Commentary on Numbers

Of the interpretation of these words, we have spoken in the former verses. They contain an effectual exhortation able to stop the mouths of the seditious spies, and to persuade the people to proceed, building themselves upon the blessed experience of the love of God toward them, and of his power sufficient to save them, and ready to stand for thē: and touching their enemies, they should be assured, they could not prevail, because God is not among them, he had laid them open to judgment. The Doctrine. God is a shield and defense for all that are his, but as for his enemies, he taketh no care nor charge of them▪ he leaveth them to themselves, Prov. 30, 5. Exod. 15, 2, and 29, 45, 46. Judge. 2, 14. Psal. 3, 3, and 18, 2.

The reasons. God is the Captain of his [Reason 1] host, to fight his own battles against all the enemies of the Church, 2 Chro. 13, 12. Josh. 5, 14.

Secondly, sin maketh naked and bare of [Reason 2] God's protection and defense, Exod. 32, 25. when the people had committed idolatry, Moses saw that they were naked, for Aaron had made thē naked unto their shame among their enemies.

Thirdly, the enemies of God have forsaken [Reason 3] him, and therefore he will not be with them, because they will not be with him: it is a just thing that he should forsake them that have forsaken him, and that he should not be on their side, who are not on his. They that will not be his people, he will not be their God, Hos. 3, 3, & 1, 9.

From hence it may be objected, [Object.] Is not God said to be everywhere? Isaiah 66, 1. Answer. [Answer.] He is touching his essence, but not in his effectual working by his Spirit to save and deliver. Thus he is only with the godly. Hence it is, that in the end of this chap. verse 42. the Lord said to the rebellious, Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that ye be not smitten before your enemies. He was not among these, to fight for them, and to save them, to defend and deliver them by his power & great might; otherwise by his essence and according to his nature he was even among them, as he is also everywhere. Thus we see, how God is said to be near, and how to be far off. For while he offereth grace by the ministry of his word, and causeth it to be preached unto us, he is near unto us, Isaiah 55, 6. Call upon him while he is near to wit, while his arm is stretched out to receive us; and his mercy is offered to save us. Thus God may be said to be in one place and in one person more then in another, yea in one place and person & not in another: and he is said, sometimes to come, and sometimes to go away, notwithstanding he be everywhere essentially, and there be no mutation of place, or shadow of change with him. When he beginneth to work by his holy Spirit, faith, repentance, and sanctification, in the hearts of his children, he may be said to come unto them, as John 15, 22. Revel. 3, 20. And when he preached by Noah to the old world, Christ is said by his divine Spirit to come among that people, 1 Pet. 3, 19. He went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient, &c. So likewise his absence or departure, is the removing of the effects of his presence, to wit his grace and favor.

[Use 1] From hence arise •• comfort to all the godly, they are safe and 〈◊〉 under the wings of God, he is a buckler round about, he is their castle and their fortress, whereupon they may be bold and confident in dangers, Psal, 23, 4. No enemy shall hurt them, no danger shall overthrow them. The enemies may oppress them for a time, but God is not far off: if he be on our side, who shall be against us?

[Use 2] Secondly, woe be unto all the enemies of God, they cannot stand nor prosper: which serveth to terrify all evil doers. They are as out-laws or rebels, that live no longer under the protection of law or Magistrate: so are the ungodly proscribed of God, and lie open to judgment. They are as soldiers without weapons, they have neither shield, nor buckler, nor breast-plate, nor helmet, nor sword; their loins are vngirt, their feet are unshod, their heads are uncovered in the day of battle; they lie open as naked men to be wounded and destroyed. They have nothing to defend them or to do them good, all creatures are against them, nay the Creator himself.

[Use 3] Lastly, it is the duty of the faithful to look to their ways, seeing the Lord is with them, and dwelleth among them. He is a God of pure eyes, he seeth us and all our ways; let us therefore carry our selves unspotted of the world, and labor to be holy, as he is holy, Levite. 11, 44. and 19.1, and 20, 7. lest we give him just cause to leave us. If we have any friend come unto us, we are willing to give him the best entertainment we can, we are loath to depart from him, we are willing to content him: how much more ought we to receive the Lord? for we may expect more of him, and be assured of defense & protection from him; grieve him not therefore nor his Spirit by our sins. So long as they are fostered in us, he cannot be welcome unto us, neither shall we be welcome unto him. They will drive him away & make him depart from us. Our bodies should be the Temples of the holy Ghost, and therefore we must remember, that as we are not our own, but bought with a price, so we ought to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God's.

These rebels had raged against God, no marvel therefore if they raged against his servants, who notwithstanding had not used any rigor or force against them, only they persuaded thē to trust in the promise of God, and boldly to proceed on their journey toward the Land. But this is accounted as an heinous crime, and they deal with them as men worthy of death, according to the saying of Solomon, Prov. 9, 7. He that reproveth a scorner, getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man, getteth himself a blot. Thus we see how wicked men can abide no reproof, nay, they cannot suffer a word of exhortation, they cannot abide that others should do better then themselves. Again, such as are carnal and corrupt, are prone to hatred, malice, and revenge, yea when no cause of offense is offered unto them. See also how God protecteth his servants in times of danger.

But to pass over these points, from hence observe, that such as are God's servants, and stand for good causes, shall be persecuted, maligned, and evilly entreated, as if they were murderers and malefactors. Though they deserve to be favored and loved, yet they shall be hated, cursed, and contemned. So it was with Moses, when he came to Pharaoh, & moved him to let the people go, Exod. 5, 1, 2, 5, 6. Dan. 3, 19, and 6, 16. Acts 4, 20, 21. and 5, 18. John 16, 2. 1 Kings 13, 4. Thus was it with Elijah and Elisha; thus was it with Michaiah & Jeremiah: and thus it was with all the Prophets, Math. 23, 34.

The reasons; because the world hateth the [Reason 1] truth, and the professors of it: The Preachers and professors of it, because they manifest & publish the truth, Gal. 4, 16: The truth it self, because men love darkness more then the light, inasmuch as their own deeds are evil, John 3, 19. They are chosen out of the world, therefore the world hateth them; whereas if they were of the world, the world would love his own, John 15, 19.

Secondly, Satan is their enemy, and seeth [Reason 2] that by them his kingdom is in danger to be overthrown; hence it is, that he rageth and raiseth persecution, that thereby he may stop their mouths, & stop the course of the truth, Revel. 2, 10, and 12, 13.

Thirdly, God will have his servants tried [Reason 3] in their faith, patience, constancy, and obedience, Revel. 2, 10. We must learn to walk through good report and evil report, and be ready to renounce all rather then the truth, which we must buy at any rate, but never sel it though we might gain all the world, because all such gain is the greatest loss, Math. 16, verse 26.

The uses follow. First, marvel not at it whē [Use 1] we see this come to pass: neither condemn the truth, or the professors of it, 1 John 3, 13. Maruaile not if the world hate you. Let us comfort our selves with this consolation, that it is no rare thing, neither is our case singular, neither do we suffer alone, it hath been the lot of all Christians, nay of Christ himself; let us not seek to be better then he was, the servant may not be above his Lord, if they have persecuted him, they will persecute us, John. 15, 2. Christ himself pronounceth such as suffer for righteousness sake to be blessed, for so did they persecute the Prophets that were before us, Math. 5, 12. Many men in the world are discouraged from godliness of life and walking in a sincere profession, because they see the godly persecuted, and the ungodly to prosper and flourish: therefore John doth forewarn, not to marvel heereat, because this ought not to seem strange unto us, it hath been so from the beginning, and so it hath continued. The world, though it be full of changes, yet changeth not his nature, neither taketh upon it any other shape. Wherefore, we must not cease from godliness for hatred of the world, but rather go more zealously forward, remembering the words of Christ, Math. 11, 12. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Secondly, we must rejoice under the cross, [Use] and be glad when we suffer for the truth, not as evil doers, 1 Pet. 3, 17, and 4, 15. but for well doing. So did the Apostles, Acts 5, 41: so did the Hebrews, chap. 10, 34. They considered with themselves, that they had in heaven a better & an enduring substance, they accounted it a great honor, that they were accounted worthy to suffer for his Name; they knew that they were made partakers of the sufferings of Christ, and that the trying of their faith would work patience, I am. 1, 3, and patience, experience: and experience, hope; and hope would not make ashamed, Rom. 5, 4, 5. The cause therefore for which we suffer, must more comfort us, then the trouble which we endure, dismay us. God will never be wanting unto us, by his grace and Spirit, to hold us up and to stand by us, that either we shall escape the hands of the persecutors, or else he will assist us and strengthen us in the persecution. The affliction is but for a moment, but y ^e fruit of it shall remain forever.

Thirdly, we must sit down, and cast our accounts [Use 3] before hand, what our profession will cost, and not think with the sons of Zebede, to sit down at the right hand, and at the left hand of Christ in his kingdom. Mat. 20, 21, but rather learn of Christ. Lu. 14, 26. to hate father, mother, wife, children, brethren, & sisters, yea his own life, that he may continue to be his Disciple. When the brethren exhorted Paul not to go up to Jerusalem, because a Prophet foretold, that he should be bound & delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, he answered, What mean ye to weep and to break my heart? for I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the Name of the Lord Jesus. Here was a Christian resolution to undergo all tribulations, and resist even unto blood, if he were thereunto called. The cause of shrinking back, is this want of fore-thinking.

Lastly, we ought to labor to possess our [Use 4] souls with patience, and to show our obedience in suffering, as well as in doing the will of God. There is a twofold obedience required of us, the one active, the other passive▪ Many think themselves discharged of this duty, if they be careful to do as God commandeth: but they never consider that they are bound to glorify the Name of God by suffering, as well as by doing. Christ our Savior the most perfect pattern of obedience, hath performed the will of God both ways: and this is the substance of the Gospel to teach what he did and what he suffered, Acts 10, 39. Wherefore, let our patient mind also be known unto all mē. Phil. 4, 5. Luke 21, 19.

Now we come to consider how God proceedeth against these sinners; & first touching his threatening, then of his execution of judgment. He threateneth to sweep thē away with the pestilence, and so to root them out utterly. The doctrine is this: Among other diseases and judgments sent for sin, the plague and pestilence is one. It cometh not by chance or fortune, but is sent of God into towns and cities, as 2 Sam. 24, 15. The Lord sent a pestilence in Israel, from the morning to the time appointed. Deut. 28, 21, 22. Levite. 26, 25. Ezek. • 4, 19. Numb. 16, 46, 47.

The reasons; first, because all diseases & afflictions come frō God, Amos 3, 6, they come [Reason 1] not out of the dust, neither arise from beneath the earth, but they proceed frō God. Secondly, the titles given unto them, prove as much; they are called the sword of the Lord, 2 Sam. 24, 16, and the arrow of the Lord, Psal. • , • 1.

This teacheth, that the pestilence is not caused only or chiefly by natural means. but [Use 2] the chief and main cause is the wrath of God against sin, Deut. 28, 15. And hence it is, that it bringeth with it horror and fear, weeping and lamentation, terror and astonishment, because God striketh the conscience inwardly as well as the body outwardly. Hence it is, that there is removing hither and thither, flying too and fro, and much amazement in all persons. It is sin that bringeth all, both public and private calamities: and God is able to find out our sins, and us in our sins. And as we sin many ways, so he hath many ways to plague us, and it lieth in him to punish us with one or with many of his plagues together. The Lord, if it had pleased him, could have punished David with these three i •• gements, famine, the sword, and the pestilence, all together, and his pride and vain confidence in his own strength deserved no less: but he brought only one of them, and put him to his choice, whether of them he would have. We can reason oftentimes among our selves of the causes of the plague, and can tell that it came into such and such places first of all by such a carrier, or traveler, or infected person: nevertheless, though it be not to be denied but there may be such causes, we may not omit or forget the chief and principal. And tell me, how came it at the first? and what shall we make the first cause within us, but sin, and without us, but God? No plague beginneth but by his just and righteous hand, so no plague can cease before God will that sent the same. And how is it, that one city is infected more then another, and one house more then another, and in the same house some are smitten, others are not touched? Is not this the will and pleasure of God also? This then noteth the great folly of such as say, Oh, this is a contagious time of the year, when this season is a little overpast, that we may have some frost, or cold, or wind to purge the air, you shall see all well again, time will wear out all. But if God call not back his hand, and stay his judgment, no wind, no winter, no weather, no cold shall be able to do us any good. And therefore we see oftentimes, that though we have had many nipping frosts, and strong winds, yet this sickness hath increased and not been diminished.

Secondly, the readiest way to avoid the [Use 2] plague, is to abstain from all those things that bring it, continue it, and increase it. Men ordinarily do use sweeping of houses, washing of chambers, cleansing of streets, perfuming of stuff, killing of dogs, taking of physic, and such like: neither doth God condemn or restrain these or any good means to relieve our selves, provided that we trust in God, and not in them: notwithstanding it is certain, that all man's policy without God is able to do nothing. The plague cannot be removed by any man's industry. We must wash & cleanse and purge our hearts by true and unfeigned repentance, I am. 4, 8. Isaiah 1, 16. Ier. 4, 14. Ps. 51, 2, 7. All these places show, how foul and filthy we are by nature. For that which is clean of it self, needeth no washing: but we need washing and purging, and therefore we must confess we are unclean. Nay, no mire is so foul, or dung so filthy as we are through corruption, Job 14, verse 4, and 25, verse 4. Isaiah 64, 6. Titus 1, 15. There is no sent or savor, no carcass so corrupt and ready to infect, as that which proceedeth from our selves, whereby we defile our selves and one another. This Christ teacheth, Math. 15, verse 18. Those things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. Keep out sin from the heart, and the plague shall never defile the man: everyone therefore must labor to cleanse the heart.

Thirdly, seeing it is caused by sin, we must learn to search and find out the true [Use 3] cause of the plague. The enemies of God's word will make the Gospel the cause of the pestilence and of all other calamities. So did Ahab & Jehoram make the Prophets the principal procurers of the famine which fell out in their days, 1 Kings 18, 17. 2 Kings 6, 31. Thus dealt the heathen with the Christians that lived under the heathen and persecuting Emperors; when any famine, or pestilence, or overthrow befell among them, they imputed all to Christians, and cried out to have them persecuted and punished, as appeareth at large in the Apology of Tertullian. These are blasphemous mockers and deriders of the holy faith of Christ, which open their mouths against heaven. The chief cause of the plague is the contempt of the word, Ier. chapter 29, 17, 19.

Lastly, everyone of us must learn how to behave our selves in the troublesome times of [Use 4] this heavy judgment. We must have a tender feeling of their distressed condition that lie under this grievous hand of GOD. The Church is compared to a body, whereof Christ is the head, Eph. 4, ver. 16, and the faithful are members, Romans 12, 4. 1 Corinthians 12, 12. They make but one body, though they be many different members, and are all under one head, and therefore are to help one another, to bear one another's burden, and so fulfill the law of Christ, Galatians 6, 2, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 24. Let us consider the several duties belonging to several persons in the day of visitation.

The duty of Magistrates, is then especially to see religion established, evil doers cut off from the City of God, and all disorders removed, Psal. 101, 8. They must humble themselves, and cause the people to humble themselves. They must appoint fasting and prayer, that thereby they may move the Lord to call back his judgment. We have a notable example of this in the King of Nineue, when he feared a general judgment to come upon himself and his people, he rose up from his throne, and laid away his robe from him, he covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes, yea he proclaimed that neither man nor beast, heard nor flock, should taste anything, and that they should cry mightily to GOD, saying, Who can tell, if God will return and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Ion. 3, 6, 7, 8, 9. Here is a good president for Kings & Princes, what by their own example & public decrees they ought to do, that there may be a common humiliation of all estates.

It is the duty of the Ministers to preach the word most earnestly, both the Law and the Gospel, in season and out of season; to persuade to repentance, to comfort the feebleminded out of God's word, to stir up the poor to patience, the rich to liberality, and all men to compassion and commiseration. It belongeth unto them as it were to stand in the gap; they must above others pray earnestly to God, Amos 7. verse 25. knowing that the prayer of a just man availeth much if it be fervent, James 5, 16, 17. So was it with Moses and Aaron, when the plague was begun, he willed Aaron to take a Censer, who ran into the midst of the Congregation, and stood between the living and the dead, offering Incense, and making atonement for the sins of the people, Numbers 16. verse 48.

It is the duty of all parents, to teach and instruct their children from whence, & for what causes God sendeth the pestilence, and other calamites, Deut. 6.7. They must go before them in a good example of life, Genesis chap. 18, 19. and if they should see all other careless and negligent in this duty, yet must they say with Joshua, chap. 24. verse 15. As for me and mine house, we will serve the Lord. It belongeth unto them to call their families unto private humiliation, as Ester did, chap. 14. verse 16. and every day they should offer up sacrifice for their servants and children, after the example of holy Job, chap. 1. verse 5. and pray for their safety and welfare, and every day give thanks for their most merciful deliverance, while in the mean season so many fall on their right hand and on their left.

It is the duty of rich men in time of contagion, to have as at all other times, so then especially a diligent care of the poor, because then the greatest occasion is offered to do good. We must not shut them up in their houses, and then shut up our compassion from them, as it were in a close prison without relief. It is the commendation of the Christian Church after the ascension of Christ, that they had all things common, and no man said that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, neither was there any among them that lacked▪ Acts 4, 32, 34. If they did this in the need of the Church, how much more ought we to provide for those that cannot provide for themselves? He is not worthy to bear the name of a Christian, that at such times would withhold things necessary from those that are withholden from the company of others. Woe unto those that would add so great affliction to those that are deeply afflicted already. The four Lepers that were put out of the city according to the law, & dwelt apart by themselves at the entering in of the gate for fear of infection, were notwithstanding provided for in the straight siege of Samaria: so long as there was anything in the city, they wanted not, but were provided for, 2 Kings 7▪ 4. So it ought to be among us.

It is the duty of the poor & needy to arm themselves with patience, as a shield & buckler in time of trouble; knowing that nothing falleth out without the providence & appointment of God. He will not lay more upon us then he will enable us to bear, but with the temptation will make an happy issue, 1 Cor. 10, 13. he will comfort us in our tribulation, 2. Cor. 1, 4, and pity us as a father pities his children, Ps. 103, 13, 14. He will stir up the hearts of others to whom he hath given this worlds good, to do us good, who hath the hearts of all in his own hand. Such therefore ought then especially to give themselves to prayer unto God; they must also bear themselves thankfully to men that have been raised up to show compassion toward them, but above all to God himself, from whom every good gift cometh, I am. 1, 17. The duties of such as are taken with the pestilence are also to be considered. They must consider that their sins have deserved that judgment, that God thereby calleth them to repentance, stir • eth them to prayer, exerciseth their faith, driveth thē from security, weaneth them from the love of the world, and bringeth them to a love and desire of heaven. Such must renounce all confidence in the flesh, and commit themselves wholly to God, not doubting of his mercy: they must set their houses in order to avoid contention, they must give testimony of their faith in their sickness, and stir up those that are about them and come to visit them, to the fear of God. Especially let them take heed they do not accuse God of dealing hardly and rigorouslie with them, because he striketh thē while he letteth others to escape: but let them stoop down to his correction, & submit themselves to his heavenly pleasure with all reverence. Lastly, it is the duty of all men to make solemn profession of their humiliation & repentance, humbling themselves before God by fasting and prayer, against whom they have sinned, 1 Kin. 8, 38. Al bravery and excess ought then to be laid aside, all riotousnesse and luxuriousness should be banished far from us, Esa 22, 12, 13, 14. The Prophet Amos reproveth the rich, & crieth out earnestly against their senselessness, living in all kind of pleasures and delights, & nothing at all regarding the affliction of Joseph chap. 6. So was it with the rich Glutton in the gospel, though he saw Lazarus lie at his gate in great misery, yet he was clad in purple, & fared deliciously every day, Lu. 16, 19. such is the pride and delicacy of our times, y ^• albeit God sweep away many with his fearful visitation, and the cry of the poor at such times be very great, that it might even move the stones to relent, and that it soundeth with a shrill voice in the ears of men and ascendeth up to God, yet the greatest sort are nothing moved: the Lord of hosts calleth to weeping and to mourning, & to girding with sackcloth, and behold joy and gladness slaying Oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die. No man almost will diminish anything of his bravery in apparel, of his daintiness in fare, of his costliness in furniture, and of his excess in all things. Let all such as fear God, think upon the evil day, & prepare themselves against the time of affliction, & stoop under the mighty hand of God.

[I will disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater Nation and mightier then they.] A most fearful threatening. It is a sore punishment when the father is constrained to disinherit his son, Gen. 49, 3, 4, but much sorer when he must disinherit all of them. God threateneth in this place to disinherit thousands of Israel, and to make of Moses a mighty Nation. And as John the Baptist said to the Pharisees and Sadducees that came to his baptism, that God was able of those stones to raise up children unto Abraham, so doth the Lord say to Moses, that he would destroy that whole people, for whom he had prayed before, chap. 10, 36. Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel: but of him he would raise up a great and a mighty Nation. This threatening we must understand conditionally, except his anger be appeased at the prayer and intercession of Moses. The threatenings of God are twofold, some are peremptory and absolute, never to be revoked, as it is said of y ^e laws of the Medes & Persians, that they could not be changed: as Gen. 2, 17. If Adā had prayed all the days of his life, that he might not die, but return to his former condition, the sentence of God had not been reversed. The like we see concerning Moses, God threateneth that he should never enter into the Land of promise: Moses understanding the threatening conditionally, besought the Lord, that he might go over Jordan into that Land, but the Lord was wroth with him and would not hear him, but said unto him, Let it suffice thee, speak no more unto me of this matter. The same we might say of David, he received a threatening against his sin, that the child conceived in adultery should die, 2 Sam. 12, 14, nevertheless he besought God for the child, with fasting, weeping, and prayer, v. 16. he said, Who can tell, whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? Notwithstanding, according as the Prophet had denounced, the child died. So then, we see that some of God's judgments denounced against the sons of men are absolute and irrevocable, and must take effect: other of them are limited with a condition, and upon humiliation and repentance are changed & altered; and so it is with the promises of God, some of them are absolute, and some are with condition. Such as concern salvation and are necessary to eternal life, are promised absolutely in respect of God; such as are temporal and belong to this present life, are promised conditionally. We learn from hence, that the threatenings and denunciations of God's judgments are for the most part conditional, not absolute, toward his people, and to be understood with this exception, except they repent and amend. This condition is sometimes expressed, and sometimes understood. It is set down expressly, Ier. 18, 7, 8. Sometimes it is suppressed and understood inclusively, Gen. 6, 3.

The reasons: First, because after threatening, [Reason 1] if repentance follow, it causeth forgiveness of sin, and taketh away the cause of punishment. Sin is the cause of God's judgments: if the cause be removed, the effect will cease, Ezek. 33, 14, 15. Whē I say to the wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful, &c. he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Secondly, God is a gracious God, of great [Reason 2] longsuffering, and of much patience, and unspeakable kindness, ready (though much moved) to receive to mercy as soon as we return to him, Ier. 3, 12. He promiseth mercy to them that repent; his anger shall not fall upon them that return, because he is merciful and will not keep his wrath forever.

Thirdly, this is the end that God aimeth at [Reason 3] in all his threatenings, not the destruction of them that are threatened, but their amendment, Ezek. 18, 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God? and not that he should return from his ways, and live? and ch. 33, 11. Why will ye die, O house of Israel?

The uses. First, consider that in the greatest [Use 1] and most fearef • ll threatenings of God's heavy judgments, the • e is comfort remaining, and hope of grace and mercy to be found, there is life in death, and health in sickness, if we can change and amend. Thus do the Princes of Judah profit by the threatenings of the Prophet, when he had threatened desolation of y ^e Lord's house, and the destruction of the whole Land, for which the Priests and people would have put him to death; they pleaded the practice & example of good Hezekiah, for the comfort of themselves and the people of his time, and thereby stirred up themselves to fear y ^e Lord, and to turn from their evil ways, Ier. 26.18. The place is worthy to be considered, where the Princes show that Jeremiah did no more thē Micah had done before him, yet Hezekiah and all Judah did not put him to death, but feared the Lord and besought him of mercy, and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them. But it may be objected, If God threaten one thing and doth another, it may seem his will is changeable, and that he hath two wills. I answer, [Answer.] the will of God is one and the same, as God is one: but it is distinguished into that which is secret & revealed, as the Church is sometimes visible, and sometimes invisible, yet but one Church. The secret will is of things hidden with himself, and not manifested in the word. The revealed is of things made known in the Scripture▪ Deut. 29, 29. and by daily experience. The secret is without condition, the revealed with condition, and therefore for the most part it is joined with exhortation, admonition, instruction, and reprehension. But no man is exhorted and admonished to do his secret will, because no man can resist it, the reprobate and devils themselves are subject unto it, and must perform it, Rom. 9.19.

[Use 2] Secondly, it is the duty of the Ministers to propound the threatenings of GOD with such conditions, provoking and persuading all men to repentance and amendment of life, offering grace and mercy to the humble and broken hearted. They are to preach not only the law, but likewise with the law y ^e Gospel. And thus they are said both to bind and loose, both to retain sins and to forgive. For as Elijah by his earnest and zealous prayer did both shut up the heavens, and open the windows of heaven, so that it gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit: so the Ministers of God by their earnest & zealous preaching, do shut up the kingdom of heaven against all obstinate persons, and also open the heavens to such as are penitent. To propound the threatenings of God without condition, is to bring men to despair, and to take from them all hope of mercy and forgiveness.

Thirdly, it is the duty of the people, whensoever [Use 3] they hear the theatnings of God, to stir up themselves to repentance, thereby to prevent his wrath, and to stay his judgments. Let us take heed, we do not rush on, as the horse in the day of battle, to our destruction. And thus have y ^e servants of God understood his threatenings, and accounted them as a Sermon of repentance, as we heard before of Hezekiah king of Judah, and all Judah with him, when Micah the Morashite prophesied, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Zion shall be plowed like a field, & Jerusalem shall become heaps: they fell not into desperation, neither concluded an impossibility of obtaining pardon and the continuance of the Temple, of the city, and of the whole kingdom, but besought the Lord, and feared his Name, & the Lord repented him of the plague which he had denounced against them. And no marvel that this godly king conceived the meaning of the threatening in that manner, for so did the King of Nineveh, an heathen and idolatrous king understand the threatening of Jonah no otherwise. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, & turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Thus also did Hezekiah before named understand the message sent to him from God by Esayah, when he was sick unto death: Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live; and therefore he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord of life. Let us make this use of the Ministry of the word, and of all the threatenings contained therein, to be stirred up to repentance and obedience, lest we be destroyed. If there be no change in us, let us look for a change from God: and he will never change his threatenings, except we change our lives and conversations.

[Use 4] Fourthly, seeing the threatenings of God, suppose a condition, we must also know how we ought to understand his promises, to wit, with a condition. The threatenings of GOD have a condition of repentance: the promises have a condition of faith and obedience. God hath made many merciful promises unto us in his holy word howbeit he hath no otherwise bound himself unto us, then we will acknowledge our selves bound in duty to serve him.

We must not only consider what God promised to us, but withal remember what he requireth of us. Hence it is, that y ^e Prophet saith, I will speak suddenly concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to built it and to plant it: but if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then will I repent of the good, wherewith I said I will benefit them. He hath promised to love us, but he requireth at our hands, to love him again. He hath promised to forgive us our trespasses, but he chargeth us to forgive them that trespass against us. He hath promised to be a Father unto us, but he looketh for at our hands that we walk before him as obedient children.

Lastly, if God threaten and no repentance [Use 5] followeth, then certainly the threatenings pronounced will come to p • sse. God threateneth not in vain, he terrifieth not without cause. If we do not prevent them, they will prevent us and take us away suddenly. See the fearful examples of the flood, of Sodom, of the destruction of the ten tribes, of Jerusalem and of the Jews, of the seven Churches of Asia, and other Churches planted by the Apostles, supplanted in the wrath of God; all assure us of the truth of this point. Consider our own ways in our hearts. We live where we hear the fearful judgments of God daily and deservedly threatened against us for our sins, and namely for the contempt of the Gospel in all places and among all persons, there followeth little repentance and amendment of life; nay, it seemeth that God hath blinded our eyes and hardened our hearts, lest we should return and be saved. What will follow, nay what must necessarily follow, whosoever hath half an eye may easily perceive. Yet see how we deceive our selves with flattering words, as Ier. 7.4 they said, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord: so we can say, Tush, The Gospel, the Gospel, it can never be rooted out from among us, Popery shall never be established anymore. But what do we glory so much of the Gospel? or why do we put confidence in this tule? For this Gospel shall be a witness and give in verdict against us, and as an upright judge condemn us. And what is impossible unto God? what cannot his power, what may not his justice do? such as believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness, shall be damned Can we challenge to our selves anymore then God's own people, that had the law and the Prophets, the Temple and the sacrifices, the Ark and the Covenant? or more then the Churches of Asia, and other founded by the Apostles? who seeth not a general coldness, a palpable deadness, a fearful declining and falling backward generally in all places? All which make a preparatiō to apostasy. Papists everywhere increase, and are winked at: th • y have been threatened with indictments, forfeitures, and imprisonments, but they live at ease, grow rich, have great friends, and laugh all their enemies or opposites to scorn. Such as have been zealous, decay: godly parents fail, and a crooked generation ariseth after them: ignorance aboundeth: wickedness hath the upper hand; and he that setteth himself against evil, maketh himself a prey, Isaiah 59.15. Atheists swarm everywhere, and lift up their horns on high: the people for the most part are fit for any change, to profess Christ, or antichrist, to worship God in truth or in an Idol.

To the former threatening is annexed an excellent prayer of Moses made in behalf of the people. We have not many of his prayers recorded in Scripture: but such as are left unto us, are most worthy and heavenly, testifying that he had the spirit of supplication in a plentiful measure, and therefore no marvel, being so excellent, if they were also very effectual. Whereby we see, it is not for naught, that he is said after a sort to have bound or chained the hands of God, Exod. 32.10. and to have prevailed more by his word then Joshua by his sword, by his prayers, then the host of Israel by their weapons of war, Exod. 17.11. And in this place, after that God had threatened to make a general havoc and destruction of this stubborn people, as a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down, he standeth in the gap to turn away the wrath of God, Psa. 106 23. which otherwise as a mighty flood would break in upon them, and bear down all before it. Whereby it appeareth, that the words in the former threatening were not uttered definitively, but conditionally, to wit, if Moses did not make intercession for them, and stand between God and his people. For if they had been spoken simply, or been understood to be spoken in that sort, Moses ought not to have prayed for them, but to have given place to the threatening, and rested in the decree and determination of God, submitting himself to his holy will and pleasure. But he was stirred up thereby to seek and to sue for pardon for them, and therefore he understood the same conditionally.

The sum and effect of the prayer is, that GOD would not destroy his people utterly according as he had threatened; and he moveth him to show mercy toward thē by three reasons. The first is drawn from the consideration of the enemies of the Church, that they might have no occasion to reproach the holy Name of God, and to tread his glory (which is higher thē the heavens) under their feet, taking occasion thereby to blaspheme him, if he should destroy his people, which he with a strong hand had brought out of Egypt Exod. 32.12. Deut. 9.28. and 32.27. The second reason is drawn from the nature and essential properties of God, he is of longsuffering and great mercy, &c. The third is taken from the former works and examples of his great goodness, wherein he moveth God to pity them, seeing he had oftentimes before shown favor toward them: all which had been utterly lost, if he should utterly destroy them. Out of these words, as also out of all the reasons urged by Moses, in general we learn, that the ordinary means and ready way to revoke and call in God's judgments, is true, hearty, and unfeigned prayer, whensoever his hand in any sort lieth heavy upon us, Ps. 107.6, 13, 19, 28. and 106.23. I am. 5. 17, 18. Numb. 12.13. 1 King. 8.33, 35, 37, 44.

The reasons. First it is profitable to all [Reason 1] things, and is of force to obtain every good thing: and if every good thing, then also to remove every evil thing from us; It obtaineth blessings of all sorts, public and private, spiritual and temporal, for our selves and for others, touching this life and a better, John. 16.23. In that day, ye shall ask me nothing: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Where we see the generality of the promise, confirmed by a vehement asseveration. Secondly, prayer [Reason 2] obtaineth the pardon & forgiveness of sins, Act. 8.22. I am. 5. 15. 1 John. 5.16. and sin is the true and proper cause of all judgments whatsoever: if then it obtain the removing of the cause, it shall also obtain the taking away of the effect. For the cause being removed, the effect will cease. Thirdly, it is so mighty [Reason 3] that it is able to throw down y ^e fastest hold and surest possession that Satan hath gotten: Paul having shown that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, that is, not only, or chiefly with them, but with principalities & powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, prescribeth this as a means to subdue and overcome them. And Christ our Savior telleth his disciples, that this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. If then it be able to cast him out with all his forces, it is more able to prevent judgments threatened, or to remove them when they are inflicted.

But against this point, many things are objected; [Object. 1] first it is said in general, that the prayers of many are fruitless: that they call upon God, but can receive no answer; To this I answer, Many make their prayers unprofitable, because they pray amiss, I am. 4.3. the fault is in themselves, not in God. Again, albeit he do not hear and help his servants presently, yet he doth it, when the doing of it is better, both in respect of his own glory and our own good. He best knoweth the times and seasons which he keepeth in his own power, Act. 1.7. Heb. 4.16. For this cause, he would not by and by work a miracle at the request of his mother, John. 2.4.7. nor hear the Canaanitish woman at the first Mat. 15. but delayed her sundry times. Lastly, it falleth out oftentimes, that when the faithful ask one thing, he granteth them another, fully equivalent to that and sometimes far better; and thus he heareth them, 2 Cor. 12.8, 9. Mat. 26.39. Paul prayed against a temptation, he hath grace to withstand and resist it: Christ Jesus prayed to hand the cup of the Cross removed: he must drink of it, but he hath strength sufficient given him to overcome it. God therefore heareth our prayers, when he giveth us as good a blessing or a better, though we obtain not the particular which we desire.

[Object. 2] Again, it may be said, Moses prayed that he might enter into the land of promise, and yet was not heard, Deut. 3.25. of which we spake before. I answer, he prayed after a sort against the express will of God, only he was ignorant whether the threatening were conditional. Besides, we cannot say that this was altogether frivolous and fruitless, because he obtained to see the Land, so that albeit he did not set foot in it, yet the Lord shown him all the land to his great comfort, & strengthening of faith: so that in effect he said or else might say with Simeon, Luk. 2.29, 30. Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.

[Object. 3] Thirdly, we heard before, that David prayed for the restoring of his child to health whē it was sick, yet the child died, and he was not heard, 2 Sam. 12.16. Answer. He was not heard in that one particular: howbeit afterward God gave him another son, another son by the same mother, another son that sat upon his throne after him. Again, God had mercy on the soul of the child, of which he was persuaded, because he saith, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me, 2 Sam. 12.23. so y ^t his prayer was an acceptable sacrifice to God, & a profitable sacrifice to himself

[Object. 4] Lastly, it may be objected, that God (who hath no greater to swear by) sweareth by himself, that though Moses and Samuel stood before him, yet his mind would not be toward this people, Ier. 15.1. and though these three, Noah, Daniel and Job were in the land, they should deliver but their own souls, &c. Eze. 14.14. they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, verse 16. I answer, this is nothing to the purpose, for herein nothing is expressly affirmed, but the matter is only supposed, as 1 Cor. 13.1, 2. Again, it is said expressly, that they should deliver their own souls, and therefore we cannot say, that their prayer is without profit. Now let us proceed to y ^e uses.

First, we may hence conclude, that great is the use, utility and necessity of prayer in the church, greater thē of the Sun in y ^e firmament. [Use 1] For what have we left when God is offended and provoked, but this? when this is rightly performed, it calleth in his wrath gone out against us. Nevertheless, the Apostle requireth two things to make our prayers effectual and of great profit toward us: the one in respect of the person that prayeth, the other in respect of the prayer of the person. Touching the person of him that prayeth, if he desire to have his prayer heard, he must be just & righteous; it is not the prayer of every man whatsoever he be that availeth much, but the prayer of a righteous man, that feareth God, that believeth in Christ, that serveth him in spirit and truth, and walks before him in holiness and righteousness of life; these are they whose prayers pierce the heavens, and prevail much with the Almighty. This is taught in many places of the word, Psal. 34, 15, and 145, 19. 1 Pet. 3, 10. 1 Tim. 2, 8. Prov. 15, 29. The prayers of such, are like to Jacob's ladder which was set upon the earth, and the top of it reached up to heaven, Gen. 28, 12. so do the prayers of the faithful, they are made on earth, but they reach up to the clouds, nay to heaven, and come into the presence of God himself: our prayers ascend to him, and his graces descend to us. On the other side, as the prayers of the righteous are most acceptable to God & profitable to us, so the prayers of the wicked and unrighteous are most abhominable. As the one sort are sweet in the nostrils of God, and ascend as incense, so the other are unsavory, and stink worse then dung and mire in his sight. Wherefore let not the ungodly men persuade themselves of God's favor, or think he any whit regardeth the words of their mouths: for such as incline their hearts to wickedness, the Lord will never hear them. Again, our prayers must be fervent & earnest, they must be kindled with a burning zeal against all coldness, they must flow from unfeigned faith against all doubting and wavering, they must be continued with great constancy and perseverance against all weariness and giving over before we have obtained. As then he that prayeth must be righteous, so must his prayer be fervent, if he will obtain anything at the hand of God.

Secondly, hence ariseth great comfort to [Use 2] the people of God that groan under affliction and are ready to sink down under an heavy burden. Let none of God's servants despair of help, but hope in God, who hath left us this as a plaster to heal all our wounds, or as a medicine to cure all our diseases. Hence it is, that the very infidels by light of nature and other superstitious persons have confessed this truth, that have not yielded to the truth of God. The Mariners, that were ignorant of the true God, cried unto their gods, when the sea wrought and was tempestuous against them, Ion. 1.5. and the shipmaster stirred up Jonah to pray to his God, if so be that God would think upon them that they perish not, ver. 6. Pharaoh the king of Egypt, knew that the prayers of Moses and Aaron, the holy servants of God, were very profitable and acceptable; therefore he sent for them and desired them to pray for him, when the plagues of God lay upon him and his people. This also did Jeroboam, that wicked king that made Israel to sin, know and understand; for when his hand was dried up, which he thrust out to lay hold on the Prophet of God, he desired him to pray that it might be restored. If these have confessed y ^e benefit of prayer, how much more ought we? though there be an infinite distance between heaven and earth, between God and man, yet heareth he from his holy hill the supplications of his righteous servants poured out before him. Affliction taketh away all comfort and joy from the sons of men, that are unregenerate: when they are pinched with poverty, with famine, with misery and calamity, they are quite out of heart, they distrust, they despair, they fret & fume, they mutter and murmur against God. They have no hearts to lift up unto him, neither can they run to the throne of grace to find mercy in time of need, but do oftentimes blaspheme the God of heaven, and repent not of the works which they have wickedly committed. They would fain have some comfort in their sorrows, but they know not of whom to seek it, or where they shall find it. Hence it is, that they run to music and instruments of delight, to wine-taverns, to strong drink, to evil company, and some to witches and enchanters, which they call cunning men, and cunning women. But the servants of God which have learned better things, know that God is the Father of all comfort and consolation, and therefore they fly unto him by prayer, who is able to deliver their souls from death, their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling, Psa. 56.12, 13. and 116.8. In troubles therefore, if we call upon him, we have his promise (surer then the heaven) that he will help us and send us a joyful deliverance.

[Use 3] Lastly, let us from hence be moved to be diligent in this duty, and not to give over till the God of blessing pour down a blessing upon us. How heavy soever his hand be, and how long soever, in continuance yet if we can call unto him, we are safe.

Woeful were our condition, if we should cry and there were none to hear: but it is otherwise with us, we do not so soon call, as he is ready to answer. A poor silly lamb entangled in the bushes and brambles, if it can but bleat, the shepherd will quickly help it: so if we be the sheep of Christ, and can call unto him, the good shepherd of the sheep will by and by hear us: if we can lift up our voice to him that sitteth in the heavens, he will soon free us and deliver us out of our affliction. So long as we have a mouth to speak, he hath ears to hear: and when the tongue cannot, if with the heart we can sigh to him, he understandeth that language, and we shall be sure of help, as Abraham gave over asking, before God gave over answering, Gen. 18.32, 33.

Now let us come to consider the parts of the prayer as they lie in order. And first we may not think that we have the whole prayer which Moses uttered, and that he delivered it in no moe words: for it appeareth by the abrupt beginning, ver. 13. that he had spoken somewhat before: but this is only the substance of the prayer, and hath the chief reasons which he used. The first argument is very forcible and effectual, and largely pressed upon God, which showeth that y ^e nations round about had heard of their deliverance out of Egypt, the Canaanites had heard that God was among his people with his word, with his presence, with his authority, with his signs and miracles: if then God should deliver them to death, these cursed nations would revile the Name of God, and accuse him either of impotency or of tyranny: that by reason of his hatred toward thē, he would not, or of his weakness he could not bring them into the land of promise; whereupon he concludeth that it were far better for God, to free his name from such blasphemous reproaches by sparing his people. Moses never once offereth to plead for pardon through anything y ^t was to be found in the people themselves, he confesseth that there was matter enough in them to have removed them long ago out of the world: but he lifteth up his eyes unto heaven, and desireth God to look upon himself and to have respect to his own name, lest the infidels and idolaters should take occasion by the destruction of the Israelites to blaspheme him. How forcible this reason is, and how powerfully it pierced as I may say the ears, nay the heart of God, appeareth notably by the mouth and confession of God himself: I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men, were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave thenselves strangely, and should say, Our hand is high, & the Lord hath not done all this. What was it then that hindered him from putting out their name from under heaven? Not that they were not worthy to perish, but it would have opened the mouths of the infidels to scoff at God whom they served, and at his religion which they professed. They would have said, Where is the God that hath maintained them so long? is he fallen asleep? or is he in a far journey? or what ayleth he, that he succoreth them no more? We learn from hence that it is a good plea to move the Lord to show mercy, even for his glory and his own names sake, Josh. 7.8, 9. Psal. 79.8, 9, 10. and 115.1. Dan. 9.19.

The reasons follow. God doth not bestow anything to any other end then this, be aimeth at this mark and hath respect to his own glory, both in giving and forgiving, Isaiah 48.9. Prov. 16.4. and therefore ought we also to set the same end before us in prayer. The Lord in all his actions of mercy and judgment hath evermore a special respect to the promoting of his honor, and the maintaining of his own glory, Exod. 9.6. Rom. 9.17. Exod. 32.11, 12. Secondly, the servants of God have been so far carried with a desire of promoting and preferring of it, as that they have preferred it before their own life, nay before their own soul and salvation when they have come in comparison together, as appeareth in Moses, and in Paul. Thirdly, God's glory is most dear to himself: if then we will be his children, tender & dear unto him, we must follow his example, we must prize that at the highest rate which he prizeth above all, we must love that which he loveth, and that ought to be most dear unto us which is most dear to him.

[Use 1] The uses. This reproveth the most part of the world, who never set this mark before them to aim at, nor intend the glory of God in their prayers, but the fulfilling of their own wills and desires, and the satisfying of their own gain and profit. It is nothing precious unto them, but less regarded then their own names. Every man naturally regardeth himself and magnifieth his own name, but the name of God never goeth near them. Joshua hath relation to such a point as this, when he saith, speaking of the Canaanites and all that inhabited the land, They shall cut out our name from the earth, and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? Solomon teacheth in the Proverbs, that a good name is rather to be chosen, then great riches, and loving favor rather then silver and gold, & it is better then a precious ointment; but if we speak of the Name of God, which is glorious and fearful, Deu. 28.38. it ought to be more dear unto us then all the silver & gold, then all the Jewels & precious stones w ^c worldlings make their heaven and happiness.

[Use 2] Secondly, let us in all distresses and troubles be comforted with this consideration, that he will respect his own glory, and therefore the good of his Church. For the preservation of the Church, and the advancement of God's glory are joined together. He will never forsake those y ^t are his, in prosperity or in adversity: because if he should any way fail of his promises, he should lose much of his own glory, which is impossible. The Church shall never sink under the burden that lieth sore upon it It is like the bush that burned, which Moses saw in the wilderness while he fed the sheep of Jethro his father in law, it flamed but it consumed not: whereby God declared the low ebb of the church into w ^c it was brought, distressed in Egypt, but it should not be destroyed; he that dwelled in the bush preserved the same, Deu. 33.16. If then the glory of God shall never fail, the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church.

Lastly, we must give no occasion of causing [Use 3] the name of God which is holy in it self, to be blasphemed. Let us be no means to make it evil spoken off, but labor by all means to be instruments of setting it forth. Blessed are such as any way advance it. Everyone should aim at it, high and low, rich and poor, master and servant, husband and wife. Everyone may gain some glory to God, how mean soever his place, how simple soever his calling be. The Apostle chargeth the Jews, that through thē the Name of God was blasphemed, because they had the law and made boast of God, they knew his will and were instructed in the word. For as wicked children do dishonor and discredit their parents, 1 Sam. 8.3. so it turneth after a sort to God's discredit in the world, when they which are called the children of God, and named by the name of Christ, do live unworthily so high and holy a calling. There is none that liveth in the Church, albeit in the poorest and lowest calling, but if he profess Christ, and walk not according to his profession, he causeth the Name of God to be evil spoken off: the servant that hath the meanest office, if he will be thought religious and have the Gospel in his mouth, and do not perform the duties of his calling with great care and a good conscience, he causeth the Name of God and his doctrine to be blasphemed, 1 Tim. 6.1. The higher & more eminent any man's place is, the more scandal he giveth and the greater occasion of grief to the godly, of hardening to the wicked, and of dishonor to God. Let a man be as profane as may be, that neither feareth God, nor reverenceth man, let him live in the grossest sins that can be committed or named; let him be an open blasphemer, a contemner of the word, a profaner of the Sabbath an abuser of the Sacraments and of all good things, there is commonly no great matter made of it, he is neither reproached, no reproved. But let one that professeth religion be suddenly overtaken thorough infirmity in any sin or purpose of sin, not only he is taunted and traduced by the profane multitude, but the truth of God and the profession of the truth, nay the God of truth is evil spoken off, dishonored and blasphemed. These things ought to go near us, even to the heart, and to make us watchful over our ways: seeing we have those that watch over us, to see if they can have ought whereof to accuse us.

In these words we have the second reason drawn from the consideration of the nature or being of God, which is seen by showing mercy and judgment, both which are in his hand, mercy to his own people, judgment to his enemies. This description is taken out of the book of Exodus, chap. 34.6. very comfortable to afflicted and distressed consciences. So Jonah 4.2. first he is said to be long suffering; then, of great mercy, and thirdly forgiving iniquity and transgression. If any ask. Is he only merciful? is he not also just? The answer is, he will by no means clear the guilty, but will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. But of this latter clause we shall speak afterward, verse 33.34. Out of the former, note, that it is the property of God to be always of great patience, much gentleness, and long-sufferance. He is of a forbearing nature, and slow to anger, expecting many days the conversion, repentance, and recovery of sinners, Isaiah 65.2. Ier. 35.15. and 25.5. Matth. 23.37. We have many examples hereof in the word of God, Gen. 6.3. 1 Pet. 3.20. The long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was a preparing. So Luke 13.6. 7, 8, 9. 2 Chro. 36.15. We have all experience of this point.

[Reason 1] The reasons: first he knoweth our weakness, our corruption and inclination to evil, he knoweth whereof we are made, he remembereth that we are but dust, Isaiah 57.16, Psalm. 103.14. yea, as a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again, Psal. 78.38.39. no better then vanity, yea, lighter altogether then vanity, Psal. 62.9.

Secondly, his nature is to be merciful & full of compassion, 2 Chron. 36.15.

Thirdly, the sins of the wicked are not yet full, they have not yet filled up the measure of them, Gen. 15.16.

Lastly, he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, and therefore he is not slack concerning his promise, but is long suffering to us ward, 2. Pet. 3.9.

[Objection] Before we come to the uses of this doctrine, we must remove a few objections that seem to make against this point. And first, how can God be said to be very patient and to suffer long, seeing his judgments are often said to come suddenly & speedily as a whirlwind and a tempest? and when they shall say, peace and safety, his coming shall be as the coming of a thief in the night, or as travel upon a woman with child, 1 Thess. 5.2.3. [Answer.] I answer, to be long before he come, and to be swift when once he cometh, are not opposite or contrary the one to the other. He waiteth a long time, but when the days of his patience are expired, then suddenly destruction cometh. He giveth warning after warning, and will do nothing but he revealeth the same to his servants the Prophets, Amos 3.7. Dan. 9.5.6. but when his patience is abused and contemned, then he cometh swiftly and stayeth not. The Apostle Peter speaking of the second coming of Christ to judgment joineth both these together, and showeth how and wherefore he is both long in coming, and yet swift in coming; he forbeareth because he is patient, and he cometh suddenly in his glory because he is just, 2 Pet. 3.9, 10. first he saith, that God is long suffering, not willing that any should perish: then he addeth, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Thus we see how he suffereth patiently, and yet withal how he cometh suddenly.

Secondly, [Object.] the question may be asked whether the Ministers should forbear or abstain from threatening and denouncing of God's judgments against the ungodly, seeing God is gentle and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness? whereby they shall terrify men without cause, and make themselves liars. I answer, [Answer.] it is true that Jonah the Prophet was discouraged upon this ground and consideration, from threatening destruction against Nineveh. Though he were sent against the city with heavy tidings, yet he consulted with flesh and blood, & fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, Ion. 1.3. because he knew that God was a gracious God and merciful, repenting him of the evil, chap. 4.2. But this was his infirmity, and therefore he is reproved, ver. 10.11. Wherefore it belongeth to all faithful Ministers of God as a part of their function, howsoever the judgments of God be deferred and their Sermons derided, to open their mouths boldly, and to reprove sin earnestly, that they may thereby deliver their own souls and save the people that hear them, 2 Tim. 4.2.

Thirdly, it may be asked, [Object.] whether it be lawful for the godly to crave of God to be patient and longsuffering, to bear with the ungodly and vessels of wrath? especially considering the prayer of Jeremiah, chap. 15.15. Lord, remember me and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors, &c. The prayer of Moses and of Jeremiah seem to be contrary. Answer. [Answer.] The prayer of Jeremiah is special and extraordinary, and containeth no general rule and direction for the Church. He spake this as a Prophet, not as a private man, for he foretold to his persecutors the vengeance and wrath of God certainly to fall upon them; the general rule belonging unto all, is set down by Christ, Matth. 5 44. To pray for our enemies and them that hate us.

Lastly, it may be demanded, [Object] whether the publishing and preaching of the doctrine of God's patience and forbearing be not dangerous and hurtful, as seeming to tend to lead men into sin, and minister occasion of hardening the heart, and delaying of repentance. I answer, from God's delaying of his judgments we may not conclude the delaying of our repentance. True it is, the ungodly abuse this doctrine to licentiousness, Rom. 2.4.5. as they do also other doctrines and the Scriptures themselves, to their own perdition: the providence of God to idleness, the predestination of God to wickedness, the mercy of God to profaneness, the grace of God to wantonness, justification by faith to carelessness of good works, yea Christ himself to be a stumbling block and a stone of offense. Notwithstanding we must use the doctrine of God's patience to our comfort and to bring us thereby to repentance.

[Use 1] Now we come to the uses of this doctrine which are many, serving for instruction, reprehension, consolation, and exhortation. First of all, it serveth for our knowledge and instruction, and teacheth us what a good God we serve and worship, such a one as willeth not and wisheth not the death of a sinner: such a one as is gentle and gracious, merciful, and pitiful, Psal. 145.8, 9. Ezek. 18.23. and 33.11. Again, this teacheth us what is the cause that God spareth so long both his and the Churches enemies, to wit, because he is patient. Thus doth the Prophet tell the Israelites the cause why y ^e Lord had spared y ^e Assyrians so long, Nah. 1.3. We see how profane many are, blasphemers of God's Name, profaners of his Sabbath, despisers of the word, haters of good men; iniquity aboundeth everywhere. We might wonder that such live upon the face of the earth, and wherefore they are spared, but that he is a God of patience and long suffering, or they could not continue. Is not the earth filled with cruelty & oppression, as it was with the old world, that was destroyed with an universal Flood? Doth not pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, and contempt of the poor abound, as in Sodom and Gomorrhah which was destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven? Ezek. 16.49. So Gen. 19.24. How then could our cities and houses stand and continue, if GOD were not very patient?

[Use 2] Secondly, it serveth for reprehension. For it convinceth those that scoff at his threatenings, because God a long time descrieth his judgments against the ungodly. Hence it is, that they judge them, & persuade themselves of them, to be no better then Scar-crows, and therefore to be vain and not to be feared. Such persons doth the Apostle Peter describe, that mock at the second coming of Christ, which shall come as a snare upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth, Luke 21.35. 2 Pet 3.1, 2. Ezek. 12.27, 28. Again, it meeteth with such as abuse God's patience to harden their hearts in sin. The more God spareth us, and the longer he waiteth, the more insolent and untoward the greatest sort do grow, abusing the lenity and long suffering of God presuming and waxing bold to offend, because he doth not speedily punish, Eccle. 8.11 Nehe. 9.17. sin is increased by this means: for the more he suffereth the greater is our sin.

Thirdly, this serveth for comfort and consolation. [Use 3] It lifteth up perplexed and disquieted consciences for their sins, trembling under God's hand as the child under the rod, and fearing to be consumed in his wrath. Let no man despair or be out of hope, for this is his nature, he is long suffering, Exod. 34. This is uttered to Moses to comfort him, who feared the utter subversion and destruction of Israel for their idolatry in worshipping the golden calf, Exod. 32.2. Psal. 103.8, 9. Again, it serveth to work confidence and assurance of faith and mercy in the hearts of the godly, that if they pray unto him, and desire to have his anger removed, he will be appeased toward them and spare them as we see in this place how Moses useth these words to the same purpose. Lastly, it comforteth the Church against the wickedness and cruelty of her persecutors: they stick not oftentimes to shed innocent blood, and God seemeth for a time to hold his peace, and nothing at all to regard either what the enemies do, or what his children suffer, for he sendeth down no punishment upon them. Notwithstanding, we must not imagine that God hath forgotten us in our miseries, as if he had shut up his kindness in displeasure, but he is patient even toward them, he best knoweth his times and seasons for justice and judgment, as he doth for mercy and compassion. When the time of his patience is run out, then will his time of justice clearly appear. Thus doth David comfort himself, a man that had experience of many sorrows, Ps. 86.14, 15. O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set thee before them: but thou, O God, art a God full of compassion and gracious, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Lastly, sundry exhortations arise from [Use 4] hence to sundry good duties, which I will only point out; first, it serveth to move us to break out into the praise of God. Our sins deserve suddenly to be swept away, the measure of them is exceeding great. It is his great mercy that we are not utterly confounded & consumed, Psal. 130.3 4. Secondly, we must be patient toward our brethren, Col. 3.12, 13. Ephe 4.32. Let us dea • e with our brethren, as we see God hath dealt with us. If we be hasty to revenge, let us take heed, lest we kindle the wrath of God against our selves, Matthew 6. verse 15.

Lastly, it is our duty to repent of our sins while we have time, and to seek the Lord while he is near, Rom. 2.4. Joel 2.3.

Here we have the third and last argument of the prayer to move the Lord to pardon them, wherein he putteth the Lord in mind of his works of mercy, and thereupon is bold to pray for the continual course of more mercy, Pardon this people, as thou hast forgiven them from Egypt until now. [Doctrine.] The doctrine. All the benefits and blessings that we receive in this life, are such as give us hope and assurance, that we shall receive more blessings and mercies from God; So then the point to be considered is this, that mercies present assure more mercies to come upon the faithful, as Psal. 77.5. Josh. 10.25. 1 Sam. 17.34, 35, 36, 37.

The reasons. A promise in part performed is a good assurance that the rest also shall be performed. So then if God have given to a man any blessing in part, it shall be an assurance unto him, that he shall also receive more from God. Every gift of God is as a pawn or gage laid up and left with us; for when he bestoweth any blessing, he giveth us earnest to assure us of moe that shall follow, and of a greater measure of the same gift, 2 Cor. 1.22. and 5.5. Ephes. 1.14. Secondly, deeds are much more effectual and powerful then words. Albeit the word of God be sure whatsoever he hath spoken, yet we lay better hold upon his works. Men are not so much afraid of God's threatenings to come, as when they see and feel his judgments present upon themselves and others: so is it in this case; for though the promises of God be good payment, because he hath promised y ^t cannot lie, Tit. 1.2. yet we are not so easily drawn to believe them, made by words only, as when we find them in part performed unto us; then we conceive undoubted and assured hope to receive the rest also, because he doth thereby as it were enter payment of a debt, I mean a debt by promise on his part, not by any desert on our part.

[Use 1] The uses follow. First, this teacheth every man, that be ought to observe and keep in mind the benefits and mercies of God both upon himself and other: how God from time to time hath blessed him, that so he may have comfort in time of need. For this is the cause why so many despair and have no comfort at all when the judgments of God are upon them, they forget God's goodness, and never cast their eyes back to the times past, nor remember the former benefits and comforts which they have received from God, and so are wholly destitute of comfort, and remain without hope to receive any moe mercies frō him. When Moses prayed unto God to show him this mercy, that he might enter into the land of promise, he beseecheth the Lord after this manner, O Lord God, thou hast begun to show unto thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand, I pray thee therefore let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, Deuter. 3.24. Whereby we see, he considereth how God had dealt with him in former times, and maketh that a motive to stir up his faith for the time to come, to hope for, and to desire the continuance thereof.

Secondly, this teacheth all of us, whereupon [Use 2] we ought in our wants and necessities to stay our selves and look for comfort: surely in the remembrance of God's former promises. There we shall be sure to find comfort, if we think upon them. For they are as sure pledges to us, that we shall afterward receive moe also. And let us labor to rest upon God because he hath given us many blessings and mercies in former times, so that we need not fear for the time to come, but that we shall also receive more at his hands, who giveth liberally one blessing after another, I am. 1.5. Forasmuch as he is God for the time to come, as well as for the time past, and all his gifts and calling are without repentance, Rom. 11, 29.

Thirdly, this should move us earnestly to [Use 3] labor for the first grace, and never to give rest to our selves until we feel an addition and increase of the second and third grace in our hearts, and to multiply them one after another, that they may dwell in us plentifully, and make us fruitful in all holy conversation. If we have the first grace in our hearts, and be careful to use the same well, it is as seed sown in good ground, it will bring forth a wonderful increase, and a notable harvest in the end. Paul would have Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him, 1 Tim. 1.6. If we be once in Christ, he will purge us more and more, that we shall bring forth more fruit, John. 15.8.

Lastly, observe that this is a privilege belonging [Use 4] only to the faithful, that they shall have the mercy and favor of God continued unto them. The blessings that God bestoweth upon the wicked do serve to make them without excuse, and are as seals of condemnation: they are not assurances unto them that they shall have moe bestowed upon them, he hath made no such promise unto them, neither can they gather any hope to have any farther increase of the same, or any addition of new blessings. Albeit it be so with the godly, y ^t former blessings of God are pledges of more, yet it is not so with the ungodly, 2 Sam. 7, 17. Judge. 10 12, 13. Eccle. 8.12, 13. Isaiah 65.20. He took away his mercy from Saul, but he would never do it from David: he delivered the unthankfull and rebellious Israelites out of the hands of their enemies, but he threateneth that he will deliver them no more. The evil servant hath his talent taken from him, and never restored unto him again: and thereupon Christ delivereth the manner of God's dealing as well toward the faithful, as the unfaithful, Matth. 25.29. Unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath. For they do abuse his mercies, and never make any good use of them: how then should they be continued unto them? nay, how should they not be deprived of them? They become much more sinful and grow worse and worse by his blessings: God requireth the more of them, but they perform the less duty unto him. It is therefore a vain hope and a mere presumption for such to think to have his goodness continued; rather they may conclude, that God will take them away suddenly, and bestow them no longer upon them, except they turn from their evil ways.

We have in these words the effect of the prayer of Moses, and the answer that God giveth unto him. The sum whereof is this, that the fathers should die in the wilderness, because, though they had seen his glory and miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet they tempted him ten times, that is, not once nor twice, but oftentimes, a certain number put for an uncertain, as Gen. 31.41. Job. 19.3. Dan. 7.10. and therefore they should be all destroyed, excepting Caleb the servant of God. If any ask the question why Joshua is not expressed, and wherefore his name is concealed? I answer, because the Lord pronounced the former sentence concerning the people that were in their tents; but Joshua (that attended upon Moses ) was present with Moses and Aaron before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, therefore the judgment denounced against the people that abode in their tents no way touched him. Caleb was with the people, so that it behooved him (who had spoken the truth of the land) to be excepted; Joshua was not, and therefore there was no need to have him exempted from them, who was not among them. For being with Moses and Aaron, he is accounted in their number. Secondly, they are commanded to return back again into the wilderness by the way of the red sea, verse 25 when they were now come to the borders of Canaan; which they could not hear without great grief and anguish of mind. Before they wept without cause, verse 1. Now they have cause to weep for this heavy judgment. Thirdly, their children should bear the burdē of their fathers sin & wander in the wilderness forty years, howbeit in the end they should enter into the land. Fourthly, the Spies themselves that had searched the land, which were the authors of all this mutiny, and had brought up an evil report of the land, were smitten with a fearful plague, & died suddenly by the hand of God. Here we may observe in these words, that God heareth the prayer of Moses and pardoneth the people according to his prayer, so that the Lord heareth the prayers of the faithful according to his promise. Secondly, God's judgments are tempered with mercy. Thirdly, such as have received the greatest mercies and become unthankful and disobedient, are the greatest sinners, and shall receive the greatest judgment. Fourthly, in excepting Caleb and Joshua from the common destruction, it appeareth that God is a just & righteous God, who as he doth not account the wicked innocent, so he will not account the innocent to be wicked.

The Popish teachers allege this example to prove that God pardoneth sin, and yet punisheth the sinner, & that the same punishment so inflicted is a satisfaction to God for their sin, and that the eternal punishment due to this people was pardoned at y ^• request of Moses. If this were true, then all this people were believers and had true faith in the Messiah, which is a bold assertion without all show of reason, and likelihood of truth; It may probably and charitably be thought, that some of them were believers and repented, to them these were chastisements. The like may be said of Moses and Aaron and of David, of which, they were shut out of the land of promise, and he was punished by the death of his child, and in other his children and house; not thereby to satisfy God by bearing part of the temporal punishment belonging to their sin, but that Moses and Aaron might learn together with all the people, to put their trust in God's promises made unto them, and to wait on him with patience. The end therefore was not God's satisfaction but their own reformation and the people's instruction. And David had many punishments, that the mouths of the heathen might thereby be stopped, who were likely to blaspheme God because of his sin. The truth is, before forgiveness, such judgments are punishments of sin, but after forgiveness obtained, they are the fights and exercises of the just. This is the difference between the afflictions of the faithful, and of the unfaithful; that which is to the just, the exercise of virtue, is to the unjust the punishment of sin. That which is laid upon us after forgiveness in Christ, is only in respect of the time to come, to weaken and wear away the power of sin, and in death utterly to destroy it. If any object, that death is the wages of sin, and that yet it continueth after forgiveness: I answer, it is so indeed, original • y and naturally: but to the faithful it hath lost his sting; the poison of it is taken away and turned into a medicine, and is made the way to life and salvation. That which was the gate of hell is made an entry to the kingdom of heaven. Thus we see, that the Popish satisfaction is weakly grounded, and the gainful fire of purgatory standing upon the rotten and ruinous pillar of satifaction is utterly quenched, that though the Jesuits and their instruments labor to blow the bellows to kindle it again, yet they are not able to put any spark of heat into it. For this is a certain doctrine, that when God pardoneth sin, he also remitteth the punishment. For first, the fault & the punishment are relatives which stand together and fall together: admit of the one, you yield the other: take away the one, you overthrow the other. Again, when God doth not remit the fault, he doth retain the punishment, & who can deny this? therefore on the contrary, when he forgiveth the fault, he doth not retain the punishment. The fault is a greater matter then the punishment: if then God forgive the fault which is the greater, it may not seem strange that he should forgive that which is lesser, and only depending upon the fault. Besides, when once a debt is discharged, it were extreme wrong and injustice to require the payment thereof again: but sins are debts, Matth. 6.12. The obligation standing against us is cancelled, and the creditor is fully satisfied, how then should we fear any arrest or imprisonment? who shall sue us, or who can lay anything to our charge? In a civil court, he were a very corrupt judge, who having acquitted & cleared a man that stood as guilty, from all offense, would notwithstanding give sentence that he should be executed: for this were as much as to pardon the theft, and to hang the thief. They that are justified by faith, are at peace with God, Rom. 5.1. and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, Rom. 8.1. When God forgiveth the sins and transgressions of the penitent, he remembereth them no more, Ier. 31.34. he blotteth them out of his sight, he setteth them as far from us, as the East is from the West, Psal. 103, he scattereth them as a cloud, and casteth them into the bottom of the Sea, Mic. 7.19. But touching the pardon mentioned in this place, the answer of God is to be referred to the prayer of Moses, & is proportioned out according to his request. He desired, that God would not utterly root out that whole people as one man, according as he had threatened: his prayer is granted, and God declareth that he had pardoned them, not absolutely, but according to his word: he requested they might not utterly be destroyed, he receiveth answer, they shall not utterly be destroyed. And concerning satisfaction to God for our sins by our selves, it is more then we are able to make it cost more to redeem a soul and to pay a price sufficient for it. For to satisfy is to yield a sufficient recompense to God for the transgressions y ^t we have committed against him. This Christ our redeemer is only able to do, and his satifaction is all sufficient. [Object.] But they tell us that man's satisfaction is not a supplying of any want in Christ's satisfaction, [Answer.] but an applycation of it to us. A most foolish and witless conceit. For when a man hath a medicine fully sufficient and available for the curing and healing of a wound, what needeth another medicine for the healing the same wound, which he must apply and lay to the former medicine to make it good? is not this applycation needless? And if a surety (undertaking for us) hath discharged our debts, it is very ridiculous to suppose that we must pay the debt again, that so our sureties payment may stand in effect. We read of the satisfaction y ^t Christ hath made, and we believe it: but of a satisfaction applying his satisfaction, we read not and therefore we believe not; which is no better then a cloak to cover their shame, and soundeth harsh to the ear of reason it self.

But to pass over these things, let us consider the sentence pronounced against these men, that all of them should die in the wilderness, as they had all broken out into open wickedness. The doctrine, sin generally entertained, bringeth a general destruction: when it is once come to the height in the manner and measure, it causeth destruction to come upon such persons, The reasons follow.

This is agreeable to the course of God's justice, that his judgments may be answerable to the sin. A general sin deserveth a general plague. Secondly, as sins are resembled to sicknesses, so punishments are to medicines which must be fitted to the diseases, and not to a part thereof. Now if universal and spreading sins should not have universal & spreading judgments brought upon them, the plaster should be less then the wound, & the remedy much weaker then the disease. The uses remain.

First, seeing God giveth sentence to bring [Use 1] desolation upon this people for their common sins, we have great cause to fear, that the day of our desolation and judgment cannot be far off. For seeing it hath been already proved, that we are grown a cold and careless people, a lukewarm Church, neither hot nor cold, seeing we are grown to the height of wickedness, and have added sin to sin, as it were drunkenness unto thirst, what can be expected in the next place, but y ^t destruction be brought upon us? If God have destroyed other nations, and rooted them out for the same sins that are found among us, what can be expected by us, but that we having the same weight of sins should also have the same weight of judgment? He hath made us already to drink of many judgments, only this remaineth that as yet we have not drank the dregs; we have not yet tasted of utter desolation. No nation hath brought forth worse fruits, or shown less thankfulness. We have just occasion therefore to fear, that the day of God's visitation cannot be far off by the course of justice, and doubtless it is the nearer, because we are grown sottish and senseless, and have put all fear thereof from us. The land is generally full of retchlesnesse and security; and this addeth to our sin, so that we may say, as it is, Ier. 6.28, 29, 30. They are all grievous reuolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron, they are all corrupt, &c. Thus was it with the Sodomites immediately before their destruction, the Sun was risen upon the earth, they thought there had been a fair day coming, but it was a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, for the Lord rained down fire and brimstone upon them, and all the wicked were as stubble. So it was also in the days of Noah, and so it shall be in the end of the world.

[Use] Secondly, it teacheth us, who are the greatest enemies to a state, to a nation, to a kingdom, to a land, to a people, to our towns and cities, & to our families; even they that are the greatest sinners. These are they that bring those days of desolation, the days of darkness and gloominesse, the days of wastnesse and confusion, to wit, such as sin with an high hand, that are obstinate and hardhearted and settled to continue in the dregs of them. When Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Ier. 32.4. who were the chief enemies of the city and kingdom? doubtless, not so much the Babylonians and their army, as the citizens themselves; they were such as lodged within, not they that lay without, 2 Chron. 36.16. Dan. 9.10, 11. Nehe. 13.17, 18. The strongest enemies were in the heart of the city, and they were they that did weaken it. It is sin that openeth the gates, and throweth down the walls, and letteth in the enemy, and maketh havoc of all. The sin of Achan made Israel to turn their backs to their enemies, Josh. 7.8. according to the threatening, Deut. 28.15.25. The contempt of the word, profaning of the Sabbaths, whoredom, drunkenness, covetousness, and oppression do sharpen the swords of enemies, and give them assured hope of victory, Hab. 1.3, 4, 5, 6. If we sin against God with an high hand, and break out into all enormities, it is in vain to trust in our fenced cities and multitudes of men. If our armies be never so strong, if our cities were never so sure blocked, if we had walls flanked with barracadoes and other fortifications, that we feared not to have them surprised by scalado; yet if sin be suffered and fostered within, it weakeneth all our force, it maketh frustrate all our devises, it throweth our castles and citadels down to the ground, it filleth up the trenches, and maketh the way easy to batter our walls and to break in pieces the towers thereof. Sin is as a Cannon that beareth all before it, and where it beareth sway, an hundred walls cannot keep out the enemy. And this the heathen knew and confessed. But where Religion is entertained, and godliness flourisheth, there the city is notably guarded, Deu. 4.6. and 28.1.7.

Lastly, such as have any love to their country, [Use 3] and would have the people freed from destruction, and continue in peace and quietness, let them show it by their love to the Lord and his Law, and by seeking to be at peace with him. If we be reconciled unto him, that he hath no controversy against us, he will make even our enemies to be at peace with him. This serveth to admonish us all to take heed, lest we add sin unto sin. We account him an enemy, and that justly that conspireth and combineth with another to open the gates unto him, and to bring him in to destroy the city and people: such an enemy is sin, it taketh part with our enemies, and they both join together, and tend both to one end, to wit, to overthrew our peace and safety. Stay therefore the course of sin, that it grow not to have the upper hand. Seek not to be acquainted with it, be not any means to spread it farther, and to convey it from one to another. Mark then from this consideration, who are indeed and in truth the best Citizens, and best townesmen in places where they live. Not always the richest, not always the noblest, not always the strongest, not always the most political. The best citizen is the godly man: the best townesman is the man that feareth GOD, and walketh in his ways. Such are the chariots and horsemen of the kingdom. They are the strength of the land that are strong in the Lord. On the contrary side, the worst citizens are the ungodly, who pull it down as it were with their own hands. What hath been the ruin and overthrow of the most famous kingdoms in the world? and what hath turned the noblest Cities into dust? what hath brought infinite calamities of famine, of the sword, of the pestilence, of fire, of slavery, and such like, but the impiety of men? so that the Lord hath been compelled to revenge himself of the very places which they possessed, of the walls and buildings, yea of the cattle and beasts that fed thereupon. Stand fast therefore in the most holy faith, and let not sin enter: for when it cometh, it layeth all waste: from this cometh the ruins of countries, of cities, of houses, and of particular persons.

The Lord as a just Judge proceedeth to give sentence against these wicked men whose destruction was concluded. They had gone back from their obedience, God charged them to go back again toward the red sea, so that they were forty years before any of that people came into the land, which might have been possessed in forty days. This sentence pronounced by the mouth of God, is either general against the whole multitude, or special against the first contriuers and principal authors of this rebellion. The general punishment is concerning themselves or their children.

Touching themselves as they had spospoken, so the Lord would do, they should not come into the land, their carcasses should fall in the wilderness; and touching their children, they should wander in the wilderness forty years. The fathers themselves had murmured against Moses and Aaron, verse 2. this doth God account as chiefly done against himself, You have murmured against me. He accounteth the disobedience shown to the Ministers that bring the word, as a disobedience against himself the author of the word, as Luk. 10.16. to teach us to submit our selves to God's holy word, albeit it be delivered to us by man, [Doctrine.] like unto our selves. The doctrine, when once the Ministers of God are no longer regarded, when they cry early and late, and we stop our ears, God himself taketh the matter into his own hand. When God sent Noah to preach repentance to the old world, and they repented not, he cometh against them to their destruction, Gen. 6.1, 4. Come thou and all thine house into the Ark, for yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain, upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living substance that I have made, will I destroy from off the face of the earth. So 2. Chro. 36.15, 16. Ierem. 7.13, 14. and 14.15, 16. Zach. 7.11, 12. This is the course of the Lord's dealing: first he preacheth by his Ministers, then he punisheth with his judgments. The reasons.

[Reason 1] First because the word offered and brought unto us, being contemned, they show contempt against God himself, and in despising his word, they despise the Lord himself, John. 13.20. and therefore no marvel, if he be constrained to take the matter into his own hand, and to deal with them himself, that they may know what he can do, who regard not what his servants speak.

[Reason 2] Secondly, God loveth those that are his own, and he is entered into a covenant with them, and cannot but continue his love unto them, John. 13.1. now these that he loveth, he chastiseth, Heb. 12.6. and if they will not be warned by his threatenings, he will make them seek unto him by his corrections and punishments. Job. 33.16.

[Use 1] This teacheth the Ministers of God how they may stay themselves in following the duties of their calling, among so many discontentments that they meet withal, both in the hearing and practicing of the people. For albeit their labor spent early and late cannot prevail, yet the Lord himself will take the matter into his own hand, and deal with them himself. The word which we bring is not our own, it is the Lord's: we are but as the Apothecaries box that holdeth the precious ointment: if then he be patient toward the contemners of it, much more ought we to be patient, and commit the cause to him whose cause it is. Peter being a Fisherman before his calling, Matth. 4.18. had toiled all the night, but had taken nothing, yet when Christ bad him continue his labor, he was ready to cast down the net into the sea, Luk. 5.5. and at length he enclosed a great multitude of fishes.

The Ministers are made the fishers of men, Matth. 4.19. to catch them with the angle of the word, and to take them in the net of the Gospel, Matt. 13.47. And albeit we do oftentimes toile and moil and take nothing, because men are grown so wily as to pass by the net, and can by no means abide to come near it: yet we are not to be discouraged, the master of the net commandeth us to labor in season and out of season: and if a multitude of them will not be taken in this net, Christ Jesus will take hold of them another way, to wit, by the net of his judgments.

Albeit therefore we do not see such profit of our pains and labors as we expected and desired, yet let us be content and commit the success of all to him that sent us, he will do that for us which we cannot do for our selves; he will take them in hand that hath their hearts in his own hand, and reform all that belong unto him, & bring everlasting confusion upon his enemies that shall never be forgotten, Jeremiah, chapter 20. verses 8, 9.

Secondly, it serveth to terrify all that obstinately [Use 2] set themselves against the word of God, because God will take the matter into his own hands. If his word cannot be a fire to burn up all corrupt affections in us, Ier. 23.29 God will himself be a consuming fire, Hebr. 12.29. If his word be not as an hammer to break in pieces our rocky and stony hearts, he will be an hammer that shall beat us to shiuers and grind us to powder, Matthew, chapter 21. verse 44. Let all such know, that albeit they escape the mouth of the Minister, yet they shall fall into the hands of God himself, which will be more fearful unto them, for he is able to destroy both body and soul in hell, Matth. 10.28. Indeed he is patient, but he will not bear long with the contempt of his word: and though he seem not to hear at the first, yet in the ende he will make it manifest that he heareth those which would not hear him: Let us therefore hearken unto the word with diligence and attention, while it is offered unto us.

Lastly, let everyone make conscience of hearing the word, and be admonished by it; otherwise most certainly it will fall out, he shall be forced to take us into his own hands, and to deal with us himself. This should move us to reform our selves and to amend our lives by the Ministry of the word, that so we may escape the hands of God, and not lie under his correction. Is it not better for children to be admonished by their fathers servants, then to fall into the hands of their fathers? Is it not better for men that live in lewd courses to be admonished by a friend, then to fall into the hands of the Magistrate, and to go to the stocks for correction? so in this case it is far better for men to be reformed by the word of God, brought unto them by the Minister, then to fall into the hands of the living God to be judged by him. This did Eli teach his children, 1 Sam. • , 25. If one sin against another, the Judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? Our condemnation shall be so much the greater, because we will not be admonished by his word. Let us therefore be wise in this point. Some children are so wayward and peevish, that no words will serve them, speak unto them never so much, they will not hear, neither will they regard. And Solomon saith well, A whip for the horse, a bridle for the asse, and a rod for the fools back, Pro. 26, 3: and of children he saith, Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far, Pro. 22, 15. So is it with all those that are stubborn and refractory, they esteem words as wind, they never lay them to their hearts: they must be brought low by strong hand, and they must feel the smart of their sins before they will be humbled. We see this in Pharaoh and his people, they had oftentimes heard Moses and Aaron speak unto them in the Name of the Lord, Exod. 5, 1, 8, 1, & 9, 1, 13, & 10, 3. But what did all this work in him, but as so many hard strokes vpō the anuill, which make it harder? so Pharaoh hardened his heart, and would not let the people go, Exo. 8, 15, so that God is constrained to enter into judgment with him, and he that would not give ear to the word, was constrained to give place to the waters, for he and his host were drowned in the red sea. Thus was it also oftentimes with the Israelites that refused & misused the Prophets, they ever brought upon their heads some judgment or other.

In these words Moses farther describeth the sentence of God against these rebels: the punishment rested not only upon their own persons but slowed down to their children, like a violent tempest that first falleth upon the Mountains, and after descendeth into the valleys. Note here first of all, how God dealeth with these mutiners and with their offspring. The spies had been 40. days in searching the Land, and for their wickedness they shall wander 40. years in the wilderness, a year for a day. A dram of sin hath a pound of sorrow. A day of pleasure hath a year of pain. [Doctrine.] Observe from this, that in judging and punishing of sins, God oftentimes punisheth in proportion, so that the judgment is answerable to the sin. Of what kind the sin is, of the same kind is the punishment, Gen. 42, 21. God sent upon Sodom a punishment like to the nature of their sin, they burned in unclean and unnatural lust one toward another, and the Lord sent fire from heaven to burn them up. The people in the wilderness with their viperous and venomous tongues spake against God and Moses his servant, and the Lord sent venomous and fiery serpents to sting and to bite them, Numb. 21, 5, 6. So David sinned greatly in numbering of the people, through the pride of his heart, and vain glory in his own greatness: God could have punished him many other ways, but he meeteth with him in the same kind, he diminisheth y ^e number of his people exceedingly by the pestilence, in whose strength he much trusted. The reasons follow.

First, God hath many ways to punish sin, [Reason 1] yet it pleaseth him to send his punishments according to our sins, thereby to strike us with inward remorse, and to work a deeper impression in the conscience. For when he punisheth after this manner rather then after any other, the judgment it self doth more effectually force the sufferer to acknowledge God's justice in plaguing of him in that sort. This we see in Adoni-bezek, who was served himself as he had served others, he had cut off the thumbs and great toes of threescore and ten kings which gathered their meat under his table, the Israelites served him with the same sauce, they also cut off his thumbs and his great toes; this measure repaied unto him caused him to say, As I have done, so God hath requited me, Judge. 1, 7. The punishment presenteth the sin as it were visibly before his face; and when God dealeth thus with a man, it oftentimes bringeth him to think of those sins which otherwise he would never have remembered: so that thereby he may justly acknowledge, that it is justly come upon him. Secondly, this maketh men not only to [Reason 2] justify God, whose judgments are always just, but maketh thē also to judge themselves, and thereby they oftentimes prevent y ^e more heavy judgments of God. He doth it for their good, & judgeth no mā twice, if he be wise to judge himself. Thirdly, God hath given a law, [Reason 3] & by y ^• law he requireth a proportionable punishment for sin, Levite. 24, 19. This course will the Lord take (who is the supreme Magistrate) so often as it pleaseth him, albeit he do not tie himself to that law.

[Use 1] This serveth to warrant us, that we may lawfully expect judgment from God in proportion upon men for their sins. For y ^t which hath been, may be; and that which the Lord hath done, he will certainly do it again, so that we may promise and persuade our selves that they shall in the end be paid home to the full, with due proportion of punishment according to their sins. In the destruction of Jerusalem, we read, that the enemies came upon them the same day, that they put Christ our Savior to death, even then, I say, came the sword upon them, and recompensed them in the same manner by putting them to death. How many are there which have sometimes been servants (though now they are masters) and been faithless to their masters? & what hath followed? have they escaped? nay, hath not God met with them in the same manner, by giving to them faithless servants, deceivers, purloiners, and thieves, that have wasted and spoiled their goods, as they in former time did their masters? How many in our days have been stubborn and disobedient against their parents in their youth, never doing them reverence, nor yielding to them any obedience, mocking at their age and other infirmities? Have not these monsters been punished? Yes, God hath paid them home with the like, and sent them dissolute children, disobedient, such as grow weary of them and think they live too long, minding their patrimony, more then regarding their parents. How many are there that have abused and wronged their former wives? and hath not God usually plagued them in the same sort in giving them a second into their bosom which hath embraced the bosom of strangers, and dealt wickedly and falsely with them? 2 Sam. 12, 11. Job 31, 9, 10. God could have met with thē by other means and punished them a thousand other ways, but it pleaseth him to make his punishments answerable, and carrying a likeness with the sin for which it is inflicted: so that they are punished by that thing, by which they have sinned against God. Covetous persons which get their goods by fraud and oppression, are themselves or their heirs many times oppressed, and deceived, and brought to beggary. Gluttony, surfeiting, and drunkenness are oftentimes punished with dropsies and many gross and corrupt humors, distempering their bodies, and bringing them with speed to their graves. But all these judgments before rehearsed belong only to the body, & do not stretch to the soul and conscience: nevertheless the Lord ceaseth not to repay us even in this kind also according to our sin. Hence it is, that he threateneth to send strong delusions upon men to believe lies, which will not receive and believe the truth, 2 Thess. 2, 11. and they which will not believe wholesome doctrine, but having itching ears get them an heap of teachers, shall turn their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables and believe lies, 2, Tim. 4, 3, 4.

Secondly, whensoever we remain under any [Use 2] judgment of God's hand, whatsoever it be, let us labor for spiritual wisdom, that we may be able to see and discern, what the sin is which is the cause thereof. For by the manner of the judgment, we may oftentimes find out the manner of our sin. And doubtless these benefits will come thereof: we shall be able to justify God, and also to judge our selves, and thereby we shall escape farther punishments and plagues that God purposed to bring upon us. This way we shall make the punishment profitable unto us, if we take it and lay it unto the sin, as it were a salve vpō the sore. This will bring us to remember many sins, and to repent truly of them, which otherwise we should not think upon. It will work in us a care to judge our selves, that we be not judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11, 31, 22. This is no small benefit and comfort and therefore we should entertain a joint-meditatiō, both touching the sins that we have committed, and touching punishments that we have suffered, that so we may to our farther good compare the one with the other.

Lastly, as God dealeth with men in regard [Use 3] of their sins, so he dealeth oftentimes with his childrē in good things & for good things. He will not only reward our good works, even to a cup of cold water, given to a disciple, in the name of a disciple, Mat. 10.42. but he will reward according to our deeds, blessing with the same blessing, and mercy with the same mercy, 2 Tim 1.18. Onesiphorus shown me • cy unto Paul he prayeth to God, That he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. He that is merciful and liberal to the poor, hath a promise that he shall never want. Christ our Savior describing what is true blessedness, wherein it consisteth, saith, among other things Mat. 5 4. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. True it is, God is able to reward such many other ways, but he promiseth and performeth this rather then any other, to strengthen our faith in his word, and to teach us to acknowledge and confess his own in y ^t work. And hereby have all such as are any way under the government of others, a notable encouragement in well doing, that God will return them a like measure of blessing according to that themselves have done. If we be truly serviceable and conscionable in our duties toward those whom God hath set over us, we shall by a special blessing of God find in time to come those that shall be under us faithful also toward us. He that will rule well, must first learn to obey well: if we be not obedient to others for conscience sake, let us never think to find others obedient to us. Hast thou been a dutiful child to thy parents, and obeyed them in the Lord? Thou mayest well hope and expect the same at the hands of thy own children hereafter. Or hast thou been a faithful servant to thy master according to the flesh, serving him with fear & trembling in singleness of thy heart? Thou mayest well look for the like service at the hands of others. It is the common rule of christianity, and that which the heathen themselves were not ignorant off, Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the Prophets, Mat. 7, 12. On the other side, they that are stubborn and disobedient children, evil and unfaithful servants, may justly fear to have the same measure measured unto them again. They that are now young men & live under the roof and government of their parents, if they deal falsely and deceitfully with them, how can they but think that God will make them reap a plentiful harvest of such darnel as themselves have sown & scattered abroad? They that are now children of their fathers & mothers, may in time to come themselves be fathers & mothers of their children, & so have others stand in the same place to them, that themselves now stand to their parents. If they mock and scoff at them for their infirmities, as Ham & Canaan did, Gen. 9, 22. Or contemn their wholesome counsels and holy admonitions, as the sons of Eli did: Or if they beguile them, or closely convey away their money or any of their goods from them as Micah did from his mother: as many make it a slight and slender matter to steal from their parents, as if all were their own they can lay fingers upon, even while they be alive; and others give liberty to take and embezell from them, if it be but a little and no great sums: Or if they think they live too long that they may enjoy their living as Esau did; let them know that there is a just God in heaven, that will another day withhold his grace from their posterity, that they shall find their own children ready to despise them and set them at naught, to reject their adm • nitions & threatenings, to circumvent them & purloine from them, yea to gape for their death y ^t they may have their goods. And when this cometh to pass, then let them consider their own sin as the cause of their children's sin, and that their children do forget them to be their parents, because themselves never remembered y ^t they were children. The like we may say of servants; they that are now servants of their masters, may also hereafter come to be masters of their servants. If then you shall deal wickedly with them, in word or in deed, you shall make a straight, yet a just & equal law against yourselves. The Apostle giveth an excellent precept unto such, Tit. 2, 9, 10. Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Let such therefore look to themselves, that they be not paid home in their kind. If they learn to give stubborn and froward answers, and to despise them that are over thē, as Agar did Sarah, Gen. 16, 4. Or if they return them sleeuelesse answers when they call them to an account of their doings, as Gehazi did to Elisha; who, when he asked him, whither he went, or where he had been, said, Thy servant went no whither, 2 Ki. 5, 25. Or if they slāder and bely their masters, or any way falsely accuse them, as Ziba did Mephibosheth, 2 Sam. 16, 3. Or if they run away from their masters, and will not tarry in their houses, like the servants of Shimei that fled from him, 1 King. 2, 39. Or if they pick and steal from them, as Onesimus did from Philemon; or any way deal fraudulently & falsely with their masters goods which he hath committed to their trust, as the unjust steward did with his Lord, Lu. 16, 5, 6, 7. Let these look for no better dealing in times to come at the hands of their own servants, but be well assured, that it is just with God to send them the like false and disobedient servants as themselves have been to their masters. Thus then we see how all inferiors should be encouraged to honor their superiors, because God will cause them to be honored and on the other side be terrified from despising and dishonoring them, lest another day he cause them also to be dishonored.

[Your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms &c] By whoredom, we must understand the punishment of the idolatry and infidelity of their fathers falling from God, and ceasing to trust in him. For as idolatry, so infidelity is spiritual whoredom. They were as a wife that had forsaken her husband, and broken the covenant of her God. So then observe, that according to the number of the days, in which the fathers had searched the Land, evē forty days, the children must bear their iniquities, and wander too and fro, forward and backward, forty years before they should enter into the Land. The doctrine from hence is this: [Doctrine.] The judgments and punishments of God, deserved and procured by the fathers sins and rebellions, do oftentimes fall upon their children and posterity: they do not end and cease in themselves, but descend to their stock & issue that live after them, Exod. 20, 5. and 34, 7, 8.

The reasons. First, because the children of [Reason 1] men and their posterity, though they be oftentimes infants, and have not understanding to conceive of sin, yet the same judgments that belonged to the fathers sins, shall light upon them, because God would thereby show his anger & sore displeasure against their sins, in that when it pleaseth him, he will punish those for their sins, which as yet had committed no sin at all, Rom. 5, 14, Gen. 7, 4, and 19, 25.

Secondly, touching those that are of ripe [Reason 2] years, they are of two sorts: either wicked, & so like to their parents, and then it is just with God to bring his judgments upon them, because he would show himself displeased with their sins: or else they are godly, not tainted and defiled with them, yet nevertheless there is other corruption enough in thē, which may lustly & worthily call for temporal judgment.

[Object.] But some haply will object, that this may seem to be quite contrary to other Scriptures, as Ezek. 18, 4, • 0. where it is said, The soul that sinneth, shall die the death: and again, The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. I answer, [Answer.] we must mark the occasion of these words. The children of Israel took up a taunting proverb against God, and in their afflictions said. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, & the children's teeth are set on edge, v, 2. that is, the fathers have sinned, and the children are punished. These were quick-sighted to look up, but they could not look down-ward upon themselves: they could see farther off, but were blind nearer home. These were rank hypocrites, who had rather accuse God then themselves; and as Adam cast the fault from himself upon his wife, Gen. 3, 12, so do they from themselves upon their fathers. They never think of their own eating of the sour grapes, they thought themselves free frō any sin that should procure such judgments, but God taketh the sons in the sins of the fathers, and then punisheth them for their own sins, taking occasion from their fathers sins. Every man's sin shall be upon his own head, so that though a wicked father be condemned, yet his son not treading in his steps, shall be saved. And though God punisheth temporally for y ^e sin of the father, yet he doth not condemn any eternally for the same. For as the godliness of the father shall nothing help the son to eternal life; so his wickedness shall not hinder his salvation, except he be wicked himself; and walk in the steps of his wicked father. [Object.] But it will peradventure be said, that David sinned in the numbering of the people, & yet the people were punished, many thousands were plagued for his offense, and he escaped scot-free: Loe, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my fathers house. I answer, [Answer.] this is a certain & infallible rule, that there is no unrighteousness with God, who is the Judge of all the world. And touching the people, though they were free from this sin of David, yet they had many other grievous sins, for which God might justly punish them, and God, either for some secret or else some open sin, had a quarrel against them, as is plain by these words; The anger of the Lord was again kindled against Israel, and therefore he moved David against them to say, Go number Judah and Israel. It is not said, that he moved David against himself, but against them. So then their own sin was the cause of the kings sin, and the kings sin brought this punishment upon them, and therefore their sin was the cause of the cause of their punishment. It may be they abused the peace & plenty given unto them after the three years of famine, & after the four great battles which they had fought against y ^e Philistines: for it is hard to use God's blessings well, our corrupt nature being ready to turn good into evil, and blessings into curses, Deut. 32, 6, 15. Therefore the people are especially plagued, because their sin was the first cause of all, which sin he punished with the sin of David, and both of thē with that grievous pestilence. And touching David, we cannot say, he altogether escaped unpunished, for God by one and the same plague and judgment striketh many ways and many persons: his sword hath many edges, and cutteth every way: he useth no rod that hath not many sharp twigs, nor no whip that hath not many cords of wiar to draw blood in many places. True it is, he was not stricken with this raging pestilence: nevertheless, he was diversely punished with it, with grief and sorrow, with horror & fear, with loss of his subjects & of his honor, Pro. 14, 28

The uses. First, this serveth as an admonition [Use 1] to all parents, to teach thē, that if they love their sons, they must leave their sins, and walk in a careful obedience to the law of God. If they do not remember his commandments, it shall come to pass that he will not remember their children for good, but for evil. If thē there be no love in us, either toward God or our selves, yet for the children's sake of our body, and for our posterity that come after us, we should labor to forsake our sins. For his judgments shall not end in us, but follow us at the heels, and fall upon such as are near us and belong unto us. God will take vengeance of the children for the sins of the parents, although they have in themselves enough to work out their own destruction, yea, though they have no more in them but original sin. Many love their children better then themselves, and desire their good more then their own. If we would indeed show our love to them, we must walk in obedience unto God. To say we love them dearly, and yet to live profanely, is utterly to deceive our selves. To commit wickedness with greediness, is not the way to show our love to them, or to procure their safety, but rather to make them partakers with us in the punishment. Many children may now say to their parents, as Zipporah said to Moses; for as she said, Thou art a bloody husband to me; in like manner may many children say to their parents, Ye are indeed bloody parents unto us, because they have brought the curse of God both upon themselves and upon their posterity. Alas, do men marry wives to bring forth children to Satan? to be cast into the fire of God's wrath? Is there no care in you, O fathers? no love in you, O mothers to your own children, the fruit of your own bodies? If there be any spark of piety, nay of pity and compassion in us, let us show it in this, by forsaking of our sins, and by reforming of our lives, whatsoever is amis in us; and by giving unto them a good example of life: otherwise most certainly we shall find the wrath of God extended even to our houses and little ones, he will forget to show mercy unto them, but in great wrath & heavy displeasure will he remember them. Let not these things be forgotten but remembered, & graven in our hearts, to wit, that wicked parents are the greatest enemies to their children. We cannot abide that others should entreat them evilly, when in the mean season none do more hurt them and misuse them thē our selves.

[Use 2] Secondly, it reproveth those parents, that imagine by fraud and oppression, wrongful & injurious dealing, to set up their children and enrich their posterity, and get to themselves great names: whereas this is the ready way to bring the curse of God upon their names, upon their substance, upon their houses, upon their children, upon their labors, and upon all their posterity. Such covetous practices (whatsoever their pretences be) cannot build up their houses, which they might easily know if they did believe the word, which teacheth that God is an avenger of all such things, 1. Thess. 4, 6. And the Prophet telleth us, that the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it; woe to him that buildeth a Town with blood, &c. This woe fell upon Ahab, that ruined his house: as it doth many great houses in our days.

[Use 3] Thirdly, this warneth us that therefore we should not sleep securely in sin, because God by and by punisheth it one way or other. The wicked are often seen in great power, spreading themselves like the green bay tree, Psal. 37, 35, and they go unpunished for a while, Ps. 73. Job 21. but look upon their posterity, and you shall see GOD meeteth with them in his good time, yea often when they are dead and rotten. Evil doing is always attended with evil success in themselves or in those that are theirs. We see tyrants and bloody persecutors flourish and prosper for a time, howbeit if not in their own persons, yet in the second or third descent, they have been buried under the ruins of those buildings, of which the mortar had been tempered with innocent blood. We noted this before in the person of Ahab, after he had shed the blood of Naboth the true servant of God and of his children; who, I pray you, could do greater hurt to his own house then himself? Did not he in a manner pull it down with his own hands? for therefore was the kingdom taken away and removed from his house, and his seventy children were all slain with the edge of the sword, 1 Kings 21, 21. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, &c. Thus was it with Jeroboam who made Israel to sin, God swept him away and all his stock as dung from the face of the earth, 1 King. 14.10. It behooveth therefore Princes and subjects to pray one for another, forasmuch as GOD taketh occasion by the sin of one man to punish another. This duty should also be performed of fathers and children, of masters and their families, lest God cast them together in one judgment.

Lastly, children ought not in all things to [Use 4] follow the example of their parents. It is no just defense or good excuse before GOD, to say, our parents did so. If they have been wicked, swearers and blasphemers, contemners of the word & of the Sabbaths of God, we must not follow them in their sins, lest we reap the fruit of that which they have sown. Wherefore children must not walk in the wicked ways of their fathers, but rather be humbled and crave pardon and forgiveness even for their sins which they after a sort have bequeathed as a legacy unto them: so that their children inherit their sins as well as their substance, because they send forth an evil savor which bringeth down the curse of God upon them, as Dan. 9, 8, 16, where Daniel doth not only confess his own sin, and of others that then lived, but he is wonderfully cast down for the sins of their predecessors: For our sins, & for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. And the Lord promiseth on the other side, that he which seeth his fathers sins, & is humbled for them, and doth not the like, shall not be punished for them, but shall find God merciful unto him; but whosoever seeth the wickedness of his fathers, and justifieth them by word or practice, filleth up the measure of their sins, & bringeth down a plague vpō his own head, Mat. 23, 32, 35: Fulfill ye the measure of your sins, that upon you may come all the righteous blood that hath been shed frō the blood of Abel, &c. Verily, I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

After that God had given sentence against all the murmurers together; now he proceeds against the captains and ringleaders of y ^e rest, I mean the men that were sent to search out the land, which opened the mouths of the rest against the Lord; these were smitten down & died by the plague and pestilence, according to the threatening before ver. 12. I will smite thē with the pestilence, and I will make of thee a greater and mightier nation then they; and this had been no hard thing with God, who had before as it were hewed them out of the rock, & multiplied them to many thousands out of small beginnings.

[Doctrine.] The Doctrine from hence is this: Such as are leaders and drawers forward of others and soliciters of them to sin, are capital offenders, the burden of the sin & of the punishment thereof lieth chiefly upon them. Iudgments are principally intended & directed against those that have the chief hand in misleading others; we see this evidently in the fall of our first parents, the serpent is first punnished, then the woman, and lastly Adam, Gen. 3, 14, 16. The judgment of God lay heavy upon the idolatrous kings of Israel, which in a few descents were rooted out; Thus is Jeroboam branded, that he made Israel to sin, 1 Kings 12, 30. 2 Kings 13, 2, and 10, 29. 1, Kings 15, 2, 3, 34. The reasons.

[Reason 1] It is a sin for man to err of himself, and bringeth judgment, to go out of the way, though he be nor set out of it: but it is a greater sin and bringeth a greater judgment to cause others to do soe, for now he sinneth not alone. Satan that old serpent was chiefly punnished, because he was the chief procurer of man's fall, but Adam escaped not who was seduced, but was no seducer; he was deceived, but was no deceiver: the devil was a deceiver, but was not deceived: the woman was both deceived and a deceiver also. They that cause others to fall, have a greater judgment belonging unto them. We observed this before in Miriam, chap. 12, 10. she was a leper white as snow, who drew Aaron to join with her against Moses, and therefore as she had the chief hand in the sin, so she was stricken with a foul leprosy.

[Reason 2] Secondly, principal offenders in civil states are chiefly punished before such as are only accessories. In evil, we may say, Two are worse then one, because if one determine to give over, he hath a fellow to stir him forward, & if he be ready to cease, he hath another to help him up.

[Use 1] This serveth to reprove such as draw on others to sin, as they are capital offenders, so they shall be punished as capital offenders. Woe to such as lay a stumbling block before others to cause them to fall. In this number I range those that keep common houses of drunkenness, to tempt and seduce others, and such as haunt them continually, & meet there, and intend to make others drunk; of which places I may say as Solomon doth of other, Pro. 7, 27. Their house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. These men are capital offenders, & are so hardened in sin, that they make a mock and a spot at it as at a pastime yea they make a mock of those that set themselves against it. It serveth also to reprove those that any way make others partakers of their sins, whether it be by commanding, or by counsel, or by persuasion, or by evil example. We shall find the number of our own sins to be great enough, and the account hard enough which we are to make for them, that we should be afraid to heap up more, and so to make the weight greater and the burden heavier.

Secondly, this must teach all such as are Rulers [Use 2] and Governors to look to their ways, and to take heed they be not any cause of the fall of others. A Governor lifted up above others, is as an high Cedar or mighty Oak, above the lower shrubs. The Oak never falleth but it beareth down the lesser trees that stand near unto it. So is it with such as are set before others, in what calling soever it be, they stand not alone, they fall not alone. If they stand fast and unmovable, they are as firm pillars to bear up others. If they fall, they wrap others in their own ruin, & God's judgments will lie heavy upon them and upon those that belong unto them. This doeth the Prophet teach touching negligent watchmen, that keep silence and do not blow the trumpet, and thereby cause many to perish in their sins, Eze. 3, 18. Their blood will I require at the watchman's hands. This may be spoken likewise of other Governors. God hath made the Magistrate a watchman, and requireth of him to cause his laws to be observed; and godly Nehemiah acknowledged it to be his duty to see God to be served, and his Sabaths to be sanctified, chap. 13, 17. What evil is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? There was buying and selling upon the Sabbath day and he reproveth the buyers by name, as if the fault were chiefly in them; for as we say commonly in another case, if there were no receivers there would be no thieves, so we may as truly say, if there were no buyers, there would be, there could be no sellers. And it is certain, that because these find readily such as will buy of thē, it encourageth the sellers to come and offer their wares. For if the Jews had not been willing to buy their wares, the Merchants of Tyre would never have brought their commodities to vent them upon that day. If therefore the Magistrate do not his duty, but hold his peace, the blood of such as perish shall be required at his hands also. The like we might say of fathers and masters that ought to teach and instruct such as belong unto their charge; and this have all godly Governors observed: such then as are negligent in this duty, & open not their mouths, make themselves guilty of the sins that their servants and children commit, as it is noted of Eli, and bring upon themselves many grievous judgments.

Thirdly, we must nevertheless understand, [Use 3] that it shall be no just plea or pretence for such as are led aside out of the right way by others, or have a stumbling block laid before them to cause them to fall, to allege for thenselves, Alas, I was deceived, I was moved & drawn by others: these are no better then Adams fig leaves, he posted his sin over to his wife, The woman that thou gavest me, &c. So did the woman to the serpent, The serpent beguiled me, &c. So it was with Saul, he translated the fault from himself to his people, The people spared the best of the Sheep and of the Oxen to sacrifice unto y ^e Lord thy God, 1 Sa. 15, 15.28. But God bindeth them all together as it were in one bundle, and they are all punished, the serpent, the woman, the man: And Saul hath the kingdom rent from him, and given to a neighbor of his better then himself. The people for the most part think themselves to be discharged, if they can lay the blame upon their Teachers: Alas, if we had been taught better, we would have done better; our Ministers shall answer for us: if we be ignorant, it is their fault. Thus do many deceive themselves, but this shall never go for good payment. Christ saith, If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch, Mat. 15, 14. not only the blind leaders, but they also for company that are blindly led. Therefore none shall be excused by the carelessness and negligence of their Pastors, for they shall die in their own sins and inquities, Ezech. 33, 8. Jer. 14, 15, 16.

Thus the case also standeth with servants and others under the government of others, They think all shall go well with them, if they have the examples of their masters and rulers to go before them. The poor think themselves excused by the rich, the lower sort by the greater, the fewer by the multitude, the wife by the husband, the subject by the Magistrate. Thus also it falleth out in the breach of the Sabbath, of which we spake before. The seller turneth it over to the buyer, and the buyer putteth all the fault upon the seller, whereas indeed neither are innocent, but divide the sin between them, and therefore both of them are reproved as guilty, and shall divide the punishment also between them.

[Use 4] Lastly, this serveth as an instruction to the godly, that albeit we be overtaken in any sin, and fall into it our selves, yet let us take heed we do not pull others after us. We must not be so sottish as to think, that by procuring and persuading others to join with us as companions and brethren in evil, that the evil is thereby lessened: no, it is thereby rather increased. We should be grieved for our own faults, and know that the burden of our own sins doth press us down so deeply, that we have small cause to add the weight of other men's sins to our own. On the other side, happy are they that lead the way to true godliness, and bring on others unto the true fear of God, They shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament, and as the Stars forever and ever, Daniel 12, 3. As then, Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandments, and teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: so, Whosoever shall do them and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven, Mat. 5, 19. It is a praise and commendation to perform the will of God, and to do his commandments: but it is a double praise, to bring others to the practice of them also. He that conuerieth his, brother to the truth, saveth a soul, I am. 5, 19, 20. No man can do better service to God, or to his neighbor.

Moses rehearseth what the Lord had denounced and determined, or else he could not be said to be faithful in the house of God, Num. 12, 7. He hid nothing from them, but revealed the whole counsel of God. This is the Ministers duty, they must keep back nothing of all the things that he shall say unto them, 1 Sam. 3, 17. Numb. 22, 38. Matth. 28, 20. Otherwise they cannot take the consciences of the people to record, that they are pure from the blood of all men, Act. 20, 26. Again, we see what this message of Moses brought from the mouth of God wrought in the people, they mourn and lament, not slightly but bitterly. But they should have taken heed of murmuring at the beginning, and then they had prevented this mourning at the later end. And wherefore do they mourn so greatly? not for their sin, but for the punishment fallen upon themselves and upon their children; as Judas and other sons of perdition, who can quickly mourn when they are punished, but are hardly drawn to it when they have sinned. But Peter wept bitterly so soon as he had sinned, Mat. 26, 75. albeit he saw no punishment coming. A good child feareth the displeasure of his father more then the rod. So it ought to be with all of us.

We learn from the behavior of the people this Doctrine, [Doctrine.] That sin though it be pleasant in the acting, yet it bringeth much sorrow and bitterness in the latter end. It is conceived in pleasure, but it bringeth forth pain. Gen. 3, 6. Ier. 2, 19. Pro. 7, 22, 23. 1 Tim. 6, 10. Ahab took possession with great joy of the vineyard of Naboth, purchased with the reward of iniquity, but the prophet is sent unto him with this heavy tidings, 1 Kings 21, 19. Hast thou killed and also taken possession? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine, Luke 6, 25. and 15, 13, 14, 16.

The Reasons: First, because sin is the [Reason 1] transgression of the law, so it is defined by the Apostle, 1 John. 3, 4. Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the Law. Now God hath set a curse to every transgression of the Law, Gal. 3, 10 and this curse must take place upon the sinner, and cannot be severed from the sin.

Secondly, in sin are two things, the act it [Reason 2] self, and the guilt of it • the act it self is transient, and hath the pleasure while it is in committing, but the guilt of it remaineth behind, and bindeth a man to judgment.

This teacheth every man, that he should envy no man in the pleasure of his sinning: for albeit he have some pleasure in the committing of it, yet so soon as the pleasure is gone and past, then followeth the guilt, then followeth the punishment at the heels, and waiteth upon the sinner, as the Sergeant doth upon the debtor. The ungodly are oftentimes thought the only happy men in this world, but there is no happiness to be found in sin; it is the highway to unhappiness, to misery, to grief, to anguish, to judgment, to confusion, to condemnation. These are like to a foolish traveler, who coming to his Inn, calleth for great variety of meat to delight his taste, and taketh great pleasure in eating and drinking of all that is set before him without refusing any; but he never thinketh of the reckoning which is to come immediately after, which dasheth all the mirth and jollity that went before. Thus it is with the sinner, he followeth his sin with greediness, he taketh delight therein, and cannot be satisfied; but he never remembereth the day of account, neither the reckoning that waiteth upon him hard at the heels. Hereupon Solomon singleth out the young man, and telleth him, that albeit he follow the lusts of his eyes, the desires of his heart, together with the pride and pleasure of life, yet he must know that for all these things God will bring him into judgment, Eccles. 11, 9. O that every sinner would think upon this, and mark the latter end of sin! This would be a notable means to restrain us from wickedness, and to pull back our feet from those evil ways into which we are entered: if we would remember that the days shall come, yea the times approach we know not how soon, wherein the Lord will say to us, Come, give an account: but (alas) these things are now hidden from us.

Hence it is, that Zophar setting down the estate of the wicked, Job 20, 12. saith, Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue, though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still within his mouth; yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of Asps within him: He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again, God shall cast them out of his belly. Where he compareth sin with sweet meat mingled with deadly poison, & he speaketh of goods evilly gotten, w ^c turn to the destruction of those that possess them. The same doth Solomon teach touching drunkenness, Prov. 23, 31, 32. and touching whoredom, chap, 3, 3, 4. as also elsewhere he showeth, that in the transgression of an evil man there is a snare. It is otherwise with godliness, and the fear of God: it seemeth bitter to the flesh and is oftentimes accompanied with many troubles and afflictions which are very unpleasant to the outward man: notwithstanding afterward it bringeth enduring pleasure and contentment unto the soul: for, our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Secondly, let no man measure the nature of [Use 2] sin by the beginning of it, but by the end: and when we are devising to commit any sin, let us bethink our selves what will be the end of it: this will be a great means and a sovereign preservative to stop the course of it. For sin is said to have deceitfulness in it, Heb. 3, 18. and the pleasures thereof to endure for a season. Heb. 11, 25. The sin of Judas that was a thief and kept the bag, and betrayed his master for thirty shekels of silver, was very sweet unto him; but in the end his mouth was filled with gravel, he had enough of them, & too much, for his conscience was vexed with horror, and he felt an hell in his own bowels; so that he carried them back to the Pharisees, and hanged himself, Mat. 27, 5. Then he repented, but then it was too late: and thus do the wicked repent. Esau a very profane person, sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, it was sweet meat unto him, but it had sour sauce: for he found no place for repentance, Though he sought the blessing carefully with tears, Heb. 12, 17. Thus it was with the foolish Virgins, Matth. 25. and so it shall be with foolish men in the latter end.

Thirdly, we must be careful to take heed [Use 3] of the least measure of sin that can be. There is no sin so little, but if it be neglected, it will increase: and whosoever despiseth small sins, quickly falleth into greater; it is like the infant conceived in the womb, James 1, 15. All sin, though it have not a wide mouth like a Lyon to swallow us at one morsel, yet by little and little it will sting us to death. The sand on the sea-shore, though it be very small and little in quantity, yet too much weight thereof will sink the ship. The drops of rain that fall from heaven are very little, yet they make great showers, and great showers bring mighty floods that sweep away all before them. A little spark of fire neglected, causeth a great burning, and kindleth a great matter, James 3, 5. If then we desire to preserve our selves safe and sound from the heighth of sin, let us take heed we be not oppressed with y ^e weight of it, and set on fire with the sparks, and wet with the drops of it. Beware of small sins, if we would be preserved from the greater, one making an easy path and passage to another.

Fourthly, let us labor to prevent the first [Use 4] beginning of sin, and seek to pull it up as a bitter root in the first sprouting. In the diseases of the body, it is a good rule to withstand the beginning, because it is too late afterward to provide a remedy. Many a wound might have been healed, if it had been looked unto betimes, which by continuance proveth incurable. So the diseases of the soul should be prevented in time, while we perceive them to be growing and going forward. Men are careful to kill serpents in the shell, and to destroy noisome beasts before they can run and rauen abroad, thereby to prevent the danger that otherwise in time might grow by them, if they were suffered and let alone. Thus ought we to deal with our sins, we must endeavor to struggle against them, and to strangle them in the birth and beginning, that so they may never come to perfection, neither bring us to destruction. Destroy them or else they will destroy us: if we do not kill them, they will kill us, for sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death, I am. 1, 15. A young plant may easily be pulled up by the roots: but if it grow in the ground till it be a great tree, it can hardly be transplanted and removed. In like sort so long as our sins are young, they may with less strife and labor be rooted out: but if once they be confirmed by age, and strengthened by custom and continuance in our hearts, we shall find it a very hard matter to displace them and dispossess them, Ier. 13, 23. & 2, 22. If once they have gotten the mastery, they will hardly leave their hold. We shall find it little better then to wash a Tile or brick, and go about in a manner an impossible work, they are become a Cart-ropes which are not easily untwisted, Isaiah 5, 18. Or as a threefold cable which is not quickly broken, Eccles. 4, 12. Cōsider the truth of this in these three things, Drunkenness, whoredom, and swearing: what means soever are used to take these away, they are unprofitable: the drunkard will follow it still, Pro. 23, 35. Such as comit whoredom seldom return again, and take hold of the paths of life, Prov. 2, 19. & when a man hath once accustomed himself to swearing, he cannot but swear at every word, he never feareth an oath. Custom taketh away fear of sinning: where no fear is to offend men are bold to sin: & when men are grown bold and past shame they have no sense of sin You shall hear them swear ordinarily and horribly, and yet they know not of it, or at least never consider it, Rom 2, 4. Eph. 4, 19.

[Use 5] Lastly, it behooveth us to use all the means we can to keep us from sin, as we would do to keep us from the pestilence, least we grow secure and senseless, and think our selves in good case, when we are nearest to destruction and farthest off from salvation. The means which God sanctifieth as so many preservatives to work in us a conscience of sin, and to stay us from falling into the same are many: First the ministry of the word. I range this in the first place, both because of the power of it, and because it giveth force unto the rest. God commandeth his Ministers to cry allowed and spare not to preach the doctrine of repentance, and to tell the people their sins, Pro. 1, 20, 21. and 9, 2, 33. Ephes. 4, 11, 12. Thus he sent Jonah to the Ninevites, Jonah 3, 4. Nathan to David, 2 Sam 12, 1. and the prophets continually to the Israelites, 2 Chronic. 36, 14, 15 Acts 2, 37, 38.

Secondly, the benefits and blessings of God which are many and great, daily & continual, upon soul and body; he saveth and preserveth us, in him we live and move, who reneweth his mercies to us every morning, Psal. 68, 18 Lam 3, 23. be daileth loadeth us with benefits wonderfully. Moses telleth the people, that the Lord bestowed so many benefits upon them, that they should love the Lord with all their hearts, and with all their soul, Deut. 10, 12. That they should clean unto him, and knit their hearts unto him, Josh. 23, 8. and 24, 14. 1 Kings 14.7, 8. Paul beseecheth the Romans by the mercies of God to offer up their bodies as an holy sacrifice unto God. God hath made us to abound with this argument, and hath often spoken unto us.

Thirdly, he hath bestowed upon us his own Son, the greatest blessing in heavē or earth, for a greater cannot be promised of God, or comprehended of us, Rom. 8, 32 He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, John. 3, 16. He gave his own, his only Son for us his enemies even unto the death, that we should be reconciled unto him. If the consideration of this and the earnest meditation in it, will not move us to repent of sin, nothing in the world will put life into our hard hearts

Fourthly, the corrections and chastisements which are laid upon us, Psal. 89, 31, 32. Job 33, 16. The Lord openeth the ears of men, even by their corrections which he hath sealed: so that we should humble our selves when we feel them, Heb. 12, 6, 11. It is our duty therefore to mourn for sin betimes, which will bring with it comfort in the latter end, Luk. 6, 21. Blessed are ye that weep, for ye shall laugh. This use did David make of them, Psal. 119, 71. To this we may join the chastisements of God sent upon others, though we feel them not ourselves: for if we see them or hear of them, they should be as so many warning pieces to our selves to call us to repentance, Isaiah 26, 9.

Fifthly private admonitions and exhortations, yea reproofs and threatenings of judgment when the former will not serve, Leu. 19, 17. Prov. 9, 8. Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee. Math. 18, 15. Thus he may be won by his brother, Psal. 141, 5. Let us not therefore refuse this means, but make good use of it.

Lastly, the inward motions and inspirations of the holy Spirit, which he stirreth up in our hearts, as it is said of David, that God caused his own heart to smite him, 2 Sam. 24, 10. and Psal. 16, 7. We have all of us at one time or other some good motions and desires put into our minds; let us make much of them and entertain them into our souls, lest he withdraw his Spirit from us, and give us over unto our selves.

Here we have the behavior of this crooked and perverse people, hearing from the mouth of Moses the mind of God, that they must go back again by the way of the red sea, and shall wander up and down forty years in the wilderness, for the false report which the spies had brought up of the Land, and for their own believing of that report: Now they will not obey, but will needs go forward, though God had commanded them to retire and return. See here the perverseness of our nature, as if we had made a general conspiracy never to obey him, but to oppose against him whatsoever he say, so we evermore strive against that we are forbidden. They refused before to go into the Land, now they will needs in a Brauado proceed when they are forbidden. When they should go forward, thē they will go backward and make them a Captain to conduct them into Egypt. When they should go backward, then they will go forward, though they perish for it. This is our corrupt nature, that which God willeth us to do, we will not do: and that which he willeth us not to do, that we will do: whereby we see that the lusts of the flesh are enmity against God.

Again, observe that when God is not with a people, they cannot prosper, his presence is the cause of victory, 2 Chron. 20, 27. If he be gone from us, and go not forth with our armies, we fall by the sword of the enemy, we cannot stand before them, we go out one way, and fly before them seven ways. Deut. 28, 25. Moreover, we see in the example of this disobedience, that God oftentimes punisheth one evil man by another, one of his enemies by another enemy; nevertheless, afterward they also perish. They are his rod, and when it hath been employed to scourge malefactors, it is cast into the fire. [Doctrine.] But to pass these over, which partly have been handled before, and partly come more fitly to be handled after, let us consider this general point; that wicked men that have sold themselves to sin, do at length come to that measure of sin, that no bands or banks can hold them or contain them. Such as have given themselves up to sin, do not only proceed in sin willfully and violently, but come to that height, that neither the judgments of God, nor his mercies can restrain them, but they break through all, like an unruly beast, whom no hedge can hold, no fence can order, no bounds can keep in, whatsoever they be, Ier. 5, 8. 2 Chron. 36, 13, 14, 16. Psal. 50, 17. Isaiah 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

And no marvel. For their hearts are obstinate, [Reason 1] their consciences are hardened and seared as with an hot iron, so that they cannot be softened with the oil of his mercies, nor terrified with the fire of his threatenings, nor broken in pieces with the hammer of his judgments. They have gotten hearts that cannot repent, and therefore when sinfulness and obstinacy meet together, there must needs be an exceeding great measure of iniquity.

Secondly, because there is in such, a great [Reason 2] contempt of God & his word: now contempt joined with sin, maketh the sin greater. It is noted as the top of Esau's profane heart, that he contemned his birthright, Gen. 25, 34. It was a note of profaneness, to set it to sale, to prefer his belly before the pledge of God's favor, to swear rashly, and securely to pass over what he had done; but to contemn and despise the grace of God, passeth all the former, and containeth the height and depth of his profaneness.

This argueth, that the times wherein we [Use 1] live, are grown to a marvelous height of impiety, and that we are come to a fearful degree of all profaneness. For not only gross sins as great beams in our eyes are to be found among us, but evil men are carried violently with a full career in their sins, like an horse without a bridle that rusheth into the battle. We are grown to this perfection, as it were to a complete age of sin in the midst of the blessings and benefits of God, we turn his grace into wantonness, & the more grace aboundeth, the more sin continueth: and though he warn us by his word, yet we will not be warned. His word is as the wind that passeth away. Again, many men live in sin in the midst of the judgments of God, not only general judgments, but even special upon themselves, yet they are settled in the dregs of their wickedness, nothing can turn them or amend them. This cannot but argue a great height of impiety. This maketh all sin whatsoever to be unpardonable, when we grow obstinate and sapped in our evil ways, that nothing can prevail with us. If any have a servant or child, whom he hath warned of his evil course, and lately corrected him for the same, if this servant or this child should (notwithstanding words and blows used toward him) continue to do the same things, would you not think that he deserved a greater measure of punishment? Then let us, I pray you, judge our selves in this case. God hath given us his word and commandments, to tell us what we ought to do, & what not to do, & often sendeth his judgments among us for the farther manifestation of the truth of his word: yet we see men will to their old sins again though they die for it, & that eternally in soul and body. We must therefore expect daily a greater measure of God's judgments then before, because we continue obstinate and rebellious.

Secondly, seeing nothing will hold us from our sinful ways, but we will rush forward, it teacheth every mā, that it is our duty to humble our selves for our obstinacy, impenitency, and hardness of heart, in that we are so dull and slow of heart to believe and to repent of those things which we have heard reproved out of the word of God. The heinousness of obstinate sins committed with an high hand will appear unto us by these particulars. First, obstinate proceeding in sin keepeth all mercy from us, as a thick cloud that suffereth not the comfortable light of the Sun to shine in our faces. This made the Apostle say, that blindness was happened to Israel, that they were not his people, Rom. 11, 25. Woe unto them in whom this remaineth, for God hath given unto them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, Rom. 11, 28. Secondly, it maketh the least sin that a man committeth or can commit to be like to that sin against the holy Ghost that shall never be forgiven, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Mat. 12, 32. For it is not so much sin that condemneth a man (for then all men should be contemned, inasmuch as all men have sinned) as obstinacy and willful continuing in sin. And have we not therefore great cause to humble our selves for the same, and to lament bitterly? Thirdly, it is a sin against the Gospel it self, and against the doctrine of salvation, ought we not therefore to mourn for it? Notwithstanding many are so far from leaving off their continued practice of sin, that they repent of their repentance, they are sorry that they have turned and changed so far. This is such a sin as maketh men odious in the sight of God, and maketh them more acceptable to Satan, when they grieve that they have a little broken off their sins, and made a few steps, & some small beginnings to repentance. This is an high degree of sin: and this was it that did fill the hardness of Pharaohs heart to the full. He and his servants were at the last content that Israel should depart out of Egypt: this was some kind of relenting, and a bringing of their former hardness to a better temper: but they are much grieved for that which they had done, and therefore they say one to another, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? Thus it was also with the Israelites themselves, they had hitherto proceeded toward the land of promise, and as it were ranged themselves under the standard of God, but now they repent of all that they had done, and would needs return back again into Egypt. But on the other side, when a man can mourn that he hath not mourned; and repent that he hath not repented, & humble himself because he hath not been humbled, this is a true and great measure of grace: and this is that which a man must first do, before he can truly repent of any particular sin whatsoever. But some will say, [Object.] what need so many words of exhortation to repentance? We hope we have repented long ago, [Answer.] both often enough and well enough. Thus do some proud hypocrites deceive themselves. These are like to the young man, that being sent to the law for the direction of his life, answered, All this have I done from my youth, what is yet wanting? This convinceth those men to their faces of want of repentance. For if such men have repented, it is with such kind of repentance as many take up and use after their customary swearing, who when they have sworn and taken the name of God in vain, do presently ask forgiveness and cry God mercy, and yet presently swear again & again, like dogs that return to their vomit: I cannot say like the sow that was washed, walloweth again in the mire, for they were never washed from their sin: but I may more fitly compare them to the harlot in the Proverbs, That eateth and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. With such kind of repentance it may be these have repented, whereas in truth it is rather a bold presumption, then a true conversion: for alas, this is no repentance at all, but only a mere deceit and delusion of the devil. This is an evident truth, and a very plain rule not to be denied, or disputed, or gainsaid; Whosoever is come to this pass to think he hath repented enough, it is most certain he never truly repented, he is not in the account of God and his word a true convert or penitent. For all such as have repented aright, do think it, nay they know it to be impossible for them to repent enough: such are our offenses against the eternal and infinite majesty of God, as no man is so humbled for them as that he can say, he need be humbled no more for them. All our life, if it were or could be as long as Methuselahs, must be a continual practice of repentance. As we daily sin, so we should daily crave pardon of sin, and daily repent us of our sin, both of our known and secret sins.

Lastly, this serveth to exhort every of us [Use 3] to take heed of obstinacy, impenitency, and resolution to go forward in sin: we must fly from it, and labor against it. Let us break off our sins by timely repentance, & by doing the contrary good commanded. For this also is another rule certain and infallible without any exception or contradiction, that a man can never be free from the forbidden evil, w ^c doth not earnestly labor to do the contrary good. A man is never free from unbelief, that is not also furnished with true faith in his heart. For there is no mean between faith & infidelity, between righteousness and unrighteousness, and therefore it is not possible for a man to be free from an obstinate heart frozen in the lees of sin and disobedience, that is not also furnished in some measure with repentance and other graces of the Spirit. As of ten as a man stumbleth in the streets, so often he will rise again, and that quickly to the end none should espy him in his fall, & point at him with his finger: so it ought to be with us in this case. Whensoever we fall into sin, we ought by and by to labor to rise up again by repentance, lest by delaying and deferring the time, we add impenitency to our impiety. Let us all labor after renewed repentance in this life, without which all must perish eternally in the life to come. This is a necessary duty, we must all strive and endeavor with might and main to attain unto it; & though Satan cast many lets, as it were so many blocks in our way, and seek to entrappe us with his subtle devices, yet we must break through them all, and set our selves close to the practice of this duty. The more profitable and necessary it is, the more doth Satan seek to hinder us and keep us from it. There is no way to come by life and salvation, but by repentance. It is a true saying of him that is the truth John 14, 6. That except we repent, we shall all perish, Luke 13, 3. If we will judge our selves, we shall not be judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11, 31. This is a good judgment: happy is he that sitteth thus in judgment with himself, he shall not fear the eternal judgment. Many there are in the world, that think this an unpleasing doctrine and duty, they would willingly come to salvation and to the kingdom of heaven, but tell them of repentance, they account it an hard saying, they are not able to abide it: they are loath to change their lives and become new men, they are loath to leave their sin and the old Adam. These may be fitly compared to a traveler, that desireth to be at his iourneies end, and coming to an hard, stony, & straight way, thorough which he must of necessity pass, or else he can never be there; what doth he? He seeketh for some other place or passage, he wandereth up and down, and coasteth hither and thither; and yet when he hath troubled and tired himself, there is no remedy, he must pass thorough the narrow lane, howsoever it seem hard unto him. So is it with us, we would fain have salvation, but how? we would have it by any means rather then by changing the sinful course of our lives, as we see Micah 6, 6, 7. If the Lord would be pleased with thousands of Rammes, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil; or if he would accept at their hands their first borne for their transgression, and the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their soul, they would be ready to give it unto him rather then mortify any the deeds of the flesh and crucify the old man. There is nothing savoreth more hardly in their ears then the doctrine of mortification. But to dream of an heaven without repentance, is as foolish, as to dream of passing over a broad and deep River without either bridge or barge. There is no coming into the land of the living, of the living God, and of those that live with God, without repentance and change of mind; the bridge is broken down that should transport us and set us over. For this is the only way this is the door by which we must enter, or else no salvation can be attained. Enter then into this way, and set open this gate, that the King of glory may come in, Psal. 24, 7, 9, exercise yourselves in this duty, so shall ye be able to stand before the presence of God at that great and terrible day, when he shall judge every man according to his works, Rom. chap. 2. verse 6.