Lord if children might safely say and doe whatsoeuer them listed Did not the slaughter of two and fourty of them made by two beares openly declare the wrath and indignation of the Lord against them But for al this so they will thinke still and so they will liue still and therefore such we must leaue to themselues and let them take as they shall finde one day only we may tell them what the Scripture saith vnto them in this case Reioyce ô young man in thy youth and let Eccles 11. v. 9. thine hart cheare thee in the daies of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine hart and in the sight of thine eyes but know for all these thinges God will bring thee to iudgement Vers 12. The Lord hath made both these euen the eare which heareth and the eye which seeth HIs meaning is that the Lord hath formed the whole man all the parts of his body though he nameth only these two as the seates and instruments of those noble senses of hearing and seeing which are mentioned with them and these together with all the rest he enableth and quickneth to doe their office ¶ Our members and senses are the workemanship and gift of Doct. God No art can make them nor all the power of all creatures if they should vnite their strength together were sufficient to fashion so much as a Finger or Toe or any other limme and put feeling into it The honour hereof the Lord doth challenge to himselfe in that speech of his to Moses Who hath giuen the Exod. 4. ver 11. mouth to man or who hath made the dumbe or the deafe or him that seeth or the blinde Haue not I the Lord First it is not in the power of creatures to doe smaller matters Reas 1 then to make eyes and eares they cannot make haires nay they cannot giue coulour to their haires which are made to their handes and grow vpon their heades that which is blacke they Matth. 5. v. 36. cannot change into white and that which is white they cannot turne into blacke now he that is not able to doe the lesse will lesse be able to doe the greater Secondly if any part of man or of other liuing creatures or of plants or of any naturall body or substance might be made without Gods owne hand he should cease to be an absolute creatour and creatures that could doe these feates would become demy-creatours Instruction to depend vpon him for the preseruation of our Vse senses and members who is the sole and only maker of them and therefore also let them be continually imployed in his seruices We can no otherwise deale so safely for our selues nor so thankefully with him as to consecrate his owne workemanship to his owne glory It were an vnworthy part of vs and might worthily bereaue vs of the vse of our life or dearest members to bestow his gifts of this nature or valew in contempt or neglect of him vpon his greatest enimies sinnefulnesse and Sathan But may it not be done so closely and with such secresie as he shall neuer know of it to take offence at it Is it not possible to delight our selues with our vnlawful actions and serue our owne turnes by abusing of our tongues and yet all be hidden from God Vnderstand yee vnwise among the people and yee stoles when Psal 94. v. 8. 9. will yee be wise he that planted the eare shall he not heare or he that formed the eye shall he not see But that we may inioy the right vse of our senses our selues and not haue them infectious and noysome to our soules and may also render to him due praise for them actually by them it shall be needefull to haue recourse to him and seeke his helpe that as they were created by his hand and are depraued by our corruptions so he would againe repaire the same and sanctifie them to spirituall seruices For otherwise a man quicke sighted in earthly thinges may be starke blinde in heauenly and he that hath a ready eare to listen vnto mens speeches may be vtterly deafe at the Counsailes of God And that caused Moses to obraide the carnall Israelites in the wildernesse with such a palpable senselessenesse saying vnto them Yee haue seene all that the Lord did before your eyes Deut. 29. v. 2. 3. 4 in the land of Aegipt vnto Pharao and vnto all his seruants and vnto all his land the great temptations which thine eyes haue seene those great miracles and wonders yet the Lord hath not giuen you an hart to perceiue and eyes to see and eares to heare vnto this day Consolation for them that profitably exercise their soules and senses in obeying of Gods holy will and doing good to his people he hath more interest in their members by right of creation especially being also incorporated into the body of Christ then they can haue by vertue of possession and therefore he will looke alwaies better vnto them for protection and defence then they at any time can doe and therefore not only their bones are kept by him that not one of them shall be broken for their hart but likewise the haires of their head are numbred that none of them shall miscarry Keeping themselues therefore in his fauour they may bouldly expect safety or though sometimes they be sicke sore lame wounded maymed depriued of sight decayed in their hearing or subiect to other like impediments yet such is the tender care of their heauenly Father towardes them that he will be more prouident for their recuring then any parent and such is his skill and power that he is more able to repaire and heale them then any or all the Chirurgions and Physitions through the whole world If the maladies therfore of any good man doe proue sometimes incurable and cannot be holpen it proceedeth not from the defect of his loue as though he neglected to doe them good nor from any want of ability in him as though it were beyond his power to recure them for it is alwaies easie with him to recure that which himselfe did make but from his holy wisdome knowing the continuance of bodily infirmities to be healthfull for their soules till that perfect restitution and reparation be made of life limmes and senses at the glorious Resurrection Confutation of those that ascribe all the members of the body with the powers and faculties of the soule to nature generation conception and second causes and looke not to God who is the Lord of nature and the causer of all mediate and subordinate causes The Prophet Dauid had an hart that vnderstood more and an eye that pierced further when he yeeldeth to the Lord the honour aswell of his conception as of creation saying Thou hast couered me in my Mothers wombe I will praise Psal 139. v. 13. thee for I am fearefully and wonderfully made My bones are not hidde from thee though I was made in a secret place and fashioned
throne shall be established for euer First God exalteth and depresseth he setteth vp and plucketh Reas 1 downe he maketh men to stand fast or to fall from their places according to his owne will and are not righteous rulers then sure of best protection who do him best seruice and most please him in their gouernment Secondly no might or munition no Warlike skill or armes or whatsoeuer else may seeme defensiue are of such force for the safegard of any potentate as are the hearty and feruent prayers of the faithfull and what vpright and mercifull gouernour is not euery where continually inuironed with them Thirdly the Lord out of his goodnes in loue to his people wil vphold and defend a worthy ruler as he that is prouident for his flocke will keepe and maintaine a skilfull and faithfull sheepeheard See other proofes reasons and the vses in the sixteenth Chapter v. 12. Verse 29. The glory of young men is their strength and the honour of the aged is the grayhead THe glory of the young is their strength It is an ornament vnto them and praise for them to be strong valiant and full of agility and courage if they vse these gifes wel and exercise them profitably in their callings and for the good of the common wealth wherein they line for otherwise if they bee boisterous violent and giuen to fighting and quarrelling especially if they imbolden themselues therewith to robberies or such like villanies they are no more commendable in them then is the strength of great Beares or other wilde beasts which are noysome and hurtfull Goliah and Og and the Anakims and other Gyants were tall men yea huge and strong and yet are neither praise worthy nor praised and the honour of the aged is the grayhead the white haires which publish their aunciency and the multitude of yeares which they haue liued doe bring credite and reuerence vnto them so that they be garnished with grauity wisdome and other vertues as it is sayed Old age is a crowne of Glory when it is found in the way of righteousnesse Chap. 16. v. 31. ¶ God doth adorne men with seuerall giftes according to Doct. the diuersity of their conditions Some are decked with iudgement and wisedome some are armed with fortitude and power some excell in one grace and some in another I haue written vnto you fathers saith S. Iohn because ye haue knowne him that is from the beginning 1. Iohn 2. 14. I haue written vnto you young men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye haue ouercome that wicked one And as seuerall ages haue their seuerall ornaments for them that are Godly so haue seuerall states or at least the Lord doth qualifie his people with vertues and graces such as are fit for their present estates and therefore Saint Iames incourageth the brother of lowe degree to reioyce in that he is exalted againe him that is rich in that Jam. 19. 10 he is made lowe That poore Christians shold comfort themselues in their spirituall promotion and the wealthy in their gratious humiliation First thereby the Lord dooth set forth the riches of his Reas 1 goodnesse and power who hath such choise of robes in his Wardroppe to cloath his children and of iewels to adorne them that he can decke so many yea all and euery one of them if neede were with different sorts Secondly it is expedient for the common good both of Church and Common-wealth for the promoting of Christianity and the preseruation of humane society that there should be variety of gifts among men and some to excell in one kinde and some in another It was commodious for Israel that Dauid was puissant warlike and victorious against his enemies that God had girded him with strength Psal 18. to battell and taught his hands to fight so that he could breake a Bow of Brasse with his armes And it was a great benefite to them that Salomon was wise wealthy and peaceable and freed the land from warres and troubles S. Paul bestowed well neare a whole Chapter in this Argument to the Corinthians in declaring and proouing and amplifying of the matter To one saith he is giuen the word of Wisedome to another the wordes of Knowledge to another the gifts of Healing to another diuersities of tongues some are Apostles some are Prophets some Teachers some workers of miracles some helpers some Gouernours c. Instruction that no man be proude and high-minded for Vse ought that he hath in himselfe more then his brethren neyther yet repine or be discouraged at the gifts of his brethren beyond his owne for no man excelleth as chiefe and principall in euery faculty but he that taketh place before all in some things must be content to giue place and come behinde many in other things The eye is honoured with that necessary and noble sense of seeing and so is the eare with that worthy and needfull sense of hearing and the nose is preferred before them both in that profitable and vsefull sense of smelling And likewise is each member apparelled and decked with such vestures and ornaments as are most seemely for it and proper vnto it the hand requireth not shooes as the foote doth nor the foot needeth gloues as the hand doth a garter is vncomely about the necke and so is a chaine about the legge If the members then of the naturall body of man be satisfied with those induments which nature hath allotted vnto them and doe willingly yeelde to their fellow members that which belongeth vnto them and in loue one to another and for their own sake helpe to inuest them with the same why should the members of the mysticall body of Christ be discontented with those indowments where with grace hath qualified them or disdain that their fellow brethren should in any respect be made equall or superiour to them when it is for the publique good of many Let yong men therfore how fresh in wit or strength soeuer they be yet honour and not despise the ancient who by long experience and obseruation are of deeper iudgment and better able to giue counsell though they be weaker in body and haue defects in their senses and let the aged giue countenance and good encouragement to them of younger yeares if they be honest and vertuous and not scorne them as greene heads and vnskilfull if they be ingenuous and teachable for albeit they haue lesse vnderstanding to speake and giue direction yet they may haue greater power to practise and put matters in execution as the one sort will serue for the eyes and tongues of the Common-wealth to finde out and declare what is meete to be done so will the other for feete and handes to goe to the places whither they shall be sent and to performe the seruices whereunto they shall be called Verse 30. The blewnesse of the wound serueth to purge the euill and the stripes within the bowels of the bellie THe
be filled with grauell THis whole sentence is allegoricall wherein vnlawfull gaine is resembled to foode the delight that it first bringeth to the pleasant taste of delitious meats the minde to a mans mouth and the mischiefes that follow to grit or little stones which are very offensiue to the teeth The bread of deceite all manner of maintenance or commodities craftily cruelly or by any vniust means compassed and gotten is sweet to a man maketh a worldling and an vnrighteous person ioyfull and glad but afterwards eyther in his life time or at his death or in the world to come his mouth shall be filled with grauell some great and grieuous miseries shall befall him For eyther his conscience will stinge and bite him and so he shall be vexed with feares and horrours or else the hand of God will inflict punishment and plagues vpon him and so he shall be ouer-whelmed with anguish and torments ¶ Nothing is so pleasant to the wicked as that which is most Doct. 1 hurtfull By this vnlawfull lucre his neighboure is wronged his owne conscience burdened his soule and bodie both in daunger to be destroyed and that for euer and yet it is for his tooth it more delighteth him then his dinner It hath beene alwaies and euery where to be found that the baites of sinne are more delectable to fleshly men then the blessings of God See Chap. 9. ver 17. ¶ But afterwards c. Though iniquity and wickednesse yeelde Doct. 2 pleasures at the beginning yet they will put men to paine in the end The Diuell stroweth suger on the top of his cup of sinne to incourage them that drinke therof to take a good draught but he mingleth poyson in the bottom which working their destruction will turne to be as bitter as gaule Our great Grandmother Euah tasted thereof and felt this to be true by wofull experience being deceiued by the faire colour and delicious relish of the forbidden fruite and by Satans false testimony making her beleeue that disobeying the commandement of God she should purchase to her selfe some rare and singular happines And all seemed to be so vntil she had vndoneal by drawing her husband into the same transgressiō with her And Iudas no doubt thoght that he had made a good match when he recouered the fauour of the high Priests and principall men and gained such a summe of money by selling of his Master but the onely beginning of the misery which followed did soone swallow vp all the delight that went before We might proue the point most clearely by instancing in seuerall kindes of sinnes and shewing the euent of particulars but one or two may suffice for many Concerning Prou. 5. 3. 4. Whoredome thus testifieth Salomon The lippes of a strange woman droppe as an hony combe and her mouth is more soft then oyle But the end of her is bitter as Wormewood and sharpe as a two edged sword And against drunkennesse this admonition he giueth Prou. 23. 31. 32. Looke not thou vpon the Wine when it is redde and when it sheweth his colour in the cuppe or goeth downe pleasantly In the end therit will bite like a Serpent and hurt like a Cockatrice See Chap. 9. verse 18. Vers 18. Establish thy thoughts by counsaile and by prudent aduise make warre HE giueth in these wordes a caueat that no man should leane too much on his owne iudgement nor too sodainely resolue on enterprises without mature deliberation and sound direction Establish thy thoughts by counsaile that thy purposes be not variable and vnconstant and that thy proceedings be not without prosperous successe and so vncomfortable make as sure worke as thou canst both to confirme thy minde and to manage thine affaires in the best manner and therefore communicate thy matters with such thy friendes as are both wise and faithfull And looke well to this that Gods holy word be one and the chiefe euen best regarded and most obeyed of all thy counsailours so that nothing be practised or hearkned to against it And by prudent aduise make warre especially in all matters of weight of which sort warre is wherein the estates of Countries and the liues of many persons are hazarded let nothing be rashly attempted but all thinges well considered of and consultation had with men of piety vnderstanding skill and experience ¶ A mans wisdome serueth him for best vse when he will not Doct. 1 rest vpon it alone but be holpen by the counsaile of others See Chap. 15. vers 22. ¶ By prudent aduise make warre c. Wisdome and good counsaile Doct. 2 are as needefull and auaileable for warre as strength and power If there be much armour and little policy if many resolute Souldiers to fight and few discreet Captaines to leade if they haue strong bodies and weake iudgements a great army may be easily vanquished of a small company Though a field were full of armed Gyants and euery one of them a Goliah yet if they were blinde and depriued of their eye-sight who had cause to stand in feare of them and of whom among all their enimies had they not reason to stand in feare And who be blinder in their bodies then they that be rash and led with proude conceites and selfe-liking are in their mindes Now let vs see what other Texts of Scripture doe accord with this for the confirmation of this point In the foure and twentith Chapter of this booke it is said A wise man is strong for a man of vnderstanding Prouerb 24. 5. 6. increaseth his strength For with counsaile thou shalt exercise thy warre and in the multitude of them that can giue counsaile there is health And in Ecclesiasticus there is a saying not much different from this in sense and meaning Better is wisdome then Eccl. 9. v. 16. 18. strength though the wisdome of the poore be despised and his wordes not heard Better is wisdome then weapons of warre and one that swarueth from it destroyeth much good First successe and victory are not according to the forces of Reas 1 men but according to the pleasure of God A King saith he Tsal 33. 16. 17. is not saued by the multitude of an hoast neither is the Mighty man deliuered by great strength An horse is a vaine helpe and shall not deliuer any by his strength Now whom will he best prosper but those which are most seruiceable vnto him And who performe such acceptable seruice as they which haue vnderstanding and seeke vnderstanding which are able to giue counsaile and yet in the humblenesse of their spirits and sight of their owne wants are diligent and studious to learne counsaile Secondly the vse of wisdome and faithfull aduise for matters of warre in many respects is most expedient and necessary It examineth whether the cause be righteous or vniust or whether it be seasonable or vnseasonable to take it in hand What hastened Achabs destruction and caused him to be slaine and perish