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<DATE>2007-12-14</DATE>
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<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE
PROGRESSE
OF
Divine Providence,
SET OVT
IN A SERMON PREACHED
In the <HI>Abbey</HI> Church of <HI>We&s;tminster</HI>
before the hou&s;e of PEERS, on the 24^t^h of
<HI>September,</HI> 1645. being the day of their
Monethly FAST.</P>
<P>By <HI>William Gouge,</HI> one of the MEMBERS
of the ASSEMBLY.</P>
<Q><BIBL>ECCLES. 7. 8.</BIBL>
<GAP DESC="foreign"></Q>
<Q>Ine&s;t omni utenti ratione naturaliter appetere potiora.
<BIBL><HI>Bem.</HI> de diligendo Deo.</BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>G. M.</HI> for <HI>Io&s;hua Kirton</HI> next Gold&s;miths-hall in
Fo&s;ter-lane, MDCXLV.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB REF="2">
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Veneris 26. Sept. 1645.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>IT is this day ordered by the Lords in Parlia|ment
a&s;&s;embled, That M. Doctour <HI>Gouge,</HI> who
preached on Wedne&s;day la&s;t before the Lords
of Parliament in the Abbey Church, <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> it
being the day of the publike Fa&s;t, is hereby thank|ed
for his great pains he took in his &s;aid Sermon,
and de&s;ired to print and publi&s;h the &s;ame, which is
to be done only by authority under his hand.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Iohn Brown, Cleric. Parliamentorum</SIGNED>.</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P>I Appoint <HI>Jo&s;hua Kirton</HI> to print my Sermon, and
none el&s;e.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>William Gouge,</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>TO THE
RIGHT HONOVRABLE
Hou&s;e of PEERS A&s;&s;embled in
PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>RIGHT HONOURABLE,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>_AS</HI> in &s;undry other ages and places, &s;o
in this age and place wherein we now
live, hath my Text been verified:
and that within the compa&s;&s;e of the&s;e
la&s;t five years; in every of which
<HI>God hath done better unto us
then at our beginnings:</HI> and we have great and ju&s;t
cau&s;e to hope that he will yet continue to doe <HI>better</HI> and
<HI>better.</HI></P>
<P>It was an e&s;pecial evidence of Gods good providence,
that the <HI>great Coun&s;el</HI> of <HI>England</HI> was called at that
time, that it was called.</P>
<P>The State of Church and Common-wealth was &s;o farre
out of order, and the di&s;order in both &s;o backed, as, with|out
a <HI>Parliament,</HI> it would not, it could not (in mans
apprehen&s;ions) have been redre&s;sed.</P>
<P>The Reformation that was then intended by that
<PB REF="4">
<HI>Parliament,</HI> being by &s;ome envious eyes e&s;pied, a di&s;&s;olu|tion
thereof was procured.</P>
<P><HI>But that, and other former di&s;solutions of</HI> Parlia|ments
(<HI>nece&s;sity forcing another</HI> Parliament <HI>&s;oon after
to be called) occa&s;ioned an</HI> Act to prevent inconve|niencies,
which may happen by the untimely Ad|journing,
Proroguing, or di&s;&s;olving of this pre&s;ent
Parliament.</P>
<P>What <HI>better</HI> thing (<HI>rebus &s;ic &s;tantibus ut tunc &amp;
nunc</HI>) could have happened to this State? The good
con&s;equencies, that have happened thereupon, are evident
demon&s;trations of Gods minde, &s;till to do <HI>better</HI> and <HI>bet|ter</HI>
for us.</P>
<P>It would exceed the proportion of a <HI>Dedicatory E|pi&s;tle,</HI>
to reckon up the particular instances of the Divine
Providence, encrea&s;ing time after time for the better un|to
us, and that by vertue of this pre&s;ent <HI>Parliament:</HI>
they are &s;o clear and evident, as none, but &s;uch as take
notice of nothing, can be ignorant of them: and none,
but envious and malignant &s;pirits, can conceal or pervert
them.</P>
<P>When might the good <HI>Providence</HI> of God have been
better di&s;cerned, in protecting the per&s;ons, upholding the
&s;pirits, directing the coun&s;els, and pro&s;pering the endea|vours
of &s;uch as were a&s;&s;embled in a <HI>Parliament,</HI> then
in this? When might the like <HI>Providence</HI> of God have
<PB REF="4">
been better di&s;cerned in &s;tirring up mens mindes, encou|raging
their &s;pirits, enabling their bodies, and pre&s;erving
their per&s;ons for maintaining a cau&s;e, then in this cau&s;e
that is now maintained by the <HI>Parliament?</HI> Of them
who with a &s;ingle eye behold the foot&s;teps of the Lord in
the Coun&s;els of our <HI>Parliament,</HI> it may ju&s;tly be &s;aid,
<HI>They have &s;een thy goings,</HI> O God, the goings
of my God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68: 24.</NOTE> my King.</P>
<P>Have not our Armies had &s;ucce&s;&s;e beyond expectati|on,
even to admiration?</P>
<P>What a stop hath been &s;et to <HI>Super&s;tition?</HI> How
good a progre&s;&s;e hath been made in Reformation? And
may we not yet hope that God will <HI>doe better unto us
then at our beginnings?</HI> Gods promi&s;e is the ground
of hope: and my Text &s;heweth that God hath promi&s;ed
as much.</P>
<P>Goe on, Right Honourable, and put forth your ut|mo&s;t
endeavours,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cum aliqua spes &s;ube&s;t, vehementiores vi|res apparere a&s;&s;olent. <HI>Aug.</HI> de quant. ani|mae. c. 22. Spes ad majora audenda &s;e&s;e erigit. <HI>Greg.</HI> M in <HI>Iob 4 l. 5 c.</HI> 29.</NOTE> for bringing on tho&s;e <HI>better things</HI>
that yet remain. Where their is <HI>Hope,</HI> there endea|vours
u&s;e to be most earne&s;t: For <HI>Hope</HI> &s;tirreth up
mens &s;pirits to &s;et upon great things.</P>
<P>Though the full accompli&s;hment of the remaining <HI>bet|ter
things</HI> &s;hould be re&s;erved to a future age, yet it be|comes
us, to be as earne&s;t in pro&s;ecuting them, accord|ing
to the ability and opportunity that God doth give
us, as if we our &s;elves were &s;ure, while we live, to have
<PB REF="5">
the fruition of them. Experience &s;heweth that to be
true, which of old was &s;aid of the provident husband|man,
that he planteth trees which may be u&s;efull in an
other age. But I hope that God will let you &s;ee and enjoy
the fruit of your Coun&s;els, and of our de&s;ires. This &s;hall
be the continuall prayer of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honours humble Servant
and Oratour,
William Gouge.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>THE
PROGRESSE
OF
GODS Providence.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>EZEK. 36. 11.</BIBL>
I will doe better unto you then at your beginnings.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_AMong other evidences of Gods &s;peciall provi|dence,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods care in affording in|&s;tructors to his Church.</NOTE>
and care over his Church, this is an e|&s;peciall
one, that he ever afforded unto it
&s;ufficient means to in&s;truct it in his will, and
to direct it in the way to happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>When,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sundry kindes of in&s;tructors. 1. God him&s;elf, Gen. 2. 9.</NOTE> at the beginning he made man, he did not only
write his law in his heart, but al&s;o revealed means of &s;tand|ing
in his happy e&s;tate, or falling from the &s;ame. In&s;tance
the two <HI>Sacraments</HI> in Paradi&s;e, the <HI>tree of life, and the tree
of knowledge of good and evil.</HI></P>
<P>When men encrea&s;ed into a Family,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Fir&s;t-born. Gen. 4. 7.</NOTE> God ordained the
fir&s;t-born, both to be a <HI>Governour,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> 18. 19. 3 Prie&s;ts and Levites. Num. 3. 12.</NOTE> and al&s;o an <HI>In&s;tructour</HI>
of the Family.</P>
<P>When the Church multiplied into a Nation, God &s;et
<PB N="2" REF="6">
apart the twelfth part thereof, namely one Tribe of
twelve, to be ordinary Mini&s;ters therein. The&s;e he di|&s;tingui&s;hed
into <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Levites.</HI></P>
<P>When that Politie ended,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Pa&s;tours and Teachers. Ephe&s; 4. 11.</NOTE> be ordained <HI>Pa&s;tors</HI> and <HI>Teach|ers</HI>
to be ordinary Mini&s;ters in his Church, to the end of
the world.</P>
<P>Of old in extraordinary times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Extraordi|nary Prophets.</NOTE> and upon extraordinary
occa&s;ions, God endued men with an extraordinary &s;pirit,
who were &s;tiled <HI>Prophets;</HI> &s;uch an one was <HI>Ezekiel,</HI> to whom,
I &s;uppo&s;e, more extrordinary vi&s;ions and revelations
were made known, then to any other.</P>
<P>He was rai&s;ed up in mo&s;t corrupt and &s;aid times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">When and where <HI>Ezekiel</HI> prophe&s;ied. I&s;a. 28. 23.</NOTE> even
when God was forced to <HI>doe his work, his &s;trange work, and
to bring to pa&s;se his act, his &s;trange act.</HI></P>
<P>He prophe&s;ied in <HI>Babylon,</HI> whither he was carried ca|ptive,
when the <HI>Babylonians</HI> fir&s;t entred into <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and
took away many of the &s;acred and precious ve&s;&s;els of the
Temple; together with a great part of the trea&s;ures of that
hou&s;e, and of the King and Princes, and carried them, to|gether
with <HI>Jehoiakim</HI> the King, and many of the Princes,
<HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> and people into <HI>Babylon,</HI> There he al&s;o continued
after that the &s;aid <HI>Babylonians</HI> had again entred into the &s;aid
City, broke down the walls thereof, burnt the hou&s;e of
God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jeremias</HI> &amp; <HI>E|zekiel</HI> immi|mente caprivi|tate vaticinium exercuerunts &s;ed alter eorum in terra Iuda, al|ter in Babylo|nia. <HI>Hier</HI> Conm: in Jer. Prophet. <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">1.</NOTE> and all the hou&s;es in the City, and carried away the
remainder of the ve&s;&s;els of the &s;aid Temple, and of the
trea&s;ures therein, together with <HI>Zedekiah</HI> another King, and
the remainder of Princes, Prie&s;ts and people.</P>
<P>About the &s;ame time <HI>Jeremiah</HI> was rai&s;ed up to bea <HI>Pro|phet</HI>
among that remnant of <HI>Judah,</HI> which was left in <HI>Judaea.</HI>
They both prophe&s;ied the &s;ame things for &s;ub&s;tance,
though they were far di&s;tant in place, and &s;o ratified each
others prophecies.</P>
<P>As other Prophets,<NOTE PLACE="marg">With what kinde of per|&s;ons Prophets had to doe.</NOTE> &s;o this our Prophet had to doe with
<PB N="3" REF="6">
two &s;orts of people, impious and pious. The impious were
openly prophane, and impenitently ob&s;tinate, or covertly
hypocriticall and deceitfull. The pious were righteous,
upright and humble. In which re&s;pect his prophecies
were of a mixed kinde.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Different &s;pi|rits of Pro|phets.</NOTE> In regard of the former &s;ort, he
had &s;uch a &s;pirit as was given to <HI>Boanerges,</HI> &s;onnes of thun|der,
to denounce Gods terrible judgements again&s;t them;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 3. 17.</NOTE>
in regard of the later, he had &s;uch a &s;pirit as was given to
<HI>Barnabas</HI> a &s;onne of con&s;olation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 4. 36.</NOTE> to pronounce &s;weet pro|mi&s;es.
Hereby the ob&s;tinate were the more terrified and
kept down; the humble and penitent were &s;upported.</P>
<P>The &s;pirit of con&s;olation did &s;weetly breathe forth in
this Chapter, out of which I have taken my text. It is full
of very comfortable promi&s;es.</P>
<P>In the beginning of it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;umme of the Chapter.</NOTE> he pointeth at the in&s;ultations of
enemies again&s;t the Church of God in their troubles: with
which weak &s;pirits u&s;e much to be perplexed. The Lord
therefore to keep their &s;pirits from fainting, by this his
Prophet maketh known before hand the good which he
intended unto them. Many particular promi&s;es are &s;et
down, both before and after my text; but the &s;umme of
them all is couched in the&s;e words, <HI>I will dot better unto you
then at your beginnings.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Hebrew</HI> is &s;o excellent in compounding words, as it
compri&s;eth the ten words of my text in two, which are
the&s;e <GAP DESC="foreign"> word for word, <HI>I will doe good
above your beginnings.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t word compri&s;eth under it all the ble&s;&s;ings
which God intended for his Church, not of Jews only,
but of Gentiles al&s;o, and that from time to time; even
from their return out of captivity, till the comming of
Chri&s;t; not in the fle&s;h only, but in glory al&s;o. The later
word noting out a compari&s;on between times and times,
<PB N="4" REF="7">
hath relation to all the former ages of the Church, even
unto tho&s;e very times of their great troubles.</P>
<P>The main &s;cope of all is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;cope of the text.</NOTE> to &s;et out</P>
<P>The Progre&s;&s;e of Divine Providence.</P>
<P>This is done by five particulars.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The parts thereof.</NOTE> The Authour or fountain. He is not expre&s;&s;ed in the
text, but clearly intimated: for the verb is of the fir&s;t per|&s;on:
be&s;ides the copulative particle [<HI>and</HI>] doth intend the
&s;ame per&s;on that is mentioned before, thus, <HI>I will multiply,
I will &s;ettle, and will doe;</HI> that is, <HI>and I will doe.</HI> In the &s;e|venth
ver&s;e the per&s;on intended is plainly expre&s;&s;ed to be
the <HI>Lord God.</HI> And in the next clau&s;e after my text,
the <HI>Lord Jehovah</HI> is expre&s;&s;ed. For where this word LORD
is &s;et down in four Capitall letters, it &s;ets out <HI>Jehovah.</HI></P>
<P>2. The Act whereby the fore&s;aid providence is exerci|&s;ed,
<HI>Doe good.</HI> The word is in the third active conjugation
of the Hebrew tongue, called <HI>Hiphil,</HI> which &s;ignifieth an
<HI>efficiency.</HI></P>
<P>3. The encrea&s;e of that providence, in this note of
compari&s;on <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>above,</HI> or <HI>more then.</HI> Our Engli&s;h compri|&s;eth
the act, and the encrea&s;e thereof under this word <HI>bet|ter:</HI>
for better &s;ets out <HI>more good,</HI> or <HI>greater good.</HI></P>
<P>4. The parties to whom that good is intended,
<HI>Vnto you.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that the parties are not ex|pre&s;&s;ed
in the Originall, but yet implied under this copu|lative
particle [<HI>And:</HI>] which &s;heweth that this promi&s;e
is made to the &s;ame parties to whom the former were
made; and they are thus expre&s;&s;ed, I will multiply <HI>upon
you,</HI> and I will &s;ettle <HI>you,</HI> &s;o here, I <HI>will doe better unto you.</HI>
Be&s;ides, the affix after the later word <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>your,</HI> &s;heweth
what parties are here intended. They are in one word
&s;tiled <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> under which is compri&s;ed the Church of
God.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="7">
<P>5. The times, which are the later times; for this pro|mi&s;e
is made in oppo&s;ition to former times, expre&s;&s;ed un|der
this word <HI>beginnings.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e five points afford five u&s;efull in&s;tructions.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv. 1.</NOTE> <HI>The Lord is the fountain of all good.</HI> I may well &s;ay <HI>all,</HI>
for the indefinite particle <HI>good,</HI> intendeth as much. Be&s;ides
all the particular good things promi&s;ed, before and after
my text, are applied to this Authour the <HI>LORD.</HI> So other
good things al&s;o in other places. Pertinently to this pur|po&s;e
&s;aith an Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1. 17.</NOTE> <HI>Every good gift, and every perfect
gift is from above, and commeth down from the Father of
lights.</HI></P>
<P>2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv. 2.</NOTE> <HI>God cau&s;eth his goodne&s;&s;e to flow forth.</HI> He is, not only
a full fountain,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 11. 1.</NOTE> but an open and over-flowing fountain.
<HI>David</HI> &s;peaking to the Lord of his goodne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 119. 68.</NOTE> thus &s;aith,
<HI>Thou art good, and doe&s;t good.</HI></P>
<P>3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv. 3.</NOTE> <HI>Gods goodne&s;&s;e ever increa&s;eth.</HI> It's like the waters that
came down from the Lords Sanctuary, and increa&s;ed
from ankle-deep, to knee deep; from knee-deep, to middle-deep;
from middle-deep, to an impa&s;&s;ible river. In this
re&s;pect, this word of compari&s;on, <HI>better,</HI> u&s;eth to be ad|ded
to the good things which God provideth in later ages.
I intend to exemplifie this in &s;undry particulars here|after.</P>
<P>4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv. 4.</NOTE> <HI>The Church is the proper object of Gods goodne&s;se. I&s;rael,</HI>
to whom this promi&s;e was made,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 1. 2, 3.</NOTE> is put for the Church of
God. This is further evidenced by that great difference
which is made between <HI>Jacob</HI> and <HI>E&s;au,</HI> thus expre&s;&s;ed, <HI>I
loved Jacob, and I hated E&s;au.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9. 13.</NOTE> This the Apo&s;tle applieth to
Gods cho&s;en children on the one &s;ide, and all the other,
on the other&s;ide. Thus there is an <HI>e&s;pecially</HI> put upon Gods
mercy in relation to the members of the Church;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4.</NOTE> for he is
&s;aid to be the Saviour of all men, <HI>e&s;pecially</HI> of tho&s;e that be|lieve.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="8">
<P>5.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv. 5.</NOTE> <HI>The be&s;t things are re&s;erved for the last times.</HI> The be|ginnings
here mentioned, compri&s;ing all former ages and
times, the great encrea&s;e of goodne&s;&s;e here intended, mu&s;t
needs be referred to the later times. This, a <HI>Prophet</HI> thus
expre&s;&s;eth, <HI>It &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e in the la&s;t daies, that the moun|tain
of the Lords hou&s;e &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed in the top of the moun|tains,
and &s;hall be exalted above the hils,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 2. 2.</NOTE> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Time will not &s;uffer me di&s;tinctly and fully to handle
all the&s;e points; neither indeed is it needfull; for the la&s;t
compri&s;eth all the other under it: which will the better ap|pear,
if we do &s;omewhat more largely expre&s;&s;e it, thus;
<HI>The Lord hath provided his better things for the later times of
his Church.</HI> Here have we,</P>
<P>1. The <HI>Per&s;on</HI> that is the fountain of goodnes expre&s;&s;ed,
<HI>the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>2. The <HI>Act</HI> of goodnes flowing from him, in this word,
<HI>provided.</HI></P>
<P>3. This compari&s;on, <HI>better things,</HI> declareth the <HI>In|crea&s;e</HI>
of his goodne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>4. The mention of his <HI>Church</HI> &s;heweth the proper <HI>Ob|ject,</HI>
or parties to whom his goodnes is extended.</P>
<P>5. The <HI>times</HI> are here expre&s;ly &s;et down, in the&s;e words,
<HI>later times.</HI></P>
<P>Thus, in handling this Doctrine, <HI>God hath provided his
better things for the later times of his Church,</HI> all the for|mer
will be handled; and the proofs alleadged for this,
will prove all the re&s;t. My purpo&s;e therefore is to in&s;i&s;t
upon the la&s;t Doctrine. You heard it before, hear it again,
<HI>God hath provided his better things for the later times of his
Church.</HI></P>
<P>Well ob&s;erve the particular good things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Particular things &s;tiled better.</NOTE> which God
hath provided for the Chri&s;tian Church, which is the
Church of the later times, and you &s;hall finde them &s;tiled,
better.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="8">
<P>The Te&s;tament given to the Chri&s;tian Church is a <HI>bet|ter
Te&s;tament.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Better Te|&s;tament. Heb. 7. 22. Heb. 9. 15.</NOTE> It is made by the Sonne of God, <HI>Immanuel,</HI>
God with us, and ratified by his death, wherein an <HI>e|ternall
inheritance</HI> is bequeathed unto us. Was there ever
&s;uch a te&s;tament before?</P>
<P>2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Better Co|venant. Heb. 8. 6.</NOTE> The Covenant made between God and his Church
in the&s;e later times, is a <HI>better Covenant.</HI> Give me here
leave, becau&s;e mention is made both of a <HI>Te&s;tament</HI> and a
<HI>Covenant,</HI> to &s;hew you the difference between them.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Difference be|twixt Cove|venant and Te|&s;tament. Heb. 9. 17.</NOTE> A <HI>Covenant</HI> is an agreement between two: a <HI>Te&s;ta|ment</HI>
is the declaration of the will of one.</P>
<P>2. The two between whom a <HI>Covenant</HI> pa&s;&s;eth mu&s;t be
both living: a <HI>Testament</HI> receiveth force by the death of
him that made it.</P>
<P>3. A <HI>Covenant</HI> is ratified by the mutuall con&s;ent of both
parties: a <HI>Testament,</HI> by the will only of him that made it.</P>
<P>4. A <HI>Covenant</HI> u&s;eth to be made upon conditions on
both parts: a <HI>Te&s;tament</HI> is made upon the meer favour and
grace of the te&s;tatour.</P>
<P>Now the <HI>Covenant</HI> made with Chri&s;tians is better then
the two former <HI>Covenant:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Two old Co|venants.</NOTE> both called old, becau&s;e they
are both in &s;uch re&s;pects nulled.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t was a <HI>Covenant</HI> of works made with man in
his entire e&s;tate: which by his fall he made impo&s;&s;ible for
man to keep.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 3.</NOTE> But this <HI>Covenant</HI> giveth ability to keep it
with much alacrity.</P>
<P>2. There was a <HI>Covenant</HI> indeed of grace made with the
Church before Chri&s;t exhibited; but &s;et out in &s;uch ob|&s;cure
promi&s;es and prophecies, and dark types and &s;ha|dows,
as it was needfull in time to be aboli&s;hed: but the
new <HI>Covenant</HI> made with the Chri&s;tian Church, is &s;o
clearly and plainly revealed, as it may well in that re&s;pect
al&s;o be called <HI>better.</HI></P>
<PB N="8" REF="9">
<P>3. The <HI>Promi&s;es</HI> now made,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Better pro|mi&s;es. Heb. 8. 6.</NOTE> are <HI>better Promi&s;es:</HI> mo&s;t
of the <HI>Promi&s;es</HI> before Chri&s;t exhibited were of temporall
good things: I will not deny, but that &s;pirituall and cele|&s;tiall
good things were prefigured under them; but now
&s;pirituall and heavenly good things, are more expre&s;&s;ely,
per&s;picuou&s;ly and plentifully promi&s;ed to the Church.</P>
<P>4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4 Better hope. Heb. 7. 19.</NOTE> The hope that now we have, is a <HI>better hope,</HI> Pro|mi&s;es
are the ground of hope. The better the promi&s;es,
the better mu&s;t hope needs be: and that in tho&s;e re&s;pects
wherein the Promi&s;es are better. Chri&s;tians may more
immediately, directly and &s;teadily, hope for all &s;pirituall
and heavenly ble&s;&s;ings, then they that lived before Chri&s;t
could.</P>
<P>5.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4 Better &s;acri|fice Heb. 9. 23.</NOTE> The &s;acrifice that now we have, is <HI>better</HI> then the
former &s;acrifices. He that con&s;idereth the difference be|tween
the bodies of unrea&s;onable creatures, &amp; the body of
Chri&s;t the Sonne of God, cannot but know, that there is
an infinite excellency in this &s;acrifice over and above
tho&s;e: If any thing under the Go&s;pel may ju&s;tly be &s;tiled,
better, then the like under the Law, &s;urely this &s;acrifice
may mo&s;t of all be &s;tiled <HI>better</HI> then tho&s;e.</P>
<P>6.<NOTE PLACE="marg">6 Better blood. Heb. 12. 24.</NOTE> The blood of Chri&s;t, in regard of the <HI>crie</HI> of it, is
&s;tiled <HI>better.</HI> It is &s;aid <HI>to &s;peak better things then that of A|bel:</HI>
becau&s;e <HI>Abels</HI> blood cried for <HI>vengeance;</HI> Chri&s;ts, for
<HI>pardon.</HI> Chri&s;t when he was upon the cro&s;&s;e, where he
&s;hed his blood,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2 34.</NOTE> thus cried, <HI>Father, forigive them.</HI> Yea fur|ther
Chri&s;ts blood is <HI>better</HI> then that blood which was
&s;hed on the Altars under the Law:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 4.</NOTE> <HI>For it is not po&s;sible that
the blood of buls and goats &s;hould take away &s;ins:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 1 7.</NOTE> but the <HI>blood
of Je&s;us Chri&s;t clean&s;eth us from all &s;in.</HI></P>
<P>7.<NOTE PLACE="marg">All Go&s;pel things better.</NOTE> To in&s;i&s;t upon no more particulars, the Apo&s;tle un|der
this indefinite phra&s;e <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&s;ome better thing,</HI> com|pri&s;eth
all tho&s;e good things, which in compari&s;on of the
<PB N="9" REF="9">
Church of the <HI>Jewes</HI> are be&s;towed on the Chri&s;tian
Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 40.</NOTE> For thus he &s;aith, <HI>God hath provided &s;ome better
thing for us, that they without us &s;hould not be made perfect.</HI></P>
<P>In &s;uch a re&s;pect,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Go&s;pel-things new.</NOTE> as Go&s;pel-ble&s;&s;ings are called <HI>better,</HI>
they are al&s;o called <HI>new,</HI> as <HI>A new Covenant, a new Te&s;ta|ment,
a new Hieru&s;alem, a new Heaven and earth, a new name,
a new commandement, a new way, a new heart, a new &s;pirit,
and a new &s;ong.</HI> The&s;e and other like things are called
<HI>new,</HI> in oppo&s;ition to old things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In what re|&s;pect new. Heb. 8. 13.</NOTE> which decaid and vani|&s;hed
away: &s;o as there was a nece&s;&s;ity of new things to
&s;ucceed in their room. The&s;e new things &s;hall never
wax old: they are new, not only in their beginning, but
al&s;o in their perpetuall continuance; They &s;hall ever be
fre&s;h and flouri&s;hing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 17. 8. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Heb. 9. 4.</NOTE> like <HI>Aarons</HI> rod which budded, and
bloomed blo&s;&s;omes, and yeelded Almonds: and &s;o al|wayes
continued, even as long as the Arke of the te&s;timo|ny,
before which it was &s;et, remained. The new Cove|nant
and the new Te&s;tament are the &s;ame, which were
before &s;tiled <HI>better,</HI> and in &s;uch like re&s;pects called new.
Of them therefore I &s;hall need to &s;ay no more then what
hath been &s;aid. The re&s;t that follow are the&s;e.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. New Jeru|&s;alem. Rev. 3. 12. 1 Pet. 2. 5.</NOTE> A new <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI> The old <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> was of &s;en&s;eles
corruptible materialls. <HI>The new Jeru&s;alem is of lively &s;tones,
a &s;pirituall hou&s;e:</HI> It is &s;tiled the <HI>City of God,</HI> in regard of the
excellency thereof, (for excellent things, in <HI>Canaans</HI> lan|guage,
are &s;aid to be things of God)<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. New Hea|vens and a new Earth. I&s;a. 65. 17.</NOTE> and in regard of that
care which God taketh of it, and delight which he takes
to be in it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non dixit alios caelos &amp; alia~, terran videbi. mus, &s;ed anti|quos in melius commutatos. <HI>Hier.</HI> Com. in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 65.</NOTE> The old <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> was but a type and figure
of this.</P>
<P>2. <HI>New Heavens, and a new Earth:</HI> Hereby is meant a
new face of a Church, farre more glorious in the &s;piritu|ality
of it, then the former before Chri&s;t. The phra&s;e
is <HI>hyperbolicall:</HI> it is u&s;ed to &s;et forth not only a renovation
<PB N="10" REF="10">
of the Church, but &s;uch a renovation as &s;hould put the
world as it were into a new forme and frame; in&s;omuch
as he that &s;hould attentively look upon it, might &s;ay,
Behold <HI>new Heavens and a new Earth.</HI> If it be objected,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 13. How we &s;till look for new heavens and a new earth. <HI>Principium in|novationis in prae&s;enti&s;eculo&punc; perfecta con|&s;ummata&abque; no|vitas nondum.</HI> Hier. <HI>Com. in</HI> Ephe&s;. <HI>l.</HI> 2.</NOTE> that
an Apo&s;tle, &s;peaking of the times of the Go&s;pel, &s;aith, <HI>We
looke for new Heavens and a new Earth,</HI> and thereby intends
the glory of the world to come. I an&s;wer, that excellent
matters are &s;ome times &s;poken of in their inchoation and
progre&s;&s;e, and &s;ometimes in their perfection and con&s;um|mation:
&s;o as the <HI>new Heavens and the new Earth,</HI> in their
beginning and increa&s;e, may be under the Go&s;pell, and in
their con&s;ummation and perfection, after the day of judge|ment.</P>
<P>3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 A new name. I&s;a. 62. 2. Joh. 1. 12. Act. 11. 26.</NOTE> <HI>A new name.</HI> This Chri&s;t &s;tileth, his name, (<HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 12.)
This name is to be a <HI>&s;onne of God: For as many as received
him, to them he gave power to become the &s;onnes of God.</HI> Of
old, they were called children of <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> now, <HI>Christians:</HI>
yea the Apo&s;tle giveth the name <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to the my&s;ticall
body of Chri&s;t, con&s;i&s;ting of many Saints, (1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.
12.)</P>
<P>4. A new <HI>Commandement.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">4. A new Commande|ment. Ioh. 13. 34.</NOTE> Another kinde of Com|mandement
then that which was written in tables of &s;tone.
For that exacted an impo&s;&s;ibility, (<HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 3.) by rea&s;on of
the weakne&s;&s;e and corruption of our fle&s;h: But the <HI>New
Commandement</HI> is written in the fle&s;hly tables of our heart,
whereby ability is given unto us cherefully and accepta|bly
to performe the &s;ame.</P>
<P>5. A <HI>new way.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">5 A new way. Heb. 10. 20.</NOTE> This is al&s;o called a living way, which
Chri&s;t by his fle&s;h hath con&s;ecrated for us. For Chri&s;t
him&s;elfe, having with his own bloud entred into the mo&s;t
holy place, hath thereby made full &s;atisfaction for all our
&s;ins (which cau&s;es the way to Heaven to be impa&s;&s;ible,)
and made the way ea&s;y for us to walke in. Thus is he <HI>the
<PB N="11" REF="10">
way, the truth and the life:</HI> the only true way that leadeth
us unto life.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 6.</NOTE></P>
<P>6.<NOTE PLACE="marg">6. A new heart. Ezek. 36. 26.</NOTE> <HI>A new heart.</HI> This is oppo&s;ed to a mans naturall heart,
which is &s;tiled <HI>an heart of &s;tone,</HI> in that it is &s;o obdurate, that
it will &s;ooner (like a &s;tone) be broken all to pieces, and
utterly confounded with Gods judgements, then yield to
him and his word. This new heart, is not only freed
from that ob&s;tinacy, but al&s;o made flexible and pliable
to the Word of God, and worke of his &s;pirit, and there|upon
called an <HI>heart of fle&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 11. 15.</NOTE></P>
<P>7. <HI>A new &s;pirit.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">7. A new &s;pi|rit.</NOTE> This al&s;o is oppo&s;ed to a mans naturall
&s;pirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 7. 51.</NOTE> which in all things re&s;i&s;teth the good Spirit of God.
Such a &s;pirit the Jewes of old had, of whom <HI>Stephen,</HI> the
fir&s;t Martyr for Chri&s;t, thus &s;peaketh, <HI>Ye do alwayes re&s;i&s;t
the holy Ghost: as your fathers did, &s;o do ye.</HI> But this new
&s;pirit readily and willingly yeeldeth to every good moti|on
of the Spirit of God.</P>
<P>8. <HI>A new &s;ong.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">8. A new &s;ong. I&s;a. 42. 10 Rom. 10 18.</NOTE> A &s;ong which &s;hall &s;ound forth, (as
the Prophet expounds him&s;elfe) <HI>Gods prai&s;es from the end of
the earth,</HI> by rea&s;on of the Go&s;pel, who&s;e &s;ound, as the &s;ound
of the heavens, <HI>hath gone forth thorow all the earth:</HI> The
&s;um and &s;ub&s;tance of this new &s;ong was &s;ung out by an hea|venly
quire at the birth of Chri&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 14.</NOTE> It was this: <HI>Glory to God
in the highe&s;t, and on earth peace, good will towards men.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">All things new. Rev. 21. 5.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Finally,</HI> to in&s;i&s;t on no more particulars, there is a
promi&s;e made, <HI>of making all things new.</HI> If any &s;hall thinke
that this is meant of the world to come: let him con&s;ider
how expre&s;&s;ely the Apo&s;tle applyes it to the time of the
Go&s;pell; &s;aying of that time, <HI>Behold, all things are become
new, 2 Cor.</HI> 5. 17.</P>
<P>Thus we &s;ee how this promi&s;e of Gods doing better
for his Church in the later times, is evidenced by &s;undry
particulars, of <HI>better,</HI> and <HI>new things.</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="11">
Yet further, as if ordinary words and u&s;uall compari|&s;ons
were not &s;ufficient to &s;et forth the great increa&s;e of
Gods providence,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Hyperboles</HI> doe &s;et out the increa&s;e of Gods goodnes.</NOTE> the Prophets u&s;e very tran&s;cendent, and
<HI>hyperbolicall</HI> expre&s;&s;ions, to &s;et it out the more to the life,
and that according to our capacity. To which purpo&s;e
this increa&s;e of Gods Providence is thus expre&s;&s;ed: <HI>For
bra&s;&s;e I will bring gold,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 60. 17.</NOTE> <HI>and for iron I will bring &s;ilver, and
for wood bra&s;&s;e, and for &s;tones iron:</HI> Hereby he &s;heweth, that
as <HI>wood</HI> is better then common &s;tones, and <HI>iron</HI> better then
wood, and <HI>bra&s;&s;e</HI> better then iron, and <HI>&s;ilver</HI> better then
bra&s;&s;e, and <HI>gold</HI> better then &s;ilver, &s;o much better, yea
infinitely more, are the good things of the&s;e later times,
better then the good things of former times. Yet further
is this increa&s;e thus heightened,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luna fulgebit, ut &s;ol, &amp;c. non &s;ignificat inte|ritum pri&s;tino|rum, &s;ed com|mutationem in mell us. <HI>Hier.</HI> Com. in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters"> l. 18.</NOTE> (<HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30. 26.) <HI>The light of
the Moone &s;hall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of
the Sun &s;hall be &s;even fold, as the light of &s;even dayes.</HI> Who
knowes not how great a difference there is, between the
two lights of the Moone and the Sun? to make the light
of the Moone as great as of the Sun, mu&s;t needs be a
wonderfull great increa&s;e. And becau&s;e there can be no
greater light then the light of the Sun, he multiplieth that
light to the number of perfection, &s;aying, <HI>The light of the
Sun &s;hall be &s;even fold, as the light of &s;even dayes.</HI> And to
&s;hew that no compari&s;ons are &s;ufficient to &s;et out the in|crea&s;e
of Gods goodnes to the full: it is further &s;aid, <HI>The
Sun &s;hall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightnes &s;hall
the Moone give light unto thee: But the Lord &s;hall be un|to
thee an everla&s;ting light, and thy God thy glory,</HI> I&s;a. 60. 19.</P>
<P>If we take a view of the increa&s;e of Gods good Provi|dence,
generation after generation, even from the be|ginning
of the world to the end thereof, it will yet more
clearely appeare, that as Gods goodnes hath ever increa|&s;ed
more and more, &s;o the greate&s;t increa&s;e thereof hath
<PB N="13" REF="11">
been in later times, and &s;o the better things re&s;er|ved
for us, and others who have lived therein.</P>
<P>For the clearer exemplification hereof, we will ac|count
the whole continuance of the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The continu|ance of this world divided into &s;ix dayes.</NOTE> together with
the world to come, as one great week: And di&s;tingui&s;h
the whole cour&s;e thereof, from the creation to the day of
judgement, into &s;ix long dayes, the &s;eventh, being an e|ternall
<GAP DESC="foreign">, a keeping a Sabbath, or re&s;t after the day
of judgement.</P>
<P>The &s;ix forementioned dayes may thus be di&s;tin|gui&s;hed.</P>
<P>The <HI>fir&s;t</HI> from <HI>Adam</HI> to <HI>Noah:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> Wherein, be&s;ides Gods
goodnes in creating the world, was manife&s;ted that great
evidence of mercy, in promi&s;ing a Redeemer to free man
from his mi&s;erable bondage under Satan, whereinto he
had implunged him&s;elf; the words of the promi&s;e are
the&s;e;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 15.</NOTE> <HI>It &s;hall brui&s;e thy head, and thou &s;halt brui&s;e his heele.</HI></P>
<P>By this relative particle <HI>It,</HI> the &s;eed of the woman, the
Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t is meant. The words being &s;poken to
Satan under the &s;erpent, by <HI>thy head,</HI> is meant Satan, and
all his power: by <HI>brui&s;ing,</HI> an utter &s;ubduing of the &s;ame.
The next words, <HI>Thou &s;halt brui&s;e his heele,</HI> &s;et forth Sa|tans
attempts again&s;t the my&s;ticall body of Chri&s;t and his
annoying of the &s;ame in many re&s;pects: But &s;o as the
heele only the externall condition of the fore&s;aid body,
not the head,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen. 6. 18. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Beza</HI> trans&s;ere. <GAP DESC="foreign"> cor|re&s;pondens ex|em lar. Vide annotat ejus majores in hunc locum <HI>Su|idas,</HI> ait <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;umi pro|&s;imilitudine.</NOTE> the &s;oule of it, can be cru&s;hed. This was a
very gracious promi&s;e, and a great good.</P>
<P>The <HI>&s;econd</HI> day la&s;ted from <HI>Noah</HI> to <HI>Abraham:</HI> wherein
the Church had that memorable type of Gods pre&s;erving
it out of that common deluge which de&s;troyed the whole
world be&s;ides. This type was the <HI>Arke.</HI> This the Apo|&s;tle
calls, in relation to Bapti&s;me, <HI>a like figure.</HI> For it did
lively &s;et forth to the Church &s;uch a pre&s;ervation and de|liverance
<PB N="14" REF="12">
from &s;inne and de&s;truction, as Bapti&s;me doth.
In this re&s;pect a more expre&s;&s;e evidence of Gods goodnes
was given in this day, then in the former.</P>
<P>The <HI>third</HI> day was from <HI>Abraham</HI> to <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> wherein
that precious and expre&s;&s;e promi&s;e of ble&s;&s;ing all Nati|ons
in <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;eed, was made: wherein al&s;o <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was
brought out of the <HI>Egyptian</HI> bondage, (a type of the re|demption
of the Church from her &s;piritual bondage un|der
&s;inne and Satan.) In this day the <HI>Tabernacle,</HI> with
the many other types of Chri&s;t, his offices and benefits to
his Church were fir&s;t ordained, and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;etled in the
land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> a type of their heavenly re&s;t. Thus did
this third day farre exceed the former in glory.</P>
<P>The <HI>fourth</HI> was from <HI>David</HI> to the carrying of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> into
captivity.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> Herein a royall government was given to Gods
people (a type of Chri&s;ts royall Kingdome.) Herein mo&s;t
of the extraordinary Prophets (&s;peciall types of Chri&s;ts
propheticall office) were rai&s;ed up: and mo&s;t cleare prophe|cies
made of the better things to come in the Chri&s;tian
Church. Herein al&s;o <HI>Solomons</HI> Temple was built, and
&s;undry new and more glorious types of Chri&s;t were made,
then in the <HI>Tabernacle.</HI> So much therefore as this Tem|ple
of <HI>Solomon</HI> excelled the Tabernacle of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and the
Cherubins, Tables, Altars, Pillars, and all manner of &s;a|cred
in&s;truments in the Temple, &s;urpa&s;&s;ed them that were
in the Tabernacle: &s;o much more did Gods goodne&s;&s;e in
this day exceed the goodne&s;&s;e of former dayes.</P>
<P>The <HI>fifth</HI> day was from <HI>I&s;raels</HI> going into captivity to
<HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> a&s;cen&s;ion into Heaven.<NOTE PLACE="marg">5.</NOTE> This day, for the greate&s;t
part thereof, was indeed a di&s;mall day. Yet the delivering
of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> out of the <HI>Babyloni&s;h</HI> captivity, was a more cleare
and full type of our redemption by Chri&s;t, then any for|mer
deliverance:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 16. 14, 15.</NOTE> whereupon it is &s;aid, <HI>It &s;hall no more be &s;aid,
<PB N="15" REF="12">
The Lord liveth that brought the children of I&s;rael up out of
the land of Egypt: but the Lord liveth that brought
up the children of I&s;rael from the lands of the North,
and from all the land whither he had driven them.</HI>
The re-edifying of the Temple, was al&s;o a principall
type of Chri&s;ts re&s;urrection: and of this Temple it is
&s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 2. 9.</NOTE> <HI>The glory of this later hou&s;e, &s;hall be greater then of
the former:</HI> &s;o as the&s;e added much to the glory of this day.
But in that the Lord Chri&s;t was in the evening of this day
actually exhibited: and the things accompli&s;hed, which
were perfigured by the legall types, and fore-told by the
ancient Prophets, the goodne&s;&s;e of God manife&s;ted in this
day, farre exceeded that which was in former dayes. In
this re&s;pect it is &s;aid of <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Baptist,</HI> who &s;aw and made
known that promi&s;ed <HI>Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> and was the fir&s;t that di|rectly
pointed him out,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1. 29, 36. Mat. 11. 11.</NOTE> &s;aying, <HI>Behold the Lambe of God:</HI>
Of him it is &s;aid, <HI>among them that are borne of women, there
hath not ri&s;en a greater.</HI> This was the &s;urpa&s;&s;ing glory of
the fifth day.</P>
<P>The <HI>&s;ixth</HI> was from Chri&s;ts a&s;cen&s;ion into Heaven,<NOTE PLACE="marg">6.</NOTE> to
his &s;econd comming unto judgement. This is the day of
the cleare and full revelation of all the glorious my&s;teries
that were hidden from the beginning of the world till
then. This is the day wherein all the forementioned new
things, and better things were conferred upon the Chri|&s;tian
Church. In this day, as better things &s;hall not be
given, &s;o better things cannot be expected while the
world la&s;teth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 118. 24.</NOTE> This is the day whereof we may &s;ay, <HI>This
is the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoyce and be
glad in it.</HI></P>
<P>Thus from this exemplification of the increa&s;e of Gods
goodne&s;&s;e in the &s;everall ages of the world, we may well
inferre, that <HI>God hath provided better things for the later
times.</HI></P>
<PB N="16" REF="13">
<P>Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e, God thus ordereth his good providence
upon ju&s;t and weighty rea&s;ons:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;ons of Gods increa|&s;ing goodne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> and though his coun&s;ell
be un&s;earchable, and his waies pa&s;t finding out, in regard
of the full latitude of them, yet hath he left &s;ome foot|&s;teps;
wherein and whereby we may ob&s;erve &s;ome grounds
of his wi&s;e proceedings therein. Among others, I &s;uppo&s;e,
the&s;e may be &s;ome.</P>
<P>1. That the extent of his goodne&s;&s;e may be more di|&s;tinctly
con&s;idered,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Extent of goodne&s;&s;e bet|ter di&s;cerned.</NOTE> more clearly di&s;cerned, and more
tran&s;cendently admired. Gods governing of his Church
in the world by his providence, is ordered in &s;uch a man|ner,
as his prudence in creating the world was manife&s;ted.</P>
<P>In that <HI>first</HI> great work,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods works better &amp; better.</NOTE> he &s;till put off the better things
to the later daies. He could, if it had plea&s;ed him, have
created all the things that he did create, at once. Had he
at once &s;aid, <HI>Let there be light, firmament, waters, earth, all
manner of trees, and herbs bearing &s;eed, Sunne, Moon and Stars,
fowls, fi&s;hes, beasts and man,</HI> they had in&s;tantly been all;
but voluntarily and purpo&s;ely he took up &s;ix daies in crea|ting
them, and in each day made &s;everall and di&s;tinct
creatures, but ever the better, for the rea&s;on before &s;peci|fied.
This will evidently appear by an induction of par|ticulars,
which follow in order.</P>
<P>1. The <HI>light</HI> which he created in the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> day,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fir&s;t daies work.</NOTE> was in|deed
a glorious creature. But either it was the element of
fire (for no where el&s;e we read of creating fire) or el&s;e it
was &s;ome other light, which was of u&s;e but for three daies:
for in the fourth day tho&s;e lights were made, which have
hitherto continued, and &s;hall continue to the worlds end.
So as either this light was annihilated, when tho&s;e were
made, or el&s;e it was &s;etled in the body of the Sun.</P>
<P>2. In the <HI>&s;econd</HI> day the <HI>firmament</HI> or air was made,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd daies work.</NOTE> and
called heaven: then al&s;o were the &s;eas and earth made. If
<PB N="17" REF="13">
we mark the Text, we &s;hall finde that the ble&s;&s;ing of the
&s;econd daies work is not expre&s;&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Aben Ezra</HI> ali|i&abque; referunt ma|ria &amp; terram ad e<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">undum diem, e&ograve; quod po&s;t qua~ illa creata fue|runt dictum &s;it v. 10. Vidit Deus quod bonu~ e&s;&s;et.</NOTE> till the &s;eas and earth
were made, <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 1. 10. The&s;e three, air, water, earth,
are the three elements, of which all bodies are compound|ed.
The&s;e are more excellent then the fore-&s;aid light, in re|gard
of their continuall u&s;e.</P>
<P>3. In the <HI>third</HI> day all the <HI>gra&s;se</HI> and <HI>herb yeelding &s;eed,</HI>
and the <HI>tree yeelding fruit</HI> after his kinde were made. The&s;e
being vegitable creatures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The third daies work.</NOTE> by rea&s;on of that life which is in
them, excelled the former.</P>
<P>4. In the <HI>fourth</HI> day the ho&s;t of heaven was made.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fourth daies work.</NOTE> This
daies work in the glory and immutability of it, and in the
con&s;tant perpetuall motion, running mo&s;t &s;wiftly round
about the world every day, without wa&s;ting or wearine&s;&s;e,
excelled all that went before.</P>
<P>5. In the <HI>fift</HI> day all the fowl of heaven,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fifth daies work.</NOTE> and fi&s;h in the
&s;ea were created. The&s;e having life and &s;en&s;e in them,
and voluntarily moving from place to place, &s;urpa&s;&s;ed the
very ho&s;t of heaven.</P>
<P>6. In the <HI>&s;ixth</HI> day,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;ixth daies work.</NOTE> be&s;ides other creatures living on
the earth, <HI>Man</HI> was made: Man, in the image of God. This
was Gods ma&s;ter-piece, and re&s;erved unto the la&s;t work|ing
day. By this di&s;tinct encrea&s;e of Gods goodne&s;&s;e,
God comes the more to be admired, and his wi&s;dom,
power and other excellencies the better di&s;cerned. The
like cour&s;e therefore God took in his providence.</P>
<P>2. God provides better things for the later times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Better things put off, to make them more de|&s;ired and e|&s;teemed. Mat. 13. 17.</NOTE> to
make tho&s;e better things to be the more earne&s;tly de&s;ired
and longed for, before they come: and to be the more
highly prized, and the better e&s;teemed, after they are exhi|bited.
It is &s;aid, <HI>That many Prophets and righteous men de&s;i|red
to &s;ee and hear the things which were &s;een and heard in
Chri&s;ts daies,</HI> which were the la&s;t daies. It is al&s;o &s;aid,
<PB N="18" REF="14">
that the Prophets <HI>&s;earched diligently, what, or what manner
of time the Spirit of Chri&s;t which was in them did &s;ignifie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Peter 1. 11.</NOTE> <HI>when
it te&s;tified before hand the &s;ufferings of Christ, and the glorie
that &s;hould follow.</HI> Certainly the putting off the great ble&s;|&s;ing
of the exhibition of Chri&s;t to the later times, made it
to be the more de&s;ired, and the better e&s;teemed. When
he was exhibited, the Angel that brought the fir&s;t tidings
thereof,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2. 10.</NOTE> thus expre&s;&s;eth it, <HI>Behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which &s;hall be to all people.</HI> And the ble&s;&s;ed Vir|gin,
&s;o &s;oon as &s;he conceived him in her womb, thus breaks
out, <HI>My &s;oul doth magnifie the Lord, and my &s;pirit hath re|joyced
in God my Saviour.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2. 46, 47.</NOTE> And good old <HI>Zacharie,</HI> when
the fore-runner of Chri&s;t was born, thus in great joy
breaks out,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">. 68.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God of I&s;rael,</HI> &amp;c. And an|other
good old man, having embraced Chri&s;t, when he
was but a little infant, &s;weetly &s;ings forth this Swan-like
&s;ong,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2. 29.</NOTE> <HI>Lord now lettest thou thy &s;ervant depart in peace, for
mine eyes have &s;een thy &s;alvation.</HI> Their long expectation
of Chri&s;t thus affected them, when at length their long|ing
was &s;atisfied.</P>
<P>3. God put off his be&s;t things to the la&s;t times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Be&s;t things put off to the la&s;t daies for Chri&s;ts honour</NOTE> becau&s;e
in his un&s;earchable wi&s;dom he ordained, that his Sonne
&s;hould be &s;ent into the world in the later age thereof; that
thereby he might be known to be the be&s;t of Gods gifts,
and to excell all other gifts, that were before conferred
upon the Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 4.</NOTE> He is &s;aid to be <HI>&s;ent forth when the full|ne&s;se
of time was come.</HI> The Church had been as a breed|ing
woman.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 25.</NOTE> She began fir&s;t to conceive, when God
made the promi&s;e of the womans &s;eed. She grew bigger
and bigger through many other promi&s;es, prophecies,
types and figures, whereby her hope in the <HI>Me&s;siah</HI> was
nouri&s;hed. At the fullne&s;&s;e of time &s;he travelled, and
brought forth this long expected man-childe. The bet|ter
<PB N="19" REF="14">
things, which were now brought to pa&s;&s;e in this full|ne&s;&s;e
of time, added much to the honour of him that was
then born: then was the fulne&s;&s;e of Gods grace and good|ne&s;&s;e
manife&s;ted: &s;o as this God thus ordered even for
the honour of his Son.</P>
<P>Hitherto of the Doctrinall part of my Text.<NOTE PLACE="marg">U&s;es of Gods encrea&s;ing goodne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> It is time
to come to the Application thereof. The U&s;es of Gods
providence in re&s;erving better things to the later times, are
of manifold and &s;ingular U&s;e. For,</P>
<P>1. It affords a Demon&s;tration of the dete&s;tablene&s;&s;e of
the Romi&s;h religion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Popery makes the la&s;t daies wor&s;t.</NOTE> which hath directly perverted the
fore-mentioned cour&s;e of Gods providence to his Church.
For, where God provides better for the later times, they
make the&s;e later times to be farre the wor&s;e. As they han|dle
the matter, their Church under the Go&s;pel is many
waies in a wor&s;e ca&s;e then the &s;tate of the Church was un|der
the Law. Among many other in&s;tances I will note on|ly
four.</P>
<P>1. Their publike reading of Gods Word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 An unknown tongue le&s;&s;e under&s;tood than types. Bellarm. <HI>de ef|fect. Sacr. l. 2. c.</HI> 31.</NOTE> admini&s;tring
the Sacraments, praying and performing other divine
&s;ervices in an unknown tongue, make the my&s;teries of the
Go&s;pel le&s;&s;e intelligible, more ob&s;cure, and every way
le&s;&s;e edifying then all the rites, types and &s;hadows under
the Law did.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rhem. <HI>Annot.</HI> on 1 Cor. 14.</NOTE> <HI>Except ye utter by the tongue words ea&s;ie to be
understood, how &s;hall it be known what is &s;poken? for ye &s;hall
&s;peak into the air,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. And again, <HI>If I know
not the meaning of the voice, I &s;hall be unto him that &s;peaketh
a Barbarian, and he that &s;peaketh &s;hall be a Barbarian un|to
me.</HI></P>
<P>2. Their unbloudy Sacrifice (as they &s;tile it) of a feign|ed
tran&s;ub&s;tantiated body,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Popi&s;h &s;acri|fice wor&s;e then legall.</NOTE> is farre wor&s;e then if they had
&s;uch Sacrifices of bea&s;ts and fowls, as were under the
Law. Tho&s;e &s;acrifices, at that time, did &s;et out the vertue
<PB N="20" REF="15">
of Chri&s;ts death, and nouri&s;h their faith and hope in the
benefits thereof.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Concil. Trid. Decret 10. c. 2. <HI>Bellarm.</HI> de Mi&s;&s;. l. 1. c. 5. &amp; 12. &amp; l. 2. c. 7.</NOTE> But the fore-&s;aid Popi&s;h &s;acrifice would
take away the vertue and efficacy of Chri&s;ts &s;acrifice, if it
could be taken away. For I demand, whether the &s;acrifice
that they pretend to offer up, be the very &s;ame, that
Chri&s;t him&s;elf offered upon the cro&s;&s;e. If they &s;ay, the
&s;ame, what need is there that it &s;hould be offered up
again?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7. 27. and 9. 26, 28 and 10. 10. Heb. 7. 11, &amp;c.</NOTE> Was not Chri&s;ts once offering of it up &s;ufficient?
The Apo&s;tle doth a&s;&s;uredly intend as much by his frequent
mention of this word <HI>once,</HI> which is exclu&s;ively to be ta|ken:
once for all, and not to be reiterated. If it be another
&s;acrifice, then the &s;acrifice of Chri&s;t was not perfect. For
hereby the Apo&s;tle proveth the Prie&s;thood of the Law to
be unperfect; becau&s;e another was to &s;ucceed in the room
of it. Whereas &s;ome &s;ay, that their offering up of the bo|dy
of Chri&s;t, is but by way of application; that &s;eems to
contradict their own po&s;ition; for they teach that the
fore-mentioned tran&s;ub&s;tantiated body, offered up by a
Prie&s;t, is a <HI>true, reall, propitiatory &s;acrifice for the quick and
dead.</HI> Be&s;ides, the end of Chri&s;ts interce&s;&s;ion, and the
vertue thereof is made void by that which is avouched of
the applicatory vertue of their &s;acrifice. For the continu|all
application of Chri&s;ts own &s;acrifice, is the end of
Chri&s;ts interce&s;&s;ion. They think to evade all the&s;e ab&s;ur|dities
by a di&s;tinction betwixt a bloody and unbloody &s;a|crifice,
&s;aying, that the &s;acrifice which Chri&s;t him&s;elf
offered up was a bloudy &s;acrifice, but that which they offer
up, unbloody. To this di&s;tinction I an&s;wer.</P>
<P>1. It's without any warrant or ground from Scripture.</P>
<P>2. It being applied, according to their po&s;ition, to one
and the &s;ame thing (for they &s;ay that the body of Chri&s;t,
which their Prie&s;t offereth up, is the very &s;ame that Chri&s;t
offered upon the cro&s;&s;e) it implieth contradictory terms,
<PB N="21" REF="15">
namely, that the &s;ame thing &s;hould be bloody and un|bloody.</P>
<P>3. According to their own po&s;ition, their &s;acrifice can|not
be unbloody: for they hold that the wine is tran&s;ub|&s;tantiated
into blood, as well as the bread into a body,
and both make one &s;acrifice. How can that be unbloody,
which con&s;i&s;ts of bloud? Yea, of blood poured out, as
their wine is into the chalice, and out of the chalice into
the Prie&s;ts mouth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9. 22.</NOTE></P>
<P>4. If it be unbloody,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Popi&s;h pe|nance more heavie then le|gall.</NOTE> it hath no vertue for the taking away
of &s;in: For <HI>without &s;hedding of blood is no remi&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>3. The third in&s;tance of their making the &s;tate of the
Chri&s;tian Church wor&s;e then of the Jewi&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Alij degentes in remotis &amp; ab|ditu locis &s;ingu|li &s;ingulas cellas veluti &s;epulchro, inhabitant, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Annonam totius bebdomadae Sabbato accipi|unt, ac omnimo|de humanae con|&s;olationis exper|tes, <HI>&amp;c</HI> Alij an|tris, &s;peluncis, parietibus &s;e in|cludunt, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Sune etiam qui|&s;qualores &s;olitu|dinum requaru~t, be&s;tiale feraru~ con&s;ortium non pertime&s;cunt, &amp;c. <HI>Otho.</HI> Fri&s;ingin&s;. l 1. cap. 35.</NOTE> is their un|warrantable
and inhumane penance (which oft they en|joyn
to their penitents, for &s;atisfaction) and other barbarous
cour&s;es, whereunto they per&s;wademen upon pretence of
merit and perfection. They have in the&s;e ca&s;es &s;ome
whom they &s;tile <HI>Eremites,</HI> who live in remote places from
all &s;ociety, and feed upon &s;uch fruit, roots, and other
things that the earth bringeth forth, lodging in Caves,
Dens or Cellars, digged out of the ground. Others they
call <HI>Anchorites,</HI> who live enclo&s;ed betwixt walls, and on
the Sabbath receive their &s;u&s;tenance for the whole week.
Others they either enjoy, or per&s;wade to whip their naked
backs with &s;courges of cords, wyers, and &s;harp rundals,
till the blood run down, and skin and fle&s;h be torn from
their backs. Others mu&s;t lie in &s;hirts of hair cloth. Others
go bare foot and bare legged to &s;uch and &s;uch &s;hrines. O|thers
undertake long pilgrimages to remote lands; nay, they
&s;tick not to &s;end a Queen to Tiburn upon penance. Did
the Law ever impo&s;e &s;uch hard tasks upon any that were
under the pedagogy thereof?<NOTE PLACE="marg">4 Popi&s;h cere|monies more burden&s;ome then legall.</NOTE></P>
<P>4. The la&s;t in&s;tance that I will give of putting an hea|vier
<PB N="22" REF="16">
yoke upon the necks of Chri&s;tians, then the Law did
upon the Jews,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bellarm: <HI>de ef|fect: Sacr: c</HI> 31. Rhem. <HI>Annot:</HI> on Gal. 4. &sect; 1. 2, 3.</NOTE> &s;hall be the innumerable, unwarrantable,
and intolerable rites, which on meer humane inventions
are obtruded upon their people. The&s;e mu&s;t needs be
heavier burdens then the rites of the Law, in three re&s;pects
e&s;pecially.</P>
<P>1. In that they lie as dead things on mens &s;houlders,
which make them the heavier. The life of rites in Gods
&s;ervice, con&s;i&s;teth in divine in&s;titution, and warrantable
&s;ignification. But Popi&s;h rites are neither in&s;tituted of
God, nor have any warrantable &s;ignification, whereupon
he that u&s;eth them may re&s;t. The rites of the Law had
both their in&s;titution and &s;ignification from God.</P>
<P>2. There is no &s;et &s;tint of them. For mans inventions
are endle&s;&s;e. They have no &s;et and certain rule to be order|ed
and moderated by. But God &s;et down a di&s;tinct num|ber
of rites to the Jews, whereunto there was no need to
adde any other.</P>
<P>3. When all is done that can be done about the fore|&s;aid
Popi&s;h rites, they can give no &s;ound &s;atisfaction to
the con&s;cience. If the doers thereof &s;hould plead them be|fore
God, what other an&s;wer could they receive, but this,
<HI>Who hath required this at your hand?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1. 12. Mat. 15. 9.</NOTE> Or thus, <HI>In vain they
wor&s;hip me,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Much more might be &s;aid in manife&s;ting the wrong,
which in this kinde our Adver&s;aries doe to the Chri&s;tian
Church, and in manife&s;ting the blindene&s;&s;e of tho&s;e, that
&s;uffer them&s;elves to beled with &s;uch blinde guides. Ble&s;&s;ed
be God that hath delivered us out of that wor&s;e then <HI>Egy|ptian</HI>
darkne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The progre&s;&s;e of Gods providence unto the better,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 To wi&s;h the Jewi&s;h glori|ous times ar|gues folly.</NOTE>
gives us information in their folly, who on too great ad|miration
of tho&s;e externall glorious types, which were
<PB N="23" REF="16">
under the Law, doe wi&s;h the continuance of them &s;till:
as &s;uch a Temple as <HI>Solomon</HI> built, &s;uch <HI>Cherubims,</HI> &s;uch
<HI>Altars,</HI> &s;uch <HI>Tables,</HI> &s;uch <HI>Candle-&s;ticks,</HI> &s;uch <HI>Lavers,</HI> &s;uch
<HI>Prie&s;tly ve&s;tments,</HI> and other &s;uch <HI>ve&s;&s;els</HI> and <HI>in&s;truments,</HI>
as were precious in their matter, being of pure and fine
bra&s;&s;e, &s;ilver, gold, fine linnen, &s;ilk, skarlet, pearls, pre|cious
&s;tones, and very curious in their workman&s;hip, and
glorious to the &s;ight. Herein they manife&s;t their folly, in
that they doe not under&s;tand nor di&s;cern the excellency of
tho&s;e &s;pirituall and coele&s;tiall things which God hath now
provided for his Church: whereof tho&s;e externall and
earthly, though &s;eemingly glorious types,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;is 3. 6.</NOTE> were but &s;ha|dows
and figures; herein they &s;hew them&s;elves like to
our fir&s;t Parents, who were deceived with the fair &s;hew
and plea&s;ant ta&s;te of the forbidden fruit.</P>
<P>Some,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jewi&s;h Chri|&s;tians.</NOTE> whom we may well &s;tile <HI>Jewi&s;h Chri&s;tians,</HI> &s;o
farre manife&s;t their folly in this kinde, as they doe not on|ly
wi&s;h tho&s;e former times, but al&s;o actually conform
them&s;elves to that &s;ervile pedagogy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10. 15.</NOTE> For what fi&s;h, fowl
and bea&s;t were then forbidden, they &s;till hold unlawfull
to be eaten, though God hath forbidden us to call that
unclean which he hath clean&s;ed, and reckons ab&s;taining
from meats, which God hath created to be received, a|mong
<HI>doctrines of devils.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim: 4. 1, 3.</NOTE> The la&s;t day al&s;o of the week
they &s;till keep for their <HI>Sabbath,</HI> though the fir&s;t day of
the week, in memorial of Chri&s;ts re&s;urrection, be expre&s;ly
&s;et down in the new Te&s;tament,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> for Chri&s;tians holy a&s;&s;em|bling
together.</P>
<P>Too near to the&s;e doe they come,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Api&s;h imitati|on of the Jews.</NOTE> who though they do
not tie them&s;elves to the very &s;ame rites and ordinances,
whereto the Jews were bound, yet tread too near upon
their heels, and too api&s;hly imitate them: and that in
matters about divine Service: as in fair embroidered
<PB N="24" REF="17">
Copes, and other Mini&s;ters-ve&s;tments; in high &s;tanding
Altars; in low cringings and bowings; in turning to the
Ea&s;t, as they to the Temple, when they pray; in variety
of mu&s;icall in&s;truments and artificiall anthems; in multi|tude
of holy daies, with the like; whereof even this
Church &s;tood formerly too guilty. The&s;e <HI>Jewi&s;h Christi|ans</HI>
doe both ju&s;tifie the poor blinde Jews, who yet retain
as many of the <HI>Mo&s;aicall</HI> Ceremonies as they can (in that
Chri&s;tians have a greater light, the light of the Go&s;pel, to
di&s;cover unto them the abrogation of that Law, together
with the rea&s;on thereof) and al&s;o doe harden their hearts,
and make them bold in cleaving to their Law, when they
&s;ee &s;uch as profe&s;&s;e them&s;elves Chri&s;tians, come &s;o near
there unto.</P>
<P>3. Gods encrea&s;ing goodne&s;&s;e may give &s;ome &s;atisfacti|on
to &s;uch as make que&s;tion of <HI>Church Governours,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 It is wor&s;e to have no Church-go|vernours, then &s;uch as the Jews had.</NOTE> proper
and peculiar to the Church.</P>
<P>Of &s;uch I demand, whether it be a good, u&s;efull, and
needfull thing, for the Church to have Governours of
its own; and &s;econdly, whether the Church of the <HI>Iews</HI> had
&s;uch Governours, or no. Surely, me thinks neither of
the&s;e &s;hould be denied. Have not families, &s;chools of
learning, Colledges, Univer&s;ities, Cities, Towns, all man|ner
of Corporations, Companies and Societies, Govern|ours
proper and peculiar to them&s;elves: be&s;ides the pub|like
Magi&s;trates, who are al&s;o over them? Is it not by ex|perience
found, that &s;uch proper and peculiar Governours
are needfull and u&s;efull, and &s;o good in their &s;everall
&s;phears? And &s;hall the be&s;t Society on earth, the militant
Church, be without Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Governours, proper
and peculiar to it? I &s;uppo&s;e none will deny, but that the
Church of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had &s;uch Governours: in&s;tance their
<HI>Priests</HI> and <HI>Levites.</HI> In <HI>Ieho&s;haphats</HI> time there is an ex|pre&s;&s;e
<PB N="25" REF="17">
di&s;tinction made betwixt Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall and Civill
Governours under the&s;e two phra&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 19. 11.</NOTE> <HI>matter of the Lord,
and matters of the King.</HI> If Church-Governours were an
evidence of Gods good Providence under the Law, &s;urely
his Providence in this kinde, would not be more &s;cantie to
the Church under the Go&s;pel: for he hath promi&s;ed to
doe better then at her beginnings. A change of Govern|ours
there may be, and that for the better; but an utter
aboli&s;hing of all Governours, proper and peculiar to the
Church, cannot be to the better. We expre&s;&s;ely reade
that <HI>God hath &s;et in his Church,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12. 28.</NOTE> among other good functi|ons,
<HI>Governments.</HI> If it be &s;aid, that under that word,
<HI>Governments,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> both in &s;acred Scriptures and other authours &s;ignifieth a <HI>Governour.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> (Mica 5. 2.) <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Dominator,</HI> is &s;tile <GAP DESC="foreign">, Mat. 1. 6. <GAP DESC="foreign">, is al&s;o oppo&s;ed to <GAP DESC="foreign">, him that &s;er|veth, Luk. 22. 26 <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Qui imperat voluptatibus.</HI> I&s;lo a <GAP DESC="foreign">. Plutaron. Difference be|twixt Magi|&s;trates and Church-Go|vernours.</NOTE> civill <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> are under&s;tood: I an&s;wer,
that fir&s;t this phra&s;e, <HI>God hath &s;et in the Church,</HI> and then
the other particulars, among which Governments are
reckoned, being all proper and peculiar to the Church,
admit not &s;uch an interpretation thereof. To them which
aske where any mention is made of a ruling Elder, I al|leadge
the&s;e words of an Apo&s;tle, (1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 17.) <HI>The El|ders
that rule well, &amp;c.</HI> Apply them as you plea&s;e, to Mi|ni&s;ters
or others: there are ruling Elders. The word
<GAP DESC="foreign"> twice u&s;ed by an Apo&s;tle, (<HI>Heb.</HI> 13. 7, 17.) and tran|&s;lated
by our la&s;t and be&s;t Tran&s;lators of the Bible, <HI>them
that have rule,</HI> &s;heweth, that Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel are
Church-Governours: for Chri&s;tians are required <HI>to obey</HI>
them. And that Mini&s;ters are there meant, is evident by
the&s;e phra&s;es, <HI>They have &s;poken unto you the word of God, and
they watch for your &s;oules.</HI></P>
<P>To &s;hew that this kinde of Government doth not in|trench
upon the authority of the civill Magi&s;trate, let the
difference betwixt them be well ob&s;erved, and that in
the&s;e three particulars.</P>
<P>1. Civill Magi&s;trates command in their owne name, or
<PB N="26" REF="18">
in the name of a &s;uperiour civill Magi&s;trate, thus, <HI>I charge
you in the name of the King.</HI> But Church-Governours, in
the name of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>2. Civill Magi&s;trates require obedience to them&s;elves,
Church-Governours, to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>3. Civill Magi&s;trates pre&s;&s;e on their &s;ubjects their
own Lawes, as Statutes and Ordinances made by them|&s;elves.
Church-Governours, the Ordinances of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>4, The progre&s;&s;e of Gods Providence to the better,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Aggravation of Go&s;pel-&s;ins.</NOTE> is
a great aggravation of the ungracious and ungratefull di|&s;po&s;ition
of many people, if not of mo&s;t, whom God hath
re&s;erved to the&s;e later times. God hath graciou&s;ly done
better for them, and they deale wor&s;e with God. Such
are,</P>
<P>1. They who remaine blinde and ignorant under the
cleare light of the Go&s;pel.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Go&s;pel-&s;ins. 1. Ignorance.</NOTE> A wonder it is, that there
&s;hould be &s;o little knowledge, where there is &s;o plentifull
means of knowledge. Note an Apo&s;tles doom of &s;uch,
<HI>If our Go&s;pel be hid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 4.</NOTE> <HI>it is hid to them that are lo&s;t, who&s;e eyes
the God of the world hath blinded.</HI></P>
<P>2. They who are un&s;table,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Un&s;etlednes.</NOTE> and carryed about with e|very
winde of doctrine, notwith&s;tanding the evident de|mon&s;tration
of the truth now made known unto us. The
Apo&s;tle re&s;embles them to <HI>children,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s; 4. 14. Heb. 5. 12.</NOTE> whereas for the time
we ought to be as grown &s;trong men.</P>
<P>3. Such as are ever weak in faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Doubtings. Jam. 5. 6, 7. Mat. 8. 36.&mdash;14. 31.</NOTE> full of doubts and
fears. Oft doth Chri&s;t check his Di&s;ciples for this. Such
come farre &s;hort in &s;trength of faith, of tho&s;e who lived
before the&s;e better times. Witne&s;&s;e that catalogue of be|lievers
which the Apo&s;tle maketh, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.</P>
<P>4. Such as take advantage,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Abu&s;e of Grace.</NOTE> from the abundance of Gods
mercy, to exceed in &s;inne. In the Apo&s;tles time, upon this
gracious extent of grace to great &s;inners, <HI>Where &s;in abound|ed
<PB N="27" REF="18">
grace did much more abound;</HI> &s;ome made this impious
and unju&s;t inference, let us <HI>continue in &s;inne, that grace
may abound.</HI> The&s;e make &s;inne the proper procuring cau&s;e
of Gods grace,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cau&s;a pro non cau&s;a.</NOTE> which is every way free: only God takes
occa&s;ion from the mi&s;ery whereinto &s;in implungeth man,
to extend mercy unto him: and that abundance of &s;inne
may not hinder the current of his grace, he cau&s;eth it to
abound.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Objectum pro non objecto.</NOTE> Be&s;ides, they who inferre the fore-&s;aid unju&s;t
con&s;equence, apply that to &s;ins future, which is &s;poken
of &s;ins pa&s;t;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Subjecum pro nos &s;ubjecto.</NOTE> and extend that to ob&s;tinate and impenitent
&s;inners, which is intended to &s;uch as groan under the bur|den
of their &s;ins.</P>
<P>5. Such as from the comfortable Doctrine of Election
to life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">5 Perverting Election.</NOTE> inferre that they &s;hall a&s;&s;uredly be &s;aved, though
they live never &s;o lewdly: not con&s;idering that they who
are ordained to the end,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1. 4.</NOTE> are ordained to the means that
bring to that end.</P>
<P>6. Such as from Gods wi&s;dom in bringing good out of
evil,<NOTE PLACE="marg">6 Doing evil on pretence of good.</NOTE> take occa&s;ion to do evil, upon this pretence, that good
may come. The Apo&s;tle mo&s;t ju&s;tly makes this inference
upon theirs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 8.</NOTE> <HI>who&s;e damnation is just:</HI> implying thereby,
that damnation is their due, and that mo&s;t ju&s;tly.</P>
<P>7. Such as upon Gods pardoning a &s;inner,<NOTE PLACE="marg">7 Delay of re|petnance.</NOTE> when&s;oever
he repents, put off their repentance: not con&s;idering that
men have not power to repent when they will: &s;o as &s;uch
may never repent, and never be pardoned.</P>
<P>8. Such as from that liberty wherewith Chri&s;t hath
made us free,<NOTE PLACE="marg">8 Mi&s;applying liberty.</NOTE> imagine that they are freed from all obedi|ence
to the morall Law:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 10.&mdash;13. Rom. 8. 1.</NOTE> whereas that liberty is only from
the rigour of the Law, which bindes to a perfect fullfilling
thereof in every part, point and degree of it, and from the
cur&s;e thereof.</P>
<P>9. Such as deny the morality of the Chri&s;tian Sabbath,<NOTE PLACE="marg">9 Prophaning the Sabbath.</NOTE>
<PB N="28" REF="19">
and profane it with all manner of &s;ports, becau&s;e the an|cient
day is changed by vertue of Chri&s;ts re&s;urrection. All
the&s;e and other like them <HI>turn the grace of God into la&s;civi|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude v. 4.</NOTE>
that is, into all kinde of licentious living. An A|po&s;tle
gives this verdict of them, <HI>They were of old ordained to
condemnation.</HI></P>
<P>10. All <HI>that having e&s;caped the pollutions of the world,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">10 Apo&s;tacie. 2 Pet. 2. 20.</NOTE>
<HI>through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Christ,
are again entangled therein, and overcome, and willfully &s;inne,
after they have received the knowledge of the truth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 26.</NOTE> In a word,
all apo&s;tates from the true faith, deal mo&s;t ungraciou&s;ly
and ungratefully with God. I may well u&s;e <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his expro|bration
again&s;t them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Do yee thus requite the Lord, O fooli&s;h
people and unwi&s;e?</HI> The fore-mentioned Go&s;pel-&s;ins, and
others like unto them, doe much grieve the good Spirit of
God, and they that commit them go far <HI>in treading under
foot the Sonne of God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 29.</NOTE> <HI>and counting the blood of the Covenant
wherewith they were &s;anctified an unholy thing.</HI> By the means
of grace they are <HI>exalted unto heaven:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. 21, &amp;c.</NOTE> but by their abu&s;e
thereof they are <HI>brought down unto hell.</HI> So as the woe de|nounced
again&s;t tho&s;e, among whom Chri&s;t much conver|&s;ed,
may be applied to the&s;e. The inference which the A|po&s;tle
maketh upon Go&s;pel-&s;inners, cannot but terrifie
&s;uch as heed it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">. 8, 29.</NOTE> it is this, <HI>He that de&s;pi&s;ed Mo&s;es Law died
without mercy. Of how much &s;orer puni&s;hment, &s;uppo&s;e yee,
&s;hall he be thought worthy, who hath treden under foot the Sonne
of God?</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But from the&s;e U&s;es of errour and terrour, I proceed to
U&s;es of another kinde.</P>
<P>5.<NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Gods re&s;er|ving better things to later times makes us expect better in bad.</NOTE> Much con&s;olation may be gathered by faithfull ones,
from the continuall encrea&s;e of Gods providence, in &s;uch
&s;ad, doubtfull, dangerous daies, as the&s;e our daies are.
For we may with confidence expect better things. The
<PB N="29" REF="19">
daies wherein the Prophet fir&s;t uttered this prophecy were
wor&s;e daies then ours are; and to comfort the faithfull
that then lived, and &s;uch others as &s;hould from age to age
live after them, he revealed this promi&s;e. There are more
particular promi&s;es concerning a future glory of the Chri|&s;tian
Church, &s;et down by the Prophets in the old Te&s;ta|ment,
and by Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles in the new, e&s;peci|ally
in the book of the <HI>Revelation,</HI> then we have either
heard of, or &s;een in our daies to be accompli&s;hed. The glo|rious
City de&s;cribed, <HI>Revel. 21. 10, &amp;c.</HI> is by many judi|cious
Divines taken for a type of a &s;pirituall, glorious e|&s;tate
of the Church of Chri&s;t under the Go&s;pel yet to
come, and that before his la&s;t comming to judgement. I
pa&s;&s;e by all conceits of our later <HI>Chilia&s;ts</HI> or <HI>Millenaries,</HI>
(whom in Engli&s;h we may call <HI>Thou&s;andaries</HI>) who ima|gine,
that Chri&s;t &s;hall per&s;onally come down from hea|ven,
in that nature in which after his re&s;urrection he a&s;|cended
into heaven, and raign here a thou&s;and years with
his Saints. The certainty of this I leave to be proved by
them who are the broachers thereof. But this is mo&s;t cer|tain,
that there are yet better things to come then have
been &s;ince the fir&s;t calling of the Gentiles.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Jews to be recalled.</NOTE> Among
other better things to come, the <HI>recalling of the Jews</HI> is mo&s;t
clearly and plentifully fore told by the Prophets. Many
apply &s;undry prophecies that tend that way, to the delive|ry
of the Jews from the <HI>Babyloni&s;h</HI> Captivity; and others,
to the &s;pirituall <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> con&s;i&s;ting of <HI>Gentiles.</HI> But a&s;&s;uredly
&s;uch prophecies as fore-tell the re-uniting of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>E|phraim</HI>
together, have e&s;peciall reference to the fore-&s;aid
<HI>recalling of the Jews:</HI> as that Parable, whereof this our
Prophet maketh mention, about joyning two &s;ticks, on
the one whereof was written,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 37. 16, &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>For Judah, and for the chil|dren
of I&s;rael his companions:</HI> and on the other, <HI>For Jo&s;eph
<PB N="30" REF="20">
the &s;tick of Ephraim, and for all the hou&s;e of I&s;rael his compa|nions.</HI>
That Parable the Prophet thus applieth, <HI>I will make
them one Nation, and one King &s;hall be King to them all,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But if any &s;hall que&s;tion this and other prophecies of the
ancient Prophets. The Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> hath &s;o expre&s;ly
fore-told a <HI>recalling of the Jews,</HI> and thereupon, <HI>a bringing in
a fullne&s;s of the Gentiles,</HI> as no que&s;tion can be made thereof:
and he doth after &s;uch a manner expre&s;&s;e the&s;e, as appa|rently
declareth a future glory of the Chri&s;tian Church.
Some particular expre&s;&s;ions of his in the 11. to the <HI>Romans,</HI>
are the&s;e.</P>
<P>1. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 11. Having propounded this Que&s;tion con|cerning
the Jews, <HI>Have they &s;tumbled, that they &s;hould fall?</HI>
(namely, totally and finally, never to be rai&s;ed again.) He
gives this an&s;wer, <HI>God forbid.</HI> Whereby he implieth, that
a&s;&s;uredly they &s;hall be rai&s;ed again, that is, they &s;hall be
made a vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t, and &s;ubmit them&s;elves
to his ordinances.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 12. This &s;uppo&s;ition, <HI>If the fall of them be rich|es
of the world, and the dimini&s;hing of them the riches of the
Gentiles: how much more their fullne&s;&s;e?</HI> By their fullne&s;&s;e,
he meaneth their bringing them in to the Church of
Chri&s;t, con&s;i&s;ting of <HI>Gentiles,</HI> and thereby making that
Church full, when both <HI>Gentiles</HI> and <HI>Jews</HI> &s;hall be joyned
together.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 15. This Que&s;tion (<HI>What &s;hall the receiving of
them be but life from the dead?</HI>) doth take it for grant, that
they &s;hall be received, and taken into the Church of Chri&s;t;
and that this re&s;tauration of theirs will be as a new glori|ous
re&s;urrection.</P>
<P>4. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 23. It is &s;aid, <HI>They al&s;o &s;hall be graffed in;</HI> name|ly,
into the body of the Chri&s;tian Church; and a proof
thereof is taken from Gods omnipotency, <HI>For God is able to
graff them in again.</HI></P>
<PB N="31" REF="20">
<P>5. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 24. This emphaticall Interrogation, <HI>How
much more &s;hall the&s;e, which be the naturall branches, he graf|fed
into their own Olive-tree?</HI> doth put it out of all que&s;ti|on,
that the Jews &s;hall again be brought to be of the true
Church, which is the Olive-tree here intended.</P>
<P>6. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 25. This re&s;trictive particle, <HI>In part (blinde|ne&s;&s;e
in part is happened unto I&s;rael</HI>) doth import, that they
&s;hall not be <HI>finally</HI> blinded, but that at length they &s;hall
come to have their eyes &s;o opened, as they &s;hall know and
believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. This is further manife&s;ted by ex|pre&s;&s;ing
the period of this limitation, thus, <HI>Vntill the
fulne&s;se of the Gentiles be come in.</HI></P>
<P>7. <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 26. This generall phra&s;e; <HI>All I&s;rael &s;hall be
&s;aved,</HI> &s;heweth, that there is a time to come, when not
only two or three, or a few <HI>Jews</HI> here and there thorow|out
the Chri&s;tian Church (as have been in all ages there|of)
but the whole Nation &s;hall be called.</P>
<P>8. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 31. This phra&s;e, <HI>Through your mercy they al&s;o
may obtain mercy;</HI> &s;heweth, that God purpo&s;ely &s;uffered
them &s;ometime to abide in unbelief, that when they &s;hould
be brought to believe, this grace and honour might ap|pear
to ari&s;e from Gods meer mercy and free grace. The
words following in the next ver&s;e doe &s;hew as much:
They are the&s;e, <HI>For God hath concluded them all in unbelief,
that he might have mercy upon all.</HI></P>
<P>Thus we &s;ee that there is a calling of the <HI>Jews</HI> to come,
and that their calling &s;hall be as a re&s;urrection from the
dead, as an inci&s;ion of many more branches into a glori|ous
tree, that it &s;hall be an univer&s;all, con&s;picuous calling
of a whole Nation, wherein the freene&s;&s;e and largene&s;&s;e
of Gods grace and mercy &s;hall be evidently manife&s;ted.
At which time there &s;hall be al&s;o &s;uch a number of <HI>Gen|tiles</HI>
brought in, as may well be called the <HI>fulne&s;&s;e of the
<PB N="32" REF="21">
Gentiles,</HI> ver&s;. 25. This certainly &s;hall be a mo&s;t glorious
condition of the Chri&s;tian Church, and this is yet to
come: therefore God will yet doe better things for us. In
expectation whereof we may comfort our &s;elves, though
for a while thick clouds of troubles doe over-&s;pread the
face of the Church, and &s;omewhat eclip&s;e the glorious
brightne&s;&s;e thereof.</P>
<P>Yea further,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The better things given to Jews.</NOTE> we may expect better things then yet we
doe enjoy, upon the fore-mentioned progre&s;&s;e of Gods
good providence, before that glorious calling of the <HI>Jews</HI>
be accompli&s;hed. For the <HI>Jews,</HI> after this promi&s;e made,
before the fir&s;t comming of the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> and calling of the
<HI>Gentiles,</HI> had conferred upon them many better things
then before. They were brought out of Captivity to their
own Land. A &s;econd Temple was built. The Law was
re&s;tored unto them by <HI>Ezra,</HI> and many other ble&s;&s;ings. So
after Chri&s;ts fir&s;t comming, the Go&s;pel was preached in
many Nations, multitudes of Churches were erected and
e&s;tabli&s;hed, the Go&s;pel confirmed by many undaunted
Martyrs. Yea, after much per&s;ecution, the Church had
great re&s;t and liberty in <HI>Con&s;tantines,</HI> and other Chri&s;tian
<HI>Emperours</HI> times. And though that re&s;t and liberty were
in time exceedingly abu&s;ed, by the ambition of Prelates,
which at length brought it to the height of Papacy, yet
God by a Reformation in the&s;e later times, &s;hewed that he
was mindefull of this his promi&s;e, and did better things for
her then before.</P>
<P>This may further be exemplified by Gods doing better
for us here in <HI>England</HI> then at our beginnings.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Better things to Chri&s;tians.</NOTE> For as the
thick dark cloud of <HI>Antichri&s;tiani&s;me</HI> over-&s;pread the skie
of the whole Chri&s;tian Church for many years together,
&s;o did it clean keep away the bright &s;hining of the Go&s;pel
from <HI>England.</HI> But it plea&s;ed God almo&s;t three hundred
<PB N="33" REF="21">
years agoe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Light held forth by <HI>Wick|liff.</HI></NOTE> in the raign of <HI>Edward</HI> the third, to rai&s;e up
<HI>John Wickliff,</HI> a Profe&s;&s;our at <HI>Oxford,</HI> to hold out the light
of the Go&s;pel, &s;o as many in tho&s;e daies were much en|lightned
thereby.</P>
<P>Among other principles wherein he in&s;tructed the peo|ple,
the&s;e were &s;ome.</P>
<P>1. The Euchari&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wickliffs</HI> ar|ticles.</NOTE> after con&s;ecration, is not the very bo|dy
of Chri&s;t, but figuratively.</P>
<P>2. The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> is not the head of all Churches,
more then any Church is. Nor hath <HI>Peter</HI> any more pow|er
given of Chri&s;t, then any other Apo&s;tle hath.</P>
<P>3. The <HI>Pope</HI> of <HI>rome</HI> hath no more in the keyes of
the Church, then any other within the order of Prie&s;t|hood.</P>
<P>4. The Go&s;pel is a rule &s;ufficient of it &s;elf to rule
the life of every Chri&s;tian man here, without any o|ther
rule.</P>
<P>5. All other rules, under who&s;e ob&s;ervances divers
religious per&s;ons be governed, doe adde no more perfe|ction
to the Go&s;pel, then doth the white colour to the
wall.</P>
<P>The&s;e and other like po&s;itions wrought &s;o effectually
upon the hearts of noble and mean per&s;ons, as this may be
accounted a good beginning, wherein many rejoyced; but
no publike reformation was wrought thereupon.</P>
<P>About an hundred and fifty years after, the Lord did
better then at that beginning.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Popes &s;upre|macie ca&s;t down.</NOTE> For he &s;tirred up both <HI>King</HI>
and <HI>Parliament</HI> to goe further in &s;uppre&s;&s;ing Popery, and
advancing the Go&s;pel. Witne&s;&s;e that <HI>Act</HI> of <HI>Parliament,</HI> in
<HI>Henry</HI> the eight his dayes, whereby the Popes u&s;urped au|thority
in <HI>England</HI> was taken away; and liberty given to
the King to reform abu&s;es crept into the Church. The
King, by vertue thereof, &s;ent out injunctions for removing
<PB N="34" REF="22">
images, reading the holy Scriptures, and performing all
divine Service in Engli&s;h: preaching Gods Word, Cate|chi&s;ing
children, and ob&s;erving other duties of piety: &s;o
as the Go&s;pel began to &s;hine forth &s;omewhat brightly in
<HI>England.</HI> Only it was much ob&s;cured by an other Act of
Parliament, even in that Kings time, which e&s;tabli&s;hed
<HI>Tran&s;ub&s;tantiation,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;courge with &s;ix &s;trings.</NOTE> <HI>communion in one kinde, private Ma&s;ses,
Auricular confe&s;&s;ion, Vowes of cha&s;tity and prohibiting Priests
marriages.</HI></P>
<P>3. About &s;even yeares after, that King being dead, and
his Sonne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A better Re|formation.</NOTE> King <HI>Edward</HI> the &s;ixth, a childe of nine yeares
old, (yet another <HI>Io&s;iah</HI>) &s;et on the throne, God did better
for <HI>England</HI> then before. For the fore&s;aid <HI>Act</HI> (common|ly
called the &s;courge with &s;ix &s;trings) was repealed: and a
more thorow reformation e&s;tabli&s;hed. But even then, ma|ny
of the peoples hearts &s;o lingred after Romi&s;h &s;uper&s;titi|on,
as the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> did after the high places, in the raigne
of <HI>A&s;a,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 15. 17.&mdash;20. 33.</NOTE> <HI>Ieho&s;haphat</HI> and other good Kings: &s;o as this good|ly
reformation continued but &s;ix yeares; For God tooke
away that good young King.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Q.</HI> Many. <HI>The doctrine of the Go&s;pel re&s;tored to the purity thereof.</HI> Tihi, Regina, tu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&abque; populis, quod haud &s;cio, an cuiquam no&s;tra tempe|&s;tate regno per te datum e&s;t, pura videlicet ac fincerae E+vangelij. doctri|nae integra pro|fe&s;&s;io. <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">za</HI> in Epi&s;t. Ded. Reginae <HI>Eliza.</HI></NOTE> After who&s;e death a po|pi&s;h
bloody Queen utterly defaced the fore&s;aid Reforma|tion,
and brought in that darke cloud of Popery, which
over&s;hadowed this whole Land.</P>
<P>4. God being mindefull of his goodnes to his Church,
within five yeares after rai&s;ed up ble&s;&s;ed Queen <HI>Elizabeth,</HI>
in who&s;e raigne that darke cloud of Popery was more tho|rowly
di&s;pelled then ever before: and Religion, in regard
of the truth and &s;oundne&s;&s;e of doctrine was re&s;tored to as
full an integrity, as ever it was in the Chri&s;tian Church
&s;ince the Apo&s;tles time. A grave, learned and judicious
out-landi&s;h Divine giveth this te&s;timony of Queen <HI>Eli|zabeth,</HI>
that under her that was granted to her Kingdome,
which he knew not whether it were given to any other
<PB N="35" REF="22">
Kingdome or no, namely, an intire profe&s;&s;ion of the pure
and &s;incere doctrine of the Go&s;pel. More learned and
&s;tout Champions, were in her raigne rai&s;ed up to main|taine
the &s;ame faith, then ever before in this King|dome.</P>
<P>5. There is yet another reformation now begun in this
Land,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ad quam &s;i plenam quo&s;&abque; eccle&s;ia&s;ticae di&s;ciplinae in|&s;taurationem adjunxeris, la|ne non video quid a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">p<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">us Anglia ip&s;a po&s;&s;it&agrave; te flagi. tare. Ibi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> which being added to the former, evidently de|mon&s;trates
that God doth intend better things then at our
beginnings. This is the Reformation of the Di&s;cipline
and Government of the Church: concerning which the
fore&s;aid judicious Divine thus &s;aith, If to the profe&s;&s;ion
of true Doctrine, a full reformation of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Di&s;|cipline
be al&s;o added, &s;urely I &s;ee not what <HI>England</HI> can
more de&s;ire.</P>
<P>If any &s;hall object,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rubs which hinder the Progres of Providence.</NOTE> that in many re&s;pects the &s;tate of our
Church hath growne wor&s;e and wor&s;e. I an&s;wer, that by
rea&s;on of our &s;luggi&s;hne&s;&s;e, want of zeal, and unworthy
walking of that light which. God graciou&s;ly afforded,
clouds of errour and &s;uper&s;tition gathered together: as by
the negligence and wickedne&s;&s;e of the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> the <HI>Cana|anites</HI>
were not utterly de&s;troyed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;hua 23. 13.</NOTE> but proved to be <HI>&s;nares
and traps unto them, and &s;courges in their &s;ides, and thornes
in their eyes.</HI> Yet God did time after time remove tho&s;e
impediments, and cau&s;e the light of his Go&s;pel more and
more brightly to &s;hine forth.</P>
<P>Why then may not we yet looke for better things then
at the beginning of our Reformation, and hope that as
then the <HI>Doctrine</HI> of the Go&s;pel was re&s;tored to the purity
of it: &s;o the <HI>Government</HI> al&s;o of the Church be re&s;tored to
its purity. Comfort your &s;elves in the&s;e &s;ad times with
this hope.</P>
<P>6. Gods re&s;erving his better things to the later times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">6. Gods increa|&s;ing goodnes, requires great|er thankfulnes.</NOTE>
mini&s;treth unto us, who have been re&s;erved unto the&s;e la|ter
<PB N="36" REF="23">
times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. 11.</NOTE> much matter of gratulation. The <HI>lea&s;t</HI> of us,
which live in this Kingdome of God (&s;tiled, for the cele&s;ti|all
excellency thereof, <HI>the Kingdome of Heaven</HI>) The lea&s;t
of us, I &s;ay, is greater then he of whom it is &s;aid, <HI>Among
them that are borne of women, there hath not ri&s;en a greater.</HI>
Had we lived in the ancient former times, and believed
the promi&s;es of things exhibited in the&s;e times, how &s;hould
we have enquired and &s;earched after them?<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1. 10.</NOTE> The <HI>Prophets</HI>
&s;o did. How &s;hould we have de&s;ired to &s;ee them? Ma|ny
<HI>Prophets</HI> and <HI>Kings</HI> &s;o did.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10. 24.</NOTE> How &s;hould we have re|joyced
to &s;ee this day?<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 8 56.</NOTE> <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;o did. Now that we
are re&s;erved to live in this time, to hear, &s;ee and enjoy
the&s;e better things, &s;hould not our hearts be filled with
prai&s;es, and our mouths opened to utter the &s;ame? God
hath made an abundant recompence unto us, who live in
the&s;e later dayes, for putting off our time of living in this
world &s;o long. It is to our un&s;peakable advantage and
benefit; and &s;hall not God have the prai&s;e thereof? True
believers now have greater cau&s;e then old <HI>Zachary</HI> had to
&s;ing and &s;ay, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God of I&s;rael, for he hath
vi&s;ited and redeemed his people.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 68. <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> 2. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> Yea, then old <HI>Simeon</HI> had
to &s;ay, <HI>Lord, now lette&s;t thou thy &s;ervant depart in peace, for
mine eyes have &s;een thy &s;alvation.</HI> The&s;e old men &s;aw but
the Sunne-ri&s;ing of the Go&s;pel. We &s;ee it &s;hining forth
in the full brightne&s;&s;e thereof. Should not we then be
thankfull, even for the times wherein we live?</P>
<P>Well may I,<NOTE PLACE="marg">7 Worthy wal|king.</NOTE> from the fore-mentioned Doctrine, rai&s;e an
Exhortation of worthy walking, that is, of carrying our
&s;elves an&s;werably to this good Providence of God, in re|&s;erving
us to the enjoying of better things. This worthy
walking in generall is much pre&s;&s;ed in Scripture, <HI>We
charge you that you would walke worthy of God, who hath cal|led
you to his Kingdome and Glory.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 2. 12.</NOTE> <HI>We cea&s;e not to de&s;ire that
<PB N="37" REF="23">
you might walke worthy of the Lord unto all plea&s;ing.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 10. Ephe&s;. 4. 1.</NOTE> <HI>I be&s;eech
ye that ye walke worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called.</HI></P>
<P>This word <GAP DESC="foreign">, worthy, doth not intend any merit, but
a meer meetne&s;&s;e; no condignity, but a congruity and
corre&s;pondency to that whereunto it is referred. This is
evident by that phra&s;e which the Bapti&s;t u&s;eth, where he
exhorteth to bring forth fruits <HI>worthy repentance,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. 8.</NOTE> which
our la&s;t and be&s;t Tran&s;lators thus turne, <HI>Fruits meet for re|pentance.</HI>
And in the margin thus, <HI>Fruits an&s;werable to a|mendment
of life.</HI> If in that place <GAP DESC="foreign">, worthy, &s;hould be
taken for any matter of de&s;ert, it might be thus tran&s;lated,
<HI>Fruits which de&s;erve repentance,</HI> that is, &s;uch as are to be
repented of. And what are tho&s;e fruits, thinke ye? &s;urely
evil,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 21.</NOTE> &s;uch as tho&s;e whereof the Apo&s;tle thus &s;aith, <HI>What
fruit had you then of tho&s;e things, whereof you are now a&s;hamed?
For the end of tho&s;e things is death.</HI> A catalogue of them is
reckoned up, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 19, 20, 21. But the word <GAP DESC="foreign">, is de|rived
from <GAP DESC="foreign">, which &s;ignifieth to poi&s;e: and the <HI>Me|taphor</HI>
is taken from things equally poi&s;ed: there being the
like weight in each balance, they &s;tand even. Thus
when mans inward di&s;po&s;ition, and outward conver&s;ation
is an&s;werable to Gods gracious di&s;pen&s;ation, it is in Scri|pture
dialect called <HI>a worthy walking.</HI> Hereby therefore it
i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> intended, that we who live in the&s;e later times, and en|joy
the better things which God hath provided for his
Church, &s;hould more abound in knowledge, be more
&s;trengthened in faith, be more e&s;tabli&s;hed in hope, be
more enlarged in our hearts with a zeal of Gods glory, be
more conformable in our lives to his holy will, be more
charitable to &s;uch as &s;tand in need, be more diligent and
faithfull in imploying and improving our talent, more pa|tient
under cro&s;&s;es, more ready and forward to &s;uffer for
<PB N="38" REF="24">
the name of Chri&s;t, and to &s;eale up our holy profe&s;&s;ion,
even with our blood, if we be called thereunto. It is not
enough for us to be <HI>followers of them, who through faith and
patience inherit the promi&s;es;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6. 12.</NOTE> but we mu&s;t &s;trive to out&s;trip
them. As we have more meanes of grace, &s;o we mu&s;t
more abound in the mea&s;ure of all Chri&s;tian graces. The
forementioned <HI>worthy walking</HI> intends thus much.</P>
<P>But may &s;ome &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How Chri&s;ti|ans are to ex|cell the anci|ent Jewes.</NOTE> Is this po&s;&s;ible? Can the be&s;t of us
now come neere to <HI>Abraham,</HI> other <HI>Patriarks</HI> and <HI>Prophets,</HI>
in knowledge, faith, parience and other like graces?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer fir&s;t, that indeed &s;ome had the Spirit in &s;uch
an extraordinary manner and mea&s;ure be&s;towed on them,
as they might excell &s;uch as live under the Go&s;pel. But
the compari&s;on is not &s;o much betwixt per&s;on and per&s;on,
as betwixt body and body. So as the point intended is,
that Gods people in the&s;e times &s;hould excell his people in
tho&s;e times.</P>
<P>Againe, though in &s;ome particular extraordinary gifts
and revelations, &s;ome of them excelled, yet in a full and
di&s;tinct knowledge of all the my&s;teries of the Go&s;pel,
and in other graces, we may and ought to excell
them.</P>
<P>If you be per&s;waded to the fore&s;aid <HI>worthy walking,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">How Chri&s;ti|ans walk wor|thy.</NOTE> I
will make bold to &s;et before you a direction, whereby you
may be much helped thereunto.</P>
<P>In generall it is this, that in every of the fore&s;aid dayes
of the great weeke of the world, you ob&s;erve the mo&s;t e|minent
per&s;ons recorded in the &s;acred Scripture, and the
mo&s;t excellent graces for which they are commended, and
thereby be &s;tirred up to an holy emulation.</P>
<P>This that ye may the better doe, I will endeavour to
&s;et before you (as the Apo&s;tle doth, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.) &s;ome of the
prime paterns, in every day.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="24">
<P>1. In the <HI>first</HI> day note e&s;pecially <HI>Abel,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;is 4. 4, Heb. 11. 4. Gene&s;is 4 26. Gene&s;is 5. 24.</NOTE> <HI>Eno&s;h</HI> and <HI>Enoch.
Abel</HI> &s;o ordered his offering, as his per&s;on and offering
was accepted. His faith occa&s;ioned it. <HI>Eno&s;h</HI> gathered
a&s;&s;emblies together to wor&s;hip God, and frequented the
&s;ame. <HI>Enoch</HI> in all that he did had his eye on God, to ap|prove
him&s;elf unto God.</P>
<P>2. In the <HI>&s;econd</HI> day ob&s;erve <HI>Noah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;is 6. 9, 11 Gene&s;is <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">. 23. Gene&s;is 14, 18, 20</NOTE> <HI>Japhet, Shem, Mel|chi&s;edech.
Noah</HI> &s;hined as a bright light in a dark and wic|ked
world. <HI>Japhet</HI> with his brother <HI>Shem,</HI> covered his Fa|thers
infirmity. <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> ble&s;&s;ed God for <HI>Abrams</HI> vi|ctory,
and encouraged his &s;ouldiers.</P>
<P>3. In the <HI>third</HI> day very many are &s;et before us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 13.</NOTE> as the
three great <HI>Patriarks:</HI> who all with much patience pa&s;&s;ed
thorow many trials, and long lived, and died in the faith
of tho&s;e Promi&s;es, which after their daies were to be ac|compli&s;hed.
<HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> in an impious and idolatrous Land
kept his integrity.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;is 42. 18 Namb. 14. 24. Jo&s;hua 24. 15. Judges. 2. 16, &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Caleb</HI> was a man of an invincible &s;pi|rit
in Gods cau&s;e, <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> al&s;o with his hou&s;hold would
&s;erve the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ruth 3. 16.</NOTE> though none el&s;e did it. How carefull
were the <HI>Iudges</HI> to draw the people from idolatry, and to
keep them clo&s;e to God? <HI>Ruth,</HI> after &s;he had been in&s;tru|cted
in the true Religion, went from her own Countrey,
with a poore Mother in Law, to the true Church.</P>
<P>4. In the <HI>fourth</HI> day we have excellent paterns of &s;ingu|lar
Governours, as <HI>David, Solomon, Ieho&s;haphat, Hezekiah,
Io&s;iah</HI> and others, who made it their main end, and put forth
their utmo&s;t power to advance Gods glory, &s;ettle and re|&s;tore
true Religion and peace, and procure good to their
people. In that day al&s;o, there were multitudes of faithfull
<HI>Prophets,</HI> who held clo&s;e to Gods Word, and would not
fal&s;ifie it for fear or favour. Such were <HI>Elijah, Eli&s;ha, Mi|caiah,
I&s;aiah, Ieremiah,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>5. In the <HI>fifth</HI> day there were worthy re&s;torers and re|formers
<PB N="40" REF="25">
of Religion, builders up of the hou&s;e of God, and
redre&s;&s;ers of grievances in State, and pre&s;ervers of Gods
people from pernitious plots of Adver&s;aries. Such were
<HI>Zerobabel, Ieho&s;hua, Ezra, Nehemiah, Mordecai, E&s;ther,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>6. In the beginning of the <HI>&s;ixt</HI> day, there were painfull
and faithfull preachers of the Go&s;pel, zealous and pious
profe&s;&s;ours of the true faith: mercifull and charitable bre|thren:
con&s;tant and couragious Martyrs.</P>
<P>The&s;e being re&s;erved to the beginning of the la&s;t day,
wherein the better things were exhibited, an&s;werably
carried them&s;elves, and were in many re&s;pects better then
&s;uch as lived before them.</P>
<P>Should not we then who live in the later part of the la&s;t
day (to which better things are re&s;erved then in the for|mer
part) endeavour to be better then all the former?
What a &s;hame is it to us to be &s;o ignorant, &s;o &s;uper&s;titious,
&s;o doubtfull, &s;o fearfull, &s;o cold and backward to good, &s;o
impatient, &s;o di&s;content, &s;o worldly, &s;o wicked, as many of
us are?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 41, 42.</NOTE> If the men of <HI>Nineveh,</HI> and <HI>Queen</HI> of the <HI>South</HI> &s;hall
ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t the Jews, who lived in Chri&s;ts
time: much more &s;hall &s;uch as lived either in the begin|ning
of this la&s;t day, or in other daies before it, ri&s;e up in
judgement again&s;t us. I will conclude this point, and my
Sermon too,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 12. 1.</NOTE> with that inference which an Apo&s;tle makes
upon a like ground, in the&s;e words, <HI>Wherefore &s;eeing we al|&s;o
are compa&s;sed about with &s;o great a cloud of witne&s;ses, let
us lay a&s;ide every weight, and the &s;in which doth &s;o
ea&s;ily be&s;et us, and let us runne with patience
the race that is &s;et before us.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="25">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
