the brethren Who would not be glad to exchange his transitorie and fraile life for the salvation and everlasting life of Gods Elect And who would not chuse to die to x Iam 5.20 convert a sinner from the errour of his way to cover a multitude of sinnes and to save a soule from death Therein is both honor and profit Honour to the Confessors and Martyrs by whose bands and death so me are converted many are confirmed Profit to Gods Elect which by such means are saved There is not in this world any honour so profitable any profit so honourable and therefore the Apostle considering the honour which commeth of this profit and the profit which floweth from this honour writ to the Colossians that y Col. 1.24 hee reioyced in his sufferings for them i. e. for their conversion to the faith and confirmation in the faith as being Christs Minister in the one in the other Let I pray you let the same mind be in us which was in such holy men Let us all bee for this end Christs Martyrs in affection and thanke the Lord our God for this libertie of his Gospel in this Realme wherein there is no Tyrant no persecuter to make us Martyrs in action XI Secondly men readily conceive extravagant opinions of those whom God hath furnished with rarest gifts and as they are inclined to superstition canonize them and send up commandement to the heavens to receive them for their gods Thus the Gentiles erected Temples dedicated Altars instituted new honors and religious worship to some odde men among their Ancestors of whom they had received some speciall benefit Thus a Act. 3.12 the Iewes held their eyes fixed on Peter and Iohn who had restored a lame man to his feete as if by their power and holinesse that miracle had beene wrought Thus b Act. 10. â—â— 25 26 Cornelius though a devout man and one that feared God with all his house fell downe at Peters feet and worshipped him as if he had beene more than a man Thus c Act. 14.10 11 12 13 the Idolaters of Lystra called Barnabas Iupiter and Paul Mercurius and would have offered sacrifice unto them because they healed a cripple who never had walked Thus the Pope and his Cardinalls canonize and register with the Saints some speciall men of whose holinesse and miracles they say they have sufficient warrant and give expresse commandement to the people to worship them God foreseeing that the divell through his malice would doe his utmost endeavour to re-establish Idolatrie againe in these same holy mens persons by whom he had banished it out of the world even when they did greatest miracles turmoyled them with greatest afflictions that those which saw them in such a miserable state might judge and say that they were men like unto themselves and that they wrought such wonders by Gods finger and not by their own power For the same cause the evills which they suffered are registred in holy Scripture that as S. Panl after hee had begun to tell how he was taken up into Paradise brake off his discourse in the middest saying d 2. Cor. 12.6 I forbeare lest any man should thinke of me above that which he seeth me to be or that he heareth of me so we may say of them that which they acknowledged themselves to be that e Act. 14.15 they were also men of like passion with us for that which they were by grace should not make us forget that which they were by nature even mortall men like our selves XII Wherupon f Chrysost Homi. 1. rd popul Antiochen Chrysostom giveth us another advertisement for when wee exhort you to imitate David Elias Paul Peter such or such a Saint your custome is to answer I am not Peter I am not Paul as if Peter and Paul had beene of some other stuffe than ye are as if they had not beene mortall feeble and sinnefull men as ye are Therefore to take from you all excuse when ye cover your carelesnesse and sloath with such vaine excuses God hath exercised with most infirmities those on whom he hath bestowed greatest graces that seeing they have beene like unto us in weaknesse diseases afflictions and passions belonging to man we despaire not of attaining to the resemblance of the heavenly and saving graces wherewith they were garnished For this end S. Iames propoundeth unto us the example of Elias of whom he saith that f I am 5.17 18. he was subiect to like passions as we are that if wee pray with fervencie as he did wee be assured that we shall speed as he did XIII To these three reasons wee may adde the fourth taken from afflictions as they are corrections chastisements of Gods deerest servants that God will have us to consider them as testimonies of his wrath against sinne and to say to our selves Hath God dealt so roughly with so holy men when they offended him and shall he beare with us or as Christ said g Luk. 23.33 If these things be done in a greene tree what shall be done in the dry This reason is so cleer that S. Peter urgeth it as an infallible demonstration saying h 1. Pet. 4.17 18. The time is come that iudgement must begin at the house of God and if it first begin at us what shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God Wherefore let us lay this to our hearts and learne by such manifest tokens of Gods wrath against sinne to prevent his indignation by an unfained amendment of life Esay saith that i Esa 26.9 when Gods iudgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learne righteousnesse God grant that as we are of the number of these inhabitants of the world so we may be of the number of those Students which are schooled by their brethrens afflictions to learne righteousnesse to stand in awe of God and to serve him with an upright heart before his face all the dayes of our life XIV Finally God by the afflictions of his deare ones namely by those which they suffer for righteousnesse sake manifesteth the infallible truth of his promises and the excellencie of his mightie power in their deliverie from the evill day and from all the plots conspiracies secret practices malicious attempts violent invasions of theirs and his enemies which then are constrained to avouch that it is by the finger of God and not by the hand of man that the Church subsisteth upon earth and as it is said in the Psalmes that k Psal 10.2 Christ in the mids of his enemies He saith l Esa 43.2 3. When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee When thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neyther shall the flame kindle upon thee for I am the Lord thy God the holy One of Israel thy Saviour How he accomplisheth this
THE RIGHTEOVS MANS EVILS AND THE LORDS DELIVERANCES By GILBERT PRIMEROSE Minister of the French Church of London PSAL. 129.2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth yet they have not prevayled against mee LONDON Printed by H. L. for Nathanael Newberry and are to be sold at the signe of the Starre in Popes-head Alley Anno 1625. TO THE RIGHT NOBLE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND RIGHT RELIgious Lord IAMES MARQVESS of HAMMILTON Earle of Arran and Cambridge Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter Counsellor of the Kings most honourable privie Councell in both Realmes of England and Scotland Lord Great Steward of his Majesties houshold c. RIGHT HONOVRABLE WHat reading of holy Scripture and of Ecclesiasticall stories what experience hath taught mee of the Righteous mans Evils and the Lords deliverances that I preached to my Church at London in nine Sermons which in this booke I have dedicated to your Honour as an acknowledgement of the heroicall and Christian vertues which shine in your most Noble and Honourable person and as an homage due to them not as having any worthinesse and excellencie from their author whereby he should presume to offer them to such a Lord in whom all things excell in worth and shine in a most eminent degree of excellencie In Empires Kingdomes States Cities Families wee read and see the truth of the Oracle which said to ATTALVS King of Bithinia THOU AND THY SON NOT THE SONS OF THY SON His Maiestie who now holdeth the raines of this peaceable and flourishing kingdome is the onely King knowne in the world by stories who can reckon neere two thousand yeeres since his roiall Ancestors of whom he is lincally descended wore Crownes and Scepters In France they thinke it much if a man can prove his Nobilitie by foure Descents Since three hundred and odde yeeres that SIR GILBERT HAMMILTON came from England to Scotland was there advanced to all titles and degrees of honours of dignities of greatnesse among the most noble and honourable of the Realme by the HEROS of those dayes and King without peere ROBERT BRVCE who had knowne in England the antiquitie of his noble house and of all men then living could best iudge of his courage martiall actes and deserts and being preferred there to the mariage of the onely Daughter to my Lord Earle of Murray the Kings Nephew by his Princely Sister became the Stocke of the illustrious Race of the HAMMILTONS in Scotland whereof your Honour is the golden head how many Descents how many generations may be reckoned The fables tell of BELLEROPHON how after he had done many feates of armes not so much by his owne wisdome and strength as by the helpe of his winged Horse called PEGASVS he waxed proud and attempting with the same wings to mount up to heaven was flung to the earth and brake his leg whereby they teach us in a mysticall sense that many after they have beene borne upon the wings of their Princes favour and thereby have done good services conceive too ambitious and proud hopes and as if favour were desert aspiring to ascend into heaven to exalt their Throne above the rest of the starres and to be like unto their Maker are cut downe to the ground in an instant where all their pompe is laid in a grave of shame and dishonour as the Scripture speaketh of the King of Babylon under the name of LVCIFER In all the ancient stories hardly shall we finde any great man whose predecessors or himselfe have not beene stained with the blot of rebellion against their Soveraignes or of some negligence of their dutie towards them But your Honours forefathers had ever their affections so addicted to our Kings that King IAMES the third with the consent of the States and applause of the whole Realme thought them worthy to be rewarded with the mariage of his onely and deare Sister whom he gave in wedlocke to IAMES Lord Hammilton of whom your Lordship is come by many lineall successions This proximitie of blood to our Kings hath ever beene to your Ancesters and to your owne selfe a most attractive Adamant drawing and tying inseparably your hearts desires wills affections duties and services to their will and desires in all innocencie and uprightnesse according to Gods commandement the practice whereof is the stay of the State and the maintainer of peace in the Church and Common-weale FEARE GOD AND THE KING AND MEDDLE NOT WITH FACTIOVS MEN. So that this may be the Poesie of the Cognizance of your Honours most ancient and honourable Family FIDEET OBSEQVIO Of this fidelitie of these long profitable and acceptable services to our Kings continued in your Lordships familie from generation to generation and most effectually confirmed by your owne generous wise and good cariage in the Court and in the State the Kings Maiestie is a most glorious witnesse and a most magnificent rewarder For that affection which his Maiestie sheweth to your Honour those Dignities wherewith hee hath honoured you namely this last of LORD STEWARD of his royall House what are they but publike testimonies of the continuation of your good faithfull and well liked services to his Maiesties Royall person to our most excellent and hopefull Prince his Royall and onely Sonne and to the states of both kingdomes In the Court you are to his Maiestie that which IOSEPH was to PHARAO King of Egypt OBADIAH to ACHAB King of Israel MORDECAI to AHASVERVS King of Persia and ELIAKIM to whom God gave the key of the house of DAVID to the good King EZECHIAH and most like unto THEODORVS in the Court of VALENS Emperour of the Orient who being come of a most ancient and noble stocke and well brought up from the Cradle was not inferiour to any of the Imperiall Court in modestie wisedome erudition and good carriage ever seemed better than the charges and places whereunto he was advanced and was the onely man whose tongue was never licentiously unbridled never spake without consideration and foresight yea was never shut through feare of danger or hope of preferment and therefore was equally loved of great and small as your Lp. for the same vertues is much respected and loved of all states and degrees in both nations For by Gods speciall and rare blessing you carry your selfe in all your demeanour at Court and abroad so wisely that I may boldly affirme that to none if not to you doth belong that rare and wonderfull praise which Cicero giveth to BRVTVS and Marcellin to PRETEXTATVS saying that they did no thing to please yet whatsoever they did pleased and that other which all men gave to ANTHEMIVS Governour to the religious Emperour ARCADIVS HE SEEMED TO BE WISE AND SO HE WAS. The Royall Prophet David saith most truly in the twelfth Psalme that wicked men walke on every side when rascals are exalted among the sonnes of men Then DAVID fleeth and DOEG triumpheth But innocencie is protected oppression is repressed the states flourish
conceiued borne and nourished him so long in her wombe and to himselfe and oftentimes without death to both When he is thus cast forth with sorrow and paines if he had the use of understanding to know the miseries whereunto he is borne and of speech to utter what he thinketh of them he would make his moane with Ieremy a Ierem. 20. vers 18. That he came forth out of the wombe to see labour and sorrow and b Iob 3. ver 2. cursing the day wherein hee was borne would wish with Iob c Iob 10. ver 19. to have beene carried from the wombe to the grave For he doth no sooner open his nostrils to breathe suck up the refreshing moysture of the ayre but he is encountred and beset on all sides with unavoidable dangers he is borne in teares he liueth in miserie and dyeth in griefe hunger and thirst cold and heate nakednesse and weakenesse labour and wearinesse greasinesse sweat waking and sleeping feavers and consumptions are the first deputies who at his first entry into the world goe meete and welcome him to make the first solemnities of this palace of vanitie and mourning wherein hee hath seant set the first foote when ignorance and forgetfulnesse vaine hope and trembling feare senslesnesse and despaire joy and sadnesse despite and cholor burning lust and cold disdaine a thousand combersome passions ten thousand pricking cares troupe together and joine themselves to the first band to conduct leade him by certaine journies and stations incht to some longer to some shorter to the king of terrours to the mannor of darkenesse to the land of the shadow of death where d Iob 17.14 he shall say to the grave Thou art my father and to the worme Thou art my mother and my sister II. Whom can you name to me that hath spent the short dayes of this life and hath not walked upon the bryers wherwith it is strewed nor felt their pricks Kings are the first amongst men but they are men And ye shall sooner finde the sea without billowes the aire without moving the bramble without prickles than man without evils for what is mans life but an Ocean of miseries wherein there is no drop of true delight and happinesse When yee cast your eyes upon Kings and Princes heed not the precious Crowne which glittereth upon their heads nor the shining Purple which covereth their nakednesse nor the legionaries and squadrons of souldiers which guard them nor the Nobility which hedgeth them on all sides nor the glorie of their servants nor the magnificence of their fare nor the excellencie of their palaces nor the gorgeous pomp of their Court. Pierce further in thrust your eyes within the centre of their hearts consider their deeds and carriage and you shal see at one sight a head crowned with gold a heart scorched with griefe The flower of Purple the brightnesse of Scarlet the glistering plate-laces of Gold the twinkling lewels dazeling the eyes of the beholders and pensivenesse blacking the soule of him that beareth them Men invironed with guards without and besieged with feares and terrours within ever laying some new plot and manie times crossed in their designes notwithstanding their great power not able to doe all that they would and often constrained to do what they would not making a faire shew to those whom they hate mistrusting those in whom they must needs trust suspecting now their wives now their children fearing all those that feare them c TIBERIUS Timeo incustoditos aditus timeo ipsos cufiodes dreading all entries which are not kept yea and dreading also their own keepers passing the dayes in painefull labours in trouble of minde in many dangers betweene shamelesse flatterers craftie calumniators and aposted assasms and seeking in the darkenesse of the night the rest which a remorsefull remembrance of things past a gnawing feare of things to come a thousand other perplexities pull away violently from their eye-lids f Pro. 14.13 Even in laughter their heart is sorrowfull and the end of their mirth is heavinesse They drinke Wormewood in a cup of Gold the Sugar of their delights is embittered with the Gall of discontent and when they glut themselves with voluptuous pleasures and swallow downe the most rare and costly dainties as Behemoth draweth up Iordan into his throat either feare death as if they had the sharp point of a naked sword hanging by a haire above their heads or long for it to make a dolefull end of the huge heape of their manifold and wofull miseries which extract from them now and then a vehement disdain of their royall Robes with this true exclamation g O nobilem magis quà m felicem pannum c. O cloth more glorious than happy the lowziest beggar of the countrey would not stoop downeward to lift thee from the ground if hee knew with how many cares frights and vexations of spirit thou art lyned All the Tragedies though fabulously written are made of the true miseries and strange calamities of Kings Princes and other great men of the world Runne thorow the stories of Heathen men of so manie Kings how few shall yee finde whom a drie and peaceable death hath sent to the grave where now the worme feedeth sweetly on them In the Scriptures ye see Saul possessed with the Divel murthering the Lords Priests smiting with the edge of the sword the whole Citie of Nob men and women children and sucklings Oxen Asses and Sheepe seeking to kill his owne sonne and heyre and finally imbruing his unmercifull and pittilesse hands with his owne blood There ye see Ishbosheth slaine by his owne Captaines in whom he had speciall affiance There yee see the good and godly King David no sooner unpestered of one warre but he is entangled into another ye see him overwhelmed with domesticall calamities constrained to behold and suffer the incests parricides rebellions revolts of his owne children and to be upon his guard against them who should have guarded him There ye see Salomon the wisest but not the best of the sonnes of men after hee had taken a deepe draught in the crystaline cup of worldly prosperities and given his heart to seeke and search out by wise-dome all things that are done under heaven upbraiding them all with this true saying h Eccles. 1.14 Behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit The life of all the Kings of luda was nothing else but as a web woven as a baudrick interlaced with evills what was the state of the Kings of Israel but an hideous spectacle of most horrible calamities Neyther shall ye finde any amongst the Politicians and Statesmen living amongst the wearisome turmoile of imploiments who once in his life findeth not whereupon to sing to his perplexed soule Salomons complaint which Gilimer the last King of the Vandales harped with a mourning and sorrow-full tune to the Emperour Iustinian whose prisoner he then was i Eccles. 1.2 Vanity of
shall be saith S. Augustine shut upward and open downeward where the deeper they shall sinke l Rev. 9.2 the more shall it inlargeit selfe that they may never find an end of sinking The divells themselves are afraid to go there how much more men whose bones shall cracke whose teeth shall clatter whose hearts shall quake at the onely naming of it XVI Wo wo be unto them for no heart can imagin no tongue can iutter the tortures and torments which are impossible to be endured which needs they must endure there Alas what ease shall they find where when they shall be banished from the quickening sight of the living God never to see his face againe but inflamed with fury and indignation against them when it shall bee said unto them Depart from me ye cursed when they shall shall cry n Mat. 25.11 12. Lord Lord open to us and he shall answer Verily I say unto you I know you not o Aug. ibid. Vltra nescientur à Deo qui Deum scire noluerunt Yee knew not mee in your life and I know you not in your death If God shall not know them to aide them shall any of his creatures know them If the Sunne of righteousnesse who hath healing in his wings shall refuse to embright them with the least glance of the beames of his glorious face shall he suffer the light of this visible sun moone and starres to shine upon them If he who is called p Rom. 15 5. the God of consolation shall forsake them shall the blessed Angels shall the holy men of God be more mercifull than their maker who is mercy it selfe Shall any of the creatures which are in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth come and comfort them As when the woman in the fearefull famine of Samaria cryed to the King q 2. King 6.26 27. Helpe my Lord O King he answered If the Lord doe not helpe thee whence shall I help thee out of the barne-floore or out of the wine-presse So when these damned wights shall cry to the creatures for helpe grim and froward faces frowning browes an universall refusall shall be their first and last answer Our Creator shall they say is your enemy shall we be your friends As hee hath commanded you to depart from him so get you hence and depart from us Yea the Lord himselfe teacheth us in the parable of r Luk. 16.24 the rich glutton that if they should aske but one drop of water to coole their tongue it shall not be given unto them Å¿ Aug. de Tempore 252. Consider I pray you saith S. Augustine if a man were cast out of the congregation of this Church for some crime with how great forrow with how many agonies would his soule be vexed though out of the Church he may eate drinke converse with men and have some hope to be received into it again Surely this pain seem'd so heavy to Cain the first murtherer of Gods Saints that he cryed through despaire and great griefe of heart t Gen. 4.13 My punishment is greater than I can beare Oh then how many terrours how great anguish of mind shall wring and wrest the spirits of those who for their crimes shall bee excommunicated for ever from the glorious Church which is in heaven from the innumerable company of Angels from the congregation of all the Saints and from all the unspeakeable joyes of the heavenly Ierusalem Divines call this punishment Poena damni The paine of losse or dammage and say that it is but the first part of the unconceiveable torments which are prepared for the divells and for the viperous brood of wicked men XVII It goeth not alone It is ioyned with that which the same Divines call Poena sensus the paine of sense or of feeling Can they lose the favour of God with the comfortable use of all his creatures and not feele the redoubled blowes of the heavy sword of his indignation When v Est er 7.7 8. the king Ahasuerus in his wrath turned his backe to Haman the Kings servants covered Hamans face and heaved him away to the gallowes So when God shall withdraw the light of his face from these thrice unhappy bodies the divells who are the executioners of his high justice shall x Mat. 22.13 bind them hands and feete and take them away and cast them into utter darkenesse that as they delighted in the inward darkenesse of their minds and y Ioh. 3.19 20. hated the light and would not come unto it because their deeds were evill and lest they should bee reprooved so they may be tormented with utter darkenesse more palpable than the fogges of Egypt and so thicke that no sunne-shine of any worldly or heavenly comfort shall be able to sparkle thorow them If ye desire to know how great is the paine of sence or of feeling which is there the Scripture calleth it a Rev. 14.19 the great wine-presse of the wrath of God which shall bee troden till blood come out of it even unto the horse bridles It calleth it also b Esa 66.15 16. a fire and flame of fire whereby the Lord will plead against his enemies fire which c ver 24. shall never be quenched because it shall never lacke either matter to kindle it or a mighty breather to blow it 'T is a d Rev. 21.8 lake which burneth with fire and brimstone 'T is e Esa 30.33 Tophet ordemed of old made deepe and large the pile whereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a streame of brimstone doth kindle it 'T is a f Mat. 5.22 Gehenna of fire What paine so sensible as to be burnt alive and what paine so terrible and pittifull as when the Iewes g Buxtorf ex libro Ialcutam Ieâ—emiam ca. 7. tooke their young children and offering them in sacrifice to Molec gave them to one of the Priests who laid them upon the armes of the brazen Idoll after it was set on fire and glowing red the rest of the Priests in the meane while sounding with Drums Trumpets Timbrels and other loud instruments lest the parents should heare the pittifull cryes of their children and bee touched with compassion by reason of which sounding the place was called Tophet and because it was in a valley belonging to Hinnom it was called Gehinnom or Gehenna i. the valley of Hinnom a name most usuall amongst the Iewes in Christs dayes and long before to signifie the place and the paines of the damned As they were wont to call the divell Principem Gehennae The Prince of Gehenna or of hell where h Rev. 14.9 10 11. If any man worship the beast and his Image and receive his marke in his forehead or in his hand the same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God which is powred out without mixture into the cup of his