Commentary on Numbers

OF sanctification necessarily required in the Law, we have spoken in the former Chapter. In this Chapter Moses goeth forward to handle this point farther, which is so necessary as that without it none can be the people of God. Herein for order we are to observe two things: first, the voluntary sanctification undertaken by private men that entered into the precise vow of the Nazarites, who, that they might more fully and freely attend and intend the learning of the Law, and give themselves to the contemplation and consideration of the works and ways of God and of godliness, separated and sequestered themselves for a time, wholly from the company and conversation of men, resigning up themselves into the hands of God, and seeking to cut off all occasions whatsoever, that might quench their zeal and hinder their devotion. Secondly, the public sanctification of the whole Church, whereof God is the author, Moses the teacher and the interpreter. This is the sum of this Chapter.

Touching the former point handled in the 21. first verses, which is, concerning y ^e vow of the Nazarites, before we come to the matter it self, it shall not be amiss for the farther declaration and demonstration thereof, to remove two doubts that stand in the way, arising, the one from the diverse acceptation of the word, the other from the distinction of the several kinds of this vow. Touching the several significations of the word, lest we be deceived by the ignorance thereof, we must understand that there are four acceptations of it distinct the one from the other. Some are called Nazarites some Nazarens, others Nasarites; which words because they are oftentimes by diverse confounded as if they were all one and the same, it is needful to have them distinguished aright the one from the other. The Nazarites, of whom we have mention in this place, have their name of separation, and are written by the letter Zain: these by observation of certain ceremonies (of which we shall speak more particularly afterward) dedicated themselves unto God in a more holy manner then the common sort. The second sort called Nazarens, or Nazarites, are distinguished from the former, and written with the letter Tsadi, and so to be called Natsarites or Natsarens, so named of the word Netzer, which is oftentimes used by the Prophets, and signifieth properly a branch, growing out of the roots of trees, frō whence the Syriac word Notzera, or Notzerath, or Natzerath is derived; and thereof cometh the name of the City or Village of Nazareth in Galilee, because it was situate in a place planted with store of trees and flowers, as Danaus testifieth out of Bernard. Now Christ our Savior, being conceived and brought up in this place, is in the New Testament called a Nazarene, Matthew, chap. 2. verse 23. and Jesus of Nazareth, John. 19.19. Act. 2.22. and 3. 6. Matth. 26.76.71. Mar. 1.24. and 10.47. and 14.67. and 16.6. Luk. 4.34. &. 18.37. & 24.19. Act. 4.10. and 16.14. and 10-38. and 22.8. and 26.9. From hence also the disciples of Christ were first called Nazarites, but afterward they were called Christians, Acts 11.26. at Antioch which professed the faith of Christ, and the doctrine of the Gospel. The third kind of Nazarites differeth from both the former, both in the original of the word, and in wanting warrant from the authority of the Scriptures. For they are otherwise written thē the other were, to wit, with the letter S, and are derived from the Syriac word Nesar, which signifieth to cut off or to abolish, because they held that the books of Moses and the Prophets (howsoever they carried their names) were feigned and counterfeit things, and withal maintained it to be unlawful to kill any living thing, or to eat of the flesh of any creature wherein the spirit of life had been, and consequently condemned the bloody sacrifices prescribed in the Law. The fourth and last sort of those whom Eusebius remembereth among the Ebionites, howbeit others reckon and range them among other heretics, did after a sort believe in Christ, and acknowledged him to be the promised Messiah; for as the former sort were Jews, so these would be accounted Christians; howbeit they taught that the ceremonies of the law of Moses were necessary to salvation, and thereby did covertly and cunningly overthrow the liberty of the Gospel: again, they boasted of their false miracles and private revelations, as the Anabaptists do in these last days. Now as Christ our Savior was commonly called Jesus of Nazareth, so to be called Nazarites after his name, as Christians of Christ, was at the first received as a name of praise and commendation, howsoever the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles used or rather abused it, as appeareth Acts 24.5. Where Tertullus the declayming Orator accuseth Paul to be a ring leader of the sect of the Nazarens: and therefore these heretics gloried and boasted in that name, as in a name and note of honor, as the fittest which they found as with a veil to hide and with a cloud to cover the poison and pestilence of their damnable sect, who under the color of the Christian religion did indeed decline and depart from the true doctrine of Christ. Thus much of the names of the Nazarites, the first whereof, is of such as are mentioned in the Old Testament: the second, of such as are expressed in the new, so named of Nazareth a City of Galilee: the third, of those that altogether abrogated and abolished the Old Testament: the fourth, of such as taught that Christians were bound to observe the ceremonies of Moses. These two last have no footsteps in the Scriptures, but they are found in Ecclesiastical histories.

Having thus opened the name, let us consider the several kinds of these Nazarites, mentioned in the first place. They are of two sorts: first, such as were Nazarites by commandment: secondly, such as were Nazarites by vow. Now both these kinds were such among the Jews as were separated from the rest of the people, to a more strict and pure course of serving God then others were, of which the Prophet speaketh in the Lamentations, chap. 4.7. Her Nazarites were more pure then snow, they were whiter then milk, they were more ruddy in body then rubies, their polishing was of Sapphire. By commandment were such, as God from the beginning did extraordinarily call to that solemn profession of a special holiness. These were perpetual Nazarites, whose separation from the common sort by a stricter kind of life continued all the days of their life. Of this sort we have sundry examples, some in the Old Testament, and some in the New. In the Old, we have first the example of Sampson, then of Samuel, and afterward the Rechabites. Concerning Sampson, we read that the Angel of God appeared to the wife of Manoah his mother, and said to her, Behold, now thou art barren, but thou shalt conceive and bear a son: and now drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God, from the womb, unto the day of his death: and afterward Sampson himself told his minion all his heart, being besotted and almost bewitched with her love, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head: for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mothers womb. And touching Samuel, his mother set him apart to this vow, and said before he was borne, I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. In this number we may after a sort range the Rechabites mentioned in Jeremiah, chap. 35.6. who, though they had wine set before them and were bidden to drink, yet they answered, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father, commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever. Now this was one part of the vow of the Nazarites, and therefore we may account them a kind of Nazarites. In the New Testament, we see the like in John the Baptist, Luk. 1.15, where the Angel forretelleth that he shall be great, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the holy Ghost from his mothers womb.

But these are not altogether the Nazarites here spoken off: let us therefore come to the vow here mentioned, and consider from hence, that among the Jews the vow of the Nazarite was allowed and approved of God, used and practiced of that people. This doth Amos confirm unto us, Chap. 2.11.12. I raised up of your sons for Prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites, is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord? but ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink. Of these also we heard before out of the Lamentations, where they are set forth. Of this sort are they, whom James and the Elders speak off, Act. 21.23. saying to Paul, We have four men which have made a vow; them take and purify thyself with them, and contribute with them, that they may shave their heads: and all shall know that those things, whereof they have been informed concerning thee, are nothing: but that thou thyself walkest and keepest the Law: And before, Chap. 18.18, 20. it is said, that Paul took his leave of the brethren and sailed thence into Syria, and took with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow. And as James persuaded him, so he took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them, entered into the Temple to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for everyone of them.

True it is, this voluntary vow was rare and unwonted under the Gospel, and so much the more, because the Synagogue began now after a sort to be buried, and restrained, Act. 15.29. howbeit the Apostle is content to retain some of the ceremonies, not that he placed any religion in them, or thought them necessary of themselves to be observed, which had now received their deaths wound in the death of Christ; but he had respect to the infirmities of the weak brethren among the Jews, that were not yet thoroughly instructed in the liberty of the Gospel, and the freedom which Christ had brought them, in regard whereof to the weak he became as weak, that he might win the weak; to the Jews he became as a lew, that he might win the Jews; to them that are under the Law, as under the Law, that he might gain them that are under the Law; yea he made himself a servant unto all, that he might gain the more, and became all things to all men, that he might by all means save some. Thus then we see that among the Jews that were the people of God, in the time of the Law were such as vowed a special separation to God, consecrating, and sanctifying, and dedicating themselves to his service, who lived as strangers upon earth, as if they were in another world, being as men that had made a diuorse and division between themselves and the profane men and manners of the world, and were eminent among others and above others, as the Cedar among the shrubs, as the stars among the orbs, and as the Sun among the stars.

The reasons why God alloweth and approveth [Reason 1] of this vow are; first of all because mē are by nature so prove & ready to take up & choose to themselves certain sorts and sects of life that there is but a step between them and falling into superstition. Now by binding of them in this sort, he doth cast a cord about their loins, & put a bridle in their mouths; so that this is as much as if he had said unto them, Forasmuch as I see into your harts how willing you are to devise new forms and fashions of serving and worshipping me, ye shall not do what pleaseth you, but what I appoint Thus he keepeth them within the compass of their duty by this vow, and permitting them somewhat, he restraineth them from more.

Secondly, he doth hereby curb the people y ^t they should not follow the trades & desires of the heathen, by finding them work as it were at home, wherewithal to busy themselves: and hence it is, that he willeth the people, Deut. 12.30. to take heed to themselves that they were not snared by following the Canaanites after that they were destroyed before them, & that they inquire not after their God's, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will we do likewise. So then, God ordained this and such like kind of vows, to the end his own people should not follow the fond fashions of the idolatrous heathen that dwelt round about them.

Thirdly, that from hence might spring some maintenance for the Ministry, whereof in all ages and times God hath shown himself to have a special care. This appeareth evidently in the twentieth verse of this Chapter, when the Nazarite offereth a Ram for a sacrifice of a peace offering unto the Lord, a part thereof is holy for the Priests use: and therefore in this vow, the Lord had a respect to the upholding and continuing of his service by providing for those that attended thereunto.

Now the parts of the vow are to be considered, before the uses be pointed out. We have heard already, that the Nazarites were such persons as vowed a special kind of holiness. The parts of their special holiness are two: first, while they were in this vow; secondly, when the days of it were accomplished. Touching the first, while they continued in their vow, they were bound, not only to keep a temperate diet, but they were utterly to abstain from wine and strong drink, from vinegar of wine, & vinegar of strong drink, and from any liquor of grapes, as also from cating moist or dried grapes. Again, they mus • suffer no razor to come upon their heads, but must let the locks of their hair to grow, until the days be fulfilled in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord: besides, they must not defile themselves by any dead body, nor lament for any of the dead; but if any did come near them or touch them, all was frustrate and made void; the days of their separation and abstinence were to begin again, and they stood in the state wherein they were before they entered into this holy vow. The second degree of their sanctification was at the end of y ^e days of their vow, then they must be brought to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and offer their offering unto the Lord, &c.

[Use 1] This is the vow, and these are the Rites belonging unto it: now let us observe the uses remaining for us. For albeit these ceremonies be all abrogated, and seem nothing at all to touch us, and nothing at all to teach us, as things that when they were in their prime and greatest force belonged to the Jews; yet we shall find great benefit to arise from hence to the whole Church. And first concerning the sanctification of these Nazarites professing holiness above others, and in this course of a vowed kind of retyrednesse going before others, it was a lively figure of Christ, signifying to them and to us, & to the whole Church the wonderful purity of Christ, who was fully and perfectly separate from sinners. For he was the Lamb without blemish, or else he could not be a sacrifice for sin, [Object.] Levite. 1.3, 10 But was Christ such a Nazarite as these were here spoken off? and did he literally observe these parts and ceremonies expressed in this vow? I answer, [Answer.] no: he observed no part of this vow. The Nazarites abstained from wine, the fruit of the vine, the blood of the grape: but Christ himself in his own person did not so, he drank of the fruit of the vine, and lived after the ordinary manner of other men, and therefore after he had delivered his last Supper, he saith, I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom. And albeit he were falsely called a wine-bibber, as he was also slandered to be a Samaritan and to have a devil, yet it showeth thus much, y ^t he abstained not altogether from wine, yea he appointed others to drink of it, even his disciples & all other Christians at his holy Supper, so often as they drink of the cup of the Lord. The Nazarites had no razor come upon their heads during the days of their solemn vow, but whether Christ nourished his hair, we have nothing either one way or other, that we can gather and conclude for certainty; yet if we consider the words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 11.14. and mark the common custom of the rest of the Jews which may be understood out of this place, it is not probable or likely, that Christ did ever nourish, and never cut his hair. And lastly the Nazarites were not to come near the dead, nor to mourn for them: but the Evangelists yield us plentiful testimonies, both that he came near unto them. [Object.] But some will say, that he is called in Scripture a Nazarene, or, as some translate it, a Nazarite: It was fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. I answer, [Answer.] we must distinguish between a Nazarite, and a Nazarene. For Christ is so called because he was a branch springing and flourishing from Nazareth, as the place of his conception and education, of which the Prophets speak in many of their writings, and namely Zachariah. Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man, whose name is Branch, and he shall grow out of his place, and he shall build the Temple of the Lord. So then the Evangelist hath not respect or reference to these voluntary and vowed Nazarites of the Old Testament, neither doth he point out any certain place out of someone of the Prophets, but alludeth to such places, where Christ is called that holy Branch, which God promised he would raise up to David. Howbeit he is indeed a true Nazarite, or rather the truth of the Nazarites, separate from all the corruptions that attend upon the rest of y ^e sons of men, free from the common defilements of the world; and that holy One which is called the Son of God. To this purpose the holy Apostle speaketh: Such an hie Priest became us, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher then the heavens: who needed not daily as those high Priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's. For this cause he was conceived by the holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin, that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people, Heb. 2, 17. If any sin had been found in him, his death could not be meritorious for us, he should have wanted a Savior himself for himself. So then he became a pure offering, and an holy sacrifice, that our sins might be washed away, and God's wrath appeased toward us. This is a great comfort for us to consider the excellency of his sacrifice, being without all blame or blemish, without all fault or imperfection: for he was miraculously conceived, partly to fulfill the prophesies of the Prophets, Isaiah 7.14. and partly because the generation of mankind is wholly corrupted, therefore in the birth of Christ it was most requisite that the unspeakable work of the Spirit should come in, that so he might not be tainted with the common and general infection of original sin, but might be endued with most perfect purity and innocence, and so be fully able to cover our impurity and impiety, Ephe. 5.26.27, and withal as by a certain pleadge assure us, that in the end all our sins and imperfections shall be done away. In him is that fulfilled therefore which is spoken in the Lamentations, that he was whiter then the milk, and purer then the snow, and it agreeth more fitly and truly unto him then unto these Nazarites.

Secondly, this teacheth that such as were [Use 2] special ornaments of the Church, and have received a more eminent office and calling then others, should also labor to shine before others in holiness of life, according to the measure of grace which they have received, as Rom. 16.7. Salute Andronicus and Iunia my kinsmen, and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles. These thus advanced of God, are in the eyes of the world, as a City set upon an hill; a little blemish is soon seen in their face, a small stain appeareth in their coat: and therefore Satan laboreth especially to tempt and seduce them. These are great motes in Satan's eyes, as marks set up for him to shoot at: because these do most of all seek the subversion of his kingdom, and the withdrawing of others out of his snares wherein he holdeth them captive, and therefore he hateth them to the death. We see he began with Christ, and he evermore desireth to hit the fairest mark, and to strike down the highest tree. It was a cunning policy of a crafty captain, to command his soldiers to strike at no part of the enemy but at the face: and the king of Syria commanded his chief commanders, to fight neither with small nor great, save only against the king of Israel. Such is the policy of Satan, he desireth to winnow and wound the chiefest and choicest of all, and he hath oftentimes prevailed, as we see in the examples of Noah, Lot, David, Moses, Aaron, Solomon, and many others: yea, he bendeth his forces and fury so much the more to overthrow and overturn these, because he knoweth that in over-mastering them, he commonly in their fall giveth the foil to diverse others. It is noted that Satan stood at the right hand of Joshua to resist him, Zac. 3.1. So Paul was assaulted above his fellows because of his rare and excellent gifts; this was the cause why he was so much maligned. And Christ telleth his disciples that Satan desired to winnow them, them I say above others, as their calling was above others: for they were the master-builders, and laid the foundation of the Church, upon which others built. Let all those therefore whose place and calling, and gifts make thē evident & eminent above others, take heed to themselves, to their carriage and conversation: let them labor to cleave more closely to God, and so to let their light shine before men, that they seeing their good works, may glorify their Father which is in heaven. These are as chief Captains of the host, and the ensign-bearers of the Church, to show the way to others, and to go in and out before them in an unreprovable and unblameable course; and though they draw not all unto them by their example, yet their forwardness and fervency, their zeal & earnestness shall serve to instruct many others.

[Use 3] Thirdly, seeing these Nazarites must keep themselves from wine and strong drink, as also from eating fresh or dried grapes, so long as y ^e days of their separation endured, or learn hereby that it is our duty to fly from all evil, even all the occasions and allurements of sin whatsoever, though they be never so pleasant to the eye, or sweet to the taste; inasmuch as we shall find them in the end to be more sharp then vinegar, more bitter then wormwood, more deadly then poison. Abner, the Captain of Saul and of his son accounted war as a sport which young fellows did make, howbeit he confessed the end would prove bloody, when he cried out, Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? so, howsoever the fool make a mock of sin, and it seem pleasant and profitable at the first, yet the end will be mourning and lamentation. This did Zophar teach in the book of Job: Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth though he hide it under his tongue, yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him, &c. Hence it is, that the Apostle James saith, Pure religion and undefiled before God even the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. If we do this, then we shall be true Nazarites separated from the world, and brought near unto God: then we shall bestow our minds and meditations upon him, and withdraw our cares and cogitations from the desire of earthly things. When God called Abraham out of Vr of the Chaldees, he required of him to walk before him, and to be upright. Such a spiritual Nazarite was Noah, God saw him just in that profane age, when all the earth had corrupted their ways, Gen. 6. Such a Nazarite was Lot in sinful Sodom, 2 Pet. 2.7. when he vexed his righteous soul from day today, beholding the unclean conversation of those cursed Sodomites. Thus was Noah out of the world, while he was in the world: thus was Lot out of Sodom, even while he was in Sodom: and thus should our conversation be in heaven, while we have our being and dwelling upon the earth, Phil. 3. Such a Nazarite was Nathaniel, in whose spirit there was no guile, John. 1. for as he is said to be an Israelite indeed, so it may be said, he was a Nazarite indeed. And as these were holy unto God, so must we labor after purity, and offer up our bodies an holy and living sacrifice to God, Rom. 12.1. Everyone that calleth upon the Name of the Lord must depart from iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19. We must labor to be clear from the works of darkness, and from the sins of worldlings and wicked persons, marking what the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 7, 1. Cleanse you selves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. For as these Nazarites were not to taste of the juice of liquor of the grape, so we should not intermeddle with any sin, but shun and shake off the same much more then we would to be defiled with mire and dirt: remember the counsel of the same Apostle, What agreement, what fellowship is there between light & darkne • ? therefore come out from among them and separate yourselves, & touch no unclean thing, then shall we be the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty.

[Use 4] Fourthly, consider from hence the false ground that the Papists build upon to establish the Monkish and Fryarly Orders, whereby they build an house upon the sand, which cannot continue. For, from this ceremony and vow of the Nazarites, being a more strict kind of life in the abstinence from sundry pleasures that others lawfully took in the moderate use of the good creatures of God, and consequently a profession of greater holiness by sequestering themselves from the company of men to give themselves wholly to prayer and meditation, the Popish doctors go about to defend the Monks and Friars, and that swarm and rabble of Locusts that came out of the bottomeless pit, and to set up their unorderly Orders, to be a profession of life of greater holiness and perfection above others, which the common sort cannot attain unto. Howbeit, if we consider the matter aright, & compare them together, we shall see there is no agreement nor likeness between them. This vow was grounded upon the word of God, and warranted from thence: the Monkish life is deducted from the puddles of man's invention. These bound themselves with a vow for a certain time, for days, or months, or years: they to y ^e end of their life, & account it worse then sacrilege to forsake their dens and cloisters.

These here mentioned did consecrate and separate themselves to the Lord only, they to Saint Benedict, to Saint Francis, to Saint Dominic, and such like counterfeit Saints. These entered not into this vow, as if it were meritorious, and available to obtain remission of sins, and everlasting salvation, as appeareth by the sacrifices which they were commanded to offer for their sin when the time of their vow was expired: they affirm that they merit heaven thereby for themselves, and can spare an overplus for others through their works of supererogation. These abstained from wine, nay from all that cometh of the grape: but they, albeit boasting of Angelical perfection, will not be brought under this yoke, but caratâ been cute, are indeed wine bibbers, great drinkers of wine. These did nourish their hair, and suffered it to grow until the end of their vow: but they shave their crowns, leaving a little circle in which they greatly rejoice, as if it did merit no less then the crown of heaven. These came not near to the dead, nor approached any carcass of their dearest friends, to be defiled thereby: but they are ordinarily and commonly at burials as willingly as at banquets: for while other men mourn, they are merry: while others weep, they sing: and as vultures they look for the death of rich and noble men, not so much to pray for them, as to make a prey of them. Lastly, these Nazarites might freely marry wives, as appeareth in Samson and Samuel: they vowed not virginity, to live in adultery, but it was lawful for them to marry wives notwithstanding their vows. Besides, they never vowed counterfeit poverty, or sottish obedience to any superiors: but the Monks and Friars abjure Matrimony and detest it, not fornication and unclean lusts; contrary to the precept of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7.2. To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman have her own husband. They vow poverty, but the most of them live pompously and proudly, and prodigally. And what manner of vow is this, to vow to live by the sweat of other men's labors? whereas Paul warneth, Ephe. 4.28. Let him that stole, steal no more, but let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. And in another place, He that will not labor let him not eat, 2 Thess. 3.10. Moreover, they vow obedience: But to whom? to the General of their Orders, indeed too general an obedience: to their Superior, without respect to him that is Superior: contrary to the precept of the Apostle, 1 Corin. 7.23. Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men. What is more common among them then to say, I hold of Saint Francis, I am of Dominic, I am of Saint Benedict? whereas Paul reproveth such among the Corinthians as would be accounted Christians, yet said, I am of Paul, and I of Apollo, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ: for is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Thus we see, the Popish doctors do but dally and delude the world, while they would persuade us y ^t their Monkish votaries are like the Jewish Nazarites, whereas the contrary appeareth by this comparison, that there is no coherence or communion between them, anymore in nature then in name: and as well they may persuade us, that there is a corespondence and agreement between the Prophet Elijah and the Priests of Baal, nay even between Christ himself and the sons of Belial.

Fifthly, if these Nazarites had touched the [Use 5] dead, or the dead touched them, howsoever they had passed many weeks or months of their vow, and were come even to the ende thereof, yet their vow was made void, they were to begin the weeks or months of their vow again, ver. 12. The days of his separation before shall be utterly lost, because he is defiled: which teacheth us a necessary point to be considered in our obedience, and how careful we ought to be to keep our selves from the corruptions and contagions of the world, that we fall not from GOD: because when once we depart from the ways of righteousness, all that which we have done before is out of date, it shall not be reckoned in our accounts, but be forgotten of God, according to the saying of the Prophet Ezekiel, chapter 18.20.24, 27, 28. as these words following testify. The soul that sinneth shall die. When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all that abomination that the wicked man doth, shall he live? All the righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in the sin that he hath sinned, in them he shall die. As on the other side, When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness, he shall save his soul alive, he shall surely live, and shall not die. It is not therefore enough for us to begin well, if we do not continue constant, all our labor is lost: nay, it had been better for us, if we had never begun. We see this in Lots wife, what auailed it that she went out of Sodom, and travailed with her husband toward Zoar given unto them as a City of refuge, when as she looked back, and was therefore turned into a pillar of salt? The like we might say of Judas, what did it advantage him to preach the Gospel, to work miracles, to be an Apostle, to be conversant with Christ, and to sit at his Table, when after all these privileges, he betrayed his master, joined with the Pharisees, entertained covetousness, shown himself to be indeed a devil, & the son of perdition, and in the end hanged himself. What should I speak of Phygellus, Hermogenes, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Alexander, and such like mentioned 2 Tim. 1.15 & 2, 17. & 4, 14. If then we look to have any reward and recompense of our labor, & hope to attain to the end of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls, let us so run that we may obtain, let us so sails in the Sea of this world, that we never give over until we arrive in the haven: let us be faithful unto the death, that we may receive the crown of eternal life.

Lastly, these Nazarites were notable Ornaments in the Church, and far separate from the common sort, they labored after perfection of sanctification, and strived much to excel others; yet when they had ended the days of their vow, they must be brought to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, & offer their offering unto the Lord: which teacheth, that our best works, such as proceed from the best men, and done with the best endeavor of purity and holiness, even when we strive to exceed and excel our selves, and have bent all our strength to serve the Lord in special manner, yet we have need to ask pardon, and confess that we are unprofitable servants. We are never so perfect, but we are stained with some imperfections; we cannot be so pure, but we are defiled with some impurity and contagion of sin; so that howsoever, we desire cheerfully and constantly to please God in all things, yet evil is present with us, Rom. chapt. 7. verse 21. and sin doth easily beset us, Hebrews chap. 12. verse 1. so that we all stand in need of the pure and perfect sacrifice of Christ, the author and finisher of our Faith, without which we cannot be accepted of God the Father. We must therefore from hence learn to acknowledge, that albeit we desire to offer up our selves wholly unto him, yet we can merit nothing at his hands, nor attain unto perfection, but are guilty of his judgments, if he enter into judgment with us, Psalm 143, 2. For in his sight shall no man living be justified. It is the sacrifice of Christ, for which he is well pleased, from the merit thereof cometh our merit, our merit is his merit, and the Fathers mercy. He knew no sin, neither was any guile found in his mouth, Isaiah 53. And hence it is, that we shall be acquitted and discharged of sin, so that none shall be able to lay anything to our charge: and though we be in our selves debtors, yet he hath paid our debt, and set us free, to whom be all glory and praise for evermore, Amen.

Touching the vow of the Nazarites, the first part of the Chapter, we have spoken hitherto; howbeit of vows in general, we shall have fitter occasion to entreat, in the twenty one, and the thirtieth chapters following. Now we come to the second part of the Chapter, containing the form of blessing the people, prescribed unto the Priests from the mouth of God. But first, let us see the meaning and the method of the Words. Touching the Blessing, observe that sometimes God is said to bless man; sometimes, man to bless God; and sometimes one man to bless another. God blesseth man, when he bestoweth good things upon us which we want, and remooueth evil things from us which we feel. The good things which he giveth us, are partly earthly, and partly heavenly, and in both he blesseth us. Touching earthly, we read in the word, Genesis chap. 24. verse 35. where Abraham's servant saith, that GOD had blessed his Master greatly, and he was become great; then he telleth wherein, He hath given him Flocks, and Heards, and Silver, and Gold, and men Servants, and maid Servants, and Camels, and Asses. The like we see, Deut. 28, 3, 4, 5. Blessed in the City, blessed in the field, blessed in the fruit of thy body, &c. Touching heavenly, it is said, He blesseth with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things thorough Christ, Ephes. 1, 3.

Again, sometimes man blesseth God, when he praiseth God in word and deed, with mouth & heart, and returneth thanksgiving to him, both for bestowing upon us his blessings and removing from us his blessings When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. So Psal. 103, 1. Luke. 1, 68. Now this our blessing of God, is nothing but an effect of y ^e former. For as we love God, because he loved us first; so we bless God because he blessed us first. We can never return him the glory, but from a feeling of his own mercy. We cannot open our mouth to praise him, except he opened his hands to bless us. Lastly, man is said to bless man; we bless one another, when we pray one for another, Rom. 12, 14. Bless them which persecute you, which is expounded by the words of Christ, Mat, 5, 44. Pray for them which despitefully use you. To apply these things to our present purpose, we must mark that in this place the word is thrice used, and to be understood diversely: for when the Lord commanded Aaron and his sons to bless the people, the meaning is, they must pray for them, and heartily desire good things unto them. Again, when it is said, The Lord bless thee; and when the promise is made, I will bless thee, the meaning is, the Lord will bestow all good things on thee, and take away all evil things from thee: so that they blessed the children of Israel by desiring and praying, God blessed them by giving and bestowing.

Moreover, the priests of God are taught to crave that God would make his face shine, [Objection] & lift up his countenance upon the people. It may be asked, hath God any face, visage, or countenance? I answer these things are ascribed to God, [Answ.] not properly, but for our better capacity & understanding. It was the error of the Anthropomorphites, who because the Scriptures speak of the eyes, ears, mouth, hands, heart, head and arms of God, did therefore imagine that God is like unto us, and had a bodily shape, whereas he is a Spirit: as also he will be worshipped in spirit and truth. This the Apostle teacheth, The Lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the lord is, there [Object. 2] is liberty. But these heretics object, that God made man in his own image and likeness. Gen. 1. This is true, [Answer.] but their consequent is false. For we are said to be created according to the Image of God, not because he hath any bodily shape, for that is against his nature who is infinite, and against his word w ^c teacheth the contrary. The essence of God is spiritual, invisible, and most simple; he is a just and merciful God, love it self holiness it self, & goodness itself. In these we were made like unto God, in these we resemble him & bear his image, being created in righteousness and true holiness. True it is some place this image of God in dominion over the creatures, others in his immortal soul only, others in reason by which we are distinguished from beasts, but these let pass the principal point, which the heathen man saw, when he said, The virtue which is in a man came nearer to the similitude of God, thē the figure or outward shape. What then can be the shadow of such a substance, and the image of such a nature, and the resemblance of such a power and perfectness, but that which the Apostle teacheth, Put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him? Would we then know, what the true image of God is? It is the reasonable soul in man, endued with divine knowledge, holiness, righteousness, & such like. This image is much deformed: for we have utterly lost all supernatural gifts, and corrupted those that are natural: & therefore our whole life is, or at least, should be, nothing else but a making up of this breach, a stopping of this gap, and a repairing of these ruins.

But to leave these, we must understand that the face of God noteth out diverse things: sometimes it signifieth the invisible nature and essence of God, as Exod. 33, 23. Thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen, that is, thou shalt see so much of my glory and majesty, as man in this life can comprehend. But no man can see God in his full perfection & live, if we cannot look upon the Sun without dazzling and dimming of our eyes, how should we be able to behold the glory of y ^e eternal God? let it content us to look upon him in his word in his works, in his creatures, and in the face of Jesus Christ our Mediator: these are as perspective glasses, wherein we may after a sort, see the face of God, though it be darkly, yet so far as we can conceive. Secondly, it signifieth the favor of God, as also all his benefits, deliverances, and graces which proceed from his good will as from a fountain, and serve to witness his favor to us, Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Thirdly, it signifieth revenge and punishment, and the signs of his anger; all which do oftentimes appear by the face of man, I will set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from among his people. Lastly, it noteth out the place of God's worship, where his face and favor is perceived through delivery of the doctrine of godliness. Cain was banished from the face of God, of the which David complaineth, 2 Sam. 26, 49. So highly did the servants of God prize the holy meetings and assemblies of the Saints, considering that where two or three are gathred together in his name there is he in the midst of them. In this place, the shining of God's face upon his church & people, is the refreshing of them with his love, grace, and favor, and a train of other blessings flowing from them, as it is expounded in the words following, added by way of exposition, Be gracious unto them.

The last part of the blessing, is the giving of peace. This word signifieth sometimes our atonement with God through Christ, by whom he is reconciled to his chosen; who therefore is called the Prince of peace, Esa. 9, 6. and our peace-maker, Eph. 2, 15. Sometimes it signifieth peace of conscience, which is a most sweet quietness and tranquility of mind, arising of a most comfortable feeling and apprehension of our reconciliation with God, as Rom. 5, 1. Being justified by Faith, we are at peace with God. Sometimes a prosperous and happy success, when that speedeth well, and is turned to the best, whatsoever a righteous man taketh in hand, as Eph. 6, 23. Peace be to the Brethren, and love with faith from God the father, &c. And sometimes the mutual concord & agreement among Christian brethren. Gal. 6, 22. Ps. 34.14. In this place I refer it to the second and third significations; for it is taken for the peace of a good conscience, and an happy and prosperous success in our godly endeavors & enterprises. This is a fruit of our atonement with God, & comprehendeth under it sundry other benefits. For being once at peace with God through the precious blood of Christ, we are at peace with all other creatures in heaven and earth, with the Angels, with the godly, with our enemies, and with the beasts of the field. To conclude, when it is said, They shall put my name upon the children of Israel, he meaneth that Aaron and his sons should after their solemn blessing lay their hands on the people, and by this sign assure them, y ^t all these blessings w ^c they had prayed for, should fall on them, because God would bless them.

Touching the order of the words, observe herein two principal points: first, the form of blessing, secondly God's blessing on their blessing, testified by the outward sign of laying on of their hands. The form of blessing is a public prayer to God, that he would bless his church, which stands of 3. points. First, y ^t God would save his church, and vouchsafe to hold it up in all dangers. Secondly, that he would as the sun in perfect glory shine upon it with his grace and favor. Thirdly, that he would pour out upon the same the effects of his grace and favor, to wit, joy, peace & prosperity, which are lively fruits thereof. The second part, w ^c is a blessing upon the blessing, is noted by a Ceremonial or sacramental sign, which is the laying on of their hands. For when the priests had held up their hands in prayer (as their manner was while they stood in prayer) and prayed for the blessing of God upon the people, afterward they put their hands vpō them, as if they had already obtained a blessing from heaven by their prayers, and bestowed it with their hands upon the people. For God promiseth, that their imposition of hands shall not be in vain, inasmuch as he will ratify & make good their word, as he doth all his Sacraments and ordinances, saying, I will bless them.

But before we come to the particular handling of diverse doctrines offered to our considerations in this prayer, I will point out a few general observations to be marked of us. As first, this form of blessing is the same in effect which the Apostles use in their salvations to the Churches, when they wish unto them grace and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. This Apostolical benediction was drawn from this Blessing, which showeth how well acquainted they were with the doctrine of the Scriptures, with the prayers of Moses and of the Prophets, whereunto also we should attend as unto a light that shineth in dark places. Secondly, we have here a fundamental point of our religion offered to our considerations, to wit, the mystery of the Trinity of persons, and the unity of the God-head. This is gathered by diverse out of these words in that the name of the Lord is 3. times repeated, The Lord bless thee, the Lord make his face shine upon thee, the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee; and yet there are not three Lord's, but one Lord: and therefore he saith, I will bless thee, and not, we will bless thee. This mystery of the Trinity & Unity was taught from the beginning of the world: howbeit the fuller revelation of it was reserved to the times of the Gospel, when the light of the truth did shine as the sun at noon days. Hence it is, y ^t at the baptism of Christ, John saw the spirit of God descending like a Dove, and lighting upon him, and heard a voice from heaven, saying; This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; and when he sent out his disciples into all the world, he willed them to Baptize in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy Ghost. So doth the Apostle speak, 1 John 5, 7. There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Ghost: & these three are one. So in this place, when he mentioneth the Lord three times, it may note out the Trinity of persons: and when he saith, I will bless thē, it pointeth out the Unity of the Godhead: and so we learn to confess and believe that there is one God, & three persons. Thirdly, we are taught from hence that all good things must be asked of God, and of no creatures in heaven or in earth, forasmuch as it is he only from whom all blessings come. If then we feel any wants in our selves (as who is it that findeth not many?) we know to whom to go, we are sent to the fountain or head-spring, even to the Father of lights. He is able to furnish us, and fill us with that which we have not; he is able to increase the measure of that which we have; he will not see any want to them that are not wanting unto themselves. Fourthly, seeing we must ask a blessing from God, we are thereby put in mind, that by nature we lie under the curse of God threatened by the Law, by which cometh the knowledge of sin, Romans 3, 20. And the same Apostle, Galat. 3, verse 10. showeth, that everyone is cursed that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. We are stained and defiled with sin from our birth, Psalm 51.5. Job 14. verse 4. We see then, what is our natural estate and condition; we are not heirs of blessing, we cannot claim & challenge any portion to our selves in any of the mercies of God, there is nothing our own but the curse of God, the wrath of God, the judgment of God; these we may truly cal our own, these are our lot, this is our cup to drink, this is due unto us in regard of sin, which we drink in daily as water, which we continually swallow as bread. Let us not therefore bless our selves, as if we had some title to the blessings of God, but consider that we lie under all the curses of the law, Deut. 28 so long as we are unregenerate or impenitent: but when once we are in Christ, & have received truly to believe, then we are delivered frō the curse, and have right to his blessings. Fifthly, this solemn blessing commanded in this place to the Priests, doeth shadow out Christ Jesus which was sent of God, y ^t according to the promise made to Abraham, all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him. For, as they blessed the people when they departed out of the congregation, so did Christ whē he was to depart out of the world, as the Evangelist testifieth, Luke 24, 50, 51. he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lift up his hands and blessed them: and it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. All blessings indeed do come from him, and by him, and thorough him they are conveyed unto us. So then, the Office of blessing, which under the law was committed to the Priests, doeth truly and properly belong to Christ Jesus the high priest of our profession, through whō we receive spiritual blessings in heavenly things, Eph. 1. He is the only author of all blessing, yet that his grace might be more effectual to us, it was his will & pleasure, that the priests in the beginning should as mediators bless in his name. To this purpose appertaineth that w ^c is read in Psal. 118, 26. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, we do bless you out of the house of the Lord. The Apostle teacheth, Heb. 7, 7. that it is a sign of excelency to bless others, because without all question and contradiction the less is blessed of the greater: therefore when Christ the true Melchizedek, and the eternal priest came into the world to offer up himself, it was meet that in him should be fulfilled whatsoever was shadowed out by the Legal figures; so that he blessed the Apostles openly & with a solemn rite of lifting up his hands, to the end the faithful should fly unto him, so many as desire to be partakers of the grace of God, & to become rich in all heavenly things. Lastly, the priests are to bless y ^e people. What then? are they able to bless? have they y ^e blessings of God in their own breast? and can they give them to whom they list? no, it is God only that can bless & curse. True it is, this is given afterward to Balaam the false Prophet to be able to bless and curse whom he will, chap. 22, 6. As also it is in our days to the bishop of Rome, the true successor of Balaam rather then of Peter, with whom he hath nothing like. But the priests do bless by praying for a blessing, & pronouncing the people of God to be blessed. So then we see hereby, how the Ministers are said to bind and to loose, to forgive sins & to retain sins: not that they have an absolute power to do these things, for it is God only that properly can forgive sins: it is he that can take away the guilt and punishment of them: the Ministers only do it ministerially, publishing forgiveness and assuring remission of sins to all that are penitent, and contrariwise preaching that there is no forgiveness to the impenitent. As then the priests did bless only as the Ministers of God, so did the Disciples of Christ, and so do the Teachers of the Church remit & retain sins, only as the Ministers of Jesus Christ, who speak in his name.

[Ver 23. On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel.] Now let us come to the particular doctrine. And first there is laid before our eyes a set and solemn form of prayer enjoined to the priests to be used commonly and continually in the assemblies. From hence we learn that a set form of prayer is lawful to be used, whether publicly in the Church, or privately in the family. This point is the more strongly inferred from hence, if we consider the persons to whom this commandment was given. For this solemn form is set, not for the simple sort or the most ignorant amongst the people, neither appointed to be used within the walls of a private house, or within the doors of a secret chamber, as if it might be ashamed or blush to come abroad: but it was appointed to be pronounced by the priests, & to be uttered not in a corner, but in the Congregation of the people, and in the Tabernacle of the Lord before many witnesses. Now, if there were any able of themselves to conceive a prayer as the Spirit of GOD should give utterance and ability, undoubtedly they were the Priests of the Lord, whose lips must preserve knowledge, and the people must seek the law at their mouths: yet are they both allowed and prescribed to follow a set form in blessing the people. Moses a great prophet, like to whom did not any arise after him, to whom the Lord spake face to face, Deutro. 34, 10. was well enabled to pray without a prescript form, whose prayers were so powerful and effectual, that they prevailed more then all attempt and resistance made by the bodies of men against their enemies, Exod. 17, 11. & 32, 10. nay, they after a sort bound the hands of God as with chains, that he might not destroy them after their Idolatry, Exod. 32, 10. yet did this great prophet use set forms of prayer at their marching forward, and at their standing still: for when the Tabernacle removed, and the Ark set forward, he said, Numb. 10, 35, 36. Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered, & let them that hate thee, fly before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return O Lord, unto the thousand thousands of Israel. Let not us seek nor seem to be better thē he was, whose gifts were greater then ours are, yet he did not refuse to use, or think it unlawful to practice this uniform order in prayer. Paul was wrapped into the third heaven, he saw Christ in his glory, 1 Cor. 9, 1. and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter, 2 Cor. 12, 4. and who was able to pray better then he? yet he used always one manner of salutation in the beginning of all his Epistles, craving grace and peace from GOD the Father; and he ended with a like conclusion, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, Rom. 1, 7. & 16, 20. 1 Cor. 1, 3. and 16, 23 2 Cor. 1, 2. & 13, 14. Gal. 1, 3. & 6, 18. Eph. 1, 2. & 6, 24. Christ our Savior was filled with the riches of all grace, in whom all treasures of knowledge and wisdom were hidden, Col. 2, 3. who spent whole nights in prayer to God, Luke 6, 12. yet it is most probable y ^t he used one of David's Psalms with his Disciples after the institution & celebration of his last Supper, when it is said, he sung a Psalm, or an Hymn, which we doubt not was one of the Psalms of thanksgiving set down in holy Scripture. But howsoever this were, or whatsoever that Song were, this is certain, that y ^e hour of his passion approaching, when his soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, he prayed oftentimes again & again, that if it were possible, that cup might pass from him. And ver. 44 he left his disciples and went away, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Was it not enough for the Evangelists to note his often̄ praying, but they must add, he said the same words? The 92 Psal. was sung usually in the church of the Jews upon the Sabbath day, & was penned for that purpose, as appeareth in the title of it, & the 102 Psalm is a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed with sorrows, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord, as we may read in that title. This is also the practice of all churches at this day, concurring and communicating with ours in this point. Seeing therefore, it hath been the practice of the first and most ancient church of the Jews, & seeing it is observed of all the reformed churches in Christendom, giving the right hand of fellowship with us, to have an unity and uniformity in public prayers, it serveth fitly & forcibly to confirm us in the present truth that we deal withal, that it is lawful to use either the prayers set down in holy Scripture, or any other godly prayers made by y ^e learned to our hands consonant and agreeable to y ^e scripture.

For first of all, it were a childish and foolish thing to imagine that God is delighted with choice of prayers, as a dainty stomach is with change of meats, or that he taketh pleasure in novelty of matters and variety of words, or that he hunteth after new forms & alterations of our requests. But to condemn all prescribed forms is nothing else but to be strongly persuaded that God accepteth and receiveth no prayers but such as are new, and cannot abide to hear the same things twice: which is to nourish a wrong conceit & imagination of the most wise & merciful God.

Secondly, all things must be done to edification. [Reason 2] It is the rule of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 14, 12. but set forms in the public worship & service of God tend much to edifying, and help greatly the understanding of the simple. The greatest number of the people are simple in knowledge, and weak in judgment, and therefore to have their ears acquainted with the same form and frame of words serveth most of all for their understanding.

Thirdly, every true child and faithful servant [Reason 3] of God, although he have an honest heart yet he hath not always a flowing tongue and copiousnesse of words, but wanteth the gifts of utterance, of boldness, of knowledge, of remembrance, of invention, of order, and such like. There are many y ^t have stuttering tongs, fearful hearts, simple capacities, frail memories, that are weak in devising and framing, in contriving and disposing the things which they desire, whose names notwithstanding we dare not blot out of the roll and register of the chosen ones of God. But to conceive a prayer, all these gifts and many other are required, he must be able to utter, to invent, to discern, & to order he must have gifts of audacity and memory: but this all the godly are not able to do, they are not all thus qualified. He that is lame in his limbs, and not able to go upon his legs, yet if he get a crutch to lean upon, he can walk apace: so many are not able to conceive a prayer, or to deliver that which they have conceived of thenselves, but if they meet with any one framed unto their hands, they can pray unto God fervently, earnestly, heartily.

This doctrine made thus plain first serveth [Use 1] to convince the error of those of the separation, who condemn our churches, our ministers, our sacraments to be no true Churches of Christ, no true Ministers of Christ, no true Sacraments of Christ. And concerning our Liturgy or form of public prayer read and prescribed to be read, they account it Antichristian, they utterly detest it, and account it abhominable & no more acceptable to God then the offering of Swines flesh was under the Law, which the Lord abhorred as if they had instead of his appointed sacrifices cut off a dogs neck. And albeit we have the examples of all other Churches under heaven, as presidents, that go before us in this practice, and albeit we follow them as they followed Christ; yet they will not allow us to be like to them, nor will permit y ^t to the people of God, which he here prescribed to the Priests; yea, albeit they have no examples whom they can pretend to follow, yet they will be singular in their own conceits, & condemn all others that will not join with them. The 136. Psalm was sung in the congregations long after David's days as appeareth 2 Chro. 20, 21. what? Did they therein offer up swine's flesh? Hezekiah that godly king, that set his whole heart to seek the Lord, whom the Lord healed of an incurable disease, and wrought a miracle in the heavens, to assure him of deliverance from his enemies: this good King so much regarded of God, together with his Princes, commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer; & so they did, according to the kings commandment, sing praises with gladness, & they bowed their heads & worshipped, 2 Chro. 29, 30. Did the King and the Princes command the Levites to offer up swine's flesh? or was their service no better accepted, then the cutting off of a dogs neck? or did it any whit quench their zeal, or slake their devotion, that the words were not their own, but penned long before by David the Prophet, and Asaph the Seer? No, they praised the Lord with gladness of heart, and humbleness of mind, which they testified by this sign, that they bowed their heads and worshipped. [Object.] But it will be said, This was a thansgiuing. I confess it was: but if it be lawful to use a set form of praising and thansgiuing, [Answer.] then also of praying and making petition, because there is a like reason of both. And that we may the better see their error, and themselves confess they are deceived, let us examine some of their objections in this place; the rest we will reserve unto the 10. chapter, where we shall have farther occasion to search more into this point. One objection which [Objection 2] they allege is this, that this set service is to quench the spirit, 1 Thes. 5, 19. and to limit him that teacheth us to pray, to tell him how far he shall go, and to appoint him his banks and bounds, beyond w ^c he may not pass, whereas we should pray as the Spirit moveth & giveth us utterance. To use a set form, or (if you list to call it so) a stinted form of prayer, [Answer.] is not to stint the Spirit, but to help the Spirit. But doth the Spirit of God need the help of man? [Objection 3] Is not he all-sufficient by himself & of himself? [Answer.] He standeth not in need of us, but is most sufficient; howbeit the Spirit in us is weak, the work of the Spirit is imperfect, and is perfected not all at once, but by degreee. If all the true servants of God had received a perfect measure of grace, and if all that have the Spirit of God, had the same Spirit fully without any defect or infirmity, they should not need any human helps, but have sufficient store of their own. So then to the former objection, I answer 3. things. First, if he that taketh a book, and readeth a set prayer, did stint the Spirit, then he that taketh the Scripture into his hands, and readeth a chap. out of the old or New Testament, and then stayeth & goeth no farther, might as well be said to stint the Spirit. Or, he that heareth another pray, should stint the Spirit also, because all such as hear the prayers of others, are stinted what to hear. All cannot, neither ought to be speakers either in the private house, or in the house of God; this were to break the order of decency required in prayer: now such as are hearers of others, have words after a sort prescribed unto them, and limited how far to go, and yet cannot such hearers be justly taxed to limit or to quench the Spirit. Again, observe that the Spirit of God is never stinted or curbed, neither can rightly be said to be quenched, so long as it is kept within his own bounds, that is, the limits of the holy Scripture as it ought to be. He then that prayeth the prayer of Christ, or the salutation of Paul, or a Psalm of David, which he hath premeditated before, or committed to memory, cannot be said to quench the Spirit, except we will imagine that the Spirit can be against himself.

Lastly, to quench the Spirit, is to oppose against the voice of the Spirit, to cross and contradict the Spirit, and to with-hold the truth in unrighteousness. Therefore, although a man doeth not speak everything that the Spirit putteth into his head, and into his heart, yet he cannot be charged to quench the Spirit, except he set himself against it, & that with a set purpose to gainsay and resist it. As for example, when we crave of GOD to feed us with food convenient for us Pro. 30.8 & to make us content to eat our own bread, 2 Thes. 3, 12. though we do not expressly pray to God to keep us from using unlawful shifts & ungodly means, whereby we seek to get into our hands the goods of other men, yet we cannot be said to quench the spirit, except we refuse so to pray, because we purpose to live and thrive by injuries and oppressions, by fraud and deceit: then indeed we quench the Spirit, because we control the voice of y ^e Spirit speaking to us in his word. Again they object [Objection 4] y ^t the scripture techeth that we know not what or how to pray, Rom. 8, 26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, &c. but when we have a set form of prayer framed to our hands, and the book lieth before us, we know then what to pray, and need not the help of the Spirit, and therefore such cannot say with the Apostle, they know not what to pray for as they ought. This is a silly collection, and indeed a mere cavillation. I answer therefore 2 things. [Answ.] First, by setting down the meaning of the words; We know not what we should pray for as we ought, to wit, of our selves: as 1 Cor. 2, 14, 15. The natural man knoweth not the things of y ^e spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned. So we may say, the natural man cannot tell how or what to pray, but y ^e spiritual man that judgeth all things, knoweth both how & what to pray. Flesh & blood revealed not the knowledge of Christ to Peter, but the Father which is in heaven; so flesh and blood cannot reveal to us what we should ask in prayer, but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. Where we see, he opposeth the Spirit unto our selves: in that which we cannot do, we shall have the Spirit to be our teacher, and to instruct us how to perform it. Secondly, it is falsely supposed, that when we have a prayer composed to our hands, and we read that prayer, that then we need not the help of the Spirit. For need we not the help of the Spirit to make us lift up our hearts to God, to give us a feeling of our wants, to keep us frō earthly cogitations & wandering thoughts, to stir up faith in us with assurance to receive whatsoever we desire, and many things of like sort? the which, if they be wanting, whether our prayer be conceived or prescribed, read in the book, or made without the book, it is of no virtue or value, neither doth God accept thereof.

Secondly, this is a great comfort to such as [Use 2] as are weak, and yet withal willing to come to the throne of grace, to such I say, as have not the gift to conceive and invent prayer thenselves. Let them from this ground hear a word of consolation. Let no man discourage such from prayer, neither let such discourage themselves. For shall they never pray? or should they never fall down before the Almighty? O yes, let them come, they ought to come: if the mercy of God cannot allure thē, let their own infirmity contstrain them. If they cannot conceive a prayer themselves. shall this excuse them for the intermitting of this duty? Let them come to God and use the prayers of other men. As he that could not come unto Christ by reason of his impotency, did not reason thus within himself, Alas, I am not able to go to him of myself, I will therefore never seek help, or labor to be cured. Nay, he rather reasoned thus, as it appeareth by the means he used, I am not able to go to Christ of myself, I will therefore be borne of others rather then not seek help at all: so should we reason, I cannot pray of myself, I will therefore help mine infirmity by using the benefit of other men's prayers, which is no more then to use the feet of others, when we have not the use of our own. And as it was all one to him that was taken with a palsy, and broug • t in a bed to Christ by the hands and help of others, to be borne to Christ, and to be able of himself to come to Christ, because he was cured and made able to walk, Luke 5, 24.25. So should it be to us; if we come unto Christ, whether we come and beg the graces which we want, in our own words, or whether we beg them in the words of others, it skilleth not greatly, neither is it much material, so that we do obtain. It is not the excellency or eloquence of words, or variety of matter that God respecteth, we must come evermore in the Name of Christ, and for his sake we shall be heard. If the man sick of the palsy had been able to walk to Christ, and not stood in need to be brought unto him, what other gracious answer could he have looked for, then y ^t which he received, Arise and walk? So if all persons that live in the bosom of the Church, were well able to put up their own supplications in their own words, and had the greatest graces of knowledge and invention, what fruit could we reap and receive of such our prayers, but to be regarded? and to have that comfortable answer which Cornelius had and heard, Acts 10, 4, 31. Thy prayers are heard and had in remembrance in the sight of God? As then David did admit Mephibosheth to his table though he were lame of his feet: so doth God receive us though our service we perform unto him be weak and many ways defective, as he did those that came to the Passover, 2 Chron. 30.

Lastly, we must learn, that albeit God allow [Use 3] us to pray unto him by the help of others, yet we must strive to go further, and labor in all things to grow to perfection. There is no man that hath any infirmity, but doth gladly seek the means to remedy & redress the same, the lepers to be cleansed, the blind to recover their sight, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear; not to be able to pray to God and to lay open our wants to him, is a great want, and a greater blemish and defect in the soul, then to be blind, or deaf, or lame is to the body. O that all had eyes to see this, & hearts to bewail it. It is allowed to weak Christians to use set forms, as to him that hath weak eyes to use spectacles. But we must not evermore stand at one stay, nor be always as children that must be taught to go, and be stayed up with the hand of another. It is a great weakness to be always weak, and to continue in our weakness all the days of our life. It is our duty to grow in knowledge, in judgment, in understanding, in faith, and such like gifts.

If any ask, [Object.] how shall we be able to attain to this gift? and how shall we be furnished to pray according to the present occasion, & our own present necessities? I answer, [Answer.] we must observe these few particulars: First, we must take notice of our particular sins, that they may be acknowledged. Secondly, we must labor to feel our particular wants, tha • we may have them supplied. Thirdly, we must call to remembrance the special benefits that GOD bestoweth upon us, that hi • Name may be praised.

Again, that we should not please our selves too much in our own ignorance sundry cautions & conditions are to be marked in using set forms of prayer: as first of all, we mus • labor for the graces and affections shown in the said prayers, by the makers, composers▪ and pen-men of them, that we may pray with the same spirit, by which they did endite them. For to pray aright, and to make it available, it is not enough to be present at prayer, or to hear a prayer read, but we must join attention with our presence▪ and with our attention, humility; and with humility, faith; and with faith, lifting up of our hearts to him that sitteth in heaven, to whom we pray. For many a one that cometh to the place of prayer, and into the company of them that pray, doth yet nothing less then pray. Many a Minister that getteth up into the Pulpit, doth nothing less then preach. Many people that come with ears to hear, do nothing less thē hear; and to eat the Supper of the Lord, that do nothing less then partake of his holy table. Wherefore, we must be present in mind at holy things as well as in body, or else our presence is no better then an absence.

Secondly, we must yield to this principle, that it is both safer and better to conceive a prayer then to read a prayer, because it keepeth our minds constant, and freeth us from wandering thoughts that carry us oftentimes from the matter which we should altogether mind. For we are ready to go astray, and to set our hearts upon other things, whereas by this means they are kept close and steadfast to the requests which we make.

Again, a man may read a prayer, that never understandeth it, or conceiveth the meaning of it: and therefore it is more profitable to pour out our petitions our selves, then to have our petitions drawn by the hand of another. No man can have such a feeling of our own wants, as our own necessities will make us able to express: neither can conceive such joy and gladness for blessings received, as the experience in our selves of God's benefits will afford unto us.

Thirdly, no man must condemn such as do conceive themselves forms of prayers, & call them conceited prayers, or fantastical prayers. These are envious persons, who envy in others the graces of God, & cannot abide that any should go before themselves, or beyond themselves. These are wise in their own eyes, and indeed themselves wholly conceited and fantastical, which they falsely charge upon others, being utterly ignorant both of God's works, and their own wants. For had they known or regarded the gifts and power of the Spirit which helpeth and assisteth his servants, that their tongue is as the pen of a ready writer, and findeth sufficient matter to utter to their Maker: or had they known themselves thoroughly, what new wants they have, what new sins they commit, what new assaults they undergo, what new blessings they enjoy, which are as so many occasions or rather provocations to open their mouths anew to God, & to sing a new song unto him, they would not blot this ordinance of God with such an odious cavil. So then, whereas all such should be grieved that cannot frame their petitions according to their present wants, nor pour out their supplications according to their particular assaults, neither make confession to God according to their particular offenses, they are rather grieved that any others can perform these duties better then themselves. And whereas they should strive with might and main to be like unto them, and to follow their example, they would have all other men ignorant like themselves, and please themselves in that ignorance.

On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel.] Note in these words the persons that must perform this duty, and they are the Priests: note also what they are to do, to bless the people, & that is, to pray to almighty God for them, that his blessings may come down upon them. From hence we see, that it is the duty of the Ministers to pray for the people. So did Melchizedek for Abraham, and he was the Priest of the most high God, Gen. 14.18, 19. So did Moses often for the people, when God's heavy judgments were upon them, or hanging over their heads, Exod. 32, & 33: he stood oftentimes in the gap when the hand of God had made the breach, to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them. So did Aaron, as appeareth afterward in this book, when the plague was begun among the people, he put on incense, & made an atonement for them: he stood between the dead & the living, and the plague was stayed, Numb. 16, 47, 48. Paul in every Epistle practiseth this duty: and the Apostles committed y ^e charge of providing for the poor, and distributing to the poor, to the Deacons, that they might give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. The Prophets also never failed in this duty, as we read almost in every place of their Prophesies, they stood upon their watch-tower, having the people continually in remembrance in their holy prayers. Christ Jesus himself, the great Shepherd of the sheep, is a perfect pattern of performing this, he prayed for Jerusalem oftentimes, Luke 19. and for the whole flock of God committed unto him, whō he would not suffer to perish, but bring them to everlasting life, John 17, 20.

Thus then we see, we have the examples of Melchizedek, of Moses, of Aaron, of the Priests, of the Prophets, of the Apostles, and of Christ Jesus the Lord of life, as lively examples to go before us, and as a cloud of witnesses to conduct us in this duty, to prove unto us the truth of this point.

This must the rather be practiced; first, because it is an infallible token of our love toward [Reason 1] them, and of an earnest desire that we have of their good, Psal. 118, 26. And how can we better express even the bowels of our affection, and our longing after their prosperous estate from the heart root, then by our daily praying for them? Rom. 1, 10.

Secondly, the faithful Ministers of God have been much grieved when they were forbidden and not permitted to perform this duty. We see this evidently in Jeremiah, when the Lord had said unto him, Pray not for this people for their good: he said, Ah, Lord God, the Prophets say unto thom, ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place: where we see, he layeth the fault upon the false Prophets, and goeth about to excuse, or at least to lessen the sin of the people, who were blindly led by those blind guides, that thereby he might make a way to move the Lord to hear him for that poor seduced people.

Thirdly, the flock of God is committed unto them; it is no small charge that lieth on their hands, the price of Christ's precious blood is committed unto them, and therefore by all means they are charged to procure their good, especially considering that the blood of such as perish through their negligence, shall be required at their hands, 1 Pet. 5, 2. Ezek. 3.18.

Fourthly, it is a sin against God as well as against his people, to omit or refuse this duty. And therefore when all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: he answered; As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the lord in ceasing to pray for you. 1 Sam. 12, 23. If then it be a sin to omit it, it must needs be a duty to perform it.

Fifthly, it should be done to the ende the people might be encouraged, and not faint in their sufferings. For they are oftentimes set upon, and their faith shaken, and they ready to give over, if they be not confirmed by the word and by prayer: and therefore we read, Eph. 3, 13, 14. I desire that yet faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory: for this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with the might of his Spirit in the inner man. Our prayers shall be an effectual means to hold them up.

[Use 1] Consider from this ground, why the word oftentimes prospereth not under our hands, and we labor in vain, and strive against a stubborn and disobedient people; even because we forget our own duty, to commend our people to God, and to the word of his grace, that so their eyes may be opened, and they turned from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, & an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. Let us all therefore say with Samuel the Lord's Prophet, GOD forbid that I should sin in ceasing to pray for them, that the word may take good effect in their harts, considering it is in his hands only to give the blessing upon our labors. For Paul may plant and Apollos water, but it is God that giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3, 6. And doubtless God doth often withhold the dew of his grace frō our labors, because we do not desire & crave his blessing. It may be said, what should the Minister ask for them, or for what should he pray on their behalf? I answer, for their conversion, confirmation, consolation, preservation, multiplication, and removing of tribulation.. Many in all Congregations remain yet in ignorance, & are not turned unto God; we must pray that they may be gained and converted, Acts 3, 19. Many are weak and feeble minded, as the bruised reed and as the smoking flax; we must pray that they may be supported and strengthened, Eph. 3, 16. Many are as it were quite out of heart, being tired with the temptations of Satan and tribulations of the world, these must be cheered up and comforted, Math. 26, 41. Acts 14 22. Many have indeed received to believe, but they are ready to stand at a stay, and some at the point to go backward; we must pray that these may be kept and preserved. John 17, 11. Holy Father, (saith Christ) keep through thine own Name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. Many Congregations have the fewest number that have given their names in sincerity and uprightness of heart to God, and resolved to offer up their bodies an holy and living sacrifice unto him, so that the true Church is a little flock: we must pray therefore that the number may be augmented and increased, and that he would every day add unto the Church, such as should be saved, Acts 2, 47, and 13, 48. and 16.5. So were the Churches established in the faith, & increased in number daily.

Lastly, the Churches of God do often lie under many judgments, and are pressed even above measure with sundry calamities: it is our duty therefore to pray to GOD to have them removed, that they may have a breathing time, & quietly serve the Lord in peace and tranquility, as Paul wisheth Agrippa were altogether like him, except his bands, Acts 26, 29.

Secondly, this serveth to reprove such as [Use 2] never practice this, neither think it to be any ministerial duty, to pray for the people, and for the blessing of God upon their own speaking, & the people's hearing. And thus is the whole office of the Ministry disanulled. Some that love their own ease more then the people's good, maintain that reading is preaching, because they are loath to take pains thenselves, or to maintain any that should take pains. Others that pray seldom, think it needless either to begin their Sermons, or to end them with invocation of the Name of God: and by this means they neither give themselves continually to prayer, neither to the Ministry of the word. And if we mark the people that live under their Ministry, & depend upon them, we shall see them for the most part most ignorant, and such as have no desire of knowledge, except peradventure some few, who have been fed with the crumbs that fall from other men's tables, I mean, that have gotten their knowledge in other places.

Thirdly, it is the Ministers duty to labor after the grace of prayer. For how shall they [Use 3] be able to commend the people to GOD in prayer, if they be not able at all occasions and times to pray for them, being destitute of this holy and heavenly gift, which is a most necessary, a most worthy, a most effectual gift? It is a principal part of God's worship, & oftentimes beareth the name of the whole worship of God, Gen. 4, 26. Acts 9, 14. 2, Tim. 2, 19. It is the means which God hath sanctified to unlock the closet of his graces. They are hid in God, and as it were kept in his secret chamber under lock and key; prayer is the means to open the door that leadeth us the way unto them. God is indeed the fountain of all blessings, but the spring is far; the waters of life are with him, but if we use not prayer, it may be truly said to us as the woman of Samaria spake, John 4, 11. Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence therefore canst thou have that living water? If then we account the saving graces of God necessary, we must also account that means necessary, by which we do obtain them. As for those that despise the means, they do also despise the precious graces of God which are obtained by means. The like we might speak of the excellency and efficacy of prayer. But what shall all this avail us, if we be as dumb men, and not able to open our mouths to make petition to God for them? The Apostle willeth Timothy, that prayers, supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made to God by him and other Ministers, 1 Tim. 2, 1. We must all labor to know the state of our flocks. If we see any wants among them, we must pray to have them supplied: if any judgments break in upon them, we must pray to have them removed: and if God at any time have graciously heard us, we must be able to give him the glory.

Lastly, let the people answer duty for duty, [Use 4] and prayer with prayer, that so there may be a mutual performance of the same by the Pastor for the people, and by the people for the Pastor. For seeing the Ministers are commanded to pray for them, why should they be backward to remember their Ministers in their best thoughts? We are debtors one to another, and do owe a mutual duty, Rom. 1, 12, 14. Our duties are not arbitrary and indiffrent, but necessary, to which we are bound in an obligation, tying us to the performance thereof forever. For is it left to our choice and discretion, whether we will pay the debts which we owe, nor not? Hence it is, that Paul a worthy and excellent Apostle requested the prayers of the Churches & persons to whom he wrote: and the people were wont to be mindful of their Ministers. When Peter was in prison, earnest prayer was made by y ^e church for his deliverance, Acts 12, 5. & 15, 40. They stand as it were in the forefront of the battle, and Satan with all his instruments do most of all fight against them, Zach. 3, ver. 1. As then Christ giveth in charge, that we should pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest, Math. 9, 38. so we ought to pray for a blessing upon their labors which are sent forth by the gracious hand of God. The want of this maketh their pains to be unprofitable unto us.

Ver. 24. The Lord bless you and keep you.] Now we come to the particular parts of this blessing. First, the protection of the Church is to be prayed for, that it would please God to keep it, guard it, and defend it. The doctrine arising hence is this, God is to be prayed unto, to be the protector & preserver of his church. This must we continually desire of him, our mouth must be opened, and our heart enlarged. This we see to be figured out and represented in the covering of the tabernacle while it wandered in the wilderness, the which was as it were a portable or movable Temple: it had a large and sure covering made of Badgers skins sewed together, to hide and preserve the same & the appurtenances belonging unto it: this did signify the safety and sure estate of the Church, and of every true member thereof, sitting under the shadow & shelter of the most High, whereunto David alludeth, Psal. 27, 5. In time of trouble he shall hide me in his pauilion, in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me, he shall set me upon a rock. To this also hath the Prophet reference, Isaiah 4, 5, 6. There shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. This also was shadowed out in the order of the Tabernacle, set in the midst of four most mighty battailions or squadrons, surrounded by the Levites: so that none of the heathen or stangers could approach by reason of these puissant and powerful armies which guarded the same, and were as a wall and bulwark unto it on every side. This protection was also promised unto the Israelites in times of greatest danger, when they might seem to lie open to evident perils both of domestical insurrections, & of foreign invasions, while they were celebrating their solemn feasts, & every male was commanded to appear before the Lord, Exod. 34, 24. I will cast out the Nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy Land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year. We are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the building up of the walls thereof, Psalm 51, 18, and 122, 6, 7. Our daily prayer therefore must be, that he would do good to Zion in his good pleasure; for our brethren and companions sake, we must say, Peace be within thy walls, & prosperity within thy Palaces.

The reasons warranting and moving us to pray that the Church may be secured, are, first, [Reason 2] because as the state of the Church standeth, so it goeth commonly with the commonwealth. The Church is the life of the commonwealth, by which it liveth, and as the soul by which it breatheth. For as the soul quickeneth the natural body; so doth the Church give motion and strength to the politic body. If the Church be well seen unto, it cannot go amiss with the civil State. Hence it is, that the Lord willed the Jews, to seek the peace of the City, whither he had caused thē to be carried away captives, and to pray to the Lord for it, for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace, Ier. 29, 7.

Secondly, howsoever the state of the church standeth, so our own particular estate remaineth, whether it have cause to rejoice or to be sorry, even the same cause have we both of the one and of the other. For how can the child choose but prosper, while the mother is in health and prosperity? Or how can it but be weak and sickly by the weakness & sickness of the mother? The Church is the mother of us all, we suck both her breasts as it were the sincere milk of the old and New Testament. We know, that the man which goeth in a ship upon the sea, his desire and prayer is for the safety of the whole Ship no less thē for his own particular, because he knoweth his own estate dependeth upon the estate of the whole Ship, and therefore he hath good reason to pray for it. And what is the Church of God, but as it were a Ship floating up and down in the sea of this world, tossed too and fro with the rough and raging winds of the wicked? and therefore we ought to pray earnestly for it, lest as Jacob said of Esau, the mother and the child be destroyed together.

Thirdly, it is required of us to have a fellow feeling of the wants and necessities of our brethren, as well as of our own, as Rom. 12, 10, 15. Be kindly affectionated one to another, with brotherly love: rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep: because we are all members one of another. If one member of the natural body suffer, all the rest suffer with it: so the troubles of the Church should go as near unto us as our own private griefs and troubles.

Lastly, the Church hath sundry enemies which plot the death and destruction thereof, and seek to ruin and subvert them that belong unto it, in body and soul. The chiefest and greatest that setteth the rest on work, is Satan, a man-slayer from the beginning, & a roaring lyon, seeking whom he may devour. The instruments that he employeth, like the wheel of a clock that giveth motion to the rest, are the flesh, the world, & false teachers. The flesh is full of darkness & doubting, y ^e seed of all evil. The world is an hook ready to catch us, baited partly with pleasures and profits, with honors and promotions and partly with threatenings, terrors, and persecutions of enemies. False teachers come disguised in sheep's clothing, and armed with errors & heresies, which may be called the fiery darts of the devil, and the very poison of the soul, whereby we make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience. If we do not pray that God may be our Savior and protector from these, we cannot be kept safe, but lie open as a prey to all these enemies. [Use 1]

We may conclude from hence, somewhat for the strengthening of our faith and for the increase of our obedience. As first of all, we must confess that our help cometh only from the Lord, seeing we are directed to go only to him to seek protection, who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, Psal. 121, 2, 3, 4 & 91, 1, and 3, 8. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty: he is our shield and buckler, he is our rock and refuge, he is our fortress & strong tower, the righteous fly unto it, and are saved. Be it that they be many times and many ways afflicted, yet they shall not be able to hurt them, no evil shall come near unto them, Psal. 91, 10. So then we are taught to assure our selves of the Churches safety, and to confess, that salvation belongeth to the Lord, and that his blessing is upon his people, Psal. 3, 8. and therefore we pray unto him. But prayer must be grounded upon faith, faith upon the promise, the promise upon the word, and the word upon God. True it is, the gates of hell are set against the Church, but the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Use 2]

Secondly, this doctrine of the divine protection, is a mere privilege of the Church, and appropriated to God's servants only. The ungodly have no promise of his protection, neither can they expect preservation from his hand. The Lord is no preserver of thē, he hath made no promise of defense unto them, but leaveth and forsaketh them in evil, without comfort, without succor, without deliverance. The Prophet upon this sure ground concludeth, that evil shall slay the wicked, and that they which hate the righteous, shall be desolate, Ps. 34, 20, 21. For having shown that God delivereth his out of all their troubles, & keepeth all their bones, so that none of them is broken, he addeth, that doubtless the ungodly shall utterly perish, they lie open to the wrath of God, and have none that can deliver them Vain is the help of man, and weak is the strength of an horse, and foolish is the confidence in defensed places, they are not able to save a man. [Use 3]

Thirdly, fear not the rage of mighty enemies, albeit they rage never so much, and dig never so deep with their devises to destroy the Church, though they bend all their force and fury to undermine it and turn it up by the roots that it grow no more in the earth: though they take crafty counsel together against the chosen people of God, and consult against his hidden ones, yet they are hid under the shadow of his wings, and kept as the apple of his eye, Psalm. 17, ver. 8. and they are therefore called his hidden ones, because he hideth them with himself, as his precious and peculiar treasure, Exod. 19, 5. and keepeth thē safe and sound from all injuries and invasions that would do them hurt. True it is, the enemies encourage one another, & say among themselves, Psalm. 83, 4. Come, and let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance: howbeit, the Lord shall do unto them as unto Sisera, and as to Jabin at the brook of Kison, which perished at Endor, and became as dung for the earth, verse 9, 10. How then should we stand in fear of them, that do not stand in fear of God nor of his threatenings, and yet have their persons open to all his judgments, to be made like unto a wheel, & as the stubble before the wind? As the fire burneth a wood, and the flame setteth the mountains on fire, so shall they be persecuted by thy tempests, and made afraid with thy storms, so that their faces shall be filled with shame, ver. 13, 14, 15. This use is concluded and collected out of the Psalm 27, 1, 3. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war should arise against me, in this will I be confident. Seeing then we have such precious promises, and such worthy examples, to stir us up to be bold in the Lord, building our house upon the sure rock of his defense, it argueth great infidelity, weakness, wavering, feebleness, & faintness to stand in fear of every scar-crow, or of every storm of rain, or blast of wind, or force of tempest, or wave of the sea, that shall threaten to fall upon us.

[Use 4] Lastly, we are from this consideration bound to love the assemblies of the Saints, and labor to be in the number of the members of the true Church. To be a member of the visible Church, is not enough to make us to be a member of the Catholic Church, which we profess to believe in the Articles of our faith. The Catholic Church is the number of the elect and chosen servants of God. In the visible Church are many hypocrites, as chaff among good wheat, which when the fan of God cometh, shall be blown away. The parts of the true Church are as a small remnant gathered out of the multitude, Isaiah 1, 9. as a little flock of sheep gathered into the sheepfold out of an heard of wolves and goats; and as a chosen generation called out of the rest of the world. For these two are as two Cities, one contrary to the other, the one evermore at war with the other, the Church and the world. They that are of the true Church, have made a divorce from it, and are enemies to the world, and they that are of the world, have no interest or privilege in the Church; and therefore Christ saith to his Disciples, Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Now, as he showeth that he had chosen them out of the rest of the world, so he hath done all the faithful that belong unto him. If then we would assure our selves to be in this number, we must make much of the assemblies of the Saints, otherwise we can never earnestly commend unto God the protection of his Church, if we love not the beauty of Zion, and long not to dwell where the Lord dwelleth. We see that so soon as any certain knowledge of Christ was entered into the hearts of the two Disciples that came unto him, by and by they followed him and said unto him, Master, where dwellest thou? So must it be with us; we must dwell with him in his house, and abide with him in his chamber of presence. Howbeit, many come to the house of GOD, as if they were none of his household-servants, but strangers in his house, nay, as if they were strangers to God, & God unto them, as if they had no knowledge of him, or he of them. They come so seldom, that they may appear to belong to some other family or fraternity. But what shall it avail us to pray for the protection of the Church, unless we hide our selves in his pauilion, and live under his protection? This use we find, Ps. 27, 4, 5. where upon his assurance y ^t God will hide him in his Tabernacle, and set him upon a rock, he setteth down this; One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the lord, & to inquire in his Temple. They are pronounced blessed that dwell with him who is to be blessed, and is the author of all blessings, Psal. 84. This doth the church testify in Solomon's song, Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions. As Christ proveth the love of Peter by this sign of feeding his sheep, John 21, ver. 16. so we may prove our love to him by loving his Church and Church-assemblies. Doubtless, whatsoever we may persuade our selves to the contrary, yet we do not love Christ, if we do not love the assemblies of the Christians: for where two or three are gathered together in his Name, there is he in the midst of them.

[Ver. 25, 26. The Lord make his face to shine, &c. ] We have shown before in the interpretation of the words, that by grace we must understand the favor and good will of God: and by peace, the effects of his grace, happiness and prosperity inward & outward, consisting in the peace of a good conscience, and such like benefits. First, we are taught to desire grace, understood by the lifting up of his countenance and making his face to shine upon us: and then the peace of a good conscience. From hence we learn this point, (to include thē both together) that we must chiefly and principally pray for God's favor, and then in the next place, for peace of conscience. Thus doth the Prophet direct us, Psalm. 4, 6. Lift up the light of thy countenance upon us: and 67, 1. God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us: and Psal. 83, 3. Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved: and to show the necessity of this prayer & the earnestness of his affection, he doubleth & trebleth the same prayer, as if he desired nothing at all in comparison of the shining of his face, and the lifting up of his countenance. Thus doth the Prophet declare, that the Israelites got not the land in possession by their own sword▪ neither did their own arm save them but the right hand of God and his arm, and the light of his countenance, because he had a favor unto them, Ps. 44, 3. and Ps. 85, 7. Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, & grant us thy salvation. This order we see evermore observed by the Apostle, praying for grace and peace, Rom. 1.1, Cor. 1. This was the course which he took.

[Reason 1] And no marvel. For first, grace is the fountain and beginning of all good things. From whence have we election, but by grace? Rom. 11, 5. Whence cometh our calling to salvation but by grace? 2 Tim. 1, 9. Whence have we faith but by grace? Phil. 1, 29. Whence have we our justification but by grace? Rom. 3, 24. Whence shall we have glorification and eternal life, but by grace? Rom. 6, 23. Secondly, we must lay the foundation of all our requests upon the favor of God, because that being once obtained, bringeth with it all other benefits and blessings whatsoever: and without it, all things are unsavory and unprofitable: if first we seek the favor of God, all other things shall be ministered unto us. If we want this, we want all things; if we have this, we have all things. The Apostle Peter said to the impotent man, Silver and gold have we none: yet in his second Epistle he showeth, that the divine power had given them all things, 2 Pet. 1, 3.

[Use 1] From hence we must learn to hate the odious scoffs of the Papists and such like Ishmaelites that mock at our doctrine touching the assurance of God's mercy and love in the pardon of our sins: for we should not be allowed to pray for them, except we had assurance, grounding our selves upon his promise, to obtain them. Neuertheles, such is the sottishness of some of them, that from hence they would conclude, that according to our own principles, our people (forsooth) are in a miserable case, because they are bound never to ask God forgiveness of their sins: and why? Because they are already assured of grace, of the love of God, and of forgiveness of their sins. I answer, that this is a silly shift: for we must pray even for those things whereof we are assured before we pray. And that appeareth by these three particulars. First, though we have some assurance, yet our assurance is not perfect, we must therefore pray for the increase of it; and forasmuch as we are many ways shaken and assaulted, we have need of more and more assurance. Secondly, we must pray for the continuance of this grace. Our assurance may be much weakened, we have therefore need of God's strengthening Spirit to stay us up in this faith. Lastly, we are to pray for a new act of pardon to be daily sealed up in our hearts and consciences, as we daily provoke him by our new sins.

Secondly, above all things desire the grace [Use 2] of God, to be reconciled to God to have our sins forgiven, to taste abundantly of his mercy. One drop of this is more worth then all the gold of Ophir, or all the pearls and precious stones, that the mē of this world take so much pains to enjoy. We see how far men will go, what labor and what loss they will endure, what hunger they will sustain, & what cares they will spend to get the goods of this life. O that we had this care & this love of heavenly things! but alas, the least difficulty that we meet in the way, doth quickly discourage us and put us out of heart. Thus it falleth out that many have the riches of this world, who are poor in the true treasure, and have store of gold that have little store of grace. Let us say with the Prophet, Lord, if thou lift up thy countenance upon us, thou wilt put gladness in my heart, &c. And in another place, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee: God is the strength of my heart, & my portion forever. Let us say with the Apostle, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, &c. Behold the holy affectiō of this servant of God: he suffered the loss of all things, y ^t he might win Christ. We are content to suffer the loss of Christ, that we may win the world, like to the Gadarenes. Paul accounted the loss of these earthly things to be a gain unto him, we account the gain of Christ to be a loss. He esteemed all earthly things in comparison of heavenly, to be no better then dung: we do so mind earth and earthly things, that we esteem and prize spiritual things as dung in comparison of them. This is the common corruption of our times, we spend our days and strength in seeking, getting, & holding riches, honors, pleasures, and such like, so that we have little leisure to think upon the grace of God and the peace of a good conscience. And yet notwithstanding set down this as a sure rule, that we have no promise to attain any earthly blessings without these. Again, God is most ready and willing to give these, if we were as willing to receive them: and certainly we should never want them, if we were not wanting unto our selves.

Lastly, observe that the true happiness of a Christian man consisteth in the favor & love [Use 3] of God, and the peace of a good conscience. Here is matter of great comfort and consolation to all God's Children in the midst of all the miseries of this mortal life, because whatsoever befalleth us here, though we lie under the cross, or rather a multitude of crosses, yet neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, shall be able to make us miserable, or to separate us frō the love of God, being once in his favor.

Hence it is, that Solomon calleth a good conscience, a continual feast, Prov. 15, 15. This is the only thing that maketh a man truly happy, the feeling of God's love, and the peace of a good conscience purified by the blood of Christ: without this love there can be no peace, without this peace, there can be no happiness. Woe therefore be to all the ungodly, there is no grace in them, and there can be no peace for them, Isaiah 57, 20, 21. who are like the troubled sea whē it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. For seeing they are not at peace with God, they cannot be at peace with any of the creatures. They cannot assure themselves to find rest and quietness anywhere. The Angels fight against them, and are ready to destroy them. The beasts of the field are their enemies. The stones in y ^e street are ready to rise up against them, and every creature is armed for their destruction, & conspire with their Creator for their overthrow. For no creature can be a friend unto them that are not at peace & unity with God. Nay, they have war within their own bosoms and bowels, and themselves are set against themselves. The estate of a wicked man is an unhappy life, though they be commonly accounted the most happy men in the world: for the meanest and poorest servant of God that liveth in his fear, and dieth in his favor, is a thousand times more happy then he. It is the grace of God that maketh blessed: it is the want of grace that maketh wretched and miserable. Abraham being justified by faith, which was imputed unto him for righteousness, was called the friend of God: but the ungodly wanting faith and the righteousness of Christ, are no otherwise accounted off, then as the enemies of God.

[Ver. 25. And they shall put my Name upon, &c. ] This is the second part of the blessing, which, as we have said, may be called the blessing of the blessing. For by putting on of hands they must assure the people of God's blessing, ratifying indeed the words of their mouths. Now laying on of hands was used four ways, first, in healing of the sick, Luke 4, 40. Mark. 16, 18. Secondly, in the ordaining of Ministers Acts 13, 3. and 6, 6. 1 Tim. 4, 14. & 5, 22. This rite used in the New Testament, was practiced in the old, and indeed was borrowed from thence. Thirdly, in bestowing the gifts of the holy Ghost, Acts 8.17, and 19, 5. Fourthly, in blessing of children, and of the people, Gen. 48, 14. Math. 19, 13. Mark. 10, 13, Luk. 18, 15. Here it was used in blessing the people▪ as an undoubted sign of God's favor: so that as the Priests pronounced the blessing, so God would assuredly bring those blessings upon them.

Hence we do learn, that the work of the Ministry shall not be unfruitful, [Doctrine.] but shall serve for the benefit of the people of God, being accompanied with the blessing of God. When Paul planteth and Apollos watereth, God giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3, 6. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation, to everyone that believeth, Rom. 1, 16. He did long to see them, that he might impart unto them some spiritual gift, that they might be established, verse 11. and thereupon acknowledged himself to be a debtor both to y ^e Greeks and to the Barbarians, verse 14. When Christ sent out his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all Nations, after his resurrection, he annexed this promise to their preaching, Loe, I am with you always even unto the end of the world, Math. 28, 20. and hereby was their doctrine made powerful and effectual. The history of the Acts is a most plentiful storehouse of this truth, where we see how the Apostles converted Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, noble & unnoble, Captains, Soldiers, Iaylours, Deputies, Proselytes. Persecutors, Pharisees; it being a most powerful instrument and mighty through God to pull down strong holds, to cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God, and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Jesus Christ. As then it is said of the Sun, that his going forth is from the ende of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it, & there is nothing hid from the heat thereof: so is the sound of the Word and the Ministry of it gone into all the world, and their words unto the ends of the earth; so that the saving knowledge of the Gospel did lay hold upon the Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, & Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, &c. Cretes & Arabians, they spake in their own tongues the wonderful works of God, Acts 2, 11, 41. and 4, 4. and 8, 37. and 9, 36. and 10, 44. and 13, 12, 43, 48. and 16, 14, 34. and 17, 4, 11, 12, 34. and 18, 8. and 19, 18.

And how can the word but be effectual, if [Reason 1] we consider the titles given unto it? It is the strong arm of God to pull us unto himself, Isaiah 53, 1. It is as an hammer to strike our stony hearts in pieces, and as a devouring fire to burn up and consume to ashes our corruptions as straw and stubble, Ier. 23, 29. It is as the rain and snow that come down frō heaven and return not thither, but water the earth and make it bud and bring forth, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, Isaiah 55, 10, 11. It is the key of the Kingdom of heaven, Math. 16, 19. It is a fan in the hand of God, Mat. 3, 12. It is as a drawnet cast into the sea, and gathereth of every kind, Math. 13, 47. Lastly, it is called the Gospel of the Kingdom, Math. 9, 35, because it teacheth the way that leadeth to everlasting life.

Secondly, the Ministers are laborers together with God; when they preach, he preacheth: when they instruct, he instructeth: whē they comfort, it is he that comforteth: when they threaten, it is he that threateneth; they are no other but the mouth of God, and the messengers of GOD sent out to speak his word, 1 Cor. 3, 9. They then as workers together with him, beseech us that we receive not the grace of God in vain, 2 Cor. 6, 1. For how can we doubt, but that God will bless his own ordinance?

Thirdly, when Christ Jesus ascended and led captivity captive, he gave gifts to the Ministry, Eph. 4, 8. It is he that putteth heavenly treasures in earthly vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of any man, 2 Cor. 4, 7.

[Use 1] This efficacy of the Ministry, and of every part of it, serveth to many uses. First, it reproveth such as long to be gone out of the house of God, such as think the time lost and ill spent, that is spent in hearing the word, such as so set their minds and affections upon worldly things, that they cannot tarry & abide in the church until the blessing be pronounced, & the assembly be dismissed; whereby they deprive themselves indeed of the blessing of God, of whom we may speak with the Prophet, Psal. 109, 17. As he delighted not in blessing, so it shall be far from him. It is the order and ordinance that God hath appointed in the Church, that we should begin and ende the exercises of our religion together. For as God is the God of good order, so the Church which is the house of GOD, is the place of good order, and therefore all the children of the Church must submit themselves to the rules of order and decency.

[Use 2] Secondly, it should be a forcible means to stir us up to diverse and sundry duties. First, it directeth us to go to God, and to crave of him to work by his own ordinance the salvation of his people. We must pray unto him that is the Lord of the harvest, to bless his word, and to open the harts of those that hear it to attend unto it and to embrace it. Secondly, it serveth to work in us diligence and fidelity, knowing that we must give an account to the great shepherd of the sheep. We are hereby encouraged to preach the word in season & out of season, considering that God hath promised to be with us, to stand by us, to assist us, and defend us. Thirdly, we must labor to preach with zeal, with boldness, and with power, and with authority, not carelessly, or coldly, or faintly, remembering that we speak in his Name that sent us and put us in his service, always studying to show our selves workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, 2 Tim. 2, 15. Forasmuch as his blessing doth accompany the faithful deliverance thereof. The word is evermore effectual in it self, and mighty in operation, sharper thē any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart: let us not therefore by our negligence dull the edge of it, or blunt the point of it, nor be afraid to cut the sinews of sin with it, but speak it as it ought to be spoken.

Thirdly, from hence the people receive diverse [Use 3] instructions. First▪ it worthily challengeth from them reverence to esteem them that preach the word, as the Ministers of Christ, to account their steps beautiful for their message and Ministry sake. The feet of the Prophets of God that brought the people glad tidings of a temporal deliverance from bodily captivity, were very beautiful, Isaiah 52, 7. How much more respected ought the Ministers of the Gospel to be, that bring glad tidings of a better deliverance, even from spiritual captivity and slavery under spiritual enemies to our souls and to our salvation? Rō. 10, 15. This bondage is greater & more grievous, then to lie under the bondage of all tyrants & persecutors. Secondly, we must yield attention to the word of exhortation, and not despise Prophesy, 1 Thess. 5, 20. This is the principal means ordained for our conversion, and for our confirmation, and continuance in the truth. For the preaching of the word is necessary, not only to bring us to the knowledge of the Gospel when we were ignorant, and to work in us the grace of faith when we did not believe; but when we are once borne anew, to make us grow thereby to a full strength and stature, and to establish us in the known truth, Rom. 1, 11. Eph. 4, 12, 13. 1 Pet. 2, 2, and 2 Pet. 1, 12, 13. And we are taught that Prophesy serveth for them that believe, and not only for them that do not believe, 1 Cor. 14, 22. Lastly, we must be content to submit our selves to the word, and to be willing to have it applied unto our consciences, whether it be by exhortations, or by reproofs, or by threatenings, or by comforts. For what shall a salve do, be it never so precious, if it be not laid to the sore? or what can the medicine avail, if it be not applied to the disease? Let us never look to find the efficacy of the word in our souls, except we desire to feel the working and power of it being spread upon our hearts. Lastly, we must yield obedience to that which we have heard. It is said of the Apostles when they were sent forth into all Nations, Mar. 16, 20. that they went forth and preached everywhere, & the Lord wrought with them: if then we be doers of the word, & not hearers only, then the Lord worketh with his Ministers, nay he worketh in the people. This is a blessed work, happy are they that are so wrought upon. The obedient hearer is the only hearer that heareth to salvation, that receiveth with meekness the engrafted word y ^t is able to save his soul.