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<DATE>2012-11-13</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="B00721">
<STC T="S">22839.3</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">44920442</BIBNO>
<VID>173885</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="1">
<P><HI>DAVIDS</HI> BLESSED MAN: <HI>OR,</HI> A SHORT EXPOSITI|ON VPON THE FIRST P&s;alme, directing a Man to <HI>true Happine&s;&s;e.</HI> Wherein the E&s;tate and Condition of all Mankinde is laid downe, both <HI>for this life, and that which is to come.</HI> The &s;econd Edition profitably amplified by the Author SAMVEL SMITH, Preacher of the Word of God at <HI>Pritwell</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>1. TIM. 4.8.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Godline&s;&s;e hath the promi&s;e of the life pre&s;ent, and the life that is to come.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by NICHOLAS OKES, and are to bee &s;old by SIMON WATERSON, at his Shop in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, at the Signe of the Crowne. 1616.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>&leaf; TO THE HONORABLE SIR ROBERT <HI>RICH,</HI> KNIGHT OF THE BATH, AND SON and Heire to the Right Honorable ROBERT Lord RICH: and to the Ho|norable and vertuous Lady, the Lady FRANCIS RICH his wife, <HI>S.S.</HI> wi&s;heth all true comfort in this <HI>life, and Eternall happine&s;&s;e in the Life to come.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>HONORABLE,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IT is reported, that when one pre&s;en|ted vnto <HI>Antipater,</HI>
<PB REF="3"> King of Macedon, a treati&s;e of <HI>Happine&s;&s;e,</HI> that hee reiected it with this an&s;wer, <HI>I am not at lea&s;ure:</HI> your Honor &s;hal finde this a treati&s;e ten|ding to <HI>Happine&s;&s;e,</HI> and &s;hewing the way to <HI>euer|la&s;ting ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e,</HI> yet I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elfe it &s;hall finde better intertaine|ment at your hands, and that you will finde lea&s;ure at your lea&s;ure to peru&s;e it. J
<PB REF="3"> mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that many haue, many times, handled many points of doctrine deliue|red in this treati&s;e: yet I haue done it after ano|ther method. Jf the wa|ter I haue drawne from this Well &s;hall delight you, J hope it will not ta&s;t the wor&s;e being brought vnto you in this ve&s;&s;ell. I offer here vnto your view the <HI>Anatomy of Da|uids ble&s;&s;ed Man:</HI> or,
<PB REF="4"> <HI>a &s;hort Expo&s;ition of the fir&s;t P&s;alme,</HI> dire|cting a man how he may be truly ble&s;&s;ed. Jt is not without de&s;ert that <HI>Ie|rome</HI> doth call this book of the P&s;almes, <HI>The Trea&s;ury of learning:</HI> for out of it mo&s;t frequent te&s;timonies are brought by our ble&s;&s;ed Sauiour him&s;elfe. And this fir&s;t P&s;alme is a Compend, or an ab&s;tract of the whole booke of P&s;almes, dire|cting
<PB REF="4"> the way to true hap|pine&s;&s;e. The text J am &s;ure is excellent for the purpo&s;e, but for my man|ner of handling it, I leaue it to the cen&s;ure of Gods Church. In Preaching I haue euer counted plain|ne&s;&s;e the be&s;t eloquence, and the carriage of mat|ters &s;o, that tho&s;e of the lowe&s;t forme may learne &s;omewhat, the &s;ounde&s;t and the &s;ure&s;t learning. For &s;urely we are &s;o fal|len
<PB REF="5"> into the dregges of time, which being the la&s;t, mu&s;t needs be wor&s;t that <HI>Security</HI> hath &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed all Men, that they will not be awaked: but if at any time the word of God, or any good motion of Gods Spi|rit hath met with them, pre&s;ently <HI>Security</HI> whi&s;|pers them in the one eare, that though it be fit to thinke of &s;uch things, yet it is not yet time.
<PB REF="5"> <HI>Youth</HI> pleades a priui|ledge, though many mil|lions of yong men are in hell for want of timely repentance. And <HI>Pre|&s;umption</HI> warrants the~ in the other eare, that they may haue time hereafter. And thus men &s;pend their daies, vntill at la&s;t their houre-gla&s;&s;e be run, and time then is pa&s;t. Now if your Ho|nor &s;hal lay this to <HI>heart</HI> in the &s;trength of your
<PB REF="6"> yeares, it &s;hall bee your chiefe&s;t wi&s;edome. And if to bee religious in all ages hath been held to be true honor: how much more honorable is it in &s;o impious an age? It is re|ligion &amp; godline&s;&s;e that &s;hal embalme your name and make it &s;hine before men, and glorifie your &s;oule among&s;t Angels. <HI>Mary</HI> her box of Oynt|ment &s;hall neuer be for|gotten: <HI>for Godline&s;&s;e
<PB REF="6"> hath the promi&s;e of this life, &amp; that which is to come:</HI> and without it there is no internall comfort to bee found in con&s;cience, nor externall peace to bee looked for in this world, nor eternall happine&s;&s;e to bee hoped for in the next. Now, how can Religion but promi&s;e to her&s;elf a zea|lous patro~ of your honor, being the &s;on &amp; heire of &s;o gratious and religious
<PB REF="7"> a father, who hath &s;hew|ed him&s;elfe a faithfull <HI>Dore-keeper</HI> in the hou&s;e of his God? Let his godly example teach you not to drinke of tho&s;e <HI>&s;tolen waters,</HI> or rather indeed <HI>the bloud of &s;oules,</HI> wherwith too ma|ny in the&s;e gold-thir&s;ty daies doe purcha&s;e <HI>A|cheldama</HI> vnto them &amp; theirs. The Lord keepe this euer fro~ the purpo&s;e of heart in his &s;eruants,
<PB REF="7"> who haue &s;o honourable and weighty a tru&s;t com|mitted vnto them. Let that exhortation of <HI>Da|uid</HI> to his &s;on <HI>Salomon</HI> be euer in your honorable minde: <HI>And thou</HI> Salo|mon <HI>my &s;onne, know thou the God of thy Father, and &s;erue him with a perfect heart, and with a willing minde: for the Lord &s;earcheth all hearts, and vnder&s;tandeth
<PB REF="8"> all the imaginations of the thoughts: If thou &s;eeke him hee will bee found of thee, but if thou for&s;ake him hee wil ca&s;t thee off for e|uer.</HI> The God of heauen &s;o vouch&s;afe to water you and yours, with the dew of heauen, that with the godly man in this p&s;alm you may <HI>pro&s;per as trees of his planting:</HI> and &s;o <HI>bring forth fruit in due &s;ea&s;on</HI> in this</P>
<GAP DESC="missing" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="6 pages">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>A Table of the Prin|cipall Doctrines contained <HI>in this Booke.</HI></HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD>VERSE. 1.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>DOctrine 1.</HI> The godly man alone is ble&s;&s;ed. pag. <HI>21.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 2.</HI> The occa&s;ions of &s;inne are to be auoided. pag. <HI>46</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 3.</HI> We mu&s;t &s;hun the compa|ny of wicked men. pag. <HI>53</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 4.</HI> Wicked men are euer de|ui&s;ing of mi&s;chiefe. pag. <HI>61</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 5.</HI> To giue euill coun&s;ell is a horrible &s;inne. pag. <HI>67</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 6.</HI> The falles of godly ma|nie. pag. <HI>74</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 7.</HI> A godly man doth euer walke with God. pag. <HI>79</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 8.</HI> Wicked men de&s;cribed. pag. <HI>84</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="9">
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 9.</HI> A godly man &s;innes not with deliberation. pag. <HI>88</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 10.</HI> Wicked men proceed by degrees to be exceeding &s;inful. <HI>99</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 11.</HI> The marke of a lewd and wicked man. pag. <HI>107</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>VERSE. 2.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 1.</HI> Not to do euill is not &s;uf|ficient, it is damnable not to do good. pag. <HI>115</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 2.</HI> A godly man performes godly duties cheerfully. pag. <HI>122</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 3.</HI> The law of God is a godly mans chiefe delight. pag. <HI>134</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 4.</HI> A godly man &s;ets &s;ome time a part euery day for Gods &s;eruice. pag. <HI>140</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>VERSE 3.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 1.</HI> Mini&s;ters duty to in&s;truct the &s;imple&s;t. p. <HI>158.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="9">
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 2.</HI> A double v&s;e of all the creatures of God. pag. <HI>162</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 3.</HI> All men that are not in|grafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, are mi|&s;erable. pag. <HI>170</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 4.</HI> Onely the regenerate man is happy and ble&s;&s;ed. p. <HI>176</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 5.</HI> Members of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t are euer fruitfull. p. <HI>189</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 6.</HI> A true note of a godly man to waite all opportunities to do good. p. <HI>207</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 7.</HI> Per&s;euerance required in each child of God. p. <HI>213</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 8.</HI> By our vnion with Chri&s;t we are made &s;ure of per&s;euerance. p. <HI>222</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 9.</HI> God doth euer ble&s;&s;e the godly endeuours of his children p. <HI>228</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>VERSE. 4.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 1.</HI> The e&s;tate of the wicked
<PB REF="10"> mo&s;t mi&s;erable. pag. <HI>243</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 2.</HI> The e&s;tate of the wicked exceeding changeable. pag. <HI>258</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 3.</HI> The de&s;truction of the wicked is vnreuokable. pag. <HI>269</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>VERSE 5.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 1.</HI> The certainty of the day of iudgement proued. pag. <HI>275.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 2.</HI> All mankind diuided in|to two rankes. pag. <HI>286.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>VERSE. 6.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 1.</HI> A great comfort to the godly, that God doth approue of them. pag. <HI>294</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Doct. 2.</HI> The Lord hateth a wicked man and all hee doth. pag. <HI>298</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A Prayer for the Morning. p. <HI>301</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A Prayer for the Euening. p. <HI>309</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="10">
<HEAD>A Plaine and Familiar <HI>Expo&s;ition vpon the fir&s;t</HI> P&s;alme; fir&s;t Preached, and now publi&s;hed for the be|nefite of Gods Church. <HI>The fir&s;t P&s;alme.</HI></HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE. 1.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that doth not walke in the coun&s;ell of the wic|ked, nor &s;tand in the way of &s;inners, nor &s;itteth in the &s;eate of the &s;cornefull.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P>_CONCERNING the Book of the P&s;almes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quid e&s;t, quod non in P&s;almis? <HI>Augu&s;t.</HI> P&s;al.</NOTE> it is an Epitome of the whole
<PB N="2" REF="11"> Bible, teaching vs what wee are to beleeue and doe both to GOD and man: in which we may, as in a gla&s;&s;e, cleerely behold the natute of GOD, his Wi&s;edome, Goodne&s;&s;e, and Mer|cy, towards his Church and Chil|dren; as al&s;o mo&s;t notable &s;pectacles of his fearefull wrath and venge|ance again&s;t the wicked and vn|godly.</P>
<P>If men would learne to pray vnto God, and craue for any mercy and ble&s;&s;ing at his hands: Loe heere bee excellent plat-formes of true,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem. Nonne om|ne quod po|te&s;t dici bo|nu~ &amp; quod ad vtilitate animae per|tinet proce|dat ex ip&s;is.</NOTE> hearty, and earne&s;t prayers: If men would giue thankes for ble&s;&s;ings receiued, or for iudgements e&s;caped, or for deliuerance from wicked and vn|godly men, heere bee mo&s;t worthy examples and directions. Againe, if men would finde comfort in temp|tation, trouble, and affliction, and learne with patience to beare them, there is no part of the Bible more &s;weete and comfortable, then this Book of the P&s;almes: And there|fore it &s;hould bee our delight and
<PB N="3" REF="11"> &s;tudy, and wee ought to &s;pend the more time in the reading and in the meditating of &s;o excellent and wor|thy a Booke.</P>
<P>This P&s;alme is &s;et downe before the re&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">This <HI>P&s;alm</HI> is a preface to the whole Booke of P&s;almes. Iohn 5.39.</NOTE> as a Preface to &s;tirre vp euery faithfull Chri&s;tian, to the dil|ligent and carefull &s;tudy of the holy Scriptures, and the ble&s;&s;ed Booke of GOD as our Sauiour &s;aith, <HI>Search the Scriptures, &amp;c.</HI> Becau&s;e that will bring a man to true happine&s;&s;e in the end; namely, to know GOD to bee his GOD, to know IESVS CHRIST, to know him&s;elfe, and to direct him in the narrow way that leadeth vnto life.</P>
<P>This fir&s;t P&s;alme is &s;et downe without any in&s;cription,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As <HI>Atha|na&s;ius</HI> and <HI>Hilar.</HI> af|firme.</NOTE> and there|fore it is vncertaine by whom it was penned; whether by <HI>Dauid,</HI> as mo&s;t like it was; or by <HI>E&s;dras,</HI> who is ra|ther thought to haue gathered them together, and ioyned them thus in one Volume or Booke as now wee haue them.</P>
<P>This P&s;alme doth teach vs the&s;e
<PB N="4" REF="12"> two worthy points; namely, how the godly man liues and walkes in this world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Summe of the <HI>P&s;alme.</HI></NOTE> what manner of life hee leads on earth, and al&s;o what happine&s;&s;e and ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e is re&s;erued for him in the life to come in heauen, <HI>v.</HI> 1.2.3 The &s;econd part &s;hewes the contrary life of the wicked and vngodly, as al&s;o what fearefull vengeance and eternall iudgements are prepared for them. <HI>ver.</HI> 4.5.</P>
<P>And the parts of this P&s;alme are two: In the former part is a de&s;|cription of the contrary e&s;tate of the godly man and the wicked man; namely, that the godly man is cer|tainely ble&s;&s;ed, and the wicked man cur&s;ed, in the fiue fir&s;t ver&s;es. The other part &s;hewes the chiefe cau&s;e of the happine&s;&s;e of the one, and the mi|&s;ery of the other, ver&s;e the &s;ixth: <HI>Be|cau&s;e</HI> GOD <HI>knoweth;</HI> that is, likes, loues, and allowes; yea doth ble&s;&s;e and pro&s;per the way of the one: but he hates, abhorres, and di&s;likes the way of the other, and GOD doth cur&s;e it and make it mo&s;t vnhappy
<PB N="5" REF="12"> and mi&s;erable vnto them: So that we &s;ee the &s;umme of this P&s;alme is this; that tho&s;e are ble&s;&s;ed who&s;e way, that is, who&s;e life and conuer&s;ation the LORD loues, likes, and allowes of, &s;o as he doth direct and ble&s;&s;e it: But the LORD allowes and takes care of the way of the righteous and godly man, therefore the godly man is ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Now &s;eeing this is the maine Pro|po&s;ition of this P&s;alme to proue that the godly are ble&s;&s;ed: Therefore the Prophet doth fir&s;t &s;hew who bee truely godly, as ver&s;e 1.2. and then wherein their ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e doth con|&s;i&s;t, <HI>v.</HI> 3.</P>
<P>The godly man is de&s;cribed two waies: Fir&s;t, Negatiuely, &s;hewing what hee doth carefully &s;hunne and auoide, <HI>v.</HI> 1. Secondly, Affirmatiuely, &s;hewing what he doth carefully em|brace and follow, <HI>v.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>Concerning the things which the godly man doth euer carefully &s;hun and auoide, they are heere laid down to bee three in number, by a mo&s;t
<PB N="6" REF="13"> excellent kind of &s;peech, laid downe by way of graduation, wherein the Prophet &s;hewes how men proceed by degrees to bee wicked, for there is an increa&s;e and proceeding in &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Three &s;orts of wicked men.</NOTE> as we may &s;ee in euery &s;tep of this graduation; fir&s;t, in the per&s;ons, &s;e|condly, in the manner, and thirdly in the &s;in it &s;elfe.</P>
<P>And indeed there is a variety and multiplicity of &s;innes, and as they are diuers and of diuers kinds, &s;o the variety of number cau&s;eth a diuer&s;i|ty of names: <HI>The coun&s;ell of the wic|ked; the way of &s;inners; the &s;eate of the &s;cornefull.</HI> For as one &s;aith well, there is a fruitfull crop of &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Peccata frugifera &s;eges, &amp;c. Cypri. &s;er. de morta.</NOTE> and there is none of the &s;onnes of <HI>Adam</HI> but may &s;ay with <HI>Mana&s;&s;es</HI> in his prayer, <HI>I haue &s;inned aboue the number of the &s;and of the &s;ea.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t <HI>(Hee doth not walke in the councell of the wicked)</HI> where we &s;ee the per&s;ons are &s;aid to be wicked; the originall word &s;ignifieth a man that is neuer quiet, but euer thinking or doing &s;omething that is euill, like
<PB N="7" REF="13"> the raging &s;ea, who&s;e minde is euer troubled and tempted with euill thoughts and perturbations. By Coun&s;ell hee vnder&s;tandeth heere the craftes and &s;ubtelties of the wic|ked, by which they pu&s;h them&s;elues forward, and labour to draw others to the like, according to that of <HI>Salomon: My &s;onne, if &s;inners inti&s;e thee con&s;ent thou not,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pr. 1.10.11 Prou. 4 14.</NOTE> <HI>if they &s;ay come let vs lay waite for bloud, &amp;c.</HI> So that the Prophet meaneth heere, that hee is ble&s;&s;ed that ioyneth not him&s;elfe to commit &s;inne with the vngodly, nor by him&s;elfe doth commit the &s;ame as &s;inners do.</P>
<P>The &s;econd &s;ort of euill men, who&s;e company hee doth auoide are called <HI>Sinners;</HI> the word &s;ignifies &s;uch as not onely are of a naughty heart, and be|ing &s;educed by bad coun&s;ell, liue in &s;inne; but &s;uch as delight in &s;in, and haue in them a con&s;tant and &s;etled purpo&s;e to liue in &s;inne.</P>
<P>The third &s;ort of euill men, who&s;e company he doth auoide, are called <HI>Scorners:</HI> And they are &s;uch kind of
<PB N="8" REF="14"> wicked men, as being hardened in heart, do &s;till confirme them&s;elues in their wicked life, and get &s;uch a ha|bite and cu&s;tome in &s;inne that they &s;hame not to make a mock of GOD and all godline&s;&s;e, and euen to bleare out the tongue at Religion and Chri|&s;tian piety, &s;o that as they are wicked in heart, and lewd in life, &s;o be they al&s;o hardened and confirmed in both of them, for by <HI>Seate,</HI> he noteth the fellow&s;hip and &s;ociety with the vngodly.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 26.4.</NOTE></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Their acti|ons de&s;cri|bed.</NOTE> Secondly, concerning the action, the fir&s;t is, <HI>to walke in the coun&s;ell of the wicked:</HI> To walke, is to liue and frame his life, to affect and approue of the waies and coun&s;els of wicked men, neither will hee once li&s;ten or lend his eare to the peruer&s;e and naughty coun&s;ell of vngodly men, much le&s;&s;e will hee bee brought to frame his life after their wicked waies.</P>
<P>The &s;econd action or proceeding of a &s;inner is <HI>Standing;</HI> as the former is in heart to like, loue, and approue
<PB N="9" REF="14"> of the waies of the wicked, this is to obey them and follow them into the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of riot: So that the mea|ning of the Prophet is, that a godly man doth not like, loue, nor follow, that kind of life, or conuer&s;ation, which wicked men do v&s;e, and &s;uch as be giuen to &s;inne; according to that of the Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.2.</NOTE> <HI>Fa&s;hion not your &s;elues like vnto the world:</HI> but doth by all meanes po&s;&s;ibly &s;hunne and auoide it.</P>
<P>The third euill which the godly man doth mo&s;t carefully auoide, is in the&s;e words, and <HI>hath not &s;it in the a&s;&s;embly of the &s;corners:</HI> that is, will not bee familliar, and haue acquain|tance, with &s;uch as bee mockers of God, and all good duties; hee will not bee their companion, nor keepe them company, who do openly pro|fe&s;&s;e impiety, who make a &s;coffe at all Religion, &s;corne the word of God, and contemne the Seruants of God: The&s;e be the three euils which the godly man doth mo&s;t carefully &s;hun and auoide.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="15">
<P>In the whole wee may ob&s;erue the wonderfull growth that &s;inne hath in the heart of a &s;inner, it &s;tands not at a &s;tay, but is euer growing, and neuer &s;uffers any wintertide of bla&s;ting, but euer pro&s;pers: It fir&s;t beginneth in the heart of the &s;inner with a doubtfull walking, wan|dring, as it were, vp and downe, as being vncertaine what to do; the next &s;tep that it maketh is from <HI>Walking</HI> to <HI>Standing,</HI> which &s;ignifies a determination after the former vn|certainety, and where &s;inne is not &s;tayed neither in the conception, nor in the birth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.15.</NOTE> <HI>When it is fini&s;hed it brings forth death,</HI> euer ending in hardne&s;&s;e of heart, ob&s;tinacy of minde, and obduracy of both. Oh that all wicked and vngodly men would lay this to heart, that making once &s;hipwrack of faith and a good con&s;cience, and wounding their &s;oules by &s;inne! this &s;pirituall di&s;ea&s;e of &s;inne growes daily to bee more incurable, and the more &s;in grow|eth to bee a head, the more the Spi|rit
<PB N="11" REF="15"> of God is quenched in a man, and the worke of grace is dimini|&s;hed. It behoues vs all therefore to keepe a dilligent watch ouer our owne waies, to cut off the occa&s;i|&s;ions of &s;inne, and to &s;tay the be|ginnings of iniquity; for a fire new kindled may ea&s;ily bee quenched; when the Ship beginnes to leake it may ea&s;ily bee &s;topped; and at the fir&s;t &s;inne and &s;athan may ea&s;ily bee re&s;i&s;ted, and wee may with the le&s;&s;e difficulty with&s;tand the force of it; whereas the more it is practi&s;ed, the more the heart is hardned, and &s;inne growes &s;tronger, and the &s;inner him|&s;elfe weaker, according to that of the Prophet:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 13.23.</NOTE> <HI>Can the Blackmore change his skinne, or the Leopard his &s;pots, then may yee al&s;o do good, which are accu&s;tomed to do euill.</HI> And there|fore to this end the Lord laboured with <HI>Cain</HI> to &s;toppe his &s;inne in the conception, or at lea&s;t in the birth, when that hee &s;aw that his counte|nance was ca&s;t downe, and that he had conceiued &s;ome euill again&s;t his
<PB N="12" REF="16"> brother, the Lord tels <HI>Cain, If thou do&s;t well &s;halt thou not bee rewarded, if thou do&s;t euill, &s;inne lyeth at thy dore:</HI> q. d. <HI>Cain, Cain,</HI> bee warned be|times ere it be too late, there is a re|ward that will follow thy righteous dealing, but if thou go on to kill thy righteous brother, thou &s;halt find that thy condition will bee farre wor&s;e then now it is. This is the wofull and mi&s;erable condition of tho&s;e that runne from euill to wor&s;e, as it were, adding drunkenne&s;&s;e to thir&s;t, and may bee a warning to vs to take heed lea&s;t at any time wee giue any entertainement to &s;in: <HI>And &s;o our la&s;t end bee wor&s;e then the fir&s;t.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8.</NOTE></P>
<P>In the &s;econd Ver&s;e the Prophet de&s;cribes a godly man affirmatiuely &s;hewing what he doth mo&s;t careful|ly embrace and follow:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The godly mans de|&s;cription affirma|tiuely.</NOTE> As if hee &s;hould &s;ay, Hee is a ble&s;&s;ed man that ab&s;taines from euill, if &s;o be withall hee delight to doe good; &s;o hee doe willingly yeeld him&s;elfe to per|forme obedience to the will of God, and conforme all his thoughts,
<PB N="13" REF="16"> wordes, and deeds, to the will of God.</P>
<P>Now the good things which hee mu&s;t do are contained in two words: Fir&s;t, <HI>His delight mu&s;t bee in the Law of the Lord:</HI> Secondly, <HI>Hee mu&s;t meditate therein day and night.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But his delight,</HI> that is, the godly man, who is truely happy and ble&s;&s;ed indeed, doth wonderfully loue the <HI>Law,</HI> that is, the word of God, and that heauenly doctrine, wherein is reuealed the will of God, whereunto all our thoughts, words, and workes, mu&s;t bee conformed, and which maketh knowne vnto vs the way to eternall life and &s;alua|tion.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>In this Law hee meditates day and night:</HI> That is, the godly man doth &s;et his heart and mind vp|on the word and doctrine of God, &s;o as hee doth thinke often, and much mu&s;e vpon it; it is his daily medita|tion, &s;o as hee &s;ets &s;ome time apart euery day to &s;tudy it; Both to learne out of it how God mu&s;t bee purely
<PB N="14" REF="17"> wor&s;hipped, his owne life ordered, as al&s;o to learne thereby how to mainetaine and keepe faith and a good con&s;cience before God and man. And thus the godly man is de|&s;cribed by both parts of his life, his e&s;chewing of euill, and his carefull and religious performing of good duties.</P>
<P>Secondly, as wee haue &s;eene a godly man de&s;cribed, &s;o now fol|loweth wherein the happine&s;&s;e of this man con&s;i&s;ts.</P>
<P>This happy man is de&s;cribed two waies.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by a &s;imilitude.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The hap|pine&s;&s;e of a godly ma~, wher|in it con|&s;i&s;ts.</NOTE> Secondly, by the pro&s;perous and good &s;ucce&s;&s;e of all hee doth.</P>
<P>The happine&s;&s;e of the godly man is de&s;cribed by a &s;imilitude, where|by a godly man is compared to a tree, which tree is de&s;cribed.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by the place; namely, that it is a tree planted, not of it own grow|ing, <HI>By the waters &s;ide;</HI> Euen by the fre&s;h and &s;pringing riuers, which is a re&s;emblance of our ingrafting into
<PB N="15" REF="17"> Ie&s;us Chri&s;t by faith, and the Spirit of God; &s;o as wee receiue and draw iuice and nouri&s;hment from him continually.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is de&s;cribed by an ef|fect; namely, <HI>That it brings forth fruit in due &s;ea&s;on:</HI> And this is a re&s;em|blance of our regeneration, or of our obedience, becau&s;e the godly man being ingrafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92.12 Math. 7.</NOTE> doth by vertue of his Re&s;urrection bring forth the fruit of faith and obedience both to God and man; <HI>In due &s;ea&s;on,</HI> that is, in time conueni|ent, when it may be&s;t &s;eeme for the glory of God, and the good of our Neighbour.</P>
<P>Thirdly, by a contrary property, that <HI>her leaues doe not fall:</HI> that is, in time of Winter and &s;tormes her leaues fall not: And this is a &s;igne of our per&s;euerance, that the godly man is not offended nor daunted with cro&s;&s;es, per&s;ecutions, or afflictions, or any other calamity what&s;oeuer, but doth by patience po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e his Soule, and by faith wades, as it
<PB N="16" REF="18"> were, throughout all the&s;e dangers.</P>
<P>Secondly, the happine&s;&s;e of a godly man is de&s;cribed by that ble&s;&s;ed &s;ucce&s;&s;e that God giues to all his affaires hee takes in hand, <HI>It &s;hall pro&s;per,</HI> becau&s;e hee takes them in hand according to Gods com|mandement, and in his feare, with prayer and calling on the name of the Lord, <HI>Io&s;huah</HI> 1.8. to the glory of God, and the good of his Neigh|bour.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Wicked de&s;cribed.</NOTE> In the &s;econd part of the P&s;alme, the Prophet de&s;cibeth the mo&s;t mi|&s;erable and cur&s;ed e&s;tate of the wic|ked and vngodly, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 4, 5. That it is cleane contrary, that as their waies and liues bee contrary, &s;o their re|ward and end is contrary.</P>
<P>The Prophet de&s;cribing the cur|&s;ed and mi&s;erable e&s;tate of the wic|ked &s;aith fir&s;t, <HI>It is not &s;o with them:</HI> that is, the wicked and vngodly men are in a far contrary e&s;tate and con|dition; they cannot in any ca&s;e bee compared to a tree that is planted by the riuers of waters, that brings
<PB N="17" REF="18"> forth her fruit in due &s;ea&s;on, and who&s;e leafe doth not fall, neither do they pro&s;per in their actions, nei|ther doth GOD giue &s;ucce&s;&s;e vnto them.</P>
<P>But hee &s;etteth out the cur&s;ed and wretched e&s;tate of all wicked and vngodly men, by a contrary &s;imili|tude, comparing them to Chaffe, which the winde driues away; That is, euen as chaffe hath no roote in the earth, and wanting all iuyce and no|ri&s;hment, mu&s;t needes bee fruitle&s;&s;e and dry, &s;o as the winde doth mo&s;t ea&s;ily &s;catter it away: Euen &s;o the wicked are not rooted nor groun|ded in Chri&s;t, whereby it comes to pa&s;&s;e, they being vtterly void of all grace of Gods Spirit, that they can bring forth no fruite of good workes, neither can they per&s;euere in time of temptation, whereby a|gaine it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that they be carried away with euery bla&s;t of vaine doctrine, and with the lea&s;t &s;torme of temptation, and bla&s;t of aduer&s;ity they are to&s;&s;ed to and fro;
<PB N="18" REF="19"> And when the wind of Gods iudge|ments &s;hall blow vpon them, they are cleane &s;cattered away. This is their e&s;tate and condition heere in this life.</P>
<P>And for their e&s;tate and conditi|on in the life to come, the Prophet layeth it downe likewi&s;e, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 5. in the&s;e words; <HI>They &s;hall not bee able to &s;tand in Iudgement:</HI> That is, they &s;hall not bee able to &s;tand with comfort before the face of the Iudge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 6.13.</NOTE> but &s;hall tremble and quake, as not being able to en|dure the angry countenance of the Iudge.</P>
<P>Neither is this all, but they &s;hall likewi&s;e bee &s;euered and &s;ecluded from the ble&s;&s;ed company of the godly; That as heere in this life they could not abide a godly man, but did hate him, per&s;ecute him, and &s;hunne his company; So at the la&s;t day (&s;o iu&s;t &s;hall their reward bee) that they &s;hall bee &s;eparated from them; And as Goats ca&s;t on the left hand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat, 25.34</NOTE> there to remaine for euermore
<PB N="19" REF="19"> in torments, which are ea&s;ele&s;&s;e and remedile&s;&s;e. <HI>Neither the &s;inners in the company of the iu&s;t;</HI> that is, in the company of tho&s;e that bee iu|&s;tified and reconciled to GOD in IESVS CHRIST, which &s;hall then inherit the Kingdome prepared for them.</P>
<TRAILER>Hitherto wee haue opened the fir&s;t part of the P&s;alme, containing the e&s;tate and condition of a godly and a wicked man, here in this life, and in the life to come.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The &s;eco~d generall part of the P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<P>NOw followeth the &s;econd part of the P&s;alme, in the la&s;t ver&s;e, containing the confirmation of that doctrine; And that our Prophet doth by &s;hewing the efficient cau&s;e both of the happine&s;&s;e of the one, and the mi&s;ery and wretchedne&s;&s;e of the other.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t efficient cau&s;e of the hap|pine&s;&s;e of the godly man is in the&s;e words: <HI>Becau&s;e the Lord knowes the way of the righteous:</HI> That is, he likes, loues, and approues of it, &s;o as hee
<PB N="20" REF="20"> doth direct and ble&s;&s;e it: And there|fore it &s;hall pro&s;per.</P>
<P>And the cau&s;e why the e&s;tate of the wicked is vnhappy, and <HI>their way &s;hall peri&s;h,</HI> is, becau&s;e the Lord doth not know their way: that is, hee ta|keth no delight in the way, or the life of a wicked man; hee loues it not &s;o as hee &s;hould direct and pro&s;per it: And therefore <HI>it &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>And thus much for the meaning of the words: now let vs come vnto the Doctrines.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE 1.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed is the Man that hath not, &amp;c.</P></Q>
<P><HI>BLe&s;&s;ed is the man,</HI> or <HI>Oh the Ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e</HI> of that man, or as it is in the Originall; <HI>Oh the ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;es of that man!</HI> They &s;eeme to bee the words of a man, mu&s;ing and medita|ting with him&s;elfe, wherein mans ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e &s;hould con&s;i&s;t. As if hee &s;hold &s;ay: &s;ome pronounce him ble&s;|&s;ed that is in honour: &s;ome count
<PB N="21" REF="20"> them ble&s;&s;ed, that haue aboundance of riches: &s;ome that liue in plea&s;ure: &s;ome place it in one thing, &s;ome in anothe. But, <HI>Oh the ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e of that man!</HI> that feares the Lord, that is tru|ly religious, of the godly and righ|teous man.</P>
<P>Hence wee learne rhis Doctrine,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. The godly man alone is ble&s;&s;ed.</NOTE> That of all men vnder Heauen, the godly man alone is ble&s;&s;ed, and the vngodly and wicked man is cur&s;ed: The righteous man a happy man in the &s;ight of God, when the wicked is wretched and mi&s;erable. This do|ctrine is very apparant in the word of GOD: It is the &s;cope and drift of the whole Scriptures to proue this one point, That the godly man is ble&s;&s;ed, and the wicked man is cur|&s;ed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 112.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that feareth the Lord and delighteth in his Commande|ment.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.1</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be they that bee vpright in their way, and walke in the Law of the Lord.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 32.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that keepe his te&s;timonies, and &s;eeke him with their whole heart.</HI> Againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 37.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man who&s;e iniquity is forgiuen, and
<PB N="22" REF="21"> who&s;e &s;inne is couered. Ble&s;&s;ed is hee to whom the Lord imputeth no &s;inne, and in who&s;e &s;pirit there is no guile.</HI> Reade the &s;euen and thirty P&s;alme which &s;eemeth to bee penned, of purpo&s;e, to confirme the euerla&s;ting truth of this Doctrine, That the godly are ble&s;&s;ed, and the wicked are cur&s;ed: and this ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e of theirs doth not reach onely to this life, but al&s;o to the life to come, according to that of the Apo&s;tle; <HI>Godlines hath not onely the promi&s;e of this life, but al|&s;o the life to come.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim 4.8</NOTE> Yea, if wee ob&s;erue the cour&s;e which the Spirit of God taketh in the cour&s;e of the whole Sciptures, it &s;hall make this Do|ctrine &s;o much the more apparant vnto vs; that is, That where&s;oeuer there is a comfort laid downe in the Word, the &s;ame comfort is &s;till re&s;trained to the godly. As that of the holy Apo&s;tle Saint <HI>Paul</HI> in the eight chapter and fir&s;t ver&s;e of his Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romans; There is no con|demnation:</HI> A maruellous comfort to heare, that wee are freed from that
<PB N="23" REF="21"> heauy and grieuous cur&s;e which wee had incurred by rea&s;on of &s;in: yet le&s;t the wicked &s;hould pre&s;ume hereby, and take it vnto them&s;elues, vnto whom in no wi&s;e it doth be|long: The Apo&s;tle re&s;traineth the comfort in the &s;ame Ver&s;e, <HI>to them that are in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us:</HI> and le&s;t men &s;hould deceiue them&s;elues, to take this comfort to them&s;elues, vnto whom it doth not belong, hee mar|keth them out, as it were, in their fore-heads, &s;aying; They are &s;uch <HI>as walke not after the fle&s;h; but after the Spirit.</HI> The like of <HI>Dauid, Lord who &s;hall enter into thy holy Tabernacle?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 15.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c. Hee that hath cleane hands and pure heart, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides, none are ble&s;&s;ed but &s;uch as bee in the fauour of God, as the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>In thy fauour is life,</HI> &s;uch as bee reconciled to God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. As for &s;uch as be out of his fauour, they be cur&s;ed and mi|&s;erable, bee they what they will bee: Now onely the godly man that is humbled, that is &s;anctified, that is
<PB N="24" REF="22"> borne anew, is hee alone that is in the fauour of God; therefore onely the godly man is ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Obiect.</NOTE> Wherein &s;tands the ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e of Gods children, of a godly and a righteous man?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;w.</NOTE> I an&s;were in this, that a godly man that is humbled for his &s;ins, is now reconciled to God, &s;o as God the Father becomes his Father,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wherein the godly man is ble&s;t.</NOTE> adopts him to be his Childe, loues him, and delights in him as his Childe; <HI>Behold what loue the Father hath giuen vs, that wee &s;hould bee called the Sonnes of God:</HI> <MILESTONE N="1"> And hereupon come the amiable and loue-Titles that Chri&s;t giueth vnto his Church;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5.2. P&s;al. 105.12.13. Deut 7.6 P&s;a. 91.1.2.3.</NOTE> <HI>Open vnto mee my Si&s;ter, my Loue, my Doue, my vndefiled;</HI> Great are the affections of feruent loue that parents beare towardes their Children, which none can ex|pre&s;&s;e but they that feele; and yet all their loue is nothing in compari&s;on of the loue of God towardes his children; this the Prophet teacheth, <HI>Can a woman forget her childe,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 49.15</NOTE> <HI>and not haue compa&s;&s;ion on the Sonne of her
<PB N="25" REF="22"> wombe, yet will not I forget thee.</HI> <MILESTONE N="2"> </P>
<P>Another part of the happine&s;&s;e of a godly man doth con&s;i&s;t in this, that hee hath a&s;&s;urance of the pardon of his &s;innes, that they are all done a|way, and &s;hall neuer be layd to his charge, but are wa&s;hed away in the bloud of IESVS CHRIST, accor|ding to that of the Prophet <HI>Dauid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 32.1. Actes 3.26</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is hee who&s;e wickedne&s;&s;e is for|giuen.</HI></P>
<P>Hee hath all his &s;innes originall and actuall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 8.1. 1. Pet. 2.24 Rom. 4 5. 2. Cor. 19.</NOTE> with the guilt and pu|ni&s;hment belonging vnto them, freely and fully forgiuen vnto him: And all the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of CHRIST freely and fully imputed vnto him, and &s;o GOD is reconci|led vnto him, and approueth him as righteous in his &s;ight: And thus the Apo&s;tle rea&s;oneth;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.33.</NOTE> <HI>Heerein was that loue of</HI> GOD <HI>made manife&s;t among&s;t vs, becau&s;e</HI> GOD <HI>&s;ent his onely begotten Son into the world, that wee might liue through him: Heerein is that loue not that wee loued</HI> GOD, <HI>but that hee loued vs and &s;ent his Sonne to
<PB N="26" REF="23"> be a reconciliation for our &s;innes.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3"> An other part of the happine&s;&s;e of a godly man doth con&s;i&s;t in this, that hee hath peace of Con&s;cience, whereas the wicked and vngodlie man hath a dead and &s;leepie con&s;ci|ence, or el&s;e an accu&s;ing con&s;cience, <HI>There is no peace to the wicked &s;aith my</HI> God:<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 57.</NOTE> But the godly man that is re|conciled to God in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, hath the free pardon of al his &s;innes, hee hath &s;weete peace of con&s;ci|ence,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.17</NOTE> which doth not accu&s;e, but excu&s;e him to God, yea hee hath exceeding ioy in the HOLIE GHOST that hee knoweth his &s;innes are pardoned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pax e&s;t he|reditas Christiano|rum. <HI>Aug.</HI> Serm. de temp.</NOTE> according to that of the Apo&s;tle; <HI>The kingdome of God &s;tandeth not in meate and drinke, but in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace, and ioy in the</HI> HOLIE GHOST. And indeed whom &s;hould hee feare,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Perfecta &amp; ab&s;olata uiu&s;&abque; ex|u&s;atio te|&s;timonium con&s;cientiae &s;uae. <HI>Bern.</HI></NOTE> or whereof &s;hould hee be afraide, God is be|come his Father, the Angels are be|come his attendants, they pitch their Tents round about them, and haue a charge of them, the Saints of Hea|uen
<PB N="27" REF="23"> and Earth are their fellow Bre|thren, the Creatures of Almightie God are their friends, yea their &s;er|uants to do them good al their daies.</P>
<P>The diuells, nor all the powers of darkene&s;&s;e &s;hall not hurt them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 37.25 P&s;al. 34.7. P&s;al. 91.11 Ho&s;ea 2.18 Col. 2.15.</NOTE> <HI>For Chri&s;t hath &s;poiled Principalities and Po|wers, and hath made a &s;hew of them o|penly, and hath triumphed ouer them v|pon the Cro&s;&s;e;</HI> yea, that which is more, the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t (to whom all Iudgement is committed) is become their Lord and Sauiour: <HI>So that they &s;hall neuer come into con|demnation but &s;hall pa&s;&s;e from death vnto life.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5.24.</NOTE></P>
<P>La&s;tly, the godly man is a&s;&s;ured <MILESTONE N="4"> that the kingdome of Heauen, and eternall life belongs vnto him; And that hee &s;hall be partaker of Eternall glorie, life and &s;aluation, and &s;hall liue in the pre&s;ence of God the Fa|ther, the Sonne, and Holy Gho&s;t for euermore;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non arro|gantia e&s;t, &s;ed fides, &amp;c. <HI>Aug.</HI> Serm. <HI>8.</HI></NOTE> and this a&s;&s;urance in the godlie, is no pre&s;umption, but Faith, for euery godly man hath in him the Spirit of Grace and Adop|tion;
<PB N="28" REF="24"> and he that hath the Spirit of Adoption, knowes that hee hath it, and is able, through the &s;ame Spirit, to &s;ay;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gala. 2.20 2. Cor. 13 5</NOTE> <HI>I liue, and Chri&s;t liueth in me:</HI> This was in <HI>Iob</HI> when he &s;aid, <HI>I know that my Redeemer liueth, &amp;c.</HI> This was in Saint <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 8.</NOTE> <HI>I am per&s;waded that neyther heighth nor depth, &amp;c.</HI> In the&s;e and the like Priuiledges &s;tands the happie and ble&s;&s;ed e&s;tate of Gods children.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> The v&s;e of this Doctrine is mo&s;t excellent, for &s;eeing the priuiledges of Gods ehildren are &s;o great and &s;o excellent, that therefore they mu&s;t needes bee mo&s;t happie and hle&s;&s;ed: For how&s;oeuer the world accompt them mi&s;erable, grinning at them with their teeth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 1.18</NOTE> nodding at them with their heades, hi&s;sing at them with their tongues, and euery way mo&s;t contumeliou&s;ly reproaching them with their wordes; yet wee &s;ee heere how deere and precious they are with God, and in the re|putation of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, who bought them at a price, and redee|med
<PB N="29" REF="24"> them euen with his owne bloud:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.21</NOTE> <HI>Beholde what loue the Father hath giuen to vs that wee &s;hould be cal|led the Sonnes of God: And for this cau&s;e the world knoweth you not, becau&s;e it knoweth not him.</HI> God is become their Father, the Sonne their Redee|mer, and the Holy Gho&s;t their San|ctifier, the Angells their attendants, the Scriptures their Euidences, and the Sacraments, Seales vnto the &s;ame: This the Apo&s;tle teacheth whe~ he &s;aith. <HI>All things are yours, and yee Chri&s;ts, and Chri&s;t Gods,</HI> they are ble&s;&s;ed then that are thus reconciled to God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: they are ble&s;&s;ed that haue their &s;innes pardo|ned and not imputed vnto them, they are ble&s;&s;ed that inioy this &s;weet peace of con&s;cience, and ioy in the Holie Gho&s;t: they are ble&s;&s;ed that haue attained to this a&s;&s;urance, that the kingdome of Heauen, eternall life and &s;aluation &s;hall be their re|ward: But the godly man is parta|ker of all the&s;e, what then &s;hall hin|der his happine&s;&s;e?</P>
<PB N="30" REF="25">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Three &s;orts of men con|futed.</NOTE> This &s;erueth then to confute three &s;orts of men: Fir&s;t the Volup|tuous man, who placeth his felicity and happine&s;&s;e in delights, plea|&s;ures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Voluptu|ous.</NOTE> &s;ports, and pa&s;times, hee loues and likes them aboue all other things, and mo&s;t eagerly doth hunt after them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12.</NOTE> This appeared in that rich man in the Go&s;pell, who bad his &s;oule eate, drink, and be merry, as if there were nothing el&s;e to be loo|ked after, or as if mans chiefe feli|city did con&s;i&s;t in the&s;e things.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 14 17 Eccles 2.</NOTE> And this was the ca&s;e of <HI>Salomon</HI> in the dayes of his vanity, vntill he &s;aw that all was but vain. Let vs then be careful that we be not deceiued with the&s;e &s;infull plea&s;ures of this life, as to thinke therein wee are happy, but let vs take heed vnto this hooke of Sathan lea&s;t we bee taken within his &s;nare. It is written, to the euer|la&s;ting commendation of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that he refu&s;ed to bee called the &s;on of <HI>Pharaohs</HI> daughter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.24</NOTE> and cho&s;e rather to &s;uffer aduer&s;ity with the people of God, then to enioy the
<PB N="31" REF="25"> plea&s;ures of &s;inne for a &s;ea&s;on, e&s;tee|ming the rebuke of Chri&s;t greater riches then the trea&s;ures of Egypt: for he had re&s;pect vnto the recom|pence of reward.</P>
<P>The &s;econd &s;ort of men heere re|proued, are the ambitious,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Ambitious</NOTE> that makes honor &amp; preferment his <HI>God,</HI> as if mans chiefe felicity did con&s;i&s;t in that: this is their care and &s;tudy, how to climb vp to preferment, like <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> that &s;ought to &s;teale the hearts of his fathers &s;ubiects. And <HI>Achitophel,</HI> that was &s;o proud that he could not indure a man in fauour but him&s;elfe, and therefore when he &s;aw <HI>Hu&s;haies</HI> coun&s;ell receiued and his reiected, went and hanged him&s;elfe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 2.3.</NOTE> So proud <HI>Haman</HI> was &s;o vexed with <HI>Mordecay,</HI> that hee could not bee quiet till hee had wrought his owne di&s;truction, and the rea&s;on of all is this, pro&s;perity puffeth vp and &s;tea|leth away the heart of man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6 9.</NOTE> making a man both to forget God and him&s;elfe, and therefore pro&s;peritie is a very dangerous &amp; &s;lippery e&s;tate,
<PB N="32" REF="26"> and how&s;oeuer it bee much de&s;ired and admired, yet it is full of dan|gers, and hedged in with many pe|rils, and how&s;oeuer many are drawne away from God through per&s;ecution and affliction, yet pro&s;|perity is more dangerous, for by it many more are drowned in &s;en&s;ua|litie, and euen lulled a&s;leepe in car|nall &s;ecurity.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Couetous.</NOTE> The third &s;ort of men here re|proued, are the couetous Cormo|rants of the world, &s;uch as make <HI>gold</HI> their God, loue it, and delight in it more then God, as if their chiefe&s;t happine&s;&s;e did con&s;i&s;t in the multitude of their riches,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;&s;. 3.</NOTE> whereas indeed godline&s;&s;e alone hath the promi&s;e of this life and that which is to come. And of all other &s;innes our Sauiour giues this caueat again&s;t this &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.15</NOTE> &s;aying; <HI>Take heede and be|ware of couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> and this is that which the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> doth pray again&s;t when hee &s;aith;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.36.</NOTE> <HI>Incline my heart vnto thy te&s;timonies, and not vnto couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 2.15</NOTE> Hereunto agreeth that
<PB N="33" REF="26"> exhortation of the Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.24.</NOTE> <HI>If anie man loue this world, the loue of my Fa|ther is not in him.</HI> So then, whether wee con&s;ider that couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e is the roote of all euill, or that there is a flat oppo&s;ition betweene God and the world, wee mu&s;t hold this as an euident truth, that there is no ble&s;|&s;edne&s;&s;e to be found in them.</P>
<P>This may &s;eeme to reprooue that <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> cur&s;ed, yet common opinion of the world; namely, that of all men the godly man is mo&s;t mi&s;erable. We &s;ee heere, that the LORD him&s;elfe doth proclaime from Heauen, that hee accompteth the godlie man a ble&s;&s;ed and happy man; but yet the world, that is, wicked men in the world, iudge and deeme the god|lie man, wretched and mi&s;erable; &s;uch a man as truely feareth God, hates all iniquitie, di&s;liketh lewd companie, makes con&s;cience of good dueties, as to pray in his Familie, to in&s;truct his &s;eruants, and children, is diligent and care|full to frequent Sermons; this
<PB N="34" REF="27"> man is as an Owle among&s;t Birds, whooted at, and poynted at, men reproach him, and of all men hee is mo&s;t contemned: But as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, thus it mu&s;t bee, wee are brought vpon the &s;tage, we are made a gazing-&s;tock to wicked men, and accounted as dung for Chri&s;tes &s;ake.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> This may &s;erue to &s;toppe their mouthes that &s;ay and thinke it is in vain to &s;erue the Lord, that it is lo&s;t labour to be religious, that there is no good got by hearing of Sermons and leading of a godly life: It is, and euer hath beene the cur&s;ed thought of mans heart to thinke &s;o, as in the time of the Prophet <HI>Malachie, It is lo&s;t labour to &s;erue the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.14.</NOTE> <HI>and what good comes there by &s;eruing of</HI> GOD? So in the&s;e dayes it is cleare, men thinke it is in vaine to be religious, to liue godly, and in all things to la|bour to keepe faith and a good con&s;cience before God and men, But it is manife&s;t heere that it is not in vaine to &s;erue GOD:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> nay it is
<PB N="35" REF="27"> that alone that brings a man to hap|pine&s;&s;e and true comfort here, and an eternall mea&s;ure of glory in the world to come: and withall this may &s;erue to comfort euery poore childe of God again&s;t al the di&s;comforts &amp; di&s;couragements of the world by &s;a|tan &amp; his cur&s;ed in&s;truments: name|ly, that what&s;oeuer thy e&s;tate be, ne|uer &s;o poore in this world, and &s;ub|iect to neuer &s;o many afflictions, yet if thou be a godly man, certaine|ly then thou art <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.24 12.23.</NOTE> Thou that art in Gods fauour, thou that art re|conciled to God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and ha&s;t thy &s;innes pardoned, eternall life belongs vnto thee, and therfore feare not, bee not any whit di&s;cou|raged, hold out vnto the end, cer|taine it is thou art a <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed Man,</HI> and in &s;o doing thou &s;halt haue a crown of life.</P>
<P>Hence wee learne, that as many <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> as de&s;ire to bee truely happy and ble&s;&s;ed, may heere behold the way to bee happy and ble&s;&s;ed. Would&s;t thou bee truely happy and ble&s;&s;ed
<PB N="36" REF="28"> heere in this life, and heereafter in the life to come, woulde&s;t be a&s;&s;u|red that thou art the childe of God, in his fauour, reconciled vnto him in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, woulde&s;t thou bee a&s;&s;ured of the &s;aluation of thy &s;oule? Oh labour then to become a godlie and a religious man, repent of thy &s;innes pa&s;t, amend thy life, walke before God in new obedience, la|bour to keepe faith and a good con|&s;cience, hate euery euill way, cleaue vnto the Lord, delight in his word, let it be the ioy of thine heart, then certainely thou &s;halt bee <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed</HI> and happpy for euermore.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e"> To conclude, if the godly man be ble&s;&s;ed, then the wicked man mu&s;t of nece&s;sity be cur&s;ed: if the e&s;tate of the righteous and religious man be &s;o comfortable and ble&s;&s;ed, then the e&s;tate of the wicked and vngod|ly mu&s;t needes be mi&s;erable and cur|&s;ed, according to that of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> vnto the I&s;raelites,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu. 28.15</NOTE> <HI>If thou wilt not obey the voyce of the Lord thy God,</HI> as indeede Obedience is farre from a wicked
<PB N="37" REF="28"> man, how&s;oeuer he may come with <HI>Saules</HI> painted Sacrifice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.21</NOTE> what fol|lowes: <HI>Thou &s;halt bee cur&s;ed in bodie, and cur&s;ed in &s;oule, &amp;c.</HI> Againe, <HI>Thou ha&s;t de&s;troyed the proud, and cur&s;ed are they that erre from thy Commaunde|ments.</HI> And this mi&s;erie of a wicked man doth con&s;i&s;t in the&s;e things e|&s;pecially.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wherein the wicked are cur&s;ed.</NOTE> that hee can haue no a&s;&s;u|rance that hee is the childe of God, that he is reconciled to God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, or in his fauour; nay he may a&s;&s;ure him&s;elfe, that hee is out of his fauour, and that God hates him as his enemy, and that he will manife&s;t his wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure vpon him, by plaguing him here in this life, and by damning him for euer in the life to come.</P>
<P>Yea the Lord beginnes that con|demnatory &s;entence in the heart of <MILESTONE N="1"> a wicked man in this life. For eue|rie &s;inne which a wicked man doth commit, there ari&s;eth many times within their Con&s;ciences, accu&s;ing thoughts: and there is al&s;o a Sen|tence
<PB N="38" REF="29"> within him giuen out again&s;t him pre&s;ently after he hath commit|ted &s;inne, there is a &s;entence with|in him gone out again&s;t him, by them&s;elues iudgement is gone out again&s;t them&s;elues; which &s;en|tence albeit the wicked man doe not marke, yet the voyce of his owne di&s;ordered affections cry|ing out &s;o loud, that hee cannot heare ths voyce of his owne con|&s;cience accu&s;ing and condemning him: (yet many times in this life affection is &s;ilent, as to <HI>Bal|thazar</HI> and <HI>Iudas,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5. Mat. 27.</NOTE> &amp; then con&s;cience doth pronounce &s;entence again&s;t him with a &s;hrill voyce.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 3.20</NOTE> <HI>Now if a mans con&s;cience doe condemne him, God is greater then his con&s;cience, and will much more condemne him.</HI>) But a&s;&s;u|redly in the day of iudgement it will crye aloud in the eares of the Lord, again&s;t the &s;inner for iudge|ment and vengeance. And this is not the lea&s;t mi&s;ery vnder which the wicked man remaines being out of Chri&s;t.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="29">
<P>Secondly, hee can haue no a&s;|&s;urance that his &s;innes bee pardo|ned, <MILESTONE N="2"> but rather may be a&s;&s;ured that his &s;innes &s;tand vp in account a|gain&s;t him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 20 13</NOTE> and that hee &s;hall bee condemned for them. For it is that prerogatiue which belongs onely to the godly man to haue his &s;innes <HI>co|uered.</HI> Euen the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed Man:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 32.1.2.</NOTE> but as for the wicked and vngodly, the Lord is farre from iu&s;tifying them, but their &s;innes remaine yet in Gods booke of account, and &s;hall a&s;&s;uredly one day bee layd to their charge, when the booke &s;hall be o|pened, and their horrible &s;innes made manife&s;t to the whole world, euen to Men and Angels, euen the&s;e their mo&s;t &s;ecret &s;innes, which now they haue committed neuer &s;o clo&s;e|ly in the darke, &s;hall then come to light, and they &s;hall not haue &s;o much as one figge-leafe to co|uer their nakedne&s;&s;e, or one friend to &s;peake &s;o much as one word to the LORD Chiefe Iu&s;tice of Heauen and Earth, but their own
<PB N="40" REF="30"> con&s;ciences beeing as a thou&s;and witne&s;&s;es again&s;t them, they &s;hall then bee held euen &s;peechle&s;&s;e: and the Lord will manife&s;t vpon them the fiercene&s;&s;e of his wrath in that day.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, hee can haue no peace of con&s;cience.<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 57.</NOTE> <HI>For there is no peace to the wicked,</HI> but alwayes carries a|bout him an euill con&s;cience, that will neuer giue him re&s;t, but is as the fla&s;hings of hell-fire vnto him; or el&s;e hee hath in him a dead and &s;leepy con&s;cience, &s;cared, as it were, with an hot Iron, that hee feeles not the weight and burthen of his &s;ins; Which iudgement is no way inferi|our to the former.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.5. Ioh. 5.45. Io&s;u. 24.27 Iam. 5.3.</NOTE> Oh mi&s;erable then is the &s;tate and condition of the wicked, that haue no true peace in life nor death, nor after death: for the LORD him&s;elfe at the la&s;t &s;hall bee a iudge and a witne&s;&s;e a|gain&s;t them. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &amp; the righteous &s;eruants of God &s;hall be a witnes a|gain&s;t them, yea the du&s;t of their feet that brought the glad tidings of
<PB N="41" REF="30"> peace &s;hall witne&s;&s;e again&s;t them, the &s;tones of the field, the po&s;ts of their hou&s;es, their mote-eaten gar|ment, all &s;hall come in again&s;t them to hinder their peace with God: and their owne con&s;ciences, will they, nill they, &s;hall cry aloud, and &s;ay, <HI>Righteous art thou oh Lord, and true are thy iudgements.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, hee can haue no hope nor any a&s;&s;urance that he &s;hall bee &s;aued, but is either carried away with a carnall per&s;wa&s;ion or pre|&s;umption, (which will deceiue him in the end) their con&s;ciences being &s;eared: or el&s;e mo&s;t iu&s;tly feare that they &s;hall bee damned, their con&s;ci|ences being awake. Now then if this bee the fearefull, and mo&s;t woefull e&s;tate of all wicked men that liue in &s;inne without repentance, Who then would liue in &s;uch an e&s;tate of life to gaine a Kingdome, in &s;o great dan|ger of eternall death and damna|tion euery day they ari&s;e? why doe not &s;uch repent and turne vnto GOD that &s;o they may be &s;aued?</P>
<PB N="42" REF="31">
<P>Fifthly, and la&s;tly, if a man bee out of Chri&s;t vnregenerate, let him abound neuer &s;o much in wealth, liue in honour, bath him&s;elfe in plea&s;ures, yet remaining &s;till in his &s;innes he can take no &s;ound comfort in any of the&s;e:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.13.</NOTE> For <HI>to them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure, but euen their mindes and con&s;ciences are defiled:</HI> Their &s;weete &s;auours and plea&s;ant &s;mels are &s;tinch, their meats and drinkes are gall and worme|wood, their delicate fare is poy&s;on, their co&s;tly apparell as men&s;truous cloth, and their life a death, and they &s;hall one day an&s;were for euery bit of bread they haue eaten, as theeues and v&s;urpers of tho&s;e things that are none of theirs, for of proper right they belong vnto the godly man: &amp; thus haue we briefly &s;eene wherein the wicked man is cur&s;ed and mi|&s;erable.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="43" REF="31">
<Q>That doth not walke in the coun&s;ell of the, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>THe godly mans vertues bee heere fir&s;t &s;et downe by a Ne|gatiue conte&s;tation in the&s;e words, <HI>Hee walketh not in the coun&s;ell of the wicked:</HI> Out of which wee may ob|&s;erue that there is a coun&s;ell of the wicked: And this is either priuate among&s;t them&s;elues, or el&s;e publike with others.</P>
<P>The coun&s;ell of the wicked which is priuate in them&s;elues is a rumination,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum"><HI>Doctr.</HI> There is a coun&s;el of the wicked as of the godly.</NOTE> or &s;ome other prepara|tion in euery wilfull and intended &s;inne: And hence it is that the Schoole-men affirme that <HI>con&s;ilium, actus, exitus,</HI> mu&s;t concurre in euery wilfull intended &s;inne: And this is very apparant by the example of <HI>Ie&s;abel,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 21.8.</NOTE> that when &s;he perceiued the King to bee &s;o heauy for that he could not get the vineyard of righ|teous <HI>Naboth,</HI> &s;hee coun&s;elled with her &s;elfe what &s;he might doe to the
<PB N="44" REF="32"> end &s;he might obtaine it, and at la&s;t determined to write to the Gouer|nours of the Citie in <HI>Ahabs</HI> name, to proclame a fa&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 12.</NOTE> and to cau&s;e <HI>Na|both</HI> to bee brought forth before the A&s;&s;embly, and &s;toned to death. This is cleere againe by the example of <HI>Dauid,</HI> when hee walking vpon the roofe of his Palace had ca&s;t his eyes vpon the beauty of <HI>Bath&s;heba,</HI> hee did fir&s;t take this coun&s;ell within him&s;elf concerning an enquiry what &s;he was; &s;econdly &s;ent me&s;&s;engers vnto her to moue her to lie with him; and la&s;tly committed the act it &s;elfe. This might bee further clea|red by the example of <HI>Cain, Iudas;</HI> and all to confirme the truth of this point vnto vs.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides this priuate there is a councell of the wicked publique with other,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 6.16.</NOTE> as in the daies of <HI>Omri,</HI> when cruell and wicked Statutes were made again&s;t the Lord and his people.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Reg. 12.28.</NOTE> So in the daies of <HI>Ieroboam</HI> how did he take coun&s;ell, and at la&s;t concluded to make two Calues
<PB N="45" REF="32"> for Diuine wor&s;hip, the one wherof he &s;et at <HI>Bethel,</HI> the other at <HI>Dan?</HI> And in the daies of <HI>Nabuchadnezar</HI> what a Decree was gone forth by the King, the Lords and Nobles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 3.1.</NOTE> touching the wor&s;hip of the golden image that was &s;et vp in the plaine of <HI>Dura,</HI> in the Prouince of <HI>Babylon?</HI> So in the time of our Sauiour CHRIST,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 9.22.</NOTE> vnder the new Te&s;ta|ment, the Iewes had agreed toge|ther, that all that confe&s;&s;e CHRIST &s;hould bee excommunicate;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4.18.</NOTE> and forbad the Di&s;ciples from Prea|ching any more in his Name. And al&s;o in their Councell was our Sauiour CHRIST condemned to death.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.66</NOTE></P>
<P>And the rea&s;on is cleere for the further manife&s;tation of the truth of this point:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Rea&s;on.</NOTE> for as no man doth ga|ther Grapes of Thornes, or Figs of Thi&s;tles; &s;o what other fruite can bee expected from &s;uch an vn&s;a|uory roote, who&s;e very <HI>Mindes and con&s;ciences are defiled,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.13.</NOTE> but that all their whole con&s;ultations and
<PB N="46" REF="33"> actions &s;hould be impure vnholy and vncleane.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e"> Hence then we may ob&s;erue that the doctrine of the Church of Rome, touching this point is mo&s;t fal&s;e; <HI>That Generall Coun&s;ells can not erre.</HI> But wee haue cleared this be|fore, that they may erre and doe erre: for what &s;hould I &s;peake of the &s;econd <HI>Nicene Councell,</HI> which &s;et vp Idolatry, and gaue bodies to An|gells, and the &s;oules of men: Coun|cells therefore haue beene mi&s;-led, and may erre.</P>
<P>Now the Prophet proceedes fur|ther to &s;hew who is a godlie man, and what be his properties, and tea|cheth vs in the&s;e words, that the fir&s;t &s;tep and entrance to the leading of a godly life is to renounce the coun&s;el and company of lewd, wicked, and vngodly men: whence wee ob&s;erue this doctrine.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. The occa|&s;ions ef &s;in are to bee auoyded.</NOTE> That hee that would pre&s;erue him&s;elfe from &s;inne, mu&s;t carefully auoide all the occa&s;ions thereof: The Wi&s;e-man teacheth this Doctrihe,
<PB N="47" REF="33"> <HI>That he that walketh with the wi&s;e, &s;hall be wi&s;er, But a companion of fooles, &s;hall be wor&s;er.</HI> This doth appeare by the example of <HI>Ionathan,</HI> who by the friend&s;hip and familiarity which he had with <HI>Dauid,</HI> changed his life to better:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 1.13.</NOTE> whereas <HI>Salomon</HI> by &s;ocietie and coniunction with the idolatrous wiues fell into idolatry:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 11.</NOTE> and <HI>Rehobo|am</HI> by walking with his yong Coun|cellours, and following their ad|uice, became wor&s;e and wor&s;e: If then we would auoyde euill, we mu&s;t beware of all occa&s;ions, and no oc|ca&s;ion more daungerous then euill company, euery man therefore mu&s;t take heede to him&s;elfe, and beware how hee ioyneth him&s;elfe with ac|quaintance with al men indifferent|ly, le&s;t by their meanes hee bee cor|rupted. For euery man by nature is like dry wood, which is apt to kindle &s;o &s;oone as fire is put to it: &s;o, giue a man the lea&s;t occa&s;ion, and pre&s;ently hee yeeldeth to &s;inne:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mecum e&s;t quicquid mihi nocere pote&s;t. <HI>Ber|nar.</HI> med. <HI>11</HI></NOTE> There needes not indeede anie Diuell to tempt vs, but let the lea&s;t occa&s;ion that is bee
<PB N="48" REF="34"> offered vnto vs, and &s;traitway man becommeth a tempter vnto him|&s;elfe: And this is that which the A|po&s;tle &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.14.</NOTE> <HI>Euerie man is tempted when hee is drawne away and enticed by his owne concupi&s;cence.</HI> The enemy by which wee are ouercome, is in our owne bo&s;ome, that is, mans naturall corruption,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 36.</NOTE> which is fewell for the kindling of the fire of Sathans temptations: This appeares in <HI>Euah</HI> the Mother of vs all, in the fir&s;t tran&s;gre&s;sion: fir&s;t, &s;hee &s;awe the fruit; &s;econdly, &s;hee conceiued a li|king of it; thirdly, &s;hee de&s;ired it; fourthly, &s;hee eate of it: <HI>Dinah</HI> the daughter of <HI>Iacob</HI> wandring abroad, laid her &s;elfe open vnto &s;inne, and &s;o fell, which might haue been preuen|ted, had &s;he auoyded the occa&s;ions thereof.</P>
<P>And <HI>Dauid,</HI> a man after Gods own heart, hauing &s;et open the ca&s;e|ments of his &s;oule, his eyes, (by the which the Diuell did ea&s;ily winde him&s;elfe into his heart) and beheld <HI>Bath&s;heba</HI> wa&s;hing her &s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 11.</NOTE> but by
<PB N="49" REF="34"> &amp; by he lu&s;ted after her, &s;ent for her and lay with her: So violent is mans corrupt nature in apprehending eue|ry occa&s;ion that may draw him to &s;inne. It is therefore a point of great wi&s;edome to di&s;cerne betweene the deceipt of &s;inne, and the fruite of &s;inne before it bee committed. O flattering enemy! In the action of committing it is as &s;weete as poy|&s;on, after it is committed a biting &s;erpent: It comes to a man with a &s;miling countenance, as <HI>Ioab</HI> to <HI>Ama&s;a, Art thou in health my friend,</HI> but with all it &s;trikes to the heart, and woundes vnto death.</P>
<P>This doctrine &s;erueth for the re|proofe <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> of tho&s;e who are &s;o farre from the auoiding of the occa&s;ions of &s;inne, as that they do freely and of their owne accord &s;eeke and fol|low after them, they will not tarry with <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> till they bee temp|ted by others, but they &s;eeke all occa&s;ions and watch all oppor|tunities to tempt others: Neuer ra|uenous
<PB N="50" REF="35"> bea&s;t did more eagerly pur|&s;ue the prey, then &s;ome doe hunt af|ter the occa&s;ions of &s;inne: which is madne&s;&s;e with a witne&s;&s;e, as if the fle&s;h were not proue enough of it &s;elfe vnto that which is euill, but that paines mu&s;t bee taken to helpe it forward to &s;inne. Oh then, how carefull ought wee to bee to watch ouer our waies, and to auoide all the occa&s;ions of &s;inne! Countergard thy heart (&s;aith <HI>Salomon</HI>) and keepe it with watch and ward;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 4.23.</NOTE> looke vnto the ca&s;ements of thy &s;oule, thy eyes and thy eares:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.37. Eccl. 9.4.5.</NOTE> Pray with <HI>Dauid, Lord turne away my eyes from beholding vanity,</HI> make a couenant with them with <HI>Iob.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 31.</NOTE> What folly, nay what mad|ne&s;&s;e is it then in them that dare come into any company, that dare looke and pry into the beauty of a woman, as though they were &s;o &s;trong that they were out of all dan|ger to &s;in? But art thou more holy or &s;trong then <HI>Dauid, Peter, &amp;c.</HI> if not, thou mai&s;t fall?</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Let all godly men and women
<PB N="51" REF="35" MS="y"> take heed, let them feare them&s;elues and doubt the wor&s;t, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that feareth alwaies but hee that hardeneth his heart &s;hall not pro&s;per:</HI> Wee mu&s;t at all times haue e&s;peciall regard to the heart or el&s;e wee can|not &s;tand; Such and &s;o many are the a&s;&s;aults that &s;athan doth lay again&s;t our &s;oules, this is that whole&s;ome coun&s;ell that the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> doth lay downe vnto vs, who was both acquainted with the frailty of mans nature, and the malice of &s;a|than, when hee &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 5.8.</NOTE> <HI>Bee &s;ober and watch, for your aduer&s;ary the deuill, &amp;c.</HI> Where hee ioyneth vnto Sobriety, Watchfulne&s;&s;e, for though a man be neuer &s;o &s;ober, yet if hee do not watch withall, and that again&s;t the occa&s;ions of &s;in, hee is ea&s;ily made a prey to Sathan; And for want of this care and watchful|ne&s;&s;e, many of Gods children haue beene ouertaken, and haue fell into many horrible and grieuous &s;innes, which they could not &s;o ea&s;ily haue done, had they beene watchfull
<PB N="52" REF="36"> ouer their owne affections. And thus much for the fir&s;t Doctrine in the de&s;cription of a godly man, hee mu&s;t carefully auoide all occa&s;ions of &s;inne.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>That doth not walke in the Coun&s;ell of the wicked, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>HEre the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;hewes who is a godly man, and what be his properties. Fir&s;t (as we haue heard) hee auoides all occa&s;ions of &s;inne: &s;o now in the &s;econd place, the coun&s;ell and company of lewd, wicked, and vngodly men: A godly man, and &s;uch a one as &s;hall bee truely happy and ble&s;&s;ed indeed, doth di&s;ta&s;te and di&s;like, yea vtterly renounce and abhorre their &s;oci|etie and company, their coun&s;els and con&s;ultations, &s;o as hee doth &s;hunne and auoid them as dange|rous and infectious; from whence wee gather a &s;econd point of Doctrine.</P>
<PB N="53" REF="36">
<P>That men mu&s;t carefully &s;hunne<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. Wee mu&s;t &s;hunne the company of wicked men.</NOTE> and auoid the company of the wic|ked, it is very apparant; <NOTE>Num. 31.16 2. Sa~. 10.3. Mat. 16.22 Acts 13.8. P&s;alme 15 Tit. 2.12 2. Cor. 6.14</NOTE> if they them|&s;elues will not be defiled with their abhomination: for that rule of <HI>Salo|mon</HI> will &s;tand, <HI>Hee that toucheth pitch &s;hall bee defiled:</HI> Bad company is ex|ceeding pernicious and hurtfull, ei|ther to di&s;&s;wade from that which is truely good, or to per&s;wade to that which is naught and wicked. <HI>Dauid</HI> maketh it a marke of a true member of the Church, That <HI>in his eyes a vile per&s;on is contemned.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle willeth all Chri&s;tians, who looke for glory through Chri&s;t; that they would haue nothing to do with the vnfruitfull workes of darkne&s;&s;e. And againe, This indeed is <HI>pure Religion and vndefiled, to keepe our &s;elues vn&s;pot|ted of the world.</HI> This the Apo&s;tle S. <HI>Paul</HI> vrgeth, <HI>Be not vnequally yoaked with infidels, for what fellow&s;hip hath righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e with vnrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e?</HI> It is the exhortation of <HI>Salomon: For&s;ake the wicked and yee &s;hall liue. Io&s;eph</HI> li|uing in the Court of <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> had
<PB N="54" REF="37"> quickly learned to &s;weare by the life of <HI>Pharaoh:</HI> and we know that it was in the common Hall, among&s;t the &s;eruants of the high Prie&s;ts, that <HI>Peter</HI> had learned to cur&s;e and to &s;weare. It were no le&s;&s;e then trea|&s;on in a &s;ubiect to liue in friend&s;hip with one that is a profe&s;&s;ed enemie to the King; much more is it trea&s;on in the &s;ubiects of the King of heauen to haue &s;ociety with the wicked: and this is ob&s;erued to bee the fault of <HI>Ieho&s;aphat, That hee would helpe the wicked, and loue them that hate the Lord.</HI> Such are euen odious vnto God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 5.5.</NOTE> as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Thou hate&s;t all them that worke iniquitie.</HI> Be&s;ides, their company is exceeding dange|rous, for the wrath of God hangeth ouer the head of the vngodly. This we may &s;ee in <HI>Lot,</HI> who for the fruit|fulne&s;&s;e of the place was drawne to liue in Sodome where the men were wicked:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE> So when they were taken pri&s;oners, <HI>Lot</HI> was taken pri&s;oner with them; And, had not the~ Lord beene exceeding mercifull vnto him,
<PB N="55" REF="37"> hee had peri&s;hed with them in the generall ouerthrow of that Citie. And this was the voyce of God from heauen concerning Babylon,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 18.4</NOTE> <HI>Goe out of her my people, that yee bee not partakers of her &s;ins, and that yee receiue not of her plagues.</HI> And this was the cau&s;e why the Lord gaue &s;o &s;treight a charge to the people of I&s;rael, that they &s;hould haue no dealing at all with the Inhabitants of the land of <HI>Caanan; Thou &s;halt make no couenant with them, nor with their gods:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ex. 23.32.</NOTE> <HI>Neither &s;hall they dwell in thy land, le&s;t they make thee &s;inne again&s;t me.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 7.2.</NOTE> <HI>Neither &s;halt thou make any marriages with them, neither giue thy daughter to his &s;onne, nor take his &s;onne to thy daughter, for they will cau&s;e thy &s;onne to fall away from me, and to &s;erue other gods.</HI> And how true this threatning from the Lord was, the euent maketh it manife&s;t; for they neglecting this Commandement from God, <HI>Wee are mingled among&s;t the heathen, and learned their workes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 106.35.</NOTE> as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith; and wofull experience doth proue this to be true of many
<PB N="56" REF="38"> who haue &s;ometime beene indiffe|rently conformable to good duties, afterwards falling into wicked and lewd company haue beene corrup|ted and growne di&s;&s;olute: Oh what &s;tumbling blockes are &s;uch vnto a man from the performance of any good duety. This did <HI>Dauid</HI> know full well when hee &s;aid, <HI>Away from mee yee wicked,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.115.</NOTE> <HI>I will keepe the Comman|dements of my God:</HI> In&s;inuating ther|by, as it may ea&s;ily be gathered, that he could not &s;et him&s;elfe to the per|formance of any holy duty, as hee ought, &s;o long as &s;uch wicked com|pany were about him. Yea it hath been a griefe vnto the godly to haue beene in the company of vngodly per&s;ons. As <HI>Lot</HI> liuing in Sodome where hee &s;aw their filthy abhomi|nations,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>It vexed his righteous &s;oule:</HI> And this was it that made <HI>Dauid</HI> be|mone his e&s;tate in the time of his bani&s;hment, when he was con&s;trai|ned to abide among&s;t the vncircum|ci&s;ed people, <HI>Woe is me that I remaine in Me&s;ech: and to dwell in the tents of
<PB N="57" REF="38"> Kedar, My &s;oule hath long dwelt a|mong tho&s;e that bee enemies vnto peace.</HI> By all this that hath beene &s;poken, it doth appeare, That the godly man who &s;hall bee happy and ble&s;&s;ed in|deed doth carefully &s;hunne and a|uoid the lewd company of the wic|ked.</P>
<P>This Doctrine, in the fir&s;t place, doth &s;erue to reproue all &s;uch as <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> are carele&s;&s;e of their company, that can v&s;e as much familiaritie, and &s;hew as good a countenance to the wor&s;t, and make them as welcome as the be&s;t, be they what they will be, Papi&s;ts or Athei&s;ts; yea let them bee as prophane as <HI>E&s;au,</HI> hee is not|with&s;tanding for their company, but by this meanes they do little thinke, that they do hazard both faith and a good con&s;cience, and cau&s;e the god|ly them&s;elues to &s;u&s;pect them, that they are but prophane. And indeed it cannot otherwi&s;e bee, but if they them&s;elues did make any con&s;cience of &s;inne, they would likewi&s;e make con&s;cience of the occa&s;ions of &s;inne,
<PB N="58" REF="39"> whereof what can bee wor&s;e then lewd company who are ready to make a mocke at euery good dutie, and who&s;e nature is to haue other men <HI>to runne into the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of ry|ot</HI> with them&s;elues?<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4 4.</NOTE> yea when a man or a woman hath &s;ome good things in them, as to loue the word of God, to like of Gods faithfull Mini&s;ters, to delight in prayer, &amp;c. In comes a wicked man and breathes out his poi&s;on, &s;eeking by bad coun&s;ell, and lewd per&s;wa&s;ions, to di&s;&s;wade them and draw them backe, Oh you loue the Mini&s;ter too much, he wil make you preci&s;e, you need not to take &s;uch paines, but take your libertie! what need you bee afraid of them? Oh when &s;uch wretches &s;tep in, and thus poure out their lewd coun&s;els and per&s;wa&s;ions, what doe they el&s;e but draw men to perdition, e&s;pecial|ly when they do deale with &s;uch as be young Chri&s;tians, but comming on in the wayes of godline&s;&s;e. And when they &s;peake that to great Per|&s;onages, who by nature are mo&s;t in|clined
<PB N="59" REF="39"> to libertie, O what lets are the&s;e to a young Chri&s;tian in the wayes of godline&s;&s;e!</P>
<P>And when the Lord leaues a man or a woman to li&s;ten to &s;uch cur&s;ed coun&s;ell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> it is a great &s;igne that the Lord loues them not. So it is &s;aid, that the Lord left <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI> that hee &s;hould not receiue the good coun&s;el of <HI>Achitophel,</HI> becau&s;e the Lord would de&s;troy <HI>Ab&s;olom.</HI> So it is &s;aid of <HI>Rehoboam,</HI> that he li&s;tned onely to the coun&s;ell of his young men, be|cau&s;e the Lord would bring his iudgements vpon the hou&s;e of <HI>Sa|lomon.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;hould admoni&s;h all men to take heed of &s;uch kind of men, as the <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> very limbs of the diuel, and the me&s;|&s;engers of Sathan, who &s;eek to draw men from God &amp; from Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and from a godly life, to &s;toppe our eares at their lewd and damnable coun&s;els, not to heare them, nor to li&s;ten to them: yea if it lie in our po|wer to remoue them, and to bani&s;h them our pre&s;ence as the greate&s;t e|nemies
<PB N="60" REF="40"> of our Soules, and the me&s;|&s;engers of the Diuel, &s;eeking to per|uert and poi&s;on our poore &s;oules, to put our mouthes out of ta&s;te, and to make vs di&s;like tho&s;e that are &s;ent of God, who ought to bee mo&s;t deare vnto vs.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Obiect.</NOTE> It will bee here obiected, whether it be not lawful vpon &s;ome occa&s;ion, to be in their company, or to haue dealing with wicked men? <HI>Re&s;pon&s;.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;w.</NOTE> In &s;ome ca&s;e it is lawfull, as thus: Fir&s;t, that it bee onely for ne|ce&s;&s;itie: as that we cannot auoyd it in ordinary matters of this life, vn|le&s;&s;e we &s;hould go out of the world: &s;econdly, that we haue a due calling thereunto: thirdly, that we be not &s;ilent at the committing of &s;in, but that euer we &s;hew our di&s;like of their vaine cour&s;es; and la&s;tly, that we labour with out &s;elues to bee grieued at their &s;innes, as <HI>Lot</HI> was at the So|domites.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="61" REF="40">
<Q>In the coun&s;ell of the wicked, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>THe original word &s;ignifies &s;uch wicked men as are neuer quiet in their mindes, but euermore mu|&s;ing and deui&s;ing &s;ome mi&s;chiefe: which they may vtter and practi&s;e as occa&s;ion &s;erues.</P>
<P>And in this note the very proper|tie<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 3. Wicked men are euer deui|&s;ing of mi&s;chiefe.</NOTE> of a wicked and gracele&s;&s;e man: He is neuer at re&s;t, but &s;till plotting and deui&s;ing &s;ome mi&s;chiefe again&s;t God or good men: This we may &s;ee by diuers examples.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Achitophels</HI> cou~|&s;ell was e&s;teemed like as one had a&s;|ked coun&s;ell at the Oracle of God: The like we may &s;ee in <HI>Herod</HI> when hee heard of the birth of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 2.7.</NOTE> as of a new-borne King, what policy did hee v&s;e to de&s;troy the Sauiour of the world? The Scribes and Pha|ri&s;ees,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 26.</NOTE> how carefully did they con&s;ult and take coun&s;ell together again&s;t Chri&s;t, to put him to death; yea they brake their &s;leepe about it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 18.18.</NOTE> When the Iewes could not endure <HI>Ieremie</HI>
<PB N="62" REF="41"> to preach plaine, and to tell them of their &s;innes, they therfore by and by &s;ay thus, <HI>Come let vs deui&s;e and ima|gine &s;ome mi&s;chiefe again&s;t the Prophet of the Lord, Let vs &s;mite him with the tongue, Let vs take no heede, nor giue any eare to his preaching.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 3.</NOTE> So <HI>Haman</HI> deui&s;eth how to put <HI>Mordecai</HI> and the Iewes out of fauour, by deui&s;ing a mo&s;t vile accu&s;ation. So <HI>Deog,</HI> that blacke mouthed Dog,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 22.9. Dan. 3.</NOTE> deui&s;eth how to accu&s;e <HI>Dauid</HI> to <HI>Saul.</HI> So tho&s;e wicked Rulers did deui&s;e to inuent &s;ome mi&s;chiefe again&s;t <HI>Daniel.</HI> And the Prophet <HI>Michai</HI> &s;heweth, that it is an old practi&s;e of wicked men, to deui&s;e wicked things. In the Pri|mitiue Church the enemies of Gods children, that per&s;ecuted the Chri|&s;tians, deui&s;ed this &s;hamefull &s;laun|der, That they wor&s;hipped an A&s;&s;es head, &amp;c. So in the&s;e dayes it is ma|nife&s;t, that the Diuell &s;tirres vp wic|ked men to accu&s;e Gods children, to deui&s;e &s;launders, and fal&s;e accu&s;ati|ons again&s;t them: The Diuell hath one <HI>Doeg</HI> or other to accu&s;e <HI>Dauid</HI>
<PB N="63" REF="41"> to <HI>Saul,</HI> to thru&s;t him out of fauour, and to bring him into di&s;grace: And when as they can &s;ay nothing iu&s;tly again&s;t them, then they beginne to deui&s;e how they may rai&s;e vp &s;ome fal&s;e report or other, to &s;mite them with the tongue.</P>
<P>And the rea&s;on of this is, becau&s;e they are fooli&s;h and ignorant: For they not knowing the Lord, nor vnder&s;tanding his waies aright, but being in this re&s;pect wor&s;er then the Oxe that knoweth his owner, And the A&s;&s;e that knoweth his mai&s;ters Cribbe (as the Lord doth complaine of them) they cannot but doe as S. <HI>Paul</HI> did in the time of his igno|ra~ce,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1.3.</NOTE> euen oppo&s;e them&s;elues again&s;t God and his children. And for this cau&s;e the Lord doth make his mone for the fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e and ignorance of his people, as of the wel-&s;pring of all their rebellions again&s;t him, in the&s;e words; <HI>For my people are fooli&s;h, they haue not knowne mee, they are foo|li&s;h children, and haue none vnder|&s;tanding: They are wi&s;e to doe euill,
<PB N="64" REF="42"> but to doe well they haue no knowledge.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Seeing wee are taught here, what is the nature of wicked men; name|ly, that they haue in them a re&s;tle&s;&s;e de&s;ire to peruert the wayes of the godly, and to doe &s;ome mi&s;chiefe; This mu&s;t teach vs fir&s;t of all to deale wi&s;ely and warily with them, lea&s;t wee bee corrupted by them. Wee are here &s;et as vpon a hill or a &s;tage, and profe&s;&s;ing Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, a &s;mall &s;pot will bee &s;eene in our gar|ment. It behooueth vs therefore to be as wi&s;e as Serpents,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10.16</NOTE> and as in|nocent as Doues, to the end wee may &s;toppe the mouthes of gaine-&s;ayers, and cut off occa&s;ions from them that &s;eeke occa&s;ions. And to this end wee mu&s;t euermore bee mindfull in our prayers, to pray vn|to God to be deliuered from them: for vnle&s;&s;e we be armed from aboue, we &s;hall ea&s;ily be ouertaken by their a&s;&s;aults, and through the corrupti|ons of our owne hearts, which are prone vnto all &s;inne, they deale wa|rily and circum&s;pectly, they worke
<PB N="65" REF="42"> by all meanes to peruert our waies, and to make vs two-fold wor&s;e then them&s;elues the child of Satan. How much more carefull ought we to bee to preuent them? which we &s;hall do the better by &s;hunning the occa&s;i|ons of &s;inne.</P>
<P>Secondly, wee are taught heere, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> (that if we labour to bee the Di&s;ci|ples of Chri&s;t, and to bee ble&s;|&s;ed) what entertainement we &s;hall finde in the world; namely, to haue wicked and vngodly men to &s;tand in our way, and hinder vs, as they did &s;tand in <HI>Zacheus</HI> way when hee went forth to &s;ee Chri&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 19.3.</NOTE> If thou bee once in Gods pre&s;ence, and do&s;t beginne to call vpon him for mercy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 18.39</NOTE> they will rebuke thee as they did the poore blind man in the Go&s;pel. If thou bee &s;icke, yea dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;innes, and Chri&s;t doth beginne to come home to the hou&s;e of thy Soule to heale thee, and to rai&s;e thee vp from the death of thy &s;innes, they will &s;toppe his pa&s;|&s;age and entrance in, if po&s;&s;ibly they
<PB N="66" REF="43"> can: As they did when Chri&s;t came to the Rulers Daughter that was dead.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 9.23.</NOTE> But as Chri&s;t turned them out of doores, &s;aying, <HI>Get yee hence:</HI> So mu&s;t thou &s;hake them off, and not communicate with fle&s;h and bloud, in matters that concerne eternal life, and the &s;aluation of thy &s;oule; For if thou doe, thou can&s;t neuer be &s;aued: Neyther mu&s;t we look after the loue and liking of the world, nor hang v|pon men for their applau&s;e and fa|uour; for where there is not the feare of God, &s;urely &s;uch men are mo&s;t vncon&s;tant in their wayes, turning vpon euery &s;mall occa&s;ion, yea and the loue and fauor of &s;uch men mu&s;t needes be bent towards the wor&s;t, &s;eeing them&s;elues are bad, and &s;et them&s;elues in no good way: Re|member what Chri&s;t &s;aid vnto his Di&s;ciples:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15.19.</NOTE> <HI>If yee were of the world, the world would loue his owne: But becau&s;e yee are not of the world: But I haue cho|&s;en you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.</HI> Wherefore, as they that run at tilt, looke not to the vul|gar
<PB N="67" REF="43"> people what they &s;ay, but to the Iudges; &s;o care not thou for the world. But looke euer what the Iudge of heauen and earth doth al|low and approue of.</P>
<P><HI>That hath not walked in the coun&s;ell of the wicked.</HI> By <HI>Coun&s;ell</HI> hee heere meaneth the &s;ubtilties and crafts of the wicked, by which they pu&s;h them&s;elues forward, and labour to draw others to be like vnto them|&s;elues, according to that of <HI>Salo|mon, My &s;onne, if &s;inners intice thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouer. 11</NOTE> <HI>con&s;ent not vnto them.</HI> From whence wee gather a fourth poynt of Do|ctrine.</P>
<P>Namely, that it is a mo&s;t horrible<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 4. To giue e|uill coun|&s;ell, is an horrible &s;inne.</NOTE> and grieuous &s;in to giue euill coun|&s;ell. To commit &s;inne, is that which highly offends the Maie&s;tie of God, and draweth downe vpon vs all pu|ni&s;hments both temporall and eter|nall; but to coun&s;ell others to com|mit &s;inne, is the very height of &s;in.</P>
<P>This is noted in the Scripture to be the &s;inne of <HI>Iezabell,</HI> who was a furtherer of <HI>Ahabs</HI> winkedne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 21.7</NOTE> for
<PB N="68" REF="44"> when hee could not by any law|full meanes attaine the Vine-yard of <HI>Naboth,</HI> &s;hee &s;aid vnto him, <HI>Do&s;t thou &s;way the Scepter, rule the King|dome, and manage the State? Ari&s;e and eate bread, I will giue thee the vineyard:</HI> This was the coun&s;ell of <HI>Achitophel</HI> vnto <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 16.21.</NOTE> fearing his reconciliation to his father <HI>Da|uid,</HI> and therein his owne iu&s;t con|fu&s;ion, hee giues &s;uch coun&s;ell whereby hee might take away all hope of agreement: <HI>Go into thy fa|thers Concubines, which hee hath left to keepe the hou&s;e, and when all I&s;rael &s;hall heare thou art abhorred of thy fa|ther, the hands of all that are with thee &s;hall bee &s;trong.</HI> This is likewi&s;e &s;et downe by <HI>Salomon</HI> in the Prouerbes, where he expre&s;&s;eth the &s;in of &s;edu|cers;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 1.11.</NOTE> &s;aying, <HI>Come with vs, let vs lie in waite for the bloud of the innocents, wee will &s;wallow them vp aliue, like a graue, euen whole, as tho&s;e that go downe into the pit: Ca&s;t in thy Lot among&s;t vs, we will all haue one pur&s;e, their feet runne to euill, and they make ha&s;t to &s;hed bloud.</HI> And
<PB N="69" REF="44"> this doth appeare in the brethren of <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> when they purpo&s;ed the ouer|throw of their brother:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 37.10</NOTE> <HI>Come</HI> (&s;ay they) <HI>let vs &s;lay him and ca&s;t him into &s;ome pit, and we will &s;ay a wicked bea&s;t hath deuoured him.</HI> And this appea|red to bee the malice of the High Prie&s;ts and Elders of the people, who moued the people to de&s;ire that <HI>Barrabas</HI> might bee deliuered rather then CHRIST,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 15.11</NOTE> and per&s;waded <HI>Iudas,</HI> for a &s;umme of mony, to be|tray him:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 28.12</NOTE> Inticed the Souldiers with a great &s;umme of money to noi&s;e it abroad that his Di&s;ciples came by night and &s;tole him away while they &s;lept. All the&s;e te&s;timonies, and ma|ny more, may &s;erue for the confirma|tion of this doctrine, that it is a mo&s;t horrible and grieuous &s;inne to giue euill coun&s;ell.</P>
<P>Seeing that it is a mo&s;t great and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> grieuous &s;inne to giue euill coun&s;ell, this teacheth vs our duety: that when&s;oeuer they &s;hall &s;et vpon vs to draw vs away from GOD, that wee bee carefull that wee con&s;ent not
<PB N="70" REF="45"> vnto them: It is not enough for a man to &s;ay, Alas, I deui&s;ed it not, neither am I the fir&s;t that haue com|mitted the like; for this &s;hall excu&s;e no man, that hee was not the author of an euill: For &s;urely, if it bee &s;o great a &s;inne to &s;educe, it is no le&s;&s;e &s;inne to bee &s;educed, and GOD will one day finde them no le&s;&s;e guilty, but &s;hall partake with them of the &s;ame puni&s;hment: if a man &s;hould haue about him a great &s;umme of money, or other trea&s;ure, and &s;hould willingly, and wittingly, put him&s;elfe into the companie of thieues, and will be drawne by them out of the way, were this man to be pittied, if hee &s;hould loo&s;e all that he had? Euen &s;o is it with a Chri&s;ti|an, that doth carry daily about with him a rich Trea&s;ure, his Soule and con&s;cience, which hee mu&s;t keepe vn&s;potted of the world: If he li&s;ten to the charmes of the wicked, and will be drawne out of the way of Gods commaundements, to commit &s;inne, and &s;o make &s;hipwracke of
<PB N="71" REF="45"> faith, and a good con&s;cience: is it not iu&s;t with God, that this man &s;hould peri&s;h for the &s;ame? So then wee &s;ee it &s;tandeth vs in hand to be|ware of con&s;enting to &s;inne, and coun&s;elling others to commit &s;inne: For if wee giue our con&s;ent vnto them, we are partakers with them in their wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;hall be &s;ure one day to haue &s;hare with them in their puni&s;hments.</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;eeing the giuing of e|uill <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> coun&s;ell is &s;o euill a &s;inne, both in him that doth coun&s;ell another, as al&s;o in him that con&s;enteth vnto it, both which we mu&s;t carefully &s;hun and auoyde: yet this is not all, but wee mu&s;t al&s;o &s;eeke for the &s;ocietie of the godlie, that all our delight may bee in them, wee mu&s;t by all meanes ioyne our &s;elues in friend|&s;hip with them, and make much of their a&s;&s;emblies;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 13.20</NOTE> for <HI>with the vpright thou &s;halt learne to be vpright:</HI> This <HI>Salomon</HI> teacheth vs, <HI>Hee that wal|keth with the wi&s;e, &s;hall be wi&s;er:</HI> It is in|deede a rare thing to finde a man
<PB N="72" REF="46"> that will coun&s;ell others to follow godline&s;&s;e, and therefore &s;uch as doe are much to be re&s;pected: loue him as the deare&s;t friend that will direct thee in the wayes of &s;aluation, and bee a guide vnto thee in the path that &s;hall leade vnto life. Let it bee farre from thee to be a&s;hamed to fol|low the coun&s;ell of &s;uch as are di&s;|creete and godly; it is not materiall who they be, whether our &s;uperi|ours or equalls, or our inferiours, for the Coun&s;ellour is not &s;o much to be regarded as the Coun&s;ell. If it be holie, iu&s;t, and good, receiue it as from God, who thus &s;peaketh vn|to thee by his &s;eruant; If it be euill, reiect it, as comming from the Di|uell, who &s;peaketh by his in&s;tru|ments.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>That hath not walked, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>THe la&s;t thing that we haue now to con&s;ider out of the fir&s;t part of the de&s;cription of a godly man is
<PB N="73" REF="46"> this, <HI>Hee hath not walked, &amp;c.</HI> By walking, the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> heere meaneth (according to an v&s;uall me|taphore in Scripture) a common v&s;u|all cour&s;e of a mans behauiour, or their ordinary trade of life. And the word which is heere v&s;ed is rendred in a Ten&s;e or Time, which in the owne tongue noteth a continuance of walking euen all the dayes of their life: for otherwi&s;e who can &s;ay his heart is free, but that at &s;ome time or other the Coun&s;ell, or bad example of the wicked hath preuailed with him: but that is not meant heere in this place; when a man hath with-drawne him&s;elfe from their lewd conuer&s;ations, and betaken him&s;elfe to the wayes of Gods Commaundements. From whence wee gather a two-fold Do|ctrine: Fir&s;t, that the falls, &s;lipps, and infirmities of Gods children are ma|ny &amp; great, which many times they fall into, and yet cannot properly be &s;aid to <HI>walke in them,</HI> becau&s;e they ri&s;e daily out of the &s;ame: And &s;e|condly,
<PB N="74" REF="47"> <HI>That to walke,</HI> it is &s;aid of the godly, in re&s;pect of Gods Com|mandements, becau&s;e as it is in the &s;econd Ver&s;e, <HI>Therein is their de|light.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 5. The fals of the godly, many.</NOTE> It is mo&s;t true, that there are the &s;eedes of all &s;inne what&s;oeuer, na|turally rooted and in-bred with vs, which if they be not preuented, are ready to breake out vpon any occa|&s;ion that &s;hall be offered: and how|&s;oeuer the godlie do de&s;ire to plea&s;e God, and indeuour to &s;erue God in truth and &s;incerity of heart, yet do they often &s;tumble in their race, through the burthen that pre&s;&s;eth downe, and the &s;inne that hangeth on &s;o fa&s;t. This trueth is confe&s;&s;ed by <HI>Salomon</HI> in his worthie Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple: <HI>If any man &s;inne again&s;t thee (for there is none that &s;inneth not) if he turne againe with all his heart,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 8.46</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 15.14.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Againe, <HI>what is man that hee &s;hould be cleane: and hee that is borne of a woman that hee &s;hould be iu&s;t?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alme 14</NOTE> Againe, <HI>All are gone out of the way, they are all corrupt, there
<PB N="75" REF="47"> is none that doth good, no not one. P&s;al.</HI> 14. Mo&s;t wofull and fearefull was the fall of <HI>Dauid,</HI> as the Scripture hath recorded it. It may &s;eeme very &s;trange that a man as <HI>Dauid</HI> was,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 11.</NOTE> euen after Gods owne heart, could po&s;sibly fall &s;o farre as hee did: For if wee con&s;ider the circum&s;tances and degrees of his &s;inne, it will ap|peare, that (finall impenitencie excepted) a Reprobate could &s;carce commit a greater: For fir&s;t be com|mitted adulterie with <HI>Vriah</HI> his wife, when this was done, hee glauereth and flattereth with the VVomans husband, and bade him goe home to refre&s;h him&s;elfe with his wife, thin|king thereby to father the Ba&s;tard on him: when this &s;ucceeded not, he went further, and vnto his adultery hee added murder, that hee might beare, as the griefe of it in his heart, &s;o the &s;hame of it in his fore-head; And in this hee wrought wor&s;e then <HI>Iezabell,</HI> for hee makes <HI>Vriah</HI> the me&s;&s;enger, to carry the letters for his owne execution. What &s;hall I &s;ay of
<PB N="76" REF="48"> <HI>Noah,</HI> of <HI>Lot,</HI> of <HI>Peter, &amp;c.</HI> I neede not to &s;tand on this doctrine, &s;eeing wofull experience in all the godlie doth proue it too true.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> It may teach vs, that wee be not too ra&s;h in iudging and condem|ning our brethren: Wee &s;ee by this that hath beene deliuered, that the deere childe of God may fall mo&s;t grieuou&s;ly and fowly, and yet be re|&s;tored agayne to the fauour of God, becau&s;e hee doth not walke on in &s;inne, as the wicked doe. But when|&s;oeuer through the temptations of Sathan, or the frailetie of his owne fle&s;h, hee falles into &s;inne, forth|with with <HI>Peter</HI> hee goes out of that &s;inne, and weepes bitterly for the &s;ame. And therefore as Saint <HI>Iames</HI> &s;aith, chap. 4. ver&s;e 12. <HI>who art thou that iudge&s;t an other man?</HI> Wee may not &s;et bounds and limits to Gods mercy, to &s;ay that any &s;hall finally be damned. How&s;oeuer a man may bee in the &s;tate of damnation for a time, this were to &s;it in Gods Chaire: Let vs all acknowledge our &s;elues
<PB N="77" REF="48"> to be but men, and let none v&s;urpe the authority of Gods iudgement, Let vs therefore con&s;ider what wee our &s;elues are, before wee ca&s;t our eyes vpon other men, for they are the mo&s;t &s;harpe and &s;e|uere Iudges of their brethren, that forget their owne infirmities: and I doubt not but all the Children of GOD do know by experience in them&s;elues, how hardly &s;inne is &s;ubdued and mai&s;tered in them; How many &s;ighes and groanes it requireth, how many prayers and teares it doeth co&s;t them? What a &s;triuing and &s;truggling they haue within them&s;elues to keepe it vnder, and yet for all this it is verie hardly &s;ubdued: So that the knowledge of our owne weake|ne&s;&s;e, and vnworthine&s;&s;e, mu&s;t arme vs with meekne&s;&s;e towards our bre|thren.</P>
<P>By the rule of this Doctrine wee <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> are admoni&s;hed to bee verie warie and circum&s;pect ouer our &s;elues. Did <HI>Dauid</HI> fall, did <HI>Lot, Noah,
<PB N="78" REF="49"> Peter, &amp;c.</HI> fall? Oh! whither &s;hall wee fall if God doe but a little leaue vs to our &s;elues? who dare pre&s;ume of his owne &s;trength and worthine&s;&s;e, when &s;uch woorthie Pillars as the&s;e haue beene &s;haken? yea the lamentable &s;hippewracke of &s;uch men as the&s;e, may make vs to feare a tempe&s;t before it doe come. It is the Diuells craftie coun&s;ell, and &s;ubtile pollicie, to make vs o|uer-weene our &s;elues, and to make vs boa&s;t and pre&s;ume of our &s;elues, For the Diuell doth know full well, that this lifting of a man vp, is the very next way to tumble and throw him downe, as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Pride goeth before de&s;truction, and an high minde before the fall: Prouerbs</HI> 16. <HI>ver.</HI> 18. And therefore acknowledging our owne want of &s;trength, and our owne inability to &s;tand without the a&s;si&s;tance of Gods Spirit, Let vs not be <HI>high minded, but feare: Roman.</HI> 11.20. And thus we haue &s;eene that the falls and &s;lips of Gods children are many and great, which notwith|&s;tanding
<PB N="79" REF="49"> cannot hinder their happi|ne&s;&s;e, becau&s;e they <HI>walke</HI> not in them, that is; they make it not their continuall practi&s;e, ro liue and de|light in &s;inne.</P>
<P>Now wee are to come to the &s;e|cond,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 6. A godly man doth euer walke with God.</NOTE> which doth note vnto vs that the godly man, who &s;hall bee truely happy and ble&s;&s;ed indeed, is &s;o farre from making his life a life of &s;inne, as that hee doth ra|ther in the whole cour&s;e of the &s;ame, <HI>walke</HI> with GOD in obe|dience.</P>
<P>For therefore indeed is our cour&s;e of new life compared to a <HI>way,</HI> to &s;hew that the godly mu&s;t alwaies bee walking in it, from the beginning of their cour&s;e vnto the end of the &s;ame. It was the com|mendations of <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Noah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 5.22.6.9.</NOTE> that notwith&s;tanding the daies and times wherein they liued were dan|gerous: Yet <HI>They walked with God:</HI> That is, they con&s;idered more the Commandements of GOD, what he had appointed then what was pra|cti&s;ed;
<PB N="80" REF="50"> and de&s;ired rather to bee ap|proued of GOD through their obedience, then through their di&s;o|bedience to purcha&s;e the fauour of men:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 17.1.</NOTE> It was the charge giuen by GOD to <HI>Abraham, Walke before mee:</HI> That is, let it euer bee thy care, that &s;eeing I am pre&s;ent euery where and priuy to all thy cour|&s;es, that thou walke as in my &s;ight, And this was the be&s;t te&s;timony that <HI>Salomon</HI> could giue of his fa|ther <HI>Dauid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 3.6</NOTE> <HI>That hee walked before GOD in truth, and in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Yea, this did mini&s;ter comfort to godly <HI>Ezechias,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 38.3.</NOTE> when he thought he &s;hould die: <HI>Remember, O Lord, that I haue walked before thee in truth:</HI> And to this agreeth that of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul, Who forgat that which was behind,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.13.</NOTE> <HI>and endeuoured him&s;elfe to that which was before, and followed hard to|wards the marke, to the prize of the high calling of</HI> GOD <HI>in</HI> IESVS CHRIST. Hee was not like vnto a vaine and fooli&s;h man, who run|ning in a race, will bee euer and
<PB N="81" REF="50"> anon looking backe to &s;ee how much ground hee hath ridde; but his eye was alwayes vpon the marke or goale, to con&s;ider how much hee had to runne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 24.</NOTE> how farre off hee was from perfection, and what hee had more to doe in his Chri&s;tian cour&s;e, that hee might fini&s;h the &s;ame with ioy. It is the end that makes all; <HI>Hee that &s;hall endure to the end &s;hall bee &s;aued.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9 24 Reu. 2.7. Rom. 13.11 1. Pet. 1.9.</NOTE> Our Sauiour &s;aith not there, that hee that endureth for a &s;ea&s;on, but hee that continueth to the end; not euery one that fighteth, but hee that ouercommeth, &s;hall receiue a Crowne of life: The&s;e examples doe &s;hew vs how the godly haue <HI>walked.</HI> And the&s;e and the like precepts teach vs we &s;hould <HI>walke</HI> &s;o as in the end wee may bee ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Hence we are taught this le&s;&s;on, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> that wee mu&s;t neuer bee weary of wel-doing, &s;eeing that per&s;euerance onely hath the promi&s;e of reward, wee mu&s;t not depart out of the E|gypt
<PB N="82" REF="51"> of &s;inne, and then with the I&s;raelites,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 3.13. P&s;. 92.13.</NOTE> and with <HI>Lots</HI> wife, looke backe to the Sodome of their &s;innes, but remember that thou owe&s;t vnto GOD all thy dayes: <HI>The Trees planted in the Lords hou&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3.10.</NOTE> <HI>bring forth fruit in their age,</HI> And they which doe not &s;o, <HI>&s;hall bee hewen downe and ca&s;t into the fire.</HI> It was the commendation of the Church of <HI>Thiatira, That her workes were more at la&s;t then at fir&s;t.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 2.19.</NOTE> A re|proofe of their folly, who hauing kept the path of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e for a time, doe after walke in no good way, but thinke with one iumpe to leape into heauen with a <HI>Lord haue mercy on me</HI> at the la&s;t: But know, O thou vaine man, that thou mu&s;t <HI>walk</HI> in the way; that is, thou mu&s;t v&s;e all good meanes for the attaining of life and &s;aluation, thou mu&s;t heare the word diligently and carefully, pray, read, &amp;c.</P>
<P>I doubt not but the &s;erious thin|king vpon this, that God challen|geth euery day at our hands, yea all
<PB N="83" REF="51"> the daies of our life to bee &s;pent in his &s;eruice, will reforme many cor|ruptions in vs: For alas! the care of the mo&s;t is, how they may keep cre|dit with men, though they purcha&s;e Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, which will then &s;tand &s;uch in little &s;tead, when all things &s;hall come to receiue their due triall: <HI>Euen euery worke done in the body, whether it bee good or euill:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.10.</NOTE> And thus much for the fir&s;t part of the de&s;cription of a godly man Nega|tiuely: <HI>Hee doth not walke in the coun|&s;ell of the wicked.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>Nor &s;tand in the way of &s;inners.</Q>
<P>THat is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;eco~d part of the de&s;cripti|on of a godly man negatiuly.</NOTE> a godly man doth not &s;ettle him&s;elfe to liue as wicked men do, nor frames his life after their lewd example: where we are to ob|&s;erue two poynts: Fir&s;t, that there is a way of &s;inners, in which the vn|godly &s;tand. Secondly, that the god|ly &s;tand not in it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, that there is a way of &s;inners, in the which they &s;tand and
<PB N="84" REF="52"> liue, it is very apparant, called in the Scriptures by diuers names; as by the name of the way of the vngodly, <HI>The Lord knoweth the way of the righte|ous, but the way of the wicked &s;hall pe|ri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. Wicked men de|&s;cribed.</NOTE> It is tearmed an <HI>euill way. The way of lying, A wicked way, &amp;c.</HI> And by the&s;e wayes wee are &s;till to vnder|&s;tand the cour&s;e of life and con|uer&s;ation of the wicked; wherein wee are taught this Doctrine, that notwith&s;tanding all the meanes that God and Man doth v&s;e to the con|trary, the wicked man will &s;till per|&s;i&s;t and goe on in &s;inne, which is heere vnder&s;tood out of the word <HI>Stand.</HI> This appeareth in the exam|ple of <HI>Cain,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.6.</NOTE> albeit hee were admoni|&s;hed and reproued of God for his wrath and malice conceiued again&s;t his brother, yet for all that <HI>Caine</HI> will plea&s;e him&s;elfe in his owne way, and neuer re&s;t till hee haue &s;hedde the innocent bloud of his owne brother. This is &s;eene likewi&s;e in the example of the old World,
<PB N="85" REF="52"> when the <HI>Lord</HI> &s;aw that the wicked|ne&s;&s;e of man was great, and all the i|maginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely euill continually, and how they plea&s;ed them&s;elues in this <HI>way,</HI> the Lord &s;tirred vp <HI>Noah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.5.</NOTE> the preacher of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, who warned them from God; yet they would continue &s;till in their owne <HI>waies,</HI> giuing them&s;elues to nothing but eating and drinking, and all ex|ce&s;&s;e, till the floud came and &s;wept them clean away. This is cleare like|wi&s;e by the example of <HI>Pharaoh,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 9.10</NOTE> vpo~ whom all means were a&s;&s;aied for his conuer&s;ion: for what could the <HI>Lord</HI> do vnto him that he did not? He &s;ent <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> vnto him, warning him from God to let the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> go, and to that end &s;ent iudge|ment vpon iudgement, one vpon the necke of another, euen ten in num|ber, yet for all this, <HI>Pharaoh</HI> cho&s;e rather to continue &s;till in his owne way, and would none of the Lords. So true is that &s;aying of <HI>Sa|lomon: Bray a foole in a mortar,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 27.22</NOTE> <HI>yet will
<PB N="86" REF="53"> not his fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e depart from him.</HI> And no maruell, for the &s;pirit of &s;lumber hath &s;o couered their eyes, that they cannot &s;ee; and their hearts are &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;t with &s;pirituall fornica|tion, which makes them thus to goe a whooring from God, euen haled with the fury of their owne affecti|ons, &s;nared of the Diuell, and taken of him at his will:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7.51. E&s;ay 63. Eze. 13.3.</NOTE> Oh mi&s;erable and vnhappy condition! Fearefull is the woe that lies vpon all tho&s;e that thus walk in their owne waies. For mo&s;t certaine it is, that they that are Chri&s;ts, <HI>haue crucified the fle&s;h with the affections and lu&s;ts,</HI> &s;o far, as that they haue made choice of the Lords <HI>way,</HI> how&s;oeuer many times they may &s;tumble, &amp; fall, in walking therein. But of the wicked it may truly be &s;ayd of them, <HI>the way of peace haue they not knowne.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> We heard before, that wee ought not to proceed &s;o farre with any, as to iudge of their finall e&s;tate and condition; for that were to &s;it in Gods Chaire, and to take his office
<PB N="87" REF="53"> vpon him. Yet to &s;ay of &s;ome, that they are in the &s;tate of damnation, and (vnle&s;&s;e they repent) &s;hall pe|ri&s;h for euer, doubtle&s;&s;e this is not vnlawfull: for as loue bids mee not to determine too &s;oone, &s;o not to be abu&s;ed too late. God bids me looke vpon the tree, and iudge of the fruit, I may &s;ay thou art in the &s;tate of damnation, for I &s;ee thy heart through thy hand: But whether thou &s;halt finally be damned, there I leaue thee: for God may haue mer|cy vpon thee vpon thy la&s;t repen|tance. I may come to a tree, and &s;ay, <HI>Here is little fruit:</HI> or, <HI>Here is no fruit:</HI> or, <HI>Here is bad fruit;</HI> but I can|not &s;ay, <HI>Neuer fruit grow on it more.</HI> But alas, alas! this is not all, this is not al that wicked men are thus di&s;|couered to men, but that the Lord wil find them out, &amp; giue them their portion in the lake of fire. And in|deed this is that that ought to bee a terror to all the wicked and vngod|ly to con&s;ider, that as their hearts are hardened, and their con&s;ciences
<PB N="88" REF="54"> &s;eared, &s;o the plagues and puni&s;h|ments of God attend vpon them. <HI>If thou walke &s;tubbornly again&s;t mee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit 26.</NOTE> <HI>and wilt not obey mee, I will bring &s;euen times more plagues vpon thee, according to thy &s;innes.</HI> Let vs all then, as wee tender the &s;aluation of our owne &s;oules, take heed vnto our paths, that wee &s;tand not in the way of &s;inners, that wee &s;inne not with delight and deliberation, it is the very brand of a reprobate, and &s;uch a one as God hath for&s;aken. <HI>Take heede therefore that there bee not in any of you an euill heart to depart from the liuing God.</HI> And thus much for the fir&s;t poynt of Doctrine, that there is a <HI>way of &s;in|ners,</HI> in which the wicked walke which leadeth vnto death.</P>
<P>The &s;econd point of doctrine that <NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. Godly man &s;ins not with delibera|tion.</NOTE> doth now offer it &s;elfe to our con&s;i|deration, is this, That a godly man doth not &s;ettle him&s;elf to liue as the wicked doe, nor frames his life after his lewd example, which is heere meant, when the Prophet &s;aith: <HI>Hee doth not &s;tand in the way of &s;inners.</HI> Yea
<PB N="89" REF="54"> it is, altogether impo&s;&s;ible for a god|ly man, and one that is truly regene|rate, to haue in him a full purpo&s;e to &s;in, and to liue in &s;in with deliberati|on, and to delight in the &s;ame. For a purpo&s;e to liue in any knowne &s;in, is a &s;igne of a <HI>wicked man, and a gracele&s;&s;e heart,</HI> as when a man is tolde of his &s;in, of his ignorance and carele&s;ne&s;&s;e in Gods <HI>&s;eruice, praying, hearing, &amp;c.</HI> yet &s;till he wil be carele&s;&s;e and negli|gent in the &s;ame. So when a man is reproued for his &s;wearing, yet &s;till will &s;weare, when a man is reproued for prophaning the <HI>Sabaoth,</HI> yet will prophane it: when a man is reproued for his <HI>vncleanne&s;&s;e, drunkennes, malice, &amp;c.</HI> and yet for all that will continue in tho&s;e &s;ins. Surely this purpo&s;e to <HI>&s;tand in the way of &s;inners,</HI> is a fearefull &s;igne of a wicked man, and is farre from a godly man, and one that is truly &s;anctified, which &s;hall be ble&s;|&s;ed for euermore. It was a cur&s;ed &s;peech of a cur&s;ed wretch,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 5.12</NOTE> <HI>I know not the Lord, neyther will I let the children of I&s;rael goe.</HI> This was the ca&s;e of
<PB N="90" REF="55"> tho&s;e rebellious Iewes &s;poken of by <HI>Ieremy:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 44.16.</NOTE> <HI>we will not heare, nor do, but as we lu&s;t, and as we haue done.</HI> And this was that that made the ca&s;e of <HI>He|rod</HI> &s;o fearefull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 6.20.</NOTE> that notwit&s;tan|ding hee heard <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> willing|ly, and did many things at his re|que&s;t, all which were good things in him, yet for all that hee would not leaue his adultery, but conti|nue in it; which purpo&s;e to &s;inne, of all things is farre from a godly man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 3.9</NOTE> as Saint <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith; <HI>Hee that is borne of God &s;inneth not:</HI> that is, with whole con&s;ent, but in part, and man being partly fle&s;h, and partly &s;pirit, as he is regenerate, &s;inne proceedes not from him, but as he is fle&s;h. As for the wicked, it is not &s;o with them: for it is meate and drinke to a wicked man to doe the workes of the Diuell. It is worth euen our be&s;t con&s;ideration what is &s;ayd of the A|po&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> that hee once <HI>Breathed out threatnings and &s;laughter again&s;t the Di&s;ciples of the Lord.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9.1.</NOTE> But when was this? Euen in the time of his igno|rance:
<PB N="91" REF="55"> but afterwards hee preached the &s;ame Go&s;pell which before hee per&s;ecuted, and laboured euer after all the dayes of his life, to build vp the Church of God which before hee laboured to pull downe. And this appeares in <HI>Dauid,</HI> in <HI>Peter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 7.</NOTE> in <HI>Mary Magdalen, &amp;c.</HI> who after they had once e&s;caped the &s;nares of the Diuel, dedicated euer after their whole life to the &s;eruice of GOD. This exhortation doth the Apo&s;tle giue to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3 7. Ephe&s;. 5.8</NOTE> <HI>Yee were once darkne&s;&s;e, but now are light in the Lord; walke as children of the light.</HI> By the&s;e and the like examples it doth ap|peare, that the godly <HI>&s;tand not in the way of &s;inners;</HI> that is, take no liberty to them&s;elues to liue in the cu&s;tome and practi&s;e of any knowne &s;in.</P>
<P>This may &s;erue in the fir&s;t place, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> to reproue &s;uch kinde of &s;inners, as are &s;o farre from leauing their &s;innes, and walking with God in obedience of life, that they are not a&s;hamed to defend their &s;innes. Tell the &s;wearer of his &s;wearing and
<PB N="92" REF="56"> bla&s;pheming of the name of God, hee will an&s;were, that hee hopeth he may &s;weare &s;o long as he &s;weares nothing but the truth; tell the coue|tous man of his couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, hee will an&s;were for it hee mu&s;t make the be&s;t of his owne, and hee mu&s;t be a good husband; &s;o tell the drunkard of his drunkene&s;&s;e and fearefulll abu&s;ing of the good cre|atures of God; his an&s;were is, It is in kindne&s;&s;e and good-fellow&s;hip: tell the prowde man of his pride, and &s;trange attires: his an&s;wer is, It is the fa&s;hion, and hee doth but as o|thers doe. Is not this, <HI>To &s;tand in the way of &s;inners?</HI> Is not this to commit &s;inne with delight, and to &s;ay as <HI>Pharaoh,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod 9. Marke 6. Ierem. 44.</NOTE> <HI>Herod,</HI> and the <HI>Iewes, wee will not repent, wee will not leaue our &s;innes?</HI> but continue in them, let God and man &s;ay what they will: yea, this is but to pay one debt by another, and as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Heape vp wrath again&s;t the day of wrath, Rom.</HI> 4.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Wee are all heere admoni&s;hed, as
<PB N="93" REF="56"> wee loue our owne &s;oules, to take heede of this, that wee neuer &s;inne with an high hand again&s;t God, wittingly and willingly: But if wee heare &s;inne reproued, let vs leaue it, bee it neuer &s;o plea&s;ant or profita|ble, let vs bee like that good King <HI>Io&s;ias,</HI> 2. <HI>Kings</HI> 22. who hearing the Booke of the Law read vnto him, his heart melted within him, and hee wept for his &s;innes, for &s;o long as we haue in vs a purpo&s;e to liue in &s;inne, it is impo&s;&s;ible that wee &s;hould euer feare God, or truely repent, let vs pray with <HI>Dauid, Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19.12.13. Prou. 8.9.</NOTE> <HI>keepe thy &s;eruant from pre&s;umptuous &s;innes!</HI> And let vs know, that if wee regard, that is to &s;ay, loue wicked men in our hearts, and haue a purpo&s;e to liue in &s;inne, God will not regarde our prayers: nay, all wee doe is abhomi|nation to the Lord. Say now there|fore vnto Laughter, <HI>Thou art mad:</HI> Pronounce the wayes of the wicked to be but vaine, &s;ay vnto thy owne Soule, <HI>I will haue nothing to doe with the wayes of iniquitie:</HI> And this will
<PB N="94" REF="57"> giue thee courage when thou &s;halt come to looke CHRIST IESVS in the face, when thou can&s;t &s;ay with the Apo&s;tles, <HI>Lord I haue for|&s;aken all to follow thee:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.27 Mat. 24.46</NOTE> Oh ble&s;&s;ed is the &s;eruant whom his Mai&s;ter when hee commeth &s;hall finde &s;o doing.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e"> La&s;t of all wee learne heere a notable difference betweene the child of GOD regenerate, and a wicked man: Hee that is borne of GOD and truely regenerate, hee doth not commit &s;inne with full purpo&s;e and con&s;ent of will, but again&s;t his will; &s;o as hee can truely &s;ay with <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.15.</NOTE> <HI>the euill that I would not do, that do I:</HI> That is, I am drawne, through the corruption of Nature, and the temptations of Sathan, to doe that euill which I hate and condemne. But the wicked man &s;innes with full con&s;ent and pur|po&s;e. I &s;inne and would not &s;inne, &s;aith the godly man: I &s;inne and will &s;inne, &s;aith the wicked man. Yea, what &s;eruice &s;oeuer the regenerate
<PB N="95" REF="57"> man doth giue vnto &s;inne, it is like that &s;eruice which I&s;rael gaue to <HI>Pharaoh</HI> in Egypt, compelled and wrung out from them by oppre&s;&s;ion, which made them &s;igh and cry vn|to GOD to bee ea&s;ed of the &s;ame. But the &s;eruice which hee doth giue vnto the Lord is voluntary and chearefull. Well, to end this point, this is the &s;umme: know this who&s;o|euer thou art, that if thou <HI>Stand in the way of &s;inners:</HI> that is, take&s;t li|berty to thy &s;elfe to liue in any knowne &s;inne, thou can&s;t haue no a&s;&s;urance that thou art yet within the couenant of Grace, <HI>Ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e</HI> is no part of thy portion: Hee mu&s;t be|come a <HI>New Creature</HI> that &s;hall enter into <HI>New Ieru&s;alem.</HI> And thus much for the &s;econd part of the de&s;cripti|on of a godly man, Negatiuely; <HI>Hee doth not &s;tand in the way of &s;inners.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="96" REF="58">
<Q>Nor &s;it in the &s;eate of the &s;cornfull.</Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The third part of the de&s;cripti|on of a godly man negatiue|ly.</NOTE> BY <HI>Seate of the &s;cornefull:</HI> he mea|neth heere, the fellow&s;hip and &s;ociety of the vngodly: So that the meaning of the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> heere in this place is, that the godly man, who &s;hall be this <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed Man</HI> heere &s;poken of, will not conuer&s;e with tho&s;e men, nor bee familiar with tho&s;e that make a mocke of all Reli|gion, and openly profe&s;&s;e all impie|tie: and the word &s;itting, doth im|part &s;uch an habite and cu&s;tome in euill, that a man meaneth not to change his minde: In which words, as in the former wee are to con&s;ider the&s;e two poynts: Fir&s;t, that there is a &s;eate of the &s;cornefull, in the which the wicked &s;it: and &s;econdly, that the godly doe not &s;it in it.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A three-fold &s;eate.</NOTE> For the fir&s;t, the Scriptures di&s;co|uer vnto vs a three-folde <HI>Chaire,</HI> or <MILESTONE N="1"> <HI>Seate,</HI> fir&s;t of Iu&s;tice, and &s;uch a one may that Throne &s;eeme to be which <HI>Salomon</HI> erected.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Reg. 10.18.</NOTE></P>
<PB N="97" REF="58">
<P>The &s;econd is of Doctrine, as our <MILESTONE N="2"> Sauiour CHRIST &s;aith of the Scribes and Phari&s;es, <HI>They &s;it in Mo|&s;es Chaire, Matth.</HI> 23.2.</P>
<P>Thirdly, wee reade of a <HI>Seate,</HI> or <MILESTONE N="3"> <HI>Chaire,</HI> of the &s;cornefull, &s;poken of in this P&s;alme.</P>
<P>This &s;inne of <HI>Scorning</HI> hath it fir&s;t being from the roote of Pride, which is the roote from whence this &s;inne of &s;corning doth &s;pring: and indeed it is the fruit of Pride, and it is the nature of men who are tainted with this &s;inne of pride, to &s;uppo&s;e that they are better then others, and therefore in regarde of them&s;elues they doe contemne and de&s;pi&s;e an o|ther. If they haue wealth, they de&s;|pi&s;e an other that is poorer then them&s;elues. Honour makes them &s;well in di&s;daine of their poore bre|thren, their wi&s;edome, learning, &s;trength, beauty, friends, eloquence, all the&s;e lift men vp with pride, and makes them to &s;corne tho&s;e that are vnder them: and this comes to pa&s;&s;e, not in re&s;pect of riches them&s;elues, or
<PB N="98" REF="59"> honour, or beauty, or the like, but in re&s;pect of our corrupr nature, which is &s;o ready to abu&s;e them to our owne condemnation. But (O man) why art thou thus puffed vp with pride? thou wa&s;t but earth, thou art but fle&s;h, thou &s;halt be but Wormes meate: what cau&s;e hath earth, or fle&s;h, or wormes meate to be prowd? Wee were all borne in &s;inne, we liue in mi&s;ery, and we &s;hall die in corruption. What cau&s;e hath &s;inne, or mi&s;ery, or corruption to bee prowd, but to bee humble? Be&s;ides the manifold infirmities that wee are &s;ubiect vnto heere, and the innume|rable di&s;ea&s;es that are ready to hap|pen vnto vs: All teaching vs this le&s;&s;on, To bee humble and lowly of minde.</P>
<P>And in this feare, the wicked and vngodly, doe ea&s;e them&s;elues and take their delight, as &s;ometimes <HI>Ba|bylon</HI> did, who vaunted &s;o much that &s;hee did &s;it as <HI>Queene, and &s;hould &s;ee no mourning:</HI> as it were in &s;corne of all that God could do vnto her.</P>
<PB N="99" REF="59">
<P>And this was the ca&s;e of cur&s;ed <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> who &s;eemed to mocke God to his face, when he &s;aid, <HI>I know not the Lord, neyther will I let the children of I&s;raell goe, Exodus chap.</HI> 9. So then the doctrine that wee gather hence from the Text, is this: That euill men<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. Wicked men pro|ceed by degrees to be excee|ding &s;inful</NOTE> doe not v&s;ually make a &s;tay in &s;inne, when at fir&s;t they haue committed it, but they proceede by degrees to bee wor&s;e and wor&s;e, Falling from one mi&s;chiefe to another. Fir&s;t, the Diuell will &s;ugge&s;t euill thoughts into a man, his euill thoughts doe tole on con&s;ent, con&s;ent breedeth action, action bringeth cu&s;tome, and cu&s;tome begetteth a nece&s;&s;ity in &s;in|ning, which is the fore-runner of death; This appeareth in <HI>Caine,</HI> in <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> and in <HI>Iudas,</HI> who by &s;teps, and degrees in &s;inning, came at the la&s;t to bee hardened in &s;inne.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.8. Iohn 12.5. Mat. 27.5.</NOTE> As in <HI>Iudas,</HI> who was at the fir&s;t a cun|ning Di&s;&s;embler; &s;econdly, a &s;ecret Thiefe; thirdly, a bold Lyer; fourth|ly, a Traytour; and la&s;tly, a Repro|bate: And thus a wicked man, as it
<PB N="100" REF="60"> is in the P&s;alme, <HI>They fall from one wickedne&s;&s;e to another;</HI> And as wee &s;ee it cleere heere in the wordes of this Text, from walking, to &s;tanding, and from &s;tanding &s;tocke &s;till in &s;inne, at length, through cu&s;tome, come to lie downe and wallow in &s;inne. Oh happie then is that man that &s;inneth lea&s;t! next, hee that re|turneth vnto God &s;oone&s;t: but mo&s;t wofull is the e&s;tate of him that go|eth on in &s;inne, that with <HI>Ahab, Hath &s;olde him&s;elfe to worke wickedne&s;&s;e in the &s;ight of the Lord:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69.17 Iere. 13.23 Heb. 10.26 Heb. 12.17 Roman. 2.</NOTE> For marke what followeth: <HI>Can the Blacke-Moore change his skinne, or the Leopard his &s;pottes? Then may they doe good who haue accu&s;tomed them&s;elues to doe euill.</HI> Where the Prophet &s;heweth, That cu&s;tome in &s;inning is almo&s;t an in|curable di&s;ea&s;e. This is a lamenta|ble e&s;tate, and this is a fearfull iudge|ment of God, for a man thus to be left ouer to him&s;elfe, to fall thus from one euill to an other, and to heape together a great mea&s;ure a|gain&s;t the day of wrath: P&s;alme
<PB N="101" REF="60"> eighty one, ver&s;e eleauen: And the cau&s;e of all this in a man, is his di&s;o|bedience towards his God: For this doth the Prophet make cleare when he &s;aith, <HI>My people would not heare my voyce, and I&s;raell would haue none of mee: So I gaue them vp vnto hardne&s;&s;e of heart, and they haue walked in their owne coun&s;ells:</HI> Where the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;heweth, That &s;eeing they would not be reclaymed and refor|med, as in mercie towardes them the Lord vouch&s;afed them the means of reformation, his word, therefore the LORD gaue them ouer to the hardne&s;&s;e of their owne hearts, that &s;o they might fill vp the <HI>Mea&s;ure of their iniquities,</HI> 1. <HI>The&s;&s;alon.</HI> 2.16. and that the iu&s;t wrath and vengeance of the Lord might then fall vpon them.</P>
<P>Hence wee are taught, how dan|gerous <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> a thing it is, to giue any en|tertainement vnto &s;inne at the fir&s;t, it will bring a man to the height of &s;inne in the end, euen openly to pro|fe&s;&s;e it, and to practi&s;e it with de|light
<PB N="102" REF="61"> and greedine&s;&s;e: cu&s;tome in &s;inne taketh away all &s;ence of &s;inne, &s;o as by cu&s;tome men come to iudge of &s;inne to be no &s;inne, yea it makes it very naturall to a man, &s;o as &s;uch men who at fir&s;t would haue beene a&s;hamed to haue beene &s;eene amon|ge&s;t lewd company, yet by cu&s;tome haue gotten &s;uch an habite of &s;inne, that they haue growne to bee verie impudent and &s;hamele&s;&s;e, like <HI>Tha|mar,</HI> who at the fir&s;t did play the whoore with a vaile, as being a&s;ha|med to bee &s;eene, but afterwards grew more impudent:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 6.15.</NOTE> &s;o many a man would haue blu&s;hed to haue beene heard &s;weare, to bee &s;eene drunke, to bee found in vncha&s;te companie, but through cu&s;tome, haue growne &s;o impudent, that af|terwards would blu&s;h at nothing. And when a man takes the chaire of &s;inne, and &s;its downe in it, and hath got a cu&s;tome, and taken delight in &s;inne, how hard a thing is it for a man to leaue that &s;inne?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 13.25</NOTE> Hee that hath got an habite and cu&s;tome of
<PB N="103" REF="61"> &s;wearing, as hee growes &s;hamele&s;&s;e in it, &s;o how hardly doth he leaue it? euen &s;o of drunkenne&s;&s;e &amp;c. A nayle knockt into a po&s;t with many blows is hardly pulled out, and &s;inne often committed, and growne familiar with a man, through cu&s;tome, is hardly left: Cu&s;tome is like a &s;trong &s;treame, it carrieth a man into all &s;inne with violence: And as a man by continuall labour &s;o hardeneth his hand that it becommeth &s;ence|le&s;&s;e: &s;o cu&s;tome in &s;inne &s;o hardneth the heart, that a mans con&s;cience becommeth &s;encele&s;&s;e. This mu&s;t teach vs to repent betimes, not to &s;uffer &s;inne to come to &s;uch an head, that it is more likely to ma&s;ter a man then a man it: For if thou doo&s;t not repent this day, thou wilt finde it harder to repent to morrow, thy &s;elfe growe&s;t weaker,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> thy &s;inne &s;tronger: and Cu&s;tome is a tyrant which will hardly be re&s;i&s;ted: there|fore it &s;hall be thy wi&s;edome to re|pent with &s;peed, to delay no longer, but while it is called, <HI>to day,</HI> to breake
<PB N="104" REF="62"> off thy &s;innes, and to turne to God for mercy.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Wee are taught hence, that &s;ee|ing wicked men grow wor&s;e, and wor&s;e, adding &s;inne vnto &s;inne, and committing all iniquitie euen with greedine&s;&s;e, &s;o their damnation doth not &s;leepe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2.3.</NOTE> but they draw nearer and nearer their de&s;truction: yea, the iudgements of almightie GOD follow them at the heeles, and in the end will ouertake them. Thus it was with the old world. What an heap of &s;innes had they gathered together, adding &s;inne vnto &s;inne, as drun|kenne&s;&s;e vnto thir&s;t?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 6.</NOTE> But when the mea&s;ure of their iniquity was full, the Lord God was at hand with his iudgements, and they could not e|&s;cape. This was the ca&s;e of the &s;in|full Sodomites,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 18.</NOTE> who&s;e &s;ins cryed vp to Heauen for vengeance, how&s;oe|uer they might glut them&s;elues with &s;inne, and drinke downe iniquitie like water: it was but for a &s;ea&s;on, the Lord would bee no longer pro|uoked by their wicked and &s;innefull
<PB N="105" REF="62"> liues, but &s;ent downe fire and brim|&s;tone from Heauen vpon them; eue|rie &s;inne doth helpe &s;omewhat to in|crea&s;e the weight, and to fill vp the mea&s;ure of a wicked mans iniquitie:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12.36</NOTE> And that God which keepeth a Re|gi&s;ter of the workes of all men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu 20.12</NOTE> will one day giue vnto euerie man accor|ding vnto his workes: And when they &s;hall goe the way of all fle&s;h, they &s;hall then &s;ay, <HI>what hath pride profited vs, and what hath the pompe of riches brought vs to?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.10</NOTE> When they &s;hall &s;ee, that all the dayes of their life, they haue vvearyed them&s;elues in vaine, and then &s;hall be plunged in|to irreuokable and intollerable tor|ments.</P>
<P>This may &s;erue to reprooue &s;uch, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> as relying vpon their owne wittes, knowledge, &s;trength, and goodnes, dare conuer&s;e, and keepe companie with notorious Athei&s;tes, Papi&s;ts, Mocke-Gods, Swearers, Swagge|rers, Drunkards, and &s;o forth. By which means it is iu&s;t with God, they not &s;hunning the occa&s;ions of &s;inne
<PB N="106" REF="63"> are peruerted by them to their owne de&s;truction. And no le&s;&s;e worthy of reproofe are tho&s;e kinde of men or women, that lincke them&s;elues or their children, in marriage with &s;uch as be vile, wicked, prophane, and irreligious: Alas! what agreement is there betweene CHRIST and <HI>Belial,</HI> God and the Diuell, Light and darkene&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 6.</NOTE> a Beleeuer and an infidell, to haue &s;uch neare coniun|ction and fellow&s;hip with them? How can &s;uch e&s;cape and not be pol|luted with their &s;inne? And becau&s;e men and women in this match make no better choice, but marry for loue of money, beauty, or the like, rather then for Religion, Vertue, or the Feare of God, it commeth to pa&s;&s;e, that they liue together mo&s;t vncom|fortably, and in great di&s;content|ment.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>Nor &s;it in the &s;eate of Scorners.</Q>
<P>BY Scorners, in this place, are meant &s;uch wicked men as are
<PB N="107" REF="63"> both hardened in &s;inne, and liue a wicked life; &s;uch as are become &s;tubborne and rebellious &s;inners, profe&s;&s;ing all impietie, contemning God and man, &s;uch as being con|firmed with the long practi&s;e of &s;inne, and a bad life, haue got a ha|bite of &s;inne, and can doe nothing el&s;e but &s;inne, and de&s;pi&s;e all good duties, and make a &s;coffe at all Reli|gion.</P>
<P>Hence wee learne this doctrine,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. The mark of a lewd and wic|ked man.</NOTE> that this is the propertie of a noto|rious lewd and wicked man, to make a mocke of all pietie and godline&s;&s;e, to make a mocke of all Religion, and euery Chri&s;tian dutie: And &s;uch a man is come to a wonderfull height of &s;inne, and is notoriou&s;ly wicked and vngodly; So it is &s;ayd that cur&s;ed <HI>Cham</HI> mocked his fa|ther <HI>Noah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 9.22.</NOTE> and <HI>I&s;mael</HI> mocked god|ly <HI>I&s;aac;</HI> becau&s;e, as it is like, <HI>I&s;mael</HI> &s;eeing godly <HI>I&s;aac</HI> performing &s;ome duty of Religion, Prayer, Thanke&s;-giuing, or the like, hee laughed him to &s;corne: The Atheni|ans
<PB N="108" REF="64"> mocked <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17.</NOTE> <HI>what will this Bab|ler &s;ay?</HI> So the Scribes and Phari|&s;ees mocked our Sauiour CHRIST, &s;aying;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.68</NOTE> <HI>Haile King of the Iewes:</HI> The Iewes mocked Saint <HI>Peters</HI> Sermon, &s;aying;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2.12.</NOTE> <HI>The&s;e men are full of new wine:</HI> The children of Bethel moc|ked <HI>Elizeus</HI> the Prophet, &s;aying; <HI>Go vp thou Bald-head:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kin. 2.22</NOTE> This was the complaint of godly <HI>Ieremie, O Lord I am in deri&s;ion daily,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 20.7.</NOTE> <HI>euery one mocketh mee.</HI> And as it was, &s;o is it &s;till, and will bee; the world is full of &s;uch lewd and wicked men, &s;uch Mock-gods that mocke and mow at all good duties &s;coffing and &s;corning all Religion, flouting and mi&s;-v&s;ing Gods faithfull Mini&s;ters, raile vpon them, and reuile them: yea if any man feare God, make con&s;cience of good duties, to heare the word of God diligently and carefully, to reade, pray in family, &amp;c. And will not &s;weare with the &s;wearer, drinke with the drunkard, and run with wicked men into all exce&s;&s;e of ryot: this man &s;hall bee mocked
<PB N="109" REF="64"> and poynted at, and called by the name of Puritan, and preci&s;ian, and I know not what, and can very hardly endure their company. Now the&s;e kinde of men, the&s;e &s;coffing <HI>I&s;maels,</HI> and cur&s;ed <HI>Chams,</HI> though they &s;eeme to be neuer &s;o hone&s;t &amp; ciuell, yet the word of God paints them out in their colours, as the mo&s;t vile and wicked men that liue in the world, becau&s;e they contemne and de&s;pi&s;e, they mocke and &s;corne Gods word, and tho&s;e that be mo&s;t deere vnto God.</P>
<P>Let all &s;uch &s;corners, and &s;cof|fing <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> mates take heede: for as they bee mo&s;t abhominable in the &s;ight of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 3.32</NOTE> &s;o they &s;eldome or neuer e&s;cape vnpuni&s;hed. Looke on that cur&s;ed <HI>Cham,</HI> &s;coffing <HI>I&s;mael,</HI> behold Gods vengeance vpon tho&s;e two and forry yonkers that mocked the Prophet <HI>Elizeus:</HI> What became of them that mocked and mi&s;-v&s;ed the Prophets of the Lord? What be|came of tho&s;e that mocked and mi&s;-v&s;ed our Sauiour Ie&s;us Chri&s;t?</P>
<PB N="110" REF="65">
<P>And let men but ob&s;erue it, and marke it well,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 37</NOTE> and they &s;hall cleerely &s;ee &s;ome token or other of Gods vengeance vpon the heades of &s;uch &s;coffing wretches: yea, let all &s;uch wicked men know that they be too much their owne foes, in that they hate the godly, mocke Gods Mi|ni&s;ters, raile vpon his &s;eruants, they fare the better for them euery day they ri&s;e, what&s;oeuer wicked and vngodly men haue and enioy, it is for the godlies &s;akes; for if it were not for them, and their &s;akes, the Sunne would &s;carce &s;hine vpon them, the heauens would fall vp|on them, the earth would open her mouth and &s;wallow them, the fire would burne them, the water would drowne them, and all the creatures of God would arme them&s;elues again&s;t them: And therefore the children of God (as one &s;aith) are like a peece of Corke ca&s;t into the Sea full of Nayles, the Corke beares them vp, which other|wi&s;e would &s;inke of them&s;elues one
<PB N="111" REF="65"> by one. Now then what a folly and madne&s;&s;e is this to hate them, to mocke them, and to mi&s;-v&s;e them by whom they fare the better euery day they ri&s;e?</P>
<P>Seeing wicked men are &s;o ill affe|cted <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to God and his children, be|cau&s;e they loue the diuell, and bee his va&s;&s;ailes, and the&s;e belong to God: Let vs herein be like to God our Father, and mo&s;t vnlike wicked men, let vs loue Gods children, and make much of tho&s;e that feare the Lord, and let vs delight in their com+pany; for as the former is a &s;igne of a notorious wicked man, &s;o this is a &s;igne of a godly man: <HI>He de&s;pi&s;eth a vile per&s;on,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.4.</NOTE> <HI>and maketh much of tho&s;e that feare the Lord.</HI> Againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 3.</NOTE> <HI>Hereby we know that wee loue God, if wee loue the brethren.</HI> Againe, <HI>All my delight is in the Saints, and &s;uch as excell in vertue.</HI> Such as be religious, feare God, and liue a godly life: The&s;e be to be be|loued, be they neuer &s;o poore. It is lamentable to &s;ee the cour&s;e of the world, let a lewd man come into
<PB N="112" REF="66"> company, that is notorious wicked, an Athei&s;t, a bla&s;phemous wretch, one that laughes at God, and all goodne&s;&s;e, a drunkard, or the like: this man &s;hall be too too welcome, and we will eate and drinke, and bee mery with him. But let a godly man, a Prophet of the Lord, a faithful and zealous Mini&s;ter come into our company, we are weary of him, wee cannot endure his companie, hee marres all our mirth, wee cannot be merry for him. Thus men &s;ay. Oh Hel-hounds, and wicked wretches! thou mai&s;t as well &s;ay thou can&s;t not be merry when God is pre&s;ent: <HI>Hee that de&s;pi&s;eth you, de&s;pi&s;eth mee.</HI> The&s;e men onely delight in the Diuell, and his cur&s;ed in&s;truments.</P>
<P>And thus much for the fir&s;t part of the de&s;cription of a godly man, negatiuely de&s;cribed: <HI>Hee doth not walk in the coun&s;ell of the wicked, Hee doth not &s;tand in the way of &s;in|ners, nor hee doth not &s;it in the &s;eate of the &s;corners.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="113" REF="66">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE. 2.</HI></BIBL>
<P>But his delight is in the Lawe of the Lord, and in his Law hee doth meditate both day and night.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_HITHERTO we haue heard a godlie man de&s;cribed: Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The de|&s;cription of a godly man affir|matiuely.</NOTE> ne|gatiuely, &s;hewing what euilles hee doth mo&s;t carefully &s;hunne and auoyde. Now he commeth to his de&s;cription affirmatiuely, &s;hew|ing what good things he doth mo&s;t carefully embrace and follow.</P>
<PB N="114" REF="67">
<P> <MILESTONE N="1"> In this de&s;cription, fir&s;t note the Chri&s;tian duety, and holy practi&s;e of a godly and righteous man; namely, to be much, and often in &s;erious and Chri&s;tian meditation.</P>
<P>Secondly, the obiect of his Stu|die, <MILESTONE N="2"> not his plea&s;ures, preferments, or profits, as mo&s;t carnall men doe, which minde nothing but earthly things, but he is conuer&s;ant in the holy Scriptures, doth furiou&s;ly &s;tudy the word of God, his meditation is concerning the <HI>Law,</HI> that is, the hea|uenly doctrine which &s;hews the will of God and his wor&s;hip, what man mu&s;t and ought to beleeue and do to eternall life.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, the circum&s;tance of times is carefully to be con&s;idered: for the godly man doth not now and then by &s;tarts and fits, like a man in an a|gue, Reade, &s;tudy, and meditate the word and doctrine of God: but it is his dayly &s;tudy, and continuall exer|ci&s;e: not that wee &s;hould imagine hee doth nothing el&s;e, but the mea|ning is, hee &s;etteth &s;ome time apart
<PB N="115" REF="67"> daily to &s;erue God, &s;ome time to reade, &s;ome time to heare, and &s;ome time to meditate: yea oftentimes he be&s;toweth &s;ome part of the night, when &s;ome be at re&s;t and &s;leepe, and be&s;toweth it on Gods &s;eruice, &s;et|ting his minde on heauen and hea|uenly things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in that the Spirit of almigh|ty God de&s;cribeth a godly man, not onely by leauing and auoyding lewd company, and the coun&s;ell of the wicked, but al&s;o by liuing well, and framing him&s;elfe to &s;tudy the Scrip|tures, and to leade his life thereaf|after.</P>
<P>Hence I gather this doctrine, that<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. Not to do euill, is not &s;vfficients it is dam|nable, not to do good</NOTE> it is not &s;ufficient for the leading of a godly life, which may both plea&s;e God, and bring comfort to a mans owne &s;oule, to ab&s;taine from e|uill, but he mu&s;t al&s;o doe well: not onelie not to doe euill, but to doe good: it is not enough to prooue a man to be a godly man, and a &s;ound Chri&s;tian, that hee carefully &s;hunne and auoyde the lewd coun&s;ell and
<PB N="116" REF="68" MS="y"> company of wicked men: but hee mu&s;t al&s;o be as carefull to meditate in the <HI>Law of God day and night:</HI> And therefore, as in this place, &s;o v&s;ually in the holy Scriptures they are both ioyned together: <HI>cea&s;e from euill learne to doe well:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1.16. P&s;alme 34 Matt. 3.10</NOTE> <HI>e&s;chew euill and doe good, and thou &s;halt liue for euer. The Axe is put to the roote of the Trees, euery Tree that bringeth not foorth good fruit.</HI> Marke, Chri&s;t &s;ayth, not onely euery Tree that is barren, and bringeth foorth no fruit, good or bad: nor euerie one that bringeth foorth euill fruit: But <HI>that bringeth not foorth good fruit, is hewen downe and ca&s;t into the fire:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.41</NOTE> And at the la&s;t day the Lord will &s;ay to the wicked, <HI>Depart yee cur&s;ed;</HI> not for robbing the poore of meat, drink, or apparrell, or ca&s;ting them out of doores, but for want of &s;hewing mercy vnto them. A Chri&s;tian life doeth con&s;i&s;t of two partes, &s;o &s;et downe by the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul, Abhorre that is euill,</HI> there is one halfe, <HI>And cleaue to that is good, Rom.</HI> 12.9. there is the other halfe. If any want the
<PB N="117" REF="68" MS="y"> former or the latter, he is but halfe a Chri&s;tian, and &s;o &s;hall at la&s;t come &s;hort of a rewarde: And therefore this is a priuiledge to all the Com|mandements of God, that where a|ny vice is forbidden, the contrarie vertue is commanded: and where a|ny vertue is commaunded, the con|trary vice is forbidden. The owner of an orchard is not contented that his trees beare no naughty fruit, but if they beare not good fruit, hee will hew them downe as fewell for the fire: It is not enough for <HI>Zacheus,</HI> that hee be no more an extortioner: But if hee will become a true con|uert indeede, hee mu&s;t make re&s;ti|tution of that hee hath wrongfully gotten.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19.8 Iames 2.25</NOTE> The&s;e and the like exam|ples make this Doctrine apparent vnto vs, That for the leading of a godly life, it is not &s;ufficient, that a man doe no euill, <HI>Not to walke in the coun&s;ell of the wicked, not &s;tand in the way &s;inners, nor &s;it in the &s;eate of the &s;corne|full:</HI> but hee mu&s;t doe good. <HI>His delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in
<PB N="118" REF="69"> his Lawe hee doth meditate both day and night.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> This &s;erues to reprooue mo&s;t men in the world, as no godly men in|deed, nor &s;ound Chri&s;tians: for mo&s;t men doe thinke, if they can &s;ay, I thanke GOD I doe no bodie anie harme, nor &s;ay them harme; I am nei|ther whoore nor thiefe, I am ney|ther bla&s;phemer, drunkard, &amp;c. All is then well, they be as good Chri&s;ti|ans as the be&s;t, and &s;hall as well be &s;aued as the be&s;t Preacher of them all. Yea but you &s;ee here a godly man mu&s;t not onely ab&s;taine from euill, <HI>But meditate in the Lawe of God,</HI> not onely cea&s;e from euill, but do good: Looke on the places of Scriptures before named.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 3.10 Mat. 25.41 Iudg. 5.23</NOTE> <HI>Deborah</HI> pronounces a heauy cur&s;e again&s;t <HI>Nero&s;h,</HI> not for hurting or hindering the people of GOD, but becau&s;e they did not helpe them again&s;t the enemies of GOD: and &s;o the axe and cur&s;e of GOD &s;hall bee vpon all tho&s;e that be not as carefull to doe good, as to e&s;chew euill. S. <HI>Paul</HI> profe&s;&s;eth that
<PB N="119" REF="69"> hee was a man of an vpright life, and one that was vnrebukeable to the world, and yet profe&s;&s;eth that all this was but as <HI>Dung without the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of</HI> CHRIST. <HI>Phi|lippians</HI> 3.4. It were good, if our ci|uill hone&s;t men (as wee call them) would con&s;ider this: they &s;tand vpon this, they defie al the world, who can &s;ay, black is their eie? they &s;ay no bo|dy harme, nor doe none: well, grant that they &s;ay, (which is impo&s;&s;ible) though they could ab&s;taine from all outward euill, as &s;wearing, lying, drunkenne&s;&s;e, whooring, pride, en|uy, &amp;c. So as no man could lay any of the&s;e to their charge, yet heere is but halfe a Chri&s;tian, but one part of his life, for hee mu&s;t not onely not doe euill, but doe good: Not onely to bring foorth euill fruit is damnable, but not to bring foorth good fruit. And in the day of iudge|ment CHRIST will proceede a|gain&s;t men, not onely for doing e|uill, but e&s;pecially, for nor doing good.</P>
<PB N="120" REF="70">
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly, if &s;uch as ab&s;taine from gro&s;&s;e euills bee in danger of damna|tion for want of doing good, that is to &s;ay, becau&s;e they haue not ledde a godly life, be&s;towed much time in hearing and reading the Scriptures, praying and calling on Gods name, doing workes of mercie and equitie to men, how much more tho&s;e that ab&s;taine from no euill, but breake out into all kindes of wickedne&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;&s;e. Such as make a mocke of Religion, and &s;eldome or neuer come to heare the Word prea|ched or taught, but abound in all kinde of &s;inne and iniquitie: If the Rich man bee damned that did not giue of his bread to feede the poore, good Lord! what &s;hall become of tho&s;e that haue take~ away the bread of the poore? that all their life haue drunke downe iniquity as it were water, their damnation doeth hot &s;leepe: <HI>If the&s;e things be doone to the greene tree, what &s;hall become of the dry tree?</HI> In a word, if the not doing of good &s;hall bee puni&s;hed &s;o &s;euerely,
<PB N="121" REF="70"> as wee haue heard: Oh! what will then become of tho&s;e who&s;e liues a|bound in all maner of &s;inne and im|piety, whooredome, drunkenne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. Where &s;hall &s;uch &s;inners as the&s;e appeare? If the others which haue &s;eemed to haue beene iu&s;t and righteous men &s;hall not be &s;aued: <HI>O con&s;ider this yee that forget God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.22</NOTE> <HI>le&s;t I teare you in peeces, and there bee none that can deliuer you. P&s;alme</HI> 50. <HI>and ver&s;e</HI> 22.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>But his delight is in the Law of the Lord.</Q>
<P>THAT is, the godly man, who is truely ble&s;&s;ed and happy, doth wonderfully loue, and is greatly af|fected with the word of Almightie God, and hath exceeding delight &amp; ioy in the doctrine of God, becau&s;e there is reuealed the will of God, whereunto men mu&s;t bee carefull to frame and conforme all their de&s;ires, thoughts, words, and deeds, becau&s;e
<PB N="122" REF="71"> heerein is chalked out and declared, the very high-way to eternall life and &s;aluation.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. A godly man per|formeth godly due|ties chere|fully.</NOTE> Hence then wee are taught this doctrine, that it is a &s;peciall note and property of a godly man, to perform Chri&s;tian dueties to God willingly and cheerefully, and to make them his delight and ioy.</P>
<P>Indeede it is worthy, yea thrice worthy to be delighted in, both in regard of the Author of this Lawe, which is God, as al&s;o in re&s;pect of the authority of it, which is manifold. In regard of God the author of it, it is to be delighted in, who is the only true &amp; euerliuing God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 8.6.</NOTE> <HI>of whom are all things, and we in him.</HI> Secondly, in re|&s;pect of the authority of the &s;ame, containing in it perfect wi&s;edome, truth, iu&s;tice, wi&s;dome, mercy, good|ne&s;&s;e &amp;c. It is called by the Prophet <HI>Dauid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19.7. Reu. 22.18</NOTE> <HI>a perfect Law,</HI> to the which if any man &s;hall pre&s;ume to adde anie thing, <HI>God &s;hall adde to him the plagues written in this book, and if a man &s;hall di|mini&s;h any thing, God &s;hall take away his
<PB N="123" REF="71"> part out of the Booke of Life, and from the holy Citty.</HI> Heere, and no where el&s;e is to bee found the true VRIM and THVMMIM, the VRIM that is, <HI>Light,</HI> and the THVMMIM, that is, <HI>Perfection:</HI> and the Saints of God in all Ages haue e&s;teemed highly of it.</P>
<P>Thus did <HI>Iob,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 23.12.</NOTE> <HI>I e&s;teemed thy word more then my appoynted food:</HI> Thus did <HI>Dauid</HI> when he &s;aid, <HI>Lord, what loue haue I to all thy commaundements,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.</NOTE> <HI>all the day long is my &s;tudy in them.</HI> And <HI>Da|uid</HI> &s;hewes his wonderfull loue and account of it, by the names that hee doth giue vnto it, calling it <HI>Doctrine, Te&s;timonies, Commaundements, Feare, Iudgements, Way, Statute., Word, &amp;c.</HI> And in another place hee &s;aith, <HI>That it is more to be de&s;ired then Golde,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 16.10 Mat. 22.37 Rom. 12.8</NOTE> <HI>yea then fine Golde:</HI> that it is, <HI>&s;weeter then the honny, and the honny-combe.</HI> And this is that which the Lord him &s;elfe doeth require, when he &s;aith:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 1.3.</NOTE> <HI>Heare O I&s;rael, the</HI> LORD <HI>thy</HI> GOD <HI>is</HI> LORD <HI>onely:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 6.5.</NOTE> <HI>And thou &s;halt loue the</HI> LORD <HI>thy</HI> GOD <HI>with all thy heart,
<PB N="124" REF="72"> with all thy &s;oule, and with all thy might.</HI> And &s;o the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> prayeth, <HI>O Lord, I be&s;eech thee accept of the free offerings of my mouth, and teach mee thy iudgements.</HI> And this is the rule which the Apo&s;tle Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;etteth downe when hee &s;ayth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 9.7.</NOTE> <HI>As euery man wi&s;heth in his heart, &s;o let him giue, not grudgingly? or of nece&s;sitie, for God loueth a chearefull giuer.</HI> Now that which the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh of Charity and Almes, may truely be vnder&s;tood of euery Chri&s;tian dutie: when wee pray, wee mu&s;t pray vnto God chearefully, when wee giue thanks to God, we mu&s;t do it chere|fully,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 4.5</NOTE> and &s;o of all other dueties of Gods wor&s;hip layed downe in his Word. And indeede this is it which dooth put the difference betweene the godly and the wicked, the &s;er|uice of the one, and the &s;eruice of the other. <HI>Caine</HI> will come with his Sa|crifice a&s;wel as <HI>Abel;</HI> but he brought of the wor&s;t, thinking any thing to be good enough for God, and this he did very grudgingly: Whereas
<PB N="125" REF="72"> <HI>Abel</HI> brought of the be&s;t to &s;acrifice to God, &amp; this hee did willingly and cheerefully. And all tho&s;e dueties that are not thus performed, they haue no life nor vertue in them, to giue them any grace or acceptance with God. So that we &s;ee that out|ward profe&s;&s;ion is not enough to a&s;|&s;ure vs of our &s;aluation, if it be not ioyned with &s;incerity of heart.</P>
<P>Now where it is &s;aid heere,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Rea&s;on.</NOTE> that the godly mans <HI>Delight is in the Lawe of the Lord,</HI> there is great rea&s;on why the children of God &s;hould be thus affected to his ble&s;&s;ed word and hea|uenly Doctrine aboue all things in the world, that it &s;hould be <HI>Sweeter vnto them then the honny and the honny-combe.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 2.11.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e it is the bread of life, <MILESTONE N="1"> <HI>it is the power of God to &s;aluation.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.16</NOTE> And therefore is called, <HI>the Go&s;pell of the Kingdome,</HI> and <HI>the Kingdome of Hea|uen.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.44</NOTE> becau&s;e it is that whereby men are brought to eternall life, and the kingdome of Heauen.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is the effectual means <MILESTONE N="2">
<PB N="126" REF="73"> and in&s;trument which the Lord v|&s;eth and hath appointed to beget all &s;auing grace in the hearts of his chil|dren,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 10.14. 1 Cor. 1.21</NOTE> namely, knowledge, faith, hu|mility, obedience, and the like.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, it is the bread of life, e|uen the heauenly Manna, whereby our faith is confirmed, and our &s;oule comforted, yea it is the &s;taffe where|to wee mu&s;t leane in all dangers, as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>I had peri&s;hed in my trou|ble, had it not beene for thy word: P&s;al.</HI> 119. And, <HI>thy Rod and thy Staffe doth comfort me, P&s;al.</HI> 23.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4"> Fourthly, the word of God is that direction whereby wee may &s;quare all our thoughts, words, and deedes, as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Thy word is a Lant|horne vnto my feete,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 119.</NOTE> <HI>and a light vnto my paths:</HI> And without this we can not liue well, but &s;hall wander vp and downe as blind men in the darke.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5"> And la&s;t of all, it is the two-ed|ged-Sword of Gods Spirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 4.4</NOTE> whereby wee mu&s;t put to flight all the temp|tations of the Diuell, &s;o as we can|not repell them, or with&s;tand them,
<PB N="127" REF="73"> vnle&s;&s;e we be skilfull and cunning to v&s;e this weapon.</P>
<P>This Doctrine may &s;eeme to re|proue <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> the greate&s;t part amonge&s;t vs as wicked and vngodly, becau&s;e ge|nerally men haue no loue vnto the word of God, no delight in this heauenly Doctrine, it is not &s;weete nor precious in their eyes, but ra|ther it is irke&s;ome and tedious vnto them, it is bitter and vn&s;auourie. It fareth with people in the&s;e dayes, as it did with tho&s;e olde people of the Iewes, <HI>vnto whom &s;hould I &s;peake and admoni&s;h that they might heare: Behold, their eares are vncircumci&s;ed, and they cannot hearken vnto it, the word of the Lord is a reproach vnto them, and they haue no delight therein, Ieremie</HI> 6.10. Now that men haue no delight to the word of God, which is the ve|ry power of God to &s;aluation it may appeare.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e men and women take no delight in Hearing, Read|ing, and Meditating on the word of GOD, you &s;hall finde a great
<PB N="128" REF="74"> number that will buy other profane bookes, that will hardly buie the Booke of all Bookes the holie and &s;acred Bible: And if they buie it, yet they &s;pend no time in peru&s;ing of it, in reading and meditating of it: Other Bookes are delightfull and plea&s;ant to fle&s;h and bloud: and this is the rea&s;on they doe &s;o much de&s;ire them, but withall, this &s;he|weth that they be carnall, not borne anew, for if they were, then would they be&s;tow le&s;&s;e time in reading and peru&s;ing tho&s;e prophane and vnprofitable Bookes, and would be&s;tow more time in reading and meditating on this ble&s;&s;ed Booke of God; yea, and the &s;mall account men make of Gods Mini&s;ters, whom the Lord calles his Me&s;&s;engers and Emba&s;&s;adours; yea, the Angells of the Church.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly, &s;eeing all the dueties that wee owe to God, either of hea|ring, praying, &amp;c. mu&s;t be performed of vs, not vpon compul&s;ion, but willingly and cheerefully: we learne
<PB N="129" REF="74"> that euery action is accounted of by God, not according to the worke it &s;elfe, but according to the affection of the doer. This the Lord him&s;elfe doth teach, when he &s;aith, <HI>This peo|ple come neare mee with their mouth, and honour mee with their lippes, but their hearts are farre from mee: E&s;ay</HI> 29.13. And therefore were their Sacrifices abhomination to the Lord, as hee a|gaine &s;aith in another place. <HI>I can not away with your new Moones,</HI> And this was it made the poore Widdowes mite commended aboue the re&s;t that offered of their &s;uperfluity, <HI>Luke</HI> 31.3.4. <HI>He that &s;hall giue a cuppe of colde water to a Di&s;ciple,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10.41</NOTE> <HI>in the name of a Di&s;|ciple, he &s;hall not loo&s;e his reward.</HI> Alas! what is the be&s;towing of a mite, a bra&s;en token? or what is a cuppe of cold water? are they in the~&s;elues anie thing worth to merite any thing at Gods hand? No, no, but God ac|cepteth the manner more then the matter, how they are doone, more then what is done.</P>
<P>Which may teach vs to labour
<PB N="130" REF="75"> to haue our affections tryed, that what&s;oeuer we doe in the &s;eruice of Almightie God, may bee done in truth and &s;incerity of heart. This was <HI>Iobs</HI> comfort when hee &s;ayd, <HI>O Lord, I haue e&s;teemed thy word more then my ordinarie foode!</HI> This was the Prophet <HI>Dauids</HI> comfort when hee could &s;ay, <HI>Oh, how doe I loue thy Law! it is my meditation continually, P&s;alme</HI> 119. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 97. And this &s;hall be our comfort, when wee &s;hall goe the way of all fle&s;h, that wee can &s;ay with good King <HI>Ezechias, Remem|ber O Lord, that I haue walked before thee in truth, and with an vpright heart:</HI> That we haue not beene painted &s;e|pulchres, de&s;iring to be accounted righteous before men, but within, full of all rottenne&s;&s;e and corrupti|on, but haue laboured rather to be approoued of God.</P>
<P>Oh how ought our hearts and &s;oules to be inflamed in a holy and godly zeale towardes the word of God, <HI>the lawe of the Lord</HI> here &s;poken of, yea wee ought more earne&s;tly to
<PB N="131" REF="75"> long for the <HI>waters of this well of life,</HI> then euer <HI>Dauid</HI> did for the <HI>waters of the well of Bethlem:</HI> and when we haue ta&s;ted how &s;weet the Lord is, neuer, oh neuer to deale with the Lord, as the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io. 4.15.</NOTE> <HI>which loathed the Manna</HI> that was &s;ent them from heauen. But much better &s;hall it bee for vs to cry out with the woman of Samaria, <HI>Lord giue me to drinke of the&s;e waters:</HI> for the&s;e waters being once ta&s;ted of, will kepe a man that hee <HI>thir&s;t</HI> not againe, but &s;hall euer bee refre&s;hed by the &s;ame to eternal life.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, let vs heerein labour to <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> manife&s;t our vnfained loue and li|king of the Word and Law of God, euen by our obedience thereunto, that wee de&s;ire to frame our liues thereafter, to obey the doctrine and word of God in heart and life, to be reformed by it, and to bee con|formed to it: CHRIST maketh this to bee the eare-marke of tho&s;e that are his Sheepe, namely this, <HI>That they heare his voyce and follow him:</HI> And againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 10.</NOTE> <HI>Heereby &s;hall all
<PB N="132" REF="76"> men know that yee are my Di&s;ciples, and loue mee, if yee keepe my Commande|ments.</HI> So heereby &s;hall men know that wee loue the Lawe of God, if wee &s;tudie to keepe it, to obey it in heart and life: But if wee haue in vs no care to liue thereafter, but breake the Lawe of God continu|ally, and rebell again&s;t his Com|mandements: how can wee be &s;ayd to loue the Lawe of God? If a man &s;hould &s;ay hee loueth the Kings Lawes, and likes them well, and yet &s;hould euery day breake them wit|tingly and willingly, and bee euer playing the Traytor, would not all men condemne him as an hypo|crite and a lyar? So, though mo&s;t men doe &s;ay they loue the Word of God, and delight in his Lawe, yet &s;eeing they doe daily breake it, and rebell again&s;t it wittingly, and wil|lingly; by &s;wearing, lying, propha|ning of his Sabaoth, drunkenne&s;&s;e, &s;willing, pride, vncleanene&s;&s;e, &amp;c. It is manife&s;t they haue no loue vn|to it.</P>
<PB N="133" REF="76">
<P>Thus much of the fir&s;t part, &s;he|wing that the godly man is well af|fected to the heauenly Doctrine of the word of God, it is the delight and ioy of his heart.</P>
<P>Now in the &s;econd part of the Ver&s;e, the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;heweth the exerci&s;e of a godly man, that as in his heart he loueth and liketh the Word and heauenly Doctrine of the Lawe of God, &s;o in his life hee is conuer&s;ant in the &s;ame, his Medita|tions are much &s;pent therein, hee is &s;aid <HI>to meditate therein day and night.</HI> That is, the godly man doth much mu&s;e and meditate, often exerci&s;ing his minde with calling to minde and remembrance the heauenlie Do|ctrines, comforts, and in&s;tructions of the word of God, and this hee doth not &s;lightly and carele&s;ly, but &s;eriou&s;ly and with good aduice, and to this end doth euermore &s;et &s;ome time apart euery day, morning and euening, two times a day at lea&s;t, for the performance of this godlie duetie.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="134" REF="77">
<Q>Doth meditate day and night.</Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 3. The Lawe of god is a godly ma~s chiefe de|light.</NOTE> HEere wee &s;ee &s;till, that a godly man, and one that &s;hall bee truely ble&s;&s;ed, the Lord requireth that he be no &s;tranger, and &s;uch a one as &s;eldome, or neuer, &s;earcheth the Scriptures, but that hee be much and often exerci&s;ed in the holy and &s;eri|ous meditation of Gods Law, in the diligent &s;earching, peru&s;ing, and par|ticularly applying of the heauenly doctrine of the word of God. And indeede this is heere &s;et downe as a true fruit of our loue to the word, as the loue of the word is made a true fruit of a godly man: for as it is im|po&s;&s;ible a man &s;hould be truely reli|gious, and feare God, &amp; yet haue no &s;ound loue nor delight in the word of God; &s;o is it likewi&s;e impo&s;sible a man or woman &s;hould truly loue the word of God in their heart, that &s;el|dome, or neuer, be&s;tow any paines in the &s;erious and earne&s;t meditation of the &s;ame. <HI>Dauid</HI> calls God to wit|nes,
<PB N="137" REF="77"> that the loue he bare to the law of God, was exceeding great, when he &s;aid, <HI>O how do I loue thy Law!</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.97</NOTE> And in the &s;ame ver&s;e he &s;eemes to proue the &s;ame to God, <HI>it is my meditation continually:</HI> which indeed is a note of true loue, to be euer thinking of the thing beloued.</P>
<P>And in very deed, the carefull and diligent &s;tudy, the often and earne&s;t meditation of the word of God, is the very life and &s;trength of all our wor&s;hip and &s;eruice of God: for if men &s;hould reade much, and neuer meditate, it would doe them no good: if men &s;hould heare much, &amp; often, &amp; neuer meditate, they &s;hould be little the better. If men &s;hould pray much and often, and neuer me|ditate, they &s;hould finde &s;mall com|fort. If men come often to the Sa|craments, and doe not before and after meditate of the Couenant of grace, they &s;hould not receiue much good thereby: &s;o that you &s;ee that Meditation is all in all, it puts life to our reading, hearing, praying, recei|uing;
<PB N="136" REF="78"> and without it, al our reading, hearing, praying, and receiuing, will &s;tand vs in &s;mall &s;tead.</P>
<P>For without this <HI>Meditation</HI> this <HI>Lawe,</HI> that is, the word of God, will eyther in time be forgotten, where|by wee &s;hall become vnmindefull of it; or el&s;e it will prooue as a Talent hid in the ground, vtterly vnfruitfull vnto vs: for this <HI>Meditation</HI> indeed is the third &s;teppe of a true conuert. The fir&s;t is to heare the word of God readily: the &s;econd, to remember it diligently: and the third, to <HI>Medi|tate</HI> on it &s;eriou&s;ly, and this is com|pared to the <HI>Chewing of the Cud, Deut.</HI> 14.6.7, which is neuer found in the vncleane, but in the cleane bea&s;ts.</P>
<P>True it is, that hearing and rea|ding the Word, will beget know|ledge, but Meditation is the &s;peci|all meanes to worke vpon the affe|ction, for el&s;e all our knowledge &s;hall onely be in generall, idle and &s;wimming in the brayne, which may well bee called braine-knowledge, but no heart-knowledge: but by
<PB N="137" REF="78"> &s;erious Meditation wee doe applie that wee heare, to our owne &s;elues in particular: laying the Doctrine to our owne hearts, applying it to our &s;elues, to comfort our &s;ad &s;oules, to humble them for our &s;innes, and to &s;quare our liues thereby, that wee may in all things keepe a cleare con|&s;cience before God and man. The Lord giues <HI>Io&s;huah</HI> a &s;traight charge to doe thus: <HI>Let not the Booke of the Lawe depart out of thy mouth: But me|ditate therein day and night: That thou maye&s;t ob&s;erue and doe according to all that is written therein, for then &s;halt thou make thy way pro&s;perous, and thou &s;halt then haue good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, Io&s;hua</HI> 1.8. and <HI>Deuteron.</HI> 6. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6.7.8. And thus the &s;eruants of God haue been much exerci&s;ed in meditation, and there|by haue growne woonderfull, not only in knowledge, but in practi&s;e, as we may &s;ee in <HI>Dauid, P&s;a.</HI> 119. who tooke great delight in Gods Lawe, and made it his meditation continu|ally. And of <HI>I&s;aac</HI> it is reported, that hee went out into the fieldes in the
<PB N="138" REF="79"> euening to meditate, <HI>Gene&s;is cha.</HI> 24.</P>
<P>This reprooues the common fault <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> in the world, that mo&s;t men vtterly neglect this duety, &s;eldome or ne|uer &s;ettle them&s;elues to meditate in the Lawe of God, and his heauenly Doctrine. It is hard to finde a man or woman that makes any con&s;ci|ence of this duetie, to &s;et them&s;elues apart, and &s;et them&s;elues in Gods pre&s;ence, to call to minde, that they haue heard and learned, to applie it to them&s;elues in particular, to hum|ble them, or to comfort them. And this is the cau&s;e why mo&s;t men hea|ring, and reading, &s;o much as they haue, yet profit &s;o little in know|ledge, faith, repentance, and obedi|ence. They can be content to heare the word preached and taught, and it may be, now and then to reade a chapter: but to thinke vpon it, to ruminate vpon the word of God, and as it were to chew the Cudde, to call the &s;ame to minde againe, to ap|plie it to them&s;elues, to labour to profit by it: this they cannot indure,
<PB N="139" REF="79"> this they care not for. For if men did carefully meditate of the things they heard and read, how could they be &s;o ignorant in Gods word as mo&s;t be? So voyde of knowledge, faith, repentance, humilitie, zeale, pati|ence, and the like gifts and graces, which accompany godlie and holie meditation? For bookes of Statutes men wil not only haue them in their hou&s;es, but at their fingers ends: but Bible they haue none: And if they haue, it lieth vpon the deske or table, and they reade it not. And if &s;ometimes they reade, yet they ne|uer meditate thereon.</P>
<P>This may admoni&s;h all men, as <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> they loue their owne &s;oules, to make more care and con&s;cience of the per|formance of this duetie, to call to minde that wee doe heare or reade, to thinke and mu&s;e vpon it, to chew the Cudde, to lay it to heart; yea, and to applie it to our owne &s;oules and con&s;ciences in particular: This is like the rumination or chewing of the Cudde to lay it to bee found
<PB N="140" REF="80"> onely in the cleane bea&s;ts, whereas they which chewed not the Cudde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deuter. 14 6.7.</NOTE> were vncleane: This is the marke and propertie of a godlie and <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed man,</HI> whereas the not doing it, is the marke of a wicked &amp; vngodly man. Let vs then remember that we make the word of God our Meditation continually. Many men meditate much, &s;ome in one thing, and &s;ome in another, as they are led by fond affection: &s;ome thinke of honours, &s;ome of plea&s;ures, &s;ome of riches, &s;ome of one thing, and &s;ome of an|other. And of the&s;e they doate and dreame, talke, and &s;peake continu|ally. But heere wee are taught ano|ther le&s;&s;on, namely, that our mindes mu&s;t e&s;pecially be &s;et vpon the word of God, that mu&s;t be our delight, and the ioy of our heart.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Point.</NOTE> The la&s;t point in this Ver&s;e, is the circum&s;tance of Time, namely, not by fittes: But the godly man keepes a continuall cour&s;e in the &s;tudy and meditation of the word of God, &s;o as hee &s;etteth apart &s;ome time for the
<PB N="141" REF="80"> wor&s;hip and &s;eruice of God, at lea&s;t twice a day to meditate and &s;tudy in Gods Booke.</P>
<P>Hence wee learne, that euery one<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 4. A godly man &s;ets &s;ome time apart eue|ry day for Gods &s;er|uice.</NOTE> that will liue a godly life, and &s;o plea&s;e God, that he may find com|fort to his owne &s;oule, and be ble&s;|&s;ed in the end, mu&s;t &s;et &s;ome time apart euery day for the wor&s;hip and &s;eruice of God, to reade, pray, and meditate: and at the lea&s;t twice a day to call vpon his Name, to reade the word of God, and to &s;tudy there|in. This is that the Lord comman|deth his people to offer vnto him e|uery day, <HI>the morning and the euening &s;acrifice,</HI> at the lea&s;t twice euery day, they were commanded to wor&s;hip God: and &s;o the holy Patriarchs were wont to wor&s;hippe God mor|ning and euening. So wee reade in <HI>Gen.</HI> 24.63. That godly <HI>I&s;aac</HI> went out into the fields in the euening to pray or meditate, to make him&s;elfe fit to pray. And,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 1.5. Acts 10.2.</NOTE> <HI>Iob ro&s;e vp earely to offer &s;acrifice, and called his family toge|ther:</HI> and this did <HI>Iob</HI> euery day: and
<PB N="142" REF="81"> <HI>Dauid</HI> in many P&s;almes &s;heweth that he did &s;et &s;ome time apart euery day, to wor&s;hip God, in praying, reading, meditating, &amp;c. <HI>Cornelius wor&s;hipped God continually,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The. 5.23</NOTE> that is, euery day, ac|cording to the rule of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Pray continually.</HI> And that we &s;hould not be weary of well-doing, Chri&s;t &s;pake the parable of the vniu&s;t Iudge and poore widdow to this end, that we ought alwayes to meditate, pray, &amp;c. and not waxe faint and wearie, <HI>Luke</HI> 18.1. The meaning is not that men &s;hould leaue their callings and other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e altogether, to attend vpon hearing, reading, meditating, &amp;c. but that wee &s;hould bee much and often in meditating, in prayer, in reading, &amp;c. and in performing the&s;e ble&s;&s;ed dueties vnto almightie God. And at the lea&s;t, three times a day, to pray and call vpon the name of God: In the morning when wee doe ari&s;e, to giue vnto God hearty thankes, for keeping vs the night pa&s;t, and to craue for a ble&s;&s;ing at his hands ouer the day following:
<PB N="143" REF="81"> At noone againe, when when we re|ceiue his good Creatures: And at night when we go to re&s;t: And this godly practi&s;e the word of God pre|&s;cribes vs, and the examples of the godly doe teach vs:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 6.10.</NOTE> <HI>Daniel</HI> prayed three times a day vpon his knees vn|to God and prai&s;ed him, as his man|ner was, though the King had made a &s;trict Law again&s;t it. <HI>Euening, mor|ning, and at noone, will I pray vnto thee, P&s;al.</HI> 55.17. And againe, <HI>Seuen times a day will I prai&s;e thee, P&s;al.</HI> 119.164. That is, many times. For the mor|ning, <HI>Earely in the morning will I direct my prayer vnto thee:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 22.2. Iob 1.5.</NOTE> And thus did <HI>A|braham, I&s;aac, Iob.</HI> Secondly, at noone or mid-day: &s;o did <HI>Peter, Peter went out to prayer about the &s;ixt houre, Actes</HI> 10.9. That is, about twelue of the clocke, or noone-tide. Thirdly, at night in the euening when wee goe to bedde to take our re&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s; 24. P&s;a. 139 11 P&s;al. 19.5. Mat. 13.23. E&s;a. 28.3.4</NOTE> wee mu&s;t then remember likewi&s;e to render the Lord thankes for the comfort of the day, and to craue his ble&s;sing for that night. Neyther is this all,
<PB N="144" REF="82"> but in the night time when &s;leepe is departed from a man, and Nature is &s;ufficed with re&s;t, he doth euen then call to minde the heauenly Doctrine of the word of God, and doth mu&s;e and meditate therein, as the Text &s;aith heere, euen <HI>day and night.</HI> For God which hath bounded the day with the night, hath &s;et no bound to a godly mans meditation. It is no|thing to be, fir&s;t, <HI>one that heareth the word:</HI> &s;econdly, <HI>one that receiueth it:</HI> thirdly, <HI>with ioy:</HI> if fourthly, it &s;halbe but <HI>for a time onely,</HI> if he &s;hall not al|&s;o continue, and con&s;tantly per&s;euer <HI>to meditate therein day and night.</HI></P>
<P>So as we &s;ee this is our duety, to &s;et &s;ome time apart euerie day to wor&s;hip God, as to heare, reade, pray, meditate, &amp;c. We &s;ee men doe &s;et apart, depute, and ordaine &s;ome certaine time euery day, for the food of the body, at the lea&s;t twice a day, to eate and drinke, how much more then &s;hould wee bee carefull for our Soules, euery day, to reade, meditate and to pray? Of all the time we &s;pend
<PB N="145" REF="82"> in this world, none will be more comfortable vnto vs in death, when wee &s;hall goe the way of all fle&s;h, then that which wee haue be&s;towed in the &s;eruice and wor&s;hip of Al|mightie God.</P>
<P>There is not now one houre &s;pent in the &s;eruice of God, but will then mini&s;ter cau&s;e of ioy and reioycing; neither is there now one houre &s;pent in the &s;eruice of &s;in and of Satan, but the remembrance thereof will then be a terrour vnto the &s;oule, <HI>Oh that men would be wi&s;e, then would they vn|der&s;tand this: they would con&s;ider their latter end, Deut.</HI> 32.29.</P>
<P>This &s;eemes to reproue the com|mon carele&s;ne&s;&s;e of the world, mo&s;t <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> men and women &s;pend al their daies in delights, and vanities, in &s;ports and pa&s;times, in &s;craping and raking together the things of this life, and in the meane time finde no time at al to &s;erue God, that in twenty foure houres hardly can &s;pare one to &s;erue God, one to reade, heare, pray, me|ditate; yea, how many be there that
<PB N="146" REF="83"> neuer open their books to reade one chapter in the Bible all the Weeke long: How many be there that neuer &s;pend one quarter of an houre in Meditation, which neuer call vpon GOD from Sonday to Sonday: doth not this proue men to be carnall and vngodly? Do not the&s;e men do no|thing of con&s;cience, or with delight and loue to GOD and his wor&s;hip, but all for fa&s;hion &s;ake, or feare of the Law? What difference is there betwixt tho&s;e men, who &s;eldome, or neuer call on the name of GOD, and the bea&s;t they ride on? The bea&s;t ari&s;es in the morning out of his den and &s;treakes him&s;elfe, goes to his meate, and &s;o to worke: Euen &s;o do they, neuer call on the name of God. In this thing wherein do &s;uch men differ from a very bea&s;t? How can &s;uch look for any ble&s;&s;ing from God vpon their labours? Yea, how can they chu&s;e but feare &s;ome fearefull iudgement and cur&s;e of God to ouertake them? And no doubt the cau&s;e why many ride and run earely
<PB N="147" REF="83"> and late (and do not call on God for a ble&s;&s;ing vpon their endeuours) can|not pro&s;per and thriue in the world: No, God &s;ends &s;ometimes iudge|ments, plagues, and puni&s;hments vpon them, and all for the neglect of this godly and Chri&s;tian duety, it is iu&s;t with God both to cro&s;&s;e and to cur&s;e both them and their labours.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 14.</NOTE></P>
<P>Againe, by the rule of this do|ctrine they are no le&s;&s;e to be repro|ued,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> who can bee content now and then to Heare, Reade, Pray, and Me|ditate, &amp;c. But this mu&s;t bee at their lea&s;ure, when they haue nothing el&s;e to do; bur to keep certaine times Mornings, Noones, euenings, to leaue all &s;ports, pa&s;times, delights, and bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to go to GOD, and &s;erue him, and call vpon his name, they cannot abide that, they will not bee &s;o tyed and re&s;trained; but as the man in the Go&s;pell, when CHRIST called him, fir&s;t he mu&s;t go bury his father: and him that would go <HI>Bid his friends fare-well.</HI>
<PB N="148" REF="84"> So many could be content to &s;erue God, and to pray vnto him, but they mu&s;t keepe their friends com|pany: or as tho&s;e that were bidden to the fea&s;t; One hath his oxen and gaine to hinder him, an other his wife, his plea&s;ures and delights, which hee is married vnto, and &s;o can finde no time to &s;erue God, euen the lea&s;t thing in the world is matter &s;ufficient to hinder them from &s;er|uing of God, the&s;e men &s;hew that they find no comfort at all in the &s;er|uice of Almighty God, no good, no fruit, no benefite: for if they did, they would not be &s;uch &s;trangers vnto it.</P>
<P>Let euery one bee exhorted and <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> &s;tirred on to this duety, if we haue not begunne, now to beginne, and in the feare of the Lord to imitate Gods children, as <HI>Dauid</HI> and the re&s;t. Let vs &s;et &s;ome time apart euery day for the word and prayer, el&s;e wee &s;hall neuer prooue our &s;elues good Chri&s;tians, el&s;e wee &s;hould neuer finde true comfort, el&s;e we can neuer
<PB N="149" REF="84"> looke for Gods ble&s;sing vpon vs: let vs then &s;et apart &s;ome of our idle time that wee be&s;tow in talking, in walking, in playing, in vaine de|lights, or el&s;e idlely, and be&s;tow it on Gods &s;eruice and wor&s;hippe, in hearing, reading, praying, medita|ting, &amp;c. <HI>Dauid</HI> earely in the mor|ning preuented the day light, yea at mid-night would hee be &s;o bu&s;ied. The Eunuch in his iourney was rea|ding the Scriptures. Let vs then ne|uer ari&s;e in the morning, or goe to bedde, but as duely let vs euer be mindefull of this duety. Let vs not mi&s;-&s;pend our precious time. Let vs (I pray you) con&s;ider why wee liue heere in the world, not to &s;pend and con&s;ume our time in toyes and vani|ties but to &s;erue God, and to &s;eeke for comfort and &s;aluation vnto our owne &s;oules: Let vs therefore &s;o &s;pend it as wee may haue comfort in the end.</P>
<P>La&s;t of all, we are heere exhorted <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> to be very carefull, after wee haue begunne a good cour&s;e in godlines,
<PB N="150" REF="85"> to per&s;euer and to continue in the &s;ame, <HI>Day and Night,</HI> euen vnto the end; not onely in the day-time of pro&s;perity, but in the night-time of aduer&s;ity, for vnto GOD <HI>The day and night are both alike.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 139.12.</NOTE> Many make a faire beginning, but the end is very fearefull and dangerous: Many lay their hands to the Lords Plow,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 9.62</NOTE> but in the end they looke back. <HI>Lots</HI> wife &s;eemes as forward as her hu&s;|band: &s;hee goes out of Sodome as well as hee, &s;hee takes her iourney with her husband, but &s;hee did not continue and hold out to the end, but lookes backe, contrary to the commandement of God, and &s;o was turned into a pillar of Salt: And &s;hee being made a &s;pectacle to all back-&s;liders, our Sauiour puts vs in minde of her, when hee &s;aith, <HI>Remember Lots wife.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 17.32</NOTE> And <HI>Paul,</HI> when hee had Preached the Re&s;urrection of CHRIST, <HI>Agrippa</HI> &s;aid vnto him: <HI>Thou per&s;wade&s;t mee almo&s;t to become a Chri&s;tian,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 26.28.</NOTE> But there he &s;tay|ed and re&s;ted and would proceed no
<PB N="151" REF="85"> further. The&s;e are fearefull exam|ples, It had beene better for &s;uch, <HI>They had neuer knowne the way of righ|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2.21</NOTE> for indeed in a Chri&s;tian race there is no &s;tanding at one &s;tay, for not to go forward in Religion is to go backward.</P>
<P>And thus much for the de&s;crip|tion of a godly man affirmatiuely, &s;hewing what hee doth carefully embrace and follow: <HI>But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, &amp;c.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="152" REF="86">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE. 3.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Hee &s;hall be like a Tree planted by the Riuers of waters, that will bring forth her fruit in due &s;ea&s;on, who&s;e leafe &s;hall not fade, &s;o what&s;oeuer he &s;hall doe, &s;hall pro&s;per.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_HItherto the Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> hath de&s;cribed vnto vs a godly and righteous man, &s;uch a man as is truly ble&s;|&s;ed: both negatiuely &s;hewing what be the euills hee mu&s;t carefully &s;hunne and auoyde, as al&s;o
<PB N="153" REF="86"> affirmatiuely, by tho&s;e vertues and holy dueties which he doth carefully embrace and follow.</P>
<P>Now in this Ver&s;e the Prophet proceeds to &s;et out the happine&s;&s;e of a godly man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wherein the godly man is ble&s;&s;ed. Parts of the ver&s;e.</NOTE> or wherein his happi|ne&s;&s;e doth con&s;i&s;t. And this doth he, fir&s;t, by a &s;imilitude, comparing him vnto a plea&s;ant, fruitfull, and flouri|&s;hing tree: &s;econdly, by that ble&s;&s;ed &s;ucce&s;&s;e God giues vnto a godly man in the end of this ver&s;e.</P>
<P>The precedent part of the ver&s;e, the &s;imilitude it &s;elfe, it hath in it the&s;e parts.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, whereunto the godly man is compared, <HI>to a Tree.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the nature of this Tree is de&s;cribed, not euery common or triuiall Tree, but &s;uch a Tree, which for the originall of it, <HI>planted:</HI> &s;econd|ly, for the &s;ituation of it, <HI>By the riuers of waters:</HI> thirdly, for the propertie of it, <HI>that will bring forth her fruit in due &s;ea&s;on:</HI> fourthly, by a contrary pro|pertie, <HI>who&s;e leafe &s;hall not fade.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, ob&s;erue by this Simi|litude,
<PB N="154" REF="87"> that man is compared to a Tree, and in three things e&s;pecially, the Shape, the Growth, and the State of a Tree.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man like to a Tree.</NOTE></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 In Shape.</NOTE> Man may well be compared to a tree in re&s;pect of his Shape. For as a Tree con&s;i&s;ts of the root, the &s;tock, and the boughes, or branches, euen &s;o doth man this mi&s;ticall tree. Hee hath his head which is the root, and haire as &s;mall rootes, his body as the &s;tock, and his armes and legges as &s;o many boughes, and fingers and toes as le&s;&s;er twigges: Onely the difference betweene the naturall tree, and man this My&s;ticall Tree is this: The naturall tree is rooted in the earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 27.28.</NOTE> receiuing as <HI>E&s;aus</HI> ble&s;&s;ing the <HI>Fatne&s;&s;e of the &s;ame;</HI> but man, this <HI>Heauenly Plant,</HI> deriues not his iuice and nouri&s;hment from the fatne&s;&s;e of the earth but from heauen aboue, according to Gods wi&s;e di&s;po&s;ing of his roote, which is aboue not below: and therefore are we exhor|ted by the Apo&s;tle to &s;et our affecti|ons on heauenly things, and not on
<PB N="155" REF="87"> things heere below, for wee through Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 1.4.</NOTE> are made partakers of the Diuine Natute, in heauen therefore mu&s;t our conuer&s;ation be.</P>
<P>Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 In growth.</NOTE> man may bee &s;aid to be like a Tree in re&s;pect of his growth; for a tree at fir&s;t is flexible by nature, and &s;o by degrees, a little and little, growes to be &s;tronger and &s;tronger, till it come to perfection, and then againe begins to wither &amp; to dry vp; &s;o fareth it with man this My&s;ticall Tree, while hee is in the &s;tate of in|fancy, he is as a tender twig, and his mind is as flexible as a twig: ea&s;ily inclined to vertue if hee bee accor|dingly educated, or el&s;e to vice if the &s;ame be neglected: an excellent <HI>caue|at</HI> to all parents and gouernours of youth, that they take a due time of correcting &amp; educating of the&s;e ten|der plants; namely, to bend the tree while it is a twig, for if it be &s;uffered it will grow to bee curele&s;&s;e: And as man is like to a tree in re&s;pect of his infancy and tender age, &s;o in re|&s;pect of his decrepit old age: for
<PB N="156" REF="88"> when the Tree is once come to his perfection in growth, it then de|caies and declines: &s;o fareth it with man, let him &s;eeme to bee as tall and as &s;traight as a Cedar Tree, hee mu&s;t become a &s;hrub againe, and &s;toup to age. For mans life is well compared to a day, who&s;e euening will mo&s;t certainely follow his mor|ning, vntill the night of death cau&s;e him to &s;leepe in the graue: <HI>For as there is a time to bee borne,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle. 3.1.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o there is a time to die.</HI> Be it, that now thou &s;ee|me&s;t to bee as &s;trong as the Oake, and as tall as the Cedar, as flouri&s;h|ing as the Bay Tree; yet at la&s;t rot|tenne&s;&s;e will creepe into the &s;tron|ge&s;t Oke, and &s;trength and tallne&s;&s;e will bee abated in thee, <HI>when the keepers of the hou&s;e &s;hall tremble,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 12.3.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 In State.</NOTE> Thirdly, man may bee compared to a Tree in re&s;pect of the State of a Tree, and that diuers waies.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, as the tale&s;t Cedar is in greate&s;t danger of winde and wea|ther: Euen &s;o the man that is tall, either in place of authority, riches,
<PB N="157" REF="88"> honour, or the like,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Loca quae alijs cel&s;a, ip&s;is pre|rumpa vi|dentur. Se|neca.</NOTE> is mo&s;t &s;ubiect to the a&s;&s;ault of Sathan, and the rage of wicked men: And men of &s;uch excellent places in Church, or Common-wealth, are more &s;ubiect to changes, di&s;fauours, to enuy, in|&s;urrections, poy&s;onings, murthe|rings, as to &s;o many raging winds, whereas tho&s;e that with little <HI>Da|uid, Tend the Ewes great with yong,</HI> are free from the&s;e a&s;&s;aults.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is commonly &s;eene <MILESTONE N="2"> the more tall the Tree is, the le&s;&s;e fruitfull. So fareth it with man na|turally, vnle&s;&s;e men bee &s;ea&s;oned by grace, riches, honout, dignity, or the like, are great occa&s;ions of an high minde, and a high minde is like vn|to a Mountaine, which the higher it is, the more barren it is. Where|as if hee bee meane, and humble of Spirit, hee may fitly bee compared to the valleyes, <HI>which are euer fruit|full</HI> and as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Stand thicke of Corne:</HI> For humility is the ground worke of Chri&s;tian ver|tues, and pride the roote of all
<PB N="158" REF="89"> euill, and the queene of all vice.</P>
<P>Thirdly, and la&s;tly, the end of euery tree is to become either timber for building, or fewell for burning: So fareth it with man this My&s;ticall tree; when death commeth, which is Gods Axe by the which hee doth cut vs downe, hee becommeth ei|ther timber for the Lords hou&s;e, <HI>when this earthly tabernacle &s;hall bee de&s;troyed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2.5.</NOTE> <HI>to bee a building, not made with hands, but eternall in the heauens:</HI> or el&s;e alas but fewell for the fire of Gods wrath,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 30.33.</NOTE> euen in <HI>Tophet,</HI> where there is fire and much wood, and where the Lords wrath, as the bel|lowes, &s;hall neuer cea&s;e blowing and kindling the &s;ame.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. Mini&s;ters duety to in&s;trct the &s;imple&s;t.</NOTE> It is heere fir&s;t of all to be noted that the Spirit of God &s;ets out the happine&s;&s;e of a godly man, by com|paring him to a goodly greene Tree. Hence we learne, fir&s;t of all that it is not onely lawfull but a commenda|ble &amp; profitable kind of teaching for Gods Mini&s;ters to illu&s;trate points of doctrine by &s;imilitudes and com|pari&s;ons,
<PB N="159" REF="89"> &s;o that they bee familiar and fit to make the people conceiue what they teach; and to rai&s;e compa|ri&s;ons from the Plow and Plow|&s;hare, to that end, that euen the &s;imple&s;t in a Congregation may vn|der&s;tand what is &s;aid, and what is taught. This was the cour&s;e of the Prophets from time to time in their Sermons to the people. This was the cour&s;e of our Sauiour him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 15. Math. 13. Iohn 10.1.</NOTE> who in all his Sermons v&s;eth both Parables and Similitudes, compa|ring good men to good Trees, bad men to bad Trees,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3.10. Luke 8.4.</NOTE> comparing Him|&s;elfe to a Vine, the Father to a Hu&s;|bandman, vs to Branches; Him&s;elfe to a Sheepheard, wee to Sheepe, and the word to twenty things: as Seed, Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, &amp;c. to teach all tho&s;e that are Gods Mini&s;ters, that when they preach vnto their people, that they lap not vp their &s;peech in a mi&s;t of words, but &s;o to deliuer it as that the meane&s;t and &s;hallowe&s;t amon|ge&s;t the hearers may vnder&s;tand it. Thence came the profe&s;sion of <HI>Paul,
<PB N="160" REF="90"> we preach not our &s;elues, but Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us our Lord,</HI> 2. <HI>Corinthians</HI> 4.5. And hence came that worthy re&s;olution of his, <HI>I had rather in the Church to &s;peake fiue words, &amp;c. that I might in|&s;truct others, then ten thou&s;and wordes in a &s;trange tongue,</HI> 1. <HI>Corinth.</HI> 14.19. In which words, by &s;trange tongue, we are not &s;imply to vnder&s;tand <HI>He|brew, Greeke, Latine, &amp;c.</HI> but by &s;pea|king of the mother-tong in a &s;trange maner. Preachers are fitly compared to a Nur&s;e; a Nur&s;e doth halfe chew the meate to the little one, and doth babble vnto them in their owne &s;tammering tongue: &s;o mu&s;t Prea|chers proportion their Doctrine to their hearers capacity, and fitte his tongue to their vnder&s;tanding.</P>
<P>This may &s;erue to reprooue &s;uch kinde of Preachers, who &s;eeke not to preach CHRIST crucified, but preach them&s;elues, euen &s;uch as in handling the word of God, &amp; prea|ching the Go&s;pel, &s;eek to &s;hew their owne learning, wit, art, and memory, and &s;o indeed preach not Chri&s;t, but
<PB N="161" REF="90"> them&s;elues, like the old Phari&s;ees, <HI>Louing the prai&s;e of men more then the prai&s;e of God:</HI> But what, &s;hall <HI>Dauid</HI> the Prophet of the Lord, or rather, the Spirit of God in him, &s;toupe &s;o low as to &s;peake to the vnder&s;tan|ding of all men, by &s;imilitudes, com|pari&s;ons, and the like: And &s;hall &s;in|full man, a worme of the earth, exalt him&s;elfe aboue God, to &s;eeke only to tickle itching eares with the words of mans wi&s;edome?</P>
<P>Seeing Gods Mini&s;ters mu&s;t bee <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> faithfull Teachers of the trueth of God, and mu&s;t deliuer the &s;ame in the plaine euidence of the Spirit, not with the enticing wordes of mans wi&s;edome; This &s;erues to direct the hearers in the Art of Hearing: They mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elues to Gods or|dinance, and be ready to know the will of God, we mu&s;t not haue itch|ing eares, that are not able to &s;uffer whole&s;ome Doctrine, like the Gen|tiles who de&s;pi&s;ed the Preaching of the Apo&s;tles, becau&s;e it was not &s;ti|led with mans painted eloquence,
<PB N="162" REF="91"> e&s;teeming it fooli&s;hnes. What is this but to &s;tint the Spirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 1.21</NOTE> and to teach the Lord to &s;peake? pre&s;cribing the Mini&s;ter what hee &s;hall &s;ay, and re|&s;training our hearing what we will heare? What then will follow but that we &s;hal heare without fruit, and the word to bee vnto vs onely a &s;a|uour of death vnto death.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. Double v&s;e of all the crea|tures of God.</NOTE> Hence wre ob&s;erue heere a &s;econd point of Doctrine, that &s;eeing the Prophet compareth a godly man to a Tree; That of all the creatures of God there is a double v&s;e, one Na|turall, the other Spirituall. As a Tree in nature &s;ignifies &s;uch plants of the earth as bring forth fruit ac|cording to their kind. Now be&s;ides this naturall &s;ignification, it &s;erues to put vs in minde what wee ought to bee;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 3.10</NOTE> namely, friutfull trees in the Lords orchard, le&s;t if we be barren, or bad, we proue fewell for the fire. A man hauing a tree in his Orchard, if it bring forth nothing but leaues, he will cut it, and prune it, and dung it; but if after all this co&s;t and labor
<PB N="163" REF="91"> it remaine &s;till barren, hee will then hew it downe as good for nothing but fewell for the fire. Hereby wee may &s;ee how God will deale with vs: Wee bee all <HI>Trees</HI> here <HI>planted</HI> in the Lords orchard, he doth water vs with the preaching of the Word, hee cuts vs and prunes vs.<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 5. Luk. 8.4.5.</NOTE> Now if after much co&s;t and labour wee &s;hall re|maine barren &s;till, if the Lord come three or foure yeares, and &s;till no fruite will be found, Hee will then bethinke him to &s;tub vs vp that wee couer not the ground. So by Sowing of corne into the ground to maine|taine mans life, our Sauiour leades vs to con&s;ider of another thing: for as the Sower ca&s;ts his Seede abroad into &s;undry &s;ortes of ground, and they according to their nature, bring forth fruit accordingly: Euen &s;o the Mini&s;ter of the Word, &s;catters and &s;owes the &s;eede of Gods word into the ground of mens hearts, and as they be prepared, &s;o they bring forth fruit: So by a Weauers &s;huttle wee &s;ee the &s;hortne&s;&s;e of mans life, gone
<PB N="164" REF="92"> in a moment. Do&s;t thou &s;ee how the winde driues the chaffe and du&s;t of the earth about, giuing it no re&s;t vn|till it be cleane di&s;per&s;ed away? Oh! con&s;ider then how the cur&s;e of God &s;hal follow and torment the wicked,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 4. of this p&s;alm</NOTE> and neuer let their &s;oules be at re&s;t, till it con&s;ume them. Do&s;t thou lie downe into thy bed euery night? oh! remember that thou mu&s;t &s;hortly lie downe in thy graue, be couered with du&s;t, and therefore prepare to die in the Lord. Do&s;t thou &s;ee the beauti|full gra&s;&s;e and hearbs of the earth cut downe and wither away?<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 60.</NOTE> &s;o thy beauty and riches &s;hall fade and pe|ri&s;h. When thou &s;ee&s;t a &s;tinking ca|rion, there behold a picture of thine owne &s;elfe, for no carion is &s;o loath|&s;ome to man, as a rebellious &s;inner to God. Do&s;t thou put on thy cloths to couer thy nakedne&s;&s;e? Oh labour for the precious robes of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>That thy filthy na|kedne&s;&s;e do not appeare.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reue. 3.18</NOTE> Do&s;t thou but wa&s;h thy hands in water, oh la|bour for the bloud of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
<PB N="165" REF="92"> to wa&s;h away the &s;pots of thy &s;ins?<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.15</NOTE> Do&s;t thou but &s;it downe to eate and to drinke to nouri&s;h thy body, with|out which it could not liue: Oh con|&s;ider that thy &s;oule doth much more &s;tand in need of the bread of Life, the food of thy &s;oule? Do&s;t thou &s;ee &s;ometimes brim&s;tone burning: oh con&s;ider and quake for feare of the dreadfull iudgement of God vpon Sodome and Gomer, that were bur|ned with fire and brim&s;tone; and how all &s;inners &s;hall haue their por|tion in the <HI>Lake of fire and brim&s;tone?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE> Do&s;t thou but take a booke into thy hand, and open it leafe by leafe: Oh con&s;ider, that the time will come when the <HI>Bookes of thy con&s;cience &s;hall be opened,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 20.</NOTE> wherein all thy &s;innes are written one by one, and thou &s;halt then receiue according to thy workes. And thus wee &s;ee that of all the creatures of God, there is a dou|ble v&s;e to be made of them: The one Naturall, the other Spirituall, one Temporall, the other Eternall.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="166" REF="93">
<Q>Hee &s;hall bee like a Tree planted by the Riuers of water.</Q>
<P>THIS part of the &s;imilitude, doth &s;ignifie vnto vs our im|planting and ingrafting into IESVS CHRIST his My&s;ticall Body, by the worke of GODS Spirit, and by the meanes of a true and liuely Faith.</P>
<P>This word <HI>Planted,</HI> it is a Meta|phoricall &s;peech and borrowed from the practi&s;e of Husbandmen, who fir&s;t take vp their plants out of the nurcery or place where they fir&s;t &s;pring vp, and then <HI>Plant them</HI> in the Orchard or Vineyard: So fareth it with man this <HI>Heauenly Plant.</HI> And the compari&s;on holds good in di|uers things.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, for the circum&s;tance of <HI>time</HI> when the plants of the earth are thus remoued, and that not v&s;ually in Sommer, when the heate of the yeare is vp, and the &s;ap is gone vp into the plant, but in the winter
<PB N="167" REF="93"> time this is v&s;ually to bee &s;eene for the mo&s;t part. Euen &s;o, the time in the which the godly man is planted, it is in the winter time, that is, the time of &s;orrow and &s;ore affliction; not in the Sommer of peace, when all things outwardly may &s;eeme to go well with a man, &amp; he &s;aith peace, peace; but when God doth giue vn|to a man the &s;ight of his &s;inne, and lets him &s;ee the reward of &s;in, euen eternall death: Oh,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.</NOTE> when a mans &s;ins doe thus mu&s;ter them&s;elues be|fore vs, and again&s;t vs; Oh this win|ter time, this time of affliction and &s;orrow: now is the &s;ea&s;on of the remouing of this heauenly Plant <HI>Man.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, as a Plant is remoued, <MILESTONE N="2"> not when it is fruitfull, but remoued to that end it may be fruiefull: So fareth it with man this My&s;ticall Tree: Wee are not fruitfull by na|ture before &s;uch time as we are <HI>plan|ted</HI> and ingrafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, for till then wee bring forth nothing but bitter and vn&s;auory fruite; but
<PB N="168" REF="94"> wee are <HI>planted</HI> to that end we may bee fruitfull, and being once in Chri&s;t, we &s;hall then as liuing <HI>Plants</HI> of that <HI>liuely Stock,</HI> bring forth fruit incontinently.</P>
<P>In particularly, this <HI>Planting</HI> hath in it two things
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 <HI>Plucking vp.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 <HI>Setting downe.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The plucking vp &s;hadowes out vnto vs three things in the conuer|&s;ion of a &s;inner.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, our &s;eparation from the world, hee cannot be in Chri&s;t that hath his rooting &s;till in the earth, among&s;t the men of the world: and therefore, as wee haue heard before, wee mu&s;t be carefull, that <HI>wee walke not in the coun&s;ell of the wicked, nor &s;tand in the way of &s;inners, nor &s;it in the &s;eate of the &s;connefull:</HI> They are as &s;o ma|ny noy&s;ome &s;hrubs that will be rea|dy to fret the tender <HI>Plants</HI> of the Lord, and to annoy them, and there|fore wee mu&s;t bee remoued from among&s;t them, that is, mu&s;t haue no &s;ecret &s;ociety with them.</P>
<PB N="169" REF="94">
<P>Secondly, it &s;ignifies our deliue|rance from the power of originall &s;inne thus: For as a <HI>Plant</HI> once re|moued receiues no more iuice nor nouri&s;hment from the old earth, from which it is remoued, but from that &s;oyle into the which it is plan|ted: So fareth it with this heauenly <HI>Plant,</HI> being regenerate and ingraf|ted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, there will fol|low &s;uch a change of will, affecti|on, vnder&s;tanding, and the like fa|culties of &s;oule and body, that whereas before they were altoge|ther earthly, carnall, and vaine, &s;o now they minde heauenly things, being &s;anctified by the Spirit of Grace; and the power of Nature,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.</NOTE> that is, that old &s;ap of &s;inne, being done away.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it &s;ignifies a Chri&s;tian mans &s;orow for &s;inne: for as no <HI>Plant</HI> can bee remoued from one place to another, but the axe, and other in|&s;trument, of the Husbandman, mu&s;t bee laid vnto it, and many a roote mu&s;t bee cut off before it can bee
<PB N="170" REF="95"> remoued: So fareth it with man this <HI>Heauenly Plant;</HI> the Lords Hu&s;|bandmen, which are his Mini&s;ters, they mu&s;t bring the Axe of Gods Word, and lay the &s;ame to the root of our con&s;ciences, and wee mu&s;t haue many an vnprofitable &s;prout of nature cut off, before wee can be taken out of nature, and ingrafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; the rootes, that is thy affections, that haue taken &s;uch deepe rooting into thy profits, into thy plea&s;ures, and the like; All the&s;e mu&s;t bee cut off before thou can&s;t be planted into Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 3. All men that are not ingraf|ted into IESVS CHRIST are mi&s;e|rable.</NOTE> Hence marke, in that the Pro|phet <HI>Dauid,</HI> compares a godly man thus to a <HI>Tree,</HI> not wilde but <HI>Plan|ted,</HI> and that by the <HI>Riuers</HI> of <HI>water,</HI> and that this is a &s;igne of our in&s;iti|on or ingrafting into CHRIST his My&s;ticall Body whereby we are made Members of the &s;ame. Hence I &s;ay, we are taught that all men out of CHRIST are mi&s;erable, one|ly they be ble&s;&s;ed that be vnited vn|to IESVS CHRIST, and ingraf|ted
<PB N="171" REF="95"> into his my&s;ticall body. Our Sauiour &s;peaketh of this when hee compares his Father to a Husband|man, him&s;elfe to a Vine, and all of vs to Branches: Now hee &s;hewes, that tho&s;e that bee not ingrafted in|to him, that they bee but dead and withered boughes, and therefore they mu&s;t bee burned in the fire. We are all by nature wilde Oliues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15.1.2 Rom. 11.</NOTE> that bring forth nothing but &s;owre and vn&s;auoury fruit till wee bee tran&s;|planted by the Spirit of God, and ingrafted into the &s;weet Oliue Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Wee &s;ee this plaine by common experience, take a &s;ci|ene from a Tree, and vnle&s;&s;e it bee ingrafted into another Stocke, it will die and neuer beare fruite: So, vnle&s;&s;e wee bee grafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t by faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 2.1.2.3. Iohn 5.6. Iohn 8.35. Rom. 3.13. Eph. 4.18.</NOTE> and the Spirit of God, wee mu&s;t needs wi|ther and come to nothing, but proue fewell for the fire of Gods vengeance. And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;hewing the e&s;tate of all men by Nature, out of Chri&s;t, &s;aith, that <HI>wee are all dead
<PB N="172" REF="96"> in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;innes; The children of wrath;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.3.5. 1. Cor. 4.4. 2. Tim. 2.26. Ioh. 8.33.</NOTE> yea the very va&s;&s;als of the de|uill, and limbes of Sathan, heires GODS vengeance and eternall damnation, <HI>wee are without GOD in the world, &s;trangers from the common|weale of I&s;rael,</HI> in a cur&s;ed and dam|nable e&s;tate. <HI>Vnle&s;&s;e a man bee borne anew hee can neuer enter into the King|dome of Heauen.</HI> Yea, the Deuill is called the God of this world, be|cau&s;e all men, by Nature, are his va&s;&s;als and &s;laues, hee reignes and rules in them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.23. Exod. 1.11 Colo&s;. 2.3.</NOTE> Wee are in the deuils clawes, and taken in his &s;nares to do his will. This is the common &s;lauery of all, high, low, rich, poore, noble, and &s;imple. Let men boa&s;t neuer &s;o much in outward re&s;pects, as &s;ome|times the Iewes did, <HI>wee were neuer bound to any;</HI> yet vntill the Sonne of Righteou&s;nes Chri&s;t Ie&s;us doe make them free, this is their captiuitie. We reade in what an intollerable bon|dage the people of I&s;rael were in, in Egypt vnder <HI>Pharoah:</HI> But it can no way figure out vnto vs the mi&s;era|ble
<PB N="173" REF="96"> &s;lauery and bondage that euery man is in vnder the &s;pirituall <HI>Pha|raoh</HI> Sathan: for heere the &s;oule, the will, the affection, and all are cap|tiued and held in his &s;nares <HI>To doe his will.</HI></P>
<P>The v&s;e hereof may &s;erue to hum|ble <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> vs, and to cau&s;e the lofty to &s;trike &s;aile, which ioy &s;o much in outward things, riches, honour, beauty, &s;trength, authority, &amp;c. Alas! what of all the&s;e when in the meane time thou thy &s;elfe art but a &s;laue vnto &s;inne and &s;athan, a dead and withe|red Tree, re&s;erued for the fire of GODS wrath, eternal death is thy &s;ure&s;t inheritance: If thou ha&s;t thy right what can&s;t thou expect but the fire of hell? It is Natures de&s;ert, and that which Nature doth aime at: Why art thou then (O man) &s;o &s;e|cure when thy &s;innes haue ca&s;t thee into &s;uch a di&s;mall e&s;tate: Oh let vs labour to come out of it, let vs not &s;uffer our eyes to &s;leepe, nor our eye-lids to &s;lumber till wee haue got the a&s;&s;urance that wee are taken
<PB N="174" REF="97"> out of the &s;tate of Nature into the &s;tate of Grace, and to be by faith in|grafted into this true Stock Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly, this &s;hewes that all tho&s;e that liue and die in the e&s;tate of Nature vnregenerate, not borne anew, not ingrafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, mu&s;t needs peri&s;h and bee damned for euer. The Apo&s;tle &s;hewes that all men by Nature bee &s;tarke dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;innes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.3 5. Eph. 2.1.2.2.</NOTE> and that all by Nature are the chil|dren of wrath, as well as others, high, low; rich, and poore; old, yong; learned, and vnlearned: This is that our Sauiour &s;aith, <HI>Vnle&s;&s;e yee repent yee &s;hall all peri&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13.5.</NOTE> And againe, <HI>If any man abide not in Mee, hee is ca&s;t off as a withered branch,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 15.6.</NOTE> <HI>and men gather them and ca&s;t them into the fire, and they burne:</HI> Oh! how &s;hould this admoni&s;h all men to look about them: It is wonderfull to &s;ee how men go on from day to day, &s;ecurely in their &s;innes, and neither thinke of heauen nor hell, but per&s;euer and
<PB N="175" REF="97"> continue in their ignorance, vnbe|liefe, and hardne&s;&s;e of heart, in &s;wearing, contempt of the Word, prophaning the Sabboth, in lying, &s;tealing, adultery, &amp;c.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 50.</NOTE> <HI>O con&s;ider this yee that forget GOD!</HI> Oh con&s;ider the woefull and fearefull e&s;tate of all &s;uch as liue and die out of Chri&s;t in the e&s;tate of nature, they mu&s;t needs peri&s;h and for euer bee dam|ned: Oh thinke of this, and the LORD giue thee vnder&s;tanding in all things, that euery day thou ri|&s;e&s;t thou art in danger to loo&s;e thy owne &s;oule, and therefore lay this doctrine to heart, and know that it is not good to dally in &s;uch points, God will not bee mocked: And therefore now beginne to re|pent and turne vnto God while it is called to day: Deferre no lon|ger, but repent and &s;eeke to bee re|conciled to God while it is called to day.</P>
<P>The &s;econd part of this doctrine is, that as all tho&s;e that bee out of Chri&s;t, are mi&s;erable and cur&s;ed, and
<PB N="176" REF="98"> if they liue and die in the &s;tate of <NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 4. Onely the regene|rate man is happy &amp; ble&s;&s;ed.</NOTE> Nature, cannot bee &s;aued: So on the other &s;ide, all tho&s;e that are Regene|rate, and borne anew, that bee in|grafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t by Faith and the Spirit of God; &s;o as they be the true and liuely Members of Chri&s;t his My&s;ticall Body, they are ble&s;&s;ed and happy. Now that the&s;e are ble&s;&s;ed it may appeare in that ble&s;&s;ed prayer Chri&s;t made a little before his pa&s;&s;ion; Hee begs this at his Fathers hand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 17.</NOTE> <HI>That all the Elect might bee one in Him, and Hee in them:</HI> And this Hee begs often and earne&s;t vnto his Father for; which &s;hewes, that it is a matter of endle&s;&s;e mo|ment and great importance. Now that &s;uch as be one with Chri&s;t, are truely ble&s;&s;ed, let vs con&s;ider a little what great and incomparable bene|fites we receiue by this our planting and ingrafting into Chri&s;t his My&s;ti|call Body.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, hereby it comes to pa&s;&s;e that euery true Beleeuer hath &s;weet vni|on and communion with God the
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<PB N="179" REF="98"> houre, and which &s;hall one day as certainely be executed vpon the wic|ked, as now they liue.</P>
<P>Now in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, by being vnited to him, and being members of his My&s;ticall Body, we haue three wonderfull remedies, again&s;t the&s;e three fearefull mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, for the bond of obligation again&s;t vs, Hee hath taken it away,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.14.</NOTE> and nayled it to his Cro&s;&s;e, and cro&s;|&s;ed and canceled the &s;ame with his owne Heart Bloud.</P>
<P>Secondly, for the &s;tinking filthi|ne&s;&s;e and corruption of &s;inne, Chri&s;t hath both perfectly obeyed the Law for vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.1.</NOTE> and al&s;o couered vs in his owne righteou&s;nes, as <HI>Iacob</HI> in <HI>E&s;aus</HI> garment.</P>
<P>Thirdly, for the mo&s;t iu&s;t and in|tollerable puni&s;hment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 53.5. Gal. 2.20. Reu. 1.6.</NOTE> Hee &s;tood in our &s;teed vpon the Cro&s;&s;e, and paid the full price and puni&s;hment for our &s;innes: for when Chri&s;t &s;uffered in our &s;teed, it was as much as if we had &s;uffered.</P>
<P>The fourth maine benefite which
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<PB N="180" REF="101"> euery godly man hath, by being one with Chri&s;t is, Sanctification: which is a wonderfull and &s;upernaturall worke of Gods holy Spirit, whereby euery godly man, that is a true and liuely Member of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, is freed, both in mind, will, and affecti|on from the bondage and &s;lauery of &s;in and &s;athan, and is by little and little inabled and &s;trengthened by the Spirit of God, to will, de&s;ire, and approue that which is good, and ho|ly, and to walke in it.</P>
<P>And this Sanctification hath two parts, Mortification, and Viuificati|on: by the former is &s;inne euery day more and more mortified, weakned, and con&s;umed: by the later, inhe|rent righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is put into them, whereby they walke with God in newne&s;&s;e of life.</P>
<P>Now both the&s;e parts of Sanctifi|cation are wrought after this maner. Fir&s;t, after the Chri&s;tian man is vni|ted to Chri&s;t, planted into him as in|to a Stocke, and become a liuing member of his my&s;tical body, Chri&s;t
<PB N="181" REF="101"> Ie&s;us then by his Spirit workes in him two ble&s;&s;ed workes.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the godly man ingrafted in|to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, receiueth power and &s;trength from the death of Chri&s;t to die to all &s;inne: So as the power of Chri&s;ts death and pa&s;&s;ion doth kill &s;inne, and mortifie their corrup|tions, <HI>For as many as are bapti&s;ed into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, are bapti&s;ed into the &s;imili|tude of his death. Rom.</HI> 6.4. So as the death of Chri&s;t is as a corra&s;iue to eate vp and to con&s;ume all rotten fle&s;h, and the corruptions of our hearts, it eates out &s;inne and frets it away by little and little, till it bee vt|terly aboli&s;hed by death when our Sanctification &s;hall be perfected.</P>
<P>Secondly, euery godly man re|ceiueth power and &s;trength from Chri&s;ts re&s;urrection to ri&s;e out of the graue of &s;in to newne&s;&s;e of life to walke with God in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;nes. Euen as we &s;ee all the parts of the body being ioyned to the head, receiue life &amp; motion from it: Euen &s;o euery Chri&s;tian, as &s;o
<PB N="182" REF="102"> many parts and members of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us the Head, receiue from him &s;pirituall life and motion, whereby they walke with God in new obe|dience.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> This doctrine doth fir&s;t of all con|demne the doctrine of the aduer&s;ary, That man hath free-will in him&s;elfe: wee &s;ee here, that this my&s;ticall Tree <HI>Man,</HI> mu&s;t bee <HI>planted,</HI> hee can not plant him&s;elfe. Indeed man at his fir&s;t creation had free-will in him|&s;elfe, but &s;ince his fall, that ble&s;&s;ing is now fallen away and vtterly lo&s;t in man. And the proofe of this point may appeare vnto vs, if we will re&s;t vpon the te&s;timony of God him|&s;elfe, who profe&s;&s;eth thus of man, that <HI>The imagination of mans heart is euill,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.21.</NOTE> <HI>from his youth vp.</HI> Now what good can bee willed of him who is fir&s;t <HI>euill?</HI> Secondly, who&s;e heart is a fountaine of all euill. Thirdly, who&s;e imaginations, as &s;treames of that fountaine, are euill, and that not for a time, but euer <HI>from his youth vp.</HI> So that now &s;ince the fall
<PB N="183" REF="102"> of man, the freedome of mans will to goodne&s;&s;e is &s;o inthralled and eclip&s;ed, as that of our &s;elues wee cannot plant our &s;elues into grace, or into Chri&s;t: for wee are as <HI>Trees,</HI> not planting our &s;elues, but mu&s;t bee planted by God, <HI>For hee &s;hall bee as a Tree planted.</HI></P>
<P>This magnifieth the free grace of <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> God aboue mans free-wll, or merit; for whereas we do faile to plant our &s;elues, yet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 5.21.</NOTE> as it appeareth by the Text, wee are planted. It is the Lord that mu&s;t worke in vs both the will and the deed; he mu&s;t turne him&s;elfe vnto vs, before wee can turne vnto him. This is acknowledged by the Prophet <HI>Daniel</HI> in that worthy pray|er of his when hee &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9.9. Rom. 6.23 Ephe&s; 2.8. Luk. 12.32</NOTE> <HI>Compa&s;&s;ion and forgiuene&s;&s;e is in the Lord our God, albeit we haue &s;inned again&s;t him.</HI> This is taught by the Apo&s;tle when hee &s;aith, that <HI>Eternall life is the free gift of God.</HI> Yea our Sauiour Chri&s;t him&s;elfe doth confirme the truth of this when hee &s;aith;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 15.13 Ephe&s;. 1.6. 1. Pet. 2.10</NOTE> <HI>Euery plant which my heauenly Father hath not planted
<PB N="184" REF="103"> &s;hall bee rooted vp.</HI> Yea it is worth our be&s;t ob&s;eruation, That the whole worke of mans &s;aluation is called by the name of the worke of Grace or of Mercy. And therefore on what part &s;oeuer we ca&s;t our eies, we &s;hall &s;ee the free grace and mercy of God: Beginne wee at the foundation of all <HI>Gods eternall election,</HI> and come from thence to the period of all <HI>Mans glo|rification,</HI> and &s;till aske the que&s;tion from what root each part &s;pringeth? The an&s;were mu&s;t bee, From the free Grace and Mercy of God: It was the free grace and mercy of God, that he &s;hould elect vs: It was the free grace and mercy of God, that hee &s;hould &s;end Chri&s;t to redeeme vs: It was the free grace and mercy of God that he &s;hould call vs, that he &s;hould iu&s;tifie vs, that hee &s;hould &s;anctifie vs; and what can it be but the free grace and mercy of God, that wee &s;hall be ad|mitted to an <HI>Inheritance immortall and vndefiled?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 1.4.</NOTE> So that wee &s;ee here in the whole work of mans redemption by Chri&s;t, There is no footing left for
<PB N="185" REF="103"> humane merite: For the free grace and mercy of God and mans righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e cannot po&s;&s;ible &s;tand toge|ther, they will neuer admit any com|po&s;ition, and therefore we mu&s;t con|clude for the whole worke of mans Redemption, and &s;ay; <HI>Not vnto vs Lord, not vnto vs, but vnto thy Name giue the glory.</HI></P>
<P>La&s;tly, &s;eeing all men out of <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Chri&s;t bee mi&s;erable, and tho&s;e one|ly that bee in Chri&s;t be ble&s;&s;ed, let vs labour while wee liue, to bee a&s;&s;ured of this, that wee are regenerate, that wee are the true, and liuely members of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. All men &s;ay they hope to bee &s;aued, but tho&s;e that be planted and ingrafted into him, none but they that bee regenerate and borne anew,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 3.6. Rom. 1.16. 1. Cor. 1.21</NOTE> none but &s;uch as do re|pent and beleeue in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and bee the true and liuely members of his My&s;ticall Body.</P>
<P>And to the end that wee bee not deceiued in &s;o weighty a matter, but that wee may a&s;&s;uredly know whe|ther Chri&s;t dwell in our hearts by his
<PB N="186" REF="104"> Spirit, and we dwell in him by faith, &s;o as we be true and liuely members of his my&s;ticall Body; let vs try it by the&s;e two waies. Fir&s;t, by the power of Chri&s;ts death: Secondly, by his re|&s;urrection. If thou bee a member of Chri&s;t, thou &s;halt finde the power of Chri&s;ts death, daily crucifying the old man, and eating out the cor|ruption of thy nature: for as wee &s;ee in a mans body, when there is much dead fle&s;h in a wound, they lay cor|zie medicines to it, to eate it out: &s;o the death of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t applyed to our hearts by faith, doth fret and eate out as a corzie, the corruption of Nature,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.1.23. Rom. 6. &amp; 7.8.</NOTE> our dead fle&s;h: So as Chri&s;t by his death maketh all his members die vnto &s;inne, &s;o as they can not liue in the bondage and &s;la|uery of &s;inne.</P>
<P>Now then proue your &s;elues, you hope to bee &s;aued by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us: But bee not deceiued, Chri&s;t died for none but &s;uch as bee vnited to him, his true and liuely mem|bers: And none are his members
<PB N="187" REF="104"> but &s;uch as find and feele the power of his death, to mortifie, kill, and weaken the power of &s;inne, and na|turall corruption. Doe you then find &s;inne to die in you? Doe you finde the &s;trength of your corruption to bee abated, the heate of it to bee a|layed? Doe you feele Chri&s;tes death fretting it out, &s;o as you can &s;ay; I hate &s;inne, I abhorre &s;inne? It is as bitter as Wormewood vnto mee. Doe you finde this change in your liues, that you leaue your old &s;innes, labouring to get out of ig|norance, to leaue &s;wearing, lying, &s;tealing, drinking, whooring, &amp;c. then your ca&s;e is good, it is an eui|dent token that you are ingrafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. But if on the con|trary part you finde that &s;inne is as &s;trong now as euer it was, and that you are the &s;ame now that you were &s;euen yeares agoe, now dying to &s;inne, and ri&s;ing to newne&s;&s;e of life. Oh deceiue not youe owne &s;oules any longer! your ca&s;e as yet is fearefull, you bee not the liuely
<PB N="188" REF="105"> members of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; but wilde Oliues, dead branches, good for no|thing but fewell for the fire.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;eco~d property of this tree</NOTE> Which bringeth forth her fruit in due &s;ea&s;on.</Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">This Tree whereun|to the god|ly man is compared is mo&s;t like to bee the palme tree <HI>Maler. in P&s;alm.</HI> 1.</NOTE> THis is the &s;econd property of that Tree whereunto a godly man is compared: namely, as it is wel planted and &s;eated by the <HI>Riuers &s;ide,</HI> where it hath continuall iuice and nouri&s;hment, and is well watered: Euen &s;o likewi&s;e it is fruitfull, and yeeldeth &s;weete and plea&s;ant fruit to him that planted it. And that <HI>In due &s;ea&s;on.</HI> Euen &s;o the godly man being ingrafted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Palma gau|d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> rignis totoque ani|mo bibere gaudet. Pli. lib. <HI>13.4: P&s;al. 92.12</HI></NOTE> as by a riuers &s;ide, and being a liue|ly member of his My&s;ticall Body, hee bringeth forth much good and plea&s;ant fruite, and that in <HI>Due &s;ea|&s;on:</HI> When as it may be&s;t &s;tand for the glory of God, and the good of man.</P>
<P>Heere wee &s;ee then who are the
<PB N="189" REF="105"> true and liuely members or Ie&s;us<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 5. Members of Chri&s;t are euer fruitfull.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, who is a true godly man: and who is planted as this good Tree in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the true Vine. Name|ly, &s;uch as bee carefull and endeuour them&s;elues continually to bring forth the ble&s;&s;ed fruite of a godly and Chri&s;tian life; <HI>Euery Tree is knowne by his fruite:</HI> A Tree is not knowne by his rhinde, nor barke, nor branches, nor yet by his leaues, <HI>But euery Tree is knowne by his fruite, Matthew</HI> the twelfth chapter and the foure and thirty ver&s;e: a good Tree cannot but bring forth good fruite, and a bad tree cannot but bring forth bad fruit: So euery man is knowne by his fruite: Hee that is a godly man, and a true and liuely member of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, can not but bring forth good fruite, euen the fruit of good workes, and a godly life: &s;o a wicked man can|not but bring forth bad fruit, the workes of darkene&s;&s;e, of a wicked and vngodly life. We &s;ee if a grift or &s;ciene bee &s;et into a good Stock, and
<PB N="190" REF="106"> take aright, it will appeare by the yeelding of fruit. But if it doe not pro&s;per, then it withers and dies, and is good for nothing but the fire. So if any man &s;eeme to bee a Chri&s;tian, and to be a member of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and yet bring not forth good fruite; Surely his e&s;tate is fearefull; while he is vnfruitfull, he mu&s;t be pulled a|way as a withered branch, and to the fire he mu&s;t go.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 21.19</NOTE> A true Chri&s;tian mu&s;t not be like the tree which Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us cur&s;ed, which had leaues and no fruit, but he mu&s;t be like to the <HI>Tree planted by the riuers &s;ide, that will bring forth fruit in due &s;ea&s;on.</HI> Yea that which is more, <HI>They bring forth fruit in their age. P&s;al.</HI> 92.14. whereas euill men, as the Apo&s;tle S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith. 2. <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.13 <HI>wax wor&s;e and wor&s;e,</HI> and fall away from God daily more and more: this was the &s;umme of the Doctrine of <HI>Iohn</HI> Bapti&s;t to his hearers, that they would <HI>Bring forth fruit worthy amend|ment of life. Mat.</HI> 3.8. And the like is v&s;ed by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Let your conuer|&s;ation be &s;uch, as becommeth the Go&s;pell</HI>
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<PB N="193" REF="106"> thing el&s;e but that grace of God in a mans heart whereby he beleeues the promi&s;e of &s;aluation and the promi|&s;es of the Go&s;pell, and applies them to his owne &s;oule, and therfore Saint <HI>Iames</HI> &s;aith;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 2.</NOTE> <HI>Shew mee thy faith by thy workes:</HI> Do&s;t thou delight in the Law of God, and loue his Word? Do&s;t thou delight in his wor&s;hip, and calling on his Name? Do&s;t thou find thy faith to <HI>Purifie thy heart?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 15.9.</NOTE> This is &s;ome part of that fruite which God requireth of thee: This fruite <HI>Peter</HI> brought forth, <HI>Thou art Chri&s;t the Son of the liuing God: Math.</HI> 16.16. This was the fruit that the Di&s;ciple <HI>Iohn</HI> brought forth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.69. Ioh. 11.27.</NOTE> <HI>Wee beleeue and know that thou art Chri&s;t the Sonne of the liuing God,</HI> And indeed this is the fir&s;t &s;tone that is to bee laid in the building vp of a Chri&s;tian, and therefore very fitly called a <HI>Founda|tion:</HI> and the Collo&s;&s;ians are &s;aid to bee <HI>Rooted,</HI> and <HI>Built,</HI> and <HI>Stabli&s;hed in the Faith; Col.</HI> 2.27. And indeed, this is that &s;ure foundation that &s;hall beare vp the whole frame of our
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<PB N="194" REF="109"> &s;oules again&s;t all windes, and wea|thers. It is the fir&s;t worke of change in the heart, and the fir&s;t difference betwixt man and man, when God <HI>by faith purifieth the heart:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 15.9.</NOTE> It will &s;uffer no vncleane thoughts, vnlaw|full lu&s;ts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> or wandring motions to harbour there, it guideth the affecti|ons, loue, hatred, &s;orrow, &amp;c. Such a man loues nothing more then God, hates nothing more then &s;inne, reioyceth in nothing more then in doing the will of God, and &s;orrowes for nothing more their that hee &s;hould offend &s;o good and gracious a God. Againe, it is the foundation of all our obedience; <HI>For without faith it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.6.</NOTE> And without it wee can neither pray, heare, or performe any duety that &s;hall bee acceptable with God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Of repen|tance.</NOTE> The &s;econd is the fruite of <HI>Repen|tance,</HI> whereby a man is humbled for his &s;innes pa&s;t, and is affraid of &s;inne in time to come. This fruit of Repentance is of ab&s;olute nece&s;|&s;ity
<PB N="195" REF="109"> to &s;aluation, according to that of our Sauiour, <HI>Except yee repent, yee &s;hall all peri&s;h. Luk.</HI> 13.5. And onely godly &s;orrow mu&s;t worke this true repentance in a man: <HI>Godly &s;orrow cau&s;eth repentance in a man to &s;aluation:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 7.10</NOTE> And therefore in the Scriptures are recorded the mournings of the god|ly in the daies of their humiliation. <HI>Dauids Fainting: P&s;al.</HI> 6.6. <HI>Ezechias chattering like a Crane: E&s;ay</HI> 38.14. <HI>Iob abhorring him&s;elfe in du&s;t and a&s;hes. Peter weeping bitterly. Math.</HI> 26.75. <HI>Mary Magdalene wa&s;hing Chri&s;ts feete with her Teares: Luke</HI> 7.38. And <HI>Paul</HI> crying out, <HI>O wretched man that I am! Rom.</HI> 7.24. Wee mu&s;t mourne with the&s;e heere,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 126.5</NOTE> if wee will reioyce with them heereafter: And &s;urely if there were neither heauen nor hell, neither reward nor puni&s;hment, yet the godly would &s;orrow for &s;inne; for offending their good and graci|ous God and louing Father. Be&s;ides this &s;orrow in a godly man for his &s;ins pa&s;t, he is exceeding affraid of &s;in in time to come: as <HI>Dauid</HI> was, who
<PB N="196" REF="110"> prayed vnto God &s;o earne&s;tly, that hee would <HI>Stabli&s;h him with his free Spirit: P&s;alme</HI> fifty one, and the tenth ver&s;e: That &s;eeing hee had &s;uch woefull experience of his owne weakene&s;&s;e, he prayes vnto the Lord that hee would giue him his preuen|ting grace that hee might neuer fall into the like &s;in againe. So the godly I&s;raelites in <HI>Ezra</HI> his time, <HI>Ezr.</HI> 9.10.3. when they had with griefe of heart bewailed their &s;innes vnto God, they re&s;olue to make a <HI>Coue|nant with God,</HI> and &s;olemnly to bind them&s;elues to put away their &s;trange wiues, whereby they had &s;o much di&s;honoured him. And &s;o it is with all the faithfull, euen as a good child hauing by his vntowardne&s;&s;e vexed his father, is carefull after|wards to plea&s;e him againe by all meanes po&s;&s;ible. Well then, do&s;t thou finde the&s;e fruits of true repen|tance in thee? art thou grieued, and euen payned at thy heart for thy wicked life, for thy ignorance, vn|beleefe, hardne&s;&s;e of heart, thy neg|lect
<PB N="197" REF="110"> of prayer and calling on Gods Name? Art thou grieued for want of reuerence in Gods wor&s;hip, for thy abu&s;ing Gods Name by &s;wearing, cur&s;ing, and banning, for contempt of his Word and Sacra|ments, for prophaning of his Sa|boaths, carele&s;&s;e gouerning of thy Family, for thy malice, vnbeleefe, vncleane, proud, and couetous thoughts, drunkene&s;&s;e, vncleane&s;&s;e, and the like? Againe, do&s;t thou finde in thee an earne&s;t de&s;ire to walke with God, in obedience to all his Commandements, to liue in no knowne &s;inne, but in all things to plea&s;e God to the vtmo&s;t of thy power. The&s;e be the fruites of righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e whereby wee are knowne to bee of God.</P>
<P>The third is the fruite of <HI>New O|bedience,</HI> or of a godly life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Of Obe|dience.</NOTE> both in the obedience of Gods Lawes in the fir&s;t and &s;econd Table: Chri&s;t makes this the eare-marke of his &s;heepe, <HI>To heare his voyce and follow him. Ioh.</HI> 10. And wee are willed by the Au|thour
<PB N="198" REF="111"> of the Epi&s;tle to the Hebrews, to <HI>ca&s;t away euery thing that pre&s;&s;eth downe,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.1.</NOTE> <HI>and the &s;inne that hangeth &s;o fa&s;t on, and to runne with patience to the race that is &s;et before vs.</HI> This was godly <HI>Dauids</HI> re&s;olution: <HI>I will runne the way of thy Commandements;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119 32</NOTE> and <HI>Dauid</HI> de&s;cribing the true wor&s;hip|pers of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.1. P&s;al. 15.2.</NOTE> &s;aith; <HI>They goe on from &s;trength to &s;trength, &s;eruing God in truth of heart, without hypocri&s;ie:</HI> And it is &s;aid here, That the fruit of a godly man doth <HI>neuer fade:</HI> And how&s;oe|uer the worke of mortification is neuer perfected in this life, but that the remnants and reliques of &s;inne will &s;till remaine euen in the godly them&s;elues, yet they euer &s;inne with griefe of heart, and CHRISTS death doth &s;et &s;uch a worke-again&s;t all &s;inne, that the regenerate man can truely &s;ay; <HI>It is not I, but &s;inne that dwelleth in mee:</HI> So then, if thou de&s;i|re&s;t to plea&s;e God in all his Com|mandements, at all times, and in all places, and to doe all duties of loue vnto men required in the Comman|dements
<PB N="199" REF="111"> of the &s;econd Table, &s;hewing thy fruites in doing good to the poore di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Members of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, feeding, cloathing, and comforting them in their need: In thy generall calling to bring forth the fruit of godline&s;&s;e, to bee much and often exerci&s;ed in Prayer, Hearing, Reading, Meditating, &amp;c. As al&s;o in thy particular cal|ling to do thy duety with faith and a good con&s;cience, without fraude, guile, deceipt, &amp;c. The&s;e be the fruits that are required in all tho&s;e that are the Members of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and ingrafted into his my&s;ti|call body.</P>
<P>This Doctrine doth flatly con|demne <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> all &s;uch, as vnfruitfull and barren Trees, as bring forth no fruit of a godly, righteous, and re|ligious life, &s;uch as liue in continu|all ignorance, blindne&s;&s;e, hardne&s;&s;e of heart, in contempt of the Word, prophanation of the Sabaoth, our ciuill hone&s;t men which are &s;o much admired; if they bee not
<PB N="200" REF="112"> good Chri&s;tians, who &s;hould? And if they bee not &s;aued, I know not who &s;hould goe to heauen: Well, euery good Tree brings forth good fruite;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 7.17</NOTE> Where bee your good fruites? No fruit of faith, no fruit of repentance, nor new obedience; but in &s;tead thereof the fruites of infidelity, hardne&s;&s;e of heart, and di&s;obedience: Alas! that poore &s;oules &s;hould thus goe blinde-folde to hell, to thinke that &s;uch &s;hould be &s;aued; what then &s;hould become of hell? As though a man might be a true member of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and ingrafted into his my&s;ticall body, and yet bee barren of good fruite: No, no, it cannot bee: for there is &s;uch a liuely power in this &s;tocke of life, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us: That they who are once ingrafted into him, bring forth fruite incontinent; As wee may &s;ee in the Theefe vpon the Cro&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 9.</NOTE> what fruite hee bare in an in&s;tant of time: confe&s;&s;ing fir&s;t his owne &s;innes: &s;e|condly, reprouing the &s;innes of his companion: Thirdly, cleering Chri&s;t
<PB N="201" REF="112"> to be innocent; La&s;tly, praying that Chri&s;t would remember him when hee came into his kingdome: And this wee may &s;ee in <HI>Zacheus, Lydia, &amp;c.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 22. Actes 16.</NOTE> Who were no &s;ooner conuer|ted, but brought forth fruit inconti|nently: And yet wee &s;ee how many dry, fruitle&s;&s;e, and barren trees de|ceiue the world, as the figge-tree Chri&s;t: Oh hee is a very hone&s;t man, keepes a good hou&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 3.10</NOTE> doth no body harme, a very kinde and euill hone&s;t man, &amp;c. Well, is this all? This will not &s;erue to proue him a good Chri&s;tian:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 15.6. E&s;ay 5.</NOTE> <HI>For now is the Axe put to the roote of the tree, euery Tree that brings not forth good fruite, is hewen downe and ca&s;t into the fire.</HI> Wee know what became of the fig-tree that had goodly leaues and faire &s;hewes, was it not accur&s;ed? And the tree that the Husbandman digged, and pruned, and watered; was it not in the end hewen downe and re&s;erued for no other v&s;e but fewell for the fire; and this will be the end of many of our ciuill hone&s;t
<PB N="202" REF="113"> men (&s;o called) what&s;oeuer they thinke of them&s;elues, or others con|ceiue of them.</P>
<P>Oh then how fearefull a thing is it to bee trees bringing forth leaues and no fruite, as is the condition of all hypocrites: For they &s;hall finde at la&s;t what it is to bee as a barren Tree in the Lords Vineyard; For that &s;hall bee taken away from them which they &s;eeme to haue, as proud <HI>Ie&s;abell</HI> and her painted face &s;hall both of them peri&s;h together: On the other &s;ide, the elect of God that bring forth fruite as well as leaues, they &s;hall both bee pre&s;erued toge|ther, and grow in grace and know|ledge heere in this life, and at the la&s;t, when the&s;e daies of &s;inne &s;hall haue an end, they them&s;elues &s;hall bee gathered into the place of re&s;t, the Syon of the Lord, and their works &s;hall follow them: <HI>Reu.</HI> 14.13. And how&s;oeuer workes iu&s;tifie not a man, being the be&s;t of them weak and imperfect heere, yet by our workes, as the euidence of our ver|tues,
<PB N="203" REF="113"> wee &s;hall bee iudged at the la&s;t.</P>
<P>This &s;hewes that their e&s;tate is <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> ten times wor&s;e and more fearefull, that brings forth nothing but cur|&s;ed and bittter fruite of &s;inne and di&s;obedience: A Hu&s;bandman will not &s;uffer a Tree to grow in his Or|chard, if it either bring no fruit, or el&s;e bitter, &s;owre, or vn&s;auory fruite, &s;o bad as none can eate them, nor there is no v&s;e of them, but will hew it downe, and ca&s;t it into the fire Oh! then <HI>Con&s;ider this yee that for|get God;</HI> yee that liue in continuall practi&s;e of &s;inne; you that bring forth no other fruite but horrible Oathes, Bla&s;phemy, Drunkene&s;&s;e, Whooredome, &amp;c. That by the Axe of Gods vengeance, yee &s;hall bee hewen downe and to the fire yee mu&s;t go. If Trees as bee barren and bring forth no fruit &s;hall be de&s;troy|ed and ca&s;t into the fire, how much more, &s;uch mi&s;erable wretches,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math 3.10 &amp; 25.41. Heb. 6.7.</NOTE> who&s;e whole life is nothing el&s;e but a heaping of &s;inne vnto &s;inne, and
<PB N="204" REF="114"> all prophane&s;&s;e again&s;t God, and man? If the rich man were damned that did not giue of his bread to poore <HI>Lazarus,</HI> good Lord what &s;hall become of tho&s;e that take away and (as it were) grind the faces of the poore? In a word, if the not being fruitefull in good workes &s;hall bee puni&s;hed &s;o &s;harpely and &s;euerely, what &s;hall then become of tho&s;e that euen abound in all manner of mo&s;t abhominable &s;inne and iniquity? <HI>Oh! con&s;ider this yee that forget God, lea&s;t I teare you in peeces, and there be none to deliuer you.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Let this admoni&s;h euery man to try him&s;elfe to looke vnto his owne &s;oule. Thou art a Tree in Gods Or|chard, the Lord hee husbands thee, do&s;t be&s;tow co&s;t on thee, to water and dre&s;&s;e thee by his Word and Sa|craments, Mercies and Iudgements. Well, Hee comes to &s;eeke fruit of thee, it may bee hee hath come three, foure, &s;euen, or ten yeares to|gether, and &s;till thou ha&s;t no fruite, but remaine&s;t &s;till a barren Tree:
<PB N="205" REF="114"> Well, the Lord will not alwaies &s;tay and waite for fruite at thy hands: <HI>Luke</HI> the thirteenth chapter and ninth ver&s;e: But wil &s;ay to the Vine|dre&s;&s;er, <HI>Cut mee this fruitle&s;&s;e and bar|ren Tree downe, why doth it couer the ground and keep it barren?</HI> as it is in the fifth chapter of <HI>E&s;ay. The ground that receiueth the raine that comes often vpon it, and brings forth fruite meete for him that dre&s;&s;es it, receiues a ble&s;&s;ing: But that that brings forth Thornes and Bry|ars is &s;entenced with a cur&s;e, who&s;e end is to be burned. Hebrewes</HI> the &s;ixt chap|ter, and the &s;euenth and eigth ver&s;es. If yee haue not yet begun, beginne now to bring forth fruite, I meane the fruites of <HI>Faith,</HI> the fruites of <HI>Repentance,</HI> and the fruites of <HI>Obedi|ence,</HI> of a godly life and conuer&s;ati|on: If yee haue begun already, oh la|bour then to do it more, bring forth more, and more better fruit to a|bound in good works: &s;uch trees as the&s;e are, &s;hall be &s;pared, and not de|&s;troyed: <HI>Deuteronomy</HI> the twentieth chapter and the ninteenth ver&s;e: But
<PB N="206" REF="115"> &s;uch trees as bring forth no fruite, <HI>Hew them downe, why cumber they the ground?</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>In due &s;ea&s;on.</Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The time de&s;cribed when a godly man doth bring forth fruit</NOTE> THat is, in time conuenient when it may mo&s;t &s;erue for GODS glory, and the good of our Neigh|bour. So that here wee haue a further condition of this Tree &s;et out by the circum&s;tance of the time: <HI>That it bringeth forth fruite in due &s;ea&s;on;</HI> And wee know it is a commendable thing in our grounds, and &s;o in our trees, that they bring vs out their fruite in their <HI>&s;ea&s;on.</HI> If our Corne &s;hould not bee ripe till the Summer were ouer, or our Trees beginne to bud in the Spring before Summer come, men would looke to reape but &s;mall fruite: Well, as this is commended in our ground, and in our Trees; &s;o is it no le&s;&s;e commendable in our &s;elues, and a true note of a godly man,
<PB N="207" REF="115"> and a ble&s;&s;ing proceeding from his ingrafting into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, that hee likewi&s;e bring forth fruit <HI>in due &s;ea&s;on.</HI></P>
<P>In this ob&s;erue the godly care,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 6. True note of a godly man to waite all opportu|nities to do good.</NOTE> and the heauenly wi&s;edome of a godly man, and one that is the child of God: that hee waites and wat|ches his time, and then readily takes the occa&s;ion to doe good. Euery thing hath his time and &s;ea&s;on: <HI>Seek the Lord while hee may bee found, and call vpon him while hee is neere. E&s;ay.</HI> 55.6.7. Out of which words wee gather that as there is a time when the Lord will bee found of them that &s;eeke him (which time is a god|ly mans <HI>Sea&s;on,</HI> for now doth hee &s;eeke the LORD) &s;o there is a time when the Lord will not bee found, and that a ble&s;&s;ing cannot be obtai|ned at his hands; though a man &s;eek it with teares, as <HI>E&s;au</HI> did, for &s;o &s;aith the Lord: <HI>Becau&s;e I haue cryed and called vnto you and yee would not heare: Therefore the time &s;hall come, that yee &s;hall cry and call vnto mee and
<PB N="208" REF="116"> I will not an&s;were, Prou.</HI> 1.24.28. A|gaine, <HI>Exhort you one another daily, while it is called to day. Heb.</HI> 3.13. For our Hearing, for our Reading, Pray|ing, Singing, and meditating, &amp;c. There are times for each of the&s;e, which the godly man doth in no wi&s;e omit. And of this there is great rea&s;on: for &s;hall we not be as care|full of the performance of our due|ties herein, as wee are in our owne affaires? In our plowing and &s;ow|ing, our reaping and gathering in, our putting off of our cattell, and tilling our ground: men know their times, and take their opportunities, euen then when it &s;hall &s;tand with their be&s;t aduantage: Oh that wee could bee as wi&s;e for our &s;oules, to purcha&s;e the true trea&s;ure which wil make vs rich vnto &s;aluation, as wee are for the&s;e temporall things which doe la&s;t but for a time? &s;urely it is the care of the godly man:<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1. Gen. 43.</NOTE> as the mariner watches for the winde, and when it comes, hoy&s;es vp &s;aile: as the Captaine and Souldier in the
<PB N="209" REF="116"> field waite their time: yea, and as the Birds, Swan, and Crane, the bea&s;ts, Swallow, and Pi&s;mire, waite their times, and then take the occa&s;ion and &s;ea&s;on offered; &s;o the childe of God doth in his heauenly wi&s;edome waite the time, and take the occa&s;ion to doe good. As <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> in the &s;euen yeares of plenty, prouided for the &s;euen yeares of dearth; &s;o the godly man bringeth forth fruite in <HI>due &s;ea|&s;on,</HI> that is, in time conuenient. As when the Lord cals man to repent, hee repents; when occa&s;ion is to pray, hee will pray; when the &s;ea&s;on is to heare, hee will heare; when to reproue, hee will reproue; when to giue to the poore, hee hath his hand ready: &s;o as when occa&s;ion is offered hee takes it. Yea hee waits and wat|ches for it, as <HI>Lot</HI> did to entertaine &s;trangers at his Tent doore, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17. and as that poore man in the Go&s;|pell, who lay at the poole of <HI>Bethe&s;|da,</HI> waiting for the mouing of the water. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>This reproues the folly and care|le&s;ne&s;&s;e <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e">
<PB N="210" REF="117"> of mo&s;t men, who neither wait the time, nor yet take the occa|&s;ion offered; The Lord cals men to prayer, to calling on his Name, they make light of it; the Lord cals men to heare his Word, men con|temne it; the Lord offers occa&s;ion to reproue &s;inne, they will not open their mouth to reproue the &s;wea|rer, bla&s;phemer, cur&s;ed &s;peaker, &amp;c. The Lord offers occa&s;ion to releeue the poore, they &s;hut vp the bowels of mercy again&s;t them. In the mat|ters of the world, Oh men are wi&s;e to take their time, the merchant, the mariner, the Husbandman, &amp;c. But in the matters of God, which con|cerne the &s;aluation of our &s;oules, we are like that &s;icke man that let euery man &s;tep in before him. Well, if we belong vnto God, it will grieue vs at the heart, that wee haue not done our duety, that wee haue omit|ted our occa&s;ions of doing of good; whether to heare, reade, pray, re|proue, or to giue vnto the poore: Well, let vs <HI>now &s;eeke the Lord while
<PB N="211" REF="117"> hee may bee found:</HI> let vs not with the &s;louthfull &s;eruant, deferre till our Mai&s;ters comming. How many bee there that &s;ay, that they will now liue in ea&s;e, in ioy, and will take their plea&s;ure, and follow their &s;ports, and when they be old, then they will re|pent and &s;erue God, and giue them|&s;elues to prayer; but let none thinke, if they do &s;pend the flowre of their youth in lu&s;ts and plea&s;ures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl 12.1.</NOTE> in the &s;eruice of &s;inne and &s;athan, that God will accept of their rotten old age: no, the deuill &s;hall haue the dregs as well as the wine.</P>
<P>Hence wee ob&s;erue in the &s;econd <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> place that Gods children are neuer voide of the fruites of faith, but haue them in them continually to their endle&s;&s;e comfort. Other Trees oftentime fall to degenerate and to grow out of kinde, and if they doe hold out a long time, yet age at the la&s;t makes them to decay and to die, albeit you dig and dung and water them neuer neuer &s;o much, it cannot keep them from wa&s;ting and withe|ring:
<PB N="212" REF="118"> but it is not &s;o with the godly men, which are planted by <HI>the riuers of water</HI> in Gods Church; for euen in their old age, they bring forth aboundance and &s;tore of friute, al|beit they be neuer &s;o old, yet when|&s;oeuer the Sea&s;on requires &s;ome fruit of a godly man hee is euer ready to performe the &s;ame, being that hee is continually watered by the working of his Spirit: and this is confirmed by that of our Sauiour Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15.1.2</NOTE> <HI>I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Hu&s;|bandman, euery branch that beareth no fruite in mee hee taketh away, and euery branch that beareth fruite hee purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruite:</HI> So that being once <HI>Planted</HI> by the&s;e <HI>Ri|uers of waters,</HI> wee &s;hall then incon|tinently bring forth fruite.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q><NOTE PLACE="marg">The third propertie of this tree wherunto the godly man is co~|pared.</NOTE> His leafe &s;hall not fade.</Q>
<P>THis is the third point of the de|&s;cription of this Tree, to the which a godly man is compared; namely, by the flouri&s;hing e&s;tate of
<PB N="213" REF="118"> it, <HI>That her leaues do not fall:</HI> They wither not, nor dry not, but alwaies flouri&s;h and are greene: of this &s;ort is the Oliue tree, the Bay tree, the Lawrell tree, and the Box tree, they are alwaies greene and flouri&s;hing, the heate of the Sommer, nor the cold of the Winter, doth not parch or wither them, but they keepe their vigor and colour at all &s;ea&s;ons. Now this doth &s;ignifie vnto vs the con|&s;tancy and the per&s;euerance of the godly:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92.12.</NOTE> For as the Tree planted thus by the fre&s;h &s;pringing waters doth alwaies flouri&s;h, and is euer greene, neither is it nipped either with the heate of Sommer, or cold of Win|ter: So the godly man that is truely regenerate, hee is con&s;tant and doth per&s;euer euen vnto the end.</P>
<P>Hence wee learne that it is not e|nough<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 7. Per&s;eue|rance re|quired in each child of God.</NOTE> for a man or woman to begin well, or to take &s;ome liking of Reli|gion, to haue &s;ome good motions, as to reuerence Gods Mini&s;ters, to de&s;ire to heare them, to ioyne with the people of God in prayer, to bring
<PB N="214" REF="119"> forth &s;ome good fruit in outward re|formation of life, &amp;c. vnle&s;&s;e he per|&s;euere, per&s;i&s;t and go on vnto the end.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 24 13</NOTE> <HI>He that indures to the end &s;hall be &s;aued:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 2.10</NOTE> And, <HI>Bee thou faithfull vnto death, and I will giue thee a Crowne of life.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eze. 18.24</NOTE> <HI>If a righteous man leaue his righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. Hee that puts his hand to the Lords Plough,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 9.62.</NOTE> <HI>and looketh backe, is not worthy of the Kingdom of Heauen.</HI> Againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2.21</NOTE> <HI>it had beene better for them that they had neuer knowne the waies of godline&s;&s;e, then afterwards to fall away.</HI> And therefore in the Scriptures &s;uch as haue had &s;ome beginning, and after fallen away, are noted to haue beene exceeding wicked men: As wee &s;ee in <HI>Iudas,</HI> fir&s;t a Preacher and an Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 27.</NOTE> a man well e&s;teemed, that had excellent giftes to Preach, Pray, and ca&s;t out deuils, afterward an hypocrite, a thiefe, a traytor, a re|probate:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 6.20.</NOTE> <HI>Herod</HI> had many things in him at fir&s;t, reuerenced <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> heard him gladly, did many things at his reque&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 4.10.</NOTE> yet afterwards a bloudy per&s;ecutor. <HI>Demas</HI> once a &s;ound pro|fe&s;&s;or
<PB N="215" REF="119"> as it &s;eemed, and one that was deere vnto <HI>Paul:</HI> but afterwards left his profe&s;&s;ion, and fell in loue with the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 2.4. Col. 2.6.</NOTE> like the Church of <HI>Ephe|&s;us,</HI> lo&s;t their fir&s;t loue, and grew wor&s;e and wor&s;e. So that let all men know, that though they haue many excellent gifts and graces of Gods Spirit, Knowledge, Faith, Repen|tance, Zeale, Patience; yet all is no|thing worth, vnle&s;&s;e they hold out in faith, repentance, and obedience, and maintaine faith and a good con|&s;cience, euen vnto the end. If a &s;oul|dier &s;hould be cunning and skilfull, knowing how to fight and handle his weapon well, and yet &s;hould turne his back and play the coward, hee is but a cowardly &s;ouldier, and not worthy of the Crowne. And therefore it, is a &s;peciall duety requi|red of euery Chri&s;tian to continue &s;tedfa&s;t; <HI>Be thou faithfull vnto the end,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 2.26.</NOTE> <HI>and I will giue thee a crowne of life.</HI></P>
<P>Hence wee &s;ee that it is a dange|rous <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> thing to reuolt and goe backe|ward in matters of religion to loo&s;e
<PB N="216" REF="120"> our fir&s;t loue; it is a fearefull &s;igne of a Reprobate &amp; Ca&s;t-away, when men &s;lacke hand, and &s;lip necke out of collar, grow carele&s;&s;e in the &s;er|uice and wor&s;hip of God: for a man to grow there is &s;ome hope, though hee doe but creep on in Religion: But for a man to goe backeward, or to &s;tand at a &s;tay, is dangerous: For it is certaine, not to goe forward in Gods matters, is to go backeward; not to increa&s;e, is to decrea&s;e; not to grow better, is to wax wor&s;e. It is a hard matter to make a good be|ginning, wee are not ea&s;ily brought to &s;et foote forward in the waies of godline&s;&s;e, but then to trippe while we are in our iourney, and to waxe weary of well-doing; this is a feare|full &s;inne. Well then, lay this Do|ctrine to heart, examine your &s;elues, &s;ee how yee grow, whether as good trees in Gods orchard,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 47.</NOTE> being &s;o wa|tred with the riuers of water of the Sanctuary, and fed in the greene pa|&s;tures. If a child goe to Schoole and do not increa&s;e in knowledge,
<PB N="217" REF="120"> learning and education: all money and paines is ill be&s;towed. If a Tree be planted, and doe grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e, it is time to cut it downe: Well, we be trees in Gods orchard, The Lord hath planted vs by the. <HI>Ri|uers of waters;</HI> when a great number about vs bee in a barren &s;oyle, and haue no meanes: And for vs not to grow, but rather to decay, it were the next way to prouoke God to bring his Axe and to hew vs downe: And therefore proue how you hold your owne, how you grow in know|ledge, faith, repentance and obedi|ence. And aboue all things, take heede that you decay not in grace, goe not backward, loo&s;e not your fir&s;t loue. I feare me it may bee &s;aid of vs, as Chri&s;t &s;aid &s;ometime to the Church of Sardy, <HI>Thou ha&s;t a name that thou liue&s;t, take heede thou bee not dead, Reuelation</HI> chap. 3. ver&s;. 1. Repent therfore and amend, that the things in thee ready to dye may bee recouered.</P>
<P>Heere is a notable meanes to try <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e">
<PB N="218" REF="121"> hypocrites from good Chri&s;tians, hee that is &s;ound-harted, and truly hum|bled, and regenerate, will per&s;euere, and grow in grace, hold out to the end, &s;o as their workes &s;hall be more at la&s;t then at the fir&s;t; yea the godly man is like the tall Cedar, the more it is &s;haken with &s;tormes and tem|pe&s;ts, it takes the deeper roote, and growes the fa&s;ter, like the Camo|mile, the more it is troden on, the more it growes; or like &s;ome preci|ous &s;tones, neuer &s;hine brighter then in the darke&s;t night; or like perfume, neuer &s;o &s;weete as when it is rubbed and chafed; or gold, ne|uer brighter then when it is fined in the fire. The word of God is plaine, for this <HI>Abraham</HI> in all his iourneyes and trauels, though he met with ma|ny and dangerous enemies, yet hee was mo&s;t con&s;tant in his faith. <HI>Da|uid</HI> in all his troubles, yet &s;till was religious. The children in the fire, mo&s;t glorious conquerours. <HI>Daniel</HI> in the Denne, a ble&s;&s;ed man: <HI>Iob</HI> in his greate&s;t extremity, a patient
<PB N="219" REF="121"> man. <HI>Paul, Peter,</HI> and the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles neuer &s;hewed them&s;elues more worthy men then in great tri|als, and &s;tormes of per&s;ecutions: &s;o that you &s;ee a godly man is wel com|pared to a &s;trong Oke, or Cedar, or rather a Palme Tree, that neuer loo|&s;eth his leaues, fruite, and greene|ne&s;&s;e, no not in the bitter &s;tormes and bla&s;ts of Winter. So the godly man doth not &s;hrinke in the wetting like vnto a peece of &s;ale-cloth, but doth per&s;euere, and is con&s;tant euen vnto the end, <HI>His workes are more at la&s;t then at fir&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>But come to an Hypocrite, a counterfeite Chri&s;tian, a fal&s;e pro|fe&s;&s;our of the Go&s;pell, you &s;hall &s;ee they be like painted Sepulchres, faire without, but foule within, like to emptie ve&s;&s;els, which make great noi&s;e, and haue no liquor in them, like a peece of &s;ale-cloth, which be|ing drawne out, and &s;et on the Tein|ters, will quickly &s;hrinke in the wet|ting: they bee like to fal&s;e friends, that will hang on like burres, while
<PB N="220" REF="122"> there is &s;ome gaine to be gotten, but they will faile a man when hee hath mo&s;t neede of them: &s;o long as it is faire weather, and there is no dan|ger in profe&s;&s;ing of the Go&s;pell, they wil &s;eeme forward, and very zealous, as though they were the onely men in the world: but if there come any matter of danger, if the Sunne grow hote, or if &s;tormes or tempe&s;ts do a|ri&s;e, that is, troubles and per&s;ecuti|ons for Religion &s;ake, and the Go&s;|pell &s;ake, they will then hide their heads, and profe&s;&s;e no longer. All the goodly leaues and &s;hewes they made will wither and come to nothing, then they will appeare in their kind. Such our Sauiour Chri&s;t likeneth vnto Corne in the &s;tonie ground, which makes a faire &s;hew for a time: But when the Sunne ari&s;eth it wi|thers away:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 8.</NOTE> Euen &s;o the&s;e kinde of Profe&s;&s;ours, if any tryall or trouble do come for the Go&s;pel &s;ake, or that for their profe&s;&s;ion they &s;hould loo&s;e the fauour of &s;ome great men, Oh! then they thinke it the &s;afe&s;t way to
<PB N="221" REF="122"> &s;leepe in a whole skinne; then they wither away, and then they &s;hewe they did profe&s;&s;e the Go&s;pell, not in truth and &s;yncerity for loue to the Go&s;pell, but for &s;ome other re&s;pect, namely, for &s;ome hope of gaine, or honour, and fauour of men, or for prai&s;e of the world.</P>
<P>Let this admoni&s;h vs all, as wee <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> doe loue our owne &s;oules,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.13 Reu. 2.10. Luk. 24.26 Math. 7.26 2. Chron. 24.17.</NOTE> to la|bour for Con&s;tancie and Per&s;eue|rance, that wee may hold out vnto the end, that our workes may bee more at la&s;t then at fir&s;t; that we ca&s;t our account afore-hand what it will co&s;t vs to be religious indeede, that wee bee &s;ure to digge &s;o deepe, that we lay the foundation of our Faith vpon the Rock Chri&s;t, and for want of this godly care and circum&s;pecti|on afore-hand, many haue at the fir&s;t giuen their names to Chri&s;t, who afterwards when they were to take vp the Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, haue gone out and turned their backes vpon Chri&s;t. <HI>Saul</HI> beganne well, but afterwards he waxed wor&s;e, and
<PB N="222" REF="123"> in the end became an open per&s;ecu|tor. <HI>Ioa&s;h</HI> behaued him&s;elfe vpright|ly all the dayes of <HI>Iehoiadah,</HI> and re|paired the hou&s;e of the Lord; but af|ter his death hee fell to idolatry. What did it profit <HI>Lots</HI> wife to goe out of Sodome, in&s;omuch as after|ward &s;he looked back, and was tur|ned into a Pillar of Salt? So then we &s;ee here, that it is not enough to pur|po&s;e well; it is not enough to begin well, neither is it enough to pro|ceede well, it is required of vs to per&s;euere well, and to continue in a con&s;tant and &s;etled cour&s;e euen vn|to the end.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 8. By our v|nion with Chri&s;t we are made &s;ure of per+&s;euerance</NOTE> La&s;t of all, in that it is &s;aid heere, that the <HI>Leaues,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the faith of a Chri&s;tian, <HI>&s;hall neuer fall.</HI> Hence I gather, that no elect Childe of God, that is truly regenerate and borne anew, and a liuely member of Chri&s;ts my&s;ticall body can peri&s;h and finally fall away. For <HI>whom God prede&s;tinateth, him hee calleth, whom hee calleth he iu&s;tifieth, whom he iu&s;tifieth, he glorifieth. Rom.</HI> 8.30. <HI>The gift and cal|ling
<PB N="223" REF="123"> of God is without repentance. My &s;heep heare my voyce, and follow me. And I giue vnto them eternall life, and they &s;hall neuer peri&s;h, neither &s;hall any man take them out of my hands,</HI> Ioh. 10.27, 28.29. And the rea&s;on is, <HI>Wee beare not the roote, but the roote beareth vs.</HI> Our &s;aluation doth not depend vp|on our &s;elues; for then indeed wee were in danger to fall away euery moment of an houre; but it depen|deth vpon him, becau&s;e we are in him: and through him we grow and increa&s;e: yea, the older wee bee in Chri&s;t, the more doe we fa&s;ten our roote and flouri&s;h. They which are planted in the Courts of the Lord, &s;hall flouri&s;h in their old age, and bring forth much fruit.</P>
<P>And whereas other Branches are many times pulled from their &s;tocke either by the violence of the wind, by the hands of men, or at the lea&s;t con&s;umed by length of time; It &s;hal not bee &s;o with them that are in Chri&s;t: for they are kept by him, as the root bearing branches. Becau&s;e
<PB N="224" REF="124"> I am not altered nor changed, there|fore are you not con&s;umed, Oh yee &s;onnes of <HI>Iacob!</HI> And therefore right happy is the &s;tate of that man who is in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us: <HI>For neither life nor death, things pre&s;ent, nor things to come, &s;hall &s;eparate him from the loue of God. Rom.</HI> 8.38.</P>
<P>And this comfort is confirmed to vs by mo&s;t &s;ure Arguments.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Argume~ts to proue a Chri&s;tians per&s;eue|rance. Phil. 1.5.6</NOTE> The fir&s;t is taken from the Nature of Al|mightie God: <HI>Hee is faithfull which hath promi&s;ed.</HI> And, <HI>I am per&s;waded,</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>that hee who hath begun this good worke, will performe it vntill the day of Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd is taken from the na|ture of that life which Chri&s;t com|municateth to his members,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.5.</NOTE> <HI>We know that Chri&s;t being rai&s;ed from the dead, dieth no more:</HI> this life of Chri&s;t is communicated to vs, &s;o that it is not we that liue now, but Chri&s;t that li|ueth in vs.</P>
<P>The third is taken from the na|ture of that &s;eed whereof we are be|gotten:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 1.23</NOTE> <HI>Wee are borne anew, not of
<PB N="225" REF="124"> mortall &s;eede, but of Immortall:</HI> Now as the &s;eed is, &s;o is the life that comes by that &s;eed, our life therefore mu&s;t needs bee immortall.</P>
<P>This confuteth a damnable Do|ctrine <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> of the Papi&s;ts, who hold and teach, That a man elected, called, iu|&s;tified, and &s;anctified, may for euer fall away and bee damned: That hee which to day is the deere childe of God, to morrow may become the childe of the deuill: To day a mem|ber of Chri&s;t, to morrow a limb of the deuill; to day an heire of &s;al|uation, to morrow an heire of dam|nation: Now what doctrine can bee more deuili&s;h and vncomfortable? this is nothing el&s;e but to &s;et vp a gibbet to torment the poore &s;oules of Gods children, to ouerthrow the nature of Faith, to make God feeble and weake, or fooli&s;h and vnwi&s;e, which is manife&s;t Bla&s;phemy;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 1.10 P&s;a. 15. vlt. Rom. 8.1. &amp; 8.36.</NOTE> but we &s;ee heere the Word of God tels vs this cannot bee: <HI>For what &s;hall &s;eparate vs from the loue of God in Chri&s;t: No|thing?</HI></P>
<PB N="226" REF="125">
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> This may &s;erue to reproue ano|ther &s;ort of men, who are ready to abu&s;e this doctrine. Tu&s;h; &s;aith the carnall and loo&s;e Chri&s;tian, it skils not then how a man liues, whether well or ill, hee that is Elected, and is a Member of CHRIST &s;hall bee &s;aued, and hee that is reiected &s;hall bee damned, though hee liue neuer &s;o well; therefore they take liberty to &s;inne, and make con&s;cience of no &s;inne what&s;oeuer. But they mu&s;t know that God decrees a man as well to the meanes as to the end: And it is impo&s;&s;ible a man &s;hould be Elected and Called, but hee mu&s;t liue well; &s;o he that is not Elected and Called cannot liue well: And it is all one as if a man &s;hould neuer eate or drinke, and yet hope to liue and like well; or lying in the fire or water, and v&s;ing no meanes to come out, &s;hould not peri&s;h. But we mu&s;t know that the end and the meanes mu&s;t go together: And for a man to neglect, or reiect, the meanes, it is in vaine for him to hope to bee
<PB N="227" REF="125"> &s;aued: For if thou belong to God thou &s;halt in time bee Called and Sanctified: And where this work is not as yet already wrought, that man is as yet in the &s;tate of damnation.</P>
<P>Heere is matter of endle&s;&s;e com|fort <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> to euery true child of God, that truely repents and beleeues in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, that how&s;oeuer, through the malice of Sathan, and the temptati|on of the deuill, the allurements of the world, and the corruption of our fle&s;h, we may grieuou&s;ly &s;inne and fall, yet <HI>There is no condemnation to them that are in Chri&s;t. Rom.</HI> 8.1. <HI>The gates,</HI> that is, all the power of hell, <HI>&s;hall not preuaile again&s;t vs: Math.</HI> 16. If euer thou founde&s;t the &s;ound worke of grace in thee, founde&s;t Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t to dwell in thy heart by faith, &s;o that thou hate&s;t all &s;inne, and de&s;ire&s;t in all things to plea&s;e God, though &s;athan rage and &s;torme, and all the gates of hell ri&s;e vp again&s;t thee, yet thou mai&s;t comfort thy &s;elfe in the Lord, and &s;ay with <HI>Paul,
<PB N="228" REF="126"> There is no condemnation to mee that am in Chri&s;t, which walke not after the fle&s;h but after the Spirit:</HI> Thou mai&s;t tri|umph with <HI>Paul</HI> and &s;ay, <HI>Who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of Gods cho|&s;en?</HI> And <HI>if God bee with vs, who can bee again&s;t vs?</HI> And a gaine, <HI>I am per|&s;waded nothing can &s;euer mee from the loue of God in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us:</HI> No not &s;inne, nor death it &s;elfe. Oh happy then, and ble&s;&s;ed, is the e&s;tate of that man who is in Chri&s;t! <HI>Neither life nor death, things pre&s;ent, nor things to come, &s;hall &s;eparate him from the loue of God.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<Q>And what&s;oeuer hee doth &s;hall pro&s;per.</Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 9. God doth euer ble&s;&s;e the godly endeuours of his chil|dren.</NOTE> HEere is de&s;cribed another part of the ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e of a godly man, containing the mercy and goodne&s;&s;e of God to him, in the lawfull things wherein hee hath to deale, that God doth of his infinite mercy and loue direct and pro&s;per <GAP DESC="missing" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="8 pages">
<PB N="237" REF="126"> &s;oule to the day of &s;laughter.</P>
<P>This &s;hould admoni&s;h all godly <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> men to take heed how they fret and grieue at the vaine and vncertaine pro&s;perity of the wicked and vn|godly, it is that which troubles the godly much, as it did <HI>Iob, Ieremie, Dauid,</HI> and <HI>A&s;aph,</HI> who wondred and were much grieued at this to &s;ee the vngodly flouri&s;h, and to abound in honour, dignity, wealth, authori|tie, the onely men of the world; and on the contrary part, the godly in|mi&s;erie, trouble, &amp;c. <HI>But when they went into the hou&s;e of the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.35 Iob. 21.13. P&s;a. 37.1.7</NOTE> <HI>then vnder&s;tood they they the end the&s;e men; namely, that God did &s;et them in &s;lip|pery places, and that their end was feare|full.</HI> And as <HI>Iob</HI> &s;aith; <HI>They &s;pend their dayes in plea&s;ure, and &s;uddenly goe downe to hell.</HI> Let vs then con&s;ider well of the&s;e things, &amp; not to grieue at the wicked becau&s;e they pro&s;per, or to be drawne hereby to think the better of them, or their vile cour&s;es, becau&s;e they flouri&s;h a while; or the wor&s;e of the godly, becau&s;e they
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<PB N="238" REF="129"> endure &s;ome trouble, but con&s;ider their latter end; and in the meane time to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e our &s;oules with pati|ence, notwith&s;tanding the iollity of the wicked, for it is but for a time, like a great thi&s;tle, which &s;tarts vp in the Summer, and at the comming of Winter is gone, or the poore e&s;tate of the godly, for in the end they &s;hal be exalted.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> La&s;t of all, if wee de&s;ire to thriue in the world, to pro&s;per, and to haue the ble&s;&s;ing of GOD vpon our la|bours; the be&s;t, yea and the &s;ure&s;t way is to become religious, to walke with GOD, to leade a god|ly life; The examples of <HI>Abraham, Io&s;eph,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4.8 Deut. 28.1.2. &amp;c. Io&s;h. 1.7.8 P&s;al 127.</NOTE> <HI>Io&s;ua, Dauid, Iob, &amp;c.</HI> may per|&s;wade vs hereunto. Wee &s;ee many take great paines night and day, toyle and moyle all the yeare long, euen wearing out their bodies early and late, and yet doe not thriue, doe not pro&s;per and come forward, but rather goe downe the winde. The rea&s;on is, God doth not ble&s;&s;e them and their labours, becau&s;e they bee
<PB N="239" REF="129"> wicked, and liue in the practi&s;e of &s;ome knowne &s;inne: And there|fore if thou woulde&s;t finde Gods ble&s;&s;ing vpon thee and thine, vpon thy &s;oule, body, goods, good name, wife, childe, corne, cattell, &amp;c. The be&s;t way is to &s;erue God, to call on his name, to lead a godly life, and then certainly thou &s;halt finde that God will ble&s;&s;e thee, and make thee to pro&s;per.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="240" REF="130">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE. 4.</HI></BIBL>
<P>The wicked are not &s;o, but as the Chaffe which the winde driueth away.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;eco~d generall part of the P&s;alme.</NOTE>
_HItherto we haue heard the de&s;cription of a godly man, and of his ble&s;&s;ed and happy e|&s;tate wherein hee &s;tands. Now hee pro|ceedeth to a de&s;cription of a wicked and vngodly man. And he &s;ets out his e&s;tate by a generall &s;peech oppo&s;ite to that which hath beene &s;poken of the godly: <HI>The wicked are not &s;o.</HI> Then by a &s;imilitude, comparing him to
<PB N="241" REF="130"> <HI>Chaffe,</HI> and then the propertie of Chaffe is noted to be light, vaine, &amp; vncon&s;tant, carried away with the winde.</P>
<P>In the generall de&s;cription, or the Introduction into the De&s;cription of a wicked man, <HI>The wicked are not &s;o,</HI> the &s;peech is negatiue, and exclu|deth the wicked from all that which the Spirit of God hath &s;poken of the godly, both concerning their vertues them&s;elues, as al&s;o concerning the recompence of their vertues.</P>
<P>The vertues of a godly man were de&s;cribed two wayes, fir&s;t negatiue|ly, <HI>They walke not in the coun&s;ell of the wicked, &s;tand not in the way of &s;inners, &s;it not in the &s;eate of the &s;corners.</HI> Now this negatiue in the godly is affirma|tiue in the wicked; Becau&s;e they walke in the coun&s;ell of the wicked, they &s;tand in the way of &s;inners, and they &s;it in the &s;eat of the &s;corners.</P>
<P>The other de&s;cription of a godly man is affirmatiue, ver&s;e the &s;e|cond, <HI>But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, &amp;c.</HI> But this affirmatiue in
<PB N="242" REF="131"> the godly is negatiue in the wicked; For their delight is in nothing le&s;&s;e then in the <HI>Law of the Lord.</HI> Nei|ther do or will the wicked meditate therein, either day or night; So that in re&s;pect of the vertues of a godly man it may well be &s;aid, <HI>The wicked are not &s;o.</HI></P>
<P>And la&s;t of all, for the recompence of the vertues of a godly man, the wicked are al&s;o excluded: the godly man is compared vnto a <HI>Tree that is planted by the riuers of water, that brings forth fruit in due &s;ea&s;on, who&s;e leafe doth neuer fade, and what&s;oeuer hee doth &s;hall pro&s;per.</HI> The wicked are not &s;o. <HI>But as the chaffe, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Where by the way wee may ob|&s;erue the care that God hath, that e|uery man &s;hould haue his part in that pertaineth to him, hee would not that the wicked &s;hould encroch vp|on the portion of the godly, or that the Saints &s;hould be di&s;maied by the iudgements of the wicked, but hee laboureth as to a lot and allow to one their part, &s;o to exclude the other
<PB N="243" REF="131"> from their portion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.34 E&s;a. 3.10.11 Mala. 4.2.</NOTE> to &s;hew that they haue no intere&s;t in their Ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;&s;e. And &s;o it is a v&s;uall thing in the cour&s;e of the whole Scriptures, that where the Holy Gho&s;t &s;etteth downe the ble&s;&s;ings and promi&s;es pertaining to Chri&s;tians: In the &s;ame place hee &s;etteth downe the iudgements that belong to the wic|ked and vngodly.</P>
<P>Out of the generall De&s;cription,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. The &s;tate of the wic|ked mo&s;t mi&s;erable.</NOTE> or the Introduction into the De&s;cri|ption of a wicked ma~, in the&s;e words <HI>The wicked are not &s;o.</HI> We gather this Doctrine, That the e&s;tate of all wic|ked men, be they what they may be, neuer &s;o great, glorious, rich, wi&s;e, beautifull, and learned in the world, yet their e&s;tate is wofull, cur&s;ed, mi|&s;erable and wretched; hee is cur&s;ed in his &s;oule, cur&s;ed in his body, cur|&s;ed in his goods, good name, wife, children, corne, cattell, &amp;c. <HI>Thou ha&s;t de&s;troyed the proud,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 28. P&s;a. 119.21 P&s;al. 5.5 Tit. 1.13. Acts 7.51 E&s;ay 63.</NOTE> <HI>and cur&s;ed are they that doe erre from thy Commande|ments: The fooli&s;h &s;hall not &s;tand in thy &s;ight, for thou hate&s;t all them that worke
<PB N="244" REF="132"> iniquitie.</HI> Now, what though a man &s;hould abound in wealth, liue in ho|nour, bathe him&s;elfe in plea&s;ures, yet if he be not a godly man, that is, tru|ly &s;anctified,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 8.9. Pro. 11.7.</NOTE> hee can take no &s;ound comfort in any of the&s;e; For, <HI>to them that are defiled, is nothing pure.</HI> But e|uen their prayers are abhominable; <HI>he that turneth away his eares from hea|ring the Law, euen his prayers &s;hall bee abhominable.</HI> And as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>The hope of the wicked &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Wherein the wic|ked are accur&s;ed.</NOTE> But it wil be asked, Wherein &s;tands their mi&s;ery and cur&s;ed e&s;tate? I an&s;were. Fir&s;t in this, that they be out of Gods fauour, God hates them and all they doe; And is not this a mi&s;ery of all mi&s;eries, to be cur&s;ed and mi&s;erable indeed, to haue God our enemy, to haue Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the Iudge our ene|my, to haue all the creatures in hea|uen and earth again&s;t vs? For as tho&s;e be truly ble&s;&s;ed that God loues, and be in his fauour; So they be mo&s;t cur|&s;ed and mi&s;erable that be out of his fauour, whom his &s;oule abhorreth; and &s;uch are the wicked, according
<PB N="245" REF="132"> to that of the Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 5.5.</NOTE> <HI>The fooli&s;h &s;hal not &s;tand in thy &s;ight, for thou hate&s;t all them that worke iniquitie.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, they haue no pardon of their &s;innes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13.5</NOTE> and &s;o lie vnder the cur&s;e of God, in danger of eternall death euery day they ri&s;e, without repentance there is no pardon. But the wicked cannot repent, being hardened in &s;inne, and delight in &s;in: yea all their &s;innes &s;tand in account again&s;t them, the Lord keepes them in remembrance, and one day hee will bring out his Booke of reckon|ning, <HI>I will reproue thee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.17 18.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;et before thee the things thou ha&s;t done.</HI> Oh full little doe wicked men thinke of this, that their &s;ecret &s;ins in hugger-mug|ger in darke corners committed, &s;hall one day come to reckoning, and they called to a reckoning for the &s;ame: and then their owne con|&s;ciences, will they, nill they, &s;hall cry out and &s;ay, <HI>Righteous is the Lord, and true are his iudgements.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, they haue no peace of con&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 57.</NOTE> <HI>There is no peace to the
<PB N="246" REF="133"> wicked, &s;aith my God,</HI> but a Hell in their con&s;cience, hauing in them either an Accu&s;ing Con&s;cience, like <HI>Cain, Achitophel, Saul, Iudas,</HI> and the like; or el&s;e a dead and &s;leepy con&s;cience, like <HI>Nabal,</HI> which iudge|ment is no way inferiour to the for|mer: This fearfull iudgment of God vpon the wicked is nothing el&s;e but a fore-runner of tho&s;e paines which are prepared for the wicked, and are as it were the &s;moake of that fire, which hereafter &s;hall torment them.</P>
<P>Fourthly, a wicked man is the heire of vengeance, and the fire|brand of hell, and &s;hall as &s;ure bee damned as if hee were in hell alrea|die: and therefore CHRIST &s;aith, that <HI>The wicked are damned already:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.18.</NOTE> and that fiue wayes. Fir&s;t, in Gods coun&s;ell before all worlds. Second|ly, in the Word, wherein their &s;en|tence of condemnation is read al|ready. Thirdly, in their owne con|&s;ciences, which is a fore-runner of the finall iudgement. Fourthly, by the iudgements begun already vp|on
<PB N="247" REF="133"> them, as hardne&s;&s;e of heart, blind|ne&s;&s;e of minde, hatred of the light, and the like means of &s;aluation. Fift|ly, by the horrible torment of the &s;oule, which it doth a&s;&s;uredly expect when the full viall of Gods wrath &s;hall be powred vpon it. O mi&s;era|ble and vnhappy condition! woe worth the time may &s;uch &s;ay, that e|uer they were borne.</P>
<P>Who is a wicked man? An&s;wer.<NOTE PLACE="marg">A wicked man de|&s;cribed.</NOTE> (in generall) Hee that liues and lies in &s;inne without repentance: But &s;uch a man is a wicked man, as <HI>Doth walke in the coun&s;ell of the wicked, that doth &s;tand in the way of &s;inners, that doth &s;it in the &s;eate of the &s;corners.</HI> For as hee is a godly man that is carefull to &s;hunne and auoide the bad coun|&s;ell and lewd company of wicked &amp; vngodly men: &s;o he is a wicked man that loues and likes their bad coun|&s;el &amp; lewd company. And as a noble mans &s;eruant is knowne by his liue|ry; &s;o we may certainly iudge of men by their companie. A good man loues good companie, a godly man
<PB N="248" REF="134"> makes much of them that feare the Lord.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.3. P&s;al. 101.6 7. Gen. 37.2.4.</NOTE> <HI>My eyes</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Dauid) &s;hall bee vpon the faithfull in the Land.</HI> This we may &s;ee in <HI>Iacob,</HI> who loued <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> a|boue all his brethren, becau&s;e he had grace in him; <HI>All my delight is vpon thy Saints.</HI> But wicked men are like Birds of a Feather which flie toge|ther, and like will to like. So that if you wold aske a certaine rule how to iudge of men, whether they bee good or bad, godly or wicked, I know not any rule more &s;ure for a mans outward life, to iudge of him, then by his company. And therefore as S. <HI>Iohn</HI> makes it a marke of Gods childe, and a certaine &s;igne of the loue of God to vs, <HI>If we loue the bre|thren:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 3.14</NOTE> &s;o on the other &s;ide, it is a fear|full note of a wicked man, when hee hath no delight in the companie of Gods children and faithful &s;eruants,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.17 18.</NOTE> but delight onely in the company of the wicked and vngodly.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Let all wicked men lay this Do|ctrine to heart, and be affected with it, and let me &s;ay to them, as <HI>Dauid</HI>
<PB N="249" REF="134"> &s;aid to the vngodly;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 50.16.</NOTE> <HI>vnto the vngodly &s;aid God, what ha&s;t thou to do to take my couenant in thy mouth, &s;eeing thou hate&s;t to be reformed, and ha&s;t ca&s;t my word behind thee? When thou &s;awe&s;t a thiefe thou con&s;ented&s;t vnto him, and ha&s;t beene partaker with the adulterer, &amp;c. The&s;e things ha&s;t thou done, and I held my peace, and thou thoughte&s;t that I was like thee. But I will reproue thee, and &s;et before thee the things thou ha&s;t done. Oh con&s;ider this yee that forget God, le&s;t I teare you in peeces, and there be none to deliuer you.</HI> Oh that the wic|ked &amp; vngodly of the world would con&s;ider in what a cur&s;ed &s;tate they &s;tand in, what extreame danger to loo&s;e their owne &s;oules, cleane out of Gods fauour, &s;o as hee hates and ab|horres them, and all they do: Now as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, if the wrath of the King bee as the roaring of a Lyon, how much more the wrath of the eternall God, who is able not one|ly to kill the body, but to ca&s;t both &s;oule and body for euer into hel fire? Oh then be admoni&s;hed! &s;ay you had
<PB N="250" REF="135"> a farre warning, repent in time, liue no longer in &s;in, turne to God with all &s;peed, <HI>while it is called to day:</HI> Say with <HI>Dauid, Away from me yee wicked, I will keepe the commandements of my God.</HI> And this remember, that as bad company, and the &s;ociety of wicked men is a fearefull &s;igne of a wicked man, &s;o it is mo&s;t dangerous; for &s;in is as a &s;pirituall plague or lepro&s;ie, it is of a &s;preading and contagious na|ture.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Can a man touch pitch and not bee defiled?</HI> Then may a man keepe com|pany with the wicked, and not bee corrupted.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 41.15.16.</NOTE> <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> liuing in the Court of <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> how &s;oone had he learnd to &s;weare, by the life of <HI>Pharaoh?</HI> Be|&s;ides, we &s;hal be compelled to winke at the &s;ins of tho&s;e whom wee loue, and &s;o con&s;enting to them, are guil|ty of them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2.8. P&s;al. 12.5</NOTE> Againe, wee cannot but bee vexed with them, and gree|ued at the heart, as <HI>Lot</HI> was; yea, and in danger to bee puni&s;hed with them, as <HI>Lot</HI> in Sodome was taken pri&s;oner, and all his hou&s;hold: and therefore as men doe &s;hunne a hou&s;e
<PB N="251" REF="135"> infected, &s;o let vs &s;hunne &s;uch com|pany as mo&s;t dangerous, pernitious, and hurtfull.</P>
<P>And heere wee are to wonder at <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> the palpable blindne&s;&s;e of wicked men, at their blocki&s;hne&s;&s;e and &s;en&s;e|le&s;&s;e &s;ecurity, that though their e&s;tate bee as wee haue heard out of the word of God, and te&s;timonies of holy Scriptures, &s;o cur&s;ed, mi&s;erable, wretched, and damnable; yet they &s;ee it not, they feare it not, they be|leeue it not; they feare no danger, they de&s;ire no remedy, their mindes are &s;o blinded through &s;elfe-loue, and &s;o hardned in all kinde of &s;inne, that nothing can moue them, and do them good. They bee like the Smiths dogge, no &s;trokes nor &s;parks can awake them. Of all di&s;ea&s;es they be mo&s;t dangerous, that be lea&s;t felt: as the Apoplexy, dead Pal&s;ie, Lethar|gie, &amp;c. So, when a man is &s;icke, euen &s;oule &s;ick, and &s;ick vnto death, and feeleth no paine, his ca&s;e mu&s;t needes bee dangerous. Many men complaine of the &s;tone in the kidny,
<PB N="252" REF="136"> and ride and runne night and day to find ea&s;e for it, but few complaine of the &s;tone in the hart, men haue hard, &s;tony and flinty hearts: And neither loue of heauen, nor feare of hell, neither mercy, nor iudgement can moue them, or make them to repent. Well, to conclude this point, let men take their cour&s;es, runne on in &s;inne, <HI>walke in the coun&s;ell of the wic|ked, &s;tand in the way of &s;inners: and &s;it in the &s;eate of the &s;cornefull.</HI> Let them refu&s;e the coun&s;ell and the company of Gods &s;eruants, and when they haue done all that they can, they are but cur&s;ed caitifes; and the time will come that they will cur&s;e the day that euer they were borne, and &s;ay, Woe worth the time they kept bad company:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wi&s;ed. 5. Reue. 6.13</NOTE> <HI>Oh what fooles and mad men were wee!</HI> When they &s;hall wi&s;h the heauens to fall vpon them, and the rockes to cru&s;h them in peeces, for feare of the anger of God. And thus much for the generall de&s;cription of a wicked man in the&s;e words, <HI>The wicked are not &s;o.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="253" REF="136">
<Q>But as the Chaffe which the wind driueth away.</Q>
<P>THe Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> hauing &s;he|wed the difference betwixt the godly and the wicked by a generall Introduction, <HI>It is not &s;o,</HI> commeth now to &s;et out their e&s;tate by a Si|militude and Compari&s;on, where hee compares the wicked to <HI>Chaffe,</HI> And it is all one as if hee &s;hould &s;ay: The wicked and vngodly man is not like a tree well planted and watered, that beares good fruit, and alwaies flouri&s;heth, but like vnto <HI>Chaffe,</HI> which hath no root at al in the earth, no iuice nor &s;ap, but wants all kinde of good fruit and greenene&s;&s;e, &s;o as it is ea&s;ily &s;cattered and di&s;per&s;ed with euery bla&s;t of winde: Euen &s;o the wicked are not rooted nor graf|ted into Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and are al|together voide and de&s;titute of all fruite of good workes, and of all &s;a|uing grace, haue no iuice nor &s;ap of goodne&s;&s;e in them, and in time
<PB N="254" REF="137"> of trouble and temptation, they fall away; yea, euery bla&s;t of fal&s;e do|ctrine, euery &s;torme of temptation, triall, or per&s;ecution, yea the lea&s;t bla&s;t of Gods anger driueth them hither and thither, they know not which way to turne them.</P>
<P>So that in this Similitude or Com|pari&s;on there are two things to bee con&s;idered of vs.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the matter whereunto the wicked are compared, <HI>vnto Chaffe.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the condition of <HI>Chaffe, which the winde driueth away.</HI></P>
<P>In the former of the&s;e wee are to con&s;ider how the wicked re&s;emble <HI>Chaffe,</HI> naturally, and accidentally.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Wicked compared to Chaffe, How?</NOTE> Naturally <HI>Chaffe</HI> is light and vn|profitable.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is light, containing in it, no &s;olide and weighty matter, but a ve|ry &s;leight and frothy &s;ub&s;tance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Light.</NOTE> &s;ub|iect to many alterations; euen &s;o the wicked are not &s;olide in their purpo|&s;es &amp; enterpri&s;es, &amp; weighty in their carriage and cour&s;es, but as <HI>Chaffe,</HI> light, ea&s;ily to&s;&s;ed, &amp; blowne away.</P>
<PB N="255" REF="137">
<P>It may appeare vnto vs, that the wicked are as <HI>Chaffe,</HI> light, becau&s;e they bee light of their words,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;ia|&s;tic. 12.26.</NOTE> they haue not their mouth in their heart, like a wi&s;e man, but they haue their heart in their mouth, like a foole. Do they promi&s;e any thing? their words are as wind, as the Prouerb is. Doe they vow any thing? they keep their vowes, like tho&s;e that vowed <HI>Pauls</HI> death. Do they &s;weare any thing? they are but as belles and bubbles in the water, broken in a moment of time: So that the wicked, in re&s;pect of their words, vowes, or othes, may well be compared to <HI>Chaffe,</HI> light.</P>
<P>Againe, the wicked may well bee co~pared to <HI>chaffe,</HI> light; becau&s;e they are light of their minds, entertaining and excluding, one while admitting, another while reiecting, infinite pur|po&s;es and thoughts of heart. Againe, they are light of their bodies, by co~|mitting many fornications. Yea, let their vertues be compared with their vices, it will then appeare, <HI>That they are lighter then vanity it &s;elfe.</HI></P>
<PB N="256" REF="138">
<P>Secondly, as the wicked are like <HI>Chaffe,</HI> light; &s;o are they vnprofita|ble, and that two waies. Fir&s;t, in mat|ters temporall concerning this life, wherein though they haue ability, as they haue for the mo&s;t part; yet they want wil to do good with the &s;ame. Secondly, in matters &s;pirituall, wher|in though they haue a will, which is a rare thing to bee found in the wic|ked, yet they want ability.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vnprofi|table.</NOTE> Fir&s;t, the wicked are as <HI>chaffe,</HI> vn|profitable, in regard of matters tem|porall; For, <HI>who doth regard the af|flictions of Io&s;eph?</HI> For either their will is wholly bent vpon Couetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, or Prodigality. This is an e|uill which the Preacher &s;aw vnder the Sunne;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 6.2.</NOTE> <HI>A man to whom God hath giuen riches, and trea&s;ures, and honours, and he wanteth nothing for his Soule, of all that he de&s;ireth, but God giueth him no power to eate thereof: but a &s;trange man &s;hall eate it vp.</HI> Yea, &s;uch is the ca&s;e of many a man, that where hee locks vp his riches from others with one locke, hee lockes them vp from
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<PB N="271" REF="138"> all power is of God: <HI>Hee doth bring downe the mightie from their &s;eate.</HI> Yea hee hath all creatures at a becke, and at a call, to humble man; yea, and the lea&s;t of all creatures, when it is armed and &s;ent of God, is &s;ufficient to de&s;troy the wicked, as Frogges, Lice, Flies, and the like creatures did <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and the Egyptians;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 10.</NOTE> and as the Palmer-worm and the like kind of Caterpillers did the men of <HI>Iu|da</HI> and <HI>I&s;raell:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 1.3.4.</NOTE> And therefore this mu&s;t needes bee a terrour vnto the wicked, who are no &s;tronger then the chaffe to re&s;i&s;t the wind of Gods iudgements. This may teach them humllity, and pull downe the haugh|tine&s;&s;e of their hearts, when they &s;hal heare the irreuokeablene&s;&s;e of their de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;eeing the de&s;truction <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> of the wicked are irreuokeable, and that the iudgements of God come &s;uddenly: we are taught heere that it is our dutie to awake out of &s;inne, and to bee watchfull ouer our owne &s;oules. We mu&s;t not &s;leepe in &s;inne,
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<PB N="272" REF="141"> neither giue your &s;elues to &s;ecuritie, but be carefull and circum&s;pect that we be not &s;uddenly ouertaken. This is that charge which our Sauiour gi|ueth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 24.</NOTE> <HI>watch therefore, for you know nei|ther the day nor houre in the which the Sonne of Man will come.</HI> The iudge|ments of God are threatned to come vpon thee &s;uddenly, as the Winde: thou know&s;t not whether thou &s;halt haue an houre, or a moment of time giuen thee to repent, thou may&s;t bee &s;mitten with &s;udden death: When thou ri&s;e&s;t out of thy bedde, thou knowe&s;t not whether thou &s;halt lye downe againe; When thou lye&s;t downe vpon thy bed, thou knowe&s;t not what may happen vnto thee ere it be day.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 27.1</NOTE> <HI>Boa&s;t not of to morow, for thou knowe&s;t not what a day may bring forth.</HI> And therfore while it is to day let vs repent and labour to bee reconciled to <HI>God</HI> in Chri&s;t, that when his iudg|ments &s;hall come as the winde &s;ud|denly, the de&s;troyer may pa&s;&s;e ouer vs, and wee remaine &s;afe vnder the &s;hadow of the Almighty.</P>
<PB N="273" REF="141">
<P>Hitherto hath the Prophet de&s;cri|bed the wofull e&s;tate and condition of the wicked heere in this life. Now in the next ver&s;e by way of prophe&s;ie, or threatning, he &s;ets our their e&s;tate and condition in the Life to come.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="274" REF="142">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE. 5.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Therefore the wicked &s;hall not bee able to &s;tand in the Iudgement, nor Sinners in the A&s;&s;embly of the Righteous.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The de|&s;cription of a wic|ked man in the life to come.</NOTE>
_HEere the Prophet de|&s;cribes the wicked &amp; vngodly man by his fearefull end, and that which &s;hall befall him hereafter. And that he draweth into two phra&s;es of &s;peech. Fir&s;t, <HI>They &s;hall not &s;tand in Iudgement.</HI> Secondly, <HI>They &s;hall not bee a&s;&s;otiates with the iu&s;t.</HI> So that we &s;ee, that how|&s;oeuer now the wicked beare it out,
<PB N="275" REF="142"> and &s;eeme to be the onely men in the world, yet in that great day of the Lord, when we mu&s;t all appeare be|fore his Barre, that will iudge iu&s;tly without re&s;pect of per&s;ons; then the&s;e wretched men &s;hall not bee a|ble to &s;tand, that is, to indure the &s;en|tence of the Iudge, and his angry countenance, but &s;hall receiue the fearfull doome of eternall death, <HI>De|part from me yee cur&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Well then, by this we learne, that<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. The cer|taintie of the day of iudgment proued. Malac. 4.1.</NOTE> there &s;hall be a iudgement, wherein men mu&s;t &s;tand to appeare before God, to giue account of their work; and this we acknowledge in that ar|ticle of our Faith when we &s;ay, <HI>Wee beleeue that hee &s;hall come to iudge both the quick and the dead. Behold</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>The day commeth that &s;hall burne as an Ouen. And all the proud, and all the wicked &s;hall bee Stubble:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25 41 Acts 17.31 2. Cor. 5.10 2. The&s;. 1.7 8.9. Reu. 20.12 1. Pet. 3.3.</NOTE> <HI>and the day that commeth &s;hall burne them vp.</HI> And our Sauior aluding to that day &s;aith, <HI>Then will I &s;ay to them on my left hand, &amp;c.</HI> Againe, <HI>He hath appoynted a day in the which hee will iudge the world in
<PB N="276" REF="143"> righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Now if there were no places in the Scriptures but this Text, it might &s;uffice to proue that there &s;hall bee a day of Iudge|ment.</P>
<P>But be&s;ides the&s;e Te&s;timonies, there be certaine rea&s;ons that proue the &s;ame, taken from the Nature of God and his principall Attributes, his Mercie and Iu&s;tice: which wee mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, hee is mo&s;t true in both, he is mo&s;t merciful, and mo&s;t iu&s;t.</P>
<P>And therefore hauing promi&s;ed it &s;hall goe well with his Children, that they &s;hall be happy and ble&s;&s;ed. And that the wicked &s;hall be mi&s;e|rable and cur&s;ed. In the&s;e two re|&s;pects it mu&s;t needs bee, that there mu&s;t be a day of Iudgement. For in this world who indure more mi&s;ery, griefe and wrong then Gods Chil|dren? who are contemned, mocked mi&s;u&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.</NOTE> and by all meanes abu&s;ed by wicked men. They are in want, &s;ickne&s;&s;e, per&s;ecution, in pouertie, and a thou&s;and mi&s;eries be&s;ides. But
<PB N="277" REF="143"> the wicked flouri&s;h, liue in wealth, and ea&s;e, and all things that heart can wi&s;h. Now then &s;eeing this is the e|&s;tate of Gods children in this world, full of troubles and mi&s;eries, and the wicked liue at ea&s;e, according to their lu&s;ts: It mu&s;t needs follow, that there mu&s;t bee a day of Iudgement; when God &s;hall &s;hew his mercy in ble&s;&s;ing and crowning the vertues of his children: and likewi&s;e in exe|cuting Iu&s;tice vpon the wicked and vngodly.</P>
<P>O that men and women could of|ten thinke of the time of the la&s;t iudgement!<MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> Oh that we could be|&s;tow that time which we be&s;tow vp|on our plea&s;ures, and fooli&s;h &s;ports, to meditate on this day! O that men would be&s;tow that time which they be&s;tow on vnprofitable, if not &s;infull exerci&s;es: As carding, dicing, dec|king and painting the&s;e carka&s;&s;es of theirs! Oh (I &s;ay) happy were we if wee could be&s;tow this time in thin|king of this iudgement: what &s;hall then become of vs for euermore?</P>
<PB N="278" REF="144">
<P>There is no man &s;o wrethed and de|&s;perate but he can wi&s;h with <HI>Balaam Oh that I might die the death of the righteous, and that my la&s;t end might be like one of theirs!</HI> Labour now then in time to become a new creature, walke with God in obedience, la|bour for &s;anctification: and this will cau&s;e thee to &s;tand out in this iudge|ment.</P>
<P>Now that the wicked <HI>&s;hall not &s;tand in this iudgement,</HI> &s;ome may heere obiect and &s;ay, This is that which we de&s;ire, that we may not appeare before the face of that angry iudge, who&s;e pre&s;ence is &s;o intollerable.</P>
<P>But alas, this is not all: for then the wicked might &s;eeme to be ble&s;|&s;ed, if they might here delight in &s;in, and drinke downe iniquitie like water, and neuer bee called to ac|count for the &s;ame. Therefore the wicked &s;hall appeare in Iudgement:<NOTE PLACE="marg">In foure re&s;pects the wic|ked mu&s;t appeare in iudgment.</NOTE> and yet not any whit contrarie to this Text, which &s;aith, <HI>The wicked &s;hall not &s;tand in iudgement,</HI> and that in the&s;e foure re&s;pects.</P>
<PB N="279" REF="144">
<P>Fir&s;t, in regard of their appearance there,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 35.21</NOTE> <HI>The Lord will enter into iudge|ment with all fle&s;h:</HI> if with all fle&s;h, then chiefly with &s;uch kind of fle&s;h as are <HI>&s;pecies</HI> of that <HI>genus,</HI> So fle&s;h, as that they are nothing but fle&s;h, that haue not the &s;eed of the &s;pirit remai|ning in them.</P>
<P>Secondly, they mu&s;t ari&s;e and ap|peare in this iudgement, in re&s;pect of the &s;inners araignment at <HI>Gods</HI> iudg|ment barre. For we mu&s;t not onely appeare in iudgement,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.10</NOTE> but <HI>before the iudgement &s;eate of Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, they mu&s;t ari&s;e and ap|peare in this iudgment, to be indited: for God will bring <HI>euery work of theirs into iudgement,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 12.14</NOTE> <HI>whether they bee good or euill.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly and la&s;tly, they mu&s;t a|ri&s;e and &s;tand in this iudgement, to heare the &s;entence of the Iudge of heauen and earth pa&s;&s;e again&s;t them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.41</NOTE> <HI>Depart from mee yee cur&s;ed, into euerla|&s;ting fire, prepared for the Diuell and his Angels.</HI> A thundring Sentence in|deede, able (if it were po&s;&s;ible) to
<PB N="280" REF="145"> wound to death the hatrs of the wic|ked, but they &s;hall after death never die. Yea, euery word of the &s;entence &s;eemes to be mo&s;t fearfull &amp; terrible.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what they &s;hall do; <HI>Depart.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, how they &s;hall depart; <HI>Cur&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, from whom; <HI>From me.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, whither; <HI>Into fire.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, into what fire; <HI>Euerla&s;ting fire.</HI></P>
<P>Sixtly, by what right; <HI>Prepared.</HI></P>
<P>Seuenthly, with what company; <HI>The Diuell and his Angels.</HI></P>
<P>Hitherto, and thus farre the wic|ked mu&s;t ari&s;e, and &s;tand in Iudge|ment: but after this &s;entence is once giuen, they &s;hall neuer ri&s;e vp to ap|peare in Iudgement any more. But where it is &s;aid, <HI>They &s;hall not &s;tand in Iudgement:</HI> This is meant onely in re&s;pect of Gods fauour. For this is proper onely to the godly, thus to &s;tand in iudgement, who are bold in re&s;pect of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t their elder Brother, in who&s;e righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e they appeare.</P>
<PB N="281" REF="145">
<P>Oh that all men would con&s;ider <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> this, high, low; rich, poore; noble, and &s;imple; <HI>That no wicked man &s;hall &s;tand in iudgement,</HI> but &s;hall heare the fearefull &s;entence of eternall venge|ance, <HI>Depart from mee yee cur&s;ed.</HI> O how ready are men to put from them this day of reckoning! They &s;eeme to haue made a league with Death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 28.15</NOTE> and to bee at an agreement with the Graue. But the Lord will di&s;anull this their agreement, and the time will come when the&s;e wicked wret|ches will bee glad to put their heads in an awger hole, when they &s;hall cry vnto the rockes and hils to fall vpon them to hide them, and to couer them from the wrath of God, the angry Iudge, whom they are not able to endure. Who would buy gold at &s;uch a rate, or plea&s;ures &s;o deere, to loo&s;e his &s;oule in hell fire for euer, for the plea&s;ures of &s;inne for a &s;ea&s;on heere?</P>
<P>Secondly, we are taught here, that <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> as all wicked and vngodly men bee wretched and mi&s;erable in their life:
<PB N="282" REF="146"> So at the day of Iudgement their e|&s;tate is much more fearefull: for it is &s;aid here, <HI>They &s;hall not &s;tand in iudge|ment,</HI> but &s;hall quake and tremble, as not being able to endure the an|gry countenance of the Iudge:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 20.14</NOTE> For now they &s;hal &s;ee the books brought forth, and their &s;innes laid open. O good Lord! what &s;hall vngodly men do then? which way &s;hall they turne them? when they &s;hall &s;ee the Iudge &s;tand aboue them with a naked &s;word to cut them off; and the de|uils ready to execute Gods eternall iudgements on them: poore &s;oules, what &s;hall become of them? How can they <HI>&s;tand?</HI> how can they endure it? And yet they mu&s;t vndergo it, and endure it.</P>
<P>But more then this, they mu&s;t re|ceiue that fearefull &s;entence of eter|nall vengeance, <HI>Depart yee cur&s;ed, &amp;c.</HI> So as now they mu&s;t remaine in per|petuall pri&s;on, in the darke dungeon of hell for euer; where the paines are endle&s;&s;e, ea&s;le&s;&s;e, and remedile&s;&s;e: They &s;hall haue no ea&s;e, no not one
<PB N="238" REF="146"> drop of water to coole their tongue: And this word, euerla&s;ting Torment doth euen kill the heart of the dam|ned: for if a man in hell torments might lie in torments &s;o many thou|&s;and yeares as bee Starres in the fir|mament, or &s;and on the Sea &s;hoare:<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 30.30.</NOTE> it were &s;ome comfort to a damned &s;oule, that once there might bee an end thereof. But alas, when he hath &s;uffered torments &s;o many yeares, the number to &s;uffer &s;till will euer remaine infinite. God giue vs grace that we may become righteous, that &s;o wee may <HI>&s;tand in iudgement.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd part of the mi&s;ery of a wicked man in the life to come, is: <HI>Hee &s;hall not &s;tand in the a&s;&s;embly of the Iu&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>IN the&s;e words is noted out vnto vs a &s;econd branch of the iudge|ment of the wicked in the life to come. That they &s;hall be &s;euered and &s;ecluded from the company of the Iu&s;t.</P>
<PB N="284" REF="147">
<P>Heauen is called the <HI>New Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> wherein enters no vncleane thing; onely this is the place where the iu&s;t do abide: Heere are all the holy Patriarkes, <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Iacob;</HI> heere are the Apo&s;tles, heere are the holy Martyrs, and con&s;tant witne&s;&s;es of CHRISTS truth; here are all the Saints that &s;leepe in Chri&s;t, heere they re&s;t and &s;ing con|tinually, <HI>Prai&s;e, honour, and glory vnto him that &s;itteth vpon the Throne:</HI> heere they enioy the pre&s;ence of God, and &s;ee his face continually. Now to bee depriued of this place, and to be &s;e|uered from this company, it is a mi|&s;ery with a witne&s;&s;e. And this is that mi&s;ery heere pointed out in this &s;e|cond place, <HI>They &s;hall not &s;tand in the A&s;&s;embly of the Iu&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The Church is to bee vnder&s;tood two wayes, <HI>Militant</HI> and <HI>Trium|phant,</HI> and from both of the&s;e the wicked are excluded: for how&s;oe|uer the wicked liue among&s;t the godly, as Tares among&s;t the good Wheate, as <HI>Cain,</HI> and <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and <HI>Iu|das</HI>
<PB N="285" REF="147"> did among&s;t the godly, yet they were not of the godly; <HI>They went out from vs, becau&s;e they were not of vs:</HI> But this is not directly intended in this place.</P>
<P>But of the Church <HI>Triumphant</HI> in the kingdome of heauen, where the godly enioy Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.12</NOTE> <HI>In who&s;e pre&s;ence is the fulne&s;&s;e of ioy, and at who&s;e right hand is plea&s;ure for euer|more:</HI> heere the wicked <HI>&s;hall not &s;tand in this A&s;&s;embly:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 3.</NOTE> For if <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> might not &s;tand vpon the holy ground, be|fore he had put off his &s;hooes: Oh how much le&s;&s;e &s;hall &s;infull wretches &s;tand in the pre&s;ence of the euer|liuing God, hauing on the &s;hooes of their &s;infull affection! Yea it is now mo&s;t iu&s;t with God, that &s;uch &s;hould be &s;hut from Heauen, the <HI>Church Triumphant,</HI> &s;ee|ing they neuer warred in the <HI>Church Mi|litant.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<PB N="286" REF="148">
<Q>Neither the &s;inners in the a&s;&s;embly of the iu&s;t.</Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 2. All Man|kinde di|uided into two ranks.</NOTE> HEere then we learne, that there are two &s;orts of men in the world, <HI>Good</HI> and <HI>Bad, Sheep</HI> &amp; <HI>Goates, Elect</HI> and <HI>Reprobate:</HI> and heere in this world they liue together, but after death in the la&s;t iudgement, there &s;hall bee two places appointed for them;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.34</NOTE> one on the right hand, ano|ther on the left; one in honour, the other in &s;hame; one in ioy and com|fort, the other in feare and horror. And as wicked men in this life could neuer abide the company and &s;ocie|ty of the godly, but did mock and &s;coffe at them, and &s;hun their compa|ny as much as they could; &s;o in the great day of account, in that great and generall &s;eparation. <HI>The &s;inners &s;hall not appeare in the a&s;&s;embly of the righteous,</HI> but &s;hall bee &s;euered and &s;undred by the great Shepheard of the &s;heepe, the Iudge of the whole world.</P>
<PB N="287" REF="148">
<P>Now that wicked men &s;hun and auoid the company of the godly, and do de&s;ire and &s;eeke the company of the wicked, it is plaine by experi|ence, and therefore it is iu&s;t with God, that at the la&s;t day they &s;hould bee &s;euered and &s;ecluded their com|pany: and as they loued and deligh|ted in the company of wicked men, and &s;uch as haue no feare of God be|fore their eyes, &s;o now they &s;hall haue their belly full of their compa|ny. How did <HI>Cain</HI> hate <HI>Abel? Pha|raoh, Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron? Saul, Dauid?</HI> the Iewes our Sauiour Chri&s;t? <HI>Elymas</HI> the company of <HI>Paul?</HI> And on the contrary part, how one wicked man doth loue the company of another like him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 50.</NOTE> common experience doth proue it.</P>
<P>And heere wicked men bee noy|&s;ome and trouble&s;ome to the godly, as Goats to &s;heep, they tread downe their pa&s;ture, they trample in their water,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 34.</NOTE> and they pu&s;h them with their hornes: Chri&s;ts &s;heep now &s;u|&s;taine &s;undry wrongs and iniuries,
<PB N="288" REF="149"> and are much annoyed and vexed by tho&s;e &s;tinking and vnruly Goates. But there will come a <HI>day of &s;eparati|on,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.18.</NOTE> to the horror of the wicked, and comfort of the godly.</P>
<P>Further, in the&s;e words wee may con&s;ider the e&s;tate of the <HI>righteous</HI> at the la&s;t iudgement: that is, of the elect of God, &s;uch as haue truely re|pented of their &s;innes, by faith, be|leeue and embrace Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and are iu&s;tified through his obedience in the &s;ight of God; &s;urely their e&s;tate &s;hall bee ble&s;&s;ed and happy, and &s;o great, that the very wicked &s;hall be a&s;hamed and a&s;tonied to be|hold it. Fir&s;t, <HI>they &s;hall be &s;et on Chri&s;ts right hand,</HI> which is no &s;mall honour and ioy for poore &s;illy &s;oules to bee aduanced to &s;it on the right hand of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> the Son of God, and the great Iudge of the world. Secondly, they &s;hall heare the ble&s;&s;ed &s;entence, <HI>Come yee ble&s;&s;ed, &amp;c.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.34</NOTE> Thirdly, they &s;hall be put in reall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of eternall <HI>&s;aluation</HI> of the kingdome of <HI>Heauen,</HI> and liue in the ble&s;&s;ed pre&s;ence of
<PB N="289" REF="149"> <HI>God the Father, Sonne, and Holy Gho&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuel. 21. &amp; 13.14.</NOTE> the elect <HI>Angels,</HI> and ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Saints,</HI> where there &s;hall be no &s;orow, paine, &s;ickne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the dead that die in the Lord, for they re&s;t from their labours:</HI> So then after death they haue a &s;weet <HI>quietus e&s;t;</HI> and a generall di&s;|charge and freedome from all ene|mies of &s;oule and body, from all trouble, paine, and griefe. Whereas the wicked and vngodly &s;hall bee in a cleane contrary e&s;tate and conditi|on; for they &s;hall not come into the company of the righteous, nor &s;hall haue no part in that place of their Comfort, Honour, Ioy, and Dignity, but &s;hall be &s;et on Chri&s;ts left hand, a place of exceeding &s;orrow and griefe, &s;hame and confu&s;ion, horrour and trembling.</P>
<P>This might admoni&s;h all wicked <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> and vngodly &s;inners to repent, in time to turne to God by true repentance and amendment of their liues, to e&s;teeme better of the company of Gods faithfull &s;er|uants and righteous Children in
<PB N="290" REF="150"> this world, and to make much of them. But if they will &s;till proceed to hate them, to &s;et them&s;elues again&s;t the godly, to &s;hunne their company, and to hate them aboue all the things in the world: Well, yet re|member the time will come that yee &s;hall thinke it the greate&s;t mi&s;ery in the world, that they &s;hall be &s;euered and &s;undred from their company, and in &s;o being they &s;hall be &s;euered and &s;undred from the company and &s;ociety of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, of God the Father, and all the ble&s;&s;ed Saints and Angels of God in hea|uen:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wi&s;. 5.1.2.3.4.</NOTE> <HI>Then in that day &s;hall the righte|ous &s;tand in great boldne&s;&s;e before him that per&s;ecuted him, &amp;c.</HI> Thus yee &s;ee the madne&s;&s;e and extreme folly of wicked men, they hate them whom they ought mo&s;t to loue, and loue them whom they ought mo&s;t to di&s;like.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Let men take heed with whom they ioyne them&s;elues in &s;ociety: Seeing with whom they keepe com|pany in this life, in death they &s;hall
<PB N="291" REF="150"> pertake with them, and after at the la&s;t iudgement &s;hall be ioyned with them. Hee that now is familiar and a companion of vngodly men, A|thie&s;ts, Papi&s;ts, Swearers, Drun|kards, Scorners, &amp;c. certainely in death he &s;hall bee puni&s;hed with them, and after death haue his abode with them for euer.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 18.4.</NOTE> So he that is now a companion with all tho&s;e that feare God; &s;urely, hee &s;hall haue a part with them in death, and at the la&s;t iudgement &s;hall bee placed with them in ioy and happine&s;&s;e for euermore.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.25.26.</NOTE> It is thought to be a mat|ter of little or no moment what company a man keepes, to liue among&s;t Swaggerers, Swearers, Drunkards, Athie&s;ts, Papi&s;ts, &amp;c. But the truth is, it is a fearefull &s;igne of a reprobate; and he that is now a companion with them in their &s;ins, &s;hall after death take part with them in their plagues.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="292" REF="151">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>VERSE. 6.</HI></BIBL>
<P>For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; But the way of the vngod|ly &s;hall peri&s;h.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_HItherto the Prophet hath de&s;cribed the wonderfull ble&s;&s;ed e|&s;tate of a godly man:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;eco~d generall part of the P&s;alme.</NOTE> As al&s;o the fearefull and cur&s;ed e&s;tate of the wicked: Now in this &s;ixt ver&s;e, which containes in it the &s;econd ge|nerall part of the P&s;alme, is laid downe a rea&s;on, both of the happi|ne&s;&s;e of the one, and al&s;o of the mi|&s;ery of the other.</P>
<PB N="293" REF="151">
<P>The godly man is a ble&s;&s;ed man, why? Becau&s;e the Lord <HI>Knoweth,</HI> that is; approueth of the way of a righteous and godly man, hee likes it and directs it, yea takes care of it, and doth ble&s;&s;e the way; that is, the life and conuer&s;ation, the actions, &s;tudies, and endeuours of the righ|teous.</P>
<P>Secondly, the wicked are cur|&s;ed and mi&s;erable, why? Becau&s;e the Lord doth not thus <HI>Know,</HI> that is, the Lord doth not like nor allow of the wicked man, hee doth not loue nor approue of his life nor dealings; but rather di&s;likes him and all hee doth, yea hee hates and abhorres his vile and ab|hominable and wicked life: And therefore both hee and his waies, that is, his &s;tudies, labours, and enterpri&s;es, <HI>&s;hall peri&s;h,</HI> and come to de&s;truction.</P>
<P>In that the Lord is &s;aid <HI>to know the way of the righteous;</HI> that is, to like it, to loue, and to be well plea&s;ed with it, &s;o as hee will direct and ble&s;&s;e
<PB N="294" REF="152">
<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">Doctr. 1. A great comfort to the godly that God doth ap|proue of them.</NOTE> it. Here is matter of exceeding com|fort to euery poore childe of God, to euery godly and righteous &s;er|uant of God, that being iu&s;tified by faith in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and &s;anctified by the Holy Gho&s;t, liue well, and leade a godly and righteous life, that how&s;oeuer the world contemnes them, &s;coffes and &s;cornes them, mockes and mowes at them, reuile, and raile vpon them, &amp; e&s;teeme them as ba&s;e and vile; yet here we &s;ee that the Lord loues them, and e&s;teemes highly of them, approues them as his, delights in them, to ble&s;&s;e them and pro&s;per them: <HI>Touch not mine An|nointed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.13 Mat. 23.37 P&s;alm. 105 P&s;alm. 17. P&s;. 142.3.4 Nah. 2.7. 1. Tim. 4.8</NOTE> <HI>and do my Prophets no harme;</HI> yea, he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of Gods eye, &amp; no a&s;&s;aults what&s;oeuer &s;hall bee able to hurt them: <HI>For godline&s;&s;e hath the promi&s;e of this life and that which is to come:</HI> And therefore let vs labour to plant god|line&s;&s;e in our hearts, and &s;tore them with the true feare of God, and in &s;o doing the Lord will both ble&s;&s;e vs, and our poore endeuours.</P>
<PB N="295" REF="152">
<P>This may &s;erue to reproue the cur&s;ed practi&s;e of vngodly men, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> it is wonderfull to &s;ee how bold they bee to abu&s;e Gods Seruants, to mocke them and to di&s;grace them, to &s;lander and reuile them: they thinke them the wor&s;t men that liue in the world, they traduce them and bring them on the Stage, they loade them with vile and odious names: Now what doe they el&s;e then &s;et them&s;elues again&s;t God him&s;elfe, &s;eeing they hate them whom God loues.</P>
<P>And as this may &s;erue for the ter|rour of the wicked, &s;o it &s;erues to comfort euery poore child of God: What though the world hate thee &s;o God loue thee? Oh remember that the Lord loues and allowes of thee. Now then if God approue of thee, what though all men in the world, did refu&s;e or condemne thee? If the King &s;hould grace a man, and honour him, what would this man care for the contempt of a Scullion boy? Well, let this be a comfort
<PB N="296" REF="153"> and encouragement vnto vs, that God knowes and allowes of vs, For what were the fauour and ap|probation of men, if this were wanting.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum"><HI>Obiect.</HI> How a ma~ may know whether Chri&s;t ap|proue of him.</NOTE> But how &s;hall a man know whe|ther God knoweth him thus with his &s;peciall knowledge or not? I an|&s;were.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, if God know any man for his, by his &s;peciall and effectuall know|ledge,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runSum">An&s;were.</NOTE> then hee begets in him the <MILESTONE N="1"> knowledge of him&s;elfe. As the light of the Sunne falling on our eye, by who&s;e light wee behold the Sunne againe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 10.</NOTE> <HI>I know my Sheep</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>and they know mee.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, if God thus know any man with his e&s;peciall and effectuall knowledge of his, &s;o as hee loues and likes of him, it begets the loue of God in a mans heart: So as God loues him, hee is inflamed to loue God againe;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 4.9.</NOTE> and in loue vnto him is loath to offend him, and mo&s;t carefull to plea&s;e him. And therefore if wee would know whether wee be
<PB N="297" REF="153"> thus knowne of God, let vs labour to finde our hearts thus enflamed with the loue of him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, whom GOD knoweth <MILESTONE N="3"> thus, he chu&s;eth to bee his Childe in CHRIST IESVS, delights to ble&s;&s;e him: Now then this workes in the heart of a godly man another work; namely, to choo&s;e God to bee his God, to &s;et his heart on him, to de|light in him, to adore him as his God, to loue him, feare him, obey and cal vpon him, and to tru&s;t in him as his God.</P>
<P>Thus you &s;ee how a man may know whether God know him with this &s;pecial and effectual know|ledge which is proper to the Elect alone; namely, by the&s;e fruites and effects in our hearts: For as we &s;ee, though euery man cannot come to &s;ee the Kings Broad Seale, yet can di&s;cerne the picture of it in wax, and &s;ay, This is the Kings Broad Seale: So though men cannot a&s;cend to Heauen to know the &s;ecret coun|&s;ell of God, yet by the&s;e fruites
<PB N="298" REF="154"> and effectes of his knowledge, men may know his will, whether they be his or not.</P>
<P>Well, to conclude: &s;eeing the Lord thus knowes and acknowled|geth, yea loues and likes of the life of a godly and righteous man: let vs bee encouraged to goe through|&s;titch, and to re&s;olue of this, neuer to be daunted, or di&s;couraged with the hard mea&s;ure of vngodly men. All our care &s;hould bee to plea&s;e God, and to bee approued of him, and therefore &s;o long as hee doth approue of vs, let vs not care what man can doe again&s;t vs.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="subpart">
<HEAD>But the way of the wicked &s;hall peri&s;h.</HEAD>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Lord hates a wicked man, and al he doth E&s;ay 1.11.</NOTE> HEere we learne that the whole life of a wicked man, and what|&s;oeuer he doth, is abhominable, the Lord hates him and all he doth. <HI>What haue I to doe with the multitude
<PB N="299" REF="154"> of your Sacrifices,</HI> &s;aith the Lord. And againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 66.3.</NOTE> <HI>The Sacrifices of the wicked are abhominable vnto the Lord.</HI> Now if the be&s;t actions of a wicked man, his Hearing, Reading, praying,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 7.8. Prou. 15.8.</NOTE> and Re|ceiuing, be abhominable to the <HI>Lord;</HI> how much more their &s;wearing, cur|&s;ing, banning, prophaning the Sab|both, drunkenne&s;&s;e, vncleanne&s;&s;e, ly|ing, &s;tealing, &amp;c. Againe, <HI>without faith it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.6.</NOTE> Now no wicked man can haue true faith, be|cau&s;e <HI>Faith purifies the heart,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 15.9.</NOTE> and is ne|uer &s;euered from true repentance and amendment of life. And therfore the way of the wicked, &s;eeme it neuer &s;o goodly and glorious in the world, all their &s;tudies and endeuours &s;hall pe|ri&s;h and come to de&s;truction in the end.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 20.17</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 20.29.</NOTE> <HI>This is the portion of the wicked man, and the heritage that he &s;hall haue from God for his workes.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;hewes the &s;tate of mo&s;t men to bee mi&s;erable and vnhappy. <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> For onely tho&s;e bee ble&s;&s;ed, who&s;e liues do plea&s;e God: Now alas, what de|light can God haue in the filthy liues
<PB N="300" REF="155"> of mo&s;t men, who&s;e whole delight and &s;tudy is in &s;in and wickedne&s;&s;e, in all kinde of lewdne&s;&s;e and pro|phanne&s;&s;e, haue no care to plea&s;e God, but euen ob&s;tinately rebell a|gain&s;t him, &s;urely the Lord hates them and all they do. O wofull con|dition of &s;uch &s;inful men, that betake them&s;elues thus vnto the <HI>way of &s;inne.</HI> Not as though they walk therein but for a time, but as &s;uch as purpo&s;e to tread therein for euer. From this wofull e|&s;tate the Lord deliuer vs for his Chri&s;ts &s;ake. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="301" REF="155">
<HEAD>A Prayer for the Morning.</HEAD>
<P>_O LORD, and our good GOD, wee thy poore vn|worthy &s;eruants, accor|ding to our bounden due|tie, are heere a&s;&s;embled together in thy Name: O LORD, it is thy owne Commandement that wee &s;hould call vpon thee in all our ne|ce&s;&s;ities, and it is likewi&s;e thy pro|mi&s;e, that thou wilt heare vs, in a&s;&s;u|rance whereof wee are bold now to come vnto thee; acknowledging fir&s;t of all, that wee are altogether vnworthy of our &s;elues, as of our &s;elues, to reque&s;t for any fauour or mercie at thy hands, for from our cradles vnto this pre&s;ent there hath
<PB N="302" REF="156"> beene in vs nothing el&s;e but Apo&s;ta|&s;ie and rebellion; yea Lord, we haue &s;o added &s;inne vnto &s;inne, as if there were no other end why wee were &s;ent into the world, but to prouoke thee to wrath, and to heap vp a great mea&s;ure of iniquitie again&s;t our own &s;oules, again&s;t the day of wrath. Our &s;innes of omi&s;&s;ion, our &s;innes of commi&s;&s;ion, &ocirc; Lord they are many and great, and if thou &s;houlde&s;t call vs to a reckoning euen for the lea&s;t of them, we are not able to an&s;were thy Maie&s;ty for one of a thou&s;and; yea Lord wee confe&s;&s;e that it is thy mercie that endureth for euer, and that hath beene the cau&s;e that wee haue not long agoe ta&s;ted of thy iudgements. O Lord be thou merci|full vnto vs &s;till for thy Names &s;ake, &s;eparate our &s;innes as farre from thy pre&s;ence as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t: Bury them in the graue of thy Sonne Chri&s;t, that they may neuer ri&s;e vp againe in this world to accu&s;e vs, or in the world to come to con|demne vs. Teach vs to con&s;ider
<GAP DESC="missing" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 pages">
<PB N="305" REF="156"> good, much le&s;&s;e to performe it: o|pen therefore the eyes of our minds, that we may &s;ee what is good, put thy good Spirit within vs, giue vs fle&s;hly hearts, and pliable affections; draw our minds from the loue of this pre&s;ent world, teach vs to v&s;e it, as if we v&s;ed it not, that we haue heere no continuing Citie, but to &s;eeke one to come, that &s;o wee may &s;eeke for that kingdome that cannot bee &s;haken, but eternall in the heauens. Lord teach vs to do thy wil, knit our hearts vnto thee, that we may feare thy name, &ocirc; Lord heare, &ocirc; Lord for|giue, &ocirc; Lord con&s;ider the complaint that we make vnto thee, and giue a gracious an&s;were vnto our prayers for the Lords &s;ake. And now &ocirc; Lord we thanke thee euen from the bot|tome of our hearts, for thy ine&s;tima|ble ble&s;&s;ings wherwith in Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us thou ha&s;t ble&s;&s;ed vs; for our Ele|ction before the foundation of the world, for our Vocation, Iu&s;tificati|on, Sanctification and Pre&s;eruation; and for that thou ha&s;t put in vs a
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<PB N="302" REF="158">
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<PB N="306" REF="159"> hope of Glorification in the life to come. We thank thee more e&s;pecial|ly for that thou ha&s;t defended vs this night pa&s;t from all perils &amp; dangers, and ha&s;t &s;afely brought vs to the be|ginning of this day. Now Lord wee humbly pray thee, keepe vs, and all that belong vnto vs, this day from al euill that may hurt vs; &s;et thy feare before our eyes, and let thy &s;pirit &s;o rule our hearts, that we may not &s;in again&s;t thee. As for outward things, we &s;ubmit our &s;elues to thy wi&s;e and fatherly prouidence; only we be&s;eech thee to giue vs this day what&s;oeuer thou knowe&s;t needfull &amp; behouefull vnto vs; let vs not want tho&s;e things without which we cannot &s;erue thee; ble&s;&s;e vs in our going out, and our comming in, and grant that what&s;o|euer we &s;hall thinke, &s;peake, or doe, may tend to thy glory, the good of our brethren, and the comfort of our owne con&s;ciences, when wee &s;hall come to make before thee our la&s;t accounts. Ble&s;&s;e thy whole Church (O Lord) and build it vp more and
<PB N="307" REF="159"> more in perfect beautie, di&s;appoynt the hope of the Papi&s;ts, let them pe|ri&s;h, as many as haue euil wil at <HI>Syon:</HI> comfort them that mourne; e&s;pecial|ly &s;uch as mourn for &s;in: fulfil the de|&s;ires of all that truly long &amp; &s;igh after thee. Ble&s;&s;e this good land in which we liue, make thy glorious Go&s;pell to &s;hine more &amp; more vntil it be per|fect day; Lord &s;end it where it is not and ble&s;&s;e it where it is, that <HI>Babylon</HI> may fall, and neuer ri&s;e vp again: and to this end &s;trenthen the hand of thine annoynted &s;eruant, and our dread Soueraigne <HI>Iames,</HI> Lord make him to &s;ee and know euery day more and more what belongs vnto thy glory, what belongs vnto his owne peace and &s;afety; and Lord giue him a heart, that he may duly practi&s;e the &s;ame. Ble&s;&s;e likewi&s;e our gracious Queene <HI>Anne,</HI> Prince <HI>Charles,</HI> and rhe Count <HI>Palatine</HI> of <HI>Rhine,</HI> with the La|dy <HI>Elizabeth</HI> his wife. A&s;&s;i&s;t with thy &s;pirit and grace, all that are in autho|rity: &s;anctifie all tho&s;e whom thou employe&s;t in the Mini&s;tery. Be mer|cifull
<PB N="308" REF="160"> vnto all that wee are bound in duty to pray for, as if we had named them in particular vnto thee. Ha&s;ten the comming of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, make vs euer mindfull of our la&s;t end, and of the reckoning that one day we are to make vnto thee. And in the meane time, Lord make vs carefull to fol|low Chri&s;t in the Regeneration, du|ring this life, as that with Chri&s;t one day we may haue our portion in the re&s;urrection of the Iu&s;t, when this mortall life is ended. The&s;e graces, and all other ble&s;&s;ings which thou knowe&s;t to bee needfull for vs, O Lord we humbly begge and craue at thy hand, in the name, and for the &s;ake alone of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t thy deere Sonne, and in that forme of pray|er which hee him&s;elfe hath taught vs, &s;aying, <HI>Our Father which art in Heauen, &amp;c.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="309" REF="160">
<HEAD>A Prayer for the Euening.</HEAD>
<P>O Lord God, by who&s;e gracious prouidence the night &s;uccee|deth the day, and the day the night, wee acknowledge thy wonderfull power therin: fora&s;much as day vnto day vttereth thy goodnes, and night vnto night teacheth knowledge: O Lord among&s;t other thy mercies, with which thou doe&s;t euen follow vs (mo&s;t rebellious wretches) wee mu&s;t needs acknowledge that this is not the lea&s;t, that we haue this liber|tie to come into thy pre&s;ence, O Lord wee come not now to excu&s;e our &s;elues, but to accu&s;e our &s;elues; yea and to acknowledge, that we are worthy of all tho&s;e iudgements which thy iu&s;tice might mo&s;t iu&s;tly inflict vpon vs, our &s;innes they make
<PB N="310" REF="161"> vs &s;eeme vile in our eyes, how much more loath&s;ome in thy &s;ight? O Lord we mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e that we are &s;o farre vnworthy to bee called thy &s;onnes, as that we are not wor|thy to bee reckoned among&s;t thy &s;eruants; yea were it not that thou wert a God of mercy, and that thy mercy were ouer all thy workes, and doth extend it &s;elfe euen to poore &s;inners; we &s;hould vtterly be di&s;cou|raged in comming vnto thee, con&s;i|dering that our whole life hath been but a life of &s;inne, and that we haue drunke downe iniquity as it were water, euer powring in, but neuer powring out our filthine&s;&s;e. O Lord teach vs to value this mercy of thine aright, that thou ha&s;t &s;pared vs &s;o long, and giuen vs &s;o large a time of repentance; that thou ha&s;t not pre|uented vs with death in the time of our ignorance, &amp; hardne&s;&s;e of heart, as many haue beene before vs: O Lord it is thy mercy not our worthi|ne&s;&s;e. Thus ha&s;t thou &s;hewed thy &s;elfe to be a God of mercy, one that
<PB N="311" REF="161"> delighteth in the pro&s;perity of thy &s;eruants. Now Lord we humbly en|treat thee that thou would&s;t pardon and forgiue vs all our &s;ins and offen|ces, bathe them in the bloud of thy Sonne, naile them to his Cro&s;&s;e, bind them in a bundle, and throw them downe into the bottome of the &s;ea, that they may neuer ri&s;e vp again&s;t vs, either in this world to accu&s;e vs, or in the world to come to con|demne vs. O Lord wee are heartily &s;orry that wee haue abu&s;ed thy ble&s;|&s;ings, prophaned thy Saboths, de|&s;pi&s;ed thy word, and quenched thy Spirit: For the&s;e and the like (ble&s;|&s;ed father) we condemne our &s;elues, do not thou therefore marke them; nor deale not with vs as we haue de|&s;erued, but teach vs to ri&s;e vp again&s;t our &s;innes, that our warre with them may a&s;&s;ure vs that wee haue peace with thee: O Lord we abhorre our &s;elues, for to vs belongs nothing but &s;hame and confu&s;ion of face for euer: and we do humbly entreat thee to looke vpon vs in thy Son Chri&s;t
<PB N="312" REF="162"> Ie&s;us, O let the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our peace bee vpon him, and heale vs through his &s;tripes: Lord let vs euer remember our latter end, and the &s;traight reckoning that we mu&s;t ren|der vnto thee one day: and in health and pro&s;perity to thinke of a time of &s;ickne&s;&s;e and aduer&s;ity; and e&s;pe|cially good Lord deliuer vs in the houre of temptation, that when Sa|than his a&s;&s;aults &s;hall be greate&s;t, as his policy is when wee are weake&s;t, and lea&s;t able to re&s;i&s;t him, that thy power may then appeare in our weakne&s;&s;e, that the&s;e things may not ouertake vs as a &s;nare, but that with the wi&s;e virgins wee may in &s;ome &s;ort bee prepared for the comming of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us the &s;weete Bride|groome of our &s;oules. And to that end we may haue comfort both now and at that time, goe forward wee humbly pray thee, with the worke of our new birth, that thou ha&s;t be|gun in vs, and neuer take away thy hand vntill &s;uch time as thou ha&s;t made an end of it. And now O Lord
<PB N="313" REF="162"> hauing in the fir&s;t place &s;ought thy kingdome, and the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e thereof, giue vs leaue in the next place to &s;eek thy fauour in outward things: Fir&s;t, according to our duty, we giue thee hearty thankes &amp; prai&s;e for that thou ha&s;t this day pre&s;erued vs from all euill and danger: wee humbly pray thee take care ouer vs this night, and defend vs from that roaring Lyon, who night and day goeth about &s;eeking whom hee may deuoure: Take thou vs this night in|to thy ble&s;&s;ed tuition: we know that thou do&s;t neither &s;lumber nor &s;leepe, keepe vs euen in our &s;leepe from be|ing vnmindfull of thee, that when|&s;oeuer thou &s;halt call for vs by the generall Alarum of thy iudgement, whether at mid-night, at Cocke-crowing, or at the dawning of the day, we may bee found ready to ac|company the Bridegroome into the Marriage-chamber. And to this end Lord &s;anctifie our &s;leep vnto vs, that by it wee may bee the better en|abled to performe the duties of the
<PB N="314" REF="163"> next day; and night and day being guided by thee, they may fit vs and prepare vs for that day of thine, that &s;hall neuer giue place to night. And we be&s;eech thee O Lord to be mer|cifull likewi&s;e to thy whole Church, heare the cries of thine elect; heare the mourning of all &s;uch as mourne in <HI>Syon,</HI> let the cries of thy children cry downe the cries of the &s;innes of this land: and bee reconciled vnto vs O Lord our God in the multitude of thy mercies, that &s;o thou mai&s;t con|tinue &s;till a mercifull God vnto this Land, the Vineyard which thy own right hand hath planted. Pre&s;erue our gracious King, ble&s;&s;e and pro&s;|per the Queene, the hopefull Prince <HI>Charles,</HI> Princely Pal&s;graue of <HI>Rhene,</HI> with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Elizabeth</HI> his wife. And as thou ha&s;t crowned them with worldly honour vpon earth, &s;o direct them vnto that more glorious Crowne in heauen. Ble&s;&s;e the Nobi|lity and Magi&s;tracy of this Land. Pro&s;per the worke of thy Go&s;pell in the hands of thy Mini&s;ters. And
<PB N="315" REF="163"> good Lord giue vs all grace to bee one of tho&s;e wi&s;e virgines, that our hearts may bee prepared like a lamp furni&s;hed with <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>good workes,</HI> like <HI>Oyle,</HI> to meete the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the Bridegroome of our &s;oules, there to &s;ee the felicity of thy cho&s;en, and to reioyce with the ioy of thy people; To whom with thee O Father, and thy ble&s;&s;ed Spirit bee all Honour, Glory, Might, Ma|ie&s;ty, and Dominion, hence|forth for euer. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
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