to your Lordship first For the seruice I owe vnto Your Lordship as one whō you pleased to fauour as a soules Physician whose businesse is to preuent or stop vp the loth some issue of this disease which hath ouer-spred euery mans nature so as no man can say My heart is cleane neither are great Men freer from diseases of the soule then of the body Secondly To testifie my true and humble affection in putting into your Lordships hand DAVIDS learning fit for Princes and Counsellors directing the high way to true happinesse For it shewes first the entrance into this way which is godly sorrow confession and mortification of sinne secondly the markes of it that it is the straite the streight the lightsome the cleanest and shortest way of all thirdly the end of it which is gladnesse pleasure and ioy which none shall take away Thirdly To put Your Honour in minde that as the world hath made you almost as happy as it can raysing you first out of an ancient Noble and religious Stocke secondly vnto a goodly Inheritance thirdly into the grace fauor of your Prince fourthly vnto the most Honourable place and seruice with such late accesse of Honours as few of Your Noble Ranke are afore You So Your Lordships care be to annexe that Honor which is from aboue from which there can be no fall whereas daily experience sheweth how miserable the world sometimes leaueth her greatest fauorites Fourthly To prouoke and pray your Honour that imitating the gracious footsteps of your Noble Father and following your owne religious beginnings you proceed with full purpose of heart to cleaue to the truth of God and with heartie and earnest affection continue to embrace the true Church of Christ which the Antichrist of Rome oppugneth and oppresseth yea and with vnweariable endeuours to perseuere in the practice of that holy faith and religion which you haue professed and loued which is the one and onely faith learned of God and his holy Scriptures the onely Catholike and sauing faith the onely ancient because the onely Propheticall and Apostolicall faith the onely true Christian faith which the Truth himselfe hath taught and ratified by his precious bloud euen the bloud of the Couenant the faith not onely preached and written by the ancient Fathers but professed and practised by all the faithfull in all ages As for that Popish faith falsly called Catholike wee are sufficiently able through God to prooue it a new Samaritanisme patched vp of Iudaisme and Gentilisme thrust vpon the blind side part of the world vnder the title of Christianisme And yet in these our so perillous and last times what great numbers and persons are daily carryed away from the faith of Christ into that Apostacie and Idolatry of that great Antichrist I wish other parts of the Land could not bring in euidence to this bill of complaint as well as ours Thus humbly crauing pardon for my boldnesse I beseech God to strengthen your Lordships heart and hands to withstand by all your Greatnesse this Gangrene and long to continue you vnder His Maiestie by your faithfull Counsell a muniment to the decayed estate of our Church an ornament of the Common-wealth a prop of Religion a pillar of Iustice a father of Wards and Orphanes and a comforter of comfortlesse Widdowes the Noble Leiftenant of our Country and high Steward of our Corporation And the same God preserue you vnblamable in your spirit soule and body vntill the day of his appearing Your Honours humbly at commandement T. T. To the Christian Readers Grace bee multiplyed with all Gods blessings MY Christian Readers with whom I haue for some yeeres now trauelled that Christ might be formed in you my harts desire and prayer to God for you is that ye may be saued To this end haue I bended my thoughts labors as one that haue desired to be faithful in seeking not yours but you as your selues I trust will witnesse with mee How Satan hath many wayes bestirred himselfe to hinder vs from attayning that maine end he is of small iudgement but of lesse obseruation that hath not discerned The malicious man neuer ceaseth sowing of Tares but especially when Gods Husbandmen sleepe and keepe not their Watches in their Lords field Many of his enterprizes against vs I will conceale and as one iealous ouer you with an holy iealousie I thought fit to note vnto you an ancient stratageme of his plotted against you to draw you if it were possible from the simplicitie and sinceritie of the Gospell receiued which you must so much the more vigilantly watch against as hee confidently hopeth to cause you to fall by it Satan sees the curiositie sicklenesse and inconstancie of mans nature that it is not content with ancient necessarie truthes and that good things please vs not long but new conceits and doctrines like vs wel and therefore he laboureth in all Churches to mingle and blend with Gods receiued Truth humane conceits and nouel opinions by which practice hee soone brought the Church of Galatia to reuolt to another Gospell Or if Satan cannot doe the great mischiefe which hee would quite to cast the faith of Beleeuers from off the foundation he will doe the lesse which he can he wil surely disturbe them and trouble their mindes with impertinent and vnnecessary to call them from more necessary and pertinent truths and hinder their edification whilest he holdeth them in a kind of suspence and doubt of maine points which should haue bin long since as fast fixed in their hearts as Boaz and Iacim the two Pillars set vp in the porch of Salomons Temple I will passing by all other conceits wherewith you haue beene encombred fasten at this time vpon that straggling deuice of Vniuersall Election and Redemption and reach vnto you such helpe as my selfe haue beene led out of this Labyrinth withall that you may also bee able to put foolish men to silence I may not suffer my Epistle to grow into a Volume or Treatise and therefore referring you to other learned Treatises for the Doctrine I wil stand here as your Defendant to answere such maine or rather vaine obiections as you haue or may be troubled withall Those who would haue vs beleeue that euery singular man is elected and redeemed lay this sandie for a sound ground Obiect First Euery man is bound to beleeue hee is elected and therefore he is elected Euery man is bound to beleeue hee is redeemed and therefore he is redeemed Euery man is bound to beleeue that Christ dyed for him and therefore CHRIST dyed for euery singular man Answ. Master Perkins in his book of Predestination answering to this sophisme findeth iust fault with the manner of reasoning which is wholly vicious neyther can it be concluded in any true forme of Syllogisme And it may bee easie in this kind of sophisme to conclude any thing be it neuer so absurd As for example That which God commands a man
this eye in the regenerate to discerne more euidently the owne estate giuen it a voice to follow the sinner with hue and cry to make him pronounce the sentence of guiltinesse and death against himselfe and all this is to iustifie God in any iudgement he brings vpon vs and to glorifie him when he brings vs out by any deliuerance But as for the wicked the eye of conscience in them is dazeled or quite put out and lets them goe on to their condemnation Fourthly a godly man must become his owne greatest enemie in confession of sinne because grace must carry a man further then nature can doe nature can make a man hate sinne but other mens rather then his owne Gen. 38. 24. Iudah thought whoredome worthy of burning as it was the custome in those dayes in his daughter in law Thamar but not in himselfe when the tokens he had left with her were brought forth then hee could confesse she was more righteous then he then away with burning whereas if shee were worthy to be burnt then much more he But grace looketh rather vpon a mans owne sinnes then anothers accounting them more venemous poysonfull odious and hate-worthy then anothers We hate all Serpents deadly yet not so much those in another countrey as these in our owne nor one that is ten foot off as that that is hard by the neerer he is the greater is our antipathie and hatred against him Now seeing euery sinne is a Serpent therefore we must hate euery one but that more especially which is neerest and vpon our hands as the Viper vpon Pauls to shake it off as he did To come now to the Vses First this lets vs see what is the nature of sinne whatsoeuer men conceiue of it they thinke not of it as of sinne if it haue either profit or pleasure with it but hold and hugge it as a sweet morsell vnder their tongue they conceiue a great sweetnesse in it whereas indeede it makes a man his owne greatest enemy If hee neuer repent it is an intolerable euill but if hee doe repent he sees that the sweetnesse of it is bitter inough such as makes him say that the pleasure of sinne is very deare and bought at too high a rate A man can bewayle any outward commoditie being lost and say as Iaacob did I haue lost this and this child all these things make against me So I haue lost such and such commoditie all these make against me but where is the man that can say Loe my sinnes these are they that make against mee But let the wise bee perswaded neuer to thinke of sinne as of a friend to fall into too familiar acquaintance with it but know that it is such an enemy as thy selfe must bee thine owne greatest enemy for it or else God will Secondly must a man set himselfe against himselfe in his confessions then this taxeth the practice of many men First of sundry who will neither deny their sinnes nor yet confesse them They wil not deny them for shame because it is against their knowledge conscience they should seeme to pull the Sunne out of heauen and deny the light of Nature if they should say they do not sinne and as for confession they will confesse none though neuer so sinfully done they deale gently with them and are loth to fall out with their friends faults they will confesse them and ouersights and infirmities which euery man hath sinnes of weaknesse though indeede of wickednesse such as are done by the strength of corruption neuer resisted Thus through ancient acquaintance they cannot leaue them they looke so amiable and louely thus they flatter themselues in sinne but if euer such come to be reconciled to God againe they must put on another person and deale in earnest against them before they can see God friendly in the pardon of them they must call a spade a spade that is confesse sinne to be such as indeed it is If the question be what is the vilest thing in the world The answere must be These sins and Who is the vilest person liuing the answere may must be Themselues Secondly others haue set colours on their sinnes that they might neuer see the hatefull and ougly face of them as First anger and hastinesse when a man is all on a sudden flame and burnes all about him for no iust cause What will he say Why it is but spirit or at worst heat of nature and he cannot do withall it is soone past ouer Well an enemy to his sinne would conclude it to be spirit indeede but an euill one and an heate which is kindled from the fire of Hell Secondly excessiue pride though men out-runne their degrees and out-weare all fashions in attiring themselues most immodestly so that a man may read in broad letters and great characters the lightnes of a light mind yet they say it is but ornament or complement or at worst the fashion An enemy now to sin would esteeme it as indeed it is a fashion vnbeseeming such as professe mortification a fashion whereof the Apostle saith Fashion not your selues according to this world and not maintaine them with Principles drawne out of the Diuels Catechisme Thirdly prodigality is but kindnes of nature couetousnes but frugalitie drinkings after the maner of the Gentiles but societie humanitie Impudency and complement but good education Luke-warmnes in religiō but good discretion policy and though Christ gaue himselfe to purchase a people zealous of good works yet it is thought a mans praise to be no meddler and to be zealous is counted nothing but to outrunne the bounds of godlinesse Thus Satan had taught the world a tricke to harden mens hearts and hinder them from sound peace and repentance Thirdly others so tender their names in their publike sins which are as manifest as a nose on a mans face as we say as they shrinke from shewing themselues in open confession against themselues and that when Gods glorie and the good of the Church yea the peace of their owne consciences calls for confession But farre are they from the affection of a zealous heart which would make them turne against themselues and their sinnes in returning to GOD. This would haue thought that Dauid should haue had more care of his credit then thus to rip vp his sinnes but Dauid was of another minde then they Fourthly those truely so called Puritanes and Catharists that need not repentance being whole men in full conformitie with the image of GOD so deifyed that they cannot sinne These are to bee branded with that odious name of Puritanes and not they that confesse their sinnes and labour to preuent them for time to come And Papists rather are true Puritans who say they fulfill the Law and need not say Forgiue vs our debts because GOD is rather indebted vnto them by their workes of supererogation let men lay the vile reproch of Puritanisme which is an
and his owne measure shall be met to him againe Mat. 7. 1 2. so that if a man be an Ismael rough against euery man God will be rough against him and if we be vnpittifull we shall be vnpittied of God and Men. Thirdly no sound worship can proceede but from a sound Religion and that is the Religion and wisedome which is from aboue and the qualitie of it is that it is peaceable Iam. 3. 17. gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits The Gospell which we professe is a Gospell of peace fostereth peace and seeketh it by all meanes Fourthly so long as any aâ—e slaues to the deeds of the flesh it is impossible they can be acceptable to God but debate hatred anger rage murthers are condemned for the vvorkes of the flesh which shut a man out of heauen Gal. 5. 21. But vvherein stands this mercy vvhereunto prayer must be coupled It stands in these things First in pittying the bodies of men in their wants Secondly their soules much more Thirdly in supplying their wants as reliefe succour comfort counsell c. to be rich in good workes and restore them that are fallen by the Spirit of meeknesse This teacheth all of vs that professe the doctrine of the Gospell and true Religion and the pure worship of God how wee ought to be disposed when wee come to performe vnto God religious duties as prayer c. Those that come neerest to God to present seruice acceptable to him must more especially look to this point namely to take heede of the spirit that lusteth after enuie and sets men in a rage against Gods image and those of the same profession with them and they must take the counsell of the Apostle 2. Cor. 13. 11. Bee of one minde liue in peace and the God of peace shall be with you And let vs consider First we are all members of one bodie wherof Christ is the head nature teacheth one member to pitie and help another if one bee ill affected to get remedy for it and so must Christians Secondly a meeke and mercifull spirit is much set by of God and called for at our hands by Christ of whom wee must learne to bee humble and meeke a sure note of one that is brought into Christs Kingdome and sheepefold Thirdly God hath taken all execution of vengeance out of our hands Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord Deut. 32. 35. and if we will take the sword of reuenge into our hands it will prooue but a sword to our owne destruction Fourthly if we looke at the recompence of reward we are to be prouoked to the workes of mercie As a man sowes so shall he reape sowe mercy and reape mercy sowe liberally and reape liberally God giues seede to the sower 1. Cor. 9. 10. and makes men rich vnto the works of mercie ver 11. How was the poore widdowes oile increased when shee sowed mercie to Elias in his want She had sufficient till the hard yeere was blowne ouer Thy expences shall haue a rich returne it shall bee but a lending to God with abundant vsury for earthly and base things we shal obtaine heauenly and glorious it is a sowing on earth to reape in heauen Fiftly if we desire patternes and presidents in mercifulnesse we haue enough First wee haue God himselfe whose mercies are aboue all his workes how mercifully did he forbeare the world an hundred yeeres and what experience haue our owne soules how he daily forgets and forgiues innumerable sinnes Therefore be we mercifull as our heauenly Father is mercifull Secondly Christ the Sonne of God is a president herein whose mercy and compassion was such as hee laid downe his life for vs that wee should also lay downe our liues for the brethren 1. Iohn 3. 16. Thirdly the Saints of God haue gone before vs in examples of mercy Moses was a man mightie in word and deede yet the meekest man on earth Numb 12. 3. Abraham yeelded to Lot his inferior Isaac swallowed many indignities at Abimelechs hands and Iaacob as many at Labans Dauid spared Saul his enemie when he had him at an aduantage and pardoned Shimei a Traytor when hee had cursed him and threw stones at him Yea all the Prophets Apostles and Saints as much as lay in them had peace with all men If wee professe our selues the Sonnes of God how are we so rough against our brethren so without pittie and charitable disposition as Lamech Ismael or Cain who learned of the Deuill who was a murtherer from the beginning to hate and kill his brother Let professors leaue these workes of the flesh to such as are in the flesh let vs be led by another rule as Christians mercifully considering one another and not as bruit beasts ledde by sensualitie We must not follow noysome lusts and humours but the rule of Gods Word to blesse though we are cursed and take things at the best and seeke peace and follow after it Let professors consider the sweet fruit of Christian communion which by a mercifull and meeke spirit is enioyed but by wrath and rash anger violenced how that the peace of the Church and publike quietnesse the honour of their profession the comfort of their conscience and acceptance of their prayers or any seruice cannot stand by them if they subdue not their spirits in this behalfe Secondly this shewes vs what to thinke of that religion which vpsetteth and vpholdeth it selfe by crueltie and malicious rage and furie it is a religion which God hath no delight in hee neuer did set it vp nor accepted it It cannot be the right religion which by crueltie sword and fire either planteth it selfe or seeketh to supplant others Therefore wee may note in the Scripture that those religions that were hated of God were cruell and vnmercifull One might haue read in Cains forehead what religion he was of no maruell if God reiected his sacrifice seeing hee bore such deadly malice against his brother Of what religion were the Egyptians that kept vnder the Israelites so tyrannically but barbarous wicked and idolatrous Iaacob must haue a place by himselfe to dwell in because his religion was an abomination to them they must not see him performe the seruices of it Manasseh set vp Idols sought to witches yea himselfe was a Magician or Coniurer and what was his practice Looke and wee shall see that no man euer shed more innocent blood then hee did Here was a note of a false religion euen cruelty such as wee read not of in any of his predecessors Antiochus Epiphanes a monster among Idolaters did so prodigiously waste the blood of the holy people as neuer was since there began to be a Nation till that time Dan. 12. 1. The heathen Emperours made such butcheries vpon the bodies of the Saints as euery street seemed a shambles of Christians and euery line of the story written in blood and their religion was sutable
barbarous and butcherly Saul was zealous in his religion and breathed out nothing but slaughter and threatning but all that while his religion was proportionall hee knew not Christ nor what hee did But the Romish religion goes beyond all other in crueltie and vnmercifulnesse and therefore of all other must be most hatefull to GOD. It was said long since that Antichrist the head of that Church must be an Appollyon a Destroyer and 2. Thes. 2. 3. the sonne of Perdition both actiuely and passiuely in himselfe and vnto many others He must be cloathed in scarlet a colour dyed in the blood of the Saints and a beast that must make warre against the witnesses of God The Church of God in the Old Testament indured most grieuous oppression and was vnmercifully handled in Egypt by Pharaoh in Canaan by the King of Syria Iudg. 3. 8. by Eglon King of the Moabites by Iabin King of the Canaanites by the Midianites Ammonites and Philistims and by Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonish captiuitie But all this was nothing to that it suffered by Antiochus Epiphanes And yet this of Antiochus was but a type of Antichrists persecution his wicked rage was but a shadow to this Here is an vnmercifull Destroyer that killeth first the soules of men by poysoning their mindes with false and damnable doctrines Secondly the bodies of men with horrible and vnheard-of crueltie and tyrannie Here is a woman drunke with the blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Iesus Reu. 17. 6. What shall we thinke of that religion by whose edicts perswasions and approbations all the Christian blood almost hath bin shed vpon earth since the ten first Persecutions Who hath done this but the firebrands of Babylon What of that religion which committeth Kings and Emperours together making them Wolues and Tygers one to another and who doth this but Nebuchadnezzar the head of this Babylon What of that religion that blowes vp Massacres Rebellions Seditions Treasons in all Countreys This also doth the scarlet-whore of Babylon What of that Religion that sends out cut-throat villaines with Pardons to stab and poison Kings and Potentates of the earth yea to blow vp with one terrible blow three whole states and Kingdomes This also doth the mercifull holy Father at Romish Babylon Who hath kindled so many furnaces to burne the bodies of Gods Saints in all Christendome but that meeke sonne of perdition whose mercies are cruell What may wee thinke of the mercilesse inquisition in Spaine Or that horrible massacre of the Christians in France the like whereof was neuer seene in any Nation Here in our owne land what damnable plots and deuillish designements haue there beene against the persons of our Kings and Princes What shall I speake of the vnnaturalnesse of their cruelty amongst vs while they haue chased away all pitie and respect of silly persons who in regard of the impotencie of their mindes or their tender age might by all lawes of nature and Nations haue laid claime to mercie if the Ocean of heathenish I meane Popish crueltie had not broken all bounds and bankes What hurt could a Boy of eight yeeres old doe to their religion who yet for that was scourged to death in Bonners house What hurt could that babe do them that sprang out of the mothers wombe and was cast in againe because it was a yong Heretique and so baptized in the mothers flames and the owne blood What madnesse was it to apprehend a madde man one Collins who held his dogge ouer his head as the Priest did the hoast for which hee and his dogge were burnt for Heretiques a wofull meanes to bring a madde man into his wits With how little reason could they demaund a reason of the faith of a madde man one Cowbridge and make a madde mans words without vnderstanding a sentence of his owne death for which hee was burnt at Oxford but where furie hath madded men no argument can mooue them to pittie What religion is that the wrath of which sticketh not either to bury the quicke as Marion at Burges or to vnbury the dead as Wickliffs bones burnt one and fortie yeeres after his death Peter Martyrs wife at Oxford two yeeres after his death burnt for an Heretique at Cambridge Mr. Bucer Phagius cited out of their graues to appeare foure yeeres after their buriall which when the silly ashes could not doe they were digged out and burnt on the market-hill because they did not answere and satisfie such articles as were laid against them Richard Hun apparantly hanged by them in the prison was also burnt after his death Iohn Tooly being dead and buried was cited to appeare before Bonner by a day appointed at which time limited and expired he was excommunicate and straite charge giuen that no man should eate or drinke with him or if any met him they should not bid him God speed or if he came to Church in time of diuine seruice he must be thrust out after that this excommunication wrought nothing vpon the dead man hee was condemned and committed to the secular power and so the poore dead man was the second time by the Sheriffs executed Is this cruell religion of God Did Christ or any of his Apostles bring in the trueth by fire or sword No it is falsehood that must stand by power and humane policie When the two Disciples asked Christ if they should call for fire from heauen against the Cities that receiued thē not No saith Christ Ye know not what spirit ye are of But let Antichrists Disciples aske him as Faux Winter did Garnet Shall we call for fire from hell against those Kingdomes which will not receive vs Hee saith Yea because hee knowes what spirit they bee of resolute but infortunate Gentlemen begin to dig vnder the Parliament-house and when all the house is set to make lawes against the Catholikes giue them a terrible blow and they shall neuer know who hurt them O but what speake you this against the Religion of the Church of Rome this is the fault of men not of their doctrine Nay but it ariseth out of the grounds of their doctrine which is ful of cruelty and bloudinesse Iesuitisme is the Rebels Catechisme I will set downe their doctrine in certaine positions which are eminent in their Authors at this day First the Pope ought to driue Woolues and bad leaders heretique Kings that is Protestants à grege dominio not only excommunicate but also driue them from their Kingdomes This is Bellarmines position defended by the Pope himselfe Secondly not onely manifest but also secret and suspected heretiques so Symancha Thirdly not onely themselues but all their fauourers also and children So Creswell Fourthly quibuscunque modis by any meanes saith Sanders vi or dolo as Iudith put downe Holofernes and Iehu Athaliah Reinolds and Boucherius or by a knife or dagger as Henrie the third and fourth Kings of France were murthered or by Dag Dagger or poyson as
heart is ready to make any thing thy portion but God and when by sinne thou hast prouoked him to hide his face or stand aloofe from thee then say thou trustest in God and not before True it is that the godly haue some failings and slidings from these rules but yet hereunto they striue and in some comfortable measure attaine Now if these bee the practices and qualities of such as mercy belongs vnto wee see easily by the contrary that there bee sundry kindes of men to whom the Lord doth couenant wrath as First many ciuill men who content themselues without the knowledge of God they say they meane well and doe no man harme liue in peace with their neighbours and follow their Church as others doe yet haue no care of religion but for fashion they say they trust in God but doe not because they vse not the meanes nor walke in the way of faith and repentance nor in the conscionable hearing and obeying of the word Secondly such as walke stubbornely against God and the meanes of Saluation mercy belongs not to these How know you that Well enough first out of the text which saith Mercy belongs to him that trusteth in God Now he that trusteth in God walketh on in a course of godlinesse and cannot stand out against God Secondly by an expresse text Deut. 29. 20. He that heareth the curses of this law and yet blesseth himselfe saying Though I walke in the stubbornnesse of my heart the sword shal not come neer me I will not be mercifull to that man saith the Lord. Secondly heere is a great comfort for the godly who haue no small security hence that whatsoeuer their outward estate is or may bee Gods mercy compasseth them as the hilles compasse Ierusalem see it in some instances First If Satan assault vs on euery side with temptation to vex and disquiet vs with inward feares he shall not haue so nimble eyes to spy our weaknesse as the eye of the Lord to spy meanes to strengthen vs. Let him obiect the greatnesse and infinite number of our sinnes yet hee shall but amplifie the great mercie of GOD which is greater and more large then all the sinne and miseries in the world Thus Moses comforteth GODS people Deut. 4. 31. The Lord thy God is a mercifull God he will not forsake nor destroy thee nor forget the Couenant of thy Fathers which he sware vnto them Secondly If vnmerciful men compasse them and come about them like Bees Psal. 118. 12. and sharpen their stings yet the mercies of the Lord are neerer them then that they can hurt them Thus Dauid comforted himselfe Psal. 86. 14. 15. O Lord the proud are risen against mee but thou Lord art strong and mercifull gracious and long-suffering and a pitifull God Thirdly If a man should conflict with Gods owne hand by inward temptations or outward tryals of sicknesse pouertie persecution if hee were so beset as hee could see nothing but troubles without and feares within now is the time to mound and fence himselfe with this comfortable Doctrine that euen now GODS mercies doe guard and compasse him seeing he cannot deny himselfe nor faile of any of his promises Dauid when he was to chuse one of the three Rods of GOD the Sword Famine or Plague he chose to fall into the hands of God because he is mercifull 2. Sam. 24. 14. Hee may afflict and chasten vs a while and for a moment seeme to forsake vs but with great compassions he will gather vs Isa. 45. 7. 10. For Hee chides not alwayes neyther retayneth hee his wrath for euer Psal. 103. 8. Fourthly If a man were in the hands of Death and the Messengers thereof had already taken hold on him as on Hezekiah yet euen then hee need feare none ill seeing Gods mercies compasse him this is euer our couer though wee cannot alwayes see it as Elisha his seruant saw not the great mercies of God compassing him and his Master euen then when we know not GODS mercie is all about vs there are still more with vs then against vs our Mountaine is alway beset with Heauenly Warriours Was Ionas euer more compassed with mercies then when he was in his owne sense cast off and compassed with Waues and Weedes Was Israel euer more compassed with mercie then when they were compassed with Mountaines Sea Enemies Death and deadly things these our extremities are Gods oportunitie Nay fiftly suppose a man were in the house of death in the graue yet euen this separates not from GODS mercies which being eternall leaue vs not in death but when we are most compassed with dust and corruption shall then bee most abundant and mightie for vs. Oh therefore let so many as trust in God flye in all their straits to this Sanctuarie which can make not onely Deaths forerunners but euen Death it selfe welcome which depriues vs of all things else but this mercie into the full estate of which it setteth vs. Thirdly labour aboue all things in the World to get part in this mercie by getting assurance of the pardon of sinne get this and thou gettest a mercie reaching vp to Heauen a Crowne of Blessings a plentifull Redemption Our Prophet here cals it a compassing mercie for a godly man thinkes not himselfe compassed whith mercie when hee is compassed onely with outward blessings when GOD hath hedged about his house and hee hath wealth to tumble in though the World breathe after nothing else but when he hath a voyce telling him that God in Christ is mercifull to his sinne and hath couered his iniquitie oh now thinkes Dauid himselfe compassed with mercie and not before although hee was a King and had all outward things to his hearts wish Zacheus had mercie enough when saluation was come to his house hee neuer got so fast before as now hee forgoes and restores hee was neuer compassed with mercy till now though he was a great rich man neuer so rich as now when hee was impouerishing himselfe to entertaine Christ in his house and heart Iaakob when hee saw Iosephs face his best beloued sonne Now sayth hee I haue enough let mee now dye seeing I haue seene my sonne Iosephs face How much more shall wee haue enough to see the face of the well-beloued Sonne of God yea and of God himselfe in that wel-beloued one appeased and fully pacified Simeon hauing seene Christ with his eyes and held him in his armes Now Lord sayd hee let thy seruant depart in peace for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation But to see Christ by the eye of faith and hold him in our hearts will make death much more welcome to vs we shall thinke we haue enough the sweet sense of it within will frame the mouth to speake plentifully of it as our Prophet doth in this place Neyther can any good heart eyther lightly account or speake slenderly of such a mercy neyther content it selfe with slight meanes to get it or with superficiall
crooked a good signe of a right heart is to descrie and discouer but not without true sorrow and griefe the crookednesse and hypocrisie of it and to labour to correct and reforme it Psal. 119. 80. Let my heart be vpright in thy statutes that I bee not ashamed a right line shames a crooked crooked legges are ashamed to bee seene when a man feares and is ashamed of his hypocrisie and crookednesse and euer tendeth to straightnesse it is a good note of some rightnesse of heart Thirdly consider the things which flow from the heart if they be single and pure warrantable and right then a man may know his heart is vpright for such as the fruit is such is the tree if thou feedest on forbidden fruit thou art a bad tree and thy heart farre from vprightnesse an vpright heart suffereth not rotten speeches in the mouth idlenesse in the hand iniustice in the life drunkennesse in the braine and disorder in the course Fourthly consider the ends and aimes of our actions the vpright heart aimeth directly at Gods glory in all things but the crooked heart propoundeth euer some crooked end and sinister respect vnto good actions as many come to Church get knowledge and professe Religion for vaine glorie and vaine ends some thrust among godly persons and into good companie not because they are good or would be good but because they would be thought so Fiftly consider if thy heart be the same in priuate as it would be thought in publike Psal. 101. Dauid will walke wisely in the perfect way in the midst of his house and the conuersation of the Saints hath beene alwayes like it selfe Abraham walked in vprightnesse before God according to the Commandement Gen. 17. 1. how did he reforme his house teach his familie instruct his seruants and take God with him in prouiding a wife for Isaac and in all things Gen. 24. 63. Isaac was the same in the field as he was in the house he went out into the field to pray saith the Text. Daniel was the same after the dangerous Law that he was before he opened his windowes thrice a day as he was accustomed So vpright was Paul in his whole course as he knew nothing by himselfe 1. Cor. 4. 4. A good heart sets God often in sight as well in the Chamber as in the Church Dauid set the Lord euer in his sight and at his right hand It is as seuere and zealous against his owne crookednesse as any other and will not swallow small sinnes no more then great seeing Gods pure eyes are set vpon and against both Vprightnesse is in euery thing alike without and within it is not worse in substance then in shew nay it is better It seekes to approue it selfe before God and al men first to God whose eye is more respected then if all the world looked on and then to all men but so as if none but God looked on them It desireth to purge it selfe from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and to grow vp to full holinesse in the feare of God That man that findes these notes in him may be a glad man nay he must be a glad man according as it followes in the Text Be glad yee righteous from the connexion of the persons to this duetie we may note that Only the godly man can truely reioyce with sound and lasting ioy Isa. 65. 13. My seruants shall reioyce and yee shall be ashamed my seruants shall sing for ioy of heart and yee shall crie for sorrow of heart and howle for vexation of spirit The stranger shall not enter into his ioy Prou. 14. 10. and it is called the ioy of Gods people Thus the Scriptures euer limit this ioy to the faithfull Psal. 40. 16. Let them that seeke the Lord reioyce and Prou. 29. 6. In the transgression of an euill man is his snare but the righteous doth sing and reioyce The reasons of this doctrine are these First because none else are commanded to ioy but the godly none else haue warrant to reioyce where doe we reade that a wicked man is bid to ioy and indeed what cause is there that he should be so bid What troubles him his sinne troubles him not it is his hearts delight not temptations for he swallowes them all not his conscience for it is asleepe not the world for it is his Darling not the Deuill for he is not cruell in his owne house not outward afflictions for he will not endure any al things are at peace with him he mournes not and therefore needes not be called to comfort the promise is Blessed are they that mourne and are troubled and persecuted for the name of Christ for they shall be comforted Nay he is called from ioy to howling Iam. 5. 1. he is alreadie glutted and drowned in worldly delights and carnall ioy from which he is euerywhere called yea a woe is pronounced on him Luc. 6. 25. Woe be to you that reioyce now for yee shall mourne and weepe Secondly onely the godly haue cause to reioyce for First they only haue the presence and fruition of the chiefe good which is God himselfe and are in couenant with God by vertue whereof they are interessed in all the good things of heauen and earth as a wife in the goods of her husband Here is a great cause of ioy indeede a godly man hath gotten this cause of ioy and therefore he may lawfully reioyce Secondly they only know that their names are written in the booke of Life which is a truer cause of ioy by our Sauiours testimonie then if by the gift of miracles they were able to subdue the Deuills Luc. 10. 20. Reioyce not in this but that your names are written in the booke of Life And then the godly know their names to be written in that booke when they write their owne names in Gods booke by becomming beleeuers for faith giues them priuiledge to be the sons of God Ioh. 1. 12. Thirdly they only haue escaped and are set free from the infinite euills and sorrowes of sinne with which all other besides themselues are beset and bound ouer to damnation And therefore as Israel hauing escaped the Sea the Mountaynes and Egyptians and gotten out of Egypt it selfe sang and reioyced Exod. 15. 1. so haue all the Israel of God being set free from hell and sinne and sinners and the curse of sinne iust cause of ioy and gladnesse which all but they want Fourthly only they haue the Spirit of God the Author and Preseruer of this ioy which is therefore called the ioy of the Holy Ghost only they are anointed with the oyle of gladnesse and clothed with the garment of gladnesse and haue the Spirit of comfort sent into their soules who is the Moouer of this ioy and not so much maketh our Spirits reioyce as himselfe reioyceth in vs as he is said not to make vs make requests but to make requests in vs