rather then of one Lot Now consider how God humbleth these great and insolent Conquerours that carried all before them hee armes Abraham against them with so much wisedome and valour that hee sets upon them by night and discomfits them afore they could well tell who it was that fought with them So it falleth out often that God doth beate farre greater armies by the farre fewer Hee that feareth God and hath a just cause neede never bee discouraged from battell because his companies are but few The God of Warre whom the Scripture cals a man of Warre carries victory to that side where hee pleaseth to joyne and tell mee if hee have not most times given the greatest victories to his servants when their enemies power was such as farre surpassed theirs Some trust in bow and speare but hee that maketh mention of the name of God he is in best possibility to become a victor Take heed of making God your enemy that maketh one man to chase ten and ten to flie before one * ⎠* THE FOVRTEENTH EXAMPLE OF The Sodomites WEE are come along in Abrahams time to the Sodomites Concerning whom the Holy Ghost found nothing so much as like to any vertue which might be commended or imitated in them unlesse perhaps it may have a little relish of vertue that the King of Sodome after Abrahams victory over the foure Kings Gen 14.17 21. went out to meete Abraham and willed him to give unto him the persons and take the goods for a booty to his owne use There may seeme to be a small shadow of gratitude in that hee was willing that Abraham should enjoy the spoile but if wee consider the matter better this will shew it selfe to be rather a vice for first hee doth not so much as thanke Abraham for his hazard and paines in fighting with those