in the world to teach vs that it is impossible for vs to make right vse of troubles and to beare our selues in prosperitie and aduersitie as we ought vntill we become schollers to the word of God and submit our selues vnto the same Nowe as the word of God is the meanes of this comfortable assurance so is it not alwayes effectual to worke this assurance vnto vs except we vse it as it should be vsed of vs some think it sufficient to haue it in their house like the talēt hid in the napkin Some thinke it enough to heare it read at church or to reade it thē selues at home some thinke it necessary to be preached and expounded but not materiall whether they come at the preaching or no like Micah who thought himself safe whē he had a leuite in his house some thinke it sufficient if they heare it but they wilbe at their choise whether to beléeue it or no some giue credit vnto it thinking it to be true hold that to be sufficient when they come neither reuerently nor hūbly prepared vnto it but will be at libertie to descant vpon it and to censure both preaching and preacher at their pleasure like the proud cauilling auditors of Ezechiell which talked iested against him when they were amongst them selues and made as much accompt of his preaching as of a fidlers song Some think it sufficient if they heare it once a yeare once a moneth or once a quarter some thinke it sufficient if the word sound in a Church it is no matter out of whose mouth it come whether the speaker haue a calling or no calling but the parish Clarke and the parish Priest is all one to them But if they haue a Preacher then all is cocke sure on their side then they must néedes be sure of Gods loue Some againe thinke the plaine and bare word of God not sufficient to work this cōfortable assurance without a mixture of Rhetorick Philosophy Schoole-trickes Poetrie profane writers Gréeke Latin and merrie iests c. as they that crie Prophecie of new wine and strong drinke and if they haue these things clattering about their eares then they go away from y e church as full as a bladder filled with wind And some againe hold opiniō that if the preacher stand neuer so litle aboue his hower at any time it is inough to marre all that went before And some thinke that if there be any mention made of Gods iudgements against their sinnes it is inough to driue them to despaire and so quite from the exercises And many post off all hearing of the word or vsing any holy exercises of religion vntil they be stricken with age or sickenesse like the foolish Uirgins which put off all to the last cast Now all these would be assured of Gods fauour when affliction doth assaile thē yea thinke themselues sure of it howsoeuer the world shall go with them but they all deceiue them selues First they which thinke the bare reading of it to be sufficient but the expounding applying thereof to be a néedlesse thing they deceiue them selues for as reading is a good and holy meanes for the confirmation of faith and the consolation of the inward man so without the opening of the word applying of the same this comfortable assurance of Gods louing fauour is not ordinarily wrought whereby the soule is brought to rest in the bed of peace For proofe whereof we are to listen to the voyce of God himself which is the best iudge in this behalfe Iob both handleth the case and determineth the case very plainly A man is stricken with sorow vpon his bed and the grife of his bones is sore So that his life causeth him to abhorre bread and his soule daintie meate His flesh fayleth that it cannot be seene and his bones clatter So that he draweth to the graue and his life to the buriers meanig that his afflictiō both of body soule is so extreme that by meanes thereof he is brought to deaths doore Now sée what must comfort this man If there be a messenger or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare vnto man his righteousnesse Then wil God haue mercie vpon him and will say deliuer him that he go not downe to the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation Then shall his flesh be as fresh as a childs and shall returne as in the dayes of his youth He shall pray vnto God and he will be fauourable vnto him and he shall see his face with ioy c. These are great things and therefore Iob saith that he that should do them must be a messenger he must be sent of God he must be an interpreter of the will of God a rare man one of a thousand therefore a blind reader is not sufficiēt for these things The Eunuch was reading the prophet Esay by him selfe but he knew not what he read vntill Philip expounded it vnto him after that he beléeued he was baptized he went on his way reioycing The Iaylour was in his desperate dumps and but in a mad mood when for feare he went about to kil himself but after Paule had preached vnto him the word of the Lord he beléeued in Christ and reioyced that he and his beléeued in God for then had he the assurance of Gods fauour in Christ Iesus which he had not before to shew vs how necessarie the preaching of the word is for the working of this assurance To this agréeth also the Apostle S. Paule for saith he We being iustified by fayth in Christ haue peace with God but this faith is wrought by hearing hearing by the preaching of the word of God All which do teach vs that if we would haue the assurance of Gods louing fauour in our troubles and on our death bed we must frequent the preaching of the word of God not because God cannot worke faith without the meanes of preaching but because in his singular wisedome mercy he hath appointed this means and promised a blessing to his own appointment and to none else This meanes being neglected the comfort is abated and the assurance is hazarded our faith is weakened and the deuil aduantaged against vs. And this may appeare to be true by the parable of the worldlings which preferred their oxen farmes their ploughs and their families before y e feast of the word not denying it to be good but they had businesse to do and they could not intend it and therefore in the end were shut quite out from the feast of Gods louing fauour This may further be séene in the confession of the Church and Spouse of Christ which Salomon hath recorded in his booke of Songs the fift Chapter My beloued saith the Church knocked and called saying Open vnto me my sister my loue my doue my vndefiled for
not all things yet he knew that God loued him and so long as he knoweth that he passeth not greatly for other matters how the world goeth with him c. And to say the truth he néede not for he that is sure of that is sure of all God loueth all his creatures as a good God and hateth nothing that he made but he loueth his elect children with a more special loue then y e rest as a father in Christ Iesus he that is sure that God doth so fauour him is sure I say of al. For to him whō God loueth he wil denie no good thing no not his owne sonne and if he gaue vs his sonne because he loued vs how shall he not with him giue vs all things els When the child is perswaded that his father loueth him he is bold to aske this that of his father so may we be bold to aske any thing of God our heauēly father that is good for vs when we be sure that he loueth vs. As Mary and Martha put Christ in minde but of two things the first was that Christ loued their brother Lazarus the second was that Lazarus was sicke He whō thou louest is sicke it was no néede to tell him what he should do for they knew he would do what might be done for him because he loued him So we may say to the Lord when we are sure that he loueth vs Lord he whō thou louest wanteth this or that for his body or his soule we néede not then appoint him what to do or whē or how for looke what he séeth most conuenient for vs for his owne glory he wil surely do it Therfore whatsoeuer Dauid knoweth he will be sure to know this whatsoeuer he be ignoraūt of yet of this he will not be ignoraūt To teach vs y t whatsoeuer we séeke to make sure this must first be made sure or els nothing is sure Peter bids vs make our election sure Iob when he saith I am sure that my redeemer liueth teacheth vs to make our redēption sure And here Dauid teacheth vs to make Gods fauour sure now if we make that sure thē our election is sure our redemption is sure our vocatiō is sure and our saluation is sure The suter desireth but the fauour of his beloued what doth the child desire of his father but fauour what doth the subiect séeke for of his Prince but fauour as Hester desired nothing but that the king would hold out his golden scepter to her in token of fauour what doth the prisoner craue but fauour And all these thinke thē selues in good estate if they may know that they be in fauour And shall not we thinke our selues sure whē we are sure that God doth fauour vs whose loue is aboue the loue of Princes aboue the loue of fathers and mothers yea aboue all loues Yea no doubt of it for if we make that sure then our Prince is sure our kingdome is sure our Cities are sure our bodies are sure our soules are sure and all is sure for who dare hurt or who can touch him whom God fauoreth they touch the very aple of his eye Shall we labour and trauaile to be sure of loue which is mutable not of that loue which is vnchaungeable mans loue is mixt with hatred and is commonly more like hatred then loue but Gods loue is perfect without any mixture whom men fauour they fauour for a while but whom God loueth he loueth to the end euen for euer Shal we then séeke for the scraps let the feast go shall we go the crickes whē we may go to the sea nay to filthy puddles when pure fountaines are by so we may soone proue as wise as Esaw that chaunged his birth right for right naught nay so we proue as foolish as Iudas that valued y e good-will of the Iewes aboue the loue of Christ but he gat nothing by it by that time he and the gallowes had reckned together Dauid makes more accompt of Gods fauour then of his kingdome yea then of victorie against his enemies as if he should say my foes do not triumph against me that is well for me but by this I know that thou louest me that is better We haue markes to know euery thing by sauing the loue of God but of that we thinke we are sure for we thinke so well of our selues that God must néedes loue vs whether we will or no as y t Papistes which set their good workes vpon the score make God indebted to them for their workes and therefore we regard neither the time when nor the place where nor the persons by whō nor the tokens by which the Lord doth offer to make his loue knowen vnto vs. When the seruaūts of Benhadad king of Aram went with ropes about their neckes to Achab king of Israel to entreat for their maisters life they gaue diligēt héede if they could catch any thing of Achabs mouth that might be a signe of fauour and when they heard him call Benhadad his brother oh how glad were they How did they play vpon that word how did they féede their hope vpon it they made hast and said Thy brother liueth The Lord hath greater aduantage against vs thē euer Achab had against Benhadad for he did flye from Achab so can not we from the Lord he did hide himselfe from Achab so can not we from the Lord Bēhadad had seruāts to send to king Achab but what spokesmen shall we send to the Lord we must come forth our selues Achab had power but against the body of Benhadad the Lord hath power against both our bodies and soules king Achabs power was subiect to the Lordes power but who shall withstand the Lordes power for his counsel shall stand If Achab had exercised his power vpō Benhadad it had bene but for a time but if the Lord should execute his wrath vpon vs if it were kindled yea but litle it would flame for euer now if we did consider these things well if we were asmuch afrayde of the king of heauen as they were of the king of Israell and if our miserable daungers and daungerous miseries did as nearely touch vs as theirs did touch them we would take as diligent héede to y e words of God as they did to the wordes of king Achab and we would be as glad to heare a word that might be as a token of fauour as they were but alas we do not consider we are not touched nor moued therfore when y e Lord doth by his messengers entreat vs to be saued wooe vs by all the names tokēs of loue we regarde not the Lord open our eyes to see in what a desperate case we stand and let vs make more reckening of Gods loue tokens then we do if not shall not the Aramites rise vp in iudgement against vs When the Angell came downe to stirre vp the poolé of
the Lord giue a blessing that they may be profitable Now let vs pray THE SIXTH SERMON December 19. 5. Sabboth Blessed be the Lord God of Israell world without end So be it euen so be it THe Prophet Dauid hauing receiued assuraunces of Gods fauour towards him he prayseth God the giuer What tokeÌ„s he had of Gods loue both without him and within him we haue heard in the verses before of his behauiour after the receipt therof we shall heare in this last verse He now returneth to God for his iewells such as he had prayse thaÌ„ksgiuing loue for loue praises for blessings as was his duety The Lord of loue wooeth Dauid his beloued he hath woÌ„ne his affectioÌ„ Dauid is y e Lords both in body and soule in all that he hath Dauid is happy thereby for he is samed therby but y e Lord is neuer y e richer for his gift In Dauids thankesgiuing we may obserue two things first to whoÌ„ he offereth his sacrifice of praise secoÌ„dly in what maner he offereth it For y e first it is y â— Lord to whoÌ„ he doth offer it to none but the Lord. Papistes say blessed be God our Layd blessed be God such a sainct such a sainct for this y e blessing so doth not Gods child here Ergo they are not Gods childreÌ„ in so doing A maÌ„ after Gods owne hart doth not so Ergo they are not men after Gods owne hart in doing so Great reason had Dauid great reasoÌ„ haue all y e faithfull to prayse God onely for first who kept Dauids enemies froÌ„ triuÌ„phing against him but the Lord who vpheld him in his integrity but y e Lord who set him before his face for euer but y e Lord therefore who must be praysed but the Lord This was y e Lords own doing this was y e Lords onely doing therfore he onely is to be praysed Again the Lord which saueth vs euen for his own name sake wil not haue his glory parted betwéene him his creatures but giuen wholly to himselfe as y e Prophet Esay saith â—herfore cursed be they whatsoeuer they be y â— dare ioyne any whatsoeuer as partners w t God either in his workes or in his worship For his maner forme of praising God it is most excelleÌ„t for he doth it in such wordes maner as noteth a woÌ„derfull earnest affectioÌ„ in him towardes y e Lord a great zeale of his glorie great humilitie in him selfe a great feare least he should not doe it as he ought for first he doth not say simply blessed be God but blessed be the Lord God of Israell to shew that nothing in him selfe deserued such loue at Gods hands but onely the couenaunt which y e Lord made with his Church moued him thereunto Dauid being a member of the Church Secondly as Gods loue is infinite and euerlasting so accordingly he praiseth his name for it saying world without end Thirdly to shew his hartie and vnfained coÌ„sent to that which he spake he saith So be it and as one not repeÌ„ting him of that he had said but rather fearing that he came too short in the first he doubleth his speech and with a second blow to rouse vp his hart and affection which were scant awakened with the first he saith So be it and againe I say So be it So be it euen so be it The doctrine that is to be gathered from this verse ariseth two wayes first from the matter subiect secondly from the forme of y e words The matter subiect of the verse is Dauids thankesgiuing to the Lord for that he had so many wayes sealed vp and made sure his loue vnto his soule From which example we may gather this general doctrine that after benefits receiued of God it is our dutie and our delight to returne thankes vnto the Lord if Gods loue be swéete vnto vs. And this dutie can none performe aright but the elect children of God which are led by Gods spirit endued with Gods grace enriched with Gods benefites and inflamed with his loue All of vs do begge and craue like lepers but scarce one of ten do returne praises and thankesgiuing for our healing as though Gods gifts were not worth thaÌ„ks We are not so kinde to the Lord for all his benefites as we are to a mortall man for one curtesie Onely the faithfull being once throughly enlightened and effectually called are afraid to omit or neglect this dutie and when they do faile therein they are not a litle grieued thereat and that they do for Gods spirit is in them Therefore as they pray by the spirit so by the same spirite they praise God alwayes knitting vp their prayers with thankesgiuing for they must not be separated Daniell prayed praised God thrée times a day on his knées no doubt he did it oftener as occasion was offred but this he bound him selfe vnto what businesse soeuer he had because of his dulnesse to teach vs what we must do But how many deuour the graces of God one after another like a hogge vnder the trée neuer looking vp to the trée from whence they come as though all that God sendeth were nothing Some are afraid to be acknowen who did them good or gaue them goods like the blind mans father who for feare of the Iewes durst not tel who gaue his sonne his sight Some are ashamed like Sarah who laughed at the Angels message when she should rather haue giuen thankes this is because the wicked mocke the godly for praising of God as the sonne of the bond woman mocked the sonne of the frée woman and it is now become a reproch to speake any one word amongst many to the praise of God whereof it commeth that the most part both at bed and boord do so commonly forget to prayse the Lord but like beasts they sit and lye down and like beasts they rise vp againe But litle may we do beloued if we cannot by prayer aske leaue of God to take his blessings when we haue no right to any thing but in Christ and litle may we do if we cannot giue him thanks acknowledge him to be the giuer Thus like théeues we steale the Lords benefites and do nothing for them as if we should boldly goe into our neighbours house take our diner and his plate and go away and neuer say with your leaue nor I thanke you the Lord open our eyes and touch our hearts Some that would séeme to be a litle more manerly will vtter nay I may more truely say smother out a few cold words of course like gossips protestants at large when they meete one another Here is a goodly weather God be praised Oh you haue a swéete child neighbour God blesse him God be thaÌ„ked of your vpsitting or your comming abrode againe and so foorth but if any thing be added more then these common gratulations whereby God may reape