Commentary on Numbers

In this Chapter we are to consider three several things. First, the murmuring of the people: secondly, the purpose of the Israelites to pass toward Canaan by the borders of Edom. Thirdly, the death of Aaron in the Mountain, in whose stead Eleazar his son succeedeth, and for whom the people a long time lamenteth. All these particulars are amplified in the beginning of the Chapter, by the circumstances of time; to wit, the first month of the 40 year after their departure out of Egypt, as appeareth, chap. 33, 38. and likewise of the place, of Kadesh a City in the borders of Edom, at which time also Miriam the sister of Aaron and of Moses died. These circumstances being set down, the History of their murmuring followeth, which we have often before seen and considered: declaring that whensoever & wheresoever any adversity happened, by and by they became impatient, unthankful, and forgetful of present mercies and favors. A like history to this we saw before, Exod. 17. which is not the same recorded in this place, but differing in time & place, as may appear by collation & conference of both the places.

Now let us mark their behavior in this want of water in the wilderness. First, they wish they had died by the stroke of God's hand with the seditious rout of rebels that conspired against God, whom notwithstanding they call their brethren. Secondly, they expostulate with Moses and Aaron, that they had brought them out of Egypt into the wilderness, being barren without fruit, miserable without harvest, and dry without water? Whereas they should comfort themselves in the former mercies of God, rest in the experience of his power, and remember his help ever ready in time of need: they rise up against Moses and Aaron in show, but in deed against God, whom they served; setting down their present condition, and comparing their abode in Egypt (where they had tasted all miseries, felt all oppressions, and groaned under the heavy burdens) with their present estate, to amplify the woe and wretchedness thereof: such is their blindness and unthankfulness.

But what doth Moses, whose meek and patient spirit they grieved, and whose righteous soul they vexed frō day today with their ungodly murmurings? He doth not here turn himself to them, nor dealeth with them to reclaim them as he did, chapter 16. but went with Aaron to God, flying to the Tabernacle as to a Sanctuary, throwing down thenselves on their faces, and comforting themselves in his power, presence, and protection; who being always near to them that call upon him, shown forth his glory, and commanded them to take the Rodde and speak to the Rock, promising them water, and assuring them of an happy issue of all their troubles & necessities. Now, as God commandeth, so Moses obeyeth and taketh the Rod.

Here a question may be asked, what Rod God meaneth, and Moses taketh? for we read of two Rods famous among them, and well known; one the Rod of Moses, that he used when he kept sheep in the Land of Midian, whereby he wrought afterward many miracles in Egypt, and at the red Sea, & in the wilderness: the other the Rod of Aaron, which did bud and bear blossoms, to confirm the calling of Aaron, and to declare that God had separated the Tribe of Levi to serve in y ^e Tabernacle. I answer, [Answer.] we are to understand in this place, rather the flourishing Rod of Aaron: first, because Moses made mention of this in y ^e last place, not long before, to wit, chap. 17, the other is not spoken off in this book: so that we are rather to refer it to Aaron's Rod before specified, then to the other not named. Secondly, this served more fitly and fully to confirm their calling of rule and government over the people, which by these conspirators was called into question. As if they should say, Do you doubt of our calling, & ask by what authority we do these things? Behold this rod, (do ye not know it?) this flourishing rod shall convince you, and serve to bear witness against you.

Thirdly, Moses and Aaron were fled into the Tabernacle, verse 6, now chap. 17, 10. it is said, that Aaron's rod was laid up before the Testimony, for a token and testimony against those rebellious companies.

Lastly, Moses is said, ver. 9, to have taken this rod from before the Lord, or from his sight & presence, where we shown it was laid up: but we never read, that Moses his rod, whereby his calling was confirmed, Pharaohs obstinacy was convinced, and the red Sea divided, was laid up before the Testimony. So then, here is a charge & commandment, that Aaron's rod budding & bearing blossoms, should be taken, the people assembled, and the Rock only to be spoken unto before the Israelites: a promise being added, and again repeated, that waters should gush from thence in abundance, whereof the whole Assembly should drink, and the plenty of it should flow even to their beasts and cattle.

These are the Commandments of God: let us see their obedience, with their failing & halting in it: For it is not perfect and entire, wanting nothing, as appeareth by the threatening presently denounced, and by the punishment afterward inflicted. Indeed they gathered together the people, as God commanded, but they spake not to the Rock as God willed thē: they were charged to speak to y ^e Rock only, yet by impatiency & doubting, they spake not to the Rock, but complained against the people, and smote the Rock once, and again, not commanded. So then, they that hitherto shown invincible constancy in resisting the rage of the people, and maintained zealously the glory of God, believed faithfully his promises, and stood as Rocks unmovable against all storms that beat against them, now fail in their faith and obedience, both in speaking to the people, and in striking of the Rock. For they ask whether they should bring unto thē water out of the Rock, as if it were impossible for God to perform what he had promised, & to make good the word that was gone out of his own mouth. Again, he lifted up his hand, and smote the Rock twice through impatiency and distrust: so that albeit he were a notable Prophet and holy man of God, and that God gave this witness of him, that He was a meek man above all the men that lived upon the earth: yet as the Psalmist teacheth, they troubled him with their grudgings, and vexed him with their murmurings, that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

But God, with whom is no respect of persons, who judgeth every man according to his ways and works, doth openly accuse & convince them of sin, complaineth that they had not glorified his great Name, pronounceth & decreeth the sentence of death against them, that they should not enter into y ^e Land of promise. And lest this failing of Moses, and fall of the people should be forgotten, it is named the waters of Meribah, or of strife & contention. Thus we see their doubting and disobedience is here reproved and threatened, and afterward punished, which is amplified by the reason, because they were so far from strengthening the people, by confirming them in the truth of God's promises, and assuring them of the due accomplishment of them, that themselves waver, doubt, and dishonor God. For as God is much honored when he is believed, and we rest in his word as in a thing unchangeable; so he is greatly dishonored when his power is not acknowledged, whē his promise is not believed, and when his truth is not trusted of us. Thus much of the meaning of the words, as also of the order and circumstances of this history: now let us come to the doctrines that arise out of the same.

[Ver. 1. The people abode at Kadesh, and Miriam died there. ] In this first verse, where this murmuring for want of water is described by the time and place, we see mention is made of the death and burial of Miriam. She was an excellent woman in the Church, an holy Prophetess, one that went before others in singing the praises of God after their deliverance out of Egypt, after their passing over the red sea, and after the overthrow of Pharaoh & his host; yet is subject to death as well as others. From hence we learn, that all flesh, men and women, high and low, rich and poor, godly and ungodly, how great soever their gifts and graces be, are subject to death and mortality. This appeareth, Gen. 5. where in the catalogue of the fathers that lived before the flood, it is said of them all, they died. Albeit God multiplied their days, many hundred years for the increase of mankind, & the spreading abroad of the truth from generation to generation, yet after many days, in the end, all of them died. So Psal. 89, 48. Heb. 9, 27. Job 17, 13, 14. & ch. 21, 23, &c. One dieth in his full strength, being in all ease and prosperity; another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure; they shall sleep both in y ^e dust, and the worms shall cover them. And what shall I say more? We acknowledge in words, and see with our eyes, a decay and declining of of all things by experience. All earthly things under the Sun that have beginning, both have and hasten to their ending. The grass, when it is grown, is mowed: the fruit, when it is ripe, is gathered: the harvest, when it is ready, is reaped. The trees that flourish in the Spring and Summer, have their declining Autumn, and their decaying Winter. The Moon set in the Heaven to rule the night, hath her wane. The Sun which cometh forth as a Bridegroom out of his chamber, & rejoiceth like a mighty man to run his race, yet hath his setting and descending: the farther he goeth, & the more degrees he passeth, the nearer he is to the end of his course.

The reasons of this Doctrine, are these. First, [Reason 1] because all are dust; the matter whereof we are made, is the dust of the earth, & therefore must return to the dust, out of which we are are taken. All flesh is as grass, and the glory of man is as the flower of the field, the grass withereth, and the flower fadeth & falleth away. The Sea never resteth nor standeth still, but ever ebbeth or floweth: so is it with the life of man, it never standeth at one stay, every day cutteth off one part of our days, we are nearer to our end in the evening then in the morning, according to the saying of Job, we are consumed from morning to evening, & we hasten unto the grave, as the Rivers are carried into the Sea. This is that reason which is used, Gen. 3, 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou turn to the earth; for out of it wast thou taken, because thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return. Where the reason is thus framed; Thou art made and taken out of the dust, therefore thou shalt return to the dust.

Secondly, we must all die the death, because [Reason 2] all have sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God: for the Scripture concludeth all, both Jews and Gentiles under sin. True it is, man was created to immortality, and if he had ever loved God and never sinned, he should ever have lived without seeing death. But whē sin entered, death followed in the world, as the wages doth the work: according to the threatening of God, Gen. 2, 17. In the day thou eatest of the forbidden fruit, thou shalt die the death. For as they that are adjudged and condemned to die, are accounted as dead men, albeit they be kept alive in prison: so our first Parents, although they did not immediately die, yet immediately were subject to death by desert of sin. So the Apostle, Rom. 5, 12. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death went over all men, in whom all men have sinned. Where he proveth the cause by the effect, that sin was before Moses and the Law given by him, because death was in the world, which seizeth upon young and old, infants & sucklings, whereby everyone is convinced of sin, every mouth is stopped, and all y ^e world subject to the righteous judgment of God. Seeing therefore we are all made out of the dust, and carry about with us this body of sin: we have here no continuing City, but are placed in the world for a season, as men set upon a Stage to play our parts, & then must be gone to give room to others, according to the saying of Solomon, One generation passeth, and another generation succeedeth.

[Use 1] The uses follow. First, the rich, the mighty, the learned, and men of high degree, must acknowledge, that there shall be no difference between them and the poor, the lowly and unlearned, in the grave, unto which all must descend. True it is, there is a difference and distinction between rich and poor, high and low, great & small, in their life time, in friends, in honors, in houses, in lands, in livings, in food, in apparel, in duties, in dignities, & such like external privileges and perogatives, which shall have an end: yet all these shall cease, and all degrees must equally meet together in the grave: so that albeit an unequal life have gone before, yet an equal death shall follow after. This is it which Job pointeth unto, chap. 17, which we named before, where he showeth, that all worldly prosperity and hope shall fail, They shall go down into the bottom of the pit, surely it shall lie together in the dust. And the Prophet, Psal. 49, 9, 10, 11. showeth, that neither wit, nor wisdom; neither might nor money; neither favor nor policy, can prevent or put away death: that all without difference & respect of persons must yield to Nature, and that all means which they can devise for the continuance of their names shall come to naught: For he seeth wise men die, and also that the ignorant, and foolish perish, and leave their riches for others.

Secondly, let men of excellent and eminent [Use 2] places live justly, and deal uprightly in their callings, wherein they are set. As they are placed above others, so they are seen & marked before others, and notwithstanding all their honor and estimation, their riches and retinue, they must die and depart hence, when it shall be said to them, Come, give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward. The remembrance of death must therefore admonish them of their duties, that they dream not of immortality, and they promise not to themselves continuance here and perpetuity. This David toucheth and teacheth, Ps. 82, 2, 3, 6, 7. How long will ye deal unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Do right to the poor and fatherless, do justice to the poor and needy: deliver the poor and needy, save them from the hand of the wicked. I have said, ye are God's, and ye all are children of the most High: but ye shall die as a man, and ye Princes shall fall like others. So then, when we are tempted to evil, we must remember death, and the estate that followeth death. Therefore the Apostle chargeth them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, neither trust in uncertain riches, but in the living GOD; because we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain, that we can carry nothing out.

Thirdly, this consideration of the common [Use 3] condition of all flesh, must stir up our affections from resting & relying upon men whose breath is in their nostrils, to depend upon the eternal God, which continueth and liveth forever. Let us beware of all vain confidence. We are ready to rest upon creatures, and stay our selves upon an arm of flesh, as upon a broken Reed, whereby we deceive our selves of our hope, and rob God of his honor. This we learn, Psal. 146, 3, 4, 5. Put not your trust in Princes, nor in the sons of man, for there is no help in him: his breath departeth, and he returneth to the earth, then his thoughts perish. Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Man is vain, and all his pomp is lighter then vanity. If then we make him our stay and staff, we beat the air, we labor in the fire, we build upon a weak foundation, and rest upon the uncertain life of mortal and miserable man, who vanisheth as a shadow, passeth as a dream, flieth as an Eagle, speedeth as a Poste, consumeth as a garment, and goeth away as a thought that cannot be recalled. His life is as a span soon measured, as a vapor soon gone, as a tale soon told, as an hand-breadth soon measured, as a wind soon ouerblowne, and as the weauers Shuttle, quickly sliding.

Lastly, it is our duty to prepare for it before [Use 4] it cometh, that we may be found ready, and have oil in our lamps, whē the Bridegroom cometh. For death spareth none, it respecteth no person, no age, no Sexe, no State or condition, no power can withstand it, no wisdom can prevent it, no bribe can corrupt it, no cunning can overcome it. And albeit we often recover of some diseases, yet in the ende we are taken away. The whole life of a Christian should be a continual meditation of death, to teach us (as it were to die daily, and to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom: not to set our whole love and liking on the world, which we must shortly leave. Will a man bestow cost and charges on an house and tenement, in which he shall not long dwell, and out of which he is shortly to depart? Or will he be patching that Tent and Tabernacle which he hath pitched for a day or two? We dwell in earthly Tabernacles, as in houses of clay, 2 Cor. 5, 4. 2 Pet. 1, 14. What wisdom then is it, to bestow days, and months, and years, in plotting & plodding for the world, for riches, and the vanities of this life? Let us also prepare and provide before hand for the day of our dissolution, that such as God hath blessed with this worlds good, set their houses and their estates in order, as the Prophet in this regard warneth Hezekiah, Isaiah 38, 1. Set thine house in order, for thou must die. And we may learn this necessary practice of Ahithophel, though living in wickedness, and dying in despair, of whom the Scripture saith, whē he saw that his counsel was not followed, he went home unto his City, put his house in order, & hanged himself. 2 Sam. 17, 23. This duty is to be thought upon in health, as that which deeply concerneth our selves and our posterity. When we have rightly disposed the things of this life, let us prepare for a Nunc dimittis, let us commend our spirits into the hands of God, let us resign up our selves willingly to death, when we must enter into a particular judgment. For so soon as the soul is departed and separated from the body, God holdeth his Sessions, to which we are summoned by his messenger death, to come into his presence, to receive in part according to our works, whether they be good or evil. Even as we see in the affairs of this life, how Judges and Justices keep their sessions and assizes, wherein malefactors brought out of prison, are arraigned: so God holdeth his time of judgment and justice, to reward everyone according to his works. We have all a cause and case to be tried, the greatest, the weightiest, the worthiest that ever was handled, not touching silver & gold, not concerning house or land, not of titles or inheritances, but of the everlasting salvation or damnation of our souls forever: and therefore it standeth us in hand, to be well armed & thoroughly appointed, that we come not as the foolish Virgins, without oil in our lamps, or as the unprepared guest, without our wedding garment. We see in temporal Courts, when men have a cause to be tried, and an action to be determined, either of goods or good name, how careful they are before hand to read Evidences, to produce witnesses, and to search Records, that y ^e suite may pass on their sides: how much more careful ought we to be to answer before the eternal Judge, where no man shall be admitted to appear by his Attorney, but all must come in their own persons, none shall be suffered to put in sureties? This will be a great day, whē the whole world shall appear together at once, high and low, Prince and Subject, noble and unnoble, according to the description that John maketh, I saw the dead, both great & small stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged of those things which were written in the book according to their works, Revel. 20, 12.

[And was buried there.] Hitherto of the death of Miriam: now of that which followed her death, to wit, her burial. See here, when life was departed, what they did with the body; they committed it to the earth.

The Doctrine from hence is this, that it is a necessary duty to bury the dead. This appeareth by many examples of the godly which have practiced this duty, Gen. 23, 4. Abraham the father of the faithful, bought a possession of burial of the Hittites, who by the sight and light of nature, had their Sepulchers; & therefore answered Abraham, Thou art a Prince of God among us, in the chiefest of our Sepulchers bury thy dead: none of us shall forbid thee his Sepulcher, but thou mayest bury thy dead therein. So ch. 25, 8, 9. when Abraham yielded the spirit and died in a good age, and was gathered to his people, his sons Isaac & Ishmael buried him in the Cave of Machpelah, in the field of Hephron, where Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. The like we see done to Isaac, when he gave up the ghost, being old and full of days, his two sons, Esau and Jacob buried him. Now as Jacob did to his father, so his children do to him, according as he had commanded them; for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the Cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought. The like may be said of Moses, Deut. 34, 5, 6. for albeit the people buried him not, neither knew of his Sepulcher, lest they should abuse it to idolatry, yet rather then he should want burial, he was buried of God. The men of Jabesh Gilead are praised of God, and rewarded of David, because they buried King Saul and his son, and adventured their lives to do unto him their last duty. 2 Sa. 2, 5, 6. The same might be said of the rest of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Judges, Kings, Governors, and Priests, yea of Christ himself, whose burial (albeit he were able immediately to have raised and restored himself to life) is set down in the Gospel, that his death might be confirmed, and his farther humiliation manifested. These examples teach that it is a Christian and commendable duty of the living to be performed to the dead, of children to be performed to their parents, and of the people of God one to another, to commit the body of the deceased to the grave, to put dust to dust, and so to cover earth with earth.

And no marvel. For first, among all creatures, [Reason 1] man is most loathsome and ugly when life is departed. As in his birth and bringing forth into the world, of all creatures he is most frail and feeble, without strength to stand, without help to defend himself: so being dead, he is most frail, filthy, and deformed. He that a little before gloried in his beauty, comeliness, feature, & proportion, is now become the mirror and spectacle of a deformed and misshapen carcass. Such a confusion and wrack hath sin wrought and brought into our nature. This made Abraham to say to the Hittites, I am a stranger & a foreigner among you, give me a possession of burial to bury with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight, Gen. 23, 4. This is noted in Lazarus, who having lien buried but four days, his b • dy stank, John 11, 39.

[Reason 2] Secondly, burial is promised as a blessing from God, and the want of it threatened for a plague and judgment. God offereth it as a mercy to Abraham, that he should be buried in a ripe age; and to Josiah, that he should be put in his grave in peace, and his eyes should not behold the evil that should be brought upon that place. Contrariwise, the want hereof is threatened as a curse to Jeroboam & Ahab Kings of Israel, that they and their posterity should be devoured of dogs. And Ier. 22, 19. and 36, 30. because Jehoiakim fell from God, it was foretold unto him by the Prophet, that he should not be buried honourably, but he should be buried as an Ass is buried, even drawn and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem. But it may here be objected, that the faithful oftentimes want burial, some consumed to ashes, some drowned in the waters, some devoured with wild beasts, some hanged on gibbets, of whom the world was not worthy: as the Prophet complaineth, Psalm. 79, 2, 3. I answer, all temporal chastisements are common to the godly and ungodly, as famine, plague, pestilence, sword, nakedness, & such like punishments, which God shooteth as his arrows against the sons of men. The favor of God bringing salvation, standeth not in these outward things. For as it cannot profit a wicked and wretched man to be solemnly enterred and costly buried, dying out of the favor of God, (as is noted in the parable of the rich glutton: ) so it shall not hurt a righteous man to want a sumptuous solemnizing of his funerals.

[Use 1] From this principle we learn sundry instructions. First, we must make a difference between the body of man and beast. For as man differeth from the beast in his life, made after the image of God, fashioned to look upward, created with a reasonable soul, and sundry other perogatives: so he should in his death and burial. The bodies of beasts are drawn forth being dead, to lie in the open air, and to be devoured one of another, and it skilleth not. But it is unseemly and unlawful, against order and honesty, that the dead bodies of men should be cast out unburied into ditches and dunghills, or such foul and filthy places; and therefore Jehu speaking of Jezebel cast down out of her window, and having her blood sprinkled upon the wall said, Visite now yonder cursed woman, and bury her. 2. Kings 9, 34.

[Use 2] Secondly, observe in this place, that all superstition in burial is to be avoided. We read here of her burial, and Josephus addeth, it was done at the common charges with great solemnity: but we read of no masses, obits, crosses, dirges, singing, ringing, watching, holy-water, bell and banner, trentals, & such like trumpery, practiced in these days in y ^e Church of Rome. Thē they praised the Name of God for the dead, to stir up others to an imitation of their virtues: now they pray to God for the dead to get money withal. Then they rejoiced that they had overcome the enemies of their saluatiō, & had received their crowns: now they teach men to weep, for fear of the Popes painted fire of a supposed Purgatory. Thus we see in that her burial is nakedly set forth, without these superfluous and superstitious toys, it teacheth us to condemn shrines, tapers, torches, candles, pilgrimages, and such ceremonies as are hurtful to the living, unprofitable to the dead, chargeable to their friends, and dishonorable unto GOD. For it is great wickedness and gross superstition to hold any holiness in the manner of burial, to make one garment holier thē another, as to be buried in a Monks cool: to make one place holier then another, as to be buried in the Church-yard rather then out of it; to be buried in the Church, rather then in y ^e Churchyard; in the Chancel rather then in y ^e Church, and near the high Altar, rather then in any other place. This is great vanity, to place any religion in times, in places, in garments, all which we see passed over in this History.

Thirdly, it reproveth all keeping of dead men's bones unburied, and reserving of relics [Use 3] practiced in the Church of Rome. It is a great part of the religion of Rome, to glory of their devout touching and adoring of holy relics, and to make Merchandize thereof. The Lord said in the beginning to Adam and all his posterity, Dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return, Gen. 3, 19. So that the bones and bodies of men departed, are not to be kept out of their graves, neither can they be preserved without corruption. And when Stephen was stoned, we read that certain men fearing God, carried him among them to be buried, which was a duty of charity: and that they made great lamentation for him, which was a fruit of their piety: but we find no mention of shrining up of relics, or keeping any monuments or members of him. They allege for their purpose, the woman's touching the hem of Christ's garment, whereby she was healed. I answer, we doubt not but Christ living upon the earth, wrought miracles with his word, and without his word, present and absent, by outward signs, and without outward signs. But now the gift of miracles is ceased, and therefore to look for help by garments, by napkins and shadows, is superstition and tempting of God. Again, the force and virtue of healing her infirmity, did not proceed from his garment, but immediately from himself; and therefore Christ saith, Some body hath touched me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me: he doth not say, virtue is proceeded from my garments. The Disciples confess, the people thrust and thronged him. Likewise the soldiers cast lots for his Coat, and parted his garments among them; yet they received no benefit by him or them. Wherefore, it was her faith that healed her. Moreover, they allege the reserving of Manna in the golden Pot, and keeping of Aaron's rod in the Tabernacle, Heb. 9. I answer, these were reserved and laid up by the express commandment of God; let them bring forth like warrant for keeping their crosses, garments, images, bones, and such like scraps, and we will receive them. Secondly, as they were reserved by the commandment of God, so by the word of God they were preserved in their full strength from corruption and putrifaction: whereas their trumpery of Saints relics, rot and consume away, as our Writers have proved, and their own authors have confessed. Lastly, from this reservation, they shall never be able to prove any adoration. For these monuments, the Pot of Manna, and the rod of Aaron were never commanded to be worshipped. But the Romish relics are shown openly for men to fall down to thē, which is superstition and idolatry: and therefore being thus abused, they should be defaced, as Hezekiah brake in pieces the brazen serpent (though it were a special monument of God's mercy, and a lively figure of Christ) when it began to be worshipped, and the ordinance of God turned into an idol.

[Use 4] Fourthly, we learn from hence to strengthen our faith in the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. For burial is a pledge of immortality, a sign of the resurrection, and as a glass to behold the life to come, and therefore the bodies of men are not contemptibly to be cast abroad, but decently to be laid in the earth, as the Corn is cast in the ground, & there rotteth, groweth up, and beareth fruit. We were not created of God to lie forever in the grave, and to end in corruption; but our burial preacheth to us another life, and showeth that we shall be restored into a new and better estate. We are laid up in the safe keeping of God, until the day come that he shall raise the dead again. Let us then stir up our selves to understand, that we are not appointed to live only in this world, but that there is another life prepared for us. This the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. 15, 29. What shall they do that are washed for dead? If the dead rise not at all, why are they then washed for dead? It was an ancient custom, both among Jews & Gentiles, among Infidels and Christians, to wash the bodies of the dead before they were buried, by which, all other ceremonies belonging thereunto, as embalming, mourning, wrapping, & burying, are signified; as if he should say, if there be no resurrection, why are the dead bodies costly anointed, cleanly washed, decently buried, solemnly accompanied, sorrowfully lamented for, and carefully wrapped in Linnen? Seeing then these rites commonly used, show that our bodies shall be renewed, let us labor to make them members of Christ, and Temples of the holy Ghost. Let us abhor all Atheists, Epicures, Libertines, and such proud heretics, that mock at all religion, & deny the faith of the resurrection, which is the ground-work and foundation of all our comfort. Howsoever therefore the wicked here flourish for a time, and spread as the green Bay-tree; contrariwise, the godly are destitute, afflicted, and tormented, and accounted as sheep to the slaughter, yet it shall be well with them that fear the Lord, and in the end he will reward the wicked according to their works. For it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you which are troubled, rest, when the Lord Jesus shall show himself from heaven with his mighty Angels. This is it which Abraham saith to the rich man, Son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy pleasures, and likewise Lazarus pains; now therefore is he comforted, and thou art tormented.

[Ver. 2, 3, 4, 5. And there was not water for the Congregation. ] The people had been brought out of the Land of Egypt, out of the yoke of bondage, and out of the furnace of iron: they had seen the great works and wonders of God, they had promised to yield faithful obedience, they had tasted of the bountiful hand of God, they had tried his power and presence in bringing waters out of the dry Rock, they had observed many thousands slain for their rebellion in the wilderness; yet behold their fresh unthankfulness; they cast out diverse reproaches, as it were so many darts and spears, not against Moses, but against God. The Doctrine from hence is this, that in all wants and dangers we are ready to murmur and repine against God. An example hereof we have, Exod. 14, 11, & 17, 1, 2. Whē the people were come out of Egypt, and saw the red sea before them, the host of Pharaoh behind them, the mountains on each side of them, and no means to escape, they repine against Moses, as if he had brought them out to die in the wilderness. Hereunto accordeth that which is recorded, chapter 17, when they came where no water was, they contended with Moses saying; Give us water that we may drink. Tempting God, distrusting his providence, murmuring against his servants, & not looking for succor and success from God. The like example we see Rahel, Gen. 30, 1, 2. when she saw her self barren & bare no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. She went not to God, who only is able to open the womb, as Jacob teacheth her; Am I in God's stead which hath withholden from thee the fruit of the womb? but complaineth against her husband, envieth her sister, & manifesteth the corruption of her own heart. Therefore the Apostle exhorteth, 1 Cor. 10, 10. Neither murmur ye as some of thē also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

[Reason 1] The reasons are, first, the bitter root of infidelity. For as the wickedness of man is great, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are only evil continually: so the fountain of all is an unfaithful heart to depart away from the living God, and therefore the Apostle chargeth, that There be not in any of us, an evil heart and unfaithful. Faith, apprehending the mercies of God, and applying the merits of Christ, is the mother of all graces, and the well spring of all obedience. And if we were acquainted with our corruptions, & the force of temptations, we would know the comfortable use, and the great necessity thereof, and magnify it above all other graces. The capital sin of unbelief, striketh at the very heart of God, and what do we leave unto him, if we deny his truth, who is truth it self. This reason is expressly set down, Psal. 78, 18, 22. They tempted God in their harts, in requiring meat for their lust: because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his help.

[Reason 2] Again, present things for the most part are wearisome and loathsome unto us, be they never so excellent. This we see in our first parents. What estate could be wished and desired, more goodly, more glorious, more gracious, thē their estate in the blessed time of their innocence: resembling and representing most lively the image of God in perfection of their Nature, in excellency of their gifts, and in preeminence of their place? Yet they were not content with this condition, they restrained not themselves within the bounds of their own calling, but presumed above that they ought to understand, and would be as God's, knowing good and evil. What is the cause of tumults and troubles in families, in Churches, in Commonwealths, and in all Societies? Surely even this, we loathe and like not the present estate of things, but seek chāges & alterations.

[Use 1] Let us apply this point to our uses. We are ready to accuse and condemn the Israelites to be a rebellious and stiff-necked people, ever tempting God, & provoking the holy one to anger. In like manner we use to inveigh against the Jews for crucifying Christ, and delivering up the Lord of glory into the hands of sinners: we accuse the partiality of Pilate, the treachery of Judas, the envy of the Pharisees, the malice of the high Priests, the villainy of the false witnesses, the cruelty of the soldiers, the taunts of the passengers, and the hard-heartedness of the whole people. But we consider not that the same original corruption is in us that was in them, by the sway & swinge whereof, being all the sons of old Adam, we would have done as they did, if we had lived in those times. So when we hear or read of these murmurings and mutinies of the children of Israel, we are commonly wont to revile them, to defy them, and to account them the vilest people under the heavens. But we must cease to wonder at them, and learn to confess our own corruption of heart, and proneness to yield and fall down in time of temptation, unless we be stayed up by y ^e mighty hand of God. For albeit he be most gracious and merciful unto us, hedgeth us round about with many blessings, and compasseth us with riches of grace on every side, yet we forget thē all, if any one cross do any way lie upon us. If the Lord touch us with sickness, as with his little finger; with losses, with crosses, with poverty, or any misery, such is our impatiency, that we always dwell upon the meditation of that want, we look upon it with our eyes, we handle it with our hands, we toss it in our minds, and never remember the multitude of his mercies, the peace of a good conscience, the loving countenance of the Lord, the seal of our adoption, the assurance of our salvation, the sweet taste of his love shed in our harts by the holy Ghost; so that one trouble doth more daunt us, and strike us to the heart, then many blessings can comfort & refresh us. But God, taking away outward blessings, giveth spiritual to his children, & doth sweeten the bitterness of the cross with inward consolation, and doth recompense it with heavenly grace, whereby we gain more in the spirit then we lose in the flesh.

Secondly, we are taught hereby to pray [Use 2] to God in our troubles, to hold us up, and stay us with his grace, that we fall not from him. For seeing at all times, and upon all occasions of want, we are ready to repine and murmur against God, who can stand by his own power, or by the strength of his own free will? When a man holdeth fast a staff in his hand, so long it standeth upright as he retaineth it; but if he withdraw his hand never so little, it falleth. Carry up a stone to the top of a Mountain, so long as thou staiest it, there it abideth but if thou leave it, it rowleth down of it own strength, even to the bottom. So unless the Lord, in our calamities and crosses that befall us, do stay us by his heavenly hand, & strengthen us by his Almighty power, we break out into unthankfulness, forgetfulness, impatiency, & grudging against him. This made the Apostle, after the reckoning up of the idolatry, fornication, murmuring, and tempting of Christ, to exhort them, that He which thinketh he standeth, must take heed lest he fall. As then we ought all to take special notice & knowledge of the corruption of our hearts, and behold a lively and express image of our nature in the glass of this people: so it is our duty to call upon God (from whom every good giving & perfect gift proceedeth) to put to his helping hand, that we may learn to depend upon him, that we may know how to want and how to abound, and in every condition to submit our selves to his heavenly pleasure. For we shall never be able by our own strength to subdue our own corruptions, nor to prevail over our own lusts, nor to overcome the temptations that oftentimes assail us, unless we be assisted from above.

[Use 3] Lastly, our corruption of heart, prone to murmur and complain against God, whensoever he trieth our faith, obedience, and patience, with any misery, warneth us to seek all holy means & remedies, to repress this rage and repining against God: which may be as sure helps to further us in this way, & to furnish us with strength able to hold us up in the day of trial. First, let us consider the high providence of God, ruling all things in heaven or earth, and ouerswaying all creatures, that nothing falleth out without his will & pleasure, as our Savior teacheth, Mat. 10, 29.30. For who giveth us our bodies? Who clotheth the Lilies, that Solomon in all his glory was not like one of them? Who feedeth the young Ravens that cry unto him? Who sustaineth the wicked that are his enemies? Who provided all things for man in the beginning, before he was made & created? Is it not the Lord, whose all the beasts of the forest are, and the beasts on a thousand Mountains? So that the resting of our selves upon this providence that he will feed and clothe us, and care for us, must take away the grief of all our wants that ouerpresseth, and oftentimes overcometh us.

Again, we must learn the benefit of contentation, and to grub up all distracting and distrustful cares, as noisome weeds out of our hearts, bearing with patience and meekness of spirit, whatsoever y ^e Lord sendeth. This mind was in Jacob, when he went far from his fathers house, he did not desire silver or gold, house or lands, but only a competent & convenient living, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this journey which I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, then shall the Lord be my God. So the Apostle teacheth, Godliness is great gain, if a man be content with that he hath: for we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain, that we can carry nothing out; therefore when we have food and raiment, let us therewith be content. And in another place; I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content: & I can be abased, and I can abound, everywhere in all things, I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry, to abound, and to have want; I am able to do all things through the help of Christ which strengtheneth me. Lastly, let us set our affections on things which are above, and not on things which are on the earth. If we believe that God doth forbear and forgive us our sins, & not deal with us according to our deservings; if he sanctify us with his Spirit, & make our bodies Temples of the holy Ghost; if he turn us to himself, working our conversion, which is as great a work as at the first to create us: we may be assured, he will deliver our souls from death, & preserve us in famine. For if he spared not his own Son, but hath given him for us all to death, how shall he not with him give us all things also? Fear not therefore the want of outward things which perish with their use; for it is your Fathers pleasure to give unto you a kingdom. If he have promised to give unto us the greater, nay the greatest blessings that can be rehearsed or remembered, we may ground our selves on this assured truth, that he will not leave us nor forsake us; so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my deliverer, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Indeed, the judgment & practice of carnal men is otherwise, who esteem earthly things above heavenly, and prefer their Swine before Christ-like Esau, who prized one mess of pottage above the birthright. If these men be a little pained and pinched with famine, and suffer a little want of food, that they have not their necessities supplied, their bodies clothed, & their bellies filled, they cry out aloud in the anguish of their spirit, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? How shall we live? How shall we maintain & sustain our selves and our families? But (alas) though their souls be hunger-bitten, and hungerstarued, ready to pine and consume away through want of spiritual food, they are never grieved or vexed, it troubleth them not at all. Let us learn better things: let us value spiritual things at the highest rate, and set them in the chiefest place. If thus we set (as our honorable friends) all heavenly things in the chiefest place, and turn all transitory things with shame into the lowest room and rank, as saucy & aspiring guests, usurping & climbing above their betters, we shall bear all earthly losses and troubles with patience, and stay our selves from murmuring at the feeling of them.

[Ver. 6. Then Moses and Aaron went from the face, &c. ] We heard before the complaint of y ^e people; now let us see the behavior of Moses & Aaron. They do not rage, nor revile thē, they do not fret and fume against thē, or ask the life of their enemies, but possess their souls with patience; and declining the violent rage of the people, (as a beast with many heads) they go to the Tabernacle & declare their causes and cases before the Lord. From this their distress we learn this truth, that in all wrongs & injuries offered unto us, we must seek help and comfort of God. I say it is the duty of all the servants of God when they are wronged and oppressed, when they are evilly entreated, and spitefully handled at the hands of sinful men, to vnlade & disburden all their cares into the bosom of God, depending for counsel and comfort upon him alone. In the performance of this duty, the holy servants of God have gone before us. Read the book of the Psalms, as a plentiful storehouse and school-house to teach this truth, as Psal. 3, 1, 2. and 7, 1, 2. where we see, that in his troubles he had recourse to God, who smiteth his enemies on the cheek-bone, and breaketh y ^e teeth of the wicked, but was a sure Buckler to him; not such as men hold up, that can defend one part, and in one place only; but a buckler to safeguard him round about, before and behind. And being grievously accused of some heinous crime by some of Saul's retinue, he flieth to God, he trusteth in him, who preserveth the upright in heart. So when Job had his camels and cattle taken away by the enemies, he did not through the greatness of his affliction and grief of mind rebel against God, but said, Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken it, blessed be the Name of the Lord. The like appeareth in Hezekiah, when Jerusalem was besieged: This is a day of tribulation, and of rebuke and blasphemy, for the children are come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring forth: Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou (O Lord) art only God. All which examples teach us, that when we suffer wrongs, or fall into any wrongs, or fall into any dangers, we must have recourse to God, and crave of him, y ^t the malice of the wicked may come to an end.

[Reason 1] The reasons of this doctrine are, first the gracious promise of God, who hath mercifully promised to hear and to help us in all our troubles. This the Prophet teacheth, Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. And the Apostle John, This is the assurance that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have desired of him. Let us not doubt and waver like a wave of the Sea, tossed to and fro by the violence of the winds, but by faith believe that God will grant our requests, which we make according to his will and word. Seeing therefore he is willing to hear, and able to help, and promiseth to grant our requests; our duty is to come when he calleth, to ask seeing he giveth; and to knock, seeing he openeth the gates that leadeth unto his treasures. Some put their trust in chariots, some in horses, and some in Princes, but we must remember the Name of the Lord our God, who never faileth and breaketh promise with these that depend upon him, that fear and trust in his mercy.

[Reason 2] Secondly, as he is our helper, who delivereth our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling, so whither shall we turn our selves to find comfort and consolation, besides in him? When God denieth to send succor, who shall save? When he refuseth to help, who shall deliver? When he shutteth, who can open? If we look to men or Angels, to heaven or earth, to the living, or the dead, we shall be deceived and deluded. The Prophet saith, Psal. 62.8, 9. Trust in him always ye people, pour out your harts before him, for God is our hope above all; yet the children of men are vanity, the chief men are lies, to lay them upon a balance, they are altogether lighter then vanity.

[Use 1] Let us now come unto the uses. First, from hence we gather that such is God's great goodness to his children, that he never leaveth them without comfort. For, if he require of us to repair to him in our troubles, surely he will not send us away empty, nor cause us to depart confounded and ashamed. How many came to our Savior Christ in the days of his infirmity, when he lived upon the earth, to be helped and healed; yet who returned diseased to his own house? Who came to be restored to sight, and went away blind? Who sought for help, & turned his back sick? who sought comfort, & went away sorrowful? Who came to him deaf or dumb, or lame, and went away without his speaking, his hearing, his legs and limbs restored unto him? This the Prophet David knew, and in the meditation of it found unspeakable comfort in the days of his affliction, when he was in perils among the Amalekites, in perils among the Philistines, in perils among false brethren, in perils in the wilderness, in perils of his own nation, he trusted in his God, and comforted himself in a sweet feeling of his manifold mercies. For when the city where he sojourned was sacked and burned, his wives taken prisoners, and the people intended to stone him, he comforted himself in the Lord his God. The enemies of God in their rage and cruelty may take from us liberty, friends, wife, children, lands, possessions, and all the substance of our house; but they can never rob us of this treasure, our comfort in God's promises, our hope in his mercies, and our affiance which we have in him, which are as the Anker of the soul cast in the storms and tempests that seek to drown us in the gulfs & quicksands of despair & unbelief. [Use 2]

Secondly, they dishonor God and deceive themselves, that run to Saints or Angels; from the Creator, who is blessed forever, to the creature that cannot help. The Prophet David saith, Who have I in heaven but thee? and I have desired now in earth with thee. Therefore the Church of Rome is deceived, and deceiveth others, making other mediators and intercessors, by whō we must have access to God the Father: through the multitude whereof the miserable people are so entangled, that they know not to which Saint they should turn themselves. The Prophet having good experience of trouble, sendeth us to God in the day of trouble. The Father saith, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Christ Jesus directing us to pray, willeth us to say, Our Father The Apostle teacheth us; that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And John in his first Epistle saith, If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just; and he is the reconciliation for our sins. To like purpose the same Apostle in the Gospel, Whatsoever ye ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father maybe glorified in the Son: if ye shall ask anything in my Name, I will do it. Let us therefore detest the absurdities and abominations of the Romish Church, who masking under the blind distinction of mediation and interession, seek to creep away in the dark, that their mischief may not be espied. They say a Mediator is of two sorts, one of redemption, to wit; Christ alone: another of intercession, and so they make all the Saints. Thus they divide & sever these things that indeed are one. Let us acknowledge one only Mediator of our salvation, let thē keep themselves other mediators of intercession. Notwithstanding, this distinction is not observed by themselves. For if Christ only be the Mediator of salvation, why do they call upon the blessed virgins, Save thou all them that glorify thee? Nay, why do they teach the people thus to pray, Command thy son, use thy motherly authority over him, let him know thee to be his mother. Howsoever it pleaseth some to excuse these speeches, as spiritual sporting and daliance: yet indeed it is most odious and open blasphemy to be detested of all God's people. And why say they thus of Thomas Becket, filled with ambition and vanity, O Christ make us to ascend unto heaven, whither Thomas is ascended, even by the blood of Thomas which he shed for thy sake. Here he is made more then a mediator of intercession: and yet he died for willful maintenance of manifest wickedness, to the dishonor of God, and to the infection of the Clergy, and to his own confusion, being a false Martyr, but a true traitor. Now against all these blasphemous trash and trumpery, we must know to whom to direct our prayers, and in whose Name we ought to pray. We must pray to God alone, in whom only we are to believe: and therefore Paul linketh prayer and faith together, Rom. 10.14. How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And this we are taught in the articles of our faith, to believe only in God the Father, in God the Son, and in God the holy Ghost. But we are not to put our trust in Saints, or Angels; they know not our thoughts, see not our behavior, they hear not our prayers, they fil not all places, thenselves are accepted in heaven for the blessed merits of Christ our Savior.

And as we must pray only unto God, so prayer must be mace in the Name and Mediation of Christ, not of any other creature beside, as we shown before. We have no commandment in the Scripture to warrant us, no promise to assure us, no example to go before us, and therefore let us renounce all comfort and confidence in man, and fly unto him that is the God of all comfort and the Father of all consolation.

[Use 3] Thirdly, let us use no unlawful means to come out of our troubles, but wait on God, and depend upon him in our necessities. This the Prophet warneth, Psal. 62. Trust not in oppression, nor in robbery, be not vain: if riches increase, set not your hearts thereon. This we see practiced in Joab, when he put the army in array against the children of Ammon, saying to his brother, If Aram be to strong for me, then thou shalt succor me: but if the children of Ammon prevail against thee, thē I will succor me: be strong, and let us show our selves valiant for our people, and for the cities of our God, and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight. So when Samuel had told Eli the judgment denounced against him and his house, because his sons ran into a slander, & he stayeth them not, he answered, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. This condemneth those, that in their losses and crosses seek strange help, and run a whoring after their own inventions, digging cesternes that will hold no water, and forsaking the living God, the author of salvation. Hence it is, that some send out to witches & wizards, as Saul: these cannot say the Lord is my helper and my deliverer, but their refuge and savior is the devil. Others, in their sickness trust in the Physician, as Asa did: not in the living God, who killeth and maketh alive, bringeth down to the grave, and raiseth up again; he maketh the wound, and bindeth it up, he smiteth, and his hands make whole, he shall deliver thee in six troubles, and in the seventh the evil shall not touch thee: In time of war and day of battle, we trust in our strength, armor, men, munition, and defensed places, and make them our God; whereas the Prophet teacheth that this is a cursed confidence, and shall not leave a blessing behind it.

Lastly, we learn from hence, not to revenge [Use 4] our own causes & quarrels. For if we be taught in this practice of Moses, to go unto God in all our wrongs, who will judge his people, then we are not to render like for like, or to requite evil for evil, or to repay wrong for wrong, taunt for taunt, rebuke for rebuke, railing for railing, but contrariwise bless, knowing that we are thereunto called, that we should be heirs of blessing. This use is concluded, Prov. 20.22. Say not thou, I will recompense evil: but wait upon the Lord, and he shall save thee. This is the direction of y ^e Apostle, Ro. 12.17.19. Recompence to no man evil for evil: dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord. Where we see God claymeth and challenge vengeance to himself, and taketh it from us: so that such as seek revenge, sit down in the seat of God, and as much as lieth in thē, wrest the scepter out of his hands, taking upon them the person of the accuser, witness, judge, and executioner, contrary to all true form of lawful judgment. And albeit it be hard and harsh for flesh and blood to put up injuries, yet if we will be the children of God, we must have more in us then flesh and blood. For they that are after the flesh, favor the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit: so then, they that are in the flesh cannot please GOD. Wherefore, when Zachariah the Priest, a faithful and fruitful witness of God, was unjustly and cruelly stoned to death, he raged not, he reviled not, he revenged not, but said, The Lord see and require it. When the Lord of life, Christ Jesus was accused, condemned, and crucified, the just for the unjust, he prayed for his enemies, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do: leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. When blessed Stephen, who was full of the holy Ghost, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right of God, was cast out of the city, and stoned with stones, he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. When the Archangel mentioned by the Apostle Jude, saw that the devil went about to corrupt the pure worship of God, he would not use railing and reproachful speeches, but desireth the Lord to rebuke him, and repay him for his malice. Seeing therefore this duty hath been practiced by Priest and people, by men and Angels, by the head and the members of his body: let us follow those things that concern peace: let us be of a patient and meek spirit, which is much set by of God; and let us commit our causes to him that is the God of vengeance. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Verse 9, 10. Then Moses took that rod, &c. Hitherto Moses & Aaron have behaved themselves uprightly in respect of God, meekly in respect of themselves, and patiently in regard of the people. Now we shall see how they offend by transgressing the commandment of God, by distrusting his word, by raging against the whole assembly. God chargeth them to speak to the rock: they spake unto the people. Again, as if it were unlikely or impossible y ^t the rock should yield water, they smote it twice through impaciency & vnbeeleefe. Thus they that had been the instruments of God in so many miracles, that had seen him face to face as a man seeth his friend that had stood so often in the gap where the hand of God had made the breach, that had divided the red sea, Moses, I say, and Aaron, the Ministers of God, the witnesses of his works, the pillars of the truth, now begin to fail, to faint, and to fall down, to show us and themselves the weakness that is in flesh and blood. From hence we learn, that many are the failings and falls of the children of God. Howsoever the faithful be borne again, and endued with the spirit of sanctification; howsoever they desire to please God, and endeavor to serve him with all the powers of soul and body, yet they often stumble in their race, thorough the burden that presseth down, and the sin that cleaveth so fast unto them. This truth is confessed and confirmed by many testimonies. Solomon in his worthy prayer at the dedication of the Temple acknowledgeth it, 1 king. 8.46. So Job. 15.14, 15. Likewise Prov. 20.9. And the Prophet, Psal. 14 2, 3. All which testimonies do plentifully teach this truth, that howsoever through the grace of God given unto them, y ^e faithful fight a good fight, having faith and a good conscience, yet all are sinners and no flesh is clean and clear from sin, which Moses and Aaron here fall into.

The reasons of this doctrine are. First, because [Reason 1] the Scripture hath concluded all under sin. That every mouth might be stopped, and all the world be subject to the judgment of God. Al matter of glorying in our selves is taken from us, we are found guilty before God, we have no excuse, no defense, no cloak for our selves to cover our sins: there is no difference, We have all sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God and everlasting life; so that all, both Jews and Gentiles are proved to be under sin.

Secondly, we see that death, the wages of [Reason 2] sin, hath reigned, and doth reign over all without difference; yea it taketh hold even on children that sinned not actually like y ^e transgression of Adam. If then old and young taste of death, all the posterity of Adam are corrupted in him, when he wittingly, and willingly, & willfully sinned against God. We flow from an unclean fountain, we grow out of a bitter root, we are as branches of the wild vine. Thus the Apostle reasoneth, Death reigned frō Adam to Moses, even over them also that sinned not after the like manner of the transgression of Adam, which was the figure of him that was to come So then, sin and death go together, as mother and daughter, as the tree and the fruit, so that we may prove the one by the other, death by sin, and sin by death, the one giving light and luster to the other.

The uses remain to be considered. First, see [Use 1] hereby a difference between this present life, and the life to come. Here the relics and remnants of sin, as spots and stains in the flesh, remain even in those, that are cleansed by the blood of Christ, and washed by the renewing of the holy Ghost. But when the faithful shall be glorified, they shall be without blame, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Take here the best Examples of the best men that have lived in the best times, as Noah, Abraham, Lot, David, and Peter, yet ye shall see shame in glory; darkness in light; folly in wisdom; infidelity in faith. But when Christ shall appear, and we likewise appear with him in glory, we shall be made like unto him. Therefore the Apostle saith, noting out this difference We know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be abolished. Now we see through a glass darkly, but then shall we see face to face: Now I know in part, but thē shall I know, even as I am known. Here we cease not to provoke God, and every day of our life addeth to the number and measure of our sins, which should be bitter unto us as gall and wormwood; but when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, and death be swallowed up into victory, the • we shall cease to sin, and shall be as the blessed Angels y ^t are in heaven. The fervent desire of y ^e creatures waiteth for these times, groaning and traveling in pain even unto this present, to be delivered from y ^e bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Much more therefore should we, which have the first fruits of the spirit, sigh in our selves, waiting for the adoptiō, even y ^e redemption of our bodies.

[Use 2] Secondly, we learn that such as say they are without sin deceive themselves, and as much as in them lieth, make God a liar: we are deprived of his kingdom, we cannot keep the Law, nor have justification by the Law, or the works of the Law, but are justified freely by grace, and have need of y ^e benefit of Christ's blood. If we keep the law, we shall live by it: but if we be transgressors of the law, we are under the curse: For it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things written in the book of the Law to do them. Hereunto cometh that which the Apostle John saith, If we say we have no sin, we deceive our selves, the truth is not in us, we make God a liar, and his word is not in us. And to the same purpose the Apostle Paul, There is none righteous, no not one: they have all gone out of the way, there is none that doth good, no not one: we are justified freely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. • ence falleth to the ground the doctrine of merits, that advanceth proud flesh, and lifteth up the supposed worthiness of imperfect works, thereby to procure God's favor and everlasting life. The Church of Rome place such an inward and inherent dignity in men's persons, as maketh them worthy of grace or salvation. Moreover, they dream of such an excellency in the work, as fitteth and enableth them to deserve the favor of God, and forgiveness of sins. But in a sight of our sins, and in a feeling of our own corruptions, we must renounce all merits, and rest only on the merits of Christ. For when we have done all, we must say and confess, that we are unprofitable servants, &c. True it is, God will reward our works: but the reward is of mercy, not of merit; of promise, not of debt; of grace, not of desert. Again, hereby falleth another falsehood of theirs, holding that good works are every way perfect, not stained or tainted with sin, but being tried in the furnace of God's judgment, will suffer no loss or detriment. But the Prophet prayeth, Enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall none that liveth be justified. And again in another place it is written, We have all been as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness or good deeds as filthy clowtes: and therefore no good deed of righteous men is without some stain of sin; neither can we answer him one of a thousand. Lastly, we learn that they are deceived, which teach & preach a possibility for a man in grace to fulfill God's law. For the Apostle taketh it for a grounded and granted conclusion, that the law cannot be fulfilled, when he saith, It was impossible to the Law to give us life, because we are utterly unable to keep the condition; and therefore God hath sent his Son to take our nature upon him, and to abolish sin in our flesh. If we could fulfil the law, Christ died in vain, & we might be justified by the law: but Christ died not in vain, neither can we be justified by the law: therefore we cannot fulfill the law. Furthermore, the Apostle complaineth of his failings & defects, The law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin: what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. I find then that when I would do good, I am thus yoked that evil is present with me, I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man, but I see another law in my members, rebelling against the law of my mind, and leading me captive unto the law of sin. Now whereas many of the faithful are said to be just, and to walk in all the commandments of God without reproof: the meaning is, they endeavor to perfection, & strive to obey God with all their heart, and with all their soul, as Phil. 3.13. God accepteth the will for the deed, and the endeavor to obey for perfect obedience, 2 Cor. 8.12. Secondly, they exempt themselves from none of the precepts of God, but labor to walk in all the known points of his commandments, albeit they fail in the performance of them, & cease not to acknowledge their own imperfections. Lastly, God accepteth them in Christ, as perfectly righteous: so that, albeit their obedience be in itself imperfect, yet is it acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, as if it were perfect; and his righteousness is as truly their own, as if they had wrought it in their own persons.

Lastly, seeing the most faithful have their [Use 3] failings in duties of piety and obedience, we must take diligent heed we do not rashly and rigorously censure others for falling into sin. For seeing we have all our frailties and infirmities, and are not able to keep our selves wholly from evil, we are not headily to judge of others, lest thereby we hasten the greater condemnation upon our selves. This the Apostle James urgeth, Chap. 3.1, 2. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater judgment, for in many things we sin all. Let us therefore consider our selves, before we cast our eyes upon other men: for they are the most sharp and severe Judges, that forget their own infirmities. As we would be dealt withal in meekness, so must we deal with our brethren with all gentleness. For howsoever they have sinned, nothing hath befallen them but that which is incident to the nature of man; we may be overtaken with the same sin, or with the like sin, or with a greater sin. The Apostle saith, Brethren if a man be suddenly taken in any offense, ye which are spiritual restore such one with the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. There cannot be a more effectual means to draw us to deal mildly and mercifully with our brethren, then the consideration of our selves. There is no man among us, that dealeth truly with his own heart, and entereth into the meditation of his own frailty with his own soul, but he hath daily experience in himself, how hardly sin is subdued and mastered of us, how many sighs and groanings it requireth, how many tears and prayers it costeth us? What striving and struggling we have with it to keep it under? What battles and combats we have with the flesh that lusteth against the spirit? And yet notwithstanding our continual watching▪ wrestling, laboring, endeavoring, and resisting, it oftentimes breaketh from us, so that the knowledge of our own weakness, must teach us to deal with all meekness and moderation with our brethren.

Verse 11. Moses smote that rock, and much water gushed out. We have heard before, the people complaining, and Moses praying: now we shall see God helping and relieving them, notwithstanding their rebellion and unthankfulness. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, to speak unto the rock without life, without sense, without reason, to convince those rebels, and to show that there was more understanding in the dumb and deaf creatures, then in this company of conspirators. For now y ^e promise of God was performed above all natural means. True it is, they were unworthy of any mercy, they deserved to perish in their thirst, through want of water: notwithstanding, at the striking of the rock with the rod, he gave unto them their hearts desire. This was the Lord's doing, & it is marvelous in our eyes. This rock was a figure of Christ, as the Apostle teacheth. Besides, the striking of the rock, was a sign unto them of the gushing out of the waters. When Samson propounded this as a dark riddle, Out of the eater came meat, and out of the strong came sweetness: It was resolved thus, What is sweeter then the honey, and what is stronger then the Lyon? But much more may we propound this miraculous work of God, Out of the hard rock came softness, out of the dry came moisture, and out of the strong came weakness. For what is harder, dryer, and stronger then the rock? and what is softer and weaker then the water? according to the common proverb, As weak as water. And yet the soft and moist waters issued out of the dry and hard rock, suddenly, abundantly, miraculously at the commandment of God. This teacheth us this doctrine, that we live by God's appointment, and in feeding and sustaining us, he is not tied to outward & ordinary means. Whensoever we want meat, drink, apparel, and the necessary helps of this present life, God is able to provide them, and to nourish us without natural means, when it pleaseth him. This Moses teacheth at large, Deut. 8.3, 1. He humbled thee and made thee hungry, and fed thee with Manna, which thou knowest not, neither did thy fathers know it; that he might teach thee that man liveth not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth a man live: thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell these 40. years.

So we see he fed Elijah flying from Jezebel, who when he had eat and drunk, he walked in the strength of that meat forty days, and forty nights, unto Horeb the mount of God. The like we see in Moses, when he was in the mount with God: and the like we see in Christ our Savior, when he was in the wilderness tempted of the devil. So then, whatsoever the decree & determination of God is, whereby we shall live, whether it be by means or without means, whether by ways ordinary, or extraordinary, the same shall be effectual to man's preservation.

The reasons follow: First, the infinite power [Reason 1] of God which maketh weak things strong, and things of no value, that are despised, to effect great things. He is able to do and deal as he will. His soldiers were flies and lice against the Egyptians; his armies were mice against the Philistines. By such means he is able to work his will, to save his people, and to destroy his enemies. This reason is urged and pressed oftentimes, as Gen. 18.14. 1 Sam. 14.6. Zach. 8.6.

Secondly, hereby his honor and glory is [Reason 2] better set forth, that no flesh should rejoice and trust in it self but in God. Therefore he often worketh above reason, and beyond nature, that all the world may give glory to him, and magnify his great Name. This appeareth in the prayer of Hezekiah, who desired the presence of God to be with thē, that he might be glorified in their deliverance, O Lord our God, I beseech thee save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou O Lord art only God.

The uses follow: First, this teacheth us in [Use 1] all wants and necessities to depend upon God, and never to use unlawful means to come out of trouble, and so sin against God. If God send the sword, or famine, or other judgment to walk through the land, as he justly may do for our transgressions and rebellions, we must learn contentation and patience in poverty, in sickness, in misery, and not to be swallowed up with excessive sorrow. Our life standeth in the word and will of God, who can manifest his power, as well without means as with means in our preservation, and therefore let us not despair or fly from him to any creature for relief and succor. He can feed as well without bread as with bread, who increased the oil in the poor widows cruse, and the handful of meal in the barrel, teaching us to learn and labor to depend upon him. This the three servants of God mentioned in Daniel the Prophet, practiced, saying; O King, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter: behold, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the hot fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand: but if not, be it known unto thee (O king) that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up. They confess y ^e power of God, they put their trust in him, they resolve to abide the extremity of torments, they know that to save their lives by sinning against God, was to lose them; and to lose them for his sake, was to save them.

[Use 2] Secondly, if we live by God's appointment, and by that which he will bless, then without this special blessing, no means can do us any good. For though we have outward helps at hand, they are unprofitable unto us, when they are not sanctified to our comfort and benefit by his blessing, as our Savior teacheth, Luke 12.15. Take heed and beware of Covetousness, for though a man have abundance, yet his life standeth not in his riches. The Lord also often threateneth, that he will take away, not only bread it self, but the stay and staff of bread; that is, the power of nourishing. Take away from a weak and impotent man his staff, whereby he stayeth himself, he falleth to the ground: so take from the means of feeding the virtue of God's blessing, it is unfit and unable to do us any good, or yield us any nourishment. So the Prophet saith, Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough: and he that earneth wages, putteth the wages into a broken bag. This should teach us never to presume, to apply any of the creatures of God to our uses and nourishment of our bodies, until we have sanctified them by calling upon the Name of God. For they are not able of themselves, and by themselves to feed and refresh us, being themselves without life, and without heat: it is God's special blessing that maketh them do us any good. O that profane and carnal men, whose bellies the Lord filleth with his hid treasure, would with wisdom remember this: who never consider they stand at God's allowance, nor lift their heads & hearts to heaven, from whence their food cometh, but receive his creatures as brute beasts, like the horse that falleth to his prouender, or like the swine that gathereth up the Mast upon the earth, but never look up to the tree: and when they are plentifully fed and filled, they depart away without remembering the author and giver of their meats and drinks: but as they sat down without understanding, so they rise up without thanksgiving. O consider ye that forget God, that when Belteshazzar was eating and drinking with riot and excess, the hand of God writing upon y ^e wall, determineth his destruction. When he sent to his own people quail in the wilderness, a dainty food, he maketh them to come out at their nostrils in most loathsome manner, and while the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the strongest of them. So God can make every bit to be our bane, and every morsel we put into our mouths, turn to our destruction. Therefore the Apostle exhorteth us, Whatsoever we do, whether we eat and drink, or what else soever, we must do all to the praise and glory of God. Woe then shall be unto them in the end, that abuse these blessings of God to pride and excess, to surfeiting and drunkenness, to chambering and wantonness, to riotousnesse and forgetfulness of God, by whom they live, move, breathe, and have their being.

Lastly, we must not enlarge our desires, as [Use 3] the grave, which never saith it is enough, nor suffer our hearts to be oppressed and overtaken with the cares of this world, forasmuch as our life and welfare standeth not in these outward things, as food, raiment, house, land, living, and such like, but in the blessing of God: whatsoever he sendeth and affordeth, be it much or little, be it homely or dainty, shall be able to succor and sustain us. Daniel and his fellows, feeding on Pulse, and drinking water, appeared in their countenances fairer and fatter, then such as did eat the portion of the kings meat. Therefore the holy Ghost derideth the foolish rich man, Luke 12. who promised peace and plenty, length of days, and increase of riches to his own soul, having much laid up for many years. So is he that gathereth riches to himself, and is not rich in God: and such shall be the end of those that abound in earthly treasure, which the thief may steal, and the Moth may eat, and the canker may consume; but not in heavenly treasure, which endureth to everlasting life. Let us rest upon his providence, which arayeth the lilies, feedeth the fowls, clotheth the grass, numbereth our hairs, and promiseth to provide for us in all estates, if we rely upon him. True it is, when we cast up our eyes, and behold nothing but peace and plenty on every side, when we wash our garments in wine, when we abound in corn and pleasant fruits, or have the rocks to pour out rivers of oil, we can bless God, and confess our life dependeth upon his decree. But when we see nothing but horror and confusion, when the Sun seemeth to be darkened, and the day is turned into night, we must learn to wait on God, and to cast our care upon him who careth for us, as well in time of want, as of plenty; in time of sickness as of health; in time of war as of peace. This grace of contentation the holy Apostle felt, I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content, I can be abased, and can abound: I am instructed to be full, and to be hungry. The cares of this world, and deceitfulnsse of riches are a rank thorn, that choke the growth of grace in the heart, and as snares that drown men in perdition and destruction: and therefore he chargeth Timothy, to charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, and that they trust not in deceitful riches, but in the living God, which giveth us abundantly all things to enjoy; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may obtain eternal life.

Verse 12, 13. Because ye have not believed in me. We heard before the sin of Moses and Aaron, speaking unadvisedly with their mouths, and striking the rock doubtfully with their hands: now let us see the judgment of God waiting upon them as a Sargeant to arest them, and their punishment lying even at the door. Because ye sanctified not my Name before the children of Israel, ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them: He doth not only accuse and convince them of sin, but amplifieth it by the effect, that thereby he was robbed of his glory, and so excludeth them out of the land of promise. We learn from hence that God chastiseth his own children sinning against him. When his children forsake his laws, and walk not in his judgments, although he take not his loving kindness from them, neither falsify his truth, yet he will visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with strokes.

This we see thoroughly strengthened throughout the whole book of the Judges, as chap. 4.1.2. When the people of Israel proceeded to do evil in the sight of the Lord, he sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, &c. So when Jonah disobeyed the voice of the Lord, calling him to preach to Nineveh, that great City, and to cry against it for their wickedness, he was cast into the Sea as an unprofitable burden of the ship, and swallowed of a Whale; so that albeit he fled from the presence of the Lord, yet his hand followed after him and overtook him. When David had trespassed in the matter of Uriah, by adultery and murder, though he were a man after God's own heart, yet the Lord raised evil against him out of his house, the sword of y ^e enemy was shaken against him, and his own wives were defiled in the sight of y ^e Sun. When Miriam the sister of Moses withstood him in the pride of her heart, through ambition and vain-glory, albeit he accused her not, but in meekness of spirit put up the wrong, being lowly in his own eyes, yet she was stricken with leprosy by the hand of God, and shut for a season out of the host. The like we might say of Solomon, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, Hezekiah, and many others; all which seal up this truth to our hearts, that GOD spareth not his own people when they sin against him.

[Reason 1] The Reasons of this just dealing of God, are, first to clear his judgment and justice, that we should know him to be no respecter of persons, but to hate sin, whensoever, wheresoever, and in whomsoever he findeth it. He is not a God that loveth wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with him, for he hateth all them that work iniquity. This the Prophet David acknowledgeth, Against thee, against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight, that thou mayest be just when thou speakest, and pure when thou judgest. If then we break his statutes, and keep not his commandments, when he searcheth with lights and findeth out our sins, we must give glory to God, and make confession unto him, we must pronounce righteousness to belong unto him, and unto our selves open shame: yea, if he should destroy us, we must acknowledge him to be holy in all his ways, and just in all his works, who giveth us to eat the fruit of our own labors. As then he is just and righteous, so he must punish sin in whomsoever he taketh it: and as he denounceth sore judgments and grievous plagues of great continuance, and long durance, so he executeth thē to manifest the truth of his own word, and maketh good his own threatenings gone out of his own mouth.

Again, God chastiseth his own children, [Reason 2] lest they, sinning with the men of this world, whose portion is in this life, should be condemned with the world. For as in punishing of us, he respecteth his own justice, so he doth it in respect of our own good, and the great profit which thereby is brought unto us. If we should always enjoy health, wealth, liberty, peace, plenty, and other good blessings of God according to our hearts desire, we would wax fat and spurn with the heel, forsaking God that made us, refusing the strong God of our salvation, & joining hand in hand with wicked men reserved to destruction. Wherefore affliction is as the messenger of God, to call us back from sin, to wean us from the world, to kindle in us a desire of the world to come. This the Apostle aimeth at, 1 Cor. 11, 31, 32. If we would judge our selves, we should not be judged: but when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world.

The uses of this Doctrine are many. First, [Use 1] consider with me the cause why they keep the word, and turn unto him with all their harts, why they run not on in evil as the horse rusheth into the battle, as the ungodly do: the reason is, God calleth them back by his hand, his afflictions are remembrances unto them, and his corrections are their instructions. This the Prophet David found true in his own comfortable experience, Psal. 119, 67, 71. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word: It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy statutes. The Children of Israel living under the Judges, and sinning against God, making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, taking their daughters to be their wives, giving their daughters to their sons, serving their idols, forgetting the true God, and doing worse then their fathers: the Lord sold them into the hand of their enemies, whom they served: then they lift up their voices and wept, then they called and cried unto the Lord in their afflictions, and he delivered them out of their distress. The same we see in Manasseh, who for his evils that he committed like the abominations of the heathen, was carried away captive, put in fetters, and bound in chains: and when he was in tribulation he prayed to the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father, and prayed unto him, and God was entreated of him, and heard his prayer, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom, Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. But of this we shall speak more in the chapter following.

[Use 2] Secondly, confess from hence, that great is the wrath and anger of God for sin, seeing he punisheth it so sharply and severely in his children, whom he hath engraven as a Signet in the palm of his hand, and whom he tendereth as the apple of his eye. Mark how he hath many times schooled his own servants offending. When Miriam murmured against Moses, and made other to murmur, she was stricken by the hand of God with leprosy; and albeit Moses made supplication for her, yet the Lord answered, If her father had spit in her face, should she not have been ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the host seven days, and after she shall be received. Thus he dealt with David whom he greatly favored and advanced to the kingdom, when he fell into grievous sins, 2 Sam. 12.9, 10. Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon: Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, and I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house. So soon as Solomon set up idolatry, and wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord, he stirred up adversaries unto Solomon, and afterward rent the greatest part of the kingdom out of the hands of his son. This serveth to convince all such profane persons as presume of God's patience, and abuse his mercy to all looseness and licentiousness, saying, God is merciful, and yet continue in their sins. But we must know, that as he is merciful, so he is just: as his mercy is toward the penitent, so his justice is toward the obstinate: who spareth not his own people that forget his Law, and therefore will deal more fiercely against strangers.

[Use 3] Thirdly, measure not the favor and love of God toward our selves or others, by outward blessings, or outward crosses; by prosperity or adversity, which come alike to the godly and ungodly. Nay, oftentimes the wicked flourish when the faithful are in great misery, as Psal. 73.3, 4, 5. So Solomon teacheth, Eccle. 9.2. Therefore Christ our Savior correcteth the wrong judgment of the disciples, supposing that such as Pilate slew, were the greatest sinners of all the rest that dwelt in Jerusalem, because they suffered those things, Luke 13.1, 2, 3. If then we would find sound comfort in our hearts, and feel unfeigned testimonies of God's favor towards us, we must not seek for them in outward blessings, or in want of outward blessings, (both which are common to the godly and ungodly) but in joy in the holy Ghost, in remission of sins, in repentance from dead works, in the spirit of adoption, in faith in Christ, in peace of conscience, which passeth all understanding. As for other things place not thy heaven and happiness in them, if blessings come, receive them thankfully; if crosses, learn to bear them patiently.

Fourthly, we are hereby put in mind to [Use 4] search our own ways, to survey our own hearts, and to prove by the touchstone of the word, our own thoughts, words and works, that we have conceived, spoken, and done; what we have justly deserved if God in justice should proceed against us; examining seriously our own life, mourning bitterly for our sins past, and turning unfeignedly unto God with all our hearts. This duty is urged by Jeremiah the Prophet, Lam. 3.39, 40, 41, 42. This is the mark that God shooteth at, this is the end that he respecteth, even by his afflictions to bring us home to himself, not to destroy and confound us forever. Let us not despise the chastenings of the Lord, nor faint when we are rebuked. We have had the fathers of our bodies which corrected us for a few days, and we gave them reverence: should we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, who chasteneth those whom he loveth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth?

Fifthly, let us labor to strengthen our faith [Use 5] by the word and Sacraments, and by such ordinary means as he hath appointed for that purpose. Hereunto the Apostle exhorteth, 1. Cor. 11.30. To examine our selves, and so to eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, declaring that the judgments of God were broken in among the Corinthians, insomuch that many were weak and sick among them, and many slept. Wherefore, whensoever we find the hand of God sore and heavy upon us, it is our duty to seek strength of faith by the use of the word and Sacraments, whereby we shall learn to find out the true cause of those judgments, and submit our selves under his hand that striketh us as a father. For the Scriptures serve to direct us, the Sacraments serve to comfort us, Without which the Prophet had perished in his afflictions.

Lastly, seeing God chastiseth his when [Use 6] they offend, then most assuredly the wicked that are not his, shall not escape his revenging hand. If he correct the flock of his own pasture, the children of his own household, the citizens of his own kingdom, and the members of his own body, fed at his own table in this life, and made heirs of heaven in the life to come, really possessing that inheritance: with what plagues, punishments, & torments, will he visit the rebellion of aliens and strangers? If the Lord deal sharply toward these to whom he is a merciful Father and gracious Savior, and whom he often preventeth with his liberal blessings: Surely his revenging wrath, full of rage, shall find out all his enemies, whom he wipe will away as a man wipeth a dish, & turneth it upside down. This is that which Solomon teacheth in the Proverbs, Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner? There remaineth a day of judgment when they shall be punished as they deserve, either in this life, or in the life to come. With this the Apostle Peter sweetly accordeth, 1 Pet. 4.17, 18. The time is come, that judgment must begin at the house of God: if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them, which obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the wicked and the sinner appear? Where we see that God will scourge & whip his own children for their frailties and infirmities appearing in them. But he correcteth the godly in mercy, the ungodly in anger: the godly as a loving father, the ungodly as a just Judge: the godly to amend them, the ungodly to condemn them: the godly, albeeit humbled and cast down with one hand, are comforted and raised up with another, whereas the punishments that fall upon the heads of the ungodly, are but the beginnings of sorrow, and as the flashings of hell fire. Now the earth is not properly the place of vengeance and judgment. For we must understand that God hath appointed three places; earth, heaven, hell, for three several purposes: the earth to be a place of working, the heaven a place of rewarding, hell a place of punishing: earth as a shop of labor, heaven as a palace of glory, hell as a prison of torment. Notwithstanding, rather then sinners should escape, and sin go unpunished, the Lord will call a privy or petty Sessions even in this life, and make the earth his gaile or house of correction. If then God will visit their transgressions with such heavy strokes: Alas, what shall become of all profane persons, unrepentant offenders, obstinate sinners, such as contemn God and his word every day? What shall become of swearers, blasphemers, profaners of the Sabbath, whoremongers, drunkards, oppressers, unmerciful men, and other like? The Lord indeed will try the righteous in his furnace: but the wicked and him that loveth iniquity doth his soul hate, upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and stormy tempest, this is the portion of their cup. Indeed he lifteth up his hand to strike the faithful that are his friends: but he will crush his adversaries with a scepter of iron, and break them in pieces like a potters vessel. Indeed he will judge the just man for his sins in this life, but he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy pate of him that walketh in his sins. Indeed the Lord will chastise his Church with the rods of men, yet his loving kindness will he never take from them: but he will correct his enemies with scourges of wyre, and his little finger shall be heavier on the reprobate, then his loins on his own people.

Tremble at this all ye ungodly, and know that assured judgment is reserved for you at the great day of the Lord's general Assizes, when ye must plead guilty or not guilty at his bar, when the register book of all your actions shall be brought forth, and when you shall wish the mountains to fall upon you and cover you from the presence of him that sitteth upon the throne. Turn therefore unto him, return I say betimes, lest the Lord overturn you. If his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, blessed are all they that trust in him. This is the difference between a wise man and a fool, A wise man seeth the plague and hideth himself, but a fool runneth on and is punished. A reproof entereth more into him that hath understanding, then an hundred stripes into a fool.

Hitherto of the murmuring of the people, pretended against Moses, but indeed intended and practiced against God: Now followeth the second part of the Chapter, touching Israel's purpose to pass toward the land of Canaan, by the country of y ^e Edomites; wherein consider two things. First, the solemn ambassage of Moses to the king of Edom. Secondly, the shameful and inhumane denial of the Edomites. Touching the first, having walked up and down thirty eight years, and wandered in the wilderness from place to place, forward and backward, from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people: being now come near to the land, they request passage and safe conduct through the country of Edom, under honest and equal conditions of abstaining from all injuries, and keeping the kings high way, & crave their friendship and favor in respect of their near kindred and alliance unto them, both of them descending of Isaac, whose sons were Jacob, called also Israel, and Esau called also Edom. Besides, they show what travels and troubles they had sustained what evils they had suffered, what oppression they had endured of the cruel Egyptians; appealing to their own consciences touching the truth of these things, whereof they could in no sort be ignorant, saying; Thou knowest all the trouble that hath happened unto us. But because such as are themselves in prosperity, seldom respect the miseries and distresses of others, and the afflicted are for the most part destitute of all helps, and forsaken of all friends, they put them in mind of the mercies of God, assisting them in troubles, hearing their prayers, and sending his Angel; that is, Jesus Christ (as it is expounded by the Apostle) for their deliverance out of Egypt. And lest they should seem to request and require much of others, but promise nothing for themselves (as those that lay heavy burdens and grievous to be borne upon others, but will not touch them with their little finger) they covenant and condition with them on their parts, to deal uprightly and justly, being as ready to abstain from working injury, as to crave the duties of humanity.

So then, to effect their purpose of passing thorough Edom, and to persuade them to grant their request, they allege four reasons. First, in respect of the person of the Edomites. Secondly, in respect of the person of the Israelites. Thirdly, in respect of the person of God. Fourthly, in respect of the manner of their passage & perambulation through them. Touching the Edomites, they claim the kindred of consanguinity. Touching themselves, they plead their own misery. Touching God, they publish and proclaim his mercy. Touching their journey, and the manner of it, they promise equity and honest dealing. Thus they omit nothing that might serve to persuade the Edomites to pity, and to procure their own safety.

[Reason 1] The first reason, drawn from the right of brotherhood, is included in these words, Thus saith thy brother Israel. The Israelites came of Jacob, who was also called Israel, because he had power with God, Gen. 32.28. The Edomites came of Esau, who was also named Edom, both of the redness wherewith he was borne, and of the red pottage which he desired and preferred before the birthright. These two therefore were natural brethren, begotten of the same father, borne of the same mother, lying at the same time in the same womb; as if the Israelites should say: May it please you to consider, that we are not aliens and strangers one to another, we descend of two brethren, Jacob and Esau, you of one, we of the other, as two branches displaying themselves from one stock, we had one common father and mother, Isaac and Rebeccha, we are of one family and fraternity: so that it is right and equal, that they which are so nearly joined and linked by blood, should perform all kindness each to other. This reason from kindred may be thus framed:

The second reason is in these words, Thou [Reason 2] knowest all the trouble that hath happened unto us, &c. As if they should say, We have had a lamentable and woeful experience of many miseries, we have been exercised with many sorrows, so as yourselves cannot pretend ignorance of them: you know them, but we have felt thē: you have heard of them, but we have smarted for them. In Egypt we have had our poor infants drowned, our chief officers chastised, our selves every way oppressed with burdens too heavy for us to bear, and nothing but slaughter and destruction breathed out against us. Being delivered out of Egypt, when we expected an end of all miseries, we perceived that we had changed the place, but not the peril: the soil, but not the sorrow: we have been pursued with enemies, bitten with hunger, wearied with labors, and every way inuironed with dangers. By all these, as by the dearest tears of our inward hearts, we crave some mercy and commiseration. For it lieth in you to make an end of all troubles and to give us an happy issue of them, by opening us a passage thorough your country, that we may no longer wander in this desolate wilderness. The reason may be thus concluded.

The third reason is, verse 16. We cried unto [Reason 3] the Lord, he heard us, sent his Angel, and he delivered us. As if they should say, Consider the example of God, (a perfect pattern of all righteousness) he hath in mercy looked upon our misery, be you like to him that ye may find mercy in the day of trouble. It is not meet to leave them destitute of help and succor, whose safety God commendeth, and committeth unto you by his own example. All human things are unstable and uncertain: ye know not what hangs over your own heads. The reason may be thus considered:

The fourth reason is, verse 17. and 19. We [Reason 4] will not go through the fields nor the vineyards, &c. As if they should say, We desire not to help our selves to hurt you, we will keep the kings high way, we will deal justly toward all, we will offer wrong and injury to none, no not to the meanest, simplest, and poorest: if any among us shall take from any man by open oppression or forged cavillation, we will make satisfaction and restitution: The reason is thus gathered:

This was the Ambassage of Moses, this was the petition offered, these were the reasons rendered thereof. Now let us see the answer of Edom, denying their petition and passage thorough their country. For fearing peradventure the multitude of the Israelites, and thinking they would make more hast to enter into their land, then to depart out again, being (as evil men are ever suspicious, and think others as subtle and deceitful as themselves) the Edomites give them this short, but sharp answer, Thou shalt not pass: So that when a man hath to deal with unjust and cruel enemies, whether he use few reasons or many, all is one. The Ambassadors of the Israelites (whether they gave present reply & resolution of themselves, or first returned to Moses. is uncertain) made supplication again, and renewed their request, promised to abstain from all terms of hostility, offered money for water, and every commodity they should use: yet they currishly and unkindly shut up their compassion, and issue forth with all their strength to stop their passage, verifying that which Solomon saith, A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast, but the mercies of the wicked are cruel: wherefore Israel turneth from them another way. This is the substance of this division, and the order observed by the Spirit of God in the same: now let us proceed to the doctrines offered herein to our considerations, first the general, and after come to the particulars.

Ver. 14. Then Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom. Albeit Moses himself were shut out of the land of promise, yet he beareth the judgment of God patiently, and laboreth that the people may enter. And albeit y ^e Israelites were assured to possess the land of Canaan, & had the unchangeable word and oath of God to themselves and their fathers, for their farther confirmation; yet it doth not make them idle and secure, but it stirreth them up to use all good and lawful means to effect the same. From hence we learn, that it is the duty of all God's children to use all good means to further his providence, I say, howsoever God standeth not in need of our help to bring his purpose to pass, who is able without all means, against all means, and above all means to work out his own will: yet it is the part of all the godly to further his decree and determination, by using all means that God shall put into their hands. This we see verified in this book, where we see the diligent search of the land, made by the messengers that Moses sent, viewing their cities, their country, and the people that were the inhabitants thereof: so that albeit, the land was promised of God mercifully, yet it must be searched of them diligently. The like practice we see in other the servants of God: When Gideon was sent to be the deliverer of the people and commanded to go in his might, hath assurance given him to prevail over the enemies, and to save Israel out of the hand of the Midianites: yet he did not run and rush naked into the battle, but took with him men and munitions, vitailes, trumpets, pitchers and other instruments to set forward the work of the Lord which he had to do.

The necessity of using the helps of second causes that God affordeth, and endeavoring to the lawful means appointed, is shown by the Apostle Paul; for albeit the Angels of God had told him, there should be no loss of any man's life among them, save of the ship only; yet the decree & purpose of God was to save them together, and therefore he telleth them, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be safe. God is absolutely able to preserve our life without the taking of food, or the labor of our hands, or the apparelling of our bodies, as the fowls are fed, and the Lilies are clothed, which neither sow nor reap, neither labor nor spin: yet he commandeth us to labor the thing that is good. In the garden of Eden, in the time of man's innocence, Adam was called to labor: and after the fall it was said, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the earth. So God can nourish to eternal life, without means of man, otherwise we should diminish his power: yet he will have his word preached in season, & out of season; he will have it heard and attended unto with all diligence, to begin and to increase faith in us, and he sendeth a comfortable blessing upon his own means. And therefore the Apostle teacheth, Ephes. 4.12. That Christ ascending up to heaven, and leading captivity captive, gave gifts unto men for the gathering together of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, fitting teachers to their callings, although he can save without means.

The reasons follow. First we are commanded [Reason 1] to further God's providence by lawful endeavors in our callings. This is to us most comfortable, and giveth evident assurance of the blessing of God, without which holy endeavor we want this comfort and assurance. Thus the Apostle reasoneth directly, 2 Pe. 1. The election of God in it self is sure, for the foundation of God remaineth and hath this seal, The Lord knoweth who are his: yet he requireth of us to give all diligence to increate in knowledge, faith, temperance, patience, godliness, love, brotherly kindness, If ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

[Reason 2] Again, the end why God hath given us, means, and fitted us to our calling, is to serve his providence, not to make us idle in our selves, & unprofitable unto others. God's gifts are to some purpose, they were not given▪ and granted in vain, we must not hide them in the earth, but employ them to their use. This the Apostle teacheth, I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of GOD which is in thee by the putting on of mine hands, for God hath not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. And thus Mordecai reasoneth in his charge to Esther, that she should go into the king, & make supplication before him for her people, Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time: declaring that we have not our callings singled out and fitted unto us to hide our talents in the earth, but to employ them to increase and advantage.

The uses remain. First, we must know that [Use 1] extraordinary courses are not to be looked after, nor to be depended upon; we must leave them to extraordinary times & seasons which are now ceased and not to be expected. Many desire that God should show among his people, such great and miraculous works as he shown in bringing his people out of Egypt, with a mighty hand and out-stretched arm, and so feed themselves with fancies, and are carried away after their own imaginations. God hath tied us to ordinary courses which are more for our comfort, and therefore he that walketh plainly, walketh safely. This use is concluded out of the parable, where the rich man desireth to have Lazarus sent from the dead to his fathers house, to warn them, lest they also come into the place of torment. But Abraham answered; They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them: and when the rich glutton would have other means, If one come from the dead they will repent; he said again unto him: If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead and come unto them: Whereby our Savior showeth, y ^t whosoever depends upon extraordinary means, visions, or revelations, or dreams, or the dead, when God hath left us ordinary ways, is to follow by-paths of our own, to dig cesternes that hold no water, and to trust in lying words that shall not profit. God hath ordained to teach us by the Ministry of his word, and hath put his hidden treasure in earthen vessels, whereunto we must attend as to a light shining in dark places. This is the ordinary way and common means left us to attain salvation and eternal life: Hereby then all ignorant persons are reproved and convinced, who (neglecting this usual way to begin and confirm faith and the rest of the graces of God in us) say: O, if God would himself speak unto us from heaven, or if we might hear Christ preach unto us, we would repent and believe the Gospel; as for men, we know not whether they speak the truth or not. Others say, we have the Scriptures in our houses, we can read them at home, can they by all their teaching & preaching make the word of God any better? Besides, if you urge Sermons so much, we have Sermon books at home, we read them and can serve God in our houses, as well as they that run after Sermons. Others also think they have knowledge sufficient already, that they need neither hear nor read anymore. Lastly, others object, we have good prayers and good homilies, why should not men be content with them, as the law prescribeth and enjoineth? All these excuses are but fig-leaves, to cover over their own shame, when once they are sifted and examined. We answer to the first objection many ways. First we are not able to endure the dreadful presence of Almighty God, and therefore the faithful have cried out, Alas we shall die, because we have seen the Lord. We hear not the thunder without fear: we behold not the brightness of the Sun without dazzling: how then should we hear the immediate voice of God, or see his glory without confusion?

Again, if the Lord should speak from heaven, and utter his voice from the place of his habitation, he would speak no otherwise, he would teach no other truth then the Prophets and Apostles have delivered. And if we should hear one of the elect Angels, he would set before us no new points of religion, he would bring unto us no new article of faith, and therefore the Apostle saith, Though we or an Angel from heaven preach unto you otherwise then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. But it is more comfortable and profitable to us to be taught by men like unto our selves, then by the angels that are spirits: we cannot abide their glory through weakness of our flesh; we cannot be familiar with them through disparagement of our nature; we cannot have them always present with us through distance of place. Therefore the Spirit that could have taught the Eunuch by inspiration, commanded Philip to go near and join himself to his chariot, to be a guide to the blind, a light to him that sat in darkness, and an instructer of the unlearned. The Angel that appeared unto Cornelius could have told him and taught him those heavenly mysteries of salvation, whereby he and all his house should be saved: but he directeth him to Peter to tell him what He ought to do. Lastly, our own request hath concurred with the ordinance of God, desiring that man, clothed with the same infirmities, and subject to the like passions, might speak unto us. For when the Israelites at the delivering of the Law, saw the signs of his glory, as it were certain prints and footsteps of his Majesty, the sounding of the trumpet, the cracking of the thunder, the flashing of the lightning, y ^e trembling of the earth, the darkness of the air, the appearing of the cloud, & the quaking of Moses himself at these sights: they cried out to him with great vehemency of spirit, Talk thou with us, and we will hear thee: but let not GOD talk with us lest we die. Seeing therefore the majesty of God is incomprehensible, who dwelleth in light that no man can attain unto, whose glory the Angels cannot behold without covering their faces: seeing the excellency of the elect Angels is so great, y ^t we cannot so much as endure their presence, neither can we be so familiar with them as we do desire, and should be to deliver our estates to them, neither can at all times when we desire (being on earth) have conference and recourse to them being in heaven: seeing the Word is the same in the mouth of God, in the mouth of an Angel, and in the mouth of the Minister, and is with like regard and reverence to be heard, as Luk. 10, 16. He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. Lastly, seeing we desired the ministry of man to teach us, and God approved of our desire, saying: Oh that there were such an heart in them to fear me, & keep all my commandments always, that it might go well with them and with their children forever: the intolerable pride and presumption of those appeareth, that embase the high ordinance of God in the ministry of his word, & would call God or his Angels out of heaven to attend upon their fancies, & to minister to their wantonness. To the second objection, pretending reading of Scriptures and Sermons at home, and asking whether we can make the Bible better: we answer, y ^t we preach not to make the Scriptures better, but the people; the Scriptures need it not, the people do. And albeit there be enough set down in the written word, yet men understand little, as Acts 8. whē Philip heard the Eunuch read the Prophet Isaiah, he said, But understandest thou what thou readest? He said, How can I without a guide? The reading of the Scripture I confess is profitable, comfortable, and necessary to fit us and frame us to the saving hearing of the word preached, & to keep us that we be not easily deceived by false teachers. But notwithstanding the reading of the Scripture, we must have it further opened, divided, and applied, as 2 Tim. 2, 25. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, dividing the word of truth aright. When a mā is grievously wounded, it is the salve that healeth, yet is the skill and cunning hand of the Surgeon necessary, and requisite to make the plaster, to spread it, and apply it to the part diseased. It is the meat that nourisheth the body, yet must it be cut, chewed, and digested. If there be little children in an house, and they have an whole loaf which is great & hard set before them▪ they find the crust too strong for them, so that it must be cut for them, and divided unto them in due season. Moreover, we find by experience, that such as plead for reading, either Scriptures or Sermons at home, when they should attend the public exercises of religion, do indeed spend the time nothing less then that way: as appeareth by their palpable ignorance; neither let such look for a blessing from God at home, when he requires them to join themselves to the congregation of the faithful: so that while they think to deceive others, they do most of all deceive thenselves. Last of all, why do they not say as much of the other part of the Ministers Office? For as he is to preach the Gospel, so he is to administer the Sacraments. Now then as they allege they can read Scriptures & Sermons at home themselves, as well as hear them at the mouth of the Minister; so can they not pour Water on the face of their children, and rehearse the words of institution as well as the Minister? Can they not themselves take Bread & Wine, break the one, pour out the other, receive them both, and eat and drink them in their private families, as well as take them in y ^e public assembly at the hand of the Minister? But should such water so sprinkled on the child be holy baptism? Or should such bread and such wine, so taken, so broken, so eaten & drunken be the Lord's Supper? No, such idle actions are not holy Sacraments, but shameful profanations of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Wherefore, notwithstanding all our show of reading in our houses to our households, yet must the Lord's holy ordinance be magnified among us, to seek the law at y ^e Pastors mouths as the Prophet teacheth, The priests lips should preserve knowledge; and they shall seek the Law at his mouth, &c. And examine when you will those that pretend reading, to exclude preaching, you shall find them (for the most part) ignorant in the grounds and principles of Religion, knowing neither the use of the Law, nor the end of the Gospel; understanding neither the Petitions of the Lord's prayer, nor the Articles of faith: and therefore if they bestow so much time as they would make the world believe, they are yet in the number of those whom the Apostle speaketh of, Which are ever learning, but are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

To the third objection, boasting of sufficient knowledge, we answer: That as we prophesy in part, so we all know in part: and the Ministry of the word, serveth not only to begin faith and repentance in us, but to build us up to the day of Jesus Christ. It serveth not only to teach us knowledge, but obedience; lest our knowledge puff up, and add to our farther condemnation. Therefore, the Apostle writing to the Church of the Thessalonians, (being one of the most goodly and glorious churches that the Apostle planted) who above y ^e rest of the churches surpassed in knowledge, excelled in faith, abounded in love, shined forth in obedience, yet he saith to them, despise not prophesy, and we exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that you increase more & more, as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God. We are here in our race, we have not yet attained to y ^e end of our journey. We see how men think they never have riches and substance enough, they always account themselves poor and needy, and are ever endeavoring to increase & better their estate: so it should be in true and heauealy Treasure, we should hunger and thirst after righteousness; we should grow up in grace, and desire evermore greater strength; assuring our selves that if we have an appetite and thirst after the Well of the water of life, we shall be fully satisfied; only we must use the means that God hath appointed to attain faith and other saving graces: as earnest prayer, reverent hearing of the Word, diligent receiving of the Sacraments, being careful to honor God for that which we have already received: and I am persuaded that he which hath begun his good work in us, will perfect the same unto the day of Jesus Christ. As for the perverse and crooked generation of those that think they have knowledge enough, they manifestly bewray their want of knowledge. For as such as have attained and received the greatest knowledge, do find in themselves the greatest ignorance: so such as imagine themselves to be most richly replenished in all knowledge & understanding, are indeed most sottish and ignorant in the matters of GOD; like empty vessels which make the greatest sound. Hereby therefore we shall try our selves whether we have attained any measure of acceptable knowledge, if it work and kindle in us a desire of more knowledge; if it light us a Candle to see our own ignorance; and if it teach us that still our wants are greater then our store. The grace of God in the heart, is like a grain of mustard seed, small to see to at the beginning, but being once placed & planted in the ploughed ground of a fruitful heart, it increaseth speedily, and spreadeth itself far and near. The master delivering his Talents to his servants, saith to them, Occupy til I come; and not hide them in the earth. And the Apostle exhorteth Timothy to stir up the gift in him, and to blow the coals, lest the graces of God decay, as fire is apt to go out, being kindled in green wood.

Touching the last objection of having already good prayers and good Homilies: I answer, as they are hated of God and men, that make dissention between brethren, so such as magnify prayer, to justle out preaching, which join hand in hand together, and walk as friends that are agreed, are indeed enemies to them both. Indeed we confess the prayers of the Church are good, as it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but these men little regard them, save to serve their own turn: for few of them make conscience to be present at the confession of sins, or absolution of a sinner. Nay, if they stand at the Church doors, they scarce afford us their presence to come in; and if they do, we must be deeply indebted to them for their company. Now where they think to stop our mouths, & to choke us with the Law, they cross the high Ordinance of God, slander the good laws of Princes, and sin against their own souls, making the reading of Sermons and exhortations of equal dignity and preeminence, with the lively preaching of the word. For first, no people under heaven should want (so far as is possible) the preaching of the Gospel, it is the commandment of God, it is his ordinance necessary for the planting and continuance of a Church, which cannot be said of the other, w ^c also are appointed to give place & hold their peace as an inferior institution, when any is present to preach unto the people. Again, the lively preaching of the Pastor, applieth Doctrine and exhortation to the present circumstances and occasions of times, and budding of new sins, and broaching of new heresies, so that according to their manifold windings & turnings, it is ready to meet them, & to strike at the very heart and head of them.

Thirdly, there is a great difference in gifts of interpretation, exhortation, zeal, vtterāce, memory, moving of affections, and such like, as the very Heathen have in another case and kind acknowledged. For when the people after the reading of an Oration, penned in the perswasible words of human eloquence, greatly wondered, it was replied: Do you marvel hearing me read it? What affections would it have wrought in you if you had heard himself with lively voice utter & pronounce it? As for godly and learned Homilies, we do not condemn or contemn them in the famine & scarcity of teaching: we know that a cup of cold water is better then no drink, and half a loaf better then no bread; yea as Solomon saith, the person that is full despiseth an honey-comb, but unto the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet: yet it is no disgrace or disparagement unto them to give place to the preaching of the word: as a man may say, the Peers & Nobles of a kingdom are inferior to the Prince, without defacing of them, or that silver is baser thē gold without disgracing of it. Thus much in answer of the Objections that are made against the preaching of the Gospel, being the ordinary means which God hath left unto us, to further our salvation.

Secondly, see God's mercy to his Church: [Use 2] his Decree is concluded, his providence is determined, all things are written in his Book, yet he will use men as his own hand and instruments, to do that which himself could work alone: he will have them as Ioynt-workers, and as fellow-helpers with him. This is a great honor, and special prerogative, as the Apostle showeth, We together are God's Laborers, ye are God's Husbandry, and God's Building. And again, We are Ambassadors for Christ, as though GOD did beseech you through us, we pray you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. It is a very great honor and dignity to represent the person of an earthly Prince, whose breath is in his nostrils: but it is a greater privilege and preeminence to stand in y ^e room of God. They are greatly honored that sit in his seat, whether in the Church, or in the Commonwealth. This is a great comfort to all godly Magistrates, that bear on their shoulders the burden of government, of whom it is said, I have said ye are God's, and ye are the children of the most High, to know that they bear the person of God, and that he useth them as his vicegerents. This is a singular comfort also to all godly and painful preachers, whom the Lord useth as his Stewards and messengers, of whom he hath said, He that heareth you, heareth me, which ought to be all-sufficient unto us, to make us walk thorough good report and evil report, and ouerstride all the discouragements and discontentments that the unthankful world throweth upon us.

[Use 3] Lastly, we learn to forsake no work belonging to our calling, yet still to trust in God, & to rely upon him, not to trust in the outward means. Our Savior Christ teacheth, that they tempt God and provoke him to wrath, that refuse or neglect the ordinary means appointed for their life and preservation. He that is sick, and neglecteth the ordinary means of Physic; he that is hungry, and refuseth the ordinary means of feeding; or being in an high and dangerous place, will not descend the common way, but casteth himself down, maketh a needless trial of God's power, and so tempteth God. It is our part not to be idle upon his providence, but to use profitable helps for our safety and maintenance. Our endeavours and labors are required in his providence, who as he ordaineth the end, so he appointeth the means leading and tending to the end. Now, whensoever God hath offered and afforded an ordinary means for our succor and salvation, we are bound to use the same carefully, and not seek redress & remedy another way. This serveth to convince all such as wait upon vanities, and forsake their own mercies; which say, Cannot God save us without so much preaching? hath he no other means to work our conversion? Hath he bound himself to the Ministry of the word? Indeed God hath not tied himself to this ordinance, he can work our salvation by other ways: but he hath necessarily tied us unto it, where he hath sent it unto us, and if we think to find it any other way, we shall toil and trouble our selves in seeking, and shall not obtain it. God norished his people with Quails, fed them with Manna, and commanded the Rock to give them water in the wilderness extraordinarily; but when he had planted thē in the land of Canaan, and given them Corn and provision to live ordinarily, they must use those helps, or else perish and famish for hunger. As he dealt with their bodies, so he dealeth with our souls. If we neglect ordinary means, we may not look for extraordinary. Moreover, this serveth to condemn the practice of such as reason, If we be appointed to salvation, it shall never be taken from us: whomsoever we oppress, whatsoever we commit, howsoever we live. This is to covet the end, but to neglect the means. We desire salvation, but we refuse to walk in the way that God hath chalked out unto us. Such as never use the means, make it plain and manifest, they were never ordained to the end. Wherefore the Apostle saith, God hath chosen us that we should be holy, and without blame, before him in love. Repentance, faith, sanctification, are the means and the way, salvation and eternal life are the journeys end. Al such as God hath ordained to eternal life, he hath ordained them to use the means to pray unto him, to hear his word, to receive the Sacraments, to have faith in Christ to repent from dead works, and hereby we shall make our election sure. The more we increase in the gifts of God, the greater shall our assurance be. Thus much of the necessary use of the means used by the people, to further God's providence, and to come unto the quiet possession of the land of Promise.

[Verse 17. I pray thee let us pass thorough thy Country. ] Before we come to the consideration of the reasons, let us see what their request is of the Edomites, which were a people lying Southward, in respect of the land of Canaan, toward the Desert of Arabia, & the dead sea, and sprang of Esau, as we heard before. Now the Israelites were the Lord's own people, the visible Church of God upon earth, which is y ^e foundation & pillar of truth, of whom he said, Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm: yet see here, how they are brought to so low en ebb as to ask a License, & to crave a Passport and passage of their enemies. We learn from hence, y ^t the true church is oftentimes brought so low, as to stand in need of the help, favor, friendship, and good will of strangers that live out of the church. God doth so far make his servants drink of the cup of affliction in y ^e outward wants of earthly things, y ^t they must crave help of those that are their enemies. This we see in Abraham, he had not a place to bury his dead out of his sight, but was constrained to crave it of the Hittites. So Jacob and his household were so sorely pressed with famine, that they came and bowed to the Egyptians for a piece of bread. So David being in distress in the wilderness, was driven to send to churlish Nabal, to give to him and his whatsoever came to his hand. This misery of the poor church the Prophet confesseth, Lam. 5, 6. As if they should say, We are so oppressed by the Chaldeans, that we are compelled thorough necessity, to crave relief of our greatest enemies. So Ester a nursing mother of the Church, begged her own life, and the life of the people of God, at the hands of an Heathen King. Thus we see, that howsoever the faithful be right heirs of the world, & the just owners of all things in Jesus Christ, yet sometimes for their necessary relief in things of this life they stretch out their begging hands unto their enemies, as Lazarus did.

[Reason 1] The Reasons are. First, in respect of God, who will try the faith and patience of his servants, how they can bear outward afflictions, whether they will cleave to him in their troubles, not. It is his will and heavenly pleasure to try and prove the obedience of his servants. Not that he getteth or gaineth any knowledge which he had not before, but by trial of his own gifts, to let us see what is in our selves, who are ignorant of the hidden corners of our own hearts. Peter supposed himself to be constant and courageous, till he was brought into the field to be tried: like the fresh-water soldier that dreameth of victory before the battle. Abraham then knew that he loved y ^e Lord indeed with all his heart, when he had sealed it up with forsaking his country & fathers house. And God commanded him to offer up his son to prove his faith. So he humbled the Israelites and made them hungry, to teach and to prove them, that he might do them good at the latter end.

[Reason 2] Secondly, in respect of their enemies, he will also try them whether they will show pity or not. God hath made the needy and oppressed his treasurers, and offereth those men as Obiects and occasions to open their bowels of compassion. If they shut their eyes, and stop their ears from the cry of the poor that are in trouble, they are made without excuse, and themselves shall cry in the day of affliction, when they shall not be heard. Thus he tried y ^e heart of Pharaoh, when the Israelites put up a supplication unto him, to let them go 3. days journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifice. Thus he tried the rich glutton, when he sent distressed Lazarus to his gate, showing what was the liberality of one, by the poverty of another.

[Reason 3] Thirdly, in respect of the Church of God, that should acknowledge God to be the Author of every good gift, and should fly unto him in their miseries, who hath the hearts of all men in his own hand, to dispose of them as seemeth good in his divine wisdom. He turned the heart of Esau to favor Jacob, who came against him with a band of men. Let us first of all come into the presence of GOD, humbling our selves before him, confessing our sins, acknowledging our unworthiness of the least of his mercies, and praying him to turn the hearts of our enemies to favor us, according to the promise of his own mouth, who hath said, that