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<DATE>2011-11-01</DATE>
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<NAME>Lauren Proux</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A LEARNED AND VERY USEFVLL COMMENTARY VPON THE WHOLE PROPHESIE OF MALACHY.</P>
<P>BY That late Reverend, Godly and Learned Divine, Mr. RICHARD STOCK, &s;ometime <HI>Rector</HI> of <HI>Alhallowes Bread&s;treet, London,</HI> and now, according to the Originall Copy left by him, publi&s;hed for the common good.</P>
<P>Whereunto is added, AN EXERCITATION VPON THE SAME PROPHESIE OF MALACHY.</P>
<P>By SAMUEL TORSHELL,</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>T.H.</HI> and <HI>R. H.</HI> for <HI>Samuel Enderbey</HI> and are to be &s;old at the Starre in Popes head alley, 1641:</P>
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<PB REF="2">
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>portrait of Reverend Stock</FIGDESC>
<L>Reador if euer Fame did fill thy eare</L>
<L>withe name of Reuerent Stock, behold him heere,</L>
<L>Not in this Shaddow onely, but turne ore,</L>
<L>the Booke, and venve this Stock&egrave;s improued store.</L>
<L>There shalt find mix't with Graue Diuinitie</L>
<L>a Prophets depe mysterious Prophecy.</L>
<L>then thanke his care whose goodne&s;s doth unlocke,</L>
<L>and publish to y^e world <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Rich a Stocke.</L>
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<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<HEAD><HI>TO</HI> The ancient Friends and Hearers of the <HI>Au|thor, e&s;pecially to the Right Wor&s;hipfull</HI> EDWARD RUDGE Alderman; To the Wor&s;hipfull <HI>Captaine</HI> JOHN VEN, M^r. WILLIAM KENDALL, Mr. RICHARD ELLIS, with the re&s;t of the Inhabitants of the <HI>par|ri&s;h of Alhallowes Bread|&s;treet,</HI> LONDON.</HEAD>
<P>_MY owne occa&s;ions, together with &s;ome other difficulties and impediments, have hither|to hindred a purpo&s;e that I had, from the very fir&s;t time that the papers of this worthy man were in|tru&s;ted to me, to communicate them to the World and to you. But I have now done it, and I hope it is not too late, either to re|vive his memorie, or your remembrance of tho&s;e things you have heard from him. I will not beleeve that you have forgotten, or can forget a Pa&s;tor whom you did &s;o much
<PB REF="4">love and reverence: For he was a burning and &s;hining light,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John</HI> 5.35.</NOTE> and yee rejoiced in his light. I have taken this paines to peru&s;e his notes,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 11.4.</NOTE> that he againe though dead might &s;till &s;peake unto you: and I doe endea|vour that now after his decea&s;e you may have the&s;e things alwaies in your remembrance.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.15.</NOTE> God was plea&s;ed to &s;end you a rich trea&s;ure by his Mini&s;terie;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.7.</NOTE> but this trea&s;ure was brought unto you in an Earthen ve&s;&s;ell; and lea&s;t haplie when that earthen ve&s;&s;ell was broke by &s;ickne&s;&s;e and death, and the &s;hards throwne into the Earth, you &s;aved not the trea&s;ure; I have now gathered &s;ome of it, and kowing to whom it did belong, have brought it back to Re&s;tore it unto you Now what remains,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ephe.</HI> 4.21.</NOTE> but that you enjoy it &amp; u&s;e it&punc; let that be your care to be an&s;werable to the Do|ctrine you have received; to walke &s;o as yee have learned Chri&s;t. If &s;o bee that yee have heard him, and have been taught by him as the truth is in JESUS. This is the onely thing that I have to &s;ay unto you; that your conver&s;ation may tell the world you doe re|member him. Let him live in your lives; That &s;o even they who never knew him, nor ever heard him preach a Sermon, may &s;ee by your practi&s;e what and how hee preached
<PB REF="4">And as yee have made a <HI>Monument</HI> for him in your Church; &s;et up one al&s;o in every one of your lives; you &s;hall thereby doe him a greater honor, then that &s;tone-work (though otherwi&s;e a Commendable Te&s;timonie of your love and re&s;pect) can doe him. Be yee your &s;elves his Monument, his Statue,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Phil.</HI> 4.1.</NOTE> his Trophee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.19.</NOTE> and as the Philippians and The&s;&s;a|lonians were to St. <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.2.</NOTE> his Crown of glory|ing. Be yee his Epi&s;tle known and read of all men: Let all men &s;ee what he writ in you: What precepts of Holine&s;&s;e, of Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, of Temperance,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45.1.</NOTE> hee wrote downe in your hearts, when his tongue was the pen of a readie writer &s;o long among you. He was a Father I &s;uppo&s;e unto manie of you, I have heard &s;ome of you profe&s;&s;e it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.15.</NOTE> (though yee have ten thou&s;and in&s;tructers in Chri&s;t, yet have yee not many Fathers,) If in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> hee hath begotten you through the Go&s;pell, bee followers of him, imitate him &s;o, as that men may &s;ay of you, when they &s;ee the grave and &s;ober, and godlie carriage of any of you, he hath his fathers Counteinance, he hath his fathers Gate. He &s;et a mo&s;t faire Copy, doe yee imitate the hand. He did as his great Ma|&s;ter,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> 10.3.4. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.12.</NOTE> he went before his flocke: And was an example of beleivers, in word, in Conver&s;a|tion,
<PB REF="5">in Charity, in Spirit, in faith, in purity; In all things he &s;hewed him&s;elfe a patterne, a &s;tampe,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Tit.</HI> 2.7.</NOTE> that is the Apo&s;tles word, &s;uch a &s;tampe,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> as makes an Image of it in Coine, or &s;uch a &s;tamp as Printers u&s;e, which leaves an Impre&s;&s;ion on the Paper: be yee his Impre&s;|&s;ion, be yee his printed worke; be yee the Commentary your &s;elves, and then yee need not buy it at the &s;hops: He was <HI>Typus Gre|gis,</HI> be yee <HI>Antitypon Pa&s;toris:</HI> Goe through the world like good and current Coine, with the right &s;tampe.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat</HI> 22.20.</NOTE> Shew who&s;e Super&s;cripti|on and Image you beare; on one &s;ide Gods, on the other &s;ide Ce&s;ars, and both &s;tampt upon you by your Pa&s;tor, who was wont to Preach unto you tho&s;e two points, Holi|ne&s;&s;e and Obedience. Shew that you &s;uffe|red him while you &s;ate under his Pulpit, to enter deep into your hearts: A deep &s;tamp is long before it is worne out; let it appeare that the&s;e fifteene yeeres &s;ince he dyed, you have not forgotten the word of his exhorta|tion. They heare be&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luke</HI> 11.28.</NOTE> that practice be&s;t: If any of you be prophane and unholy, if de|ceitfull and di&s;hone&s;t in your dealings, if in|temperate, voluptuous and wanton; yee might happily bee his Hearers, and in the throng, but none of his Di&s;ciples, but &s;uch
<PB REF="5">as li&s;tned with the other eare to your lu&s;ts. But I am per&s;waded better things of you,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 6.9.</NOTE> and things that accompany &s;alvation, though I thus &s;peake: for I know your husbandman was skilfull, and the &s;eed good.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Math.</HI> 13.3. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.23.</NOTE> Beare not therefore thorns and briars, for &s;uch ground is rejected and nigh unto cur&s;ing, who&s;e end is to be burned; but rather &s;hew your &s;elves to be the earth that hath drunk in the raine that came oft upon you, and bring forth fruit, that &s;o you may receive a further ble&s;&s;ing from God. Unto who&s;e ble&s;&s;ing and mo&s;t gra|cious protection I commend you, and re|maine,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your &s;ervant in the Lord, <HI>SAM. TORSHELL.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="6">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>To the READER.</HEAD>
<P>_THE holy Scriptures that had &s;o many prai|&s;es given unto them by the Antients, were by them much read and &s;tudied; who u&s;ed al&s;o many waies of interpreting them: wee finde their <HI>Commentaries,</HI> that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> writings in which they &s;et downe-heads for remembran|ces: <HI>Interpretations,</HI> that is, Enarrations,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> as they called them, or Examinations of the words: <HI>Significations,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>Scholies,</HI> that is, Glo&s;&s;es which they writ at their lei&s;ures in their ordinary reading: <HI>Metaphra&s;es,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> delivering the text in other words: <HI>Paraphra&s;es,</HI> a larger and the noble&s;t kind of interpreting: and <HI>Homilies,</HI> &s;ermons to the mul|titude, in which kinde they were wont to undertake whole bookes, as appeares by <HI>S. Chry&s;o&s;t. Aug.</HI> and others. But afterwards, as the skill in <HI>Hebrew</HI> began by degrees, after the Apo&s;tles time, to be well nigh quite lo&s;t; &s;o when the <HI>Greeke</HI> &s;un did al&s;o &s;et, at length it came to pa&s;&s;e that the <HI>Bible</HI> was &s;carce at all u&s;ed. Till about, An. <HI>800.</HI> it was read over in great&egrave;r Churches once every yeer; about which time <HI>Paul Warnenfrid</HI> (u&s;ually called <HI>Paul the Deacon</HI>) at the Command of <HI>Charlemain</HI> did inartifi|cially divide out <HI>Epi&s;tles</HI> and <HI>Go&s;pels,</HI> and writ <HI>Po|&s;tils</HI> on them, which &s;oone came to be only in u&s;e, and all other parts of Scripture in a manner neglected. After his
<PB REF="7">time &s;ome wrote <HI>Commentaries,</HI> but rarely, as <HI>Aponius</HI> on the <HI>Canticles, Claudius Se&s;ellius</HI> on <HI>St. Luke, An|gelomus</HI> the <HI>Monk</HI> on the <HI>Kings</HI> and <HI>Canticles, VVa|lafridus Strabus</HI> Collector of the <HI>Ordinary glo&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Haimo</HI> on <HI>S. Pauls Epi&s;tles,</HI> all of them much about <HI>Paul's</HI> time. But afterwards much more rarely, <HI>Pa&s;cha&s;ius Ra|bertus Abbot</HI> of <HI>Corbey</HI> wrote upon the <HI>Lamentations,</HI> and <HI>Remigius Monke,</HI> and afterwards <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Au|xerre</HI> on the <HI>P&s;almes, Canticles</HI> and <HI>Mathew,</HI> about An. <HI>880. Ambro&s;. Ansbertus,</HI> a <HI>French Monke,</HI> on the <HI>Canticles,</HI> anno <HI>890. Bruno Archbi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Colein</HI> on the <HI>Pentateuch,</HI> an. <HI>937.</HI> After him we finde none till <HI>Paul</HI> of <HI>Jenoa</HI> wrote on the <HI>P&s;almes</HI> and <HI>Jeremy,</HI> which was, anno <HI>1054.</HI> onely <HI>Bale</HI> mentions one <HI>Serlo</HI> a <HI>Monk</HI> of <HI>Dover</HI> a <HI>Commentator,</HI> about anno. <HI>956.</HI> And till <HI>1100.</HI> or thereabouts, wee finde &s;ome, as <HI>Oecumenius,</HI> and the two <HI>An&s;elms</HI> of <HI>Luca</HI> and <HI>Canterbury,</HI> and <HI>Ste|phanus Anglicus, Rupert, Bernard,</HI> and <HI>Philip,</HI> an <HI>Ab|bot</HI> in <HI>Heinalt,</HI> a familiar friend of <HI>S. Bernards.</HI> But when once <HI>Schoole Divinity</HI> got the Kingdome, all &s;tudi|ed that, and laid the Scripture by. <HI>Peter Come&s;tor</HI> in|deed had the Scripture by heart; but his brother <HI>Lom|bard</HI> brought <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> into more reque&s;t then <HI>S^t. Paul,</HI> as the <HI>Sorbonne</HI> at <HI>Paris</HI> complained. Then it was that preaching on the Scripture had gone altogether out of u&s;e, had not <HI>Dominicke</HI> a <HI>Spaniard,</HI> the founder of the Order of <HI>Preaching Friars,</HI> about an. <HI>1200.</HI> commanded his di|&s;ciples to reade the Scripture, and carry nothing but the <HI>Bible</HI> with them when they went to Preach. And yet by the&s;e pretended friends of the Scripture, was the Scrip|ture likewi&s;e trampled upon, who preferred <HI>Dominick</HI> before <HI>S^t. Paul,</HI> according to that Picture of them both in one table,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John Wolf. lect. memor. Tom. <HI>1.</HI> Cent. <HI>13.</HI> ad an. <HI>1205.</HI></NOTE> which <HI>John Wolfius</HI> tels us, was not much af|ter that time to be &s;een in <HI>Venice;</HI> under <HI>St. Pauls</HI> was writ, <HI>By him you may goe to Chri&s;t,</HI> and under <HI>Do|minicks</HI> Picture; <HI>By him you may goe to Chri&s;t
<PB REF="7">more ea&s;ily.</HI> And &s;o things &s;tood till the&s;e latter times, when about the time of the <HI>Reformation,</HI> the <HI>Bible</HI> was a booke &s;carcely &s;o much as known: when <HI>Melancthon</HI> reports he heard &s;ome preach upon <HI>texts</HI> taken out of <HI>Ari|&s;totles Ethicks;</HI> and <HI>Andreas Carolo&s;tadius</HI> was eight yeeres <HI>Doctor</HI> when he began to read the Scripture, and yet at the taking of his degree had been pronounced <HI>Suffici|enti&s;&s;imus.</HI> But that which I &s;hall content my &s;elfe with as an in&s;tance for all, is that which is reported of <HI>Albert Archbi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Ments;</HI> who being at the <HI>Dyet</HI> at <HI>Au&s;|bourg,</HI> an. <HI>1530.</HI> and finding a <HI>Bible</HI> on the table, and reading &s;ome leaves where by chance hee opened it, &s;aid, <HI>Truly I know not what booke this is, but this I &s;ee, that it makes all again&s;t us.</HI> But when the knowledge of the tongues began to flouri&s;h, then the &s;tudy of Scrip|ture revived: for till a little before the <HI>Reformation,</HI> there were few or none that cared for, or indevoured any skill in the <HI>Greek,</HI> much le&s;&s;e in the <HI>Hebrew:</HI> yea mo&s;t were then of <HI>John Dullards</HI> minde, who was Schoole-ma&s;ter to <HI>Ludovicus Vives,</HI> and was wont to &s;ay unto him; <HI>The better Grammarian thou prove&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ludov. Viv. de cau&s;. Corrup. l. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> <HI>thou wilt bee the wor&s;e Philo&s;opher and Divine;</HI> we know what oppo&s;ition <HI>Era&s;mus</HI> met withall in this cau&s;e: and <HI>Arias Montanus</HI> for his paines in the <HI>Biblia Regia,</HI> was accu|&s;ed of here&s;ie before the <HI>Pope,</HI> (it &s;eemes by his preface before the <HI>Bible,</HI> they were Je&s;uits that &s;o accu&s;ed him) &s;o that hee was faine to write an Apology for him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hi&s;t. Conc. Trid.</NOTE> (which he did in the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> tongue) which is in <HI>Ox|ford Library:</HI> Yet at length the <HI>Je&s;uits</HI> them&s;elves, and others of the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> were drawne to have a better opinion of this kind of learning, and the learned par|ty grew &s;o &s;trong, that it came at lea&s;t to a Con&s;ultation in the <HI>Councell</HI> of <HI>Trent,</HI> about the examining of the vul|gar Latine tran&s;lation of the <HI>Bible</HI> by the <HI>Originals. Fri|ar Aloi&s;ius</HI> of <HI>Catanea</HI> took the confidence to give an high commendation to <HI>Cardinall Cajetan,</HI> as the prime Divine
<PB REF="8">of that and many ages, who was wont to &s;ay, <HI>That to un|der&s;tand the Latin text, was not to under&s;tand Gods infallible word, but the tran&s;lators:</HI> and therefore having him&s;elfe no knowledge in the <HI>Originals,</HI> hee imployed men to render the Scripture word for word unto him, and &s;o &s;pent all his latter dayes, which were eleven yeeres after his going <HI>Legate</HI> into <HI>Germany.</HI> &V;pon this relation <HI>Aloi&s;ius</HI> propounded the examination. But there were too many to oppo&s;e &s;o good a propo&s;ition. They &s;aid it would be ten yeeres in doing; that if they did it they &s;hould open a gap to the <HI>Lutherans,</HI> and overthrow many Do|ctrines of the <HI>Roman Church</HI> which were grounded on the <HI>Latine tran&s;lation;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Amama hath collected tho&s;e particular er|rors, in his Cen&s; Vulg. Edit. c. <HI>1.</HI> pro leg.</NOTE> and that if they &s;hould doe it, the Inqui&s;itors would not be able to proceed again&s;t the <HI>Lu|therans,</HI> who would bee alwaies readie to &s;ay, <HI>It is not &s;o in the Originall.</HI> The&s;e were hone&s;t men, and &s;poke plainely, by whom we come to know what it was that hin|dred the worke. Others were more fine, and they &s;aid, That it was to bee beleeved that the <HI>Latine Church</HI> was not le&s;&s;e beloved of God then the <HI>Hebrew</HI> or <HI>Greeke Church,</HI> who had an <HI>Authenticque Text,</HI> and &s;ure the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> dictated the <HI>Latine Tran&s;lation,</HI> or if the Tran&s;lator had not a propheticall &s;pirit, yet one very neere it. But <HI>I&s;idorus Clarus</HI> a <HI>Bre&s;cian,</HI> a <HI>Benedictine Ab|bot</HI> went again&s;t this unrea&s;onable opinion, and &s;aid much again&s;t it, which the reader may finde in the judicious Hi&s;to|ry of the <HI>Councell.</HI> However, the &s;treame went to the approbation of the vulgar, only the <HI>Cardinall Santa croce,</HI> that he might comply fairely with tho&s;e that voted for a correction, told them that there were no errors of faith in it, and yet yeelded that &s;ix might be deputed to frame a corrected Copie to print by. But what correction was meant, appeares by the preface before the <HI>Edition</HI> of <HI>Cle|ment</HI> the eighth, that it &s;hould be purged from the <HI>Errata</HI> of the <HI>Tran&s;cribers.</HI> And they were long about this; the pre|face tels us, that <HI>Pius</HI> the <HI>IV.</HI> and <HI>V.</HI> laboured in it, and
<PB REF="8">&s;elected <HI>Cardinals,</HI> but the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was, through the occa|&s;ions of the <HI>Roman Sea,</HI> intermitted more then <HI>20</HI> yeeres from the di&s;&s;olving of the <HI>Councell,</HI> till <HI>Sixtus</HI> the <HI>V.</HI> performed it. <HI>Lucas Burgen&s;is</HI> in a particular tract hath collected all the <HI>Corrections</HI> made in that <HI>Edition.</HI> That of <HI>Sixtus</HI> was two or three yeeres after purged by <HI>Cle|ment</HI> the <HI>VIII.</HI> and yet <HI>Brugen&s;is</HI> hath found a Catalogue of <HI>Errata</HI> &s;till, and brings in <HI>Bellarmine</HI> confe&s;&s;ing as much: and yet the worke from the fir&s;t to the la&s;t was not le&s;&s;e then of <HI>46.</HI> yeeres, and boa&s;ted of with high and <HI>Papall</HI> language. <HI>Sixtus</HI> his <HI>Bull</HI> is now left out of the <HI>Bibles,</HI> and &s;o is <HI>Clements Breve Apo&s;tolicum</HI> out of mo&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Antib. Bibl. p. <HI>162.</HI></NOTE> which yet the reader &s;hall finde carefully pre&s;erved and to good u&s;e, by <HI>Amama</HI> in his <HI>Antibarbarus Biblicus.</HI> Wee for our part count no Tran&s;lation <HI>authenticall,</HI> and e&s;teem it a tyrannie both in the <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> and <HI>Lutheran</HI> Churches, that no man without circumlocutions and in&s;inuations and apologies may &s;hew the very lea&s;t di&s;&s;ent.</P>
<P>But the &s;trife about the Tran&s;lation, equals not that which hath been about the <HI>Sence.</HI> The <HI>Acts</HI> that have beene u&s;ed by the <HI>Romani&s;ts</HI> for the &s;ettling and e&s;tabli&s;h|ing <HI>The Right of Interpretation</HI> upon the <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Rome,</HI> have been well known, wherby they have laboured to make him the <HI>Oracle</HI> to the world, as the <HI>Turki&s;h Mufti</HI> is (by the relation of <HI>Busbequius</HI>) in tho&s;e parts;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Busbeq. epi&s;t. <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> finding it to be the mo&s;t expedite way to gaine the opinion of the publique and authori&s;ed interpreter. But we have little rea&s;on to yeeld over the Title to him, knowing how readie he and his &s;ervants are to make advantage of every thing that hath any likelihood to advance them, yea how they wre&s;t and abu&s;e Scriptures to the maintenance of eve|rie cau&s;e of theirs, e&s;peciallie the intolerable pride, and u|&s;urpations of the Pope.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Arch B. of Cant. in his <HI>2</HI> &amp; en|larged Edition of his mo&s;t lear|ned relation of the Confe. &s;ect. <HI>26.</HI> nu. <HI>12.</HI> p. <HI>209.</HI></NOTE> An in&s;tance of this wee have in that notable ob&s;ervation which my Lord of <HI>Canterbury</HI> his <HI>Grace</HI> hath made upon the <HI>Fronti&s;pice</HI> of <HI>John de Puente</HI> his booke of <HI>The Agreement of the two Catho|like
<PB REF="9">Monarchies;</HI> where the Text, Gene&s;. <HI>1.16.</HI> is ap|plyed, as <HI>Innocentius</HI> had done long before, and the words <HI>Luminare Majus, The greater light,</HI> are over the <HI>Por|traiture</HI> of <HI>Rome.</HI> An ob&s;ervation out of a Picture, whereby his Grace hath done the &s;ame &s;ervice for the di&s;|covery of the <HI>Romi&s;h Arts,</HI> which that other noble pro|te&s;tant my Lord <HI>Duple&s;&s;is,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">My&s;ter: Ini|qui in pre&s;at.</NOTE> did out of another picture or <HI>Fronti&s;pice</HI> printed before two bookes, one at <HI>Bononia,</HI> An. <HI>1608.</HI> the other at <HI>Naples,</HI> An. <HI>1609.</HI> wherein <HI>Pope Paul the V.</HI> is lively pictured in a <HI>Table</HI> with this In|&s;cription. <HI>TO PAUL THE FIFTH VICE-GOD, THE MOST INVINCIBLE MONARCH OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMON WEALTH, AND THE MOST STOUT MAINTAINER OF THE PONTIFICIAN OMNIPOTEN|CIE.</HI> This Table hangs within a triumphall <HI>Arch,</HI> on either &s;ide hung with Crowns, Diadems and Scepters, after the &s;everall fa&s;hions and wearings of the <HI>Kings</HI> of the whole world. At the foot of the Arch, &s;it on the one hand <HI>Europe</HI> and <HI>Africa,</HI> with the&s;e words of the Pro|phet, <HI>Kings &s;hall be thy nur&s;ing fathers, and Queens thy nur&s;ing mothers,</HI> on the other hand, <HI>A&s;ia</HI> and <HI>A|merica</HI> with the following words, <HI>With their face to|wards the earth, they &s;hall licke up the du&s;t of thy feet.</HI> E&s;ai. <HI>49.23.</HI> Above there are <HI>winged Schroles,</HI> in one upon the right hand over &s;ome <HI>ruines</HI> of <HI>buil|dings,</HI> is that text in Jer. <HI>27.8.</HI> but &s;omewhat altered; <HI>The Nation and Kingdome which will not &s;erve him, that Nation will I puni&s;h, &s;aith the Lord, with the Sword, and with Famine, and with pe&s;tilence.</HI> In the other on the left hand, that place, Dan. <HI>7.14.</HI> applyed with more bla&s;phemy, <HI>There was given him domini|on and a Kingdome, and all people &s;hall &s;erve him: his dominion is an everla&s;ting dominion, which &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e away, and his Kingdome that which &s;hall
<PB REF="9">not be de&s;troyed.</HI> Others al&s;o of them have beene as bold with the holy Text. The <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Bitonto</HI> in his Sermon at the opening of the <HI>Councell</HI> at <HI>Trent,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hi&s;t. Conc. Trid. l. <HI>2.</HI> ad. m. <HI>15.45.</HI></NOTE> advi|&s;ing men to obey the <HI>Councell,</HI> &s;aid, <HI>El&s;e it will be &s;aid, the Popes light is come into the world, and men loved darkne&s;&s;e rather then light.</HI> So applying the Text, Joh. <HI>3.18.</HI> But the judicious writer of the Hi&s;tory notes it, That many were offended with that &s;peech. It will al|waies prove an intangled title to the <HI>Pope.</HI> Who then mu&s;t be the Judge? <HI>Era&s;mus</HI> is faine to leave his <HI>But|cher</HI> and <HI>Fi&s;hmonger</HI> wrangling in this point,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eaa&s; Colleq. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> and when they have &s;aid all, yet unre&s;olved. There are many that would ca&s;t it upon the <HI>Fathers,</HI> and that we mu&s;t &s;tand to what they &s;ay: But that were to make them not expoun|ders, but lawgivers. Wee regard them highly, but yeeld them not the <HI>Royalty</HI> of a <HI>Mint,</HI> as <HI>Mornay</HI> &s;peakes: be|&s;ides, we neither finde all difficulties explicated by them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">D. Fr. White Orth. Faith. ch. <HI>4.</HI> parag. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> nor in what they doe explicate, an agreement. In the ve|ry <HI>Councell</HI> of <HI>Trent,</HI> another &s;aying of <HI>Cardinall Ca|jetans, That a new &s;ence of Scripture is not to be re|jected, though it be again&s;t the old Doctors, &s;eeing power is left now al&s;o to interpret;</HI> was by &s;ome much commended, who thought it a tyranny to forbid the faith|full the u&s;e of their owne proper ingenie: others indeed op|po&s;ed it, accounting <HI>Licen&s;e</HI> wor&s;e then <HI>Tyranny,</HI> a|mong others, <HI>Richard</HI> of <HI>Mans</HI> a <HI>Franci&s;can friar,</HI> went &s;o farre as to &s;ay, The Doctrine of faith is now &s;o cleared, that we ought to learne it no more out of the Scriptures, which heretofore were read in the Church for in&s;truction, but now only are read to pray by, not to &s;tudy. There were not many that adhered to him; the better part elivered them&s;elves as <HI>Dominicus &agrave; Soto</HI> did, That it was fit to keepe every wit within limits for matters of faith and manners, but el&s;e to leave them to their liberty for the &s;en&s;e. Others of them yet more plainely, That it was not fit to re&s;traine the under&s;tanding of the Scriptures
<PB REF="10">to the fathers only, who&s;e expo&s;itions were mo&s;t part <HI>Al|legoricall,</HI> &s;eldome <HI>ltierall,</HI> and tho&s;e fitted to their owne time. And many men have profitably u&s;ed their liberty, e&s;pecially &s;uch as have &s;ought out the literall &s;ence. The <HI>Allegory,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luth. in Gen. <HI>30.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Luther</HI> cals it <HI>a beauteous whore,</HI> that inti|ceth idle men, who thinke them&s;elves in Paradi&s;e and Gods bo&s;ome, when they fall upon &s;uch &s;peculations: Such was their interpretation, who by the cleane bea&s;ts in the Arke under&s;tood Virgins, and by the uncleane, Married Per&s;ons.<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Bp. Morton Appl. pn. <HI>2.</HI> l. <HI>5.</HI> Ch. <HI>15.</HI></NOTE> And theirs upon P&s;al. <HI>74.13. Thou brake&s;t the heads of the Dragons in the waters,</HI> that is, Devils are expelled by holy water &s;prinkled by the Prie&s;ts. Luke <HI>5.4. Duc in altum;</HI> that is, <HI>Peter</HI> goe thou to <HI>Rome,</HI> the head and chiefe Citty, and there &s;pread thy net, <HI>1</HI> King <HI>17.6. Crowes brought fle&s;h to</HI> Eliah, that is, Lay|men are to give all nece&s;&s;ary things to Monks.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Philol. Sacr. l. <HI>2.</HI> Tr. <HI>2.</HI> pt. &s;ect. <HI>3.</HI> art. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Solomon Gla&s;&s;ius</HI> hath collected many examples. I will only adde that of <HI>Antonius Archbi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Florence,</HI> upon Zach. <HI>11.7. of Dominick and his Order, Zachariah &s;pake in the per&s;on of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anton. Hi&s;t. pt. <HI>3.</HI> Tit. <HI>23.</HI></NOTE> I tooke unto me two &s;taves, the one I called Beauty, and the other</HI> (funiculum) <HI>Bands: Beauty, is the order of Preachers,</HI> funiculus, <HI>the Order of Minors, who are girt with a cord.</HI> Thus as the Camels they drinke not of the fountaine till they have pudled it with their feet, <HI>St. Hierome</HI> had been much delighted this way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hier. in prolog ad Obad.</NOTE> but found his owne error. <HI>When I was young</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>I interpreted the Prophet</HI> O|badiah <HI>allegorically, becau&s;e I was ignorant of the Hi&s;tory. I thought then I could read a &s;ealed booke. No man can write &s;o ill, but &s;ome will like it. Such a one prai&s;ed it, but I blu&s;h't; I now freely profe&s;&s;e, that was the worke of my childi&s;h wit, this of my mature age.</HI> But I &s;hall not need to enlarge a|gain&s;t this, which even <HI>Salmeron</HI> and <HI>Ribera,</HI> and o|ther Je&s;uits them&s;elves have inveyed again&s;t. But the li|terall &s;ence is the mo&s;t noble and on all hands mo&s;t allowed:
<PB REF="10">And that &s;ence our Learned and Reverend Author, M^r. <HI>Richard Stock</HI> hath every where &s;ought and followed throughout this his plain and mo&s;t whol&s;ome <HI>Commenta|ry</HI> on <HI>Malachy,</HI> every where ob&s;erving &s;o many of tho&s;e cir|cum&s;tances as his Text would give him leave to ob&s;erve, which <HI>Gla&s;&s;ius</HI> hath put together into two ver&s;es;</P>
<Q><LG>
<L><HI>Quis, Scopus, Impellens, Sedes, Tempu&s;que, Locu&s;&abque;,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Et Modus, Haec Septem Scripturae attendito Lector.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>The Author, Scope, Occa&s;ion, Theme, Time, Place and next</L>
<L>The Forme. The&s;e &s;even let him attend that reades the text.</L>
</LG></Q>
<P>I have publi&s;hed him out of his owne Originall notes, and as largly as him&s;elfe writ: Onely whereas on the third Chapter, ver&s;e the &s;eventh, he had more largely treated of the <HI>Doctrine of Repentance,</HI> upon the reque&s;t of his <HI>Au|ditory,</HI> who de&s;ired him to divert his ordinary cour&s;e, as appeares by his Dedicatory Epi&s;tle, to the <HI>Lord William Knowls,</HI> that I have omitted, becau&s;e him&s;elfe did pub|li&s;h it in his life time, Anno <HI>1608.</HI></P>
<P>I have followed his owne manner in the publi&s;hing of this, and have &s;et his <HI>quotations</HI> of <HI>Fathers</HI> and other <HI>Latine Authors</HI> in their owne words in the <HI>Margin,</HI> and the <HI>Greeke Fathers,</HI> rendred into <HI>Latine,</HI> becau&s;e many readers under&s;tand not the <HI>Greeke,</HI> which is his own rea|&s;on given in his Epi&s;tle to the Reader, before that <HI>Trea|ti&s;e.</HI> Out of which Epi&s;tle of his I will al&s;o an&s;wer to tho&s;e that may di&s;like his frequent u&s;e of the Fathers, in his own words, <HI>If any</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>di&s;like my alleaging of Fathers, (as &s;ome have my u&s;ing of rea&s;ons to confirm the Doctrine, but with very little rea&s;on as I &s;uppo&s;e)
<PB REF="11">I mu&s;t pray them to give me leave to u&s;e them, till I can &s;ee that unlawfulne&s;&s;e which they affirme to be in the practi&s;e; and to cen&s;ure me in charity for the u&s;e of them, as I doe them for not u&s;ing them. I will looke as well to my heart in the u&s;e of them, as God &s;hall inable me, and when I &s;hall &s;ee the hurt of them, I will as much indeavour to avoid them; in the mean time I will make the be&s;t u&s;e I can of them, to edifie the Church of God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But I will detaine thee no longer in a preface, but com|mend the booke to thy reading, and that to Gods ble&s;&s;ing.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thine in the Lord,</HI> SAM. TORSHELL.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="testimony">
<PB REF="11">
<HEAD>A Breviat of the Te&s;timony given by <HI>Mr. Ga|taker,</HI> to <HI>Mr. Richard Stook,</HI> at his Funerall Sermon.</HEAD>
<P>_THAT the Reader, if hee were not acquainted with the Author of this Com|mentary in his life time, may know what he was, I have thought fit to pre&s;ent unto him, a briefer view of that more large Te&s;timony, which Mr. <HI>Thomas Gataker,</HI> preaching at his fune|rall, did de&s;ervedly give him.</P>
<P>After he hath commended him for his <HI>un|weariable indu&s;try</HI> and <HI>&s;ingular proficiency</HI> in his owne, and his <HI>abilitie</HI> and <HI>willingne&s;&s;e</HI> to bee helpefull to others <HI>Studies,</HI> even while hee was young in the <HI>Colledge;</HI> Hee de&s;cends to the con&s;ideration of him in his publique cal|ling, That he proved <HI>a painefull, a faithfull Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t, a skilfull, a powerfull di&s;pen|&s;er of Gods word.</HI></P>
<P>The proofes of which were, his con&s;tant and ince&s;&s;ant imployments in <HI>Preaching</HI> twice every Sabbath for many yeeres; be&s;ides his <HI>Catechi&s;ing</HI> the younger &s;ort in the week days, (which he did with notable di&s;cretion, the males and females apart, the riper and for|warder
<PB REF="12">in the pre&s;ence of the ruder and rawer, and then the rawer by them&s;elves; together with other offices of his Pa&s;torall function, privatly performed.</P>
<P>Which <HI>Mini&s;tery</HI> of his was very effectu|all, &s;o that be&s;ides many other Chri&s;tian Souls converted by him (in which &s;ucce&s;&s;e few Mini&s;ters were to bee compared with him) many faithfull Mini&s;ters al&s;o received their fir&s;t beginnings of light and &s;pirituall life and grace, from his Mini&s;tery; So that he did not only winne many &s;oules, but ma|ny winners of Souls.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e two things which make a Com|pleat man, had an happy conjunction in him, namely <HI>Integrity</HI> and <HI>Judgement.</HI> The proofes of which were, both the de&s;ire that many had to u&s;e him for the over&s;ight of their la&s;t Wils, and for the di&s;po&s;ing of their e&s;tates; And that &s;o many reverend Mini&s;ters from all parts of the <HI>Realme</HI> did by Letters or other|wi&s;e u&s;ually &s;eeke to him for the re&s;olution of their doubts.</P>
<P>As the&s;e made him a <HI>Compleat man,</HI> &s;o he had that which made him a <HI>Compleat Mini|&s;ter,</HI> namely, <HI>That he could &s;peake his mind fitly,</HI> and <HI>That he dur&s;t &s;peake it freely.</HI> For the for|mer, his ability to expre&s;&s;e him&s;elfe, <HI>with cleare Method, &s;ound proofes, choi&s;e words, fit
<PB REF="12">phra&s;e, pregnant &s;imilitudes, plentifull illu&s;trati|ons, pithy per&s;wa&s;ions, &s;weet in&s;inuations, power|full inforcements, allegations of antiquitie, and varietie of good literature;</HI> he was &s;uch an one as many &s;trove to imitate, not many of them matched. For the other, his <HI>free|dome of &s;peech</HI> in reproving of &s;inne even to the faces of the greate&s;t, many are able to te&s;ti|fy, and &s;ome accidents made it more publike|ly knowne, then his de&s;ire was it &s;hould have been.</P>
<P>Among other particular commendations of him, One was his zealous and earne&s;t pur|&s;uit of reformation of &s;ome prophanations of the Sabbath, wherein he prevailed al&s;o for the alteration of &s;ome things in that kind offen|&s;ive, as well with the maine body of the City, as with &s;ome particular <HI>Societies.</HI> Another was his pious care &amp; diligence in the religious in|&s;truction and education of tho&s;e that were un|der his private charge, children and others.</P>
<P>In the&s;e and the like imployments, hee &s;pent his time, he &s;pent his &s;trength, till God put an end to his ince&s;&s;ant labours here, and tran&s;lated him to the place of his endle&s;&s;e re&s;t.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<PB REF="13">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>February 1. 1639.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>Imprimatur.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>THO. WYKES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="13">
<HEAD>The Summe or Argument of the whole Prophe&s;ie.</HEAD>
<P>_THE <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> provoked to an|ger and heavy di&s;plea&s;ure by their &s;innes the Monarch of the whole world: Where|fore he being thus di&s;plea&s;ed, &s;ent again&s;t them <HI>Nebuchadnezar,</HI> who tooke them, and carried the King, his Princes and the whole people into <HI>Babel,</HI> after that he had &s;poyled their &s;tately Temple, de&s;troy'd their &s;trong Walls, and laid wa&s;te <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> it &s;elfe; where they endured <HI>70.</HI> yeares exile and bani&s;h|ment: which yeares expired, they were againe brought to their Countrey, when and where better things were expected from them, both in way of thankefulne&s;&s;e, and in remembrance of their former Captivity, le&s;t a wor&s;e thing &s;hould afterwards befall them. But they forgetfull of former things, both beatings &amp; benefits, as chil|dren are, returned to their &s;innes, polluted the Di|vine wor&s;hip, gave them&s;elves to divers vices, began to make marriages with Infidels, againe embraced Polygamy, took up the cu&s;tome of giving bills of divorce, committed &s;acriledges, ca&s;t out &s;trange contempts again&s;t God, and bla&s;phemies: By all which the Lord being againe provoked,
<PB REF="14">&s;ent the Prophet <HI>Malachy</HI> to reprove them &s;harp|ly, and to threaten them &s;everely with certaine new judgments, and to the impenitent certaine &amp; finall de&s;truction; yet in the meane time cheering up the good with comforts, provoking them to Re|pentance, per&s;wading them to faith in Chri&s;t, re|fre&s;hing them with many &s;weet promi&s;es.</P>
<P>Now it is no hard thing to make the Compari|&s;on, and apply the&s;e things to our times, that it may appeare, the handling of this is no unfit thing, but apt to the time.</P>
<P>For the &s;innes of the Land God was di&s;plea&s;ed, and gave over the people to captivity (though in their owne Land &s;omewhat le&s;&s;e than this, yet it was) both of body and &s;oule to a new <HI>Nebuchad|nezar,</HI> which makes it the greater, the Church and &s;pirituall <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> much defaced, the Re|liques of it partly put to flight, partly to the fire. But &s;ee how good God was, after a time he brought againe our Captivity. After which he looked for better things from us, and haply had them while the benefit was fre&s;h, and the bondage yet felt. But &s;ee, the&s;e are worne out of minde, and we againe have committed great &s;ins again&s;t God, by which we ju&s;tly have provoked Gods indignation again&s;t us, yea and alas, we cea&s;e not to provoke it; for how great contempt of the &s;ervice of God is there in e|very place? what prophanene&s;&s;e? what corrupti|on of manners? what unfaithfulne&s;&s;e in covenant breaking? what uncleanene&s;&s;e in marriage? what
<PB REF="14">horrible oaths? what fearefull perjuries? what execrable bla&s;phemies again&s;t the Highe&s;t? not in meane per&s;ons, but of the highe&s;t rankes; not in Countries only, but in famous Cities; not in meane mens Cottages onely, but in noble mens places and Palaces, in Church and Common-wealth: &s;o that the Lord may &s;ay to us, as he &s;aid to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> by <HI>Ma|lachy,</HI> Chap. <HI>16.</HI> becau&s;e neither honour nor feare be performed to him. So that not onely ju&s;t are tho&s;e plagues that are come upon us, pe&s;tilence to the bo|dy now almo&s;t three yeares, and famine to the &s;oule begun, and threatned more, but al&s;o particular &amp; generall judgments. What&s;oever is in this Pro|phe&s;ie, may ju&s;tly both be threatned and executed upon us; when it is ju&s;t with God, where like &s;ins are, to bring upon them like puni&s;hments.</P>
<P>This is the rea&s;on of my choy&s;e, as al&s;o the &s;umme and argument of this Prophe&s;ie.</P>
<P>The parts of it are divers. After the In&s;crip|tion, or Preface, we have,
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>1.</HI> Expo&s;tulations with the people and Prie&s;ts touching their great and grievous &s;ins.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>2.</HI> Threatnings of puni&s;hments de&s;erved by them.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3.</HI> Prophe&s;ies of the calling of the Gentiles, and the comming of Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4.</HI> Exhortations to Repentance, and exerci&s;e of the duties of piety.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>All which are to be found promi&s;cuou&s;ly, and intermixed one with another; the particular re&s;o|lution of which is better in their place, and more
<PB REF="15">profitable, than now to &s;pend time in pointing out every particular where it is to be found.</P>
<P>The time when this Prophe&s;ie was written, is, in generall, after they were returned from their captivity; more &s;peciall, after <HI>Hagge</HI> and <HI>Za|chary,</HI> the two Prophets of the Church, and yet more, after the building and fini&s;hing the Temple about &s;ome <HI>24.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezra 6.</NOTE> yeares: for it was built in the &s;ixt yeare of <HI>Darius</HI> King of <HI>Per&s;ia. Hagge</HI> and <HI>Zachary</HI> the &s;econd yeare of <HI>Darius,</HI> (after &s;ome <HI>41.</HI> yeares interruption of the worke, all the time of <HI>Arta&s;ha&s;hte</HI> or <HI>Artaxerxes Longimanus</HI>) prophe&s;ied, and per&s;waded the people to build it; who by the favour and exhibition of the King did fini&s;h the worke in his &s;ixth yeare, who reigned in all <HI>30,</HI> after the fini&s;hing of the Temple <HI>24.</HI> Af|ter who&s;e dayes, in the time of <HI>Artaxerxes, Da|rius</HI> his &s;ucce&s;&s;our, our Prophet began to prophe&s;ie, being the la&s;t of all &s;uch as did prophe&s;ie till the fore-runner of Chri&s;t <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="15">
<HEAD>AN EXPOSITION UPON THE WHOLE Booke of the Prophe&s;ie of <HI>Malachy,</HI> delivered in certaine Sermons.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<P>_THE burden of the word of the Lord to I&s;rael by the mini&s;tery of <HI>Ma|lachy.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>2 I have loved you, &s;ayth the Lord: yet yee &s;ay. Wherein ha&s;t thou loved us? Was not <HI>E&s;au Jacobs</HI> brother, &s;aith the Lord? yet I loved <HI>Jacob,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3 And I hated <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and made his mountaines wa&s;te, and his heritage a wilderne&s;&s;e for dragons.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Though <HI>Edom</HI> &s;ay, We are impoveri&s;hed, but we will returne and build the de&s;olate places; yet &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, They &s;hall build, but I will de&s;troy it, and they &s;hall call them, The border of wickedne&s;&s;e, and the people, with whom the Lord is an|gry for ever.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 And your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it, and ye &s;hall &s;ay, The Lord will be magnified upon the border of I&s;rael.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 A &s;onne honoureth his father, and a &s;ervant his ma&s;ter. If then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a ma&s;ter, where is my feare, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes unto you, O Prie&s;ts that de&s;pi&s;e my Name? and ye &s;ay, Wherein have we de&s;pi&s;ed thy Name?</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 Ye offer uncleane bread upon mine Altar, and you &s;ay, wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye &s;ay, The Table of the Lord is not to be regarded.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 And if ye offer the blind for &s;acrifice, it is not evill: and if ye offer the lame and &s;ick, it is not evill: offer it now unto thy Prince; will he be content with thee, or accept thy per&s;on, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes?</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 And now, I pray you, pray before God, that he may have mercy upon us: this hath beene by your meanes: will he reward your per&s;ons, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes?</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 Who is there even among you, that would &s;hut the doores, and kindle not fire on mine Altar in vaine? I have no plea&s;ure in you, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 For from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne unto the going downe of the &s;ame, my Name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place incen&s;e &s;hall be offered unto my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name is great among the Heathen, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 But ye have polluted it, in that ye &s;ay, The Table of the Lord is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even his meate is not to be regarded.</ITEM>
<ITEM>13 Ye &s;aid al&s;o, Behold, it is a wearine&s;&s;e, and ye have &s;nuffed at it, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, and ye offered that which was torne, and the lame, and the &s;ick: thus ye offer|ed an offering: &s;hould I accept this at your hand, &s;aith the Lord?</ITEM>
<ITEM>14 But cur&s;ed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and &s;acri|ficeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am agreat King, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, and my Name is terrible among the Heathen.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB N="2" REF="16">
<P>The parts of this Chapter are two:
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>A Preface or In&s;cription.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>The Oracle or Prophecy.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>The Preface in the fir&s;t ver&s;e, generall to the whole.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>The Prophecy in the re&s;t.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>An expo&s;tulation with the people and Prie&s;t for their ingratitude and corrupting of his wor&s;hip, from</HI> ver&s;e 2. <HI>to the</HI> 9.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>A Commination of judgment de&s;erved by it; or a Commination of divers judgments, from</HI> ver&s;. 9. <HI>to the end.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P><HI>In the Preface or In&s;cription we conceive two things: The &s;ub&s;tance and circum&s;tance of it.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>The &s;ub&s;tance, being the &s;ubject or matter of the whole, is in that it is called a</HI> Burden.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>The Circum&s;tance of the per&s;on, which is three-fold.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>From whom, as the Efficient.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>To whom, as the Object.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>By whom, as the In&s;trument.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The burden of the Word of the Lord to I&s;rael by the mini&s;tery of <HI>Malachy.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>_THE Burden]</HI> Here is the matter or &s;ub|ject of this Booke, or Prophecy: He cal|leth it a burden, u&s;uall with Prophets in their writings, all almo&s;t in &s;ome place or other. But <HI>Nahum, Habakkuk,</HI> and <HI>Ma|lachy</HI> thus begin their prophecies. It &s;ig|nifies, as <HI>Hierome,</HI> a woefull and &s;orrow|full prophecy, full of threats and judg|ments; called therefore a <HI>Burden,</HI> becau&s;e it pre&s;&s;eth tho&s;e a|gain&s;t whom it is &s;poken, the hearts and &s;pirits of them, as a burden the body, and &s;uffers them not to lift up their heads, and them&s;elves, as in former times. Some thinke it &s;ignifies not onely this, but al&s;o the Commandement of the Lord, by which the Prophet was burdened as from the Lord, that he &s;hould de|clare
<PB N="3" REF="16">it in &s;o many words unto <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> which they thinke fol|lows thence, becau&s;e it is to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> not again&s;t; but I feare, this is &s;omewhat nice, for it was &s;o to them, as it was again&s;t them for their &s;innes, and that which is again&s;t, is as much as a bur|den to the Prophet: but this mu&s;t be under&s;tood <HI>Tropic&egrave;,</HI> here being a <HI>Synecdoche;</HI> for the whole Prophecy is not a burden, or threatning of puni&s;hment, but part onely of it, and &s;o the whole is denominated of the part.</P>
<P>The puni&s;hment of &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> the affliction God inflicts upon men for their &s;innes and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, is a burden, not a light one, not &s;uch as are the feathers of a bird, <HI>onus &s;ine onere;</HI> but as a talent of Lead, &s;poken of, Zach. 5.7. heavy and grievous; &s;o is it here, and in many places of the Prophets, as Nah. 1.1. Hab. 1.1. Jerem. 23.33. <HI>fine,</HI> he &s;hewes what is the burden, <HI>I will cast you off, and &s;end you into</HI> Babel <HI>captives,</HI> ver&s;. 36. that is, who&s;oever &s;hall &s;ay, The burden, he &s;hall for that word beare his burden, that is, be puni&s;hed of the Lord; it is pro|ved further by Matth. 7.9. Galat. 6.8. Hence is the complaint of <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 32.4. <HI>Thy hand was heavy upon me.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;inne, the de&s;erving and procuring cau&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> is a very grievous burden, P&s;al. 38.4. Matth. 27.38. that is, to living men, and &s;uch as have the u&s;e of their &s;ences; not to dead and benummed men: then the puni&s;hment is grievous.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which is the ef|ficient cau&s;e of it, is very heavy and grievous. The di&s;plea&s;ure of a Prince is heavy, the Kings wrath is as the roaring of a Lion, Prov. 19.12. Now hence are afflictions heavy and burden|&s;ome.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e none can give ea&s;e in it, or deliver from it, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;ave God onely, Ho&s;. 1.6 1 Sam. 2.25. 2 King. 6.26, 27. The wound that is had by the biting of a Scorpion is grievous, when no|thing can cure it but the a&s;hes of that Scorpion; much more this.</P>
<P>This may teach us what to judge of tho&s;e men who are in &s;ome affliction, under a judgment, and yet finde no burden, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but goe as light under them, as a bird doth under her feathers, and &s;ometimes make advantage of them, as beggers doe make gaine of their &s;ores; they are &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e, they are benummed, they are dead men. In common &s;ence, if any have halfe an hun|dreth weight laid upon his hand, or foot, and pre&s;&s;ing him &s;ore, and he feele it not, what judgment is to be given of it, but to be a mortified and a dead member? &s;o alas, how many dead men are in our times and daies? The burden not of the Word onely, but of the rod of the Lord, not threatned, but executed, hath beene upon our Land and Church by the feare|full Plague; now well towards three yeares wee have walked in the land of the dead, we have beene in the hou&s;e of mourn|ing.
<PB N="4" REF="17">Indeed the living hath laid it to his heart, but &s;o few have done it, that the dead are more than the living; not onely our wanton women, and voluptuous men, to whom that 1 Tim. 5.6. <HI>They are dead while they live:</HI> but our worldly men, our ambi|tious and others all dead, for this they have not felt. We &s;orrow|ed for fifty &amp; odde thou&s;ands that dyed in the former yeare; we have as much need to &s;orrow for &s;o many thou&s;ands yet living, and dead among&s;t us; they never indeed felt, nor yet doe feele this burden: Their irreligious carriage when it was here a|mong&s;t us, both at home &amp; abroad, in the City and abroad, their &s;mall conformity &s;ince to the Law of God, little reforming of their corruptions, nay, their mon&s;trous deformity in them&s;elves, wives, and children, per&s;wades my heart, as 'tis P&s;al. 36.1. <HI>The tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the wicked &s;aith within my heart, there is no feare of God before my eyes:</HI> &s;o that they had no feeling of this at all; for they who truely felt it, would grow &s;omewhat bet|ter, if not altogether reformed. If an heatheni&s;h people, who knew not God, at the burden of the Word of the Lord did &s;o humble them&s;elves, that the Lord &s;aid, <HI>Jonah</HI> 8.10. <HI>He repented of the evill he &s;aid he would doe to you, and did it not;</HI> what &s;hall be thought of Chri&s;tian men by profe&s;&s;ion, living in the Church of God, if at the burden of his Word they repent not, nor depart from their evill wayes? but I&s;aiah 8.8. <HI>Though they be &s;tricken, revolt more and more:</HI> it is becau&s;e they are dead men, and cannot feele it. Oh then weepe not for me, but for your &s;elves, and children, as tho&s;e not for the departed, but for the living dead: for if it be true, The beginning of the remedy is the &s;ence and acknowledgment of the malady; how farre are they from cure that have not yet the feeling of it? I feared the Plague by a naturall infirmity, though God enabled me to abide upon my calling in the hotte&s;t brunt of it, and mercifully pre|&s;erved me hitherto to his Church, and to &s;peake this to you this day. But if it &s;hould now come by the providence of God upon me, that he beginnes to threaten it to the City, I &s;hould willingly embrace it, as thinking God to be marvellous merci|full unto me, and who&s;oever he &s;hould &s;mite by it, to take it thus into his owne hand, and not to leave us to more fearefull judgments, which I cannot &s;ay, but I marvellou&s;ly feare, is e|ven at the doore to the wakening of dead men and women, or the &s;weeping of them away. I am no Prophet, I pray God my words be no prophecy; but what peace, &amp;c.</P>
<P>This ought to teach men in affliction, if a judgment come, and impo&s;ed by the hand of God, to beare it patiently and meekely, as <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 15.25, 26. for it is a burden. The way to be ea&s;ed, is not &s;trugling with it, but meekely to beare it; for a pri&s;oner to be free from his fetters, is not in the Jaylors
<PB N="5" REF="17">&s;ight to &s;eeke to breake them, or to file them off; that is the way to procure more, or the longer lying in them: So, to be ea&s;ed of a burden, is not to wre&s;tle with it when one is under it, but to goe &s;oftly; there is more ea&s;e while it is on his back, and &s;ooner comes he to be relea&s;ed of it. A man may with im|patiency wre&s;tle and u&s;e unlawfull meanes to ea&s;e him&s;elfe, and God happly will let them pro&s;per for a while; but after he will bring a more heavy and inevitable burden on him, that with his former &s;hifts &s;hall make more heavy to him. There is a fable, but it hath his Morall for this purpo&s;e; A certaine A&s;&s;e laded with Salt, fell into a river, and after he had ri&s;en, found his burthen lighter, for the moi&s;ture made it melt away; where|upon he would ever after lye him downe in the water as he tra|vailed with his burthen, and &s;o ea&s;e him&s;elfe: His owner per|ceiving his craft, after laded him as heavy with Wooll; the A&s;&s;e purpo&s;ing to ea&s;e him&s;elfe, as before, laid him&s;elfe downe in the next water, and thinking to have ea&s;e, ri&s;ing againe to feele his weight, found it heavier, as it continued with him all the day. The Morall is, that they who impatiently &s;eeke meanes contrary to the will of God, to ea&s;e them&s;elves of their burden, &s;hall have it more and more encrea&s;e upon them.</P>
<P>That men &s;hould make a &s;peciall re&s;traint to them&s;elves to keepe from &s;inning, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> becau&s;e an heavy and grievous burden el&s;e is ready to be laid upon their &s;houlders. Sinne it &s;elfe is an heavy burden, but few feele it, and fewer feare it; but to this burden &s;hall the burden of puni&s;hment be added; and who is &s;ufficient for the&s;e things? if the fir&s;t burden feare them not, becau&s;e there is &s;ome plea&s;ure in &s;inne to the fle&s;h, yet let the &s;econd, which hath no plea&s;ure at all. When thou art tempted to &s;inne, by which thou mu&s;t needs tempt and provoke God, learne to ca&s;t thy accompts well, con&s;ult if thou bee able to meete him that comes again&s;t thee, Luke 14. &s;o, if thou bee'&s;t able to meete him, and beare his burden, goe on, and &s;pare not; delight in all thy wayes, re&s;traine thy &s;elfe from no &s;inne: but if not, if we may invert and re&s;olve, <HI>Doe we provoke the Lord to jealou&s;ie? are we &s;tronger than he?</HI> 1 Cor. 20.22. then let this re&s;traine us, if nothing el&s;e will; let us imitate Porters, who called, and offered money to beare a burden, will poi&s;e and weigh the burden in their hands fir&s;t, which when they &s;ee they are not able to beare, no gaine will entice them; &s;o in this ca&s;e let us doe.</P>
<P><HI>Of the Word of the Lord]</HI> The circum&s;tance of the per&s;on &s;ending, the efficient, and authour, as of other prophecies, &s;o, of this; he comes not un&s;ent, he &s;poke not of him&s;elfe, hee came not without the Lord, but from him; &s;o he affirmeth, and truely, to get more reverence, credit, and authority with them:
<PB N="6" REF="18">and that it was thus from the Lord, and &s;o Canonicall, the te|&s;timonies of Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles, alledging him divers times for confirmation of Doctrine, and reformation of manners; pro|veth it: but he addeth, <HI>the Word of the Lord]</HI> not onely to &s;hew that he had but the word, the rod, and execution would come after, God making his word good: but as &s;ome thinke, to &s;hew that he had not a free Emba&s;&s;age, but that he was to de|liver it in certaine and &s;et pre&s;cribed words. Sometime when Prophets were more frequent and perpetuall in the Church, and God &s;poke to them by dreames, or by vi&s;ions, and apparitions, they had divers kinds of words, and had liberty for divers man|ners of &s;peaking and delivery: But our Prophet was &s;uch a me&s;|&s;enger, that the Commandement hee had received, and was credited with, he mu&s;t deliver in &s;o many words, and the &s;ame he received them in, and &s;o he doth; for in the whole he never u&s;eth his owne per&s;on, but the Lord onely, as Chap. 1.2. and 2.1. and 3.1. and 4.1.</P>
<P>Here we might ob&s;erve, that the Writers of the Scriptures are not the Authors, but God him&s;elfe, of which Rev. 2.7. But one particular may we herein ob&s;erve, this following:</P>
<P>This Prophe&s;ie is the very word of the Lord, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> it is of divine, not humane authority; which is not onely here affirmed, but, le&s;t it &s;hould be doubtfull, it hath the te&s;timony of the new Te&s;ta|ment: the 3. Chap. ver. 1. hath te&s;timony Mark 1.2. and Chap. 4.2. hath te&s;timony Luke 1.78. and Chap. 1, 2, 3. Rom. 9.23.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this was written by a Prophet: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for as all the Old Te|&s;tament was written by the Prophets; &s;o what&s;oever was writ|ten by them, was and is Canonicall Scripture: therefore 2 Pet. 1.19. Luke 16.39. Heb. 1.1. Ephe&s;. 2.20. now all men hold <HI>Malachy</HI> for a Prophet, the la&s;t among the Jewes till the com|ming of <HI>John Bapti&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Church of the Jewes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the onely Church of God did receive this, and &s;o acknowledged it as the word of God: That they did &s;o, appeares Matth. 17.10. and the Apo&s;tles, and the Evangeli&s;ts alleadging of it; for it is a farre more impi|ous and heinous thing to take away Scripture, than corruptly to interpret them, or to adde Scripture, if it were not of it.</P>
<P>I take in&s;tructions from hence, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> entering the opening and ex|pounding of this prophe&s;ie, how I ought to labour with my owne heart, and to &s;eeke from the Lord a&s;&s;i&s;tance and grace to handle this as his word, not carele&s;&s;ely, handling the word and worke of God negligently, taking his name in vaine, com|ming to &s;peake out of it without due preparation and con&s;tant &s;tudy, and &s;peaking; &s;o talke as of the word of God, 1 Pet. 4.11. not handling it with vanity, and affectation, not making merchandize, and playing the huck&s;ter with it; delivering it
<PB N="7" REF="18">with a &s;incere affection, dealing faithfully with it as a faithfull di&s;pen&s;er, giving to every one his portion, where and to whom the Spirit of God hath &s;et them downe, to Prie&s;t and people, to old and to young, to married and unmarried, to the good and prophane, without feare and flattery, or any other &s;ini&s;ter affections, remembring that this in the fir&s;t is in the whole, and to every ver&s;e, it is the word of the Lord, fearing to corrupt, as well as to adde, le&s;t that I heare as 'tis Prov. 30.6. <HI>Adde not to his words le&s;t he reprove thee, and thou be found a lyer;</HI> remembring that of Luke 12.42. that I may be a faithfull and wi&s;e Steward, that I may obtaine that, Ver&s;. 43, 44. which how &s;oone it may be generall, or to me in particular, whether before I have gone through the whole, or this Chapter, or this ver&s;e, I know not.</P>
<P>This teacheth all to whom I am to &s;peake: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> fir&s;t they mu&s;t heare, for it is the word of the Lord, and never withdraw them&s;elves negligently, or carele&s;ly preferring vaine plea&s;ure and profit of no value before it: If any withdraw him&s;elfe, the &s;oule of God &s;hall have no plea&s;ure in him, (to u&s;e the words ra|ther than the full &s;ence) as <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Sihon</HI> King of the <HI>A|morites,</HI> Judg. 7.24. &s;o would&s;t not thou heare that thy Prince, Father, or Ma&s;ter &s;aith unto thee; nay, will not Idolaters heare that which their gods &s;ay unto them, how much more you that the Lord &s;hall &s;peake to? This is the word; that we &s;hall &s;peake is but the delivering of it in moe words, which is here &s;et downe in fewer; pre&s;&s;ing it at large, which is here &s;et downe more briefly; this as a clew of thread wound up, by us it is but drawn out at length; yea, and it mu&s;t be heard as the word of God with all reverence, received with humility, believed by faith, obeyed with care; for the Lord having &s;poken it, it was not for the time and per&s;ons pre&s;ent onely, but for all &s;ucce&s;&s;ive ages and people. As the Lawes of Princes, and Decrees of Par|liaments are not onely for them that live then, but for who&s;o|ever &s;hall afterwards be borne &s;ubjects to the &s;ame Soveraignes; therefore not any &s;inne is here reproved, but it is reproved in whom&s;oever it is found; nor is there any judgment threatened, but menaced again&s;t the men of our time that heare it; not any duty commanded, but it is appertaining to us as to them, be|cau&s;e it is the word of the Lord, who is our Lord as well as theirs, of the Gentiles, as of the Jewes. I cannot &s;ay as <HI>Daniel</HI> 4.19. <HI>fine,</HI> &s;o the Prophecy is for others, and the interpreta|tion of it is for others, and judgments to your enemies; but as <HI>Peter,</HI> Act. 2.39. <HI>It is to you, and to your children:</HI> &s;o the&s;e things here commanded and reproved are for you and your chil|dren. But why &s;hould I &s;peake thus &s;harpely unto you? Veri|ly becau&s;e God will neverthele&s;&s;e bring the&s;e, if I &s;hould hold my
<PB N="8" REF="19">peace, and by &s;peaking I may prevent he &s;hould not, if &s;o be my exhortations this day may finde place in your hearts, and hereafter in your lives: But &s;hall I come unto you, not with a rod, but in love, and the &s;pirit of meekne&s;&s;e? 1 Cor. 4.21. then as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome ad pop. Antioch. Hom.</HI> 27. by our mutuall love, yours and mine, by all the travell I have felt for you, till Chri&s;t be formed in you fully, Gal. 4.19. give me that wherein I may glory before men and devils, and in the pre&s;ence of God. And what is my glory? but your progre&s;&s;e and increa&s;e in piety here, and your &s;alvation in the life to come: Believe me, belo|ved, <HI>Si fieri pote&s;t me pro vobis certamen bene gerere, vos autem bene ge&s;tae rei praemia ferre, nunquam profect&ograve; vobis tantum tur|bationis ingererem; &s;ed non licet boc nobis, non licet inquam.</HI> Chry&s;o&s;tom. <HI>de virtut. &amp; vitiis &s;ermo.</HI> If it were po&s;&s;ible for me to undergoe the Combate, and you to beare the Trophies of the victory, I would not put you to &s;o much trouble. But this may not be, this may not be, for every one mu&s;t live by his owne faith, and pa&s;&s;e to heaven by his owne piety and obedi|ence: It is neither bought nor borrowed oyle in our Lamps will &s;erve to enter in with the Bridegroome.</P>
<P><HI>To I&s;rael,]</HI> The &s;econd per&s;on to whom, as the Subject, to <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> that is, to the whole people who were lately delivered out of Captivity, and now enjoyed their Land, and the liberty of Religion: and as men not &s;ufficiently in&s;tructed under the rod and cro&s;&s;e, or forgetting their former calamities, retur|ned to their former corruptions and &s;innes, who&s;e &s;innes were the wor&s;e by that they had received, and made the more inex|cu&s;able; when they &s;hould have beene bettered by his mercies, they grew wor&s;e. By <HI>I&s;rael</HI> he under&s;tands the whole compa|ny, both Prie&s;t and people, calling it <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> which for di&s;tincti|on was before called <HI>Judah,</HI> after the rent happened betwixt the ten and two Tribes, <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Benjamin,</HI> and &s;ome of <HI>Levi</HI> to the hou&s;e of <HI>David,</HI> and the re&s;t to <HI>Jeroboam;</HI> for the ten tribes by <HI>Salmana&s;&s;or</HI> were &s;o led into Captivity, that they never re|turned; he now called the&s;e two Tribes by the old and wonted name: To <HI>I&s;rael</HI> then his owne people, cho&s;en out of the world, yea, re&s;erved to him&s;elfe from tho&s;e ten Tribes, thus &s;pecially beloved, he &s;ends, though with griefe thus threatning.</P>
<P>God will puni&s;h his, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> even his owne for their &s;innes and of|fences, how deare &s;oever they be unto him; it is indeed his love unto them that he will pa&s;&s;e by many infirmities and weakne&s;&s;e in them, as Matth. 7.18. but yet &s;innes of greater nature, ha|bit, and cu&s;tome he will not pa&s;&s;e by unpuni&s;hed, 2 Sam. 7.14.18. not onely the threatnings, but the execution of many af|flictions and plagues recorded in the Word, upon the whole Church of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> upon particular per&s;ons, on <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> Numb.
<PB N="9" REF="19">20. on <HI>Miriam,</HI> Numb. 1. <HI>David</HI> often, and other the good Kings who were puni&s;hed, proves this manife&s;tly.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e hee loves his owne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> therefore will hee correct and puni&s;h them; for the &s;paring of the rod is hatred, not love;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nulla ira, magna ira.</NOTE> the fondne&s;&s;e of affection, not the favour of judgment, Prov. 13.24. It is love becau&s;e of that 1 Cor. 11.32. when we are judg|ed, we are cha&s;tened of the Lord, that we &s;hould not be con|demned with the world.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he would be ju&s;tified, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not as wi&s;dome of her chil|dren onely, but even of wicked and enemies; for if he &s;hould &s;pare his owne, then would they &s;ay, God were wicked like them; as the wicked when he &s;pares them&s;elves, &s;ay P&s;al. 50.21. hence was the death of <HI>Davids</HI> child denounced, and perfor|med to prevent or to &s;tay the bla&s;phemy of the wicked, 2 Sam. 12.14. as he in&s;inuates in his P&s;alme of Repentance, P&s;alme 51.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he may manife&s;t his hatred of &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> when he puni&s;h|eth it not in tho&s;e that are wicked onely, who&s;e per&s;ons he may &s;eeme to hate, but in tho&s;e that are deare to him.</P>
<P>If God will, and mu&s;t deale thus with his owne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> generall and particular, let the whole Church and every member thinke of it, that they be not deceived, as if to them there were no feare of judgments and puni&s;hments, though they feare not &s;inne, becau&s;e they are his: It is &s;uch a corruption and deceit, that may &s;eize upon tho&s;e who are his, even truely his, though u&s;ually they are deceived by the &s;leight of Sathan, whom he hath before deceived with another, per&s;wading them they are gods when they are not; for commonly none &s;o confident as tho&s;e, none &s;o bold as the&s;e blind byards; but who&s;oever he is that is tainted with this, let him know, that as the Hu&s;bandman pre|&s;erveth the &s;heepe of his pa&s;ture in a moi&s;t yeare from rotting in the heart and liver, when they are a little tainted, by the &s;alt waters of the Sea: &s;o may he be recovered and pre&s;erved by tho&s;e waters of the Sanctuary, even by tho&s;e &s;alt waters; when the &s;treame runnes thus, that he will not, nor he hath not &s;pared tho&s;e who are as deare to him as the apple of his eye, (untooth|&s;ome happily may they be, but without doubt whole&s;ome they are) let no Church then tru&s;t in lying words, Jer. 7.4. if they continue in their wickedne&s;&s;e, ver&s;. 9. and make his hou&s;e a den of theeves, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 11. but let them know he &s;ees it, and goe to <HI>Shiloh, ver&s;.</HI> 12. and other Churches, and &s;ee what he hath done to them, and the like will he doe to it, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 14. Let no particular man thinke he may &s;inne, as pre&s;uming he is Gods; for if he &s;pared not <HI>Mo&s;es, Miriam, David,</HI> and others, how him? could they not have challenged more than he? or is it not likely that God would have &s;pared them as well as he? Let
<PB N="10" REF="20">him thinke of that to <HI>Solomon:</HI> I will be his Father, and he &s;hall be my &s;onne; if he commit iniquity, I will cha&s;ten him with the rod of Iron, but my mercy &s;hall not depart from him, 2 Sam. 7.14, 15. if God make it true in him, it is the be&s;t he can looke for. If any a&s;ke, what benefit it is to be Gods? I an&s;wer, much every way; as that God will pa&s;&s;e by many infirmities of thine when thou &s;erve&s;t him, many &s;innes of pa&s;&s;ion when they are not continued in: Have you not heard of the patience of <HI>Job?</HI> Againe, is it no benefit to be his Fathers Heire, unle&s;&s;e he may be &s;uffered to doe what he li&s;t without controlement or corre|ction? Be&s;ides, even this is a benefit; for if that be true, Let the righteous &s;mite me, and it &s;hall be a kindne&s;&s;e, P&s;alm. 141.8. much more this, when that we are cha&s;tned, that we may not be condemned, 1. Cor. 2.32.</P>
<P>This may &s;erve for comfort when affliction and puni&s;hment is befallen one who is his. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> In &s;uch a condition a man is ready to faint, and his heart to faile him for feare, as if God had utter|ly ca&s;t him off; but it ri&s;eth from the ignorance of this, that God hath and will afflict his children, and becau&s;e they have not beene experienced under the hand of God. A child when he is young and tender, not acquainted with his Fathers threats and corrections, no &s;ooner &s;ees his father lay hand upon rods, but feares he hates him, but a little u&s;e under this teacheth him there is indeed love where hatred is in &s;how; And &s;o with them, but they mu&s;t learne this, that their hearts may re&s;t upon it, as the <HI>Arke</HI> did &s;tay upon the mountaine of <HI>Ararat,</HI> after it had flo|ted a long time upon the waters, &s;eeing he afflicts his owne, yea more than the wicked in this life, and yet &s;till his people.</P>
<P><HI>I&s;rael</HI> having forgotten their late mi&s;eries and calamities, the &s;ence and feeling of them being worne cleane out of memory, they returne againe to their former corruptions and &s;innes, and are newly threatned with other, and more heavy judgments.</P>
<P>If men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> many or few, a County or City, one or a compa|ny, after they have beene delivered or freed from &s;ome calami|ty and judgment, doe forget it, pa&s;&s;ing it over without pro|fit, and returning to their &s;innes and corruptions againe, they are in danger of new, and more fearefull judgments; for he did this to the greene tree, what will he doe to the dry? if to the naturall Olive-tree, what can the wild Olive looke for? This is manife&s;t by <HI>E&s;ay,</HI> who reproveth the people becau&s;e they pro|fited not by former judgments, but remained ob&s;tinate, and in their &s;innes, <HI>Chap.</HI> 1. <HI>ver.</HI> 5. &s;pecially <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 21, 22, 23. How is the faithfull City become an Harlot, it was full of judgment, and ju&s;tice lodged therein, but now they are murtherers; thy &s;ilver is become dro&s;&s;e, thy wine is mixt with water, thy Prin|ces are rebellious, and companions of theeves; every one lo|veth
<PB N="11" REF="20">gifts, and followeth after rewards; they judge not the fa|therle&s;&s;e, neither doth the Widows cau&s;e come before them: whereunto he addeth, therefore &s;aith the Lord God of Ho&s;tes, the mighty one of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> Ah I will ea&s;e me of my adver&s;aries, and avenge me of mine enemies, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 24. To this I adde E&s;ay 12.9.17.21. inferred upon <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 13. manife&s;t by Deut. 28.45. Jerem. 5.3. John 5.14. An example of this al&s;o the <HI>Ninevites</HI> may be, comparing together the Prophecies of <HI>Jonah</HI> and <HI>Na|hum.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it cannot be equall and right, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that God &s;hould goe a|way and give over, as overcome by the ob&s;tinacy and &s;tubborn|ne&s;&s;e of men; that were as if a Prince &s;hould give over a Rebell, becau&s;e he were not able to &s;ubdue him with a &s;mall company, and not gather more forces, it were too much indignity and di&s;honour: So in this; for God &s;triking for &s;inne, mu&s;t not lay downe his Armes, till the Rebells come in, as <HI>Joab</HI> gave not o|ver the &s;iege of <HI>Abel</HI> till <HI>Shebaes</HI> head was given him, 2 Sam. 20.22.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is dangerous for a people to harden them in their &s;innes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for if becau&s;e &s;entence again&s;t an evill worke is not exe|ted &s;peedily, therefore the heart is fully &s;et to doe evill, Eccle&s;. 8.11. if the deferring be thus dangerous, what is the remo|ving, and not renewing, or doubling the judgment? it har|dens men.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he mu&s;t doe it whether his owne or not; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> if his owne that he may cure them, as Phy&s;itians or Chirurgians double the do&s;e of their medicines, and u&s;e more violent meanes when they finde the body hard to worke upon, the di&s;ea&s;e more &s;et|led: &s;o the Lord when he findes his owne more ob&s;tinate, if not his, that he may con&s;ume them, and &s;hew his power upon them, that he is able to aba&s;e and de&s;troy every one that is ob&s;ti|nate again&s;t him.</P>
<P>Learne then to feare before God, <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> and to profit under his hand, to turne unto him that &s;mites us, and to &s;eeke the Lord of Ho&s;tes, le&s;t otherwi&s;e God be provoked to cut off from us head and tayle, branch and roote in one day, E&s;ay 9.13, 14.</P>
<P><HI>By the mini&s;tery of</HI> Malachy, <HI>or by the hand of</HI> Malachy] The third per&s;on is the In&s;trument, and by his hand, that is by his worke and mini&s;tery: &s;ome thinke it is &s;aid rather by the hand than the mouth, to &s;hew how uncorruptly hee delivered this; and not by the mouth, becau&s;e the mind and mouth are more apt to corrupt a me&s;&s;age than the hand which carrieth &s;ealed let|ters. But without oppo&s;ition, I take it to be the phra&s;e of the Scripture, to note the Mini&s;tery of him and others, as 1 Sam. 11.7. and 28.17. The Lord hath done as he hath &s;poke by my hand; <HI>Malachy</HI> &s;ignifies <HI>my Me&s;&s;enger,</HI> or <HI>my Angell,</HI> whence
<PB N="12" REF="21">ri&s;eth the errour of <HI>Origen,</HI> as <HI>Hieronimus in hunc locum,</HI> that an Angell came, and tooke the &s;hape of man, and delivered this. But <HI>Hierome</HI> &s;hews that the nature of a per&s;on is not to be taken notice of from the notation or Etymologie of his name, for then, whereas <HI>Ho&s;eah</HI> &s;ignifies a <HI>Saviour,</HI> and <HI>Joel</HI> the <HI>Lord God:</HI> the&s;e &s;hould not be men, but Angels, or the Lord, or the Saviour of the world; which if it follows not, then not this: But whether he was <HI>Mordecai,</HI> as &s;ome thinke, or <HI>Ezra,</HI> as mo&s;t, it is not certaine: the conjectures of men for the latter are probable, but ea&s;ily an&s;wered: It is &s;afer to content our &s;elves with that which is revealed, than ra&s;hly or &s;lenderly to affirme any thing in &s;o weighty matters, e&s;pecially when it is not &s;o needfull that we &s;hould enquire into it; whether hee had his name from his birth, or circumci&s;ion, or it is a name of office, it is not knowne. It hath ever beene thought a vaine cu|rio&s;ity to make enquiry for the Me&s;&s;engers name and title, when the me&s;&s;age is mo&s;t certaine, Judg. 13.18. as here it is by the te&s;timony of the New Te&s;tament. There were in the Church three &s;orts of Prophets, &s;ome that were to be perpetually in it, and to exerci&s;e a perpetuall office to an&s;wer men when they en|quir'd of them after the cu&s;tome of time, and manner, as <HI>Samu|el, Ho&s;ea, Eli&s;ha:</HI> Some for a time, both for this, and al&s;o to &s;tand up in Gods per&s;on, for &s;ome particular thing to fore-tell it, which being done, they ended their office; as <HI>Amos,</HI> who pro|phe&s;ied for two yeares before the Earthquake. Thirdly, &s;ome, who were onely once to prophe&s;ie and fore-tell things, which done, their office cea&s;ed; as <HI>Jonah</HI> to the <HI>Ninevites, Abdias</HI> to the <HI>Edomites,</HI> and of this &s;ort is our Prophet.</P>
<P>God in revealing his will, and publi&s;hing of his heavenly riches, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> the my&s;teries of Chri&s;t and his Salvation, hath and doth ordinarily u&s;e the mini&s;tery of Man; ordinarily I &s;ay, be|cau&s;e at &s;ome time he hath u&s;ed Angels to &s;ome particular and upon extraordinary occa&s;ions, yet never ordinarily and gene|rally in an ordinary e&s;tabli&s;hed Church, but alwayes the mini|&s;tery of men, which thing is witne&s;&s;ed by the te&s;timony of all times, and all Churches, as well in the Stories of the Scriptures, as other Prophets, Prie&s;ts, Apo&s;tles, Mini&s;ters: How often that in the Old Te&s;tament, <HI>I ro&s;e up earely, and &s;ent my Prophets:</HI> In the New, as they were men imployed under Chri&s;t, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4.8. <HI>We have this trea&s;ure in earthen ve&s;&s;els,</HI> 2 Cor. 4.7. and <HI>we are Emba&s;&s;adors for Chri&s;t,</HI> 2 Cor. 5.20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e Angels pre&s;ence would have beene fearefull, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as Luke 1.12. and &s;o unprofitable their Mini&s;tery, for things would have pa&s;&s;ed away as they heard it; for feare breeds &s;uch a la&s;&s;i|tude in the joynts, that man lets that goe he &s;eemed to hold; &s;o of the mind.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="21">
<P>To honour the nature of man; for if to be mans, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> much more Gods Emba&s;&s;adour: He could have done all by an Angell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Poterat uti&abque; per Angelum omnia fieri; &s;ed abjecta e&s;&s;et humana conditio, &s;i per homines hominibus Verbum &s;uum admini&s;trare nolle videretur. <HI>Aug.</HI> De doctr. Chri&s;tiana, lib. <HI>1.</HI> praefat.</NOTE> but the humane condition had beene vilified, if he had &s;eem'd not to admini&s;ter his Word by men unto men.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the me&s;&s;age rather than the me&s;&s;engers &s;hould be re|garded, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and if any thing be effected, it might be given to the power of God, and not the meanes. If hee had not &s;ent it in earthen ve&s;&s;els, but by &s;ome glorious Angell, they would have left the thing, and have wor&s;hipped the per&s;on, Revel. 22.8. or if any thing had beene wrought, they would have attribu|ted it to the power of the meanes, not to God: but that they &s;hould not, he thus di&s;po&s;ed, 2 Cor. 4.7.</P>
<P>This ought to be matter of encouragement to the Mini&s;ters of God, that their labour in preaching, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and performing the worke of their Mini&s;tery be not tedious unto them, when it is &s;o thankle&s;&s;e an office unto man, and the more they labour in it, the le&s;&s;e they partake of their double honour, 1 Tim. 5.17. nay, full of contempt, and as Jeremy 20.7, 8. yet they &s;erving the Lord in their Mini&s;tery, he vouch&s;afing them that honour, ought to &s;wallow up all the&s;e, knowing that we are not to be a&s;hamed of the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t, becau&s;e it is the power of God to &s;alvation, Rom. 1.16. and who&s;oever &s;hall finde it, and receive it by them to beleeve, beautifull &s;hall their feet be unto them, though others charge them as <HI>Pharaoh</HI> did <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that they &s;ee their face no more. But if none will, yet he will not &s;uffer them to goe unregarded, becau&s;e he hath &s;et them on worke, they are his Mini&s;ters, as E&s;ay 49.4, 5. I &s;aid I have la|boured in vaine, I have &s;pent my &s;trength for nought, yet &s;urely my worke (or my reward) is with my God: And though <HI>I&s;rael</HI> be not gathered, yet &s;hall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord.</P>
<P>To teach men not to be offended, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> or ba&s;ely to accompt of the mini&s;tery of the Word, and the my&s;teries of Salvation, be|cau&s;e they are brought unto them in &s;uch earthen ve&s;&s;els by &s;o weake meanes; for it is the worke and word of the Lord, how|&s;oever by the mini&s;tery of man, weake and ba&s;e. Was it that he wanted glorious Angels that he u&s;ed not them? he had thou|&s;and thou&s;ands of them, but for mans infirmity: Was it that he had no power over the Kings and Nobles of the Earth, that hee imployed not them? if he had &s;poken the word, they could not have re&s;i&s;ted: He that had <HI>David</HI> a Prophet, and <HI>Solomon</HI> a Preacher, though not ordinary, could have made them and o|ther Princes ordinary Preachers and Mini&s;ters, but their great|ne&s;&s;e would have ob&s;cured his power. Why then hath he cho|&s;en meane men? That the ba&s;ene&s;&s;e and meane condition of the
<PB N="14" REF="22">per&s;on might give place to his glory, that men might not dote on the per&s;on, but delight in the mini&s;tery and me&s;&s;age; therefore as Princes &s;hut up their trea&s;ures not in goodly and &s;umptuous che&s;ts, but in ca&s;kets of no price, and of ba&s;e mat|ter, to deceive the theefe, and to convay it whither they would have it: &s;o God the&s;e, to lay a &s;tumbling blocke to the repro|bate; but as many as are called and cho&s;en, to make it the power of God and the wi&s;dome of God to them.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><P>Nihil ade&ograve; e&s;t quod obdu|ret mentes hominum, qu&agrave;m &s;implicitas divinorum ope|rum, quae in actu videntur, &amp; magnificentia quae in ef|fectu repromittitur. <HI>Tertul.</HI> De bapt. lib. cap. <HI>2.</HI></P>
<P>Ip&s;i miramur quia credi|mus; caeter&ugrave;m incredulit as miratur, non credit; miratur &s;implicia qua&s;i vana, magni|fica qua&s;i impo&s;&s;ibilia. <HI>Idem.</HI></P></NOTE> There's nothing that &s;o much hardens mens minds as the &s;implicity of Gods workes that are &s;eene, and the greatne&s;&s;e of the efficacy which is promi&s;ed, when as to the godly it is farre otherwi&s;e. They are marvel|lou&s;ly wrought upon by them, becau&s;e they look to him who workes by them; here is the difference of faith and infidelity, beleevers and infidels. We wonder becau&s;e we beleeve; incredulity wonders, but beleeves not; it wonders at &s;imple things as if they were vaine, at great things as if impo&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P>Wee are the Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and your &s;ervants for Je&s;us &s;ake; that we bring to you, is the me&s;&s;age and commandement of God. Looke that ye receive not us, if ye can dis-joyne us and our me&s;&s;age; but that we bring, heare it, beleeve it, obey it. That we have delivered, that we doe and &s;hall deliver as his commandement, his will: Looke therefore to it, that you re|ceive it, for it both you and I mu&s;t give an account; I, for the faithfull delivery of it, you for the fruitfull receiving of it, both of us for the carefull obeying of it. Let no man thinke much I call &s;o much for hearing and obeying, when there is in the mo&s;t &s;till performance with the lea&s;t, and &s;carce with the lea&s;t. Tell me, when you lend your money, doe you not put your Deb|tor in minde of it when you meet him? &s;o doe we, and &s;o mu&s;t I doe; for I feare le&s;t in that day I heare that, Matth. 25.26. Thou wicked and &s;lothfull &s;ervant, thou oughte&s;t to have put my money to the exchangers, that at my comming I might have received mine owne with u&s;ury. I have often put forth Gods &s;tock unto you, you mu&s;t pay u&s;ury. <HI>&V;&s;ura vero e&s;t au|ditae monitionis per opera exhibitio:</HI> Your u&s;ury is to witne&s;&s;e your profitable hearing by your workes. See then that you o|bey and doe, that as <HI>Nathan</HI> &s;aid to <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 24.13. &s;o I may to you, <HI>Now advi&s;e and &s;ee what an&s;wer I &s;hall returne to him that &s;ent me.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The burden by the mini&s;tery of</HI> Malachy,] <HI>Malachy</HI> mu&s;t carry to this people a burden, not onely things acceptable, but di&s;|plea&s;ing and grievous.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters of God mu&s;t not onely &s;erve him in preaching the Go&s;pell and comforts, but al&s;o threatnings and judgments.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="15" REF="22">
<HEAD>VERSE II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>I have loved you, &s;aith the Lord, yet yee &s;ay, Where|in ha&s;t thou loved us? Was not <HI>E&s;au Jacobs</HI> bro|ther, &s;aith the Lord? yet I loved <HI>Jacob.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>I <HI>Have loved you &s;aith the Lord,]</HI> The &s;econd part of the Chap|ter is the matter and Prophe&s;ies con&s;i&s;ting in two parts: on Gods expo&s;tulation with the people and Prie&s;t for their &s;innes, and his judgments again&s;t them for tho&s;e &s;innes. The fir&s;t is hence to the 9. <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> Their &s;innes are two: ingratitude, con|tempt of him, and corruption of his wor&s;hip. The 1. to the 6. <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> Their ingratitude is expre&s;&s;ed, that they did not acknow|ledge nor account of his love, nor yet of his benefits, the fruit of his love, which hee had from time to time be&s;towed upon them, that they might by the greatne&s;&s;e of the one, or by the weight of the other, be drawne to performe the duties of Piety unto him their God and King, who had de&s;erved &s;o well at their hands and of them. Fir&s;t for his love.</P>
<P><HI>I have loved you,]</HI> A &s;peech &s;poken with affection, &s;pecially by valuing his love, and di&s;daining to have it &s;o neglected of tho&s;e upon whom he had be&s;towed it. Some thinke it is a &s;peech imperfect, broken off, and interrupted with griefe, when he would have added more. I have loved you; griefe not &s;uffering him to &s;peake more. The &s;upply may be, I have loved you al|wayes, but you acknowledge it not, neither an&s;wered me with love againe, but for this repayed me with &s;innes.</P>
<P>Love given to God, &s;ignifies not a pa&s;&s;ion nor affection, for there is no &s;uch thing in God. <HI>Ira Dei non perturbatio animi e|jus, &s;ed judicium quo irrogatur poena peccato. Augu&s;t.</HI> of the an|ger of God. <HI>De civitate Dei, lib.</HI> 15. <HI>cap.</HI> 25. So of this, it is no pa&s;&s;ion, but his free election to be&s;tow, yea, an actuall gi|ving to them the adoption of &s;onnes and eternall life. For God is &s;aid to be angry, when he doth that which commonly men doe when they are angry; and to love, when he doth that which men doe when they love. Now this cannot be under&s;tood of his generall love, of which all are partakers, men and Angels, ble&s;&s;ing, pre&s;erving, &s;u&s;taining them: for then were it no great matter that he affirmes here to his. But of a &s;peciall love, that is, his choo&s;ing of them to be &s;onnes, and to be&s;tow on them eternall life. I have loved you, that is, I have cho&s;en you to be my people, and I will be your God; to be my chil|dren, and I will be your Father, and to give you the inheri|tance of &s;onnes, than which what can be greater? <HI>Hierome</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="23">thinkes he denies now to love them, becau&s;e he u&s;eth the pre|ter-ten&s;e. But it is no rule, when as the preterten&s;e doth often include the pre&s;ent, Rom. 1.24. P&s;al. 1.1.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;inne reproved is unthankfulne&s;&s;e, the reproofe be|ing covertly in&s;inuated, rather than openly &s;et downe, under the recording and recalling of Gods love and the fruits of it, where|of they had beene partakers. <HI>Hierome</HI> ob&s;erveth here, le&s;t the puni&s;hment &s;hould &s;eeme unju&s;t, and God &s;hould without cau&s;e afflict them, and lay the burden upon them, he addeth the re|proofe of their &s;innes. Hence we may ob&s;erve.</P>
<P>The puni&s;hing and afflictions comming to men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctr."> are cau&s;ed by their &s;innes. Ho&s;ea 14.1. <HI>Thou ha&s;t fallen by thine iniquity.</HI></P>
<P>Now to the &s;inne here reproved in particular, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."> which is un|thankfulne&s;&s;e. Ingratitude and unthankfulne&s;&s;e unto God for his love, and the fruits of it, the ble&s;&s;ings men receive, either &s;pirituall or temporall, is a very great &s;inne. So the Lord &s;hews it here by his Prophet, when he puts it in the foremo&s;t of all other &s;innes in this people, and as the principall which makes him threaten this burden unto them. So <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 1.2. &s;ets it be|fore all other &s;innes. It is by the Apo&s;tle put among the &s;innes of the la&s;t dayes, when iniquity &s;hall get the upper hand, and mu&s;t abound, 2 Tim. 3.2. This &s;inne is committed five waies, or there are five kinds or degrees of unthankfull men. Fir&s;t, when men doe not acknowledge God as the Authour and giver of their benefits and ble&s;&s;ings, but finde out others, as Ho&s;ea 2.8, 9. <HI>Shee knew not that the Lord gave her Corne.</HI> Secondly, when men doe forget him and his benefits, again&s;t which <HI>Da|vid</HI> laboured. P&s;al. 103.2. <HI>Ble&s;&s;e the Lord, oh my &s;oule, forget not all his benefits.</HI> And confe&s;&s;ed among &s;innes, P&s;al. 106.7. <HI>our Fathers remembred not the multitude of thy mercies.</HI> Thirdly, when they doe not give him prai&s;e in word and affecti|on, doe not utter it before men. Such were the nine Lepers. Fourthly, when not onely the&s;e, but recompen&s;e him evill for good, as that, I&s;aiah 1.2. <HI>I have brought up children, and they have rebelled again&s;t me.</HI> Deut. 32.5, 6. Fiftly, not faulty in any of the&s;e, but doe not walke worthy of &s;uch mercies, when he doth not render according to the benefit done unto him, as it was &s;aid of <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> 2 Chro. 32.25.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the contrary is a duty &s;o often commanded, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and &s;o earne&s;tly call'd for in Scripture, even in every thing. 1 The&s;&s;. 5.18. <HI>In all things give thankes, for this is the will of God in Chri&s;t Je&s;us towards you:</HI> Then the other mu&s;t needs be a &s;inne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Saints of God have much laboured again&s;t it in them&s;elves and others, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which they doe not, but that which is evill and &s;inne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the contrary is the honouring of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the crown|ing
<PB N="17" REF="23">of him, and the araying of him with honour and glory. P&s;al. 50.23. <HI>Who &s;o offereth prai&s;e, glorifieth me.</HI> Then this is a great di&s;honour, and then 'tis evill. That which is again&s;t the Crown and dignity, &s;pecially immediately of a Prince, is heinous and grievous.</P>
<P>This being &s;uch a &s;inne, thus committed, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> argues our age guilty before the Almighty; &s;ome one way, &s;ome after ano|ther; yea, who can &s;ay, I am free? Many, and the mo&s;t receive and devoure daily the ble&s;&s;ings of God, and know not, or ac|knowledge not that he gave them, but thinke they come natu|rally or by friends, or by their owne labour, and &s;o as Haba|cuck 1.16. <HI>Therefore they &s;acrifice unto their net, and burne in|cen&s;e unto their yarne, becau&s;e by them their portion is fat, and their meate plenteous;</HI> and &s;o commit Idolatry with their friends, with the earth and heavens, with their labours and hands. But &s;ay they be &s;o farre in&s;tructed that they confe&s;&s;e him the giver, yet how &s;ome have forgotten him and his benefits. A &s;econd brings the oblivion of the fir&s;t, a third of that, &amp;c. As one naile drives out another, but an affliction makes all to be forgotten: as with men, one injury they doe us, makes us forget they ever did us good. But &s;ay benefits be remembred, and oftentimes &s;poken of, yet not &s;o much as the afflictions and troubles: or if at one time many words to expre&s;&s;e the pa&s;&s;ion in &s;uffering, few in receiving; or if of them, yet as Courtiers bragge of the Kings favour, as <HI>Haman,</HI> E&s;ter 5.11, 12. more to magnifie him&s;elfe than the Kings liberality: for a long &s;tory they will tell you of their wealth, and honour, and children, and &s;uch like; but a few words, and that very un&s;avourily will they drop out of prai&s;e to God. They make not their Song or P&s;almes of thanke&s;giving as the faithfull have done. But if any can plead not guilty here, and be culpable in none of the&s;e, yet his unthankfulne&s;&s;e appeares that he &s;till remaines in his &s;inne, and rebells again&s;t the Lord; not onely offending him, but by tho&s;e things he hath received from him: more than any married and mode&s;t woman will doe to her hu&s;band, by the Rings, Chaines, Bracelets, Apparrell, and ornaments he gave her to adorne her, &s;o &s;he might be ac|ceptable to him; not that &s;hee &s;hould give to an adulterer, to entice him to folly. And yet what el&s;e doe many, but by their riches and honours, their health and beautie, by their &s;trength and valour, and &s;uch like, di&s;honour him? By their riches they waxe proud again&s;t God, by their honours and high places they oppre&s;&s;e others without feare: health makes them &s;tudy the ad|orning and trimming of the body, by their beautie they entice others, by their valour they contemne others, and like mighty <HI>Nimrods</HI> they tyrannize in peace and warre: &s;o that God for all his co&s;t hath not Grapes, but &s;ower Grapes, as I&s;aiah 5. But
<PB N="18" REF="24">&s;ay that herein they are not to be charged, yet are they ungrate|full, becau&s;e they have not walked worthy of &s;uch benefits, be|cau&s;e they have not rendered according to their reward, and every benefit hath not beene an&s;wered with obedience, and more care to plea&s;e God.</P>
<P>To teach every man to labour to &s;ee and know him&s;elfe guilty of this &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to humble him&s;elfe for it, and repent of it, as of one of the greate&s;t &s;innes he hath, and the greater, as in the de|grees he finds him&s;elfe guilty of it. Now becau&s;e there neither is, nor can be true repentance where there is per&s;everance in it, nor unle&s;&s;e it be for&s;aken, and the former good acted; for he is ungratefull, that is not thankfull; as he is wicked, that is not ju&s;t; the contrary evill is ever where the good is not, where and when it ought to be. Therefore mu&s;t every one labour for the good, and &s;trive to be thankefull, to acknowledge, to re|member, to prai&s;e, to ab&s;taine from evill, to reward with all good offices for &s;uch great kindne&s;&s;e: Hee mu&s;t &s;tirre up the be&s;t in&s;trument that he hath to prai&s;e the Lord, who&s;e nature (as one &s;aith) is &s;uch,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In conferen|dis beneficiis e&s;t liberali&s;&s;i|ma, ita in gratiarum actionibus re|po&s;cendis e&s;t avari&s;&s;ima.</NOTE> that in conferring of benefits hee is mo&s;t li|berall, and mo&s;t covetous in requiring acknowledgment. This is mo&s;t acceptable to him, like the &s;cent of all &s;acrifices, Levit. 3.16, 17. Let it repent us that we have deprived him of &s;o much as is due to him, and now &s;trive to it, &s;inging the &s;ongs of thanke&s;giving with cheerefull hearts when hee calls us to it, not loving him otherwi&s;e than hee hath done us, both in word and deed: cea&s;ing to grieve him, &s;eeking to plea&s;e him, and to recompence as he hath rewarded us. <HI>Et &s;i gravia praeterierunt, tamen gravium memoria ne praetereat; non ut doleamus, &s;ed ut gratias agamus.</HI> Chry&s;o&s;t. <HI>Hom.</HI> 12. <HI>ad popul. Ant.</HI> But <HI>Hom.</HI> 25. <HI>Vera gratiarum relatio haec e&s;t, cum haec agamus unde Deus glori|ficari debet, cum ea fugiamus &agrave; quibus jam fuimus liberati. Nam, cum Rege contumeliis affecto, cum poenas luere deberemus, hono|rati fui&s;&s;emus, &amp; mox iterum affeci&s;&s;emus contumelia, tanquam ingratitudinis extremae rei, maximam merito poenam, &amp; priore multo graviorem dare deberemus.</HI> Whereas on the contrary, to be truely thankefull, is a great trea&s;ure, it is the way to more riches, becau&s;e a man doth anew draw at the Well of Gods bounty; for to him that hath &s;hall be given; if hee u&s;e it for his Mai&s;ters glory: and the evill avoided which el&s;e would come up|on them.</P>
<P><HI>I have loved thee,]</HI> This is under&s;tood not of his generall love, but his &s;peciall, and that after a &s;peciall manner: not &s;uch as he loves whole mankind by, but &s;uch as he loves his Church by. The love of a whole Family, of his Spou&s;e and children is different, one more excellent than other, and &s;o both more &s;peciall and more excellent.</P>
<PB N="19" REF="24">
<P>God, hee loves his Church with a more &s;peciall and excellent love, than he loves either all creatures, or all mankind. So here, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> Amos 3.2. Exod. 19.5. Now therefore if yee will heare my voice indeed, and keepe my Covenant, then yee &s;hall be my chiefe trea&s;ures above all people, though all the earth be mine: where the learned take the word to &s;ignifie, a people of a preci|ous trea&s;ure. The <HI>Septuag.</HI> read <GAP DESC="foreign">, a peculiar peo|ple. Tit. 2.14. Now <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>est the&s;aurus prae aliis electus,</HI> and &s;o it is more excellent, and more deare and precious in Gods &s;ight: the&s;e were for them&s;elves, and the Type of others. Hence is that, 1 Pet. 2.9. Ye are a cho&s;en generation, a pecu|liar people. Things elected are more &s;pecially loved; hence are tho&s;e compari&s;ons to &s;et forth this love, that he is the Head of his Members, the Father of his Children, the Hu&s;band of his Wife. The Members are better affected than excrements, the Children than &s;ervants, the Wife without compari&s;on, as him|&s;elfe is one fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e love, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> precious and excellent love is di&s;cerned by the things which proceed from love, that are given and be&s;towed upon the beloved: for he loves, who be&s;towes meate and drinke and apparell; but he more, that provides land, inheritance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non tam &agrave; veris rebus &s;omnia &s;upe|rantur, qu&agrave;m haec terrena ab aeternis il|lis ab&s;unt. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> da. virg.</NOTE> and layes up trea&s;ure, and gives knowledge and education. The &s;er|vant is provided for, the Child much more: &s;o the things God gives being more excellent, &s;pirituall, Salvation, things belong|ing to it; but to others earthly things onely, 1 Cor. 9.11. There is a three-fold &s;tate of man, as Divines &s;peake of him: <HI>E&s;|&s;e, bene e&s;&s;e, optimum e&s;&s;e.</HI> Fir&s;t, <HI>naturae,</HI> &s;econdly, <HI>gratiae,</HI> thirdly, <HI>gloriae.</HI> The fir&s;t of generall love, the two la&s;t of &s;pe|ciall love, which being tho&s;e God gives his, and his onely; then is it with a more &s;peciall love he loves them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is more con&s;tant and perpetuall: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for the generall love of mankind is terminated not with the Sunne and Moone onely, but with their breaths; they part with their lives and his love together, but theirs is for ever, and then &s;pecially is ma|nife&s;ted when life is ended. That in life was but a pledge and earne&s;t of the other, a penny to one hundred pound, or an Angell to a thou&s;and pound, a bargaine of it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e in generall love onely, <HI>&s;ua dat,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> his ble&s;&s;ings and outward benefits: but in &s;peciall, <HI>&s;e dat,</HI> he gives him&s;elfe. Ho|&s;ea 2.19. Now as that of <HI>Samuel</HI> is true, 1 Sam. 15.22. Obedi|ence is better than &s;acrifice, becau&s;e in obedience a man gives him&s;elfe to God, but in &s;acrifice he gives but of his, as <HI>Cain</HI> of the fruit of the ground. <HI>Abel</HI> of the fir&s;t of his &s;heepe, and of the fatte&s;t of them; &s;o in this.</P>
<P>This &s;hould provoke every one to labour for this love, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> being &s;o &s;peciall and &s;o excellent: rare things are deare, and de&s;ired;
<PB N="20" REF="25">the more rare, the more deare, and more de&s;ired; but when they are rare and excellent, very precious then mo&s;t of all; &s;uch is this love. But how may we get this? Labour to be his, and his children, and Church, &s;o we all are. But he is not a Jew that is one outward. But how may we know that we are his, and have love? How doe commonly men know they have the generall love, and whence is their generall bragge of it? If they have the fruits of his love, peace, pro&s;perity, riches, &amp;c. So in this, if they have &s;pirituall graces, as true &s;aving knowledge, faith, &s;anctification, love, meekne&s;&s;e, zeale, which are the fruits of his &s;peciall love, Eccle&s;. 9.1. No man knows either love or hatred by all that is before us. They are things within us which mu&s;t manife&s;t that to us; for the&s;e then mu&s;t we labour that we may know we have it.</P>
<P>This mu&s;t teach every one to be more thankfull for this than he or others would be for the generall: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> the thankfulne&s;&s;e is to an&s;wer his love with obedience, to heare and obey, Exod. 19.5. Now therefore if ye will heare my voice indeed, and keepe my Covenant, then ye &s;hall be my chiefe trea&s;ures above all people though all the earth be mine. The fruits of the generall love of God will require this, and the more fruits, the more o|bedience: He that hath received &s;omething, though with the lea&s;t, owes the mo&s;t he can doe; how much more he that hath more houour, credit, riches, &amp;c. Ought to performe more o|bedience, be more zealous, religious, holy; as <HI>Augu&s;t. Sur|gunt indocti &amp; coelum rapiunt, &amp;c.</HI> If for the&s;e common ble&s;|&s;ings and love, how much more for the fruits of &s;peciall love and it? If to whom much, of them much in the former; how much more in this? and of &s;uch as have his &s;peciall love, he looks for obedience and honour, wherein is their thankfulne&s;&s;e. The Courtier that is advanced above others, ought to be more re|&s;pective of the Prince and his will, and with more care and cheerefulne&s;&s;e performe all obedience, and the duty of his place than others. He that hath his life, liberty, and living given unto him when all was lo&s;t, if he &s;hall not, if he &s;hould not re|&s;pect him, every tongue would be ready to condemne him: But if he &s;hould be made heire to the Crowne, if his i&s;&s;ue faile, or hee have no child, then more. So in this; and this not being, nothing wil more prove that they are not that they would &s;eeme to be, and that they have not that they braggeon.</P>
<P>This is matter of comfort to as many as are indeed his, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> belo|ved of him, they may be &s;ure they &s;hall lack nothing that is need|full and good for them: for if he love them thus &s;pecially as his owne, God is faithfull to provide for his owne; for, as Rom. 8.32. who &s;pared not his owne &s;onne, but gave him for us all to death, how &s;hall he not with him give us all things al&s;o? how
<PB N="21" REF="25">much more readily will he give us other things, when he hath gi|ven us him&s;elfe, and hath married us to him&s;elfe? Will a father &s;ee his child to want? will a hu&s;band let his wife want when he is rich and able? if they &s;hould, yet will not God. I&s;aiah 49.15. Can a woman forget her child, and not have compa&s;&s;ion on the &s;onne of her wombe? though they &s;hould forget, yet will I not forget thee: therefore they may be&s;t have their con|ver&s;ation without care or covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e; they need not &s;weare or deceive for gaine, oppre&s;&s;e, or offer injury to provide for them&s;elves; they need not prophane the Lords day, nor u&s;e unlawfull meanes to lay up for another time to come: for hee that doth &s;o &s;pecially love them, and hath laid up &s;o great things for them, and given them the pledges of them already, and the earne&s;t of &s;uch infinite things, how will not he take care of them to provide nece&s;&s;aries for them. He that in his generall love feeds the Ravens, the Lions, and Leopards; makes his raine to fall, and his Sunne to &s;hine upon the wicked, and fills their bellies with his hid trea&s;ures; what will his &s;peciall love make him to his owne? but many of his are often-times &s;canted. So the Phy&s;itian keeps his patient at a &s;trait diet, when full di&s;hes are hurtfull unto him. And God often-times gives not riches, becau&s;e when they be <HI>humanae mi&s;eriae remedia,</HI> the reme|dies of humane mi&s;ery, they will make them <HI>in&s;trumenta volup|tatis aut &s;uperbiae,</HI> the in&s;truments of plea&s;ure or pride, and he knows their hearts better than them&s;elves. But they often want much, and have &s;carce to &s;atisfie nature, when the wicked have abundance; but their water and browne bread makes them looke as well as all the full di&s;hes of the wicked; as it was with <HI>Daniel</HI> and his fellows. And the prodigall &s;onne had little to re|fre&s;h him, when his fathers &s;ervants had bread enough, be|cau&s;e he abu&s;ed his former portion, and runne from under the protection, and out of his fathers hou&s;e. So with them: At his returne he had the fat Calfe killed for him, and apparrell and ornaments given him fit for a &s;onne.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h every one that is his, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to looke for more corre|ction than others if they provoke him; for more love, more of the rod; more affection, more affliction; the more &s;peciall love, more &s;peciall and more &s;peedy correction. This u&s;e made <HI>Amos</HI> of it, <HI>Chap.</HI> 3.2. <HI>You onely have I knowne of all the families of the earth, therefore I will vi&s;ite you for all your iniquities.</HI> Heads of families correct all, and mo&s;t where they love; children be|fore &s;ervants, and of them, tho&s;e they love, if their love be with judgment, and not blinded with affection.</P>
<P><HI>Wherein ha&s;t thou loved us?]</HI> Some take this to be a kind of prevention: the Prophet knowing what this people would &s;ay, thus accu&s;ed, for them&s;elves, he prevents; Yee will a&s;ke me
<PB N="22" REF="26">wherein I have manife&s;t any love unto you? my an&s;wer is ready, and the proofe manife&s;t. Was not <HI>Jacob</HI> brother to <HI>E&s;au?</HI> but the&s;e are more likely to be the words of the people, for &s;o their ingratitude rather appeares, that they would not acknowledge the love of God, but &s;ome of infirmity, &s;ome of malice and contempt &s;pake thus, Wherein ha&s;t thou loved us? In what &s;peciall benefit ha&s;t thou &s;hewed thy love unto us? <HI>Cyrill</HI> &s;uppo|&s;eth that it is likely they remembred the late captivity and cala|mity God had brought upon them, which did &s;o &s;ticke in their mindes, that all the good God did unto them before and &s;ince, &s;pecially &s;pirituall, could not make them acknowledge he loved them.</P>
<P>The corrupt nature of man is hardly drawne to confe&s;&s;e and acknowledge &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and him&s;elfe guilty of &s;inne; but will doe any thing, accu&s;e God or man, or any other thing to cover their &s;in. This people is a manife&s;t proofe of it here; and <HI>ver.</HI> 6, 7. and <HI>Cap.</HI> 2.14. and 3.7, 8. Job 31.33. <HI>If I have hid my &s;inne as</HI> Adam, <HI>concealing mine iniquity in my bo&s;ome. Trem. more homi|num,</HI> noting the corruption of man to hide and cover it. It is manife&s;t by <HI>Adams</HI> accu&s;ing <HI>Eve</HI> and God, and <HI>Eve</HI> the Serpent, to cover their &s;inne, Gen. 3.12, 13. <HI>Achan,</HI> Jo&s;hua 7. who co|vered it till God had found him out. <HI>Saul,</HI> he covered his by ac|cu&s;ing of the people, 1 Sam. 15.13, 14, 15, 20, 21. <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 11.6. &amp;c. yea, even when <HI>Nathan</HI> came to him, <HI>Cap.</HI> 12. who might, if he did not, take the Parable to him&s;elfe, before it was applyed by <HI>Nathan.</HI> The Prie&s;ts, Matth. 27.4. <HI>Gregory;</HI> They are like the Cuttle-fi&s;h, that when he perceiveth men goe about to take him, doth &s;o dye and colour the water about her with a kind of blacke moi&s;ture, that a man cannot tell where to have her: &s;o the&s;e, and &s;o others, either by denying, as Matth. 25.44. by defence, as <HI>Jonah,</HI> Jonah 4. by cautelous an&s;wer, as Gen. 4.9. by a good purpo&s;e, as Gen. 20.6. by putting it off to o|thers, <HI>Adam</HI> to <HI>Eve.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;elfe love beares rule and &s;way, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which will make him &s;o cover his &s;innes, Job 31.33. If I have hid my &s;inne as <HI>Adam,</HI> concealing mine iniquity in my bo&s;ome. The latter part <HI>Tre|mel.</HI> reads, <HI>Abdendo ex dilectione mei iniquitatem meam.</HI> And this is to avoid both puni&s;hment from God, and &s;hame from men; naturally they know God is ju&s;t, and out of his ju&s;tice will vi&s;ite the iniquities of men: and they thinke him as man, and that the Proverb is true,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea 12.8.</NOTE> Confe&s;&s;e and be hang'd; &s;uppo&s;ing he cannot know, unle&s;&s;e they di&s;clo&s;e. Therefore to avoid his knowledge, and &s;o his puni&s;hment, they willingly &s;mother them. Againe, to avoid &s;hame from men, becau&s;e they will e|ven upbraid them with their &s;innes they have confe&s;&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 13.13.</NOTE> though happily them&s;elves more wicked, but more covert. Therefore
<PB N="23" REF="26">they would willingly, and by what meanes they can cover them. <HI>Oblectat &s;an&egrave; flagitium, &amp; tamen ip&s;ius rei nomen aures offendit.</HI> Chry&s;o&s;t. <HI>Ser. de virtut. &amp; vit.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he loves his &s;inne, and is very loath to part with it. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Now if he &s;hould come to know and acknowledge his &s;inne, he mu&s;t for&s;ake it, or el&s;e men will cry more &s;hame, and God will more &s;harply puni&s;h him: whereas all the while he di&s;&s;embles his knowledge, he thinkes he is the rather to be borne withall, both of God and man.</P>
<P>How &s;hould this be accounted a corruption, when as, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> I&s;aiah 3.9. they are reproved for declaring their &s;inne, and not hiding it?</P>
<P>It is one thing to commit &s;inne openly, <MILESTONE UNIT="Solut."> and as it were with|out &s;hame to profe&s;&s;e it;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non confiieri, &s;ed profiteri.</NOTE> another to confe&s;&s;e &s;inne with &s;hame to him&s;elfe, and glory to God. It is one thing for <HI>Zimri,</HI> Numb. 25.6. to manife&s;t &s;inne, and another for <HI>David,</HI> when he is re|proved by <HI>Nathan,</HI> to confe&s;&s;e &s;inne. It is not the &s;ame: that <HI>Ab|&s;olon</HI> commit &s;inne upon the hou&s;e-top &s;hamele&s;ly in the &s;ight of the Sunne, to the di&s;honour of God and his Father; and <HI>A|chan</HI> confe&s;&s;e that was committed with &s;hame to him&s;elfe, and giving glory to God. To declare &s;inne as they did, is the height of impiety; but to confe&s;&s;e &s;inne as the&s;e, is the fir&s;t &s;tep to piety; and to cover them, gives &s;mall hope of recovering them: The ones declaring, and the others cloaking, argue both their cor|ruptions.</P>
<P>Then is the wi&s;edome of the wi&s;e but fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who think that the be&s;t guide is Nature, and that a man &s;hall never erre if he follow it. Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e it is a marvellous blind guide in all things, and whither&s;oever it calls, we are to be jealous and &s;u&s;picious of it: It will never lead us to any good, but to fal&s;e plea&s;ures, deceitfull profits, vaine honours. It will either teach us that &s;inne is no &s;inne, Rom. 7. or le&s;&s;en &s;inne, or teach us to cover &s;in. In the body, and for it, he would be accounted but a &s;lender friend and bad coun&s;ellour, who &s;hould per&s;wade a man wounded, that it were nothing, or teach him to cover it till it &s;o fe&s;ter, that the part mu&s;t be cut off, before he di&s;cover it to a Chirurgian: what a guide is nature then?</P>
<P>To teach every one to &s;ee and acknowledge the corruption of his nature, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when he finds in him&s;elfe all willingne&s;&s;e, and endeavour to cover his &s;inne, whether by accu&s;ing God or man, or any other creature, &s;pecially when he is reproved by the Word of God in the mouth of the Mini&s;ter, then to &s;eeke excu&s;es and pretences, argues a marvellous ob&s;tinacy and re&s;o|lution to continue in their &s;innes, be&s;ides the hurt they doe unto them&s;elves. The hurt is, fir&s;t that &s;inne is the greater; he increa&s;es his &s;inne, who judging God to be like a man, be|leeves
<PB N="24" REF="27">he may e&s;cape the puni&s;hment of his fault,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plus imo de|linquit, qui&s;e|cund&ugrave;m De|um cogitans, evadere &s;e pae|nam criminis credit, &s;i pa|lam non cri|men admi&s;it. <HI>Cypr.</HI> de lap&s;.</NOTE> if he commit|ted it not openly, and &s;o if he cover it. Secondly, he brings more and greater &s;innes upon him&s;elfe:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">&V;t in corpo|ribus qui vul|nera neglexe|runt, febres gignunt &amp; putrifactio|nes, &amp; mor|tem denique, itidem &amp; in animis, qui pu&s;illa di&s;&s;i|mulant, ma|jora invitant. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> ad Gal. cap. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> As in our bodies the neglect of wounds may cau&s;e Fevers and putrifactions, and at length death: &s;o in our &s;oules, the hiding of &s;mall, is to invite greater; for both Satan is emboldened to &s;ugge&s;t more, and, their con&s;cience hardened, they ea&s;ily receive more. Thirdly, they bring more &s;hame and puni&s;hment upon them&s;elves. If the &s;mothering of it here, were the burning of it for ever, their po|licy were not ami&s;&s;e: But when for all this it mu&s;t come to judg|ment, their cunning is but cruelty to them&s;elves. What profit is it to a malefactor ob&s;tinately to deny his fact to the Judge in his private Chamber, or before &s;ome few, when he hath fa|vour promi&s;ed him, and be made to confe&s;&s;e it at the Barre be|fore the whole Countrey, when his owne hand and his fellows in the fact, &s;hall be brought again&s;t him, without all hope of re|ceiving any thing but &s;everity of judgment, where every ex|cu&s;e and cover he hath had &s;hall increa&s;e both his &s;hame and puni&s;hment?</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. If this be the corruption of nature, and the &s;inne of this people, let us learne to ca&s;t from us the cloakes of &s;hame, and, reproved for our &s;innes, and threatned, let us with the people at <HI>Johns</HI> preaching, Matth. 3. confe&s;&s;e our &s;innes, that we may e|&s;cape the wrath to come. What el&s;e is required of us, than that the Church of God hath u&s;ually done? as Ezra 10. and 1 Sam. 7.6. what but that wherein we may glorifie God, Jo&s;hua 7.19. for in confe&s;&s;ing our &s;innes we give him the glory of his ju&s;tice, as puni&s;hing where he was provoked. What? but that we may di&s;burden our &s;elves, and get a whole&s;ome and &s;overaigne me|dicine to our wounds. Our wounds have beene grievous, as I&s;aiah 1.6. Our &s;innes as the infection have beene declared un|to us, our pride, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. let us not cover them ei|ther by impudency, or infirmity: let not our proud women &s;ay, their hu&s;bands would have it &s;o, nor the covetous men, our wives and children mu&s;t be maintained &s;o: let not the &s;wearer &s;ay, he cannot be believed, or utter his wares, or any &s;uch cover of &s;tate and condition, accu&s;ing &s;ometime God, &s;ometime men; for he that threatneth thus the greene tree, what will he doe to the dry? the naturall Olive, what will he doe to the wild Olive? Certainely it &s;hall not be &s;o ea&s;ie to us as to them: but if all will not, let me &s;peak to as many as feare the Word of the Lord: Thou and thy hou&s;e, thou and thy wife and children, doe not hide them, but confe&s;&s;e: Remember that, Prov. 28.13. <HI>He that hideth his &s;innes, &s;hall not pro&s;per: but he that confe&s;&s;eth and for&s;aketh them, &s;hall have mercy;</HI> &s;o com|mon in experience, that it is a Proverb.</P>
<PB N="25" REF="27">
<P><HI>Wherein ha&s;t thou loved us?]</HI> This they &s;peake, becau&s;e of their late captivity, as if for that one cro&s;&s;e they were not bound to be thankfull unto him for the other mercies: or &s;hew|ing their blindne&s;&s;e and corruption of nature, that for one cro&s;&s;e or affliction they acknowledged not, nor account of other mercies.</P>
<P>It is the blindne&s;&s;e of mans nature and his corruption, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> in an affliction and trouble not to account and e&s;teeme all other the former ble&s;&s;ings of God: &s;o in this people. It is manife&s;t not onely in the wicked, where corruption is in the &s;trength, but in the good, where it is abated, and yet creeps where it cannot goe. In <HI>Haman,</HI> E&s;t. 5.11, 12, 13. In <HI>Rebeckah,</HI> Gen. 27.46. <HI>Jonah</HI> 4.3, 9. in <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 77.7, 8, 9. in a multitude of both kinds. P&s;al. 78.19, 20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e men u&s;ually live by &s;ight and &s;ence, not by faith, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and &s;o they onely &s;ee and conceive of things pre&s;ent and before them, as bea&s;ts doe, and doe not looke to things pa&s;t.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the children of God, how&s;oever they have true faith, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> yet in mo&s;t, weake, and in be&s;t often full of doubts; that when troubles and afflictions come, though they forget not their for|mer ble&s;&s;ings, yet make que&s;tion whether the former were of love or no.</P>
<P>This teacheth us whence are &s;o many &s;trange practices of the wicked, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and pa&s;&s;ions of Gods owne in &s;ome troubles and di&s;|quietne&s;&s;e: the wicked offering violent hands to them&s;elves, hanging, &s;tabbing, drowning them&s;elves, though they be in the midde&s;t of many ble&s;&s;ings, that a man would thinke they wanted nothing that heart could thinke or de&s;ire. It is not one|ly from the things them&s;elves, which give no comfort, when there is none within, like cloaths that warme none but them who have naturall heat: but from the blindne&s;&s;e of the minde and their corruption, which cannot account nor rejoyce in them; but doth often &s;o tran&s;port them and carry them out of them&s;elves, that they know not they have any &s;uch comfort to delight in, and for ea&s;e of one trouble deprive them&s;elves of all. The godly upon &s;ome lo&s;&s;e or other trouble fall into &s;uch pa&s;&s;ions, as <HI>Rebeckah</HI> and others, their lives irke&s;ome and te|dious unto them, and find no comforts in all for one di&s;com|fort; like children, who if they have one of their trifles they play withall taken from them, ca&s;t away all the re&s;t in great di&s;con|tent, and can find no plea&s;ure in it; like to men, who having an hundred Acres of ground, if one be gained from them by Sea, or wreaked from them by title of Law, take no plea&s;ure nor joy in all the re&s;t. So they in the lo&s;&s;e of a Child, take no plea&s;ure, at lea&s;t in their pa&s;&s;ion, nor account not of many other of Gods ble&s;&s;ings, which many of Gods, as deare to him as they,
<PB N="26" REF="28">have not, or not in that abundance: All this is from the corrup|tion of their nature.</P>
<P>If this be the corruption of nature, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and the &s;inne of this peo|ple, let us &s;ee our &s;elves in them, and examine our &s;elves, we &s;hall ea&s;ily find this in our &s;elves, being all of one metall. Let us learne to mourne for it, and hereafter to &s;trive again&s;t it, e&s;tee|ming and accounting of the ble&s;&s;ings we have, or ta&s;ted in for|mer times, though God have given us worme-wood and gall. If any ble&s;&s;ing be taken from us, or trouble come upon us, let us be thankfull unto God, and comfortable in the midde&s;t of other of his ble&s;&s;ings: and if we be di&s;contented, let it be with our &s;elves; if we grieve, let it be at our &s;innes, for abu&s;ing &s;uch ble&s;&s;ings, or walking unworthy of them; and therefore hath God taken them from us. In them let us &s;tay our &s;elves, as <HI>Job</HI> &s;topped his wifes mouth, <HI>Job</HI> 2.10. when &s;he moved him to di&s;|content and di&s;comfort. And in the meane time let us labour for good con&s;ciences and &s;ound &s;pirits, the feeling of Gods fa|vour, and a&s;&s;urance of his love; &s;o &s;hall we beare all our infir|mities, Prov. 18.14. And griefe or lo&s;&s;es to him &s;hall be but as &s;o many &s;parkes falling into the the Ocean. Chry&s;o&s;t. <HI>de vita recta, Hom.</HI> 25 <HI>ad popul. Ant.</HI> 12.1. <HI>d.</HI> 2.</P>
<P><HI>Was not</HI> E&s;au Jacobs <HI>brother?</HI>] Here is Gods an&s;wer to their murmuring que&s;tion, and as it were a plaine deniall of his love, proving evidently to them that he loved them. Now he rea|&s;oneth not from common benefits, as that he had created them, that he pre&s;erveth them, that he gave them health and peace, pro&s;perity and comforts; having brought them from their capti|vity, and &s;eated them in their owne land, &amp;c. but demon&s;trated his love unto them from the beginning of their nation, from their Head and Author. You, as ungratefull creatures, will not acknowledge my love, this is your impudency: but &s;ee, I will make you confe&s;&s;e it. And fir&s;t of all to fetch things from the very beginning, <HI>Was not</HI> E&s;au Jacobs <HI>brother?</HI>] And &s;o as if all things be con&s;idered, no cau&s;e why I &s;hould love one more than other, they were both begotten of one father, both borne in one wombe, both &s;ucce&s;&s;ors of the Covenant, both boughes of one roote, both digged out of one rocke; yea, if any privi|ledge and cau&s;e of love, it was in <HI>E&s;au,</HI> becau&s;e he was the fir&s;t begotten; yet I loved and freely cho&s;e <HI>Jacob,</HI> yea, before he was borne, and hated <HI>E&s;au.</HI> But &s;ome will &s;ay, What is this to this people? much every way; becau&s;e the&s;e were two nations, that is, the heads of them: &s;o that what God did to them, he did to their po&s;terity. Then it follows to be reckoned as a benefit to them, and &s;o proves his love, when he had cho&s;en them, and rejected their brethren, without any de&s;ert of theirs. Then was their ingratitude &s;o much the greater, and worthy the reproving.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="28">
<P><HI>Was not</HI> E&s;au Jacobs <HI>brother? yet I loved</HI> Jacob.] They were in many things equall, and in none <HI>Jacob</HI> before, but <HI>E&s;au;</HI> yet here is a clo&s;e preferring of <HI>Jacob</HI> as chiefe man in the familie, and notable as by &s;omewhat in him&s;elfe to overmatch his birth|right, and make him more acceptable, and more allowed of God, which is his piety. The like is Gen. 5.32. <HI>Shem</HI> is put fir&s;t, though not the elde&s;t of the three: for this, becau&s;e he was greate&s;t in Gods bookes for his piety. In our common &s;peech we &s;o &s;peake, when we &s;hew our account of one, &s;uch an one, &s;uch an Earles or Lords brother; here though we &s;peake of the brother, we imply a greater dignity in the Earle: &s;o was not <HI>E&s;au Jacobs</HI> brother? here <HI>Jacob</HI> is preferred.</P>
<P>They who are in priviledges of the fle&s;h and worldly re&s;pects inferiour by much to others, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> are in the account of God not le&s;&s;e, but greater, and more honourable, if they have pietie with other vertues and &s;pirituall graces, which others are con|temners of.</P>
<P>In the prophe&s;ie of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> the Lord comforts his holy Church, and tells her &s;he is precious in his &s;ight, and honorable, and that he loves her, E&s;a. 43.4. This people, the po&s;terity of <HI>Jacob,</HI> were but a neglected people in re&s;pect of other nations; the Lord found them in a de&s;ert land, in a wa&s;t houling wilder|ne&s;&s;e, not allured to become their Tutelar God by their great|ne&s;&s;e, or the richne&s;&s;e of their Countrey; yet he led them a|bout, he in&s;tructed them, he kept them as the apple of his eye, Deut. 32.10. The godly are many times as &s;tones di&s;allowed of men, but cho&s;en of God, and precious; as Chri&s;t al&s;o him|&s;elfe the Corner-&s;tone was, 1 Pet. 2.4, 5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God &s;ees not as man &s;ees, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> he loves mo&s;t that in men whereby they are like&s;t to him&s;elfe, that is, their holine&s;&s;e &amp; pie|ty, and other vertues, which are above other priviledges of the fle&s;h. Men judge by the outward condition, as the <HI>Barbarians</HI> did, Acts 28. and as <HI>Zophar</HI> did, Job 11. But &s;o doth not God, he &s;ees what is in the heart, and what doth truely de&s;erve.</P>
<P>Then let not men carry them&s;elves high upon the priviledges of the fle&s;h; as <HI>E&s;au</HI> is no whit better for being the elder brother. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> <HI>I&s;mael</HI> was elder, yet <HI>I&s;aack</HI> was accepted. One Nation may be more noble and honourable than another, yet God re&s;pects not that: <HI>But in every nation he that &s;eareth him, and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, is accepted of him,</HI> Acts 10.35. <HI>Nabal</HI> may be richer, <HI>Achitophel</HI> wi&s;er, <HI>Ab&s;alom</HI> fairer, <HI>Tertullus</HI> or <HI>Herod</HI> more eloquent than many of Gods people, yet le&s;&s;e in Gods e|&s;teeme. It is a greater honour to be the &s;onnes of God, than the heires of Monarchs, and &s;o <HI>Mo&s;er</HI> counted it. He refu&s;ed to be called the &s;onne of <HI>Pharaohs</HI> daughter, chu&s;ing rather to &s;uffer affliction with the people of God, Heb. 11.24, 25. And hence
<PB N="28" REF="29">it is, that when the very Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t began to grow proud, that they could &s;ubdue devils, &amp;c. he corrects them, and tells them there was another thing wherein they were ra|ther to rejoyce. Luc. 10.18, 19.</P>
<P>Let us learne to imitate God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to preferre &s;uch as are godly in our e&s;teeme. This is made one note of a man that &s;hall come at la&s;t to Gods holy Mountaine, that in his eyes a vile (that is, a wicked) per&s;on is contemned, but he honoureth them that feare the Lord, P&s;al. 15.4. This is to be like unto God, who re|&s;pected <HI>Mary</HI> though &s;he were poore and meane, <HI>Thou ha&s;t re|garded the low e&s;tate of thy handmaid,</HI> Luc. 1.48. And this Saint <HI>James</HI> teacheth us, that it is not agreeable to the Chri&s;tian pro|fe&s;&s;ion, to have the faith of Chri&s;t in re&s;pect with per&s;ons, to preferre a man becau&s;e he hath a gold ring and goodly apparrell: but &s;aith he, Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God cho&s;en the poore of this world, rich in faith? <HI>Jam.</HI> 2.2, 5.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And I hated <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and made his mountaines wa&s;te, and his heritage a wilderne&s;&s;e for Dragons.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>ANd I hated</HI> E&s;au, <HI>and made his mountaines wa&s;te.</HI>] Some think that this is only added to prove his hatred to <HI>E&s;au; viz.</HI> You may ea&s;ily &s;ee my hatred: when as that famous mountaine <HI>Seir,</HI> where there were &s;o many Dukes, as Gen. 36.15. <HI>ad finem,</HI> is now without any dweller, and all the Cities and habitations of them are de&s;troyed. Which thing as it is true, and wee doubt not in part the meaning of this place, yet not the whole, becau&s;e the Lord aimes not &s;o much to &s;et out his hatred to <HI>E&s;au</HI> and his po&s;terity, as his love to <HI>Jacob</HI> and his: therefore there mu&s;t needs be &s;omewhat more in it, that is, the di&s;&s;imilitude or di&s;like effect, to &s;hew his love to them, which ri&s;eth thus: Tho&s;e whom I love, I keepe them in their countrey, and &s;uffer them not to be led captive; yet if for correction I &s;uffer the enemy &s;o farre to prevaile, I doe againe reduce them into their owne countrey, and give them their owne land, and the comforts of it. On the contrary, tho&s;e whom I hate, tho&s;e for their &s;innes I ca&s;t into bani&s;hment, and never bring home againe: but let their land to be a dwelling for bea&s;ts, Dragons, and &s;uch like. Now the former I have done to you who are <HI>Jacobs</HI> po&s;terity, and the latter to <HI>E&s;aus;</HI> now contrary effects have contrary cau|&s;es. So then as they may &s;ee in them my hatred, &s;o in your &s;elves ye may apprehend my love, who are now at home in your
<PB N="29" REF="29">owne Land and Countrey, and enjoy your comforts in your Countrey. This then apparently &s;hews his hatred to <HI>E&s;aus</HI> po|&s;terity, as in &s;pirituall things, the Apo&s;tle being interpreter, Rom. 9. &s;o here in temporall things, and clo&s;ely and by com|pari&s;on his love to <HI>Jacobs</HI> &s;eed, and to this people. The fir&s;t onely to the children of promi&s;e, but this to all, even the whole &s;eed, and not they onely which were ble&s;&s;ed in <HI>I&s;aac.</HI></P>
<P>Exile and bani&s;hment when it falls to a man, or multitude; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to a family, or a whole nation; it is a &s;igne and a proofe of the wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure, of the anger and hatred of God. So is it here made and proved, becau&s;e God threatneth by his Prophet u&s;u|ally, that which men threaten and menace when they are an|gry, that proves their anger when it is effected. Deut. 28.41, 64, 68. <HI>Thou &s;halt beget &s;onnes and daughters, but thou &s;halt not enjoy them, for they &s;hall goe into captivity. And the Lord &s;hall &s;catter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even to the other, and there thou &s;halt &s;erve other gods which neither thou nor thy fathers have knowne, even wood and &s;tone. And the Lord &s;hall bring thee into</HI> Aegypt <HI>againe with &s;hips, by the way whereof I &s;pake unto thee; thou &s;halt &s;ee it no more againe, and there ye &s;hall be &s;old unto your enemies for bond-men and bond-women, and no man &s;hal buy you.</HI> Going into captivity, &s;cattering and &s;erving the ene|my, are threatned as tokens of wrath. Mic. 1.15. and 2.4. 2 Chro. 36.16, 17.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a judgment of God upon whom&s;oever; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> now the judgment of God &s;hews his wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a ble&s;&s;ing, and &s;o a token of the favour of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> to have hou&s;es or lands, and &s;o to enjoy them.</P>
<P>Many are bani&s;hed and ca&s;t into exile for Chri&s;t and the pro|fe&s;&s;ion of his truth. <HI>Ergo.</HI> <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>It is true, <MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> that as among the <HI>Grecians</HI> they had an <HI>O|&s;traci&s;mus,</HI> a Law to bani&s;h every one that excelled other in riches, or in honour, or favour, or eloquence, and wi&s;e|dome, yea, in their outward ju&s;tice: As <HI>Ari&s;tides</HI> was bani|&s;hed <HI>Athens</HI> by the voyces of all, even a ru&s;tick who knew him not by face, but becau&s;e they called him ju&s;t; &s;o falls it out in the world, and in the kingdomes of it, that they doe expell tho&s;e who profe&s;&s;e Chri&s;t and piety, but that is nothing again&s;t this: Fir&s;t, for that which <HI>Justine Martyr</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Epi&s;t. ad Diogne|tum, de Chri&s;tianis; Omnis peregrina regio, patria e&s;t eorum, &amp; omnis patria e&s;t peregrina:</HI> Every forreigne Countrey is their home, and at home they are &s;trangers, and &s;o they not bani|&s;hed where&s;oever. Againe, becau&s;e this comes onely from the malice and di&s;plea&s;ure of men, and is a favour of God, that they are enabled to part with all for his &s;ake, as Act. 5.41. &s;o wee may rejoyce if we be counted worthy to be exiles for his name;
<PB N="30" REF="30">but this here &s;poken of comes both from the wrath and di&s;plea|&s;ure of God and man. Further, as <HI>Cau&s;a, non poena,</HI> the cau&s;e, not the puni&s;hment makes a Martyr;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Salvian.</HI> Ex duobus letha|libus malis levius, ut reor, e&s;t captivita|tem corporis Chri&s;tiani, qu&agrave;m capti|vitatem ani|mae &s;u&s;tinere.</NOTE> So <HI>Salvian</HI> &s;peaketh of a dou|ble captivity, or of two &s;orts of captives; one who are <HI>extrin|&s;ecus carne,</HI> captives outwardly in the body, others, <HI>intus men|te captivi,</HI> inwardly in their mindes, and affirmeth, Of two great evills, I &s;uppo&s;e 'tis more ea&s;ie for a Chri&s;tian to &s;u&s;taine the captivity of his body, than the bondage of the &s;oule. Now they which are captives in body for this, are freed in their minds; and <HI>&egrave; contr.</HI> they who hold them captive, are mo&s;t captive; for they are in their minds &s;o, as 2 Pet. 2.19.</P>
<P>This may teach all &s;uch as may fall into captivity and exile, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that when it betides them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>If any &s;hould not, we may then u&s;e the words of</HI> Sal|vian. An cre|dimus forte quod capti|vus animo populus ille non fuerit, qui laetus tunc in &s;uorum captivitati|bus fuit? cap|tivus corde &amp; &s;en&s;u non erat, qui inter &s;uorum &s;up|plicia ride|bat? qui ju|gulari &s;e in &s;uorum jugu|lis non intelli|gebat? qui mori &s;e in &s;u|orum morti|bus non puta|bat? <HI>Quo an|te.</HI></NOTE> they &s;hould learne to groane under it, as under the manife&s;t &s;igne, yea, and the thing that is the wrath of God: for if they may and ought to apprehend Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, when their land brings not forth abundance to them and their u&s;e, what, when it beares not them any longer? But this le&s;&s;on you may teach tho&s;e that are in captivity, we neither are, neither are we in feare of it. I an&s;wer, that men carefull of them&s;elves will learne and regard medicines or pre&s;criptions be|fore they have need of them, e&s;pecially if there be any likely|hood they may fall into a di&s;ea&s;e, le&s;t the remedy not ready, the danger may be, and prove the greater; and the knowledge of any thing is no burden. So in this. But have we no feare of this, that we have no need to learne it? What then meant this late and mo&s;t horrible trea&s;on or practice, that every Nation, Chri&s;tian or barbarous, whether <HI>Turkes, Tartars,</HI> or who&s;o|ever, heard of? If our Papi&s;ts, the greate&s;t enemies of Chri&s;t this day the world hath; if our P&s;eudo-catholicks, the mo&s;t de&s;pightfull enemies to the King and his po&s;terity, to the State and the pro&s;perity of it, to the Church and the peace of it, had prevailed in their de&s;ignes, what would have beene our con|dition but this? Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e either mu&s;t it have come to cut|ting of throats, and the &s;pilling of our blood, after which the Scarlet-whore and her whori&s;h brood hath a long time thir|&s;ted, or el&s;e this captivity and exile, if not carryed out of our owne Land, yet made &s;laves in our owne Land; for they that had remained, &s;hould have &s;erved a &s;tranger in their owne land, Deut. 28.49, 51, 52. and <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 66, 67. for whereto el&s;e tended this, but to bring in a forraigne power, to the &s;laughter of mo&s;t, and &s;lavery of the re&s;t?</P>
<P>Then is it a &s;peciall favour to be acknowledged, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and God to be with all thankfull minds glorified of all tho&s;e, who finde that they are kept in their owne Land, not unthankfully as this peo|ple &s;aid, <HI>Wherein ha&s;t thou loved us?</HI> when they had this benefit. But herein ha&s;t thou loved us, that we are not carryed or taken
<PB N="31" REF="30">captive, that our Cities and Townes are not laid wa&s;te: it is for us in re&s;pect of many other deliverances, and pre&s;ervations from dangerous attempts; &s;o of this la&s;t not the lea&s;t, but that which is every waies the greate&s;t; for if it was the horrible&s;t and mo&s;t fearefull trea&s;on that ever was plotted, if the danger of overturning the Church and State the greate&s;t, if the confu&s;ion to us and ours the mo&s;t fearefull, if the greate&s;t &s;igne of Gods wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure, if they had prevailed not onely to lay the Parliament-hou&s;e wa&s;t, when they cryed, <HI>Raze it, raze it even to the ground;</HI> but to overthrow both Church and Com|mon-wealth, when their condition that had beene blowne up with the Hou&s;e, and then peri&s;hed, had beene better than ours who were out of it: when our men were appointed for the &s;words and &s;laughter, our Wives and Daughters for rapes and adulteries, and after to the Sword; our children to have beene da&s;hed in pieces again&s;t the &s;tones of our &s;treets, our Cities to have beene &s;et on fire over our heads, and all our wealth to have beene a prey for de&s;perate and forlorne wretches: Then, that God hath delivered us from all this, it mu&s;t needs be a to|ken, yea, the greate&s;t of his favour and love. He that &s;eeth it not, is blind; he that &s;eeth it, and doth not acknowledge it, is un|thankfull; he that &s;ees and acknowledgeth it, and doth not prai&s;e and magnifie God for it, is very wicked and impious. If it had beene the pre&s;erving of goods alone from the &s;poile, if our Cities alone from burning, if our children onely from pe|ri&s;hing, if our wives onely from rapes and uncleanne&s;&s;e, if our lives alone from death, and our &s;oules from the grave, the lea&s;t of the&s;e, and any one of them had beene a &s;peciall favour and &s;igne of his love, what, when not one of the&s;e, but all? The pre&s;ervation of them continually, and every day, when there is none that hunts &s;o after them, and &s;eekes extraordinarily by malice to take them away, is a favour and a &s;igne of his love. More, when they had laid their coun&s;ells thus deepe, and &s;ought it &s;o dangerou&s;ly, if he had revealed it halfe a yeare &s;ince in the beginning of the plot, it had beene a token of his good will: but when it was come to &s;uch ripene&s;&s;e, and as there was but a &s;tep betwixt <HI>David</HI> and death, &s;o not a night betwixt us and confu&s;ion; it was much more. Therefore to &s;et forth his love, he brought us within the &s;ight and &s;melling of the danger, that we might the more account of it: <Q>Our Cities not wa&s;ted as <HI>E|doms</HI> mountaines, is a token of his favour.</Q></P>
<P><HI>His mountaines wa&s;t.]</HI> Mountaines are for &s;trength, for the defence and pre&s;ervation of any thing, and by them is &s;ignified the greatne&s;&s;e of <HI>Edom,</HI> and all his power and &s;trength; and <HI>Metaphoric&egrave;,</HI> the great and mighty men, as Mich. 1.4.</P>
<P>No outward thing can priviledge a man from Gods judge|ments, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr.">
<PB N="32" REF="31">or be a &s;anctuary to &s;ave any from his wrath and di&s;|plea&s;ure, when he will puni&s;h and execute his wrath.</P>
<P><HI>And his heritage a wilderne&s;&s;e for Dragons.]</HI> Mount <HI>Seir</HI> it was <HI>E&s;aus</HI> inheritage and his po&s;terity, not onely left then of his fa|ther, but given him of the Lord: Jo&s;hua 24.4. Notwith&s;tan|ding when they had defiled this with their &s;innes, as followeth in the next ver&s;e, the Lord ca&s;t them out, and made it ca&s;t them out, that it was no longer inhabited by them, but po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by Dragons.</P>
<P>They who defile their land and inheritage by &s;inne and wic|kedne&s;&s;e, &s;hall be ca&s;t out of it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and it &s;hall &s;pue them out. <HI>Vide</HI> Mich. 2.10.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE IIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Though <HI>Edom</HI> &s;ay, We are impoveri&s;hed, but wee will returne and build the de&s;olate places; yet &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, They &s;hall build, but I will de&s;troy it, and they &s;hall call them, The border of wickedne&s;&s;e, and the people, with whom the Lord is angry for ever.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THough</HI> Edom <HI>&s;ay,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Quicquid in &s;criptura di|citur dehomi|nibus malis, ad hoc dici|tur, ut civi|tas Dei ex comparatione contrari&acirc; vel proficiat vel emineat. <HI>Aug.</HI> De civitat. Dei. l. <HI>16.</HI> c. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE>] To evict this people more manife&s;tly of ingratitude, he proceeds to other benefits he had be|&s;towed on them, as fruits of his love, and &s;o proving that he loved them. And this was but by compari&s;on &s;et downe, in&s;inu|ated under the contrary, and in the amplification of the &s;ignes of his hatred to <HI>E&s;au</HI> and <HI>Edom:</HI> for this here &s;poken was not for them, but for his owne people. So here; for when the contra|ry was to them, if this were hatred, that mu&s;t be love; for them then and their u&s;e are the&s;e things written. And the force of it &s;tands thus: See, it is my hatred to <HI>E&s;au</HI> and his po&s;terity, that they are not e&s;tabli&s;hed in their owne land, nor defended there in their coa&s;ts, but de&s;troyed and ca&s;t out, and ju&s;tly for their &s;innes, of which you are eye-witne&s;&s;es, that in them and their ruine I have magnified my &s;elfe and my Name. Then mu&s;t it needs be love unto you, that having brought you from your captivity, I have confirmed you in your Land, and defended it and you.</P>
<P><HI>Though</HI> Edom <HI>&s;ay,</HI>] The fir&s;t part is the anticipation or pre|venting of them, &s;etting downe under their per&s;on the &s;wel|ling and proud words and &s;peeches they would &s;peak and utter:
<PB N="33" REF="31">That is, I have &s;aid, I will lay her mountaines and Cities wa&s;te; but they in the pride of their owne hearts, and confidence of them&s;elves and their owne &s;trength, as if they were able to re|&s;i&s;t me, and to &s;trive and &s;tand again&s;t my power, utter &s;uch vaine hopes and bragging thoughts of their owne, yet &s;hall all be but in vaine. Thus they &s;ay, <HI>We are impoveri&s;hed.</HI> The <HI>Idu|means</HI> being expelled their Countrey, carryed into captivity for their &s;innes, and wandring in another and &s;trange Coun|trey, are not for all that humbled for their &s;innes, nor &s;eeke not unto me: but in their impoveri&s;hment and bani&s;hment they thus &s;ay, For all this we will returne, and be built: we by our owne &s;trength and power, in &s;pight of who &s;aith nay, will come home home againe to our Countrey, &s;hake off the yoke of our enemies, and will build and e&s;tabli&s;h <HI>Idumea</HI> againe, and all our Cities.</P>
<P>The Lord he takes notice of, &s;eeth, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and beholdeth all mens carriage in the way of his judgments, how they profit by them, or grow perver&s;e; how they hold out again&s;t him, or humble them&s;elves in them, manife&s;ted as here, &s;o I&s;a. 1.5. and 30.1, 2. and 38.5. Jer. 5.3. and 31.18. Jonah 3.10.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he might know to le&s;&s;en or encrea&s;e them; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> how to re|move them, or renew them. As the gold-finers, when they have put their metall into the furnace, looke ever and anon how it purifies, or how the dro&s;&s;e cleaves to it, they may put out, or put further in; adde more coales, or blow more vehemently. So in this, affliction is the furnace.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he hath tyed him&s;elfe unto this by his word and pro|mi&s;e to heare and regard their prayers and repentance, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> when his judgments or cha&s;ti&s;ements drive them, to &s;ee and acknowledge their &s;innes: 2 Chron. 7.14, 15. <HI>If my people which are called by my Name, humble them&s;elves, and pray, and turne from their wic|ked wayes, and &s;eeke my face, then will I heare from Heaven, and will forgive their &s;inne, and will heale their Land. Now mine eyes &s;hall be open, and my eares attent to the prayer that is made in this place.</HI></P>
<P>For the time pa&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> the time of our late judgment of the Plague, if it may be counted late, which is yet upon us; the Lord hath taken notice of every mans profiting, or not profit|ing by it; either how he was humbled, or how he &s;till held out; whether as <HI>Ephraim,</HI> whether he lamented his &s;innes, and turned to God, or as <HI>Edom</HI> he held out, and promi&s;ed to him&s;elfe the repairing of any lo&s;&s;e what&s;oever, of his wealth, by following his Trade more clo&s;ely; of his wife, that he may have another, and money with her; of his children, he is young, he may ei|ther have more, or he is ea&s;ed of the care and charges of them:
<PB N="34" REF="32">how&s;oever every mans carriage and fruit hath beene, the Lord hath &s;eene it; which is matter of comfort to as many as have beene truely humbled, the Lord hath &s;eene their hearts, heard their prayers, accepted their repentance, the fruit whereof they now enjoy, that they live to prai&s;e God, I&s;a. 38.19. But it is matter of terrour to as many as either contemned this duty in others, making the publick humiliation a meanes or cau&s;e of encrea&s;ing the Plague, or neglected it in them&s;elves, or per|formed it onely in &s;ubtilty, making a &s;hew of that they had not; &s;eeming to be truely humbled, and willing to for&s;ake their &s;innes, when it was but in cunning to get his hand removed, which &s;eemeth to have beene the &s;tate of mo&s;t: which how&s;oe|ver it was not &s;o well di&s;cerned then, yet it hath appeared &s;ince even to every man:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hyemis lucrum tunc maxi|m&egrave; demon&s;tratur cum illa praeteriret; namque vernan|tes &s;egetes &amp; foliis ac fructu affluentes arbores per ip&s;um a&s;pectum clamant, utilita|tem &s;ibi ex hyeme factam, <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> ad P. A. Ho. <HI>18.</HI> Item &egrave; contra.</NOTE> For the benefit of the Winter is chiefly &s;eene when Winter is gone; for the &s;pringing plants, and the trees cloathed with leaves and fruit, tell us by their plea&s;ant &s;hew how they gained by winter: And if men, then God much more; be not then deceived, God is not mocked. And as his ta|king knowledge of the humiliation of the good be to reward them, what of your deceits but to recom|pence? Though <HI>Pharaoh</HI> deceived often, and his owne per&s;on e&s;caped, yet the Lord paid him home at la&s;t in the Red Sea.</P>
<P>For the pre&s;ent time, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> or that is to come in every judgment and affliction, whether poverty, bani&s;hment, reproach, di&s;|grace, di&s;ea&s;e, or any other thing, the Lord he takes notice how thou art affected in them: whether thou art patient or murmuring; whether thou art comfortable, or heartle&s;&s;e; whe|ther u&s;ing lawfull meanes, or unlawfull; whether tru&s;ting in them, or relying upon him. Then &s;ee thou be the &s;ame in &s;e|cret; or when thou art turned to the wall, as when the Mini&s;ter or thy well affected friends are with thee; not as many who have good words, &s;hew great patience before &s;ome men, either that the Mini&s;ter might prai&s;e them at their burialls, or others might commend them after they were gone from them. But thinke when they are gone, the Lord &s;tands by thy beds &s;ide, or is in thy &s;ecret clo&s;et, yea, in the &s;ecrets of thy heart, and takes no|tice of all things at all times.</P>
<P>Wicked men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> the po&s;terity of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> when they are downe and decayed, impoveri&s;hed, or any way afflicted, thinke to repaire them&s;elves, to overcome the judgment, and recover them&s;elves of them&s;elves, and by meanes they like of, and plea&s;eth their humour, without &s;eeking the Lord; manife&s;ted by the&s;e <HI>Edomites,</HI> al&s;o by the <HI>Ephraimites,</HI> the mo&s;t of them,
<PB N="35" REF="32">and the wor&s;t, I&s;a. 9.9. <HI>who &s;aid in their pride &amp; &s;toutne&s;&s;e of heart, the bricks are fallen downe, but we will build with hewen &s;tones.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;ee the&s;e meanes to pro&s;per oftentimes, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> by the indulgence, or rather the anger of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quando nihil e&s;t infaelicius faelicitate pec|cantium, quae poenalis nutritur impuritas, &amp; mala voluntas velut ho&s;tis interior robore|tur. <HI>Aug.</HI> Epi&s;t. St. <HI>Marcell.</HI></NOTE> which if they be cro&s;&s;e at any times, they impute but to want of craft and power.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are ignorant of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the Authour of their trou|ble, and impute it to fortune or other &s;econd cau&s;es, which they doubt not, but of them&s;elves, and by &s;uch meanes to forti|fie them&s;elves again&s;t, and to repaire and recover that they have lo&s;t.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are no wayes well per&s;waded of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> neither his power, nor his will; but as they are privy unto them&s;elves, they have contemned him, &s;o in the height of rea&s;on, they &s;ee it is ju&s;t he &s;hould contemne them.</P>
<P>This being &s;o, con&s;ider if we have not many wicked men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> many <HI>Edomites</HI> who are de&s;irous and doe practi&s;e to rai&s;e up them&s;elves without the Lord by unlawfull meanes, and never humble them&s;elves to him; and if formally they doe this, yet tru&s;t more to the&s;e. Among&s;t the&s;e the chiefe are our Papi&s;ts, who having their mountaines and Mona&s;teries laid wa&s;te, their habitations made a wilderne&s;&s;e for Dragons, and being impo|veri&s;hed by the ju&s;t judgment of God upon them for their Ido|latry and my&s;ticall enmity again&s;t Chri&s;t, by the hand of King <HI>Henry</HI> 8. in policy, and of Qu. <HI>Elizabeth</HI> of ble&s;&s;ed memory, in piety and policy, they re&s;i&s;ting of God, as if they were &s;tronger than he, have a&s;&s;ayed as heretofore, &s;o of late to renew and reedifie their de&s;olations. But by what meanes? not <HI>precibus &amp; lachrymis,</HI> the weapons of the Church; but by fire and &s;word, by fraud and cruelty, &s;eeking to build againe their de&s;olate places, and to lay the foundation of them in the blood of the King and his &s;eed, the Peeres and Prelacy, the Gentry and Commons of the Land, all which is without God; for he will build his Church <HI>&s;anguine Martyrum,</HI> by the blood of Martyrs &s;hed by others, not by the blood &s;hed by the&s;e who account them&s;elves Martyrs. And though &s;ome deny that they are not all &s;uch, and that it is again&s;t charity to thinke &s;o of them, be|cau&s;e they &s;eeme now to condemne this more than barbarous en|terpri&s;e; I thinke (as every man abounds in his owne &s;en&s;e) I &s;hould doe them no wrong; nay, every learned Papi&s;t, if he were in place where he dur&s;t &s;peake it, would not think I &s;hould doe him wrong, if I &s;hould judge him, di&s;liking this which is &s;o meritorious and commendable by their doctrine and practice: for if for one, and the King, to lay their hands upon the Lords
<PB N="36" REF="33">anointed, why not for the re&s;t? And for others of them; though a little humane pitty makes them a while to abhorre them, yet the &s;chooling of a Je&s;uite or Prie&s;t will ea&s;ily and in &s;hort time harden; and I doubt not, but he that &s;eems now mo&s;t pittifull, would have been an Edomite, as <HI>Obadiah</HI> &s;hews them what they were, by telling them what they &s;hould not have been, ver&s;. 11, 12, 13, 14. But to leave the&s;e, we have o|thers, who imitate the Edomites, would rai&s;e up them&s;elves by them&s;elves and evill meanes, not &s;eeking to the Lord: hee that is in di&s;grace &s;eekes to ri&s;e by undermining of others, and by flattery and fraude to make him&s;elfe great againe. In &s;icke|ne&s;&s;e to expect his health by unlawfull meanes, or unlawfully u&s;ing them, &s;eldome, or not at all &s;eeking the Lord: In pover|ty and decay, by lying, and &s;wearing, and deceiving, and breaking, which once done, is better then many yeeres tra|ding.</P>
<P><HI>Yet &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.]</HI> Here is the &s;econd part. Gods threatning again&s;t their &s;welling bragges; vowing as it were to di&s;appoint all their Coun&s;ell and indeavour: And to the end that they may be a&s;&s;ured, it &s;hall be &s;o, the Lord &s;ets him&s;elfe downe, with &s;uch an adjoynt, as may a&s;&s;ure them, hee is able to doe what he &s;aith hee will; for he that &s;peakes this, is the Lord of Ho&s;ts; &s;uch, and &s;o great, and mighty, that he commands all creatures to helpe and hurt, whom, and when he plea&s;eth; to &s;ave and to de&s;troy, to further and hinder; as the generall Commands all the army, and all the Bands, &s;o hee all crea|tures.</P>
<P>The Lord our God is the Lord of Ho&s;ts, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> hee that is able to command all creatures for the &s;aving of his, or the de&s;troying of others the wicked, to helpe where hee will, or to puni&s;h whom hee will, and when hee will. Hee is here called the Lord of Ho&s;ts, applyed to this: Hence it is, that this title is given unto him in infinite places, &s;ometimes for good, and &s;ometimes for evill. 2 King. 19.35. 1 Chronic. 2.9. I&s;a. 1.24, and 2.12. This is manife&s;t by his manifold comman|ding of Creatures, both for good and evill, both to &s;ave and to de&s;troy. Angels are his Mini&s;ters, P&s;alm. 104.4. They are &s;ent by him. P&s;alm. 78.49. I&s;a. 37.36. Hee commands the Sunne. Jo&s;h. 10.12, 13. the Sea, Exod. 14.21. the Windes, Matth. 8.26. the Fire, Dan. 3. the Lyons. Dan. 6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> hee is the Creator of all creatures, and &s;uch a one as &s;till &s;u&s;taines, and upholds them in being, not as a Shippe-wright, he makes, another maintaynes; no marvell if he can command what he will?</P>
<PB N="37" REF="33">
<P>Becau&s;e of his omnipotent power, his wi&s;e providence, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> to guide and govern them, to twine and turne them whither &s;o e|ver he will, if he have given it to weak man in his skill, and with his weaknes to guide a &s;hip, and turn other creatures; how much more him&s;elf?</P>
<P>This may teach every man, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when he findes any of the ho&s;t of God again&s;t him, any creature to worke for his hurt, to affront him in body, and goods, and name, or how&s;oever to &s;ay as 2 Sam. 26.10. <HI>Let him cur&s;e, becau&s;e the Lord hath &s;aid unto him, cur&s;e</HI> David: <HI>who &s;hall then &s;ay, wherefore ha&s;t thou done &s;o?</HI> So bid him cur&s;e not as &s;inne, but as a puni&s;hment or judgment, or cha&s;ti&s;e|ment; for he cannot be author, but <HI>ordinator peccati,</HI> one who doth di&s;po&s;e of their &s;inne and evill, to the end not they, but him&s;elfe aimes at. The malice is <HI>Shimeis,</HI> the Lord he di&s;po&s;eth it, to afflict <HI>David</HI> to humble him; &s;o in every particular thing, thy meat and drinke, the ayre, fire, water, bea&s;ts, any creature, man, great or &s;mall; if they hurt, &s;ay it is the Lord who bid them; complaine to him of it, &s;eeke to him for redre&s;&s;e of it, humble thy &s;elfe, and by the mediator &s;eeke reconcilement: they who are annoyed by a band of men, or the wing of a battle, will &s;eek redre&s;&s;e from their Captaine, or Generall: So here, as Act. 12.20. Herod <HI>was highly di&s;plea&s;ed with them of Tyre and Sidon, but they came unto him with one accord, and having made</HI> Bla&s;tus, <HI>the Kings Chamberlain their freind, they de&s;ired peace, becau&s;e their Country was nouri&s;hed by the Kings Country:</HI> So &s;eeke to God on whom you depend. Otherwi&s;e, if <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> will &s;tand out, when <HI>Joab,</HI> and the re&s;t of the Ho&s;t is &s;ent again&s;t him, he mu&s;t looke to be pierced with darts.</P>
<P>To teach every man who would have the Ho&s;t of God to bee for him, and with him, to pray unto God, the Lord of Ho&s;ts, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who can di&s;po&s;e of them, who hath them all at command, who can take from them their malice and malignity; or as a wi&s;e Phy&s;itian, make a whole&s;ome medicine of that which is poy&s;on; for he hath farre more ab&s;olute command of them, then any Ge|nerall over his &s;ouldiers, as the Centurion in&s;inuates, Luk. 7.7, 8. Hence did <HI>Jacob,</HI> when he feared <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and his band, pray, Gen. 32.9. and found the fruit of it; <HI>cap.</HI> 33.4. Hence in the Go&s;pell, they &s;ought from him the ejection and di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of Devils, of what number and quality &s;oever, the curing of di&s;ea|&s;es, the rebuking of windes and &s;ea, the conver&s;ion, or re&s;trai|ning of enemyes; for he was the Lord of Ho&s;ts: &s;o mu&s;t we &s;till, for he is the Lord of Ho&s;ts. Meanes we mu&s;t u&s;e; as for de|fence, weapons; for health, Phy&s;ick; as the Jewes u&s;ed the di|&s;ciples, but he mu&s;t be looked unto on both &s;ides; becau&s;e he is the Lord of Ho&s;ts: for that any can helpe, that is not from them&s;elves, but from him.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="34">
<P>If any would be free from their hurt, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and have their help, let him &s;eek to be at peace with God, and to have him his friend: for to whom&s;oever he is a friend, they will all be friendly: When there was peace betwixt the two Kings of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Judah, Je|horam</HI> &amp; <HI>Jeho&s;aphat,</HI> each people with hor&s;es &s;erved other, when it was, <HI>I am as thou art,</HI> then it followed, <HI>my people as thy people, and mine hor&s;es and thine hor&s;es,</HI> 2 King. 3.7. So here. Prov. 16.7. <HI>When a mans wayes plea&s;e God, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.</HI> Many men would have all the ho&s;ts of God, for him and his friends; but &s;eekes not the favour of his love, as if the&s;e being more then naturally his, could love where he hated, or where he is hated. But he that would have all things &s;erviceable, mu&s;t &s;eek his favor, &amp; to be at one with him: then Rom. 8.28. <HI>We know that all things worke together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpo&s;e.</HI> But who have more enemies then the&s;e? they make them&s;elves as a prey, all hate them: <HI>An&s;w.</HI> When their love and favor &s;halbe better to them then their hatred, they favor them, and &s;hall doe &s;o; but when their hatred is good for them, they profit by it, are exerci&s;ed and purged, and made fitter for heaven: The Lord is the Lord of ho&s;ts, who thus can make it work.</P>
<P><HI>They &s;hall build, but I will destroy.]</HI> He threatens to overthrow them, and all the meanes they have to e&s;tabli&s;h them&s;elves, that though they pro&s;per a little by his connivence, and &s;uffer them, yet they &s;hould faile of their hope, for he would de&s;troy all they had done.</P>
<P>All the hopes and endevours of the wicked &s;hall be fru&s;trated and vaine, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> &s;o that that which they hoped to e&s;tabli&s;h them&s;elves by, &s;hall be their ruine, God will de&s;troy it, &amp; after them by it; &s;o here, &amp; P&s;. 112.10. <HI>The wicked &s;hall melt away, his de&s;ire &s;hal peri&s;h:</HI> all their &s;tudies, coun&s;els, de&s;ires, endeavours; this hath u&s;u|ally fallen out, as Ho&s;ea 10.6. Ephraim <HI>&s;hall receive &s;hame, and</HI> I&s;rael <HI>&s;hall be a&s;hamed of his owne Coun&s;ell.</HI></P>
<P>No marvell then if we &s;ee every day wicked men di&s;appointed of their hopes, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when they thinke by any unlawfull meanes, to build up, or edify them&s;elves, their names, hou&s;es, or po&s;terity, they may happily build a while and prevaile, as Babel; but it wilbe their ruine; nay it hath been to many of them, by u&s;ury and oppre&s;&s;ion, they have got lands and livings, they have left them to their babes; they have builded hou&s;es, and called them by their names: but in a few &s;ucce&s;&s;ions how they are de&s;troy|ed and come to others, how they hold not herein to the third heire, how they have been their de&s;truction, who &s;ees not? &s;o for ambition, many &s;eeking to ri&s;e like <HI>Haman,</HI> accu&s;ing, de&s;pi|&s;ing and maligning the people of God, have had like ends and
<PB N="39" REF="34">de&s;truction: above all we may remember, as others, &s;o this la&s;t enterpri&s;e of the Papi&s;ts, with joyfull remembrance, I pray God with as thankfull hearts and lives, how God hath di&s;appointed the hope of our wicked, perjured, and perfidious Catholiques and Papi&s;ts; who had thought to have built up them&s;elves, and to have ree&s;tabli&s;hed all their Idolatrous e&s;tates, by their bloudy and cruell, barbarous and &s;avage attempt; yet that they built, God hath, and none el&s;e de&s;troyed, and we doubt not, but it wilbe to their greater ruine among us: for how&s;oever the State hath u&s;ed too much mildne&s;&s;e towards them, yet they will, no doubt, upon this, lay to their hand, and draw forth the &s;word.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h a State, as ours, that it will be in vaine for them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to imagin to e&s;tabli&s;h them&s;elves without the Lord, by u&s;ing un|lawfull meanes, and policy; for God will de&s;troy them. The danger hath been lively before our eyes, upon that connivence of ours, and little &s;trength they had gotten: what if they &s;hould be &s;uffered to grow with us? is not that which <HI>Pharaoh</HI> feared of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> (Exod. 1.10. <HI>Come on, let us deale wi&s;ely with them, le&s;t they multiply, and it come to pa&s;&s;e, that when there falleth out any war, they joyne al&s;o unto our enemies, and fight again&s;t us, and &s;o get them up out of the Land.</HI>) more ju&s;tly to be feared of the&s;e; for they never held it lawfull to take away lives of Princes, to take up armes again&s;t them, to depo&s;e them, becau&s;e they were I|dolatrous, and rejected of God; But the&s;e doe as <HI>Simanca</HI> in his in&s;titutions, Tit. 23. &s;ect. ij. and 13. and <HI>Dominicus Bannes</HI> in 22. Sum. Tho. quae&s;t. 12. Art. 2. that &s;ubjects are bound to deny obedience to &s;uch Soveraignes, and to take up armes again&s;t them, if they have power to doe it; for by Here&s;ie he is deprived of all dominion, and he expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elfe what is meant if they have power, becau&s;e, &s;aith he, with great detriment, with the danger of life, and lo&s;&s;e of goods, they are not bound to take armes again&s;t them, or to exempt them&s;elves from obe|dience, if they be not in danger of a mortall &s;in, that is, of fal|ling from the catholique faith: and therefore it follows, that the faithfull of England and Saxony are to be excu&s;ed, who do not exempt them&s;elves from the power of their Princes, neither take up armes again&s;t them, becau&s;e they have not power to make their wars again&s;t their Princes, and they are incident to great perils if they &s;tirre. By which it is apparent that they waite but till they have &s;trength, if their &s;ecret plots bee thus fru&s;tra|ted. So that he which will &s;peake for favour to be &s;hewed to|wards them, he is either ignorant of this, or el&s;e he is a &s;ecret e|nemy to the State in plaine rea&s;on, be&s;ides the judgments of God, who will overthrow, when men thinke thus to build.</P>
<P><HI>But I will de&s;troy it.]</HI> The Lord takes this to him&s;elfe, to o|verturne
<PB N="40" REF="35">all their buildings, and de&s;troy their &s;trength, and their kingdome.</P>
<P>It is the Lord, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> that as he plants, &s;o puls up Kingdomes, Nati|ons, and men, that ca&s;ts out and brings in, that &s;ets up and puls downe, that make and de&s;troyes &s;tates publique or private at his plea&s;ure; they are all in his hand, and done by him, and fall not out by any fortune, or by an ordinary revolution and vici&s;&s;itude of things; or yet from men, though they be the meanes, but this evill is of the Lord; as here: &s;o, Micha. 2.4. Jer. 18.6, 7. <HI>O hou&s;e of I&s;rael, cannot I doe with you as this Potter, &s;ayth the Lord? behold as the clay in the Potters hand, &s;o are yee in my hand, O hou&s;e of I&s;rael.</HI> Dan. 2.21. <HI>He changeth the times and &s;ea&s;ons, he removeth Kings, and &s;etteth up Kings; he giveth wi&s;edome to the wi&s;e, and knowledge to them that know under&s;tanding.</HI> Luk. 1.52. <HI>He hath put down the Mighty from their &s;eats, and exalted them of low degree.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is ab&s;olute Lord over all, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> all the kingdomes of the Earth are not Satans, as he fal&s;ely affirmed, Math. 4. but the Lords, P&s;al. 24.1. <HI>The earth is the Lords;</HI> yea. 1 Sam. 2.8. <HI>The pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath &s;et the world upon them.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the &s;malle&s;t things are not without, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but by his power and providence;<NOTE PLACE="marg">In omnibus quaedam di&s;|po&s;itio divina ordinat, quaedam potentia divina &s;u&s;tinet, quaedam &s;enten|tia divina judicat.</NOTE> the falling of a &s;parrow, the putting downe of one mans e&s;tate, and from his e&s;tate, P&s;al. 75.6, 7. in all the&s;e a certaine divine di&s;po&s;ition orders, divine power &s;u&s;teines, divine &s;entence judges.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it happens unto them, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> then onely when they have defiled the land, and defied the Lord, and as it were &s;et up &s;in and Satan again&s;t his will and word.</P>
<P>This may teach us when we &s;ee kingdomes overturned, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and wars rai&s;ed, whereto to impute it, what to make the cau&s;e of it, <HI>vid.</HI> Mich. 1.15. <HI>I will bring an heire unto thee, O inhabitant of Mare&s;hah.</HI></P>
<P>If our bloudy Romani&s;ts had prevailed in their barbarous, and cruell plot, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to the &s;upplanting and overthrow of our Kingdome, Church, the burning of our Cities, the raizing of our Townes, the &s;acking of our hou&s;es, and our utter ruine; we ought to have looked unto the Lord, who de&s;troyes and puls up, and they but onely the in&s;truments of his wrath.</P>
<P>Then you ju&s;tifie their act and intent, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> if it were the will of God, and they but his in&s;truments for it:</P>
<P>I ju&s;tify them as much as <HI>Luke</HI> did <HI>Judas,</HI> and <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Pilate</HI> the Rulers and the Jewes; <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> becau&s;e in the Crucifying of Chri&s;t they did the &s;ecret Coun&s;ell of God. Act. 4.28. who were con|demned to Hell for re&s;i&s;ting his revealed will, and committing murther, and &s;o mu&s;t the&s;e without &s;peedy repentance: Be|&s;ides,
<PB N="41" REF="35">Gods and their ends were indifferent, God had done it to purge the Land of us, and of our &s;innes: and that in ju&s;t ju&s;tice, they of malice, and for our principall good, the pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Piety, and the Go&s;pell, and the hatred of their more then heatheni&s;h Idolatry.</P>
<P>To teach us if we would not bee de&s;troyed and rooted out, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if we would be e&s;tabli&s;hed and confirmed, in de&s;pight of all Pa|pi&s;ts and Athei&s;ts to &s;eek to have the Lord on our &s;ide, If he be on our &s;ide, who can bee again&s;t us; or if they &s;ide again&s;t us, they &s;hall not prevaile to de&s;troy us, for if hee onely de&s;troy, then no other can. Then, though they provide their great ar|mies, though they have their &s;ecret plots, though they &s;traw our wayes with Gunpowder, yet iniquity &s;hall be upon the wicked, and we &s;hall e&s;cape, and as we have, &s;o &s;hall we &s;till have occa&s;ion to prai&s;e God, &s;inging, P&s;al. 124, and 129. For he onely de&s;troyes and &s;aves; when he will &s;ave, nothing can de&s;troy, <HI>&amp; &egrave; contr&agrave;,</HI> Men and Munition, wi&s;e coun&s;ellors, grave Senators, valorous Captaines, re&s;olute Souldiers are &s;ome helpes and meanes; It may be good, to have peace with other Nations and Kingdoms, about them: But to e&s;tabli&s;h a State, to keepe it from falling, nothing can be &s;ure, but to have peace, and be at one with God, that we may have him our protector, then &s;hall we not onely not fall and peri&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quis ei de &s;ae|culo m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">tus e&s;t, cui in &s;ae|culo Deus tu|tore&s;t, Cypr. de Orat. Do.</NOTE> but bee without feare. <HI>What need he feare the world, who hath God to be his guar|dian?</HI></P>
<P><HI>And they &s;hall call them,]</HI> the &s;econd thing that God theatens is &s;hame to their de&s;truction, reproach, and di&s;grace from other nations and people, &s;corn, and contempt, expre&s;&s;ing how great their mi&s;ery &s;hould be, when as for it, they &s;hould become a by word to other people and nations: They &s;hall call them, that is, other nations that live about them, or pa&s;&s;e by them, or heare of them, &s;hall take as it were this parable again&s;t them; And &s;ay, this mountaine of Seir is a border of wickedne&s;&s;e, a regi|on whom God hath cur&s;ed for their &s;innes, and layd wa&s;t for their iniquity, this de&s;truction is not come unto them by chance, or naturall and humane revolutions, and cour&s;es of things, but for their wickedne&s;&s;e, and impious manners hath God cur&s;ed, and de&s;troyed them for ever.</P>
<P>God makes men odious and contemptible among men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> a pa|rable and by word for their &s;innes and iniquities.</P>
<P><HI>The border of Wickedne&s;&s;e the people.]</HI> from their judgement and utter de&s;truction, they gather their &s;inne, and Gods wrath, as the cau&s;e of their ruine and de&s;olation.</P>
<P>From the generall judgments of God upon a Country, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> or Na|tion, men may gather their &s;innes, and Gods wrath, their de|&s;erts, and Gods di&s;plea&s;ure: So here, and threatned beforehand,
<PB N="42" REF="36">Deut. 29.21, 22. and 1 King. 9.8, 9. and Jer. 22.8, 9. <HI>And many Nations &s;hall pa&s;&s;e by this Citty, and they &s;hall &s;ay every man to his neighbour, wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great Ci|ty: Then they &s;hall an&s;wer, becau&s;e they have for&s;aken the cove|nant of the Lord their God, and wor&s;hipped other gods and &s;erved them.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e though it is read that he afflicteth particular men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> for &s;ome other re&s;pects, as for the tryall of their faith, the manife&s;ta|tion of their graces, the glorifying of him&s;elfe, &s;ometimes for preventing of &s;in, and &s;hewing they are but men, though great things be done by them, as he did <HI>Job,</HI> the blind man, and the A|po&s;tles, yet was it never read that he afflicted a generall Land, but for &s;inne and iniquity, or a State generally: And the rea&s;on of this and the whole is, becau&s;e generall judgments come upon the multitude who are ever wicked, who have been a long time &s;pared for the good, who now being either taken away, or in|tangled with their &s;innes, that is removed which hindered, and &s;o the wrath comes upon them: then by the&s;e judgments may the &s;innes be noted.</P>
<P>Then have the mini&s;ters of God done us no wrong, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when for the generall judgment that hath been upon our City and Land, the &s;preading and devouring Plague, they gather and affirme that we are marvellou&s;ly defiled and polluted, even the border of wickedne&s;&s;e: Some wrong might haply have beene done to particular men, &s;o to judge of them, when men either have not committed the&s;e &s;ins which de&s;erve it; but for &s;ome other cau&s;e it is befallen them, or they have humbled and re|conciled them&s;elves unto God, which another cannot &s;o di&s;cern; But to the generall there can be none, &s;eeing God u&s;eth not to bring generall Plagues, but where the &s;innes of men are generall and full; whereas then <HI>the whole head hath been &s;icke, and the whole heart heavy &amp;c.</HI> I&s;a. 1.5, 6. It mu&s;t needs follow that &s;uch hath been the &s;tate and time, <HI>covered with iniquity;</HI> for wi&s;e Phy&s;iti|ans doe not admini&s;ter Phy&s;ick, for the whole, when one part only is ill affected; nor ju&s;t magi&s;trates doe not &s;hake or &s;mite all with the &s;word, when a few have offended; much le&s;&s;e will God, onely wi&s;e, and the mo&s;t righteous judge, de&s;troy the righ|teous with the wicked, &s;end a generall judgment, when but a few have de&s;erved it: one mans &s;innes may bee an occa&s;ion of it, but the merit is generall, as in <HI>David</HI> and his people. 2 Sam. 24.1.</P>
<P>If others, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> pa&s;&s;ingers, lookers on may thus gather, what may tho&s;e who &s;uffer them&s;elves, how may they gather their &s;ins and his wrath: That their &s;innes are many, and their fallings away generall, becau&s;e their judgments are thus; The one the cau&s;e, the other the proofe, as did <HI>Daniel.</HI> 9. <HI>a</HI> 5. <HI>ad</HI> 15. So may wee
<PB N="43" REF="36">from our generall judgements, argue our generall Apo&s;tacy and Impiety.</P>
<P><HI>They &s;hall call them the borders of wickedne&s;&s;e.]</HI> The fir&s;t of Gods witne&s;&s;es of &s;uch as give te&s;timony to his judgments, and the uprightne&s;&s;e, and ju&s;tice of them, is the heathen, and other nations, who know him not aright.</P>
<P>God will have witne&s;&s;e and te&s;timony of his judgments, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> from wicked and prophane nations and men, the wicked &s;halbe wit|ne&s;&s;es of his judgments, upon others; &s;o here, &s;o Deut. 29.22. Dan. 5.22. Revel. 18.8, 9. P&s;al. 58.7, 10. Dan. 3.22, and 6.24.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God will not only, as is &s;aid of wi&s;edome, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> be ju&s;tified of his children, but of the wicked and prophane; for that may have &s;ome exception again&s;t it, le&s;t it &s;hould be partiall, this none in that kinde, but God wre&s;ting this from them, making them as <HI>Balaams</HI> a&s;&s;e, to &s;peake again&s;t nature, &s;o they again&s;t their mindes.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they might be without excu&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> when the judgments of God come upon them; they have not humbled them&s;elves, when they were made eye witne&s;&s;es, or &s;uch as had certaine no|tice of Gods judgments, &s;o <HI>Daniel</HI> inferres, Dan. 5.22. and without doubt, that is it which doth amplifie the &s;innes of men, to make them riper for judgment, as of <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Lots</HI> daughters.</P>
<P>This may teach us, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when wee heare of wicked and prophane men, &s;peaking of the judgements of God upon others, not up|on Gods people onely, which they may doe in hatred of them, becau&s;e they like <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;acrifice that to God, which they as Aegy|ptians wor&s;hip as God, their lu&s;ts and affections and &s;uch like: Nor upon &s;uch, who&s;e per&s;ons for &s;ome private re&s;pects they hate; but others, who&s;e per&s;ons and &s;innes they liked well enough before the judgement, yet now they &s;peake of them, and give te&s;timony to the judgment of God as ju&s;t: For, &s;ay they, he was an adulterer, an u&s;urer, an oppre&s;&s;er, or a grievous bla&s;phemer; when they live, not in the &s;ame judgments, nor in the &s;ame &s;innes, but in as great &s;innes of another kinde, living voyd of the feare of God, being wicked and prophane; there|in ob&s;erve the wi&s;dome and providence of God, which makes even the wicked to witne&s;&s;e for him, who by his powerfull pro|vidence makes the wicked (whether in truth or hypocri&s;ie it &s;kils not) give te&s;timony unto him, if the good will be &s;ilent; as the&s;e hold their peace, the &s;tones &s;hall &s;peake: one in&s;tance we have worth the noting, agreeable to the times; our Papi&s;ts, for their late more then helli&s;h plot, are taken, and nye to their de&s;erved ruine and confu&s;ion: they who are out of the &s;nare cry, It is ju&s;t with them; whether they &s;peake out of ignorance and
<PB N="44" REF="37">humane piety, or out of cunning and di&s;&s;embling policy, (very tolerable in their &s;uper&s;tition for the Churches good) it &s;kils not much; as Philip. 1.15, 16. If &s;uch compari&s;ons be not o|dious; how&s;oever God is ju&s;tified, and hee hath te&s;timony of his ju&s;tice from the wicked, while they &s;ay; The&s;e are the bor|der of wickedne&s;&s;e, the&s;e are but a few de&s;perate Papi&s;ts, and this is ju&s;t upon them.</P>
<P>To teach men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> though wicked; yet by the company, encourag|ment, example, or applau&s;e of other wicked, not to commit that which may bring the judgment of God upon them: for come when it will, they &s;hall be as ready as other to ju&s;tifie God, and condemne them, (whether in hypocri&s;y and &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, it is not to the purpo&s;e, or in truth) when the other did not &s;o &s;trengthen their hands to &s;inne, as that will pre&s;&s;e them, and make their hearts to &s;ink in them. But let them learne to look to tho&s;e judgements, of which God hath made them eye wit|ne&s;&s;es, and given them as certaine intelligence of them, and humble them&s;elves to God, and avoyd &s;uch and the like, le&s;t as they give now te&s;timony to the ju&s;tice of God in &s;eeing his puni&s;hments upon others, &s;o others may give of them, yea and by &s;uch things their &s;innes be made the greater, and their judge|ments be the heavier.</P>
<P><HI>The border of wickedne&s;&s;e.]</HI> That is, a Nation or Country, where the people are marvellous wicked, who have this recom|pence for their wickedne&s;&s;e; in&s;inuating in them the cau&s;e of their de&s;truction, the mooving and de&s;erving cau&s;e their &s;innes.</P>
<P>Mens &s;ins are the cau&s;ers &amp; procurers of their own de&s;tructi|on, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> what ever it be. I&s;a. 3.11. <HI>woe unto the wicked, it &s;hall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands &s;hall be given him.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And a people of whom the Lord is angry for ever.]</HI> Here two things are intimated unto us, the one the cau&s;e in God, which moves him to puni&s;h the wicked, his anger and di&s;plea&s;ure, as &s;inne the cau&s;e in them&s;elves. Another the perpetuity of their puni&s;h|ment, their de&s;truction is for ever: fir&s;t for the cau&s;e, then the continuance.</P>
<P>When the Lord bringeth vengeance and puni&s;hment upon the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> it is in indignation and wrath, whether temporall or eternall, upon few or many. I&s;a. 27.4. God &s;ayth in his care of his Vineyard, <HI>fury is not in mee,</HI> by the oppo&s;ition and com|pari&s;on, we &s;ee his fury again&s;t the wicked: hee corrects his owne in love, not in anger; but he is as fire, which hath no pit|ty again&s;t wicked men, Rom. 2.6, 8. <HI>who will render to every man according to his workes: but unto them that are contentious, and doe not obey the truth, but obey unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, indignation and wrath,</HI> and Rom. 9.22. Jer. 10.25.</P>
<PB N="44" REF="37">
<P>Becau&s;e when he commeth to judge them, he comes as a Judge, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> who intends not the mending of malefactors, arraigned before him, but the ending of them, and the cutting of them off, &s;o he with the&s;e minds only their de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord accompts them as enemies and adver&s;aries, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;uch as he hates and abhorres. P&s;al. 5.6. now when men come a|gain&s;t their enemies, it is in indignation and wrath, as I&s;a. 1.24. <HI>Therefore &s;aith the Lord, the Lord of ho&s;ts, the mighty one of I&s;rael: Ah I will ea&s;e me of mine adver&s;aries, and avenge mee of mine ene|myes, mourning that to them hee mu&s;t come in wrath as to e|nemies.</HI></P>
<P>This proves, that there is a manife&s;t difference betwixt the afflictions and corrections of the godly, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &amp; the puni&s;hments of the wicked, tho&s;e from love, the&s;e from hatred, tho&s;e from a friend, the&s;e from an enemy, tho&s;e from a Phy&s;itian who &s;eeks to cure and mend them, the&s;e from a judge to end them one, in wrath, the other in love.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h wicked men, to carry them&s;elves very warily, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to take heed, how they procure puni&s;hment by their &s;innes, not onely for the thing it &s;elfe, but for the affection wherewith God will lay it upon them. The thing of it &s;elfe is heavy enough, intolerable to be borne, which the children of God with all the helpes and &s;tayes they have, have enough to undergoe, and not to faint under, how is it to them, who are voyd of &s;uch things? But how when they onely want not it; but this is added, his in|dignation and wrath: grievous to a patient, is the lancing, cut|ting, &s;earing and corcives of the Chirurgeon, though he do it with all the love and care he can po&s;&s;ibly, and expre&s;&s;e his fervent de&s;ire to cure them: how grievous would it be; if he &s;hould come raging, and &s;eek to fill him&s;elfe with wrath and indignati|on, when he comes to it: &s;o in this. As the prayers, and &s;a|crifices of the wicked, are abominable; how much more, when they are offered, with a wicked minde; &s;o in this, if they be heavy in them&s;elves, what? when they are brought upon them with indignation and wrath: the wrath it &s;elf is heavy, the me&s;&s;en|ger of death; what? when &s;uch a thunder &s;hall bring &s;uch hor|rible haile. Be admoni&s;hed, then, you wicked ones, great and &s;mall, he re&s;pects not per&s;ons and do not make &s;port of your &s;ins: thinke not, when God &s;hall come to judgement, your riches, or honours will beare it out; for not as he is a Judge, much le&s;&s;e, as he is an irefull one, and full of wrath, and comes with indigna|tion, will he be abu&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>For ever.]</HI> The continuance and perpetutity of Gods wrath upon the wicked, it is not for a while, but for ever.</P>
<P>The puni&s;hments and judgments of the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> though often long in comming, they are alwayes long in continuance,
<PB N="46" REF="38">they are utter and perpetuall de&s;tructions: So here, for ever. I&s;a. 27.7, 8. P&s;al. 37.18, 19, 20. Jer. 30.11. Mich. 7.10. And as in this life, much more in that to come. Jude, ver&s;. 13. Math. 25.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they have hearts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> that cannot repent, nor remove the cau&s;e of the&s;e judgments, their &s;innes. The&s;e then cleaving fa&s;t to them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 2.5.</NOTE> no marvell though the other be fa&s;tened upon them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e ju&s;tice requires to puni&s;h proportionably, their &s;innes are infinit, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> not in time, not in quantity; yet in relation of per|&s;on, &s;ins increa&s;e by the per&s;on committing, and again&s;t whom; as in our State, the &s;ame offence again&s;t the King, is great then again&s;t another man.</P>
<P>This, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as the former, teacheth a manife&s;t and &s;moother diffe|rence betwixt the correction of the good, and the puni&s;hments of the wicked; when one is temporary, the other perpetuall and eternall, here and after: with his, he deales onely in the bran|ches, with the wicked in the roots; his are as vines, the other as bryers and thornes: The hu&s;bandmen, though they &s;et the fire often to the thornes, and u&s;e the axe to the rooting and &s;tocking of them up, yet to the vines doe they never; &s;ometimes they unbare the root, and u&s;e a pruning knife, to prune and purge them, that they may abide &s;till in the Vineyard, and bring forth fruit.</P>
<P>To teach us to &s;ee the folly of the wicked, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> and not to imi|tate their practi&s;e in &s;in, for their plea&s;ure, &s;eeing their judgments are thus,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job.</HI> 21.6.</NOTE> Rev. 2.27.</P>
<P>Not to envy their pro&s;perity, or be offended with their flou|ri&s;hing e&s;tate, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> <HI>vide</HI> Mich. 7.10. <HI>ult.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE V.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it, and yee &s;hall &s;ay, The Lord will be magnified upon the border of I&s;rael.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>ANd your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it,]</HI> The &s;econd witnes of Gods judg|ments upon <HI>Edom:</HI> the Church, her eyes &s;hould &s;ee it: the&s;e God cals to give te&s;timony of it; and that they &s;hould bee witne&s;&s;es, without exception, he &s;ayth, they &s;hould &s;ee: for one eye witnes is more then ten others, for it is a &s;ence nothing &s;o &s;oone deceived as the hearing; by it wee judge more cer|tainely: that is, I have &s;aid it, it &s;hall be mo&s;t certainely, my threatnings &s;hall not bee in vaine, for your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it; which, unle&s;&s;e I make my word good, cannot bee, and thou
<PB N="47" REF="38">&s;halt be a witne&s;&s;e? that thou may&s;t &s;ee, when no &s;uch thing is befallen thee, that then I love thee: Seeing, after the Hebrew, is put for &s;eeing with plea&s;ure and delight, when, or becau&s;e that comes to pa&s;&s;e, we wi&s;hed: So here, and Mich. 7.10. P&s;al. 54.7, &amp; 35.21.</P>
<P>To this, not to the &s;econd &s;entence &s;ome adde, The bor|der of I&s;rael, and read, from the border, not upon; and &s;o it is they being &s;afe in their own coa&s;t and borders, &s;hould thence behold the judgment of God, &s;o manife&s;t and per&s;picuous they &s;hould be, in the ruine and overthow of the wicked.</P>
<P>The judgments God threatens again&s;t the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> hee cer|tainly performs; his decrees for ju&s;tice and puni&s;hment, are as certaine, as for mercy and ble&s;&s;ings. So here, and Numb. 23.19. <HI>God is not a man, that he &s;hould lye; neither the &s;onne of man, that hee &s;hould repent; hath he &s;aid, and &s;hall he not doe it; or hath he &s;poken, and &s;hall he not make it good?</HI> 1 Sam. 15.29. <HI>And al&s;o the &s;trength of I&s;rael will not lye, nor repent; for he is not a man, that he &s;hould repent.</HI> Ho&s;ea 13.14. Matth. 24.35. I&s;a. 14.24.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is without all change him&s;elf, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> therefore his decrees. Mal. 3.6. Gen. 1.17. For he and his word are all one.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he cannot be re&s;i&s;ted. I&s;a. 46.10. Rom. 9.19. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> For then he &s;hould not be omnipotent; but another as &s;trong and mighty as he; but he is and none like him.</P>
<P>The Church and Children of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> may rejoyce at the de|&s;truction and fall of their enemies Mich. 7.10.</P>
<P>As God will have te&s;timony from the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> of his judge|ments; &s;o e&s;pecially will he have his Church and Children wit|ne&s;&s;es of them: So here: Therefore did he in the &s;ight of I&s;|rael, lay &s;o many plagues and judgments upon Aegypt, <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> and his people, and his finall de&s;truction in their &s;ight, they &s;tanding upon the &s;hoare, he and his Ho&s;t drowning in the Sea. Exod. 14. Hence is it, P&s;al. 58.10. <HI>The righteous &s;hall rejoyce, when he &s;eeth the vengeance; he &s;hall wa&s;h his feet in the bloud of the wicked,</HI> and P&s;al. 97.8. <HI>Sion heard, and was glad, and the daugh|ters of</HI> Judah <HI>rejoyced, becau&s;e of thy judgments O Lord.</HI> Mich. 7.10.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they might feare, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and be affected with them, to grow better, and to re&s;traine and reforme their wayes by them. If the judgments of men mu&s;t effect &s;uch a thing in them, Deut. 13.11. much more the judgments of God. And if the hearing of them, more the &s;ight, for this affecteth more, as to pitty and compa&s;&s;ion, to joy and gladne&s;&s;e, to anger and wrath, &s;o to &s;or|row and di&s;like.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they might magnifie and prai&s;e him, his wi&s;edome, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> power, ju&s;tice; as here: for though he wring it from the wicked,
<PB N="48" REF="39">where it &s;eemes to be without partiality, as not this; yet is this farre more acceptable to him, their prai&s;es as their prayers, for they are done willingly, cheerefully, &s;incerely, all which he loves. Be&s;ides, they are from tho&s;e he loves, and &s;o the things better affected.</P>
<P>To teach every one that is Gods, <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> what is his duty, what he ought to doe; namely, not to &s;hut his eyes at the judgments of God, but to open them wide, and to behold all his judgments. It is the part of children to ob&s;erve all the workes of their fa|thers, that they may imitate &s;ome, and admire others; love them for &s;ome, and feare them for others; yea, their workes, whether they touch them&s;elves, or their fellow-brethren, or the hired &s;ervants: &s;o is it the part of Gods children to ob&s;erve all his workes, his meekne&s;&s;e, mercifulne&s;&s;e, goodne&s;&s;e, pati|ence, and long &s;uffering, to admire them, to imitate his bounty, care, providence, and riches in benefits towards them, to love him, his judgments, to feare him. If upon their brethren, to know they mu&s;t looke for the &s;ame, as they hope for the goods and ble&s;&s;ings, &s;o expect the evill and correction. If upon hire|lings, as they think God will deale farre better with them than the other. If he care for &s;ervants, more for &s;onnes; &s;o to think he will no le&s;&s;e &s;pare them than &s;ervants, becau&s;e they thinke he loves them, his judgments then mu&s;t they e&s;pecially look upon, and con&s;ider. As children are &s;pecially affected with their fa|thers anger, when it is but again&s;t &s;ervants or others; then they feare and tremble, &s;eeke to plea&s;e him, and to avoid &s;uch things by which he is provoked, e&s;pecially when there is any good nature in them at all: &s;o ought they, that as it is written of the Lion, that he trembles to &s;ee a Dog beaten before him; &s;o if they have any alliance to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, they mu&s;t &s;ee and feare, feare and flee when the wicked are &s;mitten, more, when it is upon his owne who are in the Church, and of the Church, as <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 119.120. <HI>My fle&s;h trembleth for feare of thee, and I am affraid of thy judgments.</HI> And 2 Sam. 6.9. <HI>And</HI> David <HI>was affraid of the Lord that day, and &s;aid, How &s;hall the Arke of the Lord come to me?</HI> And Act. 5.5, 11. <HI>And</HI> Anani|as <HI>hearing the&s;e words fell downe, and gave up the Gho&s;t, and great feare came on all them that heard the&s;e things.</HI> And great feare came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard tho&s;e things; not on as many as take no notice of the judgments of God at all, as not of other of his workes; but as they thinke all things fall out by naturall cour&s;e or common &s;kill, and providing and fore-ca&s;t of men for good, &s;o they thinke for evill; and as they are not affected with Gods ble&s;&s;ings to love him, becau&s;e they are common; &s;o not with his judgments, but onely when they feele them.</P>
<PB N="49" REF="39">
<P><HI>Your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it.] Edom</HI> hated <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> enemy unto her, who&s;e de&s;truction as they &s;ought, and had rejoyced at, &s;o <HI>I&s;rael</HI> would have beene glad to have &s;eene <HI>Edom's,</HI> and for feare was ready to faint, as if they &s;hould never &s;ee it. The Lord de&s;cends to her infirmity, and a&s;&s;ures her, &s;he &s;hall &s;ee it.</P>
<P>The Lord he often de&s;cends to the infirmities of his, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> to let them &s;ee their de&s;ires upon their enemies, and to &s;ee their de|&s;truction as here, &s;o P&s;al. 37.8, 9.10. <HI>Cea&s;e from anger, and for&s;ake wrath; fret not thy &s;elfe in any wi&s;e to doe evill, for evill-doers &s;hall be cut off; but tho&s;e that waite upon the Lord, they &s;hall inherit the earth: for yet a litle while and the wicked &s;hall not be; yea, thou &s;halt diligently con&s;ider his place, and it &s;hall not be.</HI> P&s;al. 59.10. <HI>The God of my mercy &s;hall prevent me, God &s;hall let me &s;ee my de&s;ire upon mine enemies.</HI> And P&s;al. 54.7. <HI>For he hath delive|red me out of all trouble, and mine eye hath &s;eene his de&s;ire upon mine enemies. I&s;rael</HI> &s;aw <HI>Egypts</HI> ruine, the Jewes <HI>Hamans</HI> and their enemies; <HI>Daniel</HI> his accu&s;ers, Dan. 6. <HI>Peter, Herods,</HI> Act. 12.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he might &s;trengthen and confirme the weake faith of his children, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which would often &s;tagger in this kind without the&s;e &s;tayes, as the be&s;t have done upon the &s;ight of the pro|&s;perity of the wicked, as <HI>Davids,</HI> P&s;al. 37. and their &s;uffering at their hands: Therefore God deales with them as Parents with their children, when they are not able to goe alone and of them|&s;elves, they have tre&s;&s;els and formes to goe along by; &s;o God affords the&s;e helps.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he would a&s;&s;wage and appea&s;e their impatient minds that can hardly be per&s;waded God is appea&s;ed towards them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and at one with them, after he had &s;courged and afflicted them by the hand of the wicked, till they &s;ee his hand turned upon the wicked; the rather, becau&s;e God &s;aith, P&s;al. 81.13.14. <HI>O that my people had hearkened unto me, and</HI> I&s;rael <HI>had walked in my waies, I &s;hould &s;oone have &s;ubdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adver&s;aries.</HI> As then a father, to &s;hew his child he is friends with him againe, is content to throw the rod into the fire, and to burne it before his eyes and face: &s;o God, to &s;hew him pacified againe towards his people, is content in their &s;ight to plague tho&s;e he hath puni&s;hed them by before.</P>
<P>But this mu&s;t be under&s;tood not as a thing that God alwayes doth, but as it is &s;aid of &s;ignes, that he gave &s;ome, though not many and u&s;uall, le&s;t men &s;hould depend on them, and be out of heart when they want them; yet &s;ome, for the confirming of the feeble, and converting of the unbeleevers: &s;o he doth not alwayes &s;hew them the confu&s;ion of the wicked, their ene|mies in this life, becau&s;e he would not have them to looke for it, and to inure them to goe without a &s;tay, and to &s;wim as it were without helpe, without blathers; and yet &s;ometimes, le&s;t
<PB N="50" REF="40">they &s;hould faint when they &s;ee the rod of the wicked re&s;t upon the lot of the righteous, and never turne againe upon their op|pre&s;&s;ors: but if ever he deny it, he gives them another prop, to a&s;&s;ure them they &s;hall &s;ee it, though not now, when they &s;hall judge with him the world and Angels.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h the wicked enemies of Gods people, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> (if they would take notice of it) that oppo&s;e them&s;elves, and per&s;ecute the people of God, to give over in time, and not to doe it with &s;uch de&s;pight and malice, as u&s;ually they doe, le&s;t God comfort his &s;ervants in their confu&s;ion, and recompence unto them that they have done unto the Church, and mea&s;ure to them as they have meted; and having beene fire to them, that is, to purge them, he extingui&s;h them: for though they have them never &s;o &s;ure, as they &s;uppo&s;e, in their clutches, yet God can free them as a bird out of the &s;nare of the Fowler, and take them in their net, they thought to have taken others his people in: who would have believed it? at lea&s;t, <HI>Haman</HI> him&s;elfe would never have given credit to it, that <HI>Mordecai</HI> &s;hould ever have &s;eene him hang upon the tree that he had prepared in his owne hou&s;e for <HI>Mordecai;</HI> or that the <HI>Jewes</HI> that he had enclo&s;ed by vertue of the Kings Letters, as Deere in a toyle, &s;hould ever have had their will upon his hou&s;e, and &s;ee that end of his &s;onnes that af|ter they came unto; yet &s;o it was, a thing &s;o unlikely God brought to pa&s;&s;e, even he, 2 Pet. 2.9. <HI>He knows how to deliver his out of trouble,</HI> yea, and how to lay trouble upon tho&s;e that trouble them, to the refre&s;hing and comfort of his; who would have believed, at lea&s;t not our Nobles, Knights, and E&s;quires, with their dependants, who are now forth comming, with hun|dreths more of the &s;aid a&s;&s;ociates? If the day before it had beene told them, that the Church and people of God &s;hould have &s;eene them in hold, and &s;ee them come to their ju&s;t reward, to the ruine of them&s;elves and their hou&s;es, when they intended all their de&s;tructions, and to have &s;ubverted Church and Com|mon-wealth: Or if it had beene told the Pope at <HI>Rome,</HI> whence this came, who would have beene ready to have done as <HI>Sixtus Quintus</HI> in his Con&s;i&s;tory, when <HI>Clement</HI> the Monk and bloody Parricide had &s;taine <HI>Henry</HI> 3. King of <HI>France,</HI> 1589. a Catho|lick King, his elde&s;t &s;onne; did not puni&s;h it, but excu&s;e it; not that onely, but defend it; not that alone, but prai&s;ed it, and that with that choi&s;e and excellent compari&s;on from the birth of Chri&s;t, Heb. 1.5. commanding Heavens to open, and re|ceive therein the Parricide, and &s;hut out the other, yea, and denyed him the prayers of their Synagogue, yea, Princely Fu|nerall, yea, hone&s;t buriall; preparing the way to Heaven, not by the blood of Chri&s;t, but by the blood of Kings; not by the Cro&s;&s;e, but by a murdering knife. See the Martyrs of the
<PB N="51" REF="40">Romi&s;h Church, with what a&s;hes it is increa&s;ed. I have &s;tept a|&s;ide; but to come home, if it had beene told him, I &s;ay, and all his &s;laves, and our fugitives, and all his in other Countries, who were not without the knowledge at lea&s;t of the&s;e things, they would not have believed; but &s;ee it is even &s;o. 2 Pet. 2. <HI>The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to re|&s;erve the unju&s;t unto the day of Judgment to be puni&s;hed.</HI> It were well for their owne good they would be warned at length, when they &s;ee God fights for us every where, and watcheth over us in every place, and brings all their purpo&s;es to nought. It were better if they, as the people enemies of the Church, E&s;ter 8.17. <HI>became Jewes, the feare of the Jewes falling upon them;</HI> &s;o they could become Prote&s;tants, and renounce their Antichri&s;t; our feare falling upon them, when they &s;ee they are not onely &s;o bloody as <HI>Haman,</HI> but &s;o bootle&s;&s;e, before &s;uch a thing befall them.</P>
<P>This may &s;erve to cheere up and comfort tho&s;e who are the Lords in the midde&s;t of dangers and troubles, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> they are never &s;o farre from God, but God may yet ere they dye or be over|throwne, relieve them by temporall deliverance, and &s;end tho&s;e packing before them, who thinke to make a &s;poile of them, and let them &s;ee the mi&s;erable and wretched ends of tho&s;e who make full reckoning to &s;eeke their blood, and ruinate their &s;tate. How many di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;oules in the dayes of Queene <HI>Mary,</HI> thinke we, in this Land lay looking dayly for death, when God by the death of one made an end of that bloody time, that had cut off the lives of &s;o many of Gods &s;ervants, and let them &s;ee even the ruine of &s;uch as made full account of theirs. What hope had the I&s;raelites, but to be even eaten up by the Egypti|ans, and to be cut off, as one man; when God in the turning of a hand overturned them that even opend their mouths, and &s;wallowed them up quick, and overwhelmed them before their eyes in the Red Sea. Little thought <HI>Daniel,</HI> when he was ca&s;t in|to the Lions den, that he &s;hould &s;ee his accu&s;ers devoured there before him. And very unlikely it was that <HI>Peter</HI> &s;hould have lived to have &s;eene <HI>Herod</HI> con&s;umed with wormes, and eaten up with lice, when <HI>Herod</HI> had him forth comming, and had killed <HI>James</HI> before him, Act. 12. And &s;mall probability, as we may now di&s;cerne, was there that we or Kings, &amp;c. &s;hould have e&s;ca|ped the cruell de&s;ignes of our bloody <HI>Edomites</HI> the Papi&s;ts, when their barbarous plot was come to the ripene&s;&s;e, and had beene concealed &s;o many Moneths: &s;mall pre&s;umption was there that our eyes &s;hould &s;ee the times as they are now, and the ru|ine of them who were &s;et on murder and blood: yet may we u&s;e that P&s;alme 48.8. <HI>As we have heard, &s;o we have &s;eene in the Ci|ty of the Lord of Ho&s;ts, in the City of our God, God will e&s;tabli&s;h it
<PB N="52" REF="41">for ever.</HI> And with <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 54.7. <HI>For hee hath delivered me out of all trouble, and mine eye hath &s;eene his de&s;ire upon mine ene|mies;</HI> that we may learne to cleave to the Lord who hath thus fought for us, and let us &s;ee his &s;alvation, and &s;ay as the three re&s;olved &s;ervants of God, Dan. 3.17, 18. <HI>If it be &s;o, our God whom we &s;erve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery Furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King: But if not, be it knowne unto thee O King, that we will not &s;erve thy gods, nor wor|&s;hip thy golden Image which thou ha&s;t &s;et up.</HI> So not to &s;hrink from him, but &s;ay, we know our God is able to de&s;troy our enemies before our face; but whether he doe or no, we will depend ever upon him.</P>
<P><HI>Your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it.]</HI> The <HI>Edomites,</HI> when the <HI>Jewes</HI> were &s;urpri&s;ed by the <HI>Caldeans,</HI> &s;tood looking on, and laughing at their de&s;truction, Obad. 12.13. Now God telleth them they &s;hould be &s;erved with the &s;ame &s;awce them&s;elves, the <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;hould &s;ee their calamities that &s;hould befall them, and be com|forted in their fall, who rejoyced before over them in theirs.</P>
<P>It is a ju&s;t and u&s;uall thing with God in the generall, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> as to re|compen&s;e a man as he hath done with others, as he &s;aid Jud. 1.7. and to mea&s;ure as is meted, Matth. 7.2. &s;o in this particu|lar, when they rejoyce at the fall of other men, to make other glad at their fall. So was it told <HI>Edom,</HI> Obad. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 15. <HI>For the day of the Lord is neare upon all the Heathen; as thou ha&s;t done, it &s;hall be done unto thee, thy reward &s;hall returne upon thine owne head.</HI> And Prov. 24.17, 18. <HI>Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he &s;tumbleth, le&s;t the Lord &s;ee it, and it di&s;plea&s;e him, and he turne away his wrath from him.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he hath made a law for the Magi&s;trate, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> executing his ju&s;tice and judgments to doe &s;o, as Levit. 24.19, 20. and that not for the deed onely, but for the endeavours, when the end of them are made manife&s;t, and he mu&s;t not pitty him. Deut. 19.19.21. Now if he make a law for others, he will not break it him&s;elfe, when it is fitting and comely for him; for &s;ome things befit him not, no more (&s;aith one) than a Countrey-mans coate becomes a King; but this being not of that nature, he will doe it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e of his owne rea&s;on to the Judge, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Deut. 19.19, 20. no way &s;o excellent to prevent much evill and oppre&s;&s;ion, and hurting of others; for men would ab&s;taine, not in love to others, not for love of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but for feare of this law of retri|bution. Be&s;ides, it is a &s;peciall meanes to break off &s;inne, at lea&s;t that for feare of more in the party &s;o offending.</P>
<P>Then you taught us fal&s;e doctrine before, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> when you taught we may rejoyce at the de&s;truction of the wicked; for if this be ju&s;t with God, then is not that lawfull with men.</P>
<P>This is not contrary to that, <MILESTONE UNIT="Solut."> becau&s;e there was &s;poken of
<PB N="53" REF="41">publick enemies, here either of no enemies, or private ene|mies, &s;uch as di&s;like us, and we them, for &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect. As it is lawfull to kill a publick enemy of a State, but not a mans private enemies; &s;o of rejoycing again&s;t the enemies of God and his truth, not their owne: Therefore &s;aith <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 24.17. <HI>Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he &s;tumbleth.</HI></P>
<P>Then may men expect for this, retribution from the Lord, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> up|on many whom they &s;ee oppre&s;&s;ing, undermining, di&s;gracing, and triumphing over others, when they have wrought their fall often by indirect and vile meanes. Hi&s;tories of all times are full of examples, be&s;ides the Scripture; one we may ob&s;erve of <HI>Con|&s;tantine,</HI> &s;onne of the Empre&s;&s;e <HI>Irene,</HI> who put out the eyes of <HI>Nicephorus,</HI> and by retribution from God, had his owne eyes put out by the cruelty of his Mother, the very &s;ame day &s;ixe yeares, or there abouts. The like of the de&s;truction of <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> that it was as in the &s;ame day that they crucified Chri&s;t; <HI>Lege</HI> Eu&s;eb. <HI>l.</HI> 3. <HI>c.</HI> 5. <HI>fine,</HI> &s;o it was by the &s;ame men that put him to death, the <HI>Romans,</HI> as <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> ob&s;erves. They are living who can remember in former Princes times, <HI>Henry</HI> 8, <HI>Edward</HI> 6, Qu. <HI>Mary,</HI> how ju&s;tly God did repay our Nobility, when they cut off one anothers heads. The like may be expected in future time, as they have done, &s;hall be done unto them; nay, the like we have a comfortable a&s;pect, or may have, to &s;ee how God ju&s;t|ly doth make that true, 1 King. 21.19. <HI>And thou &s;halt &s;peake unto him &s;aying, Thus &s;aith the Lord thy God, Ha&s;t thou killed, and al&s;o taken po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion? and thou &s;halt &s;peak unto him, thus &s;aith the Lord, In the place where dogs lickt the blood of</HI> Naboth, <HI>&s;hall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.</HI> When our Papi&s;ts had thought our blood &s;hould have beene licked up, theirs &s;hall be, God holding his owne law, doing to them, as they would have done to us; or &s;eeing that is not done in the &s;trict ju&s;tice that God requireth, we may fearefully expect, for this &s;inne of ours, this retribution from the Lord, as in 1 King. 20.42. <HI>And he &s;aid unto him, Thus &s;aith the Lord, Becau&s;e thou ha&s;t let goe out of thine hand a man whom I appointed for utter de&s;truction, therefore thy life &s;hall goe for his life, and thy people for his people.</HI></P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed how he carries him&s;elfe to o|thers, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> how he injures and oppre&s;&s;eth them, and to doe but that to others, the like he would have others to doe and receive from them. The rule of nature is, <HI>Quod tibi non vis, alteri ne feceris;</HI> and that of Chri&s;t, Matth. 7.12. <HI>All things, what&s;oever ye would that men &s;hould doe to you, doe ye even &s;o to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets:</HI> Of which <HI>Tertul.</HI> God hath mea|&s;ured out my actions by my will, that I &s;hould not doe that un|to others, which I would not have done unto my &s;elfe; and
<PB N="54" REF="42">&s;hould doe to others, as I would have others to doe to me. And if that of <HI>James,</HI> will and &s;hall be true, Jam. 2.13. <HI>He &s;hall have judgement without mercy, that &s;heweth no mercy, and mercy re|joyceth again&s;t judgment;</HI> how much more extream cruelty &s;hall be inflicted upon them, who carry them&s;elves cruelly to others? men &s;hould take heed then how they abu&s;e their power and au|thority, to the oppre&s;&s;ing and wronging of the weak; their &s;kill and cunning to circumvent and beguile the &s;imple; their countenance and credit to u&s;e men at their plea&s;ure, le&s;t God meet with them, as he did the Edomites.</P>
<P>In the particular, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to take heed how that he in&s;ult not over the fall of his enemy, le&s;&s;e of another) le&s;t God give them the like occa&s;ion by &s;o ca&s;ting us downe; It is that which <HI>Solomon</HI> advi&s;ed, Prov. 24.17, 18. It is a crime which <HI>Job</HI> laboureth to cleare him&s;elfe of, Job. 31.29, 30. <HI>If I rejoyced at the de|&s;truction of him that hated mee; or lift up my &s;elf when evill found him, neither have I &s;uffered my mouth to &s;in, by wi&s;hing a cur&s;e to his &s;oule.</HI> Teaching that a man &s;hould be free, not onely from outward &s;hew, but from inward touch of joy: the fir&s;t is ea&s;ie, partly by nature, and partly by cunning, and hypocri&s;ie, to co|ver it at lea&s;t from a multitude or many; but the other is hard, and the harder more commendable, more to be laboured for; the outward odious to man, &s;o the inward to God, which look not <HI>in facie,</HI> but <HI>in corde,</HI> as <HI>Cyprian:</HI> And a &s;peciall meanes to make him turne his hands upon us. Avoyd it, labor again&s;t it, if it &s;teale upon us, check it, repell and ca&s;t it out.</P>
<P><HI>And yee &s;hall &s;ay, the Lord will be magnified,]</HI> The &s;econd thing in this ver&s;e, the magnifying of God, the thing is a &s;peci|all effect, which Gods judgments work in his people &amp; Church, differing from the wicked and Gentiles; for they &s;ee it, and but jibe and je&s;t onely at the Edomites, as they had at I&s;rael; but I&s;rael &s;ees it, and magnifies God for it: the words are originally &s;omewhat otherwi&s;e, the Lord doth magnifie him&s;elfe, true, for &s;o he doth, in de&s;troying the&s;e; magnifies and honors him|&s;elfe, and they religiou&s;ly &s;o confe&s;&s;e it, and celebrate his mag|nificence and greatne&s;&s;e for delivering them&s;elves, his Church and people, and de&s;troying their enemies: hence we may ob|&s;erve two things and le&s;&s;ons.</P>
<P>It is the glory of God to deliver his people, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> and de&s;troy their enemyes, it is that which doth honor and magnifie him much, and &s;preadeth his fame farre and nigh. So it is here, and I&s;ay 30.18. <HI>And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God of judgment, ble&s;&s;ed are all they that waite for him.</HI> Dan. 9.15, 19. <HI>And now O Lord our God, that ha&s;t brought the people forth, out of the Land of Aegypt, with a might|ty
<PB N="55" REF="42">hand, and ha&s;t gotten thee renowne, as at this day, we have &s;in|ned, we have done wickedly. O Lord heare, O Lord forgive, O Lord hearken, and doe, deferre not for thine own &s;ake, O my God, for thy City and thy people, are called by thy name,</HI> P&s;alm. 74.10, 11. <HI>O God, how long &s;hall the adver&s;ary reproach, &s;hall the enemy bla&s;|pheme thy name for ever? Why withdrawe&s;t thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bo&s;ome.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is their God and King, the&s;e his people and &s;ub|jects. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> P&s;al. 74.12. <HI>For God is my King of old, working &s;alvation in the mid&s;t of the earth.</HI> It were a &s;hame and di&s;honour for a Prince to &s;uffer his &s;ubjects, to lye in mi&s;ery &amp; di&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;pecially if he be able to releeve them; <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> it &s;preads his fame farre and neare, when he &s;uccoreth and &s;aveth them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are rebels, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> 'tis the princes honor to overthrow them.</P>
<P><HI>They &s;hall &s;ay, the Lord doth magnifie him&s;elfe.]</HI> That is, they &s;hall give the honor of their deliverance, and the glory of their pre&s;ervation to God, when the enemy is de&s;troyed, and they &s;afe.</P>
<P>The people of God in all deliverance and pre&s;ervation from what danger &s;oever, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> by what meanes or how&s;oever, ought to give the prai&s;e and glory of it to God; &s;o here taught what to doe. P&s;al. 50.15. <HI>Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou &s;halt glorifie me.</HI> Ho&s;ea 14.3. A&s;hur <HI>&s;hall not &s;ave us, we will not ride upon hor&s;es, neither will we &s;ay any more to the worke of our hands, ye are our Gods; for in thee the fa|therle&s;&s;e findeth mercy.</HI> Examples of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Miriam,</HI> with the people. Exod. 15. Of <HI>Barak</HI> and <HI>Deborah,</HI> Judg. 5. Of <HI>E&s;ter</HI> and the Jewes, E&s;ter 8. of <HI>Hezekiah.</HI> I&s;a. 38.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is he alone, who is the deliverer and Saviour of his people: meanes he often affords them, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and meanes they u&s;e and mu&s;t, le&s;t they tempt God; but that meanes are not effectuall, it is ever from him; el&s;e, why one and the &s;ame meanes bring to &s;ome deliverance, to others none? Hence P&s;al. 144.10. <HI>It is he that giveth &s;alvation to Kings, who delivereth</HI> David <HI>his &s;ervant from the hurtfull &s;word.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e in this as in all other benefits, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> it is the high way to obtaine moe and new deliverances; when we pay the old we run on a new &s;core: as men are incouraged to helpe when they receive their ju&s;t glory, for that is pa&s;t; &s;o God is drawne on, as it were, to be&s;tow new.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to reprove the common practi&s;e of men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who are ready to give, and doe give the glory of all their deliverances to others then God, and not to him; If victory in war, they a|&s;cribe it to the wi&s;dome and power of &s;uch and &s;uch, and oft|times ready to make war among them&s;elves for the honour of the day, when God is never thought on. In other pre&s;erva|tion
<PB N="56" REF="43">or e&s;tabli&s;hment, to the wi&s;dome of their grave&s;t and ex|perienced Senate; from &s;ickne&s;&s;e to Phy&s;itians and &s;uch other meanes: not at all to the Lord, never magnifie nor prai&s;e him; God &s;eldome made mention of, or only cur&s;orily, and becau&s;e of tho&s;e who are pre&s;ent, for which cau&s;e he oft taketh from them their meanes, that either they may peri&s;h in new dan|gers, or el&s;e more &s;en&s;ibly di&s;cerne that it is he that gives deli|verance.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct all and every one, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to give the glory and prai&s;e of all their deliverances, what&s;oever, unto God; and to magnifie his name for them. Particular deliverances from danger, and &s;ickne&s;&s;e, and &s;uch like; every man mu&s;t magnifie God and his Name for it: our fir&s;t &s;eeking in danger &s;hould be to him, and he &s;hould be the fir&s;t, we &s;hould prai&s;e for the deliverance; not as many, that doe both &s;end, fir&s;t for the Phy&s;itian, before they &s;end up to God, agree with him, before with God; and prai&s;e him oftner to men, then ever they did God: But it &s;hould not be &s;o, he &s;hould be magnified principally and chiefely. Yea e|very one for our generall deliverances, of which we are all part|ners, &s;hould magnifie him of which we may &s;ay, as Jer. 23.7, 8. <HI>Behold, the dayes come &s;aith the Lord, that they &s;hall no more &s;ay, the Lord liveth, which brought up the Children of I&s;rael out of the Land of Aegypt; But the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the &s;eed of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael out of the North Country, and from all Countreyes, whither I had driven them, &amp; they &s;hall dwel in their own Land.</HI> Many are the deliverances, we have had, and this nation, from the tyranny of Romes Church at the death of Queen <HI>Mary,</HI> from the invincible Navy 88. from the In&s;urrection of the Earles of Northumberland and We&s;tmerland, from the trea&s;on of the Duke of Norfolke and Queene of Scots, from that of <HI>Babington,</HI> and his fellowes, from <HI>Arden, Somervile, Parry, Cullen, Lopes, Squire,</HI> and &s;uch like: yet now to this that it may be &s;aid, the Lord lives, that hath delivered his Church, from any one or all the former, but from the cruell, bloody and de&s;perate unmatch|able plot of our wicked papi&s;ts; which is the Lords only, be|cau&s;e the cariage of the thing was his, that he would have it wholly a&s;cribed to him. Therefore we may &s;ay, the Lord hath magnified him&s;elfe many wayes, but now he hath &s;urmounted them all: we ought then to magnifie him, and give the glory of it to him, not in word only, but for ever in deed; The Parliament, King and Commons, to make lawes more for his glory, again&s;t Sabboth breaking, Oathes, Drunkenne&s;&s;e, U&s;ury, Oppre&s;&s;ion, to further his Church, and to remove &s;tumbling blockes: The Judges to execute them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deus exone|rans onerat. Bern.</NOTE> without &s;paring and partiallity: All to obey God more con&s;tantly, and man for God: For di&s;bur|thening us of the danger and feare, he burthens us with more
<PB N="57" REF="43">obedience and thankfulne&s;&s;e: This all &s;hould doe, yet if it be not in generall, let every one for him&s;elf and his family, as <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> and mourn for the &s;innes of the time, God will marke him when he brings a generall Plague, Ezechiel 9. In times of danger, many are <HI>petentes,</HI> few <HI>promittentes,</HI> mo&s;t few <HI>per&s;olven|tes.</HI> But we mu&s;t not onely a&s;ke deliverance, but promi&s;e new obedience, and perform our vows, el&s;e let us looke for that, Mat. 23.37, 38.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE VI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>A Sonne honoureth his Father, and a Servant his Ma|&s;ter. If then I be a Father, where is mine honour? and if I be a Ma&s;ter, where is my feare, &s;ayth the Lord of Ho&s;tes unto you, O Prie&s;ts, that de&s;pi&s;e my Name? and yee &s;ay, Wherein have we de&s;pi|&s;ed thy Name?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>WEE have &s;een the fir&s;t &s;inne reproved in this people, to|gether with the arguing of it, and the evincing of them of it. The &s;econd followeth from this to the ninth ver&s;e; It is contempt and prophanation of Gods &s;ervice and wor&s;hip; and in it, as in the former, we have fir&s;t, Gods accu&s;ation; &s;econdly, the debating of it. And in this, fir&s;t, their an&s;wer and excu&s;e, &s;econdly, Gods reply manife&s;tly evicting them of it. In Gods accu&s;ation, we con&s;ider the vice he accu&s;eth them of, &s;econdly, the per&s;ons. In the fir&s;t, the thing and the rea&s;on of it, which is fir&s;t &s;et down, then applyed. The ground is a plaine Axiome, in nature, or a rule of nature.</P>
<P><HI>A Sonne honoureth his Father,]</HI> Though the handling of the&s;e duties &s;eeme not &s;o e&s;&s;entiall to this place, ayming at his own ho|nor, rather then theirs; yet it being &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, and the con|tempt &s;o great, it &s;hall not be ami&s;&s;e to &s;tand upon it. The cohe|rence and meaning is plaine: we mu&s;t &s;peake, fir&s;t of the duty, then of party, to them: The duty is fir&s;t, inward reverence, a reverent affection to them.</P>
<P>Children, &s;onnes and daughters, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> mu&s;t inwardly reverence their parents, carry reverent affections and opinions towards them. This is a &s;peciall part of honour, to be performed to them: <HI>Solomon</HI> makes it the part of a wicked childe to de|&s;pi&s;e his mother, Prov. 15.20. he commands, <HI>not to de&s;pi&s;e the mother, no not when &s;he is old.</HI> Prov. 23.22. he threatens a fear|full
<PB N="58" REF="44">cur&s;e from God, to &s;uch. Pro. 30.17. <HI>The eye that mocketh at his father, and de&s;pi&s;eth to obey his mother, the ravens of the val|ly &s;hall picke it out, and the young Eagles &s;hall eate it.</HI> And if the King mu&s;t be well thought of, Eccle. 10.20. how the pa|rent to whom our affection naturally is more? <HI>Chams</HI> cur&s;e came in part for his unreverent thought towards his Father. Gen. 19.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God hath made them reverent, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> in that he hath com|municated unto them part of his excellency and dignity: now then as a man cannot endure to &s;ee &s;o much as his picture or i|mage lightly regarded, and not &s;et by, but ca&s;t at the heels of tho&s;e, who ought to reverence it; &s;o God who regardeth the heart and inward affection, as much or much more then the outward action, cannot abide to &s;ee any &s;parke of his own image de&s;pi&s;ed, or any unreverent thought conceived of tho&s;e, whom he hath graced with extraordinarie dignitie of excel|lency or authoritie.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they ought to love them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and if they doe love them, they cannot di&s;daine them, nor de&s;pi&s;e them. For 1 Cor 13.5. <HI>Love di&s;daineth not.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e outward reverence is un&s;ound, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> fained &amp; counter|feite, when the inward is wanting, as the inward is lame, may|med and unperfect without the outward.</P>
<P>To teach every child to &s;ee his &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> even every one of us, for who can &s;ay that his heart is cleane, that hath had naturall parents living, when he had u&s;e of rea&s;on, to whom though he have given outward re&s;pect &amp; reverence, for &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re|&s;pect, for feare, or &s;hame, or gaine, of the rod, the world, or hope of &s;ome better portion, yet he hath had many di&s;dainefull and de&s;pi&s;ing thoughts of his parents: which if they were di&s;liked and re&s;i&s;ted were the le&s;&s;e &s;inne; but not checked in them, they have proved the &s;eed and &s;pawn of many outward corruptions &amp; unreverences toward them, yea of much di&s;obedience, and di&s;|honouring of them; for as the mouth &s;peaketh of the abundance of the heart, &s;o the eye looketh &s;cornefully, or the tongue &s;pea|keth di&s;dainfully, or the whole outward cariage is di&s;loyall, when the heart is &s;o corrupted: for <HI>Chams</HI> di&s;honouring his fa|ther to his bretheren, ro&s;e from the di&s;daining of him in his heart in &s;ecret. But if it hath not broken out to this, but either grace hath &s;ubdued it, or worldly re&s;pect hath made us &s;mother it, yet mu&s;t it be put upon the account among our &s;innes, when we humble our &s;elves before the Lord for them; to get a di&s;charge of the&s;e as well as others.</P>
<P>To teach every childe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to whom God hath given that com|fort, that he hath parents, both or one, to labour for all good, and reverent affection towards them, to honor them in his heart,
<PB N="59" REF="44">and inwardly to have all honourable e&s;timation of them: for the Lord he lookes into the heart, and this he requires, as the other, and by all meanes labours again&s;t the contrary, and that which is condemned of God, which will make them contemne the coun&s;ells and advice of their Parents, who&s;e per&s;ons they di&s;|daine in their hearts, and take every thing from them in the wor&s;e part, and &s;o make their whole government unprofitable unto them. Be&s;ides, the feare of Gods cur&s;e threatned, Prov. 30. as he well &s;aid, he was a &s;inner with a witne&s;&s;e, whom the Holy Gho&s;t gave witne&s;&s;e again&s;t; &s;o he is accur&s;ed with a wit|ne&s;&s;e, whom the Holy Gho&s;t &s;o accur&s;eth; for it (&s;aith <HI>Tre|mel.</HI>) God will condemne and bring that per&s;on to &s;ome evill end or other, who &s;hall &s;corne and di&s;daine his Parents; for his cur&s;es are not threatnings alone, but inflictions; not denoun|cings, but performance. This were a good caveat to be writ|ten upon the doores of young mens and womens hearts, to ba|ni&s;h and keepe out unreverent and &s;cornefull thoughts of their Parents; and a &s;itter Po&s;ie to be written upon the walls of Pa|rents, than the vaine inventions of Poets and Painters.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is outward reverence, both in word and carriage towards them.</P>
<P>Children, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> &s;onnes and daughters mu&s;t outwardly reverence their Parents, that is, in behaviour and &s;peech, give them all reverent re&s;pect in ge&s;ture, and &s;uch titles as are due unto them. For if inward, more outward, &s;eeing the contrary is more of|fence to them who take notice of it, more griefe to their Pa|rents that &s;ee and heare them. Here to belongs that, Prov. 30.11. There is a generation that cur&s;eth their father, and hath not ble&s;&s;ed their mother; and that he &s;peaketh of the eye, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 17. &s;hewes that in the whole outward man is required reverence. Hence was the ble&s;&s;ing of <HI>Shem</HI> and <HI>Japhet,</HI> Gen. 9.23, 26, 27. Hence was the excu&s;e of <HI>Rachel,</HI> Gen. 31.35. and the practice of <HI>Solomon,</HI> 1 King. 2.19, 20.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides tho&s;e in the former point, this may confirme it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> be|cau&s;e they have their bodies, whole, and parts from them, made of their &s;eed, framed in her wombe, nur&s;ed and nouri&s;hed up by them, then ought they by the whole and parts to doe them all the reverence they po&s;&s;ibly can.</P>
<P>To teach every one to &s;ee his &s;ins pa&s;t or pre&s;ent, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when they have beene in this marvellous defective, nay, doing the con|trary, little reverence in ge&s;ture and &s;peech to their Parents, &s;hort of that it &s;hould have beene; nay, often carrying di&s;dain|full eyes, di&s;loyall and de&s;pightfull tongues, the &s;innes of our youth in this re&s;pect to be repented of. The cau&s;e with many why they are de&s;pi&s;ed, and want this outward reverence of theirs, God u&s;ing this retribution, becau&s;e they have done &s;o;
<PB N="60" REF="45">yea, and when they have children of yeares to di&s;cerne &s;uch things, who &s;ee them unreverently u&s;e their Parents both in ge&s;ture and &s;peech, both with looks and words, who teach them how to u&s;e theirs, while they let them &s;ee how they u&s;e theirs. Yea, divers Parents, (my &s;elfe have beene an eye-witnes of &s;ome) who teach their children when they are young, not onely to di&s;daine others, but them&s;elves; the father teaching the child to &s;coffe or mi&s;call his mother, and delight in it; which falls out ju&s;tly, that they keepe the &s;ent of this liquor, and when they are elder, &s;o de&s;pi&s;e and contemne them. But if now when they finde &s;uch things from theirs, it is good to call to mind their owne &s;innes, and to think that they thus u&s;e me, for I have u&s;ed mine the like, and yet never repented of it.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade every child (as before) to labour to give them all reverence both in his word and carriage, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to thinke it little enough to reverence them with the whole and every part which they received from him. Let none thinke this is needle&s;&s;e, or too much curio&s;ity to &s;tand upon &s;uch things; they acknow|ledge them their Parents, (and re&s;pect them &s;omewhat) what need all this? for this mu&s;t be done, and not greater things neglected;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nonnunqua~ in parv&acirc; de|terius qu&agrave;m in majori culp&acirc; pecca|tur; major e|nim culpa quo citi&ugrave;s ag|no&s;citur, c&ograve; etiam celeri|&ugrave;s emenda|tur: minor ver&ograve; dum qua&s;i nulla creditur, e&ograve; pejor e&s;t, quo &amp; &s;ecuri&ugrave;s in u&s;u retinetur. <HI>Greg.</HI></NOTE> and the &s;innes of children in this kind are in &s;ome &s;ort greater than tho&s;e in the other of greater note: For as a man &s;ometimes &s;innes wor&s;e in a &s;mall than in a greater fault; for the greater by how much the &s;ooner 'tis acknowledged, 'tis quick|lier mended,; but the le&s;&s;er, while 'tis counted almo&s;t none at all, is therefore wor&s;e, becau&s;e we more &s;ecurely lived in it. So of this particular, though di&s;obedience and want of reverence differ in them&s;elves, yet is unreverence thus the greater, be|cau&s;e it is accounted as none, and men lye very &s;ecure in it. Therefore ought men to avoid it, and &s;trive again&s;t it, both becau&s;e they are forbidden, and becau&s;e as a little wound neg|lected, will fe&s;ter to a great one; &s;o this unreverence accu&s;to|med, will breake out to a greater contempt and di&s;obedience; and if Chri&s;t make him culpable of &s;inne, that &s;aith but <HI>Raka</HI> to his equall, and him of hell-fire, which calleth him Foole, Matth. 5.20. what &s;hall he be worthy of that calleth his Parents &s;o, and u&s;eth them mo&s;t unreverently? And if 2 Kings 2.23, 24. Children, that mockt the Prophet, were torne with Beares, how &s;hall &s;uch things e&s;cape a judgment? They &s;hall not; for that of <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;hall be true. Prov. 30.17. The outward reve|rence mu&s;t not &s;tand in &s;ignes and words onely, but as 1 John 3.18. &s;peaks of love: My little children, let us not love in words, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth; So &s;ay we of this; this reverence mu&s;t appeare in our actions, and this will part it &s;elfe into obedience and &s;ubjection: for the fir&s;t &s;o much.</P>
<P>Children, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> &s;onnes and daughters mu&s;t not onely give inward
<PB N="61" REF="45">and outward reverence in thoughts and words, but they mu&s;t obey them, as Chri&s;t &s;heweth by his condemning of the &s;onne who obeyed not, Matth. 21.30. Hence are the Commande|ments, Coll. 3.20. <HI>Children obey your Parents in all things, for this is well plea&s;ing unto the Lord;</HI> in all lawfull things: as the like, 1 Cor. 9.22. <HI>To the weake became I as weake, that I might gaine the weake: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all meanes &s;ave &s;ome;</HI> as farre as I may lawfully, not &s;eeking my owne profit; 1 Cor. 10.33. <HI>even as I plea&s;e all men in all things, not &s;eeking mine owne profit, but the profit of many, that they may be &s;aved;</HI> in all lawfull things not &s;eeking his owne profit, pre|ferring the plea&s;ing of them before it; the oppo&s;ition being be|twixt his and their plea&s;ure and profit, not betwixt their pro|fit and plea&s;ing of God: So in this, not betweene Parents and God, but their will and their Parents; &s;hewing that the &s;onne is not to obey his Father in what he will and liketh, but he is &s;imply bound in all things, though never &s;o di&s;like to him, &s;o they be not di&s;plea&s;ing to God. Hence is the Commandement, but with &s;ome limitation, Ephe&s;. 6.1. <HI>Children obey your Parents in the Lord, for this is right.</HI> The Lord, when he commends the <HI>Rechabites,</HI> Jer. 35. doth &s;hew this thing as a duty.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a thing well plea&s;ing the Lord, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Colo&s;&s;. 3.20. &s;o plea&s;ing, as that his owne obedience is more acceptable with it; and without it he will not like of his owne at all, as appeareth, Matth. 15.5, 6. But ye &s;ay, who&s;oever &s;hall &s;ay to his father or mother, it is a gift by what&s;oever thou mighte&s;t be profited by me, and honour not his father or his mother, he &s;hall be free: thus have ye made the Commandement of God of none effect by your tradition. And undoubtedly he that preferred pitty and mercy to men before &s;acrifice, doth much account of pie|ty towards Parents.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if not in all things, but where they plea&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and accor|ding to their owne will, then they preferre them&s;elves before their Parents, &amp; indeed obey not their father, but them&s;elves. As they who love others from whom they looke for good, doe not love them, but them&s;elves: &s;o in this; therefore is it that they mu&s;t endeavour to obey in all things unplea&s;ing.</P>
<P>To reprove all di&s;obedience that is found in Children of all &s;orts to their Parents, young and elder, and all ages. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> If the Law, Deuter. 21.18, 19, 20, 21. were now in force, alas, how many Parents &s;hould long before this be bereaved of all, &s;ome of divers of their children: becau&s;e not onely negligence is to be found, and omi&s;&s;ion, but in many, apparent contempts, up|on whom the Law was to take hold. See your &s;innes, and for|&s;ake them, O children; el&s;e know, that if the former &s;hall not goe unpuni&s;hed, le&s;&s;e this; and if &s;uch puni&s;hments for that,
<PB N="62" REF="46">more for this: And know you, that if you have, or may have children, and live to that, God &s;hall make them revenge your Parents quarrell, and contempt, to bring you to repentance, or to puni&s;h you for it; and the more &s;ecurely you now contemne the admonitions of the Mini&s;ters, the more &s;harply &s;hall God then puni&s;h you, and the more piercing &s;hall it then be unto your Soules.</P>
<P>Let this then admoni&s;h every childe to give obedience to his fathers commandements, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> what&s;oever they are; not only when they are plea&s;ing to him, but even how cro&s;&s;e &s;oever they be to his liking, doing his fathers will, not his own, being affected in regard of his earthly father, as Chri&s;t was of his heavenly, John 6.38. <HI>For I came downe from heaven, not to doe my owne will, but the will of him that &s;ent mee;</HI> and therefore was contented to breake him&s;elfe of his owne will, rather then to cro&s;&s;e his fa|thers will. Math. 26.39. &s;o mu&s;t they. To obey them in things that are plea&s;ing and profitable unto them, liking them well e|nough, is not &s;o commendable, becau&s;e they may be led with the&s;e re&s;pects, rather then duty or love; but in things difficult and hard, cro&s;&s;ing their will and affections, is a double obedi|ence, and &s;hall receive a greater reward: Therefore endevour thus to obey them, and God in them; it is not his will of per|mi&s;&s;ion, but of command, wherein Gods law is broken, if they be di&s;obedient: And not &s;o onely, but he will reject all &s;er|vice done to them, when they neglect that they owe to theirs: &s;o that he will be deafe to their prayers, contemn their &s;ervice, his eyes &s;hall be &s;hut to their mi&s;eries; they may pray, he will not heare; &s;tretch out long hands, he will not regard; yea cry to him, yet will he not accept: if the &s;ighes of thy father, and teares of thy mother, come up before God, for thy rebellions towards them, thinke that thy prayers &s;hall little be accepted of God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. <HI>16.</HI></NOTE> If <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his words to God for the rebellion of <HI>Corah</HI> be|fore God, made not onely their &s;acrifice unacceptable, but brought a cur&s;e upon them; think of it, and take heed of the like.</P>
<P>But &s;ome in this matter may doubt, and for it object and que|&s;tion thus.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pomand. <HI>17.</HI></NOTE> Fir&s;t, what if God commanded one thing, and mens parent another? It is an&s;wered, thou mu&s;t then an&s;wer with the Apo&s;tles. Act. 5.29. We ought to obey God rather then Man; or heare from God. Mat. 15.3. why doe you al&s;o tran&s;|gre&s;&s;e the commandements of God by your tradition? for ever his command is above them and theirs: el&s;e this were to make them gods, and God, man; and were a deed of Idolatry performed unto them. <HI>Martin Luther</HI> &s;ayd well, that in keeping of the fir&s;t precept, was &s;hewed obedience of all there&s;t; for hereby we acknowledge God to be our God in preferring his will, before the will of any other. And
<PB N="63" REF="46">&s;o who&s;e will we preferre before Gods, we take them to be our god. The Apo&s;tle makes the Devill to be the Prince of this World; becau&s;e men obey his will before Gods, &s;o in this: Therefore if the que&s;tion be of the&s;e two, God mu&s;t fir&s;t be o|beyed.<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Honora patrem tuum, &s;ed &s;ite &agrave; vero patre non &s;eparat, tamdiu &s;cito &s;angui|nis copulam, quamdiu ille &s;uum no|verit creatorem: alioquin, P&s;al. <HI>45.10.</HI> Hieron. Ep. <HI>8.</HI> ad Furiam.</NOTE> Honour thy father; but &s;o, as he draw thee not from thy true father, &s;o long acknowledge the bond of blood, as he acknowledgeth his Creator; otherwi&s;e as it is, P&s;al. 45. hearken, O daughter, forget thine owne people, and thy fathers hou&s;e, &s;aith St. <HI>Hierome</HI> to <HI>Furia.</HI> And his rea&s;on is,<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Non es ejus cui nata es, &s;ed cuire|nata, &amp; quite grandi pretio redemit, &s;anguine &s;uo.</NOTE> thou art not his of whom thou wert borne, but new borne, who hath re|deemed thee with a great price, even his blood. And <HI>Clemens Rom. Epi&s;tola.</HI> 4. to the &s;ayd purpo&s;e,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Authores non &s;unt vitae no&s;trae pa|rentes, &s;ed mini&s;tri; non enim vitam praebent, &s;ed ingrediendi in vitam ex|hibent mini&s;terium; &s;olus deus vitae au|thor &amp; fons e&s;t. S. Clem. Rom. Ep. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> Our parents are not the au|thors, but the in&s;truments of our life, they give not life, but are the meanes of entring it, only God is the author and fountaine of life; he is then to be preferred, and his commandement; and not as many who have excu&s;e for things they doe, our fathers did &s;o, or they commanded us: In things, wherein God hath neither commanded nor forbidden, it is &s;ufficient; but where ei|ther, there mu&s;t they take notice of it, and obey him. But yet he mu&s;t doe it with due re&s;pect and reverence, manife&s;ting no contempt of their authority.</P>
<P>Some will demand: The magi&s;trate commands me one thing, <MILESTONE N="2"> and my parents a contrary, what mu&s;t I doe, whom mu&s;t I obey? It is an&s;wered, that the magi&s;trate mu&s;t be obeyed; for God hath given him a larger Commi&s;&s;ion then to them, for they them&s;elves are &s;ubject, as their children; who neither may doe, nor command contrary to their authority, but doing &s;o he &s;in|neth, and the &s;onne &s;inneth in obeying. Againe Princes com|mands commonly re&s;pect common good, and the good that is more common, is more excellent; a common good mu&s;t not be neglected for a private; nor this preferred before it. A mans countrey is to be preferred before his parents, and the goods of it: And to obey them, were not a good thing, for<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Bouum non &s;uo loco non e&s;t bonum.</NOTE> a good thing out of its place, is not good; blood out of the veines in o|ther ve&s;&s;els is hurtfull, though in his place the life con&s;i&s;t in it. A good thing not done in his place, were better undone, yea it cannot be well done. Moreover, we mu&s;t di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt the affection and action. A man may love his parents better then the magi&s;trate, but he mu&s;t obey him rather; as he may love a good man, better then a great man, yet in many ca&s;es he is not bound to doe &s;o much for him. The fir&s;t, becau&s;e God hath &s;hewed his &s;peciall love more to him, then them. The &s;econd,
<PB N="64" REF="47">becau&s;e God hath given him a great authority of command. So 'tis in this inward affection, and outward obedience, becau&s;e the bond of nature is &s;tronger in the one, and the force of authori|ty is greater in the other. Finally, if the things prejudice the State, they mu&s;t not be obeyed; but if it doe not prejudice the publique good, and be much benefit to a private parent, &s;o the ends of the two be regarded, &amp; no contempt of authority &s;hew|ed, &amp; a man be content to abide the penalty; A man may di&s;obey, and prefer Parents before Magi&s;trates without &s;inne to God. As in the ca&s;e of <HI>He&s;ter</HI> and <HI>Mordecah:</HI> and the Jewes and the Kings commandement.</P>
<P>What if my Father commands me one thing, <MILESTONE N="3"> and my ma&s;ter the contrary, I am a &s;ervant or an apprentice, What mu&s;t I doe? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> As before, obey thy ma&s;ter, for thy father hath given o|ver his authority to him, over whom he hath no power, for his power is not &s;ubordinate to thy fathers, as a Steward, or Tutor, wherein there is re&s;ervation, but ab&s;olute: And thou art now of another regiment and corporation. But yet as before, thy affection may be more to thy Father, but thy labour and &s;er|vice to thy ma&s;ter, thou may&s;t wi&s;h his good more; but thou mu&s;t work for and procure the others good; for, for that end thou wa&s;t placed under his power. But if without neglect of thy ma&s;ters affaires, thou may be helpfull to thy parents, &s;tanding in need of thy helpe; or by leave and con&s;ent, thou art no more free to refu&s;e now, then before.</P>
<P>I am the Daughter of my Father, <MILESTONE N="4"> he hath be&s;towed me in marriage, if the commands of hu&s;band and father cro&s;&s;e one an|other: whom mu&s;t I obey? undoubtedly thy hu&s;band, for the father hath given over his authority to him: And more then in the former; both thy affection and action mu&s;t be more to thy hu&s;band, love him better, and obey him rather. For Gen. 2.24. is &s;poken comparatively, when the one mu&s;t be for&s;aken, or in ca&s;es that &s;o fall out that both be in que&s;tion. For he cea|&s;eth not to be a father &s;till, but re&s;erveth to him as reverence, &s;o obedience while it is not cro&s;&s;e, yea in &s;ome things he may chal|lenge it that are cro&s;&s;e, if it be not to the prejudice of thy hu&s;|bands good, and greatly for his helpe; yea, and thou mu&s;t o|bey him with &s;ome hazard of thy &s;elfe; &s;o there be no contempt of the authority of thy hu&s;band: As in the ca&s;e of <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> which &s;erves both for a &s;ubject and a wife. Hitherto of their o|bedience, now of their &s;ubjection and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion; and this may con&s;i&s;t in the&s;e things. Fir&s;t, for correction.</P>
<P>Children, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elves to their Parents, to be re|buked and corrected by them. It is that which we have. Pro. 15.5. <HI>A foole de&s;pi&s;eth his fathers in&s;truction, but he that regar|deth reproofe is prudent.</HI> When the Apo&s;tle maketh it a rea&s;on
<PB N="65" REF="47">for &s;ubjection to God. Hebr. 12.9, 10. it mu&s;t needs hold in this: yea, the Apo&s;tles will carry it, not only when they doe it ju&s;tly, and from &s;ufficient matter, but for a wrong cau&s;e, which the tenth ver&s;e &s;heweth, implying thereby that this &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ion is required when they &s;hall correct, of a &s;pleene, or a humour, for their owne fancy and plea&s;ure only without good ground or manner: may not this be &s;een by that of <HI>I&s;aac</HI> &s;ub|mitting him&s;elfe to his father, to cut him at his plea&s;ure, Gen. 22. yea of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to be circumci&s;ed; and of Chri&s;t to his mo|ther. Luke 2.48, 49?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by this they &s;hew wi&s;dome, Prov. 13.1. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> <HI>A wi&s;e &s;onne heareth his fathers in&s;truction, but a &s;corner heareth not rebuke;</HI> and they get and increa&s;e wi&s;dome; Prov. 29.15. <HI>The rod and reproofe give wi&s;edome, but a child left to him&s;elfe, bringeth his mother to &s;hame:</HI> for they learne to avoid the like &s;innes, and to e&s;cape greater &s;troaks from their father. That which gets wi&s;|dome, mu&s;t be &s;ubmitted to; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> becau&s;e by it they prevent greater de&s;truction, and bring to &s;alvation. They are called <HI>The way of life,</HI> Prov. 6.23. whole&s;ome things, though bitter: To pre|vent greater evill, and bring health, we ea&s;ily &s;ubmit our &s;elves to the Phy&s;itians hand to receive.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they come from love, Prov. 13.24. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> For tho&s;e men love not, or they hate in effect, under affection, tho&s;e they cor|rect not.</P>
<P>To reprove the &s;tubborne and &s;tiffe-necked children of our age, who repine at their fathers reproofe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> their hearts ready to &s;well again&s;t them, if they check them for their carriage, &s;pe|cially when they are of &s;ome few yeares, they will frowne as long as their Parents can doe: They imagine they know how to carry them&s;elves well enough, yea, better than their Parents, and often give them word for word, or mutter and murmure marvellou&s;ly again&s;t them: the cau&s;e being not onely want of grace in their owne hearts, but the omi&s;&s;ion of correction and the rod when they were younger, becau&s;e they did not correct them betime. Many Parents, like <HI>Eli,</HI> neglecting the rod when they were young, cockering of them, that they get &s;uch heads when they are growne, that they will not beare the rod; and better nothing at all by their reproofes, but they live often to &s;ee their peri&s;hing, as <HI>Eli</HI> did his &s;onnes. Whereas if they be duely and maturely u&s;ed to the rod and correction, they will be nothing &s;o audacious, and in the end a word &s;hall doe more with them than many &s;tripes.</P>
<P>To teach children to give honour unto their Parents, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> in &s;ub|mitting them&s;elves to their reproofes and correction. Wi&s;dome will make them take them from others who are farre off, when it may be doubtfull with what minde they doe it: how much
<PB N="66" REF="48">more from Parents, of who&s;e love they cannot doubt. It is pro|fitable &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome, Ho.</HI> 27. <HI>ad pop. A.</HI> to have many admo|ni&s;hers and keepers, many reprovers, is profitable; becau&s;e as a bea&s;t that is hunted and &s;et on of all &s;ides, cannot e&s;cape: &s;o &s;hall not a &s;inne or vice, but when &s;uch as are &s;o nigh us, who &s;ee in &s;ecret and open, it is farre better: But we could beare it if there were cau&s;e, and we had de&s;erved it; but when they doe it without cau&s;e, as we thinke unju&s;tly, that is it which makes us repine. Fir&s;t know, that the Phy&s;itian &s;ees often more than the Patient, &s;o doth the Parent: But if yet there be no cau&s;e, the Apo&s;tle &s;hews yet we &s;hould &s;ubmit. And we &s;hould con&s;i|der, as <HI>Hierome</HI> would have <HI>Salvina</HI> to judge of his reproofe, that it was <HI>ex abundantia amoris,</HI> and it is his <HI>cujus votum est, te ne|&s;cire, quae metuit.</HI> Be&s;ides it is more thanke worthy, when a man can, in &s;uch ca&s;es, &s;uppre&s;&s;e the ri&s;ing and &s;welling of his impatient and corrupt nature, onely for con&s;cience of the com|mandement: for here being &s;ome conflict betwixt his word and our will, he taketh tryall of our obedience, who hath &s;imply commanded &s;ubjection in this kind to children, which is to bee obeyed, as that thou &s;halt not &s;teale: Therefore &s;hould every one endeavour to it, and thinke it is the part of a good childe to ki&s;&s;e the rod that beates, as the hand that gives.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing, wherein their &s;ubjection is required, and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, is for their calling and education.</P>
<P>Children mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elves unto their Parents, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to what calling they &s;hall thinke fit to bring them up in and to. So did <HI>Samuel</HI> to his Mother, he yeelded to her, to be &s;et apart for the &s;ervice of God, and to be brought up to it. 1 Sam. 1.28. For that which &s;he gave he performed. So <HI>David</HI> &s;ubmitted him&s;elf to his father to be a &s;hepherd, and &s;ome of his brethren &s;ouldi|ers; So <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was di&s;po&s;ed of by his Parents, when he was fit to teach others; and for another manner of worke, Luke 2.46. yet he <HI>went and was &s;ubject to them,</HI> and in the <HI>&s;ame trade</HI> ver&s;e 51. and Marke 6.3. <HI>Justin Martyr</HI> thinkes &s;o: 'twas likely, the wi&s;e|dome of God to blind the wicked, and hide him from their eyes. Then as 1 Joh. 2.6. <HI>He that &s;aith, he abideth in him, ought him&s;elfe al&s;o to walke, even as hee walked:</HI> &s;o for this parti|cular.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they in all rea&s;on are far better able to judge of them, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and their parts and gifts, what they are fit for, and wherein they are mo&s;t like to give them mo&s;t comfort, and glorifie God, and profit them&s;elves, then they can of them&s;elves. That &s;ame borrowed &s;peech. P&s;al. 127.4, 5. <HI>As arrowes are in the hand of a mighty man, &s;o are Children of the youth; happie is the man that hath his quiver full of them, they &s;hall not be a&s;hamed; but they &s;hall &s;peake with the enemies in the gate;</HI> &s;eemes to in&s;inuate
<PB N="67" REF="48">&s;omewhat, they are as arrowes of divers heads, &s;ome fit for one marke, &s;ome for another, he hath them in his hand, and knows be&s;t which is fit for which.</P>
<P>Bcau&s;e they are not in their owne power, but his, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> while they live in his hou&s;e, and government; but part of his &s;ub&s;tance: therefore the Devill &s;mote not <HI>Jobs</HI> wife as part of him&s;elfe, but his children, as part of his &s;ub&s;tance and temporall goods; 'tis equall then, he &s;hould have the di&s;po&s;ition of his children, not them&s;elves or others.</P>
<P>It &s;hall appeare that he may di&s;po&s;e of them in Marriages, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and not any other, nor them&s;elves, which is then when they are of more yeares, and grown of greater di&s;cretion in the world, more when they are younger, and without experience.</P>
<P>To reprove the &s;innes of many Children, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who &s;ometime without asking con&s;ent, if denyed, doe di&s;po&s;e of them&s;elves at their owne plea&s;ure in what calling they like, as if their parents had no power over them; as if they onely knew what was fit for them&s;elves, and their parents wanted the wit and experi|ence they have to di&s;po&s;e of them for the be&s;t; the cau&s;e of many mi&s;carrying of them, and not pro&s;pering in their profe&s;|&s;ion; becau&s;e they went not to it the right way, only led by their affection without judgement, not knowing what God had fitted them for; nor regarding their parents, whom God had &s;et over them, for that purpo&s;e; whence often the cur&s;e of God is upon them, that they pro&s;per not in &s;uch cour&s;es: or if by the indulgence of God they pro&s;per, that their parents &s;ee not their ruine, yet when they are dead, their &s;inne living, not re|pented of, they are requited often in the &s;ame kinde againe; as they did to their Parents, &s;o their children doe to them, yea often not without them, but farre wor&s;e cour&s;es then they tooke.</P>
<P>The third thing wherein their &s;ubjection is required, and &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ion, is for their portion and childes part.</P>
<P>Children mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elves unto their parents, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> in recei|ving their provi&s;ion and portion, and be content with that they have provided and allotted unto them; whether in their life, or at death, not being their owne carvers, nor &s;haring it out as they li&s;t. The Prodigall &s;onne among&s;t much evils, is noted to bee free from this, to &s;hare him&s;elfe; but was content his fathers portion: whereas his elder brother, though free from many o|ther evils, yet is blotted with this, Luke 15.12, 29. It is com|mended in the &s;onnes of <HI>Abraham,</HI> that they in this thing &s;ub|mitted them&s;elves: At lea&s;t no contrary thing is manife&s;ted of them. Gen. 25.5, 6. As <HI>Adoniah</HI> is reproved for u&s;urping the kingdome, and making his fathers will for him, not content with his portion, &s;o is it the commendations of the re&s;t of <HI>Davids</HI> chil|dren,
<PB N="68" REF="49">that they were content with their portions, and never murmured that <HI>Solomon,</HI> not the elde&s;t, but the &s;on of <HI>Davids</HI> age, had the kingdome given him of his father, Kings 1. The re&s;t of the <HI>Patriarkes</HI> are not recorded to be malecontent, that <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> had a double portion among them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they mu&s;t thinke, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> they di&s;cerne better of their own e|&s;tate, and what they are able to afford every one out of the &s;tocke while they live, and they maintaine an hone&s;t and come|ly &s;tate as before, and at their deaths; how that they have ga|thered will part it &s;elfe to them, &s;o &s;ome portion be for God, good u&s;es, and other thing nece&s;&s;ary.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the father be&s;t knows them, and with le&s;&s;e partiality then them&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> who hath beene to him the be&s;t childe, and who have more grace in them, according to which he may deale and di&s;po&s;e: As did <HI>I&s;aac</HI> to <HI>Jacob, Jacob</HI> to <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> a double por|tion; all the other taynted with &s;ome gro&s;&s;e &s;inne; for their goods they may and ought to di&s;po&s;e of according to grace and vertue, which makes the younge&s;t the elde&s;t; and &s;o, <HI>&egrave; contra.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are able be&s;t to di&s;cern, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> who is like to doe more good to Church &amp; Common wealth; and &s;ee in &s;ome one more hope then in another: and if he &s;o di&s;po&s;e, they mu&s;t be content.</P>
<P>To reprove al di&s;contented children, not content with the por|tion the father hath &s;et out for them, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> neither living nor dead, but murmuring at the dealing of his father, as if his were le&s;&s;e, the other too much; as the Prodigall &s;onnes elder brother, or as <HI>Adoniah,</HI> making choi&s;e of his own portion; and if they have not the allowance they would have, they think they may come by it as they can, and what&s;oever they get from their father, they thinke it well gotten, and but of their own; and no &s;in. But &s;ee what the holy Gho&s;t &s;ayth, Pro. 28.24. <HI>who &s;o robbeth his father or his mother, and &s;aith it is no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, the &s;ame is a com|panion of a de&s;troyer;</HI> making &s;uch a &s;onne a companion and co|zen german to a murtherer. At his death, and in his &s;ickne&s;&s;e, if either they be privy to his will, or gue&s;&s;e by his affection in his health, that that will not fall to their portion; they de&s;ire to helpe to &s;horten his dayes, and ha&s;ten his end: he &s;hall heare newes that they have &s;har'd for them&s;elves, as <HI>Adoniah;</HI> after his death, many a &s;onne &s;hewes him&s;elfe gracele&s;&s;e, telling a|broad every where, how unkindely his father dealt with him, that his portion was &s;o &s;mall; not remembring in the cour&s;e of common &s;ociety, <HI>de ab&s;entibus &amp; mortuis nil ni&s;i bonum,</HI> much more for parents, who&s;e infirmities mu&s;t be covered being li|ving, more dead: neither remembring how little they de&s;er|ved at their fathers hands, or how unkindely they u&s;ed him in re&s;pect of others, or how little hope they gave him that they
<PB N="69" REF="49">would u&s;e that well he &s;hould leave them, and by it be profi|table to God or man, Church or Common-wealth.</P>
<P>To teach every child to be content with the portion his fa|ther &s;ets out for him, living or dead, whether more or le&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> e|quall or inferiour to others: imputing &s;omewhat and not a little to his fathers wi&s;dome, knowing his owne ability, &s;eeing their pre&s;ent graces, or their future hopes; &s;omewhat looking at home, how dutifull he hath beene in compari&s;on of others, how little de&s;erving, what little grace, and &s;o le&s;&s;e goods. And if his father &s;eeme not to have dealt &s;o equally, yet it is his duty to &s;u&s;pect his owne wi&s;dome rather than his fathers, to ac|cu&s;e his owne demerits, yea, to cover it in every place, and e|very way &s;hewing him&s;elfe contented. If <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;ee good cau&s;e to di&s;inherit <HI>Reuben,</HI> and to pa&s;&s;e by <HI>Simeon</HI> and <HI>Levi,</HI> and leave the Lord&s;hip to <HI>Judahs</HI> hand, yea, if he &s;hall &s;kip over <HI>Dan</HI> and <HI>A&s;her,</HI> and the re&s;t, till he come to <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> from the elde&s;t of all to the younge&s;t, or &s;tate one, and be&s;tow the double por|tion on him and his, the re&s;t mu&s;t not be di&s;contented with his di&s;tribution, but give him leave to doe with his owne as he li&s;t; honouring him thus, yea, and u&s;ing his portion left thee for his honour, for increa&s;e and advantage, as the Talents; that the world may judge of the ju&s;tice and uprightne&s;&s;e of thy fa|thers getting of his goods.</P>
<P>The fourth thing in this &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion is, to be di&s;po&s;ed of for their marriages and matching.</P>
<P>It is the duty of children to &s;ubmit them&s;elves to their Pa|rents in their matches and marriages; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> to be given and taken in marriages, this is a part of their honour, for the Scripture gives this authority to the parents to be&s;tow them, as is proved, Deut. 7.3. 1 Cor. 7.38. yea, to break them, Exod. 22.16, 17. then mu&s;t they and ought to be &s;ubject. Be&s;ides the examples of all good children who have thus &s;ubmitted them&s;elves: And <HI>ex|empla &s;anctorum pro regulis &s;unt, ubi dee&s;t regula, vel contraria non datur; I&s;aac</HI> &s;ubmitted to <HI>Abraham,</HI> Gen. 24.3. <HI>Jacob</HI> to <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> Gen. 28.1, 2. <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> to his parents, Judg. 14.1. <HI>Rahel</HI> and <HI>Leah</HI> to their father <HI>Laban,</HI> Gen. 29.19. yea, even prophane and wicked have in &s;ome &s;ort done it: <HI>I&s;mael,</HI> Gen. 21.21. <HI>She|chem Hamors</HI> &s;onne, Gen. 34.3.6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is to honour them, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> when they thinke them wi|&s;er and better able to provide for them than them&s;elves; who&s;e advice if they mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elves to for their calling and portion, more for this, when they are led commonly by the heate of affection to the liking of the per&s;on onely, when there are many other things as nece&s;&s;ary to concurre as that; as re|ligion, hone&s;ty of kindred, good report, equality, and &s;uch like; all which is rarely found in youth to be &s;o duely re&s;pected,
<PB N="70" REF="50">as parents by their experience re&s;pect, and are able to di&s;cerne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he may not di&s;po&s;e of the goods of his father without him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not &s;ell his land, or alienate any thing from him, but as he will di&s;po&s;e; how then him&s;elfe?</P>
<P>This reproveth tho&s;e children that di&s;po&s;e them&s;elves with|out their parents con&s;ent, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> prey upon their right, intangle and contract them&s;elves, yea, and con&s;ummate marriages, they not witting, yea unwilling, or by &s;ome nece&s;&s;ity forced to &s;hew &s;ome willingne&s;&s;e, which is the cau&s;e of &s;o many untoward, un|cleane, and polluted families, and prophane &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, as o|ther times can witne&s;&s;e, &s;o too many pre&s;idents in our dayes. For as when children are compelled to match again&s;t their wills, and where they have ju&s;t occa&s;ion of exception, for &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect the parents have, there follows much uncleanne&s;&s;e and impiety: &s;o when without the parents con&s;ent, and not of their providing, but they are their owne choo&s;ers; &s;hewing where parents con&s;ent is wanting, there Gods ble&s;&s;ing is away; yea, where parents con&s;ent is not, there is Gods cur&s;e; as in <HI>E&s;au</HI> and his po&s;terity, in <HI>Judah</HI> taking his Hoa&s;ts daughter, Gen. 38.2. having <HI>Er</HI> and <HI>Onan,</HI> &s;uch as God would not endure to live, but &s;lew them him&s;elfe. Yea, that may al&s;o be &s;eene, Gen. 6.2. in the &s;onnes of <HI>Seth,</HI> the Church which matched with cur&s;ed <HI>Chams</HI> &s;eed of them&s;elves, without parents con&s;ent, had &s;uch a wretched po&s;terity. This thing then is reproofe-worthy, yea, damnable in children without repentance; parents are often cau&s;es of it; and that fir&s;t, to &s;ome it is Gods retribution, be|cau&s;e they &s;o &s;erved and abu&s;ed their parents: Secondly, becau&s;e they give &s;uch liberty to their daughters to wander, as <HI>Dinah;</HI> and &s;o Ezek. 23.3. <HI>their bre&s;ts come to be pre&s;&s;ed, and the teats of their virginity brui&s;ed:</HI> or el&s;e their affections by often meeting are &s;o intangled and inflamed, as the fathers threats will not loo&s;e it, nor the mothers teares cannot quench it. It was not &s;o, Prov. 30.18, 19. it &s;hould not be &s;o. <HI>Hierom</HI> to <HI>Demetr. E|pi&s;t.</HI> 8.11. would not have Virgins alone, <HI>&s;olae &s;ine matre:</HI> for in a flocke of Doves the Kite often will prey upon one when they are abroad; and it is a &s;cabbed &s;heep that loves wandring, and leaves the fold.</P>
<P>Thirdly, becau&s;e parents doe not take and u&s;e their right, and provide for them in due time mates fit for them, which makes them provide for them&s;elves, not without &s;inne, but greatly &s;inning; yet the parents partakers of it, and oftentimes of much &s;hame and griefe, as it was with <HI>Tamar,</HI> Gen. 38.26. But how|&s;oever, one mans &s;inne cannot excu&s;e another, nor yet the pa|rents the childs &s;inne, nor will not exempt them from the cur&s;e of God, when they thus match to the griefe of their parents, and the &s;hortening of their dayes and life, by whom they recei|ved
<PB N="71" REF="50">life, and &s;hould have their lives continued and lengthened.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct children to be &s;ubject to their parents, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> knowing what power they have over them to guide their choyce, that without them they may not chu&s;e; and if they chu&s;e for them, they cannot without great cau&s;e and ju&s;t exception &s;tray them|&s;elves from liking: &s;maller things they mu&s;t endeavour to over|come, they mu&s;t not &s;uffer them&s;elves to be entangled by &s;ome who &s;eeke by kind u&s;age of them to &s;teale away their hearts from their parents, for their daughters, to advance them; as is the man|ner of &s;ome wretched and uncon&s;cionable men. As U&s;urers get their fathers inheritance from them by feeding them with mo|ney: &s;o they mu&s;t not &s;et their affections by fervency of &s;ociety and company upon others, without parents, and where never like to give allowance. They ought to remember this is the fa|thers right, to choo&s;e, to di&s;po&s;e of them, not onely in the generall, but for the particular per&s;on: But what if he be farre off, and cannot &s;ee? If he give thee liberty, duely a&s;king it of him, he hath given his right from him&s;elfe, as <HI>I&s;aac</HI> to <HI>Jacob,</HI> Gen. 28. But what if he upon &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, deferre and pa&s;&s;e the flower of her age? I an&s;wer; then hath God ordained the Magi&s;trate as for their puni&s;hment, &s;o for their reliefe, who is not to be &s;ought to but when mo&s;t urgent nece&s;&s;ity requi|reth, when the oppo&s;ition &s;tands betwixt Marriage and bur|ning, becau&s;e that reveales the fathers fault, and bewrayes his or her infirmity. But what if he tender a match out of the Church, a Papi&s;t, or &s;uch like? Then mu&s;t the Child refu&s;e with reverence, not di&s;po&s;ing of him&s;elfe; for as it were &s;inne to yeeld, &s;o the other is &s;inne to make choyce of him&s;elfe. But what if another that is not &s;o religious and &s;o fervent a lover of the Truth, as is to be wi&s;hed? No direct deny all is lawfull, but a wi&s;e delaying and a di&s;creet gaining of time to &s;ollicite God with their prayers, who hath the heart of their Parents in his hand, and to intreate them by mediation of be&s;t friends; who if they can be diverted, it is well; if not, I know no warrant a Child hath to deny his fathers choyce, (though he thinke, and it may be he might choo&s;e better) and he may looke for a ble&s;|&s;ing from God, if in duty he thus &s;ubmit him&s;elfe to his Pa|rents.</P>
<P>The la&s;t part of this honour is thankfulne&s;&s;e, which Children mu&s;t performe to their Parents.</P>
<P>Children mu&s;t performe all thankfulne&s;&s;e unto their Parents: <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> that is, helpe them when they need, and in age, when their &s;tate and bodies are decayed; and to be eyes, and leggs, and limbs unto them, and to admini&s;ter liberally according to their &s;tate and ability to them, as they did to them when they were young, and when yet they had nothing, nor knew not how
<PB N="72" REF="51">to get any thing, that this is a part of honour Chri&s;t &s;heweth Math. 15.4, 5, 6. &s;ome thinke that of P&s;al 128.3. when chil|dren are made Olive plants, not Olives onely, and Olive bran|ches, which was a &s;igne of peace; &s;o they to make peace and love betwixt their parents: but plants, &s;uch as might &s;tand un|der them, underprop and uphold them in their weakne&s;&s;e: and thus verily have good Children honoured their parents: &s;o did the &s;ons of <HI>Jacob</HI> Gen. 42.1, 2. &s;o did <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> Gen. 47.12. &s;o did <HI>Ruth,</HI> though but a daughter in law. To this purpo&s;e <HI>Paul</HI> for|bids that the Church &s;hould be burthened with widowes, but their children &amp; Nephews ought to maintain them. 1 Tim. 5.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e he &s;hould not onely be unnaturall, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but unju&s;t, when the father by his &s;peciall care for him, and the mother by her prayers, bearing and carrying of him, watching with him; lending eyes and legs, and limbes to him, feeding and nouri&s;hing of him, de&s;erveth it. All which they the better de&s;erve, if they have children, with whom they have the like labour and endeavour: now ju&s;tice requires to pay debt due and de|&s;erved.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they had forme from them, as body, and members, and limbes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;o their education, their trade, their &s;tocke and portion, or both; whereby they are that they are, by the ble&s;|&s;ing of God; rea&s;on then, they relieve and maintaine them by it, if their need require.</P>
<P>This reproves many gracele&s;&s;e children, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who never perform any &s;uch duty unto their parents: &s;pecially if they &s;tand in need of them indeed; but if they be ba&s;e &amp; poor, will hardly acknow|ledge them, as thinking it their reproach and &s;hame, not for|getting, but di&s;daining the rock whereout they were hewed, the pit whereout they were taken: or if they doe releeve them, or be kind unto them; it is either becau&s;e they have yet &s;ome|what to give and be&s;tow, which till it be gotten, they u&s;e them kindly; yea if many children, they &s;trive which &s;hould &s;hew mo&s;t kindne&s;&s;e; but once gotten, made over to them, they &s;et them light, and turne them out; &s;ome making their parents complaine to authority again&s;t them, or if they keep them, de|cayed, they make them drudge as &s;ervants, they &s;et them with the Hyndes: &s;ome &s;o gracele&s;&s;e, as they complaine they are a burthen unto them, the be&s;t of them never tendering them, as they did them, nor maintaining them as they are able; neither an&s;werable to their former condition, nor their owne pre&s;ent; and &s;ome driving them away, and not affording any entertain|ment of releefe: to the&s;e and &s;uch like we apply that of <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 19.26. <HI>He that wa&s;teth his father, and cha&s;eth away his ma|ther, is a&s;onne that cau&s;eth &s;hame, and bringeth reprovach,</HI> and &s;o e&s;teem of them, as God hath marked them.</P>
<PB N="73" REF="51">
<P>To teach Children to performe all thankefulne&s;&s;e to their pa|rents, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if they live to be able, and they to &s;tand in need of them; if they be never &s;o ba&s;e, be not a&s;hamed of them; but remem|ber the time was, when thou wa&s;t naked and needy, and not only had nothing, but if thou had&s;t had all the world, could&s;t not have had helpe, but by them, or &s;ome in &s;teed of them. And yet they covered thy nakedne&s;&s;e, were not a&s;hamed of thy infirmities, carryed thee in their armes, and nouri&s;hed thee carefully: Sup|po&s;e and con&s;ider, where thou had&s;t been, if they had neglect|ed thee, thinke how many nights without &s;leepe, and dayes without re&s;t they &s;pent about thee, when thou wa&s;t young; or weake or &s;icke, &s;ee how love made all their labour light, and all their charges as it were a gaine unto them: And if thou ha&s;t any true naturall affection in thee, thou wilt thinke nothing too much for them: But feed and nouri&s;h them at thy table, with thy mor&s;ell and cup, carry and &s;u&s;taine them in their weakenes and infirmitie; yea, though they &s;hould live as long, or longer in infirmities and wants, then thou wa&s;t of them; there are &s;ome birds &s;aith <HI>Ba&s;ill,</HI> who feed their dams, as long as they fed them, and carryed them, how much more Chri&s;tian Children? often|times when thy father is dead, his garment or his ring is deare to thee, this thou carrie&s;t upon thy finger, and would&s;t not lo&s;e it for any thing; think how &s;hould his body, when he is living, S. <HI>Aug. de Civ. D. lib.</HI> 1. or if thou &s;ee others &s;o e&s;teeme them; apply it to thy &s;elfe, and give them their whole honour; or el&s;e looke for the &s;hortning of thy daies, and for the like recompence from thine.</P>
<P><HI>His Father.</HI>] Having &s;eene the duty, we mu&s;t proceede now to the parties, to whom this duty and honour is to be per|formed; to the father and parents, as their parents, authors of their being, or at lea&s;t in&s;truments of their being; God being Principall.</P>
<P>Children mu&s;t performe all the&s;e duties, this honour to their parents, all their life long; nothing will free them from them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> nor di&s;pence with the neglect and omi&s;&s;ion; no greatne&s;&s;e nor excellency them&s;elves may come to, no &s;tate nor condition of theirs; neither want, infirmity, and imperfection of theirs: This is manife&s;t by the example of <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> the &s;econd in the king|dome of Aegypt, yet did not omit the lea&s;t duty to his father; but performed all in their places, obedience, &s;ubjection, main|teinance, reverence in his infirmity and weakene&s;&s;e, and his own greatne&s;&s;e, Gen 48.12. <HI>(&amp; caeteris capiti) Solomon</HI> to his mo|ther, 1 King. 2.19, 20. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to his parents, Luke 2.51. Hence came the cur&s;e upon <HI>Cham,</HI> pronounced by his father, and executed by God, notwith&s;tanding what he had to &s;ay, and could hold out for his defence: his father was drunke and like
<PB N="74" REF="52">a bea&s;t, Gen. 9. But <HI>Shem</HI> and <HI>Japheth</HI> ble&s;&s;ed who did him re|verence: To this purpo&s;e is that of <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 23.22. <HI>Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and de&s;pi&s;e not thy mother when &s;he is old;</HI> how&s;oever unworthy of it, yet thou mu&s;t per|forme it, even to thy mother weaker by nature, &s;ubject to more infirmityes; by &s;o much more apt to de&s;pi&s;e them; more then, when the infirmitie of their &s;ex, and the imperfections of the age are combyned together; yet we have no liberty to de&s;pi&s;e or de|ny duty.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e neither the greatne&s;&s;e of the one, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> nor the weakene&s;&s;e and infirmitie of the other can breake that relation which is be|twixt childe and parents, which the Law of God being morall, hath made perpetuall unto everla&s;ting: And the rea&s;on of this is, becau&s;e as <HI>Chri&s;o&s;t. in Rom.</HI> 13. <HI>non principi &s;ed principatui,</HI> that honour, obedience and &s;ubjection, is required not &s;o much to the Prince, as to the Princedome; not to the per&s;on, as to his place: So of this, the honour is due not to the father, but his fa|therhood; not &s;omuch to the per&s;on of him as he is a man, and &s;o either a bad or a good man, as to his place &amp; office, as he is a father: now he is a father, &s;he a mother; though of never &s;o bad life or bad parts, and &s;o to be honoured: and the childe is to give it, not as a man; and &s;o great or ba&s;e, high or low; but as a childe, which he ever is, and &s;o mu&s;t alwayes performe it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are the authors, or principall in&s;truments of their lives; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> e&s;&s;ence and being, which is that which never can be blotted out, but will ever remaine while they are, therefore is this to be performed: 'Tis <HI>Solomons</HI> ground, Prov. 23.22.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to condemne the Church of Rome, and their odi|ous and impious po&s;itions, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> where they allow by doctrine, the childe to di&s;obey his parents; for they allow him not &s;o much, as to acknowledge him to be his father, if he be an Hereticke, if a prote&s;tant; yea by the here&s;ie of the father, children are freed from all obedience; and the father deprived of all his na|turall power. (<HI>Symancha. Ju&s;tit. Cathol. Tit.</HI> 4. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 74.) &s;ee yee not the&s;e men going again&s;t the current of humanity, and again&s;t the light of nature, and are oppi&s;ite to the light of the word. <HI>Cham</HI> may not di&s;honour his father though he be drunke, but he &s;hall have the cur&s;e; how &s;hall they e&s;cape it? But Here&s;ie is a greater &s;inne then drunkennes: undoubtedly not as they count Here&s;ie, which is to differ from the Church of Rome in any thing, &s;pecially in matter of the &s;even Sacraments. And what is this in compari&s;on of that which makes a man a bea&s;t; which is wor&s;e, &s;ayth Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> then to bee a bea&s;t, becau&s;e <HI>i&s;tud naturae, illud culpae e&s;t:</HI> which &s;ome &s;mall diffe|rence from them cannot make: But &s;ay it were greater, yet doth it not therefore di&s;&s;olve the knot, or relation betwixt them;
<PB N="75" REF="52">for it is not in the greatne&s;&s;e of the &s;inne, but when &s;uch a &s;inne can be given that doth breake the relation: for in&s;tance, Idola|try is a greater &s;inne then adultery, yet this, not that, breaks and di&s;&s;olves marriage: Becau&s;e that, not this meets in cominter|po&s;ition with the knot of marriage. In that they being and be|comming one fle&s;h with another, 1 Cor. 6.10. and &s;o cutteth him&s;elfe from her, he was knit to before: in this they are onely one &s;pirit with an Idol, and cea&s;e to be one &s;pirit with the Lord. So this, It is not here&s;ie for his greatne&s;&s;e, that can di&s;&s;olve this naturall bond, which is perpetuall; for it cannot make that he had not his e&s;&s;ence and being from his father, and the duty depen|ding upon this, <HI>obey thy father that begat thee:</HI> hath he begot|ten thee, it is no matter what he is, thou mu&s;t honour him. Then impious are their po&s;itions; but no marvaile if they teach rebellions, and diobedience, and murthering of Princes, if they allow di&s;honouring of parents.</P>
<P>To teach every child to performe this, honour his Parents, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> what&s;oever he is, what&s;oever they are. Art thou higher and richer, and wi&s;er than they? yet mu&s;t thou doe them honour; and by it &s;halt thou have the&s;e the more. Looke upon <HI>Jo&s;eph, Solomon,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and nothing can be in thee that can give thee freedome from it, when they did it, the two fir&s;t <HI>ex debito,</HI> Chri&s;t <HI>ex placito,</HI> to fulfill all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and give us ex|ample. Though then thou be married or advanced, or how&s;o|ever, yet &s;till they are thy Parents, and thou mu&s;t not deny, but performe honour unto them; for thou had&s;t thy being from them, and till that be di&s;&s;olved, thou owe&s;t them &s;till the du|ties, the bonds remaining; yea, what&s;oever infirmity is in them, no &s;inne di&s;&s;olveth the bond, it makes not an annullity of the duty: for as Gold is Gold, though it be &s;meared over with durt and filth; &s;o are they thy Parents, what&s;oever their lives and manners be. Thinke with thy &s;elfe, how their love made them beare with many naturall infirmities of thy Childhood, and not to neglect thee for the many untoward carriages of thy youth, and not to ca&s;t thee off from them: And thinke what duty now &s;hould bind thee unto; if they for their perfect love, and upon &s;ome hope of comfort many yeares after, did pa&s;&s;e o|ver all, how much more thou in duty and in lieu of thankful|ne&s;&s;e for that which thou enjoye&s;t from them? Children mu&s;t not be like Flies (as <HI>Plutarch</HI>) which &s;lip along the gla&s;&s;e where it is &s;mooth, but catch hold of it where there are any &s;cratches or flawes: They mu&s;t turne away their eyes from their infirmi|ties, and forget their hard u&s;age, if it have beene any; and not be undutifull for that, becau&s;e they have their being and edu|cation from them. Take heed of <HI>Chams</HI> cur&s;e, and &s;eeke <HI>Shems</HI> ble&s;&s;ing, by not &s;eeing their infirmities, but covering and per|forming
<PB N="76" REF="53">duty to them; accounting it to be a &s;in to be repented of, when they cannot find their hearts &s;o cheerefull in their du|ties as they ought, becau&s;e of their Parents infirmities.</P>
<P><HI>A &s;ervant his ma&s;ter.</HI>] The &s;econd rule of nature, the ground or other pillar of Gods rea&s;on again&s;t this people: For the mea|ning 'tis plaine; the duties here required are in the generall the &s;ame for the mo&s;t part with the former, though not in every particular. The fir&s;t is reverence, and this both inward and outward; To joyne them together.</P>
<P>Servants mu&s;t give all reverence unto their Ma&s;ter, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> all in|ward good affection and e&s;timation of them, and all reverent re&s;pect in ge&s;ture and &s;peech, Eph. 6.5. 1 Tim. 6.1. Eccle&s;. 10.20. It may be applyed to Ma&s;ters, for the King is but a great Ma&s;ter, and the Ma&s;ter a little King. The outward in words, as not replying unreverently, Titus 2.9. not &s;peaking their in|firmities to others, as 1 Sam. 25.17. giving them all reverent &s;peech and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive ge&s;ture, as 2 King. 5.13. not de&s;pi&s;ing them as <HI>Hagar</HI> did <HI>Sarah.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e God hath made them reverent, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> in that he hath com|municated unto them part of his excellency and dignity, that is, his Lord&s;hip and Dominion, making them his Vicegerents and Lords over their family: therefore they ought to reverence them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e his Commandements are &s;pirituall, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and reach to the inward man, and without it were all outward but hypocriticall and counterfeit, which is abhominable: And this without the outward is imperfect, if it may be &s;uppo&s;ed it may be without it, and &s;o cannot be acceptable.</P>
<P>This is to let &s;ervants &s;ee their &s;innes pa&s;t or pre&s;ent, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when they have or doe carry them&s;elves unreverently towards their Ma&s;ters in heart and outward man, in eye and tongue, to their faces and behind their backs, they are all guilty of the breach of the decree of the mo&s;t High, and indeed all; for where &s;hall we finde a &s;ervant any thing neere performing the carriage he ought to his Ma&s;ter and Mi&s;tris? that he hath a ba&s;e thought, o|pinion, and e&s;timation of him, appeares by his &s;peech and car|riage; his &s;peeches &s;o void of reverence, nay, his an&s;wers full of contempt, his eye and carriage &s;o full of &s;corne and di&s;daine: <HI>Hagar</HI> de&s;pi&s;ing <HI>Sarah,</HI> looking &s;cornfully upon her, which mu&s;t needs argue unreverence in the heart; for by the&s;e things many a man well knows what is in the privy Chamber of the heart, and by this outward pul&s;e thus beating, may we di&s;|cerne how the inward parts are affected. For he that will &s;peake &s;o frowardly, and looke &s;o &s;cornfully and doggedly, as many will, it mu&s;t needs &s;hew he hath no reverence, but his heart is full of de&s;pight and contempt; and he that will &s;peake &s;o to his
<PB N="77" REF="53">face, and in his pre&s;ence, what will he to others behind his back, and in his ab&s;ence? Where is the feare and trembling <HI>Paul</HI> calls for? Where is all the honour <HI>Peter</HI> exacts, when ye will thus bourd them often, thus di&s;daine them? when ye will an&s;wer them frowardly, or murmuring when their backs are turned; when you tell their weakne&s;&s;e not to your fellows, but to neighbours &s;ervants, whereby their e&s;timation is impaired. Thinke you the Apo&s;tles call for the&s;e in vaine, or &s;hall &s;uch things goe unpuni&s;hed? A&s;&s;uredly no: for when the Apo&s;tle &s;aith to &s;ervants, to encourage them that are good, Eph. 6.7, 8. <HI>with good will doing &s;ervice, as to the Lord, and not to men; know|ing that what&s;oever good thing any man doth, the &s;ame &s;hall he re|ceive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free;</HI> did he not meane the contrary? and would have you to under&s;tand, that what&s;oever evill thing a man doth, that &s;hall he receive of the Lord, whe|ther he be bond or free? &s;o expect it in this particular; &s;ee then that, unreverent and contemptuous &s;ervants; expect you to re|ceive from the Lord &s;ome fearefull thing, and let it be a re&s;traint in you of &s;uch irreverence in the things &s;poken of, or the like. But of this &s;in Ma&s;ters are often the cau&s;es of it, and they that bring it upon them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e they have beene &s;uch &s;ervants to their Ma&s;ters, and &s;o have lived in it ever &s;ince without repentance; even then when God recompenceth them home, yet they will not re|member their owne &s;inne, but are &s;till brawling with their &s;er|vants, and &s;o it is Gods ju&s;t retribution: whereas if they would repent of that, they &s;hould better reforme this, Eccle&s;. 7.21, 22. Take no heed to all words that are &s;poken, le&s;t thou heare thy &s;ervant cur&s;e thee; for oft-times al&s;o thy owne heart know|eth, that thou thy &s;elfe ha&s;t al&s;o cur&s;ed others. It may be apply|ed to this, though it carry &s;omewhat more: That a Ma&s;ter, when his &s;ervant revileth him, or u&s;eth him irreverently, &s;hould re|member even this &s;entence, to make him penitent and mo|derate.</P>
<P>Secondly, becau&s;e they have remitted of that ancient &s;everity in their government, which we heare men, that can remember times that are pa&s;t, &s;peake of; not having tho&s;e &s;trait eyes, nor hard hands over them as they ought, not &s;o &s;harply correcting them as the offence and nature of a &s;ervant requireth; &s;o that they little reverence them, for they feare them not, becau&s;e they forget that of Prov. 29.19. <HI>A &s;ervant will not be corrected by words, for though he understand, he will not an&s;wer.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, becau&s;e they bring them up too liberally for diet and apparrell, and &s;o when the belly is full, and the back fine, the Ma&s;ter is not &s;o regarded. A &s;ervant is like in this thing to a Hor&s;e full fed and pampered, he will ca&s;t his rider; like to <HI>Buce|phalus,
<PB N="78" REF="54">Alexanders</HI> Hor&s;e; while he was bare-backt he would carry any man; but if once he had his trappings and furniture, none, or hardly <HI>Alexander</HI> him&s;elfe. It is the complaint of ma|ny, that &s;ervants are thus in&s;olent to them&s;elves and others; ma|ny, though not all, are the cau&s;es of it them&s;elves; (&s;omewhat there is in the nature of a &s;ervant and other things) for they bring them up &s;o delicately, as Prov. 29.21. <HI>He that delicately bringeth up his &s;ervant from a child, &s;hall have him become his &s;onne at the length.</HI> What&s;oever their fare is, their apparrell is farre exceeding; a &s;ervant going better than a man of his Ma&s;ters place and wealth did &s;ome few yeares agoe. And though they will not allow it them&s;elves, yet they can be content their friends, or them&s;elves, if their fortune be allotted unto them, &s;hould provide it for them&s;elves: And if, when they are thus gay without, they u&s;e them as <HI>Hagar</HI> did her Mi&s;tris, when &s;he was bigge with child, is it not ju&s;t with them? A great cau&s;e of this, is taking of Apprentices with great portions, and &s;o as <HI>Mulier cum dote,</HI> is <HI>imperio&s;a,</HI> &s;o they and their friends. The cau&s;e you mu&s;t have &s;uch portions with them, more than in for|mer times, is this, becau&s;e they mu&s;t thus be maintained, more than in former times. But better it were that you had le&s;&s;e, and kept them more meanely; better for you, you &s;hould have more reverence and re&s;pect: better for them, for thus you bring &s;in upon them for the pre&s;ent, and in future time ju&s;t contempt, as they have contemned you.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade &s;ervants to u&s;e their Ma&s;ters with all reverence and good re&s;pect that may be, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> they mu&s;t feare them, and reve|rence them; Nature it &s;elfe hath taught it, and heathen &s;ervants have performed it, as in <HI>Naamans</HI> &s;ervants; how much more &s;hould religious Chri&s;tian &s;ervants, and the more Chri&s;tian or religious, the more they ought to performe this duty; not one|ly not to contemne and de&s;pi&s;e, but to reverence them with all the reverent carriage and &s;peech that may be? and that not outward onely, but inward, for God requires more than Na|ture; his Law is &s;pirituall, and he will have all inward and out|ward re&s;pect, the heart as well as the tongue; and the outward will not be, or not continue; or if &s;o, yet not accepted of God: yea, he that wants this, it can never be expected the o|ther of obedience, &amp;c. and let him who lookes and hopes to be one day a Ma&s;ter, and to have his &s;ervants &s;uch as he would, be now &s;uch a &s;ervant as he &s;hould, Ephe. 6.8. <HI>knowing that what|&s;oever good any man doth, the &s;ame &s;hall he receive of the Lord, whe|ther he be boud or free.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd duty of &s;ervants is obedience, for whom men feare, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> them they obey.</P>
<P>Servants mu&s;t give unto their Ma&s;ters and governours all
<PB N="79" REF="54">obedience: hence it followes, becau&s;e they mu&s;t feare, and whom men feare them they obey, when they command: this pro|ved, Ephe. 6.5. Col. 3.26. Titus 2.9. And this obedi|ence if it be &s;uch as Chri&s;tians ought to performe, it mu&s;t ney|their be clipt, nor counterfeit, not in &s;ome things onely, nor in &s;hew to the eye: for the fir&s;t, Col. 3.21. in all things, that is, in all lawfull things, whether they be liking, and ta&s;ting unto him or otherwi&s;e, though never &s;o di&s;liking, for he mu&s;t plea&s;ure his ma&s;ter, Titus 2. q. for the 2 Ephe. 6.5, 6. Col. 3, 22. &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart is required, and eye &s;ervice forbidden.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are bound either by Indenture, or condition &amp;c. then they mu&s;t obey. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are maintained by them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and learne and get that under them, they may live by hereafter.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if in onely things they like, they obey them&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not ma&s;ters (as in obedience of children.)</P>
<P>Becau&s;e in this obedience they &s;erve God and Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Ephe. 6.5, 6, 7. who lookes in the heart and &s;inglene&s;&s;e of it: And though outward and eye &s;ervice may be for thy ma&s;ter, and may bleare his eyes, yet not the Lord, who as he cannot endure hy|pocri&s;ie or imperfect &s;erving immediately; &s;o not in that which is mediate to man.</P>
<P>To let &s;ervants &s;ee their &s;innes pa&s;t or pre&s;ent, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> not obeying and doing the things their ma&s;ters command, but onely &s;uch things as they plea&s;e, and when they plea&s;e, and when they doe, they clip their &s;ervice and performe it by halves, and doe it in hypocri&s;ie and to the eye: and &s;o go no further then nature, who teacheth a man onely to &s;ave him&s;elfe, as neere as he can from any harme that may en&s;ue, when his ma&s;ter is di&s;plea&s;ed, or to &s;eek to get &s;omewhat, if he have hope of ought, by &s;eeking of his favor, and &s;o &s;eeming willing to doe any &s;ervice unto him; but they mu&s;t know, that as <HI>Barnard, &s;i in hoc obedimus, non au|tem in illo, fractus e&s;t nummus.</HI> This obedience is like clipt coyne, and will not pa&s;&s;e for good payment before God, though thy ma&s;ter let it pa&s;&s;e, and be content to put it up; yet God will call thee one day to an account for it, and though thou can&s;t keepe it clo&s;e from the one, yet thou can&s;t not conceale it from the other: and as we &s;ee in mony that is clipped, or a piece of gold that wants a little of its waight, makes it refu&s;ed in paiment &s;o the want of obedience in any one thing, unle&s;&s;e thou repent thee in regard of God, and make amends to thy ma&s;ter for it, &s;hall make God to refu&s;e, and not to regard the re&s;t of thy obe|dience, becau&s;e he requires it to be whole and entire. I, but &s;ay thou doe&s;t all, yet it is in the eye, &amp; in pre&s;ence or &s;ight, murmu|ring when he is gone, or regarding not: then &s;ayth <HI>Bernard, fal&s;us e&s;t nu mmus ejus, plumbum habet non argentum, dolos&egrave; agit
<PB N="80" REF="55">&s;ed in Dei con&s;pectu.</HI> This obedience is counterfeit, in &s;tead of &s;ilver it is lead, he dealeth deceitfully with his ma&s;ter, but he doth it in Gods &s;ight, who&s;e eyes no man can bleare or beguile: &s;uch &s;ervants let them know, though they may have their ma|&s;ters favour, becau&s;e he can finde no fault with them, and can &s;ee no further then their outward and open behaviour, yet they &s;hall never have but Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, that regardeth the heart more then the hand, the affection more then the action, and the manner of doing of it, more then the deed: So that they, when they have received their ma&s;ters wages or his yeerely allowance, or what other matter, of no great moment for the mo&s;t part, he &s;hall thinke good to be&s;tow on them; they have, as Chri&s;t &s;aid of the Phari&s;ees, who did all their workes only to be &s;eene of men, they have received all their reward; they have all they de&s;ired, and all they de&s;erved; they can looke for nothing at Gods hands for their labour: And yet they &s;hall have a re|ward from him without true repentance, <HI>lege Talionis,</HI> &s;uch &s;er|vants, who &s;hall performe them &s;uch hollow hypocriticall and eye &s;ervice, if they ever come to be able to keepe any; or if this feare them not, becau&s;e they thinke they can hamper their &s;ervants well enough, and being privy to their own corruptions they will provide for them; yet let them &s;ee what follows, they &s;hall have their portion with Hypocrites, as Chri&s;t &s;aid of the bad &s;ervant, who played revels in his ma&s;ters ab&s;ence, Math. 24.51.</P>
<P>This may per&s;wade and in&s;truct &s;ervants, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to obey their ma|&s;ters, and to obey as they ought, in things though di&s;liking, though he do not over &s;ee or can come to knowledge of; &amp; per|forme whole and &s;incere obedience to them, knowing that to obey them, is to obey the Lord, and <HI>Nummus i&s;tae obedientiae, ut Deo debitus, ita Deo &s;olvendus,</HI> &s;aith one: As thy ma&s;ter con|&s;trayneth thee to obey him, &s;o thy God hath commanded thee, and it mu&s;t be payd and performed, not according to thy ma&s;ters power, but according to Gods precept, not &s;o farre as thy ma&s;ter can urge thee, but as farre as God requireth of thee, and he is <HI>&s;apiens nummularius, im&ograve; ip&s;a &s;apientia, cui nece&s;&s;e habe|mus reddere hunc nummum obedientiae.</HI> He can ea&s;ily di&s;cerne, if thy payment be any thing faulty or wanting: Learne then to obey in all things: thy ma&s;ters will and command mu&s;t be thy rule &amp; &s;quare of thy actions, and not thy own fancy, or plea&s;ure: Remember that of <HI>Paul:</HI> they mu&s;t labour to plea&s;e them in all things, Titus 2.9. <HI>Intere&s;t enim hoc,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Bernard, Inter con|jugium &amp; &s;ervitium,</HI> that how&s;oever the wife is bound to obey the voyce of her husband, yet he is likewi&s;e to have regard of her plea&s;ure;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 3.17.</NOTE> therefore is that, Gen. 21.12. <HI>And God &s;aid unto</HI> A|braham, <HI>let it not be grievous in thy &s;ight, becau&s;e of the lad, and
<PB N="81" REF="55">becau&s;e of thy bondwoman: In all that</HI> Sarah <HI>hath &s;ayd unto thee, hearken unto her voyce;</HI> for in <HI>I&s;aac</HI> &s;hall thy &s;eed be called; but in this &s;ervice there is not this <HI>vici&s;&s;itudo voluntatum</HI> required, for that were to &s;et ma&s;ter and man almo&s;t on equall termes; the ma&s;ter is not bound to regard his &s;ervants minde, but he to ob|&s;erve his ma&s;ters plea&s;ure, and therefore though the ma&s;ter may be &s;omewhat cro&s;&s;e and crooked in his commandement, yet the &s;ervants obedience is not &s;traight in Gods &s;ight, when it &s;war|veth from that which he requireth; he mu&s;t then &s;erve and obey in all things. And as thus, &s;o not with eye &s;ervice, but as faithfully behinde his backe, as if he were pre&s;ent: That which <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> &s;aid &s;hould not onely be true, <HI>Oculus Domini impin|guat equum, ve&s;tigium domini impinguat agrum,</HI> the ma&s;ters eye makes a fat hor&s;e, and the ma&s;ters foot&s;teps a fertile field, as contenting them&s;elves with eye &s;ervice, &s;ight obedience; but Chri&s;tians mu&s;t learne that of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> God is <GAP DESC="foreign">, an over&s;eer of thir workes, and a rewarder of them, and &s;o performe them as lawfully &amp; exactly, when none is by to take notice of it, as to do them in the &s;ight &amp; pre&s;ence of others; they that &s;hall thus in con&s;cience of Gods will &s;erve them, as if they &s;erved them in their per&s;ons, though their ma&s;ters reward them not, yet will God, and if they deale liberally with them, Gods reward &s;hall be never the le&s;&s;e; becau&s;e they &s;erve the Lord Je&s;us, Ephe. 6.8. the &s;ervant &s;hall have his reward as well as any other in their place of obedience, Chri&s;t will make him his freeman, 1 Cor. 7.14. God &s;hall ble&s;&s;e him with good &s;ervants, and obedient here, and make him partaker with the good &s;ervant hereafter, Math. 24.46, 47. that is, partaker of his kingdome. But here may be moved the &s;ame doubts and que&s;tions, which were in the obedience of Children. Fir&s;t, If God and my ma&s;ter com|mand divers things, whom mu&s;t I obey? God, for the rea&s;ons before, and that of Chri&s;t, Math. 23.8. <HI>one is your ma&s;ter, that is Chri&s;t;</HI> that is chiefe and principall, who mu&s;t fir&s;t and e|&s;pecially be &s;erved. But yet thou that are a &s;ervant, take heed, thou make not an oppo&s;ition, when there is none, yet at lea&s;t not in thy obedience, though there may be in his command, on|ly to &s;hift off his &s;ervice, and to ea&s;e thy &s;elf, or for other &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect; for this know; that thou may&s;t doe things at his com|mand, which happily he commands not lawfully, and which thou could&s;t not doe lawfully without his command. In&s;tances will make the point more evident; for thee to withdraw thy &s;elf on the Lords Sabboth, from publique exerci&s;es is unlawfull; But thy ma&s;ter commands thee to &s;tay at home, either whole or part of the day; I &s;ee not, but thou may&s;t doe it, and without &s;inne: The ma&s;ter may command it without &s;inne, if he dwell farre from neighbours, as in the Country, for the pre&s;ervation
<PB N="82" REF="56">of the things God hath given him; and if nigh unto neighbors, yet for his children, who either mu&s;t be trouble&s;ome to the con|gregation, as too many are, and hinder many from hearing, or mu&s;t be kept at home, which cannot be without danger, if &s;ome one of di&s;cretion be not with them: here he may lawfully command, and thou lawfully obey, which thou coulde&s;t not doe without: But he may doe it unlawfully, when he hath no &s;uch occa&s;ion, yet thou mu&s;t doe it and may, &s;o he imploy thee not about &s;ervile workes on that day, and in that time: The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e the Lords day may be&s;anctified privately, and pub|lique exerci&s;es are not of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity in the &s;anctifying of it; for then pri&s;oners and &s;icke per&s;ons, and &s;uch as lye lame, &s;hould not be able to &s;anctifie it: They onely are of nece&s;&s;ity, when they can be had without apparent breach of &s;ome other commandements; and yet mai&s;t thou make this unlawfull to thee; when if thou be left at home, thy Ma&s;ter and Mi&s;tris are gone to Church, but thou art with a child in thy armes, or without gazing at the dore, or gadding abroad, or having thy companions comming to thee, and &s;pende&s;t thy time prophanely, when thou oughte&s;t, &s;o much as may be, to &s;pend it in reading the word, me|ditating on that thou ha&s;t heard in the forenoon or former time, or &s;uch like. And in this thou mu&s;t take heed how thou &s;et&s;t God, and thy ma&s;ter, one again&s;t another: another in&s;tance, thy ma&s;ter commands, that is unlawfull for him to bid, not for the thing, but his affection; thou mu&s;t obey, having fir&s;t wi&s;e|ly and humbly &s;ought to turne thy ma&s;ter from &s;uch a &s;inne: As betwixt <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Joabs</HI> numbring of the people, 2 Sam. 24.2, 3. But the thing he commands is unlawfull, as well as his affecti|on, I meane not &s;imply, but by circum&s;tance or con&s;equent, yet thou may&s;t obey, as being an Officers Clerke to receive more fees then is due, being extortion; or a Noble mans bailiffe his extreame racke rents; providing that in humility thou &s;hew thy di&s;like of it, &s;eeke to reforme it, or doe it with &s;orrow and griefe while thou art bound to it, and get thy &s;elf rid of &s;uch a &s;ervice &s;o &s;oone as thou may. But if he command thee any thing &s;imply that is &s;inne, as to &s;weare for his gaine, to lye for his commodity, to deceive, to &s;teale, or any &s;uch things, thou may&s;t not obey, and yet not rebell, but &s;uffer.</P>
<P>If the Magi&s;trate and my Ma&s;ter command divers thing, whe|ther mu&s;t I obey? <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Que&s;t."></P>
<P>The Magi&s;trate, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> <HI>ut &s;upra,</HI> and for the rea&s;ons there; be&s;ides, if it carry not any excu&s;e, neither is it any plea in law; my Ma&s;ter bids me doe it; It mu&s;t needs follow that the Magi&s;trate mu&s;t be obeyed: It would not excu&s;e <HI>Ab&s;olons</HI> &s;ervants, their Ma&s;ter bade them kill <HI>Amnon,</HI> for which he was glad to flee; for the power of the ma&s;ter is but &s;ubordinate to the Magi&s;trate; thy
<PB N="83" REF="56">obedience then to thy Ma&s;ter hath this re&s;traint, becau&s;e it cannot be lawfull. But &s;ay the Magi&s;trate commands me that which doth marvellou&s;ly redound to the hurt of my ma&s;ter, who&s;e good I am bound to procure? If it be very profitable to the Common-wealth, a publique good mu&s;t be preferred: if not prejudiciall to it, &s;o there be no contempt of the Magi&s;trate and his authority, he being content to beare the penalty, if it be executed and exacted from him, I &s;ee not but he may preferre his ma&s;ter before, as in the ca&s;e of Children, and in&s;tance of <HI>E&s;ter.</HI></P>
<P>My Ma&s;ter and my Father are oppo&s;ites, whether mu&s;t I o|bey? <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Que&s;t."></P>
<P>I an&s;wer as before in Children; there is &s;omewhat be&s;ides in tho&s;e who are borne &s;ervants, Exod. 21.4. <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."></P>
<P>My Ma&s;ter and my Hu&s;band, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Que&s;t."> as the ca&s;e may fall out in the meaner &s;ort, (who are to be in&s;tructed as others) or my &s;tate re|quires this of me, wife and children, but my Ma&s;ter another.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, his Ma&s;ter; the Ma&s;ter is to be obeyed, becau&s;e he ought, P&s;al. 15.4. <HI>not to change, though he &s;wore to his hurt.</HI> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> The equity of it &s;tands for any covenant, that mu&s;t be preferred be|fore his profit; and if before his owne, then his wives or hu&s;|bands: for the man, &s;ee an example in <HI>Jacob,</HI> who would not labour for his owne family, but obey his Ma&s;ter, Gen. 30.30. For the woman, if &s;he be a &s;ervant borne, and given in marri|age, as the manner was, &s;till &s;he was to obey her Ma&s;ter. Exod. 21.4. If &s;he be a &s;ervant by covenant, and con&s;ent of her Hu&s;|band, during the time of her covenant, &s;he is to obey and keepe the conditions of the covenant; for he for the time hath remitted his authority.</P>
<P>The third duty of &s;ervants is &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, that is, to their re|proofe and corrections; for tho&s;e men whom they feare, they will &s;uffer both at their hands.</P>
<P>Servants mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elves unto their Ma&s;ters to be controuled and corrected by them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> whether they doe it ju&s;tly or unju&s;tly; whether de&s;ervedly, or not; they mu&s;t feare them, and therefore &s;uffer from them. When God allows the Ma&s;ter to reprove and correct his &s;ervant as he doth, Prov. 29.19. then it mu&s;t imply that his &s;ervant mu&s;t &s;uffer it: 1 Pet. 2.19. <HI>for this is thank-worthy, if a man for con&s;cience toward God, endure griefe, &s;uffering wrongfully,</HI> Tit. 2.9. <HI>not giving cro&s;&s;e words one for a|nother.</HI> Hence is that, Gen. 16.9. And the Angell of the Lord &s;aid unto her, Returne to thy Mi&s;tris, and &s;ubmit thy &s;elfe under her hands. The example of <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;ervants is commen|dable, Gen. 17.23. his &s;ervants &s;ubmitted to Circumci&s;ion, and by proportion the example &s;erves for this purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if it be for well doing in con&s;cience, it is thanke-worthy; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;.">
<PB N="84" REF="57">and if it be borne with meekne&s;&s;e, the Lord &s;hall give a man the more reward. 1 Pet. 2.19, 20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are called to this; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> 1 Pet. 2.21. this is the Cro&s;&s;e that Chri&s;t hath called them to take up and beare after him; this is the Cro&s;&s;e that God hath annexed to their calling, as every calling hath &s;ome cro&s;&s;e or other; and for the wrong that is offe|red them, God, as St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Colo&s;&s;. 3.25. will right and revenge them, &amp;c.</P>
<P>To reprove many and mo&s;t &s;ervants among&s;t us, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who goe not &s;o farre as nature it &s;elfe would teach them, few &s;o farre as Religion doth teach them; for &s;ome cannot &s;o farre &s;ubdue their crooked natures, to &s;ubmit them&s;elves to their ma&s;ters; &s;o farre as they can doe, no otherwi&s;e; becau&s;e it is in vaine to &s;truggle with the yoke when a man cannot &s;lip it, nor &s;hift it off. But if &s;ome come to this, yet can they hardly &s;uffer with pati|ence hard mea&s;ure, though they &s;uffer de&s;ervedly; when as na|turall equity condemneth him that doth otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>And be it, that &s;ome can thus &s;ubdue them&s;elves, yet is it no more than the Heathens and Publicanes will doe: it is but <HI>Cani|na patientia,</HI> a dog-like enduring, &s;aith <HI>Bernard,</HI> &s;uch as God will not accept, when either he dare not whine, or hath done &s;ome foule fact, and de&s;erved it. But if they have not, or thinke they have not de&s;erved it, how ready are their an&s;wers? how &s;oone will they turne upon their Ma&s;ters, and take the rod by the end? and if they be rebuked, they murmure; if they be corrected, they either will re&s;i&s;t, or clamorou&s;ly complaine, or wickedly &s;eeke revenge. Let the&s;e know and &s;ee their &s;in, and looke for a recompence from the Lord; for, &s;aith St. <HI>Peter,</HI> they have lo&s;t their thankes, it is not thankes worthy, if they had &s;uffered for evill; what when they will not? undoubted|ly let them looke from God, which rewardeth every man, they &s;hall have their recompence from him, if they repent not; it may be in this life with the like, (if not in the life to come) with wicked and lewd &s;ervants. But of this &s;inne, if we may enquire the cau&s;es of it, we &s;hall find in many, to come from the Parents and friends, either in their education, bringing them up cockeringly, never u&s;ing them to reproofes, to the rod, and to the yoke; but as my young Ma&s;ters, and &s;uch as never &s;hould come to &s;erve; &s;o that when they mu&s;t to it, by no meanes they can apply them&s;elves unto it, but in it endure and &s;uffer no|thing, not &s;o much as &s;harpe words, but no blowes, de&s;erved, or not. But this is not all their fault, for it is &s;econded with as bad when they are in &s;ervice, and find &s;ome hardne&s;&s;e, and as they onely thinke, &s;harpne&s;&s;e; they remembring the fondne&s;&s;e of their affection, complaine to them, who doe not as they &s;hould, correct them &s;oundly, and &s;end them home againe; but
<PB N="85" REF="57">goe to their Ma&s;ters, and expo&s;tulate the matter for them; exte|nuate the fact, aggravate the Ma&s;ters hard dealing, upbraid him with what he gave him with his friend or child, and &s;o ani|mate them, that they will be in nothing &s;ufferers after, or ne|ver without grudging and repining. Another cau&s;e is in the ma&s;ter, either becau&s;e he was &s;uch, and is &s;uch becau&s;e he hath not repented; and &s;o it is Gods retribution, <HI>ut ante;</HI> or becau&s;e he hath beene too remi&s;&s;e to let faults, many and little, e&s;cape without reproofe and correction, that when he would for grea|ter, he cannot &s;ubdue them; or pa&s;&s;ed by &s;ome greater faults in &s;ome other of his &s;ervants for &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, as becau&s;e he would not be accounted cruell and &s;evere, which in the ju|&s;tice of God, and the cankred nature of another &s;ervant is payed him home, becau&s;e he never feared to be accounted cruell of God, and &s;uch an one as hates his &s;ervant; for that will hold in &s;ervants, Prov. 13.24. <HI>He that &s;pareth his rod, hateth his &s;onne; but he that loveth him, cha&s;teneth him betimes;</HI> and &s;o being a&s;ha|med in a licentious and corrupt age to be accounted hard and &s;trait, he hath &s;hame laid upon him by a rebellious &s;ervant, as we may apply, Prov. 29.15. <HI>The rod and reproofe giveth wi&s;e|dome, but a Child left to him&s;elfe, bringeth his mother to &s;hame.</HI> A third cau&s;e is in the Magi&s;trate, to whom the ma&s;ter complains, as he may and mu&s;t in a de&s;perate cau&s;e, who by the &s;ervants friends or meanes he makes to him, will either reprove and checke the ma&s;ter, which he ought not to doe, though there be &s;ome &s;mall cau&s;e; nor, if great cau&s;e, yet not before the friends or face of the &s;ervant, and little or not at all reprove, or not &s;everely correct that &s;ervant, by which not onely he is made more bold again&s;t his ma&s;ter, but even other &s;ervants are ani|mated again&s;t theirs, and the ma&s;ters utterly di&s;couraged to &s;eeke any helpe from them.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h all &s;ervants to &s;ubject and &s;ubmit them&s;elves un|to their ma&s;ters, to be reproved or corrected by them as well unju&s;ty as ju&s;tly, not an&s;wering cro&s;ly, or rejecting their &s;tripes. If they &s;uffer ju&s;tly, it is not thank-worthy for a Chri|&s;tian, when a naturall man will doe the &s;ame; for nature teach|eth that it is no hard dealing, when they &s;uffer evill, that have done evill before. Then, as Chri&s;t, except your righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e exceed, &amp;c. &s;o except your &s;ubjection exceed that which a natu|rall man will performe, you &s;hall have no thanke from God, no reward. How then mu&s;t you exceed it? if not onely this, but even when you are wrongfully afflicted, reproved, and cha&s;ti|&s;ed, in truth or in your apprehen&s;ion of things, if for con&s;ci|ence &s;ake towards God you endure griefe. 1 Pet. 2.19.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">In&s;ipida &amp; in&s;ul&s;a omnis tum obedien|tia, tum pa|tientia, ni&s;i omnium quae agimus vel patimur ip&s;e &s;it cau&s;a. <HI>Bernard.</HI></NOTE> Obe|dience and patience are un&s;avoury, unle&s;&s;e God be the cau&s;e, and it be for con&s;cience.</P>
<PB N="86" REF="58">
<P>But how farre mu&s;t we &s;uffer? I an&s;wer, So long as he kils not, or di&s;members not; but if wrongfully he be corrected he may expo&s;tulate and defend him&s;elfe, in humility and meeknes; his ma&s;ter giving him leave, as Job. 31.13.</P>
<P>The fourth duty of &s;ervants is faithfulne&s;&s;e, for tho&s;e whom men feare, to them are they faithfull if they tru&s;t them with any thing.</P>
<P>Servants mu&s;t performe all faithfulne&s;&s;e to their ma&s;ters; that is, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> they mu&s;t not them&s;elves dimini&s;h or hinder their e&s;tate, nei|ther &s;uffer it, &s;o much as po&s;&s;ibly they can with&s;tand, to be hin|dred by other, but by all meanes uphold, maintaine and in|crea&s;e it to the utmo&s;t of their power. This is manife&s;t, Titus 2.10. <HI>not purloyning, but &s;hewing all good fidelity, that they may adorne the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.</HI> Where, as faithfulne&s;&s;e is expre&s;ly required, &s;o the contrary is forbidden, and manife&s;ted wherein that doth con&s;i&s;t, by the contrary, in maintaining and not dimini&s;hing his ma&s;ters &s;tate and condi|tion: This Chri&s;t teacheth by the faithfull and evill &s;ervant: Math. 24, 45.48, &amp;c. As al&s;o in the parable of the worldly wi&s;e, but wicked &s;teward, Luke 16.2. Thus <HI>Jacob</HI> played a good &s;er|vant, Gen. 37, 38, 39. In this he was a good &s;ervant, though faulty otherwi&s;e. 1 Sam. 25.14, 15, 17. <HI>Joab</HI> al&s;o, Chron. 21.3.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the commandement requires it of every man, one to another in common ju&s;tice. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Thou &s;hall not &s;teale, not dimi|ni&s;h another mans &s;ub&s;tance, nay maintaine and increa&s;e it, in the affirmative, then much more a &s;ervant.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the ma&s;ters family is as a little common wealth as that is a great family. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Now as all &s;ubjects are members, and ought to labour for the common good, and be faithfull to the Prince, &s;o every &s;ervant is a member, and mu&s;t bee faithfull unto the whole body.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are put in tru&s;t often with part or his whol &s;tate; where there is tru&s;t, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> treachery is intolerable.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by this meanes they &s;hall adorn the doctrine of Chri&s;t which they profe&s;&s;e. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Titus 2.10.</P>
<P>To let &s;ervants &s;ee their &s;innes that they have not been faith|full, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but unfaithfull to their Ma&s;ters; unfaithfull, fir&s;t, by hindring his profit and dimini&s;hing his &s;tate, either &s;pending his Ma&s;ters goods riotou&s;ly, at home with his fellow &s;ervants, as he Mat. 24. or abroad as the prodigall &s;onne, upon harlots and wicked per|&s;ons, playing and dancing, drinking and dycing, and &s;uch like. The former, of &s;ervants accounted no &s;inne, the latter but a &s;mall &s;inne; and yet neither of them inferiour to robbery by the high|way, and in divers circum&s;tances greater: And &s;uch a &s;inne, without recompence to his ma&s;ter, and repentance in the &s;ight of God, &s;hall have his ju&s;t recompence from God, and
<PB N="87" REF="58">&s;hall never be forgiven him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Many for the &s;icknes times have in Gods Rols long Records again&s;t them, yea great inditments they mu&s;t plead guilty to, for which &s;ome of their fellows have an&s;wered already.</NOTE> for if he that deceives another, or defrauds and oppre&s;&s;eth him, &s;hall not e&s;cape, he le&s;&s;e that deales &s;o with his ma&s;ter. But &s;ay he &s;pends it not, but convert it to his owne u&s;e, and inrich him&s;elf by it? he is more bound to make re&s;titution, or let him &s;u&s;pect that of <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;hall be true.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Non remit|titur peccatu~ ni&s;i re&s;titui|tur ablatum. Augu&s;t.</NOTE> <HI>The &s;inne is not pardoned unle&s;&s;e the theft be re&s;tored:</HI> and as long as he keeps it, he keeps Gods cur&s;e with it, pro&s;per he never &s;o well for a while, and if he leave it to his, that it will be a &s;parke to burne up his hou&s;e and &s;ub&s;tance, in his &s;ight; he &s;hall leave the cur&s;e of God with it to his wife and children, when he is burning in Hell for it and o|ther &s;ins; yet if many be free from this kind of unfaithfulnes, yet how few can wa&s;h their hands from the other, not upholding &amp; encrea&s;ing their ma&s;ters &s;tate and condition; the Apo&s;tle for|bad not only &s;tealing and pilfering, but commands all good faithfulne&s;&s;e, that they by all meanes po&s;&s;ible &s;hould encrea&s;e it, by all their diligence, &s;kill and &s;peech; when as they have beene &s;loathfull and negligent, when they have by their carele&s;ne&s;&s;e lo&s;t their ma&s;ter &s;omewhat, which might hone&s;tly have been had, or not prevented &s;ome lo&s;&s;e by their wi&s;dome and foreca&s;t, if they &s;aw it comming; yea when they have murmured to breake their &s;leeps or mend their pace, to be are the heat in the day, and the fro&s;t in the night, for their Ma&s;ters &s;peciall ad|vantage and hone&s;t gaine: they have not performed this faith|fulne&s;&s;e in all the&s;e things: looke upon your reckonings, your guilty con&s;ciences; and know you that if God will recompence your wrong to your ma&s;ter, Col. 3.25. he will much more re|compence you for them, if you repent not. Now the cau&s;e of this unfaithfulne&s;&s;e (to &s;ay nothing of Gods retribution and &s;er|vants corrupt bearts) is to be found in &s;ome, becau&s;e they doe not take &s;trait accounts of their &s;ervants, but do it negligently or &s;eldome, by which he is imboldened to &s;pend or inabled to &s;hift when his account is to be given.</P>
<P>Secondly in others, becau&s;e they pa&s;&s;e over apparent unfaith|fulnes in &s;ome of their &s;ervants, without due correction and pu|ni&s;hment, and &s;o other of their fellows &amp; them&s;elves are heartned to the like, when they have no feare of God, nor feel nothing from their Ma&s;ters after their de&s;erts.</P>
<P>Thirdly, from parents that allowed them to &s;pend, and brought them up idly, before ever they bound them, &amp; from ma|ny a ma&s;ter who would be content his elde&s;t &s;ervant &s;hould keep good fellow&s;hip and company, and &s;pend of his owne, to bring them cu&s;tomers, by which the re&s;t have their teeth &s;et on edge, in their corruptions, and Gods hand is again&s;t them to puni&s;h them by others, when they had no care of the former.</P>
<PB N="88" REF="59">
<P>Fourthly, becau&s;e they had no care to take &s;uch &s;ervants as are religious and towardly, and &s;uch as know how to be faithfull; nor yet to teach them any religion, when they have them, that they might learne to be faithfull of con&s;cience, and not for o|ther &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect: and &s;o when they have no care, with <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> to teach their &s;ervants to be faithfull with God, no mar|vell though they be unfaithfull to them, in their &s;tates, bodies, children, and in all things.</P>
<P>This may in&s;truct, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and per&s;wade &s;ervants to perform faithful|ne&s;&s;e to their ma&s;ters for the time to come, and to repent, make them recompence for that is pa&s;t, if they &s;ee their &s;inne, if in mis-&s;pending their ma&s;ters goods at home or a|broad, if by negligence lo&s;ing him commodity, or by hindring of it, or for want of diligence not advancing it, &s;orrow and mourne for that is pa&s;t, as it is a &s;in again&s;t God and man, and make thy ma&s;ter amends by a double care and diligence in thy &s;ervice, el&s;e make account that thy &s;inne &s;tands upon the &s;core a|gain&s;t thee, for a judgement to come. And if thy unfaithfulnes hath been &s;o great, that thou ha&s;t appropriated his goods unto thy &s;elfe, looke (whether thou be in his &s;ervice or out) that thou make him recompence, and give him his owne againe, make him re&s;titution, or el&s;e all &s;hall not be accepted of God, while thou ha&s;t his goods in thy hand; looke how many pence or pounds, &s;o many witne&s;&s;es again&s;t thee; yea, &s;o many as call for a cur&s;e upon the re&s;t of thy &s;ub&s;tance, thou either ha&s;t, or may have: And for other &s;ervants, let, if not con&s;cience re&s;train them, yet this, that thou mu&s;t make re&s;titution, or never have remi&s;&s;ion before God; be&s;ides the guilt and gall of thy con&s;ci|ence, if thou go not a&s;leepe to hell; finally let &s;ervants in all things &s;hew all good faithfulne&s;&s;e, &s;pecially &s;uch as have any ta&s;te of religion, that you may adorn the doctrine of Chri&s;t; that you make not the wicked &s;coffe at your profe&s;&s;ion, and the good ju&s;tly tax you of hypocri&s;ie, <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Hom.</HI> 16. <HI>in</HI> Tim. hath the&s;e words; If not otherwi&s;e, yet as &s;ervants obey and re&s;pect their ma&s;ters, &s;o let us the Lord. They expo&s;e their lives for their ea&s;e, it is their work and &s;tudy to care for their ma&s;ters, the things of their ma&s;ters they care for all the day, but a little part for their owne; would God we could this exhort upon as good ground &amp; true, &s;ure it is, &s;o it &s;hould be; and thus faithfull &s;hould every one be, and if you be, look for Gods ble&s;&s;ing by like &s;er|vants, and a reward hereafter with the good &s;ervants, if you be &s;uch of con&s;cience, and for the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>His Ma&s;ter.]</HI> As we have &s;een the duty and feare, &s;o we mu&s;t &s;ee the parties to whom it is due to be performed: To their Ma&s;ter what&s;oever he may be, &s;o he be their Ma&s;ter, it &s;kils not, to him mu&s;t they performe it.</P>
<PB N="89" REF="59">
<P>Servants, mu&s;t give this feare, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and performe all the&s;e duties to him that is their Ma&s;ter; be he what he may be, or let them be what they can be, yet while they are &s;ervants, and they Ma&s;ters, they mu&s;t performe it; &s;ay he be in birth, in parts, in graces, in religion, inferiour to them, &s;ay he be cruell and churli&s;h, a very <HI>Nabal,</HI> &s;ay he be prophane and irreligious, an Athei&s;t or He|reticke, yet they mu&s;t feare, and in feare performe the&s;e duties to them: this is that the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh, 1 Pet. 2.18. and 1 Tim. 6.1. To what &s;ervants &s;peaketh the Apo&s;tle, to &s;uch as did be|leeve, and were come to the knowledge of the truth; of what ma&s;ters, &s;uch as yet were enemies to God and his truth, loved not, knew not, had not ta&s;ted of the truth: <HI>Laban</HI> was an Idola|ter, yet did <HI>Jacob</HI> give him faithfull &s;ervice, and all duty, yea a churli&s;h and deceitfull uncon&s;cionable Ma&s;ter: <HI>Potiphar</HI> was an heathen, yet <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> feared him, and &s;erved him faithfully. The Prophet never forbade <HI>Naaman</HI> his &s;ervice to his Ma&s;ter, after he was become a Jew, that is, a &s;ervant of God. 2 King. 5.23.<NOTE PLACE="marg">He &s;peakes to tho&s;e who are free, not to bind them|&s;elves to &s;uch.</NOTE> hereto may we apply that, 1 Cor. 7.20, 21, 22. not to deny &s;ervice, but to alter the manner of &s;ervice, before for feare of Ma&s;ters di&s;plea&s;ure, now for con&s;cience of Gods command, before their Ma&s;ters onely, now Chri&s;t in their Ma&s;ter.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e (as was noted in Children out of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI>) <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> it is due to their place, not per&s;on; as <HI>Non principi, &s;ed principatui;</HI> &s;o <HI>Non magi&s;tro, &s;ed magi&s;terio.</HI> The feare is due, not to his per&s;on, and &s;o good or bad, high or low, gentle or churli&s;h; but to his place and authority, as a ma&s;ter, which he may be, of what quality or condition &s;oever he be, and from them as &s;ervants, what&s;oever their per&s;ons, and quality, and gifts may be.</P>
<P>Particularly for &s;uch as are religious, that they bring not di&s;|honour upon Gods Name and Doctrine, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> 1 Tim. 6.1. but may honour him.</P>
<P>For both, becau&s;e it &s;hall be more re&s;pected of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the le&s;&s;e it is de&s;erved by any thing in thy ma&s;ter; for then it is done of con&s;cience, and for God, as a good worke ought to be.</P>
<P>This will condemne the Doctrine of the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> how&s;oever bragging it &s;elfe to be Apo&s;tolicall, yet holds it but few of the Apo&s;tles doctrines, which it hath not either corrup|ted, or taught &s;omething to the contrary: And in this point mo&s;t directly to <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> forbidding feare and faithful|ne&s;&s;e to be performed of &s;ervants to their ma&s;ters, and them who put them in tru&s;t. <HI>Symacha</HI> &s;aith <HI>In&s;tit. Cathol. Tit.</HI> 46. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 74. that all keepers of forts, and all other va&s;&s;als and &s;laves are freed from the oath of &s;ubjection to their Lord and Ma&s;ter, he being an Heretick; affirming that by it, he is deprived of his ci|vill power he hath over his &s;ervants; the ground of the unfaith|fulne&s;&s;e of Sr. <HI>William Stanly</HI> in yeelding up <HI>Daventer,</HI> an act ap|proved
<PB N="90" REF="60">and commended by <HI>Cardinall Allen;</HI> how unlike are the&s;e &s;pirits to the &s;pirit of Saint <HI>Peter</HI> and Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> who will have faithfulne&s;&s;e to the good and bad, to the In&s;idell a&s;well as the beleever; &s;hall not that be verified of them, Math. 5.19? But they will &s;ay, Here&s;ie is a greater &s;inne then in&s;idelity; fir&s;t, I an&s;wer, not as they make Here&s;ie, <HI>ut ante;</HI> &s;econdly, be that true of <HI>Augu&s;t. Sanata vulnere infldelitatis, &s;ed gravius percu&s;&s;a vulnere Idololatriae,</HI> yet all Here&s;ie is not Idolatrie, neither can this, if it be, de&s;troy the knot and bond of this duty, which is not faith, nor the foundation of divine religion; but apo|litique title, having force and &s;trength from the law of nature; which is not to be di&s;&s;olved by Here&s;ie not contrary to it: And the Apo&s;tle; rea&s;on will be here, a&s;well as in Infidelity, it will make the name of God, and his doctrine ill &s;poken of. But the truth is, this is but a &s;hift of theirs, for they teach no faith to be kept with &s;uch, and &s;o no faithfulne&s;&s;e with &s;uch as are hea|then or Infidels: If we may gather the le&s;&s;e from the greater, <HI>&V;ladi&s;laus</HI> (he was I take it the King of <HI>Hungary</HI> and <HI>Poland</HI>) in abattaile again&s;t the Turkes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amurath the &s;econd of that name.</NOTE> had the better hand, &s;o that the Turke offered to yeeld to any conditions; whereupon, <HI>&V;la|di&s;laus</HI> and the Turke &s;wore to Articles of Agreement; but pre|&s;ently a Legate came frome the Pope, and urged <HI>&V;ladi&s;laus</HI> to &s;et upon the Turke againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eugenius. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> neere vanqui&s;hed already, telling him that the Pope had power to di&s;pence with his Oath; which he attempted, though &s;ore again&s;t his will: Then the Turke cry|ed out,<NOTE PLACE="marg">O Crucifixe, crucifixe, vide gentem tuam perfidam.</NOTE> <HI>Oh thou crucified, thou crucified, take notice of thy trea|cherous people:</HI> And &s;o be&s;tirred him&s;elf, that he overthrew <HI>&V;|ladi&s;laus,</HI> which hath ever &s;ince turned to the greate&s;t detri|ment of all Chri&s;tendome: out of this by proportion we may &s;ee it is but a colour of their di&s;tinction of Here&s;ie and Infide|lity.</P>
<P>To reprove all &s;uch &s;ervants as thinke they owe no feare nor duty, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> or le&s;&s;e feare and duty to their Ma&s;ters, becau&s;e of &s;ome defects in them, or &s;ome excellency in them&s;elves; if he be ba&s;e borne, and they of wor&s;hipfull Parents; if he be irreligious, and they have &s;omewhat or more ta&s;te of piety; if he be poore, &s;o when they came to him, or impoveri&s;hed after, &amp;c. But they mu&s;t know that none of the&s;e will di&s;pen&s;e with omi&s;&s;ion of a|ny duty. Is he their Ma&s;ter? If they give him not all re&s;pect, they &s;inne again&s;t his place and dominion, and &s;o again&s;t God that hath given it him. If God had allowed only rich men, or religious men, or good, and courteous Men to be his Vicegerents in the family, then it were &s;omewhat, but he hath given this to the rich and the poor alike, he hath lightned both their eyes, the good and the bad hath the &s;eale of the Commi&s;&s;ion alike, therefore they who doe not alike reverence their ma&s;ters, one
<PB N="91" REF="60">as other, are guilty of &s;inne before God, and &s;hall have no re|ward from God, becau&s;e he doth it not in con&s;cience to Gods Commandement, but for &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, for which they may receive their reward from men, but a heavy one from God.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade &s;ervants to feare, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and doe all duty to their Ma|&s;ters what&s;oever they are, one or other; he that is well borne mu&s;t forget his father and his fathers hou&s;e, and looke not up|on his ma&s;ter whence he came, but what he is; he that is religi|ous, remember he mu&s;t adorne his profe&s;&s;ion, and looke not upon his ma&s;ter what he is of him&s;elfe, corrupt and prophane, but what God hath made him, his owne Vicegerent, and his ma&s;ter; and thinke what unworthine&s;&s;e &s;oever be in thy ma&s;ter, yet that thou art mo&s;t unworthy to doe him any di&s;grace, or to deny him any duty. Remember, that what is due to him, it is not to his per&s;on, but place; indeed, not to him, but God; and to him in Gods &s;tead; and the more unworthy he is of any duty, the more readily thou perform'&s;t it, the more reward thou &s;halt have from God; yea, for the pre&s;ent it is a &s;peciall proofe of true grace in the heart. For as it is, Rom. 5.7, 8. &s;o every one will obey a great and a good ma&s;ter; but that is true obedience, when the ma&s;ter is neither great nor good, or great, and not good; or good, and not great: for &s;o have good &s;er|vants and holy men done in times pa&s;t unto their ma&s;ters.</P>
<P><HI>If I be a father, where is my honour?]</HI> Here is the application of the former ground and rule, to him&s;elfe and them, not &s;pea|king in generall, but applying it particularly, teaching in his example what is the be&s;t and mo&s;t profitable kind of preaching, when application is joyned with doctrine. <HI>Vide</HI> Heb. 12.1.</P>
<P><HI>If I be a father.]</HI> Here is fir&s;t the father-hood of God to be con&s;idered, and &s;o he is in two re&s;pects, of his Creation and Election; out of both we have &s;omewhat to learne.</P>
<P>Men in regard of their Creation being &s;o the &s;onnes of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> ought to honour him, and doe him &s;ervice and obedience: thus much the Lords rea&s;oning imports and inforceth. It is ma|nife&s;t al&s;o by that, Deut. 32.6. <HI>Doe ye thus requite the Lord, O foo|li&s;h people and unwi&s;e? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? Hath he not made thee, and e&s;tabli&s;hed thee?</HI> Thus much <HI>David</HI> prayed, P&s;al. 119.73. <HI>Thy hands have made me, and fa&s;hioned me, give me under&s;tanding that I may learne thy Commandements;</HI> this &s;hews he ought to pay &s;o much to God.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by all Lawes humane and divine, of God, nature, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and Nations, a man owes as much as he hath received, and ought to repay it, as it is due, and is called for. Therefore owes a man all he hath unto God, and ought to pay it to the &s;ervice of his Creator, unle&s;&s;e he will be accounted a thiefe, and an ungratefull man to him who hath be&s;towed &s;o great things
<PB N="92" REF="61">upon him; for he hath received from him his being, that is, his body, with all his &s;en&s;es, and his &s;oule, with all the powers of it: then is he debtor to pay all the&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as nothing el&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;o man is not borne with all perfe|ctions, he hath many things perfect, but many things wanting, which mu&s;t be perfected afterwards. Now it is a rule, that he mu&s;t give the complement and perfection, who hath begun the worke, or given the beginning. Therefore it is that every ef|fect lookes to the cau&s;e, to receive from it his la&s;t perfection: The Trees &s;earch for the Sunne, and &s;tretch their roots into the earth, which brought them forth. Fi&s;hes al&s;o will not out of the waters which bred them. The Chicken no &s;ooner out of the &s;hell, but &s;hrowds it &s;elfe under the feathers of the Hen, and follows whither&s;oever &s;he goes. The little Lambe after it is borne, &s;eeketh to the Dams teate, and if there be a thou&s;and &s;heepe of the &s;ame wooll and colour, it knows the owne damme, and will follow her whither&s;oever &s;he goes; as if &s;he &s;aid, here I received that I have, and here I &s;eeke for that I want. Then ought rea&s;onable man not to doe le&s;&s;e than unrea&s;onable crea|tures, but being not perfect, &s;eeke to him, and &s;erve him that made him, that he may receive perfections.</P>
<P>This will &s;erve to confute the dreame of <HI>Libertines</HI> and <HI>Valen|tinians,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> (of which not a few in our dayes,) who have the name of Chri&s;tians but not the thing, who think that the Go&s;pell &amp; Chri&s;t being come, men are not bound to obedience as before: whe|ther the Go&s;pellbind or no, that will follow after in the next point, for this that men are &s;till bound, and by the Law, for all the Go&s;pell to obey, appeares plainely, becau&s;e the Rea&s;ons are the &s;ame to us now, which were then to them. Receive they not now all their bodies and &s;oules, all the members and parts, all the faculties and powers of them from him? and as they have tho&s;e beginnings, mu&s;t they not have the proceedings al&s;o and perfections from him? If any have not, let him goe out free, he is bound to no &s;uch thing; but if all men have, then is every one bound, even by the Law, now in time of the Go&s;pell, as before. Gods rea&s;on &s;tands thus now, if I be a father, if I have made thee, and created thee, honour me; if thou hadde&s;t that thou ha&s;t el&s;e-where, I challenge it not; if thou can&s;t have any thing from others without me to perfect thy defects, and &s;upply thy wants, I challenge no &s;uch thing; but if not, then give me my honour. Know thus much, that the Law requires honour to God as a Father in regard of Creation; which if it be a continuall worke of God for all times, and to all men, then it follows, that now as then.</P>
<P>To teach men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and every one, if there be no other rea&s;on, that this requires of all obedience and honour to God, becau&s;e they
<PB N="93" REF="61">are his, he their father that made them. For if a man build the hou&s;e, who&s;e turne mu&s;t it &s;erve but the Lords that built it? if he plant a Vineyard, who &s;hall gather the Grapes but he that planted it? If a father beget a &s;onne, whom &s;hall he rather &s;erve and honour than his father, which begat him? And if this, then how much more to him that is the Father of Fathers, and of all things in earth and Heaven? It is heard from many men, when they reprove others for &s;ome di&s;honouring of God, and often, but as they thinke; It is not for your profe&s;&s;ion; doth it be|come a man of that zeale you make &s;hew of, profe&s;&s;ing &s;o great|ly as you doe. If they &s;peake it that they are more bound, it is true; but if that they them&s;elves are not bound, and more than they can performe, it is fal&s;e; for wherein have they di&s;honou|red God by the profe&s;&s;ion, that thy Creation binds not thee to doe, or from doing? Set faith and repentance a&s;ide, things in|vi&s;ible not commanded in the Law, what is it thou art not bound to, either for piety or hone&s;ty, and that by the Creation? for the Law holds fa&s;t there, and Creation onely binds to all &s;uch duties. For even as the Heathen man &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ari&s;totle.</NOTE> A man can never returne &s;o much to his father as he ought, how can he to God, who hath given us more than all the fathers in the world? And if to di&s;honour a father, be a vile crime in a &s;onne, what is it to &s;inne and rebell again&s;t God, who is father &s;o many wayes? Let every man then bethink him&s;elfe of this, and &s;ee in him&s;elfe how many things he hath to move him to honour God, though he never looke without him&s;elfe; body, &s;oule, all the facul|ties and powers and parts of both, becau&s;e his hands made them: And if the Axe may not boa&s;t it &s;elfe again&s;t him that heweth with it, I&s;a. 10.15. how may it again&s;t him that made it? How may man di&s;honour his Creator? if not the Axe a|gain&s;t the hewer, how the heart again&s;t the ma&s;ter? Shall tho&s;e hands made by him, tho&s;e eyes enlightened by him, that tongue made, and made &s;peaking by him, di&s;honour, provoke, and revile with oaths and bla&s;phemies? if they doe, know, that as all things are po&s;&s;ible with him, and like ea&s;ie to him, he can de&s;troy them as ea&s;ily as he made them, in a word, both. Oh then let tho&s;e hands worke the workes of God, let tho&s;e feet walke the paths of God, tho&s;e eyes delight in the wayes of God, and that tongue &s;peake the prai&s;es of God, and that who&s;e man honour him that hath made it; for thus he calls, If I be a Father, where is my honour? if I have made you, where is the &s;ervice you doe me? Among&s;t men a Chapman of credit payes as much as hee received, and he would &s;corne not to be accounted a good pay ma&s;ter, and yet &s;uch deale nothing &s;o currantly with God, neither when we looke for &s;o much from God. Man will not give God &s;o much, give him our &s;elves,
<PB N="94" REF="62">and that we have received, one will give him his heart, another his body, not his heart; another will part both with him, as if he created not both as one, as if his title be not as great to one as to another, or to the whole, as to part: He is the Father of our &s;pirits, and the Father of our bodies; or if thou wilt give one, and not the other, thou condemne&s;t thy &s;elfe by the one, for with-holding the other; for his right is in this re&s;pect to both, and mu&s;t have both, and be honoured in the whole. But why pay they as much, becau&s;e they would receive more, and have not yet enough? So in this no man is perfect, though he have received much. And why hath not God made him per|fect? Verily it was, as one &s;aid, not becau&s;e he was covetous and niggard, but becau&s;e he was loving and bountifull, know|ing that it was good for him to be &s;uch an one; not that he &s;hould be poore, but humble; not as alwayes needy, but as al|wayes looking up to him, and remembring to honour him with that he hath given him, that he may receive that he wants, and further perfection: pay then thy debt, and pay it to receive more, that thou maye&s;t be perfect, and thinke he &s;peakes to e|very one; If I be thy Father, honour me; remember me thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth and thy age, even as one &s;aith, &s;o often as thou breathe&s;t, &s;o often thou oughte&s;t to remember God. And &s;eeing thy being is ever in one, &s;o thy thankfulne&s;&s;e &s;hould be ever both for thy ever being. And as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> thou wilt &s;ay, Lord keepe me as the Apple of thine Eye, he will an|&s;wer thee againe, Keepe my Commandements as the Apple of thine eye; &s;o thou wilt come to God, and &s;ay, Lord keepe me, for thou ha&s;t made me; I am thine, and the workes of thy hands. God will an&s;wer thee then, Keepe the words of my mouth, and &s;o honour me, for thou art the workes of my hands.</P>
<P>The election of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> by which he hath freely cho&s;en men to be his &s;onnes and to be heires of eternall life, binds them to obe|dience, &s;ervice and honouring of him: &s;o the Lord rea&s;oneth here, if I be a father, if I have adopted and cho&s;en you for &s;onnes, where is my honour? He challengeth but that he hath title. To this purpo&s;e is that, Ephe. 1.4. 1 Pet. 1.17. Math. 5.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e his choi&s;e and adoption is &s;o free, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> for it is without a|ny merits of de&s;erts of man; of his owne free will and plea&s;ure, Ephe. 1.5. long before there was any merit of man, for it was before he was, it is ancienter then the world, it is coeternall with God him&s;elfe, for as he is from all eternities, &s;o he hath loved his from all eternity; then free and mo&s;t franke is this choice of men to be &s;onnes. Now benefits the more free &amp; unde&s;erved, the more they bind men to performe thankfulne&s;&s;e for them; So in this: And this is that God would have for it. Honour him.</P>
<PB N="95" REF="62">
<P>Becau&s;e it is &s;o rare a benefit, not all, not many, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but few of many, Math. 20.16. <HI>few cho&s;en.</HI> Benefits that are rare, are pre|tious, <HI>rara, chara,</HI> and &s;o de&s;erve and exact more: when as then God among&s;t &s;o many Nations of barbarous men, and in &s;uch a multitude of condemned men, hath called a man to &s;o happy a condition, that he &s;hould be in the number of tho&s;e who are cho&s;en, his &s;ons, and to inherit eternall life; the benefit being &s;o much the greater, as the number is &s;maller, mu&s;t needs binde to this duty.</P>
<P>This may &s;erve to &s;top the mouth of de&s;perate wretches, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that make the doctrine of Gods decree, an occa&s;ion of carele&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and from it take liberty to di&s;honour God; that rea&s;on if they be elected they are &s;ure to be &s;aved, whether they live well or ill, and &s;o <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> whence they give all liberty to them|&s;elves, and live licentiou&s;ly, and di&s;honour God; of the&s;e I would demand, whether they thinke the former te&s;timonies, and this particular preface was written by the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t? If they &s;ay no, they &s;hew them&s;elves in the &s;tate of reprobation, what &s;oever God hath decreed of them: If they &s;ay it is, then let them compare the &s;pirit they &s;peake with, and this &s;pirit by which the&s;e are written, and &s;ee them&s;elves not to be led with the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, which can not &s;o contradict it &s;elfe: It re|quireth duty and reverence, &s;ervice and honour, becau&s;e thou art his, thou wilt give none; becau&s;e, if perhaps thou bee&s;t, thou neede&s;t not, if not, it is bootle&s;&s;e and doubtfull; in this thou determine&s;t not to honour God, but to di&s;honour him. Tell me this, thou thou art a father and di&s;po&s;e&s;t of all thy goods in &s;ecret before ever thy &s;onne knows how, or hath enquired, and u&s;ed means to know how; if he &s;hould &s;et light by thee, and carry him&s;elf undutifully towards thee, as if he would give thee an oc|ca&s;ion to give all away from him, if thou ha&s;t not done it already; woulde&s;t thou not thinke it a marvellous prepo&s;terous and im|pious cour&s;e? and yet this is that which thou wilt doe with God, like a de&s;perate mi&s;creant, not knowing whether God hath purpo&s;ed thee &s;alvation and heaven, which he had di&s;po&s;ed and made his will of in &s;ecret; yea, not taking &s;o much paines to &s;earch and enquire by the booke of God, and the notes in it, whether thou be in the num|ber, but yer ever thou &s;eeke after it, to know whether thou be in his booke, &s;o wilfully behave&s;t thy &s;elfe, as if thou meant&s;t to make him alter his will (if it were po&s;&s;ible) if he were purpo&s;ed to deale well with thee before. But know thou, if he were purpo&s;ed to di&s;inherit thee, yet thou oughte&s;t to honor him becau&s;e he is the father. And this without all con&s;ide|ration of Heaven and Hell, much more if he have elected thee, and thou be his &s;onne this way too, ought&s;t thou to honour him,
<PB N="96" REF="63">And know, that if thou bee&s;t his, no &s;uch thought can po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e thy heart long, le&s;&s;e allow thy mouth to &s;peake it boa&s;tingly in a &s;ecure and carele&s;&s;e cour&s;e of life; what may come from a man of a troubled minde and in a temptation, that is not to this pur|po&s;e, but the other can never bee: Nay know, that God di&s;|po&s;eth all things &s;weetly and orderly to bring a man to this end if he have once cho&s;en him; As a father that aymes at &s;ome &s;tate of life for his &s;onne, as to make him a Lawyer, or a Divine, he traines him up &s;o, and brings him up in learning and &s;tudies and directions.</P>
<P>This &s;hould admoni&s;h every one who by a divine &s;earch fin|deth him&s;elfe the &s;on of God by adoption or election, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> or thinks him&s;elfe is one, to remember what he is, and what it requires of him, even to honour God as a father. The former bindes, but this bindes more, as a twofold cord, the law becau&s;e of our creation, the Go&s;pell for our election and redemption, <HI>we are no more &s;ervants, but &s;onnes.</HI> Galat. 4.5, 6. But mu&s;t we the le&s;&s;e &s;erve him, or not? this were a gallant Go&s;pell indeed. Nay we mu&s;t the rather, becau&s;e &s;onnes, Mala. 3.16. we mu&s;t not change our &s;ervice, but the manner of our &s;ervice; for he hath made us to &s;erve him, Luke 1.74, 75. <HI>that hee would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might &s;erve him without feare, in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e before him all the dayes of our life;</HI> Not as &s;ervants for wages, but as &s;onnes in a more honourable kinde of &s;ervice, with a free affection, in no mercenarie manner,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In primo de|dit me mihi, in &s;ecundo dedit &amp; &s;e mi|hi, cui debeo me, propter me debeo plu&s;quam me propter &s;e. Ber.</NOTE> otherwi&s;e this bindes us more then be|fore, and to doe more if it were po&s;&s;ible then the law requires. If the other, though free, yet not &s;o rare, doe bind, how much more this &s;o rare a benefit &s;hould bind us? <HI>In the fir&s;t, he gave me to my &s;elfe; In the other he gave him&s;elfe to me: To whom I owe my &s;elfe for my being, to him I am more indebted for giving him&s;elf to mee;</HI> more is then due unto him, and more mu&s;t we endea|vour; if our being, and being men require it of us, what this being &s;onnes, without which it had beene better wee had never been; yea, a thou&s;and times? If his bounty in creating us, what his mercy and love in electing us? The world, though peevi&s;hly and corruptly it upbraids tho&s;e that are Gods, and in &s;ome &s;ini|&s;ter and corrupt affection, challenges more of them, then of o|thers towards them&s;elves, then towards God; yet tho&s;e who are indeed Gods, mu&s;t thinke &s;uch &s;peeches are goades to pricke them forwards to more: For God hath done more for them, therefore more is required of them; yea, more then they thinke they ought to performe: Every one mu&s;t argue as <HI>David,</HI> &s;ee 2 Sam. 6.21. <HI>And</HI> David <HI>&s;aid unto</HI> Michal, <HI>it was before the Lord, which cho&s;e me before thy father, and before all his hou&s;e, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over I&s;rael, therefore
<PB N="97" REF="63">will I play before the Lord:</HI> It will not &s;erve and goe for currant if Gods children elected be not more diligent to honour him, then others.</P>
<P><HI>Where is my honour?]</HI> wee have &s;eene by what right God re|quires this; we mu&s;t &s;ee, now, the thing, it is honour, which is indeed childelike and filiall feare, to obey and &s;erve him for love, rather then feare, as &s;onnes doe their father; and of this I will thus &s;peak, fir&s;t that men mu&s;t give it to God, the &s;onnes to the father. Secondly, how it differs from the &s;ervile feare. Thirdly, the effects of it, that it may be known, whether had or no, and if not, it may be &s;ought, if had, it may be joyed in.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t that Men mu&s;t give it unto God. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."></P>
<P>The Children of God, that is, his &s;onnes and daughters ought to honour him, that is, to &s;erve and obey him, to doe the good he commands, not for feare of puni&s;hment, or hope of reward, but for the love of good, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and his goodne&s;&s;e and mercy, willingly and of con&s;cience: hereto may we apply that P&s;al. 130.4. and Rom. 12.1. and 1 John 2.1. inferred upon the &s;econd. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."></P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e they can not be &s;onnes and daughters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Servilis e&s;t timor quamdiu ab amore non manat, qui de amore non venit honor, non honor &s;ed adulatio. Bern. Cant. <HI>83.</HI></NOTE> who&s;e nature is to obey their parents, and doe them all &s;ervice of love, <HI>feare is &s;ervile, if it flow not from love: and the honour which comes not from love is not honour, but flattery, a formall fawning.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e if they obey him and honour him for hope of good, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and feare of evill, and puni&s;hment it is &s;elf love that moves them, not God love, nor the love of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; now if men require more, nor account not of this, when &s;elfe love hath the &s;way, and men &s;eeke them&s;elves, how &s;hould God, and why &s;hould men expect it from him? * One ble&s;|&s;es God becau&s;e he is powerfull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;t qui confitetur Deo, quia potms e&s;t, e&s;t quoniam &s;ibi bonus e&s;t, e&s;t qui|a &s;implicit&egrave;r bonus e&s;t, P&s;al. <HI>118.1.19.</HI> primus &s;ervus e&s;t &amp; timet, &s;ecundus mercenarius &amp; cupit &s;ibi, tertius fili|us e&s;t &amp; diligit patrem.</NOTE> another be|cau&s;e he is good to him, another becau&s;e he is &s;imple good in him&s;elfe, P&s;al. 118.1. The fir&s;t is a &s;ervant and feares. The &s;econd is an hireling and lookes for gaine. The third is a &s;onne and loves his father.</P>
<P>There are many promi&s;es of good things for obedience, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> and threats of evill for di&s;obedience, are they made to &s;ervants, or written for them alone, or al&s;o for &s;onnes? If Sonnes, why may not they look to them, and for them doe &s;ervice.</P>
<P>Without que&s;tion what&s;oever is written is for &s;onnes not &s;er|vants, <MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> or principally for them, yet is it not acceptable to God, when it is done for the&s;e, for nothing proceeding from hirelings or &s;laves can be acceptable: why then are the&s;e written? Name|ly, to helpe them in it, not to be the principall mover of it, <HI>vide</HI> James 2.8.</P>
<PB N="98" REF="64">
<P>This proves that many mens workes and obedience are not the honour of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> nor things acceptable, though according to the law, and things commanded; (which in another are his ho|nour, and accepted of him) the end or motive not being good and right as it &s;hould.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be ob&s;erved, is how this child-like and filiall feare differs from the other &s;ervile feare; and that it doth in divers things.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t difference is in re&s;pect of the object, that is, of that which is feared, that is &s;inne; the one feares &s;inne as it is &s;inne, and becau&s;e it is &s;inne: the other onely the puni&s;hment of &s;in, and not &s;inne at all but in regard of the puni&s;hment; the for|mer curbs the action onely,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 3.5.</NOTE> the other the affection; the one li|keth and loveth &s;inne, but he dare not commit it in regard of the danger that may en&s;ue of it; the other hateth and abhorreth &s;inne, and would not commit it though he might doe it with|out danger at all, as Prov. 8.13. <HI>The feare of the Lord is to hate evill,</HI> P&s;al. 97.10. And becau&s;e it deales with the affection, it is called <HI>a pure feare;</HI> P&s;al. 19.9. <HI>The feare of the Lord is cleane or pure,</HI> for it purgeth the heart, as faith is &s;aid to doe, Acts 15.9. The other is a melting feare, but this is a purging and refining feare.</P>
<P>The &s;econd difference is in their grounds, the one is groun|ded onely uon the wrath of God, and for his ju&s;tice; the other regardeth them, but &s;pecially his mercy and goodne&s;&s;e, P&s;al. 130.4. Ho&s;ea 3.5. The filiall feare, to offend God in regard of benefits pa&s;t; the &s;ervile, for evill to come: Se ethe difference plainely, Jer. 5.22, 23, 24. <HI>Feare ye not me, &s;aith the Lord? or will ye not be afraid at my pre&s;ence, which have placed the &s;and for the bounds of the Sea by the perpetuall decree that it cannot pa&s;&s;e it, and though the waves thereof rage, yet can they not prevaile, though they roare, yet can they not pa&s;&s;e over it? But this people hath an unfaithfull and rebellious heart: they are departed and gone. For they &s;ay not in their heart, Let us now feare the Lord our God, that giveth raine both early and late in due &s;ea&s;on: he re&s;erveth unto us the appointed weekes of the harve&s;t.</HI> If you will nor have this filiall feare, yet at lea&s;t &s;hake not off this &s;ervile dread, if not feare in regard of good I have, yet of evill I may doe them.</P>
<P>By the&s;e two (for the pre&s;ent) may every one examine him|&s;elfe, whether he hath a &s;ervile or a filiall feare. If thou feare&s;t as a Childe, thou hate&s;t &s;inne as &s;inne, becau&s;e it is &s;inne, thou art like a man that loaths a meate, and therefore would not eate of it. If only a &s;ervile feare, thou loathe&s;t &s;inne for the puni&s;hment, not for it &s;elfe indeed, but the &s;equel; like a man that hath a minde to eate of &s;omething that the Phi&s;itian hath forbidden him, and is hurtfull, and ab&s;taines only becau&s;e he dares not
<PB N="99" REF="64">touch it for feare of further inconvenience. If thou ha&s;t the child-like feare* It is not the outward worke that di&s;likes thee, and externall act of &s;inne only, but even the de&s;ires,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ta &s;agitta timor, qui configit &amp; in|terficit carnis de&s;ideria. Ber.</NOTE> motions and affections; for it is pure. That dart is feare which pierces and kills the very de&s;ires of the fle&s;h. If the &s;ervile onely, then the outward worke onely and practice of &s;inne is feared; if a filiall feare, then it will grieve thee to offend, nay, to be provoked to offend &s;o good and gracious, &s;o mercifull and loving a fa|ther, who hath beene ever &s;o gracious and good unto thee. But if but the &s;ervile feare, then onely when thou feele&s;t his hand, or feare&s;t an imminent danger, or ha&s;t the fre&s;h remem|brance of a judgment which is but new taken from him, for which a Child of God mu&s;t and ought to feare: but then are not the&s;e the principall cau&s;es of feare in him, for the&s;e he feares, and flies &s;in, but principally for the other. If a filiall feare, thou art afraid to offend in lieu of thankfulne&s;&s;e, for thy being and pre&s;ervation, and all thy manifold ble&s;&s;ings received already: If a &s;ervile, onely for feare of evills, or hope of that which is to come. It is the whip, the &s;courge, and the rod that cau&s;eth the hypocrite as an A&s;&s;e, a foole, and a &s;tave to forbeare and leave &s;inne; but it is love, con&s;cience, and obedience that ma|keth Gods Children willingly to abhorre it. <HI>Nazianz.</HI> if thou bee'&s;t a &s;lave and a &s;ervant, &s;tand in feare of the whip or the &s;courge; if an hireling, worke for thy wages, expect thy re|ward: but if over and above all the&s;e, thou bee&s;t a &s;onne, doe good, becau&s;e it is thy duty to plea&s;e and ob&s;erve thy father, from whom thou ha&s;t received &s;o much good be|fore.</P>
<P>The third difference of the&s;e two feares is this; the one is a loving feare, and the other is a hatefull feare; the fir&s;t is joyned with love, &s;uch as good &s;ubjects beare to good Princes, and ordinarily children beare to their fathers. The &s;econd is joyned with hatred, &s;uch as &s;ervants beare to their hard and cruell Ma|&s;ters; the one would, if they could, withdraw them&s;elves out of Gods government, and get out of his &s;ight, as <HI>Adam,</HI> Gen. 3. as a fugitive &s;ervant, as <HI>Hagar,</HI> Gen. 16. the other would not willingly away from God, but &s;ubmitteth him&s;elfe unto him, and &s;eeketh as he can, to pre&s;&s;e neerer and neerer, as farre as he dare with due reverence of his Maje&s;ty, like the Prodigall &s;onne, who came home to his father, and yeelded him&s;elfe willingly into his hands. And therefore it is a true &s;aying, that after &s;inne the wicked are troubled, they cannot get them&s;elves farre enough from God; and the godly are troubled, they can not come neere enough home to him: the one is afraid of the lo&s;ing of God, the other is afraid of Gods finding of him: of that, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> in 1 John 4. it is called <HI>ca&s;tus timer,</HI> a cha&s;te feare.
<PB N="100" REF="65">Tis one thing to feare God, le&s;t he &s;end thee to Hell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aliud e&s;t timere Deum ne te mittat in Gehennam, aliud ne ip&s;e &agrave; te recedat ille non e&s;t ca&s;tus qui non venit ab amore Dei, &s;edex timore poenae, i&s;te ca&s;tus e&s;t quia venit ex amore Dei quem amlecteris. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> in <HI>1</HI> Joh. <HI>4</HI></NOTE> another le&s;t him&s;elfe depart from thee: that feare is not cha&s;t, becau&s;e it comes not from the love of God, but from the feare of puni&s;hment; but this is cha&s;t, be|cau&s;e it comes from the love of God, whom thou delighte&s;t in. So that this filiall feare agreeth with the love of Gods Maje&s;ty, yea it ri&s;eth out of love, a man is afrayd to offend one that he loveth, but the &s;ervile fear is joyned with the deadly hatred of God. And &s;o as it is &s;aid, whom they feare they hate,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quem metu|unt oderunt, &amp; quem ode|runt perii&s;&s;e cupiunt.</NOTE> and they de&s;ire he may peri&s;h whom they hate. So it may be &s;aid of this, that by it he is not <HI>homi|cida,</HI> a man&s;layer, but <HI>Deicida,</HI> a God&s;layer, wi&s;hing there were never a God to puni&s;h him.</P>
<P>The fourth difference of the&s;e two feares, is in their continu|ance, which is manife&s;t.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, If we con&s;ider them in divers &s;ubjects, for the one is but for a bront, like lightning that giveth a fla&s;h and is gone, and comes in an in&s;tant; never ceizeth upon the &s;oule, nor dwelleth in the heart. For in&s;tance we may take <HI>Pharoah,</HI> Exod. Chap. 27, 28, 29, 30. &s;o <HI>Ahab,</HI> when <HI>Eliah</HI> had &s;ummoned him, hee feares, 1 King. 21.27. but &s;oone after he goes fearele&s;&s;e to <HI>Ra|moth Gilead,</HI> 1 King. 22.26, 27. The filiall feare is permanent, and con&s;tant, as the cau&s;es of it are, I&s;a. 11.2. Prov. 28.14. For it is no naturall worke, but a &s;upernaturall habit.</P>
<P>Secndly if we con&s;ider them in one &s;ubject, the one outla|&s;teth and overlives the other. 1 Joh. 4.18. <HI>perfect love ca&s;teth out feare;</HI> that is, &s;ervile feare, but P&s;al. 19.9. <HI>The feare of the Lord is cleane, enduring for ever,</HI> that is, filiall feare, when it comes, it ca&s;ts out that, becau&s;e it brings with it a&s;&s;urance of God favour. It remaines &s;till, having the le&s;&s;e paine and trouble with it the longer it la&s;teth, and the more forward it commeth to perfection: And this feare is &s;o la&s;ting that it remaines after this life; not that the ble&s;&s;ed &s;hall fear either le&s;t they &s;hould of|fend, for they are then without danger of falling; but in re|gard of Gods power, and his incomparable, and his incompre|hen&s;ible graces, there &s;hall be a reverent dread, and yet delight|full, &s;uch as the Angels have now in Heaven: As Angels feare, I&s;aiah 6.2, 3, 4. when they are in the pre&s;ence of God; for as we reverence a great man in regard of his place, though he beare us no evill will, nor we expect any evill from him; So no doubt, the holy Saints and Angels in Heaven in regard of God, though they neither feare to lo&s;e him, becau&s;e they can not fall from him, nor to offend him, becau&s;e there is no danger to di&s;plea&s;e him, yet they reverence him &s;till in regard of his Maje&s;ty, which they can neither &s;ufficiently admire nor adore.</P>
<PB N="101" REF="65">
<P>Now further by the&s;e two differences, as by the former, may every man examine him&s;elfe, whether he hath a childelike or &s;ervile feare.</P>
<P>As by the fir&s;t, whether thou love&s;t or hate&s;t God for feare:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deum tua peccata vindi|care aut non po&s;&s;e, aut nol|le, aut ea ne|&s;cire, vis erg&ograve; Deum non e&s;&s;e Deum, qui vis eum aut inju&s;tum e&s;&s;e, aut impoten|tem aut in &s;i|pientem. Bern. de Temp. <HI>58.</HI></NOTE> woulde&s;t thou flee from God, when thou ha&s;t offended, could&s;t thou wi&s;h he were not? If thou de&s;ire&s;t that either he knew not thy &s;innes, or could not or would not puni&s;h them; then thou would&s;t that God were not, when thou de&s;ire&s;t hee were ignorant, or impotent, or unju&s;t: And hence thy wretched heart under this feare even hates God, thou ha&s;t but a &s;ervile feare; but can&s;t thou yeeld thy &s;elfe to God, and draw neere to him, fearing to be for&s;aken of God, being willing to yeeld thy &s;elf into his hands? this is filiall feare. There is &s;ayth <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> an uncha&s;te adulterous woman, who feareth her hu&s;band, but &s;he feareth him, becau&s;e &s;he loveth her naughtine&s;&s;e, and there|fore his company is not delighfull, but burthen &s;ome unto her, and loving evill &s;he is afrayd of his comming, le&s;t he finde her &s;o. There is a cha&s;te woman, &s;he loveth and affecteth her hu&s;band, and liveth with him in good &s;ort, and would never have him out of &s;ight; now a&s;k them both whether they fear their hu&s;bands? they will &s;ay they doe; there is the &s;ame an&s;wer, but not the &s;ame minde. A&s;ke them why? and that will put the difference,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;na vox, non eadem mens.</NOTE> the one an&s;wereth le&s;t he &s;hould come home and finde her, and finde out her lewdne&s;&s;e and lightne&s;&s;e; the other, le&s;t being pre|&s;ent he &s;hould depart, and le&s;t he &s;hould love her le&s;&s;e, and by any offence of hers be e&s;tranged. As he much mi&s;liketh the former woman, &s;o mi&s;like thy &s;elf if thou fear God in that &s;ort, and carry thy &s;elf &s;o to God in this &s;ort, as thou would&s;t thy wife &s;hould be affected unto thee.</P>
<P>By the &s;econd, is thy feare momentany, &s;oone come, &s;oone gone, doe&s;t thou not feare awayes? then feare thy feare it is not true. If thou ha&s;t overcome thy &s;ervile feare, and do&s;t not feare &s;till, thou can&s;t not have true feare; for as love expels one feare and ca&s;ts it out, &s;o it cau&s;eth another, and that &s;uch a feare as is never afterwards extingui&s;hed, though the act &amp; working of it be &s;omtime more fre&s;h then others, yet the habit is never lo&s;t.</P>
<P>The third thing touching this filiall feare is the effects of it. And the&s;e I reduce to the&s;e heads, &s;uch as awfull and dutifull children have, and &s;o may well be &s;o re&s;embled.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is a de&s;ire to know his will and plea&s;ure, to finde it out, and a delight in doing of it: As a child will be de&s;irous to know his fathers minde, that he may not offend him, and be ready to doe it of him&s;elfe when he hath found it; hence that P&s;al. 112.1. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that feareth the Lord, that deligh|teth greatly in his commandements.</HI> See it by the contrary, Job. 21.9, 14 <HI>Their hou&s;es are &s;afe from feare, neyther is the rod of God up|on
<PB N="102" REF="66">them; Therefore they &s;ay unto God, depart from us: for we de|&s;ire not the knowledge of thy wayes.</HI> P&s;al. 25.12, 13. <HI>What man is he that feareth the Lord? him &s;hall he teach in the way that he &s;hall chu&s;e; his &s;oule &s;hall dwell at ea&s;e, and his &s;eed &s;hall inherit the Earth.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd is, a &s;u&s;pition and jelou&s;y of particular actions, le&s;t they &s;hould doe that unawares, which might be offen&s;ive to God. A good childe, if he doubt to doe ought that he thinketh his father will not like of, he will fir&s;t a&s;ke the que&s;tion, whe|ther he will have him doe it or no, and let it alone till he know his minde in the matter: &s;o a childe of God, he will be carefull to try all his workes by his will and his word, and to ab&s;taine till he know what his good will, and his plea&s;ure is. Thus was <HI>Job</HI> zealous of his children, Job. 1.5. &s;o of his owne wife, Job. 9.28. Therefore the &s;pirit commends him for a man fearing God, and &s;uch as none was like, yea as the devill could finde no fault with him, Rom. 14.5. he will be fully per&s;waded it is Gods will, before he doe it. 1 The&s;&s;al. 5.21. not enough to &s;ay, I doe not know it unlawfull; better debarrre our &s;elves of &s;ome lawfull things, then doe one unlawfull. Eccle&s;. 5.5, 6.</P>
<P>The third is, a wary &s;hunning and avoyding of things he knows will offend, as an awfull child will hardly be drawn, or woed to do ought that his father hath expre&s;&s;ely forbidden him, or that will di&s;plea&s;e him; as <HI>Jacob</HI> to lye and deceive his fa|ther, Gen. 27. or if he be drawn, yet if his father come &s;udden|ly upon him, and finde him about it or beginning it, he will &s;tay his hand &s;oone and bee a&s;hamed of him&s;elfe: &s;o the man that feares God, will not be woed and urged to tho&s;e things that he knoweth cannot but offend God. So <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> Gen. 39.9. <HI>There is none greater in his hou&s;e then I: neither hath he kept back any thing from mee but thee, becau&s;e thou art his wife; how then can I doe this great wickedne&s;&s;e and &s;inne again&s;t God?</HI> Nehe|miah 5.15. <HI>The former governours that had been before mee, were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, be|&s;ides forty &s;hekels of &s;ilver, yea even their &s;ervants bare rule over the people, but &s;o did not I, becau&s;e of the feare of God.</HI> Or if by ca&s;e of infirmity or &s;trength of temptation he be violently car|ryed away, yet if he &s;hall but once &s;eriou&s;ly thinke of the pre|&s;ence of God about him, it will make him for &s;hame to &s;tay, or breake off the practice of &s;inne, as in <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 24.10. Da|vids <HI>heart &s;mote him, and he &s;aid, I have done very fooli&s;hly.</HI></P>
<P>The fourth is, a griefe and a feare to &s;ee ought done by others that may provoke God to wrath, as a good childe will be loath any of his brethren or any of the &s;ervants &s;hould doe ought that may anger his father, if it be but the di&s;quieting of him: &s;o a true child of God will be vexed to &s;ee others take &s;uch cour&s;es as
<PB N="103" REF="66">may be offen&s;ive to his heavenly father. So that 2 Pet. 2.7. and <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 119.53.136.139.158. &s;uch are commended and marked, Ezechiel 9. as they are condemned, 1 Cor. 5.1. who doe contrary.</P>
<P>The fifth, a trembling at the wrath and anger of God decla|red for &s;inne either in word or deed.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in word at Gods threatnings either again&s;t him &s;elfe or others, as a child quaketh and trembleth at his fathers chyding, though it be with &s;ome others; &s;o doe the children of God com|monly when they heare the wrath of God, denounced again&s;t others, &s;o is it, I&s;a. 66.2. P&s;al. 119.161. 2 Chro. 34.27. Jer. 26 18. Habacuk. 3.16.</P>
<P>Now &s;econdly, if at his word, how much more at his rod; if when he &s;peaks, more when he beats them&s;elves, or others: as a child if he &s;ee his father to take the rod in hand to correct any of the family, he &s;tandeth trembling, and quaking, he feareth le&s;t he &s;hould have a wipe by the way; &s;o the child of God feareth as before Gods face, when he &s;eeth the hand of God upon others, as when he feeleth it upon him&s;elfe, <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 6.7.9. the Church, Acts. 5.11. P&s;al. 119.119, 120. Habacuk. 3.16.</P>
<P>Now the&s;e being the effects, and as it were the fruits of this fi|liall feare, it &s;hall be good for a man to examine him&s;elf by them, whether he have it, or no; for by the fruits you &s;hall know it: It is to be feared that if men will doe this &s;eriou&s;ly, but a few of tho&s;e who call God father every day, wilbe found to have this filiall feare, and &s;o his &s;onnes indeed. The fir&s;t fruit, is a de&s;ire to know, and finde out Gods will, and then to doe it; but alas how many have wee that refu&s;e to &s;eek after the knowledge of his wayes; like tho&s;e, Job. 21.14. but &s;ay &s;ome will &s;earch the word, yet it is onely to furni&s;h them&s;elves with matter of di&s;|cour&s;e; and not to finde out that which may &s;erve, to order and direct their lives; they are a curious kinde of Men, and as <HI>Seneca</HI> &s;aith, <HI>scholae non vitae di&s;citur;</HI> they &s;tudy &s;choole quirks, and not points of practice, others are &s;orry many times, that they lighted on more then they looked after: As the yong man not an&s;wered to his mind, was &s;orry he had a&s;ked; Luke 15.25. <HI>Bernard</HI> hath ob&s;erved of his expereince, <HI>Cant. &s;er.</HI> 74. many (&s;aith he) have I known, made &s;ad upon the knowledge of the truth, becau&s;e they could not &s;o pretend ignorance as be|fore.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ber.</HI> in Cant. &s;erm. <HI>74.</HI></NOTE> Or if not this, but with the &s;onne in the Go&s;pell &s;tay, and doe not, or deferre as <HI>Jonah,</HI> or doe as <HI>Balaam,</HI> ble&s;&s;e, when he would have cur&s;ed; &s;o they, their hands go again&s;t their hearts; the&s;e, and &s;uch like, mu&s;t needs be voyd of this feare.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is a jealou&s;ie over his particular actions; but how many runne headlong into all actions, never regarding what
<PB N="104" REF="67">warrant they have for them; that though never &s;o many make doubt of them, and the lawfulne&s;&s;e of them, yet all is one to them, as they know nothing for them, &s;o they know nothing again&s;t them: and they eyther doe as <HI>Peter,</HI> Luke 22.49.50. who cut off <HI>Malchus</HI> eare before he could heare his an&s;wer; or as Prov. 20.25. <HI>doe things fir&s;t, and examine them after.</HI> The&s;e are farre from this feare; for where it is, there if any doubt ari&s;e about an action that &s;eemed indifferent before, he will be jea|lous of him&s;elfe, and walke the &s;ure&s;t way, when he knoweth he may doe or ab&s;taine without offence, but he is in &s;ome &s;u&s;|picion of the other, he will rather be &s;ure to goe on a good ground, than hazard the incurring of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, though he lo&s;e &s;omewhat, yea much, both of his profit and plea&s;ure, knowing the feare of God is oppo&s;ite to this manner of wal|king, and &s;o 'tis made. Eccle&s;. 5.1, 5, 6.</P>
<P>The third is a carefull avoiding of knowne &s;innes, and things that will offend; but how many give liberty to their fle&s;h, runne with a full &s;winge into the practice of &s;inne, and never care to returne out of it againe; who vaunt of this feare, and yet often vaunt of their &s;innes, and never &s;hame at them. Nay, &s;ooner &s;hame and blu&s;h to be a man noted, to have a care to avoid the common &s;innes of the age; how have the&s;e men any child-like feare? will they account that their children doe lovingly feare them, when they runne into all or many things they know will di&s;plea&s;e them, and are a&s;hamed to be accounted more than or|dinarily dutifull? Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e no; then let them be their own Judges, and &s;hall; for they tell us, they have no feare, if that be their feare. Prov. 8.13.</P>
<P>The fourth is a griefe to &s;ee others offend, but many boa&s;t of the feare of God, and yet they delight and take plea&s;ure in the &s;ight and hearing of other mens &s;innes, never caring nor re|garding what others doe, &s;o they be not like them. They can dayly &s;ee many <HI>Laodiceans</HI> neither hot, nor cold, among&s;t us; many <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> that have lo&s;t their fir&s;t love; many Jebu&s;ites, Idolaters among&s;t us, and &s;warming among&s;t us; the&s;e they &s;ee, and yet they &s;igh not at it; nay, either take plea&s;ure or make profit by it: it is but a boa&s;t, they are void of the filiall feare of God, becau&s;e they have no care whether he be honoured or di&s;honoured; plea&s;ed, or di&s;plea&s;ed; as if a Child could endure his fathers di&s;honour, if not be revenged of them, for want of power and &s;uch like, yet will he mourne and &s;orrow. How &s;hould I beare my fathers di&s;honour? and if the&s;e, much more tho&s;e who &s;eeke to draw others to &s;inne, &s;wearing, whoring, drunkenne&s;&s;e, and &s;uch like; they can have no true feare of God as Children.</P>
<P>The fifth, trembling at his judgments threatened or executed
<PB N="105" REF="67">upon others. Many &s;ay they feare God, and yet they can heare the wrath and judgments of God denounced again&s;t &s;inne, and it may be the &s;innes they practi&s;e, yet are never a whit moved at all, but goe as they came, as if the Word were but wind: As jer. 5.13. Their hearts melt not, nor they mourne not; nay, when they &s;ee Gods judgments upon others, they cen&s;ure and condemne them, but feare nothing them&s;elves; nay, often when they are in the &s;ame condemnation, if they be not in the &s;ame puni&s;hment. Sure it is, they have no child-like feare at all, they are wor&s;e than the bea&s;ts, yea, &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e things, who tremble at his voice; and they &s;hew them&s;elves Children of wrath: <HI>Onely the children of wrath are fearele&s;&s;e of wrath,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Soli filii irae iram non &s;en|tiunt. <HI>Bern.</HI></NOTE> as S. <HI>Ber|nard</HI> &s;peaketh.</P>
<P><HI>If I be a Ma&s;ter, where is my feare.]</HI> The application of the &s;econd rule of nature; we mu&s;t &s;peak of Gods Lord&s;hip, then of the feare he requires for it: He is a Lord in re&s;pect of his crea|tures, either generally or &s;pecially: Fir&s;t, generally, <HI>jure Cre|ationis &amp; gubernationis,</HI> by right of Creation and government. Secondly, particularly, <HI>jure pacti &amp; redemptionis,</HI> by right of Covenant and Redemption. Fir&s;t, <HI>jure redemptionis,</HI> Exod. 20.2. 1 Cor. 6.20. Secondly, <HI>jure pacti &amp; conventionis,</HI> by right of Covenant and agreement. Tho&s;e who live in his Church, have made <HI>a Covenant with him by &s;acrifice,</HI> P&s;al. 50. and have bound them&s;elves by Oath to &s;erve him, and have covenanted to be <HI>his people,</HI> Jer. 40. Here he meanes both, but not of the whole in both, but onely of government and covenant: for the other in the former, and by the&s;e he challengeth obedience and &s;ervice, as by the former; for that which is required under ho|nour, is here under feare; the &s;ame thing, but differing in af|fection and &s;ome circum&s;tances, as before. But fir&s;t of his govern|ment and juri&s;diction, in re&s;pect of his ble&s;&s;ings and pre&s;erva|tion.</P>
<P>Men, in re&s;pect of Gods government over them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> ought to &s;erve and obey him, being under him as &s;ubjects are under their Lords and Princes, by who&s;e authority and Lawes they enjoy their lives and liberties, increa&s;e in &s;tate and riches. So under God; he pre&s;erving, protecting, increa&s;ing them and their &s;tates him&s;elfe. If I be a Ma&s;ter and Lord, and you enjoy the&s;e things by me, where is my &s;ervice and obedience? This is pro|ved by, I&s;aiah 1.2, 3. That of the devill in accu&s;ing <HI>Job,</HI> Chap. 1.9, 10. &s;hews that Gods government requires this; and his an&s;wer to his wife, Chap. 2.10. al&s;o &s;hews it. That of <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 71.6. is pertinent, and that of Jer. 5.24.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is not le&s;&s;e benefit than the former of Creation; <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> for that was once done, this is alwayes; and as it were every day, after a &s;ort, God creates man anew; ever pre&s;erving that he
<PB N="106" REF="68">once created, &s;hewing in this no le&s;&s;e power nor love than in the other; and if for that obedience is debt, for creating in a moment; how much more for a continuall pre&s;ervation?</P>
<P>This may admoni&s;h all men, <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> that as their Creation before, &s;o their continuall pre&s;ervation under Gods government, his Lord&s;hip, and Dominion over them, requires all the &s;ervice an obedience they can performe, becau&s;e they are his &s;ubjects and &s;ervants, he their Ma&s;ter and Lord. All Soveraignes and Lords looke for all feare and obedience from &s;uch as they go|verne, protect, and who&s;e good and peace they procure: All Ma&s;ters from &s;ervants they feed, and cloath, and governe; and this they yeeld unto them, how much more all men to God, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, their Soveraigne, and Lord of all, and over all? Therefore all, high and low, Kings and Subjects, Male and Female, bond and free, rich and poore, owe this to him, and are bound unto him for it. For Kings rule, the great ones governe, the rich pro&s;per, the poore live by him, yea, all are under him; he pre&s;erveth and go|verneth all. What&s;oever priviledge one man hath above ano|ther, yet there is no priviledge in re&s;pect of God. If the King reigned without him, if the Noble ruled without him, if the rich increa&s;ed without him, it were &s;omewhat; but when none of the&s;e, all is by his providence, and from his power, which makes him &s;ay to all, If I be a Ma&s;ter or Lord, where is my feare? The King is great but in re&s;pect of his &s;ubjects, nothing greater in re&s;pect of God than another; as the earth is but a &s;mall mote or point in re&s;pect of the Heavens: the rich are weal|thy in re&s;pect of the poore, but, but poore compared with the Kings trea&s;ure, more poore compared with God: &s;o that be they all great, and as high and as rich as may be, yet their Crownes and Crownets, their honours and riches, their &s;tates and lives are in his hands. And as a Ship in one day upon the Sea would peri&s;h without a governour, &s;o would all the&s;e in a mo|ment come to nought without him, his government, protecti|on, and providence. See then how every one that acknowledg|eth God his Lord and Ma&s;ter, and feeleth indeed his govern|ment and providence for good, ought to &s;erve and feare him. If thou doe&s;t not beleeve that God moves all thy members when thou doe&s;t move, thou art not worthy the name of a Chri&s;tian, &s;aith one; for St. <HI>Paul</HI> hath taught it, Acts 17.28. But if thou doe&s;t beleeve it, that thou receive&s;t &s;uch from him, and yet dare&s;t provoke and offend him, I know not what name is evill enough for thee: &s;o for this, if thou acknowledge not all is from God, through his providence, and from his care, that thou art as thou art, thou art not worthy the name of a &s;onne or &s;er|vant: but if thou acknowledge it, and yet &s;hake&s;t off his feare,
<PB N="107" REF="68">and performe&s;t not obedience to him, what name is bad enough for thee? nay, what puni&s;hment is &s;ufficient for &s;uch an offence? what then, if for life and continuance, how much more for a well and wealthy being? when mens portions are made fatter, and their &s;tate better, both than in former times, and al&s;o than thou&s;and others; Gods providence and care more to them, their obedience and &s;ervice &s;hould be more to him. And yet it is a la|mentable thing, my eyes could ca&s;t out teares for it in &s;ecret, (as the Prophet) to &s;ee many men ri&s;en of nothing, when they had little, were diligent and carefull to &s;erve and obey God in them&s;elves, and in their families, and tho&s;e who belong to them; but after that Gods government was more good to them, and they pro&s;pering better by it, I know not how, &s;uch is the corruption of our nature, they &s;erve him now farre le&s;&s;e in them and theirs; and yet it is thought excu&s;able, as if a Subject, who lived under his King, and that onely lived without wealth, or honour, or advancement, or but with a &s;mall pittance of the&s;e, and then gave him &s;ervice and all loyall duty, &s;hould af|ter, when he had received the&s;e in bountifull mea&s;ure, by his gracious bounty and government, either le&s;&s;e re&s;pect him, or be le&s;&s;e loyall, or more rebellious, and thinke it were tolerable enough, becau&s;e he is now more wealthy, wor&s;hipfull, and honourable. But what&s;oever he thinks, others would condemne him, and every of the&s;e who deale thus with God; then &s;hall they be judged by their owne mouth. Oh that they wuld in|deed judge them&s;elves, that they be not judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11.31. el&s;e undoubtedly he will judge them, if his; in this life puni&s;hing them in tho&s;e things which have made them by their corruption le&s;&s;e loyall unto him, as wealth, riches, honour, friends, and &s;uch like; that he may &s;o bring them home againe, and let them &s;ee how they have wronged him, for great things giving him le&s;&s;e. If he done not, the ca&s;e is more fearefull, he meanes to condemne them with the world. And though they will not now acknowledge they injure God any wi&s;e in thus dealing outwardly with him, yet the day &s;hall come, and it is now at hand, when this injury &s;hall be made manife&s;t, and when as the&s;e complaints, which are now made by us, &s;hall be heard, though men have now their eares &s;o heavy, and their eyes &s;o &s;hut up, and their hearts &s;o fat, that they cannot &s;ee, or heare, or under&s;tand to be converted and healed: It &s;hall (&s;aith one) be equall and right with God, that tho&s;e who will not now open their eyes when there is time, and while the mul|titude of ble&s;&s;ings they enjoy by Gods gracious government, doth invite them to &s;erve and feare him; yea, I &s;ay it &s;hall be ju&s;t and right that their eyes &s;hall be opened by the multitude of torments, which mu&s;t continue for ever. But of you who heare
<PB N="108" REF="69">me this day, let mee hope better things; nay, let mee &s;ee them.</P>
<P><HI>If I be a Ma&s;ter,]</HI> God is a Ma&s;ter &s;econdly, by covenant, &s;pecially in this place, for he &s;peakes to &s;uch as profe&s;&s;e him and his wor&s;hip, and &s;uch as were in his Church, and had made a co|venant with him; as his &s;ubjects, he their God and Lord. P&s;al. 50.5. Jer. 50.5.</P>
<P>In the Church all ought to obey God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> becau&s;e of the cove|nant they have made with him; being in that &s;peciall manner his &s;ervants, having covenanted with him, that he &s;hould bee their God, and they would be his people, P&s;al. 50.7.14. Jer. 3.4, 5. I&s;aiah 48.1, 2. Luke 6.46.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if the former, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and for the former rea&s;on, more for this; when God hath taken them &s;o nigh to him&s;elfe in &s;peciall place: For if all &s;ubjects owe duty and obedience; more they, whom the King takes into his owne Hou&s;e and Court, into his Chamber of pre&s;ence: So if all that are in the world, bee the Lords Kingdome, and ought to &s;erve and obey him, and are bound by his generall government and protection; more tho&s;e whom he hath taken into his Church, his Hou&s;e, his Court, and his Chamber of pre&s;ence, and imployed them to &s;ome &s;peciall &s;ervice and office about his per&s;on, as it were.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> if they be covenant &s;ervants, and that be profe&s;&s;ed, then mu&s;t they remember their conditions, for without them no covenant is made, and the condition on their parts is to &s;erve and obey him, and this very common hone&s;ty and &s;ervility requires of every &s;ervant.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God tooke them into covenant, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not as men doe com|monly their &s;ervants, then when they were able to doe him &s;ervice, and looke before they agree with them, what &s;ervice they are able to performe them; but God (&s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI>) farre otherwi&s;e, he receives them into covenant when they are able to doe nothing, and maintaines them long before they can doe a|ny thing; therefore rea&s;on they &s;hould doe him &s;ervice when they are able.</P>
<P>A reproofe of many men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who live more di&s;obedient and re|bellious in the Church, then thou&s;and heathens have done out of it; who onely are Gods &s;ervants at large, and yet doe they out goe them in many things in the outward &s;ervice, and &s;ub|jection to God according to the law of nature, he hath ingraf|ted into them. Many &s;innes, thou&s;ands of them would have blu&s;hed to have heard tell of, and been marvellous a&s;hamed on|ly to &s;peake of them without dete&s;tation, which the&s;e in the Church, and for all their covenant &s;hame not to doe, and blu&s;h not to brag of them: Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e, as the &s;ame &s;innes are graater in the Church, then out of it, for ignorance excu&s;eth <HI>&agrave;
<PB N="109" REF="69">tanto,</HI> though not <HI>&agrave; toto;</HI> &s;o the &s;ame and greater &s;hall have greater puni&s;hment, how&s;oever they may carry it out for a time: Yea, and how&s;oever &s;ome dream, all in the Church mu&s;t needs be &s;aved, though the multitude without be condemned, yet they &s;hall find as it is, Math. 11.22, 24. &s;o it &s;hall be ea&s;ier for tho&s;e heathen, then for them; le&s;&s;er &s;hall their torments be in Hell.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct every man in the Church, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who is Gods covenant &s;ervant, having made a covenant with him, with the &s;acra|ments, and by them; that he ought to &s;erve, and obey him with all faithfulne&s;&s;e and diligence: So doe ma&s;ters looke for, from their covenant &s;ervants, &s;o will &s;ervants of any hone&s;ty doe with their ma&s;ters: So God expects, &s;o &s;hould they per|forme: It is not the boa&s;ting of their bapti&s;me, and com|ming to the Lords Supper, the renewing of their covenant, that will be profitable unto them, when they performe not their con|ditions to renounce the enemies of God, and to &s;erve him; Nay it will be their &s;hame &amp; greater reproach, becau&s;e while they boa&s;t of the covenant, they &s;hew them&s;elves covenant breakers, &s;uch as common hone&s;ty would blu&s;h at, the &s;in of Gentiles who were given up to a reprobate &s;ence;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 1.30.</NOTE> If any man imagine that the&s;e &s;et him at liberty, that is, carnall liberty, he marvellou&s;ly de|ceives him&s;elfe: Truth it is, that it is true liberty, for the &s;er|vice of God is mo&s;t true liberty, but it is not their carnall liberty to doe as they li&s;t, but to follow the command of God, as the Centurions &s;ervants, for they have their pre&s;&s;e money, or &s;oul|diers oath given unto them; yea, and being &s;o nigh brought to him, they owe more &s;ervice, for their more honour, more obedi|ence: he that imagineth it is an ea&s;ie life to be a Courtier, to be imployed about the Kings per&s;on, in his pre&s;ence or bed chamber, doth much deceive him&s;elfe, as ignorant of &s;uch things; for though they have more honour, more favour, and obtaine many &s;peciall &s;uits for them&s;elves and friends, yet they have more labour, more watching; yea, more diligence and in|du&s;try is looked for, from them; and they u&s;ually performe; &s;o in this, in the Church, Gods Court, there is more honour, more comfort, more &s;uits obtained, but more &s;ervice required, or at lea&s;t more bonds of this &s;ervice, &amp; more rea&s;on they &s;hould per|forme it. That <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> urgeth touching virginity of a woman, a virgin and married, may be here applyed; that if there be any liberty to mind earthly things, to follow the plea&s;ures of the world and &s;uch things, it is to tho&s;e who are out of the Church, not to tho&s;e who are in it, further then helps them to this &s;ervice.</P>
<P><HI>Where is my feare?]</HI> Wee have &s;een the rea&s;ons why this is due, and why God doth chalenge it; wee mu&s;t now &s;ee the
<PB N="110" REF="70">duty, and this is &s;ervile feare; feare in generall, is but the ex|pectation of an imminent evill, this feare ri&s;es from the con&s;ide|ration of the power and ju&s;tice of God.</P>
<P>And of this, fir&s;t, a man ought to performe, and give it to God.</P>
<P>Secondly, the effects of it; Of the differences were &s;poken before.</P>
<P>The &s;ervants of God (how&s;oever they be &s;ervants) even in the Church ought to feare him, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> that is, to &s;erve him and avoyd the evils he hath forbidden them, for fear of his power and ju&s;tice, Jer. 5.22. and 10.7. Math. 10.28. P&s;al. 33.8. 2 Cor. 5.10, 11. Rom. 11.20. Revelat. 15.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is able, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as he made them with a word, and the whole world at fir&s;t, &s;o to de&s;troy them, and bring them to nought with a word, when they di&s;plea&s;e and provoke him. Now in rea&s;on, as naturall men (as <HI>Tully</HI> &s;aid) doe more regard what he can doe to them, in who&s;e power they are, then what he will doe with them. For being able he may, when he will, come upon them and de&s;troy them, but being willing and not able, he cnnot at his will; &s;o in rea&s;on ought all men to deale with God, and towards him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e his ju&s;tice will not &s;uffer him to pa&s;&s;e over the breach of his law unpuni&s;hed, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> no more then he will or can be unju&s;t, nay no more then he will not be God; for if unju&s;t, no God; if he let things &s;lip over unpuni&s;hed, he mu&s;t be unju&s;t, except in things where men judge them&s;elves fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Then in the Church mu&s;t there be feare of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> namely of his ju&s;tice and power, and not of his mercy only; contrary to &s;ome who thinke, in the Church, onely men &s;hould feare God for his goodne&s;&s;e? I an&s;wer, that it is true this &s;hould be the prin|cipall thing for which they &s;hould feare; but in the Church, though we be all one mans &s;ervants, yet we are not all one mans children; yet if all were &s;o, becau&s;e of the unregenerate part this ought to be, in that a man is not altogether freed, and made a &s;onne, but is partly a &s;ervant, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Then ought every one in the Church to endeavour to know his power and ju&s;tice, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to acknowledge them; for how&s;o|ever it is true that all are alike in the hand of God, and his do|minion over all, as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peakes, yet all doe not regard and take notice of it. A great many doe not beleeve, nor are per&s;waded of them, and that maketh them, they feare not God as they &s;hould. For as <HI>Ignoti nulla cupido,</HI> there is no de|&s;ire of that which is unknowne &s;o <HI>nulla formido,</HI> there is no feare; for feare ri&s;eth not &s;o much out of the outward evill, as it doth of the inward apprehen&s;ion of it. And there|fore not the neerne&s;&s;e of the danger, but the conceit of the e|vill,
<PB N="111" REF="70">rai&s;eth the affection of feare in the heart; therefore <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;aith of &s;ome, that they goe downe laughing to Hell, they play merrily upon Hells mouth, as the Child without feare, playeth uon the Cockatrices den, becau&s;e they are ignorant what danger they are in. So then it is not all who are in his power, and over whom his authority and ju&s;tice is, but &s;uch as know them for pre&s;ent, or how they may feele them after, that feare and &s;tand in awe of him as they &s;hould.</P>
<P>To teach men, if they have not the &s;pirit of &s;onnes, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> the love of God and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that for con&s;cience they will obey, yet at the lea&s;t, that they endeavour to obey him for feare of his power and ju&s;tice, as &s;ervants, if not as &s;onnes. The other is that which is acceptable, yet this is that which God calls for, and men ought to doe, even the outward act of Gods &s;ervice for feare of his power and ju&s;tice. Though I cannot &s;ay it hath any promi&s;es of good things, yet hath God &s;hewed good, and given ble&s;&s;ings to tho&s;e which have it onely. As to <HI>Ahab</HI> and the <HI>Nine|vites</HI> for their repenting at the feare of his judgments and threat|ning: To &s;hew how he will much more accept the repentance of his, yea, and to draw on &s;uch &s;ervants to the like, for that is a &s;peciall benefit to his Church, they be orderly in the outward duty.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing concerning this &s;ervile feare, is the effects of it, which are the&s;e:</P>
<P>The fir&s;t, that it is <HI>tanquam fraenum ad equum,</HI> as a bit and a bridle to men, to with-hold them from &s;inne, from the wilfull practice of wicked things; it is the &s;tronge&s;t curbe that can be to keepe mans corrupt nature from running forth into outrage, if it be &s;urely &s;etled once in them. Manife&s;t in <HI>Laban,</HI> when he pur|&s;ued after <HI>Jacob:</HI> Gen. 31.29. And that of <HI>Paul,</HI> when he &s;hew|eth that the want of this maketh the open high-way to the pra|ctice of all &s;inne, Rom. 3.18. And that this &s;hould be &s;uch a re|&s;traint, it &s;tands with rea&s;on; becau&s;e there are two maine things which draw men to &s;in, and the practice of wickedne&s;&s;e. The fir&s;t is, the de&s;ire of &s;ome good men may get by the commit|ting of it, but this de&s;ire is cro&s;&s;ed by feare, which is the &s;trong|e&s;t and mo&s;t violent affection of all others, and &s;o &s;toppeth the pa&s;&s;age of all other de&s;ires; &s;o that it is neither profit nor plea|&s;ure that can make a timorous man hardy, or can ma&s;ter and o|vercome feare in any mans minde, but it will overcome all de|&s;ire of them, and node&s;ire of it; nay, not the plea&s;ure it &s;elfe, all the plea&s;ure in the world cannot comfort a condemned per&s;on, nor bani&s;h feare out of his minde, &s;o long as the halter hangeth over his head, &s;o long as he dayly and hourely looketh to be drawne to execution. But feare is able to expell plea&s;ure, and the de&s;ire of tho&s;e things we love mo&s;t; as in <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> in <HI>Dali|laes</HI>
<PB N="112" REF="71">lap, when a noi&s;e of Phili&s;tims and a fal&s;e Alarum was up|on him. Gods feare expells all other feares, as is manife&s;t by the Midwives. Exod. 1.17. Jer. 1.17. I&s;aiah 8.12, 13. As a &s;tronger nayle drives out a le&s;&s;e, &s;o the feare of God other feares; the greater feare the le&s;&s;e, the feare of Hell-fire will carry the ma&s;tery of all other feare. Luke 12.4, 5.</P>
<P>We may make u&s;e of this, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> fir&s;t, to prove many men among&s;t us not onely void of a filiall feare, which makes men avoid &s;mall &s;innes, and to &s;hun the act of any &s;inne, but of this &s;ervile feare, becau&s;e great &s;innes are &s;mall or no &s;innes with them, and they have the very habite of all &s;inne, living in the practice of &s;ome one, or many gro&s;&s;e and impious &s;innes, whoredome, adultery, murther and blood, oppre&s;&s;ion and cruelty, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and u&s;ury, &s;wearing and bla&s;phemy, &amp;c. &s;o that what&s;oever they &s;ay, we may &s;ay, P&s;al. 36.1. <HI>The tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the wicked &s;aith within my heart, that there is no feare of God before his eyes:</HI> when as then men goe on in their wicked cour&s;es, and a &s;mall plea&s;ure or de&s;ire of it will carry them to the fulfilling of the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, and to all voluptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and practice of all plea&s;ure, a &s;mall feare make them commit any &s;inne, and either coveting &s;ome plea&s;ure, or thinking to avoid &s;ome di&s;plea&s;ure of the world, they onely neglect not the good, but make no bones to commit &s;in, and to lye in it; they have not certainly come &s;o farre as to have this &s;ervile feare, and &s;o they are not &s;onnes, no not &s;ervants of God: nay, though they have the &s;hape of men, as <HI>Nabuchadnezzar</HI> had, yet they have not &s;o much under&s;tand|ing as a bea&s;t, le&s;&s;e than he had. For as <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Diver&s;.</HI> 12. Let us lade and over-burthen an A&s;&s;e, and toyle him with labour, he cares not, becau&s;e he is an A&s;&s;e: but if we a&s;&s;ay to put him into the fire, or thru&s;t him into a Ditch or Quarry, he &s;hunneth all he can, becau&s;e he loves life, and feareth death. And yet the&s;e run headlong to Hell, and breake forth into all kind of impiety, as the Hor&s;e into the battaile, when they know the&s;e will worke their everla&s;ting confu&s;ion.</P>
<P>This may teach every man who would keepe him&s;elfe free from the practice and trade of &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and that neither the plea|&s;ures nor di&s;plea&s;ures of the world, the delights nor the dreads of it, &s;hall draw him to be enticed, and openly &s;inne: to labour for this feare, by which he &s;hall be able to overcome temptati|ons on all &s;ides. For if he have this feare, a man would never &s;ell him&s;elfe to eternall torments for a draught of plea&s;ure, or for a Million of Gold, when it might be &s;aid to him, as Jo&s;hua 22.18. <HI>Ye al&s;o are turned away this day from the Lord: and &s;eeing yee rebell to day again&s;t the Lord, even to morrow he will be wroth with all the congregation of I&s;rael.</HI> Loe, to day he offendeth, and to morrow God will be wroth, and he &s;hall peri&s;h in his wrath,
<PB N="113" REF="71">&s;urely no profit or plea&s;ure tendered unto him, would make him incurre this danger. And for the other temptation, hee would ea&s;ily overcome it by this, even the feare of mens feare, with the feare of Gods puni&s;hments, and &s;ay happily as <HI>David,</HI> though he &s;poke it more &s;anctifiedly, P&s;al. 119.161. <HI>Princes have per&s;ecuted me without cau&s;e, but mine heart &s;tood in awe of thy words.</HI> If he have this feare, hardly &s;uch temptations will a&s;&s;ault him. For as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Hom.</HI> 15. <HI>ad pop. Ant.</HI> If it be once knowne and heard that an armed Souldier &s;tands watching in a hou&s;e for the defence of it, there is neither thiefe nor robber, nor any that practi&s;eth &s;uch evill, will come neere it. So, when feare is the keeper of mans heart, there is neither the temptati|on of plea&s;ure, or profit, or worldly feare will &s;et upon a man, but will fly away, or be ea&s;ily expelled, &s;ubdued as it were by the command of feare. God hath &s;et two Schoole-ma&s;ters o|ver us, <HI>Pudor &amp; Timor;</HI> &s;hame and feare; that &s;hould lead an ingenuous nature; but if not that, yet this &s;hould, unle&s;&s;e we will be wor&s;e than bea&s;ts.</P>
<P>The &s;econd effect of this feare is, that it is <HI>tanquam acus ad filum,</HI> the needle or the bri&s;tle to the threed: that is, that as they goe before, and make way for the threed, but abide not there when it is once come, but goes out againe: So this feare fir&s;t entereth the heart of man, and makes way for love or the Child-like feare, that loving feare, fir&s;t when he is converted; and it entereth in for this end, to bring or draw in love after it, and love when it is once entered, ca&s;teth feare out of doores, that made entrance before. 1 John 4.18. This is further ma|nife&s;t by the example of <HI>Paul,</HI> Acts 9.3, 6. and <HI>Jo&s;iah,</HI> 2 Chron. 34.19, 27. &s;o Act. 2.37, 38. and 16.30. Rom. 7.10.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God re&s;pects and accepts men to give them grace when they are troubled, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and are &s;mitten with this feare, I&s;aiah 66.2. and it is &s;poken <HI>exclu&s;iv&egrave;,</HI> none but them; this then mu&s;t needs goe before.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e mans heart is not capable of grace without this; fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> without this it is not fit to receive the impre&s;&s;ion of Gods Spirit. It gives no grace, but it makes capable of grace; as we &s;ee fire, though it give the metall no fa&s;hion, yet it maketh it liquid, and fit to be ca&s;t in any mould; it maketh the waxe fit to receive any impre&s;&s;ion of the Seale. So this feare, though it worke no grace in the heart, but leaveth it as corrupt as it findeth it, yet it mollifieth it, and maketh it plyable for Gods Spirit to worke upon, which before could not take the &s;tamp of Gods grace.</P>
<P>This manife&s;teth that many men mu&s;t needs be without grace, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> becau&s;e many have not had this feare, which is ever be|fore grace, where&s;oever it comes; and grace never comes any where, where this U&s;her hath not beene before; it is the fore|runner
<PB N="114" REF="72">of grace, as <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI> was of Chri&s;t: As God appea|red to <HI>Elias,</HI> &s;o he approacheth to the &s;oule, 2 Kings 19, 12, 13, 14. he was neither in the winde, nor earthquake, which ren|ded the earth, and clave the rockes, nor in the fire that devou|reth all before it, nor he went not before them; but he was in a &s;oft voyce which came afterwards: So is the &s;pirit and grace of God, it goes not before the &s;ervile feare, it is not with it, when it rends the hard hearts of men, and when it melts and mollifies them with the fire of Gods wrath; but it cometh after, and &s;pea|keth peace and re&s;t to the &s;oule, whereas many never ta&s;ted of this feare, and &s;hew it by their lives they have no feare of God, nay in words brag, they had never no &s;uch rentings, and mel|tings of heart, nay je&s;t at tho&s;e which have, they &s;hew them|&s;elves, voyd of grace, of true grace; yea, many who are not &s;o outragious, but civill, or rather &s;ecure, who indeed never felt a|ny &s;uch trouble, and fight in them, any &s;uch feare or terror, but all things is, and ever was at peace within, they are men voyd of true grace and &s;aving grace; they may have the &s;had|dow and &s;imilitudes of grace, but no &s;ub&s;tance and truth of it.</P>
<P>This may teach every man that hath this feare in him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to make much of it and nouri&s;h it, it being the forerunner of grace, and as it were the harbinger of it, without which it never ap|peares, as God never comes with grace, unle&s;&s;e this apparitor go before; as men therefore who de&s;ire the Prince, and joy in his comming, will rejoyce at the comming of his Harbinger, and make much of him, &s;o ought they of this feare; yea, and the greater this feare is, the more rejoyce at it, a&s;well as men may rejoyce in feare, for the greater grace follows after, for in the examples of the Scriptures, tho&s;e who have had mo&s;t feare and conflicts in their conver&s;ion, have been the be&s;t men and wo|men, mo&s;t full of grace. God (&s;aith <HI>Bernard</HI>) hath two feet, the one of feare, the other of love; and when he would enter a mans Soule, he is wont to &s;end afore, or &s;tep fir&s;t in with his foot of feare, then after, his foot of love; and the greater the feare is, which went before, the greater the love is which follows after.</P>
<P>The third effect of this feare is, to make the party it po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth credulous, apprehending every &s;urmi&s;e again&s;t him, making him encline to the wor&s;t, and foreca&s;t the utmo&s;t of the evill. As in that feare which the Goaler was po&s;&s;e&s;t with, Acts 16.27. he apprehended the wor&s;t and utmo&s;t. In Samuel and Jo&s;iah, &s;o in the Ninevites, Ion. 3.5. therefore it made them appre|hend the wor&s;t, and beleeve it would be &s;o.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e feare brings to minde a mans &s;innes and de&s;erts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> even tho&s;e which were long before committed, and for them makes
<PB N="115" REF="72">him apprehend danger, and deeper then indeed it is. As in the brethren of <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> Gen. 42.21. no marvell then, if it make them ea&s;ily beleeve that &s;uch things may fall upon them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they know by them&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that tho&s;e who are inju|red and offended, doe hate the offenders, and where hatred is joyned with power and might, there mu&s;t needs be danger of &s;ome fearefull effect, and &s;o makes them &s;u&s;pect the wor&s;e; It is &s;o betwixt man and man, Gen. 50.15. So betwixt man and God.</P>
<P>This teacheth us that undoubtedly there is a great want of this feare among&s;t mo&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> becau&s;e they doe not apprehend or beleeve the dangers imminent, or as great as they be; but if a little, yet they will not make the wor&s;t, but the be&s;t of every thing. They read often the judgements of God written; they heare them threatned again&s;t particular &s;innes, and it may be their owne; they &s;ee them executed upon particular men daily, every moment, and every morning he drawes forth his judge|ments, yet they hang in &s;u&s;pence, whether he will doe with them, as they &s;ee him doe with others before them: They have the root of gall and bitterne&s;&s;e, Deut 29.18, 19. How many &s;coffers have we, who will not beleeve that Hell fire is &s;o hot as the preacher tels them; no Hell but in this life, the gall of the con&s;cience, which they can cure with company, and good fellow&s;hip. How many have we that thinke the mouth of God is not &s;o hot again&s;t &s;inners as men &s;peake of, not &s;o grievous as we would make them beleeve; and though now and then &s;ome be &s;mitten, yet that he mu&s;t for example &s;ake, to keepe &s;ome more orderly; but no great feare there needs be of it, &s;o long as a man is not outragious? how many that think repen|tance is not &s;o difficult, as men would make it, for at their deaths for a little confe&s;&s;ion and proclaiming of their &s;orrow, they &s;hall have a fellow pronounce pardon unto them; how many thinke that death is not &s;o &s;uddaine, and &s;o uncertaine as &s;ome imagine, few dye &s;o, and that they need not much &s;u&s;pect, and feare to be prepared, but they &s;hall have time enough: And for a little good at their death, they heare many Preachers not tell of the &s;innes of men in their lives, for that will not be born, but of their good at their deaths, and include every bodies &s;oule in Heaven. But the&s;e men are all voyd of this feare, for if they had it, they would be ea&s;ily per&s;waded of the&s;e things in their Soules; yea, they would &s;u&s;pect farre more then we could &s;ug|ge&s;t, for &s;o &s;u&s;pitious is feare: and as every affection is prone to the apprehen&s;ion of tho&s;e things, that feed that affection; as love, joy, hatred, &amp;c. So &s;pecially if feare.</P>
<P>Particularly, every man may try him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> whether hee hath this feare or no. Is he like to the &s;onnes in law of <HI>Lot,</HI> when
<PB N="116" REF="73">their father told them how that God would de&s;troy Sodome, Gen. 19.14. <HI>Hee &s;eemed to them as one that mocked;</HI> So when the Mini&s;ters threat particular or generall judgements, he is but as one that mockes, and becau&s;e of Gods patience after their Prea|ching and denouncing, thou think&s;t nothing will come; but &s;ay, as &s;ome have been heard &s;peaking, the Mini&s;ters doe well to threaten &s;harpely, and &s;peake great words, and tell the people of fearefull things, but yet we hope for farre better things, feare thy &s;elfe, becau&s;e thou can&s;t not feare the things they &s;peak, and believe them, much le&s;&s;e apprehend more, never ca&s;ting the wor&s;t, but making the be&s;t of every thing: this &s;ecurity argu|eth that thou wante&s;t this &s;ervile feare.</P>
<P>The fourth effect of this feare is humility; for feare beates downe the pride of the heart, and makes men not &s;tand upon their pantofles, man to man, not to &s;tand upon tearmes, as be|twixt <HI>Benhadad</HI> and <HI>Ahab,</HI> 1 Kings 20.31, 32. &s;o in this where the feare of Gods power is, the former examples of Ninevites, I&s;raelites, <HI>Saul, Goaler,</HI> &s;heweth it plainly, as that Rom. 11.20. <HI>Bee not high minded, but feare:</HI> a proud &s;pirit and the feare of God can never agree.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they know there is no wi&s;dome nor power again&s;t the Lord, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and &s;o he is to be crept to, not held at defiance; for com|mon wi&s;dome teacheth tho&s;e who are in danger of others, and under their power, when they know their power and ju&s;tice, not to carry them&s;elves proudly, but humbly towards them. As in <HI>Benhadad:</HI> &s;o women and friends, who &s;ue to Judges for their friends, doe petition them &s;ubmi&s;&s;ely. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tom.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it will make every man out of love and liking with all things he hath, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and to take no joy in them, or at lea&s;t no pride in them, when he feares his power who can take them from them in a moment.</P>
<P>This, as the former, &s;heweth that many men are de&s;titute of this feare, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> they are &s;o highly minded, they &s;tand &s;o upon their tearmes, and prerogatives, in mo&s;t things, not with men but God, not in &s;mall things but matters of &s;alvation. They &s;tand upon their reputation and e&s;teem among&s;t men, when as God cals up|on, and &s;ounds an Alarum, not to the eare by us, but to their heart and con&s;ciences with us, calling them out of their cour&s;e of life, as their ambitious, lying, deceitfull, covetous or carnall, civill cour&s;e, and &s;ubmit them&s;elves to the word &amp; to the means of &s;alvation, for&s;aking &s;uch cour&s;es, and living humbly, dealing plainly, walking contentedly, having religious and holy conver|&s;ations, they fear men will mock &amp; &s;corn at them, &amp; think mean|ly of them, &s;ay they are become &s;uper&s;titious, or turned preci&s;e, or they cary them&s;elves otherwi&s;e then becometh men of their place and &s;tate, like <HI>Zedekiah,</HI> Jer. 38.19. Like tho&s;e rulers, who
<PB N="117" REF="73">beleeved on Chri&s;t, but of a proud and ambitious humour, they were a&s;hamed to profe&s;&s;e him. John 12.42, 43. They thought it too ba&s;e a matter to yeeld them&s;elves to be governed by &s;o meane a man, as had none almo&s;t but a few Fi&s;hermen to follow after him; &s;o &s;tanding upon the reputation of their e&s;tate and places, they refu&s;ed to &s;ubmit them&s;elves to the meanes of Sal|vation, and continued in their damned e&s;tate. How many have we like to the&s;e in all places, Cities, Townes, Villages, hou&s;es, all full of them; as many as there are, &s;o many have we, that yet have not this &s;ervile feare.</P>
<P>Particularly, every man may try him&s;elfe whether he hath this feare or no: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> where this <HI>Timor</HI> is, there is not <HI>Tumor,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Ber|nard;</HI> there this feare hath pierced that bladder, and let out all the wind in it; thou art growne humble and lowly, and &s;tande&s;t not upon the reputation or e&s;timation of men, &s;o thou may'&s;t doe what God commands when he calls to any duty; but if thou doe&s;t, there is no feare in thee. For in&s;tance, thou ha&s;t in the time of thy ignorance or prophanene&s;&s;e, either when thou wa&s;t a &s;ervant, defrauded thy Ma&s;ter to get a &s;tock to &s;et up by, as is the cu&s;tome of divers; or being free and in Trade, thou ha&s;t deceived and defrauded many men, and the trea&s;ures of wic|kedne&s;&s;e are yet in thy hou&s;e. Thou come&s;t to the Church, thou heare&s;t the Word, the Lord &s;mites by the &s;word of his mouth, and calls for this, that thou with &s;peed make re&s;titution; thou wilt not doe it; why? thou &s;tand&s;t upon thy credit; for if thou make open re&s;titution, then thou &s;halt be accounted a fraudu|lent and deceitfull man, and every body will ca&s;t it in thy teeth upon any breach; if privately, thy credit will &s;o &s;inke, for thon art not able to drive a trade as before, and to maintaine thy &s;elfe, wife, and children. Know this, thou art void of this &s;ervile feare, while thine heart is &s;o full of pride, that it will not &s;toope to God and his commandement; for if thou feared&s;t his power and ju&s;tice, thou woulde&s;t not &s;tand upon this reputati|on with men: Can he not make thy wickedne&s;&s;e knowne to thy &s;hame? and can he not make thee as poore to thy di&s;honour? If thou didde&s;t feare this, thou woulde&s;t never &s;tand upon that. The like may be &s;aid of men who make profe&s;&s;ion of conver&s;ion and Religion, and yet neglect the duties of it, for feare of the &s;cornes and reproaches of men, and &s;tand upon reputation; they have no feare. But if thou can&s;t be content to hazard thy credit to obey him, that gives credit, and honour, and riches to whom he will, and takes them from he plea&s;eth; it will prove to thy &s;elfe and to others that thou ha&s;t this feare at lea&s;e, what el&s;e may be more; if not, then the contrary; for there can be no place for feare, where the heart is pa&s;&s;ed up with pride. To obey God in honourable things, and things to be done without
<PB N="118" REF="74">cro&s;&s;e or hazard of credit, is but to &s;erve them&s;elves.</P>
<P>The fifth effect of this feare is diligence and carefulne&s;&s;e, that is, it will never let a man re&s;t, till he have u&s;ed all the meanes whereby he may have any hope to e&s;cape that which he is afraid of. In&s;tance for the feare of man in <HI>Jacob,</HI> Gen. 32.6. &amp;c. ma|nife&s;t in <HI>Ahab,</HI> 1 King. 21.27. Exod. 9.20. Acts 2.37. Acts 9.6. <HI>Ninevites.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e this feare is credulous, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> makes a man beleeve that will come which is threatened, and that &s;uch things are not &s;carre-crowes, but if they be not prevented, they will come, and &s;u&s;pects often more than is uttered. Now, that men be|leeve, they u&s;e meanes to compa&s;&s;e it, if good; to avoid it, if e|vill: If good, hope for it; if evill, feare it, and &s;o &s;eeke to avoid it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e feare breeds a de&s;ire, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> whether a man feare he &s;hall not enjoy &s;ome good he would have, or le&s;t &s;ome evill &s;hould come upon him he would e&s;cape; the de&s;ire to have, and the de&s;ire to e&s;cape is increa&s;ed by his feare. He that feares neither, may have &s;ome de&s;ire; but when feare comes, it increa&s;eth his de&s;ire: yea, as the feare increa&s;eth, &s;o doth this. Now a de&s;ire, and a de&s;ire enlarged, gives a man no re&s;t, till he u&s;e the meanes to have, or e&s;cape; de&s;ire is never without endeavour for it, or a|gain&s;t it, to u&s;e all the meanes knowne unto the de&s;irer.</P>
<P>This, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as the other two, argues great want of this feare, be|cau&s;e men are &s;o &s;ecure, and u&s;e no meanes at all to avoid Gods judgments here, or to come; or u&s;e them carele&s;ly and coldly, which mu&s;t needs prove want of feare: when they heare that no adulterer, u&s;urer, bla&s;phemer, or any that loves and lyes in any &s;mne, &s;hall inherit Heaven, but &s;hall have their portion in the burning Lake, without faith and repentance, which can never be had but by diligent and carefull hearing of the Word, this they contemne, or regard not; if it come not to them well, they will not feeke after it; if the&s;e fall into their mouths, well it is, but otherwi&s;e they will never trouble them&s;elves further about either of them: For if they be elected, they are &s;ure to be faved, and the refore they will leave all to Gods di&s;po&s;ition. Thus &s;ome &s;ay de&s;perately, but more deale thus, and &s;hew plainely there is no feare of God in their hearts, or before their eyes; for that would keepe another manner of coyle in them, and would not &s;uffer them to &s;leepe &s;o &s;ecurely in &s;inne, ne|ver regarding what became of them&s;elves. If they had this, we &s;hould not need to threaten the wrath of God, nor to excite them to flye from the wrath to come, and by well-doing to &s;eeke honour and immortality. And we &s;hould need le&s;&s;e to doe it, or at lea&s;t we &s;hould more prevaile with them; for them workes the hammer when the Iron and metall is mollified and &s;oftened
<PB N="119" REF="74">by the fire; then the Word, when men are &s;oftened and molli|fied by this feare: then the Word is mo&s;t regarded, when the heart is wakened by the pre&s;ent feeling, or feare of judgment to come. Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e the generall &s;ecurity that hath overgrown the whole body of our people, that they neither &s;eeke to e&s;cape the vengeance to come of them&s;elves, nor yet when the Mini|&s;ters of God doe with one con&s;ent threaten them: though ma|ny <HI>Johns</HI> have preached for a long time, that the Axe is laid to the root of the tree, yet they come not to enquire what to doe, as the people did, Luk. 3.9, 10. Our age as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> ob&s;er|ved, is like to the old world, our Cities like <HI>Sodom</HI> and <HI>Go|morrah,</HI> &s;till &s;ecure. The plague of God that was upon our hou|&s;es and per&s;ons, hath not wakened them, the Sword that was even at our heeles, hath not made them &s;hake off &s;ecurity, and begin to feare: what is this but a fearing of &s;ome judgment that will make our hearts to ake, and the eares of po&s;terity to tingle when it &s;hall be told them? according to that of Jer. 2.19. <HI>Thine owne wickedne&s;&s;e &s;hall correct thee, and thy turnings back &s;hall re|prove thee: know therefore and behold, that it is an evill thing and bitter, that thou ha&s;t for&s;aken the Lord thy God, and that my feare is not in thee, &s;aith the Lord God of Ho&s;ts.</HI> Yea finally, (to knit this to our pre&s;ent matter) what proves this el&s;e, but that the men of our times are &s;o farre from the truth of Chri&s;tianity, how&s;oever they profe&s;&s;e them&s;elves to be Chri&s;tians, that they are not come &s;o farre as yet to be Gods &s;ervants, wor&s;e than &s;er|vants, yea than bea&s;ts, yea than Sathan, Jam. 2. <HI>who beleeves, and trembles.</HI></P>
<P>This may teach every man to try whether he have this feare or no; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> feare breeds carefulne&s;&s;e to avoid that is feared, or is and ought to be fearefull. Doth any man heare of the judgments of God &s;ounded out many wayes by the words and workes of God, is he carele&s;&s;e of them for him&s;elfe, for his family, if he have a charge; and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the &s;ecurity of the age, not &s;eeking all meanes to avoid them, not as the ma&s;ters of the fami|lies, Exod. 9.20. <HI>&s;uch then as feared the Word of the Lord among the &s;ervants of</HI> Pharaoh, <HI>made his &s;ervants and his cattle flee into the hou&s;es.</HI> But as <HI>Gedaliah,</HI> when it was told him by many the danger by <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> he beleeved it not, and &s;o would not pre|vent it, Jer. 40.14, 16. and &s;aith, the Lord will doe no &s;uch thing, and &s;o will not take the meanes to avoid them: thou ha&s;t not &s;o much as this feare. And do&s;t thou thinke thy &s;elfe a good Chri&s;tian, when thou goe&s;t not &s;o farre as carnall, naturall, yea, Heathen men have done? But is any otherwi&s;e affected, when the Mini&s;ters threaten, when God thunders, and &s;hews &s;ome manife&s;t proofe or figne of an approaching evill? Is it to thee like as <HI>Dalilaes</HI> voyce was to <HI>Samp&s;on?</HI> The Phili&s;tims are upon
<PB N="120" REF="75">thee, making thee flee out of the lap of thy plea&s;ures, and all the delights of thy &s;ins, in making thee to &s;eek all means po&s;&s;ible to avoyd the evill to come, by hearing, believing, repenting and &s;uch like, then ha&s;t thou this feare; which though it be not a purging fear, yet is it a re&s;trayning feare, not a &s;aving feare; and grace it&s;elf, yet it makes way for that, which never comes before. Endeavour for it, and &s;trive to adjoyn the other, that thou may|e&s;t begin a &s;ervant, proceed to a &s;onne, and &s;o at length a|bide in Gods hou&s;e for ever, John 8.35.</P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord of Hoa&s;ts unto you, O Prie&s;ts</HI>] In Gods accu&s;a|tion we have &s;eene the ground and the rea&s;on of it; we are now to proceed to the accu&s;ation it &s;elf, and here fir&s;t, the Accu&s;er, God; Secondly the accu&s;ed, Prie&s;ts; Thirdly the Crime. It is not the Prophet who accu&s;eth them, who might happly bee &s;u&s;pected to have done it, on &s;ome humor, and heat, and &s;ome fini&s;ter re&s;pect; but the Lord him&s;elf, which the Prophet affirms to &s;trike more reverence in them to his me&s;&s;age, and to affect them to look to their wayes, and he is called the Lord of Hoa&s;ts, who can ea&s;ily puni&s;h all their wayes, having all at his com|mand.</P>
<P>For the &s;econd, the per&s;ons accu&s;ed are the Prie&s;ts, yet not excluding the people, as before the people were accu&s;ed by name, and the Prie&s;ts included; and the Prie&s;ts are alone ex|pre&s;t, not that they &s;inne alone, but being chiefe and greate&s;t &s;inners, becau&s;e the people might extenuate their fault by ig|norance, and by pleading example of Prie&s;ts; but the Prie&s;ts could have no excu&s;e, and the Prie&s;ts duty was to reprove o|thers for prophaning Gods wor&s;hip, and give examples; and therefore by negligence, and impiety teaching the people to bee prophane, they are ju&s;tly here accu&s;ed.</P>
<P>Mini&s;ters as well as others, are lyable to be checked, and re|proved by the word. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."></P>
<P>Such as the Prie&s;ts are, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> &s;uch commonly the people are, and therefore all are reproved in their name.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters &s;pecially, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and in generall all who have the charge of others (to make the Doctrine more generall) ought both to teach and doe, be an example both in word and deed.</P>
<P>The &s;innes of every man are &s;o much the more grievous, the more they cro&s;&s;e the maine end of his particular calling and pro|fe&s;&s;ion; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> as in the&s;e Prie&s;ts, which was to &s;ee the honour of God duly regarded: for the common people it is not &s;o much that they make light of Gods honour; but for the prie&s;t, as it was not to be expected, &s;o not indured, the contempt of Gods name a great deale the more grievous &s;in, becau&s;e it was clean contra|ry to the end of their profe&s;&s;ion; and &s;o in all other men: As
<PB N="121" REF="75">treachery in friends, their profe&s;&s;ion being fidelity. Micha. 7.5, 6, 7. Eccle. 10.5. the error or the wrong is &s;o much the more grievous, that it commeth from the ruler or Judge, who ought to doe nothing but ju&s;t, 2. Cor. 11.26. St. <HI>Paul</HI> recko|ning up his dangers, he re&s;erved the la&s;t for the wor&s;t, in perils among fal&s;e brethren, Cant. 1.5. the Church accu&s;eth and com|plaineth onely of her owne Mothers &s;onnes, as if they onely had offered her the wrong, and yet who knowes not what hard mea&s;ure was done to her in all ages by tyrants on the one &s;ide, as Lions, and by heretiques on the other, as Dragons; but pa&s;|&s;ing by them, complaineth onely of tho&s;e who &s;eemed to be of the &s;ame body; other injuries affected her nothing &s;o much as this, Gen 3.12. Job 2.9. the &s;erpent the devill doing it, was nothing in re&s;pect that the women, their wives, their owne fle&s;h given as helps for them, and comforts to them, &s;hould be hin|derers and de&s;troyers.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e where a man is bound to the duty by more rea&s;ons and bonds, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> there the breach of it mu&s;t needs be more hainous, and the greater; when as every one, then is bound as a man, more as a Chri&s;tian, but more, when he hath a &s;peciall profe&s;&s;ion for it. This threefold cord binding the harder, makes the breach the more grievous.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e tho&s;e things come commonly unexpected, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and that which is unexpected, and un&s;u&s;pected, it commeth alwayes more &s;uddainely, it lighteth more heavily, and is taken more to heart. This made <HI>David</HI> complaine &s;o much of the injury of a friend, as a thing that came &s;o unexpected, and did &s;o pierce him; P&s;al. 55.12. And &s;o may God &s;ay and complaine of us.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e every thing, the further it is out of his place, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the more irke&s;ome and trouble&s;ome it is; As it is a rule in nature, that the elements doe not weigh heavy in their owne places. As in water, a man diving under it findes no weight; but a &s;mall quantity in a ve&s;&s;ell is more then he can goe under: the rea&s;on, becau&s;e before it was in its owne place, now it is out of it, in the place of another element; &s;o in this, vice is nothing &s;o offen&s;ive, when in its own &s;ea and &s;ubject, as when it is in the place of a contrary vertue.</P>
<P>Hence we ob&s;erve that as all &s;innes are not equall, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;o not the &s;ame &s;innes are equall, when they are performed by &s;everall par|ties, and men of &s;everall profe&s;&s;ions. For in&s;tance, ignorance is a &s;inne, but one mans ignorance is greater then another, not of private men only, becau&s;e their meanes of knowledge by educa|tion, or living in the place of in&s;truction, are or have been di|vers, but the ignorance of the Min&s;ter, more then the people; for ignorance is in his proper place in the people,
<PB N="122" REF="76">but for the Prie&s;ts and Prophets to be ignorant, that &s;hould be in&s;tructers of others, where ignorance is in the &s;eat of knowledge, here it is the more hainous. And though both &s;hall fall into the ditch, yet more &s;hall be his torments. So for inju&s;tice, for a man to be robbed by a profe&s;&s;ed theefe, or to be wronged by a Judge: So for deceit, to be cheated by a man that lives by his wits, is not &s;omuch, as to be deceived by one that he traffiques and trades with, who profe&s;&s;eth to deale hone&s;tly, and upright|ly; &s;o for unfaithfulne&s;&s;e in an enemy, 'tis not &s;o much as in his profe&s;&s;ed friend: &s;o the &s;ame &s;ins in the Church are more hai|nous, then out of it, of Prote&s;tants, then Papi&s;ts; for the&s;e profe&s;&s;e all again&s;t them, but they profe&s;&s;e unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, trea|chery, deceit, murthers, trea&s;ons again&s;t every Hereticke, be|cau&s;e he is <HI>ip&s;o facto</HI> Excommunicated, and needs but the Popes Excommunication, for more declaration of it, and more certain|ty, as <HI>Thomas in &s;umma,</HI> and <HI>Bannes</HI> upon it.</P>
<P>To teach every man as to avoyd all &s;ins, as hainous and di&s;|plea&s;ing unto God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;o as more hainous tho&s;e which are again&s;t the main end of his calling wherein God hath placed him. As the Mini&s;ter mu&s;t labour again&s;t ignorance, idlene&s;&s;e, &s;uffering his gifts to decay, not increa&s;ing his talent; and he mu&s;t endea|vour to &s;earch, and beat out the &s;imple and &s;incere &s;ence of Gods word and will, and impart it unto the people, to bring them to life eternall: for it is a hainous &s;in, for him to be igno|rant, or <HI>to handle the word deceitfully or corruptly,</HI> as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>or to wre&s;t the &s;en&s;e of it,</HI> as Saint <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaks to their purpo&s;es. And &s;o as it is I&s;aiah the 3.12. <HI>They that lead thee, cau&s;e thee to erre.</HI> So the lawyer mu&s;t not u&s;e unfaithfulne&s;&s;e or cun|ning dealing, he mu&s;t &s;earch out the proper grounds of the law, to direct his client to proceed warrantably, to &s;ee his wrongs re|dre&s;&s;ed, or recover his right; for, for him to &s;pend his time in devi&s;ing quirks and di&s;tinctions, which may &s;erve to ob&s;cure the truth, and make contentions and &s;uits rather then end any, or to delay his clients cau&s;e when he may well ha&s;te it and bring it to an i&s;&s;ue, and as many doe u&s;e their cunning to this purpo&s;e, it is the greater &s;inne in them; &s;o a Phy&s;itian, and a Surgion mu&s;t imploy all his &s;kill to cure; for him to deferre, and &s;omtimes to help forwards, and then pull backwards againe, to make gaine of his patient, and empty his pur&s;e, and hurt his body, is very hai|nous; both of them wor&s;e then theeves by the high-way, ma|king Gods ordinance a cover for their theft, not &s;o puni&s;hable by humane laws, but as culpable before God, and &s;hall as &s;everely be puni&s;hed. So if a &s;onne omit the honour due to his father, or a &s;ervant the feare due to his ma&s;ter, is a greater &s;inne; for o|thers to doe it to the &s;ame men, is not &s;o hainous; &s;o tis the du|ty of a wife to be a helper, that &s;he mu&s;t indeavour in all things:
<PB N="123" REF="76">For, for her to be as <HI>Eve,</HI> who was given as a comfort to make <HI>A|dams</HI> life more joyous, for her to be a broker to bring death, &s;he that was taken from him as part, to be &s;hot at him as a dart, to the wounding and murthering of his &s;oule, as <HI>Ba&s;ill</HI> &s;peaketh; or for her, who was taken out of his &s;ide, to guard and hemme in his heart, to be a ladder to the Devill to &s;cale the heart of her hu&s;band, as <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;peaketh of <HI>Jobs</HI> wife, was more hainous then when the Serpent and Devill did it, who were profe&s;&s;ed e|nemyes, and &s;o now, being directly again&s;t the end of her crea|tion and calling; and &s;o of all, they are thus to thinke of their &s;innes, and thus to avoyd them.</P>
<P><HI>That de&s;pi&s;e my name,</HI>] The &s;inne they are accu&s;ed of is con|tempt of his wor&s;hip, not the omitting of it, or the not doing of it at all; but the doing of it corruptly, carele&s;&s;ely and contemp|tuou&s;ly. The name of God &s;ignifies, Fir&s;t, him&s;elfe; Secondly, his properties. Thirdly, his commands or his authority; Fourth|ly, his workes; Fifthly, his word and wor&s;hip, which is here meant, and which they not only omitted, which might be through ignorance or &s;ome forcible temptation, but contem|ned or de&s;pi&s;ed, for many could not pretend ignorance, and at this time there was no per&s;ecution to compell them to di&s;ho|nour God: but many did it out of a ba&s;e conceit they had of Gods maje&s;ty, thinking any kinde of &s;ervice would &s;erve the turne; the word &s;ignifies to trample under feet, as we doe vile things, Math. 5.13. 2 Kings 9.33. but did the Prei&s;ts doe thus? <HI>Ribera</HI> an&s;wereth, things are oft &s;aid to be done, which are inten|ded to be done; becau&s;e nothing is wanting in them why it &s;hould not be done, who have a will to have it done.</P>
<P>Contempt of Gods name, that is, when men doe indeed the works of Gods wor&s;hip and &s;ervice, but doe them negligently, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> carele&s;ly and contemptuou&s;ly, thinking if the deed be done it is enough, but how for the manner it matters not greatly, it is a grievous &s;inne: Manife&s;t, that it is here made the grand &s;inne of this people, and the&s;e Prie&s;ts for which the burthen is threat|ned in the beginning, and many particulary judgements after|wards. This people did the work of the Lord, brought their Sacrifices; but they did it carele&s;ly and contemptuou&s;ly, brought any thing, as thinking it good enough. This was one difference betwixt <HI>Abel</HI> and <HI>Cain,</HI> though faith was the main, yet how carefull the one was, that thought the be&s;t was bad e|nough, the other, the wor&s;t would &s;erve, for he brought a Sacri|fice. Gen. 4.3, 4. Hence are the qualities of the &s;acrifices de&s;cribed in the Law; God requiring not only Sacrifices, but &s;uch as were perfect without blemi&s;h, Levit. 22.20, 21, 23. Deuter. 17.1. But why this? but to &s;hew how he requires the manner of doing, a&s;well as the deed, and that he cannot endure
<PB N="124" REF="77">corruption here. Hence <HI>Saul</HI> laboured to le&s;&s;en the fault, be|cau&s;e they &s;aved the chiefe&s;t for the Lord. 1 Sam. 15.15. Hence is that, Malach. 1.14. which we &s;hall &s;ee hereafter.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this argues a great contempt of God, and as we may &s;peake, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> of his per&s;n; for when any man is re&s;pected either for love or feare, there the offices and duties that are performed a|bout him, are done neither negligently nor carele&s;ly, but with all diligence. The Wife that loves her Hu&s;band, the Child that honours his Father, the &s;ervant that feares his Ma&s;ter, doe their duties with all diligence and care. Where the duties are done of cour&s;e, and coldly, there is not the re&s;pect of the per|&s;on that &s;hould be: &s;o it is in our carriage towards God.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is gro&s;&s;e hypocri&s;ie, when men doe thus performe the act, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and yet their hearts and affections are farre remote, and &s;o are no living &s;acrifices, but onely dead carka&s;&s;es, &s;uch as mu&s;t needs &s;tinke in the no&s;thrils of God; yea, and thus honou|ring him, they doe di&s;honour him, I&s;aiah 29.13. St. <HI>Salvian</HI> &s;peaking of &s;uch as wor&s;hip God corruptly, &s;aith, <HI>Non tam ina|nis criminis fui&s;&s;et ad Templum Domini non venire, qu&agrave;m &s;ic ve|nire; quia Chri&s;tianus qui ad Eccle&s;iam non venit, negligentiae re|us e&s;t; qui autem venit, &s;acrilegii; minoris enim piaculi reus e&s;t, &s;i honor Deo non deferatur, quam &s;i irrogetur injuria: ac per hoc qui|cunque i&s;ta fecerunt, non dederunt honorem Deo, &s;ed derogaverunt. De gubern. Dei,</HI> lib. 8.</P>
<P>This being &s;uch a &s;inne, argues the age we live in, guilty of a great deale of &s;inne before the Almighty; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> his wor&s;hip is perfor|med, but yet contemned marvellou&s;ly among&s;t us: As they brought the &s;acrifices, &s;o doe we the workes; but &s;o corruptly and carele&s;ly, that he &s;peaks to us Mini&s;ters and people, <HI>Ye de|&s;pi&s;e my Name.</HI> The Word is preached and heard, prayers are made, Sacraments are delivered and received, but alas, &s;o care|le&s;ly, cur&s;arily and cu&s;tomably, that it is but the contempt of them, and the contempt of God in them. How many Mini&s;ters preach the Word but for gain, for vain glory, for law, and for cu|&s;tome, and not of con&s;cience; as law and cu&s;tomes bind them, when they have gifts and body able to doe it, oftner to the edi|fying of the Church; &s;ome in preaching make it &s;erve their own turne, and &s;erve them&s;elves out of it, and not God. How ma|ny hearers, that heare for law or cu&s;tome, that being pre&s;ent, &s;leepe, or &s;uffer their eyes to &s;teale away their hearts, or let their &s;oules and minds be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with their &s;everall feares, joyes, plea&s;ures, profits, that they are pre&s;ent in body, and ab&s;ent in mind, thinking yet that is good enough for the Lord. For prayer, how many Mini&s;ters runne it over like jour|ney-workes without affection and zeale, making the people to abhorre the &s;acrifice of the Lord? How many of the people
<PB N="125" REF="77">come late, carry them&s;elves without all reverence, &s;itting ga|zing, reading, and &s;uch like, and there is no fault, all is well enough. The like may be &s;aid of Sacraments, any preparation, any affection good enough, (but of the particulars more after|wards) How many that deferre the &s;ervice of God till they be old, till the even; the morning and fre&s;h thoughts of them|&s;elves and &s;ervants for the world, for their Chapmen, not for God; drow&s;ie prayers, &s;pirits &s;pent, good enough for him. Here I may apply that of <HI>Seneca,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Qui ut bonus &s;it in &s;enectu|te, differt, apert&egrave; o&s;tendit, &s;e nolle virtuti dare, ni&s;i tem|pus ad omnia alia inidone|um. <HI>Seneca.</HI></NOTE> He who deferres to be good till he be old, &s;hews plainly he would not give him&s;elfe to vertue, if he were fit for any thing el&s;e. So of both the&s;e, and their like, who &s;hew therein the contempt of Gods Name, think|ing any thing good enough for him.</P>
<P>To teach every man to labour to &s;ee and know him&s;elfe guil|ty of this &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to humble him&s;elfe for it, and to repent of it, as of one of his great &s;innes. Now there is no repentance where there is per&s;everance in it, when it is not left, and the former good done: for as he verily is wicked, that is not ju&s;t; he is un|gratefull, that is not thankfull; &s;o doth he de&s;pi&s;e, that doth not honour God. The contrary evill is ever where the good is not, where, and when it ought to be; therefore mu&s;t every one la|bour for the good, that is, to honour God; not to doe the things and workes of his &s;ervice onely, but to doe them as his &s;ervice &s;hould be done, being more carefull for the heart and affection, which God more re&s;pects than the action: thinking not as hypocrites, any thing is good enough, but that nothing is &s;ufficient: As <HI>Paul,</HI> who is &s;ufficient? &s;o what is &s;ufficient? what care, diligence, endeavour of the heart and whole man? It is not the omitting of the wor&s;hip of God, nor the neglect to leave &s;ome things undone, that is onely di&s;plea&s;ing unto the Lord; but when the Act is done, he may be as much offended: As here, the not offering of the &s;acrifice was not the thing that di&s;plea&s;ed him, but when the &s;acrifices were not &s;o qualified as they ought, that he accounted contempt, becau&s;e it argued contempt: &s;o in this, the quality of the &s;ervice is that which he accounts contempt, when they thought the deed was enough. The outward worke mu&s;t be done as the &s;acrifice ought by them to have beene offered; &s;o God hath commanded, &s;o mu&s;t ex|ample be given to others; but the intention, the heart is that which mu&s;t make it acceptable unto God, as <HI>Gregory.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And ye &s;ay, wherein have we de&s;pi&s;ed thy Name?</HI>] Here is their excu&s;e and defence, in which they adde more impiety to their former prophanene&s;&s;e; they put God to his proofes, and &s;eeme to charge him for accu&s;ing them unju&s;tly. They &s;tand upon their defence, <HI>Wherein have we, &amp;c.</HI> we have highly thought of
<PB N="126" REF="78">thy Name, and &s;poken of thee mo&s;t religiou&s;ly, why then are we accu&s;ed? But ob&s;erve we Gods reply.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE VII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Ye offer uncleane bread upon mine Altar, and you &s;ay, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that yee &s;ay, The Table of the Lord is not to be regarded.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>YEE offer uncleane bread upon my Altar.</HI>] Here is Gods re|ply to their defence. They who offer polluted things to God, de&s;pi&s;e his Name; but &s;uch are you, for ye offer pollu|ted bread upon my Altar: where we mu&s;t examine the &s;en&s;e of three words: Fir&s;t, Altar. Secondly, Bread. Thirdly, polluted or uncleane.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by the Altar, there are &s;ome, and not of the meane&s;t, who under&s;tand in this place the table of Shew-bread that &s;tood in the Temple and Tabernacle, ju&s;t over again&s;t the Candle&s;tick on the North-&s;ide, and the right hand of it. In the Tabernacle there were three di&s;tinct places; the Tabernacle, the holy place, and the mo&s;t holy: The table of Shew-bread was in the &s;econd, whither the Prie&s;ts onely came. By the Altar then is under&s;tood the Altar of burnt offerings, which &s;tood in the outward Court, whither both Prie&s;t and people came, and had like acce&s;&s;e when the Law was read, and their dayly &s;acrifices were offered. And thus doth <HI>Theodoret</HI> and <HI>Cyrill</HI> under&s;tand it upon this place: &s;o that we expound not this by that which is in the end of the Ver&s;e, but that by this, becau&s;e we find in the Scripture the Table put often for the Altar, but not the Altar for the Table.</P>
<P>Secondly, by bread, &s;ome under&s;tand onely the Shew-bread, as <HI>Hierome;</HI> &s;ome, of bread which was offered with the burnt-offering on the Altar, Levit. 6.20. Numb. 28.6. Some, not of the bread onely, but of the fle&s;h al&s;o, or what&s;oever thing el&s;e was offered there upon the Altar, which is the be&s;t accep|tation; for the word here u&s;ed &s;ignifies not bread alone, but al|&s;o other victuall and meat, as it is u&s;ed in the word, and as <HI>Cy|rill</HI> expoundeth this place, and &s;ome other, for the bread of the &s;acrifice; and e&s;pecially the Prophet him&s;elfe, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 8. when he &s;hews that he meant the &s;acrifices and meat that was offered upon the Altar.</P>
<P>Thirdly, by uncleane, what is meant; it is agreed of by mo&s;t, that it is not any thing that is uncleane by nature, or naturally; that is, &s;uch a thing as is abhominable to humane &s;en&s;e, as Ezek. 4.12, 13. nor yet any thing that is uncleane morally: as all
<PB N="127" REF="78">things are &s;aid to be morally vile and polluted, that God doth di&s;allow and di&s;like of; <HI>Nullum cadaver tam foedumaut faetidum</HI> (as <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;aith) to us, as the &s;inners &s;oule in the &s;ight of God. But it is my&s;tically unclean, that is, in regard of &s;ome my&s;ticall &s;ignification, God having pronounced them typically unclean, to in&s;truct &s;ome further matter, that thereby he would inure men the rather to abhorre them. And thus are all things &s;aid to be unclean which are prohibited in the law ceremoniall; and &s;o it is in this place. But the&s;e things were either unclean by o|thers, or of them&s;elves: in the fir&s;t by touching a dead corps, or any uncleane thing; in the &s;econd either in their kinde, as I&s;aiah 66.17. or in quality only, that is, when it comes by &s;ome accident, of which, Deut. 17.1. of this is meant in this place, as the 8. ver&s;e &s;heweth.</P>
<P>And &s;o here &s;eemes to be a double fault taxed by the Spi|rit of God; one in the people, and the other in the Prie&s;ts; and &s;o a double duty exacted of them; the peoples fault was in bring|ing of polluted offerings, and pre&s;enting them unto the Prie&s;ts; their duty was to have brought &s;uch as were &s;ound, entire and perfect; the Prie&s;ts fault was in receiving them at their hands, and not reproving and prohibiting them; his duty was to have in&s;tructed them what &s;acrifice they were to bring, and to reject that which was uncleane, and not according to the Law. Now the&s;e &s;acrifices were to be cleane, and pure, and perfect, <HI>ad ty|pum capitis,</HI> to &s;hew the perfect purity of Chri&s;ts humane nature, 2 Cor. 5.21. 1 Pet. 1.17. Secondly <HI>ad typum corporis,</HI> to &s;hew what they &s;hould be who are members of him, and that offer the&s;e &s;acrifices unto God; that they &s;hould be <HI>perfect to every good worke,</HI> 2 Tim. 5. and Rom. 12.1, 3. So that then, be&s;ides that which hath been &s;poken for the &s;acrifice, we may gather out of the peoples fault, (comparing outward things with in|ward,) the type with the truth, that &s;eeing God rea&s;ons on this &s;ort; if they who bring polluted offerings unto me, contemne me, then &s;uch as come polluted in them&s;elves, much more.</P>
<P>They who come to the publique &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and come to offer him any &s;acrifice mu&s;t not be uncleane and polluted in their hearts and lives, but mu&s;t come with holine&s;&s;e and purity; for if their &s;acrifice, mu&s;t be &s;uch, then them&s;elves; and the &s;acrifi|ces were commanded to be &s;uch, becau&s;e they them&s;elves ought to be &s;uch. When God reproved I&s;rael for it, I&s;aiah 1. and 66.3. and Jerm. 7.9, 10. he &s;heweth what he required of them, and of others; to this purpo&s;e is, P&s;al. 4.4, 5. Gen. 35.2. Jo&s;hua. 24.16, 19, 23.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God el&s;e will not accept their &s;ervice; for he fir&s;t looks to their per&s;on, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and then their &s;ervice, Gen. 4.4. for the
<PB N="128" REF="79">&s;acrifice doth not &s;anctifie the per&s;on, but the per&s;on it: as <HI>Haggai.</HI> 2.13, 14. Proverb. 15.8.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e that which God offers and gives to them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> is made hurtfull unto them; not that God gives any evill, but becau&s;e they are evill that receive it. As the Sacrament to <HI>Judas,</HI> Chri&s;t gave not that which was evill; nor did he, being the Phy&s;itian, give the poy&s;on; but <HI>Judas</HI> being wicked, it became evill unto him: for as the &s;pyder and the adder turn good meat into poy|&s;on; and as a corrupt &s;tomacke, abounding with choler and &s;uch like, turneth the meat they eate into choler, and the finer the meat is, it is the &s;ooner turned to corruption; &s;o is it in this thing, Titus 1.15. <HI>&V;nto the pure are all things pure, but unto them that are defiled, and unbeleeving, is nothing pure, but even their mindes and con&s;ciences are defiled.</HI></P>
<P>To reprove all &s;uch as have no care to purge and purifie them|&s;elves before they come unto the hou&s;e of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to his &s;ervice; that come without repentance, without preparation, full of their drunkennes, whoredomes, u&s;uries, adulteries, and &s;uch like &s;innes. They are more guilty of contempt again&s;t the Lord, then if they withdrew them&s;elves altogether from his obedience and hou&s;e. A man having committed &s;ome offence again&s;t his Prince, &amp; being &s;ummoned to appeare per&s;onally in his pre&s;ence, if he refu&s;e to come at him, and &s;hun his &s;ight, may well be con|demned of contumacy, but not of contempt, for he may do it out of fear; and contempt and fear cannot &s;tand together in one &s;ub|ject; but if he &s;hall confidently come &amp; appeare before him, as if he had done no &s;uch thing, or not offended him, &s;hew no &s;orrow for his offence, make no promi&s;e of amendement, nay &s;hall rather &s;tand in it, &amp; with an impudent face avow it, &amp; profe&s;&s;e to per&s;i&s;t in it, this mu&s;t needs be judged a gro&s;&s;e &amp; outragious contempt. Now the place of Gods wor&s;hip is his pre&s;ence, and he that commeth thither, commeth to look God full in the face; as <HI>Cain</HI> was ca&s;t out from the <HI>face</HI> of the Lord. Gen. 4.16. If he come nor, he &s;hall &s;uffer as <HI>contnmax,</HI> as rebellious and di&s;o|bedient; but he that commeth polluted, with the filth of his &s;in unrepented of, with a purpo&s;e to per&s;i&s;t, he &s;hall be puni|&s;hed as a contemner. They who refu&s;ed to come were &s;hut out, but he that came in his old cloathes, was bound hand and foot, &amp; ca&s;t into utter darknes, Math. 22. he that is willfully ab&s;ent, excluding him&s;elfe from the &s;ociety of the Saints, in the time of grace, &s;halbe barred their company in the time of glory for e|ver; but he that pre&s;umeth to appeare there, with the guilt of his &s;inne on him, &s;hall have a farre greater portion in Hell fire, he &s;hall &s;uffer as in ca&s;e of contempt, like an in&s;olent rebell, that bourdeth his Prince to his face in his owne Palace; and in the mean time all their prayers are unaccepted, yea they are turned
<PB N="129" REF="79">into &s;inne to them, they obtaine nothing of God more then he would give them, though they never prayed, with which he feeds them but for the &s;laughter; yea, and hence we profit not them by preaching, but make them wor&s;e; wee are not the &s;a|vour of life unto them, but of death by the word, they are hard|ned in their &s;ins, by this two edged &s;word they are daily woun|ded; becau&s;e their &s;innes are not wounded, their per&s;ons are, and the more fearefully, becau&s;e their wounds are not &s;en&s;ible; yea by the Sacraments the Devill, as upon <HI>Judas,</HI> &s;o upon them, ta|keth more &s;ure po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and raignes in them.</P>
<P>To teach every one to labour to be holy when he commeth to Gods hou&s;e; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> holines becomes it; to put away iniquity and &s;in farre from him; when God cals him, ca&s;t of his patched cloak, as did blinde <HI>Bartimaeus,</HI> Mark. 9. we deal &s;o when we go before Princes, as <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> did, Gen. 41.14. much more we ought to doe &s;o with God. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> were commanded to put off their &s;hoes when they approached to God, and were to &s;tand up|on holy ground: we are hereby taught, &s;aith <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> Ep. 16. to &s;hake off the du&s;t, and &s;coure off the &s;oyle that our &s;oules and lives gathered by fle&s;hly occa&s;ions, and worldly cour&s;es, ere wee come to tread the Courts of Gods hou&s;e. There was a Laver of bra&s;&s;e, Exod. 30.18, 19. for <HI>Aaron</HI> and his &s;onnes to wa&s;h in before they offered any thing at the Altar, to &s;hew what we &s;hould doe being made the Lords Prei&s;ts; to this <HI>Da|vid</HI> alluded, P&s;al. 26.6. <HI>I will wa&s;h mine hands in innocency, O Lord, and compa&s;&s;e thine Altar.</HI> And this ought we to doe, that our prayers may be heard and be acceptable, that our hearing and receiving of the Sacraments may be fruitfull unto us; el&s;e P&s;al. 66.18. <HI>If I regard wickedne&s;&s;e in mine heart, the Lord will not heare me:</HI> and we being corrupt, this mu&s;t needs be hurtfull unto us, unle&s;&s;e we learne that wi&s;dome from the Serpent, to ca&s;t our poy&s;on before we come to drinke.</P>
<P>Out of the peoples fault, (comparing outward things with inward, the type with the truth,) we have gathered, that the people that bring offerings to God, they who perform any &s;er|vice to him, ought to be holy and pure; for if their &s;acrifice, much more they. Now out of the Prie&s;ts fault we may gather, that if they ought to reject unclean and unfit &s;acrifices, then tho&s;e al&s;o who brought them, being unclean; yet they ought to put a difference, and to di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt the clean and un|clean, to receive the one, and refu&s;e the other, as Levit 10.10. And &s;o from the proportion we may gather &s;ome ob&s;ervation for our times.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell and new Te&s;tament ought to make difference betwixt the godly and the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> as much as lyeth in them; to accept and receive the one, and to reject and
<PB N="130" REF="80">exclude the other from the publique prayers of the Church, and from the &s;acred Table of Chri&s;t: Hence is the command to the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> and to the Pa&s;tor, as the principall man, 2 Cor. 5.13. Jer. 15.19. the Liturgie of our Church com|mendeth <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> then Bi&s;hop of <HI>Millaine,</HI> for dealing &s;o with the Emperour him&s;elfe, <HI>Theodo&s;ius</HI> the younger, till he &s;hewed him&s;elfe &s;orry for his &s;innes. So 1 Tim. 1.20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if they under the Law, Prie&s;ts and Prophets ought to doe it, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> much more they in the Go&s;pell. For as many things were then tolerable which noware not, becau&s;e, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine, Many things are tolerated in the darkne&s;&s;e and dawning, which are not in the day when the Sunne is up:</HI> &s;o mu&s;t it follow, that that which was not tolerable then, cannot be now.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by their continuance and &s;uffering them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and not cen&s;uring them, they may by many meanes be hurtfull, and in|fect the cleane and holy; the&s;e being more capable of the others evill, than they are able to communicate their good to them. As health is not &s;o communicable as contagion, 1 Cor. 5.6. then if they de&s;ire to keepe them whole from pollutions, they mu&s;t &s;eparate the wicked, as Shepherds, &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;ost.</HI> &s;eparate the infected and &s;cabbed from the whole.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t admitted <HI>Judas</HI> to the Supper, a devill, after he knew he had taken money to betray him. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> it is denyed that he was admitted to it; but &s;ay he did, as to the Pa&s;&s;eover, yet this follows not, that a Mini&s;ter mu&s;t not, as much as in him lyeth, exclude the wicked; for, fir&s;t, this was a hidden &s;inne, not open, but &s;mothered and kept clo&s;e: Chri&s;t tooke notice of it by his divine power, not humane na|ture. Now the exclu&s;ion is for knowne &s;innes, not &s;ecret, tho&s;e mu&s;t be left to Gods judgment; and this cro&s;&s;eth not the exclu|ding for known &s;innes. And it is probable, that our Saviour ad|mitted him to the Pa&s;&s;eover, becau&s;e his hypocri&s;ie was not yet unma&s;ked: whereas after, when he had unma&s;ked him by gi|ving the &s;op to him, (as St. <HI>Hilarie</HI> well ob&s;erveth) and &s;o made him knowne, what he was, to the re&s;t, he &s;ent him out of the way while he celebrated the new Pa&s;&s;eover.</P>
<P>This &s;heweth what manner of men they ought to be, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who mu&s;t exclude and &s;hut out others; if not without &s;inne, yet without open &s;candall and blame, as St. <HI>Hierome, Sine crimine, non &s;ine peccato.</HI> Hence was it ordained, that who&s;oever of the Prie&s;ts or Levites had erred, and beene defiled by Idolatry in the time of the Captivity, or of any of the Idolatrous Princes, and &s;o became a &s;candall, &s;hould not &s;erve any more in the Temple. Ezek. 44.10, 12, 13, 15. <HI>Neither yet the Levites that are gone back from me, when I&s;rael went a&s;tray, which went a&s;tray from me after their Idols; but they &s;hall beare their iniquity. Becau&s;e
<PB N="131" REF="80">they &s;erved before thee Idols, and cau&s;ed the hou&s;e of I&s;rael to fall into iniquity, therefore have I lift up mine hand again&s;t them, &s;aith the Lord God, and they &s;hall beare their iniquity. And they &s;hall not come neere unto me, to doe the office of the Prie&s;t unto me, neither &s;hall they come neare unto any of my holy things in the mo&s;t holy place, but they &s;hall beare their &s;hame, and their abhominati|ons which they have committed. But the Prie&s;ts of the Levites, the &s;onnes of</HI> Zadok, <HI>that kept the charge of my Sanctuary, when the children of I&s;rael went a&s;tray from me, they &s;hall come neare me to &s;erve me, and they &s;hall &s;tand before me, to offer me the fat and the blood, &s;aith the Lord God.</HI> 2 King. 23.9. And this the Church af|ter Chri&s;t did ob&s;erve; for <HI>Cyprian, Epi&s;t.</HI> 2.1. mentioneth a Canon made by him and other of the Bi&s;hops of <HI>Africk,</HI> that no Bi&s;hop or Prie&s;t, that had beene ordained in the Church, and after either had fallen into here&s;ie, or beene touched with Ido|latry, &s;hould be received againe upon their repentance, other|wi&s;e than as lay-men. And <HI>Epi&s;tola</HI> 1.7. he chideth <HI>Fortunati|anus,</HI> who once was a Bi&s;hop, and had in the time of per&s;ecuti|on burnt incen&s;e to Idols, and after came home againe to the Church, and would have kept his place &s;till.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Audet &s;ibi &s;acerdotium quod prodidit vendicare, qua&s;i pe&s;t aras Diaboli ad altare Dei fas &s;it accedere, &amp;c?</NOTE> <HI>Dares he challenge that Office or Prie&s;thood which he hath be|trayed, as if it were lawfull, after he hath &s;erved at the Idoll-&s;toole of the Devill, to draw neere to Gods Al|tar? Novatianus</HI> and <HI>Novatus</HI> made a Schi&s;me from the Church, becau&s;e one <HI>Trophimus</HI> a Prie&s;t, with &s;ome other, were received, after they had fallen for feare in tho&s;e horrible times. <HI>Cyprian</HI> an&s;wereth, <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> 4.2.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Su&s;ceptus e&s;t <HI>Trophi|mus,</HI> &s;ic ta|men admi&s;|&s;us, ut laicus communicet, non qua&s;i lo|cum &s;acerdo|tis u&s;urpet. <HI>Cyprian.</HI></NOTE> Trophimus <HI>is indeed received, but admitted onely into the place where Lay-men commu|nicate, not into the place of a Prie&s;t.</HI> All teach, that &s;uch &s;hould not be received; for what if <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> (the example of the one, and the calling of the other extraordinary) were received, yet the equity is great, that tho&s;e who mu&s;t judge the lepro&s;ie of others, &s;hould be free from it them&s;elves; or if they be not, &s;hould be expelled as <HI>&V;zzah,</HI> when the lepro&s;ie once &s;prung out of his forehead. And that the Church &s;hould not receive Popi&s;h Prie&s;ts to be Mini&s;ters at Gods table, be&s;ides that it is like to be hurtfull; becau&s;e the my&s;tery of iniquity workes thus cunningly, as they, <HI>Ezra</HI> 4.2. <HI>They came to</HI> Zerubbabel, <HI>and to the chiefe Fathers, and &s;aid unto them, we will build with you: for we &s;eeke the Lord your God as you doe, and we have &s;acrificed unto him &s;ince the time of</HI> E&s;ar Haddon, <HI>King of</HI> A&s;hur, <HI>which brought us up hither.</HI> To whom an&s;wer &s;hould be, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 3. <HI>Then</HI> Zerubba|bel <HI>and</HI> Je&s;hua, <HI>and the re&s;t of the chiefe of the Fathers of I&s;rael &s;aid unto them, it is not for you, but for us to build the Hou&s;e unto our God; for we our &s;elves together will build it unto the Lord God of I&s;|rael, as King</HI> Cyrus, <HI>the King of</HI> Per&s;ia <HI>hath commanded us.</HI> If they
<PB N="132" REF="81">have parts of learning, it were fit they &s;hould bee imployed otherwayes then in the mini&s;try, to the &s;candall and hurt of many.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h the Mini&s;ters of their duty, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that they would, as much as they have any power in their hands, reject and exclude the wicked, and not receive them, (as <HI>John</HI> would not the <HI>Pha|ri&s;es</HI> and <HI>Sadduces</HI>) till they confe&s;&s;e their &s;innes, and &s;o give &s;ome te&s;Timony of their repentance. But yet this mu&s;t not be done upon every &s;mall infirmity, or hidden &s;inne, but for hai|nous &s;innes, that are contagious in re&s;pect of the quality of them, &amp; are &s;candalous in regard of the openne&s;&s;e of them; for hidden &s;innes mu&s;t be left to the judgement of God, and infirmities mu&s;t be otherwi&s;e dealt withall, mildly &amp; with le&s;&s;e cen&s;ures, Gal. 6.1, 3, 4. &s;ecret&s;ins &s;ecretly reproved, Math. 18. onely publique &s;ins to be publiquely cen&s;ured, and the offender to be excluded; and yet not at fir&s;t, but, as in the matter of the Leper, &s;o, he mu&s;t not pre&s;ently expell him the Church, but admoni&s;h him the fir&s;t and &s;econd time, Tit. 3.10, 11. and then expell him if he per|&s;i&s;t ob&s;tinatly in it; This being the la&s;t cen&s;ure, and the greate&s;t. As Phy&s;itians &s;eek all meanes to cure, before they cut off a member.</P>
<P>For the people to learn to &s;ubmit them&s;elves to the cen&s;ure of the Mini&s;ters of the Church, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> (as Hebr. 13.17. <HI>Obey them that have the over&s;ight of you, and &s;ubmit your &s;elves, for they watch for your &s;oules, as they that mu&s;t give accounts, that they may doe it with joy, and not with griefe: for that is unprofitable unto you.</HI>) to doe as they &s;ay, and be ruled by their cen&s;ure, and that, fir&s;t, for their own good, 1 Cor. 5.5. <HI>be delivered unto Satan for the de&s;truction of the fle&s;h, that the &s;pirit may be &s;aved in the day of the Lord Je&s;us;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Excommuni|tio e&s;t medici|na Ecle&s;iae.</NOTE> For even <HI>excommunication is the Churches medi|cine:</HI> It ca&s;t not off from the whole Church, but from a parti|cular congregation or one vi&s;ible Church, to keepe him from infecting others, and to recover him from his own corruption. The not yeelding is the rebelling again&s;t Chri&s;t, who hath &s;o commanded his; and not carrying his yoake here, is to deprive them&s;elves of the Crowne there; yea, and when they are cut off from a particular Church, to per&s;i&s;t and contend, it is to cut them&s;elves of from the whole; whereas to &s;ubmit and to &s;eek, the effect off it is their good, as it was <HI>One&s;imus</HI> his; and as a bone that is broken, if it be well &s;et, groweth &s;tronger againe, &s;o is it with them.</P>
<P>They who have the charge of others, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> by God committed unto them, are guilty of the offences that are committed by them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 33.8.</NOTE> if they be not carefull to cen&s;ure them for them; &s;o is it here, and ver&s;. 9. <HI>When I &s;hall &s;ay unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou &s;halt dye the death: if thou doe&s;t not &s;peake and admoni&s;h
<PB N="133" REF="81">the wicked of his way, that wicked man &s;hal dy for his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand.</HI> Yea, the Magi&s;trates doe &s;in in not puni&s;hing. Nehe. 13.17. 2 Sam. 3.38, 39. and for this is it thought, that law was made. Num. 35.31. <HI>Yee &s;hall take no recompence for the life of the murtherer, which is worthy to dy, but he &s;hall be put to death.</HI> For by that he &s;hould give others incou|ragement to kill, and make al&s;o the &s;in his own; yea, and as the peoples &s;ins are the Mini&s;ters and Magi&s;trates, &s;o the Childrens &s;innes are the Parents, 1 Sam. 2.29. <HI>Wherefore ha&s;t thou kicked a|gain&s;t my &s;acrifice, and my offering, which I commanded in my ta|bernacle, and honoure&s;t thy children above mee, to make you &s;elves fat with the fir&s;t fruits of all the offerings of I&s;rael my people,</HI> &s;aid the Lord to <HI>Eli,</HI> when yet his &s;onnes only were guilty.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e every man is commanded to reprove his brother, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> his friend, Levit. 19.17. <HI>Thou &s;halt not hate thy brother in thine heart, but thou &s;halt plainly rebuke thy neighbour, and &s;uffer him not to &s;inne:</HI> If he may not beare with the faults of his friends, le&s;&s;e of children, &s;ervants, &s;ubjects, people; where not only the gene|rall charge is in the command, but a &s;peciall one al&s;o, and &s;o the twofold cord binds them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e every man is bound to prevent &s;inne as much as lyes in him, &s;pecially the &s;ins of his charge; but he that reproves not, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> corrects not, cen&s;ures not, puni&s;heth not according to his place, prevents not &s;inne: Becau&s;e every one that &s;capes without the&s;e, or &s;ome of the&s;e, is hartned and incouraged to commit other &s;innes, and others of the &s;ame condition, by him; &s;ervants, &s;ub|jects, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are made keepers of both tables, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;uch as ought to looke that both tables &s;hould be kept; therefore the command touching them is made the &s;inew &amp; &s;trength of the other; that if they be obeyed, the other are better kept; if they doe their duty, the breaches of the other are better with&s;tood: and therefore &s;ome think, the law of the ton Commandements was given to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> the Magi&s;trate, for them all, Exod. 19.</P>
<P>It &s;hews the wretched e&s;tate of Mini&s;ters, Magi&s;trates, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Mrs. &amp; Parents, if they neglect reproving, correcting, puni&s;hing, cen|&s;uring, as their place requireth, they have their Bill of indict|ment increa&s;ed again&s;t the great day, by the &s;innes of other men.</P>
<P>This teacheth us, that tho&s;e who have charge of others, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> have a farre greater account to make, then tho&s;e who have not; for it is enough for tho&s;e, if they keep them&s;elves from their owne wickedne&s;&s;e; the other mu&s;t be carefull to keep others in good cour&s;e, and &s;o from &s;inne. The governours mu&s;t care for tho&s;e who live under them, the hou&s;eholder for &s;uch as are under his roofe, the Prince for &s;uch as are within his Realm; it is not e|nough
<PB N="134" REF="82">they &s;erve God them&s;elves, but they mu&s;t cau&s;e others to doe ikewi&s;e: as <HI>Abraham,</HI> Gen. 18.19. and as <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> 24.13. the Ma&s;ter mu&s;t looke his &s;ervant keep the Sabbath; to him is the command, Exod. 20.10. he mu&s;t come with his traine to the hou&s;e of God, P&s;al. 42.4. he mu&s;t prepare him&s;elfe for the Sacrament, and charge his, and &s;anctifie them, <HI>Job.</HI> 1.5. yea, he mu&s;t correct, cen&s;ure, and puni&s;h, unle&s;&s;e he will have their &s;innes fall on; him if he thinke he have not per&s;onall &s;ins enough of his owne, let him be herein carele&s;&s;e; but he that thinks he hath enough and too many of his owne to an&s;wer for, let him &s;eek to re&s;train others committed to his charge, by his cen&s;ures and power, that he may be free from them: which is done two waies, and two things are required of him, that he keep him&s;elf free from others mens &s;ins: The fir&s;t is, to pry and enquire into the lives of tho&s;e that are committed unto him, into their carri|age and behaviour, that he may &s;ee what is ami&s;&s;e. It is enough for a private man if he reprove an offendor, when he &s;eeth him comitting &s;inne, he is not bound to enquire and take notice of what they doe, or curiou&s;ly to watch over them; but not for a Magi&s;trate, Mini&s;ter, &amp;c. He mu&s;t, Prov. 27.23. <HI>bee diligent to look to the &s;tateof his flocke, and look well to his heards.</HI> The Mi|ni&s;ter is <HI>Epi&s;copus,</HI> a pryer, to &s;ignifie it is his charge to pry and look to the lives of tho&s;e who are committed to him; and &s;o ought every particular ma&s;ter of a family, for his hou&s;e is his Dioce&s;&s;e, though he may not be <GAP DESC="foreign">, to meddle in an other family, 1 Pet. 4.15. It is not enough for them to take notice of things that are offended in the open view, but they mu&s;t enquire into their &s;ecret carriage; many imagine they are bound no further then to take notice of open &s;innes, and thinke ignorance of clo&s;e crimes will excu&s;e them; but &s;uch affected ignorance, when they might have knowledge, increa|&s;eth the &s;inne; for they might either prevent it, or humble them&s;elves for it, as <HI>Job,</HI> or reprove them, as <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> did his &s;er|vant, 2 Kings 5. and free them&s;elves from their &s;inne. The &s;econd thing is, that they have power to puni&s;h, when they can|not prevent; It is enough for a private man, when he &s;ees a &s;in, to reprove, to bewaile it, and pray for him that &s;inned; but not for him that hath charge, he mu&s;t u&s;e the power of the &s;word, being a Magi&s;trate; of the keyes, being a Mini&s;ter; of the rod, being a Ma&s;ter, or Parent, yea and in ob&s;tinacy, di&s;-inherit: as <HI>Abraham</HI> ca&s;t out &s;coffing <HI>I&s;mael</HI> and his Mother; and expul&s;e his hou&s;e, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid he would purge his hou&s;e, P&s;al. 101. And without this can they not keep them&s;elves from the &s;innes of others.</P>
<P>To teach ever inferior to &s;ubmit to his &s;uperior, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> or to him that hath charge over him, to be pryed into, reproved, or cor|rected,
<PB N="135" REF="82">as their power is. It is profitable to have an enemy pry|ing, profitable to have a child tell us the cloake hangs awry, as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> more profitable to have a friend, of who&s;e faithfulne&s;&s;e we doubt not, and who&s;e duty mu&s;t make us beare with him, as with Phy&s;itians, though they deale with us very homely.</P>
<P><HI>And you &s;ay, wherein have we polluted thee.]</HI> The &s;econd reply of this people, adding denyall to denyall; they would not grant that they did &s;o, that they offered polluted bread.</P>
<P>One &s;inne drawes on an other, the fir&s;t a &s;econd, that a third, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> and both a greater; we may &s;ay of &s;in, as <HI>Leah</HI> &s;aid of her &s;onne that her Maid <HI>Zilpa</HI> bore <HI>Jacob,</HI> Gen. 30.11. <HI>a troppe commeth:</HI> we &s;ee it in our fir&s;t Parents, in <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 11. in <HI>A&s;a,</HI> 2 Chro. 19.10. in <HI>Peter.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e one &s;inne mu&s;t &s;erve to bol&s;ter and uphold another, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> or el&s;e to &s;mother and conceale another: This people though it a &s;hame, having once denyed their fault, not to defend it, and &s;tand out to the utmo&s;t. But it is manife&s;t in the example of <HI>David,</HI> of which <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> thus; the Devill &s;eeing that after the do|ing of it he was a&s;hamed of what he had done, and willing to hide his &s;hamefull wound, he made that &s;hame of his a broker to another &s;inne, and &s;o drew him to draw one ulcer over another, while &s;eeking to cover his adultery with murther, he made him an author, and &s;o guilty of both.</P>
<P>This ought to teach men not to give place to &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to any one, great or &s;mall, but to re&s;i&s;t them all for, as Proverb. 17.14. <HI>The beginning of &s;trife is as one that openeth the waters:</HI> Therefore ere the contention be medled with, leave off: As when a man maketh a way to a current or &s;treame of a river, which (when he hath once let into his grounds) he cannot &s;tay again, though he would never &s;o faine; &s;o is the begining of &s;inne. <HI>To give the water pa&s;&s;age, is to let the tongue loo&s;e; for the carele&s;&s;e minde &s;lideth away by degrees till it fall; and he that is not carefull of idle and harmle&s;&s;e words at the fir&s;t, commeth &s;oone to wicked and hurtfull words at the la&s;t. Greg. pa&s;t.</HI> 3. the like may be &s;aid of other &s;ins. The way to Heaven is upward, hard and difficult; the way to Hell is downward: Now he that runneth down a Hill, cannot &s;tay when he will; or, if he &s;et downe with him&s;elfe how farre, and where he will &s;tay, he is not like to ob&s;erve it; &s;o in &s;inne, he cannot take up him&s;elfe when he would, to &s;ay thus farre, and no further I will &s;inne: for the corruption of his nature is as fierce hor&s;es, and the devill as the driver; he &s;hall not command him&s;elf when he would. Did not <HI>David</HI> fall from idlenes to wan|tonne&s;&s;e: and from adultery to murther; from a filthy &s;inne to a bloody crime? did not <HI>Salomon</HI> from exce&s;&s;ive buildings, where his &s;in begun, for he was as long again about his own hou&s;e, as he was about Gods hou&s;e, to abundance of wives; and from
<PB N="136" REF="83">the love of &s;trange women to the &s;ervice of &s;trange gods? Did not <HI>A&s;a</HI> fall from di&s;tru&s;ting God, to the impri&s;oning of Gods Prophets, and from that to oppre&s;&s;ing of his people; yea from di&s;tru&s;ting in God to tru&s;t wholly in Phy&s;itians? and are we bet|ter then the&s;e? who was like them in I&s;rael, and what is our &s;trength in compari&s;on of them? It is good then that we with|&s;tand &s;mall &s;innes, and the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>If any be overtaken with &s;in unawares, let him &s;hake it off with &s;peed, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> le&s;t he come to binde &s;in to &s;in, and &s;o &s;hall he be &s;ure not to e&s;cape unpuni&s;hed: let him labor to ri&s;e out of it, and to &s;tay him&s;elfe, as <HI>Job.</HI> 40.5. <HI>Once have I &s;poken, but I will not an&s;wer; yea twice, but I will proceed no further.</HI> So, &s;ay thou, once have I &s;inned, but I will doe not more; yea twi&s;e, but I will proceed no further: And to le&s;&s;en thy fault, excu&s;e not thine of|fence, &s;eek no excu&s;es and pretences to cover or colour it, for that will bring thee to be more intangled;<NOTE PLACE="marg">As one &s;aith, beginning are with more ea&s;e and &s;afety declined when we are free, then proceedings when wee have begun: &s;o &s;mall begin|ings then continuance.</NOTE> the fur|ther and longer, the harder it will be to ri&s;e; and the &s;maller the &s;inne is, the harder haply to ri&s;e; for hee that fals lightly, he makes no great ha&s;te to ri&s;e againe; whereas he that fals hard and foul, hee ha&s;tens to a|ri&s;e; &s;o in this. It is Sathans policy not to draw men to great &s;innes at fir&s;t, but by degrees, le&s;t they &s;hould abhorre them, before the con&s;cience be inured and &s;omewhat hardened. As the way to good is by degrees, becau&s;e of the diffiuclty of it; &s;o to evill, becau&s;e of the horriblene&s;&s;e and &s;hame of it: And by one &s;inne, if it be lived in without repentance, there is left in in the heart a ore provocation to &s;inne the &s;ame &s;inne againe; yea, and a greater prone&s;&s;e then before to any other &s;in what&s;o|ever, of the &s;ame quality, yea and of a &s;tep or a degree higher. Hay or &s;tubble or any combu&s;tible matter, dryed and heated by the Sunne, &s;oone takes fire, the re&s;i&s;ting of humidity is taken away: So in this. For when temptation is offered to &s;ome or other &s;inne, that the con&s;cience &s;hall at fir&s;t &s;eeme to make nice of, the corruption of the heart will be ready to make an&s;wer, and &s;ugge&s;t, that he may as well, and as &s;afely, doe this as the former, there is no more danger in the one then in the o|ther; and therefore that it is to no end to make dainty of the one, &s;eeing he is &s;o farre ingaged in the other. Therefore hee that would be free from greater, when the le&s;&s;e hath &s;ea&s;ed up|on him, let him ha&s;te, and by true repentance, as by an <HI>ejecti|one firmae,</HI> ca&s;t him out of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion: Take the foxes when they are little, and if not at fir&s;t, yet, as they come in by little and little, ca&s;t them out by little and little; and go back againe by degrees, as the &s;unne went backe in the Diall of <HI>Ahaz.</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"></P>
<P>This may teach every man to account it a mercy and good|ne&s;&s;e
<PB N="137" REF="83">of God to him, when he gives a meanes to prevent his en|trance into a &s;inne, or his continuance in it, when he hath &s;lip|ped a&s;ide to any, though but a little one. St. <HI>Aug.</HI> &s;aith, that <HI>Om|ne peccatum, &amp;c.</HI> Every &s;inne that God prevented in him, and kept him from committing of it, he accounted no le&s;&s;e mercy, than if he had pardoned him. And doubtle&s;&s;e in this re&s;pect the mercy is more; for while that &s;inne was prevented, more and, perhaps, greater &s;innes were prevented in him. Men are nothing &s;o &s;en&s;ible in this, but it is their corruption; as they are not &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the benefit, being kept from tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing the Law, as getting a pardon after; nor in preventing a di&s;ea&s;e, as in re|moving it after. But the merecy is great, whether it be by the voice of a Mini&s;ter, if he open his heart to it, or the voyce of a judgment, or the voice of his con&s;cience, or the voice of the Spirit, E&s;. 30.21. It is a benefit when a man is &s;etled or &s;ecure in his &s;inne, by any of the&s;e meanes to be admoni&s;hed, as <HI>Da|vid</HI> was by <HI>Nathan,</HI> after he had &s;inned in numbring the people, and <HI>Peter</HI> was by <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> after the third deniall; though it had beene greater, if the admonition and prevention had beene at the fir&s;t or &s;econd &s;tep. So &s;hould men e&s;teeme it when they are turned, or turning to the right hand, or to the left, by plea&s;ure or profit. It is good that God will &s;o admoni&s;h them, and pre|vent this, by whom or how&s;oever, by publikc or private meanes, by good or bad. And let them hearken and obey, and be thankfull to the Authour and the meanes;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>Nec ullus om|nino &s;ermo qui adificat ad pietatem, ad virtutes, ad mores op|timos, negli|genter e&s;t au|diendus, quo|niam &amp; illic iter quo o&s;ten|ditur Saluta|re De i. <HI>Bern.</HI> in Cant. &s;erm. <HI>57.</HI></P>
<P>Si corripuerit me ju&s;tus in mi&s;ericordia, id ip&s;um &s;entiam, &s;ciens quia aemulatio ju&s;ti &amp; benevolentia iter fa|ciunt ei qui a&s;cendit &s;uper occa&s;um. Bonus occa&s;us, cum ad correptionem ju&s;ti &s;tat homo, &amp; cor|ruit vitium, &amp; Dominus a&s;cendit &s;uper illud, conculcans hoc pedibus, &amp; conte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ens ne re&s;ur|gat. Non ergo contemnenda increpatio ju&s;ti, quae ruina peccati, cordis &s;anitas e&s;t, nec non &amp; Dei ad animam via. <HI>Bern.</HI> Ibid. &V;nu&s;qui&s;que pro modulo &s;uo audiat, &amp; &s;icut &s;ibi con&s;cius fue|rit, ita vel doleat corrigendus, vel gaudeat approbandus. Si &s;e devi&acirc;&s;&s;e invenerit, redeat, ut in via ambulet: Si &s;e in via invenerit, ambulet ut perveniat. Nemo &s;it &s;uperbus extra viam, nemo piger in via. <HI>Aug.</HI> in P&s;al. <HI>31.</HI> praefat.</P></NOTE> As St. <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;peakes, <HI>No word that edifies to godline&s;&s;e, to vertue, and good manners, is to be heard negligently, becau&s;e there is the way in which is &s;hewed the &s;alvation of God.</HI> And a little before in the &s;ame Sermon, &s;aith he, <HI>The admonition of the righteous is not to be contemned, which is &s;innes ruine, the hearts health, and Gods way to the Soule.</HI> And as S. <HI>Aug.</HI> to the &s;ame purpo&s;e, of publick hearing and admonition; <HI>Let every one heare as he can, and as he is con&s;ci|ous to him&s;elfe, &s;o let him either grieve, being to be corrected; or re|joyce, being to be approved. If he finde that he hath gone a&s;tray, let him returne, that he may walke in the way: If he find him&s;elfe in Gods way, let him walke on to the end; let no man be proud out of the way, nor &s;lothfull in it.</HI></P>
<PB N="138" REF="84">
<P><HI>In that you &s;ay,]</HI> That is, thus thinke in your hearts; and this is known to God. 'Tis not likely they were &s;o impious to utter their prophane conceits of Gods &s;ervice; but as it is, P&s;. 14.1. P&s;al. 30.6.</P>
<P>Not onely workes and words, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> but even the thoughts are known to God. The very hearts of men have eares to heare God, and mouths to &s;peake to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Corda, Deo &amp; aures &amp; os gerunt.</NOTE> &s;aith St. <HI>Aug.</HI> As God &s;aid to <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> in another ca&s;e, Exod. 14.15. &s;o to the wicked, <HI>Why crye&s;t thou again&s;t me?</HI> when haply they &s;peak no word, but onely bla&s;pheme God in their hearts, as it is, P&s;al. 10.13.</P>
<P><HI>The Table of the Lord is not to be regarded.]</HI> They a&s;ke wherein they have de&s;pi&s;ed and polluted God: In that they think ba&s;ely of his &s;ervice, they pollute him in polluting his Altar. They who thinke ba&s;ely of Gods board, they contemne and pollute God, who&s;e board it is. By Table is under&s;tood, not that of the Shew-bread, but the Altar of burnt-offerings. And &s;o is Ezek. 41.22.</P>
<P>What&s;oever abu&s;e is committed in the wor&s;hip of God, or again&s;t the meanes of his wor&s;hip, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> it is held to be done again&s;t God him&s;elfe. Thus an&s;wereth God this people: In polluting my Altar, you pollute me; the meanes of Gods wor&s;hip with us are the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer, as the Law, Sacrifi|ces and Sacrament were with them. Now then, as the con|temning of the&s;e were the contemning of him, &s;o is it with us. It is that which is 1 Cor. 11.27. to be <HI>guilty of the body and blood of the Lord,</HI> that is, of a heinous offence committed again&s;t his per&s;on: he is ab&s;ent, &s;o was God from the &s;acrifices, yet he was polluted in them, becau&s;e they were offered unto him. So is it in the&s;e Sacraments of ours, becau&s;e he offereth them unto us, as &s;ignes of him&s;elfe. Hence it is, Luke 10.16. <HI>He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that de&s;pi&s;eth you, de&s;pi&s;eth me; and he that de&s;pi&s;eth me, de&s;pi&s;eth him that &s;ent me.</HI> And wherefore they more than other men? but for this, becau&s;e they were the Candle|&s;ticks that held forth the light, they were they who brought the Word to them, and that was it, not for their per&s;ons.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he that denies God all wor&s;hip and honour, mu&s;t needs contemne and de&s;pi&s;e him; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but he that contemnes the meanes, doth deny it him; for he will have none but by the meanes he hath appointed, all others are things he abhorres: And this we may ob&s;erve from Micha. 6.6, 7, 8.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he delighteth to magnifie his Word, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> I&s;aiah 42.21. and to be magnified above all things by his Word. P&s;al. 138.2. Then the contempt of it mu&s;t needs be the contempt of him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he hath given unto them things that are proper to him&s;elfe; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which argues he would exalt them, and takes their di&s;grace to him&s;elfe. To the word it is given to &s;ave, and to
<PB N="139" REF="84">de&s;troy, and to judge, when it is he, that doth it by it. Jam. 1.21. Joh. 12.47, 48. the <HI>Pa&s;&s;eover</HI> is called <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> it, 1 Cor. 5.7. 1 Cor. 10.16. and 11.24. <HI>Bapti&s;me</HI> is &s;aid to <HI>&s;ave us,</HI> Tit 3.5. and &s;uch like. It mu&s;t then be the di&s;hono|ring of him to di&s;honor them.</P>
<P>This proves that our times and age are full of many contem|ners of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> becau&s;e we have &s;o many contemners of the meanes of his wor&s;hip, the Word, Prayer and Sacraments. To &s;ay no|thing of A thie&s;ts that are among&s;t us, who make a &s;coffe at all things, and make the word mans invention, and &s;uch like; To pa&s;&s;e by our Papi&s;ts, who account the word hard, difficult, in&s;uf|ficient, the cau&s;e of error and Here&s;ies; I &s;ay, to pa&s;&s;e by the&s;e, in the number of Prote&s;tants, who would goe for good Chri&s;ti|ans, are many who contemne the Lord, there is &s;uch contempt from them in the meanes of his wor&s;hip; &s;undry waies and in &s;undry manners they contemn them; they have too much of this light food, their &s;oules loath it. Some men like the words on|ly in a new teacher, and can never long tye their eare to any, no not their own Pa&s;tor: Like tho&s;e that like any meat better a|broad, then at home, though more whol&s;ome and better dre&s;|&s;ed. It were infinite to de&s;cend to all particulars. How many contemn the word and Sacraments, Prayer and Preaching, when they have nothing neere &s;o much care to prepare them|&s;elves to the hearing, or receiving, or performing them, as they have for the comming to their own table.</P>
<P>To take heed how we u&s;e and account of the meanes of Gods wor&s;hip, Luke 8.18.</P>
<P><HI>The Table of the Lord is not to be regarded,]</HI> The rea&s;on they thought thus ba&s;ely of the table of Lord, was, becau&s;e the blood and far powred upon the Altar, were things but ba&s;e and vile in them&s;elves; &s;o they thought of the wor&s;hip of God it &s;elf, not con&s;idering for what end God had appointed the&s;e things to be done, and what &s;pirituall u&s;e they were to make of them. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>The maine cau&s;e and originall of the common contempt and neglect of holy things is, becau&s;e men fix their eyes only on the outward meanes, and regard not the end and u&s;e of them, and the grace and ble&s;&s;ing of God accompanying tho&s;e ba&s;e meanes, that he hath &s;anctified in that &s;ort, to all tho&s;e that in holy and reverent manner have to doe with them; as is manife&s;t here. As it was with <HI>Naaman</HI> the <HI>Syrian,</HI> 2 Kings 5. who for a time contemned that which God purpo&s;ed him health by, becau&s;e he fixed his eyes upon the ba&s;ene&s;&s;e and commonne&s;&s;e of the meanes, the water of Jordan, ver&s;. 10, 11, 12. &s;o doe men the&s;e holy and &s;pirituall things, becau&s;e they looke but unto the outward things. To this purpo&s;e is that where <HI>Paul</HI> &s;hew|eth that neither Jewes nor Gentiles regard the Preaching of
<PB N="140" REF="85">the word, for that they thus looked upon the outward things. 1 Cor. 1.22, 23. <HI>The Jewes require a &s;igne, and the Grecians &s;eeke after wi&s;dome: But we preach Chri&s;t crucified, unto the Jewes even a &s;tumbling block, and unto the Grecians, fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, the Jewes looked for &s;trange, great worldly workes to be wrought by the <HI>Me&s;&s;ias</HI> at his comming, they dreamed all of an earthly Monarchy, and a worldly e&s;tate &s;uch as <HI>Salomons</HI> was; which becau&s;e they &s;aw not in <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> per&s;on, they would none of: The Gentiles, and &s;pecially the Grecians, noted for learning, and the Philo&s;ophers bu&s;ied in the &s;tudies of humane wi&s;dome, they look for deep matters and profound principles of Philo&s;ophy, and finding the Scripture written plainly <HI>ad vulgi captum, not in words of humane wi&s;dome,</HI> 1 Cor. 2. for this cau&s;e they contemne it, as too ba&s;e a &s;ubject for them to bu&s;ie their brains, and take up their time with; and this made him in the 21. ver&s;. to call it fooli&s;hnes of Preaching, not <HI>ex animo,</HI> but <HI>ex eorum opinione:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4.12.</NOTE> thus much he intimateth; <HI>Let no man de&s;pi&s;e thy youth, but be an example in word in conver&s;ation &amp;c.</HI> intima|ting, that without better carriage of him&s;elfe, his young yeares would be an occa&s;ion to hinder the profit of his mini&s;tery, men would be apt to contemn the mini&s;tery, for &s;ome infirmity in the meanes: This is intimated in as if the meanes and in&s;trument were more glorious and admirable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6.30.</NOTE> good would be effected, and for the ba&s;enes of the in&s;trument they contemn holy things. This is that which the Apo&s;tles &s;aith, that men <HI>eate and drink un|worthily;</HI> 1 Cor. 11.29. becau&s;e they put not a difference be|twixt this &s;pirituall food, 1 Cor. 10. and that corporall food, becau&s;e they judge not aright of the&s;e holy my&s;teries.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e men live by &s;en&s;e and &s;ight, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> not by faith; They are not able to di&s;cerne of things that are hidden, but e&s;teem of things as they &s;ee or feele them: They wanting faith, cannot pierce within the vayle, and draw, as it were, the curtaine to &s;ee the excellency of &s;pirituall my&s;teries in earthen and ba&s;e ve&s;|&s;els; which makes them grow in contempt and neglect; which the Apo&s;tles &s;hews, 1 Cor. 1.24. for if faith makes that men conceive and under&s;tand them, and receive profit by them, it is manife&s;t that the other is cau&s;ed by want of faith.</P>
<P>this may teach us, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> why in and under the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pell, there is not &s;o much devotion to holy things and the &s;ervice of God, as among Idolaters; there is a madding, and unrea&s;onable &s;uper&s;tition to their Idolatrous &s;ervice; for there is good rea&s;on for it, becau&s;e under the Go&s;pell all outward things are plaine, without ompe and glorious &s;hewes to the eye, onely plain and &s;imple; whereas, in Idolatrous &s;ervice, all things are made glittering and glorious for the outward &s;hew, by which the nature of man is marvellou&s;ly catched and kept,
<PB N="141" REF="85">as fi&s;hes with baits. It is wondered of many, why Idolaters &s;hould brag &s;o truly of a multitude as they doe, and &s;o many follow after them, when the Go&s;pell injoyes nothing &s;o many: the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e here all things are plain and &s;imple, as was &s;aid of Chri&s;t, <HI>There was no beauty in them,</HI> for outward things, to make the fle&s;h de&s;ire them; therefore they ea&s;ily &amp; &s;oon contemn them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah 33.</NOTE> As God dealt wi&s;ely with the Church in her infancy, &s;eeing her infirmi|ties; &s;o have they dealt cunningly with his people; he to hold them to him&s;elfe, they to draw them from the Go&s;pell. Becau&s;e, &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;.</HI> the people of I&s;rael, who were brought up in Aegypt, &amp; had polluted them&s;elves with Idolatry, would have &s;acrifices &amp; cere|monies, &s;o that if they were not permitted unto them they were ready again&s;t to fall to Idolatry, though God de&s;ired a people to wor&s;hip him in &s;pirit &amp; truth; yet he granted them unto them, dealing as a wi&s;e Phy&s;itian, who having a patient &s;ick of a feaver, by rea&s;on of heat de&s;iring earne&s;tly cold water, and unle&s;&s;e it be given him, he is ready to &s;eek a halter to &s;trangle him&s;elfe, or &s;ome waies to de&s;troy him&s;elf; there the Phy&s;itian, compelled by nece&s;&s;ity, gives him a cup of water prepared by him&s;elfe, and commands him to drinke, but forbids him to drinke of any o|ther but that; &s;o God gave the Jewes goodly ceremonies, but &s;o as it was not lawfull for them to u&s;e any other. And then were they grieved, &s;aith he, when he &s;hewed his wrath upon them, for making a calfe of their ear-rings, &amp;c. So in cunning and mi&s;chievous policy hath the Church of Rome, when they &s;aw how the nature of man was affected with holy things, be|cau&s;e of the outward meanes, when &s;imple and ba&s;e, becau&s;e the Go&s;pell is &s;uch, they little regarded them; but glorious things were tho&s;e that affected them, therefore have they fallen from the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pell, to that whori&s;h &amp; Babyloni&s;h pride they are now in; when it was with her, as <HI>Boniface</HI> the Bi&s;hop and Martyr &s;aid to one that a&s;ked, whether it was lawfull to admini&s;ter the Sacrament in woodden cups, he an&s;wered; In times pa&s;t they had golden Prie&s;ts, and woodden Chalices; then would they bragge of nothing &s;uch a multitude as now, when they have woodden Prie&s;ts, and golden Chalices, &s;ince Pope <HI>&V;rban</HI> hath made all the mini&s;tring attire golden and gay: and &s;o becau&s;e they are led by their &s;ences, therefore they are violent|ly carried after this &s;uper&s;tition.</P>
<P>This teacheth us, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> why in the Church the meanes of Gods wor&s;hip, his word and table are &s;o little e&s;teemed or regarded, becau&s;e men are &s;o led by their &s;ences; and when the meanes are ba&s;e and &s;imple, they thinke &s;o of the wor&s;hip it &s;elfe: as <HI>Hie|rome</HI> &s;aid, <HI>putabant altari dee&s;&s;e religionis &s;anctimoniam, quia de|erat aedificationis ambitio,</HI> they thought the Altar was not to be &s;o religiou&s;ly regarded, becau&s;e it was not richly bedecked and a|dorned:
<PB N="142" REF="86">&s;uch are they as give no re&s;pect to the word, becau&s;e the Mini&s;ter is of no great re&s;pect, but a meane plaine man; who have not learned more to e&s;teem the earthen ve&s;&s;els for the trea|&s;ure, but le&s;&s;e to account of the trea&s;ure for the earthen ve&s;&s;els. Hence many &s;et light by the holy Table, becau&s;e they &s;ee no|thing here but bare bread and wine, very ba&s;e and meane ele|ments, &s;uch as they u&s;e ordinarily to feed on el&s;e where; and &s;o, as a foole or a naturall, if he light on an obligation or a deed, he maketh no more reckoning of it, then of a piece of parchment &amp; a little wax; becau&s;e he under&s;tandeth not the contents and end of it: So in the&s;e things, not con&s;idering the end and u&s;e of them by whom they were appointed. As there are &s;ome who overva|lue the&s;e my&s;teries, &s;pecially the Sacraments, that tye the grace of God in&s;eparably to them, and make the <HI>opus operatum</HI> a mat|ter of &s;ufficient vertue, that a&s;cribe &s;ome divine power to the very outward elements, and &s;o bring a divine adoration of them; that of holy my&s;teries make magicall miracles, as the Church of Rome doth; &s;o againe are there many in the Church of Eng|land, that undervalue them, that make no other reckoning of them, then as of ordinary elements, and repaire unto them as to the bodily food, becau&s;e they are in nature and &s;ub&s;tance the &s;ame; the Doctrine here being the ground of it, they being &s;o dull &s;ighted, they can look no further then that which is ob|ject to the &s;ence of them, they can &s;ee no end nor u&s;e of them more, no &s;ecret grace nor vertue in them, and, that which is wor&s;e, will not &s;ubmit them&s;elves to be taught, or if taught, not believe, when <HI>oportet di&s;centem credere.</HI></P>
<P>To teach every one in the&s;e actions <HI>&s;ur&s;um corda habere,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to lift the eyes of his minde upwards; as with his bodily eyes he &s;eeth the outward elements here, &s;o with the eye of faith to apprehend the matter of it, that which the&s;e outward things repre&s;ent to the minde. The word of God for letters and &s;ylla|bles is but the &s;ame with other humane writings; but it hath an|other manner of worke with it in regard of the &s;pirit and grace of God accompanying it, unto tho&s;e that heare it with a &s;anctifi|ed eare. As we &s;ee that ordinary water, and <HI>aqua vitae</HI> in a vi|all or gla&s;&s;e, look both alike, but they differ much in work and effect, becau&s;e there is a kind of Spirit in the one, which is not in the other: &s;o the Word, and the Sacrament, though the &s;ame in &s;ub&s;tance with ordinary Bread and Wine, yet they have a farre divers worke, and effect with them unto tho&s;e who receive them with a holy heart and a faithfull, in regard of Gods covenant (who&s;e &s;eales they are) in regard of the mercy of God of which they more a&s;&s;ure us; in regard of Chri&s;ts Death that they repre&s;ent unto us, and put us in minde of; and in regard of the grace of Gods Spirit that accompaineth them in
<PB N="143" REF="86">tho&s;e that &s;o receive them for the effecting of the&s;e former matters.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE VIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And if yee offer the blind for &s;acrifice, it is not evill: and if yee offer the lame and &s;icke, it is not evill: offer it now unto thy Prince: will he be content with thee, or accept thy per&s;on, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>ANd if you offer the blinde for &s;acrifice,]</HI> The Lord proceedeth to prove that they de&s;pi&s;e him and his table, &s;hewing how they have erred both again&s;t his law, and the rule of hone&s;ty and comeline&s;&s;e, Levit. 22.21, 22.</P>
<P><HI>And if you offer the blinde for &s;acrifice, it is not evill:]</HI> The&s;e words are read of &s;ome by way of interrogation, <HI>When yee offer the blinde, is it not evill?</HI> Now a negative interrogation ever af|firmeth &s;trongly: q. d. it is very evill, and yet yee doe it. <HI>Hierom, Junius:</HI> others read the&s;e words by way of affirmation, God con|tinuing to tax their thoughts; you think it not evill, you think it is good enough for God, you make it no fault; and this is the com|mon reading, which is more agreable to the context: but the mat|ter is not great how we take it, both tend to one end and one effect, both a di&s;liking &amp; di&s;allowing of &s;uch &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>For the &s;acrifice here &s;poken of, &s;ome under&s;tand it only of the &s;acrifice the Prie&s;ts offered for them&s;elves. Levit. 4.3. Heb. 5.3. Others for the &s;acrifice the people brought; which when they were burnt offerings, which were all con&s;umed upon the Altar, the Prie&s;ts nothing regarded; but the &s;inne-offering to be eaten by the Prie&s;ts, for tho&s;e they were marvellous carefull they might be of the be&s;t; and &s;ome expound them of the peo|ples offerings in generall, whether they were burnt offerings, &s;inne offerings, or peace offerings, or what&s;oever; and tho&s;e words <HI>(it is not evill)</HI> &s;ome take for the Peoples words, it is good enough for the Prie&s;ts; or it is good enough to be burnt to a&s;hes; others make the Prie&s;t heartening the people in that practi&s;e, which is very probable, God before directing his &s;peech to the Prie&s;ts. In &s;umme, it is like to be both, as both are here accu&s;ed.</P>
<PB N="144" REF="87">
<P>The Prophet had told them of their ba&s;e thought of Gods Table: to this they might happily reply or object; you take too much upon you, to &s;ee into our hearts, and to cen&s;ure our thoughts. to this the Prophet makes by in&s;inuation in an an&s;wer, though clo&s;ely, that he need not to dive &s;o deepe, their life and practice taught as much; a man might ea&s;ily read the pro|phanene&s;&s;e of their hearts in the uncleanene&s;&s;e of their gifts, and their contempt of God in their carriage. The thoughts of men are knowne either immediately and directly by God alone, Jer. 17.10. Matth. 9.4. or mediately and indirectly, and &s;o man may know them; either as God revealeth them, Ezek. 14.1, 2, 3. or as men di&s;cover them by their actions, looks, or &s;pee|ches; Fir&s;t, Matth. 7.16. <HI>Ye &s;hall know them by their fruts: doe men gather grapes of thornes? or figs of thi&s;tles?</HI> Secondly, I&s;aiah 3.9. <HI>The &s;hew of their countenance doth witne&s;&s;e again&s;t them.</HI> Thirdly, Luke 6.45. In this place the fir&s;t is under&s;tood.</P>
<P>Now this people are not reproved for bringing no &s;acrifice, but faulty &s;acrifice, faulty for quality, contrary to the Law. Levit. 22.21, 22. Now what is &s;poken of their &s;acrifice, may be &s;piritually applyed to ours, that we may make &s;ome benefit out of this. The Sacrifice of the Church in the New Te&s;tament are:
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, men them&s;elves, and that fir&s;t in life, &s;oules and bodies con&s;ecrated unto Gods &s;ervice, both in their generall callings &amp; their particular places. Rom. 12.1. <HI>Pre&s;ent your bodies a living &s;acrifice,</HI> not to &s;laughter them, but the corruption of them. Rom. 6.6, 13. Now the mortifying of the affection killeth not the man, P&s;al. 51.17. As the Ram, not <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was &s;laine, though hee was offered. Read Gen. 22. Mar. 12.33. 1 Sam. 15.22. Secondly, in death, in offering their &s;oules to Gods hand, Luk. 23.46. Acts 7.59. and their bodies for te&s;timony of the truth, being called to it. Phil. 2.17. 2 Tim. 4.6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, the Sacrifices of the New Te&s;tament are, &s;ome thing from them&s;elves immediately to God, as prai&s;es and pray|er, compared to <HI>Sacrifice,</HI> P&s;al. 50.14, 15. <HI>Drinke offering,</HI> P&s;al. 116.31. <HI>Incen&s;e.</HI> P&s;al. 141.2. Ho&s;ea 14.3. Apocal. 5.8. and 8.3, 4. Secondly, to man for God, as Almes. Heb. 13.16. P&s;al. 4.18. Matth. 12.7.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Now as their Sacrifices &s;ignified ours, &s;o their imperfection noteth out ours: The fir&s;t is blindne&s;&s;e, which in the Scripture &s;ignifieth ignorance; as Rev. 3.2. 1 Pet. 5.9. &s;hewing that he dete&s;ted &s;uch &s;ervice as was done of ignorance without know|ledge. By lame, he may meane when things are done without minde and heart, with the outward man, not inward; for fa|&s;hion, feare, prai&s;e, &amp;c. By &s;ick, when it is without &s;pirit and affection: the &s;pirit is gone when it is without zeale, fervency, affection.</P>
<PB N="145" REF="87">
<P><HI>Offer it now unto thy Prince.]</HI> The &s;econd rea&s;on; they have offended again&s;t nature and civility. He that offereth the Lord of Ho&s;ts &s;uch things, as he would not offer unto a man, which the Prince will not accept, &s;aith that the Table of the Lord is not to be regarded; ye offer &s;uch &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Offer now unto thy Prince, Captaine, or Ruler.]</HI> there was then no King in <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> for the kingly dignity was extinct in <HI>Jechoni|ah,</HI> Jer. 22. but they onely had Captaines over them, appointed by the Per&s;ian King, to whom they were in bondage: As <HI>Zerub|babel</HI> is called the Captaine of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> Haggai 1.1. and &s;o it is made more offen&s;ive, that they u&s;ed God as they would not doe a meane man, not a King, but a Captaine: and it is as if God had &s;aid, Now make tryall of the good will of your Captaine towards you, which is more familiar to you, being a man, and inferiour to a King; whom if thou laboure&s;t thus to reconcile unto thy &s;elfe, thou &s;halt more offend, and excite again&s;t thee. What an indignity is this then again&s;t me, that I &s;hould be no more, or not &s;o much accounted of, as a meane Captaine? how &s;hould not this, in &s;tead of reconciling me, more di&s;plea&s;e and provoke me? And what can you looke for from me, &s;o mighty a God, to defend and vindicate my glory and &s;ervice from &s;uch indignities, but wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure? <HI>Will he be content with thee, or will it plea&s;e him?</HI> as if hee &s;aid, undoubtedly it will marvellou&s;ly di&s;plea&s;e him.</P>
<P><HI>Or accept thy per&s;on, or accept thy face?]</HI> That is, will he kind|ly and lovingly looke upon thee, and grant thee the things thou de&s;ire&s;t? as Gen. 19.21. Job 42.8, 9. &s;o here, Will he friendly re&s;pect you, and grant your reque&s;t? No, he will be more offen|ded with you.</P>
<P>In the whole he an&s;wereth, that they might object, that he tooke too much upon him to pry into their thoughts &amp; hearts; when he did no otherwi&s;e than ordinarily he might doe, judge their lives by their practices. The point then is:</P>
<P>The wickedne&s;&s;e of the life proclaimeth and preacheth to men the prophanene&s;&s;e of the heart, as P&s;al. 14.1. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> <HI>The foole hath &s;aid in his heart, there is no God; they hve corrupted and done an abominable worke, there is none that doth good.</HI> Was not this enough to convince them of impiety and Athei&s;me before God which &s;earcheth the heart? So there is another way for man to know, Titus. 1.16. <HI>They profe&s;&s;e that they know God, but by works they deny him, and are abominable and di&s;obedient, and unto every good worke reprobate.</HI> And this is enough to condemne them of impiety and prophanene&s;&s;e, of contempt of God, want of the feare of God, before man that &s;eeth the outward man onely, and mu&s;t by it judge of the inward. Matth. 7.16, 17, 18. <HI>Ye &s;hall know them by their fruits: Doe men gather grapes of thornes,
<PB N="146" REF="88">or figs of thi&s;tles?</HI> So <HI>every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and a corrupt tree bringeth forth evill fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evill fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Non ex foliis, non ex flo|ribus, &s;ed ex fructu arbor bona mal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ive digno&s;citur. <HI>Bern.</HI> Epi&s;t. <HI>107.</HI></NOTE> A good or evill tree is knowne, not by the leaves or flowers, but by the fruits. 1 John 3.10. <HI>In this are the children of God known, and the children, of the devill: who&s;oever doth not righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the tongue will bewray the irreligiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the heart when it &s;peaketh folly; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as Jan. 1.26. <HI>If any man among you &s;eeme religious, and refraineth not his tongue, but deceiveth his owne heart, this mans religion is vaine.</HI> And Matth. 12.34. <HI>O generation of vipers, how can you &s;peake good things, when yee are evill? for of the abundnace of the heart the mouth &s;peaketh.</HI> Hence is that, Matth. 26.73. <HI>So after a while came unto him they that &s;toody by, and &s;aid unto</HI> Peter, <HI>&s;urely thou art al&s;o one of them, for even thy &s;peech bewrayeth thee.</HI> Though the tongue may now and then prove a fal&s;e gla&s;&s;e, yet it is then, when it maketh &s;hew not of the wor&s;e, but of the better; as fal&s;e gla&s;&s;es doe com|monly make men &s;eeme fairer than they are, and not fouler.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the nature of man is &s;o hypocriticall, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and willing to be accounted good, that if any thing be in the heart that good is, it will &s;hew it &s;elfe; nay, though nothing be in it, yet it will di&s;&s;emble, at lea&s;t for time and place; &s;o when there nothing appeares but evill, and the whole cour&s;e is nought, it mu&s;t fol|low that the heart mu&s;t needs be &s;tarke naught: Many Apples rotten at the heart, are whole &s;kinned; but if rotten in the out|&s;ide, they have the taint of the heart.</P>
<P>This controuleth &s;uch ra&s;h cen&s;urers, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as will goe further than Gods Prophet, as will judge of men not by their lives and their actions, but by their owne fancies and conceits, contrary to their actions. If the Prophet, a man of that wi&s;dome and reve|lations, did content him&s;elfe with their actions, and joyne i&s;|&s;ue with them upon their outward carriage; &s;hall the&s;e men, who have no &s;uch thing, nor any extraordinary gifts to di&s;cerne &s;pirits, &s;it upon mens &s;oules, and judge their &s;ecrets, and con|demne them for hypocrites, and contemne them for deepe di&s;|&s;emblers, though they can find nothing in their lives that may argue their hypocri&s;ie and hollowne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>But doe &s;uch wi&s;e men of the world the&s;e things without ground? <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>It cannot be, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> neither is; but they are deceitfull grounds. The fir&s;t is, the &s;trict cour&s;e of life that the parties take they thus judge; a marvellous thing, different &s;pirits. The Prophet con|demnes men for their di&s;&s;olute lives, the&s;e for the &s;traitne&s;&s;e of their lives. Thus if any man doe make con&s;cience of &s;inne, he
<PB N="147" REF="88">is by them noted as a Phari&s;ee, that is, an hypocrite: That, as he &s;aid, <HI>Non pote&s;t e&s;&s;e &s;alvus, qui non vult e&s;&s;e malus; &s;alvus &s;al|tem &agrave; linguis maledicis;</HI> &s;i it is, 1 Pet. 4.4. <HI>It &s;eemeth unto them &s;trange, that ye runne not with them unto the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of riot; therefore &s;peake they evill of you.</HI> But as S. <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;aid, that <HI>Ba|laam,</HI> when he thought to have cur&s;ed Gods people for hyre, did ble&s;&s;e them againe and againe, though again&s;t his will: &s;o the&s;e men more commend, than di&s;commend the&s;e per&s;ons, where they &s;eeke &s;o to di&s;grace them, while unwillingly they heape prai&s;es as reproaches upon them, and while they goe about to back-bite them, again&s;t their wills they acquit them, becau&s;e the object good things in&s;tead of evill again&s;t them, as if they could find no matter of evill in them.</P>
<P>But Matth. 23.23. Chri&s;t condemnes the Scribes for &s;trict|ne&s;&s;e in paying tythes. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>But the latter part an&s;wers the former, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> and it &s;heweth they are hypocrites not for doing the le&s;&s;e, but omitting the greater; as on the other &s;ide, that they are hypocrites who doe the grea|ter, and omit the le&s;&s;e. If they cannot ju&s;tly challenge them for omitting the greater they cannot make them hypocrites: nay, happily the&s;e that are cen&s;ured, may ju&s;tly by Chri&s;ts rule judge their cen&s;urers as hypocrites, becau&s;e they omit the le&s;&s;e, and are altogether negligent in them. For undoubtedly the heart can be &s;ound in neither, that is not in both. Luke 16.10. <HI>He that is faithfull in the lea&s;t, he is al&s;o faiothfull in much; and he that is unju&s;t in the lea&s;t, is unju&s;t al&s;o in much.</HI> It is a &s;ure to|ken of an hypocrite, for a man to live apparently in the practice of any one known &s;inne, though in other things hee &s;eeme ne|ver &s;o &s;trict. For Eccle&s;. 10.12. <HI>Any one dead Fly corrupts the oyntment.</HI> But to condemne a man for an hypocrite, in being &s;tricter than our &s;elves in &s;ome ca&s;es, and for being nice in mat|ters of &s;mall moment; when the whole tenour of his life is o|therwi&s;e righteous al&s;o, it is to condemne him for that which Chri&s;t will commend him for at the la&s;t, when no man &s;hall take his prai&s;e or his joy from him, Matth. 25.21. But the&s;e men thus condemne them&s;elves; for as the Heathen <HI>&V;t qui&s;que optimus e&s;t, ita quemque optimum e&s;&s;e putat;</HI> &s;o <HI>&V;t qui&s;que pe&s;&s;i|mus, &amp;c.</HI> as <HI>Heliogabalus</HI> thought every man di&s;hone&s;t in heart, becau&s;e he was &s;o him&s;elfe: &s;o the&s;e men thinke that men cannot without hypocri&s;ie either be nice in &s;mall things, or very care|full and zealous in greater things, becau&s;e them&s;elves are not come to that &s;incerity, to make con&s;cietice of them them&s;elves, and therefore if they &s;hould &s;eeme to doe it, they &s;hould but di&s;&s;emble; and they mea&s;ure other mens con&s;ciences by their owne. In a word, thus to judge is a mo&s;t corrupt cour&s;e; as if a man would needs have it, that the tree is rotten at the roote,
<PB N="148" REF="89">becau&s;e the fruit of it &s;eemed to be good, or at lea&s;t becau&s;e the fruit of it &s;hewed better and fairer then the fruit of many o|ther trees that grew neer it. Then, as Math. 7.1. <HI>Judge not, that yee be not judged.</HI> El&s;e if thou thus judge Gods &s;ervants, take heed of a cen&s;ure from him, and, it may be, from tho&s;e whom thou thus cen&s;ure&s;t, becau&s;e 1 Cor. 6.2. <HI>The Saints &s;hall judge the world.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd ground of the&s;e mens judging, is &s;ome &s;trange judgment that befals them that &s;eeme thus religious and care|full: for if one that hath made con&s;cience of his wayes be over|taken with any judgement, an unu&s;ual cro&s;&s;e, or dye &s;udden|ly, then judge they of him, as <HI>Jobs</HI> friends did of him, <HI>that God hath found out his hyproci&s;ie;</HI> what would they doe if he had dyed in that mi&s;ery? and yet might he have done well enough for all that, and did tru&s;t in God, Job. 13.15. <HI>Loe, though hee &s;lay me, yet will I tru&s;t in him, and I will approve my wayes in his &s;ight.</HI> Thus the <HI>Barbarians</HI> judged of St. <HI>Paul.</HI> Acts 28.4. And &s;o the Di&s;ciples, John 9.2. But as men &s;hall not be judged be|fore God for that they have &s;uffered, but done; &s;o men &s;hall not be judged of men: for &s;o Chri&s;t &s;hewed, by cro&s;&s;ing his Di&s;ci|ples judgement, John 9.3. as al&s;o theirs, Luke 13.3, 5. as he &s;heweth not only by this which might come from the malice of <HI>Pilate,</HI> but from that of the 18. who peri&s;hed under the Tower of <HI>Siloam;</HI> for the like may befall to another and them|&s;elves.</P>
<P>But may not a man judge at all by Gods judgements? <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>Yes, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> in the&s;e and the like ca&s;es: if God have foretold &s;uch a thing, Numb. 16.29, 30. when it comes we may judge; or if the judgment befall him that hath been, and &s;o continues, ano|torious wicked man; as in <HI>Athens,</HI> when a beam of the hou&s;e fell in a banquet, and knocked a profe&s;&s;ed Athei&s;t alone on the head; there is then &s;ome ground for our cen&s;ure, for then the word and worke of God meet together, el&s;e there can bee no certaine judgement, becau&s;e, as it is, Eccle&s;. 9.1, 2. <HI>I have &s;ure|ly given mine heart to all this, and to declare all this, that the ju&s;t and the wi&s;e, and their workes are in the hand of God: and no man knoweth either love or hatred of all that is before them. All things come alike to all; and the &s;ame condition is to thee ju&s;t, and to the wicked, to the good, and to the pure, and to the polluted, and to him that &s;acrificeth, and to him that &s;acrificeth not; as is the good, &s;o is the &s;inner, he that &s;weareth, as he that feareth an oath:</HI> And that which is befallen another may befall thee; for it is no faith, but a fancy, whereby any man thinketh him&s;elfe excepted from any outward calamity, having no promi&s;e for freedome. There|fore &s;hould no man judge another, that liveth outwardly well, by ought that befalleth him; for it may befall him, and that in Gods ju&s;tice, as Proverb. 24.17, 18.</P>
<PB N="149" REF="89">
<P>This tels how it is warrantable to judge and cen&s;ure of other men, &s;uch as are wicked and prophane, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and yet cry out that any man &s;hould &s;it on them but them&s;elves; and of tho&s;e wee meane who boa&s;t of as good and &s;incere a heart to God as the be&s;t, though their lives be not &s;o religious as theirs; yea when they are prophane and notoriou&s;ly wicked, yet men mu&s;t judge charitably of them, becau&s;e they can not &s;ee into their thoughts, and know what there is there. But we an&s;wer them, that their lives tell us what lyes hid: nay that which is within cannot be hid, becau&s;e their lives are &s;uch: For Math. 7.18. a man need not dig into the ground to &s;ee what the root is, the fruit will ea&s;ily di&s;cover the tree; &s;o is it with the heart &amp; actions; by good actions we may be deceived, becau&s;e of the di&s;po&s;ition of the partie, Math. 6. <HI>Almes and Prayers by vaine glory,</HI> or want of &s;incerity, are not good at all to the doer: but evill can|not be good by good intention; for that which is evill in it &s;elf, cannot be made good to any for any end. And &s;o evill actions &s;till argue an evill heart, as bad fruits an evill tree: And &s;o it is a very ridiculous thing for men to brag of a &s;ound and good heart, when their lives be as they bee. For Jam. 3.11. <HI>Evill words,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>corrupt good manners,</HI> their own and others, much more evill workes good men; yea, they argue the doer corrupt within; for it is not the fruit makes the tree bad, but it is the badne&s;&s;e of the tree that maketh the bad fruit; the fruit di&s;covereth the naughtine&s;&s;e of the tree: For as the Adder hath a &s;ting before he &s;tingeth, &s;o are men wicked before they work wickedne&s;&s;e; then is it knowne &s;he hath a &s;ting, and they cor|ruption: for as the mouth &s;peaketh from the abundance of the heart, &s;o the heart worketh from the abundance of the &s;oule; &s;o that lawfull it is for me to judge a common &s;wearer, a known adulterer, a manife&s;t deceiver, an u&s;uall drunkard, &amp;c. to have a corrupt heart: for when the earth is broken up, and a filthy &s;tench commeth out, argues it not that there was &s;ome dead corps there? &s;o when men &s;end out cur&s;ings, bla&s;phemies, &s;wea|rings, raylings, and &s;uch like, that a man &s;hould not be able to endure, from whence i&s;&s;ue the&s;e, but from a dead and a rot|ten &s;oule? the&s;e carry about them then the grave and &s;epulcher of the Soule. Now that which is &s;aid of the words, may be ap|plyed to the workes. As a man therefore comming to a tombe, though never &s;o co&s;tly and curiou&s;ly, or &s;o royally deckt, yet if at &s;ome vent be apprehend a filthy &s;avour i&s;&s;uing out of it, he knoweth well there is not only a dead, but a rotten carka&s;&s;e within; &s;o when a man feeleth a filthy and unwhol&s;ome &s;ent, either of prophane &s;peech, or of di&s;&s;olute life i&s;&s;uing from the heart, which is the fountaine of both, he mu&s;t needs conclude, neither is it again&s;t charitie to cen&s;ure it, that there is a &s;oule
<PB N="150" REF="90">not only dead and buried, but even rotten in &s;inne and corrup|tion. Therefore let no man delude him&s;elfe, while he would deceive others, to beare men in hand that he is &s;ound at heart, when he is un&s;ound and corrupt in his life; as if a man might beper&s;waded that it is a vine or figtree which he &s;eeth hanging full of crabs and wildings. Nay it mu&s;t needs be otherwi&s;e; therefore as Chri&s;t &s;aid, Math. 12.33. <HI>Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; Or el&s;e make the tree evill, and his fruit evill: for the tree is known by his fruit.</HI> If thou hate &s;inne, &s;hew it in thy life; if thou feare God, &s;hew it by thy carefull walking in his waies, and &s;eeking to plea&s;e him; If thou love&s;t the word, fre|quent the a&s;&s;embly with diligence and devotion, and not care|le&s;&s;ely and &s;lippily: If thou thinke reverently of the &s;ervice of God, be carefull reverently to addre&s;&s;e thy &s;elfe to the perfor|mance of it: Otherwi&s;e know, thy practice proclaimes the want of the&s;e things; and thinke not much if others judge thee by that, for thy have their warrant from Chri&s;t their King; <HI>By their fruits you &s;hall know them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>If yee offer the blind,]</HI> The Lord he requires not all the &s;ub|&s;tance of a man to his &s;ervice, but a few things, and tho&s;e not very co&s;tly, yet he requires the choi&s;e and be&s;t in their kind, and they be accounted of better then any others; the be&s;t &s;hould not be deare to them, nor too deare for him.</P>
<P>Men ought to offer their be&s;t things to God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and to thinke nothing too deare for him, either to give to him or for him, Gen. 22.2. 2 Sam. 24.24.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to reprove all hypocrites, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;uch as the world &amp; the Church is full of, who offer not the be&s;t, but the wor&s;t unto God, &amp; think tho&s;e things good enough, having many things too dear for him, when as nothing is too good for their back &amp; bellies, for their plea&s;ures &amp; delights, to &s;erve the fle&s;h &amp; world withall. But generals touch not; for particulars. Fir&s;t, the maintenance of the Mini&s;ters is the Lords portion, as not to &s;eek it feare off, Mal. 3.8. for if the &s;poiling of them, be the &s;poyling of him, then <HI>&egrave; contra.</HI> But how many have we that thinke every thing is too much that they have, and any thing is good enough for them? I &s;ay no|thing of them who be&s;tow all on plea&s;ures, and give nothing to the Lord portion, who, as they think playing better then preaching, be&s;tow much on Players, but nothing on Preachers. But I aime at &s;uch as account of Preaching, and injoy the benefit of the mini&s;tery, and yet a vaine man will be&s;tow more on a player in a yeere, then they in many on a Preacher. Almes to the poore, is a gift to God, as the Scripture teacheth; but how many have we, I do not &s;ay rich churles, like him in the Go&s;pell, that will not give crums to <HI>Lazarus,</HI> but, that will give &s;ome|thing, but it is almes of moldy bread, tainted meat, that &s;carce
<PB N="151" REF="90">doggs will eate, or cannot be &s;pent otherwi&s;e; who&s;e ru&s;t of their &s;iver, &amp; their motheaten gartments &s;hall be awitnes again&s;t them, &amp; eate their fle&s;h. Any thing is too much for the&s;e, nothing too good for their bellies, plea&s;ures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 5.2, 3.</NOTE> or plea&s;ant compaions who de|light them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mi&s;eri homi|nes para&s;itis &amp; a&s;&s;entato|ribus di&s;tri|buert ma|lunt, quam Chri&s;to qui tot &s;ibi bene|cia contule|rit.</NOTE> <HI>Wretched men had rather give to para&s;ites and flaterers then to Chri&s;t from whom they have &s;o many benefit.</HI> The&s;e &s;hall have of the be&s;t, tho&s;e of the wor&s;t; the&s;e liberally, tho&s;e &s;pa|ringly. If I &s;hould tell you that a Citizen in the end of the &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e being &s;ome few miles from the City, when the plague was beginning hotly, going thither but of plea&s;ure, at his meate would have given a Crown for a &s;et of Mu&s;itians to delight him|&s;elfe withall: when otion was made in the company to give &s;omewhat to the relief of the &s;ick and poore in that towne, as men who could not forget the mi&s;eries of the poore, from the experience of their own; he among the re&s;t gave but a penny or two pence at the mo&s;t: I &s;ay if I &s;hould tell you of &s;uch an one, (I &s;ay not I know the party and the thing,) I know you would all condemn him in your thoughts. But this I &s;ay, I know many who will not &s;ticke to &s;pend a crowne, 10, 20, 30, 40 s, upon one idle journey for their plea&s;ure and delight, (which I doe not &s;imply condemn,) when as it will grieve them, and they cannot &s;mother it, to be&s;tow in a whole yeere upon the Lords Levites and his poore Lazarites, a crowne or 10 s. or the like portion farre inferior to their ability; how are the&s;e not re|proved here? And if the&s;e, then tho&s;e who give to the Lord not the flower and youth of their age, but to the fle&s;h and devill, and the dregs of their age to God; their &s;trength and health to the world, their weakne&s;&s;e and &s;ickne&s;&s;e to God. The fir&s;t fruits are too good for God, though he call for them, the glea|nings are good enough. Many have children, &s;ome are of good parts, good gifts, and towardlines; it is pitty they &s;hould &s;erve the Lord, andbe for his mini&s;tery, they are fit to &s;tand before Kings and in great places, Dan. 1.3, 4, 5. but if any be of no gifts, hee is fit for no others u&s;e, turne him to the mini&s;tery, 1 Kings 12.31. 2 Chron. 13.9. and this mu&s;t be his refuge a|gain&s;t poverty; many betake them&s;elves to the reading of the Word, and come to the Church when they have nothing el&s;e to doe, neither their bellies to feed, nor their backs to deck, nor the world to follow, the weather not for them to walk in the fields; as Luke 9.59, 61. Many will offer &s;mall and petty &s;ins to God, that they have no plea&s;ure or profit, by, but retaine their maine &s;innes which give delight, 2 Kings 10.28, 29. Mark 6.17, 18, 20. Math. 23.23. yea many can be content to part with their outward goods, not inward corruption, but buy out their &s;ins with almes, Mich. 6.6, 7. Now a number of &s;uch hy|pocrites as the&s;e are manife&s;tly here reproved, that they thinke
<PB N="152" REF="91">things too deare for the Lord, and plea&s;e them&s;elves, when they offer of the wor&s;t unto him.</P>
<P>To reach every man to honour God with the be&s;t he hath, to thinke nothing too good for him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if he call for it. To take <HI>So|lomons</HI> advice, Prov. 3.9. <HI>Honour the Lord with thy riches, and with the fir&s;t fruits of all thine increa&s;e.</HI> Defraud not his Levites of their portion, thinking it too much that is be&s;towed on them; for 1 Cor. 9.11. <HI>If we have &s;o wen unto you &s;pirituall things, is it a great thing if we reape your carnall things?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ni&s;i dederit oleum popu|lus, extingue|tur lucerna in remplo Orig.</NOTE> And Galat. 6, 6. <HI>Let him that is taught in the Word, make him that hath taught him par|taker in all his goods.</HI> And if men be &s;traitened this wi&s;e, it may be ju&s;t with God to take their Mini&s;ters from them.* Unle&s;&s;e the people bring Oyle, the light will goe out in the Temple: &s;o in ordinary cour&s;e and Gods judgment. Feed the poore with the be&s;t, and deale liberally with them: Deut. 14.29. Nehe. 8.10. Make them heires and co-heires with thy children and kindred; as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> When thou art dying and going, though it is farre better thou &s;hould&s;t nouri&s;h them living, and before thou depart. <HI>Hom.</HI> 25. <HI>ad pop. Ant,</HI> remember God in the be&s;t of thy dayes, health, youth, &s;trength, Eccle&s;. 12.1. Deut. 6.5. If thou ha&s;t children, thinke none too good for God to carry Gods Name, to &s;tand in Gods &s;tead, 1 Cor. 2.16. and 5.20. And if God will have him, if he be as <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> freely offer him; the better, the more acceptable to him&s;elfe. Give God the time that is meet, and he requireth, though it be precious to thee, and may be imployed to profit otherwi&s;e, Exod. 34.21. Offer to God the greate&s;t and &s;weete&s;t &s;innes, neere&s;t and deare&s;t, Marth. 5.29, 30. as Heb. 11.17. yea, give God the heart, and honour him with outward holine&s;&s;e. Prov. 23.26. In all things be an <HI>Abel,</HI> not a <HI>Cain.</HI> Gen. 4.</P>
<P><HI>The blind.]</HI> Sacrifices were Types both of head and body; and for body, of the per&s;ons and &s;ervice. And thus God reject|ing their &s;acrifices for their blindne&s;&s;e, &s;hews how hee con|demnes blindne&s;&s;e in tho&s;e who &s;erve him: And blindne&s;&s;e is ig|norance, and want of knowledge. Revelat. 3. 2 Pet. 1.5, 9. And &s;o from hence ob&s;erve:</P>
<P>Nothing that is done in obedience of God can be good, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> or a good worke, unle&s;&s;e it be of knowledge, zeale, charity, de|votion; good intention cannot make it good, if knowledge be wanting, for it is a blind offering. The knowledge we &s;peake of is a generall knowledge of the Will and Word of God, and &s;peciall knowledge of the lawfulne&s;&s;e and goodne&s;&s;e of that acti|on. 2 Pet. 1.5, 9. Deut. 5.27. Matth. 28.19, 20. Rom. 10.2, 3. Rom. 14.23. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord re&s;pects not the outward &s;hew and pompe
<PB N="153" REF="91">of works, (as the multitude and greatne&s;&s;e of them,) but con|&s;iders them inwardly, whether they flow from true obedience, or no. Now true obedience is then, when we beleeve by the Word of God, that both he requires &s;uch workes, and they are tho&s;e which plea&s;e him. Now this cannot be without &s;ome mea|&s;ure of knowledge.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as he condemnes the vaine pompe and outward &s;hew of Hypocrites, &s;o doth he all fained &s;ervice and will-wor&s;hip, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Col. 2.23. Now then it is will-wor&s;hip, not onely when things not commanded are done, and men thinke by them to doe God good &s;ervice; but when things commanded are done, and they know not the command, but for &s;ome other re&s;pects doe them: for as good no commandement, in re&s;pect of them, as they not know it. And if things done, which he had com|manded, be rejected, as will-wor&s;hip, I&s;aiah 1.12. becau&s;e they were not done in that manner he had commanded, though they knew his will; More this: for as they in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> did their works not in con&s;cience to God, but for &s;ome other end; &s;o the&s;e can not, becau&s;e they know it not, and &s;o it cannot be acceptable. He that doth a man a good turne, and meant it not, but aimed at him&s;elfe, profit or glory, or what&s;oever, cannot look for any great thankes from him, for whom it fell out &s;o well.</P>
<P>This confuteth Papi&s;ts, as touching ignorance, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> which they much advance and commend; though they be a&s;hamed of the old po&s;ition, that ignorance is the Mother of devotion, yet they accu&s;e knowledge for want of devotion; they practi&s;e to keepe the people in ignorance, and defend it &s;till to be good. For when we urge the nece&s;&s;ity of knowledge, for all our acti|ons, and that whether from the Word, Fathers, or rea&s;on, they oppo&s;e them&s;elves again&s;t all. Be&s;ides, their manifold rea&s;ons, for which they have beaten their braines, to prove the people ought not to have the Scriptures in a knowne tongue, and &s;o not knowledge; when we object unto them, Joh. 5.39. <HI>Search the Scriptures,</HI> and ju&s;tly complaine of their &s;pirit contrary to Chri&s;ts, <HI>Dureus</HI> denies that this is &s;poken to all Chri&s;tians; for how &s;hould (&s;aith he) the ignorant and unlearned &s;earch them? We an&s;wer, that if Chri&s;t had then &s;poken to the learned one|ly, his exception had beene good; but if he preached to the whole people, as then he did; if to all the Jewes, why not to all Chri&s;tians? Let them &s;hew a difference; but if none, but that both Jewes and Chri&s;tians mu&s;t by them have the know|ledge of Chri&s;t and eternall life, when the&s;e are common to all in the Church, why not to other? when we urge that, Acts 17.11. <HI>The</HI> Bereans <HI>&s;earched the Scriptures whether tho&s;e things were &s;o. Bellarmine</HI> an&s;wereth, that was becau&s;e they doubted whe|ther he was an Apo&s;tle or no. The matter is not why they exa|mined,
<PB N="154" REF="92">but that they did, and are commended for it by the holy Gho&s;t, that they compared his doctrine with the doctrine of the Prophets. Then ought all Chri&s;tians thus to doe, to try the Spirits, for now may doubt be made, more then at that time, 1 John 4.1. and no &s;earch can be but by the Scriptures, and knowledge of them. When we urge that, Collo. 3.16. then they exempt the ignorant, and &s;ay it is not for all, but commend unto us the decree of the Councell of <HI>Trent,</HI> who have allowed &s;uch to read as have licence from their Ordinary, upon te&s;timo|ny from their Curates that they are humble and devout per&s;ons, <HI>Rhemi&s;t, praefat.</HI> that is, none but their Pope-holy, devout Ca|tholiques, and yet the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes generally; and if the People be rude, and, as they &s;till object, ignorant, we an&s;wer, that is no rea&s;on, or of no force to prove they mu&s;t be kept from the Scriptures; this is the way to make them &s;till rude: this ought not to be &s;o, and that which is a fault in them, can be no argument again&s;t this, as if a man &s;hould be denied the benefit, not of light, but of &s;alve becau&s;e his eyes are &s;ore. When we ob|ject unto them the fathers, as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> upon the place of the Col|lo&s;&s;ians and divers otherplaces, or that of him, <HI>Hom.</HI> 2. in <HI>Math. &amp; aliis: Heare I pray you, O yee layty, buy you Bibles, the medicines of your &s;oules, if you will buy you nothing el&s;e: get the new Te&s;tament, the Acts of the Apo&s;tles, and the Epi&s;tles.</HI> To this the <HI>Rhemi&s;ts, praefat. &s;ect.</HI> 14. an&s;wer, that he &s;peakes this as a Pulpit man, not as giving rules in the Schooles. As if he would &s;peake one thing in the Pulpit, another thing out of it, or made the Pulpit a place to utter lyes. The&s;e who thus cen&s;ure the fathers, no marvell though they often be &s;awcy with <HI>Luther</HI> and <HI>Calvin.</HI> But <HI>Bellarmine</HI> an&s;wereth, <HI>de verbo Dei, lib.</HI> 2. <HI>cap.</HI> 16. that he &s;poke that then, becau&s;e many men were given to be at theaters and &s;tage playes, and other vanities, and never read the Scriptures, no not &s;uch as had under&s;tanding; and he exhorteth all, not that he would have all to read them, but that they &s;hould doe it, which could doe it with profit: for he knew he had to deale with tho&s;e who need &s;uch amplifications: marke that <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> is made an Orator, no Preacher; one that for advantage would &s;peake more then he thought. When upon Col. the 3.16. hee exhorts not only in generall tearmes, but &s;pecially; <HI>heare O you worldly men, that have wives and children, he commands you to read the Scripture, and not lightly and &s;lightly, but diligently and painfully:</HI> How can they re&s;traine tho&s;e with any con&s;cience, to &s;ome, which is &s;poken generally to all? And for this rea&s;on holds it not now, have we not playes, they and we, theaters ful|ler then Churches, to the corrupting of the minds and manners of our people? finde we not many, of good capacitie, more af|fected with any thing then the &s;criptures? Then as nece&s;&s;ary it is
<PB N="155" REF="92">they &s;hould be exhorted, and read them; and yet with them may a man read any thing but Scriptures: by all which, as they them|&s;elves make gaine of them, &s;o they make them and their &s;acri|fices, &s;ervice and obedience, what&s;oever it is, unacceptable un|to God, becau&s;e they are blind &s;acrifices, &s;pecially that, when they teach them to pray in an unknown tongue, where every word mu&s;t needs be a blind &s;ervice.</P>
<P>To reprove all &s;uch as keep them&s;elves in ignorance and with|out knowledge, being blind, they will be blind &s;till; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> they need not that any law forbid them the reading of the Scriptures, they can be a law unto them&s;elves; and what &s;oever others can ob|ject, that they have again&s;t them&s;elves, of the difficulty, the hardne&s;&s;e, the ob&s;curity and danger of reading them; Or if not that, yet that they mu&s;t learne from their mini&s;ters, that which <HI>Duraeus</HI> the Je&s;uite &s;aid impiou&s;ly, <HI>that Chri&s;t left Pa&s;tors to to the people, not Bibles,</HI> they &s;o practi&s;e; for they will not once almo&s;t look in them, only they will heare from the Mini&s;ters, and would to God they would heare con&s;tantly and carefully; they might have more knowledge: but while they onely heare, they remaine &s;till ignorant, and hearing &s;o carele&s;ly, by igno|rance they doe the things that God hath commanded now and then, but without all true knowledge; and &s;o make them unac|ceptable to God, when they worke by imitation, and often en|quire of the lawfulne&s;&s;e after the deed.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade every man, that hath any de&s;ire that his &s;ervice may be acceptable to God, what&s;oever it be, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to labor for know|ledge that it may bee a &s;eeing &s;acrifice; for that which the A|po&s;tle hath, Hebr. 11.6. is here more; if not without faith, then not without knowledge: Now what &s;ervant or child is it that obeyes and doth &s;ervice to his father or ma&s;ter, and knowes it is not acceptable; and yet if he be told what way he may take to have it accepted, will not? &s;o in this if there be any de&s;ire to plea&s;e him, labor not &s;o much to doe, as how to doe, or to know what you doe; and this not onely by &s;iting at <HI>Gamaliels</HI> feet, and hearing the Mini&s;ters, but by reading the Scriptures and word of God your &s;elves diligently and painfully:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.16.</NOTE> for the Apo&s;tle &s;o per&s;wades, <HI>Let the word of Chri&s;t dwell in you plenteou&s;ly in all wi&s;dome, teaching and admoni&s;hing your &s;elves in P&s;almes and Hymnes, and &s;pirituall Songs, &s;inging with a grace in your hearts to the Lord;</HI> not, as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> well &s;aith, that the word &s;hould be in you, that is, come as a &s;tranger, and &s;tay for a night, a &s;ea|&s;on, and gone againe; but it mu&s;t dwell in you, and that not &s;paringly, but copiou&s;ly and abundantly. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> exhortation is not &s;o nece&s;&s;ary for the&s;e times and this audience, to get them Bibles, for they mu&s;t have them in their hands and hou&s;es; but to u&s;e their Bibles, which mo&s;t neglect. Therefore as he <HI>de
<PB N="156" REF="93">Lazaro,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Semper horter, &amp; hortari non de&s;inam, ut non hic tantum attendat is iis quae dicun|tur, verum etiam cum domi fueritis, a&s;&s;i|du&egrave; divinaru~ &s;criptur arum lectioni vace|tis. Quod quidem &amp; iis qui priv atim me|cum ingre&s;&s;i &s;unt non de&s;i&s;to inculcare. Chry&s;o&s;t.</NOTE> <HI>Hom.</HI> 3. I againe and againe ex|hort you, not only here to attend to the things that are &s;poken, but when you are at home, to read the Scriptures carefully, which I u&s;e to pre&s;&s;e upon them that are a|bout me. If this may prevaile, a little more may that of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> Deuter. 6.6, 7, 8. and that of Chri&s;t, John 5.39. and the former of S. <HI>Paul.</HI> But alas, how may that complaint of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> be applyed, <HI>Homil.</HI> 13. in John,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quino&s;tru~quae&s;o repetit domi aliquid, out Cori&s;tiana dignum opus aggreditur? Quis Scripturarum &s;en&s;us per&s;erutatur? Ne|mo &s;ane: &s;ed alve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">los &amp; talos frequen|ter invenimus, libros quam rari&s;&s;imos. Chry&s;o&s;t.</NOTE> Who is it, that when he comes home doth any thing worthy of a Chri&s;ti|an? who is it, that &s;eekes the meaning of the Scripture? None at all; we may or|dinarily finde you at Tables or Dice, but very &s;eldome at your Bibles. Doth not he de&s;cribe many of our Chri&s;tians, and their familes; and &s;o, that being without knowledge, all they doe is unacceptable. Let us labor then for this knowledge, and be not Idols in the Church, who have eyes and &s;ee not; &amp; &s;o much knowledge is required, as there is capablene&s;e and meanes.</P>
<P><HI>And if yee offer the lame,]</HI> Lame &s;acrifices forbidden &s;ignifi|ed the di&s;like that God had of &s;uch &s;ervice as was done by halfes, in body, and not in minde; <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> inhypocri&s;ie, for fa&s;hion and cu&s;tome, and &s;uch like.</P>
<P>Lame &s;ervice which is done to God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Dorct."> is unacceptable unto him, whether it be done with the body without the heart, or pre|tended to be done with the heart, when the body goes another way, when it is hypocriticall and di&s;&s;embling, or by parting or &s;haring with God, it is abominable and not acceptable unto him; therefore rejected he the lame &s;acrifices: the ceremony leads to this &s;ub&s;tance, the &s;haddow to this body, 1 Kings 18.21. <HI>And</HI> Eliah <HI>came unto all the people, and &s;aid, how long halt yee between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if</HI> Baal <HI>be hee, then goe after him. And the people an&s;wered him not a word.</HI> This God complained of, I&s;aiah 29.13. Jer. 12.2. Ezek. 33.31. Act. 4.36. with 5.1, 2. Math. 6.2, 5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all and the whole is his, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> both body and &s;oule, by his three-fold right of creation, redemption, and pre&s;ervation or gubernation: therefore he will have all, or nothing can be ac|cepted of him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is to make a fal&s;e God of him; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for it is a po&s;ition full of truth, that a true God, as hee will not be wor&s;hipped with fained and counterfeit wor&s;hip, &s;o not with partiall wor|&s;hip, but he will have all, or none: whereas fal&s;e gods will be content &s;o they may have but a &s;hare. But the true God is like the true Mother, 1 King. 3.26. will not have it divided.</P>
<PB N="157" REF="93">
<P>This condemneth all pre&s;enting of the body before an Idoll, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> or in Idols &s;ervice, under pretence of keeping the heart to God; whether it be done by feare, fancy, or for profit and gaine. This is to offer up a lame &s;acrifice to God, &s;uch as he abhorres; it is without any pre&s;ident or precept in the Scriptures: nay the Commandements, precepts, lawes, admonitions, judg|ments of the Law and Prophets of the Old and new Te&s;tament are all again&s;t it, commanding to fly Idols and Idolatry. The companions of <HI>Daniel</HI> cho&s;e rather to bee ca&s;t into the fiery for|nace, then to bow to the Kings Idol. The mother in the <HI>Macca|bees,</HI> and her children embraced death rather then they would eare &s;wines fle&s;h contrary to the law of God. Infinite are the Martyrs of all times, who have couragiou&s;ly embraced death, before they would doe any &s;uch thing; who had been all very unwi&s;e, and fooles, if this would have &s;erved, and God would have accepted &s;uch lame &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>But for all this a man may goe to ma&s;&s;e, and &s;uch &s;uper&s;titions, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> may he not?</P>
<P>No more to the one then to the other; <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> for this is the greate&s;t Idol in the world, and for it more abominable Idolaters are the Papi&s;ts then any other: for never any wor&s;hipped the thing it &s;elfe, as they doe the breaden God and the cro&s;&s;e; but they wor&s;hipped God at it, and in it, as their old di&s;tinction hath been.</P>
<P>But we goe to make us abhorre it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> when we &s;ee their follie and vanity.</P>
<P>This were as if a man &s;hould goe into a harlots hou&s;e or &s;tews, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> under pretence to &s;ee and to abhorre: whom &s;hall he make be|leeve that is his end? if it were apparent, yet what madne&s;&s;e were it for a man to lay him&s;elfe open to bee taken with &s;uch a danger? He pre&s;umes of his &s;trength, nay he provokes God to take his &s;trength from him, and to let him fall into it, as in <HI>Peter:</HI> This is not the way to abhorre it. But as he that would abhorre uncleanene&s;&s;e, or drunkenne&s;&s;e, mu&s;t not take that cour&s;e, to go to &s;tewes, or to frequent tavernes, for that is to make him more in love with them; but mu&s;t labor for a cha&s;te and &s;ober heart, and that will make him abhorre it; &s;o here for a religious and holy heart: for it is not the &s;eeing of evill that makes men abhorre it, but the &s;eeing of good. If men labor for true grace they &s;hall ea&s;ily abhore &s;inne; and in this, as in all others, evill mu&s;t not be done that good may come: Nay, though never &s;o much good would en&s;ue, yet when God hath forbidden it, when he di&s;likes it, it mu&s;t be avoyded.</P>
<P>This condemneth all prophane men who talke of &s;erving God with their hearts, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> how&s;oever they &s;erve him not with their bo|dies, and they doubt not but God will accept them. The Lords
<PB N="158" REF="94">day, is a day God hath required men to doe him publique &s;ervice in; how many &s;pend that day either in journeying for &s;ome &s;mall affaires, or withdrawing them&s;elves upon &s;ome &s;mall oc|ca&s;ion, and yet tell us they doubt not but God will accept their thoughts and their heart, as they ride, or the like: as if he that di&s;honors God in his body, could honor him in his heart at one &amp; the &s;ame time; or, if he could, he would accept it: As if he could &s;erve him within, that rebels again&s;t him without: As if a child or &s;ervant could think to per&s;wade his father or ma&s;ter, that hee re&s;pected and &s;erved him in his heart, when he di&s;obeyed and di&s;honoured him in all his outward carriage, and did not that he bade him: Nay, the contrary is mo&s;t true; &s;o for alms, that it is enough to looke upon the poore rufully, and &s;peake mournfully to them, and &s;eeme to have affections within, but their goods they be&s;tow upon harlots and vaine per&s;ons, their labour and &s;trength upon them; And yet they thinke God will accept their heart. as if a &s;ubject &s;hould pretend a loyall heart to his Prince, and thinke to be accepted for it, when he gives his goods, and &s;pends his &s;trength in a &s;ervice again&s;t him, &s;erving his E|nemy.</P>
<P>Here is condemned all lame &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when men will give their bodyes, but re&s;erve their hearts from him; they will come before him, and draw neere to him with the outward man, heare the word, pray, and offer him pray&s;es, and receive the &s;a|craments; but in the meane time their hearts are ab&s;ent, they are without their &s;oule; for all things are done without under|&s;tanding, praying and hearing, &amp;c. they were as good be done in a &s;trange tongue in re&s;pect of them, yea better; for they had the more excu&s;e. Their affections which are as their hands, either to receive that is offered to them, or to hold up that which they bring to God, are &s;o full of their covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and worldline&s;&s;e of their feares, joyes, &s;everall plea&s;ures and delights, that they can receive nothing el&s;e; but what&s;oever is offered them, is as water powered upon a ve&s;&s;ell that hath the mouth full &s;topped, and &s;o all runneth by; or if they receive a little, yet their plea&s;ures, or covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or &s;uch like doe &s;oon exclude them, or choak them, as thornes doe the corne or &s;eed.</P>
<P>To reach every man to endeavour, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and performe &s;ervices to God both in body and &s;oule, as 1 Cor. 6.20. &s;eeing his right is to one as well as the other; and the giving of him one condemns a man, for not giving of him the other. If God was &s;o angry with <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Sapphira,</HI> that he divided, them, becau&s;e they had devided that which they ought to have given whole unto him; how will he accept a man that &s;hall divide him&s;elfe, when he comes to him? <HI>Their heart is divided, now &s;hall they be found faulty.</HI> Ho&s;ea 10.2. we mu&s;t bring both body and &s;oule
<PB N="159" REF="94">to the &s;ervice of God, to pray with the mouth, and to pray with the under&s;tanding, to hear with the eare, and to &s;peake with the heart; for the body hath both <HI>os</HI> and <HI>aures,</HI> to &s;peak to God, and to hear him. Men mu&s;t give God the bodily pre&s;ence when hee calleth for it; they mu&s;t come to his &s;ervice, but they may not leave their hearts behinde them, or &s;uffer them to be carried a|way when they are pre&s;ent, but leave every thing, when they come, behind them, that may hinder them; as <HI>Abraham</HI> did at the foot of the mount: yea, when they would fall upon his &s;er|vice, as the fowls would upon <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;acrifice, Gen. 15.11. drive them away, and performe all duties with the whole man, that it may be a whole, and &s;o an acceptable &s;acrifice, 2 Sam. 5.8.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;icke.]</HI> Sick &s;acrifices of bea&s;ts were condemned, to &s;hew how God di&s;likes that &s;ervice that is without &s;pirit and affection, faintly and drow&s;ily performed.</P>
<P>Sick &s;ervice God di&s;likes, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> when things are performed without &s;pirit and affection, when the duties are done without zeal and fervencie, without alacritie and cheerfulne&s;&s;e. This was the rea&s;on why <HI>Aaron</HI> and his &s;ons would not eat the &s;in-offering, becau&s;e they could not doe it cheerfully, Levit. 10.19. Hee would have all things done cheerfully, fervently, zealou&s;ly, I&s;ai|ah. 58.13. 1 Cor. 9.17. Rom. 12.8, 11. 2 Cor. 9.7. Ec|cle&s;. 11.1.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e when things are done dully and coldly by one, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> it ar|gues little account of Gods Per&s;on, and &s;mall de&s;ire of the things he hath; but the contrary is, when they are done fervently and bu&s;ily, when a man &s;ets his heart to the work, as that, Dan. 6.14. when as the cold and carele&s;&s;e performing of the&s;e things, argues no account nor love to God and his &s;ervice; no marvell then though he di&s;like it; and contrariwi&s;e, accept it, being done with fervencie.</P>
<P>This condemneth tho&s;e who condemn zeal, fervencie, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and heat in the &s;ervice of God.</P>
<P>To teach every man to labour to doe all things in the &s;ervice and fear of God, with zeal, alacritie and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> not to goe about it as &s;ick men doe about the works of their callings, faintly and feebly, but earne&s;tly, whether they pray, or preach, hear, or give almes, whether for a &s;hort time or long. It is not enough that the Lords day be kept, that the Word is heard and preach|ed, that the Prayers be made, almes given, and &s;uch like, unle&s;&s;e they have that affection which God requires, and be done with that &s;en&s;e and feeling, that zeal and fervencie which is fitting. The work is common to hypocrites and profane men, with the Children of God; the affection is proper to his owne; not that the other have not the naturall affection, but that they have not the &s;anctified affection: Their affections are about worldly
<PB N="160" REF="95">things, plea&s;ant or profitable; the&s;e about pirituall things. As the vaine men, or worldly men are tickled, and marvellou&s;ly af|fected with the things they goe about; &s;o ought men in the &s;er|vice of God. And though happily it is not to be attayned unto, to have as fervent affections to the things of God, as carnall men have to the things of the world, becau&s;e they are wholly carnall, the&s;e but partly &s;anctified; they have nothing to hinder them, the&s;e have great hinderances and pull-backs, even their own cor|ruptions; yet mu&s;t they endeavour, what they may, to doe eve|ry thing with all cheerfulne&s;&s;e, and even grieve to &s;ee them goe about their &s;ports and profits, their delight and gaine, with greater &s;pirits, and more cheerfully, then them&s;elves about the&s;e holy things; yea let it grieve them that they them&s;elves follow worldly things more eagerly and affectionately then &s;pirituall things, and find greater chearfulne&s;&s;e in the one then in the o|ther. And &s;o things done drow&s;ily and heavily, without cheer|fulne&s;&s;e, &s;hall not be accepted.</P>
<P>But what if this affection be wanting, <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> &s;hall a man therefore not doe it, or doe that which will not be accepted.</P>
<P>Nay, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> that follows not; for then &s;hould God have no &s;ervice of the be&s;t, who finde them&s;elves ever unfit; but onely of hypo|crites and carnall men, who think any thing good enough: but though wants this way be, yet mu&s;t not this be left off; for &s;o we read the Children of God have done. <HI>Nehemiah</HI> unfit to pray, yet prayed, Chapter 1.4. <HI>Hanna,</HI> 1. Sam. 1. Our Saviour Chri&s;t him&s;elf, when his heart was full of &s;orrow (though this was in him an infirmitie without &s;inne, though not in us, becau&s;e of the corruption it draws from our ve&s;&s;ell, as new wine put into a mu|&s;tie ve&s;&s;ell.)</P>
<P>To teach men not to deferre the &s;ervice of God till &s;ickne&s;&s;e and old age, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when they mu&s;t needs be without heat and af|fection.</P>
<P>To teach every one to whet on one another, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to labour to &s;et an edge on one another, and to &s;tir up their affections, when they are with them, to come to the &s;ervice of God; &s;pecially &s;uch as have charge of others, for their charge. As they have any de|&s;ire that God may have the &s;acrifice and &s;ervice that is plea&s;ant unto him, and to keep them&s;elves free from their &s;innes: they &s;hould, as Prov. 27.17. <HI>&s;harpen:</HI> and Deutr. 6.7. <HI>whet,</HI> and in generall, Hebr. 10.24. <HI>provoke one another.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Offer it now unto thy Prince.]</HI> The &s;econd rea&s;on and proof of their offence, becau&s;e they had gone again&s;t civilitie and com|mon hone&s;tie.</P>
<P>This is the corruption of mans nature, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> that he preferreth man before God: loving, fearing, &s;erving, &s;eeking his honour before Gods. Gen. 27.12. 2 Kings 5.18. John. 12.42, 43. <HI>Neverthe|le&s;&s;e
<PB N="161" REF="95">among the chief rulers, many beleeved in him, but becau&s;e of the Phari&s;ees they did not confe&s;&s;e him, le&s;t they &s;hould be ca&s;t out of the &s;ynagogue; for they loved the prai&s;e of men, more then the pray&s;e of God.</HI> Joh. 5.44. Yea in all things man is more carefull of all duties, and maketh it much more hainous to faile in duty to the one, then to neglect and &s;et light by the other.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;ee and conver&s;e with men daily, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not &s;o with God: it is the rea&s;on why <HI>John</HI> gave him the lie, that would brag of the love of God, whe~ he lived in the hatred of men. 1 Joh. 4.20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e love being the ground of all duties to God, or man, and affection to man is naturall, to God &s;pirituall, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that we have of our &s;elves, this is the gift of God; therefore meere naturall men have care of duties to men, more then to God, becau&s;e they have this Love, not the other: And regenerate men too; becau&s;e after conver&s;ion nature helpes us with the &s;pirit to the &s;ervice of man, but to God the &s;pirit onely workes, yet but weakely; Men being more fle&s;h then &s;pirit a long time after conver&s;ion.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e men have a carnall under&s;tanding, becau&s;e they are ble to &s;ee what they receive from men, but not from God: <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> hence no good turn from men goes unrecompenced, at lea&s;t not with|out thanks, but from God many goe without thanks; we have carnall eyes to &s;ee what men give us, not &s;pirituall to &s;ee what God be&s;towes; to &s;ee the In&s;trument, not Author.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e men have perver&s;e and partiall judgements; for that which befalleth a man, every one thinkes may befall him; <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but that which toucheth or di&s;honoureth God, they think it touch|eth not their freehold at all.</P>
<P>To teach every man to &s;ee the corruption of his heart, when when he findeth that he is in him&s;elf and others more carefull of the duties that belong to men, then to God; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> where the fayling of the one troubleth him more then the neglect of the other. In him&s;elf he is carefull to live civilly and hone&s;tly in the world, to give every man his own, &amp;c. But in the mean time he is carele&s;&s;e in the duties of Gods &s;ervice. This bewrayes the corruption of his nature, for that he may doe by the light of nature, and &s;o have heathen men both co~manded &amp; done. And as it is meet hypocri|&s;ie, for a man to be carefull in duties unto God, when he is careles in duties unto men; &s;o the contrary is but meere civilitic: he that is truly religious, is carefull of both: hee that faileth in the one, is &s;hort of many Heathen and Infidells; And in the other, hee that goes no further, is &s;till but a naturall and cornall man. They have carnall affections and under&s;tandings, and are men of per|ver&s;e judgements: we &s;hall finde that true of them which Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> writ <HI>de mendacio,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Nulla bomi|nes graviora peccata ae&s;ti|mant, quam quae huic vi|tae faciunt injuriam. <HI>Aug.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Men esteem tho&s;e &s;innes wor&s;t, that are mo&s;t injurious to this life.</HI> And again, <HI>Non odi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">us eos qui nulli mole&s;ti &s;unt,</HI> Wee doe not hate tho&s;e that live in the practi&s;e
<PB N="162" REF="96">of &s;inne, be it never &s;o great again&s;t God, as long as they are not injurious and offen&s;ive to man, from this corruption is it, that men feare man more then God, are more de&s;irous to plea&s;e him, to keep and recover his favor then Gods. If a great man be offended with them, as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> they will intreat friends and neighbours and others, tend patiently many dayes, entreat humbly once and again, a 100. times, and if he will not bee re|conciled, they can not be in quiet: but when they have offended God, they can lye and &s;leep &s;ecurely, and take their ea&s;e, and follow their plea&s;ures, &s;hews not this their corruption? From the &s;ame corruption is it, that if they receive any benefit from men, or by them, they labor to be thankfull, and to recom|pence; but though they cannot but looke upon &s;ome of Gods ble&s;&s;ings, they return none to him. As men are liberall in thansk for their fea&s;ts and refre&s;hings, to the in&s;truments, not to the author: as <HI>Ba&s;il.</HI> As little children that thinke they have their coats from the taylor that maketh them, and bringeth them home and putteth them on, by rea&s;on of their weake conceit: from this corruption is it, that men mi&s;like di&s;obedient &s;onnes and bad &s;ervants of other men; becau&s;e it may be their owne ca&s;e to be abu&s;ed &s;o by their own, and the bad example of others may be a meanes to effect the like in theirs; when they no waies be like affected when they are rebellious to the word of God. Ma&s;ters will be bitter to &s;ervants for unthankfulne&s;&s;e, negligence and carele&s;ne&s;&s;e of their commodities, whereas they never take no|tice of their lying and &s;wearing, (that brings in gaine) of propha|ning of Gods day; becau&s;e the one concerneth them, and may be a meanes of their danger and lo&s;&s;e, and the other nothing &s;o neere toucheth them, which maketh God give them over to their corruption, to be more unfaithfull to them. To be briefe, all hate a covetous man more then a prodigall man, and an op|pre&s;&s;our, more then a filthy liver, As S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;aith, becau&s;e the one is &s;uch as he is more like to injure us then the other; though the other di&s;honour God as much, and doe as much hurt. The&s;e and many &s;uch things argue directly the corruptions of men, that preferre duties to men, before duties to God.</P>
<P>Thus ought we to labor again&s;t this corruption, and to &s;trive to feare God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to love him above all, to make more con&s;cience of dutyes to him, then to men; to be more grieved with &s;ins that are again&s;t him, then again&s;t others or our &s;elves; which will ne|ver be, unle&s;&s;e we get our carnall affection changed, our car|nall under&s;tanding reformed, our partiall and prepo&s;terous judgement altered, and get our affection &s;anctified, out under|&s;tanding enlightned, our judgment rectified. Then &s;hall wee love him and the things he loves, more grieve to offend him then the greate&s;t man in the world; to alienate him then the be&s;t
<PB N="163" REF="96">friend in the world, and more &s;orrow for it; then &s;hall we &s;ee him that is invi&s;ible, as the Authour of all our ble&s;&s;ings, and prai&s;e him more than men; then &s;hall we mea&s;ure &s;innes, not as they are again&s;t us, but in them&s;elves, and again&s;t God, a|gain&s;t whom they are principaly committed, and which makes them &s;innes: Not <HI>lae &s;io no&s;tri,</HI> but <HI>offen&s;a Dei</HI> makes them &s;ins, therefore we &s;hould hate them, tho&s;e e&s;pecially that lea&s;t con|cerne our &s;elves, that our zeale may appeare to be a &s;everity rightly grounded, and judgment well informed, as <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 69.9. <HI>The zeale of thine hou&s;e hath eaten me, and the rebukes of them that rebuked thee, are fallen upon me:</HI> when for his owne he &s;aith, P&s;al. 39.9. I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, becau&s;e thou didde&s;t it: but Gods wrongs he could not brooke. As <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> for him&s;elfe was very meeke, Numb. 12.2. but Gods di&s;honour Exod. 32. made him exceeding hot. Finally, let us not be partiall, and expre&s;&s;e it in exacting tho&s;e duties of man, that we are carele&s;&s;e of performing in regard of God; like that people, Phil. 2.21: who &s;ought nothing but their owne profit, and for their per&s;on, which overthroweth all both in Church and Common-wealth.</P>
<P>The thing he reproves them for, as contemners of him, is, that they had offered that to him, which they would not doe to man, and an inferiour.</P>
<P>To offer unto God that which man will not accept, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> or to &s;erve him as man will not be &s;erved, and with &s;uch &s;ervice as he would not &s;erve man withall, is a &s;inne; and the contempt of him, or preferring man and the duties to him, before God, and the duties to him, is a &s;inne. Matth. 15.6. 2 Col. 2.20, 21, 22, 23.</P>
<P>Not becau&s;e of the greatne&s;&s;e of Gods mind, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> who looks for &s;o great things; for he will be content even with &s;mall matters, after a mans ability, when there is a willing mind; a Cup of cold water, or a Widows Myte, or a paire of Turtle-doves and yong Pidgeons: But becau&s;e of the ba&s;ene&s;&s;e of his conceit, who gives and brings &s;uch things, who having more, and being able to bring better things, yet brings them not, as accoun|ting this good enough.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it comes from the corruption of the heart; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> now &s;uch as the root is, &s;uch fruit it brings forth: for, as Job 14.4. <HI>Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthine&s;&s;e? there is not one.</HI> So of this; and &s;uch an egge, &s;uch a bird.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is again&s;t the royall law; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Thou &s;halt love the Lord with all thy heart, &amp;c. Now as S. <HI>James</HI> in another ca&s;e, James 2.8, 9. But if ye fulfill the royall law, according to the Scrip|ture, which &s;aith, Thou &s;halt love thy neighbour as thy &s;elfe, ye doe well. But if you regard the per&s;ons, you commit &s;inne,
<PB N="164" REF="97">and are rebuked of the law, as tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors; &s;o in this, being a|gain&s;t the royall law, accepting per&s;ons, any before God, mu&s;t needs be evill and &s;inne.</P>
<P>To teach men to examine their lives and their practices, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to &s;earch whether this &s;inne be not in them; that though they be carefull of God, as they per&s;wade them&s;elves, yet they pre|ferre man before him, and u&s;e him &s;o as they would not u&s;e man, neither doe, and as they know man would not accept. To give &s;ome particulars; they are to carry a Pre&s;ent to keepe or recover the favour of &s;ome man: will they carry of the wor&s;t things they have, &s;uch as they cannot well be&s;tow otherwi&s;e? they will not, le&s;t they &s;hould gaine di&s;plea&s;ure rather than fa|vour, and yet for God and the u&s;es he hath commanded, they will offer that which they have no u&s;e for otherwi&s;e. Are they not then guilty of this? Will any man &s;erve all his youth again&s;t his Prince as a Rebell, and after in old age, when he is unfit for &s;ervice, come and proffer him his endeavour and fidelity? he will not, le&s;t he &s;hould be puni&s;hed by him, rather than accep|ted. Or &s;ay he called for his &s;ervice when he was in health and &s;trength, and he refu&s;ed to worke with him, will he offer it when he is weake and &s;ick? he will not, le&s;t he &s;hould be reject|ed and puni&s;hed: and yet his youth will he &s;pend again&s;t God in the &s;ervice of &s;in and Satan, yea, his &s;trength and health, though God called for it and challenged it; and offer him&s;elfe, when he is in age, weakne&s;&s;e, and &s;ickne&s;&s;e, to doe him &s;er|vice: And is he not guilty of this &s;inne? Will a man, when he is in a good e&s;tate, in a flouri&s;hing and pro&s;perous condition, re|fu&s;e the friend&s;hip and familiarity of another man, and thinke when he is in mi&s;ery to have it and enjoy it to his good and com|fort? he will not, le&s;t he be then &s;corned and rejected. As Judges 11.7. <HI>Jephtha</HI> then an&s;wered the Elders of <HI>Gilead, Did ye not hate me, and expell me out of my fathers hou&s;e? How then come you unto me now in the time of your tribulation?</HI> And yet many men refu&s;e the friend&s;hip and familiarity of God, by &s;pea|king to him in prayer, and hearing him &s;peake to them againe in preaching, when they are in health, wealth, pro&s;perity, and flouri&s;hing e&s;tates; and thinke he &s;hould not be &s;trange to them, when they are in &s;ickne&s;&s;e and trouble and affliction, never &s;ea|ring what is threatned, Prov. 1.24, 25, 26. <HI>Becau&s;e I have cal|led and ye refu&s;ed, I have &s;tretched out mind hand, and none would regard; but ye have de&s;pi&s;ed all my coun&s;ell, and would none of my correction: I will al&s;o laugh at your de&s;truction, and mocke when your feare commeth.</HI> Are not the&s;e then guilty of this &s;inne? And &s;o in many other particulars, which men practi&s;e, may they &s;ee them&s;elves, if they deceive not their owne hearts, that they are guilty even as this people, and that God &s;peaks to them al&s;o, as well as to the Jews.</P>
<PB N="165" REF="97">
<P>He that &s;hall find him&s;elfe guilty of this, (as who is he that &s;hall bring his heart and life to this Touch-&s;tone, that &s;hall not find him&s;elfe exceedingly guilty this way?) mu&s;t humble him|&s;elfe, and repent him&s;elfe for it, as for other &s;innes; which &s;tands not in the &s;orrowing for, and di&s;liking of that which is pa&s;t, but in &s;triving again&s;t it for the future time; ever taking this as a rule, for &s;o God intends it, for reproving their corruption by this, he intends it &s;hould be their rule to mea&s;ure out duties to him, by that duty which they owe unto man, and performe unto him; becau&s;e they are naturally more prone to the one than to the other. As he made the love of a mans &s;elfe the rule of his love to others, becau&s;e it is more naturall unto him by much; &s;o in this, when any man is then about duties to God, if not otherwi&s;e he have a heart to doe them, in all &s;implicity, yet, as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Hom.</HI> 16. <HI>in</HI> 1 Tim. if not otherwi&s;e, yet, as &s;ervants o|bey us, &s;o let us the Lord. So as wee would doe duties to men, doe them to God, if not otherwi&s;e; and thinke whether the Prince, or a man of any worth, would accept &s;uch things from us. If God &s;end his me&s;&s;engers and Mini&s;ters to us, bringing glad tidings of peace, thinke wee if the Prince &s;hould &s;end an Amba&s;&s;adour unto us with good comforts and great promi&s;es, how would we heare him, and &s;trive to it; how u&s;e him with re|verence and re&s;pect, by no meanes deny him any obedience, much le&s;&s;e abu&s;e him in word or deed? So for the Mini&s;ters, if they were &s;ent from men to men, what faithfulne&s;&s;e, care, and diligence would they u&s;e? Thinke when thou art to pray to God, how thou woulde&s;t put up a petition to the Prince, with what &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, reverence, attention, and humility. If thou art to come to his Table, and called to it, thinke how if the Prince called thee to his, thou woulde&s;t remove impediments, &s;et a&s;ide excu&s;es, come with all preparation as a gue&s;t fitting his Table. God requires &s;ervice of thee as his &s;ervant, thinke if thou wert the Kings &s;ervant in ordinary, what woulde&s;t thou doe for the time thy &s;ervice is required: doe that, and wholly that, and little of thy owne, the mo&s;t of the day &s;pent in his: So thinke if thou bee&s;t Gods &s;ervant, what is required of all the dayes of thy life; the chiefe&s;t and greate&s;t part of it. God re|quires almes and reliefe of thee, a portion for his &s;ervants and hou&s;hold, his Levites and Mini&s;ters, and the poore. Doe not u&s;e them as men doe the Kings takers, hide the be&s;t things from them, and thinke every thing too good; thou knowe&s;t he will not then accept thy per&s;on, but be angry with thee. So in this; Thou wilt &s;ay many Mini&s;ters are wicked and unworthy, &s;o thou mai&s;t &s;ay of many takers and purveyours; yet if thou deny to them the Kings due, though they &s;hall be puni&s;hed, yet &s;halt thou be checked. So in this, looke to God, and not them.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="166" REF="98">
<HEAD>VERSE IX.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And now, I pray you, pray before God, that he may have mercy upon us: this hath beene by your meanes: will he reward your per&s;ons, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND now, I pray you, pray before God.]</HI> After the Prophet had reproved their &s;innes, he comes to threaten them for them in the re&s;t of this Chapter: and the&s;e judgments or puni&s;h|ments threatened, may be reduced to the&s;e two heads; they are either privative, that is, a withdrawing of Gods mencies, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. <HI>ad</HI> 14. or they are po&s;itive, an inflicting of a cur&s;e, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 14. The fir&s;t is double, a rejecting of their prayers and &s;acrifices, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. and a rejecting of them who did pray or &s;acrifice, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 10. &s;econdly, a removing of his wor&s;hip from them to the Gentiles; <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 11, 12, 13.</P>
<P>In this Ver&s;e is the rejecting of their prayers.</P>
<P><HI>And now, pray.]</HI> This &s;ome take to be an exhortation to Re|pentance, and to &s;eeke the Lord; as <HI>Zephan.</HI> 2.3. but &s;ome, and the mo&s;t; under&s;tand this <HI>Ironic&egrave;,</HI> by an <HI>Ironia,</HI> and thinke it is &s;poken in deri&s;ion, like I&s;aiah 47.12. 1 King. 22.15 So here he commands nothing, but derides them who thought thus to reconcile God by &s;uch &s;acrifices: As if he had &s;aid, Long may ye doe thus, but prevaile nothing at all.</P>
<P><HI>Pray before the Lord,]</HI> Some read, <HI>entreate the face of God,</HI> that is, the favor of God; for &s;o is face taken for favor, P&s;al. 31.16. &s;ome read, <HI>Pray to turne away the face of God,</HI> that is, his anger: as P&s;al. 34.16. &s;ome <HI>before the Lord,</HI> to the Lord him&s;elf, or in the place where he &s;heweth him&s;elf, &s;eeking unto him by prayer, P&s;al. 27.8. And of the&s;e this is the mo&s;t pro|bable.</P>
<P><HI>That be may have mercy upon us,]</HI> He alludeth, as it is thought, to that, Numb. 6.35. <HI>(.i.)</HI> that he would be gracious and mer|cifull unto us, forgive us our &s;innes, and multiply his mercies and ble&s;&s;ings upon us, (upon us) Prophet and people: the Prophet putteth him&s;elfe among&s;t the re&s;t, as partaker of the &s;ame mi&s;eries and troubles.</P>
<P><HI>This hath been by your means,]</HI> Now the Prophet laieth upon the Prie&s;ts the cau&s;e of this cur&s;e that is befallen the people: &s;ome re|ferre this to the former part, &s;hewing that they &s;hould pray, becau&s;e they had been in fault. It is true that they ought chie|fe&s;t to &s;eeke to turne to God, that are authors of his wrath; But
<PB N="167" REF="98">then &s;hould this be taken by way of exhortation, not upbray|ding. But this is referred of &s;ome to the latter, &s;hewing the rea&s;on why God will not heare nor accept, becau&s;e they are au|thors of this evill, and therefore unfit to pray to God for the re&s;t. This hath been by your meanes, by your fault hath this evill happened untous; for it is not &s;o much the fault of the people, who bring &s;uch imperfect &s;acrifice to the Temple, as yours who receive them for gaine, and neither reprove the im|piety of the people, nor in&s;truct their ignorance, as by your office you ought.</P>
<P><HI>Will he]</HI> That is, he will not; the Interrogation denies more &s;trongly.</P>
<P><HI>Regard your per&s;ons]</HI> will he accept your per&s;ons and faces? To accept ones face is to &s;hew him&s;elfe courteous and gracious to any.</P>
<P>He will give to none of you, nor accept your prayers. That which was &s;poken clo&s;ely by an Ironie, and carried the face of a permi&s;&s;ion or command, that is now plainly and without figures &s;poken, &s;hewing that he rejected both them and their &s;acri|fices.</P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord of Ho&s;ts]</HI> He that made all in Heaven and Earth, and is ruler over all creatures, the mighty Lord. As it were to meete with the b&s;e conceit they had of God, preferring every meane man before him.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t place, of this covert rejecting of their prayers; and fir&s;t of the manner, then the matter. The manner is an ironicall &s;peech, or &s;peech of deri&s;ion.</P>
<P>It is lawfull for the Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and for holy men to u&s;e Ironies, that is, &s;coffing &s;peeches, deriding taunts again&s;t the wicked: For &s;o is it here by the Prophet. So <HI>Elijah.</HI> 1 Kings 18.27. <HI>And at noone</HI> Eliiah <HI>mocked them, and &s;aid, cry aloud, for he is a God; either he talketh, or pur&s;ueth his Enemies, or is in his journey, or it may be that he &s;leepeth, and mu&s;t be awaked.</HI> Eccle&s;. 11.9. I&s;aiah 44.12, 13, &amp;c. 1 Kings, 22.15. Now examples are warrants, where precepts be not again&s;t them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is a &s;peciall meanes, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> as to &s;hew a mans dere&s;ting of &s;uch things, &s;o to draw them to the di&s;liking of &s;uch things as they are affected with or dote upon: &s;uch &s;peeches often more prevaile, then greater matters, men being more impatient of a&s;coffe, then many &s;erious reproofes.</P>
<P>This refelleth their conceit, who deny any u&s;e of the&s;e things, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> they deny there are any &s;uch things in the Scripture, they &s;ay they are lyes: they &s;ay that the Apo&s;tle forbids them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> Ephe. 5.4. <HI>neither je&s;ting.</HI> I an&s;wer, that there is an u&s;e of them and that in the Scripture, as the former examples prove. <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> Neither are they &s;uppo&s;ed unfitting the Maje&s;ty of the Scripture: For though it
<PB N="168" REF="99">be true that a man &s;peakes one thing and thinkes another, yet the manner of his words and &s;peech doth bewray his minde, and that indeed there is no contrariety; for the hearer may ea&s;ily di|&s;cern his minde. As in that of <HI>Michaiah,</HI> 1 Kings 22.15. for ver&s;e 16. <HI>Ahab</HI> di&s;cerned well his meaning, that he did but &s;coffe at him and his fal&s;e Prophets; &s;o that he &s;peakes as he thinkes, not for the very words, but for the matter of the words. Neither makes the place in the Ephe&s;ians again&s;t this, becau&s;e it forbids &s;currility, when men &s;coffe and reproach others ra&s;hly, when there can be no edifying of others, or good to the party, but their malice and di&s;daine &s;hewed, and as well the mode&s;t and temperate hearers, as the &s;ufferers are offended; which is that which differeth farre from the&s;e things; we can not bring the&s;e within compa&s;&s;e of a lye unle&s;&s;e we make the Spirit of truth a lying Spirit: And in the&s;e a man hath no intent to have his words otherwi&s;e taken then he meaneth them.</P>
<P>This warranteth the u&s;e of them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as &s;ometimes our men have done in deriding and &s;coffing at the folly of Papi&s;ts, at their I|dols and Idolatrous &s;ervice, and fooli&s;h &s;uper&s;titions; and ever are lawfull to be u&s;ed, when a man doth it not for revenge, or to wreck his anger &amp; wrath upon &s;ome per&s;on that is his particular enemie, but to reprove and condemn impious and idolatrous wor&s;hip and &s;uch like.</P>
<P>Now for the matter, and fir&s;t for that which is general here in the whole, God will not accept their prayers, that is the thing threatened.</P>
<P>It is a heavy thing, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and fearefull judgement, that men &s;hould pray and not be heard, that they make long prayers to God, but he will be as though he heard not, but reject their &s;up|plications, and they be as men beating the ayre. It is threatned here: So I&s;aiah 1.15. <HI>And when you &s;hall &s;tretch out your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you, and though you make many prayers, I will not heare: for your hand are full of blood.</HI> Proverb. 1.28. <HI>Then &s;hall they call on me, but I will not an&s;wer: they &s;hall &s;eeke me earely, but they &s;hall not finde mee.</HI> Ho&s;ea 8.13. The contrary is promi&s;ed as a ble&s;&s;ing, and performed as a ble&s;&s;ing, and ac|knowledged as a ble&s;&s;ing. I&s;aiah 30.19. <HI>Surely a people &s;hall dwell in Lion, and in Jeru&s;alem: thou &s;halt weep'no more: he will certainly have mercy upon thee, at the voyce of thy cry; when hee &s;peaketh he will an&s;wer thee,</HI> 2 Chron 7.14. P&s;al. 116.1, 2.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a manife&s;t &s;igne that the per&s;ons are out of favor, and he is di&s;pea&s;ed with them: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for the accepting of their prayer is a proofe of the acceptation of per&s;on, becau&s;e he fir&s;t looks to the per&s;on,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In &s;acrificiis quae <HI>Abel</HI> &amp; <HI>Cain</HI> primi obtulerunt, non munera corum Deus, &s;ed corda intuebatur, ut ille placeret in munere, qui pla|cebat in corde Cypr. de O|rat. Dom. <HI>11.</HI></NOTE> then the prayer; as fir&s;t <HI>Abel</HI> was ac|cepted, then his &s;acrifice. And what can bee more fearefull, though it is not alwaies felt, then to live
<PB N="169" REF="99">out of favor with God? If in the di&s;plea&s;ure of a Prince, there be danger, more of Gods, to carry Gods marke about with him, as <HI>Cain,</HI> that he is out of favor.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is the meanes by which all ble&s;&s;ings are obtained, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the key that opens and &s;huts Heaven,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Oratio ju&s;ti clavis e&s;t coeli, a&s;cendit pre|catio, &amp; de&s;cendit Dei mi&s;eratio, Aug. ut nihil &s;anctu~ ni&s;i illo &s;anctificante, nihil potens ni&s;i illo roborante. Prayer the wall of the City. Ita nihil faelix, nihil an&s;pi|catum, ni&s;i illo pro&s;per ante. Cipr.</NOTE> as <HI>Elijah:</HI> it opens the right hand of God for ble&s;&s;ings, &s;huts the left hand from cur|&s;ings. Now when a man can receive no ble&s;&s;ing, neither e&s;cape any cur&s;e, hath no meanes for it, becau&s;e as good be with|out the meanes, as when they are not regarded; mu&s;t it not be a heavy thing? Many things befall many men without pray|er, if that be no prayer which is without under&s;tanding and af|fection; yet are they but common ble&s;&s;ings, &s;uch as are common to them, and other men; yea, creatures unrea&s;onable and &s;en&s;e|le&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, as one &s;aith, <HI>ver&egrave; novit rect&egrave; vivere,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> qui rect&egrave; novit orare;} &s;o he can only live well, who can pray well: For as St. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> out of Saint <HI>Cyprian, Quae implenda jubentur in lege, in oratione po&s;cenda &s;unt;</HI> but if they can not or &s;hall not be heard in praying, where &s;hall they have &s;trength to performe?</P>
<P>This noteth the &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;enes of many men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who though they pray often, and prevaile &s;eldome or never, yet never mourne under it, as under a judgement, &s;orrow not much for it. It may be they can mourne that they have not that they de&s;ire, for want of the thing it &s;elf, but not that their prayers are not heard. It is that they grieve for, becau&s;e they receive not from God, but never that their prayers are not received of God; like him that puts up a Petition to the Prince, and is little or not at all troubled that he reads it not, but gives it over to another that will &s;mother it; but his griefe is, that he relieves him not; and this appeares, becau&s;e their hearts de&s;ire any meanes el&s;e, though never &s;o unlawfull, to &s;upply that they want, and to give that which God will not grant; and if the opportunity be offered, they will not &s;tick to u&s;e them: as <HI>Saul</HI> did the witches, things condemned by him before. Secondly, becau&s;e if tho&s;e meanes be of force, and by them they prevaile, their hearts are cheared up well enough, little or not at all &s;orrowing that he heard them not, not much caring though he did not. Thirdly, if they pre|vaile not by tho&s;e meanes, yet never will they returne again to God, nor &s;eeke from him, if not the things, yet patience and comfort in the want of them.</P>
<P>To teach the whole Church, and particulars of it, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to groane under this, as under a judgement of God, that their prayers are not heard; they a&s;ke and receive not, they &s;eeke and find not,
<PB N="170" REF="100">they knock, and it is not opened unto them: And yet, they a&s;ked things agreeable to Gods word, &s;uch as in their be&s;t un|der&s;tanding are for Gods glory, and their owne good: yea, and their prayers were made in faith, in feare, and with teares, not doubtingly, ra&s;hly and carele&s;ly, for which men had need to pray they bee not imputed as &s;innes to them. I &s;ay they ought to grieve, not &s;o much for the want of the things, as becau&s;e they are not heard, becau&s;e their prayers are not received, as <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 15.25, 26.</P>
<P><HI>And now pray before the Lord,]</HI> It is an Irony deriding the&s;e, but yet in&s;tructing others; as <HI>Michaiah</HI> 1 Kings, 22.15. though hee derided <HI>Ahab</HI> and his fal&s;e prophers, yet he meant to in&s;truct good <HI>Jeho&s;aphat.</HI> And &s;o here, though tho&s;e were unfit to pray, yet hee teacheth others what is a fit time, and when men ought to humble them&s;elves; now when judgements were threatned, and at the doore.</P>
<P>Then is it high time, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> and full tide for men to pray and hum|ble them&s;elves, when judgments are denounced and threatned, and are imminent; and not to &s;tay till they befall them, and they feele them. So much our Prophet would teach the good, by his Ironicall deriding and &s;coffing of the bad, Zepha. 2.1, 2. <HI>Gather your &s;elves, even gather you, O Nation, not worthy to bee loved; before the decree come forth, and ye be as cha&s;&s;e, that pa&s;&s;eth in a day, and before the fierce wrath of the Lord come upon you, and before the day of the Lords anger come upon you.</HI> So is the command, Joel 2.15, 16, 17. &s;o hath beene the practice of the Church and Mini&s;ters. In <HI>E&s;ter</HI> there they fa&s;t when the Decree was out, before the Execution. <HI>Cap.</HI> 4.16, 17. So the Prophets, Jer. 4.19. Micha. 1.8. yea, this is manife&s;t in <HI>Nineveh</HI> and <HI>Ahab.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord &s;hall have his end and that he &s;eeks for; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for he threatens not becau&s;e he would puni&s;h, but becau&s;e he would be prevented in puni&s;hing: <HI>Poenitentiam mavult qu&agrave;m poenam coele&s;tis Pater; Ju&s;t. Mart. Apol.</HI> 2. for if he would puni&s;h, hee could doe it without admoni&s;hing.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is wi&s;dome, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> ever to prevent an evill; if to with|&s;tand the beginnings of an evill, much more to prevent the be|ginnings. Di&s;ea&s;es are with more ea&s;e prevented, than (when &s;eized upon a part) removed.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if it be not prevented, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> it will come; for if he &s;peake, he will doe: He is not as man; 1 Sam. 15.29. and they mu&s;t humble them&s;elves, repent, and change, or el&s;e it will not be.</P>
<P>To reprove and condemne the &s;ecurity of many, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who, for all the threatning and menacing of God, yet doe not pray, nor humble them&s;elves; never take it to be time, till the hand and rod be upon their backs: &s;uch as <HI>Jeremy</HI> complaineth of, <HI>Chap.</HI> 8.6, 7.
<PB N="171" REF="100"><HI>I hearkened and heard, but none &s;pake aright; no man repen|ted him of his wickedne&s;&s;e, &s;aying, What have I done? Every one turned to their race, as the Hor&s;eru&s;heth into the battell. Even the Storke in the aire knoweth her appointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow, ob&s;erve the time of their comming; but my people knoweth not the judgment of the Lord:</HI> preferring even unrea&s;onable creatures, and &s;illy birds before them, in their kind more wi&s;e than they. Therefore it is, that they are ready to re|proach and deride the Word, &s;pecially if the blow come not with it: as Jer. 20.8. and &s;ay as they, Jer. 23.33. <HI>What is the burthen of the Lord?</HI> which is in them either from the roote of hypocri&s;ie within their hearts, being alwayes like to <HI>Haman,</HI> E&s;ter 6.6. <HI>When</HI> Haman <HI>came in, the King &s;aid unto him, what &s;hall be done unto the man whom the King will honour? Then</HI> Ha|man <HI>thought in his heart, to whom would the King doe honour, more than to me?</HI> He thought none to be &s;o much in the Kings favour as him&s;elfe: So they thinke none to be in the favour of God but they; if they &s;ee any thing upon others, they judge it is ju&s;tly for their &s;innes: as Luk. 13.1. But as for them&s;elves, they are Gods white &s;onnes, they &s;hall never mi&s;carry. Or it is from that tru&s;t and confidence they have in their riches and e&s;tate, as Prov. 18.11. <HI>The rich mans riches are his &s;trong City, and as an high wall in his imagination.</HI> They are as Rebells in a &s;trong City well victualled, well armed, and well mann'd, that &s;tand out at defiance again&s;t all threats, and never will &s;ubmit them&s;elves; if ever, not till he hath made a breach upon them, thinking he is never able to doe it till it be done: And then, when it is too late, could they be content to doe it; but 'tis their folly and madne&s;&s;e, lo&s;ing their opportunity of &s;ubmitting betime.</P>
<P>To teach every one to be wi&s;e to know his time, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when the tyde is full, to humble him&s;elfe, and betake him&s;elfe to God: not to &s;tay till he &s;mite, but when he &s;peaketh; Amos 3.6. When the Trumpet is blown, it is high time to feare; and feare makes men flye either to God, or from God; from him there is no place to be &s;afe in, for where can he be hid, that his hand can|not finde him out? It is therefore wi&s;dome to bide in their place, but to change their manners and minds, &s;o may they change the &s;entence and thing denounced. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Hom.</HI> 5. <HI>ad pop. An.</HI> &s;peaking of the <HI>Ninevites:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Quomodo non mir abile, quod quando Ju|dex &s;entcntiam tulerit, per poenitentiam rei &s;ententiam &s;olverunt; non enim urbem fugerunt &s;icut nos nunc, &s;ed manentes &s;ententiam repre&s;&s;ere. Audierunt quod ae|dificia corruerent, &s;ed peceata fugerunt, non di&s;ce&s;&s;erunt qui&s;&abque; de domo &s;ua, &s;icut nunc nos, &s;ed di&s;ce&s;&s;it de vi&acirc; &s;u&acirc;. <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;t.</HI> hom. <HI>5.</HI> ad pop. Ant.</NOTE> When the Judge gave &s;entence, the guilty rever|&s;ed the &s;entence by repentance; they run not out of their City, but &s;taying there, altered the &s;entence; when they heard their hou&s;es &s;hould fall, they for&s;ooke not their hou&s;es, but their &s;innes. This ought men to doe, betake them&s;elves to the
<PB N="172" REF="101">Lord, by for&s;aking their manners, this is a wi&s;e mans part. Prov. 22.3. <HI>A prudent man &s;eeth the Plague, and hideth him&s;elfe; but the fooli&s;h goe on &s;till, and are puni&s;hed.</HI> But where can hee be &s;afe, and be indeed hid, but with God him&s;elfe? Prov. 18.10. <HI>The Name of the Lord is a &s;trong tower, the righteous runneth unto it, and is exalted.</HI> God mu&s;t be the &s;anctuary to them again&s;t his owne wrath, P&s;al. 32.7. <HI>Thou art my &s;ecret place, thou pre&s;erve&s;t me from trouble; thou compa&s;&s;e&s;t me about with joyfull deliverance.</HI> And in conclu&s;ion, this may in&s;truct us and our times; God hath &s;poken, the Trumpet hath beene blowne, let us feare, and thinke it high time e returne to him; not deferring, le&s;t the next thing be the blow and the judgment, when it will be too late. Thinke we of that, Heb. 3.7, 8. <HI>To day if you will heare his voice, harden not your hearts.</HI> Meeting by this with the voice of Satan,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mihi bodi&egrave;, cras Domino: no&s;ce ob&s;ecro inimici dolos; ut omnino &agrave; Deo averter is, con&s;ulere non audet: novit enim hoc grave admodum Chri&s;tianis, ver&ugrave;m artibus in&s;i|dio&s;is aggreditur, intelligit autem quemad|modum nos prae&s;ens tempus libenter recipi|mus, omni&s;&abque; actio humana in prae&s;ens con|tendit &amp; &s;pectat: Quamobrem hodiernum tempus nobis furatur a&s;tut&egrave;, &amp; &s;pem facit cra&s;tini, po&s;tquam cra&s;tinum venerit, rur&s;us malus divi&s;or &s;ibi hodiernum, cra&s;tinum ver&ograve; Domino dari petit. <HI>Ba&s;il.</HI> Exhortatio ad Bapt.</NOTE> &s;aith <HI>Ba&s;il, exhort. ad Bapt.</HI> who &s;aith, Serve me to day, and God to mor|row. I be&s;eech you, be acquainted with the craft of the Enemy; he dares not ad|vi&s;e thee altogether and pre&s;ently to for&s;ake God, (for he knows Chri&s;tians would not endure that) but he deales craftily, being a Serpent, and &s;ubtle to beguile, hee &s;teales upon us for the pre|&s;ent, and puts off the next day for God, and when that day comes, &s;till he puts it off to the next. Therefore the Lord, to meet with that, comes thus calling upon us, <HI>to day:</HI> partly, <HI>quia, qui non e&s;t hodie, cras min&ugrave;s aptus erit:</HI> Becau&s;e hee that is unfit to day, to morrow will be more unfit; and partly, for that this is the time, le&s;t judgment doe come upon us, and we have no eva&s;ion; for wee cannot tell what to morrow may bring forth.</P>
<P><HI>Before God.]</HI> Though he deride the&s;e, yet he directs others, and teacheth them, that in prayer they are before the Lord.</P>
<P>They who pray, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> are before Gods face, and in his preence. If they who heare be, as <HI>Cornelius</HI> &s;aid, Hee and his company were, Acts 10.33. <HI>before the Lord</HI> to heare one &s;peake in his Name, and him &s;peaking mediately to them, more when they &s;peake immediately to him&s;elfe. Therefore was the Arke of Gods pre&s;ence ever in the Temple, before which they prayed, and from which they received an&s;wer. P&s;al. 84.7.</P>
<P><HI>That he may have mercy upon us.]</HI> It is that they were com|manded to pray for before, and to require for the people.</P>
<P>In prayer men mu&s;t not a&s;ke what they li&s;t, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> but that for which they have a commandment to a&s;ke, and a promi&s;e to recive.</P>
<P>To reprove all tho&s;e praiers, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &amp; tho&s;e who frame their praiers
<PB N="173" REF="101">not according to Gods will, but their owne lu&s;ts and fancies; what&s;oever their vaine hearts de&s;ire, that they utter before the Lord, and make their reque&s;ts unto him for it, never regarding whether good or evill, how agreeable or di&s;agreeable to the word, having their owne affections the rules of their prayers: &s;uch prayers they would be a&s;hamed to put up to men, as they preferre to God, making Chri&s;t a mediator for them, (if hee will doe it for them) for things they would blu&s;h to de&s;ire the helpe of man in; &s;ome praying, as Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> who confe&s;|&s;eth of him&s;elfe, that hee prayed to God to let him live a little longer in his &s;innes; &s;o they in their corruptions, de&s;iring &s;till meanes and opportunities to fulfill their lu&s;ts and de&s;ires: Some a&s;ke temporall things &s;imply, as they, P&s;al. 78.18. who <HI>asked meate for their lu&s;t;</HI> who importune the Lord to pro&s;per their journey &amp; endeavour for honours, as <HI>Balaam,</HI> be the means what may be, who have their prayers &s;ometimes in mercy denyed, as Jam. 4.3. and &s;ometimes in wrath granted to them, as P&s;al. 79.29, 30, 31.</P>
<P><HI>Mercy]</HI> That is, be gracious and favourable unto us, and lift up his gracious countenance upon us.</P>
<P>In prayer men ought e&s;pecially to pray for Gods favour: <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> the chiefe&s;t thing they ought to de&s;ire, is his mercy and loving kindne&s;&s;e, 2 Cor. 7.14. this is called &s;eeking Gods face.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is the fountain from whence all things el&s;e come, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> all good things we receive, for Rom. 8.32. <HI>He who &s;pared not his owne &s;onne, but gave him for us all to death, how &s;hall he not with him give us all things al&s;o?</HI> And the cau&s;e of that was his favor and love, Joh. 3.16. <HI>For God &s;o loved the world, that he hath given his only begotten &s;onne, that who&s;oever beleeveth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e no temporall ble&s;&s;ing, a&s;ked never&s;o earne&s;tly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> nay, though it be &s;ought with teares, as <HI>E&s;an</HI> his ble&s;&s;ing, can be obtained, till a man have his &s;innes forgiven. Hence, Math. 6.11, 12. the petitions are joyned with a copula as in&s;epa|rable.</P>
<P>This reproveth their folly and error, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who pray more for the things of this life, then for the favor of God, or remi&s;&s;ion of their &s;innes. 2 Chron. 7.14.</P>
<P>To teach us to pray for temporall things, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but &s;pecially Gods favor, and the remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes.</P>
<P><HI>For us,]</HI> Both Prophet and People; he would bee prayed for as well as the people, acknowledging, as it &s;eemeth, tho&s;e things in him&s;elfe which he reproved in them, the better to affect them.</P>
<P>No man is &s;o excellent in the Church of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> &s;o indued or abounding with gifts and graces, that needeth not the prayers
<PB N="174" REF="102">of the re&s;t. This the Prophet &s;heweth, that he exempteth not him&s;elfe, but would be prayed for as others. So Ho&s;ea, 14. &s;ure including him&s;elfe. This our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;hewed, when teaching his Church in the per&s;on of his di&s;ciples to pray, hee taught them to pray one for another, and taught them they had need of the prayers one of another. Math. 6. This is &s;hew|ed by Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> earne&s;t reque&s;t unto them. Rom. chap. 15.30. repeated to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 1.7. &s;o Col. 4.3. 2 The&s;. 3.1. and for the Saints, Ephe&s;. 6.18.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e his excellency excludeth him not from the commu|nion of Saints, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as the excellency, beauty, or proportion of any part doth not exclude it from the fellow&s;hip of other members. Now one part of this communion is prayer, one for another.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e his excellency is imperfect, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for here all things are but in part, 1 Cor. 13.9. Therefore he hath need of prayers, as his owne, &s;o others, many prevailing more with God then one.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the excellency and goodne&s;&s;e a man hath, is (as <HI>Ba&s;il exhort. ad Bapt.</HI> brings in &s;ome making the objection) <HI>The &s;au|rus &s;ervatu difficilis,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> a trea&s;ure hard to be kept. Therefore, as he &s;aid, <HI>Opus e&s;t vigilia,</HI> wee had need to be more watchfull; and he advi&s;eth to take three adjutors, <HI>Orationem, Jejunium, P&s;almodiam,</HI> Prayer, Fa&s;ting, and &s;inging P&s;almes. Now as for keeping of trea&s;ures a man will u&s;e other meanes and helpes, and all little enough: &s;o in this &s;hould he be carefull.</P>
<P>This reproveth tho&s;e who think they have no need of the pray|ers of others, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but can pray well enough for them&s;elves; their owne private prayer is &s;ufficient, they need not the prayers of others, or the publique congregations: as &s;ome men thinke they have no need of publique teaching, they can in&s;truct them|&s;elves well enough with reading of good books at home; &s;o for prayer, they can inrich them&s;elves of them&s;elves, and need not the helpes of others. If any thinke I wrong men in judging thus of them, I an&s;wer no, becau&s;e I judge by their fruit and practice. For when their little love to the a&s;&s;embly of the Church appeareth, by their negligent frequenting of them, when prayers are made, and the word Preached, Saint <HI>Hie|rome</HI> tels me directly, that &s;ome thinke they need not the prea|ching of the Church, &s;ome not the prayers, but thinke they are able enough to in&s;truct them&s;elves, &amp; of them&s;elves to pre|vaile with God: which ri&s;eth commonly, either from igno|rance, or knowledge; the ignorance of their infirmities, or the knowledge of their graces, that makes them not de&s;ire the helpes of others; as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> tooke <HI>Aaron</HI> and <HI>Hur</HI> with him when he went to pray, being privy to his own infirmities. This makes them di&s;dain others, being puffed up with pride, and &s;elf conceit.</P>
<PB N="175" REF="102">
<P>To in&s;truct every man, be his excellency what it may be, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to affect and de&s;ire the prayers of others, of the Mini&s;ters and pub|lique congregations, and the people of God: for be&s;ides that God is in a &s;peciall manner there pre&s;ent (the caue why <HI>David,</HI> and his men &s;o de&s;ired the Temple, P&s;al. 84.1, 3, 7. So men in de&s;iring them, &s;hew them&s;elves to delight in the pre&s;ence of God, as gracious children in beholding the face of their father) there is much profit to be had by them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non parvus e&s;t fructus do|mine, ut &agrave; multis tibi grati|ae aguntur de nobis, &amp; &agrave; multis regeris pro nobis. Augu&s;t. confe&s;&s;. <HI>10.4.</HI></NOTE> The benefit is not &s;mall, O Lord, that thou &s;houlde&s;t bee pray&s;ed by many of us; and prayed unto by many for us. For a man &s;hall have not only the benefit of the prayers of one or two, but many hundreds; and if one faithfull prayer prevaile much, Jam. 5. how much more many? Thus &s;hall he enjoy the communion of Saints, which is a worthy thing; &s;o &s;hall he better increa&s;e in the graces &amp; ble&s;&s;ings received, and keep that he hath for the be&s;t here, and the mo&s;t perfect mu&s;t not imagine him&s;elfe to bee already a burning and &s;hining light within the hou&s;e of hea|ven,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sic ardens &amp; lucens nondum in domo &s;e e&s;&s;e confidat, ubi &s;ine omni timore vento|rum accen&s;um lumen deportatur, &s;ed me|minerit &s;e e&s;&s;e &s;ub dio &amp; utrague manu &s;tudeat operire quod portat, nec credat aeri, etiam&s;i videat e&s;&s;e tranquillum; Repent&egrave; enim, &amp; hora quae non putaverit, mutabitur, &amp; &s;i vel modicum manus re|mi&s;erit, lumen extinguetur. <HI>Bern.</HI> &s;er. <HI>3.</HI> in vigil. nat. Dom. l.</NOTE> where once kindled there is no danger of any winds to blow it out; but mu&s;t re|member that he is yet in the open ayre, and mu&s;t cover and defend the light he carries with both hands; nor be confident, though the ayre &s;eeme to bee calme; for &s;ooner then he is aware, if he take away his hand, his light may be pu&s;&s;ed out, &s;aith Saint <HI>Bernard.</HI></P>
<P>If the prayers of living Saints bee &s;o needfull and profitable, <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> &amp; who&s;e prayers we may de&s;ire and intreat, why not al&s;o of dead Saints? why may not their prayers be profitable to us, and we de&s;ire them?</P>
<P>How profitable &s;oever their prayers may be to us, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> and how certaine &s;oever it may be that they doe pray for us, as &s;ome think with <HI>Bernard. &s;er.</HI> 2. <HI>in vigi. Nat. Dom.</HI> that Apocal. 6.10. doth prove it, becau&s;e of the an&s;er, ver&s;. 11. yet to de&s;ire their prayers, as tho&s;e who are living, is not lawfull, becau&s;e it is without precept or pre&s;ident in the Scripture, becau&s;e it is again&s; rea&s;on and the Scripture. For fir&s;t, that they know not what we doe; nor heare our prayers, is manife&s;t, I&s;aiah, 63.16. a|gaine, how &s;hould they come to the knowledge of them, they in Heaven, we in Earth, and di&s;per&s;ed in many &s;everall places? As for the an&s;wer of the <HI>Rhemi&s;ts</HI> out of <HI>Hierome,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Vigi|lantius,</HI> that they are in every place, becau&s;e they mu&s;t follow the Lambe wither&s;oever he goeth, Revel. 14.4. if the place be under&s;tood of them, who imitate Chri&s;t upon earth, and not of the &s;oules departed, as it may be, at lea&s;t it mu&s;t bee un|&s;tood of all the lect, whereof part are in the Church in the
<PB N="176" REF="103">earth; then the conclu&s;ion mu&s;t be, they who are upon earth mu&s;t be every where as well as they who are in heaven, which is mo&s;t ab&s;urd. But admit it of the Saints in heaven, how is it po&s;&s;ible they &s;hould be every where? Not at one and the &s;ame in&s;tant, they &s;ay, but &s;uch is their motion, &s;peed and agaility to be where they li&s;t, and their power and will is an|&s;werable, as ell as the devill can be every where to worke mi&s;|chiefe. To which I an&s;wer, that their compari&s;on is ab&s;urd, for the Devils by propriety of nature, and the Lords permi&s;&s;ion, have &s;uch pa&s;&s;age in the wold; So have not the &s;oules of the Saints, for they are appointed by God to re&s;t. Revel. 6.11. and 14.13. What re&s;t, if they mu&s;t be to&s;&s;ed up and downe by the breaths of men, &s;ometime in <HI>England,</HI> &s;ometime in <HI>France, &amp;c?</HI> But &s;ay they did, how were it po&s;&s;ible they &s;hould heare the prayers of all that call upon them at one and the &s;ame in|&s;tant, if they be not in many &s;everall places at one and the &s;ame in&s;tant? And if it be impo&s;&s;ible, the prayers mu&s;t needs be vaine. Be&s;ides, if it were not, yet in that which Papi&s;ts give their rea&s;on for, it is made more abhominable; that is, to make way for them&s;elves to the favour of God, even as by Nobles and great men we procure acce&s;&s;e to the King. <HI>Numquid tam de|mens est aliquis, &amp;c.</HI> Is there any &s;o mad, &s;aith <HI>Ambro&s;e in Epi&s;t. ad Rom. cap.</HI> 1. or &s;o carele&s;&s;e of his life, that he will give the ho|nour of the King to a Noble man, to procure him acce&s;&s;e to him, when he &s;hall be guilty of trea&s;on, when hee commeth be|fore him. And yet they thinke they are not guilty of trea&s;on to God, who under pretence of &s;eeking God by Saints, doe give un|to the Creatures the honour of God the Creator, and (for&s;a|king the Lord) wor&s;hip their fellow-&s;ervants. And though there be (&s;aith he) &s;ome rea&s;on, why they &s;hould make way to a King by his Nobles and Pen&s;ioners, becau&s;e hee is a man, and knows not who are fit to be tru&s;ted with the Common|wealth: yet unto the Lord, who knows all things, and knows the worths and worthine&s;&s;e of men, there needs no &s;poke&s;-man, but onely a holy mind: Thus farre he. But to adde to him, that this thing is without precept in Old or New Te&s;tament, confe&s;|&s;ed by them&s;elves. <HI>Eccius</HI> grants, not in the Old, becau&s;e the Fathers were then <HI>in limbo,</HI> (a good rea&s;on again&s;t him) and the I&s;raelites were marvellous prone to Idolatry. Not in the New, le&s;t the Gentiles &s;hould returne to their Idolatry, and le&s;t the Apo&s;tles &s;hould be too vaine-glorious and ambitious, if they had commanded it: and &s;o a great difference, and &s;trong rea&s;on why we may pray to Saints living, but not to Saints de|parted.</P>
<P><HI>Fur us.]</HI> He &s;eparates not him&s;elfe from this Church for all the corruption of it in Prie&s;t and people; hee for&s;akes not their a&s;|&s;emblies,
<PB N="177" REF="103">but co~mmunicates with them in their &s;ervice &amp; &s;acrifices.</P>
<P>Men ought not to &s;eparate them&s;elves from a vi&s;ible congre|gation or a&s;&s;embly, a vi&s;ible Church, for the abu&s;e of it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and the corruption of it, it being not in fundamentalls. As here the Prophet did not, neither read we of any Prophet who left the Church, but in mo&s;t corrupt ages remained there, repro|ving and threatening them, praying and mourning for them, but not for&s;aking them. It is that, Ezek. 9.4. they are noted, as St. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> Ob&s;erveth, that mourne for the corruptions of the time, not who &s;eparate them&s;elves from the Church. In the New Te&s;tament we find not Chri&s;t, nor his Apo&s;tles to for&s;ake the Church, but remaine in it, though marvellous corrupt; teaching, reproving, correcting, mourning for it. So of the Pa&s;tors of the &s;ix Churches of <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> their corruptions noted, and their Angels biding with them. To this purpo&s;e is that, Hebr. 10.24, 25, 38, 39.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e no man ought to &s;eparate him&s;elfe from the true Church of Chri&s;t: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Now &s;uch is an a&s;&s;embly profe&s;&s;ing the true &s;aith, notwith&s;tanding other coruption; for as holine&s;&s;e, if it might be &s;uppo&s;ed without true &s;aith, ca~not make a true Church, but fal&s;e doctrine and errour in the foundation overthrows it for being a Church: So <HI>&egrave; contr&agrave;,</HI> corruptions in manners cannot make it no Church, when true faith is taught and maintained.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;eparation and excommunication from a particular Church, is the mo&s;t heavy and greate&s;t cen&s;ure of the Church; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which as no man &s;hould incurre by his evill behaviour, &s;o no man ought to inflict upon him&s;elfe for the corruptions of others, who happily de&s;erve to be &s;eparated them&s;elves.</P>
<P>To condemne all tho&s;e who withdraw them&s;elves from our a&s;&s;emblies, becau&s;e of corruptions among&s;t us, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> crying out of tho&s;e who will remaine among them, to the benefit of the good that is there to be had. But to &s;uch an one I &s;ay, as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> an|&s;wered <HI>Petilian,</HI> That he did not well to leave Chri&s;ts heape of Corne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non habes quod objicias, fiu|ment is Dominicis paleam u&s;que ad ventilationem ultimam &s;u&s;ti|nentibus, &agrave; quibus tu nunquam rece&s;&s;i&s;&s;es, ni&s;i levior palea ven|to tentationis, &amp; ante adventum ventilatoris avola&s;&s;es. <HI>Aug.</HI> cantr. Petilian. Cap. <HI>1.18.</HI></NOTE> becau&s;e the chaffe was in it, till the great winnowing day; and that he &s;hewed him&s;elfe to be lighter chaffe, driven out by the wind of temptation, that flew out before the comming of Chri&s;t the winnower. What fol|ly is it for a man to leave the Jewells and Plate in the Cold-finers &s;hop, becau&s;e to the Iron tongs and black coals? What warrant have they, when as <HI>Noah</HI> left not the Arke for all the uncleane bea&s;ts?</P>
<P>To teach every man not to be &s;o offended for the corruption of the times, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as to &s;eparate him&s;elfe from the Church for them.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Si amarent pacem, non di&s;cindere~t unit atem. <HI>Aug.</HI> contr. lit. <HI>Petiliani,</HI> lib. <HI>24.</HI></NOTE> broken unity, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> And in another place,
<PB N="178" REF="104">A ve&s;&s;ell of honour ought to tolerate tho&s;e things that are vile,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Vas in honere &s;anctificatum, debuit to|lerare ea quae &s;unt in contumelia, nec propter hoc relinquere domum claritatis Dei, ne vel vas in contumeliam, vel &s;ter|cus projectum de domo &s;it. <HI>Aug.</HI> contr. epi&s;t. Parm. lib. <HI>3.5.</HI></NOTE> and not therefore to for&s;ake the hou&s;e of God, le&s;t him&s;elfe be ca&s;t out as a ve&s;&s;ell of di&s;honour, or as dung. That certainly which is, 1 Cor. 5.13. <HI>Put away from your &s;elves the wicked per&s;on,</HI> is to be under&s;tood of tho&s;e who have authority, which if they exerci&s;e not, is their &s;inne, not mine, or thine: Shall I for&s;ake the good, and the Church where I may be &s;afe, for their evill? <HI>Nec qui&s;quam &s;ine con&s;en&s;u cordis &s;ui ex ore vulneratur ali|eno.</HI> Let no man then &s;eparate him&s;elfe; for why &s;hould a good, pure, and &s;ound member &s;eparate it &s;elfe from tho&s;e that are corrupt, and cut it &s;elfe off, both to make the whole wor&s;e, and to lo&s;e to it &s;elfe the good it might have by abiding?</P>
<P><HI>For us.]</HI> The Prophet who had the lea&s;t hand in the &s;innes, and was the lea&s;t cau&s;e of the burden, he feares, and as it were mournes, and &s;eeketh how to avoid it, when the Prie&s;ts, who were the cau&s;e of it, are &s;ecue and carele&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>It often falls out, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> that the faithfull mourne, and feare the plagues they fore&s;ee, when they who have de&s;erved them, &s;leep &s;ecurely, and rather provoke God &s;till; Mich. 1.8. There|fore will I mourne.</P>
<P><HI>This hath beene by your meanes.]</HI> Here is the rea&s;on why God will not accept their prayers, becau&s;e they are authors and principall cau&s;es of the evill and &s;innes among&s;t them.</P>
<P>The prayers of hypocrites and wicked men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> whether Mini|&s;ters or Magi&s;trates, or private men, whether &s;uperiours, or inferiours, cannot be profitable to the Church, nor others for whom they pray, nor accepted of God. This is manife&s;t here, as al&s;o by that, where the prayers of the wicked are rejected, with divers &s;uch places. This the Lord taught, when in his Law he commanded that the Prie&s;t &s;hould fir&s;t offer for him|&s;elfe, Levit. 4.3. and Heb. 5.3.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are not profitable for them&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> neither &s;hall be accepted; much le&s;&s;e for others. Not for them&s;elves, I&s;aiah 1. and 66.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are in Gods &s;ight abhominable; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Prov. 15.8. &s;uch cannot prevaile with him.</P>
<P><HI>Balaam</HI> prayed for the people of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> and was heard for them, and yet he was a wicked man. Numb. 23.19, 20.</P>
<P>A truth it is, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> St. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;o an&s;wereth <HI>Parmen. contr. Epi&s;t. Parm. lib.</HI> 2. <HI>cap.</HI> 8. proving they ought not to &s;eparate them|&s;elves, as they taught, becau&s;e men are pollured. But for the example, I think we may &s;ay, <HI>Balaam</HI> was not heard, &s;aving his judgment, becau&s;e he certainly never prayed; hee did pro|phe&s;ie indeed in a certaine former of prayer; therefore that &s;peech
<PB N="179" REF="104">of his is accounted a ble&s;&s;ing, becau&s;e he did ominate and fore|tell happy things which would befall to the people of God. But he never prayed indeed, for his heart went again&s;t it, it was utterly again&s;t his will; who for the wages of <HI>Balac,</HI> would ra|ther have de&s;ired to cur&s;e; onely hee was compelled to it by the Spirit of God. Therefore he was not heard, which prayed not; but the Spirit of God, which in the good worketh the affecti|ons, and &s;ugge&s;teth words, did onely put &s;uch words into his mouth, for any good that &s;hould come by them to the people of God, as for the terrour and de&s;truction of <HI>Balac,</HI> who had &s;et him&s;elfe again&s;t the people of God, to &s;hew him, tha not they before him, but he &s;hould fall before them.</P>
<P>This &s;heweth the folly and the vancity of the rea&s;on of &s;ome Popi&s;h and Popi&s;hly affected, who plead for lenity, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> conni|vence, and impunity, becau&s;e the King and his Children, the Realms and Dominions may enjoy &s;o man prayers from them unto the Lord; their Je&s;uites, and Prie&s;ts, and all would pray for the State. The Argument is of force, to urge a State to u&s;e kindne&s;&s;e, and to intreate lovingly, and to &s;peake comfor|tably unto tho&s;e, both Mini&s;ters and people that are truely reli|gious, as <HI>Darius</HI> did well conceive it. Ezra 6.9, 10. <HI>And that which they &s;hall have need of, let it be given unto them, day by day; whether it be young Bullocks, or Rams, or Lambs for the burnt of|ferings of the God of Heaven; Wheate, Salt, Wine, and Oyle, accor|ding to the appointment of the Prie&s;ts that are in</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>that there be no fault; that they may have to offer &s;weet odours unto the God of Heaven, and pray for the Kings life, and for his &s;onnes;</HI> for they often &s;tand in the gap, and keepe away much evill, yea, they prevaile for much good. One of the&s;e is better than a multitude of others, (as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> of wicked and godly, <HI>Hom.</HI> 26. <HI>ad pop. Ant.</HI> as one precious &s;tone is better than a thou&s;and pibbles) And that breeds but confu&s;ion and &s;ubver&s;ion of all, when we de&s;ire multitudes, as they doe in Theaters, and not an hone&s;t and good multitude. It is, I &s;ay, of force for the good, but not for the&s;e wicked hypocrites and trea&s;onable Prie&s;ts and Je&s;uites, and all &s;uch, &s;pecially under&s;tanding Papi&s;ts, who have given up their name to Antichri&s;t, who&s;e prayers cannot profit the King and State; who if they pray, pray but as <HI>Balaam</HI> ble&s;&s;ed Gods people, again&s;t their hearts; who if they could pray with their hearts, yet &s;hould never prevaile, nor be ac|cepted, being as they are. And to them wee may u&s;e that of <HI>Tertul. Apolog. cap.</HI> 34.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">E&s;to religio&s;us in Deum, qui vis eum imperatori pro|pitium. <HI>Tertul.</HI> Apolog. cap. <HI>34.</HI></NOTE> Be thou religious towards God, who woulde&s;t have him to be favour|able to the Emperour.</P>
<P>This teacheth the fearefull ca&s;e and condition of that Church and State, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> where they who &s;hould &s;tand in the gap &amp; breach be|fore
<PB N="180" REF="105">him to turne away his wrath, le&s;t he de&s;troy them, are men them&s;elves who provoke Gods wrath; of whom it may be &s;aid, as Ezek. 13.4, 5. <HI>O I&s;rael, thy Prophets are like the foxes in the wa&s;te places; yee have not ri&s;en up in the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the hou&s;e of I&s;rael, to &s;tand in the battell in the day of the Lord:</HI> undoubtedly that State mu&s;t expect a judgment from God, be&s;ides that it is one it &s;elfe, when God takes away good men, &s;uch as were the Charets and hor&s;emen of I&s;rael, their defence and pre&s;ervation, who prevailed more by their prayers, as <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> Exod. 17. then all the Hoa&s;t did by their &s;peares; &s;pecially when their &s;ucce&s;&s;ours are wicked and prophane men, that provoke God to wrath by their wicked lives. It goes hard with the Church when her good Prophets are by God forbidden to pray for it, as Jer. 14.11. But yet if they remaine with them, though they cannot prevaile at one time, yet they may at ano|ther; but more hard when he takes them away, when they are without hope of having them to &s;tand up for them againe; but wor&s;t of all when they are &s;uch as are of lewd life, who thereby provoke God again&s;t them. Therefore the&s;e both &s;houdl bee mourned for, the lo&s;&s;e of the one, and the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of the o|ther: for the former are, as the King &s;aid, the Charets and the hor&s;emen of I&s;rael, the latter are the Charets and hor&s;emen a|gain&s;t I&s;rael; for not being with it, they are again&s;t it: of good Mini&s;ters we may &s;ay, as P&s;al. 127.4, 5. as are the arrowes in the hand of the &s;trong man, &s;o are they who are her good Mini|&s;ters: ble&s;&s;ed is the Church that hath a quiverfull of them, here is her pro&s;perity and peace; hence is the ruine and overthrow of her Enemies. And on the contrary may we &s;ay of wicked Mini&s;ters, who&s;e prayers &s;hall never be heard for the Church, but rather again&s;t it.</P>
<P>This granted, then have we a warrant to &s;eparate our &s;elves from the Church or congregation, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> where a wicked Mini&s;ter is, for why &s;houdl we joyne with a Mini&s;ter that God will not heare?</P>
<P>The <HI>Donati&s;ts</HI> made the &s;ame objection to <HI>Augu&s;t loco praedicto,</HI> to which the &s;umme of his an&s;wer is, that when they pray with the congregation, they are heard, though for their own wicked|ne&s;&s;e they de&s;erve to bee rejected, becau&s;e of the piety and de|votion of the people who joyne with them; whence I collect, that though the Mini&s;ter &s;peake the words, yet they are not his prayers only, but the prayers of the Church: As in an other ca&s;e, though the Mini&s;ter deliver the &s;ignes, yet it is not his &s;acrament, but Chri&s;ts, and &s;o may be profitable, notwith&s;tanding the corruption &amp; in&s;ufficiency of the Mini&s;ter; &s;oin this. For this mu&s;t be under&s;tood, that in the congregation &s;ome one mu&s;t con|ceive a prayer for all the re&s;t, le&s;t in a multitude there &s;hould be
<PB N="181" REF="105">confu&s;ion and tumult, if every one &s;hould in his own words ut|ter his prayer in the Church; therefore the Mini&s;ter he is the mouth of the Church. If he be a faithfull one, he &s;hall bee heard together with the Church; if otherwi&s;e, not he, but the faithfull people, who &s;peake to God by his words. But you will &s;ay then, what lo&s;&s;e have we if the Mini&s;ter be wicked? I an&s;wer, many wayes, becau&s;e the corruption of men is &s;uch, that as they like the Word and Sacrament wor&s;e, becau&s;e they di&s;like him that brings them, and finde not &s;uch joy and comfort in them, as by his hands they like; &s;o they cannot bee, nor are not &s;o affected to joyne in prayer with a man they like not, or thinke not well and reverently of, to who&s;e per&s;ons they have ju&s;t exceptions, &s;o their prayers are not as they &s;hould be, nei|ther he with that &s;pirit and affection utters their petitions to God; which might affect their hearts to more zeale in prayer. Be&s;ides, they want the benefit of his prayers in pivate, who &s;hould mourne for them, and pray for them, when they are fol|lowing their nece&s;&s;ary affaires, or their convenient plea&s;ures, or are living in their &s;ins; be a <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> to hold up his hands for them, a <HI>Job,</HI> to &s;acrifice for them, as Jer. 13.17. or as <HI>Paul,</HI> Act. 20.31. All which a good and faithfull Mini&s;ter will doe, but hee that is not, will be as carele&s;&s;e and &s;ecure as he can be, and ne|ver doe it, or if he &s;hould, yet not be accepted.</P>
<P><HI>This hath been by your meanes,]</HI> the &s;innes of the people are imputed to the Prie&s;ts, becau&s;e they taught them not better, nor reproved them of this, <HI>ante,</HI> ver&s;e 7.</P>
<P><HI>Will hee regard your per&s;on,]</HI> Hee will not; your office and place and dignity in the Church, &s;hall not make him receive your prayers.</P>
<P>As God to elect and call men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and to give them the promi&s;es and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of Heavenly things is moved by no outward pri|viledge or dignity of the fle&s;h; &s;o to heare their prayers, and to accept their &s;ervice, is he not moved by any dignity of per&s;on, any vertue of place of office, nor by outward priviledge, if faith and holine&s;&s;e of life be wanting: here it is apparent in the&s;e Prie&s;ts, not accepted for all the dignity of their office, <HI>Cain</HI> was the fir&s;t borne, and had that priviledge, yet for all that God received not his offering, but <HI>Abels,</HI> Gen. 4. &s;o betwixt the Phari&s;e and publicane, Luke 18.10, &amp;c. as betwixt the rich men and the widdow. Marke 12.41, 42, 43.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is no accepter of per&s;ons, Acts, 10. that is, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> for any outward thing; for he accepts for inward. It is borrowed from Judges, who being corrupt are &s;wayed not with the up|rightne&s;&s;e of the cau&s;e, but with the per&s;on, his place, his honor, his riches and &s;uch like, which being denyed in God, &s;hewes why he accepts not the wicked.</P>
<PB N="182" REF="106">
<P>Becau&s;e he looks not as man looks, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> upon outward things.</P>
<P>This will &s;erve to check a corruption in our times, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and not in ours onely, but that which hath ever beene in all ages; great men, nobles, and Princes, wealthy and wor&s;hipfull per&s;onages per&s;wade them&s;elves, &amp; &s;o are &s;oothed up by their flatterers, that a little thing from them is greatly accepted of God; a few cold prayers, a little devotion, a carle&s;&s;e hearing, &s;hall be accepted from them, though they never trouble them&s;elves for the true feare of God, and to worke righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: whereas fir&s;t, in rea&s;on, there is more due to God, where he hath given more. But why &s;hould he accept le&s;&s;e from them? becau&s;e they are great; as if he were an accepter of per&s;ons, or as if they were or could be great in re&s;pect of him.</P>
<P>Let no e&s;tate hinder a man from this &s;ervice, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> for the be&s;t ex|cu&s;eth not, the meane&s;t makes us no le&s;&s;e acceptable.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE X.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Who is there even among you, that would &s;hut the doores, and kindle not fire on mine Altar in vaine? I have no plea&s;ure in you, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>WHo is there among you,]</HI> Here is the rejecting of them and their &s;acrifices threatened, which is the maine point in the ver&s;e; but in the former part, as divers of the learned doe &s;o take it, he returnes unto his former expo&s;tulation, repro|ving the prie&s;ts for their ingratitude and corruption of his wor|&s;hip. And then it will be read, <HI>who is there among you that will &s;hut the doores: or doe you kindle fire on my altar for nothing?</HI> And &s;ome expound it, that the Prie&s;ts would not &s;o much as &s;hut the doores till they had their wages payed; others, that they did nothing in Gods &s;ervice, but they were rewarded for; God arguing their unthankfulne&s;&s;e to him, by his bounty to them. But others take the words as they are here read, both more agreeable to the originall, as al&s;o more &s;qua|ring to the pre&s;ent matter, to &s;hew how he rejected them and their &s;acrifice, when he wi&s;heth that &s;ome body would &s;hut the doores of the Temple, or that they would offer none at all, and &s;o keepe out the Prie&s;ts that they could not come to &s;acrifice any thing upon his Altar, which he did &s;o di&s;ta&s;te and di&s;like: and &s;o it is; I would rather you &s;hould not offer at all, then as you doe.</P>
<PB N="183" REF="106">
<P>For the particular words. <HI>And kindle not fire upon mine Altar.</HI> q.d. that yee might not come to offer upon mine altar, kindle not my altar, &s;o in the originall, a Metonymia. <HI>In vaine] id e&s;t,</HI> to no end, the word &s;ignifieth, freely, Job. 1.9. for nothing, &s;o unju&s;tly without cau&s;e; P&s;al. 69.5. &s;o &s;cotfree, without puni&s;hment, Prov. 1.11. to no end or purpo&s;e. Job. 2.3. Pro. 1.17. &s;o here.</P>
<P><HI>I have no plea&s;ure in you]</HI> The former is a wi&s;h, this is the rea|&s;on of the wi&s;h. All is in vaine, and to no end, becau&s;e I like not you, and will none your &s;acrifices, he &s;hews that he e&s;tee|med not the&s;e offerings, not from the nature, but from the minde of him who did offer them. If he were indued with piety and holine&s;&s;e, God would accept his offerings and &s;ervice; If otherwi&s;e, God would take no delight in them for all their of|ferings.</P>
<P><HI>Neither will I accept an offering at your hands,]</HI> The&s;e offerings he &s;imply refu&s;eth not, being things he had commanded, but becau&s;e they were offered by them, qd. I am &s;o farre from accep|ting at your hands the&s;e corrupt and imperfect &s;acrifices, that if they were never &s;o perfect and agreeing to the lawes of men pre&s;cribed, yet I would not accept; you plea&s;e me not, your gifts and offerings cannot be accepted of me: here is fir&s;t a wi&s;h, and the rea&s;on of it; he wi&s;hed that they would offer no &s;acrifices to him at all, rather doe him no &s;ervice, then doe it as they did.</P>
<P>The Lord had rather have no &s;ervice done unto him of the &s;onnes of Men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> then to have it done carele&s;&s;ely and negligent|ly, corruptly, and not as he hath commanded it. So is it manife&s;t from this place, as from that, I&s;aiah, 1.11, 12; 13, and 58.1, 2, and 66.3. Math. 7.22. and 6.1, 5, 16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this argues contempt of God, and, as we may &s;peak, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> of his per&s;on, yea often times more contempt, then not to doe the works of his &s;ervice at all; for where any man is duly re&s;pect|ed, either for love or feare, there the duties and offices to bee performed unto him are done, neither negligently nor carele&s;ly; as the child that honours his father, the &s;ervant that feares his ma&s;ter, doe with all diligence and care their dutyes: Where they are done coldly or cur&s;arily, there is not the re&s;pect of the per&s;on that &s;hould be. Againe, dutyes may be omitted with|out contempt, as of ignorance, not knowing what a man ought to doe, of infirmity or an erronious con&s;cience, becau&s;e hee thinks he may not doe that, which he can not doe in all perfecti|on; But to doe them carele&s;ly, and that wittingly with corrup|tion, can have no &s;uch excu&s;e, and &s;o more contempt.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord hath no need of the &s;acrifice and &s;ervice of men; a man cannot be profitable to him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as hee may be to his
<PB N="184" REF="107">neighbour. It is nothing to him that thou art righteous, that thou praye&s;t, or performe&s;t any other &s;ervice unto him; Job 22.2. <HI>May a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wi&s;e, may be pro|fitable to him&s;elfe?</HI> therefore he, as a rich King, values not the gift, but the mind of the giver; he looks more to the manner of doing, than the deed; he re&s;pects more the heart, than the hand; the inward affection, than the outward action. No mar|vell then if he had rather have nothing, than carele&s;ly and cor|ruptly done. And this made him e&s;teeme more of the Widows two farthings and mytes, than of the rich mens trea&s;ure.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Deus puram magis con&s;cientiam exaudit, qu&agrave;m preces. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> contr. lit. <HI>Petil.</HI> Donat. lib. <HI>2.</HI> cap. <HI>53.</HI></NOTE> God rather heares a pure con|&s;cience, than prayers.</P>
<P>Phil. 1.15, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> 16, 18. better Chri&s;t be preached any wayes than not at all.</P>
<P>It is better in regard of others, <MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> who have the benefit of it, and to whom by &s;uch leaden and &s;tony conduits God conveyeth the water of life, as a Gardener doth water to his plants: but it is not better in regard of them who doe it, for it maketh their condemnation more grievous. <HI>Judas</HI> preached condemnation to him&s;elfe, and yet no doubt converted &s;ome, as the re&s;t did. <HI>Noah</HI> was glad he could get &s;ome to build his Arke, him&s;elfe and his &s;onnes being no workmen fit for it, but it profited them not a whit that built it; as good never have done it.</P>
<P>This may teach us what to judge of our Church-Papi&s;ts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who for feare of law, avoiding of lo&s;&s;e, for e&s;caping of impri&s;on|ment, doe re&s;ort to our congregations, without con&s;cience and care, they are wor&s;e than tho&s;e who doe refu&s;e to come, than open recu&s;ants: for if to come to Church for a &s;hew, to prophane Gods wor&s;hip, and to doe it ra&s;hly for &s;ini&s;ter re|&s;pects, and in hypocri&s;ie, be wor&s;e than not doing, then they are greater offenders in comming, than others in ab&s;taining. The <HI>Shechemites</HI> were greater &s;inners with <HI>Hamor</HI> and <HI>Shechem</HI> his &s;onne, in taking the Sacrament of Circumci&s;ion for profit, and &s;atisfying their plea&s;ure, and to make a prey as they thought of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> Gen. 34. than the other Gentiles who refu&s;ed it. So in this; they come to Church for advantage or profit, or &s;aving of that they have; then is it better they &s;hould not come at all. Nay not &s;o, but it is le&s;&s;e e vill, not more good. The good|ne&s;&s;e is, that they labour to be in&s;tructed in that they ought, and to know how they ought, and to endeavour to come with care and con&s;cience, as is required. In the meane time hee that ab&s;taines, and comes not, is le&s;&s;e evill than he that doth come carele&s;ly, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Why then &s;hould Magi&s;trates compell men to the &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> when he &s;hall make them &s;inne, and &s;inne more than if they ab&s;taine?</P>
<PB N="185" REF="107">
<P>The Magi&s;trate may not compell any man to doe evill, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> that is a thing &s;imply forbidden of God; but hee may compell a man to doe that which he may &s;inne in doing of it. Things that men doe are of three &s;orts: good, and commanded; evill, and for|bidden; indifferent, and neither commanded, nor forbidden of God. In this la&s;t the Magi&s;trate ought to have a &s;peciall and tender re&s;pect to the con&s;cience of his &s;ubject, though it be erro|nious, &s;pecially when they are things of no moment, the do|ing of them little profits the Church, or Common-wealth; and the omitting of them doth prejudice it nothing at all. For the other,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ad fidem unllus e&s;t cogendus invitus, &s;ed per &s;everitatem, into &amp; per mi&s;ericordi|am Dei, tribulationum flagellis perfidia ca&s;tigari. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> contr. lit. <HI>Petil.</HI> lib. <HI>2,</HI> cap. <HI>38. And againe,</HI> Si quae igitur adver&s;us vos leges con&s;titutae &s;unt, non bene facere cogimini, &s;ed mal&egrave; facere pro|hibemini. <HI>Ibid.</HI></NOTE> he is not to re&s;pect the erronious con&s;ciences of men, as not to &s;uffer them unpuni&s;hed for evill doing, though they &s;hould pretend con&s;cience in it; &s;o is hee not to ab&s;taine from compelling them to that which is good: for, that evill is adjoy|ned to it, it is not his fact that comman|deth, but comes from their infidelity and corruption who are commanded, of which he cannot be accu|&s;ed, when he hath carefully endeavoured, that they be duely and rightly in&s;tructed and informed: for when he may &s;ay, the things I require are commanded in the Scriptures, I have done my be&s;t endeavour, that you may know the truth, and not pe|ri&s;h; and I will not cea&s;e for hereafter to per&s;wade, and exhort, and command you; doe you need the Scriptures? conferre with the Mini&s;ters, pray God to open your eyes; he hath then done his part.</P>
<P>This teacheth the fearefull condition of &s;uch as onely doe and performe the &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but marvellous carele&s;ly and corruptly; they heare the Word, they make prayers, they receive the Sacrament, but they are no more acceptable unto God, than if they did them notat all. God &s;aith unto them, as a Father to his Child, and a Ma&s;ter to his &s;ervant, &s;eeing them &s;cam|bling over their duties and bu&s;ine&s;&s;e without care and re&s;pect, I had as lee&s;e you did them nor at all. Now what would we think of him that &s;hould never pray, never heare the Word, never re|ceive Sacrament; would not every one thinke hee is an odi|ous man to God? verily &s;uch, and more odious, if it may be, is every one that doth the&s;e, but without care of cour&s;e, with|out con&s;cience; they heare the Word, but without profit: God had rather have them away, than come to Church to de|ride his Word, to &s;leepe or talke, there to prophane his wor|&s;hip. So they pray, but not with their hearts, but with their lips; their hearts are taken away with their plea&s;ures, profits, and delights. As Ho&s;ea 4.11. he e&s;teemes of them as well when they pray not; they receive the Sacrament, but without pre|paration,
<PB N="186" REF="108">without under&s;tanding what they doe, mo&s;t un|worthily they intrude them&s;elves to the Table of the Lord; God had as liefe have them away, their roome were as acceptable to him as their thronging, as his without the wedding-garment at the fea&s;t of the King. Matth. 22.</P>
<P>This is their fearefull condition; he that heares, is as though he heard not; he that prayes, as though he prayed not; he that receiveth the Sacrament, as though he did not; and &s;o of all the &s;ervice of God, he is as acceptable to God in not doing them, as he is in doing, and <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> as odious.</P>
<P>Then a man had as good not doe at all? <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> and &s;o while you re|prove one thing, you open the gap to another, from carele&s;&s;e|ne&s;&s;e to prophanene&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>If any man doe gather &s;o, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> it is his collection, not my a&s;&s;er|tion; he, like a Spider or Toad, gathered venome and poy&s;on from &s;weet flowers and whole&s;ome herbs. If a Ma&s;ter &s;hould tell his &s;ervant doing his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e negligently, that he had as lieve he did it not, Will he reply then, he will not; if he doe, &s;hall he not for &s;uch contempt be beaten with more &s;tripes? Nay, a &s;er|vant that would avoid that, and receive any wages and reward, will &s;eeke to correct his errour, and reforme his corruption: &s;o in this.</P>
<P>This ought to in&s;truct us that have any de&s;ire to be accepted in our &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and not to be rejected, as if we did neg|lect it altogether; to doe it with all care and diligence, and in the be&s;t manner that may be: doe we mu&s;t. And then not to lo&s;e our labour, and have no re&s;pect nor reward, we mu&s;t endeavour to doe them as they ought to be done: heare with an hone&s;t heart, to profit; pray with a fervent &s;pirit, to prevaile; u&s;e the Sacraments in knowledge and due preparation for them; the&s;e and all other parts of his &s;ervice as he requireth; el&s;e we are in a &s;trait, as the Lepers were. 2 King. 7.3, 4. without the walls of <HI>Samaria,</HI> if they enter the City there is death, if they &s;it &s;till, there is death al&s;o: So we, if we doe not, we di&s;plea&s;e; if we doe, and not as we ought, we di&s;plea&s;e al&s;o. They had a third way to goe out to the enemies, wherein their difficulty was the grea|te&s;t; but we have a third, wherein our comfort is the mo&s;t, to doe them as he requireth of us.</P>
<P>But &s;ome will object, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> <HI>who is &s;ufficient for the&s;e things?</HI> And this is but a cold comfort in a thing, that no body can doe, and therefore we were as good to doe nothing at all; for who can doe things as he requireth?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> we have a mercifull God to deale with, who in Je&s;us Chri&s;t accepteth our affections for actions, our begin|nings for perfections. 2 Cor. 8.12. And upon this ground we mu&s;t doe our endeavours, to doe it in the perfecte&s;t manner
<PB N="187" REF="108">that we may, that we may be accepted, and not ab&s;taine. It is a rule indeed in matters indifferent which are left to our choi&s;e, to refraine from them, becau&s;e our weakne&s;&s;e will bring forth &s;ome &s;inne in the doing of them; As in exerci&s;es and recreations, when they cau&s;e us to &s;weare, cur&s;e, fret, and lo&s;e our time: But in other things for which there is a commandement, and our own experience teacheth that we cannot doe them, without defects and infirmities, (As we cannot heare the word with that faith we ought, but wandring thoughts, and &s;ometime envious, covetous, ambitious de&s;ires creep into our hearts,) yet mu&s;t we doe, and not ab&s;taine, our imperfections hinder them from be|ing perfectly good but not from being accepted, while we con|demne our imperfections, and de&s;ire to doe better. And as the high Prie&s;t, Exod. 28.38. did beare the iniquity of the holy things; &s;o though our holie&s;t offerings and works of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e have defects &amp; wants, blemi&s;hes and &s;tains of our corrupti|ons, our high Prie&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> will acquit us of them, and pro|cure us favour and acceptation in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P><HI>I have no plea&s;ure in you,]</HI> The rea&s;on of his wi&s;h why he could de&s;ire they rather &s;hould not doe him &s;ervice, then doe it: and this carrieth the contrary, I di&s;like you, I am angry and di&s;|plea&s;ed with you, remaining in your &s;innes and corruptions.</P>
<P>The Lord hath no plea&s;ure in ungodly men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> &s;uch as commit and continue in &s;inne, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of his law, but he is an|gry and di&s;plea&s;ed with them; &s;o is it here, P&s;al. 5.4. for thou art a God that love&s;t not wickedne&s;&s;e, neither &s;hall evill dwell with thee, and Hebr. 10.38. 2 Sam. 15.26. hence it is that he is compared to a con&s;uming fire, even to his owne. Deut. 4.24. Therefore to &s;hew his anger, towards tho&s;e who &s;hould tran&s;gre&s;&s;e, how great it is, when he gave the law he de&s;cended with fire, and the whole mountaine burned about him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord hates iniquity, P&s;al. 45.7. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> now then as Men who hate any liquor, doe di&s;like the ve&s;&s;ell that it is in, for it; yea &s;ometimes grow to hates and abhorre it: &s;o the Lord hating &s;inne, di&s;likes the &s;inner, yea &s;ometimes growes to hate him, P&s;al. 5.5. not the nature he made, nor the man, but the wicked man: becau&s;e &s;inne cleaves &s;o fa&s;t to him, as they cannot be barted: As when the &s;ent will not out of the ve&s;&s;ell, he hates both,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deus odit iniquit atem, it aque in aliis eam perimit per dawn ationem, ut in repnobis; in aliis adimit per ju&s;ti|ficationem, ut in electis. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> ad Simplicianum lib. <HI>7.</HI>} quae&s;t. <HI>2.</HI> Col. <HI>6 30.</HI> Tom. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> as Saint <HI>Augu|&s;tine</HI> &s;aith, God hates iniquity therefore in &s;ome he de&s;troyes it by damnation, as in repro|bates; in others he takes it away by ju&s;tification, as in the e|lect.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as every one delights, and takes plea&s;ure in his like, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> which makes the Angels rejoyce at the conver&s;ion of a &s;inners;
<PB N="188" REF="109">And men rejoyce, and account it a glorious thing to have chil|dren like them&s;elves, and take the more plea&s;ure in them, when the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion is like to prove like: &s;o God in tho&s;e that are mo&s;t like him, becau&s;e, &s;aith <HI>Cyprian,</HI> then the divine gentry by their actions and practice may become more famous. Then mu&s;t he be di&s;plea&s;ed with the&s;e, becau&s;e they grow more unlike him, and like to Satan his Enemy.</P>
<P>Anger then &s;imply in it &s;elfe is not a &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but as it is mixed with other perturbations and vices, &s;eeing God is angry. As Chri&s;t was often and very vehemently, John, 2.13, 14, 17. and when&s;oever he corrected and reproved &s;inne, he &s;hewed him&s;elf in his words very angry, Mat. 23.13. &s;o hath <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the Prophets, Apo&s;tles, and all the Saints: Therefore <HI>Lactan.</HI> &s;aith, <HI>&s;ine ir&acirc; peccata corrigi non po&s;&s;e,</HI> &s;inne cannot be corrected without an|ger; for the &s;ight of &s;inne is &s;o horrible in it &s;elfe, that he that is a good man cannot but be offended, moved and angry with the &s;ight of it. And he that is not moved at it, either allowes it, or doth not much dete&s;t it, or is willing to avoid trouble in cor|recting of it; hence the repre&s;&s;ing of anger is a &s;inne, being a great &s;inne not to repre&s;&s;e, and that irefully, the &s;innes which are under our charge;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Qua&s;i gladio aciem, &s;ic men|ti no&s;trae irae acumen impo|&s;uit, ut eo cu~ oportet utamur. Chry. ho. <HI>6.</HI> de laudab. <HI>Paul.</HI></NOTE> as old <HI>Ely:</HI> for God hath given anger to the &s;pirit of man, as an edge to a weapon, that when 'tis needfull we may u&s;e it, &s;aith Saint <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;tome.</HI> This then we ought to doe, imitate the&s;e examples, and be angry with &s;innes, and correct them to our power: but Ephe. 4.26. this place doth not &s;imply forbid an|ger, but corrupt anger, by which we offend God: Now anger is vicious and corrupt; Fir&s;t, if a man be angry ra&s;hly, for no cau&s;e, or for &s;mall cau&s;e, Math. 5.22. Secondly, if a man be angry for private injuries, not for them as they are &s;ins offen&s;ive to God, but injuries to him&s;elfe: Thirdly, when the anger that &s;hould be again&s;t the &s;inne, is again&s;t the per&s;on, and turned to his brother; and this is that there forbidden: and it is thus un|der&s;tood; be angry, but not without ju&s;t cau&s;e; be angry, not for private injuries, but vices, as they are again&s;t the law of God: Finally be angry, not with your brethren, but with their corrup|tions, and this is hence warrantable.</P>
<P>Seeing God will be angry with all, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> both elect and reprobate for their &s;innes, and mo&s;t di&s;pea&s;ed with them; This &s;hould per|&s;wade us not to be &s;ecure, but to pa&s;&s;e our lives in the feare of the anger of God: To this one thing bend wee all our endea|vours and powers, that we &s;inne not, and &s;o provoke the anger and di&s;plea&s;ure of God; for of this wee may be &s;ure that Gods word &s;hall be fulfilled. P&s;al. 89.31, 32. <HI>If they break my &s;tatutes, and keep not my commandements, then will I vi&s;it their tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ion with a rod, and their iniquity with &s;troakes:</HI> wrath and di&s;plea|&s;ure
<PB N="189" REF="109">followes the &s;inner, as the &s;haddow the body. But if God &s;pare, and be not angry, that is, &s;hew it not, <HI>Magna e&s;t ira non ira&s;ci;</HI> 'tis a &s;igne of greater di&s;plea&s;ure: The ma&s;ter that re&s;pects his &s;ervant corrects him for a &s;mall fault; if he let him alone,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t. in Mat. ho. <HI>17.</HI></NOTE> it may be thought he doth it till great faults bee joyned to it, land he may either puni&s;h more, or ca&s;t him out of his hou&s;e: &s;o in this.</P>
<P><HI>Neither will I accept an offering at your hand.]</HI> Becau&s;e he is di&s;|plea&s;ed with them, therefore he will not accept their offerings, nor their &s;ervice and prayers.</P>
<P>The per&s;on of a man mu&s;t fir&s;t plea&s;e God, before his prayers, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> his offerings, or any worke that he doth can be plea&s;ing or accep|table to him. That is, before reconciliation &amp; ju&s;t &s;ication they are unaccepted. It is hence manife&s;t, becau&s;e he rejecteth their of|ferings, being di&s;plea&s;ed with their per&s;ons hereto belongs that, Ge. 4.4. &amp; that Prov. 15.8. <HI>The &s;acrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable unto him.</HI> Hence I&s;aiah, 1.13, 19. 1 Pet. 2.5. <HI>And yee as lively &s;tones hee made a &s;pirituall hou&s;e, an holy prie&s;thood, to offer up &s;pirituall &s;acri|fices acceptable to God by Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> Hebr. 13.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all workes are made acceptable to God by faith, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as all things are made plea&s;ing to men by the light; &s;o <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> and without it nothing is; Hebr. 11.16. Now faith is that which makes the per&s;on accepted; for by it we are ju&s;tified; Rom. 5.1. and made <HI>the &s;onnes of God.</HI> Rom. 3.26.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e before they are &s;trangers, Ephe. 2.19. yea and ene|myes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Rom. 5.10. now things done by &s;trangers are not great|ly gratefull, but by enemies they altogether di&s;ta&s;te us.</P>
<P>This confuteth the Papi&s;ts, who make good workes the cau&s;e of our ju&s;tification and reconciliation to God; when, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as they can not be good, &s;o they cannot be acceptable before we be re|conciled and acceptable in his &s;ight. How doe they then ju&s;ti|fie us and reconcile us? for that which mu&s;t ju&s;tifie and recon|cile another, mu&s;t needs it &s;elfe be in favor; for as that is true of S. <HI>Augu&s;tine, Opera non praecedunt ju&s;tificandum, &s;ed &s;equuntur ju&s;tificatum,</HI> So that is as true, when&s;oever they come they are not acceptable in them&s;elves, becau&s;e they are imperfect, our evill works are perfectly evill, and &s;o de&s;erve to be ca&s;t out of fa|vour; but our good works are not perfectly good, and &s;o cannot procure favor of them&s;elves. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> If any object, as &s;ome of our Pa|pi&s;ts &s;ticke not to doe, that we are ju&s;tified by works, becau&s;e by faith, for faith is a worke; I an&s;er, faith is not our worke, but Gods in us. John 6.29. Againe, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> though having received faith we doe beleeve; yet it is not faith, or the worke of it, that doth ju&s;tifie us, but the righteou&s;nes of Je&s;us Chri&s;t apprehended by faith: for as a hand that hath taken a trea&s;ure doth not inrich
<PB N="190" REF="110">us, but the trea&s;ure; and it is not the mouth receiving the meat, but the meat that doth nouri&s;h us; &s;o in this. And being thus ju&s;tified then we work, and our works are acceptable, becau&s;e we are fir&s;t accepted in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>To &s;tirre up every man to the tryall of his e&s;tate and him&s;elfe, whether he be indeed reconciled to God or no, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> whether ju&s;ti|fied or no, that if he be not he may labor and endevor to be; be|cau&s;e while he is in that condition, what&s;oever things he doe, as they are but <HI>&s;plendida peccata, Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;o they are altogether unacceptable to God, whether he heare, or give, or receive, or pay; a heavy condition of a &s;ervant, that doe what he can, yet he can not plea&s;e.</P>
<P>But happily thou art de&s;irous to know whether thou art re|conciled or not; <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> and if not, how to come by it.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer thee, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> if thou ha&s;t true faith, then &s;hall this be like the fait, 2 Kings 2.21. which healed the &s;pring of waters; and of it may be &s;aid as there.</P>
<P>This comforts God children, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who are ju&s;tified in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;o accepted in his &s;ight, their works, their &s;acrifice and wor|&s;hip liketh him, how&s;oever they are done in imperfections, and in many great weakne&s;&s;es and are not &s;o fully with their whole foule, minde and heart, as they &s;hould be; but carry the touch of mans corruption, and are not able to abide the &s;trict and &s;treight judgment of God; yet becau&s;e they proceed from them who are accepted in Chri&s;t, they plea&s;e him, and the imper|fections are pardoned in Chri&s;t, and they taken for pure and holy. Prov. 15.8. 1 Pet. 2.5. As a little thing done of a child is more acceptable, then much done by a &s;ervant.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE XI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>For from the ri&s;ing of the &s;unne unto the going downe of the &s;ame, my Name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place incen&s;e &s;hall bee offered unto my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name is great among the heathen, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>FRom the ri&s;ing of the &s;unne]</HI> Here is the &s;econd part of with|drawing Gods mercy from the&s;e Jewes. And this is the re|moving of his wor&s;hip &amp; word from Jewes to Gentiles, &s;et down by a compari&s;on of di&s;&s;imilitude betwixt Jewes and Gentiles.
<PB N="191" REF="110">The propo&s;ition of the Gentiles, and their great care and re|&s;pect of his wor&s;hip, ver&s;e 11. the reddition of the Jewes, and their corruption and carele&s;ne&s;&s;e of his wor&s;hip, renewing the former expo&s;tulation, ver&s;e 12, 13. In this we are to con&s;ider the wor&s;hip of God, &amp; the circum&s;tances of it. In it we con&s;ider, 1. the ground of it, <HI>my name is great,</HI> repeated in the beginning and ending of the ver&s;e for more certainty of the thing; 2. the matter, <HI>incen&s;e</HI> and <HI>oblation;</HI> 3. the manner, and quality of it, <HI>pure,</HI> oppo&s;it to the <HI>Jewes prophane</HI> and <HI>polluted</HI> &s;ervice of God. The circum&s;tances, 1. per&s;ons, <HI>Gentiles;</HI> 2. place, <HI>everywhere.</HI></P>
<P>Now for the meaning: The Papi&s;ts have wre&s;ted this place, to e&s;tabli&s;h the doctrine of their Ma&s;&s;e; but how ab&s;urdly &s;hall appeare, before we have ended with the Ver&s;e; in the meane time we will &s;earch the true meaning of them, as they ly in order.</P>
<P><HI>For from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne.]</HI> The&s;e words expre&s;&s;e the place; &s;ome expound them in the time pre&s;ent, and the&s;e ei|ther take them ab&s;olutely thus; The Gentiles, though they have no knowledge of God but by nature, as much as they may learne out of the great bookes, the Heavens and the Earth, and the revolutions and changes of them, by the ri&s;ing of the Sunne, and the going downe of the &s;ame; yet they offer unto God oblati|ons in their kind: Thus <HI>Montanus.</HI> But this cannot b e, becau&s;e of the quality of the &s;acrifice following; for it is &s;aid to be pure, which could not come from them in that dimme light they had: Or conditionally, that the Gentiles would offer a <HI>pure</HI> &s;acrifice, if God did reveale him&s;elfe to them as he hath to the Jewes. But the words are &s;o ab&s;olutely &s;poken, they cannot thus be taken.</P>
<P>Others, with more generall con&s;ent on all &s;ides, take them in the future ten&s;e, or time to come: that the time &s;hould come when the Lord &s;hould tran&s;late his wor&s;hip from the Jewes to the Gentiles, and then &s;hould they bring holy offerings: And this is after the comming of Chri&s;t, who &s;hould take away the Ceremonies, and abrogate the forme of the Jewi&s;h wor&s;hip, and bring in pure and &s;pirituall &s;acrifices.</P>
<P>Now by this is noted the place, that is, through all the whole world. P&s;al. 113.3. <HI>The Lords Name is prai&s;ed from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne, unto the going downe of the &s;ame.</HI> Not that it &s;hould be at one time in all places of the world, for that never was, nor &s;hall be; but, as among the Jewes, &s;o in the whole world, before Chri&s;ts comming, the greater part of them were wicked Idolaters, and prophane men. I&s;aiah 17.6. and 6.13. but &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, now in one place, now in another, it &s;hall be &s;poken and preached in all the parts of the world before Chri&s;ts &s;econd comming. Matth. 26.13. P&s;al. 2.8. <HI>Aske of me, and I &s;hall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<PB N="192" REF="111">
<P><HI>My name &s;hall be great.]</HI> Here is the ground of Gods wor&s;hip; The Name of God, &s;ignitying diver&s;e things, in this place may be taken either for him&s;elfe, as a mans name is put for his per&s;on, Acts 2.21. or for his excellency, maje&s;ty and glory; as Name for fame. Exod. 34.5, 6. Phil. 2.9. Gen. 11.4.</P>
<P><HI>Is great]</HI> Not that God is great or le&s;&s;e, <HI>Magnum &amp; par|vum &s;unt ex iis quae &s;unt ad aliquid. Ari&s;tot.</HI> but &s;hewed, or de|clared, or acknowledged to be great; as the word &s;anctified is u|&s;ed, Math. 6.9. and the word ju&s;tified, Math. 11.19. Jam. 2.21.</P>
<P><HI>Among the Gentiles]</HI> The per&s;ons, by condition Gentiles, or Nations, taken &s;ometime generally for a company of People con&s;i&s;ting of many families gathered together, I&s;aiah, 1.4. Ioh. 11.52. Secondly more particularly for all people be&s;ides the Iewes, all Infidels, Gods people being taken from among them only, I&s;aiah, 49.6. And &s;o it is among&s;t tho&s;e who were not Gods people before, among&s;t them whom the Iewes accounted fooles, and did extreamely hate; &s;poken as it were to provoke them to make more care of the wor&s;hip of God, according to the denouncing, Deuter. 32.21.</P>
<P><HI>And in every place incen&s;e &s;halbe offered unto me]</HI> The matter of this offering or wor&s;hip is fir&s;t &s;aid to be incen&s;e, by which is under&s;tood prayer, invocation and thank&s;giving as, P&s;al. 141.2. <HI>Let my Prayer be directed in thy &s;ight, as incen&s;e: and the lifting up of my hands as an evening &s;acrifice.</HI> Revel. 5.8.</P>
<P>Secondly, It is &s;aid to be an oblation or offering, by which is not under&s;tood the Leviticall offering abrogated by Chri&s;t, neither the &s;acrifice of Chri&s;t upon the cro&s;&s;e, which none can offer but he; and which only was to be performed and offered upon the cro&s;&s;e before the gate of <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> nor the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, as &s;hall after appeare, but by this is under&s;tood a mans &s;elfe, every faithfull man with all that he hath; for every one of Gods ought both to con&s;ecrate him&s;elfe to the &s;pirituall wor&s;hip of God, and as it were &s;acrifice him&s;elfe, and al&s;o offer up the &s;acrifice of prayer and prai&s;e, and of repenting, ju&s;tice, almes and other things plea&s;ing to God. Rom. 13.1. 1 Pet. 2.5. Heb. 13.15, 16. P&s;al. 4.6. and 5.19. And of this <HI>Irenaeus, Ter|tullian</HI> and diver&s;e other under&s;tand this place.</P>
<P><HI>Pure]</HI> not &s;imply without &s;pot, I&s;aiah, 64.6. but as the Church is called holy and without &s;pot, Cant. 6.9. fir&s;t, in re|gard the per&s;on offering it is in Chri&s;t, and as his per&s;on hath his obedience and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e applyed and imputed to it, &s;o his obedience hath Chri&s;t to cover the wants of it. Heb. 13.15. 1 Pet. 2.5.</P>
<P>Secondly, In regard of inward &s;anctification, the ground of it, the party being regenarate by the worke of his &s;pirit, and &s;o e|very
<PB N="193" REF="111">action in him, part holy and good, and well plea&s;ing to God, as comming and proceeding from his Spirit, though having a ta&s;te and &s;ent of our infirmities, as water pa&s;&s;ing by a Pipe or Chanell. Rom. 8.26. and 15.16. Acts. 15.9.</P>
<P>This, though a threatning, yet is according to that, Deuter. 32.21. and &s;o a kind of provocation to the I&s;raelites, provoking them from the example of the Gentiles with a holy emulation in piety and the wor&s;hip of God. The Iewes embraced not &s;incere|ly the wor&s;hip of God, but putting it as it were from them, the Gentiles received it.</P>
<P>When one Church maketh not account of the truth and wor|&s;hip of God, or doth reject it, another &s;hall embrace it. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."></P>
<P><HI>From the ri&s;ing of the Sunne unto the going down of the &s;ame,]</HI> The Lord, though he had &s;hewed much mercy and goodne&s;&s;e upon the Jewes, he is not emptyed by it, but hath the like in &s;tore for others, the Gentiles.</P>
<P>The Lord is marvelous rich in mercy, and liberall in giving his goodne&s;&s;e to the &s;onnes of men, neither weary in giving, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> nor ever wa&s;ted with giving; manife&s;t from this example, and I am. 1.5. <HI>If any of you lack wi&s;dome, let him aske of God, which giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth no man, and it &s;hall be given him.</HI> Rom. 10.12. <HI>for there is no difference betweene the Jew and the Grecian; for he that is Lord over all, is rich unto all that call upon him:</HI> he gives, at all times, Luke 22.12. his ability is great, Ephe. 3.20. the effects prove it, giving more then they aske, to to <HI>Abraham,</HI> for one &s;onne de&s;ired, he gave a &s;eed as the &s;tarres in the heavens; To <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> Gen. 25.21, 22. to <HI>Jaacob,</HI> Gen. 48.11. To <HI>Solomon,</HI> Kings, 3.11. <HI>&V;berior e&s;t gloria, quam precatio, Ambro&s;e in loc.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is creator, and Lord of all, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and by creation they are his &s;onnes, he their father. Therefore as a father he will provide for all his their portions; as <HI>Abraham</HI> did, Gen. 25.6. yea and &s;uch is his care, that he cannot endure their want. Now they are in them&s;elves continually wanting; though he give one thing, they have need of another; as a &s;hip and a net that mu&s;t &s;till bee mending.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is agreeable to his magnificency and greatne&s;&s;e to deale thus liberally; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as it is agreeable and becommeth a Prince to deale according to his magnificence and greatne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it might be manife&s;t the things they receive come to them not for their de&s;erts, or the merit of their prayers, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> or any things el&s;e, but of his love and mercy, when he dealeth &s;o boun|tifully.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Prayers are not meritorious, I am. 1.5.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> If any want, he him&s;elf is cau&s;e of it. <HI>Ibidem,</HI> to all men.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> An encouragement to a&s;ke.</P>
<PB N="194" REF="112">
<P>To learne to be liberall and not weary of well doing. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Gallat. 6.9.10.</P>
<P>From &s;unne ri&s;ing to the &s;un &s;etting in all places and nations is the wor&s;hip and word of God propagated.</P>
<P>The Church under the times of the Go&s;pell, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and &s;ince Chri&s;t, is not, as it hath been, limited to one Nation, as to the Jewes, P&s;al. 147.19, 20. Iohn, 4.22. but tho&s;e limits are plucked up, and it is inlarged to all the Gentiles, not one or two Nations of them, but to all the world.</P>
<P>This overthroweth the Church of Rome, <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> who limit the Church which is enlarged by God, affirming that to be only the Catholique Church which is at Rome, or which is &s;ubject to the Romi&s;h tyrant; how then is it to all Nations, are all &s;ubject to it?<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Catholique &s;aith</HI> Augu&s;t. Epi&s;t. <HI>48.</HI> ex communione totius orbis.</NOTE> how Catholique, when it is but a particular Church? what is Catholique but univer&s;all? Now to &s;peake thus, the Romane Catholique Church, is to &s;ay, the particular univer&s;all Church; which in any rea&s;onable mans eare is mo&s;t ab&s;urd.</P>
<P>But &s;ome times particular Churches were called Catholi|ques. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>So they were; <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> but then as <HI>Augu&s;t. Cont. Epi&s;t. Fundani. cap.</HI> 4. Every Church did it, and no one Church a&s;&s;umed this prerogative unto it &s;elfe more then another; neither was Catholique oppo|&s;ed to particular, but to hereticall. The Catholique faith was accounted the true faith, and the Catholique faith oppo&s;ed to Here&s;ie, and the Catholique Church to hereticall Churches: And in this kinde the Church of Rome can le&s;t challenge it to it &s;elf, for it is lea&s;t Catholique, being in many things hereticall.</P>
<P>The Jewes corrupting and contemning the wor&s;hip of God, the Gentiles are called: through their fall &s;alvation is come to the Gentiles.</P>
<P>God by the &s;innes of man takes occa&s;ion to worke good to o|thers, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and to magnifie his mercy and goodne&s;&s;e: &s;o here, by the &s;innes of the Jewes he bringeth good to the Gentiles, and glory to his owne Name.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he may take from the wicked any ju&s;t occa&s;ion of accu&s;ing his providence and government, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> becau&s;e he &s;uffers &s;inne to be, that could prevent it, which indeed is a &s;inne in him that doth it not, who is bound to it; but it is not &s;o with God. The Phy&s;itian is not to be accu&s;ed when he maketh his patient &s;ick, to bring him to health; le&s;&s;e here God, not making him &s;inne, but leting him alone to his own corruptions.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is mo&s;t wi&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> good and powerfull, and would &s;o manife&s;t him&s;elfe, by bringing light out of darkne&s;&s;e, good out out of evill; for to make good, or to work good by good, would nothing &s;o manife&s;t this: To make &s;ome excellent work of pure gold is no great thing, a &s;lender Artizant and a &s;mall &s;kill will
<PB N="195" REF="112">doe it; but of ba&s;e lead to make pure gold is admirable Alchy|mie: &s;o to bring good out of good is <HI>Humanum,</HI> but good out of evill <HI>Divinum.</HI></P>
<P>Why then &s;hould any be puni&s;hed for &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> or why &s;hould not men &s;inne, that the goodne&s;&s;e of God may be more magni|fied?</P>
<P>Such two objections were made to St. <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 3.5, 6, 7, 8. <MILESTONE UNIT="Solut."> where al&s;o his an&s;wer is to the fir&s;t, ver&s;e 5. this is mo&s;t ab&s;urd; for then &s;hould God judge unju&s;tly, which no man may &s;uppo&s;e that he which is the judge of all the world &s;hould be unju&s;t; and addeth, <HI>ab&s;it,</HI> which he u&s;eth often when he &s;peaketh of things, which &s;hould not once be thought, and which the minde of a holy man ought to abhorre once to thinke of: To the &s;econd he an&s;wereth ver&s;e 8. <HI>who&s;e damnation is ju&s;t;</HI> Shewing that &s;uch an error is &s;o farre differing from his doctrine, that he con|demns both it, and the teachers and &s;ugge&s;ters of it. For good is not an effect of the evill, that it of it &s;elfe brings forth any &s;uch thing, but that comes by the wi&s;dome power, and goodnes of God: He hath given man a law that he mu&s;t follow, and not doe other things upon expectation of effects; for a man may be condemned for the evill, what&s;oever effect it brings forth by the goodne&s;&s;e of God, as <HI>Judas.</HI> And if any man thus rea&s;on, it is as if he that had been &s;icke of &s;ome de&s;perate di&s;ea&s;e, which when he is cured, and the &s;kill of a Phy&s;itian grown famous by it, he will againe &s;urfet to fall into the like di&s;ea&s;e, that the Phy|&s;itian might be more famous; or as if poore men and beggers &s;hould re&s;olve &s;till to bee in need and to begge; becau&s;e that might magnifie the bounty and magnificence of the rich.</P>
<P>When we &s;ee the hatred and malice of men to profit others, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> by their per&s;ecutions in word or deed, &s;o that they are made more zealous and carefull, more upright and entire, there is no excu&s;e for men, nor thanks to them to be given, but the glory is to be gi|ven to the Lord, who thus turns things, &amp; makes good out of evil, <HI>Per&s;ecuters unto the Martyrs, &s;aith Saint</HI> Augu&s;tine, <HI>are as the ham|mer is to gold,</HI> as the Mill to wheat, as the oven to bread, as the furnace to mettall, profit them, worke them, and purge them, but no thanke to them: it is not out of the nature of them, but from the &s;kill of the Gold-&s;mith, the baker, &amp;c. for they would con&s;ume the gold with the dro&s;&s;e, the wheat with the chaffe, and brui&s;e them in peeces, if he did not temper, and moderate, and u&s;e them for the good of them, &s;o it is in this. Rom. 8.28.</P>
<P>We are in the latter dayes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> wherein iniquity hath got the up|per hand, and &s;inne doth abound: it is matter of griefe and trouble, if we con&s;ider what they are, and what of them&s;elves they bring; the wrath of God, his rod and plagues: yet are they or will be le&s;&s;e trouble&s;ome, when we con&s;ider that God can and
<PB N="196" REF="113">will turne them to his owne glory, and the good of his Church. To conver&s;e among venomous creatures, to have to doe with ranke poy&s;on, is fearefull and trouble&s;ome, as they are &s;imples and in them&s;elves; but when they are once &s;kilfully tempered by the Art of the Apothecarie, when the Phy&s;itians &s;kill hath made a ju&s;t and good compo&s;ition of them, then, though it be not altogether tooth&s;ome, yet it is not &s;o trouble&s;ome nor hurt|full unto men: So in this.</P>
<P>For imitation, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to teach us to endeavour to make good out of evill, and by the &s;innes of men, our owne, or others, take occa&s;ion to glorifie God the more, or to helpe and profit our &s;elves or others: by our owne &s;ins, or others under our charge, to be humbled both to repentance, as al&s;o to true humility and lowline&s;&s;e of mind, as <HI>Paul,</HI> 2 Cor. 12.7, 21. In the finnes of others, not to triumph over them, but to ble&s;&s;e the mercy of God, and magnifie his goodne&s;&s;e, that he keeps us from the like, who have no le&s;&s;e in us the &s;eed of them, than they have; accounting our &s;elves as much beholden to God for keeping us from tho&s;e &s;innes, as if we had committed them, and he had remitted or pardoned them to us. As <HI>Augu&s;tine.</HI></P>
<P><HI>My Name is great.]</HI> Here is the ground of all the wor&s;hip of God which follows; being &s;mitten with a reverence &amp; per&s;wa|&s;ion of his greatne&s;&s;e and Maje&s;ty, they wor&s;hip and &s;erve him.</P>
<P>The ground and foundation of all true and &s;incere wor&s;hip of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> is the per&s;wa&s;ion and acknowledgment of his greatne&s;&s;e, and the want of it cau&s;e of contempt of God, and of his wor&s;hip. What maketh mens per&s;ons admired and &s;ought to but this? when they are accounted great, and men conceive &s;o of them. This is manife&s;t by that, P&s;al. 104.1, 2, 3, &amp;c. Jer. 5.22. Rom. 12.1. conferred with <HI>Cap.</HI> 11.33, 34, 35, 36. when <HI>Pharaoh</HI> would give no leave to the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to wor&s;hip God, nor feare his Word him&s;elfe, he &s;aid, <HI>Who is the Lord?</HI> Exod. 5.2. Matth. 6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e greatne&s;&s;e drawes honour and reverence of it &s;elfe. <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> The Heathen alledge why they wor&s;hip the Hoa&s;t of Heaven, becau&s;e God hath given them &s;uch maje&s;ty and beauty. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> tells them it was their corruption, that they went not higher to &s;ee Gods greatne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>This di&s;covers unto us a notable and devilli&s;h policy of Sa|tan; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when he would breed contempt of God and his wor&s;hip, then brought he in images and image-making into the Church, that under the &s;hapes and formes of ba&s;e creatures, hee might wipe out of the minds of men the greatne&s;&s;e and infinitene&s;&s;e of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Facillimum e&s;t, contemne|re Deum in i|magine.</NOTE> and impre&s;&s;e in them &s;ome ba&s;e conceit of him, that their hearts might thinke but ba&s;ely of his wor&s;hip and &s;ervice. 'Tis a mo&s;t ea&s;ie thing to contemne God in an image, &s;aith one. They
<PB N="197" REF="113">per&s;wade men that it is to helpe devotion, as <HI>Jeroboam</HI> would make the wor&s;hip of God ea&s;ie unto the people, by &s;etting up two Calves in <HI>Dan</HI> and <HI>Bethel:</HI> 1 Kings 22. but as hee made it to be abhorred, &s;o the&s;e make Gods wor&s;hip not to be regarded, and men more cold in it.</P>
<P>This may teach us the rea&s;on of &s;o much corruption in the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> want of knowledge and per&s;wa&s;i|on of the greatne&s;&s;e and infinitene&s;&s;e of God: Hence are additi|ons and detractions from it; for if they were per&s;waded he were infinitely wi&s;e, and onely wi&s;e, who needed no coun&s;ellour nor advi&s;er what is fit for his &s;ervice and wor&s;hip, then would they never have &s;o many inventions and traditions of their owne, on which they dote more, than they love that he hath commanded; as men dote more on their owne children, than they affect o|thers. From this it is, that they either omit or contemne his wor&s;hip, and the parts of it, or they performe them onely of cour&s;e, for fa&s;hion, and <HI>proforma tant&ugrave;m:</HI> hence they preferre man before him, &s;eeking rather to plea&s;e man, fearing rather to offend man, as if he had more rewards or puni&s;hments than God to conferre or inflict.</P>
<P>To teach us, to the end we may wor&s;hip him aright, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to la|bour to be in&s;tructed, and to know his greatne&s;&s;e, and be per|&s;waded of his infinitene&s;&s;e in wi&s;edome, and knowledge, and power, ju&s;tice, mercy, bounty, and &s;uch like. And this is to be had by looking into his workes, by &s;tudying his Word, and by obtaining his Spirit.</P>
<P><HI>Among the Gentiles.]</HI> They who were not his people, nor be|loved, neither had any thing that could de&s;erve love, but ra|ther hatred, are cho&s;en and called of God.</P>
<P>The election and calling of God, whether of a few or ma|ny, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> whether a Nation, or particular men, it is free, and with|out de&s;ert, of mercy without merit.</P>
<P><HI>And in every place.]</HI> Here is the place where the &s;ervice of God is to be performed, and &s;pirituall &s;acrifice to be offered unto him; not upon the Altar, or in the Temple, but every where, all places being indifferent, circum&s;tances regarded.</P>
<P>The Gentiles and Church after Chri&s;t, under the Go&s;pell, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> are not tyed for the wor&s;hip of God, for prayer and invocation, and &s;uch like, to the Temple and Synagogues; or in private wor&s;hip to looke towards the Temple, where there were vi&s;ible &s;ignes of Gods &s;peciall pre&s;ence: Now they may pray every where, and wor&s;hip God in every place; John 4.21, 23. 1 Tim. 2.8. onely this generality hath this re&s;traint, prayers and wor&s;hip may be performed in all places, but not all kind in all places; publique prayers in publique places, and private in private. For the fir&s;t it is manife&s;t, 1 Cor. 11.18. Church is
<PB N="198" REF="114">there taken for a publique place, becau&s;e of the oppo&s;ition, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 22. which thing is apparent through all e&s;tabli&s;hed Churches that have beene, or are, as the Hi&s;tories of all times &s;hew they had open places and meetings for their a&s;&s;emblies and &s;ervice of God, except in time of per&s;ecution. For the &s;econd, &s;ee Matth. 6.5, 6. prayer in the clo&s;et. So Gen. 24.63. prayer in the field, Matth. 14.23. prayer in a Mountaine apart.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e then the Arke of Gods pre&s;ence and his mercy-&s;eat was in the Temple, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but now all &s;uch ceremonies are removed; the &s;ub&s;tance being come, the &s;hadows are gone. And now is he every where with his pre&s;ence, where hee is &s;ought for, as hee then was, but had limited them to that place to &s;eeke him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e every one hath a Temple about with him where&s;oe|ver he is, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> 1 Cor. 6.19. <HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Had not they &s;o? <HI>An&s;.</HI> Yes: but God had limited them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the publique place is mo&s;t fit for publique, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> both for order and comeline&s;&s;e; and private for private, becau&s;e a man may more freely confe&s;&s;e and mourne for his &s;innes, and he may be more fit, being freed from the accurrences of eye and eare, by which the fraile heart of man and his mind is drawne a|way.</P>
<P>To &s;hew the errour of tho&s;e who thinke a publique place bet|ter for their prayers than private, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when indeed the Church is as private as any other, when a man is alone; and then a publique place is more excellent for the wor&s;hip of God, when the con|gregation is a&s;&s;embled for that purpo&s;e. When they are toge|ther, a man hath more helps, more incitations and provocati|ons, being more affected, one kindling an another, as two burning coales or billets; their prayers more forcible and effe|ctuall; otherwi&s;e when they are &s;evered, one place is as holy as another, a mans clo&s;et and chamber fitter by much than any o|ther, for the rea&s;ons before. And a &s;uper&s;titious opinion of the place will make a mans prayer more unacceptable, both becau&s;e that affection cro&s;&s;eth the flat a&s;&s;ertion of God here and el&s;e|where, and againe e&s;tabli&s;heth the ceremony, and denyes the comming of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>A direction to every man to performe the wor&s;hip of God e|very where: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to lift up pure hands unto God in all places, per|forming publique wor&s;hip in publique places, and accu&s;tomed times, &s;erving God as is &s;aid of <HI>Anna,</HI> Luke 2.37. <HI>Shee was a Widow about foure&s;core and foure yeares, and went not out of the Temple, but &s;erved God with fa&s;tings and prayers night and day;</HI> which was <HI>&s;ine omi&s;&s;ione, non &s;ine intermi&s;&s;ione,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Beda;</HI> and private &s;ervice in their private places: as God be&s;tows private ble&s;&s;ings privately upon men, as remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, and re|quires
<PB N="199" REF="114">no witne&s;&s;e: Is't not ab&s;urd,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quomodo non ab&s;urdum, ut in quibus vus ip&s;e beneficio afficit, &s;olo te&s;timonio no&s;tri contentus &s;it: nos autem in qui|bus ip&s;um colimus, alios te&s;tes quaera|mus, &amp; ado&s;tentationem quicquam fa|ciamus. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> hom. <HI>21.</HI> ad populum <HI>Antioch.</HI></NOTE> where|as God conferres benefits on us, he is con|tent to doe it privately, yet wee will ne|ver wor&s;hip God but before witne&s;&s;es, and for o&s;tentation &s;ake? &s;aith Saint <HI>Chry&s;o|&s;tome. Hezekiah</HI> turned him&s;elfe to the wall, and prayed.</P>
<P>A comfort for all tho&s;e who by any occa&s;ion may be exclu|ded from the publique a&s;&s;emblies and places of Gods wor&s;hip, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> whether unju&s;tly excommunicated or ca&s;t out of the Church, as he was that was ca&s;t out, Joh. 9. or otherwi&s;e hindered by the violence of man, or the hand of God, yet where&s;oever he be, in every place may he wor&s;hip God, and God will re&s;pect and accept that wor&s;hip from him. He that found out the once blind, now &s;eeingman, though ca&s;t out, will be found when he is &s;ought, though out of the Temple and Church; he that was found of <HI>Hezekiah</HI> in his bed, of <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Silas</HI> in the pri|&s;on, of <HI>Jonas</HI> in the Whales belly, of <HI>Paul</HI> upon the Sea, and in every place where they held up pure hands unto him; he is the &s;ame &s;till, and will be found of them that &s;eeke him aright, every where. Princes have their times and places, out of which if they be taken, and petitions put up, they that doe &s;o, offend; and for favour carry di&s;plea&s;ure. Sometime they are like to <HI>Aha&s;hnero&s;h,</HI> E&s;ter 4.11. &s;ometime as <HI>Darius,</HI> Dan. 6.7, 8. but God is ever ready to heare.</P>
<P><HI>Incen&s;e &s;hall be offered, and a pure offering.]</HI> The matter of this wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>The Papi&s;ts affirme, that by this can be under&s;tood nothing el&s;e but the mo&s;t holy &s;acrifice of the body and blood of Chri&s;t, offered in every place in the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e; we under|&s;tand it of &s;pirituall &s;acrifices, not reall; whether is mo&s;t pro|bable we mu&s;t enquire.</P>
<P>They, to overthrow ours, and to e&s;tabli&s;h their owne, &s;ay; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Object."> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Bellarm.</NOTE> The word u&s;ed for offering, <HI>Mincha,</HI> &s;ignifies an externall &s;acrifice, which was made of Oyle and Incen&s;e, and &s;o no &s;pi|rituall &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>To this I an&s;wer, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="An&s;w."> that then it cannot be the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, which con&s;i&s;teth not of any &s;uch things, but of the formes of Bread and Wine.</P>
<P>Againe, it is fal&s;e which they &s;ay; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="An&s;w."> for it is u&s;ed for &s;pirituall &s;acrifice. P&s;al. 141.2.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, &s;pirituall &s;acrifices were among&s;t the Jews, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Object."> and he &s;peaketh of a &s;acrifice which was not among&s;t them; therefore it mu&s;t be under&s;tood of the Ma&s;&s;e, for he &s;peaketh of a new &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>It is an&s;wered, here is never a word of a new Sacrifice, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> but of
<PB N="200" REF="115">a pure one; Not making the oppo&s;ition betwixt new and old, as if they in the old Te&s;tament had never u&s;ed the&s;e &s;acrifices &s;poken of, but that they did not &s;o frequently, neither relyed up|on them &s;omuch as upon their externall outward &s;acrifices. But the oppo&s;ition is betwixt the Leviticall &s;acrifices which were of|fered in one only place, &amp; for which God was offended that they were &s;o corruptly offered, and the cleane &s;acrifices among the Gentiles.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> It is called a pure &s;acrifice: Now that cannot bee of &s;pirituall &s;acrifices, when ye &s;ay all the works of the godly are imperfect, and impure, as a men&s;truous cloth; and only the &s;a|crifice of the Ma&s;&s;e is pure.</P>
<P>To this is an&s;wered, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> That the wor&s;hip of God, performed according to his word and will, in it &s;elfe is pure; and though there be many infirmities and &s;pots in the faithfull, and in their manner of offering of them; yet, becau&s;e they offer up &s;piritu|all &s;acrifice by <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> who by his bloud hath purged his Church, that he might make it without &s;pot, and &s;o their &s;acri|fices, they are pure. Hebr. 13.15. 1 Pet. 2.5. And as for their Ma&s;&s;e, it is mo&s;t impure: and to have it pure, they require the devoute and religious intention of the Prie&s;t, which being wan|ting makes it impure.</P>
<P>But that this cannot be under&s;tood of the Ma&s;&s;e, and the &s;a|crifice in it, is thus proved: we would demand of them, whe|ther they take the&s;e words properly, or figuratively; If proper|ly, then this place mu&s;t needs be under&s;tood of legall wor&s;hip, and &s;o doth not pertaine to the new Te&s;tament; yea then mu&s;t they offer incen&s;e in the Ma&s;&s;e as well as bread. If figuratively, then is the Ma&s;&s;e a Metaphoricall and figurative &s;acrifice, and not a true, reall, and outward &s;acrifice, as they &s;ay it is. But if they will take the fir&s;t metaphorically, and the latter properly, be|&s;ides the mon&s;trous ab&s;urdity of it, &s;ee what follows; the word &s;ignifies a &s;acrifice made of flowre, oyle and incen&s;e, a breaden &s;acrifice, Levit. 2.1. then overthrow they their tran&s;ub&s;tantia|tion; for if they offer bread, it is not his body: finally, that this cannot be under&s;tood of the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, is appa|rent from circum&s;tance of place and per&s;on; for this may be of|fered every where, that not, but upon an Altar only; This by all the Gentiles, that by Prie&s;ts only.</P>
<P>By this then we under&s;tand onely &s;pirituall &s;acrifices of the new Te&s;tament, as it is u&s;uall with the Prophets to &s;et them out by the names of the &s;acrifices of the old Te&s;tament, that they might more familiarly &s;hew to them of this age, that the Gen|tiles are called to the true religion.</P>
<P><HI>Incen&s;e &s;hall be offered]</HI> He &s;heweth that the Gentiles, called and converted unto God, will wor&s;hip him.</P>
<PB N="201" REF="115">
<P>Tho&s;e who are effectually called, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and truly converted unto God, mu&s;t and will wor&s;hip him, be carefull and zealous of his wor&s;hip and &s;ervice. I&s;aiah, 27.13. <HI>In that day al&s;o &s;hall the great trumpe be blowen, and they &s;hall come, which peri&s;hed in the land of A&s;hur; And they that were cha&s;ed into the land of Aegypt, and they &s;hall wor&s;hip the Lord in the holy mount at Jeru&s;alem:</HI> I&s;aiah, 2.3. 1 Pet. 2.9. &s;ee it practi&s;ed, 2 Kings, 5.17. <HI>Moreover</HI> Naa|man <HI>&s;aid &s;hall there not be given to thy &s;ervant two mules load of this earth? for thy &s;ervant will henceforth offer neither burnt &s;acrifice, nor offering unto any other God, &s;ave unto the Lord.</HI> Acts. 12.41, 42.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is the end of their calling and conver&s;ion; <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> Luke 1.73. now every thing tends to his proper end, and is carried to it by nature, as a &s;tone is to his Center, and fire to his &s;phere.</P>
<P>Hence we may gather why &s;o many, and the mo&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> are &s;o little carefull for the &s;ervice and wor&s;hip of God, being either neg|lecters or contemners of it; they are men uncalled, unconver|ted: called they are by the &s;ound of the word, Math. 22. but not effectually called and converted; and therefore no marvell if they wor&s;hip him not, neither be carefull for his &s;ervice, when they are forward enough for dutyes to men; yea, and by this may we judge them not to be called, when every thing el&s;e hath his time, and they are carefull and diligent about the duties of civill hone&s;ty, and the workes of their worldly callings, and can find no time for the &s;ervice of God and his wor&s;hip, and think e|very houre or minute too much that is &s;pent in offering up in|cen&s;e to the Lord; Their calling in week the day will not afford them time to pray unto God, unle&s;&s;e it be to mumble a few prayers when they are wa&s;hing their hands, as Papi&s;ts or other like, or putting on their apparell. But upon the Lords day the &s;ervice of God mu&s;t permit them unnece&s;&s;arrily to doe things that might have been before, or may be done after, or have no nece&s;&s;ity to be done at all: All the per&s;wading a man can u&s;e, yet &s;hall he not prevaile in a weeke to per&s;wade them to &s;pend &s;ome houres in reading and praying, in keeping the bookes of their con&s;ciene in good order, when as upon the Lords day no per&s;wa&s;ion needeth to make them keepe at home, and bee bu&s;ie in their account of the world; ever again&s;t the &s;ervice of God they object their calling, their children, their wives, profits, plea&s;ures, and &s;uch like; but never the &s;ervice of God again&s;t them; doe they not &s;hew they are uncalled, unconverted?</P>
<P>To in&s;truct as many as are called and converted, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> how carefull they ought to be of the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God, yea, to &s;hew and &s;eale up their calling by this. <HI>Peters</HI> wives mother de|livered from her feaver, pre&s;enly admini&s;tred unto Chri&s;t; when <HI>Elijah</HI> did but ca&s;t his mantle over <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> 1 Kings 19.19, 20.
<PB N="202" REF="116">he ranne after him to &s;erve him: they mu&s;t then remember Gods end, and not defeat him of it. They mu&s;t remember what they were, and &s;ee his mercy, what they are, and acknow|ledge his bounty, who hath of bond&s;laves made them free, of &s;ervants &s;onnes. If he had but delivered them, all a man could doe were little enough; more, that he hath thus advanced them. Therefore mu&s;t they doe him the more honor, and be more zealous of his &s;ervice and wor&s;hip, and if they be upbraided for it, they mu&s;t an&s;wer as <HI>David</HI> did, 2 Sam. 6.21, 22. <HI>Then</HI> David <HI>&s;aid unto Michal, it was before the Lord, which cho&s;e mee rather then thy father and all his hou&s;e, and commanded me to be ruler o|ver the People of the Lord, even over I&s;rael: And therefore will I play before the Lord, and will yet be more vile then thus, and will be low in mine owne &s;ight, and of the very &s;ame maid &s;ervants, which thou ha&s;t &s;poken of, &s;hall I be had in honor.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Incen&s;e and an offering]</HI> By the reall and outward &s;acrifice of the Jewes, he under&s;tandeth the &s;pirituall &s;acrifice of the Gentiles, and Church under Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Under the Go&s;pell Chri&s;tians are freed from all outward, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and reall &s;acrifices to be offered immediately to God; and of them are only required &s;pirituall &s;acrifices, as their &s;oules and bodies, their prayers and prai&s;es, their repentance and almes, Rom. 12.1. Hebr. 13.15, 16. 1 Pet. 2.5. Phil. 4.18. Iohn 4.23.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e their prie&s;thood is only &s;pirituall, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> therefore is his &s;a|crifice only &s;pirituall; &s;uch as the prie&s;t, &s;uch his &s;acrifice, 1 Pet. 2.5. <HI>And yee, as lively &s;tones, he made a &s;pirituall hou&s;e, an holy priesthood, to offer up &s;pirituall &s;acrifices acceptable to God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e all tho&s;e outward ceremonies were &s;hadows &amp; types; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> now the body and truth being come, they are aboli&s;hed.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e ceremonies and &s;acrifices were given the Church for her infirmities, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and onely as a help to keep her from the corrup|tions of Idolaters, til &s;he had received the &s;pirit of God in a larger &s;ort and mea&s;ure.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Si quis uxorem habet propen&s;am ad impudicitiam, eam certis locis concludit, cubiculis &amp; conclavibus, ut ei non liceat vagari, pro arbitrio; addit praetere &agrave; Eu|nuchos, pedi&s;&s;equas &amp; ancillas qui eam diligenti&s;|&s;im&egrave; cu&s;todiant, ut, fides ejus non amplius e&s;&s;et &s;u&s;|pecta: ita Deus cum Judeis, Ho&s;. <HI>2.19.</HI> verum ille populus admodum fuit infirmus ac debilis &amp; ad adul|teria idolatriae ultra modum proclivis; Quare De|us eam &s;eparavit &agrave; caeteris nationibus, &amp; in terra Ca|naan &s;eor&s;im habitare voluit, &agrave; ceremoniis &amp; ritibus undique ceu &agrave; paedagogis cu&s;todiri; ut fides ejus non e&s;&s;et amplius &s;u&s;pecta: ita ut maritus, &s;ic Deus cum jam &s;piritum &s;anctum per Chri&s;tum eccle&s;iae donavit, cu&s;todiam ceremoniarum ab ea removit. Chry&s;o&s;t.</NOTE> St. <HI>Chry&s;.</HI> com|pares the Church to a wife, and God to a hu&s;band, and thus ex|pre&s;&s;eth his purpo&s;e: If a man have a wife wantonly di&s;po&s;ed, he confines her to &s;ome certaine places, to her chambers and pri|vate roomes, that &s;hee may not gad abroad at her plea&s;ure, and appoints her Eunuches &amp; cham|bermaids diligently to attend her, that her hone&s;ty may not be &s;u&s;pected: &s;o God dealt with
<PB N="203" REF="116">the Jewes, Ho&s;ea, 2.19. that people was much inclined to adul|tery of fal&s;e wor&s;hip, therefore God &s;hut them up from other Nations, and made them dwell alone in Canaan, and kept guard upon them with rites and ceremonies, as &s;o many peda|gogues, that their faith to him might not be &s;u&s;pect. But now when God had given his holy Spirit by Chri&s;t unto his Church, he removed from her the cu&s;tody of ceremonies.</P>
<P>Our bodies are reall &s;acrifices, &s;o are our almes. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>The fir&s;t is not outward; <MILESTONE UNIT="Solut."> the &s;econd is not immediately offe|red to God. And the &s;acrifice is not the thing given, but the affection, as appeares by the difference which Chri&s;t put be|twixt the widow and the rich rulers, in their offering to the trea&s;ury.</P>
<P>Then are there now no externall reall Prie&s;ts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;uch as were under the Law, becau&s;e no externall reall &s;acrifice: he who tooke away the &s;acrifice, tooke away the &s;acrificer. And as he was the end of the Law, that is, of the morall Law; becau&s;e he was the con&s;ummation &amp; perfection of it, working and perfect|ing that the Law could not; &s;o was he the end of the ceremoni|all law, as death is the end of all living creatures, becau&s;e by it they cea&s;e to be &s;o; &s;o Chri&s;t their period; for by him they are aboli&s;hed. And if they, then the Prie&s;thood, he being the la&s;t externall and reall Prie&s;t: for otherwi&s;e the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> is never u&s;ed in the new Te&s;tament; but either to Chri&s;t in re&s;pect of his propitiatory &s;acrifice, or to all true Chri&s;tians in re&s;pect of their &s;pirituall &s;acrifices, and never applyed to any Eccle&s;ia&s;ti|call order or function of men, as we commonly take the word, for a &s;acrificer; but as by the etymology of it, it &s;ignifies an el|der, a Pre&s;byter or Prie&s;t.</P>
<P>To meet with a generation that lives upon the earth who be|ing carele&s;&s;e of God, his wor&s;hip and &s;ervice, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as he hath pre&s;cri|bed and commanded the &s;ame, doe pretend that if he would re|quire &s;uch &s;acrifices as were in u&s;e under the law, they would be at any co&s;t with the Lord; like tho&s;e hypocrites, Mich. 6.6, 7. <HI>Where with &s;hall</HI> I <HI>come before the Lord, and bow my &s;elfe before the high God? &s;hall I come before him with burnt offerings, and with calves of a yeare old? will the Lord be plea&s;ed with thou&s;ands of rams, or with ten thou&s;and rivers of oyle? &s;hall I give my fir&s;t borne for my tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, even the fruit of my body for the &s;inne of my &s;oule?</HI> when they could not endure what is told them. Ver&s;e, 8. <HI>hee hath &s;hewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord re|quire of thee? &s;urely to doe ju&s;tly, and to love mercy, and to hum|ble thy &s;elf to walke with thy God.</HI> Any thing but that they &s;hould doe they pretend to be willing to doe, like children, who like any manner of education, but that their parents would bring them up in; If in a trade, oh if they might follow their book,
<PB N="204" REF="117">any thing but that they &s;hould, and their Parents would have. So with the&s;e; they know not, or will not know their owne heart, which is naturally irreligious, and never will like that is commanded, but would goe a whoring with their owne imagi|nations; and ever will like that they may not have, or will not be accepted, when they contemne that they have; and not re|&s;pecting the&s;e, they cannot but contemne that is otherwi&s;e en|joyned, as Luke 16.30, 31. he &s;aid, Nay father <HI>Abraham,</HI> but if one come unto them from the dead, they will amend their lives. Then he &s;aid unto him, if they heare not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, neither will they be per&s;waded, though one ri&s;e from the dead againe. They are like to a woman, to whom one ma|king love, and de&s;iring her per&s;on, &s;he di&s;liking his, an&s;wers him &s;he will give him any thing but her &s;elfe, her riches, jew|els, bracelets, and &s;uch like; onely to put him off, becau&s;e &s;he &s;ees he de&s;ires her per&s;on onely; and the other if he would de|&s;ire, &s;he would &s;oone deny him.</P>
<P>To teach us how wee ought now with all diligence and fre|quency performe the&s;e, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and offer the&s;e &s;acrifices more than they; the&s;e were common to us and them, they were burden|ed with others, of which we are ea&s;ed, which were charge|able and toyle&s;ome, Acts 15.10. As, 2 Kings 5.13. it was with <HI>Namaan;</HI> his &s;ervants came and &s;pake unto him, and &s;aid, Fa|ther, if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing, woul|de&s;t thou not have done it? how much rather then, when hee &s;aith to thee, Wa&s;h, and be cleane? So &s;ay I, if he had laid that burden al&s;o upon us, ought we not to have done both? how much more when he hath ea&s;ed our &s;houlders? And if we &s;hould not, how &s;hould we be ju&s;tly condemned of unthank|fulne&s;&s;e? The Wife that newly married had a wi&s;e and &s;trait Hu&s;band, knowing her frailty and infirmities, and therefore &s;et a watch over her, and appointed &s;ervants to ob&s;erve her, till her affection and faith were &s;etled, when &s;he ought and did ho|nour, and obey, and love him: If he free her from them, and &s;et her at liberty from that grievous bondage and tedious thing, will &s;he then honour him the le&s;&s;e? Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e &s;he ought not, but if &s;he doe, as the corruption of all is to waxe wor&s;e by li|berty, then is &s;he condemned of unthankfulne&s;&s;e the more. So 'tis with us.</P>
<P><HI>Incen&s;e.]</HI> The wor&s;hip, prayers, and &s;ervice of the Gentiles is re&s;embled by this, not onely familiarly to &s;hew to them of that age, but to teach, that their &s;ervice, works, and wor&s;hip is acceptable unto God, as &s;uch things are acceptable to the &s;mell and &s;ences of men; for in them God tooke no delight at all, nei|ther could doe, his nature being &s;pirituall.</P>
<P>The works of Gods children, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> their wor&s;hip, &s;ervice, and
<PB N="205" REF="117">&s;pirituall &s;acrifice is delightfull and acceptable to him, as &s;weet perfumes are to the &s;mell of men.</P>
<P><HI>And a pure offering.]</HI> It is oppo&s;ed to the <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;innes, who offered unto God polluted and unperfect &s;acrifices, not &s;uch as they ought, and &s;uch as were according to the Law. But now their offering &s;hall be pure.</P>
<P>The works, actions, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and wor&s;hip of &s;uch are truely called and converted, are holy and pure: Thus prophe&s;ieth <HI>Malachy,</HI> that the Gentiles converted unto God, their workes and wor|&s;hip of him &s;hall be a pure offering. Thus St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peakes of the offering of the <HI>Romans, Chap.</HI> 12.1. that it is holy. <HI>Jude</HI> calls their faith mo&s;t holy, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 20. There were a few in <HI>Sardi</HI> true|ly religious, and converted, their garments were undefiled, Revel. 3.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are done according to his Word, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> now they walke by that rule; things before they did at randome, now they know his Will, and after that they doe. And it is a rule, that wor&s;hip performed according to the Word, in them&s;elves are good and pure; as the &s;acrifices which were according to the Law, were pure and cleane for the matter of them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the parties are holy, they are a holy Prie&s;thood; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> 1 Pet. 2.5. now a good thing done in matter by holy men, mu&s;t needs be holy.</P>
<P>But how can they be holy, when there is <HI>eadem ratio totius &amp; partis.</HI> And the Church for &s;pots is compared to the Moon, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> Cant. 6.9.</P>
<P>This is an&s;wered, that he is &s;o, becau&s;e he is in Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> and hath his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e imputed to him, both to his per&s;on, and his obedience, 1 Cor. 1.30. <HI>&amp; non radiis &s;olaribus, &s;ed ip&s;o &s;ole amictus;</HI> Revel. 12.1. as the Church is &s;aid to be cloathed with the Sunne. Hebr. 13.15. 1 Pet. 2.5.</P>
<P>Thirdly, becau&s;e of his inward &s;anctification, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the ground of it, the party being regenerated by the works of the Spirit, and &s;o every action is in him part holy, and good, and well plea&s;ing to God, as comming and proceeding from his Spirit, though having a tang and ta&s;t of his infirmities, as water pa&s;&s;ing through a pipe or channell. Rom. 8.26. and 15.16.</P>
<P>This teacheth what to judge of the works and wor&s;hip of all that are uncalled and unconverted, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> not onely of Heathen and Infidels, but of unbeleevers in the Church, they mu&s;t needs be impure and unholy, el&s;e were it nothing that is here affirmed of the&s;e after their calling. And indeed needs mu&s;t it be; for, Tit. 1.15. <HI>&V;nto them that are defiled and unbeleeving is nothing pure, but even their mind and con&s;cience is defiled.</HI> So farre is it that they &s;hould be <HI>merita praeparatoria,</HI> as &s;ome Papi&s;ts &s;peake of them; for unholy things cannot plea&s;e him, le&s;&s;e procure or de|&s;erve
<PB N="206" REF="118" MS="y">good things from him: though they doe the things for matter good, yet a good thing is oftentimes marred in the hand|ling, and more when they are done by &s;ome men, and &s;uch men.</P>
<P>Secondly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> this proves that mens callings are free, without de&s;erts, when the things that they doe before, even their be&s;t are impure and unholy, &s;uch, as God &s;hewed his great patience in that he did not confound them for them; and more the riches of his mercy, that for all them, yet he called them.</P>
<P>This comforteth every one that is truely converted unto God; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> his works and wor&s;hip is pure and holy, and &s;o accepted of God, even then, when he carryeth the body of &s;inne about with him, Rom. 7.21. when in him&s;elfe he finds many infirmi|ties, yea, and when his heart tells him that his be&s;t work is not without the taint of his corruption, yea, and when his heart may mi&s;deeme him; as <HI>Jacobs</HI> did, le&s;t his Father &s;hould di&s;|cerne him: &s;o his corruptions; yet then is he pure and holy, and &s;o plea&s;ing to God, becau&s;e he is in Chri&s;t, and he and his obe|dience hath put on the faire Robe of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which is not a &s;cant garment, as <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;aith, but one that reacheth to the heeles, and covereth all the parts of the &s;oule, as <HI>Jacob</HI> had <HI>E&s;aus</HI> garment: And as if he looked upon us in our &s;elves, he &s;hould &s;ee nothing pure; &s;o in him all things appeare as he is; yea, and becau&s;e he is &s;anctified by the Spirit, tho&s;e corruptions that often hinder and ever taint the be&s;t actions, God accounteth not theirs; nay, he &s;aith they are not theirs, as long as there is a worke of the Spirit in them &s;triving again&s;t them, and grieving at the &s;ight and &s;ence of them. That which <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;peaketh of envy, <HI>Thou feele&s;t it, but agree&s;t not to it; it is a pa&s;&s;ion in thee that God one day will heale, not &s;uch a &s;inne as he will condemne thee for:</HI> &s;o may we &s;ay of others, for they are not theirs; for, 1 John 3.9. his regenerate part &s;inneth not, nay, it abhorreth that the body of &s;inne hath done, and worketh in him. Marke the words, &s;aith <HI>Bern.</HI> he doth not, but &s;uffereth them unwillingly to be done in him; as that, Rom. 7.17. <HI>Now then it is no more I that doe it, but the &s;inne that dwelleth in me.</HI> It is done indeed in me, but not of me, while I con&s;ent not to it.</P>
<P>To teach every one that would have his offering pure, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and his &s;ervice holy before God, to labour for true faith in Chri&s;t, and the &s;anctification of his Spirit: By the fir&s;t he &s;hall put on Chri&s;t, by whom all his deformities &s;hall be covered, all his &s;innes and infirmities, as the deformities of the body are by a garment. By the &s;econd he &s;hall re&s;i&s;t and fight again&s;t the fle&s;h, and be grieved at the &s;ence of the evill in him, and &s;o the rege|nerate part not con&s;enting, but hating and &s;triving again&s;t it, that bad dye and tincture which the be&s;t actions receive from
<PB N="207" REF="118">the corruption of the fle&s;h, God will not account his, nor impute to him, nor reject his &s;ervice and worke for it. But 2 Chro. 30.18, 19. <HI>The good Lord will pardon every one that prepareth his heart to &s;eeke God, though he be not clean&s;ed according to the purifi|cation of the &s;anctuary.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="12" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE XII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>But yee have polluted it, in that yee &s;ay, The table of the Lord is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even his meate is not to be regarded.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>B&V;T yee have polluted it,]</HI> This ver&s;e and the next is the &s;econd part of the compari&s;on, touching the <HI>Jewes,</HI> and their great prophaning and corrupting of his wor&s;hip; which is &s;et downe fir&s;t generally, then in particular: and this, fir&s;t, in thought, in this ver&s;e; &s;econdly, in word: thirdly, in deede, ver&s;e 13.</P>
<P>For the generall, <HI>but yee have polluted it,]</HI> Wherein fir&s;t, the per&s;on; &s;econdly the &s;inne, you, with an Empha&s;is; you whom I have cho&s;en of all nations of the earth, whom I have beautified with &s;o many benefits, and &s;o &s;trangely pre&s;erved, Deuter. 4.32. <HI>ad</HI> 39. and many places of that nature. Againe, you who profe&s;&s;e your &s;elves in &s;peciall manner to be my people, that you &s;hould thus u&s;e me, who ought rather otherwi&s;e to have hono|red mee, it is in you the more hainous, to me the more grievous and offen&s;ive.</P>
<P><HI>Polluted it, or my name]</HI> Their &s;infull Act: not that Gods name is, or can be polluted by mans &s;innes, more than the &s;un can be by a dunghill; but this is &s;poken, fir&s;t, becau&s;e they polluted tho&s;e things which he had appointed to be highly reverenced, and &s;et his marke or his name upon them, 1 Cor. 10.28. and 11.27. &s;econdly, becau&s;e God did &s;o e&s;teeme of it in his accepta|tion, Acts, 9.5. Math. 25.40. thirdly, becau&s;e they did as much as lay in them, in their endeavor, nothing was wanting on their parts, Hebr. 6.6. and 10.29.</P>
<P><HI>In that yee &s;ay,]</HI> The fir&s;t particular, their inward thought; yee thus &s;ay in your hearts, in your minds, you de&s;pi&s;e my name, my wor&s;hip, and &s;ervice: A ba&s;e conceit of the wor&s;hip of God; Gods table, that is, his altar is polluted, is not greatly to be re|garded,
<PB N="208" REF="119">as the words following &s;hew: Now they contemned Gods Altar, &s;aith Saint <HI>Hierome,</HI> becau&s;e it was plaine and rude, not decked with gold and riches, and the offering, becau&s;e it was burnt to a&s;hes; <HI>Montanus,</HI> becau&s;e it was &s;erved with fat and bread, things ba&s;e and vile in them&s;elves; <HI>Palutins,</HI> becau&s;e the heathen had polluted it, but the former is more probable.</P>
<P><HI>And the fruit thereof.]</HI> By it under&s;tanding the offering that was laid upon the Altar; which made Saint <HI>Hierome</HI> tran&s;late it, <HI>quod &s;uper ponitur;</HI> And of this offering, one part was for the Prie&s;t, the Lords Mini&s;ter, Levit. 6.17. and this they thought was not to be regarded; having come not to regard the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God, they e&s;teem not of his Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>In the per&s;on, the Empha&s;is is double, fir&s;t, that they upon whom he had be&s;towed &s;o great things; &s;econdly, they who made &s;uch &s;hew of his &s;ervice, &s;hould contemne it.</P>
<P>It is nothing &s;o great and grievous &s;inne for men who have received &s;mall things and ble&s;&s;ings from God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> to contemne his name, and be carele&s;&s;e of his &s;ervice and wor&s;hip, as for tho&s;e who have received great things from him, and upon whom he hath be&s;towed more excellent favors. And God takes it nothing &s;o hainou&s;ly from the one as from the other: Manife&s;t here, and I&s;aiah 1.2. <HI>Heare, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, for the Lord hath &s;aid, I have nouri&s;hed and brought up children, but they have re|belled again&s;t mee, and</HI> 5.4. <HI>What could I have done any more to my Vineyard, that I have not done unto it? why have I looked that it &s;hould bring forth grapes, and it bringeth forth wilde grapes?</HI> 2 Sam. 12.7.8. Math. 11.23, 24</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the one hath le&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> the other moe cau&s;es why they &s;hould honour him, and be carefull of his wor&s;hip: every benefit and favour de&s;erves it, the lea&s;t meriteth it, much more many and great ones; where then the mo&s;t and the greate&s;t are, there the contempt is the mo&s;t hainous.</P>
<P>As the hu&s;band man, the more labor and co&s;t he be&s;towes up|on his ground, the greater harve&s;t he expecteth; when for e|quall paines and co&s;t he lookes for equall fruite, as Luke, 13.7, 8, 9. <HI>Then &s;aid he to the dre&s;&s;er of his Vineyard, behold, this three yeares have I come and &s;ought fruit of this fig tree, and finde none: cut it down, why keepeth it al&s;o the ground barren? And hee an&s;wered, and &s;aid unto him, Lord, let it alone this yeere al&s;o, till I dig round about it, and dung it. And if it beare fruit, well; if not, then &s;halt thou cut it downe.</HI></P>
<P>Then the contempt of Gods wor&s;hip and &s;ervice that is in this City, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> is farre more hainous and grievous then of any other place in the Land be&s;ides: becau&s;e God hath be&s;towed upon it more favor, and greater things then upon any other, more wealth, greater &s;trength, more honor; for it is the wealth and
<PB N="209" REF="119">the &s;trength, and the honor of the Land, he hath crowned it with much honor, and loving kindne&s;&s;e, hee hath given it the Go&s;pell, the watring and planting of <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Apollo,</HI> more abun|dantly then any part of the Land be&s;ides: he hath freed it from the plague, he hath delivered it from the &s;word, which &s;hould have been fir&s;t in the confu&s;ion, if the enemy had had his wi&s;hed-for day; how&s;oever it flatter it &s;elf in the &s;trength of it, the wealth of it would in that day have made it a prey. He hath done this, and many more that I cannot &s;peake of, and yet the contempt of Gods wor&s;hip, name and &s;ervice, is in all from the highe&s;t to the lowe&s;t: Like Magi&s;trates, like &s;ubjects; like Mini|&s;ter, like People; like Ma&s;ters, like &s;ervants; parents and children, rich and poore, bond and free, all contem|ners of the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God; which is the more fear|full and hainous &s;inne, becau&s;e of the riches of Gods goodne&s;&s;e, his bounty and ble&s;&s;ings, and he takes it more hainou&s;ly, that when he will vi&s;ite the land with another judgment, the &s;word or any other, as it was the fir&s;t in the plague, it &s;hall be in the other, unles it repet, and grow more zealous for his &s;ervice &amp; wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>More particularly, there are many particular men in this Ci|ty, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and el&s;ewhere, who are carele&s;&s;e of the wor&s;hip of God, and doe indeed pollute his name, and thinke it no fault in them, be|cau&s;e they are above others in wealth, above them in wor&s;hip or honour, exceed them in wit and learning. The&s;e are the men, if a &s;urvey be taken, who are le&s;&s;e frequent in Prayer and in hea|ring, mo&s;t carele&s;&s;e both privately and publiquely of the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God, either not doing, or &s;o doing, as if they doe any thing, God is more beholden to them, then they bound to him. As if Gods favor, and the fruits of his love were faculties and di&s;pen&s;ations to beare them out in di&s;honouring of him, and polluting his name: Nay let them know it, if they doe not; or, if they will not now, they one day &s;hall to their co&s;t, that their carele&s;&s;enes, and contempt is more hainous then of others, and he &s;o takes it. They &s;hall find the&s;e contrary, the eyes of God and men; in mens eyes a little thing in them that is good, is great; a great evill, but a little; not &s;o with God. And when every man &s;hall give his account, (as he &s;hall one day,) it &s;halbe be farre ea&s;ier for the unlearned then for the learned, for the ba&s;e then honorable, for the poore then rich. The benefits of God, &s;pecially the&s;e generall ones, are not alwayes proofes of his love; but they are ever provocations of obedience and ho|nor from men: That, if they an&s;wer it not, as they have recei|ved more here, &s;o they &s;hall have more hereafter. Why doe they deceive them&s;elve, or &s;uffer them&s;elves by flatterers to be deceived? we will make but them judges, and they will give &s;entence of them&s;elves: What is that Courtier worthy of, that
<PB N="210" REF="120">receives abundance of favor from the King, and requites him with contempt or trea&s;on? &s;o of a father and his &s;onne, of a &s;er|vant and his ma&s;ter, &amp;c. will they not take it more hainou&s;ly, and &s;hall not all their benefits and favors increa&s;e their faults? And are not Gods wayes ju&s;t, more equall, and farre above the wayes of men. Then let me &s;peak to you rich men, &amp;c. I be|&s;eech you be deceived no longer, you ought to be more religi|ous, and more carefull then others; I pray you correct your er|ror, and begin to be more carefull, le&s;t you be forced to con|demne your &s;elves when it will be too late.</P>
<P>You, who profe&s;&s;e your &s;elves in &s;peciall manner mine, and &s;pecially profe&s;&s;e my wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>It is a farre more grievous and hainous &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> for &s;uch as &s;peci|ally profe&s;&s;e the wor&s;hip and feare of God, to contemn his name, and not regard his wor&s;hip, then for tho&s;e who make none or very little &s;hew of it; and God takes it more hainou&s;ly from them, &s;o here, and Mich. 2.6, 7. Marke 14.37. 2 Pet. 2.21.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he doth it of knowledge, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and goes again&s;t his know|ledge, whereas the other, as is probable, doth not &s;o; for his profe&s;&s;ion argues he knows what is to be done, and what ought to be done. Now &s;innes again&s;t knowledge are more hainous, the other more excu&s;able:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Religio &s;cientia Dei e&s;t, ac per hoc omnis religio&s;us, hoc ip&s;o quod religionem &s;equi|tur, Dei &s;e voluntatem no&s;|&s;ce te&s;tatur. Sal. ad eccle. Ca. lib. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> as a man profe&s;&s;ing an Art, a fault in this work of his Art is more &s;oul, then in an|other mans work. Religion is the profe&s;&s;ion of God, and every religious man, in this that he takes up Religion, profe&s;&s;es that he knowes the will of God, &s;aith <HI>Salvian.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is here as it were out of his place, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> where the thing is lighter, and not &s;o offen&s;ive; an element in his place not &s;o heavy: a &s;pot upon a foule garment not &s;o uncomely; an ele|ment out of his place, a &s;pot upon the pure&s;t garment, is the &s;inne of profe&s;&s;ors.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the&s;e things come commonly unexpected, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and that which is unexpected, and un&s;u&s;pected, it commeth more &s;ud|denly, it lighteth more heavily, and is taken more to heart. This made <HI>David</HI> complaine &s;o much of the injury of a friend, as a thing that came &s;o unexpected, and did &s;o pierce him.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct the Mini&s;ter who&s;e &s;innes and contempt of Gods wor&s;hip he ought &s;pecially to di&s;like, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to reprove, and lay load on: It is his part to di&s;lke and reprove all, to checke every mans &s;inne, and every mans carele&s;ne&s;&s;e of Gods wor&s;hip and &s;ervice; but no mens &s;innes, no mens negligence and corruption in the &s;ervice of God ought to di&s;like him &s;omuch and be &s;o earne&s;t a|gain&s;t, as the &s;innes and carele&s;nes of tho&s;e who by &s;ome &s;peci|all profe&s;&s;ion come neere to God. The Mini&s;ter &s;hould be like
<PB N="211" REF="120">affected to his Ma&s;ter, the &s;ervant to his Lord. What God mo&s;t mi&s;likes that ought they. It may be he may find the&s;e more kind, liberall, and re&s;pective unto him, he mu&s;t neverthele&s;&s;e re|prove, and, if need be, u&s;e &s;harpnes: The Phy&s;itian that finds men kind to him, and to honor him, when they are in health, will neverthele&s;&s;e, when they are fallen into a di&s;ea&s;e, u&s;e &s;harp medicines, and it may be &s;harper to them then others, that he may the &s;ooner and &s;ounder re&s;tore them. It is the &s;igne of a fal&s;e prophet, when his mouth is not filled, to prepare and pro|claime warre, and when it is, to cry all peace. Mich. 3.5. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord, concerning the Prophets that deceive my people, and bite them with their teeth, and cry peace, but if a man put not into their mouthes, they prepare warre again&s;t him.</HI></P>
<P>To admoni&s;h all &s;uch as come nigh unto God by &s;peciall pro|fe&s;&s;ion, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that they endure the words of reproofe from the mouth of the Mini&s;ter, if he deale more &s;harply with their &s;innes, cove|tou&s;ne&s;&s;e, u&s;ury, envy, quarrellings, pride and vanities; and particularly for the &s;inne in hand; for their cold prayers, care|le&s;&s;e hearing, &s;leepy attending, negligent or late comming, the omi&s;&s;ion and remi&s;&s;ion of their care publiquely, but &s;pecially pri|vately in the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God: they mu&s;t not grudge and goe away di&s;contented, &s;aying, He knowes me well, he might well have forborne this, I have been an old profe&s;&s;or and an old di&s;ciple: ha&s;t thou? then is thy &s;inne the greater, and God is more di&s;plea&s;ed with it, and &s;o ought his Mini&s;ters le&s;&s;e to &s;pare thee, and thou the rather to take it from them. As <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;aid, <HI>See, I&s;rael will not heare, then how will</HI> Pharaoh? I wonder not many times to &s;ee common Chri&s;tians and carnall men to di&s;ta&s;te reproofes, when I find profe&s;&s;ors &s;o di&s;liking them: but as their &s;innes are the greater, &s;inne compared with &s;inne, their reproofes &s;hould be the &s;harper, as in di&s;ea&s;es.</P>
<P>To teach every man to con&s;ider of his profe&s;&s;ion which he makes of Gods &s;ervice and feare; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and thereby to know he is more bound to procure Gods name to be honored, and in him&s;elfe and his to be mo&s;t carefull for his &s;ervice and wor&s;hip. His profe&s;&s;ion requireth he be more devout in prayer, more watchfull and di|ligent in hearing, and in every duty whereby God is immediate|ly wor&s;hipped and glorified, more carefull. This his profe&s;&s;ion requires of him; which if he performe not, he mu&s;t know, that as every &s;inne he committeth is more hainous, &s;o his carele&s;&s;enes and corruption in the &s;ervice of God is much more intolerable and hainous in the &s;ight of God, then his who makes no profe&s;|&s;ion. Thou &s;ee&s;t a man who is but a &s;tate-Chri&s;tian and profe&s;|&s;or, withdraw him&s;elfe, and be negligent to come to the place of Gods wor&s;hip, thou di&s;like&s;t; and yet occa&s;ion of friends, plea|&s;ure or profit will &s;ometime draw thee a&s;ide from it; thy &s;inne is
<PB N="212" REF="121">farre more intolerable then his: So of &s;leeping, thy nod is wor&s;e then his halfe houres nap; for to thee Chri&s;t &s;aith, as to <HI>Peter,</HI> Marke 14.37.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ideo Ethnicis deteriores &s;umus, quia meliores e&s;&s;e debemus, quia pugnamus profe&s;&s;ionem no&s;tram moribus no&s;tris, nec &s;umus id quod profitemur: <HI>Salv.</HI></NOTE> <HI>&s;leepe&s;t thou?</HI> and &s;o in every duty of Gods wor&s;hip. We are then farre wor&s;e then Ethnicks, becau&s;e we ought to be better; becau&s;e our profe&s;&s;ion and manners are repugnant, and we are not what we profe&s;&s;e our &s;elves to be.</P>
<P>Then better not profe&s;&s;e at all? <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."></P>
<P>Admit thy conceit: but what is gained by it? <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Rom. 2.12. <HI>For as many as have &s;inned with out the law, &s;hall pe|ri&s;h al&s;o without the law: and as many as have &s;inned in the law, &s;hall be judged by the law:</HI> and Chri&s;t, Luke 12.47, 48. <HI>That &s;ervant that knew his Ma&s;ters will, and prepared not him&s;elfe, neither did ac|cording to his will, &s;halbe beaten with many &s;tripes: but he that knew it not, and yet did commit things worthy of &s;tripes, &s;halbe beaten with few &s;tipes: for unto whom&s;oever much is given, of him &s;halbe much required, and to whom men commit much, the more of him will they aske.</HI> There was one had two &s;onnes, Math. 21.28. he that &s;aid he would not, and did, was commendable: doe thou like, and it &s;halbe well with thee, but otherwi&s;e thy not profe&s;&s;ion &s;hall al&s;o condemn thee, and if it be le&s;&s;e, yet if thou peri&s;h, thou ha&s;t gained little. The be&s;t is to profe&s;&s;e and al&s;o perform with all care the &s;ervice of God, then thou &s;halt be ble&s;|&s;ed in thy deed.</P>
<P><HI>Have polluted it.</HI>] The act of the&s;e per&s;ons, the I&s;raelites, the polluting and corrupting of the wor&s;hip of God. And here is the cau&s;e why God will take his wor&s;hip and word from them, they polluted and corrupted it, and made no account of it.</P>
<P>The prophaning of Gods name, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> that is, the corrupting and contemning of Gods word and wor&s;hip, is that which procures God to take it away, and remove it from a people and land; as here, and I&s;aiah 29.10. <HI>ad</HI> 14. Jer. 7.13, 14. <HI>Therefore now, becau&s;e ye have done all the&s;e workes, &s;aith the Lord, and I ro&s;e up ear|ly, and &s;pake unto you: but when I &s;pake, yee would not heare mee; neither when I called would yee an&s;wer. Therefore will I doe unto this hou&s;e, whereupon my name is called, wherein al&s;o yee tru&s;t, e|ven unto the place that I gave unto you and your fathers, as I have done unto Shilo.</HI></P>
<P>This teacheth us to behold Gods ju&s;t judgment upon the Church of Rome, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> which once was a famous light, and a flou|ri&s;hing Church, but it grew both to contemn the word of God, and to corrupt his wor&s;hip. It preferred the Church above it, yea the Pope holding he might di&s;pence with the word of God; &s;o <HI>Gratian,</HI> &s;peciall the new Te&s;tament, &s;o <HI>Panormitan;</HI> the Church can make morall precepts mutable, &s;o <HI>Gratian;</HI> with infinite &s;uch
<PB N="213" REF="121">like. The wor&s;hip it hath corrupted by unwritten and lying tra|ditions, by &s;uch a burden of ceremonies, as never any &s;uper&s;tition had by the precepts of men and &s;uch like. That God hath dealt ju&s;tly, he hath taken from them his word, and left them in palpa|ble darknes more then Aegypt, 2 The&s;&s;al. 2.11. And now are they as a man out of his way, and yet thinks he is right, the fur|ther he goes the more he is out of his way, and no hope of re|turning; becau&s;e he per&s;wadeth him&s;elfe he is in the right way.</P>
<P>This may make us feare that the day of the mourning for the Go&s;pell is not farre, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> at lea&s;t in Gods ju&s;tice and his dealing with others; becau&s;e though corruption hath not &s;ea&s;ed upon his wor&s;hip, yet contempt of the word is every where.</P>
<P>The Church and the chiefe in it, the Magi&s;trates are here ad|moni&s;hed, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if they de&s;ire that the Go&s;pell and his wor&s;hip &s;hould abide among&s;t us, that they take heed it be not corrupted, nor contemned; which is the very life and breath of the Church, the vitall &s;pirits, which being corrupted bring death to the whole: they ought to make lawes again&s;t error and here&s;ie, &s;uper&s;tition &amp; other corruptions, and &s;everely to execute them again&s;t who|&s;oever dare privately or publiquely, &s;ecretly or openly, &s;owe any cockle with the pure wheat of Gods word and labor to keep it in as much &s;incerity and &s;implicity as may bee; labouring to keep the fire upon the Lords Altar, the Lampes burning in the Temple, and the Levites unfor&s;aken, labouring for the maintey|nance of the faith which was given unto the Saints, Jude, ver&s;e 3. correcting and puni&s;hing all contemners of it, who or how|&s;oever, le&s;t God doe remove it from us.</P>
<P>To teach every man as he de&s;ireth there &s;hould be peace and truth in his dayes, &s;o to repent of his corrupting, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> polluting or contemning of this, whether before or &s;ince his calling; and now to labor for his part to keep it in integrity and purity, to have it in all honor and high e&s;teeme, that if God for the generall doe remove it, yet his &s;inne be not a provocation to it. The removing of it will be griefe enough, more when he &s;halbe guil|ty him&s;elfe as a procurer of it. As &s;ickne&s;&s;e and trouble is hea|vy, &s;o more when a man is guilty by his own intemperancy, or mi&s;carrying of him&s;elfe, by &s;urfetting and &s;uch like; he hath brought it upon him&s;elf, and pulled it with his own hands up|on him: &s;o in this.</P>
<P><HI>In that you &s;ay, the table of the Lord is polluted.</HI>] This is the fir&s;t particular; their thoughts, according to the phra&s;e often u&s;ed in this Chapter; whence it is not only manife&s;t that the Lord knowes the thoughts of Men, and the things they doe in &s;ecret, but he reveales them to others, his liefetenants upon earth, his Mini&s;ters and Magi&s;trates to reprove, or correct and puni&s;h.</P>
<PB N="214" REF="122">
<P><HI>Table polluted,</HI>] They contemned the Table, becau&s;e it was but rudely built; and the offering, becau&s;e it was burnt to a&s;h|es. <HI>Hierom.</HI></P>
<P>The thing that makes men contemne holy duties, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and the wor&s;hip of God, is becau&s;e they looke too much upon the ba&s;e|ne&s;&s;e of the meanes. <HI>Vide</HI> ver&s;. 7. <HI>ut ante.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the fruit thereof, even his meate not to be regarded.</HI>] The Prie&s;ts part, they thought any thing would &s;erve them; con|temning Gods wor&s;hip, they contemned the meanes of his wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>The contempt of Gods wor&s;hip, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and the contempt of his Mi|ni&s;ters, goe together; they are in one people, one age, one place, the fruit of the Altar and the meate of it de&s;pi&s;ed toge|ther. So it is here, &s;o 1 Sam. 2.17. It is all one, whether the cau&s;e be ju&s;t, and they ju&s;tly de&s;pi&s;ed or no. 2 Chron. 36.14, 15, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> 16. Nehem. 13.10, 11.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all the honour and account that the Mini&s;ters can have or looke for, is for their worke, for the wor&s;hip and &s;er|vice of God they performe among&s;t them. 1 The&s;. 5.12, 13. Now if their worke once grow into contempt and di&s;grace, they needs mu&s;t; which was the rea&s;on why <HI>Demetrius</HI> pleaded &s;o hard for the honour of <HI>Diana,</HI> for their owne gaine and honour, knowing that they were honoured for her, who, if once di&s;ho|noured, would make them to be di&s;honoured, Acts 19.24, &amp;c. &s;o in this, of the true wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the corruption of man is &s;uch, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that when he &s;hould re|&s;pect the Mini&s;ter for his worke, the che&s;t for the trea&s;ure, he re&s;pects the worke for the Mini&s;ter, the trea&s;ure for the che&s;t. Therefore if he once grow to di&s;like him, he will di&s;like it.</P>
<P>This noteth the cau&s;e why the wor&s;hip of God and his &s;er|vice is in the&s;e dayes in that contempt that we find it to be in all places: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> it is among&s;t us &s;till, God hath not taken away the Arke of his pre&s;ence; but it is in &s;mall account, little e&s;teeme and reverence. It is no marvell, &s;eeing the Lords Mini&s;ters are in &s;uch contempt as they are; what difference or di&s;tinction &s;oever men make of them, yet herein they differ not, but are all in contempt. No &s;ort nor condition of men, no men of any pro|fe&s;&s;ion in the Land, are any thing like neere in the like generall contempt and di&s;grace that they are; by Courtiers and Coun|treymen, by Citizens and men abroad, by rich and poore, by old and young; they are as, 2 Chron. 36.16. marked, de&s;pi|&s;ed, mi&s;u&s;ed. Is it then any marvell if the wor&s;hip of God be contemned? when the Emba&s;&s;adour is contemned, the emba&s;|&s;age will and mu&s;t be wor&s;e liked of; when the Phy&s;itian, the phy&s;ick he brings: Nothing that <HI>Micha</HI> can &s;ay or doe can be li|ked, <HI>Ahab</HI> di&s;likes his per&s;on. And againe, <HI>&egrave; conver&s;o,</HI> this layes
<PB N="215" REF="122">out unto us why the Mini&s;ters are in &s;uch contempt, the wor|&s;hip it &s;elfe is in contempt. They are deprived of their double honour, in the mo&s;t part, becau&s;e the mo&s;t honour not the Word and wor&s;hip of God. When as the me&s;&s;age of <HI>David</HI> &s;ent by his &s;ervants, is mi&s;con&s;trued by the <HI>Ammonites,</HI> then are his me&s;&s;engers abu&s;ed. 2 Sam. 10. &s;o when the wor&s;hip of God, then the Mini&s;ters. The&s;e are two twinnes, as it were, the con|tempt of the one, and the contempt of the other; it is hard to tell which fir&s;t comes forth, happily &s;ome may thinke the one, &s;ome the other; as with the twinnes. Gen. 38.28. &amp;c.</P>
<P>This mu&s;t in&s;truct the Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if they have any de|&s;ire that the wor&s;hip of God &s;hould be had in account and reve|rence, and not in contempt, that they carry them&s;elves wi&s;e|ly and di&s;creetly, &s;incerely and &s;oberly, both in the worke of their Mini&s;tery, and in other carriage of their life; that they give no ju&s;t cau&s;e of contempt of the Word, but that they may rather adorne it. So Saint <HI>Paul</HI> per&s;wades both <HI>Timothy</HI> and <HI>Titus,</HI> and in them other Mini&s;ters; for his charges were not per&s;onall, nor temporary; 1 Tim. 4.12. 2 Tim. 4.5. Titus 2.7, 8. for if all mu&s;t &s;o live and carry them&s;elves, that the Go|&s;pell of God may be well &s;poken of, and his wor&s;hip regarded; if &s;ervants, Titus 2.10. if women, even young women, <HI>ver&s;es</HI> 4, 5. if all profe&s;&s;ors, Titus 3.8. much more ought Preachers, they ought &s;o to handle tho&s;e my&s;teries and wor&s;hip of God, that they may &s;trike reverence and e&s;teeme into the people; &s;o to carry them&s;elves, that they may get account and e&s;timation to them&s;elves, and &s;o to the wor&s;hip of God; for when the Mi|ni&s;ters of God handle the Word &s;imply and profitably, and o|ther parts of Gods wor&s;hip with great reverence, and when they practi&s;e it carefully, then will it be better affected and re|verenced of others; but when they handle them corruptly and carele&s;ly, when they are not the &s;ame men in their lives, they &s;eeme to be in the Pulpit, they make the ordinances of God to be out of reque&s;t, and to be loathed, as <HI>Elies</HI> wicked &s;onnes made men abhorre the offering of the Lord, 1 Sam. 2.17. both by their u&s;ing of it, and carriage of their lives; for even whole|&s;ome meate-men loath an unwhole&s;ome and &s;lutti&s;h hu&s;wives, or Cookes dre&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>This may admoni&s;h all tho&s;e who contemne the Mini&s;ters of God, who doe &s;coffe, deride, and di&s;grace them mo&s;t, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who &s;eeke mo&s;t that the wor&s;hip of God &s;hould be had in honour, what&s;oever profe&s;&s;ion they make outwardly, it is yet manife&s;t they have no inward love to religion; nay, that they contemne and de&s;pi&s;e the wor&s;hip of God. They may u&s;e the works of his &s;ervice, and performe wor&s;hip for the outward act, but it is without any love and reverence to it; but as the Heathen man
<PB N="216" REF="123">would have his Tyrant to &s;eeme religious, that his people might feare him, becau&s;e they might think the Gods would helpe him, if they &s;hould rebell or ri&s;e again&s;t him; &s;o the&s;e, for one &s;ini|&s;terre&s;pect or other.</P>
<P>It hath beene a continuall portion of the Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> to be contemned, and not regarded; to be ba&s;ely thought of and &s;poken of, though in this place it may &s;eeme to be a ju&s;t judge|ment upon the&s;e, yet the be&s;t and the mo&s;t &s;incere Mini&s;ters have beene no better e&s;teemed or regarded. 2 Kings 9.11. Jer. 29.26. Acts 2.13. and 26.24. Matth. 11.18. 1 Cor. 4.9. <HI>ad</HI> 14.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it befell to Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> who was many wayes evill &s;poken of, John 10.20. Matth. 11.19. then no marvell if his Mini&s;ters and members be in the &s;ame condition; for Matth. 10.24, 25. <HI>The Di&s;ciple is not above his Ma&s;ter, nor the &s;ervant above his Lord. It is enough for the Di&s;ciple to be as his Ma&s;ter is, and the &s;ervant as his Lord. If they have called the Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e</HI> Beel|zebub, <HI>how much more them of his hou&s;hold?</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Mini&s;ters of God mu&s;t deale with and reprove the &s;innes of men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and not &s;pare them, but threaten them for them. Now when they are, as <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> &s;peaketh, like Phy&s;itians, who make warre, not with their patient, but with his di&s;ea&s;e and pa&s;&s;ion; &s;o not with them, but their &s;innes; they thinke hee is their enemy, and maketh warre again&s;t them, therefore they &s;peake evill of him.</P>
<P>To teach us not to be offended, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if we finde now many moc|kers and &s;corners of the Mini&s;ters and Mini&s;tery, many who re|gard them not, but contemne them, and rai&s;e up all manner of evill &s;peeches again&s;t them; it is no new thing, for there is none under Heaven. It was prophe&s;ied it &s;hould be, 2 Pet. 3.3. <HI>mockers.</HI> 2 Tim. 3.3. <HI>de&s;pi&s;ers of them who are good;</HI> and therefore &s;till will be, while the accu&s;er of the brethren doth rule in the Ayre, and is Prince of this world, and doth rule in the children of di&s;obedience, he will make them mock and de|&s;pi&s;e, contemne and &s;lander, and oftentimes &s;uch as would make rea&s;onable men affraid, le&s;t their &s;landers &s;hould be found fal&s;e, yet that troubles them not, becau&s;e they &s;till hope it will make for their advantage; he in&s;tructing them, who taught <HI>Ma|chiavill,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Detrahe au|dacter, &amp; ali|quid adhaere|bit. <HI>Machia|vil.</HI></NOTE> Slander one confidently, and &s;omewhat will &s;ticke to him. If that be true which <HI>Tertullian</HI> writeth <HI>Adver&s;us Gent. Apol. cap.</HI> 1.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Nihil iniquius, qu&agrave;m ut oderint homines, quos igno|rant, etiam&s;i res meretur o|dium. <HI>Tertul.</HI></NOTE> Nothing is wor&s;e than to hate men whom they know not, though they de&s;erve to be hated. What is it then that they &s;hould &s;lander men whom they know not, when the thing de&s;erveth great honour?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> This mu&s;t teach the Mini&s;ters patiently to abide the ba&s;e
<PB N="217" REF="123">conceits and opinions of men. It is no new thing: if they did it to the greene tree, what will they doe to the dry? if to tho&s;e who have lived before, more to the&s;e. It is that whereunto they were appointed, 1 The&s;. 3.3. that of Chri&s;t will be true, Matth. 5.11, 12. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are you when men revile you and per&s;ecute you, and &s;ay all manner of evill again&s;t you for my Name fal&s;ely. Rejoyce and be glad, for great is your reward in Heaven: for &s;o per|&s;ecuted they the Prophets which were before you:</HI> which if any in|curre not le&s;&s;e or more in his portion, he may feare and &s;u&s;pect him&s;elfe whether he be Chri&s;ts or no, &s;eeing Chri&s;t &s;o &s;peaketh, Luke 6.26. Woe unto you, when all men &s;hall &s;peake well of you; for &s;o did their fathers to the fal&s;e Prophets: he may &s;u&s;|pect him&s;elfe rather fal&s;e than true. That of <HI>Plinius Cecilius,</HI> which he was wont to &s;et upon his Schooles, may be applyed; <HI>Sciamus eum pe&s;&s;im&egrave; dixi&s;&s;e, cui maxim&egrave; &s;it applan&s;um:</HI> Wee know, he that hath mo&s;t applau&s;e, hath made the wor&s;t Ora|tion.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="13" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE XIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Ye &s;aid al&s;o, Behold, it is a wearine&s;&s;e, and ye have &s;nuffed at it, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, and ye of|fered that which was torne, and the lame, and the &s;ick: thus ye offered an offering: &s;hould I accept this of your hand, &s;aith the Lord?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>YE &s;ay al&s;o, behold, it is a wearine&s;&s;e.</HI>] The &s;econd corrup|tion here reproved is outward pollution, which is double, in &s;peech and ge&s;ture: The &s;peech &s;ome expound as &s;poken by the Prie&s;ts, taking up the brea&s;t or &s;houlder of a carrion &s;heepe which was his due, Levit. 7.31, 32. &s;ee what I have for my la|bour; but the Prie&s;ts them&s;elves had a hand in this &s;inne. This &s;peech is expounded as if it were &s;poken by a crafty di&s;&s;imulati|on and arrogant bragging. See how I am wearied with carry|ing this weighty &s;heepe, when a man might have blowne it o|ver; or they &s;ay, they are marvellou&s;ly weary with carrying &s;o weighty and tidie a bea&s;t upon their &s;houlders, and that they might faine it by their ge&s;ture, they &s;hew it by panting, and fetching their breath deepe, and drawing of it &s;hort, <HI>Monta|nus.</HI> Some expound, what a toile is this that we &s;pend all in the
<PB N="218" REF="124">&s;ervice of God; the complaint of the people, that they were at great toile and paines, and exce&s;&s;ive co&s;t and charge in Gods &s;ervice, as over-wearied with labour, and eaten out and un|done with expences, e&s;pecially comming &s;o raw and bare home; and therefore God was to content him&s;elfe with it, though wor&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>You have &s;nuffed at it.</HI>] Either you blow and pant, as tyred with bringing a tidie bea&s;t; &s;till their arrogant di&s;&s;embling con|tinued: or by a di&s;dainfull and contemptuous ge&s;ture you &s;hew your unwillingne&s;&s;e to &s;erve God, and how vile and tedious it is to you: it is the ge&s;ture of one refu&s;ing a thing with di&s;daine and contempt, as P&s;al. 10.5.</P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord of Hoa&s;ts.</HI>] Who is mo&s;t good and pure, and a powerfull and ju&s;t revenger of all &s;uch wickedne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>And ye offered that which was torne.</HI>] Their practice and dea|ling; their Sacrifice faulty two wayes: they brought blind and lame, or, if any good, not their owne. Fir&s;t, in manner of getting of it, it was &s;uch as was &s;tolne; &s;ome expound <HI>raptum,</HI> &s;poiled and wearied with bea&s;ts; <HI>raptus ex ore lupi,</HI> which was dainty among the Heathen, as finer meate and the tenderer, &s;o <HI>Calvine.</HI> If by chance a &s;heepe or other bea&s;t were wearied, or &s;o, they would be content to be&s;tow it on God. But this is not like, for Sacrifices were brought quick, not dead. But <HI>raptum,</HI> rather <HI>furto &amp; rapina quae&s;itum,</HI> as <HI>Lyra;</HI> they brought &s;uch to God as was gotten by evill meanes, thinking to &s;top his mouth, as mans, with part of the booty. P&s;al. 50.21.</P>
<P><HI>Behold, it is a wearine&s;&s;e.</HI>] The complaint of the people, thinking too much of that they did in the &s;ervice of God.</P>
<P>Hypocrites, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> naturall, and wicked men doe thinke all time too much, all paines too great, all co&s;t too chargeable &s;pent up|on the &s;ervice of God and his wor&s;hip, Amos 8.5. I&s;aiah 58.3. for it carrieth a kind of repentance in them, for that they had done all that in the &s;ervice of God, when they aimed not at his &s;ervice, but their owne profit. This is that which was in <HI>Judas,</HI> John 12.5, 6. <HI>Why is this wa&s;te?</HI> murmuring at it, and made a good colour for it, that he might al&s;o infect others, pretending it for the members of Chri&s;t, again&s;t the Head, by which hee brought the Di&s;ciples into the &s;ame &s;inne with him. Matth. 26.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e love is the ground of all duties, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;pecially of the cheere|full, ready, diligent performing of them, and the co&s;t which men think nothing too much of where they love: Parents to their Children, the Wife to the Hu&s;band. Now no naturall and wicked men have the love of God, or can have it; for it is a &s;u|pernaturall gift, therefore no marvell if they deale thus.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the motives of the&s;e duties, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and the manner of doing them, are the benefits received, and the ble&s;&s;ings and rewards
<PB N="219" REF="124">to come upon them that doe them &s;o. Now naturall and wicked men want &s;pirituall eyes to &s;ee God the giver of all that they have, and the reward for things to come, and what profit the &s;ervice of God brings to them; then no marvell though they think all too much.</P>
<P>Micha. 6.6, 7. here are hypocrites that thought not great things too much for God. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>This they offered, but they never did it. It may be a que&s;tion, <MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> if God would have taken them at their word, whether they would have performed or no; for many promi&s;e largely, that are &s;hort enough in performing. But admit they would, yet that they would not have done it, for any &s;ervice to God at all, but only for a &s;afeguard to them&s;elves and their &s;innes. The Pro|phet threatned them with the judgments of God if they did not returne from their &s;innes: they thinking to &s;ave them&s;elves, and keepe their &s;innes, which were &s;o deare unto them, offer thus li|berally, and it may be would have given &s;o: but it was not for God, but them&s;elves. As the Mariner in a &s;torme or danger, and the traveller when he is be&s;et with theeves, will ca&s;t away li|berally.</P>
<P>This teacheth that there are a great company of men in the Church who are but meere naturall men at the be&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but hypo|crites in the Church, &s;eeing &s;o many find and profe&s;&s;e them&s;elves to find &s;uch tediou&s;ne&s;&s;e and wearines in the &s;ervice of God, thinking the time too much, the paines too great, the co&s;t very burden&s;ome, weary of Sabboths, and the times and places of ex|erci&s;es, can be content to &s;erve with ea&s;e, but not with any &s;trict|nes, or as they account, it inconvenience, a little labor happily, but no co&s;t without grudging. To whom the Sabboth, when it commeth, is like to a bad gue&s;t, who&s;e departure is farre more welcome to them then his comming; &s;o is the end more acceptable then the beginning, and every houre is a day till it be over; others thinke it was ordained for their ea&s;e and refre&s;h|ing from their labors, and not for Gods &s;ervice, and therefore thinke it too much to give the whole day to God, too much to heare twice, but intolerable they &s;hould be bound to make care of it in the whole, in private be&s;ides the publique &s;ervice:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quae diabolus imperavit, quam labori|o&s;a? quam gravia? nee difficultas fuit ejus man datis impedi|mentu~. Chry. ho. <HI>19.</HI> ad P. Ant.</NOTE> ma|ny ma&s;ters are there, who thinke much to give to God a whole Sabboth, who will not remit their &s;ervants a piece of one of the &s;ix dayes: Many a &s;ervant who can be content to toile him&s;elfe more that day with the workes of plea&s;ure and the workes of Sa|than, then in the week with the works of his Ma&s;ter, but thinks every thing too much for God, as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome.</HI> What com|mands doth the Devill lay on man? how laborious? how grie|vous? yet the difficulty is no impediment to his commands. But here a little thing hinders, and they thinke all too much: how
<PB N="220" REF="125">much more &s;hew they them&s;elves wicked men, who, like <HI>Judas,</HI> finde fault with others care or co&s;t in the &s;ervice of God, and draw others with them into the &s;ame opinion, to thinke it is too much, when it is &s;hort of that that is expre&s;&s;ely required.</P>
<P>To teach every man, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when he finds any &s;uch wearine&s;&s;e in the &s;ervice of God, his heart thinking too much of his co&s;t and pains, to cen&s;ure it in him&s;elfe as a relique of the naturall man, whether it come of him&s;elfe, or he be drawn unto it by others, (as the Di&s;ciples were by <HI>Judas;</HI> and to humble him&s;elf for it, for it can|not be good, comming from this; and men cannot gather figs of thornes, nor grapes of thi&s;tles,) to judge it to come from this, that his love is unperfect, as his knowledge is, but in part; or from this, that he hath not the feeling of Gods love, his boun|ty and mercy towards him as he ought, neither knows the fruit of this &s;ervice.</P>
<P>To teach every one to labor again&s;t this corruption, and to with&s;tand it, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that it &s;ea&s;e not upon him, &s;eeing God taxeth the&s;e for it; for wherefore el&s;e, but that we &s;hould avoid it, and never think either paines or time or co&s;t too much in his &s;ervice and wor&s;hip? for which purpo&s;e two things mu&s;t we labor for; one, the love of God; for nothing will we think enough then for him, as <HI>Jacob</HI> and <HI>Shechem;</HI> another, delight in the duties, I&s;aiah 58.13. P&s;al. 122.1. John 6.34. give me a man that delights in a|ny thing, and all is not enough for it.</P>
<P><HI>And ye have &s;nuffed at it.</HI>] Their ge&s;ture, which as it noteth their unwillingne&s;&s;e, &s;o taken as &s;ome doe take it, for panting, then it &s;ignifies their arrogant di&s;&s;embling, by which they made &s;hew as if they had brought mo&s;t excellent &s;acrifices, when they were nothing, and brought nothing but wilde and ba&s;e &s;acrifices to God.</P>
<P>It is a grievous &s;inne for men to make &s;hew of great care and diligence in the &s;ervice and wor&s;hip of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and indeed doe no|thing le&s;&s;e. Men cannot abide it, &s;pecially an upright and plain dealing man, Prov. 29.27. much le&s;&s;e God that is righteou&s;nes it &s;elfe. Ezek. 14.7.8. I&s;aiah 58.2, 3. P&s;al. 5.6 Acts 5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is gro&s;&s;e hypocri&s;ie, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and &s;o abominable unto the Lord, who as he is a mo&s;t &s;imple e&s;&s;ence, mo&s;t holy and pure, can|not endure &s;uch doubling.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e offences which are done openly, and committed ap|parently, doe nor &s;o much offend a generous and valiant minde and man, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as when they are done by craft and di&s;&s;embling: the rea&s;ons, becau&s;e the former argues the audaciou&s;ne&s;&s;e and impudence of the actor, the latter the great contempt and irri&s;i|on of him which is &s;o provoked.</P>
<P>This will convince many of gro&s;&s;e &s;inne before God, who make &s;uch &s;hew of great &s;ervice of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and yet doe nothing
<PB N="221" REF="125">le&s;&s;e. To &s;ay little of Papi&s;ts, as of Monks who commend their manner of wor&s;hip or &s;ervices, who brag that they are conti|nually in prayer, that they ri&s;e in the night &s;ea&s;on with the hazard of their health, to keep watch for the &s;alvation of others, and wa&s;te their bodies with watchings, fa&s;tings, and other exerci&s;es; yet they think it &s;kils not much what manner of prayers, how without affection, being but, as <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> &s;peaketh, like the lowing of &s;o many oxen, though they be never &s;o barbarous, yet God will accept. As the Pope provided for his idle and unlearned Prie&s;ts by his Canon; <HI>Quod verba Dei non debent e&s;&s;e &s;ubjecta re|gulis Donati.</HI> To &s;ay nothing, I &s;ay, of their &s;hew of &s;ervice, nor of the lay Papi&s;ts who make great &s;hew of great &s;ervice by the account of their prayers upon their beads, when few of them unde&s;tand what they &s;ay; To &s;ay nothing of the&s;e who are with|out, and &s;o what have I to doe to judge them; how many have we within, who are here convinced of &s;inne, becau&s;e they make great &s;hew, and yet doe nothing le&s;&s;e? Many make great &s;hew of &s;erving God in prayer, others in hearing of the word, and therefore come panting, and blowing, and &s;weating about &s;uch things, but doe nothing le&s;&s;e, becau&s;e it cannot be they can make account of Preaching who regard not Prayer, nor they of Prayer who reverence not Preaching, becau&s;e he can not delight to hear God &s;peak, that delights not to &s;peak to God, and &s;o <HI>&egrave; contr&agrave;.</HI> And as <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;aid betwixt prayer and fa&s;ting, &s;o &s;ay I of this; prayer obtaineth the power of fa&s;ting,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Oratio virtutem impetrat jejunandi, jejunium gra|tiam orandi: noc illam cor|roborat, illa hoc janctificat. Bernardus.</NOTE> and fa&s;ting the grace of prayer, this &s;trengthens that, and that &s;ancti|fieth this. Finally, they who come to the &s;ervice of God, as Ezek. &s;peaketh, &s;hall be an&s;wered as he &s;aith, for they make &s;hew and doe not.</P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed of hypocri&s;ie, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and ma|king &s;hew of diligence and devotion in the &s;ervice of God, when there is no &s;uch thing in the heart, for that will not go currant with God, but wilbe &s;everely both cen&s;ured, and &s;entenced by him; as among&s;t other things it was in this people, one princi|pall cau&s;e of removing the wor&s;hip of from them; &s;o of the Go|&s;pell from us: for in &s;hews, and colours, and pretences may hee deceive men, but he cannot God. That which St. <HI>Hierome</HI> &s;aith <HI>ad Ru&s;ticanum, Epi&s;t.</HI> 4. <HI>Honor nominis Chri&s;tiani frau|dem facit magis, quam patitur, quodque pudet dicere, &s;ed nece&s;&s;e e&s;t: ut &s;altem &s;ic ad no&s;trum erube&s;camus dedecus:</HI> So is it true in in re&s;pect of men: but it cannot be &s;o of God, who &s;ees the in|ward parts, Hebr. 14.13. but &s;uch deceit &s;hall verily &s;uffer from him, who cannot endure hypocri&s;ie; for &s;uch &s;onnes and &s;er|vants he cannot endure, who will &s;ay and make great &s;hew, but doe nothing. Therefore ought every one, if not to be as the windows of the Temple were, wider within then without, yet
<PB N="222" REF="126">to be no more in &s;hew then they are in truth, and to labour to doe every thing they make &s;hew of.</P>
<P><HI>And yee offered that which was torne,</HI>] Their practice, and here the fir&s;t fault of their &s;acrifice, that they brought none of their own, but &s;uch as was gotten by unlawfull meanes.</P>
<P>Things taken from others by deceit, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> violence, oppre&s;&s;ion and wrong, are not fit matter for &s;acrifice to God, to be given to the poore, to good, religious, or charitable u&s;es, this is repro|ved in the&s;e: hereto tends the commandement, Deuter. 23.17, 18. there &s;hall be no whore of the daughters of I&s;rael, neither &s;hall there be a whore-keeper of the &s;onnes of I&s;rael. Thou &s;halt neither bring the hyre of a whore, nor the price of a dog in|to the hou&s;e of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both the&s;e are an a bomination unto the Lord thy God, I&s;aiah 61.8. <HI>I hate robbery for burnt offering,</HI> Luke 11.41. Ephe. 4.28.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e every man ought to offer unto the Lord of his owne, not others; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> now only all that is a mans own, which is gotten and had by lawfull means; that which is gotten by unlawfull means, is anothers, not his.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this were to make God partaker of the &s;inne, as much as in them lyes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and whereunto he &s;hould be acce&s;&s;ary, if he &s;hould accept any &s;uch thing; as receivers of &s;toln wares.</P>
<P>Luke 16.9. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> <HI>And I &s;ay unto you, make you friends with the riches of iniquity, that when yee &s;hall want they may receive you into everla|&s;ting habitations.</HI> Then is it lawfull thus to di&s;po&s;e of a mans goods, though gotten by iniquity.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t indeed cals them riches of iniquity, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> which he &s;hews not only of riches unju&s;tly gotten, but of tho&s;e which are lawfully gotten, &s;eeing the Doctine we have taught is true. They are cal|led thus, as &s;ome thinke, becau&s;e they are <HI>inaequalitatis,</HI> une|qually divided; or becau&s;e they were gotten by the &s;ins of the grandfathers, or great great fathers; or becau&s;e they are matter of &s;inne and iniquity; not that they are either &s;uch of them&s;elves, nor by Gods ordinance, who hath made them, <HI>remedia humanae mi&s;eriae, non in&s;trumenta voluptatis &amp; &s;uperbiae;</HI> but they are &s;uch by the corruption and infirmity of man; as wine, good and neat, put into a mu&s;ty caske, will in time &s;mell mu&s;tily like the ve&s;&s;ell; &s;o that as often as a man drinks of it, he &s;aith it is mu&s;ty: So riches good of them&s;elves, yet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by a corrupt heart, grow evill, that thou maye&s;t call them wicked riches, becau&s;e they are cau|&s;es of wickedne&s;&s;e, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh of evill times, and &s;o Chri&s;t calleth them here, not per&s;wading them of the riches they have gotten by iniquity, to offer &s;acrifices unto God on the Al|tar of the poore, or any otherwi&s;e to procure favour from God: but per&s;wades them that tho&s;e riches which men commonly &s;o u&s;e to pride, or voluptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and other &s;innes, that they
<PB N="223" REF="126">would u&s;e well to procure favor, and good will unto them&s;elves both of God and man.</P>
<P>This &s;erveth to &s;hew that many mens &s;acrifices and liberality is unlawfull, and no waies acceptable to God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> becau&s;e it is of &s;uch things as are evill, gotten by unlawfull meanes. Such is the liberality and ho&s;pitality of many men in the Country, maintained by oppre&s;&s;ion, racking of rents, di&s;peopling of towns, and &s;uch like. Such is the liberality of many Citizens, who in ma|ny yeares get together a great deale of wealth by fraud, oppre&s;&s;i|on, the cur&s;ed trade of u&s;ury, and at their deaths leave a little to religious or charitable u&s;es, franke at their deaths, of that they cared not how they came by it in their lives, things which are not their owne, but other mens, of which they ought to have made re&s;titution, as <HI>Zacheus</HI> did, Luke 19.8. and out of the remnant have given to good u&s;es, when a mite had been better, and would have beene better accepted, then a Million without it; and for which now, though the loins of many ble&s;&s;e God for that they left, yet are they burning in Hell for it, if that be true of <HI>Augu&s;t. Ep.</HI> 54. <HI>Macedo:</HI> as true it is according to the A|nalogie of the Scripture.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sires aliena propter quam peccatum e&s;t, cum reddi po&s;&s;it non redditur, non agi|tur poenitentia. &s;ed fingitur; &s;i autemvera|citer agitur, non remittitur peccatum ni&s;ire&s;tituatur ablatum, &s;ed, ut dixi, cum re&s;tituti pote&s;t. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> Epi&s;t. <HI>54.</HI> Maced.</NOTE> If the thing for which the &s;inne was committed, may bee re&s;tored, and is not, the man doth not re|pent, but di&s;&s;emble; but if he deale truely, the &s;in &s;hall not be remitted, unle&s;&s;e re&s;ti|tution (if it may be) be made; and onething there is, which is yet more unacceptable to God, and ju&s;tly reproved, that they leave behind them for &s;uch u&s;es monies to be imployed by u&s;ury, by their companyes, and o|ther, wherein they are like to lewd voluptuous men, who having lived in wantonne&s;&s;e all their lives, leave their goods, and make their ba&s;tards their heires, that their &s;hame might never be put out, but they might be like <HI>Ab&s;olons</HI> pillar to all po&s;terity: &s;o the&s;e, that their infamie might remaine, and their reproach bee never put out. If that conceit of &s;ome were true, that <HI>Pauls</HI> glo|ry increa&s;eth, as the number of them increa&s;eth who are wonne by that he writ, I &s;hould then thinke that both their glory in|crea&s;eth who get their goods well, and have left it to good u&s;es by lawfull meanes; and their woe and torment, who got it by un|lawfull meanes, and left it by unlawfull meanes to encrea&s;e for the benefit of others. But I have no &s;uch warrant; only I &s;ay, if re&s;titution made pa&s;&s;age for &s;alvation to come to <HI>Zacheus</HI> hou&s;e; Non-re&s;titution makes pa&s;&s;age for condemnation to come to the&s;e men, or they to it: Let no man thinke I &s;peak this to di&s;|courage men from doing good, but to direct them to doe good after a good manner, and to free my &s;elfe from participating in future &s;ins of &s;uch men; remembring how confidently <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI>
<PB N="224" REF="127">&s;peakes it: <HI>Illud fidenti&s;&s;im&egrave; dixerim, qui ad&s;e confugientem quan|tum hone&s;t&egrave; pote&s;t ad re&s;tituendum non compellit, &s;ocium e&s;&s;e frau|dis &amp; criminis.</HI></P>
<P>To informe men for time to come to doe that they doe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and offer to God, to doe it of their owne, not others, &s;uch as they lawfully come by, not by unlawfull meanes. <HI>David,</HI> that ho|ly man of God, would not offer to God of anothers, not taken by violence from him, but though he would give it him freely; happily fearing le&s;t it would not be &s;o acceptable when it was not of his owne, though not gotten unlawfully, 2 Sam. 24.24. So &s;hould every man doe that would have his offering acceptable to God; they ought not to take from one to give to another, but of their owne to give to God, either mediately or immedi|ately; for men may not doe evill, that good may come of it. Rom. 3.8. Thou art lying upon thy &s;ick-bed, it may be thy death-bed, which is the time when men di&s;tribute things of moment and perpetuity. Think with thy &s;elfe, that after death comes judgment, Hebr. 9. and know that thou mu&s;t give an ac|count of thy goods, how thou ha&s;t got them, and how thou ha&s;t left them. Therefore if thou ha&s;t oppre&s;&s;ed, or wronged, or defrauded any by any meanes, make him re&s;titution to the full; and if thy ability be &s;uch, more than full, and of the re&s;t give to the poore, and to good u&s;es: for if thou thinke&s;t the giving of the&s;e will excu&s;e thee to the Judge for the other, thou de|ceive&s;t thy &s;elfe; it were as if a Theefe, being arraigned for a robbery, &s;hould thinke to an&s;wer the Judge, and e&s;cape &s;en|tence of death, becau&s;e he gave much of it to the next poore he met: &s;o in this; for the Lord hates robbery for a burnt offering, and if thou woulde&s;t have a ble&s;&s;ing, Eccle&s;. 11.1. <HI>Ca&s;t thy bread upon the waters,</HI> and leave it to be imployed lawfully, though le&s;&s;e benefit come to the poore, and a &s;horter time, not by that which is odious to God and man; for an U&s;urer is a reproach a|mong&s;t men, God ca&s;ting that &s;hame upon him; for how can&s;t thou an&s;wer Chri&s;t at that judgment, how thou ha&s;t left thy goods?</P>
<P>Now the&s;e Jews bringing &s;uch &s;acrifices of &s;uch things as were thus corruptly come by, did it to appea&s;e Gods di&s;plea&s;ure a|gain&s;t them for the &s;inne, and thought &s;o, as it were, to &s;top his mouth; whence &s;ome gather this point, not unnaturally.</P>
<P>It is the cu&s;tome and fal&s;e conceit of a naturall man, to think he may make God a friend, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> or pacifie him with part of that he hath wickedly gotten, or by &s;ome outward thing, as his riches and &s;ub&s;tance and other ceremonies; as here, and Amos 2.8. <HI>They lye downe upon clothes laid to pledge by every Altar, and they drinke the Wine of the condemned in the hou&s;e of their God.</HI> It is &s;po|ken of Idolaters, in re&s;pect of their Idols, yet it &s;erveth to &s;hew
<PB N="225" REF="127">the nature of men, who in their corruption thinke no better of the true God than a fal&s;e god. Micha. 6.6, 7. To this pur|po&s;e may we apply that, Deut. 23.17, 18. for Gods forbidding in&s;inuates the pronene&s;&s;e of mans nature to it, as in all the Commandements.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God appointed &s;acrifices, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and propitiatory &s;acrifices in the Law of the outward things, and they neither learning more, nor looking forward, not &s;eeing that it was not the&s;e which did appea&s;e God, but that which they &s;ignified, &s;till re|lyed upon them, and &s;o thought that outward things would doe it; and in proportion naturall men from them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they think corruptly and wickedly of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that he is as them&s;elves, or as a corrupt Judge, who will be reconciled by gifts, not caring how it is come by, &s;o his hand be filled.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it mu&s;t be needs a vaine and fal&s;e conceit to imagine that &s;hould appea&s;e him, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> when it is a meanes to bring the &s;inne to remembrance, &s;eeing God knows what it is, and how it was come by, as well as him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>This may let us &s;ee the notable policy of the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who &s;eeing the nature of man to be &s;uch, as that they both think to appea&s;e the wrath of God, and would thus reconcile his fa|vour, rather than with true repentance and turning to God, to the end they may keepe a multitude &s;till with them, and not a little enrich them&s;elves, have taught them that with &s;uch bodily exerci&s;es and temporall things, they may appea&s;e God, and buy out their &s;innes; as the building of Chappells, Mona&s;teries, religious hou&s;es, appointing of Ma&s;&s;es, buying of pardons, and be&s;towing upon the Church, whether living or dying, nay, if they be not able, or carele&s;&s;e of them&s;elves, o|thers may for money purcha&s;e &s;uch things for them. Hence it is that the Church, (as they call it) is &s;o glorious and rich, that is, tho&s;e Church-men; that,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nummum addunt nummo, &amp; in mar&s;upium &s;uffocantes matronarum opes venantur ob&s;equiis: Sunt ditiores Monachi, qu&agrave;m fuerunt &s;eculares, po&s;&s;ideant opes &s;ub Chri&s;to paupere, quas &s;ub locu|plete diabolo non habuerant, &amp; &s;u&s;p ret eos Eccle|&s;ia divites, quos mundus tenuit ante mendicos: <HI>And</HI> Epi&s;t. <HI>4. to</HI> Ru&s;tic. Contra omnem opinio|nem plenis &s;acculis moriuntur divites, qui qua&s;i pauperes vixerunt. <HI>Hieron.</HI> ad <HI>Heliod.</HI> Epi&s;t. <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> as St. <HI>Hierome</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Heliod. Epi&s;t.</HI> 3. They adde money to money, and &s;tuffe their pur&s;es, and purcha&s;e womens goods by flattery; they are richer Monks than they were Seculars, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e wealth under poore Chri&s;t, which they had not under wealthy Satan; they are rich in the Church, who were beggers in the world. And in another Epi&s;tle, Contrary to all mens opinions, they dye very rich, who lived under a profe&s;&s;ion of poverty.</P>
<P>To overthrow the carnall conceit of naturall men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who live in their &s;innes, in their impenitency, and thinke by almes and &s;ome &s;uch things, or outward works to &s;atisfie God for other
<PB N="226" REF="128">&s;innes, and often for tho&s;e &s;innes by which they got them. Ma|ny men, when they &s;pend the whole weeke in &s;inne, thinke to make amends for all, by acting &s;ome outward worke of his &s;er|vice on the Lords day, and thinke that their outward and cu|&s;tomable &s;erving of God in the morning and evening <HI>pro forma tant&ugrave;m,</HI> &s;hould &s;atisfie for the &s;innes of the re&s;t of the day. And many when they have &s;pent all their life in &s;inne, thinke by &s;ome doale or &s;ome gift to &s;atisfie for all the re&s;t, that the Mini|&s;ters can &s;peak more of their gifts than of their &s;orrow and re|pentance; As one &s;aith, <HI>&s;perans aut placaturum pro peccatis, aut placiturum non ob&s;tante peccato.</HI> But to &s;uch I &s;ay, as Prov. 21.27. <HI>The &s;acrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?</HI> They &s;hall finde they have tru&s;ted to a broken reed.</P>
<P>To teach every man not to let naturall rea&s;on deceive him, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to make him to tru&s;t to any &s;uch naturall or worldly meanes, there|by to reconcile God to him, or to appea&s;e him; the&s;e things can no more doe it, than oyle will quench the fire; &s;uch a con&s;u|ming fire is God, that the&s;e will rather kindle his wrath. And if he be deceived that would thinke to quench fire by that, then mu&s;t he needs be, that &s;hall think by this which is matter for the wrath of God: he &s;hould learne to know that tho&s;e outward things are not the mo&s;t acceptable &s;acrifice to God. That which is acceptable, is, P&s;al. 51.17. <HI>The &s;acrifices of God are a contrite &s;pirit: a contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not de&s;pi&s;e.</HI> He that receiveth this from God, may have comfort that God will accept him; as a Phy&s;itian that directs a man to the onely re|&s;torative.</P>
<P>Daniel 4.24. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> <MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> <HI>Redeeme thy &s;innes by Alme&s;deeds.</HI></P>
<P>It is an&s;wered by &s;ome, that by &s;innes is here under&s;tood the puni&s;hments of &s;inne, and they think that works proceeding from faith, prevaile not a little with God, to le&s;&s;en and mitigate temporall puni&s;hments. But it is not like, &s;eeing he &s;poke to &s;uch a King who could not worke any thing by faith at all. But the word is not here, <HI>redeeme,</HI> but, <HI>breake off:</HI> If it were properly &s;o taken, then might men not onely redeeme the puni&s;hment of their &s;inne, but the &s;inne it &s;elfe, which opinion is not held. Againe, if it be a redemption, it is not to be made before God, but in recompence to tho&s;e whom he hath hindered; and the Prophet &s;peaks not here of the forgivene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, as the old Latine, <HI>For&s;an igno&s;cet Deus;</HI> but of the prolonging of his peace and pro&s;perity, as <HI>Tremellius</HI> hath it. Finally, the words are, <HI>breake off,</HI> turning from wicked wayes, and &s;eeking Gods will; and whereas thou ha&s;t beene an oppre&s;&s;our of the poore, and an afflicter of men in mi&s;ery, &s;hew thy repentance by dealing mer|cifully with the oppre&s;&s;ed, and having compa&s;&s;ion on them, as <HI>Za|cheus.</HI> Luk. 19.8.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="14" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="227" REF="128">
<HEAD>VERSE XIIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>But cur&s;ed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a Male, and voweth, and &s;acrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes, and my Name is terrible among the Hea|then.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>B&V;t cur&s;ed be the deceiver.</HI>] In this is contained the la&s;t judg|ment again&s;t this people, and it is po&s;itive; as before hee had threatned the taking away of their goods, &s;o here to inflict &s;ome puni&s;hment upon them. And in this we ob&s;erve, fir&s;t the judgment, &s;econdly the &s;inne, thirdly rea&s;ons, whereby they may be per&s;waded the judgment &s;hall come, if they repent not them&s;elves of their &s;innes, and performe their vowes.</P>
<P><HI>But cur&s;ed.</HI>] As woes in the Scripture, Matth. 24. and I&s;aiah 5. and other where, are two-fold, &s;o are cur&s;es: Fir&s;t, tempo|rall, &s;ending of outward evills, Deut. 28.15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22. or turning of good things to hurt, P&s;al. 109.7. and 69.22. Secondly, &s;pirituall, mo&s;t fearefull, Rom. 1.28. Matth. 27.5. 2 The&s;. 2.10, 11.</P>
<P><HI>The deceiver.</HI>] The &s;inne is generall, thus expre&s;&s;ing the na|ture of an Hypocrite, that he is a deceiver, one that carryeth him&s;elfe craftily, who ca&s;ts and fetcheth about in his mind, how he may deceive both God and man, and who deals craftily with the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>Who voweth a Male.</HI>] The particular &s;inne, vowing and not paying, when he is able to performe; having a Male, that is, one without blemi&s;h, &s;uch as the Law required: Here is thought to be <HI>Epitheti Eclip&s;is,</HI> as in I&s;aiah 1.18. wooll for white wooll. But &s;ome under&s;tand by Male a perfect and ab&s;olute offering, the u&s;e of the word being &s;uch in divers Authors. Now the vow here &s;poken of, is either the generall vow of their Circumci&s;ion, or el&s;e their particular, when willingly they vowed a thing, be|ing not tyed unto it by any Law, and dealt deceitfully in that, which &s;hould make it the greater &s;inne.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;acrifice a corrupt thing.</HI>] a weake and feeble, &s;o a corrupt thing: as it were repenting of their vow, they bring unto him a corrupt, vitious, and unlawfull &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>The Lord is able, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and will not onely withdraw good things from men that di&s;honour him, and live profanely and wicked|ly, but will inflict much evill upon them, and puni&s;h them with all kind and variety of cur&s;es. As here, &s;o 2 Chron. 7.13. Deut. 28.16, 60, 61. This he &s;hewed in <HI>Ely,</HI> 1 Sam. 2.8. &amp;c. and 2.12,
<PB N="228" REF="129">13. In <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 7. In <HI>Nebuchadnezzar,</HI> Dan. 4.30. The tryalls of <HI>Job</HI> &s;hew what he can doe when he will puni&s;h.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e in ble&s;&s;ing he can deale thus, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not onely take away the evill, but &s;howre downe many ble&s;&s;ings upon them: &s;o in cur&s;ing; for the&s;e are the two armes of God, his mercy and ju|&s;tice, neither is &s;horter nor longer than the other, unle&s;&s;e he be unperfect; the&s;e are his trea&s;ures, or he hath trea&s;ures of both, neither fuller, nor emptier than the other.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is a true God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and &s;o infinite in all things; he is not as the fal&s;e gods of the Heathen, who had little, even their great god <HI>Jupiter,</HI> who they thought would be &s;oone drawne dry, if he &s;hould puni&s;h much and many, if &s;end abroad apace his revenging arrows, his quiver would be empty; not &s;o with God, who&s;e mercy is a trea&s;ure inexhau&s;tible, &s;o his ju&s;tice, not as the Sea; but as the fire, the Sunne; <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it more manife&s;ts his di&s;plea&s;ure, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and men are more &s;en&s;ible of it, to be humbled by it either in truth or hypocri&s;ie.</P>
<P>To &s;tand in awe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and feare God; to feare to di&s;plea&s;e or pro|voke him, who cannot onely take from us that we have, but bring the contrary upon us, many, and &s;trange, and grievous plagues. Men we feare, and avoid to provoke them when they are of power, and yet often we hold them at defiance, becau&s;e we know their wor&s;t is but to take our place, livings, credit, or liberty from us, at the wor&s;t but our lives, and can then not hurt us; but God can goe further, not onely deprive us of that we have, and all that is deare to us, and take away life, but lay cro2&s;es infinite upon us in this life and the life to come. If men, much more he is to be feared; Matth. 10.28. if <HI>Jacob</HI> was af|fraid of <HI>I&s;aacs</HI> cur&s;e, Gen. 22.12. much more of Gods, being reall things, and not verball; for &s;o is mans onely, he is but the mouth of God, and &s;ure they are, they will light where he will lay them.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct every man who finds Gods judgments, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that he is deprived of any good thing he hath, to humble him&s;elfe, and &s;eeke to God, and &s;earch his owne wayes; that he may turne un|to him, le&s;t he bring cur&s;es upon him: for as it is both ju&s;t and u|&s;uall with God, when men profit not by the le&s;&s;e judgment, to bring greater; as a father, when his &s;onne bowes not with a twigge, to beate him with a greater rod: &s;o it is when men turne not to him by his private judgments, to bring po&s;itive cur&s;es upon them; as Princes, who fir&s;t withdraw their favours from Traytors, confi&s;cate their goods, re&s;traine their liberty, and after lay upon them &s;ome fearefull puni&s;hment: Hath God then taken any thing from thee that thou ha&s;t, or that was beloved of thee, as thy goods, children, or any &s;uch thing? thinke &s;eriou&s;ly of it, and impute it not to &s;econdary cau&s;es,
<PB N="229" REF="129">though they may be greatly faulty, but looke unto the Lord, and turne unto him; thinke not to make it good againe, or re|cover thy &s;elfe, but thinke of the other cur&s;es God hath threa|tened, and know the&s;e mu&s;t come, if the other doe not reforme thee, yea, though he love thee. Phy&s;itians that de&s;ire the health of their patient, if they can, will happily recover it by injoyn|ing them ab&s;tinence, and fa&s;ting, and a &s;trict dyet; if not, they will to purging, bleeding, and &s;uch like: &s;o with God, much more if he hate thee.</P>
<P>If thou be freed from any cur&s;e, be not &s;ecure, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> he hath variety of cur&s;es.</P>
<P>The contempt of his wor&s;hip he hath threatened with the de|privation of it, the taking of it way; now it may be thought, this would not much trouble them who thought it a wearine&s;&s;e, and could happily be content with it, and in their corruption ac|count it a ble&s;&s;ing; he therefore threateneth the puni&s;hng of it with po&s;itive cur&s;es and plagues.</P>
<P>The contempt and corruption of Gods wor&s;hip &amp; the means of it, as of the Word and Sacraments, and &s;uch like, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> &s;acrifice and Prayer, the Lord will &s;ometime puni&s;h with the taking of it a|way, and &s;ometime with it and other fearfull cur&s;es and plagues, both &s;pirituall &amp; temporall, which as it is here threatened, &s;o was it performed to this people, who are now not only without the meanes of his wor&s;hip, but are under many fearefull judgments, as any Nation in the world. It is that was threatened, Deuter. 28.47, 48. 2 Chro. 36.16, 17. Math. 21.41.1 Cor. 11.30. 2 The&s;&s;al. 2.11, 12. 1 Sam. 2. <HI>Elies</HI> &s;onnes, Acts 20.9. <HI>Euty|chus.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e mo&s;t men finde no judgment in it at all, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> to be depri|ved of that they love not, as they account that no ble&s;&s;ing to have that they delight not in; and &s;o as in this they will never be drawn to &s;ee the mercy and favor of God, &s;o not in that his ju&s;tice and di&s;plea&s;ure, that they might come to the &s;ight of their &s;ins: when as then tho&s;e judgements open the eyes of their minde the better, and cleare their &s;pirituall &s;ight, the Lord doth it more to torment them and affect them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the&s;e being mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible, men are by them u&s;ually made more carefull of his &s;ervice, either in hypocri&s;ie, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as <HI>Ahab</HI> and <HI>Saul,</HI> and others, or in truth, as <HI>Mana&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>This may teach us a point which few men have thought of, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but many have felt it, the cau&s;e why God hath &s;o afflicted us with with the plague and pe&s;tilence, his cur&s;es have been upon us; many have happily thought of many &s;innes of their owne and o|thers, but few have thought of this &s;inne, that therefore it was, becau&s;e the word was contemned among&s;t us, and his wor&s;hip corrupted by us, &s;uch wearine&s;&s;e in his &s;ervice, &s;uch great &s;hews,
<PB N="230" REF="130">and nothing indeed, &s;uch offering of &s;ick, lame and blind unto the Lord, &s;uch offering of corrupt things unto him. If this bee true, that &s;uch are accur&s;ed of God, then the other mu&s;t needs be certaine. The <HI>Phili&s;tims</HI> had the Arke of Gods pre&s;ence, 1 Sam. 5. But becau&s;e they u&s;ed not it as they ought, therefore ver&s;e 6. they were &s;mitten: &s;o had the men of <HI>Beth&s;heme&s;h,</HI> 1 Sam. 6. but becau&s;e they u&s;ed not it as they ought, therefore the Lord &s;lew among them fiftie thou&s;and three&s;core and ten men, ver&s;e 19. The Go&s;pell, the meanes of his wor&s;hip, as the Arke of his pre&s;ence, hath been among&s;t us, but we have not u&s;ed it well, therefore hath the hand of God been heavy upon us, as upon the <HI>Phili&s;tims;</HI> the number the Lord hath &s;laine, hath &s;ur|mounted the number of them of <HI>Beth&s;heme&s;h.</HI> If it were ju&s;t upon them, it is &s;o upon us: And though this be removed, yet we can|not but feare that the cur&s;es of God hang over our heads &s;till, &s;ee|ing this &s;inne is not repented of nor amended among&s;t us.</P>
<P>This &s;erveth to meet with the corruption of tho&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who could not nor cannot be wakened with the former judgment, and think it a ble&s;&s;ing rather then a cur&s;e, whether they delight in Po|pery, or prophanene&s;&s;e, they affected a &s;uper&s;titious wor&s;hip, or a loo&s;e life, they would be without controulement, and &s;o take them&s;elves not to be hurt, becau&s;e that is but as they de&s;ire, that the word and wor&s;hip of God &s;hould be gone; yet let this feare &s;uch a one, that the mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken it, he is an accur&s;ed man, and all the cur&s;es of God hang over his head; he is &s;o in the decree of God, and he &s;hall be &s;o in the execution; what a fearefull condition is he in that is in ea&s;e and pro&s;perity, &s;it|ting at a rich banquet, lying in a bed of doune and Ivory, having what his heart could de&s;ire, and yet having over his head a &s;harp &s;word with the point down-ward, hanging by the &s;malle&s;t haire, ready with every bla&s;t and every touch to fall upon him? How if he had thou&s;ands more? he that hath the&s;e cur&s;es over his head; (as <HI>I&s;aac</HI> &s;aid, I have ble&s;&s;ed him, and he &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed) God hath accur&s;ed him, and he &s;hall be accur&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Cur&s;ed be the deceiver.</HI>] The parties upon whom this cur&s;e mu&s;t fall, they are accounted deceivers, they deale deceitfully in the &s;ervice of God, not &s;erving of him as they are able. There are two parts of this deceit de&s;cribed, or it is made to con&s;i&s;t in two things: The one, they &s;erve him not as they are able; the o|ther, for a time they make a great &s;hew, and promi&s;e piety, and great duties of holine&s;&s;e; but eft&s;oone repent them&s;elves, and had rather omit it altogether, or performe it negligently, becau&s;e it will be with &s;ome co&s;t and expence of their goods, that he feares he &s;hould be a pooreman, if he &s;hould be faithfull and con&s;tant in the &s;ervice of God: for the fir&s;t it is &s;aid, he hath a male; for the &s;econd, he voweth and &s;acrificeth a corrupt thing.</P>
<PB N="231" REF="130">
<P>For the fir&s;t;</P>
<P>He that dealeth deceitfully in the Lords &s;ervice and wor&s;hip, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> that is, that &s;erveth him not as he is able, either for his outward goods and parts, or for his inward gifts, or any &s;uch thing, when he looks for a ble&s;&s;ing from God for his &s;ervice, he &s;halbe accur|&s;ed; <HI>cur&s;ed is he that hath a male, and offereth a corrupt thing,</HI> Jer. 4.22. It is made a &s;inne that procured de&s;truction upon the land, that they &s;erved God, not with their be&s;t wi&s;dome; hence was the cur&s;e upon <HI>Cain,</HI> Gen. 4.3.5. Hagga. 1.2, 3, 4, 5, 6. And <HI>Salomon</HI> is taxed that he be&s;towed twi&s;e as much time in buil|ding his own hou&s;e, as Gods hou&s;e: and Acts 5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he contemneth and de&s;pi&s;eth the Lord, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> either think|ing he cannot know what he doth, and how he dealeth with him; or that he is unju&s;t, and will not puni&s;h it, or thinking ba&s;e|ly of him that this is good enough: And therefore no marvell if he contemn him and accur&s;e him, as 1 Sam. 2.30.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he goeth flat again&s;t the maine &s;cope, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and the end of the Law; now whereas any breach of the Law de&s;erveth the cur&s;e, Gal. 3.10. how much more he that goeth again&s;t the full &s;cope, which is to love the Lord with all his heart, minde and &s;trength?</P>
<P>This teacheth many a man what he may expect from God for his &s;ervice he doth to him not a ble&s;&s;ing, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as he hopes and flatters him&s;elfe, but a cur&s;e; becau&s;e what he doth, in what part of it &s;oever, he knowes well, and God knows better, that it is not as he is able, neither for the faculties of his mind, for the powers of his body, nor for the portion of his e&s;tate; for the body, ma|ny a man and many a woman pretend they are not able to &s;it &s;o long as the publique prayers and &s;ervice of God are in hand, or they cannot &s;tand and endure thru&s;ts and heate, their bodies are weak &amp; &s;ickly when they know, &amp; God knows better then them|&s;elves, that they can &s;it longer about a matter of plea&s;ure or pride, when they can indure more thru&s;ting, &amp; heat for a matter of pro|fit. They have a male in their flock, &amp; offer to the Lord a corrupt thing, they are deceivers &s;aith the Prophet, and from the mouth of the Lord accur&s;ed; for their mindes, they pretend they are not able to &s;it attentively without &s;leeping in Prayer or hearing, they are not able to conceive of the things delivered, they are not booki&s;h to under&s;tand what they pray, but meane well, they have no memories to keepe that is good when they have heard; when as they know, and God knows better, that they, as <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;peaketh <HI>tractatu de gradibus humilitatis,</HI> can <HI>vigilare in lecto,</HI> when they doe <HI>Dormirt in choro,</HI> they can as, Mich. 2.1. <HI>Devi&s;e iniquity upon their beds,</HI> or as they, Prov. 4.16. <HI>Who &s;leep not unles they have done wickednes,</HI> or as the &s;hepheards, Luke 2. who watched in the night for their owne flocke, that
<PB N="232" REF="131">they have wit and &s;kill at will for the world, which if they would cau&s;e their eare to heare, as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;peaketh, and &s;et them&s;elves to it, might conceive, and their memories are able to keep evill things, when as one che&s;t will hold gold as well as Iron, if it were put in, and one war the impre&s;&s;ion of a golden &s;eale, as well as of lead. The&s;e have a male, &amp;c. for their &s;tate, they pretend they are not able to give more then they doe, which is little God wot, to the poore, or to the Church and maintenance of Gods wor&s;hip; when as they know, and God knows they can be&s;tow much more on their plea&s;ures, on harlots, and wicked per&s;ons, oftner fea&s;ting &s;ycophants, flatterers and lewd per&s;ons, then the members of Chri&s;t; &s;ome that have borne place, being known to have had moe players the corrupters of youth, and ofner, at their table, then they had the poore and preachers, the conver|ters of Soules; and their ability would beare that well enough. The&s;e have a male, &amp;c. And that &s;hall be true, I&s;aiah 29.15, 16. <HI>Woe unto them that &s;eeke deep to hide their coun&s;ell from the Lord, for their workes are in darkne&s;&s;e, and they &s;ay, who &s;eeth us? and who knoweth us? your turning of devi&s;es &s;hall it not be e&s;teemed as the potters clay? for &s;hall the worke &s;ay of him that made it, hee made me not? or the thing formed &s;ay of him that fa&s;hioned it, he had no under&s;tanding?</HI> the world &s;ees it, and mockes, and je&s;ts at it; God &s;ees it, and will judge it; the&s;e are deceivers and di&s;&s;emblers of the world, and one day &s;hall be unca&s;ed, when to their &s;orrow they &s;hall heare the cur&s;e.</P>
<P>To teach every man to labour again&s;t this deceitfull dealing with God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> whereby he &s;hall but deceive him&s;elfe, and cannot de|ceive God; him&s;elfe, becau&s;e he &s;hall lo&s;e that he looks for; not God, who &s;eeth and knoweth every thing; and Galat. 6.7. <HI>Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for what&s;oever a man &s;oweth, that &s;hall he al&s;o reape.</HI> If <HI>Jacob</HI> was afraid when hee went about to &s;eek a ble&s;&s;ing, le&s;t his blind father <HI>I&s;aac</HI> &s;hould di&s;cerne him and his deceit in dealing with him, and &s;o he might get a cur&s;e where he thought to have had a ble&s;&s;ing, Gen. 27.12. how ought men to take heed and feare to di&s;&s;emble or deale deceitful|ly with God, even the al&s;eeing God, but to &s;erve him with the be&s;t things we have, for faculties of mind, &amp;c. Let us be <HI>Abels,</HI> and not <HI>Cains;</HI> Gen. 4. If we would be ble&s;&s;ed with the one, and not accur&s;ed with the other, &s;erve him with our be&s;t affections, be&s;t &s;pirits, be&s;t time, be&s;t in&s;truments. <HI>David</HI> was at a great <HI>quae|re</HI> with him&s;elfe, P&s;alm. 116.12. <HI>What &s;hall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me?</HI> as thinking he had nothing good enough; &s;o &s;hould we thinke and &s;o performe, that we may be ble&s;&s;ed and e&s;cape the cur&s;e.</P>
<P>Now it is &s;aid, he is accur&s;ed that hath a male and offereth a corrupt thing; if he have it not, the cur&s;e is not
<PB N="233" REF="131">belonging to him, but God will accept that hee hath.</P>
<P>They who are Gods, when they &s;erve him, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> though they ought to bring males unto him, that is, that which is perfect; yet if they have it not, and are able to bring nothing but that which is im|perfect, God will accept it notwith&s;tanding; as it is here, &s;o Mich. 7.18. and Mal. 3.17. Numb. 23.21. 1 Kings 15.5. Jam. 5.11. and yet Job. 3.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e of that, 2 Cor. 8.12. <HI>For if there be fir&s;t a willing mind,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> <HI>it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that a man hath not:</HI> God re&s;pects the mind more then the gift, as in the widowes mite, and the cup of water; &s;o doth he the mind rather then the &s;ervice, for it profits not him, nor he &s;tands in no need of it. And the willing minde is, that a man with all his heart would doe more if he were able, which God &s;eeing he ac|cepts that they have.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they condemne and di&s;like their imperfections them|&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and judge them&s;elves for them, then 1 Cor. 11.31. If we &s;hould judge our &s;elves we &s;hould not be judged, yea as Rom. 7.17. while they thus condemne it, it is not accounted theirs; as <HI>Bernard</HI> of envy: Thou feele&s;t it, but agree&s;t not to it, it is &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion as God one day will heal in thee, but not condemn thee for.</P>
<P>It affords comfort again&s;t the temptations of Sathan, <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who &s;ets forward our di&s;couragement from the little good wee doe.</P>
<P><HI>And voweth and offereth a &s;acrificeth or corrupt thing.]</HI> The &s;e|cond part of their deceit: they made great &s;hew and promi&s;e of great things they would doe, but they repented them&s;elves, and they omit them altogether, or performe them very corrupt|ly.</P>
<P>He that dealeth deceitfully in the Lords &s;ervice and wor&s;hip, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> that is, maketh great &s;hewes and promi&s;es of great duties of pie|ty, but after when he finds it more co&s;tly or painefull, or cro&s;&s;ing to his affections then he thought of, repents and doth it not, or doth it carele&s;&s;ely and corruptly, when hee looks for a ble&s;&s;ing, &s;hall finde a cur&s;e; &s;o here, and Deuter. 23.21. Numb. 30.3.6. Eccle&s;. 5.3, 4, 5. Math. 21.28. <HI>ad</HI> 32. Acts 5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he robs and &s;poiles God, as it were taking or keeping from him that which is his; for vowing it to God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> he hath put it from him&s;elf, made an alienation of it, put it out of his own right into Gods, whereas it was his owne before. Acts 5.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;erve not God, but them&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> as children who can bee content to plea&s;e their parents in things liking unto them&s;elves, but not in other; plea&s;e them&s;elves, not their parents; &s;o in this: and &s;hew that they preferre all tho&s;e things before God, which to keep, they will break promi&s;e with him.</P>
<PB N="234" REF="132">
<P>This may teach many men, that they may ju&s;tly looke for the cur&s;es of God upon them and theirs, if they be not upon them already, becau&s;e they have &s;o often vowed and promi&s;ed great care and diligence in the &s;ervice and feare of God, and perfor|med very little or none at all to him; &s;ometime in health, &s;ome|time in &s;ickne&s;&s;e; &s;ometime in danger, &s;ometime in deliverance; they promi&s;ed great things unto the Lord, but they have play|ed the couzeners with him: It was but to &s;erve their owne turne for the pre&s;ent, nothing they have performed, or nothing as they ought and promi&s;ed. To &s;ay nothing of nece&s;&s;ary vowes, how carele&s;ly they are found every way performed; as the vow of Bapti&s;me, when men live more like Infidels than Chri&s;tians, at the be&s;t but as Jews, re&s;ting in the outward ceremony; or but outwardly civill and hone&s;t, never labour for any inward &s;anctification, any &s;incere holine&s;&s;e, any con&s;cience of Gods Will; offer fleeces for the fle&s;h, and &s;kin for the bea&s;t: The vow of Parents promi&s;ing to bring up their children in the feare of the Lord, as was commanded, Eph. 6.4. but they take onely care for the body, not for the &s;oule, and to ingraft Gods feare in them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Qualis cre&s;|cerem tibi, aut qu&agrave;m ca|&s;tus, dummo|do e&s;&s;em di&s;er|tus ut di&s;ce|rem &s;ermonem facere qu&agrave;m optimum &amp; per&s;uadere di|ctione. <HI>Aug.</HI></NOTE> Such as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> confe&s;&s;ed to God his father was, who troubled not him&s;elfe, &s;aith he, how I pro&s;pered in thy &s;ervice, or how cha&s;t I were, onely his care was that I might be elo|quent, and learne to &s;peak well; &s;o they for worldly things. Thirdly, the vow of married parties, who made a covenant be|fore God, and to him, Prov. 2.17. which is broken by many meanes, among&s;t many who think the Covenant unviolated, if they commit it not outwardly and actually; when as wanton words, and looks, and lu&s;ts break it.</P>
<P>To &s;ay nothing of the&s;e, for which many have either the cur|&s;es of God, or have them hanging over their heads; But volun|tary vowes, men in &s;ome trouble or &s;ickne&s;&s;e renew their vow of obedience, as <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> Ho&s;ea 6.1, 2. but when that is once pa&s;t, either they doe not care for keeping it, or thinke they are di&s;|charged well enough, if they doe a few dayes heare the Word, or performe &s;ome one or two good duties, and after give over a|gaine, unlike <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 119.106, 112. The Prophet tells them they are accur&s;ed, better it had beene for them never to have vowed it at all; for though without it it is a &s;inne, yet now it is the greater &s;in.</P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed how he vows anything un|to God; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> for often in the vow he may de&s;erve Gods cur&s;e, and often in the breaking it. In the vow, when it is of unlawfull things, Acts 23.12. then it is the bond of iniquity. Secondly, when the party vowing is not able to performe it, either &s;imply, or not without &s;inne, as Popi&s;h &s;ingle life. Matth. 19.11. Thirdly, when a party vowing is an inferiour, and doth it with|out
<PB N="235" REF="132">the con&s;ent, or contrary to the mind of the &s;uperior; Numb. 30.6, 9. So Papi&s;h children, contrary to Parents minds, enter their rules. Fourthly, when it hindreth a man from the duties of his calling; as tho&s;e who leave their calling and goods to profe&s;&s;e wilfull poverty, or become Friars <HI>Mendicant.</HI> 1 Cor. 7.22. Fiftly, when there is put holine&s;&s;e in it, and it is made meritorious: If it be faulty in the&s;e or any the like, then is &s;in committed in the making of it, and &s;o a cur&s;e followeth it; but if not, then the cur&s;e followeth the breaking of it. When then it is &s;o hard a thing to vow, and not to have &s;inne cleave to it, if there be any feare of &s;inne, there will be ra&s;hne&s;&s;e avoided in it; and if there be any feare of the cur&s;e, they will not be &s;o ra&s;h, le&s;t they provoke God. Eccle&s;. 5.1.</P>
<P>To teach every man, when he hath vowed, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to be very care|full for the performance of it, and let neither co&s;t nor labour, profit nor plea&s;ure hinder him, for he &s;hall lo&s;e more by the breaking of it, than he can gaine. The &s;inne of breaking a mans vow or promi&s;e, ought to make men affraid to doe it. Men feare perjury, and abhorre it; this is no le&s;&s;e, if Chri&s;t may be belee|ved. Matth. 5.33. But if not the &s;inne, yet the cur&s;e, and to avoid it, make good that thou ha&s;t &s;poken to God. I &s;uppo&s;e many men in the time and heate of the &s;ickne&s;&s;e vowed great things to God, if they were pre&s;erved, and if God would re|turne in mercy to the City, that they might in &s;afety follow their callings againe; for I cannot thinke but that mo&s;t men, &s;pe|cially when God came any thing nigh them, were affected and touched for the pre&s;ent, which u&s;ually brings forth &s;uch thoughts and &s;uch motions. If any were not, I think their ca&s;e is marvellous fearefull, to be in the fire, and no relenting. Then you that did, remember your vowes, and &s;ee where is the per|formance of them; it may be &s;ought for, but not early &s;eene, or &s;een in a very few: And what is to be expected but the&s;e cur&s;es, and more heavy than we have had? If your children or &s;ervants, all the time you are correcting of them, and holding the rod o|ver them, promi&s;e to learne their books better, and doe their worke more diligently, whereupon you &s;pare them; if they after deale deceitfully with you, will not your di&s;plea&s;ure be doubled, and your anger be increa&s;ed, and you thinke law|fully too? thinke Gods waies are more equall and ju&s;t. If thou woulde&s;t avoid this, then doe as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid, and did; P&s;al. 66.13, 14. <HI>I will goe into thine hou&s;e with burnt offerings, and I will pay my vowes which my lips have promi&s;ed, and my mouth hath &s;po|ken in my affliction.</HI> If a man vow when he is in cu&s;tody or re|&s;traint, that when he getteth liberty, he will goe and dwell in a place where the Word is; if the Word goe from thence, he is not bound, Ruth 1.16, 17. Againe, in ca&s;es of nece&s;&s;ity, as a
<PB N="236" REF="133">man bound to ab&s;taine from Wine, yet if Phy&s;itians coun&s;ell it for his health, he may u&s;e it; as Jer. 35.11. yet &s;o, as hee have a &s;peciall eye to the maine end for which his vow was made: as &s;uppo&s;e <HI>Timothy,</HI> 1 Tim. 5.23. to ab&s;taine, yet for his often infirmities he may drinke.</P>
<P><HI>For I am a great King, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes.]</HI> There is Gods fir&s;t rea&s;on, why they ought not to corrupt his wor&s;hip, and deale thus deceitfully with him, his greatne&s;&s;e and power, who is able to puni&s;h them for evill doing.</P>
<P>Men ought to obey God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and to avoid evill and corruption, as generally and in all things, &s;o in his wor&s;hip, for feare of his power and ju&s;tice. <HI>Vide</HI> ver&s;. 6. where is my feare?</P>
<P><HI>And a great King.]</HI> It is the Kingdome of power, not grace; he by his power is ab&s;olute King, great, and the greate&s;t.</P>
<P>The Lord he is the ab&s;olute King of all men and Angells, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> and all creatures in the world, they are all his &s;ubjects; &s;o is he here called a King, and that, 2 Chron. 20.6. Dan. 2.21. This his commanding of all creatures &s;heweth, and their obeying. P&s;al. 104.4. I&s;aiah 37. Jo&s;hua 10.12, 13. Exod. 14.21. Matth. 8.26. Dan. 3.6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he hath created and doth &s;u&s;taine all, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> it is rea&s;on he &s;hould be their King, and they his &s;ubjects.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e there would be no order, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> but all confu&s;ion; <HI>Lactantius de fal&s;a religione, lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 3. hee gives this as a rea&s;on for the order of things, becau&s;e there is but one God that governes all: For as in an Army, if there were as many Ge|neralls as there are Bands, Companies, and Wings of the Bat|tell, it could neither be in&s;tructed nor governed, becau&s;e eve|ry one would &s;tand upon his owne wi&s;edome and coun&s;ell, and &s;uch di&s;&s;ention would rather hurt than profit. So in this world, if there were multitudes of Governours, if God were not the &s;ole King and Governour, there would be nothing but confu|&s;ion and di&s;order.</P>
<P>U&s;es of this we have before, <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e"> <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 4. The Lord of Ho&s;ts.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="1" REF="133">
<HEAD>THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE PROPHET <HI>MALACHY.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_AND now, Oye Prie&s;ts, this commandement is for you.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>2 If ye will not he are it, nor con&s;ider it in your heart, to give glory unto my Name, &s;ayth the Lord of ho&s;tes, I will even &s;end a cur&s;e upon you, and will cur&s;e your ble&s;&s;ings: yea, I have cur&s;ed them already, becau&s;e ye doe not con&s;ider it in your heart.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 Behold, I will corrupt your &s;eede, and ca&s;t dung upon your faces; even the dung of your &s;olemne fea&s;ts, and you &s;hall be like unto it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 And ye &s;hall know that I have &s;ent this commandement unto you; that my cove|nant which I made with Ley<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, might &s;tand, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;tes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave him feare, and he feared me, and was afrayde before my Name.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and there was no iniquity found in his lippes: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turne many away from ini|quity.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 For the Prie&s;ts lips &s;hould pre&s;erve knowledge, and they &s;hould &s;eeke the Law at his mouth; for he is the me&s;&s;enger of the Lord of ho&s;ts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 But ye are gone out of the way ye have cau&s;ed many to fall by the Law: ye have broken the covenant of Levi, &s;ayth the Lord of ho&s;ts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 Therefore have I al&s;o made you to be de&s;pi&s;ed, and vile before all the people be|cau&s;e ye kept not my wayes, but have beene partiall in the Law.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God made us? why do <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> tran&s;gre&s;&s;e every one again&s;t his brother, and breake the covenant of our fathers?</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 Judah hath tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, and an abomination is commited in I&s;rael and in Jeru&s;alem: for Judah hath defiled the holine&s;&s;e of the Lord, which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a &s;trange god.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 The Lord will cut off the man that doth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> both the ma&s;ter and the &s;ervant out of the Tabernacle of Jaacob, and him that offere<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ering unto the Lord of ho&s;tes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>13 And this have ye done againe, and covered the altar of the Lord with teares, with weeping, and with mourning: becau&s;e the offering is no more regarded, neither received acceptably at your hands.</ITEM>
<ITEM>14 Yet yee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Wherein? Becau&s;e the Lord hath beene witne&s;&s;e betweene thee and the wife of thy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> again&s;t whom <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> ha&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, yet &s;he is thy companion, and the wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> of thy covenant.</ITEM>
<ITEM>15 And did not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> take one? yet had he abundance of &s;pirit: and wherefore one? becau&s;e he &s;ought a godly &s;eede: therefore keep your &s;elves in your &s;pirit, and let none tre&s;pa&s;&s;e again&s;t the wife of his youth.</ITEM>
<ITEM>16 If thou hate&s;t her, put her away, &s;ayth the Lord God of I&s;rael, yet he covereth the injury under his garment, &s;ayth the Lord of ho&s;ts: therefore keep your &s;elves in your &s;pirit, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;e not.</ITEM>
<ITEM>17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words: yet ye &s;ay wherein have we wearied him? When ye &s;ay, every one that doth evill is good in the &s;ight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them. Or where is the God of judgement?</ITEM>
</LIST>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="2" REF="134">
<HEAD>VERS. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And now, O yee Prie&s;ts, this commandment is for you.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_THE parts of this Chapter are Cur&s;es and Judgements, threatned again&s;t 1. the Prie&s;ts. 2. the People. In the fir&s;t ver&s;e is noted the preface to the Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P>He applieth his doctrine to the Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P>It is the dutie of the Mini&s;ter, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> not onely to teach generall doctrine, but to deliver that which may concerne every man, and every &s;tate and condition of men; &s;pecially being his auditory &amp; charge, to apply things to &s;everall e&s;tates of men. So is it here, as Rom. 13.7. So, reproofe to whom reproofe, judgement, mercie, en|couragement, or terrour to whom it is due and belongs, Ezech. 3.17.18.19.20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is the Lords Steward of his hou&s;hold, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to di&s;po&s;e to all his &s;ervants their due portion. 1 Cor. 4.1.2. <HI>Let a man &s;o ac|count of us, as of the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t and Stewards of the My&s;te|ries of God. Moreover, it is required in Stewards, that a man be found faithfull.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e if they deale thus faithfully, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> their reward &s;hall be great at the comming of their Lord and Ma&s;ter. If otherwi&s;e, their re|compence &s;hall be fearfull, Luk. 12.42. to 47.</P>
<P>To condemne tho&s;e who teach onely generall things, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> generall duties of Chri&s;tianity, or generall points; and &s;peake, as it were, in the clouds, never applying the Doctrine to any particular, to no men, no conditions, no &s;tate; who deale &s;o, as civill hone&s;t men would be a&s;hamed to do, defraud men of their portion. In the ages wher&s;oever they lived, they would be accounted the be&s;t Mini&s;ters, and the onely men; but being unfaithfull &s;ervants, Luke 12.46. The Lord of that &s;ervant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an houre when he is not aware, and will cut him in &s;under, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.</P>
<P>To &s;top their mouths who &s;ay, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> The Mini&s;ter is be&s;ide his text, if he &s;peake and apply any thing in particular to mens particular &s;tates and callings. It is a &s;trange thing men can endure that for
<PB N="3" REF="134">the body, they cannot for the &s;oule; nay that, which for the body is complained of, as di&s;hone&s;t and unfaithfull when it is not done, they cry out of it, if it be done to the &s;oule. In the body, for the health of it, men can endure not only pre&s;cription, but application of Phy&s;icke; yea, of &s;harpe, bitter, and biting things. If they &s;end for a Phy&s;itian who feeles their pul&s;e, di&s;cerneth their urine, and conceiveth of their di&s;ea&s;e, and yet fall onely to di&s;cour&s;e of the excellentne&s;&s;e of Phy&s;icke, and other di&s;ea&s;es, and never come any thing to theirs at all, they would happily judge him a great Scholar, but no wi&s;e man, nor fit for a Phy&s;itian; and hap|pily call in que&s;tion his fidelity. But for the &s;oule, if the &s;pirituall Phy&s;itian apply any thing, if it have any &s;harpne&s;&s;e in it, if be|ing with them, and living among them, and &s;eeing their e&s;tate, he touch them, and apply it to them, he is accounted no wi&s;e man, hapily a bu&s;ie and indi&s;creet fellow. The Phy&s;itian takes not the way to &s;ave their bodies, and he is cried out on: the Mini&s;ter takes the way to &s;ave their &s;oules, and he is cried out of. The Phy&s;itian that will pre&s;cribe, and &s;ee his patient take it, and come to &s;ee how it workes with him, is much commended for his ho|ne&s;ty, care and fidelity: But if the Mini&s;ter do the like, he is bu&s;ie and medling; but he that will plea&s;e men, is not the &s;ervant of Chri&s;t: and the&s;e mu&s;t know, when he deales with their parti|cular &s;innes, out of a generall text, he hath his warrant enough, &s;uch as &s;hall acquit him.</P>
<P>To teach the hearer to endevour to apply that he heareth de|livered to him&s;elfe, and to learne what is for him, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and that to ap|ply to him&s;elfe: for if the Mini&s;ter, 2. Tim. 2.15. mu&s;t &s;tudy to approve him&s;elfe a workman, that needeth not to be a&s;hamed, di|viding the Word aright, then &s;hall the hearer approve him&s;elfe a workman that needeth not to be a&s;hamed, receiving the Word a|right. They mu&s;t therefore apply it to them&s;elves. The Mini|&s;ters application may di&s;charge him&s;elfe, but not profit them, un|le&s;&s;e they will apply and keep it. The Patient, if he take not, and endevour to keep the potion pre&s;cribed and brought, by &s;melling of vinegar, or the like, labouring again&s;t the bad humours of the &s;tomacke, &s;hall have little profit by the Phy&s;ick, but rather hurt: So it is in this, they mu&s;t heare all, and labour to retain all; but learne that e&s;pecially which concernes them&s;elves, places and conditions. One man &s;hould not &s;o greedily receive that which toucheth another man, and let pa&s;&s;e that which is to him; or ap|ply that to others which is to him&s;elfe, but every man that which is for him&s;elfe. He never proves a good Scholar, which is bu&s;ie to learne other of his fellowes le&s;&s;ons, and neglecteth his owne: nor he a good Chri&s;tian that can take out other mens duties, and not his owne, not know what is for him.</P>
<P><HI>O yee Prie&s;ts.]</HI> It may &s;eeme he goeth too farre in dealing with
<PB N="4" REF="135">the Prie&s;ts, who were the greate&s;t men the time had, except their Ruler, who then was no King, and <HI>Malacchy</HI> but a mean man, as o|ther the Prophets were; and yet he dealeth with the Prie&s;ts, not excepting the high Prie&s;t him&s;elfe. Be&s;ides, this corruption was the per&s;onall fault of the people, and the Prie&s;ts might excu&s;e them&s;elves, as not to be reproved for other mens faults: yet he deals with them.</P>
<P><HI>This commandment is for you.]</HI> The rea&s;on why they are re|proved, becau&s;e the charge hereof was by God laid on them: God had commanded them to look to this; he is thought by this, to cut off every excu&s;e which might be made again&s;t his reproof, either why they have not done it, or why hereafter they &s;hould not do it. As for the people, they might &s;ay, they were bare with their long journey and co&s;t of building, and they were growne old, and if they were not tolerated thus to do, they would bring nothing at all, and his wor&s;hip would fall to the ground. The Prophet an&s;wereth, That God hath commanded, and therefore they are to doe it, what&s;oever come of it.</P>
<P>What&s;oever God commandeth men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> or calleth them to, that they mu&s;t obey and do; what&s;oever inconvenience may follow of it, they mu&s;t &s;hut their eyes again&s;t them all, and put their hand into Gods hand, to be led by him whither&s;oever he will. So with the&s;e: <HI>Abraham</HI> obeyed God to go out of his owne coun|trey when God called him, not objecting the inconveniences, Gen. 12.4. And when to offer up <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> not objecting, as he might if he had con&s;ulted with fle&s;h and blood, infinite things again&s;t it. Gen. 22. Hereto is that, Exod. 34.23.24. Levit. 25.20. Ga|lat. 1.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all inconveniences in the world, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> will not excu&s;e the fact, mans di&s;obedience; it may &s;ometime le&s;&s;en it in mans rea&s;on, but not defend it in Gods judgement.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God is able either to take away tho&s;e inconveniences, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> or to make them turne to his owne glory, and the advantage of man, who in a &s;incere con&s;cience doth obey him. And he will do &s;o as in <HI>Daniel,</HI> and the three Children.</P>
<P>To reprove all tho&s;e who refu&s;e to obey tho&s;e things they are taught and &s;hewed, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> that God hath commanded, becau&s;e of &s;ome inconveniences they fore&s;ee will follow: They &s;hall happily be debarred of their plea&s;ure, or deprived of their profit, or be di&s;|countenanced of great ones, or derided of inferiours: therefore they will not be religious, nor profe&s;&s;ors, nor reforme their man|ners, nor be carefull of their lives, and &s;eek to make con&s;cience of their wayes, as if God cannot bring the&s;e upon them for evill, as well and more then man for good: Or as if the&s;e had not befallen men in their di&s;obedience, as well as tho&s;e who have obeyed him. As if the&s;e can excu&s;e a man when he &s;hal come before the Judge,
<PB N="5" REF="135">or he &s;hall not be &s;tript naked of them all, and be left alone to an|&s;wer for his di&s;obedience. Men are taught they ought to deale plainly and truly with others in weight and mea&s;ure, to &s;peake truth, and not to lie, and &s;uch like: They &s;ee then they &s;hall not grow rich as others, and be e&s;teemed of as others, as they think; and therefore they chu&s;e rather by &s;uch meanes to grow rich, then to obey God: as if their comming into the world was onely to get riches, and not to honour and obey God. Teach them to be liberall unto the poore for good cau&s;es, and to make them friends with the riches of iniquity, Luk. 10.9. and that God will give them u&s;e for it: They will an&s;wer or thinke as the widow of Sa|repta did, 1 Kings 17. they have little enough for them&s;elves and theirs, and they feare to want before they die, or not to leave enough for theirs. As if that they left behinde them were theirs, and not rather that they &s;ent before. As Princes have more u&s;e of that they &s;end by their Harbingers, then of that they leave in their &s;tanding hou&s;es: &s;o &s;hould they have more profit by that they give before, then that they leave behinde. Per&s;wade them to make re&s;titution of that they have wrongfully taken from men, or el&s;e God will not ju&s;tifie them but condemne them, Micha 6.10.11. They &s;ee they &s;hall call their names in que&s;tion, they pretend &s;landering of the Go&s;pel. To the&s;e I &s;ay, <HI>Saul</HI> di&s;obeyed God, as he pretended to &s;acrifice to God, or to have that he might, and not for private u&s;e; but it excu&s;ed him not, he lo&s;t his kingdome for it: let them take heed they lo&s;e not the kingdome they &s;ay they hope and look for.</P>
<P>To teach every man when he hath a commandment of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to obey, and not to ca&s;t at the inconveniences, to hinder him&s;elfe from obeying: for he that will looke at &s;uch things, &s;hall be like him, Eccle&s;. 11.4. He that ob&s;erveth the winde, &s;hall not &s;ow; and he that regardeth the clouds, &s;hall not reap: he &s;hall neither &s;ow any obedience, nor reap any reward. If he &s;ee no inconve|nience imminent, and obey, it is not much worth: for he plea&s;eth him&s;elfe rather then God; but if there be, it is the more accepta|ble. As di&s;obedience in &s;mall things is more offen&s;ive, becau&s;e the obedience was ea&s;ie: &s;o obedience in great things, and when there are great inconveniences, is more acceptable, becau&s;e it is harder. Therefore if God command, we mu&s;t &s;hew our &s;elves the children of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and of the faithfull. What though in|conveniences will follow? what though the world &s;hall con|demne us, and the wicked flout us, and the Divell and our owne fle&s;h &s;et them&s;elves again&s;t us? Deny thy &s;elfe as <HI>Abraham</HI> did, and thine owne rea&s;on; di&s;pute not of the commandment of God, but obey, and commit the event to God. Worthy is that &s;aying of<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Quihabet certum Dei verbum in quacunque vocatione, credat tantu~ &amp; audeat, &amp; dabit Deus haud dubia, &s;ecundos ex|itus. <HI>Luth.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Luther</HI> to be written in the tables of our hearts: <HI>He that hath Gods word for what he doth in any calling, let him beleeve, and go
<PB N="6" REF="136">boldly on, and no doubt God will give a good i&s;&s;ue.</HI> If God com|mand them, and they &s;ee great inconvenience, pa&s;&s;e and mount over them all by thy faith, as <HI>Abraham</HI> did, and beleeve, Gen. 22.8. God will give an eva&s;ion, and thou &s;halt have occa&s;ion to &s;ay, ver&s;. 14. <HI>In the mount the Lord will provide.</HI> And as <HI>Philo,</HI> when he pleaded the cau&s;e of his Nation, being brought to a great exi|gent before <HI>Caligula,</HI> &s;aid; <HI>It cannot be but that Gods aid is neer, when all mens help faileth us.</HI></P>
<P><HI>This commandment is for you.]</HI> The care of Gods &s;ervice, to &s;ee it be done as it ought, to direct the people, to reprove their cor|ruption, to refine their corrupt offerings, belongeth to the Mini|&s;ter; of which I have &s;poken in the former Chapter.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>If ye will not heare it, nor con&s;ider it in your heart, to give glory unto my Name, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, I will even &s;end a cur&s;e upon you, and will cur&s;e your ble&s;sings: yea, I have cur&s;ed them already, becau&s;e ye do not con&s;ider it in your heart.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>IF ye will not heare it.]</HI> In the matter of this cur&s;e we con&s;ider, fir&s;t, the exception, which is treble, to heare, and apply, and give glory to God. The &s;umme is, repentance; unle&s;&s;e they will con|&s;ider things well, and enter into their hearts, and returne to do things worthy their place, and fitting their calling, the&s;e things mu&s;t come upon them: &s;o that without this, the&s;e mu&s;t come, no|thing can hinder it.</P>
<P>There is no means to keep away or turn away Gods judge|ments, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> but repentance. Revel. 2.5. <HI>Except thou repent.</HI></P>
<P>In the particulars, the fir&s;t is, to hear; they were the Mini&s;ters of the A&s;&s;emblies, &s;uch as were able to teach others, why &s;hould they heare? or what need of hearing? Yet they mu&s;t heare.</P>
<P>They who have knowledge and under&s;tanding of the word of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> and the my&s;teries of &s;alvation, ought &s;till to heare it from others; hence it is required of the&s;e. And hereto belongs the often rehear&s;ing of that &s;entence: <HI>He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,</HI> as often in the Go&s;pel, and Matth. 13.9.43. 1 Pet. 2.2. Heb. 6.1. Acts 13.42.43. &amp; 17.32.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> by this meanes, there may be added to their know|ledge, faith and the per&s;wa&s;ion of their heart of tho&s;e things they know and conceive in the braine; and &s;o they may have a &s;ancti|fied knowledge, and a con&s;cience of the practice of things they know, Rom. 10.17.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="136">
<P>To bring to minde tho&s;e things which they know and be|leeve: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> for they often forget, or think not of them, even then when they have mo&s;t occa&s;ion either to practi&s;e, or to receive benefit and comfort by them, 2 Pet. 1.12. either naturall forgetfulne&s;&s;e, or pa&s;&s;ion hinders. As in a great di&s;ea&s;e, a Phy&s;itian him&s;elf may have oblivion of his Art, and the things good for him.</P>
<P>To &s;tir up their affections, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and to work upon them to the grea|ter love of good things, and hatred of evill, even of particular &s;ins, 2 Pet. 1.13. 2 Tim. 1.6.</P>
<P>To teach men to examine them&s;elves hereby after hearing, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and as often as they heare, whether they are good hearers or no, which is not onely if they have got more knowledge then they had, and gone away more wi&s;e, as a Scholar from his Ma&s;ter; but if they have their hearts more fully per&s;waded of the promi&s;es of the Go&s;pel, &amp; &s;ay with the Samaritans, Joh. 4.44. We now more be|leeve, having heard Chri&s;t him&s;elf. As they who having apro|mi&s;e of a Prince of &s;ome great matters, or the relation of &s;ome great good done for them, at the &s;econd or third hearing of it, are made more joyfull, and more &s;tedfa&s;t to beleeve it: &s;o with them, if they find them&s;elves put in mind of many duties they knew be|fore, but affection blinded them, and pa&s;&s;ion overcame them; and now make more con&s;cience of the practice of them. As they who knew &s;ome dangerous meat to their health, yet affection would not let them ab&s;taine, after they have heard a Phy&s;itian &s;peak, go away with re&s;olution to be more carefull of their diet: yea, their hearts are inflamed with a greater love of good things, with more zeale for the glory of God, with more hatred of &s;in, who go a|way as <HI>Naaman</HI> the Syrian did from the Prophet, with a re&s;olution to &s;erve no God but the God of heaven; not his old Gods, his belly, or his pur&s;e, or his lu&s;t, the world, &s;in, or any other.</P>
<P><HI>Nor con&s;ider it in your heart.]</HI> The &s;econd thing in the excepti|on, the con&s;idering of that they have heard. The word is, put, or lay it upon your heart, an Hebrai&s;me &s;ignifying to attend diligent|ly, and to &s;et a mans heart upon that which is &s;poken, or to lay it &s;urely up.</P>
<P>It is required that men do not onely heare the word, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> but that they ponder and con&s;ider it, lay it up in their hearts, and &s;et their hearts upon it, by marking, applying, and diligently meditating, or recalling. To this purpo&s;e is Deut. 6.6. &amp; 11.18. P&s;al. 119.11. Col. 3.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a right trea&s;ure, and gold, P&s;al. 19.10. Rev. 2. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> And therefore not onely to be &s;ought for, as trea&s;ure, but to be laid up in the be&s;t, and chiefe&s;t che&s;t and trea&s;urie.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a Sword, whereby a man may defend him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and offend Satan, Ephe&s;. 6.17. No man having his enemy alwayes, and in every corner lying in ambu&s;h for him, &s;eeking to &s;poile
<PB N="8" REF="137">him, will be without his &s;word, but carry it ever about with him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it el&s;e will never be profitable unto them for &s;alvation, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> nor fruitfull in them to glorification: for if it be not ingrafted in them, it will not &s;ave them, Jam. 1.27. And if it take not root, it cannot do it, no more then the &s;eed that lieth upon the bad, &s;tony, or thorny ground.</P>
<P>This is to reprove all carele&s;&s;e hearers, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who heare and retaine nothing, never lay it up, their memories are as &s;ives, whereout the water runs as fa&s;t as it comes in. Luk. 2.18.19. And all that heard it, wondred at the things that were told them of the Shepheards; but <HI>Mary</HI> kept all tho&s;e &s;ayings, and pondred them in her heart.</P>
<P>To &s;hew the rea&s;on why &s;o little profit comes by the Word; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> becau&s;e it is heard, but not kept, not laid up, often not received; either becau&s;e it is a &s;trange thing, Ho&s;ea 8.12. or el&s;e becau&s;e they are &s;o full, that it is water powred upon a full ve&s;&s;ell, and pa&s;|&s;eth all by: they are &s;o full of their worldly plea&s;ures and delights, profits and de&s;ires; or it &s;taieth not with them, as Phy&s;icke doth no good that is not kept. And to u&s;e Chri&s;ts compari&s;on, Matth. 13.33. leaven put in, not hid, not remaining, makes no change.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade to heare with all diligence, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and lay it up with all carefulne&s;&s;e, and &s;eek it, may, as it were, take root in us, Heb. 2.1. wherefore we ought diligently to give heed to the things which we have heard, le&s;t at any time we &s;hould let them &s;lip, Jam. 1.21. Wherefore lay apart all filthine&s;&s;e and &s;uperfluity of maliciou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and receive with meekne&s;&s;e the word that is grafted in you, which is able to &s;ave your &s;oules: the word that is grafted in you.</P>
<P><HI>To give glory unto my Name.]</HI> Here is the third thing in this ex|ception, to do things worthy or fitting their mini&s;tery or calling, they may thereby glorifie his Name; that is (this being made op|po&s;ite to that which was in the former Chapter of polluting his Name) they may make his wor&s;hip to be regarded and honoured. The&s;e Prie&s;ts mu&s;t not onely heare and lay up the Word and Commandment, but al&s;o obey and do it, if they will e&s;cape the cur&s;e, and enjoy the ble&s;&s;ing. And if they be carefull in their place, to reprove, teach, direct, to reject their corrupt &s;acrifices, then &s;hould his wor&s;hip be uncorrupted, and kept pure.</P>
<P>Men mu&s;t not onely heare and beleeve, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> and lay up the word of God, but they mu&s;t draw it forth into obedience and practice, if they would e&s;cape the cur&s;e, or enjoy the ble&s;&s;ings, either in this life, or the life to come. So much here, and Jam. 1.25. Rev. 2.26. And keep my workes.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> if they be carefull in their places, to in|&s;truct what men ought to do, to reprove when they offend, to di|rect them, and reject them and their &s;acrifices, when they are not
<PB N="9" REF="137">as they &s;hould be; Gods wor&s;hip will not be corrupt, but keep ve|ry holy and pure: So here. This is manife&s;t by the dedication of the &s;eaven Epi&s;tles to the Churches, to the Angels of them; becau&s;e they being faithfull, there would be no &s;uch carele&s;ne&s;&s;e and coldne&s;&s;e. Hence are the charges given to <HI>Timothy</HI> and <HI>Titus</HI> by Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> 1 Tim. 5.21. &amp; 2.4.1. and that 2 Tim. 2.2. All the time <HI>Eli</HI> was young, and able to looke to the wor&s;hip of God, be|ing faithful, it was pure, and the offerings of God regarded, 1 Sam. 1.2. So of <HI>Iehoiada,</HI> 2 Chron. 24.2. Hence that, Acts 20.28. <HI>Take heed therefore unto your &s;elves, and to all the flock whereof the holy Gho&s;t hath made you over&s;eers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purcha&s;ed with his own bloud.</HI> Hence is that of <HI>Hege&s;ippus</HI> in <HI>Eu&s;ebius,</HI> while the Apo&s;tles lived, and they who heard Chri&s;t teaching, the Church remained a pure and incorrupt virgine; but when that age was pa&s;t, errour and corruption was &s;pread a|broad.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e while they are faithfull and watchfull, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> the envious man will not &s;ow his tares: They who have de&s;ire to corrupt the pu|ritie of doctrine and wor&s;hip of God, will not &s;hew them&s;elves or ob&s;curely or fearfully; and if they do, yet they will be &s;oone pulled up, and the growth of them prevented.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the people &s;hall by their diligence be armed by in&s;tru|ction to di&s;cern and with&s;tand corruption from without, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and be excited again&s;t their owne coldne&s;&s;e and carele&s;ne&s;&s;e, which natu|rally would come upon them; as naturally men thinke any thing too much, and every thing good enough for Gods &s;ervice, un|le&s;&s;e they have remembrances to the contrary.</P>
<P>Then mo&s;t commonly, if not alwayes, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> by the corruption and contempt of Gods &s;ervice and wor&s;hip, we may gather the negli|gence, carele&s;ne&s;&s;e and unfaithfulne&s;&s;e of the Mini&s;tery in every Church; and, <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> for &s;uch people, &s;uch Prie&s;ts, &s;uch follow|ers, &s;uch guides. Travellers will hardly go before their guide, but follow after him. It may &s;ometime fall out otherwi&s;e; but that happeneth, as many a careful ma&s;ter hath corrupt &s;ervants, though he have never &s;uch care over them, becau&s;e his neighbours do not carefully and &s;traitly bring up theirs: &s;o from the neighbour pa|ri&s;hes: But where the Mini&s;ters are joyntly faithfull, they have not that corruption which otherwi&s;e would be.</P>
<P>To teach as many as de&s;ire and love the pure wor&s;hip of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that it may continue and not be corrupted, to do what is in them for their places and condition, that there may be continued a faithfull and painfull Mini&s;tery. Private men u&s;e private meanes to pray that the Lord of the harve&s;t will thru&s;t out &s;till more and more labourers. Others in their place to &s;peake and advance Lawes and Ordinances for that purpo&s;e: for if old and faithfull <HI>Eli</HI> be any way di&s;enabled, and his &s;ucce&s;&s;ors be <HI>Hophni</HI> and <HI>Phi|neas,</HI>
<PB N="10" REF="138">given to their bellies, to idlene&s;&s;e, to prophanene&s;&s;e, and yet they may carry it out, as they, with little or no check, and not be compelled to other carriage; how &s;hall not the offerings of God and his wor&s;hip be contemned? If Wolves be among the Flocks, &amp; the Shepheards be a&s;leep, and watch them not by night, in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on, how &s;hould they not be &s;poyled? The nature of man of it &s;elfe will be carele&s;&s;e enough of the &s;ervice of God, how much more if they have corruptions; nay, if it want encouragers, but finde bad and corrupt examples.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h the Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> &s;eeing that upon them depends the purity or corruption, the honour or contempt of the &s;ervice of God, as they have a de&s;ire that he who&s;e they are, whom they &s;erve, and who hath taken them &s;o nigh unto him&s;elfe, may be honoured of his people, and have pure and holy wor&s;hip perfor|med unto him: &s;o to be faithfull &amp; diligent in their places, to teach and in&s;truct, to exhort and per&s;wade men unto them: As they ought to give the Lord no re&s;t for his people, being his remem|brancers; &s;o not them for him, being me&s;&s;enger: for if they be carele&s;&s;e and negligent, as the people will grow corrupt, &s;o they will like them&s;elves in their corruption. For men who carry their &s;innes away unrepented, will take them&s;elves not to &s;in, and &s;o no glory &s;hold be given to his Name. How unfaithfull &s;hould that &s;ervant be, who for &s;paring him&s;elfe a little, will let his ma&s;ters honour fall to the ground: &s;o that Mini&s;ter. Be they as watchfull as they can, they &s;hall finde that this corruption will &s;ea&s;e upon men, and &s;ettle upon them, if they wake them not; how much more if they &s;leep, will the enemy &s;ow tares?</P>
<P><HI>I will even &s;end a cur&s;e upon you.]</HI> The cur&s;e in generall, which is not for their &s;inne &s;o much, as for their impenitencie: for &s;o the coherence &s;heweth, and this his long patience towards them.</P>
<P><HI>I will even &s;end a cur&s;e.]</HI> For the contempt of his wor&s;hip comes many plagues and cur&s;es upon men. <HI>vide cap.</HI> 1.14.</P>
<P><HI>Vpon you.]</HI> Though his Prie&s;ts, and deare to him, yet that would not &s;ave them.</P>
<P>No per&s;on can be free from the judgements of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> if they &s;inne, be they never &s;o neere unto him, either in place, or particu|lar profe&s;&s;ion, or in generall profe&s;&s;ion of his Word, as it is mani|fe&s;t here. So Numb. 20.12. Levit. 10.1.2. <HI>Eli</HI> and his &s;ons, 1 Sam. 4.2 Sam. 6. <HI>Vzzah.</HI> Luke 1.18.20. Acts 5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e when he cannot be &s;anctified in them, he will be glo|rified, Levit. 10.3. that is, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he will ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe and his ju&s;tice, when he &s;pares not &s;uch as are nigh to him. For as it was the grea|ter manife&s;tation of <HI>Salomons</HI> ju&s;tice, that he put a murtherer to death, and a great on, <HI>Ioab:</HI> &s;o the more that he put him to death at the hornes of the Altar, 1 Kings 2.31.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="138">
<P>Becau&s;e he might either purge their pre&s;ent condition, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> or pre|vent their future &s;innes, and keep both them and others from pre|&s;uming: What better meanes then &s;harp medicines, and &s;everity in puni&s;hing? Deut. 13.11.</P>
<P>Then from the judgements of God upon men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> of a &s;peciall or generall profe&s;&s;ion, may not a man condemne the profe&s;&s;ion, becau&s;e this proves the profe&s;&s;ors not to be &s;uch as they &s;hould be: as many are ready to condemne the Mini&s;tery, and the profe&s;&s;ion of pietie, from &s;ome judgments that happen unto them that are in the profe&s;&s;ion. Admit that the judgement argue the corruption, yet mu&s;t it not condemne the profe&s;&s;ion, or the place.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Si videris &s;acerdotem indignum, non ob id calumniari &s;acerdotium debes, ne&abque; enim calumnianda res e&s;t, &s;ed ille &s;olum meretur oner ari convitiis, qui tanto bono abutatur. Non enim &s;i Judas proditor fuit, hoc Apo&s;tolicae profe&s;&s;ionis crimen, &s;ed unsus tantum viri mens improba fuit: &amp; medici quidem multi carnifices &s;unt, qui pro medelis venenum propinant, nec tamen arte~ vitupero, &s;ed qui arte &s;ua ini|qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s abutitur: &amp; nautae quamplures na|vigia ami&s;erunt, nec ars navigandi ta|men corum perver&s;a voluntas jure dam|nanda. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tom.</HI></NOTE> If you &s;ee an unworthy Prie&s;t, you may not pre&s;ently &s;lander the Prie&s;t|hood; but him who abu&s;es it. If <HI>Iudas</HI> were a traytor it was his owne fault, and not to be laid to the Apo&s;tolicall pro|fe&s;&s;ion. Many Phy&s;itians are murthe|rers, who poy&s;on in &s;tead of curing; yet I condemne not the Art, but &s;uch as a|bu&s;e it. Many Mariners make &s;hip|wracke; yet we condemne not the Art of Navigation, but their badne&s;&s;e. And mens mindes, who in &s;uch things mu&s;t needs be occupied, &s;hould rather exerci&s;e them&s;elves to meditate of the ju&s;tice of God, and to ju&s;tifie him that &s;pares not &s;inne, no not in tho&s;e who are mo&s;t nigh unto him, giving a purgation, as it were, to his owne hou&s;e, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid he would do to his, P&s;al. 101. And laying the fault where it is, not upon the profe&s;&s;ion, but the per&s;on. In this <HI>Iobs</HI> friends were better then many, who of the two, when they could not &s;ound the depth of Gods dealing, they accu&s;ed him rather then his profe&s;&s;ion, that he had been but an hypocrite in it. And as not anothers profe&s;&s;ion, &s;o never his own, where he findes Gods judgements in it. As many men draw neere to God, and take &s;ome holy profe&s;&s;ion upon them, and thinke then all &s;hould be &s;afe with them, and then feare nothing; which when it befalleth unto them, begin to contemne their pro|fe&s;&s;ion, as the Jewes, Jer. 44.15.16.17.18. &s;o they. But as the Jewes never con&s;idered their pre&s;ent corrupt &s;ervice of God, nor their by-pa&s;t corruption and Idolatry unrepented of, ver&s;. 21. whereby they might have &s;een that it came upon them for that, not for their profe&s;&s;ion. So with the&s;e.</P>
<P>To teach all, who draw neere to the Lord, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> either by &s;ome &s;pe|ciall office in the Church, or profe&s;&s;ion of his Word, not for that to pre&s;ume to live in any &s;in, as if that &s;hould be his &s;anctuary: for if others have been &s;miten, as it were, at the hornes of the Altar,
<PB N="12" REF="139">why &s;hould he thinke to e&s;cape? nay, he &s;hall the le&s;&s;e e&s;cape then an other further from God, becau&s;e he hath the&s;e examples, and hath not feared;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1 Pet. 4.17. And for profe&s;&s;i|on, as</HI> Salvian, <HI>of a particular &s;in; yea, of all:</HI> Licet grav&egrave; in omnibus praecipu&egrave; in tis ta|men quae in con&s;imili crimine etiam prof<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;io &s;anctitatis ac|cu&s;at.</NOTE> nay, he ought the rather to labour for more holine&s;&s;e, the neerer he comes to God, and to avoyd even the le&s;&s;e corrup|tions; for the Lord will le&s;&s;e bear it in them: for he will be &s;anctified in them that draw neer unto him; if not by their holine&s;&s;e, yet by his own ju&s;tice in puni&s;hing them more &s;harply; to the end that as the wax, the more neerer it approcheth to the fire, &s;o much more the heat of the fire approacheth in melting of it: &s;o the holine&s;&s;e of God may better be known in unca&s;ing of &s;uch hypocrites, or hypocri&s;ie approaching to him; and &s;o he may be the more glorified of the people in &s;uch judgements.</P>
<P><HI>And will cur&s;e your ble&s;sings.]</HI> The fir&s;t particular cur&s;es in cur&s;ing their ble&s;&s;ings already be&s;towed on them; which is either by taking from them the power they have to nouri&s;h, and he hath by his ordinance given unto them; or el&s;e &s;o that they &s;hall not be comfortable unto them; or el&s;e in making them turn to their hurt.</P>
<P>Then doth God cur&s;e men when they have abundance of out|ward things, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> and have not the comfort by them; which happens either by his taking away the &s;taffe from the creature, or the &s;trength from the eater, Micha 6.14. Thou &s;halt eate and not be &s;atisfied.</P>
<P>All creatures have the power to help, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> nouri&s;h and comfort man, and to pre&s;erve his life, not of them&s;elves, but from God and his ble&s;&s;ing. Meat without him are fitter to choke then feed, as clay to put out eyes, Joh. 9. rather then to give &s;ight.</P>
<P>This teacheth why the rich as well as the poore mu&s;t pray, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Give us the day, &amp;c. and tho&s;e who have abundance, as well as tho&s;e who want.</P>
<P>Not to tru&s;t and rely upon them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> when we have them, and u&s;e them: for Luke 12.15. <HI>A mans life con&s;i&s;ts not in the abundance of things which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth.</HI></P>
<P>Not to feare or di&s;tru&s;t when our means are never &s;o &s;mall, nay, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> wanting; becau&s;e he that can by the means, can al&s;o help without them, where he hath him&s;elfe denied them, and man not by his fault deprived him&s;elfe of them: &s;o much is that of Matth. 4.4.7. There is another remedy in the hand of God, who though he give not food, can prolong the life of man with his beck and will, and word onely; he that could make the garments of the I&s;raelites la&s;t longer then by rea&s;on or in their nature they could, can make the life of man, which is more excellent, to la&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Yea, I have cur&s;ed them already.]</HI> An amplification, or confir|mation
<PB N="13" REF="139">by way of correction; &s;hewing how they had not profi|ted by his judgements, though they were upon them, and had been long.</P>
<P>The judgements of God profit not the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> but rather of them&s;elves make them wor&s;e: They benefit not by them, but grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e. They dimini&s;h not their &s;ins, but adde to them. The experience of all times in the Church &s;heweth it, I&s;aiah 1.6. Jer. 5.3. <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and his &s;ervants, <HI>Saul</HI> and his court.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are ignorant and blinde, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> not knowing who &s;mit them, nor why, neither the authour, nor the end, nor the cau&s;e. Like the pur-blinde Phili&s;tims, 1 Sam. 6.9. who would rather impute it to chance then the hand of God, and &s;o think &s;ome o|ther cau&s;e then their &s;in, and &s;ome other end then their for&s;aking their &s;in.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are like to the &s;ervant in the Law, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Exod. 21.5.6. that when he &s;hould have gone out free, yet &s;o loved his wife and children, that he would remaine a &s;ervant for ever, and with a publicke di&s;grace: So the&s;e love their &s;ins, that they had rather be &s;ervants &s;till, and under affliction and judgements, then part with their &s;ins, which makes them impute that they &s;uffer to any thing rather then their &s;ins, finde out &s;ome other cau&s;es, and &s;o blinde them&s;elves. Like men when they have &s;urfeited of &s;ome meat, when the Phy&s;itian comes to them, had rather hazard their health, then tel him what is the cau&s;e, le&s;t he &s;hould forbid it them.</P>
<P>To put a difference betwixt the good and bad, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Gods children and the wicked, who often happen into the &s;ame judgement and affliction together, as chaffe and wheat into the &s;ame &s;ive, gold and dro&s;&s;e into the &s;ame fornace; yet are they diver&s;ly affected in it and by it. Gods children are made the better, more neere heaven, more holy. As trees when they are pruned and lopped from their water boughes, do grow higher, and bring forth fruit more plen|tifully: So he increa&s;eth the more, and is more excellent. As the Arke of <HI>Noah,</HI> the more the waters of the flood increa&s;ed, the higher it was carried, and came neerer to heaven: So they. But the wicked are more hardened, as the Smiths Anvill, or Stithie.</P>
<P>This may teach us, that nothing but the Word is able to win men unto God, and to bring them out of their &s;ins and corrupti|on; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> the benefites and the ble&s;&s;ings God be&s;toweth upon men, and the judgements and cur&s;es he layeth upon them, may prevaile with a man already converted, as he that knows the u&s;e and end of all, but not before, Deut. 32.15. 2 Chron. 28.22. They may pre|pare men for the Word, they may open the eare that a man &s;hall attend to the Word, Job. 33.16. They may, as fire, make a man pliable for the hammer of the Word, that it may work upon them, 2 Chron. 33.12.13.18.</P>
<PB N="14" REF="140">
<P>To teach men not by their affliction, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> but by the fruit of their af|fliction to di&s;cern them&s;elves, whether Gods people or no. I&s;aiah 27.9. And this is all the fruit, the taking away of his &s;in.</P>
<P>Gods judgements not regarded, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> men not profiting by them, they are fore-runners of greater warning-pieces of more fearfull plagues, Ho&s;ea 5.12.13.14. Amos 4.2.11. I&s;aiah 9.12.13.14. Levit. 26.18.21.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e ye do not con&s;ider it in your heart.]</HI> The rea&s;on of this cur&s;e, becau&s;e they had not applied them&s;elves to the Word, and it to them, but had rejected it, and made light by it.</P>
<P>When the Word, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> and admonitions by the Word, are rejected, then followeth the rod of God upon their backes, Micha 6.9. Heare the rod.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Behold I will corrupt your &s;eed, and ca&s;t dung upon your fa|ces, even the dung of your &s;olemne Fea&s;ts, and you &s;hall be like unto it.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>BEhold, I will corrupt your &s;eed.]</HI> The future judgements pro|phecied of, two in this ver&s;e, Famine and Reproach. Thus hath God decreed to puni&s;h tho&s;e; but before he will execute, he makes it knowne to the Prophet, and tells him what he will doe.</P>
<P>When the Lord purpo&s;eth to bring a judgement upon his peo|ple, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> he communicates his coun&s;els with his Prophets and Mi|ni&s;ters.</P>
<P><HI>I will corrupt your &s;eed.]</HI> The fir&s;t judgement in this ver&s;e is, Famine: for the &s;eed corrupted that it can bring forth no fruit, mu&s;t make that, mu&s;t cau&s;e famine.</P>
<P>For the iniquities of a land and people, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> the Lord will lay dearth and famine upon them, even for their &s;in, and for this in &s;peciall, for contempt of his Wor&s;hip and Word. So here, and 2 Chron. 7.13.14. Levit. 26.19, 20. P&s;al. 107.34. Ezech. 5.16.17. Amos 4.4.5.6. &amp; 8.8.13.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> when many other things prevails not, is a meanes to make men retire, and returne to God by repentance. As the in&s;tance in the prodigall &s;on, Luke 15.16.17.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;peaks, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Indigni &s;unt uti creaturis Deum glori|ficantibus ip&s;um bla&s;phemantes, quoniam filius contumelia patrem afficiens, &s;ervorum mini&s;terio fun|gi non e&s;t dignus. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Hom. 25. ad pop. Antioch.</HI></NOTE> they who bla&s;pheme God, de|&s;erve not the u&s;e of tho&s;e creatures which glorifie him; becau&s;e the &s;on which reproaches his father, is unworthy of the mini&s;tery of &s;ervants.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="140">
<P>Becau&s;e it is ju&s;t with God to &s;tarve their bodies, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> who by the contempt of the word &s;tarve their owne &s;ouls; as Haggai 1.4. God called for a famine upon the people, becau&s;e they contem|ned his hou&s;e, and decked their owne: So in this, the &s;oule being his perpetuall hou&s;e, where he would dwell for ever, and their bodies their owne clay hou&s;es, and momentarie.</P>
<P>To informe mens judgements, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who when &s;uch judgements are upon them, to a&s;cribe them to &s;econd cau&s;es: as to the winde and weather, to the di&s;po&s;ition of heavens and earth, or to the cruel|tie of men in hoording up and making a dearth, as the &s;ick often imputeth his di&s;ea&s;e to his meat, or bad diet, or taking the cold, &amp; &s;uch like, and never to their &s;ins, as the cau&s;e of it: the&s;e may be the means, and &s;o thought of; and as in health and pro&s;perity there is &s;omewhat to be given to them as means; &s;o in this. But the principall is their &s;ins, thus provoking God, thus &s;hutting heaven, and opening it again&s;t them; either by drouth making a dearth, as in Judea; or by moi&s;ture making a famine, as in England; or how&s;oever el&s;e it comes, yet the cau&s;e of it is mans &s;ins, &amp; the im|quities of the people; out of the Church, &s;ins again&s;t hone&s;ty, and the &s;econd Table: and in the Church, both tho&s;e, and &s;ins a|gain&s;t the fir&s;t Table, contempt of Gods Wor&s;hip and Word.</P>
<P>To teach us in our land, and time, what we may expect, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as by the cour&s;e of Gods dealing, adding famine to pe&s;tilence, before he bring the &s;word, and other de&s;tructions: As Princes do with rebels in a walled towne, or intrenched in a fence, cut off their provi&s;ion and victuals to make them yeeld: &s;o the &s;ins of the time abounding, as it was prophe&s;ied of the latter times, and the contempt of the word being marvellous great among&s;t us; even among all &s;orts, of all degrees. If it was ju&s;t with God, for &s;en|ding a famine upon I&s;rael three yeares, yeare after yeare, for brea|king their faith with the Gibeonites, and not regarding their word they had pa&s;&s;ed to them, 2 Sam. 21.1. what will it be with God to &s;end it &s;o upon us, who have &s;o often broken faith with him, and contemned his Word and his Promi&s;e? Are not they unworthy of the creatures of God, which glorifie him not in their places, who do daily bla&s;pheme his Name and Word, and make it to be evill &s;poken of? Are &s;uch &s;ons as contemne their father, and re|gard not his word and command, unworthy of the help of any of his &s;ervants? Let us &s;it as Judges in the generall, and we will give &s;entence again&s;t others, that it is &s;o. To us <HI>Nathan</HI> the Pro|phet &s;peaketh, <HI>We are the men.</HI> Therefore what expect we el&s;e? nay, what can we expect better? And if we have not been bettered by Gods hand, as <HI>Dauid</HI> called the pe&s;tilence, It is better we fall into the mercie of in&s;en&s;ible creatures, then into the crueltie of un|rea&s;onable men.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="141">
<P>To direct men when they are under &s;uch a judgement, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."> &amp; God &s;ends cleanne&s;&s;e of teeth, and &s;carcene&s;&s;e of bread, not to quarrell with the meanes, and complaine of this and that, but for a man to quarrell with his owne &s;innes, and con&s;ult not with fle&s;h and bloud, which will make him accu&s;e the meanes; but with the Oracle of God, which will make him accu&s;e him&s;elfe, and let him &s;ee where the &s;inne is, that it may be reproved, and he humbled, and the land cured. <HI>David</HI> tooke this cour&s;e, though it was long before he did it, to enquire of the Lord the cau&s;e of their famine in the end of the third yeare; and under&s;tanding why it was, and that the &s;atisfying of the Gibeonites.</P>
<P><HI>I will corrupt.</HI>] The word &s;ignifies, to rebuke: i. I will with a word of my mouth de&s;troy it.</P>
<P>God is able with his bare Word to bring judgement and de|&s;truction upon a whole land and people, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> if he but &s;peake the word, they &s;hall &s;oon come to naught, and peri&s;h: he that is power|full in the voyce of the people, by the &s;ound of Rams hornes, to the overthrowing of the walls of Jericho, Jo&s;hua 6. can be po|werfull by his owne word, to overthrow whom he will: Or thus, it is as ea&s;ie for the Lord to puni&s;h and de&s;troy men, as it is for man to &s;peak a word, Jer. 18.6.7. P&s;a. 104.29.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he made all things with ea&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and with his own word, Gen. 1. Now it is a farre le&s;&s;er thing to de&s;troy thou&s;ands, then to make one. A man can more ea&s;ily overthrow whole Cities in &s;horter time then build one hou&s;e; &s;ooner &s;inke a Navie then make one &s;hip.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is Lord over all, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and hath all creatures at his com|mand, being Lord of hoa&s;ts. Now how ea&s;ie it is for Princes to de&s;troy their enemies, or tho&s;e they hate, and are di&s;plea&s;ed with|all, when they are of a great command.</P>
<P>To teach men not to rely, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> or put confidence in man, or any creature. There is in it &s;elfe that which might keep men from it, being well thought of and con&s;idered; becau&s;e they are in them|&s;elves mortall and mutable, very uncertaine and deceitfull: but more when this comes to be con&s;idered, that God can &s;o ea&s;ily de&s;troy them, with a word, or blowing upon them; which to tru&s;t and put confidence in them, will certainly procure him to do: and, which done, will make a man marvellou&s;ly a&s;hamed, that he hath put any confidence in them.</P>
<P>To let us &s;ee the fearfull condition, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> and the danger wherein they &s;tand, who live, by rea&s;on of their corruptions and iniqui|ties, out of the favour of God, who can ea&s;ily de&s;troy them, and the things they have, or is beloved of them, with a word, with a bla&s;t. If it be &s;o in re&s;pect of men to live out of the favours of Kings and Princes, who have their limited powers, who are but men, and have their breath in their no&s;trils, as they have; what
<PB N="17" REF="141">is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> be out of Gods favour, by who&s;e breath they &s;tand and live, and w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters"> with-drawing his breath, they come to nothing? If he be &s;o able, why doth he &s;o &s;uffer them? It is from the abun|dance of his patience, not w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters"> of power; which abu&s;ed by them, increa&s;eth his wrath and their &s;innes, and will make that he will come the more &s;uddenly and heavily upon them. The heavier the weight is that is hung at the clock, the wheels run &s;wifter, and the hammers &s;trike &s;ooner and &s;marter.</P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed how they offend or di&s;plea&s;e God, as they love them&s;elves, or any thing they have, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> &s;eeing hee can &s;o ea&s;ily de&s;troy both one and other. Men are apt to make the power of great men either a bridle to re&s;train them from of|fending, or a &s;purre to make them do the things they command, even when they are unlawfull: For who are we, &s;ay they, to with|&s;tand &s;o great men? Were their faith as good as their &s;en&s;e, they might &s;ee there were cau&s;e to &s;ay &s;o of God, and would know, it is a farre more fearefull thing to fall into the hands of God, then into the hands of men.</P>
<P><HI>And ca&s;t dung upon your faces</HI>] The &s;econd particular in this ver&s;e, for laying &s;hame and ignominie upon them.</P>
<P>God makes men, Mini&s;ters and others, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> to be had in reproach becau&s;e of their &s;innes.</P>
<P><HI>Even the dung.</HI>] The&s;e Prie&s;ts had thought to have gotten love, e&s;timation and credit, by bearing with the corruption of the people, not reproving them for teir &s;acrifices they brought, and their carele&s;ne&s;&s;e in Gods &s;ervice; but this God will turn to their &s;hame.</P>
<P>When men think by unlawfull meanes to get credit, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> honour and e&s;timation among men, the Lord he will turn it to their &s;hame and reproach. So here, and &s;o with them who built Babel, Gen. 11.4. but it was their confu&s;ion. To this we may apply that ge|nerall, P&s;al. 112.10. Hereto belong the examples of <HI>Haman,</HI> E&s;ter 6. and 7. And of <HI>Herod,</HI> Acts 12.21. of <HI>Philat,</HI> Joh. 10.12. From henceforth <HI>Pilate</HI> &s;ought to loo&s;e him; but the Jewes cried, &s;ay|ing, if thou deliver him, thou art not <HI>Ce&s;ars</HI> friend: for who&s;oe|ver maketh him&s;elfe a King, &s;peaketh again&s;t <HI>Ce&s;ar.</HI> But &s;ee what <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> reports,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Neque il|lud &agrave; nobis ignorari de|bet, eum ip|&s;um Pila|tum qui &s;er|vatoris neci interfuit, in tantas calamitates incurri&s;&s;e, ut nece&s;&s;itate adductus, &s;ibi pro|pria manu mortem con&s;ci&s;caret, &s;uorum&abque; &s;celerum ip&s;e vindex extiterit. Eu&s;. hi&s;t. l. <HI>2.</HI> c. <HI>7</HI></NOTE> We are not to be ignorant, that the &s;ame <HI>Pilat</HI> who was interre&s;&s;ed in our saviours death, fell into &s;o great cala|mities &s;hortly after in the raigne of <HI>Caius,</HI> that being driven by ne|ce&s;&s;itie, he &s;lew him&s;elfe with his own hand, and became him&s;elfe the revenger of his own wickedne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this wil manife&s;t his power, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that he can beat them with their own weapons, overthrow them by their own inventions.</P>
<PB N="18" REF="142">
<P>Becau&s;e he is zealous of his glory, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> and to &s;uffer this wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters"> ob&s;cure it. It is again&s;t the honor of a Prince to let a &s;ubject grow by rebellion: it argues either inju&s;tice or im<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="4 letters">encie.</P>
<P>This may &s;hew the folly of tho&s;e men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> whether they be pri|vate men, or men in place, Magi&s;tracie or Mini&s;terie, who thinke by unlawfull means to reconcile favour unto them, to get a good name, e&s;timation or credit. The&s;e men we may compare to him whom <HI>Hier.</HI> again&s;t <HI>Heloid.</HI> &s;peaks of out of the fable, that when he could do no good to be famous for, or &s;o famous as he would, he &s;et <HI>Diana's</HI> Temple on fire; and when none accu&s;ed him for the &s;acriledge, he went raving up &amp; down the &s;treets him&s;elf, crying, that he kindled the fire. And being demanded by the Ephe&s;i|ans, why he did &s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vt quia ben&egrave; non potera~, mal&egrave; omnis bus innote|&s;cerem.</NOTE> he an&s;wered; Becau&s;e I could not get fame by doing well, I would get it by mi&s;chief. But it was his &s;hame &amp; ruine; and &s;o may the&s;e look for, though they may pro&s;per in it for a while: as they in building of Babell, yet &s;hall they fall by it. And that they would &s;top their mouthes withall, will be the means to open them the wider, &s;pecially if ever there fall a breach betwixt them, they will &s;hew them directly, that they gained not by their cour&s;es, and the contrary to that will follow, which we read of <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 6.22.</P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed how he &s;eekes reputation and name by bad cour&s;es, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> or by any the lea&s;t unfaithfulne&s;&s;e and &s;in. Every man is de&s;irous of a good name; and it is more to be de&s;ired then &s;ilver and pretious things, Prov. 22.1. If any man would have it, let him labour for it by lawful means, and by wel|doing. If he &s;eek it by for&s;aking his uprightne&s;&s;e, and &s;incerity of his place and profe&s;&s;ion, I may &s;ay as 2 Kings 9.31. <HI>Had Zimri peace, that &s;lew his ma&s;ter?</HI> So, had &s;uch a one credit, that left his hone&s;ty? And God &s;hall do to him as here is threatned. A man may happily build up his hou&s;e by oppre&s;&s;ion, and u&s;ury, and cru|elty; but in a few &s;ucce&s;&s;ions, in a few years it comes to nothing: holds not in the third heire. A man may &s;eek to ri&s;e like <HI>Haman,</HI> and be aloft a while, but he &s;hall be ca&s;t downe. A man may get a name a while, but it will not la&s;t long; partly becau&s;e it is <HI>vana, quia vani &s;unt filii hominum;</HI> becau&s;e it is not in him&s;elfe but o|ther,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Merces congregatas in &s;ac|cum pertu&s;um ad the&s;aurum in alieno ere con&s;titutum qua arcu non clauditur, nec &s;eras habet: <HI>Bern. de adventu Do|mini, Serm. 4.</HI></NOTE> as wares put up in a broken bagge, as a trea&s;ure laid up in anothers mouth, not lockt in a che&s;t, nor made fa&s;t with barres, as <HI>Bernard</HI> hath it. And partly, becau&s;e God will ca&s;t dung into his face. The be&s;t glory is for well doing: that is in a mans &s;elfe, not in ano|thers power, 2 Cor. 1.12. That is laid upon a good ground, that is certaine and unmoveable. It is from God, and tho&s;e who have his Spirit, <HI>Vera gloria e&s;t &agrave; Spiritu veritatis:</HI> True glory is from the Spirit of truth.</P>
<PB N="19" REF="142">
<P><HI>Dung in your faces.</HI>] The Lord had honoured the&s;e Prie&s;ts ve|ry high, they had di&s;honoured him; he threatens marvellou&s;ly, and the more to di&s;grace and di&s;honour them.</P>
<P>The more God hath honoured and advanced men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> either in Church or Common-wealth, if they di&s;honour him, he will di&s;|honour them, and lay the greater di&s;grace upon them. So with the&s;e Prie&s;ts, none more honoured with God then they; no grea|ter di&s;grace then here is mentioned. Now this is proved in the example of <HI>Iezabel,</HI> 2 Kings 9.37. of <HI>Ieroboam,</HI> 1 Kings 14.7.8.9.10. of <HI>Eli,</HI> 1 Sam. 2.27. <HI>ad finem.</HI> Of Capernaum, Matth. 11.22.23. Manife&s;t in the Jewes, who were the mirrour, now the won|der of the world: it was once &s;poken of with admiration, now the by-word.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, according to their priviledges abu&s;ed, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &s;o are their &s;ins of tho&s;e who have the greater, or more in number: then God gi|ving or rewarding according to their &s;innes, and workes, mu&s;t needs receive more di&s;grace and di&s;honour.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e his judgements in them will be more per&s;picuous, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and &s;trike a more awe and feare in others, and moe &s;hall take notice of it, becau&s;e they are more in the eye, as a Beacon upon a hill, as a Captaine or Lievetenant in a Band. And &s;o the more &s;hall glori|fie his ju&s;tice, and feare his power.</P>
<P>If thou &s;ee&s;t men lifted up to honour &amp; high place, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> do not envie them: for if they be good, there is cau&s;e to rejoyce. Prov. 29.2. If they be wicked, and abu&s;e their priviledges &amp; high places, there is cau&s;e to &s;igh, but not to envie, Pro. 29.2. becau&s;e they are not farre from a di&s;grace, a publique one, a great one, an&s;werble to their honor. The clouds that ob&s;cure the Sun, are lifted up, but powred down again. Who would envie men upon an high pinacle, ready to be ca&s;t down? Who a man walking upon the Ice, where it is ten to one, every houre his feet will &s;lide, or it break, and he be utterly ca&s;t downe to the bottome of a pit? &s;pecially if &s;ome &s;ecret fire be kindled on it, or the beames of the Sunne &s;hine hotly upon it.</P>
<P>To teach tho&s;e whom God hath advanced and honoured more then others with any priviledge of knowledge, wi&s;edome, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> autho|rity, or credit, not to thinke that tho&s;e priviledges were given them that they might be the <HI>Nimrods</HI> of the earth, and fight a|gain&s;t God, and his cau&s;e, and his Church, and di&s;honour him, and thinke to carry it away without di&s;honour from him; nay, they &s;halbe more di&s;honored, and more vile then any others. * For the greater grace &s;inners have received, if they &s;in, their pu|ni&s;hment &s;hall be &s;o much larger. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> Mighty &s;inners &s;hall be mightily tormen|ted, <HI>Hierom. ad Heliod.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Quant&ograve; major gratia, tanto amplior p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ccantibus poena. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. And,</HI> Potentes potenter tormenta partien|tur. <HI>Hierom. ad Heliod.</HI></NOTE> It were good all that are above others, would write it in their hou&s;es, and every
<PB N="20" REF="143">where they come, and keep it in their hearts. And &s;uch as are above others in their places in the Church, would remember that, Matth. 5.13. Ye are the &s;alt of the earth; but if the &s;alt have lo&s;t his &s;avour, wherewith &s;hall it be &s;alted? It is thence|forth good for nothing, but to be ca&s;t out, and to be troden under foot of men.</P>
<P><HI>And you &s;hall be like unto it.</HI>] Or, it &s;hall carry you away; meaning, thta he would adde confu&s;ion and de&s;truction unto their &s;hame.</P>
<P>Shame and di&s;grace brought upon Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> Magi&s;trates, or any other by their ju&s;t de&s;ert and default, by their carele&s;&s;e carri|age, and di&s;&s;olute life, is but a fore-runner of confu&s;ion and de|&s;truction, which u&s;ually followeth, unle&s;&s;e it be prevented by re|pentance. So is it here. Matth. 5.13. 1 Sam. 2.30.31.32. with chap. 4. 1 Sam. 15.30. Jer. 24.9.10.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this argueth a great height of wickedne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and that men are &s;etled much in it, when &s;hame will not &s;hake them from it, and rou&s;e them up. For whereas to a man of any hone&s;ty, or that hath any &s;parke of goodne&s;&s;e, his name is of more account then his goods; and that touched, more affects him then the other taken away. Now touched in this, and not affected, argues his de&s;peratene&s;&s;e and di&s;hone&s;ty.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e when God hath &s;mitten men in things that are &s;o neare unto him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and ought to be &s;o deare, and they returne not, it is ju&s;t with him to proceed unto their per&s;ons, and them&s;elves.</P>
<P>To teach us, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> when we &s;ee men in contempt, Mini&s;ters, Magi|&s;trates, and others, to judge of it as a fore-runner of &s;ome fearfull confu&s;ion and de&s;truction. If they be unju&s;tly, without their de|fault, then is it of a general judgement upon the Church and land, it being al&s;o a judgement it &s;elfe; if ju&s;tly for their di&s;&s;olute and corrupt lives, then is it a fore-runner of a judgement to them, of their confu&s;ion and de&s;truction. As it was in the time of Popery, when the Clergie was come to the height of wealth, yet they were in the wane and eb of wor&s;hip and re&s;pect; nay, in &s;hame and reproach: becau&s;e as in the morning, the neerer it is to the ri&s;ing of the Sun, the more light is in the aire, and the more are deformi|ties and things out of order e&s;pied: So as the Go&s;pell drew nea|rer, that they were like <HI>Baals</HI> Prie&s;ts, for deceiving the people, in contempt, with not affecting them to make them returne from their Idols to the living God. Therefore &s;hame and confu&s;ion came upon them, as we have &s;een. So of others, if they be in contempt, &amp;c. And as of them, &s;o of Magi&s;trates, and other par|ticular men. For as a &s;ickne&s;&s;e cau&s;ed by mans mi&s;dieting of him|&s;elfe, or otherwi&s;e by his default, and not &s;peedily cured, is a fore|runner and procurer of a greater di&s;ea&s;e: &s;o is it in this ca&s;e.</P>
<P>To teach every one that is in any reproach or contempt, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> what|&s;oever
<PB N="21" REF="143">he is, to thinke of it as the harbinger of confu&s;ion and de|&s;truction, if he be not affected with it to repentance. Therefore &s;hould he labour to lay it to his heart, and be humbled for it, and reformed by it: he &s;hould be occa&s;ioned by it to &s;earch his wayes and his conver&s;ation. If it befall him for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, he hath wherein to rejoyce; if for his infirmities, and unju&s;tly from tho&s;e who reproach him, yet he &s;hould &s;ee whether it is not ju&s;tly from God, or no: for that may be ju&s;tly from him, which is un|ju&s;tly from them. But if indeed ju&s;tly for his di&s;&s;olute and loo&s;e life; then is not to be expected any thing but the confu&s;ion and de&s;truction of his per&s;on, unle&s;&s;e that make him to humble and re|forme him&s;elfe: for when hard and bitter words prevail not, then ma&s;ters goe to beating and puni&s;hing with blowes. So doth God.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. IV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And ye &s;hall know, that I have &s;ent this commandement un|to you, that my covenant which I made with Levi, might &s;tand, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;tes.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>ANd yee &s;hall know.</HI>] The Prophet proceedeth to the cau&s;es of this condemnation. The&s;e are three: the fir&s;t is, becau&s;e they had neglected their care of Gods wor&s;hip, not of any ignorance, but again&s;t their knowledge: for they knew that the dutie be|longed to them, and the commandment was to them. For thus it is to be read: <HI>For you know.</HI></P>
<P>Their &s;inne is the greater, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine."> and de&s;erveth the more puni&s;hment, who have the knowledge what they ought to do, and yet follow their corrupt affections, then theirs which know not.</P>
<P>Now the knowledge here &s;poken of, is of two things: of their dutie, and what they ought to do; and of their dignity, and what God had be&s;towed upon them. And both makes their &s;inne the greater, becau&s;e they have gone again&s;t their owne knowledge, and Gods kindne&s;&s;e. That though God had be&s;towed great ble&s;|&s;ings upon them, they had forgot it, though they knew it, and were unthankfull unto him.</P>
<P>Unthankfulne&s;&s;e is a &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> when men do not an&s;wer Gods love as he hath had care and dealt liberally with them. <HI>vide</HI> Chap. 1. ver&s;e 2.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;end this commandment unto you, that my covenant might &s;tand.</HI>] They mu&s;t performe, that is their parts or el&s;e he would performe no covenant with them.</P>
<P>God will not, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doctrine"> neither is bound to performe covenant with man to give him any thing he hath promi&s;ed, whether &s;pirituall or temporall, of this life, or that is to come, unle&s;&s;e he performe his
<PB N="22" REF="144">covenant and conditions. The covenant of God is either gene|rall or &s;peciall. The generall, either legall or Evangelicall. All which requires the conditions to be performed on mans part, if he would have God performe; or el&s;e, &amp;c. Levit. 18.5. Gal. 3.11. Mark. 16.16. 1 Sam. 2.30. 2 Chron. 15.2.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e their not performing, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> frees him from his promi&s;e, and binds him not to performe it, to give &s;uch good things to &s;uch unworthy fedifragies, covenant breakers; not to give, as it were, the childrens bread to dogs.</P>
<P>When they performe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he will; becau&s;e he is mo&s;t faithfull that hath promi&s;ed, and can neither lye nor deceive, he being true, and Truth it &s;elfe.</P>
<P>Rom. 3.3.4. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> For what though &s;ome did not beleeve? &s;hall their unbeliefe make the faith of God without effect? God for|bid: yea, let God be true, and every man a lyer, as it is written, That thou mighte&s;t be ju&s;tified in thy words, and overcome when thou art judged. Then will he performe when man doth not.</P>
<P>That will not follow from this, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> which is manife&s;t thus: The Apo&s;tle asketh the que&s;tion: Whereas many of the Jewes were unfaithfull, and covenant breakers, whether their infidelity &s;hould abrogate and make void the covenant of God, that he &s;hould &s;hew no fruit of it among them: and, as man, &s;hould break his promi&s;e, and performe to none that which was promi&s;ed to all. He an&s;we|reth, that cannot be; but how&s;oever the greater part of them had broken covenant, with whom he might ju&s;tly breake, and would, yet his covenant &s;hould have his full force and efficacie; though not in all, yet in the Nation: becau&s;e there was ever &s;ome good men among that people, who believed the promi&s;es, and lived uncorruptly and holily; therefore in them, and to them &s;hould that be performed which was promi&s;ed. Shewing, that the wic|kedne&s;&s;e of a multitude &s;hall not make the promi&s;e of God void, and of none effect; but he will perform them to the beleevers, and they who performe conditions, though they be but a very few. And &s;o the place makes for the point, not again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Many enjoy Gods ble&s;&s;ings, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> and never perform the condition, but live wickedly and prophanely.</P>
<P>They enjoy not the ble&s;&s;ing of eternity, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> neither ever &s;hall: and as for temporall things, they may enjoy them, but not any ble&s;|&s;ing by them: it were better for them to be without them; for they increa&s;e their &s;inne, and are but fed and &s;u&s;tained by them for the &s;laughter, as the damned are by Gods power to endure his wrath and puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>If in our ob&s;ervation we finde, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> that many promi&s;es God hath made, are not performed to our &s;elves, or others. As there are many other things which may be an&s;wered for clearing and ac|quitting
<PB N="23" REF="144">the truth and fidelity of God, in this kinde; e&s;pecially in temporall things; he gives &s;pirituall, an ounce of which is better then many a pound of the other. And if he breaks not, that pro|mi&s;eth &s;ilver, and gives the greater &s;umme in gold: &s;o not God. If he promi&s;e deliverance, and gives patience under the cro&s;&s;e, which is better for the &s;ufferer, he &s;till performes, becau&s;e &s;uch things had tho&s;e exceptions: And &s;o in many other things, but this e&s;pecially, when the good things promi&s;ed are not performed, the cau&s;e is in our &s;elves and other men, why they are not per|formed, and not in God; becau&s;e we performe not conditions. And this being, makes us, not him, covenant-breakers, who have made our &s;elves uncapable, and unworthy of his ble&s;&s;ings, and &s;o have freed him from his promi&s;e, by our breaking with him. Now he that is freed, cannot breake covenant, though he do not the thing before covenanted.</P>
<P>To let us &s;ee the folly of tho&s;e men who thinke to have Gods promi&s;es performed unto them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> and him to keep covenant with them; and in many things makeno doubt but he hath done, and in future times a&s;&s;ure them&s;elves he will, when they neither have done, nor yet endevour to keep any covenant with him. If the former be true, do they not deceive them&s;elves? and are they not (though how wi&s;e &s;oever in other things, yet in this) &s;tark fools? For if he be a foole, that becau&s;e he hath the word, or the bond of a good man, one able, and that never broke for the payment of a thou&s;and pounds at &s;uch a time, and &s;uch a place, but upon con|dition he performe &s;uch a &s;ervice, or effect &s;uch a worke, to lay his whole &s;tate and his whole condition upon thta, that it will be performed in the &s;ame time and place; and yet he never go about to perform the conditions at all, or as it &s;hould be performed; were he not a foole? Sure in all your judgements he were very unwi&s;e. And yet, alas! how many fools and unwi&s;e men have we, who deale thus, lay all upon Gods fidelitie, and performe nothing them&s;elves at all? As if God mu&s;t needs performe, becau&s;e he had promi&s;ed, and could not be faithfull, unle&s;&s;e he did perform, when they keep no condition. Many a man deluded by Satan, and his owne &s;ecure heart, per&s;wades him&s;elfe God hath been mercifull unto him, and forgiven him his &s;ins, though he never came truly to &s;ee &s;inne, nor to &s;orrow for &s;inne, nor for&s;ake and re|forme his corruptions, wherein true repentance con&s;i&s;teth, and which is the condition on mans part, if ever he would have God take away his &s;inne, and put them out of his remembrance. Many one thinkes God had performed his covenant of temporall things, becau&s;e he is in the midde&s;t of abundance, and hath his barnes full, and his bagges full, and every where findes he increa|&s;eth, though he never made any con&s;cience of his wayes, and the workes of God; but at be&s;t lived but civilly, and kept his credit
<PB N="24" REF="145">with men: and &s;ees not that he is deceived, &amp; &s;ees that the&s;e are but things that are common things, wherewith he is but fatted for the &s;hambles, and &s;uch as are re&s;erved for his evill. And for time to come many doubt not but they &s;hall obtaine great things in this life, and that God will give them honour, and favour, and riches and abundance, though they never keepe condition with him. Fools and blinde, who know they cannot live, except they eate; not reap, except they &s;ow; not recover health, except they u&s;e phy&s;icke, and the means appointed: And yet thinke, without per|forming the grand meanes and condition with God, they &s;hall have what he hath promi&s;ed; and &s;o happily they may: But as I&s;|rael had a King in Gods wrath, and quails in his di&s;plea&s;ure: And as the Phy&s;itian gives his patient liberty to eate what he li&s;t, when he is out of all hope, and de&s;paires of ever recovering him. Many a man per&s;wades him&s;elfe that God will &s;ave him, though he ne|ver was able to performe the condition of the Law, neither ever endeavoured to performe the condition of the Go&s;pell. Truly this is not to beleeve, but deceive him&s;elfe with an opinion of faith, he neither having the knowledge of the promi&s;es, the ground of it, nor workes the an&s;werable fruits of it. And &s;o hath but a vaine, fooli&s;h, and dead faith. But he &s;hall know his folly, when God &s;hall manife&s;t unto him, that he is not bound to per|form promi&s;e, becau&s;e he never kept condition.</P>
<P>To teach every man that hath any de&s;ire that God &s;hould per|forme covenant with him, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> to endeavour to performe conditions with God.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Cum do|minus pro|mittis ne dubites &s;ed illa fac, per quae tales at|trahere pote|ris promi&s;&s;i|ones. <HI>Chry. hom. 25 ad popul. Anti.</HI></NOTE> He mu&s;t fir&s;t Week to know what they are God requires of him, and then do them: for without that he cannot do. And his &s;earching for knowledge mu&s;t not onely be for the generall, but for the particulars of his place, what command is &s;ent to him; and then faithfully do it, that Gods covenant may &s;tand: We mu&s;t repent, beleeve and obey the Go&s;pell and Commandments of God: For it is godline&s;&s;e that hath the promi&s;es, and &s;hall have the performance. Let &s;uch a one remember, 1 Tim. 4.8. and Prov. 21.21. Yea, he may a&s;&s;ure him&s;elfe, that if he apply him&s;elf to that which God requireth of him, and he hath covenanted for, he &s;hall be &s;ure to finde him that hath been a willing promi&s;er, a mo&s;t faithfull performer. For <HI>parum erat promi&s;sio, etiam &s;cripto &s;e teneri voluit.</HI> Aug. in P&s;al. 119. And &s;o no good thing that he hath promi&s;ed &s;hall faile, but &s;hall all be made good, Jo&s;hua 22.15.</P>
<P><HI>My covenant with Levi.</HI>] Here is the honour and dignity he had be&s;towed upon them, having made a &s;peciall agreement and covenant with them.</P>
<P>The Lord hath &s;pecially honoured his me&s;&s;engers and &s;ervants the Prie&s;ts in the old, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and the Mini&s;ters in the new Te&s;tament: for he hath not onely made the generall covenant with them. <HI>I will be
<PB N="25" REF="145">their God, they my people;</HI> but hath made a particular and &s;peciall agreement and covenant with them: So here, and Numb. 8.13.14. <HI>Thou &s;halt &s;et the Levites before Aaron, and before his &s;ons, and offer them as a &s;hake offering to the Lord. Thus thou &s;halt &s;eparate the Levites from among the children of I&s;rael, and the Levites &s;hall be mine.</HI> 1 Sam. 2.28. <HI>And I cho&s;e him out of all the tribes of I&s;ra|el to be my Prie&s;t to offer upon mine Altar, and to burn Incen&s;e, and to weare an Ephod before me; and I gave unto the hou&s;e of thy father, all the offerings made by fire of the children of I&s;rael.</HI> Joh. 15.15. 2 Cor. 3.6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are of his privy coun&s;ell, and know his &s;ecret. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Amos 3.7. <HI>Surely the Lord God will doe nothing, but he revealeth his &s;ecrets unto his &s;ervants the Prophets.</HI> Privy coun&s;ellours are &s;pecially honoured and have a particular covenant made with them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are his me&s;&s;engers, his emba&s;&s;adours, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> 2 Cor. 5.20. they are &s;pecially honoured, and new &s;worne, a new covenant.</P>
<P>No rea&s;on why the great and rich men of the world &s;hould contemne the mini&s;try for their children, as too ba&s;e a thing, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> and not fit for their &s;onnes, when as God hath thus honoured it, and taken them &s;o neere unto him&s;elfe. In re&s;pect of which, <HI>Amos,</HI> who was beleeved to be the brother of <HI>Azariah,</HI> the King of Judah, thought it no ba&s;e thing his &s;onne &s;houle be a Prophet; neither Chri&s;t him&s;elfe to be a preacher.</P>
<P>This may be a caveat for men to take heede how they abu&s;e or injure the mini&s;ters who are &s;o neere unto him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> and whom he hath thus honoured: certainly they ought to honour him, though it goe again&s;t the haire, and &s;tomacke with them, as with <HI>Haman,</HI> becau&s;e he would have them honoured; but if not, but they a|bu&s;e and di&s;grace them, and u&s;e them as the <HI>Ammonites</HI> did <HI>Davids</HI> &s;ervants: Let them take heede they &s;tinke not in his no|&s;trils; for if Princes be tender hearted and &s;tone affected, with the injuries of their common &s;ubjects, and will revenge them; what will they doe for their coun&s;ellours, their emba&s;&s;adours? And yet meane men will now abu&s;e them in words, and con|temne as farre as they can for the law of man, if they &s;ing not <HI>pla|centia,</HI> if they teach cro&s;&s;e to their humours; but their portion is with the Lord, and &s;o is theirs who &s;o abu&s;e them. And one day they &s;hall both know whether is better to reprove and lift up his voyce and &s;pare not, or to &s;pare and reforme nothing.</P>
<P>It may comfort the mini&s;ter again&s;t contempt when he is faith|full, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> yet to be &s;till &s;o, and bold, remembring his honour God hath given him, which is better then all the honour man can affoord. And though men may thinke their faithfulne&s;&s;e may hinder them from honour, as <HI>Balaak</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Balaam,</HI> Numb. 24.11. <HI>Therefore now flee unto thy place, I thought &s;urely to promote thee to honour, but
<PB N="26" REF="146">loe, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour:</HI> yet it is not &s;o: for that is the true honour which God gives, and will give, and no man can take; and they ought as it is, 2 Cor. 3.12. &s;eeing they have &s;uch hope, to u&s;e boldne&s;&s;e of &s;peech.</P>
<P>This may teach what manner of men Mini&s;ters ought to be, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e."> how &s;anctified, of what puritie and integritie, &s;eeing God hath taken them to be &s;o neer unto him&s;elfe: therefore ought they to be carefull that offer them to God, and they that receive them when they offer; and when they receive, not for favour, or money, or kindred, or any &s;uch thing. A man will be marvellous carefull whom he commendeth but for a common &s;ervant to a mean man his friend; more, to a Prince; mo&s;t, to be &s;o nigh to him. If the Steward of a hou&s;e be permitted and tru&s;ted to admit &s;uch as are fit, how carefull will he be? If the Pre&s;ident of a Princes Coun|cell to take in &s;uch as are able men, how vigilant and inqui&s;itive will he be, that they be &s;uch as be competent for the place: So &s;hould it be in this, the like care &s;hould be had, and wo unto him that hath not. And men that are in the place, ought to looke mar|vellous carefully to their conver&s;ation, &amp; to keep them&s;elves holy. It was taught, Lev. 22.2. <HI>ed</HI> 10. how unblemi&s;hed the Prie&s;t &s;hould be: for if the whole people mu&s;t be holy, more they. And if they mu&s;t be carefull of their offering and &s;acrifices, more of them|&s;elves. And if they be not, then ought authoritie, like <HI>A&s;hpenaz,</HI> Dan. 1.3.4.5. to chu&s;e out the mo&s;t unblemi&s;hed, and looke to them, and &s;uffer not them to be good fellows, game&s;ters, and &s;uch like.</P>
<P><HI>Covenant with Levi.</HI>] They took not this calling to them&s;elves, but were cho&s;en to it of God, and he made the agreement and co|venant with them.</P>
<P>None may take this calling upon them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to be Gods Mini&s;ters, Gods Me&s;&s;engers, and to meddle in the&s;e &s;pirituall things, which are proper to the Mini&s;ters, but he that is called of God, and with whom God hath made this covenant. The affirmative inferres the negative. Heret belongs that, Numb. 1.51. and 16.10. and 4.15.20. Ezra 2.62.63. Heb. 5.4. This made the Apo&s;tles ever a|vouch their calling, Gal. 1.1. Jam. 1.1. Pet. 1.1. Hereto is that Rom. 10.15. There are three kindes of callings, when men are called by men, and not by God, as fir&s;t, all teachers: Secondly, of God by Mini&s;tery of the Word, all ordinary Mini&s;terie: Thirdly, by Chri&s;t immediately, as Apo&s;tles, Gal. 1.1. The fir&s;t to be abhorred, the third to be admired, the &s;econd to be expected of all in an ordinary planted Church, Rom. 10.15. The calling is double, or hath two parts; the fir&s;t inward ability for gifts, and aptne&s;&s;e for minde, willingne&s;&s;e and abilitie. The &s;econd is out|ward, the calling by man, and the Church. Hereto belongs the de&s;criptions of a Bi&s;hop and Mini&s;ters, &s;et out by Saint <HI>Paul</HI>
<PB N="27" REF="146">1 Tim. 3.2. whereto el&s;e may it tend? if every one may intrude him&s;elfe into the Church and the calling, without the call of it; and that, 1 Tim. 5.22.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a &s;in unto them who &s;hall, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and a cur&s;e belongs to them for medling with things that are holy, when they are not &s;eparated and appointed for them. They are thereby liable to Gods judgements, as was <HI>Vzzah,</HI> 1 Chron. 13.10. and <HI>Vzziah,</HI> 2 Chron. 26.18.19.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e the Church &s;hould be too much burdened: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> for when as, 1 Tim. 5.17. The Elders that rule well are worthy of double honour; Therefore many for ambition and ea&s;e would chalenge the Mini&s;tery, and take it upon them for the honours &s;ake.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, 1 Cor. 14.40. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Let all things be done decently and in order. Therefore mu&s;t there be a calling and chu&s;ing of them by the Church: for the other is to make all confu&s;ion an di&s;|order.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to confute all Anabapti&s;ticall dreames, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> who con|temne all ordinary callings, vocations; and thinke that every man may at his plea&s;ure, and when he li&s;t, take this calling, and tho&s;e Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall functions upon them. For if this be &s;ound and true, that mu&s;t needs be fal&s;e and corrupt, that any &s;hould take a|ny part of this calling, without warrant from God, and be&s;ides the order that God hath appointed. Yet I deny not but there is a difference where a Church is not yet planted, where every one that knowes Chri&s;t may preach him, and labour to gaine others that are ignorant of Chri&s;tian religion, and are not to look for an ordinary ordination. For then is he cho&s;en by the &s;ilent &s;uffrages and voices of tho&s;e who heare, and that is his calling; yet is he not to refu&s;e the ordinary calling, if after it be to be had. But when a Church is already planted, and e&s;tabli&s;hed; becau&s;e all things mu&s;t bee done in order, then is required an apparent or|dination by voyces or impo&s;ition of hands; that trouble and con|fu&s;ion might be avoided. Neither do I deny, but &s;ometime there is an extraordinary function, as were the Prophets, not of the Le|viticall &s;tocke, not ordained of the Prie&s;ts, which God &s;tirred up, when ordinary Mini&s;ters could not reforme the corruptions of the time; but what he did extraordinarily, is to be admired rather then imitated: For we mu&s;t follow the pre&s;cript rule that is given us, which is, that every man have his ordinary calling which is from God by men.</P>
<P>1 Cor. 16.15. Now brethren, I be&s;eech you, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> know ye the hou&s;e of <HI>Stephanus,</HI> that it is the fir&s;t fruits of Achaia, and that they have given them&s;elves to mini&s;ter unto the Saints.</P>
<P>The meaning is not, that they called them&s;elves, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> but that they &s;et them&s;elves apart to the Mini&s;terie of the Saints, in the purpo&s;e &amp;
<PB N="28" REF="147">re&s;olution of thehir owne hearts, and not contemning or neglecting the calling of God by the Church.</P>
<P>To let private men and women &s;ee their danger in medling with tho&s;e things which are proper to the Mini&s;ter, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> when they have not a calling to it. If <HI>Vzzah,</HI> if <HI>Vzziah</HI> were &s;mitten, how &s;hall they e&s;cape? whether they can pretend the authority of the Church, as in the Romi&s;h Church they can, for women to baptize, yet &s;hall they not e&s;cape for excu&s;e of nece&s;&s;itie; it will not &s;erve, becau&s;e that it is not from God, but it is from mans folly, or ignorance. If it be objected, that it is not then a Sacrament which is given by them, when they have no authoritie to deliver a Sacrament; I an&s;wer: yes, for the Seale is the Princes, although &s;ome other then the Lord Keeper &s;et it to by &s;ome indirect dealing. And though &s;uch a Mini&s;ter &s;inne in dealing with the Word and Sacra|ments, yet are they &s;uch to the hearer and receiver. Againe, that which S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Vera &s;acra|menta licet non veri mi|ni&s;tri quia dant non &s;ua, &s;ed Dei, <HI>Aug. lib. 2. cont. Petil.</HI></NOTE> hath in his &s;econd book again&s;t <HI>Petill.</HI> They are true Sacraments though they are not true Mini&s;ters; becau&s;e what they give is not their owne, but Gods.</P>
<P>To teach every man to be &s;ure, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."> that he hath a calling of God to the Mini&s;tery before he take it upon him, that he may be able to &s;ay, as Jer. 7.16. I have not thru&s;t in my &s;elfe for a Pa&s;tor af|ter thee; neither have I de&s;ired the day of mi&s;ery; thou knowe&s;t that which came out of my lips was right before thee. His calling is his inward gifts and con&s;cience, abilitie and care to u&s;e them; and the outward calling of the Church, 1 Tim. 3.10. For without this may he not do it, though he be never &s;o excellent; as it is dan|gerous for him to meddle with this without the other. And if his gifts be inferiour to many, or as it may be but in his owne &s;en&s;e: yet if it be the judgement of others, he may not by mode&s;ty or &s;hamefa&s;tne&s;&s;e refu&s;e, though at fir&s;t he may profe&s;&s;e what he thinketh of him&s;elfe: yet if they will not change, then mu&s;t he yeeld and &s;ubmit him&s;elfe.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. V.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave him feare, and he feared me, and was afraid before my Name.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>MY covenant was with him of life and peace.</HI>] The dignity be&s;towed upon the&s;e Prie&s;ts con&s;i&s;ting in the &s;peciall Co|venant, is here amplified by the parts of the Covenant. Fir&s;t on Gods part, which is double, a Gratious promi&s;e of life and peace, and a faithfull performance.</P>
<P><HI>My Covenant was with him of life and peace.</HI>] That is, I cove|nanted
<PB N="29" REF="147">with him, and tooke him into favour, and made a league and agreement with him; and by my covenant I bound my &s;elfe to give him fir&s;t life, that is, length of dayes here on earth; Saint <HI>Hieroms</HI> opinion of the life of grace here, and of glory hereaf|ter, is not greatly probable, hardly any in&s;tance of the like inter|pretation, and that peace following after, not &s;o to be under&s;tood of &s;pirituall peace, but of an outward pro&s;perity in this life: and &s;o they who incline to <HI>Hierom</HI> in the former, under&s;tand it. And it mu&s;t needs be, according to that which is Numb. 25.12.13. <HI>Wherefore &s;ay to him; Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace, and he &s;hall have it, and his &s;eed after him, even the covenant of the Prie&s;ts office for ever; becau&s;e he was zealous for his God and hath made an attonement for the children of I&s;rael</HI> For the cove|nant of peace is expounded by the perpetuall Prie&s;thood. And in other places the branches of this covenant are &s;et downe in the a|bundance of outward things, by the offering and other means both to the Prie&s;ts, Numb. 18.8. <HI>ad</HI> 20.26.30. and for the Levites, Numb. 18.21.24.31.</P>
<P><HI>And I gave them him</HI>] Gods performance; As I promi&s;ed him the&s;e things, &s;o I did very certainly and a&s;&s;uredly perform to <HI>Aaron,</HI> and <HI>Phineas,</HI> and others, who did performe conditions and covenant with me; and will do to as many as &s;hall &s;o deal al&s;o with me.</P>
<P><HI>For my feare.</HI>] Now he comes to the &s;econd, containing the conditions performed by <HI>Levi,</HI> and the&s;e are the fear of God and humilitie. Some read it; <HI>I gave him my fear;</HI> which is true, and agrees well with the doctrine of faith: for the feare of God is the gift of God, Jer. 32.40. but the words are otherwi&s;e: <HI>I gave him the&s;e for the feare wherewith he feared me.</HI> Becau&s;e he beleeved my word, and honoured me in his place, and lookt to my wor|&s;hip in him&s;elfe and others, I honoured him, and gave him the&s;e things.</P>
<P><HI>And was afraid before my Name.] Iunius</HI> readeth it: <HI>He was de|&s;troyed for my Name:</HI> i. for not honouring my Name, Numb. 20.12.24.28. But the whole &s;peech here is again&s;t it: for he intending to &s;et forth the care which <HI>Aaron</HI> and his &s;onnes had of the wor|&s;hip of God, and to commend him rather then tax his infirmities. It is rather, <HI>he was humbled before me,</HI> he walked humbly and low|ly and did all in humility, not lifting up him&s;elfe either for his high calling, or for his faithfull &s;ervice. The parts of the covenant which is the Prie&s;ts dignity. And fir&s;t on Gods part, and fir&s;t his promi&s;e.</P>
<P>Long life and the length of dayes is the ble&s;&s;ing and gift of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> that which he promi&s;eth and performeth to all tho&s;e who feare him and walke in his wayes. Prov. 10.27. <HI>The feare of the Lord increa&s;eth the dayes; but the yeares of the wicked &s;hall be dimi|ni&s;hed,</HI>
<PB N="30" REF="148">and 16.31. Exod. 20.12. Deuter. 25.45. 1 Kings 3.14. <HI>And if thou wilt walke in my wayes to keepe mine ordinances and my com|mandments, as thy father David did walke, I will prolong thy dayes.</HI> P&s;al. 91.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God will be glorified by his in this life, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as the P&s;al|mi&s;t, <HI>I will not dye, but live, and declare the workes of the Lord.</HI> Now the longer they live, the more they may glorifie God; then it is a ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a ble&s;&s;ing to helpe many, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> and to draw many unto God in this life, but that is done by living long; &s;eeing it is &s;o long before a man comes to be able to doe either; many of his yeares and dayes &s;pent before he be fit for it.</P>
<P>But many of the children of God dye untimely, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> and live not long, how then is this true?</P>
<P>This is not &s;imply a ble&s;&s;ing, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> as if he were happy that lives long, but as a &s;ymbole or &s;igne of Gods good favour, and love. If then, he &s;hewes his love to &s;ome rather by taking them out of this life, then by prolonging their daies, he doth the rather performe his promife then breake it. A man promi&s;eth ten acres of ground in one field, and gives him an hundreth in another, he hath not bro|ken his promi&s;e. So if God have promi&s;ed long life, that is, an hundred yeares here, and after not give it him, but gives him e|ternity in the heavens, hath not broken his promi&s;e, for it being not promi&s;ed as a ble&s;&s;ed and happy thing in it &s;elfe, but as a &s;igne of his good will, which is greater &s;ometimes to be taken out of this life. As <HI>Ieroboams</HI> good &s;onne was, that he might not be infected with the &s;innes of his fathers hou&s;e, and not afflicted with the &s;ight of tho&s;e horrible judgements that were to fall upon that gracele&s;&s;e family; which was no ill bargaine to be taken from earth to heaven, from the conflict to the triumph, from the battell to the victory, from men to God, and to the company of his An|gells and Saints.</P>
<P>This is to admoni&s;h old men to be thankefull unto God for his mercy in pre&s;erving them &s;o long, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> and lengthening their dayes, &s;pecially if they have beene found in the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Prov. 16.31. If they have feared God and walked uprightly and humbly before him; it hath beene his ble&s;&s;ing upon them, and mercy to them; otherwi&s;e it hath beene but a cur&s;e unto them, for they have but lived to heape up wrath again&s;t the day of wrath, and to make up a greater mea&s;ure of their &s;innes, that God may make a greater mea&s;ure of vengeance. So that it had beene better for them never to have beene borne, or el&s;e to have dyed &s;o &s;oone as they were borne; for the longer they live, the more &s;innes they commit, and the greater &s;hall be their torments. But greater &s;hall be his glory that is found in the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and in wel|doing becau&s;e he hath more glorified God. And he ought &s;till to
<PB N="31" REF="148">u&s;e this as a ble&s;&s;ing of God, that he may glorifie him more, and fit him&s;elfe more for him and for his &s;ervice; imagining that as old age is a ble&s;&s;ing, &s;o is it a bond, that he &s;hould performe; as P&s;a. 71.17, 18. <HI>O God thou ha&s;t taught me from my youth even untill now: therefore will I tell of thy wonddrous workes. Yea, even unto mine old age and gray head. O God for&s;ake me not untill I have de|clared thine arme unto this generation, and thy power to all them that &s;hall come.</HI> And if he have borne it in his youth it will be le&s;&s;e burden&s;ome in his old age, for to others it is heavy.</P>
<P>Then is it lawfull for a man to pray for long life, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that he may live to glorifie God here; &s;o did <HI>David,</HI> P&s;alm. 102.27. &s;o <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> I&s;aiah 38.3. True it is that a Chri&s;tian man &s;hould be equally prepared to life or death; for in things wherein a man can|not certainely know, which will make more for the glory of God, and their owne good and &s;alvations; the will of man &s;hould be equally prepared for both, le&s;t it &s;hould re&s;i&s;t God; &s;o in this. And becau&s;e he &s;hould le&s;&s;e torment and vex him&s;elfe with the de&s;ire of life or feare of death; yet is it not unlawfull for him to pray for life for the grounds before, &s;o he pray for it as for other things, conditionally. Truth is that of <HI>Solomon,</HI> Eccle&s;. 7.1. The day of death is better then the day of ones birth, becau&s;e of mi&s;e|ries and fearefull times, when it is like as <HI>Augu&s;t:</HI> to be <HI>Di&ugrave; vive|re, di&ugrave; torquere,</HI> to live long, to be vexed long: Or as <HI>Cyprian,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Non &s;olum fidelibus inutilis non e&s;t mors, verumetiam utilis repe|ritur; quoniam peocandi periculis hominem &s;ub&s;trahit, &amp; in non pec|eandi &s;ecuritatem con&s;tituit.</NOTE> Death is not only not unpro|fitable to believers, but profitable; becau&s;e it &s;ets a man out of danger of &s;inning, and puts him in a &s;ecurity of not &s;inning. Yet proves it not that it is the more to be de&s;ired. When as a man may &s;hew his patience, and &s;pirituall fortitude in his owne mi&s;eries, and the more he &s;uffers and conquers, the more he &s;hall be glorified. And in other mens mi&s;eries he may &s;hew piety, comfort and good will towards other, and mercie to them in their mi&s;eries, and finde him&s;elfe the more mercie. And his &s;innes he may breake off, not by ending his life, but by amending of it, &amp; by true repen|tance. And &s;o his age may be a crown of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. He is a wi&s;e Phy&s;itian that knowes how to temper his medicine, that it will confirme health: And he is a wi&s;e man who learnes &s;o to live, that a good death may follow after.</P>
<P>Peace, plenty, pro&s;perity, a pro&s;perous e&s;tate, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and plenty of outward things, a liberall portion, God hath promi&s;ed, and will performe to tho&s;e who feare him, and will walke in his wayes, 1 Tim. 4.8. <HI>Bodily exerci&s;e profiteth little: but godline&s;&s;e is profitable unto all things, which hath the promi&s;e of the life pre&s;ent, and of that that is to come,</HI> Deut. 28.1. P&s;al. 84.11.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they may by them be better able both to glorifie God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &amp; benefit men, being helps of their weaknes, and &s;trength to their infirmities.
<PB N="32" REF="149">Becau&s;e he might encourage them again&s;t all the di&s;couragements they &s;hall finde in profe&s;&s;ing his feare, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and by the&s;e ballance them that they be not driven backe from him by the tempe&s;ts Satan will &s;tirre up again&s;t them.</P>
<P>They who have the true feare of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> may be&s;t be, and live without carping care for the things of his life, they may be&s;t take the Apo&s;tles exhortation; Let their conver&s;ation be without co|vetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, Heb. 13.5, For they have his promi&s;e and covenant to be provided for of a liberall and rich portion: he that hath cove|nanted with a rich wealthy man, and one of great power, with a Prince of a countrey, that he &s;hall be in &s;afety and abundance un|der him for &s;uch and &s;uch &s;ervice, hath taken all care he will for it, onely his care is to u&s;e it well: &s;o it &s;hould be with the&s;e. And farre better may it be, &s;eeing his power and riches ex|ceedeth all: he hath promi&s;ed, and will performe; and though the Lions lacke, and &s;uffer hunger, yet &s;hall they lack no|thing at all who feare the Lord. But many wicked men, voyd of Gods feare, have more abundance then mo&s;t of tho&s;e who feare him. Be it &s;o; yet is not this cro&s;&s;ed: for as the life of man con|&s;i&s;ts not in abundance, &s;o not their pro&s;perity when they have competencie. And a little that is &s;ufficient which the righteous hath where there is contentment with it, is better then great riches of the ungodly. And if &s;uch have not &s;o great abundance and &s;eeme &s;ometime to be &s;canted, it is either beau&s;e they have &s;ome &s;ecret &s;in known to God which &s;huts up his hand towards them, or becau&s;e they &s;eek them indirectly, which God makes fru&s;trate, or he &s;ees how their hearts would be upon them, and &s;tolne away from him, and that riches would devoure, or for a time ob&s;cure their religion; knowing their hearts better then them&s;elves, or as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">.</HI> 16. <HI>ad popul. Antioch.</HI> He fir&s;t makes men fit to u&s;e and di&s;po&s;e the riches he meanes to give them, and after gives them riches.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ni&s;i hoc fe|ci&s;&s;et, diviti|arum eroga|tio non do|num &s;ed ul|tio fui&s;&s;et &amp; poena.</NOTE> Which le&s;&s;e he had done, the be&s;towing of riches had not beene a gift, but a puni&s;hment and revenge. This publicke and generall charter of God hath the&s;e exceptions.</P>
<P>To teach every man what is the nighe&s;t and readie&s;t way, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> what is the Kings high-way to pro&s;perity and plenty, to riches and wealth, the feare of God, and the walking in his wayes. Many men who ha&s;ten to riches, and have &s;et downe with them&s;elves, and re&s;olved to be rich, take many wayes to it, by fal&s;e weights and mea&s;ures, by cozenning or deceit, by flattery or other wic|ked cour&s;es. Happily a man may come to riches or abundance &s;ooner then another, that keepes the Kings high-way; as he that hath found a bye and ca&s;ting way, may come to his journeyes end &s;peedier then he that keepes the ordinary way; but they &s;hall not pro&s;per with him. Prov. 20.21. <HI>An heritage is ha&s;tily gotten at the beginning, but the end thereof &s;hall not be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI> But poverty
<PB N="33" REF="149">&s;hall come upon him. Prov. 28.22. <HI>A man with a wicked eye ha&s;teth to riches, and knoweth not that poverty &s;hall come upon him.</HI> And he &s;hall be guilty of much &s;inne, and bring much &s;orrow upon him&s;elfe. Prov. 22.20. 1 Tim. 6.9.10. But they who take the right way &s;hall be &s;ure of them, and not finde &s;orrowes with them. For &s;o Gods ble&s;&s;ing makes rich, for they &s;hall have them by vertue of his covenant, and as te&s;timonies of his love, which is farre bet|ter then farre greater riches, if it be but a pittance.</P>
<P><HI>And I gave them him</HI>] That he had promi&s;ed, that he performed.</P>
<P>God in his will and decrees, covenants and promi&s;es, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> is mo&s;t certaine and &s;ure. So much is here, and James 1.17.</P>
<P>To comfort tho&s;e who live in toruble and affliction in this life, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> the Lord will make good all his promi&s;es to them in due time, upon this &s;hould they &s;tay them&s;elves as the Anchor hold, fa&s;t again&s;t all temptations, herewith &s;hould they comfort them&s;elves, As P&s;al. 119.49.50. <HI>Remember the promi&s;e made to thy &s;ervant, wherein thou ha&s;t cau&s;ed me to tru&s;t. It is my comfort in my trouble; for thy promi&s;e hath quickened me.</HI> As <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aid, Gen. 22.8. God will provide; it may be in this life, but if the leaves fall, the rootes are &s;ure to &s;tand; though earthly things are not alwayes performed, becau&s;e they are not ab&s;olutely promi&s;ed, yet heaven|ly and eternall &s;hall.</P>
<P><HI>My feare.</HI>] <HI>Or for the feare wherewith he feared me.</HI>] The con|ditions on the Prie&s;ts part are feare and humility.</P>
<P>Though men be bound to doe and &s;uffer what&s;oever God &s;hall lay upon them; and when they have done all, both are, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e they are unprofitable &s;ervants. Luke 17.10. yet the Lord in his great mercy and goodne&s;&s;e propoundeth, promi&s;eth, and performeth a reward unto them here, and Gen. 22.16.17. Mat. 6.4.6.18. Mat. 10.42. Marke 10.29.30. Hebrewes 6.10.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e of the imperfection and corruption of men; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> therefore hath he propounded them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is faithfull, and having promi&s;ed, mu&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and will performe.</P>
<P>This is to encourage and hearten us to obey in all things with chearefulne&s;&s;e, and to beare all things with patience by the hope and expectation of the&s;e things. Heb. 10.32. ad 38. and 11.24.25.26. Mat. 5.11.12. 2 Cor. 7.1. Indeed the mo&s;t ingenuous, filiall &amp; acceptable &s;ervice, is to obey for the love of God, and that &s;im|ply without re&s;pect of reward, but be|cau&s;e of our infirmity that cannot, and Gods mercie who hath &s;o provided for our weakne&s;&s;e. For as S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;peakes,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Oportet in rebus gravibus &amp; mole&s;tis, non labores &s;ed praemia con&s;iderare; ut Mercatores non marst pericula, &s;ed lu|crum &s;pectant: Ita &amp; nos caelum &amp; Dei prae&s;entiam. <HI>Chrylo&s;t. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n Iob. Hom. 7.</HI></NOTE> We ought in grievous and irk&s;ome things, to con&s;ider not the la|bours but the rewards; as Merchants
<PB N="34" REF="150">minde the gaine, not the dangers of the &s;ea; &s;o mu&s;t we looke at heaven and the pre&s;ence of God.</P>
<P><HI>For the feare.</HI>] The&s;e ble&s;&s;ings of life and peace are promi&s;ed for Gods feare; and this is the condition he required of them for them.</P>
<P>He that would have the ble&s;&s;ings of God performed to him, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> which he hath promi&s;ed, mu&s;t have this condition of his feare and mu&s;t feare him, for that he commends here in <HI>Levi,</HI> he com|mends to po&s;terity, and commands the performance for the obtai|ning of the other. Deuter. 5.29. <HI>Oh that there were &s;uch an heart in them to feare me, and to keepe all my commandements always: that it might goe well with them, and with their children for ever.</HI> P&s;alm. 115.11.13. Prov. 14.26.27. Luke 1.50. This feare of God is a continuall reverent awe of him, ri&s;ing partly on con&s;ideration of his power, and partly of his mercy. Fir&s;t, it is a reverent awe, &s;erve the Lord in feare, and rejoyce in trembling. Secondly, continued not onely for a brunt or in &s;ome judgement, as tho&s;e in Jonah 1.16. but Prov. 28.14. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that feareth alway;</HI> but he that hardeneth his heart &s;hall fall into evill. Thirdly, the grounds, 1. Gods power, though there be no expectation of evill, as we re|verence a man of authority, though he bear no evil will unto us, but good, even for his authorities &s;ake. 1 Kings 19.13. Heb. 12.21.2. his mercy becau&s;e he hath &s;hewed them mercy and goodne&s;&s;e, both in &s;oule and body. P&s;al. 130.4. Ho&s;. 3.5. Job 1.9.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e onely they mu&s;t have them to whom they belong; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> now as Chri&s;t of one, health, Mat. 15.26. And he an&s;wered and &s;aid, it is not good to take the childrens bread &amp; to ca&s;t it to whelps. So of all, they are childrens bread, onely their portion, which are Gods. Now they are onely his which feare him. Mal. 1.6. Honour is filiall feare.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e in covenants no man may expect anothers promi&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but he that performes that he undertooke; &s;o in this. And though the mercy of God be great, it is to be expected and found, not when men performe no conditions, but in pa&s;&s;ing by their infirmi|ties when they performe them</P>
<P>It is matter of comfort to as many as live in the feare and conti|nuall awe of God: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> to them belong the promi&s;es, and they &s;hall have the performance of them; for the performing their conditi|on, he cannot nor will not but performe his. They may happily be in reproach and &s;corne in the time and age they live in, for the feare of God which they profe&s;&s;e, the righteous being an abomi|nation to the wicked, and re&s;training them&s;elves from evill be made a prey to the wicked, I&s;aiah 59.15. yet again&s;t the&s;e mu&s;t this comfort them, thinking that the&s;e things are but as &s;ower &s;awce to make &s;weet and delicious meate more tooth&s;ome and more whole&s;ome: neither mu&s;t it trouble them to &s;ee others in
<PB N="33" REF="150">abundance, greater then they, and happily when they are &s;uch as performe no condition with God at all, but are Athei&s;ts and pro|phane bla&s;phemers, and wicked mi&s;creants, and &s;uch like: for this &s;hould rather comfort them: if he do &s;o in his generall provi|dence to tho&s;e who have no promi&s;e, what will he do to tho&s;e who have the promi&s;e? And if he feed the &s;wine, will he &s;tarve the children? If the doggers be full, and corn-fed, will he de&s;ti|tute the children when the bread is theirs? He will not &s;ure. It may be they &s;hall not have things &s;uperfluous to abu&s;e unto wan|tonne&s;&s;e, and &s;o to grow wor&s;e; but they &s;hall have that which is nece&s;&s;ary and fitting for them: And that little is beter then the o|thers much.</P>
<P>To &s;tirre up every man that hath not this feare, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> to labour and u&s;e all meanes to come by it. It is the condition that makes him capable of the ble&s;&s;ings of God, and the lawfull heire of them. He that knew a meanes to make him&s;elfe capable of &s;ome rich mans goods, and to be his heir or executor after his death, would de&s;ire it, &s;eeke for it, and &s;trive to attaine it by all meanes. Admit it were the reverencing, and honouring, and plea&s;ing of him in all things; would he not be double diligent about it? So in this, eve|ry man &s;hould pray earne&s;tly for it, and long after it. Nehem. 1.11. P&s;al. 86.11.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e many take the comfort to them, who have no part in it, and per&s;wade them&s;elves they have this feare, when they have no portion of it; we may not unprofitably call to minde the five effects, as five notes to know this childelike feare by, handled Chap. 1.6.</P>
<P><HI>He was humbled before me.</HI>] The &s;econd thing God commen|deth in the&s;e as the thing he delights in and approved, and as the condition on their parts, for which he gave them his ble&s;&s;ings, is humility.</P>
<P>He that is humble and lowly in minde &s;hall receive the ble&s;&s;ings of God; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to him hath God promi&s;ed them and will performe them. James 4.6. But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore &s;aith, God re&s;i&s;teth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, P&s;al. 138.6. Prov. 3.34. and 29.23.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The law of truth was in his mouth, and there was no iniquity found in his lips; he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THe law of truth was in his mouth.</HI>] Here begins the &s;econd rea&s;on given of the Lord, why he would bring the&s;e judge|ments
<PB N="36" REF="151">upon the&s;e Prie&s;ts; namely, their di&s;&s;imilitude with the for|mer and fir&s;t Prie&s;ts, with whom he made the covenant, and to whom he did performe it, <HI>Aaron, Eleazar, Phineas.</HI> And in this the order ob&s;erved is, he &s;etteth downe in the fir&s;t part of the compari&s;on, their good and worthy parts which were the prede|ce&s;&s;ors, ver&s;. 6. and the rea&s;on of it, ver&s;. 7. There are foure worthy parts reckoned of theirs. And the&s;e were not of private and particular parts, as they were private men; but they were &s;uch parts as were in them as publicke per&s;ons: As if it had re|ference with the former, he &s;aid, he did not onely carry him&s;elfe and approve him&s;elfe a good and godly man; but he &s;hewed him|&s;elfe a wi&s;e and compleat Doctor, both in teaching the Law and Truth of God, and giving mo&s;t wi&s;e, grave, and whole&s;ome coun&s;ell.</P>
<P><HI>The law of truth was in his mouth.]</HI> The fir&s;t part of the prede|ce&s;&s;ors, which was commendable in them, he was ever mo&s;t &s;tu|dious of the law of God, and mo&s;t skilfull in it, and taught it mo&s;t &s;incerely to his people, ever teaching mo&s;t &s;ound doctrine to them, that they might ob&s;erve my precepts.</P>
<P><HI>And there was no iniquity found in his lips.]</HI> The &s;econd thing commendable; he never propounded or taught any errour, he ne|ver deceived any of my people to draw them from my true wor|&s;hip; but taught ever that which was whol&s;ome and good. Ini|quity is commonly taken for the pervertion and depravation of the knowne right, and is oppo&s;ite to equity and truth.</P>
<P><HI>He walked with me in peace and equitie.]</HI> The third thing com|mendable; the &s;umme of it is, he lived and performed the duty of his place without all negligence &amp; unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, approving him&s;elfe to God and men. He walkes with me, i. he was mo&s;t carefull to plea&s;e me, and to approve him&s;elfe unto me, to wor&s;hip me as I required, and followed not the wickedne&s;&s;e of the age, nor was corrupted with the depravations of the time, whereby men were depraved in my &s;ervice and feare, as Gen. 5.22.</P>
<P><HI>In peace.]</HI> That is peaceably, not provoking me to anger; but cleaving fa&s;t unto me, and obeying my will, &s;o that I had no cau&s;e of expo&s;tulating or quarrelling with him. <HI>Cyril</HI> &s;aith, To have peace with God, is nothing el&s;e but to de&s;ire to know and do that which God requires, and to offend him in nothing.</P>
<P><HI>And did turn many from iniquity.]</HI> The fourth thing commen|dable in them, was, that by their exact walking, and faithfull tea|ching, they helped to turne others from their &s;infull wayes. Out of the coherence, that from their per&s;onall and inherent vertues, he proceeds to the vertues of their place, and their publicke acti|ons and carriages; we may note:</P>
<P>It is not enough for a man to be hone&s;t and good in him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> in his owne per&s;on; but if he have any place, either more or le&s;&s;e
<PB N="37" REF="151">publicke, he mu&s;t be good &amp; faithfull in that, if hee would be ap|proved of God: As if he be a Magi&s;trate, or Mini&s;ter, or officer, or ma&s;ter of a family. As this is manife&s;t in the coherence: &s;o by that, Gen. 18.17.18.19. &amp; Exo 18.19.20.21. Hence is both the co~men|dations &amp; blemi&s;h of old <HI>Eli,</HI> he was a good Prie&s;t, a good Magi|&s;trate, but a bad father; in the more publicke, good; in the le&s;&s;e, defective, 1 Sam. 1.2. Hence we read in Scripture, the commen|dations of good governours, and Kings, both for their private parts, and their publicke vertues: In them&s;elves fearing God, and in publick di&s;charging their duties &s;ufficiently and faithfully. And in the new Te&s;tament we finde not onely private and per&s;o|nall duties pre&s;cribed to Ma&s;ters, Fathers, Husbands, to Mini|&s;ters and Magi&s;trates; but &s;pecially publicke, Ephe&s;. 5. and 6. Col. 3. and 4. 1 Tim. 3.2. &amp;c. Tit. 1.6. Hence the commen|dation of the Angell of the Church of Ephe&s;us, though he was defective in per&s;onall, Rev. 2.2. and the reproofe of the Angell of Pergamus, ver&s;es 14.15.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he more glorifies God: for though his good workes, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as a private man, do glorifie God; yet nothing &s;o much as his faithfulne&s;&s;e in his place publicke, which makes that God is glo|rified much more, and of more. An annuall Magi&s;trate may pro|cure the glory of God more in that yeare, then in all his life: not onely becau&s;e <HI>Regis ad exemplum, &amp;c.</HI> but becau&s;e they may com|mand and compell moe.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this will blemi&s;h the other their private parts, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> and bring Gods judgements upon them, at lea&s;t temporall, as in <HI>Eli,</HI> and the Angel of Pergamus.</P>
<P>This may let all tho&s;e &s;ee their errour and corruption, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who take places, or &s;eek them only for the honour and dignity of them, without either ability for the duties, or con&s;cience and care to per|forme tho&s;e publicke duties, onely it &s;ufficeth them that they have &s;ome faith and feare of God, as other private men have, and never &s;hew them&s;elves faithfull in their publicke places, never re|gard to doe and execute the places. But of few fathers of fami|lies can God &s;ay as of <HI>Abraham;</HI> nay, he knowes the contrary, that they tooke the place with no minde to do any &s;uch dutie, and &s;o execute it &s;till. So of Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters. They are brought, or thru&s;t them&s;elves, before they be called up|on the &s;tage of the world; and when they are on it, do no more then make a dumb &s;hew, perform no more then lookers on, or but things that mu&s;t be done of cour&s;e, and would be though they &s;lept: which is the fault not onely of men profane, or but civilly hone&s;t; but of men who profe&s;&s;e the feare of God; and may well be thought to have &s;ome good mea&s;ure of it, and go for good and truly hone&s;t men. Yet it is their blemi&s;h, that they are carele&s;&s;e of the duties of their place. That as he &s;aid, An evill man may be a
<PB N="38" REF="152">good Citizen: we may &s;ay, Good men are evill Citizens, Ma|&s;ters, &amp;c. which blemi&s;heth much their private graces in the &s;ight of God and good men. And upon many hath, and doth, and will bring particular and temporall judgements, from their families, and &s;ervants, &amp;c. For this is a grand cau&s;e why good men, fathers of families, have &s;uch gracele&s;&s;e children, and corrupt &s;ervants, Mini&s;ters &s;uch untoward flockes, Magi&s;trates &s;uch people.</P>
<P>This may admoni&s;h and in&s;truct all that have the faith and feare of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to joyne with it this care of the duties of their place what&s;oever it is; that they mu&s;t have, becau&s;e the&s;e duties though they be profitable for the common good, yet are they not accep|table from him. As he &s;aith, <HI>Cyprian&s;ec. de zela &amp; livore,</HI> that performeth holy things and is not a con&s;ecrated Prie&s;t, doth things in re&s;pect of him&s;elfe, childi&s;h and unprofitable though they may be good to others. So he that doth things without faith and the feare of God, they are unprofitable; yea wicked and damnable &s;innes, how&s;oever they may benefit others; &s;o may I &s;ay of the&s;e; but yet this had, will not beare out, nor excu&s;e the neg|ligence and not doing the duties of his place. It may make the in|firmities of them pa&s;&s;ed over, but not defend the omitting of them. Therefore to be accepted of God, men mu&s;t al&s;o be carefull of that: Ma&s;ters, &amp;c. The excu&s;es that commonly are pretended will not goe for currant; &s;ervants will not abide with me, if I in|&s;truct, correct, and re&s;traine them, as duty and rea&s;on requireth. Fir&s;t, &s;ee whether thou art not the cau&s;e why they are &s;o untracta|ble, either not &s;eeking by prayer a ble&s;&s;ing upon thy government, or dealing hardly and pa&s;&s;ionately in thy government, as if thou hated them, rather then loved good things, or thy &s;ervants &s;ee thee doe contrary to that thou directs them; for if none of the&s;e, God will per&s;wade them to be tractable and bend their hearts, or el&s;e know that he would have thee purge thy hou&s;e of them, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid and did his, of his &s;aid lewd &s;ervants; le&s;t as God pro&s;pers a bad hou&s;hold for a good &s;ervant, &s;o he cur&s;e a good hou&s;hold for a bad &s;ervant. Mini&s;ters excu&s;es of the untractablene&s;&s;e, and un|willingne&s;&s;e of their people which may happily come from their former negligence, or indi&s;cretion; or if God doe not ble&s;&s;e his labours to them, his reward &s;hall be never a whit the le&s;&s;e, nor he le&s;&s;e acceptable, &s;o he doe his duty. Magi&s;trates and Officers, that they &s;hall be accounted bu&s;ie, officious, and pragmaticall, and it may be when they are out of their office they &s;hall have actions again&s;t them for this and that u&s;age; they may happily be ju&s;tly &s;o accounted, becau&s;e they follow and doe things in humour not in con&s;cience. If they doe not, they neede not doubt of Gods pro|tection, and of good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and &s;hould rather feare an action from God then men, be&s;ides the lo&s;&s;e of the good they may have by doing it. But to all I &s;ay as &s;he &s;aid to the Heathen King, <HI>doe me
<PB N="39" REF="152">ju&s;tice, or el&s;e cea&s;e to be my King.</HI> So let them either doe the du|ties of their places or el&s;e never take them, or &s;peedily give them over, and leave to be ma&s;ters, &amp;c. Or el&s;e they mu&s;t know that if God will not ju&s;tifie; he will condemne.</P>
<P><HI>The law of truth was in his mouth.]</HI> He taught the truth and word of God, and nothing but that, and that wholly.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter of God mu&s;t deliver to his people, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> the law of truth, and it onely; onely the word of God and nothing el&s;e, Rev. 2.7. heare what the &s;pirit &s;aith.</P>
<P><HI>The law of truth was in his mouth.]</HI> He taught the truth and no|thing el&s;e but the truth, and the whole truth, all the truth not kee|ping any thing from them.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter mu&s;t deliver to his people the whole truth of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> all his will and coun&s;ell what&s;oever he hath commanded and revealed. Levit. 10.11. Deut. 5.27. Mat. 28.20. Acts 10.33. and 20.27.35.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e he cannot be free from the blood of his flocke, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that is, the peri&s;hing or &s;laughtering of them, <HI>&s;anguinis, i. caedis,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> upon Acts 20.26. For if <HI>Paul</HI> be free from their blood and from their murther, becau&s;e as he &s;aid Acts 20.26.27. <HI>I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have kept nothing backe, but have &s;hewed you all the coun&s;ell of God.</HI> Then will this by the contrary follow.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e el&s;e they &s;hould not be faithfull neither to him that &s;ent them, nor to them over whom they are &s;et; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> for what fidelity can there be when for their owne plea&s;ures or re&s;pects, they &s;hall not deliver the whole he commanded, and might be profitable to them? 1 Cor. 4.2. <HI>And as for the re&s;t, it is required of the di&s;po&s;ers, that every one be found faithfull.</HI></P>
<P>This will cro&s;&s;e their opinion who affirme many things in the word, are unfit to be delivered and taught to the people, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and are ready to &s;candall and &s;tumble at it, when at any time they are. But if the Mini&s;ter mu&s;t deliver the whole truth, If Rom. 15.4. <HI>What&s;oever things are written aforetime are written for our learning,</HI> that we through patience, and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. If Deuter. 29.29. <HI>The &s;ecret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may doe all the words of this law.</HI> Why &s;hould they not be taught? It is certaine that many things ought to be &s;poken wi&s;ely, di&s;creetely, in their fit and due times; but yet all things mu&s;t be delivered. That which <HI>Hierom</HI> coun&s;elled <HI>Laeta</HI> for her daughter, that the booke of <HI>Canticles</HI> &s;he &s;hould read la&s;t of all the Scriptures, when without danger &s;he might, le&s;t in reading it in the fir&s;t place, &s;he &s;hould be wounded when &s;he was not able to di&s;cerne &s;pirituall things and &s;pirituall love under carnall words. It may be a rule for all things of the like kind: for as <HI>Hilar.</HI>
<PB N="40" REF="153">P&s;a. 134. As an unskilfull man comming into a field abounding with whol&s;ome hearbs, pa&s;&s;es by all, as of no more u&s;e then the gra&s;&s;e; but a skilfull one otherwi&s;e: So of the Scriptures.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Vt imperitus in agrum &s;alubri|bus herbis divitem venerit; omnia inutilia &amp; promi&s;cu&egrave; genita exi|&s;timans praeteribit, peritus contra; Ita de Scripturis. <HI>Hilar. P&s;al. 134.</HI></NOTE> And as <HI>Bernard;</HI> Why may I not draw a &s;weet and whole&s;ome repa&s;t of the Spirit, out of the &s;terile and in&s;ipide letter, as grain from out the huskes, as the nut from out the &s;hell, as the marrow from out the bone. And as <HI>Ba&s;il;</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Quidni dulce eruam ac &s;alu|tare epulum &s;piritus, de &s;terili &amp; in&s;ipid&acirc; liter&acirc;, tanquam gra|num de palea, de te&s;ta nucleum, de o&s;&s;e medullam. <HI>Bernard. in Cant. &s;erm. 73.</HI></NOTE> All bread affoords nouri&s;hment for health; but of no u&s;e oft-times to the &s;icke or quea|mi&s;h:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Omnis panis nutrimentum affert ad &s;alutem, aegris autem &s;ae|p&egrave; inutilis; &s;ic &amp; omnis Scriptura mundis munda. <HI>Ba&s;il ad Chyl. de &s;olita vita.</HI></NOTE> &s;o is the Scripture pure unto the pure. And if any &s;eeme unclean and uncomely, it is to tho&s;e that are &s;uch in them&s;elves. For o|ther things that men thinke unfit to be taught becau&s;e of the greatne&s;&s;e of the my&s;tery, and the depth of them; I &s;ay as to the former. If <HI>Paul</HI> have written of election and reprobation, and hath &s;aid, All things that are written are profitable, and are for learning, in the &s;ame E|pi&s;tle where he &s;pecially handles tho&s;e things, why &s;hould they not be taught, but with wi&s;e|dome in their place. That which S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;peaks in another ca&s;e, we may apply to this:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Magi&s;ter literarum pueru|lum de gremio matris acceptum &amp; ignarum omnium, primis tan|tummodo imbuit elementis, quem rur&s;us alius magi&s;ter accipiens perfectioribus in&s;truit di&s;ciplinis. <HI>Chryl. Hom. 9. in Gen.</HI></NOTE> A petty School-ma&s;ter, that takes a young childe from his mothers lap, ignorant yet of all things, onely teacheth him his fir&s;t letters, whom another ma&s;ter takes, and in&s;tructs after in higher learning: &s;o in the knowledge of the Scriptures. For as all men cannot dive, and fetch pretious &s;tones from the deepe, but he that is cunning, and hath the Art of it: &s;o not all, but the wi&s;e, can either teach or conceive the deep my&s;teries. Fir&s;t children mu&s;t be taught letters, then &s;illables, af|ter words, then con&s;truction, and after all the matter. So is it here.</P>
<P>This teacheth the Mini&s;ter of God how diligent he ought to be, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> both in his private &s;tate and publicke preaching, both to finde out the whole will and coun&s;ell of God, and to deliver it to his people; he mu&s;t exerci&s;e him&s;elfe in diligent reading of the Scrip|tures, and comparing of &s;pirituall things with &s;pirituall, as <HI>Daniel</HI> did, Chap. 9.2. his time mu&s;t not be &s;pent in hunting after profits and preferments, not in idlene&s;&s;e, plea&s;ures and pa&s;times, more than &s;uch recreation as is helpfull to make him fit in body and minde for his Mini&s;tery: <HI>Ars</HI> is <HI>longa,</HI> and <HI>vita</HI> is <HI>brevis,</HI> therefore had he not need to lo&s;e no more time then needes mu&s;t, but &s;pend it &s;o, as that the Scripture may dwell in him, by which he may be made perfect to his workes, 2 Tim. 3.17. Then mu&s;t he be in&s;tant
<PB N="41" REF="153">to teach it, cap. 4.2. To deliver the whole coun&s;ell of God. But no man knowes the whole coun&s;ell of God, how can he deliver it to others, and many have not life and time to deliver it? If any man know it not by his owne fault, not &s;earching for it, not &s;tudy|ing and endevouring, it will not excu&s;e him, but condemne him the more. If God hide &s;omething from him, it is, without doubt, &s;uch a thing as is not &s;o profitable to be knowne or taught, and not required of him. If God &s;horten his dayes, and that in the fir&s;t yeare, or &s;econd of his Mini&s;tery, there is no more required of him then he can performe, &s;o the default be not his.</P>
<P>To teach the hearers, that they mu&s;t endevour by diligent hea|ring, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to know from the Mini&s;ters, the whole law of God, the whole coun&s;ell of God; for therefore mu&s;t the one teach, that the other may receive it. For he would not have it delivered one|ly becau&s;e it &s;hould be &s;poken, but that it &s;hould be learned and received. If any &s;ay, they are not able to conceive, and are not capable of it: I an&s;were, their children at fir&s;t are not capable of all the learning the School-ma&s;ter can teach them; yet at length, and by &s;ucce&s;&s;e and progre&s;&s;e, he learnes as much as he can teach him, and is fit for a higher Schoole: So may it be with them. The wit and capacity of man is compared by one, to the wombe of a woman, which at the fir&s;t is not able to containe the infant, if it were at fir&s;t conception as perfect for quantity, as when it is borne: but as parts are added to parts, &s;o is it enlarged; &s;o they, when Chri&s;t is formed in them.</P>
<P><HI>And there was no iniquity found in his lips.]</HI> The &s;econd com|mendable part in them; they never taught errour, nor deceived his people with lies.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter of God mu&s;t not corrupt the doctrine of religi|on, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> nor teach any errour unto his people, whether touching know|ledge or obedience, in matter of doctrine or manners. If it was <HI>Aarons</HI> commendations, it is others commandment. Hence are the reproofes, I&s;a. 3.12. Jer. 23.13.16. Ezek. 13.10.14. Acts 20.29.30. 2 Cor. 2.17. Gal. 1.8. Jude ver&s;. 13.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e when he exhorteth and per&s;wadeth, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he may the better be beleeved, and prevaile. For the ca&s;e is here as in common af|faires, once taken in a lie, hardly beleeved afterwards: &s;o once in an errour, and uncertaine in his judgement, hardly beleeved again, and things before and after will be doubted of.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he being a guide of others, a leader of the blinde, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> it is not with him as with another; a private man, who&s;e errour may live and die with him&s;elfe; but it is the hurt of many, even &s;o many as are led by him, who are readier to wander with him, then to walk in the right way after him.</P>
<P>This &s;heweth how farre the Prie&s;ts of Popery are from being true and commendable Prie&s;ts before the Lord, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who deliver no|thing
<PB N="42" REF="154">but lies unto their people. For as they have turned the truth of God into a lie, hardly holding any one point of the truth truly and uncorrupt, but having fal&s;ified all the truth of God: &s;o that which they &s;pecially preach unto the people, are lying le|gends, the fal&s;e reports of lying and fal&s;e Saints, their lying mira|cles of fooli&s;h, childi&s;h, ridiculous impo&s;&s;ible things that were done by them. That <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aid of the Cretians, Tit, 1.12. &s;o I may truly of them. It were infinite and unprofitable to enter par|ticulars: This one thing may &s;ufficiently prove that they have no meaning the people &s;hould be taught the truth, &s;eeing it is mani|fe&s;t they forbid their Prie&s;ts to read &s;uch things as they may un|der&s;tand the truth by, to teach the people, or to &s;ee more of the truth then ordinary men do. For there was an inhibition by his Holine&s;&s;e, that no Prie&s;t &s;hould be allowed to read <HI>Bellarmine,</HI> be|cau&s;e he hath more truly &s;et down the truth, as we hold, and more largely then others have done: therfore none may read him with|out &s;peciall licence, le&s;t they &s;hould &s;ee the truth; and none mu&s;t be licenced but &s;uch as are &s;ufficient grounded Prie&s;ts, that there is no fear they &s;hould receive any tincture of the truth, being &s;uch ob&s;tinate heretickes already.</P>
<P><HI>He walked with me in peace and equity.]</HI> The third thing com|mended in him; his &s;incere, faithfull and upright walking in his place and calling.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter of God ought to walke with God in peace and equitie; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> that is, to have his conver&s;ation &s;o holy, faithfull, religi|ous and godly, that it might be plea&s;ing and acceptable to God, and give him no cau&s;e of quarrelling and contending with him. Commended here. So Mat. 5.15.16. 1 Tim. 4.12. Tit. 2.7. 1 Pet. 5.3. The reproofs of all of corrupt lives and conver&s;ation in the old and new Te&s;tament prove this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are ever to be neer unto the Lord his remembran|cers for his people: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Now they who mu&s;t live ever with him, and &s;hould intreat him for others, they had need be &s;uch as he will like of and approve. They who are ever in Princes Courts nigh them, ought to be clad in white and fine apparrell: they who mu&s;t commend the &s;uites of others, had need be in favour and liking them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they mu&s;t deliver his will to his people, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> preach his word and performe his ordinance; which le&s;t they &s;hould make to be abhorred for their corruptions, as quea&s;ie and full &s;tomackes will do meat for the &s;lutti&s;hne&s;&s;e of the Cook; and many the gifts of Princes, if the bringers be leprous, or have the pe&s;t; As the peo|ple abhorred the &s;acrifice becau&s;e of the wickedne&s;&s;e of <HI>Elies</HI> &s;onnes.</P>
<P>To reprove the Prie&s;ts of Popery, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who impropriate unto them&s;elves to be the onely Prie&s;ts and Mini&s;ters of God. To
<PB N="43" REF="154">which we may have enough to &s;ay out of <HI>Bellarmines</HI> defence of <HI>Iohn</HI> 23. <HI>lib.</HI> 4. <HI>de Pont. Rom. cap.</HI> 14. He was accu&s;ed in the coun|cell of <HI>Con&s;tance</HI> for denying the re&s;urrection of the body, and e|verla&s;ting life. <HI>Bellarmines</HI> fir&s;t an&s;wer is, that he is not bound to defend him; becau&s;e he was not certainly and undoubtedly Pope: For at that time there were three Popes, <HI>Greg.</HI> 12. <HI>Benedict.</HI> 13. and <HI>Iohn</HI> 23. and whether was, could not be determined, they all had many and &s;ingular portions. (A mon&s;trous body which had three heads or no head.) He an&s;weres &s;econdly, that he had no &s;uch errour imputed to him for certaine: for, &s;aith he, there were 53. Articles put up again&s;t him; but all touching his life and manners, and were proved by witne&s;&s;e. And other Articles were objected without witne&s;&s;e, whereof this was one. Then was he found faultie in his manners in 53. crimes. His third an&s;wer is, that this was onely proved again&s;t him by the rumour of the com|mon people, who &s;eeing <HI>Iohn</HI> of &s;o di&s;&s;olute a life, begun to think and to &s;peak it abroad, that he beleeved neither eternall life, nor the re&s;urrection of the body: for it had been unpo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould have lived &s;o, if he had been per&s;waded of either. Now if the head be thus, the whole body is &s;ure no better, they &s;o de|pending upon him as they do. For to u&s;e <HI>Pintus</HI> &s;imilitude in <HI>I|&s;aiah,</HI> one of their owne again&s;t them&s;elves. As in a fi&s;h, the head being corrupted and putrified, the whole body is corrupted: &s;o &s;aith he for a Common-wealth (I for their Church) when the principall is corrupted, the other mu&s;t needs be: and he that would know whether the fi&s;h be corrupted, mu&s;t behold the head which is fir&s;t corrupted. So in this.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h the Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that if they would be accepted of God, they mu&s;t walk faithfully before him, and with him have their conver&s;ations &s;incere, without hypocri&s;ic; upright, without turning a&s;ide after the corruptions of the times. They mu&s;t be as &s;tarres fixed in the firmament, that though the clouds be carried up and downe with the winde, yet the &s;tarres being lift above that region, &s;hould remain fixed, &s;eeing God hath taken them into his owne tabernacle of heaven, as it were: therefore is it not enough for them to exceed others in knowledge, but they mu&s;t al&s;o &s;ur|pa&s;&s;e them in holine&s;&s;e and pietie. They have or ought to have more knowledge, after that mu&s;t be their piety and practi&s;e. They come neerer to God, they &s;hould be the liker to him: They are the guides of the people, they &s;hould go before them, and be not like to our &s;hepheards which drive their flockes before them; but like the &s;hepheards of the Jewes, which went before their flocks; not like him that &s;aid, <HI>ite,</HI> but to him who &s;aid, <HI>venite;</HI> how &s;hould they el&s;e prevaile with God for his people? or with the people for their God, when they make them&s;elves unacceptable of God? yea, hatefull by their &s;innes, and the offering of God and his &s;er|vice
<PB N="44" REF="155">loath&s;ome, and to be abhorred of the people for their cor|ruptions. The Lord forbad to <HI>Aaron</HI> and all his for ever, &s;trong drinke, Levit. 10.9. forbidding by it all exce&s;&s;e which might make them any wayes unfit for the &s;ervice of God. The penalty is death; how &s;hall they e&s;cape Gods judgements who are drun|kards, deceivers, &s;wearers, and &s;uch like?</P>
<P>This commendation given to the Prie&s;t, may teach al&s;o a gene|rall in&s;truction to all.</P>
<P>Every one that walketh with God, cleaveth to him in upright|ne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and his wor&s;hip is acceptable in him.</P>
<P>Some Papi&s;ts would hence gather, that a man may be perfect in this life: For out of this will follow, &s;ay they, that the high Prie&s;t was perfect. I an&s;wer, that if either they knew them&s;elves, or knew the Scripture, they would never gather any &s;uch thing; for who knowes him&s;&s;elfe, and findes not him&s;elfe at the be&s;t e|&s;tate full of corruption? as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> did, Rom. 7. Or who knowes the Scripture; and can be ignorant, that he was never yet found &s;ince the fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> which had not his taint and cor|ruption? Not the deare&s;t Saint of God. And for the particu|lar, <HI>Aaron</HI> the high Prie&s;t had his &s;in divers times: For he yeelded to the people to make a Calfe, Exod. 32. He ate not the offering according to the Law, Levit. 10. And &s;o tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, that God threatned and performed it, that he &s;hould not &s;et foot in the land of Canaan, Num. 6.2. If this be &s;o, then could he not be perfect.</P>
<P>But how is it true, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> he had no iniquitie in his mouth? and Jam. 3.2. for in many things we &s;in all, if any man &s;in not in word, he is a perfect man, and able to bridle all the body.</P>
<P>It is true, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> if he &s;in not in his tongue at all; but no &s;uch thing is here given unto him, he is made &s;ound in his Doctrine, not in his whole &s;peech. A man may be perfect in his place, but never in his per&s;on. Again I &s;ay, as there is a double ju&s;tice, &s;o there is a dou|ble perfection: one <HI>legis,</HI> which hath all the points and parts of ju&s;tice, and all the perfections of all parts which &s;ome call, <HI>Perfe|ctio gradnum obedientiae,</HI> which was never in any but Chri&s;t, and <HI>Adam</HI> for a while. Another <HI>Evangelii,</HI> which hath all the parts of true ju&s;tice, but it wants the perfection of tho&s;e parts. As a childe hath all the parts of a true man in the infancie, though it want perfection of &s;tature, and tallne&s;&s;e, and &s;trength, which is called of &s;ome, <HI>Perfectio partium,</HI> becau&s;e all are there in truth; which is nothing el&s;e but the conver&s;ion of a &s;inner, with a pur|po&s;e, will and endevour, with integritie and &s;incerity to plea&s;e God according to all his commandments. And thus was <HI>Iob</HI> ju&s;t and perfect, <HI>Noah, Zachary</HI> and <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>He walked with me in peace and equity.]</HI> Therefore in peace; be|cau&s;e in equity, being upright in his conver&s;ation, he had peace with God, and peace with him&s;elfe.</P>
<PB N="45" REF="155">
<P>They who walke uprightly, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and walke with God in equity and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, they, and they onely walk in peace, &s;hall have true inward peace with God and them&s;elves. To this purpo&s;e is that of I&s;aiah 54.13. P&s;al. 119.165. Joh. 14.27. and 10.33. Phil. 4.5.6.7. <HI>&egrave; contra</HI> I&s;ai. 57.20.21.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is ju&s;tified, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that his uprightne&s;&s;e and &s;anctification &s;heweth: for it proceedeth from ju&s;tification,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bona opera &s;equuntur ju&s;tificatum.</NOTE> as fruit from the life of a tree. Now he that is ju&s;tified, and he onely, hath true inward peace, Rom. 5.1.</P>
<P>He that walkes not uprightly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> can have no a&s;&s;urance of his ju&s;ti|fication, and &s;o remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;innes, and &s;o no peace and quiet|ne&s;&s;e. A &s;inner is as a debter &s;ued to judgement.</P>
<P><HI>And did turn many away from iniquity.]</HI> The fourth thing com|mended in him, that he laboured &s;o diligently, and &s;o effectually, and walked &s;o carefully, that many who were borne and bred in &s;inne and iniquity, and continued in it as &s;laves of Satan, were tur|ned from it to God and godline&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter of God mu&s;t and ought to turne many from &s;inne and Satan, to God &amp; godline&s;&s;e; that is, he ought &s;o to teach, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> &s;o to labour, and &s;o to walke, that by the ble&s;&s;ing of God upon his en|deavours, many may be gained to God out of the bondage of &s;in and Satan, be called and converted unto God. This is given unto the Word, P&s;al. 19.7. in the Mini&s;ters preaching of it, Rom. 10.14. I&s;ai. 49.5. Ezek. 3, 17, &amp;c. and 33.7. &amp;c. Matth. 28.19. Acts 18.9.10. 2 Tim. 2.24.25.26.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he &s;hall be free from their bloud and peri&s;hing, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> not one|ly if he convert, but if he &s;o labour as they may be converted, though they never be: for it not being in his power to work upon the heart, and to alter it, if he do what he can by all meanes to the outward man, he is free; el&s;e he mu&s;t be culpable and guilty of his peri&s;hing. If in <HI>Ezekiels</HI> parable, Chap. 33. a watchman &s;et up of them&s;elves, &s;hall an&s;wer for their bodies, if they peri&s;h for want of warning; what &s;hall he do that is &s;et up of God?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if God do make his labour effectuall, <MILESTONE N="2," UNIT="Rea&s;on"> his honour &s;hall be the more. I cannot &s;ay as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Non minus praemii,</HI> if hee come without them, he &s;hall not lo&s;e his labour, but le&s;&s;e &s;ure, be|cau&s;e of that, Dan. 12.3. <HI>And they that bee wi&s;e &s;hall &s;hine as the brightne&s;&s;e of the firmament: and they that turne many to righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, &s;hall &s;hine as the &s;tarres for ever and ever.</HI></P>
<P>This reproveth and condemneth all Preachers and Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who do not labour &s;o in doctrine, and live &s;o in practi&s;e, that men may be converted to God from iniquity; but by negligence and corruption, &s;uffer men to remaine &s;till in their &s;innes: yea, harden them in their iniquities. They are farre from their dutie, and farre unlike to the&s;e Prie&s;ts, who were thus approved and commended of God.
<PB N="44" REF="156"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="45" REF="156"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page"></P>
<PB N="46" REF="157">
<P>To teach all Mini&s;ters &s;o to preach, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and &s;o to live, that they may convert men to God, and turne them from iniquity: They mu&s;t exhort, improve, and rebuke with all meekne&s;&s;e, long-&s;uffe|ring, con&s;tancie and courage, that there may be nothing wanting in them, why they &s;hould not be turned. This is his dutie, and he that is a Prie&s;t, and rebukes not delinquents, he for&s;akes the of|fice of a Prie&s;t. In the doing of it faithfully, he may well expect a ble&s;&s;ing from God; becau&s;e of that <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 55.10.11. Surely, as the raine commeth downe, and the &s;now from heaven, and retur|neth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it might give &s;eed to the &s;ower, and bread to him that eateth: &s;o &s;hal my word be, that goeth out of my mouth: it &s;hall not returne unto me void, but it &s;hall accompli&s;h that which I will, and it &s;hall pro&s;per in the thing whereto I &s;end it: And if he doe wa&s;te him&s;elfe, hazard his life, and &s;pend his &s;trength, and gain but one, or few, it will be the recompence of his labour. The Captaine that redeems and recovers but one captive, who&s;e free|dome is de&s;ired by his Prince, &s;hall not lo&s;e his reward, though he &s;hall have greater that recovers more. So in this. Dan. 12.3. And if God do not ble&s;&s;e his labours, yet if he be not wanting in his dutie, care and endeavour, but be found wi&s;e and faithfull, he &s;hall be rewarded. I&s;ai. 49.5. And now, &s;aith the Lord that for|med me from the womb to be his &s;ervant, that I may bring <HI>Iacob</HI> again to him, though I&s;rael be not gathered, yet &s;hall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God &s;hall be my &s;trength.</P>
<P>This may teach us why the Mini&s;tery of the Word, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and the Mini&s;ters of it, are &s;o har&s;h and &s;o unacceptable unto mo&s;t men, if they be faithfull, and will &s;eeke by all means to convert men to God; becau&s;e they mu&s;t turne them from their &s;in, &s;eparate them and their iniquities, which they love &s;o dearly, as Micha 6.7. Sin is either naturall, or by cu&s;tome, or both; naturall di&s;ea&s;es are al|mo&s;t incurable, and no le&s;&s;e di&s;ea&s;es that grow into a cu&s;tome, which is another nature: And the Phy&s;itian that &s;hould go a|bout to cure the&s;e again&s;t a mans will, &s;hould have little thanke for his paines, and be not greatly welcome, when &s;uch things cannot be removed without mo&s;t &s;harp and bitter medicines, great paine and griefe: So in this. And here is the cau&s;e why many a mans mini&s;tery at the fir&s;t comming to a place, is very ac|ceptable for a while, becau&s;e he &s;peakes things good and whole|&s;ome, but &s;omewhat generally, becau&s;e he knowes not the &s;tate of his flocke and people: but after he hath lived &s;ome yeares, and &s;ees their &s;innes, and begins to &s;peake home unto them; then is he unacceptable, becau&s;e he would part them and their &s;ins. As that Mini&s;ter that &s;hould per&s;wade a divorce betwixt a man &amp; his wife which he loves mo&s;t dearly, &s;hould never be welcome to his hou&s;e or company: &s;o in this. It may be it is but the &s;ame he hath
<PB N="47" REF="157">often &s;poke of before, but then it was borne; becau&s;e they pro|bably conjectured, he meant not them, but when he hath been a while with them: that it is like he may know them to be guilty of that &s;inne, though happily, and ten to one, he did not, then is it tolerable, becau&s;e they thinke he would &s;eparate them and their beloved &s;inne, their profitable and delightfull &s;inne. All the while he will preach peace and comfortable things to them, and bring the word of reconciliation, and tell them of Gods love, and Gods mercie, and that he is &s;ent to wooe them to be married to God: all that while he &s;hall be kindly welcome. As he that &s;hould &s;ue for a Prince, to win the love of a woman to him, all the while he tells of his honour and riches, and beauty, and &s;uch things, he &s;hall be kindly welcome: but if he come to tell her, that &s;he mu&s;t &s;eparate her &s;elfe from &s;ome place and company &s;he loves well, and change her manners, and for&s;ake her friends and fathers hou&s;e; he &s;hall finde his entertainment, both for u&s;age and countenance, changed: So in this. Which makes oftentimes Mini&s;ters, if they be not the more faithfull, grow cold and carele&s;&s;e, and &s;o fall into many grievous &s;ins.</P>
<P><HI>And turne many from iniquity.]</HI> In them&s;elves, and of them|&s;elves by nature, they were in iniquity, carnall, and &s;old under &s;inne, Rom. 7. till the Mini&s;ter by the word brings them out of it, and turnes them to God from &s;inne, and makes them his.</P>
<P>No man naturally is Gods, but a &s;lave to &s;inne and Satan, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> till he be turned and converted by the preaching of the Word, and work of the Mini&s;terie.</P>
<P><HI>Turne from iniquity.]</HI> Their conver&s;ion to God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> and their cal|ling, is thus noted, By turning from iniquitie. To note this un|to us:</P>
<P>Tho&s;e who are truly called and converted, are turned from their &s;inne and corruption; that is, wa&s;hed, clean&s;ed and purged from them, 1 Cor. 6.11.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>For the Prie&s;ts lips &s;hould pre&s;erve knowledge, and they &s;hould &s;eek the law at his mouth: for he is the me&s;&s;enger of the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>FOr the Prie&s;ts lips.]</HI> In this ver&s;e is the rea&s;on of the precedent duties required in others, and commended in tho&s;e with whom God made his covenant at fir&s;t, generally commanding a duty of the Prie&s;t, or a double dutie, becau&s;e by knowledge and law &s;ome under&s;tand two &s;everall things. It depends upon the former thus:
<PB N="48" REF="158">The&s;e things he ought to do: for he ought to be a man of know|ledge, &amp;c. Some read them, <HI>Doth pre&s;erve,</HI> in the pre&s;ent ten&s;e; but commonly it is read in the future: Not to note out a promi&s;e, as if the Prie&s;ts lips &s;hould never erre, but &s;hould be &s;o kept, that he might not erre. But it is a commandement, &s;hewing how he ought to be qualified.</P>
<P><HI>Shall keep.]</HI> It is not, &s;aith S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> &s;hall bring forth, or pro|duce: for that was &s;poken before; but &s;hall keep, that he may &s;peak it and produce it in time, and may give his fellow &s;ervants their portion in due time. Some take knowledge here for the un|der&s;tanding of the &s;pirituall and heavenly my&s;teries, as the Law after, for the rule of the compo&s;ing of their manners and actions: And the&s;e are &s;aid to be the Prie&s;ts, becau&s;e they mu&s;t &s;tudy the bookes of divine wi&s;edome, by which they become more wi&s;e and more learned then the re&s;t of the people.</P>
<P><HI>And they &s;hould &s;eek the Law at his mouth.]</HI> That is, they ought to require from his mouth who ought to teach it them, Levit. 10.9.10.11. 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. The Law, &s;aith <HI>Bernard lib.</HI> 2. <HI>de Con. &s;id. Non nugas profecto, vel fabulas:</HI> Not toyes and fables. S. <HI>Cy|ril, Ait nomine legis contineri omnium ad bene vivendum nece&s;&s;a|riorum cognitionem.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For he is the Me&s;&s;enger of the Lord.]</HI> This is a rea&s;on for con|firmation of the former; he mu&s;t be a man of wi&s;edome and knowledge, becau&s;e he is one God hath made choyce of, to be his me&s;&s;enger to carry and declare his will unto his people: He is called <HI>Angelus,</HI> not that he was &s;o by nature, but by office.</P>
<P>In the ver&s;e we ob&s;erve two things, two duties, and one rea&s;on inforcing both. The fir&s;t is the Mini&s;ters duty, he mu&s;t be a man of knowledge, learning and under&s;tanding.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> he that is to go in and out before Gods people, ought to be a man of learning, knowledge, and under&s;tan|ding in the word of God, and of the my&s;teries there delivered. It is &s;o here commanded. This <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> knew well, therefore 2 King. 2.9. he asked a double portion of <HI>Elijahs</HI> &s;pirit. Matth. 13.52. Every Scribe which is taught unto the kingdome of hea|ven, is like unto an hou&s;holder, which bringeth forth out of his trea&s;ure, things both new and old. Therefore are they compared to &s;tarres, Rev. 2.1. Made the light of the world, Matth. 5.14. To prove that &s;tarres &s;hould have light, that the eye &s;hould have &s;ight, were needle&s;&s;e: for all know and will confe&s;&s;e it, Tit. 1.9. Gods &s;tewards, of whom as they mu&s;t be faithfull, 1 Cor. 4.2. &s;o al&s;o skilfull, &s;eeing he hath the keyes of the kingdome of hea|ven, Haggai 1.13. he is the Lords me&s;&s;enger. 2 Cor. 5.20. in Gods &s;tead.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is Gods me&s;&s;enger, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as <HI>Paul,</HI> 1 Cor. 5.20. Gods Em|ba&s;&s;adour; now nece&s;&s;arily it followes, that the Me&s;&s;enger and
<PB N="49" REF="158">Emba&s;&s;adour of a Prince &s;hould know and under&s;tand his Ma&s;ters will, what he is to &s;peake and to deliver in the name of him that &s;ent, to tho&s;e to whom he was &s;ent: &s;o in this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he ought to in&s;truct the ignorant, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> to &s;trengthen the weake, to exhort and excite the &s;low and cold, to confirme the truth, to confute errour, and improve them that &s;peake again&s;t the truth, being every way both able and apt to teach, as the tenor of the Epi&s;tles to <HI>Timothy</HI> and <HI>Titus</HI> do run.</P>
<P>But this cannot be done, except he be a man of knowledge and under&s;tanding of the word.</P>
<P>This admoni&s;heth all tho&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who are by God and Man, God and his Church, put in tru&s;t, and credited with the choyce and e|lection of fit men for this calling and function, that they impo&s;e not hands upon any, neither admit any to this place, but &s;uch as are able men, &s;uch as after triall &amp; examination are found fit and &s;ufficient for it. If they lay their hands &s;uddenly and fooli&s;hly upon any, they &s;hall be partakers of their &s;innes, and not be pure, as 1 Tim. 5.22. And where &s;inne cleaves to the hand, the rod and judgement will be upon the backe. The Generall that for his proper gaine, or private re&s;pects, &s;hall admit Captaines and Co|lonels, and Mar&s;hals, for the leading of &s;everall Bands,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Multo fui&s;&s;e &s;atius manus &s;uas in &s;pi|nas impo&s;u|i&s;&s;e, quam e|arum impo|&s;itiono Sab|batium ad gradium de|&s;igna&s;&s;e Presbiterii. <HI>Marcianus.</HI></NOTE> which have no skill in Warre and Mar&s;hall affaires, that when the field is to be fought, are not able to lead their bands &amp; to go in and out before them, can never an&s;wer it to their Prince if it be known, that this is the cau&s;e why the Battel &s;ucceeds &s;o badly, why &s;o ma|ny peri&s;hed and the enemy gathered ground upon him. So in this. I thinke too many may &s;ay of tho&s;e whom they have ordained, as <HI>Marcianus</HI> &s;aid, when he heard how <HI>Sabbatius</HI> demeaned him&s;elfe whom he had ordained a Presbyter, <HI>It had been better he had layd his hands upon thornes, then by the impo&s;ition of his hands to have de|&s;igned Sabbatius to the degree of a Presbyter.</HI></P>
<P>This reproveth tho&s;e who thinke any body &s;ufficient for the Mini&s;tery: As corrupt Patrons and Parents and &s;uch like; ungod|ly Patrons to enrich them&s;elves, and better their &s;tate and portion, thinke any body &s;ufficient to di&s;charge, if he can change <HI>Peters</HI> voyce, Acts 3.6. <HI>Silver and gold have I &s;tore;</HI> or if he want that, if he can part &s;takes, and divide it, take thirds, or &s;tand to his courte&s;ie, though he have not a whit of <HI>Eli&s;ha's</HI> &s;pirit, nor any knowledge in his lips; &s;uch a one, if they may be judges, there is none to him, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Goliahs</HI> &s;word, and more fit then one that hath <HI>Eli&s;ha's</HI> double &s;pirit doubled upon him, and will looke as he may to have that which God hath given him. If we will make them judges, either the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> forgot him&s;elfe, or the Printer, by negligence left out a word, 2 Corinth. 2.16. for it &s;hould be, <HI>Who is not &s;ufficient for the&s;e things?</HI> But the&s;e <HI>Iero|boams,</HI> which bring in Mini&s;ters of the lower &s;ort of the people;
<PB N="50" REF="159">becau&s;e they fill the hand, &s;hall have <HI>Ieroboams</HI> puni&s;hment, 1 Kings 13.33.34.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Qui pote|&s;tatem facit volenti Ec|cle&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">m cor|rumpere, is cert&egrave; author fuerit coru~ omnium quae perdita illi|us audacia turbaverit, <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. de Sacerd. 3.</HI></NOTE> Like to the&s;e are carnall parents, who bring up their children onely &s;o farre as they may be capable by the law of a living; but care not for other &s;ufficiencie: onely perhaps for credit and complement &s;ake, that they be able now and then to make a Sermon in &s;ome place of honour and fame: And they will provide and purcha&s;e livings and benefices for them, and thru&s;t them into them. To the&s;e, and their like, I may apply that, Dan. 1.10. And to the&s;e may I adjoyne tho&s;e Mini&s;ters which them|&s;elves having knowledge, yet I know not out of what corruption it commeth, they thinke a few men of learning is enough. If a few Pari&s;hes in a Citie or Countrey have learned men and prea|chers, as if all Mini&s;ters &s;hould not be men of knowledge.</P>
<P>To reprove all Mini&s;ters who are ignorant, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> who&s;e lips have not knowledge; who though they &s;hould be good Scribes, yet are as ignorant of the word of God, as <HI>Samuel</HI> was in his childhood of the voyce of God, 1 Sam. 3.4. So unable are they for that place. Like to <HI>Balaam,</HI> Num. 22. that though God forbad him, yet for gain he would needs go: So the&s;e, for the wages of iniquitie, when as God, by denying them gifts, hath &s;aid, Go not, yet they will threap kindne&s;&s;e of him, and will go. As <HI>Ahimaaz,</HI> 2 Sam. 18.23. that would needs run to carry the King newes from the Campe; but when he came he knew nothing: So the&s;e, needs mu&s;t they be Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, Me&s;&s;engers of glad tidings, &s;uch as will carry newes from the King to the Campe: but when they come to tell their me&s;&s;age, they know nothing, no more, or often not &s;o much as many of their flockes, as Ho&s;ea 4.4.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h every man how he takes this calling upon him, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> that he finde in him&s;elfe &s;ome competent &s;ufficiencie for it, not to be per&s;waded by friends, drawn by others, not thinking it is enough, when he hath the calling of the Church: for he mu&s;t be a man of knowledge. The&s;e things may increa&s;e other mens &s;innes, but not le&s;&s;en his owne; for he mu&s;t be accepted by that is in him: therfore mu&s;t he be &s;tudious, and of &s;ome competent parts before, and &s;till continue in reading, and looke to learning, as 1 Tim. 4.13.16. For he &s;hall finde him&s;elfe &s;till bound to &s;tudy, and to have need of it daily, for &s;o great a worke to finde out knowledge for his people, the Word being &s;o deep as it is, <HI>Bernard.</HI></P>
<P>Whether if he have not gifts, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> not knowledge, is he a Mini&s;ter or not.</P>
<P>He is, though not &s;uch as he &s;hould; <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> as he is a Mini&s;ter which is corrupt and lewd, though not as he &s;hould.</P>
<P>From the&s;e words &s;ome of our Papi&s;ts do gather that the Prie&s;ts could not erre; and &s;o by con&s;equent not now the Bi&s;hops, nor a Councel. The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e this is a promi&s;e, and God keeps his promi&s;es.</P>
<PB N="41" REF="159">
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><P>The Councell of Chalcedon not denied to be a lawfull Councell, e|qualled the Bi&s;hop of Con&s;tant, with the Bi&s;hop of Rome in authoritie, honour, and other priviledges; &s;ave onely in precedence, which they &s;ay is an error.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Councell of Nice de|creed, That tho&s;e hereticks who fol|lowed <HI>Paulus Samo&s;atenus,</HI> &s;hould a|gaine be baptized; as <HI>Cyprian</HI> and the Anabapti&s;ts.</P>
<P>The &s;econd of Nice decreed, That Images &s;hould be wor&s;hipped, and that Angels had bodies, and that the foules of men were corporall: Why el&s;e did <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> appeale from the Councell of Africa, where <HI>Cyprian</HI> was pre&s;ent, to the Scriptures, affir|ming, we may not doubt of the Scriptures, but of them it is lawfull, <HI>lib.</HI> 2. <HI>de Bapti&s;t. cont. Donati&s;t. cap.</HI> 3.</P>
<P><HI>Concilia plenaria errare po&s;&s;e, di|cens:</HI> If the Qu. be of the authoritie of the Pope, whether greater then a Councell: <HI>Hierom</HI> an&s;weres: <HI>Si authoritas quaritur major orbis e&s;t urbe.</HI> But aske the Councell of Con|&s;tance, which depo&s;ed <HI>Iohn</HI> 23. and cho&s;e <HI>Martin</HI> 5. Either the Councell erred, or el&s;e <HI>Martin</HI> was no lawfull Pope: Then all his &s;ucce&s;&s;ors were &s;chi&s;matickes, no lawfull Popes.</P></NOTE>To this I an&s;wer: It is no promi&s;e, but a commandment, &s;hewing what manner of man a Mini&s;ter ought to bee: The &s;ame which the next &s;entence is.</P>
<P>Againe, I affirme, that if it be a pro|mi&s;e, it is generall: for the rea&s;on is gene|rall to all, yea and particular to every one. But the Scripture is manife&s;t, that both particular Prie&s;ts, and generall Councels of Prie&s;ts have erred. In general are the&s;e, I&s;aiah 59.10. Jerem. 6.13. and 14.14. which places &s;hew, that the mo&s;t of the Prie&s;ts and Prophets were then corrupt. Now if there &s;hould have been a Coun|cell gathered of the&s;e, what good might be hoped for from them, by going to the Councell; they might have changed their places, but not their mindes; they would have been the &s;ame in a Councell they were at home. Be&s;ides, is it not mani|fe&s;t, that Councels have erred? 1 Kings 22. But <HI>Bellarmine</HI> happily will an&s;were, they were a Councell of Prophets, not Prie&s;ts, gathered by the King, not the high Prie&s;t. Then &s;ee a Councel of Prie&s;ts ga|thered by the high Prie&s;t erring, John 9.22. and 11.53. and Mark 14.64. But <HI>Bel|larmine</HI> will &s;ay, that a Councell of the Jewes lawfully called before Chri&s;t, could not erre; but he being come, they might. The ground mu&s;t be, becau&s;e they are not Prie&s;ts, neither the high Prie&s;t; but this is fal&s;e: for the Prie&s;tood of <HI>Aaron</HI> was not aboli&s;hed till Chri&s;t became a Prie&s;t, which was not till his &s;acrifice: for if they had been, then had he &s;inned in communica|ting with them. And if this were &s;o, it were marvell how the Rhemi&s;ts, and the generall Popi&s;h argument will hold, who by the example of <HI>Caiaphas,</HI> Joh. 11.49. proves, that the Pope can|not erre, though he be wicked: for if he were not a high Prie&s;t, then holds not this argument; but he was a high Prie&s;t, and they all Prie&s;ts, and yet they erred, and &s;o may it erre. More ingeni|ou&s;ly deale <HI>Ho&s;ius</HI> and <HI>Canus,</HI> affirming, the Councell did pro|nounce a right &s;entence, when they condemned Chri&s;t of bla&s;|phemy, that they might e&s;tabli&s;h this, a Councell cannot erre.</P>
<P><HI>And they &s;hould &s;eek the Law at his mouth.]</HI> The commandment touching the people, &s;hewing what they ought to do.</P>
<P>The people of God, and they who be of his Church, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> mu&s;t
<PB N="52" REF="160">heare and receive the word of God at the mouth of the Mini&s;ters. It is not &s;poken exclu&s;ively, as if the&s;e mu&s;t onely heare from the Mini&s;ter, and not to read them&s;elves: for that is commanded, Joh. 5.39. but principally they mu&s;t heare it from him, and ordinari|ly when he &s;peaketh the Word, they mu&s;t not withdraw them|&s;elves, but mu&s;t heare. This is the order God hath ordained in his Church: This is that is commanded here: &s;o Hag. 2.12. &s;o Jam. 1.16. I&s;aiah 2.3. To Gods hou&s;e to heare and be taught, there &s;peake the Mini&s;ters, Heb. 13.17. Then mu&s;t they be heard.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are begotten and borne againe of the &s;eed of the Word; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but that not by their owne private reading, but from the preaching of the Mini&s;ters, 1 Pet. 1.23.25. They are the &s;onnes of God by faith, Gal. 3.26. But faith is not to be had ordinarily, but by hearing, Rom. 10.14.15.17.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2," UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome, Hom.</HI> 11 <HI>ad pop. Antioch. Se qui&s;que per &s;eip&s;um non facile emendare pote&s;t.</HI> Men are &s;o partiall in judge|ment, &s;o perver&s;e in affection, oftentimes blinded by one meanes or another, they &s;ee not what is fit for them; and if any thing di&s;|like them, not willing to take it to them, then had they need of another.</P>
<P>This will convince of &s;inne all tho&s;e who hold either in opinion or practice, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> no &s;uch nece&s;&s;ity of re&s;orting to the publicke Congre|gations, where the Law is to be had from the mouth of the Mini|&s;ters: for if it be a duty that they &s;hould, then mu&s;t it be a &s;inne to thinke they ought not, and to withdraw them&s;elves from it; con|temning the mini&s;tery of the Word, being the ordinance of God, by which he would teach them the Law. Their pretences they hold forth in their defence, are vaine: Fir&s;t, they can read at home, and it may be, better Sermons then he they &s;hould heare, can preach any. Let me grant them they can; yet followes it not they will: for he that accounts little of Gods publicke ordinance, will hardly performe any &s;uch private dutie, mans nature being more apt to publicke then private duties. But &s;ay they can, and will, and doe it, yet is it faultie, becau&s;e it is cro&s;&s;e to Gods commandment, who could as well have commanded private at that time, as pub|licke. And though it be in it &s;elfe good, yet being out of it fit time, it is evill. It is good and lawfull for a man to follow his cal|ling, or to build Churches, or to get in his harve&s;t, or to recreate him&s;elfe in their times; but to do the&s;e upon the Lords day, is evill. As in the body, the bloud, that is the continent of life, is good, &s;o it be in the proper ve&s;&s;els, the veines: but if out, it is hurt|full, and breeds putrifactions and di&s;ea&s;es. And as all the mem|bers are good in their proper place, but one in another is mon|&s;trous, and hurtfull, as the finger upon the hand, and in the eye: &s;o it is of the&s;e things. Againe, what is this, but to cro&s;&s;e the ordi|nance of God? What is it el&s;e but to chalenge more wi&s;edome
<PB N="53" REF="160">to them&s;elves, then God hath, who hath commanded it, who hath given Pa&s;tors and Teachers to the Church, who hath bid them preach in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P>Secondly, they are begotten already, therefore they need not heare. Nay, they are therefore not begotten, becau&s;e they think it needle&s;&s;e. For there cannot be life, but ther <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">eill be a de&s;ire of food. They cannot be Gods, but they have his Spirit; and where his Spirit is, there cannot be contempt of his or|dinance: but it argues they have not his Spirit, nor are not be|gotten.</P>
<P>Thirdly, you cannot prove we ought to heare &s;o often. Thou mu&s;t learne and heare from him the whole Law of God, which cannot be heard in a mans life in &s;o &s;eldome hearing, as they can bee content onely to hear, and much le&s;&s;e learned. If they mu&s;t heare out of &s;ea&s;on, then oftner then they would, or do. But &s;hall I tell you the true cau&s;e of this refu&s;all? It is either pride of heart, whereby they are puffed up with their owne knowledge, and condition, and thinke they know as much and need no more, and are, as the &s;peech is, as well as meat can make them; which is plain hypocri&s;ie: or it is pride of &s;tate, when they are puffed up with their wealth and &s;tate, and thinke it enough for the poore to receive the Go&s;pell, and pre&s;&s;e upon it. It is not for their &s;tate and wor&s;hip to be over attendant, to &s;trive and thir&s;t after the Word, they come more to honour the Word, or to be well thought of by men, then for any good they look to receive by it; which is a &s;pice of Athei&s;me: or it is becau&s;e of the guilt of their con&s;cien|ces, who finde the galling of the Word, who thinke if they &s;hould continually heare it, they &s;hould have no quietne&s;&s;e in them&s;elves at all, when they can hardly quiet them&s;elves that heare &s;o &s;el|dome, which is carnall &s;ecurity; or el&s;e he that hath them in a &s;nare at his will, is afraid to lo&s;e them: And when he findes that one Sermon makes <HI>Agrippa</HI> almo&s;t a Chri&s;tian, he is afraid of a con&s;tant hearing, le&s;t they &s;hould become Chri&s;tians altogether, and he be ca&s;t out, knowing the Preacher is the power of &s;al|vation.</P>
<P>To teach every one to make con&s;cience of this duty, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to heare and receive the word of God at the mouth of his Mini&s;ters in the publicke a&s;&s;emblies; it is the commandment of God, he that ma|keth not con&s;cience of this duty, maketh not con&s;cience of any: For he that maketh no con&s;cience of all knowne duties, maketh none of any. Therfore &s;hould we be glad with <HI>David,</HI> to go into the hou&s;e of God, &s;o &s;hall we &s;ub&s;cribe to the wi&s;edome of God, who hath &s;o ordained, and given men gifts, not in vaine, not for them&s;elves, when as little would &s;ave them, but as teats to the mo|ther, and Art to the Bee to make hony, &amp;c. &s;o &s;hall we be begot|ten of God, to be &s;onnes, or reformed of God to be holy &s;onnes,
<PB N="54" REF="161">or repaired by God, who decay in minde as well as in body, and had need of continuall in&s;truction as of daily eating. For our work is not like others, &s;aith Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> who finde it as they left it.</P>
<P><HI>They &s;hould &s;eek the Law.]</HI> This is the commandment touching the people, that they mu&s;t receive the Law from the Mini&s;ters mouth; and not onely receive it, but &s;eeke or require it, as it were exact it, as men do for their due, or as &s;ervants require their portion from the Steward when he was &s;lack in giving.</P>
<P>The people mu&s;t not onely heare and receive the word of God at the mouth of the Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> but they mu&s;t &s;eek it, and require it; &s;eeke it with earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, and &s;ervent de&s;ire: So here: and to the &s;ame purpo&s;e is that, when the Spirit &s;peakes of buying the truth, Prov. 23.23. and I&s;aiah 55.1. And hence are the compari|&s;ons when it made as milke and men as new borne Babes, 1 Pet. 2. when, it is compared to gold, Rev. 2.18. to a trea&s;ure, and men to purcha&s;ers, Matth. 13.44. to pearles, and men to Merchants, ver&s;. 45.46.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is that which will make men rich &s;piritually with riches of faith and pietie, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and &s;uch like: which had, will enrich men, will they &s;eek very earne&s;tly.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e here Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2," UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and with him eternall life and all happi|ne&s;&s;e, is to be found, and no where el&s;e, Joh. 5.39. Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think to have eternall life, and they are they which te&s;tifie of me. Rom. 10.6.7.8. Hence Joh. 6.67.68. Je&s;us &s;aid to the twelve, Will ye al&s;o go away? <HI>Peter</HI> an&s;wered, Lord, to whom &s;hall we goe? Thou ha&s;t the words of eternall life. Hence the Go&s;pell is, The grace of God bringing &s;alvation, Tit. 2.11.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e without this, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> what&s;oever a man hath el&s;e, what&s;oever &s;tate and condition he is in, better or wor&s;e, health or &s;ickne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. he can u&s;e no &s;tate well: for the ble&s;&s;ings of God, 1 Tim. 4.5. are &s;anctified by the Word.</P>
<P>To convince of &s;inne all &s;uch, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> as though they heare, yet &s;eeke not, nor de&s;ire it, have no fervent affection to it.</P>
<P><HI>The Law.]</HI> That is, the &s;imple and plaine words of God, not trifles, and fables, and other vanities of wit, but the whole Law, what&s;oever he is bound to deliver.</P>
<P>The people ought to heare and receive, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to &s;eeke and de&s;ire the Law, the pure Law, and the whole Law from the Mini&s;ters. As before, the Mini&s;ter ought to deliver all: &s;o here they mu&s;t affect and receive all. So is it here; and to the &s;ame purpo&s;e is that, I&s;ai. 1.3. For the whole Law is his way. This is proved, Deut. 5.27. Matth. 28.20. 1 The&s;&s;. 5.20.21. Heb. 6.1.2. This by the con|trary, Matth. 2.11.2. Tim. 3.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are his people, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &s;ervants, children, &s;pou&s;e, all
<PB N="55" REF="161">which requires they &s;hould heare and affect his words, his lawes, his will and his precepts, and them all.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the whole is either concerning God or them&s;elves; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> God, as it &s;etteth forth his wi&s;edome, power, ju&s;tice, mercie, and &s;o forth: Them&s;elves, as it offers mercy, or threatneth judgement, as it reproveth evill, or promi&s;eth good.</P>
<P>This will &s;erve to reprove many, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to convince &s;everall men of &s;everall corruptions, &s;ome in one &s;inne, and &s;ome in another, who will heare, and &s;eeme to de&s;ire the Law out of the Mini&s;ters mouth, but not the whole. There are &s;ome who think many things needle&s;&s;e to be knowne and heard, many things not fit to be taught, as before v. 6. Be&s;ides that was then &s;ayd, I &s;ay, let them &s;ee if this be not to check the wi&s;edome of God, who hath written both, and pre&s;erved the whole to the Church; and if pride did not tran&s;port them beyond them&s;elves, it could not be they &s;hould be &s;o affected. As wi&s;edome would teach them that many things are nece&s;&s;ary, though not the pre&s;ent profit of them appeare. For as in in&s;truments onely the &s;trings &s;ound, yet are there other things in the whole body, as that whereunto they are tied, the bridge, the pinnes, which help the mu&s;icke: &s;o in the Prophets, though all be not prophe&s;ies, yet they are things to which the&s;e are tied and illu&s;trated. <HI>Aug de Civ. D. lib.</HI> 16.2. And &s;ome|times for tho&s;e things which &s;ignifie &s;omething, are tho&s;e things which &s;ignifie nothing added. As the ground is onely plowed and rent up by the plow &s;hare, yet that this may be, other parts of the plow are nece&s;&s;ary. And humility, if they had any, would teach to &s;u&s;pect their owne wi&s;edome, in not &s;eeing the u&s;e and end, the profit and fitne&s;&s;e of things, rather then que&s;tioning and rea&s;oning again&s;t God. Others can be content to heare all plea|&s;ant things, as the promi&s;es and mercies of God, but judgements and reproo&s;es, threats and checks, that they cannot brooke; like unto tho&s;e, who in medicines affect onely the &s;mell or trimne&s;&s;e, or gayne&s;&s;e of them, as pills rouled in gold, but cannot away with the force of purging and pre&s;erving. And &s;ee not that a great com|pany more go to hell by pre&s;uming in their lives, then by de&s;pai|ring at their deaths. Some can willingly heare that which con|cernes other men, and their &s;innes, their lives and manners, but nothing touching them&s;elves at all, and their owne &s;innes: As men can willingly abide to heare of other mens deaths; but cannot a|bide to heare of their owne. Oftentimes they will make the Mi|ni&s;ter to beleeve as they did, Jerem. 42.5.6.7. Then they &s;aid to <HI>Ieremiah,</HI> The Lord be a witne&s;&s;e of truth and faith between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God &s;hall &s;end thee to us, whether it be good or evill, we will obey the voyce of the Lord God, to whom we &s;end thee, that it may be well with us, when we obey the voyce of the Lord our
<PB N="56" REF="162">God. But when he &s;hall declare unto them the will of God, that cro&s;&s;eth their affections, they will entertaine him and an&s;wer, as Chap. 43.2. Thou &s;peake&s;t fal&s;ly, the Lord hath not &s;ent thee to &s;ay thus. The&s;e and &s;uch like are here reproved and convinced of the breach of this duty, that they receive not, nor de&s;ire the Law of God.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h every one to labour for hearts willing and de&s;i|rous to receive the whole law and word of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> as he &s;hall put it into the mouthes of the Mini&s;ters to di&s;po&s;e it unto them, what|&s;oever it may be, whether it be plea&s;ant or cro&s;&s;ing: For if men deale &s;o with their Phy&s;itians, &s;ubmit them&s;elves to their pre|&s;cripts, though often they be unplea&s;ant, becau&s;e they are per&s;wa|ded of their wi&s;edome, and that they worke all by Art; and yet may they &s;ometimes erre, how much more unto all that which God hath &s;poken and pre&s;cribed, when they may well know they cannot erre, judging of &s;uch thoughts, as e&s;teemeth any thing &s;u|perflous or unfit, any thing difficult or too deep for them to looke into, as &s;ugge&s;tions of Satan, and their owne corruption, and not ri&s;ing from Gods Spirit, condemning in them&s;elves all &s;uch thoughts as gain-&s;ay the Word, and any part of it delivered unto them, as unloyall to their Prince and Ma&s;ter, Father and Husband, yea cen&s;uring all &s;uch affections as gain-&s;ay and repine at the Word, which toucheth them to the quicke, and their particular &s;innes and corruptions, as fearfull fore-runners of &s;ome dange|rous fall and back-&s;liding; &s;pecially when in former times they could endure as much as that, and happily more, to be &s;poken un|to them, or were &s;uch as condemned other men for &s;purning when they were touched. And indeed it is fearfull: for it argues, he was either an hypocrite before, or el&s;e by rea&s;on of &s;ome &s;ecurity and carele&s;ne&s;&s;e over his own &s;pirituall e&s;tate, he is fallen into a &s;piritu|all di&s;ea&s;e and &s;ome &s;ins he had not before; and refu&s;ing the re|medies or the bitter potion which &s;hould recover him, he mu&s;t needs putrifie more. The body that is &s;icke, and the part that is wounded, if either the remedy be rejected, or the &s;alve be pulled off when it is applied, will doubtle&s;&s;e grow wor&s;e. As he that is &s;ore &s;icke, and grievou&s;ly wounded, gives hope of his recovery, while he will &s;ubmit him&s;elfe to his Phy&s;itian, and take what&s;o|ever he pre&s;cribes him: but he that is but a little ill, and refu&s;eth to hearken or receive any thing, gives no hope at all, though his hurt be the le&s;&s;e: So in this. Therefore men who would &s;ave them&s;elves, mu&s;t receive the whole: They who will &s;hew them|&s;elves dutifull and loyall, either his &s;pou&s;e or children mu&s;t be content to be reproved and chid, when they have given cau&s;e, and never love the le&s;&s;e, as well as cheri&s;hed. And it is a good &s;igne of a good heart, that likes his Mini&s;tery be&s;t, which will reprove and chide him, and not his that will &s;ooth and flatter him.</P>
<PB N="57" REF="162">
<P><HI>For he is the Me&s;&s;enger of the Lord.]</HI> The rea&s;on of the for|mer: The Prie&s;t is Gods Me&s;&s;enger, therefore mu&s;t he be &s;uch and &s;uch.</P>
<P>The Lord he u&s;eth the mini&s;tery of man in revealing his will to his people, Rev. 3.14. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>But yee are gone out of the way: yee have cau&s;ed many to fall by the Law: yee have broken the covenant of Levi, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>BVt yee are gone out of the way.]</HI> Or, <HI>Yee have departed from that way.</HI> The &s;econd part of this di&s;&s;imilitude followes now in this and the next ver&s;e, which containes their degenerating, and &s;o their corruption, ver&s;. 8. and the iteration of the judgement, ver&s;. 9. And in the 8. ver&s;e there are three corruptions, the&s;e Prie&s;ts be chalenged withall, wherein they are mo&s;t unlike to the former Prie&s;ts. <HI>You are gone out of that way:</HI> that is, from the piety and faithfulne&s;&s;e of tho&s;e Prie&s;ts who lived in the fir&s;t age, and with whom I made the covenant at fir&s;t. They neither &s;warved from that rule, but you have for&s;aken and contemned my law, and fol|lowed your owne devices, and &s;ought your &s;elves and the e&s;tabli|&s;hing of your dignity more then my glory, and have &s;ought how to make a gaine to your &s;elves of my wor&s;hip: You have done this who have the &s;ame place, enjoy the &s;ame priviledges, have the &s;ame portion of tythes and offerings they had.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have cau&s;ed many to fall by the Law.]</HI> The &s;econd diffe|rence and diffimilitude: That whereas the former Prie&s;ts by their care and diligence in their places, recovered and cau&s;ed many to returne from their &s;innes, and the breaches of the Law, and to walk uprightly by it: They on the contrary, by their defect and want in teaching, and their pa&s;&s;ing over their &s;innes as if they &s;aw them not, that they might purcha&s;e grace, and procure commoditie to them&s;elves. As al&s;o by their wicked example they were the cau&s;e of the fall of many; that is, that many have &s;inned, and were not puni&s;hed, as the word &s;ometime &s;ignifies. By the Law, is not meant, as if they did &s;o teach and temper the Law as &s;ometime the Prie&s;ts did, in giving liberty by it to &s;inne, as to hate their ene|mies, to lu&s;t and covet, &s;o nothing were outwardly acted: but that they cau&s;ed many to &s;tumble and go contrary to the Law.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have broken the covenant of Levi.]</HI> The third difference: They kept my covenant and were faithfull, and I performed what&s;oever I promi&s;ed to them; but you have broken covenant, &amp; gone cleane contrary to the agreement which pa&s;&s;ed betwixt me
<PB N="58" REF="163">and your predece&s;&s;ours in who&s;e loynes you were, and who made the covenant for you; and &s;o by your iniquities have cau&s;ed me not to performe to you peace, plenty and pro&s;perity, with length of dayes. From the generall I ob&s;erve this:</P>
<P>Men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> of what &s;ort and condition &s;oever they be, ought to imi|tate and follow the vertue, pietie, and faith of their predece&s;&s;ours, whether they were in place, nature, or age. And on the contra|ry, it is a great wickedne&s;&s;e and &s;hame to degenerate from their pietie and vertue, to be unlike unto them. Therefore reproves our Prophet the&s;e Prie&s;ts. To this purpo&s;e is that Heb. 6.12. and 13.7. and 12.1. inferred upon the 11. and Jam. 5.11. Hence was the commendations of <HI>Ieho&s;aphat,</HI> 1 King. 22.43. and of <HI>Io&s;iah,</HI> 2 King. 22.2. On the contrary, it was reproved in <HI>Iehoram,</HI> 2 Chron. 21.12. and in the Jewes, Joh. 8.39.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God hath therefore written the&s;e; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he hath written not that they &s;hould be knowne as matter of &s;tory, to be made for de|light or &s;peech onely; but for matter of life and conver&s;ation: thereby teaching us what to do in others who&s;e memory is new and fre&s;h, that God may have his end.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it will not profit them to have de&s;cended from, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on,"> or &s;uc|ceeded &s;uch: for as he &s;aid of Nobility, what profiteth it a chan|nell or river, flowing from a pure and whole&s;ome &s;pring, if it be corrupt and defiled? Nay, it will the more condemne them, as we may well gather from that, Matth. 12.41.42.</P>
<P>Then are they ju&s;tly reproved, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who talk of doing as their fore|fathers have done, being neither willing nor able to examine what they did, good or evill; but is all one to them, &s;o they did it before them. Such as our ignorant Papi&s;ts be, who imitate not the faith, but the infidelity and errours of their fathers; not their vertues and pietie, but their vices and prophanene&s;&s;e, their liberty and licenciou&s;ne&s;&s;e. No man will condemne their follow|ing of that is good in them, or rather that which had but the &s;hew of goodne&s;&s;e in them; as their workes which were good for the outward act, though not otherwi&s;e, their workes of mercie and liberality, their zeale, fervencie, and diligence in prayer, though their prayers not to be imitated; as a man may imitate the dili|gence and watchfulne&s;&s;e of a thiefe, but not his theft: the provi|dence of a bad Steward, but not his corruption. But to imitate a|ny thing they have done, without choyce of their good, is that which is ju&s;tly condemned: For if the Apo&s;tle mu&s;t not, nor will not be otherwi&s;e followed, then 1 Corinth. 11.1. as he followes Chri&s;t. If the Prophet forbid us to follow our fathers, if they are condemned for following their fore-fathers, as did all the Kings of I&s;rael. If that be the commendations of <HI>Ieho&s;aphat,</HI> 2 Chro. 17.3. that he walked in the fir&s;t way of his father <HI>David,</HI> and not that he imitated him in all things. Is it approveable to follow tho&s;e
<PB N="59" REF="163">who are farre inferiour to him in all things? Nay, it is that which &s;hall improve their &s;in, and inhance their puni&s;hment, as I&s;ai. 14.21. with 65.7.</P>
<P>To provoke us to read the Scriptures, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> where we may &s;ee the truth, and patience, and piety of our mo&s;t holy predece&s;&s;ors, and when wee &s;ee them, to provoke our &s;elves to imitate them, and to uphold our &s;elves in right paths by them, Heb. 12.1.</P>
<P><HI>But yee are gone out of the way.]</HI> They had erred from the truth and good wayes of their predece&s;&s;ors.</P>
<P>The Rulers, Governours, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and Mini&s;ters of the Church may erre, both in matter of doctrine, and of Gods wor&s;hip. Let us look into the booke of God, and we &s;hall finde this true, not in &s;ome one or two, but in the greate&s;t part of them; yea all, for ought we know. Fir&s;t, the&s;e things were fore-told: for though the people bragged, Jer. 18.18. <HI>The Law &s;hould not peri&s;h from the Prie&s;t, nor coun&s;ell from the wi&s;e:</HI> God threatned the farre contra|ry, Ezek. 7.26. and Micha. 3.6. <HI>That the Sunne &s;hould go downe o|ver the Prie&s;t.</HI> And &s;ee the event of this, I&s;a. 56.10. Zephan. 3.4. Jerem. 6.13. and 23.13. But this was in I&s;rael onely: yea, &s;ee it in Judah, Jerem 23.14.16. and not in Prophets onely but Prie&s;ts, 2 Chron. 36.14.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e their knowledge, be it never &s;o great, is but in part, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vulgare il|lud maxima pars eorum quae &s;cimus, &amp; minima pars eorum quae ignora|mus.</NOTE> and imperfect, 1 Cor. 13.9. Now they who are ignorant in part, may erre in &s;ome things. <HI>Ignorantia erroris mater. Bernard ad <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">t ni&s;i ignorando errare non pote&s;t. Augu&s;t. En<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hirid.</HI> Seeing a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">en are in part ignorant, then they may erre; yea the Prie&s;t, Heb. 5.2.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are but in part &s;anctified, and every man hath &s;ome part of the old man in him, as Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> 2 Cor. 11.5. who had gone as farre as any other, confe&s;&s;eth of him&s;elfe, Philip. 3.12.13. Rom. 7.17.24 Therefore may they in part &s;trive again&s;t their owne judgement, and be drawne by temptation to defend errour. Sometime again&s;t their owne con&s;cience: for though errour in judgement, ari&s;e ever of ignorance; yet errour in act, as in teaching, in defending and maintaining of error, is joyned often with know|ledge, and ari&s;eth not out of ignorance, but want of grace and &s;an|ctification.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the promi&s;e of ince&s;&s;ant a&s;&s;i&s;tance, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and infallible gui|dance, was never made to any but to the Apo&s;tles, becau&s;e they were to plant Churches where there never had any been before, and to e&s;tabli&s;h a new forme of Church government and wor&s;hip of God, never u&s;ed or heard of before, therefore to them; John 14.26. and 16.13. which was not a perfect and ab&s;olute illumi|nation which the Apo&s;tle profe&s;&s;eth he had not, 1 Cor. 13.9. but an infallible &s;ugge&s;tion of things as occa&s;ion required: Which is under&s;tood not of things that were expedient for them to know as
<PB N="60" REF="164">Chri&s;tians nor as teachers, which they had already but as Apo|&s;tles. 1. To be planters of new Churchs, and new government. Now that this was promi&s;ed to them onely, I prove; for it is ad|ded, he will &s;hew you the things to come; a priviledge that no Pope or Patriarch ever dur&s;t challenge; and if not this will pa&s;&s;e by vertue of that promi&s;e, why the other, when they are both in one and the &s;ame promi&s;e: therefore it was to them alone; yea not &s;o much as the extraordinary Prophets of the old Te&s;tament, had it either promi&s;ed or performed, as <HI>Greg. &s;uper</HI> 1 <HI>Reg.</HI> 3.8. ob&s;er|veth: for they had not the Spirit extraordinarily alwayes infalli|bly guiding them, &s;ave when they came with &s;ome &s;peciall me&s;|&s;age from God, which is manife&s;t by the errour of <HI>Nathan,</HI> when he was out of his me&s;&s;age, 2 Sam. 7.3. And of him that was de|luded by the fal&s;e Prophet after he had done his me&s;&s;age to <HI>Iero|boam,</HI> and made to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the commandment of the Lord, 1 King. 13.2.18. and 19. which he would not have done if he had not been deceived: for before he would not do it for all the Kings offer, ver&s;. 7.8. and in Jer. cap. 42.4.7.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to confute the doctrine of Popery, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> who hold, that the Church cannot erre, nor a Councell, which is the repre&s;en|tative Church; but they have brought it to a narrower &s;cantling: for the que&s;tion is wholly about one, for what&s;oever they talke of Church or Councels, it commeth in conclu&s;ion all home to the Pope, he it is alone that cannot erre: For the Church, they grant that any particular Church in the world may erre, &s;ave the Curch of Rome; &amp; that too, if the Pope &s;hould tran&s;late his Sea from Rome, as <HI>Peter</HI> did from Antioch thither, <HI>Bell. de Pont. Rom.</HI> 4.4. For Councels, that a generall Councel may erre, if the Pope do not confirme it. <HI>Ibid.</HI> 4.3. And <HI>&egrave; contra Idem de Conc. author</HI> 2.2.5. But if all be true that we have &s;hewed, he may erre. But <HI>Bellar. de Pontif Rom.</HI> 4.3. proveth he cannot: for Luke 22.32. <HI>I have prayed for thee, that thy faith faile not,</HI> and &s;o for the Pope, and &s;o he cannot erre. It is an&s;wered: Fir&s;t, that by faith is not heere meant an hi&s;toricall faith, but a ju&s;tifying faith; not a generall faith, but a particular; nor that by which we beleeve God, but in God: which fails not by errour, &s;o it be not fundamentall: for &s;o &s;hould we condemne all who ever have lived: But when a man doth fall wholly from grace, and cea&s;eth to be a member of Chri&s;t. And that it is &s;o, appeares out of the drift and &s;cope of our Saviour Chri&s;t. for his drift was to arme and protect <HI>Peter</HI> a|gain&s;t that triall and temptation that he then foretold him of: not again&s;t errour in teaching the Church, but again&s;t Apo&s;ta&s;ie in time of triall. Therefore &s;aith <HI>Theophilact in Lucam,</HI> he &s;heweth him the particular temptation: for our Saviour would not arme there where he was not to be hurt, where there was no danger: not put an helmet upon the head when the heart and brea&s;t was to
<PB N="61" REF="164">be &s;trucken. And thus much <HI>Bellarmine</HI> confe&s;&s;eth, when he makes <HI>Peters</HI> fall to be a matter of fact, to ca&s;t utterly off his for|mer profe&s;&s;ion, and not of faith; and therefore it was per&s;eve|rance in the habit of ju&s;tifying faith, not infallibility in the mat|ter of hi&s;toricall faith that Chri&s;t prayed for; which &s;o differs, that a man may have the one, that is, ju&s;tifying faith, and yet hold an errour not fundamentall to the death, as <HI>Bellarmine</HI> contends for the Fathers, divers of them. And the other, that is a right be|liefe of the generall points of religion, and yet not have ju&s;tifying faith, nor &s;aving and &s;anctifying grace, as <HI>Bellarmine</HI> contendeth the Pope cannot erre, and yet confe&s;&s;eth he may want &s;aving grace.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is an&s;wered, that that he prayed for here, was a thing not proper to <HI>Peter,</HI> but common to all the Apo&s;tles, yea all the elect; and if the gift and grace be common to all, and concei|ved, Joh. 17.9.10.20. by the &s;ame per&s;on in effect the &s;ame for all: upon which ground the ancient Fathers apply this place to all the Apo&s;tles; yea to all the elect: and if to all, then helps it them but a little.</P>
<P>The &s;econd proofe he cannot erre, is Matth. 16.18. The gates of hell &s;hall not prevaile again&s;t the Church: whence they fir&s;t rea&s;on, that the foundation and roofe of the Church cannot erre: &s;uch as <HI>Peter</HI> and the Popes his &s;ucce&s;&s;ors. I &s;ay nothing that it is not yet proved, that the Pope is <HI>Peters</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;or: nay, it is mani|fe&s;t, that he &s;ucceeded rather <HI>Simon Magus</HI> then <HI>Simon Peter.</HI> But I &s;ay, that <HI>Peter</HI> is not the rocke. In the words, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> there is difference betwixt <HI>Petrus</HI> and <HI>Petra,</HI> both in the Greeke and Latine. Againe, the rocke here is not <HI>Peter,</HI> but Chri&s;t, 1 Cor. 10.4. and 3.11. whereunto agrees the Fathers, and their owne writers, &amp; al&s;o late writers; whereby all colour of argument taken from this place for the Pope, is utterly qua&s;hed. But grant that they begge: then mu&s;t it either be in regard of his per&s;on; but that cannot be: for the Church cannot be builded upon fle&s;h and bloud; Or in regard of &s;ome &s;uperioritie and place above the re&s;t. But as that cannot be proved: &s;o the contrary is manife&s;t, 2. Cor. 12.11. Or of his doctrine taught by him, and of the faith of Chri&s;t confe&s;&s;ed by him, and &s;o it is true. Now this was common to him and all the re&s;t. For as <HI>Iohn</HI> is called a Pillar, Gal. 2.9. &s;o was <HI>Iames</HI> as well as <HI>Peter,</HI> and all the re&s;t, as Revel. 21.14. To which is that, Ephe&s;. 2.20. with whom the Prophets are joyned, becau&s;e they writ the Scriptures, which is indeed the foundation of our faith; they being put for their writings. Out of all which nothing will follow for the Pope, or nothing in &s;peciall man|ner.</P>
<P>I will trouble you with no other rea&s;ons, onely I will &s;hew you this chalenge is fal&s;e, becau&s;e many of them have erred. The fir&s;t
<PB N="62" REF="165">&s;hall be <HI>Marcellus,</HI> or <HI>Marcellinus.</HI> who offered up &s;acrifice to I|dols, and by the Councell of Se&s;&s;a was made to recant it. The &s;econd <HI>Liberius,</HI> whom <HI>Hierom</HI> and <HI>Athana&s;ius</HI> affirme to have been an Arrian, one that denied the Deity of Chri&s;t. Thirdly, Thirdly, like to him was <HI>Felix,</HI> who was an Arrian, as the &s;ame <HI>Hierom</HI> writeth. <HI>Innocent</HI> the fir&s;t made both Bapti&s;me and the Euchari&s;t nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alvation of infants. <HI>Augu&s;tine lib.</HI> 1. <HI>con|tra Iulian. Peligian. cap.</HI> 2. The latter of the&s;e errours was con|demned by the Councell of Trent, Se&s;&s;io. 5. <HI>&s;ub Pio quarto, Ca. non</HI> 4. Fourthly, <HI>Leo</HI> the fir&s;t, who died as <HI>Arrius</HI> did, an Arri|an. Fifthly, <HI>Siricius</HI> accounted Matrimony, pollution. Sixthly, <HI>Vigilius</HI> accur&s;ed all who affirmed, that there be two natures in Chri&s;t. Seventhly, <HI>Honorius</HI> the fir&s;t, which taught, as <HI>Melchior Canus</HI> confe&s;&s;eth, that Chri&s;t had not two wills or operations. Eighthly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In Concilio Romano.</NOTE> Pope <HI>Stephen</HI> the &s;ixth, he aboli&s;hed all the Acts of <HI>For|mo&s;us</HI> his predece&s;&s;our, and commanded all that had received Orders from him, to be ordered againe: and thought that the Sa|crament depended upon the vertue of the Mini&s;ter. Ninthly, <HI>in concilio Ravennae habito Iohn</HI> 9. di&s;anulled all the Acts of <HI>Stephen:</HI> and <HI>Sergius</HI> the third, all that <HI>Formo&s;us</HI> had done: And &s;o that which <HI>Iohn</HI> had done and approved the Acts of <HI>Stephen.</HI> Some of the&s;e mu&s;t needs erre. Tenthly, <HI>Gregory</HI> the &s;eventh, whom Cardinal <HI>Benno</HI> in his writing of him, who lived at the &s;ame time, makes an Heretick, a Necromancer, a &s;editious, and a Simoni&s;t, &amp; an adulterer, not the wor&s;t Bi&s;hop, but the wor&s;t of all men. A right <HI>Hellebrand.</HI> Eleventhly, <HI>Cele&s;tinus</HI> the third allowed here&s;ie to breake the bond of marriage, and that a man might marry a|gaine if his wife fell into here&s;ie, and <HI>&egrave; contra.</HI> So <HI>Alphon&s;us de Ca&s;tro.</HI> Twelfthly, <HI>Iohn</HI> 22. or 21. who held that the &s;oules &s;epa|rated from the bodies, &s;aw not God, nor rejoyced not with him, before the day of judgement, and was forced to recant it with &s;ound of trumpet by the Univer&s;ity of <HI>Paris,</HI> for feare of lo&s;ing his Popedome, as <HI>Iohn Ger&s;on</HI> writeth in his Sermon of Ea&s;ter. Thirteenthly, <HI>Iohn</HI> 23. or 22. was accu&s;ed in the Councell of Con&s;tance for denying eternall life. and the re&s;urrection of the body.</P>
<P>All which, with many moe, prove manife&s;tly again&s;t them, that the Pope can erre, and hath erred, and &s;o may &s;till. <HI>Bellar|mine,</HI> I confe&s;&s;e, hath a great many of &s;hifts and eva&s;ions to cleare his holy Fathers, but they are &s;o light and fooli&s;h, they are not worth the &s;tudying on for the mo&s;t part.</P>
<P>This teacheth us how dangerous a thing ignorance is, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> even in every Chri&s;tian: for if it be the cau&s;e of errour in the Mini&s;ters, it will be in the people. And if the Mini&s;ters all, one and other, are &s;ubject to errour, if they erre, and the people be without know|ledge, they will go after, taking errour for truth; becau&s;e they are
<PB N="63" REF="165">able to di&s;tingui&s;h neither the one nor the other. If it were infal|lible and certaine, that their guides could not erre, nor their Mi|ni&s;ters be deceived, it were no matter though they were never &s;o ignorant; but when it is mo&s;t certaine that they are &s;ubject to it, and their erring will not excu&s;e the people, though the other an|&s;wer for their abu&s;ing and mi&s;-leading of them; their ignorance is very dangerous, and that implicite faith (Popery &s;o much com|mends) damnable. And in them and others, who would per&s;wade the people they may be ignorant, and a little or no knowledge is required of them, it is &s;u&s;pitious, as if they meant to make a prey of them, &amp; to broach &s;ome errors among them: For then (&s;aith <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;tome</HI>) theeves go to &s;tealing when they have fir&s;t put out the candle; and then do men utter their bad wares, when they have dim and fal&s;e lights.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade all men to labour for knowledge, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> and to increa&s;e in the knowledge of the Word and My&s;teries of &s;alvation. That they having the rule of truth and fal&s;hood, the word of God may not be carried away with the errour of one or many, be they ne|ver &s;o great or learned. Erre they may, be they never &s;o lear|ned: for they know but at the be&s;t in part, and erre of|tentimes they do, becau&s;e they are not wholly &s;anctified. For as the greate&s;t part of a Church is wholly un&s;anctified: &s;o the be&s;t are but in part &s;anctified, and &s;o are &s;ubject to partiality and errour; yea, may both erre, and defend errour again&s;t their knowledge, &s;ome violent temptation of pride, plea&s;ure, and profit, and &s;uch like, carrying them thereunto, &s;eeing none now is ince&s;&s;antly gui|ded and governed by the Spirit. Then had they need of know|ledge, that they may try and di&s;cerne the &s;pirits and doctrines, and he that is not carele&s;&s;e which end goes forwards, not retchle&s;&s;e for his &s;oule whether it walke in the paths of truth, or in the paths of errour, will not be carele&s;&s;e for it, and to grow in knowledge. But if they erre, how not we? Lookers on may &s;ee more then players. We may allude to that, Prov. 28.11. <HI>The rich man is wi&s;e in his owne conceit: but the poore that hath under&s;tanding can try him.</HI> And God, often to the &s;imple, reveales things, when hid from wi&s;e, Matth. 11.25. to humble them, and know them|&s;elves but men.</P>
<P>It is a thing that cannot be denied, becau&s;e &s;tories of all times do manife&s;tly prove it, that &s;ometimes errours and here&s;ies have &s;o much prevailed, that the mo&s;t part of them who held and po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed great places of office and dignity in the Church of God, ei|ther for feare, flattery, hope of gaine, or honour, or el&s;e mi&s;-led through &s;implicitie, or directly falling into errour and here&s;ie, and departed from the &s;oundne&s;&s;e of the faith, &s;o that the &s;incerity of religion was upholden, and the truth defended and maintained onely by &s;ome few, and they mole&s;ted, per&s;ecuted and traduced,
<PB N="64" REF="166">as turbulent and &s;editious per&s;ons, enemies to the common peace of the Chri&s;tian world. To &s;ay nothing of the times of Chri&s;t, and after him of the fir&s;t Churches in the Acts. This was the &s;tate of the Chri&s;tian world in the time of <HI>Athana&s;ius,</HI> when in the Councell of Seleucia and Ariminium, the Nicence faith was con|demned, and all the Bi&s;hops of the whole world were carried from the &s;oundne&s;&s;e of the faith, &s;ave <HI>Athana&s;ius,</HI> and &s;ome few Confe&s;&s;ors bani&s;hed with him. So that <HI>Hieron. contra Luciferam, Ingemuit totius orbis, &amp; miratus e&s;t factum &s;e Arrianum.</HI> So <HI>Hila|rius contra Aux. Epi&s;c. Mill.</HI> complained that the Arrian facti|on had confounded all. <HI>Paphnutius</HI> in the Councell of Nice for the marriage of Mini&s;ters, was alone.</P>
<P><HI>But yee are gone out of the way.]</HI> Though they &s;ucceeded them in their places, yet not in their faith, not in the truth of doctrine.</P>
<P>There may be an ordinary and externall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of place and per&s;on without &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of faith and truth of doctrine. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> Ma|nife&s;t here in the&s;e Prie&s;ts, who held the places, and did ordinari|ly &s;ucceed the Prie&s;ts, who were &s;pecially approved of God, yet did not &s;ucceed them in faith, and in &s;oundne&s;&s;e of truth. And as it was in the times before, often a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of the one without the other. And this is fir&s;t manife&s;t by the former doctrine: for when it often happened, that all the ordinary Prie&s;ts, &s;uch as had the out|ward &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, were in errour; God exciting extraordinary Prophets to reprove them, as <HI>I&s;aiah, Ieremie,</HI> &amp;c. It mu&s;t needs be that there was a &s;eparation of the&s;e two. In particular, it is ma|nife&s;t in the time of <HI>Elijah,</HI> 1 King. 19.14. So when wicked <HI>A|haz</HI> was King, 2 King. 16.11. <HI>Vriah</HI> the high Prie&s;t corrupting the wor&s;hip. In the Church of the Jewes in Chri&s;ts time it was &s;o: for they condemning Chri&s;t and his followers as &s;chi&s;mati|call, Joh. 9.22. and 12.42. This is further proved, Acts 20.29.30. The&s;e had their &s;ucce&s;&s;ion from the Apo&s;tles, and held the &s;ame &s;eats, the &s;ame places which the Apo&s;tles held, yet had &s;not the &s;ame truth and faith. So out of the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall &s;tories it is manife&s;t, that the Arrian Bi&s;hops, as <HI>Eu&s;ebius Nicomedien&s;.</HI> and <HI>Eu&s;tathius,</HI> and others did derive their &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of place, per|&s;ons, &s;eats and Churches, from the Apo&s;tles. For they were cal|led, cho&s;en, and ordained, after the cu&s;tome of the Church, and had no new, but the lawfull calling. So of the Donati&s;ts, and <HI>Paulus Samo&s;atenus</HI> in the Church of Antioch &s;ucceeded <HI>Peter,</HI> as well as they did at Rome. And the Greeke Church, judged by the Papi&s;ts, &s;chi&s;maticall, hath her per&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion not onely 1200. yeares, as they confe&s;&s;e, from <HI>Con&s;tantines</HI> time, but long before, from <HI>Andreas</HI> the Apo&s;tle, as <HI>Nicephorus lib.</HI> 8. <HI>Chronol. cap.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the grace of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and the truth is not hereditary, that men &s;hould leave it at their plea&s;ure to their heires and &s;ucce&s;&s;ors,
<PB N="65" REF="166">as they can their places and &s;eats: for John 3. as the winde, &s;o the Spirit, blowes where it li&s;ts. Not living men can make others whom they gladly would, partakers of their faith and truth: how &s;hould the dead and departed? living men more likely.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as in a common wealth, new Lords new lawes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and &s;ucceeding men have different mindes, affections, wills, de&s;ires, ends, &amp;c. and &s;o change many things: &s;o it is in the Church. And though they &s;hould leave them it, as an inheritance, yet we &s;ee children hold not their patrimony, but many &s;pend all: &s;o of this. And as is &s;aid of <HI>Himeneus</HI> and <HI>Alexander,</HI> that they made &s;hip|wrack of faith, 1 Tim. 1.19.20. So of others.</P>
<P>Then falls to the ground the doctrine of Popery, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> making this externall and per&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, a note of the Church, and by it would prove theirs to be the true Church. But if there may be &s;uch a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion without true faith, and if true faith onely makes a true Church, then can it be no true nor certaine note. Be&s;ides, it is not certaine nor expre&s;&s;ed in the word of God, that the Pope was <HI>Peters</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;or, no not in place, but to be proved onely by tradition, and not to be deduced out of the Word, as <HI>Bellarmine de Rom. Pont. lib.</HI> 2. <HI>cap.</HI> 12. confe&s;&s;eth. And &s;o the maine point, whereon the government and Hierarchy of the Papacie depen|deth, hath no word in the Scriptures to prove it: and &s;o the whole is hanged upon the conjectures of men, as upon a rotten threed. For the Scripture not affirming it, what a&s;&s;urance can there be for matter of faith, the matter mu&s;t needs be &s;u&s;pitious and doubt|full? Againe, even the hi&s;tories, which is their proofe, are in &s;uch various opinions, that a man can hardly tell whom to follow, tou|ching <HI>Peters</HI> comming to Rome, and his immediate &s;ucce&s;&s;ors. Some &s;ay he came to Rome in the fir&s;t yeare of <HI>Claudius</HI> the Em|perour, &s;ome in the &s;econd, &s;ome in the fourth, &s;ome in the tenth, and it may be that none of the&s;e is true: &s;ure it is, all cannot be true: For his &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, <HI>Tertullian</HI> maketh <HI>Clement</HI> his next &s;uc|ce&s;&s;or. <HI>Optatus</HI> nameth <HI>Linus,</HI> and then <HI>Clement. Irenaeus</HI> ma|keth <HI>Linus,</HI> then <HI>Cletus,</HI> then <HI>Clement.</HI> If they differ thus, what certainty? where &s;hould faith finde any &s;ure ground? If then the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion at be&s;t is que&s;tionable and doubtfull, if it may be cer|taine, and yet be di&s;-joyned from the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of faith, as it is mo&s;t certainly in them, and true faith onely makes a Church: then can this be no true note of the Church.</P>
<P>To teach us not to be deceived with the glorious &s;hew and great boa&s;t of &s;uch &s;ucce&s;&s;ion; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;pecially when there is an apparant digre&s;&s;ion from the faith, or a probable doubt of corruption in it. For what &s;ucce&s;&s;ion &s;oever, be it never &s;o long or glorious (as a greater could not be then the&s;e Prie&s;ts and people could have ob|jected unto the Prophet) yet if it be without truth of doctrine, and true faith, which is the very &s;oule of &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, it is nothing el&s;e
<PB N="66" REF="167">but a very dead carka&s;&s;e; whereas true faith, without any &s;uch outward &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, e&s;tabli&s;heth and maketh a Church. And in|deed one of the pure&s;t and mo&s;t excellente&s;t Churches was with|out &s;uch a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion. For the Church, of which Chri&s;t in his owne per&s;on was Authour and Ma&s;ter, in which the Apo&s;tle was brought up &amp; in&s;tructed, had no &s;ucce&s;&s;ion. And yet none will, or dare deny, that it was the be&s;t and pure&s;t Church. For whom &s;uc|ceeded Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles? Did he &s;ucceed <HI>Aaron</HI> and the Leviticall Prie&s;thood? Did he elect his Apo&s;tles out of them? Nothing le&s;&s;e. For he &s;ucceeded not <HI>Aaron,</HI> but <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> be|ing a Prie&s;t after his order, not the others: and &s;o the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion was interrupted for many hundred yeares, and &s;o may be &s;till. And on the contrary, there may be &s;ucce&s;&s;ion and no true Church, when the faith is corrupt, and not &s;ound, which made the Fathers when they &s;peake of &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, not urge a naked and externall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, but a true &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, and &s;uch as was joyned with the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of faith and religion.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Non &s;an|ctorum filii &s;unt, qui te|nent loca &s;anctorum, &s;ed qui ex|ercent opera eorum. <HI>S. Hierom.</HI></NOTE> <HI>They are not the children of the Saints who hold their &s;eats, but who follow their workes.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Nonex per&s;onis fidem, &s;ed ex &s;ide per&s;ones probari oportet. <HI>Tertul. lib. de Pre&s;cr. aver&s;. Haeret.</HI></NOTE> <HI>We mu&s;t not prove the faith from the per&s;ons, but the per&s;ons from the faith.</HI> So &s;ay we, let them prove the per&s;ons from the faith, and not faith from the per&s;ons. <HI>They have not the inheritance of Peter who have not the faith of Peter.</HI> All which &s;hewes they would not have us to &s;tand upon the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of the place and per&s;on, but the faith and doctrine.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="foot">Non habent haereditatem Petri, qui fidem Petri non habent. <HI>Ambr. lib. 1. de poenit. c. 6.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P>This wil prove our Church to be a true Church, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> though we have no &s;ucce&s;&s;ion externall and per&s;onall, which &s;eparated from faith, makes no Church; but we have &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of faith, which makes a Church: for if the&s;e may be &s;eparated, if there may be a Church where there is no per&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, as before; If a per|&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion and no Church, as al&s;o before: we hol|ding the true faith of Chri&s;t, the true doctrine of &s;alvation, are notwith&s;tanding the want of per&s;onall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, the Church of Chri&s;t. If they under&s;tand an extraordinary &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, &s;uch as hath oftentimes been in the Church, we &s;ay we have it. Neither hinders that which the adver&s;aries object, that an extraordinary &s;ucce&s;&s;ion ought to be confirmed with miracles, which we have not: for the calling of the Prophets was extraordinary, yet had they no miracles to confirme it; let them &s;hew us what miracles, <HI>Ieremy, Ezekiel Ioel, Ho&s;ea, Amos</HI> had, who were called extraor|dinarily, or <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> John 10.41. Be&s;ides, what miracles needs there, when as our Pa&s;tors either decea&s;ed or living, bring in no new doctrine, or new faith, nor erect a new Church, but re&s;tore the old faith, and repaire and purge the Church foully corrupted.
<PB N="67" REF="167">And whereas they deny us any ordination of Mini&s;ters, becau&s;e they which are lawfully ordained, mu&s;t be by an Apo&s;tle, or one &s;ucceeding him immediately; they be all fictions of their owne, without a word of the Scripture: for they are true Pa&s;tors, which are called of their flockes, and of the lawfull Magi&s;trate, teaching the people, and doing tho&s;e things which good Pa&s;tors &s;hould do. And for <HI>Bellarmines</HI> di&s;tinction of calling or election, which he acknowledgeth was &s;ometime alone of that the people did chu&s;e, and grants may be good, but not ordination. It is an&s;wered, if e|lection be good, we contend not much about ordination: for they who have authoritie to chu&s;e and call, have to ordain, If an orderly ordination be not to be had. And finally, if all Bi&s;hops &s;hould be Arrians, and &s;uch as would ordaine none but them of their owne &s;ect, as &s;ometimes they were, mu&s;t ordination by them be nece&s;&s;a|ry, or we mu&s;t have no Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>Then ought men to labour for knowledge, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> that they be not deceived by the face of men and the Church, but that they may know what is the true faith, and who they are that bring it, know|ing them to be the Pa&s;tors of the Church by their doctrine, Mat. 7.15.16. This fruit is doctrine.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have cau&s;ed many to fall by the Law.]</HI> The &s;econd thing re|proved in them, in &s;educing or mi&s;-leading others, making them to fall into &s;inne.</P>
<P>It is a manife&s;t corruption in the Mini&s;ters of the Church, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> a thing wherein they are farre unlike to their faithful predece&s;&s;ors &amp; whereby they are made unacceptable unto God, when their prea|ching or carriage is &s;uch, as men by them are kept in &s;in, cau|&s;ed or occa&s;ioned to &s;inne: As this proves it, and I&s;aiah 3.12. E|zek. 13.22.</P>
<P>And this is done either by not preaching, or very negligently, that they cannot know what to doe, and &s;o mu&s;t needs &s;inne and offend. Or by not reproving, by which they doe not thinke thir &s;innes to be &s;innes, but remaine in them, according to that, Levit. 19.17. or by dawbing, as Ezek. 13.10. and promi&s;ing life unto them, notwith&s;tanding their &s;innes, as ver&s;. 22. or by bad ex|ample, as Gal. 2.12.13.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is again&s;t the main and principall end of his calling, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which is to turne men from &s;inne and Satan to God and god|line&s;&s;e, and righteou&s;nes. As then it is a fault for men to go contra|try to the main end of their calling or trade; any Artificer, as when he &s;hould build, to pull downe; when he &s;hould make, to marre; when he &s;hould cure, to wound. And if we may &s;peake familiar|ly, as we complaine of Tinkers for making two holes when they undertake to &s;tp one; or of Chyrurgions that make two wounds when they profe&s;&s;e to cure one, made already: &s;o mu&s;t it needs be a corruption in the&s;e.</P>
<PB N="68" REF="168">
<P>Becau&s;e he cro&s;&s;eth the de&s;ire of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> who delighteth much in the conver&s;ion of a &s;inner, and would have men converted from &s;inne, and not kept in them.</P>
<P>This will convince many Mini&s;ters of corruption &amp; degenera|ting from the Prophets &amp; faithful Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who &s;o walk in their Mini&s;tery, as men are hardened by them, cau&s;ed and occa|&s;ioned to &s;inne; they preach &s;o &s;eldome, and carele&s;ly in&s;truct the people they have charge of, they reprove &s;o little, or &s;mooth &s;o much, or are &s;o corrupt and licentious. And this not in the Church of Rome only, but in the reformed Churches, which haue ju&s;tly &s;eparated from her: &s;o that &s;inne abounds every where. Now woe be to &s;uch watchmen, for they &s;hall an&s;wer for the bloud of tho&s;e peri&s;hing &s;oules, and that which peri&s;heth &s;hall be made good, &s;oule for &s;oule. And woe unto &s;uch dawbers, Ezek. 13.13.</P>
<P>This may &s;erve for an Apologie for the Mini&s;ters of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> when they preach, and exhort, and reprove, and threaten, but with &s;mall thankes from tho&s;e that heare them; yet &s;eeing the contrary is corruption, and a degenerating from the faithfull and their &s;teps, and a meanes to make them unacceptable to God their Lord and Ma&s;ter. It may &s;peake for them, if they thus preach and practi&s;e. It may be, if they preached all peace, all <HI>pla|centia,</HI> and waken never a &s;ecure man out of his &s;inne, they would cunne him more thanke, and all &s;peake well of him. But woe unto you when all men &s;peake well of you, &s;aith Chri&s;t, Luke 6.26. this is a &s;igne of a fal&s;e Prophet, a corrupt Teacher: but ble&s;&s;ed on the contrary, ver&s;. 22.23. when they &s;peake but that which he hath commanded, and do but that he hath enjoy|ned them, I&s;aiah 58.1. For want of which he reproves and threa|tens the fal&s;e Prophets, and will condemne all Mini&s;ters. A Phy|&s;itian hath two &s;onnes of a Prince committed unto him, the one taken with a frenzie, the other &s;icke of a lethargie, upon paine of the Princes di&s;plea&s;ure if they mi&s;-carry and be not cured by his default, for him to lo&s;e life for life, if he &s;hould be heard and &s;een chiding and beating, and binding the one, and pinching and nip|ping the other, and u&s;ing all &s;uch meanes as might cure them, he were not to be blamed.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have broken the covenant of Levi.]</HI> This is the third thing, and the generall of the former; the former being a proofe of this, that the covenant was broken when they had failed in the&s;e parti|culars. Of the covenant and the conditions of it, and &s;o of the keeping and breaking of it, hath been &s;poken ver&s;. 4. and 5. One thing may we ob&s;erve, which will &s;erve for more generall u&s;e, which is from this, that by two particulars they are made guilty of the breach of the whole covenant.</P>
<P>One or two particular offences makes a man guilty of the whole covenant which he hath made with God. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> And to &s;peake with
<PB N="69" REF="168">Jam. 2.10. <HI>He that is guilty of one is guilty of all:</HI> &s;o much the nature of a covenant will carry. For when it &s;tands on &s;everall conditions on both parts, when any condition is broken, the whole mu&s;t be. In this the generall on mans part is obedience, the &s;pe|ciall are the particulars of that obedience, which are the &s;everall commandments and branches of them: hee then that is guil|ty of one branch, and hath broken it, is guilty of that command|ment; and he that is of that, of the whole, whereof that is a part; and &s;o faulty in one, he is in the whole guilty of the breach of the whole covenant, and the whole law, Jam. 2.10.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. IX.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Therefore have I made you al&s;o to be de&s;pi&s;ed and vile be|fore all the people, becau&s;e yee kept not my wayes, but have been partiall in the Law.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THerefore have I made you to be de&s;pi&s;ed and vile before all the people.]</HI> Therefore have I al&s;o made you to be de&s;pi&s;ed. This is the repeating of the&s;e judgements, again&s;t the&s;e Prie&s;ts for their corruption, and for the di&s;&s;imilitude and unlikene&s;&s;e which is be|twixt the&s;e and their predece&s;&s;ors. If we con&s;ider the ver&s;e in it &s;elfe, here is a judgement not threatned, but executed; not immi|nent, but pre&s;ent, and the de&s;erving cau&s;e of it: Fir&s;t, general, <HI>Not kept his wayes:</HI> &s;econdly particular, being partiall in dividing the law.</P>
<P><HI>Therefore.]</HI> That is, becau&s;e you have thus broken covenant with me, and have declined and turned out of the way of your predece&s;&s;ors from the truth they held, and the faithfulne&s;&s;e they practi&s;ed and performed, I have made you de&s;pi&s;ed. Private and per&s;onall &s;innes are often turned by the perver&s;ene&s;&s;e of men to the di&s;grace of the calling; but here the faults and corruption of the calling, neglecting or corrupting tho&s;e duties, maketh their per&s;ons in contempt, which is that here &s;et downe.</P>
<P><HI>I have made.]</HI> It is others malice &s;o to do it, or their corrup|tion, or &s;ome other re&s;pect; but it is my judgement, I have brought it ju&s;tly upon you.</P>
<P><HI>I al&s;o made you.]</HI> You fir&s;t broke my covenant, keeping not my conditions, &amp; I al&s;o by judgement have now broken it with you, and brought this contempt upon you. And this have I done, be|cau&s;e you keep not my wayes, becau&s;e you had little care of your carriage and behaviour towards me, and of my wayes to glorifie me; but neglecting my precepts, have made my honour to be con|temned: therefore have I given you up to &s;corne and contempt, and &s;pecially have I laid it upon you for this, <HI>That you have been
<PB N="70" REF="169">partiall in the Law]</HI> Which is as much as you have accepted per&s;ons. He accepts per&s;ons, who being Judge, is not drawn or led by the laws or by ju&s;tice, but beholds his per&s;on which is brought into que&s;tion, and is &s;o moved &amp; affected with it, that he favours it again&s;t right, either becau&s;e he is his friend, or becau&s;e he is mighty, or terrible, or poore, and to be pittied, <HI>Hierom.</HI> So in the Church the Mini&s;ter he accepts per&s;ons.</P>
<P>The judgement upon the&s;e Prophets for breaking of covenant with God, and dealing unfaithfully in their places, is &s;hame and reproach.</P>
<P>The hatred, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> envie, and contempt of the people, is a puni&s;hment, which in this life the ju&s;t judgment of God brings upon all ill Mi|ni&s;ters for the neglect of the duties, &amp; the corrupting of manners. It is here &s;o executed by God. To this purpo&s;e is that Jer. 23.40. <HI>And I will bring an everla&s;ting reproach upon you, and a perpetuall &s;hame which &s;hall never be forgotten.</HI> For it hath relation in &s;peci|all to the Prophets, and Mich. 3.7. Zach. 13.4. Examples in <HI>E|lies</HI> &s;onnes, 1 Sam. 2.24. the faltering Prophets of <HI>Ahab,</HI> 1 King. 18.40. for that they killed them, came from hatred. And in <HI>A|maziah,</HI> Amos 7.17.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a ju&s;t rule of equall recompence, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to doe to men as they do to others, much more as they do to him, that when they make him de&s;pi&s;ed and di&s;honoured, he &s;hould make them ac|cording to that, 1 Sam. 2.30. <HI>Wherfore the Lord God of I&s;rael &s;aith, I &s;aid that thine hou&s;e, and the hou&s;e of thy father &s;hould walke, before me for ever. But now the Lord &s;aith, It &s;hall not be &s;o: For them that honour me, I will honour; and they that de&s;pi&s;e me, &s;hall be de|&s;pi&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is mo&s;t equall, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that they who have fir&s;t ca&s;t off their authority and dignitie, &s;hould finde it al&s;o le&s;&s;ened, and changed with others.</P>
<P>Hence we learne why the Cleargie of the Church of Rome is in that ju&s;t contempt and hatred that it is every where; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> becau&s;e they have neglected their duties, and their manners: They are not onely hated of tho&s;e who are out of their authority, but even of tho&s;e who are under their command who happily feare them, but yet hates. And this is not noted by us, but by <HI>Riberah</HI> upon this place &s;peaking thus:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Hoc non tam exponen|dum, quam lugendum e&s;t, Quid &s;anctius aut honorabilius &s;acer|dotio? Quid autem nunc de|&s;pectius &s;aceraotibus? cur id, ni&s;i, quia vita, no&s;tra dignita|tem no&s;tram dehone&s;tamus?</NOTE> This place is not &s;o much to be expounded as lamented. What is more holy, more honourable then the Prie&s;t|hood? and yet now who are more de&s;pica|ble? and why &s;o, but becau&s;e we di&s;honour our dignity with our lives? How their wi&s;e|dome, and profe&s;&s;ion, and practice, is as Jam. 3.16. &s;en&s;uall, earthly, and divelli&s;h, I have not long &s;ince &s;hewed, how ju&s;tly they are then in contempt, need not to be proved. Let
<PB N="71" REF="169">me adde to that hath been &s;aid, the opinion of <HI>Bernard</HI> of the Court of Rome, that you may judge what the confines be; he writeth thus to <HI>Eugenius, lib.</HI> 4. Among&s;t the&s;e, you being their Pa&s;tor, walk decked with much pretious apparell: If I dur&s;t &s;peak it, the&s;e are rather Pa&s;tors for Divels then for Chri&s;ts &s;heep. Your Court u&s;ually receiveth good men, but maketh few good, there the wicked are not made better, but the good farre wor&s;e.</P>
<P>This teacheth us, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that tho&s;e Mini&s;ters take not the right way to honour and credit, and love of the people, who thinke to have it by &s;oothing and &s;moothing of them, by playing the bad fellowes with them, frequenting the Tavernes, I&s;aiah 56.10.11.12. revel|ling and rioting, following cards and dice, neglecting both &s;tudy and preaching. So this verily is the high way to have the hatred and contempt of the people, if this be true here &s;et downe of God. Yet they will not be per&s;waded of it, be|cau&s;e they finde tho&s;e that will &s;peake faire to their faces, and commend them, and happily countenance them for a while, and &s;ee not how wicked they are in the eyes of all good men. Accor|ding to their warrant, P&s;al. 15.4. who cannot chu&s;e but hate them, when they keep away, and &s;teale away the word of God from them? and as much as lies in them, are cau&s;e of peri&s;hing of their &s;oules, but peri&s;h many moe by defrauding them of the word, and by corrupting of them by their bad example, who&s;e ruine they cannot pitty, but contemne the authours; yea, all civill men, who &s;avour not religion, hate them, only becau&s;e they expect they &s;hould be more holy then others; and though they cannot con|ceive all the diligence they ought, to have in their places, yet &s;up|po&s;e they ought to do farre more then they do: and even tho&s;e who now love them, if God ever call them, will hate them to the full. And if they &s;hould bee laid in their graves with the love of them, yet when they &s;hall meet in hell, when their eyes &s;hall be opened to their co&s;t, they &s;hall be ready to teare one ano|ther for hatred and malice, having been the cau&s;e of the peri&s;hing one of another. As generally in all things, it is u&s;uall with God to make that a &s;nare to the wicked, whereby he &s;ought good to him|&s;elfe: &s;o will he make that a &s;hame whereby they &s;ought ho|nour.</P>
<P>To teach the Mini&s;ters, if they be in contempt, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as who is out of it, to con&s;ider the cau&s;e of it: for as they &s;ay, it is the cau&s;e that makes the Martyr, not the &s;uffering; &s;o in this, the cau&s;e affoords comfort or woe. If it be for the faithfull performance of a mans place, by in&s;tructing, per&s;wading, and reproving, there is com|fort in it, and he may &s;ay, as Job. 31.35.36. But if in examining his heart and wayes, it be for the contrary: if he would either re|move the pre&s;ent, or prevent that is to come, he mu&s;t repent and reforme; for if he continue, God hath &s;aid it, hee will make him
<PB N="72" REF="170">de&s;pi&s;ed. The world will tell him happily, that the way to favour, and love, and account, is to be corrupt &amp; carele&s;&s;e in his place, to do &s;omewhat, and not much. <HI>Balak</HI> told <HI>Balaam</HI> &s;o, Num. 24.11. but he &s;peaketh like an heathen King, and they as deceivers.</P>
<P><HI>Have I al&s;o]</HI> You begun and broke covenant with me, and now I have broken with you; not I, but you began fir&s;t, I onely fol|lowed.</P>
<P>The Lord never breakes covenant with man, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> unle&s;&s;e he fir&s;t breake covenant with him: he never denies them any ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed, but when they fir&s;t deny him the duties promi&s;ed, and do not performe them: when they have begun, he will follow af|ter. So is it here, and 1 Sam. 2.30. 2 Chron. 15.2. <HI>He went out to meet A&s;a, and &s;aid unto him, O A&s;a, and all Iudea and Benjamin, heare yee me: The Lord is with you while yee be with him; and if yee &s;eeke him, he will be found of you: but if yee for&s;ake him, he will for|&s;ak you,</HI> Jer. 22.13.16.17. &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is immutable, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and without change: all the while then they are the &s;ame, and do performe duties to him, he will not be otherwi&s;e; becau&s;e then &s;hould he change, which is not po&s;|&s;ible. But they having once changed, they are not the parties to whom he made &s;uch promi&s;es, and &s;o he neither will, nor doth performe them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is mo&s;t ju&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> yea Ju&s;tice it &s;elfe, one that gives <HI>Suum cuique.</HI> Now while a man performes his promi&s;e, and cleaves to God, he will not with-hold, or for&s;ake any thing: for promi&s;e is debt.</P>
<P>To teach what is the cau&s;e why man often enjoyeth not many of the ble&s;&s;ings which are promi&s;ed. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> The cau&s;e is not in God, not that he hath promi&s;ed more then he can performe, for he is all|&s;ufficient; nor more then he thought fit, for he is mo&s;t wi&s;e in pro|mi&s;ing as well as performing. Nor as men who promi&s;e ra&s;hly that they cannot &s;pare, and after repent them&s;elves; none of the&s;e, nor the like in God, are the cau&s;e of it, but it is in man him&s;elfe: for he hath &s;tript him&s;elfe of all intere&s;t and right unto the promi&s;es of God; becau&s;e he hath fir&s;t for&s;aken him, and dealt unfaithfully with him. Many a man in want of his things he had thought he had had a promi&s;e for, and being impatient through his corrupti|on, is like a &s;icke man of a feaver, accu&s;ing his meat rather then his palate: &s;o he will accu&s;e God rather then him&s;elfe. But he mu&s;t accu&s;e him&s;elfe, &s;eeing God never did, neither can break with any who have not broken fir&s;t with him. Many a man finds he wan|teth, or is deprived of many graces he had, and good things he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, as health, liberty, comforts, and &s;uch like, he calleth upon God for them, and thinkes to receive, becau&s;e of the large promi&s;es God hath made: And all the while he never thinks that he is not the man to whom the promi&s;es are made; or at lea&s;t,
<PB N="73" REF="170">though he did once make a covenant with him; yet he is not the man, becau&s;e he hath not performed his condition. Like I&s;rael, I&s;ai. 59.1.2. <HI>Behold, the Lords hand is not &s;hortned, that it cannot &s;ave: neither his care heavie that he cannot hear: But your iniquities have &s;eparated between you and your God; and your &s;ins have hid his face from you, that he will not heare.</HI> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"></P>
<P>To in&s;truct a man how he may enjoy the ble&s;&s;ings and promi|&s;es of God, whether one or other: he mu&s;t keep promi&s;e with him, and performe all the conditions on his part. It is in him to have them or reject them from him&s;elfe: for if he performe his conditions, God will not faile in his; el&s;e he mu&s;t heare what <HI>Da|vid</HI> heard, 2 Sam. 12.8.</P>
<P>Then Gods faithfulne&s;&s;e dependeth on mans. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>Not his faithfulne&s;&s;e, but his performance: <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> for he may be faithfull, and is undoubtedly &s;till, without the performance, as he is a faithfull man who never performeth condition with ano|ther, when they had broken their conditions of his performing of covenant as before.</P>
<P><HI>I made you to be de&s;pi&s;ed.]</HI> It was others malice and corruption, but Gods judgement. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."></P>
<P>As other judgements which befall men, &s;o this of hatred and contempt and reproach; it comes from God, though man be the in&s;trument of it; therefore &s;aith God, I have made you vile, Jerem. 23.40. P&s;al. 44.13.14. and 107.40. 2 Sam. 16.10. <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."></P>
<P>Becau&s;e all evill, as in the City, &s;o in every place comes from the Lord, Amos 3.6. the evill of puni&s;hment. Now &s;uch is this.</P>
<P>A que&s;tion may be made, whether this be a &s;inne or no? <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> If it be, how &s;hould God be free from &s;inne, when he hath his hand in that which man doing &s;inneth.</P>
<P>It is not &s;imply a &s;inne to de&s;pi&s;e the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> for it is a marke of the child of God, P&s;al. 15.4. To hate the wicked for his wic|kedne&s;&s;e, &s;o it be done &s;imply and onely for that he &s;et at naught all wicked per&s;ons as well as one, and not this and that onely, from whom perhaps he hath received &s;ome wrong, or who&s;e outward &s;tate is contemptible in the world: But if man &s;inne in it, and hate the per&s;on rather then his wickedne&s;&s;e, and doe it in the malice and corruption of his heart; yet is God free from &s;in, becau&s;e as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;peaketh of that of <HI>Shemei: Deus non e&s;t tam Author quam ordinator:</HI> The di&s;po&s;er of his corruption, not the Author of it, for they having this venome by nature to hate and contempt; God leaving them as he ju&s;tly may to their owne cor|ruption, and they will be hating and de&s;pi&s;ing. Now he doth order and di&s;po&s;e of this at his good plea&s;ure, and makes it fall where he thinkes be&s;t, where he would puni&s;h, and for what end he purpo&s;eth, not for what they intended: As <HI>Salomon,</HI> Prov. 16.1. <HI>The preparations of the heart are in man, but the an&s;wer of the tongue
<PB N="74" REF="171">is of the Lord.</HI> Meaning in the generall that God di&s;po&s;eth of all: &s;o in this, not unfitly.</P>
<P>This may &s;hew the folly of tho&s;e who de&s;pi&s;e and &s;et naught by the de&s;pi&s;ing and reproaches, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> becau&s;e they come from inferi|ours, from ba&s;e, and meane, and weake men. But the&s;e &s;hould con&s;ider that it is not from them, but God, and by them, and are the &s;igne of his di&s;plea&s;ure. It is not to be braved or bragged out: Men may not think to acquit them&s;elves by an&s;wering one reproach with another, one contempt with another; for this is but to fight again&s;t God, who hath made them to de&s;pi&s;e them, who if he can not make to returne with &s;uch bla&s;ts, and &s;mall windes, hath verily &s;harpe Arrowes and keene Swords, hath mighty ar|mies, and great &s;tore of men of armes to &s;ubdue them.</P>
<P>To teach men when they are in &s;uch judgements, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> the way how to have them removed: fir&s;t to have <HI>Davids</HI> thoughts; they cur|&s;ed, becau&s;e God bids them cur&s;e, they reproach and contemne them, becau&s;e he hath &s;o made them, and then to imagine and con&s;ider that he who &s;et them on mu&s;t &s;nap them &amp; check them. He mu&s;t onely charme the&s;e Adders that they &s;ting not, or he onely mu&s;t cure their biting; therefore mu&s;t they by prayer &s;eeke unto him for the removing of them who mu&s;t take the&s;e from them, &s;o <HI>David</HI> prayed, P&s;al. 119.39. <HI>Take away my rebuke that I feare: for thy judgements are good.</HI> And if he a King of that mag|nificence and greatne&s;&s;e, of that power and authority could not have them removed but by &s;eeking to God; if he could not cure the biting of a dead dogge, as <HI>Abi&s;hai</HI> calleth <HI>Shimei,</HI> but God mu&s;t doe it; how then &s;hall any other inferiour man be able to helpe him&s;elf and remove it without him? Thirdly, he mu&s;t hum|ble him&s;elfe and remove his &s;inne which is the cau&s;e of fit; for if he remove no judgement unle&s;&s;e man remove the cau&s;e; if he give not favour in the eyes of men, unle&s;&s;e they have favour in his owne eyes fir&s;t, If Prov. 16.7. <HI>When the waies of a man plea&s;e the Lord he will make al&s;o his enemies at peace with him,</HI> Then mu&s;t they turne unto him, and for&s;ake that which is di&s;plea&s;ing, and doe that which is acceptable. And if a reproach be, as they &s;ay of words irrevocable; yet will God doe him good for the others evill, 2 Sam. 16.12.</P>
<P><HI>But yee have beene partiall in the law.</HI>] Their particular &s;inne, why he would lay this judgement upon them; their accepting of per&s;ons in the worke of their Mini&s;tery.</P>
<P>As it is in a Magi&s;trate, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and in him that executes judgement, a great corruption to accept per&s;ons; &s;o is it in a Mini&s;ter and him that mu&s;t di&s;po&s;e of Gods my&s;teries. As the Magi&s;trate in di&s;tri|buting of ju&s;tice may not re&s;pect poore or rich, friend or foe, high or low, or any thing be&s;ides ju&s;tice and equity; &s;o mu&s;t not the Mini&s;ter in dividing the word. Therefore are they here reproved
<PB N="75" REF="171">as offendors for doing &s;o. It is proved by the command to <HI>Ieremy,</HI> Chap. 1.17.18. Hence is the commandement indefinite and ge|nerall to preach to all, and to reprove all. Ezek. 3.18. It is that <HI>Paul</HI> teacheth. 2 Tim. 2.15. And that which he &s;eemeth to reprove in <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Barnabas,</HI> Gal. 2.14. The examples of evill and good Prophets and Mini&s;ters &s;hew this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as <HI>Ieho&s;aphat</HI> &s;ayd of judgement, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that it was the Lords and not mans, and therefore per&s;waded the Judges to doe it with|out re&s;pect; &s;eeing God him&s;elfe would doe &s;o, therefore ought they, 2 Chron 19.6, 7. &s;o of this, the word is the Lords, therefore mu&s;t they &s;peake it as he would have them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they ought to be faithfull di&s;po&s;ers of Gods my&s;te|ries, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> fidelity con&s;i&s;teth in delivering the whole, and in delivering the parts to them for whom God hath appointed them.</P>
<P>To reprove all Mini&s;ters who are partiall in the law and divi|ding of Gods word and my&s;teries, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> re&s;pecting per&s;ons and accep|ting faces, they are all guilty of very grievous &s;in before God; Among&s;t others the whole Cleargy of Rome are guilty of this &s;inne, having fitted the word and di&s;po&s;ition of tho&s;e my&s;teries to every mans humour, as not long &s;ince was &s;hewed, when as the word is contrary to every mans humour, as contrary as light is to darkene&s;&s;e; yet with them they have fitted it, making it as they &s;peake of it, a &s;hipmans ho&s;e, a no&s;e of waxe, a leaden rule. So <HI>Pighius</HI> and <HI>Nicolas Cu&s;anus</HI> a Cardinall of Rome; writeth to the Bohemians, Epi&s;t. 2. Epi&s;t. 7. This under&s;tand that the Scriptures are fitted to the time, and diver&s;ly to be under&s;tood, &s;o that at one time they may be expounded according to the co~mon and cu&s;tomable cour&s;e, but change that and the &s;en&s;e is changed. So that it is no marvaile if the cu&s;tome of the Church at one time interpret the Scriptures after this manner, and another time after that; and according to this they &s;o deale, for time and per|&s;ons, and &s;o prove partiall in the the whole. One thing among&s;t other argues the partiallity of the high Prie&s;t of Rome, which they wuold per&s;wade us is part of the Law and Word of God; that is Purgatory: which they di&s;po&s;e in re&s;pect of per&s;ons, the rich and great ones able to give much, &s;hall not long be in it; they who can give le&s;&s;e, the longer, they who are able to give no|thing, perpetually. If he had any charity in him of which they bragge much, he would free all, and freely, &s;eeing they teach it is the Popes <HI>peculium;</HI> but if he had but equity and ju&s;tice in him, he would free one as well as another, and not accept per&s;ons, and be thus partiall. But not to trifle with them. The partiallity is of|tentimes too papable in the reformed Churches and the Mini|&s;ters of them, when in dividing the word they looke not as the Cherubimes to the Arke, they to the word to &s;peake as it would teach them, which is not partiall, but to tho&s;e who &s;it before them
<PB N="76" REF="172">and apply it &s;o, making it as &s;ome write of Manna, that it ta&s;ted after every mans pallat and &s;tomacke, &s;o this: But they are guilty of this &s;inne, and though as fooles and wicked per&s;ons, they en|joy honour for a time, yet they &s;hall have di&s;honour, Prov. 3.35. It is &s;aid of the <HI>Panther</HI> that he is &s;o greedy after the excrements of a man that if they be out of his reach and naturall power, he &s;tretcheth him&s;elfe &s;o much that he kills him&s;elfe in the end: &s;o may I apply it to the&s;e.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade the Mini&s;ters of God not to be partiall, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> but up|right in the law. To re&s;pect, as ju&s;t Judges will doe, the cau&s;e, equity, and ju&s;tice, and not the per&s;ons, the honour, or commo|dity that is to be had by them, not to deale for that partially with the law or in it, but &s;trive to divide the word of truth aright, and to goe with a right foote unto the Go&s;pell, even as God him|&s;elfe will do, for they are Gods judgements. A Mini&s;ters re&s;olu|tion &s;hould be that of <HI>Elihu</HI> Job 32.21, 22. <HI>I will not now accept the per&s;on of man, neither will I give titles to man, for I may not give titles, lea&s;t my maker &s;hould take me away &s;uddenly.</HI> Remembring that as <HI>Saul</HI> was put out of the Kalender of Gods Kings, for his partiallity, and is accounted to have reigned but two years, when he did many more: &s;o &s;hall they be out of the number of Gods worthies if they be partiall, whereas their uprightne&s;&s;e and faith|fulne&s;&s;e will with the good Steward bring them into the joyes of their Ma&s;ter.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade our hearers to give us leave to divide the word without partiallity, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> and not to be &s;wayed with their greatne&s;&s;e and riches, and frowns, and &s;uch like; but as occa&s;ion may be to deale with their &s;innes, as others, and to give them their portion of judgement as well as mercy, without the knitting of their browes, the &s;trangene&s;&s;e of their looke, the cen&s;ure at their tables and ta|vernes, among &s;uch as are companions with them in the like ini|quity; but if they will not, we mu&s;t take leave, we had rather fall into the hands of men then God, wee know that is a fearefull thing. It is neither your wealth, nor your favour, nor honour, and credit, that either can keepe us from being vile and di&s;pi&s;ed; If God &s;ay to men, de&s;pi&s;e them; nor will an&s;wer for us when we mu&s;t give an account of our Steward&s;hip.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. X.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Have we not all one father? hath not one God made us? Why doe we tran&s;gre&s;&s;e every one again&s;t his brother, and breake the covenant of our fathers?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>HAve we not all one father?</HI>] The &s;econd part of the Chapter beginneth here and continueth to the end, containing the
<PB N="77" REF="172">reproofe of divers particular vices in the people of I&s;rael in gene|rall, both Prie&s;t and people, in this tenth ver&s;e he reproveth their injurious and unequall dealing in the generall.</P>
<P><HI>Have we not all one father?</HI>] Some under&s;tand the&s;e words with the next ver&s;e, as if it were a rea&s;on &s;poken in the defence of their taking of Idolatrous wives, by them who had done it; their rea&s;on is thus: That &s;eeing that they had all one father, which was <HI>Adam,</HI> and all one Creator, which was God: there was no rea&s;on why they &s;hould not marry with them. But others doe under&s;tand them as two main rea&s;ons again&s;t their marrying them, urged by the Prophet from God him&s;elfe: and &s;o the expounding of the words will rather confirme, and the greater con&s;ent of the learned old and new, goe that way. <HI>Hierom</HI> &s;aith that the people being returned out of captivity, the Princes and Prie&s;ts, and peo|ple put away their wives of the I&s;raelites kindred, which by rea|&s;on of their poverty, and injury of the long way, and weakene&s;&s;e of their &s;exe, impatiently bearing the labour, were wa&s;ted, and became both infirme and deformed in body; whereupon they matched with &s;trangers, who were fre&s;h in yeares, beautifull and comely, the daughters of rich and mighty men; as we may &s;ee in the ninth of <HI>Ezra,</HI> that is with the Canaanites, Hethites, Phere|&s;ites, Jebu&s;ites, Ammonites, &amp;c. Therefore they thinke the Pro|phet here reproves them; fir&s;t for their marriages, and after for their divorces, Ver&s;e 16.</P>
<P>There are two &s;peciall and chiefe cau&s;es of love and good will among&s;t men; the one is kindred, affinity, or con&s;anguinity; the other is one and the &s;ame &s;ociety of religion. Fir&s;t, nature com|pells men to affect and love earne&s;tly tho&s;e who are borne in the &s;ame family, de&s;cended from the &s;ame parents and &s;tocke; which bond cannot be violated or broken off without great wickedne&s;&s;e. Secondly, men rea&s;onable and wi&s;e, do thinke tho&s;e &s;pecially to be affected by them, who are companions with them in the &s;ame religion and wor&s;hip. And though this is the mo&s;t worthy and &s;ure, yet the other goes before, and fir&s;t carries &s;way with men be|cau&s;e it is by nature bred with them, and continued from their in|fancie. And the&s;e two they are here pre&s;&s;ed withall, as tho&s;e which condemnes their fact, dealing thus to put away the daugh|ters of I&s;rael, the wor&s;hippers of the true God, and to take unto them the daughters of the heathen, wor&s;hippers of the fal&s;e Gods. For the fir&s;t of the&s;e rea&s;ons, it is here &s;aid, <HI>Have we not all one Fa|ther?</HI> That is, are we not all men and women de&s;cended from <HI>Abraham</HI> by one <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> from <HI>I&s;aac</HI> by one <HI>Iacob?</HI> Why then &s;hould we thus doe? di&s;mi&s;&s;e tho&s;e, or pa&s;&s;e them over, and joyne our &s;elves to the kindred of the heathen and &s;trangers? And for the &s;econd he &s;aith, <HI>Hath not one God made us?</HI> Do we not all acknowledge one God the Creator, and wor&s;hip and &s;erve him
<PB N="78" REF="173">with dutie? Do you di&s;mi&s;&s;e tho&s;e wives, who acknowledge the &s;ame Creator with you, and wor&s;hip him, and take unto you tho&s;e who wor&s;hip Idols for him, and put their tru&s;t in them? To create, or the Creator, is not here taken in that common &s;en&s;e, as when we &s;peake of Gods creation of the world: for then could this be no rea&s;on again&s;t, but rather for them, as &s;ome would make it a rea&s;on in that &s;ort which the Prophet laboureth to confute. But this being again&s;t them, mu&s;t not be taken in that &s;en&s;e, but in ano|ther &s;en&s;e, as there is a &s;peciall u&s;e of it in the Scripture, when it &s;peaketh and dealeth of &s;ome new &amp; &s;ecret di&s;po&s;ition of things, as Jer. 31.22. And &s;o it is u&s;ed, I&s;aiah 65.18. of &s;uch a &s;pe|ciall creation is it here meant, where love and dutie is &s;pecially due unto tho&s;e, who are of the &s;ame religion with us, who follow the lawes and &s;tatutes of the &s;ame Creator and Author.</P>
<P><HI>Why do we tran&s;gre&s;&s;e every one again&s;t his brother?</HI>] It is taken by &s;ome to be the reproofe of their vice, though clo&s;ely, or not &s;o openly, as ver&s;. 11. it is &s;et downe: i. &s;eeing we are of one kin|dred, de&s;cended from one father, why do we thus tran&s;gre&s;&s;e one again&s;t another, either putting away, or refu&s;ing our owne kin|dred in re&s;pect of &s;trangers and aliens? <HI>Brother,</HI> here &s;ome in|terpret either the &s;i&s;ter or daughter of our brother; or rather ac|cording to the u&s;e of the Scripture and Hebrew, which by bro|ther under&s;tand the female as well as the Male. And the applica|tion according to the occa&s;ion either both, or but the one: Both, as Jam. 1.2. and the one, as here upon this occa&s;ion, mu&s;t needs be the female.</P>
<P><HI>And breake the covenant of our Fathers.</HI>] Some thinks that this is applied unto the &s;econd rea&s;on; becau&s;e the covenant of the Fathers was, That they all, and their whole po&s;terity, &s;hould ac|knowledge and wor&s;hip one God onely: and one people &s;hould be con&s;ecrated to one and the &s;ame God. Others thinke, by co|venant is meant the Law of God, a thing u&s;uall in the Scrip|tures, and that Law which God gave unto our Fathers, that they &s;hould not take the daughters of a &s;trange God to wife, or of ano|ther nation.</P>
<P>Others thinke the rea&s;on &s;tands thus; making a third rea&s;on of it; becau&s;e God, when he made covenant with the I&s;raelites, did it not with tho&s;e more then with the&s;e, with one more then with another, but with all alike: &s;o that they who de&s;pi&s;e others, violate the common covenant, as if it were onely a covenant made with them.</P>
<P>The conclu&s;ion of all is thus framed: If you be all one in bo|dy and &s;oule, and by Law, why do you contemne one another?</P>
<P>Generally, in that he u&s;ed rea&s;on, and not the bare authori|tie of God, which had been that hee well might, wee ob&s;erve this:</P>
<PB N="79" REF="173">
<P>Men who per&s;wade others to good, or di&s;&s;wade them from evill, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> mu&s;t u&s;e all tho&s;e rea&s;ons that may any way cau&s;e it to take hold, and put an edge to it.</P>
<P><HI>Have we not all one Father?</HI>] But in this ver&s;e, as I &s;aid, I take not to be reproved any particular &s;inne, but generally their inju|ring, and dealing unequally and unju&s;tly one with another. And this the fir&s;t rea&s;on by which it is reproved, condemning this, be|cau&s;e it was again&s;t nature, they being all of one parent, all one fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Nature it &s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> and humanity, though men have no other bonds to linke them together, ought to keepe men from hurting and in|juring, or tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing one again&s;t another; and to binde them to be helpfull and profitable, and doe good one to another. So rea|&s;oneth the Prophet heere. And to this I apply that which is Levit. 18. When it is given &s;o often a rea&s;on to di&s;&s;wade from injuring, as ver&s;. 7. for &s;he is thy mother, for it is thy fathers &s;hame; 10. thy &s;hame, 12. &s;he is thy fathers kin&s;ewoman, 13. mothers kin&s;woman. To this may that be u&s;ed, Acts 7.26. Hereto that, Gen. 50.16.17. and I&s;ai. 58.7.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e unrea&s;onable creatures, as bea&s;ts and birds, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> fi&s;hes and fowles, love their owne kinde, and by nature are taught not to hurt and injure them, but to do them good. Hence is deemed the rea&s;on why tho&s;e bea&s;ts that feed on fle&s;h, will not eate the fle&s;h of their owne kinde; taught, as it were, by nature, le&s;t they &s;hould eare and devoure their owne brood, or breeders: how much more then unrea&s;onable men?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is the rule and voice of Nature: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <HI>Quod tibi non vis, alteri ne feceris.</HI></P>
<P>To condemne men, not onely as irreligious, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and voyd of pietie and godline&s;&s;e; but as bea&s;tly and unnaturall men, and voyd of humanity, who injure and wrong, tran&s;gre&s;&s;e again&s;t others, and oppre&s;&s;e them. I meane not &s;uch as may &s;ometimes doe it, car|ried by pa&s;&s;ion or affection, in ignorance and want of informa|tion: but I &s;peak of &s;uch as live in it, and to &s;atisfie their owne lu&s;t and de&s;ires, care not whom they wrong &amp; injure; they will de&s;pi&s;e, defraud, deceive and oppre&s;&s;e any, in buying and &s;elling, in letting or &s;etting, by manife&s;t u&s;ury and other oppre&s;&s;ion. All is fi&s;h that comes to net with them: of &s;uch I &s;peake, and how rich &s;oever they may grow or be, what&s;oever otherwi&s;e, yet are they unnaturall men, and void of humanity. And may reprove them as the Apo&s;tle the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 11.14. So, doth not na|ture teach, that if any man injure others, it is a &s;inne unto him? it is again&s;t the very light of nature. And though there were no word of God, neither Law nor Prophets, nothing that might re|prove them in the mouth of the Mini&s;ter, which they now &s;purne again&s;t, and could be content there were none, that they might
<PB N="80" REF="174">&s;inne without controulment, yet &s;hould they not without con|demnation: for even that, Rom. 2.12. will here have place, and &s;hall condemne them by the very light of nature, and now double condemne them; becau&s;e the light of the Word hath &s;hi|ned in a darke place, and they have loved darkne&s;&s;e more then light.</P>
<P>To teach every man, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that if there were nothing el&s;e to binde him to do good to others, or avoyd the hurting of others; yet na|ture ought, and he ought to be thus a law to him&s;elfe, though he had no written Word from God. Whether he be a husband, or parent, or ma&s;ter, or <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> or a private man, nature and huma|nity ought to keep him from the one, and hold him to the other.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Omnia a|nimalia na|turalibus munimentis providentia coele&s;tis armavit. Homo accepit proi&s;tis mi&s;erationis affectum, qui plane vocatur humani|tas, qua no&s;met invicem tueremur. <HI>Lactant. de fal&s;a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">pientia, lib. 3. cap. 20.</HI></NOTE> The heavenly providence hath armed all bea&s;ts with naturall defences; but man in &s;tead of them hath the affection of pitty, which is called humanity, by which we are defended. This very thing ought then to bind men.</P>
<P>It is hard from many men when they reprove others for tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ing and injuring others: It is not for your profe&s;&s;ion, it doth not become a man of that zeale and profe&s;&s;ion as you doe. If they &s;peake it that they are more bound, it is true; but if to excu&s;e them&s;elves, or others, as if it were little or no &s;inne in them, then it is their corruption, and is fal&s;e: For wherein doth their profe&s;|&s;ion binde them, which nature it &s;elfe and humanitie bindes them not to do, or from doing? Undoubtedly in nothing, though it binde more: he is as well bound, that is bound in a &s;ingle bond, as he who is tied in a double; both are bound, though not alike. Set then religion a&s;ide, which followes in the next place, and even nature it &s;elfe binds every man to the&s;e duties, and from the con|trary. and whil&s;t nature la&s;teth, and is undi&s;&s;olved, the bond is never cancelled. Therefore mu&s;t every one remember it to doe good, and not hurt, even all the dayes of his life, to tho&s;e to whom nature hath bound him. Contrary to that &s;ome performe for a while, but as if nature died, they living, do not continue it: as for in&s;tance, betwixt man and wife, many at fir&s;t doe, but continue not; betwixt parents and children.</P>
<P><HI>Hath not one God made us?</HI>] The &s;econd rea&s;on by which he reproveth their injuring and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing again&s;t others; becau&s;e they were all of one Church, profe&s;&s;ed one religion, and &s;erved one God.</P>
<P>Religion, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> when men profe&s;&s;e one and the &s;ame religion, are &s;er|vants of one and the &s;ame God, it ought to keep men from tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ing again&s;t, or injuring one another: which as this proves, &s;o that, Gen. 50.17. <HI>Thus &s;hall yee &s;ay unto Io&s;eph, Forgive now, I
<PB N="81" REF="174">pray thee, the tre&s;pa&s;&s;e of thy brethren, and their &s;inne: for they rewarded thee evill. And now, we pray thee forgive the tre&s;pa&s;&s;e of the &s;ervants of thy fathers God. And Io&s;eph wept when they &s;pake unto him.</HI> Manife&s;t further; becau&s;e the foundation of religion, which is the word of God, commands love to neighbours, and &s;o under that title, other men, Levit. 19.18. Rom. 13. Tit. 2.11.12. Jam. 1.27. even &s;o farre that it comes to enemies, Prov. 25.21. Exod. 25.4. Matth. 5.43.44.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, as it is natures voyce: &s;o &s;omewhat differing, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> but all to one purpo&s;e: it is Chri&s;ts voyce, the authour of religion, <HI>Quod tibi vis, alteri feceris,</HI> Matth. 7.12.</P>
<P>This will &s;erve to condemne men as irreligious and prophane, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and void of all piety and godline&s;&s;e, and yet profe&s;&s;e religion, who make no con&s;cience of hurting their brother, or tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing a|gain&s;t them, who wor&s;hip the &s;ame God with them. There are &s;ome who make no con&s;cience of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing againn&s;t their bre|thren, by fal&s;e &s;landers, railing &s;peeches, and per&s;ecuting their brethren, as <HI>I&s;mael</HI> did <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> by mockings and reproaches, yea &s;ometimes more then the &s;ervants of a &s;trange God will do; that as an ancient Writer &s;aid, As <HI>Moab</HI> and <HI>Ammon</HI> came from the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and yet hated the &s;eed and kindred of <HI>Abraham:</HI> So, he of heretickes, I of Chri&s;tians, they &s;ay they profe&s;&s;e Chri&s;t, and yet none &s;o much as they, hate the generation of Chri&s;t his &s;eed. May we not &s;ay of them, as <HI>Revel.</HI> 2.9. <HI>They &s;ay, they are Iewes and are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan.</HI> Again, as 1 Cor. 11.18. <HI>When yee come together in the Church, I hear that there are di&s;&s;entions among you, and I beleeve it to be true in &s;ome part:</HI> &s;o I heare, that there are &s;ome who make the profe&s;&s;ion of religi|on but a cloake, the better to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e again&s;t their brethren, and under that colour to deceive or injure them; and I beleeve it to be true in &s;ome part, that &s;ome doe it that they might better o|ver-reach or deceive, and plainly injure others. So did <HI>Simeon</HI> and <HI>Levi,</HI> the two &s;onnes of <HI>Iacob,</HI> to be revenged on the Sheche|mites, but they had <HI>Iacobs</HI> cur&s;e, and Gods with it: &s;o &s;hall the&s;e have &s;o cro&s;&s;ing of God, that that which he would have as a main rea&s;on to tye them together, and keep them from tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing one again&s;t another, they make but a maske for their iniquity. Verily offences mu&s;t come, but woe to that man by whom they come, it were better hee had never been borne. And when Chri&s;t &s;hall come to judgement, how&s;oever he may carry it out in the mean time, this will not then &s;erve, Luke 13.26. and Matth. 7.22. For they &s;hall have the an&s;wer in both places: and if they be ex|cluded for not helping, Matth. 25. how &s;hall they be for tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ing again&s;t them, and hurting them?</P>
<P>Now that the &s;pirit of God by the Prophet hath joyned the&s;e two, and added religion to nature, as that which &s;trengthe|neth,
<PB N="82" REF="175">yea makes men performe duties when the other cannot, or is corrupt. From thence I ob&s;erve this in&s;truction:</P>
<P>The onely meanes to keep men in their duties one to another, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> is the feare of God, and true religion; no bond of nature is &s;trong enough, if that be wanting, or if it be corrupted and un&s;ound, as it was in this people; but if &s;ound and true, nothing to that.</P>
<P><HI>Why do we tran&s;gre&s;&s;e every one again&s;t his brother?</HI>] The word &s;ignifies to deale di&s;loyally, traiterou&s;ly, and unfaithfully. And &s;o he accu&s;eth them of perfidious and unfaithfull dealing one with a|nother, that they did not keep their promi&s;e, word and covenant one with another.</P>
<P>Perfidie and unfaithfulne&s;&s;e in word and promi&s;e, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> when men promi&s;e the doing of &s;omewhat to come, and doe not take care to performe it, is a foule vice, and gro&s;&s;e impietie. So this &s;heweth: And it is condemned as one of the &s;innes of the Heathen, who were given over to a reprobate minde, Rom. 1.30. And made one of the &s;innes of the la&s;t and perilous times, 2 Tim. 3.3. <HI>They &s;hall be truce breakers.</HI> Saint <HI>Paul</HI> maketh his apologie, that he was not guilty of this, 2. Cor. 1.18. <HI>Iames</HI> commandeth the contrary, Jam. 5.12. For this cau&s;e was <HI>Sauls</HI> po&s;terity puni&s;hed, becau&s;e he had broken the covenant made with the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. 21.6. And <HI>Zedekias,</HI> becau&s;e he had broken his oath &amp; covenant he made with <HI>Nebuchadnezzar,</HI> 2 Chro. 36.13. In regard whereof <HI>E|zekiel</HI> &s;aith, Ezek. 17.15. but he rebelled again&s;t him, and &s;ent his Emba&s;&s;adors into Egypt, that they might give him hor&s;es and much people. Shall he pro&s;per? &s;hall he e&s;cape that doth &s;uch things? or &s;hall hee breake the covenant of God and bee deli|vered?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it excludes men from Gods Kingdome, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which ap|peares thus, becau&s;e that is a note of him that mu&s;t enter in which promi&s;eth, whether &s;imply, or with oath, P&s;a. 15.4. and per|formes when he hath done: now <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> this excludes, and no|thing but finne will do that.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e fidelity and faithfulne&s;&s;e is not commended for a &s;mall matter or vertue; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but one of the weightie&s;t things of the Law, Matth. 23.23. then <HI>&egrave; contra</HI> this mu&s;t needs be a great vice.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is an enemy to all humane &s;ociety and fellow&s;hip, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which God hath ordained for mans exceeding comfort, faithful|ne&s;&s;e and truth is the bond of it, and the very &s;inewes of it, when men are faithfull in word and promi&s;e; this is that which di&s;|&s;olves and disjoynts it: for what comfort and &s;ociety can a man have of him that is of and on, in and out, and no where certaine, no more comfort then a man can have of his hand or arme, which he cannot &s;tirre or put forth, but it is &s;till, and will bee out of joynt.</P>
<P>To convince the age as guilty of great iniquity, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;eeing they are
<PB N="83" REF="175">&s;o guilty of perfidie and unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, many a husband to the wife, the particular here &s;poken of and, <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> putting one ano|ther way, or taking others with them, when they promi&s;ed the contrary, but of that after. Many for&s;aking one another in extrea|mity and &s;ickene&s;&s;e, when they promi&s;ed, and that without ex|ception of any &s;ickene&s;&s;e, &s;till to cleave to them: In many as it is infidelity to God, &s;o is it perfidie to their husbands, and &s;o <HI>&egrave; contra.</HI> Many ma&s;ters unfaithfull to their &s;ervants, not teaching, not bring|ing them up as they promi&s;ed, not providing for them things ne|ce&s;&s;ary in health and &s;ickene&s;&s;e. Many &s;ervants unfaithfull to their Ma&s;ter, like <HI>Iudas,</HI> like <HI>Siba,</HI> more then <HI>Gehezi</HI> that tooke but the gaine his ma&s;ter refu&s;ed, they that which is proper to the ma&s;ter. Many men one with another deale unfaithfully, promi|&s;ing things they either cannot, or never meane to performe, or know cannot be &s;o; many a &s;eller promi&s;eth his ware &s;hall prove thus and thus, when he knowes the contrary. Many a buyer to pay at &s;uch and &s;uch a day, when he never intends it, and knowes before hand he &s;hall not be able. Many promi&s;ing onely to bee free from the importunity of &s;ome, or trouble of others, onely is a matter of complement without any con&s;cience of it, when it is once pa&s;&s;ed them; they are guilty of perfidie and unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, and be&s;ides are drawne to many wicked and ra&s;h oathes, for de|ceiving they are not beleeved, which makes them adde to con|firme their credit, heady and ra&s;h oathes.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade every one to avoide this, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to labour to deale faithfully one with another, and to be faithfull and true in promi|&s;es: husband to wife, &amp;c. Seeing it is co~mended unto us: 1. from the example of the Lord him&s;elfe, who&s;e fidelity in keeping of his promi&s;e is to be imitated of us, if we would be reputed his chil|dren. 2. From the te&s;timony, of the holy Gho&s;t, where it is made one of the notes of Gods children, P&s;al. 15.4.3. The promi&s;e of a great ble&s;&s;ing. Pro. 28.20. And co~manded to us not among&s;t mat|ters of &s;mall importance but among&s;t the weightier points of the law. Math. 23.23. Not when it is in great matters, but in le&s;&s;e; for as all di&s;obedience is more di&s;plea&s;ing when the thing comman|ded is &s;mall, becau&s;e the obedience was &s;o ea&s;ie, <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> So un|faithfulne&s;&s;e in the &s;malle&s;t things is the mo&s;t di&s;plea&s;ing to God when fidelity was &s;o ea&s;ie; therefore mu&s;t we be carefull to per|forme in all things that we promi&s;e, and therefore be carefull how we promi&s;e, that it be of things in our owne power, or probabili|ty like to be in our power. In many things whether we will pro|mi&s;e or no it is in our power; as Acts 5.4. but when it is made we are bound to the performance of it; yea, though it cannot be per|formed without great lo&s;&s;e and hindrance.</P>
<P><HI>And breake the covenant of our fathers.</HI>] That is, offend again&s;t that law which God gave unto our fathers, it being u&s;uall in
<PB N="84" REF="176">Scripture to call the law by his name and covenant, P&s;al. 119. And this is the royall law according to that, James 2.8.</P>
<P><HI>Why doe we tran&s;gre&s;&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. And <HI>break the covenant of, &amp;c.</HI>] It is therefore accounted a &s;inne becau&s;e it breakes the covenant, the law which God hath given unto his people.</P>
<P>Every thing is good, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> or evill, righteou&s;nes or &s;in, lawfull to be done, or unlawfull, not as it is profitable or hurtfull, not as it may benefit men, or may be Gods providence be turned to his glory, and make for it; but as it is agreeable or repugnant to the law and word of God. Thus he reproveth the&s;e becau&s;e they had gone again&s;t the law: This is manife&s;t by that, 1 John 3.4. <HI>Who&s;oever committeth &s;inne tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth al&s;o the law: for &s;inne is the tran&s;|gre&s;sion of the law.</HI> And by that, Rom. 7.7.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Law and Word of God is the perfect rule of all actions, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and &s;o ordained of God, now in an art what&s;oever is ac|cording to the rule, is good; but what is different mu&s;t needes be corrupt: &s;o in this. Againe the law is Gods will, now every thing is as he willeth, or nilleth it, good or evil; for they are not &s;uch, and then he willeth, or nilleth them; but his willing or nilling them maketh them &s;uch.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e what&s;oever is ju&s;t is good, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> what unju&s;t, is evill, but what&s;oever is agreeable to the law of ju&s;tice, is ju&s;t and <HI>&egrave; contra.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e what&s;oever is agreeable to charity, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which is the &s;um of the law, is good; what&s;oever repugnant, evill.</P>
<P>This will confute a point of Popery whereby they allow things to be done, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> though contrary to the law, &s;o they be done with a good intent, or with a good zeal for a good end; for &s;o it is in the glo&s;&s;e upon <HI>Gratians</HI> decrees, <HI>Malum factum excu&s;atur per bonam intentionem.</HI> And againe, <HI>Excu&s;atur malum &s;i &s;it bono zelo propter bonum.</HI> And upon this ground they allow murdering of Princes, ma&s;&s;acring of people, trea&s;on in &s;ubjects, treachery in &s;ervants, di&s;obedience in children, that they may di&s;honour their parents, deny them, and for&s;ake them, &s;o it be <HI>bono zelo propter bonum.</HI> And be lawfull to doe any thing. And this mu&s;t make it good, contrary to the apparent word of God here, and that Rom. 3.8. &s;o contrary is the &s;pirit of Antichri&s;t to Chri&s;ts &s;pirit.</P>
<P>To convince among&s;t our &s;elves men who allow and maintaine many &s;ins, becau&s;e they are profitable to others, &amp; not hurtfull to them; and therefore they think they may be done though they be contrary to the law. One or two in&s;tances. Many hold an offici|ous lye lawfull, becau&s;e it may &s;tand with charity, when it is pro|fitable for their neighbour. But if again&s;t the law and word of God which forbiddeth lyes, how &s;hould it not be &s;inne and un|lawfull to be done? be&s;ides they mu&s;t under&s;tand that charity, which is the &s;umme of the law, hath reference towards God, to|wards our neighbour, &amp; towards our &s;elves. And &s;o is this again&s;t
<PB N="85" REF="176">charity, though helpfull to thy neighbour, in who&s;e favour it is told. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e it is repugnant to verity, and therefore to cha|rity: for God, who is Truth, hath forbidden all untruth, as that which is oppo&s;ite to him, and &s;o cannot &s;tand with the charity and obedience we owe to God. Secondly, it is to the hurt of the teller, becau&s;e, P&s;al. 5.6. <HI>The lying mouth de&s;troyeth the &s;oule.</HI> So it cannot &s;tand with love which a man oweth to him&s;elfe. Now then, though a man may helpe his brother and neighbour with the lo&s;&s;e of his goods and hinderance that way, but not nece&s;&s;ary with the hazard of his life at all times, but never with the hazard of his &s;oule, as every lyer &s;hall doe. Againe, things mu&s;t fir&s;t be con&s;ide|red whether lawfull or no, whether agreeable to the word, and then whether profitable or hurtfull, that is a &s;econd affection of things, and a &s;econd con&s;ideration. They cannot be lawfull but they will be profitable, though not in our carnal apprehen&s;ion, nor unlawfull, but unprofitable, though we alwaies &s;ee it not. A &s;e|cond in&s;tance is, for the matter of u&s;ury; many allow it if it bee moderate, and if it be not joyned with the hurt but the profit of the borrower. But whereas u&s;ury is &s;imply unlawfull and evill, I may an&s;wer with &s;ome of the learned; when men make que&s;ti|on of moderate u&s;ury, whether that be lawfull or no,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chemnitius.</NOTE> they might as well make que&s;tion, whether moderate adultery, or moderate lying, or moderate theft be lawfull: for as they are things in them|&s;elves unlawfull, &s;o is this. Again, I an&s;wer, it is very hurtfull, and again&s;t charity: for though it be not again&s;t the profit of the par|ticular, yet is it again&s;t publique charity: for u&s;ury is many waies noy&s;ome to the common wealth, as is ea&s;ie to be &s;hewed. Again, it is again&s;t charity and our allegeance to God, who hath forbidden it, denounced his judgements again&s;t it, made gracious promi&s;es to them who will do the contrary. La&s;tly, it is again&s;t love we owe to our owne &s;oules; for who&s;oever putteth out to u&s;ury, or taketh increa&s;e, he &s;hall not live, but dye the death, Ezek. 18.13. But for the benefit of the borrower, if it &s;ometimes &s;o fall out by the provi|dence of God, and his paines and hazard, that is no thanke to the lender: for it is without all que&s;tion, he never intendeth it, though he may &s;ometimes pretend it, and &s;o though it might make it no &s;inne in it &s;elfe, yet that makes it &s;inne to him: for gaine the bor|rower or not, he will have &s;ecurity for his principall and gaine, and an ab&s;olute covenant, and makes no provi&s;ion for the borrow|ers indemnity, for he will have it, lo&s;e he or gaine he, all is one to him. And &s;o it falleth &s;ometimes out again&s;t charity, but if not it is ever again&s;t charity in them. <HI>Calvin,</HI> who is much pretended for the defence of this: and indeed, upon Ezek. 18. &s;aith, that a man may in &s;ome ca&s;es take u&s;ury, and cannot preci&s;ely be condemned for it: yet in the &s;ame place he &s;aith apertly, we mu&s;t alwaies hold it to be a thing &s;carcely po&s;&s;ible, that he which taketh u&s;ury, &s;hould
<PB N="86" REF="177">not wrong his brother. And therefore it were to be wi&s;hed that the very name of u&s;ury were buryed and utterly blotted out of the memory of men; but how&s;oever it may be profitable, and as they thinke &s;o agreeable to charity; yet it is unju&s;t in it &s;elfe a|gain&s;t the law of ju&s;tice, then the rule holds, Rom. 3.8.</P>
<P>To teach men when they have done any thing, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> or when they are about to doe any thing, to examine it whether it be lawfull or good, not by the event and fruit which may follow of it, or hath; but by the law of God how agreeable it is to it, and how profitable it is, or may be, nor how it is fallen out for Gods glo|ry, but how lawfull and warrantable by the word: for a man may profit another and gloryfie God by that for which he may be con|demned. As in <HI>Iudas</HI> and the Jewes. If then a man hath done any thing and it is fallen out to the profit of man, and to the glory of God; it is never a whit better for him, unle&s;&s;e he finde the thing he hath done to be agreeable to the word of God; for if he have done evill and good come of it, it is no thanke to him, but to the providence of God who &s;o di&s;po&s;ed it. So if a man be about to doe any thing, if not agreeable or repugnant to the word, he mu&s;t not think it good &amp; lawfull for to be done, becau&s;e he &s;ees it may profit man or honour God, as if he had need of his lyes and un|lawfull actions; neither if he be to doe that which is agreeable, he mu&s;t not thinke he mu&s;t ab&s;taine and not doe it, onely becau&s;e he doubts of the con&s;equent of it, but that is lawfull and which he mu&s;t doe by his place that he ought to doe, and leave the other to God; for not the effects make a thing good, but the ground of it; not the fruit makes a tree good, but the roots of it. A man may &s;poyle a good action agreeable to the word by his corrupt end, affection, or defect of faith; but he can never make it good, by them nor any thing el&s;e, if it be not with that agreeable.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Iudah hath tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, and an abomination is commit|ted in I&s;rael and in Ieru&s;alem: for Iudah hath defiled the holine&s;&s;e of the Lord, which he loved, and bath mar|ried the daughter of a &s;trange God.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>IVdah hath tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed,</HI>] In the former ver&s;e he hath generally reproved them for tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing one again&s;t another; here he &s;ets downe one particular, their refu&s;ing of their owne kindred, and marrying of &s;trangers, whereby they were both injurious to their brethren, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ers again&s;t God. The &s;inne is, that they have married with the daughters of Idolaters: the heynou&s;|ne&s;&s;e of which &s;inne is amplified from the per&s;ons, as that it is
<PB N="87" REF="177">Judah which hath done this evill, whom he had cho&s;en before all the world; and &s;pecially re&s;erved to him&s;elfe in the defection of the ten Tribes, they who&s;e name is <HI>Faithfull,</HI> is become un|faithfull, from whom no &s;uch thing was expected, that they &s;hould doe &s;o, yet they had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed. From the &s;ubject. In I&s;rael among that people, whom the Lord hath enriched and en|dowed with &s;o many ble&s;&s;ings and benefites. In Jeru&s;alem, in the place which he cho&s;e to place his Sanctuary, which was the Kings &s;eat, and mother Citie; whence what&s;oever comes, whe|ther pietie and hone&s;ty, or the contagions of vice and iniquity, may and will ea&s;ily &s;pread them&s;elves abroad. For the thing, it is called an abomination; that is, &s;uch an evill as the LOrd abhor|reth. Abomination generally is taken for any thing that is done again&s;t law and right, again&s;t &s;ome ancient decree, or the cu&s;tome of lawes and manners. As generally, Gen. 46.34. Hence in Scripture is this word Abomination u&s;ed &s;o much, when it &s;pea|keth of mixing of &s;eed, when caution is had, left any thing be done but that which is right and lawfull.</P>
<P>It is amplified further, becau&s;e they have <HI>polluted Gods Holi|ne&s;&s;e.</HI>] By holine&s;&s;e is here meant that holine&s;&s;e which was in this people, becau&s;e they were dedicated to God, and the inheri|tance of the Lord, and his owne proper people, gotten and pur|cha&s;ed to him&s;elfe; which holine&s;&s;e they had violated, in that they had mixed them&s;elves with &s;trange women. Thus <HI>Hierom</HI> expounds the&s;e words, and it is mo&s;t like to be the meaning: for &s;o is it taken, P&s;al. 114.2 <HI>Iudah was his Sanctuary,</HI> or <HI>holy place:</HI> That land was dedicated to God, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of God, and by that is made holy; and there he exerci&s;eth his power by directing and governing them as his owne people, and tho&s;e who are de|dicated to him.</P>
<P>There are &s;ome who under&s;tand by it the bond of marriage, ordained and &s;anctified of God in Paradice. But the words fol|lowing, argue the fir&s;t expo&s;ition more like to be the meaning, <HI>Which he loved.</HI>] That is, which the Lord loved; which is &s;po|ken of this people and land.</P>
<P><HI>And hath married the daughter of a &s;trange God.</HI>] In the origi|nall it is, <HI>Hath the daughter:</HI> but the meaning is, <HI>Hath married the daughter;</HI> that is, &s;uch as profe&s;&s;e and wor&s;hip a &s;trange God: not that they were Gods, or thus acknowledged by him, and the Word; but it is an u&s;uall thing in rhe Scripture, to call things not as they are, or as the Scripture judgeth of them, but after the affe|ction of tho&s;e of whom he &s;peaks, as 2 Cor. 4.4. Phil. 3.19. So the&s;e were not true Gods, nor no Gods indeed, but &s;o accounted of. And this name is communicated to them. <HI>Origen. hom.</HI> 14. <HI>in Numeros,</HI> hath this rule, That where&s;oever the name <HI>Iehovah</HI> is, there is meant the true God, the creator of the world; but the
<PB N="88" REF="178">other names of God, are attributed both to the true God, and to fal&s;e Gods.</P>
<P><HI>Iudah hath tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, an abomination is committed.</HI>] Thus the Prophet &s;peaketh, not for the particular onely, but the generall, that tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, even all, are an abomination to the Lord, tho&s;e things he abhorreth: And &s;o that is the point.</P>
<P>Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> all and every one, is an abomination to the Lord, that which his &s;oule loathes, hates and abhorres. Hence he &s;peaketh &s;o often of &s;inne, and gives it this name of a|bomination, as in very many places in the bookes of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as Le|vit. 18.26.27.28. Deut. 20.18. Hence he &s;peaketh of particular &s;innes, as Prov. 11.1. and 12.22. Rev. 2. Hence he is &s;aid to abhorre the man that is wicked: not that he doth his per&s;on, as he is his creature, which he loves, but as hee hath made him&s;elfe &s;uch, P&s;al. 5.6.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is righteous and holy him&s;elfe: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Now the more righteous the Judge is, the more he hates iniquity and &s;inne. He is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and holine&s;&s;e it &s;elfe. Now as the Sunne is the greate&s;t enemy to darkne&s;&s;e, becau&s;e it hath light of it &s;elfe, and is as it were, light it &s;elfe: So in this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he loves his creature, and &s;inne is that which de&s;troieth it. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Now no man can indeed love any man, but he will hate that which is the cau&s;e of the ruine and de&s;truction of him.</P>
<P>This may let us &s;ee, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and give wicked men them&s;elves to un|der&s;tand in what &s;tate they &s;tand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vera cala|mitas Deum offenderet &amp; eorum quae ip&s;i non placent ali quid facere. <HI>Chry&s;oft.</HI></NOTE> by rea&s;on of their &s;inne: God hates their &s;inne, and abhorreth it, and them for it. How fearfull then is their condition: for he cannot hate but unreconciled; his face and hand &s;hall be again&s;t them for their &s;innes, Revel. 2.6. <HI>Object.</HI> Then is every one in a fearful ca&s;e: for all &s;in, even the be&s;t. <HI>Ans.</HI> The fir&s;t is true, yet followes not the &s;econd; becau&s;e though they &s;inne, and have it, yet they hate it. Now God onely hates men for their &s;inne, when they love it; not when they hate it, and he will onely then judge them, when they will not judge them&s;elves, 1 Cor. 11.31. As in a land and &s;tate, when the Magi|&s;trates will not puni&s;h, then God will goe the circuit, and hold an A&s;&s;ize, and bring his plagues and judgements upon them; but when they doe, it is an explication of his wrath: &s;o in a particular man, which is a little world, a little countrey.</P>
<P>To teach us, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that it is dangerous to have &s;ocietie with men who embrace their &s;in, and love it.</P>
<P>For imitation; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> if God hate &s;in, and it is abomination to him, it &s;hould be &s;o to his, they &s;hould hate it fir&s;t and principally in themelves, and their deare&s;t friends: for if it be not fir&s;t, that hee hate the &s;ame &s;inne in him&s;elfe and friends, he hates it not, though he oppo&s;e it in others. But if he be Gods, he hates the evill in him&s;elfe which he doth, then hates he it in others, and
<PB N="89" REF="178">mu&s;t doe it, for that God commends in the Church of Ephe&s;us, and &s;o commands in others, Rev. 2.6.</P>
<P><HI>In I&s;rael and in Ieru&s;alem</HI>] The people and place which he enri|ched with &s;uch benefites, &amp; honored with &s;uch priviledges, made it the place of his wor&s;hip, and the Kings &s;eat: therfore them to do it, it is more heynous.</P>
<P>Their &s;in is the greater, and more heynous, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> who have received the mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ings from God, or the greate&s;t priviledges. <HI>Vide cap.</HI> 2.12. <HI>Doct.</HI> 1.</P>
<P><HI>For Iudah hath defiled the Holine&s;&s;e of the Lord.</HI>] This is a fur|ther amplification of their &s;in; becau&s;e it did pollute the people and place dedicated to the Lord, and &s;o made holy to him.</P>
<P>Sinne is a filthy and polluted thing, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> that which polluteth and defileth both places and per&s;ons; where, and by whom it is com|mitted: So here, and Zachar. 13.1. &s;inne is called <HI>Vnclean|ne&s;&s;e. Hierom</HI> tran&s;lated it as the word will carry it, <HI>Men&s;trua|ta,</HI> men&s;truous; then which, &s;aith he, <HI>Nihil er at in lege immundi&ugrave;s, quae quicquid tangebat, immundum faciebat,</HI> Rev. 3.18. <HI>Thy filthy nakedne&s;&s;e.</HI> And Micha 2.10. <HI>Becau&s;e it is polluted.</HI></P>
<P>To teach every man to be willing to receive a reproofe, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and to indure to be told of his offences and corruptions, from this rea|&s;on, becau&s;e they are they which pollute and defile him. In a gar|ment, &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t ho.</HI> 17. <HI>ad popul. Antioch.</HI> Put on auquerly or unhand&s;omely, if a boy tell thee of it thou wilt not much blu&s;h becau&s;e it is no great &s;hame, the greater &s;hame were to goe with it &s;o out of order; And if durt be upon the garment or face, and one tell thee of it, thou wilt thanke him and take it kindely, how ought thou in this? for by this, reformation may be had, and thou maye&s;t be made cleane and kept clean; for though it is &s;omewhat difficult and hard for a man to part with his &s;innes and overcome them him&s;elfe, yet if he have many admonitors, or be often admoni&s;hed; at length he may be rid of them.</P>
<P><HI>The holine&s;&s;e of the Lord.</HI>] So is the Church called, either becau&s;e of Gods pre&s;ence which makes it holy, or el&s;e becau&s;e they were dedicated to God, and made his proper and peculiar people: for &s;anctified in Scripture, &s;o &s;ignifies, to be &s;et a part to a holy u&s;e and a &s;anctified end; as is &s;aid of the Sabboth.</P>
<P>The Church and children of God mu&s;t be holy unto the Lord, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> &s;eparated from the world and corruption, and dedicated to him and his &s;ervice, &s;anctified and &s;et apart for holy things, and holy wor&s;hip; as the in&s;truments of the Temple, the &s;acrifices, and other holy things, once dedicated to God, might not be taken and applyed to prophane u&s;es or common u&s;es; no more may men once dedicated to God, give them&s;elves to corruption and &s;in; nay much le&s;&s;e, for tho&s;e things were but the &s;hadowes, men are the &s;ub&s;tance, tho&s;e but the types, they the truth. Therefore
<PB N="90" REF="179">mu&s;t they be continued to holy things by his &s;ervice as they are dedicated. James 1.27. <HI>Pure religion and undefiled before God even the father, is this, to vi&s;ite the fatherle&s;&s;e, and widowes in their adver&s;ity, and to keepe him&s;elfe un&s;potted of the world.</HI> To which we adde 1 Pet. 2.9 Rom. 6.13.</P>
<P>This condemneth all late repentance, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> all deferring of repen|tance, from day to day till a man be &s;icke, or a dying, becau&s;e where repentance is not a turning from &s;in to God, there can be no holine&s;&s;e at all; for where &s;in raignes, there holine&s;&s;e can have no place. One heaven can better have two &s;uns, and one kingdome two kings, then one man and one heart the&s;e two, while then they remaine impenitent, and doe it <HI>ex profe&s;&s;o,</HI> they mu&s;t nedes be impure.</P>
<P><HI>And hath marryed the daughter of a &s;trange God</HI>] This is their &s;inne that they had marryed with Idolaters, with them who were of a fal&s;e wor&s;hip, and wor&s;hipped a fal&s;e God.</P>
<P>It is a &s;inne and impiety for Chri&s;tians and Gods people to make marriages with Infidells, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> tho&s;e who are of a diver&s;e and contrary Religion which are not the &s;ervants and profe&s;&s;ors of the God of their fathers, the true God and true Religion. And this is manife&s;t by inhibition fir&s;t in generall. Exod. 23.32.33. <HI>Thou &s;halt make no covenant with them, nor with their Gods, Neither &s;hall they dwell in thy land, le&s;t they make thee &s;inne again&s;t me: for if thou &s;erve their Gods &s;urely it &s;hall be thy de&s;truction.</HI> In particu|lar, Deut. 7.3. <HI>Neither &s;halt thou make marriages with them neither give thy daughter unto his &s;onne, nor take his daughter unto thy &s;on</HI> 2 Cor. 6.14. <HI>Be not unequally yoked with the Infidels: for what fel|low&s;hip hath righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e with unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e? and what conmmu+nion hath light with darkne&s;&s;e?</HI> The propo&s;ition of the Apo&s;tle is generall, forbidding all &s;ociety and fellow&s;hip with them, much more then this, then which nothing is more &s;trict, and by none men are &s;o firmely knit together as by this. And by the name of yoking he &s;eemeth to allude to the type of the law, when God commanded that men &s;hould not plow with an Oxe and an A&s;&s;e together, Deut. 22.10. whereunto al&s;o belongs the prohibition of the like, Levit. 19.19. which God &s;poke not for them, but to teach man.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is dangerous, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> le&s;t by that meanes through their con|tinuall &s;ociety and cohabitation the beleever and godly party may be drawne from their piety to impiety, and from the true wor|&s;hip to the fal&s;e. It fell out with <HI>Solomon</HI> and <HI>Iehoram,</HI> 2 Chron. 31.6. yea with the whole people of God, Num. 25.2. Now that which fell out with &s;uch great men, and with &s;uch multitudes is danger, it may fall out with others, inferior, fewer, &s;impler, and weaker. Nay the Lord &s;aith without any may bees, that it &s;hall befall unto them. Deut. 7.4. <HI>For they will cau&s;e thy &s;onne to turne
<PB N="91" REF="179">away from me; and to &s;erve other Gods: then will the wrath of the Lord wax hot again&s;t you, and de&s;troy thee &s;uddenly.</HI> And the rea|&s;on of that is, becau&s;e being confident in their owne &s;rength they tempt God. And &s;o it is ju&s;t he &s;hould give them over to &s;ee their owne weakene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it cannot be but that the &s;ervice of God which every beleever is bound to performe even in his private family mu&s;t ei|ther be omitted altogether, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e the man not beleeving will not &s;uffer it, or interrupted greatly, becau&s;e the wife will be a &s;coffing and mocking as <HI>Michal.</HI> And to this may I apply that of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Sicut mu|lier adjutrix e&s;t. &s;ic &s;aep&egrave; in&s;idiatrix fit: &amp; &s;icut portus e&s;t conjugium, ita &amp; &s;aep&egrave; naufragium parit. <HI>Chry&s;. hom. de li|bel. Repud.</HI> Rea&s;on <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> As the woman is an helper, &s;o &s;he often becomes a traytor; and as marriage is an harbour, &s;o it often cau&s;es &s;hip|wracke.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it mu&s;t needes be prejudiciall to the education of their Children: When the parents con&s;ent not betwixt them&s;elves, how &s;hould the children be brought up in piety &amp; the fear of the Lord? Nay the children will ever follow the wor&s;e &s;ide, though it happen to be the weaker, becau&s;e nature is &s;o capable of error and fal&s;e wor&s;hip, over that it is of the true. Hence hardly an Idolatrous King made mention of in the &s;tories of the Scriptures, but their mothers are named with them, as they who prevailed with them for fal&s;e wor&s;hip, more then the fathers did or could for the true. But again&s;t this Doctrine there are certaine objections, by which &s;ome would prove that it is lawfull to marry with tho&s;e who are of a contrary Religion. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> And fir&s;t for the places alledged out of Exodus and Deuternomy, they &s;ay that they are not to be taken generally, as forbidding all matching with &s;uch, but particular prohibiting to match with tho&s;e &s;eaven nations of the land of Canaan.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e inhibitions are generall for all of a diver&s;e religion, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> be|cau&s;e it is a certaine and true Rule where the rea&s;on is generall, there the precept is; but the rea&s;on of it is generall. There being &s;till as much danger as ever was, le&s;t by the unbeleever the faith|full may be drawne from the true God and pure wor&s;hip. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."></P>
<P><HI>Salmon</HI> one of the Princes of <HI>Iudah</HI> married <HI>Rahab</HI> the harlot, a <HI>Canaanite,</HI> Math. 1.5. <HI>Iudah</HI> married a <HI>Canaanite,</HI> al&s;o, Gen. 38.2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">It may be there was &s;ome my&s;te|ry in that of <HI>Rahab,</HI> to &s;hew that Chri&s;t wold not onely &s;ave that which was lo&s;t, but ho|nour them al&s;o.</NOTE> <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> the daughter of <HI>Iethro, Io&s;eph</HI> of <HI>P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">tiphar. Solomon</HI> the daughter of <HI>Pharoah.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Solomon</HI> is condemned for it, by the Scriptures. <HI>Iudah</HI> was a wicked man, no matter what he did. <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> went be|fore the law, but yet no doubt they had them to embrace the true Religion, and they were converted. As the Scripture &s;peakes manife&s;tly of <HI>Rahab.</HI> And &s;o it might be lawfull. Though there be of the learned who thinke that they might not marry any of tho&s;e nations, though converted, becau&s;e God hath &s;o utterly ba|ni&s;hed tho&s;e nations from his people, that without &s;ome &s;peciall
<PB N="92" REF="180">di&s;pen&s;ation they might not marry with the converted. Deuter. 21.11. Therefore lawfull to marry &s;uch.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is lawfull by a &s;peciall warrant and di&s;pen&s;ation; therefore it followes it was &s;imply unlawfull, for el&s;e there nee|ded no di&s;pen&s;ation. Againe, all the &s;ignes &s;et downe in that place &s;hew rather that the Lord did di&s;like it then approve it, and that he did yeeld &s;o much, it was becau&s;e of their incredible wanton|ne&s;&s;e and corruption. Fir&s;t, &s;he mu&s;t &s;have her head, that whereas the haire is an inticer or that which gaineth the uncleane affection, he liking her in that, when &s;he was &s;haven might beginne to di&s;|like her; and her nailes mu&s;t be pared to make her more defor|med; and her garments mu&s;t be changed, that whereas &s;ome gari&s;h apparell was as a &s;nare to an uncha&s;te heart, &s;hee being put in mo|de&s;t apparell and plaine, he might le&s;&s;e affect her. And &s;he mu&s;t mourne thirty dayes, that if for her plea&s;antne&s;&s;e and chearefull carriage &s;he deceived and delighted him; now in her mourning and dejected countenance &s;hee might le&s;&s;e affect him; finally, if he di&s;liked her he might neither make her a &s;ervant to him&s;elfe, nor &s;ell her to another; which thing they accounted a burden. By which things God endeavoured rather to cure &s;uch an inordi|nate love and affection then to give liberty to it. Finally, &s;ome adde that the&s;e were u&s;ed for &s;ignes of her repentance and renoun|cing of her fal&s;e wor&s;hip; and if &s;he were converted, then was it lawfull.</P>
<P>If &s;uch doe match together, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> whether is their marriage lawfull, or whether a marriage or no?</P>
<P>Many of the learned doe thinke it is none, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> but ought to be di&s;|&s;olved. <HI>Tertullian</HI> hath called it <HI>&s;tuprum.</HI> The ground of all their rea&s;on is, becau&s;e God hath forbidden &s;uch mariages to be made, therefore they ought to be di&s;&s;olved, but this (&s;aving their judge|ment) is not univer&s;ally true, but rather that many things, <HI>quae fieri non debent facta valent.</HI> For in&s;tance in the like. There is a twofold infidell, one who doth openly profe&s;&s;e it, and deny &s;ome maine Article of faith, as that there is no &s;uch Trinity in the Unity. A|nother, who profe&s;&s;eth in words and denyeth it in deeds, and is in heart an infidell. It is not lawfull to marry with either of the&s;e, being known, not the later. But &s;ay a man or woman do marry, and after it appeareth, whether is it a lawfull marriage or no? I pre&s;ume, no man will thinke that after the knowledge of it, there ought to be a divorce made. But to unfold this as I thinke more fully, I would demand this que&s;tion, whether if one of the parties fall after the marriage into here&s;ie? whether &s;tands the marriage good? or whether ought there to be a divorce? Papi&s;ts generally thinke there &s;hould be a divorce <HI>&agrave; Thoro, non &agrave; vinculo,</HI> a divorce unknowne to the Scriptures. <HI>Cele&s;tinus</HI> thought <HI>&agrave; vinculo,</HI> though <HI>Innocentius</HI> was much again&s;t him. Many of our learned men
<PB N="93" REF="180">thinke it will breake a contract, not a marriage; onely they hold <HI>liberum divortium;</HI> That is, when all the meanes and wayes are taken to bring them from their errour and here&s;ie, and the party infected will not dwell with the other, or not without bla&s;pheming or reproaching of Chri&s;t, they may freely with con&s;ent one de|part from the other; but if he will abide in peace with the &s;ound party, he or &s;he is not to put him or her away, which by proportion is gathered from that, 1 Cor. 7.13.14.15. which place though it be under&s;tood of tho&s;e who were found in their heatheni&s;h mar|riages, and vi&s;ited, &s;o of the grace of God: And &s;o as <HI>Tertullian</HI> &s;aith, allowes not the faithfull to make marriages with the unbe|leevers, yet it affoords &s;ome equity and direction when they are once made; and &s;o that they are lawfull marriages <HI>de facto,</HI> though not lawfully made <HI>de jure.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="12" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>The Lord will cut off the man that doth this: both the ma|&s;ter and the &s;ervant, out of the Tabernacle of Iaakob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of ho&s;tes.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THE Lord will cut off the man that doth this</HI>] In this Ver&s;e the Prophet threatneth the judgement of God again&s;t them for this &s;inne, even the cutting of them off from the tents of <HI>Iaakob,</HI> who&s;oever commits any &s;uch thing, whether he that tea|cheth, or is in&s;tructed, Prie&s;t or people, whether he &s;tand out ob|&s;tinately or hypocritically, he would &s;eem to appea&s;e his anger by &s;ome offering.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord will cut off.</HI>] The Lord will not put up this injury done to him and his daughters; but what&s;oever he be that either &s;hall doe this hereafter, or hath done it and repents and reformes it not, every one of them will I cut off and de&s;troy. <HI>Hierom</HI> ob|&s;erves it here as worth the ob&s;ervation, that he cuts not men off from pardon, or the hope of it; for he &s;aith not, the Lord cur&s;eth him that doth this, but hee that &s;hall doe it, prolonging his cur&s;e as it were for the time to come, that he might provoke the offendours to repentance.</P>
<P><HI>Will cut off.</HI>] It is a phra&s;e like that Gen. 17.14. Exo. 12.15. which <HI>Tremelius</HI> thus interpreteth, that is, both here and in the world to come, he &s;hall be cut off from the company &amp; &s;ociety of the Saints &amp; faithfull. The Metaphor, as &s;ome probably thinke, is borrowed from Phy&s;itians, who cut off the body putrified and rotten members, and have often occa&s;ion and nece&s;&s;ity &s;o to doe. As if the wicked were but rotten and putrified members in the Church.</P>
<PB N="94" REF="181">
<P><HI>The man that &s;halt doe this.]</HI> A &s;entence without exception, who&s;oever he be, it &s;hall be all one to him, who accepts no mans per&s;on.</P>
<P><HI>Both the ma&s;ter and the &s;ervant.]</HI> and particularly, both <HI>ma&s;ter and &s;ervant.]</HI> The Interpreter in the Latine, hath <HI>Ma&s;ter and Di&s;ciple,</HI> or <HI>Scholar;</HI> following rather the &s;ignification then the o|riginall: for that is either he that watcheth and an&s;wereth, or he that exciteth and an&s;wereth. But for the meaning, &s;ome diffe|rence there is: &s;ome under&s;tand by the watcher or exciter, the teacher, who watcheth that he may teach true things unto his &s;cholars or hearers, and excite their mindes; by the an&s;werer, the &s;cholar or hearer, who followes the ma&s;ter, and for further in|&s;truction an&s;ereth to his demands, or que&s;tions. And &s;o by this &s;hould be &s;ignified, that both the people and the Prie&s;ts, who were authours and warranters, or a&s;&s;urers of their cour&s;e by precept or practice, &s;hould peri&s;h together. Others take it more generally, and more probably. The meaning is, one and other, and all; not one man of tho&s;e &s;hall e&s;cape, who are defiled with the&s;e profane marriages, no not any one of tho&s;e families &s;hall be left alive, but be cut off.</P>
<P><HI>Out of the Tabernacles of Iacob.]</HI> That is, from Gods people, or Gods Church; &s;ome thinke it is taken for the Cities of <HI>Iacob,</HI> as they thinke it to be taken, P&s;al. 87.2. But all is to one purpo&s;e: for tho&s;e Cities were part of the Church.</P>
<P><HI>And him that offereth an offering unto the Lord.]</HI> Some under|&s;tand the&s;e words particularly of the Prie&s;t; who, as we may read, Ezra 9. and 10. were not free from this. So the Chaldie Para|phra&s;t interpreteth it, and <HI>Cyril:</HI> &s;hewing that though he came nigh to the hornes of the Altar, yet &s;hould he not be there &s;afe with his &s;ins. But &s;ome under&s;tand it more generally, though they &s;hould be very liberall in offerings unto me, and think &s;o to e&s;cape my wrath; yet though they &s;hould be as liberall as the hypocrites, Micha 6. yet &s;hould not that help: for they &s;hall peri&s;h with their offerings.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord will cut off.]</HI> Though the Magi&s;trate will not looke to this evill, being carele&s;&s;e or corrupt; though he cannot, becau&s;e many are wrapt in it, and the multitude too &s;trong for him; or how&s;oever it be not puni&s;hed by man, yet the Lord will not let it e&s;cape his hand, but he will cut him off.</P>
<P>When men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and they who are in authority, to whom the &s;word of ju&s;tice is committed, do not puni&s;h the corruptions and &s;innes of their &s;ubjects, whether they omit it for feare or favour, by the greatne&s;&s;e or the bribery of the offenders, or any &s;uch meanes, then will the Lord take his rod in hand to puni&s;h, and gird his &s;word unto him, to cut off every one &s;o &s;inning, and &s;o &s;pared. So here. So when <HI>Adam,</HI> the Prince of the earth, and Magi&s;trate of
<PB N="95" REF="181">his &s;onnes, let pa&s;&s;e the murther of <HI>Abel,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Cain</HI> was his fir&s;t borne, and his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion: yet the Lord did lay to his hand, and did puni&s;h him, Gen. 4.11.12. &amp;c. So of the &s;onnes of <HI>Eli,</HI> 1 Sam. 2.23.24. and 4.11. not &s;imply a judgement to fall in battell, but becau&s;e it was prophe&s;ied of them, Chap. 2.34. This is manife&s;t further out of the &s;tory of <HI>Achan;</HI> while by ignorance of the fact, <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> did not puni&s;h it, the Lord did it in the whole people; but after the knowledge of it, when <HI>Io&s;ua</HI> had puni&s;hed it, the Lord put up his &s;word, and his wrath cea&s;ed, Jo&s;h. 7. To the&s;e we may adde that of Numb. 25.3.4. &amp;c. the cau&s;e of the great famine, 2 Sam. 21. was the Kings not puni&s;hing of a &s;inne committed by <HI>Sauls</HI> hou&s;e; which done, the famine ended.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, as <HI>Ieho&s;aphat</HI> told the Judges, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> their judgements were his, which if they executed, he will not; becau&s;e he will not pu|ni&s;h one fact twice: but if not they, then will he; becau&s;e he is ju&s;t, and el&s;e &s;hould be unju&s;t as well as they: for if it be inju&s;tice in them to &s;pare the wicked, it would be in him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e impunity from the Magi&s;trate, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> makes impenitencie in the offenders, and brings them on to hardne&s;&s;e of heart and &s;ecu|rity, &s;o that they never judge them&s;elves, and &s;o neither judged by authority, nor by them&s;elves, they are judged of the Lord, as the contrary proves, 1 Cor. 11. For (I take it) it will hold, not onely of tho&s;e &s;innes a man is guilty <HI>in foro con&s;cientiae,</HI> but <HI>in foro civili.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;heweth the folly of tho&s;e men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who as they make con|&s;cience of no &s;inne, and onely care to avoid tho&s;e &s;innes the lawes of men and &s;tate will puni&s;h them for: &s;o when they are fallen in|to any &s;uch offences, care onely how to e&s;cape the puni&s;hment of the law, and the hands of the Magi&s;trate; which if they can by favour or friend&s;hip, by bribes, or the countenance of others, or by di&s;&s;embling, or covering of the fault, or how&s;oever, the care is ta|ken and they never feare more. This folly appeareth, becau&s;e then the Lord will take them into his owne hands, and that, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, is a fearfull thing. And more cau&s;e of feare, as Chri&s;t &s;peaketh, Matth. 10.28. What will it profit them then to e&s;cape the one, and fall into the hands of the other? As much as if a mur|derer &s;hould by means and money either get his fact pa&s;&s;ed over at the Se&s;&s;ions, and fall into the hands of the Judges at the A&s;&s;izes; or &s;cape their hands, either by corrupting the Judge, or the She|riffe to pack a Jury for his purpo&s;e, or the fore-man to lead the re&s;t, when the next of kindred is ready to enter an appeale to the Kings Bench, where there &s;hall be no &s;uch packing. All he hath got by it, is his repriving for a while, but to his greater &s;hame and puni&s;hment. So with the&s;e. Many a great man lives in oppre&s;&s;ing and injuring others his tenants and inferiours, and either there is no civill law again&s;t him; or if there be, either his greatne&s;&s;e or
<PB N="96" REF="182">pur&s;e will carry it out well enough, that no puni&s;hment &s;hall come upon him, or take hold of him: and then hee &s;leepeth without feare, when he is as a man that hath e&s;caped the rage of a foole, and is fallen into the power of a Bear robbed of her whelps. As Ma&s;ters, if they live in oppre&s;&s;ion, or u&s;ury, or deceit, or drunken|ne&s;&s;e, or adultery, or &s;ome &s;uch like, and can e&s;cape the Magi|&s;trates hands by the meanes they make; feare nothing: That is their folly, there is more cau&s;e of feare, God will take them into his hand. Many &s;ervants, when they have injured and dealt deceitfully with their Ma&s;ters, &s;tealing from them, or &s;erving them with eye-&s;ervice, mi&s;-&s;pending their goods, and not furthe|ring, by their endevours, their profites, if they can e&s;cape their ma&s;ters hands by lying or &s;hifting, or di&s;&s;embling, or by his ne|gligence, lenity, or remi&s;ne&s;&s;e, they never feare: this is their folly, there is now more cau&s;e of feare, God will take them into his hand, to cut them off by the plague, or &s;ome other judgement. Finally, let the&s;e and all the like, &s;ee their folly, that thinke there is no feare if they can e&s;cape the hand and &s;word of man by &s;uch meanes; yet there will be no e&s;caping of the hand of God, who will, as he &s;aith, &s;end &s;erpents that will not be charmed. Jerem. 8.17. O con&s;ider this yee that forget God! as if hee would not judge the earth when men neglect it, lea&s;t hee teare you in pieces.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e why God &s;endeth generall judgements upon &s;uch a City or Land as ours is; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> why he drawes forth his &s;word, or &s;ends famine, pe&s;tilence, plague, or &s;uch like; It is becau&s;e the Ma|gi&s;trates of that country or towne, are remi&s;&s;e and carele&s;&s;e, &s;uffer &s;inne unpuni&s;hed and uncen&s;ured for &s;ome re&s;pect or other, ma|king either <HI>muneraoris,</HI> or <HI>manus,</HI> or <HI>officii.</HI> For if the&s;e did not let them, but they would purge the land from the bloud, and the adulteries, whoredomes, thefts, oppre&s;&s;ions, bla&s;phemies, and &s;uch things wherewith it is defiled, there would never come any &s;uch generall judgements. For if the Ju&s;tices at the Se&s;&s;ions &s;hould re|forme throughly, and deliver the goale every one to his &s;everall puni&s;hment, the Judges &s;hould have little cau&s;e to ride circuit, or if they did, but to make &s;hort ones. So if Magi&s;trates, God would not puni&s;h, or if he did, yet not &s;o long as three yeares famine, and three yeares pe&s;tilence: So that of all the enemies of a Common|wealth none is &s;o great as remi&s;&s;e, carele&s;&s;e and corrupt Ma|gi&s;trates; for they are a cau&s;e of Gods generall judgements, when as their &s;everity would prevent. And none &s;uch a fore-runner of &s;ome generall judgement, as they and their remi&s;ne&s;&s;e; and in a Magi&s;trate, it is better for the generall good, that he be too &s;evere puni&s;hing &s;ome he ought and might &s;pare, then remi&s;&s;e pa&s;&s;ing by others that de&s;erve it. As a Surgeon better too deepe or too nigh, then too little in tenting or cutting.</P>
<PB N="97" REF="182">
<P>To teach every inferiour not to &s;eeke and labour to e&s;cape the hand and puni&s;hing of the Magi&s;trate or his &s;uperior, who is as a Magi&s;trate unto him, his ma&s;ter or parent, if he have offended and de&s;erved it, &s;pecially remaining by that immunity impenitent in his &s;in; for be&s;ides that it is &s;inne to him &s;o to avoyde it, it will be but a further meanes to bring him to the hands of God, who will puni&s;h him more &s;everely and fearefully, cut him off from the tents of <HI>Iaakob.</HI> If any &s;ay this falls but out &s;eldome, here and there one; and &s;o no &s;uch feare of it. I an&s;wer with <HI>Cyprian l de lap&s;. Plectuntur interim quidam, quo caeteri corrigantur, exempla &s;unt omnium, tormenta paucorum.</HI> The&s;e few &s;hould be warning to o|thers le&s;t they al&s;o peri&s;h. Againe, are there but few? who can remember the many thou&s;ands that God hath taken away and cut off by the plague? of inferiours and &s;ervants and &s;uch like, who&s;e &s;uperiors had beene remi&s;&s;e towards them, and yet &s;ay this befal|leth but to few. Or la&s;tly, who can think of many thou&s;ands who are lying broyling in hell, and &s;o cut off from the tents of <HI>Iakob</HI> by the Lord, though man winked at them, who happily if they had felt the &s;everity of magi&s;tracy might have beene &s;aved, and yet &s;ay there is but a few. And though many yet have e&s;caped, and doe or may e&s;cape, though the plague renew upon us, with their adulteries, &amp;c. becau&s;e this is but the poore mans plague or the &s;ervants; yet who &s;ees not that even for the rich and the ma&s;ters, the Lord hath a plague for them, as Micha 2.3. and happily will it be for them, if 1 Cor. 11. they judge not them&s;elves.</P>
<P><HI>That doth this, or that &s;hall doe this.]</HI> God will not pre&s;ently &s;mite them though they have committed this offence, but he will waite for their returne, &amp; if they continue to do it, then will he cut them off. Hence the patience of God to &s;inners waiting for their conver&s;ion. <HI>vide</HI> Revel. 3. and I&s;aiah 30. or rather I ob&s;erve, that though the Lord a long time &s;pare the wicked, yet he will vi&s;ite them and pay them home in the end, I&s;a. 26.14.</P>
<P><HI>Both the ma&s;ter and the &s;ervant.]</HI> Both him that wakeneth and exciteth, and him that is wakened, and an&s;wereth the call: mea|ning the whole hou&s;e and family &s;hould be cut off.</P>
<P>God judgements again&s;t the wicked re&s;t not in them onely, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> but al&s;o are extended to their families, &s;eed and po&s;terity. I&s;a. 26.14 <HI>and de&s;troyed all their memory.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Out of the Tabernacle of Iaakob.]</HI> That is, take them out of the land of the living, bringeth death upon them and putteth an end to their daies, and letteth them be no longer among the living. Though it may reach to their cutting off from heaven; yea, it con|taineth this; whence,</P>
<P>It is a judgement to the wicked to be cut off eyther naturally or violently, untimely, or in his ripe age, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> I&s;aiah 26.14. and &s;cattered them.</P>
<PB N="98" REF="183">
<P><HI>And him that offereth an offering.]</HI> Or him al&s;o that offered. Though he offer: noting the nature of men that when they are convinced of their &s;innes they thinke to plea&s;e God by outward things, as &s;acrifices, or fa&s;tings, or outward hearing, and multitude of prayers, though they continue in their &s;innes.</P>
<P>It is the nature and practice of carnall and naturall men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> when the judgements of God are denounced again&s;t their &s;innes, and the wrath of God declared again&s;t them. To take any cour&s;e to free and deliver them&s;elves from them, and to appea&s;e his wrath, ra|ther then humble them&s;elves and for&s;ake their &s;innes. And &s;ome|times by flying to humane helpes, &s;ometimes by religiou&s;ene&s;&s;e, as by offerings, or fa&s;tings, afflicting the body, outward hearing and multitude of praying, and &s;uch like. It is manife&s;t in the&s;e, &s;o in <HI>Saul,</HI> 1 Sam. 15.14.15. And <HI>Hezekiah</HI> when he was led by na|ture and the common cour&s;e of men, 2 Kings 18.14. So in them, Mich 6.6.7. and I&s;ai. 58.2.3. &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is naturall unto them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> they have it with other cor|ruptions propagated from their fir&s;t parents, for thus <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> dealt with the Lord, Gen. 3.</P>
<P>To &s;ee the policy of Antichri&s;t and the Church of Rome: <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> who knowes not from how many things the Antichri&s;tian Church of Rome promi&s;eth to her followers remi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne, and &s;o freedome from the judgements of God, never once ma|king mention of true repentance, or for&s;aking of their &s;inne? As the Sacrament of pennance, almes-deeds, forgiving of injuries and offences, abundance of charity, holy water &s;prinkled, devout beating of the brea&s;t, whipping of them&s;elves, pilgrimages, all &s;orts of good workes. (And as the Rhemi&s;t, in Math. 10. ver. 12.) Epi&s;copall ble&s;&s;ing, for Chri&s;ts death with them doth not take a|way daily &s;innes but originall; the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e doth that.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Sicut cor- Pus Domini &s;emel obla|tum e&s;t in cruce pro debita origi nali &s;ic of fertur jugi|ter pro no|&s;tris quotidianis delictis in altari. <HI>Thomas de &s;acra Altaris.</HI></NOTE> So as the body of our Lord was once offered upon the cro&s;&s;e for our originall debt, &s;o it is continually offered upon the altar for our daily &s;innes. And <HI>Catharinus in libro impre&s;&s;o Romae,</HI> writeth:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="foot">Chri&s;ti pa&s;&s;ionem pro ori|ginali tantu~ <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">eccato &s;atisfeci&s;&s;e, &amp; actualibus bapti&s;. antecedentibus, mi&s;&s;am vero &s;atisfa|cere pro peccatis bapti&s;mum &amp; primam ju&s;tificationem &s;equentibus. <HI>Catharinus in libro impre&s;&s;o Romae.</HI></NOTE> That Chri&s;ts pa&s;&s;ion made &s;atisfaction onely for originall and &s;uch &s;innes as went before bapti&s;me: but the Ma&s;&s;e &s;atisfies for &s;innes committed after bapti&s;me, and our fir&s;t ju&s;tification. Fi|nally, to &s;ay nothing of their Jubile, and their Ladies P&s;alter, and her Pantofle, and an hundred &s;uch things.</P>
<P><HI>And him that offereth an offering.]</HI> Though he offer an offering, and thinke thereby to e&s;cape, and appea&s;e Gods wrath, yet &s;hall he not prevaile, nor e&s;cape.</P>
<P>In vaine do men thinke to appea&s;e the wrath of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and to
<PB N="99" REF="183">e&s;cape his judgements, when he is angry and threatneth, by any outward means, as offerings, fa&s;tings, prayers, and &s;uch perfor|mance of parts of his wor&s;hip, they remaining impenitent in their &s;innes, and keeping them &s;till. So is it here, and manife&s;t in that Micha 6.6.7.8. and I&s;aiah 58. <HI>&agrave;</HI> 2. <HI>ad finem.</HI> P&s;al. 51.16.17.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God is a Spirit, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and he will be wor&s;hipped in &s;pirit and truth; outward things onely cannot plea&s;e him, being diffe|rent from his nature; yea, they that onely bring them, wor&s;hip him neither in Spirit nor truth, but in body and outward things, in hypocri&s;ie and di&s;&s;embling, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all offerings a man brings to God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> all outward &s;ervice he performes to him, is accepted not for it &s;elfe, but if it be, it is for him, or el&s;e rejected for him, and not he for it; for though men which are corrupt doe accept men for their gifts, and di&s;liking their per&s;ons, yet feeling from their pur&s;es, they will &s;oone change their mindes and like of them; what&s;oever they di&s;liked before &s;hall be excu&s;ed and le&s;&s;ened. It is not &s;o with God, he accepts men not for their gifts, but their gifts for them, or el&s;e rejects them and their gifts.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;hew more contempt again&s;t the Lord, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> then if they never &s;ought him with any &s;uch meanes, or came before him; which is manife&s;t thus. A man hath offended his Prince, for which he threatneth and menaceth him to execute or de&s;troy him. If he &s;eek not to him at all by any outward means, or come not to him when he is &s;ummoned, it is but contumacy, not con|tempt; for he may doe it out of feare. Now contempt and feare cannot &s;tand together in one &s;ubject: but if he come and &s;eek him by outward things, never &s;hewing any &s;orrow for his offence, make no promi&s;e of his amendment, but thinke thus to &s;tay ju&s;tice, it mu&s;t needs be judged a gro&s;&s;e contempt. And where once con|tempt appeareth, there no reconcilement at all can be expected. So in this.</P>
<P>By the former poynt wee &s;aw the policy of Popery, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> by this we may &s;ee the impiety of it. By the former they plea&s;e many, by this they peri&s;h as many. And herein appeares their gro&s;&s;e impie|ty, that for their owne gaine, they care not how many thou&s;ands they lo&s;e; not that of purpo&s;e they would peri&s;h them, but that el&s;e they cannot profit them&s;elves; for if rhey &s;hould not teach them that &s;uch things fore&s;poken of would plea&s;e the Lord, and free them from his wrath, they would be of a &s;mall account and lower price, and &s;o their gaine and wealth decay, becau&s;e they may &s;ay as Acts 19.25. <HI>Sirs ye know that by this craft we have our goods.</HI> Their impiety then is this, that they hold them in the error, that the&s;e things will plea&s;e God, and will not till they peri&s;h by &s;uch a conceit; like deceitfull and unfaithfull Lawyers who to get mo|ny and gaine to them&s;elves, per&s;wade their Clyents, tearme after
<PB N="100" REF="184">tearme, till the day of hearing come, that a plea they have drawne for them will hold good, and then they confe&s;&s;e them&s;elves to be in an error, when &s;entence goes again&s;t them, and they deprived of their heritage; like unskilfull or unfaithfull Phy&s;itians, who finding what kinde of phy&s;icke their patients pa&s;&s;et doth be&s;t rel|li&s;h, though it be neither of force to pre&s;erve or recover him; yet to keepe them&s;elves in reque&s;t and practice ever pre&s;cribe him that, though he die for it in the end. Such Phy&s;itians are they of no value. If any man thinke I &s;lander them, becau&s;e they talke much of pennance and confe&s;&s;ion and &s;uch things; I an&s;wer, I doe not; to in&s;tance in one: The &s;choole-men teach that &s;alvation is in the &s;acrament or &s;acrifice of the ma&s;&s;e, as health is in a medi|cine, which cures though the party doe nothing to helpe, never beleeve, only receive it. They teach then that the&s;e reconcile without repentance. I deny not that our latter Papi&s;ts, when they find things written, &s;canned, and &s;o prove &s;candalous, they have helped things with their late expo&s;itions; but it is one thing what they are forced to &s;ay by argument, another thing what they commonly teach to the people, who have the one taught to them without the other. They deale like &s;ome Phy&s;itians, who when they have to deale with common patients, who favour no religi|on, and thinke indeed health is in their power, and their medi|cines, they promi&s;e them &s;imply and ab&s;olutely health by them: But when they have patients that know religion, or finde a Mini|&s;ter with them, who knowes health is not in their power or medi|cine; then they tell them they mu&s;t looke to God, and reconcile them&s;elves to God, and then by his ble&s;&s;ing they &s;hall doe them good. So the&s;e.</P>
<P>To let us &s;ee the folly of tho&s;e men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> who thinke by tho&s;e out|ward things, outward meanes to appea&s;e and e&s;cape; and when they have once performed them, re&s;t as &s;ure as if they had the band in &s;tatute Marchant, he &s;hould not touch them. The Church is full of the&s;e fooles: for how many are there: who if they heare by the Word, or &s;ee by the &s;haking of the rod, that the Lord is angry, thinke by an offering, giving almes to the poore, by fa|&s;ting and bowing them&s;elves, by a little more frequenting of pray|er, or comming to heare the Word, to e&s;cape well enough though they never repent and for&s;ake their &s;innes? or if God &s;mite them, that they are &s;icke upon their beds, and draw neere to the buri|all, if they give &s;omewhat largely to ho&s;pitals, and holy u&s;es, to Schooles and Churches, though they never truly &s;orrow before God, nor &s;atisfie the injuries done to men by re&s;titution, and &s;uch like; yet God will be well plea&s;ed with them, and they &s;hall not be cut off, but enjoy the everla&s;ting Tabernacles of <HI>Iacob.</HI> But fools &amp; blinde! why &s;hould they imagine that &s;hould help them, which will not another, neither ever would? Is not he the &s;ame,
<PB N="101" REF="184">and is there not &s;till the &s;ame meanes to appea&s;e him; that which could not then, can it now? If the body be to be cured, if any thing be brought unto them, they enquire who ever u&s;ed it, and what effect it had with them; and if they heare of many who did u&s;e it, and none ever recovered by it, they will never tru&s;t to it; and yet for the &s;oule they will go contrary. But if the&s;e doe not appea&s;e him, why are they commanded, or why is that? Heb. 13.16. <HI>To doe good, and di&s;tribute, forget not: for with &s;uch &s;acrifices God is well plea&s;ed.</HI> I an&s;wer, they are commanded for other pur|po&s;es, as duties and te&s;timonies, and &s;ignes of thankfulne&s;&s;e: for it followes not that there is no u&s;e of them, unle&s;&s;e this be; God ordained them for other purpo&s;es. And as it is in &s;alves, they cure that they were ordained for, &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome.</HI> For the &s;alve for the eye cannot cure the cut of the hand. And for that, <HI>Do and live,</HI> that is under&s;tood of the whole and of perfect doing, which is impo&s;&s;ible for any, becau&s;e of their weakne&s;&s;e, Rom. 8. And that of the Hebrewes doth not tell us that that doth appea&s;e God, when he is angry, but that they plea&s;e him after he is appea&s;ed, and reconciled: for then he accepts them graciou&s;ly and favou|rably. For &s;o much ri&s;eth out of Heb. 13.15. <HI>Let us therefore by him offer the &s;acrifice of prai&s;e alwayes to God, that is, the fruit of the lips, confe&s;&s;e to his Name.</HI> Where he makes mention of Chri&s;t, &s;hewing that they plea&s;e him, comming from faith in Chri&s;t. But when a man lies in his &s;inne, and &s;o purpo&s;eth, and is without faith and without Chri&s;t, all the &s;acrifices of &s;uch a wicked man are a|bomination to the Lord; more when they are offered with a wic|ked minde, of de&s;erving at his hands, and derogating from Chri&s;t, and making him to ju&s;tifie the wicked.</P>
<P>To teach us now that the Lord &s;hewes him&s;elfe di&s;plea&s;ed, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> and threatneth to cut us off, not to thinke by any outward things to appea&s;e and e&s;cape it; it is not offering and almes, not fa&s;ting and prayer that will doe it, though they are &s;uch things as God calls us unto by &s;uch judgements; as I&s;aiah 22.12. But in vaine &s;hall we tru&s;t unto them, if we remaine in our &s;innes, without repen|tance and for&s;aking of them. In vaine tru&s;ts any man to the Chy|rurgion and his &s;alves to cure his di&s;ea&s;e; all the while there is in the wound, within the fle&s;h iron remaining. <HI>Augu&s;t. de rectit. Ca|tholicae conver&s;at.</HI> So &s;hall not his prayers and other things prevaile all the while hatred and other &s;innes remaine. All the while that <HI>Achan</HI> and his execrable bootie was in the Lords Campe, the teares and prayers of the whole prevailed nothing. Jo&s;hua 7. but he taken out of the way and &s;toned, they prevailed. To prevaile then with God, and to have him reconciled, and to e&s;cape his di&s;plea&s;ure the&s;e cannot doe it, unle&s;&s;e we ca&s;t out the execrable thing. If <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Rulers will hang up the heads of the people before the &s;unne, and <HI>Phineas</HI> execute ju&s;tice, the plague
<PB N="102" REF="185">&s;hall cea&s;e; if every one will doe &s;o with his &s;innes, he &s;hall not be cut off, or if he die he &s;hall live. The Marryners who were in a &s;torme, Jonah 1. tooke the contrary cour&s;e to helpe them&s;elves, and &s;ave their lives, by unlading their Ship, and ca&s;ting all into the &s;ea, but it &s;erved not the turne, nor helped them till <HI>Ionas</HI> was ca&s;t into the &s;ea upon whom the lot fell, who had offended; &s;o in this: many may give their goods, &amp;c. and yet it will not &s;erve; ca&s;t lots, it will light upon thy &s;innes, and if that will not be ca&s;t into the &s;ea, thinke that there will be no calming of it.</P>
<P>Now before we leave this ver&s;e, it may be &s;ome Papi&s;ts will gather hence as from the like places, that the Church &s;tandeth not of the elect and prede&s;tinate onely, as we affirme, for none elected can be cut off from it, &s;pecially if we under&s;tand the cut|ing of them off from the everla&s;ting Tabernacles. Therfore they now condemne this in us as the coun&s;ell of <HI>Con&s;tance</HI> condemned <HI>Iohn Hu&s;&s;e</HI> and burnt him. But this, neither any the like place con|futeth that we hold, who doe not deny that wicked men and re|probates may be of particular Churches, but not of the Catho|lique; of particulars, becau&s;e to be in a particular Church is no|thing el&s;e, but for a man to joyne him&s;elfe in that &s;ociety, which profe&s;&s;eth true religion. But to be of the Catholique Church is to be joyned to Chri&s;t as his member, and to draw life from him; &s;o that he doth not, neither can peri&s;h, In a particular Church then may wicked and reprobates be, as bad humours and rotten mem|bers are in the body, but not in the Catholique Church, which is Chri&s;ts body; which as his naturall body could not &s;ee corrupti|on, neither can it have any &s;uch corrupts parts, and as no part of it could be cut off, no more of this; for where the head is, there &s;hall all the members be, whereas then they &s;hall never come where Chri&s;t is, they cannot be members of him, and &s;o no parts of the Catholique Church. But are they not parts of the particu|lar? they are; but yet it followes not that every one in them is part of it; for as every ward or &s;treete of London is part of the whole, yet followes it not that every one in them is part of it, for forrainers and &s;trangers may be in it. There is none of the Ca|tholique, but he either is or hath beene in &s;ome vi&s;ible and parti|cular Church; yet it followes not that all that are in it, are of it. And by this may be an&s;wered all tho&s;e parables and other places they bring out of the Scriptures to prove that wicked men are of the Catholique Church, for they are all under&s;tood of particular Churches, where the wicked are mixed in&s;eparably with the good, as Chaffe is with the Wheate in the field and barne, as Lees with the Wine, in the Ter&s;e and Hog&s;head; yet is nei|ther the Chaffe Wheate, nor the Lees Wine, neither they the Church.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="13" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="103" REF="185">
<HEAD>VERS. XIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And this have ye done againe, and covered the Altar of the Lord with teares, with weeping, and with mourning: becau&s;e the offering is no more regarded, neither received acceptably at your hands.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND this have ye done againe.]</HI> The Prophet proceedeth to a &s;econd &s;inne in this people and to reprove it, going from their &s;trange wives, to their having of many wives, to multiplici|ty of them which is reproved in this ver&s;e and 14. and 15. Of the whole we have two parts: 1. his reproofe, 2. his exhortation to the contrary, <HI>fine v.</HI> 15. In the reproof as the vice is checked, but not &s;o openly as the former, yet nece&s;&s;arily out of the 15. ver&s;e it followeth, that the grieving of their wives was by taking other wives to them. Now the amplification of this &s;inne, or the hay|nou&s;ene&s;&s;e of it, is &s;et forth two wayes: Fir&s;t, becau&s;e it was injurious to their wives and them&s;elves, ver&s;e 13. Secondly, be|cau&s;e it was again&s;t the in&s;titution and ordinance of God, ver&s;e 14.15. Now the fir&s;t again&s;t their wives, becau&s;e they grie|ved and vexed them, and again&s;t them&s;elves, becau&s;e they made their own offerings to be rejected of the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>And this have ye done againe.]</HI> And this &s;inne have you com|mited in the &s;econd place which comes here to be reproved a mong&s;t the&s;e particulars, you have taken not onely &s;trangers but you have joyned them to your lawfull wives and taken them with them, and made them to mourne and weepe</P>
<P><HI>And covered the Altar of the Lord with teares.]</HI> The I&s;raelites women or their owne proper and lawfull wives, finding that they tooke others to them, and finding them in their places where they ought to have beene, and who had onely the right unto them, they wept day and night before the Altar of the Lord, as it were accu&s;ing his providence, that he did not releeve, and redre&s;&s;e their injuries.</P>
<P><HI>Ye have covered.]</HI> He accu&s;eth not tho&s;e who did weepe, but tho&s;e who were the cau&s;e of their weeping.</P>
<P><HI>Ye have covered.]</HI> That is, you have made your wives by your carriage and dealing towards them to cover. So <HI>Cyrill</HI> interpreteth the&s;e words; and that both becau&s;e the place mu&s;t needs have it &s;o interpreted, as al&s;o from a common and u&s;uall kinde of &s;peech. For when we doe any thing compelled or drawne to it, either by &s;ome vehement love or hatred, or pitty of any man, or by &s;ome other affection, he is &s;aid to doe it by affection of whom we are compelled or drawn to it. As if a man could not beare the de&s;ire
<PB N="104" REF="186">he hath to his ab&s;ent friend, or his dead &s;onne; we &s;ay his &s;onne or his friend will not let him re&s;t or be in quiet; for he is often &s;aid to doe, that doth &s;o worke, and moveth him either by coun|&s;ell or command or implu&s;ion though by another. That in&s;tance in this ca&s;e we may give. Zach. 11.13.</P>
<P><HI>Ca&s;t it into the Potters field.]</HI> It is a Prophe&s;ie of the money which <HI>Iudas</HI> &s;hould take for the betraying of Chri&s;t, and what he &s;hould do with it: And when he was to do it &amp; did ca&s;t it into the Temple. Math. 27.5. It is &s;poken here as if Chri&s;t did it, or &s;hould doe it; not that he per&s;onally did it, but becau&s;e he moved <HI>Iudas,</HI> and after a &s;ort compelled him to doe it.</P>
<P>Now the greatne&s;&s;e of the&s;e womens &s;orrowes are increa&s;ed or amplified, that they were &s;o affected that teares came from them; and if it be thought that it is ea&s;ie for that &s;ex to &s;hed teares yet this comes not from the compo&s;ition, but the extreame griefe they &s;u&s;tained, when they came to &s;o many, as it were cover the Altar of God, even that Altar where they &s;ought for ea&s;e and comfort. And further to amplifie it, it is &s;aid with weeping and mourning; that is, their teares were joyned with &s;obs and &s;ighes, and outcryes, by which the &s;orrow and angui&s;h of their minde was increa&s;ed, when as God would have his Altar without all &s;pot or injury mo&s;t pure, &s;acred and con&s;ecrated to him, in&s;omuch as he forbad the &s;tones of it to be wrought or cut with any in&s;tru|ment of iron; it mu&s;t needs be ungratefull and unacceptable to him when it was covered and compa&s;&s;ed with teares, &s;ighes, and lamentations of tho&s;e who were in mi&s;ery, vexed by their hu&s;|bands and their concubines.</P>
<P><HI>The Altar of the Lord]</HI> This amplifies further their &s;orrow, that they came to the Altar of the Lord to complaine, as being with|out all hope of helpe from man, and all meanes, and had onely God to flye to and his helpe; for it is a figne of great oppre&s;&s;ion when as men mi&s;erable and affected with injury, come mourning and lamenting to Gods Altar to complaine to him, as tho&s;e who have no helpe, no defence in the coun&s;ells or helpe of men, none in the Judges and Magi&s;trates of the time, again&s;t &s;uch injuries.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e the offering is no more regarded.]</HI> Or <HI>&s;o that your offe|ring.]</HI> It is that which containeth the injury to them&s;elves, for by the&s;e tears &amp; lamentations of the wives, the anger of the Lord was &s;o &s;tirred up again&s;t them that he &s;aith all their &s;acrifice &amp; offerings were not accepted or regarded of him. <HI>i.</HI> The tears of your oppre&s;|&s;ed wives are as a vaile upon my Altar, and do all &s;o cover it, that your &s;acrifices, and oblations cannot be &s;eene, or make me not ac|cept them when their cryes and their prayers come both before me, they doe &s;o trouble and corrupt your prayers and &s;o hinder, that they are not heard of me at all.</P>
<PB N="105" REF="186">
<P><HI>Ye have done againe.]</HI> In the &s;econd place adding this &s;inne to the former, a greater to the le&s;&s;e. Some who were &s;ingle tooke &s;trange wives, and when others &s;aw that was borne withall, and the magi&s;trates did not controule and puni&s;h it, they proceed to this, that having wives of the daughters of God, they tooke to them the daughters of a &s;trange God.</P>
<P>Corruptions &s;uffered in the whole Church and particular members, and not reproved, puni&s;hed and corrected, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> whether they be in doctrine or manners, will &s;oone grow greater or bring in greater.</P>
<P><HI>And covered the Altar of the Lord with teares.]</HI> The fir&s;t rea&s;on condemning this poligamy is drawne from the grief of the wives, and it &s;tands thus: That which is a griefe to the wife, and fills her heart with forrow and angui&s;h, even then when &s;hee comes to Gods Altar, Gods &s;ervice ought not to be done by the husband, but &s;uch is this.</P>
<P>The husband ought not to doe that which will grieve and vex his wife, and make her unfit for duties to him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and &s;ervice to God. It is here the force of the Prophets rea&s;on. And this is the commandement of the Apo&s;tle. 1 Pet. 3.7. Collo. 3.19. This <HI>Laban</HI> &s;aw by the light of name, which made him take an oath of <HI>Iaakob</HI> Gen. 31.50. <HI>If thou &s;hall vex my daughters, or &s;hal take wives be&s;ide my daughters; there is no man with us, behold God is witne&s;&s;e betweene thee and me.</HI> This made <HI>Rebekah</HI> &s;o urge <HI>I&s;aac</HI> for the de|parting of <HI>Iaakob.</HI> Gen. 27.46.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e a man mu&s;t not do that which may grieve or offend a weake brother, to drive him backe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> or make him le&s;&s;e fit and chearefull in the fervice of God, and following of him, much le&s;&s;e a wife.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;he is the weaker ve&s;&s;ell, 1 Pet. 3.7. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> The weakene&s;&s;e of the &s;ex craves more indulgence and care. As we more ea&s;ily pardon children if they offend in any thing, by rea&s;on of the ten|derne&s;&s;e of their years, and ignorance of it. So the infirmity of their &s;ex ought to make men, they be not rough and &s;evere with them. Some tran&s;late it In&s;trument: And as <HI>Luther</HI> &s;peakes of it, as a Knife with a tender edge, men will not cut &s;tones, bra&s;&s;e, or iron with it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;he is partaker of the &s;ame and manifold graces of life, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> (as &s;ome books have it) 1 Pet. 3.7. Seeing God hath made her par|taker with him of bapti&s;me, and of tho&s;e things that are had by Chri&s;t, and made her heire of Heaven with him: God having thus equalled her, it &s;hold re&s;train him off from grieving her: for if we re&s;pect the inward man, and as every one is in Chri&s;t, all are equall, and there is no difference betweene man and wife; yet be|cau&s;e God hath &s;o ordained things, he mu&s;t be head and go|verne, and &s;he mu&s;t be &s;ubject, and be governed; yet in his
<PB N="106" REF="187">governement and &s;uperiority becau&s;e God hath thus honoured her, he mu&s;t not be grievous to her.</P>
<P>To reprove all &s;uch husbands as make no care at all of grie|ving and vexing their wives, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> &s;ometimes when they are pre&s;ent with them, &s;ometimes when they are ab&s;ent, and by it. And of|tentimes &s;uch as are ready to cry out of an offence, or an occa&s;ion of grief which a man is forced to give to his brother; yet they care not to grieve their owne fle&s;h in a neerer conjunction. By their ab&s;ence they grieve them, &s;eldome at home with them, but ta|king more delight in riotous and di&s;&s;olute company, more in Ta|vernes and Ordinaries where there are lewd and veine exerci&s;es, then in the &s;ociety of their loving and kinde wife, making her &s;it &s;ighing and &s;obbing at home, mingling her meate with teares, and her prayers, if &s;he &s;avour religion, with mourning and weeping; or el&s;e which falls out with too many for want of their husbands co~|pany they fall into the &s;nares of Satan, &amp; have in&s;truments &s;ugge|&s;ting to them that their husbands do not love them; by which ma|ny a woman that otherwi&s;e would be hone&s;t falls into folly and uncleanene&s;&s;e, which the husbands care &amp; loving company would have prevented, which commeth at the length to the ruine of them and their hou&s;es. If they tell me they mu&s;t goe abroad and have their plea&s;ure and &s;ports; I tell them that their nece&s;&s;ary go|ing abroad I re&s;traine not, but their unnece&s;&s;ary: And if they mu&s;t, why may not the wife &s;ay &s;o too? but I will not be comely to excu&s;e her wandring, neither will it be born with, &amp; there is no rea&s;on it &s;hould, for they looke &s;he &s;hould accept their company and be willing to be with them, and rea&s;on good. And why then &s;hould not they be as willing to dwell with them? and to give them comfort and content, and not to vex them by their unne|ce&s;&s;ary ab&s;ence; which becau&s;e they were &s;o apt to doe by name they are commanded to dwell with them, 1 Pet. 3.7. but the wo|man onely by implication and con&s;equent; but &s;ome bide alwaies at home, but better for their wives they were ab&s;ent; they are ne|ver content with any thing they do, but di&s;grace them before their &s;ervants and company, and be bitter unto them in word &amp; deed, and provoke them to unkindne&s;&s;e &amp; di&s;temper; by &s;trange cariage of theirs, it may be &s;ometimes taking <HI>Sarahs</HI> may de, as <HI>Abraham</HI> did, though <HI>Sarah</HI> never give her him, and &s;o driving them into di|vers pa&s;&s;ions &amp; di&s;tractions; making them forget both their &s;ex &amp; their duty; and hence comes oftentimes &s;o many complaints of wives when the husband is the cau&s;e of it. As if the head &s;hould lead the body through fire &amp; water, through myre &amp; dirt, through woods and thickets, where it receives much hurt, and then com|plaine of the hurt and paine that it &s;uffereth; &s;o many by their &s;trange behaviour draw them&s;elves into contempt and make their wives undutifull, and then exclaim again&s;t them when they &s;hould
<PB N="107" REF="187">condemne them&s;elves, they have gone again&s;t the rule of God, and &s;o have brought the cur&s;e of God upon them.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct every man to ab&s;taine from vexing and grieving his wife, either by his ab&s;ence or pre&s;ence, but to dwell with her, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and delight in her company; not withdrawing him&s;elfe from her, but upon a good calling, and a good cau&s;e: and then &s;o as &s;he may perceive he takes no delight, nay, that it is a griefe to him to be an occa&s;ion of her griefe, and that yet he leaves his heart behinde with her. When he is pre&s;ent, he mu&s;t live lovingly and amiably with her, ab&s;taining from all things that may grieve her: &s;o &s;hall he give her an example to do &s;o to him. For they ought not to plea&s;e them&s;elves, but one another. The good things that are in her, he mu&s;t cheri&s;h: for as in children or &s;ervants, &s;o in the wife: nothing incourageth her more in any good thing, then that her husband ob&s;erveth and approveth tho&s;e good things are in her. The evill things, ordinary infirmities, he mu&s;t rather intreat God for them, then reprove her; but if either, he mu&s;t take his fitte&s;t time for it: as with Phy&s;itians, ob&s;erve her nature, as they their patients, and do it in love, not pa&s;&s;ion, with a grave, yet cheerfull countenance, letting her &s;ee her fault out of the Word, rather then from his will and di&s;like. And though he be ma&s;ter Bee, and have a &s;ting, yet mu&s;t he &s;eldome or never u&s;e it, unle&s;&s;e ex|tremity drive him, and that by her peevi&s;hne&s;&s;e rather then his pa&s;&s;ion or folly in handling of the matter. And &s;o may he have comfort by her, and fruit of her: for &s;hee is therefore com|pared to a vine, which by the care and diligence of the Gardiner in carefull pruning and underpropping it, and dre&s;&s;ing of it, brings forth fruit, even grapes, whence comes wine, which rejoyceth the heart: otherwi&s;e it will but wallow on the ground, and remaine fruitle&s;&s;e. But to conclude, provided alwayes that &s;he be dutifull and kinde, loving and obedient unto him; or el&s;e &s;he forfeits her right: and then if he be bitter and unkinde to her, I do not war|rant him, but I le&s;&s;e blame him. If &s;he be to him not a turtle Dove, but a chattering Pye, full of brawlings and contentions, becau&s;e every thing mu&s;t not be as &s;he would have it; I le&s;&s;e blame him if he delight abroad, &s;eeing <HI>Salomon</HI> hath &s;aid, Prov. 21.9. <HI>It is better to dwell in a corner of the hou&s;e top, then with a contentious wo|man in a wide hou&s;e.</HI> Prov. 19.13. <HI>The contentions of a wife are as a continuall dropping.</HI> If &s;he be, as one &s;aith, like a vine that were planted in the flowing &s;ea, which pro&s;pereth lea&s;t when the water is lowe&s;t: &s;o his fellow&s;hip &s;weete&s;t when he is furthe&s;t off. If as many women, who tell us they make them&s;elves fine and trim to plea&s;e their husbands, and yet are lea&s;t trim when they onely en|joy them, but onely when they are to &s;hew them&s;elves abroad, which in many, is rather to plea&s;e others then their husbands; (I cen&s;ure not all) &s;o they have no cheerfulne&s;&s;e and loving carriage
<PB N="108" REF="188">in them when they and their husbands are alone, never &s;o merry as when he is ab&s;ent, never &s;o &s;olemne and drooping as with him, as if his company were a burden, and his pre&s;ence a clog unto them; who can to any body el&s;e, put on cheerfull lookes, have lively &s;pirits, and finde talke enough; but with their husbands can finde none, but &s;it heavie a whole dinner and &s;upper while, and not a word from her, no token of her joying in his company. And upon every di&s;content, be &s;trange a day, two or three, looking he &s;hould &s;eeke to her. I &s;ay, by &s;uch dealings &s;he hath forfeited her right; and though it bee <HI>Summum jus,</HI> and &s;o <HI>&s;umma iujuria,</HI> to take it, &s;uch a forfeiture, or rather it is indeed inju&s;tice, yet if het do take it, it is but ju&s;t upon her; and though he be not fit to do it, yet &s;he hath de&s;erved to &s;uffer it.</P>
<P><HI>And covered the Altar of the Lord with teares.]</HI> The generall of the&s;e words we have heard, the particulars we mu&s;t examine. The&s;e women, though heavie in heart, and full of grief, yet would they not de&s;i&s;t from praying to God, and performing their &s;ervice and offerings to him; neither doth he for that reject them and their offerings, though he be their husbands afterwards, who were the cau&s;e of their griefe.</P>
<P>Though men cannot performe the &s;ervice and wor&s;hip of God with that cheerfulne&s;&s;e and perfection which he requireth, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> who loves a cheerfull giver, and &s;o a cheerfull wor&s;hipper; and being Perfection it &s;elfe, would have things in perfection, yet mu&s;t they performe them as they are able, and he will accept them in their imperfection. Manife&s;t, as here, &s;o by that reproofe of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to <HI>Aaron.</HI> Levit. 10.16. The practi&s;e of <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> Nehem. 1.4. of <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 42.5.6. of <HI>Zacharie,</HI> Luke 1.22. of Chri&s;t, who might &s;tand for all, Matth. 26.38.39.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e many &s;o have obtained a ble&s;&s;ing, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and God hath given it them, as P&s;a. 126.5. <HI>They that &s;ow in teares &s;hall reap in joy,</HI> as the Goaler, Acts 16.29. came trembling to <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Silas,</HI> but de|parted with joy of heart, ver&s;. 34.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Not let our infirmities hinder us from prayer.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> To come confidently to God.</P>
<P><HI>And covered the Altar of the Lord.]</HI> The&s;e did not &s;eeke to re|venge them&s;elves, they re&s;i&s;ted not by giving injury for injury, dealing with their husbands as they had dealt with them; but pa|tiently bore it, and committed it to the Lord.</P>
<P>Men who re injured, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> oppre&s;&s;ed, and hardly dealt withall by o|thers, ought to beare it patiently, and not to revenge them&s;elves, and to re&s;i&s;t by force and violence.</P>
<P>To teach every man to beare patiently the injuries done unto him; <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> if he have received them, do not require them, but rather with well-doing, let him go to Gods Altar, and with <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> &s;pread the letter of the King of A&s;hur before God; with <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI>
<PB N="109" REF="188">carry the hard &s;peeches of his brethren to his father. If he have the &s;ame &s;pirit, he mu&s;t have the &s;ame minde which was in the Lord Je&s;us, and leave vengeance and recompence to him to whom it belongs. Thou art injured, deprived of thy goods, beaten, re|proached, and greatly hurt this way; expect the &s;entence of the Judge. If another mans &s;ervant &s;hall reproach thee, thou wilt not beat him thy &s;elfe, but complaine to his ma&s;ter: how much more ought thou to do this in re&s;pect of God, who hath &s;aid: <HI>Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it? Chry&s;o&s;t. hom.</HI> 22. <HI>ad pop. Antioch.</HI> But thou art de&s;irous to be revenged; that is the way not to revenge: for that is a true, though a &s;trange po&s;ition and &s;peech: That they are onely hurt and injured, who hurt others, and injure them. And the injury which is done to others, hurts none but tho&s;e who do it, &s;o tho&s;e who &s;uffer do not repay, or be brought to &s;inne. For example; what was more unhappy then <HI>Cain?</HI> The death he brought upon <HI>Abel</HI> hath made him that &s;uffe|red it, to be accounted ju&s;t in all ages; and him that did it, a parri|cide and murtherer. What was more mi&s;erable then <HI>Herodias,</HI> who de&s;ired <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;ts</HI> head in a di&s;h, and &s;o plunged her owne head in the eternall fire and flames of hell? What wor&s;e then the Divell, who by his malice made <HI>Iob</HI> more famous, that as his glory increa&s;ed, &s;o did the others torments? So now. And if men be not brought to commit &s;inne, and this in particular, what hurt have they by it? It is another truth, that there is no man hurt but of him&s;elfe: for admit a man have his goods taken from him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nemo ladi|tur, ni&s;i a&s;e|ip&s;o. <HI>Chry&s;.</HI></NOTE> or other injuries done to him, if he fall not into &s;inne by it, kee|ping the injury boiling in his &s;tomacke, or falling to revenge im|patiently, or bla&s;pheme, or &s;uch like; if he do, then is he hurt, and greatly, not of another, but of him&s;elfe. Example <HI>Iob</HI> and <HI>Paul.</HI> The&s;e and the like &s;hould per&s;wade us to patience, and not to re&s;i&s;t. And why &s;hould &s;uch things be hard? If I let him alone, he will be wor&s;e. Ha&s;t thou more care of him then of thy &s;elfe? But are not the&s;e words of corruption and pride, who e|&s;tabli&s;h things again&s;t God? Admit he be hurt, yet God ought to be obeyed. Neither ought we to make lawes again&s;t that which God hath ratified; but it will hurt neither thee nor him: for Prov. 15.1. <HI>A &s;oft an&s;wer putteth away wrath, but grievous words &s;tirre up anger.</HI> And if thou woulde&s;t do thy &s;elfe and him good, the more he is in choler and heat, the more yeeld thou: for this heat had need of the greater remedy. And the more reproa|ches there are, there is the more need of patience and gentlene&s;&s;e. And when the feaver is hotte&s;t, there is mo&s;t need of cooling: &s;o when a man is angrie&s;t, of yeelding. But this will be a reproach, and there is no manhood in it? Nay it is no reproach, but com|pa&s;&s;ion and humanity. Finally, in all the&s;e things thou &s;halt finde that true of <HI>Abigail</HI> to <HI>David,</HI> 1 Sam. 25.31. Then &s;hall it be no
<PB N="110" REF="189">griefe unto thee; nor offence of minde unto my Lord, that he hath not &s;hed bloud cau&s;ele&s;&s;e, nor that my Lord hath not revenged him&s;elfe: And when the Lord &s;hall have dealt wel with my Lord, remember thine hand-maid. And of him touching her, ver&s;e 32.33. Then David &s;aid to <HI>Abigail:</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God of I&s;rael, which &s;ent thee this day to meet me. And ble&s;&s;ed be thy coun&s;ell, and ble&s;&s;ed be thou, which ha&s;t kept me this day from comming to &s;hed blood, and that mine hand hath not &s;aved me.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e the offering is no more regarded.]</HI> Or more plainly: <HI>So that I will no more regard your offerings.]</HI> The &s;econd rea&s;on con|demning Polygamy; becau&s;e it makes their wor&s;hip and &s;ervice unacceptable to God, while the injuries they did to their wives, and their &s;ighes and teares came before him, and were in his ears, as the bloud of <HI>Abel,</HI> calling rather for vengeance, and a cur&s;e, then a ble&s;&s;ing. Now, a generall from this, is this:</P>
<P>They who come to performe any &s;ervice to God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine."> and would have it accepted, mu&s;t be holy and uncorrupt, and not uncleane and polluted. <HI>Vide Malach.</HI> 1.6.7.</P>
<P>Further, a more &s;peciall thing hence may we ob&s;erve:</P>
<P>They who grieve, oppre&s;&s;e, and injury others, what&s;oever he be, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine."> and they to him, whether he be Husband or Magi&s;trate, or Ma|&s;ter, whether rich, or his Landlord, or how&s;oever, &s;hall finde, that their prayers and wor&s;hip of God, &s;hall not be accepted, nor finde any place or favour with God. So here; and I&s;aiah 1.15. and 58.3.4. <HI>Wherefore have we fa&s;ted, and thou &s;ee&s;t it not? we have puni&s;hed our &s;elves, and thou regarde&s;t it not. Behold, in the day of your fa&s;t you will &s;eeke your will, and require all your debts. Be|hold, ye fa&s;t to &s;trife and debate, and to &s;mite with the fi&s;t of wicked|ne&s;&s;e: yee &s;hall not fa&s;t as yee do to day, to make your voyce to be heard above.</HI> To this purpo&s;e may that be applied, Prov. 27.13. <HI>He that &s;toppeth his eare at the crying of the poore, &s;hall al&s;o cry, and not be heard.</HI> And that may &s;hadow it, Luke 16.24. Old <HI>I&s;aac</HI> ac|cepted the prayers of <HI>Iacob,</HI> and his voyce the better, becau&s;e of his rough and hairy hands; but with our <HI>I&s;aac</HI> it is cleane con|trarie.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are in their &s;ins, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and that which is more, they are not capable of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, &s;eeing Chri&s;t hath &s;aid Mat. 6.15. <HI>But if ye doe not forgive men their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, no more will your father for give you your tre&s;pa&s;&s;es.</HI> For if they who remit not other mens injuries again&s;t the mare uncapable, what are they who doe injure others and oppre&s;&s;e and wrong them? Nay if they had had remi&s;|&s;ion, yet the guilt of them would returne. <HI>Rediunt dimi&s;&s; a peccata ubi fraterna charitas non e&s;t.</HI> As the parable &s;heweth, Matthew 18.34. Now where a mans &s;ins are, there his prayers mu&s;t needs be unaccepted.</P>
<PB N="111" REF="189">
<P>Becau&s;e the cryes of tho&s;e who are oppre&s;&s;ed and injured are in his eares, James 5.4. &s;peaks of one kinde. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> And though his ears are not &s;ubject to any prejudice, yet when they are ju&s;tly po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ed with inju&s;tice and injury, they &s;top them again&s;t the prayers of the oppre&s;&s;our.</P>
<P>The judgements of God are upon us, and that ju&s;tly, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> becau&s;e of the&s;e grievances, oppre&s;&s;ions, and injuries that are among&s;t us; we pray to have them removed, we prevaile not, but it increa&s;eth and &s;preadeth; is it any ma rvaile, how &s;hould our prayers finde favor in his eares when the cryes of the oppre&s;&s;ed and injured have fil|led them? for the&s;e grievances are among&s;t us: then no marvaile if they are come upon us, and that God is come to revenge them, and that neither their prayers, nor the prayers of his Mini&s;ters can prevaile. James 5.4.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="14" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XIV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Yet ye &s;ay, wherein? becau&s;e the Lord hath been witne&s;&s;e be|tweene thee and the wife of thy youth, again&s;t whom thou ha&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, yet &s;he is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>YET ye &s;ay, wherein?]</HI> The &s;econd thing by which the Prophet condemneth this &s;inne of poligamy is, that it is again&s;t Gods ordinance, which is &s;et downe in this ver&s;e, and that which fol|lowes, part of it. The &s;inne is that which is again&s;t the ordinance and in&s;titution of God, that ought not to be done; &s;uch is this. Now it is again&s;t his in&s;titution, becau&s;e it is again&s;t that covenant, whereof hee is both Author and witne&s;&s;e. The way of &s;etting down this is, by way of que&s;tion and an&s;wer, from the people, &amp; to them from God, depending upon the former. The Lord had told them it made their prayers to be rejected. They aske why it &s;hould be &s;o? yet ye &s;ay wherin, or wherfore, for what cau&s;e, or what rea&s;on there was why their offerings &s;hould be rejected, and why he would not receive their prayers? As men that would not acknowledge that there was any &s;in or fault in them, but put him to his proofe how he would make it good, and &s;hew them where|in they had offended, not willing to confe&s;&s;e unle&s;&s;e he can wre&s;t it from them.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e the Lord hath beene witne&s;&s;e.]</HI> The Lords an&s;wer &s;hew|ing directly that there was cau&s;e, becau&s;e they had beene injuri|ous, not onely again&s;t their wives, but again&s;t God, who was witne&s;&s;e of the Covenant they made betwixt them&s;elves, which Covenant as it was Gods, ordained by him, that they &s;hould be one fle&s;h, &s;o was it made, he being pre&s;ent, &amp; called upon by him,
<PB N="112" REF="190">as witne&s;&s;e when he bound him&s;elfe to take her for his onely wife. So that witne&s;&s;e betweene thee and thy wife is witne&s;&s;e of that Covenant that is pa&s;&s;ed betwixt thee and thy wife, and which he ordained. <HI>Who is the wife of thy youth]</HI> One whom thou ha&s;t had from thy youth, who hath beene long delightfull, comfortable, and amiable unto thee by her beauty, helpes, and chearefulne&s;&s;e, and other fruits of her youth and of marriage, when thou being in thy youth, married her a young Virgine. And &s;o it is no new rea|&s;on, nor yet any &s;trange and ob&s;cure name of your duty mutually to be performed, that it may be accounted either a &s;mall thing, or is to be denyed and lightly regarded, but it is mo&s;t ancient and of long continuance, even from your youth; neither is there any thing committed by her why thou &s;houlde&s;t violate thy faith and breake thy covenant with her, for &s;o that, <HI>again&s;t whom thou ha&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed.]</HI> Is to be read, with whom thou ha&s;t dealt unfaith|fully, breaking thy covenant.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e words, <HI>hath beene witne&s;&s;e.]</HI> Some under&s;tand as if it were meant, that he were witne&s;&s;e of the injuries and indignities done again&s;t them. And that how&s;oever &s;ome would le&s;&s;en things, yet the Lord tooke notice of them, as great injuries: yet this mea|ning the very tenor of the words will not carry it, for it is not he is witne&s;&s;e of, you have been unfaithfull to them, but between thee &amp; her; with whom thou ha&s;t dealt unfaithfully. Others would have it; <HI>he is witne&s;&s;e:</HI> That is, he hath conte&s;ted betwixt thee and her; that is, hath commanded how thou &s;hould&s;t carry thy &s;elfe towards thy wife, when he &s;aid, Gen. 2.24. Therefore &s;hall man leave his father and his mother, and &s;hall cleave to his wife, and they &s;hall be one fle&s;h. But though &s;ome of the learned, as <HI>Hierom</HI> and <HI>Cyril</HI> incline to this, it &s;eemeth to me &s;omewhat violent.</P>
<P><HI>Yet is &s;he thy companion.]</HI> This is added to amplifie the crime of unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, becau&s;e &s;he was united to him in nighne&s;&s;e of blood, being fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, and bone of his bone, and in &s;o|ciety of life admitted to a partaking of his government and goods, or companion of his bed and government, and that by a covenant made betwixt them, whereunto he had bound him&s;elfe: <HI>Yet is &s;he,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet; that is, for all that &s;he is thus, thou ha&s;t dealt thus and &s;o with her. Some; for all thou ha&s;t dealt thus with her, yet is &s;he thy companion, &amp;c. and not that other thou ha&s;t taken, and put her away, or for&s;aken her company.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e the Lord hath been witne&s;&s;e between thee.]</HI> Gods an&s;wer, &s;hewing their &s;inne in a more heynous degree, not again&s;t their wives and &s;elves, but again&s;t him.</P>
<P>They who breake covenant, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and deale unfaithfully with their wives, are not onely injurious to their wives, but al&s;o &s;inne again&s;t God: Let the injurie be the maine one here &s;poken of, or let it be le&s;&s;e, wherein the covenant of marriage is broken. And now that
<PB N="113" REF="190">which is of the husband to her, mu&s;t be under&s;tood of the wives to him. So the Prophet here condemnes the mans perfidiou&s;ne&s;&s;e as a &s;in to God. And as much <HI>Solomon</HI> in&s;inuates for the woman, Prov. 2.17. <HI>Which for&s;aketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the Covenant of her God</HI> That a leud woman dealing unfaithfully with her husband, &s;inned again&s;t God, in breaking the Covenant whereof he was Authour. This is further proved becau&s;e their naturall duties are commanded of God, as Ephe&s;. 5.22.25. Collo. 3.18.19. and other places.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e what&s;oever is again&s;t the Commandement and Word of God, is a &s;inne again&s;t him, though immediately it hurts man. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Nay indeed it is onely a hurt to man, and the &s;inne again&s;t God; &s;eeing he is onely the law giver. James 4. Now as the tenor of in|dictments run, you did &s;uch a thing again&s;t the Crown and digni|ty of the Kings Maje&s;ty. The hurt is to the private per&s;on, but the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion is again&s;t the Prince; &s;o in this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God gave him to her, and her to him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and joyned them together; therefore to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e one again&s;t another is to tran&s;|gre&s;&s;e again&s;t God; which I gather by proportion from that of Deut. 22.15. <HI>ad</HI> 20. where recompence is to bee made to the fa|ther, for the injury that is done to the daughter; for if there be an injury again&s;t him, that is but in Gods &s;tead, and his vicege|rent, what to him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade husbands and wives not to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e or injure one another, not to deale unfaithfully one with another. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> For be|&s;ides that it is uncomely, and mo&s;t unnaturall to &s;ee that a man &s;hould hurt his owne fle&s;h, and &s;o a woman. That the body &s;hould annoy the head, and the head the body; it is again&s;t God; there|fore as <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> di&s;&s;waded his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, &amp; re&s;trained him&s;elfe, Gen. 39.9. &s;o &s;hould they one with another, when occa&s;ion and oppor|tunity is given, or infirmity is ready to over-&s;way, they &s;hould &s;ay one to another: How can I doe this great wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;inne again&s;t God? The duties of the husband conditioned at the Covenant were to love his wife, to be faithfull to her in his body and goods, to dwell with her, to governe her, to in&s;truct her, be an example to her, give her due benevolence of maintenance and im|ployment, and &s;uch like. And of the wife to love and be faithfull to him, to feare and obey him. In any one of the&s;e to faile, is to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e again&s;t the Lord. And though &s;ometimes in their cor|ruption they could con&s;ent to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e one again&s;t the other; as the husband that his wife &s;hould be a harlot, and pro&s;trate her for gaine to another, or that he might without her reproofe be an adulterer and <HI>&egrave; contra:</HI> And &s;o it may &s;eeme to be no injury, be|cau&s;e of that, that <HI>volenti non &s;it injuria:</HI> yet is it a &s;inne, again&s;t God, and that which may procure the cur&s;e of God upon them, to the ruine and de&s;truction of the whole family together with
<PB N="114" REF="191">them. It is u&s;uall with men, that they are carefull not to tran&s;|gre&s;&s;e one again&s;t another in tho&s;e things e&s;pecially which are a|gain&s;t the law of the Prince; therein they will refrain them&s;elves, that they tre&s;pa&s;&s;e not, though they take &s;ome liberty in le&s;&s;er things. If married folks can tran&s;gre&s;&s;e in any thing which is not again&s;t God and his law, let them take liberty to them&s;elves; but in things that are (as what omi&s;&s;ion of duty, or commi&s;&s;ion of con|trary, be it le&s;&s;e or more, is not?) let them refraine them&s;elves, and that in the lea&s;t: For though a friend may be a mediator be|twixt them, and reconcile them &s;oone, yet who &s;hall reconcile them to God? It was a weighty &s;peech, &s;poken gravely, of old <HI>Eli</HI> to his &s;onnes, if they had had grace to have thought of it, 1 Sam. 2.25. <HI>If one man &s;inne again&s;t another, the Iudge &s;hall judge him; but if a man &s;inne again&s;t the Lord, who &s;hall intreat for him?</HI> which may be applied to this.</P>
<P>To teach man and wife, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> when they have been injurious one un|to another, one tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing again&s;t the other, that it is not enough if upon their &s;econd thoughts and after wits, upon calme and ad|vi&s;ed &s;pirits, that they reconcile them&s;elves one to another, and &s;eeme &s;orrowfull one to another that they have offended; no though they recompence it with double love, and kindne&s;&s;e, and duty, unle&s;&s;e they jointly reconcile them&s;elves to God, for the &s;inne they have committed again&s;t him. A thing either unknown or neglected of mo&s;t, as if there were no &s;inne in it, or but onely offence again&s;t them&s;elves, as if God never regarded what they did, or as if never their faithfull carriage one to another plea&s;ed him, nor tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing di&s;plea&s;ed him. Hence it is u&s;uall, that when the wife hath been di&s;obedient to her husband, di&s;dainfull and de&s;pi&s;ing them, becau&s;e they happily have more knowledge or graces then they, which &s;ometimes falls out, though unfitly; and the hu&s;band bitter and rough, and unkinde to her, if they drinke one to another, or u&s;e &s;ome other ceremony to make reconcile|ment, God is never thought of, as if he were not offended, and that they ought not to humble them&s;elves to him. And hence it is, that this dayes falling out, or injuring, is puni&s;hed with the next; God puni&s;hing one &s;inne with another. And whereas the man tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t her to day, &s;he tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t him to morrow; and &s;o they live &s;till in &s;inne and offences, whereas if they had truly humbled them&s;elves to God, they might both have the pardon of that, and obtaine the powring out of graces upon them, by which they might not afterwards tran&s;gre&s;&s;e one again&s;t another: But for want of this, comes the mutuall and daily offences betwixt them, and oftentimes Gods hand pur&s;ues the &s;urviver: As an unkinde man hath his recompence by a &s;econd wife, which payes him home his &s;innes again&s;t his former. And an undutifull woman by a &s;econd husband, which made the
<PB N="115" REF="191">Fathers, <HI>Hierom</HI> and others, among&s;t other things, condemne &s;e|cond marriages &s;o greatly as they did. Not con&s;idering that as <HI>Chry&s;om. Portus e&s;t conjugium &s;ed &s;aep&egrave; naufragium parit: non juxta &s;uam naturam, &s;ed juxta &s;ententiam corum, qui illo mal&egrave; utuntur De libello repudii.</HI> Therefore to avoid this, they who are in this &s;tate, ought to humble them&s;elves, and &s;eek to be reconciled to God, as well as mutually with them&s;elves. And for that end, be|&s;ides the prayers with their families, they ought either jointly or &s;everally in prayer to confe&s;&s;e the&s;e &s;ins, and humble them&s;elves daily to God, as they happen to be daily or u&s;uall offences.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord hath been witne&s;&s;e between thee and the wife.]</HI> This is, he is witne&s;&s;e of that covenant which pa&s;&s;ed betwixt them; be|cau&s;e it was made in Gods &s;ight, and pre&s;ence of the Church; there they plight their troth each to other, which was made and confirmed by the invocation of his name.</P>
<P>The Lord he is witne&s;&s;e betwixt every man and his wife, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> of that covenant which pa&s;&s;ed betwixt them in his pre&s;ence, and be|fore his Church, when they fir&s;t came together, which as the Pro|phet affirmeth here, &s;o is it confirmed by that, Prov. 2.17. called Gods covenant, not onely becau&s;e he is the fir&s;t author of it, but becau&s;e they were both bound to him rather then to them&s;elves; and they are as it were in recognizance in heaven to keep them|&s;elves faithfull one to another. The ca&s;e &s;eemeth to &s;tand thus: Two parties &s;tand bound to a third, who tooke of them their &s;e|verall bonds for the performance of conditions mutually.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is made by his authority in his pre&s;ence, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> his name be|ing called upon, and by his &s;ub&s;titute and deputy, to whom the promi&s;e of fidelity is fir&s;t made by them, and received of him, in Gods &s;tead before it is mutually made one to another.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he &s;eeth all things in every place, good or evill, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> more in the place of his feet, nay of his pre&s;ence and face, as the Con|gregation is, &s;pecially when he is called to witne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>To teach men to be wary how they come to the making, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &amp; how they do make this covenant, that they do it reverently and religi|ou&s;ly, that they be per&s;ons fit and free to make it; not to make a covenant which is pre&s;ently void, by &s;ome former contract, and &s;o utterly unlawfull, and call God to witne&s;&s;e unlawfull things. It is enough, and too much, for men to abu&s;e the Church and Con|gregation &s;o: for how vile and &s;hamele&s;&s;e a thing is that accoun|ted? much more to abu&s;e God him&s;elfe. As <HI>Athana&s;ius</HI> in ano|ther ca&s;e, but &s;omewhat like:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Si in Paganorum judiciis regem ter|re&s;trem te&s;tem citare fas non e&s;t, utpote major e~ &amp; iis qui citant, &amp; iis qui judi|cant. Cur Deum increatu~ ad res crea|tas invocamus, facientes ut Deus ab hominibus contemnatur. <HI>Athana&s;ius.</HI></NOTE> If in Pagan Judicatories we may not call an earthly King to atte&s;t, as being greater both then them that &s;ummon, and then them that judge, why &s;hall we ra&s;hly require the in|created God to be witne&s;&s;e to creatures, &s;o
<PB N="116" REF="192">cau&s;ing God to be de&s;pi&s;ed of men: &s;o in this. For what is this el&s;e, but as much as in them is to bring him into contempt, as he that will witne&s;&s;e &s;uch unlawfull things, or el&s;e to provoke him by &s;ome extraordinary, and fearefull judgement to renounce wit|ne&s;&s;e-bearing to &s;uch deceitfull covenants? And though men may imagine, if there be &s;ome precontracts before, or &s;ome other thing which may make this unlawfull; That yet they can cover it well enough: either they have agreed not to challenge it one of ano|ther, or there was no witne&s;&s;es. Yet let them know there is now a witne&s;&s;e who knowes the former well enough, and he that in truth will be their Judge, and both witne&s;&s;e, and accu&s;er, and Judge. And though it be not lawfull for earthly Judges to doe &s;o; yet is it for him. And &s;uch &s;hall know that he will not be mocked and abu&s;ed, doe it to the King, or Captaine, or any man of account, and &s;ee whether he will beare it at thy hands.</P>
<P>To teach tho&s;e who are in this &s;tate, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and have made this cove|nant, to remember who was by when it was made, in who&s;e pre|&s;ence, and who was witne&s;&s;e of it, and to whom indeed the cove|nant was made as a feoffie in tru&s;t for both parties. It was the Lord that was pre&s;ent, and made to him for them: that as parents &s;uffer not joinctures to bemade to their daughters which is drow|ned with the marriage,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Laban</HI> tooke an oath of <HI>Iacob</HI> for his daughters. <HI>Gen. 31.</HI></NOTE> but to them&s;elves, or &s;ome third perfon which will looke to the performance of it, if his daughter would remit it; &s;o in this with God, who certainely will exact it at the hands of both of them each to other; and will not faile the tru&s;t he hath taken upon him. If it were but for his pre&s;ence onely and becau&s;e he was by, it &s;hould &s;trike a reverence and a care to keep it, as that Math. 14.9. <HI>Herod</HI> for the oath &s;ake, and them that &s;ate at meate with him, performed what was promi&s;ed; &s;o more of this, he for his inferiours, they for their &s;uperior, and Lord; hee for them who onely would condemne his ra&s;hne&s;&s;e, but could not puni&s;h his unfaithfulne&s;&s;e and promi&s;e breaking: they for him who can doe both, and will doe both. Men will not breake their faith given but in table talke; if they doe, it will be a &s;hame to them, though it be but in &s;mall things. What a &s;hame is it then to fal&s;ifie that faith that is given in the pre&s;ence of God and his Church? Therefore let every one remember their covenant, and their duties of them, and doe them; he is witne&s;&s;e, Judge, and re|venger.</P>
<P><HI>The wife of thy youth.]</HI> She whom thou ha&s;t had from thy youth, then taking of her, and ha&s;t had the comforts and helpes by her ever &s;ince.</P>
<P>It is fit and convenient when a man is purpo&s;ed to marry, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and is in &s;ome good &s;ort provided for outwards things, having either trade or trea&s;ure, either po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions a or profe&s;&s;ion, that wil admini|&s;ter nece&s;&s;ities, not to pa&s;&s;e his youth before he take him&s;elfe a
<PB N="117" REF="192">wife, Prov. 5.18. <HI>Let thy fountaine be ble&s;&s;ed, and rejoyce with the wife of the youth.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The wife of thy youth, again&s;t whom thou ha&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed.]</HI> Now that &s;he is old, the heate of thy love is cooled, her beauty be|ing decayed, or her portion &s;pent, or &s;uch like; now thou ha&s;t ca&s;t her off, and &s;et her by, and taken another, which ought not to be, but thy love &s;hould be continuall.</P>
<P>The wife mu&s;t be beloved, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> not onely when &s;he is young and beautifull, not while her friends and favor la&s;ts, &amp;c. but alwaies while &s;he lives. Pro. 5.19. <HI>Let her be as the loving Hinde and plea|&s;ant Roe: let her brea&s;ts &s;atisfie thee at all times, and delight to her love continually.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yet is &s;he thy companion]</HI> This amplifies their injury and indig|nity done to the wife, &s;eeing &s;he was by Gods ordinance and his owne covenant admitted into the participation of hou&s;hould mat|ters and governement, made his yoake-fellow, and his wife, and helper; and by the&s;e two rights and titles remained &s;o &s;till.</P>
<P>The wife is her husbands companion, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> one that by right hath part in his governement and hou&s;hold affaires, and who ought to take the care &amp; government with him, put her &s;houlder under it, and beare it with him: This is from her creation, God making her an helper, Gen. 2.18. <HI>Al&s;o the Lord God &s;aid, it is not good that the man &s;hould be him&s;elfe alone, I will make him an helper meet for him.</HI> Fir&s;t, to beare him children: Secondly, to keep his bo|dy cha&s;t. 1 Cor. 7.2. Thirdly, to tend his per&s;on in &s;ickene&s;&s;e, and in health. Fourthly, in governing his hou&s;e, children, and family. Hence is that Gen. 3.12. <HI>To be with me;</HI> &s;ome read to be my com|panion, and fellow to helpe me; &s;he that thou gave me to be <HI>adjutrix,</HI> &s;he is <HI>in&s;idistrix:</HI> yet noting what &s;he &s;hould be. Hence it is that the &s;pirit of God in the commendations of a vertuous woman &s;ets down &s;o many proporties of a good hu&s;wife, and one that takes care of the governement and hou&s;hold affaires. Prov. 31.11.13.15.21.23.27. <HI>The heart of her husband tru&s;teth in her, and he &s;hall have no need of the &s;poyle. She &s;eeketh wooll and flax, and laboureth chearefully with her hands. And &s;he ri&s;eth while it is yet night, and giveth the portion to her hou&s;hold, and the ordinary to her maids; &s;he feareth not the &s;now for her family: for all her fa|mily is cloathed with &s;carlet; her husband is knowne in the gates, when he &s;itteth with the Elders of the land. She over &s;eeth the wayes of her hou&s;hold, and cateth not the bread of idlene&s;&s;e.</HI> Hence is the practice of <HI>Rebeckah,</HI> Gene&s;. 27.46. And of <HI>Abigail,</HI> 1 Sam. 25.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;he is partaker of the honour with him, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> in being above the re&s;t; commanding, and being &s;erved by them, then rea&s;on &s;he &s;hould carry <HI>onus,</HI> and the burden with him, and care with him; if &s;he command with him, &s;eeing &s;he rules and raignes with him;
<PB N="118" REF="193">for this government is an <HI>Ari&s;tocracie.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e his cares and troubles are increa&s;ed by her and hers. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Virginity is oftentimes trouble&s;ome for a man to wre&s;tle with his infirmities, and pa&s;&s;ion, and in health, and &s;ickene&s;&s;e. Which though they be remedied by marriage, yet that brings him into as many, though happily not &s;o pre&s;&s;ing, for he that is in his virgi|nity, and finds the&s;e, and thinkes altogether to free him&s;elfe from them by marriage,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t. de virginit. <HI>52.</HI> fine.</NOTE> is like him that walkes in a brake of bryars, or a thicket of thornes, and &s;ome thorns &s;ticking in his graments; if he turne him&s;elfe about to avoid one, he catcheth, and is catched by another. So here.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he hath endowed her with all his goods, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> both <HI>bona animae, corporis &amp; fortunae,</HI> that &s;he hath right to them all as him|&s;elfe. And wherefore all this, but to take care with him? bea&s;ts have fodder; &s;ervants meate and drinke for their labour and care, &s;he the right of all for his endeavours.</P>
<P>It reproves the neglect of the&s;e duties, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and bindes all wives in Gods feare to performe them.</P>
<P><HI>Yet is &s;he thy companion, and thy wife.]</HI> Though the men had ta|ken other women into their beds, and adjoyned them to them, and &s;o indeed commit adultery, which breakes the marriage knot, yet becau&s;e by a lawfull Judge and Magi&s;trate, no divorce is made; the Prophet tells him &s;he is his wife.</P>
<P>When adultery is committed, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and manife&s;tly knowne to be &s;o, either by the man or woman; yet neither may the nocent nor in|nocent party put one another away, but they are &s;till man and wife, till the cau&s;e be lawfully heard of a lawfull Magi&s;trate, judged and determined. That ri&s;eth hence that God &s;aith &s;he is his wife. Further, <HI>Abraham</HI> with con&s;ent of <HI>Sarah,</HI> tooke <HI>Hagar,</HI> who can excu&s;e him of adultery? yet was <HI>Sarah</HI> his wife &s;till, el&s;e &s;hould the &s;eed in whom all the nations of the earth was ble&s;&s;ed and the fir&s;t, be an adulterous &s;eed, Gen. 16. So after her death of <HI>Keturah</HI> and his Concubines, Gen. 25. So of <HI>David</HI> when he married <HI>Bath&s;hebah,</HI> though it is mo&s;t probable he had no wife, yet he had Concubines, then afterwards, as 2 Sam. 16.21. &s;heweth, yet &s;till was &s;he his wife, and &s;o accounted to his dying day; &s;o of others might be &s;aid. Be&s;ides, though Chri&s;t hath allowed it to the innocent party, that he or &s;he may commence the action, and being judged, put the other away: yet no where hath he coman|ded it, that he &s;hould put her away, which if &s;he had cea&s;ed to be a wife, he would. Math. 19.9. Againe, onely he that joyned them can &s;eparate them, and make them not man and wife, which is God only: that he did by the Mini&s;ter, this by the Mini&s;ter and Magi&s;trate, Math. 19.6. <HI>Hierom</HI> reports of <HI>Fabiola,</HI> that without the judgement of the Church, or Magi&s;trate, &s;he put away her husband, being a vitious and an adulterous man, and full of all
<PB N="119" REF="193">filthy lu&s;ts. But though hee writ not the re&s;t, yet others report, that &s;he was made to doe publique pennance, not that &s;he made a divorce, but that &s;he did it of her &s;elfe without the iudgement of the Church.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as private and clande&s;tine and &s;ecret marriages are not allowable for manifold inconveniences to all, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &s;o privy and &s;ecret divorces are not allowable, becau&s;e they will be as prejudiciall to the good of many.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are man and wife till a ju&s;t cau&s;e be ju&s;tly known to the contrary, that cannot be in private, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but before a competent Judge, God allowing none to be accounted adulterers, but &s;uch as are lawfully convicted of it, which is not betwixt them&s;elves, but before a lawfull Magi&s;trate, or Judge; for by no right can a man be both a party and the Judge.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if the adultery be not knowne to the innocent, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> then they are &s;till man and wife, though there be great pre&s;umption of it. And why not if knowne? It never a whit breakes the bond more knowne, then unknowne, unle&s;&s;e it be proved, and judged, and determined.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a puni&s;hment of a fault committed, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> none may pu|ni&s;h, but a lawfull Judge.</P>
<P>To reprove tho&s;e who thinke it to be in the power of the inno|cent man or woman to make the divorce after once ju&s;t cau&s;e is knowne, of them&s;elves, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> without the authority of the lawfull Judge. As if man might de&s;troy that which God hath joyned. A woman cannot relea&s;e her joyncture in prejudice of her &s;elfe, nor a man take it from her, if &s;he were willing to the prejudice of her e&s;tate, unle&s;&s;e it be done before a lawfull Judge. How then this, that is &s;uch a prejudice to her and many others? A recogni|zance made in the Court of Chancery cannot be relea&s;ed but by the con&s;ent of the &s;ame Court. And when a recognizance is made to God, can man relea&s;e it without his con&s;ent?</P>
<P>It reproveth tho&s;e who as un&s;oundly, as boldly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> deliver that af|ter adultery is committed, &s;pecially if it be known, &s;o long as they live together afterwards, they live as adulterers. Can man and wife be adulterers? I would thinke not by the meere act of know|ing one another; nay &s;ure, not now the Prophet faith they are man and wife &s;till. Neither is there any place in the Scripture that bindeth theinnocent party to put away the nocent, but gives him liberty if he will; and if he be not bound to it, it is no adultery if he doe it not, but live &s;till with her. But adultery hath broken the bond of marriage? I know it well, yet not &s;o but the innocent par|ty may if he will repaire it and knit it againe; &s;pecially if &s;he re|pent, both charity and piety requires; but if not, why he may not, if he will, I know not. As in the matter of offence from a man when he repents, he is not onely bound to doe it, as Luke 17.3, 4.
<PB N="120" REF="194">but if he doe it, without repentance, in private injuries, not pre|judiciall to the common good, I thinke he is not reproveable. So in this. And though it were horrible for a man to beare &s;uch an indignity from his wife, if &s;he &s;hall continue in it, to bring the judgement of God upon him and his hou&s;e; yet if he pa&s;&s;e it over once or twice upon hope, he is not an adulterer, though he go in unto her: for they are &s;till man and wife.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct married parties, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that notwith&s;tanding a fault be committed, yet they remaine man and wife; and it is in their pow|er to repaire the breach, the one by repentance, and the other by pardoning: and better a great deale it &s;hould be &s;o, then the di|vorce &s;ued out; to make up the breach privately, rather then bring it publicke. That which the Scripture commends in <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> Mat. 1. may by proportion in&s;truct men not to traduce their wives &s;o &s;oone as they have offended, but &s;eeke to reclaime them private|ly. Men that have taken a wound in &s;ome &s;ecret and uncomely part, will a&s;&s;ay to cure it privately, before they goe to a Phy&s;itian: They &s;hould do &s;o in this. If any man, &s;aith one, have an un&s;ound tooth, how putrified &s;oever it be, will not forthwith &s;end foir a tooth-drawer to have it pulled out: neither if his hand be ulcera|ted and wounded, will he forthwith call for a Chyrurgian to cut it off; but he will rather u&s;e all meanes po&s;&s;ible, and a&s;&s;ay every thing to cure it, and keep it &s;till. Rea&s;on, becau&s;e no man hates his owne fle&s;h; why not then the &s;ame to his wife, which is his owne fle&s;h?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="15" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And did not be make one? yet had be abundance of &s;pirit: and wherefore one? becau&s;e he &s;ought a godly &s;eed: there|fore keep your &s;elves in your &s;pirit, and let none tre&s;pa&s;&s;e again&s;t the wife of his youth.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>ANd did not he make one?</HI> Thus is it to be read, and not, <HI>Hath not one done it?</HI> being referred to God. And &s;o S. <HI>Hierom</HI> up|on this place. And <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. de libell. repud.</HI> The &s;umme and meaning is; Hath not God made man and woman, and ordained by his perpetuall and inviolable decree, that they &s;hall be one fle&s;h, even they two, and no more, that mankinde might be in|crea&s;ed of them joyned together by a perpetuall knot of matrimo|ny. And this &s;et downe briefly by the Prophet, hath our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;et downe largely, and explained, Matth. 19.4.5.6.</P>
<P><HI>Yet had he abundance of Spirit.]</HI> This is added for amplificati|on of the former: As if he had &s;aid, this did not God at the fir&s;t,
<PB N="121" REF="194">becau&s;e he wanted &s;pirit to make more women for one man: for he had abundance, to make as many women as he would, or he had remainder of the Spirit. As &s;ome taking that the Prophet al|ludeth to, Gen. 2.7. <HI>The Lord God al&s;o made the man of the du&s;t of the ground, and breathed in his face breath of life, and the man was a living &s;oule.</HI> And after making woman of his rib, he breathed in|to her breath of life, as it was the remainder of the Spirit; and though he had abundance more, becau&s;e he had denied, that they two &s;hould be one, and not moe.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e he &s;ought a godly &s;eed.]</HI> Here is another amplification of it, from one &s;peciall end of marriage, which is the propagation of the Church, and to have a religious and holy po&s;terity, &s;uch as might wor&s;hip the true God, which will not come from the o|ther, but rather increa&s;e the Synagogue of Satan, and make a profane &s;eed: for taking to them the daughters of a &s;trange God, mu&s;t needs have a corrupt &s;eed, they following the mothers; and if of their owne, yet to doe a thing &s;o contrary to Gods com|mandment, mu&s;t needs bring a cur&s;e and a profanene&s;&s;e upon them; and an adulterous &s;eed prove an idolatrous brood, and it being the fruit of their perfidy and unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, can have no ble&s;&s;ing from God.</P>
<P>In this ver&s;e the Prophet condemneth Poligamy from Gods ordinance, as a thing again&s;t it, becau&s;e he was the authour of mar|riage; which he made but to be of two, and ordained they two &s;hould be one, and but they two; and &s;o hence we have a doctrine which is the de&s;cription of marriage.</P>
<P>Marriage is a lawfull conjunction of one man and one woman, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> that they two may be one fle&s;h. There are many &s;orts of conjun|ctions, but what conjunction this is, that which followes expre&s;|&s;eth. But that marriage is a lawfull conjunction, &amp; of two thus to be made one, is manife&s;t, as here, &s;o Gen. 2.24. <HI>He &s;hall cleave to his wife,</HI> which is meant of a carnall conjunction and copulation, whereby they are, as it were, incarnated one to another. That as <HI>Eve</HI> was fle&s;h really of the fle&s;h of <HI>Adam,</HI> &s;o &s;he was given to him by marriage, that &s;he might againe be one and the &s;ame fle&s;h with him, by a holy conjunction of their bodies. Hence followes it in the &s;ame place, <HI>They &s;hall be one fle&s;h.</HI> And this Chapter explaines Mat.h. 19.5. For having repeated the in&s;titution, he addes for conclu&s;ion, and for further confirmation ver&s;. 6. <HI>Wherefore they are no more twaine, but one fle&s;h.</HI> Now when we &s;peake of a con|junction, we under&s;tand not that onely which is after the con|&s;ummation of the marriage, carnall copulation, and knowledge one of another, as it is co~monly taken: for without that, though it never follow, there may be marriage, &amp; this marrimoniall conjun|ction, as we commonly receive the marriage to have been betwixt <HI>Mary</HI> and <HI>Io&s;eph:</HI> but al&s;o that voluntary and free covenant which
<PB N="122" REF="195">is pa&s;&s;ed betwixt them, by which the man hath power over the body of the woman: and &s;o <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> he is become her head, and &s;he &s;ubject to him, as the body to the head, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, 1 Cor. 7.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God would have a holy &s;eed, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and the propagation of his Church; which that it might be, he requires a conjunction, and a lawfull one, and but of the&s;e two. For how&s;oever it was in|crea&s;ed by other conjunctions of one with many, yet that was Gods indulgence to them, and his over-ruling providence, which brings light out of darkne&s;&s;e, and makes good of evill.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> who by the holy Gho&s;t, in a reall union, is united to the Lord, is made one &s;pirit with him, 1 Cor. 6.17. Therefore by a reall conjunction of man with his wife, they are made one with another, one fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he that committed adultery, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> is become one fle&s;h with a harlot, 1 Cor. 6.16. And &s;o as much as in him is, hath cut off him&s;elf from his wife, &amp; is no longer one fle&s;h with her: Then by a carnal, corporal &amp; holy conjunction, he is one, and they one fle&s;h.</P>
<P>This &s;erves for that end the Prophet &s;peaketh it, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> it condemnes Polygamie: for if marriage be a conjunction of two, how can it be of moe?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zane de o|peribus Dei p. <HI>659.</HI> b.</NOTE> <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> were but two, and God &s;aid, they &s;hould be one fle&s;h. And his &s;on, which came from the bo&s;ome of the Father, &s;aith, <HI>They two &s;hall be one.</HI> The rea&s;on that &s;ome give, to excu&s;e at lea&s;t, if not make lawful the Polygamy of the Fathers, for the multiplying and increa&s;ing of mankinde, might here have better taken place, &s;eeing whole mankinde was to be derived from them, and the earth to be repleni&s;hed from them: and &s;eeing to them was the commandment given, Gen. 1.28. <HI>Be fruitfull, and multiply, and repleni&s;h the earth.</HI> If God did not permit it to them, it mu&s;t needs be apparant, that it was not from the beginning, but hath &s;ince crept into the world by the corruption of man. But of this afterwards.</P>
<P>This condemnes all divorces, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> which are not done and made for adultery, but for other vain and &s;light cau&s;es, &s;uch as for the hardne&s;&s;e of the peoples hearts, and which in compa&s;&s;ion to the weakne&s;&s;e of the women, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> permitted to the Jewes: for when God hath &s;aid, they &s;hall be one, they make them two, as if his law were not perpetuall. And when as Chri&s;t hath &s;aid, Tho&s;e whom God hath joyned, may no man &s;ever, they take up|on them to &s;ever and di&s;&s;olve them&s;elves, at their plea&s;ure. The decrees of the Medes and Per&s;ians were not to be broken, no not by the Kings them&s;elves, much le&s;&s;e could any &s;ubject do it. But the&s;e decrees are far &s;urer. But &s;uch men are gro&s;&s;ely impudent, as take upon them to di&s;&s;olve, if not to give her a bill of divorce, &amp; &s;o put her away; yet many &s;end them home to their friends, and &s;eparate them&s;elves from them, and live very reproachfully.</P>
<PB N="123" REF="195">
<P>This condemneth all adultery, &amp; all adulterers, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> as they who doe divide that which God hath joyned, more neere then any bond of nature can make: for it is to be preferred before that which is betwixt children and parents, when as both of them mu&s;t for&s;ake father and mother, and cleave one to another; yea, their owne children, that they may remaine one. For &s;eeing God hath made him one with his wife by his owne con&s;ent, and he joyning him|&s;elfe to a harlot, maketh him&s;elfe one body with her, as the Apo|&s;tle. Now one body cannot be two bodies; therefore an adulte|rer cannot be one body with an harlot, and at the &s;ame time one body with his wife; but joyning to her, he doth, what is in him, cut him&s;elfe off from this, and &s;o they are no longer one, but two. And &s;o as he dealeth injuriou&s;ly with her, taking from her that is hers: for he is not his owne, &s;he having power over his body, as he of hers, 1 Cor. 7.4. So he dealeth impiou&s;ly again&s;t God, who hath joyned them, and &s;aid they &s;hall be one. If he offend that puts away his wife for no ju&s;t cau&s;e, what doth he that cuts him&s;elfe from her by &s;uch an impious cour&s;e? And the more, when God gave her him to keep his body in holine&s;&s;e and honour, having no nece&s;&s;ity to it. For as he that ca&s;ts away his &s;hip in the haven, is more inexcu&s;able then he that doth it in the maine &s;ea: &s;o he that doth ca&s;t away him&s;elfe upon a harlot, being in marriage e&s;tate. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> making the compari&s;on betwixt theft and adultery, &s;aith:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Gravis quidem res fur, &s;ed non tam gravis quam adul|ter Ille e|nim et&s;i frigidam, cau&s;am habet, tamen ex pauperie nece&s;&s;itatem tretendere pote&s;t, hic ve|ro nulla ip&s;um cogente nece&s;sitate per dementia &s;ola in peccati voragimen corruit. <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;t. Hom. 10. ad pop. Antioch.</HI></NOTE> <HI>It is an heynous thing to be a thiefe, but not &s;o heynous as to be an adulterer. The thiefe, though his excu&s;e be but a &s;orry one, yet may pretend he is forced by poverty; but the adulterer having no nece&s;sity, onely through his owne madne&s;&s;e ru&s;heth into the gulfe of &s;inne.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yet had he abundance of &s;pirit.]</HI> He could have made more wo|men for one man, for it had been as ea&s;ie for him to have created more &s;oules and breathed them into more bodyes, as he did but one, and gave her to <HI>Adam.</HI> In&s;inuating that the &s;pirit or &s;oule of the woman, as of the man, was created immediately of nothing, and not made of the &s;ub&s;tance of the man, as her body was. And from this I would gather this generall.</P>
<P>The &s;ouls of men are not propagated with the &s;eede and &s;ub|&s;tance of the body, from the &s;ouls of their parents, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> as their bodies from their &s;eede, but they are created of God, of nothing, and joyned to the body. So much this in&s;inuates. And that Gen. 2.23 he &s;aith not &s;oule of my &s;oule, but bone of my bone, and fle&s;h of my fle&s;h, apparantly that he knew it not, if it were that her &s;oule was propagated from his &s;oule, as the body was. If it had beene &s;o, and he had knowne it certainely, it had been more fit to have
<PB N="124" REF="196">expre&s;&s;ed the conjunction of marriage to have &s;aid, this is now fle&s;h of my fle&s;h, and &s;oule of my &s;oule; then as he did. To this we adde Eccle&s;. 12.7. <HI>Du&s;t returnes to the earth as it was, and the &s;pirit returnes to God that gave it.</HI> And I&s;aiah 42.5. and 57.16. <HI>The &s;ouls which I have made,</HI> Zach. 12.1. <HI>The Lord formeth the &s;pirit of man within him.</HI> Heb. 12.9. God is the <HI>father of &s;pirits.</HI> Where the Apo&s;tle maketh the oppo&s;ition, not denying God to be the Author of our bodies, as of the &s;oules, but that by the parents, this immediately, el&s;e &s;hould there be no oppo&s;ition.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e <HI>Adams</HI> &s;oule was not made of the &s;ub&s;tance of his body, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> or whereof his body was made, but of nothing, therefore <HI>Eves:</HI> for though it is not &s;aid of her that he breathed into her the breath of life, as of <HI>Adam;</HI> Therefore &s;aith <HI>Tertullian</HI> and &s;ome others, &s;he had both from him. But <HI>Augu&s;t. in</HI> 10 <HI>lib. &s;up. Gene&s;.</HI> &s;aith, that this concludeth the contrary: for if God had created her &s;oule after another manner, then <HI>Adams,</HI> the Scripture would not have been &s;ilent in it, no more then it is in the new manner of the creation of her body. Therefore that which was &s;poken of the man, mu&s;t be under&s;tood of the woman; and if of her, then of others, for there is no new manner of creation of man.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if it were propagated, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> it mu&s;t either receive matter from the body or &s;oule of the parents; not from the body, be|cau&s;e they differ in nature, that corporall, this &s;pirituall: not from the &s;oule, for then &s;hould it be &s;ubject to mutation and change, to augmentation and diminution, and &s;o to corruption; but the &s;oule is immortall and not &s;ubject to corruption, as no &s;pirit is.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to confute their opinion, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who thinke that the &s;oule is propagated, and not created, comes from God by the parents, and not from the power of God immediately. It would be too too tedious, &amp; not &s;o profitable to make an&s;wer to all the rea&s;ons they bring, which are of a contrary opinion; yet not to pa&s;&s;e over &s;ome common ones which are to&s;&s;ed up and downe of the com|mon &s;ort of men, who have entered into this que&s;tion. It is an u&s;uall objection with them, that which troubled St. <HI>Augu&s;t. in lib.</HI> 10. <HI>&s;up. Gene&s;.</HI> That is God doe now create &s;oules, how &s;hould that be true, that in the &s;eventh day he re&s;ted from all his workes, <HI>i.</HI> the workes of creation, as it is generally taken; how then &s;hould he create &s;ouls? To an&s;wer, I demand whether that Chri&s;t his &s;oule was propagated from his Mother, or created? If they &s;ay it was propagated, they mu&s;t needs &s;ay it was tainted with &s;inne originall: If they &s;ay it was created, which the learned affirm, S. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> and others, becau&s;e it could not betainted with &s;inne, then have they an&s;wered for us, that &s;oules are now created. And the meaning of God cea&s;ing from his worke, is that which the learned give, that after the &s;ixt day he crated no new kinde
<PB N="125" REF="196">of creatures or things, though he doe &s;till make particulars of kindes.</P>
<P>Secondly, they &s;ay, man begets a man, and the mother brings forth a man of body and &s;oule like them&s;elves. But admit this, they beget and bring forth onely one part, and not the whole, then they beget and bring forth not like them&s;elves.</P>
<P>In an&s;wer, and demand, did not God make <HI>Eve</HI> of <HI>Adam?</HI> It will not be denyed; yet did he make but her body, and created her &s;oule? And if that &s;peech be true, why not this? though but the body onely is propagated.</P>
<P>Againe, I demand, brought not <HI>Mary</HI> forth our Saviour Chri&s;t a true and perfect man, and like her? It is granted; yet was his &s;oule created of God, and not propagated, confe&s;&s;ed of all. Then &s;o in this. And the rea&s;on is given, becau&s;e in the body which is traduced and propagated from the parents, by vertue of the &s;eed, there are qualities and conditions found by which it is made ca|pable of a rea&s;onable &s;oule, and &s;o becau&s;e of that, the &s;oule it &s;elfe is &s;aid to be propagated from the patents. And thus the &s;choole probably di&s;puteth.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they &s;ay, if God create all &s;oules, then his which is begotten by adultery, and &s;o is the author of &s;inne, or el&s;e a co|worker, or a worker with the adulterers.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer fir&s;t, a difference is to be put betwixt the action and the evill of it: God who workes in the action, is free from the evill: as in the betraying of Chri&s;t and murdering, all move in him and worke by him, but the evill is of them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is an&s;wered by &s;ome, that there mu&s;t be put a dif|ference, betwixt the action of an adulterer, and his will. The acti|on &s;imply and of it &s;elfe is not evill, but of things indifferent, or naturally good; the will is evill. God workes in the action, but approves not his will. S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> and S. <HI>Augu&s;t. Epi&s;t.</HI> 28. <HI>ad Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;et it out by this &s;imilitude. The earth hath this goodne&s;&s;e from God in it &s;elfe, that what &s;eede &s;oever men ca&s;t into it, it keepes it and nouri&s;heth it, and it brings forth fruit, whether the &s;eede be lawfully taken out of a mans owne &s;tore and garner, or it be &s;tollen; neither for thy theft or corruption refu&s;eth it to take, to nouri&s;h, and to returne with fruit. Yet will none for this accu&s;e the goodne&s;&s;e of the ground, nor God who hath made it fruitfull for this purpo&s;e: &s;o God, who is goodne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe, if any goe in unto a woman, whether lawfully, or unlawfully, doth not cea&s;e according to his decree, and fir&s;t ordering of things, to worke with a man in framing the birth, and creating the &s;oule, yet ap|proves he no more his adultery, then the others theft; but con|demnes and will puni&s;h them both. La&s;tly, by this rea&s;on a man may deny God to have any finger in the framing of the body, as that he &s;hould not create the &s;oule.</P>
<PB N="126" REF="197">
<P>Fourthly, they &s;ay if &s;oules be thus created, then how &s;hould they be infected with originall &s;inne? Is it becau&s;e it is joyned with the body? but how &s;hould that be when as a corporall &s;ub|&s;tance can have no power over a &s;pirituall? and how &s;hould God be free from &s;inne, but be Author of it, when he joyneth a pure &s;oule with a &s;innefull and corrupt body? To this I an&s;wer, fir&s;t, for the fir&s;t part. That in originall &s;inne, two things are to be con|&s;idered. Fir&s;t, <HI>Adams</HI> di&s;obedience, as the head and roote of all o|thers, imputed mo&s;t ju&s;tly to them, as to his members. The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e as <HI>Adam</HI> received his ju&s;tice for them all, &s;o did he his inju&s;tice and &s;inne, being not a private man, but the head and fountaine of all mankind, in re&s;pect of both, where they are called not per&s;onall ju&s;tice or inju&s;tice, but originall. The &s;econd is the corruption of the whole nature and the propen&s;ion and incli|nation of it to evill, which is the puni&s;hment of that di&s;obedience which from him to his whole po&s;terity, is by the ju&s;t judgement of God derived and propagated. Now when we &s;ay that from the conjunction of &s;oule and body, it is defiled and infected with both the&s;e, we meane not as when a piece of gold falls into the dirt or mire, or as wine that is put into a mu&s;ty caske is corrupted by them: But becau&s;e the fir&s;t is imputed to the whole man this di&s;obedience oif <HI>Adam,</HI> as if it were his owne; for as when he is made a member of Chri&s;t by the holy Gho&s;t, the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t is imputed to him, and he is truely called a ju&s;t man. So, &s;o &s;oone as he is made a man and the member of <HI>Adam,</HI> this is. And &s;econdly, becau&s;e of the guilt of that di&s;obedience, the corruption of nature and the propen&s;ion and inclination to evill which they u&s;ually have called contagion, is by the ju&s;t decree &amp; ordination of God derived into the &s;oule, he having &s;o decreed from the beginning, that if <HI>Adam</HI> had &s;tood &amp; not &s;inned, his whol ju&s;tice &s;hould have beene propagated to his po&s;terity, whence it is called originall ju&s;tice. So he falling and all his po&s;terity &s;inning in his loyns, the whole corruption of the nature of <HI>Adam,</HI> which followed that di&s;obedience, &s;hould flowfrom him as from a foun|taine into all men, that is, both into the body and &s;oule. Whence it is called naturall corruption, and originall &s;inne. Thus then is the &s;oule infected, as the body, but yet not from the body by any phy&s;icall contraction or contagion, but by this cour&s;e, and hath no need to be propagated, or el&s;e it cannot be infected by originall &s;inne.</P>
<P>Now that God by this meanes is not the Author of &s;inne, or the pollution of the &s;oule, becau&s;e he hath joyned it to the body, is manife&s;t, becau&s;e he never infu&s;ed any evill either into the body or &s;oule, for he tempts no man, James 1. Againe, God hath de|creed before all times and &s;o would performe, to joyne the &s;oule and body together, as well if <HI>Adam</HI> &s;tood, as if he fell. Now what
<PB N="127" REF="197">rea&s;on was there that &s;inne comming betweene, or God fore&s;ee|ing it, &s;hould hinder his decree, becau&s;e of it. This decree being mo&s;t holy and ju&s;t, he therefore in joyning the&s;e together, hath done that which he mo&s;t holily, ju&s;tly, and wi&s;ely decreed. And that corruption followed upon this, is not from the conjunction, for then it would have beene, though <HI>Adam</HI> had not fallen, but by the default of man, who is in this thing to be blamed not God: And &s;o neither the propagation of originall &s;inne, neither any ju&s;t imputation that can be laid upon God, can overthrow the creation of the &s;oules, or e&s;tabli&s;h the propagation of them.</P>
<P>This may teach us the excellency of the &s;oule above the body, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> the matter and the maker oftentimes commends a thing and makes it more excellent. So of the&s;e. The body is made but of the &s;lime of the earth, or the &s;lime of man, and that by the in&s;trument of man, and is but &s;till du&s;t and a&s;hes, the &s;oule is made immediately of God, and though of nothing, yet is made a matter more excel|lent then the matter of the heavens,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ambro&s;e.</NOTE> in nature not inferiour to the Angels. And this ought to &s;tir up in every man a more &s;pecial care for the &s;oule, then the body; for the health, happine&s;&s;e, and feli|city of the one, more then of the other. Not as many who be&s;tow more case upon their dogges and hor&s;es and other bea&s;ts, then upon their &s;oules, and yet they would not be accounted dogges and bea&s;ts: But their bodyes they onely &s;eeke to pamper, and &s;tarve their &s;oules, and &s;uffer them to peri&s;h: for that they care, and this they neglect: they are like unto tho&s;e who having a rui|nous hou&s;e, regard it not, and onely &s;eeke to them&s;elves goodly orchards: or tho&s;e who are con&s;umed by a di&s;ea&s;e, neglect the care of their health, and make them apparell of cloth of gold and &s;ilver, and &s;uch like. Or like a &s;ick woman who neglects the means of her recovery, and onely labours and endeavours to have wai|ting maides, Jewels and other ornaments. How fooli&s;h are all and every one of the&s;e, in every &s;ober mans judgement? Then what wi&s;edome is it for men not to regard the &s;oule, labouring with &s;inne, and to prepare them&s;elves with all endeavour &s;tarely hou&s;es, great Lord&s;hips, many troopes of &s;ervants, dainty fare, and fine apparell for the backe and belly. As if this, not that, were more excellent; as if the body, not the &s;oule were of &s;o excellent a nature, as if man had begotten that, not this. But &s;eeing it is con|trary, our care &s;hould be contrary, as <HI>Iaakob</HI> laid his right hand upon the younger, but his left upon the elder, &s;o our be&s;t care and the &s;trength of our thoughts &s;hould be for the &s;oule, younger as much as it is, then the body; they &s;hould but be left hand thoughts for the body, <HI>vide Bern &s;erm.</HI> 6. <HI>de advem. dom. s. d. e.</HI></P>
<P>To in&s;truct parents to take more eare for the &s;oules of their children then u&s;ually they doe, &s;eeing they are thus created, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and
<PB N="128" REF="198">&s;o in a more &s;peciall manner Gods. The little care they take for it, and the great care for the body, tells us, that they believe this is theirs, and not that. And as men care more for their owne then for other mens, and many a man be&s;towes more co&s;t and care upon a hou&s;e of his owne erecting, then of one of his fathers pro|viding: &s;o in this. But the contrary &s;hould be, that they &s;hould principally care for this, and for that, but in re&s;pect of this. God having to du&s;t and a&s;hes joyned &s;o excellent and immortal a &s;oule, put in &s;uch an earthly tabernacle &s;o excellent a Prince. Though they ought to have care to keep that in reparation and tenantable, yet their &s;peciall care &s;hould be for this; for the diet, the cloath|ing, the admorning and the beautifying of it, with good graces and vertues; whereas contrary the care of parents now is, onely for the bodies of theirs, how they may cloath them with &s;carlet, with plea&s;ures, and hang them with rich ornaments oif gold upon their apparell, 2 Sam. 1.24. to &s;et them out with Lawnes and Cam|brickes, and deck them with all the vanities &s;poken of, I&s;aiah 3. as if they would provoke God to plague both body and &s;oule. But is it any marvell, when mo&s;t parents care onely for their owne bodies, and not for their &s;oules? How &s;hould they care for the &s;oules of their children, &s;eeing charity ever begins at home? To them the Prophet &s;peaketh, at lea&s;t by way of allu&s;ion, as it is ap|plyed by &s;ome of the learned, Haggai 1.2.4. <HI>They &s;ay it is not yet time to looke to Gods hou&s;e and his worke:</HI> that when they are old, they are afraid to be young Saints, they or theirs, they let Gods hou&s;e lye wa&s;te, and his field grow over with weeds, the &s;oules of them&s;elves and their children. If they would con&s;ider their wayes in their hearts, they &s;hould finde God plagues us for this &s;inne, as for others, ver&s;e 6.7. If any man &s;hould hang thy hou&s;e, and a|dorne it with cloath of gold, and hanging of Arras, and &s;hould compell thee to &s;it naked in a&s;hes, would&s;t thou take it well? thou would&s;t not. Now not another, but thou thy &s;elfe adorne&s;t the hou&s;e of thy &s;oule with gold and pearles, and &s;uffers thy &s;oule to &s;it in filthine&s;&s;e and corruption: &s;o of thy children. How &s;hall God take it at thy hands? Knowe&s;t thou not that the Prince of the Citie ought to be magnifically deckt? <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t de diver&s;is hom.</HI> 70. Let every man then remit off his care for the one, and increa&s;e it for the other. And let it not be true in this, that the Kings work and the Church worke, is mo&s;t negligently looked to. But as <HI>Ki&s;h, Sauls</HI> father, cea&s;ed earing for the A&s;&s;es, and cared for <HI>Saul,</HI> who mu&s;t be King; &s;o for the &s;oule, &s;eeke to have it nouri&s;hed, and decked, and adorned.</P>
<P><HI>And wherefore one? Becau&s;e he &s;ought a godly &s;eed.]</HI> The end of marriage noted, and the rea&s;on why &s;till God appoints but one for one, and hath not allowed Bygamy, or Polygamy, but co|demnes it. Of which then fir&s;t.</P>
<PB N="129" REF="198">
<P>Polygamy is &s;imply wicked, impious and unlawfull; this is, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> for a man to have two or moe wives, or one woman two or moe hu&s;|bands. The learned make two kinds of Polygamy; fir&s;t, when a man hath two wives, but &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, one after the death of the other; touching which now there is no controver&s;ie, neither ever was it &s;inne in the Court of Con&s;cience, how heretically &s;oever <HI>Tertullian</HI> after his fall, di&s;puteth again&s;t it, or how hotly &s;oever <HI>Hierom</HI> oppo&s;eth it, under the name of Bygamy, again&s;t <HI>Iovinian</HI> and others. Secondly, when one man hath two or many wives, and <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> of which is here &s;poken and condemned. Further, it is condemned by the Scripture, Gen. 2.24. <HI>Cleave to his wife,</HI> not wives. <HI>Hier</HI> they one fle&s;h, one cannot be &s;o with many. And if any except that two is not there expre&s;&s;ed, he may finde it, Matth. 19.5. Further, ver&s;. 9. And if he that puts her away, may not doe it, what he that keeps her? If adultery in the one, how not in the other? Prov. 5.18.19. None of which can be, if many wives be taken, 1 Cor. 7.2. <HI>To avoid fornication, let every man have his wife, and let every woman have her owne husband.</HI> His wife, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, not wives; and her owne or proper husband, not &s;uch an one as is common to her and another, Ephe&s;. 5.25. Chri&s;t had and hath but one Church. So <HI>Ierome</HI> rea&s;oneth again&s;t <HI>Iovinian,</HI> inveighing again&s;t <HI>Lamech</HI> the fir&s;t Polygami&s;t, who as he &s;aith, had divided one rib into two.</P>
<P>Rea&s;ons again&s;t this, be&s;ides that the Spirit of God hath here &s;et downe, we adde the&s;e:
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, no man may take that which is anothers, and give it to a|nother, without the knowledge and con&s;ent of him that is owner of it. Now the man hath not power over his owne body, but his wife, 1 Cor. 7.4. And if it may be &s;uppo&s;ed &s;he may remit her right, be&s;ides that &s;he hath no power to it, for God gave it her but for her&s;elfe, and not to tran&s;late it whither &s;he will. In God him|&s;elfe remaines the full right, who will not remit it if &s;he will.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, they mu&s;t not defraud one another of their compa|ny, fellow&s;hip, and due benevolence, 1 Cor. 7. But this they mu&s;t needs doe if they have many. So we may &s;ee it, Gen. 30.15.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, becau&s;e the love betwixt them ought to be in the high|e&s;t degree, being one fle&s;h, and one bone. In re&s;pect of her, he ought to love none el&s;e. Now friend&s;hip and love in the highe&s;t degree, &s;aith S. <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> by the light of rea&s;on, cannot be be|twixt many: for the more it is extended to many, there mu&s;t needs be remi&s;&s;ion of it towards every one. And in Polygamy it is ma|nife&s;t, that for the love of one the re&s;t are contemned, and made as hand-maids to her, and &s;he onely ruleth.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fourthly, becau&s;e heathen men by the light of nature have con|demned it, though &s;ome of them did practi&s;e it, as <HI>Laban,</HI> Gen. 31.50. If thou &s;halt vex my daughters, or &s;halt take wives be&s;ides my
<PB N="130" REF="199">daughters: there is no man with us, behold, God is witne&s;&s;e be|tween thee and me. Al&s;o the Roman Emperours, <HI>Diocle&s;ian</HI> and <HI>Maximian</HI> decreed, that none under the power of the Romanes, &s;hould have two wives, &s;eeing that in the edict of the Pretor, &s;uch a man is to be accounted infamous. Divers &s;uch lawes there are: &s;o that <HI>Arcadius</HI> and <HI>Honorius</HI> would not permit the Jewes their Polygamy;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Socrat. hi&s;t. lib. <HI>4.</HI> cap. <HI>26.</HI> edit. Chri&s;topher. p. <HI>672.</HI></NOTE> onely <HI>Socrates</HI> reporteth in his <HI>Eccle&s;. hi&s;t. lib.</HI> 4.31. that <HI>Valentinian</HI> having <HI>Severa,</HI> married <HI>Iu&s;tina.</HI> And to cover his filthine&s;&s;e, made an Act that it might be lawfull for a man to have two wives; but that law was rejected and condemned after|wards, and that very &s;hortly.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>This being a truth, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> &s;erves to confute all of the contrary minde, as &s;ometime was that Apo&s;tata <HI>Bernard Ochin,</HI> who hath written certaine dialogues, and laboured to e&s;tabli&s;h this again&s;t the word of God. Infinite it were to trouble you with all, yet &s;ome: The greate&s;t is the examples of many of the holy Fathers, as recorded in the Scripture, who had many wives, and are no where repro|ved. I an&s;wer; Fir&s;t, it followes not, Their reproofe is not &s;et downe, therefore it was not: for &s;eeing the Prophet <HI>Malachy</HI> re|proves it, why may it not be &s;uppo&s;ed others did &s;o? Be&s;ides, many things were done, that we never finde reproved, which ar|gues not the lawfulne&s;&s;e of them. The ince&s;t of <HI>Iacob</HI> and <HI>Lot, Davids</HI> judgement again&s;t <HI>Mephibo&s;heth</HI> and with <HI>Siba,</HI> and &s;uch like. Thirdly, if it were not, yet we live by precept, not example. Fourthly, the multitude, nor the greatne&s;&s;e of offenders will ex|cu&s;e, neither can antiquity pre&s;cribe again&s;t the word of God. But as for the Fathers, it is an&s;wered by the learned: Fir&s;t, that God remitted his law to them, which appeares, &s;ay they, becau&s;e he neither reproved it by his Prophets, neither did he at the publi|&s;hing of the Law, expre&s;&s;ely condemne it, as he did &s;ome others, as ince&s;t, Levit. 19. before they thinke <HI>Iacobs</HI> marriage of two &s;i|&s;ters was lawfull, therefore he remitted his law: yet &s;o, as they were not without all &s;inne in it. For &s;inne they con&s;ider either as an aberration or turning a&s;ide form the perfect rule of God, and &s;o they &s;inned: or el&s;e that which offends God, &s;o that it provokes him to puni&s;h; and in this &s;en&s;e they &s;inned not, God thus remitting the Law. Others excu&s;e the Fathers becau&s;e they did it, and God &s;o permitted for the increa&s;e of the Church, and not for any filthy &amp; unclean lu&s;t to &s;atisfie it: which was true in &s;ome, though it hold not in others. As <HI>Solomon</HI> and &s;ome others who cannot be excu&s;ed of incontinencie. Some excu&s;e, from &s;ome probable ignorance, that either they knew not the Law, or they thought not of it, and &s;o, though not no &s;inne, yet a le&s;&s;e &s;inne. Some, the &s;ucceeding ages by their predece&s;&s;ors, that though their examples make not &s;inne to be no &s;inne, yet to be &s;maller &s;innes to offend by their ex|ample, who were otherwi&s;e good and holy men, then when any
<PB N="131" REF="199">thing is done with a wavering con&s;cience, and men are bold|ly, the fir&s;t that doe it, for they are to be judged to &s;inne by error of judgement, then perver&s;ity of affection. Finally, it is pro|bable, that God did winke at that in this people and their proge|nitours, for thepropagation of his people, and to give pa&s;&s;age to the fulfilling of his promi&s;e of the increa&s;ing of them; and though God u&s;ed that fact of the fathers well, yet will it not follow that they &s;inned not, when they turned a&s;ide from the word of God; but if they &s;inned in it, and &s;o per&s;evered, and dyed impenitent, what &s;hall we thinke became of them? It is probable they never repented, either becau&s;e they thought they &s;inned not, or el&s;e becau&s;e they well di&s;cerned not their &s;inne; and yet might be pardoned it, and were. It is true, to have Gods mercy for pardon requires repentance, yet is it not nece&s;&s;ary that every man &s;hould expre&s;&s;ely repent him&s;elfe of every particular &s;inne. How many things are done, which are not rightly done? yet not done wickedly by us, but in a con&s;cience not well informed, and &s;o knew it not to be &s;inne? And how many which are forgotten that they were done? and yet by a mans generall humiliation for all his &s;innes, and craving pardon of unknowne &s;innes, P&s;al. 19. pardon is obtained: And tho&s;e fathers often in their lives confe&s;|&s;ing them&s;elves mi&s;erable &s;inners, and humbling them&s;elves, no doubt that repentance, and faith in Chri&s;t to come, did &s;ave them.</P>
<P>But 2 Sam. 12.8. <HI>David</HI> had his ma&s;ters wives. It is an&s;wered by &s;ome that he did, becau&s;e God remitted his law to him. But o|thers, it is never read that he took any one of them to wife; neither is it &s;aid &s;o, but though the phra&s;e, into thy bo&s;ome, is commonly under&s;tood of marriages, yet it &s;ignifies there onely power and authority: that is, I have given thee all thy ma&s;ters goods, and have not excepted his wives, that thou mai&s;t have them under thy power as other things, <HI>Tremolius</HI> thus <HI>i. res &amp; per&s;onas etiam inti|mas &amp; chari&s;simas, eorum qui prius tui er ant domini, &s;ubjecitibi.</HI></P>
<P>But Deut. 25.5. the brother was to take the wife of his elder brother decea&s;ed. It is an&s;wered by mo&s;t that it was an extraordi|nary example, and a &s;peciall thing, but no generall rule: for el&s;e ince&s;t might be proved by it, if it were generall. Others an&s;wer, that it mu&s;t be taken and under&s;tood, if he have not a wife before. And &s;o much they thinke tho&s;e words carry, if brethren dwell together. And a rea&s;on of it is, becau&s;e it is not like that God would have a man to neglect his owne &s;eed, and his owne wife to rai&s;e up &s;eed to others, but onely he would have his brother &s;ub|&s;tituted in his place.</P>
<P>I omit many more of no great weight, though of &s;ome &s;hew, again&s;t all which the truth will &s;tand and prevaile.</P>
<P>To per&s;wde the men of our age again&s;t it, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> for how&s;oever the forefathers e&s;caped with it, God either for the increa&s;e of the
<PB N="132" REF="200">Church or by rea&s;on of their ignorance and rudene&s;&s;e, winked at it: yet as in another ca&s;e. Acts 17.30. <HI>The time of this ignorance God regarded not, but now he admoni&s;heth all men every where to repent.</HI> So may we &s;ay in this; &s;pecially &s;eeing Chri&s;t by him&s;elfe and by others his Apo&s;tles, hath declared us the law of the creati|on, and brought it to the fir&s;t in&s;titution, he beingas Revel. 1. Alpha and Omega; and as <HI>Hierom</HI> applies it to this when he found all things at his comming brought to Omega, to an extremity and height, he reduced them to Alpha, to that which was in the be|ginning. And if it were then granted to be no &s;inne, yet will it be now. They who excu&s;e the fathers, make as of man, &s;o of the world, foure ages: the childhood of it, the youth, the mans e&s;tate, and the old age. Now many things are fitting for children and may be tolerated in them, which may not be in men of riper yeares: as S. <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> &s;aith, inold time for men to goe with garments having long &s;leeves and skirts, it was an argument of &s;oftne&s;&s;e and wantonne&s;&s;e. But now if they &s;hould weare them with either, they &s;hould be noted. They &s;ay againe, that that was the time of darkene&s;&s;e, ours of the light; for though they were light in re|&s;pect of the Gentiles, they are darkene&s;&s;e in compari&s;on of us. Now many things are tolerable in darkene&s;&s;e, which may not be borne withall in the light. Then in this, as in many other things, we mu&s;t not &s;tudy what was done or borne withall, but what is lawfull for us to doe, and walke not in this, and many other things, as others have done, but as God hath &s;poken.</P>
<P>Now wee may adde to the former words, and collect out of them, that when it is &s;aid, <HI>Did not he make one,</HI> who is the Author of marriage.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t in&s;tituter of marriage is God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> the Author of the con|junction that is betwixt man &amp; wife, as at the fir&s;t, &s;o now, is God, and he alone. Manife&s;t, as here. So Gen. 2.2. <HI>And the rib which the Lord had taken from theman, made he a woman, and brought her to the man.</HI> Hence that Prov. 2.17. It is called the <HI>Covenant of God,</HI> called &s;o properly becau&s;e he is the Author of it. Hence, Math. 19.6. <HI>whom God hath joyned together.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e the breach of this ordinance either in man or woman, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> by his law is death; when either hath broken, he ordained that the no|cent party &s;hould dye, yea hee that abu&s;ed a woman but betrothed, it was death, Deut. 22.22.23. Now God for no ordinance of man ever ordained death.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e though parents &amp; friends, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and parties them&s;elves, take care to provide matches, after their humors, &s;ome one, &s;ome ano|ther, yet is it not in the power of them all, or any, to make liking or knit hearts, but only the Lord. To this &s;ome apply that, Mat. 19.6. whom God hath coupled, he working &s;ecretly and leading their hearts one to another. Hence that Pro. 19.14. <HI>Hou&s;e &amp; riches are the
<PB N="133" REF="200">inheritance of the fathers, but a prudent wife commeth of the Lord:</HI> and 18: 22. <HI>he that findeth a wife, findeth a good thing, and receiveth favour of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>This teacheth us, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> that this is (as the Apo&s;tle) an honourable e&s;tate, having &s;uch an honourable Author, as the God of Gods. And it notes unto us the &s;pirit of Antichri&s;t in the Popes and Church of Rome; yea, the &s;pirit of Stan teaching &s;uch doctrine of divells. <HI>Innocent</HI> &s;aith, it is to live inthe fle&s;h, and calleth it <HI>Bed plea&s;ure,</HI> and uncleanne&s;&s;e; when he would condemne Mi|ni&s;ters marriage by it: &s;o <HI>Siricius</HI> and others, have &s;poken mo&s;t wickedly and de&s;pitefully of it; allowing &s;imple fornication before it, in their Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P><HI>And wherefore one? becau&s;e he &s;ought a godly &s;eede.]</HI> The end of marriage in the holy intent of God, to have a holy &s;eede, the Church and religion propagated and increa&s;ed. The meaning is not, as if holine&s;&s;e and &s;anctification came by nature, which is onely of grace, for of &s;uch holine&s;&s;e he doth not &s;peake, but the word is the &s;eed of God: that is, that their children might be the &s;onnes and daughters of the true God, and pure religion, for it is here, as the contrary was before, Ver&s;e 11. The daughters of a &s;trange God, &s;uch as profe&s;&s;ed the wor&s;hip not of the true God. The meaning of this is manife&s;t by that which we have in Ezra 9.1.2. the holy &s;eed matched with the people of the land; namely they who profe&s;&s;e true religion, and the true God, with tho&s;e who fal&s;ifie both. Al&s;o 1 Cor. 7.14. where holine&s;&s;e is nothing but to be within the Covenant and profe&s;&s;ors of the true God and religion. God then ordained marriage for the procreation of Children, and that holy ones, the propagation of the Church, and the increa&s;e of &s;uch as &s;hould truely wor&s;hip him.</P>
<P>The end of marriage, the mo&s;t proper and excellent end of it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> is the procreation of children, for the propagation of Gods Church and Gods wor&s;hip. That it is an end, is here affirmed; that it is the mo&s;t proper and excellent, I manife&s;t, becau&s;e it was the end of it before the fall in mans perfection, though &s;inne had never come, yet this end was ordained of God, as Gen. 1.28. propagation of mankind, but &s;pecially the Church: Nay, by that is onely meant the Church, &s;eeing they were in their perfection, and if then they had given them&s;elves to propagation, or had continued in their fir&s;t e&s;tate, they had brought forth &s;till hly men, in their per|fect image, who &s;hould have beene the &s;eed of God. <HI>Lombard</HI> hath a &s;peech,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Po&s;t lap|&s;um hominis conjugium remedium e&s;t quod an|te laep&s;um duntaxat of|ficium &s;uit. <HI>Lombard.</HI></NOTE> <HI>After mans fall marriage is a remedy, which before the fall was onely an office.</HI> The whole is true, but it is not the whole truth; for it is now <HI>officium,</HI> as well as then, to procreate children and propagate the Church; now that this is the end, that &s;hewes: that he prohibiteth and reproveth &s;o often unequall matches with infidells, becau&s;e though that may encrea&s;e man|kind,
<PB N="134" REF="201">yet not the Church: for that will &s;pread rather idolatry then the true wor&s;hip. Deut. 7.3.4. and Ezra 9.1.2. Hence it is that among&s;t the people of God, that virginity was a griefe and barrenne&s;&s;e, a &s;hame and &s;o taken and accounted; becau&s;e they could not increa&s;e the Church: for the fir&s;t, &s;ee Judges 11.37.40. for the &s;econd, &s;ee Luke 1.25. Hence the Apo&s;tle forbiddeth to take into the Church young widdowes, for the &s;ervice of the Church, but will have them marrie for the increa&s;e of the Church. 1 Tim. 5.14.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this to bring forth children, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to increa&s;e his Church, and true wor&s;hippers, mo&s;t procures that which is and ought to be the maine end of all; that is, the glory of God. For not every one that brings forth children doth this, but the contrary: as the Heathen and Infidels, who bring them forth for idolatry and di&s;honour of God. This being to the contrary, is a principall end.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is the duty enjoyned them from God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to bring up their children in his true wor&s;hip, Eph 6.4. Now the end of con|junction for procreation, ought to be the &s;ame that their end of e|ducation mu&s;t be, of bearing and bringing forth, which is of bring|ing up.</P>
<P>To reprove many who when they &s;eeke a wife or a husband, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> never thinke of this. I &s;ay not, they intend not procreation of children, and increa&s;ing of the world, as they &s;ay, but not the in|crea&s;e of Gods Church and a religious &s;eede, that &s;hould fur|ther and &s;et forward the true wor&s;hip of God. Certaine it is many of them take barrenne&s;&s;e for a cro&s;&s;e, and a reproach unto them, but it is onely becau&s;e they have not little ones to &s;olace them&s;elves withall, when they are young, or to leave their wealth to, when they are of yeares, but never to propagate by them the Church, and true wor&s;hip of God. It may be in our times they leave not unto them fal&s;e wor&s;hip, but that is onely thankes to the &s;tate, not them; who if the &s;tate did &s;o beare it, would as well leave the one as the other to them. And that I may not &s;lander them, I prove this from their choy&s;e, and from their u&s;e of their marriage e&s;tate. The fir&s;t is apparent that they choo&s;e onely for beauty, though they be the daughters of men; or for riches, for portion or per&s;on, &amp; never re&s;pect religion; nay if there be the other to be had, though their religion be &s;u&s;pected, and it be either none or corrupted; they will not forbeare &s;uch marriages, though they joyn them&s;elves to the daughters of a &s;trange God, at the be&s;t but the daughters of men, never &s;ea&s;oned nor yet inclinable to the truth and true wor&s;hip. In the law he that would not marry his de|cea&s;ed brothers wife, but another, manife&s;ted that he never inten|ded to rai&s;e up feede to his brother: So in this. He or &s;he that mat|cheth not with the daughters of God, &s;hew they never intend this.
<PB N="135" REF="201">Againe, in the u&s;e of marriages; many men and women, though they de&s;ire &s;ome children, not many; and tho&s;e they have, they may happily give them civill breeding and education, and bring them up in knowledge of humane things, arts and &s;ciences, and &s;uch like, but no in&s;truction of religion. That which S. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> complaines of to God as touching his father, may many ju&s;tly complaine of their parents. <HI>Non &s;atageret idem pater, qualis cre&s;ce|rem tibi, aut quam ca&s;tus, dummodo e&s;&s;em di&s;ertus.</HI> So they have little care for piety and religion, to informe them and in&s;truct them that way, but that they might as he &s;aith, <HI>ut di&s;cerem &s;ermo|nem facere, quam optimum &amp; per&s;uadere dictione.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Confe&s;&s;. <HI>2.2.3.</HI></NOTE> To be either an eloquent Divine, or an ab&s;olute Lawyer, or a fortunate Merchant, or &s;uch like.</P>
<P>That &s;eeing there are three &s;peciall ends of marriage; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Procrea|tion of children, and increa&s;e of the Church. Secondly, helps and comforts of this life. Thirdly, a remedy again&s;t incontinen|cy, though all mu&s;t be aimed at, yet principally this. The other a man may well have, and have a lawfull marriage, but without this it can be nothing &s;o holy a marriage, &s;eeing it wanteth the princi|pall and the mo&s;t holie&s;t end, which was the end of it even in mans innocency, when he was without &s;inne. Therefore ought every one principally to aime at this, and indeed to have it; and therefore ought they to chu&s;e &s;o, or give con&s;ent that this may follow; not with tho&s;e who have a fal&s;e religion, or no religon, becau&s;e it hardly will be that the Church &s;hould be increa&s;ed by them; for children will ever follow the wor&s;e part, though it be the weaker: for a little &s;trength drawes downward, it mu&s;t be a great &s;trength that mu&s;t pull upward. Corruption is downeward and with the tyde: Religion is upward and again&s;t it. And having a fit match, children ought to be de&s;ired of them, and to account it their ho|nour. P&s;al. 128.3. Not for co&s;t or paines avoid it, or feare it; and having them to give all care and diligence for their education, to bring them up in the feare and in&s;truction of the Lord, to in&s;truct them in knowledge of God and his true wor&s;hip, and to edi|fie them by example. For, <HI>parentum exempla decere po&s;&s;unt, magis quam vox.</HI> St. <HI>Hierem.</HI> That when they are gone, they may prai&s;e them, as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> did his mother, <HI>Majore &s;olicitudine me parturie|bat &s;piritu, quam carne pepererat. Confe&s;&s;.</HI> 5.9. Their care was more to bring them up religiou&s;ly, then their paines was to bring them into the world: they loved their &s;oules better then their bodies; and they de&s;ired more that they might be Gods &s;ons and daugh|ters, then theirs: by which they &s;hall increa&s;e their glory, for they who beget many to righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;hall &s;hine as the &s;tarres for ever. Dan. 12.3. And they who &s;hall increa&s;e Gods Church here, he &s;hall increa&s;e their glory, as they his wor&s;hip.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Then are not they bound who have the gift of continency not
<PB N="136" REF="202">to marry, for though marriage be a remedy, yet is it not onely, nor principally, for both this is an end and more principall. They who can pre&s;erve their cha&s;tity in virginity, may de&s;ire it, but not ab&s;olutely, but in re&s;pect of &s;ome troubles, and incumbrances, which for the mo&s;t part accompany marriage, yet they may mar|ry, for this end, which is the more excellent: I doe not &s;ay they are bound to marry for this end, becau&s;e marriage is of tho&s;e things which are indifferent, as <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;peakes of virginity; It is not commanded, but advi&s;ed, and onely they who cannot con|taine, are commanded to marry; yet as there is more nece&s;&s;ity in marrying for that end, &s;o there is more religion in this end. In that a man principally re&s;pects him&s;elfe; in this God, the increa&s;e of the Church, and the inlarging of the kingdome of Chri&s;t, that which Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;peaketh <HI>de bono conjugali Cap.</HI> 15. may be applyed here, <HI>Iu&s;tus qu ind&ograve; cupit di&s;&s;olvi &amp; e&s;&s;e cum Chri&s;to, tamen &s;umit alimentum non cupiditate vivendi, &s;ed officio con&s;ulendi, ut maneat, quod nece&s;&s;arium e&s;t propter alios. Sic mi&s;teri foemin is in re nuptiarum officio&s;um fuit &s;anctis non libidino&s;um. Quid enim &s;it ei|bus ad &s;alutem hominis, hoc e&s;t concubitus ad &s;alutem humani generis.</HI> And &s;o &s;pecially for the Church and increa&s;e of Gods Kingdome: for though he can make children of &s;tones, yet hath he ordained this meanes: Therefore little rea&s;on and le&s;&s;e religion hath the Church of Rome to preferre virginity before holy marriage; for be&s;ides that may be &s;aid to them, it were better they would ap|prove virginity by their deeds, then prai&s;e it by their words. And as <HI>Hierom adfuriam;</HI> why doth the tongue &s;ound out cha&s;tity, and the whole body &s;hew forth uncleanne&s;&s;e? Or as <HI>Epiphanius</HI> of the <HI>Origeni&s;ts:</HI> You refu&s;e marriage, but not lu&s;t. It is not ho|line&s;&s;e but hypocri&s;ie that is in honour among&s;t you. Be&s;ides this, virginity is never &s;ave onely in &s;ome re&s;pect better then mar|riage, but marriage is oftentimes ab&s;olutely better then virginity, and by no rea&s;on more then this; becau&s;e this may increa&s;e the Church, and bring forth &s;onnes and daughters to God, not that. Neither is it again&s;t this, that &s;ome object, that Chri&s;t &s;aith, That after this life there is no marrying at all, and that, 1 Cor. 7.38. <HI>He that giveth her to marriage doth well, but he that giveth her not to marriage, doth better.</HI> For the fir&s;t, it is not again&s;t us, &s;eeing we &s;peake of the &s;tate of this life onely; after which, as there &s;hall be no marriages, &s;o no vowes of virginity. And as for S. <HI>Paul, Better</HI> with him, is as much, as fit, or more commodious. For if it were &s;imply better, it were never lawfull to do otherwi&s;e, which he alloweth. Therefore he thus &s;pake, not for the nature of the thing, but in re&s;pect of circum&s;tances, as you may &s;ee, ver&s;e 26.28.32.35. Finally, if virginity be the more holy, why have they made marriage a &s;acrament rather then it? Sure, if it were more holy, it &s;hould rather be a &s;acrament, then marriage.</P>
<PB N="137" REF="202">
<P><HI>Therefore keep your &s;elves in your &s;pirit.</HI>] The dehortation of the Prophet from this vice, and the better that they may doe it, and not tran&s;gre&s;&s;e, he per&s;wades them to labour for &s;ober mindes, and cha&s;te affections: from thence ri&s;eth this &s;inning a|gain&s;t their wives, which would ea&s;ily be avoided, if their mindes were &s;ober and cha&s;te.</P>
<P>The way for a man to keep him&s;elfe from actuall and outward &s;inne, and the practi&s;e of it, is to labour to keep his heart pure, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and to take heed to that. On the contrary, if he neglect his heart, he &s;hall be &s;ure to be corrupt in the outward man, and to fall into outward &s;innes again&s;t God and man. He may happily in &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, and by &s;ome circum&s;tances of time, place, or per&s;on, for want of opportunity, ability, and meanes, refraine them; but tho&s;e things befalling him, he will ea&s;ily fall into that. So much this exhortation &s;heweth. So much al&s;o that &s;heweth, Prov. 4.23.24.25. <HI>Keep thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.</HI> Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wic|ked lips farre from thee. Let thine eyes behold the right, and let thine eye lids direct the way before thee. Matth. 15.19. Out of the heart proceed evill thoughts, adulteries, &amp;c. and Jam. 1.13.14. 1 Pet. 2.11.12.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the heart and &s;pirit is the fountaine of actions, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> whence they all &s;pring: the other parts are but the chanels, and it is a flow|ing fountaine, not a &s;tanding water, which ever &s;ends out &s;uch water as it hath: if then the fountaine be clean and &s;weet, &s;o will the chanels be; and <HI>&egrave; contra.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is the commander of the whole man, the whole life. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Now &s;uch as the Commander, &s;uch is the Subject; &s;uch as the Captaine, &s;uch are the Souldiers. Much more here: for the conjunction is neerer, and when they are &s;ubject to it, as the wea|pon is to him that u&s;eth it, Rom. 6.13. So that it commanding a|ny thing, that they all doe more then the Centurions &s;ervants, Luke 7.</P>
<P>Rom. 7.25. Then the fle&s;h, and outward parts, follow not the minde and the heart. <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."></P>
<P>There is no oppo&s;ition there betwixt the inward and outward, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> the heart and the body, but betwixt the part regenerate and the unregenerate: for by fle&s;h it is u&s;uall with the Apo&s;tle not to under&s;tand the body, but the unregenerate part, as in that place, Gal. 5.17. not any oppo&s;ition betwixt &s;oule and body, but the fight of the unregenerate with the regenerate: and ver&s;. 24. not the crucifying of the body, but of the unregenerate part: For the heart and inward parts, as farre as they are unregenerate, are fle&s;h al&s;o, and under&s;tood under the outward by the Apo&s;tle.</P>
<P>Then may a man certainly judge a man to have a cor|rupt heart, when hee hath a polluted outward man, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> life
<PB N="138" REF="203">and conver&s;ation. <HI>Vide</HI> Malach. 1.8. Doctrine 1. U&s;e 2.</P>
<P>To reprove &s;uch as judge men to have corrupt hearts for the care and uprightne&s;&s;e of their lives. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> <HI>Vide ibid. ex</HI> U&s;e 1.</P>
<P>To teach men, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> who de&s;ire any outward holine&s;&s;e, or to be free from externall corruption or pollution, to looke well to the heart, to keep &s;inne, or to kill it within: for this is the be&s;t and the fir&s;t to purge the heart, and the other will be &s;o.</P>
<P><HI>And let none tran&s;gre&s;&s;e.</HI>] The dehortation from the evill, and the outward practice of it. Of the particular hath been &s;poken in the former ver&s;es: yet &s;omwhat hence. It may be that &s;ome may think this &s;peech hangs that way, that it may &s;eem to favour free|will, to call upon them to ab&s;taine from evill, which if it were not in their power, it were in vaine thus to &s;peake to them. I an&s;wer: this is no more then other precepts and exhortations in the word, which doe but teach us what we ought to do, not what we are able, which is but to make us a&s;&s;ay, and when we finde not power, then to &s;eeke it el&s;ewhere.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lege opern~ dicit Deus, Jae quod in bee Jege fi|dci dicitur Deo, da quod iubes. <HI>Aug. de &s;pi|rit. &amp; lit.</HI></NOTE> In the law of workes, God &s;aith to us, Do what I command thee: In the law of faith wee &s;ay to God; What thou commande&s;t us, inable us to doe. God therefore thus &s;peakes to man, to make him &s;peake againe to him, commanding that he may require and obtaine to doe; &s;eeing, Phil. 2.13. <HI>It is God which worketh in you both the will and the deed, even of his good plea&s;ure. Bernard</HI> in the audience of &s;ome, commending the grace of God, as that which he acknowledged in God did prevent him, and he found did make him to profit, and he hoped would per|fect it in him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bernard de gratia &amp; lib. Arbit. initie.</NOTE> giving all to grace, and taking nothing to him&s;elfe. One replied, what then ha&s;t thou done, or what reward can thou looke for, if God worke all? To whom he an&s;wered, What coun&s;ell then doe&s;t thou give me, or how would&s;t thou advi&s;e me? Give glory, &s;aith he, to God, who hath prevented thee, ex|cited thee, and begun this good in thee, and for that is to come, live worthily, that thou maye&s;t approve thy &s;elfe not unthankfull for tho&s;e thou ha&s;t received, and fit to receive more. <HI>Bernard</HI> re|plies, You give good coun&s;ell, but that is, but if you could make me able to obey and doe it. For it is not &s;o ea&s;ie a thing to doe, as to know what ought to be done; for the&s;e are divers things to lead a blinde man, and to give &s;trength to the weary.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Nec quivis doctor &s;tatim &amp; dator erit boni, quodcunque docuerit. Duo mihs &s;unt nece&s;&s;aria, doceri &amp; juvari. Tu quidem homo rect&egrave; con&s;ulis ignorantiae, &s;ed (&s;i verum &s;entit Apo&s;tolus) &s;piritus adjuv at infirmitatem no&s;tram Rom. <HI>8.</HI> Inso vero qui mihi per os tuum mini&s;trat con&s;ilium, ip&s;e mihi nece&s;&s;e e&s;t mini&s;trat per &s;piritum tuum adjut erium quo valeant implere quod con&s;ulis. Ecce enim ex ejus munere velle adjacet mihi, perficere autem non invenio, ni&s;i qui dedit velle, det &amp; perficere pro bena voluntate.</NOTE> For who&s;oever is a teacher, what&s;oever he teacheth, cannot be|&s;tow goodne&s;&s;e. Two things are needfull to me, to be taught, and to be helpt: thou being a man doe&s;t well in&s;truct my ignorance, but the &s;pirit helps our infirmi|ties,
<PB N="139" REF="203">Rom. 8. yea, he that gave me coun&s;ell by thy mouth, mu&s;t al&s;o &s;end me helpe by his owne &s;pirit, that I may be able to doe what thou advi&s;e&s;t: by his grace I am willing, but cannot per|forme, unle&s;&s;e he that wrought the will, doe al&s;o worke the deed of his good plea&s;ure. And when to this he replied,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Vbi ergo &s;unt merita no&s;tra? ant ubi e&s;t &s;pes no&s;tra?</NOTE> Where then are our rewards? or where is our hope? He an&s;wereth with that, Tit. 3.5. Not by the workes of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e which we had done, but according to his mercy he &s;aved us, by the wa&s;hing of the new birth, and the renewing of the holy Gho&s;t. Hence I ga|ther, and upon this inferre, that God that calls upon us by his word to do, mu&s;t give us al&s;o power to do: then therefore he cal|leth, becau&s;e he would have us cry to him for helpe. And as S. <HI>Augu&s;tine:</HI> O man! acknowledge in every precept,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">O home in praeceptione cogno&s;ce quid debeas habere, in cerreptione tuo te vitio non habere: in oratione unde accipias quid vis habere. <HI>De cor|rept. &amp; gratia, c. 3.</HI></NOTE> what &s;trength thou &s;houlde&s;t have; in every reproofe, what &s;trength by thy own fault thou wante&s;t; in every prayer, whence thou maye&s;t have what thou wante&s;t.</P>
<P>The hands mu&s;t be purged as well as the heart: the outward man as the inward.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="16" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XVI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>If thou hate&s;t her, put her away, &s;aith the Lord God of I&s;|rael, yet he covereth the injury under his garment, &s;aith the Lord of bo&s;tes: therefore keep your &s;elves in your &s;pi|rit, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;e not.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>I <HI>Hate putting away, &s;aith the Lord God of I&s;rael.</HI>] In this ver&s;e the Prophet proceeded to the third maine &s;inne here reproved in this people, Divorces; not &s;imply condemning divorce, as if in no ca&s;e it were lawfull, but for every vaine cau&s;e, and light di&s;like, when they hated or di&s;liked them, for that to put them away, is that he reproves. In the ver&s;e we ob&s;erve two things: Fir&s;t, the reproofe of this &s;inne: &s;econdly, an admonition generall, inclu|ding the particular. In the fir&s;t, which is the &s;inne, we ob&s;erve the amplifications of it, which is fir&s;t from Gods hatred: Se|condly, from an effect of tho&s;e husbands, who u&s;ed and practi&s;ed divorces, that they made the law of God a covert, to cover with it that violent injury and indignity they did to their wives, as men cover the body, and defaults of it with their garment.</P>
<P><HI>If thou hate&s;t her, put her away.</HI>] Some thinke this dependeth upon the former, as an objection made by this people in their own
<PB N="140" REF="204">defence, again&s;t the former accu&s;ation, as unju&s;tly ca&s;t upon them, becau&s;e they had not committed Polygamy, &s;eeing they had put away their fir&s;t wives, and that according to the Law, Deut. 24. The Prophet an&s;weres, the Lord hates putting away, and will not indure that they &s;hould make his Law a cover for their iniquity. Some, as S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> under&s;tand them as words of the Prie&s;t and people in their owne defence, pretending the law of God for that they did; but mo&s;t take them as Gods words, &s;hewing his di&s;like of their dealing. And if the words be read thus, as our vulgar tran&s;lation hath them: then they think them &s;poken by an Irony, which they manife&s;t, as they &s;uppo&s;e by the words following, by which they take a judgement to be threatned. And they thinke it is manife&s;t by the like, Eccle&s;. 11.9. but &s;eeing the words in the originall will not beare the reading, neither the &s;econd &s;entence will carry the &s;en&s;e they would have of them; They mu&s;t be thus read: <HI>For I hate putting away;</HI> or, <HI>putting away is an hatred unto me.</HI>] It is a thing that I am &s;o far from approving and liking, that I utterly hate and abhor, what&s;oever <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> for the hardne&s;&s;e of your hearts did grant unto you, and &s;o remitted the judiciall law, that it proceeded not again&s;t you to death, as adulterers, when you had put them away for &s;light cau&s;es, and married others; yet that hath not excu&s;ed it before me, but that it is &s;till a &s;in, and odious unto me. It is that which my &s;oule abhorreth.</P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord God of I&s;rael.</HI>] This he addeth for confirmation of the former. That the Lord God of I&s;rael doth affirme and te&s;tifie this; who hath before profe&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe Author of the conjunction betwixt them, and witne&s;&s;e of that covenant: And doth profe&s;&s;e him&s;elfe protector of the whole Nation of the I&s;raelites; and therefore with what indignation mu&s;t he needs behold their dealing with their wives? and how can he &s;uffer that indignity, they are offered to be put away, and others taken in their places, &s;pecially when they are &s;trangers and infidells?</P>
<P><HI>Yet he covereth the injury under his garment</HI>] The &s;econd am|plification, becau&s;e they pretended law for that they did, co|vering it by that, as the body with a garment, which maketh him to abhorre it the more, to pretend his law for them when it is cleane again&s;t them, and all that was, was but a permi&s;&s;ion by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in his care and compa&s;&s;ion of the women who were a|bu&s;ed by them.</P>
<P>To the former &s;entence &s;ome adde, <HI>[for]</HI> being a particle which hath the force not of a cau&s;e, but oftentimes of an affirmati|on; and to this, <HI>[becau&s;e]</HI> &s;hewing that therefore he hated it the more, becau&s;e they thus covered it.</P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord of ho&s;tes.</HI>] He that is able and can command all the ho&s;tes of heaven and earth, to revenge the injuries and indignities
<PB N="141" REF="204">done to his people and daughters.</P>
<P><HI>Therefore keepe your &s;elves in your &s;pirits.</HI>] The admonition &s;uch as we have had before: that is, &s;eeing you know what the Lord hates, and what he loves and likes, look well to your &s;elves, and your owne hearts; take heed of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing and dealing perfi|diou&s;ly with your wives.</P>
<P>Divorce, that is, for a man to put away his wife for any cau&s;e &s;ave onely for the cau&s;e of adultery, and for adultery, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> is utterly unlawfull and forbidden of God; a thing that doth di&s;like and di&s;plea&s;e him: &s;o the Prophet affirmeth here. This our Saviour the oracle of his father more faithfull in the hou&s;e then <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> doth &s;hew and teach, Mat. 5.32. Mat. 19.9. It hath his force, <HI>I &s;ay unto you,</HI> that is, many a&s;&s;igne other cau&s;es, but I this one, onely adul|tery. To this we may adde that the Apo&s;tle allowes not a man to put away his wife for infidelity, 1 Cor. 7.12.13. onely if the in|fidell will depart and make a de&s;ertion, he &s;ets then the beleever at liberty, but el&s;e he allowes him not to put her away. And if not for Idolatry, then not for other cau&s;es of farre le&s;&s;e weight.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as Chri&s;t him&s;elfe giveth the rea&s;on, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> the bond be|twixt them is greater, then that which is betwixt parents and chil|dren. Mat. 19.5. for it was before that; for <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> were man and wife before they were parents; and they were man and wife, that they might be parents. And againe, the bond is greater, becau&s;e the good is more publique, for this, for the propagation of mankinde, that onely for the good of the parents. Now then if the bond be greater, and that is not to be broken for any cau&s;e, then not this. If that, rather then this, then not this for &s;mall and fri|volous cau&s;es; but onely for that which he who bound the knot, hath allowed the di&s;&s;olution of it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this were for man to take upon him to &s;ever that which God hath joyned, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> when it is done not for &s;uch a cau&s;e as he hath allowed it to be for: for when it is for &s;uch a cau&s;e, then is it God and not man that hath di&s;&s;olved it.</P>
<P>To reprove all tho&s;e who allow and contend for many other cau&s;es that divorces may be made, be&s;ides adultery; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> which opi|nion of theirs they would e&s;tabli&s;h fir&s;t from the law. Deut. 24.1. When a man taketh a wife and marrieth her, if &s;o be &s;he finde no favour in his eyes, becau&s;e he hath &s;pyed &s;ome filthine&s;&s;e in her, then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and put it in her hand, and &s;end her out of his hou&s;e. To which I an&s;wer, and op|po&s;e, Math. 19. &s;o that if it were lawfull then, yet not now: nei|ther doe I herein make Chri&s;t contrary to the decrees of God by <HI>Mo&s;es:</HI> but we mu&s;t under&s;tand that that law in Deuteronomy was a civill and judiciall law: And Chri&s;t he meddles not with civill or judiciall cour&s;es, but morrall things. For they who governe
<PB N="142" REF="205">common wealths, propound this end unto them&s;elves, that if two evills, or two inconveniences happen and meete, they admit the le&s;&s;e, le&s;t they fall into the greater. As in &s;ome Cities they have admitted &s;tewes and harlots, to avoide, as they &s;ay, greater evills, which the law of God will not &s;uffer in his common wealth. And &s;o to this purpo&s;e of marriage, when unhappy, unfit, and unequall marriages are made; the one of the&s;e two inconveniences &s;eemed to be nece&s;&s;arily; that they who hated their wives, would either perpetually afflict and vex them, and at length kill them, or they mu&s;t have liberty to put them away.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The permi&s;|&s;ion argues no &s;imple lawfulne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> This latter was thought more tolerable, therefore it was allowed in that common wealth; but &s;o allowed as if God by it would make them keepe their wives, and u&s;e them better. For fir&s;t, God would have him make a bill of divorce, by that to affect &s;o hard &amp; cruell a husband, &amp; to drive him to con&s;ider what an unfit &amp; unworthy a thing it was for him to put away one he had enjoyed &s;o long; for we u&s;e to weigh more tho&s;e things we write, then tho&s;e we &s;peake. Secondly, that if he put her away, he was not allowed atall to take her againe, and therefore to make him not to doe it, but advi&s;edly, when happily upon &s;econd thoughts he would not doe it. Thirdly, if he gave her a bill of divorce, it mu&s;t expre&s;&s;e the cau&s;e why he did it, clearing her that it was not for adultery, and accu&s;ing him&s;elfe that it was for &s;ome other &s;light cau&s;e, which he ought and would, if there had been any love in him at all, have covered. All which &s;heweth, that God did it for their infirmities, and would have re&s;trained them from it by this meanes; and that he granted unto them was onely judiciall, that is &s;o much as might free them from the hand of the Magi&s;trate, that they were not puni&s;hable by him, but not that which made it no &s;inne again&s;t the law morrall; and before him, they were onely freed in <HI>fore civili, non con&s;cientiae.</HI> It is like to our law of u&s;ury which frees men from puni&s;hment of the law if they take not above &s;uch a &s;umme, but frees them not from &s;in before God, providing for the good of the borrower, both that they might borrow, and when they did, not be too much oppre&s;|&s;ed; but &s;o, he that lends is an u&s;urer, and &s;o a thiefe before God: So in this. For the Lord as a wi&s;e law-giver, in his judiciall lawes, permitted in a civill re&s;pect &s;ome things evill in them&s;elves, for the avoiding of a greater mi&s;chiefe; not to allow or ju&s;tifie the &s;ame from the guilt of &s;inne, as before him in the court of con&s;ci|ence; but to exempt the &s;ame from civil puni&s;hment in the external court before the Magi&s;trate: &s;uch is this we &s;peake of. Hence it is that we read not in the Scripture of any man of note for piety and holine&s;&s;e which ever u&s;ed this, or ever gave any wife a bill of di|vorce. For whereas <HI>Abraham</HI> put away <HI>Hagar</HI> and <HI>I&s;mael,</HI> it is not again&s;t this, for as he did it by the coun&s;ell of the wife, &s;o by the commandement of God, Gen. 21.12. And none that were godly
<PB N="143" REF="205">u&s;ing, or practi&s;ing it once, though they were &s;ubject to the &s;ame inconveniences that others were, and &s;o &s;hewes that they held it not &s;imply, and in con&s;cience lawfull.</P>
<P>Againe, they &s;ay that 1 Cor. 7. the Apo&s;tle allowes divorce for another cau&s;e. It is an&s;wered, that the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh not of a divorce, but of a di&s;ertion, not of putting away the wife for any fault of hers, but when &s;he for&s;akes the husband, for the faith and piety that is in him, and &s;o <HI>&egrave; contra;</HI> for the Apo&s;tle onely &s;aith, if the unbeleeving depart, let him depart. But allowes not the be|leever in any &s;ort to put away the unbeleever; nay, commands him to live with her, if &s;he will abide with him. And &s;o onely enjoyneth him to &s;uffer a di&s;ertion, not to make a divorce. And &s;o this e&s;tabli&s;heth no other cau&s;e.</P>
<P>Againe, they &s;ay, if for adultery, then much more for crimes greater then it, and &s;o there are more cau&s;es of divorce. This will be an&s;wered out of the former: for if the Apo&s;tle allow not for in|fidelity then not for greater; for that is &s;ure farre greater; and if their rea&s;on were good, then would this follow: infidelity is a greater &s;inne then adultery, therefore ought a man to be put to death for that, becau&s;es for this he owes to dye by Gods law. A|gaine, adultery doth not make the divorce, becau&s;e of the great|ne&s;&s;e of the &s;in, but becau&s;e of the oppo&s;ition of it to marriage, it is far more contrary to it. The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e in marriage man and wife ought to be one fle&s;h. Now adultery is that which doth divide them, and make not one, but two. And &s;o doth neither in|fidelity, bla&s;phemy, idolatry, neither any &s;uch &s;in. For the&s;e and the like &s;ins are more repugnant to God, and &s;eparate men from him more then adultery, but it is more oppo&s;ite to Matrimo|ny; which is manife&s;t, becau&s;e among&s;t infidells, idolaters and bla&s;phemers, marriage is good and lawfull, though not holy.</P>
<P>Other things they object, as coldne&s;&s;e and inability of &s;ome in|curable di&s;ea&s;e, if the one goe about to kill or poy&s;on the other, if the civill lawes allow it. But they are an&s;wered, that &s;ome of the&s;e may hinder a marriage it be not, not breake it when it is. In others the Magi&s;trate is to be looked to for helpe. The lawes of Magi&s;trates cau&s;ing divorce for other things, if they be capitall they ought put them to death, and &s;o end the controver&s;ie. If cri|minall, of le&s;&s;e force, their law is again&s;t the law of God, and not tolerable.</P>
<P>To reprove and condemne all tho&s;e who practi&s;e contrary, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> who though the law allow not other divorces, but for adultery, yet they upon di&s;like they take at their wives, or liking of others, make nothing to &s;end them home to their friends, and live &s;epara|ted from them, and onely for their lu&s;ts &s;ake, beare more indigni|ty and di&s;content from a harlot in a yeare, then they had from
<PB N="144" REF="206">their lawfull wives in many yeares before, hearkening to &s;uch bad coun&s;ellors, as <HI>Memucan</HI> was to the King <HI>Aha&s;huero&s;h,</HI> E&s;ter 16.19. per&s;wading him to put away <HI>Va&s;hti</HI> for one di&s;obedience, and for &s;ome mi&s;carriage to &s;end her away, and take another in her place; forgetting as S. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;peaketh to <HI>Polletius,</HI> that they are Chri|&s;tians, and therefore that they ought to be prone and inclinable to mercy and indulgence, and not be &s;o hard and cruell, not remem|bring the example of Chri&s;t who pardoned the adultre&s;&s;e. Joh. 8. &s;hewing how full of love and compa&s;&s;ion husbands &s;hould be to|wards their penitent wives, if in adultery, much more in le&s;&s;e things, and offences: but the&s;e are like tho&s;e who <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;peakes of, who becau&s;e of their bitterne&s;&s;e to their wives, that they might doe it with le&s;&s;e reproofe, have razed out that Chapter, or that &s;tory at lea&s;t out of it, &s;o they could be content to raze this out; but heaven and earth &s;hall pa&s;&s;e when this &s;hall &s;tand; and they who feare not to offend again&s;t it, &s;hall feele the weight of Gods anger hereafter; for his anger and hatred will be puni&s;hment and judgement.</P>
<P>Not as the Di&s;ciples inferred upon it. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Mat. 19.10. <HI>If the matter be &s;o between man and wife it is not good to marry.</HI> For they are well and with good rea&s;on, checked by him, &s;eeing ver&s;e 11.12. as he &s;aid unto them, <HI>All men cannot receive this thing, &s;ave they to whom it is given, for there are &s;ome cha&s;te who were &s;o born of their mothers belly: and there be &s;ome cha&s;te which be made cha&s;te by men: and there be &s;ome cha&s;te which have made them&s;elves cha&s;te for the king|dome of heaven. He that is able to receive this, let him receive it.</HI> For to &s;ome who cannot ab&s;taine, marriage is as nece&s;&s;ary as meat, drinke, and &s;leepe, as <HI>Luther</HI> &s;aid &s;ometimes; foolli&s;hly cavelled at by our Papi&s;ts. That is then not the u&s;e of it, but this; for men to be wary how they chu&s;e, and women how they are per&s;waded, or give con&s;ent, &s;eeing it is a knot not to be broken againe for any di&s;like, or di&s;contents what&s;oever, &s;ave onely in the matter of adultery. If it were a matter as common bargaines be, that a man might lo&s;e his earne&s;t, if it were with &s;ome hazard of his hone|&s;ty and good report: Or if they were taken, as &s;ome men take prentices, upon liking; or buy hor&s;es to lo&s;e &s;o much, if they di&s;like and return them; or if <HI>Solons</HI> law were in force, that he who did put away his wife &s;hould give her dower and portion with her againe, it were the le&s;&s;e to be thought of; but when it is &s;o di&s;|&s;oluble, not to be loo&s;ed or broken, but perpetuall, it requires a great care, when it is &s;tronger and firmer then the bond betwixt parents and children: Therefore &s;hould the man take heed how he chu&s;eth, for beauty, for profit, and great portion; and not for wi&s;edome, and vertue, though the other things be not in the like proportion. What is more profitable then the Bee, &s;aith Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. in P&s;al.</HI> 50. yet hath it a &s;ting? What fairer then a Pea|cocke,
<PB N="145" REF="206">but the comeline&s;&s;e onely is in the feathers, not the fruit. So, many with their great portions, and great beauty, have often their &s;tings, and are not fit helpes; that a man had better buy a wife, then be bought to her, &s;pecially when there is no parting. And better to have had the contemptible Ant, as he &s;peaketh, which is the mi&s;tri&s;&s;e of wi&s;edome, the meaner and the more hu&s;|wifely, who may &s;oone be worth her portion in good comfort and contentment; &s;o the woman how &s;he is wonne, or per&s;waded for the per&s;on or riches, or kindred of a man, becau&s;e he is able to cloath her in fine apparell, to decke her with gold and pearle, and many &s;uch things, having no wi&s;edome to governe or in&s;truct her, or to bring up his children in the in&s;truction of the Lord, no love but lu&s;t, for &s;eeing the knot is perpetuall, and no cheyce al|lowed againe, &s;he may buy all that deare enough. Therefore it is good to be advi&s;ed in their choyce, le&s;t repentance &s;hould come too late, and be bought too deare, and yet make no amends, for they cannot be free. If the law of polygamy were in force, that a man might have two wives, the one hated, the other beloved, or this of divorce, he might put her away at his plea&s;ure upon di&s;like, and &s;o <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> the matter were &s;mall, and men might be as care|le&s;&s;e of this as of the other things; but when as he hath made one for one, and made the bond &s;o inviolable, that there is no parting till one be the others Executor: &s;eeing things are thus, it is not good not to marry, but to be carefull how he or &s;he marrieth. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> per&s;wading men to be carefull of their &s;oules, rea&s;o|neth thus: <HI>Omnia nobis duplicia Deus dedit, duos oculos, duas aures, duas manus, duos pedes, &s;ingitur horum alterum laedatur per alterum nece&s;sitatem con&s;olamur: animam ver &ograve; unam dedit nobis, &s;i hane per|diderimus, quanam vivemus. Vide Chry&s;o&s;t, he.</HI> 12. <HI>ad pop. Ant.</HI> So God hath allowed us two friends, or two &s;ervants, or two hou&s;es, or two coates, one may &s;upply the want of the other; but one wife, and her for life, and the tearme of a mans dayes: how ought he to u&s;e her well and chu&s;e her carefully? and &s;o of a wo|man.</P>
<P><HI>I hate putting away</HI>] Thus he fir&s;t condemnes this &s;inne, be|cau&s;e it is again&s;t his will and minde, that he di&s;likes and hates it, and by this di&s;&s;wades from it; not that we mu&s;t conceive there is any &s;uch pa&s;&s;ion in God, or affection, but the&s;e things are as <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;peaketh of anger: &s;o of this.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Non e&s;t per|turbatio a nimi ejus, &s;ed judicium, quo irroga|tur poena pec|cate. <HI>Aug.</HI></NOTE> It is not any perturbation of his minde, but the judgement by which he inflict puni&s;hment upon &s;in. And &s;o in the whole he di&s;&s;wades from this, becau&s;e el&s;e Gods judgements and puni&s;hments will come upon them, how&s;oever they e&s;cape mens. Now this is not proper to this, but common to others, whence we have a generall doctrine.</P>
<P>Men ought to avoyde and e&s;chew unju&s;t divorces, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and every other &s;inne for feare of the judgements of God and his hatred
<PB N="146" REF="207">and puni&s;hments, which thing is manife&s;t in the law, when as every prohibition is not without a threat and a judgement. Hence that Deuter. 28.15. And in the particulars through the whole law where&s;oever God forbids any &s;inne, u&s;ually there is a judgement joyned with it. The &s;pirit &s;peaketh not &s;o in vaine, but that he would have men to avoyd them for tho&s;e. The point is proved. Gen. 17.14. Exod. 22.22.23.24. I&s;ay 1.20. Rom. 6.23. <HI>Solomon</HI> often threatneth adulterers with &s;hame and poverty and di&s;ea&s;e, to re&s;traine them from it. And S. <HI>Paul</HI> with the judgements to come in the life to come. Hebr. 13.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e of their corruptions, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> who as they love not righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, nor de&s;ire or hunger after it for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, and in con&s;cience, which makes God give them promi&s;es and propound rewards unto them to make them obey. So they hate not &s;inne, neither flye it, becau&s;e it is &s;in, but as children do Bees, not becau&s;e they are Bees, but becau&s;e they have a &s;ting; &s;o they &s;in becau&s;e it is hurtfull, therefore hath the Lord propounded the&s;e; not as defi|rous of their puni&s;hment, but to have them not to offend, as Princes adde penalties to their lawes.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as the malice of Sathan hath feared men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> from doing well, for feare of harmes, lo&s;&s;es and di&s;graces, which they &s;hall finde in the world and others before them, which hath made God ballance them with his promi&s;es; So his comming tells them that unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e hath many plea&s;ures, profits, preferments, and &s;hewes, then many that have ri&s;en that way and by &s;uch meanes; therefore God &s;hewes them then the &s;ower of it, that for all &s;uch things all mu&s;t come to his judgements.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by them they may &s;ubdue and tame their fle&s;h and the corruption of it, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and make &s;ubject to the &s;pirit, which alwaies of it &s;elfe rebelleth again&s;t the &s;pirit, and often ruleth over it to lead it to &s;inne and di&s;obedience.</P>
<P>If feare of judgements be a meanes to re&s;traine men from &s;in, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> it tells us that many men are voide even of this &s;ervile feare, <HI>Vide</HI> Mal. 1.6. fir&s;t effect of &s;ervile feare. U&s;e 1.</P>
<P>To teach every man who would keepe him&s;elfe from it, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to en|deavour and labour for this feare.</P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord God of I&s;rael.</HI>] This for confirmation; not the Prophet, but the Lord the ma&s;ter, and not the Mini&s;ter &s;peakes this which is thus &s;et out to &s;hew the care he had of that people, that he had taken the protection and defence of them. Now this people being a type of the Church, as well as the Church, it may teach us this.</P>
<P>God is the protectour and defender of his Church and chil|dren, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> hee that doth keepe, pre&s;erve, and defend it. <HI>Vide</HI> Re|velation 2.1. <HI>Chri&s;t walketh in the midde&s;t of the golden Candle|&s;ticke.</HI></P>
<PB N="147" REF="207">
<P><HI>Yet he covereth the injury under his garment.]</HI> The ampli&s;ying of their &s;in, that they pretended the law of God as a cover of it, that it might be no &s;inne unto them.</P>
<P>It is a thing which makes their &s;innes the greater, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> who pretend the law for a cover of their &s;inne and iniquities, of cruelty or oppre&s;&s;ion, unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, or what&s;oever other corruption; &s;uch was the&s;e mens dealing, &s;uch was that of <HI>Iezabell,</HI> 1 Kings 21.13. &amp; of them, Joh. 19.7. the Jewes an&s;wered him, <HI>we have alaw, and by our law he ought to dye,</HI> becau&s;e he made him&s;elfe the &s;onne of God. And James 2.8.9.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the law was given either for a light and lanthorne to keepe men they &s;hould not &s;inne or tran&s;gre&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> or after a glo&s;&s;e to let them &s;ee their &s;innes, James 1. Or as a Cocke to <HI>Peter.</HI> Now to pervert it to the contrary, is to abu&s;e the law, and &s;o to adde to their former &s;in this &s;econd, and to increa&s;e both. To make that which is good, cau&s;e of &s;inne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this argues that the &s;inne is not in infirmity, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but ob&s;ti|nacy, when men any wayes defend and excu&s;e it, more when they excu&s;e it by that which doth accu&s;e it, and bu&s;ie their heads to wre&s;t it to bol&s;ter out their &s;inne, when they do as <HI>Hierom, Oceano,</HI> of &s;ome, who <HI>non voluntatem legi, &s;ed legem jungunt voluntati:</HI> frame the law to their wills, and not their wills and wayes to the law.</P>
<P>To condemne and convince of greater &s;inne all &s;uch &s;inners as doe not &s;imply &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> but would &s;inne with warrant from that which is the onely oppo&s;ite to all &s;inne what&s;oever, and make this as &s;ome men doe Chri&s;ts &s;ufferings, the pack-hor&s;e of all their &s;inne: &s;o this the patron and defence: fir&s;t, here are condem|ned all heretiques, who doe not onely erre, but defend it with co|lour of the Scripture: for never any heretique hath beene, who did not pretend the Word for their here&s;ies. The Scriptures they oftentimes contemne, becau&s;e they finde them little to favour them: yet u&s;e they them as Merchants doe their Counters, &s;ome|time they &s;tand with them for hundreds and thou&s;ands, and &s;ome|time for cyphers; when the letter helpes, they urge with full mouth; but when the &s;pirit hurts and cro&s;&s;eth them, they appeale to others,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Make them as</HI> Aug. <HI>of the Donat.</HI> Accipientes ergo perver&s;o corde-Scripturas non cas faciunt obe&s;&s;e no|bis, &s;ed &s;ibi. <HI>Cont. lit. par. l. 2. c. 1.</HI> Non periclitor docere ip&s;as quoque &s;cript. &s;ic e&s;&s;e ex Dei voluntate di&s;|po&s;itas, ut haereticis materiam &s;ub|mini&s;trat cum legam oportere haere|&s;es e&s;&s;e quae &s;ine Scripturis e&s;&s;e non po&s;&s;unt. <HI>Tertull. prae&s;cript. adver&s;. haeret.</HI></NOTE> and either Fathers or Councels, or the Pope mu&s;t impo&s;e a &s;en&s;e upon them, not draw it out of them, and &s;o have no er|ror, but either by the letter or the inforced &s;en&s;e they will maintain: as by the&s;e words, <HI>he that takes not up his cro&s;&s;e and followeth me:</HI> certain Monkes made them cro&s;&s;es of wood, and carried upon their &s;houlders. <HI>Ca&s;sianus Colla</HI> 8. <HI>Cap.</HI> 3. By tho&s;e words, <HI>Here are two &s;words,</HI> the Popes temporall and &s;pirituall ju|ri&s;diction.
<PB N="148" REF="208">By tho&s;e, <HI>The Lord made two great lights; the Sunne the greater:</HI> therefore the Pope is greater then the Emperour. By tho&s;e, <HI>They that walke in the fle&s;h cannot plea&s;e God. Innocent</HI> con|demned marriages, and &s;tabli&s;hed &s;ingle life, and many &s;uch things. Like unto the&s;e are many other, who &s;earch the Scripture, for no other purpo&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Affectus lo|cutus e&s;t &amp; non intelle|ctus. <HI>Bernar. &s;up. Cirat. &s;er. 87. A.</HI></NOTE> but to &s;ee if they can finde any thing in it, which will defend them in their &s;inne. Therefore we &s;hall finde a voluptuous man, who hath no knowledge in the Scripture, for to further his &s;alvation, hath that to uphold uncleanne&s;&s;e, Acts 15.29. words without &s;en&s;e. The wanton for her painting, <HI>That oyle makes a cheerfull countenance.</HI> The drunkard, that <HI>Wine was given to make the heart cheerfull.</HI> The covetous, that <HI>he who provides not for his owne, as wor&s;e then an Infidell.</HI> The U&s;urer hath his di&s;tin|ctions of biting and multiplying u&s;urie, of lending to the poore and &s;tranger, and to rich and brother, of putting money into the banke, and &s;uch like.</P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed how he goes about to cover any &s;inne he hath committed, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> by the word of God: for as he can|not doe it without injuring of the Word, which is mo&s;t pure and holy, &s;o that injury will by the Word redound to God him&s;elfe, who hath given and written that Word: for if it favour any &s;in, he mu&s;t needs doe the &s;ame, when He and his Word are one. Now it would be mon&s;trous impietie, that any one &s;hould make God the patron of his &s;inne. As if a man &s;hould make the Prince the cau&s;e of his trea&s;on, it were without excu&s;e and hope of par|don. But this is done when the Word is made a covert, and &s;o a mans &s;inne is increa&s;ed, as <HI>Adams</HI> was, who accu&s;ed both <HI>Eve</HI> and God; <HI>The woman thou gave&s;t me,</HI> the word thou gave&s;t me. But to avoid this, we mu&s;t endevour to read the word without prejudice, or being fore-po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with opinion. Many men make the Scriptures favour their errors, becau&s;e they read them with re|&s;olute mindes to hold that they have, and &s;o &s;eeke but to confirme them&s;elves out of that they read, and apply it to their errors, and not their mindes to it; and &s;ometimes &s;ticke upon the letter, and &s;ometime make it &s;peake that it never thought; knowing not that it is like to a fertile field, which bringeth forth many things which nouri&s;h the life of man, without any &s;eething or roa&s;ting by the heat of the fire. Some things that are hurtfull unle&s;&s;e they be boyled. Some things unboyled offend not, and yet having felt the heat of the fire, are more whole&s;ome. Some that are in their kindes profitable for bea&s;ts, though not for men: So the Scripture hath &s;ome things literally under&s;tood, which pro|fit and help; as, <HI>Heare O I&s;rael, &amp;c.</HI> Others, unle&s;&s;e they be miti|gated by the heat of the &s;pirituall fire, and be &s;piritually under|&s;tood, hurt more then profit, as that, <HI>Sell thy coat, and buy a &s;word; If he &s;trike thee on the right cheeke; turne to him the left; Take up his
<PB N="149" REF="208">cro&s;&s;e, and follow me,</HI> and &s;uch like. Therefore at all times it is not good to take the words, but labour for the &s;ence, &s;pecially not in tho&s;e places where they &s;eeme to favour any thing condemned in plaine words in another: for there, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> is certainly a figure.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="17" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XVII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Yee have wearied the Lord with your words: yet ye &s;ay, Wherein have we wearied him? When yee &s;ay, Eve|ry one that doth evill is good in the &s;ight of the Lord, and be delighteth in them. Or where is the God of judge|ment?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>YE have wearied the Lord with your words.]</HI> The Prophet pro|ceedeth now unto the la&s;t &s;in reproved in this Chapter, which was in this people; the former was touching men, this is concer|ning God: the former di&s;hone&s;ty and unfaithfulne&s;&s;e towards men, this impietie again&s;t God. Before he accu&s;ed them, as &s;ome &s;peake, of felony, now of trea&s;on: before for their deeds, now for their words and &s;peeches, contumeliou&s;ly uttered again&s;t God; denying the providence of God both over the good and bad, not providing for the one, and not puni&s;hing the other. It is thought that the Jewes being now returned out of Babylon from their captivity, and &s;aw both the Babylonians, and divers other Na|tions and people, to abound with wealth, ea&s;e and glory, though they &s;erved their Idols, and them&s;elves the onely wor&s;hippers of the true God, to be in want and poverty, they thought and &s;pake, that God he regarded not them that wor&s;hipped him, but the wic|ked were good in his &s;ight, and he delighted in them. Or at lea&s;t if it be not &s;o, where is God that judgeth uprightly?</P>
<P><HI>Yee have wearied the Lord with your words]</HI> Some thinke the wearine&s;&s;e here &s;poken of, is a fainting which commeth from too much &s;triving and labouring, whence commeth a remitting of the care and indevour which he tooke before time. And &s;o the meaning they would have to be; You &s;ay the Lord, who is mer|cifull, and aboundeth with mercy, and hath been ever con&s;tant in it, and prone to it; he is now wearyed in de&s;cending and provi|ding for, and in doing good unto tho&s;e that &s;erve him. And &s;o it &s;hould not be a wearine&s;&s;e impo&s;ed upon him, but one that is im|puted unto him. And &s;o onely in opinion it &s;hould be &s;o, and not in truth; but how this will agree with the Prophets an&s;wer to their demand, I cannot &s;ee, neither can it po&s;&s;ibly: for then he would have &s;aid, In that ye &s;ay, the Lord hath no care, or hath ca&s;t
<PB N="150" REF="209">of the re&s;pect of his; but he &s;peaketh otherwi&s;e. The meaning is, then you have grieved and vexed the Lord with your &s;peeches and reproaches and bla&s;hemies again&s;t him. It is &s;poken after the manner of men; becau&s;e they are &s;o, with the &s;peeches of others, like that, I&s;aiah. 43.24. <HI>Thou ha&s;t wearied me with thine imquities.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yet ye &s;ay wherein &amp;c.]</HI> Their an&s;wer for them&s;elves putting him to his proofe, and to make good that he had &s;poken, and &s;hew wherein; el&s;e would they not confe&s;&s;e their faults.</P>
<P><HI>When ye &s;ay.]</HI> Though not in his hearing who was able and would reproove them; but among&s;t the ignorant people in com|panies, where they came, &s;till inculcating and repeating &s;uch things, and &s;o make them ca&s;t off all feare of God, and care of hone&s;ty and piety.</P>
<P><HI>He that doth evill.]</HI> Not the good nor the righteous is re&s;pected of God, but the wicked; for they flouri&s;h and pro&s;per, and he is good in his &s;ight, that is approved of God.</P>
<P>From men they proceed to approach to God and to impeach, and di&s;grace him, and ca&s;t reproaches upon him; and being unfaith|full, injurious, and unju&s;t to men, they are irreligious towards God.</P>
<P>They who are unfaithfull and unju&s;t towards men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> will be ir|religious towards God: &s;uch as have no care of hone&s;ty, will have no care of piety, not of charity, not of religion, and <HI>&egrave;contra.</HI> So much this in&s;inuates: and that 1 John 4.20. <HI>If any man &s;ay I love God and hate his brother, he is a lyer; for how can he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath &s;een, love God whom he hath not &s;een?</HI> And James 1.27. <HI>Pure religion, and undefiled before God, even the father, is this, to vi&s;ite the fatherle&s;&s;e, and widowes in their adver&s;i|ty, and to keepe him&s;elfe un&s;potted of the world.</HI> Tit. 2.12. Matth. 25.42. Not that men &s;hall not be condemned for irreligion, but that this is manife&s;t to others, and &s;hewes that there can be no religion.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e men they &s;ee, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and conver&s;e withall daily, and &s;o not with God. Now if they have no care of the pre&s;ent, what is expe|cted towards the ab&s;ent; not of vi&s;ible, none of the invi&s;ible: As 1 John 4.20.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e care of religion proceedeth from the love of God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which makes Chri&s;t, Math. 22.27. include the whole fir&s;t table, which is concerning God and religion, under the title of love. Now there can be no love of God, but where there is love to man: for that 1 John 4.20. Men love not the per&s;on, if not the picture: love to man is naturall, to God &s;pirituall; that as naturall men, this as &s;pirituall and regenerate. If any be unnaturall, is it not like he will and mu&s;t needs be irreligious?</P>
<P>To teach us not to wonder, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> as many men doe, that there is &s;o much impiety and prophanene&s;&s;e in our age, &s;o little or no care
<PB N="151" REF="209">of the Lords day, little or no love of the word, zeale for Gods glory, care of his wor&s;hip, hatred of idolatry, and &s;uch like, but <HI>&egrave;contra</HI> much and great prophaning of the Lords day, &amp;c. Wee are in the age wherein charity is growne cold, and iniquity hath gotten the upper hand. It is true which <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Euchi</HI> 1. <HI>ad Laur.</HI> 117. <HI>Regnat carnalis cupiditas ubt non e&s;t Dei charitas</HI> And it will be as true if <HI>ubi,</HI> be placed before <HI>regnat,</HI> for there can be ne|ver any true and con&s;tant love to religion, where there is not true love to God; that cannot be, unle&s;&s;e men be &s;anctified and rege|nerated. Now &s;anctification, is as &s;ome &s;ay of hearts ea&s;e, that growes not in every mans garden, le&s;&s;e is it in every mans hou&s;e; &s;o not &s;anctification, it is few mens hearts, and manife&s;t not to be there where there is inju&s;tice &amp; di&s;hone&s;ty, no love of God: &amp; would we marvaile to &s;ee men performe no duties to tho&s;e they are knowne not to love? Love and affection being the ground of all duty, if not, why this? Nay rather &s;eeing the wickedne&s;&s;e, inju&s;tice and oppre&s;&s;ion of the time is &s;uch, we &s;hould rather won|der there is any religion at all, then that there is no more, that there is any love to the truth, &amp;c. then &s;o little.</P>
<P>To teach us what to judge of many men who &s;eeme religious, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> who will &s;it at <HI>Gamaliels</HI> feet, have Chri&s;t to teach in their &s;treets and Churches, he &s;hall eat at their tables and hou&s;es, and yet they are workers of iniquity, live in &s;ome one gro&s;&s;e &s;inne or another, of inju&s;tice and oppre&s;&s;ion, deceit or unfaithfulne&s;&s;e, and unclean|ne&s;&s;e; yea, after they have beene convinced by the word, remaine &s;till in them; know them to be but hypocrites, they may talke of religion, but they have no truth of it, they may have the &s;hew of goodline&s;&s;e, but not the power of it: They honor the word &amp; Mi|ni&s;ters onely, as <HI>Saul</HI> would have <HI>Samuel</HI> to accompany him, for his owne honor before the people, or &s;ome other &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect. It is not a &s;ure con&s;equent a man is carefull of the duties of the &s;e|cond table, and therefore religious, becau&s;e hitherto by nature he hath beene &s;o; &amp; there are &s;ome civil hypocrites as well as religi|ous hypocrites; but the co~trary co~&s;equent is good: And oftentimes the i&s;&s;ue of things proves not to be good; for though they hold out a while in &s;uch profe&s;&s;ion, yet at length they fall away, either when &s;ome trouble comes for it, that they may enjoy their lives and liberties, and &s;o their &s;innes. And &s;o as <HI>In&s;t. Martyr Apol. Ret. Chri&s;tian,</HI> made his rea&s;on, that they were not as they were accu&s;ed voluptuous, intemperate, and &s;uch like, becau&s;e they &s;o willingly embraced death for their profe&s;&s;ions &s;ake; for then they would have renounced that, and deceived Princes to have enjoyed the&s;e: So on the contray. Or el&s;e they after twice or thrice &s;tanding, are deprived of all that, as <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> was of his &s;trength by <HI>Dalilah.</HI></P>
<P>To teach every man that would either pre&s;erve him&s;elfe from irreligion, or approve that to others, that he &s;eemeth to have, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to
<PB N="152" REF="210">keepe him&s;elfe from, or to put from him all inju&s;tice, di&s;hone&s;ty, &amp; unfaithfulne&s;&s;e towards men: For el&s;e this will abandon religion out of his heart, and devour up all true profe&s;&s;ion, as <HI>Pharoahs</HI> leane kine devoured his fat; &amp; this wil make men judge, as wel they may, and with warrant, that there is no truth of religion in all that &s;hew. I deny not but a man may have the truth of religion, and &s;hould have wrong done him if he be otherwi&s;e judged of, and yet lye in &s;ome &s;inne again&s;t the &s;econd table; either becau&s;e he knew it not, or the &s;trength of the temptation hath blinded him, or the blow he had by it, hath for a while &s;tammered him, as did <HI>David.</HI> But if they be once convinced of it and wakened as <HI>David;</HI> If <HI>Nathan</HI> have reproved them plainely, yet not &s;o particular, yet &s;o as they knew they were the men, if they hold on in that &s;inne, it will &s;oon make them irreligious; for it will make them out of love with the word and Mini&s;tery; and then he that judgeth &s;hall have his &s;en|tence &s;ealed up by God: And Chri&s;t &s;hall make it good with that Luke 13.27. <HI>I tell you I know ye not, whence ye are, depart from me all ye workers of iniquity.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ye have wearied the Lord with your words.]</HI> Their words were a|gain&s;t God, they &s;pake wickedly, and bla&s;phemy again&s;t him.</P>
<P>To bla&s;pheme God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to &s;peake impiou&s;ly of him, of his provi|dence, power, governement, and &s;uch like, is a fearefull &s;inne, James 2.7.</P>
<P>If this be &s;uch a &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and God have an action again&s;t this peo|ple for it, how ju&s;tly may he? nay, hath he taken a controver&s;ie again&s;t us and our City, when our words are &s;till again&s;t him; for how is every place defiled with bla&s;phemies and oathes, the &s;treets and hou&s;es, tavernes, and mens private families, &s;hops, and offices, who is free from it, neither ma&s;ter, nor &s;ervant, husband, nor wife, parents, nor children, old nor young, buyer, nor &s;eller, magi&s;trate, nor &s;ubject? If the law for bla&s;phemers were in force, that they &s;hould be &s;toned, what a cry would be in our City? more then when the fir&s;t borne was &s;laine in Egypt, for old and young &s;hould be taken away; but if onely the guiltle&s;&s;e mu&s;t ca&s;t &s;tones at them, &s;carce one of twenty would be found to accu&s;e or execute others. This &s;inne begunne in a &s;waggerer, a &s;tabber, and if it had conti|nued there, it had beene well; but to cea&s;e upon a civill City, and civill people, that there &s;hould be as many oathes &s;worne within a &s;mall compa&s;&s;e in it, as in a great band of &s;uch de&s;perate ruffians, it is mo&s;t fearefull; and if God devour them with the &s;word for &s;uch bla&s;phemies, why not us with the plague? I &s;ay nothing of other bla&s;phemies, of accu&s;ing the providence, power, and government of God.</P>
<P>To teach us to re&s;i&s;t and reforme this vice, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> every man in him|&s;elfe, and in his, and labour to feare the great and fearefull name of God, and u&s;e it with reverence, and &s;peak of him, and his provi|dence
<PB N="153" REF="210">and workes with all humility, and honour. Give him as much honour as to our garments which are more pretious then others; for how is it not mo&s;t ab&s;urd that a man having one gar|ment more excellent then others, cannot indure it continually to be abu&s;ed, and yet ra&s;hly and upon every occa&s;ion abu&s;e the name of God? Let us not thinke tho&s;e excu&s;es of nece&s;&s;ity, and we can|not be beleeved, will goe for currant before God, or he provo|ked me; for &s;o the fir&s;t bla&s;phemer could have &s;aid for him&s;elfe. But as no man will drinke poy&s;on willingly, or upon any nece&s;&s;i|ty, &s;o &s;hould he not take an oath. <HI>De probo dicturo dicimus, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> tuum ablue &amp; ita commemora: nunc ver&ograve; nomen &s;uper omne nomen vene|randum, in omni terr&acirc; admirabile quod audientes Daemones horrent, temu arie circumferemus. O con&s;uetudinem! Chry&s;o&s;t. ho.</HI> 26. <HI>ad pop. Ant.</HI> And to make a more &s;peedy reformation, write upon the walls of thy hou&s;e, and of thy heart that &s;ame flying booke: Zac. 5.2.3. And thinke this is flying to judgement; and &s;o fly thou as fa&s;t from thine oathes: And as the Egyptians thru&s;t I&s;rael out of Egypt, becau&s;e for them the fir&s;t borne of the King and pea&s;ant was &s;laine: &s;o doe with your oathes.</P>
<P><HI>Ye have wearied the Lord with your words.]</HI> The Prophet &s;aith not barely, your words are again&s;t the Lord: As I&s;a. 3.8. but the Lord is wearied, and vexed with them; &s;peaking after the manner of men, who are vexed with things that di&s;plea&s;e them; and &s;o no|ting how greatly God was di&s;plea&s;ed with the&s;e &s;innes, how they offend him.</P>
<P>The bla&s;phemies, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and other &s;innes of men doe marvelou&s;ly offend, and vehemently di&s;plea&s;e the Lord; which as it is affir|med here and the like, I&s;aiah 43.24. So as many threates and me|naces, &s;o many judgements executed, &s;ometimes upon the whole world, &s;ometimes upon generall Cities, &s;ometimes upon particu|lars per&s;ons; through the holy &s;tory doth manife&s;t no le&s;&s;e: be|cau&s;e when men doe lay about them, and &s;mite and puni&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ira in deo non e&s;t affe|ctie, &s;ea poena in nos ea vo|cabulo noms natur. <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;t.</HI></NOTE> it ar|gues they are offended and di&s;plea&s;ed: hereto belongs the&s;e and the like, P&s;al. 106.29. <HI>Thus they provoked him to anger with their owne inventions, and the plague brake in upon them,</HI> I&s;aiah 63.10. <HI>but they rebelled, and vexed his holy &s;pirit: therefore was he turned to be their enemy, and he fought again&s;t them.</HI> Ephe&s;. 4.30. <HI>Grieve not the holy &s;pirit of God.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of his law, Joh. 3.4. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Now he gave his law to have obedience, which is delightfull unto him, 1 Sam. 15.22. He takes plea&s;ure in obedience: then di&s;obedience and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion mu&s;t needs di&s;plea&s;e him.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is mo&s;t holy, ju&s;t, and good; yea, goodne&s;&s;e, ju|&s;tice, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and holine&s;&s;e it &s;elfe. Now as every man is more good, &s;o is he lea&s;t &s;u&s;picious of evill in another; but when it is apparent, he is mo&s;t di&s;plea&s;ed with it: for as things rejoyce and delight in
<PB N="154" REF="211">their like: &s;o are they di&s;ta&s;ted and di&s;plea&s;ed with their unlike, and that which is &s;o contrary to them. The more righteous the Judge is, the more he hates iniquity and &s;inne; he is righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe. The &s;unne is the greate&s;t enemy to darkenes, becau&s;e it hath light of it &s;elfe, and as it were, is light it &s;elfe.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it workes the de&s;truction of the creature, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which he loves, Jam. 1.15. Now then loving his creature, he mu&s;t needs di&s;|like and hates this: parents hate and di&s;like tho&s;e creatures, men or bea&s;ts, who worke the ruine of their children, the fruit of their bo|dies, and generally what&s;oever a man loves, he hates that which worketh the ruine of it.</P>
<P>For &s;innes pa&s;t which a man hath commited, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> he mu&s;t be grie|ved and di&s;plea&s;ed with him&s;elfe, that ever he committed any &s;uch things, by which he hath grieved and vexed &s;o holy and righte|ous a God. And this ought he to do, if either he have love to God, or to him&s;elfe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Semper in a|more cautel. la e&s;t nem&ograve; melius dili|git quam qui maxime ve|retur offen|dere. <HI>Sal. Ep.</HI></NOTE> To God, becau&s;e where men love, they are loath to offend, and grieved when they have di&s;plea&s;ed them: &s;o that it is a note of a gracele&s;&s;e child, one without any love to his father, that is never grieved when he &s;ees his father grieved and vexed with his leudne&s;&s;e, and evill carriage: he may be a child, but he is a prodigall &s;onne, and &s;hall never be accepted till he returne and &s;hew him&s;elfe grieved, that he hath grieved him. True love &s;eekes to plea&s;e the beloved rather then it &s;elfe, and is more grie|ved that it hath di&s;plea&s;ed &s;uch one,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>As Salvia:</HI> Qui &s;atis ailigunt non cit&ograve; offendu~|tur: &s;ed &s;i no~ facil&egrave; offen|dunt.</NOTE> then if it had offended it &s;elfe: And whereas men are more di&s;plea&s;ed of the lo&s;&s;e of their owne plea&s;ure, then to the di&s;plea&s;ure of God: how can it be but that &s;elfe love is above Gods love? As (<HI>Salvia</HI> &s;aith) whom a man is loathe&s;t to offend, he mo&s;t loves, of him&s;elfe, or God: but where Gods love raigneth as it ought, there this di&s;like and griefe will be: And if this &s;hould not make them di&s;like and grieve; yet if any man indeed love him&s;elfe, he will di&s;like and grieve for them; becau&s;e if he doe it not voluntarily,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>As Chry. of man:</HI> quifu|erit &s;ub vin|culis bonus, nunqua~ erit profect&ograve; bo|nus: &s;imulac enim vi nul|lacogitur: li|ber ip&s;e ad ingentum &s;u|bito conver|&s;us iterum de&s;ce&s;&s;et <HI>So I of this griefe.</HI></NOTE> he &s;hall doe it by force and con&s;traint; for if he judge not him&s;elfe, and &s;o take revenge of him&s;elfe for his offending of God; the Lord will, and make him grieve, though oftentimes not as he ought, * (becau&s;e &s;uch griefe in judgements is not alwaies true griefe) yet he &s;hall grieve as he would not; for God will bring upon him that which will make him grieve, &s;ome judgement or other, to &s;hew that as he loves them who love him, &s;o will he grieve tho&s;e who grieve him; which if it be come upon them, they &s;hall finde that true that a di&s;ea&s;e, is not &s;o &s;oone removed as it is ea&s;ily prevented. So here. And that it will grieve them, as in di&s;ea&s;es; not the di&s;|ea&s;e, but that they neglected the meanes by which they might have prevented it.</P>
<P>For the time to come men ought to put away their &s;innes, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> and keepe them&s;elves from committing new &s;innes, or renewing
<PB N="155" REF="211">the old; for it is that which is a griefe unto the Lord and his Spi|rit: and &s;hould not men avoid the grieving of God? not words and workes which are again&s;t God, and doe di&s;plea&s;e him? If &s;inne were a thing which God regardeth not, and he were no waies affected or moved with it; to griefe or di&s;plea&s;ure, le&s;&s;e matter were to be made of it; it were no great matter though men &s;atisfied them&s;elves and plea&s;ed them&s;elves, but being as it is &s;o di&s;plea&s;ing to the Lord, &amp; &s;uch a grief unto him: It is not only to be &s;orrowed for co~mitted, but carefully to be avoided. If he be a fooli&s;h &s;on, that is an heavne&s;&s;e to his mother, Prov. 10.1. What is he that is a grief to God his father? how fooli&s;h and wicked is he? One asked this que&s;tion to one about to &s;inne: Tell me what thou thinke&s;t; will he pardon thee or no? what&s;oever thou an|&s;wer it &s;hall be again&s;t thy &s;elfe:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ablatus e|rat &agrave; pecca|toribus ti|mor, n&egrave; po&s;|&s;et e&s;&s;e cau|tela, <HI>And</HI> tanta ani|morum vel potius pecca|torum caeci|tas fuit, ut cum ab&s;que dubio nullus perire vellet, nullus tamen id agcret ne periret. <HI>Sal|via.</HI></NOTE> if thou thinke he will not par|don thee, what folly and de&s;peratene&s;&s;e is that to offend a mighty Prince without hope of pardon? if thou thinke he will; what in|gratitude, and impiety is it to offend &s;o gracious and good a God? &s;o when thou art about to commit any evill, or do&s;t omit &s;ome good formerly practi&s;ed, and as thou woulde&s;t be thought to have done it of con&s;cience, and &s;o it may be, though now a&s;leepe. Tell me, I &s;ay, what thinke&s;t thou, do&s;t thou grieve and di&s;plea&s;e God, or is it liking to him? An&s;wer what thou wilt, thou &s;halt not avoyde, but be taken: If thou &s;ay or thinke it doth not di&s;plea&s;e him, thou thinke&s;t wickedly, and &s;halt know it, P&s;al. 50.21. but if thou thinke it di&s;plea&s;e him, what a de&s;peratene&s;&s;e is this to provoke &s;uch a great God, &s;o mighty a Prince? And though thy &s;innes bring thee in never &s;o much plea&s;ure and profit for a time, never &s;o much contentment and &s;atisfaction, yet while God is di&s;plea&s;ed and offended, yea, grieved with it, thinke the end will be wor&s;e for thee: For <HI>doe they provoke me to anger,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>and not them&s;elves to the confu&s;ion of their faces?</HI> As if he &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>As Cyprian de lap&s;is.</HI> Plus im&ograve; de|linquit, qui &s;ecundu~ ho|minem Deu~ cogitans, e|vadere &s;e poe|na~ criminis credit, &s;i non palam crime~ admi&s;it &s;un~.</NOTE> doe they imagine I will long beare my griefe, and goe mourning a|way, and not pay them home, and ea&s;e my &s;elfe; yes, they &s;hall finde that I have &s;aid, I&s;aiah 1.24. <HI>Therefore &s;aith the Lord God of Hoa&s;ts, the mighty one of I&s;rael, ah! I will ea&s;e me of mine adver&s;a|ries, and avenge me of mine enemies.</HI> Therefore let men put away their iniquities, cea&s;e of firming, and not grieve the Lord. Let no man imagine that this he will not part with, but yet doe &s;omething which may plea&s;e God: As prophane <HI>E&s;au</HI> with his father; Gen. 28.8.9. for if they doe, it &s;hall be with them as with him, though his father meant to ble&s;&s;e him, yet God would not have it &s;o, though men and the worke ble&s;&s;e them, yet &s;hall it not be &s;o.</P>
<P>For imitation, if God be grieved, at the &s;innes of others, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> then ought they to be &s;o too. <HI>vide</HI> Mal. 1.6. in properties of filiall feare: And if it doe grieve them indeed, then will they not u&s;e fa|miliarity with tho&s;e, who&s;e words and workes are bitter and
<PB N="156" REF="212">&s;harpe &s;words, grieving God, and grieving them; where there is a nece&s;&s;ity of a mans calling, there to come when he &s;hall heare and &s;ee &s;uch thing is one thing; but where no &s;uch things, he that can take plea&s;ure or delight in their companies, may feare he is not affected, or is benummed by pre&s;ent condition: if a little plea|&s;ure, or profit of his owne make him indure much di&s;grace to God.</P>
<P><HI>When ye &s;ay, every one that doth evill in his &s;ight.]</HI> Their bla&s;|phemy was &s;poken herein, that they &s;aid God re&s;pected and loved the wicked.</P>
<P>For men to thinke, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> or &s;peake, that God loveth, and re&s;pecteth the wicked, maketh account of them, and approveth them; it is a wicked and bla&s;phemous thought and &s;peech again&s;t God. Such was this. And &s;uch is that, Cap. 3. Such <HI>David</HI> confe&s;&s;ed ceazed &s;ometime upon him&s;elfe, P&s;al. 73.12.13. This is that which <HI>Elihu</HI> chargeth <HI>Iob</HI> withall, Job 34.9. <HI>For he hath &s;aid, it profiteth a man nothing that he &s;hou'd walke with Ged.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is to make God wicked; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> for no man but a wicked man, and one in that he is wicked, can, or will approve of the wicked, or wickedne&s;&s;e. Many men may in outward &s;hew, and in hypocrifie, approve and &s;hew liking of holine&s;&s;e and piety, when them&s;elves are not good; but no man can, or will approve of wickedne&s;&s;e, but he that is evill, and wicked; he therefore that &s;aith, God favoureth the wicked, mu&s;t needs chalenge him for wicked; but to &s;ay the righteous God is wicked, is bla&s;phemy, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he makes God to doe that which he accounts abomi|nable in others, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and hath pronounced a woe again&s;t them that &s;hould doe it, which is to ju&s;tifie the wicked. I&s;ai. 5.20. he mu&s;t needs thinke wickedly, and &s;peake bla&s;phemou&s;ly again&s;t God.</P>
<P>How then &s;hall we excu&s;e the Apo&s;tle from bla&s;phemy, <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> affir|ming Rom. 4.5. <HI>that God ju&s;tifies the ungodly?</HI></P>
<P>Well enough, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> becau&s;e the meaning is not, that he ju&s;tifies him, &s;o long, and while he is wicked, as if he accounted evill, good, and made his workes ju&s;t, which were wicked; for this is again&s;t the law, and forbidden by him, and affirmed by him he never will doe it, Exod. 34.7. But they are called wicked, not becau&s;e they are &s;uch, when he hath ju&s;tified them, but becau&s;e they were &s;uch before; for he pardons their &s;innes, and heales their infirmi|ties, and gives them new hearts, and makes them ju&s;t and righte|ous, and &s;o is &s;aid to ju&s;tifie them: It may be &s;hadowed to our ca|pacity. A Phy&s;itian is &s;aid to heale a man, not that he is &s;icke when he hath healed him, but that he was &s;icke when he begunne with him. So in this. But that is reproved, as bla&s;phemy in the&s;e, is, that they &s;aid God loved the wicked when he was &s;uch, and approved of him, being &s;uch.</P>
<P>To convince many of &s;in, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> &amp; of this bla&s;phemy, not in that onely
<PB N="157" REF="212">which oftentimes is heard from them, that they cen&s;ure and con|demne and ca&s;t our of the favour of God, and make them to be hated of God, who indeed are in his love and bookes; as if he did condemne the righteous, and onely becau&s;e their lives and carri|age is reproved by their piety and &s;tudy of holine&s;&s;e, and con|demne them as hated, becau&s;e they &s;trive to come mo&s;t nigh God. To whom we may apply that of <HI>Tertullian. Apol. adver&s;us gentes.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Quant&ograve; magis hos denota&s;&s;et Anachar&s;is imprudentes de prudenti|bus judican|tes, qua~ ins mu&s;icos de mu&s;icis. <HI>Ter|tull. Apol. adver&s;us gentes.</HI></NOTE> <HI>How much more would Anachar&s;is have noted the&s;e men of folly being unwi&s;e? yet taking upon them to cen&s;ure the wi&s;e, then for men unskilfull in mu&s;icke, to cen&s;ure mu&s;itians.</HI> But this is not their expre&s;&s;ed &s;in here, though implyed; but when they make &amp; affirm men to be in the favour of God, and approved of him, who are wicked and evill. How many confidently glory of them&s;elves that they love God, and are beloved of him, when &s;ome of them are like him, Deut. 29.18.19. being knowne, and noted for wic|ked man, and yet boa&s;t of his love? what is this but bla&s;phemy, to &s;ay God ju&s;tifieth and approveth the wicked? But if they be not apparently wicked, but civill hypocrites, and live in no gro&s;&s;e &s;inne of the &s;econd table, but are voyde of the truth of any duty; but are without all goodne&s;&s;e, &s;pecially in re&s;pect of the fir&s;t, whereby they are wicked: (for if it be true, <HI>&s;atis e&s;t hoc mali nihil boni feci&s;&s;e;</HI> then is he wicked that is not good) and for &s;uch an hypocrite to flatter him&s;elfe, and boa&s;t of his love, to God, and God to him, makes him &s;o much the more wicked; for he addeth to his former &s;innnes, this bla&s;phemy, chalenging God that he ju&s;tifies the wicked ones, and that he approves, and likes of him, being wicked. Now as they are guilty of this, in re&s;pect of them|&s;elves, &s;o are they for others; for men that are their friends by whom they reape profit, from whom they have countenance, and of whom they are honoured and advanced, be what they will be, how wicked, or how ungodly &s;oever; yet they tell them, and &s;o flatter them, as the ble&s;&s;ed and beloved men of God.</P>
<P>To teach every man to take heed of this bla&s;pemy, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to thinke or &s;peake thus wickedly of God, either in favour of him&s;elfe or others. If a man may not lye for Gods cau&s;e, he may not belye God for him&s;elfe, or in the behalfe of others; knowing him&s;elfe guilty of &s;ome gro&s;&s;e &s;innes, adultery, covetuou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;wearing, and &s;uch like, and lying in them; yet boa&s;t God re&s;pects and loves him, he is good in his &s;ight; like a bragging Courtier that boa|&s;teth of the favour of his Prince, when he never had it, or is cleane ca&s;t out of it, for it may co&s;t him &s;etting on; but this &s;urely &s;hall. Or &s;peaking of others for &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pects; who if they doe but of|fend them, and deprive them of the hopes they have, and have &s;ettled upon them, will condemne them for mo&s;t wicked men; and yet will for the pre&s;ent advance them, as the onely white ones of God; but it &s;hould not be thus, &s;eeing that is to bla&s;pheme and
<PB N="158" REF="213">&s;peake wickedly of God: And if it be dangerous &s;landering a State, or a ju&s;t Judge, &s;aying he ju&s;tifieth the wicked; how much more this? But if we mu&s;t be judging, labour to judge righteous judgement, and account men beloved that are good, and them hated that are wicked.</P>
<P><HI>He that doth evill is good in Gods &s;ight.]</HI> So they judged from outward things; the ea&s;e, plenty, &amp; pro&s;perity which idolaters had, and for that accounted them happy, and beloved of God; but the Prophet reproveth them, as mea&s;uring God by a fal&s;e rule, them|&s;elves hated, becau&s;e of their long cro&s;&s;es, and others beloved be|cau&s;e of their long pro&s;perity.</P>
<P>As they are not to be accounted hated of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> who are under the cro&s;&s;e, and in &s;ome long affliction; &s;o are not they to be accoun|ted beloved, and accepted of God, who are in pro&s;perity, and in &s;ome long outward felicity: Manife&s;t here, and that Eccle&s;. 9.1. P&s;al. 73.1.1 Cor. 1.26.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the&s;e &s;tates are common to both; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and if there happen to be any propriety in them, pro&s;perity &amp; long impunity is proper to the wicked, and the cro&s;&s;e to godly; as all times manife&s;t to us: And if either argue love or hatred, or doe but looke that waies, it is pro|&s;perity; hatred and the cro&s;&s;e rather argue love, Rev. 3.19.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God le&s;&s;e loves where outward things are, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> not in par|ticular, but generally; the rea&s;on of which is, becau&s;e men el&s;e would thinke them beloved for their outward things; and by them to de&s;erve love, and &s;o never acknowledge his love free; but that he loved them, becau&s;e he might better honour him&s;elfe by them: As St. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> gives the rea&s;on why he cho&s;e not the wi&s;e Scribe, or Philo&s;opher, not the Senator, not the rich Mer|chant to be his Di&s;ciples; becau&s;e they would &s;ay they were cho|&s;en for &s;uch things. And therefore the&s;e argue rather not love.</P>
<P>By the way, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> this will confute the Church of Rome, making a flouri&s;hing e&s;tate, a &s;igne and true note of the Church; and &s;o of the favour and love of God, for no Church without love; when it is manife&s;t, the cro&s;&s;e is <HI>Comes Eccle&s;iae.</HI> And no &s;ociety hath had more afflictions then it; but if it had not, yet if it will not con|clude that one man is beloved, and &s;o two, &amp;c. then not a mul|titude.</P>
<P>This confutes the common judgement of mo&s;t men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> who mea|&s;ure the favour and love of God to them&s;elves, and others, by outward things, accounting him that is in poverty and mi&s;ery, ac|cur&s;ed and rejected; and he that is rich and full, to be the &s;onne of God; and hence they bla&s;pheme God &s;o u&s;ually as they doe, both in re&s;pect of them&s;elves and others, when they account them beloved; their rea&s;on and ground is all upon this foundation, they have riches and wealth, and every thing &s;ucceeds well with them; Like the high Prie&s;ts, who accounted the people accur&s;ed,
<PB N="159" REF="213">becau&s;e they knew not the law, and them&s;elves happy becau&s;e they knew, when they knew nothing as they ought to know; as the&s;e for knowledge, &s;o they for riches: As among the Egyptians; he onely was accounted rich that had his heard full of white kine: So now he onely beloved that hath his pur&s;e and trea&s;ures full. How u&s;uall this manner of judging is, is too too apparent; but how fallacious and deceitfull it is, may be as apparent; like that of <HI>Sinionides,</HI> who would have wealth better then wi&s;edome, be|cau&s;e the wi&s;e &s;tood with cap in hand to the rich; &s;o they the wealthy then the poore, becau&s;e they would have it to argue more favour, and &s;o judge a man how wicked, at lea&s;t, how un|godly &s;oever he be, if he have riches, and be in pro&s;perity and plenty, and others hated; but the&s;e condemne the generation of Gods children: as P&s;alm. 73. yea, they judge and condemne God him&s;elfe, as if he loved the wicked.</P>
<P>To teach us, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> not to judge and mea&s;ure the love of God by the&s;e outward things, to thinke of that, James 2.1. <HI>My brethren have not the faith of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, in re&s;pect of per&s;ons:</HI> for &s;o much it will carry, though more. We have a proverbe which may con|fute the&s;e conceits, and better informe us; for u&s;ually we &s;ay not, he is beloved of God that is rich, but he is rich that God loves, and &s;o he is; for he is rich that a Prince loves, though he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e him not with lands and livings; becau&s;e his love will ever admi|ni&s;ter that which is nece&s;&s;ary for his place and &s;tate; but this is true, e&s;pecially if we under&s;tand it of &s;uch a Prince as is not muta|ble in his minde, not mortall in his nature; he is rich that &s;uch a Prince loves, which is onely God. But admit this; yet how &s;hall a man know that God loves him, or how may a man judge who is beloved, if not by the&s;e outward things? I an&s;wer by another que|&s;tion: how doe Courtiers know Princes love them, how children that their fathers love them as children? The fir&s;t is not from common gifts which are Princes larges, they ca&s;t at all adventure, but their &s;peciall places of honor and dignities. The &s;econd not that they have meate and drinke, apparell, and &s;uch things nece&s;|&s;ary, common to htem, and &s;ervants; but that they have inheri|tances and portions provided for them. So not the&s;e outward things common, nor common graces, knowledge, utterance, &amp;c. but particular graces, faith, hope, &s;anctification, and &s;uch like; he that is rich in the&s;e, is beloved oif God.</P>
<P><HI>Or where is the God of judgement?]</HI> Their bla&s;phemy con&s;i&s;ted on two parts: one that God &s;hould favour the wicked and repro|bate. Another that if that be denyed, it will follow that God did not judge and governe things upon earth; for if he did, then would it not goe &s;o well with &s;uch wicked. They deny not here by this interrogation, that there is a God of judgement, but from the pro&s;perity of the wicked, that he &s;hewes him&s;elfe carele&s;&s;e and
<PB N="160" REF="214">remi&s;&s;e in his government, and &s;o in this thing, calling it into que&s;tion.</P>
<P>For men to deny or doubt of the providence of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> becau&s;e of the pro&s;perity of the wicked and their impunity, and for the affliction of the godly, and their &s;ufferings, and troubles, is a wic|ked and bla&s;phemous thing; for &s;uch are the&s;e reproved. This made <HI>David</HI> pray &s;o earne&s;tly for Gods judgements upon the wic|ked, that it might appeare that his providence was over the earth, P&s;alm. 58. <HI>per totum.</HI> In&s;inuating el&s;e that they would from their pro&s;perity deny his providence: He noteth of him&s;elfe, that from their pro&s;perity he was tainted &amp; infected with this, had not the waters of the &s;anctuary cured him, P&s;al. 73.17. And &s;hewes directly, that others &s;eeing it by rea&s;on of the infirmity of the fle&s;h, and a&s;toni&s;hed at the greatne&s;&s;e of their pro&s;perity, and their owne mi&s;ery, called into que&s;tion the providence and admini&s;tra|tion of God, Ver&s;e 11. Example of this is in <HI>Gideon,</HI> Judges 6.12.13. <HI>Then the Angell of the Lord appeared unto him, and &s;aid unto him, the Lord is with thee, thou valiant man. To whom Gide on an&s;wered, ah, my Lord! if the Lord be with us, why then is all this come upon us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, and &s;aid, did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt? but now the Lord hath for&s;aken us, and delivered us into the hand of the Midianites.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;ee not how they can e&s;cape the former, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> el&s;e to accu&s;e God as a favourer of the wicked, and one that loves not the good; if they &s;hould acknowledge his providence, &s;eeing they mea&s;ure his love by outward things: Therefore they fall into this, to deny his providence and particular di&s;po&s;ition of things.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as S. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaketh, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> they are blinde, or blinded with &s;ome pa&s;&s;ion, and cannot &s;ee a farre off, either to call to minde the judgements of God, by which they may &s;ee what he hath done, that he regardeth, or to &s;ee the time to come, that he will doe it; but onely looking to the pre&s;ent view, are thus deceiued and erre.</P>
<P>To teach us when we heare many men wrangling and jang|ling again&s;t the providence oif God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and denying his admini&s;tra|tion and governement of things here below; even from this, that tho&s;e who walke uprightly are under the winde, and they who contemne God, de&s;pi&s;e, or at lea&s;t neglect his wor&s;hip, live in Athei&s;me, or irreligion, and prophane&s;&s;e, yet they flouri&s;h, and have all things in abundance, as heart could de&s;ire; for if he did, how would he not remedy this, and rectifie this confu&s;ion? Such quarrelling, as this is but the old &s;ophy&s;try of Satan, and the old corruption of man, which hath beene a thou&s;and times confuted in every age, and place, &s;ince it was fir&s;t invented, which might have &s;topped the mouth of all iniquity in this ca&s;e, were not Satan wonderfull malicious, and the nature of man marveylous weake,
<PB N="161" REF="214">not able to looke to things pa&s;t, or for&s;ee things to come.</P>
<P>To teach us to take heed oif any &s;uch corruption as this is, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to deny, or que&s;tion about the providence of God, when we looke abroad, and con&s;ider things, and finde things thus di&s;po&s;ed of, which &s;eemes &s;o contrary to the cour&s;e of the world; and to &s;tay us, we mu&s;t con&s;ider two things: The fir&s;t is, that how&s;oever other arguments and rea&s;ons of Gods divine providence and mercy towards all and particular men, is to be &s;eene and is mani|fe&s;t of all, both in their lives pa&s;t, and pre&s;ent, in all places; yet are not the examples of his judgement alwaies to be &s;eene, but to be expected in their due time, &s;uch as are re&s;erved for time to come; &s;o that though a man may judge by the time pa&s;t and pre|&s;ent, and finde nothing, nor to part of mans life without apparent proofes of the power, wi&s;edome, and mercy of God, becau&s;e he &s;till makes his &s;un to &s;hine, and his raine to fall on good and bad; yet that part of providence which is in judgements, is to be expe|cted in a fit time, but it is the future and time to come: And that he will manife&s;t unto every one that he certainely doth governe. This advice is given. P&s;a. 37.1.2.9.10.35.36. And that Job 27. from 7. to 14. and ver&s;. 30. Therefore mu&s;t we with <HI>David</HI> goe into Gods Sanctuary, and con&s;ider not the beginnings nor the pre&s;ent &s;tate, but the ends of the&s;e men, which will manife&s;tly prove his providence, Gods dealing with them and his owne; like to Princes with their Hawke and Partridge, oir their &s;tates be|ing like the Partridge, and the other as the Hawke. The &s;econd is, the time pre&s;ent, that this divers dealing of God with them, ar|gues his providence, becau&s;e it is the way to &s;alvation for the one, and to de&s;truction for the other. As it argues the skill of the Phy|&s;itian and his wi&s;edome, having to deale with two patients; one de&s;perately &s;icke, and he cares not for his health; the other &s;o &s;ick as he may be recovered, he u&s;eth divers dyets and manner of u&s;age: So God deales with his.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="162" REF="215">
<HEAD>THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE PROPHET <HI>MALACHY.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_BEhold, I will &s;end my me&s;&s;enger, and he &s;hall prepare the way be|fore me: and the Lord whom ye &s;eek, &s;hall &s;peedily come to his Temple: even the me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant whom ye de&s;ire: behold, he &s;hall come, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>2 But who may abide the day of his comming? and who &s;hall endure, when he appeareth? for he is like purging fire, and like fullers &s;ope.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 And he &s;hall &s;it down to trie and fine the &s;ilver: he &s;hall even fine the &s;ons of Levi, and purifie them as gold and &s;ilver, that they may bring of|ferings unto the Lord in-righteou&s;nes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Then &s;hall the offerings of Juda and Jeru&s;alem be acceptable unto the Lord, as in old time, and in the yeers afore.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 And I will come neer to you to judgement, and I will be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t the &s;ooth&s;ayers, and again&s;t the adulterers, and again&s;t fal&s;e &s;wearers, and again&s;t tho&s;e that wrongfully keep backe the hirelings wages, and vex the widow and the fatherle&s;&s;e, and oppre&s;&s;e the &s;tranger, and feare not me, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 For I am the Lord: I change not, and ye &s;ons of Jaacob are not confirmed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 From the daies of your fathers, yee are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them: returne unto me, and I will returne unto you, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts: but ye &s;aid, wherein &s;hall we returne?</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 Will a man &s;poyle his gods? yet have ye &s;poyled me: but ye &s;ay, Wherein have we &s;poyled thee? In tithes and offerings.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 Ye are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e: for ye have &s;poyled me, even this whole nation.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 Bring ye all the tithes into the &s;torehou&s;e, that there may be meat in mine hou&s;e, and proove me now herewith, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, if I will not open the windows of heaven unto you, and powre you out a ble&s;&s;ing without mea&s;ure.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your &s;akes, and he &s;hall not de&s;troy the fruit of your ground, neither &s;hall your vine be barten in the field, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 And all nations &s;hall call you ble&s;&s;ed: for ye &s;hall be a plea&s;ant land, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>13 Your words have been &s;tout again&s;t me, &s;aith the Lord: yet ye &s;ay, What have we &s;poken again&s;t thee?</ITEM>
<ITEM>14 Ye have &s;aid, It is in vaine to &s;erve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his commandement, and that we walked humbly before the Lord of ho&s;ts?</ITEM>
<ITEM>15 Therefore we count the proud ble&s;&s;ed: even they that worke wickedne&s;&s;e are &s;et up, and they that tempt God, yea, they are delivered.</ITEM>
<ITEM>16 Then &s;pake they that &s;eared the Lord, every one to his neighbour, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his Name.</ITEM>
<ITEM>17 And they &s;hall be to me, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, in that day that I &s;hall do this, for a flocke, and I will &s;pare them as a man &s;pareth his own &s;on that &s;erveth him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>18 Then &s;hall you returne, and di&s;cerne between the righteous and the wicked: between him that &s;erveth God, and him that &s;erveth him not.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="163" REF="215">
<HEAD>VERSE I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Behold, J will &s;end my me&s;&s;enger, and he &s;hall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye &s;eek, &s;hall &s;peedily come to his Temple: even the me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant whom ye de&s;ire: behold, he &s;hall come, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_IN this Chapter are two things laid down: one an an&s;wer to the bla&s;phemies reproved, ver&s; 17. of the former, which is contained in the 6. fir&s;t ver&s;es. The other, an expo&s;tulation or conte&s;tation with them, of their propha|ne&s;&s;e, ob&s;tinacy and other impiety, <HI>ad finem.</HI> For the fir&s;t. The &s;um of it is thus. Hither|to hath God &s;o &s;hewed him&s;elfe a mo&s;t equall and upright Judge, that yet before he manife&s;ted him&s;elfe a mo&s;t mercifull father, and never yet condemned and puni&s;hed any people, or any Nation with de&s;truction, bani&s;hment, or other puni&s;hment, but he fir&s;t by his Prophets or by other means, en|deavoured to draw them to repentance and their duty, from their madne&s;&s;e and corruptions. And &s;o it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that either truly repenting and de&s;iring the mercy of God, they obtaine par|don, or remaining ob&s;tinate and impenient, they are mo&s;t ju&s;tly puni&s;hed. Now this ancient manner of &s;hewing his judgements, either privately or publiquely, God commands here to be expe|cted: for he &s;aith he is about amo&s;t excellent worke, whereby he will make manife&s;t to godly and &s;ound hearted men, the great|ne&s;&s;e of his mercy, and will give proofe of the &s;everity of his judgements to the wicked, and tho&s;e who are ob&s;tinate in their &s;in. The manner how this is expre&s;&s;ed unto us, is, by a Prophe&s;ic of two per&s;ons to come; the one of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> the forerunner, calling men to repentance, and &s;hewing Gods purpo&s;e both touching the godly and the reprobate: The other of the Ruler and Saviour of the world, the Judge of quicke and dead, who&s;e ad|mitable power is manife&s;ted both waies, both in &s;aving of the
<PB N="164" REF="216">good and faithfull, and in judgeing and puni&s;hing the wicked. The Prophe&s;ie is then of two per&s;ons, and of their duties. The fir&s;t is <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Z<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">charias,</HI> who was and did &s;hew &s;alvation a comming, and teach men the meanes how they might obtaine it, who for the &s;imilitude of his minde, manners, &s;tudies, and whole life, was called another <HI>Elias;</HI> for to under&s;tand this as the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> did of an heavenly Angel, is marvelou&s;ly ab&s;urd, &s;eeing our Saviour Chri&s;t in the Go&s;pel, hath manife&s;tly affirmed, that it was <HI>Iohn.</HI> Math. 11.10. who was &s;ent not by the councell of man, neither came by his owne am|bition; but by the authority of God he undertooke this duty.</P>
<P><HI>Behold.]</HI> Signifieth a certaine and a mo&s;t famous and publique thing. And &s;peaking of this he u&s;eth the pre&s;ent ten&s;e; he noteth the certainty of it, that is as &s;ure as if it were already done, and as &s;ure as if it were beheld with their eies. But there is in this thing a difference betwixt the Prophet and the Evangeli&s;t, one giving it to Chri&s;t, the other unto the Father; divers reconcile them di|ver&s;ly, but that which &s;eemeth mo&s;t plaine and true is this: That &s;ome works are proper to the per&s;ons, to every one in their e&s;&s;en|tiall proprieties; as to beget, be begotten, and proceed; and the&s;e are not communicable, but &s;ome are externall and common, and &s;ometimes are given to one per&s;on, &s;ometimes to another, to ma|nife&s;t the unity of e&s;&s;ence in the trinity of per&s;ons. As I&s;aiah 6.1. I &s;aw the Law &s;itting on a throne. Some thinke, St. <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> and others, that it was the Father who appeared in that vi&s;ion. Yet John, 12.41. It is given to the &s;onne. And Acts, 28.25. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> gi|veth it unto the &s;pirit. So that which is &s;poken of the holy Gho&s;t, 2. Pet. 7.21. is affirmed of the Father. Heb. 1.1. now like to the&s;e is this. The &s;ending of <HI>Iohn</HI> being common to both, is by the Prophet given to the Son, and by the Evangeli&s;t to God, or by Chri&s;t in the Evangeli&s;t, to &s;hew that he was one in nature with the Father, and another in per&s;on. Now Angel heere is a name noting an office or mini&s;tery, and not an e&s;&s;ence or nature. <HI>Cyr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">llus</HI></P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall prepare the way before me.]</HI> The effect of his office and mini&s;tery, to make ready for Chri&s;t: that is, by preaching &s;aith and repentance, he might fit men ready to receive Chri&s;t whom he preached, not to come but declared and pointed at him being pre|&s;ent, and already come. And &s;o he differed from all the for|mer Prophets. In which &s;tate he denied him&s;elfe to be a Prophet. Iohn, 1.</P>
<P><HI>And the Lord whom ye &s;eek.]</HI> The next Prophe&s;ie is of Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, and the Lord who&s;e comming the per&s;on is de&s;cribed in this ver&s;e, his power, ver&s;e the &s;econd, and the effects of that power in re&s;pect of the godly and elect, ver&s;es third and fourth, and of the wicked and reprobate, ver&s;es five and &s;ix.</P>
<PB N="165" REF="216">
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t of the comming of Chri&s;t, which is de&s;cribed to us, fir&s;t when he &s;hould come, &s;peedily or immediately; that is, when John had once entered his office and begun to preach, Chri&s;t &s;hould come preaching al&s;o repentance and the Go&s;pell, and &s;o he did. Marke. 1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly the place where he &s;hould come; that is, the Temple. By which what &s;hould be meant; divers men have divers con|ceits. Saint <HI>Cyril</HI> under&s;tands the wombe of the virgin. Saint <HI>Au|gu&s;t</HI> and <HI>Theod.</HI> the humanity and fle&s;h of Chri&s;t; becau&s;e of that, <HI>de&s;troy this Temple.</HI> Iohn 2. but neither of the&s;e can be, &s;eeing, John mu&s;t fir&s;t be &s;ent to preach, which was not till Chri&s;t was thirty yeares of age: for his &s;ending was not his birth, but his of|fice, or for it. So Chri&s;ts &s;ending was not his incarnation, but his office; for then is he &s;aid to come, when he began to preach, worke miracles, and execute his function. So John 1.26, 27. and Math. 3.11. By Temple then we under&s;tand literally the Temple at Jeru&s;alem, and in it the Church; for in it Chri&s;t ought to be, to teach, to do, and execute his calling and function, by the decree of God. And there to build him&s;elfe that &s;pirituall Temple, which is made of living &s;tones. And this &s;ome gather from the prepo&s;iti|on <HI>El ad,</HI> which &s;ignifies not onely the place, but notes the cau&s;e and end as well, and &s;o it is both to the Temple and for it; noting the &s;pirituall Temple to the materiall Temple, and for the &s;piritu|all, that the type, this the truth.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Now the per&s;on of Chri&s;t is de&s;cribed. Fir&s;t he is called the Lord, that is King and governour of his Church, of whom is that, P&s;al. 110.1. Which Lord the Prophet affirmeth that they de&s;ired, the Jewes all of them, &s;ome in one re&s;pect, &amp; &s;ome in another de|&s;ired him: &s;ome as an earthly King, and deliverer, and &s;ome as a &s;pirituall King, and the true Me&s;&s;ias, who &s;hould be their re|deemer and &s;aviour, from &s;inne and the wrath of God, Luke 2.25.38.</P>
<P><HI>Even the me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant.]</HI> The &s;econd de&s;cription of his per&s;on, that he is the me&s;&s;enger or Angell &s;o called, be|cau&s;e he was to reveale his Fathers will to his people, and to be their Prophet to teach them what God requireth of them. Cal|led the Angel of the Covenant, partly becau&s;e he was promi&s;ed, and God did &s;o Covenant with them to be their Prophet, Deut. 18.15, 16. and Rom: 15.8. and partly as &s;ome thinke, becau&s;e he it is that makes the Covenant, betwixt God and his people, be|ing mediator of it; and partly becau&s;e he is the me&s;&s;enger of the new law, or the new te&s;tament, wherein heavenly ble&s;&s;ings are promi&s;ed unto us. So St. <HI>Augu&s;t. de civit. Dei.</HI> 18, 35.</P>
<P><HI>Behold he &s;hall come.]</HI> The concu&s;ion for confirmation of the former to e&s;tabli&s;h the certainty of it. <HI>i.</HI> At the time appointed he &s;hall certainly come; &s;o God hath decreed it, and the mouth
<PB N="166" REF="217">of the Lord hath &s;poken it. Some under&s;tand the&s;e words of his &s;econd comming, as the others of the fir&s;t. As <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> and <HI>Theo|doret.</HI> But <HI>Cyril</HI> and <HI>Rupert</HI> otherwi&s;e, as we; and the third and fourth ver&s;es prove it, becau&s;e tho&s;e things are exerci&s;es of the Church upon earth.</P>
<P>In the Prophe&s;ie we fir&s;t ob&s;erve what toucheth the forerunner. That he is &s;ent, and the end of his &s;ending.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;end.]</HI> Math. 11.10. It is &s;aid God the Father &s;endeth, no|ting the unity of e&s;&s;ence.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is God equall to the Father and coeternall with him. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> Revel. 2.8. fir&s;t and la&s;t.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t he &s;endeth Mini&s;ters and appoints them over particular charges, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> as Pa&s;tors, Re. 2.1.</P>
<P><HI>My me&s;&s;enger or Angel.] Iohn</HI> is the ine&s;&s;enger of Chri&s;t, one by whom he would make his will known: and the &s;pirituall and heavenly verity manife&s;t unto his people, which is not peculiar to <HI>Iohn,</HI> but that which is given unto all the Mini&s;ters of God, and &s;o teacheth us a generall thing.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters of God are his me&s;&s;engers and Angels to re|ceive from him and reveale to, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and teach his people his will and plea&s;ure; tho&s;e by whom he will convey unto them the know|ledge of his divine My&s;teries; which is not to be under&s;tood ex|clu&s;ively, as if they &s;hould have no knowledge of it by any other means; But this is the principall means by which he hath or|dained thus to manife&s;t it; Hence is this name of Angel or me&s;|&s;enger &s;o u&s;ually iven unto them. And that of Emba&s;&s;adours. 2. Cor. 5.20. And that of any Interpreter. Iob, 33.23. And that they bring is called the Lords me&s;&s;age. Haggai, 1.13. Hence that, Math. 29.19. <HI>go ye and teach.</HI> Luke, 16.29. <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aid un|to him, <HI>they have Mo&s;es and the Prophets; let them hear them.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e of mans infirmity, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> therefore he &s;peakes not him&s;elfe, neither &s;endeth by an Angel, which is one by nature, knowing the naturall feare of a man, that he is able to indure neither. As that &s;heweth. Deuter. 5.25, 26. <HI>Now therefore why &s;hould we die? For this great fire will con&s;ume us: if we heare the voice of the Lord our God any more, we &s;hall die. For what fle&s;h was there ever that heard the voice of the living God &s;peaking out of the mid&s;t of the fire, as we have, and lived?</HI> Luke 1.11, 12. <HI>Then appeared unto him an Angel of the Lord, &s;tanding at the right fide of the Altar of incen&s;e: And when Zacharias &s;aw him, he was troubled: and fear fell upon him.</HI> As al&s;o his &s;uper&s;tition who would leave attending the me&s;&s;age and wor&s;hip the me&s;&s;enger. As Revelat. 22.8. But he willing to have the me&s;&s;age rather regarded, &s;ends it in earthen ve&s;&s;ells.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they might know better and more fitly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to deliver and apply this word, both with more compa&s;&s;ion, and with other affe|ctions, &s;eeing they are partakers of the like infirmities, and &s;o better
<PB N="167" REF="217">know the infirmities of men. It is the rea&s;on the Apo&s;tle giveth, why the Prie&s;thood was taken from men, to be for men in things appertaining to God. Heb. 5.1, 2. Which is that the Apo&s;tle &s;aid. 1. Cor. 9.20. <HI>Vnto the Iewes I become as a Iew, that I may win the Iewes: to them that are under the law, as though I were under the law, that I may win them that are under the law.</HI> Which was, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine;</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Compa&s;&s;io|ne mi&s;eri|cordiae non &s;imulatione fallacia. fit enim tanquam agrotus qui mini&s;trat agroto; non cum &s;efebrem habere mentitur, &s;ed cum auimo condolent is, quem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">dmodum &s;ibi mini&s;tare vellet, &s;i ip&s;e aegrotaret, &amp; &s;ic sp&s;e a|liis aegrotantibus mini&s;trando compatitur: Augu&s;t. Epi&s;t. Hierom Epi&s;t <HI>9.</HI></NOTE> <HI>In compa&s;sion pitying them, not in di&s;simulation to de|ceive them.</HI> He became as a &s;icke man him&s;elfe, to tend the &s;icke, not feigning that he had a fever, but with &s;uch a tender and con|doling heart, as he would be tended with, if him&s;elfe were &s;icke.</P>
<P>To confute tho&s;e who thinke any &s;ufficient for the Mini&s;tery, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> to be Gods Me&s;&s;enger. <HI>Vide.</HI> Cap. 2. ver&s;e 7. doc. 1. u&s;e 1.</P>
<P>To reprove all ignorant Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and to admoni&s;h men to take heed how they take this calling. <HI>Vide ibid.</HI> ver&s;e 6. and 4.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> To confute tho&s;e who thinke there is no nece&s;&s;ary to heare Gods Mini&s;ters. <HI>Vide ibid.</HI> doc. 2. u&s;e 1.</P>
<P>To teach men, to make con&s;cience to heare the Mini&s;ters. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> <HI>Vi|de ibid.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And he &s;hall prepare the way before me.]</HI> Here is <HI>Iohns</HI> office, alluding to an harbindger before a Prince, who&s;e duty it is, to pre|pare the way for his Prince: remove all lets and impediments, that he may pa&s;&s;e more ea&s;ily and more freely. So ought <HI>Iohn</HI> ac|cording to that, Luke 3.4.5. And it is all ohe with that. Luke 1.17. <HI>To make ready a people for the Lord.</HI> To whom he would come. <HI>Iohns</HI> preaching then is the preparing of a people: and Chri&s;t comes when men have entertained that.</P>
<P>Men who would receive Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> mu&s;t entertaine his word by his Mini&s;ters, and be fir&s;t prepared by it: and then will he come. Luke 1.76. and Rev. 3.20. <HI>If any heare my voice.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall prepare the way] Iohn</HI> prepares the way for Chri&s;t, by preaching repentance, and bringing men to the &s;ight and acknow|ledgement of their &s;ins: which is manife&s;t by his preaching. Matth. 3.2, 3, 7, 8.</P>
<P>As Chri&s;t comes to none, but &s;uch as have received the word: <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> So to none, but to &s;uch who have &s;o received it, that by it, they are brought to the &s;ight and feeling of their &s;ins, and to &s;ee and ac|knowledge their fearefull condition, and damnable e&s;tate, by rea&s;on of their &s;ins. Therefore it is, that one &s;peaking of this, of <HI>Iohns</HI> comming, and preparing, &s;aith it is like, as when the &s;icke is admoni&s;hed, oif the comming of the Phy&s;itian, that he know|ing and feeling his di&s;ea&s;e, might reverently receive him, and &s;ubmit him&s;elfe to him. So in this. And to this end, belongs
<PB N="168" REF="218">that. Matth. 11.28. <HI>Come unto me, all ye that are weary and laden, and I will ea&s;e you.</HI> As al&s;o when he &s;endeth his Apo&s;tles abroad. Matth. 10.6, 7. <HI>But goe rather to the lo&s;t &s;heep of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael. And as ye go, preach, &s;aying, the kingdome of Heaven is at hand.</HI> Luke 1.76, 77. <HI>And thou babe &s;halt be called the Prophet of the mo&s;t high: for thou &s;halt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his waies. And to give knowledge of &s;alvation unto his people by the remi&s;sion of their &s;ins.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the Lord whom ye &s;eck.]</HI> The &s;econd Prophe&s;ie touching Chri&s;t the Lord; In this ver&s;e he Prophe&s;ieth of his per&s;on and comming; and he is fir&s;t called the Lord, that is King and Go|vernour of the Church.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is the Lord and King, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and the Governour of his Church; the government of it is his peculiar and proper.</P>
<P><HI>Whom ye &s;eek, whom ye de&s;ire.]</HI> Chri&s;t was de&s;ired, and &s;ought for of the Jewes, two waies; as they were diver&s;ly affected, &s;ome were meer naturall men: they &s;ought for him as a temporall delive|rer: others had faith, and they &s;ought for him as he was a &s;pirituall deliverer. It is like in all circum&s;tances, he meaneth here, the faithfull &s;eeking of him, and their de&s;ire, who de&s;ired his com|ming.</P>
<P>The fathers in the old te&s;tament &s;ought for, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and de&s;ired the comming of Chri&s;t. There is a double comming of his; one in the fle&s;h, another to judgement; one in humility, another in ho|nour; one as a &s;ervant, another as a King; to be judged and to judge; of the fir&s;t and the ba&s;e comming, is it here &s;poken. This Chri&s;t &s;heweth in <HI>Abraham,</HI> being the father of the Church, and and &s;o hath the more weight, for he de&s;iring of it, they mu&s;t needs. John 8.56. <HI>Your father Abraham rejoyced to &s;ee my day.</HI> And more generally. Luke 10.24. <HI>I tell you many Prophets, and Kings de&s;ired to &s;ee the things that ye &s;ee.</HI> And 2.25. Old <HI>Simeon waited for the con&s;olation of I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they had &s;o many promi&s;es of his comming every where, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> in the law, and the Prophets; which believing, they could not but expect and de&s;ire. Faith breeds hope, and hope is a pati|ent abiding, for the thing hoped for. Rom. 8.25. Now that a man hopes for, that he de&s;ires.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they had &s;o many Prophe&s;ies and promi&s;es of his &s;uf|ferings, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to free them from the wrath of God, and to bring them happine&s;&s;e; Now that they well knew, could not be as he was God: which is impatible and incorruptible, therefore he mu&s;t be man, which made them de&s;ire, that this might be.</P>
<P>This condemns the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who thinke the faithfull people before Chri&s;t, did only ta&s;te of the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Gods temporall ble&s;&s;ings, without any hope of eternall happine&s;&s;e; for if they had a de&s;ire and a &s;eeking after Chri&s;t and his comming, they
<PB N="169" REF="218">mu&s;t needs have more then temporall things, they looked after: when the Prophets did &s;o often and &s;o fully, &s;peake of his out|ward ba&s;enes and &s;ufferings. As I&s;aiah 53. By whom they would not looke for outward things, &s;o many as were enlightened; like unto the <HI>An bapti&s;t,</HI> is the <HI>Catechi&s;me</HI> of <HI>Trent In explicatione &s;ymboli,</HI> making a difference betwixt Church and Synagogue: they &s;ay, that Synagogue is therefore applied to the people, that were under the law, becau&s;e like bruit bea&s;ts, (which mo&s;t proper|ly are &s;aid, to be congregated and gathered together) they re&s;pe|cted, intended, and &s;ought nothing, but only outward, &s;en|&s;ible, earthly, and tran&s;itory things; Who, if they &s;ought for Chri&s;t, and de&s;ired him, and waited for &s;alvation by him, mu&s;t needs waite for more.</P>
<P>To teach us, that now we have the injoying of that, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> they hoped for, and de&s;ired, we &s;hould as much joy, and rejoyce in it, as they de&s;ired it: It is that which Chri&s;t &s;pecially reproved in the Jewes. John 8.56. That they were &s;o unlike <HI>Abraham,</HI> he rejoycing and de&s;iring him being ab&s;ent, but they contemned him being pre&s;ent. As if he expected, that if they were the children of <HI>Abraham,</HI> they &s;hould have more rejoyced in his pre&s;ence, and in him being come, then he could de&s;ire the day and com|ming. And &s;o ought we to do. Seing Chri&s;t &s;aith, Luke 10.23.24. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the eies, which &s;ee that ye &s;ee; for I tell you, that many Prophets and Kings have de&s;ired to &s;ee tho&s;e things that you &s;ee, and have not &s;een them: and to heare tho&s;e things which ye beare, and have not heard them.</HI> It is that which if we &s;ee indeed by faith, makes us happy; For though we cannot &s;ee him now bodily, or heare him per&s;onally, as they who lived in &s;ame age, yet we may both hear the &s;ee him in the preaching of the Go&s;pel, face of face. As 2. Cor. 3.18. And &s;o ought to rejoyce in him; Not as Chri&s;t &s;aith of the Jewes touching <HI>Iohn,</HI> John 5.35. <HI>They rejoyced for a &s;ea&s;on in his light:</HI> but more con&s;tanly, &amp; if we have faith, &s;o well will. S <HI>Augu&s;t. de doctr. Chri&s;ti</HI> 1.38. &s;aith,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Juter tem|poralia at|que aterna hoc intere&s;t, quod tempo|rale aliquid plus diligitur, ante quam habeatur, vile&s;cit autem cum advenerit, non enim &s;atiat, ani|mam, Aeternum autem ardentius diligitur adeptum, quam de&s;id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ratum. Augu&s;t. de doct. Chri&s;ti. <HI>1.38.</HI></NOTE> <HI>This is the difference betwixt things temporall, and eternall; that which is temporall is more affected be fore it is enjoyed, but when we have it, we grow weary of it becau&s;e it &s;atisfies not the &s;oule. But that which is eternall, is more loved when we once enjoy it, then while we look for it.</HI></P>
<P>To teach us, if they de&s;ired &s;o greatly his fir&s;t comming, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> we ought more his &s;econd comming; &s;eeing that was but, as <HI>Bernard, in infirmitate, ut ju&s;tificat,</HI> in weakne&s;&s;e, to ju&s;tifie us. This &s;hall be <HI>in gloria, ut glorificat;</HI> In glory, to Crowne us. The &s;pirit of God, Revelat. 22.17. U&s;eth a borrowed &s;peech from a Virgin e&s;pou&s;ed
<PB N="170" REF="219">de&s;iring the day of marriage, that as &s;he de&s;ireth it much more then her e&s;pou&s;alls, though that &s;he did; &s;o ought they, and as &s;he de|&s;ireth his per&s;on, though in infirmity and ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, but more when he is in glory, and comes to endow her; yea, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e her of infinite riches, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, and glory; So it &s;hould be in a &s;oule e&s;pou&s;ed to Chri&s;t. If they de&s;ired him as a &s;ervant, and we ought to re|joyce in him, while he was in the &s;hape of a &s;ervant; how ought we to de&s;ire him as a King? If his &s;tanding at bar, where he was condemned as a Malefactor: how his comming in the clouds, when he &s;hall &s;it upon a glorious Throne, and come in the glory of his Father?</P>
<P><HI>Shall &s;peedily come.]</HI> The time immediately after <HI>Iohn</HI> begun his office; And this was fulfilled, Marke 1.14.15. which &s;erves to the proofe. As that this is the <HI>Me&s;sias,</HI> whom the Prophets fore|told of; So to prove the truth of the Prophe&s;ies, and that the old and new Te&s;tament an&s;wer one another, as the two Cherubims looked face to face: And that as one &s;aith.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Te&s;tamen|tum vetus erat veluti quodam cor tina, in qu&acirc; divina my|&s;teria tege|bantur, quae &s;uerunt in novo Te&s;ta|mento re&s;e|rata.</NOTE> <HI>The old Te&s;tament was as a curtaine clo&s;e drawne; within which, divine my&s;teries were hid, which in the new Te&s;tament were expo&s;ed to &s;o open view.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Shall come]</HI> The comming here is not his birth, no more then of <HI>Iohn,</HI> nor his bodily comming, but the execution of his Mini&s;te|rie, comming, preaching, working miracles, in&s;tituting, and cele|brating Sacraments, or other duties of his calling: which though it might give us ju&s;t occa&s;ion, to &s;peake of his propheticall office which al&s;o may be ob&s;erved, when he is called Angel or Me&s;&s;en|ger; Yet hence may we ob&s;erve, that the Mini&s;terie is not &s;o ba&s;e a thing, as it is commonly e&s;teemed. <HI>Vide.</HI> Mala. 2.4.</P>
<P><HI>Vnto his Temple.]</HI> They who literally under&s;tand the&s;e words, do by them, prove Chri&s;t to be the true eternall God of I&s;rael, one with the Father; for that Temple was con&s;ecrated but to one God of I&s;rael: and the Prophet here appropriates it to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Even the Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant.]</HI> Chri&s;t called the Me&s;|&s;enger, becau&s;e he declares unto us the will of his Father, is the Prophet of the Church, and to it.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is the principall Prophet of the Church, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> to reveale his Fathers will unto them. Rev. 3.14.</P>
<P><HI>Of the Covenant.]</HI> Chri&s;t is &s;o called, becau&s;e God covenanted with the Fathers, or promi&s;ed them, he would give him them to be their Prophet.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t was promi&s;ed to the forefathers; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> God did covenant with them, to &s;end him in the fullne&s;&s;e of time, to be their Pro|phet and Saviour. So much is affirmed here. And is al&s;o proved by Gen. 2.23. For &s;o the Apo&s;tle takes it to be &s;poken of Chri&s;t, and his Church. Ephe. 5.30, 31, 32. Al&s;o that Gen. 3.15. Now from hence till this time, it was &s;till prophe&s;ied of the continuall
<PB N="171" REF="219">Oracles of the Prophets. As Deuter. 18.18. I&s;aiah, 9.6. This is that generally affirmed. Rom. 1.1, 2.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he loved them, therefore he promi&s;ed him unto them. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> For there is the &s;ame rea&s;on of the promi&s;e, which is of the per|formance: but this came from love. John 3.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e in his love, he de&s;ired to &s;ave them: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and there being no other meanes but Chri&s;t. Acts, 4.12. He promi&s;ed him, that as we are &s;aved by the performance, and the vertue of that is pa&s;t, &s;o they might be &s;aved by the promi&s;e, and the vertue of that which was to come.</P>
<P>To teach the excellency and worthine&s;&s;e of the Go&s;pel; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and the my&s;teries of &s;alvation, by Chri&s;t; &s;eeing it was promi&s;ed &s;o long time before, by God him&s;elfe: and the promi&s;e &s;o often ite|rated, and repeated to the Fathers. Things that Princes promi&s;e, are not &s;mall or of little worth, but of great value: but that which they promi&s;e &s;o long before, and which they &s;o often renew to &s;everall men, mu&s;t needs be great, and excellent: when they are known to be Princes of great Magnificence, and Glory. So of this. And as by that God would kindle in them, a marvelous de&s;ire, and an earne&s;t de&s;ire, to have it effected, and accompli&s;hed; &s;o would he in us a due e&s;timation, and love unto it, being now accompli&s;hed: for being God hath provided better for us, then for them: as Heb. 11.40. We ought the more to love, believe, and e&s;teem of it. If <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> accounted but of the &s;ight of the pro|mi&s;ed Land a farre off, and rejoyced in it; They who enjoyed it, were much more bound to rejoyce, in &s;uch a performed mercy of God. If the Fathers, Hebr. 11.13. When they &s;aw the promi|&s;es, but as marriners upon the &s;ea, within the kenning of the land, &amp; the &s;ight of wi&s;hed for Cities, which they never came to, much more we who do enjoy them performed; lea&s;t if we delight not in the knowledge, and live in the faith of them, we &s;ee them not. Luke 17.22.</P>
<P>If God in his love, promi&s;ed them Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2:" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and it was love that he did promi&s;e it, much more is it love he hath performed it to us. Seeing that is more love which is in deed, then in words. Therefore ought we, if they, to love him: and the more, nay if they were bound in words, we in deed: and if a bare profe&s;&s;ion, acknowledgement, or beliefe, would have &s;ufficed them, it would not us, but we mu&s;t love him indeed: which is to keep his com|mandements, and give him obedience: and if, as <HI>Chry&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> the Jewes obeyed in the candle light, how much more we, in the &s;unne light? So if they for the promi&s;es, we more for the performance. If Courtiers give all attendance for to ri&s;e, more, when they are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;en.</P>
<P><HI>Behold he &s;hall come.]</HI> This is to be under&s;tood, of the fir&s;t com|ming in the fle&s;h, and infirmity, not his comming in Glory. And
<PB N="172" REF="220">&s;o &s;ome take this, to note his comming in the fle&s;h; &s;o his huma|nity.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t came into the world and became man, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> tooke unto him not the nature of Angels, but of the &s;eede of man. Heb. 2.16.</P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall come, &s;aith the Lord.]</HI> In this comming is noted the execution of his office it &s;elfe; and this, &s;aith the Prophet, the Lord &s;aith: as noting unto us, that Chri&s;t did not take this office to hun&s;elfe, but he was &s;ent of God, and called to it of his father.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t did not take this calling unto him, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> to be the Angell and Prophet of his Church, but he was called to it, and appointed by God. So here: For &s;eeing God, &s;aith he, &s;hall come; it argues, that he &s;ends him, and therein the promi&s;e appeareth. Hence that Deut. 18.18. <HI>I will rai&s;e them up a Prophet.</HI> I&s;ai. 61.1. <HI>The &s;pirit of the Lord is upon me, and hath annointed me to preach, &amp;c.</HI> John 20.21. <HI>As the father hath &s;ent me, &s;o &s;end I you.</HI> John 5.37. <HI>The father him&s;elfe hath &s;ent me.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is an honor to be but Gods Emba&s;&s;adour, under Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and from him; more to be immediately. Now the rea&s;on for the Prie&s;thood will hold in this. Heb. 5.4. No man may take it ambitiou&s;ly to him&s;elfe, but he mu&s;t be called and &s;ent.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all might under&s;tand and know, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that it was Gods work, and his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e that he did, therefore he &s;ent him; he doth his worke. John 4.34. and that argues, God &s;ent him, John 5.36.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he onely knew the will of God, and was able to mani|fe&s;t it; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> therefore God &s;ent him as the chiefe, John 1.18. <HI>No man hath &s;eene God at any time: the onely begotten &s;onne, which is in the bo&s;ome of the father, he hath declared him.</HI></P>
<P>This commends unto us the &s;peciall love of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and his goodne&s;&s;e to mankind, who &s;ent his owne Sonne from his bo&s;ome to be our Prophet, to teach us his will and the knowledge of him|&s;elfe, being that which couldnot be had any other waies, neither by any other meanes, and being that al&s;o which was of that nece&s;|&s;ity, that there is no &s;alvation without it. John 17.3. If it could have beene had by any other meanes, or if it had not &s;uch a con|&s;equent as the &s;alvation of man, it had nothing &s;o appeared the goodne&s;&s;e and love of God; but &s;eeing neither the one could be, and the other is, it much commends and &s;ets forth his love: And &s;o ought we to account of it, and to rejoyce much in the incarna|tion of Chri&s;t, by which the&s;e mercies were conveyed unto us.</P>
<P>To teach every man to heare and receive Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> &s;eeing he is &s;ent as a Prophet to teach us of the father. When I &s;peake of hea|ring him, I meane the hearing of him, by the meanes he hath ap|pointed, by his delegates and &s;ub&s;titutes, whom he hath appoin|ted for that purpo&s;e, his Mini&s;ters. Therefore ought he to be heard, both per&s;onally, and by what meanes &s;oever he hath &s;urrogated for him&s;elfe to &s;peake in his per&s;on: &s;eeing God hath
<PB N="173" REF="220">appointed him and &s;ent him, As Matt. 17.5. <HI>While he yet &s;poke, be|hold, a bright cloud &s;hadowed them: And behold there came a voyce out of the cloud, &s;aying, this is my beloved &s;onne, in whom I am well plea&s;ed, heare him.</HI> The commandement is direct, if we make con|&s;cience of any command; we ought of this. It is not left arbitrary; and if it were, yet our owne good &s;hould draw us to it; for by this we have the knowledge of God, and &s;o of &s;alvation. So that if there be any de&s;ire of this, we will hearken to that. But it is not arbitrary; and be&s;ides the neglect of it, is threatned with a very heavy wrath and judgement. As Acts 3.23. <HI>For it &s;hall be that eve|ry per&s;on which &s;hall not heare that Prophet, &s;hall be de&s;troyed out of the people.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>But who may abide the day of his comming? and who &s;hall endure, when be appeareth? for he is like purging fire, and like fullers &s;ope.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>IN this ver&s;e, the Prophet goes forward to de&s;cribe Chri&s;t, and fir&s;t from his power, which is &s;et downe to us two wayes; one by way of interrogation, which carries with it a kinde of admirati|on; the other by two &s;imilitudes. In &s;ome part is his power re&s;pe|cting the wicked, in &s;ome other re&s;pecting the godly; the fir&s;t po|&s;ition re&s;pects the wicked. <HI>Who may abide the day of his comming?]</HI> That is, which of the wicked. <HI>i.</HI> the day of Chri&s;ts fir&s;t comming how tolerable, ac|ceptable, and delightfull &s;oever it be to the godly, how weake and ba&s;e &s;oever in the outward &s;hew, with what outward weake|ne&s;&s;e and infirmity &s;oever he come, yet will it be to the wicked full of trouble, terror and di&s;quietne&s;&s;e. Thus the Prophets and oracles of old did fortell it &s;hould be, and this the Evangeli&s;ts, and writers of the new Te&s;tament have &s;hewed it to be, and that at his comming the wicked were marveilou&s;ly troubled and di&s;|quieted.</P>
<P><HI>Who &s;hall &s;tand when he appeareth?]</HI> Or who &s;hall &s;tand <HI>to be|hold him?</HI>] This toucheth the godly: who can with his eyes be|hold &s;uch a light and &s;uch Maje&s;ty? A metaphor borrowed from the &s;unne, who&s;e brightne&s;&s;e the eyes of men are not able to be|hold. <HI>i.</HI> the glory of the Sonne of God &s;hall &s;urpa&s;&s;e all under|&s;tanding, and that goodne&s;&s;e which he &s;heweth in becomming man, and conver&s;ing with them, for their conver&s;ion and &s;alvation.</P>
<P><HI>Who &s;hall &s;tand?]</HI> That is, &s;aith one, who thinking of the&s;e
<PB N="174" REF="221">things, doth not faint as overcome with the admiration of it; &s;o that as a man who&s;e legges are not able to beare, he falls downe.</P>
<P><HI>For he is like a purging fire.]</HI> The fir&s;t &s;imilitude expre&s;&s;ing the power of Chri&s;t drawne from fire; noting out unto his, how he worketh both with the godly and wicked; for as it is the nature of fire, not onely to &s;eparate dro&s;&s;e from the mettall, and joyne things which are of one nature together, &s;o things that are good, it makes more pure and perfect, but things that are impure, it con|&s;umes and turnes to nought: So Chri&s;t by his word de&s;troyes the wicked and unbeleevers, and &s;uch as re&s;i&s;t his will; but &s;aves &s;uch as are cho&s;en, making them more and more pure and perfect.</P>
<P><HI>And like fullers &s;ope.]</HI> Or like the fullers hearbe; an hearbe that fullers u&s;e, by which they purge and take out of garments, blots and &s;pots of long continuance in them, and makes them bright and pure; as it is noted, Mark. 9.3. S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> in Jer. 2.22. The fullers hearbe, as it is commonly &s;eene in the Province of Pale&s;tine, growes in greene and moi&s;t places, and to wa&s;h away &s;pots, hath the &s;ame force that Nitre hath. Signifying, that God makes the &s;oules of his by his grace, mo&s;t pure and mo&s;t holy, that their workes &s;hine forth.</P>
<P><HI>But who may abide the day of his comming?]</HI> By this &s;ome think is meant the trouble and de&s;truction that fell upon the wicked at his nativity. Becau&s;e of that, Mat. 2.3. &amp; 21.10. But taking his com|ming to &s;ignifie here his office, and the execution of it, and &s;o the preaching of his word, as in the former ver&s;e. The meaning I will take to be this; None of the wicked &s;hall be able to abide his preaching and mini&s;tery; but the preaching and the mini&s;tery of it is that, which will ca&s;t them down and de&s;troy them, wound them and kill them.</P>
<P>The preaching of the word by Chri&s;t and his Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> none of the wicked are able to abide it and &s;tand before it; but it will de&s;troy them and ca&s;t them downe, wound them to the heart, and bring them to eternall de&s;truction; &s;o the interrogation affirmes &s;trongly. Hence, Rev. 2.12. a two edged &s;word given un|to him.</P>
<P><HI>Who &s;hall endure when he appeareth?]</HI> This &s;entence divers of the Interpreters take to be but one with the former, &amp; the &s;ame double for the admiration of the power of Chri&s;t, in &s;uch weakne&s;&s;e able to confound and overturne what&s;oever, or who&s;oever &s;tands a|gain&s;t him. But others under&s;tand it, as a di&s;tinct &s;entence, and read it &s;omewhat otherwi&s;e: <HI>Hierom</HI> according to the Hebr. <HI>Quis &s;ta|bit ad videndum cum?</HI> The <HI>Septuagints, Quis ferre poterit ut a&s;piciat cum? Simile &agrave; &s;ole &amp; oculis.</HI> Who that hath but his naturall and blinde eyes, is able to behold him, &amp; under&s;tand the great my&s;te|ries of &s;alvation he brings, and is hid under the vaile of his huma|nity?
<PB N="175" REF="221">As if he &s;aid, no naturall man by his owne under&s;tanding is able to &s;ee and conceive the&s;e things, they are hid from him, or too deepe for him. That which is gathered hence is this.</P>
<P>No naturall man of him&s;elfe is able to behold Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and to know him and the my&s;teries of &s;alvation brought by him, Re|velat. 2.17.</P>
<P><HI>For he is like a purging fire.]</HI> The fir&s;t &s;imilitude by which he &s;etteth forth the power of Chri&s;t, comparing him to fire; and this is to &s;hew his dealing with the wicked, to whom he is a con&s;u|ming fire, and &s;o are they rather to be read; for neither doth the word &s;ignifie purging, neither yet &s;eemes he to &s;peake of his purging power touching the godly, for that followeth in the third ver&s;e. Therefore it is to be under&s;tood of his con&s;uming power, by which he confounds the wicked, and de&s;troyes them. Now generally hence I ob&s;erve.</P>
<P>For that it is u&s;uall with the Scripture &s;peaking of God and his power, his ju&s;tice, mercy, tender regard of his, and &s;uch like, to &s;et them downe by &s;uch things as are common and familiar and every day or u&s;ually occurrent to the eyes and eares of men.</P>
<P><HI>And like the fullers &s;ope.]</HI> The &s;econd &s;imilitude to &s;hew his dealing with the godly, his owne, that he is like the fullers &s;ope, or the fullers hearbe, which as it hath a nature to purge and take &s;pots out of garments, &s;o it maketh them to have a lu&s;ter and glo|rious &s;hew or colour, making them fre&s;h and white, Marke 9.3. noting the effect of Chri&s;t in his, that he maketh them white and pure; for though it is true that this hearbe doth purge away blots, and &s;o might note the purging away of corruptions from his, yet becau&s;e that is the next &s;imilitude: I ob&s;erve this here.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is to his, as the fullers &s;ope, or the hearbe of the fuller, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> making them pure and holy, giving them a lu&s;ter in their lives, in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: And this is either perfectly, which is either in this life, by imputation of his holine&s;&s;e, putting on his garments upon them, as <HI>Ionathan</HI> did to <HI>David</HI> after their league; or el&s;e in the life to come by full perfection inherent, when they &s;hall be like him in holine&s;&s;e and glory: Or it is partially and be|gunne in this life, whereas they are inlightned, as the Moone by the Sunne, yet have their &s;pots their errors, &s;o are they &s;anctified, and put in a new hew, as the fuller doth a cloth, or garment, yet the old threeds appeare in them. Of this is it here &s;poken, and for this is he thus called, and to this tends that, 1 Corinthians 1.30. <HI>But ye are of him in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, who of God is made unto us wi&s;e|dome, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;anctification, and redemption:</HI> And Cap. 6.11. <HI>and &s;uch were &s;ome of you; but ye are wa&s;hed, but ye are &s;anctified, but ye are ju&s;tified in the name of the Lord Ie&s;us, and by the &s;pirit of our God,</HI> Heb. 2.11. Ephe&s;. 5.26.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="176" REF="222">
<HEAD>VERS. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And he &s;hall &s;it downe to try and fine the &s;ilver: he &s;hall even fine the &s;onnes of Levi, and purifie them as gold and &s;ilver, that they may bring offerings unto the Lord in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND he &s;hall &s;it downe to try.]</HI> He &s;hall &s;it downe to try and fine the &s;ilver. The third &s;imilitude by which Chri&s;t is de|&s;cribed, is, from the Gold&s;mith. The &s;umme is that as he &s;itting in his &s;hoppe by his fornace, doth purge the dro&s;&s;e and corruption from the &s;ilver, &s;o will Chri&s;t purge corruption from tho&s;e which are his.</P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall &s;it.]</HI> Noting the dilligence and con&s;tancy and care of Chri&s;t in this worke. <HI>i.</HI> He &s;hall not doe it lightly or cur&s;orily, but &s;eriou&s;ly and dilligently, being marveylous attentive upon the worke, for then we &s;it when we would doe any thing &s;eri|ou&s;ly, and with all care and endeavour. So P&s;al. 1.1. and 50.20.</P>
<P><HI>And fine the &s;ilver.] Septuag. and fining as &s;ilver,</HI> or as a man that fineth &s;ilver: for the Hebrewes often omit the note of &s;imi|litude; and the people, &s;ome thinke is compared to &s;ilver, becau&s;e they are &s;o excellent in re&s;pect of others, which are but iron to them. Some becau&s;e &s;ilver hath this of it nature, that it is mo&s;t mixed with other mettalls and mineralls, and by the fire is made mo&s;t pure: &s;o they by the vertue of Chri&s;ts death.</P>
<P><HI>And he &s;hall purge the &s;onnes of Levi.]</HI> The parties whom he &s;hould purge; under&s;tanding not tho&s;e who were &s;uch by na|ture, but &s;uch as were &s;pirituall Prie&s;ts, &s;uch as were true, and lawfull Prie&s;ts, dedicated to the perpetuall and holy &s;ervice of God.</P>
<P><HI>And purifie them as gold and &s;ilver.]</HI> Hee expre&s;&s;eth the &s;ame thing againe and againe, that it might be more certaine and firme, and to &s;hew that their purity &s;hould be very great; for the&s;e met|tals are of all others mo&s;t accurately purged with the fire, le&s;t any ru&s;t or dro&s;&s;e &s;hould remaine with them.</P>
<P><HI>That they may bring offerings]</HI> Here is an effect of Chri&s;t pur|ging of them, that their &s;acrifices being polluted and corrupt be|fore, &s;hould now be pure and holy, and be made acceptable to the Lord. In the&s;e words are noted the purity of them: in the next the acceptablene&s;&s;e of them.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is to his as a Gold&s;mith, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> or Goldfiner, he that purgeth and purifieth them from their dro&s;&s;e of &s;inne and corruption; which is as the former, perfectly in the life to come, when as all blots and every &s;pot &s;hall be removed, Ephe&s;. 5.27. or partially in
<PB N="177" REF="222">this life, where as all is pardoned, &s;o purged, but not whole &s;inne; neither if it were, can he be perfectly free, becau&s;e living in an infe|cted ayre, they cannot but draw in &s;ome corruption, which though it prevaile not to death, yet it will corrupt them &s;till, and infect them. But Chri&s;t he purgeth them; and hence is wa&s;hing of us given unto him, Revel. 1.5. and clean&s;ing, 1 John 1.7. And the bapti&s;me of &s;pirit and fire, Matth. 3.11. that as fire he takes away dro&s;&s;e and ru&s;t. Hence he is &s;aid to be <HI>Ie&s;us,</HI> Matth. 1.21. becau&s;e he <HI>&s;aves his people from their &s;innes:</HI> not <HI>&agrave; culpa</HI> onely, and <HI>&agrave; poena,</HI> but <HI>&agrave; contagione.</HI> Hence that Rom. 6.3. we are partakers of his death, to make us to dye to &s;inne, and &s;inne to dye in us, Ga|lat. 6.14.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he might make way for holine&s;&s;e and purity, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> for el&s;e the new man cannot be put on, unle&s;&s;e the old man be de&s;troyed; men cannot be renued in the &s;pirit of their mindes, unle&s;&s;e they ca&s;t off the old man, and he be taken from them. As the Serpent cannot receive new &s;trength, unle&s;&s;e &s;he fir&s;t put off her old skin or coate, pa&s;&s;ing and pre&s;&s;ed by the &s;traitne&s;&s;e of her denne or hole: So cannot we put on the new, unle&s;&s;e we put off the old, <HI>Augu&s;t. de doct. Chri&s;ti. lib.</HI> 2. <HI>cap.</HI> 16. Therefore to make way for that, Chri&s;t fir&s;t mu&s;t purge us from &s;inne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he might make us like him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he was made like us in all things, &s;ave in &s;inne, this makes us unlike; this then will he take and purge from us, that we might be as he, without &s;inne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e we might &s;erve him; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he de&s;ires to have &s;ervice from us, which cannot be, unle&s;&s;e he purge away &s;inne, and de&s;troy it in us; for el&s;e we &s;hall &s;erve it, and we cannot &s;erve two ma&s;ters. Therefore hee de&s;troyes this, that wee might not &s;erve it, Rom. 6.6. And &s;o might be free to &s;erve him, Luke 1.74.</P>
<P><HI>To try and fine the &s;ilver.]</HI> Dro&s;&s;e is not ea&s;ily &s;eparated from mettall and &s;ilver, but with the violence and heat of the fire is it tryed and fined: in&s;inuating unto us by this, how hardly, and with what force &s;in is &s;eparated from us; how clo&s;e it &s;ticks by us, and with what a doe it is &s;eparated.</P>
<P>The &s;innes and corruptions of Gods children &s;it clo&s;e to them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and cleave fa&s;t; are not to be &s;eparated, but with much force and violence; As dro&s;&s;e to &s;ilver. Heb. 12.1. To &s;hew this, belong tho&s;e &s;peeches <HI>of &s;acrificing,</HI> Galat. 5.24. <HI>Of mortifying.</HI> Collo. 3.5. <HI>of cutting off, and pulling out the right hand and right eies.</HI> Mat. 5.29 30. proved al&s;o by that. Jer. 13.23. <HI>Can the blacke Moore, change his skin? Or the Leopard his &s;pots? Then may ye al&s;o do good, that are ac|cu&s;tomed to do evill.</HI> And Mich 6.7. Men wil give any thing, rather then part with &s;in.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is naturall unto them, as to others, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> brought into the world with them. Now as the proverbe, That which is bred in the bone, will hardly out of the fle&s;h. And as naturall and hereditarie
<PB N="178" REF="223">di&s;ea&s;es &s;tricke the fa&s;te&s;t, and mo&s;t heard to be cured: &s;o it is of &s;inne.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e be&s;ides nature, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> cu&s;tome, and continuance, in them is adjoyned; now, cu&s;tome is another nature, and things bound with &s;uch a twofold cord, both &s;o &s;trong, will hardly be &s;epara|ted. Cu&s;tom oftentimes prevailes much, and <HI>jura didicit immitare naturae.</HI> Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> But when cu&s;tome and nature are joyned together, who or what &s;hall alter them? No wonder &s;o much preaching, and &s;o little prevailing with men, to remove their &s;ins: and the Mini&s;terie &s;o unacceptable. Mich. 6.7. and Mal. 2.6.</P>
<P>To teach every man not to looke to be &s;eparated from his dro&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> and corruption, without violence: and that he mu&s;t offer violence to them, to be rid of them.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;ilver.]</HI> The Church and Gods people thus compared, in re&s;pect of their excellency, becau&s;e it and they are more excel|lent then any other &s;ociety.</P>
<P>The Church is the mo&s;t excellent &s;ociety in the world. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> Rev. 2.1. <HI>Golden candle&s;tickes.</HI> The Churches of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> among other rea|&s;ons were &s;aid to be <HI>golden,</HI> in regard of their excellency and dignity, which they have in Gods account: that as gold is the mo&s;t pretious mettall, and much accounted of men, &s;o is the Church much &s;et by of God; It is dear unto him as the apple of his eie, Deut. 32.10. Zach. 2.8. It is a Diamond among an heape of pebles, the members of the Church, are Jewells, as we have it afterwards, ver&s;e 17.</P>
<P>Out of this place of fining and purging, &s;ome Papi&s;ts, cat|ching at &s;hadowes, when they have no &s;ub&s;tance; would prove and e&s;tabli&s;h their purgatory, where a company of &s;oules, are holden in with paper walls, and grievou&s;ly tormented with pain|ted fire; which poeticall fiction, and Papall fancy, as we deny, &s;o cannot this place po&s;&s;ibly induce us to believe it, &s;eeing God him&s;elfe hath taught us no &s;uch thing, neither in this place, nor in any other. For what if S. <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> and &s;ome others have applied this place to purgatory? for he was never re&s;olved, there was &s;uch a place, but thought it credible and not impo&s;&s;ible, there might be &s;uch a place, but never once definitively determined of it. <HI>Euchri. ad Laurent.</HI> 69. be&s;ides Epi&s;t. 54. Maced. p. 2.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Morum corrigendo|rum nullus alius e&s;t quam in hac vit a locus: nam po&s;t haue qui&s;&abque; id habebit, quod in hac &s;ibimet ac|quie &s;ir et. Epi&s;t. Ma. ced. <HI>54.</HI> p. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> <HI>There is no other place of amendement but in this life; for after this, every one &s;hall have, what he merited here.</HI> Now this place is apparently under|&s;tood, of purging men from the &s;in and corruption, and not from the puni&s;hment; And &s;o cannot be under&s;tood of their purgatory, where only the puni&s;hment is &s;atisfied for. Be&s;ides the end of this purging is, that they may be fit to offer up lawful &s;acrifice to God, but in theirs the &s;oules offer up no &s;acrifices, &s;ay no Ma&s;&s;es there. Be&s;ides this purgation is onely by Chri&s;t, through the &s;an|ctification of the holy Gho&s;t, being the onely purgation that the
<PB N="179" REF="223">&s;cripture acknowledgeth, &amp; therefore this cannot be an impeach|ment of that. Iohn 1.29. <HI>Iohn &s;eeth Ie&s;us comming unto him, and &s;aith; Behold the Lambe of God, which taketh away the &s;ins of the world.</HI> Arguing a want and weakne&s;&s;e, in his paiment, if after it men mu&s;t pay for it. But that there can be no &s;uch thing, neither can any &s;uch thing &s;tand with the Ju&s;tice of God, I prove thus: By a rea&s;on which <HI>Tertul. dere&s;urrectione carnis;</HI> and other of the Fathers u&s;e to prove the re&s;urrection of the body; For if in cour&s;e of ju&s;tice, it be nece&s;&s;ary, that the body which hath been partaker with the &s;oule, of all that hath been done, either in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or &s;in, be al&s;o partaker of the reward of either: and hereby there be inforced nece&s;&s;arily a re&s;urrection of the body, to be joyned with the &s;oule, to be partaker thereof. We mu&s;t from the &s;ame prin|ciple of ju&s;tice conclude, that if there be a Purgatory, it &s;hould be as well for the body as the &s;oule: becau&s;e the body hath been par|taker of tho&s;e plea&s;ures and delights, for which they tell us, that the &s;oules pay deare in Purgatory fire. But they deny any Purga|tory for the body, therefore they cannot truly affirme there is any for the &s;oule. For thus &s;hall the judgements of God be ju&s;t, (&s;aith <HI>Epiphanius in Ancorat.</HI>) whil&s;t both participate, either puni&s;h|ment for &s;in, or reward for vertue; which ju&s;t judgement they greatly impeach, by laying upon the &s;oule only, the puni&s;hment of tho&s;e &s;ins which have been committed by the whole man.</P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall even fine the &s;ons of Levi.]</HI> The parties whom he &s;hould purge, and fine, his owne, called the &s;ons of <HI>Levi,</HI> becau&s;e they were, and are &s;pirituall Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P>All they who are Chri&s;ts, are truely &s;pirituall Prie&s;ts. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> 1. Pet. 2.9. Revel. 1.6.</P>
<P><HI>And purifie them as gold and &s;ilver.]</HI> Thus Gods people and his Church are compared, and re&s;embled, not to ba&s;e, but to the mo&s;t excellent and mo&s;t pretious mettalls.</P>
<P><HI>That they may bring offerings unto the Lord.]</HI> Here is the end, why they are purged, and purified by Chri&s;t; to offer up &s;acrifices, pure ones, and &s;uch as &s;hould be acceptable. Ver&s;e 4. Now the&s;e offerings are Evangelicall, not Legall, their per&s;ons, prayers, pray|&s;es, almes, and &s;uch like. <HI>vide. Cap.</HI> 1.11. offering.</P>
<P><HI>Offerings in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.]</HI> Their &s;acrifices &s;hall be pure, oppo|&s;ite to the <HI>&s;acrifices of the Iewes which were corrupt, and polluted.</HI></P>
<P>The works and wor&s;hip of &s;uch as are purged, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> are pure and holy. <HI>Vide Cap.</HI> 1.11. A pure offering.</P>
<P><HI>Offerings in righteou&s;nes.]</HI> Some of our Papi&s;ts, under&s;tand this place, as that <HI>Cap.</HI> 1.11. of the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, and the offering up of Chri&s;t in it.</P>
<P>But by the&s;e reall, and outward &s;acrifices, are under&s;tood the &s;pirituall &s;acrifices of the Gentiles and Church under Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Under the Go&s;pel, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> Chri&s;tians are freed from all outward and
<PB N="180" REF="224">reall &s;acrifices, to be offered immediately to God, and of them are onely required, &s;pirituall &s;acrifices. <HI>vide Cap</HI> 1.11.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. IV. </HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Then &s;hall the offerings of Iudah and Ieru&s;alem be accepta|ble unto the Lord, as in old time, and in the yeares a fore.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THen &s;hall the offerings of Iudah and Ieru&s;alem be acceptable.]</HI> In this ver&s;e is noted, the acceptablene&s;&s;e of their &s;acrifices: the &s;umme is, that if every any of the &s;acrifices of old, offered by <HI>Abel, Abraham,</HI> and other of the Patriarkes, were acceptable, then un|doubtedly the&s;e; tho&s;e being onely the figures and &s;hadowes of the other.</P>
<P><HI>Of Iudah and Ieru&s;alem.]</HI> By the&s;e is under&s;tood the whole Church, where&s;oever, in Cities, or Countries; &s;o that &s;ome parti|cular, &s;hould be figured by the&s;e, as by <HI>Iudah,</HI> the univer&s;al Church di&s;per&s;ed; by <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the Metropolitane City, the Apo&s;tles &s;ea, and &s;eat, that is <HI>Rome,</HI> is boldly affirmed, but barely pro|ved by <HI>Ribera;</HI> for why this more then <HI>Antioch,</HI> where <HI>Peter</HI> fir&s;t &s;ate; or <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> it &s;elfe, where <HI>Iames</HI> was; or <HI>Con&s;tantinople,</HI> and other Cities, where other of the Apo&s;tles were? it is more then he can give us any rea&s;on for.</P>
<P><HI>As in old time, in the yeares afore.]</HI> Shewing, that God is the &s;ame to his, and will receive as acceptably their &s;acrifices, and offerings, as ever he did in former times.</P>
<P><HI>As;</HI> in this place hath not the force of compari&s;on, or equality, but of indication or &s;hewing; or, as &s;ome, of corre&s;pondency, of the thing figured. <HI>Sicut,</HI> &s;ignifies <HI>&s;imilitudinem, non aequalitatem:</HI> as Levit. 19.18. Some would have it to have the force not of &s;imili|tude, but certainty. That, as they were acceptable to the Lord, and Scripture, which is truth hath &s;aid it, &s;o as certainly &s;hall the&s;e &s;acrifices be accepted.</P>
<P><HI>Then]</HI> When they are pure, and their offerings pure; not el&s;e, though they be <HI>Iudah,</HI> and <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> what&s;oever their number, glory, and dignity is.</P>
<P>God accepts no mans prayers, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and &s;ervice, moved by any out|ward things: as dignity of per&s;ons, vertue, or place, or office; nor outward priviledges, if they want faith, and holine&s;&s;e. <HI>vide Cap</HI> 1.9.</P>
<P><HI>Then &s;hall they be acceptable.]</HI> When they are purged, and not before.</P>
<PB N="181" REF="224">
<P>A mans prayer &s;hall not be accepted, unle&s;&s;e he be purged, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and clen&s;ed, reconciled to God, and ju&s;tified, and &s;anctified. <HI>&amp; &egrave; con tra, vide Cap.</HI> 1.10.</P>
<P><HI>As in old time and the yeares afore.]</HI> Here is amplified the for|mer, the acceptation of their offerings, either by &s;imilitude, as tho&s;e, &s;o the&s;e, or the certainty &s;et downe, that as certainly as they were received and were acceptable, &s;o certainly &s;hould theirs be.</P>
<P>It is as certaine a truth, that God will graciou&s;ly, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and favourably accept the offerings, prayers, almes, and other the &s;pirituall &s;ervice, of tho&s;e under the Go&s;pel, as it is certaine he did graciou&s;ly accept the offerings of <HI>Abel, Abraham, Iaacob,</HI> the holy Patriarkes, and other of the forefathers: now this is certain, for it is apparently &s;et down in the Scriptures, as Gen. 4. and 22. and &s;uch: then the other, the 11. to the Heb. proves the one, and is applied, <HI>Cap.</HI> 12.1. to prove the other manife&s;tly unto us. For they are brought onely for a provocation to tho&s;e duties, but as an a&s;|&s;urance of the like acceptation. To this purpo&s;e, for prayers, is that, Jam. 5.16.17.18.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God, as he is ever one, and the &s;ame in him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &s;o is he to all tho&s;e who are his, the like affected to them: as a father loves all his children, and will accept the &s;ervice of one, as of ano|ther, will heare the reque&s;t of the yonge&s;t as the elde&s;t.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they have the &s;ame thing, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which made their prayers and workes plea&s;ing, and gave them boldne&s;&s;e to the throne of grace. Heb. 11.4.6. Which is faith.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they have the &s;ame &s;pirit, helping their infirmities; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Rom. 8.26. And the &s;ame Mediator giving them favour in his eies, boldne&s;&s;e and entrance; Ephe. 3.12. Yea and the &s;pirit, in greater mea&s;ure, and more abundance: and the Mediator more manife&s;ted unto them.</P>
<P>Then have we no need at all to pray, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and invocate the S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ints departed: that they would commend our prayers to God, and pray for us, when we are certaine our prayers may be heard as well as theirs. Upon this ground &s;ure it was that in all the Scrip|tures, we find not any thing touching this, no &s;ucceeding ages praying to their predece&s;&s;ors, not <HI>Iaacob</HI> and the Patriarkes to <HI>Abel</HI> or <HI>Abraham,</HI> not the po&s;terity ever to them, not the people to their Prophets departed; not in the Go&s;pel ever found either Precept or Practice of it; nor in the Primitive and fir&s;t Church, for divers hundred years after Chri&s;t. If <HI>Bellar. l.</HI> 1. <HI>de &s;ancto. beatit. C.</HI> 20. give us it for a rea&s;on, why the Fathers before Chri&s;t, neither prayed in particular for the Church upon earth, neither were prayed to, becau&s;e they were ab&s;ent from God, and did not enjoy his &s;ight and pre&s;ence, but were in <HI>Limbus,</HI> and not in heaven. The &s;ame rea&s;on can e give them that for a long while after Chri&s;t there was none, becau&s;e it was doubted in the Church, whether the
<PB N="182" REF="225">faithfull departed out of this world be immediately received in|to heaven, and enjoy the happy pre&s;ence of God, or whether they remaine and &s;tay in <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome, or &s;ome place of re&s;t, till the day of the re&s;urrection; yea, <HI>Iraencus, Iu&s;t. Martyr, Tertullian</HI> and others, thought that they abode in &s;ome part of hell, or in &s;ome hidden and invi&s;ible place, &s;eque&s;tred from the pre&s;ence of God til the &s;econd comming of the &s;on of man. Therefore mu&s;t it follow that invocation is but an innovation. But to conclude, &s;ee|ing they know not our wants, nor can take notice of our prayers, &amp; heare us, neither can we have any certainety of it; if it were &s;o, and are certaine from the word of God, that our prayers &s;hall be heard as well as theirs; We have not need to pray to them, nor rea&s;on to induce us to it; we neither in this nor any other thing adore them, but as S. <HI>Augu&s;t. de ver&acirc; religione.</HI> 55. <HI>We honour them for imitation, but adore them not for religion.</HI></P>
<P>This teacheth us the priviledge, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> tho&s;e who are reconciled, ju|&s;tified, purged, and &s;anctified, have, above others, becau&s;e they may both have acce&s;&s;e to God, and have a&s;&s;urance to be heard.</P>
<P>To encourage every one that is Gods, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to doe &s;ervice unto him, to bring offerings and offer up their prayers, being a&s;&s;ured before|hand that they &s;hall be accepted; not onely heard, but graciou&s;ly heard; not onely received, but favourably received: therefore ought they to come with confidence and boldne&s;&s;e unto the throne of grace. And if at any time they be fainting, and doub|ing whether they &s;hall be accepted or no, let them call to mind how God hath received others and their offerings, and apply this unto, it and &s;o &s;trengthen and encourage them&s;elves with a&s;&s;u|rance to be graciou&s;ly accepted; &s;eeing they know God is the &s;ame now that before; he that is not onely as a father, like affe|cted to his children, but that which a father is not able to doe, that to oft as to another, to the younge&s;t, as to the elde&s;t, to the chil|dren of the Church of the Gentiles, as it were his &s;econd wife, as of the Jewes, his fir&s;t wife. Provided, they have the &s;ame faith, the &s;ame &s;pirit, the &s;ame mediator, when they come unto him, which others have had, who have beene graciou&s;ly accepted, then &s;hall they be certainely received: If they object that they are not &s;o worthy as others, have not &s;uch &s;trength of faith, &s;uch greatne&s;&s;e of grace, and &s;uch like: I an&s;wer, fir&s;t this &s;mells of in|firmity and pride, that as they thought to be heard for their much babling, &s;o the&s;e for their great worthine&s;&s;e. And &s;econdly, that children, who &s;eeke any thing from their father, and hope to re|ceive as others have done, doe not looke upon their worthine&s;&s;e, but the naturalne&s;&s;e of their fathers love.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="183" REF="225">
<HEAD>VERS. V.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And I will come neere to you to judgement, and I will be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t the &s;ooth-&s;ayers, and again&s;t the adulterers, and again&s;t fal&s;e &s;wearers, and again&s;t tho&s;e that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelings wages, and vex the Widow and the fatherle&s;&s;e, and oppre&s;&s;e the &s;tranger, and feare not me, &s;aith the Lord of bo&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND I will come neere unto you in judgement.]</HI> The Prophet having &s;poken of the effect of Chri&s;ts power touching the godly and faithfull; and in them he &s;peakes now of it, in re&s;pect of the wicked, whom he would judge and condemne; neither &s;hould there be any eva&s;ion from his judgements, neither any way to e&s;cape them: Seeing he will be both witne&s;&s;e and judge, from who&s;e knowledge, and power, and uprightne&s;&s;e they cannot exempt them&s;elves. And this is contained in the fifth and &s;ixth ver&s;es, and hath two generall parts; the fir&s;t is the judgement, the &s;econd is the certainety of it from the immutability of God.</P>
<P><HI>And I will come neere unto you in judgement.] i.</HI> You doe much detract from me, and di&s;grace me, as if I regarded not what things were done here below, but onely beheld them a farre off, and let things runne as they would; but now I will come neere unto you, and &s;eeing you &s;ay where is the God of judgement? I will come to you not as you would, to revenge others for your &s;ake, but to ex|erci&s;e &s;evere judgement again&s;t you. And &s;o he &s;peakes here of a perfect and &s;en&s;ible judgement, which they had thought and judged to be farre off.</P>
<P><HI>And I will be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e.]</HI> Another effect: <HI>i.</HI> I who am the judge, will al&s;o be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e, I will come &s;peedily, and &s;pee|dily will I lay open all your &s;innes, for all your windings and tur|nings, all your &s;ecret concealing of &s;ins is known to me; you think that I am &s;low in executing of judgement, but I will come &s;ooner then you thinke of, or will be profitable for you, for to your de|&s;truction I wil be &s;wiftly pre&s;ent. And all your hypocri&s;ie &s;hal not helpe you, for I will finde out the&s;e &s;innes which you cover by fraud and cunning, and cloake under one thing or another, and cover by &s;ome colours: he noteth &s;uch &s;innes as were wont to be done in &s;ecret, and for which it was hard to finde witne&s;&s;es to evict them and puni&s;h them. There &s;hall want no witne&s;&s;es for the&s;e things to prove them, though you doe it in great &s;ecret; I wil be the witne&s;&s;e of it; and for the&s;e he numbers up certain parti|cular
<PB N="184" REF="226">&s;innes, &s;uch as were done in &s;ecret without witne&s;&s;es. The fir&s;t he calleth &s;ooth-&s;ayers; &s;ome thinke the word &s;ignifies &s;uch as we u&s;ually call Juglers, &s;uch as make things &s;eeme otherwi&s;e to the eye then they are. And under this he comprehends all who u&s;e any inchantments, or magicke, and have &s;ociety with divells: the other particulars &s;ee in their places as they follow.</P>
<P><HI>I will come neer to judgement.]</HI> They becau&s;e of the long pati|ence of God, put farre from them both him and the day of his judgement, and thought no evill &s;hould come unto them; but he threatneth them for the abu&s;e of his patience, that he would cer|tainely vi&s;ite and judge them. The Lord properly cannot be &s;aid to be farre of, &s;eeing <HI>ubique totum e&s;t,</HI> and &s;o neither to come neere properly, but he is &s;aid to come, <HI>cum manife&s;tatur,</HI> and to depart, <HI>cum occultatur,</HI> but ever pre&s;ent either hid or manife&s;t, <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> Now when he manife&s;teth him&s;elfe either in mercy or judgement he is &s;aid to come neere, as in this place.</P>
<P>How&s;oever the Lord &s;pare long, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> yet will he vi&s;ite in the end tho&s;e who abu&s;e his patience, Jer. 6.6.</P>
<P><HI>And I will be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t the &s;ooth&s;aiers.]</HI> Another effect as &s;ome would have it, or the manner of his proceeding; fir&s;t &s;wiftly, then by way of witne&s;&s;e, and evict them before he condemne them. His &s;wiftne&s;&s;e is not &s;imply, for he is &s;low to wrath; but in re&s;pect of them, who thought judgement farre of, and promi&s;ed them&s;elves &s;afety, as before, he would come upon them &s;wiftly, unlooked for.</P>
<P>The judgements of God come upon the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> when they lea&s;t thinke of them, and promi&s;e to them&s;elves all &s;ecurity, and thinke they are furthe&s;t, by rea&s;on of Gods patience. Then will he come to judgement &s;ooner then they thought of, Mich. 1.3. for behold the Lord commeth.</P>
<P><HI>A witne&s;&s;e.]</HI> If he will be a witne&s;&s;e, then a true witne&s;&s;e, and &s;o knoweth all they doe, their wickedne&s;&s;e, el&s;e &s;hould he not be a true witne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The Lord he knowes all the waies of the wicked, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> as an eye|witne&s;&s;e of them all, &s;ees and beholds what&s;oever they doe, and where&s;oever, Mich. 1.3.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h men to take heede what they doe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and to looke to their carriage.</P>
<P>To teach them when they have &s;inned, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that it is in vaine to goe about to cover it, or to imagine they can by any meanes avoide puni&s;hment for it, &s;eeing he that is the judge knoweth it, and a mo&s;t righteous judge; who as he will reward the godly for their good, &s;o will he recompence the wicked for their evill: And as neither the malice of wicked men who di&s;grace their good things, calling good evill, nor their owne mode&s;ty, ready to deny or le&s;|&s;en their good; As Matth. 25. can hinder them from their reward,
<PB N="185" REF="226">or keepe good things from them, either pre&s;ent or future, and all becau&s;e he knowes them, and is mercifull and ju&s;t; &s;o neither the corruptions of others like them&s;elves, approving and applauding their evill, nor their owne cunning either in &s;taying the pa&s;&s;age of mans judgements again&s;t them, or in &s;mothering humane te&s;timo|nies and evidences, by which they &s;hould be ca&s;t, &s;hall defend them from their ju&s;t recompence, and keepe evill things from them, both pre&s;ent and future, and all becau&s;e he knowes them, and is mo&s;t ju&s;t. In vaine is it then for them to take this cour&s;e. As it is a marveilous vaine and bootle&s;&s;e thing for a malefactor to en|deavour to get his examination taken by a Ju&s;tice, out of the Court from the Clearke of A&s;&s;i&s;e, or to bribe and &s;top the mouthes of tho&s;e who &s;hould give evidence again&s;t him. To in|forme the Judge and the Jury, when the Judge him&s;elfe was a witne&s;&s;e of the fact, and is ready both to informe the Jury, and to give &s;entence according to his owne knowledge.</P>
<P><HI>A witne&s;&s;e.] i.</HI> As a guilty per&s;on is condemned by te&s;timony of witne&s;&s;e, the crime proved and manife&s;t, &s;o will I give &s;entence again&s;t the wicked, of tho&s;e things which I know they have done.</P>
<P>The Lord proceeds not to judgement, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> to condemne or puni&s;h any, but upon knowne and manife&s;t cau&s;es, upon the knowne de|&s;erts and merits of men, &s;ometimes &s;ecret to others, &s;ometimes knowne to them. This is proved, Numb. 20.12. <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira,</HI> Acts 5. Infinite are the examples of knowne &s;inners, as the old world, <HI>Sodom</HI> and <HI>Gomorrah, Nadab</HI> and <HI>Abihu, Core</HI> and <HI>Dathan,</HI> &amp;c. Matth. 25.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is mo&s;t ju&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and therefore mu&s;t proceed upon known cau&s;e; for it is as well inju&s;tice to puni&s;h for an unknowne cau&s;e upon jealou&s;ie and &s;u&s;pition, as for no cau&s;e; for an unknown cau&s;e is no cau&s;e. <HI>De non exi&s;tentibus &amp; non apparentibus cadem ratio.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he would manife&s;t his ju&s;tice to men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> therefore he u&s;ually proceedeth upon knowne cau&s;es to them, as &s;ometime up|on knowne cau&s;es knowne to them, onely knowne to him&s;elfe to manife&s;t, he is not bound to give a rea&s;on of his judgements to men.</P>
<P>If we &s;ee one afflicted, puni&s;hed, we accounted upright, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to know Gods proceedings are upright and upon knowne cau&s;e. And hence may we learne how to free our &s;elves from &s;uch doubts, when we &s;ee what befell <HI>Chorah,</HI> and all their company, <HI>Achan</HI> &amp; his, when &s;ome &s;inned onely in the known &s;in, yet others were puni&s;hed. We mu&s;t conclude that it is mo&s;t ju&s;t, from this ground, that he proceedes never but ju&s;tly, though it be &s;ecret from us.</P>
<P>For imitation, fir&s;t for the Magi&s;trates, Gods upon the earth, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> they ought not to proceed again&s;t malefactours, but upon knowne and manife&s;t proved cau&s;es; not upon &s;lender conjectures or &s;u&s;pitions,
<PB N="186" REF="227">for &s;o will God him&s;elfe doe, and they executing his judgement, ought to proceede no otherwi&s;e, le&s;t they fall into inju&s;tice. They ought to not to proceede for any hatred to their per&s;on, or their profe&s;&s;ion, or for any other &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect upon accu&s;ations halfe had, and &s;lender, or no proofes. The Lawyers &s;ay, that it is unju&s;t not to weigh and con&s;ider the whole Law, but to give &s;entence from &s;ome part of it.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Veritatem inauditam &s;i damnent le|ges praeter invidiam iniquitatis, etiam &s;u&s;pi|tionem me|rehuntur alo ujus con|&s;cientiae, nolentes audire, quod auditum damnare non po&s;&s;unt. <HI>Tertull. Apolog. adver&s;us gentes, Cap. 1.10.</HI></NOTE> <HI>If the laws condemne truth unheard, be&s;ides the nute of inju&s;tice, they will cau&s;e a &s;u&s;pition that they are con&s;cious of &s;ome unwillingne&s;&s;e to heare, le&s;t after they had heard, they could not condemne.</HI> As <HI>Tertull.</HI> &s;peakes: So of Magi&s;trates. Therefore in things not manife&s;t, not proved, or by &s;uch witne&s;&s;es who&s;e per&s;ons are infamous, their credit &s;u&s;pitions, &s;uch as may be &s;u|borned, or doe things of &s;pleene and malice, which may happily appeare to them, they ought to take heede how they judge; and as they have power, rather reprove then condemne.</P>
<P>Againe, in the &s;econd place, every man ought to judge righte|ous judgement, when he judgeth and cen&s;ureth the actions of other men; but <HI>&s;ecundum alligata &amp; probata,</HI> not out of his owne humour, out of the di&s;like of their per&s;on, ju&s;tifying &s;ome be|cau&s;e they have affection to them, condemning others and their actions, becau&s;e they di&s;like them, or condemning &s;ome mens doings, onely for the name they have: Like unto tho&s;e who be|ing &s;ick of a feavour or fren&s;ie, being deceived by the &s;imilitude of right lines drawne upon the wall, thought they &s;aw &s;ome defor|med and ill &s;haped creatures: <HI>(ut Ari&s;tot.)</HI> So they out of &s;icke di&s;ea&s;ed and corrupt mindes, doe not onely deprave the right lines, that is the famous and good actions of others, but account them as vices, and turne them to their reproaches and infamy. If that for mens words be true which <HI>Luther</HI> u&s;ed to &s;ay,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Sceleratu~ e&s;t cu~ nove|r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> e&s;&s;e pium &amp; &s;anu~ ali|cujus, &s;en&s;u~ ex verbis in|commod&egrave; di|ctis &s;tatuere errorem. <HI>Luther.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Tis a wic ked practi&s;e, when you know a mans minde and meaning to be good &amp; &s;o und, yet to catch at his words</HI> (it may be not &s;o fitly delivered) <HI>to accu&s;e him of error.</HI> So for mens actions, out of &s;ome infirmities, or upon &s;ome &s;u&s;pitions, when they know nothing but good in them, and yet beleeve every report again&s;t them: As <HI>Tertullian</HI> &s;aid it was with him, and other Chri&s;tians in his time; <HI>Credunt de nobis quae non probentur &amp; nolent inquirere ne probentur non e&s;&s;e.</HI> They beleeve things of us without tryall or proofe, and will not examine whether they be &s;o, le&s;t they &s;hould be proved to be otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Again&s;t the &s;ooth-&s;ayers]</HI> He numbers up the particular offen|dors, he would deale with, not that he would deale with men, no, but alledging the&s;e as a ta&s;te of others, or as the &s;innes which then ruled and raigned among&s;t them, but we may ob&s;erve that here are numbered not &s;innes of one kind, not again&s;t the
<PB N="187" REF="227">&s;econd Table onely, or fir&s;t onely, but again&s;t both.</P>
<P>The Lord will judge, puni&s;h, and de&s;troy men for irreligion, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> a&s;well as di&s;hone&s;ty, for the neglect, or the breach of the fir&s;t table, a&s;well as the &s;econd, and <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> and for both, manife|&s;ted here, for they are joyned together as it were, in one condem|nation: proved further, from the threatnings, and executions, laid downe in the word, where we &s;hall finde the Idolater, the Sab|both breaker, and &s;wearer, &amp;c. threatned, and puni&s;hed as well as the Adulterer, murtherer, and other di&s;hone&s;t, and unju&s;t per|&s;ons. In Deuter. 28. All the cur&s;es repeated, re&s;pect the whole law, and all the commandements, as well as any one, or of either of the tables. Ezek. 22.6.7.8. Ho&s;ea 4.1.2. 1. Cor. 6.9.10. 1. Tim. 1.9.10. Galat. 5.19.20.21. Revel. 21.8. Every where offendors a|gain&s;t both Tables, are joyned together.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e as Jam. 2.11. <HI>He that &s;aid, thou &s;halt not commit adultery,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <HI>&s;aid al&s;o, thou &s;halt not kill: now though thou doe&s;t none adultery, yet if thou kille&s;t, thou art a tran&s;gre&s;&s;or of the law.</HI> So he that comman|ded obedience to the one, and forbad di&s;obedience, did &s;o to the other: and &s;o he is di&s;obeyed and provoked in the one, as well as the other.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the cur&s;e was not an appendant, to one Table, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but to both, and every precept, and every branch of every precept, Deut. 27.26.</P>
<P>Then under the Go&s;pel, there is u&s;e of the law morall: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> for this is &s;poken of Chri&s;t, which thing would he not, neither could he in ju&s;tice doe, if the law were not to them under the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>This may teach many in the Church, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to expect Chri&s;t a ter|rible Judge, and &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t them: &s;eeing if they &s;eem to make care of the one; they have none of the other; for many &s;eem marvelous carefull of the fir&s;t Table, and matter of religion: they will heare the word, they will be frequent in prayer, they will not &s;weare an oath, keep the Lords day, hate Idolatry, and &s;uch like: but yet live in &s;ome breach of the &s;econd Table: in hatred and malice; lu&s;t, or covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e; cruelty, or oppre&s;&s;ion; &s;lan|dering, and di&s;contentment; di&s;obedience, and di&s;&s;oyalty. And the&s;e are religious hypocrites. On the other &s;ide, many there are who have care to deale ju&s;tly, to performe faithfullne&s;&s;e to men, are mercyfull, liberall, loving, and kinde, &amp;c. Yet care not, or regard not the duties of religion: Are &s;wearers, pro|phaners of the Lords day, neglecters of the wor&s;hip of God, care|le&s;&s;e, negligent, drou&s;ie hearers, and prayers, have little hatred of Idolatry, and le&s;&s;e love of the truth. And the&s;e are civill hypo|crites. Both the&s;e in the hypocri&s;ie of their hearts, per&s;wade them&s;elves, that they are in the favour of God, and &s;hall e&s;cape the wrath of Chri&s;t, when he &s;hall come to judge: either in this life, or the life to come. And the&s;e, and none more, lie cen&s;u|ring;
<PB N="188" REF="228">judging and condemning, one another, and remember not that the Judge &s;tandeth at the dore, ready to judge, and con|demne them both: &s;eeing he commandeth both, he will con|demne for the neglect of either: and the cur&s;e is to him, that neg|lects religion, and the fir&s;t Table, as well as the &s;econd, and hone&s;ty.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade the&s;e hypocrites, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> to come out of their hypocri&s;ie, and both them and all others to take upon them the care of per|forming obedience to Chri&s;t, in both: be carefull of religion with hone&s;ty, and of hone&s;ty with religion; this mu&s;t be done, and the other mu&s;t be le&s;t undone. Ha&s;t thou any knowledge of God, any love of the truth, any care of the Lords day, any feare of his great name, any love to heare, or to pray? See thou be carefull of ju&s;tice, cha&s;tity, &s;obriety, obedience, fidelity, and true love to men; Or el&s;e for all that, when thou thinke&s;t to have Chri&s;t, for thy Saviour, thou &s;halt finde him but a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e, and an irefull Judge again&s;t thee; So on the contrary. Many will ea&s;ily grant me, that if a man be never &s;o religious, &s;o devout, and carefull of the fir&s;t Table: yet if he be unju&s;t, an extortioner, a murtherer, and &s;uch like, As they Acts 28.5. judged of St. <HI>Paul,</HI> &s;o the Lord will not &s;uffer him to live, but his judgements &s;hall be upon him, and condemnation in the life to come. But if a man be ju&s;t, cha&s;t, mercifull, and &s;uch like, though he know not reli|gion, be without the feare of God, and care of his &s;ervice, though a &s;wearer, &amp; bla&s;phemer, a prophaner of the Lords day, yet he may do well enough, and no fear of peri&s;hing, or judgement, and &s;o will they &s;peake, both in life, and death; which is all one as if they &s;hould thinke, a man which is guilty of felony, murder, and &s;uch like, mu&s;t needs be judged by the law of the land; but if not of the&s;e, though he be a traytor to the Kings per&s;on, yet is there no feare. But if a traytor &s;hall die though not guilty of felony, and a felone, though not culpable of trea&s;on, by the ju&s;tice of mans law; much more they who &s;hall &s;eparate the&s;e two Tables. Therefore mu&s;t we endeavour, to be religiou&s;ly hone&s;t, and ho|ne&s;tly religious, to avoide the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of both Tables, and to do the duties of them; le&s;t if we &s;eparate the&s;e, we lay our &s;elves open to the judgements of God in this life, and &s;eparate our &s;elves from the comfortable, and happy pre&s;ence of the Lambe, and him that &s;itteth upon the Throne.</P>
<P><HI>Again&s;t the &s;ooth&s;ayers.]</HI> The fir&s;t particular, whom he will judge, and under this all of the like kinde. Such Deuter. 18.10, 11. Let none be found among you, that maketh his &s;onne or daughter go through the fire, or that <HI>u&s;eth witchcraft, or a regar|der of times, or a marker of the flying of foules, or a &s;orcerer; or a charmer, or that concelleth with &s;pirits, or a &s;ooth&s;ayer, or that asketh coun&s;ell at the dead.</HI></P>
<PB N="189" REF="228">
<P>The Lord as he will judge, and de&s;troy all other Malefactors, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> &s;o will he footh&s;ayers, witches, inchanters, &s;orcerers, Necroman|cers, wizards, and all &s;uch like: &s;o is affirmed here; And if we loke to the old Te&s;tament, and things that are pa&s;t, we &s;hall finde it true. Deuter. 18.12. <HI>For all that do &s;uch things are an abomi|nation to the Lord: and becau&s;e of the&s;e abominations, the Lord thy God doth ca&s;t them out before thee.</HI> 2. Kings 17.17, 18. <HI>And they made their &s;ounes and their daughters pa&s;&s;e through the fire, and u&s;ed witch craft, and inchantments, yea &s;old them&s;elves to do evill in the &s;ight of the Lord to anger him, therefore the Lord was exceeding wroth with I&s;rael, and put them out of his &s;ight, and none was left but the tribe of Iudah onely.</HI> Mich. 5.12. <HI>And will cut off thine Inchanters out of thine hand, and thou &s;halt have no more &s;ooth&s;ayers.</HI> In the new, Gal. 5.20, 21. Revelat. 21.8. <HI>Sorcerers &s;hall have their part, in the Lake that burnes with fire, and brim&s;tone.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are gro&s;&s;e Idolaters, and the art they u&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> is gro&s;&s;e Idolatry; for here is ever either the expre&s;&s;e invocating, and calling upon the Devil, &amp; &s;eeking from him knowledge of things &s;ecret, and to come, helpe in trouble, deliverance from danger, and &s;uch like proper unto God; or el&s;e &s;ome &s;ecret, and covert invocation on him: as under the name of the dead, or under &s;ome barbarous tearmes, which have no &s;ignification: or by &s;ome &s;u|per&s;titions and arts of &s;light, invented by him; Which <HI>Tertul. l b. de anima.</HI> calleth &s;econd Idolatry: for as in the fir&s;t, he fained him&s;elfe to be a God, &s;o here an Angel, or one that is dead, and &s;uch like, &amp; in both, he &s;eeks to be wor&s;hipped, when as then they are wor&s;hippers of the devill, taking from the Lord, that was his, mo&s;t gratefull and acceptable to him, invocation and his wor|&s;hip, and giving it to his mo&s;t deadly and greate&s;t enemy; How &s;hould he put it up, and not be revenged of &s;uch a generation?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they bewitch, and deceive many, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and draw them into the &s;ame &s;ins, and &s;o bring them to de&s;truction: as is &s;aid of <HI>Simon Magus.</HI> Acts 8.9. When as therefore they &s;o &s;trive again&s;t the glory of God, and &s;alvation of others; no marvell, if the Lord will judge and de&s;troy them.</P>
<P>To &s;tir up the Magi&s;trate to draw forth the &s;word of ju&s;tice a|gain&s;t the&s;e, and to cut off all &s;uch workers of iniquity, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> from the City of God, for they ought to do as the Lord would, and will do, &s;eeing they have the commandement for it, Exod. 22.18. <HI>Thou &s;halt not &s;uffer a witch to live.</HI> Levit. 20.27. <HI>And if a man or woman have a &s;pirit of divination, or &s;ooth&s;aying in them, they &s;hall die the death: they &s;hall &s;tone them to death, their bloud &s;hall be upon them.</HI> So did <HI>Saul</HI> while he was a&s;&s;i&s;ted of the Lord, and <HI>Io&s;ias</HI> 2. Kings 23.24. And this as well &s;uch as hurt as helpe, and though they do neither, yet if they have familiarity with a &s;pirit, as both the law of God, and our Land requires. And &s;lender it is which is
<PB N="190" REF="229">objected, to &s;ay now there are none, when this place &s;peaketh of the time of the Go&s;pell; and never would the Apo&s;tle have threat|ed any if there had not beene &s;uch &s;innes, and &s;uch offendors, to have thus fought with a &s;hadow.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade men to avoide this &s;in, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and not to fal into it to be|come &s;ooth-&s;ayers, wizards, wi&s;emen, &amp;c. upon hope of gaine, for de&s;ire of revenge, affecting vaine-glory, to know and reveale things to come, or for any &s;uch cau&s;e; knowing that though they can e&s;cape the law and puni&s;hment of man, either hurting not or covering their &s;orcery and witch-craft by medicines and hearbes, or deny they con&s;ult with any &s;pirit; yet &s;hall they not the judgement of Chri&s;t, who is the witne&s;&s;e, and &s;ees the &s;ecret of their compact with Satan, beholds their invocation and wor|&s;hipping of him, either in &s;ecret place, or in &s;ecret maner, and how&s;oever it is, and will judge them, and doth judge them in this life with blindene&s;&s;e, hardne&s;&s;e of heart, oftentimes poverty, and &s;uch like; but &s;ure he &s;hall judge them in the life to come, and give them their portion with him who have &s;ought to better their portion by him.</P>
<P>To di&s;&s;wade men from &s;eeking to &s;ooth-&s;ayers and &s;orcerers, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> &amp;c. or having any commerce or fellow&s;hip with them in their art, to &s;eeke from them the knowledge of things to come, the finding of things lo&s;t, the helping of creatures ill affected, and &s;uch like; for be&s;ides that, it is ab&s;olutely forbidden in the word God, and threatned, Levit. 20.6. Manife&s;ted in the example of <HI>Saul,</HI> 1 Sam. 28. This may di&s;&s;wade, becau&s;e they &s;hall be par|takers of their &s;inne, and con&s;equently of their puni&s;hment, and be judged by Chri&s;t; for judging the&s;e, he will judge them who communicate with them in the &s;ame &s;inne, yet is it lamentable and fearefull to &s;ee what flocking there is of men, but more of women, to men and women who cannot chu&s;e but be witches, and have familiarity, or commerce openly or clo&s;ely with the Di|vell, &s;ometimes for things lo&s;t, &s;ometimes for barrenne&s;&s;e, &s;ome|times for long and extreame di&s;ea&s;es of their children; not fea|ring this, that Chri&s;t will judge them, then tho&s;e who commu|nicate with them, and are the cau&s;es of their practi&s;es: for as no receivers, no theeves; &s;o no frequenter to tho&s;e, no &s;uch, &s;pecially &s;uch as are called white and good witches, or &s;orcerers; but they will &s;ay they are bewitched, <HI>Erg&ograve;:</HI> they may &s;eeke to be helpt. An&s;wer. As if there were not a God in I&s;rael, that ye goe to en|quire of Beelzebub the God of <HI>Ekron.</HI> 2 Kings 1.3. Or that God were not able to di&s;&s;olve the workes of the Divell; Did <HI>Iob</HI> this, when no doubt he di&s;cerned, as well as the&s;e, that he was be|witched? But ea&s;e and deliverance often followeth after this. In po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, Divells depart, in other extremities things are appea|&s;ed. An&s;wer. This is nothing; for fir&s;t Divells know how to
<PB N="191" REF="229">agree among them&s;elves to deceive men, and none of us would tru&s;t or commit his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to one that is deceitfull and perfidi|ous. Now the Divell is not onely a lyer, but the father of a lye. Secondly, if health and ea&s;e follow, it may be it is the effect of the lawfull meanes which was u&s;ed before, and God &s;eeing how cor|rupt and impatient thy heart was to abide his lea&s;ure, and make u&s;e of them, gave thee over to thy corruption, and let thee have thine owne will, even then to u&s;e &s;uch an unlawfull meanes, when health and ea&s;e was at hand, as if it had been an effect of that, to confirme thee in thy blindene&s;&s;e and infidelity: or la&s;tly it may be like that Deut. 13.3. <HI>Thou &s;halt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreames: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your &s;oule.</HI> And therefore for thee to take heede how thou hearken&s;t to the&s;e, le&s;t thou bewray thou love&s;t not the Lord. But they u&s;e nothing, but good words and lawfull meanes, prayers, and hearbs, and &s;imples, and &s;uch like; I an&s;wer, fir&s;t with Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tiana mulier e&s;t haec ex|cantans, &amp; nihil aliud loquitur quam Chri&s;ti nomen. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. ho 21. ad popul Antioch.</HI> Proptere&agrave; namque mag is odi &amp; aver&s;are quod Dei nomine ad contumeliam utitur quod &s;e di|cens e&s;&s;e Chri&s;tianam, gentili|um opera facit. Etenim &amp; Dae|mones Dei nomen fatebantur &amp; tamen erunt Damones. <HI>Chry&s;o.</HI></NOTE> <HI>&s;he is a Chri&s;tian women that u&s;eth the &s;pell, and nothing but the name of Chri&s;t.</HI> They &s;pake the&s;e words before going, when they ex|cu&s;ed them&s;elves for the like. He an&s;wereth, <HI>For that cau&s;e hate and dete&s;t her the more, be|cau&s;e &s;he vilely abu&s;es the name of God, profe&s;. &s;ing her &s;elfe a Chri&s;tian, &s;he doth the workes of an heathen, for &s;o the Divells confe&s;&s;e the name of God and yet were Divels &s;till.</HI> For they &s;aid, Luke 4.41. Thou art Chri&s;t the &s;on of God, yet he rebu|ked them and ca&s;t them out. Therefore I would intreate you to beware of this deceit; for as they who are tempe|ring bitter cups for children, fir&s;t rub the mouth with hony that that headle&s;&s;e age when it &s;hall perceive the &s;weetne&s;&s;e, &s;hall not feele and feare the bitterne&s;&s;e; and they who give poy&s;onfull hearbes, give them the titles of medicines, that no man then rea|ding the &s;uper&s;cription of a remedy, &s;hould &s;u&s;pect poi&s;on: So deal the&s;e. Be&s;ides in their hearbes, the Divell is but Gods Ape, who &s;eeing him not doe things, but by meanes, u&s;eth the like that no man might &s;u&s;pect him, as he appeared in like habit to <HI>Samuel.</HI> But to conclude, what colour and covert &s;oever is made, Chri&s;t is the witne&s;&s;e, and knowes all, and he wil be the Judge to reward all who &s;hall thus pollute and defile them&s;elves.</P>
<P><HI>And again&s;t the adulterers.]</HI> The &s;econd particular, adultery in the Etymology of it, is a going up to another mans bed. As Gen. 49.4. <HI>Thou wa&s;t light as water, thou &s;halt not be excellent becau&s;e thou wente&s;t up to thy fathers bed: then did&s;t thou defile my bed, thy dig|nity is gone.</HI> In the nature of it, it is the carnall knowledge of a wo|man, who is bound to another man; but no doubt in this place
<PB N="192" REF="230">not onely this, but under it, fornication and wantonne&s;&s;e, and all uncleanene&s;&s;e is contained, as in the commandement.</P>
<P>the Lord as he will judge, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> condemne, and de&s;troy all wicked men, &s;o adulterers, whoremongers, fornicators, buggerers, and other uncleane per&s;ons, here, and Gal. 5.19.21. Ephe&s;. 5.5. Heb. 13.4. Marriage is honourable among all men, and the bed un|defiled: but whore-mongers and adulterers God will judge, Reve|lat. 21.8.</P>
<P>This ought to make every one flye adultery, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> though he can e&s;cape the puni&s;hment of men, yet for Gods judgement, in this life often wa&s;ting of the body, and fearefull di&s;ea&s;es, poverty, re|proach and ignomy, &s;uch as &s;hall never be put out; that fearefull judgement <HI>Iob</HI> &s;peakes of, Cap. 31.9.10. But if the&s;e be not feared becau&s;e they befall in a few, and yet may he be of the few, yet this &s;hould, Eccle&s;. 11.9. that Chri&s;t will judge him and con|demne him, exclude him heaven, ca&s;t him into hell, and the fire that burnes for ever.</P>
<P><HI>And again&s;t fal&s;e &s;wearers.]</HI> The third particular, which is not &s;et downe barely as the others, but with this addition of fal&s;ly, or vainely. The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e to &s;weare is not &s;imply unlawfull, as the other, but a thing that a man is oftentimes bound to for the glory of God, and for the profit and nece&s;&s;ity of others; &s;o it be by the Lord alone, and taken in truth, not &s;wearing a lye and fal&s;e thing, in judgement, advi&s;edly and upon nece&s;&s;ary occa&s;ion, in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, promi&s;ing by oath nothing but that is lawfull and ju&s;t, and undertaken for the glory of God, the di&s;charge of duty, the appea&s;ing of controver&s;ie, the &s;atisfying of others, and the clearing of a mans innocency. But the&s;e and their like being wanting, it is a fal&s;e oath, and men &s;weare fal&s;ly.</P>
<P>The Lord he will judge and condemne all fal&s;e &s;wearers, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> &s;uch as &s;weare by others then him&s;elfe, fal&s;e things not in truth, ra&s;hly not in judgement, unlawfull things not in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, neither re&s;pecting Gods glory, the good of others, di&s;charge of duty, &amp;c. So here, and Exod. 20.7. <HI>Thou &s;halt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine: For the Lord will not hold him guiltle&s;&s;e that taketh his name in vaine:</HI> Not guiltle&s;&s;e, but under that bitter cur&s;e of condemnation, Deut. 27.26. Zach. 5.2.3.4. James 5.12. But be|fore all things my brethren &s;weare not, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath; but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, be nay, <HI>le&s;t ye fall into condemnation.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e he hates &s;uch oathes, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Zach. 8.17. And <HI>let none of you imagine evill in his heart again&s;t his neighbour, and love no fal&s;e eath, for all the&s;e are the things that I hate,</HI> &s;aith the Lord: now hating the&s;e, he mu&s;t needes for them, hate tho&s;e that love and practi&s;e them; and hatred will procure judgement, wrath, and de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;wearing by others they are idolaters: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> for whereas an
<PB N="193" REF="230">oath is not onely God ordinance, but a &s;peciall part of his wor|&s;hip, both becau&s;e there is invocation, and becau&s;e it is in the fir&s;t table commanded, and of the &s;olemne forme of impo&s;ing an oath, which was this, give glory to God, Jo&s;h. 7.19. And the &s;olemne rite of taking an oath among the Jewes, which was to &s;tand be|fore the Altar, 1 Kings 8.31. and was a cu&s;tome among the Athe|nians and Romanes. Then to give Gods wor&s;hip to another, is idolatry, and idolaters mu&s;t be judged and condemned.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, if ra&s;hly by him, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> the name of God &s;o deare unto him he di&s;honouring and vilifying it, by &s;uch u&s;ual &amp; ra&s;h &s;wearing, he wil revenge it. If &s;eriou&s;ly &amp; yet not in truth, for things pa&s;t or to come, knowing them to be fal&s;e, &amp; intending not to do them, he cals God as a witne&s;&s;e of his fal&s;e-hood, and a revenger of it, and &s;o mu&s;t he come upon him; for this he tempteth God de&s;perately, and dareth him as it were to his face, to execute his vengeance upon him.</P>
<P>This may &s;hew us the fearefull e&s;tate, not of a few, but of a multitude, and whole troopes of men and women, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> being common and u&s;uall, fal&s;e &s;wearers, who can neither buy, nor &s;ell, meet, nor depart, neither &s;peake &s;eriou&s;ly, nor in je&s;t, neither per&s;wade, nor promi&s;e, neither intreat nor threaten, neither relate things pa&s;t, nor draw men to the expectation of things to come, without &s;wearing and many oathes, oftentimes by tho&s;e which are no Gods, committing idolatry, u&s;ually, ra&s;hly, and unadvi&s;edly, and not &s;eldome wickedly, fal&s;ly, and deceitfully. In this &s;in are wrap|ped both parents and children, ma&s;ters, and &s;ervants, rich and poore, high and low, noble and ba&s;e, Mini&s;ter and people. If the Lord that threatneth to be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t &s;uch, and a &s;e|vere Judges, &s;hould now come to de&s;troy and ca&s;t to hell all &s;uch; how fearefull then would we thinke and account their condition to be? Verily how nigh that day of A&s;&s;ize and of his glori|ous appearing, is no body can tell; few &s;u&s;pect it to bee &s;o nigh as it is: but &s;ay it be as farre off, as they &s;uppo&s;e, yet doth he judge them every day. It is a judgement, and a fearefull one, that they &s;inne every day, and &s;weare every houre, and &s;ee it not, to leave and for&s;ake it; but the morning &s;wearing is puni&s;hed with the afternoone, this day with to morrow, &amp;c. And for all the&s;e, the plague of God and his judgements ready to breake in at the doores, though he &s;ee it not, yet others may &s;ee it manife&s;tly. Tell me what woulde&s;t thou thinke his &s;tate and condition to be, that had a bal of fire hanging over his hou&s;e, ready to fal upon him to con&s;ume him, his wife and children, &s;ervants, and all that he hath in a moment; and yet he and they all within doores, give them&s;elves to chamberings and wantonne&s;&s;e, to drunkenne&s;&s;e and gluttony, to whoredome and uncleanene&s;&s;e, by that meanes to drawe and ha&s;ten this to fall upon him and con&s;ume him? woul|de&s;t thou not thinke him in a fearefull condition? &s;uch is the
<PB N="194" REF="231">&s;tate of every &s;wearer, the plague of God tends upon their hou&s;e, the volume of cur&s;es is hovering and flying about their hou&s;es, and this fire hanging over them, and &s;till by their oathes, as the Faulconer by his Lure and hallow, calling this to fall upon him; and their ca&s;e the more fearefull, becau&s;e cu&s;tome hath made them when they &s;weare they deny they did, and if they be evicted for it, they account it as nothing, no more then an ordinary &s;peech: As Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. ho. ad Baptiz. &s;i quis jurantem increpaverit, ri|&s;us movet, jocos narrare putatur.</HI> But the &s;ame day, or the day af|ter that <HI>Lots</HI> &s;onnes in law mocked and de&s;pi&s;ed their fathers ad|monitions, the fire of God devoured them and their City, Gen. 19. So may it upon them; pitty then their fearefull conditions, and feare and flye their &s;ociety, their fellow&s;hip, their families; for though thou ha&s;t e&s;caped hitherto, yet when the flying book en|ters in at their doores and windowes, thou maie&s;t happily be there then, and partake in their plague; but in truth thou ha&s;t not e&s;caped, but as they by the cu&s;tome of their owne &s;inne are growne &s;encele&s;&s;e, &s;o thou by theirs art grown le&s;&s;e to fear an oath then thou did&s;t before, and &s;o ha&s;t got more hurt to thy &s;oule, then ever they &s;hall be able to doe thee good to thy body and &s;tate, how&s;oever thou promi&s;e thy &s;elfe great things by them.</P>
<P>This may &s;erve for &s;ecure men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> who lye in this &s;inne, to hate &s;wearing, or are ready to fall into it, to per&s;wade them, as Zach. 8.17. And let none of you imagine evill in his heart again&s;t his neighbour; and love no fal&s;e oath: for all the&s;e are the things that I hate, &s;aith the Lord. If not for the haynou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the &s;inne, yet for the puni&s;hment. If not in a &s;tate where there is little law a|gain&s;t it; yet in a Church where the King of it is both a &s;wift Witne&s;&s;e, and a &s;evere Judge, and will both judge and condemne every fal&s;e &s;wearer. S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> di&s;&s;wading from this &s;inne, and per&s;wading little, at length breakes forth into this:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">&V;tinam mihi liceret frequenter jurantium a|nimas exuere, &amp; ip&s;orum oculis &s;ubjicere vulnera &amp; cicatrices, quas quoti|die capiunt a juramentis nec admonitionis, nec con|cilii indigeremus, quo|niam vnlneram a&s;pectus omni &s;ermone potentius. <HI>Hom. 14. ad pop. An|tioch.</HI></NOTE> I would I might uncover and lay open the &s;oules of ordinarie &s;wearers naked, and &s;et their wounds and skarres be|fore their eyes, which they daily receive by oathes: then there would be no need of admonition or coun|&s;ell; becau&s;e the &s;ight of their wounds would more prevaile then all my words. This would I wi&s;h, to give them the &s;ight of their &s;in, and the guilt of it, but if it prevaile not, I would I could give them the &s;ence of it, that I could make them &s;ee and beleeve the judge|ments and puni&s;hments which belong to it, that the flying booke full of cur&s;es is long &s;ince come abroad, and is ready to &s;eize upon their hou&s;es and per&s;ons. That Chri&s;t will certainely as he heareth every oath, &s;o judge them for it, and lay heavy plagues upon them. Me thinkes this &s;hould be like the Ship-ma&s;ters voyce, Jonah 1.6. <HI>What meane&s;t thou O &s;wearer? call
<PB N="195" REF="231">upon God that thou peri&s;h not.</HI> And &s;o to be carefull to avoid them them&s;elves, to reforme them in theirs: not &s;wearing for gaine, le&s;&s;e for plea&s;ure or vanity: not for curte&s;ie, as in &s;itting down, and ta|king places: not in pa&s;&s;ion, and &s;uch like, but remembring the law, thinking of the judgement, not forgetting the Judge: and &s;o not alleadging excu&s;es. Jam. 5.12. <HI>But before all things my bre|thren, &s;weare not, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath; but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay; lea&s;t ye fall into condemnation.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And again&s;t tho&s;e who wrong fully keep back the hirelings wages.]</HI> The fourth particular is oppre&s;&s;ion: and the particulars of this, are &s;everall: this the fir&s;t, that when a man hath hired and u&s;ed ano|ther, and had his labour, and &s;weat, whether he were hired by day, weeke, or yeare, whether by day, or by whole, if they re|taine their wages, from them unju&s;tly, deny it them directly, or un|der &s;ome colour, or dimini&s;h it; or defer it: which is an injury unto them, he will judge them.</P>
<P>The Lord he will judge, and condemne, and de&s;troy, all &s;uch as keepe backe their hirelings wages, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> which for his living wor|keth with him: either by day, moneth, or yeare, and &s;uch are here threatned. Like to this that Jer. 22.13. <HI>We unto him that buildeth his hou&s;e by unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: and his chambers without equity: he u&s;eth his neighbour without wages: and giveth him not for his worke.</HI> Jam. 5.4. <HI>Behold, the hire of the labourers, which have reaped your fields (which is of you kept backe by fraud) crieth, and the cries of them that have reaped, are entered into the eares of the Lord of Hoa&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the law of ju&s;tice, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which requires they &s;hould give to every man his owne, and not withhold the right from the owner of it: but they having had their labour, their wa|ges is then the others right and due: &s;o that to withhold it is in|ju&s;tice: but all unju&s;t men, he will judge and de&s;troy.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are cruell, and unmercifull: <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> for a mercifull man will not defraud his bea&s;t: but gives him his due when he labou|reth for him, regarding that Deut. 25.4. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzell the Oxe that treadeth out the Corne.</HI> God &s;peakes not for oxen, but for men, and if mercy be not &s;hewed here, then Jam. 2.13. <HI>There &s;hall be judgement mercile&s;&s;e, to him that &s;heweth no mercy, and mercy re|joyceth again&s;t judgement.</HI></P>
<P>Then are there many in this City, many (I fear, nay, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> it is without feare,) hearers of the word, whom the Lord will judge: be|cau&s;e they keep backe the hire of the labourer, and are the la|bourers pur&s;ebearers, and cofferers, whether they will or no: verily Chri&s;t &s;hall judge them for it, will they, nill they.</P>
<P>To teach tho&s;e, who have &s;ervants, or u&s;e hirelings, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to take the Apo&s;tles rule, Collo. 4.1. Do not detaine, and defraud them of their wages: it is equall, it is right you &s;hould give it them; know
<PB N="196" REF="232">you, el&s;e you have a Ma&s;ter in Heaven: give it them chearefully, fully, readily, not fraudulently; el&s;e this Ma&s;ter &s;hall be your Judge: and he is the witne&s;&s;e of all your fraud: if you have done it, do it no more: and for that is done, make them re&s;titution; &s;earch your bookes, and &s;ee wherein you have defrauded them. Deut. 24.14.15. <HI>Thou &s;halt not oppre&s;&s;e an hired &s;ervant that is needy and poore, neither of thy brethren, nor of the &s;tranger that is in the land within thy gates; thou &s;halt give him his hire for his day, neither &s;hall the &s;unne go downe upon it, for he is poore and therewith &s;u&s;taineth his life, le&s;t he crie again&s;t thee unto the Lord, and it be &s;in unto thee.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And vex the widowes.]</HI> The &s;econd particular of the fourth kind of &s;inners, whom the Lord will judge: namely, &s;uch as vex, injure, and oppre&s;&s;e widowes; how&s;oever this with tho&s;e which follow, are u&s;ually joyned together in the Scripture, yet becau&s;e he that doth any one of the&s;e, though he do them not all, &s;hall be judged of Chri&s;t; I will &s;peake of them briefely and &s;everally.</P>
<P>The Lord he will come neer to judgement, to puni&s;hment, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and de&s;truction, again&s;t all tho&s;e, who vex, oppre&s;&s;e, and injure the widowes. So is it here. And that Exod. 22.22.23.24. <HI>Ye &s;hall not trouble any widow, nor fatherle&s;&s;e child. If thou vex, or trouble &s;uch, and &s;o he call and crie unto me, I will &s;urely heare his cry. Then &s;hall my wrath be kindled; and I will kill you with the &s;word: and your wives &s;hall be widowes, and your children fatherle&s;&s;e.</HI> Deuter. 27.19. <HI>Cur&s;ed be he that hindereth the right of the &s;tranger, the fatherle&s;&s;e and the widow; and all the people &s;hall &s;ay, &s;o be it.</HI> Jer. 22.3.5. Matth. 23.14. <HI>We be unto you Scribes, and Phari&s;es hypocrites, for ye devoure widowes hou&s;es, even under a colour of long prayers: wherefore ye &s;hall receive the greater damnation.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;inne is made the greater, becau&s;e it is coloured, and the puni&s;hment threatned to be heavier; but a wo is denounced a|gain&s;t them, becau&s;e of the &s;imple &s;in.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are guilty, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> not onely of inju&s;tice, but cruelty; of cruell inju&s;tice: for to injure, and vex any, is inju&s;tice: but to vex widowes, and &s;uch as are weake, and helple&s;&s;e, is cruelty; and then, Iam. 2.13. <HI>There &s;hall be judgement mercile&s;&s;e, to him that &s;heweth no mercy: and mercy rejoyceth again&s;t judgement.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e God he profe&s;&s;eth him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> the helper of the help|le&s;&s;e: and the patron of &s;uch as are without &s;uccour, and friends: therefore as he mu&s;t right their wrongs, &s;o mu&s;t he relieve them oppre&s;&s;ed, and revenge their oppre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>This may admoni&s;h tho&s;e, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who are in authority, and place of ju&s;tice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">This will make them like unto the Lord</NOTE> to defend the widowes cau&s;e, when it comes before them: or what power &s;oever they have in their hands, as I&s;aial, 1.17. <HI>Plead for the widow,</HI> whether &s;he be rich, or poore: for if rich, it is but ju&s;tice: but if poore, it is both ju&s;tice, and mercy. That many
<PB N="197" REF="232">will do, and it is le&s;&s;e thanke worthy: becau&s;e they are able to re|compence them by &s;ome gratefullne&s;&s;e, and other meanes; In whom there is a &s;hew of ju&s;tice, but no ju&s;tice indeed, and in truth, but a de&s;ire of gaine. The other is the harder, and as ju&s;t, &s;o mercifull, and hath the promi&s;e of good from God: as in the ge|nerall, Luke, 14.14. And thou &s;halt be ble&s;&s;ed, becau&s;e they can|not recompence thee: for thou &s;halt be recompenced, at the re&s;ur|rection of the ju&s;t. Tho&s;e &s;hall be recompenced of men, the&s;e of God. This they ought then to doe chearefully, and not as the unrighteous Judge, unwillingly, but as <HI>Iob,</HI> 31.16. who would not &s;uffer the eies of the widow to faile.</P>
<P>Then may all tho&s;e, who are vexers, oppre&s;&s;ors, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and injurers of widowes know, what they are to looke for from the Lord: that how&s;oever they thinke all &s;afe, and he is farre off, yet he will come nigh to them to judgement: and be &s;wift, when they thinke, he is &s;lacke: either to make their hou&s;es de&s;titute, or their wives, wi|dowes, or to bring &s;ome &s;uch fearefull judgement again&s;t them: be&s;ides the afterclaps, that which is to come after this life. But who are the&s;e, that &s;ome men may &s;ee them&s;elves touched? Ve|rily there are divers &s;orts of them: &s;ome injure rich wido wes, who left by their husbands, under who&s;e &s;hadow, they pro&s;pered well; are by unju&s;t Executors, long kept without their portions, and widowes part: and never recover it, but by long &s;ute in law, where the be&s;t part is &s;pent, before the other is recovered; If they have it without any &s;uch troubles, then are they by uncon&s;ciona|ble kindred, bought and &s;old, by a peece of money to a man that hath neither wealth, vertue, nor grace; many a man labouring for her, making great &s;hew of wealth, which in truth, many pounds is wor&s;e then nothing: for poore widowes, utterly for&s;aken of all kindred, and friends, on both &s;ides, never de&s;erving the commendations given by <HI>Boez,</HI> Ruth 2.20. for they &s;oone cea&s;e to do good, both to the living, and dead; And doing thus to kindred, what can be expected of tho&s;e who are not allied to them? but that they &s;hould leave them de&s;titute, and &s;oone &s;ubvert their cau&s;e, or not right their wrong; but be readier to vex them: &s;ome, as the Creditors of that widow, 2. Kings 4. (thoughin this ge|nerally, this City le&s;&s;e capable, if they find any rea&s;onable dealing.)</P>
<P>This may per&s;wade every one to avoid this &s;in, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> if he have no love to ju&s;tice, no affection to mercy, yet if he have any feare of puni&s;hment, let him vex neither the rich, nor the poore, neither his friend, nor one that is friend to him. But if he would have his cur&s;e, turned into a ble&s;&s;ing, he mu&s;t have care and do his be&s;t, that when he rejoyceth, and is full, the widow may be &s;o too: as is commanded in the fea&s;t of the Tabernacle, Deut. 16.13.14.15. and let her have a part with thee, both of the field, and vineyard, Deut. 24.19.20.21. that thou maie&s;t pray with more boldne&s;&s;e
<PB N="198" REF="233">before the Lord. Deuter. 26.13.15. <HI>Then thou &s;halt &s;ay before the Lord thy God, I have brought the hallowed thing out of mine hou&s;e, and al&s;o have given it unto the Levites, and to the &s;trangers, to the fathers, and to the widow, according to all thy commandements, which thou ha&s;t commanded me: I have tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed none of thy commandements, nor forgotten them. Looke downe from thy holy ha|bitation, euen from Heaven, and ble&s;&s;e thy people I&s;rael and the land which thou ha&s;t given us (as thou &s;ware&s;t unto our fathers) the land that floweth with milke and honey.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the fatherle&s;&s;e.]</HI> The third particular of oppre&s;&s;ion, when they injure, and vex the fatherle&s;&s;e: &s;uch as are without all helpe, and hope.</P>
<P>The Lord will come nigh to judgment, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> to all &s;uch, as vex, oppre&s;&s;e, and injure the fatherle&s;&s;e: &s;uch as are left yong, not able for age and coun&s;ell, and advice to defend them&s;elves. So here, &s;o in Exod. 22.22.23. And Deut. 27.19. Jer. 22.3.5. <HI>Ioh</HI> &s;hewes this was ju&s;t with God. Job 31.21.22. <HI>If I have lift up my hand a|garn&s;t the fatherle&s;&s;e, when I &s;aw that I might helpe him in the gate: let mine arme fall from my &s;houlder, and mine arme be broken from the bone.</HI></P>
<P>Rea&s;ons as in the former.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> all in authority, to judge for the fatherle&s;&s;e, when his cau&s;e comes before them, as is commanded, I&s;aiah 1.17. which is, not that they &s;hould accept per&s;ons, and pervert ju&s;tice, for the fatherle&s;&s;e, becau&s;e he is &s;o: a thing forbidden by God, and horrible before him: to favour the per&s;on of the poore, as to feare the great and rich, in an unju&s;t cau&s;e: but that when the poore fatherle&s;&s;e cau&s;e, comes before them, again&s;t &s;ome great men, or rich deceivers, that &s;eek to vex them: they &s;hould defend their cau&s;e, though they &s;ue but in <HI>forma pauperis:</HI> and re|&s;pect the ju&s;tice of it, as if they were rich: and do for them that which is right, &s;o &s;hall they &s;hew them&s;elves Gods; for where the name is given to them, there the duty is injoyned them: P&s;al. 82.1.2.3.4. For the Magi&s;trate is &s;pecially ordained for the&s;e, not for &s;uch as are great men, who neither will doe right, nor &s;uffer wrong: able enough to right them&s;elves, and defend their own cau&s;es: or not &s;o much for the&s;e, as for the poore orphanes, wi|dowes, and &s;uch like; As the defence is for the little coppes, and &s;mall trees of grooth, not for the great okes, they have not &s;uch need of fencing again&s;t bea&s;ts, as tho&s;e.</P>
<P>Then may many men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> expect the judgments of God: who vex, and oppre&s;&s;e, for their owne gaine, many pore orphanes, and fatherle&s;&s;e children: &s;ometimes colourably, &s;ometimes openly; Often they colour it by pretence of law, and are legall oppre&s;&s;ors: who obtaining Wards, do &s;ell them from one, to another, as men do hor&s;es: and when they are marriagable, tenderthem &s;uch mat|ches
<PB N="199" REF="233">as they mu&s;t live mi&s;erably all their lives with, if they accept them; &s;o far different in nature, &s;tate, religion, and &s;uch like: or if they accept not, when they, tender of purpo&s;e, &s;uch as they know, they wil not regard, then make they a further commodity of them, that they happily recover, not that oppre&s;&s;ion of many yeares, if they do in all their lives. Others that are Guerdons, and Tutors having their portions, give unto them &s;uch liberty, that by their indulgences, they grow unthrifts, that of their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions and mooveables, they often intere&s;t them&s;elves, and &s;trip them of all, often defrauding them of many things, wherewith they were put intru&s;t; many feed them with money, and inwrap them into bonds, to be paid when they come to yeares, treble, and quadrible, that they are often out of their wealth, before they be at yeares. Many Executors put in tru&s;t with the whole e&s;tate, make their fathers conditions far wor&s;e, then it was: that in this ca&s;e that part of the proverbe is true, There is never any dead man rich: that is, &s;o rich as he is, or was accounted before, and in truth was: yet Executors, extenuate, and le&s;&s;en his &s;tate, to better them&s;elves: counting him a bad Cooke, who cannot licke his owne fingers: In this number of &s;inners, may go many fathers in law, who mar|rying the widow to inrich her to him&s;elfe, cares not how he de|fraud the children: many mothers to advance them&s;elves, care not what become of the children of their owne bodies: with infinite &s;uch, which happily many men of more experience, could better decipher them; but if there be others, not touched by me, he that is both witne&s;&s;e, and Judge, &s;eeth all, and will judge, and indeed doth judge, the former oppre&s;&s;ions, in the age before, by that which is in our age, and will this, by that which is to come. I will make your children fatherle&s;&s;e, and &s;o helple&s;&s;e. As <HI>Samael</HI> to <HI>Agag,</HI> 1. Sam. 15.33. But be&s;ides all this, he will feare|fully de&s;troy all &s;uch.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade, all guilty per&s;ons, though not before men, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> yet before God: to enter into them&s;elves, and examine their owne lives, and former practi&s;e, and &s;ee that they repent of this &s;inne, as well as others: and if they do truly, let them make re&s;titution to &s;uch, el&s;e that may we u&s;e: Mich. 6.10. <HI>Are yet the trea&s;ures of wickedne&s;&s;e, in the hou&s;e of the wicked, and the &s;cant mea&s;ure that is abhominable?</HI> and &s;et it on with ver&s;es 11.12.13. <HI>&s;hall I ju&s;tifie the wicked balances, and the bag of deceitfull waights? for the rich men thereof are full of cruelty, &amp; the inhabitants thereof have &s;poken lies, and their tongue is deceitfull in their mouth: therefore al&s;o will I make thee &s;icke in &s;miting thee, and in making thee de&s;olate becau&s;e of thy &s;innes.</HI> For no re&s;titution, no repentance;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t ho. <HI>5.</HI> de paeni tent. To. <HI>5.</HI> p <HI>734</HI> a.b.c. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> where there is know|ledge, and ability of all, without a man do it.</P>
<P><HI>And oppre&s;&s;e the &s;tranger.]</HI> The fourth particular, injuring, and oppre&s;&s;ing of &s;trangers: &s;ome were &s;trangers by nature, but pro|&s;elites
<PB N="200" REF="234">to the religion of the Jewes; and the&s;e, I take it, are not ac|counted &s;trangers, nor &s;o called; they had happily a note given them, and &s;ignification of it, that they were of &s;ome other coun|try: As 2 Sam. 11.6. <HI>Vriah</HI> the <HI>Hittite,</HI> and 1 Sam. 26.6. <HI>Abime|lech</HI> the <HI>Hittite;</HI> but they were as if they had beene borne in the Land, and of the&s;e I take it he &s;peaketh not here: but others were onely peaceable in the Land and State, living, or trading with them, and though not profe&s;&s;ours, yet not per&s;ecuters, or open oppo&s;ers and di&s;turbers of their religion.</P>
<P>The Lord will judge, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> puni&s;h and condemne tho&s;e, who injure and oppre&s;&s;e &s;trangers: &s;uch as being borne in another country doe profe&s;&s;e the &s;ame religion, or live peaceably among them. Mani|fe&s;t, as here, &s;o by Exod. 22.22.23. Deuter. 27.19. Jer. 22.3.5. Ezek. 22.29.30.31. 2 Sam. 12.9.10. and Cap. 21.1.</P>
<P>Rea&s;ons fir&s;t and &s;econd, as in the former.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e no man ought to oppre&s;&s;e his neighbour, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> or brother, if he doe, God will judge him for it; this will be granted of all, but a &s;tranger and &s;uch an one as this, is as his brother, and his neighbour, as is manife&s;t, Luke 10.30. Levit. 19.33.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord he loves the &s;trangers, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Deut. 10.18. Now to injure and oppre&s;&s;e &s;uch &s;trangers as he loves, or &s;uch as he loveth, he will revenge and judge.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct all in authority to u&s;e their authority in the defence of the &s;trangers right, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> as well as tho&s;e who are home borne; and to relieve them oppre&s;&s;ed, as we may under&s;tand that I&s;aiah 1.17. not to accept his per&s;on no more then his who is home borne, but doe him right again&s;t him that is home borne, as well as this a|gain&s;t a &s;tranger. If he mu&s;t pre&s;erve a &s;ervant in the cruelty of his Ma&s;ter, Deut. 23.15.16. <HI>Thou &s;halt not deliver the &s;ervant unto his ma&s;ter, which is e&s;caped from his ma&s;ter unto thee: he &s;hall dwell with thee, even among you in what place he &s;hall chu&s;e, in one of thy Cities where it liketh him be&s;t: thou &s;halt not vex him.</HI> (It was not a re|fuge for every wicked man, but for him that was knowne to be cruelly u&s;ed, and fled to them for the name of the Lord.) Then mu&s;t al&s;o be Sanctuaries to &s;trangers di&s;tre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>To teach us what their portion &s;hall be from the Lord who grieve and vex &s;trangers; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that is, all &s;uch as murmure that our Church &s;hould be like to a Hen which doth not onely nouri&s;h up her owne Chickens,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t ho. <HI>46.</HI> operis imperfecti.</NOTE> but al&s;o &s;trange ones, that are excluded from their owne damme: So doth the true Church, and &s;o hath ours; which the&s;e men hate, and would have them excluded, onely for their owne profit and gaine; and therefore are they ready to favor any again&s;t them, as much as in them is, to hinder their right, and to pervert their ju&s;tice. They tell us they grow rich among&s;t us, and get the wealth when many are impoveri&s;hed; but is their eye evill becau&s;e the Lords is good? or doe they hate them becau&s;e he
<PB N="201" REF="234">pro&s;pers them? So did the Egyptians, the I&s;raelites: But by what meanes grow they rich, otherwi&s;e then by following a lawfull calling, and labouring as thou do&s;t? and if thou be poorer, it is becau&s;e thou art idler or more wicked. The Lord taught the con|trary by that Law, Levit. 25.47. &amp;c. And by that which he al|lowes unto them, one and the &s;ame Law, as to him that was born in the Land, as is often &s;hewed and repeated, &s;ave in the matter of remitting debts, in the &s;eventh yeare, Deut. 15.1.2.3.</P>
<P><HI>And feare not me.]</HI> The fith &s;ort of &s;inners that the Lord will judge, are in a more generall kinde &s;uch as feare not him; that is, &s;uch as have no continuall awe of him, in re&s;pect of his power and mercy, for the&s;e and the fruits of them to avoyde evill and flye from finnes. Now in the conjunction of the&s;e is noted by &s;ome, that this is the roote and cau&s;e of others. <HI>i.</HI> &s;uch and &s;uch have they done, and this is the cau&s;e, hence it comes becau&s;e they feare not me.</P>
<P>The want of Gods feare where&s;oever it is, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> is the cau&s;e and roote of all &s;inne, many and great, as the feare of God is the cau&s;e of mens flying and avoyding of &s;inne. The later is manife&s;t, Prov. 8.13. <HI>The feare of the Lord is to hate evill,</HI> Deu. 5.29. Deut. 42.18. &amp; 39.9. Then the contrary where it is not, for take away the cau&s;e, take away the effect. And &s;o the latter is proved, and by that Gen. 20.10.11. <HI>Then Abimelech &s;aid unto Abraham, what &s;awe&s;t thou, that thou ha&s;t done this thing? Then Abraham an&s;wered becau&s;e I thought thus, &s;urely the feare of God is not in this place, and they will &s;lay me for my wives &s;ake.</HI> Exod. 1.17. P&s;al. 36.1. Amos 6.3. Rom. 3.18. <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."></P>
<P>Becau&s;e as <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> in P&s;al. 79.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Omnia peccata duae res faciunt, cupiditas &amp; timor: proponitur praemium ut pecces, facis propter quod cupis, terreris minis, facis propter quod times, <HI>Augu&s;t. in P&s;alm. 79.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Two things cau&s;e all &s;innes: de&s;ire and feare; there is a re|ward propo&s;ed that thou maie&s;t &s;inne, thou do&s;t it becau&s;e thou de&s;ire&s;t the reward, thou art terrified with threatnings, thou do&s;t it for feare of &s;mart.</HI> Now where the feare of Gods power is, it will expell all &s;uch de&s;ire of plea&s;ure or profit; for feare is the &s;tronge&s;t affection, and &s;toppeth the pa&s;&s;age of de&s;ires; as in a co|ward, and one condemned. And the le&s;&s;e feare will be overcome of a greater, as a &s;trong and great naile drives out a &s;mall one. Luke 12.4.5. <HI>And I &s;ay unto you my friends, be not affrayd of them that kill the body, and after that are not able to doe any more: but I will forewarne you whom you &s;hall feare; feare him which after he hath killed hath power to ca&s;t into hell: yea I &s;ay unto you, him fear.</HI> Now where this feare is wanting, no marvaile if they fall either for de&s;ire or plea&s;ure into many and &s;trange &s;innes.</P>
<P>This may teach us what to expect from men who want the feare of the Lord: They will &s;inne for a peece of bread, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> a &s;mall matter of plea&s;ure or profit: a little feare, if they have the occa&s;ion and opportunity, will draw them to any thing; for take away the
<PB N="202" REF="235">bankes from the &s;ea, and the bridle from the hor&s;e, whither will not that flow, and whereinto will not he breake? &s;uch and &s;o unruly is the corruption of man, if it have not this banke, and this bridle to keepe it from outrage, murther, adultery, perjury, op|pre&s;&s;ion, and inju&s;tice, or any &s;inne will be nothing in their hands. What will they not dare to doe? If Kings command, they will murther innocents, not as the Midwives: If Queenes enjoine, they will accu&s;e, judge, condemne, and execute the guiltle&s;&s;e; as tho&s;e wicked Judges, 1 Kings 21. did innocent <HI>Naboath</HI> upon <HI>Iezebels</HI> letters.</P>
<P>We learne what to judge of men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> whom we &s;ee living either in the&s;e &s;innes or any other the like; they are men de&s;titute of the feare of God, even a &s;ervile feare, for this will prove it. <HI>vide Cap.</HI> 1.6. fir&s;t effect of feare.</P>
<P>That we may be free from the&s;e &s;ins, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> let us labour for this feare, <HI>vide ibid.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Saith the Lord of hoa&s;ts.]</HI> This is added for confirmation that none &s;hould promi&s;e to them&s;elves &s;afety for any outward re|&s;pects, as if he could not puni&s;h them. <HI>vide Cap.</HI> 1.4.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>For J am the Lord: I change not, and ye &s;ons of Iaakob are not con&s;umed.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>FOR I am the Lord: I change not.]</HI> This &s;ome take as a rea&s;on to confirme the former judgement threatned; that as he was the Lord of hoa&s;ts able to doe all what he would, &s;o is he in him&s;elfe and in his decrees immutable, as he cannot change, no more can they be changed, <HI>Quod e&s;t</HI> 9. Be ye well a&s;&s;ured of this, that as I am Lord and Jehovah, eternall and without change, &s;o are all my judgements, and what&s;oever I have &s;poken, that know you, they &s;hal come to pa&s;&s;e in their time, and not one thing &s;hal come to the ground, how&s;oever they are not &s;o &s;peedily as you thinke execu|ted, yet they &s;hall, for they cannot but be accompli&s;hed.</P>
<P><HI>And ye &s;onnes of Iaakob.]</HI> And that you are not con&s;umed and de&s;troyed already for the&s;e &s;innes; doe not thinke me mutable or your &s;elves without merit, that you &s;hould be &s;pared; but this is meerely from my mercy, and love, and long &s;uffering, I have not dealt with you according to your &s;innes.</P>
<P>God is immutable, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> and without change, both in him&s;elfe and his nature, Jam. 1.17.</P>
<P>He is immutable in his will and his decrees. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"></P>
<P><HI>And ye &s;onnes of Iaakob are not con&s;umed.]</HI> I change not, there|fore
<PB N="203" REF="235">are you not con&s;umed; for being in my &s;elfe mercifull and long &s;uffering, yea, mercy and patience it &s;elfe, I have &s;pared you, when you de&s;erved long &s;ince to have beene confounded and de&s;troyed by my judgements: and this by re&s;emblance may we interpret out of Lam. 3.22. <HI>It is the Lords mercies that we are not con&s;umed, becau&s;e his compa&s;&s;ions faile not.</HI></P>
<P>That men e&s;cape de&s;truction, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and are not con&s;umed with Gods judgements for their &s;innes, it is onely the mercy and good|ne&s;&s;e of God. So much is here: And that Lam. 3.22. Gen. 19.19. 2 Sam. 24.14. 2 Chron. 30.9. Therefore is that I&s;aiah 30.19. and 54.7 8. and Matth. 15.22. and 20.30. God hath two feet where|by he walketh towards men, &s;o hath he two hands whereby he handleth or dealeth with men; mercy and ju&s;tice; and the&s;e are both infinite. What City upheld when an infinite hand will ca&s;t downe? nothing but an infinite hand and power.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;inne de&s;erving Gods anger, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which anger is as God him&s;elfe, infinite, cannot be &s;atisfied nor appea&s;ed by any that is no more then a finite creature, or a finite thing; for this cannot ballance with that, but onely his infinite mercy with his infinite wrath. And this Lam. 3.22. his great mercies are infinite for mea|&s;ure and continuance. <HI>i.</HI> Such are our &s;innes, that if he &s;hould deale righteou&s;ly with us, we mi&s;erable wretches had beene ten thou|&s;and times utterly undone, but we are pre&s;erved in the midde&s;t of our di&s;tre&s;&s;es. <HI>Ergo,</HI> Not from us but his infinite mercy, I&s;aiah 1.9. <HI>Except the Lord of hoa&s;tes had re&s;tored unto us a &s;mall remnant: we &s;hould have beene as Sodom, and &s;hould have beene like unto Go|morrah.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e without the pardon of tho&s;e &s;innes the wrath cannot be avoided, nor de&s;truction e&s;caped, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &s;eeing God will not ju&s;tifie the wicked. Now pardon of &s;inne is onely from the mercy of God, Luk. 1.77.78. P&s;. 32.1. Al &s;in is again&s;t God, P&s;. 51.4. <HI>Tibi &s;oli cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;oli reddenda e&s;t ratie de peccate, qui &s;olus es &s;ine peccate, Ruff.</HI> He onely can pardon &s;inne, again&s;t whom onely it is: Now he par|doneth &s;innes in mercy, and &s;o <HI>David</HI> prayeth there for mercy; <HI>Gratiae tuae deputo &amp; mi&s;ericordiae quod peccata mea tanquaem glaci|em &s;olvi&s;ti: gratiae tuae deputo &amp; quaecunque non feci mals, Augu&s;t. confe&s;&s;.</HI> 7.2. <HI>cap</HI> 7.</P>
<P>This will confute the doctrine of Popery, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who hold by their workes and &s;atisfactions, to have if not remi&s;&s;ion of great &s;innes, yet of veniall; or if not of &s;inne, yet deliverance from the puni&s;h|ment, wherein they are the flat enemies of the mercy of God, and rob him of his honour, to give it to them&s;elves; as if finite workes and &s;atisfactions could deliver from infinite wrath. But when they &s;ee this will not hold water, then they flye to this, that it is onely from temporall puni&s;hments, and the fire of purgatory; but fir&s;t for this, that it is but a new coyned &s;hift, I manife&s;t from their
<PB N="204" REF="236">prayers for the dead, whereby they thought to bring them re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne. <HI>Breviar. &s;ecund u&s;um Sarum in vigil. mortuorum.</HI> O God of the faithfull! the maker and redeemer of all men, give to the &s;oules of all the faithfull decea&s;ed, remi&s;&s;ion of all their &s;ins, that by godly prayers they may obtaine the pardon which they alwaies de&s;ired, through Chri&s;t our Lord. And againe, Lord we be&s;eech thee, let the prayers of thy humble &s;ervants be helpfull to the &s;oules of al the faithful decea&s;ed, that thou maye&s;t both relieve them from all their &s;innes, and make them partakers of thy re|demption, who live&s;t, &amp;c. Now hence I rea&s;on, that if by their prayers they would helpe the faithfull, whom they pre&s;umed to be free from purgatory, to bring them remi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne, can they make us believe that they intend onely deliverance from the paines of purgatory, for &s;uch as are there, and not from the guilt of &s;inne, by their &s;acrifices and ma&s;&s;es? Againe, it is manife&s;tly fal&s;e, that the &s;inne pardoned, yet the puni&s;hment &s;hould remaine; yea, it is again&s;t the ju&s;tice of God, and &s;o cannot be unle&s;&s;e he can cea&s;e to be God: for the in&s;tance of <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 12.13.14. and &s;ome other of Gods children who&s;e &s;inne remitted the affliction remai|ned, is not again&s;t this, becau&s;e in him it was not a puni&s;hment, but a clearing of the ju&s;tice of God, before the wicked, as the place &s;heweth, and in others they are but purgers or pre|venters.</P>
<P>To teach the Church and every particular, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to acknowledge it to be the mercy of God, that they live and are not con&s;umed, when they &s;ee many others are, and know them&s;elves to have de&s;erved the like. The Church wherein we live, and we our &s;elves here pre&s;ent, have beene delivered from many and &s;trange dangers and confu&s;ions; whom &s;hall we a&s;cribe this unto? &s;hall we &s;acrifice to the wi&s;edome of our &s;tate, to the valor of Mar&s;hall men, to the power of armes, to the multitude of our people, to our owne workes and worthine&s;&s;e, to our profe&s;&s;ion of his truth, or practi&s;e of piety, our ju&s;tice and equity, and &s;uch like? &s;o may we provoke the Lords anger indeed to con&s;ume us. Whither el&s;e mu&s;t we a&s;cribe it, but to this? being taught every where, it is the mercy of God that we are not con&s;umed, who&s;e compa&s;&s;ions failed not; and &s;o as the Church begunne her prayer, we may our pray&s;es, P&s;al. 115.1. <HI>Not unto us O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give the glory for thy loving mercy, and for thy truthes &s;ake.</HI> For con&s;idering the height of our &s;innes, the greatne&s;&s;e of our iniquities and rebellions, whereto el&s;e can it be a&s;cribed? And his mercy hath drawne him to &s;pare us, partly for our &s;elves, and partly for po&s;terity, and tho&s;e who &s;hall come of us: As Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome, hom.</HI> 80. <HI>ad popul. Antioch.</HI> for our &s;elves, that his mercy might draw us to repentance, and to fear him for po&s;terity.
<PB N="205" REF="236"><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Parcit fre|quenter ra|dici ut fru|ctus con&s;er|vet, &amp; quali|ter audi: Te|rah pater Abrahae fuit Idolorum cultor. &s;ed in hoc mundo impietatis poenas non dedit, &amp; me|rito. Nam &s;i Deus praeve|niens cadi|cem praecidi&s;|&s;et unde tan|tus fidei fru|ctus exortus fui&s;&s;et. Sic E&s;au fornicator fuit &amp; immundus, &amp; matricida, &amp; patricida, &amp; fratricida quantum in ip&s;ius fuit propo&s;ito, &amp; Deo exo&s;us. Mal. <HI>1.2.</HI> Quar&egrave; non perditur? quar&egrave; non exciditur? Bonum e&s;t ver&acirc;, dilecti&s;&s;imi, caus&acirc; dicere, &s;i &s;ucci&s;us fui&s;&s;et maximam eleemo&s;ynae fructum &amp; ju&s;titiae mundus ami&s;i&s;&s;et, &amp; qualem audi: E&s;au genuit Raguel, hic Zara, hic Iob. Vides quantus tolerantiae fructus e&s;&s;et perditus &s;i praeveniens Deus &agrave; radi|ce poenas exigi&s;&s;et, <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. hom. 8. ad popul. Antioch.</HI></NOTE> He &s;pares oftimes the roote, that he may pre&s;erve the fruit. And heare how <HI>Terah, Abrahams</HI> father, was a wor&s;hipper of Idolls; yet in this life God puni&s;ht not his impiety; for if God had cut downe the roote, then whence had we had &s;uch great fruit of faith as in his &s;onne. So <HI>E&s;au</HI> was a fornicator and uncleane, and as much as in him lay a murtherer of father, mother, and brother, and of God hated, Mal. 1.2. Why is he not de&s;troyed, why is he not cut downe? Truely, beloved, to tell you the cau&s;e, twas good to be &s;o. <HI>E&s;au</HI> begat <HI>Raguel,</HI> he <HI>Zara,</HI> and he <HI>Iob;</HI> you &s;ee what plentifull fruit of patience had been lo&s;t, if God preventing had &s;tricken the roote. So of us that we might leave the &s;eede of the Church and piety behinde us. This is mercy, but the former the greater; el&s;e we have as little profit of it, as <HI>Terah</HI> and <HI>E&s;au.</HI> And it is to be acknowledged the &s;peciall mercy of God, when others peri&s;h and their workes like that they e&s;cape. As Saint <HI>Augu&s;t. de Nat &amp; grat.</HI> 8. <HI>c.</HI> 5. of the great &s;alvation. <HI>Vni|ver&s;a ma&s;&s;a poenas debet. Qui erg&ograve; inde per gratiam liber antur non va&s;a meritorum &s;uorum, &s;ed va&s;a mi&s;ericordiae nominantur.</HI></P>
<P>To teach men when de&s;truction and calamity is at hand, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and Gods judgements are threatned; the way how they may e&s;cape and not be confounded, is, they have Gods mercy towards them, and upon them; therefore for this mu&s;t they pray and labour, their flying truely to this, will be like the City of refuge, where the avenger of blood could not &s;lay a man-&s;layer: Then &s;hall they be &s;ure either to be kept from them, or delivered from them, kept in them or taken out of them; for when as Gods mercy doth bring remi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne, it mu&s;t needs bring the removall or change of the puni&s;hment; either it will be gone, or if it abide, the nature will be changed: for &s;inne taken away, that cannot conti|nue, or not in the former nature; and a man &s;hall be &s;afer and more comfortable with this in divers affli|ctions then without it, though he be never &s;o free:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Verius acjucundius gaude bis de bona con&s;cieutia inter mole&s;tias, quam de mala in|ter delicias. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI></NOTE> you &s;hal rejoyce more cheerefully and more truely with a good con&s;cience in the mid&s;t of troubles, then with an evill in the mid&s;t of many plea&s;ures. Now thus it is from the feeling of the mercy of God and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Si Deum benevolu~ habeas licet in furnacem cadas, ne de&s;peres, &s;icut &s;i &s;uccen&s;eat licet in paradi&s;o &s;is ne con|fidas. Adae peccanti nihil profuit paradi&s;us: pueris be|n&egrave; agentibus nihil obfuit fornax. <HI>Chry. ho. 4 adpo. A.</HI></NOTE> If you have Gods favour, de&s;paire not though you fall into a fornace; whereas if he be angry you may not be bold in Paradice. Pa|radice did no good to <HI>Adam</HI> &s;inning, and the hot for|nace
<PB N="206" REF="237">could doe no harme to the three Children that were inno|cent: And if they obtaine this, it &s;hall not onely be their &s;anctua|ry thus, but it &s;hall be to them as a fountaine whence all ble&s;&s;ings, as rivers &s;hal ri&s;e and &s;pring. It will be like the Philo&s;ophers &s;tone, that will turne all mettall into gold; &s;o this, all mi&s;eries into happy comforts: Even like the Arke brought into the hou&s;e of <HI>Obed E|dom,</HI> 2 Sam. 6.11. that brought a ble&s;&s;ing upon the hou&s;e, and al that he had: So Gods mercy brought into the heart, will be the cau&s;e that they and their hou&s;e, and all that they have, &s;hall pro&s;per and be pre&s;erved for ever, to his glory and their eternall comfort.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>From the dayes of your fathers, ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them: returne unto me and I will returne unto you, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;tes: but ye &s;aid, wherein &s;hall we returne?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>FRom the dayes of your fathers are you gone away.]</HI> In this ver&s;e beginnes the &s;econd part of the Chapter, containing an expo|&s;tulation with this people, as touching their &s;ins mixt with an ex|hortation to repentance, which of &s;ome is accounted the third part of this Chapter. Now in this ver&s;e are both the&s;e: a rea&s;oning with them, as concerning their &s;innes, and an exhortation to re|pentance: the fir&s;t hath the reproofe in generall, for committing evill, and omi&s;&s;ion of doing things commanded, and a denyall of it by the people. The &s;econd hath an exhortation to repentance, with the promi&s;e of a gracious acceptance.</P>
<P><HI>From the daies of your fathers &amp;c.]</HI> The generall reproofe or in particular, for committing things forbidden, and omitting things commanded; but in the&s;e fir&s;t words their &s;innes are amplified from the time and continuance in them. <HI>i.</HI> It is not ye&s;terday, or a few dayes &s;ince you tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t me: your &s;innes are not of &s;hort time, and &s;mall continuance, but you have beene long rebel|lious again&s;t me, even &s;ince the dayes of your fathers, &s;o long have I beene patient towards you, &s;o much are you the more hardened in your &s;innes, and have the le&s;&s;e to &s;ay for your &s;elves, and I may the more ju&s;tly puni&s;h you.</P>
<P>The exhortation to repentance is pre&s;&s;ed and urged with the benefit that will follow it: God will returne to them, and by this promi&s;e would he intice and provoke them, meaning he would declare and make manife&s;t he was appea&s;ed towards them, miti|gating and le&s;&s;ening their puni&s;hments and calamities, and re&s;to|ring many ble&s;&s;ings unto them. This of Gods returning is
<PB N="207" REF="237">figurative, for he properly cannot be &s;aid, to change either place or minde. <HI>Cujus e&s;t deomnibus omnino rebus tam fixa &s;ententia, quam certa prae&s;entia. Vide Augu&s;t. de Civ. D. l.</HI> 15. <HI>Cap.</HI> 25.</P>
<P><HI>But ye &s;ay, wherein &s;hall we returne?]</HI> The Propher returns to his expo&s;tulation with the people, about their &s;ins, and here reproves them for their impudent hypocri&s;ie, and pride; that they &s;aid, they needed no repentance, or returning to God, being guilty un|to them&s;elves of no &s;inne, no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, or falling away from God. <HI>i.</HI> What have we committed, or when did we fall from the Lord? Thou cal&s;t us to returne; They had &s;o long accu&s;to|med them&s;elves, and not to re&s;tore, and pay unto the Lord, that was his, that now they &s;ay, they ought no &s;uch thing; now the&s;e words containe the continuance of their rebellion, or ob&s;tinacy.</P>
<P>When men once give way unto &s;in, &amp; entertaine it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> they are of|ten and ea&s;ily drawne on, to continue it from time to time, day to day, and to grow aged, and ancient in &s;in, e&s;pecially if the Lord puni&s;h them not for it: &s;o much is here, and in the old world, and in <HI>Sodom,</HI> &amp;c. I&s;aiah 65.2. and Ho&s;ea 10.9. <HI>Ob I&s;rael thou ha&s;t &s;inned from the daies of Gibeah.</HI> That is, either from the time of the <HI>Iudges,</HI> when they made war again&s;t the <HI>Benjamites,</HI> touching the Levites wife, from which time they continued Idolatry, or as &s;ome, from the times of <HI>Saul</HI> or <HI>Salomon:</HI> example of <HI>Davids</HI> &s;inne for many months, for not repenting, he continued it, but <HI>Solomon</HI> many years.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the pre&s;erver of men from &s;inne, is the grace of God: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> either generall, as in <HI>Abimelech,</HI> Gen. 20. or particular, as I&s;aiah 30.21. re&s;training, or &s;anctifying grace; now this the Apo&s;tle calls fire, 1. The&s;&s;al. 5.19. or compares it to it: that as fire by withdraw|ing of matter, oile from lamp, or fuell from fire, or by adding con|trary, as water; &s;o the &s;pirit is quenched, or forced, to recoile by &s;innes; no marvaile then, when the re&s;i&s;ter is gone, or grieved, if there be long continuance.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e cu&s;tome is another nature, and things by cu&s;tome, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> are in us, as if they were bred. Now naturall things are hardly changed, the continuance ea&s;ie: a man can hardly forget his mo|thers tongue, hardly a &s;peech he hath been accu&s;tomed to; &s;o in this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the cu&s;tome of &s;inning, takes away the &s;ence of &s;inne: <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> even a little cu&s;tome, and giving way to it; Now when a man is without the &s;ence of &s;inne, hardly &s;eeing and knowing of it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;uetudo peceandi tol|lit &s;en&s;um peccati</NOTE> le&s;t feeling how it woundeth, and pierceth him: but finding for the pre&s;ent &s;in plea&s;ant, or profitable, no marvaile if he continue it, and &s;ay, Prov. 23.35 <HI>They have &s;tricken me, but I was not &s;icke: they have beaten me, but I know not when I awoke: therefore will I &s;ccke it yet &s;till.</HI></P>
<P>To teach men, to take heed, how they give way to &s;in: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> but if &s;inne enter upon them, as who &s;inneth not; then with &s;peed to
<PB N="208" REF="238">part with it, and &s;hake it off, le&s;t cu&s;tome and continuance fol|low; So that when he hath a will, he &s;hall have no power to ri&s;e out, he will be &s;o intangled; as with him that taketh up money for nece&s;&s;ity: he &s;hall ea&s;ily finde, that he may continue it, and be in the u&s;urers bonds, upon good &s;ecurity: but when he would out of them, the longer he hath continued, the le&s;&s;e he will finde him|&s;elfe able, and &s;o be de&s;irous to continue it, till he have &s;tript him&s;elfe out of all: &s;o in this, then mu&s;t he labour to ri&s;e out of them, and give no place, nor way to them.</P>
<P>Then it is a goodne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> and mercy of God, to a man, when he gives a means to him, either to keep him for giving way to &s;in, or for &s;itting downe in &s;in: which of him&s;elfe, he will &s;oone do. <HI>Vide</HI> Mal. 1.7. doctr. 1.</P>
<P>Now in that they had continued thus long, and were not con|&s;umed, it commends another doctrine.</P>
<P>The Lord is long &s;uffering, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and patient towards &s;uch as &s;inne and provoke him. Rev. 3.20.</P>
<P><HI>Gone away from mine ordinances.]</HI> Reprooving them for their &s;innes, he tells them that is &s;in, which is di&s;agreeing to his laws and ordinances, to his word.</P>
<P>That is evill and &s;in, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and unlawfull to be done, which is repug|nant to the law of God, or a departing from it: may it &s;eem to be never &s;o profitable to man, or bring glory to God; as on the con|trary that is good, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which is agreeable to the law and word of God: &s;eem it never &s;o unprofitable to men, or not behoofull for Gods glory. <HI>Vide Cap</HI> 2.10. Doctr. <HI>ulti.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And have not kept them.]</HI> They are accu&s;ed, not only becau&s;e they committed things contrary to the law, but becau&s;e they did not things agreeable to it: not onely committed the forbidden, but omitted the commanded.</P>
<P>They do not onely &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> who offend again&s;t the law, doing the things forbidden by it: but tho&s;e who do not ob&s;erve and do the things commanded by it, but leave them undone: manife&s;t by that as a breach of the fir&s;t Table and Precept. Jer. 10.25. <HI>Powre out thy fury upon the families, that have not called upon thy name.</HI> Dent. 28.58.59. and 27.26. Matth. 25.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the law is affirmative, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and commanding, as well as ne|gative, and forbidding: and though the precepts, and command|ments run mo&s;t negatively, &s;ave only the fourth and fifth, yet they all carry the affirmative, as the Prophets, their Interpreters &s;hew, and as tho&s;e two affirmatives carry their negative, &s;o the eight ne|gatives carry the affirmatives: &s;o that an omi&s;&s;ion is as well a tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion, as a commi&s;&s;ion, and &s;o a &s;in.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they go again&s;t love, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and charity: and therefore &s;inne; for charity to God and man, requires all to be done, and nothing omitted that may glorifie, and honour him: and be helpfull and
<PB N="209" REF="238">profitable to them; for &s;o it is &s;aid, to be bountifull, that is help|full. 1. Cor. 13.4. But &s;pecially if we con&s;ider,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Peccatum e&s;t, cum vel non e&s;t cha|ritas quae e&s;|&s;e debet vel minor e&s;t quam debet <HI>Augu&s;t: de perfect. ju|&s;titiae Cit. coele&s;t. Ra. 15.</HI></NOTE> that every man mu&s;t love God above him&s;elfe, and man as him&s;elfe, now to o|mit any thing that is good for him&s;elfe, is a breach of cha|rity, to him&s;elfe, then &s;o of the&s;e.</P>
<P>Sin is an action, but the omi&s;&s;ion, is onely a privation: that is, an omitting of that which ought to be done; how can it then be a &s;in, and they &s;in who omit it?</P>
<P>There is an action, in &s;innes of omi&s;&s;ion, thus: It is a &s;in of omi&s;|&s;ion, not to love his neighbour: not to come to the congregation, to heare the word, and receive the &s;acrament; in the&s;e there is an a|ction; for &s;ometimes they are done upon purpo&s;e, and deliberation, and &s;o he that offends, will not love his neighbour: will not go to the a&s;&s;embly; and here is a plaine action of his will; but &s;ome|times they are omitted, becau&s;e a man thinkes not of them: not of any purpo&s;e, or contempt; now here though there be not an action of the &s;ame kinde, yet there is an action repugnant to the law; he thinks not of the a&s;&s;embly, becau&s;e he would walke, or take his recreation: and the&s;e actions are repugnant, to that good worke; and &s;ometimes the action is not at the &s;ame time, but went a little before; As a man gives him&s;elfe to exce&s;&s;e, and drunkenne&s;&s;e overnight, and after cannot ri&s;e in the morning, to be pre&s;ent there; here is an action, though not at the &s;ame time, and of the &s;ame kinde, yet that which is the cau&s;e of that omi&s;&s;i|on. All &s;inne is not an action, it is onely true of &s;inne of commi&s;&s;i|on, which is &s;ome po&s;itive act done, which the will &s;hould not con&s;ent to do: &s;in of omi&s;&s;ion, is but a privation of good. As the Schoole, and Ba&s;il. <HI>Malum boni privatio e&s;t, caelitas ex oculorum perditione provenit, &s;erm. quod D. non e&s;t author peccati. Facere cor|dis cogitare e&s;t, quia corporis e&s;t cogitata proficere. Chry&s;o&s;t. &s;er. de levium criminum periculis.</HI></P>
<P>Then many men, if they wil look upon their reckonings, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> are guil|ty of a multitude of &s;innes, more then ever they thought them|&s;elves to be; &s;eeing they have onely accounted &s;innes of com|mi&s;&s;ion to be theirs, and never of omi&s;&s;ion; Many have thought they were bound to avoid the evill, yet not to do the good: and &s;o account their &s;innes; Many who account it a &s;inne to have o|ther Gods, have never accounted it a &s;in, not to know the true God, to believe him, and feare him, not to pray unto him, which they did only in re&s;pect of their own nece&s;&s;ities, &amp; never of any duty to him, nor of avoiding of &s;in; &s;o in the re&s;t of the commandments; The&s;e mu&s;t know, that they have to account with God for the&s;e, if they have already for the other; nay, he never accounted, nor repented of any one, who doth not for the&s;e; for he can have no true con&s;cience of &s;in, that hath not right &s;cience, &amp; knowledge of the&s;e, for &s;ins, who if they reckon not againe with God, &amp; bring not
<PB N="210" REF="239">true repentance, mu&s;t not looke to have peace, but a controver&s;ie, with God. And if Judg. 5.23. <HI>Meroz</HI> was cur&s;ed, not for fighting again&s;t Gods people, but not a&s;&s;i&s;ting them, in the battell again&s;t the mighty. If <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was puni&s;hed with deprivation, of the po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion, or fortage, of the Land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> not for di&s;honouring of God, but not &s;anctifying him, in the pre&s;ence of the children of I&s;rael. Num. 20.12. If the rich man was ca&s;t into the torments of Hel, not for taking away food from <HI>Lazarus,</HI> but becau&s;e he did not relieve his wants, Luke 16. How &s;hall they e&s;cape the cur&s;e, inherit the Kingdome, the &s;pirituall <HI>Canaan,</HI> how not be tormen|ted in Hel?</P>
<P>Then let not men thinke much, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if they be cen&s;ured as men, who have gone a&s;tray from their birth, while all their piety, and hone&s;ty, is but a negative piety, and a negative hone&s;ty, and not an affirmative, but in little and &s;lender &s;ort; here is all they can &s;ay for them&s;elves, they are not Idolaters, and open prophane per|&s;ons, &s;coffers of piety, they are not &s;wearers, they are no adulte|rers, theeves, or oppre&s;&s;ors; But in the mean time, they are not zea|lous for his wor&s;hip, nor con&s;cionable profe&s;&s;ors, nor &s;uch as hun|ger after righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, nor &s;uch as feare the dreadfull, and great name of the Lord, nor love of mercy, and the like; They may be judged as wicked men, and as tho&s;e who are in the di&s;plea|&s;ure of God. As <HI>Tertul. nu&s;quam &amp; nunquam excu&s;atur, quod Deus damnat.</HI> So it cannot be but &s;inne, which God is di&s;plea&s;ed withall.</P>
<P><HI>Return unto me.]</HI> In this exhortation following the reproofe, there may be noted from the Coherence, two points:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the patience of God towards &s;inners, waiting for their returne.</P>
<P>Secondly, that none is &s;o de&s;perately &s;infull, but there is hope he may returne and be converted.</P>
<P><HI>And I will return unto you.]</HI> Here is the promi&s;e annexed to the former exhortation, to draw them to hearken to it, and obey it: a promi&s;e of remooving, or mitigating of their calamities and plagues; and fir&s;t in the generall, ob&s;erve, they mu&s;t performe, and do their parts, el&s;e he will not do his.</P>
<P>God is not bound, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctr."> to give man any thing, he hath promi&s;ed or covenanted, unle&s;&s;e he performe his covenant and conditions. <HI>Vi|de Cap.</HI> 2.4. I &s;ent this commandment that my Covenant might &s;tand.</P>
<P>Againe, if they repent, he will returne, remove, or miti|gate, their plagues, and puni&s;hments.</P>
<P>Repentance is the mo&s;t certaine means, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."> and &s;overaigne medi|cine, to mitigate, and remoove, to prevent and keep away judge|ments, and plagues of God, from the per&s;ons of men, or the things that belong unto them: Manife&s;t, as here, &s;o by that. 2. Chro. 7.13.14.
<PB N="211" REF="239"><HI>If I &s;hut the Heaven that there be no raine, or if I command the Gra&s;hopper to devoure the Land, or if I &s;end pe&s;tilence among my people; If my people among whom my name is called upon, doe hum|ble them&s;elves, and pray and &s;eeke my pre&s;ence, and turne from their wicked waies, then will I heare in heaven, and be mercifull to their &s;inne, and will heale their Land.</HI> Jer. 18.7.8. <HI>I will &s;peake &s;uddenly again&s;t a nation, or again&s;t a kingdome to plucke it up, and to roote it out, and to de&s;troy it. But if this nation again&s;t whom I have pronoun|ced, turne from their wickedne&s;&s;e, I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring upon them.</HI> And 26.3. <HI>If &s;o be they will hear ken, and turne every man from his evill way: that I may repent me of the plague which I have determined to bring upon them, becau&s;e of the wickedne&s;&s;e of their workes.</HI> Luke 13.3.5. We have examples <HI>Da|vid</HI> and the <HI>Ninivites,</HI> and &s;uch like: Now I &s;ay, remoove, or mitigate, becau&s;e they are not alwaies taken away when the par|ty repenteth; After <HI>Davids</HI> repentance the child died, and the &s;word departed not from his hou&s;e. And the Prophet Mich. 7.9. brings the people humbling them&s;elves under a corporall pu|ni&s;hment.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God is ju&s;t; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> Now ju&s;tice puni&s;heth not where there is no &s;in, or not twice, a &s;in puni&s;hed before; now he that re|pents hath taken away &s;inne.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Peccatum genuit dolo|rem, dolor contrivit peccatum, ut lignum ver|mem vermis Ilgnum <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> Rea&s;on <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> Sin begets &s;orrow, and &s;orrow de|&s;troies &s;in, as the wood breeds the worme, and the worme eates the wood; yea repentance puni&s;heth, 1. Cor. 11.31. repentance prevents, or remooves puni&s;hments.</P>
<P>Yet though the puni&s;hment be mitigated, it is not alwaies re|mooved, becau&s;e in his love and wi&s;dome he di&s;cernes it good, it &s;hould &s;till remaine, as a cha&s;ti&s;ement, not puni&s;hment, both to humble them, and prevent &s;in in them, to be a terrour, and an ex|ample to others, and to ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe before men.</P>
<P>To &s;ee the nece&s;&s;ity of repentance, and to exhort us, to fall up|on the practice of it, eriou&s;ly, and &s;peedily: That that is threatned, may be prevented, &s;o that we take the right cour&s;e. Rev. 2.5. <HI>I will come unto thee quickly, and will remoove thy candle&s;ticke out of his place.</HI> There is the threatning again&s;t the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> but the next words &s;hew us the way of prevention; <HI>Except thou repent.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But ye &s;ay, wherein &s;hall we returne?]</HI> The Prophet having re|prooved them in the generall, in the beginning of the ver&s;e, pro|ceedeth now to particulars, in the&s;e words: and this by occa&s;ion of the former words, which noteth out to us, their &s;pirituall pride, that conceived of them&s;elves, to have no need of repentance, for they were righteous, and had not any &s;uch &s;in in them, that they need returning.</P>
<P>Spirituall pride, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> when men conceive of them&s;elves they are rich, and righteous, and have no need of repentance, &amp; of Chri&s;t,
<PB N="212" REF="240">is an odious and vile &s;inne. Revel. 3.17. I am rich, I &s;tand in need of nothing.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Will a man &s;poyle his gods? yet have ye &s;pryled me: but ye &s;ay, Wherein have we &s;poyled thee? In tithes and offe|rings.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>WIll a man &s;poyle his gods?]</HI> The Prophet proceedeth to other &s;ins, and a great one, horrible, and impious &s;acri|ledge, which was committed by the&s;e, in detaining from God his tithes, and fir&s;t fruits: and in reprooving this he argueth, fir&s;t, from the generall right, then from the fact, and thirdly from the event. The generall right, is, no man ought to &s;poyle another, or defraud him: fraud and rapine, is a heynous kinde of injury, and &s;o the more great &amp; grievous, when it is joyned with greate&s;t audaciou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and contempt; as if they defraud, and rob him, to whom they owe much, who&s;e authority they ought to reverence, and whom they ought greatly to honour: As the Prince, and the King, the Judge, and the Prie&s;t. The force of this rea&s;on, &s;tands in the interrogation, will a man &s;poyle his gods? An argument from the compari&s;on of the per&s;ons, betwixt man, and God; the one &s;o common and meane, the other &s;o excellent and great; It is a &s;in|full thing, and blame worthy, for men, to injure men, even the meane&s;t; much more an honourable man; as the Prince; but mo&s;t wicked, and impious, to deale &s;o with the great, and glorious God, their Prince, and Governour.</P>
<P><HI>Yet have ye &s;poyled me.]</HI> Here is their fact, amplified, from the per&s;ons who, and to whom: ye, me; you whom I have enriched, with &s;o many great, and extraordinary ble&s;&s;ings, and benefits, and who ought &s;pecially to honour, and wor&s;hip me, &amp; give me all that you po&s;&s;ibly can. The word tran&s;lated (&s;poyling) is u&s;ed among the Hebrewes, to &s;ignifie the taking away of another mans goods, and &s;pecially by fraud: As in that Prov. 22.22.23. And &s;o the meaning is, will a man &s;poyle his God? that is, take away by fraud, that is his Gods: but you have done &s;o to me; you have taken away my goods, and the things that belong to me, by fraud, and deceit.</P>
<P><HI>But ye &s;ay, wherein?]</HI> This is the exception of this people a|gain&s;t that the Prophet hath accu&s;ed them of; and it is by de|nying the fact, and thinke &s;o to reject the fact from them&s;elves, and put God to prove when, and wherein they had done any &s;uch injury to him.</P>
<PB N="213" REF="240">
<P><HI>In tithes and offerings.]</HI> The Lord proceeds, and replies, &s;hew|ing them wherein they had &s;poyled him, and were &s;acrilegious, in that the tenths &amp; fir&s;t fruits, which the Lord had appointed for his Prie&s;ts, and the officers of the Temple, they had fraudulently, or violently, or how&s;oever detained from them. By offerings is here under&s;tood, the fir&s;t fruits, which they were to bring, and offer to the Lord, towards the maintenance of the Tabernacle, and the of|fices of it. He reprooves them here of &s;acriledge again&s;t God and his wor&s;hip; and in condemning of this, to aggravate the great|ne&s;&s;e of it, he &s;hewes how affectioned Idolaters, and &s;uper&s;titious men are, unto their fal&s;e and feigned gods, to give to them, and and not to di&s;poile, or take any thing from them: for &s;o much the interrogation &s;heweth, <HI>Will he?</HI> He will not, but deale mo&s;t libe|rally with him.</P>
<P>Idolaters at all times, are, and have been very liberall, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and bountifull to their Idols, and their &s;ervice, and their fal&s;e wor&s;hip, &amp; &s;o far from taking from them, as they have thought nothing too much for them: &s;o much the Prophet in&s;inuates here, and as much is manife&s;t. Ezek. 16.16.17.18.19. <HI>And thou did&s;t take thy gar|ments &amp; decked&s;t thine high places with divers colours, &amp; plaied&s;t the harlot thereupon: the like thing &s;hall not come, neither hath any done &s;o: thou ha&s;t al&s;o taken thy faire Iewels made of my gold, and of my &s;il|ver, which I had given thee, and made&s;t to thy &s;elfe images of men, and did de&s;t commit whoredome with them. And tooke&s;t thy broidered garment, and covered&s;t them: and thou ha&s;t &s;et mine oile and my perfume before them. My meat al&s;o which I gave thee, as fine flower, oile and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou ha&s;t even &s;et it before them, for a &s;weet &s;avour: Thus it was &s;aith the Lord God.</HI> Exod. 32.3. <HI>They brake off and gave away their golden ear-rings to make an Idoll.</HI> 2. Kings 16.3. and 17.17. They be&s;towed their children on Idols. Judg. 17.3. The mother of <HI>Micha</HI> gave 200. &s;hekels of &s;ilver, to the founder, to make a graven and a molten Image.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this is a voluntary and free &s;ervice, of their own heads and inventions: now we &s;ee in all things, men &s;pend more freely, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and more liberally upon their owne inventions, then upon tho&s;e things which they are tied unto: Men be&s;tow more upon their own children.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e Idolatry and &s;uper&s;tition, is naturall, and &s;en&s;ible, agree|able to nature and &s;en&s;e, and &s;o more plea&s;ant and delightfull:<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> on things that are delightfull, and plea&s;ant, men be&s;tow more time, more tendance, and more goods.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e Idolatry is accounted adultery, an Idol, a harlot; an Idolater, an Adulterer, <HI>pa&s;sim in Scripturis.</HI> Now, as one &s;aith, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <HI>non minor &s;uper&s;titionis qua~ libidinis impetus adrapiendos homines.</HI> Men are as mad upon an Idol as upon a harlot, and as they will &s;pend all to &s;atisfie their lu&s;t: &s;o to follow their &s;uper&s;tition.</P>
<PB N="214" REF="241">
<P>This may &s;erve to reject, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and ju&s;tly, the &s;uite of our Papi&s;ts for favour and forbearance, upon this ground, becau&s;e of the great co&s;t which their ance&s;tors they &s;ay have be&s;towed upon this land, in building of Schooles, Colledges, and Ho&s;pitalls, and endowed them with rich po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions <HI>(D Bi&s;hop prefat:)</HI> they mu&s;t fir&s;t pre|&s;uppo&s;e and indeed prove, that it is the truth which they profe&s;&s;e; and that theirs is the true religion, el&s;e may any idolater in the world make the &s;ame rea&s;on for him&s;elfe, and &s;o may an adulterer plead for favour, becau&s;e he hath been at &s;uch co&s;t &amp; charges with his harlot, and endowed her and hers with &s;uch great riches; but if not the one, why the other? why might not the Canaanites by the &s;ame rea&s;on have pleaded for favour from the I&s;raelites? Deuter. 6.10.11. Yet it was not any motive to bring favour unto them, nay for all that they were commanded to de&s;troy them: And can the Church have a better guide, and Chri&s;tian common|wealthes, a better example? But it may be that they &s;uppo&s;e that this &s;hould prove that their &s;uper&s;tition is true religion, be|cau&s;e they thus decked it &amp; be&s;towed infinite co&s;t otherwi&s;e upon it: By the &s;ame rea&s;on may any idolater in the world, plead that it is the truth and the true wor&s;hip of God, &s;eeing their bounty to|wards their fal&s;e Gods hath beene equall in mo&s;t things, and &s;u|periour in divers to this of theirs; yea, by this rea&s;on might many a harlot plead again&s;t the lawfull and ju&s;t wife, that &s;he was not &s;o, but her &s;elf, becau&s;e &s;he lives in the hou&s;e, &amp; is maintained daintily, &amp; gorgeou&s;ly, when the other is excluded and &s;hut out in poverty and mi&s;ery; but if not this, why that? but in all this I grant them but that, which may ea&s;ily be proved to the contrary, that our ance&s;tors in the fir&s;t in&s;titution of the&s;e things, did not intend the Popi&s;h faith and relition.</P>
<P>Then is it not to be wondred at, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> if we &s;ee the great liberality of our &s;uper&s;titious Papi&s;ts towards their &s;uper&s;titions and idolatry? for it hath beene &s;o with all idolaters what&s;oever, and no rea&s;on but it &s;hould be &s;o with this which is more naturall and fitting the humours and corruption of nature then any other &s;uper&s;tition in the word: And as &s;ome &s;ay to <HI>Manna,</HI> that it fitted and was ta|&s;tfull to every pallate according to the humour of it; &s;o may we more certainely &s;ay of this, as hath beene divers times &s;hewed, that it is fitting to the ambitious, covetous, voluptuous, licentious, and every one of what affection &s;oever; is it any marvaile then though men be marveilous liberall, when as every man that hath it, cares not what he be&s;towes upon his humour? be&s;ides their doctrine of merits hath brought them in no &s;mall gaine, &s;pecially from men who lie a dying, who to inrich them (though they la|boured all their life to inrich their wife and children) yet care not how poore they leave them then, becau&s;e they are &s;o taught that by &s;uch meanes they may redeeme their &s;oule; and &s;atisfie for
<PB N="215" REF="241">many things they el&s;e might &s;uffer; what will not a man give to &s;ave his life when he is upon the gallowes; more in this.</P>
<P><HI>Yet ye have &s;poyled me.]</HI> Their fact and offence, in the relation and compari&s;on which &s;tandes thus; they, that is, idolaters, will not &s;poyle, but they will cleave fa&s;t unto their Gods, and be very devout, yet ye have not done &s;o to me.</P>
<P>Idolaters often cleave fa&s;ter, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and are more devout to their Idols and their wor&s;hip, then they who profe&s;&s;e the truth, cleave, or are devoted to the Lord.</P>
<P>It &s;hould teach us in that to imitate them, le&s;t they ri&s;e up in judgement, and condemne us: <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> Let it be our re&s;olution as it is in Mic. 4.5. <HI>For all people will walke every one in the name of his God, and we will walke in the name of the Lord our God, for ever and ever.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Have ye.]</HI> Upon whom I have be&s;towed many and great things, yet have ye &s;poiled me, and &s;o makes their &s;inne the greater.</P>
<P>They who have received more from God then others, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> if they contemne and injure him and take from him his due, or any &s;uch like, they offend more then the re&s;t, <HI>vide Cap.</HI> 1.12. but ye have polluted it.</P>
<P><HI>Spoiled me.]</HI> They tooke away and with-held the maintainance of his Mini&s;ters, who were the in&s;truments and meanes of his wor&s;hip; therefore he accounts him&s;elfe to be injured and &s;poiled. Hence a generall doctrine.</P>
<P>The injury, contempt, and abu&s;e committed again&s;t the meanes of Gods wor&s;hip, is held to be done again&s;t God him&s;elfe. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctr."> Thus God takes this done to his Mini&s;ters, <HI>vide cap.</HI> 1.7. The table of the Lord is not to be regarded.</P>
<P><HI>In tithes and offerings.]</HI> This is that wherein they had offended, and God complaines; he was &s;poiled becau&s;e the portion of their goods which was due to him, they had kept from his hou&s;e and Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>It is a &s;acrilegious and impious thing, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> for men to with-hold or withdraw the maintenance of the Mini&s;ters: So much the Prophet affirmeth here; &s;o much all tho&s;e places prove, which command &s;uch things to be given to the Mini&s;ters: As Num. 18.21. <HI>For be|hold I have given the children of Levil all the tenth in I&s;rael for an inheritance, for their &s;ervie which they &s;erve in the Tabernacle of the congregation,</HI> Deuter. 12.19. <HI>Beware that tho for &s;ake not the Le|vite as long as thou live&s;t upon the earth.</HI> And 14.27. Nehem. 13.10.11. <HI>And I perceive that the portions of the Levites had not beene given, and that every one was fled to his land, even the Levites and &s;ingers that executed the worke. Then reproved I the Rulers, and &s;aid, why is the hou&s;e of God for&s;aken? and I a&s;&s;embled them, and &s;et them in their place.</HI> Luke 18.12. 1 Cor. 9.7.9.10.11.13.14. Gal. 6.6. 1 Tim. 5.17.18.</P>
<PB N="216" REF="242">
<P>Becau&s;e this is to rob and &s;poile God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> as it is here affirmed, and proved by that, where the Mini&s;ters maintenance being tithes, is called the Lords, &amp; holy to the Lord, Lev. 27.30. <HI>Al&s;o all the tith of the Land, both of the &s;eed of the ground, and of the fruit of the trees, is the Lords it is holy to the Lord.</HI> Things are &s;aid to be the Lords, ei|ther by a common duty, &amp; as it were the homage that all creatures owe unto the Lord as their Creator, or in re&s;pect of his rule &amp; go|vernement of them: for this all things are his, both good and bad, of which that is, P&s;al. 24.1. <HI>The earth is the Lord, and all that there|in is: the world and they that dwell therein.</HI> Or in re&s;pect of a pro|priety and immediate right he hath in them; and &s;o are tithes, for in the other re&s;pects the nine parts are his, as the earth is his: Then mu&s;t this needes be u&s;urpation and &s;acriledge, to keepe it from the Lord, and his deputies, upon whom he hath be&s;towed them, Numb. 18.21.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are called holy to the Lord, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> in the &s;ame place, which &s;erves for all the maintenance of the Mini&s;terie, called &s;o becau&s;e they are &s;eparated from man and mans u&s;e. Now to take holy things from the Lord is &s;acriledge, as in <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Sa|phira,</HI> Acts 5. Even of things &s;eparated by man to the Lord, which might not be altered, Levit. 27.28.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e without this mainetenance the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God mu&s;t needs fall to the ground, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> under&s;tand publique wor&s;hip. As Nehem. 13.10.11. And that of <HI>Orig.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ni&s;i dede|rit oleum po|pulus ex in|g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">etur lu|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">er<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ain tem|plo. Org.</NOTE> <HI>Vule&s;&s;e the people bring oyle, the lampe will go out in the Temple.</HI> Then it is impious to with|draw this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is impious to retaine the hyre of a labourer in the things of this world, and the body, is it not more to retaine his who laboureth for the &s;oule? unle&s;&s;e men thinke they may require his blood for nought, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> in this more then in other &s;ervice.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is impious and a breath of the eight commandement to keepe a mans owne from him, <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> whether his owne by his labor, or the &s;peciall gift of God, as this is both.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the with-holding or withdrawing of this, <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as it hindreth the wor&s;hip of God, &s;o the &s;alvation of men, for which they labor: for how &s;hould they labour in either, if they have not their due and hone&s;t and competent mainetenance?</P>
<P>What doe you account or call the mainetenance of the Mi|ni&s;ter? <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> are tithes yet in force, and due unto the Mini|&s;ters by the law, as if no other mainetenance might be for them, or otherwi&s;e rai&s;ed?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> &s;aving the judgements of other men, (who have labou|red to prove them &s;o, who&s;e rea&s;ons have not &s;o per&s;waded me, as they made &s;hew of at fir&s;t) they are not &s;trictly; fir&s;t, becau&s;e then that law, Numb. 18.20. which indeede was given as a rea&s;on of this, &s;hould then &s;till be in force: And &s;o every man &s;hould
<PB N="217" REF="242">renounce his patrimony, that takes the mainetenance of the Church, which they will not yeeld unto; nay, rea&s;on is for the contrary, &s;eeing that they may u&s;e both for the better credit of their mini&s;tery, and the better performance of the commande|ment, 1 Tim. 3.2. <HI>To keepe ho&s;pitality.</HI> Secondly, then &s;hould that law be in force, Numb. 18.26.28. And &s;o there mu&s;t be a high Prie&s;t or chiefe Bi&s;hop to receive this, as the Pope did, and which is now appropriated to the crowne, but men will not contend for that. Thirdly, then that law of the tithe of the third yeare &s;hould be in force, Deuter. 14.28.29. which is not approved or allowed. Fourthly, then &s;hould I condemne all tho&s;e Churches and Coun|tries where no &s;uch law is ob&s;erved; but men are otherwi&s;e main|tained, (though que&s;tionle&s;&s;e nothing &s;o fitly and competently) as living in a gro&s;&s;e breach of the morall law. Fifthly, then &s;hould I free all Cities who have not fields, nor Vineyards, Oxen nor Kine, Sheep nor other things that are titheable, from being bound by the morall law to pay and give mainetenance to their Mini|&s;ters; becau&s;e I finde not, neither directly in the word, nor by col|lection gathered by any, that Merchants and trad&s;emen were bound to pay tithe of their merchandize and trades; but no rea&s;on, but 1 Cor. 9.11. And that they &s;hould give mainetenance to tho&s;e who watch for them, and mu&s;t give an account of their &s;oules. The&s;e with the like rea&s;ons have prevailed with me to &s;ettle upon this, that tithes are not due by a perpetuall and the morall law, as if nothing el&s;e might come in the place of them: Yet I &s;ay, that tithes in our Land and Church, and in divers other Churches of Chri&s;tendome, where there are thing titheable, have their ground from the word of God. Fir&s;t, in re&s;pect of the equity of the law of God, being this, that the Mini&s;ters ought to live of the people, and to have &s;ufficient and competent meanes by them; for the Oxes mouth mu&s;t not be mu&s;led, he that &s;erves mu&s;t live of the Altar, and &s;o of the Go&s;pell: which equity and &s;ub&s;tance of the law is morall and ought alwaies to continue.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the lawes of the Land and of the Church, have confir|med this ancient con&s;titution, (which in it &s;elfe is different, the generall laid downe in the word, and the particular man hath ap|pointed) &amp; &s;o tithes may be &s;aid to be by the law of God, becau&s;e they are by the law of man agreeable to the word, which lawes God hath commanded to obey. Thirdly, becau&s;e tithes have Beene dedicated to the Church and Mini&s;ters, by men them&s;elves, and in that dedication there was neither error nor &s;uper&s;tition. Therefore due, &amp; not to be taken away, no more then <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> might take away any part of that which they have vowed to the Church; onely, happily according to the rule of the law they may be redeemed, but not with le&s;&s;e, but with a thing of the &s;ame value, or rather according to the law, Deut. 27.31.</P>
<PB N="218" REF="243">
<P>Now further I &s;ay, <MILESTONE N="1"> that this maintenance is the mo&s;t fit and competent, mo&s;t equall and indifferent. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e the wi&s;e|dome of God in the beginning of the Church e&s;tabli&s;hed this, which was no meerely ceremoniall, but had a morall equity. Now how can they have an example of greater authority and more worthy to be followed? Againe, becau&s;e it affordeth com|petent &s;u&s;tainance for the one, when he &s;hall live of the tenth and not of the twentieth or fifteenth part, which were too little, and not grieving and oppre&s;&s;ing to the other, when he hath the nine parts re&s;erved to him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Mini&s;ters lives are &s;ubject to the &s;ame wants that other mens lives are; <MILESTONE N="2"> it is fit and convenient that what they pro|vide for them&s;elves, thereof, they &s;hould affoord a part to him that laboureth in another great worke for them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e 1 Tim. 3.2. <MILESTONE N="3"> he mu&s;t be given to ho&s;pitality, which &s;hall be performed better of him, if he have things in their kinde, and &s;o have his provi&s;ion.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e when the Mini&s;ter &s;houyd receive all good things for his maintenance and nece&s;&s;ity, <MILESTONE N="4"> and that, as Galat. 6.6. It might bee a pre&s;ent and palpable admonition to him, that hee al&s;o &s;hould Mini&s;ter in their wants, in &s;pirituall things committed to his charge.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e that as the ble&s;&s;ing of God was upon the people, <MILESTONE N="5"> their lands and labours, or denied to them, he al&s;o might be partaker of their aboundance and want; to abound with them, and to want with them; for where much, he was to receive much; and where little, the le&s;&s;e, alwaies proportionable to them, Num. 18.27. that out of this fellow &s;eeking, he might prai&s;e God with them, or pray more earne&s;tly for them.</P>
<P>Now as for Cities where there are few or no things titheable, there the maintenance is and mu&s;t be &s;uch as the law hath pro|vided, if it be &s;ufficient to maintaine a Mini&s;ter, that laboureth among&s;t them, in &s;uch &s;ort as he may not be di&s;tracted with want or burdened with cares, or his Mini&s;tery di&s;graced by his pover|ty; which if it be not, either by rea&s;on of his charge or the hard|ne&s;&s;e of the times, there ought to be an addition according to mens abilities; and in places where the law hath provided little or nothing, there are the people bound to provide their labourers their hire; not upon charity or almes, but as a matter of ju&s;tice, ac|cording to that 1 Cor. 9.1. As he that goeth to warfare, may of duty and ju&s;tice require his wages of tho&s;e for whom he fighteth; he that planteth a vineyard may of duty chalenge to eate thereof; or he who feedeth a flocke may of duty chalenge to eate the milke of the flocke. Then the Mini&s;ter doing all the&s;e, may cha|lenge his maintenance of duty, and they in ju&s;tice are bound to give it him; yea part of their goods being due to the Lord as a
<PB N="219" REF="243">homage or quit rent of all their goods, acknowledging that they hold and have all things they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e and enjoy from him; and therefore owe all &s;ervice honour and obedience unto him. Now t&s;eeing he hath no need of the&s;e things him&s;elfe, but hath given hem to others, his Mini&s;ters, by whom he will receive them, and communicate by them &s;pirituall things al&s;o, not taking his own for nothing; the&s;e mu&s;t know that though no law of man binde them, yet are they bound to give of their goods, and with &s;ome proportion of the tenth, for a better rule they cannot have, to the maintenance of the Mini&s;tery.</P>
<P>This accu&s;eth and convinceth all tho&s;e of &s;acriledge and im|piety, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> who have their hands defiled with the &s;poile of the Church and of God, al which we may reduce to the&s;e two heads; that they are &s;uch as doe it under the covert of law, or without law. Fir&s;t, &s;uch as have impropriations, or appropriations; the one arguing that they are improperly theirs; the other, that they are taken from the right owners, and appropriated to them; call it what you will, it is apparent &s;acriledge, &s;pecially in tho&s;e places where an hundreth pounds is taken away, and but ten pounds left for the Mini&s;ter. And &s;o no man of parts and &s;ufficiency will take the place, but an unlearned Mini&s;ter, that the people peri&s;h for want of know|ledge; and here I would have them con&s;ider, whether they having the provi&s;ion, &s;hall not a&s;&s;ure and give account for tho&s;e &s;oules that peri&s;h for want of &s;pirituall foode, which comes by their meanes, of which I make no doubt but they &s;hall: As Dan. 1. And will they buy their &s;weet mor&s;ells thus deare? if they pretend the law allowing them; if I were before the law-makers, I would &s;ay &s;omewhat to it, but to them I &s;ay, if it be <HI>jure fori,</HI> it is not <HI>jure poli,</HI> as Saint <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> in another ca&s;e;and we &s;hall all appeare before &s;uch a Judge, as no law but the law of the highe&s;t can be pleaded. And all the lawes of men &s;hall lye in the du&s;t, as them&s;elve. To the&s;e may I adde donatives, which at the &s;uite of the&s;e para&s;ites, the Pope would give to one man or moe, the fruit of the Church to be u&s;ed at his plea&s;ure, yea re&s;erving nothing for the Church, but left the care to his devotion, if he could get a man for forty &s;hillings, or a canvas doublet; yea, of this &s;ort are the&s;e lea&s;es al|lowed by them to be let by the patron, Bi&s;hop, or incumbent, to a|lien ate the&s;e things from the Mini&s;tery, and then rob the Church &amp; &s;poile the Lord. To the&s;e I may adde portions &amp; pen&s;ions, im|munities, priviledges, cu&s;tomes, and pre&s;criptions, which al&s;o came from them, &amp; have crept into reformed Churches. All which, are their kind and mea&s;ure, guilty of this &s;acriledge, but there are other without pretence of law, which rob God and the Church. As pa|trons, who taken for the defence of the Church, who thinke they may be&s;tow the living of the Church as they thinke be&s;t, and therefore lay them to their hou&s;es for provi&s;ion, and get a
<PB N="220" REF="244">Chaplaine, like one of the knights of the po&s;t, that cares not for an oath,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vpon hope of better preferment.</NOTE> to &s;wear he is free from &s;imonie, when he hath agreed for a living of an 100. pound <HI>per annum,</HI> as the Levite, Judg. 17.10. which ari&s;eth from either the blindne&s;&s;e of their minds, or the love of wordly things, or envy and evilne&s;&s;e of their eie and heart; but what&s;oever the cau&s;e is, the fact is no le&s;&s;e then &s;acri|ledge, and they to an&s;wer as before; &s;uch al&s;o as abu&s;e their Mi|ni&s;ters by fraud or cunning, or power to detaine part of the due, or for the quality of the tith, to pay the wor&s;t and vile&s;t unto them.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. IX.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Ye are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e: for ye have &s;poiled me, even this whole nation.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>YE are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e.]</HI> This ver&s;e containes the event; Gods cur&s;e upon them, for that they had done, as a proofe they had &s;inned, el&s;e had not &s;uch a thing, come from the ju&s;t God: he cur&s;ed them with penury, and want, and famine; they pinched him, and he them; yea they had thought in the famine to have kept the more to them&s;elves, and they had the le&s;&s;e, for keep|ing from him that which was his; for &s;poiling him, he ju&s;tly and worthily &s;poiled them; and &s;o by their owne craft, had they de|ceived them&s;elves, and dimini&s;hed their &s;tore, when they thought to have increa&s;ed it; And &s;o he points them out the cau&s;e, why this was befallen them.</P>
<P><HI>Even this whole nation.]</HI> The &s;ubject of the puni&s;hment, the &s;ame who were the &s;ubject of the &s;inne; even all, rich, and poore, high, and low, from the highe&s;t, to the lowe&s;t, had &s;poiled God; and therefore he laid his plague, as large, and with as full extent. The judgement and cur&s;e of God upon this people, was a famine, as the ver&s;es following &s;hew. And they having pinched him, he doth deale &s;o with them, paies them home in the &s;ame kind. In the generall thus:</P>
<P>It is a ju&s;t and no unu&s;uall thing with God, to puni&s;h men in the like kinde, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctr."> as they have offended; either again&s;t him&s;elfe, or men. <HI>Vide Cap.</HI> 1.5. <HI>Your eies &s;hall &s;ee it.</HI></P>
<P>Now for the particular, that the cur&s;e, and this cur&s;e, is upon &s;uch as &s;poile the Lord, and his Church, we ob&s;erve.</P>
<P>God will ju&s;tly puni&s;h with his cur&s;es, and &s;pecially with fa|mine, and &s;carcity, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."> all &s;uch as do &s;poile him, and take the Mini|&s;ters maintenances from them; which as it is affirmed here, &s;o that of <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira,</HI> Acts 5.1.2. &amp;c. doth proove it; the cur&s;e being upon them for withholding that from the Lord, they
<PB N="221" REF="244">had voluntarily given unto him, for the cur&s;e ws not for the lie, and di&s;&s;embling, though it were the heavier for that, they having bound two &s;innes together; like to this, though not in all things, the &s;ame is that, Hag. 1.6.9. <HI>Ye have &s;owen much, and bring in lit tle: ye eat, but ye have not enough: ye drinke, but ye are not filled: ye cloth you, but ye be not warme: and he that earneth wages, putteth the wages into a broken bag: ye looked for much, ana loe it came to little, and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. And why, &s;aith the Lord of Hoa&s;ts? Becau&s;e of mine hou&s;e that is wa&s;t, and ye run every man unto his owne hou&s;e.</HI> And Deuter. 26.12.13.15. when they have given the tithes to the Leites, they may pray and ex|pect a ble&s;&s;ing; it &s;eemeth therefore to teach, that without that, the cur&s;e mu&s;t be upon them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is ju&s;t with him, to cur&s;e tho&s;e who hinder his wor|&s;hip, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and are principall meanes, either that it cannot be attended upon, or not as it ought: If he cur&s;ed <HI>Elies</HI> &s;onnes, for making his &s;acrifices to be abhorred: Sam. 2. how then by whom they are hindred from being performed at all?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he will cur&s;e tho&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> who withold the hire and ju&s;t wa|tes of &s;uch as do but reape their earthly harve&s;t, and worke that worke for them. Jam. 5.1.4. How much more them, who with|hold the duty from tho&s;e, who do labour in the &s;pirituall harve&s;t?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is ju&s;t with God, to deny men food for the body, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> when they deny food to the &s;oule; to fami&s;h the body, when they do the &s;oule; which they do, who withdraw from the Mini&s;ter his maintenance; for wanting this, he cannot attend the worke of his calling.</P>
<P>Hence we may ob&s;erve, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> that Mini&s;ters maintenance is not of alms, free gift, or voluntary, when Gods cur&s;e &s;hall be upont hem, who with-hold them; neither ever was it &s;o, no not in the Apo&s;tles times, &s;aving the judgement of &s;ome; for the rea&s;ons fo the A|po&s;tles &s;erved in their times, as well as in ours; &amp; if any difference, more principally in theirs; all which urge a duty, and ju&s;tice, &amp; not alms: Be&s;ides that, the Apo&s;tle S. <HI>Paul</HI> profe&s;&s;eth, that he took wa|tes, 2. Cor. 11.8. though he oftentimes holily boa&s;teth with the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> that he preached freely, and tooke but what was vo|luntarily given, as likewi&s;e others did: le&s;t if they &s;hould have de|manded the tithes and Prie&s;ts livings, they might have been thought, that gaine was rather &s;ought by them, then the glory of God, and &s;alvation of his people: And therefore the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> wrought with his hands, before he would give any &s;uch &s;candall, having gifts that were extraordinary, that without &s;tu|dy, they were able to preach: Be&s;ides, that &s;imilitude of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> is not without &s;en&s;e, That as a new Phy&s;itian comming unknown into a City, at the fir&s;t. will admini&s;ter to all, and heale all <HI>gratis,</HI> that he may be knowne, but his skill being known, will after take
<PB N="222" REF="245">wages: &s;o Chri&s;t at fir&s;t in his di&s;ciples, preached freely, but after when he had begot faith in men, then he tooke his due, &s;pecially extraordinary gifts cea&s;ing, that they did all things with extreame labour, for the good of their people: neither in rea&s;on can they be almes; becau&s;e they are wages or a reward of their labour. 1. Tim. 5.18. <HI>The labourer is worthy of his reward,</HI> and almes do ex|ceed the de&s;ert of the beggar, or alm&s;men, but not in the&s;e things, &s;eeing, 1. Cor. 9.11. <HI>If we have &s;owen unto you &s;pirituall things, is it a great thing if we reape your carnall things?</HI> And there is no com|pari&s;on, betwixt &s;pirituall and carnall things, but &s;pecially &s;eeing Gods cur&s;e upon them, who do withhold it from them.</P>
<P>To teach men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> as they feare and would avoide the cur&s;e of God, &s;o to give the Mini&s;ter his due, and not to withhold or with|draw any thing from him, le&s;t they draw the cur&s;e of God upon them: and if they have any thing already, to re&s;tore it, le&s;t, though they think they are not yet cur&s;ed for it, yet abu&s;ing his patience, he do accu&s;e them with a cur&s;e. And are not many accur&s;ed, both Patrons and people, that they have not a man of gifts and wi&s;|dome, but they peri&s;h for want of knowledge, &s;eeing their pro|phe&s;ie mu&s;t needs faile? And many that are the great &s;poiles of the Church, and gather much by it, yet the cur&s;e of God is upon them, that they are alwaies in want and needy; their wealth mel|ting away as &s;now before the &s;un, they being many of them gi|ven over to &s;uch &s;innes as wa&s;t both body and goods, &s;o that <HI>Ma|le parta, male dilabuntur.</HI> And if cur&s;es be not upon many, yet as Jam. 5.1. they &s;hall come upon them; and God will take as much from them another way, as they do this way from him. Let me u&s;e the words of <HI>Augu&s;t. The Lord &s;aith, give me tithes, el&s;e if thou wilt not give me the tenth, I will take away the nine parts.</HI> And doubt|le&s;&s;e, many men if they could di&s;cerne this, as well as other things, whereby they have &s;u&s;tained lo&s;&s;e, they &s;hould find that they have gained little at the years end by keeping the Lords due, from his Mini&s;ters, but have lo&s;t a great deale more by it.</P>
<P><HI>For ye have &s;poiled me, even this whole nation.]</HI> The repetition of the cau&s;e of the cur&s;e, &s;hewing how ju&s;tly he had generally &s;ent this plague and cur&s;e upon them, becau&s;e they were generally thus corrupted.</P>
<P>When &s;ins are growne generall, it is u&s;uall and ju&s;t with the Lord, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> to &s;end a generall puni&s;hment. Mal. 1.4.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="221" REF="245">
<HEAD>VERS. X.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Bring ye all the tithes into the &s;torehou&s;e, that there may be meate in mine hou&s;e, and proove me now herewith, &s;aith the Lord, of ho&s;ts, if I will not open the windowes of Heaven unto you, and powre you out a ble&s;sing without mea&s;ure.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>BRing ye all the tithes into the &s;iore hou&s;e.]</HI> Having thus reproved and threatned them, he begins to exhort them, to change that cour&s;e, and leave their corruption, promi&s;ing that he would change things to the better, &s;o they would change.</P>
<P><HI>Bring ye all the tithes into the &s;torehou&s;e.]</HI> The exhortation not any longer to deal fraudulently with God, to bring what you li&s;t, and keep backe what you li&s;t; but bring my whole due, and all the tithes into the trea&s;ure, that the Levites and Prie&s;ts, may be nou|ri&s;hed, who do me &s;ervice, and &s;erve at the Altar; or as &s;ome, that my wor&s;hip may &s;till be maintained, the fire and lamps go not out.</P>
<P><HI>Prove me now herewith.]</HI> The exhortation is enforced, fir&s;t, by a promi&s;e of great encrea&s;e, contrary to their own opinions, whereas they thought they &s;hould have le&s;&s;e, he promi&s;eth it &s;hould be far better with them. The manner is thus, he would have them make proofe of him, bring the tithes, and make triall if he will not be con&s;tant in his goodne&s;&s;e and bountifull in giving; do it but for one yeare, and the next, which if it &s;hould come to pa&s;&s;e, accor|ding to this, the Prophet &s;aith, yea and much more abundant, then let them hold on; but if not, then for hereafter let them do as plea|&s;eth them. But this is not again&s;t that, thou &s;halt not tempt the Lord thy God, Deut. 6. where men are forbidden to try the Lord, in things not written or commanded, but here they are com|manded.</P>
<P><HI>If I will not open the windowes of Heaven.]</HI> Namely, to make plenty, for drought made ever a dearth with them; and &s;o he pro|mi&s;eth abundance of rain which ever made plenty. <HI>i.</HI> I will &s;end &amp; &s;howre downe on you as much raine, as if the windowes of Hea|ven were open. The manner of &s;peech is an oath, and &s;o &s;et down imperfectly, and is thus to be &s;upplied; el&s;e account me a liar, or &s;uch like: for it is u&s;uall with the Scripture, that things which are fearefull to be &s;poken, or carry with them bla&s;phemy, to be &s;ilent, and let men rather conceive of them, then utter them, or u&s;e &s;ome hone&s;t and comely &s;peech.</P>
<P><HI>And powre you out a ble&s;sing.]</HI> Becau&s;e the windowes of Hea|ven
<PB N="224" REF="246">were once opened for a judgement; Gen. 7. and might &s;o be a|gaine, therefore he expre&s;&s;eth his meaning, that it &s;hould be for a ble&s;&s;ing, to make things pro&s;per and fruitfull, he &s;ending them the fir&s;t raine and the latter, in the earing and the harve&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Without mea&s;ure.]</HI> The originall, <HI>that &s;hall not &s;uffice. i.</HI> I will give you &s;uch an abundance of fruit, that your garners and barns &s;hall not &s;uffice to containe them; as the rich mans barnes did not &s;uf|fice, but made him con&s;ult to make greater. Some interpret the&s;e words, <HI>more then enough,</HI> as much as &s;hould &s;uffice and more, that they &s;hould have &s;uch abundance, that there &s;hould be &s;ufficient, and more then they needed: and the more to confirm them he ad|deth the next ver&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And I will rebuke the devourer for your &s;akes, and he &s;hall not de&s;tory the fruit of your ground, neither &s;hall your vine be barren in the field, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND I will rebuke the devourer for your &s;akes.]</HI> I will not only give you abundance of raine, but take from you other devou|rers of the fruits of the earth, which it hath brought forth: mean|ing the Caterpiller, Cankerworme, Gra&s;hopper, &amp;c. by which he did as often afflict them with famine, as by want of raine. And &s;o God de&s;troying the&s;e devourers, they &s;hould have the fruits of the earth, and not be deceived of their hope, when they looked for the fruit of the vine; for God pro&s;pering, nothing &s;hall devoure. The exhortation is to pay tithes, and deal faithfully to bring all unto him.</P>
<P>Men ought to give to God and to his Church and Mini&s;tery, his whole due and full right, to deale faithfully with him, and give all their tithsas, here; and all their honour, their double honour; 1. Tim. 5.15.16. and that wholly, not in part: &s;o much is al&s;o in&s;inuated by that, Levit. 27.31.33. The Lord would not, that the Levites &s;hould gaine out of other mens lo&s;&s;es, but be|cau&s;e the people u&s;ed to make a gaine craftily, by turning the tithe into money; he meeteth here with their deceit, le&s;t the Levite &s;hould lo&s;e any thing of his due; which is al&s;o the rea&s;on, that God would &s;uffer no eprmutation or commutation fo the bea&s;t, or redemption: becau&s;e then nothing that was good &s;hould have come to the Levites, no far or well fed bea&s;t; and &s;o he &s;hould not have had his due; becau&s;e they were &s;o griping and covetous; and &s;o their evill manners have brought forth a good law. To the&s;e I adde, Prov. 3.9. <HI>Honour the Lord with thy riches, and with the fir&s;t
<PB N="225" REF="246">fruits of all thine increa&s;e.</HI> Acts 5. Gal. 6.6. <HI>Let him that is taught in the word, make him that hath taught him, partaker of all his goods.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they have as much right to the one part as another, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and they are bound as much to pay one as another: every part is as much theirs as one, the whole as a part; and &s;o though it be le&s;&s;e inju&s;tice and robbery to keep any part then the whole, yet it is as well inju&s;tice and robbery.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if he labour carefully and painfully, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he is worthy of all, as Tim. 5. and that he brings for change, is far more excellent, he given greater things then he receiveth any.</P>
<P>Reprofe of many, who though they give &s;omewhat to the Mi|ni&s;ter, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> give him not all his due. It may be all the Law ties them to for maintenance, but nothing of that, the Apo&s;tle calls for honour, but if he be not a Mini&s;ter ju&s;t of their owne minds, that he an|&s;were not their conceit, as face an&s;weareth face in the water, they will hardly &s;peake &s;o ba&s;e of any man as of him, never reverence him at all: But many for maintenance do not give him the whole, though &s;omewhat: for whereas in mo&s;t places of the Land, all things &s;hould be paied unto them in kinde, both by the law of God, and of the Land; they have &s;ought by all meanes, to alter the cour&s;e, and have prevailed &s;o far, as they have brought upon the Mini&s;ters, a number of injurious cu&s;tomes of paying little or nothing, for that which is of Good value: And although at the fir&s;t, this was not done without the indulgence of the Mini&s;ter, yet many times it happeneth, that the Mini&s;ter, either not able to &s;ue for his right, or not willing to di&s;advantage his Mini&s;tery, by a perpetuall brawle, is forced to yield of his right, both for peace and hope, to do good: yet the peoples offence mu&s;t needs be great, that they will not yield the things them&s;elves in kinde, or the value of them. And hence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that what the Mini&s;ter hath of favour, once yielded unto, and for peace, they hold him thereby bound for ever, though the tithes and price of things do never &s;o much alter. And againe, again&s;t all right they binde the &s;ucce&s;&s;or to the fact and fault of his predece&s;&s;or, whereby in many things it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that where a &s;hilling is due, there com|meth not a penny to the pur&s;e of the Mini&s;ter: As in many places, there is le&s;t to the Mini&s;ter but two pence a Cow, by the yeare, and &s;o much for an acre of meadow: yea in many places, nothing tith|able, though men have never &s;o great pa&s;tures, and &s;o many thou|&s;ands of &s;heep, becau&s;e Abbey land, the&s;e fulfilling the iniquity of tho&s;e Fathers who then robbed the Church, for their owne bel|lies. Of this &s;ort &s;hould many in this City be, as the Mini&s;ters do complaine, who bring not all their tith unto the Lord. But they could be content to pay them, if their Mini&s;ter were as he &s;hould be. I wonder what a kinde of man a Mini&s;ter &s;hould be, that e|very
<PB N="226" REF="247">one would thinke worthy of his tiths? for though to one Mi|ni&s;ter &s;ome might be like them. Gal. 4.14.15. <HI>The triall of me which was in my fle&s;h, ye de&s;pi&s;ed not, neither abhorred: but ye re|ceived me as an Angel of God, yea, as Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. What was then year felicity? for I beare you record, that if it had been po&s;sible, you would have plucked out your owne eies, and have given them unto me.</HI> Who yet afterwards changed; &s;o do they: But that which is due, is due, what&s;oever he be, and how&s;oever he deale, or how worthy, or unworthy, they mu&s;t deale faithfully: yet the unfaithfull &s;er|vant, mu&s;t remember that he is &s;ubject to his judgement, who condemned the &s;lothfull and unprofitable &s;ervant, and ca&s;t him into utter darkne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade men to deal faithfully with the Lord, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> in bringing to him and his Mini&s;ters, their whole due, all the tithes; and that not only &s;o much as the law requires, but if that be too little, a full and competent and hone&s;t maintenance, according to their proportion be&s;ides: And as to the poore, every man ought to give according to his abundance, &s;o to the Mini&s;ter; &s;pecially when his charge and the times &s;o require; el&s;e hath he not brought all his tithes to the Lord. But me thinks I heare &s;ome men an|&s;wering, that too much is not good for a Mini&s;ter, and many of them grow wor&s;e by riches, idle, and proud, and negligent. And therefore as the Emperiour <HI>Frederick</HI> &s;aid, <HI>de papa &amp; clericis,</HI> of the Pope and his cleargy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Detrahamus illis nocen|tes divitias, hoc enim fa|cere opus e&s;t charitatis.</NOTE> &s;o &s;ay they,* <HI>Let us take from them the riches that do hurt them, for this is a worke of charity.</HI> I an&s;wer, I plead not for too much, but for a convenient maintenance; I commend them not, that are wor&s;e by their abundance, yet are they men like others, and have the &s;ame infirmities, and too many of the&s;e objectors, though not to all, may I &s;ay: hypocrites, pull out the beame out of your owne eies; who more corrupt, carele&s;&s;e, and proud, then they by their abundance? Yet would they think it a bad conclu&s;ion, that they &s;hould have their riches withheld from them. But doe they thinke the portion of tithes, and the like; too much for them? happily they are unequally divided by the law, let that be remedied, &amp; there will be found little enough. But is this to much? What think they of Gods proportion, who al|lowed to his, not only tithes, but fir&s;t fruit and offerings, which came to no &s;mall matter? Be&s;ides, as much land as the greate&s;t City came to, if the de&s;cription of Saint <HI>Hierom</HI> be true, who <HI>ad Dardanum</HI> &s;aith, that the length from <HI>Dan</HI> to <HI>Beer&s;heba</HI> was 160. miles; the breadth from <HI>Ioppa</HI> to <HI>Bethleem,</HI> 46. miles. Now the Le|vites portion of land was 48. Cities, Num. 35.7. every City had in Suburbs, 2000. Cubites from the wall round, ver&s;e 5. which wil afford a large portion to the Levites of this land. And is it too much now for the Mini&s;ters to have proportionable tenths, and a little glebe? But let the&s;e men take heed, le&s;t the love of the
<PB N="227" REF="247">world, and the deceitfulnes of riches, have not excluded the love of God our Saviour, as Joh. and the care of his wor&s;hip and honour, and le&s;t the envy and di&s;daine, which u&s;ually is in the world, to|ward the Mini&s;tery be in them, when they think nothing enough for them&s;elvs, to have and joyne hou&s;e to hou&s;e, and land to land, till they dwell as Princes of the earth alone; but if any portion be allotted to the &s;ervants of God, as a reward not only of their former &s;tudies, but al&s;o of their pre&s;ent labours, it is thought too much; and of them who will give the Lawiers free|ly, for the maintenance of their titles, and often but quarrels; nd to the Phy&s;itian a large fee for taking care of their bodies; but the Mini&s;ter a &s;mall pittance, for the &s;aving of their &s;oules: which of many, make men feare, they never reaped &s;pirituall things by us, though they heare us often, becau&s;e they never part with any temporall things to them, or not without grudging and repining, or but in a marvelous &s;lacke and pinching mea&s;ure. The man who hath received health by his Phy&s;itian, and right by his Lawier, will give him both his fee, and reverence; if not, they acknow|ledge him but &s;lenderly; So in this: And &s;o men &s;top their eares to this of the Prophet; yet for all this, thinke I it not tolerable, that a Mini&s;ter &s;hould neglect the care of his flocke, while he hath charge of them, but &s;trive to do it, becau&s;e, 1. Cor. 9.16.17. <HI>Though I preach the Go&s;pell, I have nothing to rejoyce of: for nece&s;sitie is laid upon me, and wo is unto me, if I preach not the Go&s;pell: for if I do it willingly, I have a reward: but if I do it again&s;t my will, notwith|&s;tanding the di&s;pen&s;ation is committed to me.</HI> For this will not be a plea for the Mini&s;ter, at Chri&s;ts judgement &s;eat, when he mu&s;t give an account how he fed the flocke of Chri&s;t: It may be a plea a|gain&s;t them to condemne them, not acquit him. Therefore &s;hould it not be &s;o, that though they keep him poore, which is their &s;in, he &s;hould &s;hut peace out of his owne heart, which would not be, if he laboured painfully, and looked to the Lord for his reward. And to &s;ay to his flocke, as Saint <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> to his, <HI>in P&s;al.</HI> 146. <HI>de|cimas vis,</HI> will you make choi&s;e to pay tithes? Then let that be my portion. And yet this is no great matter, for the Phari&s;ees who&s;e righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e you ought to exceed, pay their tithes.* Yet you give &s;carce the thou&s;and part: yet if thou wilt do no more,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tu vix mil|le&s;imam das.</NOTE> do &s;o &s;till, I will finde no fault, for I &s;o thir&s;t after your weldoing, that I refu&s;e not your very crums.</P>
<P><HI>That there may be meat in my hou&s;e.]</HI> Which is not, as &s;ome inter|pret it, that the Prie&s;t and Levites might be maintained; but rather as others, that the offerings of God might be continued, and &s;o his wor&s;hip maintained.</P>
<P>The maintaining of the Mini&s;tery is a &s;peciall means to further the wor&s;hip of God: on the contrary, the withdrawing of that, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> is the hindering of this. Manife&s;t here, and that, Nehem. 13.10.11.
<PB N="228" REF="248">When the Levites were neglected, the hou&s;e of God was for&s;a|ken, and that Numb. 18.21. that they might be able to doe him &s;ervice, and &s;o his wor&s;hip be maintained, Prov. 3.9. for by the paying and giving to them maintenance, is his honour procu|red, and that tho&s;e compari&s;ons, 1 Cor. 9. prove no le&s;&s;e: for as the warres mu&s;t needes be unfought, if the &s;ouldiers be not main|tained, &amp;c &s;o mu&s;t Gods &s;ervice needs be neglected, if his Mini&s;ters be not maintained.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Mini&s;ters el&s;e cannot, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> as <HI>Paul</HI> to <HI>timothy,</HI> 1 Tim. 4.13. <HI>Give attendance to reading,</HI> but mu&s;t needs entangle them|&s;elves with the affaires of this life, as 2 Timoth. 2.4. that is, about private affaires, and &s;o much needs neglect the publique wor&s;hip of God.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the &s;eede of the Mini&s;tery will decay; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> for it is reward that nouri&s;heth arts, and furthereth a mans &s;tudy, the hope of a reward and recompence afterward; for though this &s;hould not be the end, of a mans &s;tudy, but the glory of God, and &s;alvation of his people; yet &s;eeing men are not all, nor at fir&s;t &s;anctified, to have the right end, yea and many men who never have the right end may attaine the end to &s;ave others, Gods end; as the builders of the Arke, who never intended Gods glory, or the &s;alvation of <HI>Noah</HI> and his family: So it is in this; therefore maintenance mu&s;t be propo&s;ed, and if it faile, the worke failes.</P>
<P>This noteth unto us the vile impiety of the man of &s;inne, the Pope of Rome, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who in nothing more hath &s;ought to undermine the Church, and overthrow the wor&s;hip of God, then in robbing and bereaving it of the goods that belonged unto it, by impropri|ations, donatives, and &s;uch like. And to make way for this, hee deprived the people of the wor&s;hip of God, and turned the exer|ci&s;e of religion into a dumbe and ridiculous &s;pectacle; which done, it was thought convenient that to be a Prie&s;t, required no gifts, but that every common man might ea&s;ily undergoe the bur|then of it; for if the gifts of learning had &s;till remained as nece&s;|&s;ary, the maintenane that belongeth unto them, could under no colour have beene taken away; but when every one that was able to read his Portui&s;e was thought &s;ufficiently fruni&s;hed to that of|fice, it ea&s;ily followed that the living given to the Church for the edification thereof, was thought too much for &s;o meane a man in &s;o ba&s;e a labour. And another way or colour for this, was, that though they were taken from the Mini&s;tery, yet they were not a|lienated from the Church, becau&s;e they were not appropriated to lay men, but Abbeyes, Fryers, Mona&s;teries, and other Cloy&s;ters, which vermine beganne then to multiply as Gra&s;hoppers on the face of the earth, and to devour all things that were before them: And in the meane time the wor&s;hip of God decayed: for tho&s;e who had the &s;poile, made an endowment of the Vicurage at &s;o
<PB N="229" REF="248">low a rate by compo&s;ition, namely ten or twenty Nobles, that no man of parts and gifts was able to live of it, but one that had &s;ome other trade to live by, which he followed clo&s;ely, or no other meanes, and &s;o he made this his la&s;t refuge: and by this meanes they did more overthrow the wor&s;hip of God and his Church, then by all the per&s;ecutions they u&s;ed or can, which they learned from their Grand&s;ire <HI>Apo&s;tata Iulian,</HI> who by this meanes is noted more to have overthrowne the Church, then all the per|&s;ecuting Emperors before him. Becau&s;e they tooke away Pre&s;|byters, and their martyrs blood was the &s;eede of the Church; but he tooke away <HI>Presbyterium,</HI> the Mini&s;tery, in withdrawing the maintenance from the Church, and &s;o overthrew the wor&s;hip of God. In the &s;ame &s;teps hath this his &s;onne <HI>Apo&s;tata,</HI> and others his &s;laves followed, by which they have made more decay of the wor&s;hip of God, then by any meanes what&s;oever.</P>
<P>This teacheth us the cau&s;e why in many places the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God is not performed, or carele&s;&s;ely and &s;lubberd over, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> as men that worke by great, doe their worke, becau&s;e the mainte|nance being taken away by Popery, hath not yet beene re&s;tored unto Gods hou&s;e againe, and for his wor&s;hip, whereby they who hold them are not onely guilty of &s;acriledge as before, nor of theft, taking that which is proper to others; for no man hath right in tithes, but they who can give, and doe give &s;pirituall things, as <HI>Dama&s;us,</HI> Deut. 3. * With what face,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Qu&acirc; fronte, qu&acirc; con&s;ci|en ti&acirc; &amp;c. <HI>Dama&s;us Deut. 3.</HI></NOTE> with what con&s;cience can ye receive oblations, who can &s;carce for your &s;elves, much le&s;&s;e for others, make prayers unto God? &s;peaking to lay men, but they are guilty of the hindering and overthrow of his wor&s;hip, and that not onely of the pre&s;ent hindering of it, but leaving things &s;till ali|enated to their po&s;terity, and keeping the Church without hope of having them re&s;tored; they are guilty of the overthrow of the wor&s;hip of God after them, &s;o that when they are dead, yet their &s;innes &s;hall live.</P>
<P>To teach men willingly and cheerefully to give to the Churh that which is in law and con&s;cience due unto it; <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;eeing by it the wor&s;hip of God is maintained, and without it, it mu&s;t needes de|cay. What ought to be more deare unto men, and wherein ought they and &s;hould more labour to &s;hew them&s;elves more cheere|full and forward, then in the erecting and maintenance of the wor|&s;hip of God and his &s;ervice, whether they con&s;ider the greatne&s;&s;e of his Maje&s;ty in him&s;elfe, or what he is in re&s;pect of them? when it is &s;o &s;mall a thing he requires of men, but the tenth, who might require all, having as much right to them as to the tenth: when he then requires &s;o little, is it a great thing if it be given him, of them who&s;e goods onely ought not to be deare unto them, but not their lives, that they might honour him?</P>
<P><HI>And prove me herewith.]</HI> Make triall of mee, of my goodne&s;&s;e,
<PB N="230" REF="249">and bountifulne&s;&s;e in giving, and faithfulne&s;&s;e in keeping my promi&s;e.</P>
<P>The doe men make trial of the goodne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> bounty, and faith|fulne&s;&s;e of God in keeping promi&s;es, when they doe the things that he requires of them, and doe looke for in them, and by them, the things he hath promi&s;ed: They who doe otherwi&s;e doe but tempt him; that is, who doe thinke to obtaine his goodne&s;&s;e though they never performe any &s;uch thing as he required: So much is implyed here; and in that Deuteronom. 6.17.18. <HI>Ye &s;hall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye did tempt him in Ma&s;&s;ah, but ye &s;hall keepe diligently the commandements of the Lord your God, and his te&s;timonies &amp; his ordinances which he hath commanded thee. And thou &s;halt doe that which is right and good in the &s;ight of the Lord that thou maie&s;t pro&s;per, and that thou maie&s;t gee in and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e that good land which the Lord &s;ware unto thy fathers.</HI> And by that, Matth. 4.6.7. for if it be tempting of him to &s;eeke and to looke for his promi&s;e and faithfulne&s;&s;e in things not com|manded, either omitting the commanded, then <HI>&egrave; contra,</HI> Hag. 2.18.19. <HI>I &s;mot you with bla&s;ting and with mildew, and with hailean all the labours of your hands, yet you turned not to me, &s;aith the Lord Con&s;ider I pray you, in your mindes, from this day and afore from the foure and twenteeth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid con&s;ider it in your minds.</HI> That is, becau&s;e they had begunne to build the Temple, het would ble&s;&s;e them, by that they &s;hould try his goodne&s;&s;e, I&s;aiah 1.18. If you will repent and doe as you ought, then &s;hall you &s;ee and try how good I will be, and I&s;ai. 7.11.12.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is no unfaithfulne&s;&s;e of od, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> nor want of goodne&s;&s;e and bounty, not to give, or not to performe things he hath pro|mi&s;ed, if men doe not the things he hath commanded; in as much as he otherwi&s;e did not binde him&s;elfe, he hath made him&s;elfe a debtor by his promi&s;e, but &s;o as the condition upon which hee promi&s;ed, be performed. But this not performed, no man can ex|pect that, and &s;o without it can they not make triall of his good|ne&s;&s;e and fidelity.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is no faithfulne&s;&s;e nor goodne&s;&s;e of God to give things that he hath promi&s;ed as ble&s;&s;ings, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> to tho&s;e who doe not the things he requires for them; but is rather the anger and di&s;plea|&s;ure, <HI>Magna e&s;t ira Dei peccatoribus non ira&s;ci.</HI> Saint <HI>Hierom.</HI> And that, Ho&s;ea 4.14. And &s;o to ble&s;&s;e them and give them the things he hath promi&s;ed; they not performing, is a hurt to them, and a cur&s;e rather then a ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>Then have we many more tempters of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> then religious tryers of his faithfulne&s;&s;e and goodne&s;&s;e, &s;eeing mo&s;t men make account of and promi&s;e to them&s;elves to finde the faithfulne&s;&s;e of God, though they never doe the things he requires they &s;hould
<PB N="231" REF="249">doe, but rather the cleane contrary;for whereas he hath promi&s;ed all earthly ble&s;&s;ings to &s;uch as feare him and keepe his comman|dements, Levit. 24.1. how&s;oever they have ca&s;t off his feare and the care of his commandements, yet they doubt not but to enjoy his ble&s;&s;ings; and they will put him to the tryall whether he will be his words ma&s;ter or no, and make no doubt but to finde him performing the&s;e to them; and often when they enjoy &s;ome of the&s;e things promi&s;ed, it may be in a plentifull mea&s;ure, their de|ceitfull hearts flatter them that they come from the faithfulne&s;&s;e of God and his goodne&s;&s;e, though they never did the things he required to be done: and as in earthly things, &s;o in &s;pirituall things and matters of &s;alvation they no le&s;&s;e tempt God; becau&s;e they per&s;wade them&s;elves to have and obtaine remi&s;&s;ion of their &s;innes though they never repent; to have &s;alvation though they live in blindne&s;&s;e, ignorance, and infidelity, or unbeliefe; though hee hath promi&s;ed none of the&s;e, but upon condition that they know him, and believe, and repent, John 17.3. and 3.16. Acts 2.38. Mu&s;t not the&s;e then tempt God and not try him? had not Chri&s;t tempted him when there was an ordinary way, if hee had taken the extraordinary at the &s;ugge&s;tion of Satan, becau&s;e of Gods promi&s;e? &s;hould not they tempt him, if when they &s;hould pa&s;&s;e over the water, upon &s;ome mans &s;ugge&s;tion they &s;hould refu&s;e the bridge or boate and leape into the water, becau&s;e he hath promi&s;ed to give his Angels, &amp;c. It will be granted; yet becau&s;e the Lord hath appointed an ordinary, and the promi&s;e is onely in their wayes; that is, doing that he hath commanded. Is it not then &s;o in this? And if in tho&s;e kindes they can looke for no performance of his faithfulne&s;&s;e, why in this? but that they are deluded by Santan and their corruption, and as fooles led to the &s;tockes, and as oxen to the &s;laughter.</P>
<P>Seeing God hath put him&s;elfe and his faithfulne&s;&s;e upon their tryall, and is &s;o content, that they doe not tempt him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> but try him; that is, they looke for his goodne&s;&s;e and fidelity, when they performe that he requires of them; for till then they have made no tryall of him, but tempted him; and if he performe not, then cannot they blame him, nay they mu&s;t blame them&s;elves; for if they had not for&s;aken him and beene wanting to them&s;elves, hee would never have beene wanting to them.</P>
<P><HI>If I will not open the windowes of Heaven.]</HI> The ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed as the &s;econd rea&s;on to make them to bring tithes into his hou&s;e, and not to withhold the portion of his Mini&s;ters, then he will give them plenty.</P>
<P>The Lord he will ble&s;&s;e with plenty and abundance all &s;uch as deale faithfully with him, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and give to his Church and Mini&s;ters liberally and plentifully, &amp; give unto them their due &amp; competent maintenance: So much is affirmed here; no le&s;&s;e is laid downe,
<PB N="232" REF="250">Prov. 3.9.10. <HI>Honour the Lord with thy riches, and with the fir&s;t fruits of all thine encrea&s;e, &s;o &s;hall thy barnes be filled with abun|dance, and thy pre&s;&s;es &s;hall bur&s;t with new wine,</HI> Haggs. 2.20. Deut. 26.12.13.15. God would not bid them pray for a plentifull ble&s;|&s;ing, but that he meant to give it them, for their bounty to him and his Levites.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e of that, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Matth. 25.40. <HI>In as much as ye have done it unto the&s;e, ye have done it unto me,</HI> is true in this. Now &s;uch is the mag|nificence and greane&s;&s;e of his minde, that he will give much more then he received, as Princes in the greatne&s;&s;e of their mindes, give many fold more then they receive; much more will God, even an hundred fold.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is a &s;peciall meanes for upholding and maintaining of his wor&s;hip and &s;ervice; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e it enables the pre&s;ent Mini&s;ters to follow their &s;tudies with chearefulne&s;&s;e and with freedome of minde, and encourageth others, that are the &s;eed of the Mini&s;tery, to goe forward with their &s;tudies, that there may be &s;till men to preach the Go&s;pell. Then no marveile if he promi&s;e and will per|forme a ble&s;&s;ing, to tho&s;e who &s;hall doe it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Mini&s;tery of the word and the labour of the Mini|&s;ters is for the good and nouri&s;hment of the &s;oule, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and for the making of it every day more and more like unto him, the renew|ing of the image of him, and the making of men his, and every day more and ore like unto him, James 1.18. Now when men are carefull to have their &s;oules made his, and made like to him, and will be liberall that way, which argues their care, he will be liberall to them, and for their bodies.</P>
<P>This &s;erves to meete with the covetous di&s;tru&s;tfulne&s;&s;e and di&s;tru&s;tfull covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e of many, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who grudge and repine to give unto the Mini&s;ters that due and portion which belongs unto them of their goods, &s;pecially if they be not able as the rich men in the Go&s;pell, to give of their abundance, and &s;uperfluity, they will part with nothing of their poverty; at lea&s;t not willingly, not free|ly; and all becau&s;e they di&s;tru&s;t the Lord: thinke that they have, is little enough for them&s;elves, and looke what they give, they thinke &s;o much lo&s;t, and &s;o much dimini&s;hed of their &s;ub&s;tance, thinking as it were, they have ca&s;t their bread upon the waters, and their &s;eed not in any firme ground, but in &s;ome puddle, where it &s;hould be choaked, and they never &s;ee the fruit of it. It &s;eemes that this was the &s;inne of this people, that when penury was, they held from the Levites their tithes, which makes the Prophet thus to &s;peake to them, and their &s;inne al&s;o, Nehem. 13.10.11. di|&s;tru&s;ting the Lord, that if they gave any thing to him and his, then they &s;hould want, not beleeving the Lord and his word, wor&s;e then the heathen, Gen. 47.22. who&s;e Prie&s;ts had a portion a&s;&s;igned them in the greate&s;t &s;carcity; and then Idolaters.
<PB N="233" REF="250">1 Kings 18.19. <HI>Iezabell</HI> fed 400. fal&s;e Prophets at her table, whereas they contrary, which mu&s;t needs come from covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, making a man diffident, that they &s;hall never bee the bet|ter or the richer at the yeares end, but &s;o much the poorer.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade men to give unto the Levites and Mini&s;ters all their due; that is, a competent maintenance among them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if not for any love to them, yet for the love of them&s;elves; if for no other rea&s;on, yet for their owne gaine. If all the things &s;poken be|fore can move; if not, that which <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;peaketh in 2 <HI>P&s;al. ho.</HI> 9. that any man would be a&s;hamed to be the di&s;ciple of a beg|garly ma&s;ter, and &s;o while they are kept too too bare, the credit and honour of their Mini&s;try, yea the fruit is hindered. If thy father of thy body and fle&s;h &s;hould be &s;o bare, woulde&s;t thou not be a&s;ha|med at it? and if thy &s;pirituall father be driven unto it, doe&s;t thou not for very &s;hame hide thy &s;elfe, or el&s;e put to thy hand to take that &s;hame both from him and thee? Or if this move thee not, will not that which he &s;peakes in Tim. 2. See I pray you how great ab&s;urdity there is of the&s;e things: &s;hould the Pa&s;tor not be able to keepe a man to tend upon him, &s;o that he mu&s;t make his owne fire him&s;elfe, and fetch water, breake his &s;tickes for his fire, and goe often to the market for things nece&s;&s;ary, can there be a greater perver&s;ity or greater di&s;order? Tho&s;e holy men, the A|po&s;tles, thought it an unmee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e thing, that he which &s;hould attend upon the word, &s;hould be imployed &s;o much as to the &s;ervice of the poore widowes. Finally, if this doe not move thee, the good of thy &s;oule and the &s;pirituall and heavenly things, &s;uch rich trea|&s;ures the&s;e earthen ve&s;&s;els doe bring unto thee: yet let this, that if thou wilt give God, his tenth, he will encrea&s;e and multiply thy ninth, even in abundant mea&s;ure. As <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> &s;peaketh, that thou &s;halt not onely reape by them better things, &s;pirituall things, for a few earthly, but for them from God abundance of earthly things, for that &s;hall be true, Prov. 11.25. <HI>The liberall per&s;on &s;hall have plenty and he that watereth &s;hall al&s;o have raine.</HI> And that 2 Cor. 9.6.7. <HI>This yet remember, that he which &s;oweth &s;paringly, &s;hall reape al&s;o &s;paringly, and he that &s;oweth liberally, &s;hall reape al&s;o liberally. As every man wi&s;heth in his heart, &s;o let him give, nt grudgingly or of nece&s;ity for God loveth a cheerfull giver.</HI> Neither let them an&s;wer as the widow did to <HI>Eliah,</HI> 1 Kings 17.12. And &s;he &s;aid, as the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but even a handfull of meale in a barrell, and a little oyle in a cru&s;e; and behold, I am gathering a few &s;tickes for to goe in and dre&s;&s;e it, for me and my &s;onne, that we may eate it and dye. Or if thou do&s;t di&s;tru&s;tfully &s;o a while, yet &s;eeing thou ha&s;t the word of God here, more then &s;he had, ver&s;e 14. <HI>The barrell of meale &s;hall not wa&s;te, neither &s;hall the cru&s;e of oyle fatle.</HI> Then beleeve and give. Verily, if this be true the Prophet &s;aith here, many men might have more then they
<PB N="234" REF="251">have, if they had for the glory of God, for the &s;ervice of the Church, and the worke of the Mini&s;tery, more liberall hearts then they have? Verily, it is an evill &s;pared penny that lo&s;eth a man a pound; and that which men think they have &s;pared to them|&s;elves, and gained in keeping it from God and his Mini&s;ters, ei|ther the Prophet &s;aith not true, or it lo&s;eth them much more. Nay, that they give, though they may &s;eem to have ca&s;t it away, yet they &s;hall finde it, and with advantage: and if they had eies to &s;ee it, nothing more gainfull then this, and that is given to the poore. Then as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> for one, let me apply it and &s;peake of both, <HI>ho.</HI> 53. <HI>ad pop. Antioch.</HI> &s;o u&s;e thy riches, or that which thou ha&s;t, that they may bring encrea&s;e: let God then be thy Credi|tor, not other humane things; be&s;tow them upon the Mini&s;ters and the poore, not upon thy belly, upon the humble not honourable, upon liberality, not covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, upon &s;obriety, not intempe|rance: What will thy belly afford and recompence thee with, that &s;pendeth mo&s;t? Dung and corruption. What vain glory? Envy and hatred. What covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e? Care and griefe. What intemperance? Hell and the un&s;atiable worme. Let God then be your Creditor, which promi&s;eth and will performe &s;uch great things. And as <HI>Paul</HI> exhorteth the <HI>Corinthians</HI> for the matter of the poore; &s;o I for the Levite and Mini&s;ter. 2. Cor. 8.7. <HI>Therefore as ye abound in every thing, in faith and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in your love toward us, even &s;o &s;ee that ye abound in this grace al&s;o.</HI></P>
<P><HI>I will open the windowes of Heaven and powre you out &amp;c.]</HI> It is the raine that is the means; but God is the Author of the ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>What&s;oever the meanes may be, that God doth u&s;e convey his ble&s;&s;ings of peace, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> plenty, health, liberty, yet he is the author and giver. I&s;aiah 38.6.</P>
<P><HI>And powre you out a ble&s;sing.]</HI> You that &s;hall obey me, and &s;ear me, and walke in my waies.</P>
<P>Plenty, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and a liberall and pro&s;perous e&s;tate the Lord promi|&s;eth, and will perform, to tho&s;e who feare him, and are carefull to obey him, and walke in his waies. <HI>Vide</HI> Mal. 2.5.</P>
<P><HI>Without mea&s;ure.]</HI> In marveilous great abundance, and very liberally.</P>
<P>The Lord when he gives to his, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> he gives very liberally and a|bundantly. Jam. 1.5. If any of you lacke wi&s;dome, let him aske of God which giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth no man, and it &s;hall be given him.</P>
<P><HI>And I will rebuke the devourer for your &s;akes.]</HI> If the Lord &s;hould give raine in abundance, and by it &s;hould ri&s;e weeds, that &s;hould either choake the corne, or other creatures, which com|monly ari&s;e of wet, or by any other meanes, and &s;o devoure their fruit, and their hopes be cut off, they &s;hould but have little
<PB N="235" REF="251">profit or benefit; that what was given one way, was taken away a|nother: therefore the Lord promi&s;eth to take away &s;uch devourers, &s;uch creatures as might de&s;troy the fruit of the earth, when it was &s;prung up.</P>
<P>Every creature is at Gods command, at his becke to be re&s;trai|ned or &s;et on, to helpe or hurt, to puni&s;h or pre&s;erve, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> tho&s;e who are his. <HI>Vide Cap.</HI> 1.4. Lord of Hoa&s;ts.</P>
<P><HI>And they &s;hall not de&s;troy the fruit of your ground.]</HI> For their &s;ins and iniquities they had de&s;troied it, but now that they are recei|ved into favour and mercy they &s;hall not; but receiving, them to mercy, will withdraw his judgements from the&s;e things, he &s;mote for them.</P>
<P>As God often puni&s;heth men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> puni&s;heth them not onely in them&s;elves, but in things that belong unto them: &s;o, when he withdraweth his hand, and &s;heweth mercy towards them, it is not only in them&s;elves, but in things which belong unto them. I&s;aiah 38.6. Mich. 7.11.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, that as his hand was again&s;t them for mans cau&s;e only, &s;eeing they in them&s;elves de&s;erved no &s;uch thing, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as being not &s;ubject to, nor capable of &s;in, which only falleth into a rea&s;onable creature: &s;o he receiving them to mercy, for who&s;e &s;ake they were afflicted, rea&s;on that they al&s;o &s;hould be received, and affli|cted no more; that as the former might humble them, &s;o this might joy them the more in the mercy of God.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, as by &s;miting and cur&s;ing of them, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he te&s;tified his anger the more, and di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t them for their &s;innes: for as in policy, when ju&s;tice reacheth further then the per&s;on of the offen|dor, to his goods and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, it argues the greater di&s;plea&s;ure of the Lawyer, again&s;t &s;uch an offence and offendor. So in this. So he might now &s;hew his love more in ble&s;&s;ing of them, for when men have their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions and lands re&s;tored, be&s;ides, their par|don, it is a greater favour of the Prince.</P>
<P>Then hath the Popi&s;h Purgatory, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> but an uncertaing ground to &s;tand upon, and is builded upon no &s;ure rocke but upon the &s;and, &s;eeing it is onely for a temporall puni&s;hment, in their doctrine, up|on tho&s;e who have their &s;innes &s;orgiven them already; but may we &s;uppo&s;e in any rea&s;on, that God will take from their goods, and lands and cattell, his judgements for their &s;akes, and not from them their owne per&s;ons, &s;pecially their &s;oules, (&s;uch as are only puni&s;hed in Purgatory) their puni&s;hments? But they will &s;ay, that God doth often continue puni&s;hments to men, and upon their per|&s;ons, whom he hath received to mercy. As they will tell us of <HI>David</HI> who had the puni&s;hment continued, when his &s;inne was pardoned. But we deny that, or any other to be a puni&s;hment, for that hath ever reference to &s;inne; for all afflictions are not pu|ni&s;hments, but may for many other cau&s;es, be laid upon men.
<PB N="236" REF="252"><HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. ho</HI> 1 <HI>ad popul. Antioch.</HI> hath numbred to us eight cau&s;es, yet are they not all.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>1.</HI> Quod cum facile in ariogan|tiam propter meritorum magnitudi nem &amp; mi|raculorum tollantur, ip|&s;os &s;init af|fligi. <HI>2.</HI> Ne caeteri majo|rem habe|ant de ip&s;is opinionem, quam huma|na patitur natura &amp; in&s;os deos non autem homines e&s;&s;e arbi|trentur. <HI>3.</HI> Vt &amp; Dei virtus appa|ret per aegre|tantes &amp; compeditos, exuperans &amp; prodica|tionem au|gens. <HI>4.</HI> Vt illorum pati entia mani|fe&s;ta fiat. <HI>5.</HI> &V;t de re&s;ur|rectione ce|gitemus, cum enim virum ju&s;tum &amp; multa plenum virtute innumera pa&s;&s;um mala, &amp; &s;ic hinc digre&s;&s;um vi|deris, oportetex hoc omnino aliquid de illo judicio cogitare, &s;i enim homo pro &s;e laborantes &s;ine praemiis &amp; retributione abire non permittit. Multo magis eos, qui tantum laborave|runt, nunquam in coronatos remanere Deus decerneret. <HI>6.</HI> Vt omnes in gravia incidentes, &s;ufficientem con&s;olationem &amp; mitigationem habeat in eos re&s;picientes, &amp; malorum quae ip&s;is accidere recordantes. <HI>7.</HI> Ne quando exhortamus eos adillorum virtutem &amp; cuique dicimus, imitare Paulum, imitare Petrum propter ge&s;torum exce&s;&s;um alterius ip&s;os na|turae participes fui&s;&s;e cogitantes, adimitationem torpeatis. <HI>8.</HI> Ve quando beatos, vel mi&s;eros cen&s;ere oportet, di&s;camus quos quidem beatos, quos quidem mi&s;eres &amp; aerumno|&s;os putare debeamus. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. ho. 1. ad. popul. Antioch.</HI></NOTE> Fir&s;t, God &s;uffers holy men to be afflicted, becau&s;e otherwi&s;e they &s;oone grow proud, of the greatne&s;&s;e of their merits and miracles. Secondly, Le&s;t others might have a greater opinion of them, then is fit, and count them Gods rather then men. Thirdly, That Gods power may appeare, more abun|dantly and beyond words, through the weake and unable. Fourth|ly, That their patience al&s;o may be manife&s;t. Fiftly, That we may be put in mind of the re&s;urrection: for when we &s;ee a righte|ous and vertuous man &s;uffer many evils, and &s;o die, this mu&s;t of|fer us &s;ome thoughts of the day of judement: for if a man &s;uffer not any, that have taken pains for him, to go away without recom|pence and reward; much le&s;&s;e wil God &s;uffer &s;uch, as have indured &s;o much for him, to remaine uncrowned. Sixtly, That all that fall into calamities, may have &s;ufficient con&s;olation, and mitigation, looking on them, and remembring what they indured. Seventh|ly, That when we exhort you to their vertues, and &s;ay to you, imi|tate <HI>Paul,</HI> imitate <HI>Peter</HI> you may not be &s;lothfull to imitate them, thinking becau&s;e of their great actions, they were partakers of &s;ome other nature then you are of. Eightly, That we may be able to judge aright, who are indeed happy, and who truly calami|tous and mi&s;erable. To the&s;e may be added, Ninthly, for clearing of his own ju&s;tice, as in <HI>David.</HI> Tenthly, For purging yet corrup|tion from them, the rod of correction. Eleventhly, To draw them from the world, the nur&s;es teate, as the prodigall &s;onne was. Twelfly, To prevent &s;inne like <HI>Ho&s;eahs</HI> hedge, Ho&s;eah 2.6. Thirteenthly, To make them fly to God, and to love him, as the child to his mother, when feared of pa&s;&s;engers. And many other &s;uch cau&s;es, any one whereof, if they can &s;hew in Purgatory to be incident to the &s;oules departed, it were &s;omething to &s;treng|then their exception, but nothing to prove the thing, when as the paines of Purgatory are &s;atisfactory. And if God in &s;hewing mercy, and pardoning &s;inne, doth remove the puni&s;hment from the creatures he &s;mote for their &s;inne, he will much more from them&s;elves, their bodies, but e&s;pecially from their &s;oules.</P>
<PB N="237" REF="252">
<P><HI>Neither &s;hall their vine be barren in the field.]</HI> This is added, as &s;ome thinke, to amplifie the goodne&s;&s;e of God to his people, when they had returned, and he had received them to mercy, be|cau&s;e the year which was commodious for the field and the corne, was incommodious for the trees and the vines: Therefore when all things &s;hould pro&s;per well, it was a &s;peciall proof of the good|ne&s;&s;e of God, and his good providence over them.</P>
<P>The Lord to &s;hew his goodne&s;&s;e and mercy, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> his good and mer|cifull providence to his, will not only work ordinary things, &amp; or|dinarily, but often extraordinarily to do them good, and to profit them. Manife&s;ted here, that he will make both the harve&s;t and vintage good, which in ordinary times fell not out, and all for the good of his: &s;o he made the &s;ea as a wall, and dry land for his people to pa&s;&s;e over. Exod. 14.21. So the Sunne was &s;taied in his cour&s;e. Io&s;h. 10.12.13. Nay, made to go backe. I&s;aiah 38.8. So he fed the Prophet by a raven, and for his good, increa&s;ed the wi|dowes meal and oile. 1. Kings 17.6.14. So for the relieving of the famin of his. 2. Kings 7.6. &amp;c. For &s;ome, he quenched the violence of the fire. Dan. 3. For &s;ome, &s;topped the mouths of the Lions. Dan. 6. For others, he rai&s;ed their dead to life, as in <HI>Lazarus,</HI> and the <HI>Shunamite.</HI> 2. Kings 4.36, How many wonders wrought he in <HI>Egypt</HI> for his people, how wonderfully did he &s;u&s;taine them in the Wilderne&s;&s;e? And hereto I apply that, I&s;a. 59.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it maketh his goodne&s;&s;e and mercy more &s;en&s;ible to his owne, who being compa&s;&s;ed with infirmities, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as they have le&s;&s;e &s;en&s;e &amp; feeling of it in &s;mall things, then in great matters, &s;o in or|dinary, then in extraordinary: when as without que&s;tion, as his po|wer was no le&s;&s;e in creating a little Bee, then a great Lion; as the Clock-makers skill in a little watch, as in a great clocke: So his goodne&s;&s;e in the &s;malle&s;t and mo&s;t ordinary, as in the greate&s;t and mo&s;t extraordinary. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"></P>
<P>Becau&s;e his power might be more manife&s;ted, and magnified unto all men, who oftentimes in ordinary things give more to the meanes then they ought, and le&s;&s;e to the Lord then his due, yet in extraordinary are driven to give him the whole, if they ac|knowledge him at all.</P>
<P>This may note out unto us, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> the happy condition of Gods chil|dren and people, when not only ordinary means mu&s;t worke for their good, but rather then they &s;hould quail, God will make ex|traordinary things for them, if ordinary things be not enough to procure their good. The P&s;almi&s;t &s;heweth that they are ble&s;&s;ed, for whom the ordinary things worke to their good. P&s;al. 144.12.13.14.15. That our &s;onnes may be as the plants growing up in their youth, and our daughters as the corner &s;tones, graven after the &s;imilitude of a Palace: that our corners may be full and a|bounding with divers &s;orts, and that our &s;heep may bring forth
<PB N="238" REF="253">thou&s;ands, and ten thou&s;ands in our &s;treets: That our oxen may be &s;trong to labour, that there be none inva&s;ion, nor going out, nor no crying in our &s;treets. Ble&s;&s;ed are the people that be &s;o, yea, ble&s;&s;ed are the people who&s;e God is the Lord: but addeth more &s;pecial|ly, that their ble&s;&s;ing is, to have the Lord for their God; who if this be not enough, can moreover do &s;uch and &s;uch things for them, far beyond the ordinary cour&s;e of things. It is a happy condition for &s;ubjects, when they may have under a Prince ordi|nary favour, and benefits, and the due cour&s;e of Lawes, and the proceedings in them, for the righting of their wrongs, the procu|ring of their rights, maintenance, and countenance of their peace and &s;tate; but the condition is accounted the better, when the Prince will u&s;e his Prerogative, to procure extraordinary things for them. So in this: &s;pecially when this &s;hall not be, as often fals out with &s;ome Princes prerogatives, prejudiciall to others, but for their &s;akes profits others. As the extraordinary giving of the ho&s;t water. 2. Kings. 3.14.17. And that which <HI>Tertul.</HI> hath <HI>Apol. adver&s;us gentes.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mareus Aurelius in bello adver|&s;us Germa|nos exerci|tus, &amp;c. <HI>Tertul. A|pol. adver|&s;ue g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ntes</HI></NOTE> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> <HI>Marcus Aurelaus</HI> in his war again&s;t the Ger|manes, his army being de&s;titute of water, by the praiers of the Chri&s;tians, he procured that it &s;hould not peri&s;h with thir&s;t, they obtained raine from God.</P>
<P>This may be matter of comfort, unto tho&s;e who are indeed Gods, truly reconciled unto him, and partakers of his mercy; when they know, that rather then their good &s;hould not be procured, if ordinary meanes be not &s;ufficient, the Lord will worke extraor|dinarily: not that it warrants any to neglect ordinary meanes, for that were to tempt God, or to expect for extraordinary, while God affoords ordinary; for that were pre&s;umption and not faith; but when they faile, then to rely upon this, they &s;hall then &s;hew them&s;elves the children of the believing <HI>Abraham,</HI> if with him, they an&s;wer and appea&s;e their &s;oules, as he his &s;onne. Gen. 22.8. God will give an eva&s;ion, God will provide. And as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to the people in a &s;trait, Exod. 14.13. Then <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;aid to the people, fear ye not, &s;tand &s;till, and behold the &s;alvation of the Lord which he will &s;hew to you this day. For the Egyptians whom ye have &s;een this day, ye &s;hall never &s;ee them againe. For he hath done it before, and his arme is not &s;hortened, nor his affections to his changed: If then he dealt &s;o with <HI>Abraham,</HI> with <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> with the Church in <HI>E&s;ters</HI> daies, they may expect the like; provided, they be to him as they were, and it be for his owne glory, and their good, as that was. And if they be, then may they more ex|pect it, becau&s;e it wil be more for his glory, becau&s;e the meanes by mans corruption, often ob&s;cureth &amp; &s;hadoweth his glory, men attributing more to them then is due, and le&s;&s;e to God then is his right.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="12" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="239" REF="253">
<HEAD>VERS. XII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And all Nations &s;hall call you ble&s;&s;ed: for ye &s;hall be a plea|&s;ant land, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND all Nations &s;hall call you ble&s;&s;ed.]</HI> The &s;econd benefit, that &s;hall come to them in obeying God, and bringing his tithes into his hou&s;e, a good name, and honour and e&s;timation. In for|mer time ye were in contempt among the heathen and barba|rous, becau&s;e of your poverty and want and penury, with which I had cur&s;ed you, for not bringing my tithes; but now when they &s;hall &s;ee the ble&s;&s;ing increa&s;ed upon you, they &s;hall &s;ay, &s;eeing your plenty, that you are a people dear and beloved of me.</P>
<P><HI>For ye &s;hall be a plea&s;ant land.]</HI> Saint <HI>Hierom</HI> would have it, a Land de&s;ired, for the fruit and plenty of it. But why ye, and not it? It is the Hebrew phra&s;e, giving to the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ors, that which is proper to the earth. As Deut. 28.3. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed &s;halt thou be in the City, and ble&s;&s;ed al&s;o in the field.</HI> For it is the field that is ble&s;&s;ed with increa&s;e: but &s;ome thinke the &s;en&s;e will be more plaine, if you under&s;tand, <HI>As,</HI> ye &s;hall be as a plea&s;ant land, that is flouri&s;h|ing and pro&s;pering and abounding with riches.</P>
<P>The Lord will ble&s;&s;e with honour and credit, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> all &s;uch as deale faithfully with him, and give to his Church and Mini&s;ters libe|rally, their due and competent maintenance. So much is pro|mi&s;ed here, and &s;o much was performed to <HI>Obadiah.</HI> 1. Kings 18.13. To the widow of <HI>Sarepta. Cap.</HI> 17.15. And to the <HI>Shunamite.</HI> 2. Kings 4.8. For to this may we apply that, Matth. 26.13. <HI>Verily I &s;ay unto you, where&s;oever this Go&s;pell &s;hall be preached throughout all the world, there &s;hall al&s;o this that &s;he hath done, be &s;poken of for a memoriall of her.</HI> This is that <HI>Nehemiah</HI> had, and prayed for. Ne|hemiah 13.14. <HI>Remember me, O my God! herein; and wipe not out the kindne&s;&s;e, that I have &s;hewed on the hou&s;e of my God, and on the offices thereof.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e by this, they honor the me&s;&s;engers of God. 1. Tim. 5.17. <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on"> And by the contrary, poverty makes contemptible, as in the Magi|&s;trate, &s;o in the Mini&s;tery. Now if Princes honour tho&s;e who ho|nour their followers and &s;peciall favorites, much more will God.</P>
<P>Rea&s;ons 2. and 3. <HI>vide</HI> 1. and 2. in the promi&s;e of plenty.</P>
<P>If this be &s;o, that honour is their due from the Lord, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who ho|nour him in his Mini&s;ters, what honour can they looke for, who thinke every thing well gained, that is got and kept from the Church? and thinke it well &s;pared, when they have pared them of any thing, making them contemptible by poverty, and con|temning
<PB N="240" REF="254">them when they have done, and bring the contempt of many others upon them; for by want they either preach not, or they preach unfaithfully, plea&s;ing, and not whole&s;ome, tooth&s;ome, not &s;aving things, and either will bring contempt upon them, and &s;o utterly hindering the glory of God, and the &s;alvation of his people. Doe they thinke then to have honour of God? many can be con|tent to entertaine Mini&s;ters in their hou&s;es, at their tables, &s;pecially &s;trangers, rather then their owne painefull Pa&s;tors, but with <HI>Sauls</HI> humour, 1 Sam. 15.30. not to give them honour, but to honour them&s;elves. Many are heard glorying that they have a Mini&s;ter in their hou&s;e, and they give him twenty pound or thirty pound, <HI>per annum,</HI> when their hearts tell them that they deprive him of eighty, as due to him as the re&s;t, they enjoying the impropriation, being a thing, for ought I can &s;ee, under correction of the law, again&s;t right or rea&s;on; both in re&s;pect of the people, that they &s;hould have their tithes for nothing, performing no duty or &s;er|vice unto them, and in re&s;pect of the Mini&s;ter who doth the la|bour, and they enjoy his wages: And the&s;e men thinke to be ho|noured before the people for them, and by them; but if that be due to &s;uch as deale liberally with them, which is rather in gi|ving them more then their owne, then in keeping any thing backe from them; if they by this, di&s;honour them, let them looke for di&s;honour from him, when they thus provoke him. If the Prince be offended to &s;ee one of his common &s;ouldiers di&s;|graced, and pinched of their wages; if one of his Guard and nigh attendance, wherein the &s;afety of his per&s;on con&s;i&s;teth, his anger would exceedingly be kindled; but if his &s;onne, &s;aith <HI>Cyril,</HI> I would apply it, if him&s;elfe, his owne homage and tribute denyed him, would he honour &s;uch?</P>
<P>To per&s;wade men to give unto the Mini&s;ters, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> who watch over them, and for them, when they &s;leepe, and &s;tudy for them when they play, and weepe for them when they laugh, and in all things, and by all meanes, &s;eeke their &s;alvation and good; to give them I &s;ay their due, and competent maintenance, if other things move them not; if the commodity and profit promi&s;ed doe not move them, yet this, that is better then riches and gold, and to be de&s;ired above it, Prov. 22.1.</P>
<P><HI>All nations &s;hall call you ble&s;&s;ed.]</HI> They &s;hould be honourable and famous for their outward pro&s;perity: be&s;ides the generall do|ctrine we may ob&s;erve &s;ome particulars.</P>
<P>The Lord &s;ometime makes his Church famous and honoura|ble in the eyes of the world, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> and wicked men for outward peace and pro&s;perity and plenty, as here is promi&s;ed. So was it with this people, for the mo&s;t part, in the dayes of <HI>Io&s;hua,</HI> and divers of the Judges, then their victories &amp; taking the land, here their often deliverances, and forty yeares peace and plenty together, witne&s;&s;e
<PB N="241" REF="254">the bookes of Judges. In the times of <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Solomon</HI> his &s;on, that they came from farre to &s;ee the plenty and pro&s;perity: and &s;o of divers others of the Kings times. Among&s;t other that is &s;pecial|ly markeable, and of &s;peciall note when they were in captivity, yet for deliverance famous, E&s;ter 8.17. <HI>In all and every Province, and in all and every City and place, where the Kings commande|dement and his decree came, there was joy and gladne&s;&s;e to the Iewes, a fea&s;t and good day, and many of the people of the land became Iewes, for the feare of the Iewes fell upon them.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e God hath promi&s;ed &s;uch things unto them, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> while they feare him, and walke in his waies, and keepe his ordinances, and judgements, therefore they doing, he will not be wanting.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e wicked men &s;hould &s;ee that, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which they will hardly confe&s;&s;e, that even in this life there is a reward for the righ|teous, or to &s;hew his power in pre&s;erving it, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> bu&s;h,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Dum per|&s;equitur flo|ret, dum, &amp;c. <HI>Hilar. de Trinit. cap. 7.</HI></NOTE> while it is per&s;ecuted, it flouri&s;hes; while it is contemned, it encrea&s;es; while it is wronged, it orecomes; while it is oppre&s;t, it growes; and then &s;tands, when it &s;eemes throwne downe. Now in this, I &s;ay, the Lord doth oftentimes thus ble&s;&s;e his Church, not alwaies; for even under the law when this was more &s;pecially promi&s;ed to them under the Go&s;pell, and when they were led more by the&s;e, becau&s;e of their child-hood and infirmity, they had them not al|waies, then le&s;&s;e under the Go&s;pell. Be&s;ides, Jer. 12.1. P&s;al. 73. 2 Tim. 3.12. John 16. <HI>ultimo</HI> 20. Heb. 11. I&s;rael in Egypt, in Ca|naan by Phili&s;times, Ammonites, Midianites, Babylonians, Per|&s;ians. The Primitive Church for 300. yeares after Chri&s;t, after it was per&s;ecuted by the Arrians, Gothes, Vandals, yea after that it had Chri&s;tian Princes, yea and much mi&s;ery the Church hath felt from the Turkes. All which &s;hewes, this is but &s;ometime, not alwaies. This may be becau&s;e it is with the Church, as <HI>Salvian</HI> once complained.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ip&s;a Dei occle&s;ia quae, &amp;c. <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">alvian D. l. 3. de Imber.</HI></NOTE> The very Church of God, which in all things ought to plea&s;e God, and to appea&s;e him; what is it or doth it el&s;e but imbitter or provoke him, or be&s;ides a very few who flye from evil? what is almo&s;t the whole &s;ociety of Chri&s;tians any other, but a very &s;inke of &s;innes?</P>
<P>Again&s;t the dreame of Anabapti&s;ts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> who thinke a man cannot be a religious man, and a rich man, but that one overthrowes the other. It is true, it often falls out by the corruption of men, that as the leane Kine devoured the fat in <HI>Pharoahs</HI> dreame, &s;o in this; and that the mother is devoured of the daughter; but yet this &s;entence and opinion mu&s;t needs condemne all the generation of Gods children, who &s;ometimes have had &s;uch abundance, plenty, and pro&s;perous e&s;tate, and that which hath beene, may be; for as there is no new thing under the &s;unne, &s;o nothing hath beene, but it may be renued.</P>
<P>This will confute the doctrine of Popery, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> making this a note of
<PB N="242" REF="255">the Church, for being but &s;ometimes befalling it, it cannot note the Church, which is certainely knowne onely by &s;uch things as are infeparable, which this is not, being oftner under per&s;ecuti|on then in pro&s;perity; and how otherwi&s;e &s;eeing here it is but a &s;tranger and &s;ojourner, compared to a Dove lodged in the rockes, Cant. 2.14. to a &s;hip &s;haken with the windes, but not &s;unke; to a hou&s;e upon the rocke beaten with winde and weather, but not ca&s;t downe. Therefore is it but a weake argument which <HI>Bell. Sad. Stapl.</HI> and others u&s;e to prove the true Church, and to deny ours to be; and indeed no other then that which the Heathen and Pagans have u&s;ed again&s;t Chri&s;tians. <HI>Symachus</HI> again&s;t whom <HI>Prudentius</HI> writ in an Epi&s;tle to <HI>Theodo&s;ius</HI> the Emperor, which is in <HI>Ambro&s;. Epi&s;t.</HI> 30. u&s;ed this argument, and almo&s;t no other, to prove that the Emperor &s;hould &s;till abide in the religion of the Romans, becau&s;e that Common-wealth was mo&s;t flo uri&s;hing and pro&s;perous, &s;o long as they wor&s;hipped <HI>Iupiter, Apollo,</HI> and other Gods. Al&s;o the old Tyrants, Per&s;ecuters of the Church, were wont to impute to chance the cau&s;e of all calamities and mi|&s;eries; for they u&s;ed to &s;ay when calamities were upon them; we are now le&s;&s;e fortunate then in former times, becau&s;e we &s;uffer the Chri&s;tians, and becau&s;e we do not with that religion and devotion wor&s;hip <HI>Iupiter,</HI> and other of the Gods, as we did before, therefore are the Gods angry with us: &s;o the Papi&s;ts from a temporal felicity mea&s;ure piety, and gather that God doth favour them, becau&s;e he gives them the&s;e outward things, by it would condemne us and al other Churches. But if the Heathen rea&s;oned ab&s;urdly, they con|clude not well, but very impudently; but if the conclu&s;ion would follow, it would be on our &s;ides rather then theirs; who have for the&s;e 48. yeares not been inferiour to any Kingdome in the world for peace, plenty and pro&s;perity, and &s;pecially when we have beene mo&s;t &s;evere not in per&s;ecuting, but correcting of their im|pieties &amp; Idolatries, (For <HI>proju&s;titi&acirc; per&s;equentes per&s;ecutores &s;unt, propter flagitium correctores, Augu&s;t. contra lit. Petil. lib.</HI> 21. <HI>ca.</HI> 84.) And for victory in warre, which is the principalle&s;t they &s;tand of, we have given them more foiles then ever they us, and have often carried the day and triumph both by &s;ea and land, ble&s;&s;ed be our God for it. Therefore mu&s;t they let this argument, this weapon goe, or el&s;e we will &s;heath it in their owne &s;ides.</P>
<P>If this be a ble&s;&s;ing, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> then have we cau&s;e to &s;tirre up our &s;elves and &s;oules to God to give him thankes for that he hath performed to us, which he promi&s;ed to this land and people; that we have had &s;uch peace, plenty, and pro&s;perity as we have beene accoun|ted of all ble&s;&s;ed and happy, and of our enemies mightily malig|ned and envied. That we u&s;e that of <HI>Augu&s;t. de Civit. D. l.</HI> 1. <HI>c</HI> 7. <HI>Qui&s;quis non videt caecus, qui&s;quis nec laudat, ingratus, qui&s;quis laudanti reluctatis in &s;anus e&s;t.</HI> And yet &s;eeing it is no perpetuall
<PB N="243" REF="255">ble&s;&s;ing, but &s;uch as the Church is often deprived of, and hath beene, let us &s;ee we walke worthy of it, le&s;t he pull us downe as low as he lifted us up high, and make us as vile as he hath made us honourable. As he did divers times with his people, Deuter. 29.22.24.25. which was then and &s;hall be when they are wor&s;e, and walke unworthy of this, and we be as <HI>Salvian, ad Catholicum Ec|cle&s;iam. lib.</HI> 1.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ac &s;ic ne|&s;cio quomodo &amp;c.</NOTE> I know not how, but thy felicity flights again&s;t thy &s;elfe; &s;o much as thou art encrea&s;ed in people, thou art almo&s;t as much encrea&s;t in vices; by how much thou ha&s;t more aboun|ded, thou ha&s;t lo&s;t in di&s;cipline, and thy pro&s;perity hath brought with it a great encrea&s;e of evills; for the profe&s;&s;ors of the faith being multiplyed, the faith it &s;elfe is le&s;&s;ened; and her children encrea&s;ing, the mother is &s;icke: and thou O Church of God! art made weaker by thy fruitfulne&s;&s;e, and the more children, the le&s;&s;e &s;trength, for thou ha&s;t &s;pread through the whole world the profe&s;&s;ors of thy religious name, but not having the power of re|ligion, as if thou wert rich in men, poore in faith, wealthy in multitude, needy in devotion, enlarged in body, &s;trengthned in &s;pirit, &amp;c.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="13" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Your words have been &s;tout again&s;t me, &s;aith the Lord: yet yee &s;ay, What have we &s;poken again&s;t thee?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>Your wards have been &s;lout again&s;t me.]</HI> Your words have been &s;tout again&s;t me, faith the Lord of Ho&s;ts. The Prophet pro|ceedeth to reprove this people of another &s;inne, and to expo&s;tulate the thing with them. The &s;inne of it is, the denying of Gods pro|vidence, both over the evill and good; not puni&s;hing the one, and not providing for the other. This people afflicted of God with penury, and want, for other of their &s;innes, but e&s;pecially for &s;poi|ling God, his Levits and Church, they thought and &s;poke bla&s;|phemou&s;ly again&s;t God; but accu&s;ing his providence, as not re|garding tho&s;e who wor&s;hip and profe&s;&s;e him, but &s;uch as di&s;ho|noured him, and were wicked, and never would they accu&s;e them|&s;elves of their &s;innes: which is that he &s;aith, their words have been great again&s;t him, they &s;poke hard and odious things of him, as the words following &s;hew, that the&s;e were they.</P>
<P><HI>Yet yee &s;ay, What have we &s;poken again&s;t thee?]</HI> They an&s;wer for them&s;elves, not denying &s;imply that they had &s;poken any &s;uch thing, but putting God to his proofe, as thinking that he did not know nor under&s;tand; as tho&s;e who had oftentimes &s;aid a|mong them&s;elves, that God regarded not the things here below,
<PB N="244" REF="256">neither tooke notice of what men did: Therefore this que&s;tion of theirs tendeth not to any deniall of the deed, but to the tempt|ing of God: For if hee could not, or did not an&s;wer directly, and &s;hew them what they had &s;aid; then would they conclude, as be|fore they had, that he did not regard nor under&s;tand the things that were &s;aid and done by men: which if he did, then could he tell in particular what words they had &s;poken again&s;t him, and not thus in&s;i&s;t in the generall.</P>
<P><HI>Your words have been &s;tout.]</HI> Ob&s;erve: <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"></P>
<P>God takes notice of the words of men, as well as their acti|ons, and will reprove them for them, and call them to an account and judge them, Jam. 2.12.</P>
<P><HI>Your words have been &s;tout again&s;t me.]</HI> They deny the provi|dence of God, and his wi&s;e di&s;po&s;ing of things upon earth among men, as the ver&s;es following &s;hew; and &s;o are accu&s;ed to have &s;poken again&s;t God him&s;elfe, though they have not denied him, or bla&s;phemed him.</P>
<P>They who deny the providence of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and his governing of things here below, do &s;peak proudly, and wickedly again&s;t God; &s;pecially if they deny his providence and government in di&s;po|&s;ing the &s;tates and affaires of men. This is the &s;inne the&s;e are chalenged withall. Such was that which we have, P&s;al. 73.11. And <HI>they &s;ay, How doth Bod know it? or is there knowledge in the mo&s;t High?</HI> If it be referred to the tenth ver&s;e, it is the <HI>infirmitie of Gods people:</HI> if to the ninth, it is the <HI>pride of the wicked.</HI> In either, it is a &s;inne again&s;t God. And that, P&s;al. 94.4.5.6.7. They prate and &s;peake fiercely: all the workers of iniquitie vaunt them|&s;elves, they &s;mite downe thy people. O Lord, and trouble thine heritage: they &s;lay the widow and the &s;tranger, and murther the fatherle&s;&s;e; yet they &s;ay, The Lord &s;hall not &s;ee, neither will the God of <HI>I cob</HI> regard it. Such were they, Zeph. 1.12. And at that time will I &s;earch. Jeru&s;alem with lights, and vi&s;it the men that are frozen in their dregges, and &s;ay in their hearts, The Lord will neither do good, nor do evill. Job. 22.13.14. But thou &s;ay|e&s;t, How &s;hould God know? Can he judge through the darke cloud? The clouds hide him that he cannot &s;ee, and hee walketh in the circle of heaven. Ezek. 9.9. Then &s;aid he unto me; the ini|quity of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael and Judah is exceeding great, &s;o that the land is full of bloud, and the citie full of corrupt judgement. For they &s;ay, The Lord hath for&s;aken the earth, and the Lord &s;eeth us not.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God doth chalenge the&s;e things unto him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> the Scripture giveth it unto him, I&s;ai. 45.6.7. Prov. 15.3. <HI>The eyes of the Lord in every place, behold the evill and the good.</HI> P&s;al. 28.18.19. &amp; 34.15.16. Then without &s;inne this cannot be denied, which were to give God and his Truth the lie.</P>
<PB N="245" REF="256">
<P>Becau&s;e by denying this, they deny the wi&s;edome, the power, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and the goodne&s;&s;e of God: for &s;eeing God hath created the world, and all things, &s;pecially men, how &s;hould he be wi&s;e, if he knew not? how omnipotent, if he could not? how good, if hee would not regard and governe the things and men he had made? For who would account him a good father of a family, who when he can, and knowes well how to governe and di&s;po&s;e of the chil|dren he hath begotten, and of the hou&s;e he hath erected, and his whole family, yet will not, but neglects them? And when they deny this of God, do they not deny his goodne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>Then have we many proud &s;peakers, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> many that utter &s;tout words again&s;t the Lord: for we have many, and too many, who deny the providence of God, &s;ome in one thing, &s;ome in another, &s;ome after one manner, &s;ome after another: &s;ome deny any pro|vidence at all; &s;ome affirme it only to be in heavenly things; &s;ome if in earthly things, then but in great matters, and about the grea|te&s;t creatures, not the &s;malle&s;t: If in man for the generall, not in the particular actions and affaires of men. The&s;e are all &s;peakers again&s;t God, when the Word and Rea&s;on witne&s;&s;eth of him, that his providence is over all the&s;e: as in generall, P&s;al. 113.5.6. in great things, Prov. 16.9.21.1. in particular actions, Jerem. 10.23. Acts 17.28. in &s;maller, Job 38.3. Matth. 6.26.28. and 10.50. and many other of the like kinde, be&s;ide rea&s;on; as that the world doth &s;o long continue, that the heavens &s;till keep their certaine and perpetuall motion, that there are interchanging of things; and as the day &s;ucceeding of the night, and the winter of the &s;ummer; that the earth being founded upon the waters, &amp; compa&s;&s;ed about with it, and yet it neither &s;inketh nor is over-flowed: will not all the&s;e prove his providence? &s;pecially when they are created of nothing, when many things are compounded of contraries, and by a naturall enmitie &s;eeke the ruine, and would wrack one ano|ther. For they mu&s;t needs be pre&s;erved of &s;ome other; but of none but God: for who el&s;e is able to &s;u&s;tain, to rule and govern &s;o great a ma&s;&s;e, and &s;o infinite creatures, but an infinite power? To deny them this, is to &s;peake again&s;t God him&s;elfe; of which all the&s;e are guilty, either out of the dulne&s;&s;e of their braines, as be|ing not able to comprehend greater things then are before their eyes, and which may be groped and felt; or el&s;e out of the wic|kedne&s;&s;e and corruption of their hearts, who living wickedly and filthily, le&s;t the continuall remembrance of this &s;hould vex and di&s;quiet them, and the perpetuall feare of puni&s;hment torment them, they frame this comfort to them&s;elves. As children, when they have offended, could wi&s;h and de&s;ire they had neither a Fa|ther at home, nor a Ma&s;ter at Schoole: and the&s;e per&s;wade them &s;o it is with them&s;elves.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> This may teach men to take heed how they deny or call into
<PB N="246" REF="257">que&s;tion the providence of God, le&s;t they be found fighters and &s;peakers again&s;t God, and that proudly and contemptuou&s;ly. For what if they cannot &s;ee God, how he doth it, yet &s;eeing they &s;ee it is done, and the world and all things in it governed after a mar|vellous manner, they ought to beleeve it is &s;o? If a man &s;hall &s;ee a &s;hip come &s;ailing into the haven; or &s;tanding upon the &s;hore, &s;ee it go along upon the &s;ea, and often &s;ailing pro&s;perou&s;ly in the mid&s;t of great tempe&s;ts, though he &s;ee never a Mariner, never a Ma&s;ter and Pilot, yet he doubts not but he is there. Or as <HI>Gregory Nazi anzen:</HI> If thou heare a Harp &s;ound of divers &s;trings, and all keep one harmony, thou wilt conceive of one that &s;trikes them, though thou &s;ee him not: &s;o in the government of the world. Yea, when they cannot &s;ee the rea&s;on of things that are done, yet men ought to admire the wi&s;edome of God. As in States, men do give more to the wi&s;edome of tho&s;e which hold and &s;it at the &s;terne, and go|verne the State, that they thinke well of things done and proje|cted, though they &s;ee not the rea&s;on; nay, when their rea&s;on is contrary. Finally, well and with good rea&s;on may they imagine, that if a Father will governe his hou&s;e, and a King will not for&s;ake his kingdome, God will much more governe the world, and not for&s;ake it. And if a &s;hip, though well built and &s;trong, as <HI>Chry &s;o&s;tom,</HI> cannot be pre&s;erved in the &s;ea without a governour; no, not a day in the midde&s;t of the waves, nor the body &s;eparated from the &s;oule, how &s;hould this be? All which may keep us from denying the providence of God, and &s;o &s;peaking again&s;t God.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="14" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XIV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Ye have &s;aid, it is in vaine to &s;erve God: and what pro|fit is it that we have kept his commandement, and that we walked humbly before the Lord of ho&s;ts?</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>YEE have &s;aid, it is in vaine to &s;erve God.]</HI> The Prophets re|plication in the per&s;on of God, &s;hewing them wherein they had prophanely and impiou&s;ly &s;poken again&s;t God; and this their impiety con&s;i&s;ted herein, that they &s;aid it was a needle&s;&s;e and fruitle&s;&s;e thing to &s;erve the Lord, &amp; that a mans labour &s;hould be in vaine that &s;hould bu&s;ie him&s;elfe about it, and re&s;traine him&s;elfe of other things, of his plea&s;ure and profit; and they affirme it to be a needle&s;&s;e worke, both in re&s;pect of God, who was to be wor|&s;hipped, and in re&s;pect of tho&s;e who &s;hould wor&s;hip him; for the fir&s;t, &s;ome under&s;tand the&s;e words. <HI>i.</HI> God is farre above man neither hath commerce with him; if he have, yet God hath no
<PB N="247" REF="257">need of the&s;e things which men po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, neither doth he de&s;ire, he is not affected nor bettered by the wor&s;hip of men. Then is it in vaine and fooli&s;h, for men to be&s;tow their paines and labours in tho&s;e things which never helpe nor profit him they doe them for. Now the&s;e things profit not God, therefore they are vaine in re|&s;pect of him.</P>
<P><HI>And what profit is it, that we have kept his commandements?]</HI> Their &s;econd proofe they have in &s;peaking thus again&s;t God, be|cau&s;e it is not profitable to men who wor&s;hip and &s;erve him; and fir&s;t, they deny it any waies profitable to do the good God hath co~|manded, and that there is not with him any reward for well doing. And &s;econdly, that it is as little profitable to ab&s;taine from evill, and that we have walked humbly before him, which is (as I take it) not to be under&s;tood of that humiliation which is in repen|tance, as &s;ome thinke; but as &s;ome others, it de&s;cribeth one who having piety, and the feare of God before his eies, neither hurteth any man, and being hurt of others, doth not violently revenge him&s;elfe, but rather &s;uffereth all things, then proudly doth any thing, and commit their cau&s;e to God as the ju&s;t revenger, know|ing that vengeance is his; to which purpo&s;e they under&s;tand tho&s;e words before the Lord of hoa&s;ts; that is, before God the reven|ger: and &s;o they account the ob&s;ervation of piety and religion not profitable to men, as that which did not make the wor&s;hippers pro&s;perous, nor keepe them from injuries, nor defend them grie|ved: And of both the&s;e they give them&s;elves for in&s;tance, and &s;peake out of experience; that they had found none, and &s;o chalenging them&s;elves to be ju&s;t, religious, and godly, and &s;o en|deavoured their owne honour, and to detract from the providence of God and his wor&s;hip; and it is worth the noting, that they produce not others of the godly, but them&s;elves: for the fir&s;t might ea&s;ily have been refuted, either by producing the examples of tho&s;e who have had te&s;timony of their piety from God, and where they enjoyed his ble&s;&s;ings; or el&s;e by an&s;wering them, that neither they, nor any other, were able certainely to judge whether tho&s;e they named, did truely and &s;incerely wor&s;hip God or no, and imbrace piety: for no man can be a certaine witne&s;&s;e of anothers con&s;cience, his owne he may well know; therefore the&s;e brought not forth others again&s;t God, but them&s;elves.</P>
<P>The mi&s;ery, poverty, affliction, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and adver&s;ity of the children and Church of God, and the pro&s;perity of the wicked, makes men out of their ignorance or corruption, out of their infirmity or malice, to deny or doubt of the providence of God, <HI>videca.</HI> 2. <HI>ver. ult Doct. ult. proofes.</HI></P>
<P>Rea&s;on and U&s;e 1.</P>
<P>To teach us to &s;u&s;pect our conceit or judgement when it carries us that way, to que&s;tion and rea&s;on about Gods providence, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> as if
<PB N="248" REF="258">he did not di&s;po&s;e of the things here upon earth, becau&s;e things goe thus among men; and to checke our &s;elves, &s;u&s;pecting our wi&s;edome that cannot &s;ee the cau&s;es of things, and Gods cour&s;e in di&s;po&s;ing of them, when he deales diver&s;ly and not as we would thinke rea&s;on he &s;hould, yea and cea&s;ing from our wi&s;e|dome to &s;earch into things more then we can comprehend.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">An tu cum medieum &s;e|pius, &amp;c. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. de vig.</HI></NOTE> When thou &s;ee&s;t a Phy&s;itian &s;ometimes cutting, &s;ometimes bur|ning the &s;ame ulcer, yea and oft times mi&s;&s;ing his art; yet thou do&s;t not unmannerly object. But in God, who never erres, but di&s;po&s;ed all things rightly and orderly according to his wi&s;e|dome, thou a poore mortall art bu&s;ie to know the rea&s;on of his coun&s;ells and doings, and do&s;t not a&s;cribe all to his infinite wi&s;e|dome. Is not this extreame madne&s;&s;e? but admit it lawfull and fit to enquire, he certainely is purblinde that cannot &s;ee even the &s;pe|ciall providence of God, when the hands of God goe thus cro&s;&s;e, like old <HI>Iaakobs</HI> hand upon the heads of <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> children, and thinke with <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> that they &s;hould be otherwi&s;e; for is it not a &s;peciall wi&s;edome in a Phy&s;itian to keepe &s;ome whom he loves in a &s;trict and &s;pare diet, and others of whom he hath not, neither hath cau&s;e to have the like care, to give them liberty to eate and drinke what they li&s;t? Is it not &s;peciall providence in a father if he keepe his &s;onnes bare, and have a &s;trait hand over them all the while they are at none-age, and &s;uffer &s;ervants to have more li|berty? Not of a husbandman to keep the &s;heep he would have live longer, and have wooll and lambe of them, when tho&s;e he means &s;hall &s;oone come to the &s;hambles he feedes, and in a large and fat pa&s;ture. And is it then want of wi&s;edome and providence in God if things thus goe with his and the wicked? Nay, is it not the wi&s;e providence of God to put his children in &s;uch a condition as they may mo&s;t &s;hew the graces they have, and grow towards that they want, and ought to have, and the wicked in &s;uch a &s;tate as may mo&s;t manife&s;t their corruption, and by which they may be&s;t ful|fill the mea&s;ure of their iniquity? Now for the fir&s;t, is affliction of any kinde, P&s;al. 119. Before I was afflicted I went wrong, &amp;c.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Adver&s;itas magis auget &amp;c. <HI>Greg. Epi&s;t. 26. Nar&s;ae.</HI></NOTE> Adver&s;ity enlarges our de&s;ire to God, as the &s;eedes covered with ice, are more fruitfull. And, as in trees, if one plucke off the fruit and the leaves, and loppe of the boughes too, &s;o the &s;tocke remaine, the tree will grow fairer: &s;o if the roote of godline&s;&s;e remaine though riches be taken away, and the body be afflicted, all will tende unto greater glory.</P>
<P><HI>Ye have &s;aid, it is in vaine to &s;erve the Lord.]</HI> In a more parti|cular examination of the&s;e words, other things are to be ob&s;er|ved: as fir&s;t, that they are &s;aid to have &s;poken again&s;t God and bla&s;phemed him, becau&s;e they account the &s;ervice of God of no profit nor fruit. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"></P>
<P>For men to thinke or &s;peake that it is a fruitle&s;&s;e and unprofitable
<PB N="249" REF="258">thing to &s;erve God and to obey and wor&s;hip him, to &s;tudy piety and godline&s;&s;e, is a wicked &s;peech and bla&s;phemous thought a|gain&s;t God: For that, are the&s;e here chalenged. It is that <HI>Ieremy</HI> accu&s;eth the men and their wives, the women, and all the women in <HI>Pathres</HI> of, Jer. 44.15.17.18. <HI>David</HI> confe&s;&s;eth this had cea&s;ed &s;omewhat, and for the time, upon him, P&s;alm. 73.13. This was that by which the Divell provoked <HI>Iobs</HI> wife to tempt him, and &s;o was her bla&s;phemy, Job 2.9. And Micha 7.10. Job 21.15.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is flat contrary to his word, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> which witne&s;&s;eth the contrary every where, that they &s;hall be happy and have all things nece&s;&s;ary that feare him, P&s;a. 1. and 34.9.10. with infinite other places, and many examples in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by this they make God unfaithfull, and &s;o no God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> who hath promi&s;ed &s;uch fruit to them who &s;ow in righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by this they deny the bounty and liberality of God, and is a great prejudice to his honour, and glory, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that hee &s;hould dimi&s;&s;e &s;uch as &s;erve him and belong to him, empty handed.</P>
<P>Then have we many who mu&s;t an&s;wer at Gods judgement &s;eate, for bla&s;phemy and proud &s;peaking again&s;t him; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> with whom nothing is &s;o common as upon any, even the &s;lighte&s;t occa&s;ion to condemne piety and the feare of God, for the mo&s;t fruitle&s;&s;e and the unprofitable&s;t profe&s;&s;ion in the world. If they &s;ee any man who profe&s;&s;eth Gods feare, and &s;eemes carefull of his wayes, if he any way mi&s;carry in his &s;tate, and decay in that, the world dee|med him to have had, or if he increa&s;e not as other men doe, by a lawfull and hone&s;t profe&s;&s;ion, as they, by all their by=waies and indirect cour&s;es: What doe they? will they enquire the ju&s;t cau&s;e of it, and &s;earch what may be a let he pro&s;pers no better? of which, many ju&s;t cau&s;es may be given of &s;everall men and well found out; yet they never &s;earch further then this, their piety and profe&s;&s;ion and the &s;ervice of God, &amp; though they will not directly &s;peake as the&s;e, becau&s;e that were palpable, yet they &s;pare not the&s;e &s;peeches, you may &s;ee what comes of this profe&s;&s;ing, of all their piety and godline&s;&s;e. And this they whi&s;per every where like the ten &s;pies of the holy and promi&s;ed Land, and bring up an evill report of it, Num. 13.33. and a &s;lander upon it, Num. 14.37. But let them know that upon tho&s;e ten &s;pies, &amp; upon all who beleeved them, the judgements of God befell, and they fell in the wilder|ne&s;&s;e, and never came to &s;et foote in the Land of Canaan. Such recompence let the&s;e expect from the Lord, not to come into the promi&s;ed Land, when as tho&s;e they &s;aid &s;hould bee a prey; If we may allude to Numb. 17.31. they &s;hall not lo&s;e their recom|pence.</P>
<PB N="250" REF="259">
<P>To teach men when they &s;ee tho&s;e who profe&s;&s;e the feate of God and piety, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> not to grow in the world, or to decay, not to be in &s;o pro&s;perous e&s;tate as others are, not to accu&s;e their profe&s;&s;ion and piety, le&s;t they be found upon the returne of their triall, guilty of bla&s;phemy again&s;t God, denying his faithfulne&s;&s;e, di&s;honou|ring him, as &s;uffering his followers to be without reward and re|compence for their &s;ervice. And of two evills it is le&s;&s;e, and the better to accu&s;e man of hypocri&s;e in his &s;ervice, and of &s;ome &s;ecret &s;inne, which lying hid hinders his encrea&s;ing, as Iron in a wound hinders the curing of it. Or &s;afer it is to apprehend here the wi&s;edome of God, who dealing like a wi&s;e Phy&s;itian, and &s;ee|ing a full dyet hinders the health of his Patient, he for the time forbids him many things; as po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a fever, forbids him &s;trong wines and drinkes; and hard meates of dige&s;tion, and &s;uch like: So God. Or were it not &s;afer and the be&s;t cour&s;e to impute it to his particular profe&s;&s;ion, that it is not &s;o gainefull, or his want of skill, he cannot make it, or his want of providence in di&s;po&s;ing of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; or to imagine the truth that the pro&s;pe|rous e&s;tate of Gods, &s;tands not &s;o much in riches, as in graces; not &s;o much in that they mu&s;t leave behinde them, as that they mu&s;t carry with them: as the wealth of pilgrimes and &s;trangers &s;tan|deth more in their Jewells and gold things, light of carriage and well portable, then in hou&s;e and land.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct men who do profe&s;&s;e the feare and &s;ervice of God, to walke carefully and prudently in their callings, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> that they may increa&s;e in an outward e&s;tate, to prevent the bla&s;phemies and &s;landers of the wicked, who will &s;ooner bla&s;pheme God for their poverty, then glorifie him for their piety: which exhortation is nece&s;&s;ary for &s;ome who thinke it enough to profe&s;&s;e, and excu&s;e their poverty by the condition of Gods Saints, when the negle|cted lawfull meanes, by which they might have encrea&s;ed, and beene able to give, rather then receive, which is a more ble&s;&s;ed thing, and whereby they might have more honoured God; and therein the more culpable, that they make this a cover of their idlene&s;&s;e, and happily inju&s;tice, for which God cur&s;eth them; adding this &s;inne to the other, that they di&s;honour God. But if any man &s;hall upon this, or the like pretence, neglect the be&s;t things, the onely thing nece&s;&s;ary, and growing in &s;pirituall graces, when God and his owne heart can tell him, it is but upon a covetous and amibitious humour, that man &s;hall beare his iniquity. But if for con&s;cience, as to be able to di&s;charge the nece&s;&s;ity of nature, per&s;on or place; &s;o the rather to glorifie God, and to &s;top the mouthes of &s;uch as would reproach their profe&s;&s;ion; he fir&s;t &s;eeking Gods Kingdome, &s;hall have the&s;e things ca&s;t to him here; and &s;o in all things he &s;eeking the glory of God in the kingdome of grace, &s;hall find glory and happine&s;&s;e in the kingdome of glory.</P>
<PB N="251" REF="259">
<P><HI>What profit is it that we have kept his commandments?]</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctr."> The&s;e wicked men doe chalenge unto them&s;elves righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and o|bedience, and upon that, accu&s;e God of inju&s;tice for their want and affliction: whence we may ob&s;erve:</P>
<P>That hypocrites and wicked men, chalenge to them&s;elves, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and obedience in the pride of their heart, when they have no &s;uch thing, ver&s;e 7. Wherein &s;hall we returne?</P>
<P>It is the property of Hypocrites and wicked men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."> when they are in Gods judgements, in mi&s;ery and affliction to ju&s;tifie them|&s;elves, as not having de&s;erved any &s;uch thing, &amp; to accu&s;e God of inju&s;tice, as an angry God, that hath cau&s;le&s;ly afflicted them. So did the&s;e, and tho&s;e, I&s;aiah 58.2.3. And <HI>Iehoram.</HI> 2. Kings 3.13. And <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> &s;aid unto the King of I&s;rael, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the Prophets of thy father, and to the Prophets of thy mother. And the King of I&s;rael &s;aid unto him, nay: for the Lord hath called the&s;e three Kings, to give them into the hand of Moab, <HI>i.</HI> it is but your &s;pleene again&s;t me, to upbraide me with any &s;uch things; becau&s;e I favour them more then you, but if it were a finne, yet is not that the cau&s;e; &s;eeing the&s;e two Kings are in the like mi&s;ery with me. So far were they, Jer. 44.17.18. from acknowledging their &s;innes, the cau&s;e of any mi&s;ery, either pre&s;ent or falling upon them, that they thought it came be|cau&s;e they had not gone forwards in them. This is the cau&s;e, why the Prophets when the people were in any judgement, did &s;till put them in minde of their &s;ins, and cleared the Lord, and put the people often to accu&s;e God if they could. Mich. 6.3. And when they threatned any to come, they ever produced and allead|ged their &s;ins.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e being ignorant and blind men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> without the Law and knowledge of it, their &s;in is dead, as <HI>Paul</HI> Rom. 7.8. they &s;eem to be living. <HI>Peccatum mortuum quod non agno&s;ceretur. Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> And &s;o it doth not accu&s;e them, which makes them not accu&s;e them&s;elves, but God rather.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if by the preaching of the Mini&s;ter, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> when he &s;hall I&s;aiah 58.1. lift up his voice like a trumpet, and tell the people of their &s;ins, and by the comming of the Law, Rom. 7.9. They find them&s;elves to be dead, yet they love their &s;innes &s;o dearly that they are very loth to part with them: now if they &s;hould once confe&s;&s;e it and accu&s;e them&s;elves, either they mu&s;t part with it, or el&s;e looke that Gods hand &s;hould be more &s;harply upon them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> This may direct men in their judgement, both them&s;elves and others, when the hand and judgement is upon them, to di&s;|cerne &s;o far as &s;uch a thing can manife&s;t a mans condition, whe|ther Gods or no, or but hypocrites and wicked carnall men; they are pre&s;&s;ed with Gods hand &amp; his rod is upon their back, do they ingeniou&s;ly and freely confe&s;&s;e their &s;innes, and accu&s;e them|&s;elves,
<PB N="252" REF="260">and give glory unto God; as bringing that ju&s;tly upon them; and not only &s;o, but confe&s;&s;ing that it is his mercy, that they are not con&s;umed: As Lame n. 3.22. their &s;innes de&s;erve &s;o much more then they feele or beare: It is a good probable note that they are Gods; not certaine, becau&s;e men may doe it in hypocri&s;ie, being wrung from them by their extremities, and do it in &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, as did <HI>Indas</HI> and <HI>Pharaoh.</HI> But on the contrary, do men ju&s;tifie them&s;elves, or extenuate their &s;innes? I &s;ay not only to men or to an enemy, when it may be lawfull for a man to &s;tand on his integrity, and ever to cover his infirmities, but to God &amp; to his Mini&s;ters, as the&s;e here: And as many men lie &s;icke, and for ought they know upon their death beds, and the Mini&s;ter &s;hall pre&s;&s;e them with their former lives, and their &s;inful|ne&s;&s;e, and not their friends only &s;eek to le&s;&s;en them, and &s;peake of their orderly and good cariage, and &s;hew them&s;elves to be di&s;con|tented, they &s;hould be di&s;quieted with any &s;uch thing, it is a ve|ry fearfull thing; being a &s;igne that in them&s;elves they ju&s;tifie them&s;elves, and thinke God deals but hardly with them, and they have de&s;erved no &s;uch thing; but to the&s;e we may &s;ay as Chri&s;t to the Phari&s;ees, Luke 16.15. Ye are they which ju&s;tifie your &s;elves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly e&s;teemed among men, is abomination in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>This may let us &s;ee the nece&s;&s;ity of the word of God; as at all times, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> &s;o e&s;pecially in time of affliction and judgements, when men in their hypocri&s;ie are naturally prone to ju&s;tifie them&s;elves, becau&s;e their &s;inne is dead, and their con&s;cience laid a&s;leep. But when the Law commeth, it is quickned, Rom. 7.9. Yea and not onely made living, but &s;trengthened, 1. Cor. 15.56. So that it not only accu&s;eth him in his con&s;cience, but pre&s;&s;eth him amaine to accu&s;e him&s;elf before Gods judgement &s;eat; whereas without it, they will be &s;o far from humbling them&s;elves, that they &s;till will ju&s;tifie them&s;elves, till they be con&s;umed as dro&s;&s;e in the fire; and with their dro&s;&s;e, their &s;inne. Therefore was it not for no|thing that it was &s;aid, P&s;al. 94.12. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man whom thou cha&s;ti&s;e&s;t, O Lord! and teache&s;t him in thy Law.</HI> Becau&s;e, of ver&s;e 13. They &s;hall e&s;cape, when the other who want it, &s;hall peri&s;h. And &s;o the be&s;t time for Mini&s;ters to worke, and the be&s;t oppor|tunity is, when the affliction is upon them. Job 33.16. <HI>Then he openeth the cares of men,</HI> even by their corrections, which he hath &s;ealed: and they being as mettall, heated and &s;oftened, the ham|mer will be&s;t worke upon them, and then may they be be&s;t ben|ded, and applied to good.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="15" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="253" REF="260">
<HEAD>VERS. XV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Therefore we count the proud ble&s;&s;ed: even they that work wickedne&s;&s;e are &s;et up, and they that tempt God, yea, they are delivered.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THerefore we accounted the proud ble&s;&s;ed.]</HI> The&s;e had denied the providence of God, and his government of the world, by the &s;mall profit that came to &s;uch as had care to keepe his com|mandments and walke in his waies: now they a&s;&s;ay to deny it, by the pro&s;perity of &s;uch as tran&s;gre&s;&s;e and contemne him: yea, by this they would not onely di&s;grace piety, but prefer iniquity be|fore it. For now they make the &s;tudy and indeavour in impiety, to be hone&s;t and profitable; when of piety it was unfruitfull, for the one neither brought honour nor profit, to them who imbraced it: the other brought both.</P>
<P><HI>Therefore we account.]</HI> As &s;ome, and now we, or we al&s;o, <HI>i.</HI> out of our owne experience, we who have been diligent in our duties, forward in piety, followers of mode&s;ty, imbracers of tem|perance and al other vertues, have only got this by it, that we can|not without envie &s;peak of the happine&s;&s;e and pro&s;perity of tho&s;e, who have taken a cleane contrary cour&s;e: for our obedienc&egrave;, pie|ty, and humility hath made us but ba&s;e and contemptible in the eies of men, whereas others by their pride and arrogancy, have gotten a name and renowne unto them&s;elves.</P>
<P><HI>Even they that work wickedne&s;&s;e are &s;et up,]</HI> or, are built up. The meaning is, they are increa&s;ed in wealth and abundance: They who had nothing while they lived in upright and ju&s;t cour&s;es, and could get nothing by plaine and hone&s;t dealing, now that they are growne corrupt, and fallen into wicked &amp; lewd cour&s;es, and u&s;ed cunning and deceit, they have gained un&s;peakable wealth, and from nothing are &s;o ri&s;en, that they are equall to any in wealth and dignity: for this &s;en&s;e is by the phra&s;e of the Scripture to be built up, P&s;al. 127.1.</P>
<P><HI>And they who tempt God, they are delivered]</HI> Not onely they who injure and oppre&s;&s;e men and commit wickedne&s;&s;e, by fraud and deceit, and &s;uch like; but they who contemne God, al&s;o are happy; &s;uch as &s;et light by his power and judgements, and of &s;et purpo&s;e, committed and undertooke heinous &s;innes, to trie whether he was &s;o ju&s;t and &s;evere a Judge and revenger, as he was accounted to be: and yet for all this boldne&s;&s;e and con|tempt, we &s;ee they go free without any puni&s;hment, which if God
<PB N="254" REF="261">were &s;uch a one as he is accounted, a &s;evere Judge and reven|ger of the injuries again&s;t men, and indignities again&s;t him&s;elfe, he ought not to have overpa&s;t, but to have &s;hewed it in this. And thus the&s;e wicked men thinke they have &s;ufficiently proved, that God hath not a care of the things done upon the earth.</P>
<P>Their &s;econd ground on which they deny Gods providence, is, the pro&s;perity of the wicked, or making him to love them. <HI>Vide</HI> doctr. 2. in ver&s;e <HI>ult. C.</HI> 2.</P>
<P><HI>They that work wickedne&s;&s;e are &s;et up.]</HI> Many wicked men pro&s;|per and increa&s;e in the world: the&s;e men &s;peak &s;o here out of their ob&s;ervation, as a truth, though it be evilly applied and u&s;ed again&s;t God, as <HI>Iobs</HI> friends wre&s;ted many generall things again&s;t him, which were true in the generall, but corrupted in the application.</P>
<P>Oftentimes it falls out, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> that wicked men do increa&s;e and grow great in the world, by their wicked means, and impious crafts, which is not true onely becau&s;e the&s;e have &s;aid it, but that it is &s;o &s;hewed us by others. P&s;al. 73.12. <HI>Loe, the&s;e are the wicked, yet pro&s;per they alway, and increa&s;e in riches.</HI> Job 21.7. <HI>Wherefore do the wicked wax old and grow in wealth?</HI> Jer. 12.1.2. <HI>O Lord! if I di&s;pute with thee, thou art righteous: yet let me talke with thee of thy judge|ments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked pro&s;per? Why are all they in wealth that rebelliou&s;ly tran&s;gre&s;&s;e? Thou ha&s;t planted them, and they have taken roote: they grow and bring forth fruit. Thou art neer in their mouth, and far from their reines.</HI> P&s;al. 17.14. Men of this world, who have their portion in this life, who&s;e bellies thou fille&s;t with thine hid trea&s;ure; their children have enough and leave the re&s;t of their &s;ub&s;tance for their children.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God doth u&s;e them to puni&s;h and correct his, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">&V;titur in &s;alut em &s;u|orum irrati|onali &amp; in|&s;en&s;ibili &amp;c. <HI>Bern. degr. &amp; lib. arbit.</HI></NOTE> for the good &amp; &s;afety of his people, he u&s;eth the irrationall and in&s;en&s;ible creature, as a labouring bea&s;t or an in&s;trument, which when the worke is done, is of no further u&s;e; he u&s;eth the rea&s;onable crea|ture but ill affected, as his rod of correction, which when his &s;on is beaten, he throwes into the fire as an unprofitable twig; and he u&s;eth good Angels and men, as coadjutors and fellow &s;ouldi|ers, whom when the victory is had, he liberally rewards. Now for this, every one mu&s;t have their proportionable &s;trength and power: and &s;o the wicked, therefore they grow.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by it many are and may be tried, who live in the Church, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> who not pro&s;pering by their piety and profe&s;&s;ion, be|cau&s;e of their hypocri&s;ie in it, when they &s;ee the pro&s;perity of the wicked, and &s;ee the afflictions and poverty of the Church, will leave and for&s;ake the &s;ociety of it, and joining them&s;elves to the other, accounting it to be the better. P&s;al. 73.10. And &s;o they &s;hew them&s;elves: and hereto I apply that, Prov. 28.12. <HI>When the wicked come, the man is tried.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e his judgements and ju&s;tice might be more eminent, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on">
<PB N="255" REF="261">and per&s;picuous, when he &s;hall ca&s;t them downe that are aloft and were in the eies of men for their greatne&s;&s;e and riches, and glory. For as in States, though a thou&s;and petty theeves be hanged, yet nothing &s;uch notice is taken of the ju&s;tice of the State, as when one great offendor of &s;ome great note and eminence is executed, and hath the cen&s;ure of the law executed again&s;t him.</P>
<P>Do they not then deceive us, or go about to doe it, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> when they would per&s;wade us there is the truth, and there is piety, in that company and &s;ociety where is plenty and abundance, and for that per&s;wade us to turne in thither? becau&s;e waters in a full cup, are wrung out unto us, and &s;eparated from them, many afflictions and many mi&s;eries and calamities: as the Champions of the Church of Rome do, with as good rea&s;on the people with&s;tood <HI>Ieremie,</HI> or would have per&s;waded him that the wor&s;hip of the Queen of Heaven, was rather the better, then the wor&s;hip of the King of Heaven, and earth, becau&s;e they pro&s;pered for a while in outward things, more in the one, then the other. Jer. 44.16.17. And &s;o may any Idolaters per&s;wade us.</P>
<P>To teach us not to wonder or be offended, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> with the growing or increa&s;ing of the wicked, &s;pecially if it come by wicked arts and impieties; for it is no new thing, nor &s;trange to be wondered at, nor much di&s;advantage to be offended with. It is no new thing, for all ages and places have their examples of it; many Athei&s;ts, I|dolaters, oppre&s;&s;ors, per&s;ecutors, have grown to exceeding height of glory and outward eminency; now as that which is, hath been, &s;o that which hath been is, no wonder to &s;ee it againe; that men by flattery, inju&s;tice, oppre&s;&s;ion, Idolatry, and &s;uch like, &s;hould be built up, and build up their hou&s;es and families; neither is there cau&s;e we &s;hould be offended, for they build but to their de|&s;truction, all &s;hall be but a Babel. As they &s;ay the <HI>Phenix</HI> builds her ne&s;t with hot &s;pices: neither is it our di&s;advantage, that we &s;hould grieve though they be our rods, for that were too childi&s;h to grieve, to &s;ee willowes &amp; birch trees grow, becau&s;e rods are made of them, when as it is not in them they hurt us, but in our &s;elves: for if it were not our own &s;ins, they &s;hould not be our &s;courges, as rods &s;hould never hurt children, nor they find the &s;mart of them, that rebell not again&s;t their father and governours: le&s;&s;e &s;hould we &s;o be offended that we &s;hould turne into them, for that were as if a travailer &s;hould joine him&s;elfe with a rout of theeves, upon hope to keepe that he hath, and incurre by that means the common ju&s;tice of the land, to lo&s;e all, and life with it. <HI>Vide Augu&s;t. in P&s;al.</HI> 91. <HI>Nullum mare tam profundum quam e&s;t Dei co gitatio ut mali floreant &amp;c.</HI> Con&s;ider that they mu&s;t be &s;courges, remember the&s;e are to trie, forget not that they &s;hall make his ju&s;tice more eminent. That as the &s;tate carries &s;ome to exe|cution by po&s;ternes and by-gates, and others through the market
<PB N="256" REF="262">place. So God &s;ome to hel and de&s;truction by poverty, others by plenty; &s;ome by ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, others by honour: in the meane time they know they &s;tand but upon &s;lippery places.</P>
<P><HI>And they that tempt God yea, they are delivered.]</HI> Such as live wickedly and contemptuou&s;ly again&s;t him, e&s;cape his judgements, and often are delivered, when others fall in them.</P>
<P>It oftentimes fals out with wicked men, &s;uch as live in the con|tempt of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and provoke him every day, not to be of a long pu|ni&s;hed, and to e&s;cape when others are &s;mitten; &s;o with the&s;e, and Job 21.9. Ho&s;. 4.14. P&s;al. 81.12. Jer. 10.25. He praieth as thinking it too too long that they e&s;caped. So <HI>Ioab</HI> and <HI>Shimes,</HI> e&s;caped in the plague.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Lord is very &s;low to wrath, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> both to execute and to exerci&s;e his di&s;plea&s;ure: the rea&s;on that <HI>Ionah</HI> gave, why he went not to <HI>Nineveh,</HI> fearing God would &s;pare when he had &s;po|ken, and &s;o call his word into que&s;tion. Jonah 4.2.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e their iniquities are not yet full, nor they grown ripe for the harve&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that God might thru&s;t in the &s;ickle of his wrath. Gen. 15.16.</P>
<P>Not to thinke it &s;trange if we &s;ee wicked men, prophane men, contemners of God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> his word and wor&s;hip, go on, and enjoy pro&s;|perity and peace, and no evill happen to them, like as to other men, but they e&s;cape, when they fall; but thinke then of the great pa|tience of God, and cen&s;ure not his ju&s;tice for &s;paring of them, who knowes his times better then we can de&s;cerne, and reprives but men for their plagues, as Judges do malefactors, till their ini|quity be found out, and till their Epha be full: and in compa&s;&s;ion towards them trouble at the remembrance of their fearfull end, when that &s;hall be Job 21.30. But the wicked is kept unto the day of de&s;truction, and they &s;hal be brought forth to the day of wrath.</P>
<P>This may in&s;truct men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that in a plague and mi&s;ery, to be &s;pa|red and to be delivered, is not &s;imply, and in it &s;elfe a ble&s;&s;ing, for as all outward things are as the mind of a man is, and meates as the &s;tomack, &s;o in this deliverance. A theefe accounts it a benefit to be reprived for a while, yet it is not but according to the intent of the Judge and the u&s;e he makes of it. So in this: we have all e&s;|caped Gods rod and his plague, blowing up and de&s;truction of|fer it: we all ble&s;&s;e God, but to all it is not a benefit in it &s;elfe, &s;ee|ing even wicked men are &s;pared and delivered, that their &s;in may be full, and they receive the more full revenge, and a more feare|full reward. <HI>Vnu&s;qui&s;que con&s;ideret non quid alius pa&s;&s;us &s;it, &s;ed quid pati ip&s;e mereatur nec eva&s;i&s;&s;e &s;e credat, &s;i eum interim poena di|&s;tulerit, cum timere plus debeat, quem &s;ibi Dei judicis cen&s;ura ferva|vit. Cyprian de lap&s;is</HI> 21. As he that hath e&s;caped a &s;erpent, and is fallen into the power of a Lion: Therefore let every one examine whether it be a ble&s;&s;ing to him to be thus delivered, if the patience
<PB N="257" REF="262">of God hath brought him to repentance and reformation: but o|therwi&s;e thou art delivered rather in anger then in mercy: and art deceived as the &s;icke man that thinks a good turn is done him, when he hath what meat and drinke he de&s;ires; unle&s;&s;e that which the fire could not &s;often, the &s;unne do, and that thy heart relent as <HI>Sault</HI> at <HI>Davids</HI> kindne&s;&s;e, who had &s;pared his life, when he might have taken it away. 1. Sam. 24.17.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="16" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XVI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Then &s;pake they that feared the Lord, every one to his neigh|bour, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THen &s;pake they that feared the Lord.]</HI> The Prophet having re|proved the bla&s;phemy of the wicked, &amp; &s;hewed their grounds on which they denied the providence of God, he now an&s;wereth them: Fir&s;t, in this ver&s;. by oppo&s;ing unto them the contrary opini|on, of the&s;e who did truly fear God. Secondly, ver&s;. 17. By a &s;weet promi&s;e on Gods part, of great goodne&s;&s;e and mercy towards the godly, who re&s;ted in his pomi&s;es. Thirdly, ver&s;e 18. Denouncing a judgement which the wicked &s;hould have experience of, when they &s;hould &s;ee the difference betwixt them, and tho&s;e who fea|red him.</P>
<P><HI>Then &s;pak they that feared the Lord.]</HI> In this ver&s;e the Prophet brings in the godly an&s;wering and incouraging one another, con|trarie to that which the wicked had &s;aid. And &s;o it is. <HI>i.</HI> The godly of tho&s;e times, though happily but few, at what time the wicked &s;poke thus bla&s;phemou&s;ly, did mutually exhort one another not to faint or be di&s;maied by tho&s;e &s;peeches of the wicked, or by them to be drawne from their pietie to wickedne&s;&s;e and corrup|tion, but they had their mututall &s;peeches to further one another in their good cour&s;e, as the others had to harden one another in their wicked cour&s;es. But what &s;aid they? St. <HI>Hierom,</HI> and &s;ome others thinke that the Prophet hath not told us, but that telling us the ju&s;t did &s;peake, it mu&s;t be &s;uppo&s;ed that they &s;poke fitting and good things in defence of the providence of God and his government, and &s;uch things as they had learned by the Scriptures and had re|ceived from the in&s;truction of their teachers: but &s;aving their judg|ments I rather encline to tho&s;e who think the words following to be theirs, and not Gods words, who &s;eemeth not to &s;peake till the 17. ver&s;e: Thus then in comforting one another they &s;ayd.</P>
<PB N="258" REF="263">
<P><HI>The Lord harkened and heard.] i.</HI> How&s;oever they imagine that the Lord &s;ees and heares nothing, re&s;pecteth nor regardeth what is done or &s;aid; yet he hath heard and doth mo&s;t diligently ob|&s;erve what is &s;aid and done; for &s;o much hearkening doth carry and will import; namely, care and diligence: As P&s;alm. 5.2. 2 Chron. 6. And &s;o by this they confirme the contrary to that which the wicked had &s;aid, that God did not regard, that it is ma|nife&s;t that he heares their words, not a word drops from them which is unknowne to him; much more, all their actions are dili|gently and attentively regarded. And that it may appeare it is not for a &s;pace or a &s;hort time, but perpetually; therefore he hath a booke of remembrance, which is not &s;poken, as if God had any &s;uch booke, or &s;tood in need of it, as if he were &s;ubject to forget|fulne&s;&s;e; but it is &s;poken in re&s;pect of men, by which they may be a&s;&s;ured that the will and decree of God touching them and the wicked, is certaine and con&s;tant; which is better expre&s;&s;ed by a booke, then by words; for that which is written is more durable, and permanent, whereas things &s;poken vani&s;h away, and are blown away in the aire.</P>
<P><HI>For them that feared the Lord.]</HI> That is, for &s;uch as feare him, that he will not forget their labours and obedience, but will recom|pence and reward it, even to their very thoughts and intents, thinking and remembring his commandements to ob&s;erve and doe them.</P>
<P><HI>Therefore &s;pake they who feared the Lord.]</HI> The Prophet an&s;we|reth the bla&s;phemy of the wicked in this ver&s;e, by oppo&s;ing unto them the contrary opinion of tho&s;e, who did truely feare God. And in this: Fir&s;t, their encouragement. Secondly, their ground. Fir&s;t, Gods hearing and regarding. Secondly, his certaine decree for &s;hewing good to them.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing here is the encouragement one of another.</P>
<P>It is the duty of every one fearing God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> to encourage and &s;trengthen one another in the &s;ervice and wor&s;hip of God. Here, and Heb. 3.13. <HI>But exhort one another daily while it is called to day, le&s;t any of you be hardened through the deceitfulne&s;&s;e of &s;in.</HI> And 10.24. <HI>And let us con&s;ider one another, to provoke unto love, and to good workes.</HI> Mich. 4.2. And here we may make that generall which was &s;poken particularly to <HI>Peter,</HI> as to all Mini&s;ters, &s;o to Chri&s;ti|ans, Luke 22.32. <HI>I have prayed for thee, that thy faith faile not: therefore when thou art converted &s;trengthen thy brethren.</HI> So <HI>Baruch</HI> and the Princes did helpe one another, Jerem. 36.11.13.15.16. When <HI>Michaiah</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Gemariah,</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Shaphan,</HI> had heard out of the bookes, all the words of the Lord: Then <HI>Mi|chaiah</HI> declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when <HI>Baruch</HI> read in the booke in the audience of the people: And they &s;aid unto him, &s;it downe now, and reade it, that we may heare.
<PB N="259" REF="263">So <HI>Baruch</HI> read it in their audience. Now when they had heard all the words, they were affraid, both one and other, and &s;aid unto <HI>Baruch,</HI> we will certifie the King of all the&s;e words.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are Gods, &s;uch as have received this honour to be called his, and to be his; therefore rea&s;on as &s;onnes, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> they &s;hould not onely them&s;elves, but by all other meanes &s;eeke it in others, and draw others to it.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are members one of another, Ephe&s;. 4.25. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> there|fore as members they ought to &s;trengthen, uphold, and keepe up one another, that as they naturally in the health and good tempe|rature of the body, &s;o the&s;e &s;piritually in the good &s;tate of the &s;oule.</P>
<P>To convince their error, who thinke it onely a duty appertai|ning to the Mini&s;ter to exhort and &s;tirre up others, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and to &s;treng|then and confirme them. Truth it is, that it is &s;pecially and princi|pally his duty, as being Chri&s;ts Lievetenant upon the earth, who doth by them performe that, I&s;aiah 61.1. Namely preach and binde up the broken hearted: but yet it appertaines to every one; &s;o is it manife&s;tly proved. If any &s;ay he is not appointed to be his brothers keeper, it is but the voice of <HI>Caine,</HI> of a wicked and gracele&s;&s;e man.</P>
<P>To condemne their practice, who either out of this error of their minde, or out of the corruption of their heart, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> altogether neglect this duty; to &s;ay nothing of tho&s;e who labour to weaken the &s;trong, to coole the zealous, to di&s;courage the forward, and &s;hew them&s;elves in the number of the former wicked, rather then in the&s;e who feare the Lord. I &s;ay, to &s;ay nothing of the&s;e; the other &s;hew them&s;elves to have little, or not &s;uch care and zeale for the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God, as &s;onnes &s;hould have for their fathers honour, and little love or care of others goods, as fellow members and brethren &s;hould have one for another. And doe they not give ju&s;t &s;u&s;pition they are neither &s;onnes nor members, or but dead and rotten members of the body, not of the &s;oule of the Church, as Saint <HI>Augu&s;t?</HI> As that member which hath no feeling of the weakene&s;&s;e and fainting of another, and &s;eeks not to &s;upport it, may be materially but not formally of the body: &s;o in this. Or if they be, yet can they not avoide to be guilty of their falling away and peri&s;hing; as he that &s;ees his neighbour fainting or peri&s;hing, and hee able to &s;u&s;taine him, and both knowes and hath that might helpe him, and doth not, is guilty of his peri&s;hing.</P>
<P>To teach every one to practice this duty, and to &s;hew that he is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the feare of God, by exciting and exhorting others, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> by &s;trengthening and confirming others, according to the grace he hath received, which as it will te&s;tifie they are Gods, and ma|nife&s;t their love unto their members; &s;o will it be gainefull unto
<PB N="260" REF="264">them, &amp; the gaine of it &s;hould incite them. As S. <HI>Chry&s;.</HI> of conver|ting, I, of keeping and confirming: When, <HI>non minor virtus quam quaerere, parta tueri.</HI> If one &s;hould promi&s;e thee a piece of gold for every man whom thou reforme&s;t, thou woulde&s;t u&s;e all thy &s;tudy &amp; endeavour, per&s;wading and exhorting. But now God promi&s;eth thee not one piece, nor ten, nor twenty, nor an hundred thou|&s;and, nor the whole world, but that that is more, the Kingdome of Heaven, as a recompence of thy labour in this kinde: What ex|cu&s;e can we have after &s;uch a promi&s;e, if we neglect the &s;alvation of our brethren? If Phy&s;itians for a piece of gold will come to &s;trengthen the body: If Lawyers will defend a mans title, how ought we the &s;oule for &s;o much? and that we may doe it, we mu&s;t take but the Apo&s;tles le&s;&s;on, Heb. 10.24. to ob&s;erve one another, not to triumph over their weakene&s;&s;e and infirmities; but as Phy|&s;itians that enquire into the &s;tate of their Parients bodies, and into their carriage and diet to cure them. We had neede of o|thers helpe, becau&s;e the gift we have is apt to decay. 2 Tim. 1.6. <HI>Wherefore I put thee in minde that thou &s;tirre up the gift of God which is in thee, by the putting on of my hands.</HI> The&s;. 5.19.20. Zach. 4.1. <HI>And the Angell that talked with me, came againe and waked me as a man that is rai&s;ed out of his &s;leepe.</HI> And the profit of this duty will be great: for as Prov. 27.17. <HI>Iron &s;harpeneth Iron, &s;o doth man &s;har|pen the face of his friend.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the Lord hearkened and heard]</HI> So they arme them&s;elves a|gain&s;t tho&s;e in&s;tances given, with a&s;&s;urance that the Lord did re|gard things done.</P>
<P>The Lord he taketh notice and knoweth all things that are done and &s;poken by men, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> whether good or evill, as his eyes are every where, Prov. 15.3. &s;o his eares, I&s;aiah 22.14. and P&s;al. 94.9. <HI>He that planted the eare, &s;hall he not heare? or he that formed the eye, &s;hall he not &s;ee?</HI> And P&s;al. 139.4. <HI>for there is not a word in my tongue, but loe, thou knowe&s;t it wholly, O Lord!</HI></P>
<P>To teach us to keepe a watch over our mouth and lips, not let them runne at randome, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> <HI>i.</HI> for quantity, let our words be few, be not talkative, let them be like Gods, P&s;al. 12.6. <HI>The words of the Lord are pure words, as the &s;ilver, tryed in a furnace of earth fined &s;eaven fold.</HI> Prov. 10.20. the tongue of the ju&s;t man, is as fined &s;il|ver, but the heart of the wicked is little worth, Eccle&s;. 5.2.3.6.7. For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;o the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of words. When thou ha&s;t vowed a vow to God, deferre not to pay it; for he delighteth not in fooles, pay therefore that thou ha&s;t vowed, for in the multitude of dreames, and vanities, are al&s;o many words but feare thou God. If in a countrey thou &s;ee&s;t the oppre&s;&s;ion of the poore, and the defrauding of judgement and ju&s;tice, be not a&s;tonied at the matter; for he that is higher then the highe&s;t, regardeth, and there
<PB N="261" REF="264">be higher then they. The wicked talke boldly, their tongue wal|keth again&s;t heaven, P&s;al. 73. but God in heaven heareth what is &s;poken in earth; therefore con&s;ider that of <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 10.19. In many words there cannot want iniquity, but he that refraineth his lips is wi&s;e. Secondly, for quality looke to the matter of &s;peech, that it be godly and religious, Ephe&s;. 5. Let not fooli&s;h talking be once heard among&s;t you, as becommeth Saints, but let it be &s;avou|ry, Collo&s;. 4.6. <HI>Let your &s;peech be gracious alwaies, and powdered with &s;alts that ye may know how to an&s;wer every man</HI> If a great man overheard us, or one we &s;tood in awe of, we would be carefull of our &s;peech.</P>
<P>An encouragement for Gods children, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that are talking toge|ther of good things, a &s;trong motive to move them to conferre to|gether of good things, as P&s;al. 82.1. <HI>God &s;tandeth in the a&s;&s;embly of Gods, he judgeth among Gods.</HI> So in the a&s;&s;embly of Saints; &s;er|vants if they perceive that their ma&s;ters overheare them talking of any thing, or over&s;ee them doing of any thing, &s;peake and doe well; this is eye &s;ervice or eare &s;ervice, yet God would be &s;erved with eye and eare &s;ervice, and he that &s;eeth in &s;ecret will reward openly. And the words are <HI>Attendit Iehovah &amp; audit.</HI> He hear|kened and heard; he &s;o heares that he al&s;o attends or regards it. A man may overheare a thing and not regard it, and &s;o as good as he heard it not, Eccle&s;. 7.22. But God as he heares, &s;o he regar|deth. Contrary to that the wicked &s;ay, P&s;a. 10. <HI>That God regardeth it not.</HI> Zeph. 1.12. But God doth regard the words of the tongue, be|cau&s;e he hath made a law as wel for the words as deeds. God made the tongue, and therefore will have the fruit, 1 Cor. 6.20. For ye are bought for a price; therefore glorifie God in your body, and in your &s;pirit, for they are Gods, &s;o with tongue as well as hand; and therefore we mu&s;t looke to give account of words, as well as of our actions: Matth. 12.36. <HI>But I &s;ay unto you, that of every idle word that men &s;hall &s;peake, they &s;hall give account thereof at the day of judgement</HI> Jude ver&s;es 14.15. <HI>And Enoch al&s;o, the &s;eaventh from Adam, prophe&s;ied of &s;uch, &s;aying, behold the Lord commeth with thou&s;ands of his Saints, to give judgement again&s;t all men, and to rebuke all the ungodly among them, of all their wicked deeds, which they have ungodly committed and of all their cruell &s;peakings, which wicked &s;inners have &s;poken again&s;t him. Plumea verba, plumbea pondera,</HI> windy words, if they be wicked words, lye as a dead weight on thy &s;oule. Take heed of lifting up his name, take heede of an oath, for it bringeth an heavy burthen. But it is our incou|ragement I &s;ay, that God rewards us for good words as well as for our deeds, though they &s;eeme to be but little worth, they are ar|guments of a &s;anctified heart, and of the feare of God: as it is, Matth. 12.34.35. <HI>O generation of vipers, how can you &s;peake good things when ye are evill? for of the abundance of the heart the mouth
<PB N="262" REF="265">&s;peaketh. A good man out of the good trea&s;ure of his heart, bringeth forth good things, and an evill man out of an evill trea&s;ure bringeth forth evill things.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And a booke of remembrance was written before him.]</HI> That is, he keepes the remembrance of the things he knowes.</P>
<P>The Lord as he &s;eeth and knoweth all things, &s;o he remem|breth them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> as he hath knowledge without ignorance of any thing, &s;o he hath remembrance without oblivion of the &s;ame things, good or evill. Therefore is he here &s;aid to have a booke, becau&s;e things are more certainely and perpetually kept in it, then left to remembrance of man. Hence is that Amos 8.7. The Lord hath &s;worne by the excellency of <HI>Iaakob,</HI> &s;urely I will never forget any of their workes. Heb. 6.10. <HI>For God is not unrighteous, that he &s;hould forget your worke and labour of love, which ye &s;hewed toward his name, in that ye have mini&s;tred unto the Saints, and yet mini&s;ter.</HI> P&s;al. 139.2. Jer. 44.21. P&s;al. 56.8. <HI>Thou ha&s;t counted my wan|drings, put my teares into thy bottell, are they not in thy regi&s;ter?</HI> Dan. 7.10. Revel. 20.12. A &s;imilitude taken from Kings, who have things written for memory, E&s;ter 6.1. though God need not.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e of his eternall and infinite apprehen&s;ion, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> being as able to apprehend things and keepe them done thou&s;and yeares &s;ince; as but ye&s;terday; as man is able to remember things done but ye|&s;terday, as that P&s;al. 90.4. 2 Pet. 3.8.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he is ab&s;olutely perfect, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> without either &s;inne or imper|fection, therefore without oblivion, that in many things is &s;inne, and in any thing imperfection; even as ignorance of things nece&s;|&s;ary to be knowne, and which may be knowne, is &s;inne; of things not nece&s;&s;ary is imperfection and infirmity, though without &s;in.</P>
<P>I&s;aiah 43.25. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> I, even I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne &s;ake, and will not remember thy &s;innes. Then God doth forget, and there is oblivion in him.</P>
<P>Gods forgetting of &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> is like his not &s;eeing of &s;inne, Num. 23.21. which is not that he &s;eeth not the act and thing done, but hee &s;eeth it not to impute it to them, in that re&s;pect hee is as though he &s;aw it not. So he forgetteth not the act and the thing done, but not to impute it to him, or to puni&s;h him for it; which is in effect to forget it: As his remembrance is taken for the effect of his remembrance. As I&s;aiah 38.3.9. I pray thee let me have the effect and feeling of thy remembrance, let me know by experience thou do&s;t remember me: So his forgetfulne&s;&s;e or forgetting is ta|ken for the effect and feeling of it. They &s;hould finde he had as it were forgotten.</P>
<P>To let us &s;ee the folly of wicked men, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> as in committing &s;inne in &s;ecret and darke, thinking the Lord cannot or doth not &s;ee; &s;o in &s;eeking to cover it committed, and labour to bring an oblivion of it, who though the corruption cleave to them, as Jer. 17.1. The
<PB N="263" REF="265">&s;inne of Judah is written with a pen of Iron, and with the point of a Diamond, and graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the hornes of your Altars. Yet they by all meanes labour to forget it, and if they have e&s;caped and pro&s;pered with it for a month or two, or a yeare or two, &amp;c. they thinke al&s;o God hath forgotten it. But doe they not deceive them&s;elves? when with God is no oblivion, no forgetfulne&s;&s;e. What benefit can they then get by this? even as a malefactor that hath committed &s;ome haynous offence, whom the Magi&s;trate lets alone to &s;ee what he will doe, whether he will &s;eeke his pardon or no, and he goes about to corrupt or remove all that &s;hould give evidence again&s;t him, when it is in the power of the Judge both to be witne&s;&s;e and Judge, and proceed of his owne knowledge, and out of his owne memory of the act, and who al&s;o cannot forget: So here. What got the &s;onnes of <HI>Iaakob</HI> by &s;mothering their treachery to their father and bro|ther. It may terrifie the wicked that every evill word is regi&s;tred, Matth. 12. and though God &s;hould not, the Divell would keepe them in mind to accu&s;e them, Rev. 12. yea, and their owne con|&s;ciences, Gods regi&s;ter booke.</P>
<P>To in&s;truct every man to keep his bookes of account well, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> and to remember all his debts and his &s;innes, &s;eeing they &s;hall be remem|bred though he would forget them, or could, when as his remem|brance of them to humble him&s;elfe, and to get his pardon, makes God to forget them. Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> would have a man not to forget his &s;innnes after pardon.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Non ut te|ip&s;um, &amp;c.</HI> Chry&s;o. ho. 12. ad popu. Antioch.</NOTE> Not to con&s;ume thy &s;elfe with the thought of them, but to teach thy &s;oule not to grow wanton, nor to fall into the &s;ame &s;innes againe. But mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary before, that he may have God to forget them, who as he ju&s;tifies him that condemnes him&s;elfe, pardons him that accu&s;eth him&s;elfe; &s;o he forgets his &s;innes who remembers them him&s;elfe, in that for|getfulne&s;&s;e is incident to him. And as Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Novit om|nia Deus, &s;ed &amp;c. <HI>Ambro&s;e.</HI></NOTE> God God knowes all things, yet he expects thy confe&s;&s;ion; not that he may puni&s;h, but pardon thee. So the Lord remembers all, yet he expecteth the &s;inner &s;hould remember him of them, not that he might puni&s;h them, but pardon them.</P>
<P>Comfort for men as to doe well, becau&s;e the Lord &s;eeth, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> &s;o though they doe not &s;ee their rewards, and finde but a meane re|compence among men, as if all their labour were forgot, yet to hold on and continue, and not to faint, for the Lord cannot for|get; and as he in &s;inne, he remembring of it, cannot but puni&s;h it in time, &s;o in good, he cannot but reward it. And as the way to have remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes and to have them forgotten, is to remem|ber them; &s;o the way to have reward of our workes is to forget them; As Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> Phil. 3.13.14.</P>
<P><HI>For them that feared the Lord.]</HI> Some thinke the Lord tooke &s;peciall notice therefore of it, becau&s;e it was &s;o rare and com|mendable
<PB N="264" REF="266">a thing for any to hold his feare, faith, and a good con|&s;cience, in the mid&s;t of that wicked and froward people.</P>
<P>It is a thing mo&s;t commendable, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> for men to be upright in the mid&s;t of a wicked and froward people, and not to be carried with the &s;tream, Rev. 3.4.</P>
<P><HI>For them that feared the Lord.]</HI> The Lord hath a booke of re|membrance for them, which is not barely to remember what they have done, but effectually to remember it; that is, to reward it, and &s;o much <HI>for them</HI> importeth, that it is for their benefit and profit, and to recompence and reward them.</P>
<P>It is not in vaine to &s;erve the Lord; <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> but godline&s;&s;e is gainefull, and they who feare the Lord and thinke upon his commande|ments to doe them, they &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed and have their reward in their mea&s;ure in this life, &amp; in the full mea&s;ure in the life to come: &s;o much is affirmed directly here, Jam. 1.25. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed in the deed</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e ju&s;tice requires it, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and equity, that he &s;hould not di&s;|mi&s;&s;e his &s;ervants empty handed, &s;pecially old, and who have &s;pent their &s;trength in his &s;ervice, Heb. 6.10. But of this point formerly.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="17" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XVII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And they &s;hall be to me, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, in that day that I &s;hall do this, for a flocke, and I will &s;pare them as a man &s;pareth his own &s;on that &s;erveth him.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND they &s;hall be to me &s;aith the Lord]</HI> Here is the Prophets &s;econd an&s;wer, from a gracious and &s;weet promi&s;e of God, of his goodne&s;&s;e and favour towards them who feare him; even as an effect of his remembrance, and a proofe he did not forget them. And the &s;um of this promi&s;e is, that in the time of the Go&s;|pell, he would make his choice and refu&s;all of the good and bad, when it &s;hould appeare who was more excellent then others; &s;o that tho&s;e who did believe, &s;hould be taken into his family, and &s;hould enjoy great commodities and great dignity, both be his and &s;o re&s;pected, and enjoy the benefits belonging to his.</P>
<P><HI>And they &s;hall be to me.] And,</HI> Here, hath the force of an illati|on, or reference to the former &s;entence, ending that, and beginning this. <HI>i.</HI> To &s;hew that I remember them, I will make them mine: &s;o much the phra&s;e in the originall &s;ignifies.</P>
<P><HI>In that day when I &s;hall make them my trea&s;ure, my peculiar.]</HI> The Lord to &s;hew how dear they &s;hould be unto him, how he would defend them, how he would honour and adorne them, u&s;ed this word which is u&s;ed, Ex. 19.5. tran&s;lated chiefe trea&s;ure: It &s;ignifies
<PB N="265" REF="266">a portion of wealth got by a mans owne labour and indu&s;try, which men u&s;ed to love more earne&s;tly and keep more diligently, when they have it: and &s;o by this, he tels them how dear and preti|ous they &s;hould be unto him, who did receive the Go&s;pell and truly profe&s;&s;e him.</P>
<P>Some under&s;tand this of the la&s;t judgement only, and that day which is not probable: Some both of the day the Go&s;pell, and the judgement which hath great probability with it.</P>
<P><HI>I will &s;pare them, or I will u&s;e mercy and compa&s;sion towards them.]</HI> I will receive them and &s;pecially love them, and will &s;hew my love in this, in &s;paring them when they offend, or as &s;ome in winking at their infirmities and corruptions, and not rejecting their &s;ervice for them, which the &s;imilitude doth &s;hew.</P>
<P><HI>As a man &s;pareth &amp;c.]</HI> A &s;imilitude illu&s;trating the promi&s;e of compa&s;&s;ion and mercy, &s;hewing how great and how tender his compa&s;&s;ions &s;hould be toward them, when it &s;hould be as of a father to his &s;onne, whom he loves both as his &s;onne, and al&s;o becau&s;e of that reverence, honour, and obedience he hath done unto him. Now this that is fir&s;t promi&s;ed is that they &s;hall be his, for &s;o is the phra&s;e, they &s;hall be mine, like that which we have, Gen. 48.5. <HI>And now thy two &s;onnes Mana&s;&s;eh and Ephraim which are borne unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, &s;hall be mine, as Ruben and Simeon are mine. i.</HI> They &s;hall not be as my Grand children, but as my owne &s;onnes, and in the divi&s;ion of the Land, &s;hall have their portions, as any one of my &s;onnes: &s;o here they &s;hall be mine. <HI>i.</HI> I will a|dopt them, and make them mine, who are not &s;o by nature, nor of them&s;elves.</P>
<P>No man is of him&s;elfe and by nature, not of his parents the child of God, but adopted &s;o of God to it, Reve. 2.17. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and in thee a new name written.</P>
<P><HI>In that day that I &s;hall do this for a flocke,]</HI> Or rather in that day when I &s;hall make them my chiefe trea&s;ure: as it is tran&s;lated: Exod. 19.5. But all comes to one end, to note how deare the Church and people of God are unto him.</P>
<P>They who feare God and thinke of his name, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> delight in his waies; are more excellent then others, and more pretious, deare, and beloved of God. Rev. 2.9. with 1. Pet. 2.9.</P>
<P><HI>And I will &s;pare them, &amp;c.]</HI> Another matter promi&s;ed unto them, &amp; in it two things. Fir&s;t, That he would wink at, and pa&s;&s;e by their infirmities, when they &s;erved him and did the duties of his wor&s;hip, and pa&s;&s;e by many infirmities in them, which he will not do in another. Secondly, That when he did vi&s;ite them, yet he would do it in love and compa&s;&s;ion, and u&s;e them as a father his &s;on, that &s;erveth him.</P>
<P>This is a &s;peciall thing, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> promi&s;ed to Gods children proper to
<PB N="266" REF="267">them: that in their obedience when they endeavour to &s;erve and performe duties commanded, he will accept it though it be mix|ed with many infirmities, and will winke at them, and pa&s;&s;e by them, as though he never &s;aw them. Mich. 7.18.</P>
<P><HI>I will &s;pare them or have compa&s;sion of them.]</HI> When he &s;hould come to afflict and correct them, it &s;hould be in compa&s;&s;ion and love.</P>
<P>The Lord when he afflicts and corrects his, he doth it in com|pa&s;&s;ion and love, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> grieving to do it, retaining ever his fatherly af|fection towards them. I&s;aiah 27.4. Rev. 3.19.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="18" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. XVIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Then &s;hall you returne, and di&s;cerne between the righteous and the wicked: between him that &s;erveth God, and him that &s;erveth him not.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>THen &s;hall you returne and di&s;cerne,] &amp;c.</HI> The third part of the an&s;wer to the&s;e, threatning a judgement to the&s;e who &s;poke thus bla&s;phemou&s;ly again&s;t the Lord. The &s;um is, that &s;uch a judgement &s;hould come upon them, as &s;hould open their eies which they winked on now, and make them &s;ee and acknowledge a difference as well in the things, as in Gods affection betwixt the good and bad.</P>
<P><HI>Then &s;hall you,]</HI> who now bla&s;pheme God, and &s;ay you have found nor reaped any profit by my &s;ervice: <HI>Shall returne,]</HI> that is, be &s;mitten with a late and unprofitable, yea, damned repen|tance; no true and &s;erious returning.</P>
<P><HI>And di&s;cerne]</HI> Out of wofull experience, when you &s;hall feele your owne mi&s;ery, and &s;ee the happy e&s;tate and condition of the godly; &s;hall you know in how farre better e&s;tate <HI>the righteous;]</HI> that is he that is carefull and con&s;cionable in all the duties of ju&s;tice, hone&s;ty and equity. <HI>And the wicked]</HI> him that hath no con&s;cience at all; but is unju&s;t, unfaithfull, uncleane, or any waies wicked: yea, you &s;hall di&s;cerne and know how excellent his e&s;tate is, <HI>that &s;erveth God,]</HI> that is con&s;cionable in all the du|ties of the fir&s;t table, and is &s;tudious and zealous of religion.</P>
<P><HI>And him that &s;erveth him not]</HI> who hath no care of any &s;uch thing, but is prophane and in all things irreligious.</P>
<P><HI>You &s;hall di&s;cerne,]</HI> you &s;hall be made to know that God &s;leepeth not in Heaven, when men doe give them&s;elves to all li|centiou&s;ne&s;&s;e and iniquity even with greedine&s;&s;e upon earth, and by experience will perceive, that men &s;hall not go free for all their &s;innes, but &s;hall come to an account and reckoning: and &s;o
<PB N="267" REF="267">the meaning is, that by their owne puni&s;hments which God &s;hall lay upon them, they &s;hall di&s;cerne the difference; for when as God &s;hall &s;pare them, he &s;hall ri&s;e in judgement again&s;t you, and come armed upon you, and then you &s;hall know that he tooke no|tice of all things done by men, and that he would not &s;uffer &s;inne unpuni&s;hed, though he have di&s;&s;embled as it were for a time.</P>
<P><HI>You returne.]</HI> This may be taken for the &s;en&s;e of Gods judge|ment, wherewith the wicked &s;hall be affected, though they &s;hall not repent, though their madnes again&s;t God, may by this be re|pre&s;&s;ed, it breake not forth no more.</P>
<P>The judgements of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> &s;hall make the wicked to acknow|ledge the providence of God, that he governes and takes care of men, and things which are done here upon earth. So much is the &s;cope and &s;um of this ver&s;e, mani&s;e&s;t by that, I&s;aiah 28.19. and that P&s;al. 58. <HI>per totum,</HI> &s;pecially ver&s;e 11. the example of <HI>Pharoah</HI> &s;hewes it, and that Dan. 4.22.32. I&s;aiah 26.11.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e though all his mercies and ble&s;&s;ings &s;hould draw them to it, yet they doe it not, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> even the be&s;t are apt to grow &s;e|cure and fat under them, whereas his ju&s;tice and judgements doe more waken them, tho&s;e daube up the&s;e cleare: as &s;harpe things e&s;pecially clear the &s;ight, when they make the eies &s;mart.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;hall &s;ee and feel them&s;elves &s;mitten, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> when the other are &s;pared, as <HI>Egipt</HI> and <HI>Go&s;hen,</HI> or &s;mitten otherwi&s;e then they, I&s;aiah 27.7.8.</P>
<P><HI>Di&s;cerne between the righteous and the wicked.]</HI> &amp;c. That is how excellent one is above the other; that whereas they thought this far more happy and honourable, they &s;hould &s;ee their error and be made to confe&s;&s;e, that the other is far more excellent, hap|py and honourable.</P>
<P>The righteous and he that &s;erveth God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> he that maketh con&s;cience of his waies both with men and God, in righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e and piety, is farre more excellent, happy and glorious then the wicked, and him that &s;erveth him not, then he that is gi|ven to pride and contemnes God, &amp;c. The Lord &s;aith they &s;hall di&s;cerne it, then mu&s;t it needs be &s;o; yea, it is &s;o, though not di&s;cerned of them: that of the Covenant &s;heweth it. Gen. 12.2.3. And I will make of thee a great Nation, and will ble&s;&s;e thee, and will make thy name great, and thou &s;halt be a ble&s;&s;ing: I will al&s;o ble&s;&s;e them that ble&s;&s;e thee, and cur&s;e them that cur&s;e thee, and in thee &s;hall all families of the earth be ble&s;&s;ed. That of <HI>Balaam</HI> Num. 23.10. <HI>Let me die the death of the righteous, let my la&s;t end be like his.</HI> Wi&s;hing the wor&s;t part as is commonly ac|counted, and &s;o &s;hewing what he thought, who&s;e te&s;timony is without &s;u&s;pition, he being an enemy. That of I&s;a. 27.2. <HI>&amp; has</HI> the Church, a vineyard, they as vines, when the wicked are com|pared to thorns: ver&s;e 4. hence that of Cant. 2.2. of the Church and
<PB N="268" REF="268">members more excellent, as the Lilly then the thornes. Reve. 2.1. As gold is more excellent then other mettals, yea as in the gold&s;miths &s;hop, it &s;urpa&s;&s;eth the iron tongs, and the hammer, the anvile and the coales, &s;o the&s;e all the re&s;t.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are in &s;peciall favour and love with God, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and &s;pe|cially beloved of him, whereas the other is in his high hatred. In a State what &s;ubject more happy and excellent then he that is in the Kings favour, who more mi&s;erable then he that is in the hatred of the King, &s;pecially when there ever is matter found in him, that he may &s;hew his di&s;plea&s;ure in ju&s;tice? How gracious and happy? How ignominous and unhappy was <HI>Haman</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, the book of <HI>E&s;ter</HI> &s;heweth?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are Gods &s;onnes, they but his &s;ervants at be&s;t, at the wor&s;t, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and in truth the &s;laves of Satan; Sons better then the &s;ervants of a good King, much more then the &s;laves of &s;uch a Tirant.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are the members of Chri&s;t, as the Church is his body, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> then &s;uch an head mu&s;t have glorious members, whereas the other are the members of Satan.</P>
<P><HI>The righteous and him that &s;erveth God.]</HI> The&s;e two the Pro|phet joineth together, as the other two oppo&s;ites, by the&s;e he teacheth this.</P>
<P>There is no ju&s;tice, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> where there is not the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God; no righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, where there is not religion; for the&s;e two go &s;till together, and hand in hand: &s;o much this conjunction of the Apo&s;tle &s;heweth, as that Acts 10.35. <HI>He that feareth God and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Hence Micha 6.8. <HI>To doe ju&s;tly and walke humbly with God,</HI> are joined together. Therefore as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> makes faith the e&s;tabli&s;hment of the law: Rom. 3.21. So St. <HI>Iames</HI> makes workes and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e the perfection of faith: James 2.22.<NOTE PLACE="marg">A ju&s;tifying faith con|taineth this faith of pro|fe&s;&s;ion in it.</NOTE> That is, that which &s;hewes it to be &s;incere and lively or living. Both, that there is no faith without righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;o no true righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e without faith.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e Rom. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> 14.23. what&s;oever is not faith, is &s;in.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is not righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> as it is not a good worke, though it be the worke that is good otherwi&s;e, which hath not a good end, and a good ground, which hath not the warrant of the word, not done in con&s;cience to it, becau&s;e it commands it, Jam. 2.8. Then <HI>&egrave;contra,</HI> having another end then Gods glory, a mans gain, or prai&s;e, or &s;uch like: hence Chri&s;t reproveth the works of hypocrites, though they did the works of ju&s;tice, it was not righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e in them, Matth. 6.2.5. Now where religion is not, it mu&s;t be that they &s;hall want their ground and have their end corrupt.</P>
<P>Then not without ground, have the Fathers before us, and we we now, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> affirme, that the works of the Infidels and Heathen are not righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, what&s;oever of cha&s;tity, equity, ju&s;tice, virgi|nity
<PB N="269" REF="268">or the like; but rather <HI>&s;plend da peccata,</HI> for they being void of religion cannot have righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e Jam, 2.22. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"></P>
<P>To teach us, what to judge of the workes of ignorant and irre|ligious men, &s;uch as have no knowledge of religion, make no con|&s;cience of the &s;ervice and wor&s;hip of God, certainly we account them not, neither can we account them righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. But we &s;ay, As Jam. 1.26. his religion is vaine, no religion though he do the workes of religion, which hath not ju&s;tice and mercy and love joined with it: &s;o we &s;ay his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is vaine, which hath not the workes of religion with it: we &s;ee a man hear the word, receive the &s;acrament, be diligent in the works of Gods wor&s;hip, but he is unju&s;t, covetous, uncha&s;t, &amp;c. we &s;ay his religion is in vain: and this will every one &s;ub&s;cribe to; we &s;ee men ju&s;t, and cha&s;t, and liberall in almes, &amp;c. but he is irreligious, he regards not Gods day, he neglects the word, the &s;acrament, prayer, and &s;uch like: we &s;ay his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is vaine. But this will not all &s;ub&s;cribe to; but they &s;hall know it at one time or other, that it is in vaine; not onely &s;o farre as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> &s;peakes of workes without faith, comparing them with the reliques of the dead<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Cadavera enim et&s;i &amp;c. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI></NOTE> carca&s;es, though they be covered with pretious and rich cloaths, yet have no heate for them: &s;o &s;uch as want faith, though they &s;hine with glorious workes, yet they do them no good: now where there is not knowledge nor con&s;cience of religion, there cannot be faith. But further <HI>Orig.</HI> in Job goes.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Omnia quae faciant homines, &amp;c. <HI>Orig.</HI></NOTE> All things which men doe, whether in keeping their virginity, or in ab&s;ti|nence, or in the cha&s;tnes of their bodies, or in the mortifying of the fle&s;h, or in the di&s;tributing of their goods, they are all to no purpo&s;e, and to their lo&s;&s;e, if they do them not of faith. And I in|fer they cannot be of faith, where there is not care and con&s;ci|ence of religion: In vaine then &s;hall it be unto them, for it &s;hall bring them no fruit, no profit. For of whom &s;hould they have their reward? Shall they receive from him whom they have not &s;ought? Whom they have not knowne? Whom they have not believed? Verily they &s;hall not receive from him any reward, but judgement, and anger, and condemnation.</P>
<P>This may admoni&s;h every one, to adde to their righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> religion, to lay hold of that, and not to withdraw their hand from this, or rather to make their works of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, to be righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, by labouring to be teligious, to have knowledge and faith; to have the fear of God and to &s;erve him: without which, the other is nothing, nothing profitable to the doer; for as preaching being &s;o excellent a worke, as the power of God to &s;alvation to the hearers, profits not the preacher, if he be unju&s;t, uncha&s;t, impious, but it &s;hall be with him, as with tho&s;e who built Noahs Arke; &s;o as he that gives almes, if he be without knowledge, religion, and faith, he may profit the receiver, not
<PB N="270" REF="269">him&s;elfe. For if the Apo&s;tles rule be good, Jam. 2.26. faith with|out works is dead: then why not much more, &s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t,</HI> are works without faith? which works mu&s;t needs be where there is not religion: and &s;o he &s;hall not have his reward that doth them, but they will be unprofitable to him; for as he that builds without a foundation lo&s;eth his worke, and hath only his labour, travaile, and griefe; &s;o is he that would build up works of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, without faith and religion. <HI>Orig.</HI> And as he &s;aith, all the whole year that <HI>Noah</HI> was pre&s;erved in the Arke, and the Sun &s;hewed not her &s;elfe, nor &s;ent her beames upon the earth, the earth gave no fruit, for without the Sun it can bring forth no fruit; So unle&s;&s;e the truth of God &s;hine in the hearts of men, they can bring forth no fruit of good works or righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Then mu&s;t every one endeavour that is ju&s;t, upright, cha&s;t, &amp;c. not to re&s;t there, but labour to be religious, and have knowledge and faith which mu&s;t &s;anctifie and make acceptable, and &s;o profitable to the other, as the Temple the gold, and the Altar the offering: le&s;t they be to us as <HI>Ciprian &s;er. dezelo &amp; livore,</HI> or rather as the &s;pirit of God &s;aith, Rom. 14.23. <HI>Sin, becau&s;e not of faith.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="271" REF="269">
<HEAD>THE FOVRTH CHAPTER OF THE PROPHET <HI>MALACHY.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_FOR behold, the day commeth, that &s;hall burne as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that doe wickedly, &s;hall be &s;tubble, and the day that commeth &s;hall burne them up, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;tes, and &s;hall leave them neither root nor branch.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>2 But unto you that feare my Name, &s;hall the &s;unne of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e ari&s;e, and health &s;hall be under his wings; and ye &s;hall goe forth, and grow up as fat calves.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 And ye &s;hall tread downe the wicked: for they &s;hall be du&s;t under the &s;oles of your feete in the day that I &s;hall doe this, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Remember the Law of Mo&s;es my &s;ervant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb in all I&s;rael with the &s;latutes and judgements.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 Behold I will &s;end you Elijah the Prophet before the comming of the great and fearefull day of the Lord.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 And he &s;hall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the chil|dren to their fathers, le&s;t I come and &s;mite the earth with cur&s;ing.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERSE I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>For behold the day commeth, that &s;hall burne as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that doe wickedly, &s;hall be &s;tubble, and the day that commeth &s;hall burne them up, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, and &s;hall leave them neither root nor branch.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>_FOR behold the day commeth, that &s;hall burne as an even.]</HI> In this fourth Chapter we may ob|&s;erve two principall parts.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, &s;ome predictions, which are three. Fir&s;t, a prophe&s;ie of judgement to the wicked, Ver&s;e 1. Secondly, of mercy and goodne&s;&s;e to the godly, Ver&s;e 2.3. Thirdly, of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> his comming, and the fruit of it to the Church, Ver&s;e 5.6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, aprecept, or exhortation, to reade and remember the Law, Ver&s;e 4.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB N="272" REF="270">
<P>Now in this fir&s;t ver&s;e is a prediction or denunciation of judge|ment, even an utter de&s;truction to the wicked, by it oppo&s;ing their former bla&s;phemy who had affirmed, that God did not re&s;pect the things that were done, and had altogether ca&s;t off the duty and office of a Judge. And in this the fir&s;t word, <HI>[Behold]</HI> &s;hews the certainty of it, poynting at it as if it were already come and pre&s;ent.</P>
<P>The judgement God threatens again&s;t the wicked, he certainly performes. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine."> <HI>Vide, Cap.</HI> 1.5. <HI>Doct.</HI> 1.</P>
<P><HI>The day commeth.]</HI> Many thinke this is to be under&s;tood of the day of the &s;econd comming of Chri&s;t, when the wicked &s;hall have their full doome; and true it is, till then, this and the like are not fully accompli&s;hed, the wicked have not their full portion; yet doth God &s;o execute his judgements here, as may be to manife&s;t his ju&s;tice, and to confirme the faith of his, &s;hewing by &s;ome few examples and &s;mall things that he doth, that one day he will fully judge the wicked: Therefore their opinion is the more probable and rea&s;onable, who think this was meant of the fir&s;t comming of Chri&s;t, that upon their ingratefull rejecting of mercy, wheras they boa&s;ted of a redeemer and looked for a great day; The day in|deed &s;hould come, but not &s;uch a day as they imagined, but &s;uch as &s;hould con&s;ume them; like that day, <HI>Amos,</HI> 5.20. a day of darkenes and not light. And therfore he addeth, it &s;hall burne as an Oven, a common phra&s;e in Scripture when Gods wrath, and mans power to re&s;i&s;t, are compared; Gods wrath is as fire which con|&s;umes any dry matter it lights upon, for &s;o it followes;</P>
<P><HI>All the proud yea, and all that do wickedly &s;hall be as &s;lubble.]</HI> Which words an&s;wer their bla&s;phemy, <HI>Cap.</HI> 3.15. &s;hewing they were in a gro&s;&s;e error, to call the proud happy, and God will &s;pare them; but the event &s;hould &s;hew the contrary.</P>
<P><HI>The day that commeth &s;hall burne them up.] i.</HI> The time that I have appointed, in who&s;e power all times and &s;ea&s;ons are, not when men &s;hall think fit or pre&s;cribe mee.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;hall leave them neither root nor branch.]</HI> An expre&s;&s;ion no|ting their utter de&s;truction.</P>
<P>The Lord will de&s;troy and burn up all proud and wicked men. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctr."></P>
<P>As the Lord will de&s;troy all wicked men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."> &s;o &s;pecially &s;uch as the world takes notice of, for jolly and happy fellowes; &s;uch as grow and increa&s;e by their wickedne&s;&s;e and unju&s;t dealing. It is <HI>Davids</HI> ob&s;ervation, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 37.35.36. and <HI>Iob's, Iob,</HI> 24.23.24. and <HI>Solomons Pro.</HI> 3.35.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this will more magnifie both his ju&s;tice and power, that he re&s;pects not per&s;ons in judgement, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and that he is able to aba&s;e every one that is lifted up.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e this will make him more generally and throughly feared, then if he &s;mote others, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> upon whom there is le&s;&s;e ob&s;ervation.</P>
<PB N="273" REF="270">
<P>Becau&s;e it will more plainely prove his providence and govern|ment, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> when as in tho&s;e from who&s;e pro&s;perous e&s;tate then made a rea&s;on to deny, he manife&s;teth his providence. So men come to change their judgement, as <HI>Act.</HI> 28.4.6.</P>
<P>This may in&s;truct us when we &s;ee wicked men to grow great in wealth and honor by iniquity, yet not to envie them; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> for God will de&s;troy them, and the rather becau&s;e they are great. We can pitty poor &s;nakes in mi&s;ery and poverty, when they have no knowledge nor feare of God, becau&s;e they mu&s;t go out of one mi&s;ery to a greater; yet we are ready to envie the pro&s;perity of others as wicked as they, who &s;ure have as much need of our pitty as the other, being rather nearer and &s;urer of puni&s;hment, and of &s;orer; as a rebel or traytor, the greater his wealth and advancement hath been, the greater is his fact, and &s;hall be his puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>To admoni&s;h the rich and renowned among men, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> that they make not tho&s;e things they injoy an occa&s;ion to harden or harten them in &s;in, if they love their owne &s;afety, the higher they are the more holy they ought to be. It were a madnes in men who have wealth, therefore to pre&s;ume to tran&s;gres the law without feare, when as that may &s;ooner bring their lives and &s;tates in que&s;tion; So it is in this ca&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>The proud &s;hall be Stuble.]</HI></P>
<P>Wicked men what&s;oever they be, great, honorable, rich, power|full, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doctr."> yet have no power to re&s;i&s;t Gods. So much this &s;imilitude &s;heweth, which is more full in <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 27.4. Who would &s;et the briers and thornes again&s;t me in battell? I would goe through them, I would burne them together. See al&s;o, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 37.20. <HI>E&s;.</HI> 1.31. <HI>Nah.</HI> 1.10. We have many examples of this, in <HI>Pharaoh Ahab, Sennacherab, Herod,</HI> and notably in him that was both an ex|ample of the point, and one that taught it, namely <HI>Nebuchadnezar, Dan.</HI> 4.30.32.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God is mo&s;t powerfull, the Lord of ho&s;ts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and hath all Creatures at command to doe with them as he li&s;t.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e all men are weake compared with him, they are but gra&s;-hoppers, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 40.22. and reputed as nothing, <HI>Dan.</HI> 4.35. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"></P>
<P>To teach great men not to &s;in, and promi&s;e &s;afety to them&s;elves for their greatne&s;&s;e, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 9.14.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> To admoni&s;h the meaner &s;ort to take heed of provoking God, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> for if the other cannot re&s;i&s;t him, how &s;hall they e&s;cape? As he feares not the others power, he will not pittie the meanne&s;&s;e of the&s;e. The firre tree mu&s;t howle, if the Ceader be fallen, if the mighty (or the Gallants as the word is) be &s;poyled, <HI>Zach.</HI> 11.2. Then as the third Captaine who was of equall &s;trength with the other two, when he &s;aw them peri&s;h, entreated humbly for his life, 2. <HI>Kin.</HI> 1.13. How much more are &s;uch to entreat the Lord, who &s;ee him aba&s;ing more mighty then them&s;elves?</P>
<PB N="273" REF="271">
<P>To in&s;truct meane men, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> retainers and followers of others, not to commit evill at their command, not to be their bauds and pandars, their in&s;truments for blood and uncleannes; for though they may bearethem out &s;ometime again&s;t the law of man, and the execution of humane ju&s;tice, yet not again&s;t God. They cannot defend them|&s;elves, how &s;hould they defend them? If they command as <HI>Ab&s;o|lon</HI> did his &s;ervants to kill <HI>Ammon,</HI> upon the confidence of his greatne&s;&s;e, 2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 13.28. Yet con&s;ider <HI>Ab&s;olon</HI> could not &s;ave him&s;elfe, but was hanged and &s;triken through with darts.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>But unto you that feare my Name, &s;hall the &s;unne of righteou&s;|nes ari&s;e, and health &s;hall be under his wings, and ye &s;hall goe forth, and grow up as fat calves.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>BVt unto you that feare my Name, &s;hall the &s;unne of righteou&s;nes ari&s;e.]</HI> Here is a &s;econd prediction or prophecie which is touching the godly, and of good things of a &s;pirituall nature. And to them doth he turne his &s;peech, that he did not denounce this terrible day, to afflict the minds of the good, but to terrifie the wicked, who &s;hall peri&s;h being contemners of God; but when that &s;hall come, you that feare God, lift up your heads in peace and hope, for to you &s;hall ari&s;e, <HI>The &s;unne of righteou&s;nes.</HI> Thus the Prophet calls Chri&s;t after the manner of the Prophets, who in di|ver&s;e places have given him this name. <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 60.1.2.19. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 8.12. <HI>Luc.</HI> 1.78. And he is &s;ayd to ari&s;e unto them, becau&s;e he doth en|lighten them by his word and &s;pirit: And he is called the Sun of righteou&s;nes, being &s;o him&s;elfe, and making them &s;o, regenerating, purging them from their corruptions, renewing in them the image of God; which things are more particularly expre&s;&s;ed by that which follows.</P>
<P><HI>With healing in his wings.]</HI> Keeping the &s;ame metaphor, he calleth the &s;unne beames wings; that as by the beames of the &s;un, the aire is purged and health procured to men, &s;o Chri&s;t &s;hould by his grace and &s;pirit, purge them whom he enlightens.</P>
<P><HI>And you &s;hall goe forth.]</HI> That is, be &s;et at liberty from bondage and &s;lavery, from &s;in, the divel, and death.</P>
<P><HI>And grow up as the calves of the &s;tall.]</HI> That is, you &s;hall have an encrea&s;e and augmentation of grace and of the &s;pirit, more and more, as fat calves: an homely &s;imilitude to make it clearer: Some reade you &s;hall leape, but this other the words will well beare, and is as fit.</P>
<P>All men are in them&s;elves darkne&s;&s;e and have no light, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> that is
<PB N="275" REF="271">the e&s;tate of every man by nature. The point is only implied.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is ri&s;en a &s;unne to as many as are truly called, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."> and they have light and not darkne&s;&s;e, they have the knowledge of God and of his will nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alvation.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is mo&s;t holy and pure, without &s;pot and blemi&s;h of &s;in, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doctr."> a Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>They who are Gods elected and called, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Doctr."> have health under the wings of Chri&s;t, <HI>i.</HI> have their &s;inns purged, their &s;pirituall &s;ores cured, and they made holy and &s;anctified, 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.11. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.10. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.24. <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.26.27.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are made one with Chri&s;t and joyned with him, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and &s;o, being in Chri&s;t are new creatures, 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.17. New in quality and condition, being made partakers of the divine nature, 2. <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.4. as iron put into the fire remains &s;o in the &s;ub&s;tance, but yet is pulled forth wholly burning like fire: The &s;ame &s;ub&s;tance with the name remaineth, the heat, &s;hining, brightne&s;&s;e, other acci|dents are not the irons, but the fires.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e, as a cau&s;e of this, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> they being one with him mu&s;t needs pertake of his &s;pirit, and have life from him as members, and this life is holyne&s;&s;e. They are &s;anctified wholly, 1. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.23. The mind inlightned with the true knowledge of God, <HI>Col.</HI> 1.9. The memory keeps and remembers that which is agreeable to Gods will, wheras naturally it be&s;t remembreth lewdne&s;&s;e and va|nity, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.11. The word is hid in the heart: The will is &s;ancti|fied &s;o farre as it is freed from &s;in, that it can will and chu&s;e that which is good and acceptable to God, and refu&s;e that which is evill, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.13. The affections are &s;anctified and move to that which is good to embrace it, and e&s;chew evill, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.9. The body is &s;anctified when the members are in&s;truments of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.13. And all is from Chri&s;t, in whom they are, and to whom they are joyned: In Chri&s;t they have a gracious health of mind and &s;pirit and body, who tooke whole man,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>In Chri&s;to habent &amp;c.</HI> Aug. de ci|vit. Dei. lib. 10. c. 27.</NOTE> that he might heale the whole man of all pe&s;tilentiall contagion, as Saint <HI>Aug.</HI> &s;peakes. But none hath this holine&s;&s;e in perfection but in part, and to dreame of a perfection is a Pelagian fancy, contrary to experi|ence, con&s;cience, our owne confe&s;&s;ions to God, and to the word of God that hath taught us that we have but here the fir&s;t fruits, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.23. And the full mea&s;ure not accompli&s;ht till after death, <HI>Col.</HI> 3.4. In the meane time he is in hand with the cure and healing of us: So that the &s;tate of the be&s;t is cleane in part, and yet in part to be made cleane, and mu&s;t hearken to the Apo&s;tle, 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.1. To clean&s;e them&s;elves from all filthine&s;&s;e of fle&s;h and &s;pirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">St. Bern. in Cant. &s;erm. 58.</NOTE> per|fecting holine&s;&s;e in the feare of God; knowing they have &s;till an army of vitious de&s;ires to fight again&s;t, which are the Jebu&s;ites who dwel in our borders, and may be &s;ubdued, though they cannot be driven out.</P>
<PB N="276" REF="272">
<P>This will an&s;wer the Papi&s;ts &s;lander, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> who affirme in their late pamphlets, and by D. <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> in his Epi&s;tle to the King, that we &s;ay, that to thinke of inherent righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and to &s;tand ju&s;t by it before God, is to ra&s;e the foundation of religion, and to make Chri&s;t a P&s;eudo-Chri&s;t. If they under&s;tand it of being ju&s;t im|perfectly before God, we none of us deny it, but if as perfect righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in Gods &s;ight, we &s;ay it doth ra&s;e the foundation, and ju&s;tleth Chri&s;t out of his place, and take away from him that honour which the Scripture hath given him to be called, the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, Jer. 33.16. and to defeate the worke of God, by whom, he is made unto us righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, 1 Cor. 1.30. But this is injurious to the ine&s;timable value of Chri&s;ts blood. God cloakes our &s;inne now, and cures it too by degrees, and after|ward fully; he cloaketh and covereth our iniquity with the righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, which is not a &s;hort cloake that cannot cover two,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bern. in Cant. 61.</NOTE> as Saint <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;peakes, but being a large and everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e it will largely cover both thee and me.</P>
<P>They who are elected and called are redeemed; that is, are &s;et at liberty and freed by Chri&s;t, from &s;inne, &s;atan, and death; and &s;hall goe forth (as the words are here) from &s;inne, Rom. 7.5.6. Rom. 6.6.14. 1 John 3.8. from Satan, Joh. 12.31. Col. 1.13. from death, heb. 2.14.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are one with Chri&s;t, and he having over come tho&s;e enemies, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and delivered him&s;elfe, they mu&s;t needs bee freed.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e being one with him, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> they have his &s;pirit, <HI>Now where the &s;pirit is, there is liberty,</HI> 2 Cor. 3.17.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they mu&s;t, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and ought to &s;erve him, who&s;e they are; that is, God, which they cannot doe, if &s;till they be &s;ervants to &s;inne and Satan; for if no man can &s;erve two ma&s;ters, (Mat. 6.24.) who may in &s;ome ca&s;e be &s;ubordinate to one another, how may they &s;erve &s;uch as are &s;o farre oppo&s;ite, God and &s;inne?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God hath &s;hewed mercy to pardon their &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> but to what end were that mercy if he &s;hould leave them in their former bondage? as if one &s;hould pay the ran&s;ome of a captive, and yet leave him &s;till in thraldome. <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."></P>
<P>We &s;ee many of them who are partakers of this redemption, yet are &s;till overcome of &s;in, and are led captive to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the commandement, as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> was, Rom. 7.</P>
<P>Falling into &s;innne, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> doth no way prove the dominion of &s;inne. Sinne hath dominion when it raignes in a man, and when man re|bells not, &s;trives not again&s;t it, but is ruled by it. But when &s;inne is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cypr. de circum&s;. Epiph. in haere&s;. 64.</NOTE> as Saint <HI>Cyprian</HI> &s;peakes, as a raging bea&s;t, yet tied and chained up in the utmo&s;t pa&s;&s;ages of the &s;oule: Or as <HI>Epiphanius,</HI> as a root &s;prouting out weeds, yet &s;till nipped and checked that they can|not have their growth. Then &s;inne raignes not, &s;o that though by
<PB N="277" REF="272">rea&s;on of this remainder of &s;inne a man be greatly hindred, that he cannot doe the thing he would, yet the thing that prevaileth in him, is a wil &amp; de&s;ire of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, hungring and thir&s;ting after it, the drifr and purpo&s;e of his life tending wholly to it, it is grievous to him that he failes, and makes him cry out, Rom. 7.27. <HI>O wretched man! &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Tho&s;e are &s;till a&s;&s;aulted by Satan, and hotly pur&s;ued by him, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> &s;o that they are no where free from his tentations, therefore not freed.</P>
<P>It is a &s;igne they are the rather freed, not becau&s;e they are temp|ted, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> but becau&s;e they are &s;o hotly pur&s;ued, and have the feeling of them, which before they had not; and as <HI>Cyprian</HI> &s;peakes: The Divell is therefore more fierce, becau&s;e overcome, and would faine conquer his conquerer; So that though he goe about like a roaring Lyon, 1 Pet. 5.9. yet they are able to re&s;i&s;t him &s;tedfa&s;t in the faith, and &s;o armed with the coate-armour of Gods &s;pirit, and his grace, that though he may by violence now and then foile them, yet doth he not overcome them and leade them captive; but the more he a&s;&s;aults, the more are they inabled to repell him and re&s;i&s;t his forces; for they prove like a City that hath beene once be&s;ieged, but not &s;acked; ever after it will be better able to re&s;i&s;t the like forces: yea greater, becau&s;e they will fortifie the walls and breaches, and encrea&s;e their munition and &s;trength. It falls out with men that enjoy their lands in peace and &s;ecurity, they looke not into their evidences, only keepe them in a box or che&s;t; but if any man lay claime to the lea&s;t part, and would wre&s;t it from them, then will they with diligence &s;eeke them forth, and looke them over, and con&s;ult with Lawyers, whereby they are able to an&s;wer the plea of the adver&s;aries. So it is with the &s;piritu|all e&s;tate; Satan (as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;peakes) when he &s;ees he can doe nothing, either pre&s;ently de&s;i&s;ts, fearing le&s;t he become a cau&s;e of more glory to us: or if he do continue, it is but to be revenged of them by troubling and vexing them, whom he cannot overcome; So that his a&s;&s;aults prove that they are freed from him, as <HI>Pharoahs</HI> pur&s;uing of I&s;rael &s;hewed they had e&s;caped.</P>
<P>The&s;e &s;till dye, how are they then freed from it? <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."></P>
<P>They neither are nor can be free, becau&s;e the &s;entence is un|changeable, Heb. 9.27. but they are freed from the dominion and tyranny of death, yea from the hurt and evill that comes by it; nay, it is made to bring them many benefits. It frees them from, Fir&s;t, the afflictions and mi&s;eries of this life, yea though it &s;eeme to come unto them &s;omewhat untimely. <HI>The righteous is taken away from the evill to come, he &s;hall enter into peace, they &s;hall re&s;t in their beds,</HI> I&s;ai. 57.1.2. 1 Kings 14.13. Secondly, from the fellow&s;hip of wicked men, who vex their &s;oules, as the Sodomites did righte|ous <HI>Lots.</HI> Thirdly, they are freed by it from &s;inne. <HI>Death is found
<PB N="278" REF="273">to be profitable to the faithfull, becau&s;e it frees a man from the danger of &s;inning, and puts him into a &s;ecurity of not &s;inning,</HI> &s;aith S. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> So that in bringing death, is by death de&s;troyed, as the viper of her brood. Death had never entred but by &s;in, and &s;in had never ended but by death, Fourthly they are freed from the a&s;&s;aults of Satan and the world; for they by it doe not only flie into the wil|derne&s;&s;e to be free <HI>for many daies,</HI> as the Church, Rev. 12.6. but as the words are in the fifth ver&s;e, <HI>they are caught up unto God, and to his throne:</HI> and &s;o as favourites pur&s;ued, are &s;afe when they are in the Court, &s;pecially in the pre&s;ence chamber: So much more here. Be&s;ides the&s;e freedomes, it brings great benefits. Fir&s;t, it is their pa&s;&s;age into the pre&s;ence of God, where is fulne&s;&s;e of joy; an unplea&s;ant gate, but to a Princely Pallace. Secondly, it is an herald that fetches them to their glory and crowning, from the&s;e earthly cottages, 2 Cor. 5.1. Thirdly, it re&s;tores our bodies more holy and pure unto us. <HI>At length then what is death? Tis no more then to put off ones coate; the body is as a garment, and we lay it off but for a while by death, to put it on againe a fre&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>It is comfort to as many as finde and feele the a&s;&s;aults of Satan and &s;inne, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> tempting, and fighting, and rebelling in him, but not raigning or ruling in him, or though &s;ometime foiling him, yet not leading him captive, Rom. 6.12.13. Such may have comfort that they are redeemed by Chri&s;t, <HI>Free indeed becau&s;e the &s;onne hath made them free,</HI> John 8.36. They mu&s;t not mea&s;ure their freedome, and &s;o their comforts, by feeling no a&s;&s;aults: For as <HI>Hierom</HI> to <HI>Heliodorus:</HI> Then thou art mo&s;t dangerou&s;ly a&s;&s;aulted, when thou knowe&s;t not that thou art a&s;&s;aulted. We have to fight &s;aith Saint <HI>Cyprian (de mortalit.)</HI> with covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, with uncha|&s;tity, with wrathfulne&s;&s;e, with ambition, with carnall vices, and with the enticements of the world. Hereupon &s;aith Saint <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> (<HI>lib.</HI> 2. <HI>contr. Iulian.</HI>) God forbid that we &s;hould thinke holy <HI>Cy|prian</HI> to have beene covetous, becau&s;e he fought with covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, or wrathfull, or ambitious, or carnall, or a lover of this world, becau&s;e he fought with them; nay, therefore was he none of the&s;e, becau&s;e he fought and &s;trongly re&s;i&s;ted the&s;e evill motions.</P>
<P><HI>Healing under his wings.]</HI> It implies &s;ickene&s;&s;e among men.</P>
<P>Every man naturally of him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> and by him&s;elfe, is &s;icke, full of di&s;ea&s;es and &s;ores; that is, of &s;innes and corruptions, and of all &s;pirituall di&s;ea&s;es, P&s;al. 51.5. Ezek. 16. Rom. 3.10. &amp;c. Ephe&s;. 2.3. And of every per&s;on may that be &s;poken which is &s;poken of the whole people, E&s;ay 1.6. <HI>From the &s;ole of the foote to the head, there is no &s;oundne&s;&s;e, but wounds, and brui&s;es, and putrifying &s;ores.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e of naturall parents who communicate their &s;inne and nature; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> and <HI>beget in their owne likene&s;&s;e,</HI> Gen. 5.3. and &s;o, <HI>That that is borne of fle&s;h is fle&s;h,</HI> John 3.6. Tis propagated more then
<PB N="279" REF="273">any naturall di&s;ea&s;e, and outgrowes nature, for we finde children &s;inning before they can either goe or &s;peake.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are without Chri&s;t who is life; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> as the body with|out the &s;oule, &s;o is the &s;oule without Chri&s;t. The &s;oule departed, the body is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of &s;tinke, corruption, rottenne&s;&s;e, wormes, horror, and becomes dete&s;table; &s;o without without Chri&s;t the &s;oule is full of the &s;tench of guilt, the corruption and rottenne&s;&s;e of &s;inne, the worme of con&s;cience, the horror of infidelity. So <HI>Chry&s;ologus.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they are not regenerate, then that is true, Rom. 7.18. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <HI>In me, that is, in my fle&s;h dwelleth no good thing.</HI> And if no good, then much evil; for there is no <HI>medium</HI> twixt the&s;e which are more oppo&s;ite then health and &s;ickene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>To let every man &s;ee what he is by nature, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> as blinde and darkene&s;&s;e, &s;o unholy, and &s;ickene&s;&s;e, full of corruption and un|cleanene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>This may teach us why men can &s;o hardly endure the Mini&s;try of the word, &s;pecially that which reproves and threatens, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> why they account the Mini&s;ters grievous and offen&s;ive to them, and their enemies rather then friends, which labour to reforme them; tis becau&s;e &s;inne and corruption is naturall to them, and men can hardly endure to have a naturall &s;ore, defect or infirmity pointed at or noted, much le&s;&s;e to be dealt withall when it is not to be cu|red or removed without force, without &s;harpe medicines, cutting or &s;earing, or the like. Is it any wonder it &s;hould be &s;o here, when to deale with &s;inne, is like pulling out a right eye or cutting of an arme? &s;pecially when cu&s;tome is added to nature, and plea&s;ure and profit to both. This makes them when they heare of &s;inne, not to entertaine it as an admonition, but to &s;hunne it as a reproach, and receive &s;uch, not as Phy&s;itians that would cure them, but as enemies that would kill them.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why they account the Law and Commandements of God, &s;uch a burden, and the obedience of them &s;o tedious, is, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> becau&s;e they are &s;icke men and want health, and we know &s;mall things are burden&s;ome to the &s;icke. S. <HI>Paul</HI> complaines, though he was in health, and had an inward man, Rom. 7.22.23. much more &s;uch as have nothing but the outward and the carnall man.</P>
<P><HI>And ye &s;hall goe forth.]</HI> If Chri&s;t bring liberty, it intimates a bondage before.</P>
<P>Every man naturally is a &s;lave, in captivity and bondage to Sa|tan, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> &s;inne, and death, Rom. 7.14. <HI>Carnall and &s;old under &s;inne,</HI> Rom. 6.16. <HI>To whom ye yield your &s;elves &s;ervants to obey, his &s;er|vants ye are to whom ye obey.</HI> John 12.31. <HI>The Divell is the Prince of this world.</HI> 2 Cor. 4.4. <HI>The God of this world.</HI> 2 Tim. 2.26. <HI>Who takes men captive at his will.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e they &s;erve and obey &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="1," UNIT="Rea&s;on"> then they mu&s;t needs be in
<PB N="280" REF="274">&s;ubjection to it, e&s;pecially when the &s;ervice they doe is willing, John 8.34. <HI>Who&s;oever committeth &s;inne is the &s;ervant of &s;inne.</HI> So Rom. 6.16. and 2 Pet. 2.19. <HI>They are the &s;ervants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome, of the &s;ame is he brought in bondage.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e if they be &s;laves to &s;inne, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> then to Satan al&s;o; for &s;inne is the worke of Satan; and al&s;o to death, for <HI>by &s;inne, death entred into the world,</HI> Rom. 5.12. Sinne the only cau&s;e (&s;aith one) which enlargeth deaths dominions, and made all the world to become his tributaries; <HI>Adam</HI> had not died, had he not &s;inned.</P>
<P>This will teach us and warrant us what to judge of tho&s;e men, whom we &s;hall heare, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> if any man &s;peake of liberty and freedome, to chalenge it as much as any, like tho&s;e, John 8.33. <HI>We be Abra|hams &s;eed, and were never in bondage.</HI> And yet they live very pro|fanely and wickedly; no iniquity &s;ubdued, but &s;inne raigning, and they &s;ubjects to their corruption, yea captives to their lu&s;ts, un|cleanene&s;&s;e, ambition, pride, anger, &amp;c. When they are Ma&s;ters of families, Magi&s;trates of Cities, Captaines of bands, Coronels of fields, Generalls of Armies, Commanders of countries, yea, Princes; yet one ba&s;e, ambitious, or covetous, or voluptuous lu&s;t doth rule over them; mi&s;erable &s;laves, and if they feel not this, their bondage is the greater; &s;inne and Satan have the &s;urer po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, when things all are at peace. The captivity is the more dangerous, the more willing; as the malignity of poy&s;on, is neere the le&s;&s;e, though it be &s;weet, if yet it be poy&s;on.</P>
<P>This will confute the Doctrine of Popery, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> who teach that man hath free will to good, or (to u&s;e <HI>Bellarmines</HI> words) that a man may doe things morally good, and keep or fulfill the law, ac|cording to the &s;ub&s;tance of the things pre&s;cribed, without the help and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of &s;peciall grace. But how &s;hould this be, if he be the &s;lave of &s;inne? We deny not to any man free will, for el&s;e we &s;hould make him no man: But we mu&s;t under&s;tand that free will is either good or evill, and &s;o according to the di&s;tinction of <HI>Bernard:</HI> All that have free wil but to evill, are their owne and Satans; all that have free will and to good, are Gods. <HI>Gregorius Ariminen&s;is</HI> is expre&s;&s;e, that to affirme, that man by his naturall &s;trength with|out the &s;peciall helpe of God, can doe any vertuous action, or morally good, is one of the damnable here&s;ies of <HI>Pelagius:</HI> or if in any thing it differ from his here&s;ie, it is further from truth.</P>
<P><HI>And grow up as young calves.]</HI> A further benefit promi&s;ed of growing up and encrea&s;ing in grace and &s;anctification daily by degrees.</P>
<P>They who are Gods elect and called, &s;hall grow up and encrea&s;e in graces, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> as in faith, hope, love, and &s;uch like. As the waters of the Sanctuary they &s;hall ri&s;e higher, Ezech. 47. <HI>They are branches in Chri&s;t that beare fruit, and are purged that they may beare more fruit.</HI> Joh. 15.2. Phil. 1.6. Jam. 2.5. 1 Cor. 1.4.5.</P>
<PB N="281" REF="274">
<P>Becau&s;e he will re&s;tore in them by Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="1," UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that which was lo&s;t in <HI>Adam,</HI> and by him, his image of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and holine&s;&s;e; therefore &s;hall they encrea&s;e and grow up towards it, which mu&s;t be got againe in long time and divers progre&s;&s;e, though it were lo&s;t in a moment.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;ome doubt el&s;e may, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> be whether their graces they have, be true &s;anctified graces, which generally ever encrea&s;e, though &s;ome let there may be, as a temptation or &s;ome &s;inne, but they doe recover them&s;elves and encrea&s;e after the more, as fire kept down, Mat. 25.25.21.26.</P>
<P>This may put many a man to a <HI>quaere</HI> with him&s;elfe, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and his owne &s;oule, if he encrea&s;e not, but rather goe backeward, and thrive not under good meanes, but &s;hame their ma&s;ter, as if they had no good food, like the bla&s;ted eares and leane kine, that <HI>Pha+roah</HI> dreamed of. The&s;e may feare them&s;elves, that if they ap|prove them&s;elves in this condition and thinke all is well with them, they are not right; but if they di&s;like their dulne&s;&s;e, and backwardne&s;&s;e in profiting and growing on in &s;anctification, if they bewaile their wants, and earne&s;tly u&s;e the meanes, they may be per&s;waded that what God hath begun he will performe in them to the end; and that he will fulfill the de&s;ire of them that feare him.</P>
<P>To per&s;wade every one to endeavour to goe forward, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> and to grow in grace and piety, as the wicked grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e, 2 Tim. 3.13. Phil. 3.13.14. To pre&s;&s;e forward, like runners in a race, who looke not how much they have runne, but how much remaineth. Upon which place Saint <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> He had &s;aid, I am not already perfect, and yet afterward he &s;aith: as many as be perfect; perfect, and yet not perfect; perfect travailers, but yet not perfect comprehenders: Let it alwaies be di&s;plea&s;ing unto thee to be as thou art; if thou meane&s;t to attaine at length to that which yet thou art not; for when thou thinke&s;t well of thy &s;elfe, thou goe&s;t no farther, but if thou &s;aie&s;t it is well, thou art undone; forget what is pa&s;t, looke not backe, le&s;t thou &s;taie&s;t where thou now art: Remember <HI>Lots</HI> wife.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And ye &s;hall tread downe the wicked: for they &s;hall be du&s;t under the &s;oles of your feet in the day that I &s;hall doe this, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND ye &s;hall tread downe the wicked]</HI> The la&s;t thing promi|&s;ed to tho&s;e that belong to God, is victory over their
<PB N="282" REF="275">enemies. A comfortable promi&s;e to them that were oppre&s;&s;ed and under the winde, that God would change the condition, and make them now aloft, and the other under. It is u&s;uall with the Lord, when he promi&s;eth redemption and comforts to his, to joine al&s;o a prophe&s;ie of the de&s;truction of their enemies, le&s;t they &s;hould be grieved with too much emulation at their pre&s;ent pro|&s;perity. Thus God workes patience in them, &s;eeing he would give them after a while cau&s;e of triumph over their enemies, and that they &s;hall be the Lords Mini&s;ters to act this judgement, <HI>You &s;hall treade downe the wicked,</HI> they &s;hall be made your foot-&s;toole: And it is added, <HI>they &s;hall be as du&s;t.</HI>] or a&s;hes; &s;hewing their utter and ignominious de&s;truction.</P>
<P><HI>In the day that I &s;hall doe this.]</HI> Which noteth the time &s;poken to re&s;traine their de&s;ires, who haply hearing it, would be carried headlong with it in their de&s;ires for it; therefore by this they are taught to wait with patience, till the time come when God wil ef|fect it. And this day is partly in this life, but fully and perfectly in the other, when they &s;hall with Chri&s;t judge the wicked and treade upon them.</P>
<P>The Lord he often de&s;cendeth to the infirmities of his, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> to let them &s;ee their de&s;ire upon his and their enemies for his &s;ake, and to &s;ee their ruine and de&s;truction. See a like point to this, Cap. 1.5. Your eyes &s;hall &s;ee it.</P>
<P>The Lord oftimes de&s;troyes the wicked, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> enemies of him and his Church, by the hands of his Church, and by their meanes. <HI>Ye &s;hall tread, &amp;c.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. IIII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Remember the law of Mo&s;es my &s;ervant, which I comman|ded unto him in Horeb in all I&s;rael with the &s;tatutes and judgements.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>REmember the law of Mo&s;es my &s;ervant.]</HI> Here is the &s;econd part of this Chapter, the precept commanding their reading and remembring the law; becau&s;e from hence they were to have no more Prophets till Chri&s;ts comming, when <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;hould be his forerunner; and therefore when they were without Prophets, they mu&s;t give the more diligence to read and be exerci&s;ed in the law, and to &s;ubmit them&s;elves to the doctrine of piety therein contai|ned. Now, by naming the law, he doth not exclude the Prophets and prophe&s;ies that were written, his own &amp; others, but rather in|cluding them as commentaries of the law, &amp; interpreters of <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI> So he leaves them not to their owne imaginations, but re&s;traines
<PB N="283" REF="275">them to that which was left written as being &s;ufficient to direct and governe them.</P>
<P><HI>My &s;ervant] Mo&s;es</HI> was not the author of the Law, but only the in&s;trument of bringing it. Therefore it is added;</P>
<P><HI>Which I commanded unto him.]</HI> He was only Gods Mini&s;ter to utter what he would have him deliver.</P>
<P><HI>In Horeb.]</HI> The place where the Law was given, which &s;ome thinke to &s;ignifie the mount <HI>Sinai,</HI> others thinke by both is meant one hill, which in re&s;pect of that part, which lay towards the Ea&s;t was called <HI>Horeb:</HI> of that towards the We&s;t, <HI>Sinai;</HI> and of this place the Prophet rather &s;peaketh, that he may make them call to minde the great Maje&s;ty of God, which he &s;hewed in that place, at the giving of the Law.</P>
<P><HI>To all I&s;raell.]</HI> He noteth the per&s;ons to whom he gave it, e|ven to them&s;elves, to make them the rather to regard it, and obey it above others, P&s;al. 147.20. And he &s;aith <HI>to all,</HI> that no man might exempt him&s;elfe, whether learned or unlearned, ba&s;e or noble, male or female, all ought to attend to it and remember it.</P>
<P><HI>With the Statutes and Iudgements.]</HI> This he &s;peakes the rather, to commend this care to them, &s;eeing the law is for their profit and good, and containeth in it all directions for publicke affaires, to teach men to carry them&s;elves in all conditions.</P>
<P>The people of God mu&s;t remember the whole Law; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> the Mi|ni&s;ter to teach it and deliver it to the people, and they to receive, learne, and know it. <HI>Vide Cap.</HI> 2.6.</P>
<P>The people of God mu&s;t remember this wholly and only. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctr."></P>
<P>The people of God mu&s;t read, know, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doctr."> and be exerci&s;ed in the Law. This extent, and all the&s;e degrees, are contained in the word, Remember. It is the character of the ble&s;&s;ed man, P&s;al. 1.2. It was <HI>Davids</HI> praier and practi&s;e, P&s;al. 119. And Chri&s;t re|quires it, Joh. 5.39. and Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> Col. 3.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e &s;ome are &s;uch as mu&s;t teach others, and ought to do it: <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Deut. 7.7. No man can teach another what he knows not him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e they cannot without it pre&s;erve them&s;elves from &s;in; <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> ignorance being the fountaine of &s;in, which made the Hebrewes call all &s;ins, <HI>Ignorances,</HI> for not knowing &s;in they can no more a|void it, then the bird that &s;ees not the &s;nare: but the knowledge of the word will &s;ecure and pre&s;erve them, Prov. 7.1.2.2.4.5.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e what&s;oever is done in obedience of God, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> cannot be good if it want knowledge, though it proceed from zeale, charity, devotion, or good intention; it is how&s;oever but a blind &s;acrifice, condemned, Mal. 1.8.</P>
<P>U&s;es of this point, &s;ee, <HI>Cap.</HI> 1.8.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<PB N="284" REF="276">
<HEAD>VERS. V.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Behold, I will &s;end you Elijah the Prophet before the com|ming of the great and fearfull day of the Lord.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>BEhold I will &s;end you Eliah.]</HI> The third prophe&s;ie in this Chapter, touching the comming of <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> of his of|fice, and the fruit the Church &s;hould have by him, in this ver&s;e and the la&s;t.</P>
<P>In this ver&s;e we have, his &s;ending, and in it we ob&s;erve, by whom, and who is &s;ent, his name and office, and thirdly the time when.</P>
<P><HI>I will &s;end.]</HI> This is here &s;poken of God the Father, which <HI>Cap.</HI> 3.1. was &s;poken of the Son: And to the Father it is al&s;o appli|ed, Matth. 11.10.</P>
<P><HI>Eliah the Prophet.]</HI> Not that <HI>Eliah</HI> who was taken up in a fie|ry Chariot, but <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> who is here called <HI>Eliah,</HI> for the &s;i|militude of his minde and manners, his graces, gifts, and office: If we admit an heavenly interpreter to tell us the meaning, Luc. 1.17. or Chri&s;t, Matth. 17.10.11.12. who told his di&s;ciples that <HI>Elias</HI> was come: and we read in the next ver&s;e, ver&s;e 13. <HI>That the di&s;ciples under&s;tood that he &s;pake unto them of Iohn the Bapti&s;t.</HI> Yet Chri&s;t revealed it at another time more plainly, Matth. 11.13.14. <HI>All the Prophets prophe&s;ied till Iohn, and this is Elias which was for to come.</HI></P>
<P>The Papi&s;ts under&s;tand this of the true <HI>Eliah,</HI> and that he &s;hall come againe in per&s;on. <HI>Ribera</HI> hath three rea&s;ons for it. Fir&s;t, The authority of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tom,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Riber in Lo.</NOTE> <HI>Aug. Ambr. Theod. Cyril. Aquin. &amp;c.</HI> We an&s;wer, one Angel is more then all the&s;e, e&s;pecially Chri&s;t who is our &s;ole Doctor, and hath otherwi&s;e interpreted. Secondly, The <HI>Septuagint.</HI> in &s;tead of Prophet reads <HI>Thesbite.</HI> We an&s;wer that the originall is Prophet, &s;o <HI>Ribera</HI> him&s;elfe con|fe&s;&s;es, and &s;o the <HI>King of Spains Bible</HI> hath it. Mu&s;t we then re|forme the Fountaine by the Chanell, or this by that? Thirdly, His third rea&s;on is from the la&s;t words of the ver&s;e, <HI>Le&s;t I come, &amp;c.</HI> which are, he &s;aith, under&s;tood of the &s;econd comming of Chri&s;t, becau&s;e his fir&s;t comming was to &s;ave, not to judge or de|&s;troy. I an&s;wer, It is not Chri&s;t that &s;peakes the&s;e words, but the Father, who ver&s;e three, was called <HI>The Lord of Ho&s;ts,</HI> a title not given to <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> And the words are not meant, of the de&s;truction of the wicked at the la&s;t judgement, but of Gods plaguing them in this life, for contemning of Chri&s;t, as their owne <HI>Montanus</HI>
<PB N="285" REF="276">doth al&s;o interpret it: <HI>Bellarm ine</HI> al&s;o would prove it as <HI>Ribera</HI> doth, that the words referre to Chri&s;ts &s;econd comming, becau&s;e that day is called <HI>Great and fearfull,</HI> whereas Chri&s;ts fir&s;t com|ming is acceptable, and a day of &s;alvation. I an&s;wer, that Chri&s;ts &s;econd comming, in re&s;pect of no other thing, nor to any other per&s;ons, is great and fearefull, then his fir&s;t comming is, and? <HI>contra,</HI> for his &s;econd comming, to his owne, is a day of &s;alvation, and they are bid to lift up their heads when it approaches: but to the wicked, both the fir&s;t and &s;econd comming are fearfull, and full of horror. Therefore <HI>Montanus</HI> interprets it thus: the day is great in re&s;pect of the good, &amp; dreadfull in re&s;pect of the wicked; re&s;embling this place to that of <HI>Iohn,</HI> Matth. 3.12.</P>
<P>But the rea&s;on why the Papi&s;ts contend it &s;hould be the true <HI>Eliah,</HI> is, becau&s;e they might prove that the Pope is not Anti|chri&s;t. This is one of <HI>Sanders</HI> his great demon&s;trations to prove it, becau&s;e <HI>Eliah</HI> mu&s;t re&s;i&s;t Antichri&s;t, but <HI>Eliah</HI> is not yet come to do it. <HI>ergo,</HI> But what Prophet, what Apo&s;tle, what Scripture, e|ver told them any &s;uch thing. Papall traditions will leave nothing unknowne, they tell us things wherein Gods &s;pirit is &s;ilent; they tell us the &s;ouldiers name who pierced Chri&s;t, the theeves name who were crucified with Chri&s;t, the ho&s;ts name in who&s;e hou&s;e he celebrated the &s;upper, and the names of the two witne&s;&s;es, Rev. 11.3. to the <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias,</HI> if we will believe them: but their folly is made manife&s;t to all that will &s;ee.</P>
<P><HI>Before the comming &amp;c.]</HI> Here is the time when <HI>Elias</HI> &s;hall come, immediatly before Chri&s;ts comming; that is, his fir&s;t com|ming, which though it may &s;eem to be de&s;cribed contrary, when it is &s;aid to be acceptable and gracious, yet this is &s;poken in re&s;pect of divers parties: that whereas there were &s;ome that contemned and made no account of the mercies of Chri&s;t, to them it &s;hould be a dreadfull day, but to the godly, acceptable and gracious.</P>
<P>The comming of Chri&s;t is very terrible, to all naturall, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doctrine"> wicked and impenitent men. That is, his preaching of the word, whe|ther in his owne per&s;on, or by his Mini&s;ters. So, E&s;a.11.4. <HI>He &s;hall &s;mite the earth with the red of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips &s;hall he &s;lay the wicked:</HI> which is again repeated, Rev. 2.16. And by his Mini&s;ters he doth it, 2. The&s;. 2.8. 2. Cor. 2.15.16.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e he brings them by this to the &s;ight of &s;inne, Rom. 3.20. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> 1. Cor. 14.24.25. and &s;o makes them to &s;ee, though unwillingly, how ugly and filthy lepers they are, how defiled in nature, in &s;oule, body, mind, will, affections, in word, deed, actions, which mu&s;t needs trouble them and &s;trike terror into them.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e by this he brings them to the &s;en&s;e of that puni&s;hment which is due for &s;in, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> &s;o that though the &s;ight of &s;in la&s;t no longer then they are looking into the gla&s;&s;e that di&s;covers them, yet the &s;en&s;e of the puni&s;hment may terrifie them.</P>
<PB N="286" REF="277">
<P>By this he al&s;o troubles his owne, <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> and the mo&s;t penitent, as we &s;ee, Act. 3.37.38.</P>
<P>He doth &s;o, <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> when he fir&s;t brings them to repentance, or after, when they grow &s;ecure: But the difference is, that in the&s;e it is to &s;alvation, in the other to their greater damnation and hard|ning.</P>
<P>Other things which might be ob&s;erved here, are already noted, Cap. 3.1.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="exposition on verse">
<HEAD>VERS. VI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>And he &s;hall turne the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, le&s;t I come and &s;mite the Earth with cur&s;ing.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>AND he &s;hall turne the heart of the fathers.]</HI> In this ver&s;e is de|&s;cribed the end of <HI>Iohns</HI> comming before Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vide brevem expo&s;. hujus ver&s;us, apud</HI> D. Abbot. Antich. De|mon&s;tr. ca. 6 p. 133.</NOTE> his office, which is to convert the hearts of the Fathers to the children, and to bring them to an holy union of faith, to worke repentance in all, and to turne them from iniquity to the living God.</P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall turne.]</HI> He &s;hall be my in&s;trument to turne or convert men; &s;peaking honourably of the Mini&s;tery of the word, to &s;hew how powerfull it is, when he worketh with it. The Mini|&s;ters then convert, when they are Co-workers with God, 1. Cor. 4.15. 1. Cor. 15.10. but prevaile not when he denies a&s;&s;i&s;tance, 1. Cor. 3.7.</P>
<P><HI>The heart of the father to &amp;c.]</HI> Saint <HI>Aug.</HI> and <HI>Hierom,</HI> by <HI>the Fathers,</HI> under&s;tand <HI>Abraham, I&s;aack,</HI> and <HI>Iacob,</HI> and the Prophets, and by <HI>Children,</HI> the Jewes; when by the preaching of <HI>Iohn</HI> the Jewes &s;hould believe in Chri&s;t, in whom the Fathers had belie|ved; then &s;hould their fathers hearts be turned and affected to|wards them, which otherwi&s;e were aver&s;e from them. Some un|der&s;tand by <HI>Fathers,</HI> the Jewes, and by <HI>Children,</HI> the Apo&s;tles and other Chri&s;tians, according to that P&s;al, 45.16. And when the Jewes were converted, by <HI>Elias,</HI> to believe as the Chri&s;tians did, then were the Fathers and Children of one minde, con&s;enting in one truth. But &s;ome under&s;tand by them all ages, orders, de|grees of men, meaning that <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;hould execute his office with the like authority, gravity, and power towards all, and &s;hall have and &s;ee the fruit of his labours in all &s;orts, and &s;o it is interpreted, Luke 1.17. That <HI>Iohn</HI> when he came, &s;hould finde many di&s;&s;en&s;i|ons, many &s;trange opinions and dotages, but he &s;hould gather
<PB N="287" REF="277">them to God, and bring them from tho&s;e di&s;&s;en&s;ions to true uni|ty, that they may grow together in one faith.</P>
<P><HI>Le&s;t I come and &s;mite the earth with a cur&s;e.]</HI> The&s;e words menace as many as re&s;i&s;ted <HI>Iohns</HI> Mini&s;try. There were among this people many ob&s;tinate and wilfull, who had need of this row&s;ing and awakening: a threatning al&s;o, not only again&s;t parti|cular men, but to de&s;troy the whole Nation of the Jewes, by fa|mine, pe&s;tilence, war, and exile.</P>
<P>Repentance is wrought by the preaching of the word. <HI>Vide,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctrine"> <HI>Cap.</HI> 3.7.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;try of the word works upon all, old, yong, rich, poor, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doctrine"> noble, ba&s;e, &amp;c. This was manife&s;t by Iohns preaching, Mat. 3.5. Luc. 3.10. &amp;c. By Pauls, 1. Cor. 1.26.27. We read of Noble Theophilus, Luc. 1.1. Of the Shop-keeper, Act. 16.24. Of the Iaoler, ver. 34. Of the devout Greekes and the honorable women, Act. 17.4. And of the elect Lady, 2. Epi&s;t. Iohn.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e God hath decreed to &s;ave of all &s;orts &s;ome; then mu&s;t the word needs worke upon them, it being the means of &s;alvation, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> 1. Tim. 2.4.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e that when he converts by it, the wi&s;e, rich, and migh|ty, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> he might &s;hew his power, and the power of the word, in the weakne&s;&s;e of man; 1. Cor. 1.25. when by it he &s;hall make them ac|count their wi&s;dome, folly &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e when he calls of all &s;orts, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> it might appeare that when they are not wrought upon, it is not their &s;tate and condition that doth hinder them, as if God had given it them to &s;nare them, but it is from the corruption of their own hearts who abu&s;e them, &s;eeing others their equalls are converted.</P>
<P>To encourage the Mini&s;ters in the diver&s;ity of their hearers, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> as different in conditions as complexions, in hearts as faces; yet to go on and deliver the word with faithfullne&s;&s;e, expecting that the Lord &s;hall make it profitable to the &s;aving though not of all, yet of &s;ome of all &s;orts; that as he wrought effectually in <HI>Peter</HI> to|wards the circumci&s;ion, and was mighty in <HI>Paul</HI> towards the Gentiles, Gal. 2.8. So he will this day be powerfull to &s;ome of the rich, the next to &s;ome of the poore; this Lords day to one of honour, the next haply, to one in di&s;grace and vile, to all accor|ding to the plea&s;ure of his own working.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="index">
<PB REF="278">
<HEAD>A Table of the Contents.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The letter (a) &s;heweth the fir&s;t Alphabet, the letter (b) the &s;econd, the figure &s;heweth the Page.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><LABEL>A.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>_ACcepting of per&s;ons, a great &s;in b <HI>74 75</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Adver&s;ity b <HI>158</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Adultery b <HI>192</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Adultery annuls not marriage b <HI>119</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Affection how farre nece&s;&s;ary in Gods &s;ervice a <HI>159 160</HI> Affliction, a burden a <HI>3</HI> It befalls Gods deare&s;t children. a <HI>8</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Why it befals them b, <HI>236. 248</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Almes of oppre&s;&s;ors, a, <HI>223. 224 226</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Altar, what it is. a, <HI>126</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Anger of God. a, <HI>187. 188</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Angels, the name to whom given. b, <HI>166</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>B.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Bani&s;hment a proofe of Gods an|ger. a, <HI>29</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Bla&s;phemy a great &s;inne. b, <HI>152</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>It much di&s;plea&s;eth God, b, <HI>153</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>&s;ome kinds of it. b, <HI>156. 157 248. 249</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Ble&s;sings abu&s;ed, aggravate &s;inne. a, <HI>208</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Bread, what meant by it. a, <HI>126</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Bondage of naturall men. b, <HI>281 282</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Bounty in Gods &s;ervice. a, <HI>150. 151. 152.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Bounty of Idolaters. b, <HI>213. 214</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Burden, what it &s;ignifies. a, <HI>2</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>C.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Calling of Mini&s;ters b <HI>26. 27. 49. 50</HI> faithfulne&s;&s;e in particular calling b, <HI>36. 37.</HI> How children to be ordered by their parents for their callings a, <HI>66.</HI> Sinnes again&s;t ones calling are more hainous. a, <HI>120</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Catholike Church, and the mem|bers of it. b, <HI>102</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Children, their duty. a, <HI>57 59. 60. 64 67. 69. 71. 73</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Children of God, their happy con|dition. b, <HI>237. 238</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;t, to whom he comes. b, <HI>167</HI> his comming de&s;ired. by Patri|arkes. b, <HI>168.</HI> his comming pro|mi&s;ed long. b, <HI>170. 171</HI> he is our Prophet b, <HI>172. 173.</HI> be pu|rifieth his people b, <HI>175. 176</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Church, now Catholike. a, <HI>194.</HI> it is the mo&s;t excellent &s;ociety. b, <HI>178.</HI> it may erre, b, <HI>59. 60. 61.</HI> it mu&s;t be holy. b, <HI>89.</HI> the honour and pro&s;perity of it. b, <HI>240. 241.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Church-robbers. b, <HI>219. 220. 221 225. 228 229</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Conference of godly. b, <HI>261.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Creation binds us to Gods &s;ervice. a, <HI>91. 92.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Creatures have all power from God. b, <HI>12.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Credit, not got by &s;in. b, <HI>17. 19.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="278">
<ITEM>It is gotten by honouring and maintaining of Mini&s;ters. b, <HI>239</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Cu&s;tomes, injurious concerning tithes. b, <HI>225</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>D.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Dearth and famine for &s;in b, <HI>14</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Death, how Gods children freed from it b, <HI>278 279</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Deceivers in Gods &s;ervice a, <HI>231 233</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>De&s;ire of Chri&s;t b <HI>179 180</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Di&s;grace brought by &s;inne, fore|tells ruine, without repentance b, <HI>20</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Divorces for needle&s;&s;e cau&s;es b <HI>122</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Divorce may only be by authority b. <HI>118 119</HI> unlawfull, but only for adultery b, <HI>141 142 143 144</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Dominion of &s;inne b, <HI>278</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Donatives, their original b <HI>228</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>E.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Elijah, who he is b, <HI>286 287</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Election bindes us to Gods &s;ervice a, <HI>94 95</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Encrea&s;e in grace b, <HI>281 282</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Error not to be taught b, <HI>41</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Excellency of the godly b, <HI>267</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Excommunication a, <HI>129 130 131 132</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Executors of wills their &s;inne b, <HI>198 199</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Exhort, we mu&s;t exhort one ano|ther b, <HI>258 259</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Extraordinary providence of God for his people b, <HI>237</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>F.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Famine for &s;inne b, <HI>14</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Fatherle&s;&s;e children not to be in|juried <HI>198 199</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Favour of God how to be e&s;teemed b, <HI>205 206</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Feare of God a <HI>97 98</HI> the want of it cau&s;es &s;inne b, <HI>201</HI> diffe|rences of filiall and &s;ervile feare a, <HI>98 99</HI> the effects of Gods feare a <HI>101.</HI> &s;ervile feare, what it is, with the effect of it a <HI>110 111</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Forgetfulne&s;&s;e of benefits a, <HI>25</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Free will b, <HI>138 281</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>G.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>God, his power a, <HI>37</HI> his anger a, <HI>187 188</HI> the Lord of ho&s;ts a, <HI>37</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Godline&s;&s;e cau&s;eth pro&s;perity b, <HI>250</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>H.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Hearing required b, <HI>51 52 53</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Heart mu&s;t be kept pure b, <HI>137</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Honour of God a, <HI>97</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Honour lo&s;t by &s;inne b, <HI>19</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Hopes of wicked men vaine a, <HI>38 39</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Ho&s;ts, God the Lord of ho&s;ts a, <HI>37</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Husband may not grieve his wife b, <HI>105 106</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Hypocri&s;ie a, <HI>156 157</HI> b. <HI>187 188</HI> It is a great &s;inne a, <HI>220</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Hypocrites thinke all too much for God a, <HI>218</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Hypocrites ju&s;tifie them&s;elves when under judgements a, <HI>251 252</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>I.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Idolaters liberall in their wor&s;hip b, <HI>213 214</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Imitation of predece&s;&s;ors vertues b, <HI>58</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Impropriations of Churches b, <HI>228 229</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Inconveniences mu&s;t not hinder obedience to God b <HI>4 5</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Ingratitude a great &s;in a, <HI>16 17 25 208</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Injuriou&s;ne&s;&s;e is again&s;t nature b <HI>79</HI> it is again&s;t religion b <HI>80 81</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Inju&s;tice is joyned with irreligion b, <HI>150 151 268</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Invocation of Saints b, <HI>181</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Ironies, whether lawfull a, <HI>167 168</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="279">
<ITEM>Irreligion b <HI>187 268</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Iudgements, are for &s;inne a <HI>41</HI> they &s;hould re&s;traine &s;inne a <HI>5.</HI> Of profiting by them a <HI>10, 11.</HI> They profit not the wicked b <HI>13.</HI> How wicked carry them&s;elves in them b <HI>98.</HI> How vaine their cour&s;e is b <HI>98 99</HI> Hypocrites ju&s;tifie them&s;elves under them b <HI>251, 252</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Iudgements may be upon things belonging to men, as well as upon their owne per&s;ons b <HI>235.</HI> No per&s;on freed from judge|ments b <HI>10, 11.</HI> The cau&s;es of judgements b <HI>96.</HI> God brings them not but upon knowne cau|&s;es b <HI>185</HI> They are equall a <HI>52.</HI> God will be ju&s;tified in them, a <HI>43 44 47</HI> God hath glory by them a <HI>54.</HI> God can bring them with a word b <HI>16.</HI> The diffe|rence of them on the godly and the wicked a <HI>45, 46</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Iudgeing of others a <HI>146, 147, 148 149</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>K</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Kingdomes, di&s;poed of by God a <HI>40</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Knowledge of God, how needfull, a <HI>152, 153</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Knowledge excu&s;es not hearing b <HI>6. 7.</HI> God knowes the wicked and their waies a <HI>184, 260</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>L</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Lame &s;ervice a <HI>156</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Law the fal&s;e pretence of it en|crea&s;eth &s;in b <HI>147</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Liberality of Idolaters b <HI>213, 214</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Long life a ble&s;sing b <HI>29, 30</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Love the cau&s;es of it b <HI>77</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Love of God to his Church a <HI>19</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>M</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Magi&s;trates, when they neglect to puni&s;h, God will do it b <HI>94.</HI> How they are to give judgement b <HI>185 186</HI> how to be obeyed a <HI>63, 82</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Maintenance of Mini&s;ters b <HI>215 216 221 224 225 226. 227 232 233.</HI> What it is b <HI>216 218.</HI> How nece&s;&s;ary b <HI>227 228.</HI> A ble&s;sing to &s;uch as maintaine them b <HI>231, 232</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Marriage how children to. &s;ubmit to their parents in it a <HI>69</HI> God is the witne&s;&s;e of marriage b <HI>115.</HI> The de&s;cription of mar|riage b <HI>121 122.</HI> The author of it b <HI>132.</HI> The end of it b <HI>133</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Marriage with contrary religion b <HI>90, 91, 92</HI> Vnfaithfullne&s;&s;e in marriage is &s;inne again&s;t God b <HI>112</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Married per&s;ons, their duty b <HI>120</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Ma&s;&s;e whether one may be pre&s;ent at it a <HI>157</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Meditation of the word b <HI>7</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mercy of God only keeps off judge|ments b <HI>203 204</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mighty men cannot with&s;tand God b <HI>273</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mincha, what it &s;ignifies a <HI>199</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mini&s;ters, mu&s;t put difference be|tween godly and wicked a <HI>126 130.</HI> They &s;inne, if cen&s;ure not the wicked a <HI>132</HI> Contempt of Gods Mini&s;ters and his wor&s;hip goe together a <HI>214.</HI> Be&s;t Mini|&s;ters mo&s;t contemned a <HI>219,</HI> They mu&s;t apply doctrine b <HI>2, 3</HI> what their care mu&s;t be concer|ning Gods wor&s;hip b <HI>8, 9.</HI> A &s;pe|ciall Covenant is made with them b <HI>24 25.</HI> They deliver whole truth b <HI>39</HI> they mu&s;t not corrupt the word b <HI>41</HI> they mu&s;t be holy b <HI>42.</HI> They mu&s;t preach &s;o as to convert men b <HI>45</HI> they ought to be learned in the Scriptures b <HI>48</HI> It is a great corruption, when they occa&s;ion
<PB REF="279">men to &s;inne b <HI>67</HI> when they are contemned and hated ju&s;t|ly b <HI>70, 71</HI> what they are then to doe b <HI>74</HI> they are Gods Me&s;|&s;engers b <HI>166</HI> to defraud them of their maintenance, is &s;acri|ledge b <HI>215, 216, 219, 220, 221, 225.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mini&s;tery of man ordinarily u&s;ed by God a <HI>12, 13.</HI> How to be e&s;teemed a <HI>13, 14.</HI> None may take it upon him without a cal|ling b <HI>26.</HI> The efficacy of the Mini&s;try b <HI>291.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>N</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Nature teaches not to wrong any b <HI>79.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>O</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Obedience due to God in all things b <HI>4, 5.</HI> How far due to parents a <HI>62, 63, 64 66.</HI> How far due to Ma&s;ters a <HI>80, 81, 82.</HI> How far due to Magi&s;trates a <HI>63, 82.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Old men, their duty b <HI>30.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Omi&s;sion of duties b <HI>208. 209.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Oppre&s;sion, God not plea&s;ed with &s;acrifices of it a <HI>222. 224, 225.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Oppre&s;&s;ors not heard of God b <HI>110</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Originall &s;in b <HI>126, 280</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>P</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Papi&s;ts plea of bounty b <HI>214,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Parents to take care of childrens &s;oules b <HI>127, 128.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Pa&s;sion a <HI>25.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Patience under affliction a <HI>4, 5.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Patience in injuries b <HI>108, 109.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Peace only to the upright b <HI>45.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>People of God, may be puni&s;hed a <HI>8, 9, 10.</HI> Their priviledges a <HI>27.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Per&s;on mu&s;t be accepted, before his praiers are a <HI>189.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Perfection, whether in this life b <HI>14.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Perfididiou&s;ne&s;&s;e, a great &s;in b <HI>82, 83</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Piety brings pro&s;perity b <HI>250.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Plenty, promi&s;ed to the obedient b <HI>31.</HI> promi&s;t to paiers of tithes b <HI>231, 232, 233</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Polygamie b <HI>122, 129 130.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Popes may and have erred b <HI>61, 62</HI> their Church robbing b <HI>228.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Portion, how children to &s;ubmit in that a <HI>67.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Poverty of Mini&s;ters b <HI>226, 227.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Power of God a <HI>37.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Prai&s;e, God to be prai&s;ed for de|liverances a <HI>55.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Praier not heard, how great a judgement a <HI>169, 170.</HI> When the &s;ea&s;on of praier a <HI>170.</HI> How we mu&s;t pray a <HI>172.</HI> What to pray for a <HI>173.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Praier to Saints departed a <HI>175.</HI> Praiers of wicked not pro|fitable a <HI>178.</HI> Where to pray a <HI>197, 198.</HI> All need the praiers of others a <HI>174.</HI> Praiers of Gods people accepted b <HI>181, 182.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Preferring man before God how hainous a <HI>160, 163.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Prei&s;t how the word u&s;ed a <HI>203.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Profe&s;&s;ors, their &s;in mo&s;t hainous a <HI>210.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Prophane&s;&s;e of heart, how knowne a <HI>145.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Prophets <HI>3.</HI> &s;orts a <HI>12.</HI> Chri&s;t our prophet b <HI>172, 173</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Pro&s;perity b <HI>158 159.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Pro&s;perity promi&s;t to piety b <HI>250.</HI> No note of true Church b <HI>241, 242.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Providence of God, not to be que|&s;tioned b <HI>160.</HI> To deny it, is pride again&s;t God b <HI>244, 245.</HI> Whence it is that men doubt of it b <HI>247, 248.</HI> Gods providence and protection a bond of &s;er|vice a <HI>105.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Publicke wor&s;hip to be attended b <HI>52, 53.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="280">
<ITEM>Puni&s;hment, Gods owne people pu|ni&s;ht a <HI>8</HI> wicked oft doe e&s;cape unpuni&s;hed long b <HI>256.</HI> Purga|gatory b <HI>178 179 235</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>R.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Redemption of the elect b <HI>277</HI> Re|generate, their workes holy a <HI>205</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Reigning &s;inne what b <HI>278</HI> Reli|gion teaches to do no wrong b <HI>80 81</HI> Remembrance, God remem|bers our waies b <HI>262</HI> Repen|tance onely removes judgements b <HI>6, 210, 211</HI> Reproofe a <HI>133 134</HI> Revenge, the de&s;ire of it a <HI>49</HI> Reward to obedience b <HI>33</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Riches, the way to attaine them b <HI>32 234</HI> whether fit for Mini|&s;ters b <HI>226 227</HI> Wicked oft en|crea&s;e in riches b <HI>254 255</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Righteousne&s;&s;e cannot be without religion b <HI>268, 269</HI> Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e inherent b <HI>276</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>S.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Sacraments, their efficacy a <HI>142</HI> the Mini&s;ters of them b <HI>28</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sacrifices of N. Te&s;t. a <HI>144</HI> what Sacrifices required of Chri&s;tians a <HI>202</HI> Sacriledge b <HI>212 215 219 220 221 239 240</HI> San|ctification of Gods elect b <HI>275 276</HI> Scoffing &s;peeches, whether lawfull a <HI>167</HI> Sencele&s;&s;ene&s;&s;e under judgements a <HI>3, 4</HI> Separa|tion may not be from a Church for the abu&s;es of it. a <HI>177 180</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Servants their duty a <HI>76 78 83 86 89</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Service of God mu&s;t be with be&s;t a <HI>150 183</HI> Sicke &s;ervice a <HI>159</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>T.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Temple, people not bound to it in prayer. a, <HI>197</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Tempting of God, what. b. <HI>230 231</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Tithes, whether &s;till in force. b, <HI>216. 217. 218.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thoughts are known to God. a, <HI>138</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Toleration of Papi&s;ts. a, <HI>179</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Truth, all of it to be delivered b <HI>39</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>V.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Virginity how to be e&s;teemed of. b <HI>136</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Vowes to be ob&s;erved a <HI>234 235</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>V&s;ury b <HI>85</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>W.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Wages of hirelings, not to be de|tained b <HI>195</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wards, the abu&s;e b <HI>198 199</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Watchfulne&s;&s;e required of us b <HI>260</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Widowes not to be oppre&s;t b <HI>196 197</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wicked though flouri&s;h &s;hall be de|&s;troyed b <HI>272 273</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wife is husbands companion b <HI>117</HI> choice a of wife b <HI>144 145</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Witches not to be &s;ought unto b <HI>189 190</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Word of God, how to be preacht a <HI>6 7.</HI> How to be heard a <HI>7.</HI> mu&s;t be applyed b <HI>2 3.</HI> mu&s;t be all delivered b <HI>39.</HI> it mu&s;t be heard publikely b <HI>51 52.</HI> It mu&s;t be &s;ought after b <HI>54 55</HI> All things are good or evill as they are with or again&s;t the word b <HI>84.</HI> Wicked not able to abide the preaching of it b <HI>174</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Workes no cau&s;e of ju&s;tification a <HI>189</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wor&s;hip of God mu&s;t be holy a <HI>127</HI> Where that is abu&s;ed, God is abu&s;ed a <HI>138</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wor&s;hip of God removed for con|tempt a <HI>229</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wor&s;hip of God furthered by maintainance of Mini&s;try b <HI>227 228</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wrath of God a <HI>44 45</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Z.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Zeale. a <HI>159</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="280">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="281">
<PB REF="281">
<P>AN EXERCITATION VPON THE PROPHECIE OF MALACHY</P>
<P>Wherein,
<LIST>
<ITEM>The Context is illu&s;trate by a cleare Analy&s;e,</ITEM>
<ITEM>The originall Text is examined,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mo&s;t tran&s;lations extant are conferred,</ITEM>
<ITEM>The expo&s;itions of the ancients and others are weighed,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Together with &s;ome occa&s;ionall ob&s;ervations.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>By SAMUEL TORSHELL,</P>
<P>Intended by way of Addition to a larger Commentary upon the &s;ame Prophecy, by that reverend and godly Divine Mr. <HI>Richard Stock,</HI> and now &s;ince his death at la&s;t publi&s;hed with the con&s;ent of his Executors by the &s;ame Author.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>Edward Griffin,</HI> for <HI>Daniel Frere, Thomas Nichols</HI> and <HI>Samuel Enderbey</HI> and are to be &s;old at their &s;hops in little <HI>Brittaine</HI> and <HI>Pope-head Alley.</HI> 1640.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="282">
<PB REF="282">
<P>NO BILISSIMO AC HONORATISSIMO DOMINO, D. EDOVARDO, COMITI DORSET, BARONI DE BUCKHURST, Sereni&s;&s;imae Dominae Regi|nae Domino Camerario, praenobilis ordinis Peri&s;celidis Militi, &amp; Sereni&s;&s;imo Domino regi CAROLO, a Conciliis &s;ecretioribus: DEPVRATAE ELOQVENTIAE FACILE PRINCIPI: INGENUORVM OMNIVM STVDIORUM fautori, Mecaenati Digni&s;&s;imo: IN OMNIBUS NEGOTIIS A D HONOREM REGIUM ac Salutem publicam &s;pectantibus, Vigilanti&s;&s;imo ac prudenti&s;&s;imo Con&s;iliario: Has EXERCITATIONES in Prophetam MALACHIAM, Ut exile quidem, at Devotum tamen, perpetuae ob&s;ervantiae &amp; maximi ob&s;equii Te&s;timonium, <HI>D. D. D.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sacellanus ejus indignus, Humillimus Servus, <HI>Samuel Tor&s;hel.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="283">
<PB REF="283">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_IT was not <HI>choyce,</HI> but <HI>occa&s;ion</HI> that ca&s;t me upon this <HI>Sub|ject.</HI> Having the originall notes of the Sermons of that <HI>reverend, learned</HI> and <HI>god|ly Divine,</HI> M. <HI>Richard Stock</HI> upon this pro|phet <HI>Malachy,</HI> entru&s;ted into my hands, and upon peru&s;all of them finding ma|ny nece&s;&s;ary points mo&s;t whole&s;ome|ly treated of; I thought it too great an injury both to his <HI>Name,</HI> and to the <HI>publicque,</HI> to make them onely mine, and to keepe them to mine owne u&s;e; and therefore I re&s;olved, (not without the judgement and approbation of other men) to communicate them unto the u&s;e of others. But withall ob&s;erving, that his <HI>aime</HI> being only the edification of a <HI>popular audience,</HI> he had onely indea|vored to apply the <HI>Text</HI> to the conditi|on of his pre&s;ent <HI>hearers;</HI> and had left &s;omewhat to be done to make it a <HI>Com|pleat Commentary;</HI> I &s;et my &s;elfe to ex|amine the <HI>original,</HI> to conferre <HI>tran&s;lations,</HI>
<PB REF="284">to inquire into the &s;everall <HI>glo&s;&s;es</HI> and <HI>expo&s;itions</HI> of the <HI>Antients</HI> and <HI>Modern's;</HI> and have thereupon made up what you &s;ee, by way of <HI>Exercitation.</HI> Not out of any opinion of mine owne ability, or an ambition to be upon the <HI>&s;tall,</HI> or out of any more peculiar delight that I take in this <HI>kind</HI> of <HI>study,</HI> which yet is a <HI>study</HI> mo&s;t worthy of a <HI>Divine,</HI> and which may exerci&s;e the mo&s;t able; e&s;pecially the&s;e more difficile pieces, I meane, <HI>the prophecies,</HI> which according to the <HI>Hiero|glyphique</HI> of <HI>prophecy</HI> w^c^h (they &s;ay) doth hang among other pictures in the <HI>Vatica~ library</HI> at <HI>Rome,</HI> are like <HI>Matrones with their eyes covered.</HI> In regard of which difficul|ty it was, that <HI>Paulinus Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Nola,</HI> (a man much commended by S. <HI>Aug.</HI> and S. <HI>Hier;</HI> and one that had not any re|&s;olution again&s;t writing, for he wrote other <HI>tractes,</HI> as <HI>Ver&s;es</HI> and <HI>Epi&s;tles,</HI>) would not bee drawne to write <HI>commentaries,</HI> though he were intreated by many of his friends, as deeming him&s;elfe un|worthy, though hee were indeed very able. I commend his &s;pirit, though I follow not his example, and I have gi|ven you the excu&s;e above.</P>
<P>I have every where followed the <HI>Grammaticall,</HI> which is the lawfull and
<PB REF="284">geunine &s;en&s;e<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Iac. Armin Di&s;p. priv. The&s;. <HI>9</HI></NOTE> of Scripture. Men have been too wanton with <HI>Allegories Origen,</HI> S. <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> S. <HI>Hierom</HI> him&s;elfe, and o|thers of the <HI>Ancients,</HI> have been blamed for it by learned men. It were ea&s;y, to multiply in&s;tances, but it were need|le&s;&s;e. I have al&s;o &s;ought the mo&s;t <HI>proper gra~maticall</HI> &s;en&s;e, not alwayes the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> but the mo&s;t agreeable to the nature of the <HI>context;</HI> which while it hath not beene ob&s;erved, many ab&s;urd interpretations have been made. <HI>Corn. a lapide</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Corn. a lap. proleg. in proph. min.</NOTE> &s;aith, hee heard one preach, <HI>that Mo&s;es dyed kis&s;ing of God.</HI> Becau&s;e of that place <HI>Deut.</HI> 34.5, <HI>He dyed upon the mouth of the Lord.</HI> Not ob|&s;erving the u&s;e of that phra&s;e among the <HI>Hebrewes,</HI> which al&s;o the <HI>Septuagint,</HI> the <HI>Chalde,</HI> the <HI>Vulgar Latin,</HI> our <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> and (for ought I know) all interpreters doe expre&s;&s;e, <HI>He dyed according to the word of the Lord.</HI> But I will not enlarge my &s;elfe here, becau&s;e I &s;peake unto the &s;ame point in the <HI>Epi&s;tle</HI> before <HI>M. Stocks commentary.</HI> I wil only reque&s;t this of the <HI>learned</HI> reader, (if any &s;uch &s;hall vouch|&s;afe to be&s;tow his eye &s;o meanly,) that hee make a favourable judgement of what defect or other blemi&s;h hee may di&s;cerne in a worke of this nature, w^c^h could not bee &s;moothly wrought,
<PB REF="285">nor wrought in all things to mine own &s;atisfaction, having the u&s;e of no books but mine owne, and living almo&s;t an 100 mile from any <HI>publicque library.</HI> Yet &s;uch as <HI>I</HI> have, <HI>J</HI> have not neglected to con&s;ult: willing to ca&s;t off that untrue and &s;landerous a&s;per&s;ion which <HI>Francis Ribera</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Riber. Com. in Ho&s;. <HI>13.</HI> Num. <HI>12.</HI></NOTE> hath throwne upon <HI>Protestant Jnterpreters; that</HI> they reade not the Commentaries of the holy fathers, but being furni&s;hed with &s;ome poore mea|&s;ure of knowledge in the tongues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sed vide Guil. Per|kin&s;i prophe|ticam. cap. <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> they reade the Scripture as if they were to reade <HI>Livie</HI> or <HI>Cicero.</HI></P>
<P>What&s;oever it is that <HI>I</HI> have done in this, I &s;ubmit it to the cen&s;ure of this <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> of which <HI>I</HI> am a part &amp; member, and in which <HI>I</HI> make my day|ly prayers unto Almighty God, that <HI>truth</HI> and <HI>peace</HI> may &s;till be maintained, and that &s;he may &s;till flouri&s;h with <HI>pro&s;|perity &amp; reputation,</HI> notwith&s;tanding the ill will and ill-opinion of al &s;orts round about her.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>S. T.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="285">
<HEAD>A Table of the Digres&s;ions.</HEAD>
<P><LIST>
<HEAD>Malachy. Ch. Ver.</HEAD>
<ITEM>OF <HI>Malachy;</HI> who he was, His Country, and parentage. 1.1</ITEM>
<ITEM>A Di&s;cour&s;e about the names of Angels. 1.1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e about the giving of names to children. 1.1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e concerning the name of Altar. 1.7.2, 13.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Concerning the honor due to Gods hou&s;e and &s;ervice. 1.7.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Concerning the admitting of &s;uch only into &s;acred orders, as are fit and worthy. 1.8.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e about Preaching and Catechi&s;ing. 2.7.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Concerning the que&s;tion; whether di&s;paritas cultus, be an impediment of Matrimony. 2.11.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Concerning Polygamy, &amp; the di&s;tinction of Bigamy. 2.15.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the que&s;tion, whether a judge be bound to give &s;entence <HI>&s;ecundum allegata &amp; probata.</HI> 3.5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of the ancient &s;everity again&s;t adulterers. 3.5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of the care of Widowes and Orphans. 3.5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of the di&s;covery of Athei&s;me. 3.5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the ill con&s;e quence of keeping the Clergy poore. 38.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Tythes. Their kinds, u&s;e, and how due. 3.8.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of the Divi&s;ion of the Bible into Chapters and ver&s;es. 4.1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of the Phaenix, and the aenigmatical u&s;e of it. 4.2.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of Sam&s;on, how in his name, a type of Chri&s;t. 4.2.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A di&s;cour&s;e of the neces&s;ity and benefit of acquain|tance with Gods Law. 4.4.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table">
<PB REF="286">
<PB REF="286">
<HEAD>A Table of all &s;uch Texts of Scripture as are occa&s;ionally quoted, or illu&s;trated in the expo&s;ition of this Prophecy.</HEAD>
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Gene&s;is</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>CH. 2.1.</CELL>
<CELL>1.4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.18</CELL>
<CELL>2.14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 4.3</CELL>
<CELL>1.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 4.14</CELL>
<CELL>4.6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 5.24</CELL>
<CELL>2.6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 6.4</CELL>
<CELL>1.6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 7.11</CELL>
<CELL>3.10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 8.12</CELL>
<CELL>3.10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 14.18</CELL>
<CELL>2.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 16.5</CELL>
<CELL>2.16</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 17.1</CELL>
<CELL>2.6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 18.21</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.6</CELL>
<CELL>1,10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 22.14</CELL>
<CELL>2.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 25.23</CELL>
<CELL>1.3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 25.30</CELL>
<CELL>1.4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 28.17</CELL>
<CELL>4.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 29.31</CELL>
<CELL>1,2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 31.7</CELL>
<CELL>3.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 31.38</CELL>
<CELL>3.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 31.41</CELL>
<CELL>3.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 31.50</CELL>
<CELL>3.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 32.13</CELL>
<CELL>1.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 33.11</CELL>
<CELL>3.10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 35.2</CELL>
<CELL>2.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 37.10</CELL>
<CELL>2.3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 38.11.</CELL>
<CELL>3.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 38.14</CELL>
<CELL>3.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 39.35</CELL>
<CELL>2.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 41.5.7</CELL>
<CELL>4.6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 24.33.</CELL>
<CELL>1.6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 24.36</CELL>
<CELL>3.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 43.11</CELL>
<CELL>1.11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 47.12</CELL>
<CELL>2.9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 49.28</CELL>
<CELL>3.1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Exodus</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.10</CELL>
<CELL>4.4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 3.1</CELL>
<CELL>4.4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 7.11, 12</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 9.35</CELL>
<CELL>1 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 10.2</CELL>
<CELL>4 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 16.18</CELL>
<CELL>2 9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.5</CELL>
<CELL>3 17</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 22.18.21, 22</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 23.6.9</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 23.17</CELL>
<CELL>1 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 23.18</CELL>
<CELL>2 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 29.38, 39, 40, 41</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 32.26</CELL>
<CELL>2 5</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Leviticus</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 1 &amp;, 2 &amp; 3</CELL>
<CELL>1 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.1</CELL>
<CELL>1 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 3.11</CELL>
<CELL>2 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 7.32</CELL>
<CELL>2. 13</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 18.18</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.33, 34</CELL>
<CELL>1 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 22.20</CELL>
<CELL>1 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 22.23</CELL>
<CELL>3 8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 27 32.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Numbers</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 4.37.45</CELL>
<CELL>1 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 6.21</CELL>
<CELL>2 9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 6.25</CELL>
<CELL>1 9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 14.22</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 25.7, 8</CELL>
<CELL>2 5</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Deuteronomy</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.8</CELL>
<CELL>1 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 6.1</CELL>
<CELL>4 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 6.1, 16</CELL>
<CELL><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 10.18, 19</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 15.21</CELL>
<CELL>1 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 18.10</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 21.15.</CELL>
<CELL>1 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="287">
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 24.14, 15.17</CELL>
<CELL>9. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 27.15</CELL>
<CELL>1. 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 30.2</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Judges</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 1.15</CELL>
<CELL>3. 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 7.4</CELL>
<CELL>3. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 11, 10</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.10</CELL>
<CELL>2. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">I <HI>Samuel</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 1.6.10</CELL>
<CELL>2. 13</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.30</CELL>
<CELL>2. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 3, 3</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 10.10.27</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 12.15</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 232.1</CELL>
<CELL>3. 17</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 28.24</CELL>
<CELL>4. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 31.9</CELL>
<CELL>2. 12</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">II <HI>Samuel</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 8.6</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 13.12</CELL>
<CELL>2. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 13.26</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 17.11</CELL>
<CELL>1. 8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 20.3</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 20.3, 26</CELL>
<CELL>1. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 21.7</CELL>
<CELL>3. 17</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">I <HI>Kings</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 8.33.35</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 9.26</CELL>
<CELL>1. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 11.1</CELL>
<CELL>2. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 18.45</CELL>
<CELL>3. 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.8</CELL>
<CELL>4. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.8, 10</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 21.1</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">II <HI>Kings</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 3.15</CELL>
<CELL>1. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 4.3.4.5.6</CELL>
<CELL>3. 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 5.26</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 7.2</CELL>
<CELL>3. 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 9.25</CELL>
<CELL>1. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 25, 18, 21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">I <HI>Chron.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 9.23</CELL>
<CELL>3. 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 16.38</CELL>
<CELL>1. 80</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 62.1.20</CELL>
<CELL>3. 10</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">II <HI>Chron.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 8.17</CELL>
<CELL>1. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 31.4</CELL>
<CELL>3. 8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 33.6</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 35, 15.</CELL>
<CELL>1 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 10</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Ezra.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 7.1</CELL>
<CELL>1 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Nehemiah</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 5.14</CELL>
<CELL>1 8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 13.10</CELL>
<CELL>3 8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 13.11, 12, 13</CELL>
<CELL>3 10</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>E&s;ther</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.5.</CELL>
<CELL>2 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 6.1.</CELL>
<CELL>3 16</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Job</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 2.10</CELL>
<CELL>2 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 16.19</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 19.3</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 22.23</CELL>
<CELL>3 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 29.11</CELL>
<CELL>3 12</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 29.18.</CELL>
<CELL>4 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 30.8</CELL>
<CELL>1 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 30.18</CELL>
<CELL>2 9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ch. 33.6</CELL>
<CELL>2 9</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>P&s;almes</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 1.1</CELL>
<CELL>2 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 9.5</CELL>
<CELL>2 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 10.8</CELL>
<CELL>1 13</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 17.8</CELL>
<CELL>4 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 24.5</CELL>
<CELL>4 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 35.14.</CELL>
<CELL>3 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 49.9</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 51.19</CELL>
<CELL>3 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 58.9</CELL>
<CELL>2 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 64.7</CELL>
<CELL>3 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 68.5</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 76.2</CELL>
<CELL>2 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 80.9</CELL>
<CELL>3 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 82.3</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 84.11</CELL>
<CELL>1 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 95.9</CELL>
<CELL>3 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 103.17</CELL>
<CELL>4 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 126.2, 3</CELL>
<CELL>1 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 139.9</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>P&s;alme 141.</CELL>
<CELL>1 11</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Proverbs</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 13.24</CELL>
<CELL>1 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 18.14</CELL>
<CELL>3 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 19.6, 7</CELL>
<CELL>1 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 22.23</CELL>
<CELL>3 8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 29.8</CELL>
<CELL>1 13</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.8</CELL>
<CELL>3 16</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>E&s;aiah</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.26</CELL>
<CELL>3 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 8.11</CELL>
<CELL>1 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.3</CELL>
<CELL>1 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="287">
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.9.10, 11</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 13 5</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 13.22</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 13.19, 20, 21, 22</CELL>
<CELL>1. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 21.11</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 28.1</CELL>
<CELL>3. 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 29.1</CELL>
<CELL>2. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 30.13</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 40.3</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 42.19</CELL>
<CELL>1. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 43.24</CELL>
<CELL>2. 17</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 47.8</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 47.14</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 48.10</CELL>
<CELL>3. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 57 14</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 57.19</CELL>
<CELL>1, 12</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 61.4</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 62.6</CELL>
<CELL>2. 9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 62.10</CELL>
<CELL>3 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 64.1</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 65.2</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 65.11</CELL>
<CELL>1. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 66.5</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 66.20</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 66.21</CELL>
<CELL>3. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Ieremiah</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.22</CELL>
<CELL>3. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.20</CELL>
<CELL>3. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.7</CELL>
<CELL>3. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 22.3.13</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 29.23</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 30.9</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 46.21</CELL>
<CELL>4. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 49.9.18</CELL>
<CELL>1, 13</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 49.11</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 50.11</CELL>
<CELL>4. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 51.5</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 51.52</CELL>
<CELL>2. 13</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Lament.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1 1</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.40</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 4.21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.3</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.18</CELL>
<CELL>1. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Ezekiel.</HI> 4. 5</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.22</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.3</CELL>
<CELL>1. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 25.13</CELL>
<CELL>1. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 35.3.7.15</CELL>
<CELL>1. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 41.22</CELL>
<CELL>3 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 46.18</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Daniel</HI> 1. 8</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.3, 4, 5</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.8</CELL>
<CELL>1. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 8.12</CELL>
<CELL>2. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Ho&s;ea</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 7.16</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Joel</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.4</CELL>
<CELL>3. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.17</CELL>
<CELL>3. 10</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.2</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.23</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Amos</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.27</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Obadiah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ver&s;e 3.4, 5</CELL>
<CELL>3 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ver&s;e 10.11</CELL>
<CELL>2. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Micah</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.5.11</CELL>
<CELL>3. 8</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Haggy</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.13</CELL>
<CELL>1. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.8</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Zephany</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.15</CELL>
<CELL>2. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Zachary</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.3.</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.8</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.3</CELL>
<CELL>2. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 7.10</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 11.8</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">II <HI>E&s;dras.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.40</CELL>
<CELL>1, 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Tobit</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.7.8</CELL>
<CELL>3, 8</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Matthew</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.2</CELL>
<CELL>4, 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.4</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.2</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.12</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.11</CELL>
<CELL>1. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.24</CELL>
<CELL>1. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.26</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 10.5</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 10.37</CELL>
<CELL>1. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 11.10</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 11, 14, 15</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 17.10, 11, 12.</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 17.24</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 19.11</CELL>
<CELL>2. 16</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 20</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 20.28</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 21.44</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 23.37</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2.</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="288">
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 24.27</CELL>
<CELL>4. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 26.58.74</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Marke</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.1</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.3</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 11.17</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.16, 17</CELL>
<CELL>4. 25</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.76.77, 78</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Luke.</HI> 4. 2.6</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.22</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.34</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1.5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.9.17</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 7.5</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 14.1</CELL>
<CELL>1. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 14.20</CELL>
<CELL>1. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 19.44</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Iohn</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.1</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.6</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.29</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.19</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.35.37</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.23</CELL>
<CELL>2. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 7.24</CELL>
<CELL>2. 9</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 8.16, 17, 18</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 8.56</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.22</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.39</CELL>
<CELL>4. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 20.28</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Acts</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.1</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 4.36</CELL>
<CELL>3. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.2</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 6.7</CELL>
<CELL>3. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 7.53</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 15.20</CELL>
<CELL>1. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 20.21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 21.28</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Romans</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.9</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.11, 12, 13</CELL>
<CELL>1. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.29</CELL>
<CELL>1. 4</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 10.21</CELL>
<CELL>3. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 12.1</CELL>
<CELL>3. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 15.11.16</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">I <HI>Corinth.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.5</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 9.8, 9</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 10.21</CELL>
<CELL>1. 7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 16.22</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.6</CELL>
<CELL>2. 2</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Galatians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.13</CELL>
<CELL>1 14</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.19</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.2</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>Philip.</HI> 4.18</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 2.14</CELL>
<CELL>3. 8</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">II <HI>The&s;&s;al.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.5</CELL>
<CELL>2. 15</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">I <HI>Timothy</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1 20</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.8</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 3.16</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.3</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Hebrewes</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 2.2</CELL>
<CELL>3. 1</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 10.5</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 11.5</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 13.16</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>Iames</HI> 5.4</CELL>
<CELL>3. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 5.16</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>Iude</HI> 14.</CELL>
<CELL>4. 6</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Revelation</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 1.6</CELL>
<CELL>3. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 5.8</CELL>
<CELL>1. 11</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chapter 11.3</CELL>
<CELL>4. 5</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P><HI>I &s;hall de&s;ire the Reader to mend with his pen the&s;e few <HI>Errata</HI> before he reade the <HI>Exercitation,</HI> which being &s;hort and the language of it rough, the lea&s;t error will make him mi&s;carry in the &s;en&s;e. Some other &s;maller faults he will finde, which will not hinder him.</HI></P>
<P>PAge 1. Line 22. reade, <HI>Montan.</HI> p. 2. l. 4. and l. 7. reade, <GAP DESC="foreign">. p. 8. l. 4. reade, their p. 10. l. 14. read <HI>becau&s;e</HI> p. 14. l. 14. reade, Fir&s;t, Gods. p. 15. l. 25. reade, <HI>Or as the</HI> p. 16. l. 28. reade, what they brought p. 29. l. 26 reade, <HI>Adon.</HI> p. 32. <HI>l.</HI> 2. blot out, <HI>is.</HI> p. 32. l. 42. blot out, <HI>to cleave</HI> p. 60. l. 12. reade, <HI>that</HI> p. 65. l. 28. reade, <HI>&s;halt not.</HI> p. 74. l. 4. reade, <HI>as &s;oone.</HI> p. 80. l. 36. blot out, <HI>I content to the.</HI> p. 82. l. 43. reade, <HI>The Sunne.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="index of authors">
<PB REF="288">
<P><TABLE>
<HEAD>A Catalogue of the Authori|ties here cited.</HEAD>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Malachy.</HI> Ch. Ver.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>ABarbanel, apud Buxtorfium,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Abben-Ezra,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rab. Abraham,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rab. Abraham Davidis, &s;eu, Abr. bar Dior.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Acts and Monuments of Engl. Martyrs,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chri&s;t. Adricomius, in De&s;er. Ter. S.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>H. Ain&s;worth, in Pentateuch,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Card. Allen. Apolog.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Jo. H. Al&s;tedi. The&s;aur. Chronol.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Paratitla Theolog.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Theologia Naturalis,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Theolog. Ca&s;uum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Supplem. ad Chamieri Pan&s;tr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Aluredi regis leges Eccle&s;ia&s;ticae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Sixtini Amamae, Gramm. Hebr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Anomal. Speciales,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="4">Antibarbarus Biblicus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 12</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Di&s;&s;ertatio de Keri,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>De recta lect. L. S.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Di&s;&s;ertatio de nom. Tetragr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Guil. Ame&s;ii, Anti-Bellarm.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>S. Ambro&s;ius,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Andr. Althamerus, in Tacit. Germ.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Lanc. Andrewes Bi&s;hop of Winche&s;ter his life,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Annius, de Antichri&s;to.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Aquila,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Articles of Vi&s;it.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Arator.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Arabica ver&s;io, Alex. &amp; Antiochena,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>A&s;terius, in Biblioth. Patrum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Athana&s;ius.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>S. Augu&s;tinus, pa&s;&s;im. &amp;</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>De Catechi&s;. rudibus</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>De Symbolo ad Catechum.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="289">
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>B</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>BEllarmin. Gemitus Columbae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Controver&s;.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Benjamin in Itinerario,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Bertinus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Theod. Bezae, Annotat. majores,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Bibliotheca, Vaticana, Medicea,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Benedict. Colleg. Cantabr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Billii, Nov. Te&s;t. Gr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Bizozeri, Summa Ca&s;uum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Henr. Bocerus, de Iuri&s;dictione,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Bodinus, de Republica,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Bonifacti Epi&s;c. Mogunt. Epi&s;t.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Jac. Bonfrer. In Iudic. Comment.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Onoma&s;ticon,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1 1. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Annotat. in Chorogr. Tabul.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ordo Breviarii &s;ecund. &V;&s;um Sarum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Mart. Bre&s;&s;erus, de Con&s;cientia,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Ga&s;p. Brockmond. Sy&s;tem. Theol.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Hugh Broughton, Con&s;ent of Script.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Burgen&s;is in Ho&s;eam,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Buxtorfi, Lexicon,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Comment. Ma&s;oreticus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Biblioth. Rabbinica,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>De Abbreviat. Hebr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>C</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>CAjetani, Peccatorum Summula,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Comment. in S. Luc.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Calvinus, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Cateche&s;es Cyrilli,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Cateche&s;es My&s;tagogicae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Canones, Ioh. Pecham, Archiep. Cant.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Incertae editionis, apud Spelman,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Egberti Archiep. Eboracen&s;.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Sub Edgaro rege,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Concil. Clove&s;hovien&s;is.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Canuti Regis,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="289">
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Aelfrici,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Eccle&s;. Anglicanae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Concil. Neocae&s;ar.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Concil. Calcuthen&s;.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Odonis Archiep: Cantuar:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Guil: Cantarelli Var. Quae&s;t:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">King Charles Injunctions,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chaldea Paraphra&s;is, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chri&s;toph: &aacute; Ca&s;tro, in proph:</CELL>
<CELL>2. 3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Sanct. Chry&s;o&s;tonius.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Ludov: Capell: Hi&s;tor: Apo&s;tolica,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">I&s;. Ca&s;aubon,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Capitula Incertae editionis, apud Spelman.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Canuti Regis leges Eccle&s;:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Nic: Cau&s;&s;in: Holy Court,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Dan: Chamier: Pan&s;trat:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Cae&s;arius, in Biblioth: patrum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Concilium Clove&s;hovien&s;e,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Tridentinum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Neocae&s;arien&s;e,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Quintum Generale,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Romanum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Calcuthen&s;e,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Wintonien&s;e,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Pari&s;ien&s;e,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Dordrechtanum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Con&s;titutions and Canons, An. <HI>1603.</HI></CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Ioh. Cochlaei, Speculum Antiq. Devot.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rich. Co&s;in. Tabulae polit: Eccl: Angl:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chemnitii, examen Conc. Trid.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>W. Chillingw: Relig: of Prote&s;t.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Cicero,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="4">Cyrillus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 2, 7, 12.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Cyrus prodromus, in Biblioth: patr:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>I&s;id. Clarius, in Proph:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="290">
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>D</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>PDamian: apud Choclaeum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 5, 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Davenanti Epi&s;c: Sari&s;b: Determine</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rab. David.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Delrio,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Jah. Deodat. Ital. Biblia, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Diodorus Siculus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Acta Synodi Dordrechti habitae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Dru&s;ii Lect. in Ho&s;eam,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Quae&s;t. Hebraic.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4, 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Tract. de Tetragram.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Steph: Duranti, de ritibus Eccle&s;iae.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>E</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>EAdmeri Hi&s;tor. Novorum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Edmundi regis leges,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Edwardi Senioris Leges,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Aethel&s;tani regis leges.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Edgari regis leges,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Egberti Archiep. Eborac. Excerptiones</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7, 18</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ekkchard,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Elias Levita,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Eniedeni Loc. V. &amp; N. Te&s;t. explic.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Epiphanius,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>S. Ephraem. &s;erm. de <HI>2^d^.</HI> Adven.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Era&s;mi paraph, in Evang.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Eu&s;ebius de locis Hebraicis,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Euthymius,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>F</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>ROb. F. Herrey, Table of proper names,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>For&s;teri Lexicon,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Foxi Martyrol.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>French Bible. pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Fumi Armilla aurea.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>G</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">THo. Gataker, Treat: of Lots,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Gagneius in Evang:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Galatinus, de Arcanis, &amp;c.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4, 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Geneven&s;es Theologi apud Zanchium,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Geneva Tran&s;lation. pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Gilb. Genebrardi Chronolog:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="290">
<ROW>
<CELL>Solom: Gla&s;&s;ii, Philolog: Sacra,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Tho: Goodwyn. Mo&s;. &amp; Ar:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Gratian. Decret.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 11, 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5, 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>H</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>IO&s;. Hall, Bi&s;hop of Ex. Old Religion,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Columba Noae.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Serm. at Dort.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rab. Hananus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 16</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Dan. Hein&s;ii, Ari&s;tarch. Sacer,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Exercitat. Sacrae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 2, 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 1, 2, 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chri&s;t. Hilvici Chronolog.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>S. Hieronymus, Pa&s;&s;im, &amp;, in Joelem,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1, 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>In E&s;aiam,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Epi&s;t.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>S. Hilarius,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Hi&s;toricum opus, Ba&s;il. editum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Hi&s;tor. Gallic.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Hi&s;t. of the Councell of Trent, Engli&s;h by S^t. Nathaniel Brent,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Homerus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Hottoman,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 16</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Joh. Huart. Examen: de Ingen.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Gordon. Huntlaei, Epit. Controver&s;.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Hugo Cardinalis.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 6,</HI> &amp;c.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL COLS="2"><HI>I</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">KIng James monit. preface,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Th. Iack&s;on, Triplicitie of Rom. Bla&s;phemie,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Corn. Ian&s;enius in Sirac.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Doctor Iewel Bi&s;hop of Sali&s;b. his Life,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Ion&s;toni Thaumatogr. Nat.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Fl. Io&s;eph. Antiquit. Iud.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Bell. Iudaic.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>H. I&s;aack&s;on, Saturn: Ephem. or Chronol.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>I&s;idor. Etymolog.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>S. Irenaeus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Fr. Junii, notae margin.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Parallel:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 2, 5, 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Iu&s;tiniani Imper. In&s;titutiones,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Iu&s;tin. Hi&s;tor.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Iuvenalis.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="291">
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>K</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>THo. &agrave; Kempis, de Imit. Chri&s;ti,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Conradi Kercheri Concordantiae Gr:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Knobbari viduae, Epi&s;t. ad Epi&s;c: Antuer:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>L</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>LActantius,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Arth: Lake. Bi&s;hop of B. and W. his Life.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Sermons.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Corn: &agrave; Lapide, pa&s;&s;im. &amp; Prooem. in proph:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Edw. Leigh, Treat. of Promi&s;es,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Leonard: Le&s;&s;ius de Antichri&s;to,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Lucani Phar&s;alia,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">M. Luther,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 16</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Lyranus, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Guil: Lyndwood: provinc. Con&s;tit.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>M</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>MAtth. We&s;tmona&s;t:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Maimon: Tr. de Sacrif.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 9, 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Margin of the old Engli&s;h Bible,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Of Geneva,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 2, 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Magdeburg: Centuriae,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Maiola, Dier: Canicul:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>H. Ma&s;on, of Hearing and Doing,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Martial. Epigr:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="3">Pet. Martyr: Virmill: Loc. Com:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Pet. Martyr of Milan, Decads of Ind:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Jo&s;: Meade Comment: ad Clavem Apoc:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Mena&s;&s;eh Ben I&s;rael, Conciliator,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4, 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Mercerus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Steph: Menochius, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Joh. Min&s;haei Ductor in Ling.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Mi&s;&s;ale &s;ec: u&s;um Sarum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>H. Mollerus in P&s;alm:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Arias Montanus, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Tho. Mortoni, Epi&s;c. Dunelm: Antidot: de mer:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>O</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>ODon: Archiep: Cant: Con&s;tit.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Oecumenii Enarrationes,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Offae regis Donatio, apud Spelman:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="291">
<ROW>
<CELL>Ordinarium Div: Offic. &s;ec: u&s;um Sarum,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Origen:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Lucas O&s;iander, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>P</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>PLauti Comoed:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 13</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Pagnini Ver&s;io, pa&s;&s;im. &amp; Lexicon,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>David Pareus, in Romanos,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Proleg: ad Ho&s;.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Phil. Pareus, in vita Patris,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">G. Pa&s;or: Etyma. nom. propr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Matth. Paris Hi&s;t.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Gabr. Pennotti, propugnac: hum: libert.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Bened: Pererius, in Exod.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>In Daniel.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>De Antichri&s;to,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>W. Perkins of witchcraft,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Joh. Pi&s;cator, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Pro&s;a &s;eu &s;equentiae Eccl.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Plin. Hi&s;t. Natural:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 2, 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Plutarchi Parallel.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rich. Pre&s;ton, New cov.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 18</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>R</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>DOctor Reinolds Confer. with Hart,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Reginaldi, praxis fori poenitent.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Remigius,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Quirin: Reuteri Supplem. ad Zanch. in The&s;&s;al.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Sergii Ri&s;ii Archiep. Dama&s;c. Arab. Ver&s;io,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 9</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Andr. Rivet. praelect. in Exod.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Doct. Tho. Ridley, View of Civill and Canon Law,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Fr. Ribera, pa&s;&s;im, &amp; in Obadiam,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4, 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Praelud. in min. proph.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Coel. Rhodigini, Lect. Antiq.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5, 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Herebert. Ro&s;weyd. in vita Th. &agrave; Kempis,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Sir Benjamin Ruddiard, Sp. in Parliam.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rupertus, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2">S</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>SAnchez in proph.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Scaligeri exercitationes,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Scaliger. notae apud Billianam N.T. in pre&s;&s;.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Shelford of Antichri&s;t,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Simon. Schardi Hi&s;t.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Scapulae Lexic. Gr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Scharpius de Antichri&s;to,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Valent. Schindleri Pentaglot.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1, 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 6, 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="292">
<ROW>
<CELL>Seder Olam Zuta,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Sepher Hakkabala,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Selden: de Dis Syris,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4, 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Septuag. Ver&s;io, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rich. Sibs Sermons,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 16</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Silve&s;t: Prier: Summa,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Dom. H. Spelman: Concil: Pam. Brit.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Archaeolog.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 7</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rob: Stephani The&s;aur. Ling. Lat.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Rich. Stock Comment: on Malachy, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Syriaca Ver&s;io,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>T</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>TAciti De&s;cr. Germ.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Thargum.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 4, 11, 12</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh: Tarnovii, excertation: Biblic.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 3</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Paul: Tarnonii, Comment: in Iohe</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Tertullian:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1, 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Tigurina Ver&s;io, Pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Theodoret.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Theodor: Mop&s;ve&s;tenus,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Greg: Tholo&s;ani Syntag: Iuris,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 15</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Tollet: In&s;tructio Sacerd:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Eman: Tremel. pa&s;&s;im. &amp; in Marg. ad Zach.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 6</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Tritenhem. de Orig. Franc.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>V</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>LAur. Vallae Ca&s;tigat. vulg. Lat.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Fr. Vatablus, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Vigilius Papa,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 1</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Virgil.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>1. 10</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Gerard. Vo&s;&s;ius in Serm. S. Ephr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Iac. &V;&s;her: Archiep. Armachan. Antiq. Eccl.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>4. 2</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Vulg. Lat. Ver&s;io, pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>W</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>WAlafridus Strabo de exord. Eccle.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Mich. Waltheri Harmonia S. Scr.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 16</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROWS="2">Ioh. Weem&s;e, Expo&s;it. of Mo&s;es Law,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><HI>4. 4</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Chri&s;tian Synagogue,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 8</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Degenerate &s;onnes,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Iodoc: Willichius in Taciti German:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Winckleman: Pa&s;&s;im.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Wierus, de prae&s;tig. Daemon:</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>Ioh. Wolphius in addit. ad <HI>P.</HI> Mart. in Reg.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>3. 5</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label" COLS="2"><HI>Z</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>ZAnchius in Epi&s;tol.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 11</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>De Divortio.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>2. 16</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<TRAILER>The end of the Catalogue.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="292">
<HEAD>AN EXERCITATION VPON THE PROPHESIE OF MALACHY.</HEAD>
<P>_IN the whole Booke of <HI>Malachy</HI> which &s;eemes to be but one Prophecy or Sermon, we may (without any pre|judice of others who&s;e opinions the Reader may &s;ee, in <HI>Ioh. Tarno|vius, in Mal. proleg</HI> 6.) ob&s;erve as the parts of it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The in&s;cription or the pre|face <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>Secondly, The prophecy it &s;elfe. <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 2. &amp;c. <HI>ad fin. proph.</HI></P>
<P>I. The in&s;cription or the preface. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 1. <HI>The burden of the Word of the Lord to I&s;rael by Malachy.</HI>] Which is the title or head of the whole prophecy, wherein we have,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The &s;ubject. <HI>The burden of the Word.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, The circum&s;tances of the per&s;ons.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. From whom, <HI>The Lord.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To whom, <HI>To I&s;rael.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. By whom, <HI>By Malachy.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I. The &s;ubiect, or the &s;ubiect matter of the whole booke. <HI>The burden of the Word</HI>] So our la&s;t tran&s;lation, the <HI>Geneva</HI> Engli&s;h, the <HI>Italian</HI> of <HI>Deodate</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Ilcari<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> , <HI>Mintan, Winkleman. The Prophecy</HI>] &s;o <HI>Pagnin:</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;cator. The burthen&s;ome prophecy</HI>] &s;o <HI>Tremell.</HI> The word is <GAP DESC="foreign">, the roote in Hebr. <HI>Na&s;a,</HI> &s;ignifies <HI>To lift</HI> or <HI>take up, to carry, to beare.</HI> According to which wee
<PB N="2" REF="293">have a phra&s;e in Scripture, <HI>To take up a proverb.</HI> And &s;o wher|as the <HI>Septuagint</HI> &s;ometimes renders the word, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Verbum, The word,</HI> &s;ometimes <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The Oracle</HI> or <HI>Divine an&s;wer,</HI> &s;ometimes <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The vi&s;ion,</HI> here they render it <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The a&s;&s;umption</HI> or <HI>lifting</HI> or <HI>taking up the word of the Lord.</HI> And they have expre&s;t the Originall, <HI>The lifting up of the Word again&s;t I&s;rael.</HI> Though the <HI>Greeks</HI> u&s;e the word <GAP DESC="foreign">, and e&s;pecially the <HI>Latines</HI> in another &s;en&s;e, among whom, <HI>Lemma</HI> is that word or &s;hort &s;entence, which is lifted up upon the head of the di&s;cour&s;e, to bee the title or &s;ummary argument of the re&s;t.</P>
<P>So the titles of <HI>Epigrams</HI> are called <HI>Lemmata,</HI> as in <HI>Martial. Epigr. Lib.</HI> 14.</P>
<Q><LG>
<L><HI>Lemmata &s;i quaeras cur &s;int ad&s;cripta, Docebo;</HI></L>
<L><HI>&V;t &s;i malueris, Lemmata&s;ola logas.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>If why the titles are ore-writ, you aske; I &s;ay;</L>
<L>The titles only if y'had rather reade, you may.</L>
</LG></Q>
<P>And in another place,</P>
<Q><LG>
<L><HI>Vivida componis epigrammata, Mortua ponis</HI></L>
<L><HI>Lemmata</HI>&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>The Epigramm's thou do&s;t compo&s;e are quick, but dull</L>
<L>The titles are&mdash;</L>
</LG></Q>
<P>Much unto which purpo&s;e wee u&s;ually call the <HI>Ver&s;us in|tercalaris</HI> or the foote of the ditty which ordinarily containes and repeates the chiefe &s;umme, <HI>The burden in the Song.</HI> But wee mu&s;t finde more in the u&s;e and application of the word <HI>Burden,</HI> here; the burden of the whole prophecy is a burden again&s;t and upon <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> or, the in&s;cription, title, head, or argument of this prophecy carries its &s;ignification with it, It is a burden taken up at the command of God by the Pro|phet, to bee layd upon <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> to cru&s;h them, to make them &s;en&s;ible of their &s;inne and Gods wrath. And therefore the <HI>Tigurine</HI> tran&s;lation (though it have, as the <HI>French</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">La charge contre I&s;rael.</NOTE> al&s;o hath, mi&s;taken the particle <GAP DESC="foreign"> which u&s;ually &s;ignifies <HI>Ad, To,</HI> and &s;o both our engli&s;h tran&s;lations have it, according to mo&s;t other tran&s;laturs, <HI>To I&s;rael,</HI> and never<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Schindler pentagl. <HI>in</HI> verbo <GAP DESC="foreign">,</NOTE> as I can finde, <HI>Contra Again&s;t</HI>) hath expre&s;t unto us the meaning of the Prophets phra&s;e, in rendring it, <HI>The burden again&s;t I&s;rael.</HI> And our <HI>old Engli&s;h</HI> autori&s;ed, before this <HI>la&s;t,</HI> for the <HI>Church,</HI> hath a mar|ginall note (which &s;hort notes were made before tho&s;e of <HI>Geneva</HI>) which gives us the &s;ame meaning; <HI>The Burden,</HI> that is, <HI>The grievous and threatning prophecy, layd upon them as a Bur|den.</HI> So in 2 <HI>Kin.</HI> 9.25. where the words are, <HI>Na&s;a eth ham|ma&s;&s;a,</HI> which <HI>Schindler</HI> renders, <HI>He lift up that prophecy again&s;t
<PB N="3" REF="293">him.</HI> And &s;o al&s;o <HI>Dru&s;ius lect. in Nahum.</HI> 1.1. That we have in our la&s;t tran&s;lation, <HI>The Lord layd this Burden upon him.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the circum&s;tances of the per&s;ons.</P>
<P>I. The Author, from whom; <HI>the Lord. The burden of the Word of the Lord.</HI>] There is no difficulty in the words; but for the emergent que&s;tions hence, <HI>One,</HI> that this booke is ca|nonicall, and from the Lord, I refer the Reader to the com|mentary: <HI>Another,</HI> that prophecying or divining is not na|turall, I referre to <HI>Cornel. &agrave; lapide, Canones in min. proph. Can.</HI> 21. And to a much larger di&s;cour&s;e of it, in <HI>Gabr. Pennot. Propug. hum. libert. lib.</HI> 10. <HI>cap.</HI> 78.11.</P>
<P>II. The Object. To whom. <HI>To I&s;rael</HI>] the <HI>Jewes</HI> retur|ned from the captivity, principally <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Benjamin</HI> with &s;uch of the ten Tribes as were di&s;per&s;ed among them, to which ten Tribes the name of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> did properly and &s;ole|ly belong after the &s;chi&s;me made by <HI>Ieroboam,</HI> and till the captivity; but after that, the names of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Iudah</HI> were u&s;ed alike, and chiefly if not &s;olely, for the two other Tribes of <HI>Iudea</HI> and <HI>Benjamin.</HI> An ob&s;ervation that will give light to many places. Of the name <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the diver&s;e ab&s;urd de|rivations of it among the fathers, and the true and genuine originall of it, &s;ee <HI>Sixtiu. Amama</HI> in his <HI>Antibarb. Bibl.</HI> p. 428.429. ad <HI>Gen.</HI> 32.28.</P>
<P>III. The Mini&s;ter. <MILESTONE N="3"> By whom. <HI>By Malachy,</HI> or, <HI>by the hand,</HI> or, <HI>In the hand of Malachy.</HI>] or, as the French, <HI>By the meanes</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Par le moyen de <HI>Malachie.</HI></NOTE> <HI>of Malachy.</HI> That is, by the mini&s;try of <HI>Malachy;</HI> by his mouth, the <HI>Mouth</HI> being called the <HI>Hand,</HI> by a <HI>Catachre&s;is;</HI> &s;ee <HI>Exod.</HI> 9.35. <HI>As the Lord &s;pake by the hand of Mo&s;es.</HI> (1) by his mouth. <HI>Num.</HI> 4.37.45. Accordingly the &s;pirit of prophecy in the mouth of the prophets, is called, <HI>The hand of the Lord.</HI> 2 <HI>King.</HI> 3.15. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>The hand of the Lord</HI> (which the <HI>Targum</HI> ren|ders, the &s;pirit of prophecy from the Lord.) <HI>Came upon him.</HI> E&s;a. 8.11. <HI>The Lord &s;pake to me with a &s;trong hand</HI> (or, in the &s;trength of hand) <HI>and in&s;tructed me.</HI></P>
<P><HI>By Malachy</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Tremell:</HI> reades it <HI>Maleaci. Pi&s;cator</HI> well findes fault with that, becau&s;e <HI>Caph</HI> having not a point in the belly of it, &s;ounds as <HI>Ch,</HI> and reades <HI>Maleachi,</HI> and &s;o <HI>Mon|tan.</HI> The vulgar <HI>Malachias,</HI> both our Engl. <HI>Malachy.</HI> For the &s;ignification of it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, and thence <HI>Maleach</HI> is the &s;ame that <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Angel</HI> is in the Greeke, that is, A me&s;&s;enger, or, One that is &s;ent. <HI>Min&s;hieu</HI> enterprets it, <HI>The Angel of the Lord,</HI> com|pounding it of <HI>Malach</HI> and <HI>Iah,</HI> upon a mi&s;take, and mi&s;tak|ing his author too, for hee cites <HI>I&s;idore,</HI> the place he meanes though he name it not, is, <HI>lib.</HI> 7. <HI>cap.</HI> 8. and the words there though &s;omewhat ob&s;cure, &s;eeme to mee to carry another meaning, for following the reading of the Lxx, hee gives
<PB N="4" REF="294">that &s;en&s;e of the word that they doe, not <HI>The me&s;&s;enger</HI> or <HI>Angel of the Lord,</HI> but <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>my Angel,</HI> which <HI>Etymon</HI> al&s;o <HI>Hierom</HI> gives in his Preface to <HI>Ioel,</HI> where hee derives the names of all the Prophets: and hee is followed not onely by the compo&s;er of the table of proper names to the <HI>Gene|va,</HI> and by <HI>Rob. F. Herrey</HI> the corrector and enlarger of that table printed with our authori&s;ed tran&s;lation, but our la&s;t tran&s;lators al&s;o them&s;elves have &s;o rendred the very &s;ame word into Engli&s;h, in the Text of <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 42.19. <HI>Who is deafe</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>as my me&s;&s;enger.</HI></P>
<P>But to leave this, the greate&s;t adoe is, who this <HI>Malachy</HI> &s;hould be.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Lxx (as was &s;aid) turne it, <HI>my Angel,</HI> which rea|ding as the anoients generally follow, &s;o <HI>Origen</HI> tooke thence an occa&s;ion to conceive that it was an heavenly Angel in hu|mane conver&s;ation whom God employed, and <HI>Tertullian</HI> &s;eemes to be of that opinion.</P>
<P N="2">2. But 'tis more generally received, and upon better grounds, that hee was a man. 1. Some &s;ay, &s;ome man of a|nother name, and called an Angel for his office &s;ake, and be|cau&s;e of his eminency. The <HI>Iewes,</HI> &s;ome of them thinke he was <HI>Mordecai,</HI> &s;ome that he was <HI>Zachary,</HI> &s;ome (as <HI>Deodate</HI> notes be|cau&s;e of that <HI>Hag.</HI> 1.13) that hee was <HI>Hagge;</HI> but the mo&s;t of them that hee was <HI>Ezra,</HI> according to <HI>Buxtorfius in comment: Ma&s;oretico cap.</HI> 3. who having &s;et down <HI>Elias Levita</HI> his preface in <HI>Hebr. rythine</HI> beginning, <HI>Aala Ezrahu Malachi,</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezra</HI> went up, The &s;ame is <HI>Malachy.</HI></NOTE> upon oc|ca&s;ion of that quotes <HI>R. David in Loc.</HI> affirming it to be the ge|nerall opinion. Yet &s;ee in his 10. <HI>Chap. Abarbanel</HI> and <HI>Maimony</HI> alledged, who &s;eem to be of another mind, reckoning <HI>Malachy</HI> and <HI>Ezra,</HI> as di&s;tinct men in the catalogue of the heads of the great Synagogue. But the mo&s;t are, that he was the &s;ame with <HI>Ezra,</HI> a man indeed very eminent, who though he were not high prie&s;t was next, in dignity, and of great authority both with his own and the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> of notable &s;anctity, and of that age, that hee &s;aw both temples (&s;ee the learned <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Chi|che&s;ter,</HI> now of <HI>Norwich,</HI> his <HI>Apparatus ad Orig: Eccle&s;. App.</HI> VI. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 23.) being borne to <HI>Saraiah</HI> before the captivity, as ap|peares <HI>Ezr.</HI> 7.1. compared with, 2 <HI>Ki.</HI> 25.18.21. and returned into the land about the 130. yeare of his age, about the time of this prophecy, where he dealt al&s;o in the &s;ame &s;ubject and a|gain&s;t the &s;ame corruptions, which was one argument that led the <HI>Iewes,</HI> and after them S. <HI>Hierom, Remigius, Rupertus,</HI> &amp; of late <HI>Ribera</HI> the Pontifician, and our <HI>Pet. Martyr.</HI> (<HI>Loc. Com|mun. Clau&s;.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>cap.</HI> 15. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 48.) to be of that conceit, that he was <HI>Ezra,</HI> or at lea&s;t that it is probable, as <HI>Luc O&s;iander</HI> and <HI>Dav. Par<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">us proleg <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Ho&s;.</HI> Who would &s;ee the rea&s;ons, (&s;uch as
<PB N="5" REF="294">they are) for this opinion, I referre him to the following commentary, where they are al&s;o an&s;wered. Secondly, I fol|low tho&s;e that take this name of <HI>Malachy</HI> to be the Prophets own proper name. And &s;o be&s;ides that <HI>Aben-Ezra</HI> quoted by <HI>Buxtorfius</HI> in the place recited, <HI>Athana&s;ius, Chry&s;o&s;t. Theo. Aug. Lyran. Vatabl: Montan.</HI> and <HI>Genebrard</HI> too (though hee &s;peake ob&s;curely, <HI>Chro. p.</HI> 180.4.) di&s;tingui&s;h <HI>Ezra</HI> and this Prophet; It &s;eemes al&s;o to be &s;o taken by the <HI>Apocryphall Ezra, lib.</HI> 2. <HI>c.</HI> 1. <HI>v.</HI> 40. who reckons his name among the other Prophets, and then adds the &s;ignification of it; for I a&s;&s;ent not unto <HI>Iunius</HI> his reading and his note upon the place, which the rea|der may &s;ee. After the Captivity as they brought with them from <HI>Babylon</HI> the names of Angels, not proper names (as <HI>Iacob Bonfrerius</HI> di&s;cour&s;eth it, comment. in <HI>Iudic. c.</HI> 13. <HI>v.</HI> 17. Where hee purpo&s;ely handles the que&s;tion, whe|ther Angels have any names:) but of their office, as <HI>Gabriel. Raphael, &V;riel,</HI> &s;o it is likely they might more u&s;ually call their &s;onnes <HI>Angells,</HI> that manner of language &s;eeming to bee very ordinary with them, and our Prophet oft u&s;eth it, &s;o hee calls the Prie&s;t, <HI>Cap.</HI> 2.7. and <HI>Chri&s;t, Cap.</HI> 3.1. and <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> in the &s;ame Ver&s;e. T'was his name, and I &s;uppo&s;e given him, not by the people (as <HI>Epiphanius</HI> tells us in his life,) who becau&s;e of his comely forme and holy life, called him &s;o, but by his father at his birth or cir|cumci&s;ion. It was a commendable practi&s;e of the <HI>Iewes</HI> to give their children the names of &s;uch as had formerly ex|celd in vertue, (a cu&s;tome imitated by Chri&s;tians who u&s;ed to call &s;uch children, as were borne to them upon or neare the fe&s;tivalls of any of the Apo&s;tles or others, by their names, which cu&s;tome <HI>Philip Pareus</HI> in the life of his father <HI>David Pareus,</HI> tells us was ob&s;erved in his country, and that, for that rea&s;on his Father had that name given him) or for the remembrance of &s;ome event, or for the foretelling of &s;ome thing to come to pa&s;&s;e; But however, u&s;ually they gave them names of a good &s;ignification. Which though wee are not bound to imitate, (as &s;ome doe even unto &s;uper&s;ti|tion,) but have a liberty to impo&s;e &s;uch names as are in u&s;e in our Country, though haply wee know not the &s;ignification of them; yet it hath beene al&s;o the piety of Chri&s;tian Churches, to provide that no unfitting names bee given in Bapti&s;me; among others wee have a good con&s;titution of <HI>Iohn Pecham</HI> &s;ometimes Archbi&s;hop of <HI>Can|terbury. Attendant Sacerdotes ne la&s;civa nomina quae &s;cilicet mox prolata &s;onent in la&s;civiam, imponi permittant parvulis bap|tizatis, &s;exus praecipu&egrave; foeminini, &amp; &s;i contrarium fiat, per con|firmantes epi&s;copos corrigatur. Let the Prie&s;ts &s;ee, that they
<PB N="6" REF="295">&s;uffer no wanton names which &s;ound la&s;civiou&s;ly to bee given unto infants in their Bapti&s;m, e&s;pecially to the female &s;exe, and if there bee, let the Bi&s;hops change them at their confirmation. Lyndw. provinc. lib.</HI> 3. <HI>De Bapt. cap. Circ. Sacramentum.</HI> See al&s;o the glo&s;&s;e there. But this only by the way.</P>
<P>Who the Father of <HI>Malachy</HI> was we finde not, and yet that his Father was not a prophet is not to be concluded, for that rule of latter Hebrewes, That &s;uch Prophets who&s;e Fathers are named were the &s;onnes of Prophets, and otherwi&s;e not; Is found to bee uncertaine by <HI>Burgen&s;is</HI> in <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 1. and by <HI>Franc. Ribera praelud.</HI> 4. <HI>in Expo&s;. proph.</HI> and condemned al&s;o by <HI>Ioh. Dru&s;ius, Lect. in Ho&s;.</HI> 1.1.</P>
<P>The place al&s;o of his birth is as uncertaine, &s;ave that <HI>Epiphanius</HI> and out of him <HI>Ribera, praelud.</HI> 5. tell us it was <HI>Sopha</HI> a Towne of <HI>Zabulon,</HI> A place not at all mentioned or ob&s;er|ved by <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> or S. <HI>Hierom</HI> in <HI>Bonfrerius</HI> his <HI>Onoma&s;ticon,</HI> nor by M. <HI>Iohn More</HI> in his exact map of the Land.</P>
<P>For the time of his prophecying, &s;ee the following com|mentary with which I &s;it downe in this point, unwilling to endeavour to reconcile Chronologers about the preci&s;e yeare. <HI>Ioh. Al&s;ted. in The&s;auro Chronol. Titulo.</HI> 13. places him. An. M. 3537. Our <HI>I&s;aackson</HI> in that diligent and indu&s;trious worke of his places him an hundred yeares &s;ooner, not farre from which time the Hebrewes in their <HI>Seder Olam Zuta</HI> or briefer Chronicle, tran&s;lated by <HI>Genebrard,</HI> doe pitch, &s;et|ting his death, An. M. 3404. But the <HI>Sepher hakkabala,</HI> (writ by <HI>R. Abraham Davidis,</HI> as <HI>Genebrard</HI> calls him, who al&s;o tran&s;lated &s;ome part of it, or <HI>R. Abraham bar dior,</HI> as <HI>Buxtorfius</HI> names him in <HI>Bibliotheca Rabbinica, litera</HI> P.) yet nearer to the yeare of <HI>I&s;aackson,</HI> and our commentary, about A. M. 3450. Let &s;uch as have lea&s;ure, and thinke it worth the time, &s;atisfy them&s;elves farther; to me it is plaine by the matter that he handles, that he prophecyed after the Temple was built (for he reproves their profaning of the Altar) and a little before the comming of <HI>Ezra,</HI> for he inveighed again&s;t their marrying with &s;trangers, which <HI>Ezra</HI> by his authority did remedy. <HI>Epiphanius</HI> tells us hee was borne after the cap|tivity and dyed young. As if he had beene an Angel, onely came and told his errand and pre&s;ently returned. But thus much for the in&s;cription, by way of preface, wee are next to con&s;ider the prophecie it &s;elfe, from Ver&s;. 2. to the end of the Booke.</P>
<P>II. The prophecy it &s;elfe: which containes diver&s;e con|te&s;tations with them all, both prie&s;ts and people, for many things that were ami&s;&s;e among them. But being conci&s;e and patheticall, as mo&s;t of the Prophets are, and abounding
<PB N="7" REF="295">in affection, hee intermingleth with his conte&s;tations and reproofes, &s;ometimes per&s;ua&s;ions, &s;ometimes threatnings, &s;ometimes promi&s;es: Yet (&s;aving the judgment of others who have handled this booke) I re&s;olve the whole prophe|cy into eight conte&s;tations.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, for their ingratitude and contempt of Gods wor&s;hip from <HI>cap.</HI> 1. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2. to <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>v.</HI> 10.</P>
<P>Secondly, for their unequall and unrighteous dealing with each other. <HI>Cap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 10.</P>
<P>Thirdly, for their marrying with &s;trangers and infidells. <HI>Cap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 11.12.</P>
<P>Fourthly, for their polygamy. <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 13.14, 15, 16.</P>
<P>Fifthly, for their bla&s;phemy again&s;t God, and his provi|dence from <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 17. to <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver.</HI> 7.</P>
<P>Sixthly, for their impenitence. <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver.</HI> 7.</P>
<P>Seventhly, for their Sacriledge. <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver.</HI> 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.</P>
<P>Eightly, againe for their Bla&s;phemy and Athei&s;me, from <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver,</HI> 13. to the end of the Booke.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>I.</HI> The fir&s;t Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>He conte&s;ts with the Prie&s;ts and the people, for their in|gratitude and contempt of Gods wor&s;hip; from <HI>Chap.</HI> 1. <HI>ver.</HI> 2. to <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 10. In this,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. He expo&s;tulates with them, <HI>Chap.</HI> 1. <HI>ver.</HI> 2. to the 9.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. He threatens them, <HI>ver.</HI> 9. to the end of <HI>Chap.</HI> 1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. He amplifies the former expo&s;tulations and threat|nings, <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 1. to the 10.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I. He expo&s;tulates with them.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. For their ingratitude. <HI>ver.</HI> 2. to the 6^t^h.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. For their contempt and profaning of Gods wor&s;hip <HI>ver.</HI> 6, 7, 8.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I. He expo&s;tulates with them for their ingratitude, <HI>ver.</HI> 2. unto <HI>ver.</HI> 6. They did not account of, nor &s;o much as ac|knowledge Gods love. The Prophet therefore pre&s;ents the Lord rea&s;oning with them, and convincing them of it. We have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The propo&s;ition of Gods love.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The proofe of it.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the propo&s;ition of Gods love. <HI>ver.</HI> 2. <HI>I have loved you,</HI> <MILESTONE N="2"> <HI>&s;ayth the Lord.</HI>] <HI>Tremell:</HI> reades it in the pre&s;ent, <HI>I love you.</HI> Not only as <HI>Hier:</HI> I have loved you, that is, the <HI>Iewes:</HI> while they loved me and kept my Covenant, they had te&s;timonies of my love: but according to the force of the Hebrew, who by one ten&s;e &s;ignify all, I have loved you, and doe love
<PB N="8" REF="296">you: el&s;e they might object, what is that to us that thou ha&s;t loved our fathers, and hate&s;t us?</P>
<P>Secondly, the proofe of it. Where,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. The occa&s;ion of it. There que&s;tioning with God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. Gods an&s;wer to it.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the occa&s;ion is, their que&s;tioning, and unthankfull denyall of his love. <HI>Yet yee &s;ay] Genev.</HI> And yet yee &s;ay. <HI>&V;ul.</HI> And yee have &s;ayd. <HI>Trem.</HI> &amp; <HI>Pi&s;c.</HI> And yee &s;ay. <HI>&V;atable.</HI> And yee will &s;ay. So he, becau&s;e <HI>Vau</HI> turnes the preter into the future. <HI>Chald.</HI> And if yee &s;hall &s;ay. This variety yet alters not the &s;en&s;e. <HI>Yet yee &s;ay, wherein ha&s;t thou loved us?]</HI> or do&s;t thou love us? &s;o <HI>Trem.</HI> What te&s;timony is there of thy love? It is the objection of the people, ri&s;ing partly from their o&s;citancy and forgetfulne&s;&s;e; partly from the ob&s;ervation and &s;en&s;e of their former and pre&s;ent mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>Secondly, Gods an&s;wer to their objection, by way of proofe of his love.</P>
<P N="1">1. That he cho&s;e them before <HI>E&s;au</HI> and his po&s;terity. Hee cho&s;e their family and the father of it, and preferd him be|fore <HI>E&s;au,</HI> though equall to him in other re&s;pects, being his brother, his twin-brother, yea his elder brother.</P>
<P><HI>Was not E&s;au Iacobs brother,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> <HI>&s;aith the Lord, yet I loved Iacob, and I hated E&s;au]</HI> The &s;en&s;e is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Anomaly in the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ee in Amama, <HI>Gram. l.</HI> 1. <HI>c.</HI> 10. <HI>Nu.</HI> 21.</NOTE> I have loved and cho&s;en <HI>Iacob</HI> and you his po&s;terity before <HI>E&s;au</HI> and the <HI>Idumaeans</HI> Which was true. Fir&s;t, When both the fathers of the&s;e fami|lies were in the wombe, before any de&s;ert or actuall fault. The Hi&s;tory is, <HI>Gen.</HI> 25.23. <HI>I have hated,</HI> (1) le&s;&s;e loved <HI>E&s;au, Iacob</HI> being before and above him. So <HI>Leah</HI> was &s;ayd to bee hated, <HI>Rachel</HI> being preferd before her. <HI>Gen.</HI> 29.31. And in that &s;en&s;e Chri&s;t will have us hate Father and Mother; that is, he will be preferd before them. <HI>Luke</HI> 14.20. with, <HI>Math.</HI> 10.37. See al&s;o, <HI>Deut.</HI> 21.15. <HI>Prov.</HI> 13.24. and, 19.6, 7. <HI>Math.</HI> 6.24. And be&s;ides, <HI>E&s;au</HI> is to be taken, at lea&s;t in this place, not &s;o much <HI>per&s;onally</HI> as <HI>Originally,</HI> for &s;ome thinke <HI>E&s;au</HI> him|&s;elfe did not fall away to idolatry, though the <HI>Edomites</HI> after|wards did. (<HI>Vide Apparatus ad orig. Eccl.</HI> 1. <HI>Appar. &s;ect.</HI> 24.) yet he was a prophane per&s;on, and if he remained impeni|tent, was reprobated; (&s;o <HI>Par: ad</HI> Rom. 9. Dub. 4. But how|ever it were with him, here the context &s;heweth the Lord &s;peaketh of the po&s;terities, and their whole po&s;terities, the whole border or nation; but election is of certaine per&s;ons, not, of any whole nation. Secondly, when the <HI>Iewes</HI> were preferd before the <HI>Idumeans.</HI> They had the Law of God, and his ordinances, the Temple, and Gods wor&s;hip, the mini&s;tery of the Prophets, yea and the rule and dominion over <HI>Edom.</HI> 3. And cheifely at that pre&s;ent when <HI>Malachy</HI> pro|phecyed,
<PB N="9" REF="296">when the <HI>Iewes</HI> were returned into their Country, and the <HI>Edomites</HI> left in captivity. Unto this temporall con|dition of theirs, the <HI>Geneva</HI> note applyes all, and &s;o the mea|ning of the place &s;eemes to be unto me, though the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> citing this place ri&s;es higher to treate of praede&s;tination, <HI>Ro.</HI> 9 11, 12, 13. And what u&s;e hee makes of this place to that pur|po&s;e, is more fit there to enquire, to the commentators on which I doe therefore refer the Reader.</P>
<P>Secondly, that he now &s;hewed a different dealing toward them. That whereas they were now againe in their owne land (which is onely intimated here) yet <HI>Edom</HI> was left wa&s;t and un-inhabited. And they might the rather con&s;ider this as a te&s;timony of Gods love to them, that this was done to <HI>Edom</HI> for their &s;ake; for &s;o wee finde it in <HI>Obadiah, ver.</HI> 10.11. That their unmercifulne&s;&s;e in <HI>Hieru&s;alems</HI> de&s;truction is payd home unto them. This de&s;olation of <HI>Edom,</HI> is &s;et out to bee,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Extreame. <HI>ver.</HI> 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Unrecoverable. <HI>ver.</HI> 4.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Notorious. <HI>ver.</HI> 4, 5.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">I. Extreame. <HI>I hated E&s;au, and layd his mountaines,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3"> <HI>and his heritage wa&s;t, for the Dragons of the Wilderne&s;&s;e.]</HI> It is a circumlo|cution to expre&s;&s;e <HI>that</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, that totall ruine of <HI>Edom.</HI></P>
<P>His Mountaines] (1.) The Mountaines of <HI>Seir,</HI> &s;o na|med, not of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> but of <HI>Seir</HI> the father of the <HI>Horites, as Bonfrerius</HI> argues again&s;t both <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> and S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> in his <HI>Onoma&s;ticon.</HI> A &s;tony and hilly Country, being part of <HI>Arabia Petrea,</HI> like unto <HI>Tirolis</HI> or <HI>Helvetia</HI> among the <HI>Alpes,</HI> or as our Country of <HI>Wales.</HI> So it is de&s;cribed to bee by all the Prophets that mention it, and prophecyed again&s;t it, as <HI>Ie|remy, Ezekiel, Obadiah.</HI> A large tract it is, though a barren, larger then <HI>Chri&s;tianus Adrichomius</HI> hath de&s;cribed it to bee, as <HI>Jac. Bonfrerius</HI> proves again&s;t him (<HI>Annot.</HI> 5. <HI>in Chorogr. Tabulam,</HI>) becau&s;e <HI>Elath</HI> and <HI>Ezion-gaber</HI> which are &s;eated upon the red Sea, were within it, as appeares, <HI>Deut.</HI> 2.8. 1. <HI>Kin.</HI> 9.26. 2 <HI>Cro.</HI> 8.17. To which al&s;o agrees M. <HI>Mores</HI> map. <HI>And his heritage,]</HI> The land which the po&s;terity of <HI>E&s;au</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed <HI>haereditario jure;</HI> for as God gave the <HI>Canaanites</HI> to the <HI>Iewes,</HI> &s;o hee gave the <HI>Hortons</HI> the old inhabitants of that part, into the hand of the <HI>Edomites.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Wa&s;t] Ruinous</HI> and <HI>de&s;olate.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> the word here, and <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> all &s;ignifie the &s;ame thing, and when an utter de&s;olation is to bee expre&s;t, Two of them are &s;ome|times put together, as <HI>Ezek.</HI> 35.3. <HI>O mount Seir, I will make thee</HI> (Shemama Ume&s;hamma) <HI>wa&s;tnes and de&s;olation.</HI> Or as our Engli&s;h reades it, <HI>mo&s;t de&s;olate.</HI> And <HI>ver.</HI> 7. of the &s;ame
<PB N="10" REF="297">Chapter, two more are together; <HI>I will make mount Seir,</HI> (Shimama U&s;hemama) de&s;olation and de&s;olation; Or <HI>Wa&s;tnes</HI> and <HI>Wa&s;tnes:</HI> or as ours, <HI>mo&s;t de&s;olate.</HI> And how that is wee &s;ee <HI>ver.</HI> 15. <HI>Thou &s;hall be de&s;olate O mount Seir, and all Idumaea, even all of it.</HI> That is, no place fit for men to dwell in, but as it is in the next words.</P>
<P><HI>For the dragons in the Wilderne&s;&s;e.]</HI> The <HI>French</HI> and <HI>Deodate, Expo&s;ed to Dragons.</HI> Another phra&s;e to expre&s;&s;e an utter de&s;olation u&s;uall in the Prophets <HI>Lam.</HI> 5.18. <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 13.19.20.21, 22. Which de&s;cription of the ruining of <HI>Babylon,</HI> will give light to this phra&s;e; and of which place <HI>Benjamin, In Itine|rario,</HI> ob&s;erved and relates, <HI>That that old Babylion is utterly overthrowne, in which Nebuchodono&s;ors &s;tately ruines are yet to be &s;cene, but inacce&s;&s;ible for men, became of the diver&s;e and harme|full kinds of Serpents and Dragons lurking there.</HI> And they are here called <HI>The Dragons of the Wilderne&s;&s;e,</HI> either becau&s;e where they abound they will turne a place into a Wilder|ne&s;&s;e, by driving men from their habitations; Or, becau&s;e they doe u&s;ually breed and live in &s;uch uncouth and forlorne places; or, (which wee may ob&s;erve) becau&s;e it was the Wilderne&s;&s;e of this Country of <HI>Edom,</HI> where the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were &s;tung with fiery Serpents, this Country a great part of it being Wilderne&s;&s;e and abounding naturally with Ser|pents, they &s;hould &s;warme and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the re&s;t of the land; which how great a judgement it is, wee have notably and excellently &s;et forth by <HI>Lucan:</HI> in his <HI>Phar&s;alia, lib.</HI> 9. de&s;cribing <HI>Cato's</HI> dangerous pa&s;&s;age through the <HI>Lybian</HI> De&s;art. But for this utter wa&s;tne&s;&s;e of <HI>Edom,</HI> &s;ee more in the Prophets, <HI>Iere.</HI> 49.9.13. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 25.13. <HI>Obad. ver.</HI> 3, 4, 5.</P>
<P N="2">II. Unrecoverable. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> <HI>Whereas Edom &s;ayth, Wee are impove|ri&s;hed, but wee will returne and build the de&s;olate places, Thus &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, they &s;hall build, but I will throw downe.]</HI> Their endeavours &s;hall bee vaine and to no purpo&s;e to re|paire their ruines, for I will cro&s;&s;e their de&s;ignes; and though they obtaine liberty of tho&s;e in who&s;e land they are held, to returne and re&s;tore things, yet they &s;hall not be able. A like pa&s;&s;age we have, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 9.9, 10, 11. &s;ee the place.</P>
<P><HI>Whereas Edom &s;aith]</HI> &s;o ours and <HI>Montan.</HI> Though <HI>Edom</HI> &s;ay: &s;o <HI>Genev.</HI> If <HI>Edom</HI> &s;hall &s;ay: &s;o <HI>Ragnin. Pi&s;c.</HI> and the <HI>Ital.</HI> the particle <GAP DESC="foreign"> will beare all the&s;e; and the &s;en&s;e differs not.</P>
<P><HI>Edom]</HI> a name of <HI>E&s;an</HI> which his father or &s;ome body el&s;e gave him upon his greedy de&s;ire, or mocking his intem|perance, which made him double the word through earne&s;t|ne&s;&s;e; <HI>Gen.</HI> 25.30. <HI>E&s;au &s;ayd to Iacob, feed me, I pray thee</HI> (min-haadom haadom) <HI>with that red, that red pottage; therefore
<PB N="11" REF="297">his name was called Edom.</HI> But it is here taken for the Country, or rather the inhabitants of the Country, <HI>Edomites.</HI></P>
<P>(N.B. The Rabbins (cited by <HI>Galatinus de Arcan. lib.</HI> 4. <HI>c.</HI> 28.) u&s;ually by <HI>Edom</HI> under&s;tand <HI>Rome;</HI> and &s;o render di|ver&s;e places; as <HI>Lam.</HI> 4.21. <HI>O daughter of Edom</HI> (the <HI>Thargum</HI> reades it <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Roma Impia,</HI> wicked <HI>Rome</HI>) <HI>the cup al&s;o &s;hall pa&s;&s;e thorough unto thee.</HI> They &s;ay al&s;o that <HI>Iulius Cae|&s;ar</HI> and the &s;ucceeding Emperors were originally of <HI>Edom.</HI> S. <HI>Hierome</HI> on <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 21.11. where <HI>Edom</HI> is called <HI>Duma;</HI> gives us the rea&s;on of the <HI>Iewi&s;h</HI> error, their mi&s;taking <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">, and <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">, and &s;o reade <HI>Roma</HI> for <HI>Duma.</HI> But their error hath more malice in it then meere mi&s;taking, as will appeare by their applying of all places mentioning <HI>Edom,</HI> again&s;t the Chri&s;ti|ans under the name of <HI>Romans.</HI> See <HI>Ribera in Obad. ver.</HI> 1.)</P>
<P>We are impoveri&s;hed] &s;o ours, the Gen. Chald. Pagn. Mont. Vatabl. We are de&s;troyed: &s;o Vulg. <HI>Ru&s;&s;a&s;nu, ad ex|tremam inopiam reducti,</HI> brought to extreame want. <GAP DESC="foreign"> is, <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ione de&s;titutus, exterminatus fuit;</HI> put out of all, or, as wee u&s;e to &s;ay, thru&s;t out of hou&s;e and home. Their Townes of trading, and fields yielding encrea&s;e being de|&s;troyed.</P>
<P><HI>But] vau</HI> is &s;ometimes adver&s;ative, though u&s;ually copu|lative, as <HI>Montan. &amp; Pi&s;c.</HI> doe render it here, <HI>And.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Wee will returne and build] Pi&s;cat.</HI> puts it into one word <HI>Reaedificabimus,</HI> wee will rebuild, as if <GAP DESC="foreign"> here in con|&s;truction with another <HI>verb</HI> were u&s;ed <HI>adverbially</HI> for <HI>Ru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> againe. The Lxx, <GAP DESC="foreign">. We will turne againe and build againe.</P>
<P><HI>The de&s;olate places] Vulg</HI> Tho&s;e things which were de&s;troy|ed. <HI>Hharabot, Solitudes, Wa&s;ts,</HI> &s;o the word is u&s;ed, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 61.4. <HI>A metonymie</HI> of the forme. Wa&s;ts, that is wa&s;t places. So|litudes, Solitary or de&s;olate places.</P>
<P><HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts]</HI> The Lord God of ho&s;ts. So <HI>Pi&s;cat.</HI> But <HI>Elohe, God,</HI> is not in the Text. About the name <HI>Jehova</HI> there hath beene much adoe, about the writing, pro|nouncing, and u&s;e of it. It would too much enlarge the&s;e notes, here to undertake the examination. I referre the rea|der, to,</P>
<P><HI>Mena&s;&s;eh ben I&s;rael,</HI> his <HI>Conciliator,</HI> Quae&s;t. 3. in. Exod. <HI>Dru|&s;ius, Hebr. Quae&s;t. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>qu.</HI> 56. lib. 2. qu. 68.69. lib. 3. qu. 6. a. b. but e&s;pecially <HI>lib. de Tetragr.</HI> M^r. <HI>Broughton,</HI> con&s;ent of Script. p. 1. and, <HI>ad An: mundi,</HI> 274 1.</P>
<P><HI>Beza, Annotat. Majores,</HI> in Apoc. 1.4.</P>
<P><HI>Sixtin. Amama,</HI> his <HI>Di&s;&s;ertatio de Keri,</HI> p. 26. and, <HI>De recta lectione L.</HI> 5. p. 57. but e&s;pecially his <HI>Di&s;&s;ertatio de Nom. Tetra|gram.</HI> in his <HI>Antibarb: Biblicus,</HI> at pag. 473. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<PB N="12" REF="298">
<P>M^r. <HI>Selden, De dis Syris</HI> 1. Syntagm. 2. <HI>Cap.</HI> 1. p. 110, 111.117.</P>
<P>The Lexicons of <HI>Buxtorfius,</HI> and <HI>Schindler</HI> in the word, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P>The French bibles con&s;tantly render <HI>Iehova,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">L'Eternel.</NOTE> <HI>Eternall,</HI> &s;ome|what an&s;wering the &s;ignification of the word <HI>Iehova;</HI> but M^r. <HI>Deodate</HI> in his Italian doth &s;till expre&s;&s;e it according to their u&s;uall &s;peaking, <HI>Signore,</HI> which is the &s;ame with the Spani&s;h <HI>Senor,</HI> and <HI>Don,</HI> and the Engli&s;h, <HI>Lord.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Lord of ho&s;ts]</HI> many interpreters retaine the Hebrew word in their tran&s;lation, Dominus <HI>Zebaoth:</HI> &s;o doth the Lxx mo&s;t u&s;ually, <GAP DESC="foreign">, (and the new Te&s;t. from them, as <HI>Rom.</HI> 9.29.) But in this place, and &s;o throughout this Prophecy, (which may be noted here once for all, See Conrad. Kircheri Concord. Gr.) they render it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, The Lord omnipotent. Onely the fragment of <HI>A|quila,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, and &s;o ours, Lord of ho&s;ts. <HI>Zaba</HI> is an Army or an ho&s;t &s;et in order; the plurall <HI>Zebaoth,</HI> Gen. 2.1. And the Lord is thus called, having the command, Fir&s;t, of the Angels. Secondly, of the Starres. Thirdly, of all Creatures on the earth. This is his name, as it is, <HI>Amos</HI> 5.27. <HI>Saith the Lord, who&s;e name is the God of ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P><HI>They &s;hall build, but I will de&s;troy]</HI> you are repaired, but not they; Their labour is vaine. Here the <HI>Lxx</HI> againe u&s;e <GAP DESC="foreign">, they &s;hall rebuild.</P>
<P><HI>I will de&s;troy]</HI> the Lxx, <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;ubvert. I will throw downe what they build. 1. <HI>King.</HI> 19.10. <HI>They have throwne downe thine Altars.</HI> The &s;ame word that is here. Wee have an Engli&s;h word from the French <HI>Hara&s;&s;er,</HI> of the &s;ame &s;ound with the Hebrew, and much of the &s;ame &s;ence, To hara&s;e. Thus their de&s;olation is &s;et out to bee extreame and unreco|verable, and in the la&s;t place, notorious.</P>
<P N="3">III. Notorious. It is now and &s;hall bee taken notice of to after times, that <HI>Edom</HI> your enemy is under my indignati|on. Notorious, 1. To the world, to all. 2. to you the <HI>Iewes.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, To the world. <HI>And they &s;hall call them, or, They &s;hall bee called]</HI> An imper&s;onall locution as wee &s;ay. That is, all that pa&s;&s;e &s;hall hi&s;&s;e and point at them and &s;hall call them;</P>
<P><HI>The Border of wickedne&s;&s;e, &amp; the people again&s;t whom the Lord hath indignation for ever]</HI> The calamity of <HI>Edom</HI> &s;hall goe for a proverbe. It &s;hall lo&s;e its old name among men, and carry a name of infamie, and a marke of Divine ven|geance.</P>
<P><HI>The Border of wickedne&s;&s;e]</HI> A poore cur&s;ed land layd wa&s;t for &s;inne.</P>
<P><HI>The Border]</HI> That is, the land of wickedne&s;&s;e, or, the
<PB N="13" REF="298">wicked land. <HI>French,</HI> the Country of wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;o the <HI>Ital. Contradad empiet&agrave;,</HI> the &s;treet, precinct, or Country of wickedne&s;&s;e. The border, or terme, or limit, being put for the land it &s;elfe. Or it is &s;o expre&s;t, becau&s;e men &s;hall onely come to the border or marches, and &s;tanding there and entring no farther on, &s;hall as it were point and &s;ay, <HI>Ahwicked, Ah wicked place.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the people again&s;t whom the Lord hath indignation for ever] Lxx.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, The people again&s;t whom the Lord fights. The people whom he abhorreth and de&s;pi&s;eth. For the Orig. &s;ignifies to abhorre and contemne, as well as to have indignation again&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>For ever]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> which u&s;ually is tran&s;lated, <HI>Ever,</HI> &s;ignifies a long time, or, a time who&s;e duration is hid from us: for the roote of it is <HI>Alam, to hide.</HI> Yet according to our u&s;e and &s;en&s;e of the word, It is true, that <HI>Edom</HI> though it were a peo|ple againe after this time (as appeare by <HI>Jo&s;ephus, Antiq. lib.</HI> 13. <HI>cap.</HI> 16, 17. and, <HI>Belli Judaici, lib.</HI> 6. <HI>cap.</HI> 7.) yet the Lord had indgnation again&s;t it for, ever; for, Fir&s;t, Their captivity was never revoked by any decree. Some reliques only &s;tayd in &s;ome few un-ob&s;erveable places of <HI>Idumaea,</HI> and tho&s;e few and other colonies that came in (becau&s;e the land was open) encrea&s;ed &s;omewhat, and were called <HI>Idumaeans,</HI> though they were <HI>Mi&s;tanatio.</HI> Secondly, And the&s;e al&s;o &s;uch as they were were &s;ubdued &s;hortly by <HI>Hircanus</HI> the Jewi&s;h high Prie&s;t, &amp; received (or as <HI>Ludov. Capell. Hi&s;t. Apo&s;t.</HI> p. 93. were forced to receive) circumci&s;ion, and were made <HI>Iewes.</HI> So their e&s;tate was changed for ever. Thirdly, after the <HI>Iewi&s;h</HI> warre, their very name by degrees peri&s;ht, no memory of them be|ing left in po&s;terity.</P>
<P N="2">2. Notorious al&s;o in &s;peciall to the <HI>Iewes,</HI> the Church, <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> the people of God. <HI>And your eyes &s;hall &s;ee</HI> (the Italian &s;upplies (Lo, It,) in a &s;maller character, &s;hall &s;ee it,) <HI>and yee &s;hall &s;ay, The Lord, will bee magnified from the border of I&s;rael.] French,</HI> above all that are upon the frontiers of I&s;rael. This <HI>Tremell.</HI> reades otherwi&s;e; which your eyes &s;hall &s;ee from the bor|der of I&s;rael, and yee &s;hall &s;ay, &amp;c. The <HI>Hebr. From the border,</HI> or <HI>upon,</HI> or, <HI>from upon.</HI> The border, that is, the region of I&s;rael, is oppo&s;ed to the border, or region of wickedne&s;&s;e. God had indignation at that, but here they &s;hall &s;ee that God will make his name great. Through his goodne&s;&s;e towards them; or as <HI>Ioh. Tarnovius,</HI> Hee will manife&s;t his goodne&s;&s;e from above from heaven upon their border. See <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 126.2, 3. <HI>Ioel.</HI> 2.21. The <HI>Chald:</HI> thus, <HI>Let the glory of the Lord bee mul|tiplyed, for hee hath enlarged the borders of I&s;rael.</HI> To wit, the <HI>Idumaeaus</HI> being &s;ubdued, and made <HI>Iewes</HI> by <HI>Hircanus.</HI> Or
<PB N="14" REF="299">as &s;ome, the Lord will be magnified by enlarging the <HI>Iewes</HI> borders over other nations. <HI>Pi&s;cat.</HI> &s;eemes to encline to this. (How much God enlarged their borders, &s;ee in <HI>Ribera com|ment. in Obad. ver.</HI> 19. fully) Or as <HI>O&s;iander,</HI> let the Lord be pray&s;ed who hath againe re&s;tored and made our land to flouri&s;h. Or, as others, in a yet different &s;en&s;e, the Lord will be magnified from beyond the borders of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> through the World. Thus much of their <HI>Ingratitude.</HI> In the next place,</P>
<P N="2">II. He expo&s;tulates with them for their <HI>Contempt</HI> and <HI>Pro|faning of Gods wor&s;hip;</HI> ver. 6, 7, 8. In which wee have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, Gods accu&s;ation of them. <HI>ver.</HI> 6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, the debating of the accu&s;ation. <HI>ver.</HI> 6, 7, 8.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, Gods accu&s;ation of them. 1. <HI>more tacite</HI> and imply|ed. 2 more open and expre&s;&s;ed.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> Gods accu&s;ation of them is more tacite and implyed inlaying a ground of di&s;covery of their contempt; which ground is an Axiome in nature. <HI>A Sonne honors his father, and a&s;ervant his Ma&s;ter.]</HI> A &s;onne honors, (1) loves, reverences, obeyes, and if need bee, &s;u&s;taines and relieves his Father. <HI>Hee will honour,</HI> &s;o <HI>Montan.</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;c.</HI> that is, <HI>Honorare &s;olet.</HI> Not onely the divine law, but humane rea&s;on and nature teaches him it, and hee doth it. <HI>And the &s;ervant his ma&s;ter;]</HI> Here is an <HI>Ellip&s;is</HI> of the verb, &s;upplyed by <HI>Pi&s;cator,</HI> Reveretur, Hee feares or reverences, <HI>His Ma&s;ter]</HI> the Hebr. <HI>His Ma&s;ters or Lords.</HI> So <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> is called, Gene&s;. 42.33. The Lords. <HI>And the man (Adone haarets, Domini terrae, The Lords) the Lord of the Country &s;pake unto us.</HI> A verb &s;ingular is in con&s;truction with a noune plurall. And it is ob&s;erved to bee ordinary in this word, <HI>honoris grati&acirc;,</HI> to carry with it the dignity of the per&s;on.</P>
<P>Secondly, his accu&s;ation of them is more open and ex|pre&s;&s;e;
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. In the applicatio~ of that naturall law. <HI>If then I be a Father, where is my honour?]</HI> that is, which is due to mee, you confe&s;|&s;ing mee to bee, and calling me father. <HI>And if I bee a Ma&s;ter</HI> (<HI>Adonim</HI> plurall, as before; If (as Tarnovius) it have not a farther mea~ing to &s;et out the my&s;tery of the Trinity.) Where is my feare?] <HI>my reverence,</HI> &s;o <HI>Tremel.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Morai,</HI> of <GAP DESC="foreign"> to feare and to reverence, and to venerate and wor&s;hip. But of <HI>Iare</HI> there are two nounes, <HI>Ijra</HI> which is that <HI>Ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">or</HI> by which wee religiou&s;ly wor&s;hip Gods; and <HI>Mora,</HI> that feare whereby we are in awe of one that is terrible, and that is the word here.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. The accu&s;ation is expre&s;t in the direct accu&s;ation, where,
<PB N="15" REF="299">
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, who accu&s;eth. Tis God. <HI>Where is my feare, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI> See <HI>ver.</HI> 4.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, who are accu&s;ed. The Prie&s;ts. <HI>&V;nto you oh Pri&s;ts]</HI> the <HI>Italian</HI> &s;upplies, unto you O Prie&s;ts I &s;peake. S. <HI>Hier. Theo|dor. Remig. Hugo.</HI> &amp;c. thinke all the people are reproved for neglect of God and his &s;ervice. And they are &s;o afterwards; but here 'tis more &s;pecially directed to the Prie&s;ts, Gods <HI>primo-geniti,</HI> his &s;onnes, peculiar to him, which heigthens the accu&s;ation. <HI>Chohen</HI> is a Mini&s;ter <HI>in politicis,</HI> as well as, <HI>in Sacris.</HI> 2 Sam. 20.26. <HI>Ira the Iairite was (chohen) a prince or chiefe ruler about David.</HI> See <HI>Mena&s;. ben I&s;rael Conciliator, Qu.</HI> 29. <HI>in Exod.</HI> But here the whole context is cleare for interpreting it, <HI>Prie&s;ts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, the crime they are directly charged with, <HI>you that de&s;pi&s;e my name]</HI> this is the generall head under which the particulars, after mentioned are comprehended. The Lxx, <GAP DESC="foreign">. Yee that e&s;teeme my Name at a low rate. The <HI>French, yee</HI> mi&s;pri&s;ed my Name, <HI>My Name]</HI> that is, <HI>Me, My</HI> glory or fame and Dignity. Renowned men, are called, <HI>men of name,</HI> Gene&s;. 6.4. In oppo&s;ition to which, <HI>Ba&s;e</HI> men are called, <HI>(Beli &s;hem)</HI> men of no name. <HI>Iob.</HI> 30.8. Thus God accu&s;eth them, we have next,</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="2">2. The debating of that accu&s;ation.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, they traver&s;e it. They put him to the proofe. <HI>And yee &s;ay,</HI> (or, a the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ulg.</HI> And yee have &s;ayd) <HI>wherein have we de&s;pi&s;ed thy name?]</HI> Doe wee contemne thy Name? &s;o <HI>Tremel.</HI> The <HI>Tigurine</HI> here is rather a paraphra&s;e then a tran&s;lation; In what thing have we counted thy Name vile, and is it ir|regarded by us?</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Ver&s;e."> Gods reply to convince them. <HI>ver.</HI> 7. <HI>Yee offer polluted bread upon my Altar]</HI> The Ital. Supplies it, <HI>In a&s;|much as yee offer, &amp;c.</HI> Such as offer polluted bread upon my Altar, de&s;pi&s;e my Name. But you doe &s;o. Therefore you de&s;pi&s;e my name.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>Yee offer]</HI> So <HI>Pagnin:</HI> al&s;o turn'd it, and 'tis agreeable to the mind of the place; though that of <HI>Montanus</HI> correction bee more to the letter, <HI>yee cau&s;e to come,</HI> or that of <HI>Tremel. yee bring;</HI> for &s;o the word &s;ignifies. <HI>Maggi&s;him</HI> of <HI>Naga&s;h to come neare,</HI> or, <HI>To bring.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Bread]</HI> S. <HI>Hierom, Remig. Lyr. Hugo,</HI> under&s;tand <HI>The Shew|bread,</HI> being not wheaten and unleavened, but contrary to the law, of barly, branny, and leavened, and therefore cal|led <HI>Polluted,</HI> which was brought and &s;et on the <HI>Table of Shew|bread,</HI> for that they al&s;o meane by <HI>the Altar.</HI> But <HI>Bread</HI> here &s;eemes to bee the &s;ame with the &s;acrifices mentioned <HI>ver.</HI> 8. &s;o that here is a <HI>Synechdoche, Bread,</HI> that is, the meate of the
<PB N="16" REF="300">&s;acrifices, or polluted &s;acrifices. For <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifies as well as <HI>Bread,</HI> all &s;orts of food. Therefore afterwards <HI>ver.</HI> 12. it is called, meate. So al&s;o in the other originall doth <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ig|nify, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.11. <HI>Luc.</HI> 14.1. This is al&s;o ob&s;erved by <HI>Steph. Men|ochius</HI> in his &s;hort notes. <HI>Deodate</HI> here renders it <HI>food,</HI> in his <HI>Italian,</HI> and his <HI>Margin</HI> refers to <HI>Levit.</HI> 3.11. where he &s;aith, the &s;acrifices were called, <HI>the food of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Polluted Bread,</HI> or uncleane,] the &s;acrifices are &s;o called, either being not according to the law. <HI>Levit. cap.</HI> 1. &amp;, 2. &amp;, 3. &amp; <HI>cap</HI> 22 20, &amp;c. <HI>Deut.</HI> 15.21. Or being polluted through the impiety of the offerers; Or that they brought <HI>Idolothytes</HI> for &s;acrifices, which in the new Te&s;tament, <HI>Acts</HI> 15.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. are called <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Pollutions of Idols,</HI> and that is the word of the Lxx here, <GAP DESC="foreign"> And it &s;eemes <HI>Daniel</HI> was afraid le&s;t if he had eaten of the Kings portion, he might eate of the meate prepared in the fea&s;ts of the Idols whom the King wor&s;hipped and &s;acrificed unto, and &s;o be polluted <HI>Dan.</HI> 1.8.</P>
<P><HI>&V;pon my Altar,]</HI> the Altar of burnt offerings.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the peoples an&s;wer againe. <HI>Wherein have wee pol|luted thee?]</HI></P>
<P>The Lxx, <GAP DESC="foreign">; But what&s;oever it is that wee bring or offer, yet wherein have we polluted thee?</P>
<P>Fourthly, Gods farther reply, for the proving of the a&s;|&s;umption of the la&s;t Syllogi&s;m which they denyed, and to &s;hew them how neare they touched him&s;elfe in their pro|fanenes <HI>In that yee &s;ay, The table of the Lord is contemptible.]</HI> or as the <HI>Geneva, Not to bee regarded.</HI> As if it were no matter what brought and layd upon it.</P>
<P><HI>The table of the Lord]</HI> So hee calls <HI>The Altar,</HI> becau&s;e the &s;acrifice is as it were a fea&s;t, to the Lord, and for the Prie&s;ts. And &s;o the <HI>Altar</HI> is expre&s;&s;ely called, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 41.22. <HI>The Altar was three Cubits, and hee &s;aid unto mee, This is</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>the Table that is before the Lord.</HI> And no doubt, <HI>The Lords Table</HI> may al&s;o bee called an <HI>Altar</HI> in that harmele&s;&s;e &s;en&s;e in which the fathers u&s;ed it, before <HI>Tran&s;ub&s;tantiation</HI> was hatched or thought of <HI>Ioh Al&s;ted Paratitla The ol in verbo, Propo&s;itioni|men&s;a,</HI> ob&s;erves that the Greekes u&s;e both names, but not for the &s;ame table; They have two tables, one upon, which the Bread and Wine &s;tands before the con&s;ecration which they call <GAP DESC="foreign">, and <HI>the Table</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> and another to, which the ele|ments are carried from thence, where they are al&s;o con&s;ecra|ted, and that they call <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The holy Seate,</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The Altar.</HI> But the fruitle&s;&s;e <HI>Logemachy</HI> in this point which hath beene already, hath beene but too much. The table is put for the Altar, (a <HI>metaphor</HI>) being like a Table, the Lord
<PB N="27" REF="300">being fea&s;ted at his Altar. The Metaphor is cleare, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 65.11, <HI>Yee are they that prepare a table for that troope.</HI> (1) That make an Altar and &s;acrifice to <HI>good fortune,</HI> as M^r. <HI>Selden</HI> interprets it in his learned booke, <HI>De dis Syris. Syntag.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 1. <HI>pag.</HI> 4. Such is that of the Apo&s;tle when hee calleth the <GAP DESC="foreign"> the <HI>Ara</HI> (which wee have not a fit engli&s;h word for, but wee u&s;ually though unfitly call) the Altar of Divells, <HI>The Table of Devills.</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.21.</P>
<P><HI>Ye &s;ay, The Table is contemptible]</HI> The Lxx. here have the &s;ame word againe, <GAP DESC="foreign">. But tis in the Hebr: as ours have rendred it, <HI>Contemptible.</HI> Either, 1. They &s;aw the Sacrificing to be de&s;pi&s;ed; &s;leighted through &s;uch long di&s;-u&s;e; by rea&s;on of the 70 yeares Captivity they had not recovered the fervour of former time to be &s;o frequent|ly before the Lord: or, 2. They look't &s;o ornefully on the meane building and ornaments of the Temple, for it did not an&s;wer the glory of the former hou&s;e; So <HI>Tarnovius:</HI> or, 3. Becau&s;e the <HI>Iewes</HI> were newly returned and were yet but poore, and could not bring &s;uch rich oblations, therefore the Prie&s;ts grew cold and carele&s;&s;e in attending on the altar: or, 4. Becau&s;e they &s;aw what was brought con&s;umed with fire, they thought any thing good enough for the fire, good enough to be burnt. The truth is, The low and cheape opi|nion of Gods wor&s;hip, hath ever made a greater wa&s;te upon religion, than an over-high; and there is le&s;&s;e danger (though there be danger) in &s;uper&s;tition then in profanene&s;&s;e. Hence it was that the piety of ancient Chri&s;tian times was &s;o much in their reverent demeanour in Gods hou&s;e, though other|wi&s;e their devotion had much faeculentie and dro&s;&s;e admixt. Among the many <HI>Canons</HI> to this purpo&s;e of other Churches, and our owne, every where obvious, I cannot but here in&s;ert that very devout one which fell into my ob&s;ervation at the time of the collecting of the&s;e notes, which Sir <HI>Hen. Spelman</HI> hath imparted to the world out of <HI>Bennet Colledge manu&s;cript.</HI> Non debere ad eccle&s;iam, &amp;c. <HI>We ordaine, That men come not to the Church for any other cau&s;e, then to prai&s;e God, and to doe him &s;ervice. But Contendings,</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Pleadings and matters of arbitrement.</NOTE> <HI>Tumults, and Vaine talkings, and all other like actions, let them by no meanes be &s;uffered in that holy place. For there where Gods Name is called upon, and Sacrifice of|fered unto God, and where no doubt the Angels are frequent, it is dangerous to doe or &s;ay any &s;uch thing as agrees not to that holy place. For if the Lord ca&s;t tho&s;e out of the Temple which bought or &s;old &s;uch victimes as were to be offered to him&s;elfe; how much more offended will he ca&s;t out them who pollute that place &s;et apart, for divine wor&s;hip, with vaine lea&s;ings, mirthes, and &s;uch like toyes.</HI> The place is, <HI>Inter Capitula incertae editionis, Cap,</HI> 10. <HI>In Concil.
<PB N="18" REF="301">Pam. brit. pag.</HI> 591. Where you &s;hall finde it both after the Latine and the Saxon Copy. A devout Canon of that an|cient, but well nigh mo&s;t corrupt age &s;ince Chri&s;t, if it were made as S^r. <HI>H. Spelm.</HI> &s;eemes to gue&s;&s;e by his placing it a|bout <HI>An. Dom.</HI> 1050. And indeed all ages of the Church have beene tender in this point, but ours. But what a di&s;ea&s;ed mind is it to finde fault with the &s;erving of God with com|line&s;&s;e and honor, and that it will not bee indured that wee &s;hould bee &s;plendid at our owne tables, and &s;ordid at Gods, as <HI>Bellarmin</HI> al&s;o complained even in that overdoting and &s;uper&s;titious Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bellarm. <HI>in</HI> Ge|mitu Columbae.</NOTE> of &s;ome prelats, that they would pro|vide rich wines for their owne tables, and cared not what Tap-la&s;h was &s;erved at Gods. An in&s;tance that wee may ea|&s;ilyer complaine of, then have remedied, at lea&s;t in our Country pari&s;h Churches.</P>
<P>This profanene&s;&s;e is argued to be, 1. again&s;t Gods Law. 2. again&s;t the rule of common hone&s;ty and comeline&s;&s;e, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 8.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> again&s;t Gods law. <HI>And if yee offer the blind for &s;acrifice</HI> (or, to &s;acrifice,) <HI>Is it not evill? And if yee offer the lame and &s;icke, is it not evill?</HI>] thus al&s;o the Lxx and the <HI>Chald:</HI> and <HI>Tremell:</HI> reade it by an interrogation. But <HI>Vatablus</HI> with the <HI>Tigurine</HI> on which hee noted (as Cornel. a lap. proem. in min. proph. <HI>pag.</HI> 6. affirmes, which I have not &s;eene, but onely tho&s;e notes of his which being taken from his mouth by <HI>Ber|tinus</HI> who &s;ucceeded him in his profe&s;&s;or-&s;hip at <HI>Paris,</HI> were &s;et out together with the <HI>&V;ulgar</HI> and <HI>Pagnin's</HI> ver&s;ion by <HI>Rob. Stephens,</HI> An 1556. which I note here onely by the way, and once for all) and <HI>Pagn.</HI> and <HI>Montan:</HI> the <HI>French,</HI> the <HI>Engli&s;h of Geneva,</HI> and <HI>Iohn Tarnov.</HI> (who here and u&s;ually followes <HI>Luther</HI>) they reade it affirmatively <HI>When ye offer the blind,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>It is not evill.</HI> The autori&s;ed Engl. before our la&s;t, and <HI>Pi&s;cat.</HI> &s;upply it, when yee offer the blind, (yee &s;ay) it is not evill. That is, It is well enough, though it be blind or lame. It is not evill in your opinion, who rather then you would lo&s;e any gaine, &s;ay, <HI>Melius e&s;t Il quam nil</HI> (It is <HI>Lucas O&s;ianders</HI> rime, upon this place, <HI>not mine</HI>) better that which is ill and bad then nothing at all. But the &s;en&s;e is much clearer in the in|terrogative, <HI>Is it not evill?</HI> That is, <HI>It is evill.</HI> And &s;o it is the fir&s;t argument again&s;t their profane ne&s;&s;e. See the parti|culars explicated in the commentary. The &s;econd is, that it is.</P>
<P>Secondly, Again&s;t the rule of co~mon hone&s;ty and comlines. <HI>Offer it now unto thy governor,</HI> (or as the <HI>Geneva,</HI> to thy Prince,) <HI>will hee bee plea&s;ed with it,</HI> (or as the <HI>Genev.</HI> will he be content with thee) <HI>or accept thy per&s;on, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts?</HI> that
<PB N="19" REF="301">is, he will be di&s;plea&s;ed with thee, he will not accept it at thy hand; much le&s;&s;e will I, &s;aith the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>Thy Governor</HI>] the Lxx. and the <HI>vul. Thy Captaine.</HI> The <HI>Genev.</HI> thy Prince. Tho&s;e that ruled in the time of the &s;e|cond Temple, were not called <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Kings.</HI> But <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Cap|taines</HI> or <HI>Governours,</HI> becau&s;e they were then under the power of other nations, and were not Kings or &s;upreame Princes, but had praefecture granted unto them. Such an one <HI>Nehemiah</HI> was <HI>Nch.</HI> 5.14. and <HI>Zerobabel</HI> and others, who as <HI>Deodate</HI> ob&s;erves, had their provi&s;ion of bea&s;ts and other food brought in for their u&s;e, and the maintenance of their hou&s;e by the people. To which this pre&s;ent Text &s;eemes to allude. Yet &s;uch an one, (much le&s;&s;e a King) will not bee well plea&s;ed with a &s;orry worthle&s;&s;e pre&s;ent, or a neglective &s;ervice.</P>
<P><HI>Accept thy Per&s;on</HI>] <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> and <HI>Pagn. Accept thy Countenance</HI> or <HI>face.</HI> Hebr. <HI>Thy faces,</HI> but it is to bee tran&s;lated in the &s;in|gular, for <HI>Pane</HI> the &s;ingular is out of u&s;e; and it is here taken for the per&s;on, and &s;o it is other where, as, 28 <HI>am.</HI> 17.11. <HI>Goe to battle in thine own per&s;on.</HI> Or, I coun&s;ell thee that thy face or pre&s;ence goe.</P>
<P><HI>Accept thy Face</HI>] or, will hee lift up thy face? for <GAP DESC="foreign"> here, is of <GAP DESC="foreign"> as was &s;aid upon the fir&s;t ver&s;e; but when <HI>Na&s;a</HI> is u&s;ed <HI>De facie alterius,</HI> it &s;ignifies to honor one, or, to doe &s;omewhat for his &s;ake. Will he honor thee, as great ones u&s;e to doe &s;uch as bring them pre&s;ents that they like, will he gratify thee with his favour? will he be benevolous towards thee? He will not.</P>
<P><HI>Luc. O &s;iander</HI> here takes occa&s;ion gravely to apply this pa&s;|&s;age again&s;t their &s;inne, who de&s;tinate unto Gods mini&s;try, &s;uch as are of dull wit, and of defective or blemi&s;hed bo|dies, as if any were good enough and fit enough for God. The Papacy which (as <HI>Card. Allen</HI> Apolog. <HI>cap.</HI> 6. &s;ayth) is <HI>di&s;creet|ly menaged,</HI> is wi&s;e in this point, doing as the ma&s;ter of the Eunuches under the King of <HI>Babylon,</HI> who cho&s;e out of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> &s;uch children as were without blemi&s;h, well-favo|red, wi&s;e and skilfull, and had ability in them, that they might be taught in the art and tongue of the <HI>Chaldeans. Dan.</HI> 1.3, 4, 5. Wee have this place notably applyed and enlarged by <HI>D. Reynolds</HI> in his preface to the Conference. It were to be wi&s;hed that that order which the ingenious <HI>Spaniard Huarte</HI> in his Examen <HI>de ingeniis,</HI> in the dedication to King <HI>Philip</HI> &s;peaketh of, were taken, that &s;ome men of great wi&s;edome were deputed to di&s;cover each ones propen&s;ion in his youth, and &s;o accordingly to di&s;po&s;e of them. That they be not &s;et to the &s;tudy of divinity that are fit onely for Carpenters or
<PB N="20" REF="302">Taylors. For as hee well ob&s;erves, They are &s;uch as have not a wit for Divinity that de&s;troy Chri&s;tian Religion. See his 10th. Chapter. But of this by the way. And &s;o much of Gods expo&s;tulating with them, in the next,</P>
<P>II. Hee threatnes judgements again&s;t them. <HI>ver.</HI> 9. to the end of the fir&s;t Chapter, Judgements, 1. privative <HI>ver.</HI> 9. to the 14^t^h. 2 po&s;itive, <HI>ver.</HI> 14.</P>
<P>I. Privative Judgements. 1. The rejecting of their prayers. <HI>ver.</HI> 9.2. the rejecting of their &s;acrifices. <HI>ver.</HI> 10.3. The remo|vall of his wor&s;hip. <HI>ver.</HI> 11, 12, 13.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="Ver&s;e."> he threatens, the rejecting of their prayers. <HI>ver.</HI> 9. <HI>And now I pray, be&s;eech God,</HI> (or, the Face of God) <HI>that hee will bee gracious unto us: this hath beene by your meanes;</HI> (or, from your Hand) <HI>will he regard your per&s;on, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts?</HI> Many doe take this as an whole&s;ome coun&s;ell to the Prie&s;ts, or a &s;erious advi&s;e, that they would repent, and fly to Gods Grace to avert his wrath, and to pray unto him that hee would bee reconciled. So S. <HI>Hierom.</HI> and they that u&s;ually follow him, <HI>Theodor. Rupert. Lyr. Haymo, Menochius,</HI> as al&s;o <HI>Jo. Pi&s;cat.</HI> and the <HI>Geneva</HI> note. But I encline to <HI>Montan. Juni|us, Deodate,</HI> and the authour of this following commentary, That it is an <HI>Ironie;</HI> try now I pray, be&s;eech God, &s;ee if you can prevaile; you have rea&s;on to try what you can doe, for you are they that have provoked God, but you &s;hall not be accepted.</P>
<P><HI>Be&s;eech</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign"> Weary God with your prayers. It comes of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>To bee grieved, To bee &s;icke, To bee weake,</HI> and when it is joyned with <HI>Panim,</HI> as it is here, <HI>Hhallu n&aacute; Pen&eacute;-el,</HI> It is to weary one with prayer, to deprecate. The <HI>Geneva</HI> is, <HI>Pray be|fore God,</HI>] which our commentary followes, and gives this &s;en&s;e, Pray before him in the place of his wor&s;hip. But the Hebr. is as our <HI>Margin,</HI> be&s;eech the face of God: the Face of your God, &s;o the Lxx.</P>
<P><HI>That hee will bee gracious unto us.</HI>] That he may have mercy upon us; &s;o the <HI>Gen.</HI> and <HI>Italian.</HI> It is the &s;ame phra&s;e, which is u&s;ed in that forme of prayer or ble&s;&s;ing which was orde|red for the Prie&s;ts, <HI>Num.</HI> 6.25. and haply this place alludes to that. (See <HI>Maimon:</HI> alleadged by <HI>Ain&s;w.</HI> ad loc.)</P>
<P><HI>This hath beene by your meanes</HI>] or, <HI>From your hand,</HI> &s;o <HI>Hebr. Chald. Lxx. The Tigur. and Tremell. This evill hath beene done by your meanes.</HI> So our old authori&s;ed Engli&s;h doth expre&s;&s;e it, and it &s;eemes to an&s;wer to the interpretation of S. <HI>Hierom</HI> and his followers, This hath not beene &s;o much your Fa|thers &s;inne as yours; not &s;o much the peoples as yours the Prie&s;ts, Therefore you that have angred the Lord, doe you Pray.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="302">
<P><HI>Will hee regard your per&s;ons</HI>] Wee had the &s;ame phra&s;e in the former Ver&s;e; &s;ee it there. Onely, the <HI>Vulg.</HI> taking this whole Ver&s;e for a councell, not an <HI>Ironie,</HI> reades, <HI>If by any meanes he may receive you.</HI> Others, If by any meanes hee may take his face, (1) his anger from you. And the word will beare that too, for <HI>Na&s;a,</HI> is <HI>Au&s;erre</HI> as well as <HI>&s;u&s;cipere Theodoret</HI> yet otherwi&s;e, Doe you thinke God will receive you to favour without repentance and Prayer? Others; will he regard you more then the re&s;t, will he be partiall? no, you &s;hall &s;mart al&s;o.</P>
<P>Secondly, hee threatens the rejecting of their &s;acrifices. <MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> <HI>ver.</HI> 10. <HI>Who is there even among you that would &s;hut the dores</HI> (for naught?) <HI>neither doe you kindle</HI> (fire) <HI>on my Altar for naught. I have no plea&s;ure in you &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.</HI>] <HI>Winkleman</HI> thinkes hee pa&s;&s;es here to a new reproofe, to condemne their <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;eeking di&s;hone&s;t gaine even in <HI>Minuti&s;&s;imis</HI> And &s;o it &s;eemes the compo&s;er of the &s;hort notes in our old large Eng. bibles thought, who&s;e margine hath onely this, <HI>Again&s;t all tho&s;e that follow Religion for lucres &s;ake.</HI> S^r. <HI>Cyrill,</HI> and S^r. <HI>Hierom</HI> &s;eeme to take it as a provocation of them to &s;erve God bet|ter; you doe nothing in my &s;ervice but you get by it, why then doe you neglect it? If nothing el&s;e, the reward might make you diligent. But mo&s;t take it as a rejecting of their &s;acrifices; though they goe not the &s;ame way, becau&s;e they differ in the reading of the Text. <HI>Who is there among you that would &s;hut the dores, that yee might not kindle mine Altar in vaine.</HI> So the <HI>Chald. Lxx. Theod. Vatabl.</HI> I would &s;ome body would &s;hut the doores, that they might not offer the&s;e pol|luted &s;acrifices to no purpo&s;e, <HI>Who is there that would &s;hut the dores? And kindle not fire on my Altar in vaine.</HI>] So the <HI>Geneva,</HI> and their note is, God de&s;ires they would rather &s;hut the dores then receive and burne &s;uch offrings.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> The author of the following commentary followes that; In which I mu&s;t depart from him, becau&s;e wee in our la&s;t (and the be&s;t Eng|li&s;h) tran&s;lation, reade the words otherwi&s;e as above. Wee &s;upply the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>(For naught)</HI> out of the following &s;en|tence, as <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> al&s;o doth. <HI>Who is there that would &s;hut the dores for naught?</HI> Unto which I will offer a double &s;en&s;e. 1. There are none of your that would or did &s;erve mee without recompen&s;e, and therefore being &s;o ingaged to &s;erve mee, and yet withall &s;o unthank full, I have no plea&s;ure in you or your &s;acrifices. Or, 2. Who is there even among you, any of you, (for I will even make your &s;elves the Judges:) that would &s;o farre gratifie the people, as to open the dores of the Temple, to pray for them; or to kindle the Altar,
<PB N="22" REF="303">to &s;acrifice to make atonement for them; and yet not be re|&s;pected by them, but doe all this for naught, they bringing you the refu&s;e tythes, poore meane and corrupt offerings, as good as if they brought none at all? But &s;o yee deale with mee, and de&s;pi&s;e my name, Therefore I have no plea&s;ure in you, nor will accept your offering.</P>
<P><HI>Who would &s;hut the dores</HI>] (1) of the Temple. The word is <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>The double dores.</HI> The difference betweene <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Ianua</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>o&s;tium,</HI> &s;ee in <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 19.6. <HI>Lot went out at the doore</HI> (<HI>ad o&s;tium</HI> id e&s;t, <HI>aperturam.</HI> The dore place) <HI>and &s;hut the dore</HI> (<HI>Ianuam,</HI> The opening dore) after him. The Greeke expre&s;&s;eth the difference more clearely, <HI>Lot went out</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, to the porch, (or outward dore,) And &s;hut <GAP DESC="foreign">, the dore, (the inner dore) after him. But to returne to the Text in hand, the&s;e two-leaved dores of the Temple were daily to bee opened by the Prie&s;ts of the familie of <HI>Korah,</HI> where they wayted as it were to watch their watches there. See, <HI>Cron.</HI> 16.38.26.1.2 <HI>Cron.</HI> 35.15. &amp; <HI>Henr: Mollerus</HI> in <HI>P&s;almu~</HI> 84. <HI>ver.</HI> 11.</P>
<P><HI>Neither doe yee kindle fire on my Altar</HI>] <HI>illu&s;trate my Altar;</HI> &s;o <HI>Tremell</HI> or as <HI>Montan.</HI> hath it, <HI>Cau&s;e my altar to &s;hine:</HI> which is al&s;o to the &s;en&s;e of our tran&s;lation, becau&s;e things kindled or &s;et on fire, doe &s;hine. According to that of <HI>Virgil. Collu|cent ignes</HI>&mdash;and <HI>Maenia re&s;piciens, quae jam infelicis Eli&s;ae <GAP DESC="blank" EXTENT="1 word"> Collucent flammis</HI>&mdash;The <HI>Lxx</HI> render it as we doe, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>yee kindle.</HI> The <HI>Chald.</HI> paraphra&s;e expre&s;&s;eth the mea|ning too, yee offer upon my Altar.</P>
<P><HI>I have no plea&s;ure in you</HI>] The <HI>Italian,</HI> I doe not e&s;teene you a jot.</P>
<P><HI>I will not accept an offering, &amp;c.</HI>] The word here is, <HI>Minhha</HI> of which &s;ee the next <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> in which,</P>
<P>Thirdly, he threatens the remoovall of his wor&s;hip. <HI>ver.</HI> 11, 12, 13. where we con&s;ider,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. The tran&s;lation, in the word of illation, <HI>For</HI>] <HI>Tremell.</HI> reades it, <MILESTONE N="11" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> <HI>But,</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> therefore would have it to be <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">. But we need not &s;o &s;upply the originall, in which wee have a cleare context, in which God pa&s;&s;eth from the former threatning to this, as alleadging this as a rea&s;on of the former; I will not accept their offering, for I have other people that more reverence me.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. The threatning it &s;elfe, let downe by a compari&s;on of di&s;&s;imilitude betweene the <HI>Iewes</HI> and the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> where,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The propo&s;ition, &s;he wing the <HI>Gentiles</HI> care of his wor|&s;hip. <HI>ver.</HI> 11.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The reddition, &s;hewing the <HI>Iewes</HI> neglect and profaning of it. <HI>ver.</HI> 12.13.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<PB N="23" REF="303">
<P>Fir&s;t, the propo&s;ition &s;hewing the <HI>Gentiles</HI> care of Gods Wor&s;hip, and re&s;pect unto it. <HI>ver.</HI> 11. <HI>From the ri&s;ing of the Sunne to the gowing downe of the &s;ame, my name</HI> (&s;hall be) <HI>great among the</HI> Gentiles, <HI>and in every place incen&s;e</HI> (&s;hall bee) <HI>of|fred unto mine name, and a pure offering; for my name</HI> (&s;hall bee) <HI>great among the heathen, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts</HI>] I will aboli&s;h your &s;acrifices, impure, and bounded in one narrow land, my name and my wor&s;hip &s;hall not bee confined in <HI>Iudaea,</HI> but the whole World &s;hall bee my Temple, and all Nations &s;hall wor&s;hip with pure offerings, for my name &s;hall and will be magnified among them every where.</P>
<P><HI>From the ri&s;ing of the Sunne, to the going downe</HI>] that is, e|very where, from <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> to <HI>We&s;t.</HI> And what if the&s;e <HI>We&s;terne</HI> parts of the World be particularly prophe&s;yed of, to enjoy the wor&s;hip of God after the <HI>Iewes</HI> which were in the <HI>Ea&s;t:</HI> Or, what if the&s;e <HI>I&s;lands</HI> of ours that lie in the Sea, into which the <HI>Sunne</HI> is &s;aid <HI>To goe downe,</HI> which is an expre&s;&s;ion of the old Greeke Poets, (&s;ee <HI>Ioh. Scapula</HI> in <HI>Them.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, and the Prophet here u&s;eth &s;uch a word in the other originall, when the <HI>We&s;t</HI> is called according to the vulgar conceit <HI>The Sun|&s;et,</HI> or, <HI>The &s;unnes going downe,</HI> or, <HI>Going in, introitus &s;olis.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> of <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>To lie downe</HI> or, <HI>Goe in.</HI></P>
<P><HI>My name great</HI>] the <HI>Gen.</HI> &s;upplies, <HI>IS;</HI> we &s;upply it, <HI>&s;hall be great.</HI> Gods Name what it is, we &s;aw, <HI>ver.</HI> 6.</P>
<P><HI>Shall bee great</HI>] <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Glorified.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Among the Gentiles</HI> (in the end of the ver&s;e they are cal'd, <HI>The heathen,</HI> but the &s;ame word <GAP DESC="foreign">. The <HI>Iewes</HI> the&s;elves are al&s;o ordinarly called, <HI>Gojim. E&s;a.</HI> 9.3. <HI>Thou ha&s;t multiplied the nation, Hagoi).</HI> The <HI>Thargum</HI> there, the people of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 2.3. <HI>I &s;end thee to the children of I&s;rael, to a rebellious Nation. (Gojim, Nations)</HI> called &s;o in the plurall, becau&s;e though they were but one people, they were many tribes, or, divided into many factions. But when the word is oppo|&s;ed to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> (as here) it denotes other people that are not of the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> who in the new te&s;tament are called <GAP DESC="foreign">. as <HI>Math.</HI> 10.5. <HI>Goe not into the way of the Gentiles,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Rom.</HI> 15.11. <HI>Prai&s;e the Lord all ye Gentiles.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. This word the <HI>Lxx</HI> u&s;e here, <GAP DESC="foreign">. Though this word al&s;o be u&s;ed for the <HI>Iewes,</HI> even in the new Te&s;tament <HI>Luc.</HI> 7.5. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Hee loved our Nation.</HI> That is the <HI>Iewes.</HI> But the <HI>Iewes</HI> u&s;ed the word ordinarily to &s;ignifie ano|ther people, and a people of another wor&s;hip, and to this day they u&s;e to call a <HI>Chri&s;tian, Goi,</HI> A gentile. As wee now al&s;o doe u&s;e the words, <HI>Heathen, Gentiles, Pagans,</HI> for &s;uch people as are without <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> or, are without the covenant. At in the Apo&s;tles time they ordinarily called all &s;uch as were not
<PB N="24" REF="304">of the Church (or which u&s;ed to bee called <HI>Gentiles</HI>) <GAP DESC="foreign">, Greekes; becau&s;e the greate&s;t part of the <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> Country &s;pake <HI>Greeke,</HI> and that people were the principall among the <HI>Gentiles</HI> which were knowne unto the <HI>Iewes.</HI> But the <HI>Syriacke</HI> of the new Te&s;tament in&s;tead of <HI>Grecians</HI> u&s;ually turnes it, <HI>Aramaeans.</HI> (&s;ee <HI>Tremell. Marg. ad Act.</HI> 20.21.21.28. <HI>Rom.</HI> 29.) And the difference of the <HI>Graecian</HI> and <HI>Graeci&s;t</HI> in the language of the new Te&s;tament &s;ee in <HI>Goodwyn, Mo&s;. &amp; Ar. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 3.</P>
<P><HI>And in every place incen&s;e offered</HI>] So al&s;o the <HI>Lxx. Arab. Syr. Pagn. The Tigur. Arias Mont.</HI> For <HI>Kitter</HI> and <HI>Ktora.</HI> &amp; <HI>Ktoreth,</HI> and the word that is here <HI>Muktar</HI> doe all &s;ignifie <HI>Incen&s;e</HI> or <HI>Per|fume.</HI> It is &s;poken in the language of the <HI>Leviticall Law</HI> (which is ordinary with the Prophets) to &s;et out the &s;pirituall wor|&s;hip of God under the time of the Go&s;pell. Yea under the Law it &s;elfe, Prayer was re&s;embled by the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> unto <HI>In|cen&s;e,</HI> P&s;al. 14.1.2. And the &s;ame re&s;emblance is u&s;ed in the new Te&s;tament, <HI>Apoc. cap.</HI> 5.8.</P>
<P><HI>Offered</HI>] and &s;o the <HI>Lxx, Pagn. Tigur.</HI> Put] &s;o the <HI>Syr.</HI> the <HI>Arab.</HI> of <HI>Antioch, Made</HI>] but the other <HI>Arab.</HI> reades it, <HI>Brought.</HI>] All agreeable both to the &s;ignification of the word <HI>Mugga&s;h</HI> of <HI>Naga&s;h, To drawe neare,</HI> Or, <HI>To come neare;</HI> (that which is <HI>offred</HI> it <HI>Drawes neare</HI> unto God,) and to the u&s;e of <HI>Incen|&s;ing.</HI> Onely the <HI>&V;ulg. Lat.</HI> tran&s;lates it <HI>Sacrificed,</HI> but impro|perly: Yet the popi&s;h interpreters make u&s;e of that tran&s;la|tion for their purpo&s;e in the interpreting of the next words, of the <HI>Sacrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e,</HI> though without rea&s;on, as wee &s;hall &s;ee.</P>
<P><HI>And a pure Offering</HI>] This I &s;ay, the <HI>Pontificians</HI> interpret of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;e,</HI> for &s;ay they, the word here <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Minhha,</HI> &s;igni|fies &s;pecially that offering of fine flower, <HI>Levit.</HI> 2.1. which was (&s;ay they) a type of the <HI>Euchari&s;t.</HI> But, I <HI>Mincha</HI> doth not alwayes &s;ignify a &s;acrifice, as wee &s;hall &s;ee afterwards; And. 2. The words of the Prophet cannot <GAP DESC="foreign">, literally bee under&s;tood of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;e,</HI> for the popi&s;h Prie&s;ts doe not offer <HI>Fine flower,</HI> and <HI>oyle,</HI> and <HI>frankincen&s;e,</HI> which goe all to the making of this <HI>Mincha;</HI> of which &s;ee the place. <HI>Levit.</HI> 2.1.2. and <HI>Maimon.</HI> Tr. de Sacrif. <HI>cap.</HI> 13. &s;. 5. And for farther an|&s;wer to this interpretation, &s;ee the following commentary, fully: together with <HI>Chemnit. Examen.</HI> parte, 2^a, <HI>lib.</HI> 6. <HI>de Mi&s;&s;a,</HI> arg. 8.</P>
<P>There are diver&s;e other interpretations. The roote of this Hebr. word, is <HI>Manahh</HI> an <HI>Arabique</HI> verbe &s;ignifying, <HI>To give;</HI> and <HI>Minhha</HI> is any &s;olemne gift or pre&s;ent. To man; as Gene&s;. 32.13. <HI>Iacob</HI> tooke <HI>(Mincha) a pre&s;ent for E&s;au.</HI> So, Gene&s;. 43.11.1. <HI>Sum.</HI> 10.27. and, 2 <HI>Sam:</HI> 8.6. <HI>The Syrians became
<PB N="25" REF="304">&s;ervants to David, &amp; brought gifts.</HI> He. <HI>Mincha.</HI> gr. <GAP DESC="foreign">. But e&s;pecially it is a pre&s;ent or gift to God, w^c^h when it is of cattel it is called <HI>Korban;</HI> and when of things inanimate, as flower, cakes, wafers, &amp;c. it is called <HI>Mincha.</HI> So, <HI>Gen.</HI> 4:3. <HI>Cain brought of the fruite of the ground (Mincha) an offring to the Lord.</HI> But mo&s;t &s;trictly it &s;ignified tho&s;e particular kindes of <HI>meate of|ferings,</HI> mentioned, <HI>Lev.</HI> 2. There were five kinds of the~ in that Chapter; and among them that of <HI>fine flower</HI> which was to be offred every morning and evening. <HI>Exod.</HI> 29.38.39.40.41. This <HI>Mincha</HI> was primarily a figure of <HI>Chri&s;ts Oblation,</HI> who gave him&s;elfe for an offering to God for us. <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.2. So Heb. 10.5. &amp;c. The Apo&s;tle openeth the 40^t^h <HI>P&s;alme.</HI> A type of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but not of the <HI>Euchari&s;t.</HI> Secondly, it figured the per|&s;ons of Chri&s;tians, who through <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> are &s;anctifyed to bee pure <HI>Oblations</HI> to God. Prophecyed of, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 66.20. <HI>The Gen|tiles &s;hall bee brought for an offring, (Mincha) to the Lord.</HI> To which place, or rather to this of the Prophet <HI>Malachy,</HI> the Apo&s;tle &s;eemes to allude, <HI>Rom.</HI> 15.16. where hee calls the convrt&s;ion of the Gentiles through the Go&s;pell, <HI>An oblati|on,</HI> or <HI>offering,</HI> or <HI>Sacrificing of the Gentiles unto God:</HI> in which re&s;pect al&s;o hee calls his preaching a <HI>Sacrifice:</HI> as <HI>Era&s;mus</HI> reades it al&s;o, <HI>Sacrificans</HI> Evangelium. Though the <HI>phra&s;e</HI> be ob&s;cure. <HI>Hugo's</HI> interpretation here was of the <HI>Pro&s;elytes,</HI> who &s;hould be an offring to the Lord to the Temple <HI>Ex om|ni loco, from every place.</HI> But it is not &s;o in the Text, but, <HI>In every place.</HI> And this &s;en&s;e agrees better with the conver&s;i|on of us the <HI>Gentiles.</HI> Thirdly, it figured the fruites of grace and good works, particularly, <HI>Prayer.</HI> The <HI>Iewi&s;h</HI> interpeters &s;ay, this pure offering is meant of the prayers of the holy <HI>Iewes</HI> every were di&s;per&s;t. So the <HI>Chalde paraphra&s;e, I will re|ceive your prayers, and it &s;hall bee like a pure offering before mee.</HI> But the place &s;peakes of the <HI>Gentiles.</HI> Therefore it is that <HI>Tertullian</HI> occa&s;ionally, and <HI>Vatabl.</HI> and <HI>Calvin ad Loc.</HI> un|der&s;tand it of Chri&s;tians their performing of wor&s;hip to God in the dueties of holine&s;&s;e and love. Hence, dueties of <HI>love</HI> are called <HI>Sacrifices, Hebr.</HI> 13.16. <HI>Philip.</HI> 4.18. but chiefely the duties of <HI>Holine&s;&s;e,</HI> pray&s;es of, and prayers unto God; when <HI>Every where there is a lifting up of pure hands to the Lord.</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.8. And it is ob&s;ervable that the time of the <HI>Mincha</HI> which was dayly, morning and evening, was the time of <HI>Set prayer</HI> among the <HI>Jewes.</HI> Dan. 9.21. <HI>While I was &s;peaking in prayer, Gabriel touched me, about the time of the evening oblation. (Mincha).</HI> This is that which the <HI>Rabbins</HI> call, <HI>Tephilla Min|cha, The prayer of the evening Sacrifice.</HI> Which was about Three of the Clock in the afternoone; called in Scripture according to the <HI>Iewes</HI> reckoning of the time, <HI>The ninth
<PB N="26" REF="305">houre,</HI> which is &s;ayd to bee, <HI>Acts</HI> 3.1. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>The houre of Prayer.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the other part of the compari&s;on, or reddition, &s;hewes on the Contrary the <HI>Jewes</HI> neglect, and profaning of that wor&s;hip, which the <HI>Gentiles</HI> would &s;o reverently enter|taine. <HI>ver.</HI> 12.13. This is &s;et downe,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. Generally. <MILESTONE N="12" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> <HI>ver.</HI> 12. <HI>But yee have profaned it</HI>) But yee Prie&s;ts and others, that have rea&s;on to entertaine and reverence my name and wor&s;hip, yee have polluted it. Lxx, <GAP DESC="foreign">. Yee have di&s;honored it. And &s;o <HI>Pagn.</HI> The <HI>Geneva,</HI> and <HI>Deodates</HI> margin.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. Particularly. 1. In their thoughts. 2. in their words, and 3. In their deeds.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in their thoughts, or ba&s;e conceit: for it is not &s;o like|ly that they uttered it in words. <HI>In that yee &s;ay, The Table of the Lord is polluted, and the fruite thereof, even his meate is con|temptible.</HI>] They had a ba&s;e conceit and prophane, of Gods Altar, and the Sacrifices.</P>
<P><HI>The Table</HI>] that is, the Altar. See before, <HI>ver.</HI> 7.</P>
<P><HI>And the fruite thereof, even his meate</HI>] our old autori&s;ed Eng. hath it, <HI>The fruite,</HI> and in the margin, <HI>Or, the word,</HI> It is true that <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>fructus, fruit,</HI> is by a metaphor transferred to <HI>&s;peech</HI> which is the <HI>fruite</HI> of the tongue, as <HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 57.19. <HI>I create</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>the fruite of the lippe.</HI> Where the <HI>Targum</HI> is <HI>Mamlal,</HI> and the <HI>Lxx</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, and the &s;en&s;e &s;eemes to bee &s;o, I create &s;peech, or the word of the lippes. But here it is in its proper &s;ignification, the fruite. The <HI>Septuagint.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. Which the <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> followes, <HI>That which is put upon it, with the fire that doth con|&s;ume it.</HI> So the <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> mi&s;taking the originall word, as if it were <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Comedens illum,</HI> but the word is <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Cibus ejus,</HI> His meate. The <HI>Chald. The Table of the Lord is de&s;pi&s;ed, and the gifts thereof.</HI> The <HI>Tigur. The provi&s;ion thereof is vile,</HI> becau&s;e as <HI>Vatabl.</HI> notes, the fat and entrailes that were offered were vile. S. <HI>Hier.</HI> otherwi&s;e, <HI>The fruite,</HI> that is, the fire, <HI>and the meate of the fire,</HI> that is, the victime or &s;acrifice. I rather take it as our tran&s;lation hath expre&s;t it, for two nounes put ab|&s;olutely, or as wee &s;ay, <HI>per appo&s;itionem,</HI> Both the Altar and the fruite, even the meate upon it, were de&s;pi&s;ed by them. <HI>The revenne, The Income of it,</HI> &s;o the <HI>Italian</HI> in the Text; Or, <HI>the fruite,</HI> &s;o in the margin.</P>
<P>Secondly in their words. <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> <HI>ver.</HI> 13. <HI>Yee &s;aid al&s;o, Behold what a wearine&s;&s;e is it</HI>] Be&s;ides what conceit yee have cheri&s;hed, yee have al&s;o uttered enough to di&s;cover your hypocri&s;ie and profanene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Behold what a wearines is it</HI>] or, as the <HI>Geneva, It is a weari|ne&s;&s;e.</HI> The <HI>&V;nlg. Behold, this out of our labour.</HI> Somewhat like
<PB N="27" REF="305">to that of the <HI>Lxx, Behold, the&s;e out of our affliction.</HI> We are re|turned poore, &amp; this is as much as our labour or poverty can allow. But it is not <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>De labore, of labour;</HI> but as <HI>Pagn.</HI> and <HI>Vatabl. ob&s;erve,</HI> and as it is in our be&s;t copies <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Matlaa,</HI> either there is a double <HI>Heemanticke</HI> (as they call it) or, it is two words, as <HI>Bab. Abr.</HI> would have it read, <GAP DESC="foreign">, and &s;o al&s;o <HI>Sixt. Amama</HI> ad loc. in his <HI>Anomal. Special. Quis Labor.</HI> Oh, how I am weary! How I pant in bringing it, it is &s;o fat and heavy! or, how are we tyred and &s;pent in Gods &s;ervice! This I take to bee the &s;en&s;e. There are other interpretati|ons, as that of <HI>Winkleman,</HI> the bea&s;t is not faulty, but onely it is weary. The Prie&s;ts &s;o hypocritically excu&s;ing them|&s;elves, in taking any offering that came to hand. Or, as &s;ome others, who al&s;o make the&s;e the words of the Prie&s;t, &s;ome one of them taking up the &s;houlder or the brea&s;t of &s;ome carrion &s;heepe, &s;aying, See what we have for our labour, what a wearine&s;&s;e is it to &s;erve &s;o fruitele&s;ly. But I re&s;t in the &s;en&s;e before.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in their deeds, expre&s;&s;ed,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. More darkely.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. More clearely.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, more darkly. <HI>And yee have &s;nnffed at it.</HI> Or, <HI>Whereas yee might have blowen it away</HI>] your very cariage hath expre&s;t your hypocri&s;ie, and pride, and contempt.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Huntly the Scotti&s;h Ie&s;uite</HI> contends from <HI>Galatinus</HI> that for <GAP DESC="foreign"> was formerly reade <GAP DESC="foreign">. For the vindication of the uncorrupted reading of which place, See <HI>Solom: Gla&s;&s;ius, Philol. &s;acr. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>Tr.</HI> 1 <HI>pag.</HI> 50.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have &s;nuffed at it</HI>] <HI>Behold what a labour, and yee throwe it down.</HI> So, <HI>Pagnin.</HI> As if they would take breath, pretending to be weary in the carying of it, being &s;o fat and weighty. Yee &s;ay, Oh how weary! becau&s;e the bea&s;t is fat and heavy, whereas ye might have blown it away being &s;o thin &amp; light. So <HI>Tremell.</HI> expre&s;&s;eth it, and <HI>Iohn Tarnovius.</HI> Or, It is worthy to be blowen away; &s;o <HI>Hier. Remig. Lyr.</HI> you pant as if it were weighty, but I blow it away with &s;corne. So al&s;o <HI>Hier:</HI> and <HI>Theodoret.</HI> The <HI>Septuag. in editione Romana</HI> reade it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>I have blowen it away.</HI> But <HI>Cornel. A lap.</HI> tells us that in the e|dition of the <HI>Lxx in Bibliis Regiis</HI> (which I had not,) <HI>yee have puffed or blowne, Ioh. Winkleman</HI> gives a &s;ingular &s;en&s;e, That the Prie&s;ts by a kinde of writhing of their mouthes, and drawing in their breath, would though in a &s;cornefull way, extenuate &amp; le&s;&s;en their fault, in receiving corrupt offerings, <HI>Why? The bea&s;t is not faulty, but only weary, Is this &s;uch a matter? As if for&s;ooth,</HI> &amp;c. I rather will propound this &s;en&s;e; you blow and pant as if tyred, and thinke all too weari&s;ome, and
<PB N="28" REF="306">&s;nuffe and &s;hew di&s;like at it. <HI>Snuffing</HI> or <HI>Puffing</HI> with the breath being a &s;igne of di&s;like and contempt, and pride. So the &s;ouldier in <HI>Plautus.</HI>&mdash;<HI>Quojus tu legiones difflavi&s;ti. Qua&s;i ventus folia ant peniculum tectorium</HI> So God &s;hewes his con|tempt of his enemies, P&s;al. 10.5. <HI>As for all his enemies he puffeth at them.</HI> So Prov. 29.8. <HI>Scornefull men bring a City into a &s;nare.</HI> or, <HI>Set a City on fire.</HI> That is, with their breath. Or, <HI>Difflant ciuitatem.</HI> As <HI>Dru&s;ius</HI> renders it, <HI>Hebraic Quae&s;t. lib.</HI> 3. <HI>qu.</HI> 22.</P>
<P>Secondly, more expre&s;&s;ely. <HI>And yee brought that which was torne, and the lame, and the &s;icke, Thus yee brought an of|fering: &s;hould I accept this at your hand, &s;aith the Lord?</HI> yee cared not what you brought or offered. Thus yee brought (<HI>Mincha,</HI> ob&s;erve that that word is u&s;ed here too, as well as <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> 11. where the Papi&s;ts &s;o much contend for it) an offering indeed, &s;uch as it is, but &s;uch as I cannot, nor will ac|cept.</P>
<P><HI>That which was torne</HI>] That which you got by rapine and oppre&s;&s;ion; &s;o the <HI>Vulg.</HI> Yee &s;ay, yee afford it out of your labour, but yee lie, It is what you &s;teale, and of that too, not of the be&s;t. So that here are three &s;innes di&s;covered to|gether, <HI>Rapine, Irreligion,</HI> and <HI>lying</HI> And thus S. <HI>Hier. Remi|gius,</HI> and <HI>Lyran.</HI> under&s;tand it. <HI>That which was rent and torne:</HI> &s;o <HI>Tremct.</HI> and therefore <HI>Calvin</HI> under&s;tood it, that they brought &s;heepe that were worried. But they brought the bea&s;ts alwaies alive, therefore the former expo&s;ition is recei|ved by mo&s;t, That which you &s;natcht away by oppre&s;&s;ion. But how doth this agree with the de&s;cription of the offering in the next words, lame and &s;ick? I therefore encline to <HI>Cal|vin,</HI> and it might be wcorried and torne, and yet alive. <HI>Deo|date</HI> in his <HI>Italian</HI> gives both &s;en&s;es, and leaves it to the readers choyce. Thus much of the threatning of judge|ments privative: we have in the next,</P>
<P>II. A po&s;itive judgement threatned. <HI>ver.</HI> 14. where,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="14" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> the judgement threatned. A cur&s;e. <HI>But cur&s;ed be the de|ceiver</HI>] Cur&s;ed with cur&s;es temporall, &s;pirituall, and eter|nall. <HI>Lxx.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Fore &s;poken</HI> or execrated. The ordinary word of the Lxx, <HI>Dent.</HI> 27.15, &amp;c. And of the new Te&s;tament as <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.13.</P>
<P>Secondly, the &s;inne. 1. generally 2. in particular.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Generally &s;et down. <HI>The deceiver</HI>] deceitfull again&s;t the faith of Religion, and again&s;t ordinary ju&s;tice. <HI>Tremel.</HI> calls him <HI>Machinator.</HI> Hee that can devi&s;e wayes of deceite covertly. The crafty deceiver. The Lxx, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Who was able.</HI> Taking the word in the Text, <HI>Nochel</HI> to come of <HI>Iachal potuit,</HI> whereas it is of <HI>Nachal, To deale perfidion&s;ly.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, in particular. <HI>Which hath in his flock a male and
<PB N="29" REF="306">voweth and &s;acrifieeth to the Lord a corrupt thing</HI>] That hath better (for if hee had not ability, God would not require at his hands, but hee &s;hould bee more blameles) and yet thinks the wor&s;t good enough for God. Hee mu&s;t have a flocke, and a male in it, (that is, a &s;acrifice fit perfect and without blemi&s;h according to the law;) or el&s;e God doth not require or &s;o &s;trictly expect from him.</P>
<P><HI>And voweth and &s;acrificeth to the Lord, A corrupt thing</HI>] that is, that voweth a perfect or &s;ound thing (for they were by the law to vow, <HI>Levit.</HI> 22.23. Males and perfect,) but comes &s;hort of his vow and &s;acrificeth a corrupt, not an&s;werable either to the purpo&s;e of his vow, or to the law. There was no man that would vow a corrupt thing, though through fraud hee &s;acrificed or offer'd &s;uch a one. Therefore the <HI>Greekes</HI> have expre&s;t this &s;en&s;e, cur&s;ed bee the deceiver that hath a male, and <HI>his vow being upon him,</HI> &s;acrificeth a corrupt thing. And accordingly the <HI>&V;ulg. Lat.</HI> That <HI>making a vow,</HI> &s;a|crificeth a weake thing.</P>
<P><HI>A corrupt thing</HI>] <HI>Vulg.</HI> a weake. <HI>Pagn.</HI> a&s;potted or blemi&s;h|ed. The <HI>Tigur.</HI> a faulty. The <HI>Hebr.</HI> word, <HI>Ma&s;chat</HI> is weakened, guelded, maimed, corrupt.</P>
<P><HI>To the Lord</HI>] <HI>Hebr. Adonai.</HI> This is the fir&s;t time in this Prophet, that God is directly named by any other name then <HI>Iehovah. Adon</HI> is a Lord who as a foundation or a columne &s;u&s;taines his people; and it is applyed to God who is the Lord of the whole earth, who is called <HI>Adam,</HI> Exod, 23.17. <HI>All thy males &s;hall appeare before (Haadon) the Lord God.</HI> But of this appellative there is formed a proper name or epithete of God, <HI>Adonai</HI> with <HI>Cametz,</HI> having the &s;ame points with <HI>Iehovah.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, the rea&s;on, both why the <HI>deceiver</HI> is <HI>cur&s;ed,</HI> and to a&s;&s;ure him he &s;hall be &s;o. <HI>For I am a great King, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, and my name is dreadfull among the heathen</HI>] The <HI>Italian, For a&s;much as I am a great King.</HI> The &s;en&s;e is, It will not &s;tand with my glory, to &s;uffer my people to profane and de&s;pi&s;e that name which the Heathen magnifie, and feare.</P>
<P><HI>Dreadfull</HI>] <HI>Arias</HI> and the <HI>Genev. Terrible.</HI> The <HI>&V;ulg. hor|rible. Tremell. Reverend.</HI> The <HI>Chald. Potent.</HI> Onely the <HI>Lxx</HI> render it <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Illu&s;trious,</HI> as if the word here <GAP DESC="foreign"> were of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>To &s;ee.</HI> but it comes of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>To bee afraid.</HI> And this ver&s;e &s;eemes to refer to the &s;ixth, <HI>If I bee a ma&s;ter, where is my feare?</HI> The very Heathen acknowledge mee to bee &s;o, by their dread and feare of my Name. Thus having ex|po&s;tulated with them and threatned them for their ingrati|tude and contempt, in the next place, in the former part of the next Chapter;</P>
<PB N="30" REF="307">
<P>III. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> He amplifies the former expo&s;tulation and threat|nings. <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>ver.</HI> 1. to the 10^t^h. where,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, to whom he chiefely applies his &s;peech. <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> 1. <HI>And now O yee Prie&s;ts, this Commandement is for you</HI>] The <HI>French, Is addre&s;&s;ed unto you.</HI> And &s;o <HI>Deodates Ital.</HI> al&s;o &s;upplies it. Hee here returnes his &s;peech to the Prie&s;ts who&s;e avarice and profanene&s;&s;e had beene the fountaine of much other e|vill and profanenes among the people. <HI>Cur&s;ed be the deceaver</HI> who ever he be, But to you O Prie&s;ts it is principally to bee applyed. My name is dreadfull even among the heathen; If it be profaned by you that are neare me in attendance and &s;ervice, the cur&s;e is chiefely again&s;t you.</P>
<P><HI>And now</HI>] or as <HI>Tremell. Now therefore.</HI> Their objection is prevented; all that hath been &s;aid, touches the people, not us. Yes,</P>
<P><HI>This Commandement is for you</HI>] or, as <HI>Montan. To you.</HI> This Commandement, this increpation, this intimation of my mind is for you. Or, this Commandement is for you; that is, of you I principally required and expected to be honored at my Altar, in my &s;acrifices.</P>
<P>Secondly, the matter of the &s;peech, mixt of conte&s;tations and threatnings, or, a conditionall threatning of many judg|ments unles they repented. We will con&s;ider,</P>
<P N="1">1. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> The conditions of exemption from his judgements. <HI>If you will not heare, and if you will not lay it to heart, To give glory to my name, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI>] Here are three conditi|ons of exemption. To heare God. To lay his Commande|ment or their duety to heart. To give glory to Gods name. The Summe of them is repentance.</P>
<P><HI>Lay to heart</HI>] The phra&s;e is u&s;uall and frequent. The <HI>Geneva, Con&s;ider it in your heart. Chald. paraphra&s;e;</HI> unles yee put my feare upon your heart.</P>
<P><HI>Lay it</HI>] what? my precepts; &s;o <HI>Vatabl.</HI> your duety, &s;o <HI>Tremell.</HI> my glory, &s;o others.</P>
<P N="2">2. The things that are threatned,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. Set down more largely, <HI>ver.</HI> 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. Repeated againe with more brevity. <HI>ver.</HI> 9.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. Set down more largely.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In generall. ver&s;e 2.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In particular, ver&s;. 3.4.5.6.7.8.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. In generall. <HI>I will even &s;end a cur&s;e upo~ you,</HI>] The <HI>vulg. I will even &s;end want upon you.</HI> And they tran&s;late it &s;o, becau&s;e that cur&s;e was u&s;uall to the <HI>Iewes,</HI> &amp; now being &s;o lately returned and as yet not very warme in their ne&s;ts, would be the greater cur&s;e and becau&s;e it would &s;uit with their covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e. To &s;ay a little more for the <HI>Vulgar Lat.</HI> in the rendring of this
<PB N="31" REF="307">place, It is a &s;aying of the ancient <HI>Hebrews,</HI> That, <HI>All benedicti|ons, are Amplifications, and all Cur&s;es are Diminutions.</HI> Which <HI>Dan. Hein&s;ius,</HI> hath ob&s;erved upon <GAP DESC="foreign">, in the text of Ioh. 6.22. in his <HI>Ari&s;tarchus Sacer parte &s;ecund. cap.</HI> 8. where the reader &s;hall finde more to this purpo&s;e, to whom I referre him But <GAP DESC="foreign"> (of <HI>Arar</HI> or <HI>Ar, To &s;peake again&s;t,</HI> or, <HI>Execrate</HI>) the Lxx. <HI>Chald. &V;atabl. Pagn.</HI> and both our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> doe ren|der, <HI>a cur&s;e,</HI> leaving the explicite meaning to the expo&s;itor. <HI>I will execrate you,</HI> or <HI>pronounce a cur&s;e again&s;t you.</HI> This is ampli|fyed further three wayes.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. By an explication. <HI>And will cur&s;e your ble&s;&s;ing</HI> [It is the &s;ame word againe, <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Vearothi, I will Execrate,</HI> or <HI>Impre|cate,</HI> as the <HI>Targum</HI> expre&s;&s;eth it by another word, <HI>&V;eal&uacute;t, And I will lay an oath</HI> upon you, as if it were a cur&s;e laid on with an oath. So it is <HI>Zach.</HI> 5.3. <HI>This is</HI> (<HI>haala The oath,</HI> where it is in our la&s;t Engli&s;h) <HI>the Cur&s;e which is gone forth.</HI> I will lay. an oath upon your ble&s;&s;ings. You &s;hall not pro&s;per. It may be expounded, either fir&s;t: I will deprive you of what you have and injoy, or, are like to injoy, &s;o that you &s;hall reape &s;paring|ly, 2 Cor. 9.6. &s;o <HI>Cyril. Remig. &V;atabl.</HI> or &s;econdly, I will cur&s;e and bla&s;t what you ble&s;&s;e, as your bea&s;ts, hou&s;es, fields, &s;o the <HI>Chald. I will cur&s;e your benediction and will execrate it.</HI> And this Saint <HI>Hierome</HI> al&s;o follows.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. By the certainety of it, being even begun already. <HI>Yea I have cur&s;ed them already</HI>) <HI>Tremel.</HI> I have cur&s;ed them every one. The <HI>Chald.</HI> and <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> make it but a repetition of the &s;ame thing, <HI>I will cur&s;e your ble&s;&s;ings, and I will cur&s;e or execrate them.</HI> But <HI>Vatablus</HI> and <HI>Pagnine</HI> read it as we doe.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. By the cau&s;e briefely and anticipately in&s;erted. <HI>Becau&s;e yee doe not lay it to heart.</HI>] of which &s;ee before in the condi|tion.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="2">2. The things that are threatned, are &s;et downe in parti|cular, ver&s;. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Famine, ver&s;. 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Shame, ver&s;. 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Gods breaking covenant with them, ver&s;. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;er&s;."></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. Famine, ver&s;. 3. <HI>Behold I will corrupt</HI> (or reprove) <HI>your &s;eed</HI>] <HI>Goer Lachem eth hazzerah.</HI> The uncertaine interpre|tation of <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> have cau&s;ed variety of expo&s;ition. <GAP DESC="foreign"> is <HI>To Reprove</HI> or <HI>Reprehend with &s;harpe words and much noy&s;e,</HI> e&s;pecially when it is in con&s;truction with <GAP DESC="foreign"> as Gen. 37.10. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>His father rebuked him.</HI> But when it is in con|&s;truction with an accu&s;ative, it is <HI>To cur&s;e</HI> or <HI>Corrupt</HI> or <HI>De|&s;troy,</HI> as P&s;al. 9.5. <HI>gaarta gojim. Thou ha&s;t rebuked the heathen,</HI> or, as the meaning there is, <HI>Thou ha&s;t de&s;troyed them,</HI> as the next words doe plainely &s;hew. And &s;o that word is taken here.
<PB N="32" REF="308">The other word <GAP DESC="foreign"> if it bee written <GAP DESC="foreign">, It is <HI>Seed,</HI> if it bee written <GAP DESC="foreign"> it is, <HI>An arme of a man.</HI> So it is &s;eemes the <HI>Lxx</HI> reade it. And hence the ancient fragment of <HI>Aquila,</HI> I <HI>will reprove you with mine arme.</HI> As a Souldier, or in re&s;emblance to whom, an orator ca&s;ts or &s;tretches forth his arme when hee is vehement, (as <HI>Cicero</HI> &s;peakes, <HI>Brachiunt procerius pro|jectum e&s;t qua&s;i quoddam telum orationis.</HI>) S. <HI>Hier.</HI> and <HI>Lyran.</HI> and <HI>Menochius</HI> much otherwi&s;e, I will throw a way the right arme or &s;houlder of the offering, which was the Prie&s;ts, due <HI>Levit.</HI> 7.32. That is, I will deprive you of your maintenance and &s;trength. <HI>Montanus</HI> and <HI>De Ca&s;tro</HI> take it as a threatning of rejection both of Prie&s;t and &s;acrifice; I will ca&s;t away both the arme by which yee offer, and the &s;eed (the <HI>Mincha</HI>) the offering al&s;o. Mo&s;t of the&s;e and the <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> follow the <HI>Lxx</HI> who mi&s;taking <HI>Noer</HI> for <HI>Goer</HI> by rea&s;on of the likene&s;&s;e of <GAP DESC="foreign">, and, <GAP DESC="foreign"> reade it <GAP DESC="foreign">. And for &s;uch as reade the other word <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Seed,</HI> &s;ome under&s;tand it of their Seed, that is, Their po&s;terity. That God threatens to de&s;troy them and their i&s;&s;ue. Some under&s;tand it of the &s;eed ca&s;t into the ground. And that &s;en&s;e I have given. That they &s;hould &s;ow but not reape plentifully, which is a threatning of Famine. The next is,</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;hame and ignominie. <HI>And I will &s;pread</HI> (or &s;cat|ter) <HI>dung upon your faces, even the dung of your &s;olemne fea&s;ts and one &s;hall take you away with it.</HI> Or, <HI>It &s;hall take you away to it.</HI>] So our la&s;t together with the marginall reading. The <HI>French, and yee &s;hall beare it. Ofiander; And it &s;hall &s;tick unto you.</HI> The <HI>&V;ulg. Lat.</HI> and the <HI>Geneva Engli&s;h</HI> and the <HI>Commen|tary</HI> following which u&s;ed it, are here darke. The <HI>Chalde</HI> fir&s;t offers us light to this place, I will reveale the confu&s;i|on or &s;hame of your &s;innes to your owne faces. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> (though mi&s;taking <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">, and reading it <GAP DESC="foreign">, The belly in which the excrement or dung lies, which belly was part of the Prie&s;ts due,) have given us al&s;o another hint of interpreting. Becau&s;e yee de&s;pi&s;e me, and offer yee care not what, yee &s;hall al&s;o bee de&s;pi&s;ed, The people &s;hall throw you the belly which is your due in the time of your &s;olemne fea&s;ts, but with the dung or excrement in it, &s;o that in the throwing of it, the dung &s;hall fly in your faces, that being &s;o &s;prinkled yee &s;hall bee laught at by all, and you &s;hall bee &s;o like dung, your faces being fouled with it, that he that comes to cleave to clean&s;e the place, &s;hall offer as if he would throw you out with it, or take you al&s;o upon his dung forke, or as <HI>Deodate,</HI> you &s;hall bee vile as dung, which is removed away into a place remote from the temple. So this is the threatning of &s;hame and confu&s;ion to them, even
<PB N="33" REF="308">in their &s;ollemne, their rejoycing fea&s;ts. <HI>Hbaggechen</HI> of <HI>Hhagag.</HI> Or el&s;e, <HI>Hhag</HI> is taken here <HI>Synechdochically</HI> for the &s;acrifice it &s;elfe offered in the fea&s;t, as it is &s;ometimes taken, <HI>Exod.</HI> 23.18. <HI>Amos.</HI> 5.21. <HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 29.1. The dung of the &s;acri|fices. See <HI>Ioh. Tarnovius Exercit. Biblic.</HI> pag. 127. <HI>parag.</HI> 4. <HI>edit.</HI> 2^a. How&s;oever the &s;ame &s;en&s;e &s;tands good. The next is,</P>
<P>Thirdly, Gods breaking covenant with them, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> which is implyed, ver&s;. 4. <HI>And yee &s;hall know that I have &s;ent this Com|mandement unto you, that my Covenant might bee with Levi, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</HI>] Wherein wee have three points, 1. I intended it &s;hould have &s;tood. 2. But it doth not or &s;hall not &s;tand. 3. And that becau&s;e yee are unan&s;werable to it. Upon this hee takes occa&s;ion to remember them of the Co|venant with <HI>Aaron</HI> or <HI>Phinehas</HI> and the tribe of <HI>Levi,</HI> and now their falling from it, and therefore Gods ju&s;tice in for|&s;aking them. So we have here,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The parts of the Covenant. <HI>ver.</HI> 5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The an&s;wering the conditions of the Covenant by the former Prie&s;ts. <HI>ver.</HI> 6, 7.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The degenerating of the&s;e Prie&s;ts. <HI>ver.</HI> 8.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. The parts of the Covenant, betweene God and Levi. <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 5.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, On Gods part. A gracious promi&s;e and performance of life and peace. <HI>My Covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him.</HI>] God promi&s;ed pro&s;perity, and per|formed a long pro&s;perous and happy life to &s;ome of them; as to <HI>Aaron</HI> who lived 103 yeares, and to <HI>Phinehas</HI> (mentio|ned by <HI>Vatablus</HI> in his notes) who lived 300 yeares as it is thought, and as &s;ome <HI>Chronologers</HI> doe ob&s;erve, (yea it is the conceit of <HI>Pet. Damian.</HI> From &s;ome <HI>Iewi&s;h</HI> triflers, that hee lives &s;till, taking him for <HI>Elias:</HI>) And to <HI>Io&s;ue</HI> or <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Io&s;edech</HI> who (according to <HI>Helvicus</HI>) lived 110 yeares in the office of the high-prie&s;t-hood. To the&s;e and o|thers was expre&s;&s;ely fulfilled a covenant (<GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Vitarum</HI> as it is in the originall) of lives, that is, of long life, and of peace, and would have beene ready to have performed it to the&s;e to whom <HI>Malachy</HI> prophecies, had they kept Cove|nant with him.</P>
<P>Secondly, on <HI>Levies</HI> part: for feare &amp; humility. <HI>For the feare wherewith hee feared me, and was afraid before my Name.</HI>] Feare and humility, were the two conditions for which God did this for them. Their feare of God, which was to bee &s;oone in <HI>Aaron, Phinehas, Onias,</HI> and other good Prie&s;h. And their being troubled and affrighted and grieved when they &s;aw Gods name to be contemned and abu&s;ed. See <HI>Exod.</HI> 32.26. &amp; <HI>Num.</HI> 25.7, 8.</P>
<PB N="34" REF="309">
<P>The <HI>&V;ulg.Lat.</HI> and the <HI>Geneva,</HI> reade it in another &s;en&s;e, <HI>And I gave him feare, and hee feared me</HI>] But not &s;o agreeable to the originall. <HI>Tremell.</HI> renders the la&s;t words, <HI>Becau&s;e of my Name,</HI> It (that is, the Tribe of <HI>Levi</HI>) <HI>was broken.</HI>] And <HI>Junius</HI> his note is, that <HI>Levi</HI> was deprived of life and peace, becau&s;e hee &s;anctified not Gods Name. But the whole context is a|gain&s;t that reading and interpretation <GAP DESC="foreign"> (which is an <HI>Ano|malie,</HI> and according to the rule &s;hould be <GAP DESC="foreign">) is the praeter ten&s;e in <HI>Niphal</HI> of <GAP DESC="foreign">, which is, <HI>To bee dejected, broken, ca&s;t downe, &amp;c.</HI> and &s;o metaphorically it is u&s;ed to &s;ignifie, <HI>To be amazed, afrighted, trembling, humbled.</HI> Wherefore wee decline that of <HI>Iunius,</HI> and re&s;t in the &s;en&s;e offered by our la&s;t tran&s;lation. See further in <HI>Ioh. Tarnov. ad Locum.</HI> Thus of the parts or the Conditions of the Covenan: next &s;ee we,</P>
<P N="2">2. The an&s;wering of the conditions of the Covenant by the former Prie&s;ts, <HI>ver.</HI> 6.7. which is,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Particularly &s;et down. <HI>ver.</HI> 6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Amplified by a Theoreme. <HI>ver.</HI> 7.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I. <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> Particularly &s;et down, <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 6. as it had been more gene|rally in the former ver&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that they were &s;tudious in the law and skilfull in it. <HI>The law of truth was in his mouth;</HI>] <HI>Aaron</HI> and others taught truely.</P>
<P><HI>The law of truth.</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign"> (<HI>vide plura de hoc nomine apud Valent. Schindlerum in Pentagl. in verbo</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">) or, <HI>The law of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> for this is oppo&s;ed to unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or iniquity in the next member, <HI>Iniquitie not found in his lips.</HI> The law, the mi&s;tris of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is called, <HI>The truth,</HI> Dan. 8.12.</P>
<P>Secondly, that they &s;educed none to error. <HI>And iniquitie was not found in his lippes.</HI>] <HI>Chald.</HI> No fal&s;ene&s;&s;e. No lie, error, fraud, hypocri&s;y or flattery.</P>
<P>Thirdly, that they lived con&s;cionably in peace and equity. <HI>Hee walked wi&s;h mee in peace and equity.</HI>] <HI>Aaron</HI> kept Gods precepts, lived hone&s;tly and peaceably and ju&s;tly; and &s;o did others of them.</P>
<P><HI>He walked with me</HI>] <HI>To walke,</HI> is a knowne phra&s;e in Scrip|ture, u&s;ed to &s;ignifie a mans manner of living, as <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 1.1. and <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 119.1. But <HI>to walke with God,</HI> or <HI>before God,</HI> &s;ignifies, to leaden life unblameable, as <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 5.24 and, 7.1. only, 1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 2.30. it &s;ignifies barely <HI>to mini&s;ter,</HI> and &s;o the <HI>Thargum</HI> in that place renders it, u&s;ing <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Should mini&s;ter,</HI> for <GAP DESC="foreign">. Should walke. <HI>The Lord &s;aid, that the hou&s;e of thy father &s;hould walke before mee for ever.</HI> That is, mini&s;ter unto me, or before me. But u&s;ually, and here, it notes the holine&s;&s;e and integrity of the &s;ervice, as well as the &s;ervice it &s;elfe.</P>
<PB N="35" REF="309">
<P>Fourthly, that they brought others to God by their example and teaching. <HI>And did turne away many from iniquitie</HI> that is, they did cau&s;e many to returne. To which agrees the <HI>Sep|tuagint,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Hee converted many. From iniquity</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign"> from their <HI>crookedne&s;&s;e</HI> or crooked wayes into which they had turned a&s;ide. It comes of <GAP DESC="foreign"> to be <HI>crooked</HI> or <HI>con|tort,</HI> which by a metaphor is u&s;ed to &s;ignifie &s;inne. So wee call evill manners <HI>Curvos Mores,</HI> crooked manners. We tran|&s;late it iniquity, the Lxx, unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. <GAP DESC="foreign">. Thus the former Prie&s;ts did, and this is,</P>
<P>II. Amplified by a theoreme, <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> that &s;o it &s;hould bee with all other Prie&s;t <HI>ver.</HI> 7. <HI>For the Prie&s;ts lippes &s;hould pre&s;erve know|ledge, and they &s;hould &s;eeke the law at his mouth; for hee is the me&s;&s;enger of the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</HI>] <HI>The Prie&s;ts lippes &s;hould pre&s;enve knowledge</HI>] the <HI>&V;ulgar Latine,</HI> and our old autori&s;ed <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Bible, reade, <HI>Shall pre&s;erve.</HI> And the <HI>Poutificians</HI> omit not the advantage of the tran&s;lation, in the que&s;tion of the Churches (but in the finall re&s;olution of the point) of the <HI>Popes</HI> infallibility in interpreting of the Scripture. To this que&s;tion be&s;ides others that have dealt in it, &s;ee <HI>Hi&s;t. of Councel of Trent, Engl. lib:</HI> 2. <HI>pag.</HI> 158. <HI>Epi&s;cop. Dunelm. Antido|tum de merito, &amp;c. Epi&s;t. dedic. pag.</HI> 9.10, 11. and fully to the point and to this place, <HI>Relig. of Prote&s;t.</HI> in the Preface <HI>pag:</HI> 7, 8. and <HI>pt.</HI> 1. <HI>Chap.</HI> 2. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 1.84, &amp;c. 93, &amp;c. 110, &amp;c. See al&s;o <HI>D. Iackson, The triplicity of Romi&s;h bla&s;phemy,</HI> &s;ect. 3. Chap. 1. paragr. 6, &amp;c. And the pre&s;ent mo&s;t learned Bi&s;hop, of <HI>Salish. De|termin. quae&s;t.</HI> 5. which references I make, that I may not enlarge the&s;e &s;horter notes with the controver&s;ie. Onely ob&s;erve for the clearing of the pre&s;ent text, what <HI>Amama</HI> and <HI>Ca&s;aubon,</HI> and before them <HI>Dru&s;ius</HI> and others acquainted with the <HI>Hebrew</HI> &s;peaking, have ob&s;erved, that among the <HI>Hebrewes,</HI> the <HI>future</HI> is often put to denote, not &s;o much what &s;hall be, as what ought to be, as, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3.12. <HI>No &s;uch thing</HI> (&s;hall be, that is) <HI>ought to be done in I&s;rael.</HI> Like that; <HI>There &s;hall bee no poore among you;</HI> that is, there ought to be none, but yee &s;hould provide for them. So it is here, the Prie&s;ts lippes <HI>&s;hall,</HI> that is, ought to pre&s;erve knowledge. Which al&s;o is ob&s;erved by <HI>Franc. Ribera</HI> the Je&s;uite.</P>
<P><HI>Knowledge</HI>] that is, knowledge of the law; as appeares by the next member. The Prie&s;ts duty is to be both furni|&s;hed, and to bring out of his trea&s;ure things new and old, To be much in preaching to the people. Accordingly 'tis thought that &s;ome of the Chri&s;tian <HI>Fathers,</HI> preached every day. However, it was provided for by <HI>Canons,</HI> that they &s;hould preach frequently. Such a <HI>Canon</HI> wee have in the <HI>Ex|cerptions</HI> of <HI>Egbert Archbi&s;hop of Yorke, Anne</HI> 750. <HI>&V;t emnibus
<PB N="36" REF="310">fe&s;tis et diebus Dominicis, &V;nu&s;qui&s;que Sacerdos Evangelium Chri&s;ti praedicet populo.</HI> That every Prie&s;t preach the Go&s;|pell of Chri&s;t unto the people upon all holy dayes and the Lords dayes. And e&s;pecially for the Lords day, in the <HI>Ca|nons</HI> under <HI>King Edgar, Anno.</HI> 967. <HI>Docemus etiam, ut Sacerdotes in qualibet die &s;olis populo praedicent.</HI> Wee require al&s;o, that the Prie&s;ts preach unto the people every &s;unday. Since the reformation, men have beene frequent in this duty, many <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> being al&s;o exemplary to their Clergy. The publi&s;hers of the lives of D. <HI>Iewell</HI> &s;ometimes <HI>Lord Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Sarum,</HI> and of the late reverend and godly Bi&s;hop of <HI>Bath</HI> and <HI>Wells,</HI> have made it one of the heades of their Commendation, their a&s;&s;iduity in preaching. But e&s;pecially the care of the ancients was much for <HI>Catechizing.</HI> Of Saint <HI>Markes</HI> Cate|chizing at <HI>Alexandria,</HI> and then <HI>Clements,</HI> and after him <HI>Origens,</HI> the hi&s;tories are knowne. We have <HI>Cyrill</HI> of <HI>Hieru|&s;alem's</HI> Catechi&s;ms, and the <HI>Cateche&s;es My&s;tagogicae,</HI> which are printed with them, which if they were not his, are yet of &s;ome ancient author. We have a <HI>Tract</HI> of Saint <HI>Augu&s;tin's de Catechizandis rudibus;</HI> and another <HI>De Symbolo ad Catechu|menos.</HI> And be&s;ide the practi&s;e of the fathers, many Councells ordaining it. But the care of no Church hath beene greater then that of ours, even in ancient times. In a councell held at <HI>Clyffe, Anno.</HI> 747. It was provided that every Prie&s;t &s;hould in&s;truct his people in the <HI>Lords Prayer,</HI> the <HI>Creed,</HI> and the <HI>Sacraments</HI> in the <HI>Engli&s;h tongue.</HI> Can. 10. (&s;ee S. <HI>H. Spelmans margin ad locum</HI>) this <HI>Canon</HI> is in&s;erted afterward by <HI>Egbert</HI> into his. <HI>Excerp.</HI> 6. See al&s;o the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall lawes of <HI>Ca|nutus,</HI> cap. 22. <HI>apud Spelman: page.</HI> 549. an excellent and &s;erious exhortation to this purpo&s;e, but too long here to tran&s;cribe. And the Canon 23. of <HI>AElfric</HI> pag. 578. Yea it &s;eemes by the <HI>Capitula incertae editionis</HI> (which by S^r. <HI>H. Spelmans</HI> place|ing of them &s;hould bee about <HI>Anno.</HI> 1050) cap. 28. to have beene the cu&s;tome of our <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> here when they met in their <HI>Synods</HI> with their Clergy, to examine them in the man|ner of their teaching, and how they profited their people. After the&s;e times <HI>Catechi&s;ing</HI> was not much heard of till af|ter <HI>Luthers</HI> preaching, when perceiving that the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Churches wanne much ground by this kinde of diligence, the practi&s;e was renued by a decree of the <HI>Councell of Trent</HI> in the <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> Church. For our part, what ground we got by <HI>Catechi&s;ing,</HI> wee are mo&s;t likely to keepe and hold it by the &s;ame cour&s;e; and to lo&s;e it all againe by the neglect, which was the ob&s;ervation of our judicious <HI>King Iames, That the cau&s;e why &s;o many fell to popery and other errors was their un|groundedne&s;&s;e in points of Catechi&s;me.</HI> Upon &s;uch a rea&s;on as
<PB N="37" REF="310">this it was that an elder <HI>Article</HI> of a former <HI>Synod</HI> was re|newed in the <HI>Synod</HI> at <HI>Dort, That all pa&s;tors &s;hould Catechi&s;e in the afternoone on the Lords day.</HI> (<HI>Act a Synodi, &s;e&s;&s;.</HI> 14 &amp; 15.) The very &s;ame with his <HI>Maje&s;ties Injunctions</HI> to the Clergy of <HI>England,</HI> and which is provided for by <HI>Canon,</HI> and enqui|red into by the <HI>Articles</HI> of <HI>Vi&s;itations,</HI> but on all hands too too much neglected: which hath given mee occa&s;ion to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e my purpo&s;e in the&s;e &s;horter notes, and to enlarge this di&s;cour&s;e, which yet I cannot leave till I have noted that ob&s;erveable pa&s;&s;age of the pre&s;ent <HI>Reverend Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Exeter</HI> in his Preface to his <HI>Old Religion, That there is nothing whereof hee repents &s;o much, as that hee had not be&s;towed more houres in publique Catechi&s;ing.</HI> And, <HI>That in regard hereof hee could quarrell his very &s;ermons,</HI> And his &s;ermons are excellent ones, as all know that know them, to two of them, namely his <HI>Columba Noae</HI> preached to the Engli&s;h Clergy in their <HI>Con|vocation</HI> here in <HI>England;</HI> and to another upon Eccle&s;. 7.16. preached to the Divines at <HI>Dort</HI> at their 16^t^h <HI>Se&s;&s;ion,</HI> I re|fer the Reader, where hee &s;hall finde an eloquent and zea|lous exhortation in this matter.) But of this point enough, I returne to the <HI>Text.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And they &s;hould &s;eeke the law at his mouth.</HI>] Here the <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> reades as before, as if it were a promi&s;e or their infallibili|ty. But it is onely an intimation of the peoples duty: and the rea&s;on followes.</P>
<P><HI>For hee is the me&s;&s;enger of the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign">: the <HI>Lxx,</HI> and the <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> reade, <HI>The Angell.</HI> The Prie&s;t is called &s;o, 1. Becau&s;e hee mini&s;ters to God, as the Angels doe before him, who &s;tand before him, and pray&s;e him; but, 2. &s;peci|ally and here, becau&s;e hee is Gods me&s;&s;enger to men from God, and from men to God. Accordingly the <HI>Tigurine</HI> here, <HI>Hee is Gods Legat or Emba&s;&s;adour.</HI> And that learned Knight in his <HI>Glo&s;&s;ary</HI> or <HI>Archaeolog.</HI> hath ob&s;erved to us out of <HI>Ekke|hard,</HI> that the name hath been given even to the Emba&s;&s;rdors of Kings, <HI>Cedamus Angelo Imper i.</HI> We have &s;een how the for|mer Prie&s;ts caried them&s;elves, The next is,</P>
<P>III. The degenerating of the&s;e Prie&s;ts from the practi&s;e of their fathers, in regard of their covenant. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 8. <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> In three particulars,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that they were gone from their piety. <HI>But yee are de|parted out of the way,</HI>] or, out of <HI>that</HI> way, as the <HI>Article</HI> is in the <HI>Hebr.</HI> that is, either out of my way, or, out of that way in which your fathers walked. You have diverted or turned out, or as the <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Declined</HI> Your cour&s;e is oppo&s;ite to that of your fathers, They cau&s;ed many to returne to me, you are returned and gon from me. But this oppo&s;ition is more direct in the next member.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="311">
<P>Secondly, that they cau&s;ed many to fall, by their example partly, and partly by their corrupt glo&s;&s;es. <HI>Yee have cau&s;ed many to &s;tumble at the law.</HI> Or, <HI>To fall in the law</HI>] The <HI>Geneva</HI> reades it, <HI>By the law.</HI> The <HI>Vulg. Yee have &s;candalized many. Montanus,</HI> Yee were a &s;tumbling block, or an offence. Others, yee have cau&s;ed that men &s;hould &s;tumble at the law; or goe again&s;t the law, and &s;o fall into &s;inne and con&s;equently in|to calamities. So <HI>Pi&s;cator. Lxx.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. Yee have weakned many in the law, yee have offended, &s;nared, cau&s;ed to &s;trike, or da&s;h, or &s;tumble: for all the&s;e <GAP DESC="foreign"> will beare.</P>
<P>Thirdly, that they had in &s;umme broken the covenant. <HI>Yee have corrupted the covenant of Levi, &s;aith the</HI> Lord of ho&s;ts] <HI>Geneva,</HI> yee have broken. <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> yee have made void. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> reade as we doe, <GAP DESC="foreign">, corrupted.</P>
<P><HI>The covenant of Levi]</HI> that is, the covenant made with <HI>Levi.</HI> A metonymy of the efficient. Thus we have &s;eene the threat|nings more largely.</P>
<P>II. <MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> Tho&s;e threatnings are repeated more briefely again, together with the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of them, &s;hewed al&s;o in the re|petition of the cau&s;es, <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> 9. where we have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The judgements. <HI>Therefore have I al&s;o made you contem|ptible, and ba&s;e before all the people.</HI>] the <HI>Geneva,</HI> to bee de&s;pi|&s;ed, and vile. To be abject and humble, not in affection, but condition.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The cau&s;es. According as yee have not kept my wayes, <HI>but have been partiall in the law.</HI>]</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P><HI>According]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">. For in this place <GAP DESC="foreign"> is not <HI>O S, the mouth,</HI> as <HI>Pagnin:</HI> and <HI>Tremell:</HI> &amp;c. render it, <HI>Se|cundum Os,</HI> &amp;c. but an expletive particle, which u&s;eth to be added to the &s;ervile letters <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign">, to make them di&s;tinct words, as <GAP DESC="foreign"> is here, and el&s;ewhere, as <HI>Num.</HI> 6.21. <HI>Iob.</HI> 33.6.30.18. and <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Exod.</HI> 16.18. <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 47.12. and then they &s;ig|nifie, as not onely our tran&s;lators in all tho&s;e places and here, but the <HI>Lxx</HI> al&s;o have expre&s;t it by <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Proptereaqu&ograve;d, Be|cau&s;e that,</HI> or <HI>according as.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yee have not kept my wayes]</HI> or <HI>watched</HI> my wayes, or beene (as it is in the text, <GAP DESC="foreign">) watchfull or watching, to keepe my way. For &s;o the word is, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 62.6.</P>
<P><HI>But have been partiall in the law.</HI> Or, <HI>lifted up the face again&s;t the law.</HI> Or, <HI>Accepted faces in the law.</HI>) The fir&s;t of the&s;e is the text reading of our Engli&s;h Bibles; the two later are in the margin. To the la&s;t of the&s;e agree the <HI>Lxx, Vulg:</HI> and <HI>Pagnin</HI> and <HI>Deodates Italian, yee have regard to the qualitie of the per&s;on in the law.</HI> To the &s;econd, <HI>Montanus.</HI> Mo&s;t agree in the &s;en&s;e, you Prie&s;ts that &s;hould judge according to the law, you accept per&s;ons, you re&s;pect the rich, you deale
<PB N="39" REF="311">partially in the law in expounding of it, making it pinch the poore, and favour the rich. <HI>You flatter the rich,</HI> &s;o <HI>Va|tabl.</HI> You accept the rich mans lame &s;acrifice, and have an eva&s;ion for it in &s;ome glo&s;&s;e; but yee reject the poores, and are preci&s;e in the letter: To this purpo&s;e, <HI>Theodoret,</HI> the <HI>Syr:</HI> and both the <HI>Arabiques,</HI> (which I finde in <HI>Corn. a lap. ad loc.</HI> who al&s;o <HI>in prooem. ad proph. min pag.</HI> 5. tells us, that the double <HI>Arab.</HI> ver&s;ion, one of <HI>Alexandria,</HI> the other of <HI>Antioch,</HI> are at <HI>Rome,</HI> both in the <HI>Vatican,</HI> and in the library of <HI>Car|dinal Medices,</HI> tran&s;lated into <HI>Latine,</HI> by <HI>Sergius Ri&s;ius Arch-Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Dama&s;cus</HI>) Yee accepted, or tooke the law in the face of it: yee looke but to the &s;hell and &s;kinne of the law, and are hypocriticall in it, wre&s;ting the law to &s;erve men. So the <HI>Phari&s;e's</HI> dealt with <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The law allowed circum|ci&s;ion on the <HI>Sabbath,</HI> that they approved; <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> did but heale a poore di&s;ea&s;ed man on the Sabbath, and that in him they condemned, as if it were again&s;t the law. Therefore Chri&s;t bids them, not to judge, <GAP DESC="foreign">, (our tran&s;lation is, <HI>According to appearance,</HI> I under&s;tand it thus) according to the face, with re&s;pect of per&s;ons, but to judge righteous judgement. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 7.24. And I am confirmed, by the learned <HI>Hein&s;ius,</HI> whom I con&s;ulted after the collecting of the&s;e notes, in his <HI>Ari&s;tarchus Sacer</HI> pt. 2. <HI>ca.</HI> 8. where he parallelleth this very place of our Prophet, with that of <HI>Iohn.</HI></P>
<P>Thus we have &s;eene the fir&s;t conte&s;tation largely, for that &s;upply which <HI>Tremellius</HI> makes unto the Text, by adding the word, <HI>Saying</HI>] &s;o to joyne this to the following ver&s;e, is both needle&s;&s;e, and ob&s;cures the &s;en&s;e. In the next ver&s;e we pro|ceed to a new head.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>II.</HI> The &s;econd Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>This &s;econd Conte&s;tation is onely in the 10^t^h Ver&s;e, <MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> wher|in hee conte&s;ts with them for their unequall and unrighte|ous dealing, arguing it to hee, again&s;t nature and Re|ligion.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, again&s;t nature. All being of one fle&s;h. <HI>Have we not all one Father?</HI>] <HI>God</HI> (faith <HI>Deodate</HI>) or, <HI>Abraham, according to others,</HI> and &s;o he takes it. We come all of <HI>Iacob,</HI> or ar lea&s;t of <HI>Abraham,</HI> or at lea&s;t of <HI>Adam.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, again&s;t Religion. Being all of one Church. <HI>Hath not one God created us?</HI>] or, <HI>made us?</HI> wee &s;erve the &s;ame God, the Creator.</P>
<P>Thirdly, another evidence again&s;t nature. We are brothers of the &s;ame &s;tock. <HI>Why doe wee deale treacherou&s;ly every man</HI> a|gain&s;t his brother?]</P>
<PB N="40" REF="312">
<P><HI>Why doe we]</HI> the Prophet includes him&s;elfe, that his re|proofe may bee the milder; a rhetoricall communicating; Why doe we, that is, Why doe yee.</P>
<P><HI>Deale treacherou&s;ly]</HI> the <HI>Geneva,</HI> why doe wee tran&s;gre&s;&s;e e|very one again&s;t his brother? our <HI>old Engli&s;h.</HI> Why is every one deceived of his brother? and &s;o <HI>Mont.</HI> But <HI>Pagn.</HI> otherwi&s;e, e|very one de&s;pi&s;eth his brother.</P>
<P>Fourthly, another evidence that their dealing was again&s;t Religion. <HI>By prophaning the Covenant of our Fathers?</HI>] They broke or violated the Covenant that their Fathers and An|ce&s;tors entered into, to which they &s;hould have had regard, and been an&s;werable unto it in all equall and righteous con|ver&s;ation.</P>
<P>S. <HI>Hierome</HI> and &s;ome others, take this ver&s;e as a particu|lar reproofe of their injurious dealing with their wives and taking others; and that here two arguments are brought to reconcile their love, the Communion of blood, and the Com|munion of Religion. And that it is the violation of the par|ticular covenant of marriage, or the Covenant again&s;t mar|rying of &s;trangers which is here reproved, That they dealt treacherou&s;ly again&s;t their <HI>Brethren,</HI> that is, either the bre|thren of their wives, or their wives them&s;elves, the females al&s;o among the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> being included under the terme of <HI>Brethren.</HI> But I re&s;t in the &s;en&s;e above, which is that al&s;o which <HI>Deodate</HI> in his margin prefers, though hee give the o|ther al&s;o, which is that of S. <HI>Hierome</HI> and comes in the next ver&s;e to bee con&s;idered. The reader may finde another in|terpretation in the learned <HI>Tarnovius</HI> the younger, which to me gives no &s;atisfaction, let the reader judge. And thus much of the &s;econd Conte&s;tation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>III.</HI> The third Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>Thirdly, hee conte&s;ts with them for their marrying with &s;trangers and infidels. ver&s;e 11.12. we have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The &s;inne di&s;covered. <HI>ver.</HI> 11.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The &s;inne threatned <HI>ver.</HI> 12.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I. <MILESTONE N="11" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> The &s;inne di&s;covered. The marrying the daughter of a &s;trange God. ver&s;e. 11. It is di&s;covered in many aggra|vations,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. From the per&s;ons.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. From the &s;ubject place.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. From the quality of the &s;inne.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. From the effect.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, from the Ber&s;ons, <HI>Iudah hath dealt treacherou&s;ly and an abomination is committed in I&s;rael and, Ieru&s;alem</HI>] Hee
<PB N="41" REF="312">exaggerates the &s;ame with more and &s;harper words; for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was now no other then <HI>Iudah. Iudah,</HI> that is, The <HI>Iewi&s;h</HI> people, the people of the returne from the captivity of what|&s;oever Tribe, as, <HI>E&s;th.</HI> 2.5. <HI>Mordecai</HI> though of the tribe of <HI>Benjamin,</HI> is called <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Iudaeus,</HI> A <HI>Iew.</HI> The word is here in the <HI>Faeminine Gender,</HI> it being u&s;uall to compare a Nation to a woman, and hence that ordinary phra&s;e, <HI>The daughter of Tyre, The daughter of Zion, &amp;c.</HI> The aggravation from the per&s;ons here is this, <HI>Iudah the &s;onne of prai&s;e</HI> or <HI>confe&s;&s;ion</HI> (as wee finde the rea&s;on of the name in the impo&s;ition, <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 29.35. <HI>of</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Confe&s;sus e&s;t, laudavit</HI>) he even <HI>Iudah the &s;onne of prai&s;e,</HI> and he in whom I am well knowne, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 76.2. hee hath done that which is unto my di&s;honour.</P>
<P>Secondly, from the &s;ubject place. <HI>In I&s;rael and Ieru&s;alem</HI>] of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;ee ver&s;e. 1. <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was the <HI>Metropolis</HI> of <HI>Iudaea.</HI> It was fir&s;t called <HI>Salem</HI> where <HI>Melchi&s;edec</HI> was King, <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 14.18. Afterwards it was called <HI>Iebus,</HI> Judg. 19.10. being in the hands of the <HI>Iebu&s;ites;</HI> (which made our <HI>Min&s;heiu</HI> com|pound it of <HI>Iebus</HI> and <HI>Salem,</HI> as if the name were <HI>Iebu&s;alem,</HI> and for better &s;ound the <HI>B</HI> changed into <HI>R.</HI>) But when <HI>David</HI> got it out of the <HI>Iebu&s;ites</HI> hands, he called it <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> of <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Videbunt pacem, They &s;hall &s;ee peace.</HI> And I the ra|ther a&s;&s;ent to this derivation (then to that of <HI>G. Pa&s;or</HI> in his <HI>Etyma nom. propr.</HI> at the end of his <HI>Lexic. in N.T.</HI> who would derive it of <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Timete Schalemum, Feare yee Salem,</HI> A name as hee thinkes given by the <HI>Iebu&s;ites</HI> to the place out of the confidence of their &s;trength; which cannot bee made evident, neither doe his other rea&s;ons hold. See the place in <HI>verbo</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">.) I the rather I &s;ay a&s;&s;ent to the former derivation, becau&s;e <HI>David</HI> built to the old City of <HI>Iebus</HI> or <HI>Salem,</HI> a new addition unto mount <HI>Sion,</HI> which was mount <HI>Moriah</HI> lying in the mid&s;t betwixt <HI>Sion</HI> and <HI>Salem,</HI> the very place which <HI>Abraham</HI> long before had named <HI>Iireh, will See,</HI> as it is Gene&s;. 22.14. <HI>Hee called the name of that place Iehovah-Iireh, The Lord will &s;ee.</HI> Which haply is the rea&s;on why the name of this City hath a <HI>duall forme</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign"> but ordi|narily without <HI>Iod</HI> as it is here, <GAP DESC="foreign">) though it bee <HI>&s;ingular,</HI> becau&s;e it was made up of two parts or two Citties, the upper and lower. Concerning the <HI>Situation</HI> &s;ee <HI>I. Weem&s;e, Expo&s;. of Mo&s;es Lawes. vol.</HI> 2. <HI>lib.</HI> 1. <HI>Exercit</HI> 6.7. and, <HI>Lud. Capell. Hi&s;t. Apo&s;t. pag.</HI> 146, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> The meaning of the place as it is an aggravation of their &s;inne, is cleare enough of it &s;elfe.</P>
<P>Thirdly, From the qualitie of the &s;inne. <HI>Iudah hath dealt treacherou&s;ly, An abomination is committed&mdash;And hath mar|ried the daughter of a &s;trange God.</HI>] Their marrying of &s;trange
<PB N="42" REF="313">women, the wor&s;hippers of an heathen Idoll, was a treache|ry again&s;t the wives of their owne tribes, and again&s;t God; &amp; an Abomination or an hatefull thing in Gods &s;ight; a thing that he loathes. Concerning the que&s;tion, <HI>De di&s;paritate cul|tue,</HI> (whether it bee to bee reckoned <HI>Inter Impedimenta Ma|trimonii;</HI> be&s;ides what we &s;hall finde in the following com|mentary, I referre to <HI>Reginald praxis Fori. lib.</HI> 31. <HI>cap.</HI> 21. <HI>Num.</HI> 168. and other <HI>Ca&s;ui&s;ts,</HI> who an&s;wer negatively. So doe the <HI>Geneva Divines</HI> in their an&s;wer to the 8 que&s;tions propo&s;ed to them which are in&s;erted among <HI>Zanchy's</HI> epi&s;tles <HI>lib.</HI> 1 <HI>ad finem Epi&s;tolae</HI> 58. and <HI>Lucas O&s;iander ad hunc loc.</HI> This que&s;tion divided S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> and S. <HI>Hierom</HI> as <HI>P. Mart. af|firmes, comment. in</HI> 1. <HI>Reg.</HI> 3.1. Where hee hath a very large di&s;cour&s;e again&s;t marriage contracted by tho&s;e of diver&s;e religions, yet allowes it in conclu&s;ion; &s;o that both parties doe meet in the beliefe of the maine Articles of the <HI>Creed;</HI> which he &s;aith, hee puts in for the mitigation of the &s;everer &s;entence; which yet was the &s;entence of the <HI>Ancients</HI> admit|ting no marriage with any of another faith: as it collected by <HI>Gratian, can&s;a</HI> 28. <HI>qu.</HI> 1. <HI>cave,</HI> &amp;c. and, <HI>non oportet,</HI> &amp;c. But of this <HI>obiter.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Hath married.]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. The <HI>&V;nlg. Hath had. Pagn. Hath had to doe with. Montan.</HI> Hath tooke to wife. <HI>Pi&s;cat.</HI> Hath had an husbandly dominion over. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, Hath loved. <HI>Schindler, Deamavit,</HI> hath greatly beloved. The word will beare all the&s;e and more, but ours have tran&s;lated it ac|cording to the prime, and mo&s;t u&s;ed &s;ignification of the word.</P>
<P><HI>The daughter of a &s;trange God]</HI> They are called, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 11.1. <HI>&s;trange women.</HI> As the heathen <HI>Idolls</HI> are called, <HI>Gen.</HI> 35.2. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Strange Gods.</HI> No nation formerly but the <HI>Iewes</HI> did wor&s;hip the true God; &s;o that any woman of another Nation might bee called, The daughter of a &s;trange God: which I &s;uppo&s;e was the rea&s;on of <HI>Deodates</HI> note, A woman of a &s;trange Nation or religion. The <HI>Lxx</HI> here take no notice of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Filia,</HI> or &s;eem to have mi&s;taken it for &s;ome other word, and have rendred the place, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Hath beene diligent towards other Gods.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, the la&s;t aggravation of their &s;inne, is from the effect of it. <HI>For Iudah hath profaned the holine&s;&s;e of the Lord which hee loved Or, ought to love.</HI>] <HI>Kode&s;ch. The Holines,</HI> that is, the holy and &s;eparate land of <HI>Iudaea,</HI> the Country that God had cho&s;en to bee holy and peculiar to him, they had defi|led, and their owne dignity, who were a people holy unto the Lord and beloved. This interpretation is given by the commentary, which is that al&s;o of S. <HI>Hier. Remigius, Hugo, &amp;c.</HI>
<PB N="43" REF="313">There are others, the <HI>Vulg.</HI> reades. <HI>The Sanctification. Pag|nin.</HI> and the <HI>Tigur:</HI> the holy <HI>place.</HI> The <HI>Chalde Paraphra&s;e, They have defiled their owne &s;oule; which was &s;anctified to the Lord, or before him, and beloved of him.</HI> The <HI>Lxx, The holy things.</HI> Some under&s;tand <HI>the Temple;</HI> &s;o <HI>O&s;iander;</HI> &s;ome, <HI>the Law;</HI> &s;ome, <HI>Their Religion</HI> and <HI>the wor&s;hip of God;</HI> &s;ome, as, <HI>Vatabl: Pi&s;cat:</HI> and many others, <HI>The holy or &s;anctified ordinance of Marriage made by the Lord. I a&s;&s;ent to</HI> S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> as above.</P>
<P>II. The &s;inne thus di&s;covered, is threatned, <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 12. <MILESTONE N="12" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> <HI>The Lord will cut off the man that doth this: the ma&s;ter and the &s;cholar out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of ho&s;ts</HI>] He threatens an utter di&s;per&s;ion even of the whole families of &s;uch.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord will cut off]</HI> The Lord will &s;catter him, &s;o the <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, or cut him downe, or, loppe off his boughes. <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> expre&s;&s;eth it thus, The Lord will cut off his children that doth thus, the children that he begets, of the daughter of a &s;trange God. Haply hee had re&s;pect to tho&s;e <HI>Rabbins</HI> who interpret this phra&s;e <HI>To be cut off, To dye without children:</HI> which the Reader may &s;ee in a peculiar di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Sixt. Amama Antib. Bibl. appendice ad Gene&s;.</HI> 17.14. <HI>pag.</HI> 954, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Where there is more of this phra&s;e. Our commentary makes it a <HI>Metaphor</HI> from the u&s;e of Phy&s;itians, who cut off rotten members, or of the Sword or Axe which cuts off the head; and &s;o wee have the word, 1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 31.9. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>They cut off his head.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The man that doth this]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> The word is <HI>faeminine,</HI> but u&s;ed <HI>Neutrally,</HI> and &s;o it is by all interpreted. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> in the purall, <GAP DESC="foreign">, Hee that doth &s;uch, or the&s;e things; but it is meant particularly of this &s;inne of marrying Idolaters.</P>
<P><HI>The ma&s;ter and the &s;cholar. Or, him that wakeneth, and him that an&s;wereth]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. The ma&s;ter and the &s;ervant, &s;o the <HI>Geneva.</HI> The ray&s;er up (or, the que&s;tion-mover) and the an|&s;werer; &s;o our <HI>old Engli&s;h Bible.</HI> He that is the author, and he that follows him; &s;o the <HI>Tignrine. He that wakeneth,</HI> that is, he that &s;tudiou&s;ly ob&s;erves &s;trange women, that he may marry where hee likes; <HI>and hee that defends,</HI> that is, that defends this kinde of marriage; &s;o <HI>Pi&s;cator.</HI> The <HI>French,</HI> As well him that begins as him that an&s;weres. The <HI>Italian,</HI> Him that wakes or watches and him that an&s;wers: which <HI>Deodate</HI> in his mar|gin under&s;tands of the keepers, porters, and &s;ingers of the Temple, (who an&s;wered in cour&s;e in &s;inging according to the order of that &s;acred mu&s;icke) who had polluted them|&s;elves with &s;uch marriages. Others expre&s;&s;e it otherwi&s;e; I encline to S. <HI>Hierom, Montanus, Tarnovius, and our commentary,</HI>
<PB N="44" REF="314">as I have given it above, That it is meant of a di&s;per&s;ion e|ven of the whole families of &s;uch, one and other, Prie&s;t and people, ma&s;ter and &s;choller; which &s;eemes to bee &s;o out of the following words, <HI>Out of the Tabernacles</HI> (or Tents) <HI>of Iacob.</HI> And what if it were a <HI>proverbiall</HI> and ordinary phra&s;e among the <HI>Iewes,</HI> to which the Prophet might haply allude and make u&s;e of it; But I &s;ubmit the conjecture. Only here the interpretation of the <HI>Septuag.</HI> &s;eemes to be &s;ingular, <HI>I will cut off him that doth the&s;e, untill he be brought low out of the tents of Iacob.</HI> Taking <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Adu&s;que, untill;</HI> for <GAP DESC="foreign">, and mi&s;&s;ing the &s;en&s;e of the other word, <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifying both, <HI>To an&s;wer,</HI> and <HI>To bring low.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And him that offereth an offring.]</HI> That is, I will cut him off, yea though hee bee a prie&s;t that is faulty in this kind: &s;o the <HI>Chald:</HI> and <HI>Cyrill.</HI> Or, though he offer an offering to reconcile me to him againe being di&s;plea&s;ed with &s;uch marriages; &s;o others. And thus much for the third conte&s;tation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>IV</HI> The fourth Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>He conte&s;ts with them for their <HI>Polygamie. ver.</HI> 13, 14, 15, 16. where con&s;ider,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The reproofe of the &s;inne. <HI>ver.</HI> 13, 14, 15.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. A dehortation from the &s;inne. <HI>ver.</HI> 15, 16.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> The reproofe of the &s;inne, <HI>ver.</HI> 13, 14. and part of the 15. where,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The &s;in. That they tooke other wives of the daughters of &s;trangers to their lawfull wives. This is not expre&s;t in &s;o many termes, or in that terme <HI>Polygamy</HI> by which Divines doe now ordinarily call it, but ea&s;y to be collected from the context of tho&s;e 3 ver&s;es named before.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The aggravations of this &s;inne.
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Injurious to their lawfull wives.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Hurtfull to them&s;elves.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Again&s;t the ordinance of God.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the fir&s;t aggravation of this their &s;inne is, that it is injurious to their lawfull wives, who were thereby grieved. <HI>This yee have done againe, covering the Altar of the Lord with teares, with weeping, and with crying out</HI>] That is, this &s;inne you have added, that by bringing in &s;trange wives, you have vexed and grieved your lawfull ones, &s;o that you have cau|&s;ed them to runne unto the Altar, to complaine and to weepe there.</P>
<P><HI>This you have done againe]</HI> Furthermore this you have added: &s;o the <HI>Tigurine.</HI> This you have done &s;econdly; &s;o the <HI>Chald.</HI> and <HI>Pagn.</HI> This &s;econd crime (the word is faeminine
<PB N="45" REF="314">but put neutrall) <HI>Montan.</HI> Yee have not onely taken &s;trange wives, but have taken them even to your other wives to vexe them. The <HI>Lxx</HI> here, <HI>ye have done</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Quae oderam</HI>) <HI>&s;uch things as I hate.</HI> It &s;eemes they had re&s;pect to <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>To hate,</HI> and mi&s;tooke it for <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>&s;econdly</HI> or <HI>&s;econd.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Covering the Altar of the Lord with teares]</HI> The <HI>Geneva</HI> note is, <HI>yee cau&s;e the people to lament, becau&s;e God doth not regard their &s;acrifices, &s;o that they &s;eeme to &s;acrifice in vaine.</HI> So referring this to the former conte&s;tations with the Prie&s;ts, An expo|&s;ition &s;ingular, and wide of the whole pre&s;ent context, and the matter that the Prophet hath in hand. That of <HI>Lyrant:</HI> al&s;o &s;eemes to mi&s;&s;e the &s;en&s;e, you continuing in your &s;inne goe to the Altar, and weepe there to beg pardon, but in vaine. That of S <HI>Hierom, Cyril, Theodoret,</HI> and which out comment. followes, is more agreeable; you &s;o vilely u&s;e your other former wives, that they fly, or you cau&s;e them to fly, to the temple, and weepe before the Altar. See <HI>Levit.</HI> 18.18. and 1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 1.6.10. which texts will give light to this. But for the phra&s;e, <HI>To cover the Altar with teares;</HI> It is, either to weepe plentifully, or to weepe over the Altar: to throw them&s;elves blubbered and &s;wolne with teares upon the Al|tar, even embracing it as it were; which was al&s;o the u&s;e of other Nations, in <HI>Their calamities, &s;olemne othes,</HI> and <HI>Sup|lications,</HI> to lay hold on the Altars. So <HI>Ar&s;inoe</HI> in her ex|treame calamity and &s;u&s;pition of her brother <HI>Ptolomies</HI> fraud and cruelties, cau&s;es him to come and lay hold on the Al|tars in the holye&s;t Temple in <HI>Macedon,</HI> for her further a&s;|&s;urance and &s;afety when &s;hee received his oath. As <HI>Iu&s;tin</HI> de&s;cribes the ceremony, <HI>li.</HI> 24. Thus <HI>Virgil Aeneid. lib.</HI> 4. brings in <HI>Hiarbas the Lybian King</HI> imploring <HI>Jupiter.</HI></P>
<Q><L>Talibus orantem dictis, Ara&s;que tenentem</L>
<L>Audiit Omnipotens&mdash;</L></Q>
<P><HI>And of</HI> Aeneas, Aeneid lib. <HI>6.</HI></P>
<Q><L>Talibus orabat dictis, ara&s;que tenebat.</L></Q>
<P>With &s;uch words prayed he, and the Altar held.</P>
<P>Upon this nece&s;&s;ity of laying hold upon the altars when they addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves to the Deity, <HI>Robert Stephanus</HI> in his <HI>The&s;aurus</HI> alleadge <HI>Varro,</HI> that the old Latine word for Al|tars was <HI>An&s;ae</HI> (the eares or handles of a pot) and after|ward changed into <HI>Arae.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Altar of the Lord]</HI> This is an amplifying of their grie&s;e. Their injury was extreame, that they are driven to the la&s;t refuge; men repaire unto the Altar when all helpe failes. And further, at the Altar they &s;hould rejoyce before the Lord as the cu&s;tome was when they came up with their wives to the Temple, 1 <HI>Sam,</HI> 1. yet there, even there they are
<PB N="46" REF="315">cau&s;ed to weepe. Tis called, the altar of the Lord, It is his &s;tanding place, the ordinary re&s;idence of God where the&s;e di&s;tre&s;&s;ed women were confident to finde him and to com|plaine them&s;elves to him: that is, more &s;olemnly, and for a publique witne&s;&s;e of their mi&s;erie; for el&s;e God who is e|very where doth every where ob&s;erve the teares of them that are oppre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>With teares, with weeping, and with crying out.</HI> Severall words are u&s;ed for the farther amplification of their griefe. They wept, yea they roared out, and made great clamour and noy&s;e, or &s;ent out deep groanes, &s;o the word is tran&s;lated <HI>Ierem.</HI> 51.52.</P>
<P>Secondly, the &s;econd aggravation of their &s;inne is, that thereby they did al&s;o hurt them&s;elves in that they made their owne offerings not to bee accepted. <HI>In&s;omuch that here gardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.</HI>] The teares and groanes of your wives move God more then your &s;acrifices doe; &s;o that he regards them not, hee will not lookeat them, or turne his face towards them. The adverb of denying is not here in the latter mem|ber, but it is to bee repeated <GAP DESC="foreign"> from the former mem|ber, and &s;o to be &s;upplyed, as &s;erving in common to both; he regards not, nor receives.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the third aggravation of this &s;inne, is in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 14, 15. That it is again&s;t the Ordinance of God. Where ob|&s;erve,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. <MILESTONE N="14" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> The tran&s;ition, or the manner of the Prophets pa&s;&s;ing from the former head of aggravation unto this. God regards not your offering. <HI>Yet ye &s;ay wherefore?</HI>] the <HI>Vulg. And Mont. But. But yee &s;ay, why not regard it?</HI> An objection it is, proceed|ing from their blindne&s;&s;e or petulancy, not willing to bee convinced. But the an&s;wer is ready, becau&s;e the Lord hath &s;eene that you have gone again&s;t his ordinance, as it is in the next words.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. <MILESTONE N="15" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> The matter which hee urges again&s;t them. <HI>Becau&s;e the Lord hath beene witne&s;&s;e betweene thee and the wife of thy youth, again&s;t whom thou ha&s;t dealt treacherou&s;ly; yet &s;hee is thy com|panion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not hee make one? yet had he the re&s;idue of the &s;pirit: And wherefore one? That hee might &s;eeke a godly &s;eed.</HI>] This was their &s;inne, that they dealt treacherou&s;ly again&s;t their wives in taking others, whereas the Lord had appointed and they had made pro|mi&s;e to one another in marriage, and onely to one another, as God had ordained in the very fir&s;t in &s;titution of marriage, when hee could have made many women for one man, but hee made onely one for one. This is the &s;umme, but there
<PB N="47" REF="315">are many particular arguments again&s;t <HI>polygamie,</HI> which wee &s;hall ob&s;erve in the examination of the words in the order as they lye.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e the Lord hath beene witne&s;&s;e betweene thee, and thy wife]</HI> Hee alludes to the u&s;e of contracting <HI>Deo te&s;te,</HI> God being called to witne&s;&s;e, and his name being called upon in the action. And he as it were <HI>prote&s;ted</HI> then (the word is <GAP DESC="foreign"> and that is as <HI>Mont.</HI> of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Prote&s;tatus</HI> or <HI>Ob<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;tatus e&s;t</HI>) that his mind and will was, that marriage &s;hould b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e in&s;oluble to you two; and you two &s;hould remaine &s;olely to each other. This &s;en&s;e S. <HI>Hierom</HI> gives, and tho&s;e that u&s;ually follow him, <HI>Theod Remig. Lyr. Hugo,</HI> but mo&s;t clearly <HI>Ribera.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The wife of thy youth</HI> [<HI>Hebr.</HI> of thy youthes. <HI>Thy young wife,</HI> &s;o <HI>Pi&s;cator.</HI> Or thy wife whom thou did&s;t marry when thou wert young. In whom thy fir&s;t love did rejoyce. <GAP DESC="foreign"> is that whole age of <HI>Adole&s;cence</HI> or youth, from infancy till the 25^t^h yeare.</P>
<P><HI>The wife]</HI> The <HI>Lxx</HI> every where, <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>The woman.</HI> We render it here <HI>Wife,</HI> and that rightly; for <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>A woman,</HI> when a Genitive followes is written <GAP DESC="foreign">, as it is here, and pre&s;ent|ly after, and then it con&s;tantly &s;ignifies <HI>a Woman a Wife.</HI> and it is &s;o written once, <HI>P&s;alme</HI> 58.9. though not in con|&s;truction.</P>
<P><HI>Again&s;t whom thou ha&s;t dealt treacherou&s;ly]</HI> The <HI>Geneva,</HI> tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ed. The <HI>Chald.</HI> Lyed. <HI>Montan.</HI> Praevaricated, dealt cun|ningly and fal&s;ely. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, leave&s;t or for&s;ake&s;t; that is, treacherou&s;ly for another.</P>
<P><HI>Yet is &s;hee thy companion] Vulg.</HI> Thy partner. <HI>Pagn.</HI> Thy fellow. The <HI>Tigur.</HI> thy con&s;ort; the name (as <HI>Menochius</HI> ob|&s;erves) by which the <HI>Italians</HI> doe call their wives. So <HI>Eve</HI> was made for <HI>Adam,</HI> that he might not be alone, <HI>Gene</HI> 2.18. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, (here u&s;ed by them in the <HI>Faeminine</HI>) &s;hee partakes with thee in common.</P>
<P><HI>And the Wife of thy Covenant,]</HI> The Wife with whom thou did&s;t Covenant. <GAP DESC="foreign"> as before.</P>
<P><HI>And did not hee make one?</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. Here is <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">. The note of interrogation is wanting, which is u&s;uall in Scripture; 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 13.26. 2 <HI>King.</HI> 5.26. <HI>lob.</HI> 2.10. As and <GAP DESC="foreign">, for <GAP DESC="foreign">; and <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign">, u&s;ually al&s;o in the new Te&s;tament. <HI>Matthew.</HI> 6.26. and, 17.24. <HI>Marke</HI> 6.3, and 11.17. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.8, 9. 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.5. So al&s;o the <HI>Latines</HI> &s;peake, as <HI>Virgil, Eclog.</HI> 3.</P>
<P><HI>Non ego te Vidi Damonis pe&s;&s;ime Caprum</HI></P>
<P><HI>Excipere in&s;idiis?&mdash;Non</HI> for <HI>Nonne?</HI> But be&s;ides, the various interpretation of this hath made the place very ob&s;cure. The <HI>Vulg. Did not one thus? Pagnin:</HI> boldly
<PB N="48" REF="316">in&s;erted <HI>Abraham</HI> here, <HI>Did not one Abraham thus as you doe? Montan.</HI> in his correction of <HI>Pagnin</HI> leaves out <HI>Abraham,</HI> yet &s;eemes to under&s;tand it in the &s;ame manner; &s;o doth <HI>Vatablus.</HI> Hence many &s;tumbling at this &s;tone interpreted it as a pre|vention of an objection that they might make for their owne excu&s;e, that they did but as <HI>Abraham</HI> did, who had <HI>Sarah</HI> to his wife, yet hee tooke <HI>Hagar</HI> al&s;o. But <HI>Abraham</HI> did it having an excellent &s;pirit, and knowing what hee did, ex|pecting the promi&s;e of God concerning a ble&s;&s;ed &s;eed, and not knowing that hee &s;hould receive him of <HI>Sarah,</HI> therefore tooke <HI>Hagar</HI> that the promi&s;e might not bee voide; and he tooke <HI>Hagar</HI> with <HI>Sarah's</HI> con&s;ent; Hee had no children by <HI>Sarah,</HI> as you have; he de&s;pi&s;ed not <HI>Sarah,</HI> as yee doe; &s;o that his fact and yours are much unlike. The <HI>Chalde</HI> para|phra&s;e &s;eemes to have layd this &s;tone, and led to this expo|&s;ition, and mo&s;t of them that u&s;e the <HI>Vulg.</HI> follow it, and a|mong the prote&s;tants, <HI>Winkleman</HI> and <HI>O&s;iander, Lutherans.</HI> But S. <HI>Hierom</HI> found out a righter, and <HI>Theodoret, Lyra, Remigius,</HI> and of moderns, <HI>Junius, Tarnovius,</HI> The <HI>Italian</HI> of <HI>Deodate</HI> both in the text and margin, the <HI>Geneva,</HI> our old and our la&s;t Engli&s;h doe entertaine it; <HI>Did not he</HI> (that is, God) <HI>make one?</HI> God made one <HI>Eve</HI> for <HI>Adam,</HI> and therefore the fir&s;t &s;anction of unity in marriage, is not to bee infringed. This &s;en&s;e al&s;o <HI>Menochius</HI> gives, though the tran&s;lation that he is tyed unto, will not yield it.</P>
<P><HI>Yet had he the re&s;idue of the &s;pirit]</HI> or, <HI>The excellence,</HI> &s;o our margin. But I am not &s;atisfied why out mo&s;t learned tran&s;|lators have put it in; for I find not <GAP DESC="foreign"> in that &s;ignification. Yet I will not conceale that the <HI>Tigurine, Vatabl.</HI> and <HI>Pagn.</HI> &s;o tran&s;late it; and not only <HI>A lapide;</HI> but <HI>Conrad: Kircher</HI> (in his <HI>greeke Concordance,</HI> who in the <HI>Rootes</HI> u&s;ually followes <HI>For&s;ter,</HI> but in this <HI>Sanct. Pagn.</HI> at the Roote <GAP DESC="foreign">) tells us that <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifies both <HI>Remainder</HI> or <HI>Re&s;idue,</HI> and <HI>excellencie.</HI> However, the text reading of our la&s;t tran&s;lation is here (as for ought I know every where el&s;e) to be preferd before the marginall. And the meaning is, God made but one Wo|man for <HI>Adam,</HI> though hee had the <HI>Remainder</HI> of the &s;pirit or breath, &s;o that hee could have made many. Hee gave part to <HI>Adam</HI> and the re&s;t to <HI>Eve,</HI> and made no more in that ex|traordinary way, though it had bin ea&s;y unto him: as our <HI>old Engli&s;h</HI> and the <HI>Geneva</HI> expre&s;&s;e it, <HI>Hee had aboundance of &s;pirit.</HI> That is, that &s;pirit or breath which hee breathed in|to Man.</P>
<P><HI>And wherefore one?</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>That hee might &s;eeke a godly &s;eed.</HI>] or, <HI>A &s;eed of God.</HI> That is, God requires you &s;hould cleave to your Wives, and not take the daughters of a &s;trange
<PB N="49" REF="316">God, le&s;t your &s;eed bee educated in Idolatry. So S. <HI>Hierom?</HI> But I &s;uppo&s;e there is more in it. The very i&s;&s;ue of <HI>Polygamy</HI> is &s;purious in &s;ome &s;en&s;e, It is not a godly &s;eed, or the &s;eed of God, that is, which he appoints, but accur&s;ed. Thus e|very member of the&s;e two ver&s;es have afforded &s;everall ar|guments again&s;t <HI>Polygamie.</HI> But all this is to bee under&s;tood to bee again&s;t <HI>Simultaneous Polygamy,</HI> but not <HI>Succe&s;&s;ive;</HI> a|gain&s;t the having two wives at once, not again&s;t <HI>Second mar|riages,</HI> though troopes of the ancients (as Mr. <HI>Gataker</HI> &s;peakes in his <HI>Treat: of Lots cap.</HI> 8. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 18.) have condemned them; yet as he &s;aith, what Divine or other doth now make doubt of them. Not <HI>Prote&s;tants;</HI> See in&s;tead of all, that <HI>Ser|mon</HI> which upon this ver&s;e the late Reverend and godly <HI>Bi&s;hop of Bath and Wells,</HI> D. <HI>Lake,</HI> preached and applyed at the <HI>pennance</HI> of a man that had two Wives together; to which Sermon I refer the Reader for more upon this 15th ver&s;e. Nor <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> See <HI>Gregor. Tholo&s;anus, Syntag. Iuris, lib.</HI> 9. <HI>cap.</HI> 29. <HI>Guil. Cantarell. Var. Quae&s;t. in Decal. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 98. <HI>Num.</HI> 426.427. And if you will, that great pretender to devotion, <HI>Nic. Cau&s;&s;in</HI> the French Je&s;uite, in his <HI>Holy Court, pt.</HI> 1. <HI>lib.</HI> 3. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 37. Though hee di&s;cour&s;e a long while upon this argument like a <HI>Montani&s;t;</HI> as indeed all the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> have a little tang of <HI>Montani&s;me,</HI> in that, 1. <HI>They deny a ble&s;&s;ing in the Church to &s;econd marriages,</HI> (See <HI>Canones Aelfrici, can.</HI> 9. <HI>apud Spelman: Conc.</HI> p. 574. but whether it bee agreeable to the Canon of <HI>Concil. Neocae&s;ar.</HI> quoted by <HI>Gratian. cau&s;.</HI> 31. <HI>qu.</HI> 1. <HI>De his qui frequenter:</HI> let the Reader compare the places with the glo&s;&s;e at the letters <HI>m</HI> and <HI>o,</HI> and judge) and, 2. That they put <HI>Bigamie</HI> (even <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;ive Bigamie</HI>) among <HI>Irregu|larities,</HI> as it to be &s;eene in their <HI>Ca&s;ui&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Canoni&s;ts.</HI> See <HI>excerptiones Egberti. ad An. Dom.</HI> 750. <HI>excerp.</HI> 32. <HI>and</HI> 89. <HI>apud.</HI> D.H. <HI>Spelm. in Conc. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ambrit. p.</HI> 261. The rea&s;on, &s;uch as it is, we have in <HI>Pet. Damian.</HI> a devout Author in a mo&s;t cor|rupt time, <HI>lib. cui titulus, Dominus Nobi&s;cum. cap.</HI> 12. <HI>apud. Ioh. Cochlaei, Speculum.</HI> p. 156. who yet &s;peakes of it with a <HI>Quis non miretur,</HI> that <HI>Bigamy,</HI> (&s;ucce&s;&s;ive <HI>Bigamie</HI> he &s;peaks of) allowed by the ancient Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Canons, &s;hould bee a greater <HI>Irregularitie</HI> and &s;inne, then <HI>Fornication</HI> ex|pre&s;&s;ely condemned in holy writ. But of this al&s;o enough, being only <HI>obiter.</HI> And thus much of the reproofe of the &s;in: we have next;</P>
<P N="2">2. A dehortation from this &s;in, in the latter part of the 15. ver&s;e, and ver&s; 16. which is,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Propounded.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Repeated.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the dehortation is propounded. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 15. <HI>Therefore
<PB N="50" REF="317">take heed unto your &s;pirit, and let none deale treacherou&s;ly again&s;t the Wife of his youth.</HI> <MILESTONE N="16" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> Ver&s;. 16. <HI>For the Lord the God of I&s;rael &s;aith, That hee hates putting away; for one covereth violence with his garment, &s;ayth the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI>]</P>
<P><HI>Take heede to your &s;pirits.]</HI> The <HI>Geneva,</HI> keepe your &s;elves in your &s;pirit. <HI>Remigius</HI> and <HI>Lyra,</HI> keepe your &s;pirit; your Wife is the re&s;idue of your &s;pirit, keepe and cheri&s;h her. The <HI>Ti|gurine,</HI> keepe and pre&s;erve and tender your Wives, as deare|ly as you doe your owne &s;oules. <HI>Corn. a lap.</HI> Take heede to your breath, you breath on one another, breath not on a &s;tranger, keep thy &s;elf &s;olely to thy Wife. Conceited interpre|tations. <HI>Arias Montanus</HI> came nearer the &s;en&s;e, Be wary and not ra&s;h. I like be&s;t that of our <HI>Commentary,</HI> Be &s;ober and containe your &s;elves, keep a watch upon your &s;pirits and af|fections, to content your &s;elves with your lawfull Wives.</P>
<P><HI>And let none deale treacher ou&s;ly.]</HI> Or, <HI>unfaithfully.</HI> That is, In taking other Wives, and when you are convinced of the &s;infulne&s;&s;e of keeping two Wives, deale not treacherou&s;ly to put away your old, pretending law for divorces, and that you may &s;afely doe it; for the Lord hates this treachery in making needle&s;&s;e divorces, and thereby cloaking your &s;in. And this I take to be the meaning of the&s;e and the next words.</P>
<P><HI>For the Lord the God of I&s;rael &s;aith, That hee hates putting away, for one covereth violence with his garment, &s;aith the Lord,]</HI> Deale not treacherou&s;ly with your Wives, after your vex|ing them by taking other Wives unto them, then to put them away, and pretend that the law allowes you to give them Bills of divorce; for this is but the covering of your violence and injury with that garment or cloake; but the Lord is &s;o farre from allowing divorces in &s;uch ca&s;es, that he hates them.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord hateth putting away. Or, To put away.]</HI> The younger <HI>Tarnovius</HI> gives here the &s;ame &s;en&s;e with us. The Lord hates your <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Dimitte</HI> (the imperative in <HI>Piel</HI>) you have <HI>Di|mitte, Dimitte,</HI> much in your mouthes, <HI>Put her away, Put her away:</HI> but the Lord hates your <HI>Dimitte.</HI> So it is an ironi|call repetition of their owne u&s;uall word, which the Lord rejects with indignation. Or el&s;e, he takes it for the <HI>Infinitive</HI> in <HI>Piel,</HI> put for a <HI>Noune, Hee hates to put away,</HI> that is, <HI>putting away.</HI> And &s;o is our text-reading. Our margin indeed is, <HI>If he hate her put her away. Pagnin</HI> otherwi&s;e, <HI>If &s;hee</HI> (that is, thy Wife) <HI>hate thee</HI> (that is be perver&s;e) <HI>Put her away.</HI> The <HI>Ge|neva</HI> and our <HI>old Engli&s;h, If thou hate&s;t her, put her away.</HI> And &s;o doth <HI>Zanchy</HI> reade it in that di&s;cour&s;e of divorces which he wrote upon occa&s;ion of <HI>Andreas Pizzardus</HI> his divorce,
<PB N="51" REF="317">as indeed agreeing be&s;t with the matter hee undertooke to defend. And &s;o reade, The <HI>Vulg. Vatabl:</HI> and among others <HI>Michael Walther</HI> a Lutheran in his Harmonia <HI>Scripturae, lib.</HI> 2. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 185. Followes this reading of the <HI>Vulg.</HI> and therefore takes a needle&s;&s;e paines in reconciling this place to that of <HI>Chri&s;t, Mat.</HI> 19.11. for reading it aright according to our la&s;t and approved tran&s;lation, there is no <GAP DESC="foreign"> at all between them. And <HI>Montanus</HI> tells us that <HI>Rab. Hananus</HI> a Jewi&s;h in|terpreter interprets it al&s;o as we doe, God hates him who puts away his wife.</P>
<P><HI>For one covereth violence with his garments]</HI> The <HI>Vulg. La|tine, But iniquitie will cover his garment. Corn. a Lap.</HI> who is bound to follow it, labours much to make good &s;en&s;e of it. Fir&s;t, he tells us, we mu&s;t take, <HI>His,</HI> for, <HI>Thine.</HI> Put her away, but iniquity will (or &s;hall) cover thy garment. But how is that meant. 1. Iniquity, that is, the puni&s;hment of thy ini|quity &s;hall cover thy garment, that is, &s;hall be upon thy bo|dy in regard of di&s;ea&s;es, &amp;c. 2. Upon thy garment, that is, thou &s;halt be puni&s;hed in thy cloathing, naked, ragged, &amp;c. 3. puni&s;hment &s;hall be upon thee, the garment taken for the man, Thou &s;halt be openly puni&s;hed. Thus he from others, for the <HI>Vulg.</HI> of which tran&s;lation <HI>Steph. Menochius</HI> a latter <HI>Ie&s;uite,</HI> gives another &s;en&s;e. The <HI>Iewes</HI> excu&s;e them&s;elves, Why doe you reprehend us, &s;eeing the law permits us to put away our Wives, If thou hate her put her away. But (which he makes the Prophets an&s;wer) your iniquity &s;hall thereby &s;o abound and &s;well, that no garment will be able to cover it. The Law permitting it onely for the hardne&s;&s;e of your hearts, but not freeing you from &s;inne, if ra&s;hly and without cau&s;e you put them away. A better &s;en&s;e then that of <HI>A la|pide,</HI> but for which he is faine to take his farewell of the au|thorized <HI>Vulgar</HI> tran&s;lation. If thou put her away, give her &s;ome part of thy garments to cover her, &s;omething to live on; So <HI>Luther</HI> occa&s;ionally expounds it: which &s;en&s;e <HI>O&s;ian|der</HI> followes, give her a good dowry, that if &s;he be put away &s;hee may marry another. Let him put her away, for while hee keepes her he covers his injury, and makes as if he loved her: &s;o the <HI>Geneva,</HI> and <HI>Winkleman.</HI> Much like to the <HI>Chalde paraphra&s;e,</HI> Put her away, and cover not thy hatred with a preten&s;e that thou love&s;t her and keepe&s;t her, and make&s;t her a drudge. <HI>Vatablus</HI> is &s;ingular, as if their fault were, that they put away their Wives and covered their iniquity un|der a garment, that is, di&s;covered not their fault, as the Law required they &s;hould, and &s;o wanting a formall bill of di|vorce they were made uncapable of a &s;econd marriage, and &s;o they added to the injury. Some take it for an <HI>Ironic.</HI> Put
<PB N="52" REF="318">her away, doe &s;o, but thy &s;inne &s;hall overtake thee. All the&s;e mi&s;take the &s;en&s;e. I re&s;t in that above. The Lord hates needle&s;&s;e divorces, and the more when the Law is preten|ded; for one, that is, the man that doth this, doth but daube, and colour and cloake his &s;in.</P>
<P><HI>His iniquity]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> oppre&s;&s;ion, or injury, or wrong. So <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 16.5. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>My wrong be upon thee.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The dehortation is againe repeated. <HI>Therefore take heed to your &s;pirit, that yee deale not treacherou&s;ly.</HI>] of which before. And thus much of the 4^t^h Conte&s;tation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>V.</HI> The fifth Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>Fiftly, hee conte&s;ts with them for their contumelie and bla&s;phemy again&s;t God and his providence, as if God were not ju&s;t or tooke no notice of the affaires of men. <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> 17. to <HI>ver.</HI> 7. of <HI>cap.</HI> 3. where ob&s;erve,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Their bla&s;phemy. <HI>ver.</HI> 17.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The an&s;wer that is made unto it. <HI>chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> 12, 3, 4, 5, 6.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="17" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> their bla&s;phemy and unworthy contumelies again&s;t God. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 17. <HI>Yee have wearied the Lord with your words, yet yee &s;ay, wherein have wee wearied him? When yee &s;ay, every one that doth evill is good in the &s;ight of the Lord, and hee delighteth in him, or, Where is the God of Iudgment?</HI>] you have added this &s;inne to the re&s;t, that by your <HI>Athei&s;ticall</HI> conceits and bla&s;phemous &s;peeches ye have wearied and vexed me, &s;aith the Lord; in that you call in que&s;tion, my being, and my ju&s;tice, and my providence.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have wearied the Lord] Lxx,</HI> provoked. <HI>Chald.</HI> Mole&s;ted or cumbred. The <HI>Tigur:</HI> and <HI>Arias,</HI> wearied and toyled: <HI>Vatabl.</HI> Troubled. Wee have the &s;ame word, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 43.24. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Thou ha&s;t wearied me with thine iniquities.</HI> Which is further &s;et out in the words next before. <HI>Thou ha&s;t made mee to &s;erve with thy &s;ins.</HI> So here, yee have wearied and toyld mee that I am weary, I cannot beare your words.</P>
<P><HI>Yee &s;ay, he that doth evill is good in the &s;ight of the Lord]</HI> that is, accepted and approved of him. An u&s;uall phra&s;e among the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> which is cleare by the next;</P>
<P><HI>And he delighteth in him,]</HI> An high accu&s;ation of God for in|ju&s;tice, that hee &s;hould ju&s;tifie the wicked; nay more, take plea&s;ure in him.</P>
<P><HI>Or where, &amp;c. Or,</HI> is either a new accu&s;ation of God; yee &s;ay thus, he delights in the wicked, or yee &s;ay thus, where is the God, &amp;c. Or el&s;e it is their proofe that they bring of their for|mer accu&s;ation of Gods Ju&s;tice, he delights in the wicked, or el&s;e where is the God of judgement: or as the French, <HI>Other|wi&s;e</HI>
<PB N="53" REF="318">where is the God of judgment. If hee did not delight in him, he would puni&s;h him.</P>
<P><HI>Where is the God of judgment]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, of <HI>that</HI> judgment. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Demon&s;trative,</HI> hath great <HI>Empha&s;is;</HI> where is the God of <HI>that,</HI> (1) of that great, exact, free, ju&s;t, preci&s;e, impartiall judgment, which re&s;pects neither per&s;ons nor gifts, but onely ju&s;tice, (as his <HI>Character</HI> is u&s;ually given by the Prophets) where is he. <HI>Lxx,</HI> the God of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. <HI>Chald.</HI> The God who doth judgment. This was their &s;in, their bla&s;phemy again&s;t God. We have in the next Chapter,</P>
<P>Secondly the an&s;wer that is made unto their bla&s;phemy. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver.</HI> 1. to the 7^t^h. Yee &s;ay, where is the God of judge|me~t, It &s;hal appeare &s;ayth the Lord, that I am the God of judg|ment, when the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah</HI> &s;hall come into the World, (as he &s;hall come &s;hortly) who &s;hall di&s;pen&s;e mercy and comfort to the godly, but judgment and evill to evillmen. S. <HI>Hierom</HI> al&s;o and <HI>Theodoret</HI> allow of this context and re&s;olution. Wee have this layd downe in a prophecy of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>Fore-runner,</HI> the comming of them both.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The comming of the <HI>Fore-runner,</HI> the Bapti&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The comming of the <HI>Me&s;&s;ia.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I. The co~ming of the Fore-runner. Part of the 1. <HI>ver:</HI> where,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. His comming.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. His worke.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. His comming. <HI>Behold I will &s;end my Me&s;&s;enger</HI>] <HI>Behold;</HI> to the que&s;tion which (it appeares by <GAP DESC="foreign"> the <HI>demon&s;trative</HI>) they would have to bee taken notice of; they receive an an|&s;wer which carries with it a note of <HI>Pregnancy,</HI> u&s;ed by the Prophets concerning things eminent and certaine, to make men attent.</P>
<P><HI>I will &s;end,]</HI> It may bee taken to bee the &s;peach of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe, according to that of, <HI>Luc.</HI> 1.76. Where <HI>Iohn Bap|ti&s;t</HI> is called his Prophet, or the &s;peech of God, as it is, <HI>Mat.</HI> 11, 10.</P>
<P><HI>My me&s;&s;enger]</HI> or, <HI>Angel,</HI> for &s;o it is in the <HI>He.</HI> of which &s;ee be|fore, <HI>Ch.</HI> 1.1. <HI>Ch.</HI> 2.7. See al&s;o <HI>Dan. Hein&s;ius</HI> his <HI>Exercit. Sacrae, lib.</HI> 5. <HI>Cap.</HI> 4. <HI>in Act.</HI> 7.53. in which place, and <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.19. and, Heb. 2.2. by Angels hee under&s;tands the Prophets: as hee doth al&s;o, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.16. exercit. lib. 14. <HI>cap.</HI> 3. To me (I confe&s;&s;e) a new expo&s;ition of tho&s;e places, having &s;ometime hereto|fore, <HI>In a briefe comment on &s;ome part to the Galatians,</HI> given an other interpretation, which the Reader if hee plea&s;e, may there &s;ee, though I have there al&s;o noted that the expo&s;iti|on which is now offered by that mo&s;t learned <HI>Hein&s;ius,</HI> was anciently S^t. <HI>Ambros</HI> his. If any &s;hall vouch&s;afe to &s;ee my rea&s;ons for interpreting the word <HI>Angels</HI> properly, in that
<PB N="54" REF="319">place of <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.19. Let him plea&s;e al&s;o to correct an error in the &s;ame page 163. where whether it were through the mi&s;take of the Printer or the tran&s;criber of my Copy, <HI>The &s;ame Epi&s;tler,</HI> is put for, <HI>The &s;ame Apo&s;tle.</HI> A title mo&s;t un|worthy of that great and cho&s;en Ve&s;&s;ell, being that which we u&s;e for &s;orry and worthles <HI>Letter-&s;criblers.</HI> But this onely by the way, becau&s;e I would not leave any title of <HI>Diminu|tion</HI> upon that great Apo&s;tle. To returne to the <HI>Text, This Me&s;&s;enger</HI> or Angel, is <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> as the expo&s;ition is put out of all controver&s;ie by <HI>Chri&s;t, Mat.</HI> 11, 10. <HI>This is hee of whom it is &s;poken, behold, &amp;c.</HI> None doubt but it is meant of <HI>John,</HI> but who <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;hould bee hath been &s;ome doubt; Hee is called <HI>An Angel,</HI> and <HI>Origen</HI> thought he was one, and &s;o thought the latter <HI>Iewes,</HI> becau&s;e of his Heremiticall life: but S. <HI>Hierom</HI> concludes &s;ounder, he was an Angell in office, not in nature. In nature he was a man, and we know who&s;e &s;onne he was. <HI>A man &s;ent from God. Ioh.</HI> 1.6. from God hee had his in&s;truction; wee finde no other teaching hee had. Some take <HI>Me&s;&s;enger Sylleptic&egrave;</HI> for all the Prophets, if any, be|tweene <HI>Malachy,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> but that it mu&s;t bee meant of one, &s;ee <HI>Iunius,</HI> his <HI>Parallel. li.</HI> 1. <HI>par.</HI> 50. Thus of the comming of <HI>Iohn.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. His worke. <HI>He &s;hall prepare the way before mee</HI>] the <HI>French,</HI> accoutre or dre&s;&s;e the way. It is a metaphor from the u&s;e of Kings, who when they goe in progre&s;&s;e, their <HI>Me&s;&s;engers</HI> and <HI>Harbingers</HI> goe before them to fit and make all ready, and in the way, The greate&s;t Mini&s;ters of &s;tate goe next be|fore the King. Many Prophets went before <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> went next him, before his face, hard by, neare before him, as S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;peakes on <HI>Math.</HI> 11. and therefore <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> calls him in re&s;pect of other Prophets, <HI>The greate&s;t borne of Women:</HI> hee came as the <HI>Deane of the Quire, Chorum propheta|rum claudens.</HI> He was borne a little before <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was borne. It was the &s;ixth moneth with <HI>Elizabet</HI> when the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed Virgin</HI> conceived, and &s;o hee came into the World but a little be|fore his ma&s;ter, to prepare the way, by preaching repen|tance, by bapti&s;ing, by giving te&s;timony unto Chri&s;t, by taking up lodgings in the hearts of men for <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> He &s;hall &s;weepe the way; &s;o <HI>Pagnin.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> is to remove all ob&s;tacles and impediments, and all filth out of the way and out of &s;ight. <HI>Zephan.</HI> 3.15. it is rendred, <HI>Ca&s;t out. Hee hath ca&s;t out thine onemy.</HI> P&s;alme 80.9. <HI>To make roome. Tremell.</HI> reades it, <HI>To cleare the way.</HI> That is, to take out all &s;tumbling blockes and ob&s;tacles. See, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 57.14. and, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 62.10. And what <HI>Iohn</HI> was to doe, &s;ee <HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 40.3. <HI>Luc.</HI> 1.76, 77, 78. Let mee al&s;o ob&s;erve here, that becau&s;e of this office of his <HI>To goe be|fore
<PB N="55" REF="319">Chri&s;t,</HI> and to &s;erve for <HI>a time or &s;ea&s;on</HI> till the appearing of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who ro&s;e as the <HI>Sunne</HI> doth in the morning, (and &s;o hee is called <HI>The &s;unne,</HI> in the next Chapter) that for this rea&s;on I &s;ay, <HI>Iohn</HI> is called, <HI>A burning and &s;hining light,</HI> in who&s;e light the <HI>Iewes</HI> did rejoyce for <HI>a &s;ea&s;on,</HI> as it is, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5.35. Lights and Candles are of good u&s;e, and doe &s;ervice till the morning appeares or the Sunne ri&s;es; and therefore <HI>Lampes</HI> were kept burning in the <HI>Temple</HI> till the morning, as we find, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3.3. where it is &s;aid, that the Lord called to <HI>Samuel, yer</HI> or <HI>before the Lamp of God went out in the Temple;</HI> that is, be|fore it was morning. So in the darke night of things under the Law, The <HI>Prophets</HI> were <HI>lights,</HI> and e&s;pecially <HI>Iohn</HI> was <HI>A burning light for that &s;ea&s;on,</HI> till that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> manife&s;t him&s;elfe, and then it was day. And thus much of the comming &amp; office of the fore-runner.</P>
<P>II. The comming of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah.</HI> We have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. His per&s;on. <HI>ver.</HI> 1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. His comming. <HI>ver.</HI> 1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. His power. <HI>ver.</HI> 2.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The effects of his comming. <HI>ver.</HI> 3, 4, 5, 6.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, his Per&s;on. <HI>The Lord whom yee &s;eeke, The Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant, whom yee delight in</HI>] <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah</HI> is &s;et out unto them by the&s;e two names.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Ille Dominus. The Lord</HI> by an excellence. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Dominator,</HI> as the <HI>Vulg.</HI> (Of this appellative <HI>Adon,</HI> &s;ee before <HI>cap.</HI> 1. <HI>ver.</HI> 14.) Some <HI>Hebrewes</HI> whom <HI>Remigius</HI> al&s;o follows, under&s;tand by the <HI>Me&s;&s;enger, Elias;</HI> and by <HI>The Lord, the Dominator; Antichri&s;t;</HI> but the following words de|clare the un&s;oundne&s;&s;e of this interpretation, where hee is called, the Angel of the Covenant. <HI>Theodorus Mop&s;ve&s;tenus</HI> infected with the haere&s;ie of the <HI>Ebionites</HI> who denyed the <HI>Divinity</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> (as <HI>Arrius</HI> after) under&s;tood by <HI>The Lord</HI> here, <HI>Ezra,</HI> or &s;ome &s;uch per&s;on, who &s;hould re&s;tore the <HI>Iewi&s;h</HI> wor&s;hip. Which error was <HI>Damned</HI> by the <HI>Fathers</HI> of the <HI>Fifth generall Councell,</HI> and about the &s;ame time at <HI>Rome</HI> under <HI>Vigilius.</HI> Of late <HI>Eniedenus</HI> the <HI>Socinian (in explic. Loc. V. &amp;. N. Te&s;t.)</HI> hath quarrelled &s;uch <HI>Texts,</HI> in which the title of <HI>Lord</HI> is given unto Chri&s;t, as <HI>Ioh.</HI> 20.28. for the vindicati|on of which and the like <HI>Texts,</HI> &s;ee that late indu&s;trious Di|vine, <HI>Ga&s;p. Brockman. Sy&s;tem. Tom.</HI> 1. <HI>art.</HI> 5. <HI>cap.</HI> 2. <HI>qu:</HI> 3. The <HI>Rabbins</HI> al&s;o pervert &s;uch places. See <HI>Ioh. Al&s;tedi paratitla Theo. in verbo Dominus.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Whom yee &s;eeke]</HI> They had a certaine notion of the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> and were in expectation of him. But the mo&s;t part had hope and expectation of corporall deliverance only by him, as <HI>Iohn Deodate</HI> notes.</P>
<PB N="56" REF="320">
<P><HI>The Angel or Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant,] Chri&s;t</HI> is here &s;et out by his &s;acerdotall office. He that was covenanted for, or pro|mi&s;ed: or, He that &s;hould admini&s;ter the Covenant.</P>
<P><HI>Whom yee delight in]</HI> They delighted in his day though a farre off; according to that, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 8.56. See the <HI>Elder Tarnovius, In Dub. ad</HI> 4. <HI>partem, c.</HI> 8. <HI>Ioh. qu.</HI> 18. The <HI>Geneva, Whom yee de&s;ire.</HI> We have that phra&s;e, <HI>Hagge,</HI> 2.8. He was 4000 yeares de&s;ired, and earne&s;tly. See <HI>Gen.</HI> 49.18. <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 64.1.</P>
<P>Secondly, his comming. <HI>He &s;hall &s;uddenly come to his Temple, Behold he &s;hall come, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts</HI>]</P>
<P><HI>Suddenly]</HI> It is the &s;ame word that is u&s;ed, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 64.7. and <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 30.13. The <HI>Geneva,</HI> &s;peedily. Yet it was 500 yeares af|ter <HI>Malachy</HI> before <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was borne; a &s;hort time in re&s;pect of the long expectation of the <HI>Patriarkes.</HI> But after <HI>Iohn, Chri&s;t</HI> came <HI>Suddenly,</HI> hee was conceived &s;peedily within a few moneths after <HI>Iohn,</HI> and borne &s;peedily after <HI>Iohns</HI> birth, and taught publiquely &s;peedily after <HI>Iohns</HI> preaching and bapti&s;ing.</P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall come to his Temple.] Pagnin.</HI> had rendred it &s;o, but <HI>Montanus</HI> in his correction, <HI>To his pallace.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifies, <HI>a Pallace</HI> or <HI>A Court,</HI> 1 <HI>King.</HI> 21.1. <HI>Naboths</HI> vineyard was hard by the Pallace of <HI>Ahab. (Hecal Ahab.)</HI> And though the word bee u&s;ed for the Temple, yet peculiarly for that part of the Temple which is called the pallace or the Court, which was the greater part, the middle part betweene the Porch and the Oracle; an&s;wereable to which, <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>A temple,</HI> in the re|&s;trained u&s;e of the word is now onely taken, for the body of the Church. But the whole Temple is here called by that name, as <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> al&s;o have called the <HI>Churches</HI> or hou&s;es of God, <HI>Ba&s;ilicae.</HI> See <HI>Steph. Duranti De Ritibus Eccl. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 1. <HI>&s;.</HI> 8, 9. To the materiall Temple, and in the literall &s;en&s;e, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was to come as to the &s;olemne place of his apparance, as when the <HI>Lord</HI> came to or among the people of old, Hee came into and filled his hou&s;e with <HI>his glory:</HI> &s;o <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> came to his Temple, when hee was <HI>pre&s;ented</HI> there a child, <HI>Luc.</HI> 2. So the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> &s;eemes to under&s;tand this, by appointing in her <HI>Liturgy</HI> (which we had, <HI>Mi&s;&s;ale &s;ec. u&s;um Sarum; In offit: propriis, pag.</HI> 12.) the&s;e words for the day of the <HI>Purification:</HI> but e&s;pecially he came thither when after|ward hee preached and wrought miracles there: for wee cannot under&s;tand by the <HI>Temple,</HI> either the <HI>Wombe</HI> of the <HI>Virgin,</HI> as S. <HI>Cyril;</HI> or the <HI>fle&s;h</HI> and <HI>incarnation</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> ac|cording to that, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 2.19. as <HI>Theodoret</HI> and S. <HI>Ang.</HI> and to which the learned <HI>Hein&s;ius</HI> (though hee al&s;o give that other &s;en&s;e of the materiall Temple) &s;eemes to me to encline, exercit. Sacrae. cap. 2. in <HI>Ioh.</HI> 2.19. Yet I &s;hall ea&s;ily agree with the
<PB N="57" REF="320">reverend Author of the following commentary, wherein al&s;o I thinke hee followes S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> That the <HI>end</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;ts comming</HI> is al&s;o at lea&s;t intimated, that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> comes to make up a &s;pirituall Temple or Church of Chri&s;tians. To which agrees the <HI>Margin</HI> of the <HI>Italian Bible, he &s;hal come to the Temple at Hieru&s;alem the figure of the Church.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, his power ver&s;. 2. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> <HI>But who may abide the day of his comming? And who &s;hall &s;tand when hee appeareth? For hee is like a refiners fire, and like fullers &s;ope.</HI>] The power and Maje&s;ty of Chri&s;t is here di&s;covered by variety of expre&s;|&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Who may abide the day of his comming?] Vulg. Who can thinke,</HI> that is, who can thinke of all the glory, graces, benefits of that day. The <HI>Lxx</HI> and the <HI>Chald. Who can &s;u&s;taine?</HI> That is, Who can endure the light of it. Wee being as Owles unto the Sunne. Who will not bee a&s;toni&s;hed and melt. <HI>Vatablus</HI> his note is, who will endure the tribulations of Chri&s;tians that will follow upon his comming. <HI>Winkleman,</HI> who will bee able to &s;tand in the reformations that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> will proceed upon. Our <HI>Comment.</HI> The wicked will not bee able to a|bide <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> preaching, but will bee de&s;troyed by it. <GAP DESC="foreign"> in <HI>Piel,</HI> is, <HI>To comprehend, containe, &s;u&s;taine, beare.</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e the word is to bee taken here in that &s;en&s;e that it is, <HI>Pro.</HI> 18.14. <HI>The &s;pirit of a man,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Will &s;u&s;taine his in|firmitie.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And who &s;hall &s;tand when hee appeareth?]</HI> The <HI>Geneva, Who &s;hall endure.</HI> Who is &s;o hard and flinty or &s;o made of iron, whom that &s;ight will not breake, who &s;o rebellious that will not bee wrought upon? &s;o <HI>Sanchez in loc.</HI> But others take the place as comparing <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> comming to the Sunne in his ri|&s;ing, at who&s;e magnificence and brightne&s;&s;e all are dazeled and amazed. So the <HI>Lxx. Chald. Vulg. Vatabl. Pagnin.</HI> There are that under&s;tand this whole period of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> comming to judgement, and among others <HI>Gerard Vo&s;&s;ius</HI> upon <HI>Ephraems Sermon, De&s;ecundo adventu Domini.</HI> But mo&s;t under&s;tand it of Chri&s;ts comming in the fle&s;h: The &s;everall interpretations of which place, <HI>Dan. Chamier, Pan&s;tr. Tom.</HI> 3. <HI>lib.</HI> 26. <HI>cap.</HI> 4. <HI>hath</HI> plentifully collected, where he cleares this place, e&s;pecially the latter part of the ver&s;e, from the fingers of &s;uch as pervert it to e&s;tabli&s;h <HI>Purgatory.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For he is like a Refiners fire] Geneva,</HI> A purging fire. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> The fire of a forge. <HI>Vulg.</HI> A forging fire. <HI>Deodates Italian,</HI> As the fire of him that founds metalls. So wee have the word where the &s;ame <HI>metaphor</HI> is followed, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 48.10. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>I have refined thee, I have cho&s;en thee in the furnace of affliction.</HI> And, Iudg. 7.4. <HI>I will try them.</HI> A boyling or melting fire;
<PB N="58" REF="321">&s;o <HI>Pagnin;</HI> as it is <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 1, 26. <HI>I will purge away thy dro&s;&s;e, and take away thy tinne.</HI> So al&s;o, <HI>Ierem.</HI> 9.7. See in <HI>Corn: a lap.</HI> five rea|&s;ons why <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is compared to fire.</P>
<P><HI>And like fullers &s;ope</HI>] <HI>Lxx.</HI> as wa&s;hers hearb. <HI>Vulg.</HI> As fullers hearb. and &s;o the <HI>Tigurine</HI> from S. <HI>Hier.</HI> in <HI>Iere.</HI> 2.22. <HI>Though thou wa&s;h thee with nitre, and take thee much</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>Sope:</HI> who &s;aith there, that <HI>Borith</HI> is an hearb growing in &s;pring|ing and moy&s;t places of <HI>Palae&s;tine,</HI> and of the &s;ame u&s;e with <HI>Nitre.</HI> That which we call <HI>Saponaria,</HI> in Engli&s;h <HI>Sopewe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d</HI> or <HI>Sopewoort. Deodates Italian</HI> in the text, renders it, <HI>The Hearb which &s;coureth cloth;</HI> In the margin, <HI>Cudwoort</HI> or <HI>Cottonweed,</HI> which the fullers u&s;e. <HI>Vatabl. Pagn. Tremell.</HI> render it, <HI>Sope. Arias</HI> leaves the Hebr. word untran&s;lated, <HI>like fullers Borith.</HI> The word comes of <GAP DESC="foreign"> to make pure, cleane, or white. Thence <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign">, Any thing that hath force to clean&s;e garments from &s;pots or &s;taines. Therefore the <HI>Chald. Hee is like that by which cloths are made white.</HI> But our la&s;t tran&s;lation renders it Sope, here, and <HI>Ier.</HI> 2.22. Which what it is, be&s;ides the or|dinary knowledge of it now adayes, appeares by that of <HI>Pliny,</HI> lib. 28. c. 12.7. <HI>Prode&s;t &amp; &s;apo; Gallorum inventum ex&s;evo &amp; cinere.</HI> Both the <HI>Arabicques</HI> reade <HI>Sulphur,</HI> not (as I &s;up|po&s;e) according to <HI>Cornelius a lapide,</HI> his conjecture, taking <GAP DESC="foreign"> for <GAP DESC="foreign"> which indeed &s;ignifies <HI>Sulphur</HI> in the <HI>Chalde,</HI> but upon a much ea&s;ier mi&s;take in <HI>unpointed Hebrew,</HI> where the word is <GAP DESC="foreign">, and in the <HI>Arabian</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> is <HI>Sulphur.</HI> But I &s;ubmit this al&s;o as a conjecture.</P>
<P N="3">3. The effects of Chri&s;ts comming, <HI>ver.</HI> 3, 4, 5, 6.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In re&s;pect of the godly <HI>ver.</HI> 3, 4.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In re&s;pect of the wicked. <HI>ver.</HI> 5, 6.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I. In re&s;pect of the godly, the effect of his comming is very &s;alutary and comfortable. <HI>ver.</HI> 3, 4. where con&s;ider,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. His worke <HI>ver.</HI> 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The end of his worke <HI>ver.</HI> 4.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t his worke. ver. 3. <HI>And hee &s;hall &s;it as a refiner and purifyer of &s;ilver,</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> <HI>and hee &s;hall purifie the &s;onnes of Levi, and purge them as Gold and Silver</HI>] Chri&s;t comes to clean&s;e and purifie his people.</P>
<P><HI>Hee &s;hall &s;it</HI>] <HI>Geneva, Hee &s;hall &s;it downe to try.</HI> Some refer it, to expre&s;&s;e <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> as a <HI>Iudge,</HI> who <HI>&s;its</HI> to enquire and di&s;|cerne right from fal&s;e. But the phra&s;e rather notes the ac|curate, &s;erious and a&s;&s;iduous doing of a thing. <HI>Deodate</HI> gives both.</P>
<P><HI>As a refiner</HI>] <HI>Vulg:</HI> As a melter in a Forge.</P>
<P><HI>And purifier</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign"> is mo&s;t ordinarily u&s;ed for, <HI>To bee cleane</HI> or <HI>pure from &s;inne.</HI> And thence <HI>Taber</HI> is <HI>Pure, innocent,</HI> or <HI>holy.</HI> But it is u&s;ed al&s;o as here. God is compared to a <HI>refiner</HI>
<PB N="59" REF="321">and <HI>purifier,</HI> as the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> are in the next words to <HI>Silver</HI> and Gold.</P>
<P><HI>And he &s;hall purifie the &s;onnes of Levi and purge them,</HI>] <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> will make the Prie&s;ts brighter. <HI>The French, He &s;hall make neate,</HI> or <HI>cleane,</HI> the &s;onnes of <HI>Levi. Vulg. Colabit,</HI> Hee &s;hall &s;treine them, as &s;ome liquor or liquid matter is tran&s;mitted or &s;treined thorough a narrow ve&s;&s;ell, &s;eive, or cloth, &s;o that the purer part may goe through, and the dreggy may bee left. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> Hee &s;hall powre forth as metall which is mel|ted <HI>Pagn.</HI> Hee &s;hall melt them, <HI>Montan.</HI> Hee &s;hall boyle them. The <HI>Chald;</HI> reades as we doe, He &s;hall purge them. <HI>Theodoret</HI> under&s;tood this of the conver&s;ion of many <HI>Levites</HI> to the Faith of Chri&s;t, as <HI>Io&s;es, Acts</HI> 4.36. and many <HI>Priests, Acts</HI> 6, 7. S. <HI>Hier. Remig. Rupert. Eyr. &amp;c.</HI> under&s;tand it of a new or|der of <HI>Levites</HI> to bee in&s;tituted for the &s;ervice of the Go&s;pel. And we know that the <HI>Ministers</HI> of the Go&s;pell are prophe|cyed of under that name, and of Prie&s;ts, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 66.21. See the learned conference with <HI>Hart, chap.</HI> 8. <HI>divi&s;.</HI> 4. <HI>pag.</HI> 470. But <HI>Ioh. Deodate</HI> interprets it of all true Chri&s;tians and refers to <HI>Apo.</HI> 1.6 <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.1. Him I a&s;&s;ent to.</P>
<P>Secondly, the end of his worke, in purging them. <HI>That they may offer unto the Lord an offering,</HI>] The <HI>Geneva,</HI> that they may bring offerings. The word is <HI>Mincha</HI> here too, of which &s;ee before. Hee &s;till &s;peakes in the propheticall phra&s;e. They &s;hall be purged, that they may &s;erve God, purely, and accep|tably, or offer an offering.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Pure.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Acceptable.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. A pure offering, <HI>That they may offer an offering in righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e,</HI>] that is, holily and purely performed, according as is required. See the phra&s;e, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 51.19.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. An acceptable offering, <HI>ver.</HI> 4. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;er&s;e."> <HI>Then &s;hall the offerings of Judah and Jeru&s;alem be plea&s;ant to the Lord.</HI>] And &s;o the <HI>Vulg. Acceptable,</HI> &s;o the <HI>Geneva. Chald.</HI> &s;hall bee entertained freely. <HI>Vatabl.</HI> and <HI>Pagn.</HI> &s;hall bee &s;weete. So wee have rendred it, <HI>Ierem.</HI> 6.20. <HI>Nor your &s;acrifices,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Sweet unto me.</HI> That the place is meant of the <HI>Service</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> as it is <HI>Now,</HI> I doubt not; but that <HI>Judah</HI> is the <HI>Latine Church,</HI> and <HI>Ieru&s;alem Rome,</HI> as <HI>Ribera</HI> would have it, I pa&s;&s;e as a partiall fancy of a <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> interpreter.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>As in the dayes of old, and in the former</HI> (or ancient) times.] As acceptable as were the Sacrifices, which <HI>Abel, Noah, Mel|chi&s;edec, Abrabam, Mo&s;es, Aaron, &amp;c.</HI> Offered.</P>
<P N="2">2. The effects of his comming in re&s;pect of the wicked, exitiall and terrible. <HI>ver.</HI> 5.6. where wee may con&s;ider,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The judgement. <HI>ver.</HI> 5.</ITEM>
<PB N="60" REF="322">
<ITEM>2. The certainty of the judgement. <HI>ver.</HI> 6.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I. <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> The judgement, <HI>ver.</HI> 5. where,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. What it is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Again&s;t whom.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what the judgment is, <HI>And I will come neare to you in judgment, and I will bee a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t, &amp;c.</HI>] you &s;aid, where is the God of judgment? I will make it appeare unto you, that I am hee. The <HI>Tigurine,</HI> I will come and I will draw neare. A phra&s;e like that, <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 18.21. <HI>I will goe downe and &s;ee,</HI> that I may puni&s;h. A metaphor from the cu&s;tome of <HI>Itinerarie Iu&s;tices,</HI> or <HI>Iudges</HI> that hold <HI>A&s;&s;i&s;es</HI> in their <HI>Cir|cuits.</HI> I know this mo&s;t interpreters, ancient and others, who under&s;tand the former of <HI>Chri&s;ts fir&s;t Comming,</HI> doe thinke this is meant of his <HI>Second;</HI> for which I cannot &s;ee rea&s;on, but rather thinke this to bee the &s;en&s;e, Though the comming of the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah</HI> bring &s;o much comfort along with it, and bring <HI>&s;alvation</HI> to the World; yet again&s;t &s;uch as continue in their &s;innes, and thereby encrea&s;e the guilt of them the more, by how much, more grace is offered unto them; again&s;t &s;uch I will come to judgment, and will bee a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t them. And thus I make it to bee the &s;peech of <HI>God</HI> taken <HI>Sub&s;tantialiter</HI> (who is in the end of the Ver&s;e againe called, <HI>The Lord of ho&s;ts,</HI> as all along the prophecie) and not <HI>Per&s;onaliter,</HI> for <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> Which in|terpretation notwith&s;tanding I doe &s;ubmit, as I doe all the re&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>And I will bee a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t,</HI>] An ha&s;ty witne&s;&s;e, &s;o the <HI>Tigur. Vatablus,</HI> Ready. <HI>Tremel.</HI> mo&s;t &s;peedy. The <HI>Lxx</HI> as we, <GAP DESC="foreign">, A &s;wift witne&s;&s;e. The <HI>Trope</HI> here al&s;o is a <HI>Metaphor,</HI> and the affection of the <HI>Metaphor</HI> &s;eemes to be a <HI>Catachre&s;is, witne&s;&s;e</HI> being put for <HI>Iudge.</HI> I will &s;oone upon the evidence of your fact give judgement again&s;t you. A|mong men, the witnes and the judge mu&s;t be di&s;tinct. That of <HI>Ioh. Bodin. De republ. lib.</HI> 6. <HI>pag.</HI> 1185, is generally received; <HI>If the fact be onely knowne to the judge, he may bee a witnes of it, but a judge hee cannot bee.</HI> And to the que&s;tion, whether a judge be bound to give &s;entence <HI>Secundum allegata &amp; probata?</HI> The <HI>Canons</HI> &s;peake affirmatively. <HI>Gratian. Cau&s;.</HI> 2. <HI>qu.</HI> 1. <HI>et</HI> 7. <HI>plerunque, &amp;c.</HI> and &s;o al&s;o (to omit others) it is determi|ned by the learned <HI>Henr. Bocerus de Iuri&s;dict.</HI> cap. 6. &s;ect. 34. and by <HI>Ioh. Weem&s;. Exercit. vol.</HI> 2. <HI>lib.</HI> 2. <HI>cap.</HI> 17. And there is rea&s;on it &s;hould be &s;o among men. But <HI>God,</HI> being infinitely pre&s;ent, an eye-witne&s;&s;e of every fact; and infinitely wi&s;e, free from all po&s;&s;ibility of error; and infinitely holy, out of all &s;u&s;picion of being corrupted; may be, and is, both wit|ne&s;&s;e and judge. See for further light, <HI>Gene.</HI> 31.50. <HI>Iud.</HI> 11.10.1.
<PB N="61" REF="322"><HI>Sam.</HI> 12.5, <HI>Iob</HI> 16.19, <HI>Ierem.</HI> 29.23. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 8.16, 17, 18. See al&s;o <HI>Ioh. Buxtorf. in Comment. Ma&s;oret. cap.</HI> 14. <HI>in Litera</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. We have &s;een thus what the judgment is;</P>
<P N="2">2. Again&s;t whom it is; again&s;t.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Sorcerers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Adulterers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Fal&s;e &s;wearers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Oppre&s;&s;ors of hirelings.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Oppre&s;&s;ors of Widdowes and fatherle&s;&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Oppre&s;&s;ors of &s;trangers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Such as feare not God.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Again&s;t the Sorcerers.</HI>] The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Sor|cerers,</HI> or <HI>Poy&s;oners.</HI> But of <HI>Pharmaci,</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;ee <HI>Rhodi|gin. Antiqu. Lect. lib.</HI> 6. <HI>cap</HI> 12. <HI>lib.</HI> 9. <HI>c.</HI> 23. the <HI>Hebr. is</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, and that is. He that exerci&s;es delu&s;ions and jugling &s;leights, &s;o that a thing is made to appeare otherwi&s;e unto ones eyes, then indeed it is. <HI>Exodus</HI> 7.11, 12. Upon which two ver&s;es, the Reader may &s;ati&s;&s;ie him&s;elfe in the &s;econd di&s;putation, and the nine following, of <HI>Ben. Pererius</HI> in cap. 7. <HI>Exod.</HI> to whom, and to <HI>Delrio</HI> and <HI>Wierus,</HI> I refer him for curio&s;ities of this argument. The word is here tran&s;lated, <HI>A Sercerer,</HI> but u&s;ually a <HI>Witch,</HI> as, <HI>Exodus</HI> 22.18.2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 33.6. <HI>Dent.</HI> 18.10. in which one text are reckoned up the &s;everall &s;orts of <HI>Divination</HI> that are forbidden, all which are fully explica|ted by M. <HI>Gataker.</HI> in his <HI>Tr. of Lots;</HI> and all which are to bee under&s;tood here under this one head. Concerning which, and the &s;everall ca&s;es about them, be&s;ides the <HI>Popi&s;h Ca&s;ni&s;ts, Cajetan. Peccat. Summ. in verbo, Divinatio. Silve&s;ter in eod. Tit.</HI> Tollet, in&s;tructio Sacerd. lib. 4. cap. 14, 15. <HI>Guil. Canta|rell. Var. Quae&s;t.</HI> lib 2. Num 474. <HI>Bizozerus, Sum. Ca&s;.</HI> pt. 2. cap. 4. Memb. 5.6. <HI>Fumi, Armil. Aurea,</HI> Verbo Divinatio. <HI>Reginald. praxis fori poenit.</HI> lib 17. cap. 16, 17. <HI>Martin. Bre&s;&s;er. de Con&s;c.</HI> lib. 6. cap. 21. And ours, M <HI>Perkins, of Witchcraft; Ioh. Al|&s;ted. Theol. Ca&s;.</HI> cap. 13. &s;ect. 11. <HI>Andr. Rivet. Praelect. in Exodus</HI> 20. pag. 20. <HI>Ga&s;per Brockmond. Sy&s;tem. Theol.</HI> Tom. 2. arti. 18 <HI>cap.</HI> 18. Ca&s;. 11, 12, 13. ad 20. See al&s;o many things to the purpo&s;e of this place, in <HI>Gabr. Pennot. Propugnac. hum. libert lib.</HI> 10. <HI>Ioh Wolphius in Addit. ad Pet. Mart.</HI> 2. in Reg. 21. pag. 404. and in <HI>Weem&s;. Degen. &s;onnes, The Magitian.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>and again&s;t the Adulterer</HI>] The <HI>Lxx,</HI> tran&s;late it in|to the feminine, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Adultere&s;&s;es.</HI> 'Tis the <HI>Ma&s;cul.</HI> in the <HI>Hebr.</HI> Under this head al&s;o may bee referred all the &s;innes u&s;ually treated of by Divines and Ca&s;ui&s;ts under the 7^t^h Commandement. A &s;inne &s;entenced and &s;everely puni&s;h|ed by the Lawes of Nations, even the very heathen; for the <HI>Athenians, Lacedemonians, Romans,</HI> See <HI>Plutarch, in Parall.
<PB N="62" REF="323">pa&s;&s;im.</HI> For other Nations, <HI>Alex. ab. Alex. Genial. Dier.</HI> lib. 4. cap. 1. and <HI>Rhodigin, lect. Antiqu.</HI> lib. 21. c. 45.47. For the old <HI>French,</HI> it is a notable &s;tory which is related by <HI>Ioh. Tri|tenhemius de Orig. Francorum,</HI> pag. 304 (in the <HI>fir&s;t Tome</HI> of the <HI>Opus Historicum</HI> at <HI>Ba&s;il,</HI> collected by <HI>Simon Schardius</HI> as is thought and conjectured by the Printer) of <HI>Ba&s;an</HI> the King and highprie&s;t of the <HI>Sicambri,</HI> who were ance&s;tors to the <HI>French,</HI> that as his Lawes were &s;evere again&s;t adultery and other like crimes, &s;o hee al&s;o was &s;o &s;trict in the execu|tion of them, that hee cau&s;ed a &s;word and an halter to bee caried before him whither&s;oever he went, and finding an accu&s;ation to bee true again&s;t his owne &s;onne <HI>Sedanus,</HI> that hee had committed adultery, he judged him to death, and when his Nobles entreated him to rever&s;e his &s;entence, he &s;aid; <HI>Strive not again&s;t ju&s;tice, you may &s;ooner re&s;traine the wind from blowing in the ayre, then turne Ba&s;anus mind a&s;ide from the law.</HI> And turning to his &s;onne, hee &s;aid; <HI>I kill thee not my &s;onne, but the law which thou ha&s;t broken.</HI> And therewithall in zeale to ju&s;tice, hee &s;lew him with his owne hand. This was about 280 yeares before Chri&s;t. But e&s;pecially for our owne ance&s;tors, the old <HI>Saxons,</HI> it is an ob&s;ervable te&s;timony which <HI>Corn. Tacitus, De&s;cr. Germ.</HI> gives of their &s;everity a|gain&s;t this &s;inne, upon which place, <HI>Andr. Althanner.</HI> and <HI>Jodocus Vuillichius</HI> in their commentaries upon <HI>Tacitus,</HI> doe take occa&s;ion (and ju&s;tly too in my opinion) to condemne the Remi&s;&s;enes of this age in puni&s;hing more &s;harpely, what tho&s;e times of ignorance did abhorre. But I would rather in this point commend unto the Reader, that zealous and effectuall Epi&s;tle of our country man, <HI>Boniface Arch Bi&s;hop of Mentz</HI> unto <HI>Aethelbald</HI> King of the <HI>Mercians</HI> here in England. where he relates that &s;everity of the <HI>Saxons,</HI> and urgeth much again&s;t this &s;inne. The Epi&s;tle is in the <HI>Magdenburg. Centur.</HI> Cent. 8. cap. 9. and from them in M^t. <HI>Fox Martyrol.</HI> And it &s;eemes there was much need of &s;harpe writing at that time, when the people generally by the Kings example were gi|ven unto this &s;inne, and like fed Hor&s;es neighing after their neighbours wives, as appeares by another Epi&s;tle from the &s;aid <HI>Boniface,</HI> to <HI>Heresfrid,</HI> a godly Prie&s;t, who as it &s;eemes was &s;ometimes called to preach in the Court of <HI>Aethelbald,</HI> and might worke upon him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>And again&s;t fal&s;e Swearers</HI>] <HI>Lxx,</HI> that &s;weare by my Name upon a lye. <HI>Pagnin.</HI> that &s;weare lyingly. <HI>Vulg.</HI> perjurers. What the &s;inne is, and how great; &s;ee the <HI>Ca&s;ui&s;ts,</HI> and o|thers on the third Commandement. And how God hath puni&s;hed it, if there were no other example, the lamentable i&s;&s;ue of the battell at <HI>Varus,</HI> where <HI>&V;ladi&s;tans</HI> the <HI>King</HI> of
<PB N="63" REF="323"><HI>Hungary,</HI> and <HI>Iulian</HI> the <HI>Cardinall</HI> were mi&s;erably defeated by the <HI>Turke,</HI> will bee a &s;ufficient monument to all &s;ucceed|ing times. We have al&s;o two pregnant in&s;tances in <HI>Eadmer|us</HI> his <HI>Hi&s;toria Novorum</HI> (publi&s;hed by the learned <HI>Selden,</HI>) lib. 1. pag. 5, 6, &amp; lib. 5. page. 124, 125. But the &s;inne here, is not onely <HI>Perjury,</HI> when an oath taken is not kept; but the very taking of a fal&s;e oath. So <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> according to the <HI>Hebr. That &s;weare unto a fal&s;e thing.</HI> It may bee rendred <HI>ad|verbially, That &s;weare fal&s;ely:</HI> and to that &s;en&s;e our tran&s;lation. A &s;inne it is of an high nature, for fir&s;t there is a lie, and then an oth made upon a lye.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>And again&s;t tho&s;e that oppre&s;&s;e</HI> (or, defraud) <HI>the hireling in his wages.</HI>] The <HI>Geneva.</HI> That wrongfully keepe back the heirelings wages. The <HI>&V;ulg.</HI> Who make cavills to detaine wages. The <HI>Chald.</HI> and <HI>Lxx,</HI> Who take away wages by violence: and &s;o <HI>Pagn.</HI> The word, <GAP DESC="foreign">, will beare, all the&s;e, It is, to defraud by calumny (<GAP DESC="foreign">) or by guile, or by force. This was <HI>Labans</HI> &s;inne. <HI>Iacob</HI> complaines of him, that he dealt hardly with him, and deceived him, and chang|ed his wages ten times. <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 31.7.41. He changed his wages <HI>ten times,</HI> that is, <HI>often,</HI> as the phra&s;e is taken <HI>Numb.</HI> 14.22. <HI>Iob.</HI> 19.3. Or it may bee he did indeed <HI>ten times</HI> in <HI>Iacobs</HI> &s;ixe yeares &s;ervice change his wages which by agreement was to ari&s;e from the <HI>Lambes</HI> that were yeaned, which in <HI>Me&s;opo|tamia</HI> (which was the Country where <HI>Iacob</HI> kept <HI>Labans</HI> flock) yeaned twice a yeere; but <HI>Laban</HI> partly thorough covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and partly through envy at <HI>Iacobs</HI> thriving, might haply every half yeare be altering the agreement; which was S. <HI>Augu&s;tines</HI> conjecture, and is followed by <HI>Iunius</HI> and <HI>Pareus,</HI> though they followed not his mi&s;take occa&s;ioned by the <HI>Septuagint</HI> in reading the place, <HI>Thou ha&s;t deceived me of my wages in ten lambs.</HI> Of which &s;ee <HI>Sixt. Amama</HI> in his <HI>Antibarb. Biblic. pag.</HI> 427, 428, who cen&s;ures both the reading and the interpretation. But to mee what ever becomes of the <HI>Rea|ding,</HI> yet it &s;eemes the interpretation may &s;tand good. This &s;inne cryes in the eares of God, <HI>Iam.</HI> 5.4. and hath a woe a|gain&s;t it, <HI>Ierem.</HI> 22.13. and was &s;pecially provided again&s;t in the law under <HI>Mo&s;es. Deut.</HI> 24.14, 15. The wages of the labourer mu&s;t be payed as &s;oon as hee hath done his worke, becau&s;e <HI>hee &s;etteth his heart upon,</HI> or <HI>lifteth his &s;oule unto it,</HI> that is, he hath no other liveliehood, nothing el&s;e whereby to maintaine his life, or to tru&s;t unto.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>And again&s;t tho&s;e that oppre&s;&s;e the widow &amp; the father|les</HI>] So I reade it with this &s;upply, though the verb bee not againe repeated, but is to be repeated from the former mem|ber to make the &s;en&s;e cleare. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> Again&s;t them
<PB N="64" REF="324">who oppre&s;&s;e widdowes by their power, and &s;trike or beate the fatherle&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>The Widow</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign">. The <HI>&s;olitary,</HI> or <HI>&s;ilent,</HI> or <HI>for&s;aken,</HI> as Ierem. 51.5. <HI>I&s;rael hath not been</HI> (Hebr. widdowed) <HI>for&s;aken,</HI> and E&s;a. 13.22. <HI>De&s;olate hou&s;es,</HI> are called in <HI>Heb. Widowes.</HI> See the metaphor, <HI>Lament.</HI> 1.1. which is like unto that of <HI>Virgil, Aeneid.</HI> 8.</P>
<P>&mdash; <HI>tam multis vidua&s;&s;et civibus urbem.</HI></P>
<P>See <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 38.11.14.2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 20.3. <HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 47.8. or, the <HI>Widow</HI> in the <HI>Hebr.</HI> is called <HI>Silent,</HI> becau&s;e her husband being dead, &s;hee cannot &s;o well &s;peake in her owne cau&s;e, or for her owne defence. Therefore Gods care of Widowes was al|wayes great, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22.22. <HI>Deut.</HI> 10.18. and, 24, 17. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 49.9. and, 68.5. <HI>Ierom.</HI> 49.11. And in the <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> Church the <HI>A|po&s;tles</HI> tooke care of them, and &s;pecially for their &s;akes or|dained <HI>Deacons</HI> who might &s;ee that they &s;hould not bee neg|lected, <HI>Acts.</HI> 6.1. A place pertinently ob&s;erved and u&s;ed by the <HI>Widow</HI> of <HI>Iohn Knobbarus</HI> the Printer, in her <HI>Epi&s;tle Dedi|catory</HI> to the <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Antwerp,</HI> before the late <HI>Ie&s;uite Bre&s;&s;erus</HI> his booke <HI>De Conc&s;cientia.</HI> This care was continued by S. <HI>Paul</HI> 1. <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.3. and after by many <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Tis a Te&s;ti|mony of great honour, and a <HI>character</HI> fit for a <HI>Bi&s;hop,</HI> which <HI>Mathew</HI> of <HI>We&s;t min&s;ter,</HI> gives to <HI>Gilbert Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Chiche&s;ter</HI> in K. <HI>Edward</HI> the fir&s;ts time, that he was <HI>the Fa|ther of Orphans and the comfor|ter of Widowes.</HI></NOTE> . Yet at the la&s;t the <HI>Pontifician</HI> law grew &s;treight and hard towards them, where|in as <HI>Greg. Tholo&s;an.</HI> hath it, <HI>Syntag. Iuris. lib.</HI> 9. <HI>cap.</HI> 26. &s;. 14. It was provided that the mony bequeathed for pious u&s;es to the endowing and marrying of poore Women, might in no ca&s;e be be&s;towed upon <HI>Widowes</HI> marrying again, though they were poore.</P>
<P><HI>The fatherle&s;&s;e</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign"> is an <HI>Orphan,</HI> a <HI>Pupill,</HI> de&s;titute of fa|ther or helpe. See it clearely, <HI>Lament.</HI> 5.3. <HI>Wee are (Ietho|mim) Orphans and without father.</HI> The <HI>Lxx,</HI> here, and con&s;tant|ly, tran&s;late it <GAP DESC="foreign">, but in one place, namely, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 82.3. they render it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>poore.</HI> The <HI>fatherle&s;&s;e</HI> and the <HI>widow's</HI> are frequently joyned together in the &s;ame Texts, and &s;o they are in Gods care. The ancient Church was tender of them, thence it was that <HI>Brephotrophi</HI> (as they were called) were appointed for the charge of <HI>expo&s;ed infants,</HI> who&s;e fathers were not knowne; and <HI>Orphanotrophi</HI> to &s;ee to the bringing up of other infants. A practi&s;e worthily followed and imitated by the rare zeale and charity of our ble&s;&s;ed <HI>King Edward the Sixth,</HI> who upon occa&s;ion of the <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Londons</HI> Sermon, be&s;ides <HI>Bridewell</HI> and S. <HI>Thomas Ho&s;pitall</HI> di&s;po&s;ed to other charitable u&s;es, was the glorious founder of <HI>Chri&s;ts Ho&s;pitall</HI> for the reliefe of <HI>fatherle&s;&s;e children.</HI> It were ea&s;y to outvie the popi&s;h and to parallell the ancient times, with examples of charity in this kind &s;ince the <HI>Reformation.</HI> Among others that <HI>Honorable &amp; reverend Prelate,</HI> D. <HI>Andrew's
<PB N="65" REF="324">Lord Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Winche&s;ter,</HI> &s;hines not more in his learned writings (which yet make him famous in the gates) then in his <HI>Legacies</HI> to the poore, among which this was not the lea&s;t commendable that he gave 5C^1 <HI>per Annum</HI> to the binding of poore <HI>Orphans</HI> to be apprentices. A man de&s;erving all the honor and right which tho&s;e <HI>honorable</HI> and <HI>learned per&s;onages</HI> have done him, who have gratified the <HI>Engli&s;h Church</HI> with the <HI>Hi&s;tory</HI> of his <HI>life.</HI> But I mu&s;t take my &s;elfe off from this argument, remembring that the&s;e <HI>Excur&s;ions</HI> will haply be judged by &s;ome to bee too frequent and not proper for the&s;e &s;hort notes. I confe&s;&s;e it, yet who would not be large (upon the lea&s;t occa&s;ion given) in the ju&s;t commendations of tho&s;e rare examples, e&s;pecially when &s;o many on the contrary doe build up their e&s;tates and hou&s;es upon the ruines and di&s;tre&s;&s;es of <HI>Orphans</HI> and <HI>Pupills</HI> committed to their tru&s;t; The &s;inne that is here threatned in the text, and que&s;tionles a great &s;inne, and provided again&s;t fully in the ancient law; &s;o that in the <HI>In&s;titutions</HI> of <HI>Iu&s;tinian</HI> we have fourteen titles, <GAP DESC="foreign">, lib. 1. <HI>Tit.</HI> 13, &amp;c. And <HI>Greg. Tho|lo&s;an.</HI> hath found enough to collect to make two bookes in his <HI>Syntagma,</HI> lib. 12. and, 13. with whom I leave the Reader.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>And again&s;t tho&s;e that turne a&s;ide the &s;tranger</HI>] that is, <HI>from his right,</HI> as our la&s;t tran&s;lation &s;upplyes it even in the text. The <HI>Geneva</HI> and <HI>Vulg.</HI> Again&s;t tho&s;e that oppre&s;&s;e the &s;tranger. The <HI>Lxx.</HI> and the <HI>Chalde,</HI> That pervert the judgement of the &s;tranger. See how it is expre&s;t, Exod. 23.6. <HI>Thou &s;halt wre&s;t the judgement.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The &s;tranger</HI>] <GAP DESC="foreign"> Is he that dwells where he was not borne; or one that hath dwelt but a while where hee doth, and &s;o through want of friends and of acquaintance with the Law, is more ea&s;y to bee wronged; for who&s;e defence therefore God provided by many Lawes. See <HI>Exod.</HI> 22.21. and, 23.9. <HI>Deut.</HI> 10.18.19. <HI>Levit.</HI> 19.33.34. <HI>Ierem</HI> 22.3. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 46.18. <HI>Zach.</HI> 7.10.</P>
<P>Seventhly, <HI>And again&s;t tho&s;e that feare not me, &s;aith the Lord</HI>] The particulars before mentioned are &s;ummed up in this, which is the fountaine al&s;o and head of other &s;innes, and that again&s;t which the Lord will come neare in judgement. As, <HI>Primus in orbe deos fecit Timor,</HI> and where the feare of God is, it will command the heart and re&s;traine from &s;inne; &s;o the little or no feare of God, argues that men cheri&s;h lit|tle or no beliefe of God; when (according to the ingenious conceit of <HI>Nic. Cau&s;&s;in</HI> the <HI>Ie&s;uite,</HI> in his Table or picture of worldly policy (<HI>Holy Court,</HI> pt. 2. <HI>The State&s;man. &s;ect.</HI> 2.) In a Chamber hideou&s;ly blacke, the <HI>&s;tudy</HI> of <HI>Lucifer,</HI> the <HI>brave
<PB N="66" REF="325">&s;pirits</HI> of the time, under the regency of <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Tiberius,</HI> doe &s;tudy to finde out the way, <HI>How to believe in God</HI> no <HI>lon|ger.</HI> The truth is, while mo&s;t men, in&s;tead of contending for the faith, have but wrangled about the differences of <HI>Re|ligions,</HI> they are growne <HI>Irreligious,</HI> and into a di&s;po&s;ition unto <HI>Athei&s;me;</HI> which how it may be di&s;covered &amp; cured, will bee worthy the labour of all &s;uch who are &s;et over men for the cure of their &s;oules. Thus wee have &s;eene the <HI>judgment</HI> threatned, and again&s;t whom.</P>
<P>II. <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> The certainty of the judgment. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 6. <HI>For I am the Lord, I change not, therefore yee &s;onnes of Iacob are not con|&s;umed.</HI>] Or, as the <HI>Vulg.</HI> and <HI>Montan.</HI> and the <HI>Geneva</HI> read it, <HI>I change not, And yee &s;onnes of Iacob are not con&s;umed.</HI> It is the rea&s;on of what was before &s;aid and threatned; you &s;ay I regard not to puni&s;h or reward: but though I deferre a while, yet I will come neare to judgement, for I con&s;tantly love good, and hate evill, I change not. So, <HI>Cyril, Theodor. Remig. Rupert. Hugo, Lyr. Vatabl: &amp;c.</HI> For the latter clau&s;e of this 6^t^h <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> I &s;hall with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion take leave to depart from our learned tran&s;lators, and reade not as they, <HI>Therefore</HI>], but as <HI>Montanus</HI> and as it is in the <HI>Hebrew, And,</HI>] <HI>I change not, And yee &s;onnes of Iacob are not con&s;umed. And,</HI> that is, <HI>And yet.</HI> Though I threatned you, and change not, yet my patience is &s;uch, that yee are &s;pared, and not yet con&s;umed. But I leave this place to &s;uch as can better &s;earch the Prophets mind, for here I confe&s;&s;e I doe take off my owne unskilfull pen with|out cleare &s;ati&s;faction in my &s;elfe, about the coherence of this <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> e&s;pecially this latter clau&s;e, with the <HI>ver&s;es</HI> pre|cedent. The Reader may finde it &s;omewhat otherwi&s;e ex|pre&s;t in <HI>Tarnovius.</HI> And thus much of the 5^t^h. Conte&s;tation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>VI.</HI> The &s;ixth Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>Sixthly, <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="&V;er&s;."> he conte&s;ts with them for their impenitence. <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> 7. That they had &s;inned, and continued in &s;in, and yet would not be convinced.</P>
<P N="1">1. That they had continued in &s;inning again&s;t Gods lawes. <HI>Even from the dayes of your fathers, ye have gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them,</HI>] He exprobrates their old and inveterate trade of &s;inning.</P>
<P><HI>From mine Ordinances</HI>] <HI>Vulg. A legitimis meis,</HI> that is (as they tell us who being bound to receive the <HI>vulgar Latine</HI> as <HI>Au|thentick,</HI> doe &s;tudy to make the be&s;t &s;en&s;e of it) <HI>a legibus meis.</HI> You are gon from my lawes. The <HI>Tigur.</HI> My <HI>Statutes. Pagn.</HI> My <HI>in&s;titutes.</HI> The things which I have de&s;cribed, drawne out, con&s;tituted, of <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<PB N="67" REF="325">
<P N="2">2. That they would not yet bee convinced; which is urged;</P>
<P>I. By a declaration of Gods Grace in exhorting them and encouraging them to Repentance.</P>
<P N="1">1. Exhorting them <HI>Returne unto me &s;aith the Lord,</HI>] that is, by Repentance. <GAP DESC="foreign"> among many other u&s;es that it is put unto <HI>&s;ignifies to repent,</HI> as <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.2. 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 8.33.35. <HI>Lam.</HI> 3.40. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 7.16. and in many Texts. God though he might con|&s;ume them, offers them mercy, and &s;hewes them a meanes to prevent his wrath.</P>
<P>II. Encouraging them. <HI>And I will returne unto you, &s;aith the Lord</HI>] that is, I will &s;hew you favour. This is another u&s;e and &s;ignification of the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> when it is applyed unto God. So <HI>Zach.</HI> 1.3.</P>
<P N="2">2. By their &s;tiffene&s;&s;e and difficulty to be convinced, <HI>But yee &s;ay, wherein &s;hall we returne?</HI>] As if they were righteous, and needed no repentance. This is the nature of man, to make contradiction to Gods grace, and re&s;i&s;tance to the mo|tions of Gods Spirit, either convincing the world of &s;inne, or per&s;wading to obedience. And this people did alwayes &s;o, as Saint <HI>Stephen</HI> te&s;tifies of them, <HI>Act.</HI> 7.51. and the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.21. <HI>To I&s;rael he &s;aith, all day long I have &s;tretched forth my hands,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>unto the di&s;obedient</HI> (or unper&s;wadeable) <HI>and again&s;aying people.</HI> So the tran&s;lation of the <HI>Septuagint,</HI> whom Saint <HI>Paul</HI> followed, did with &s;everall words expre&s;&s;e that which in the Hebrew text, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 65.2. is delivered in one, <HI>A rebellious</HI> people. But thus much of the &s;ixth Conte&s;tation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>VII.</HI> The &s;eventh Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>Seventhly, hee conte&s;ts with them for their Sacriledge, ver&s;. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. both,</P>
<P>I. Arguing again&s;t their &s;inne, ver&s;. 8. and,</P>
<P N="2">2. Expo&s;tulating with them, that it were better for them, yea, even in their outward e&s;tates to deale righteou&s;ly with God, ver&s;. 9, 10, 11, 12.</P>
<P>I. He argues again&s;t their &s;inne, ver&s;. <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> 8.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. From a ground of equitie.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. By an application of their fact unto the ground.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. He argues from a generall ground of right and equi|tie. <HI>Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed mee</HI>] Will fraile weake man (<HI>Adam</HI>) doe violence unto, or defraud (<HI>Elohim</HI>) the great and mighty God? Yet you have done &s;o.</P>
<P><HI>Robbe</HI>] The <HI>French,</HI> Pillage; <HI>Geneva, Spoile:</HI> will a man &s;poile God? So al&s;o <HI>Pagn.</HI> and <HI>Vatab.</HI> Crucifie, wound, or
<PB N="68" REF="326">pierce, &s;o the <HI>Vulgar,</HI> and the <HI>Tigurine,</HI> and that is indeed the fir&s;t &s;ignification of the originall word. So the Tran&s;lator of the <HI>New Te&s;t,</HI> into the <HI>Syriack,</HI> u&s;eth the word, <HI>Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 2.14. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>And nayled</HI> (or pierced) <HI>it unto his Cro&s;&s;e.</HI> But by a <HI>Metaphor,</HI> it &s;ignifies to <HI>Oppre&s;&s;e,</HI> or <HI>To rob, or To &s;poile,</HI> as Prov. 22.53. The <HI>Lxx.</HI> here taking <GAP DESC="foreign"> by a <HI>Metathe&s;is</HI> for <GAP DESC="foreign"> which is, <HI>To &s;upplant</HI> or <HI>Deceive,</HI> reade, Will a man &s;upplant his God? But in the &s;en&s;e there is an agreement. Will a man, or is it fit that a man &s;hould grieve, defraud, pierce, or &s;poile his God, as you doe who rob his Prie&s;ts and Mini&s;ters of their maintenance, whereby you undermine and overthrow even Religion it &s;elfe, and Gods wor&s;hip. <HI>When the portions of the Levites were not given them, the Levites and Singers that did the worke,</HI> of Gods hou&s;e, <HI>fled every one to his field:</HI> and &s;o Gods work, that is, his wor&s;hip was left undone: as <HI>Nehemiah</HI> ob|&s;erved, <HI>Neh.</HI> 13.10. The truth is, When the Mini&s;ters of God are kept under the burden of Poverty, <HI>The Lords work</HI> is, ei|ther <HI>not done,</HI> or done <HI>deceitfully;</HI> when the Prie&s;ts are forced to comply with their humors, from whom they expect their maintenance, and &s;o &s;erve not God, but them; flattering them that feed them, as it is, <HI>Micah.</HI> 3.5. <HI>They bite with their teeth, and cry peace;</HI> which I interpret according to the <HI>Chalde Paraphra&s;e,</HI> He that maketh them a fea&s;t of fle&s;h, to him they preach peace: <HI>But hee that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war again&s;t him; And &s;o they make the people to erre.</HI> And it cannot bee otherwi&s;e, whiles, as it is in the eleventh ver&s;e of that chapter, <HI>The Prie&s;ts teach for hire, and the Prophets divine for money,</HI> that is, are faine to maintaine them&s;elves with &s;ordid and unworthy flatteries. To prevent which, it was a mo&s;t pious and commendable care in King <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> which is recorded, 2. Chron. 31.4. <HI>He commanded the people that dwelt in Ieru&s;alem, to give the portion of the Prie&s;ts and Levites</HI> (that they might attend upon the Law of the Lord; &s;o the <HI>Vulg.</HI> That they might confirme them&s;elves in executing the Law of the Lord. So <HI>Tremel.</HI> but as we reade,) <HI>that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord.</HI> Dependancie and expe|ctation of arbitrary maintenance, is a great <HI>Alay</HI> to the purer temper, and &s;pirit, and zeale, that ought to be in them that &s;erve at the Lords Altar; in whom, (according to the u&s;uall <HI>Apothegme</HI> of a reverend Divine of ours) <HI>Innocencie and In|dependencie breeds the be&s;t courage.</HI> And by &s;uch is God be&s;t &s;erved. The &s;candals that are given by Mini&s;ters, doe much dimini&s;h the reputation of Religion, and undermine it, but <HI>Scandalous livings</HI> are a great cau&s;e of <HI>Scandalous Mini&s;ters:</HI> Which was the ob&s;ervation of a learned Gentleman, and worthy member of the <HI>Hou&s;e of Commons,</HI> in the <HI>Parliament
<PB N="69" REF="326">Anno</HI> 1628. who al&s;o promi&s;ed, that he would never give o|ver &s;olliciting the cure and remedie of this, while Parlia|ments and he &s;hould live together. And well may he or &s;ome other effectually pur&s;ue it, e&s;pecially having &s;o much en|couragement in it, by the pietie and tenderne&s;&s;e of our pre|&s;ent <HI>Religious,</HI> and <HI>most gracious Soveraigne,</HI> who (according to the example of his <HI>Royall Father,</HI> for planting a &s;etled competencie for the Churches throughout <HI>Scotland</HI>) hath &s;hewed &s;o much readine&s;&s;e and gracious di&s;po&s;ition this way, that (as he de&s;erves it) I doubt not but &s;uch as &s;hall de|liver his <HI>reigne</HI> hereafter to po&s;terity, will among his other vertues, give him this Title, <HI>The Patron and Father of his poore and injuried Clergie,</HI> and will mention that great Councellour of his in Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall matters, with his due honour, for promoving it in him, with &s;o much zeale to the welfare of this Church: But of this <HI>obit&egrave;r</HI> and <HI>Currente calame.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. He argues again&s;t their &s;in, by an application of their fact, unto that ground of generall right. <HI>Yet yee have robbed mee; But yee &s;ay, Wherein have we robbed thee? In Tythes and in Offerings.]</HI> They deny the A&s;&s;umption, and he proves it; That they robbed him, becau&s;e they dealt deceitfully about the portion of his Prie&s;ts. The <HI>Tythes</HI> he had of old a&s;&s;igned unto them. There were three &s;orts of <HI>Tythes;</HI> The fir&s;t were given to the <HI>Levites</HI> for their alimonie; this was called, <HI>Ma|a&s;er Ri&s;h&ograve;n, The fir&s;t Tithe.</HI> The &s;econd was that which every man &s;et a part again&s;t his going up to <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> to fea&s;t with the Levites and Prie&s;ts, this was called, <HI>Maa&s;er Sheni, The &s;e|cond Tythe.</HI> And le&s;t that &s;hould be omitted, the Tythe of the Third yeare was to be given to the poore, to Levites, to widowes, and orphans; and this was called <HI>Maa&s;er Shli&s;hi, The Third Tythe, and Maa&s;er aani, The poore-mans-tythe,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. See the&s;e three &s;orts mentioned, <HI>Tobit</HI> 1.7, 8. And be|&s;ides, and before all the&s;e, <HI>The fiftieth part</HI> was given to the Prie&s;ts, which was called <HI>Re&s;chit, The fir&s;t fruit,</HI> and <HI>Terumah gdola, The great offering.</HI> Tythes were intended much unto the &s;ame u&s;e in the Chri&s;tian Church, one part for the <HI>Bi&s;hop,</HI> an|other for the <HI>Clergie,</HI> a third for the <HI>Poore,</HI> a fourth for the <HI>Repaire of the Church:</HI> according to <HI>Walafrid: Strabo, de exord. Eccle&s;.</HI> cap. 27. publi&s;hed by <HI>Ioh. Cochlaeus in Speculo Antiq. Devot.</HI> The di&s;tribution is &s;omewhat otherwi&s;e, in the <HI>Ex|cerptions</HI> of <HI>Egbert, Archbi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Yorke,</HI> which the learned S^r. <HI>H. Spelman,</HI> in his late diligent Collections of our <HI>Britti&s;h Councels and Decrees,</HI> hath communicated, <HI>Ad Annum Chri|&s;ti,</HI> 750. the fifth Excerption. <HI>Let the Prie&s;ts receive the Tythes, and &s;et out the fir&s;t part for the adorning of the Church; the &s;econd for the u&s;e of poore and &s;trangers; the third part let the Prie&s;ts re|&s;erve
<PB N="70" REF="327">to them&s;elves.</HI> The very &s;ame order we find in the Ca|nons of <HI>Alfrick</HI> (<HI>Bi&s;hop of Yorke, as</HI> S^r. <HI>H. Spelm.</HI> gue&s;&s;eth at it, <HI>An.</HI> 1052.) <HI>Can.</HI> 24. Hee that would &s;ee more concerning the care of our Ancient Kings about Tythes, may &s;atisfie him&s;elfe in that indu&s;trious and learned Author, <HI>In Concil. Calchuth. ad An.</HI> 787. where in the &s;eventeenth Canon, <HI>&V;t Decimae ju&s;t&egrave; &s;olventur:</HI> This very place of our Prophet <HI>Ma|lachy</HI> is alleaged; as it is al&s;o in the <HI>Con&s;titutions</HI> of <HI>Odo, Arch|bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Canterbury, An.</HI> 943. <HI>cap.</HI> 10. Hee may &s;ee al&s;o, <HI>K. Of|fa's</HI> gift, <HI>An.</HI> 793. <HI>pag.</HI> 308. <HI>K. Ethelwulphs</HI> gift, in the Councell at <HI>Winche&s;ter, An.</HI> 855. <HI>pag.</HI> 348. <HI>K. Alureds Eccle&s;. lawes, cap</HI> 9. <HI>pag</HI> 377. <HI>K. Edwards the elder, cap.</HI> 6. <HI>pag.</HI> 392. <HI>K. Aethel&s;tans, cap.</HI> 1. <HI>pag.</HI> 402. <HI>K. Edmunds, cap.</HI> 2. <HI>pag.</HI> 420. <HI>K. Edgars, cap.</HI> 3. <HI>pag.</HI> 444. and the Canons of his time, <HI>Can.</HI> 54. <HI>pag.</HI> 454. Tythes they are <HI>Gods portion:</HI> hence when the <HI>Jewes</HI> tythed their flocks, as the young pa&s;&s;ed thorow the doore of the fold, the <HI>Levite</HI> &s;tood with a rod in his hand, and marking the <HI>Tenth</HI> that came out, &s;aid, <HI>This tenth is the Lords.</HI> According to that, <HI>Levit.</HI> 27.32. <HI>What&s;oever pa&s;&s;eth under the rod, the tenth &s;hall bee the Lords.</HI> And &s;o they have ever been accounted, although the Church have &s;ometimes taken libertie to a&s;&s;igne them to other u&s;es; as tho&s;e <HI>Decimae Saladinides,</HI> which the Councell of <HI>Paris</HI> granted to <HI>Philip</HI> of <HI>France</HI> for his warre again&s;t <HI>Sa|ladine</HI> the <HI>Mahumedan, An.</HI> 1189. which (as <HI>Matth. Paris, Monk of</HI> St. <HI>Albans</HI> writeth,) <HI>Richard</HI> 1. the <HI>King</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> obtai|ned al&s;o for the &s;ame purpo&s;e the next yeare: and others &s;ince, though the pretence were altered. But &s;ee the liberty of the antienter Church concerning Tythes, in <HI>Gratian, Cau&s;.</HI> 1. <HI>qu.</HI> 3. <HI>pervenit ad. cau&s;.</HI> 13. <HI>qu.</HI> 1. <HI>&amp;</HI> 2. <HI>cau&s;.</HI> 16. <HI>qu.</HI> 1. <HI>Si quis Lai|cus,</HI> and <HI>Eccle&s;iae antiquitus,</HI> and <HI>In canonibus in Gangren&s;i,</HI> and <HI>quae&s;t.</HI> 7. <HI>Decimas quas.</HI> And for ours, for the times he writ of, and collected, &s;ee <HI>Wilhelm. Lyndewood, Con&s;titut. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>pag.</HI> 13.2. <HI>pag.</HI> 14. f. <HI>pag.</HI> 15. o. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and largely, <HI>De Decimis, lib.</HI> 3. <HI>pag.</HI> 101. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Concerning the Que&s;tion, <HI>Quo Jure,</HI> be&s;ides the skir|mi&s;hes of our men about it, and which you &s;hall finde in the reverend and godly Author of the following Commentary, pertinent and full; I doe referre to <HI>Bellarm. Tom.</HI> 2. <HI>De cleri|cis, lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 25. Again&s;t whom in that place <HI>Guil. Ame&s;ius</HI> &s;ayes nothing, and <HI>Joh. Al&s;ted.</HI> in his <HI>Supplement</HI> of a <HI>Fifth Tome</HI> to <HI>Dan. Chamier. Pan&s;trat. lib.</HI> 4. <HI>cap.</HI> 10. <HI>Paragr.</HI> 2. Con|fe&s;&s;es in a manner, that to object again&s;t him in this, is to &s;eek a knot in a bulru&s;h. See D^r. <HI>Thomas Ridley</HI> his learned Di&s;|cour&s;e of <HI>Tythes,</HI> In his <HI>View of the Civill and Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Law,</HI> pag. 124. &amp;c. <HI>And in Offerings</HI>] <HI>Terumah, The Oblation, Eleva|tion, Offering, or, Fir&s;t fruit,</HI> did al&s;o belong to God; The <HI>Te|rumah gdolah, The Great Oblation,</HI> and the <HI>Bikkurim.</HI> The &s;e|verall
<PB N="71" REF="327">&s;orts, and other matters worth knowing, concerning as well Tythes, as the&s;e Oblations. See in <HI>Ioh. Weem&s;e, Chri|&s;tian Synag. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 6. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 4. <HI>paragr.</HI> 2.3. And more fully in our owne <HI>Goodwyn, Mo&s;.</HI> and <HI>Ar. lib.</HI> 6. <HI>cap.</HI> 2.3. And thus ha|ving argued again&s;t their &s;inne,</P>
<P N="2">2. He expo&s;tulates with them their unrea&s;onablnes in this thing, and that it were better for them to deale righteou&s;ly in the maintenance of Gods Prie&s;ts, both,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. For the avoyding of evill, <HI>ver.</HI> 9. and,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. For the procuring of good. <HI>ver.</HI> 10, 11, 12.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. In defrauding God of tythes, <MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="&V;er&s;e"> they brought them&s;elves under the cur&s;e. <HI>Yee are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e, for yee have rob|bed mee, even this whole Nation.]</HI> Not one, or few, but all dealt ill with God, in the matter of tythes, and therefore God brought a cur&s;e upon the whole Nation. The <HI>Vulg.</HI> and o|thers, take it for a cur&s;e of penury and &s;carcity of victualls; a great cur&s;e in that land. <HI>Meerah</HI> of <HI>Arar,</HI> &s;ignifies penury, want, or, barrennes. <HI>Winkleman</HI> derives the word of <HI>Maar,</HI> To <HI>gnaw,</HI> or <HI>Pill:</HI> but not &s;o &s;oundly. The <HI>Lxx</HI> here take the word to come of <GAP DESC="foreign">, and upon that mi&s;take, render the place, <GAP DESC="foreign">. (of the <HI>Anomalie</HI> in the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> in the Text, &s;ee <HI>Sixt. Amam. in Anom. Spec. ad locum.</HI>)</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. In bringing of tythes ju&s;tly, they &s;hould finde,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Their e&s;tates ble&s;&s;ed, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 10.11.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Their reputation cleared. <HI>ver.</HI> 12. So there are here two promi&s;es.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Fir&s;t, a ble&s;&s;ing on their e&s;tates. <HI>ver.</HI> 10.11. <MILESTONE N="10,11." UNIT="Ver&s;e"> <HI>Bring yee all the Tythes into the &s;torehou&s;e, that there may be meate in mine hou&s;e, and prove mee now herewith, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, if I will not open unto you the windowes of Heaven, and poure you out a ble&s;|&s;ing, that there &s;hall not bee roome enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your &s;akes; and hee &s;hall not de&s;troy the fruites of your ground, neither &s;hall your vine ca&s;t her fruit, before the time in the field, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI> A place often and pertinently applyed and pre&s;&s;ed, by &s;uch as have had occa&s;ion to declame on this &s;ubject, and &s;urely of great force to &s;uch as have faith in the promi&s;es of God. A place which had well de&s;erved more then a bare marginall note, from the late author of the profitable <HI>Treati&s;e of Divine promi&s;es. lib.</HI> 3. p. 231.</P>
<P><HI>Bring yee all the tythes,]</HI> Our old authori&s;ed Engli&s;h, <HI>Bring yee every tythe.</HI> Men have made di&s;tinctions of tythes, (and &s;ome of their owne coyning to &s;ave &s;omething from God) but ranke them under what heads you will, all mu&s;t bee brought, and of every kinde.</P>
<PB N="72" REF="328">
<P><HI>Into the &s;torehou&s;e,] Vulg.</HI> Into the barne. The tyth-barne. So the word is <HI>Ioel.</HI> 1.17. <HI>The Garners are layd de&s;olate, the barnes are broken down.</HI> But it is u&s;ually rendred <HI>Trea&s;ury. Beth haozar, The hou&s;e of trea&s;ure</HI> or <HI>&s;tore.</HI> It &s;eemes they had a <HI>&s;tanding place</HI> for tythes, as it is called <HI>Nehem.</HI> 13.11.12, 13. &s;ee the place, and 1. <HI>Chron.</HI> 26.20.</P>
<P><HI>That there may be meate in my hou&s;e] Vulg.</HI> That there may bee &s;poyle, and the Hebr. <HI>Tereph.</HI> &s;ignifies &s;o much. It is a <HI>Synechdoche,</HI> and the <HI>affection</HI> of the <HI>Trope</HI> is a <HI>Catachre&s;is. Spoyle,</HI> that is, <HI>meate,</HI> there's the <HI>Catachre&s;is,</HI> the &s;poyle which the bea&s;t makes to get food being put for meate: and then the <HI>Synechdoche,</HI> meate, put for all nece&s;&s;ary provi&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Meate in my hou&s;e]</HI> that is, in the &s;torehou&s;e for the u&s;e and nece&s;&s;ity of my hou&s;e; that is, of my Prie&s;ts and Levites that &s;erve in my hou&s;e, my temple.</P>
<P><HI>And prove mee now herewith, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts] Mena&s;&s;eh Ben-I&s;rael, Quae&s;t.</HI> 3. <HI>in Deut.</HI> makes the doubt how the&s;e words may be reconciled to tho&s;e, in <HI>Deut.</HI> 6.16. <HI>Yee &s;hall not tempt the Lord your God:</HI> and an&s;wers well, that <HI>Malachies</HI> words are not to bee under&s;tood <HI>Cau&s;aliter</HI> but <HI>Con&s;ecutiv&egrave;,</HI> namely, that they &s;hould indeed finde by experience, that if they offered their tythes, they &s;hould finde the Lord graci|ous and bountifull. See him more fully in the place cited, in his <HI>Conciliator.</HI> So that here the promi&s;e of good things followes. In which let us ob&s;erve the artifice u&s;ed in per|&s;uading.</P>
<P><HI>Prove me, &amp;c. If I will not open you the windowes of Heaven,]</HI> whether I will not. <HI>Pi&s;cat.</HI> and our <HI>Comment.</HI> make this forme, (If I will not,) an oath. Which cannot bee cleare, without &s;ome &s;upply to the text, to make up the &s;en&s;e, which needs not, but the &s;en&s;e doth facilely offer it &s;elfe thus, I will o|pen them unto you, and powre you out &s;o much raine (a great ble&s;&s;ing in tho&s;e hot and dry Countries) as if the win|dowes of Heaven were opened. A phra&s;e noting great plen|ty. 2. <HI>Kin.</HI> 7.2.</P>
<P><HI>The windowes of Heaven] Vulg.</HI> The Catarracts of Heaven. <HI>Catarracts</HI> are gu&s;hings downe of much water with volence, of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Defluere.</HI> &s;uch as are tho&s;e outragious &s;treames of fre&s;h water (which <HI>Peter Martyr</HI> of <HI>Millan</HI> a <HI>Coun&s;ellor</HI> to the King of <HI>Spaine,</HI> de&s;cribes in his <HI>Decades of the new World,</HI> Dec. 1. lib. 6.) which &s;o violently i&s;&s;ue and fall headlong into the Sea, that they drive back the &s;alt water a good way, though rough and forced with contrary winds; They ru&s;h downe from the tops of the mountaines of <HI>Paria,</HI> which <HI>Chri&s;topher Columbus</HI> the fir&s;t di&s;coverer, was &s;trongly conceited of, to bee the &s;eate of <HI>Paradi&s;e.</HI> The <HI>French</HI> tran&s;late it here, <HI>The
<PB N="73" REF="328">Shutts. Menochius,</HI> expre&s;&s;eth the <HI>Vulgar Catarracts,</HI> by the <HI>Port-Culli&s;&s;es,</HI> The <HI>Slu&s;es,</HI> or <HI>Dammes,</HI> of Heaven. And &s;o <HI>Cael. Rhodiginus, lect. Antiqu.</HI> lib. 23. cap. 24. doth expre&s;&s;e it, tak|ing occa&s;ion to interprete that place in <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 7.11. Upon which place, and <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 8.2, See <HI>Ioh. Pi&s;cators Scholia.</HI> The Clouds are the windowes or floud-gates of Heaven, in the &s;en&s;e of this place.</P>
<P><HI>And powre you out</HI> (or, empty you out) <HI>a ble&s;&s;ing]</HI> that is, a &s;hower of raine, bringing a ble&s;&s;ing with it of plenty. Among the <HI>Hebrewis, A ble&s;&s;ing</HI> as when it is u&s;ed concerning words, it &s;ignifies a <HI>&s;alutation,</HI> or <HI>good wi&s;h:</HI> &s;o when it is u&s;ed con|cerning things, it denotes &s;ome <HI>reall good,</HI> or <HI>gift,</HI> as <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 33.11. <HI>Take I pray thee</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>my ble&s;&s;ing which is brought unto thee,</HI> that is, my gift. So, <HI>Iudg.</HI> 1.15. <HI>Give me a ble&s;|&s;ing.</HI> The <HI>Chald</HI> reades, A po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion; and that appeares to be her meaning by the next words, <HI>Give al&s;o &s;prings of water.</HI> Shee de&s;ired &s;ome low grounds. And we al&s;o in our u&s;e of &s;peaking have &s;uch a meaning, when we &s;peake of <HI>A mothers ble&s;&s;ing.</HI></P>
<P><HI>That</HI> (there &s;hall) <HI>not</HI> (be roome) <HI>enough</HI> (to receive it] the <HI>Hebr.</HI> being conci&s;e, hath only, <HI>That not enough.</HI> The re&s;t our Engli&s;h tran&s;lation hath &s;upplyed. The <HI>Geneva,</HI> I will powre you out a ble&s;&s;ing, <HI>without mea&s;ure.</HI> The <HI>Vulg.</HI> A ble&s;&s;ing <HI>even to aboundance.</HI> The <HI>Lxx, Till it &s;ufficeth.</HI> The <HI>Chald. So that yee &s;hall &s;ay, It is enough.</HI> The <HI>French, As much as you can have no more.</HI> The &s;en&s;e of all this variety of expre&s;&s;ion is the &s;ame and cleare. Your &s;torehou&s;es, roomes, and ve&s;&s;ells, &s;hall not bee able to hold and containe the plenty: like as the Prophet dealt with the widow, who&s;e Hi&s;tory wee have, 2. <HI>King.</HI> 4.3, 4, 5, 6.</P>
<P><HI>And I will rebuke the devourer for your &s;ake]</HI> that is, The Locu&s;ts, or other harmefull Wormes or Creatures. When there is much raine and plenty, many times the&s;e <HI>In&s;ects</HI> eate up all; as we &s;ee, <HI>Ioel,</HI> 1.4. and in the Hi&s;tory of the plagues of <HI>Aegypt.</HI> It is among the mo&s;t wonderfull &s;tories and mo&s;t lamentable, which the Hi&s;torians doe relate of the plague of <HI>Locu&s;ts</HI> in <HI>France</HI> about the yeare 852. Where&s;oever they fell, they pitched their camp as it were, and devoured all for 20. Miles &s;pace in a day. And &s;till a &s;mall company went about a dayes journey before the re&s;t, as harbingers and guides of the re&s;t to choo&s;e where the whole multitude &s;hould a light, which accordingly would follow and devoure all before them.</P>
<P>Some Countries have beene almo&s;t layd wa&s;t by them. <HI>Pliny</HI> &s;aith that in the <HI>I&s;le Lemnes,</HI> the magi&s;trates were faine to take it into their care, to appoint unto every inhabitant
<PB N="74" REF="329">what mea&s;ure of them to de&s;troy, &s;o to keepe them under. Yea <HI>Scaliger, Exerc.</HI> 192. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 3. tells us of a kind of <HI>In&s;ects</HI> that u&s;ually in the Northern parts of <HI>Norway</HI> fall in &s;howres of raine, which if they be opened, as &s;ome as they fall have raw and indige&s;ted hearbs found within them; and when and where they alight, they bite and eate up all that is greene. Again&s;t the&s;e <HI>Devourers</HI> the Lord promi&s;es to provide and to &s;ecure them.</P>
<P><HI>And he &s;hall not de&s;troy</HI> (or corrupt) <HI>the fruite of your ground; neither &s;hall your vine ca&s;t her fruite before the time in the field.] Vulg. Geneva,</HI> and the <HI>French,</HI> your vine &s;hall not be barren. Or, <HI>abortive,</HI> &s;o others. The Buds and Grapes &s;hall not fall off unripe. They are called <HI>Orbi palmites</HI> among the <HI>Latines,</HI> that beare not. The word is u&s;ed, <HI>Gen.</HI> 31.38. <HI>Thy &s;hee-goates have not ca&s;t their young.</HI> And, <HI>Gen.</HI> 42.36. <HI>Me have yee bereaved of my children.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P>Secondly, a ble&s;&s;ing of reputation or good name. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 12. <HI>And all Nations &s;hall call you ble&s;&s;ed;</HI> <MILESTONE N="12" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> <HI>for yee &s;hall bee a delight&s;ome Land, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.]</HI> All &s;hall &s;peake of your ble&s;|&s;edne&s;&s;e, &s;hall magnifie and pray&s;e you. So the &s;en&s;e is, in <HI>Job.</HI> 29.11. <HI>When the eare heard me, it ble&s;&s;ed me,</HI> that is, It prai|&s;ed me. And thus the <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>For yee &s;hall bee a delight|&s;ome Land] Vulg.</HI> a de&s;irable. <HI>Geneva.</HI> a plea&s;ant land. Your land &s;hall be greene and flouri&s;hing, &s;o <HI>Cyril.</HI> You &s;hall in|habite a fertile land; &s;o <HI>Vatabl.</HI> I rather take it as S. <HI>Jer.</HI> All Nations &s;hall de&s;ire to live in your Land: a fruite of that re|putation they &s;hould have if they honored God with their &s;ub&s;tance. And to this &s;en&s;e the <HI>Lxx,</HI> and our following com|ment. Yee &s;hall be as a plea&s;ant land, prai&s;ed and commen|ded by all that pa&s;&s;e by you. Thus much of the &s;eventh Conte&s;tation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>VIII.</HI> The eighth and la&s;t Conte&s;tation.</HEAD>
<P>La&s;tly, hee conte&s;ts with them for their bla&s;pheming of Gods providence, for their Athei&s;m, and &s;tubborn perver&s;e contempt of Gods wor&s;hip, and of repentance, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 13. to the end of the Prophecy. We have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Their bla&s;phemous Athei&s;me propo&s;ed, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 13.14, 15.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. An&s;wered, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 16, &amp;c. <HI>ad fin.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. Their bla&s;phemous Athei&s;me is propo&s;ed and &s;et downe,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In generall, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 13.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In particular, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 14, 15.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> in generall, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 13. <HI>Your words have beene &s;tout a|gain&s;t
<PB N="75" REF="329">mee &s;aith the Lord: yet yee &s;ay, what have we &s;poken &s;o much again&s;t thee?]</HI> They thought and &s;pake proudly of and a+gain&s;t God.</P>
<P><HI>Your words have beene &s;tout,] Lxx,</HI> trouble&s;ome. <HI>Vulg.</HI> they have prevailed over me. (1) again&s;t me. <HI>Chazku.</HI> your words are &s;trong, confirmed, or as the <HI>French</HI> hath it, enforced a|gain&s;t me. You per&s;i&s;t &s;toutly and clamorou&s;ly in your bla&s;|phemy; &s;o <HI>Lyr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">:</HI> your words are trouble&s;ome and pre&s;&s;e me as a load &s;tone; &s;o S. <HI>Hier. Remig.</HI> &amp;c. Your words over|come me and mine, you pervert more then my Prophets can prevaile with to the contrary, by your &s;aying; It is in vaine to &s;erve the Lord, &amp;c. &s;o the <HI>Tigurine.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yet yee &s;ay, what have we &s;poken &s;o much again&s;t thee?]</HI> They deny the accu&s;ation. The <HI>Geneva,</HI> what have wee &s;poken again&s;t thee. But there is more in the word. <GAP DESC="foreign"> in <HI>Niphal</HI> &s;ignifies a continuall &s;peech, as our tran&s;lators have well expre&s;t, what have we &s;poken &s;o much again&s;t thee. And &s;o the <HI>Targum</HI> or <HI>Childe paraphra&s;e,</HI> in what have we multiply|ed &s;peech again&s;t thee?</P>
<P>Secondly, in particular, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 14, 15. <HI>Yee have &s;aid,</HI> <MILESTONE N="14,15." UNIT="Ver&s;e"> <HI>It is vaine to &s;erve God: and what profit is it, that wee have kept his ordi|nance, and that wee have walked mournefully before the Lord of ho&s;ts? And now wee call the proud happy: yea they that worke wickedne&s;&s;e are &s;et up, yea they that tempt God are even delivered.</HI> This is the proofe of the accu&s;ation again&s;t them. The&s;e were their &s;tout words again&s;t God.</P>
<P><HI>Yee have &s;aid, It is vaine to &s;erve God.] &V;ulg.</HI> He is vaine who &s;erveth God. There is nothing got by it. A profane athei&s;ti|call conceit now adayes al&s;o entertained of many.</P>
<P><HI>And what profit is it, that wee have kept his ordinance]</HI> or, his ob&s;ervation, &s;ayth our margin. The <HI>Geneva,</HI> his Com|mandement. The Hebr. is, <HI>Shamarnu mi&s;hmart&ograve;,</HI> That wee kept his cu&s;tody, or, his ward, that is, the office impo&s;ed by him upon us. So, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 21.8. <HI>I am &s;et (Mi&s;hmarti) in my ward whole nights.</HI> 1 Chron. 9.23. <HI>They had over&s;ight by wards (Mi&s;hmaroth.)</HI> The prie&s;ts were divided in 24 <HI>Mi&s;hmaroth,</HI> Cu&s;todies or <HI>Wards,</HI> which they entred upon by their turnes every <HI>Sabbath.</HI> To which here &s;eemes to bee an al|lu&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>And that we have walked mournfully</HI> (or <HI>in blacke</HI>) <HI>before the Lord? Pagn</HI> and the <HI>Geneva,</HI> that we have walked humbly. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> &s;uppliant. The <HI>Chald.</HI> With a &s;pirit ca&s;t downe. <HI>Pi&s;cat.</HI> Mournfully before, that is, for feare of <HI>Iehova,</HI> that we might reconcile him unto us. The <HI>French,</HI> that wee have walked in poore e&s;tate. The word is <GAP DESC="foreign"> ob&s;curely, in mourning, or in black. We have the word, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 18.45.
<PB N="76" REF="330"><HI>The Heavens (Hithkadderu) were black with Clouds.</HI> And, P&s;. 35.14. <HI>(Koder.) I bowed downe heavily as one that mourneth for his mother.</HI> Black is the colour of mourning. Our comment: gives this &s;en&s;e; What profit have we, that we have walked humbly, that is, that wee have not re&s;i&s;ted, nor revenged our &s;elves, but referred all to God, what have wee got by it?</P>
<P><HI>Now then, (or Therefore) we call the proud happy]</HI> They who tread upon mode&s;t men, and ray&s;e them&s;elves high, and worke their own ends confidently, and daringly, they thrive, and therefore them wee call, that is, count happy. <HI>Hierom</HI> here calls them, arrogant men. Boyling, raging men, &s;wel|ling and pre&s;umptuous. <HI>Zedim,</HI> comes of a roote that hath all the&s;e &s;ignifications.</P>
<P><HI>Yea they that worke wickedne&s;&s;e, are &s;et up]</HI> or, built up, that is, They have children, hou&s;es, lands, and honors, &amp;c. <HI>Chald.</HI> They are e&s;tabli&s;hed. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, are reedi|fied. They pro&s;per, and have all things well about them. As the word is, <HI>Iob,</HI> 22, 23. <HI>If thou returne to the Almighty</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>thou &s;halt be built up,</HI> that is, Thou &s;halt pro&s;per.</P>
<P><HI>Yea they that Tempt God are even delivered]</HI> The grudging and bla&s;phemous &s;peeches of the&s;e wicked men are &s;till con|tinued: tho&s;e that continue in &s;inning, and ad &s;inne to &s;inne, and as it were dare God, to try what he will doe, or how hee will deale, yet they are delivered; we &s;ee them to bee &s;afe, &s;ecure, bold, and pro&s;perous. See <HI>P&s;.</HI> 95.9.</P>
<P N="2">2. This bla&s;phemy of theirs thus di&s;covered is an|&s;wered,
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, by oppo&s;ing the contrary di&s;cour&s;e of the godly, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 16.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, by &s;hewing Gods taking notice of both. <HI>ver.</HI> 16. latter part.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, by declaring gods gracious promi&s;e to deale well with the godly, <HI>ver.</HI> 17.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fourthly, by warning the bla&s;phemers, that Gods dealings &s;hall be manife&s;t even in their eyes. <HI>ver.</HI> 18.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fifthly, by a further amplification of that point of Gods manife&s;t dealing. <HI>chap.</HI> 4. <HI>ver.</HI> 1. <HI>ad fin.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, <MILESTONE N="16" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> their Athei&s;me and bla&s;phemy is an&s;wered, by op|po&s;ing to the&s;e bla&s;phemous conceits and words of wicked men, the contrary opinion and di&s;cour&s;e of the godly. <HI>ver.</HI> 16. <HI>Then they that feared the Lord &s;pake often one to another.]</HI> In the greate&s;t apparent <HI>Ataxy</HI> and di&s;order, and in the time of the &s;toute&s;t language and behaviour of ungodly men, They that feared the Lord, being acquainted with his wayes and manner of working, &s;pake often for their mutuall en|couragement
<PB N="77" REF="330">and otherwi&s;e to one another, that there would come a day, or that God is righteous, or, that he only deferres, or &s;uch like things they &s;pake, whereby they de|fended the cau&s;e of God again&s;t wicked Athei&s;ts. This I conceive to be the &s;en&s;e of the&s;e words; but for the man|ner of the Prophets bringing them into his di&s;cour&s;e, inter|preters have not &s;atisfied me. I conceive him in the mid&s;t of his di&s;cour&s;e, wherein in the per&s;on of God he bends and directs his &s;peech all this while to them that were before him, the wicked whom hee laboured to convince; Now hee breakes off, and turnes his &s;peech to God, or to his owne &s;cule, or to the godly, yet with an intention in a fine and in|&s;inuating way to in&s;truct the wicked bla&s;phemers that heard him, In this manner; your words have bin &s;tout, yee have &s;aid, tis in vaine to &s;erve God, That men thrive mo&s;t by wicked cour&s;es, but oh my God thou knowe&s;t, or, oh thou my &s;oule thou knowe&s;t, or, oh yee that feare God yee know, whatever the&s;e blind and profane men u&s;e to thinke and &s;ay, yet then in the greate&s;t &s;eeming di&s;orders, yet then they that feared God, have other conceits, and encourage one another, and &s;peake otherwi&s;e; and thou oh God take&s;t notice of them; or, oh my &s;oule thou knowe&s;t, or, oh yee that feare God, yee know that the Lord hearkens and heares, and &s;ets downe all in his booke, &amp;c. But this conceit upon the place, I doe with all &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion leave to the judgement of tho&s;e that can more clearely and with more facility give &s;atisfaction to them&s;elves about the coherence of the&s;e words.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, he an&s;wers their bla&s;phemy, by &s;hewing Gods taking notice of the different &s;peeches and cariages of men. <HI>ver.</HI> 16. The latter part of it. <HI>Then the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a booke of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought on his Name.]</HI> I take not the&s;e to be the words of the godly, <HI>as Tremell:</HI> (<HI>Tarnovi|us,</HI> and generally all) under&s;tands them, by &s;upplying the text, with the word, <HI>Saying; They that feared the Lord &s;pake to each other, Saying, The Lord hearkned, &amp;c.</HI> But I conceave, as I &s;aid in the former member of the <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> that they are the words of the Prophet, who an&s;wers their bla&s;phemy by telling them (in that way of rhetorique that I have expre&s;t above) that God is not &s;o regardle&s;&s;e, as they imagine and &s;peake, but hee heares both their Athei&s;me, and likewi&s;e what defen&s;e the godly doe make; and puts it downe as it were for a remembrance, to reward it in them. I herein follow S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> and de&s;ire leave to depart from the re|verend author of our commentary, who interprets them as
<PB N="78" REF="331">the &s;peeches of the people, according to the &s;upply in the <HI>Tremellian Bible.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>And a booke of remembrance was written before him for them, &amp;c.]</HI> It is a <HI>Metaphor</HI> from the u&s;e of Kings to &s;et downe the good &s;ervices done unto them. As we have an in&s;tance of that cu&s;tome, <HI>E&s;th.</HI> 6.1. Wherein Mordecai's &s;ervice was remembred. And <HI>Corn. a lapide</HI> tells us, that the <HI>Pope</HI> hath a booke of the merits of his <HI>Prelates,</HI> whom hee promotes ac|cordingly. The prophet &s;peakes <HI>Anthropologic&egrave;,</HI> not that God needs any memoriall, but becau&s;e men doe keepe &s;uch bookes; and the Lord will as &s;urely remember to reward his, as if they were written in a regi&s;ter. <HI>Sepher Ziccaron.</HI> The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, A booke of memorialls. A chronicle. An hi&s;tory. As God hath a bottell for his peoples teares, &s;o he hath a Chronicle for their &s;ufferings.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <MILESTONE N="17" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> he an&s;wers their bla&s;phemy, by declaring Gods gracious promi&s;es, of dealing well with the godly, and &s;uch as feare him. <HI>ver.</HI> 17. <HI>And they &s;hall bee mine, &s;aith the Lord, In that day when I make up my Iewells: and I will &s;pare him as a man &s;pareth his &s;onne that &s;erveth him.</HI> A text of mo&s;t &s;weete and comfortable contents. But for the choyce and practicall Notions which it doth afford for the encouraging and &s;up|porting of the &s;oule, I doe refer to a di&s;cour&s;e upon this <HI>ver&s;e</HI> by that excellent preacher my Reverend and worthy friend D. <HI>Richard Sibbs,</HI> now with God.</P>
<P><HI>They &s;hall bee mine,] Vulg.</HI> and <HI>Genev.</HI> They &s;hall be to me. <HI>In that day when I make up my Iewells] Vulg.</HI> They &s;hall bee to me in the day in which I doe (that is, <HI>Doe judgment,</HI> as they that follow the vulgar make good the &s;en&s;e as well as they can,) for peculiar. The <HI>Geneva,</HI> they &s;hall be to mee in that day that I &s;hall doe this, for a flock. The <HI>old autori&s;ed Engli&s;h Bible,</HI> They &s;hall be to me in the day that I &s;hall doe judge|ment, a flock. And <HI>Peculium,</HI> the word of the <HI>Vulg. Latine,</HI> &s;ometimes &s;ignifies a flock. As in <HI>Plautus A&s;inar.&mdash;Quanquam ego &s;um&s;or didatus,</HI></P>
<Q>Frugi tamen &s;um, nec pote&s;t peculium numerari.</Q>
<P>But properly it is that part of the flock, which the fathers granted their children, or the ma&s;ters to their &s;ervants, as a &s;tock whereon to exerci&s;e their indu&s;try: according to <HI>Hot|toman. A &s;tock of Cattell peculiar.</HI> And &s;o it &s;omewhat agrees with the <HI>Hebrew, Segulla</HI> a &s;elect portion. So, <HI>Deut.</HI> 6.6. <HI>The Lord hath cho&s;en thee to be (Segulla) a &s;peciall people unto him|&s;elfe.</HI> But it is properly &s;ome rare or deare trea&s;ure, a <HI>brooch</HI> or rich tablet, or pendant, a Jewell, a rich and peculiar trea&s;ure. As, <HI>Eccle.</HI> 2.8. <HI>I gathered me (Segullath melachim) the peculiar trea&s;ure of Kings. Exod.</HI> 19.5. yee &s;hall bee a pe|culiar
<PB N="79" REF="331">trea&s;ure unto mee above all people. <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. A peculiar people. The Lord promi&s;eth to take &s;uch care of the godly, and to lay them up &s;o &s;afely as one would a &s;peciall jewell.</P>
<P><HI>And I will &s;pare him as a man &s;pareth his &s;onne</HI> (The <HI>Geneva,</HI> his owne &s;onne) <HI>that &s;erveth him.</HI>] I will bee indulgent to|wards and have pitty upon the godly, I will deale tenderly, pardon, and remit their puni&s;hment. See, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 21.7. <HI>David</HI> &s;pared <HI>Mephibo&s;heth.</HI> Or, I will have compa&s;&s;ion. So the word is ordinarily tran&s;lated, as, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 23.21. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Tee have compa&s;&s;ion on me.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, he an&s;weres their bla&s;phemy, by warning them, <MILESTONE N="18" UNIT="V&s;e"> that Gods dealings and judgements &s;hall bee &s;o manife&s;t e|ven in their owne fight, that they &s;hall be clearly di&s;cerned from the godly. <HI>ver.</HI> 18. <HI>Then &s;hall yee returne and di&s;cerne be|tween the righteous and the wicked, betweene him that &s;erveth God, and him that &s;erveth him not.</HI>] You oh wicked bla&s;|phemers &s;hall change your opinion, and whereas you &s;aid, the wicked pro&s;per, and it is in vaine to &s;erve the Lord; yee &s;hall &s;ee a great difference betweene them, and how much they gaine by it that &s;erve the Lord. So S. <HI>Hierom,</HI> &amp;c. See the point whole&s;omly and profitably handled, in a <HI>Treati&s;e</HI> of D. <HI>Pre&s;tons</HI> on <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 9.1, 2, 3, 4, annexed to his treati&s;e of <HI>The new Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, and la&s;tly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> he an&s;wers by a further amplification of that which was propo&s;ed before, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> to &s;hew Gods different dealing with the righteous and the wicked; by an <HI>Hy&s;tero&s;is,</HI> the righteous were fir&s;t named in the propo&s;ition, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 18. but the wicked are fir&s;t treated of in this amplification, Chapter 4^t^h, as the <HI>Hebrew Bibles</HI> that we now u&s;e, and the <HI>Latine,</HI> and our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and mo&s;t others doe di&s;tingui&s;h it; which yet <HI>Tremellius</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> and &s;ome others doe con|tinue to the former Chapter, making but 3, Chapters of this prophecy, and &s;o the fir&s;t ver&s;e of this Chapter to be the 19^t^h ver&s;e of the third, and &s;o on.</P>
<P>Where let me take occa&s;ion by the way to note it, that all antiquity was ignorant of the divi&s;ion of the <HI>Bible</HI> that wee now u&s;e, which was made about the yeare 1250, The worke (as <HI>Genebrard</HI> thinks (of tho&s;e <HI>Schoolemen</HI> who a&s;&s;i&s;ted <HI>Hugh</HI> the <HI>Cardinall</HI> in gathering <HI>The Concordances,</HI> and an in|vention, &s;o u&s;efull and &s;o much approved, that the <HI>Iewes</HI> them&s;elves after followed it in the <HI>Hebrew Bibles.</HI> The <HI>Anci|ents</HI> indeed had their <HI>Titles</HI> and <HI>Chapters</HI> or <HI>ver&s;icles</HI> too, but not &s;o as wee divide them, but u&s;ually in &s;horter peri|ods: as appeares by that of <HI>Cae&s;arius, We have</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>foure Go&s;pells, which con&s;i&s;t of one thou&s;and, one hundred &s;ixty two
<PB N="80" REF="332">Chapters.</HI> And <HI>Euthymius</HI> quoting <HI>Math.</HI> 26.58, calls it the 65^t^h. <HI>Title,</HI> and quoting <HI>Mat.</HI> 26.74. calls it <HI>The</HI> 66^t^h, <HI>Title.</HI> Their <HI>Titles</HI> were as our <HI>Chapters,</HI> and their <HI>Chapters</HI> much what as our ver&s;es. For in&s;tance, S. <HI>Mathew</HI> which we divide into 28 <HI>Chapters,</HI> they divided into 68 <HI>Titles,</HI> and 355. <HI>Chap|ters.</HI> But all di&s;tingui&s;hed not alike. As the <HI>Iewes</HI> had their <HI>Par&s;chiot,</HI> as namely, <HI>Bere&s;chit, Noah, &amp;c.</HI> according to which they cited the Scripture of the old Te&s;tament; So the fa|thers, &s;ome of them divide bookes according to the <HI>Hi&s;to|ries,</HI> as <HI>Cyrus Prodromus</HI> makes his <HI>Fir&s;t title, [In the begin|ning was the word];</HI> his <HI>&s;econd Title [There was a marriage in Cana,]</HI> His <HI>third Title,] Chri&s;ts night di&s;ciple Nicodemus, &amp;c.</HI> Some divided them according to the miracles, as <HI>Gregory,</HI> one Title; <HI>Of the mariage in Cana;</HI> another, <HI>Of the five Loves, &amp;c. Cyril,</HI> as hee wrote 12 bookes upon <HI>Iohn,</HI> &s;o hee divides the <HI>E|vangle,</HI> the fir&s;t begins at <HI>Ioh.</HI> 1.1. The &s;econd, at <HI>Ioh.</HI> 1.29. The third, at <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5.35, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> S. <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> makes a <HI>Period</HI> in every <HI>Tract;</HI> and S. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> in every <HI>Homilie.</HI> S. <HI>Hierome</HI> on the&s;e &s;mall prophets, oft begins a booke in the middle of a Chapter, as we have them now divided. In <HI>Oecumenius</HI> his <HI>Enarrations</HI> hee hath 40, where we make 28 Chapters on the <HI>Acts:</HI> hee hath 20, where wee make but 16 in the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romans, &amp;c.</HI> many of them indeed oft end their <HI>paraphra&s;es</HI> and <HI>di&s;cour&s;es</HI> where our Chapter end, But that is, becau&s;e the matter in hand breakes off there. The truth is, <HI>Di&s;tingui&s;h|ing</HI> of the <HI>Bible</HI> into <HI>Chapters</HI> and <HI>ver&s;es,</HI> much helps the rea|der; but it is &s;o divided as &s;ometimes ob&s;cures the &s;en&s;e, as we oft finde in reading the Bible; and of which the learned <HI>I&s;aac Ca&s;aubon</HI> complained. In many places tho&s;e things are now divided, which were better to be read together; for example, <HI>Mat. Chap.</HI> 20. is ill divided; for the fir&s;t 16 <HI>ver&s;es</HI> doe manife&s;tly agree with the former Chapter. So this <HI>fourth Chapter</HI> of <HI>Malachy</HI> were haply better to bee continued to the former. Yet I will not pre&s;ume to alter in the&s;e notes, what our owne <HI>Bibles</HI> direct mee unto, though I con&s;ent to the I content to the judgement of tho&s;e great men, I meane <HI>Ca&s;aubon</HI> and <HI>Hein&s;ius,</HI> that wee are not &s;uper&s;titiou&s;ly to ad|here to our <HI>late divi&s;ion. Ca&s;aubon</HI> wi&s;ht that &s;ome great Di|vine would take the paines to re&s;tore the <HI>Ancient divi&s;ion,</HI> and <HI>Hein&s;ius, prolegom. ad Exercit. pag.</HI> 20. though he take no notice there of <HI>Ca&s;aubons</HI> de&s;ire, wi&s;hes too that it were done exactly, and promi&s;es to doe it. Which &s;urely will bee of great u&s;e; for much depends upon a right divi&s;ion, el&s;e the &s;en&s;e may be much darkened. But of this enough, and too much by way of <HI>Digre&s;&s;ion,</HI> unle&s;&s;e the nature of <HI>E&s;&s;ay</HI> or <HI>Exercitation</HI> (which this poore labour of mine is) will beare
<PB N="81" REF="332">it out, and allow it. But I returne to the Text, wherein, The different dealing of God with the wicked and the godly, is &s;et out by evident compari&s;ons. For,</P>
<P N="1">I. To the wicked, The day of the Lord &s;hall be terrible, <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 1. <HI>For behold, the day commeth that &s;hall burne as an Oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly &s;hall be &s;tubble, and the day that commeth &s;hall burne them up, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, that it &s;hall leave them neither root nor branch.</HI>] The word, <HI>For]</HI> &s;hewes the inference of this upon the propo&s;ition in the former ver&s;e; yee &s;hall di&s;cerne between the righteous and the wicked, for the day comes that will be terrible to the wicked, as to the godly it &s;hall be comfortable. This cohe|rence S^t. <HI>Hierome,</HI> and the ancient Expo&s;itors allow. The comming of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> which is prophecied of, even his fir&s;t comming in regard of the i&s;&s;ue of it, and upon mens un|thank fulne&s;&s;e, and unbeliefe, and refu&s;ing of mercy, &s;hall be terrible. So it is al&s;o de&s;cribed to be, <HI>Matth.</HI> 3.12. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 9.39. Chri&s;t who is <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>for the ri&s;ing againe of many in I&s;rael,</HI> is al&s;o <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>for the fall of many,</HI> that is, of ungodly and un|beleevers, <HI>Luc.</HI> 2.34.</P>
<P><HI>The day commeth that &s;hall burne as an oven]</HI> That is, The day &s;hall be when wicked men &s;hall be burned: as we u&s;e to &s;ay, The <HI>grand A&s;&s;izes</HI> will hang many, and make a gaole-delivery; that is, The Judges at their A&s;&s;izes. Now whe|ther this <HI>Burning</HI> &s;ignifie onely <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the Judges wrath, as <HI>Hier.</HI> and <HI>Remigius;</HI> or properly, and ultimately, that fire which &s;hall burne the world, and afterward in hell, as <HI>Ly|ra, Vatabl.</HI> &amp;c. to mee is not materiall: For though I un|der&s;tand with <HI>Montanus,</HI> the whole cour&s;e of the prophe|cie contained in this period, and that of it which is of mo&s;t difficulty, <HI>ver&s;</HI> 5. to be meant of Chri&s;ts fir&s;t comming, yet the execution al&s;o of Chri&s;ts wrath upon unbeleevers in the very day of Judgement, may be lookt at, without any pre|judice to the &s;afe and warrantable interpretation of the&s;e things, as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe applyes them, <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.14. and 17.10, 11, 12. to his fir&s;t comming, as we &s;hall &s;ee when we come to the fifth ver&s;e. And therefore I interpret it with|out any <HI>Re&s;pect,</HI> only in this generall &s;en&s;e, as a prophecie of Gods judgements again&s;t the wicked, who will not receive <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> when God &s;hall &s;end him for the re&s;tauration of the Church.</P>
<P><HI>And all the proud, yea, and all that doe wickedly &s;hall be &s;tub|ble]</HI> Though in this life they be iron and bra&s;&s;e, &s;tout and proud again&s;t God, yet they &s;hall be weake and unable to make re&s;i&s;tance again&s;t him. See <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 47.14. <HI>They &s;hall be as &s;tubble</HI> (<HI>Chalde, hhalla&s;him cheka&s;h,</HI> weak as &s;tubble,) <HI>they &s;hall
<PB N="82" REF="333">not deliver them&s;elves from the flame.</HI> As little &s;traws, and &s;mall &s;ticks; &s;tubble, that by rea&s;on of its lightne&s;&s;e, may be dri|ven with the wind, <HI>Ierem.</HI> 13.24.</P>
<P><HI>And the day, &amp;c. &s;hall burne them up, &amp;c. It &s;hall leave them neither root nor branch.]</HI> It is an amplification to &s;hew the full and utter de&s;truction of the wicked, as when the root is &s;tockt up, the tree can grow no more. Which, I &s;ay, may, not un&s;afely be under&s;tood of the day of Judgement upon <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> comming the &s;econd time; though <HI>Winckleman, O&s;ian|der,</HI> and &s;ome others doe think the place fulfilled in the de|&s;truction of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and the calamities that came upon the unbeleeving <HI>Iewes,</HI> upon their refu&s;all of Chri&s;t in his fir&s;t comming; which is al&s;o a probable expo&s;ition.</P>
<P N="2">2. <MILESTONE N="2,3." UNIT="V&s;e"> To the godly, the day of the Lord &s;hall be full of com|fort, and an happie day, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2.3. <HI>But unto you that feare my Name, &s;hall the Sunne of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e ari&s;e, with healing in his wings; and yee &s;hall goe forth and grow up as calves of the &s;tall. And yee &s;hall tread downe the wicked, for they &s;hall be a&s;hes under the &s;oles of your feet, in the day that I &s;hall doe this, &s;aith the Lord of hoa&s;ts.]</HI></P>
<P><HI>But, unto you]</HI> That adver&s;ative forme, &s;hewes the oppo|&s;ition of the&s;e, to them that were mentioned before, and the manife&s;t difference of Gods dealing.</P>
<P><HI>Shall the Sun</HI> (our old Engli&s;h Bible, That Sunne) <HI>of righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e ari&s;e.]</HI> In his fir&s;t comming (according to <HI>Theodoret</HI> and <HI>Montanus</HI>) <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> aro&s;e a Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Hee came forth as the <HI>Sun</HI> doth, as a <HI>Bridegroome</HI> out of his cham|ber. In his <HI>Nativitie,</HI> and as a <HI>Gyant</HI> to run his cour&s;e, In the cour&s;e of all his conflicts and &s;ufferings; He went under a cloud in his <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> and brake forth in his <HI>Re&s;urrection,</HI> and darts forth beames of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; for he came to ju&s;tifie the world, to enlighten, to enliven all beleevers. And in his &s;econd comming al&s;o, (according to <HI>Hierome</HI> and others) he will bee full of Maje&s;tie and brightne&s;&s;e; Hee will declare hid things, The &s;ecrets of all hearts, and after a long time of gloomie weather, will break out to the chearing and refre&s;h|ing of his Saints, to the driving away of all darkne&s;&s;e, &s;inne, and errour, to make ever after a continuall day-light, and to a&s;toni&s;h and dazle the eyes of his enemies. As I &s;aid, I &s;ee not but <HI>Malachy</HI> might re&s;pect all this, and prophecie of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> whole admini&s;tration from his Nativity, till his ren|dring of the Kingdome to his Father.</P>
<P><HI>The Sonne]</HI> Chri&s;t is called <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Scheme&s;ch,</HI> The <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> of God, The <HI>Sunne</HI> which <HI>mini&s;ters</HI> and imparts light and heat; for the word is of <HI>&s;chama&s;ch,</HI> to <HI>&s;erve</HI> or <HI>mini&s;ter</HI> to God or men; according as the <HI>Syriack ver&s;ion</HI> of the <HI>New
<PB N="83" REF="333">Te&s;tament</HI> u&s;eth this word, <HI>Matth.</HI> 20.28. <HI>The Sonne of man came not,</HI> (<HI>Syr. dene&s;chtamma&s;ch,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>that hee might bee mini&s;tred unto, but</HI> (<HI>dane&s;chemme&s;ch,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>that he might mi|ni&s;ter.</HI> So <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is the <HI>Sunne of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> becau&s;e hee doth benignly impart righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or goodne&s;&s;e; for I ex|plicate one word by another, as it is <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 24.5. <HI>Hee &s;hall re|ceive the ble&s;&s;ing and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> (that is, Goodne&s;&s;e) <HI>from the God of his &s;alvation:</HI> And <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103.17. where for, <HI>Righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> The <HI>Lxx.</HI> have <GAP DESC="foreign">. See our la&s;t Tran&s;lation in the margine, at <HI>Joel</HI> 2.23. In the Prophet, <HI>Zach.</HI> 3.8. where <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is called, <HI>The Branch;</HI> The <HI>Lxx.</HI> reade <GAP DESC="foreign">. And <HI>Iunius</HI> (<HI>Paral.</HI> lib. 1. par. 50.) parallels this place of <HI>Malachy</HI> with <HI>Luc.</HI> 1.78. where <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is called <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The day|&s;pring from on high;</HI> &s;o ours: The <HI>Orient,</HI> or <HI>Ea&s;t, Matth.</HI> 2.2. and <HI>Matth.</HI> 24.27. But <GAP DESC="foreign">, The <HI>Ea&s;t,</HI> or <HI>Ri&s;ing,</HI> is by a <HI>Me|tonymie of the adjunct,</HI> put for the <HI>Sunne</HI> in that place; <HI>The East from on high,</HI> that is, &s;aith <HI>George Pa&s;or</HI> (<HI>Lex. in Nov. Te&s;t. ad Thema,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">) <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The noone-tide Sunne;</HI> or <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The Sunne it &s;elfe ri&s;ing;</HI> as <HI>Dan. Hein&s;ius, Exercit. lib.</HI> 3. <HI>cap.</HI> 1. <HI>ad Luc.</HI> 1.68. Of this glorious <HI>Sun, Sam|&s;on</HI> was the <HI>Type,</HI> as in other things, &s;o in his name; whether it &s;ignifie, <HI>Their Sun,</HI> as Saint <HI>Hierom</HI> interprets it, and as it is interpreted in the <HI>rythme,</HI> or <HI>Church-pro&s;e:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Concerning the &s;ignificati|on of this name, &s;ee my <HI>Lord Primate</HI> of <HI>Ireland,</HI> in his mo&s;t learned Hi&s;tory of the <HI>Antiquities of the Britti&s;h Churches,</HI> chap. 5. page 84. by occa&s;ion of the mentioning of <HI>Sam&s;on,</HI> Bi&s;hop of S. <HI>Davids</HI> in <HI>Wales.</HI></NOTE>
<Q><LG>
<L>Sam&s;on dictus, Sol eorum;</L>
<L>Christus lux e&s;t electorum,</L>
<L>Quos illu&s;trat gratia.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Sam&s;on [Their Sun] did hight,</L>
<L>Chri&s;t to th' elect is light,</L>
<L>On whom he &s;hines with grace.</L>
</LG></Q> Or whether it &s;ignifie, <HI>A little Sunne,</HI> as &s;eemed rather to <HI>Mercerus</HI> and to <HI>Bonfrerius.</HI> And truely <HI>Sam&s;on,</HI> though hee warmed and cheared the hearts of men in that darke time of idolatry and hard time of affliction and oppre&s;&s;ion, e&s;pe|cially in his <HI>Noone</HI> of <HI>full &s;trength;</HI> yet he was but a <HI>little Sun,</HI> in re&s;pect of him whom hee did <HI>Type,</HI> who is <HI>The Sunne of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> full of glorious beames, able to dazle the be|holders with his brightne&s;&s;e, &s;o exceeding great, that God thought fit to inure the peoples eyes, by looking fir&s;t on a le&s;&s;er light, <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> that <HI>&s;hining light,</HI> which came be|fore Chri&s;t aro&s;e. This point the Reader may finde not in|elegantly expre&s;&s;ed (if hee thinke it worth his paines to looke into &s;uch forgotten books) in the <HI>Order of the Breviary,</HI> or the <HI>Ordinarium Divin. Offic. Secundum u&s;um Sarum:</HI> In the <HI>fifth Lection</HI> appointed for the <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> which is folio XLIX. And I the rather note it, becau&s;e the <HI>Re&s;pon&s;e</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="334">and <HI>Ver&s;icle</HI> appointed together with this <HI>Lection,</HI> are the words of the <HI>Angel</HI> to <HI>Zachary</HI> concerning <HI>Iohn, Luc.</HI> 1.17. whereby we may gue&s;&s;e that the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> al&s;o in|terpreted the two <HI>La&s;t ver&s;es</HI> of this <HI>Chapter</HI> (to which that in Saint <HI>Luke</HI> refers) concerning <HI>Iohn.</HI> And &s;o I have pre|pared a little light for tho&s;e ver&s;es before I come unto them.</P>
<P><HI>The Sunne &amp;c. with healing in his wings]</HI> The <HI>Geneva,</HI> And health &s;hall be under his wings. As <HI>Health</HI> or <HI>Healing</HI> is &s;aid to be in the <HI>Suns beames,</HI> becau&s;e by them it warmes and che|ri&s;heth all things, dries up cold moi&s;tures offen&s;ive to the creatures, excites and quickens <HI>Plants, Bea&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>men,</HI> in the <HI>Spring-time,</HI> and revives all that which &s;eemed well nigh dead in the <HI>Winter:</HI> So doth <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> bring life into the world, and came and preached life; therefore the <HI>Syr.</HI> and <HI>Arab.</HI> tran&s;late it, <HI>Health upon his tongue.</HI> But in the Text, it is, <HI>In his wings;</HI> As <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is compared to the <HI>Sun,</HI> and the beames of the Sunne are called <HI>Wings:</HI> partly becau&s;e of its &s;wift di&s;parkling of them and motion, and partly becau&s;e it &s;preads its light in its <HI>Ri&s;ing,</HI> as wings; whence <HI>Homer</HI> calls the Sunne, <GAP DESC="foreign">, The <HI>yellow haird,</HI> or <HI>golden-haird &s;unne;</HI> and the Scripture &s;o &s;peakes, <HI>Ioel</HI> 2.2. <HI>The morning &s;pread upon the mountains:</HI> And, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 139.9. <HI>If I take the wings of the morning.</HI> Thus in regard of &s;preading, <HI>Virgil, Aeneid.</HI> 8. &s;peaks of the <HI>night</HI> al&s;o, <HI>Nox ruit &amp; fu&s;cis tellurem complecti|tur alis.</HI> So <HI>Christ</HI> in regard of his <HI>Imparting</HI> of him&s;elfe, and of health and vertue from him, is &s;aid to have <HI>wings; Corn. &agrave; lapide,</HI> would have it to point at a farther my&s;tery. That as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is a <HI>Sun,</HI> &s;o he is the <HI>True bird of the &s;un,</HI> as it is called, The true <HI>Phoenix,</HI> for thus he &s;aith, the <HI>Metaphor</HI> of having <HI>wings</HI> doth be&s;t befit him. Let me note thus much to further his conceit, that <HI>Canaph</HI> a <HI>wing,</HI> is of <HI>Canaph</HI> to <HI>gather,</HI> and cheri&s;h, as a <HI>brood-hen</HI> doth her young; &s;o <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> u&s;eth it <HI>Matth.</HI> 23.37. And <HI>David</HI> alludeth to it, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 17.8. <HI>Hide mee, under the &s;hadow of thy wings.</HI> But of the <HI>Phoenix,</HI> &s;ee <HI>Plin. Hi&s;t. Natur. lib.</HI> 10. <HI>cap.</HI> 2. who &s;peaks doubtfully: Others (as <HI>Ion|&s;ton. Thaumatogr. Nat.</HI> cl. 6. cap. 27.) confidently of it, that it is a <HI>fable:</HI> yet <HI>Maiola, Dier. Canic. Tom.</HI> 1. <HI>Titul. Aves,</HI> di&s;putes largely that all is true which is reported of it. And <HI>Ioh. Al&s;ted. Theolog. Notur. part.</HI> 1. <HI>pag.</HI> 217. and <HI>part.</HI> 2. <HI>pag.</HI> 474. &s;eemes to me to beleeve it; and &s;o it &s;eemes <HI>Tertul.</HI> and <HI>Vatabl.</HI> did, who think they have Scripture for it, for &s;o that place in <HI>Iob</HI> 29.18. which in the <HI>Vulg.</HI> is, <HI>I &s;hall dye in my ne&s;t, and multiply my dayes as a Palme;</HI> and in our Tran&s;lation, <HI>I &s;hall multiply my dayes as the Sand;</HI> they turne thus, <HI>I &s;hall die in my ne&s;t, and multiply my dayes as a Phoenix.</HI> But <HI>Corn. &agrave; Lapide</HI> doth not be|leeve
<PB N="85" REF="334">&s;o, but takes the &s;tory for a fable; and I think he had good rea&s;on to doe &s;o, yet of the <HI>aenigmaticall</HI> u&s;e of it, &s;ee him, <HI>ad hunc locum,</HI> and in his Proeme to the minor Prophets, <HI>pag.</HI> 23, and 44. How <HI>A&s;terius</HI> applies this place, &s;ee <HI>Dan. Hein&s;ius, Exercit. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 5. and his cen&s;ure.</P>
<P><HI>And yee &s;hall goe forth, and grow up as calves of the &s;tall]</HI> Such as under&s;tand this prophecie of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> &s;econd com|ming only, give this &s;en&s;e; Yee &s;hall goe out of the pri&s;on of this life into the other; &s;o S. <HI>Hierom, Remig. Vatabl.</HI> or, out of the grave, as calves loo&s;ed from the &s;tall where they are tyed; &s;o <HI>Tertul. lib. de re&s;urr. cap.</HI> 31. where hee quotes this place. And they make this <HI>growing up,</HI> or skipping of fat calves, to &s;ignifie the <HI>Sanity</HI> and vigour of the godly, at and after the <HI>Re&s;urrection,</HI> their <HI>Agility</HI> and great joy together with the heavenly <HI>Quires,</HI> and their &s;trange and &s;udden leap (as it were) from <HI>mortalitie.</HI> I encline rather to that of our Commentary, that it &s;ignifies the encrea&s;e of grace and the Spirit from Chri&s;t upon the godly, or, Their libertie and en|crea&s;ing in the joy of the Spirit, or, Their &s;pirituall joy here, and perfected in heaven.</P>
<P><HI>Grow up as calves of the &s;tall] Vulg.</HI> Shall leap. The <HI>Lxx.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, skip and bee wanton, <HI>Chald.</HI> Yee &s;hall thrive, or grow fat; and &s;o the <HI>Tigurine. Pagn. Yee</HI> &s;hall be multiplied <GAP DESC="foreign"> (an <HI>Anomaly, hiric</HI> being put for <HI>pathach</HI>) is of <GAP DESC="foreign"> and hath all tho&s;e &s;ignifications, To grow, To multi|ply, To grow fat, To expaliate, To bee wanton, To leape and friske.</P>
<P><HI>As calves of the &s;tall] Chald. Tigur. Pagn.</HI> The <HI>French,</HI> the <HI>Geneva,</HI> As fat calves. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> Like calves at liberty. <HI>Vulg.</HI> As calves out of the herd, that feed and pa&s;ture together among the re&s;t, and grow fat at gra&s;&s;e; as it is, <HI>Ier.</HI> 50.11. But <HI>Marbek</HI> is <HI>Saginarium,</HI> The place, &s;table, or as our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> hath it, The <HI>Stall</HI> where calves are fatted, <HI>Jer.</HI> 46.21. <HI>Her hi|red men are like bullocks of the &s;tall.</HI> So the <HI>Hebr.</HI> and the mar|gin there agreeable to it, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 28.24. <HI>The woman had a calfe of the &s;tall.</HI> Our <HI>Tran&s;l.</HI> render it according to the <HI>Ghalde, A fat calfe.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And yee &s;hall tread downe the wicked]</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> of <GAP DESC="foreign"> a word u&s;ed nowhere el&s;e in the <HI>Bible.</HI> The <HI>Chald.</HI> You &s;hall thre&s;h. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> and <HI>Tertul.</HI> (quoting this, <HI>lib. de Re&s;urr.</HI>) <HI>Vulg. Pagn. Ours, &amp;c.</HI> You &s;hall tread upon, or tread downe the wicked, that is, You &s;hall be over them: A plain diffe|rence then &s;hall be found between you and them, notwith|&s;tanding mens profane conceits to the contrary.</P>
<P><HI>For they &s;hall be a&s;hes under your feet] Montan.</HI> and <HI>Geneva,</HI> Du&s;t under the &s;oles of your feet.</P>
<PB N="86" REF="335">
<P><HI>In the day that I &s;hall doe this.]</HI> What day that is, &s;ee before, upon ver&s;e 1.</P>
<P>From this prophecie of the approaching of <HI>Chri&s;ts com|ming,</HI> he takes occa&s;ion, in the name of the Lord;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. To exhort them to &s;tudy the Law, <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 4.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To prepare their expectation of Chri&s;t, by prophecy|ing again of his fore-runner, <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 5, 6.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">I. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> He takes occa&s;ion to exhort them (becau&s;e as it is very probable hee knew him&s;elfe to bee the la&s;t of the Prophets, and that they &s;hould be de&s;titute of that helpe any longer) diligently to &s;earch and &s;tudy the Law in the meane &s;ea&s;on, till the comming of <HI>Christ,</HI> to whom the Law in all the parts of it doth lead, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 4. <HI>Remember yee the Law of Mo&s;es my &s;er|vant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all I&s;rael, with the Statutes and Judgements.]</HI> The Law here may be taken com|prehen&s;ively for all the doctrine of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> which is divided, <HI>Deut.</HI> 6.1. into <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Commandements</HI> (the morall Law) <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Statutes,</HI> (the ceremoniall Law,) and <GAP DESC="foreign"> Judge|ments, (the Judiciall Law;) or it may be taken principally for the Morall, the other two being afterward repeated.</P>
<P><HI>The Law of Mo&s;es]</HI> It is u&s;uall for writings to carry the names of them that pen them, as <HI>Davids P&s;alter.</HI> And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was the Law-giver to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> from <HI>God.</HI> Hee hath his name from that accident in his infancie, <HI>Exod.</HI> 2.10. <HI>Shee called his name Mo&s;es,</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Mo&s;che,</HI> that is, <HI>Drawn out</HI>) <HI>and &s;hee &s;aid, becau&s;e</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>I drew him out of the water.</HI> In ancient time they wrote his name <HI>Moy&s;es,</HI> either thinking it to bee compounded of the <HI>Aegyptian</HI> words, <HI>Mo,</HI> Water, and <HI>Hy&s;es,</HI> Saved: or being acquainted with the <HI>Syrians</HI> pro|nunciation, <HI>Mu&s;es</HI> (as the <HI>Syrians</HI> at this day, and the <HI>Turkes</HI> doe pronounce it, as <HI>Cutlu Mu&s;es,</HI> an u&s;uall name among them, that is, <HI>Happy Mo&s;es,</HI>) and joyning ours with it, of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Mu&s;es,</HI> made <HI>Moy&s;es,</HI> but corruptly. Thus <HI>Dru&s;. in quae&s;t. Hebr.</HI> Among the <HI>Aegyptians</HI> he was called <HI>Mneves,</HI> as <HI>Fr. Junius</HI> quotes it out of <HI>Diodorus Siculus;</HI> See his note <HI>ad Exod.</HI> 2.10. <HI>Ioh. Weem&s;.</HI> (<HI>Chri&s;t. Synag. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 1. <HI>pag.</HI> 21.) following <HI>Aben-ezra,</HI> &s;ayes, they called him <HI>Monios.</HI> But &s;ee <HI>Junius, Loco citato. Mo&s;es</HI> is mentioned, by &s;ome Heathen <HI>Poets</HI> as a Law-giver. <HI>Invenal. Sat.</HI> 14.</P>
<P><HI>Tradidit arcano quodcunque volumine Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>And <HI>Arator; &mdash; Non haec jejunia Mo&s;es condidit.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The law which I gave unto him in Horeb]</HI> A mountain in the Country of <HI>Amalek</HI> and in the wilderne&s;&s;e of <HI>Sinai,</HI> &s;o called becau&s;e of the drine&s;&s;e and barrenne&s;&s;e; of <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>To be dried,</HI> and <HI>To wither.</HI> It is called, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 19.8. <HI>Horeb the mount of God,</HI> not in regard of the height of it, as tall Cedars are
<PB N="87" REF="335">called <HI>The Cedars of God;</HI> but becau&s;e the <HI>Lord</HI> appeared there, and gave the Law, for <HI>Horeb</HI> is <HI>mount Sinai,</HI> one moun|taine with two tops, the Ea&s;terne called <HI>Sinai,</HI> and the We|&s;terne <HI>Horeb. Iac. Bonfrer.</HI> in his <HI>Onoma&s;ticon</HI> tells us he hath di&s;puted this que&s;tion upon <HI>Exod.</HI> 3.1. which booke I have not, and therefore referre the Reader to con&s;ult him there. It is at this day called <HI>Saint Catharius mountaine.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Which I gave him] God</HI> gave <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> the Morall Law writ with his owne hand, as <HI>Deut.</HI> 10.2. &s;eemes to prove. See <HI>Weem&s;e Expo&s;. vol.</HI> 1. <HI>lib.</HI> 1. <HI>exerc.</HI> 3.</P>
<P><HI>For all I&s;rael] Pagn.</HI> To <HI>Mont.</HI> upon (1) for the u&s;e of all I&s;rael.</P>
<P><HI>With the Statutes and Iudgements]</HI> Of them before. Only let me not pa&s;&s;e this ver&s;e without notice of that which to me &s;eemes very ob&s;ervable, That the truth is, <HI>Commentators</HI> upon this place can &s;carcely make a cleare and faire cohe|rence of this ver&s;e with the fore-going; but as if the Prophet were full of this nece&s;&s;ary point; Hee in&s;erts it (though to our &s;eeming &s;omewhat abruptly) rather than not mention it. An ob&s;ervation that offers unto our thoughts. The very great nece&s;&s;ity of acquainting our &s;elves with Gods Law, the benefit of which I referre the Reader to find commended unto him, in a learned, and very fruitfull Treati&s;e of Mr. <HI>H. Ma&s;on, Hearing and Doing, chap.</HI> 5. This point hath beene much beat upon by the <HI>Fathers,</HI> in their <HI>Sermons</HI> or <HI>Homilies</HI> to the people, in their Exhortations and <HI>Epi&s;tles</HI> to their pri|vate and deare friends. Many of our men in handling the controver&s;ie about permitting the reading of the Scripture to the people, have collected many and plentifull in&s;tances: I &s;pare them. Only I would note the piety of &s;ome per&s;ons in their a&s;&s;iduous &s;tudy of Gods Law. It is a known Hi&s;tory which they relate of <HI>Alphon&s;us King of Arragon.</HI> Let mee adde what <HI>Herebert Ro&s;weyd</HI> the <HI>Ie&s;uit</HI> reports of <HI>Thomas a Kempis,</HI> the devout Author of tho&s;e books (which are, and de&s;erve to be in every ones hand) <HI>De Imitatione Chri&s;ti:</HI> That as he &s;pent his houres in reading the holy Scripture, &s;o hee wrote out the whole <HI>Bible,</HI> divided into <HI>foure Tomes,</HI> fairely and legibly with his own hand. And yet a great &s;choller too he was, a man wedded to his book, &s;o much that this was his u&s;uall &s;aying, and that which hee was wont to write in the beginning of his books. <HI>In omnibus requiem quae&s;ivi &amp; nu&s;|quam inveni ni&s;i in angelo cum libello.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In een hoex|ken met een boexken.</NOTE> <HI>I have &s;ought content in all things, but never found it, unle&s;&s;e with a booke in a nooke.</HI> But his mo&s;t delight was in the booke of God. How much was his zeale beyond the temper of the&s;e times, when many think it would hinder their &s;choller&s;hip to read much or oft
<PB N="88" REF="336">in the <HI>Bible,</HI> which perhaps al&s;o is not to bee found in &s;ome well furni&s;hed &s;tudies. The neglect of which, and prefer|ring the <HI>handmaids</HI> (which yet are beautiful, and they blind, that doe not confe&s;&s;e &s;o) before the <HI>Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e,</HI> hath been much complained of by many pious and learned men. Who can be large or full enough in the prai&s;e of the Booke of God? <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The &s;oules food,</HI> as Saint <HI>Athana&s;ius</HI> calls it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>The Invariable rule of truth,</HI> as Saint <HI>Iraeneus. The Aphori&s;mes of Chri&s;t. The library of the Holy Gho&s;t. The circle of all divine arts. The Divine Pandects. The wi&s;dome of the Cro&s;&s;e. The cubit of the Sanctuary. The touch&s;tone of errour.</HI> But I will take my &s;elfe off, le&s;t it be &s;aid to me, <HI>Who ever di&s;prai&s;ed Her|cules?</HI> Only let me in&s;ert another in&s;tance, for other kind of people, for lay people, for women. Not the example of any of tho&s;e glorious women found and mentioned in S. <HI>Hieroms</HI> Epi&s;tles, famous and renowned for their piety this way: but a moderne example of <HI>Maudlin</HI> the wife of D. <HI>Pareus,</HI> of whom writing to <HI>Iohn Newerus, Pa&s;tor of Saint Peters</HI> Church in <HI>Heidleburg</HI> to preach her <HI>funerall Sermon:</HI> hee reports, that after &s;hee was married, and more than forty yeares of age, out of love to the holy Scriptures, &s;hee learnt to reade, and tooke &s;uch delight in it, and &s;pecially in the <HI>P&s;almes,</HI> that &s;he got them almo&s;t all by heart. So much for this point, the ne|ce&s;&s;ity of which, &s;ome think the Spirit of God would teach us, by the great <HI>Zain</HI> in the word <HI>Zicru, Recordamini,</HI> in the Text, in many <HI>Bibles.</HI> See <HI>Iohn Buxtorf. in Comment. Ma&s;or. cap.</HI> 14.</P>
<P N="2">2. Hee takes occa&s;ion to prepare their expectation, by prophecying againe of his forerunner, the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> ver&s;. 5.6. we have,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. His comming, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 5.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. His work or office, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>I. His comming, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 5. <HI>Behold, I will &s;end you Eliah the Prophet, before the comming of the great and dreadfull day of the Lord.</HI>] The interpretation of this place hath very much divided the Expo&s;itors. Saint <HI>Hierom</HI> took it once, for all the Prophets that &s;hould come; but hee goes almo&s;t alone. A farre greater party under&s;tand it of <HI>Eliah</HI> the <HI>Thisbite.</HI> For &s;o the <HI>Lxx.</HI> reade the very Text; (The <HI>Vatican</HI> and ordina|ry copies of the <HI>Lxx,</HI> but not that which is in the King of <HI>Spaines Bible;</HI>) and &s;o al&s;o the <HI>Arab.</HI> which u&s;ually followes the <HI>Lxx;</HI> and &s;ome of the <HI>Fathers,</HI> (but not all whom <HI>Bel|larmine</HI> alleageth, for <HI>Origen, Lactunt. Hilary, Hierom,</HI> who are produced by him, are examined by <HI>Dan. Chamier, Pan|&s;trat. Tom.</HI> 2. <HI>lib.</HI> 17. <HI>cap.</HI> 5. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 17.18. and found to bring him no proofes,) Saint <HI>Chry&s;. Theod.</HI> Saint <HI>Aug.</HI> and haply others
<PB N="89" REF="336">of the <HI>Ancients,</HI> being mi&s;led by the corrupt reading of the <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>I &s;end unto you Eliah the Thisbit.</HI> But this is not in the <HI>Hebr.</HI> Text, which the learned <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Expo&s;itors know, and yet they follow that of the <HI>Lxx,</HI> for another purpo&s;e than the <HI>Ancients</HI> were aware of, as it is &s;ufficiently knowne to <HI>Divines</HI> in the <HI>Que&s;tion</HI> of <HI>Antichrist. Benedict Pererius, De Antichristo,</HI> Di&s;put. 10. again&s;t <HI>Ioh. Annius,</HI> makes it one of his demon&s;trations that <HI>Mahomet</HI> is not <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> and &s;o doth <HI>Bellarmine,</HI> that the <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Rome</HI> is not, becau&s;e <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Eliah</HI> are not yet come, and are to come in his time. Doctor <HI>Sharp,</HI> a learned man of ours (<HI>De Antichri&s;t. part.</HI> 1. <HI>cap.</HI> 31.) doth hereupon take occa&s;ion to compare <HI>Bellarmine</HI> to a frantick woman (whom, he &s;aith, he knew) that pretended great acquaintance with the Angell <HI>Gabriel,</HI> and tells us, That &s;urely <HI>Elias</HI> was the carrier. Mee thinks too lightly. I reade nothing with plea&s;ure that puts off a learned adver&s;ary with a &s;coffe: but not without of|fence, him who through his weakne&s;&s;e doth magnifie all <HI>Bel|larmines</HI> Arguments, as &s;urely the <HI>Suffolk Author</HI> of the <HI>Five Di&s;cour&s;es, Ann.</HI> 1635. did, who in his <HI>Treati&s;e of Antichri&s;t,</HI> u&s;eth no other. I will not take this <HI>Text,</HI> as a &s;ufficient occa|&s;ion to enter into the Que&s;tion, who <HI>That Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;hould be. Let the characters u&s;ed by Saint <HI>Iohn</HI> and Saint <HI>Paul</HI> be impartially applyed, and without ends, and I &s;uppo&s;e there will bee le&s;&s;e controver&s;ie; e&s;pecially that of Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2. For light unto which I referre the Reader, unto <HI>Quirinus Reuterus</HI> his Supply to <HI>Zanchy,</HI> who here through age and dimne&s;&s;e of &s;ight broke off, which <HI>Reuterus</HI> under|tooke at the reque&s;t of <HI>Zanchy's</HI> Executors, and &s;aid much to this point, and with much approbation. But to pa&s;&s;e by the que&s;tion it &s;elfe, whether the <HI>Pope</HI> be <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> which the interpretation of this place, however it bee, doth not con|clude; The <HI>Cardinals</HI> arguments, that the <HI>Thisbite</HI> is prophe|cied of, are not unan&s;werable.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 1. This day before which this <HI>Eliah</HI> is to come, is the great and dreadfull day of the Lord. Therefore the day of the &s;econd comming of Chri&s;t: for his fir&s;t comming was an acceptable time and a day of &s;alvation.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. The <HI>Hebr:</HI> may be rendred, <HI>Before the day of the great and dreadfull Lord come.</HI> And &s;o the <HI>Chald.</HI> reades it. 2. But granting it as wee reade it, yet <GAP DESC="foreign">, is not pro|perly <HI>Terribile,</HI> but <HI>Timendum,</HI> to bee feared or dreaded. Now, <HI>feare</HI> is either from <HI>Terror,</HI> or from <HI>Reverence;</HI> &s;o it is, <HI>Gen.</HI> 28.17. <HI>How dreadfull is this place?</HI> &s;aith <HI>Iacob,</HI> that is, <HI>Reverend,</HI> becau&s;e of the &s;ignes of the <HI>Divine pre&s;ence.</HI> See al|&s;o, <HI>Ezek</HI> 1.22. Thus even the day of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> fir&s;t comming,
<PB N="90" REF="337">is to be entertained with an awfull dread and reverence. 3. That day, though a day of &s;alvation to believers, yet was to others terrible; as it was de&s;cribed to be in the former Chap|ter, ver&s;e 2. and is oft de&s;cribed &s;o, in the New Te&s;tament <HI>Luc.</HI> 2.34. <HI>Luc.</HI> 3.9.17. <HI>Luc.</HI> 19.44. <HI>Math.</HI> 21.44. See <HI>Ca&s;p. Block|mond. Sy&s;tem. Theol. vol.</HI> 2. <HI>artic.</HI> 28. <HI>pag.</HI> 831.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 2. It is added, <HI>le&s;t I come and &s;mite the Earth with a cur&s;e.</HI> But <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> fir&s;t comming was not to judge, but to bee judged.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. It may be under&s;tood with <HI>Montan.</HI> and <HI>Winkleman:</HI> of the de&s;truction of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and the calamity that came upon the <HI>Iewes</HI> upon <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> fir&s;t comming. 2. But I have all the way interpreted this Chapter <HI>comprehen&s;ive,</HI> even of the <HI>day</HI> of <HI>judgement</HI> al&s;o, and the &s;entence then to bee given by <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> Yet it followes not but the place may be meant of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;ts</HI> comming before <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> to prepare men to belive, lea&s;t hereafter for their infidelity they bee condemned. It followes not that hee mu&s;t come pre&s;ently before that day.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 3. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;peaking of <HI>Elias,</HI> Math, 11.14. Saith, <HI>This is Elias (qui venturus e&s;t) which is for to come;</HI> but <HI>Iohn</HI> was come already.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Greeke <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Quiventurus erat, Which was for to come,</HI> &s;peaking of him whom (from <HI>Malachy's</HI> pro|phecy) they expected; and &s;o might well be &s;aid of one that was already come: as we have the &s;ame phra&s;e, <HI>Math.</HI> 2.4. <HI>He demanded where Chri&s;t &s;hould be borne.</HI> Yet was <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> borne already.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 4. <HI>Iohn</HI> was indeed <HI>allegorically Elias,</HI> but not <HI>literally;</HI> therefore <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;peaking in the &s;ame place, <HI>Math.</HI> 11.14. of <HI>Iohn,</HI> &s;aith, <HI>If yee will receive it, This is Elias,</HI> that is, <HI>Elias</HI> is in|deed for to come, yet if you will have one now al&s;o in this my fir&s;t comming, this <HI>Iohn</HI> is he. But to &s;hew that this is a my&s;te|ry, he addes, <HI>He that hath eares to heare, let him heare.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w. Iohn</HI> was <HI>Elias literally,</HI> that is, in the Prophet <HI>Mala|chies literall &s;en&s;e:</HI> but becau&s;e the <HI>Scribes</HI> had another con|ceit (not of another time, as the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> but of another per&s;on) that it mu&s;t be the <HI>Thisbite;</HI> he tells them they mi&s;|take it in that; for the Prophet in his very literall &s;en&s;e meant <HI>Iohn;</HI> (as the Prophet <HI>Ieremiah, Ier.</HI> 30.9. ment the <HI>Me|&s;iah literally,</HI> as it is confe&s;&s;ed, not <HI>David</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Ie&s;&s;e,</HI> when he &s;ayth, <HI>They &s;hall &s;erve David their King.</HI>) And there|fore he &s;ayth; <HI>If yee will receive him,</HI> and addes, <HI>Hee that hath eares, let him heare.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 5. <HI>Elias</HI> is prophecyed of againe. <HI>Rev.</HI> 11.3. One of the two witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<PB N="91" REF="337">
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Be&s;ides the fuller meaning of that place, for which let the Reader con&s;ult expo&s;itors, and e&s;pecially M^r. <HI>Io&s;. Meades</HI> learned <HI>Commentaries</HI> upon his <HI>Clavis Apoc.</HI> There is there no mention at all of <HI>Elias.</HI> It is but a begging to urge that text.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 6. Why el&s;e were <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> rapt up before death, and doe &s;till live in their mortall fle&s;h, to dye againe; but that they are for that &s;ervice before the la&s;t comming of Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That they live in their bodies in Heaven is not doubted, (&s;ee <HI>Sixt. Amama, Antibarb. Bibl. l.</HI> 3. <HI>Syrach c.</HI> 44. <HI>pag.</HI> 947, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but that they live in their mortall bodies, and that they &s;hall dye, there is no Scripture for it, neither is it likely, &s;eeing the Scripture &s;ayth of <HI>Enoch,</HI> Hebr. 11.5. <HI>He was tran&s;lated that hee &s;hould not &s;ee death.</HI> (&s;ee <HI>Io&s;. Scaliger's</HI> note upon <HI>Math.</HI> 17.11. among tho&s;e few &s;hort notes of his which <HI>Iohn Bill</HI> the <HI>Kings Printer</HI> hath carefully collected at the end of his <HI>Impre&s;&s;ion</HI> of the New Te&s;tament <HI>Greeke,</HI> at <HI>London,</HI> 1622.) But why they were wrapt up, we mu&s;t bee content to bee ignorant, and it be&s;eemes us mo&s;t to bee &s;o. More of this point you have well treated of in the following Commentary.</P>
<P>Being thus rid of this interpretation, wee have another, which interprets the place of <HI>Chri&s;ts fir&s;t comming;</HI> and we have S. <HI>Markes</HI> autority for it, who makes the la&s;t words of <HI>Malachy,</HI> to bee the fir&s;t words of his <HI>Go&s;pell;</HI> and therefore leades us to under&s;tand by <HI>Elias</HI> in the Prophet, <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> in his Go&s;pell. And that we may bee further out of doubt, we have the text clearely &s;o expounded, <HI>Luc.</HI> 1.16, 17. (See <HI>Laurent. Valla</HI> his <HI>Ca&s;tigation</HI> of the <HI>Vulg. Lat.</HI> according to the corrected edition of <HI>Iacobus Rivius:</HI>) <HI>Math.</HI> 11.14, 15. <HI>Math.</HI> 17.10, 11.12.13. Which places let the Reader peru&s;e. The name of <HI>Elias</HI> is given to <HI>Iohn,</HI> not <HI>propter identitatem per&s;onae,</HI> as if <HI>Elias</HI> were <HI>Redivivus,</HI> or by a <HI>Metemp&s;ycho&s;is</HI> were entred into <HI>Iohns</HI> body, but <HI>propter identitatem &s;piritus &amp; virtutis,</HI> be|cau&s;e of the like <HI>gifts, calling,</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;tery.</HI> See <HI>Iunius,</HI> pa|rall. <HI>lib.</HI> 1. <HI>par.</HI> 31. <HI>Pet. Martyr. Loc. Cla&s;.</HI> 3. <HI>cap.</HI> 16. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 21.22. But e&s;pecially our late ble&s;&s;ed King of famous memory, in his <HI>Monitory preface</HI> before his learned <HI>Apology for the Oath of al|legiance;</HI> pa. 77.78. who&s;e arguments are examined by <HI>Leo|nard Le&s;&s;ius, Di&s;p. de Antichr. Demon&s;tr.</HI> 15. but &s;tand good. And be&s;ides ours, &s;ome learned and ingenuous <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> as <HI>Paul. Burgen&s;is, I&s;id. Clarius, Bened. Arias Montan.</HI> in <HI>Locum,</HI> who doe all admit our interpretation: and <HI>Bi&s;hop Ian&s;enius</HI> too, in <HI>cap.</HI> 48. <HI>Ecclus.</HI> as <HI>Bened. Pererius</HI> affirmes of him, <HI>lib.</HI> 15. in <HI>Daniel. pag.</HI> 223. <HI>D.</HI></P>
<PB N="92" REF="338">
<P>Let me here note by the way the conceit of <HI>Lucas O&s;iander,</HI> who as he yields the place to bee meant of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> the <HI>&s;econd Elias</HI> before <HI>Chri&s;ts fir&s;t comming;</HI> &s;o hee al&s;o interprets it of a <HI>third Elias</HI> before <HI>Chri&s;ts &s;econd comming,</HI> and that is, <HI>Martin Luther;</HI> and accordingly interprets the following words, and exhorts to the receiving of <HI>Luthers</HI> doctrine, le&s;t God come and puni&s;h our ingratitude. <HI>Luther</HI> indeed was a man of notable zeale like <HI>Elias,</HI> fit for the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e hee was employed in by God, and we have great rea&s;on to thinke ho|norably of him; but none to thinke that <HI>Malachy</HI> thought of him, or that the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> meant him here. Thus much of the comming of <HI>Iohn.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Ver&s;e"> His worke or office, is declared in the la&s;t ver&s;e. <HI>And hee &s;hall turne the hearts of the Fathers to the Children, and the heart of the children to the Fathers. Lea&s;t I come and &s;mite the Earth with a cur&s;e.</HI>] For their interpretation of this who re&s;pect on|ly the <HI>&s;econd comming</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> let the Reader &s;ee <HI>Corn. a lapid.</HI> I content my &s;elfe with that of our following author, That whereas all was at that time out of order, full of cor|ruptions, and errors, and different &s;ects, (&s;ee <HI>Tremell. ad marg. Zach.</HI> 11.8.) <HI>Iohn</HI> was &s;ent to preach repentance, <HI>Math.</HI> 3.2. and to convert of all &s;orts from the error of their way, and to reduce them to the faith of the old <HI>Patriarks.</HI> But for the manner of the <HI>phra&s;e, Iunius</HI> (<HI>parall. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>par.</HI> 55.) makes it <HI>parallel</HI> to <HI>Luc.</HI> 1.76.77.79. and &s;o it will bring in further light. Adde al&s;o, <HI>Luk.</HI> 1.17. where, ob&s;erve that the word of the <HI>Lxx</HI> is not u&s;ed, theirs is <GAP DESC="foreign"> but <HI>S. Lukes</HI> is <GAP DESC="foreign">. The <HI>Evangeli&s;ts</HI> &amp; <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> though u&s;ually they follow, yet &s;ome|times take liberty to depart fro~ the <HI>Lxx;</HI> &amp; concerning the <HI>vul|gar Latine</HI> tran&s;lation, <HI>Ioh. Gagneius</HI> a <HI>Sorboni&s;t</HI> profe&s;&s;eth hee cannot tell the meaning of it; but falls very foule upon Cardi|nall <HI>Cajetan.</HI> Yet his owne conjecture of the mi&s;placing of <GAP DESC="foreign"> there in the originall text, is bold. See him, <HI>ad loc.</HI> together with <HI>Beza</HI> his larger <HI>Annotations</HI> on the &s;ame place.</P>
<P><HI>Le&s;t I come and &s;mite the Earth with a cur&s;e.]</HI> The coherence of this, and the meaning, &s;ee before <HI>Objection</HI> 2. and the <HI>An&s;wer.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Le&s;t I come.]</HI> The <HI>comming</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is not uncertaine, but the &s;miting; I reade it, <HI>le&s;t I &s;mite when I come.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And &s;mite the Earth,]</HI> S. <HI>Hier.</HI> earthly men: not <HI>Iudaea</HI> onely, though &s;ometimes <GAP DESC="foreign"> bee taken for a particular region; as <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 41.57. <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 13.5. yet probably the calamity of the <HI>Iewes</HI> may be principally re&s;pected.</P>
<P><HI>With a cur&s;e.] Geneva,</HI> cur&s;ing. <HI>Chald.</HI> extermination. <HI>Pagnin.</HI> &s;laughter. The <HI>Lxx,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, wholly, &s;uddenly. <GAP DESC="foreign">. Le&s;t I &s;mite the earth with utter de&s;truction. <GAP DESC="foreign"> is <HI>An ut|ter
<PB N="93" REF="338">cur&s;e,</HI> or <HI>Devoting to ruine;</HI> which <HI>Cherem,</HI> the <HI>Rabbins</HI> &s;ay, doth enter into the members of the body, the number of which they ob&s;erve to bee according to the numerall letters of this word. The <HI>Iewes</HI> had three &s;orts of <HI>Anathema's.</HI> 1. <HI>Niddui. Rejection</HI> or <HI>Removing.</HI> Hee that was <HI>Menuddeth</HI> was <HI>removed</HI> out of the <HI>Synagogue.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 9.22. Thus they hold <HI>Caine</HI> was excommunicate. <HI>Gene&s;.</HI> 4.14. <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 66.5. This was of the nature of profligation or <HI>pro&s;cription</HI> among the <HI>Romans.</HI> 2. <HI>Cherem,</HI> which is more properly that which is <HI>Anathema</HI> among the <HI>Greeks,</HI> which is the cur&s;e that they layd upon him, whom they put out of the <HI>Synagogue</HI> if he mended not. <HI>A giving over to Satan.</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.5.1. <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.20. At this they lighted <HI>Candles</HI> and put them out againe, to note that &s;uch an one was deprived of the light of Heaven. This is the word u&s;ed here. And this among us is the highe&s;t <HI>Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall cen&s;ure,</HI> according <HI>to the Tables</HI> of D. <HI>Richard Co&s;in,</HI> who <HI>(Polit. Eccl. Anglic. Tab. V. A.)</HI> makes the&s;e degrees. 1. <HI>Interdictio divinorum.</HI> 2. <HI>monitio.</HI> 3. <HI>Su&s;pen&s;io. vel ab ingre&s;&s;u Eccle&s;iae; vel a perceptione &s;acramentorum.</HI> 4. <HI>excommunicatio.</HI> 5. <HI>Anathemati&s;mus: Contra haereticum pertinacem.</HI> 3. There is a third degree among the <HI>Iewes,</HI> cal'd <HI>Sham-atha.</HI> The ex|treame and highe&s;t degree of excommunication. The <HI>Ety|mology</HI> of which word is either, 1 of <HI>Sam, De&s;olate,</HI> and <HI>attha, Thou. Thou art de&s;olate,</HI> or, <HI>Be thou de&s;olate.</HI> 2. of <HI>Sham, There; and Mitha, death. There is death.</HI> Or an Excommunication to death. As, 1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5.16. There is a &s;inne unto death. <HI>Or,</HI> 3. of <HI>Shem</HI> or <HI>Sama</HI> in the <HI>Chalde, The Lord,</HI> or <HI>The Name,</HI> that is, the <HI>Tetragrammaton, Iehovah;</HI> and <HI>Atha, he comes. The Lord comes.</HI> A forme of &s;peech u&s;ed by them in &s;udden accidents (as the mo&s;t learned <HI>Hein&s;ius</HI> ob&s;erves, exercit. <HI>lib.</HI> 7. <HI>c.</HI> 15.) and e&s;pe|cially by &s;uch as &s;uffered any oppre&s;&s;ions, whereby they &s;till comforted the &s;elves. This is the &s;ame with that which S. <HI>Paul</HI> u&s;eth afterthe <HI>Syriack,</HI> where <HI>Maran</HI> is <HI>The Lord. Maran-atha, The Lord comes.</HI> 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 16.22. <HI>He that loves not the Lord Ie&s;us, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.</HI> Which cur&s;e they fetch from the fir&s;t words of <HI>Henochs</HI> prophecy, <HI>Iude, ver&s;e</HI> 14. And thus much for the la&s;t conte&s;tation, and for the whole Text.</P>
<P>For the clo&s;e wee may take notice of a double ob&s;er|vation.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That in many copies (though not here, in <HI>Montanus</HI> his <HI>Interlin.</HI> nor in two others that I have) the la&s;t ver&s;e but one, in <HI>E&s;aiah, Eccle&s;ia&s;tes, Lamentations,</HI> and this prophecy of <HI>Ma|lachy,</HI> is repeated againe after the Text, but without <HI>points:</HI> becau&s;e all the&s;e bookes have &s;ad clo&s;es, and therefore the <HI>Scribes</HI> thought fit, to leave the ver&s;e before, to be la&s;t, for the recreating the &s;pirits of the Reader, as containing more
<PB N="94" REF="339">comfortable matter. See <HI>Ioh. Buxt of de Abbrev. Hebraic.</HI> more in <GAP DESC="foreign">.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That all the Prophets (execept <HI>Jonah</HI> and <HI>Nahum<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI>) ex|pre&s;&s;ely and in &s;ome prophecy concerning <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> Hee being the marke at which all of them chiefely aimed. And let him bee our Aime likewi&s;e. Ble&s;&s;ed is he who carefully ex|pects his &s;econd appearance. <HI>Come Lord Ie&s;us, come quickly.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="339">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</GROUP>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
