Works

CHAP. XXXIX. Of Heresy, and many corrupt kinds of knowledge, and how the devil pester • th the Church with evil teachers.

W E must humble our selves to see Heretics do more for vainglory, and for their s • ct, than we will do • or God's glory, and for his truth.

2 The nearer heresy cometh in likeness to the truth, the more dangerous it is.

3 It is a dangerous thing to have a proud • spirit, with a vain mind, for the • e sins lead men to heresy.

4 The •• ue • seemeth to be very strong: for as the wise conclude, if they that are courageous, were also politic; or t • ey that have wisdom, had also courage, none could stand with them. Wherefore these are dismembered in men, but in the devil they • un •• e both together: for he is both courageous as a Lion, and sub • ill as a Serpent. This is he that foiled all men from the first Adam to the last man, in whose hand all the • athers were no stronger than vanity: and in this age he hath made the high pinnacles of ve ••• e the Iowe shrubs of the earth. Besides this combination of strength and wisdom, beside this proof of his courage in all ages, Christ himself, who is his enemy, saith • e is strong, Luk. 22. 20. Nay, I will add more, Christ that overcame him, pronounceth •• m to be a sh ••• d enemy. If he hath • een strong, he is more strong, both because the world waxeth shorter, and we grow securer. In these latter days, the more the d • u •• rageth, the more his strength increaseth; for anger is the whe ••• one of strength: the elder the world waxeth, the more the devil rageth: For as he playeth with mē, so he practiseth with the world, he la • eth his sorest siege in his last assault when death beginneth to moderate • im. And no marvel, for if he take a foil, or suffer the repulse in our life time, he may recover with ease, and come again with some hope; but because in death, either now or never, he must bestir himself, he followeth with all force. Secondly, he rageth the more, for our security or little accounting of temptation, and not serious b • thinking of the matter, makes him the stronger; so as o •• negligence doth inarme his diligence. He is strong enough without a •• our & y • t • o be sure he will put on armor too Goliath was strong, and yet he go • armor, which showeth great diligence; we are weak and • eede armor, & yet seek it not, which showeth extreme negligence. Thus diligent is the devil. Sow no tares nor cockle, and yet in the fallow it will grow fast enough; but he cannot content himself with that growth, but he will sow also, yea and plough too, because he looketh for a plentiful harvest. This is his good hus • andry, though his crop would be good of it self, yet he will sow. No marvel then though Peter cōtenteth not himself to call him a Lion, but a ramping Lion: and John termeth him not only a Serpent, but an old Serpent, having by experience gotten a perfect habit: and Paul asc • ibeth to him not only darts, but fiery darts. The armor of this enemy is partly the revelations of flesh and blood, partly the corrupt example of the world. The devil hath a motion in us, and straightway it seemeth a revelation to flesh and blood. Do evil, saith the devil; do so, saith the flesh, and strik • s the matter deeper; do so as Preachers do it, saith the world, and this pierceth to the bone. If we could wring out these two pieces of armor, we were strong. Now the devil as a Prince, John 13. 14. possesseth not always in his own person, but by lieutenants and ambassadors, who take up the title of his soul to his interest. This deputy or vicegerent is sin, which taketh us up as tenants for the devil: and this deputy is accompanied with four Tetrarches: The first is ignorance, where with when he had taken possession of our fathers, they might keep good houses well enough, and have many gifts indeed, for he knew that for all that, they were never the nearer to salvation. Secondly, if the devil sees knowledge must needs come in, and ignorance must needs go out, he sendeth out Error, which must make men if they will needs be knowing, either Trinitaries, or Arria • s, or Anabaptists, or such like, who may live well indeed, and make a great show of godliness, but all for his greater aduan • age to win the more souls. Thirdly, Worldlinesse succeedeth, who dares play his part even upon them that have pure knowledge, whom neither Ignorance, nor Error could prevail against: but if these prevail not, then comes Hypocrisy, and he will sift us, and search us to the quick. If an Angel from Heaven should withstand us to the face, we dare boldly pronounce, that ignorant, erroneous and worldly men, such as will take order for God; when their barns are full, and all Hypocrites, have surely unclean spirits breathing in them, Ephes. 3 2. 3.

5 There are many kinds of knowledge: The common course of the world is set down, Micah. 6 26 Ombries statutes are sought for knowledge of Law-points. Christ, Matt. 16. complaineth of another kind of knowledge: Ye see in the Euening, the sky is red, &c. but know ye the face of the Heavens, and are yet ignorant of the knowledge which bringeth everlasting life? A third kind of knowledge there is spoken of, Amo • 8. 5. and Prouerhs 20. where a kind of people had a grace in making of the Ephah small, and the Shekle great. We have learned a trim part of knowledge to trippe men in buying and selling. Another knowledge there is Ecclesiasticus 30 24. when people keep much ad • e about keeping of bullocks, and that so far, as they first prefer them: but God and his kingdom are sought for afterward: Indeed these things are lawful for him that hath first affected his own soul to seek the kingdom of God, but to make the knowledge of God come after, is preposterous.

There is another knowledge, and that is of the law of God, which men make so small account of, that the Lord complaineth by his Prophet: how he hath taken pains to write the mysteries of the law, and men think it a strange thing; the knowledge of God his word is hard to them. Well we must enter one way or other, and therefore it shall be profitable to search and survey the ways. One way is set down Ephes. chap. 4. 17▪ where the Apostle planting true knowledge forewarneth of going away in the vanity of their own mind, neither by adding or detracting, Deut. 4. 2. and. 12. 32 Apoc. 22. 1 • . nor by cutting out the book in pieces, as in Jeremiah. This way is more flatly set down, Deut. 12. 8. Ye shall not • oe whatsoever every man thinketh good in his own eyes: that is, if ye ever purpose to thrive in heavenly knowledge ye must not say: Me thinks this is good, or that is good, but ye must fetch all from the fountain of the knowledge of God, which is warranted. A second way is chalked out, 2. Chron. 17 3▪ 4▪ where the Lord beginneth to commend Jehoshaphat for walking uprightly after his commandments, not after the manner of Israel. But we walk after the trade of Israel Be it spoken therefore to the face of all flesh, what man soever walketh thus after the trade of Israel, his blood be upon himself. The third way is sounded to us, 1. Pet. 3. 17. 18. Because we persuade our selves to walk well, when we walk after example, because thus, and thus did our fathers walk. Peter meeteth with this way, and saith, Christ hath redeemed us from the traditions of the fathers. This way would the woman of Samaria have walked, John 4▪ had not our Savior put her into the right way. Let us learn to walk out of the way of custom, and to come into the way of God. Though all the world go this way or that way, yet let us say with Josh. chap▪ 24 13. I and my house will walk aright, and so shall we grow from knowledge to knowledge, until all appear • before God in Zion. We must not then make God's word a stranger, because we will have it thus, if it be according to my reason, or according to the fashion of the world, or according to my forefathers, but setting these aside, let us grow in the word of the Lord. There is another thing much himdring this knowledge of God, that is, whē we have a glimmering sight we cast of all guides, & yet in worldly things we have no end where should be an end: our • ns are never gray headed, but in heavenly knowledge we quickly make an • nd, where should be no end. Many can be content to know, but Paul would not have us children in knowledge, & therefore writing to the mother city of good learning he runneth still on this point with the Corinthians, know ye not, know ye not? a speech of a reprehension. Sometime we shall see in his allegations no Prophet, no book, no Chapter, no verse named, a greater matter, a high knowledge they had without all quotation, we have Prophet, Book, Chapter, verse named, and yet no knowledge. Yet these are the times, that Daniel chapter 12. 4. speaketh of the increasing of knowledge, and Joel chapter 2. 28. saith, that the Lord will not drop but pour out knowledge on all, not on the Jews alone; but Isaiah more plainly, chap. 52 8. reporteth that we shall see eye to eye, and chap. 62. he saith that the knowledge of the men under the Gospel shall be greater than the knowledge of the Priests in the law: if we should be such, we had need to begin betime. Well it is an hard saying, that this knowledge is required of us, but it is true, and we shall surely be met withal. Look on the Primitive Church, and ye shall see women so desirous of knowledge, that they would be so eger of it, that they would be asking questions in the Church, so as the Apostle was fain to moderate them. But we need not this moderation, of whom Isaiah speaketh more truly, that precept must be upon precept, line unto line, there a little, and there a little, and all littles make but a little with us, Isaiah 28. 10. A wonderful thing. Ministers cannot nowadays bring out of their treasury things new and old, because they must still teach principles. Well it is a note of reprobation still to be learning, and not to be learned, to be still at the dug, and never to be past our A. B. C. But to do ill, we have wit at will, Jer. 4. 22. we refuse the running water, we choose puddle water, but for the pure water we neither have it, nor will have it.

6 Every Church, every common-wealth, every University hath both land and dunghill, howsoever we shuffle them togther, making the land, where the dung-hill should be, and the dung-hill, where the land should be, because we consider not, that we have the charge of Acheldama. i. of a field, not of Judas blood, but of Christ's blood. And hereof it is, that sin is the rankest corn in this field, which shall never be otherwise, until we cease making husbandmen of the shreds and dregs of the people. But it is Satan's policy not to strike at every shrub on the hill, but at the trees of Libanon in mount Zion, from whence should come sound & sure timber to the building of Solomon's Temple. He knoweth it is more dangerous to poison the fountain, whereof all drink, than the cup whereof one drinketh: and therefore he hath well provided the Ministry to be but a spring whereat all the wild Asses quench their thirst.

7 Men must look what follows of sin: Heathen men say that a man differs from a beast in this, that he sees things to come in his actions, saying. What shall I get of this, or that? or what will become of it, if I do it? I get this commodity, &c. A beast is only carried to prevent things, doth that which is before sense: some of them perceive somewhat, as the weather; but that is not by discourse of reason, as man doth, but by instinct of nature which God gave them at the creation. The same difference is between the spiritual man and the carnal; the carnal-man sees what will follow, but goes no further than this world, and compass of it, as what profit or harm will come by this or that: the godly goes to the word, and sees what that speaketh of life to come.

CHAP. XL. Ofthe judgments of God, and how just he is in judgment, and how his promises and threatenings to Israel, appertain to us.

LEt the wicked rebel as they will, and think how by their subtleties they may escape God's threatened judgments for a while; yet they shall be pursued from far, and shall taste the heavy hand of God, both fearfully and wonderfully: as we see in Ahab 2. Chron. 18. 33. and others: wherefore let the judgments of God ever humble us, for if they do not humble us, assuredly they fall upon us.

2 It is a good property of faith, to fear the word when we see not God's judgments: So believed Noah before the flood came. So feared Josiah and he had peace; so feared Ahacuck, chap. 3. This if we do we shall escape punishments, as those did; but if we do not, then we cannot escape.

3 As there was not one of the Israelites perished, so was there not one of the Egyptians escaped; which is a type of the last judgment of God, wherein as not one of the wicked shall escape, so shall there not one of the godly perish.

4 We may not doubt, albeit we see not God's promises forthwith accomplished: neither must we be secure, because we see his judgments and threatenings delayed, as they did in Jeremiah's time: for though he tarry a while, yet will he certainly come at last, and that more speedily to us than to them, because our sins are greater, for that we have greater means of knowledge than they had.

5 They that mock long at God's judgments, will mock in the end and be mocked: wherefore it is good to pray for inward reverence, before God sendeth outward vengeance. When the Lord accuseth and judgeth us to show himself just and innocent, he will have none other to witness against us than the mountains, or the heavens and the earth: he will come to no court on earth but to his creatures, and his servants have used the same proceeding, as Moses calleth heaven and earth to witness, nay we are to call to witness the stones in the wall, the timber of the house, that they may give their voices on our sides, that we have told them their sins, and that we have spoken to their consciences, and then the very beams of the Church and stones of the wall shall be witness of this controversy. So that though men would bear one with another, yet the mountains, the heaven, and the earth shall give up their voice, that God hath not come suddenly upon us, but that he forewarned us. It were a great matter if a man should be judge in his own cause, yet the Lord so rules the matter, as that he will condemn none, but such as first shall see their just condemnation. We shall have all things laid plain and orderly before us, as it is Psalm 50 so that we shall be driven to confess God's plea to be just against us: for howsoever men can daube and deceive their own conscience, howsoever they can smother and choke their own sins and delude men; yet in the day of wrath, the sealed book, the sealed book shall be opened, and the recorder in our own conscience shall give sentence unto it, and then the Lord shall win and recover his action at our hands, and we shall yield that he is just.

6 There are places in the Scripture, where the Lord is a comforter, and there are places, wherein he is an accuser: the places where he is a comforter show such persons or such times, wherein the Lord by his accusations hath so far prevailed, that the people were humbled thereby. The places wherein he is an accuser, import such times and persons, to whom the Lord hath shown many comforts and benefits, but they have been unthankful, as are we in our times in our Realm, and in this place. For it hath been the wisdom of the Lord always after his threatenings taking place to remember mercy, and after his mercies contemned to send out his threatenings, as Hose. 4. 1.

7 The manner of the ancient Church hath been, that wheresoever mention was made in the word of the children of Israel, the Christians took that specially to appertain to themselves. But nowadays in our age the case is far otherwise, we are so loath to be accused, that our manner is to account our selves to be accused in nothing, but there where the Lord hath as it were, by name spoken unto us, and if the Lord hath written no prophecy specially to this land, then we think nothing concerneth us. Howbeit, as Paul saith, Rom. 2. That they are not only Jews, that are Jews outward, but they also which are Jews inward: so I say, that they are not only the children of Israel, which came out of the loins of Israel, but who so truly lay hold on the promises made unto Israel, are the true children of Israel also. But not to stand long on this point, I say, look as Moses is more inferior than Messiah, and as Jesus is better than Joshua, & the kingdom of heaven better than Canaan, and the blood of Christ more precious than the blood of bullocks or of goats; so are we better Israelites, by faith taking hold of the promises made unto Israel, than they that descended only out of the body & loins of Israel. So that if any will lay claim to the promises of Israel, he must acknowledge himself to be the child of Israel: but if any will let go his hold on this promise, he must also exempt himself from being the child of Israel. He may well be of the line of Cain, Cham, or Esan, but the other he shall not be. And then if we will be the children of Israel in their promises, we must be the children of Israel also in their accusations. And surely there is good reason why we should so be, where as Jacob had two names, the one Jacob, the other Israel, we read very seldom in the Scripture that the Jews are named by the children of Jacob, but called for the most part the children of Israel. For the name of Jacob being given him at the time of his nativity, and the name of Israel being assigned him by the Angel for a name of benefit, because he wrestled with God, the Lord herein insinuateth, that the children of Israel, that is, the children of his benefits, must with a special care hear his word.

7 The not observing of the Judgments of God, maketh us so loath to love his mercy, and so slenderly to fear his Judgments.

8 It is a natural thing to reform our selves whilst God's Judgments are upon us.

CHAP. XLI. Of Joy and Sorrow.

HE is not far from joy, that sorroweth either for want of good things, or for sense of evil: for the true way to godly mirth, is to feel godly sorrow.

2 When we have greatest cause of joy for well doing, then it is a good thing to fear most our unthankfulness, and our self-love and our secure unkindness.

3 God's children not cherishing a continual sorrow, have often an excessive sorrow.

4 When a man is most merry, he is nearest danger.

5 We shall sometimes feel by experience, a terror suddenly come upon us, when we are alone, or vehemently to strike us in the night, being sent of God to humble us: the Physician will say it is a melancholic passion, but I say it is the power of God's presence, preparing us to prayer, or some such like service of God: which when we feel, if we fall down before the Lord in prayer, we may find an unspeakable joy following it, but if we cherish it with evil surmises, it may bring us to further inconveniences.

6 The way to godly mirth, is to feel godly sorrow.

7 The people murmured at the red Sea, yet the Lord forgave them, and healed them: Again they murmured at the bitter waters, yet for his promise sake, and the faith of some, he pardoned that sin also, and helped them, and brought them to sweet waters and Palme-trees, fit to campe under. Where we may behold how the Lord tempereth their sorrow with joy: for his children sometimes must feel his favor, and sometimes feel it not. He letteth them see his goodness many ways, and his heavy hand but seldom, and therefore we ought to bear it more willingly. Again, we may learn that we are the fittest to receive mercy, when we have felt his justice: and when we have found his goodness, we must take heed of security, for when we are past one cross, he can prepare another for us.

8 By many means come we to joy, saith Chrysostom: the wise men of Greece wished men to rejoice; and the Poet saith, Without joy life is no life. So it may seem joy is life's life, and therefore men seek it so much. He that auoideth not something that is not evil, must needs do much evil: In riding, we will not ride so near the edge of the ditch as we can, but leave a good deal between, least both our horse and we fall in. This is our policy in riding, I would it were so in living. It is not Christian wisdom to go as near evil as we can. Well is mirth evil then? Too much use of mirth is naught. We must not study for mirth. If it be not a present jest, it looseth his grace, Deut. 29. If he be thirsty he will drink till he be drunken. Those things we desire too much, we will keep too fast, we came not (faith Tully ) into the world to make merry. One saith, when ye would be merry, this you may do, but make no occupation of it. It is the worst end of a good wit to invent mirth, and yet we see daily, how many think this is their portion in this life. Ambrose giveth them a fit name, he calleth them superfluous creatures, and so they be: for the world if they were gone, were well rid of them. And Jerome saith, God cast not man out of Paradise that he might here build him another, but that with swear, &c. our recreation must not be thus, to make it our profession to move mirth and laughter, a very Idolarie, if one may call it so. This joy is but a bastard kind of joy. Hilary saith, it one laugh when he is going to prison, every man will count him a fool. So if we will rejoice, let us rejoice in that that cannot be taken from us, for when those things perish we must perish also.

9 I find mention in divinity of two kinds of joy, the one lawful, the other qualified with circumstances. The first, Chrysostom calleth angelical joys, and Hill • ry calleth them joys of the Palace, or such joys as are in the court. These are the best, & in these we may be secure, if ye separate not joy from the glory of God. There be four angelical joys. The first is the touchstone, whether we rejoice truly or no, Psal 1 7. Let me tongue clean to the roof of my mouth, if I forget, nay, if I perferre not Jerusalem in my murth! God's glory flourisheth most, when the Church flourisheth, & therefore that is the true joy: but there are some that can fat̄ their hearts, when Jerusalem lieth in the dust. The second joy is angelical indeed; so our Savior Christ calleth it when a sinner returneth to the Lord, then the Angels rejoice, and this also is a safe joy. When the prodigal Son returned, his Father did well to receive him with such joy, though his brother did hang the groine at it: & one of the Fathers saith, though it were but a homly speech, that it was the best calf that ever he killed, the best piece of veal • that ever he bestowed. At this day there is but small turning of • inners, & small rejoicing for it, and I think this to be the cause of that poverty, for that they being come home, none will give them a ring, a gown, &c. Luke 15. The thread joy is. Psal. 122. I rejoice • when they said, come let us go to the house of the Lord First, to rejoice in the means of salvation, as in Sermons, in Preachers, and such like; this is angelical, & David's joy: I rejoiced when one told me there was a Sermon in the Lord's house, and said, come let us go. A Father saith, thou makest hast to a banquet, but not to the Temple: thy mirth is not good, thy life is not good. Thou canst watch all night in dicing, but not in meditation. The fourth kind of joy, is Proverbs 22. 25. In the rest a man may counterfeit a rejoicing, but this passeth all hypocrisy, which is the joy of the just, to do righteousness, judgment and equity. Shew thy conscience all the goodly things in the world, it shall not rejoice at them so much as at one good work. This joy will never depart, their works follow them, and so shall the joy of them. The Apostles went away after their whipping, and rejoiced, not only that they could suffer scourges, but that they triumphed. What joy soeūer we have else, if we think upon judgment, then we say unto our mirth, thou art madness, Ecclesiast. chap. 2. The second kind of joys, Chrysostom calleth petty joys: Hilary termeth them the solace of prisoners, who eat and drink for a while, but shortly the judge cometh and condemneth them, and they are executed. This Solomon called bitter sweet joys, Proverbs 14. 13. This is certain, everyone will have the one or the other: if they cannot get Penelo • e, they will be suitors to her maidens: these be seeming joys, and we think them to be great, because we know no better. For if we knew the joys of the righteous, we would laugh at these vain joys. It is noted in Cain, after he had lost his place in Heaven, he got him as good a place in earth as he could. Iubal he found out organs to make his Grandfather merry. What is it then unlawful? I will tell you what the Fathers said concerning it: The believer can never find time for laughter. Hilary saith, that whatsoever we love in the world, we take thereby occasion of laughter in prison; and this is frenzy. If these men lived now, they would be accounted precise fools, Storks, blocks without affections, for these be the opprobrious speeches which the wicked use against good men: but if any man can rejoice in Psalms and spiritual songs, if he can find an honey-comb in the word, and with David can dāce before the Lord; God forbid, that I, or any should play Michal to mock him. Nay, I will say with Moses, I would all the Lord's people were as these be: and took pleasure in these things, for thus we ought to be, and I will say with Paul, would to God you would practice these things which I teach But where the Spirit is carnal (as Bernard saith) where there is a mouldie soul, a dry heart, where the Spirit is turned into flesh, there men love these petty joys, and bitter sweetes. But yet (not to foster any man's imperfections) the Church hath childrē of perfect age, she had babes, yea, even such as are in their lump like the Bears whelp, we cannot come from Beersheba to Bethel at one step. These actions in themselves are not unlawful, but •• fles are for babes which the Church beareth with, until God provide better sor us, not commanded but permitted, as Paul, when he was a child, spake as a child, and we are all in the estate of children, 1. King. 11. Solomon's men that went to Ophir, did not only bring gold and silver, necessary for the common-wealth, but Parrats and Apes for children.

10 The true rule of mirth is set down, Ephes. 5. 4. it must not be rotten mirth, mirth of concupiscence, to speak plain, such as is obscene and scurril mirth, corrupting good manners, concerning which Bernard saith, if it be a shame to hear, let it be a shame to speak. Secondly, the mirth may not be Dymic • s, pricking mirth, quipping mirth, and • aunts, to please our auditors with. The third thing is, that it be not without reason, unreasonable . mirth, feather-mirth, when there is no cause to be merry, when a man hath a conceit of himself, to which Paul opposeth thanks-giving, that our mirth may be gracious. And thus much for the first kind of corrupt mirth. There is a second kind, Ierem. 15. painted out: I sit not in the assembly of mockers, because of the company, which is noted, Hos. 7. When that Kings would be merry, they must have an hick-scorner, and a common jester to come among them, this is Tavern-mirth, and the fools cannot else be merry. So then our mirth is evil when we make not choice of company. Thirdly, not using of the right time, is vicious here, Job. 21. 13. They spend their days in wealth, and suddenly they go donne into the grave. It is that whereupon Augustine saith: I would that men did not only leese their time, I wish they might not loose body and soul also, Exodus 30. They sit donne to cate and drink, and rise again to play: But Eccles. 3. Weeping is first, afterwards loye. Ezekiel. 9 The Mourners are marked with the Lord's TAV. We make our studies-labors and trades, a parenthesis to our play; whereas our play should be a parenthesis to our labors. Lastly, measure and manner must be observed, Proverbs▪ 22. A Fool when he laugheth, lifts up his voice, but the wise man is scarce heard: it is like the fire of thorns, a little fire and much cracking; so in a fool much laughter and little cause. We may not as Fools, tire our selves with laughter: seeing thou must stand before the bar in judgment, how is it that thou canst so laugh? saith Chrysostom. And Hylarie saith on Psalm 137. All our joys in this life are as the waters of Babylon. We must rejoice in trembling, Psalm 2. If we have not this we keep no order in the rest. Remember to observe these rules.

11 In our pleasures we are especially to beware, that we take no pleasure in pleasures, Men must not be mirth mongers, (that is) men must not study for mirth. And what is the reason? Surely, because where there is an exceeding and over much desire of a thing, there is like to be an exceeding, and over much use of the thing, when we have it: which is our reason against ambition and covetousness: for riches and honor in themselves being good, by an excessive desire and use of them are made naught. The ende of our mirth must not be only to bring pleasure, and that pleasure may bring joy: for then we shall rejoice to rejoice, and this is Idolatry. For it would be prejudicial to our rejoicing in God, for whatsoever hath an ende above this ende, is dangerous. One saith very well, if my body be but a strainer for meats and drinks to run through. If I serve for none othervse, but to make report of the sweet and sower taste of this or that, surely my life is not worthy of life. Again, we must beware in our mirth, that we have not a care to please our hearts, our hearts being unsearchable pittes, if they follow natural things, they grow to be too natural, and therefore they are sometimes to be pressed and imprisoned, until they smart, least having too much liberty, they cause every vain in soul and body to smart in the ende.

12 Youth especially is to take heed of pleasure: for though fire be good, yet in flax or tinder it is not good: So though pleasure be good, yet pleasure in youth is not good. We need not plow for weeds, they will grow fast enough in the fallow. But some will take pleasure in youth especially, and they purpose to become good, and to live gravely hereafter, and to behave themselves solemnly afterwards. This is to make a covenant with the devil, as the devil said to Christ: I will come out, but the time is not come yet; so we will leave pleasure when the time coms, & in the mean time he keepeth us in a purpose, wherefore there are more in hell than in heaven. Young men make their sins of a double die, crimson sins, they become a disease of the bones, and custom is turned into a necessity: whereupon diverse say, I would fain, but I cannot leave them, whereof where one doth recover, forty rot away. If Satan can make our youth an unprofitable age, all the ages after hardly any good to be looked for. For if he once nippe the blossom, where is the hope of the Autumn? where may we look for fruit? Well, if we will needs use pleasure, we must set down some measure.

13 The devils rules never have exceptions, but God his Saints must learn restraint; we must never make our hearts the stewards of our affections, that our thoughts wander not in them, and least in desiring things too much, we exceed when we have them. There must be the least appetite of those outward things, because there is the least use of them. If a man cannot want them, he will abuse them, whē he hath them. It is true that Jerome saith, Their original or beginning is honest, but their growth and greatness is deformed: and that also, Sin is very reasonable at the beginning and very shamefast. Tamar went first to play the whore with a veil before her face, but now with an open face. First honest recreation, and then a pleasure of vanity▪ recreation before labor, to play before we study. We use pleasure, but to no good ende. So Eli's boys would have the fat without any reason. Judas could see the absurdity of this: To what end is this ointment spent wastefully? we use such things too much or too long, whole days from morning until night, til we be set on fire with them We come to be too effuse. Nabal's feasts are like the feasts of a king, he being but a country farmer.

14 This is a general rule, wantonness is the beginning of sin: we see in Esau, to what great profaneness his wanton pleasure in hunting grew: So in the Scriptures there can be found none other beginning of Solomon's fall but this, that 1. Reg. 5. when he had spent seven years in building the house of God, he spent thirteen years after in building an house for himself. This was scarce a good property to bestow thirteen years on his own house and seven years on God's house, and the Apes and Peacockes that he brought into the Land, set the people on such vanity, that they vanished away in their wanton thoughts. Idleness and trifling be the callings of Gentlemen nowadays, as also needless expenses, 1. Tim. 5.

CHAP. XLII. Of Inuiries, offenses, and controversies.

W Hen an injury is offered thee, the Lord doth try thee, what love, patience, and meekness is in thee to bless them that curse thee, which will follow if thou be the child of God: contrariwise if thou requite evil for evil, then doth the Lord show unto thee the corruption, which thou must labor to pull out of thee if thou wilt overcome.

2 When we see that others stand in need of our help, and we are able to help, the Lord requireth our obedience.

3 Meditations of GOD'S promises and providence, will drive from us all desire of revenge.

4 We must not tarry until others reconcile thenselves unto us: but as God doth rather oftentimes, by heaping his benefits than pouring his plagues upon us, show us our sins; so must we rather by courteous dealing than severe handling, show others how they have offended us.

5 The more Pharaoh restrained, the more Moses stood in the thing that was commanded; contrary unto those which making a mingle mangle in religion, yield in some things, but we must not yield a lot of that the Lord requireth, although in worldly matters we ought for peace to yield one to another. In religion it skilleth not how little the matter seem, for which we do contend. The least thing that God commandeth is great in the sight of God: and God's children have been punished for small offenses in appearance, as Moses and Aaron for grudging were debarred from the land of promise. Josiah was slain because he asked not counsel to go to war, which may teach us to beware of the least offenses. It ought not to be condemned nor counted preciseness not to give consent in the breach of the least thing, though we may bear them (when they cannot be redressed) but not with consent.

6 Shall we be contentious? I think no nature is so mis • reant, that it doth delight in contention: if any delight to dwell in Mesh • ch, as David calleth it, I would he had a tabernacle there: if any delight in contention, I wish no more harm, than that he may be never without it. What then, shall we blot out controversies? That were to teach the spirit of God wisdom. Could he not as well have said, let there be peace, as let there be light? • ay, God hath ordained there should be contentions, and not only permitted them, but saith, they must be, and such as be about the weightiest matters in truth called heresies, 1. Cor. 11. Then it is a dream of idle brains, that any good can be received without controversies, and as the Prophet Isaiah saith, without the barking of some dog or other. It is not so in evil things; they are received with silence: what then shall we play the pots, and ask the potter a reason of his doing? Albeit I like not that humor of men, which will search out the reason of God his doings, when they know his flat will, yet in this we may, because he hath set it down. There be three reasons, first that those, That are steadfast may be approved, we will have it in this. As Satan did to Job, God called him, what sayest thou of my servant Job▪ Liueth he not uprightly? No grandmercie, said he, for he hath all blessings of thee, but take away them, and then &c. Secondly, there are cities to be governed, and to that ende we must use our talent. John reproved the Scribes and Pharisees and came to reprove Herod. Samuel reproved Eli, and came to reprove Saul, that might have smitten off his head. Thirdly, that the Devil may have the greater overthrow, that as God triumphed over him in Job, so in our constancy he might do the like. Then controversies are necessary. How then is it, that God is called the God of glory and peace? that Christ is called the prince of peace? the Gospel, the Gospel of peace? the Ministers, the Ministers of peace? of glad tidings and unity commended so general? Surely it is the fault of our age to deliver the word by halfs, and so I say, that he that teacheth peace to be good simply without exception, teacheth an error. Therefore peace must be peace in truth, and for this cause Christ saith, I am the way, the life and truth: for to have contention with such as hold not in him, is no breach of peace. Nay the wicked among themselves have no peace, it is but truce, they have covenanted with hell for a time, a day, a few years, or as the rearme of their life, and then is great and everlasting debate, we may see it in the first agreement among the wicked. The serpent disputed with Heua, until she had yielded; then all was quiet until the evening, but then came one & brake the truce. Separate peace from truth, and peace is no peace. The reason therefore is set down, Ps. 138. Lord thou hast magnified thy truth above all things, therefore above peace. And that I fall not into that error aforesaid myself, I will tell you what truth is. We think we are at peace, & have unity perfect among us if we be of the same religion, and we agree, that we must, and will be all Protestants: but the fathers have all distinguished truth into three parts. First, truth of doctrine in religion: Secondly, of life in our conversation: Thirdly, of justice in giving preferments. Unless a man hath all these, he hath none of them: and if in all these be peace, I will seek & ensue after peace; as saith the Psalmist: if any offend in these, I will not have peace with him. We know, that veritas doctrinae hath had witnesses martyrs; so have the other two, though they send us not to heaven in a fiery chariot: but an evil name which every mā for their stakes must provide to suffer: we must be in this, as Christ, when he kneeled before his father in the garden. If mans salvation may be wrought, let this cup pass; if not, thy will be done. So if a man should hold us a cup of the wrath of a multitude, or a mighty man, we must say, if it be possible, the truth may be defended without this; then let this cup pass: but if it cannot be otherwise, let me drink the dregs & all. So that God himself in such cases is the author of dissention. He will have dissention, he sweareth, Isaiah. 59. that he is angry, for that none will make dissension in taking part with the truth. GOD the Father may seem farther off. But even CHRIST the Prince of peace himself, Mat. 10. saith: I came not to bring peace, but a sword, that they which consent in wickedness, might stick no longer together: And Psal. 94. David saith, Who will take my part against the wicked? That was a voice of dissention (if ever there were any, even that which Tully calleth the fan of dissention. Augustine saith, this is nothing but a question between the Counsel, and the Tribune, they will agree with the inferior magistrate against him, that is as far above him, as the Counsel is above the Tribune. Therefore when there is dissention we must not be dismayed. It is foretold, Isaiah. 5. 24. Jeremiah is fain to cry, my Mother hath borne me a contentious man. The Israelites said, we shall never be quiet till Amos be from among us. Even the Devil himself chargeth our Savior Christ with it, Art thou come to torment us? And the less dismayed shall we be, if as a learned father saith: first, if we prayed against it: secondly, if we have desired to join peace and truth: thirdly, if we have felt a mourning, for that there is dissention: fourthly, if we be ready to yield a reason of that we do: fifthly, and will (for quietness sake) confess a fault, where there is is none. They have one great argument, that it breedeth no offense so to contend. This troubled many in the primitive Church, leaving many good things undone, which otherwise they would have done; till at the last they concluded in a council, which hath been held of all fathers, schoolmen, and Divines hitherto, and I pray God it may be so of us. It is better that an offense arise, than that truth be forsaken: and thus much of controversies.

Manie now a days in giving voices, have a pretty wise policy, because it is so evil a thing▪ I will give no voice at all, hold you content, such be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , neuterpassiues, indifferent men, that will do neither good nor evil. These are odious unto the Lord, Zephani, 1. 12▪ If there be any man, that saith, I will neither do good nor bad, or hath set down that rule with himself, I will, saith the Lord, seek him out with a lantern to a strange judgment. They will say, as it is Ps 12. Our tongues & lungs are our own, and therefore we may speak, as we list, and when we list. By this they show, that they have neither Logike nor Divinity. The holy Ghost saith, thou shalt not give thy voice. If the precept be affirmative, it bindeth semper not ad semper; but if it be negative, it bindeth but semper and ad semper. The like precept is, thou shalt be no usurer: well, I will not lend at all, but thou must lend, and yet not lend to usury. Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy GOD in vain. Well, I will not swear at all; yea, thou must swear by his Name, & yet not take it in vain. Thou shalt not bear false-witness: well, I will bear no witness at all; yea, thou shalt bear a witness, but yet not a false witness. So I will not give my voice at all; yes, thou shalt, and yet not to a Rabbi, or a multitude. The reason hereof is, because we were born to bear witness to the truth. Therefore was I borne saith Christ. Whereupon Augustine saith, this belongeth to all Christians. Fulgentius a good and holy father saith, when Truth is endangered, both he which denieth it, & he which holdeth his peace, do betray the Truth. Well, it is said, thou shalt not answer, and therefore we hold it not needful to give our witness to the Truth, except we be asked and entreated. But is it not often said in the Euargelists, Then JESUS answered & said, whē no man spake unto him? Hereupon one said, Truth demanded it in his Conscience. As GOD is said in Isaiah, to hear us, before we call unto him; so will he have us to answer him, before he speak to us. Psal. 5. David tarrieth not to defend the innocent, till he be entreated; taketh no reward to do right, being rea • ie without desiring. As we have two kinds of sins, sins of omission, and commission, and Psal. 128. if they put but their hand to wickedness, touch it with one finger, and not put to their shoulders; so is it not only unlawful not to do good, but also not to work together in good. And as the man that lusteth after a woman, committeth adultery, but she is clear: so those that give not witness to the Truth, though it prevail, have to themselves overthrown the Truth; and those that have givē witness to it, though the Truth fall, to them it standeth. But that is flat without all exception, He that is not with me, is against me. Yet some have answered this place unto me in private conference with that other place, He that is not against me, is with me: So then, if ye give a voice, and not against the Truth, ye are with it▪ Mark, of whom Christ speaketh, of one that was no disciple, that had not given his name to Christ, of him Christ saith: If he be not against us, he is with us. As if one be of another land, if he be not against the Prince, he is with him; but if he be a subject, if he be not with the prince, he is against him, and shall sustain the punishment of a rebel.

8 If we would know what it is to pervert, we shall see it in Augustine. De vera religione cap. 34. to put out of order, as it were shuffling the cards to place a deuce with a King, to bring in that which should be kept out. Now what is order? that the worst be subject to the better. Then those are perverse, which place the worst above the best, which place them in great callings, which are unworthy to be among the base people. To them it is said, cease to do perversely. None peruerts another, but first he peruerts himself; and those that pervert themselves, pervert their rules or their ends: their rules, as to prefer man's laws before God's laws; their ends, as preferring temporal things, as this case, this gain, before eternal: now and then at their leisure thinking of the chief end of all, but preferring the other. Even as the crab going backward himself, persuadeth all other fishes they swim wrong: so these being perverse themselves begin then to shuffle the cards, then they will have men be of their minds, or they will turn justice into wormwood, that it shall be as bitter as wormwood to the good man to do justice: for my part I would Ahab troubled Israel no more, though Elijah bear the blame.

9 He said that when he considered how Noah, Moses and others fell in their latter days, and how the most excellent have fallen; he most earnestly prayed that the Lord would take him out of the world; before that his life should bring any offense to the Church of God.

10 Jacob and Esau cannot agree in one womb, Sarah and Agar cannot agree in one house, Isaac and Ishmael must not dwell together: there is no agreement between the children of God, and the children of Belial.

11 Moses was angry, and is commended for it, so that every anger is not condemnable, but to be angry without a cause and without measure. Some men will be angry for their own cause, and very hot; but in God's cause they will not be angry at all: this is a fleshly anger: but when men sin either to the dishonor of God, or their own destruction, then to be angry is a good anger, if the saluatiō of our brother doth move us thereto, not our own injuries: for we can bear with patience, injuries so far as privately it concerneth us, but when it toucheth GOD'S glory, we cannot but be angry. Some are angry for everything, and in light matters, and yet not in weighty matters; then let those men take heed, for these are very faulty. But if we be like the Lord, not marking what is done amiss, nor being angry continually, that we had rather be loved than feared, and according as the matter is, so is our anger; then is it good: otherwise it is not to be allowed; for as the Lord doth use more means to cause us to love him than to fear him; so ought we • o do, and to be more careful with love to win, than with anger to compel. The Lord is slow to wrath: and anger resteth in the bosom of fools, whereas a wise man will repress anger. Then let our anger be according to the fault, a light fault, a light anger, of small continuance, but we must believe the Lord to be greatly grieved with great sins. In God's cause some men are moved, when themselves are also touched; but if themselves be not touched, they can be quiet: but when their brother is hurt, though God be dishonored, they care not. If we see our selves moved but then, when our selves are touched, let us suspect the want of faith, of love, and zeal of God's glory, and think we stand too much to our o • ne praise: but if we cannot be content when the things do not touch us, but even the glory of God doth move us to anger, then is it good, and of God: Though some be our very friends, yet we can be most angry with them when they favor us; and when they displease us, we can remember the old love, and so still mingle anger with love: and if I can be angry with whomsoever I see the same sin in, then is it also of God, and to be allowed: and indeed true Christian anger will sooner be to his friend, than to his enemy. Again, when we can first begin with our sins, and be more angry for them than for others (for no man can ever be angry for other men's sins, which cannot be angry for their own) and this is that which Christ saith; Cast the beam out of your own eyes, &c. But when our anger first beginneth with our selves, and that there is no sin which we would willingly rest or favor our selves in, then if we be angry with others for the same sins, this is of God; if we cast the first stone at our selves, and if the sin be in us, we strive against it; if it be not, we fear it may be, and therefore study to prevent it. Again, when our anger doth let us from doing any duties to them which we are angry with; then is anger to be misliked: but when we are ready to show all duties to them, as to pray for them, and all other duties of love, then let us have here a testimony of good anger: but if it make us to have a troubled mind, though it be for a good cause, it is to be respected: for the works of God's spirit in us, do not hinder one another, but rather do further; and if we were cold before, and yet now shall be quickened to prayer and other good exercises, this if we find, it is a note of good anger. Again, our anger for the breach of God's commandment, is joined with a compassion over them which have thus offended, because of the wrath of God which hangeth over them; thus was Christ angry and sorry, Mark. chap. 3. and also when he wept over Jerusalem, and Paul, 2. Cor. cha. 12. ver. 21. faith, he should be humbled when he cometh with a rod to them, and therefore he describeth fleshly anger, that they were puffed up, 1. Cor. 5. Rom. 15. We should support the weak, and be so grieved, as though we had done that they have done. When we see the sins of others, we must be so grieved, as if we had done them our selves: Christianity hath grief, flesh hath joy in the sight of the sins and infirmities of other men.

12 Worldlings being poor, look only to the injury of men; and being sick, look only to the means; and in whatsoever trouble they are, they are like the dog that looketh to the stone, and not to him that throweth it, because they know not that the Lord is the healer, but think it is by fortune, and not God's providence; and therefore they look not to God, nor their sin at all, or else look only to the angry countenance of God, and so come to miserable ends. Therefore it is a blessing of God to see, that for his sins a man hath any trouble. The contrary cometh to pass by the ignorance of God's providence, which must by faith be believed, as the creation is, and therefore a man may see, and yet believe not God's providence; for God hath time, and all things that in time come to pass, be in his hands, Eccl. 3. So both must necessarily be believed, for they are both the first article, and one without the other cannot be believed▪ Then let us believe that he is our healer, and therefore when we are stricken, let us look if we have walked well in our calling, then is it for our trial, and in the end we shall have everlasting joy: but if we want a good conscience, then let us know it to be for our sin; therefore look to the law, where we shall see, though not the particular sin, yet one of these which God hath ordained to keep us from sin: as we shall see it is either for that we have not heard the word, nor prayed, nor been thankful, or not received the Sacraments, or else done these for fashion, and not in truth, and these are such sins as the Lord will punish: as Paul saith, 1. Cor. 11. Though there were many other sins, yet if they had used these aright, they should either not have fallen into these sins, or else he would have given them repentance, whereby they should have prevented his judgments.

CHAP. XLIII. Of judgment and folly, and of judging, reproving, and praising.

THe Devil when he cannot at the first corrupt affection, he will begin to corrupt judgment, and then affection.

2 We may be convinced in judgment, and yet not have our minds changed and renewed, for that cometh only when our affections are reformed into the due obedience of that which we have in true understanding.

3 When we defer to have that in affection, which we have in judgment, it is the just judgment of God, to deprive us of that which we had in judgment.

4 We may not judge of anything by any one action, neither may we judge suddenly, but tarry God's appointed time, for he will manifest all things in their appointed time.

5 We must beg of God the spirit of wisdom to discern the dealings of men: for the wicked do often the same things, and in the same manner that God's children do, but yet not with like affection: we must take heed therefore, that we condemn not the good, nor justify the wicked.

6 We be blind in judging of God's works: and hence it cometh to pass, that we run headlong to destruction, in seeing those things that seem to be good unto us. This ought to move us to pray unto God, that he would enlighten our minds, and reform our judgments, that we may wisely consider of his works.

7 A man may have a good wit, and yet be subject to the secret curse of God.

8 A good wit not sanctified, is a fit pray for the Devil.

9 There are diverse kinds of folly. Solomon saith, A wise man is not a stranger in the congregation of the Lord: so then this is a foolishness, not to come to the congregation of God's people. In Paul's time it was said, be not foolish but redeem the time: th •• then is also folly to loose time. In the time of Moses and Jethro, to give authority and titles in the highest degrees to them that deserve them not, by Iethroes judgment was folly, and we do in these times the very same. Well, all these are fools which can do us no harm, those that are alive are no fools, so long as they can do hurt. And such as help us to preferment, we call them wise whatsoever we think of them: there are two kinds of fools, one a sot for ignarance, or a crazed fool, as he that hath a disease only. There is another fool, and he hath the carcass of folly, and he may well be called the child of folly: This is stinking folly, and brutish folly. Chrysostom faith, Better to be found a beast than to become like a beast, for the first is of nature, the last is of sin. If it be foolishness to be ignorant of that we should do, what great folly is it to know what we should do, and do it not? And who would think such folly could fall into any man, that he should know it to be folly, and confess i • , and yet do it?

10 There is is a sect in our age, which say everyone is a sinner, and so will never be reproved of any sin: they say, everyone hath enough to look to one: so was John counted a fool, an austere fool; and Christ a popular fool: for indeed, because they meant to follow neither of them, they counted them both fools Christ compareth them to froward children, Luke 7, and we may compare them to • oule gamesters, if I be not deceived; who, when they have lost all, and have the last cast in their hand, and see that it is naught also, rise up in a chafe, and fling down all, and say, that there hath been foul play played, when the fault is only in themselves. So these, when they are reprehended, say, all is naught, and bring others into the compass of their own folly. Therefore as they preached against iusticiaries afore time, that all were sinners, none that did good; so now we must preach against Libertines, that all are not unrighteous: the holy Ghost in all times hath called some by these terms, righteous, wise, holy, though not before the judgment seat of God, yet in walking in their calling, in doing right, and laboring to observe the word. All is vanity, for that all they use sometimes, the Preacher said so, but he never said, all is vanity of vanities. There is a difference between a sin, that Isaiah compareth to a cord, and that to a car • rope; between Hezekiah his boil, and Lazarus his botch; betwixt Paul's prick in the flesh, and him that was wounded in the way between Jerusalem and Jericho: one of these may heal another: a mote may pull out a beam, though a beam may not pull out a mote, else there should be no sin reproved.

11 We can easily say, their foolishness, their sin, their unthankfulness. This is the fittest Pronoun that we can use, we have many notable things in our selves, which we count folly in other men; as in Judah hath Tamar played the whore, burn her; but when he saw the scaffold, the case was altered. There is difference between burn her, and I am to be blamed; sinners are to be blamed. This is that we learned in Philosophy, we can see intellectu directo those things which are in others, but we cannot see intellectu reflexo and understand our selves: for our own faults we had need of an Eunuch to look out.

12 We may be bold with those that are dead: so said Lucian; Anger and Envy had killed all wise men, for in anger and envy we will account none wise: favor and flattery had killed all fools; for we will for those two affections accompt all wise. So when Pilate lived he was counted wise, but now he is dead, Pilate was a fool. So of Demas and Sobna. This is the triumph of wisdom above folly; that as wisdom is justified of her children; so foolishness is condemned of her children. They condemn the same things that they do. Herod so long as he lived, was accounted wise, and was a King, and John the Baptist a fool; but now both be dead, Herod is a fool, and so confesseth of himself, and John the Baptist is a Saint. So was D ••• s Cla • dius Nero whilst he lived wise, and Paul a fool; but now he is Nero the tyrant, and Paul holy S. Paul. The reason of this is, for that we are led by present things. So long as we live together with them, fear and hope are stopples for our mouths, so that no man can hear, what he is indeed being present, till he be dead and gone from among us. They that follow shall pronounce the truth of us. Christ saith, Rejoice when men speak evil of you, for so did your fathers of the Prophets.

13 Gutturall praises must not be given to God. It is an easy thing to afford a good thing a good word, to cry Euge macte virtute. The Prophet saith, the wicked are only mouthed men, they sprinkle it with a little court-holy-water: it is pretty ship, but they will not go in it: they cry, Lord, Lord, but yet they do nothing. When the women cried out to Christ, Blessed are the paps that gave thee suck: No, no, saith he, Blessed are they that hear these words and do them. Let the work speak and commend it self, not he that when he heareth a good thing, straight breaketh out into glorious praises, his affection is so hot: but he that is so stricken with it, that he is past praising; so musing of it, that the sent of it appeareth in his life long after. They count Paul a wise man, but behind the door they laugh as Sarai did. Socrates. Praise me that I may see it: for our praise is, to give a testimony that we like it, but this is the best testimony, if we follow it; for if thou didst think it to be true wisdom, thou wouldest follow it.

14 Universities are the Lord's Lebanon, frō whence timber is to be felled for the building of his Church, his quiuers, as Isaiah saith, wherein are hidden all his chosen shafts, the sons of the Prophets: and as I may say, the bayes or works from whence salt is to be digged with whose verdure the sacrifice is to be seasoned.

15 Scholars must make a good bending of their studies, and be virtuously brought up: first, that they may profit the Church▪ and attain more easily to the knowledge of the Scriptures, they may not want human arts. Secondly, if they be virtuous and godly, they shall have more authority to preach, when men have nothing to lay against them: sinful men blush, and get not nor have not that authority that others have.

CHAP. XLIIII. Of knowledge and ignorance, and how to seek God, and of Satan's sophistry, &c.

KNowledge and other gifts of God not sanctified keep us from the sight of sin, and persuade us that they will excuse us from wrath to come, until our sins be pulled out by the ears.

2 Knowledge must go before obedience, obedience must follow after knowledge with all chreerefulnes.

3 The Egyptians by all God's wonders might have known him, but they considered not his works, so they refused knowledge; therefore the Lord by a great destruction would make them feel that he was God indeed: which may teach us to get knowledge, while the means are offered, for if we will not know him while he showeth himself favorable, we shall certainly know him to our own fearful condemnation.

4 All our disobedience cometh of this, that we know not the Lord. And wheresoever the word of the Lord is, he will move those that be his to believe, though he did the same things from the wise of the world.

5 There is none almost but at one time or other do seek God; though the common sort, at the last cast in extreme danger, when health and friends fail them, go to him. But Malachi saith, GOD is a King, and will have his Senioritie: & in this order of seeking many good men are deceived, for so they deal not falsely, they think they may scratch woridly riches, but the Lord will not have us take the silver of worldly things, before gold of godliness; Neither must the servant first wait some hours on himself, and then on his master, but contrarilie; because as there is a seeking, so in seeking there is an order: And this is God's prerogative to be sought first Matth. 23. he is a fool which thinks the gold of the temple, that is riches, better then the Piety of the temple, which sanctifiethriches▪ Solomon's chair must be our direction. Abraham sought obedience before his own country Joseph and Moses sought GOD rather then Pharaoh: but we seek preposterously, giving youth to pleasure, old age to God, we make our eldest childrē Lawyers, the second or youngest, divines; whereas our fathers made the first-borne to seruein the Priesthood. In our contracts, we first seek wealth, and then religion; a cursed match: well, while we thus seek God, we shall never find him. Wherefore let us seek God in his word, and that not in a piece of the word, but in all the word: not making conscience of some sin, and yet • etaining other sin, God will not be divided, nor quartered in qualities, because he is indivisible in substance. Manie use a restrained obedience, and the world hath ever a placard for some sin. Such a one was he that would have a dispensation for kneeling in the house of R • mmon with his master. Ananias would keep some part to himself, GOD will be sought totally in respect of his Word, as also he requireth an universality in seeking of himself. We must not seek God and the world together, we must not have two strings to our bow: having one eye on the word and another on the world. We must not think if we have God it is well; if we have him not, it is no great harm, purposing a piety to out felues, so long as we be in the Church, and promising to our selves immunity being out of the Church.

6 Samuel the first builder (we read) of Colleges: calleth his College Naioth, that is, even beauty it self, where must be no deformity, for a small spot in beauty, is a great blemish. Again, Colleges are as Epitomes of the Common-wealth, as Athens was of Greece; and what a thing were it in an Epitome to find superfl •• tie. Universities are the eyes of the Common-wealth, and a mote in the eye is a great trouble. Briefly, Universities be the Lebanon of the Lord, from whence timber must be fetched to build the Temple. They be the Conduits, to derive water into the whole land. They be the Rocks or Bayes, where Salt is prepared to season. They be the polished Sapphires to garnish the house of the Lord.

7 It is a parte of the Devils Sophistry, as in good things to sever the means from the ende; so in evil things to separate the ende from the means. David joineth both together, Psalm. 119. I am thine, O Lord save me. The Devil persuadeth us, God will save us, but makes us never look to that I am thine. In evil he beareth us in hand, we may use the means, and never come to the ende, and so clip off half: as when he can suffer this. Eccles. • 1. 9▪ Rejoice O young man, he would leave out this, But thou shalt come to judgment, But these hath God joined together, and neither the subtlety of youth, nor any wit of man, nor all the Devils in hell can separate them; the pleasures of the flesh, and the judgments of God: as to our first parents, Eate ye shall not die: to who me some Solomon might have said, if it seem pleasant to you, eat it, but death shall come. So in these two that Ezekiel hath joined: the ease of the Pastor, and the blood required at his hands; he might have said, Go to, build you tabernacles, where you may take most profit, and give ear to wealth: yet God shall bring you to judgment. God with an Adamant chain hath knit the pleasures of this world with judgment, he that hath one must have both.

8 There are many places most effectual, and worthier meditation, than others in the Scripture, wherein Spiritus multum spirauit, for I think that the Spirit not only bloweth where it listeth, but also when, and in what measure he listeth. As in some places, namely Psalm 45. and 49. 1 • . the Lord calleth as it were a congregation of all sorts and conditions, signifying some great point of wisdom; that he requireth so great a Theatre. The ancient expositors say this wisdom is, where this word Selah is • ound▪ For whether it signify, as the seventy Interpreters say, a great pause, that the verse going before may be meditated on; or a repetition, as Rabbi Abraham saith, that that verse for it excellency should be twice sung, or both, as Tremellius; it must needs signify great wisdom and matter in the verse.

9 These days shall not continue always, but there shall come a day wherein the conscience shall be dismayed, a day of death, wherein we will not care for riches, beauty, learning, praise, or estimation. And yet there be some that care not for this: which love as Tully saith of Verres, silver better then heaven, they think it a greater matter to live in a beggarly estate, then to loose their souls. But this is folly, proved by two reasons. First, thus do the beasts: Balaam's wisdom, and his A • es wisdom is all one. For the Ass which hath but a soul of one life, & when he dieth, his soul vanisheth into the air, if he have a good pasture, and then get a Lions skin to make the beasts of the field afraid of him, & can kick one with his heels, and make him lie before him, this is a beasts honor: but the honor of a man is greater, which hath two lives, to whom this life ought only to be for the surety of the soul; and rather a way to another life, then a life it self. This hath been answered by the Fathers; I will deal so with the world that I may remember God, but a learned father saith, Thou must put in first & more, or else leave out, I will remember God Deceiue not thyself, thou givest all to the world: God will not only be served, but in his order. Malachi calleth him a great King, and therefore he looketh for the first service, and Daniel calleth him the Ancient of days, a great Senior, and therefore he will be served before his Iuniors, Luc. 17. The servant that had labored all day, is not bidden first to eat and drink, but to serve his master, and then to take his repast. Contrarie is our practice, as in marriage, we look for beauty and riches first, and then after our religion comes in for a corollarie, we will not be much against it. Jonathan must carry Saul's armor, and Mephibosheth must look to the Ark. We make choice before God: we bestow our first years on our selves, and then the rest we bestow on God. Those are vain men which will first seek the adjectives, & caetera, then the kingdom of GOD. Augustine saith, if thou wilt needs, thou mayest seek, but thou shalt never find. I have heard and known amongst us those, that would make accounts first to be well provided for, and then they would serve God in their callings, who having gotten three hundred, or four hundred by the year, then have been further off then they were before. The second reason is, if any man be so foolish, he shall yet be more foolish, he preferreth the shadow of these transitory things before the eternal things: they shall loose both the shadow & the thing it self, as Aesop's dog did. Augustine saith, they shall have an ende, either their own: that is, they shall leave thee, as Job's goods did him: or thine, thou shalt leave them, as the glutton in the Gospel: but that which is worst, whē they shall have left thee, yet the sin whereby thou gottest them, shall remain with thee▪ Genes. chapt. 4. Sin sleepeth at the door, it is quiet all thy life long, but when we go out of the door of this life, it shall compass about our heels and our hands, and we shall never be rid of it.

10 Knowledge of the word is as necessary an art for Christians, as the art of Husbandrie is necessary for Husbandmen. Men can say, they can learn nothing of the Preachers, but to love GOD above all, and our Neighbors as our selves: and as for this lesson, they say they are not now to go to school. But this is as much as if one should say, Husbandrie is an easy thing, and there is nothing to be learned there, but to Sowe, Plough, and Reape: and yet to set his hand to any of these without knowledge of the trade, he is altogether foolish. Well then, as in this, so in all other Arts we will confess that we cannot come to the practice of particulars without knowledge of the principles: and yet come to the great Art of Knowledge, which is the main profession of all, and needeth most teachers and best scholars; and we think we can learn that with sitting still, and taking of our case. But there is a knowledge of the world, and they that come to be our schoolemaisters to that, they shall be had in high estimation. Howsoever we account of knowledge, the Prophet saith, that under CHRIST our knowledge excelleth the knowledge of the Priests; and in Paul's time, the women were so full of understanding, that the Apostle was fain to take order that they should not speak in their open assemblies, where they would needs be speaking. The holy Ghost, Colos. chap. 3. would not have the word of God to dwell in us beggarly, thinnely or strangely, but plentifully: and surely without this knowledge we know nothing to do as we should do it. And for this cause in the former age, though the devil could be content men should be as merciful, and as true dealers, as they would; because they were guilty of Ignorance, and wanted knowledge to direct them herein: yet now because knowledge is come, he cares not how unmerciful and deceitful men become, nay now he takes away mercy, and truth, and knowledge, and all. The reason is, because we make no more precious account of knowledge; we can be content to sit at home by the fire, rather than to come abroad to hear; or if the devil give us leave, and we get so much mastery of the devil, that we come to the sermon, yet sleep ourtakes us, and we are as good as absent; or else if we be waking, we go away before it be done; or if we tarry, as soon as we be gone we commit all to forgetfulness. And so if with want of knowledge we be merciful and true dealers, it is but after our own brain, and because the Lord hath not planted, the Lord will root it out. The end of all is, if men will not grow in the knowledge of God his will, they shall never come to the knowledge of God, that is, they shall not know God his mercy, God his truth, glory and blessedness, neither will he ever know us. For as without the knowledge of God's will, there is not, nor shall be any knowledge of God, so if we know not God, God will never know us.

11 When we shall be joined to God the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost, then shall we know, as we are known, then shall all tears be wiped from our eyes, then shall our infirmities be taken from us, then shall we dwell with the Angels, and with all the hosts of heaven in most happy blessedness it self. We see now by this chain, not forged by our own brain, but framed out of God's word, that he is indeed blessed whom God chooseth, whom Christ redeemeth, whom the Spirit reneweth, whom faith stayeth, whom the word, Prayer, Sacraments and Discipline buildevp in the Lord, in whom faith breedeth peace, peace sincerity, sincerity love, love a fear of displeasing, and a care of pleasing God, in whom this care striveth to a mortification in poverty of mind, this poverty coming from a mourning heart, possessed in a meek spirit, and aspiring to true righteousness, all these things being joined with that sanctification which lamenteth the sins of others, and relieueth the wants of others, knowing to use prosperity and adversity as pledges of God's favor: and undoubtedly looking for the kingdom of heaven in the life to come. If any of these links be missing, the chain is broken, if any of these members be wanting, the body of blessedness is lame and dismembered.

CHAP. XLV. Of Miracles, and how God worketh without and with means, and how we ought to attend on the means.

THe Miracles that were wrought in the Church, were partly in mercy, and partly in judgment, as in turning Iereboams hand into leprosy, and into clean flesh again: but the miracles against Egypt were only in judgment.

2 Signs are given to confirm us in the word, & are not more excellent than it; if then they draw us from the word, we must hold them accursed as well as the false Prophet, Deut. 12. That which Paul speaketh of tongues, 1. Corinth. chap. 14. is true of all miracles, which are signs to believers, which may teach us not to desire them: for if we believe not. Moses and the Prophets, neither would we believe if miracles were brought from heaven. So is it in the Sacraments, which are ordained to nourish that faith which is engendered in us by the word, and therefore must not be separated from the word, nor esteemed above the word. For we shall then profit truly by Baptism, when we, in and by the word, shall believe the washing away of sin, and get power to mortify sin daily within us: and then shall we profit by the Lord's Supper, when we believe all the promises of our Redemption, wrought by Jesus Christ, and shall be united into his body daily more and more by the word.

3 Pharaoh did ask a sign, not for any purpose to yield thereunto, but if they could not do any, he might have the greater advantage against Moses and the people. So the Scribes and Pharisees ask a sign of Christ, to whom he answered, the adulterous generation seeketh a sign: So many in these days ask proof of many things in religion, not that they mind to yield thereto, but if they cannot have such proof, as will stop their mouths, they may more quietly continue in their error. We must learn to leave this kind of questioning, which is seldom granted for good, & let us so frame our requests, as that they may be reverent, and we may have a desire to rest in that which is granted.

4 A wonder may move us for a time, but commonly it lasteth at the most, but for nine days: and we shall never gather any fruit thereby, except it doth prepare us to profit more effectually by the word.

5 Some think that the miraculous Manna was not so strange, because it is to be found in these days in other countries. I answer, not of that color, not of that property: Therefore this was a miracle, as may appear by these reasons following. First, because it was never seen before, and then came at God's commandment. Secondly, because neither rain nor fair weather did let it. Thirdly, because as soon as they came to the borders of the promised Land it ceased. Fourthly, because if it were kept till the morning it stank, but on the Sabbath day it continued sweet, albeit gathered the day before. Again, when it was reserved in the Ark, it putrefied not. Fifthly, because it followed the Israelites, whither soever they went. Sixthly, because it fell in such abundance, as that it sustained so great a multitude.

6 At what time the Lord first sent Manna, the children of Israel being ravished with the love of it, called it Manna, that is meat prepared of the Lord: & herein they acknowledged the goodness of the Lord. This Manna is first commended for the color, it was as white as the precious stone called Bdellium. Secondly, for the taste, tasting like fresh oil, Numb. 11. 7. Thirdly, for that it was Angels food, or meat prepared by Angels. Psalm. 98. And yet for all this, when the people had been accustomed to it, they loathed it, and set light by it, wherefore their sin was the greater: The reason of it may be this. This Manna was given them, not only to be food for their bodies, but also to be a token unto them, that seeing the Lord fed them from heaven, they were not to settle themselves on the earth, but to look for their inheritance in Heaven. So many therefore as did rest in the bodily food, not respecting the thing spiritually signified by it, they were soon weary of it. So is it also with us, for albeit all the blessings of God be very dear unto us, and of a great price at the first receiving of them, yet when they are common, the best blessings are lightly regarded. If it be so in earthly things, which are agreeable to our nature, how much more will it be in spiritual things, which are so contrary to our nature. And hereby the great corruption of man's heart is discovered, which will not be moved but with novelty. As for example, the sun if it were but seldom seen, how glorious a creature would it be accounted, but because we have the daily use of it, therefore very few of us regard it. Nay, the word of God which is his arm to draw us to salvation, when it hath been a little while among us, it is a thing smally esteemed; whereas contrariwise in those places, where it is newly recovered, they flock together far and near; and will make it their talk and songs, and whole delights. The like reason is of the Sacraments, & other blessings of God, which while men do use of fashion and custom, or else do rest in the outward thing, not looking into them, nor beholding the spiritual grace offered by them, it cannot be but that they must needs fall into a superstitious abuse of them, or else despise and loath them.

7 Our Savior Christ giveth two notable titles and commendations to the exercises of the Church, Matthew chapter 7. verse 6. he calleth them, holy, and precious. First for holiness, we know there is no sound holiness, but in the Lord, or of the Lord, and therefore it was said, holiness to the Lord; it was the inscription of Aaron's miter. And it is said in the Gospel, that none is good but God, that is, none is essentially good but God: the word, the Angels & so forth, are holy, but in respect rather of something received than of their own nature; and so the word is holy after a double manner, either for that it cometh from God, who is perfectly holy, and it is of the nature of him; or else for that by it we receive holiness and are made holy. For the first it is sure, that the law-giver doth always impart to the law something of his own nature, and therefore among the heathen, look what kind of men set down the laws, the law had a smack of their disposition. Solon a very moderate man, his laws were very moderate, and tasted much that way. Draco his laws were severe like to himself, and therefore they were said to be written with blood: So are the Lord his ordinances, they coming from the holiest of all, carry frō him in them a sensible relish of holiness, and are united to the nature of God. And as the law cometh from one holy, and so teacheth holy things, likewise cometh holiness into our hearts by applying them thereunto, our hearts of themselves not being holy; and so the law having a quality of God himself, it hath it not for it self alone, but for us. In this respect as the law is lively, so it is a quickening law making alive; as the word is wise, so it maketh wise; as it is holy, so it is a sanctifying law making us wise. For preciousnes the Scriptures stick not and cease not to set a price of the word, as Psalm 19. and 119. David compares it to spoils, a thing full of precious things, wherein are things of great price. And yet for that in spoils are things of all value, some more, some less precious, after he compares it to gold, then to fined gold, afterward to much fined gold, yea to thousands of gold and silver: and not contenting himself he joineth to gold, precious stones; and least yet he might say too little, he compares it to all manner of riches. The reason hereof is this, that for as much as the soul of a man even of him that perisheth, is precious, and the soul of every good man more precious; then the soul of the holiest, Christ Jesus is most precious. Now for as much as the Gospel hath it foundation in opening of the sign of the blood of Christ: therefore the Gospel in a singular degree of excellency must needs be most precious.

7 When some penitent sinners are executed for theft, we see they are more grieved fo • whoredom, than for theft, because it brought them to theft, but most of all they sorrow for neglect of the word, which hath made them most loose in all their life. Seeing then this is warranted by the experience of our times, let us take heed we neglect it not, but see the want and neglect of these means to be the cause of other sins; but if we will not do this, the Lord will punish sin by sin, which is most fearful: for this is the only means to keep us from sin, to hear the word, pray, give thanks, hear admonitions, receive the sacraments, with reverence and in truth. As these means do keep us from sins, so do they recover us from them when we are fallen thereinto, as when great trouble is upon us, poverty, disquietness: & against these the word of God doth give a remedy, teaching us, that as it came by God's providence, so he must take it away, contrary to the family of love, who denying the providence of God attribute it to outward causes. Example of a man which said his sickness came by God's visitation, they replied unto him, did you not take cold? he answered, that is but a means to serve his providence, so the family left him. For we take cold often, and yet are not sick, because the Lord hath all things in his hand, to dispose at his pleasure, and then shall we rest in this, when we are certainly persuaded of this doctrine. Psalm 32. The Prophet saith, that before he acknowledged his sin, moisture was turned into drought, but when he confessed, his punishment was taken away; so Job. 33. when men will not profit by his word, then the Lord will seal this former doctrine by a correction, which if we profit not by, it will lie so long on a man, that his bones shall stick out: being in this case, if the Lord reveal him this, he shall be restored to his former state. It is plain, that the cause of these corrections is the neglect of the instruction of God in his word, which if we would thoroughly give over our selves unto, we might be sure that no presumptuous sin should prevail against us. But if we esteem not the word of God, or receive it so as that we profit not by it, then let us not marvel though the Lord do visit us, and that in great mercy too, if we can be brought so highly to esteem of the word and of prayer, as of nothing more.

CHAP. XLVI. Of Magistracy or Government.

A Fter that Jethro, Exod. 18. 21. had told Moses a better course in the government of the people, he describeth what manner of men they should be: and to the properties which are there set down, there may be added three in the first of Deuteron. verse. 13.

First then, Magistrates must be wise: that is, skillful in all those causes which shall come before them, otherwise, if they be not men of knowledge, they be not fit for that place. Yea, though they be well minded, and willing to do good; yet if they have not knowledge of those things which they must deal in, it is not sufficient. For as in handicraft matters a good man is not straightway a good Artificer: So, and much more is it in this weighty calling.

2 Secondly, it is required that they be endued with prudence or experience, for Sapientia and Prudentia do thus differ: that the former is the general comprehension of knowledge of things: the latter is the experience of that knowledge in particular actions. Experience in other things doth show how necessary this property is. For we see in Physic and other Arts, many by much reading to have obtained singular knowledge; so that they think with themselves they could do great matters, yet when they come to have the use of their knowledge in some particular maiters, they are oftentimes behind hand, and their knowledge for want of experience doth soon fail them; the reason hereof is this, by reading they get the knowledge of general rules, which when they are applied to particular cases are altered by circumstances, and many exceptions may be made against them. So that in all Arts and Sciences this is generally holden, that so much is thoroughly and soundly known, as is known by experience. It is necessray therefore that a Magistrate be not only a man of knowledge, but also that he be well experienced in the matters that be incident to his calling.

3 The third property necessary for a Magistrate is, that he be of a good heart and courage. For although he be able for his knowledge and experience to deal in any matter, yet if he have not a courageous heart to go about them, the others will little profit him. And if we consider with whom he shall deal, and in what matters, how he is subject to the rebukes of those that are above him, to the hatred of his inferiors, and to the evil speeches of all, then we shall easily see how needful it is for him to have courage, that he may proceed in his calling, and with nothing be discouraged.

4 It is fourthly required, that they be such as fear the Lord. By this fear of GOD they shall both examine their courage whether it be good▪ and also they shall moderate and rule it by the same fear. For as courage when it once passeth the bounds of knowledge and experience, doth oftentimes prove to be but a heady rash boldness; So likewise, if it be not seasoned with the fear of GOD, it doth often ende in oppression. This fear of GOD, with whomsoever it prevaileth, doth cause them to abstain from doing of wrong to any, as Joseph reasoneth with his brethren; I fear God, therefore I will not do you wrong: as contrariwise, wheresoever it is not truly planted, no sin so great, nor no wickedness so grievous, which men for their pleasure sake will not easily be brought to commit: as Abraham, Genesis, • 0 answereth Abimelech. Therefore must Magistrates evermore set the fear of God before their face, as Job, chapt. 31. doth witness, that he himself did, that thereby they may both make a conscience in doing Justice, and also be kept from doing wrong.

5 Fifthly, it is needful that they be true dealing men: this true dealing hath first respect to the M • g •• rates themselves, that whatsoever they spe 〈…〉 , and what they promise, they be careful to perform, and that 〈…〉 they think. This simple and upright dealing doth pur • • a • e 〈…〉 re unto a Magistrate. Secondly, it hath respect to the case that they 〈…〉 to 〈…〉 that they take pa •• es to search out the truth thereof, and give righteous 〈…〉 r • quireth. For as the Lord judgeth according to right, so ought they 〈…〉 re his Ministers. Therefore they must not further the evil cause of a good ••• though otherwise he be good; neither must they hinder the good cause of any man, th ••• gh otherwise he be evil: they ought not to be careless of a stranger, because he is a stranger, neither must they go busily about the evil cause of their friend or neighbor, because he is their neighbor or their friend. To conclude, they must neither behold the perso • of the rich nor of the poor to pervert judgment for their cause, but give true judgment without respect of person.

6 Sixthly, they must be haters of filthy gain. Covetousness is the mother of appression and extortion, which do differ in this, that oppression hath the color of •••• and law, and extortion is when man getteth by hook or by crook and careth not how, so he may have it: but these two are not only here forbidden, but even the lou • of ••• e; and rewards, which are of such nature, that they will blind the eyes of the prudent, and sloppe the ears of the righteous. Yet is it not altogether unlawful to give gifts and rewards, for Solomon saith, that a gift in the bosom pacifieth much strife, and if it be •••• lie bestowed, it prospereth whithersoever it turneth. Again, Mordee • y and H • sters • east is mentioned with this commendation, that they sent gifts every man to his neighbor: but when they are given with corrupted purposes, or received to pervert right, then are they of all men to be abhorred, but specially of Magistrates.

7 The seventh and last property of a good Magistrate is, that he be well known to all men: and this hath respect to all those that went before; he must be known then to be endued with wisdom and experience, to be of a valiant and courageous heart, to have the fear of God before his eyes, to be upright in his dealing, and a hater of filthy gain. So Paul would have the Ministers to have a good report even of those that are without. And surely it is great reason that they should be well known, or else they shall hardly have any credit with us. For the weakness & corruption of our nature is such, that when he who is not well known unto us shall speak as sound a truth, and deliver it peradventure more plainly; yet doth not his word bear so much creed • t with us as another whom we know, and have some experience of. For our natures do for the most part suspect strangers, and we are loath to commit our selves and our matters to them we know not. Wherefore to the end that Magistrates may bear credit among us, it is very meet that they should be well known and their gifts also.

8 This doctrine must teach us first to consider what calling the Lord hath in mercy placed us in, and whether we have gifts answerable to our callings, that we may thereby be brought to pray unto the Lord that he would give us that which we have not, and increase that which we have, and evermore supply that which is wanting. Secondly, it serveth to teach us to give due honor to those in whom we see the true properties of Magistrates to be, and to acknowledge their lawful calling. Thirdly, that in all our elections we make choice of such Magistrates as are endued with these properties. Fourthly, that we may pray that such Magistrates may be profitable where they are, and that the Lord would give them to such places as have them not. And last of all, that the Lord in mercy would vouchsafe to give these properties to all Magistrates, which now are set over his people, and to furnish them plenteously therewith.

9 When the Lord gave the Israelites water in Rephidim, he named the place after their sin Mossa, and not after the miracle that he wrought, that they might both see his mercy, and be also put in mind of their sin. And this ought Magistrates to do in punishing sin. The Lord had often before forgiven them, and now when they had sinned most grievously he punished them, so as they might still perceive his mercy. So ought the Magistrate to rebuke the people for their sin, and let them know it, yet so as they mingle mercy and love with justice. And this ought to be also in the discipline of the Church, all means must be used, and all kindness shown, so that the fault be reproved, before we come to the last means of excommunication.

10 As everyone is higher in degree, so ought he to show a greater measure of faith.

11 Joseph saith, God made him a father unto Pharaoh, that is, a Ruler: for so it is after expounded, and ruler of all his land. So Eliakim the Ruler of the people is called a Father, because he should not have such a care for himself, as Shobna had, who neglected the people, and hewed out sepulchers for himself, but should specially seek for the glory of God, and the safety of the people: and so did Joseph win the hearts of the Egyptians by his courteous dealing: he went not about to provide anything for his children after him. By this we are taught what manner of men our Magistrates should be: for if they have a special love to their country, self-love will be decreased: but if they be given to heap up for themselves and their posterity, the love of their country will be quickly shaken off. And this is to move us to pray for our Magistrates, and also in our selves to be profitable to others so much as in us lieth: for we are not borne (as the very Heathen confess) to our selves, but for the benefit of others also. The want therefore of the feeling of this, may serve us for a trial of our religion and godliness.

12 The Lord often doth us much good when we see it not, he giveth us many benefits and blessings by his Ministers and Magistrates which we perceive not, yet this is a punishment when we cannot see the means whereby the Lord doth us good: and therefore we must take heed to this, for when the case is thus, it is dangerous.

13 This is to be noted generally in Christianity: it is a small matter to receive religion, when plenty of all things do come with it. And so in particular callings we see: who would not be a Magistrate or Minister, so long as he may be in credit, and have all obedience yielded to him without trouble? But if contempt come with affliction, how few be there that will stand and abide in their callings, to give God the glory in looking for that issue which he thinketh good? Who would not be a married man, if all his life might be as the marriage day? but when a man is married, he must provide for his wife and children, yet with heed that he do nothing with an evil conscience for them. Again, for that a man must forbear the manifold infirmities of his wife, and overcome them with wisdom: how few are there that will continue in marriage, giving God the glory? So is it in the Magistracy and Ministry.

14 Exod. chap. 16. 27. 28. it is written, that there went out some of the people to gather Manna, but found none: whereupon it is said, that the Lord reproved Moses in these words: The Lord said to Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments? Moses had not profaned this Sabbath, but the people, and not all but some: yet the Lord rebuketh Moses, because this people were committed to his charge. Thus we see what weighty accounts the Lord will require at their hands, who have the oversight of others, they must give an account for them. Again, inferiors must be often admonished, not to despise the government and instructions of such as the Lord hath set oner them, but willingly receive them, and carefully follow them. If any be so careless, that he respecteth not his own health and welfare, yet let this move him to some further consideration of his doings, that by his negligence he puts other in danger, and is hurtful to those that are set over him. This the Apostle Paul also willeth the Corinthians wisely to consider, 2. Cor. chap. 12. verse 21.

CHAP. XLVII. Of Matrimony, and of the duties which belong to that state.

G Reat dangers follow them which join in affinity with sinners, as we see in Ieboshaphat for joining himself with Ahab's house, 2. Chron. chap. 17.

2 It is an holy token of an holy unity between man and wife, and that they be married in the Spirit and not in the flesh, when their affections agree in good things.

3 Jethro in marrying his daughter to Moses had no respect to worldly preferments, which he saw Moses wanted, but only to the rare virtues which he saw in him: This ought we to observe in these times, first to make such a choice for our daughter of such a one as may be a special guide and helper for her to the kingdom of heaven, and then to take other things if they come, but not to seek them: God blessed this act of Jethro, for he had the worthiest man then living. And Moses had a great blessing to have such a wife, as was brought up in labor, that so she might the better suffer with him in adversity, and provide for her self in state of necessity. This respect men ought to have in marriage, least taking such as have been brought up delicately, they shall not be able to bear the cross when it cometh.

4 It is most like, by the words of Zipporah, Exodus 4. 26. Thou art indeed a bloody husband unto me: that Moses to please his wife did omit the Sacrament of Circumcision. This may teach us that we are to honor our wives, albeit the weaker vessels, because they be heirs of the same grace with us, and must keep love & peace in outward things so we at no hand in matters of religion must yield unto them, least we honor them more than God, and so we shall cause a punishment to fall upon them and our selves. It was the cause of many troubles in Jacob's family, to love Rachel more than Lea. But David and Job did wisely in withstanding their wives when they sought to withdraw their minds from performing duty unto God.

5 When the Lord makes any one man more excellent than another for gifts outward or inward, he trieth him whether he will seek God's glory, and the profit of his brethren: which fruits if they insue not, then thus doth the Lord let him see, that this is his corruption which he must labor against. For example: doth the Lord give thee wife, riches, or any such benefits? he doth it to make thee more fit to serve. So then, hath the Lord, given thee a wife? Look to her, as the Lord hath committed his own creature to thee, so thou be fit to be a guide unto her, going before her in all honesty and godliness. Again, he doth try thee whether thou wilt rest in her love, and whether thou wilt use her company soberly, not effeminately: he trieth thee whether thou wilt be covetous to care for earthly things in her behalf. But these and the like fruits, the Lord doth show thee the corruption which thou must labor against.

6 The Lord gave Adam a wifeto try him withal, and if he had not yielded too much unto her in the time of temptation, no doubt he might have been a great help that she might have been recovered, and neither of them both have so fallen. For had not he yielded unto her he might have continued still in her innocence. Thus then the Lord tried Adam, whether he would continue in his obedience or no: likewise doth the Lord at all times try men in marriage whether they will continue in his obedience, and labor to win their wives also to the faith of Christ. So in like manner the Lord tries the wives whether they will be in all things subject to their husbands, as Sarah. For what gifts soever a woman hath, yet not being subject to her busband, they are nothing. For even in man's innocence she was subject, and after the fall it was laid on her as a punishment: so that if she be not obedient she cannot be saved. Yet the Lord other whiles also trieth whether she 〈…〉 er sobriety and wisdom will as it were break the crookedness of her husband: 〈…〉 the Apostle teacheth, that the wives must adorn the hidden men of the heart, that 〈…〉 husbands (albeit then not converted to the faith) might be won by the honest 〈…〉 ersation of their wiue • : how much the more then ought those who have Christians 〈…〉 eir husbands, by their means bring them forward what they may▪ in the profession 〈…〉 ue godliness? But if they be disobedient, and will requite evil with evil, or with 〈…〉 e, they do what in them lieth, to overthrow the faith of their husbands. And thus 〈…〉 Lord trieth wives also, whether they will continue in his obedience. Again, he trieth 〈…〉 whether they will rest in the love of their husbands only, and be contented there 〈…〉 ▪ yea when they see their husbands hearts turned from them: for if they will but only 〈…〉 when they are beloved, they declare that they only love themselves and not their 〈…〉 nds: for they ou • ht thus to consider, the Lord hath turned my husbands heart from 〈…〉 because I yielded not to him that duty which I ought, therefore I will not hold on to 〈…〉 se still, but now I will rather love him more, to see if the Lord will by these means 〈…〉 his heart again.

7 When Zipporah became troublesome to Mose • in his calling, he left her with his fa 〈…〉 for a time: so she deprived her self, by her disobedience, of his comfortable presence▪ 〈…〉 ought to teach wives ever to help, & not to hinder their husbands in the Lord's af 〈…〉 . And like as that holy man of God received his wife again at his return, notwith 〈…〉 ding all her former faults: so must all the sons of God, i • there be any separation for 〈…〉 e and for just causes, receive, and entertain, and retain their wives again.

8 Husbands must have a fatherly care, as principally of the salvation of his wife, so all 〈…〉 her good health and welfare in this life: and to this end give her all the good instru 〈…〉 and direction that he can. This lesson may well be given to all: Be m • st moderate in 〈…〉 things which thine appetite liketh best, and check thy too much greediness of an earthly 〈…〉 ▪ and thou shalt find this to be good physic for the body, and a wholesome pre 〈…〉 iue for the soul.

9 A certain young man having without consent of friends made a contract, he would 〈…〉 marry them, until before honest witnesses they had faithfully cōditioned that in time 〈…〉 marriage they would confess their fault against the glory of God, their superiors, and 〈…〉 whole Church, which should be done at that time that the father is wont to give the 〈…〉 gin in marriage.

10 A young man having over slipped in love, and intended to marry without consent 〈…〉 gouerours, he did not contract him, but admonished him: and at the day of marriage 〈…〉 used to the parties to be married this discipline: First, as they had privately confessed 〈…〉 faults to their governors especially offended: and craved pardon: so he caused them 〈…〉 confess their fault to the Church, and to ask forgiveness, desiring all to beware of the 〈…〉 offense, and requesting their prayers for them, that this sin may so humble them, 〈…〉 they may more warily walk without offense the residue of their life.

CHAP. XLVIII. Of the Ministry.

ALthough the Lord hath promised a special blessing to the public ministry of his word, yet we must not tie wisdom to one ordinary mean, either of beginning or increasing of our faith: but if any at any time shall have more effectual feelings by • riuate conference, let him not contemn nor neglect the public ministry, but with all • oly and humble thankfulness yield this souerag •• tie to the Lord, that he is to dispose his • fts, when, to whom, and where it pleaseth him.

2 They that teach not themselves, are unfit to teach others: and the cause why men profit not in the word is, because they pray not to have their hearts stricken therewith.

3 In all essential points of the Ministry, we must in no case follow man: but in accidental circumstances Christian love suffereth many things, so that on the on side we tolerate not too much, and on the other side suffer too little.

4 Like as if we moderately strain a woman's breast, there will issue pure and wholesome milk, and by violent wringing of it, we provoke blood also, and vnholesome matter to come forth: even so in our modest and natural applying of the word we yield the wholesome and pure milk of God's word, but in our immoderate wresting of it we strain out our own corruptions, and deliver impure doctrine.

5 When neither Ministers rebuke sin, nor Magistrates punish it, there it crieth to heaven that God might punish it. Woe then be to them who think themselves at good quiet, when their sins cry out for vengeance in heaven, albeit they live in great peace on earth.

6 It is a fearful thing to lose the company of the godly. And though the world think they are at good quiet, yet when Noah and Lot that rebuked their sins are departed, then are men most fit for God's judgments to fall upon them.

7 Where a people heartily desire by prayer the ministry of God's word, the Lord will send them faithful ones, and will multiply his graces in them: but because people are so full of carnal security, the Lord sends them such as either for ability cannot, or for affection will not deliver the word of God unto them.

8 The Ministers of God are more discouraged by the disobedience of their own people, than by the maliciousness of their enemies, be they never so mighty. But let God's ministers know, that they must ever have some to refuse thē▪ but let every child of God take heed; that he offend not his godly Minister: and if he hath offended, let him with submission seek to please him: for as Paul saith, If I be sory who can make me glad, but those by whom I have been made forte? And let the Minister of the Lord remember, that the fruits of his labors amongst the people, be as it were the life and crown of his ministry: so Paul teacheth also in his own example: I do live, if Christ do live in you.

9 The Israelites murmured against the Lord, though they seemed to repine but against Moses and Aaron. Christ saith, He that heareth you, heareth me, &c. So long as the Ministers of God trust not in themselves, nor do anything of themselves, but that whereunto they are called and ordained: if they be resisted, the Lord in them is resisted; and if we refuse such, we refuse the Lord, 2. Sam. 12. But when they be not ordained of God, nor bring not the word of God with them, then the curse cause less shall not fall. But if we be assured of their calling, or persuaded of their doctrine: or if doubting and searching by the Scriptures we find it true, then if we obey not, the Lord is highly dishonored.

10 It is necessary that the Minister of God do very sharply rebuke the people for their sins, and that he lay before them God's grievous judgments against sinners: for so the Apostle commandeth: Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith. And again, it is needful for the people that they have their consciences touched, and their hearts made known unto them, that so they may come out of their sins, and prevent the heavy judgment of God.

11 The Israelites were sometime at their wits end, and therefore could not pray: so that they had a singular blessing to have Moses to pray for them. So had Lot when Abraham prayed for him: So had the Israelites when Samuel, Phineas, and Elias were ready to pray for them. This must teach us to set much by God's servants among us, which pray for us, and not to have them in small account. Eccl. saith, The godly in prosperity is not regarded, but in adversity they are sought unto. And indeed they are our chiefest help, as is said of Elias, that he was the chariots & horses of Israel: & this is not only profitable for whole countries, but for every particular man, that when he cannot pray, but hath (as it were) his heart & tongue fast looked up, yet then God's servants do pray for them, that after they may pray themselves. Wherefore let us ever be ready to pray for others, though they be wicked, and have done no duty to us, yet it is God's grace that we stand, that we might reach a hand to them; and though they have rejected us, and deal evil with us, yet let us do our duty unto them, as Moses did for this people, though they were ready to stone him; and so did Samuel pray for the people which had rejected him; so that nothing must cause us to leave our duties to them, but ever labor to have our harts upright with God, whereof this is a good note, if we can pray for others though they have wronged us. And that we may do this, we must set the glory of God before our eyes, which will teach us not only to love & do good unto them which love us (for so do the harlots) but even to help them that hate us. Therefore when the Lord will have a punishment brought upon us, then will he take the godly frō us, as he took Lot from Sodom. And therefore in such cases we have to fear dangers.

12 With what provision the mighty of the world build their castles, and with what consultations the Kings of the Nations proclaim wars; with the same provision, & with the same consultation, and with no less, should we take the calling of the Ministry upon us, which is a masonrie, and a warfare both at one time, as master Beza well noteth, Ephes. 6. 2. continually like the builders under Nehemiah, holding the trowell in one hand, and the sword in the other: The ground-work hereof, flesh and blood hath taught us, and set it down for a corner stone in all serious consultations, that whatsoever is, must be set down once for all, even for all the life long, never to be called back again; That same had need be well breathed upon, and be long in setting down. And this is not only heathen wisdom, but Solomon's wisdom, a man filled with understanding, even one of his Aphorisms, Prov. 25. Prepare thy work without, and make ready all things in the field, &. But behold a greater then Solomon. Luc. 14. before whom all heathens wisdom, all man's wisdom is foolishness, yea brutishnes, even Christ Jesus the only wise God, who not in generality, but in this particular case of the ministry straitly chargeth and commandeth us, that not the best of us all be so hardie, as to lift up an Axe, or to stretch a line over his building before we have been at Ephratah, and in the woods, to see that our provision be great enough, before we have set down, and as it were (kept straight Audit with our selves) and cast all our Reckonings over again, and be sure we have sufficient to lay the last stone, as we lay the first. If we do not thus, charges will arise more then we think, and we shall not be able to hold out to the ende. And if we be not, why then all that behold us, all the world, all the Angels in heaven, CHRIST himself, shall laugh us to scorn, Christ himself shall have us in derision, this fellow must needs be building, &c.

Oh it goeth sore when CHRIST, whose Face was wrinkled with weeping, and the shadow of death was on his Eyes for our sins: when that Christ who in the days of his flesh offered supplications with strong crying and tears, Heb. 5▪ When that Christ, who in the bitterness of his soul lifted up his voice over Jerusalem, and cried: Oh if thou ha • st but known at the least in this day, what belonged unto thy peace: and so was saine to lift up the rest of the Sentence with tears, as it was, and as not being able to speak on for weeping, the tears coming down so fast, that they interrupted his speeches, and made them vnperfit; When thou CHRIST shalt laugh at our perishing, and take delight at our destruction. Yet this will he do, and more also, if we shall be cold or careless in this business. And therefore sift yourselves narrowly, ye that purpose this work, gage the bottom of your thoughts, and be sure that it is the Shepherds voice that calleth you in, be sure that your gifts are answerable. For he that bringeth to this building, either untempered mortar, or unskillful hands, building he shall build, and a tower he shall build; but not Zion, but like the tower of Shilo, Luc. 8. to fall down upon him, and to crush him to pieces, and all to fitters. This may find us matter to think of, when we are alone, and may strike us into cogitations, knowing, that our nature is blind, and believeth easily her own fancy; and thinketh her self called, when she is not, least happily we should not be careful or fearful enough, and so become guilty of contempt of this great commandment, which is the highest treason against the eternal GOD, and a matter of most fearful condemnation. Our Savior CHRIST in his sermons and speeches, besides his sharp exordiums▪ claspeth up many things with his Selah, and with his vehementepiphonema, which he useth never to set to (mark it when ye will) but in matters of great charge, and in such savings of his, as he would have to pierce and divide between the joints and the marrow: He that hath Ears to hear, let him hear. In effect, it is thus much, he that planted the ear, he planted it for himself, and for his own sayings planted he it, he it is that speaketh, shall not he have audience? Even the Lord it is that speaketh, shall he speak to the wind? God forbid. Our ears are not ours, none of our members are ours▪ his they are, even CHRIST'S, he hath bought them at an high price, and from him we have them and we have them for none other ende, no • by no other condition, but that we should hear, when, and what he would have us to hear. And let him be Anathema, that suffereth any of his sayings to fall to the ground. Put Anathema, Ma • anath • . to him and his ears, that shall not regard his saying. This sealed saying and two edged exhortation, which Luc. 14. he useth to teach the foundation of the Ministerte, which is the foundation of the Church of God, which is the foundation of the whole world. And those mark well, if there be any among you that hath ears, and is willing to employ them well, here he may do it. This is a faithful saying, and of all most worthy to be remembered: and therefore he that hath ears to hear anything, let him hear this. And he that heareth it not, or heareth it with no regard, the days shall come when his ears shall make his heart ache, and when for not hearing this he shall hear another sentence, a glowming fearful sentence, such a one as who so heareth it, both his ears shall tingle. Zachar 7. Because I cried and you would not hear, you shall cry another while, and I will not hear you forever. And therefore hearken unto me, that God may hearken unto you, Iud. 9. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. When such fresh and well fenced exhortations come, we must make this use of them, that the holy Ghost is not wont to make a beam of a mo • e, he talketh of mint and annis, as of mint and annis, he useth not so much as a figure, but where the matter deserveth ten. And therefore when the holy Ghost falleth to amplify, we are to think there is some great matter no doubt, and there is more in it then we take: and if no speech of his be idle or empty, we are surely to think, that his epiphonemacs least of all are so, and that they especially are, Yea and Amen. And therefore seeing such a thing is no ex • tericall matter, but an acromaticall point of doctrine of the holy Ghost, seeing he altereth his usual kind of speaking, we can do no less, than alter our usual manner of hearing, and prepare both ears and hearts, and all the powers of the mind to entertain it. Besides, when our Savior Christ waketh us with this watch word, it must teach us, that we are wondrous dull of hearing, else why should Christ call on thee to hear which came forth to no other ende but to hear him? or why should God in another place bid Es • y lift up his voice like a trumpet? Would not a softer sound serve? But as I said, we are dull and that so dull, that when the Prophet crieth to the Altar, 1. King. 5 Oh Altar, Altar, hear the word of the Lord, the Altar heard and cleaveth in sunder: but when he cried to deroboam he heard not. The very stone heard, that had no ears to hears and one that had ears heard not. Thirdly, this use we must make of it, that this hearing must go further then the ear, and that we must not hear the word, as we do a matter of course, or talk of a strange country without any affection or longing to it, it must go further than they can. For well I woe • e, that you can hear me, and I doubt not, but that they then heard him, and Jeroboam heard the Prophet, but as Job saith, with the hearing of the cry. But it is not that hearing, which is better then the fat of rams, it is not that hearing that the Lord •• keth pleasure in. Els how cometh that strange phrase, Ezech. 2. Let him that heareth hear? But as there is a speaking to the heart, so there must be a hearing of the heart also, and then we hear with our heart, when we fetch up our heart to our ears, and our sound pierceth them both: then we hear with the heart, when we hear not only with these hollow gristies, but we hear with the Spirit, and we hear with the understanding also: and then we hear with the heart (saith Augustine ) when it is with us and with the Word, as it is with the Fish and the bait, if she take, she is taken.

So, if we take the Word, we shall be taken, and if it be taken of us, it taketh us. God his Word when it is taken, taketh again, and if we feel not our selves taken by it, let us not dream to our selves, we have not it, we have not heard it as we should do. And take this for a sign after the Sermon ended, we that are present, shall return to our business and chambers, know it assuredly, and think of it alone, when you are by yourselves, that the Word spoken now hath entered into you, if it so hath wrought in you, and so make you to bethink yourselves, that ye make as it were a new sermon to yourselves▪ when y •• be alone, the Lord hath blessed you, and you have done well. If it hath done you no good, and it hath been heard without feeling, as though you cared not greatly for it, it hath detected your corruption, and accuseth your own consciences, your hearing is turned into sin, and this shall serve to fill up your indictment, and to make your condemnation more • ust against the day of the Lord. For let no man ever think, but that every time he heareth the word, it worketh in him either to better or worse, there is no qualifying of it, there is no altering of it. Enter it will, be thine ears never so uncircumcised, it will surely enter, and one way it will be effectual, and thou shalt depart from it either a more reverent esteemer, or a more desperate contemner than thou camest. For this word shall never go forth in vain, but the work, that is appointed for it to do, it will assuredly bring to pass. Seeing that we have such dull ears, let us pray heartily that it may please the Lord, to say eppathah to our ears, and hearts, that the word may have easy passage into them. And this grave admonition, I trust will move us, if we have not set a double lock to our ears, and quenched the grace of God already in us.

14 The dealing with an allegory as it is ridiculous if it be too far pursued, as many do, who, when they have gotten an allegory by the end, ring it so deep, that oftentimes they turn the clapper: so it is dangerous, if it be not warily handled, insomuch that even the Fathers themselves, as he that readeth them, shall mark, by pressing them too hard, do oft times give blood instead of milk.

CHAP. XLIX. Of the Ministry.

I T is to be feared, that the price of the Ministry will daily decay and fall less and less: well, how base soever it • eemeth in the eyes of men, how low soever the world account it, when it is at the lowest, it is good, and I protest good enough for any, and too good for some. But it is dangerous with all (which cometh oft to pass, too oft, if it pleased God) if it chance (I say) to be tainted any way, if his preaching be flash, and have non ore taste in it than the white of an egg, for lack of learning, or if it be not thoroughly powdered with salt, that it may give grace to the hearers, and make their souls thirst after the water of life, for lack of zeal, or if this life have no salt of the covenant, and no part of him be savory, his case is very dangerous: he is subject to the curse, his ministry is denied a blessing.

2 The Minister of the Gospel must not prophecy peace to himself, nor of a fruitful vine on the walls of his house, nor of olive branches round about his table, nor of wife and children, he must not dream that he is carried on Eagles wings, and that all the sheaves in the shock shall fall down at his sheaf, he must not imagine of drinking wine in carved bowles, of keeping a great house, he must not think he shall go to his grave like a ricke of corn, he must dream of evil favored kine, of troublesome friends, of hard times, of the willowe trees by the waters of Babel, of exile, of dark prison, which needeth no interpretation, that his sheaves are threshed with an iron flail, and that her grave is made him in a woodstocke: to be short, his mind must not run of getting and keeping, but of forsaking and forgoing, if persecution come, we must trudge.

3 If Christ and his Gospel should go from us, we must follow him, we must go sing the Lord's song in a strange land: and this is not all. Those that love thee best, whose souls are knit to thy soul, thou must forsake. O my father Abraham, and O my son Isaac must part, thou must forsake thy father which begat thee, and bring his gray head with sorrow to the grave, thou must forsake the womb that bare thee, and the tears that gave thee suck, let the mother lack the staff of her age, the children of thy loins must thou leave fatherless; and the wife of thy bosom a widow to the wild world. Yet this is not all: thou must stretch out thy hands, and let another man gyrde thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. And yet there lacks one thing: Satan's great motive, skin for skin, that for which a man will give all that he hath to redeem his life. All these things will I give thee (saith the devil:) all these things will I take from thee saith Christ, we must be ready to leave them all, or else we are not for him.

4 By this time all is almost marred. But flesh loveth ease, and it grieveth her that God and Mammon are no better friends, and we could be content everyone of us to be Dives, whilst we be alive, so we might be Lazarus when we be dead: we could willingly go to heaven, but it would be in a convenient broad way then, but in such a way▪ where we might drive a sumpter-horse before us. This is a disease where with we are all tainted, as that wily Serpent knoweth right well, and such thoughts as these doth he make oft arise in our hearts; Seeing other estates live the days of heaven, glut themselves in the pleasures of this world, and that the world sets them in her lap, and makes them her cockneyes, seeing they wax wealthy and fat, so that as Job saith, they have collops in their flancke, seeing them clothed in soft raiment, flaunt it out, and seeing them carry the crest alofte, and to have a great range, and not such streightnesse required of them; and seeing them never to drink of the waters of troubles: we straight-way think, it is no better then madness to abridge our selves of these delights, and to become a Pillar of salt. As for this estate (say men) it is but a dead melancholic calling, but a dumpish kind of life, no joy of heart, we must live in it like petty-Angels, as if we dropped out of the clouds, or else we shall be offensive. But especially this temptation may come unto a minister; for often we see when all is done, great learned Augustine shall get but little Hippo; but if it be so you come to get Carthage, to be a Priest of the highest chair, sit you never so well, ye sit not fast: and see the gyrts be sure, that hold you in your saddle. For if the Sun go down, and it be a dark night, that all the beasts of the field creep forth, whereas other callings may make a little elbow-room for policy, and reserve themselves to an indifferent Interim, and it will be well taken, yet these men, these must be killed all the day, and be counted as sheep appointed to be slain. The Devil will hold the spunge of vinegar and gall too at their noses, the Flesh is queasy-stomacked, and cannot away with these poudered meats, she must have it fresh.

5 It is our fault too much to commend every trifle, our tongues are our own, we call evil good, if one be not an open offender, so that he draw not his sin after him with cart-roapes, though we see neither zeal nor fear of God in all his ways, we tremble not to call him a good man. In our flattering lips we speak nothing but superlatiues, and think otherwise we commend not a thing to any purpose. But in the Dialect of the holy Ghost it is not so, he is no giver of titles, and yet this much of his mouth is more then seven swelling hyperboles from a vain man. This word (good) is his emphasis, and in this word he expresseth matter of most high commendation. If we should take upon us to speak of the workmanship of the Lord, in the creation of heaven and earth, and the Hosts of them, both, would we not use the statelyest words in all our store? Nay, could we find any words stately enough to express them? I tell you nay; but they are able to swallow up our understanding, and to make our tongues cleave to the roof of our mouth. And yet the holy Ghost reporting the creation of them all: as of Light, which is (saith Job ) the Lord's rose of estate; of darkness, which is the swaddling bands of the Day, the out-going of the Euening and Morning, and declaring how he poured out the Heavens like molten glass, and set up the firmament as a water over us, how he laid the beams of his chamber in the waters, how he railed in the proud Seas with bars and doors, and planted plains in the midst of it, how he lighted those everlasting Cressets, the Sun and the Moon, and gave charge to the Stars not to fail in their watch; telling how he created the clouds to be the bottles of heaven, and divided spouts in them for the rain; how he laid up his treasures of Snow and of hail, and prepared the Forge for his Lightnings and Thunder, describing the creation of Plants from the Cedar of Libanus to the hyssop that groweth by the wall; of birds, from the Ostrich to the fly: of beasts, from Behemoth and Leviathan, to the little Eme • ; And last of all, Man, the County Palatine of the whole world; and of the passing Wisdom in his reins: these works be highly to be commended, if anything be to be highly commended; to be magnified, if anything be to be magnified: in all these the holy Ghost neither riseth nor falleth, but this word serveth him throughout, and God saw it was good: and why not excellent good, but that we might know his word is mighty in the simplicity thereof, and that what he calleth good, is excellent good. Yea heaven and earth may be glad of it, seeing the word of God, whereof one jot is of more price then they both: that the word, Hebr. 6. is called the good word of God, and to stop the mouths of them, that will teach the holy Ghost Rhetoric, Christ himself, John 10. entituleth himself no otherwise but the good Shepherd. And good was thought good enough for him, and do we yet require a more stately commendation?

6 The Calling of the Ministry is an alluring Calling, and, as I may say, a Calling that calleth men unto it, a lovely Calling, such a Calling, as the beams of it are able to ravish an eye: yet some being to marry this Virgin, think her but hard favored, and therefore before hand will be sure of a good portion with her, or else they will none of her: but she is full of grace even down to the feet, in their eyes that love her, and full of Majesty & terror even to the dust of her feet, unto all them that despise her, which more respect the reward than the work: but this I confess withal, that our eyes are so dazzled with the golden stone, and the horsseaches daughter, Give, Give, cries so in our ears, and ever since Adam did eat the apple, all the mouths of his posterity are so out of taste, that we can neither hear, nor see, nor taste anything that good is. True it is, that if we look upon this calling with an eye of flesh, it looks even like Christ for all the world. Isaiah. chap. 53. like a withered branch, and like a root in the dry ground, and there is neither beauty nor favor in it, that we should desire it. I am sure the eye of a carnal man can see no good in it, unless it be good to clean unto the Lord: or it is good for me that I have been afflicted: and such like, which are like pilles, and will not (to die for it) down with a carnal man. Well, Christ saith this Calling is good. We see, what is thought in heaven of this Calling. Howsoever it be shut up in contempt of the men of this generation, that though they say not, it is not good, yet by shrinking from it, they proclaim so, louder than a trumpet, that they think it is not good. Let them laugh, we know, that even an Ass, if she could laugh, would laugh at any, whosoever he were, that eateth not thistles. Let them judge, when man's judgment is done, we shall receive the fruit of a better Fountain.

But what are men, or what are Kings or Princes in respect of Angels? Yet even these glorious Spirits, the whole host of Angels, whether they be Dominions, Principalities or Powers, the highest Honors they have, the proudest Title they boast of, is to be Ministring Spirits. If he be an Angel, he hath no greater glory. And who art thou? and what is thy fathers house, that canst farm unto thyself greater Honor than to serve the Lord in this business? These arguments might move us, but above all arguments take this: The Son of God, before whom even the very Cherubims cover their faces, spent his life in this Calling, and shall a piece of clay, a man, a stinking worm, so far exalt himself in his birth, in his riches, in his wisdom, personage or blood, that he shall think it a disgrace to consecrate all his life to the ministry of the Gospel? Can flesh puff up it self so far above the Saints, above the Angels, above the Lord himself, or if he do, shall he not be rewarded? Yes surely, for if the Lord would keep silence, the very creatures themselves would be revenged of him.

7 We must desire that which is truly good, for there are many kinds of good: There is Isachars good, Genes. chap. 49. Isachar an Ass of great bones couching down between two burdens, sa • e that which was good, and was content to bear. Howsoever many bigboned Asses lay them down between a pair of burdens for ease, hastening only to auoy de the burden and the heat of the day. There is Demetrius his good, the siluersmith: Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our goods. For we know, that the labor is nothing so great now, as it hath been, and that in these days, a clus • er of the common or civil law is worth an whole vintage of divinity. There is Balaacks good, Numb. chap. 22. I purpose to do thee good, to promote thee. There is Peters good: Be good to yourself. • or we know, if he dare say to the King, thou art impious, he may carry John Baptists reward for his labor, and send his head for a second course. And yet there is a better good. For we must not, saith Syracid, Ask of a woman, touching whom she is • ealous nor of an ambitious man touching thankfulness, nor of an • ireling for the finishing of • work, nor of the men of the world touching the things pertaining to God: for the world is a great favorer of the heresy of the Libertines, and if we fall to counsel with flesh and blood, we may do to the book of God, as Jeconiah did to the Prophecy of Jeremiah, cut it in pieces with a pen-knife, and cast it into the fire, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, 1 Cor. 1.

8 Whatsoever is written, for us it is written, and if it be written for us, and for our sakes, Let me hear (saith David ) what the Lord will say concerning me, and so we must attend to hear the Lord: what he will say concerning us. As for me, although I do but sit and mend my nets, and have no part nor fellowship in this business, being unworthy to be matriculated into the high calling of the Ministry, yet feeling my soul hath chosen the tabernacle of the Lord, for his portion, and seeing the day may come, that I may keep a door in the same, as the Lord liveth, before whom I speak, he knoweth that in his fear I speak to this end, that by mine own mouth I may be stirred up to prepare myself to this calling: and that all you as Augustine said in his case (when it was as mine is now) hearing what my desire and purpose is, may pray to God for me, that I may have power and strength given me to perform it.

9 In providing for the Ministry, good men would be preferred. God can do much they say, he may make them able. It is like Saunders argument: God is omnipotent: Ergo there is transubstantiation. Nay he hath enabled diverse well. In the wilderness, when meat could not be gotten, he rained quail, but in Canaan, when they were in case to provide for themselves, that provision ceased. Many simple men at the first coming of the Gospel, were stirred up, when the Universities were the greatest enemies of his truth, but now when he hath restored to us the plenty of Canaan, we must know, that the date of that extraordinary calling in our days is expired. Yet he may do well. True, he that casteth blindfold may hit the mark: but yet no wise man will lay any wager on his head. If I might see a fiery tongue sit on his head, I would say somewhat. After his receiving up into glory, whē he ascended up on high, then he gave gifts unto men, such gifts as on their Coronation days Kings are wont in great abundance to scatter among the people. The Conduits ran with wine, and all the cocks with rose water, and his Missilia new coin of gold & silver by handfuls were thrown amongst them Such were the gifts of tongues, prophesying, healing, all knowledge, and other graces. Now although he give us all things liberally, yet he continued not his largesse daily, as at his inauguration. We must not look always to have the like MAN for gathering it up, but return to our occupations: and let us remember the Lord's steward must be fraught with all store, new and old, fit to entertain the son and daughter of the great King of heaven▪ Prophecying the sign of learned men. Numb. 11. 25. Even poor Bez ••• l and A • oliab before they could make curtains, and work in blew silk, yet for so much as it belonged to the Lord's tabernacle, they were filled with the Spirit of God in these mechanical hand • -works. Isaiah. 6. 7. his mouth was touched with the hot cole, & then sent, verse. 8. • erem. 1. 9▪ his mouth is tou ched with the Lord's hand, and he was bidden go and cry. chap 2. 1. of Christ this question was asked, John. 7. 15. How knoweth this man the Scripture? their testimony is of him John. 7. 46. Matth. 7. 28. he speaks with power, and what this exceliencie is, may appear by his disputation with good scholars, as it was likely, Luke chap. 2. verse 46. by his Hebrew Ephathah, whereas their vulgar speech was Syrian, by his perfect and often quoting of the Scriptures, and the Talmud in discourse of the traditions of Corban, and the other of the gold of the temple &c. by Herod's great expectation, and questioning with him of many things, Luke chap. 23. verse 9. by Sadducees and Scribes, putting ••• th hard questions, as of the woman having seven husbands, of paying tribute, and his stopping their mouths, and by teaching by Parables, which was the learning most accounted of in these times, and as yet amongst the Jews best thought of: by the desire that the Greeks had to see him, which came up to the seast, John chap. 12. verse 21. by the counsel of his brethren, that he should get him abroad, and show himself to the world, thought to be famous. By his own testimony, Behold a wiser than Solomon is here: by Nicodemus, John chap. 3. verse. 2. which confesseth him to be a Teacher sent from God. M • tth. chap. 13. verse 51. The Apostles daily taught by Christ the best Schoolmaster for three who eyeere together, and yet more, were commanded to tarry and wait for the promise of the • ather, the Comforter to be sent. Apollos through his learning, a great help to the Apostles, Act. chap. 18. verse 24. and 28. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gam • l •• l, a per •• ct Pharisee, Act. chap. 21. verse. 3. an expoūder of the law, though rude in speech, yet not in knowledge, 2. Corinth chap. 11 verse. 6. in converting Paulus Sergius a learned man, Dio •• si • s A •• opagita a great Philosopher, disputing with the whole troupe of the Stoics and Epicures at Athens, read in A •• atus, Epimenides, Menander, made Felix to tremble with the force of his eloquence, was thought Mercury for his eloquence at L •• aonia, by the notable course and vain of all his epistles, not inferior to the writings of any of the • ea • hen, Festus thought him to be mad with much learning, Act. chap. • 6. verse 24 he w • lled Timothy to bring his books and parchments from Troas, 2. Timoth. chap. 4. verse 13. by Peters testimony, 2. Pet. chap. 3. verse 16 according to the wisdom given unto him. Timothy was perfectly taught in the Scriptures frō a child, 2. Timoth. chap. 3. verse 13. in so much as he had prophecyings going before of him, 1. Timoth. chap. 1. verse 1 • . nourished up in the word of faith and good doctrine, 1. Timoth. chap 4. verse 6. charged to give attendance to reading and learning, and to continue therein, 1. Timoth. chap. 4. verse 16.

10 Every thing in the Sanctuary was double to that which was common, as the Shekle, the Cubit: so ought it to be with the Minister. Tri • les in the Ministers mouth are blasphemies: laughter in him is unseemly, and to move laughter is more unseemly▪ Al • will cry and say to them in their infirmities. Art thou become weak also as we? A • t thou become weak like to us? Esa. chap 14 verse 16. Thy voycetruely is Ia • obs▪ sweet and soft, but thy hand is the paw of • sa • , rough and hairy Let such a one be called Pastor of the Church, as in comparison of him, the rest may be called a flock. H •• r •• . ad Ocean. And it is the Canon which the very Papists use in electing of Ministers, Distinct. 25 Whosoever of Aaron's seed had any b • emish in him, should not press to offer before God, neither to come near the veil, neither to stand by the Altar, Levite. 21 17 Unless he will depart from iniquity, let him not once name Christ his name: his mores will be beams▪ John the Baptist is too straight, Christ is too loose, and his disciples wash not their hands before meat. Elisha hath a bald pa •• , and one thing or other stands yet in the way: • e delights not, or he •• ifies not. Doth God's Minister rebuke sharply, then is he too sour; if he admonish mildly, then is he too cold. A Bishop (saith Jerome ) must be of such knowledge and holmesse, that both his gesture and motion, habit and atti • e, must (as it were) speak of his gravity, his words and actions must be instructions to his people. And H •• rome saith, what shall the multitude commend in thee, if they find their own d • for • i ties in thee? If they find nothing which is not in themselves? If they find that in thee (whom they think to reverence) which being found in themselves would make them blush? Ministers are the Lord's messengers, and they must not carry with them (as did Wias ) a letter for the knowledge of such things as serve and tend to their destruction. Damnant se ipsos sua vo • e qui sui similes •• ferno d • mnant, with their own words do they condemn themselves, which do condemn such as be like themselves in the hells. If I ask a man of the right way, & he shall point at one way, and himself will go another way, I will not regard his words, but follow his steps. Well, as he is an adulterer, that with a desiring eye looketh on the beauty of his neighbors wife, albeit that woman shl remain chaste; so are they murderers in doing, as much as in thē lieth, to kill by their Iewd example, the souls of their brethren, although the Lord by his mercy preserve them from contagion. An evil minister is the devils hauke, he is the devils best factor. Surely Sermons confuted by an evil life, are like to milk turned in the seething. By preaching they hew timber out of the thick trees, by evil life again, they break down the carved work, and with axes & hammers, Psal. 74. But whereunto shall I compare them? They be like to spittle-men, perfect in the ways they never went, directing others, lying still themselves. They be like Heralds at Arms setting their armies together by the ears, they thenselves never strike one stroke, like to marks in the high ways, which rotte away themselves whiles they stand instructing others in the way, or to bells calling other to the places where they never come, to black sope making white, & remaining black; to blunt whetstones, which sharpen other things but they continue dull; to rough ragged files, smoothing all other things, themselves remaining rough and not changed; to Noah's ship-wrights, which make the Ark, but themselves were not saved in it.

11 When a certain man had put Master Fox in mind of one, on whom being afflicted in mind God blessed his ministry, and asked him if he were yet in his remembrance, yes, said he, I forget Lord and Lady, but I remember such.

12 A certain man said that in our age many Ministers were like to servants who had long lived under a good Master, so as they had gotten some competent stock, upon the increase whereof they did so much attend, that they neglected and forgot their ancient care for their master.

13 He observed that some speaking against eloquence, did savor much of an human spirit in their preaching, which is as evil or worse. For eloquence is not simply forbidden, but when it waiteth on carnal wisdom, for otherwise joined with the power of the word, and demonstration or evidence of the spirit, it is effectual: but human wisdom, very barren and destitute of eloquence is evil.

14 It were necessary in the church of God, as Joshua ministered to Moses, Elisha to Elijah, Samuel to Eli, Gehazi to Elisha, Baruch to Jeremiah, the Disciples to Christ, Timothy to Paul, that likewise every learned godly Pastor should train up some young scholar, to commend him the better, and to enable him the more in the Church.

15 The climbing Canons of the Pope were the cause of this mingling of Civil laws with Divinity. First, Odia restringere. Fauores ampliare: that is, you must restrain every commandment of God, for they call those Odia. As, Feed my sheep, we must distinguish of that, by that old distinction: either by myself or by another, & sometimes by myself▪ these are the promises of God, which they make so large, that they marvel, how one that is conversant in the Scriptures can be but a wicked man. But David saith the contrary Psalm 119. Lord thy commandments are so broad that I am astonied at them: and the promises are set forth with so many conditions that they shall find them very narrow. C • phalus as I read, who was an Atheist, when he was young, coming to be old, said, what if there be an hell, what if there be a punishment? So when we have made us a commandment to our selves, out of that Pas • e, feed, then at length we shall come to say, what if Christ his meaning was not sometimes, and by another? Then they would give that they got, and a thousand times as much more, if they had it, to be rid of that, if peradventure. In a doubtful precept, note that which is less. Austin hath this rule: This sense is good and godly, and so is that, hold both, for fear of quidsi, what if I took the wrong sense? In a matter of controversy, remember both ways. Who would not be their scholars, who may be so indifferent? but it is not so. There is a rule out of Seneca: I do the rather allege him, because the fathers took many things out of him, and I suppose there was in him something above nature. One wrote unto him to know, how he might know riches were not the chief felicity, and that virtue was. He sent him word, that whether virtue were or no, is was never doubted; but whether riches were, it hath been a controversy, choose that which never came into controversy: So whether to do our duties diligently, be good or no, it was never doubted, but whether by another, or sometimes our selves, it was doubted of in the most ignorant times But this subtle dispuring, as Paul calleth it▪ will prove foolish, and this shifting of things by distinction, unless they be grounded on the word of God, Agustine held it wisdom to acknowledge a fault where is none? the wise man faith, I was afraid being sure of the truth, I dread all my doings: this is the reason of the regenerate man.

CHAP. L. Of God's promises, excellency, and truth of God's word, and how • he wicked abuse Scriptures.

IT is a thing worthy the standing on, to consider how the Apostles out of God his propromise, deduce arguments of obedience, as among many, 2. Corin. 7. when the Lord having promised, that whether we abide in our houses, he will dwell with us, or whether we will go abroad, he will walk with us, or if we be afflicted, he will receive us: out of this promise the Apostle bringeth a conclusion, that we should therefore cleanse our selves. This would see me a strange consequence, that seeing we are cleansed, we should cleanse our selves, for some have made a clean contrary conclusion, laying, we are cleansed, let us defile our selves, seeing grace doth abound, let us sin. 1. Corin. 7. The Apostle in the person of the godly, reasons thus: the time is short, let us therefore use this world, as though we used it not. The same Apostle out of the same premisses, in the person of the licentious liver, frameth a clean contrary conclusion: as 1. Corin. chap. 15, Tomorrow we shall die, therefore let us eat and drink, let us use the world, because we have it, let us stuff our selves with pleasure, because our time is not long. So runs the tenor of their conclusions. Because God hath mercy enough in store, and Christ his blood cleanseth us from our sins, therefore faith the carnal Gospeller, least the blood of Christ should want matter and metal to work upon, let us wallow in sin, for Christ hath blood enough to cleanse us. Well the Apostle, I say, reasons in a contrary manner, Christ hath washed us, let us not therefore defile our selves again, and that which is more strange, he deduceth fear out of the promise. Wherefore for our use we must learn, whether in reading and hearing the promises of God, the same mind be in us, which was in Paul, when he said, and said truly, that he had the Spirit of God in him, and nee that draweth out this conclusion of the promise of God; We are raised, therefore, we will raise our selves, let that man know he is of the same spirit, that the Apostle was. But he that concludes on the other manner: We have promises, let all go where it will, that man must suspect his estate, he makes not a good conclusion. And as that, so this is true, the nature of God his promises, is not to be a placard to sin, but a persuasion, a motive, an inducement to holiness of life, and to the fear of God. So that they that use the promises, as they do, saying God is merciful, Christ died for us. The Lord will forgive us, and so stuff themselves with promises till they have made them a pillow for sin, they abuse themselves. True it is, that the sweet Psalmist saith, Psal, 131. Mercy is with God. What? Not to make bold with sin, but to fear him. Such sophisters then show by their reason, of what spirit they are, and to whom they belong, that is, to the devil. For seeing it is of the mercy of God, he is become a great preacher and publisher of God his promises, and ye shall not have a promise, but he will allege it, he is a greater enemy against Moses▪ and against those that urge the law, calling them Moses his Ministers, and Doctors of Despair, and all to this end, to sow promises unto us, that we might take no thought: but still make this conclusion, Christ hath died, be bold to sin. It is good therefore for a man to watch himself, whether in hearing the promises of God he hath a cold fear coming on him for his unworthiness, which if he have, that man may hope well of himself. For the nature of a promise from God, excludes security, and therefore it must end in fear.

2 We pronounce that the nature of a promise excludeth deserts, deserts I say, not debt (for so we should hear of it so often as mention is made of praying, rewarding, and rendering) Against the Papists we say therefore there are two debts, the one of desert, as hire is due to a laborer, for he hath deserved it: the other, a debt of promise, which is as well to be rendered as a debt of desert. For example, because I would make it plain, when the daughter of Herodias daunced before Herod, he in the vanity of his brain made a promise of giving her anything she would ask, even to the one half of his kingdom: and after for the • endering of his promise, he made a conscience of his oath. Now no man I suppose, that is of any valor, thinks that this vain exercise deserved half a kingdom, in his valuation (for it deserved rather another thing far worse) but the debt that is due is not of desert, but of promise. She could not come and say, give me, because I have deserved, but give me, because thou hast promised. No more can we say unto God, we have done this, pay us, but thou hast promised to us, therefore grant us what thou hast promised, though nor to us immediately, yet to Christ by desert, & to us for Christ his sake by promise, thou hast made it a debt: and to go yet more narrowly to the nature of a promise, it is rather paid to the promiser, than to him to whom it is promised, as one of the fathers saith, God payeth his promises to himself, and the accomplishment of it most respects himself.

3 The nature of a promise is not presently to yield the thing promised (for if we had that, we have not a promise of a thing to be performed, but a performance of a thing, that hath been promised) we stand in faith, and receive in hope, and whatsoever we are, we are but one hope, which is our tenant, and takes up our possession of things to come for our behoove. Our life saith Paul is hid with Christ. And it appears not, • aith John, What we shall be. But the best that may be made of the wicked, is here to be seen to the uttermost. And seeing our life is in Christ, all that are on the stage of the world, it is known, who they be, namely the wicked, but whatsoever is the price of the godly, it is yet hid in Christ, we have nothing, but the hope of it. Now least some should say, if we have nothing but in hope, it were better to have something certain. To them I say, we do not speak of a promise from a man. The Apostle saith, the Lord is faithful. If the life of a Christian be compared to a warfare, then hope is our helmet, Ephes. chap. 6. If it be compared to a sea-faring, then our hope is as an anchour, which we must cast into the sea with them, Act. chap. 28. to stop our ship in dangers, until the day appear. Lastly this is our stay, God is faithful, he hath promised, therefore he will surely perform it. First he speaketh the word, then he promiseth, that is, saith it double: In blessing thee, I will bless. Then he addeth an oath: As I live, saith the Lord, I will visit thee: & yet more, he hath left us pledges, further to assure us of the truth of his word: if neither his word, his promise nor his oath will serve us, we have nothing but promises: for concerning riches, glory, country, and such like, God his children often want them. Come to God his grace, and to peace of conscience, which one would think they should have, they often have them not: but faith they have, the promise they have, everything else they have not: still they have the promises, them they have: Our faith takes hold on our sins pardoned, on the assurance of the life to come: these we have without peradventure, we have the other things but by peradventure. The best things we have we possess, & have them by hope, and they that have outward things, are beholden highly to God, but they be not his best blessings.

4 Howsoever some think but meanly of God his promise, yet nothing is more worthy our consideration and thankfulness. That that is, 1. Sam. 18 18. in the speech of David, whe • one told him, that Saul was disposed to give him one of his daughters in marriage, may here be noted, for what, saith he, seemeth it small to you to be a Kings son: what am I? or what is my life? or the family of my father in Israel, that I should be the son in law unto a King? So may we say, what are we? or what is our life, or the family of our father, that the Lord should vouchsafe to make such promises unto us? David made no light account of his promise. To set David in our case, and Saul in the Lord's, David's case was far better than ours. For by reason of his victories he had deserved well of the country, and therefore worthy to be considered of Saul: again, though he should have had Michal to wife, he was not for this to be heir of the crown, and yet he saith seemeth it to you a small thing? Then I say, if we could come to make the comparison between Saul and God, who is the Saul of Saul's, and prince of Princes, in whose respect all the Princes of the world are but wash pots, and Cyrus is nothing to him, he unto whom the Angels are subjects and servants, and to whom heaven and earth stoop down, what analogy would there be betwixt him and Saul? On the other side, that we may stand instead of David, if the Spirit of God would show us our unworthiness in a thing far above the promise of David, we would say, or we should say, what are we? what is our fathers house? that the Lord should have respect to us? were not our fathers Amorites, drowned in superslitious idolatry, carried away with the love of the world, sold unto sin, and men full of ignorance? what was in our fathers house? for ourselves what are we? have we not been deriders of the word of God, or hearers of the Lord speak to us, with far less reverence than we hear a mortal men? what is there in us? I think not of the worst, but he that can best express his mind and meaning, cannot express our unworthiness. My stammering speech cannot utter i • , we must conceive more of it, & know that there is nothing in us, or in our fathers house, that the Lord should vouchsafe us such mercy. It must not seem little that we have the word, and are compassed about with so many promises, we must read them with humility, & then no doubt we shall read them with thankfulness. The Apostle saith, When the Angels look at the mystery of our redemption, they are wonderfully astonished, they can never look enough to see the unspeakable highness of the Lord, and the great gulf of our unworthiness; to behold the ods between his grea • nes and our vileness. It needeth their conceauing, which if we could also do, it would swallow us up to see the Lord bestow his promises on such unworthy wretches. When the Lord shall not only make promises in general, but in particular, not only real but personal, not only conditional, but free, not only temporal, but eternal, who can go through them all? But setting aside these great promises & benefits of his word, of his Spirit, he hath promised that even our very corrections * shall do us good. Setting these apart with all the care of his Angels, & ministry of all creatures, he saith, he will so narrowly look to us, & take charge of us, that he will look to the hairs of our head, nay, Levite. 26. he will look to our kneading troughs, and which more is, Psal. 41. he will turn our beds, couches, in the time of sickness. A strange thing, that the Lord should thus do with us. In the heathen histories we read, that because a certain Captain came to wash his soldiers wounds, they could not praise him enough. Then if God the Captain of his whole Church, the God of glory, shall so narrowly look to us, as to number our hairs, to take care for our kneading troughs, to turn our beds, to swaddle our wounds, these are able to amaze us, and to set us in a wonderful taking to see so great kindness.

5 God will be with us wheresoever we dwell: he will go with us wheresoever we go. He doth not rule us, as Pharaoh did the Israelites, to set us to make brick, and to fetch the straw our selves but look what he biddeth us to do, he giveth us strength and substance to do. And for this work when we have done it, which is very homely, this wisdom passeth our conceiving. Behold what promise was made of half a kingdom for so vile a service of Herod's: so for a broken service he makes us a promise of heaven and earth, not a • they be now (which if it were so, it were too good for the best) no, he will break up these frames, not to destroy all, but to renewal for the comfort of men. So great is his mercy, that as a Father saith, that God his childrē having tasted of this in the life to come, do as it were mourn, and are grieved with themselves, that their repentance was no greater, and their thankfulness no more, whiles they were on earth, and he that hath done best, as Abraham, David, or Paul, they repent they have done no more good.

6 The promises of God are free in themselves, in respect of the part going before. First, there is nothing at all in us to move the Lord to promise any good to us. That we may look on that first and great promise made to Adam: when the Lord after his fall had charged him with his sin, he doth not confess his sin, which the vilest malefactors often do, but he chargeth the Lord again, that he was the cause of it, and makes his liberality the patron of his iniquity, and so very miserably sets it over to the Lord▪ Even at this time and immediately upon such behavior the Lord makes his promise to him, that the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head. Here is no cause of a promise in Adam, he 〈…〉 o condition goes before. It is true also, that God made choice for his mercy of the v •• e • s people of the earth. Take but the Historiographers, and those that write for the Jews, and s • tting aside all inward gifts of mind whatsoever, and come to their gifts of the body, their outward shape and lineaments, and for the very mass of their nature, of all people they were most unseemly and ilfauoured, they were a pernicious and monstrous people, and as far from all gifts even of nature, either of judgment or wisdom, as was under the Sun: nay it were too homely to give them the name, whereby some have set them out. Of these people the Lord makes choice, and makes the first promise to them. So that this is also a free promise, nothing come • to it to move the Lord to make it. And yet to these people the Lord promiseth, Levite. chap. 26. 12. I will walk among you, I will be your God, and ye shall be my people. Again, in the reign of Zedekiah, when the measure of their sin was come to the brim, when they were in the estate of the Perezites, Hiuites and Jebusites, the Lord makes another promise with the same people, greater than the former, Ierem. 31. 1. saying: He will be their father, and they shall be his sons and daughters. So that God his promises are free in respect of the matter antecedent, but in respect of that which followeth, they were made with a condition, and that is, that we be holy. But for the most part men herein deceive themselves, for as they hear, that it is a free promise, so they make it a free promise after. There is no inducement indeed, before he makes the promise, but afterwards he binds it with a condition. For it stands in the promises of God, as in his threatenings. In his threatenings there is no condition going before, they are absolutely pronounced, as that Jonah. 3. 4. Yet forty days and Nini • ie shall be overthrown. And that to Ez • kiah, Esa. 38. Put thine house in an order, for thou shalt die, and not live. Yet there is somewhat followeth after, as Unless ye repent, which sometimes is expressed, but if not expressed, is always to be understood. For never any threatening so strongly was pronounced from the Lord, but this, Until we repent, if it were done, would break the force of it, and turn it back again, as the Ninevites repented, and the Lord turned away his fierce wrath. Hezekiah wept, and the Lord gave him length of days. So how flatly and freely soever the promise made to us, yet this condition followeth, We must be holy. Thus we see how God's promises in respect of themselves, before they be made, are sure yet not as the wicked imagine that there is no limitation.

7 That the Bible is the Librarie of the holy Ghost, it may appear: first, for that it setteth down the infirmities of men, without all flattery, as well as it commendeth them for their virtues, Gens. 49. Numb. 12. Secondly, the matter of it is altogether heavenly, and nothing, nor any part thereof savoreth earthly: it yieldeth to no one affection or other, but opposeth it self to all. Thirdly, the form, the dignity of the s • ile, and majesty of the sentences in it is such, as it cannot be fully and wholly conceived and uttered of any man, and it is always more powerful in the matter than in words. The Apocrypha going about to express the excellency of it in Greek, is a very cold and barbarous thing. Fourthly, of all things it moveth affection in the readers; & pierceth into the secrets of the hearts, which you shall never find but for some little time, and straight vanishing away, in other writings of the profoundest Philosophers that ever were. Fifthly, of all it is most ancient: and many good thing: in Philosophers and Poets are fetched from this. Sixthly, all the prophecies set down by diverse writers with one consent are accomplished, so are none of the devils oracles. Read that of Jacob, Genes. 49. that of Moses, Deut. 32. of Ethan, Psalm. 89. Esa. 45. Seventhly, the wonderful preserving of this book from time to time, 2. King. 22. so that it hath not perished, whereas many other books of great price and estimation are utterly lost. Eighthly, that there hath been such a continual and universal consent of this book from time to time: and because all the heretics and labors of them that would withstand and confute this, still are soyled and brought to naught. Lastly, the constant death of wise, sober and meek Martyrs, whoeuer in their deaths for this, have had a plain distinction from the deaths of other frantic and witless persons.

Many places of Scripture, saith the Apostle, 2. Pet. 3. are perverted of the ungodly, and you shall see the wickedst man talking most, and making much of one kind of Scri • ture. Among Heretics, Arius of this, 1 My Father is greater then I. M • richeus of this, 2 He was found in the form of a servant. Montanus of this, 3 I will send you another Comforter▪ Papists of this, 4 Thou art Peter, Vbiquitarij of this, In whom the God head dwell • corporally. Familists of this, 5 The kingdom of God is within you. And evil men the Epicures abuse this place; That which goeth into the belly defileth not the man &c. The carnal professors this: If he hath predestinated us, he will also cail us. Those that under the name of peace, desire to cover evil practices, allege this, 6 Follow peace with all men. And that which is abused not of one sector company, but of all, is this; Hypocrite, first pull out the beam out of thine own eye: August. de moribus • a • ich. reproving their loose lives, they allege this, Hypocrita prius, &c. So daily if we deal with mo • es, with motes I mean in the eyes (for with motes in the Sun any man may deal) then this is used as a neck verse, Hypocrita prius, &c. which when we have said, we think we are presently quit, and to have entered another action of hypocrisy, and revenged them home upon any reprehension; I say, we fly to this as a sanctuary, we use it as a spell to charm the reprehender, that he cannot speak one word more. But this is not Christ his meaning, his being in the Flesh was not to maintain sin, he came not to make men escape the gentle punishment of admonition: he came to cancell the hand-writing that was against us, not to make a new handwriting, but as it is said in the Psalm, wickedness hath a wide mouth, and David maketh it a marvel to see the mouth of wickedness stopped, for rather then it will say nothing, it will speak against itself. 1. Cor. 7. Paul reasoneth the time is short, therefore we must use the world as though we used it not. 1. Cor. 15. 32. The wicked say, Tomorrow we shall d • e▪ therefore let us eat and drink. They gather a contrary conclusion out of the same promises: 2. Cor. 7. Paul reasons, Seeing we have such promises, let us clēse our selves: the wicked say Rom. 6. Let us sin, that grace may abound. We may reason thus rightly out of the former words of Christ; He disallowed disorderly casting out. Ergo, he alloweth orderly casting out: he commandeth the beam to be cast out first. Ergo, the mote also. We reason on the contrary; No promiscuall casting out, Ergo, no casting out: his own first, Ergo, not ours at all. Their conclusion is this, if they durst say so much: Praecipe quid faciam or • vt faciam; sed • e omnino corripito, quicquid facio. I love not to hear of my faults, meddle not with mine eyes. So it is true which is in Prov. 26. A parable in a fools mouth, is as a thorn, &c. He thrusteth the blunt ende forward, and by abusing of places they gore themselves.

16 As we cannot see without the apple of the eye, so we cannot know the thing of God without the teaching of God. For though some things are learned by sense, as we need not be taught from heaven to discern between white and black, cold and heat, and such like: and some things are attained by the light of nature, or help of Art, as the knowledge of civil and human things; yet there are many things to be learned, which we cannot attain unto by natural reason only, without spiritual revelation. For to be persuaded that all things were made of nothing, that a Maid should have a Son, that the Flesh corrupted should rise to incorruption, that CHRIST a Savior on the Cross, should be a Judge in the clouds, that we should be freed from death by his death, and exempted from condemnation, by condemnation, that man should sin, and CHRIST should suffer; where is the wise man, where is the Scribe, where is the Philosopher that can show a ••• son? But be it that man could be taught by nature to understand things appertaining to GOD, yet: is needful that that God should teach him, because else he should learn it with incer • intie, and little assurance: for besides that Job confesseth, how though he went even into the shop of the Lord, where he worketh, yet he should not see him. These reasons I have to prove that I speak: first, the most and greatest part are full of simplicity, & many cannot take the pains to search them; of many that would take pains, many want the means; of many that have the means, few come to any thorough knowledge of them; and they that come to knowledge, labor under great uncertainty: whereof it cometh to pass, that many either prove fools, or become Heretics, because meddling with such things in the pride of their wits, they have not prayed to be taught of God.

CHAP. LI. Of murmuring.

I T is a common thing with men to grudge and murmur against God's true servants, and therefore Ministers and Magistrates and such like, must learn with patience to bear it, and to prepare themselves for it. For if the Israelites murmured against Moses, being so • are a man, how much more will men now grudge against such as have not obtained the like measure of graces?▪ This is a sore temptation, and Moses himself did once offend, because of the murmuring of the people: yet was he said to be the meekest man upon the earth. But else always Moses overcomes evil with good: for he was so acquainted with that people, that he had (as it were) hardened his heart against them.

2 This is the nature of murmuring, it will cause a man to be no man at all, which we may see in the Israelites, who wished to be in Egypt, whereas yet they knew that for their sins, the Lord carried them thither, and as it were in justice cut them off for sin: so it is as much as if they had said; would the Lord had cut us off, rather than left us in this case: for they were contented to die if they might not have their bellies full.

3 To be assured of God's providence, and that we may not be overcome of murmuring in worldly things, we are to look to the benefit of Christ in the forgiveness of our sins, the sanctification of God's spirit, and the hope of everlasting life: for if we be assured of these▪ we shall be likewise assured, that the Lord will no suffer us to perish in this world. And if we doubt of earthly things, we do doubt of these spiritual graces much more, and the want of the persuasion of the one, doth bring the other. For if the Israelites had been persuaded, that the Lord had delivered them, and would bring them into the land of promise, they would not have doubted that he would preserve them in the wilderness: which we may see in the example of Abraham, Genesis chapt. 24 who because the Lord had promised him a seed, sent forth his servant to get a wife for his son: for he knew that the Lord who had made the promise, who would provide the means also to bring it to pass: so if we be persuaded that our sins are forgiven us, we shall not doubt, that any other thing shall hurt us; for seeing sin the cause of all miseries is taken from us, we may be sure that no misery shall hurt us▪ and if the Lord hath given us his son, he will give all things with him, and the love wherewith he loveth us in his son will not suffer us to want the things that are for our good: for if a father will provide for his son, the Lord will provide for us, who is a heavenly father, and cannot be changed though earthly fathers he.

4 To this faith in the free forgiveness of our sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, we must add the faith in the sanctification of the spirit: for if we believe that the Lord hath made us of sinful men, just men; of vary • s, vessels of righteousness, and temples of his spirit: if he can make the Leopard and the K •• to lie together. Isaiah 11. if he can make the covetous person liberal and the whoremonger a chaste person: if we believe that the Lord will and is able to change us from any sin be it never so great, and strong by nature, or by evil custom: we may then be sure that the Lord in this life will not suffer us to fail in anything needful for us, neither are we to doubt thereof, seem it never so impossible: for it is a greater work to change a sinner, than to work wonders in nature.

5 Fourthly, if we believe that the Lord will prepare a kingdom for us in the heavens, we cannot but believe that in this life he will perserue us. For if we believe, that our bodies shall be turned unto dust, and yet raised up again, we shall be sure he will not but provide for us in this world: for it is a greater thing to raise up the body from death, and out of the dust than to preserve i • being alive. And to this faith of our redemption, we must believe in the providence of God, first, in creation, so that if we believe that the Lord made all things of nothing; we shall believe that he will give us sufficient: for we see that the light was before the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and the grass before the rain and dew, that we should not put too much trust in them, and to teach us, that without these means we may have these blessings: for the Lord hath provided these means, not for his weakness, but for ours Do we believe that God made all men, and shall we fear men? therefore we believe not these things, or else we would not so much fear the want of earthly things: for if a sparrow fall not on the ground without his providence shall we think he will not provide for us? we must then believe the particular providence of God in the government of all things, which will be an help to keep us from distrust and murmuring: do we believe that the Lord made us? then shall we not think that he will prefer us? for it is more wonderful, Psal. 1. and 139. Eccles. 11.

6 We are therefore to believe the providence of God, first generally over all creatures, then particularly over everyone of them: yea even over the sparrows. Again, if the Lord hath care of beasts (as indeed he hath) because they were made for man, he will much more have care of man, for whom they were made. He hath a care for the wicked to do thē good; for he filleth their bellies with his hidden treasure, then will he much more rejoice over the godly to do them good: if he loved us when we were his enemies, will he not provide for us being reconciled to him by the death of his own and only son? If he did us good when we sought him not, will he not much more when we do seek him in praying unto him, as he hath commanded? If he hath done us good, when for our sins he might have punished us, will he not when with his spirit he hath sanctified us? Oh then let us not be unfaithful, and so become murmurers against the Lord: but let us be faithful, and to look unto the Lord to do unto us according to our faith.

7 Furthermore, this providence of God must be confirmed by the example of God's children in all ages, as in the time of the fathers before the flood, who did eat nothing but herbs; ve • some of thē lived nine hundred years, to teach us that men live not by these means: • f by these means he nourished them, he will by greater, as by flesh and fish, nourish us. The Israelites were fed with Manna (which was never seen before nor since) for the space of forty years. If they gathered anymore thereof than the Lord commanded, it stank: yet being kept before the Ark 400. years it did not so, and when they came to the promised land it ceased: whereby we may learn, that it is not the means, but the blessing of God upon the means that giveth nourishment. Did not Moses and Elias live forty days without meat, and the children of Israel go forty years in the same garments not waxing old? and othersome having meat in abundance been hunger-starned? and shall it not teach us that these things are ordained for our weakness, and that the Lord without these means can nourish us? If David proved by experience, that he never saw a righteous man, of righteous parents, begging his bread; if we be now righteous, as they were then, the Lord will provide for us now as well as he did then for them, and we shall have the like experience.

8 To this providence we must come with a patient mind to let the Lord give what he will, and therefore we must have contented mi •• es, and know that godliness is great riches, and not to look for great matters, Ier. 45. as it was said to Baruch, and therefore are we taught to pray for daily bread: so that we may have the same mind that was in our father Jacob, Gen. 28. who was content with meat and clothe, which generally is commanded to all, 1. Tim. 6. if the Lord give more than this, take it as an overplus. A patient mind prescribeth not to God, the means nor the time, nor indenteth with God, but is content with the grace of God in forgiveness of sin, and the sanctification of the spirit, though it want other things: our Savior Christ teacheth us, not too desirously to seek after earthly things, but rather after the kingdom of God: and we ought to receive the love of God with all contentment though it come alone, and for outward things to enjoy them, or not to have them as it pleaseth him: for the children of God do for outward things possess their souls in patience, and commit the rest unto the Lord, not binding his favor unto them.

9 The cause of all rebellion and murmuring is, that we know not the great power of the Lord, or else we at that time do forget it: when by faith we should make to our selves most comfortable use of it, as we may see in the Israelites, who had beheld the great power of God with his goodness towards them, but not in faith, and therefore when the temptation was sore upon them they clean forgot it. The Lord therefore being zealous of his own glory, showeth himself to be most loving and beneficial towards us, which ought to lead us to acknowledge his great goodness, but if we do not, then his justice will surely teach us.

10 The Lord oftentimes with holdeth or taketh away that thing, the having whereof might be hurtful unto us: which if we would rightly consider of, it would be an especial help against murmuring in the want of God's blessings. For if we would consider this, that the Lord doth therefore keep it from us, because he seeth it would be hurtful for us, and that when we shall be fit for it, he will then give it unto us, we should better be contented with that we have, and more patiently bear the want of that we would have: as for example, if a man wanting health, riches, estimation, and such like, and be grieved for it, so that he is almost ready to murmur for the want of them: if he then can consider that the Lord knoweth they be not good for him, but if he had them they would turn to his hurt: this would bring marvelous great quietness to his heart, and would stop his murmuring nature, and would rather stir him up to acknowledge the goodness of God towards him.

11 When the Lord proveth his people, he thereby laboreth to bring them to prayer: yet on the contrary, they fl • e from him, and murmur against him: the reason is, for that they think it a small comfort to pray unto him in their trouble, but rather think it very harsh to acknowledge their sins, and so to obtain the forgiveness of them, which being obtained, nothing can be more comfortable: they must have that they want, or else nothing will please them. As the Israelites did murmur against the Lord when they wanted water, nothing else would please them: so is it with many when they cannot obtain some corporal or external blessing, which they do much long for. But who art thou oh thou vile man, that thus dealest with the Lord, and never hast had thy heart washed by the blood of Jesus Christ? for if thou haddest, thou wouldest never murmur so much for wanting that thou wouldest have, but rather make him at all times the chiefest comfort, and in all thy necessities, patiently and meekly call upon him in fervent and faithful prayer.

12 Men do not only fail in prayer unto the Lord: but also they murmur many times against such as he hath set over them to be their guides: for the latter sin ariseth of the former. The Israelites quarrelled with Moses: yet what had Moses done against them? they thought no doubt that he of malice, and contrary to the will of the Lord, had brought them into the wilderness, for they thought God had a nearer way and a better to bring them into the promised land: and because they could not consider the work of the Lord, therefore they must needs quarrel against somebody, and wreak their grief upon him, laying the fault upon Moses. Thus did Rachel, whom when the Lord punished, for that she was Proud (because her husband loved her best) and made her barren, when he gave children to Leah, she not considering that the Lord punished her pride with barrenness, began to quarrel with her husband; asking him why he gave no children to her? To whom he answered: Am I instead of God unto thee, to give thee children? And this is the manner of the people in all ages, that when they cannot see the Lord punishing them for their sins, they straightway lay the fault upon some or other, by whom they think it cometh. As now if the Lord do send tumults and storms into the common-wealth, so that the people be brought to some trouble; do we not straight ways lay the fault upon the Magistrates, and say, is not this the doing of the Magistrates? They consider not that the Lord doth by this means punish them for their sin: for it is certain that the Lord loveth a multitude better than one or few, and therefore he will not punish a whole realm or nation, if the sins of a multitude did not provoke him thereunto. But it oftentimes cometh to pass, that for the sins of the people, he doth harden the hearts of the Magistrates, that they cannot love their subjects so well, nor that they can be so profitable, and do them so much good, as otherwise they might, as is reported by Jehoshaphat, 2. Chron. 20. This if the people could or would consider, they would not be so ready to lay the faults▪on their Magistrates, when trouble or trial cometh upon them: in like case do they also deal with their Ministers. If trouble come, do they not straightwaies say, see what our Preachers have done? and is not this the fruit of their preaching? so they will always have one or other to lay the fault upon. But what was Moses comfort in this case, and that which stayed him from murmuring against them? Even that (no doubt) which other of God's Ministers have had in the like case. Jeremiah in the seventeenth chapter against the raging of the people, made this his sure defense that he had not thrust in himself into that office to be their Pastor, but the Lord appointed and called him thereunto. Secondly, that of affection he had spoken nothing but only that which the Lord commanded; did he declare unto them; and from hence may all the true Ministers of God have comfort: for if the Lord send them, he will no doubt defend them, so long as they do this message faithfully, & therefore the people must take heed how they either receive or reject any that speak to them in the name of the Lord. For as they may not receive any that bringeth not the word of truth, nor be feared by them; for as much as the causeless curse shall pass without hurt: so likewise, and as surely shall the word of God spoken truly by his Minister certainly have his effect, and shall not return in vain: And this is common to all kinds of calling, that men may be confirmed therein. Contrariwise, when we being in affliction can pray unto the Lord for his help, and acknowledge his providence in that which is upon us, it manifesteth our faith, it preserveth us from murmuring, and keepeth us from quarrelling with men: for if we consider that it is the Lord's work, we shall never set our selves against him for it: but if we pass over his providence, then shall we avenge our selves upon men. But many men will be content to judge and condemn this sin in the Israelites, and never look into themselves to see the same: but this sin is as rife now as ever it was, and this no doubt is a cause why many cannot profit by the examples of the Old Testament, because they imagine grossly of the sins of that people, and think that there is no such gross sins now, whereas indeed if the case were duly considered, the same sin is grosser now than it was then: for as much as the mercies of God are more plentifully upon us, and with greater continuance than upon them.

13 The children of Israel did so much as in them lay to provoke Moses diverse times to murmur against the Lord: yet we may read how he yielded not, neither was at any time overcome except once, Numb. 20. Psal. 106, for which the Lord said, he should not enter into the land of promise, and Moses found the truth thereof: for when he much desired the same, the Lord would not be entreated, but he must die in the Mount: where all men must learn that they praise not the children of God too much, though they be strong & have received great gifts: for by Moses example they may here see that by such violence of temptation they may fall. And again, all God's children must take heed that they yield not to temptations, when they are offered: for though the occasion be of another, yet the cause is in our selves, and we shall be chastised for the same if we do yield. And again, we must take heed that we do give no occasion to the Magistrate, or the Minister to murmur, least the Lord punishing them, we also be deprived of the benefit which we should receive by them.

CHAP. LII. Of Patience under the Cross.

THere is a difference between God's children and others: for God's children have the patience that others do want, though not at the first, yet in continuance, though with some infirmity: first, because they are persuaded of forgiveness of sins: and secondly, are sure of their vocation by good works, which are the fruits of sanctification: thirdly, the knowledge of God's providence, which disposeth all things for our good: fourthly, because they look for another life, and when they fail of any of these, then they begin to quail: and the wicked, because they utterly want these therefore they are altogether confounded.

2 Patience is not so much in •• e outward stilnes of the body and show of the faee, as in the inward quietness of the heart, and meekness of the spirit. Therefore David, Psal. 4▪ biddeth us examine our selves upon our beds, and be still: and Isaiah, 30▪ the Lord saith, your help shall be in silence and peace: and therefore David and Job being in trouble, said they would lay their hands on their mouths: for when a man doth thus possess his soul in patience, he is most fit for the mercies of God, and then shall he receive the greatest profit by them. For as in bodily diseases to be quiet, is a great ease and help: so it in other troubles whatsoever, and therefore must we especially labor for it.

3 Manie will say, that GOD is mighty, but they bel • eve it not, as appeareth in that they are over fearful, when they be in danger: whereas God's children have some presert feeling thereof, and afterward are more strengthened. So that if we cannot trust in God in the want of all helps, we do not believe this power, if we depend not on him, pray not unto him, strive not to obey him, we believe not this. For this cause did the holy men write of the power of God, which they have felt, that after they may be strengthened: and so must we consider of God's power, that we in patience may look for help from God in trouble, and in prosperity, see his hand that blesseth the same unto us, and so use the same unto his glory, and give him all the praise.

4 To a good action, it is requisite that our intent be according to the word, that then our action being good, we use right means: if our means be good, then must we have faith: if we have faith, then must we have sound hearts: if our hearts be sound, we must devour through peace all hindrance: and waiting for the good time of the Lord, we must possess our souls in patience.

5 There are diverse plain Israelites that will suffer a veil to be put before their faces, and they will use them as the Pharisees did John the Baptist, to object him against Christ; John and his Disciples fast: and why do others so, but to have a cloak for their wickedness? These are abused for want of wisdom, and would mislike their practices in their heart, if they could sound the depth of them: Praestat esse caudam Leonis, quam caput vulpis: Better to be the tail of a Lion, than the head of a Fox. Well, it is good to be just and wise, but yet not for our selves: but yet such as will not keep their wisdom to themselves, but tell it out, or write it, come to wrack. Because he will not follow the counsel of Amazias, See not, he hath the reward of the Prophets, & all the Prophets except four perished. The cause was, they were more wise than was for the Princes advantage. In respect even of God his permissiō, it is just that the just should perish: we may say, is this his reward? but we must know that when for corruption of time, God his children cannot live without hazard of their hazard, he taketh thē away: neither in so doing doth he break his promise, that gives them for a long life, eternal life; for a bag of silver, a bag of gold: for in so doing he promiseth the less, and performeth the more. We would indeed be the Lord's servants, if we saw his service would always prevail; but because sometimes we see their seats without honor that serve God, we will be none of his servants, or we learn by reason to judge no action by the person: yet we say, if he prevailed not, he took no good course, or if we cannot but say, he is wise, we say he is too wise. The Prophet (Prov. 30.) saith, he will write his vision to Ithiel, and if Veal be with him, to him too, or else not: the meaning is, Ithiel is God with us: he would write it to please God: Veal is to prevail: if that be with the other, he will have both, else keep to the other, and let Veal alone. When a man goeth to the market cum ob • lo, if he like lettesse, he may take them, & give his ebolum, if he like his halfepeny better, he may keep it; but if one would have both ebolum & lactucas: so if we have upright dealing, and will esteem the favor of men in authority better, we may change it for that: but if we esteem our upright dealing better, let us keep it, we must not require them both. Example in Christ, he was crossed in all his doings: he went with a full mind to convert his countrymen, and they would have thrown him down an hill: he would have preached to the Gargazites, and they prayed him to depart: he spake greatly to discredit the Pharisees, and they prevailed with the people against him: he bent all his preaching against Traditions, but in the Apostles times they increased ten for one, they preferred Barra ••• before him, & to fill up the measure, the just man perisheth in his righteousness: but • hat reason is there of this? that it may appear God's servants are no mercenaries, they be not godly with such and such conditions, they say not, let justice rather be lost, than I die as the Heathen. A second reason is in respect of the thing it self. Augustine marueileth why they call not life a disease: for men speaking of a disease will say, he is in an Apoplexe, surely he will die of it, when indeed he may escape: but of life he may surely say, he hath the sickness of life, therefore he shall die, we die of the corruption of humors, and as there are two bodies public and private: so two humors, and two corruptions of them, and is it not all one for one to die by the corruption of the public humors, laws & customs, as of our own? Nay better, we being whole in body and soul. In taking upon us to be Christians, we bind our selves to die: since the fall of Adam no man passeth to Paradise but by the burning Seraphim; no man to the land of Canaan, but by the burden of him, and the waters of Marah; no man to Jerusalem, but by the valley of weeping; no man to the happy city, but by the waters of Babel: the tenure whereby we hold heaven, is the cross, that was the indenture betwixt Christ and his Father, that he should not enter into heaven, but that he must first suffer, 2. Tim. 2. all that will live godly must suffer▪ And Ambrose turneth the proposition: he that suffereth no persecution doth not live godly: and there is a reason▪ it is so that sometime the just man perisheth in his justice, and this is well that he dieth in his justice: for diverse (as Gideon ) have been first spoiled of their justice, and then perished. That is the case of many nowadays, perish they may, but in their righteousness they cannot. It is said of Enoch, he was translated, that his mind might not be tainted with the sins of those times. If a man see in an orchard apples of all kinds, and the husbandman gather one kind and not the rest, a foolish man will marvel at it: but the husbandman knoweth what he doth. If we would afford God this equity, to know when to gather his fruit best, we should not think much that the just are gathered. Some say, it is better that the just man should perish, rather then God his righteousness should be condemned: for we go about by doing it to condemn heaven, which they withstand, hindering it so long as they live. We send our sons to fight for the prince of heads, we lament but curse not the king: we are God's soldiers, the militāt Church to fight, that his justice be not condemned, we standing by; we have armor given us: Ephes. 6. Faith is our shield. God hath good right to say so to us, giving us Faith. This reason is from the excellency of God his Justice. Let us say with the just man, better the world perish, then that Justice be lost. If every hair of our head were a life, we ought to give them all for this. Again, better we die, then many perisn.: by our example many may be won; example is a chief motive. Affliction is compared to a Wine-press, for out of it cometh wine wherewith the hearts of diverse are so comforted, that they dare suffer the like. A child or fool could say of a good cluster of grapes, it were pity it should be put into the press: but he that knoweth how it would else come to naught within a few days, will cast it into the press: if it had not been so, we had wanted the wine we now have. Seeing also they were men of such imperfections as we are, we may be encouraged to do the like. God saith, he will have us shine as lights, whose property it is to serve others, and to consume itself. At last Veal shall be joined to Ithiel, then shall everyone that suffered wrong, have a writ of error, and they that handled good men ill, shall say, we fools counted his life madness, and shall have such grief, as no man of never so great stomach would wish his enemy more: and the just shall have blessedness for evermore. Who would not change this vanity for it? who would be so mad as for • ife to lose the cause of life? And look how many hereafter shall be converted by their example, so many more degrees of glory shall they receive in the kingdom of Heaven: and this is the cause why some of the Saints would even line here again, that they might suffer again: So little do they repent that they have suffered. It it said, The wicked shall a • t live half their days. Malum natura breue, February is the worst month, because it is the shortest. But how is it then, that they hold out their wickedness? That is a great indignity. A drunkard will continue so long as his lungs will last: an adultery whiles his loins last: a glutton whilst his skin: a contentious man as long as his purse lasteth well: if a man perish for righteousness, they are burnt sacrifices; if naturally, they are but a peace-offering, partly God's, and partly natures: so then if a man continue even for his wickedness, as Herodias was rewarded for that for which she should have been punished, he is wholly the devils.

6 Malice drinks the greatest part of her own poison God his children drink of the top of the cup, but the wicked of the lees to work in their bowels eternal grief of conscience. Wickedness and punishment are both of one age, they are not burnt in the hand but in the heart. The sinner is condemned, though he be not judged publicly, yet every man judgeth him in his chamber. And if he continue, God bringeth him upon the stage, and showeth some notorious sign upon him, and some singular judgment for sin. If they should continue as long as Methusaleth, yet the year of their punishment would swallow up the years of their continuance in wickedness: Follow not such as do evil. Augustine saith well, good men have not always good children, least virtue seem hereditary: neither have evil men evil children, least sin should overcome all the world. Likewise all just men perish not, some do not, least we should think, there were no providence of God: and all the wicked escape not in this life, least we should think there were no life to come.

CHAP. LIII. Of Predestination, Perseverance, and Presumption.

W Hom the Lord hath appointed for his glory, to them he hath also appointed means to attain thereto.

2 We must not joy so much for that which we have done, as we ought to be careful what hereafter we must do: for many are called, but few are chosen, and many begin gloriously, which end ignominiously.

Perseverance is called (Ephes. 6. 18.) Proskarteresis, 1. Cor. 16. 13. We are taught to watch, and 1. Thes. 5. 6. not to sleep: we must not be like the foolish Virgins, Mark. 13. 3▪ and the drowsy Apostles for want of it are reproved, Matth. 16. 38. What could ye not watch with me one hour? The law saith, Every good thing is worse than evil without it: because if men go not with a through stitch, they have afflicted their souls in vain, Deut. 6. 7. Exod. 18. 24. Godliness is a journey, there must be no fainting in it: and to leave any good thing undone even for a moment is contrary to perseverance: indeed to begin, everything is pleasant, therefore for varieties sake many begin, but for the cross dealing of the world they soon leave off, and all the proof is in the end.

3 We must be followers of God, if not in everlastingness, yet in long lastinges. What difference between eternity, and a day or two? If our reward be not lease-wise for one and twenty years, but infinite, surely our service must not be by lease, it must not be after the manner of Bethulia, a compositiō for five days, but all the days of our lives. Christ sweat even blood. Oh he would not give thee over in hell fire, and wilt thou give him over in a fire of reeds?

4 When we see good men get new distinctions, as though they had not been well taught before, it is a dangerous thing, Non perseuerrae (I say) noxium tibi. Ezech. 33. 13. Have ye suffered so many things in vain, saith Paul, Gal 3. 4. 2. Pet. 2. 20. Remember what it is to have one devil go out of one, and to have seven to come in for it. It is a principle in the Civil law: Commonly in all things we have fair beginnings, Ministers in their first day of ordination, on those days wherein we receive the Sacrament, when we are fasting, in affliction, in sickness, or such like goodly promises and fat, but slender performance and lean. Nay, some do not only not persevere, but they fall to worse: they will say one day, as a wretch spake: Gloria patri, and another day, & filio, and the third, & Sp. S. but for that, sicut crat in principio, they fall to their old bias again. This is like to Nebuchadnezzar's image, the head is of gold, the breast of baser metal, and so nearer the end, the worst still. The Papists call them that shrink, worse then cloth that shrinketh but when it is wet.

5 We must not be like Snailes, which push out a long pair of horns, which being touched never so little, in they go again: we must not be like to Jonathan, that is, follow the chase orderly until they come where honnie is; we must not be as Asa, 2. Chron. 15. careful to do good until the Goute take us; verse 16. and then be so way ward that no man may speak a word to us; we must not be such as can abide affliction for a while, but when skin for skin cometh, stand as though we were appalled: but we must with Marie Magdalene sit at the Sepulcher, John. 20. 11. We must with the Spouse, Cant. 3. 4. take hold, and not leave off; we must follow the suite as the widow, Luc. 18. we must not give over no more then the Canaanite, Matth. 15. 22. we must keep our hold as Jacob did in his wrestling: we are in a course, we must out-run. So run (saith the Apostle) moderately at the first, constantly in the midst, cheerfully in the ende. So run not to have a vain shout for your first start, but to attain the crown. Stir up yourselves, look not back: the Lord will have all, not so much as the tail of the sacrifice was wanting, Levite. 22. We must do not for a time only, but even our whole time. Somewhat Agrippa was persuaded of, but Paul woud have it altogether done. Some would gladly save a small portion with Saphyra: but that were to become Bethulians, termers for a time, and all hypocrites are loath to become simply and wholly, but they came with their so much, and so long: but let us keep an equal Tenor still. Isaiah is as zealous in his 66. chapter, as he is in his first.

6 We must labor to persevere in persecution, Math. 10. 22. and beware by the falling away of many, Math. 24. 13. yea we must resist even unto death, Heb. 12. 4. So saith the Angel unto the Church of Smirna. Apoc. 2. 10. We must keep God's name in our forheads, when Antipas is slain before us: we must ride to heaven in a fiery chariot, and learn that every man's work shall be tried by fire. 1. Cor. 3. Upon this theme the Apostles spent many of their sermons, Act. 11. 23. Act. 13. 43. Act. 12. 22. Heb. 3. 12. 2. Pet. 1. 20. 1. John. 2. 24. The Apostles warneth us, 1. Cor. 15. 58. to be settled, not tottering: and Coloss, 1. 23. to be irremoueable: and Coloss. 2. 7. that we be rooted deep, strongly built, and stick closely upon CHRIST, for he is the rock: so when tempests come, we shall not be once moved. There be many impediments of this persevering: some inward, as desire of novelties, and sticking too much to reason, which will go no further than she sees likelihood, and the conscience of our unworthiness, whereby we despair: some outward things hinder us, as worldly cares: oppose here God's providence: the multitude of back-sliders oppose the