Commentary Upon Philemon

HItherto we have spoken of the reason that Paul urgeth to Philemon to receive his Servant, drawn from the action of his sending of him back: Now followeth the preventing of Objections, taken either from Paul his retaining of him, Verse 13. and 14. or from Onesimus his departing from his Master, Verse 15. and 16. The first objection is concerning the keeping and retaining of Onesimus, the objection is wanting, and may be thus supplied. For Philemon might have said; I hear many words, how profitable he is to me, how dear to thee. I know no such profit in him, I can see no benefit that I am like to receive by him: of this I am well assured, I have sustained great loss by him. If then he be so necessary and profitable, and if he be as dear unto thee, as the Son that cometh out of the Bowels of the father, why didst thou not retain him still with thee? To this the Apostle maketh a double answer; first he granteth, and then he reuoketh that which he had granted. For he confesseth, that his desire was to have detained him: which he maketh plain by a reason drawn from the end, that he might have continued [ To minister unto him in the bonds of the Gospel. ] In the next verse he joineth a correcting of that which he had granted; to wit, that he would do nothing in this matter without the assent and consent of Philemon his Master: which revocation he amplyfieth by an Argument from the end, That thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, which also is declared by the contrary, [ but willingly. ] In these words, howsoever they be naturally the preventing of an objection, is included also a certain reason. For the Apostle in this Epistle useth more show of Art, and force of persuading, and power of reasoning, and skill of creeping into the heart of Philemon, then he useth ordinarily in other places: and therefore in removing objections he argueth, and in arguing he remooueth Objections. This appeareth evidently in this place. For he reasoneth and strengtheneth his request by this Argument:

• Whom I desire for the good parts that I see in him to retain, that in thy place he might serve me in the bonds, or, cause of the Gospel: him thou oughtest to receive lovingly, and willingly.
• But Onesimus for whom I entreat is such a one;
• Therefore thou oughtest to receive him lovingly and willingly.

This is to be considered of us, touching the order of the words: Now let us see what is to be known concerning the meaning of them. When he saith [ Whom I would have retained ] he showeth again what great account he maketh of Onesimus, being as it were the only man whom he would have made choice off (if it had been in his liberty) to have comforted him, and ministered unto him in the time of his affliction and imprisonment. Again, when he saith; [ For thee ] or in thy stead, he inferreth, that Philemon himself did owe unto him that duty, if he should require it of him, and urge it from him. He mentioneth, The bonds of the Gospel, meaning thereby, the afflictions which the Gospel had brought him, wherein the Genetiue case doth note the cause as we saw before, verse 1. and 9. As if he should say, the cause why I am prisoner and put in bands, is the preaching of the Gospel. In the 14. verse he saith; Without thy mind I would do nothing, where, by the general put for the special, he meaneth without thy counsel and consent I would not do this thing; that is, retain Onesimus with me, I would do nothing touching the keeping of him from thee, to whom as thy Servant he doth properly belong.

Lastly, he addeth, Least it should be of necessity; that is, least I should extort and wring it from thee against thy will, and so seem to compel thee hereunto, whereas thou shouldst do it cheerfully and willingly. This is the Method and meaning of this division, according to which order and Interpretation, the words are thus much in effect. If thou ask a reason why I kept not Onesimus with me, seeing I make him so profitable, and worthy to be loved and liked, so comfortable, trusty, and serviceable: I answer, I could have been content with all my heart to have done so, he is my Son, and I his Father: but withal, he is thy Servant, and not mine; and thou art his Master, and not I; and therefore I ought not, without thy leave, knowledge, and consent to keep him, for the Gospel maintaineth, and not dissolveth political order and household government, which both are the ordinance of God. Besides, a benefit and good turn should come, with a cheerful heart and a willing mind, and ought not to be gotten by constraint and compulsion, and therefore I would know thy will, before I kept him to myself.

Before we come to the particular handling of the Doctrines that arise from hence, some things briefly are to be noted, which I will briefly observe, without any long and large application. First of all, the Apostle intimateth his desire, to have retained Onesimus with him, and that he was loath to suffer him to depart from him: which declareth that the presence of those that are dear unto us in Christ, is welcome, pleasant, comfortable, & much set by, and we greatly desire to keep them continually with us. For as love is the knot of conjunction that bindeth us together, though we be absent and far severed one from another: so it craveth and requireth the bodily presence of those whom we entirely love, which howsoever we cannot obtain in this life, for as much as our earthly affairs will not suffer it, yet we shall be sure to enjoy it perpetually, and without ende in the life to come, when we shall have the greatest joy and comfort one in another that can be wished or desired; such as the eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive.

Secondly, note with me the end why he desired to retain Onesimus with him, that the Servant might do service to him in the Masters stead. The end then, is, the Ministry and attendance which Paul might of duty require of Philemon himself. If then the Master be bound to do his service, and wait upon the Apostle, much more the Servant! Whereby we may note and mark, how great right and jurisdiction he that hath gotten and gained a man to Christ, hath, over him whom he hath gained, so that he may challenge not only one of his Servants, but himself to Minister unto him, and to help him in temporal and transitory things. For he that hath received spiritual blessings, cannot without great unthankfulness deny corporal benefits, so that it cannot be expressed how well he hath deserved of that person, whom he hath won by the word to God, And delivered him by his Ministry from the power of darkness, and translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son.

Thirdly, we may observe, in the Apostles correcting of his former grant, that as he is commended that doth his duty that is required of him, freely and willingly, so he is worthy to be praised and commended, that doth not go about to wring and wrest a benefit against a man's will, though it be due debt and a bounden duty, but laboreth by all means, that it may be voluntary, and not upon necessity: for hereby it cometh to pass oftentimes, that he not only getteth a benefit, but winneth his heart and good will that giveth it: and many times it falleth out, that the mind of the giver is more to be respected then the gift it self, as we see in the poor Widow mentioned in the Gospel; who casting into the treasury two mites, is said to have given of her penury, more then all the rich men that bestomed of their superfluity. Thus much of the general observations. Now let us come to the particular Doctrines.

The Apostle in these words, doth claim both Philemon and Onesimus to owe unto him, being in bonds, their service and comfortable administration. Indeed he senderh his Servant back to him: yet he seemeth closely and secretly to insinuate, that he would take it thankfully at his hands, and receive it as a gift most welcome unto him, if Philemon would return him to him again: and that he should deserve more praise, if of his own accord and liberality he would have sent back his Servant now restored unto him, of whose help and Ministry he had so great need. The Servants of Christ that suffer for his Name, are to be succoured by what duties soever we can. For seeing the banishing of our persons, the whippings of our bodies, the spoiling of our goods, the impairing of our good Name, and many other reproaches and afflictions do accompany the preaching and profession of the Gospel, whosoever shrinketh back from suffering them, and refuseth to be partaker of them when God calleth him to bear witness unto the truth, he renounceth the Gospel, forsaketh his Brethren, and separateth himself from Christ. The defense of the Gospel is common to all, and every man must be an helper to the truth. Therefore the man that suffereth persecution for God's cause and the Gospels, is not to be accounted as a private person, but as one that dischargeth a public duty of the whole Church, and therefore the care of him, generally lieth upon the shoulders of all those that profess the faith. From hence we learn, that help, succor, and service, is a due debt from all that truly are religious, to them that suffer for the Gospel and for righteousness sake. We see how Paul requireth it of Philemon and Onesimus, that they should in his bonds Minister unto him, and help him in his distress. The virtue here required, is that fruit of love, by which a man becometh a Servant to everyone for their good, within the compass of his calling. So then, every Christian is bound to serve the common good of the Church, and of them that have need therein, by his gifts, by his goods, by his wisdom, by his authority, and by what other means soever God hath enabled him. This is commanded by by the Apostle. Gal. 6. While we have time, let us do good unto all men, but specially to thē that are of the household of faith. So the same Apostle setteth out love by his effect, Love seeketh not her own things but the good of others, it suffereth all things, it endureth all things. The Church of the Hebrews is commended for the notable fruits of their love shown unto the Saints, that thereby they might be encouraged to go forward, and to hold out unto the end, For God is not unrighteous, that he should forget your work and labor of love, which ye shown toward his Name, in that ye have ministered unto the Saints, and yet Minister. This we read to have been the practice of the Primitive Church in time of extreme misery, and the hard weapon of necessity pressing sore upon them; Great grace was upon them all, neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were Possessers of Lands or Houses, sold them, and brought the price of the things that were sold, and laid it down at the Apostles feet, and it was distributed unto every Man according as he had need. The examples of the godly are worthy to be considered, who have shined in the world by this virtue, as by a light in dark places. Obadiah ministered to the Prophets in the time of Famine, and in the days of persecution; He did not only hide them from the rage of the enemy, but supplied their necessity. Nehemiah employed himself for the good of Jerusalem, by his authority, power, wealth, and credit that he had with the King. This was in Paul, as he testifieth of himself, Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself Servant unto all Men, that I may win the moe: So that he was ready to offer up himself upon the Alter of their Faith. Likewise he requireth of the Widdowes employed in the Church-service, to attend upon the sick, that they should be of this good report, As to have lodged Strangers, to have washed the Saints feet, to have Ministred to them that are in necessity. So the Church of Thyatira is commended by Christ for the performance of this duty; I know thy works, and thy love, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and that they are moe at the last then at the first. This is so general a duty; that the Apostle Paul expresseth it among the common fruits of Faith. Rom. 12. Be affectioned to love one another with brotherly love, in giving honor go one before another; Not slothful to do service, fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord. No man is exempted from this duty be he never so high, is is no disparagement, but a great advancement, even of the honor and glory of Princes, as the Prophet teacheth; Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers, and Queens shall be thy Nurses, they shall worship thee with their faces toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; That is, they shall reverence and serve Christ and his Church, and they shall account it no dishonor unto them to do any good to the Saints. All these Testimonies serve as so many proofs to witness this truth, that we must account this our condition, that we are all as Servants, to do service to our Brethren, and to employ our selves and best endeavours, to do them good according to their wants.

The reasons follow, which will cause this Doctrine to sink deeper into us, and make the truth appear without all gain-saying. First, whatsoever gifts are bestowed upon us, to this end they are bestowed, to profit with all, to help one another, and to edify that body whereof we are members. We are all Fellow-members of one body, and therefore are bound to relieve and refresh our Brethren. Every member serveth one another, & are for the whole. Nature it self in other things, teacheth us this duty. The Sun as the eye of the World, shineth not for it self, it yieldeth not heat for it self, but for others. The clouds which are as the bottles of heaven, do not drop down rain for themselves, but for others. The earth, which is as the Mother of these inferior things, bringeth forth Hearbs, and Grass, and Fruit, and Corn, for the use of man, and not for it own benefit. This comparison drawn from the members of the body, serving one another, and everyone caring for the whole, is often urged by the Apostle: He teacheth, that As we have many Members in one Body, and all Members have not one office: so we being many, are one Body in Christ, and everyone, one another's Members. And in another place; There are many Members, yet but one Body: the Members should have a care one of another, least there should be any division in the Body: Therefore if one Member suffer, all suffer with it: if one Member be had in honor, all the Members rejoice with it. If then one of the Members of our natural body be ready to do service to the other, & to the whole, it should be our care to do the like that are of the Mystical body of Christ Jesus, from whom as from the head we receive all influence of spiritual grace necessary to salvation.

Secondly, it is our duty to follow the example of our Lord and Master Christ Jesus, he came to serve, not to be served; to Minister, not to be ministered unto; to redeem, not to rule. This our Savior preached to his Disciples, when they began to think of Lordship, and to disdain one another, Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your Servant: and whosoever will be chief of you, shall be the Servant of all, for even the Son of man came, not to be served, but to serve; and to give his life for the ransom of many. Where he showeth, that the way to true honor is to serve, so that the greater service we do to the Brethren, the greater honor we shall receive at the hands of God. The greater our service is, the greater shall be our reward, when everyone shall receive according unto his work. This we see farther strengthened unto us in the example of Christ, who humbled himself to wash his disciples feet, and to wipe them with a Towell being washed, and said unto them; Know ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so am I: if I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet: for I have given you an example, that ye should do, even as I have done to you, the Servant is not greater then his Master, nor the Ambassador greater then he that sent him. We are taught to set Christ the most absolute example before our eyes, to learn humbleness of mind, and the duty of service one to another: we must consider him in his glory, and in his humility. First, in his glory as our King, as our head, as our Lord, and as our Master: then in his humility, as abased and humbled in our Flesh unto death, even to the death of the Cross. When we have done this, then we are thus to reason with our selves; hath Christ in his great glory cast down himself for my sake: and ought not I, if I were the highest upon earth, stoop down to my equals? Ought not I, that am his Subject, his body, his Disciple, his Servant, to serve the necessities of my Fellow-servants? Thus the Apostle commending Love to the Saints, and meekness of mind, leadeth us to Christ; Look not every man on his own things, but every Man also on the things of other Men: let the same mind be in you that was even in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of GOD, thought it no robbery to be equal with GOD, he made himself of no reputation, he took on him the form of a Servant, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto the death. If then we look unto Christ Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Salvation, we have him as a perfect example without blemish, and as a pure Glass without stain to look upon, who in the greatest glory hath shown the greatest abasement, in the greatest honor, he hath set before us the greatest humility.

Thirdly, true Religion consisteth in ministering to the Saints, in helping and succouring of the poor, in employing himself to the good of others, as a Candle that spendeth & wasteth it self to give light to them that are in the house. It consisteth not in bare knowledge, but in practice; not in an idle Faith, but in the fruits of love. This the Prophet Isaiah showeth and sets down, If thou pour out thy Soul to the hungry, and refresh the troubled soul, then shall thy light spring out in the darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noon day; And the Lord shall guide thee continually, he shall satisfy thy Soul in drought, he shall make fat thy bones, so that thou shalt be like a watered Garden, and like a Spring of Water, whose Waters fail not: Meaning, that they which relieve the poor, and comfort such as are comfortless, their light shall never be put out, but shine forever, God will be their comfort in the day of trouble, and he will recompense abundantly their good works. Seeing then, the giufts that we have, are given to every man to profit his Fellow-members withal, seeing we are to tread in the steps of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, and seeing the truth of Religion standeth in the fruits of love; we may conclude necessarily the former Doctrine, that we ought to account it no disgrace unto us, to abase our selves to do service, and to Minister to the wants and necessities of the Saints.

Let us now proceed to handle the Uses, and edify our selves thereby in our most holy Faith, and in all Christian obedience. First, this serveth to reprove those that have forgotten all true service to the faithful. Many there are that have no feeling of the troubles and turmoyles that fall upon the dear Servants of God. Their eyes are closed, and their hearts are hardened, they have no bowels of compassion to Minister unto them, they have no hands open to relieve them. The rich of our Churches, who have this Worlds good given unto them, are either in their insatiable desires (as Hell or the Grave) poor, wrongfully getting, miserably keeping, unconscionably scraping, and unjustly pulling from others, without mean or measure; or else they spend their wealth and consume their substance; some in Haukes and Hounds; others, in sumptuous apparel; others, in excessive Feastings; others, in worse uses, which I will not name, all being unnecessary and fruitless things, unprofitable for the Church or Common-wealth, so that little can be spared for the poor Saints, and that which is spared, is as hardly drawn from them, as a piece of flesh out of their sides. These men never think of doing service to others, but of serving their own turns and commodities: which ought not so to be among them that profess Christ Jesus, who served not himself, nor sought his own benefit, nor minded his own gain and glory, nor lifted up himself above others, nor desired to get earthly riches, nor went about to empouerish others: but being rich, he became poor; being Heir of all things, he had not whereon to lay his head; being Lord of all, he became Servant unto all. Hence it is that the Apostle saith, We have not an High-priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all things tempted in like sort, yet without sin. And a little before in the same Epistle; In all things it behooved him to be made like unto his Brethren, that he might be merciful and a faithful High-priest in things concerning God, that he might make reconciliation for the sins of the people: for in that he suffered he was tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. Whereby it appeareth, that Christ Jesus hath a lively feeling of our infirmities, and an inward touch of our wants, he is not slightly affected with our infirmities, but as the head is when the members are pained. And if we be the true members of his body, we will remember, and cannot forget them that are in bonds; But be grieved as if we were bound with them: and them that are in affliction, as though we were also afflicted in the body. This compassion toward those that are in misery, is an assured pledge, and a comfortable Testimony unto us, that we are engrafted into Christ, and united to all true Christians, that we have a Communion with him as with our head, and that we have a communion with the faithful, as with his members. But if we be without feeling of the afflictions of Joseph; that is, of the troubles of the Church, we are without Christ, without Faith, without Love, without compassion; and consequently, without peace and consolation in our hearts. For what peace can he have that is out of Christ, who is the Author of peace? Without whom, all things are but trouble and vexation of Spirit. Or what consolation can we have that we are his members, when we have no sense or sight of the troubles and infirmities that are incident to our Fellow-members?

Secondly, it reproveth such, as in the pride and haughtiness of their harts do scorn to do service to the poor Saints, and think it a great disgrace to them, to cast their eyes upon such contemptible creatures. But wouldest thou have Christ look upon thee, and have a respect unto thee? Then disdain not thou to look upon his members, which are unto thee in place of Christ, so often as they suffer in his cause. In what a miserable case shall they be in at the last day, to whom Christ Jesus the Lord of life, shall say; Depart from me, I know ye not? Now, if we in this life, turn away our faces from the faithful, and are ashamed of them in the day of their calamity, & say to them, Depart from me, I know you not. Let us take heed that he be not ashamed of us before his Father, and before the elect Angels. The highest that are upon the earth, must not refuse to show all fruirs of love even toward the meanest for Christ's sake, but be ready to acknowledge that they have received their Callings and Dignities, not to lift up their hearts above their brethren, but be as Fathers, as Shepherds, as Nursses, to nourish and cherish such as want their help. This is it which good Mordecai did teach Ester, when the church was as it were in travel, and in great danger, Think not with thyself, that thou shalt escape more then all the Jews, for if thou holdest thy peace at this time, comfort and deliverance shall appear to the Jews out of another place, but thou and thy Fathers house shall perish, and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time? Where he putteth her in mind, that the cause of her advancement was to be a Nursing Mother unto the Church, and that it was the end which God aimed at, in calling of her to that place of dignity. And as the greatest are not to scorn the smallest, nor the highest be ashamed of the lowest, nor the richest trample under their feet, the poorest; so on the other side, the meanest and lowest, must not envy others that are above them, but know that they likewise are bound to do service to them, according to the utmost of their power and endeavor. Who was meaner in place and condition then Onesimus? yet the Apostle testifieth of him in this place, that He had ministered unto him in the bonds of the Gospel. So there is no man so poor, so low, so small in his own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but he may do some good to others, and thereby gain glory unto God, and to his Gospel.

If then, we think that the poverty of our condition, or the meanness of our place, or the baseness of our person, shall excuse us, or exempt us from serving Christ and his Church, and that it skilleth not, though we live as idle Drones, and unprofitable burdens to the earth that beareth us; we deceive our selves, and bereave our selves of much comfort, that we might receive, by bearing our selves painfully and profitably in our Callings. The Apostle instructing all persons in the Church, to behave themselves without contempt and envy, proveth it notably by a comparison drawn from the members of the body, There are many Members, yet but one body: and the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor the head again to the feet, I have no need of you; yea, much rather those Members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary. The Rich, cannot want the poor, and therefore may not contemn them; and the poor cannot want the rich, and therefore may not backbite them, and envy at them. For as God hath tempered the body together, that one member should stand in need of the help of another; so is it in the things of this life, one liveth by another, and therefore, one must have a care of another, and seek the good one of another.

Thirdly, here are reproved all merciless men, that shut up their pity and compassion from the poor, and therefore have not the Love of GOD dwelling in them, nor the Love of Children remaining in them. For whosoever loveth GOD, will for his sake Love his Brother also. The Apostle John, handleth this Argument at large, in his first Epistle, and the fourth Chapter, where he saith, Beloved, let us love one another, for love cometh of God, and everyone that loveth is borne of God, and knoweth God: he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. If any man say, I love God, and hate his Brother, he is a liar; for how can he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen, love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we of him, that he which loveth God, should love his Brother also. To this purpose the Apostle James saith, There shall be condemnation merciless, to him that showeth not mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. If then, we look for mercy, let us show mercy. There is no poor Beggar that craveth an Alms at thy door, there is no man standeth in so great need of thy help, that liveth with thee, as thou wantest the mercy and favor of God to comfort thee, to clothe thee, to feed thee, to succor thee, to hear thee, to help thee, when thou criest unto him. We are all as naked and needy Beggers that knock at his gate, and we are wholly nourished by his hand. We are all as poor suitors, suing for his grace and favor, and we cannot live if we be denied, and take the repulse of him. We receive mercy, under condition to show mercy again. If we be unmerciful, we make our selves unworthy to receive any mercy from God.

Secondly, seeing we are servants to all, to help them by all the means we can, by comfort or counsel; by word or deed; by our wealth or authority; or whatsoever God shall enable us: from hence ariseth a great comfort unto a man's conscience, and an assurance of his peace and acceptation with God, to pray unto him with comfort for his graces, not doubting to obtain them, if we have been serviceable and comfortable unto others, especially to the servants of God, that are as dear to him as the Apple of his eye. It is a means of excellent joy and peace to a man, to consider that he hath employed all the good things he hath to the use of God's house, and his household servants: for when any common danger shall fall, or he find anguish and affliction of Conscience for sin, he may be assured of comfort, seeing GOD hath wrought this sincerity, and set it as a seal of his mercy in his heart. Obadiah having been in the practice of this duty a diligent servant, and performed most notable service when Jezebel sought the destruction of the Prophets, he hid an hundred of them, by fifty and fifty in a Cave, and gave them Bread to eat, showing himself liberal handed, and tender-hearted, with the hazard of his own credit, favor, and life. When he met Elijah, that willed him to go to his Lord, and told him, he would show himself unto him, although Obadiah at the first feared and distrusted, and thought the spirit of God would carry him away to some other place, and then Ahab would kill him, he began at the length to comfort himself with the meditation of his service that he had done to the Saints: Doest thou not know that I fear God? and hast thou not heard of the fruits of it that I took in the heat of this persecution, and in the bitterness of this long judgment, and in the extremity of this famine, an hundred of the Lord's Prophets, & how I hid them, and fed them secretly in two Caues of the earth? If thou account of this my service, and hast judged me faithful to the Lord, let this move thee, not to give me over into the hands of thine and mine enemy.

The like we see in Nehemiah, an excellent Prince, he did so employ himself and his service to the good of the Church, that he regarded not his own profit, but spent of his own Goodes and substance, because the necessity of the people was exceeding great, so that he entertained them at his own cost and charges: From whence, he gathereth unto himself this comfort (as Obadiah had done before, who proveth, that he feared the Lord, and assured his Conscience thereof, because he had preserved and nourished the true Prophets of God. Nehemiah (I say) gathereth this comfort, by succouring the poor servants of God in distress, that God, not for the desert of the work, but the grace of his own mercy (who crowneth not our merits, but his own gifts) would not forget them, so that he saith; Remember me, ô my God, according to all that I have done for this people. Now, as the remembrance of our service ministered to the Saints, shall Minister comfort to us, so the contrary practice must of necessity gall a man's conscience, and the horror thereof accuse him for not doing any good service to the Church of God, when he shall remember how long he hath lived in the world, and yet been barren of all good works, and never done any good to the people of God. Nay, it were well with many, if they had only done no good, if they had only been barren and brought forth no good fruit, and if they had only done no hurt to the Church. For their daily practices cry out against them, and the tears of the faithful which they have shed; what said I, their tears? Nay their blood which they have poured out as Water, doth witness evidently against them, that they have brought forth plentiful fruits, of hatted, of enmity, of malice, of outragiousnesse against the Church. Their own consciences accuse them, and God's people have felt them, and in the end fearful judgments shall overtake them. No enemy of the Church that set himself against Zion, hath ever prospered. O that that they had hearts to consider these things, but now are they hidden from them. God hath given them breath and life to do good to his Church, and he hath lifted up their heads above others in wealth and authority to serve him: but they are going out of the World, before they know wherefore they came into the World. And when they must leave the World and depart out of it, wherein they have been but Tennants at will, they remember with anguish and terror of conscience, that they have done nothing less then that for which they were sent into it, but have employed their goods, their strength, their wit, their wisdom, their life, their dignity, and all to oppress and vex the Church; yea, to root it (if it were possible) out of the earth. It were good they could in time remember their fore-Fathers, Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Ahab, Jezebel, Judas, Herod, and such like Persecutours and Enemies, that breathed out threatenings against the Church: and as they resemble them in their life, let them take heed they follow them not in their death, and after their death. But let us that practice better things know, that God doubtless will remember them in kindness, that remember the afflicted Saints, and cast such off with shame and dishonor, that do despise and despite them. We have a worthy example hereof in Ebed-melech, recorded by the Prophet Jeremiah, who because he entreated for the Prophet, and suffered him not to lie in the Dungeon, and to die for hunger, through the false suggestions of his malicious enemies, God shown mercy unto him, and delivered him from the plague that fell upon the Citty.

This serveth as an instruction, both to the Minister and people. If the Minister have labored in the duties of his calling, and in the service of the Church, and in the execution of his Ministry, and in the feeding of the flock committed unto him, he hath wherein to comfort himself, he may be assured of his love unto Christ, and consequently of Christ's love toward him. We must remember what Christ said to Peter; Louest thou me? Feed my Sheep, feed my Lambs. So the Apostle mentioning his great pains and troubles, and dangers, to preach the Gospel, that he seemed as a man either distract of his wits, or puffed up with ambition and vain-glory, he assigneth this as the true cause; The love of Christ constraineth us. If then we consider what love the Lord hath shown toward us, or behold how dear his Church is unto him, and with how great a price he hath redeemed it, we cannot but in the Meditation thereof be thrust forward (if we love him, or regard him) to perform the duties of our Ministration, although they be mighty painful, in seeding, in weeding, in plauting, in strengthening, and in comforting, according as daily occasion shall be offered unto us. But if we be entered into this calling, and do nothing therein but please men, and serve our selves, and our own lusts being entered, what comfort can we find, or what reward do we look for at his hands, that hath chosen us to be Shepherds and Watchmen? We must not be like unto the Prophets mentioned in the Prophet Micah, The Priests of Zion teach for hire, & the prophets thereof prophesy for Money. If then we have greater respect to the fleece, then to the Sheep; or to the wages, then to the work; we serve our selves, and not the Lord Christ, and he will accept no such service at our hands. For we serve our own bellies, but not the Church; we fil our purses, we feed not the people. Woe be unto such Shepherds, should not the Shepherd feed the flock? What will our gain and glory profit us at the last day, when they must leave us, and we must leave them? We shall receive more sound comfort and peace, when we shall depart this world, and remember what account we are to give of our pains taken in our calling, in our labors undertaken in the Ministry, then in the heaping up of many livings, and the getting of much riches. If we have gained but one soul to God, he shall stand up for us, when all the mucke of this earth shall fall down. He shall be our joy and our crown, when all other delights shall give us the farewell. Neither doth this Doctrine and duty serve only for the comfort of the Minister, but for the comfort of the people that have endeavored in their callings to serve the Church, and labored unfeignedly to seek the well-fare thereof. They that have had a sweet feeling of the love of God, are careful to love him again: and they that love him in singleness of heart, will be enforced and constrained to love his children, and to do all the service they can unto them. They will think no duty too much, they will think all they have done, all they can do to the Church, to be too little. Hence it is, that Christ Jesus commending the Church of Tyatira, for such good works as were found therein, beginneth with Love and Service; First, he mentioneth their Love, then he addeth their Service, to show that as our Love must appear by our fruits of Service, so all our Service must proceed from Love to those whom we serve. If a man employ himself never so diligently, and take never so great pains, and travail with all his power, for the peace and good of the church, yet if it proceed not from a sincere love toward them, but either from a love of gain, or a desire of glory, or a fame of praise, he shall receive no reward at the hands of God. This service, as at all times we must be ready to make it appear, so especially we must show it in the necessities of the Church. When it lieth under the heat of persecution, or feeleth the Arrow of famine, or beareth the affliction of poverty, and groaneth under the weight of these burdens, we must remember that we owe our service to them as a duty, and that we are the servants of the Church. This shall be our crown and comfort in the last day.

Thirdly, seeing God requireth of all true Christians, of what condition soever they be, according to the means afforded unto them, to use their gifts, their power, their possessions, and whatsoever benefits they have received, to use them (I say) to the comfort and service of God's Saints, it kindleth the affections of God's people to bless and praise God for them, to speak well of them, to pray unto God for them, and to obtain greater blessings for them, then they have bestowed. Thus they that do good to the Church, do good to themselves: they that give much unto them, do receive more; and such as have been helpful and serviceable to God's people, shall find them as their remembrancers to God, who will not forget the labor of their love, and the duty of their service. This ought to be a notable encouragement unto us, not to deal niggardly toward the Saints, nor to withhold from them the fruits of our love, seeing nothing shall be lost, that is bestowed upon them, but we shall receive an hundred fold into our bosom, grace for grace, love for love, blessing for blessing, mercy for mercy. For this comfort and consolation will arise to them that do good to God's people, they shall have favor with God, they shall gain a good report with the world, and they shall purchase the sweet savor of a good name, as of a precious ointment among the Saints, and shall stir them up to entreat God's manifold mercies for them. Jehoiada that good High Priest, was so honored of the people, for suppressing the tyranny of Athaliah, for setting up the kingdom of Joash, and for restoring the true religion of God, that he was accounted a common Father of the Country, and they gave him the burial of a King, for they buried him in the Citty of David with the Kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. So the apostle Paul declaring that Onesiphorus had done him great service, prayeth unto God for him, The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but when he was at Rome, he sought me out diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him, that he may find mercy with the Lord at that day. Whereby we may gather, that the benefits bestowed upon the Saints, shall not perish, although they themselves cannot requite thē; for though they want ability to pay them, yet they want not harts to pray for them; yea, the Lord will not only have pity of them that take pity of his people, but he will show mercy to their households, because when Paul praiseth the bountifulness and zeal of Onesiphorus, he wisheth well for his sake to his whole family. The blessing of God shall not rest only upon the head of the just, but it shall descend into his whole house, such is the love of God toward those that be his. If the consideration of this great promise, and rich recompense of reward, do not prick us forward to exercise the works of love, and fruits of compassion, we are more then blockish and brutish. On the other side, such as have been, not helpful, but hurtful; not industrious, but injurious; not serviceable, but unprofitable to God's people; when God shall visit them either with public calamities, or private judgments, their own Consciences shall gall them, and gnaw upon them, when they remember their own works, which shall provoke men to speak evil of them, cause them to pray against them, and contstrain them to call upon God to work their confusion. This we see in Paul the Apostle, in the latter end of the same Epistle, Alexander the Copper-smith hath done me much evil, the Lord reward him according to his works. Thus doeth the Prophet David deal oftentimes in the Psalms, Think upon thy congregation which thou hast possessed of old, & on the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed, and on this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt: lift up thy strokes, that thou mayst forever destroy every enemy that doth evil to the Sanctuary. Thus we see the people of God have from time to time prayed against the malicious enemies of the Church, that sought the ruin and destruction thereof. Their prayers are of great force, & enter into the ears of the Lord of hosts, whether it be to obtain mercies upon the friends of the Church, or to draw down vengeance upon the adversaries thereof, that oppress it with cruelty, and blaspheme the name of God, which is holy throughout all ages and generations. There is no greater honor that we should desire or delight in, then to be called the friends of God, and the servants of the Church. If we be the servants of God, we must also account our selves the servants of the Church. The Prophet David did esteem the faithful that were in Jerusalem, as his Brethren. So on the contrary side, there cannot a greater dishonor and reproach befall us, then to be reputed the enemies of God and his people. For if we set our selves against his people, that are his portion and inheritance, he will no otherwise deal with us, then with his enemies. If God come against us as his enemy, we shall not be able to prevail, we cannot stand before him, but shall be as stubble in the fire, and as chaff before the wind.

Lastly, seeing God requireth service to his Church at our hands to do all good to them by all good means, it is our duty to inquire and learn the estate of the distressed Church, that we may know and be informed where, and when, and how it is afflicted. How many are there that never think upon the people of God to do them good, but forget their affliction and oppression. The Butler of Pharaoh did not remember Joseph, but forgot him and the kindness he shown toward him when they were prisoners together, who had said unto him, Have me in remembrance with thee when thou art in good case, and show mercy I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, that thou mayst bring me out of this house. So when Zachariah the son of Jehoiada (whom we mentioned before) was, for preaching the truth, and denouncing the judgments of God from his mouth, oppressed with envy, and ouerborne by the might of the Rulers, the King would not deliver him out of their hands, but commanded him to be stoned with stones, and remembered not the kindness that his father had done to him, but slew his son. This is the common course and current of the world, we will not see the afflictions of the poor Saints, but turn away our eyes from them; or if we cannot choose but see them, we quickly forget them, as if we had never either beheld them, or known of them. This is one misery of the faithful, that men do not regard them when they are in misery. The Lord hath determined, that there shall be always some objects offered unto us, and set before us to exercise the fruits of our Faith and Love. He hath said, that the poor we shall always have with us, and such as stand in need of our help and comfort. It is in easy thing to boast of Faith and Love: but if we will be assured, that we have true Faith indeed, we must show it by our works, which are the fruits whereby it is known. We must not turn away our faces from the faithful, as the Priest and Levite did in the Gospel, but be ready to help, as God giveth ability, and offereth opportunity. Nay, it is not enough for us to succor such religious Saints, as we see want succor, but we must learn and labor to know the state of the Church, and ask of others howe it fareth with the godly poor among us. The children of God have gone before us in the doing of this duty. It is noted of Abraham the Father of the faithful, that he waited not till the strangers craved entertainment at his hands, but he ran to meet them from the Tent door, and prayed them to take some refreshing at his hands, whereby he received Angels into his house at unawares. If we believe him to be the Father of the faithful (as the Scripture calleth him) & that we would be accounted as his children, we must be careful to do the works of Abraham. They are not children that tread not in his steps, and follow not his example.

The like we might say of Lot, who sat at the gate of Sodom, and rose up to meet the men, and prayed them to turn into their servants house, and to lodge with him all night. The holy man Job justifieth his innocence, & cleareth himself from Hypocrisy, That he suffered not the stranger to lodge in the street, but opened his doors unto him that went by the way. Nehemiah was careful to know the state of the Church, and asked his brethren that came from Jerusalem, concerning the Jews that were delivered, which were of the residue of the captivity, by whom he heard, that they lived in great affliction, & in reproach, that the Citty was broken down, and the gates thereof burnt with fire. So the Shunamite having prepared a Chamber for Elisha to lodge him, and set therein a bed, and a Table, a Stoole, and a Candlestick, constrained him to come into her house to eat bread. We see how Lazarus and his two Sisters, Martha and Mary, received the Lord Jesus to house, & ministered unto him. They fed him, and he fed them; they gave him the meat that perisheth, but he gave them the bread of life, and the meat that endureth forever.

Likewise the Evangelist Luke noteth in the Acts of the Apostles, that when the heart of Lydia was opened to attend to the things that Paul delivered, she besought them saying. If ye judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there, and she constrained them. These are worthy examples of faithful men and women, that teach us by their own practice, what manner of service is due to the Saints, not only to help those whose misery we know, but to inquire of them whose state we do not know. This indeed is pure and perfect love, when we do to our brethren, as we desire they should deal toward us. The Wiseman would have everyone to be diligent to know the state of his flock, much more it is required of us, to inquire the state of God's flock, which is his Church, that he hath redeemed with his precious blood. It is not therefore enough for us to say, we knew not their wants, seeing all those are willfully ignorant, that have the means to come knowledge, and yet will not use the means. We may oftentimes know the necessities of the Saints, but we will not inquire of them, because we will not know them. This shall not excuse us in the sight of God; but accuse the more, because our ignorance is affected ignorance, inasmuch as we might know, and yet we do not desire to know.

We have seen already the reason why Paul was desirous to have retained Onesimus with him, to wit, that he might have ministered unto him, and served him in his afflictions that did befall him for the Gospels sake. Now he declareth the reason, why without the knowledge and consent of Philemon, he would not detain him, to the end, that the duty or good turn which he might that way receive at his hands, might be done freely, willingly, and cheerfully, not by constraint and compulsion. Heereby we learn, that all Christian duties done to God or man, must be done with a free, willing, cheerful, and hearty affection. This is it which the Lord requireth. Deut. 6. Hear, ô Israel, the Lord our God is Lord only. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. So the Prophet David prayeth, O Lord I beseech thee, accept the free offerings of my mouth, and teach me thy judgments. No other Sacrifices please God, but such as are free and voluntary: all things must be done in love with a ready mind. The Apostle teacheth, that He that distributeth, must do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. This also was figured out unto us in the shadows and Ceremonies of the Law, when the people were commanded to offer a male without blemish, presenting him of his own voluntarily will, at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, declaring thereby, that our serving of him must not be grudgingly, but we must perform it frankly and freely, and with a willing mind. The Apostle moving the Corinthians to bountifulness toward the poor Saints at Jerusalem, teacheth them that they must offer a free will offering, I sent the brother whose praise is in the Gospel, (which seemeth to be Barnabas ) who is also chosen of the Churches, to be a fellow in our journey, concerning this grace which is ministered by us unto the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your prompt mind. All these words of Scripture, are witnesses of this truth, beyond all exception, that God never liketh of constrained service, but will have men to do their duties to him voluntarily, as is fit to be performed of the creature toward his Creator, and of the Child toward his Father.

Let us see how the reasons will make this better to appear unto us, that we may have strong proof to put the matter out of all doubt. First, God loveth a cheerful giver, a cheerful servant, a cheerful service. It is the heart and the inward affections that he accepteth & regardeth, which is the principal part of a man, and the fountain from whence all outward actions proceed. He will have the heart, or else he will have nothing of us. This is the reason urged by the Apostle to the Corinthians, As every man wisheth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. Now, that which the Apostle speaketh of charity and of alms, may as truly be spoken of every duty that God requireth of us. When we pray we must call upon God cheerfully, for he loveth a cheerful prayer. When we give thanks to his name for blessings received, we must thank him cheerfully, for he loveth a cheerful giver of thanks; and albeit these be notable parts of God's worship and excellent duties commanded of him, and required of us; yet without this cheerfulness, they are as a dead thing, & not regarded.

Secondly, our obedience unto God, must be answereable to the obedience of Christ, that he performed to his Father; for he hath therein given us an example, and taught us how to obey. The manner of his obedience was willing, and done of his own accord, not extorted and wrested from him, for then it could not have been accepted of God, nor merritorious for us, nor praised in him. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, Then said he, Loe I come to do thy will, ô God, he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified, even by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once made. Thus Christ himself speaketh in the Gospel, Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again: No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, & have power to take it again. Where he showeth, that the cause wherefore he suffered, was not because Caiaphas convented him, or the witnesses accused him, or Pilate condemned him, or the Jews executed him, but because it pleased his Father and himself to make himself an offering for sin. For except he had died willingly, all his adversaries had been too weak to work anything against him, as appeareth in evidently the Garden, when he cast them all down to the ground with a word of his mouth. Here is set down a pattern for us to follow: we must perform the like obedience that he did, as his was voluntarily and willing, so ought ours likewise to be, that it may be acceptable in the sight of God.

Thirdly, the things that are not done in Faith and Love, are sin. For, without faith it is impossible to please God. And though I had the gifts of prophesy, and knew all secrets, and all knowledge, yea if I had all faith, so that if I could remove mountains, and had not love, I were nothing; & though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body that I be burned, and have not love, it profiteth nothing. So then we see, that no duty is acceptable without Faith and Love. But nothing done unwillingly, uncomfortably, or hypocritically can be done in Faith and Love. And therefore such duties as are thus performed, have no life nor virtue in them, to give them any grace or acceptation with God.

Lastly, God knoweth our hearts, and seeth how we bring our gifts, & offer our offerings. He looketh not upon the outward work, but regardeth the intent of the heart. When Cain brought unto God an oblation of the fruits of the ground, he had no regard to him nor to his offering, because he saw the hollowness and hypocrisy of his heart. This is the reason that David useth to persuade Solomon his son, to have a care to learn and to practice the will of God, 1 Chro. 28, 8. And thou Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy Father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all harts, and understandeth all the imaginations of thoughts, if thou seek him he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.

Where we see, the Father careful for the future good of his son, moveth him to endeavor and strive to know God by learning what he willeth, & to serve him uprightly and willingly, by practicing as he enableth, because our thoughts are not hidden from the all-seeing eye of God, and because he offereth himself to them that seek him, but forsaketh them that refuse him, when he is offered. We may easily deceive the eye of man, that looketh only to the person, and beholdeth only the outward work; but it is impossible to deceive the searcher of hearts. If then we gather all these reasons into a short sum, and set them as in a Table before our eyes, if we consider that God loveth a cheerful service, that Christ performed a willing obedience, that faith and love giveth acceptance to the work; and lastly, that God giveth recompense according to the heart, which he knoweth; we see that the strength of them will bear the full weight of this conclusion, that the duties of our Religion must not be performed constrainedly, but freely; not grudgingly, but cheerfully; not unwillingly, but readily; not of necessity, but voluntarily.

Now we are to make Use of this Doctrine. First, seeing no man must perform any holy duty to God or man upon compulsion, or against his will, but with all his mind and might, we learn that every action or duty is accounted of by God, not according to the greatness of the worker, or outward show of the work, but according to the will and affection of the dooer: it is the manner of doing that God more accepteth, then the action or deed it self. A Child in his obedience to his Father, is esteemed for his reverent, loving, obedient, and dutiful heart, and not for the greatness or worthiness of his work. For what can he do, when he hath endeavored to the utmost, to pleasure his Father? So is it with us, when we have done all that we can, we must confess we have been vnptofitable servants, and therefore God more respecteth the intention, then the action; the Work-man, then the work; the affection, then the effect. Mary is commended of Christ, because she loved much. The poor widow that cast into the treasury one mite, is praised by Christ above the rest, that offered of their substance and superfluity. He that giveth a cup of cold water, in the name of a Disciple to a Disciple, shall not loese his reward. What is the bestowing of a Mite? Or what is a cup of cold water? Are they of themselves, & in themselves considered anything worth? Or can they deserve to be accepted? No, in no wise: but God accepteth the manner, more then the matter; how they are done, more then what is done. This is it which the Apostle expresseth, 2 Cor. 8, 12. If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that a man hath not. This layeth before us the abundant kindness of God, who albeit he be a spirit every way perfect, yet he accepteth our lame and defective service. Our duties shall be all acceptable in his sight, though they be performed in great weakness, and mingled with many imperfections (which were sufficient to cause them to be rejected and refused) if we be careful to do them in the truth and uprightness of our hearts, and with cheerful and ready minds. All things must be done in love, and this must be considered in all the works of our hands. This ministereth a double comfort; First, unto such as are of poor and low degree, to consider that GOD regardeth the heart more then the hand, and our willingness more then our work. Hence it is, that even servants whose condition is lowest in the family, and which meddle not in great matters, or in weighty affairs, or in excellent works, yet are charged with this affection, and in sincerity to behave themselves in those inferior duties, Servants be obedient unto them that are your Masters, according to the flesh in all things, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart fearing God: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men.

Where he showeth, that servants must do their duties, not as serving for the penny, or aiming at the filling of their belly, or contenting themselves to please their masters eye, but even as serving God, looking for a recompense from him, knowing that he hath placed them in that estate, & requireth those things in truth and sincerity to be performed as unto him. For the Lord doth not see as man seeth, he doth not look to the outward action, but he beholdeth with what heart all things are done, and therefore measureth according to every man's deed, whether he be high or low, rich or poor, Lord or Servant. The best heart hath the best recompense; the worst heart hath the worst wages. There is a great difference between work and work; some are great, some little; some beautiful, some base; some high, some mean, some low; but whatsoever I do, if I do it cheerfully, as serving my master Christ, that looketh upon me, albeit my calling be never so simple; as to wash dishes, to wipe shoes, to scour the spit, to sweep the house, I please God therein as well as he that manageth a kingdom, that ministereth Justice, that preacheth the gospel. True it is the work is greater to rule the affairs of State, then to remain in the kitchen, yet he shall be better accepted of God, that performeth these small things heartily, then he y ^t doth the greatest works grudgingly, either drawn by importunity, or cōpeld by necessity. Thus it doth fall out, that a poor servant, carrying this mark and testimony with him, is more acceptable to the Lord, then he y ^t hath done greater things to the judgment of the eye, to the show of the world and to the sight of men. Secondly, this serveth as a singular comfort to everyone of us, that groan under the burden of sin, that feel the weakness of our faith, and are dismayed at the smallness of our sanctification. We know how busy Satan is to watch his advantage of our infirmities and imperfections, & to persuade us that we have no faith at all, that we are without repentance, without grace, and without regeneration, because we feel great defects, and many wants in our best works, and our best gifts. But this must comfort us, that God accepteth of that measure that he hath given us, even according to that which we have, not according to that which we have not. A weak faith, shall be as auayleable to apprehend Christ, as a strong faith. If we have a desire and an hungering after grace, He will fulfill the desires of them that fear him, he also will hear their cry and save them. God hath assured us, that as he hath begun his good work in us, so he will finish his work, and in his good time bring it to perfection. When we find any dullness and untowardness in our selves, if we hate and dislike them, and labor to profit and grow forward in sanctification, God accepteth our willingness and readiness, though our strength be not answerable to our desire, or the outward work answereable to our heart. For God is faithful, and will not suffer us to be tempted above the strength that he shall give us; and the Lord Jesus is a merciful High priest, who will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Let us all therefore look that a willing and ready mind be found in us. Again, this must be considered in all things: If we come to hear the word, and to exercise the duties of God's worship, if we do it for fashion sake, for fear of the law, for the praise of men, or for custom, they are nothing worth; they ought to be performed in obedience to God, in love of his ordinance, in delight of his worship, in singleness of heart, and in an earnest affection, to the means of our salvation. The like we might say of giving of alms and liberality toward the poor, if they be not bestowed with promptness of mind, with compassion of heart, and with feeling of the wants of those that crave our help, they are nothing at all respected of God, nor they that distribute thē rewarded of him.

Secondly, seeing only that duty which is done freely and not by compulsion, deserveth due commendation; this reproveth all those things that are don upon wrong grounds, and evil foundations. It is not enough to do a good thing, but we must do it well; It is not sufficient to do those things that are godly, but we must do them in a godly manner. Let everyone herein carefully examine his soul, and try his own heart, whether he do the duties of his calling unwillingly, uncomfortably, and upon necessity, for fear of danger, for avoiding of shame, for keeping of his credit, for praise of the world, or such like causes, which are all false motives; or whether he do them heartily and cheerfully as in the sight of God, before whom all things are naked & open. This is to be considered as well of the Minister himself, as of the people that hear him, and are partakers of his labors. The calling of the Minister is an high and mighty calling, he is the Steward of God, and a watchman over the people, for whose souls he must give an account in that great day of the Lord. It is not enough for us to labor among them (though we should work, and weary, and toil our selves never so much) but we must do it diligently and cheerfully, as serving Christ the Shepherd of the sheep. If the chief end that we respect be to maintain our selves, to live easily, and to increase in riches, we have our reward. Or if we preach unto them, because the law doth enforce us, and enjoin us unto it, and because otherwise the people would cry shame upon us: if reaping their Temporal things, we do not give them Spiritual, or if we so entangle our selves in the affairs of this life, that we cannot intend the duties of our calling, we cannot possibly please him that hath chosen us, to be as Soldiers to fight his battles, and hath appointed us to be as Shepherds to watch his flock. It standeth us upon, to be so touched with a care of our duties, as that if there were no Law to compel us, and urge us to be painful therein, yet the zeal of God's glory, and love of his people should contstrain us. Hence it is, that the Apostle Paul speaking of his own practice saith, Though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to rejoice of: for a necessity is laid upon me, and woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel: for if I do it willingly, I have a reward; but if I do it against my will, notwithstanding the dispensation is committed unto me. Whereby we see, he showeth, that such a necessity of the divine calling, did press sore upon him, that he must preach or perish. For, if he held his peace, and did not do his duty, the curse of God would lie hard and heavy upon his shoulders, and bring such intolerable torments upon him, as should make him cry out, woe, woe, alas, alas, what a wretch am I? yet notwithstanding this necessity, he must have a willing mind, and do his duty gladly. A good work done willingly, is made much better by the willing doing.

Again, there is nothing so easy, but it becometh difficult and unpleasant, hard and tedious, which a man doth by compulsion. No man therefore hath done his duty, or discharged his calling, that worketh against his will. Jonah the Prophet went to Nineveh against his will, he could have wished that his preaching had taken no effect, so that he was chastened of God. When Moses was called to go to Pharaoh, to charge him to let the people go, that they might serve the Lord in the wilderness, he provoked God to anger, because he delayed the matter, and excused himself, & framed objections, and shown himself backward to enter on the work. Hence it is that Peter speaketh to all the Ministers of the gospel, Feed the flock of God that dependeth upon you, caring for it, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, &c. that when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye may receive an incorruptible crown of glory. That which is not done willingly, is not performed conscionably, and where there is not found readiness of mind, there cannot be looked for any recompense. The Prophets of God being inwardly touched with a feeling of God's effectual calling, have obeyed immediately, and ran whether he sent them to preach. The Prophet Isaiah speaking of himself saith, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send? Or who shall go for us? Then I said, Here am I send me. When Christ Jesus called Simon and Andrew his brother, and said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you Fishers of men, they forsook their Nettes straight way, and followed him. The like we see in Paul, when he was converted and called by a voice from heaven, he was not disobedient to the heavenly voice and vision, he communicated not with flesh and blood, but prepared himself to the work; whereunto he was separated from his mothers womb. This practice ought to be in all of us that are entered into this calling, we must labor cheerfully, willingly, and gladly, that the work may prosper and go forward under our hands: The end of our labor should be the salvation of men's souls; the drift of our sowing, to see a plentiful harvest; and the purpose of our preaching, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Secondly, such as are hearers among the people are from hence also to learn their duty, to do those things that are required of them; not daily, but diligently; not heavily, but heartily as to the Lord. Many seem desirous to have the Gospel, but they would have it of free cost, and therefore repine at the costs and charges it bringeth with it. If we give maintenance to the Ministry, not for conscience, but of necessity; not for love to the Gospel, but by compulsion of Law; not as a free-will offering to God for the recompense of his kingdom among us, but as a taxation which we cannot resist to retain with us, or detain from them, accounting the Gospel not a benefit wherein we delight, but a burden which we should shake and shift off if we might; it is our sin, and eo acceptable service unto God. For God in this respect loveth a cheerful giver. These men are wholly carnal, and regard not the salvation of their souls. If they have an Horse-keeper that dresseth their horses, or a Shepherd that watcheth their Sheep, or an Heardman that looketh to their Swine, or a Cobbler that mendeth their shoes, they are more willing to consider him for his pains, and to recompense his labors, then to minister to the necessities of the Minister. They think that well gotten that is gotten from him, and that ill spent & employed, that is bestowed upon him. Again, as we are to give them a liberal maintenance cheerfully, so when we come to the exercises of our religion, we must come unto them willingly, not unwillingly; joyfully, not tediously. For as he is accursed that doth the work of the Lord negligently, so is he also accursed, that cometh into the house of the lord grudgingly and grievously, not as one delighting in the work, but as one discoraged with the weariness, whether it be of the way, or of the word. He is an evil servant that doth his masters business committed unto him vnpleasantly & untowardly; he is an unfaithful subject that obeyeth the laws of his Prince by compulsion; he is a disobedient child that performeth his Fathers will against his will, & honoreth him without his heart. So he is an evil and unfaithful hearer, that treadeth in the Lord's courts unwillingly, & rejoiceth not when the time cometh to perform his duty unto him. It is noted of the people of God, that they travailing to the place of God's worship, passed through many dangers, & endured much heat, and suffered many wants in the wilderness, for the pleasure that they took in his service. The profit they reaped, did swallow up the tediousness of the pains; & the love to his court • , did mitigate the greatness of the labor. This made thē say, A day in thy Courts is better then a thousand other where: I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, then to dwell in the tabernacles of wickedness. Where is this zeal to be found among us? Who showeth this forwardness to God's service? Or whom can a man single out to say of him, that no want or weather doeth hinder him from the exercises of godliness? We are grown unto that loathing of the heavenly Manna, that albeit it fall in the midst of our Campe, and round about our habitations, yet we will not step out of the doors to see it, nor open our mouths to taste it, nor stretch out our hands to gather it: either the blasts of wind do trouble us, or the fear of rain doth hinder us, or the heat of Summer doth burn us, or the cold of Winter doth pinch us, or a Lyon in the way doth stay us, and every trifle stoppeth our journey. If our heart were in the house of God, it would quickly move our feet to carry us thither. But where the heart is not, every member is heavy, and hardly drawn to do their duty. The Devils do the will of God by constraint, and against their wills, it must be otherwise with us. Where the heart is, there is our delight. The Prophet describing the flourishing estate of the Church, saith, The Lord shall send the rod of thy power out of Zion, be thou Ruler in the midst of thine enemies: thy people shall come willingly at the time of assembling thine Army in holy beauty, the youth of thy womb shall be as the Morning Dew. Where he showeth, that the people of God were wont to come to the hearing of the word, to the partaking of the Sacrifices, to the receiving of the Sacraments, and to the exercises of Religion, they assembled and gathered themselves together freely and of their own accord, to present themselves before the Lord. This duty is required of us, we must come willingly to Christ, to hear him speak unto us. It is one virtue to come into the house of God, but to come cheerfully and comfortably as to a feast, is a double virtue, and that which giveth life unto her coming. If we come unwillingly, and be drawn to our duty on the Lord's day, either by shame of the world, or by fear of law: we come as dead men that are without working of the spirit, or desire of profit, or feeling of comfort, or increase of Faith, or bettering of obedience. If the danger of law did not more compel thē, then the conscience of their duty or the love of religion allure them, many among us would seldom or never keep the Lord's Sabbaths, nor attend upon his ordinances: they come to them as willingly as the Bear goeth to the stake, & as cheerfully as the malefactor passeth to the place of execution. Hence it is, that some come to this place once a month, others once a quarter, others only upon high days & solemn feasts, more I think to show themselves, then to labor to save their souls. Such was the zeal of our brethren to the gospel in the days of persecution, that they went more willingly to the fire & flame, then these men in the days of peace come to the hearing of the word, and to the house of prayer. They were more cheerful in suffering of death, then these are in seeking the means of life. Hence it is, that some linger so long before they come, & are afraid they shall be there too soon. Others, when they are present, give little attention, & not at all regard to profit themselves. Others, are ready to depart and be gone before the assembly is dismissed, and think they have learned enough. These are they that think they are at liberty to do what they list, & to go and come when they list. They make no conscience to begin & end the exercises of religion together, and so profit accordingly, having little more knoledge then brute beasts.

Thirdly, this confuteth the common adversary, which ascribe all to the work done, & regard nothing at all either the mind of the doer, or the manner of doing, as their blind distinction, de congruo & condigno teacheth. They hold that the bare presence at the sacrifice of the Mass, without any good intention of the mind, is meritorious in the sight of God. This is their opus operatum, the which is indeed the cutthroat of all true religion. For admit once into the worship of God an outward resting in the work done, who will regard the reformation of the heart? But this fitteth well enough the new Roman religion, which consisteth wholly in external observations, in delighting the eye, in pleasing the ear & the other senses: but requireth nothing aright which may not be performed of a Reprobat. God is a spirit, & they that worship him, must worship him in spirit & truth: so that whatsoever religion resteth & teacheth men to rest in ceremonial and carnal observations, is a false religion invented by the devil. This also is the error of the ignorant people, that will not be accounted Papists, & yet are as ignorant as they in their practice, and as superstitious in their devotions, and as corrupt in their opinions. They never look to their harts to purge them, nor to their affections, to order them aright, when they come to the service of God. If they can say, oh we have heard the word, we have been at the church, we have prayed to God, they think all is well, and that God can require no more at their hands. They dream the whole service of God to stand in outward things only, as though they were the things wherein the Lord delighteth, and not rather the truth and uprightness of the heart. This is it for which the Prophet Isaiah reproveth the people in his time, and compareth them to the Princes of Sodom▪ and to the people of Gomorrah, notwithstanding a zealous observation of the outward ordinances that they practiced, & God commanded, What have I to do with the multitude of your Sacrifices? I am full of your burnt offerings, and the fat of Rams, I desire not the blood of Bullockes, Goats, and Lambes: when you come to appear before me, who required this at your hands? Bring no oblations in vain: Incense is an abomination unto me; I cannot suffer your New-Moons, nor Sabbaths, nor solemn assemblies, I am weary to bear them, because your works are evil. But wash you, make you clean, take away the evil of your works from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well. All these were but as outward Ceremonies without substance, which the Prophet Jeremiah, calleth Lying words that cannot profit. Outward observations of religion will deeeiue us, if we rest upon them, & put our trust in them. If we perform a worship to God without the heart, we dishonor God, we deceive our own souls, and we increase our condemnation. We draw near to God with our mouths, and honor him with our lips, but our heart is far from him, and therefore we worship him in vain, who is not delighted with outward shows, and with idle shadows, but requireth the singleness of the soul, and the willingness of the mind. He looketh upon the heart when we come before him. We see how careful men and women commonly are, when they come to the place of God's worship, to have all things in the outward man decent and cleanly; they look upon themselves, that their faces be washed, their Garments brushed, their linen white, that no spot, no blemish, no want, no wrinkle may appear in them; but if we go no farther, we are but Hypocrites and dissemblers in the sight of God, all our glorious shows are no better then abomination before him. So then, as the wiseman teacheth, it standeth us upon to give to God our harts, which is the best present we can offer unto him. We are taught in the Lord's Prayer, to pray unto God, that we may do his will upon the earth, as the Angels do which are in heaven. They perform the will of God readily, and without any grudging; they obey his commandments (whensoever he sendeth & employeth them) faithfully and cheerfully. No one of them slacketh in his function, but is diligent in the execution of that which is given him in charge. Thus it ought to be with all of us, we must delight in God's worship, and encourage others to delight therein. We must make the house of God a place of pleasure, we must make his word our meat and drink, and our continual hearing, must be a daily refreshing unto our souls.

Lastly, seeing all Christian duties must be performed of us willingly, we are hereby guided and directed in our obedience, that we are not to hinder the necessary duties of Christianity belonging unto us, by objecting fleshly reasons, as it were laying stumbling blocks in our own ways, to keep us back from a willing, free, and cheerful going forward in the works of our calling, and in the parts of God's worship. We see, when many are called to a new course of life, and told of the necessity of laboring to get knowledge, and hearing the word of God, they can object for themselves, I shall loose my time, neglect my business, hinder my estate, make myself a laughing stock unto others. I shall miss such a bargain, I shall omit such a journey, I shall want such a meeting of Good-fellows, of Friends, and of Neighbors. These are like to those Guesse mentioned in the Gospel, who being bid to the banket, made their excuses, and would not come; they made light of it, and went their ways, one unto his Farm, and another about his Merchandize. Our Savior teacheth, that when the word of God is preached unto us, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, choke the word, and it is made unfruitful. The world is a deceitful bait, and the glory thereof dazleth our eyes, that we cannot discern the vanity thereof.

Again, when the duties of Love and Charity, ought to be extended toward those that want relief, and the fruits of mercy, they are ready to object, I shall weaken by giving to others the means of my maintenance, I shall disable myself, I shall hinder my family and Children (whom I must provide for, or else I should be worse then an Infidel) and thereby give cause to my adversaries, to rejoice and triumph over me. Thus everyone is wise in his own eyes, and carnal reason is apt enough to Minister fleshly objections, to slake our zeal, and to hinder our course of obedience. But let us stop our ears against the songs of these enchanters, which seem to bewitch, not our bodies, but our souls. These are nothing else but words, full of distrust and doubting, proceeding from Infidelity. Let us learn to rest upon God's providence, by well-doing, and look for his blessing. This is it which the Apostle remembereth, where he laboreth to move the Corinthians to relieve the distresses of the Saints, Give not grudgingly, or of necessity, and God is able to make all graces to abound toward you, yet ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work, As it is written, he hath sparsed abroad and hath given to the poor: his benevolence remaineth forever. Such as lived in the Church, in the days of the Apostles, when there were many poor, many extremely poor, were moved to be liberal, yea very liberal and bountiful unto them, so that they that had possessions sold them and distributed them, as everyone had need. Many of them no doubt had wives & Children, and were burdened with charge and family of their own, yet they accounted nothing peculiarly their own, but they had all things common, they had them not only for themselves, but for their brethren. To conclude therefore, we must beware we be not led aside by the subtlety of Satan, and the corrupt imagination of our own Nature, to be hindered thereby, from practicing such duties as are required at our hands. He that will not follow the calling of God, until the flesh minister no objection against it, shall never have the commendation of obedience. He shall never go about any good duty, but we shall find somewhat stand in the way to cross it, either our pleasure or profit, or somewhat else will round us in the ear, to make us forsake it, or delay it, or condemn it. When the word of God reproveth any sin in us, that seemeth sweet unto the flesh, we shall meet with a thousand temptations, to persuade with us to continue in it with greediness, and to follow after it with all eagerness. Wherefore, so soon as we know the will of our heavenly Father, let us prepare our selves to do it, and to delight in it, and step over the rocks of offense, that stand before us to make us fall; that so God may be delighted with us, & take pleasure in our obedience proceeding from the heart.

IN the words going before, we have already handled the removing of the first Objection which ariseth from Paul's sending of Onesimus back again to his Master. The next Objection is touching his departure from his Master, mentioned in these two Verses, wherein he both aunsweareth the Objection, maketh a new reason, and seeketh to extenuate the displeasure that Philemon had conceived against him. The Apostle answereth here in this place, that Objection which might be made and moved from the former matter of this suit. He hath entreated Philemon (as we have heard) to receive Onesimus, he might hereunto have said; But why should I receive him? Shall I entertain a Runna-gate Servant, a base Varlet, that hath wasted and purloined my goods, and sought to undo me? If he were well with mē, why did he depart from me? If not well, why will he return to me again? He that is once evil, is always presumed to be evil. This is the Objection: whereunto the Apostle maketh a double answer, as he did before: first, by way of granting and yielding to Philemon: secondly, by a kind of correcting his former grant. The granting is, I confess and acknowledge willingly, that he departed from thee, and would not tarry with thee. The correcting is, though he did depart, it was not forever, it was but a very short time, as thou seest. So then, the answer is from the adioynt of time, he went from thee for a little season, which is not barely set down, but with an illustrastion added unto it from the ende, [ That thou shouldst receive him forever: ] which also is enlarged by a comparison from the greater; Not so much as a Servant, but as more then a Servant. The latter part of this enlargement, being the second part of the comparison, is declared by the special [ A beloved Brother ] more then a Servant, for a Brother carrieth with it a better respect, and a farther regard then the name of a Servant. This also is enlarged by a comparison from the greater to the less, especially to me, which comparison also is amplified by another from the greater, how much more to thee, which is farther strengthened by a division or distribution of the Subject, showing wherein he was more bound to Philemon then to Paul himself; Both in the flesh and in the Spirit.

Thus we have seen the resolution of these Verses, and the order which is propounded in them. Now let us see what are the points that require interpretation. First, he saith; [ He departed ] he useth a kind of diminution, called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , or a qualification of his fact and fault committed against his Master. For he useth a more gentle and friendly word to lessen the offense, that it might not appear to Philemon so great as it was, calling his running away, a departure from his Master. Now the Apostle saith; It may be that he departed, or peradventure he departed. The word, used in this place, is also found. Rom 5, 8. where he saith; Doubtless one will scarce die for a righteous man, but yet for a good man it may be that one dare die. Properly it signifieth quickly or speedily, or hastily: but that signification cannot fitly agree to these places, and therefore it must be turned and translated [ It may be he departed. ] Where the Apostle doth not speak of this secret work of God precisely and peremptorily, but with an exception or limitation, warily and reuerentlie, least offense should be taken, and encouragement given thereby to the committing of evil. For if he had said simply and absolutely, he departed for this end, and he fled away that he might be converted: other Servants might have been emboldened in wickedness, and have pretended the same cause, and have run away from their Masters: who, being asked the cause why they took them to their heels, would readily answer; It was that I might be converted to the Faith, as Onesimus was: he ran away from his Master, and was saved; I ran away also that I might be saved. So then, the Apostle by this word, noteth out the special providence and mere goodness of God, ordering and governing this Fact, which is not to be drawn into a general practice. In the next place he addeth [ For a season: ] the word signifieth for an hour, that is; for a small time, even so much as Onesimus was travailing from Colossae to Rome, from his Master to Paul, by whom being converted, he was immediately sent back, which was no long time, but a very little while, even as it were an hour, in comparison both of the time that he before had been with him, and of the time he was like to stay with him hereafter. Wherein also he seeketh farther to lessen his fault & offense by the circumstance of the time, as if he should say; If he had been from thee any long time, or that thou hadst missed him many years, thy wrath might be harder to be appeased; but he hath been from thee a small time, it is but as it were one hour, and therefore have patience toward him, especially considering by his absence, thou shalt gain this, that he shall never depart from thee hereafter, but remain faithful & profitable unto thee many years. Thou mayest well bear the lack of him one hour, seeing thou shalt thereby get the advantage of many months and years. Therefore he addeth, That thou shouldst receive him forever; that is, all the days of his life, unto his death. Thus the phrase is taken in sundry places of the Olde Testament; when circumcision is called an everlasting Covenant: the Passe-over is commanded to be kept holy by an ordinance forever: whereby he meaneth a long time, even unto the coming of Christ in the flesh. So if a Servant would not go away from his Master, because he loved him, and was well with him, the Master should take an Aule and pierce his ear through against the door, and he shall be his servant forever, that is; to the year of Jubilee. So in this place the Apostle saith; Philemon's Servant should remain with him forever; that is, a long time, even so long as he should live upon the face of the earth. Lastly, when Paul saith, he must be beloved [ In the Flesh, and in the Lord ] he meaneth, both in things appertaining to this life, and the life to come. In the Flesh, in regard of his service which he shall perform to his Master, in matters belonging to this Mortall life. In the Lord, in respect of the common faith in Christ. This is the meaning of the words in this division: wherein (as we noted before) howsoever the Apostle doth purposely answer an objection, yet in this answer also he propoundeth two new reasons, to move Philemon to receive his servant. One is in the 15. verse, taken from the secret work of God's providence, which may be thus concluded:

• If the providence of God have governed his departure, that by occasion thereof he is changed, for his good, and for thine, that he might be saved, and thou better served: then receive him again unto thee:
• But the providence of God hath guided his departure, &c.
• Therefore receive him again unto thee.

The second reason is contained in the 16. verse, because Onesimus of a Servant, is m • de a Brother to Paul, much more to Philemon; and therefore to be loved exceedingly, being bound by a double band; to wit, in the Flesh, & in the Faith. In the Flesh, as a Servant. In the Faith, as a Christian: whereas Paul had only one cause to love him; namely, the common Faith. This reason may be thus framed;

• If Onesimus of a bad Servant be made a good Servant; yea, more then a Servant, even a Brother much to be loved, then receive him.
• But Onesimus is become more then a Servant,
• Therefore receive him.

Thus we see how the Apostle intermingleth Reasons with Objections, and Objections with Reasons. So then according to the former order and Interpretation of the words: the sum of them is thus much in effect: But thou will say unto me; He ran away from me. I grant indeed, and cannot deny, but that his purpose was wicked, and I acknowledge the cause that moved him to leave thee, and to forsake thy house to be very lewd; to wit, the fear of punishment for his offenses, but look, look I say unto the end, purpose, and counsel of God, in his departure from thee, which appeareth to be far from the drift and intent of Onesimus; to wit, by his flight to bring him to Rome, by bringing of him to Rome, to direct him to me in prison, by directing of him to me, to convert him to Christ, and by converting of him to Christ, to change him from a bad and lewd, to a faithful and profitable servant. What said I, a Servant; nay, a degree higher, even a Brother. Consider therefore (I pray thee) how many ways thou art to respect this my son Onesimus, and to accept of him. For in that he is now joined to thee in the common fellowship of the Faith, through the great mercies of God in Christ, thou art bound to regard him hence-forth, not as an ordinary Servant, but as a dear Brother in Christ, equal with thyself in the Covenant of grace, and the inheritance of eternal life: withal, remember how many ways he is joined to thee, rather then to me. He is for the common faiths sake dear, I confess, to me, and tenderly beloved: but he is bound to thee by two bands; first, in respect of the flesh, in that he is of thy charge and family, he is thy Servant, and an helper of thee in the means of thy outward maintenance, and withal, in the Lord Jesus (our common Master) he is thy Brother and fellow-heir of the same promises, being together with thee a member of his body. Now the more ways we are bound to any, the more we should regard them: he is dear indeed to me, but he is nearer to thee then me; and therefore he ought to be much dearer to thee, in regard of this conjunction between you.

From these verses, diverse worthy considerations do arise, which are not unprofitable to be observed of us. First, mark that the Apostle entitleth the shameful running away of Onesimus, the Servant of Philemon, by the Name of a departure. If we will speak properly, a departing is one thing, a running away is another thing. For albeit, everyone that runneth away departeth: yet everyone that departeth, runneth not away from his Master, because he may depart by consent, either having leave and license, or that the time of his service is expired. So a little before, verse 11. he called him [ Vnprofitable ] whereas he might lawfully have given him an harder Title. This was not done in regard of the offense, because it was small; but in regard of his repentance, because it was great. So he speaketh afterward ver. 18. If he have hurt thee, or if he oweth thee anything; whereas he might have said, he had robbed him, and stolen his goods from him: declaring that we should deal friendly and favorably with those that are truly converted to God, we are not to augment and agrauate a Penitents offenses, but to be gentle and merciful toward him, as often as we make mention of him. Such as have repented, are by all means to be favored, we cannot be of too mild a spirit toward them.

Secondly, in the Apostles answer to Philemon's objection, we may mark; that we are bound to forgive and forget the injuries and offenses done unto us, when once God hath forguien and covered the sins committed against him, and received the Sinner that repenteth to mercy: when God maketh all things turn to our good that love him, and thereby recompenceth by a double benefit, the loss and damage that we have sustained.

Thirdly, we may observe, that Christian Religion doth more strongly bind all persons to their particular callings, and maketh the knot greater then it was. For that which he speaketh here of a Christian Servant, even a Brother, is true of all callings in the Family and Common-wealth. For as a faithful Servant is more then a bare Servant: so a Christian King is more then a King; a Christian Master, is more then a Master; a Christian Father, is more then a Father; a Christian Husband, is more then an Husband: so on the other side, a Christian Wife, is more then a Wife; a Christian Subject, is more then a Subject; and so of all the rest. Great is the Dignity and preeminence of our Christian calling, which (as the Apostle speaketh) is a translating of us from darkness, into the Kingdom of Christ Jesus, so that it is a royal prerogative which they want that are unbelievers.

Fourthly, the Apostle, notwithstanding the great account he maketh of this Servant, doth not deny subjection to his Master, nor exempt him from the condition of a Servant, but he addeth, [ More then a Servant. ] He saith not, he is no more a Servant, but he is more then a Servant: so that our Christian calling doth not abolish policy, and politique Constitutions, and Domestical government: but rather doth strengthen and sanctify them. He that is called to the truth being a Servant, must not be discouraged and discontented, but rejoice in this, that he is the Lord's Free-man.

Fifthly, when he styleth him [ A Brother ] he doth after a sort signify he is equal unto him. For albeit, in the Common-wealth and private Family, it be necessary that some should be Superiors, and others Inferiors; and that this disparity and in-equality among men, be the ordinance of God: yet in the Kingdom of God and in Christ Jesus, there is no distinction; There is neither Jew nor Graecian: there is neither Bond-man, nor Free-man: there is neither Male, nor Female: for we are all one in Christ Jesus. When God will punnish sin and the breach of his Law, he doth it without respect of persons. Such as are in greatest Dignity and highest place of authority upon the earth, are subject to sicknesses, to diseases, to death; so that (as the Prophet saith) Ye Princes shall fall like others. That which God laid in the beginning upon mankind; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy Bread, until thou return to the Earth: And to the Woman he said: I will greatly increase thy sorrows and thy conceptions, so that in anguish thou shalt bring forth Children: What Man, or what Woman, can free themselves from this burden, or deliver themselves from this punishment? We see the high, subject unto them as well as the low, the rich as well as the poor, the Prince as well as the people. So on the other side, when God will bestow the graces of his Spirit that accompany salvation, he distributeth them according to his pleasure, and respecteth not the outward person, he maketh no difference between Bond and Free, between Master and Servant, but giveth where it pleaseth him: which serveth to teach patience and contentation to those that live in lower places. God looketh upon them, when he passeth many times by those that are greater in the world; yea, he filleth them when he sendeth the other empty away.

Sixthly, we may observe, that he joineth love with Christian Brotherhood, and calleth Onesimus [ A beloved Brother ] not only a Servant, not only a brother, but a Brother dear and beloved; signifying thereby, that where a Christian calling is found, there Charity and Love is as a due debt required: so that if any man be converted, to become a true Christian indeed, & thereby is made our Brother (who before was a Christian only in Name & naked profession) even for this cause we are bound to embrace him with the greater love. Every man in his order to be loved, even he that is no Christian, if it be Turk or Infidel: but whosoever is a right Christian, not only in title, but in truth, must more specially be loved of us, and be dear unto us, who is nearly joined unto us as a member of the same body with us, and is to be esteemed of us, not so much another man from us, as one and the same man with us. He that is out of Christ, is another from us, he is diverse to us, and yet is to be loved as a man, as one that beareth the Image of God.

Lastly, observe, that the more causes there are of love and conjunction one with another, the dearer and deeper ought our love to be. There are many degrees of uniting us together, now the more there are, the more degrees should there be of love between us. The conjunction between the Master and the Servant in the private society, ought to be a cause of mutual love: but when to this natural respect there is added a spiritual fellowship and communion in Christ, whereby the Servant becometh more then a Servant, even a Brother with his Master; this requireth a farther degree of love in them one toward the other. Thus we see sundry observations, and all very profitable offered to our considerations out of these words: we cannot stand upon them all, and therefore we will only select some of the prinpall and chiefest of them.

In these words we see, how he goeth about to mitigate the wrath and displeasure of Philemon, by teaching him to consider; that those things which were done peruersely and corruptly, are by the direction and determination of God turned to another end. For a joyful end and good issue in evils, is as it were a remedy offered unto us by the hand of God, to blot out offenses. Paul therefore admonisheth Philemon, that he ought not now to be so greatly offended at the flight and running away of his Servant, because it fell out to be the cause of good, not to be repented off. So then he warneth, that this departure of Onesimus from his Master, is not to be waied and pondered by his purpose and meaning, but by the end & event which was most wholesome and profitable. For by this means he was brought to the Apostle, and by hearing of him, was instructed in the way of salvation, to the end that afterward he might be made more diligent and faithful to his Master. Whereby we see, that when he saith [ Therefore he departed for a season, that thou shouldst receive him forever: ] It is not to be referred to the purpose and intent of Onesimus flying away, who had no such thought or determination ever to come back to his Master again, much less to come back better or a believer: but it hath relation to the providence of God, disposing of his fault and flight to a good and gracious end. Heereby we learn for our instruction, that all things (even sin it self) are by the high providence of God turned to the good of the elect. Such is the infinite wisdom and power of God, that he bringeth evil to a good end.

We see in this place how the Apostle maketh the providence of God to turn the sin of Onesimus to good, and to the benefit of himself and many others. For by running from his Master, he came to Rome: by coming to Rome, he lighted upon Paul: by falling into his company, he heard the Gospel preached: and by hearing the word, he was converted, which had not fallen out if he had not departed: so that his stealing and running away, turned by the goodness of God to his great benefit. So the sin of Adam turned to the greater gain and glory of the elect. To this purpose we may profitably consider the vile and villainous act of Iocobs Sons against their Brother Joseph, who considereth that it was done by the marvelous providence of God, that being sold for a Bond-slave, he might be advanced to that honor and Dignity, whereby he might nourish both his Father and Brethren in the years of Famine: therefore he said unto them when he made himself known: Be not sad, neither grieved with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you for your preservation. The like we might say of the crucifying of the Lord of Life, he was delivered into the hands of Sinners through the Treason of Judas, and other wicked and cursed Instruments; for Judas betrayed him, the Jews accused him, and Pilate judged him, whereof the Apostles say. Acts. 4. Doubtless against thine holy Son Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, gathered themselves together, to do whatsoever thine hand and thy counsel had determined before to be done. So then, albeit they wickedly intended nothing but to show their hatred, and testify their envy in the death of Christ, yet God brought another matter out of their malice, and made his endless mercy to man appear in his work of Redemption. God would have him die, Caiaphas would have him die, Pilate would have him die, Judas and the Jews would have him die; but God for our Redemption, they for other ends, as Judas for covetousness; and the Priests for envy. The History of Job is a plain and direct proof of this point that now we have in hand: he was robbed of his goods, deprived of his Servants and Children, through the rage and covetousness of his Enemies, and by the cruelty of Satan: the enemies intended herein to satisfy their own covetousness; the Devil purposed to bring the Servant of God to despair: neither of thē aimed at any good to Job: but God that overruleth and over swaieth all, had another end, to try his patience, to make known his Faith, to try his obedience, and to give the devil the foil & overthrow. Thus then we see, that all things (whatsoever they be) are ordered and disposed by the providence of God, to the good of those that belong unto him, even then when they do not intend it.

The reasons of this Doctrine are apparent, to settle our hearts and consciences therein. The first is, the infinite wisdom and unsearchable power of • od, who, as the Apostle teacheth, bringeth light out of darkness, & worketh by contrary means, such as men count foolishness, as to save men by the foolish preaching of the Gospel, that is; which is esteemed among the wise men of the World no better then foolishness. When Christ would make a blind man see, and restore his sight unto him; He spat on the ground, and made Clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the Blind with the Clay. A natural man would think this had been a way and means (judging by human reason) rather to make a man that seeth to be blind, then a man that is blind to see. Christ was able to have healed him with a word, or to have given unto him new eyes: but he chose rather to use these weak means, that in themselves had no power or strength in them.

Thus was Naaman the Syrian cleansed of his foul Leprosy, whereas he imagined the Prophet would come forth unto him, lay his hands upon him, and call upon God for him, it pleased God to work by other means, and to cleanse him by washing seven times in Jordan. We see this in nothing plainer, then in the glorious work of our Redemption. The Lord Jesus, By death, overcame death; by humbling of himself beneath all, he was exalted above all. By making himself poor, he made many rich. By suffering himself to be condemned, he hath brought us to be justified and saved. Thus he also dealeth with his own Children; he bringeth men to Heaven by Hell; he leadeth to immortality by corruption; he guideth them through fire and water to set them in a wealthy place. He worketh not by ordinary ways, by extraordinary, so often as it pleaseth him. When he would comfort, he terrifieth; when he would raise up, he casteth down; when he would revive, he mortifieth; when he would exalt, he bringeth low; when he would make a man rich, he maketh him poor.

This it is which Hannah setteth down in her Song of Thanks-giving; The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; bringeth low, and exalteth; the Lord killeth, and maketh alive, bringeth down to the Grave, and raiseth up. This also the Prophet Isaiah signifieth; The Lord shall stand as in Mount Perazim, he shall be wrath as in the Valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work: and bring to pass his Act, his strange Act. This is one of the works, of the strange works: one of the acts, of the strange acts of God, when he turneth evil into good, and ordereth the wicked actions of men to the glory of his Name, and the good of his Children.

Secondly, it is the pleasure of God to confound the wisdom of Man, that cannot attain to great matters, but by great means. For God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise, and GOD hath chosen the weak things of the World, to confound the mighty things, And vile things of the World, and things which are despised hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should rejoice in his presence. God disposeth of all things as pleaseth him, and oftentimes crosseth the devises of men. They intend one thing, but God bringeth to pass another: they purpose one end, but he will have another come forth, to teach man's wisdom to be but foolishness.

Thirdly, he expresseth his wonderful love, making all things that fall out in the world to serve his Church. True it is, the Church of God is beset with many enemies, that as wild Boars seek to root it out of the Earth, as the Devil which is the Captain of this Army, under whose Banners are gathered together the wicked world, the flesh, hell, death, sin; all which multitude as a great host muster together, to work the utter overthrow thereof: yet God that sitteth in heaven, maketh all their endeavours and enterprises further the salvation of his Church. This the Apostle teacheth; We know that all things work together for the best unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose. He blesseth their troubles and afflictions, and worketh in them patience under the cross, humility in suffering, and experience of his mercies, and maketh them confess, that it was good for them that they have been afflicted. We see this evidently in the example of Job's troubles and torments that he endured, there were many work-men set on work to wast his goods, to destroy his Children, to kill his Servants, to afflict his Body, to torment his Soul, all aiming at this to bring him to despair, and all these Wheeles were set to move by the Devil: but the Lord out of their sins wrought his great good; Making trial of his Faith to bring forth patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed. So then, seeing God is able to work, and doth work, both above, and contrary to means that men imagine, seeing he confoundeth the wisdom that is in man, and maketh manifest the abundance of his love to his people, in turning all things that fall out to their good, and making them serve them: we conclude, that God's providence disposeth and ordereth all actions, whether they be good or evil, for the benefit of such as fear him, he will make all things that come to pass, to serve them that serve him.

This doctrine of God's providence is a firm pillar of our faith, and a fundamental point of our Religion, and therefore it is thoroughly to be cleared, and the questions to be answered that they may be raised against it. First, it may be objected, that if God govern all things by his providence, it skilleth not what we do, whether we do good or evil, seeing his will must come to pass, and we cannot change it. It seemeth no matter whether we hear the word, or pray, or labor to do well, inasmuch as his will must be accomplished. I answer, that this is a false and wicked conclusion, which is founded upon our own devise, but doth not follow upon his providence. For albeit, he order all things, yet he hath appointed us to use the means. It is a great error and ignorance to separate the decree of God, and the endeavor of man which he would have coupled together. Rebecca the wife of Isaac, had heard it from the mouth of God that could not lie, that her two sons should make two Nations, and the elder should serve the younger; whereby she knew that Esau could not kill Jacob, howsoever he threatened, and whatsoever he intended, yet did she not tempt God, nor presume carelessly upon his providence, but she used the ordinary means to save and preserve the life of Jacob, and sent him to her Kindred out of his Brothers reach: which she did not in distrust, but in faith. The like we see in Paul when he was in the Ship, and the Angel of God had told him there should be no loss of any man's life, but all should come safe (though with much danger) to the land: yet he saith unto them; Except these abide in the ship ye cannot be safe. Christ our Savior prayeth to his Father to glorify him, and yet he was sure and certain of it before, to teach us, that as we believe God's providence, so we must use, and not refuse the means that he hath ordained. But of this we have spoken else where more at large, and therefore will pass it over.

If all things come to pass by the unchangeable decree of God, then nothing is done freely: and so the liberty of the Creatures will is taken away. I answer, a thing may be done by the unchangeable counsel and necessary decree of GOD, and yet changeably, and contingentlie, and freely, in respect of diverse causes by which it is produced: so that God's unchangeable purpose and man's free will may stand together. We see this in the History of Christ's Passion; the Soldiers brake the bones of the Thieves that were crucified with him, but his bones were not broken. How came this to pass? In their own nature they might have been broken, as well as not broken, as well as the Thieves were: and if we consider the Soldiers, in respect of the Nature of their will, they might have chosen the one or the other. But in regard of God's will and purpose, it was necessary they should not be broken, that the Type might be fulfilled, and that the Scripture might be accomplished.

If God rule all by his providence, how is it that there is so great confusion and disorder under the Sun? How is it, that evil men prosper and flourish, and the godly are driven to the wall, and to the worst? How is it, that there are so many Murthers, Blood-sheds, Cruelties, and Riots. I answer, the faithful are afflicted in this World for their good; That they should not be condemned with the World, as the Prophet confesseth it in his own experience. On the other side, the ungodly receive God's blessings for their farther condemnation, and to make them in-excusable before the judgment of God.

Moreover, there is no disorder in the Worlde in respect of God, albeit there be confusion in respect of Men. For there is order in the greatest disorder that happeneth among us. Hence it is that the Wise man saith, God hath made all things beautiful in his time. Even those things that seem most foul and deformed in our eyes, are yet fair and beautiful, being sent as just and due punishments from God, as the execution of his wrath and vengeance, for the wickedness and unthankfulness of the World, and for the trial of the Faith, patience, and obedience of his Servants. When peace maketh us secure, and security bringeth a forgetfulness of GOD, an abuse of his blessings, and a breaking out into all excess: are not the Sword, the Pestilence, and Famine, justly sent upon us of GOD? When we see men thrive by oppression, and get their goods with Covetousness, unjust dealing, deceit, and unmercifulness to the poor; is it not a just revenge from God's own hand, that an unthrift should arise, and ryotously was the goods that have been naughtily and wrongfully gotten? Mark a little (I beseech you) the example of David, the dear Child of God, so often commended in Scripture. He committed Adultery with the Wife, and caused her Husband to be slain by the Sword of the Ammonites, wherein he sinned grievously, and provoked the Lord exceedinglie. For he is threatened by the Prophet, and the threatening is performed. Nathan is sent unto him to show him his sin, to denounce the chastisement of God, and so to bring him unto repentance; he said: The Sword shall not depart from thy House; Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own House, and will take thy Wives before thine eyes, and give them to thy Neighbor, and he shall lie with thy Wives in the sight of the Sun, &c. This was the punishment that was threatened, which was most just in respect of God that did decree it, in respect of Nathan that did denounce it, and in respect of David that did deserve it. See now, how it was brought to pass in the house of David. First, Amnon his Son defileth his Sister Tamar: then Absalom another of his Sons, in revenge of that Incest, slayeth his own Brother, and afterward rebelleth against his Father, gathereth a power of Men, and driveth his Father out of Jerusalem, and when he cometh thither, by the counsel of Ahithophell, he causeth a Tent to be spread, and in the sight of all the people, went in and lay with his Fathers Wives. Here are sundry devilish and wicked practices, Incest, Murder, Rebellion, treason, all abhominable enormities: and yet God saith; He did all these things. These sins were most foul and filthy to look upon, as they were the inventions of the Devil, the persuasions and practices of evil men: but as they are punishments sent of God upon David for his offenses, they were beautiful in their time, they were the righteous sentence of a just Judge, who cannot deal unjustly in judgment. Thus much of answering these few Objections: Now let us proceed to conclude some Uses out of this truth.

The Uses that will arise from hence, are many, but we will only touch the principal. This Doctrine serveth for reproof, for comfort, and for obedience. For, it serveth to reprove and convince sundry persons, that either know not, or knowing, do abuse this providence of God, whereby he taketh care of all things that are in the World, and directeth them to a right end. And first of all, we set against it, and oppose unto it, the dreams and dotages of Atheists, Epicures, Libertines, and such like Wretches, who either deny wholly there is a God, or make him sit as idle in heaven, as themselves are upon the earth: so that, albeit he know and see all things, yet he worketh or ordereth not the special actions of men that fall out. These are they that pull God out of his Kingdom, and set up Chance and Fortune as an Idol, and make it their God. We must all learn and confess, that the Lord, that is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, is also the Ruler and Governor of all (even the least) Creatures. The whole world, from the highest heaven to the center of the Earth, is subject to his providence. He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will: he giveth life and breath, he preserveth them: so that nothing cometh to pass without his appointment. Whether they be things with life or without life; with reason, or without reason; general, or particular; evil, or good; Angels, or Men; necessary, or not necessary; all are ruled by his decree. So then, Chance & Fortune are words of the Gentiles, and are blindly used by such as are called Christians, whereas nothing can be done without his will and working, who is omnipotent. What seemeth more casual then the Lot? Yet, The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposition is of the Lord. Prov. 16. 33. This is it which our Savior teacheth: Are not two Sparrowes sold for a farthing, and one of thē shall not fall on the ground without your Father? Yea, and all the hairs of your head are numbered. So that we see, Chance and Providence cannot stand together, but the one overturneth the other. Secondly, it reproveth such as frō hence take encouragement to commit sin, to break out into sundry outrages, or to live securely, because God can turn it to our good, and maketh it serve to set forth his mercy. This is that presumption and sin of rebellion touched by the Apostle. Why do we not evil that good may come thereof, whose damnation is just. So in another place; What shall we say then? Shall we continue still in sin, that Grace may abound? How shall we that are dead in sin, live yet therein. We confess indeed, that God is the Sovereign cause of all events that are brought to pass, and whatsoever the enemies of the Church intend and enterprise, whether the Sons of Men, or the Devil and his Angels, he stayeth and hindereth, or represseth and disappointeth, and always disposeth it to the good and salvation of his children. Nevertheless, this doth not excuse or free the Instruments that he useth from fault. They do the will of God blindly and ignorantly, but they do cross his will openly and purposely: so that his providence doth not exempt the wicked from their evil doing. David knew well enough, and confesseth as much, that Shimei was sent of God most justly to curse him, and to rail upon him, when he fled from the face of his son Absalom: yet in his last speech to the King his Son, he doth not defend him or excuse him, But giveth charge and commandment to be revenged of him, and not to account him innocent. If then evil instruments cease not to be guilty before men, much more faulty shall they be before the judgment Seat of the Almighty, and much less shall they escape punishment for transgressing the Law of God. For howsoever wicked men be well moved by God to execute his work by them, who may use any of his creatures according to his own power & pleasure; yet in as much as they (being moved of God) do peruersely and crookedly, and wickedly move themselves, to will and work evil, so that themselves are the workers and causers of their own evil works; whereby it cometh to pass, both that they grievously offend God, and afterward severely punished of him. Wherefore such as resist God, & rebel against his law, and strive against his will, cannot say they have done his will, inasmuch as they had no purpose to keep his ordinances, & therefore make themselves subject to all his judgments. Lastly, this reproveth the Church of Rome, that among many slanders cast out against us, are not ashamed to lay to our charge that we maintain, that God is the author of sin. We hold, we teach, privately, publicly, by word, by writing, in Schools, in Churches, that God is not the author of sin, but the devil & man's own corrupt will: & whosoever teacheth and preacheth otherwise, if it were an Angel from heaven, we hold him accurssed. Hence it is that the Prophet saith, Thou art not a God that loveth wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee. So the Prophet Habakuke, Thou art of pure eyes, and canst not see evil: thou canst not behold wickedness. Likewise Zephaniah saith; The just Lord is in the midst thereof, he will do none iniquity. In like manner the Prophet Zacharias saith; Let none of you imagine evil in your harts against his neighbor, and love no false Oth: for all these are the things that I hate, saith the Lord. Thus we hear that he loveth righteousness, and hateth wickedness, so that he is the author of all good, of no evil. If we would hear this farther opened, the Apostle James is a witness of it; Let no Man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he drawn away by his own concupiscence, and is enticed. This is the conscionable Doctrine of piety, and the contrary we renounce and abhor as open blasphemy. This also is the opinion of all our Teachers that ever were among us, as were easy to show by infinite Testimonies out of their writings, if it were necessary: Nay, which is more, we teach no more then the School-men of their own side, the Men of their own Religion, the Doctors of their own profession. First, I will declare what we hold touching God's providence ordering all things, even sin it self, which is out of order: and then confirm the same out of Popish Writers, thereby to stop their mouths, and to answer the false imputations that are laid upon us, that if they will not see what we hold, yet they may understand themselves; or if they will needs condemn us, let them condemn their own Prophets. That which we teach of God's actions concerning sin, may be reduced and referred to these three heads. First, he is the Universal cause of all things, he sustaineth mankind, that in him he liveth, and moveth, and hath his being; yea, he upholdeth the being and moving of all his Actions, good and bad: insomuch that no Man could move hand or foot to an Action, no nor have being himself, if God sustained and supported not: so that the act is of God, as also the actions of all Creatures.

Now, if they will not be ignorant, but take knowledge of their doctrine, many among them affirm full as much, that God is immediately the first cause of all things, produced by the second causes: but of things evil, he is the mediate cause, in that he produceth and preserveth the Creature that is the mediate cause of evil. So likewise another saith; A Sinner when he sinneth, doth against the law and will of God in one sense, and in another not against them. He doth indeed against his signified will, and against his precepts and prohibitions, &c. but against the will of his good pleasure he doth not, nor against the effectual ordination of God. In this manner and meaning write many others, that no sin falleth out beside the will and intention of God.

Secondly, we teach that God being free to bestow where he will, to restrain where he will, and being bound to none, doth with-hold his Grace, & withdraw his spirit, and leave the wicked to themselves: whereupon it followeth, that their minds are blinded, their harts are hardened, and they cannot choose but sin. But how, may some man say, doth God harden? I answer, not by inspiring evil into men, not by creating any sin or corruption in their will, which was not there before (as he doth grace in their heart) but by denying them the power of his grace which might mollify them, and by offering them sundry objects, which they convert into occasions of sin, and by delivering them over as a just Judge to the temptations of Satan; whereby they are overcome, and have neither power nor will to stay themselves. For when God departeth, how can it be but Satan should come in place? This is not strange Doctrine among the Papists themselves. One saith; that GOD is a debtor to no man, and therefore he is bound neither to cause that Act, nor the contrary, nor yet not to cause it: but the will of the Creature by God's Law is bound not to cause the act; and so consequently sinneth by doing it.

Lastly, we teach that God doth both order or ordinate the sin that is committed, which is nothing else but a directing of it as pleaseth him, that it go not beyond his will, neither otherwise then seemeth good in his wisdom. Sometimes he restraineth it that it shall not pass nor proceed farther then he appointeth, who giveth bounds unto the Sea. Sometimes he turneth it to another end then the person intended that practiced it. Both these we see evidently in Job's temptations. The Devil desired nothing more then to destroy body and soul, but God restrained his rage, & appointed how far he should go, and what he should not do, and wrought Job's greater good by his greatest malice. Sometimes also he maketh way for sin to pass, that thereby he may punnish one sin with another. And doth not the Church of Rome teach as much? Yes, fully as much. Bellarmine in the third Tome of his Controuersies, saith as much, that God not only permitteth the wicked to do many evils, neither doth he only forsake the godly, that they may be constrained to suffer the things done against them by the wicked; but he also overseeth their evil wills, and ruleth and governeth them, he boweth and bendeth them by working invisibly in them. Thus we see, that if our Adversaries look well into their words, and know their own voice, t •… y shall not need to exclaim and cry out against us, that we make God the Author of sin, seeing the same speeches in the same cause are used by themselves. We freely confess, that God willeth nothing that is formally sin, as he willeth that which is good; but he hateth it, and forbiddeth it absolutely; within us by the light of his holy spirit, and without us by the light of his holy word.

The first entrance of sin into the World, was by the voluntary action of man's will corrupting it self, God inspiring or infusing no evil into it. To conclude, let us know, that as we all agree that every Act is of God, so we must take a difference between the action, & the evil that is in the action. The action itself is of God, but the defect or disorder of the action, is from the Instrument, which being corrupt, can it self bring forth nothing but that which is corrupt. If a man spurn forward a lame Horse that halteth down right, in that he moveth and goeth it cometh from the Rider, but in that he halteth, it is from the Horse himself. If a man cut with an evil Knife, he is the cause of the cutting, but not of evil cutting, but the badness of the Knife is the cause. Or as a cunning Musition, that playeth upon an Instrument that iarreth and is out of tune, the sound is from him that playeth, who observeth due proportion of time, and a right order of striking, but in that it iarreth, it is in the Instrument it self. The like we must hold of God's providence over wicked men and Angels, and all their actions, he putteth no wickedness into them, but he ordereth and governeth that which he findeth in them, and bendeth it by his infinite wisdom and power to a far other end then the evil Instrument intended. The whole cause of sin is truly and properly in Satan, and in our selves.

Secondly, this Doctrine serveth greatly to comfort us, both in prosperity and adversity, and that for the time to come we should repose our whole hope in God. For seeing all things come to pass by the providence of God, so that not so much as sin it self is committed without his will, it is a great comfort many ways to God's Church and chosen Children. We know that he can moderate, and will moderate the rage of the Devil, and the malice of wicked men, that they shall not hurt or hinder their Salvation. For the Devil is the Lord's Servant or slave, to work his will, albeit he do it unwillingly and by compulsion. The Prophet David saith, The Lord is at my right hand, therefore I shall not slide. And when his Soldiers were purposed to stone him to death, he was in great sorrow and heaviness, But he comforted himself in the Lord his GOD. If then we cast up our eyes, and behold the providence of God evermore watching over us, we shall not doubt of the love and goodness of God, nor of deliverance to come from his hand, albeit we see no ordinary means, but all things go a contrary way. This made the holy Man Job say; Though the Lord would kill me, yet will I trust in him. And the Prophet, Though thou cast me into the place of Dragons, and into the shadow of death, yet will I fear none evil. The church being in great perplexity and danger in the days of Mordecai, he was not without comfort, he lived not without hope, he ceased not to use lawful means for the delivery of it, he was not at his wits end, nor dispaired of an happy issue, because his heart was grounded and established in the Doctrine of God's providence, as appeareth by his words to Ester: Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the Kings House, more then all the Jews, for if thou holdst thy peace at this time, comfort and deliverance shall appear to the Jews out of another place, but thou and thy Fathers House shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time.

Again, this providence of God in everything, teacheth contentation of mind in every estate; yea, in adversity when we lie under the Cross, so that all things go against us; forasmuch as God's providence hath appointed us our lot and portion. When we live in peace, and have abundance of outward means to maintain us; as plenty, riches, health, pleasure, friends, liberty, and such like, we must remember from whom they come, and so be put in mind to be thankful for them, because they come not to us by chance, but by God's providence: so that we must not barely look upon them, nor wholly rest upon them, but behold his goodness and blessing in them. For if we consider that all prosperity cometh from him; as Meat, Drink, ease, peace, and all plenty, who is not pricked forward, and stirred up unto Thanksgiving towards so loving and bountiful a Father? Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. The Prophet Isaiah, complaineth of the unthankfulness of the Jews towards GOD, I have nourished and brought up Children, but they have rebelled against me: the Ox knoweth his Owner, and the Ass his Masters Cribbe, but Israel hath not known me, my people hath not obeyed me. The Prophet David dealt otherwise, and behaved himself with greater duty, teaching us all what to do, when he saith, What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and praise the name of the Lord. But when these outward things, whereby life is maintained do fail us, we must not fail to remember whence famine, war, pestilence, sickness, trouble, and affliction come, that there is no evil in the City which the Lord hath not done.

Moreover, let us depend upon him for the time to come, assuring our selves that he will not leave us, nor forsake us. He giveth us every day experience of his mercies, so that by remembrance of benefits received from him, we cannot doubt of his favor toward us. Lastly, this should be a very strong reason unto us, not to be unmeasurably dismayed, nor excessively offended, when offenses and great evils break out among us, as oftentimes it falleth out; whereby many are ready to shrink back, and others are much disquieted to see the Church of God so troubled. We are not to think it strange, or to forsake the faith through these scandals: for God would not suffer any evil to come to pass, unless out of that evil he were able to bring good; and out of that sin to bring forth righteousness, to the glory of his great name, and for the salvation of his deer Church. He would never have left Adam unto himself, if he had not determined out of his fall, to gain praise to himself, and to provide better for his people. It is necessary that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom they come: Let us not therefore fret our selves because of the wicked men, neither be envious for the evil doers, for they shall soon be cut down like grass, and shall wither as the green herb. And we must rest, and be resolved assuredly, that God doth not allow or favor their sin, nor purposeth to free them from the guilt and punishment of sin, howsoever he turneth their wicked purpose to a good end. For sin is the transgression of his Law. But God never swerveth nor stayeth from the strait rule of his own will, neither putteth wickedness into man; but as the earth affording sap and moisture as well to the evil trees, as the good, cannot be reproved, because the cause why the evil trees bring forth evil fruit is of themselves and their own nature, or as the Sun that raiseth evil smells, and noisome favors from unsavory puddles, cannot justly be found fault withal, because the reason thereof is not in the Sun beams, but in those corrupt places; even so, when God disposeth to good ends the sins of men that proceed from the instigation of the Devil, and abide in the ungodly themselves, he cannot be called the cause or author of sin, although by his providence he moveth all things, yea, even the ungodly, that are not able to move or remove themselves.

Lastly, seeing God's providence extendeth to everything that is, and disposeth it according to his own pleasure, it directeth us in our obedience, & putteth us in mind of a Christian duty; namely, to be patient in all adversity. If we consider that nothing can befall us, but that which is sent by the fatherly will and counsel of God, who hath always just causes to exercise his children with chastisements, either to try them, or to humble them: we shall learn to submit our selves to him, to hold our peace because he hath done it, and to keep silence that we offend not against him. This will keep us that we do not rage against second causes, that we do not mutter and murmur against God, that we seek not revenge against our enemies. We are ready in sickness to complain, in poverty to repine, in injuries and oppressions to retaile and return like for like, and in all troubles to be impatient, and to use unlawful means to deliver our selves, not attending the Lord's leisure; and the reason is, because the providence of God is not learned of us, we cannot depend upon him, we know not that he hath all things in his power to employ them to his glory, and to use them to our good. We heard before, that Joseph was sold by his own brethren, & made a servant and slave to the Egyptians. If he had only called to mind the unkind & unjust dealing of his unnatural brethren, could he have retained a brotherly affection toward them? Could he forgive the wrong offered unto him? Could he have repressed his rage, and staid him self from revenge and recompense, to give them according to their deeds and deserts toward him? But when he lifted up his mind to the Lord, and saw how God had disposed their treachery to another purpose then they meant or imagined, he forgave them their offense, he inclined to mercy, and of his own accord did comfort his Brethren, saying; But now be not sad, neither grieved with yourselves that ye sold me hither, for God did send me before you, to save you alive in this land, and to preserve you by a great deliverance: Now then, you sent me not hither, but God himself, who made me a Father unto Pharaoh, & Lord of all his house, and Ruler throughout all the Land of Egypt. So the holy man Job, if he had rested in the roberies of the Chaldeans & Sabaeans, by whom he was hurt and annoyed, had by and by been kindled with wrath, and set on fire to work revenge; but because he ascended higher, and acknowledged the work of a superior hand, he possessed his soul with patience, & comforted himself with this notable saying, left unto us for our imitation, The lord hath given, & the Lord hath taken away, as it pleaseth the Lord, so is it come to pass. The like we might say of David, when Shimei cursed him, as he fled to save his life, And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said unto the King, Why should this dead Dog curse my Lord the King? Let me go now I pray thee, & take away his head. He answered again, What have I do with you ye sons of Zeruiah? For he curseth, even because the Lord hath bidden him curse David; Who dare then say, wherefor hast thou done so? Behold, my son which came out of mine own bowels, seeketh my life, then how much more now may this son of Iemini? Suffer him to curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. He knew that God's providence would turn this to the best, & therefore he was ready to forgive the wrong which this wicked man measured unto him. Thus doth the Apostle Peter speak comfortably to the people that gave their consent to the killing and crucifying of Christ whom God raised from the dead, Now brethren, I know that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your Governors; but those things which God before had shown by the mouth of all his Prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath thus fulfilled. Such therefore as are malicious, to desire revenge and cannot be entreated to moderate their anger, never understood the Doctrine of God's providence. We have indeed many excellent reasons, and notable Meditations to move us to put up wrongs that are done us, and to root out of our hearts the weed of revenge; and instead thereof, to set the sovereign plant of patience and longsuffering, brought out of the Garden of God, which is the Scripture, that it may grow and flourish among us. And never was there more need of them, never was there less practice of them; for now the manner is, (as one truly speaketh) a word and a blow, a word and a stab, a word and a Writ. He that hateth his Brother, is a Man-slayer, for rash anger, is the Fore-runner of murder, and a degree and step to murder. God is of a patient Nature, and slow to anger; Christ Jesus is meek and lowly, whose example we ought to remember, that we may repress all choller, and so find rest unto our souls: for he forgiveth more to us, then we can forgive to others. The wrath of God hangeth over all their heads that retain wrath; for such as will not forgive, are in danger never to be forgiven, seeing we ask forgiveness, as we our selves do forgive. It is a property of love to suffer and bear, and it is a note of injustice to revenge our own quarrels; for we take away the honor of God, and make our selves the parties that receive wrong, the witnesses that accuse, the Judges that condemn, and the Executioners that punnish, which is against all Law of God and Man.

Lastly, all wrongs done to us by wicked men, come by God's providence, to which we are to submit and subject our selves, knowing what he is able to do, and what he hath promised to do toward us, even make all things fall out for our comfort and salvation. When Saul persecuted David in the wilderness, and had enclosed and compassed him round, ready to fall upon him, there came a Messenger to Saul saying, Hast thee and come, for the Philistines have invaded the Land: Wherefore, Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. They were the means of David's deliverance, but they had no purpose to do him good, or to deliver him out of the hands of Saul, or to free him out of trouble; for their intent was wicked, ambition moved them, malice carried them, revenge furthered them, and covetousness resolved them to go to work, and invade the Israelites. Nevertheless, the Lord used their unlawful act to his own glory, and over-ruled them to do that which they never dreamed, even to be the Instruments of preserving David, that was near to death.

To conclude, by all these things it appeareth, that the Doctrine of God's providence, is the ground of all godliness; but where it is denied, the foundation of Religion is pulled asunder. For, until we know and consider, that nothing happeneth by hap-hazard, but all things are swayed by the determination of the most highest, so that a drop of rain doth not fall, a puff of wind doth not blow, a clap of thunder doth not sound, a flash of lightning doeth not shine, an Arrow of famine cannot fly, a plague of pestilence cannot destroy, a judgment of War cannot arise without his appointment; we shall never be thankful for his benefits, we shall never be patient in troubles, we shall never conceive hope of delivery out of our adversities. And thus much of God's providence in the departure of Onesimus out of the house of Philemon, which being evil, God turned it to good as well of him that departed, as of him from whom he departed.

Here we see, that the Apostle to a loss of small continuance, opposeth a perpetual use, that the Mayster should gain of his servant. For to persuade him to patience in regard of his loss and hindrance, and to prevail with him to be reconciled toward him that had so offended him, and caused his loss; he doth assure him of gain & advantage; namely, that his short departure should recompense him sufficiently, with a continual possessing of him, being assured to retain him forever. We learn from hence, that God doeth oftentimes take away from his servants, many outward and earthly commodities, to the end he might bestow upon them, both mo and greater blessings. When the Mother is determined to wean her child, and take away the breast from him, it is not to famish him, but to give him a diet and food that is fitter for him. So when it pleaseth God to deny to his servants such blessings as they desire, he recompenseth the wants of them with benefits of a more high and heavenly nature. This we see in the example of Abraham, when he was sent by the calling of God out of his Country, from his Kindred and Fathers house, there was given to him and his posterity, the whole Land of Canaan; yea, God entered into a Covenant with him to be his God, and to acknowledge his posterity to be his people; so that albeit he wanted the pleasure of his Country, and the delight of his Kindred, yet he gained the friendship and favor of GOD by obeying his calling and commandment. We see this in Jacob, he was robbed of his son Joseph, by the treachery of his sons, and lived a long time without him whom he so much desired; yet in the end he beheld him in glory and dignity, and blessed him & his posterity. We see the same in Joseph himself, he was cast out of his Fathers house by his brethren, he was sold into the hands of strangers, he was cast into close prison, he endured many slanders, troubles, and crosses that fell upon him, but he bare them patiently by Faith, and in the end he was delivered, and became Ruler over the Land of Egypt. He wanted his Father, and his Father wanted him for a season, but in the end they were restored either to other, with full advantage. Let us set before our eyes the example of Job, he lost his Goods, his Children, his Servants, his Cattle, he became poor, and yet was patienr, and in the end God made an happy issue of all his afflictions, so that he had them doubled and restored unto him twofold. Our Savior Christ beateth upon this point, teaching his Disciples, Whosoever shall forsake houses, or Bretheen, or Sisters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands, for my Names sake, he shall receive an hundred fold more, and shall inherit everlasting life. For when Peter said to the Lord, Loe, we have forsaken all, and followed thee, Christ answered him; Verily, I say unto you, there is no man that hath forsaken Lands or house, &c. for my sake and the Gospels, but he shall receive an hundred fold now at this present, houses and brethren, and Sisters, and Mother, and Children, and Lands, with persecution, & in the world to come, eternal life. This appeareth farther unto us, in the Parable of the rich Glutton, and poor Lazarus, one of them was clad in Purple, and fared deliciously every day; the other, lay at the rich man's gate, who was not admitted to his Table, and continued without the doors, who was not admitted into his house: God denied unto him the blessings of this life, but he gave him the riches of faith, and received him into eternal glory. All these places of Scripture, and examples of the godly, teach us, that God denying unto his Children the things of this life, doeth it not, because he hateth their persons, or enuyeth their good, or purposeth their destruction, but rewardeth the lack and loss of bodily things with spiritual; of earthly things with heavenly; of transitory things with eternal; of lesser things with greater.

Thus the Doctrine is made plain by these testimonies, but will be made much plainer, if we consider the Reasons following. First, the loosing of these outwatd things for a good cause, is as the seed season when we sow our Corn, looking for a plentiful Harvest, as an after blessing. There is that scattereth, and more is increased, as the wiseman speaketh. So the scattering away, and loosing of the commodities of this life, and the pleasures thereof, when God requireth it at our hands, and calleth for it, shall be no loss, but a gain; no hindrance, but a benefit; no pulling of us down, but a setting of us up; no undoing of us, but an enriching of us forever. This is it which the Psalmist setteth down, speaking of the return of the people out of captivity, They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy, they went weeping, and carried precious seed, but they shall return with joy, and bring their sheaves. Where he compareth the people going into captivity, to needy Husbandmen, who cast into the ground for seed, that which was left them for succor and sustentation of their life, and returning out of captivity, to reapers which rejoice at the abundance of increase which they find: as if he should say, the Jews, who were sad and heavy, when they were carried Captives into Babylon, shall be joyful when they obtain the fruit of their hope, which is a glorious deliverance.

Secondly, God is our exceeding great reward, with whom it is an easy thing to bless and increase, to restore and multiply the good things given unto us. When God would comfort Abraham whom he had brought out of Vr of the Chaldees, to dwell in the Land of Canaan, he said unto him, I will make of thee a great Nation, and will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing; I will also bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. If then he will restore that which he hath taken away, and make up the breach that his hand hath made, we cannot doubt of his liberality toward us. The poor widow had but an handful of Meale in a barrel, and a little Oil in a Cruze, but they were increased, not wasted; multiplied, not diminished, unto the time that the Lord sent rain upon the earth, 1 Kings 17, 14. Whether therefore we consider, that the loss sustained for Christ's sake, and the Gospel, is rather a sowing then a loosing, and a laying up, rather then a scattering abroad; or whether we consider, that God is rich in mercy, and the most bountiful rewarder of his servants; in both respects we conclude, that lesser blessings are sometimes taken from us, that we may have greater supplied unto us, whereby our gain is made better then our loss.

This Doctrine being duly weighed, will be very profitable both to comfort such as are in trouble, and to instruct such as are ignorant, and to direct such in their obedience, as wander out of the right way. First, let this be our comfort, when we sustain any losses, or feel any wants, though they be never so great, though we must depart from lande and life, yet in this case, it shall be a gain and advantage unto us. For to gain and save where we ought not, is a certain loss. This gain is little, but the loss is great; it is to enjoy temporal things, and to loose eternal; it is a getting of the earth, and a loosing of heaven; a getting of substance, and a loosing of the soul. Miserable is this gain, and wretched is the lucre that is thus dearly bought & purchased. On the other side, to be content to forsake and renounce all for Christ's sake, shall in the end bring with it assured and perpetual riches. For, what is it that we have not received? It is God that hath made us, & not we our selves; it is he that hath enriched us, and not we our selves; and whatsoever we have, whether it be much or little, we have it not of our selves; and therefore we hold all of him, as Tenants at will, he may re-enter and dispossess us of them when it pleaseth him, so that we must render them up into his hands, when he calleth for them, and be resolute to leave them, when he demandeth them of us.

Let us not therefore shrink back for fear of trouble and persecution, but set before us the example of Christ, who hath gone before us, he for the joy that was set before him, endured the Cross, and despised the shame, and is set at the right hand of the throne of God. The servant must not be above his Master, nor the disciple above his Lord. We must account it an honor to bear about us the marks of Christ Jesus in our body. If we be partakers of his afflictions and patience, we shall also be partakers with him of his glory. This is it which he exhorteth us unto unto. Math. 16. If any man will follow me, let him forsake himself, and take up his cross, and follow me: for whosoever will save his life, shall loose it; and whosoever shall loose his life for my sake, shall find it: for what shall it profit a man, though he should win the whole world, if he loose his own soul? Or what shall a man give for recompense of his soul? Whosoever is not thus persuaded and resolved for the profession of the Gospel, and the faith of Christ, and the witnessing of the truth, to endure tribulation, and to suffer persecution, is not yet a Christian in deed, but in name; not in heart, but in show. So then, howsoever we be afflicted and made sorrowful for a season, yet the time will come, when our souls shall be comforted, and we have our heads lifted up, which blessed day, we ought to attend with all patience, and desire with earnest Prayer.

Secondly, seeing God sometimes depriveth his dear Children of outward and earthly blessings, but rewardeth them with heavenly; it serveth notably to instruct us in the right meaning and understanding of the reason annexed to the fifth Commandment, where such as Honor Father and Mother, have a promise of a special blessing made unto them, that they shall live long upon the earth. Where we see, that godly Children have the promises of this life made unto them. For Godliness is profitable unto all things, and hath the promises both of this life, and of the life to come. And on the other side, the fearful Judgments of GOD are oftentimes upon rebellious and disobedient Children. The Wiseman saith, The eye that mocketh his Father, and despiseth the instructions of his Mother, let the Ravens of the valley pick it out, and the young Eagles eat him.

But we see it come to pass many times, otherwise then hath been spoken of; and some will object, that wicked persons, & disobedient Children live long, and contrariwise, good men & obedient Children, do oftentimes die quickly, they prolong not their days to old age, but depart hence in the prime of their youth. I answer, first touching the ungodly, then concerning the godly. The ungodly indeed do continue long upon the earth, and die full of days, but it is to their farther vengeance, and to heap up wrath against the great day of the fierce wrath of God, and to fill up the greater measure of their sins, that God also may fill unto them the greater measure of his Judgments. This we see in Cain, who was tormented with fear of punishment, and gripings of Conscience, and horror of hell, and feeling of sin, which was worse unto him then many deaths. It had been a great benefit to him, if he had died so soon as he had been borne, for then he had not sinned so horribly, then he had not murdered his natural brother so shamefully, then he had not offended God so outrageously; but now, the longer he lived, the more sins he committed, and the greater judgments he deserved, and the heavier tormeats he endured. This we may say of all the ungodly, who commit sin with all greediness, and consequently live to their heavier punishment. But concerning the godly, he calleth them many times out of this present life betimes unto himself, and provideth far better for them, then if he had given them a long life. For he taketh and translateth them from the miseries of this world, to the joys of eternal life. And it is often good for us, that the Lord take us soon from hence; for as thereby he bringeth us to a better place, so we reap a double benefit.

First, we are kept from the corruptions of the world, for living in a corrupt air, we are ready to gather infection, and to take the scent as quickly as flax is apt to take the fire. But by taking us from hence into a sweeter dwelling, we are prevented & kept from many sins which otherwise we would fall into. This is it which the Prophet David showeth, The rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous, least the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness: do well, O Lord, unto those that be good and true in their harts. He knoweth whereof we are made, he seeth our infirmities, & how prone we are to decline after evil examples that are set before us; so that it is a benefit unto us, to go hence before we have corrupted our hearts, and defiled all our ways. Enoch lived in a most dangerous time, when wickedness began to cover the face of the earth, but because he walked with God, he was taken away, that malice should not change his heart. This is it which the Apostle Paul testifieth. For this cause many are weak and sick among you, & many sleep: for if we would judge our selves, we should not be judged: But when we are iduged, we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world.

Secondly, God dealeth mercifully with his people, in removing them out of this life, that they should not feel the present miseries, nor see the iminent calamities which he knoweth hang over them, and is determined to bring upon the sons of men, and be ouerborn and swept away by them with others. This we see in the example of Abijah the son of Jeroboam that made Israel to sin, who is branded with this note of reproach in sundry places of the holy history, That he did sin, & made Israel to sin: the Prophet said of this one only good son of this wicked father, that he should die being a child, and all Israel should mourn for him, & he only of Jeroboam should come to the grave, because in him there is found some goodness toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. God in great mercy toward him, took him away being a child, that he should not be infected and afflicted. For if he had lived to see the white hairs of his old age, he had been in great danger of the fearful sins of his fathers house, & been in great afflictiō to behold the horrible judgments that were to fall upon that godless and graceless family. The like might be said of good Josiah, he was gathered betimes to his fathers, and was put in his grave in peace, that his eyes should not see all the evil which the lord would bring on the land. He took him out of this world, before his wrath fell upon the ungodly. This is it which the Prophet Isaiah telleth us, The righteous perisheth, & no man considereth it in heart: & merciful men are taken away, and no man understandeth that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come: Peace shall come, they shall rest in their beds, everyone that walketh before him. Lastly, God calleth away his children out of this transitory life, to make them partakers of a blessed life, Seeing they are blessed that die in the lord, they cease frō their labors & their works follow them. Neither do the godly lose by this bargain, neither doth God falsify his word, but is better then his promise. For if he take away a short & frail life, and reward with a long and eternal life, the promise faileth not, but changeth for the better. Change (as we commonly say) is no robery; but this change is a commodity. If a man promised yard of cloth, and perform an ell; if he promise silver, and pay gold; if he promise to give a cottage, and put him in possession of a Palace; if he promise little, and perform much, he breaketh not his promise, but performeth it with advantage; & thus doth the Lord deal with us, who is not as man that he should lie, nor as the son of man that he should deceive, who ofttimes granteth more then we ask, and bestoweth more then we beg, but never denieth that which he promiseth. If any farther reply, how then is God true in his promises, y ^t promiseth long life in this life. I answer, that all God's promises concerning earthly blessings, must be understood with a condition, namely, so far forth as he shall see them to be expedient for his glory, and our salvation. But so far as long life shall be a benefit unto us, so far he will give it; but if in his all-seeing, and all-serching wisdom he know it to be better for us to dy then to live, to be gathred to our fathers, then to continue with our children, he taketh us away, and recompenseth the want of temporal life, with a kingdom of eternal glory. This is it which the Apostle expresseth, who repeating this blessing to come upon them that honor father & mother, doth not only say, That thou mayest live long on earth, but addeth, That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long upon earth. So then, long life is not always a blessing, for sometimes it is better to leave the world then to live in it; to depart out of it, then to enjoy it. The ungodly man, the longer he liveth, the greater is his sin, and his condemnation for sin. This the wiseman setteth down, Thogh a sinner do evil an hundred times, & God prolongeth his days yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear the Lord, & do reverence before him: but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, he shall be like a shadow, because he feareth not before God. Heerunto agreeth the Prophet Isaiah, There shall be no more there a child of years, nor an old man that hath not filled his days, but he that shall be an hundred years old, shall dy as a young man, but the sinner being an hundred year old shall be accursed. Thus then we see how to expound the promise of long life, which God performeth really, or if he take away such as are godly and obedient, he recompenceth it more fully with a better life, and so he bestoweth a great deal more then he taketh away, and granteth a better measure then he withheld from them.

Lastly, we learn for our obedience when we suffer losses, not to be vexed through impatiency, nor to break out in storming, fretting, and fuming manner against God, but to rest our selves upon him, being ready to bless his name, & not to cast away all hope & confidence of being restored. It is a worthy saying of the Prophet to Amaziah K. of Judah, being like to loose a great sum of money which he had disbursed for the leuying of foreign forces, The Lord is able to give thee more then this. If he see it good & profitable for us, he can and will repay it in the same kind; for who looseth for God's cause, & doth not get? but if he do not recompense earthly things with earthly, he will assuredly bestow upon us such riches as are immortal & immutable, & such a treasure as is eternal, not fading, but enduring forever in the heavens. A notable practice heerof we have in Job, ch. 19. in all his troubles (which were exceeding great) he comforted himself in this, I know that my Redeemer liveth, & that I shall see him in the last day. Somtimes he doth restore in the same kind, that which we have left, & seemeth to be lost: we see in the former example of Job what a blessed end the Lord made; so if we will wait with patience, and tarry his leisure, & be content with his works, we shall behold the end better then the beginning. Moreover, we see the merciful dealing of god toward his children, from whō he withholdeth personal blessings. To some he giveth strength of body, swiftness of foot, quickness of sight, readiness of hearing, & aptness of the hand, together with a due proportion & comliness of every part. But to others, he denieth these things, so y ^t we see some blind, others lame, crooked, deaf, deformed. Notwithstanding, God ofttimes supplieth these wants, and recompenseth these infirmities with a most plentiful measure of better, that is, of heavenly graces. We see this in the example of the blind man mentioned by the Evangelist John, he wanted the sight of his bodily eyes, but he had a greater light shining in his heart, & a deeper insight into the doctrine of salvation, then the chief of the Pharisees that were accounted the only Rabbies and masters in Israel, so that we may truly say, that the blindman did see, and they that thought themselves to have their eye-sight were stark blind. For when the Pharisees said of the Messia, We know not from whence this man is, the blind man answered & said unto thē, Doubtless this is a marvelous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes: now we know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshipper of God, & doth his will, him heareth he, &c. if this man were not of God, he could have done nothing. This was a worthy and open confession of the great work of God that had been wrought upon him, wherein he saw more true and heavenly light then all his enemies, who then boasted of the name of the church, and cast this simple man out of the Synagogue. But if we consider the poor man of the one side, & the proud pharisees on the other side, which of them was most blind, and whither of thē was a member of the true Church? Surely, God gave a marvelous light of knowledge to his weak servant, that he was not ashamed to confess Christ Jesus, according to the measure of grace given him: whereas the blind Pharisees were blind, leaders of the blind, & saw nothing. Heerupon Christ saith, I am come unto judgment into this world, that they which see not, might see: & that they which see, might be made blind. And when the Pharisees which were with him heard, these things, & said unto him, Are we blind also? He answered, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin, but now ye say, we see: therefore your sin remaineth. Let us not therefore despise such as have infirmities or deformities of the body, nor upbraid them with them, which are not in their powers to put away; rather let us take heed of the blots and blemishes of the soul; to wit, of sin, which maketh the greatest scab and scar, and bringeth reproach unto the person. Let us beware of the blindness of the mind, of the hardness of the heart, of the wounds of the soul, and of halting with God. The blindness of the mind is a sin, and the punishment of sin, so that God is offended with it: whereby it differeth from the blindness of the body, which indeed is a certain affliction, but it is no transgression; it is a kind of misery, but no iniquity; it is a cross, but it is no sin. But the inward blindness of the mind is in it self a sin and breach of God's Law, and maketh a man culpable of judgment, and guilty of eternal death: because none is so blinded, but he hath first pulled out his own eyes, and refuseth the light of the Gospel offered unto him through the hardness of his heart. Again, this ought to be a special comfort unto us, and to suffice to asswage all grief conceived for the want of earthly blessings, if God have denied unto us the use of one or many of our members, as of our eyes, our ears, our tongue, our hands, our feet, and have made us blind, or dumb, or deaf, or lame, or maimed, let us not be discomforted or sink down under the burden; but rather considering the recompense that he giveth us another way, and the supply that he maketh by spiritual graces, let us humbly give him thanks, remembering that it is better for us, that one of our members perish, then the whole body should be cast into hell. We see the holy man Job, having had great losses and damages brought upon him to his great hindrance and decay in earthly things, acknowledged the hand of God in it, & gave him the glory, saying, Naked cam I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken it, blessed be the name of the Lord. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, Hearken my beloved Brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, that they should be rich in faith, & heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him, James 2. If God have made me blind, yet if he have given me the eyes of my mind, to see the mystery of faith in this life, and the excellency of glory reserved for me and all his Saints in the life to come, I have wherewith to comfort me abundantly in the want of bodily sight. If God have made me lame, & to halt with my foot, and thereby want many outward pleasures, that many seek and find; yet if he have vouchsafed this mercy unto me, to make me walk with a right foot to the truth of the Gospel, I cannot want sound comfort and inward peace to my own soul. God looketh not upon the person of man, he accepteth no man for his outward form and feature of the body, but looketh upon the grace and garnishing of the heart; so that albeit we be every way deformed, yet if we be thoroughly reformed in the inner man, we shall be accepted before him a thousand times more, then such as have the greatest Ornaments of the body, but have nothing to decke and adorn the soul.

Note here how the Apostle describeth the sin of Onesimus committed against his Master: he doth not aggravate and exaggerate his offense with big & swelling words, to show the greatness of his sin, but doth lessen it by gentle & mild terms whereby he calleth it. His running away he nameth a departing; his absence from his Masters house & service, the missing of him as it were an hour. This the apostle speaketh, not so much to asswage the anger of Philemon provoked thorough the offense of his servant, as to testify his unfeigned repentance, whereby he had buried and blotted out the wickedness which he committed by running from his Master, & by robbing of him. We learn hereby, that the falls & sins of our brethren that repent, are not to be increased with odious and extreme words. Whensoever (I say) we see the fruits of unfeigned repentance in any of our brethren that have fallen into sin, and been overtaken through the weakness of the flesh, we are to bind up their wounds, as careful Surgeons, and to comfort them with the sweet promises of the Gospel; not to revile them, or rail at them, or reproach them for their former falls: we must not speak the most, or the worst, or the hardest of them, but in mildness of spirit mollify the greatness of the sin what we can. This Doctrine is made evident unto us, by many testimonies and examples in the word of God. When Joseph saw his Brethren sad and grieved with themselves, because they had sold him into Egypt, he comforteth them with the providence of God, whose work it was to have him sent and sold into the hand of strangers, Now then you sent me not hither, but the Lord, who hath made me a father unto Pharaoh, & Lord of all his house, and Ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. This we see in the Lord himself toward Job, who reproved him for much weakness that he had shown in the combat and temptation: yet when he had repented in dust and ashes, and laid his hand upon his mouth, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against his three friends, because they had not spoken of him the thing that is right, like his servant Job. The like practice appeareth in Nathan, toward David, whom he reproveth: first covertly and closely under a parable, then openly and evidently he chargeth him with adultery and murder, together with great unthankfulness toward God that had been so gracious to him; but when he repented and humbled himself under the stroke of the two-edged sword of God's word, saying, I have sinned against the Lord; the Prophet doth no more upbraid him with those foul and filthy sins of committing Whoredom, and shedding of blood, but said unto him, The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die. Thus did Christ our Savior deal with the woman taken in adultery, even in the very act, brought before him by the Scribes and Pharisees, he preached unto her the Gospel upon her repentance, I do not condemn thee, Go and sin no more. The like we see in the Apostles dealing with the incestuous Corinthian; before his conversion, the Apostle chargeth him with fornication, and Such fornication as is not named among the Gentiles, that one should have his Fathers wife, and reproveth the whole Church that they had not put him away from among them: yet when he had confessed his sin, and testified his repentance by his unfeigned sorrow for his sin, the Apostle would have his sin forgiven, and his person comforted, Least he should be swallowed up with overmuch heaviness. Likewise remembering the Corinthians what they were in the time of their ignorance, Thieves, Oppressors, Fornicators, Idolaters, Drunkards, Railers, & riotous persons, by their conversion to the Gospel, and Faith in Christ, they were changed to a better life, and so could no longer be charged by such sins, Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, & by the spirit of our God. Whereby we see this truth plainly proved unto us, that it is our duty not to aggravate and amplify the sins of such as have repented them of their sins.

To this duty we shall be better directed and strengthened in the truth of it, if we mark the reasons. For first, we are not to increase in words the sin of a penitent person, because love worketh softness and gentleness in us, a care of the good name of our Brother, and banisheth all evil surmises & suspicions from us. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, Love is patient. When Peter exhorteth us, that above all things we should have fervent love among us, to the end he may confirm his exhortation, and show that there is nothing more profitable unto the faithful, then to maintain mutual Charity; he bringeth this reason, For Love covereth the multitude of sins. If this love rule in our harts, & remain among us one towards another, it bringeth excellent benefits, and we avoid inumerable evils. But if hatred bear sway, men in biting and tearing one another, are ready to consume one another, to reproach and detract one from another, to slander and defame, to strike and quarrel one with another, without measure or mercy.

Secondly, we are not always to upbraid our Brethren, and cast them in the teeth with their former falls, because we must account it sufficient, that they have been checked and teproued by us, or by the mouths of many witnesses. The nature of God himself, is gentle toward us, that he will not always chide, nor keep his anger forever. So ought we to deal one toward another. For, if he doth not deal with us after our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities, we should have compassion one toward another. If he know whereof we are made, and remember that we are but dust, we must also learn, that we have all need to be forgiven, as there is no man but desireth to be forgiven. If then it be available to our Bretherens good to have them reproved, we ought not to proceed to reviling of them, and railing upon them for those offenses which they have forsaken. This is the reason touched by the Apostle, mentioning the transgression and conversion of the incestuous person, who washed away with his tears, the guiltiness of his sin, he saith; It is sufficient unto the same man, that he was rebuked of many, so that now contrary-wise, ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, &c. If then, it be sufficient to reprove; then to revile and reproach, is more then sufficient, even superfluous, and unprofitable, and uncharitable, as we noted before.

Thirdly, whensoever our Brethren repent, we are bound to testify our forgiveness of them, and to bring a cloak to cover the foulness and deformity of their offense. But so long as we publish them abroad, and proclaim them in the ears and audience of others, it is very plain we do not forgive them: so long as we remember them to their discredit and reproach, we do not cover them. It is that reason which we heard before out of the Apostle, where he instructeth the Corinthians in Christian meekness and moderation toward him that offended and repented that had fallen, and was risen again; and chargeth them to esteem it enough that he was reproved, so that now they should confirm their love toward him, and freely forgive him. Seeing therefore, that love covereth the multitude of sins, seeing it sufficeth to reprove the sinner, and that it is a duty belonging unto us, to testify our forgiveness of him that sinneth; we may from all these considerations, as from evident consequences conclude, that the sins of our brethren, committed and repented of, ought not above measure to be stretched and augmented, but rather mittigated and lessened by us.

Before we come to the Uses of this Doctrine, it shall not be amiss, to answer some Objections. First, the Evangelist Matthew, called to be an Apostle, calleth himself a Publican, for in numbering up the twelve, he mentioneth himself, Matthew that Publican. I answer, the office of a Publican was no unlawful calling, and therefore not of that Nature that falleth within the compass of this Doctrine that we have in hand. True it is, in regard of the abuse of the Office, the name of the Officer was become odious, and therefore the Publicans and Sinners are oftentimes joined together. Now their Office was, to be Collectors of the Toll and tribute imposed upon them by the Romans which was as lawful for thē to gather, as for the people to pay. Hence it is, that John the Baptist doth not exact of the Publicans that came unto him to leave their office, but exhorted them to beware of bribery & oppressions, Require no more then that which it appointed unto you. So then, the condition of a Publican, & the profession of a Christian, may both stand together; so that a man converted to the faith, may hold the office, and be called by the Name, without any disgrace of his outward or inward calling.

The Prophet denounceth a fearful woe against all those that cal evil good, or good evil; which put darkness for light, & light for darkness. If then, we are to speak of a penitents sins favorably, & not to deal rigorously with a Conuert, it seemeth to give liberty to utter a lie, & to smother the truth. I answer, it is one thing to speak of the nature of the sin, and another thing to speak of the converted sinner. The sin is one thing, but the Conversion maketh it another. When we speak of the Nature of the sin, and the offense against God, we are not to lessen or diminish it; but when we consider it in the person that hath repented, the shame and reproach is done away, so that we may speak of it with all gentleness and mercy toward them.

The Scripture often mentioneth the unclean life of Rahab, and albeit she turned to God, forsook her filthiness, and joined her self to the people of God, yet she is branded evermore with the name of an Harlot. So the Apostle saith to the Hebrews, By Faith the Harlot Rahab perished not with them which obeyed not, when she had received the spies peaceably. In like manner James speaketh, Was not Rahab the Harlot justified through works, when she had received the Messengers, & sent them out another way? I answer, this is not mentioned to her reproach, but spoken to their praise: she is not upbraided with it, but commended, because she had forsaken it. We see hereby, what she was before her calling, she is not reproached with it after her calling. Thus our Savior speaketh in another place, to the chief Priests and Elders of the people, Verily I say unto you, that the Publicans and the Harlots go before you into the kingdom of God. Where he meaneth, that they were such (as the Apostle speaketh of the Corinthians) but now they had given over that life. Thus he saith of his Miracles that he had wrought, The blind receive sight, the halt do walk, the Leapers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up. These men, while these infirmities were upon them, could not be delivered from them; but he showeth what they had been, and what they were: they had been diseased, but now were restored. So in Rahab, the Apostles testify, what she had been, to wit; an Harlot: and what she is, not any longer an Harlot, but a true believer with the people of God. It is added therefore, not any way sounding to her defaming, but to show the greatness of God's compassion, and the soundness of her conversion.

The Uses remain to be stood upon, that the Doctrine may serve to our comfort and instruction. First, we learn from hence a notable point of Christian wisdom, to esteem of all men as they are, and not as they were, according to their present estate wherein they remain, and not according to the condition wherein they lived in times past. It skilleth not what they have been, we must consider what they are. The Apostle reckoning up many horrible sins committed by the Corinthians in the dark night of their ignorance, he saith, Such were some of you, but now ye are washed, now ye are sanctified. Where we see, he maketh a flat opposition between their former estate before their calling, and their estate after their conversion; and setteth a difference between that which they were once, and that which they are now. He saith, such they were, he doth not say such they are; they were, but now are not, because they had repented. The like we see in his affection towards one particular member of that Church (of whom we spake before) while he continued in his Incest, he chargeth them to cast him out from among them; but when he heard of his sorrow for sin, and of his repentance from dead works, he exhorteth them to confirm their love toward him more and more. We see this offered unto us in the example of God and his elect Angels. When we have sinned against the Lord, and fallen into horrible offenses, whereby he is dishonored, and our Consciences wounded, he sendeth means to turn us from our sins, and is ready to forgive us when we repent; he never upbraideth us with our iniquities that we have forsaken, but accepteth of us as we stand in the state of regeneration. This serveth to reprove two sortes of men: First, such as are so uncharitable and malicious, that they never forget the falls of their Brethren, but ever remember them, and reproach them for them. If any of the faithful have suddenly fallen into any sin, it shall always be laid to their charge, and hit in their teeth, and spread abroad from one to another, and be made far greater then it is. Wherein, see the peevishness and partiality of wicked men, who love their own, and bear with a bolster up one another in wickedness. If the ungodly that make a continual practice of sin, and have their whole delight therein, do run out of one evil into another, without touch of conscience, without shame of men, without fear of God, without turning of the heart by repentance: they shall find those that will defend them, justify them, speak well of them, as if they had committed no sin. But if any that are true Believes, have been over-taken by the suggestion of the Devil, and the corruption of the flesh; one fall of theirs shall never be forgotten, it shall always be kept on foot, it shall run in the minds and mouths of profane men, as if it had not been forgiven them: whereas a thousand enormities of lewd and ungodly men are passed over, and never spoken off. The World loveth her own, and speaketh well of her own, even of such as God abhorreth. As for the Godly that desire to please God, it cannot abide them, all their actions are narrowly pryed and searched into, and never were they so much hated as in these our days. Seeing then we have to do with such sharp sighted Eagels, that behold all, and more then all that we do, who like deceitful Work-men, are ready to stretch them upon the tender-hooks, and like slubbering Surgeons, spare not to make the wound wider then it is, whereas they ought to seek to cure and heal it: let us look more earnestly into our own ways, and know that we have a thousand eyes fixed upon us, and a thousand mouths that will be opened against us, and ten thousand ears that are prepared to listen to any slanders and surmises that shall be reported of us. Thus shall we take profit and reap a benefit even by our enemies. Thus we see how they are reproved that upbraid men with their sins which they have repented off, and do not acknowledge the change that is wrought in them; not by Men, but by God. He that is truly converted, is made a new man, and hath a new work begun in him, so that his old works are renounced, and no man abhorreth them more then himself, no man is grieved for them so much as himself. If then we truly love our Brethren, especially whom we see to be sorry for their sins past, we will think of them with all Charity, we will speak to them with all gentleness, we will have no evil suspicion of them, we will not hinder their good Name: so that when they are evil spoken off by others, we will endeavor to excuse them, to bury their faults, and to save their credit.

True it is, we must not allow of wickedness, nor call evil good; but such as have offended us, we must bear with them, and deal with them by admonitions, exhortations, reproofs, & threatenings, laboring thereby to heal them, & to give a remedy unto them. Now, if such be worthy reproof and reprehension, that remember the offenses of their Neighbors, which before they have practiced, and now have renounced: how much more are they to be condemned, that mock and deride such as have unblameable infirmities, and are blind, or deaf, or lame, or any way blemished in their bodies. The Wiseman teacheth in the Book of the Proverbs, That he which mocketh the poor, reproacheth him that made him. So it may be truly said, that whosoever reproacheth his Brother for his blindness, or lameness, or deafness, or deformity, reproacheth God that hath made him so. And who knoweth what hangeth over his own head? Or what judgment may fall upon himself or his? The little Children that came out of Beth-ell, mocked the Prophet, and said unto him; Come up thou Bald-head, come up thou Bald-head. Where we see they scoffed at him for his infirmity: but what followed? He turned about and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord; and two Bears came out of the Forest, and tare in pieces two and forty Children of them. A grievous judgment fell upon them, notwithstanding the tenderness of their age: and they are made an example unto us, to teach us to beware, that we make not a mock at the miseries of others. It is our duty rather to pity them, and show compassion toward them; to defend them, not to offend them; to comfort them in their affliction, not to lay an heavier burden upon them. This is a notable comfort unto all Parents, when they have Children borne unto them any way blemished and deformed, that they do not therefore cease to love them, that they ought not to be ashamed of them, that they should not neglect the education of them, but rather be the more careful to train them up in the fear of God, which shall more beautify them, then their blindness or lameness shall be able to blemish them. For it may be, that God will give unto us more comfort by them, then by all the rest that have the ornaments of Nature. And if we think them to be greater sinners then other men, because they suffer such things, and have those infirmities, we are deceived. When the Disciples asked Christ concerning the blind man, Who did sin, this Man or his Parents, that he was borne blind? Jesus answered; Neither hath this man sinned nor his Parents, but that the works of God should be shown on him. So then, these wants that appear in many; as the blindness of the eyes, the lameness of the foot, the deafness of the ear, the baldness of the head, the maymednesse of the hand, the stuttering of the tongue, the crookedness of the body, the deformity of the face, or other defects of nature, are not in themselves sins, but infirmities without blame or blot, which are not to be charged upon those that have them. If we be careful to eschew the blemishes of the Soul, that make us ugly Monsters, and misshapen Creatures in the sight of God, we are blessed & happy: as for outward deformities, they shall all be done away, when this Mortall shall put on immortality; and this corruption put on incorruption, so that we shall be made like unto Christ our Savior in glory.

Secondly, seeing the faults of Brethren repenting, are not to be exaggerated and increased with odious Names, but rather covered with the cloak of Charity; as Sem and Japheth did the nakedness of their Father. It teacheth us to rejoice at their conversion, to foster and cherrish good things in them, that are Prosolites and Conuerts to the Faith. The Scribes and Pharisees Would compass Sea and Land to make one of their Sect and profession: they spared no labor to win them unto them. How much more then ought we to endeavor to encourage all that be coming on, and to kindle good things appearing in them? Our Savior teacheth; That there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God, for one Sinner that converteth. Thus it ought to be with the members of the Church, when they see the increase thereof, nothing should so rejoice them, as when an access is made and added thereunto. If the body had long lacked the use of one part, and should see the same restored unto it, would not the rest of the members much rejoice? Yes, no doubt. So when we see one of the Sheep of Christ, that hath wandered far from the Sheep-fold, brought home, and following the true Shepherd, we cannot but receive great consolation by it. It is a true saying, that there are many Wolves within, and many Sheep without. Some there are that lurk in the bosom of the Church, which depart out of it, and are found to be indeed no better then Wolves. Others, are for a time out of the Church, and are as savage and cruel Wolves, who in the end are gathered home, and are in the number of the Sheep of Christ. Such a one was Saint Paul, who was a Persecuter: such were many that were the Crucifiers of Christ, yet were the Sheep and Lambes that belong unto Christ. When these join themselves to the Church, and are converted unto the Faith, their former life led in ignorance and blidnesse, must be forgotten, and we are to rejoice at their conversion.

Did any of the Church ever reproach Paul with his blasphemy against God, with his oppression of the Saints, and breathing out threatenings against the Disciples of Christ, when once he became a believer? Did any tell Peter in scorn and contempt, that he was a denyer of his Master, a Swearer and cursser that he knew him not, after that he had testified the truth of his repentance by the bitterness of his tears, for his weakness that he had shown? Did any object to Noah his drunkenness, or to Lot his Incest, or to Solomon his Idolatry? No man laid any of these things unto their charge, neither were they hated for them.

Hence it is, that the Prophet Daniel having denounced a great judgment to be accomplished against Nebuchadnezzar, for his cruelty and oppression, saith unto him; O King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by mercy toward the poor: Loe, let there be an healing of thine error. Where he showeth, that howsoever he grievously sinned and provoked God to wrath, yet if he could repent of his former ways, all his wounds should be healed, and the judgments of God should be reversed and revoked. This serveth to reprove those that regard not the repentance of those that have sinned, nor esteem of them any whit the better. These were the Novatians, that gloried of a kind of purity and perfection in themselves, and denied Salvation to those that denied Christ in persecution, and to such as fell into sin after Baptism; yea, albeit they did repent. But God delighteth not in the death of a Sinner, but that he should live. It is our duty to raise up them that are fallen, and to heal the broken-hearted, after the example of Christ, who will not break the bruised Reede, nor quench the smoking Flaxe. And if we be commanded to leave ninety and nine in the Wilderness, seeking that which is lost, and bearing it home upon our shoulders: how much are they to be reproved that keep them from the Sheep-fold that are come unto it, and bar the door against them that desire to enter? The Apostle saith; That to the weak he became as weak, that he might win the weak; and he was made all things to all Men, that he might by all means save some. The Lord Jesus calleth the Church of Ephesus to repentance, To remember from whence they were fallen, and to do their first works: Now he would never have exhorted them to repentance, except there had been pardon and forgiveness for the Penitent. If any should say to the Husbandman, follow thy business, till thy ground, plough thy fields, sow thy Corn, but thou shalt see no increase, thou shalt gather in no harvest, thou shalt have no fruit of thy labor: do we think that by this means he could be encouraged or stirred up to labor? Or if the Master of a Ship should bid the Mariners in a tempest and storm to look to their Tacklings, and everyone to work with his hands in his place wherein he was set, and withal should tell them (when they had done all) that they should neither save the Ship, nor the lives of such as were in the Ship, it were a cold comfort, or rather a certain discomfort.

In like manner, what should it avail to exhort and excite any to repentance, and to call upon them to turn unto God, when in the mean season, we bar them from salvation, and hedge up the way that leadeth unto eternal life, that they cannot enter into it, albeit they do repent and return unto him? So then, there is greater mildness and moderation required of us, & we must labor to suppress hatred and malice toward our Brethren, If any be sudainly overtaken by the snares of Satan, and the subtlety of sin, let us restore them with the spirit of lenity, considering our selves, least we also be tempted. Let us not be glad at their falls, nor triumph at the victory which Satan seemeth to have gotten, but rather mourn for them, and help them out of their danger. We are commanded in the Law, when we see the Ass of our enemy to couch down under his burden, not to cease or fall to lift him up: how much more ought we to support the weakness, to asswage the sorrow, to bear the infirmity, and to relieve the misery of our Brother? It is the manner of ungodly persons, to make it their daily sport in their devilish meetings, to insult over him, and to leap upon his back with all the reproach and infamy that they can devise to lay upon him. But it skilleth not what such foul mouths do utter, they shall one day reap the reward of their malice, and the penitent person that holdeth his peace, shall find in the end the fruit of his patience.

Thirdly, it teacheth us for our obedience, to repent betimes, and not to delay the time thereof, but while the acceptable season is to bring forth the fruits of amendment of life. For seeing we are not to make the most, or speak the worst of the falls of our penitent Brethren, it serveth as a good encouragement, and a profitable inducement to lead us and guide us unto true repentance, that so our sins may be put away. Sin is as a most filthy Leprosy, but when we repent, we are cleansed of that Leprosy. It is as unsavory Dung that stencheth the earth, and the evil savor thereof ascendeth up to Heaven; but when we repent, we smell pleasantly, as a sweet perfume in the Nosthrils of God. It is as filthy Mire, that soyleth the Soul, corrupteth the Body, and spotteth the Garment; but when we repent, the stain and blemishes of sin are put out of his sight, and blotted out of his remembrance. For when God forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and sin; he throweth it into the Sea, into the bottom of the Sea, that it may never arise again to our confusion and condemnation, and he remembereth it no more. As far as the East is from the West, so far hath he removed our sins from us, as the Prophet speaketh, so that they are so far taken out of his sight, that they and we shall never meet together. He covereth them, and will not impute them unto us; So that we which were in times past strangers and enemies, are now reconciled, being made holy and unblameable, and without fault in his sight. If then God do cover them when we repent, who are we that go about to uncover them? If he do not impute them, why should we lay them to their charge, who have a discharge from God, who hath cancelled the band and hand-writing that was against them? If God have washed and wiped away the filthiness of them, why should any man cast the mire of them in their faces again? The most expert and excellent Pysician, cannot cure a deep wound & a festered sore, but some scar will remain, and some print in the flesh is left behind: but God so healeth our infirmities, that he taketh away the stain, the guilt, and the punishment, that no token, no mark, no sign of his wrath and indignation ever appeareth to appall us, or dismay us. This is the great love and unspeakable mercy of God toward the broken heart and contrite Spirit. He that hath been an Adulterer, and hath repented of his uncleanness, is no Adulterer. He that hath been a Drunkard, and repenteth of the beastliness and abuse of the good Creatures of GOD, is no longer a Drunkard. He that hath been an Enemy and hinderer of God's word, and now loveth it above Silver and Gold, is no more an enemy, but a friend of the Gospel. He that hath been a Swearer and Blasphemer, and repenteth of his blasphemies, is not a blasphemer. He that hath been a profaner of the Lord's Sabbaoths, and now is careful to sanctify them, and spend them in holy exercises, is no longer a profane person. True it is, these men have been such, but when they see their sins, hate them, forsake them, are grieved for them, and are departed from them, true repentance is as the Fullers Sope to wash them, and to make them whiter then the Snow. We must therefore make a great difference, between that which they have been, and that which they are. Shall we say, that he, who is come to man's estate, and hath put away childishness, is still a Babe and Suckling, as Infant and Child, because once he was so? Or shall we say, that he, who is made a Free-man, and had served out his Prentishippe, is a Bond-man still, and under the jurisdiction of another, because that once he was so? In like manner, shall we change our Brethren to be Children in knowledge, to be the Servants of sin, and Bond-slaves of Satan, because they were so in the time of their ignorance, before God gave unto them repentance, that they might come out of these snares wherein they were holden Captives? Nay, I will say more, whosoever reuileth and reproacheth him with his Adultery, Idolatry, Blasphemy, Drunkenness, or Prophanesse, that hath fallen into these offenses, but dwelleth not nor delighteth in them, is a malicious enemy, a false accuser, a slanderer and liar against his Brother. The Apostle Peter denied his Master (as we shown before) he forswear him, and cursed himself if he knew the Man, which he did through fear to save his life. But because he went immediately out of the High-Priests Hall, and wept bitterlie, did any of the rest ever upbraid him, and reproach him with Apostasy, with swearing, with curssing, with his infirmity and presumption? All they therefore are led by another Spirit then the Disciples were, who despightfullie cast them in the teeth with their sins, which are more odious and grievous to them, then to those that set them afoot, and blaze them abroad to their disgrace.

This is a great comfort, and bringeth wonderful peace of conscience to all those that truly repent of all their sins past, which they have followed with greediness: seeing, that as God forgiveth them, so he will not have others to charge them with them. For if the Lord and Master of us all remit them, we are not to charge our Fellow-Servants with them. If the Prince forgive, upon the sorrow and submission of his Vassall, the Treason intended against his person, shall the subject dare to call him Traitor, seeing the Princes pardon is the Subjects protection and discharge? If the Father forgive the Child his disobedience, shall the rest of his Brethren speak evil of him, and always keep it in fresh remembrance? If these things were duelie regarded and rightly considered of us, we would not lie one hour in our sins, but make hast to be reconciled unto God, that so we may abolish the guiltiness and grievousness, together with the infamy of them. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith; As ye have given your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity, to commit iniquity, so now give your members servants unto righteousness, in holiness: for when ye were the Servants of sin, ye were freed from righteousness. What fruit had ye then, in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death, but now being freed from sin, and made Servants unto God, ye have your fruit in holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Where he teacheth, that such as continue in their sins, are as dead trees, or as rotten branches that bringeth forth no fruit: but they that are made free from sin, are made the Servants of righteousness. The Tree that hath a long time brought forth no fruit, when once it beginneth to bring forth good fruit, cannot be called an evil tree. The ground that beginneth to yield plentiful increase, cannot be called barren, whatsoever it hath been in times past. So is it with everyone of us, we are accounted Trees of righteousness, and fruitful ground, so soon as we lay aside the unsavory fruits of wickedness. Wherefore, whensoever we hear the taunts and reproaches of uncharitable men, cast out against us for such sins as we have long ago left, let us not be grieved at them, nor sorrowful for them, nor seek revenge against them, but rather comfort our selves in this, both that God hath given us repentance to see and forsake our sins, which before we made our chiefest pleasure, and that he hath pardoned them in his Son, and will never lay them to our charge, so that he accounteth them as if they had never been committed, and accepteth of us, as if we never had offended him. As for the ungodly, that have sin reigning in them, and never truly repented of heir sin, they may and ought to be charged with their sins, and as we find them in the present time to be, so we may justly account of them, so we may truly call them, and so we may censure them and pronounce of them. For as it is lawful to call a Spade, a Spade: so he that is known to live still in Adultery, may be named and noted to be an Adulterer, and a filthy liver. He that maketh a continual practice of drunkenness, and is resolved to remain in it, may be called a drunken beast, a drunken sot, a drunken companion, and we need crave no pardon if we give him that style. He that regardeth not the hearing of God's word, but liveth in open contempt of God, and of his ordinances, may be justly branded with the reproach of his sin, and may be called the enemy of all righteousness, and the Child of the Devil. We know, that Judas through covetousness betrayed his Master, and when he had done, he dispared of pardon and hanged himself: the reproach of this fact and offense, remaineth to this day, and shall never be blotted out, but he is called Judas the Traitor, and Son of perdition. Math. 10. 4. Acts 1. 16. 17. And thus the case standeth with all other unrepentant Sinners, that use not the remedy appointed of God to bring them out of the state of damnation, into the way of salvation. Hereupon we see the Prophet Isaiah, Chap. 1. calleth them the Princes of Sodom, and the people of Gomorrah, a sinful Nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of the wicked, corrupt children, Witches Children, the seed of the Adulterer, and of the Whore. Christ calleth the Pharisees a brood of Vipers, blind Guids, Hypocrites, such as were of their Father the Devil. This appeareth in the Psalm, where the Prophet speaking of such as hated to be reformed, and cast the words of God behind them, saith; When thou seest a Thief thou runnest with him, and thou art partaker with the Adulterer: thou givest thy mouth to evil, and with thy tongue thou forgest deceit: thou sittest and speakest against thy Brother, and slanderest thy Mothers Son: these things hast thou done, and I held my tongue: therefore thou thoughtest that I was like thee, but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thee: O consider this, ye that forget God, least I tear you in pieces, and there be none that can deliver you. Where we see, he layeth to their consciences their sins, and applieth unto them the judgments of God that did hang over them: so that thereupon he calleth them to serious and earnest consideration of their former works, thereby to draw them to repentance. Heereby are reproved diverse sortes of evil and corrupt minded men. First, such as aggravate and augment the sins of the godly, and make those that are no sins, to be taken for sins: and such as are lesser, to seem the greatest of all.

These are they that broach and belch out of their envious hearts and filthy mouths, and stinking breathes, all the venom that lieth hidden within them against the godly, when they can espy any of them (who have their weakness as other men, and being left unto themselves, cannot but fall) to be overtaken with the frailty of the flesh; Oh (say they) these are the holy men, these are the holy Brethren, these are the godly folk: see, see what they are, none are worse people then they. These men have quick eyes to see their sins, but they are blind and cannot see their repentance. They know what they have committed, but they are ignorant and will not know that their sins are remitted, and that whatsoever the Son of God remitteth, ought not to be retained and remembered of the Sons of men. It is no disgrace to a man to have been wicked and infamous for his offenses, if he be thoroughly changed and altered: for their reformation giveth them more grace and honor with God and all good men, then their former life doth shame and discredit. The Apostle saith; The time of this ignorance God regarded not, but now he admonisheth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he would judge the World. Secondly, they are reproved that lessen the sins of the impenitent, and mollify them with gentle Plaisters, thereby hartning and hardening them in their sins, thereby fawning upon them, and flattering them in their wickedness. They are men of the profane World like themselves; and therefore their sins shall be no sins, and their great sins are little motes that cannot be seen. It hath always been a practice and ancient custom among evil Men, to lessen odious vices, & to abate them with softer and milder terms: and that fraud and fashion was never never more frequent, then where the vice was most common. Thus it is, when Thieves are called Taking-men: Covetous persons, Thrifty-Liuers: Thus Adultery is accounted but a trick of youth; fighting and quarrelling is named man-hood; drunkenness is reputed good fellowship, and Drunkards the only good fellows. Thus is sin extenuated and diminished by those that know not the Nature of sin; and therefore seek to blaunch the foulness and filthiness of it, to which they are so continually accustomed. But howsoever these men account of sin, and whatsoever they call it, they shall find that the lessening of it, is the way to increase it, and the diminishing of it, is the means to make it greater. If we would have our sins and offenses not to come into account, we must forsake them, and repent of them.

Thirdly, it reproveth such as disclose and reveal a Penitents confession. When our Brethren in the anguish of their Souls, and in a feeling of the horror of sin, have sought peace and comfort at our hands, and have discovered their offenses that trouble them to us, as the sick man doth his disease to the Physician that he may be healed: it is our duty to comfort them, not to disgrace them; to conceal them, not to reveal them; to hide them, not to publish them and blaze them abroad, to their disgrace and discredit. True it is, when evil is opened unto us, not past, or present, but to be done afterward, as if a man confess his determination and resolution to commit Murthers, we are not tied to cover and conceal it, but are bound to manifest and make it known. This showeth the wonderful abuse of the Church of Rome committed in holy things, and things supposed by them to be holy. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is most horribly profaned of them, which being instituted in remembrance of the death of Christ, to assure us of our spiritual communion in him, and of our spiritual nourishment from him, is often received of them to combine them together in wickedness, and to take security thereby one of another, not to reveal the Treasons and Conspiracies that are plotted among them. Thus it is in the supposed Sacrament of Penance, when they would reveal the hidden mischief and poisons of their hearts, to the Priests and Jesuits their Confessors, they will seem to do it by way of confession, that so it might be (as it were) locked up and sealed with this Seal, as a secret never to be disclosed and discovered. Thus is confession become nothing else but a cover of Treason and Rebellion. But when our Brethren being afflicted in Conscience, and wounded with the Darts of Satan, and the poison of sin, shall accuse themselves, and confess some heinous sin committed that lieth heavy upon them, and can find no comfort in concealing of it, but greater horror, & thereby are brought to the gates of Hell; and like to be swallowed up in despair, when they shall (I say) confess to the glory of God, and the shaming of themselves, the wickedness of their hearts and hands, we are not to utter it to others to their disgrace, but by all means we can to cover it in secret and silence. For as we are to acknowledge our faults one to another, and to pray one for another: so we are in love to conceal the falls one of another, and not to open them in choller and malice to their reproach.

Lastly, this reproveth our remissness and wretchlesnesse in dealing with recusant Papists, the members of the Pope and Popish Church, who because we would not offend them, we speak of them honourably, and give them the Name of Catholics, and honor them with the Title of the Church: whereas we should give them their right, and call them by their propper Names, of Idolaters, and enemies of the Grace of God, and disturbers of the State. We have many among us that are ready to join with them, and to give them the right hand of fellowship, who can be content to mingle together God and Baal, Christ and Belial, light and darkness, the Temple of God, and an Idol. But as we believe the High-priest of Rome, to be the very Anti-christ described in the Scripture, so we also hold that the Church of Rome is a false and Bastard-Church, and no true Church of Christ Jesus, who not only have shaken, but razed down the very foundations of Religion, maintaining the worshipping of Images, and the merrits of works, by making a mock of Christ's merits and satisfaction, by devising other Mediators, and by presuming to offer him up an unbloody Sacrifice to God the Father. Let us not therefore halt between two opinions, nor go about to reconcile those things which can never hold or hang together. The false Apostles would join the Law and the Gospel together, the works of the Law, and the grace of Faith in the matter of Justification, which can never be, the one destroying and pulling down the other: because if it be of grace, it is no more of works, or else were grace no more grace: but if it be of works, it is no more grace, or else were work no more work. So we have those that dream of an union between Christ and Antichrist, but if the Lord be God, follow him; if Baal be he, then go after him. No man can serve both these Masters so contrary one from the other, so that whosoever cleaveth to the one, forsaketh the other.

Here is a singular commendation of Onesimus, expressed by many steps and degrees; the one ascending and climbing above the other. He was not only as a Servant, but above a Servant; not only as a Brother, but a beloved Brother; not only dear to Paul, but much more to Philemon himself. This is so much the more worthy praise and commendation; nay, of wonder and admiration, as the disposition of Servants in those times was lewd and licentious, who albeit they had good and godly Masters, yet they were light-fingered and light-footed, and upon every occasion they were apt to run away from them, as appeareth in Hagar that lived in the house of Abraham, when Sarah began to deal roughly with her, immediately she fled from her. Seeing therefore it was so rare a thing among those kind of men, to find any well minded and disposed, the Apostle maketh the more account of him, and would have his Master to make account of him. As if he should reason thus:

• Him, who in Christ Jesus is become thy Brother, thou oughtest carefully to tender, and dearly to love:
• But Onesimus is now by his unfeigned conversion become thy Brother;
• Therefore receive him.

Here we see the Apostle reasoneth for Onesimus, to have him received and respected above an ordinary Servant, because he was truly converted, and had in him a good measure of Grace, and was become a true and sound Christian. We learn from hence, that the more Grace appeareth in any, the more should they be tendered and regarded of us, whether they be Servants, Children, Neighbors, Pastors, People, Wife, Kinsfolke, or Acquaintance. In whomsoever the greatest store of heavenly things is to be found, such as most of all to be loved and regarded; tendered, and respected. The Prophet David teacheth, when the Lord, who had anointed him to be King over his people, should bring him unto the Kingdom, and make him Ruler and Governor over a great and mighty People, what they were that he would most of all regard, and upon whom he would cast his eyes; Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the Land, that they may dwell with me, he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me, &c. Solomon hath many heavenly sentences, and Divine Proverbs to this purpose: as Chap. 14. 35. The pleasure of a King is in a wise servant: but his wrath shall be toward him that is lewd. So in the 16. Chapt. The righteous lips are the delight of Kings, and the King loveth him that speaketh right things. Likewise, in the Chapter following, A discreet Servant shall have rule over a lewd Son, and he shall devide the heritage among the Brethren. The practice of this duty we see in Abraham, he had a faithful Servant, whom he made the Steward and Governor of his house, and made more reckoning of him, then he did of Ishmael his Son, or of the rest that did attend about him; and therefore purposed to have made him his heir. When he purposed to provide a Wife for his Son Isaac, he called him, and employed him to go to his Country and to his Kindred to bring a wife for him. The like we see in Jacob, Who loved Joseph above all his Brethren, because he saw most grace in him. This was in Elkanah toward his wife Hannah, he comforted her in her affliction, and said; Why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart troubled? Am not I better to thee then ten Sons? This appeareth in Jonathan toward David, He loved him as his own soul, and made a covenant of peace, and a league of friendship with him, not in any worldly respect, not for any earthly commodity, not to enjoy any temporal benefit (for he seemed thereby to loose a Kingdom) but because he saw the Lord to be with him. So the Apostle writing to the elect Lady and her Children, testifierh; That he loved them in the truth, and rejoiced greatly that he found them walking in the truth. Heereby we see, laying all these testimonies together, the truth of this doctrine, that it is our duty to regard them most, that have greatest grace shining in them.

The reasons hereof are plain to inform us. For first, where Grace is, it bringeth blessedness to that society, kingdom, congregation, family, and person; as appeareth by the confession of Joseph's Master. Gen. 39. 2. 3. whom he served. Now who are more to be regarded, or better to be thought off, then such as are blessed, and cause blessedness to others? The wicked man is accurssed of God, and draweth the curse of God upon the places where he dwelleth, and upon the persons with whom he dwelleth. But such as have found grace with God, and have grace laid up as a precious Treasure in their hearts, do bring the blessings of God to others, and serve to convey them to them, as we see by infinite examples in the Scripture.

Secondly, we see that God is most gracious to such as have most Grace in their harts, he tendereth them as the apple of his eye, and loveth them as own Sons. Indeed he loveth all the works of his hands as they are his Creatures: he maketh his Sun to shine, his rain to fall, his fruitful seasons to refresh them: he hath not left himself without witness among the Infidels, that he might make them without excuse. He giveth to Beasts, and to beastly men their food, their Corners and Garners are full, and abounding with diverse sortes, and their Sheep bring forth thousands, and ten thousands in their Streetes: but GOD is specially known in Judah, his Name is great in Israel: he showeth his Word and his Statutes among them, he hath not dealt so with every Nation, neither have they known his judgments. As this is the dealing of God toward those that are his, whom he maketh partakers of the secrets of his Kingdom: so it is our duty to follow his example, and to show our selves like unto him in our brotherly kindness toward his chosen Children, and our beloved Brethren.

Thirdly, the more grace appeareth in any, the nearer he doth resemble God, the more evidently doth the Image of God show it self in him. The Image of God, standeth and consisteth, especially in holiness and true righteousness. The ungodly are stamped and marked with profaneness and wickedness, which is the Devils badge and impression. The more they grow in evil, and bring forth the fruits of impiety and unrighteousness, the nearer they come to Satan, and are like unto him. On the other side, such as bear the Image of their heavenly father, must be exceedingly respected and regarded, as the Apostle teacheth; Everyone that loveth him which begat, loveth him also which is begotten of him.