as intreat of the resurrection last Iudgement and the glory of heauen proue it Now for the other sort that confesse the life of the Soule after the last Iudgement but deny that the Soule liues after death till then there are diuers Scriptures against their opinion As First the former Scriptures The Soule cannot be killed at all Math. 10. And God was presently the God of Abraham as then liuing and for eternal life it is not said He shal haue but He hath eternall life that beleeueth Secondly Christ said to the theefe This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise not at the last day Thirdly Rom. 8.38 Death cannot separate vs from God in Christ as it would if the Soule were dead or a-sleepe and did not enioy God Fourthly the dead that die in the Lord are forthwith blessed Reuel 14.14 Fiftly the soules of Abraham and Lazarus were in ioy and aliue after death so was the soule of Diues in hell Sixtly Iohn saw vnder the Altar the soules of them that were slaine for the testimony of Iesus and they cried with a loud voice O Lord how long c. Reuel 6. Seuenthly the soules of the wicked die not but are kept in prison and are now in prison too 1. Pet. 3.19 Before I leaue this point of the immortalitie of the soule it is profitable briefly to answere certaine obiections which may bee brought out of some words in the Scriptures as Ob. 1. The Soule that sinneth shall die Ezeth 18. Therfore it seems the soule is mortall or at least for sin it must die and the rather because it was threatned in Paradise That day that thou eatest therof thou shalt die the death Sol. The Scriptures euidently shewe that since the fall and sinne yet the Soule doth not die as the places before alleaged proue But the answere is that this death threatned or inflicted is not the destruction of the being of the Soule but the depriuing of it of the grace and fauour and presence of God Ob. 2. Eccles. 3. It is said that there is one end of the man and of the beast As dieth the one so dieth the other Sol. These are not the words of Salomon but of the Epicure who is here as in other places of that booke brought in declaring his minde of things For Salomon himselfe concludeth euidently that the Soule returneth vnto God that gaue it as in the last Chapter The other obiections are the obiections of the dreamers that is of such as imagine that the Soule lieth a-sleepe till the day of Iudgement and perceiues nothing and is without operation which is to say it is dead seeing life is nothing else but the continuall motion and action of the Soule Ob. 1. It is said that man when he dies that he sleepeth as Christ said that Lazarus He sleepeth and Stephen slept in the Lord Iohn 11. Act â—7 Sol. Other Scriptures adde another word viz. in the graue or in the dust Iob 7.21 and Psalme 78. sleeping in their graues but it is euident that the Soule cannot sleepe in the graue but the body onely And Stephen deliuered his Spirit to Christ. Ob. 2. Paul saith that if the body rise not we are of all men most miserable That it seemes cannoâ— be true if the Soule enioy blessednesse without the body Sol. The immortalitie of the Soule and the resurrection of the body are conioyned For the Soule without the body can be for euer because it is the forme of the body though God for the time do by his power and grace prouide for the Soule in glory yet it is not at full happinesse till it be ioyned to the body againe For without the body it hath no vse of vegetation or sences but onely of reason But for the Argument of the Apostle it holds good of that part of man which is in question which is the body of man For the bodies of Godly men are more miserable then other men kept vnder and exposed to many restraints and paines eyther by mortification or persecution which the bodies of wicked men are not exposed vnto Ob. 3. It is said of the spirit of Princes that it returneth to his Earth and in the day of death his thoughts perish So the Soule thinkes of nothing after death till the day of iudgement Sol. The place is corruptly alleaged two waies One in the Words the other in the Sence for the text doth not say That his Spirit returneth to his earth but thus his Spirit returneth viz. out of his body to God and he not it returneth to the earth viz. in respect of his body for the other these words his thoughts perish must not be vnderstood of his vnderstanding after death but of his proiects while hee liued For men are exhorted not to trust in Princes For they may die and then all their promises and proiects will bee of no vse and come to nothing Obiect 4. It is said that the dead cannot praise God Psal. 88. and 1 13. and 30. Sol. That the soules of the godly in heauen doe praise God is manifest Reuel 5.11 13.14 and 19.1 Now the Scriptures cannot bee contrary one to another and therefore the places in the Psalmes must not bee taken simply but onely in some respect The dead doe praise God but not as the liâ—ing did in their liues their praises cannot prouoke other men to beleeue in God or serue him as in this life they might Thus of the immortality of the soule The next thing to bee inquired after is about the originall of the soule and about this point in seueral ages diuers men haue breathed diuers and strange conceits erring because they knew not or regarded not the Scriptures First some conceiued so highly of the soule as to think it was no creature but vncreated and eternall without beginning but this must needes bee false 1. Because then the soule should bee God and infinite too For God onely is vncreated 2. Because then the soule had vnderstanding and thoughts and willed from eternity whereas till it was in our bodies it did not work and to imagine it should bee as a dead lump all that while is monstrously absurd Secondly others haue conceiued that when men die their soules goe into the bodies of other men that be borne and so our soules heeretofore were the soules of some men that bee dead This was the opinion of diuers of the Philosophers and it is apparant that diuers of the Iewes were infected with it for about Christ they said some that hee was Elias some that he was Ieremias and some one of the Prophets and some Iohn Baptist. Now they saw that his body was not theirs and therefore they thought that his soule was the soule of some of them Now this opinion cannot bee true 1. Because no Scripture giues any notice of it For in that place the conceit of the Iewes is told with dislike 2. Because the soules that were deliuered out of the miseries
of this life should be brought from their blessednes into misery againe which in most absurd Thirdly Others haue imagined that the Angels should beget our soules as our parents beget our bodies But this is extremely absurd 1. Because then our soules should bee in the Image of Angels whereas they were made in the Image of God 2. Because this was an heresy long since condemned and with hatred cast out of the Church Fourthly many Diuines both of antient and modern Writers haue declared themselues to be of the minde that the soule comes from the parents by generation per traducem and that the parents doo beget the whole man which consists of soule as well as body Now though it bee true that this opinion hath had and still hath great patrones and that it may not be denied but that it is defended with maruellous great appearance of reason and truth yet it is reiected and hath been by the greater part of sound Diuines and by reasons vnanswerable for if the soule come from the parents then it must come either from the body of the parents or from their soules Now it is apparant it cannot come from their bodies 1. Because a bodily substance cannot beget a spirituall substance because it cannot deriue from it self that which it hath not 2. Because the soule must consist of the foure elements of which the body is compounded but it is apparant there are no bodily humours in the soule for it is not hot nor cold nor moist nor dry 3. Because nothing that is mortall can beget a thing that is immortall such as the soule hath been proued to be Nor can the soule come from the soule of the parents First because if it did either the whole soule was deriued of the parents or but a part of it If the whole soule was deriued then the parents should die nor can a part of the soule bee deriueed because the soule is indiuisible there can be no partition in an essence which is simple and vncompounded Secondly wee knowe that the Angels produce not Angels nor can the soules of men produce soules because they are spirits as the Angels are Nor can the soule come from the whole man First because it is euident by experience that after the parents haue done the work of generation the first matter lies diuers daies in the womb in which the parts of the body are secretly formed before it haue life or a liuing and quickning soule which is an euident demonstration that from the parents comes nothing but the bodily substance which is fashioned by degrees to be a meet Tabernacle for the soule afterwards to bee infused into Secondly because if the parents did propagate the soule they must propagate such a soule as at that time they had which cannot bee for then godly parents should deriue a soule to their children which at the least in part was regenerate But this is euidently against all Scripture all confessing that the childe is born infected with originall sin Thirdly because it is contrary to the Scriptures which acknowledge that the soule was formed by God himself which was true both of our first parent Adam Gen. 2.7 and of the soules of all his posterity which are expresly said to bee made by GOD Esay 57. verse 16. Lastly it remains then that the soules come from God Now if the soules come from God then it must needs bee as GOD is the materiall cause or as he is the efficient cause It is true that some haue imagined that the soule of man was made of the substance of God because it is said GOD breathed into man the breath of life Gen. 2.7 as if hee infused into him somewhat from himself as a part of his diuine substance And the Apostle Paul saith Acts 17.18 We are the Progeny of God and Saint Peter saith We partake of the diuine Nature 2. Pet. 1.4 Now this opinion cannot bee true and was worthily condemned by the Fathers as hereticall for Then man should bee God For whatsoeuer God begets from himself is God and therefore we say Christ is God Then some part of God's nature should bee infected with sinne and ignorance and be damned in hell too which is wonderfull blasphemous to beleeue Now for the places alleaged That in Genes 2. must be vnderstood figuratiuely for God hath not properly breath but he meaneth that God after a wonderfull manner did infuse the soule into the body And for the place in the Acts we are said to be the progeny of God not in regard of substance but in respect of resemblance in gifts with which man's nature is adorned And for the place in Peter we are said to partake of the diuine nature in the same sense namely as we are qualified with gifts as wisdome goodnes holinesse in some kinde of likenes of God It remains then that we are of God effectually because God hath created our soules and formed them in vs. This then is the truth that God doth create the particular soule of euery man and inhere it to the body when it is formed and distinguished in the parts thereof This may bee proued diuersly First it is cleer it was so done with the soule of Adam for his body was already framed and then his soule breathed into him Now if the soule of Eue and of all others had another manner of beginning than the creation of GOD it would haue been mentioned in the Scriptures but that is no where mentioned Secondly Moses cals God the God of the spirits of all flesh Numb 16.22 and 27.16 Thirdly Dauid saith The Lord fashioneth the hearts of all men alike Psalm 33.15 It is GOD's work then to create the heart Fourthly Salomon saith Eccles. 12.7 The body returns to the dust and the soule to GOD that gaue it in the dissolution of all things they return to the first causes and matter As the body may be proued originally to bee of the earth because it returns to dust so must the soule bee of God because it returns to God which is said to haue giuen it Fiftly the Prophet Esay vseth this phrase concerning God and in his name The soules which I haue made Esay 57.16 Doo you ask how the soule comes into the body The Lord answers I made it Sixtly the Prophet Ezechiel shewing how man becoms a liuing creature speaks thus Thus saith the Lord to these bones I will cause a spirit to enter into them and they shall liue Ezech. 37.5 Seuenthly the words of the Prophet Zacharie are yet more cleer Thus saith the Lord The Lord which spreads out the heauens and foundeth the earth and formed the spirit of man in him Out of these words it may be proued that God created the soule of euery man and that it is his onely work For first he saith expresly God formed the spirit in man Secondly this work of God is compared to two other works viz. the spreading out of the heauens and
are his sheepe Zach. 11.7 such as heare his voice and depend onely vpon it and will follow Christ Iohn 10.3 4 5 27. Lastly wee may hence gather how wofull the estate of such people is as either haue no shepheards or euill shepheards set ouer them Zach. 11.4 5. Ezech. 34.4 And Bishop of your soules The godly haue Christ to bee the Bishop of their soules That this point may be more distinctly and profitably conceiued of I would consider of foure things in the explication of it First the vse of the tearme Bishop heere giuen to Christ It was before the Apostles time a foren word much vsed in prophane writers For the originall word heere rendred a Bishop was a tearme giuen to watch-men and spies and ouer-seers of works and sometimes to any sort of Rulers In the Apostles time it seemes the tearme was impropriated and giuen onely to Ministers that had charge of soules For the Apostles appointing certaine men to looke to the bodies of Christians which they tearmed Deacons they appointed other eminent men to looke to the soules of Christians whom they tearmed Bishops as appeares Phi. 1.1 Acts 20.28 In the time of the Apostles the tearme suffered yet a more strict impropriation and was giuen to some especiall Ministers that had Charge not onely of the people but also of the Clergy and in time in some Churches vnto these choice men of the Ministery were added the titles of Barons iurisdiction and power of censures sole power of ordination and the like In this place the Apostle giues the tearme of Bishop to Christ as the first and principall Ouerseer of our soules to whom the charge of their originall doth belong Secondly we must note that Christ is not said to be a Bishop of our soules but The Bishop of our soules which imports that hee is such a Bishop as there is no other like vnto him That charge that Christ hath of our soules hee hath it alone There is no Bishop like to Christ our Bishop for 1. There is no good Bishop but hee For he died for the soules hee hath charge of and so doe not other Bishops and whereas other Bishops may bee vnrebukeable in respect of men sometimes he is vnrebukeable in respect of God and men too neuer any Bishop liued so well or did so much good or loued good men and promoted Gods cause so much as Hee 2. No other Bishop can instruct the flock as hee doth For hee can make his people profit because hee teacheth inwardly whereas they can teach onely outwardly and hee instructs all his flock and makes them all to knowe God from the greatest to the lowest of them which no other Bishop can doe 3. Hee is the onely Bishop because all other Bishops must giue accounts to him 1. Pet. 5.3 4. Hee is the vniuersall Bishop of all soules other Bishops haue their particular Charges or Churches but he hath the charge of all the flocks vnder heauen All Parishes are within his Charge 5. All other Bishops haue their ordination from him they haue no authority but what they receiue from him Acts 20.28 6. Because no other Bishop can take the absolute charge of our soules they are not able to keepe vs our soules haue many diseases which they cannot cure and are assaulted with many aduersaries which they cannot resist c. 7. Because he is a heauenly Bishop they are but earthly and diuers parts of his office hee executes in heauen whereas other Bishops can doe nothing for vs but on earth 8. Because hee is the onely Law-maker the onely Law-giuer to our soules other Bishops can make no lawes but by his authority Iam. 4.11 9. Because the other Bishops may require goodnes in their flocks but cannot make them good hee can make all his people righteous hee is the Lord and their very righteousnes Iere. 23.6 10. Other Bishops die and leaue their flocks vnprouided but he liues euer neuer forsakes his Church but is with them to the end of the world Thirdly who are the charge of Christ Not all that are found in the Charges of other Bishops hee will not stand to our diuision of Parishes he counts by Election and righteousnes All that the Father hath giuen him are his Charge and none else The coherence shewes they are onely penitent sinners Fourthly the happines of such as are vnder his charge which must needs be great O! it is a great comfort to a poor sinner to knowe that Christ hath a Charge of his soule for he shall be sure that Christ will feed his soule and nourish it vp by his Ordinances and will keep him to eternall life and vse him with all tendernesse and compassion A bruized Reed hee will not break and the smoking Flax he will not quench The particulars are metaphorically handled before in the consideration of the benefits wee receiue from Christ as a Shepheard Vses The vses follow and so First for information and so first wee may heer take occasion to think of the preciousnesse of our soules for as they are made of better stuffe than all this visible world being spirits and were redeemed with a greater price than would haue been laid down to redeem this whole world so it heer appeareth because God sets his owne Sonne to tend our soules which should make vs make more reckoning of them and not be so carelesse of them It were an ill bargain To winne the whole world and lose our owne soules Secondly in that he takes Charge of our soules it imports that his Kingdome is not of this world and that he leaueth our bodies and outward estates to the charge of the Kings and Rulers of the earth hee claimes himself chiefly the Charge of our soules Thirdly in spirituall things it is imported that we are to be subiected to such as haue the ouer-sight of vs onely so farre forth as they command vs in the Lord and not otherwise Other Bishops haue their power subordinate to Christ and must in all things see to it that they doo nothing against Christ. Wee are subiect first and originally to Christ the Charge of our soules properly belongs vnto him Fourthly we may heer see what need our soules haue of looking to if they were not in great danger and subiect to many diseases and necessities Christ had neuer taken such a peculiar Charge of them Fiftly it imports the abiect estate of all grosse offenders for if Christ bee the Bishop of soules they cannot belong to his charge For wise and godly men as much as lieth in them cast out notorious offenders and protest against them and therefore will Christ much more cast off and refuse all such seruants of the diuell and the world and Antichrist as will not beare his yoke Sixtly it imports that all Bishops must haue ordination from him and therfore such as cannot shew their calling from Iesus Christ are plants which he will root out Secondly for consolation to
much weaknes and wearinesse 4. For impatience either vnder the crosses of life cast on vs by GOD whereas strangers arm themselues to bear all weathers or vnder the scorns and contempt of the world whereas wee should look for it that the world should gaze at vs and deride vs as vsually men doo at strangers Nor should Christians be at leasure to stay their iourney by seeking reuenge for their wrongs or be troubled if they cannot get preferment in the world Secondly for instruction It should wholly impose vpon vs the care of carrying our selues like strangers and pilgrims 1. By hauing our conuersation without couetousnes 2. By our language speaking alwaies as may become the people of God and heirs of heauen that the men of this world may perceiue by our speech that we are not of this world 3. By our circumspection and desire to liue without offense as a stranger is very heedfull of his waies in all places where he comes 4. By our daily enquiring after the particular way to heauen 5. By our thankfulnesse for the fauours wee find while we are in the world seeing it is a place we are not to look for much in 6. By our apparell If strangers be knowne by their garments then is it a great fault for christians to be found in the fashions of this world 7. By our delight in good company wee should bee glad of any that would go with vs to heauen 8. By our affection homeward our mindes should still be in heauen Nor should godly men bee ouermuch troubled that they are strangers heer in this world and pilgrims in the condition of trauellers for First they are not strangers in the Common-wealth of Israel and in the Kingdome of Christ at the same time they are strangers in respect of their condition in this world Secondly they are well prouided-for at their Innes God prouides their resting-places and no good thing will he with-hold from them That God which commands men to regard strangers and shew them mercy will himself much more be carefull for his strangers Thirdly their pilgrimage will not be long Fourthly they haue good company all the godly trauell their way Fiftly God hath appointed them guides yea Christ himself will be their way Sixtly by praiers they may send home continually Seuenthly it should much comfort them to think what a glorious condition they shall bee in when they come home in the new Ierusalem Thus of the first reason Secondly the lusts must bee auoided because they are fleshly Fleshly These lusts are fleshly in diuers respects First because they please after the flesh which is the corrupt nature of man they hould no delight or shew of profit but to the flesh they are exceeding noisome and grieuous and foolish to the Spirit Secondly because they raign onely in fleshly persons they bee the lusts of Gentiles and such as are strangers from the life of God Godly men complain of them as an extreme misery Rom. 7. 1. Pet. 4.3 Thirdly because they arise most from the body which is but a seruant to the soule and it is an extreme vnmanlinesse for the soule to bee at the command of her seruant the body which concludes against the lusts of vncleannesse riotousnes drunkennesse vanity of apparell c. Fourthly because they proceed from the ould man or corruption of nature or the flesh considered as the enemy to God and man's saluation and so it is an argument taken from the hatefulnes of the flesh and her working in vs. The lusts and desires of the flesh ought to be hatefull and wee should suspect and abstain from the proiects of the flesh if we consider 1. That the flesh sauoureth not the things of God Rom. 8. 2. That she opposeth all good waies partly by obiecting against them and partly by making euill present when we should perform them Ro. 3. That her wisdome is against God her fairest reasons are pleaded for things that are hatefull to God such also are her excuses and extenuations and promises 4. That if she be followed she will lead vs by degrees into all abominations as whoredoms murders debates heresies c. these are her fruits Gal. 5. 5. She will betray vs to Satan that he may by himself set vp strong fortifications in our foules and her treason is the more dangerous because shee is a domesticall enemy and by his working in secret our hearts may become a very cage or stie of vnclean spirits 6. Shee hath already spoiled the Image of God in vs and made vs look most deformedly 7. If she once get power she is most tyrannicall no respect of credit profit no nor saluation it self can stir she will be serued whatsoeuer come of it 8. We should abhorre her for the very mischief she doth to our posterity wee cannot look vpon our children but wee may see what wofull hurt she hath done by the infection they receiu'd in their propagation Vses The vse may be First for reproof of such as lay the blame of their faults vpon their euil luck or euill counsell or the diuell whereas they ought to lay the fault vpon their owne flesh euen their owne ill nature The diuell nor the world could neuer hurt vs if the flesh did not betray vs by defect or consent or euill action Secondly for information We may see what we should mortifie and abstain from Religion doth not binde men to mortifie the substance of the flesh but the lusts of the flesh wee are not to destroy any faculty of the soule or in the soule or part of the body but the inordinate appetite and desires of either we are not to abstain from the necessary means of life as house lands diet apparell company c. but the euill concupiscence about these Thirdly for instruction It should teach vs therefore to restrain the flesh as much as we can and therefore we shall with the same labour restrain the lusts of the flesh and to this end 1. Wee must with all feare and iealousie watch our owne natures as mistrusting 2. We must silence the flesh and not suffer it to plead for sin 3. Wee must by a daily course of mortification iudge the flesh that so we may be as it were condemned in the flesh 4. We must keep from it what may pamper it as idlenesse excesse of diet apparell recreation c. Which war against the soule These words may be considered either in their coherence or in themselues in their coherence and so they are the third reason taken from the euill effect of those lusts In themselues there are two things to bee opened both what the soule is and what this warre in the soule is The point is cleer that fleshly lusts doo much hurt the soules of men and so both the soules of wicked men and of godly men First of wicked men These lusts hurt the soules 1. Because they prouoke the wrath of God vpon them The Israelites were not
estranged from their lusts and therefore the wrath of God came vpon them Psalm 78.29 30 31. 2. Because they make vs resemble the diuell Iohn 8.44 3. Because they hinder the power of the Word from them they will neuer come to the knowledge of the truth 2. Tim. 3.6 4. Because it brings the soule in bondage so as all the conuersation of the soule is in a manner about those lusts of the flesh Eph. 2.2 5. Because they make all their praiers abominable Iam. 4. 6. Because sometimes they are scourged with a reprobate minde being giuen vp to their lusts Rom. 1. 7. Because they may drown the soule in perdition 1. Tim. 6.9 If godly men entertain these inward euils in their thoghts affections many euils wil follow 1. They hinder the Word 2. They grieue the good Spirit by which they are sealed to the day of redemption 3. They harden the heart and blinde the vnderstanding 4. They hinder good duties Gal. 5.17 5. They wound the soule 6. They make the mind foule and loathsome they defile 7. They may bring outward iudgements vpon thee or inward terrours of conscience Vse The vse may bee partly to declare the misery of such Christians as are falne away from the acknowledgement of the truth by intertaining these loathsome lusts of whose fearfull estate at large 2. Pet. 2.18 to the end Partly it should work in all the godly obedience to the Counsell of the Apostle heer in abstaining from these lusts as greeuous hurts to the soule or their soules They should put on the Lord Iesus in sincerity and neuer more take care to fulfill these lusts of the flesh Rom. 13.13 Thus of these words in the coherence The sence will bee more full if wee consider more at large two things in the words First what the soule is Secondly what this warre in the soule is Two things haue made the inquiry about the soule exceding difficult The first is the nature of the soule For it is a spirituall essence and therefore wonderfull hard to bee conceited of There bee three things cannot fully bee conceiued of or defined by man first God secondly an Angel and thirdly the soule of man Now besides this transcendency as I may call it of the soule the fall of man and custome in sinne and the remainders of corruption in the best haue made this doctrine so hard that wicked men scarce discerne that they haue a soule and godly men are very ignorant and impotent in conceiuing the condition of the soule This word soule is diuersely accepted in Scripture for it signifies sometimes The life of man as Math. 6.25 Bee not carefull for your soules what yee shall eat c. Christ because looke what the soule is to the body that is Christ to the whole man so Psalme 16.10 Thou wilt not leaue my soule in Hell that is Christ Acts 2.25 29. c. and 13.35 36. The dead bodies Leuit. 19.28 The whole man so Gene. 46.26 by a Synechdoche But heere it signifies that part of man which is called his spirit By the soule then wee vnderstand that part of man which is inuisible inuisibly placed within the body of man Now the things which are fit for vs to inquire into and know concerning the nature and excellency of the soule may be comprised briefly in this description of the soule The soule of man is a substance incorporeall inuisible and immortall created of God and vnited to the body and indued with the admirable faculties of vegetation sence and reason to this end principally that God might be of man truely acknowledged and duly worshipped Euery branch of this description containes an excellent commendation of the soule and should much affect vs with admiration of Gods workmanship and his loue to vs in making vs such excellent creatures and withall it should breede in vs the care which the Apostle heere calles for of auoyding all things that might defile our precious soules The soule is the abridgement of the inuisible world as the body is the abridgement of the visible world Man is rightly said to be a litle world God made man last and in man made an Epitome of all the former works For all things meet in man who consists of a substance partly corporeall and partly spirituall For all things which God created besides man are either such creatures as are discerned by sence being bodily or such creatures as are remoued from sence being spirituall as the Angels Now I say man may resemble both sorts of creatures the visible in his body and the inuisible in his soule Now the former description of the soule of man doth commend the soule for seuen things First that it is a substance Secondly that it is incorporeall Thirdly that it is immortall and cannot die Fourthly that it is created of God immediately Fiftly That it is ioyned to the body after a wonderfull manner Sixtly that it hath these excellent faculties Seuenthly that heereby man hath honour to know God and his works which all other creatures in this visible world want The first thing then to bee inquired after is what the soule is in respect of the being of it and this I must answer first by remoouing from the consideration of it what it is not First the soule is not the harmony or right temper of the harmonies of the body as Galen that great Physician is said to affirme which appeares euidently by these reasons 1. That then euery body in which the harmonies or foure elements are tempered should haue a soule in it and so stones should haue soules yea such as mā hath indued with reason c. And therefore simply the soule cannot be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or temperature of the elements or humours 2. It is apparant that the soule gouerns the excesses which arise from the humours of the body as a man that by temper is apt to bee angry or heated yet hath somthing within him which bridles this anger notwithstanding the heat of his body 3. If the soule were nothing else but the temperament of the humours then it were but a meer accident in that it can bee present or absent as the corruption of the body but wee see that cannot bee For remoue the soule from the body and it ceaseth to bee a liuing body 4. By Scripture it is euident that when the body was formed the soule as a thing distinct from it was infused into it by God himselfe Genesis 2.7 Secōdly the soul is not a power force or faculty infused into the body by which is is able to liue or moue or work For then remoouing the body from it it cannot subsist whereas we shall proue afterwards that the soule will subsist without the body and therefore cannot bee an accident in the body or a power onely of the body Besides the soule is the subiect of vertues and vices of sciences and arts Now no accident can be so Thirdly the soule
is not the life of man That is apparant in scripture when a difference is put betwene the soule and life as what soule shall be blessed in life So 2 Sam. 11.11 By thy life and the life of thy soule The soule then is a substance of it self put within vs by God distinct from the body this may bee euidently proued First God after hee had made the body is said to breath into it the breath of liues to note that his soule was a substance distinct of it selfe Secondly because it can subsist without the body as is apparant in the soule of Abraham Lazarus and Diues Luke 16. And of the soule of the thiefe on the crosse it is said This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise Thirdly God is said to haue formed the Spirit in the midst of man so it is a substance of it selfe Note hee saith in him not of him Fourthly those words of Dauid Christ proue it Into thy hands I commit my spirit the body being committed to the earth there remained a substance deliuered to God Fiftly that place of Ecclesiastes Chapter 12. is most plaine The body returnes to dust and the Spirit to God that gaue it Therefore there is in man a Spirit which returnes to GOD. Sixtly Paul desires to be dissolued and to bee with Christ so there was a substance which should enioy the presence of Christ Phil. 1.23 The second thing to bee proued is that the soule is incorporeal It is ioyned to the body but it is no body it informeth the matter of man which is his body but it is without matter it self It is immateriall It is wholy a spiritual substance It is not a bodily substance no not a most subtil or pure body but altogether incorporeall This is a high doctrine and shewes the soule to bee an admirable kind of substance Now that the soule is void of matter and is no bodily substance may bee plainely proued though not easily explicated First it is expresly said to be a Spirit now Spirits are not flesh and bones or any like bodily substance Psa. 31.6 Eccle. 12.7 and Zach. 12.1 It is reckned one of the wonders of Gods creation that hee made in man a spirit Secondly the soule is after the Image of God and hath imprinted vpon it the similitude of the goodnes wisdome and holines of God Now it were not like God if it were a body nor were it capeable of such habits which can bee stamped vpon meere naturall or bodily things Thirdly the soule performeth those actions which depend not vpon the body and are done without bodily instruments for it vnderstandeth and willeth Fourthly if the soule were a body then it must be corpus animatum or inanimatum but to say it is without life is sense-lesse because it enlyues and animates the body and to say it is animatum enlyued it self it must then bee so by some other body All which the same questions will bee asked and so run into an infinite The third thing is that the soule is inuisible this shewes the transcendencie of the nature of it and experience in all men proues this for who euer saw a soule Ob. The soule of Diues in hell saw the soule of Abraham and Lazarus and Iohn saw the soules of those that suffred for the testimony of Iesus Reu. 20.4 Sol. These soules were seen by the eies of vnderstanding not by the bodily eies The fourth thing to bee prooued is that the soule is immortall it cannot die when it is once kindled it will neuer go out or be extinct as the Sadduces wickedly imagined and some Atheists still think the contrary This is a point necessary to bee knowne as for the truth it self so for the vse of it in our liues for to doubt of immortality makes vs miserable and to beleeue the soules are mortall makes men Epicures Let vs eat and drink for to morrow wee shall die But to bee fully assured of an estate after life makes a man carefull to auoid sinne lest his soule liue for euer miserably and to serue God that hee may liue for euer happily Now things may be said to be immortall two waies either absolutely and in their owne nature and so God onely is immortall or else they are so by the wil and pleasure of God and not by their owne nature and so the soules of men and so the Angels are immortall There haue been two sorts of men that haue denied the immortality of the soule The one were the Sadduces among the Iewes who held that in death the soule of man is vtterly extinct as the soule of a beast The other were certain Arabians of whom Eusebius and S. Augustine make mention who said that the soule died with the body and so remained dead till the day of Iudgement and then they reuiued with the resurrection of the body Now against the first fort may bee produced many reasons as also euident Scriptures The reasons are such as these 1. The prouidence and iustice of God prooueth the immortality of the soule For heer in this life good men haue not all their happinesse and euill men liue in prosperity so there must be another life where iustice must be done 2. Religion confirms this for to what end were Religion and seruing of God if the soule died like the soule of the beast seeing in this life the most godly are outwardly in great misery many times For if Paul say If the dead rise not then of all men are wee most miserable it will hold much more strange if the soule liue not at all after death 3. The wisdome of God proues it for else man were not in better case than the beast yea in some cases worse For man from his infancy to his death is liable to many diseases subiect to cares and griefs which the beast is free from yea this addes to man's miserie that hee knowes hee must die which the beast doth not Now shall man that was counted like God bee thought to haue no better end than the beast that did exalt himself so much in the glory of his beginning 4. The conscience of malefactors prooues this who fear a iudgement after this life and an estate of misery 5. The nature of the soule proues it for it is simple and void of all contrariety and accidents and causes of corruption or putrefaction and is besides the Image of GOD. Now no mortall thing can bee the image of that which is immortall These reasons make it exceeding probable But I am of their mindes that think it may be beleeued by faith but not be proued by reason The Scripture therefore only makes this point cleer such as these First our Sauiour proues it out of the Word of God saying I am the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob c. Secondly it is most plain Mat. 10.28 Thirdly eternall life is euery where promised to them that beleeue Fourthly such places
the laying of the foundation of the earth Now it is euident that those two things hee did of himself of nothing without any means Lastly that place in Hebr. 12.9 is most cleer The words are these Wee haue had the fathers of our flesh which chastised vs and we reuerenced them how much more should wee bee subiect to the Father of our spirits and liue Where is a manifest antithesis between the flesh and the Spirit and the fathers of our flesh and God the Father of our spirit wee had our flesh from our parents and our spirit from God I might adde the reason taken from the manner of giuing of the soule of Christ for he was made in all things like to vs sin onely excepted Now it is euident that Christ's soule was not begot by carnall propagation and therefore it was created of God Obiect Now against this is strongly obiected that if the soule be created immediately of God then it is created either pure or sinfull if pure then how is it that the soule is guilty of originall sinne if impure then how can it be auoided but that God must be the Author of sin Answer This reason draue diuerse of the Fathers in the time of Hierome especially the Western Fathers to beleeue that the soule was propagated from the parents and Saint Augustine is doubtfull which opinion to take to the inconueniences of each opinion seemed so great But other Diuines answer this obiection in this manner First that the soule is created of God pure but ioined to a body conceiued in sinne which is no iniustice in God because hee deliuers the soule but into such an estate as man had cast himself into by his owne wilfull sinne bringing this corruption not onely vpon himself but vpon all his posterity who fell in him Hee by agreement with GOD being as the common sort of mankinde was with him to stand or fall in that generall respect Nor may it be doubted but that the body may work vpon the soule as we see by experience when the body is full of cholerick humours it inclines the soule to anger and so when the body is burdened with melancholy humours it euidently makes sadnes euen in the very minde c. Another answer may be this God creates the soule pure but yet that soule is guilty of owing though not of dooing debendi though not agendi it is charged with the debt of Adam as children may be charged with their fathers debts Now this is one part of originall sinne As for the other of corrupt inclination it is to answer modestly if we say we vnderstand not being assured of two things The one that God is the Father of spirits and the other that all men are infected with sinne from the womb Both are to bee beleeued though in this life we cannot explicate it and what hurt is it if wee bee ignorant how sinne entred into our natures seeing it concerns vs to knowe it is there and to learn how to get our natures recouered Obiection 2. Other liuing creatures beget the like to themselues both in body and in soule too and therefore by this doctrine men should bee more vnable and vnperfect than any liuing creature For if hee doo begette but onely the body he doth not beget one in specie like to himself Answer Though GOD create the soule yet it followes not but that it may bee truely said that man begets a man and that hee is not more vnperfect in generation than any other creature for First the Virgin Mary did bear Christ man in her womb and Christ man is said to bee of the seed of the Virgin and yet his soule was created of God as hath been shewed before Secondly though there bee some dissimilitude in the generation of man and of a beast yet it doth not follow that man is more vnperfect As for instance The beast begettes his young and brings him forth strong couered with a hide able to feed himselfe presently full of leaping and other actions But man brings foorth an Infant weak crying naked vnable to feede it selfe What is man therefore more vnperfect No. For the perfection of generation doth not consist of these things or in these things For heere man excels all other liuing creatures in the world in generation because hee is Gods instrument for the begetting of a body fit to be vnited to such a soule God also doth heereby commend the generation of man and dignify it that hee is pleased so to work in mans generation as he doth not in any other creature vouchsafing to giue vnto mans generation such an admirable soule to his body For therefore was the creation of the first man more excellent then the creation of other creatures because God hauing framed his body of the dust of the earth did infuse such a soule into him Obiect It is a peeuish obiection that some make thus If God create the soule in all men then when any is born of Adulterie God should cooperate with the adulterer and so be either the Author or the approuer of the sin that will giue the soule to such a wicked generation Solut. Some answer thus that God is not the author or approuer because out of euill he onely workes good for his owne glory Others answer That God onely cooperates with the action not with the sinne of the action or the euill of the action or the euill which is in the will of the agents But the best answer is theirs that answer by a similitude thus The earth hath receiued her nature and vigour from God to nourish and bring foorth the seed that is cast into it without difference whether the seed bee lawfully taken out of the barne or stolne by fraud The stolne graine doth not cease to growe in the earth nor is it to bee expected that nature should cast out such seed and yet the earth doth not iustifie the action of him that stole the grain so is it with God that works according to the grounds of nature and his owne decree and prouidence He is not to be blamed for the euill of the action when he works according to the rules of nature and will glorifie himselfe by raising a frame of good out of that which by men was ill done Obiect 4. Wee see that children resemble the vertues or vices of their parents and therefore as from the bodies of their parents they receiue a likenes to them in body so is it that from their soules they receiue this similitude of their vertues or vices Solut. Experience shewes that this is not alwaies true For many children haue no resemblance in them of their parents qualities Secondly where this is true it is not because their soules are deriued from the soules of their parents but they haue it from the bodies of their parents For the soule after suffers from the sympathy with the body as by reason of certaine humours in the bodies of parents that incite
wrath or griefe or lust or the like may come infection to the childe but not from their soules Thirdly rather the Argument may be retorted vpon them that in asmuch as the soules of all children are not like in qualities to the soules of their parents that therefore they receiue not their soules from their parents Obiect 5. Genesis 9. Leuit. 17. The soule is said to bee in the blood Now it is euident that the blood is from the parents Solut. The soule is in the blood but how By the effect of it which is life otherwise the soule is neither deuoured in the bloud nor depends vpon it in it selfe Obiect 6. It is said Genes 2. That God rested from all his works Now if hee did daily create newe soules then hee rested not from all his works but continues creation still Solut. The meaning of Moses cannot bee that God rested simply from all creation For then it must needes follow too that the soule of Christ was not created but propagated which cannot bee true But his meaning is that he rested from creation of things in specie hee made no more newe sorts of things That hinders not creation in indiuiduo which is a work of God preseruing those sorts hee had made at the first by creating successiuely a new supply as in this case of the soules of men That God did not rest absolutely is plaine by the words of our Sauiour Christ My Father worketh hitherto and I work Iohn 5. Fiftly hitherto of the Originall of the Soule The vnion of the soule with the body followes which is a consideration of no lesse difficulty then the former no lesse needfull to be knowne no lesse certaine That it is vnited to the body so as to make it one man is apparanti by the words of God in the creation Hee breathed into him the breath of liues and so Adam became a liuing soule Hee became then a man or a liuing creature distinct from other creatures vpon his coniunction of the soule with the body And by this vnion with the body doth the Spirit of man differ from the Angels who are Spirits separate and such as exist without relation to a body wheras the soul of man in the creation of it and the disposition of it also tends vnto this coniunction with the body and doth not fully exercise it selfe liuing without the body and that is the reason why man is not absolutely perfect after death in his soule till the day of Iudgement For though the soule doe enioy an estate free fron sinne or paine or misery yet two of the faculties of the soul are without exercise till it bee vnited againe to the body viz. the faculties of vegetation and sense which cannot bee exercised but in the body The manner how the soule is vnited to the body is full of difficulty to expresse The question is whether the soule work vpon the body from without and so is by that means ioyned to it or whether it be placed in the body and work there and from thence This later is the truth for the soul doth not work from without which I shew by a comparison The light the eye are ioyned together in seeing but how The light from without extends it self to the eye and so is ioyned to it so is not the soule ioyned to the body but is seated within the body which appears so partly by experience for wee may all perceiue that our thoughts reason will affections c. doo discouer themselues within vs and it is manifest that God infused the soule not vpon the body but into the body seating it within vs. The soule then is within the body and so ioyned to it but how Diuines haue sought out diuerse similitudes to expresse their mindes And first to shew how it is not ioyned First not as water and the vessell that holds it are ioyned by contact or touching one another for the soule is not a bodily substance and therefore cannot be ioyned by touching nor doo the water and vessel make one thing as the soule and body doo one man nor do they work together as the soule and body doo for the water doth all the work therof in watering or clensing without the vessell Secondly not by mixture as water and wine are mingled together for things mingled cease to be what they were for there is no longer water nor wine now they are mingled nor is the soule materiall to suffer such a mingling Thirdly not as the heat of the fire is vnited to the water when the water is heated for though the heat bee ioyned to the water as the former yet it is but an accidentall form and they are one by accident not per se. Thirdly not as the voice is in the aire for though the voice be dispersed abroad the air and doo likewise carry something to the vnderstanding besides the sound yet doth not this reach to express the vnion of the soule with the body For the voice is not the form of the air nor is it conceiued in the air without the breaking of the air and besides it presently vanisheth whereas the soule is a substance and doth not easily depart out of the body Fiftly nor as the Mariner is in the shippe with the Gouerner for the dispatch of his iourney for though the body be as a tabernacle wherein the soule dwels yet that similitude doth not express this vnion because the soule body make one thing whereas the ship and the Mariner do not make one thing but are two distinct sorts of things yea the soule and body are so one that by sympathy what one suffers the other feeles whereas the wounding of the Mariner is not the tearing of the ship or contrariwise There are two similitudes doo more neerly reach this Secret The first is of Christ. For as God man make one Christ so the soule body make one man But I will not meddle with the breaking open of that dreadfull mystery The other is of the light of the Sun in the air for there are many things in this comparison do fitly resemble this diuine light which is our soules as they are ioyned to our bodies 1. This light doth fitly resemble the soule because it is a thing that cannot bee corrupted or diuided 2. This light doth so pearce into and penetrate the air that they are both made one and are not separated so doth the soule the body 3. The light and the air though ioyned together are not confounded or mingled together for the light remaineth light and the air the air so is it in this vnion between the soule and the body 4. The light is so in the air that the air beeing smitten yet the light is not touched nor diuided nor carried about as the air is so doth the soule remain vnpearced though the body bee wounded and fall yea and die too 5. As the light is onely from the Sun so is the soule
onely from God 6. As the air without the light is as it were dead because it is dark and colde and will putrefie so is the body without the soule 7. As no man can shew by what bands the light is fastned to the air so is it extremely difficult to shew how the soule is fastned to the body This similitude wee see doth in many things fit this case but yet not fully For the light is not the essential form of the air onely this comparison doth in many things satisfie the question in that it shewes that the soule is in the body by Penetration or Immeation as they call it It pearceth thorow the whole body onely wee must take heed of two things First that wee imagine not the soule to bee in the body as in a place or as contained of it For the soule cannot bee circumscribed by the measure of a place wee may not imagine that the soule is iust as big as the body and no bigger For though it bee true that the soule is in the body and the whole soule too yet it is not contained there as bodies bee contained in their places For rather the soule sustaineth the body Secondly God is said to bee in vs and so is the soule but not alike For God is in vs by his vertue and grace and operation but not as our former whereas the soule is the forme of the body and both make one man Quest. But some one will say Can it not bee shewed by what band the soule is tied to the body Ans. Some diuines and Philosophers vndertake to determine that and say that God hath created in the body of man a certaine humour which is fitted for this vnion and so they say the soule is vnited to the body by the vitall spirits which are of nature mixt partly Corporeall and partly Spirituall For as those vitall spirits doe consist for the matter of them of the radicall heat and moisture in man so they are corporeall and as they haue an vnexpressable nimblenes in working or sparkling in the body so they draw neer to the nature of the soule and by these vitall spirits thus inliued are the soule and body ioyned together Quest. There yet remaineth another question and that is Where the soule resides in the body in what place is it centred Ans. The most say that the whole soule is in the whole body and the whole soule in euery part of the body Others say It is a vaine question seeing the soule is not in the body as in a place For it cannot bee measured by length breadth or depth but it is in the body as the essentiall forme is in the matter which cannot bee locally Others say that the soule is seated in one principall place of the body as the chiefe palace and seat of residence and is in all other parts by diffusion of vertues through the instruments thereunto fitted and placed of purpose by God in the framing of the body and thus the soule reasons in the head wills and affects in the heart sees in the eyes c. The chiefest mansion of the soule seemes to bee in the heart because it is the last that dies in vs. Sixtly hitherto of the vnion of the soule with the body The faculties of the soule follow There are three faculties or powers of the soul by which it works or there are three things which the soule effects viz. 1. Vegetation 2. Sense 3. Reason And thus the soule may be considered either as it workes vpon or by the body onely or as it works in and by it self chiefly Vpon the body by certaine instruments in the body it works vegetation and sense and by it selfe without the necessity of vsing the body it works reason The first power then is vegetation by which the soule works foure things distinctly vpon the body 1. Life 2. Nourishment 3. Growth 4. Procreation The first thing then by the vegetatiue power of the soule wrought vpon the body is life which is in respect of the body nothing else but the kindling the radicall and vitall heat in the body through the coniunction of the soule with the body and the continuation of that heat vntill the time appointed of God for the dissolution of it so that life is two waies to bee considered first either in the breeding of it secondly or in the continuance of it The breeding of it is in the very first moment of the vnion of the forme with the matter and by that instrument of the vitall or radicall heat The continuance of it is nothing else but the preseruation of the motion and duration of the working of these vitall spirits The second thing wrought vpon the body by the vegetatiue power of the soul is nourishment and this power of nourishing is a faculty by which food taken into the body by the force of naturall heat is turned into the substance of the body for the repairing of that which is consumed in the body And this is a work rather to be admired For the soule by the vse of naturall heat is faine to subdue the nature of the food receiued and hauing melted it as it were in a furnace it casts out what is contrary to the body and extracts for the vse of the body so much as is now made like vnto it The third thing which the soule works vpon the body by the vegetatiue power is growth and this it doth by imploying that part of the food which is now made like to the body vnto the extension of the body vnto the Dimensions thereof euen to the increase of bignes and force which increase for the conuenient actions of the body and this worke is done vpon the body but vnto a certaine time of mans age or till about 30. yeares and then because nature tends not into Infinitenes shee giues ouer this work Lastly Procreation is the fourth worke of the vegetatiue facultie of the soule by which it raiseth vp seed in the body and formeth in it a meere substance like vnto the body from whence it comes vnto the perpetuall preseruation of the sort of the creature And this is an admirable power For heereby liuing creatures doe approach vnto eternity and are made as it were immortall For though the body dye yet by procreation it is as it were kept aliue and so the kind of creature is perpetuated for the other two works of nourishment and growth onely serue for that body in indiuiduo but this power of procreating reserues the sort or species from ceasing to be Thus of Vegetation Sense followes The second thing the Soule workes either vpon or by the body is Sense and by this faculty a man in his body is enabled to discerne things without himselfe and accordingly to desire and moue to them which the former faculties did not reach vnto Now as the Soule workes sense vpon or by the body it must be considered two waies First
as it works either apprehension Secondly or motion The apprehending senses wrought vpon the body by the Soule are of two sorts First eyther outward Secondly or inward Outwardly the Soule workes vpon the body fiue senses or fiue waies of apprehending things by sense The body of a man is enabled by the Soule to discerne of things without it selfe by outward helps fiue waies viz. By Seeing 1. Hearing 2. Smelling 3. Tasting 4. Feeling 5. And these wayes of discerning are not to bee contemned For admirably ought it to be conceiued of Gods wisedome in and towards man euen in these For first by the sight through the benefit of light which God hath caused to shine vpon his whole creation man may see what God hath wrought whereas else if the light be taken out of the ayre or sight from man the works of God are buried as it were in the darke yea the body of a man is as it were but a Dungeon without sight and what the Sunne and Moone are in heauen that are the eyes in man shining in his head as these Starres in the firmament The sight is a chiefe helpe for all the great imployments of life in all callings The eyes are as watchmen set on high in their watch-Tower to discouer the comming of enemies The eyes are also as the true windowes of the Soule by which the Species or formes of things are taken into the Soule For God hath caused all substance in the World to cast out beames as it were which haue the pictures of the things themselues carried about and these comming to the sight are by it aboue all other senses taken in and deliuered to the Soules within the eyes being a looking glasse that resemble the things seene and this noble sense may put vs in minde of God's knowledge if wee marke the degrees of seeing The eye of man discernes at once a great share or quantity of things together The minde of man will take in a farre greater quantity and number and yet is finite for it cannot reach to all things that God hath made at once Now God's vnderstanding is infinite and beholds all at once For the second the sense of hearing is worthy to be thought on if we consider eyther the benefits come by it or the manner how it is performed for by hearing is let into the Soule and Body not onely sounds of delight or wonder but also sounds of necessity both for naturall life by letting in speech and discourse and for eternall life by letting in the Word of GOD. First the manner of hearing is admirable Sound is the breaking of the aire stirred vp by the dashing or collision of sollid bodies and is spred in the aire as a stone cast into the water makes and drawes from it circles Thus the sound is brought to the eare the hollow turnings in the eare gather and hold the sounds as it were canes The sound at length rusheth vpon a little bone or gristle like a hammer which moued smites vpon another bone like an Anuel by which stroak the spirits in the hearing moue and are stirred vp and so they take in the sound carry it to the braine the seat of inward senses These two are the most noble outward senses yet there is great vse of the other three Thirdly for by tasting we discerne of meates profitable or hurtfull for the body Fourthly by smelling we receiue in those delightfull sauours God hath caused to arise from diuers of his creatures and to auoide things by sauor â—oysome to the body Fiftly and touching though it bee the most stupid sence yet is of great vse for the safety of the body All these senses are as a guard for the body and as Intelligencers for the Soule Thus of the outward senses The Soule worketh likewise inward senses vpon and by the body and the generall vse of these inward senses is to receiue and lay vp what is brought vnto them by the outward senses for the outward senses are like seruants that trade abroad and get together the images of diuers things which they carry with them home to the inward senses Now there are three inward senses 1. The common Sense 2. The Phantasie 3. The Memory And these are lodged in three seuerall roomes or little cels in the braine First the common sense lieth in the former part of the head and containes all that store by which all the outward senses are furnished For spirits fetch the vigour of each sense from this the common sense As the lines that goe to the Circumference meet all in the Center so doe all the outward senses meet in the common sense and hither likewise are all the formes of things taken by the outward senses brought and distinguished SecoÌ„dly the phantasie is lodged in the middle part of the braine where as in a shop it takes in the images of things brought to the common sense and there formes them more exactly and oftentimes makes new after an admirable manner by thinking and then after it hath separated what it likes not it deliuers the rest ouer to the memory which is lodged in the hinder part of the braine which is as it were the treasurie to keepe what the phantasie as a Iudge hath sentenced to her keeping the common sense being but as the doore-keeper vnto the phantasie And these three senses differ in the abilitie to receiue and keepe the impression of the images of things brought to them For the common sense is seated in the more soft part of the braine and so not able to keepe them long as waxe ouer-soft doth not long keep the impression of the seale The phantasy is placed in a harder part of the braine and therefore keepes the impression longer But the memorie is placed in the hardest part of all and behind in the head further off from the concourse and trouble of the outward senses and by reason of the stifnes of the braine it keepes the impression longest Now that naturall heat with the animall spirits is like a fire to keepe the braine soft in the degrees therof that it may receiue the impression as hot water the wax fit to be marked Thus of the senses But before I passe from them it is profitable to note certaine things which befall the senses for the good of the body and soule and that is the binding and loosing of the senses For God hath so tempered the state of the senses in man that they should neither alwaies rest nor alwaies work Hence from their resting comes sleepe and from their working comes waking or watching we wake when the senses are loose and sleepe when the soule binds them vp both are thus wrought when the vegetatiue power wants help for concoction of the meat the naturall heat is sent from the senses to dispatch that work and then we sleep and when that is done the heat returnes to the senses and tickles them and so they awake But it is to
be obserued that though in sleepe the common sense and so the outward senses are all bound yet the phantasie and memory doe not cease but being now freed from the attendance vpon the intelligences of them or the outward senses as if they were at more liberty they are exercised more freely and often fall to new forming and compounding of the Images brought in before by the common sense and so erect a newe frame of things which are vented expressed by dreaming In which a secret and admirable working of God by the soule may appeare if wee consider the strange things are fashioned in our imagination in our sleepe yea the reasonable soule in sleep comes into this shop of the phantasie and there doth strange works which as I said are vented in our dreams in which wee finde as effectuall vse of reason as as wee had waking Thus of the soule as it worketh apprehension Now followeth it to consider how the soule works motion vpon the body It is out of all doubt that motion in the body is from the soule For of it selfe it is but a dead lumpe as it shewes it selfe to be when the soule is gone out of it Now the soule giues vnto the body a threefold motion First the vitall motion Secondly the motion of appetite Thirdly the motion from place to place The vitall motion giuen to the body by the soule is wrought two waies both by the pulse and by breathing both of absolute necessity to preserue life in the body The motion of pulse is begunne at the heart which is made continually to beat by the soule which beating of the heart begets those sparkles which wee call vitall Spirits arising out of the finest of the bloud which spirits are carried by the pulse thorow the arteries and they shine in the whole body according as their passages are more or lesse open Breathing is another strange motion of the soule in the body by which both aire is fetcht in continually for the cooling of naturall heat in the heart and other members and the spirits refreshed and also the grosse and more smoaky spirits are exhaled out of the brest Thus of the vitall motion The motion of appetite is a contrary commanding motion in the creature by which hee is inclined to take to him such things from without as he conceiues good and needfull for him and so likewise to auoid things hurtfull and so the soule begets diuers appetites and desires as the desire after food which wee call hunger and thirst and the desire after procreation and the appetites wee call affections or passions so farre forth as they are seated vpon the body and exercised by instruments in the body such as in generall breed sorrow or pleasure or passiueness in vs such as are ioy grief anger and the rest c. It were too difficult and too tedious for popular teaching to shew in particular and distinctly how the soule admirably worketh about each of these The motion from place to place is the last and this is a strong work of the soule driuing on the body to the motion of the whole or of some part of the body The body cannot remooue it self but it is of the soule that it is stirred vp and down for when the soule is gone it can mooue no longer And in vain were appetites or desires giuen to the creatures if this motion from place to place were not giuen because without it it could neuer compasse things desired Hitherto of the working of the soule vpon the body and those strange things it doth in the body by the faculties of vegetation and sense It is true that those things are done by the soules of brute creatures but as their soules differ exceedingly from the glory and excellency of the soules of men so are the effects vpon their bodies but certain glimpses of those things which are done exactly by the soules of men I mean in respect of the inward senses of phantasie and memory there is in beasts but onely a dark shadow of them in comparison of what is in men But for the third faculty of the soule which is reason therein men excell all creatures in this visible world and it is profitable for vs to know what God hath done for vs in our soules generally considered aboue all other creatures and so man excells in respect of his reasonable soule 1. In that hee can conceiue of things by the light of vnderstanding as well as by sense This light is admirable whether we conceiue of it as proceeding from GOD who shines vpon the soule as the Sunne doth vpon the body or whether wee beleeue it to be a light conferred vpon the vnderstanding by which from within it discerns things 2. In that it can conceiue of things that neuer were in the senses as things absent that neuer were seen yea things altogether immateriall as Angels and vertues and vices 3. In that it can conceiue of the nature of God and discern God from his works 4. In that it can conceiue of things by a discerning reflexion as it can conceiue of it selfe and vnderstand that it doth vnderstand 5. In that it can distinguish between good and euill truth and falshood I say of the morall goodnes of things whereas the phantasie can iudge onely of so much of the naturall goodnes of things as they shew to the outward senses 6. In the largenes of the extent of our vnderstanding For the vnderstanding can in a small moment of time go almost ouer the world and view it all as it were at once whereas the senses are forced in within a narrow compasse 7. In that it can inuent things that neuer were in beeing and thus wee see daily what strange things for number and skill are inuented for the vse of the life of man by art and skill of mans vnderstanding in euery calling of men 8. In that the reasonable soule gouerns and appoints and crosseth and fetters and alters and rectifies the other faculties of vegetation and sense and in respect thereof can turn and tame and rule and order all sorts of other creatures 9. In that by begetting with strange variety it can make knowne what images are within whether begotten by the senses or by the minde it self 10. In that it is the faculty by which onely true blessednes is apprehended and attained 11. In that mans vnderstanding is made after a sort all things For the vnderstanding becomes the things vnderstood in that it doth conceiue a true and euident image of the thing to be vnderstood so that as man is the Image of God so hath he in him the images of all things printed as it were in his vnderstanding This is a most dreadfull dignity in the soules of men yea heerin he resembles God in the creation of the world for man's reasonable soule doth as it were form worlds of things in it self If any obiect that the sensitiue soule hath the images of
bee spoken of with neuer so great wisdome and power of words yet these sots haue one senslesse obiection or other in respect of which they reiect all they heare and being led by their sensuality or their carnall reason Pro. 23.9 1. Cor. 1. 2. goe no further but in these cases thinke they are in their owne conceit wiser then any man that can giue a better reaâ—on and proofe Secondly they discouer it by senslesnesse and incorrigiblenesse when they are pursued by the hand of God many times round about Ier. 5.3 4. Though God should seeme to bring all to the first Chaos yet they vnderstand not you cannot beat into their heads the hatred of their sinnes or the cares of a better life Ier. 22.20 21 22. Isaiah 42.27 This Apathy is onely in mad-men and fooles Pro. 17.10 and 27.22 Thirdly they discouer it by their continuall intertainment of the innumerable enormities of their thoughts which arising from their heart in the darke they play withall with as much earnestnesse and attendance as if they were some needfull and profitable things This customary daily intertainment of vaine thoughts is a signe of a spirituall Sot Rom. 1.21 Fourthly they discouer it by their continuall grasping at shadowes that is their doting vpon earthly things with strange cares and paines and iollity without any sound endeauour to prouide for their soules and eternall saluation Psalm 49.10 Luke 12.16 to 21. Ier. 17.11 Fiftly some of them discouer their sottishnesse by following the seruice of idols which they worship in stead of the liuing God this is called brutishnes Deut. 32.6 16 17. Esay 44.19 20. O what a number of these sots are there in the world if the worshippers of idols of Romish and Paganish idols were summed vp Sixtly others discouer it by making cleane the outside of the cup and platter but neuer regard the filthinesse of the inside such are they that are onely carefull of the shew of their actions before men while their inside is full of rauening wickednes These our Sauiour cals fools or sots because hee that made that which is without made that which is within also Luke 11.39 40. Seuenthly some of them discouer themselues by suffering themselues to be buffetted and abused and yet are content to be vsed so still and such are they that will suffer themselues to bee abused by false teachers so they bee of their owne humour though they deuoure them in their estates and bring them into bondage in their mindes though they take of them and exalt themselues insolently among them 2. Cor. 11.19 20. Eightthly they discouer it by building the hopes of the saluation of their soules vpon most vain and insufficient grounds they build on the sands they trust vpon an vniuersall mercy of God and the example of the most and vpon the bare vse of God's Ordinances without any power of faith or practice in their hearts or liues and therefore in time of tribulations their hope is as the giuing vp of the ghost all is ruined and their soules are desolate Mat. 7.26 They will be at no pains to be assured of their saluation and Religion but goe on without any particular regard of their owne way to heauen Pro. 14.8 A spirituall fool then is discouered first by his mindlesnesse secondly by his vncapablenesse and contempt of heauenly doctrine thirdly by his incorrigiblenesse fourthly by the vanity of his thoughts fiftly by his dotages about earthly things sixtly by his idolatry seuenthly by his hypocriticall tricks eightthly by suffering the iniuries of false teachers and lastly by the vaine grounds of his hope and faith The spirituall mad-man followes to bee described and so these sorts of men following are conuicted of madnes in the Scripture First the Atheist hee is a man void of reason that denies principles and such a one is hee that saith in his heart There is no God as hee that denies the prouidence of God Psalm 14.1 and 94.8 Secondly the swearer the fools or madde-men blaspheme God's Name Psalm 74.18 He were a mad-man that would daily rail at the King to his face and such are blasphemers Thirdly the persecuter The Apostle speaking of men that resist the truth as Iannes and Iambres resisted Moses saith that Their madnes shall bee manifested to all men so that he particularly calls resisting of the truth madnes 2. Tim. 3.9 Fourthly the idle person He is a mad-man that will eat his owne flesh but such a one is the slothfull person because hee brings pouerty vpon himself like an armed man or else destroies the health of his body by his lazinesse or brings misery vpon his wife and children or because his soule is eaten vp with rust and the canker of his negligence Eccles 4.5 Fiftly the wilfull offender Hee is a mad-man that when hee heares of some eminent danger yet will not auoide it such a one is euery grosse offender that hearing of the iudgements God wil bring vpon him for such sinnes or perceiuing that the wrath of God is broken out vpon others for the like offences yet will madly goe on without feare The prudent man feareth and departeth from euil but hee is a foole or mad-man that rageth and is confident Prou. 14.16 Ierem. 5.21 22. Sixtly the senslesse prater Wee discerne him to bee a mad-man that talking continually phalters in his words and vtters sentences that are vnperfect without sense or coherence such persons in religion are those prating fooles Salomon speakes of that are full of words and void of sound iudgement as the legs of the lame are not equall so is a parable in a fools mouth As you discern a lame man by this that his legs are one longer then another so you may discouer a spirituall mad-man by his discourse about the high points of religion for his words agree not together his sentences are senslesse and vnequall A foole hath no delight to get sound vnderstanding in these things and yet is wonderfull forward to vtter his minde though he discouer nothing but his ignorance and folly Pro. 18.2 26.7 Seuenthly the Epicure or voluptuous person he is a mad-man that is neuer merry but when hee hath done some mischief and such are all they that make a sport of sinne Prou. 10.23 14.9 15.22 Eightthly the railer He is a mad-man that will go vp and down a Town or a City and set fire on the houses of other men as he goes and therfore is the railer called a fool because in his lips there is a burning fire hee deuoures the reputation of good men euery where where hee comes The Apostle Iames calls it The fire of hell Iames 3. Prou. 16.27 Iude 10. And thus he is a mad man that hateth other men for dooing good as the Pharises did Christ for healing on the Sabbath-day for which they were said to be mad Luke 6.11 Ninthly the Apostate or backslider in Religion thus the Galatians were bewitched with madnes that had
heare read or think of these sufferings of Christ they may rather see cause for euer to abhorre the doctrine of merit seeing heerby we proclaim our selues to bee worthy of the very merits of Christ that can be so little affected with the thought of his suffrings Thus of the matter of Christ's sufferings The effects follow and the effects in respect of vs are named to be three First the death of sin secondly the life of grace thirdly the healing of our natures That we being dead to sin Men may be said to die diuers waies First in respect of nature when the Frame of nature is dissolued by the parting of the soule from the body Secondly in respect of God when God is departed from men with his grace and righteousnes and fauour thus wicked men are spiritually dead Eph. 2.1 and 4.17 1. Tim. 5.6 Thirdly in respect of the world when a man is ouerwhelmed with crosses especially such as are ioyned with disgrace in his reputation hee is said to be dead and his life to be hid vnder those afflictions being despised and forgotten as a dead man out of minde Col. 3.3 Esay 26.19 Fourthly in respect of sinne and so men either are dead for sinne as malefactors or dead in sinne as all wicked men or dead to sinne as the godly heer To take the soule from the body is the death of all men To take GOD from the soule is the death of all wicked men To take sinne from the soule is the death of all godly men To bee dead to sinne then is to be mortified in respect of sinne Sinne is said to be dead either in appearance or in deed In appearance onely it is dead in such as haue their sinnes onely restrained for a time either by God's owne strong hand or else by themselues kept downe for certain hypocriticall ends or else for want of occasion or temptation to stir the sin thus sinne was dead in Paul when hee was vnregenerate and reuiued when the Law came Rom. 7.9 Sinne is dead in deed in godly men but with a difference for though in this life they bee wholly rid of many sinnes yet some corruptions are not wholly remoued yet are they dead to them in the inchoation of it their sins lie a-dying but in the life to-come they shall be wholly and fully deliuered from all sin Thus of the sense There be many doctrines may bee hence obserued as Doct. 1. First it is euidently heer implied that all men by nature and out of Christ are aliue to sin or liue to sin and in sinning they may bee said to liue or be aliue or liue to it in diuerse respects 1. Because all the parts of their life are full of sinne sinne infecteth their persons and their works 2. Because they are in bondage to sin so as all their life they are at the command of sin they are seruants of sin Rom. 6. 3. Because they account sinne to bee the life of their liues they could not esteem life but for the hope of liberty and power of sinning It were a death to them to liue restrained of sinne as appeares when either by punishment or for other ends they are found to cease sinning 4. Because they doo not destroy sinne in letting it liue they are guilty of the life of sinne in them because they will not vse the meanes to subdue and mortifie sin that dwels in them but let it alone vnresisted 5. Because they haue most life or are most liuely when they haue most liberty to sin 6. Because they continue in sin they spend not an houre but it is in sinne yea they so sinne now that they desire to spend euerlasting life in sinne Vse And so from hence by way of vse men may discern whether they liue in sinne or not for hee that is a seruant to his corruptions and esteemeth them as the happinesse of his life and resists them not and hath a desire to sinne euer is without doubt aliue in sinne and dead to righteousnes And so contrariwise where these things cannot be found there the person is not aliue to sin Doct. 2. Hence is implied also that to liue in sin is but miserable liuing and therefore those whom God loueth he changeth from that condition and maketh them die to sin Now this may be shewed out of other Scriptures briefly for 1. Sinne infects a man and all he goes about it stains his very conscience and like the leprosie will pollute his clothes his flesh his house and whatsoeuer he toucheth almost Titus 1.15 It maketh all things impure 2. To harbour sinne is to harbour the diuell too who alwaies takes possession of the soule that is giuen ouer to sinne so as the heart of the sinner is the Fortresse of the diuell Eph. 2.2 2. Tim. 2.26 2. Cor. 10.5 Eph. 4.26 3. While a man liues in sinne he is in danger to be crossed and cursed of God in euery thing he doth he shall haue no portion from God nor inheritance from the Almighty Iob 31. ver 2. Good things will be restrained from him Esay 59.2 And he may finde himself cursed in euery thing he sets his hand to Deut. 28.16 17 18 c. His very blessings may bee cursed Mal. 2.2 His very table may be a snare For certainly God will bee reuenged of the sinnefull man that is aliue in sin Nah. 1.2 3 6. 4. His soule is dead within him while hee is aliue Eph. 2.2 1. Tim. 5.6 And how can it bee otherwise when God which is his life is departed from him and with God all spirituall blessings are gone from his soule too 5. The end of this life is to die miserably Rom. 8.10 and 6.23 Gal. 6. and to perish foreuer with the diuell and his angels Reu. 21.8 Mat. 25.45 And in a speciall manner it is a miserable liuing to be liuely and iouiall as they call it in sin such men are worse than the generall sort of sinners for these wretched men that are so liuely in sin haue a most miserable heart in them a heart like an Adamant like a very stone within them are senselesse and brutish like the very beasts that perish Psal. 49. vlt. Besides in many of these God scourgeth sinne with sinne and giueth them vp to such a reprobate minde that their wickednes oftentimes exceeds the wickednes of the wicked Ier. 5. Rom. 1.26 28. And further many times strange punishments light vpon those workers of iniquity Iob 31.3 To which may bee added that oftentimes such wretched creatures conclude in most wofull and hellish terrors so as they howle for vexation of heart while God's seruants sing for ioy of hart Esay 65.13 14. Reu. 6.15 16. But in generall of all that liue in sinne it is manifestly heer implied that they haue no part in Christ Christ in respect of them and as they are in their present condition died in vain Vse The consideration whereof should awaken men from that
grieuous which is heer also implied in that God was fain to send his owne Sonne to help and heale vs. Now that the diseases of mens soules are so grieuous may appeare many waies First because such a multitude of men are infected not some one person in the whole world in the body of mankinde not on some part but from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot all full of sores and diseases There is no man that sinneth not and so no man that is not sick and that is the reason why men feare the pestilence because it makes so many sick Secondly because the soule of man by nature is sick of a multitude of diseases at once for euen sinne is a sicknes and so our sicknesses are innumerable because our sinnes are so And hence it is that in Scripture so many metaphors are vsed to expresse the sicknesse of the soule as leprosie wounds plagues poison gall c. Thirdly because the disease lieth in the soule it self Of diseases those are most mortall that get into the spirits and doo most enfeeble man how much more when it is in the soule Fourthly because in respect of our selues our sinnes or our diseases are incurable wee can giue our selues no remedy that can help vs Ier. 30. Fiftly because in the Colledge of spiritual Physicians ther is scarce one of a thousand that can help the poor soule out of these diseases Iob 33. Sixtly because there bee but certain seasons only in which men can be healed as it was with the lame man at the poole of Bethesda and if men misse these seasons they are in danger to dye of these sicknesses There be seasons of grace and daies of saluation and men must not harden their hearts while it is called To day Vse The vse should be to awaken wicked men to a serious consideration of their danger and at length to think of help for their soules being thus diseased as they would doo for their bodies if they were desperately sick Ob. We feel no such diseases in our soules Sol. First wicked men haue a kinde of spirituall lethargy vpon them and so are in grieuous danger but by reason of their spirituall sleepinesse they feel it not Secondly though they feele not their diseases now they shall doo heerafter and then think what a pain it will be vnto them when God awakens them whether they will or no. It may be it wil be in this life as it was with Cain and Iudas and then a wounded spirit will ake so who can bear it Thirdly the matter is not altogether so easie with wicked men as they pretend for they doo feele so much as may shew they are very sick Somtimes they feel their consciences galling and paining them at the hart for the very time and what are the passions and perturbations of their may heale vs If wee become not new creatures the mending of particular faults is to little purpose Esay 6.10 as wee see in Herod Sixtly wee must make conscience of it to receiue the medicines of the Word of GOD For now wee are healed by meanes not by miracle Peace and healing are the fruit of his lips Esay 57.18 19. We must obey them that haue the ouersight of it and suffer their words of exhortation patiently Pro. 12.18 He sent his Word and healed them Psal. 107.20 There is no disease in the soule but remedies may be found in the Word Gods words are life to those that finde them and health to all their flesh That is good for all diseases Prou. 4.22 And to this end wee must take heed of tampering with our owne medicines or contesting with our Physicians wee must not be wise in our own eies no man is Physician good enough to heale himselfe Prou. 3.7 8. and wee must take heede of superstitious medicines In vaine shall the daughter of Aegypt vse many medicines for she shall not be cured Iere. 46.11 Indulgences Pilgrimages Penances Whipping of the body or the like are vaine medicines and being not appointed by Christ they will neuer profit to heale the soule of sin And further such as would bee soundly healed must take heede of secret flattering teachers that doe all their cures with preaching mercy and cry Peace Peace and neuer teach men sound courses to bee rid of their sinnes Those are they that heale the hurt of the daughter of Gods people slightly Ierem. 8.11 Seuenthly looke to the beginning of sinne when we first feele lameness in the waies of righteousnes wee must speedily seeke help lest wee be turned cleane out of the way Sinnes of infirmities nourished or neglected may proue grieuous diseases at length Heb. 12.13 Eightthly men that haue some good euidence that they are healed by Christ that their comfort may bee established they shall doe well to shewe themselues to the Priest that hee may try and testify that they are whole from their Leprosy Leuit. 14. Ninthly if Christ heale vs wee must bee sure to remember to make him our praise wee must acknowledge his great mercy in healing our natures Ierem. 17.14 Hee stands vpon the credit of the cure Christians faile exceedingly that they are not more thankfull for deliuerance from faults and temptations they doe lesse for the cure of their soules then they doe for the cure of their bodies wee must blesse the Lord and call vpon our soules to doe it as Dauid did Psal. 103.1 3. and 14.13 and the rather should wee with all thankfulnes praise God for such cures First because no outward medicines can doe any good God cures onely by his Word Secondly because God onely can cure vs Ierem. 33.6 Deuter. 32.39 Thirdly because God accounts it the greatest honour we can doe him to offer him praise Psal. 50.14 Fourthly because God neuer doth those cures vpon the soule of a man but hee loues him wonderfully euer after and forgiues him all his sinnes Hosh. 14. Psalme 103. verse 2 3 4. Ierem. 33. verse 68. Tenthly wee must bee patient and indure the medicines whether they bee hard sayings or afflictions Dauid praies to God to wash him and to purge him with hysope and not spare Psal. 51. Eleuenthly it is a great help to get our soules healed to shew mercy to the bodies of other men God will not heale our soules if we oppresse other mens bodies as wee see in the case of oppressors in our times Esay 58.6 7 8. Thirdly since in Christ men may be healed it giues vs occasion to bewaile the feareful carelesnes of the most men that will not seeke cure yea in places where the meanes is offered to cure them All sorts of people are like Babylon for this confusion shee would not bee cured Ierem 51. Men refuse cure and all comfort and aduice yea when they are warned of their diseases they break out into more wilfulnes and offending as God said of Ephraim When I would haue healed Ephraim then the iniquity of Ephraim was discouered Hos.
7.1 Doct. 4. The fourth doctrine is that wee are cured by Christs stripes His sufferings heale our sorrowes His wounds make vs whole His sicknes offers vs health and his stripes heale vs partly by satisfying for our sinnes and so remouing the cause of our diseases both spirituall and corporall and partly by an vnspeakeable vertue of his Passion which being applied to our soules makes our sins dye And this point may serue for vse many waies Vses First for information and so it may shew vs the wonder of Gods working that can doe great things by meanes in respect of vs altogether vnlikely Wee hold it a thing almost beyond beliefe that the applying of medicines to the sword that wounded a man shall make the wounds heale in a man But this heere is a mystery that onely the Christian Religion can tell of of which there neuer was president in nature that The wounding of one Man should heal another or that the stripes of the Captaine should cure all his diseased souldiers and yet thus it is euen thus is the Lord pleased to glorify the power of his working Secondly we may hence bee informed of the precious vse of euery part of Christs sufferings not his dying onely doth vs good but euery thing hee did endure His stripes cure our wounds his shame wrought our honour His temptations draue the diuels from vs not any thing was done to him by his aduersaries but GOD made it work for our good Shall wee then dare to take offence at the crosse of Christ Haue we not reason to glory in it aboue all things Thirdly doe we not heere see how hatefull sinne is in Gods sight and how foule our diseases are when nothing can cure vs but Christs blood and that must bee fetched out of him with the best stripes which the hands of the wicked inflicted vpon him Oh the hardnes of our hearts that can see Christ thus vsed for our sinnes and yet are not perswaded that sinne is hatefull to God! Oh how should wee bee sorry for our Sauiour and mourne to think of it as wee would for our onely sonnes Would it not grieue vs at the heart if we should see the young Prince the Kings sonne basely whipped by our aduersaries only for our affaires Oh what hearts haue we that as bad as they are would be melted to see this done to a Kings sonne and yet are not troubled to knowe it was done to Gods Sonne Fourthly we may see what wicked mallice will doe if it bee not restrayned to disgrace our Sauiour to get a sentence against him to binde him hand and foot yea to kill him will not serue their turnes vnlesse they may most basely scourge him before hee dies That malicious men now doe not alwaies so is not because their malice doth not tend to it but because either God or man restraines them It is a most diuelish humour and therefore to bee auoyded and detested of all those that loue the Lord Iesus Vse 2. Secondly how many waies should this instruct vs what care the Lord Iesus requires of vs what should not this make vs willing to doe Oh how should wee loue him with all our hearts aboue all the world that could endure to bee thus abased euen vnto stripes for our sakes when hee could haue preuented it if hee had pleased what a shame should it bee to vs to bee impatient or to think much of our crosses who though wee had suffered many things yet not so grieuous as those things befell our Sauiour Yea further it should encourage vs to suffer any thing for Christ and the rather because wee haue not resisted to stripes or blood nor cannot now suffer the thousandth part for him of that he hath suffered for vs. Thus of the healing of our soules These words also may bee expounded of the healing of our bodies as we shewed before and so the like doctrines may bee obserued as Doct. 1. That the bodies of all men by nature neede healing For sinne hath brought vpon man the sentence of deformities and infirmities and diseases and wee see God doth inflict diseases vpon many and that of diuers sorts and many men that for the present are free from the paines of diseases yet haue their enemies in their bodies in diuers parts of them laid as it were in garison which may and will break out vpon them at a time they know not or if they were not there the Lord from without can send diseases vpon them The world is euery where full of occasions of sicknes or if there were not outward meanes to worke them yet God can strike men from heauen Vse The vse should bee to warne such as are in health to walke humbly For they know not how soone sicknes may seaze vpon them Secondly such as haue their friends taken away by sicknes or are yet afflicted should submit to Gods will For this is the case of all men euen the greatest yea and Gods elect are liable to such a condition by nature Doct. 2. The diseases of the body are grieuous therfore Christ takes notice of that kind of distress to prouide for the healing of our bodies We see by experience that of many sorts of crosses it is most grieuous to beare the paines that arise from the wounds or sicknes of the body and it is the more grieuous partly because no men are priuiledged from diseases but either haue them or are in danger of them as was said before and partly because God hath armed such a multitude of sorts of diseases to which the body of man is liable Vse Therefore the vse should bee to take warning from these pains of the body to preuent eternall paines in hell by reconciling our selues to that God that can so fearefully afflict both body and soule and as wee feele the outward man to decay the more to labour for the health of the inward man especially by those harbingers of death to prouide for the time when our change shall come Doct. 3 Christ is a Physician for the body of man as well as for the soule In Christ our bodies may be healed Christ prouided healing for mans body as well as for his soule and mens bodies he heales either in this life or in the generall Resurrection First in this life some hee hath healed by miracle as hee did multitudes in the daies of his flesh while hee was heere in this world which he did in execution of his office as hauing charge of mens bodies and some hee healed by meanes giuing his blessing vnto the medicines prouided in nature and applied by the skilfull to the diseased yea hee vndertakes the healing of all Gods Elect in their bodies as this place imports which hee doth promise and will performe if it bee good for them Many times to heale the body would hurt the soule or keepe the leper from heauen and then Christ will not heal them else he vndertakes and is bound
A COMMENTARY OR SERMONS VPON THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE FIRST Epistle of Saint Peter WHEREIN METHOD Sense Doctrine and Vse is with great variety of matter profitably handled and sundry heads of Diuinity largely discussed By NICHOLAS BYFIELD late Preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex LONDON Printed by Humfrey Lownes for George Latham and are to be sould at his shop in Paul's Church-yard at the Signe of the brazen Serpent 1623. TO THE HONOVRABLE KNIGHT SIR HORATIO VERE Generall of the English forces in the Low-countries and to his most worthy Lady the Lady MARY VERE all happiness that a poor widow may in their behalfe pray for at the Throne of Grace My much-honoured Lord and Lady AS that speciall duty which I my self owe to you both so that purpose which my deare husband had while hee liued of dedicating to you this Commentary of his vpon S. Peters Epistle bindeth mee who am left his sole Executrix to see his Will euery way performed to set out this first of his workes published since his death vnder your Honourable Names It pleased you to take into your Family a childe of his body be further pleased I pray you to take into your Patronage this childe of his soule which as an Orphane yea as a Posthumus in all humility is presented vnto you You manifested more than ordinary kindnes to my husband while he liued wee and ours haue oft tasted of the sweetnes of your bounty so that I should deserue to be accounted most ingratefull if I should bury so many fauours in obliuion or neglect to prouoke others to loue and good works by proposall of your example Accept I beseech you this poore acknowledgement of thanks which is most due first to that primary Fountain of all goodnes Almighty God for keeping your Lordship safe in your late imployment in the Palatinate and for freeing your Ladiship from those fears wherunto you could not but be subiect by reason of his long absence and for giuing you both a mutuall and comfortable fruition one of another And next to your selues for all those kindnesses which while my husband liued you did to him and his and since his death you continue to do to such as he hath left behinde him Now the good God continue his blessed protection ouer you both and take all that belong vnto you vnder the wings of his fatherly Prouidence And so I rest with the renewall of my sute that you would cast your eyes vpon this Worke of him who much honoured you in his life-time and is after his decease offred to you by Your humble Oratrix ELIZABETH BYFIELD To the Christian Reader MAny and great are the means which the Lord hath beene pleased since this latter Spring of the Gospell begunne aboue an hundred yeeres agoe to afford vnto his Church for opening of the mysteries of the Gospell Neuer since the Apostles times were the Scriptures more truly interpreted more fully expounded more distinctly diuided or more powerfully pressed then in our Times The number of those who haue taken good paine in this kinde is not small Wee may well put into the Catalogue of them the Authour of this Commentary vpon the second Chapter of the first Epistle of S. Peter Master Nicholas Byfield by name who continued for the space of twenty yeeres to take more then ordinary paines in the work of the Lord. Hee had a singular gift in diuing into the depth of those points which he vndertooke to handle As the many other Treatises which in his life time he published doe verifie as much so in particular this Commentarie here commended vnto thee In it thou shalt find besides the Grammatical exposition Logical resolution and Theological obseruations many diuine points copiously handled by way of Common-place which hath made the booke to arise vnto that bignesse that it hath In this manner of handling the holy Scriptures hee hath not gone alone Many of the main Pillars of the reformed Churches haue beaten out a path before him as Martin Bucer Peter Martyr Musculus Zanchius Lauater Perkins and sundry others The large volume of Peter Martyrs Common-places was gathered out of his Commentaries on the holy Scriptures The Church of God hath reaped much good by such copious and distinct handling of heads of Diuinity Their labours therefore who take paines therein are not to bee concealed from the Church If it had pleased the Lord to haue continued the life liberty and ability of this his Seruant longer vnto his Church he had questionlesse gon on further in this course which hee so well began and so might wee haue had by his paines as compleat a Commentarie on the two Epistles of Saint Peter as we haue vpon the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Colossians published by this Author In his life-time he entred vpon the third Chapter and went thorow a good part thereof all which is fairely copied out and prepared for the presse But there is so much matter in that which remaineth as it will make a competent Treatise by it selfe This I make knowne not that thou shouldst let this Book alone till the other be published for when it is published it cannot bee bound vp with this in one volume by reason of the bignes of both of them As care hath been had to print this Commentary on the second Chapter euery way answerable to the former on the first Chapter so like care shall be had of printing that which remains answerable to them both that so you may haue all the labors of this faithfull and painfull Minister of Gods Word on this part of Scripture in three euen volumes which is in a manner as good as if they were all in one volume They may for their matter be well distinguished into seueral volumes for though one continued Scripture be handled in them all yet the points in euery of them are different In this respect there is an Alphabeticall Index in the latter end that by the help of it you may the more readily finde out such points as you most desire to reade If the Author bee of force to commend a Work the more this Work may receiue no small commendation from the Author of it for hee was a man of a profound iudgement strong memory sharp wit quick inuention and vnwearied industry He was in his Ministery very powerful and that vnto all turns as we speak When he had to doo with tender and troubled consciences he was a Barnabas a sonne of comfort but when hee had to doo with impudent and obstinate sinners hee could make his face hard and strong and shew himself like to Boanerges the sonnes of thunder Graue sober and temperate he was in his carriage and yet with his intire familiar friend he could be modestly pleasant God gaue him a great measure of patience and hee had in his very body that which tried his patience for it appears that he carried a torturing stone in his bladder fifteen
will not be despised 1. Tim. 4.12 2. The Diuell that god of this world doth mightily labour in this point to keepe men from affecting the Gospell If he cannot hinder men from hearing then his next worke is by all possible indeuours to blinde their minds and marre their tastes that they may not perceiue nor regard the glorious things of God in Christ 2. Cor. 4.4 3. Euill company is a wonderfull impediment it causeth perpetually hardnes of hart and carelesnes it keepes the hearts of the wicked men in a continuall habituall deadnes and the best men seldome light into prophane company but they get some degree of dulnes and deadnes of affections by it Pro. 9.6 Psa. 119.115 4. God himselfe being prouoked by mans extreame wilfulnes in sinning giues them ouer to a spirit of slumber and curseth their very blessings yea restraineth sometimes the very gifts of his seruants that so he may execute his iudgements vpon a rebellious people The Lord hideth his statutes from them and with-holding his spirit keeps back the life of the word in their harts Esay 6.10 yea many times to scourge the vnthankfulnes and vnprofitablenes of his own people he doth for a time hide his testimonies from them Psal. 119.19 Thus much of the lets without vs. The internall lets must be considered First In the wicked Secondly In the godly The cause of this hartlesnes and want of affection in the wicked is First their ignorance they know not either the word or the worth of the word or their own need of it Secondly their prophaneness irreligiousnes They liue without God or without Christ in the world they make no conscience of their waies They forget their later end they minde not the good of their soules but only earthly things they neuer tasted of the bountifulnes of the Lord but were altogether corrupt and strangers from the life of God only greedy in sinning Thirdly Atheisme There is in the harts of all wicked men in some degree abominable conceits concerning God and his word They either doubt whether the scriptures be the true word of god or els they are strongly carried to resolue ther is no profit in the knowledge of gods waies or in seruing the almighty Iob. 21.14 Malac. 3.15 Fourthly Cares of life The loue of the profits or pleasures of this life choak the word and the power of it as is apparant by these places Math. 13. Luke 14. Psal. 119 36 37 c. Fiftly In some either whoredome or wine for these two sinns together or either of them take away mens harts they are voide of all due consideration and of all affection to gods word They are senseless creatures Hosh. 4. Thus of the cheef letts in the wicked The lets of affection in the godly are diuers First Sometimes it is their worldliness their too much minding and plodding about the things of this life or their excessiue burthening of their heads about their calling They haue too much to doe or they haue too much care care I say that is distrustfull and carking care Psal. 119.36 Secondly Sometimes it is want of comfortable felowshippe in the Gospell Affection that is alone is seldome constant in the same degree There is much quickning and comfort and incitation in a constant and tender and profitable society with such as loue the word Psalm 119. verse 63. Thirdly sometimes it is some secret sinne that gets too much dominion ouer them As affection may stand with meer frailties and infirmities So on the other side if any sinne once get head and men yeeld to it and agree to obey it their affections to the word presently dy within them Psal. 119.133 yea if this sinne bee but in the thoughts and bee yeelded to and delighted in and that constantly they seek the pleasure of contemplatiue wickednes and do not resist it by praying against it euen vain thoughts may dead the affections and poison them Psal. 119.113 Fourthly sometimes it is neglect of mortification The soule will gather aboundance of humors as well the body and therefore Christians should not go too long especially if they feele a kinde of fulnesse to growe vpon them but take a purge that is seriously and secretly set time apart to humble themselues before God purging out their most secretest corruptions with all harty confession before God Fiftly sometimes it is want of practice or want of an orderly disposing of their waies in godlinesse If they rest onely in hearing their affections cannot last long sincere and besides the most Christians burden their owne harts for very want of order and that they go not distinctly about the works of godlinesse but rake together a great heap of doctrine which they knowe not what to doo withall Psal. 50. vlt. Sixtly sometimes again it is occasioned by inordinate feeding when Christians begin to affect nouelties and seek to themselues a heap of teachers they scape not long without fulnesse and the fits of loathing 2. Tim. 4.3 Seuenthly sometimes very idleness is the hindrance The want of a particular calling to imploy themselues in the six daies breeds a general kinde of wearinesse and satiety which extends the heart of it not onely to the times of priuate duties in the working daies but to the very Sabbath also They cannot work at Gods work with any great delight that had no more minde to their owne work Eightthly sometimes it is neglect of preparation and praier before we come to the word Ninthly sometimes it is a violent kinde of ignorance and vnbeleef when a Christian knowes not his right to the word and wil not be perswaded of the fatherly loue and presence of God in his ordinance If Preachers must say I haue beleeued therefore I will speak so must Hearers say I haue beleeued therefore I will hear They should knowe that they are welcome to Christ and may eat and drink Cant. 5.1 and that their heritage lieth in the word Psal. 119. Tenthly sometimes it is a very disease in the body as melancholy or some other which doth so oppresse the heart that it doth not take delight in any thing But of this more in the next Vse Lastly any of the sinnes mentioned in the former verse will hinder affection Malice Hypocrisie or Enuy or any of the rest Vse 3. The third vse may bee for instruction to teach vs to striue for affection to the word and to prouide to order our selues so as wee bee not wanting in the direction of the Apostle and so two sorts are to be taught that is such as want appetite and such as haue it that they may keep it aright Quest. What must such doo as finde either want of appetite or decay of it Ans. Such as would get sound affections to the word must doo six things First they must refrain their feet from euery euill way It is impossible to get sound affections without sound reformation of life Psalm 119. Secondly they must pray for it they
may bee here noted and that concerns the priuiledge of weak Christians viz that they are esteemed of God and not depriued of his fauour or care for them because they are weak 1. Parents loue their little children as well as their elder children so doth God 2. Parents prouide meanes to bring vp their little children so doth God They shall haue sincere milk to make them growe 3. Parents prouide such as shall tend their children and little ones so doth God hee hath committed them to the charge of Christ so as the least grace in them shall be preserued though it were but like a bruised reed or the smoking week of a candle Math. 11. 4. Parents beare with the naturall weaknes of their children without lessning their fondnes to them so doth God with infinite indulgence Psalm 103. 5. Parents will not endure it to let them be wronged or hurt and much more wo shall be vnto them that offend one of Gods little ones Math. 18. 6. Parents prouide portions inheritances for their little children so doth GOD acknowledge them for his heires yea heires with Christ his eldest son Rom. 8.17 A fift point that may be noted from hence is that onely conuerted Christians can desire the sincere milk of the word with true affection wicked men can no more affectionately desire the word than a dead childe or no childe can do the breast Quest. But haue wicked men no desire after the word Ans. They may haue but onely it is for the most part in two cases First when they desire to hear the word onely for mens wittes or eloquence or the like carnall ends and so they desire not the sincere milk of the word Secondly in the case of a temporary faith where the delight and desire after the word is not constant like the appetite of a childe to the breast for they wil fall away in the time of temptation and all their desires proue but as the morning deaw Desire the sincere milk of the word Hitherto of the first reason taken from the consideration of their present estate and need of the word The second reason is taken from the consideration of the nature of the word which they should desire It is sincere pure there is no deceit no mixture in it And it is milk it is wonderfull apt for nourishment Ther are two things then heer said of the word in praise of it First that it is milk secondly that it is sincere Milk This is a metaphor Sometimes by milk is meant a man that is godly cast into affliction by which God strains all the moats of corruption from him while his heart is poured out like milk with grief and fear Thus Iob saith of himself GOD had strained him out like milk Iob 10. verse 10. Sometimes by milk is meant the rudiments of religion the principles and grounds of Catechism and so it differeth from strong meat so it is taken Heb. 5.12 1. Cor. 3.2 Sometimes it signifieth the word of God in generall which is giuen to the Church for nourishment of their soules to eternall life and so it is taken heer as in Esay 55.1 the word is called both milk and wine and water and in other places hony It is hony for the sweetnes of it It is wine for the power it hath to reuiue and refresh the spirit of man and make his heart glad It is water for cooling and quenching of his spirituall thirst and it is milk for nourishment It doth more for nursing vp mans soule than the milk of the breast can for the bodies of infants The consideration whereof should work in vs the desire to which the Apostle heer exhorteth and withall wee should bring with vs faith to beleeue that Gods word shall turn to our nourishment Shall wee trust nature for the goodnes of milk and shall we not trust God for the efficacy of his word when hee tels vs it will nourish like milk And the rather should wee make our recourse with gladnes to the word because it is so cheap a food wee may buy this milk without money that is without merits onely if wee will hear our soules shall liue Esay 55.2.4 yea let vs for euer be thankfull to God for his word in this respect Was it so great a blessing that GOD brought the Israelites to a land that flowed with milk and hony for their bodies for the greatnes of which blessing God doth so often put them in minde of it How great then is the maruellous goodnes of God that hath made vs to liue in these times of the Gospell when the Land flowes with this spirituall milk and hony Let vs labour to bee thankfull and bring forth fruits worthy the bounty of God leâ—t the Lord send the men of the East to dwell in these palaces and to eat our milk and we be cast out as it was said in the Letter Ezech. 25.4 Oh that wee could see our happinesse in these daies of saluation This is that milk of the Gentiles prophecied of which wee enjoy and suck now from the breasts of Kings liuing vnder christian Magistrates that command the preaching of this sincere word of God Esay 60.16 Sincere The word may be said to bee sincere in two respects First in it self secondly in effect In it self it is sincere because it is without error without sinne and there is no deceit in it at all Pro. 8.7.8 Psalm 19.8.9 and because it hath no composition in it but is the very pure word of God as it came from God himself at first There is not a word in it but it was written by men inspired immediatly by the holy Ghost 2. Pet. 1. vlt. And as it is in it self so it is by effect It makes men sincere It makes crooked things straight It purgeth out hypocrisie and all leauen out of the mindes and hearts of men It both teacheth and worketh in the godly a spirit without guile Psalm 19.8.9 The Vse may be both for Instruction and Reproof For Instruction both to the people and to Ministers To the people and so men should heer learn First to loue the word and long after it for this very reason because it is so pure and sincere so void of harm or danger so did Dauid Psalm 119.146 Secondly when we finde our natures crooked and corrupt and deceitfull and tending to hypocrisie we should bring our hearts to the word to be mended For this you see is a property of the word It will make men sincere Psal. 19.8.9 and 119. Iohn 17.20 and as any men haue more betaken themselues to the word the more sincere they haue alwaies growne Thirdly to receiue the word with full assurance wee may trust vpon it it cannot deceiue vs what wee finde for comfort or directions in Scripture we may build vpon it Neuer man was disappointed of his expectation that trusted vpon the word of God but in God they haue euer praised his word 2. Pet.
may bee in men that outwardly frequent the meanes and make a shew of godlinesse Secondly the outward declining or Apostasie is when men outwardly liue in grosse sinnes or follow scandalous courses and are at last relapsed to the violent courses of the world so as the meanes of godliness is neglected Againe declining is first either totall secondly or in part First totall when we fall off from all godliness and all the meanes of it and so only they fall that sinne against the holy Ghost Secondly in part is when men fall into some sinne or error and not lose all conscience of well-doing and such is their Apostasie also that fall off from the care of some of the ordinances of God as when men vse the priuate and neglect the publike or vse the publike and neglect the priuate c. Question But what shall a man doe to help himselfe that findes he hath declined c Answer He must take vnto himselfe words and confesse his sin to God and returne to the Lord hartily he will heale euen his back-sliding Hose 14.3.4.5 Vse 2. Secondly for instruction and so it should perswade with vs mightily to hold on and neuer faint in the way but striue to the perfection of euery good gift of God not being weary of well-doing knowing that it is ashame still to bee children and that God doth require a righteousnes of vs that should exceed the righteousnes of all the Papists and Pharises in the world and to this end we should preserue in vs this desire after the sincere milk of the word and watch against securitie and slothfulnes the dangerous moathes of godliness Vse 3. Thirdly such may bee much encouraged who haue their hearts set vpon growth and doe prosper in Gods work though otherwaies they haue many afflictions or infirmities yea such as with true hearts doe mourne for their not growing as they think may consider of many comforts to vphould themselues by as 1. Our Sauiour Christ had not all degrees of grace at once but grew in grace by degrees 2. Though thy gifts bee small and grow in thee like a graine of mustard-seed yet it may grow to a maruelous increase Math. 13. 3. Though thou haue many infirmities yet thou maist beare aboundance of fruit as the vine which is the weakest plant yet is not therefore barren Isaiah 27.2 4. Though thou haue little meanes to help thy selfe by yet thou maiest by the blessing of God grow The lilies spin not and yet are gorgeoâ—sly clothed Math. 6.28 5. If we sowe good seed it is certain the Lord will giue increase 1. Cor. 9.10.11 6. Though we sowe in teares we shall reap in ioy Psal. 126.5 6. yea though we be extreamely oppressed and reproached as the Israelites grew euen the more they were hated and oppressed in Aegipt Mark 4.8 7. We haue great helpes the word is more effectuall to the soule then milk to the body and we receiue influence from Christ our head Colos. 2.19 and euery member of the mysticall body makes some supply to further the growth of â—he whole body Eph. 6.16 Verse 3. Because ye haue tasted that the Lord is gracious or bountifull THese words containe the fourth reason to perswade to the desire after the word and it is taken from the experience they haue had of the goodnes of God comforting them in the word If euer they tasted the sweetnes of the word they must needes haue an appetite to it In these few wordes there are diuers poynts of Doctrine to bee obserued and explained as namely First That God is gracious Secondly that God doth graciously sweeten the word to his people as God doth shew his graciousnes in the word Thirdly that where there is a true taste of the sweetnes of the word there the soule growes in grace Fourthly It is but a taste of the sweetnes of God which can be had in this life Fiftly many liue in the church and yet neuer taste of the sweetnes of God and his word Sixtly It is a singular shame for such as haue felt the sweetnes of the word to faile in their desire after it For the first Where the Lord is praised for graciousnes by the word vsed in the originall heere it is to occasion in vs the admiration of the goodnes of Gods nature For in this one word are many distinct praises imported As First That hee is free and doth what he doth freely without respect of merit or desert in men and this is one thing which if wee finde should much incite vs to regard what he saith or requireth of vs. By this Argument are men called vpon Isaiah 55.1.2 3. Secondly that hee is kind to his very enemies For so the word is applied Luke 6.35 and questionles it should bee a great thing to perswade with a man when he comes to the word to regard it with much affection if he knowe that God thereby will doe good to his very enemies and that in that ordinance God is went to shew the mirror of his mercy in reuealing his loue communicating the blessings of his Gospell to such as come into his presence with hatred of their owne waies Thirdly that he is courteous and in a speciall manner kinde to and fond ouer his own people with incomprehensible indulgence the word is rendred Courteous Eph. 4.32 And all ages must wonder at this kindenes of God in Iesus Christ Eph. 2.7 And thus hee deliuereth his seruants from their feares Psal. 34.3 or 4. Fourthly that hee is bountifull and liberall and giueth plentifully so the word is vsed and giuen to God Rom. 1.5 Fifâ—ly that hee is gentle and easie to bee intreated or preuailed withall Hence that his yoke is said to bee easie Math. 11.30 where this word is translated easie and heereof comes the word rendred gentlenes Gal. 5.22 and thus hee is said to bee maruelous kinde in hearing praier Psal. 31.21 22. and 34.4 6 15. Sixtly that he stands not vpon respect of persons and thus he regards the poore Psal. 68.10 and will not disdaine to teach sinners his way Psal. 25.8 Seuenthly that he is sweet that is wonderfull comfortable pleasing and filling with delight Eightthly there is one specialty of Gods goodnes to which this word is applied and that is the accepting of the Gentiles to fauour when the Iews were cut off Rom. 11. Vse The vse of this point is various For First It should kindle in vs admiration All ages should gaze and wonder at such matchless good nature and kindnes in God Ephes. 2.7 Secondly It should break our hearts with sorrow and repentance for our sins to think of it that wee offend a God so kinde so good so bountifull Rom. 2.4 Hose 3.5 Thirdly It should perswade with men that neuer felt this to taste and see how good God is Psalme 34. Question What must we do if wee could or might taste of this sweetnes of Gods nature Answer The Prophet Dauid telles vs
the promises of God in Christ are the sweet spices which being beaten yeeld a heauenly and supernaturall smell in the soules of the godly hearers 2. Cor. 2.14 15. But then Ministers must take heed they corrupt not Gods Word and see to it that their preaching bee in sincerity and as of God and in the sight of God in Christ and with demonstration of the truth to mens consciences 2. Cor. 2.17 else any Preacher will not serue the turn And in both these respects Ministers haue reason to cry out with the Apostle Oh! who is sufficient for these things If euery Sermon must leaue so sweet a sauour behinde it in the hearts of the hearers and in the nostrils of God too who can bee without the speciall assistance of God fitte for these things Lastly this may serue for singular reproof and terror to the wicked and that in diuerse respects First for such as are mockers and call sweet sowre that is speak euill of the good word of God secondly for the miserable neglect of that they should account the life of their life Alas whither shall wee go or what is this miserable and wretched life if we want the sweet comforts of the word To dwell without the word is To dwell in the parched places of the wildernesse and this Ministery is the more dangerous in such or to such as are daily inuited and haue all things ready made and yet wil not inwardly obey gods calling nor profit by the means but finde excuses to shift off the inuitation of God How justly may that curse be inflicted vpon them These men shall neuer taste of my supper Luke 14.17 c. 24. Thus much of the second doctrine Doct. 3. The third doctrine out of these words may be this that such as finde a true taste of the sweetnes of God in his Word may conceiue hopefully that their soules doo and shall prosper and growe There is no doubt to be made of our growth if once we come to feel the sweetnes of the Word For the cleerer vnderstanding of this doctrine I must answer two questions Quest. First what this true taste is Secondly whether this taste may not bee in wicked men Ans. For the first A true taste of the sweetnes of the Word and Gods graciousnes in it may bee knowne both by the cause and by the effects The cause of this taste is faith for by faith onely doth the soule taste Or that thing that raiseth so sweet a rellish in our hearts is A perswasion in particular of the graciousnes of God to vs euen of that graciousnes which the Word doth discouer The effects of this taste are three For first it reuiues the heart and raiseth it from the dead and frames it to bee a new creature working an vnfained change in the heart of man from the world and sin to the care of Gods glory and saluation of their own soules and thus it is called A sauour of life vnto life 2. Cor. 2.15 Secondly it settleth in the heart an estimation of the Word and spirituall things and the assurance of Gods fauour of al earthly things in the world Phil. 3.9 Psalm 84.10 Thirdly this taste works a heauenly kind of contentment in the heart so as the Godly when they haue found this are abundantly satisfied they haue enough Psalm 36.10 and 95.4 For the second question concerning wicked men and their rellishing of the sweetnes of the Word I say two things First that the most wicked men are without spirituall senses and finde no more taste in God or his Word than in the White of an egge they sauour not the things of the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. Cor. 2.13 Of this afterwards But yet it may not be denied but that some wicked men may go so farre as to taste of the good Word of God and of the powers of the life to come and of heauenly gifts as the Apostle granteth Heb. 6.5 6. Quest. Now there-hence ariseth a great question What should bee the difference between this taste in wicked men and the true taste in godly men Answer For answer heerunto diuers differences may be giuen First in the things tasted there is a difference For wicked men may haue common graces yea and miraculous gifts too by imposition of hands and these are a great taste giuen them of the glory of Gods Kingdome but they neuer taste of sauing graces or if a taste of sauing graces were granted yet they taste as it were of the Riuer running by them but not of the Fountain whereas the Godly haue the very Spring of grace flowing in them Secondly in the time of tasting This taste in wicked men is but for a season it cannot hold long in them and therefore is their faith joy said to be temporary Whereas godly men may keep their taste to their dying daies not onely in the gifts of sauing graces but in the very sense of the sweetnes of Christ and the Word too c. Thirdly in the manner of tasting For wicked men may taste of the Gospell and Religion by senses or by a dimme kinde of contemplation or by a sudden illumination as by a flash of lightning but they cannot taste with their hearts cleerely by Faith Or thus wicked men may in the generall taste that is know and beleeue that the Mystery of Christ is true but they cannot taste or know this Mystery with particular and sound application as theirs Fourthly in the grounds of this taste or delight For a wicked man perswaded by false reasons settled in the common hope or transported with an high conceit of some temporary and common gifts and Graces may be much delighted and ioyed in the Word and the thought of going to heauen for a time but he neuer rightly applyed the promises of Grace in Christ nor doth he euer possesse so much as one infallible signe of a childe of God Fiftly In the effects and consequents of tasting for 1. A wicked man may taste but hee neuer digests An euill conscience casts vp the food againe or choakes and poisons it whereas in godly men their taste abides in them and they digest the food they receiue The vertue of it continues with them 2. A godly man is transformed and made another man by this taste so is not the wicked man It is not a sauour of life to the wicked 3. A true taste in the godly works as is before noted a high estimation and sound contentment so as the godly place the felicity of their liues in this communion with God his word But that can neuer a wicked man doe Sixtly and lastly wicked men may seem to taste and yet doe not Many men professe religion and delight in the word and in religion and religious duties who yet neuer did attaine to it but constantly found a wearines secret loathing and many times a secret and inward ill sauor in the word and in the duties of religion so as the
door of euery opinion and before thou let it in ask this question What shall my soule bee aduantaged by this opinion at the day of IESVS CHRIST And if it cannot answer to it directly reiect it Psal. 119.66 Dauid praies God to teach him good iudgement and knowledge Fiftly let the publique Ministery of GOD's seruants be the ordinary rule of thy interpretation so long as no sense is taught there contrary to the former rules 1. Cor. 14.36 and where thou doubtest thou must seek the law at the Priest's mouth and be very fearfull in any thing to bee wiser than thy Teacher I mean to nourish priuate opinions which are not iustified by publick doctrine Sixtly pray to God to â—each thee and to giue thee his Spirit to lead thee into all truth vnderstanding is God's gift 2. Tim. 2.7 and hee will teach thee humbly his way Psal. 25. Thus of the first rule wee must first soundly vnderstand the sense of the Scripture wee would apply Secondly thou must bring a minde apt to bee taught willing to be formed and to bee all that which God would haue thee to bee thou canst neuer profit by application without a penitent minde a minde that will part with any sin God shall discouer in thee and a minde carefull to obserue the conditions required aswell as the promise tendred Iames 1.21 This is indeed to glorifie the Word Thirdly it is an excellent help in application to follow the guiding of the holy Ghost in thy heart thou shalt finde in all doctrines a difference Some things read or heard haue a speciall taste put vpon them by Gods spirit or a special assurance of them wrought at the time of reading or hearing Now thou must be carefull to take to thee these truths which the Spirit of GOD doth cause to shine before thee Eat that which is good Esay 55.2 Try all things and keep that which is good 1. Thes. 5.20 Fourthly knowe that serious and secret meditation vpon the matter thou hearest is the principall nurse of fruitfull application it is but a flash can be had without an after deliberate meditation and about meditation remember these rules 1. Let it be secret 2. He must let it be full Giue not ouer till thou hast laid the truth vp in thy heart take heed of that common deceit Psalm 119.45 of resting in the praise or liking of the doctrine bee not a Iudge against thine owne soule For if the doctrine be worthy of such praise why darest thou let it slip and run out Let not the diuell start it out of thy heart Mat. 13.20 or the cares of life choke it Luke 11.28 3. Let it be constant Bee at the same point still from day to day till it bee soundly formed and seated in thy heart How rich might many Christians haue been if they had obserued this rule Psal. 1.2 Psalm 119.3 5. Esay 26.9 Fiftly be wise for thy self take heed of that errour of transposing thy applications say not This is a good point for such and such till thou haue tried thine owne heart whether it belong not to thee Psalm 119.59 Pro. 9.7 Sixtly by any means bee carefull of the seasons of doctrine be wise to vnderstand the season There bee many truths which if thou let passe the opportunity of informing of thy selfe thou maist perhappes neuer haue it so again and therefore take heed of losing precious things when thou hast the time and meanes to attaine them c. Thus of the first point The second thing is the speciall duty of Ministers to apply the Scriptures to the hearers that belong to their charge we see the Apostles doe it and for this purpose hath God set apart the ministery of the Word that by them it might be applied God inspired the Scriptures and the Ministers are to vrge them and whet them vpon the hearts of their hearers for their Instruction Reproofe or Consolation 2. Tim. 3.17 They are like the Priests for cutting vp or diuiding of the Sacrifices 2. Tim. 2.15 And this may serue to iustifie the course of godly and painfull ministers that most studie the sound application of their doctrine and secretly staineth the pride of these men that auoide with scorne application vainly affecting the praise of wit and learning Thirdly we may hence note that all men in the visible Church haue not a right to the comforts of the Scripture and it is the Ministers dutie to driue wicked men off from claiming anie part in the promises which are the only treasure of the Saints as here we see in these two verses the Apostle carefully doth Men must doe the workes of Iacob if they would haue the comforts of Iacob Micah 2. verse 7. A Minister must separate betimes the cleane and vncleane His word must be like a Fanne that will driue the chaffe one way and the Wheat another and though wicked men brooke not this yet God requireth this discretion at the hands of his people Gods Ministers must not dawbe with vntempered morter or giue the childrens bread to dogs or cast holy things to swine Fourthly they may hence cleerly also see that no other difference may be put between many then what faith and vnbelief obedience and disobedience make Men must not be knowne after the flesh Fiftly t is hence also apparant that all the godly haue a common right to the promises made in Christ. The godly in the Apostle Peters time had right to the former consolation as well as the godly in the Prophet Esaies time God is no respecter of persons Col. 3.11 Thus in generall Two things are to be obserued in particular The one concernes the godly who are comforted The other concernes the wicked who are terrified The Godly are comforted in these words To you therefore which beleeue he is precious In which words it is the drift of the Apostle to raise a vse for consolation out of the former Text whence consider First the persons comforted viz. you that beleeue Secondly the happinesse applied vnto them He is precious For the first It is manifest that the Apostle directs them to look for faith in their hearts if they would haue comfort in God's promises It is not enough to knowe that beleeuers shall bee saued but we must be sure that men in particular are beleeuers we must examine our selues whether we be in the faith or no 2. Cor. 13.5 Which should both reproue and direct It reprooues the great shamefull slothfulnesse of Christians that suffer the tempter to keep them without the assurance of faith some haue no faith at all and the better sort liue in too much doubtfulnes in the point of the assurance of faith And therefore we should bee warned and directed to try our faith and to make it sure that we are beleeuers Quest. What is it to be a true beleeuer Ans. It is To imbrace with our hearts the reconciliation and saluation which by Christ is purchased for vs
first verse of this Chapter And he is well said to bee Head of the corner because vpon Christ meet as the two sides meete in the corner stone both Angels and men and amongst men both the Saints in heauen and the godly on earth and amongst men on earth both Iewes and Gentiles euen all the Elect of all nations ages and conditions in the world The vses of the exaltation of Christ briefely follow First It should teach vs to striue by all meanes to get into his seruice that is so powerfull and able to do so much for his seruants Secondly It shewes vs the end of the oppositions of all wicked men Christ shall increase and prosper and they shall bee confounded and perish Thirdly It should especially enforce the necessity of beleeuing in Christ we should lye vpon him with all our waight as the building doth on the foundation Fourthly It should comfort vs in all distresses considering what end God gaue to the sufferings of Christ and so it is vrged Hebr. 12.2 The consideration of the manner and the time followes Is become or is made He doth not tell how but leaues that as granted to bee effected without hands euen by the speciall prouidence of God which giues vs occasion to take notice of the truth that in things of the Kingdom of Iesus Christ God is pleased to make his worke or to worke sometimes without vsing any of the meanes which the world takes notice of he neglects all those meanes which fall within the expectation Psal. 118.20 21. as heere for the proclaiming of the Messias there was not any one order or rank of men eminent in the world which God made vse of But by a way altogether strange to the world erected the Christian Monarchie which should teach vs not to limit God to the meanes which is likeliest to vs but to liue in all things by faith where meanes seeme to faile then with Abraham aboue hope and vnder hope to giue glory to God and cast our selues and all our care vpon God Thus of the manner The time followes In that he said It is become Christ was Head of the corner according to the present time First if we consider the type of it Christ was become head of the corner in that Dauid was made King of Israel as a type of Christs Kingdome ouer the Church Secondly Christ was Head in that in the Apostles time hee had receiued power after his Ascension ouer all things though as yet the Gentiles were not so fully conuerted Thirdly that he is becom the head may be taken prophetically For the Prophets to express the certainty of a thing to come vtter it in the words of the present tense It is so because it shall as surely be so as if it were already done Verse 8. And a stone to stumble at and a rocke of offence euen to them which stumble at the Word being disobedient vnto the which thing they were euen ordained HItherto of the punishments vpon the builders The punishment vpon the whole body of vnbeleeuers is contained in this verse Wherein note first the kindes of punishment Christ is a rock of offence and a stone of stumbling Secondly the causes both in themselues and in God in the words that follow A rocke of offence and a stone of stumbling Since wicked men haue refused Christ and will not beleeue in him He that may not be a stone of foundation will proue a stone of stumbling and a rock for them to dash on till they be dashed to pieces which words import the fearefull iudgements of God spiritually inflicted vpon vnbeleeuers which is two-fold First they shall be giuen vp to scandall and then secondly to despaire Before I open the words particularly diuers things may be noted in generall First that the punishments that light vpon particular wicked men are to be accounted the punishments of the whole body of vnbeleeuers as here despaire and taking offence at Christ it may light vpon some particular offenders only yet they are punishments belonging to all 1. Because there is no iudgement but all wicked men haue deserued it 2. Because when God plagues some he meanes all he threatens all 3. Because no wicked man can be sure for the time to come that he shall not fall into them 4. Because the afflictions of this life are typical to wicked men as despair is a typicall hell and so all other iudgements are but little hels And this doctrine should much amaze impenitēt sinners if they consider that any fearfull iudgement they see fall vpon others may fall vpon them and that GOD is aswell displeased with their sins as with the sins of those he so plagued as Christ shewes Luke 13.1 to 6. Secondly that from one and the same cause may arise diuers and contrary effects as Christ that is a stone of foundation to the beleeuer is a stone of stumbling to the vnbeleeuer Thus in Luke 2. hee was appointed for the rising and falling of many in Israel Thus the Gospel of peace is to wicked men a fire a sword a fanne It is a sauour of life to the Godly and a sauour of death to the Wicked 2. Cor. 2. as the Sun melteth the wax and hardneth the clay This comes to pass by accident and by the corruption that is in the hearts of wicked men and by the fearfull iudgements of God Vse The vse should bee to teach vs therefore not to rest in the hauing of the meanes of saluation as the preaching of the Word c. For through thy corruption it may be a meanes of greater damnation Thirdly that of all iudgements in this life spirituall iudgements are the worst which appears from hence in this that when the LORD would declare his speciall displeasure vpon wicked men he threatens these in this place as the most fearfull Now for explication of this point All iudgements in this life are either spirituall or temporall By temporall iudgements I meane such as haue their proper effects on the outward man such as are pouerty disgrace sicknes imprisonment losses in mens estates and the like By spirituall iudgements I mean such as haue their proper effects vpon the soule as for example hardnes of heart the spirit of slumber dissertion or the absence of GOD the taking away of the gifts of the minde the with-holding of the Gospell the deliuering of men vp to the power of Satan or to the loue of lies terrours of despaire or taking of offense of which later in this place Now these spirituall iudgements are much worse than any of the former temporall crosses first because these iudgements light vpon the best part of man which is the soule and by how much the soule is better than the body by so much it is worse to be distressed in soule than in body Secondly because they with-hould from vs the best Good which is God or Christ now that which straightens vs in the best things
must needs be the worst kinde of restraint Thirdly because these crosses are more hardly cured it is much easier to heal a sicknes in the body than a disease in the soule Fourthly because these iudgements for the most part are inflicted vpon the worst offenders I say for the most part for sometimes the Godly themselues may be scourged for a time and for iust reasons with some kindes of spirituall iudgements Vse The vse may be first for reproof of the madnesse of multitudes of people in the world that can bee extremely vexed and grieued for worldly crosses yet haue no sense or care of spirituall iudgements they howle vpon their beds if GOD take from them corn or wine or the fruits of the field but neuer grieue if God take the Gospell from them they are much troubled if they lose the fauour of their greatest friends but neuer mourn because GOD hath forsaken them they are very impatient if their bodies be sick and yet very quiet if their soules bee sick they would think themselues vndon if they were carried to prison who yet are not much moued at it that God should deliuer them vp to Satan And yet I would not be mistaken I do not mean to say that wicked men should not mourn for worldly or outward crosses It is true godly men should not or not with great sorrows but for wicked men they ought to be extremely grieued for euery outward affliction because it comes in wrath from God and is but the beginning of euils But then two things must bee noted First that their sorrow should be godly viz. for their sinnes that brought those iudgements not for the crosse it self secondly that they ought to bee more troubled for spiritual iudgements than for temporall Secondly this should much comfort godly men and women in all their afflictions and it should make them patient because though God afflicts them in their bodies or states yet hee spareth their soules and doth not execute those outward crosses but with much compassion Thirdly it should teach vs how to pray in the case of afflictions if they bee spirituall iudgements wee may pray directly for the remoueall of them but for temporall iudgements we must pray with condition And thus of the generall obseruations Before I enter vpon the particular breaking open of the doctrine of this verse it will not be amisse to shew that this and such doctrine as this is not vnprofitable Quest. For some one might say To what end serues this doctrine of God's dealing with vnbeleeuers Ans. I answer it is profitable both for godly men and wicked men For wicked men may hence hear and fear and doo no more wickedly seeing hence they may discern what they may come to if they preuent it not by repentance And for godly men they may hence be the more inflamed with the admiration of Gods goodnes when they shall heare of their owne priuiledges by grace Such Scriptures as this containe the arraignment and triall of the vngodly Now it is very profitable for vs to stand by and hear the triall Wee know multitudes of innocent men flock to the Assises to heare the araignement of malefactors which breeds in them first contentment in the obseruation of the solemnity and manner of administration of Iustice Secondly a feare to offend the terror of their sentence frightes the heart for many daies after Thirdly a loue of innocency it makes men loue innocency much the better for a long while after Fourthly compassion to malefactors it softens the heart and makes men fit to shew mercy to these poore condemned men The like to all this is bred by the consideration of such Doctrines as this In the words of this verse then two things are to bee noted first the kindes of punishments inflicted vpon the body of vnbeleeuers secondly the causes of it The kindes are two first God will deliuer them vp to scandall and then to despaire to scandall as Christ is a stone of stumbling to despaire as Christ is a rocke of offence These words are taken out of the Prophet Esay Chapter 8. where the Lord intends by them to denounce the reprobation of the Iewes as some think or rather foretels the spirituall Iudgements which shall bee inflicted vpon them The Apostle in this place applies the words to the vnbeleeuers of his time among whome the obstinate Iewes were chiefe to shew that as the other Scripture was comfortable to the Godly so were there places that did threaten the wicked that as the former place did proue Christ a stone of foundation for the godly so this did shew that Christ was a stone in another sense to the wicked Christ is a stone of triall to all men in the Church because the Doctrine of Christ tryes men whether they be elected or reiected good or bad so Esay 28.16 Againe Christ is a precious stone to the beleeuer and thirdly heer a stone of stumbling to the vnbeleeuers Now that we may know what offence or scandal is we may be helped by the Etimology of the originall words For Scandall in the originall is either deriued of a word that signifies to halt or els it noteth any thing that lieth in a mans way a stone or a piece of wood against which he that runneth stumbleth and so hurteth or hindreth himselfe It most properly signifieth rest or a certaine crooked piece with a baite vpon it in instruments by which mice or wolues or foxes are taken and thence the Church translated the name of scandall to note the snares by which men are catched as beastes are in grins and baites so the word it seemes is vsed So then a scandall is any thing which causeth or occasioneth offences by which a man is made to halt or is brought into a snare or made to stand still or fall in matter of Religion or saluation And so the sorcerers were a stumbling block to Pharaoh and the false prophets to Ahab and the lying signes of Antichrist to such as loue not the truth Now all scandall may be thus diuided Scandall is either actiue or Passiue that is giuen or taken Scandall giuen is when the authour of the action is likewise the cause of the hurt that comes by it Thus Elies sonnes were scandalous thus Dauid by his greeuous sinnes gaue offence 1. Sam. 2.17.2 Sam. 18.22 c. and thus Scandall is giuen either by euill doctrine first whether hereticall secondly or superstitious or else by wickednes of life or by wilfull abuse of Christian liberty Offence taken is either from our selues or from others A man may bee an offence a stumbling blocke to himselfe by dallying with some speciall beloued corruption of which our Sauiour Christ saith If thine eye offend thee pull it out or thy hand or thy foot c. Math. 5.29 Scandall taken from others is either that they call humane or that they call diabolical Scandall taken which they call humane may either bee found in Godly
estimation from them or at least put them to silence c. For the first if wicked men bee offended for doing good wee are not to regard their offence As when the Pharises were offended at Christ he cared not but said Let them alone they are blind and leaders of the blinde c. Math. 15.14 And so the Apostles answered It is better to obey God then men Acts 5.29 It is better that scandal arise then that the truth should bee forsaken Thus Michaiah cares not for the offence of Ahab nor Eliah and in this case Leui is not to respect father or mother bretheren or children Deut. 33.9 And so though wicked men bee offended wee must preach the Gospel with all plainenesse and not affect wisdome of words 1. Cor. 1.23 and wee must labour for the meate that perisheth not and must pray vnto God and vse religious exercises in our houses as Daniel did wee must renew Iustification by our owne workes and we must suffer in a good cause and wee must with strictnes auoid the excesses of the time Now for the second we may be guilty of giuing offence to the wicked First by scandalous and vicious life thus Dauid gaue offence Secondly by indiscretion in the manner of doing good duties as if men pray or fast or giue almes to bee heard or seene of men Thirdly by rash zeale as when men proclaime to the world a great deale of strictnes in things that are not grounded vpon the Word and yet are tainted openly with known infirmities and sinnes or when men are violent and rash censurers especially in things they commit themselues or when men neglect their calling and liue inordinately and are busie-bodies vnder pretence of Religion or when men that haue a faire dore opened to doe good by preaching the Gospell will not yeeld in some indifferent things that they may winne them as woe had beene to Paul if he had not beene a Iew with the Iewes that hee might gaine the Iewes thereby or necessity lay vpon him the preaching of the Gospell or to preach the Gospell though it were clogd at that time with condition of yielding to the Iewish ceremonies 1. Cor. 9. Now for the third there are diuers excellent rules that may much adorne the liues of Christians in their courage toward the wicked and so either preuent scandall or leaue them without excuse themselues being Iudges as they will confesse in the day of visitation These things then will much aduance our cause before wicked men to shew in our conuersation 1. Integrity and harmelesnes and sound care of the practising of godlines Philippians 1.15 16. 2. Submission and obedience vnto the King and his humane ordinances 1. Peter 2.13.14.15 3. Reuerence and feare when we intreate of any thing that concernes God and Religion 4. Meeknes of wisdome expressing a minde free from conceitednes frowardnes or affectation Iam. 3.13 5. Mercy to the poore and a minde free from the greedy desire of earthly things a serious declaration of the contempt of the world Iam. 1.26 Math. 5.16 c. 6. Quietnes and peace to be shewed first in studying to be quiet to meddle with our owne busines secondly in making peace amongst others Math. 5.8 7. Loue to our enemies being ready to pray for them or doe them any good Lastly hence may be gathered some matter of consolation for the godly For first if the Lord haue kept them from taking offence hee hath freed them from a great sore spirituall iudgement Secondly if the wicked should be so peruerse as to take offence when he giues none yet this may stay him that Christ himselfe was an offence vnto them Thirdly as it is a great iudgement to bee offended at Christ so it is a great mercy and supernaturall grace when the Lord makes our hearts able to loue the Lord Iesus in all sincerity Hitherto of the first kinde of punishment the second is that Christ shall be to them A rock of offence that is they shall fall vpon Christ as the ship doth vpon the rock and be broken all to pieces There shall bee a desperate anguish vpon their consciences perceiuing themselues to haue no right in Christ by the feare of which as men that haue suffred shipwrack they shall be out of all hope of mercy Thus hee that falleth on this stone shal be broken and vpon whom it shall fall he shall be ground to powder Luke 20 17. The consciences of wicked men are diuersly affected some are without feeling of any grieuance in the matters of their soules some haue feeling The consciēce is without feeling either through a continuall security and sleepines which is in all men or through a searednes by which some men are growne past feeling Now those wicked men that haue any feeling in this text are cast into two sorts for either they are offended or they despaire Christ is to those latter an occasion of their ruine they suffer shipwracke vpon Christ which is ioyned with singular offence or paine or grieuance of their consciences This rocke is like that in the Iudges chap. 6.21 out of which fire went and consumed them The despaire that wicked men feel is of two sorts For either it is a despaire which riseth from their perswasion of their want of helpe in spirituall things or from their want of help in outward things somtimes they fall into desperate tormēts and griefs and fears about outward things either vpon fear of danger or vpon an apprehension that they are vtterly vndone or shall be in matters of the world this was the despair mentioned and this despair was in Saul Achitophel and Belshazzer Dan. 5. and in the Iews when they said there was no hope Ier. 2.25 and this was in the Aegyptians Babylonians Tyrians and their case in the desolation of their estate by warre mentioned in many chapters of the Prophet Esay But this despair is not meant heer for this is a despair of all help or saluation of the soule by Christ conceiuing that they are vtterly cast off of God and shall perish for euer Thus Cain and Iudas despaired of all mercy in God And this despaire of saluation and all happinesse is felt either in hell or at the day of Iudgement or in this life First it is certain that the Wicked feel an eternall despair in hell which increaseth their torments because they haue no hope of ease or help and thus also the diuels despair This despair in hell is a meer gnawing the conscience and tormenting it which neuer dieth Secondly they also feel despair with singular horrour when they come to appear before Iesus Christ at the last Day when they behold the face of the Iudge and feel within them a witnes that tels them they shall bee damned This torment will then come vpon them like the pains of a woman in trauell and their anguish will bee so great that they will cry to the mountains
to answer or obey reiect the counsell of God harden their hearts and are therefore extremely miserable for First they iudge themselues vnworthy of euerlasting life Acts 13.46 Secondly they are in danger to bee left and forsaken of God and haue the meanes taken from them Iohn 12.39 Thirdly God will prouoke them many times to ielousie by calling a people to himselfe whom they account foolish Rom. 10.19 especially when they haue rebelled against the means Ezech. 3.6 7. Fourthly God will laugh at the calamity of such men Prou. 1.26 Fiftly and they may bee taken away with sudden destruction Prou. 1.17 Sixtly if they call to God it may be hee will not answer heereafter Prou. 1.28 29 30. Seuenthly if they liue in prosperity that shall destroy them Prou. 1.31 Eightly the dust of the feet of Gods seruants shall witnesse against them in the day of Christ and then they shall bee fearefully punished Now there are another sort of wicked men that are called externally and in some respect internally too and yet are not right such as haue temporary grace doe obey their calling after a sort and for a time for they assent vnto a part of the Word of God which they receiue with ioy and this is called a taste of the good word of God they may also bee perswaded to leaue diuers sinnes as Herod was and may bee indued with diuers graces of the spirit which they had not before Heb. 6.4 5. Now this calling yet is not that effectuall inward calling which is in Gods Elect. For they receiue not the promise of grace in Christ to them in particular to rely vpon it nor are they perswaded to for sake all sinne nor haue they any one sauing grace which is in the godly Now these men are miserable because they are not truly called and the more first because they were neere the Kingdome of God and yet want it secondly because they will bee the hardlier drawne to see their miseries Harlots and Publicanes may enter into the Kingdome of heauen before them Hitherto of our calling and so of the positiue descriptiō of the happines of a Christian the cōparatiue followes in the last words of this verse the whole 10. v. where the Apostle intends to shew thē their happines now in Christ in cōparison of that miserable estate they liued in before so that hee compares the estate of a Christian in grace with the estate of a Christian in nature and this he doth first in metaphoricall termes in the end of this verse and then in plaine words verse 10. In this verse hee compares their misery to darknes and their happines to maruellous light Out of darknes From the generall consideration of all the words two things may bee obserued First that it is profitable euen for godly men to bee put in minde of the misery they were in by nature For the consideration heereof may 1. Keepe them humble to remember how vile they haue beene 2. Quicken them to the reformation of the sinne that yet hangs vpon them Col. 3.5 6 7 8. 3. Work compassion in them towards others that lye yet in their sins and teach them to deale meekely with them Tit. 3.2 3. 4. Make them more watchfull to look on a nature which hath beene so vile 5. Quicken them to redeem the time they haue spent in the seruice of sinne 1. Pet. 4.3 6. It should set the greater price vpon our happines in Christ and so is the consideration vsed heere Secondly that a mind that is truly cured of sinne can easily beare the remembrance of it as it is past A man that hath beene wounded in his arme will endure you to gripe him when hee is well healed A signe he is not well healed when hee cannot bee touched so is it with sinners Thus in Generall The first thing then to be considered of is the misery of men by nature expressed in the word darknes Darknesse The darknes that is in the world is not all of a sort For there is first darknes vpon the earth which is nothing but the absence of the light of the Sunne Secondly there is darknes vpon the outward estates of men in the world and that is the darknes of affliction Now afflictions are called darknes in diuers respects As first in respect of the cause when they fall vpon men by the anger of God The want of the light of Gods countenance is miserable darknes the absence of the Sunne cannot make a worse darknes Secondly in respect of the effects because afflictions darken the outward glory of mans estate and withall breed sorrow and anguish and the clouds and storms of discomfort and grief and for the time depriue the heart of lightsomnesse and ioy Of both these respects may the words of the Prophet Esay be vnderstood Esay 5.30 and 8.22 And so God creates darknes as a punishment vpon all occasions for sinne Esay 45.7 Afflictions may bee compared to darknes in respect of another effect and that is the amazement bred in the heart by which the afflicted is vnable to see a way out of distresse and vnresolued either how to take it or what means to vse for deliuerance Thus it is a curse vpon wicked men that their waies are made dark Psal. 35.6 Thirdly afflictions are called darknes when they are secret and hidden and fal vpon men at vnawares when they are not dreamed of Iob 20.26 And thus of darknes vpon mens estates Thirdly there is a darknes falls vpon the bodies and so it is either blindnes wanting the light of the Sun or else it is death and the graue Death and the graue is called darknes Iob 17.13 and 10.21 22. Psal. 88.13 Fourthly there is a darknes vpon the soules of men and that is spirituall blindnes when the soule liues without the knowledge of God and Iesus Christ especially As it respecteth the will of God in generall it is the darknes of ignorance and errour and as it respecteth the promise of grace in Iesus Christ it is the darknes of vnbelief Eph. 4. Lastly there is a darknes shall light vpon both soules and bodies of wicked men in hell and that is called vtter darknes Mat. 8.12 and 22.15 So that darknes as it comprehends in it the misery of wicked men is either temporall darknes vpon the estates or bodies of men or spiritual darknes vpon the soules of men or else eternall darknes in hell This darknes also may be considered in the degrees of it For besides the ordinary darknesse there is first obscure darknes called also the power of darknes and such was the darknesse of Gentilisme and such is that darknes threatned to such as curse father and mother Pro. 21.20 so was the darknes Ier. 2.1 2. and that our Sauiour Christ speaketh of Luke 22.53 Such also was that night brought vpon the Diuiners Mic. 3.6 7. Secondly there is vtter darknes or eternall darknes in hell which is the highest
prouided for that God preserues them yea and himselfe finds them out means of singular refreshing all their dayes Eightthly He crownes them with blessings Psal. 103.4 Ninthly hee giues them assurance of an immortall inheritance 1. Pet. 1.3 4. The consideration of this maruellous mercy which the godly haue obtained may teach vs diuers things First with all thankefulnesse to acknowledge the mercy of God wee should alwaies mention the louing kindnesse of God in all the experiences we haue of the truth of his mercies toward vs Esay 63 7. We should frame our selues to an easy discourse of the glory of God's Kingdome and talke of his power Psalme 145.8 9 10. Wee should be so perswaded of this truth as freely to say that we know that the Lord is gracious and very mercifull Psalme 116.5 It is a great sinne Not to remember the multitudes of God's mercies Psal. 106.7 Oh! that men would therefore indeede prayse the Lord for his goodnesse c. Psalme 107. foure times repeated in that Psalme Christians should glory in it not in their riches strength wisedome c. but in this that they know God that exerciseth mercy Ier. 9.24 Secondly in all our waies heartily to disclaim merits of works or opinion of our worthinesse or deserts say still with the Prophet in the Psalme Not vnto vs not vnto vs Lord but to thy Name giue the glory for thy mercy and truths sake Psal. 115.1 The whole frame of our saluation depends vpon God's Grace not on works Ephes. 2. Tit. 3.5 Thirdly let vs with Dauid resolue to dwell in the house of the Lord for euer since our happinesse lieth in mercy and since we haue the tidings of mercy in God's house there the fountain of this grace is daily opened vnto vs and we may draw water still with ioy out of this well of saluation in the Gospell Psal. 5.7 23. vlt. Fourthly we should learne of God to be mercifull Let vs striue to comfort others with shewing them mercy as we haue receiued mercy from the Lord. Oh let vs bee mercifull as our heauenly Father is mercifull Luke 6. Fiftly we should hence be incouraged and resolued since we know our priuiledges to goe boldly vnto the throne of Grace vpon all occasions to seeke mercy to helpe in the time of neede We haue obtained mercy of the Lord and therefore may and ought to make vse of our priuiledge Heb. 4.16 Secondly this doctrine of God's mercy may serue for singular comfort to the godly and that both in the case of sinne and in the case of afflictions 1. Against the disquietnesse of the heart for sinne it should much refresh them to remember that they haue obtained mercy yea though innumerable euils haue compassed them about Psal. 40.11 12. and though our offences are exceeding grieuous Psal. 51.1 Exod. 34.6 7. 2. Secondly in the case of afflictions many things should hence comfort vs. 1. That howsoeuer it goe with our bodies yet God hath mercy on our soules 2. That it is mercy that our afflictions are not worse that wee are not consumed Lamentations 7.22 3. That in the worst afflictions God doth many waies shew mercy his mercies are new euery morning Lament 3.23 4. That though God cause griefe yet hee will haue compassion to regard vs according to our strength hee will deale with vs in measure Lament 3.32 Esay 27.7 5. That hee doth not afflict willingly Lament 3.33 6. That all shall worke together for the best Rom. 8.28 Deut. 8.16 7. God will giue a good end Iam. 5.11 Hee will lift vp from the gates of death Psal. 9.13 God will giue thee rest from thy sorrowes and feares and hard vsage Esay 14.1 3. Psal. 57.3 He will send from heauen to saue thee 8. Hee will afflict but for a moment Esay 54.7 But in both these cases wee must remember First to seeke mercy of God Ezech. 36.32 Secondly if wee bee not presently answered our eies must looke vp to God and wee must waite for his mercies Psal. 123.3 4. Thirdly wee must check our selues for the doubtfulnes of our hearts as Dauid doth Psal. 4.7 8. and 77.10 Fourthly because we liue too much by sence we must beseech God not onely to be mercifull but to let his mercy be shewed and come to vs Psal. 85.8 and 116.77 Fiftly wee should also beseech God not onely to let vs feele his mercies but to satisfie vs also earely with his mercies Psalme 90. verse 14. Sixtly wee must looke to it that wee walk in our integritie Psalme 26.11 and liue by rule Gal. 6.16 Lastly howsoeuer wee must trust in God and looke to it that wee rest vpon the Lord Psal. 32.10 and 33.18 22. For God takes pleasure in those which hope in his mercy Psal. 147.11 Quest. But how may a man that is not yet comforted with Gods mercy take a sound course to obtaine mercie Ans. That men may obtaine mercie First they must take vnto themselues words and confess their sins to God and hartily bewaile their offences Ioel 2.13 Hosh. 14.3 Secondly they must turne from and forsake their euill waies and their vnrighteousnes inward and outward Esay 55.7 Thirdly they must bee carefull to seeke the Lord while hee may bee found Esay 55.6 Fourthly they must bee mercifull and loue mercie For then they shall obtaine mercie Math. 5.6 Fiftly they must learne the way of Gods people and learne them diligently Ierem. 12.15 16. They must haue pure hands and a cleane heart and not lift vp their soules to vanity Psal. 4.5 Sixtly they must hate the euill and loue the good Amos 5.5 Seuenthly they must cry vnto God daily Psal. 86.3 Eightthly there must nought of the cursed thing cleane vnto their hands Deuteronomie 13. verse 17. Ninthly when the Lord saith Seeke yee my face their hearts must say Thy face O Lord will wee seek Psal. 27.7 8. Verses 11.12 Dearly beloued I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule And haue your conuersation honest among the Gentiles that they which speak euill of you as of euill doers may by your good works which they shall see glorifie God in the day of their visitation THese words contain the epilogue or conclusion of the whole exhortation as it concerns Christians in generall from verse 13 of the former chapter hitherto and it hath in it matter both of dehortation and of exhortation as answering in the substance to all that hee hath hitherto intreated of by way of vse The dehortation is in verse 11 the exhortation in verse 12 in the one shewing what they should auoid in the other what they should doo They should auoid fleshly lusts and that they should doo is to liue honestly In generall we may note that it is the proper effect of all sorts of doctrine in scripture to make an impression of care in our hearts about the reformation of our liues that it is in vaine heard which doth not
things in it I answer two things First that the sense can receiue onely the images of a few things that is only of such things as haue colour sound tast smell or touchable qualities but the minde can beget the images of all things Secondly that those images in the senses are dull and dark and confused in comparison of the likenes of things in the minde 12. In that he hath a will in choosing or refusing things good or euill that cannot bee compelled The liberty of the will is inseparable to it in what it chooseth or refuseth for it implies a contradiction that the will should be cōstraind 13. In that it hath in it that diuine thing which we call conscience which is giuen to the soule as a guardian as it were to attend it from God the effects whereof are admirable in vs for it testifies to our actions it accuseth or excuseth it comforts when wee haue well done aboue all outward comforts and it terrifieth and scourgeth the soule with vnexpressible afflictions many times for sin it is a Iudge witnes and executioner many times in vs. Now if the soule bee thus admirable in any estate for all these things are true of the reasonable soule euen in the estate of corruption then how excellent was the estate of man in respect of his soule before the Fall and how doth it excell in the godly who haue their soules enlightned with the light of faith and garnished with sauing graces but especially how shall it exceed in glory when it shall bee presented before God in the Kingdome of heauen So that as the whole man made in God's Image is as it were the visible God in this great world so the soule is as it were a little God in the lesser world which is the body of man And thus much of the faculties of the soule Now the end of al this follows The Lord made the soul endowed it with so excellēt a being so admirable faculties that so the Lord might in this visible world haue a creature that would know him and serue him rightly The creatures without sense are Gods workman-ship but discerne nothing of God or themselues or other things The creatures with sense discern other things by sense but know nothing of God Now God made man as the abridgement of all hee had made and gaue him this soule of purpose that hee might discerne God aright and serue and worship and praise him Vse 1. The consideration of the excellency of the soule and of the end why it was created should stirre vs vp to make conscience of the seruice and knowledge of God It is as if wee had neuer beene if wee answer not this end Wee should bee fired to the obseruation and praise of God and of his loue to man And withall it should make vs wonderfull carefull of our soules since wee see they are such excellent creatures Our soule is more worth then all this visible world besides Especially it should fire vs to a care of things that concerne the blessed Immortality of our soules wee should bee forced to all possible care of all such things as might bee prouision for the eternall well-being of our soules And in particular the excellency of the soule should disswade vs from fleshly lusts and all inward impurity by which the soule is defiled or wounded Hitherto of the description of the soule The war against the soule is now to be considered of Concerning which I propound these things to bee handled First who are the combatants Secondly by what waies and means the soule is assaulted and opposed Thirdly why God would suffer the soule to bee thus assaulted Fourthly what reason Christians haue to bee carefull of themselues and prouide against this warre Fiftly by what meanes wee must resist and defend the soule Sixtly what hope there is of victory Seuenthly how many waies wee may obtaine victory Eightthly by what signes we may knowe that wee are not ouercome And then the vse of the whole For the first there are foure kinds of warre waged against the soule as it is encountered by foure sorts of aduersaries For both God and the world and he diuell and the flesh warre against the soule of man briefely of the three first God warres against the soule either in earnest and in deed or in show and appearance and not as an aduersary in deed In earnest God fights against the soule by the threatnings and rebukes of his Word when hee smites and beates men downe by the word of his mouth Esay 11. and also by torments of conscience powred out vpon the wicked men and so hee fought against Cain and Iudas Sometimes God is but a putatiue aduersarie and doth but seeme to fight against them and so hee warreth against his owne seruants either by outward crosses or by disertion or by feare and terrour and thus hee fought against Iob And in this case God is like a Captaine trayning his souldiers or like a Fencer teaching his scholler to fight The world wars against the soule two waies by the inticements of profits pleasures honours euill counsell or example and by persecution either of the tongue or hand The diuell warres against the soule by euill doctrine or temptations or illusions But none of these three are principally intended heere it is the flesh that maketh warre against the soule that is heere meant By the flesh is meant the corruption that is in the nature of man called the old man and the Lawe of the members By the soule is heere meant the spirit or regenerate man the new man the grace of Christ in the soule Thus of the first point who are the combatants the flesh is the assaylant the Spirit the defendant For the second point the flesh incounters and warres against the soule diuerse waies and by strange kindes of fights as 1. By mists of ignorance it casts mists before the eies of the soule that it might bee blinded for there is a manifest combate between the naturall vnderstanding and the regenerate minde carnall reason and sauing knowledge often fight it out within a man 2. By doubtings and distractions and so the flesh casts out such questions as these as so many darts into the soule Whether there bee a God or the Scripture be the Word of GOD Whether Christ be the Sonne of God and our Mediator Whether it be the true Church wee are in or whether our sinnes be forgiuen or wee bee in the state of grace whether there shall bee any resurrection or heauen or hell or immortall Being of the soule Against all these the soule is driuen to make often defenses and driues them out with hard conflicts 3. By rebellious deniall of obedience to the law of the minde exalting it self against the obedience enjoyned by Christ to the soule Rom. 7. 2. Cor. 10. and casting out resolutions of deniall thoughts that say they ought not or wil not obey 4. By hindring the work
begun in the Spirit and would end in the flesh that had forsaken the glorious ornaments and priuiledges of the Gospell to trust vpon beggerly rudiments that forsook the pretious merits of Christ's righteousnes to trust to the stained clouâ—s of their owne righteousnes Gal. 3.1 3. Tenthly the vnthankfull and iniurious person he is a mad man that wil strike his friend that prouoketh him not and so are all Nabals their folly is with them that vse their friends as Nabal did Dauid 1. Sam. 25.25 Eleuenthly the contentious person He is a mad man that laieth snares to catch himself and will speak things that force strokes vpon himself so is euery vnquiet intemperate busie-body A fool's lips saith Salomon enter into contention and his mouth calleth for strokes A fool's mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soule Pro. 18.6 7. Eccles. 10.12 Pro. 14.3 Twelfthly the implacable person Such men as are so furious there is no appeasing of them but they are like a Bear robbed of her whelps Pro. 17.12 They are mad-men that will heare no reason A stone is heauy and sand is waighty but a fool's wrath is heauier than them both Pro. 27.3 Thirteenthly all men that abuse their prosperity to the greater liberty of sinne and iniury They are mad-men that cannot be ruled vnlesse they be kept fasting A man distracted if you let him haue his belly filled will trouble the whole house so a wicked man if hee enioy prosperity and successe will disquiet the whole town where he liues Ther are foure things saith Salomon disquiet the earth and one of them is a fool with his belly filled that is a wicked man when he prospers and hath what he will Pro. 30.22 Vses The vse of all may be first to shew the misery of all vnregenerate men that liue in a continuall phrenzie or defect of all spirituall vnderstanding It is a wofull Iudgement to haue our reason taken from vs in naturall things but much more in spirituall for vpon this ground it manifestly followes 1. That they lose all the benefit of spirituall instruction all the Ordinances of God during the time of this folly or madnes are meerly in vain to them Their phrenzy makes them not only to want sense but withall to despise all God's counsels Pro. 1.7 2. That they shame themselues in all their dealings for when a fool walketh by the way he saith to euery one that he is a fool Eccles. 10.3 And thus they will vndoo themselues soule and body if they hold on A mad-man if hee gouern his estate will soon ruine it Iob 5.3 3. That they liue shut vp from all the sound comforts of life as fools and mad-men they are shut vp in darknes Eccles. 2.14 God vseth them as we vse mad-men for though hee let them go vp and down the world so they haue a larger room to walk-in than ordinarily our mad-men haue yet God hath chained them though insensibly the world is but a house of darknes to their mindes the sauing light and all the fruits of it are withheld from them 4. That they are in great danger to die of their phrenzy and to perish for lack of wisdome Pro. 22.23 Iob. 36.12 And therefore in the second place this may serue for instruction vnto vnregenerate men to apply their harts to wisdome and imbrace the counsell of God that offers them knowledge grace as is vrged in many places as Pro. 1.20 24 and 8.5 and 9.4 and the rather because if they be wilfull and reiect knowledge God may bee prouoked to for sake them for euer Pro. 1.24 28.31 26.10 Iob 5.3 Thirdly it shewes the wonderfull mercy of God in sauing sinners for what were we all by nature but a generation of fooles and mad-men And therefore it shewes the riches of his mercy and the freenesse of it the riches in that hee glorifies such vnworthy creatures and the freenesse of it in that they are vtterly disabled for deseruing any thing at his hands For what can fooles and mad-men do that they should merit any thing at Gods hands Fourthly it should teach godly men both with patience to beare their wrongs seeing they are distracted and with discretion to auoid them and to haue as little to doe with them as may be For what should the sonnes of God do with the sonnes of Belial And if they abuse them in words to learn not to answere a foole in his folly Prouerbs 26.4 Fiftly all this description of folly and madnes may strike some kinde of amazement and sorrow into the hearts of godly men For as they are vnregenerate in part there are left some dregs of this phrenzy and folly heere in them And hence it is that wee finde in Scripture folly charged vpon them It is true that sometimes they are said to bee fooles by the world for things they doe wisely in and so the Apostles were fooles for Christs sake 1. Cor. 4.10 and Paul ironically calles himselfe a foole 2. Cor. 11.1 Somtimes they are called fooles not because they are so but because that they doe hate some kinde of likenes to folly 2. Cor. 11.17 but yet withall it is true that seriously godly men are said to be abased in themselues for very folly and madnes which they see in themselues so we shall finde euery godly man called beasts by themselues and sometimes by God himselfe and so it is folly and madnes in any 1. To hate reproofe Pro. 12.1 It is there said to be a brutish thing 2. To bee censurers of their friends rashly so Iobs friends are charged with folly Iob 42.8 3. To be pertinacious in defending their innocency striuing to make themselues seeme iuster then they are this was Iobs madnes Iob 42.3 34.35 4. To neglect knowledge and to be carelesse to vse the meanes for instruction and the vnderstanding of holy things Pro. 30.2.3 This made Agur say that he was more brutish then any man and that he had not the vnderstanding of a man in him So much of ignorance as is left in vs so much of folly and madnes is in vs. 5. To fret and bee vnaduisedly angry and froward for anger rests in the bosome of fooles onely Eccles. 7.10 Pro. 24.29 teasty and hasty persons not onely haue folly but exalt it 6. To be indiscreet in words or insufficient to speake with God or men as becomes the matter or to carry our selues indiscreetly this made Dauid loath himselfe so Psal. 38.5 7. To bee vexed and impatient and full of fretting in aduersity Godly men play many mad tricks this way one while fretting at the prosperity of their aduersaries and another while murmuring in their hearts at their owne condition or plotting courses how to conforme themselues to the world and so to report of their repentance This made Dauid call himselfe a beast Psal. 73.3 13 14 15 21 â—2 8. After one hath had experience of Gods gracious prouidence and
for vs in all places 3. Because if a man vndertake to answere them by words he is in danger to be prouoked to speak vnaduisedly and so may prooue like those fools whom he reproues Pro. 26.5 4. Because the naturall conscience of the wicked is as it were feared to take notice of a good conuersation and will struggle and resist within the wicked man so as hee cannot so securely vent his reproaches 5. Because it is a way that brings most peace and comfort to ones owne heart If he deale with them by words his heart may afterwards smite him for some absurdity or other he hath committed whereas he is safe that fights against them by his good works 6. Because it is the surest way of reuenge to ouercome their euill with goodnes especially if thou canst get but the aduantages to doo good to them that reproach thee Rom. 12.18 19. Vse The sound consideration of this truth should subdue in vs that ouer-eager desire of answering such as wrong vs by bitter words or works of reuenge yea it should compell vpon vs a consultation whether it bee best to deale with them at all by words God's way is by works and thou must get a great deal of temperance and wisdome if thou think thy self able to confute them throughly by words It is true also that in some cases wee may resort to the Magistrate to punish them that abuse vs but yet still this counsell of God that bids vs silence them by well-dooing should intimate that other courses must bee vsed with much caution and without rashnes or confidence in them Secondly this may reprooue that vnquietnes and impatience which is found in some Christians when they are reproached and wronged they are much vexed at the indignities offred to them and think it strange that wicked men should not cease traducing of their names whereas perhaps if they examine themselues they may finde that they haue not vsed the meanes to still them they haue not muzzled these dogs and therefore no wonder if they bark and bite too and muzzled we see heer they will not bee but by their good workes And therefore if they bee barren and vnfruitfull they must take notice of the fault in themselues There are other things that may be noted out of these words but I will onely touch them as Doct. 7. That onely foolish men doo reproach godly men Such as reuile and censure many are vsually either openly carnall men as they were drunkeards that reproached Dauid and Abiects Psalm 35.15 and 69.13 They were either fools or the children of fools but viler they were than the earth that had Iob in derision Iob 30.1 8. men that ranne into excesse of riot as the Apostle writeth 1. Pet. 4.5 or else hypocrites that haue nothing in them but words and empty shewes Or if at any time there bee a sinne found in godly men it is in such as are but babes and look like carnall men and haue a great deal of their naturall folly and madnes vnsubdued in them 1. Cor. 3.1 2 3. But for the most part it is a fault found onely in wicked men Doct. 8. That it is a great pain to a wicked man to bee restrained from reproaches hee is as much vexed when hee cannot or dare not speak euill of godly men as a dogge or an oxe is when hee is muzzled Doct. 9. That the good life of godly men may silence wicked men and yet not make them leaue their wickednes hee doth not say that by well-doing they may winne ignorant and foolish men It is true that sometimes a good conuersation may winne them as 1. Pet. 3.1 2. and before verse 12. Yet ordinarily they will doo wickedly euen in the Land of vprightnes Esay 26.10 Verse 16. As free and not vsing your liberty for a cloke of malitiousnes but as the seruants of God IN the two former verses he confirms the exhortation by reasons in this he answers an obiection The obiection seems to be that Christians are made free by Christ and therefore are not to bee tied with the bonds of humane ordinances or subiection to men The Apostle answereth that it is true that Christians are made free-men but so as they must not vse their freedome as a cloak of malitiousnes and the liberty of sinning either against God or men for they are still God's seruants and bound to doo what he would haue them to do and so consequently to obey Magistrates since GOD requires them so to doo So that in this verse hee intreats of Christian liberty And so first hee grants the vse of it or the right of it in these words As free Secondly he remoues the abuse of it in these words Not vsing your liberty as a cloke of malitiousnes And thirdly he giues a reason of his remoueall Because they are the seruants of God still In the first part you must consider what he granteth viz that they are free Secondly how far he grants it viz. that they are as free Free Freedome is either ciuill or spirituall Ciuill freedom is when a seruant is manumitted or made free that was an apprentise or bond-slaue before and so when a stranger is admitted to the right of a City or a Common-wealth or the like The spirituall freedome is that estate which Christians do enioy by God's fauour in Christ after their calling It is a spirituall manumission or freedom that is heer meant and this is called Christian liberty partly because it is a freedome that we haue onely by Christ and partly because it is a freedome now onely enioyed by Christians and no other men in the world Christian liberty is one of the great gifts or endowments bestowed vpon the Church by Christ. It is not amisse to reckon vp all the gifts in order that the relation which this gift hath to the rest may appear The gifts then that Christ hath bestowed vpon Christians are these First their ransome paid vnto God for their redemption Secondly their vocation by the Gospell calling them out of the world into the Church Thirdly the holy Ghost which hee sends into their hearts Fourthly their iustification imputing his owne righteousnes and procuring forgiuenesse of all their sins Fiftly their sanctification by which hee giues them new natures Sixtly their adoption by which they are made the sons of God Seuenthly their Christian liberty by which they are freed from all former bondage and enioy great priuiledges this is a fruit of their adoption Eightthly consolation refreshing their hearts in all estates especially by the comforts of his Word Ninthly the gift of perseuerance by which tey are kept from falling away Lastly an immortall and vndefiled inheritance in heauen after they are dead Christian liberty is either the liberty of grace in this life or the liberty of glory after this life The liberty of glory concerns either the soule or the body The glory or liberty of the soule is the freeing of it from all
we are free in respect of things indifferent and all things are indifferent that are neyther commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God all the restraints that in the time of the old Testament lay vpon any creature are now taken off so as all the creatures of God are good and lawfull All things are pure to the pure Titus 1.15 1. Tim. 4.4 Rom. 14. so are dayes meates garments c. So as now Christians may vse them or omit them freely note what I say vse as well as omit For some are so singular or simple as to thinke Christian liberty doth onely make reference to omit but not to vse meates garments dayes or indifferent ceremonies whereas they restraine Christian liberty that forbid the vse of those indifferent things as well as they that dislike the omitting onely in vsing men must take heede as hath beene shewed before of the opinion of merit worship or necessity to holinesse or saluation which is that which is condemned by the Apostles Vses The vse may bee first for humiliation to wicked men for hereby is implyed that they are in great bondage and not free for howsoeuer it is true that euery wicked man in Christian Churches is freed from that yoake of Moses lawes yet in all the rest they are in danger still and bondage They stand bound by the couenāt of works to the absolute keeping of the Law because none haue the benefit of the new couenant till they be in the same and so all their faylings of the perfect fulfilling of the Law are imputed to them and they are vnder the execration and all the curses of the Law They are in bondage to the tyranny of their owne sinnes and haue the diuels intrenched in strong holdes in their soules They would bee troubled to know that the diuell did possesse their bodies and yet do not consider that the diuell doth certainely possesse their soules euery wicked man is possessed Besides they are in bondage by these seruile feares they dare not set their hearts in Gods sight It is a death to them nor dare they for Religions sake displease men and the feare of death is like a continuall death to them and for all this they are neuer helped till their hearts be turned to God Secondly we may hence gather the difference betweene the liberty of the new Testament and that in the old In the old Testament godly men were free from the rigour and curse of the Law and from the dominion of sinne and power of the diuels and from seruile feares onely in the new Testament there are these three things added 1. That the doctrine of liberty in the former things is more cleere and more generally reuealed 2. That wee are freed from the Mosaicall Lawes 3. That wee haue liberty in things indifferent A third vse may be for instruction to teach men to try their interest to this freedome For such men onely are made free that beleeue in Christ Iohn 1.12 and resolue to continue in the Word Iohn 8.31 and are weary and heauy loaden Mat. 11.29 and are throughly turned to God 2. Cor. 3.16 17. Lastly our Christian liberty may bee a great comfort to our hearts if we consider seriously the great miseries wee are freed from and the great priuiledges we are freed to and the rather because our freedome proceedes from the tender mercy of God Luke 1.78 and was purchased at a deare rate by Christ 1. Pet. 1.18 and the Patent of it is sealed by the holy Ghost Eph. 1.13 and also because it is graunted to none but the sonnes of God As free These words restraine the grant of our liberty and shew that though we bee made truly free by God yet in diuers respects wee are but as free rather like freemen then so indeed and so we are but as free First in respect of others for by the iudgement of others no freeman can bee knowne infallibly but onely in the coniecture of charity Secondly in respect of our selues and so we are but as free 1. In respect of the rigour of the Law For most Christians through ignorance and vnbeliefe liue vnder the bondage of Legall perfection and so discerne not that vprightnes in the Gospel is accepted in steade of perfection 2. In respect of the malediction of the Law so many Christians are but as free First because they doubt of Gods fauour Secondly because though the curse be remoued yet the things that are cursed are not remoued for the matter of affliction is still the same in respect of which our life may bee said to bee hid with God Colo. 3.3 3. In respect of the power of sin For though the dominion of sinne be taken off yet sinne rebells in the most godly and many times preuailes in a great degree through their security or infirmities Rom. 7. Fourthly in respect of things indifferent whether we respect God or our selues God hath freed vs in respect of right but restrained vs in respect of vse by a threefold commandement viz. of faith of charitie and of obedience to Magistrates The commandement of faith bindes vs not to vse our liberty vnlesse we be fully perswaded of our right that is in things we may either doe or omit at our owne pleasures Rom. 14.6 The commandement of charity in things we may either doe or omit at our pleasure bindes vs not to vse our liberty when the weake brother will bee offended The commandement of obedience bindes vs to submit the vse of things indifferent to the commandement of the Magistrate so as if the Magistrate make ordinances about the vse or restraint of things indifferent God hath bid vs to obey those ordinances and so though we be free still in respect of our right yet we are not now free in respect of the vses of them Againe many Christians binde themselues where God bindeth not sometimes by thinking things indifferent to be vnlawfull and sometimes by thinking themselues free to leaue them but not to vse them Lastly seruile feares doe much darken the glory of Christian liberty in the hearts of many Christians whilst through ignorance or wilfull vnbelief they trouble themselues with conceits that God doth not accept their seruice or when they admit too much respect fear of the displeasure of men or when they vse not the meanes to beare the feare of death in themselues Vse And therefore the vse should bee to teach Christians so to study the doctrine of Christian liberty and so to attend the informing reforming of their own hearts that they may no longer restraine their own liberty in any part of it and withal since in some things we are not fully freed in this life they should the more earnestly stire vp themselues to hope for and long for that glorious perfect liberty in heauen purchased by Iesus Christ. Not vsing your liberty as a cloak of maliciousnes In these words the Apostle remoues the abuse of their liberty The word
the lawes of Magistrates in things indifferent is in Gods account a sinne of malice partly because God reckons it as hateful as malice and partly because it flowes vsually from a heart that is not well-affected vnto the Magistrate but some way is wanting in that harty respect ought to be borne to the Magistrate Secondly in things indifferent that are left free to vse or not to vse and so Christian liberty is abused when it is vrged to defend such things as are scandalous or offend such as are weake and this is that which the Apostles in other Scripture so much vrge when they write of offending the weak brother Thirdly in things indifferent whether free or vnder the Ordinances of men There bee cases wherein Christian libertie may bee vilely abused As 1. When things indifferent are vrged as matters of necessity and with opinion of holinesse and merit Gal. 5.1 2. 2. When Christians doe bite and deuoure one another by quarrelling censuring back-biting one another and make diuisions about these things this is a reciprocall abuse about these things of Christian liberty and zeale ill spent seeing brotherly loue is the fulfilling of the Law c. Galat. 5.13 14 15. and the Kingdome of God stands not in garments gestures meate and drinke but in righteousnesse power and ioy in the holy Ghost Romanes 14.17 As the seruants of God These words are the reason why Christians must not neglect their obedience vnto the Magistrate nor abuse their liberty to licenciousnesse or maliciousnesse For though they be free by Iesus Christ yet they are entertained by God still in the nature of seruants and so are bound to do what he commands and hee doth command them to submit themselues to the Ordinances of the Magistrate For matter of Doctrine two things may be heer noted Doct. 1. God entertaynes none by Iesus Christ but he takes them bound to be his seruants All God's people are God's seruants And thus it is with men not onely in the new Testament but was so alwaies before Thus Abraham Iob Moses and Dauid are called God's seruants Vse The vse should be for instruction diuersly First seeing we are God's seruants wee should make Conscience of it to do his worke he hath by the Gospell hired vs to that end to imploy our selues in the workes of righteousnesse mercy and piety Tit. 2.12 Secondly since we belong to God who is so great a Master we should not onely doe his worke but do it in such a manner as becomes the seruants of the King of all kings God's seruants should serue him 1. Reuerently and with feare and trembling we must humble our selues to walke with God Psal. 2.11 Mic. 6.7 2. Zealously we should be zealous about this worke and so we should do it readily It is a shame for vs to bee dull and carelesse and prone to shifts and excuses the Centurions seruants goe when hee bids them and come when he calls for them and do this when he requires it and our zeal should bee shewne by our cheerefulness and willingness God's people should be a willing people and our hearts should be full of desires aboue all things to approue our selues to God we should make it appeare that we not onely are his seruants but loue to be his seruants Isaiah 56.7 and in matters of his worship or the meanes thereof the zeale of his House should eate vs vp 3. Wisely and discreetely Kings get the wisest men they can light vpon to serue before them and therefore the King of all kings will not be serued with fooles Since we serue GOD we should be circumspect and be sure we vnderstand what the will of God is Eph. 5.15 16. And therefore wee haue need to pray with Dauid that God would giue vs true vnderstanding hearts to search his Law Psalm 119.124 4. Sincerely Iosh. 24 14. And this sincerity in God's work wee should shew fiue waies First in seeking none but him Deut. 6.13 Wee must not be the seruants of men 1. Cor. 7.23 to satisfie mens humours or stand-vpon their liking or disliking Wee may not serue Mammon in our owne lusts No man can serue two Masters God refuseth vs for his seruants if we serue riches Luke 16.13 Secondly we should shew our sincerity in obeying him in all things there is no work hee requires that we should think our selues too good to do it we must not dare to neglect any thing he requires They are none of God's seruants that will do onely what they list in Religion Thirdly we should shew it in dooing all things that may bee best for his aduantage seeking his glory in all things 1. Cor. 10.31 We must not seek our owne praise or profit but his whom we serue Fourthly by dooing his will indeed without dissimulation 1. Chron. 28.9 Fiftly in newnes of spirit bringing new hearts to his work not trusting the old man to do any worke for God Rom. 7.6 5. We must doo his work constantly A seruant is not he that doth a daies work and so is gon but hee that works all the yeer nor hath God any seruants that hee hires not by life Hee hath none from yeer to yeer Psalm 119.17 Wee must finish his work and neuer giue-ouer till wee fulfill the task appointed vs Lukeâ— 74 Reu. 7.17 6. We must serue him with our spirits God is a Spirit and will be serued in spirit and truth If he may not haue the seruice of our hearts hee reiects the seruice of our bodies we must serue him with all our hearts and all our soules Deut. 10.12 Philip. 3.3 7. Confidently Seruants to ill or poor masters are fain to trust them for diet and wages how much more should wee relie vpon God and commit our selues wholly to him taking no care but onely to doo his work leauing all the rest to him Esay 43.11 8. With one shoulder or with one consent they must agree one with another Zephany 3.9 9. With all modesty Acts 20.19 without pride or self-conceits or conceitednes acknowledging that when we haue done all wee are vnprofitable seruants Luke 17.10 and with sorrow for our failings Acts 20. Luke 15.29 and the rather because God can finde faults in his best seruants Iob 4.18 Vse 3. Thirdly since God's people are God's seruants they should learn in all places to stand for the honour and glory of their Master and not suffer God to bee dishonoured by the seruants of a strange god Lastly since all God's people are his seruants and do his work it serues for the discouery of the miserable condition of multitudes in the visible Church who are heerby proued not to bee God's people because they are not God's seruants And so these sorts of men following are reiected as none of Gods people because they are none of his seruants First all prophane persons that aske what profit it is to serue God Iob 21.15 Malac. 3.15 and serue their owne lusts Math. 24.49 Secondly all worldlings
with them in the cause and quarrell of Religion striuing by all meanes to be of one opinion and affection with them in matters of Religion and to the vttermost of our power to defend them by word and deed according to our callings and occaâ—ions Phil. 1.27 1. Cor. 1.10 Phil. 2.3 Vses The vse may bee first for the discouery of the notable wickednes of multitudes of Christians that are so farre from louing godly men in the places where they liue that of all other men they most dislike them and shew it by reproaching them by traducing them by auoiding their society by diuers hatreds of them and by many iniurious causes against them And this is the condition of multitudes of Christians that imbrace any fellowship with other sorts of men though neuer so vile and stand in direct opposition to the godly yea so blind are the most that they almost thinke they do God good seruice if they could rid the countrey of them Esay 65.5 The misery of such men is manifestly described in diuers Scriptures and by this signe they are discouerd to bee no Christians indeed 1. Iohn 2.9 but rather of the race of Cain or Ismael 1. Iohn 3.20 Gal. 4.29 and therefore most hatefull to God 1. Iohn 3.15 Secondly wee may hence gather a signe of such as are in the state of saluation actually For if wee loue the brother-hood wee shall bee saued as the Apostle is peremptory 1. Iohn 3.14 and the more apparant will bee the signe if wee loue all the godly and for godlines sake both which the word brother-hood imports Thus of the first doctrine Doct. 2. Secondly I might hence obserue also that all the godly are brethren and so they are in diuers respects First in respect of profession they haue all one faith and wear one and the same liuery of Baptism and serue all one Lord Ephes. 4.4 Secondly they haue all one Father Mat. 2.10 one God begate them Thirdly they haue all one mother the Church Fourthly they must needs bee brethren they are so like one another they are all fashioned in the image of God and are all like the Father Vse 1. The vse should bee first for instruction and so to teach Christians to take heed of iudging and censuring one another Rom. 14.10 of offending and grieuing one another Rom. 14.13 21. of contentions and schisme one from another 1 Cor. 1.10 of going to law one with another 1. Cor. 6.1 2 c. to verse 8. of coozening and defrauding one another 1. Thes. 4.6 of accepting of persons to preferre a rich man before a poor beleeuer Iames 2.1 2. of detracting one from another or grudging or complaining one of another Iames 4.11 so also Mat. 23.8 of all dissimulation and guilefull courses Rom. 12.9 All these things ought to be auoided in our carriage toward godly men because they are our brethren Haue we not all one Father why then do wee transgresse euen more against our brethren Thus Mal. 2.10 And secondly it should teach vs diuerse things to be done or sought after as for instance 1. It should teach vs vnity to liue together with all concord because wee are brethren For how comely a thing is it for brethren to liue together in vnity Psalm 133.1 2. It should teach vs mercy and that both spirituall and corporall as was in part shewed before they are brethren and therefore if thou be conuerted strengthen them Luke 22.32 If they trespasse against thee and confess it forgiue them Mat. 18. It they fall by temptation into any sinne of infirmity hate them not but reprooue them plainly Leu. 19.17 If they offend more freely separate from them but yet hope the best as of a brother reiect them not as enemies 2. Thes. 3.15 And if they be in any outward aduersity remember that a brother was born for the day of aduersity Pro. 17.17 And therefore if thy brother bee impouerished let him be relieued to the vttermost of thy power Leu. 25.35 3. All iust and faithfull dealing should wee shew one towards another because we are bretheren yea none of vs should allow himself liberty so much as to imagine euill against his brother Zach. 7.9 10. Thirdly Superiours also should learn heer not to be tyrannicall or hard-hearted or proud or arrogant in their carriage towards their Inferiours for they rule their brethren not their slaues Deut. 17.19 Phil. 10. Nor yet should inferiours for this reason growe carelesse or disobedient for the Apostle shewes that that were an abuse of this doctrine 1. Tim. 6.1 2. Vse 4. Fourthly all poor Christians that are true Christians haue much cause to reioyâ—e Iam. 1.9 for they haue a great kinred All the Godly are their brethren yea the Apostles Acts 15.23 yea the godly Kings Psalm 122.8 yea the Angels Reu. 19.10 yea Christ himself is not ashamed to call them brethren Rom. 8.29 Heb. 2.10 Mat. 12.49 I might adde that wicked men should take heed how they oppose godly men there are a great kinred of them and they neuer prospered that wronged them yea some great Ones haue been fain to humble themselues and to lick the very dust of their feet sometimes that they might be reconciled to them Esay 60.14 Mat. 7.17 And thus of the second part of the Apostle's Charge The third part forms the Christian in respect of piety to God Fear God Piety to God consists either in knowing of him or in worshipping of him and the right knoweledge of God is conceiued in the godly not for contemplations sake onely but for practice 1. Iohn 2.3 4. And all the vse of our knowledge in respect of practice toward God is comprehended in his worship This worship is a religious honour wee giue to God I say religious honour to distinguish it from that ciuill honour which in generall we giue to all men or in speciall to some men either for their graces as to the godly or for their authority as to Kings and Superiours This worship of God is either internall or externall The internall is the worship of the hart the externall is the worship of the body The internall is the very life and soule of the externall without which the externall is but a dead contemptible carcase The fear of God heer commanded belongs to the inward worship and so it is to bee noted that the Apostle when hee would charge Christians about piety and deuotion to God doth not enioine them to come to Church to heare the Word receiue the Sacraments or pray though these bee else-where required but especially requires that they look to the heart within that the true fear of God be preserued in them and that especially for two causes First because men may do that which belongs externally to the outward worship and yet bee still but hypocrites and wicked men as is manifest in the case of the Iewes Esay 1. and of the Pharises Ma. 23. Secondly because if they be rightly formed in the
teach seruants especially two things the one is humility they should run a race fitted to their condition they should conquer pride and aspiring remembring that God hath abased them The other is they should keep themselues in their places and callings and not shake off the yoake by running away c. seeing God hath taken them bound to serue But the former is most proper to this place seeing they are but seruants they should be content with such diet apparell labour vsage as is conuenient to their condition Fourthly it may serue for great humiliation to such seruants as are wicked men These are of three sorts some of them are brought to this condition by their owne wickednes of life some of them are wicked seruants too as well as wicked men some are tolerable and sometimes profitable seruants though euill men all are in ill case For this is but the beginning of euill to them if they repent not For if they liue in their sinnes as they serue men now they shall serue diuels hereafter and so their bondage shall be inuested vpon them without end Quest. But seeing many godly men and women may bee seruants how may a godly Christian comfort himselfe in this estate of abasement Ans. Though it bee an outward misery to be a seruant yet there are many consolations to sweeten the bitternes of this abasement First because extremities of bondage are remoued from seruants with vs for the most part so as their seruice is but for a time and voluntary too to hire themselues to whom they will and Masters haue not power of their liues Secondly because their calling is acknowledged for a lawfull calling by God Thirdly because God hath bound Masters by his Word to vse them wel the Lawes of Princes prouide punishments for vnreasonable Masters Fourthly because Christ hath redeemed them from the spirituall bondage of seruing the Law and the diuell and Gods Iustice so as he is Christs free-man Fiftly because though his body bee subiect yet his soule is free and not subiect to any mortall creature Sixtly because their Masters are their brethren in Religion Seuenthly because God hath prouided by his vnchangeable Law that one day in seuen they shall rest from their labour Eightthly because before God there is neither bond nor free but all are one in Christ Gal. 3.28 Col. 31.11 Ninthly because all the benefits by Religion whether inward or outward belong to seruants as well as Masters 1. Cor. 12.13 Tenthly because the very work that seruants doe in their particular calling is accepted of God as obedience to him as well as the performing of the duties of Religion God accepts their daily labor as well as he doth praying hearing the Word receiuing the Sacraments reading the Scriptures fasting or the like Eph. 6.6 Eleuenthly because they are freed in that condition from many cares seeing they haue now nothing to doe in effect but to obey in what is appointed them which is a great ease to a minde that desires to see what he hath to doe to please God seeing now onely one thing is necessary which is to obey in what he is commanded and directed Twelfthly because he shall not onely haue wages from men but from God also Ephes. 6.8 Lastly because there shall be no seruants in heauen but in Gods Kingdom they are as free as their Masters and therefore should not thinke much of a little hardnesse or harshnesse in this life Thus of the originall of seruants Secondly we may hence note that seruants are bound by God himselfe in his Word vnto their subiection The Word of God doth belong to the calling of Seruants as well as to any other calling God hath included them within the doctrine of Scripture as well as any other men partly to shew that they haue right to the Scriptures as well as others and partly to shewe that the power of binding seruants is from God and God hath taken it vpon him by his Word to teach Seruants as well as other men and that for two reasons The one is because Seruants belong to the Kingdome of Christ and his Church as well as other Christians and therefore must be taught as well as they Secondly the other is because vsually Masters are negligent in teaching them and therefore God prouides that by his Word they shall be taught Men haue some care in teaching their children but little of their seruants and therefore God to shew that he is no respecter of persons giues order to his Ministers to see them instructed The Vse may be diuers Vses First Masters must learne from hence their duty For when they see that God takes care to teach their seruants they should not bee so proud or carelesse as to neglect their instruction Yea it shewes also that if they would haue them taught or reproued or incouraged they must doe it with God's Word and with their owne yea it also shewes the folly and wickednesse of diuers Masters that cannot abide their seruants should heare Sermons or much reade the Scriptures when they doe not only wickedly in restrayning their seruants from the meanes of their Saluation or comfort but doe foolishly also hinder them of that meanes which should especially make them good seruants Secondly Seruants may hereby bee instructed or informed and taught Informed that though neyther Master nor Minister will teach them yet they are not excused because they are bound to learne from Gods Word their duties And taught from hence they must bee to doe their duties to their Masters not for feare or reward but for Conscience sake because God hath bound them to his subiection Thirdly Ministers should learne and from hence be awakened to take notice of their charge both to Catechize in speciall and to teach seruants in generall as well as other their hearers If it be a part of the Commission of great Apostles to instruct seruants as well as other Christians then what accounts can they giue to God if it be found that they haue had no care of instructing the seruants of their parishes and charges Doct. 3. Thirdly the indefinite propounding of the word Seruants shewes that all sorts of seruants are equally bound to subiection hired seruants are as strictly bound as bond seruants The seruants of Princes are not free from the duty of seruants more then other seruants and so likewise poore mens seruants must be subiect and obedient to their Masters with as much reuerence and fear as seruants to great men Old seruants are tied to as much duty as such as come new to serue Religious seruants are bound to as much subiection and obedience as Pagans or rather their bond is the stronger because Religion should rather make them better seruants and so there is no difference of sexes men seruants are bound as well as women seruants neither doth birth office gifts or meanes priuiledge any seruant from the strictnesse of the bond of subiection Be subiect The duty then required
suffring But committed himself to him that iudgeth righteously From these words diuers things may bee obserued Doct. 1. First that in case of wrongs from other men it is not alwaies needfull or conuenient to complain to the Magistrate for redresse Christ heer commits his cause to God but complaineth not nay though hee were wronged almost continually and with grieuous wrongs yet we read not that euer he complained against them that did him wrong Heer two things are to be enquired after First in what cases it is not fit to complaine to men Secondly in what cases it may bee lawfull and fitte In these cases following it is not fit to complain to the Magistrate First where redresse of the wrongs may be had by priuate and peacefull courses 1. Cor. 6. Secondly where the lawes of men doo not prouide punishment some wrongs are offenses and yet not punishable by mens lawes Thirdly where the offense is committed of meere frailty or ignorance Fourthly where the offense is grounded vpon meer surmises which in the iudgement of charity ought not to be conceiued .1 Cor. 13. Fiftly where the iniury is lesse and the party trespassing doth acknowledge the wrong in this case the rule of Christ holds If thy brother say It repenteth me thou must forgiue him Luke 17.4 Sixtly where by the suite Religion wil receiue greater dammage by the scandall then the party suffers by the wrong as in the case of the Corinthians where a brother went to law with a brother before Iudges that were Infidels Seuenthly where the Magistrates haue declared themselues to bee enemies to iustice and iust men as heer in the case of Christ it was bootlesse to complain because all the Rulers were his professed enemies Contrariwise in these and such like cases following men may lawfully seek iustice from men in authority First where the offense is grieuous and against the Lawes of God and men Secondly where the offender persists in euill-doing without repentance Thirdly where the offense is against God and Religion as well as against the party wronged Fourthly where such wrongs are vsually punishable Fiftly where the party complaining is bound to complain by his office either by charge or oath prouided that the party complaining first loue his enemies and secondly prosecute with continuall respect to God's glory and thirdly vse the benefit of the Law with charity and mercy without cruelty or extremity Thus of the first doctrine Doct. 2. The malice of wicked men against the godly is so great that when they begin to oppose them though it be but in their name they will neuer cease opposition if they haue power till they haue their liues too Thus I gather from hence that our Sauiour beeing reuiled doth not onely commit his cause to God but commits himself to God as expecting the increase of their oppositions till they haue put him to death This is the reason why God indites euery man that hates his brother of murder 1. Iohn 3.15 And Dauid so often complaines of his enemies that slandred him that they also sought his life yea his soule as if they were desirous not onely to kill his body but damne his soule also Doct. 3. Wee may heer also note that God is to be conceiued of according to the occasion seeing we cannot comprehend God wholly as he is wee ought to raise vp such conceptions in our hearts of the glory of God as may with honour answer the occasion that presently concernes vs as heer in the case of wrongs God is conceiued as a righteous Iudge In the case of death hee is called The God of the spirits of all flesh In the case of prayer he is called a God that delighteth to hear prayer in the case of infirmities a God that takes away iniquity and passeth by transgression and in cases of great difficulty he is conceiued of as Almighty and so forth Doct. 4. It is euident from hence that God is a Iudge and this point is both terrible to the wicked and comfortable to the godly It is terrible to the wicked many waies First because he is Iudge of all the world all must be iudged by him Gen. 18.25 Heb. 12.23 1. Sam. 2.10 Hee is not a Iudge of some one circuit as Iudges amongst men are Secondly because he is a Iudge that needs no euidence bee brought-in for hee knowes all causes and is witnes himself Ier. 29.23 and so Iudges among men are not Thirdly because hee iudgeth for all offenses he tries the hearts and the reines as well as the words and works of men Psalm 7.9 11. Earthly Iudges try malefactors but in one or some few cases Fourthly because hee hath Armies of Executioners he can call to the heauens or speak to the earth and haue hostes of seruants to doo his will and execute his iudgements Daniel 7.9 10. Psalm 50.4 22. so as none can deliuer out of his hands Fiftly because hee is Iudge himself Psa. 50.6 and 75.8 He doth not do iustice by Deputies but will hear all cases himself Sixtly because his iudgement is the last and highest iudgement and therefore there lieth no appeale from it Seuenthly because he can bring men to iudgement without any warning hee standeth before the doore and often seizeth vpon the offender without seruing any Writ or giuing him any summons Iames 5.9 And therefore wicked men do very foolishly that ruffle heer in the world and lift vp their horns so high and speak with such a stiffe neck and walk on in their sinnes and iniuries so securely Psalm 75.5 6 7 8. Again if God bee Iudge it is comfortable to penitent sinners First because repentance will alter the iudgement if it be after the fact and before the Sentence euen in such offenses as deserue euerlasting death as appeareth in the case of Dauid and the Niniuites and is notified to the world Acts 17.31 Whereas earthly Iudges must proceed in their iudgement whether the parties bee penitent or no. Again it is the more comfortable that God is Iudge because all parties wronged or grieued may haue accesse to God and put vp their supplications at any time he is ready to be found and willing to heare which is seldome true of earthly Iudges Thirdly because godly men know their sentence already God hath acquitted them by his Word and by his Son and by his Spirit and therefore they need not feare his last iudgement Doct. 5. God will iudge righteously God's iudgement is a most righteous iudgement Psal. 9.8 Rom. 2.5 2. Tim. 4.8 He is the righteous Iudge by an excellency because there is no Iudge but misseth it some way onely God's iudgment is alwaies righteous and it must needes bee so for many reasons First because hee iudgeth the high as well as the low Iob 21.22 Secondly because his iudgement extendeth to euery offender in the world Iude 15. Earthly Iudges may punish some malefactors but they leaue thousands of men that
that loue not the Lord Iesus 1. Pet. 1.9 2. Cor. 16.22 Fiftly we should therefore eare the Passeouer with sowre hearbs we should remember his grieuous suffrings with harty affection and melting of soule before the Lord when wee come before him to celebrate the memory of his Passion in the Sacrament Sixtly we should no more stagger or wauer in faith but with all peace and ioy in beleeuing rest vpon the propitiation made by Christ for our sins we should therefore confidently beleeue the pardon of all our sinnes because hee hath borne our iniquities If any man sinne wee haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins Seuenthly wee should neuer more bee afraid of death and hell for our debt being paied by the surety the hand-writing that was against vs is now cancelled Col. 2.15 and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Romanes 8.1 Heb. 2.14 Eightthly wee should not be so much troubled to bee vniustly traduced seeing Christ beyond all example suffered most vnspeakeable ignominie bearing the imputation of the sinnes of all the Elect. Ninthly seeing hee hath beene made in the similitude of sinfull flesh and suffered for sinne in the flesh wee should striue to bee made the righteousnes of God in him and as hee hath borne our sinnes so should wee striue to beare his vertues Who his owne selfe It is emphaticall that the Apostle saith Hee bare our sinnes his owne selfe For there bee two things which are heere imported First that hee had no partners there were none with him Hee bare all himselfe Esay 59.16 Hee trod the wine-presse alone Esay 63.3 5. And therefore it is a vile dishonour to Christ to ascribe any part of satisfaction to our selues or to any Saint or Angel Secondly it imports that therefore his suffering is of infinit valew in that he bare all his owne selfe in person who was God and man Then it will follow that he hath made a sufficient propitiation for all the world 2. Ioh. 2.1 2. In his body Quest. Why did he not suffer in his soule Ans. Yes for so saith the Scripture Hee made his soule a sacrifice for sinne Esay 53.10 and the Sonne of man came to giue his soule a ransome for many Math. 20.28 Marke 10.45 This was shadowed out by the Holocaust or whole burnt-offering for it noted that the whole man should suffer So in the Sacrament the breaking of the bread is not referred so properly to his body for there was not a bone broken of him saith the holy text but fitly to his soule which was broken with sorrowes and heauines for our sakes So that by the body he meanes synechdochically whole Christ but yet the body is named because That was the outward sacrifice that was offered for our sinnes on the tree Christ then bare our sinnes in his body What may wee learne from thence First wee see a manifest difference betwixt Christs Priesthood and theirs in the Law For they offered the bodies of beasts or fowles but Christ offered his owne body Secondly wee may take comfort in the assurance that hee is the Sauiour of our bodies as well as our soules Thirdly Seeing such grieuous things befell the body of Christ why seeke wee so much ease for our bodies why pamper wee our flesh so and why are we so impatient in the paines of our bodies and remember not what Christ suffered in his body Fourthly we should therefore esteem his body to bee a precious body aboue all bodies â—â—eing it was laid downe as a price for our sinnes yea wee should long to see that glorious body of his that wee might admire it and adore it and embrace it and in the meane time loue and delight in the Lords Supper that exhibiteth the body of Christ spiritually vnto vs reioycing in such meetings aboue the ioy of all carnall people before any other things Fiftly wee should therefore take heed of sinning against our bodies but make conscience to serue God both in body and Spirit and say with Dauid Christ Lord a body thou hast giuen me for I come to doe thy will Sixtly what cursed monsters are swearers that teare the body of our Lord with their cursed oathes and rake their nailes in his wounds with their blasphemies On the tree The originall word signifies somtimes a staffe Mat. 26.47 sometimes a pair of stocks Acts 16.24 sometimes a tree growing Reuel 2.11 vsually wood 1. Corinthians 3.12 Heere a Gallowes made of wood Christ bare our sinnes on the tree because hee did in a speciall manner suffer bitter extremities on the tree which hee suffered as our Suretie and for our sinnes for First to die on a tree was by a speciall Law of God made a curse and so is euery one that hangs on a tree Gal. 3.13 Secondly he was debarred of the benefit of ordinary naturall comforts For he liued in paine 3 hours in the darke and had not the light of the sun Thirdly in that darknes he was put to the most fearefull conflict with the diuels which at that time did with their vtmost fury assault him and fight against him Colos. 3.25 Fourthly he endured most grieuous paines and toâ—ments of body and the effusion of his most precious blood Fiftly hee was reckoned amongst the wicked in his death and therefore hanged betweene two malefactors Esay 53.9 Sixtly hee was reuiled by the base multitude and mocked and derided by the chiefe Priests and Scribes Math. 27.39 to 45. Seuenthly God his father powred out vpon him the fearefull viols of his wrath in withdrawing for a time the sense of his fauour Math. 27.46 Eightthly his whole body was offered vp on the tree as a Sacrifice for the sinnes of the world and the substance of all the sacrifices in the Law Vses We haue therefore cause to reioyce in the crosse of Christ aboue all things For on the tre hee freed vs from the curses of the Law and purchased for vs the blessings promised to Abraham as the father of the faithfull Gal. 3.13 14. and besides by suffering so shamefull a death he hath sanctified all sorts of waies of inflicting death vpon the godly so as now they may with comfort in a good cause or after repentance for their faults euen suffer that death on a tree with ioy And wee should the more praise God for his fauour if he suffer any of vs to die of any other more easie or more honourable death And then wee may againe see the hatefulnesse of sinne in that God punishing our sinnes in the person of his owne Sonne doth not omit the very circumstances of abasement his iustice exacting not onely death but that painefull and ignominious death on the tree Lastly hence we may see how little cause there is for Christians to plead merit if they think how fearfully sinne hath angred God and withall how senselesse the best of vs are when wee
His righteousnes is not intended for the praises of men for his praise is of God Rom. 2.26 Hee doth not his work to bee seen of men Mat. 6.1 c. He had rather be righteous than seem so Secondly in the parts of it The Pharises righteousnes is outward his is inward also The very thoughts of the righteous are right Pro. 12.5 Hee striues to get a clean heart as well as clean hands and is as well grieued for euill thoughts and lusts and desires within as for euill words or works wheras the Pharise is but like a painted sepulchre all full of rottennesse and filth within his soule desires euill when hee dares not practise it in his life Pro. 21.10 Again the Pharise makes conscience of great commandements but not of the least Hee refrains whoredome murder periurie swearing by God sacrilege c. but makes no conscience of filthy-speaking anger swearing by that which is not God or by lesser oaths deceit couetousnes or the like whereas a righteous man indeed makes conscience euen of the least commandements Mat. 5.19 20. Again a Pharise may bee good abroad but is not vsually so at home but he that is truely righteous is so at home as well as abroad hee becomes a good husband master father friend c. as well as a good man Finally the righteous man hath respect to all God's Commandements whereas the Pharise in some one or other of the Commandements liues in the breach of it wilfully and without desire of reformation some in couetousnes and extortion some in lust and filthinesse Thirdly in the degrees or measure of righteousnes The Pharise is carefull of some few works of which hee seeks glory but the righteousnes of the iust man is as the waues of the sea he is industrious to increase in all well-doing and to bee filled with the fruits of righteousnes euery day Esay 48.18 Fourthly in the continuance of righteousnesse The iust man doth righteousnes at all times Psalm 106.2 Luke 1.75 His desire is for euer to bee imployed in good works whereas the Pharises righteousnes is but by fits and as the morning deaw and if trouble come for righteousnes he fals away and forsakes his righteousnes c. And thus of the vse for triall Vse 2. Secondly the excellent liuing of such as liue righteously may greatly reproue such as cannot bee stirred with these things to a conscionable care of forsaking their sinnes and of liuing righteously Quest. What should be the cause that such men as heare so much of the excellent estate of righteous men are not perswaded to conuert and embrace that kinde of life Ans. The cause is diuerse in diuers men as First in some it is long of certain corruptions that discouer themselues about the hearing of the doctrine of righteousnes for either mens hearts are like a beaten path in the high-way that the sound of doctrine cannot enter into their vnderstanding Mat. 13. Or else they vnderstand not with application to themselues but think onely how the doctrine may fit others Luke 13.1 2. Or else they meet with some hard condition that they are not willing to obserue as the rich young Pharise did or some other harsh doctrine as they account it which doth so vex and offend them that they fall clean off from the respect of Christ and holinesse as Iohn 6.59 66. Or else they haue some vile opinions that let them in the time of hearing as to think that one is not bound to doo as the rules of Scripture doo require or that if one bee not a grosse offender God will not impute lesse faults contrary to our Sauiour's doctrine Mat. 5.18 19 20. Or else their hearts break that is they let the doctrine run out and neuer think of it when they are gotten out of the Church Heb. 2.1 Or else they haue resisted the light of the truth so long that God hath now deliuered them ouer to a spirit of slumber lest they should conuert and hee should heale them Math. 13.15 16. Esay 6.10 Secondly in some the world is the cause of it For either they are entangled with the examples of the multitude especially of the wise Ones and great Ones of the world 1. Cor. 1.26 27 28. Or else they are affrighted with the euill reports with which the good way of God is disgraced in the world Acts 28.22 Or else they are insnared with respect of their carnall friends they are loth to displease father or mother or sisters or brothers or any they haue great hopes from or dependance vpon Math. 10.35 37. 1. Pet. 4.2 Or else they haue so much busines to doe and so many cares about their worldly affaires they cannot bee at leisure so long as to think they cannot bring their liues into order Mat. 13.22 Luke 17. Or else they liue at hearts-ease and prosper in their estate and so desire not to alter their course of life so their prosperity destroies them Prou. 1.32 Thirdly in some men the cause is the lust after some particular wickednes of life in which they liue either secretly or openly which sinne is the very Idol of their hearts and hinders a good resolution Fourthly in some the cause is conceitednes they are pure in their owne eies and yet are not clensed they rest in the outward profession of religion and the feare of godlines and regard not the sound power of it in their liues Lastly in all vnregenerate men there are three causes why they are not perswaded to a religious life First the one is the forgetfulnes of their death therfore their filthines is stil in their skirts because they remember not their latter end Lament 1.9 Secondly the other is that they are dead in sinne What should hinder the conuersion of multitudes at once but that wee preach to congregations of dead men Thirdly the diuell works effectually in all the children of disobedience striuing to hide the Gospell from them and the glory of a righteous life that so they might perish 1. Cor. 4.4 And thus of the second vse Vse 3. Thirdly such as consent to obey and feele themselues raised from death to life and are now desirous to spend their daies in a religious and righteous course of life must obserue all such rules as may further them and establish them in an orderly fruitfull conuersation He that would liue in righteousnes must think on these directions following as the very gates of righteousnes First he must giue ouer al needless conuersation with vaine persons and prophane men hee must shun their company as hee would such as haue the plague running vpon them hee must not come neere them as is vrged Prou. 14.15 For what fellowship can bee betweene righteousnes and vnrighteousnes 2. Cor. 6.14 Depart from me ye euil doers saith Dauid for I will keepe the commandements of my God Psal. 119.115 Secondly Hee must redeeme time Hee must buy time from his worldly occasions and settle
9.1 and 67.2 5. Where is that walking with God required in Scripture Who doeth alwaies set the Lord before him Where are those soliloquies betweene the soule and God Are not many content to goe weekly and monthly without speaking to God And thus of the defects concerning the first table In the second table diuers things may be noted as were defectiue in the parts of righteousnes as First there is a generall defect of mercy men doe exceedingly faile in that liberality to the distressed and poore seruants The bowels of mercy are euery-where shut vp either altogether or in the neglect of many degrees and duties of mercy Secondly in many Christians there is a fearefull want of meeknes they being guilty of daily sinnes of passions and worldly vexations and that many times with a kinde of wilfulnes against knowledge and conscience Thirdly The cares of life and worldlines doe striue and blemish the conuersation of many and discouer a strange defect of that contempt of the world should bee in them Fourthly domesticall disorders doe euen cry to heauen against many husbāds for want of loue and of most wiues for want of obedience and of seruants for want of diligence and faithfulnes in their places And thus men faile in the parts of righteousnes In the manner of weldoing many things are wanting first both in the generall weldoing of good duties secondly and in speciall affection to God thirdly and in the manner of Gods seruice In Generall First zeale of good workes is exceeding defectiue in the most Tit. 3.14 Men shewe not that willingnes and feruency of affection should bee shewed in all parts of righteousnes men doe not lift vp their hearts in Gods waies Gods commandements are vsually grieuous and tedious Secondly there ought to bee a holy feare in the practice of their good duties 1. Pet. 3.2 which is vsually wanting men do so much trust vpon themselues and doe duties with such boldnes neglect of their waies whereas they should feare alwaies Pro. 28.14 Oh that meeknes of wisdome required Iames 3.9 where is it to bee found Thirdly men are not circumspect to make conscience euen of the least duties as they ought and to obserue to doo them euen to watch for the opportunity of well-doing and to look to the means of the performance of euery duty and to abstaine from the very appearance of euill and to bee discreet in looking to the circumstances of time place persons c. Eph. 5.15 Deut. 5.32 Fourthly there is great want of moderation in Christians for either they are iust ouer-much in conceiuing too highly of themselues for what they doo or else they are wicked ouer-much in thinking too vilely of their works Eccles. 7. Fiftly men are strangely negligent in the growth of grace and knowledge men stand still and doo not prosper and striue to increase in euery good gift as they ought 2. Peter 3.18 Many graces are not strengthned and many works are not finished Secondly in mens affections to God how are men defectiue Where is hee that loues the Lord with all his hart and all his might and all his soule Deut. 30.6 and 6.3 Thirdly in God's worship these things are in many wanting 1. Reuerence and that holy feare which should bee shewed when wee appeare before the Lord Heb. 12.28 2. Men vsually forget to doo all worship in the Name of Christ Col. 3.17 3. The care of praising of God that is of looking to God's acceptation in all seruice is much forgotten Heb. 12.28 4. The desire of vnity and consent in iudgement among our selues when wee worship God is miserably neglected and reiected by diuers wilfull Christians Zeph. 3.9 Phil. 2.2 3. 5. Men miserably neglect thankfulnesse to GOD for the good they receiue daily from his mercies Col. 3.17 6. Many faile publiquely and shamefully in want of care to come time enough to God's seruice Zach. 8.21 Esay 60.8 In these things Christians should bee admonished to minde their waies and their works and to striue to walk as becommeth the Gospell and the death of Christ that they may hold fast the light of the truth and shew out better the glory of a Christian life And thus of liuing to righteousnes Now follows the third form of speech By whose stripes we are healed The healing of our sicknesses is reckoned as another fruit of the Passion of Christ or else it is the same with the former exprest in other words These words then are borrow'd from the Prophet Esay chap. 53.5 who doth chiefly vnderstand the spirituall healing of our soules of our sinnes as the coherence shewes in the Prophet but yet the Euangelist saith Mat. 8.17 and vnderstands of the healing of our bodies also And therefore I consider of the death of Christ both in respect of soule and body And first as this healing is referred to the soule diuers doctrines may be obserued Doct. 1. The soules of all men are diseased by nature euen the very soules of the Elect are so till they be healed by Christ. The soule is diseased diuers waies especially by sorrows and sins it is the disease by sin is heer meant Quest. It would bee inquired how the soule comes to be sick of these diseases and why sinne is called sicknes in the soule Ans. This spiritual sicknes comes into the soule by propagation Adam hath inflicted all his posterity and euery man hath increased the diseases of his nature by his owne wilfull transgressions Now sinne is called sicknes because it doth work that vpon the soule which sicknes doth vpon the body for sinne hath weakned the strength of the soule in all the faculties of it which all men may discern and obserue in themselues by nature Besides it causeth spottednes and deformity in the soule as sicknes doth in the body and therefore sinne was likened to the leprosie in the Law Further it often causeth pain and torment in the soule as wounds diseases do in the body for there is no peace to the wicked especially when God fighteth against them with his terrors Besides it will cause the death of the soule as sicknes will of the body if it be not helped and so men are said to be dead in sins Vse The vse may bee to shew the fearfull negligence of worlds of people that are exceeding carefull to help their bodies to health but neuer think of the poor soule that lieth lamentably full of diseases And withall it shewes that all wicked men are men of ill natures because their dispositions are all diseased though there be degrees of ill nature or of this euill in mens natures as there is difference of sicknesses in mens bodies And godly men should be compassionat when they see the grieuous diseases in the natures and liues of other men remembring that they also were by nature subiect to the same diseases as well as they Doct. 2. The diseases in the soules of men by nature are very
to heale the body as well as the soule But the especial healing is at the resurrection when all the bodies of the Saints shall be healed perfectly of all diseases and freed from the very disposition yea the very possibility to haue any diseases Vse 1. The vse should bee for great comfort to the godly when they are distressed they may and ought to looke vp to Christ and say If it bee good for mee my Sauiour wil heale me and the rather because Christ is such a compassionate Physician and hath had the feeling of our infirmities and paines that way and besides hee is such a Physician as can doe two things that neuer Physician could doe For first hee can take away the first causes of diseases which is sinne which no Physick can doe Math. 9. Secondly hee can cure our bodies when they are starke dead which neuer any Physician could doe they may helpe some liuing bodies but they could neuer helpe one dead body Yea such as finde not cure for the paines of the body should bee of good comfort because they should haue had cure of it if it had beene good for them and they must consider it is the Lord that doth it Psalme 39. and that all shall worke together for the best Romanes 8. and that nothing can separate them from the loue of Christ and that they are deliuered from eternall paine and that Gods deare children haue suffered as great torments or weakenesses Vse 2. Secondly all men should bee taught to seeke to Christ for cure since it is his office to heale and to this end men are bound to looke to diuers rules if they would haue CHRIST to heale them First they must seeke to him for cure they must pray him to heale them wee doe not read that euer Christ healed any sick person vnlesse he were brought to him or hee intreated to heale him wee must pray for our bodies as well as our soules Thus did Dauid Psalme 6. and 31. and Hezekiah c. Secondly wee must vse the lawfull meanes wee can get for our healing our Sauiour shewes that when he said The whole needed not the physiciā but the sick the sick then doe need and must with conscience and care vse all lawfull and outward helps that they can attaine to that are fit for them Mathew 9. Thirdly they must take heed of trusting vpon the Physician or Physick giuen them that was Asa his great sinne For if wee bee cured it is not Physick but Christ that healed vs. Fourthly wee must bring faith to bee healed for our bodies also This our Sauiour often asketh after when hee is about to cure mens bodies as the Euangelists shew Fiftly wee must bee carefull to seek the remouing of the cause of our diseases which is sinne especially if wee finde that God hath a quarrell with vs for any speciall fault wee are falne into Thus Dauid got the punishment of his sinne remitted by iudging himselfe for his sinne Psal. 32.4 5. Sixtly we must submit our selues to Gods will and in the case of our bodies must resigne our selues into his hands to let him doe with vs what it shall please him since hee knowes what is best for vs and if Christ will not heale vs now yet to comfort our selues as Iob did in the hope of that time when our Redeemer will bee seene of vs in the body when it shall bee vtterly and for euer freed from all paines and infirmities whatsoeuer Iob 19. Doct. 4. It is further to bee noted that wee are not onely healed by Christ but it is by his stripes The wounds made in his body doe heale our bodies which should make vs so much the more to loue the Lord Iesus and the more patiently to beare it if we be not presently healed because he did beare more grieuous paines euen in the body and because if it were good for vs he would heale vs in that hee paied so deare for our healing Verse 25. For you were as sheepe going astray but are now returned vnto the Shepheard and Bishop of your soules HItherto of the effects of Christs sufferings in respect of vs In respect of himselfe the effect was his exaltation to become the Shepherd and Bishop of our soules euen of the soules of all the Elect which is so implied in the words of this verse as withall in a passage is expressed both our misery without Christ and our happines vnder his gouernment The words of this verse in themselues containe three things First our misery by nature in our selues wee are as sheep deceiued or going astray Secondly the meanes of our recouery out of that estate and that is the causing of vs to returne Thirdly our happinesse vnder the gouernment of Iesus Christ to whose charge wee are committed when we returne The first words expressing our misery are words borrowed out of the Prophet Esay chapter 53.6 7. and in the words vnregenerate men euen God's Elect among them are likened to sheep A sheep is a certain image to resemble a man by And so we finde in Scripture that a sheep is the image or resemblance first of Christ-man He is likened to a sheep dumb before his shearer for his silence and patience at his arraignment Esay 53.7 Secondly of men that are true beleeuers for the harmlessenes tractablenesse and profitablenesse Mat. 25.33 Thirdly of men that erre and wander out of the way of godlinesse and so wicked men before their calling are likened to wandring sheep yea godly men after their calling in respect of their falls or failings are likened to sheep going astray as Dauid saith of himself Psalm 119. vlt. But heere it is vnderstood of the Elect of GOD before their calling The word heer rendred Going astray properly signifies deceiued and is so vsed in diuers places of the new Testament but the metaphor to the which it is ioyned requires it should be expressed Going astray or wandring or erring but so as it doth import two things First the euill condition of the vnregenerate they are like wandring sheep Secondly the curse of it and that is they are deceiued they are as sheep deceiued Now that this point may bee distinctly vnderstood I propound fiue things to be considered of First what faults in men are meant by the tearm of going astray Secondly what the misery of their condition is that doo go astray Thirdly what the cause is of their going astray Fourthly by what signes a lost sheep may be knowne especially such as are within the Church which seemes to be the Fold And lastly the doctrines that may be briefly noted out of all the words of that part of the verse For the first Vnder the tearm of erring or going astray are construed in Scripture errors in opinion Iames 1.16 Mat. 22.29 called erring from the faith 1. Tim. 6.10 whoredome Numbers 5.12 idolatry Deut. 13.5 drunkennesse Esay 28.1 7. bribery and all waies of vnrighteousnes 2. Peter 2.15 all deuising of
to the very ends of the earth Micah 5.4 For he was not onely to raise vp the Tribes of Israel but to be a light to the Gentiles and giueth saluation to the ends of the earth Esay 49.6 Fourthly because he is great in skill and power in skill because though he haue such great flocks yet he knowes all his sheep particularly and calls them all by their names Iohn 10.3 And so hee knowes all their wants and diseases too and all the waies to help and cure them In power because hee hath a mighty Arme Esay 40.10 11. And hee stands and friends them in the strength of Iehoua and in the Maiesty of the Name of the Lord his God Micah 5.4 And besides hee shewes it in his ability to driue away from his flocks euen those hurtfull beasts that other shepheards cannot resist If a Lion or the hungry Lion roar after his prey hee will not care for the voice of a multitude of shepheards called out against him saith the Prophet Esay 31.4 yet this Shepheard alone with his voice can make the fiercest Lion leaue his prey and runne away He can make the Diuels flee and restrain the rage of cruell Tyrants Fiftly because he is a Prince aswell as a Shepheard Other shepheards are vsually no more than ordinary men but he is a great Prince and therefore must needs be a great Shepheard Ezech. 34.23 Sixtly because he is the Arch-Shepheard the Prince of shepheards He vnder whose authority all other shepheards are and to whom they must giue accounts 1. Pet. 5.4 Thus of the attributes giuen to this Shepheard The happinesse of those that liue vnder the gouernment of such a Shepheard followes First he will feed them as a shepheard doth his flock they that wait vpon the Lord shall bee fed Psalm 37.3 And thus chiefly hee will feed their soules they shall grow and eat and finde pasture Iohn 10.9 He will feed them with knowledge and vnderstanding Ier. 3.15 and with such food as will breed life and life in more abundance Iohn 10.10 They shall neither hunger nor thirst He that hath mercy on them shall lead them by the Springs of water he shall guide them those Springs of water are his Ordinances Esay 49.10 and their pasture is fat pasture Ezech. 34.14 The chief feeding-place is his holy Hill the Temple and Sanctuary and â—hat shall bee a blessing to his floâ—â— there shall bee showres of blessings in their seasons Ezech. 34.26 He doth not feede in the fields and Desarts but with a more excellent feeding he feeds them in his garden in the very beds of spices euery doctrine being as a seuerall spice and the whole summe together as a bed of spices Cant. 6.2 3. The Prophet Dauid seems to resemble powerfull and florishing doctrine to greene pastures and the secret and sweet comforts of the Sacraments to still waters Psalme 23.2 Secondly he will tend and keepe them so as 1. The wilde beasts shall not teare them Tyrants Hereticks diâ—â—ls shall not make a pray of them Ezecâ— 34.25 so as they should dwell safe though they were in the wildernes and sleepe in the woods Ezech. 34.25 28. Though they walke thorow the valley of death they neede not feare Psalme 23.4 2. Hee will iudge the Ramms and the Goats that push at them that is hee will reuenge the wrongs are done vnto them by such as liue in the same churches with them that reproch or oppose them Ezech. 34.17 c. 3. The Sun shall not smite them Esay 49.10 that is the wrath and anger of God shall not afflict their spirits but they shall lie downe in great rest and tranquillity of conscience Ezech. 34.13 4. If they fall into diseases he will giue them such medicines as shall refresh their soules Psal. 23.3 5. They shall want nothing Psal. 23.1 6. None of them shall bee lacking hee will keepe all that are giuen to him no man shall take them out of his hands Iohn 10.29 Ierem. â—3 4 7. Hee will order them not by force and cruelty but by iudgements Ezech. 34.16 shewing a due respect of the seuerall ages and conditionâ— of his sheepe Esay 40.11 8. Hee will goe in and out before them himselfe and they shall follow him and he will leade them in the paths of righteousnes Iohn 10.4 Psal. 23.3 9. Hee will doe more for them then any Shepheard did for his flock hee will make them liue euer he will giue them eternall life Ioh. 10.29 10. Lastly all this is the more comfortable because hee hath tied himselfe by couenant for his sheepe to doe all this for them Ezech. 34.25 Vse The vse should be for instruction and so both to Ministers and to the people First to Ministers They should heer learn to be wonderfull carefull of the finding feeding of the flocks committed to their charge seeing Christ ordinarily and externally doth administer this work by their seruice If they bee not carefull they dishonour as much as lieth in them the office of Christ The feeding which vnder Christ on Gods holy hil they should prouide for the people is the chiefe blessing of the life of a penitent sinner Iohn 21. 1. Pet. 5.2 Secondly to the people The people that are good should hence learne 1. To pray to CHRIST to shewe them where hee feedes that they may bee directed to the fertill pastures of some powerfull Ministery 2. To trust vpon Christ for all things necessary for their soules Since God hath appointed him as the Shepheard of our soules wee should glorify his office by beleeuing in him and relying vpon him neuer sheepe had a better shepheard and therefore wee neede not feare any more nor bee dismaied Psalme 37.3 Ierem. 23.4 3. Our hearts should bee set vpon the house of Christ and vpon his Word as the food of our soules wee should run to Church with great willingnes and appetite as the sheepe doe to their foddering places 4. When wee finde good pasture and safe feeding wee should be wonderfull thankfull and seeke all his praise with ioyfull hearts Psal. 79. vlt. and 100. 5. Wee should submit our selues to the Ministers of the assemblies whose words are like goades and like nailes fastened because they are giuen by this our Shepherd Eccles. 12.11 6. If the spirituall Assyrian break into the Church of Christ we should remember that if seuen Shepheards and eight principall men bee raysed vp against him he shal be driuen away Mich. 5.5 But withall wee must take heede and looke to it that wee be right sheepe of his pasture For there are multitudes in the flocks of Christ that hee will not feede hee takes no care of them but saith of them That that will die let it dye And as a shepheard separateth the goates from the sheepe so will Christ separate a world of wicked vngodly men from the good though they now be often folded together in one assembly It is the poore of the flock onely that
Christ. 320 Inferiours why first charged 715 Inoffensiuenesse 329 Inuentions of men how to bee obeyed how not See Magistrates 587 Iudgements how far extended 249 Iudgements spiritual the worst 251 K Kindred spirituall the best 290 Kings earthly and spirituall difference betwixt them 295 Kings meant by Saint Peter 604 Originall of Kings 606 Excellency of Kings 609 Supremacy of Kings 612 L Lawes of land not to be transgressed 561 Lawes of land to be studied 562 Learned men oft oppose the Word 238 Liberty of Christians 670 Liberty abused 680 Liuelinesse spirituall 143 Liuing spiritually how happy 852 Light acceptation thereof 354 Light of godly maruelous 358 Lost sheepe who be 893 How they that as sheepe may bee lost 896 Loue to the Godly 329 Saints onely loued of God 402 How that Loue prescribed 404 Lusts to bee auoided 406 Diffrence of lusts in the godly 408 Helps to auoid lust 409 Lusts how fleshly 413 How lusts hurt the soule 416 How victory ouer lusts 469 When ouercome of lusts 470 M Madnesse spirituall 654 Magistrates our dutie to them to be learned 561 Submit to Magistrates why 566 All to be subiect to magistrates 571 How Magistrates an ordinance of men 575 Magistrates distinguished 578 Magistrates in what to be obeied 581 In what not to be obeied ibid. Magistrates power in matters ecclesiasticall 582 Obedience to Magistrates for the Lords sake 600 Magistrates of God 615 Magistrates to encourage godly men 629 When not fit to complaine to Magistrates 824 When redresse may be sought of Magistrates 825 Masters their originall 732 Signes of good Masters 736 Malice signes of it 6 Remedies against it 10 Maliciousnes 680 Meditation rules for it 219 Meekenesse 323 Melancholy rules about it 64 Mercy in man 327 Men not vnder mercy 380 Why many obtain not mercy 388 4. Properties of Gods mercy 390 6. Effects of Gods mercy 394 Helpes to obtaine mercy 399 Ministers must apply the word 220 Mortification signes of it 849 N The godly nation 311 O Obedience see Magistrates Obstinacy of sinners 478 Offence see scandal 255 Offence by outward shewes 332 P Patience 327 Motiues to patience 822 The peculiar people of God 314 Wicked no people 366 Who are not Gods people 369 Gods people 3. waies 371 Gods people excell all other 372 Gods people onely beloued ones 402 The phantasy 452 The work of it in sleepe 454 Priests how the godly are Priests 155 What vses to bee made therof ibid. Priesthood of Christians 300 Praise of men how to bee sought 623 The best need praise 624 For what praise due 626 Helps to get praise from men 628 R The faculty of reason 457 Refusing Christ. 242 Remembrance of misery past profitable 345 RepentaÌ„ce put off dangerous 548 RepentaÌ„ce conformable to Christs death in many things 849 Reprobation 851 Reports when not to bee receiued 494 Reproaches see euill speaking 37 Helps to beare reproaches 493 Reproaches to bee auoided 646 Reuiling 818 Roiall estate of godly 293 Righteous life the best life 854 Righteous mens signes 857 Righteousnes distinguished 860 Righteousnes reiected why 862 Helps vnto Righteousnes 864 Defects of Righteousnes 868 S Sacrifices for Christians 161 Lawes for offering those sacrifices 165 Scandal defined and distinguished 255 How wicked take scandall at Christ. 257 Wherein not to regard scandall of wicked 261 How guilty of giuing scandal 262 Rules to preuent scandall 263 How scandal taken at word 273 Rules about giuing or taking scandall at ceremonies 595 Seruing God 686 Who serue not God 689 Prerogatiues of Gods seruaÌ„ts 690 Seruants of men 718 Seruitude how it came in 719 Seruants comfort 723 Seruants subiection 727 Helps to seruants to obey 728 How seruants shew a feare to God 734 Scripture why Word so called 176 Wherein it exceeds other writings 176 Sense by the soule 449 Of the fiue senses 449 Sight and hearing the best senses 450 The inward sense 452 Sheep in allusion to men 888 Signes of lost sheepe 893 How they that are as sheep may be lost 896 Shame spirituall 209 Sicknes of soule see diseases 873 Sin against holy Ghost 106 Sin done many waies 809 Who aliue to sin 140 Sincere Word see Word 74 Sion spirituall 187 Society how made happy 713 Societies diuers kinds of theÌ„ 606 Soule diuers acceptation of it 418 Description of the Soule ibid. What it is not 420 The soule is a substance 421 The soule is immortall 423 The originall of the soule 429 It comes by generation 431 The soule created of God 434 Soule and body how vnited 441 The soules faculties 446 The soules working motion 455 Why the soule was made 460 War against the soule 463 Speaking euill 37 Motiues against it 39 How to keepe men from speaking euill of vs. 45 Saints euer euill spoken of 486 The causes why it is so 487 Reasons against euill speaking 489 Euill speaking when odious 491 Stone how Christ a stone 120 How the godly are stones 141 Why liuely stones 143 Godly strangers and pilgrims 410 Submission see Magistrates 566 Suffering for Christ marks of it 284 Sufferings of Christ. 796 787 T Tabernacle how Christ one 149 How godly a tabernacle 150 Taste of Word see Word 100 V Vaine glory 783 Vegetation by the soule 447 Vertue of God what it is 317 Nine vertues of Christ to bee shewed forth 321 Vertues in vs vertues in Christ. 334 Vnbeleeuers are disobedient 231 Visitation attributed to God 534 How God visits 535 Time of Gods visitation 540 Signes of being visited in mercy 541 Glorious effects thereof 552 W War lawfull 570. Will of God 631 â—â—ds will a strong motiue 630 Well doing see Doing well 5 Things to profit by the Word 3 Hinderances of the Word 5 Desire of the Word 50 How desire of the Word discerned 53 Impediments to the desire of the Word 56 Meanes to get true desire of the Word 61 How to preserue a true desire of the Word 62 How wicked men may desire the Word 72 The Word resembled to milk 73 How the Word is sincere 74 The Word sweetned with Gods goodnes 96 How the sweetenes of the Word is tasted 101 Difference betwixt godly and wicked in tasting the Word 102 Why many haue no taste of the Word 109 Word of God our Warrant 559 How Gods word is Gods wil. 634 World contempt thereof 326 Worthy walking 340.378 Works note of Religion 496 Works iustifie before men 497 Works wherein good 498 Rules for good works 501 Kinds of good works 505 How works coÌ„fort the Saints 508 For what ends good works 509 How works may bee lost 511 What works may bee shewed 513 What may not be shewed 514 FINIS The coherence The Analysis of thâ— first part of this chapter 5. Things to be auoided if we would profit by the word Generall obseruations The benefit of brief catalogues of sins or duties or graces How many waies the sinnes heer-mentioned do hinder the word Of Malice Acceptation of the word Signes of malice Reasons
and Gods elect in the holines of conuersation Vse The sixt prerogatiue is their number Vse The acceptation of the words Doct. The sence as the word is taken for praises The diuision The first part Fiue things we are not to imitate in Christ. 9. Vertues in Christ which we must shew forth in our liues 1 Wisdome How we should shew it viz. fiue waies What it must not haue in it 2 Meeknes shewed in foure things 3 Humility which is shewed 3 waies 4 Contempt of the world shewed in foure things 5 Mercie shâ—wed foure waies Patience to be shewed foure waies 3 Motiues Compasâ—ion to enemies Inoffensiuenes Loue to the godly How many wayes we shew foorth the vertues of Christ. Phil. 4.5 7 Wayes wherein wee may offend by outward shewes Vse Motiues to the shew of vertue Why the vertues in vs are called the vertues of Christ. Sorts of callings 7 Gifts of God Distinction of calling 4 things in the order of working our calling Vse Eight signes of an effectuall calling Ezech. 11.18 2. Cor. 2.4 5. Ephes. 2.5 5 Rules that shew vs how to walk worthy of our calling The miserie of such as refuse their calling shewed in eight things Math. 10. Of the estate of such as haue temporary grace The remembrance of our miserie past is pofitable in â—â—x respects The acceptations of the word darknes Degrees of darknes Nine aggrauations of the darknes is in wicked men 4 Signes of spirituall darknesse 6 Differences betweene the darknesse is in godly men and that which is in wicked men Ioh. 12.46 Esay 50.10 Mich. 7 8. Psal. 1â—2 â— Acceptations of the word Light In how many respects the light of the godly is maruellous Esay 9.2 Mat 4.16 Of the calling of the Gentiles in generall Vse Many sorts of people in Scripture Why wicked men are said not to bee a people Who are not Gods people Men are Gods people three waies Ier. 31.3 How Gods people excell all other people Exod. 33.6 Rules for Gods people how to carry themselues to God Excuses of wicked men refuted What wicked men in particular are not vnder mercy Why many obtaine not mercy 4 Properties of Gods mercy 1 It is tender many waies 2 It is immense It is free mercy and that diuers waies Gods mercy is eternall 6 Effects of Gods mercy Vse 1. Vse 2. Helpes to obtain mercy How many waies Gods people are the onely beloued ones Vse How Christians may preserue this loue Iusts to be especially auoyded 3 Differences of lusts in Godly men and wicked men Helps to auoyd lusts Vse Lusts are fleshly in diuers respects 8 Euill properties effects of the flesh How these lusts hurt the soules of wicked men as also the souls of godly men Soule taken in diuers senses A discription of the Soule 7 things very considerable in mans Soule Psal. 49.18 The soule is a substance The soule is not a bodily substance The soule is immortall Eus. Eccl. Hist. l 2. c. 26. Aug. tom 6. de haeres c. 8.3 The originall of the Soule Anima non est ex traduce God creates the soule Vnion of the Soulâ— with the body how The faculties of the soule 1 Vegetation Sense 1 Outward 2 Inward sense Of the faculty of reason in the soule and wherin it excels The end why the soule was made 4 Kinds of war against the soul. The flesh wars against the soule fiue waies Why God doth suffer this war How many waies wee get victory ouer our lusts Signes to knowe whether we be ouercomne of our lusts Six things to be looked to to expresse a fayre conuersation Vse In what cases it is lawfull to conuerse with wicked men Causes why godly men are euill spoken of In what cases it is not hurtfull to speake euill of godly men Reasons against euill speaking In what cases in particular it is odious to speak euill Helps against reproaches to bear them Wherein works are good Rules to bee obserued in doing good works Ier. 31.19 20. Heb. 9.14 and 12.14 Kinds of good works Esay 1â— 8 How a godly man may comfort himself in his works What works are good for How a man may lose his workes What works may be shewed What works ought not to shewed How God is glorified by himselfe 1. Cor. 11.17 How God is glorified of vs in generall How God is glorified of vs in particular Motiues to the care of glorifying God Helps to glorifie God By what meanes God may bee brought into our mindes Helpes to conceiue aright of God Deut. 4. How God is to be magnified in our hearts and by what means The thoghts of Gods glory is 2 waies established Note A double caueat in glorifying God 4 Things must be done by vs to make others glorifie God Men are said to visit diuersly 2 God doth also visit many waies 1 The creatures But especially men and so either as he visits all men in generall or some men in speciall God visits men two waies especially 1 In iustice What kind of men in particular are in danger of this kind of visitation 2 God visits in mercie so either in temporall things aâ— in the case of blessings or in case of afflictions God visits in spirituall things diuersly Doct. 1. Vse Vse Signes of such as are truly visited in mercy with true grace 1 Hee hath a new Lord. 2 New acquaintance 3 A new language 4 A newe heart Speciall signes of a newe heart 1 It hath no guile 2 It is void of malice 3 It is void of couetousnes 4 A newe mind New affections A new behauiour discouered diuers waies Many sorts of daies noted in Scripture Note How the day and season of grace may be knowne Note Against such as presume on late repentance First obiection answerd Note Second obiection answerd Third obiection confuted Note Note What glorious things the day of visitation brings forth Vse Note Vse 1. Vse 2. Note Note What submission hath in it viz. sixe things Si quis tentat excipere conatur decipere Agnoscit dominum suum cleri Aben-Ezra 1 Subiectiue 2 Obiectiue 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In what things the Magistrate is not to be obeyed In what things they are to be obeyed In what matters ecclesiasticall the Magistrate hath no power In what things he hath power ecclesiastical Actions about Gods worship of two sorts Quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whether any inuentions of men ought to be obeyed Gal. 5. Mat. 15. Command 2. Circumcision was a burthen Acts 5.10 and these burthens called necessary things v. 28. and they were said to doe well if they obserue them v. 29. Pretended inconueniences by humane Lawes suruaied Acts 15.1 Rules about taking and giuing scandall at humane ceremonies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hypocrisie Originall of Kings Homo natura est animal politicum Diuers kindes of societies Pagus à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
man in earth doth so much as in true desire forsake all sinne There bee some corruptions hee knowes that hee would vpon no conditions part with To desire and endeuour to bee rid of all sinnes is an infallible mark of a childe of God Doct. 6. Mortification makes a man dead onely to sinnes it doth not make him of a dead and lumpish disposition in doing good duties Heb 9.14 nor doth it require that it should destroy his nature or naturall temper or the parts of his body but his sinne onely nor doth it kill his contentment in the creatures of God and the vse of lawfull things nor doth it destroy his liberty in lawfull delights and recreations it kils his sinne onely Might liue vnto righteousnes These words containe the second effect of Christs death and passion viz. the raising of vs vnto a righteous life His death makes vs liue and liue righteously Diuers doctrines may bee hence obserued Doct. 1. First that men truly mortified shall liue happily These dead men will liue there is no danger in great sorrow and the other works of mortification It kils sinne but the soule liues by that meanes Hee is sure to liue that is dead to his sins Rō 8.13 Esay 26.19 1. Pet. 4.6 Eze. 18. Ho. 14.2 The reasons are First because God hath promised comfort to such as mourne for sinne Math. 5.4 Pro. 14.10 Secondly Christ hath a speciall charge giuen him to looke to those mourners that they miscarry not Esay 61.1 2 3. Thirdly they are freed from eternall death they cannot be condemned 1. Cor. 11.31 32. Iob 33.27 28. Fourthly because the fruit of the lips is peace to these they are euer after interessed in the comforts of the Word Esay 57.15 18. Fiftly the nature of godly sorrow is onely to tend to repentance It is worldly sorrow that tends to death 2. Cor. 7.10 Sixtly they that are conformed to the similitude of Christs death by mortification shal be conformed to Christs life by the resurrection from the dead The vse may be first for confutation of such as think that mortification is a way full of danger and makes many men come to great extremities wheras they may heere see there is no danger in it Hellish terrours and despaire and some kind of diseases may make strange effects in some men but neuer was any hurt by godly sorrow for sinne if wee will beleeue the Scriptures and therefore it should incourage men to fall to work soundly about searching their waies and confessing their sinnes and iudging themselues in secret for their sinnes Iames 4. chapter 7.2 Cor. chap. 7.10 11. But heere men must looke to some fewe rules First that they see the warrant of the course in the Word and know the places that require these duties that they lay vp such promises made to the duties of mortification as may vphold their hearts in the practice of them Thirdly that they refuse not consolation but when they haue found true humiliation for their sinnes and comfort from God in his ordinances that they turne their sorrow into ioy and their praiers into thanksgiuing and spend their daies alwaies reioycing in the Lord. Doct. 2. It is not enough to die to sinne vnlesse wee also liue to righteousnes It is not enough to forsake our sinnes but wee must spend our daies in good works wee are so charged to cease to doe euill as withall wee are charged to learne to doe well Esay 1.16 we must bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life as well as confesse our sinnes Math. 3.8 A man will cut downe his fig-tree for want of good fruite though it beare no ill fruit Luke 13.6 It will not please any husband-man that his Land beare no thornes nor briers nor weedes if it beare him not good graine It is not enough for a seruant that hee doe his Master no hurt but hee must see to it that hee doe his Masters worke For first obedience and good fruits are required at our hands in the Law of God besides the prohibition of sinne Secondly Christ died to this end that wee might liue righteously as well as die to sinne Thirdly because all the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on vs in our regeneration are giuen to profit withall not to lay them vp in a napkin 1. Cor. 12. Fourthly because wee shall bee iudged at the last day according to our works Rom. 2.6 Vse And therefore this shewes the dangerous folly of such carnall people as think if they come to Church and liue ciuilly and doe no body no wrong they are out of al question in a right course And besides it should awake carelesse and sluggish Christians to looke to their gifts and remember what accounts they will giue to God for their vnprofitablenesse and vnfruitfulnesse 2. Pet. 1.8 Doct. 3. It is from hence euident that the onely liuing is to liue righteously Hee is worthy to bee said to liue that liues to righteousnes a religious life is the best life And these are the reasons First because it is the most honorable life For to liue to righteousnes makes a man highly in the fauour of God Psal. 11.7 Prou. 15.9 and it shewes that a man is borne of God 1. Ioh. 2.29 and besides it helps a man to the best and most blessed memoriall Prou. 10.7 and the fruits of righteousnes are the best meanes of glorifying God Phil. 1.11 And therefore Salomon said well that The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour Prouerbs 12.26 And Dauid saith They are the onely excellent Ones Psal. 16. whereas euery wicked man is lothsome and a sinnefull life is a shamefull life Prou. 13.5 and 14.34 Secondly because it is the most profitable life and the most gainfull for blessings are vpon the head of the righteous Pro. 10.6 The wicked worketh a deceitfull work but to him that soweth righteousnes shall be a sure reward Pro. 11.18 And righteousnes is both the best riches and the most durable Pro. 8.18 19 20. And it hath the promise of this life as well as the life to come 1. Tim. 6. Iob 8.6 And the profit of righteousnes will help a man when he is to die when the treasures of the wicked will profit nothing Pro. 10.2 Yea a good man lacketh not an inheritance for his childrens children and the wealth of the sinner is many times laid vp for the iust Thirdly because it is the safest and quietest life He that walketh vprightly walketh surely Prouer. 10.19 and the fruit of righteousnes is peace Iam. 3.18 For God's promise is that No euill shall happen to the iust whereas the wicked shall be filled with mischief Pro. 12.21 And God's blessing makes them rich and hee mingles no sorrow with it Pro. 10.21 and 15.6 And righteousnes is reckoned as an impenetrable armour 2. Cor. 6.7 And God doth mark euery one that doth righteousnes and solaceth his heart Esay 64.5 And the very doing of good is sweetnes to the soule
Prouer. 13.19 And whereas there is no peace to the wicked the righteous is at peace with God with Angels with the creatures and with all godly men Fourthly because it is the most durable life for the fear of the Lord prolongeth the daies but the yeers of the wicked shall be shortned Pro. 10.27 30. The way of righteousnes is life and in the path-way thereof is no death Prouerbs 12.28 As a whirl-winde so is the wicked seen no more but the righteous is an euerlasting foundation Prouer. 10.25 Fiftly because it is a life that ends the best of all mens liues for the wicked is driuen away in his wickednes but the righteous hath hope in his death and great hope too hauing the promises of a better life and so much glory as the eye of mortall man neuer saw nor ear of man heard nor came into the hart of a naturall man Pro. 14.32 1. Tim. 6. 1. Cor. 2.9 Sixtly because righteousnes is more proper to the soule What is riches or honour or any outward thing to the soule of a man or what shall it profit a man to prouide for the whole world to be his estate if hee prouide not grace for his soule Riches profit but the outward estates of a man whereas righteousnes profits the man himselfe And therefore Adam's losse was greater in losing his innocency than in losing of Paradise What can it profit a man to haue all other things good about him if he be not good himself Vse The vse should bee first for triall Men should throughly search themselues whether they be indeed righteous men and the more carefully should they search because the most righteous on earth haue their many ignorances and frailties There is no man but sinneth daily and in many things and besides a man may attaine to some kinde of righteousnes and yet not enter into the Kingdome of heauen as there is a generation that are pure in their owne eies and yet are not clensed from their sinnes And the Pharises had a righteousnes that had many praises they gaue alms and fasted and praied long praiers and did that which was warrantable in respect of the Law outwardly and yet if our righteousnes exceed not the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharises we cannot enter into the Kingdome of heauen Quest. But how may a man knowe all his infirmities notwithstanding hee bee truely righteous and haue such a righteousnes as doth exceed the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharises Ans. For answer heerunto I will cast the signes of a righteous man into two ranks First such as describe him in himself secondly such as describe him in the difference from Pharisaicall righteousnesse The signes that describe him in himself either appeare vpon him in his infancy or in his ripe age In the very infancy of the iust man euen when God first changeth his heart and clenseth him and raiseth him vp to liue righteously there bee diuers things by which hee may discern the truth of his sanctification as First by the dissoluing of the stoninesse of his heart When God comes effectually to clense a man hee takes away the stony heart out of the body and giues him a heart of flesh he may feele his heart melt within him especially when hee stands before the Lord when the Lord is fashioning of him for himself by his Ordinances Ezech. 36.25 26. Hee hath a new heart that hath not a stony heart Secondly by the rising of the day starre in his heart The Father of lights when he reneweth the heart of a man causeth a sudden heauenly light as it were a starre to shine in the vnderstanding by vertue of which men see more into the mysteries of Religion in that first moment than they did all the daies of their life before This is that new spirit the Prophet speaks of Hee that sate in darknes before now sees a great light he sees and wonders at diuine things in Religion whereas before hee was a sot and vnderstood nothing with any power or life and by the comforts of this light he can heare as the Learned vnderstands doctrine in a moment which before was altogether harsh and dark vnto him 2. Peter 1.19 Ezechiel 36.28 Psalm 119.130 Mathew 4.16 Esay 50.4 Thirdly by his vehement desire to righteousnes or after righteousnes Mathew 5.5 Which hee shewes many waies as by the loathing of himself for his want of righteousnes and for all his wayes that were not good Ezech. 36.35 and by his estimation of righteousnes aboue riches all worldly things Psalm 3.8 9. and by his affectionate enquiry after directions for righteousnes Men and brethren what shall we doo to be saued Acts 2.37 and by his longing after the Word of truth by which he may learn righteousnes Fourthly by his estimation of righteousnes in others he honours them that fear the Lord as the onely Noble Ones all his delight is in them and he loues them and longs after them for righteousnes sake Fiftly by the couenant he makes in his heart about righteousnes he not onely consents to obey Esay 1.19 but hires himself as a seruant to righteousnes resoluing to liue to righteousnes and spend not an houre in a day but a life in the seruice of righteousnes Rom. 6.13 18. And as the righteous man growes more strong and better acquainted with God and his Ordinances and the works of righteousnes other signes break-out vpon him which doo infallibly prooue the happinesse of his condition such as are First vexation in his soule at the wickednes and vnrighteousnes of others 2. Pet. 2.8 Secondly reioycing with ioy vnspeakable and glorious when he feels the comforts of GOD's presence and begins to see some euidence of Gods loue to him in Christ 1. Pet. 1.9 Thirdly the personall and passionate loue of the Lord Iesus Christ the Fountain of righteousnes though hee neuer saw him in the flesh esteeming him aboue all persons and things 1. Peter 1.9 Phil. 3.8 9. longing after his comming with great striuings of affections 2. Cor. 5. 2. Tim. 4.8 c. Fourthly flourishing like a Palm-tree when he is planted in the House of the Lord and enioyes powerfull means in the House of his God growing like the Willowes by the water-courses Psalm 92.12 13. and 1.3 Fiftly resolution to suffer any thing for righteousnes sake Mat. 5.12 so as hee will forsake father or mother house or lands yea life it self rather than forsake the truth and the good way of God Mat. 16.23 Mark 10.29 Sixtly he liues by faith The iust liues by faith In all estates of life he casteth his cares and himself vpon God trusting on the merits of Iesus Christ and is in nothing carefull but patiently waits vpon God Gal. 2.2 Heb. 10.38 Gal. 3.11 And thus he is described in himself Now his righteousnes is distinguished from the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharises by diuers signes and marks as First in the ends of it