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<DATE>2013-06-18</DATE>
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<NAME>Amanda Flynn</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<STC T="S">22565.5</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">44920431</BIBNO>
<VID>176810</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A GODLY AND FRVITFVLL EX|POSITION ON THE TWENTY FIVE PSALME, THE SECOND OF THE PENTENTIALS. Seruing e&s;pecially for the Direction and comfort of all per&s;ons, who are either troubled in minde, di&s;ea&s;ed in bodie, or per&s;ecuted by the wicked. By M^r. A. SYMSON, Pa&s;tor of the Church at DALKEITH in Scotland.</P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by W. I. for Iohn Bellamie, and are to be &s;old at his Shop at the two Greyhounds in <HI>Cornehill,</HI> neare the <HI>Royall-Exchange.</HI> 1622.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE TRVLY RELIGIOVS NOBLE AND VERTVOVS LADY, MARY COVNTESSE OF Marre, pro&s;peritie in this life, <HI>and eternall happines in</HI> the life to come.</HEAD>
<P>_MAdame, &s;eeing your &s;inceritie in religion is &s;uch that it makes euery one to admire you, and your loue to &s;uch as are truely religious is &s;o great, that it makes them to honour and re&s;pect you, and &s;eeing my brother M. <HI>Patrik Sim&s;on</HI> of good memorie, was that happie in&s;trument of God, as a &s;pirituall father to beget your Lady|&s;hip in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and hath dedicated all his labours to your Lady&s;hip as the chiefe&s;t &s;eale of his mini&s;trie, I could find none &s;o fit as your Ladi&s;hip to whom I might dedicate this en&s;ue|ing
<PB REF="3">treatea&s;e, on the fiue and twentith P&s;alme, and therefore as a te&s;timonie of my &s;eruice, and duty which I owe vnto your Lady&s;hip, I am bold to pre&s;ent the &s;ame to your Lady&s;hips view, be&s;eeching God, that it may redowne to the aduancement of his glorie, and the good of the Church in generall, and of your Lady&s;hip in particular. Thus praying for the increa&s;e of your faith, and continuance of your daies, to|gether with outward and inward ble&s;&s;ings to your Ladi&s;hip, your noble hu&s;band and hopefull po&s;teritie, I re&s;t.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Ladi&s;hips &s;eruant A. SIMSON.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="commentary">
<PB REF="4">
<PB N="87" REF="4">
<HEAD>A GODLY AND FRVITFVLL EXPOSI|tion on the twenty fifth P&s;alme, the &s;econd of the PENI|TENTIALS.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;ub|&s;tance of this P&s;alm.</NOTE>_DAVID being oppre&s;&s;ed by his enemies, in this P&s;alme de&s;ires, that God would deliuer him from &s;hame, and &s;inne the cau&s;e of all his euils; &amp; that he would direct him to walke in his wayes: as al&s;o con|firmes him&s;elfe by many arguments in the a&s;|&s;urance of Gods goodne&s;&s;e: and finally praies for deliuery to him&s;elfe and to the Church.</P>
<P>This Ode of <HI>Dauids</HI> is &s;et downe in 22. Se|ctions or Ver&s;es, after the number and order of the Hebrew Alphabet, at lea&s;t very neer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, as are the 34.111.112.119. as al&s;o the <HI>La|mentations</HI> of <HI>Ieremiah,</HI> and the 31. of the <HI>Pro|uerbes.</HI>
<PB N="88" REF="5">Tho&s;e who &s;eeke a rea&s;on of this, let them reade <HI>S. Ierome, Epi&s;t.</HI> 155. <HI>&amp; in Lament. Ieremiae,</HI> and <HI>Eu&s;eb. de praepar. Euang.</HI></P>
<P>For he alludeth to the &s;ignification of euery Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, which hath a &s;pirituall meaning. But in my iudgment the&s;e P&s;almes are &s;o framed for our memory, that keeping in minde the Letters, wee may the more ea&s;ily remember the matter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man hath need of many helps.</NOTE> For wee haue need of many helps to confirme our me|mory in goodne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The&s;e Ver&s;es are called <HI>Acro&s;ticki,</HI> as were <HI>Sibyllaes</HI> ver&s;es of <GAP DESC="foreign"> which &s;ignifieth a Fi&s;h: <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Sedullius</HI> in like manner made an Hymne, <HI>A Solis ortus cardine, Beatus auctor &s;eculi, Ca&s;tae parentis vi|&s;cera, &amp;c.</HI> As al&s;o <HI>Nazianzen.</HI> I would not wi&s;h men to be too curious in the &s;earching of the cau&s;es hereof; but rather be diligent in the confirmation of their memories by the&s;e 22. Alphabeticall Letters.</P>
<DIV2 N="25" TYPE="Psalm">
<HEAD>The Diui&s;ion of the P&s;alme.</HEAD>
<P>THis P&s;alme containeth a Prayer to the eight Ver&s;e: a Confirmation to the eigh|teenth: and a Conclu&s;ion petitory to the end.</P>
<PB N="89" REF="5">
<P>In the fir&s;t &s;euen Ver&s;es hee craueth three things at God. Fir&s;t, that hee may not be a&s;ha|med. Secondly, that hee may learne Gods wayes, and be taught by him. Thirdly, that he may be deliuered from &s;inne.</P>
<P>Then there is contained a deprecation a|gain&s;t &s;inne and &s;hame, and the meane by which he may e&s;cape them both, that is, by the word of God, which may direct him in &s;uch a way wherein hee may not fall vnder &s;hame and &s;inne.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Shame proceedeth of &s;inne.</NOTE>There are two things which we may law|fully craue of God, to e&s;chew &s;inne &amp; &s;hame: &s;inne as the mother and cau&s;e, &s;hame as the daughter and effect. And as we de&s;ire to flye them, &s;o e&s;pecially wee &s;hould craue of God that onely meane by which wee may &s;hunne them, euen that we &s;ubmit our &s;elues to be go|uerned by his word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The word of God freeth man both of &s;inne and &s;hame.</NOTE> and frame all our actions therto, by which we may per&s;wade our &s;elues that we &s;hall e&s;cape both.</P>
<P>All pray, Lord keepe vs from &s;hame and &s;inne, when as many contemne the meane by which they &s;hould bee pre&s;erued, euen that ble&s;&s;ed word of God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="90" REF="6">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 1.</HI> &V;nto thee O Lord lift I vp my &s;oule.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">To whom God is Ie|houah hee is al&s;o Elo|him.</NOTE>THe names which he giues God are <HI>Ieho|uah</HI> and <HI>Eloim:</HI> the fir&s;t taken from his nature, the other from his power; and he ap|plyeth them to him&s;elfe, <HI>My &s;trong Gods,</HI> in|cluding the per&s;ons of the Trinitie.</P>
<P>He leadeth vs to God in our praiers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.23.</NOTE> <HI>Whom haue I in heauen but thee?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.6.</NOTE> <HI>Hee that commeth to God mu&s;t beleeue that God is, and that he is able to &s;aue &s;uch as come to him.</HI> God appeared in &s;undry names to others,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 6.3.</NOTE> but to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in his e&s;&s;entiall name <HI>Iehouah.</HI> Claime fir&s;t to his na|ture, and next to his power. Fir&s;t, he mu&s;t be thy God <HI>Iehouah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> and then thy <HI>&s;trong God.</HI> Fir&s;t he mu&s;t loue thee, and then hee will defend thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 144.15</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the people who&s;e God is the Lord.</HI> Tho&s;e are fooli&s;h who &s;eeke his protection, not fir&s;t hauing a&s;&s;urance of his loue. If hee be to thee <HI>Iehouah,</HI> then &s;hall he al&s;o be to thee <HI>Eloim.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Three ar|guments to moue God to heare him.</NOTE>The arguments by which he would moue God to heare him, are taken from three per|&s;ons. Fir&s;t, from his owne per&s;on. Secondly, from the per&s;on of his aduer&s;aries. Thirdly,
<PB N="91" REF="6">from the per&s;on of the godly.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. From his owne per&s;on, be|cau&s;e hee beleeues in him.</NOTE>In his owne per&s;on fir&s;t his prayer is &s;igni|fied by this circum&s;cription, <HI>I lift vp my &s;oule to thee:</HI> and his faith, <HI>I tru&s;t in thee.</HI> What is prayer but a lifting vp of the heart to God, for the heart mu&s;t fir&s;t be affected, and then it will frame all the members of the body, and draw them vp with it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> As the Magnes drawes the Iron after it, &s;o will the &s;oule draw the cold and lumpi&s;h fle&s;h where it is, where the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">oule is, there is the body al&s;o, and where the &s;oule is, there is the man.</P>
<P>Whereby it appeareth that there is no prai|er or &s;pirituall &s;eruice acceptable to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> No &s;piritu|all &s;eruice but that which pro|ceeds from the heart. Pro. 23.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">6. I&s;ay 29.13.</NOTE> but that which comes and is deriued from the heart: <HI>My &s;onne giue me thy heart. This people &s;eeke mee with their lips, but their heart is farre from me.</HI> Yee are praying, but your heart is as the eye of the foole, euery where. Sometime yee are thinking of the earth, &s;omtime of your plea&s;ure, &s;ometime &s;leeping, &s;ometime yee know not what yee are thinking. At preach|ing, yee heare the voyce of a man &s;peaking, but &s;ay not Amen. And &s;ometime your voyce is repeating &s;ome idle and deafe &s;ounds, your heart no whit being moued:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> but as a Parrat or Pye, vttering incertaine &s;ounds; or a Bell, &s;ounding it knowes not what: &s;o are ye with
<PB N="92" REF="7">your mouth prai&s;ing God, your heart being ab&s;ented from him.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Faith only fixed on God. Lifting vp of the heart pre|&s;uppo&s;eth a former deiection.</NOTE>Next, his faith is not carried about hither and thither, but only fixeth it &s;elfe vpon God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the lifting vp of the heart pre&s;up|po&s;eth a former deiection of his &s;oule: The &s;oule of man is pre&s;&s;ed downe with &s;inne, a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> with the cares of this world, which (as lead doth the net) draweth it &s;o downe that it can|not mount aboue, till God &s;end &s;pirituall prayers (as corke to the ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">) to exalt it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> which ari&s;e out of faith, as the flame doth out of the fire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.1.</NOTE> and which mu&s;t bee free of &s;ecular cares and all things pre&s;&s;ing downe: which &s;heweth vnto vs that worldlings can no more pray,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> than a Moule is able to flie. But Chri&s;tians are as Eagles which mount vp|ward.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> Seeing then the heart of man by na|ture is fixed to the earth, and of it &s;elfe is no more able to ri&s;e there-from,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> then a &s;tone which is fixed in the ground, till God rai&s;e it by his power, word, and workmen; it &s;hould be our principall petition to the Lord, that it would plea&s;e him to draw vs, that we might runne after him; that he would exalt and lift vp our hearts, that we might rai&s;e them vp to heauen, and not lie &s;till in the puddle of this earth.</P>
<PB N="93" REF="7">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Here the future ten&s;e v&s;ed for the pre|&s;ent.</NOTE>In the Hebrew it is, I will lift vp, by a common phra&s;e v&s;ing the future time for the pre&s;ent; but he &s;ayes not, I lift vp my voice or my hands to thee, which both he did, for the&s;e are in vaine without the heart, (So <HI>Anna</HI> the mother of <HI>Samuel</HI> &s;aies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 1.15</NOTE> <HI>I poured forth my heart in the &s;ight of the Lord,</HI>) as a bo|dy without the &s;oule.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 2.</HI> My God I tru&s;t in thee: let me not be confounded: let not wine enemies reioyce ouer me.</HEAD>
<P>THe &s;econd argument that hee v&s;eth is taken from the per&s;on of his aduer|&s;aries,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Argu|ment ta|ken from the per&s;on of his ad|uer&s;aries oppo&s;ing his faith to their fury. Mat 10.13 P&s;al 20.7.</NOTE> who albeit they were furiou&s;|ly bent again&s;t him, yet hee onely runneth to God, without who&s;e permi&s;&s;ion they were not able to cau&s;e one haire of his head fall to the ground. Some &s;eeke for the helpe of men, &s;ome tru&s;t in hor&s;es and cha|riots, &s;ome goe to Beelzebub and deuils by witches,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 1.2 1 Sam. 28.8</NOTE> but let a true Chri&s;tian (with <HI>Dauid</HI> here) haue his refuge to God,</P>
<P><HI>I tru&s;t in thee:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> Faith is the ground of prayer.</NOTE>] Here is faith the root and ground of prayer: When Chri&s;t be&s;towed any benefit vpon his patients, he asked them,
<PB N="94" REF="8"><HI>Doe ye beleeue?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 9.23. Mat. 8.13. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE> and then an&s;wered, <HI>Be it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> thee according to thy faith.</HI></P>
<P>It is a naturall dependance that all crea|tures v&s;e this argument to their &s;uperiors and ma&s;ters, As my tru&s;t is in you, helpe me. And &s;hould not we v&s;e this &s;ame to our Lord, and &s;ay, <HI>My tru&s;t is in thee O Lord, therefore help<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> me.</HI> He &s;tands vpon the points of his honor will he then ca&s;t off his dependants? No truly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Faith in God a &s;tro~g argu|me~t wher|by God is moued to defend vs. Mark. 9.23 24.</NOTE> there is no &s;tronger argument to mou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> God to defend thee, then if thou alledge thy faith in him; there is nothing impo&s;&s;ible to him that beleeueth. Let vs therefore crau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> the augmentation of our faith, and &s;ay, <HI>Lord increa&s;e our faith;</HI> and then wee need not to doubt but God will giue vs all things.</P>
<P>His prayer is grounded vpon faith:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor 4.13 Prayer grounded on faith.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>I beleeued, therefore haue I &s;poken:</HI> there|fore &s;uch prayers as proceed of an incertaine faith, are abhomination in the &s;ight of the Lord, and &s;corning of his Maie&s;ty. Doe yee not thinke,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Words without faith and feeling vn|profitable.</NOTE> that if wee conceiue words in our owne language (if we want a feeling of them) that they will bee acceptable to God? no in|deed: but much le&s;&s;e will they plea&s;e him,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> if in an vncouth language wee repeat vaine words,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Shame, the daughter of &s;inne.</NOTE> we know not what.</P>
<P><HI>Let me not be confounded:]</HI> Shame is the
<PB N="95" REF="8">laughter of &s;inne, and a condigne puni&s;h|ment for &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>What fruit had ye then in tho&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hings wherewith now ye are a&s;hamed? For the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nd of tho&s;e things is death.</HI> But no &s;hame can befall to a Chri&s;tian, <HI>Qui credit non erube&s;ce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> He that beleeueth &s;hall not be a&s;hamed,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> Repenta~ce blotteth out the memory of &s;inne. Heb. 11.31. 2 Pet. 2.7.</NOTE> for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">f hee fall in &s;inne, it will by Gods ble&s;&s;ing turne to the be&s;t to him, and his repentance will blot out the memory of his &s;inne. <HI>Rachabs</HI> faith hath blotted away the remembrance of her whoredome; <HI>Dauids</HI> repentance and <HI>Mana&s;&s;es,</HI> hath blotted out their &s;innes; <HI>Lots</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is remembred; their &s;inne is not &s;hamefull, for God honoured them with &s;uch vertues as tooke away the filthi|ne&s;&s;e of their &s;inne.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> If a gold ring &s;hould fall in the mire, the price of the gold remaines, and the dirt may &s;oone be wiped away. Al|beit <HI>Iacobs</HI> thigh made him to halt,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.3.</NOTE> yet the &s;trength of his armes who wra&s;tled with the Angell, his reuelations that he got, and his holine&s;&s;e, made not that to bee thought a de|formity in him,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Simil. Doct.</HI> The affli|ctions of Gods chil|dren are honorable.</NOTE> what the wor&s;e is a Captaine for a &s;carre in his face, who&s;e valorous armes haue beene &s;o well tried.</P>
<P>Next, his afflictions and per&s;ecutions can|not bee &s;hamefull, but honourable, for the Apo&s;tles them&s;elues thought it great honour
<PB N="96" REF="9">to be beaten,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> 3.41.</NOTE> to be beaten, yea to bee &s;courged for Chri&s;ts &s;ake. They now are crowned with martyr|dome, who to the worlds opinion haue &s;uf|fered as euill doers.</P>
<P><HI>Let not mine enemies reioyce ouer me:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The deuils reioyce at euill. Luke 15.10</NOTE>] The wicked doe imitate the nature of the deuill, for he is neuer glad but at the de&s;truction of &s;inners, as the Angels reioyce at their con|uer&s;ion: whereby ye may trie if yee be a true Chri&s;tian,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The triall of a Chri|&s;tian by co~pa&s;&s;ion. 2 Cor. 11.29.</NOTE> if ye lament with tho&s;e that lament, and haue compa&s;&s;ion on them, and &s;ay with the Apo&s;tle Saint <HI>Paul, Quis affligitur, &amp; ego non vr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">r? Who is afflicted, and I doe not burne?</HI></P>
<P>Gods children haue many enemies, hee is not one of Gods lambes if he haue not a Lyon or a dogge to pur&s;ue him:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> Gods chil|dren haue many ene|mies.</NOTE> &s;ome are &s;ecret, &s;ome are open: but who are they? none but the Deuill and his children; the Dragon pur|&s;ues the &s;eed of the woman.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 12.17</NOTE></P>
<P>Next, ob&s;erue their malitious nature, they reioyce at the euill of Gods children,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> and doe leape for gladne&s;&s;e. The Flies and Eagles liue on the &s;ores of bea&s;ts; &s;o doe the wicked re|ioyce at the euill of Gods people,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> The wic|ked al|waies re|ioyce in euill.</NOTE> <HI>Reioyce not ouer mee, my enemy, I haue fallen, I will ri&s;e againe.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, hee would not feed their eyes with his lo&s;&s;et: The ioy of the wicked is euer
<PB N="97" REF="9">in euill, either in their owne or other mens &s;innes, they &s;leepe not till they &s;inne, they eate not but in &s;inne with gluttony, they &s;leepe in vvhoredome, they go to murther, oppre&s;&s;ion, or &s;tealing.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 3.</HI> So all that hope in thee &s;hall not bee a&s;hamed, but let them bee confoun|ded that tran&s;gre&s;&s;e without cau&s;e.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> The bene|fits of Chri&s;tians are com|mon.</NOTE><HI>SO all that hope in thee.]</HI> He &s;o drawes his deliuery that the benefit thereof may redound to the re&s;t of the members of Chri&s;t, for their euils and their goods are common; neither &s;hould vvee &s;eeke any thing to our &s;elues, but &s;o farre as it may re|dound to the good of the Church, and her comfort.</P>
<P>For as a ring on the finger adornes the vvhole body;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> and as the hurt of the finger a|noyeth it all:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> Shame &s;ent to the wicked as to the right owner.</NOTE> &s;o doth the good of one mem|ber reioyce all, and the hurt of one offend all.</P>
<P><HI>But let them bee confounded that tran&s;gre&s;&s;e with out cau&s;e.]</HI> Now &s;hame is &s;ent to the right owner, the vvicked,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. They tran&s;gre&s;&s;</NOTE> vvho are de&s;cribed by two marks; fir&s;t they are perfidious, and for|&s;worne,
<PB N="98" REF="10">no bond can bind them, they are a fal&s;e generation, tru&s;t them not, vvhen they are vvith <HI>Iudas</HI> ki&s;&s;ing thee, then are they be|traying thee:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">uk. 22.47.</NOTE> <HI>Ioab</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Abner</HI> in peaceable manner,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sam. 3.27</NOTE> how doe you my Brother, in the meane time had a dagger priuately where|with to kill him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Without cau&s;e.</NOTE> The next marke is, vvith|out cau&s;e; they are not able to qualifie any in|iury that euer they haue done: <HI>What hath the righteous done?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 11.3.</NOTE> &s;aith <HI>Dauid.</HI> They liue vpon &s;u&s;picions, apprehen&s;ions, and iudge others after their owne fal&s;e nature.</P>
<P>Note a great comfort to e&s;tabli&s;h thy con|&s;cience in thy &s;ufferings,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> thine innocencie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Innocen|cie a great comfort in time of trouble.</NOTE> vvhich maketh thy afflictions light, and thy burthens ea&s;ie.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 4.</HI> Shew mee thy wayes O Lord, and teach me thy pathes.</HEAD>
<P><HI>SHew mee.</HI>] This letteth vs &s;ee how that naturally vve are ignorant of the vvaies of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> Wee are natur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">lly ignorant.</NOTE> and therefore <HI>Dauid</HI> vvould bee taught of God. Hee craued in the fir&s;t three ver&s;es to bee freed of &s;hame, and now hee craues the meanes by vvhich he may bee d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">liuered, euen Gods vvord, which
<PB N="99" REF="10"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s the onely pre&s;eruatiue from &s;hame. And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">herefore it often commeth to pa&s;&s;e, that vvhen men are brought to be open &s;pectacles of &s;hame,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> they doe confe&s;&s;e it was not the pre&s;ent accident wherein they are taken,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The con|tempt of Gods word the cau&s;e of &s;hame.</NOTE> but the contempt of Gods word. And this &s;hould teach vs to loue that word and follow it, to the end vve may be kept from &s;hame: which maketh greatly again&s;t the Athei&s;ts and Pa|pi&s;ts of our Land,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Again&s;t contem|ners of the wor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> of God. <HI>Simil.</HI> Ioh. 3.20. The Par<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> who contemne the ble&s;&s;ed word of God, they are as Owles flying the light of the day, <HI>Qui male facit, odit lucem:</HI> hee that doth euill hateth the l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ght.</P>
<P>In this ver&s;e are contained, 1. the per&s;on whom he implores, <HI>Iehouah</HI> whom he de&s;cri|beth, leading him, teaching him, receiuing him in fauour, and nouri&s;hing him,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">1</NOTE> in the 4.5.6. &amp; 7. ver&s;es. 2. What hee &s;eekes, God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> wayes.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">2</NOTE> 3. By what meanes, Teach me and lead mee.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">3</NOTE> 4. the rea&s;on,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">4</NOTE> Becau&s;e thou art my God and I tru&s;t in thee.</P>
<P><HI>Dauid,</HI> a K<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ng and a Prophet craues to bee directed by God, to the effect and end hee may direct the cour&s;e of his life well, and of all his Subiects, which was <HI>Solomons</HI> choyce:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 3.9.</NOTE> <HI>Lord giue me wi&s;edome to go in and out wi&s;ely be|fore thy people.</HI></P>
<P>So &s;hould Pa&s;tors doe. Who would bee a
<PB N="100" REF="11">good Ma&s;ter,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> let him be a good Apprentice, &amp; this &s;ame &s;hould all priuate Chri&s;tians de|&s;ire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">All &s;hould de&s;ire to be taught by by God in his wayes. Two con|trary waies</NOTE> that God would teach them that way which will plea&s;e him be&s;t, euen his owne wayes.</P>
<P><HI>Thy wayes:</HI>] This pre&s;uppo&s;eth that there is another way, which is the way of &s;inne, as there are two places and ends, heauen and hell; &s;o are there two per&s;ons &s;heepe and Goates, two wayes, the broad and narrow, two words,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 24.15.</NOTE> <HI>come</HI> and <HI>depart.</HI> I, with <HI>Io&s;ua,</HI> &s;et before you life or death, the right or wrong way, chu&s;e or refu&s;e. All men are go|ing, but there is onely one Gods way, the Kings hie &s;treete, many by-wayes. All thinke they are going to Heauen, Iewes, Turkes, Pa|pi&s;ts, Athei&s;ts, but try if thou be going there|to by that vvay which God hath &s;et downe to thee, trye which is the ancient way, the true and liuing way. Brigands and fal&s;e guids may deceiue you, and leade you to <HI>Samaria,</HI> but the way of God is &s;et downe by Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kin. 6 19. The wrong way as the Prophet led the A|ramites. Ioh. 14.6. P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. 119.35.</NOTE> <HI>I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father, but by me,</HI> euen through the vale of his fle&s;h: thus he &s;teps through Chri&s;t. <HI>Da|uid</HI> prayes vnto the Lord, that hee would di|rect him in the path of his commandements, for therein was his delight: and <HI>I&s;aias</HI> &s;aith,
<PB N="101" REF="11"><HI>God will teach vs his wayes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 2.3.</NOTE> <HI>and we will walke in his pathes.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Faith and Loue, two feet wher|vpon wee mu&s;t walk.</NOTE>There bee two feete whereupon wee mu&s;t walke, euen Faith and Loue, which two will carry vs to heauen, without Faith thou art lame of thy right foot, without Loue thou art lame of thy left foot: let Faith worke through Loue. Beleeue in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t and liue a Godly life, and a&s;&s;ure thy &s;elfe thou art in the way to heauen.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> If thou beleeue and liue euill, thy one foot is in the way to heauen, thy other to hell: &s;o if thou pretend a good life, and ca&s;ts away the word, thy left foote is to heauen, and thy right to hell. <HI>Concerning Loue, yee need not that I write vnto you;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4.9.</NOTE> <HI>for ye are taught of God to loue one another.</HI></P>
<P>Moreouer, this <HI>(way)</HI> in the Scripture is &s;urely &s;et downe, and the word is &s;o called many times in the hundred and nineteenth P&s;alme. Such great commendation hath Chri&s;t giuen to the word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5.39.</NOTE> that hee de&s;ires vs diligently to &s;earch it. <HI>Patres ex Scripturis di|dicerunt, nos ex iis di&s;camus viam:</HI> the Fathers learned of the Scriptures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A de&s;ire to be taught pre&s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">po|&s;eth an ig|norance. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE> let vs learn of them the way.</P>
<P><HI>Teach me thy pathes:</HI>] this pre&s;uppo&s;eth that men are ignorant by nature; for euen as &s;trangers put in a Wilderne&s;&s;e, where there is
<PB N="102" REF="12">no &s;traight way, could very hardly di&s;cerne vvhat vvay to take, but vvould bee a prey to Bea&s;ts and Brigands: &s;o are men by nature ignorant of God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act 8.31.</NOTE> The <HI>Eunuch</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Philip, How can I vnder&s;tand without an Interpreter?</HI> Nature may teach thee vvayes to maintaine this life; but the vvay to heauen, there is no rea&s;on that can per&s;wade or teach, it com|meth by diuine in&s;piration.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.17.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed art thou Simon &s;onne of Iona, fle&s;h and bloud hath not re|uealed it vnto thee, but my Father that is in hea|uen.</HI></P>
<P>The Philo&s;ophers and A&s;trologians vvho vvere quicke in iudging things naturall, were but blind in grace. <HI>I thanke thee (Father) thou ha&s;t hid it from wi&s;e men,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 11.25.</NOTE> <HI>and reuealed it to babes.</HI> The Scripture is as the Starre that lea|deth vs to <HI>Bethleem.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 2 9.</NOTE></P>
<P>This is a great humility in <HI>Dauid,</HI> that be|ing a King and a Prophet, yet he would learn this Le&s;&s;on, to &s;erue God: let Preachers euer bee learning. <HI>Socrates</HI> &s;aid at his death, <HI>Hoc vnum &s;cio, me nihil &s;cire,</HI> I know this one thing, that I know nothing:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> a conceit of knowledge is a marke of ignorance.</P>
<P>Hee repeats this vvord <HI>teach mee,</HI> often; vvhereby hee acknowledges, that the chiefe le&s;&s;on hee vvi&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">h to learne to make him
<PB N="103" REF="12">wi&s;e, is to know how to &s;erue God by his word: and of this wi&s;edome in the 119 P&s;alm he affirmeth, that it will make him wi&s;er then his enemies, then his ma&s;ters, then his anci|ents.</P>
<P>By the word <HI>teach,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doctr.</HI> Preaching of the word of God is the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">dina+rie <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eant of Sa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ati+on. Luk 4.</NOTE> hee would teach vs that the ordinary meanes of Saluation and knowledge is the word preached, How can they beleeue without preaching? not by rea|ding, mumbling Ma&s;&s;es, &amp;c. but by liuely preaching. Chri&s;t preached &s;o in the Tem|ple, when he tooke the Booke from the Rea|der. <HI>Brethren haue yee any word of exhortation for the people? Preach in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 13.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> The repetition of the words, <HI>&s;hew mee, teach mee, lead mee, teach me,</HI> declares the in&s;tancie that hee v&s;ed to heare the word, more &s;weet then honey,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.10<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> P&s;. 88.10</NOTE> yea better then his appointed foode, &s;o that hee de&s;ired that hee might bee but a doore-keeper in the hou&s;e of the Lord. This his affection to the word hee declareth by repeating it in the 119 P&s;alme 175. times. The great ignorance which is among vs &s;pringeth from a want of de&s;ire to heare.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ignoranc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;pringeth from wan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> of de&s;ire to be tought. Luk. 24.31.</NOTE> The two Di&s;ciples &s;aid, <HI>Did not our heart burne within vs, all the time l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;pake to vs?</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<PB N="104" REF="13">
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 5.</HI> Lead mee forth in thy truth, and teach mee: for thou art the God of my Saluation, in thee doe I tru&s;t all the day.</HEAD>
<P>HEe craues not onely to be taught the truth and the way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI></NOTE> but to bee led and directed in the way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is not &s;ufficient to be taught the way vn|le&s;&s;e we be led into it.</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma</NOTE> that God may not onely point it out to him, but conuoy him thereunto, and keepe him from going out of it: for albeit we be entred in the way of grace, if God would not perfect that worke, wee would fall euery moment; there|fore hee worketh in vs to will and perfi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e: and hee who began, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma</NOTE> can crowne al&s;o the worke, hee is the &s;taffe to which wee mu&s;t leane, <NOTE PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> and of which wee mu&s;t take hold: knowledge is not &s;ufficient without practice. God mu&s;t make vs to walke in the way wee know. Our knowledge will bee a dittay a|gain&s;t vs, if wee walke not in the way wee know;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk 12 47</NOTE> <HI>for hee that knowes the will of his ma|&s;ter and doeth not the &s;ame, &s;hall haue double &s;tripes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For thou art the God of my &s;aluation:</HI>] The Argument by which hee would moue God to teach him his wayes, is taken from the per|&s;on
<PB N="105" REF="13">of God, whom hee calleth the God of his &s;aluation, and his owne per&s;on who is &s;a|ued in that hee beleeues in him, and the ad|iunct of faith, which is con&s;tancie and per&s;e|uerance, all the day.</P>
<P>The Argument is taken from the Office of a Sauiour, to guide them whom hee hath de|liuered and &s;aued: but thou ha&s;t &s;aued mee, therefore guide me.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doct.</HI> All in con|demnati|on without Chri&s;t.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, in that hee calleth him the God of his &s;aluation, hee would let vs &s;ee that we are all in condemnation without Chri&s;t, all are inclo&s;ed vnder &s;inne, that God might be mer|cifull to them.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 11.32 <HI>Doct.</HI> No man or Angel can &s;aue vs but God. P&s;al. 3.8. P&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">l. 71.19 P&s;al 136.11.13, &amp;c.</NOTE>And vvhere hee calleth him the God of his &s;aluation, hee importeth, that it was not in the power of Man or Angell to &s;aue him, but in Gods, who behoued to take it vpon him&s;elfe, to deliuer him from temporall and &s;pirituall dangers. Saluation onely belong|eth to the Lord; What God is like our God, who deliuereth vs from our enemies, as hee brought the I&s;raelites out of Egypt, led them through the red Sea, fought all their battels, rebuked Kings for their &s;akes What euer de|liuery comes to vs, comes by God, whateuer in&s;trument hee v&s;eth in the &s;ame; he &s;aues vs, and not wee our &s;elues, neither chariots nor
<PB N="106" REF="14">hor&s;es.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> The con&s;ideration of this &s;hould moue vs to be thankfull to him. <HI>Mo&s;es, Io|&s;hua, Samp&s;on,</HI> &amp;c. were typicall Sauiours, but God was the great Sauiour, who &s;aued his people.</P>
<P>Next, if God be the onely and &s;ole Sauiour of our bodies, in &s;auing them from di&s;ea&s;es; and of our liues, in &s;auing them from our ene|mies, &s;hould any &s;eeke &s;aluation to his &s;oule but from him? for if a temporary deliuery can|not come but by him, what deuilli&s;h doctrine is it to teach, that &s;aluation can come by any other? Seeing then &s;aluation onely belongs to the Lord, let vs runne to him and &s;eeke it at his hands, who is onely able to performe, and bring it to vs. Seeke it not at Saints, but at the King of Saints.</P>
<P><HI>In thee doe I tru&s;t:]</HI> There is de&s;cribed the powerfull in&s;trument, apprehending Gods mercies, euen faith adorned with his chiefe quality,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;tancy crowneth all our v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rtues.</NOTE> con&s;tancy: for <HI>(all the day)</HI> &s;igni|fieth as much as continually: for there is no vertue in man which can be re&s;pon&s;able to God, if it be not ioyned with con&s;tancie. Ye mu&s;t wait patiently, beleeue confidently, &s;eeke, knocke, aske, hold vp your hands without fainting, &s;trengthen your weake hands and feeble knees.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.24</NOTE> He abode with <HI>Iacob</HI>
<PB N="107" REF="14">the heat of the day, and the cold of the mor+ning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God</NOTE> and &s;hrinked not, till the Lord came at la&s;t; and we mu&s;t abide to the end of the day of our life.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Many be|gin in the morning of their youth to &s;eeke God who for|&s;ake him in the euen|ing of their age.</NOTE>The day hath a morning, a noone, and an euening-tide; &s;o hath our age, a youth, a middle age, and a declining time; ble&s;&s;ed is he that per&s;euers to the end, and till his later breath con&s;tantly depends on God, and leaues him not: for certainly that man &s;hall haue the crowne of eternall glory.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 6.</HI> Remember O Lord thy tender mer|cies, and thy louing kindne&s;&s;e: for they haue beene for euer.</HEAD>
<P>IN the preceding words, <HI>Dauid</HI> fir&s;t pray|ed that God would deliuer him from &s;hame and contempt: next, that hee woud teach him his wayes:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> and now he de&s;ires that God would haue mercy vpon him, and pardon him his &s;innes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">No a&s;&s;u|rance of the remi&s;|&s;ion of &s;in, till God put his law in our hearts&punc;</NOTE> Marke by this his order in prayer, how fir&s;t hee de&s;ires that God would teach him his law, and then that he would put away his &s;inne; for we can neuer get a&s;&s;urance of the remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes, till God put his law in our heart. <HI>Af|ter
<PB N="108" REF="15">the&s;e dayes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Note</NOTE> &s;aith the Lord by <HI>Ieremy, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they &s;hall be my people. And they &s;hall teach no more euery man his neighbour, and euery man his brother, &s;aying, Know ye the Lord; for they &s;hall all know me, from the lea&s;t to the greate&s;t of them, &s;ayes the Lord. For I will forgiue them their iniquity and remember their &s;innes no more.</HI> Which the Apo&s;tle to the Hebrewes reciteth word by word.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> For God fir&s;t by his word and Spirit workes in the mind of a &s;inner a light and &s;ight of his &s;innes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Knowledge of &s;inne comes be|fore re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;inne.</NOTE> and in his heart a &s;orrow for it, and then he putteth it away and for|giues it. Therefore let vs try what &s;ight and &s;en&s;e of &s;in the word of God hath wrought in vs, that we haue a certificate to our con|&s;cience of the remi&s;&s;ion thereof.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 107.20.</NOTE> <HI>He &s;endeth his word and healeth them.</HI> He &s;ent <HI>Nathan</HI> to <HI>Dauid,</HI> and then pardoned him.</P>
<P>In the&s;e two ver&s;es he thrice repeateth the word <HI>(remember,)</HI> not that there is any me|mory or forgetfulne&s;&s;e in God, as in man, for time makes man to forget, but God changeth no time; ab&s;ence makes vs forget, but all things are pre&s;ent to him; memory hath a &s;eat in mans braine, which being perturbed it fayles, God is all memory. But he is &s;aid to
<PB N="109" REF="15">remember or forget,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How God is &s;aid to remember. Gen. 8.1. and 19.29. Gen. 30.22.</NOTE> when by vi&s;ible tokens of doing he &s;heweth his fauour or di&s;plea&s;ure to man. As he remembred <HI>Noah</HI> when the flood dimini&s;hed; <HI>Abraham,</HI> when he &s;aued <HI>Lot</HI> and brought him out from Sodome; <HI>Ra|chel,</HI> when he made her conceiue; and <HI>Anna,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 1.19</NOTE> when he granted vnto her her petition.</P>
<P><HI>Thy tender mercies and louing kindne&s;&s;e:</HI>] Fir&s;t he craues at God that he would remem|ber his mercies, which is the fir&s;t thing wee &s;hould &s;eeke at God; for if we get it (as &s;aid <HI>Iacob</HI>) wee get all things.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 33.11 Mercy a|gain&s;t me|rit.</NOTE> And hereby it is clearly &s;eene, that hee di&s;claimes all merits; for albeit he fought the Lords battells, gouer|ned his people by the word and &s;word, in executing iu&s;tice, prayed and prai&s;ed God continually, fa&s;ted, and be&s;towed almes on the Saints;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.2.</NOTE> yet he confe&s;&s;eth they cannot ex|tend to God:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> which refuteth and damneth the fooli&s;h Papi&s;ts, who pretend merits,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Of confu|tation of the Papi&s;ts merits.</NOTE> but commit murthers and adulteries, and yet with open mouth they cry, merits, merits.</P>
<P>Hee amplifieth Gods mercies by three names, mercies, benignities, goodne&s;&s;e; be|nignity twice repeated; &s;ee how highly hee doth e&s;teeme of Gods goodne&s;&s;e, when hee cannot finde termes &s;ufficiently to expre&s;&s;e them.</P>
<PB N="110" REF="16">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A liuely repre&s;enta|tion of the Trinity.</NOTE>But the&s;e three liuely repre&s;ent vnto vs the Trinity: the Father the fountaine of good|ne&s;&s;e, yea goodne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe; the Sonne, mer|cie &s;upplying our mi&s;ery; the holy Spirit, benignity and bountifulne&s;&s;e, gratiou&s;ly wor|king and be&s;towing the&s;e things which the Father and Sonne giue. The goodne&s;&s;e of God is the fountaine begetting mercy, and mercy bringeth forth benignity. Let vs learne by this, that whateuer commeth to vs, mu&s;t either come out of the fountaine of Gods mercy, or el&s;e it is a cur&s;e, not a benignity, but a malignity. Many &s;ay, Who will &s;hew vs any good thing?<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.6.</NOTE> but <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance on me.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">We &s;hould imitate the three pro|perties of the Tri|nity.</NOTE>The&s;e three properties of the Trinity all Chri&s;tians &s;hould imitate; the goodne&s;&s;e of the Father, the mercy of the Sonne, and the bountifulne&s;&s;e of the Spirit; that in &s;o doing they may haue &s;ociety with the Father, Son, and Spirit. I know thee to be a good man, becau&s;e thou art not cruell but mercifull; I know thee to be mercifull, in that thy hand is bountifull, thou giues and di&s;tributes to the poore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 112.9</NOTE> thy righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e endureth for euer.</P>
<P>The word <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Rachamim</HI> &s;ignifieth bowels, which are the &s;eats and places of the
<PB N="111" REF="16">fatherly and motherly loue, and therefore the children are called <HI>parentum vi&s;eera,</HI> the bow|els of the parents; which phra&s;e the Apo&s;tle writing to <HI>Philemon</HI> both in the 12. and 20. ver&s;e, expoundeth &s;piritually: <HI>Thou therefore receiue him that is mine owne bowels:</HI> and in the 20. ver&s;e, <HI>Comfort my bowels in the Lord.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 49.15</NOTE> Can a mother forget her child, &amp;c, yet the Lord cannot forget I&s;rael.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 103.13.</NOTE> And as the Father pitties his children, &s;o the Lord hath pitty on tho&s;e that feare him. So we &s;ee hereby how deare and neere we are to Gods very heart, that we haue a place in his innermo&s;t affections.</P>
<P>But when hee &s;peakes of mercies and be|nignities,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Infinit mi|&s;eries haue need of infinit mercies.</NOTE> he &s;peakes in the plurall number, becau&s;e as our &s;innes and mi&s;eries are infinit, &s;o we haue need of infinit comforts and par|dons, he is called the father of mercies</P>
<P><HI>For they haue beene for euer:]</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1.3. Gods mer|cies are e|ternall.</NOTE> A faire com|mendation of Gods mercies, from the eter|nity thereof. His mercies had no beginning, as him&s;elfe had none, and &s;hall haue no end; F<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">om euerla&s;ting to euerla&s;ting thou art our God. For as the Ocean and maine Sea,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 100. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE> can neuer be exhau&s;ted, but it would furni&s;h wa|ter to all the world, if euery one &s;hould bring ve&s;&s;els to draw water there from: So if wee had faith and prayer to &s;eeke grace from God,
<PB N="112" REF="17">he is all-&s;uffici<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nt in him&s;elfe to furni&s;h vs all: which makes <HI>Dauid</HI> to cry in one P&s;alm twe~|ty and &s;ixe times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 126.</NOTE> <HI>thy mercy endureth for euer:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.18</NOTE> Therefore we may build our faith on it as on a &s;trong Rocke, that the gates of hell cannot preuaile again&s;t vs, for euery thing earthly on which we repo&s;e is &s;ubiect to mutation and change:<NOTE PLACE="marg">All things change, God onely immutable.</NOTE> But herein is our comfort, that he is an immutable God on who wee depend, and in whom we tru&s;t: then as long as God &s;tands, our &s;aluation cannot faile. Woe to them who put their tru&s;t in any other, fol|lowing lying vanities, and for&s;aking mercies.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionah 2.8. P&s;al. 119.</NOTE> <HI>I haue &s;eene an end of all perfection,</HI> (&s;ayes <HI>Da|uid) but thy word is very large.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 7.</HI> Remember not the &s;innes of my youth, nor my rebellions: but accor|ding to thy kendne&s;&s;e remember thou me, euen for thy goodne&s;&s;e &s;ake, O Lord.</HEAD>
<P>HE conioynes the&s;e two,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> memorie of mercies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Whe~ God remembers mercies he forgets &s;in.</NOTE> and forgetfulne&s;&s;e of &s;innes, the one de&s;troyes the other; when God remembers mercy, hee forgets &s;inne; when he remembers &s;inne, he forgets
<PB N="113" REF="17">mercy: when God will plague the Whoore of Babel, it is &s;aid, <HI>He will remember her &s;innes.</HI> and in <HI>Ho&s;ea, Now will hee remember their ini|quity, and vi&s;it their &s;innes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 8.13.</NOTE> <HI>they &s;hall returne to Aegypt.</HI></P>
<P>He craued mercy before at God,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doctr.</HI> If &s;in had not beene, Gods mer|cies had not beene knowne. Rom. 8.28.</NOTE> now hee lets vs &s;ee the obiect of Gods mercy, euen &s;in; and here appeares the great wi&s;edome of God, who can turne all things to the be&s;t to tho&s;e that loue him; &s;o that hee doth make their &s;inne which they did commit, to mani|fe&s;t his glory, and work their owne &s;aluation. All the properties of God (his iu&s;tice and mercy excepred) might haue beene knowne to the world by the creation; his wi&s;edome in framing the world &s;o artificially, his power in maintaining it, his goodne&s;&s;e in making man &s;o excellent a creature; but if &s;inne had not beene, neither Gods mercy would haue been manife&s;ted in pardoning it, neither his iu&s;tice in puni&s;hing it: <HI>For where &s;inne aboun|ded,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.20.</NOTE> <HI>there mercy &s;uperabounds.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Remember not the &s;innes of my youth:]</HI> Hee makes mention of his &s;innes, for when hee &s;peakes to God who is mo&s;t iu&s;t and righte|ous, that he &s;hould remember his owne vn|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; as the brethren of <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> when they &s;ought fauour of him, they remembred
<PB N="114" REF="18">the wrong they did to him: as if one &s;eeking the helpe of his friend, he would confe&s;&s;e the faults he did again&s;t him;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.21</NOTE> as the forlorne &s;on did to his father. So, &s;eeing &s;inne is the prin|cipall wall which druides vs from God, &s;o that he doth not heare our prayers, <HI>Dauid</HI> here taketh away this impediment.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> Therefore if wee would haue our prayers acceptable to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">We mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e our &s;inne if we would be heard.</NOTE> let vs begin at an humble begging of pardon and remi&s;&s;ion (at which allour pra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ers &s;hould begin) that hauing a&s;&s;urance of Gods fauour, we may boldly &s;ute what we plea&s;e. But if wee begin not our prayers at crauing pardon;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> we become like fooli&s;h Phy&s;itians, who neglect the cau&s;es of the di&s;ea&s;e, and one|ly &s;tudy to mitigate the pre&s;ent dolour, and apply outward &s;omentations for the curing thereof.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE>But how is it that <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;pecially nomi|nates the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of his youth? did hee not commit other &s;innes? and are the &s;innes of his age of no moment?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">An&s;w.</NOTE>I an&s;wer, He doth not extenuate his pre|&s;en &s;inne, by remembring the &s;innes of his youth, but rather aggrauates and aggredges the &s;ame, while he repeats from his child|hood, how many wayes hee had kindled Gods wrath again&s;t him. Confe&s;&s;ing that he
<PB N="115" REF="18">had heaped &s;inne vpon &s;inne, and &s;o by pro|ce&s;&s;e of time was loadned and ouercharged with it.</P>
<P>Next, if God &s;hould deale with him by ex|treame rigour, hee &s;hould not onely call to mind the faults which he did ye&s;terday, but what&s;oeuer &s;innes hee did from his youth. The word <GAP DESC="foreign"> includes all the faults either of commi&s;&s;ion or omi&s;&s;ion which hee did.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> Therefore &s;o oft as the Lord terrifies vs with his iudgements, let vs not onely remember our la&s;t oftence, but let our former tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions make vs bee a&s;hamed, and bring new &s;obs and &s;ighes in our heart. Let old men call to minde their former offences which they did commit in their youth. Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> in his confe&s;&s;ions reckoneth out all the follies which he committed in his childhood, infan|cy, youth, and age, calling them to minde euen from the beginning:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.5.</NOTE> for we are concei|ued in &s;inne, and a child of one day is not cleane before God. As we grow in yeares ye grow in &s;inne: as a Lyons whelpe is borne with a &s;auage nature, and as it growes in age &s;o the cruelty thereof increa&s;eth, &s;o does man. <HI>Solomon</HI> in the <HI>Prouerbs</HI> &s;aith, <HI>It is hard to know the way of a young man with a maid.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro 30.19.</NOTE> So young men haue need of &s;ure cu&s;tody, that their pa|rents,
<PB N="116" REF="19">ma&s;ters and Preachers, &s;hould take heed diligently to them.</P>
<P>Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> in a Sermon at the Fune|rall of the Emperour <HI>&V;alentinian</HI> the younger, bringeth in that place of the <HI>Lamentations, Ble&s;&s;ed is the man who beares his yoake in his youth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.27.</NOTE> God is mercifull to that youth whom he corrects.</P>
<P><HI>Dauid</HI> he deplores the &s;innes of his youth, which were &s;ecret from the world and per|chance to him&s;elfe, yet hee craues pardon for them. Now the &s;malle&s;t &s;innes trouble him, which before were but &s;ports to him; and &s;o it will befall to vs: tho&s;e offences now which we accompt no offences, after we will e&s;teem them great &s;innes;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 5.3.</NOTE> now they are honey in the mouth, but after in the belly they will be bit|ter as gall.</P>
<P>There is no time of mans age which is free from &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">world<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> time of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ns life <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">t of &s;in. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">d. 22.</NOTE> but the youth is not onely fir&s;t, but mo&s;t &s;ubiect thereunto; for a youth is like an vntamed Calfe, like a wilde A&s;&s;e which will be taken in her moneth.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">il.</NOTE> The fir&s;t borne &s;hould bee &s;acrificed to God, the fir&s;t fruits &s;hould be offered to him, yea the bea&s;t if it had not beene redeemed,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">. 3.10.</NOTE> the necke of it behoued to haue beene broken. Thinke yee not that God hath more re&s;pect of the fir&s;t
<PB N="117" REF="19">fruits of our life, then he hath of the fir&s;t fruits of Bullocks. Thou &s;halt con&s;ecrate thy be|ginnings to God with <HI>Io&s;ias,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 22.1</NOTE> who in the morning of his life, euen early, began to &s;eeke the Lord. We &s;hould in our life keepe &s;uch dyets as did <HI>Dauid</HI> in his prayers: <HI>Morning,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 55.17</NOTE> <HI>noone-tide, and at euen he &s;ought the Lord. Re|member thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12.1</NOTE> <HI>be|fore the yeeres come wherein ye &s;hall &s;ay, I haue no plea&s;ure.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11.9 Iob 20.11.</NOTE> <HI>Be a&s;&s;ured O young man yee &s;hall come to iudgement:</HI> yea, <HI>thy old bones &s;hall inhe|rit the &s;innes of thy youth.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">To what &s;ins youth is mo&s;t in|clined.</NOTE>The &s;innes of youth whereto they are mo&s;t inclined, are fir&s;t, pride, and a contempt of their elders: the vile doe contemne the ho|nourable, and youth de&s;pi&s;e age. Such was the pride of <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 18.9</NOTE> who&s;e puni&s;hment &s;hould terrifie all youths.</P>
<P>Next, lu&s;t is naturall to them, as the Pro|digall child &s;pent his time in riot and luxury.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 15.14</NOTE></P>
<P>Thirdly, hypocri&s;ie; they can very well di&s;&s;emble their doings: and when, with the Whore in the <HI>Prouerbes,</HI> they are intending &s;inne, then they pretend they were offering their peace offerings: and with <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 15.7</NOTE> pre|tending their vowes in Hebron, but inten|ding to &s;tirre vp rebellion.</P>
<P>And finally, all youths are &s;ubiect to in|con&s;tancy&punc;
<PB N="118" REF="20">they are compared to dreggy wine not &s;etled,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> &s;o that experience hath taught vs to &s;ay, It is lo&s;t which is done to them.</P>
<P>If thou ha&s;t e&s;caped from iudgement in thy youth, and ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed the dangers there|of, thou mai&s;t greatly prai&s;e God. I read of a man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> who being drunke in the night, pa&s;&s;ed a very narrow bridge, which con&s;idering in the morning, d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ed incontinently: &s;o wee &s;hould admire when we remember what dan|gers we haue e&s;caped.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">If &s;ins of his youth and ignorance be grie|uous, how much more tho&s;e of know|ledge.</NOTE>Then if the &s;innes of youth now trouble him in his age, what doe ye thinke of the &s;ins which ye doe again&s;t knowledge and con&s;ci|ence in your old age? Should ye not confe&s;&s;e them and bee a&s;hamed of them? If a child blu&s;h it is thought good, <HI>verecundia;</HI> but if an old man blu&s;h it is thought euill, becau&s;e hee is bound to doe nothing whereof hee &s;hould be a&s;hamed. But many are like to the fal&s;e Elders that lu&s;ted after <HI>Su&s;anna,</HI> and to them appertaineth &s;hame and confu&s;ion, for their example incourageth young men to doe wic|kedly. Yea they are very rare who haue e&s;caped the perils of youth, either by one notable &s;inne or other.</P>
<P>Now <HI>Dauid</HI> of the&s;e his own &s;ins doth make a &s;peciall confe&s;&s;ion, &amp; doth not infold him|&s;elfe
<PB N="119" REF="20">vnder the mantle of generality:<NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;imple confe&s;sion needfull.</NOTE> albeit ma|ny are taught naturaly to di&s;&s;emble their &s;ins, to excu&s;e them, to extenuate them, or el&s;e to inuolue them vnder a common nece&s;&s;ity of &s;inning: but this will not plea&s;e God, vnle&s;&s;e wee freely &s;ay with <HI>Dauid.</HI> I haue &s;inned:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> for as a Patient mu&s;t needs di&s;couer his &s;ore and wound to the Phy&s;itian; &s;o mu&s;t a &s;inner vn|couer his &s;inne to God, vvhich is an euident token of a penitent.</P>
<P>Moreouer, hee de&s;ires not onely that God would forgiue his &s;innes, but more,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> that hee would forget them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">When God for|giues &s;inne he forget<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> it.</NOTE> wherein God differeth from men; men may forgiue, but they will re|member, for malice and anger takes &s;uch im|pre&s;&s;ion in our hearts, that it is hard to ra&s;e out the memory of our receiued iniuries, al|though wee pardon them with our heart: But God as hee remits, &s;o hee forgets,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 23.21</NOTE> hee &s;ees no iniquity in <HI>Iacob;</HI> and becau&s;e the chil|dren of God are imperfect, and in this can ne|uer bee like to God, &s;o long as they carry a|bout with them this &s;inning &s;inne, as may be &s;eene in <HI>Dauid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 2.8.</NOTE> who in his Te&s;tament re|membred the iniury done to him by <HI>Simei,</HI> to bee puni&s;hed by <HI>Solomon,</HI> although in his time hee did di&s;&s;imulate it: yet let this bee &s;ome comfort to vs, that if the wicked moti|ons
<PB N="120" REF="21">of iniuries done to vs come in our minds, let vs re&s;i&s;t and controule them, which &s;hall bee &s;ufficient before God.</P>
<P><HI>Nor my rebellions.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Sinne and rebellion are conioy|ned.</NOTE>] Sinnes and rebellions are ioyned together, the mother and her daughter, &s;inne if it grow and increa&s;e it tur|neth into rebellion and di&s;obedience; which is like to the &s;inne of witchcraft and Idola|try:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 15.23.</NOTE> and as a Serpent by eating a Serpent be|commeth a Dragon,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;o &s;inne feeding vpon &s;inne, becom|meth at la&s;t rebellion. There are degrees of &s;inne, <HI>Nemo repente factus e&s;t turpi&s;&s;imus. Da|uid</HI> prayeth to God to forgiue him his &s;ecret &s;innes, and hee de&s;ires that God would keepe him from pre&s;umptuous &s;innes; &s;lay &s;inne in the cradle, if yee let it come to maturity it may turne into rebellion.</P>
<P>The word al&s;o imports ignorances, which agreeth very well with this youth, to declare that the &s;innes of youth commonly &s;prings forth from ignorance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Youth is ignorant, albeit it think th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> it &s;elfe wi&s;e</NOTE> for they are blind through lack of knowledge, for they haue no naturall iudgement, they lacke in&s;truction, they want experience, and &s;uch like: by nature wee are all borne fooles, nature hath taught the bea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">s to know things profitable &amp; hurt|full to them. The Swallow knoweth her
<PB N="121" REF="21">time, the Oxe his crib,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.3.</NOTE> but man knoweth not his owner, neither the time when hee &s;hall turne to the Lord.</P>
<P>And this ignorance makes youth to be re|bellious to the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> parents; whereof the Lord complaines by his Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.2.</NOTE> <HI>I haue brought vp children,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, <HI>and nouri&s;hed them, and they haue rebelle a again&s;t me.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A profita|ble <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;on for Parents to train vp their chil|dren in vertue.</NOTE>This &s;hold teach Parents to remedy the igno|rance of their youth by in&s;truction, that their minds being inlightned by the knowledge of God and learning, they may feare God in the morning of their youth, and haue the eyes of their vnder&s;tanding opened to know the true God and feare him, that it may bee fulfilled that is &s;poken by the Prophet:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel 2.28.</NOTE> <HI>And in the la&s;t dayes I will poure out of my Spirit vpon all fle&s;h, and your &s;onnes and your daughters &s;hall prophe|&s;ie, and your young men &s;hall &s;ee vi&s;ions.</HI> We may complaine mo&s;t iu&s;tly with that holy Father S. <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> of the neglect of education of our youth, where hee &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods iu&s;t recom|pence to Parents.</NOTE> <HI>O flores vere non frondium, &s;ed veprarum:</HI> O truely they are flouri&s;hes not of branches but of briers, and &s;o the Lord doth recompence the Parents in their age, that as they were negligent in trai|ning them vp in the knowledge of God, &s;o they become cro&s;&s;es to their Parents in their
<PB N="122" REF="22">age.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">lutarch.</NOTE> Among the Lacedemonians there was a Law that children were not obliged to main|taine their Parents in their age, who were carele&s;&s;e of their education in vertue when they were young.</P>
<P>Moreouer,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> let vs a&s;&s;ure our &s;elues that the &s;innes of Ignorance will not excu&s;e vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sinnes of ignorance wil not ex|cu&s;e vs.</NOTE> albeit they may extenuate our paines, and make vs to bee puni&s;hed with fewer &s;tripes.</P>
<P>I will not in&s;i&s;t in this poynt, becau&s;e I haue &s;poken &s;ufficiently thereof in that Ser|mon on Chri&s;ts fir&s;t word &s;poken on the Cro&s;&s;e, <HI>Father forgiue them, for they know not what they doe.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But according to thy kindne&s;&s;e remember thou mee, euen for the goodne&s;&s;e &s;ake, O Lord.]</HI> The fountaine hee runnes vnto is the mercy of God, where hee plainly di&s;claimes his owne merits.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Lorinus</HI> the Ie&s;uite a|gain&s;t me|rits.</NOTE> <HI>Lorinus</HI> a Ie&s;uite here bringeth in &s;undry pa&s;&s;ages of Scripture to qualifie the mercy of God again&s;t merits: <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 6.8.51.3.69.14.86.5.15.106.45.119.156.130.7. <HI>Dan.</HI> 9.18. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55.7.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="123" REF="22">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 8.</HI> Gratious and righteous is the Lord, therefore will hee teach &s;inners in the way.</HEAD>
<P>IN this &s;econd part of the P&s;alme after his Petition,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> he &s;etteth downe the props to the which his faith doth leane,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods truth and mercy preps of a Chri&s;tians faith.</NOTE> to wit, the mercy, truth, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, He beleeued, therefore hee &s;pake: &s;o our Prayers except they bee grounded on faith, and an a&s;&s;urance that God will grant them, they are offen&s;iue to God, and not pro|fitable for vs: <HI>Hee who prayeth without faith.</HI> &s;aith S. <HI>Iames, is like a waue of the Sea,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.6.</NOTE> <HI>to&s;t of the winde, and carried away.</HI> The proofe of this is in the &s;ixt P&s;alme, wherein after his prayers, with a con&s;tant a&s;&s;urance he conclu|deth, <HI>all mine enemies &s;hall be confounded.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 6.10.</NOTE> Af|ter hee had prayed for mercy, hee falleth out in a meditation, con&s;ideration and proclama|tion of Gods goodne&s;&s;e, in the eighth, ninth, and tenth ver&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> as it were to &s;tir vp him&s;elfe vp to Prayer againe: as a man finding a fire al|mo&s;t con&s;umed, doth put thereinto more coales to kindle it.</P>
<P><HI>Gracious and righteous is the Lord.</HI>] Fir&s;t in his owne nature, hee is good and righteous <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>rectus:</HI> next, he is good to vs in teaching
<PB N="124" REF="23">vs his way. God is not only good but goodnes it &s;elfe: but how doth his goodnes appeare? not in &s;hewing mercy on <HI>Abraham, I&s;aacke, Iacob, Mo&s;es,</HI> and the righteous, but on the mo&s;t mi|&s;erable &s;inners, (as <HI>Mana&s;&s;es</HI> &s;aith in his Pray|er) the Prodigall child, harlots, &amp; &s;uch other.</P>
<P><HI>Therefore will he teach &s;inners in the way.</HI>] In this common benefit of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.11.12.</NOTE> he inuolueth him&s;elfe with the re&s;t of the Saints, and &s;o &s;hould all our &s;utes bee common, that wee de&s;ire nothing alone, but that whereof our brethren may participate. This is the communion of Saints which wee beleeue. Our dayly prayers are for all, <HI>Giue vs this day our dayly bread, for giue vs our &s;innes, and lead vs not into temptation.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> Who &s;eeketh any thing for him&s;elfe of God, and not for the re&s;t of his brethren, &s;hall be repelled, &amp; receitie nothing.</P>
<P>The per&s;ons to whom mercy appertaines are called &s;inners,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> as though hee would make &s;inne the onely obiect of Gods mercy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sinne the onely ob|iect of Gods mer|cy. Rom. 5. 20</NOTE> as in|deed it is: for Gods mercy would not haue been manife&s;ted, if &s;in had not been knowne, that &s;o where &s;inne abounded, there grace might &s;uperabound: the whole haue not need of the Phy&s;itian,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 5.31.</NOTE> but the &s;ick. Think not that the multitude of thy &s;innes will exclude thee from Gods grace.</P>
<PB N="125" REF="23">
<P>Chri&s;t at the vvell was found of the Sama|ritan woman;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4.</NOTE> mercy and mi&s;ery met toge|ther in the Phari&s;ees hou&s;e euen Chri&s;t and the Magdalen:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 7.36.</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20.31.</NOTE> in the field hee met with the blind, who cried,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18.14</NOTE> <HI>Sonne of Dauid haue mercy on vs;</HI> in the Temple vvith the Publican;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">2.</NOTE> at the Poole with the Paralitique; for,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 5.32.</NOTE> <HI>He came not to call the righteous, but &s;inners to repentance.</HI></P>
<P>But what teacheth he? His wayes:<NOTE PLACE="marg">He tea|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">heth Gods waies not mans traditions. Ionah 2.8.</NOTE> not the tradition of men, of Popes, of Councels, who could and haue erred, but Gods owne wayes, his &s;tatutes, &s;o oft repeated in the 119. P&s;alm. Woe to the Papi&s;t, who followeth lying vani|tie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">, for&s;aking their owne mercy.</P>
<P>The great Doctor and teacher is God him|&s;elfe, who hau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ng the key of the heart, mu&s;t open it him&s;elfe.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> Therefore the conuer&s;ion of a &s;inner is not a worke of nature,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The con|uer&s;ion of a &s;inner is not a work of nature. 1 Cor. 3.6.</NOTE> Therefore the conuer&s;ion of a &s;inner is not a worke of nature, but it is Gods principall fauour, who mu&s;t giue en|crea&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o <HI>Pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ls</HI> planting, and <HI>Apolloes</HI> wate|ring. We &s;hould therefore feruently pray to God for the Preachers, that hee would &s;o ble&s;&s;e them, that by their labours many may be conuerted to him&s;elfe. The I&s;raelites vn|der the Law being terrified by Gods voice, &s;aid, <HI>Let not God &s;peake any more vnto vs,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 20.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>but Mo&s;es.</HI> But wee vnder the Go&s;pel being com|forted by his voice, &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> Let <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI>
<PB N="126" REF="24">be &s;ilent, but let God &s;peake to vs.</P>
<P>The worke of conuer&s;ion of &s;inners, <HI>Da|uid</HI> draweth to the fountaine, euen Gods grace and free fauour: whateuer commeth to vs, doth proceed out of his grace.</P>
<P>But this is wonderfull,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> how grace and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mercy and iu&s;tice meet in the &s;alua|tio~ of man.</NOTE> which &s;eeme &s;o oppo&s;it in the &s;aluation and conuer&s;ion of a &s;inner meets to|gether, and ki&s;&s;es one another. I an&s;wer, In the worke of our redemption they accorded, when Gods iu&s;tice was fully &s;atisfied by the death of Chri&s;t, and his mercy was cleere by full pardoning vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> when we e&s;caped with the &s;cape-Goat to the wilderne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leu. 16.8.</NOTE> and he died; the &s;uerty paid the debt, and wee were freed. In the conuer&s;ion of a &s;inner hee v&s;eth both, hee vvounds and humbles, cures and exalts againe. <HI>Deducit ad inferos, &amp; reducit;</HI> Hee ca&s;t downe <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9.4.8.</NOTE> made him blind, rebuked him, and then conuerted and comforted him, and &s;ent him to teach the Go&s;pel, and con|uert others.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="127" REF="24">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 9.</HI> Them that be meek will he guide in iudgement, and teach the humble his way.</HEAD>
<P>HE &s;etteth down in this ver&s;e to whom the former benefit doth appertaine; and what &s;ort of &s;inners &s;hall partici|pate of mercy; to wit, the meeke and humble; whom God hath &s;o prepared by af|flictions and cro&s;&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> that he hath made them to giue an open way and place to the Go&s;pel to worke in them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Afflictions teach hu|mility. Who are humble.</NOTE> For as the waxe fir&s;t is by labour and by fire, made &s;oft and pliable before it can take &s;tampe and impre&s;&s;ion of the Kings image and &s;uper&s;cription;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> yea clay mu&s;t bee made &s;oft and pliable before <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> bee made a ve&s;&s;ell: &s;o mu&s;t God humble vs, be|fore he put his image in vs: &s;o the gold,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> &s;il|uer, &amp;c. mu&s;t be battered, before it be &s;tam|ped. <HI>It is good</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Dauid</HI>) <HI>that thou ha&s;t humbled me,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.71.</NOTE> <HI>for thereby I learned thy Comman|dements:</HI> If he had not beene fir&s;t humbled, hee had neuer learned Gods Commande|ments. He de&s;ired children to come to him, for of &s;uch is the Kingdome of heauen: <HI>yea except we become as the&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.14.</NOTE> <HI>we &s;hall neuer enter thereinto. God re&s;i&s;teth the proud,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam 4.6.</NOTE> <HI>and giueth
<PB N="128" REF="25">grace to the humble. On whom will the Spirit of the Lord re&s;t? on the contrite heart.</HI></P>
<P>The Palace of Heauen is very ample,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> but the entry very narrow, let vs then humble our &s;elues vnder the mighty hand of God, and learne of Chri&s;t that hee is meeke and low|ly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11.29:</NOTE> and wee &s;hall finde re&s;t to our &s;oules.</P>
<P>The word <HI>meeke,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Who are meeke. Mat. 5.3.</NOTE> is in Latine <HI>mites,</HI> of which our Sauiour &s;peaketh, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the meek,</HI> or <HI>man&s;ueti, qua&s;i ad manum venire &s;ueti,</HI> accu&s;tomed to come vnder the hand; &s;o God &s;o mitigateth the fury of our nature and ta|meth vs, that wee become &s;o obedient, that as a childe commeth vnder the hand of his Parent,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 123.2</NOTE> or as a handmaid is directed by the eye of her mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;o doe wee attend vpon God.</P>
<P><HI>Will he guide:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE>] God who teacheth the meeke, he al&s;o guides and directs them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Whom God dire|cteth he al&s;o pro|tecteth.</NOTE> and leades them through the way. For as children are ignorant, &s;o are they impotent; they are taught by their parents &amp; led by them; whom God directs he al&s;o protects, and guides to heauen, or el&s;e we &s;hould &s;oon peri&s;h. He mu&s;t order the actions of out whole life rightly, which is the &s;econd grace that God will be|&s;tow on his children, when they &s;ubmit them|&s;elues obediently to beare his yoake. This
<PB N="129" REF="25">docility will neuer be till our proud heart be &s;ubdued.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">what Gods iudgement and his way is.</NOTE>His iudgement and his way, is nothing el&s;e but his gouernment, whereby he declares him&s;elfe as a louing Father, carefull to pro|uide for the &s;aluation of his owne children, that he may relieue them that are oppre&s;&s;ed, rai&s;e vp tho&s;e who are ca&s;t downe, comfort tho&s;e who are &s;orrowfull and grieued, and &s;uccour &s;uch as be in mi&s;ery. And becau&s;e in the former ver&s;e hee &s;pake of &s;inners <HI>(he will teach &s;inners his wayes)</HI> he expounds of what &s;inners he meant;<NOTE PLACE="marg">God tea|cheth &s;in|ners, but not all.</NOTE> hee will not teach euery &s;inner, but tho&s;e whom he hath receiued into his fauour. Fir&s;t, hee beats downe our pride and contumacy, and humbles vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Fir&s;t God will haue our p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ide beaten downe, then hee will teach vs.</NOTE> but being ca&s;t downe he will not for&s;ake vs; and being humbled by the cro&s;&s;e, he directs all the acti|ons of our life in his holy obedience; of which <HI>Apollinarius:</HI></P>
<Q><L><GAP DESC="foreign">,</L>
<L>&V;iros iu&s;titiae diriget man&s;uetos,</L></Q>
<P>He will direct righteous men that are meek.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Humility the fir&s;t, &s;econd, and l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t gift of a Chri&s;tia~. <HI>Augu&s;t. Epi&s;t.</HI> 56.</NOTE></P>
<P>Wherefore ye may clearly &s;ee, that the gift of mode&s;ty and humility is &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, as without which wee can neuer be capable of the my&s;teries of Gods kingdome: Which made <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> to &s;ay (borrowing the allu|&s;ion
<PB N="130" REF="26">from <HI>Demo&s;thenes</HI> the Grecian,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Augu&s;t. E|pi&s;t. <HI>75.</HI> ad Auxilium Epi&s;copum.</NOTE> who be|ing demanded what was the chiefe thing re|quired in an Orator, an&s;wered thrice, <HI>pro|nunciation</HI>) thrice, that the chiefe vertue re|quired in a Chri&s;tian was humility: and in another Epi&s;tle; <HI>Ea ad&s;um &s;enex &agrave; iuuene coe|pi&s;copo, Epi&s;copus tot annorum, &agrave; collega nondum anniculo, paratus &s;um di&s;cere;</HI> I am here an old man ready to learne from a young man my coadiutor in the mini&s;tery, and &s;o old a Bi&s;hop from a young man who &s;carce hath beene one yeare in the &s;eruice.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 10.</HI> All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth vnto &s;uch as keepe his co|uenant and his te&s;timonies.</HEAD>
<P><HI>ALl the paths, &amp;c.]</HI> An <GAP DESC="foreign"> or excla|mation, whereby hee explaineth what he would &s;hew, euen the wayes of the Lord; a mo&s;t comfortable &s;aying: &s;uch as <HI>Paul</HI> hath another,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.28.</NOTE> <HI>To tho&s;e that loue the Lord all things worke together for the be&s;t:</HI> Sickne&s;&s;e, pouerty, infamie, yea death, which is the greate&s;t mer|cy, when we are &s;eparate perfectly from &s;inne and the world, and conioyned to Chri&s;t. So that God is euer accumulating mercies, and
<PB N="131" REF="26">heaping them on our head,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.22.</NOTE> that whateuer be|falleth vs, certainly commeth from his mer|cie, and it is of his mercy that we are not con|&s;umed and daily brought to confu&s;ion.</P>
<P>He comprehendeth the paths of the Lord in two words,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> mercy and truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">All Gods wayes are mercy and truth.</NOTE> or (as others expound) iu&s;tice. The&s;e are the two pillars which vpholdeth a King and his kingdome. <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rcy and truth pre&s;erue the King,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 20.28&punc;</NOTE> <HI>for his throne &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed with mercy.</HI> Whateuer we heare or reade of the wayes of God, is ei|ther mercy or truth: mercy in pardoning &s;in, truth in performing his promi&s;es.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> Other qua|lities that are in God may tend to the repro|bate,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mercy and truth be|long not to the wic|ked.</NOTE> but with none of the&s;e two haue they any thing to doe, for they haue no repen|tance, therefore no remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes; they haue no fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">th, and therefore they depend not on his truth. But the godly are not to bee a|fraid of his iu&s;tice, becau&s;e mercy interuenes: his power maintaines them, his wi&s;edome fore&s;ees their reliefe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.33.</NOTE> Who &s;hall intend any thing again&s;t the elect of God? Chri&s;t iu&s;ti|fieth, who can condemne? But with the wic|ked he will deale very hardly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18.25.26.</NOTE> with the godly he will &s;hew him&s;elfe godly, vvith the vp|right man he will &s;hew him&s;elfe vpright, with the pure hee vvill &s;hew him&s;elfe pure, and <GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="1 span">
<PB N="132" REF="27">the froward he vvill &s;hew him&s;elfe froward.</P>
<P><HI>To &s;uch as keepe his couenant:]</HI> But to whom vvill he &s;hew this mercy? <HI>To tho&s;e who keepe his couenant.</HI> Of this couenant which God made with his Church, reade <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.2. <HI>Ex|od.</HI> 24.7. <HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 24 16. <HI>Ier.</HI> 3.31. and in many other places.</P>
<P>This is the third name which he giueth to tho&s;e who &s;hall bee partakers of his mercy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Three names gi|uen to the cho&s;en.</NOTE> Fir&s;t, they are &s;inners; next, humble and pe|nitent &s;inners; and thirdly, their repentance is declared by their life, in that they keepe Gods couenants.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">What a couenant <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">. A coue|nant mu&s;t be mutuall.</NOTE>A couenant is a mutuall band betweene two per&s;ons, hauing mutuall conditions. God humbleth him&s;elfe, &s;o farre, that he couenants with man to be his God, and promi&s;eth to be their Father; we againe oblige our &s;elues to be his children and people, if we forget to ho|nour our Father, then hee will not accompt vs his children. Hee craues that wee &s;hould keepe his Commandements and couenants,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> not the traditions of men;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mans tra|ditions cannot binde the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">on&s;ci|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ce.</NOTE> which can neuer bind the con&s;cience: yea oftentimes it falleth out&punc; that tho&s;e who are too curious in ob&s;er|uing the&s;e idle and vaine rites, are carele&s;&s;e in keeping the&s;e things which are ab&s;olutely commanded by God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="133" REF="27">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 11.</HI> For thy names &s;ake, O Lord, bee mercifull vnto mine iniquity, for it is great.</HEAD>
<P><HI>FOr thy names &s;ake, O Lord, bee mercifull vn|to mine iniquity:]</HI> What before hee &s;pake generally of Gods mercy promi&s;ed to all humble &amp; penitent &s;inners,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> that in this ver&s;e he particularly applyeth vnto him&s;elfe;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Particular applicati|on of mer|cy needful. 1 Cor. 9.27</NOTE> &s;hew|ing vs hereby how nece&s;&s;ary the application of mercy is to a Preacher, le&s;t preaching to others hee become a Reprobate him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>He runnes euer to mercy pretending no merits, and craues pardon to his iniquity, which before hee called &s;inne, for hee &s;inned again&s;t God, and did iniquity to <HI>Vrias:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> where ob&s;erue that &s;inne and the forgerfulne&s;&s;e of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Who &s;in|neth a|gain&s;t God hurteth his neighbour. 1 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">oh. 4.20.</NOTE> cau&s;es vs to doe iniquity and wrong to our neighbours: how can wee loue God, whom wee &s;ee not, and hate man made to his Image whom wee &s;ee.</P>
<P><HI>For it is great:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE>] A true marke of a penitent &s;inner, to aggrauate his &s;inne.<NOTE PLACE="marg">To aggra|uate &s;in, a true marke of a peni|tent.</NOTE> Some v&s;e to extenuate their &s;innes, by comparing them to others whom they thinke &s;inne more then they doe: others excu&s;e them, as <HI>Adam</HI> did when hee &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.12.13.</NOTE> <HI>The woman which thou gaue&s;t to bee with me, &s;hee gaue me of the Tree, and I did <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ate:</HI> &s;hee againe excu&s;ed her&s;elfe, <HI>The Serpent
<PB N="134" REF="28">beguiled me and I did eate:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> But let the children of God &s;earch and finde out the greatne&s;&s;e of their &s;innes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Whe~ man remem|breth &s;inne God for|getteth it.</NOTE> and aggrauate them, that God may extenuate them, and &s;o forget them. Are yee loadned with &s;inne, remember it, and God will forget it, and ea&s;e you; if yee haue it before your eyes, hee &s;hall ca&s;t it behind his backe: but if&punc; you thinke nothing of &s;inne, God will binde it on your backe, &s;o that it &s;hall pre&s;&s;e you downe as a mil&s;tone.</P>
<P>But he craueth this for Gods names &s;ake: his name is his honor,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> &s;hewing vs that God pur|cha&s;eth his chiefe honour by his mercy:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods chie|fe&s;t honor is his mer|cie.</NOTE> It is the honour of the King to try &s;innes, but the honour of God to couer them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 25.2.</NOTE></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 12.</HI> What man is hee that feareth the Lord, him will hee teach the way that he &s;hall choo&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>IN this and the other two ver&s;es following is contained another quality which God craueth in his penitent, humble, and obedi|ent &s;inner, to wit, that he haue the feare of God, who is rewarded with temporall and &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ings in his &s;oule, body and po|&s;terity: So godline&s;&s;e is great gaine, hauing the promi&s;es of this life and the life to come.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4.8.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>What man is he.]</HI> By this forme of interroga|tion
<PB N="135" REF="28">hee would note the raritie of tho&s;e that &s;hall finde mercie, and this indefinite &s;peech an&s;werable to an vniuer&s;all, declareth, that what&s;oeuer they bee, of what&s;oeuer e&s;tate and condition, who feare God, &s;hall bee &s;ure of the&s;e after following ble&s;&s;ings.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">God di|rects them whom hee forgiues.</NOTE>Next ob&s;erue that God hee directs all the&s;e in the cour&s;e of their life whom hee hath par|doned; therfore tho&s;e who are not reconciled to God, need not looke for Gods direction, he was a Pillar of fire and Cloud to the I&s;rae|lites, for they were vnder the Couenant.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 14.19.</NOTE></P>
<P>The feare of the Lord is the chiefe vertue,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 15.33. What the feare of God is.</NOTE> euen the beginning of wi&s;edome. It is a &s;e|cret reuerence bred in the heart of a Chri&s;tian proceeding out of the &s;en&s;e and feeling of Gods loue, whereby a &s;inner is affraid that hee neither thinke, &s;peake, or doe any thing which hee &s;uppo&s;eth may offend Gods Ma|ie&s;tie. This &s;ecret feare if it bee once planted in the heart will direct thee in all good acti|ons acceptable to God, and correct thy euill doings.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> The loue of God hath a con&s;training power,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The two properties of Gods feare.</NOTE> whereby it compelleth and forceth vs to &s;erue him: the feare of God hath a re|&s;training power, by which it re&s;traineth and &s;tayeth vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> and keepeth vs backe from offen|ding him; this is like a bit, the other like a &s;pur. <HI>Abraham</HI> feared that the feare of God was not<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 20.11.</NOTE>
<PB N="136" REF="29">in the place wherto he went. <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> being inti|ced by his Mi&s;tris to commit wickednes with her, an&s;wered, <HI>How can I do this great wickednes and &s;o &s;in again&s;t God?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. 39.9.</NOTE> the Lord plant this feare in our harts. This is a filial feare which he cra|ueth, comming from loue, &amp; not a &s;eruile feare which commeth from a feare of puni&s;hment.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">How the feare of God is pre|&s;erued.</NOTE>The pre&s;eruer of this feare is a continual nou|ri&s;hment in thy minde of the pre&s;ence of God, to who~ thou pre&s;ente&s;t all thy actions. When thou co~mitte&s;t any thing vnworthy of his pre|&s;ence, be a&s;hamed of it, flie fro~ it, craue mercy for it, &amp; make the quiet Cabinet of thy mind the Chamber of his pre&s;ence, wherin thou da|re&s;t admit no lewd thought, no filthy thing. And becau&s;e it is impo&s;&s;ible to fray thy hart &amp; minde from the conceptions of that &s;inning &s;inne in thee;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> yet haue this te&s;timony, that it is no &s;ooner conceiued, but as &s;oon repented.</P>
<P><HI>Will he teach the way that he &s;hall choo&s;e.]</HI> He promi&s;eth foure benefits to the man that fea|reth God, he heapeth vpon him grace vpon grace: before hee pardoned him, and now he directeth the man whom he forgaue: for no &s;ooner receiueth hee any man in his fauor when he immediate<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">y takes the protection and direction of him.</P>
<P>But out of the&s;e words we &s;ee three things. Fir&s;t there are diuers, yea contrary wayes, as
<PB N="137" REF="29">there are contrary ends, the broad and the narrow, the Kings way and by-rodes, the way of life and of death.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Many pro|mi&s;e to them&s;elues a Kingdom not being in the way leading thereto.</NOTE> This is again&s;t &s;uch as dreame to them&s;elues that what&s;oeuer religi|on they profe&s;&s;e, or how&s;oeuer they liue they &s;hall goe to heauen; but they are deceiued; for if thou be not in the way to the Kingdome, thou &s;halt neuer attain to the Kingdome: ma|ny, yea the mo&s;t part are not going but ri|ding, not running but po&s;ting to hell; whom if ye demand whither they goe? they will an&s;were, to heauen: yea and they will bragge they &s;hall be nearer God then the Preacher him&s;elfe, euen as if one would dreame of life at the poynt of death.</P>
<P>Next wee &s;ee that a man cannot of him|&s;elfe choo&s;e the right way to heauen;<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> for the naturall man cannot apprehend tho&s;e things which pertaine to Gods Kingdome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man of him&s;elfe is ignorant of the right way.</NOTE> neither yet can he &s;ee them, for they are &s;piritually di&s;|cerned. Whereupon followeth the third,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.14</NOTE> that is, how man &s;hall choo&s;e the good and re|fu&s;e the euill way: <HI>Non e&s;t currentis, nec volen|tis, &s;ed mi&s;erentis Dei:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.16&punc;</NOTE> It is not in him that run|neth, nor in him that willeth, but in God that &s;heweth mercy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.25.</NOTE> <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> choo&s;ed rather to &s;uffer with the Church then to bee called the &s;onne of <HI>Pharohs</HI> daughter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 24.15.</NOTE> <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> and his
<PB N="138" REF="30">hou&s;e choo&s;ed to &s;erue God, though all the people &s;hould &s;erue <HI>Baal.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.6.</NOTE> <HI>Dauid</HI> the King choo&s;ed the light of Gods countenance to &s;hine on him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 3.9.</NOTE> <HI>Solomon</HI> made his choyce of wi&s;dome.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.42</NOTE> <HI>Mary</HI> choo&s;ed the better part. <HI>Paul</HI> thought all things to be dung in re&s;pect of the excellent knowledge of Chri&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.8.</NOTE> The Church of <HI>Laodicea</HI> was coun&s;elled to buy gold.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 3&punc; 18.</NOTE> But all the&s;e their choyces were of God, who put it in their hearts to choo&s;e good things. Wi&s;e|dome cryed in the &s;treets that all that were de&s;titute of vnder&s;tanding &s;hould come to her,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 8.1.</NOTE> but the foole heard the voyce of the har|lot, Goe to our daliance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 7.22.</NOTE> &s;aith &s;hee, and hee went like a &s;heepe to the &s;laughter. So by na|ture we choo&s;e the way to de&s;truction;<NOTE PLACE="marg">No&s;. 13.9.</NOTE> <HI>Thy perdition is of thee O I&s;rael, thy &s;aluation of me.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 13.</HI> His &s;oule &s;hall dwell at ea&s;e, and his &s;eede &s;hall inherite the Land.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">What the peace of con&s;cience <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE><HI>HIs &s;oule &s;hall dwell at ea&s;e.]</HI> The &s;econd promi&s;e and &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ing, the peace of con&s;cience, which is the tranquility of the &s;oule, flowing from the a&s;&s;urance of Gods fauour in Chri&s;t wrought by the holy Spirit. This is that white &s;tone in the <HI>Reuelation,</HI> wherein a name is written,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuel. 2.17</NOTE> which none can read but hee that hath it. Thy good life may
<PB N="139" REF="30">bee a marke to others of thy &s;aluation, but thy inward peace is a token to thy &s;elfe, that how&s;oeuer thy outward man bee afflict|ed; yet thy inward man hath that peace which pa&s;&s;eth all naturall vnder&s;tanding: of which Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>My peace I giue you,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 20.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>not as the world;</HI> and hee commanded the Apo&s;tles to giue their peace.</P>
<P>The giuer of this peace is called the Prince of peace; the wicked cry peace,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 8.11.</NOTE> when as &s;ud|den de&s;truction is approaching, as the trauell of a woman: <HI>But there is no peace to the wicked,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 48.22.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith my God;</HI> they may &s;ometimes lye in carele&s;&s;e &s;ecurity, not wakened by the &s;ight of Gods iudgements, but &s;leeping in the bot|tome of the Sea, hauing no true re&s;t: for the worldlings haue three wormes which eare them vp, care, feare and dolour;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Care, feare, and griefe, are three wormes which eate the world|lings.</NOTE> care to con|que&s;t the things of this world &s;o exce&s;&s;iuely, that they are eaten vp by it, feare le&s;t it be ta|ken from them, and commonly God as hee threateneth by his word, the thing they feare &s;hall come on them, and then followeth an exce&s;&s;iue &s;orrow for the lo&s;&s;e of them, they de&s;paire and oftentimes are the cau&s;e of their owne death: but the godly ca&s;t their care vp|on the Lord, they haue a rea&s;onable care of their Familie, but with mea&s;ure, they feare no|thing
<PB N="140" REF="31">but the offence of God, all other feares are &s;wallowed vp in the gulfe of that feare; for they a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues that God will main|taine their Lot; and finally, at the lo&s;&s;e of any creature the godly haue a naturall &s;orrow, al|beit not out of mea&s;ure,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 1.21.</NOTE> but with <HI>Iob,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>The Lord hath giuen and taken.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The third benefite.</NOTE><HI>And his &s;eede &s;hall inherit the Land]</HI> The third ble&s;&s;ing temporall, he promi&s;eth wealth to the po&s;terity of the righteous, that their daies &s;hall be long in the Land that God hath giuen them. Fir&s;t in this promi&s;e yee &s;ee the con&s;tancie of Gods fauor towards them, that feare him, their death doth not withdraw Gods loue from their po&s;terity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 19.38.</NOTE> as <HI>Dauid</HI> af|ter <HI>Barzillai</HI> went home, remembred his kindne&s;&s;e in intertaining <HI>Chimham,</HI> and on <HI>Mephibo&s;heth</HI> hee &s;hewed the mercy of God for <HI>Ionathans</HI> &s;ake:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 9.3.</NOTE> &s;o Gods loue dies not with the Parents,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doctr.</NOTE> but reuiueth in their po&s;terity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods loue dieth not with the Parents, but reuiues in their po|&s;terity. A note for Parents.</NOTE> as the Lord promi&s;ed to <HI>Dauid,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 7.12. Here is a promi&s;e to the godly who feare him, of a &s;ure and perpetuall maintenance to their po&s;terity. The con&s;ideration hereof &s;hould abate that exce&s;&s;iue care that Parents haue of their children, whereas the be&s;t care they can haue of them is, that they feare God them&s;elues, and labour to bring them vp in
<PB N="141" REF="31">that feare. Kings haue not &s;uch &s;urety of the continuance of their crownes to their &s;ucce&s;|&s;ion, neither Noble-men of their Lands, as a godly man hath of Gods proui&s;ion: <HI>I was young&punc;</HI> &s;aith <HI>Dauid, and now am old;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.25.</NOTE> <HI>yet I neuer &s;aw the iu&s;t man nor his &s;eed to beg.</HI></P>
<P>Moreouer we &s;ee that Lands are at the di&s;|po&s;ition of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> who wil giue them to whom he plea&s;eth, and altereth Dominions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">All chan|ges come of &s;inne.</NOTE> as the Monarchie of the Babylonians, Perfians, Gre|cians, and Romanes, the cau&s;e of this alterati|on was their &s;in: and doe we not &s;ee among&s;t our &s;elues within the&s;e thirty yeares,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Example of our time</NOTE> many and &s;trange alterations of Lands and hou&s;es, tran&s;lated from the right owners thereof to others neither of their name, nor any way be|longing to them. Should not this teach vs all to feare God, and make our hou&s;es as Sanctu|aries to him, le&s;t he be forced (as he extirped the Canaanites for their &s;innes) to root vs out, and &s;weepe vs away as with a be&s;om.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="14" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 14.</HI> The &s;ecret of the Lord is reuea|led to them that feare him: and his couenant to giue them vnder&s;tanding.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Benefit and pro|mi&s;e, reue|lation of his &s;ecrets.</NOTE></HEAD>
<P>THe fourth benefit which the Lord will be&s;tow vpon the godly men, he will (if they feare him) reueale to them his &s;ecrets.</P>
<PB N="142" REF="32">
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> ye &s;ee the word of God is called a &s;ecret,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods word is a &s;ecret. Reu. 5.5.</NOTE> a my&s;tery, and hid trea&s;ure, a clo&s;ed booke which none is able to loo&s;e but the Lambe. For all the naturall wit of man is not able to attaine to the vnder&s;tanding of the meane&s;t Article of faith. All things which we beleeue are aboue the compa&s;&s;e of rea&s;on, or flat again&s;t it.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Go&s;|pell comes by reuelation. Mat. 16.17.</NOTE>The Go&s;pell commeth by reuelation: <HI>Ble&s;|&s;ed art thou Simon, the Sonne of Ionah, fle&s;h and bloud hath not reuealed this to thee, but my Fa|ther:</HI> where he manife&s;tly te&s;tifieth, that the confe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t is a hid matter, which mu&s;t bee reuealed to vs by him&s;elfe. The wit of man can &s;earch the profundities of nature (albeit it is not able to attaine to the hundreth part thereof, as of Phy&s;icke, A&s;tro|nomy, Geometry, &amp;c.) but it cannot &s;can&s;e vpon Diuinity without in&s;piration, which mu&s;t come from aboue. It is no maruaile therefore that &s;o few beleeue the word, for faith is not of all men, it is the gift of God: as it is a &s;ecret, &s;o are they called his &s;ecret ones to whom he reuealeth it.</P>
<P>But men may thinke,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> that it being a &s;ecret, why &s;hould it be made common to all, and God hath clo&s;ed that booke.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer vvith <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">An&s;wer.</NOTE> it is a flood on
<PB N="143" REF="32">vvhich a Lambe may &s;wimme, and an Ele|phant may walke.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3.11.</NOTE> To the children of God it is plaine; to tho&s;e it is giuen to vnder&s;tand, but to others they are parable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 6.9.</NOTE> <HI>That &s;eeing they &s;hould not perceiue.</HI></P>
<P>But to vvhom doth he reueale it?<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> <HI>To them that feare him,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">No true &s;eruice without con&s;cience.</NOTE> and to the&s;e he giueth vnder|&s;tanding, as in the 15. and 119. P&s;alme hee te&s;tifies. By which I &s;ee there is no true &s;er|uice vvithout con&s;cience, and none can pro|fit in the knowledge of the Scripture but &s;uch as feare God; and the more they feare him, the more they grow in knowledge. True piety and godline&s;&s;e is the nouri&s;her of know|ledge, for the feare of God is the beginning, growth, and perfection of all wi&s;edome. And therefore Athie&s;ts and prophane per|&s;ons haue not learned Chri&s;t aright, they are learning, but doe neuer attaine to the power of godline&s;&s;e and his couenant to giue them vnder&s;tanding.</P>
<P>His couenant is &s;pecially mentioned,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> be|cau&s;e the Iewes brag of the couenant made to <HI>Abraham</HI> their Father.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods co|uenant be|longeth to &s;uch as feare him. Iohn 8.33.</NOTE> But here he decla|reth to them that they haue no title to the couenant except they feare God. The Iewes bragged that they were de&s;cended of <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> but Chri&s;t &s;ends them to their father
<PB N="144" REF="33">the deuill, becau&s;e they follow his manners, and are murtherers. Therefore there is no part in the couenant to tho&s;e who haue not the true feare of God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="15" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 15.</HI> Mine eyes are euer towards the Lord: for who will bring my feet out of the net.</HEAD>
<P>NOw he doth apply the benefits of God (which generally were propounded to the Church) to him&s;elfe, &amp; as he began the P&s;alme, &s;o he ends it with a prayer for his de|liuery from his enemies.</P>
<P>In this Ver&s;e hee per&s;wades him&s;elfe by faith that God will &s;et him free, <HI>for</HI> (as &s;aith the Text) <HI>his eyes are euer towards the Lord;</HI> that is, he depended on God, as the eye of the handmayd is towards her mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. This he te&s;tifieth when he &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 123. P&s;al. 121.</NOTE> <HI>And I lift vp mine eyes to the mountaines, my helpe commeth from thee O Lord, for thou wilt deliuer me who tru&s;ts in thee.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> Men may looke for helpe at the hands of men, but in vaine. But God will not fru|&s;trate the expectation of his owne; which &s;hould make vs not to turne our eyes from him, &s;eeking helpe from Aegvpt. Wee can|not at one time looke vp to heauen, &amp; downe to hell or the earth, no more put our confi|dence
<PB N="145" REF="33">in God and man.</P>
<P>Next, ye &s;ee that if we de&s;ire to get deliue|ry, we mu&s;t in al our actions &s;et him before our eies, direct all our actions to glorifie God, and edifie his Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.8.</NOTE> <HI>I haue &s;et the Lord alwayes before my face, for he is at my right hand, therefore I &s;hall not &s;lide.</HI> Will God defend an vnrighte|ous man, who aimeth not at Gods glory, but his owne de&s;ignes?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> If thou haue him before thine eies, then will he &s;tand at thy right hand to maintaine thee.</P>
<P><HI>He will bring my feet out of the net:]</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Compa|ri&s;on.</NOTE> He com|pareth his e&s;tate to a bird in&s;nared in the fow|lers net: for his enemies were fowlers, their engins were nets, him&s;elfe was the poore bird circumnened.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Chur|ches ene|mies v&s;ing &s;ubtilties to intrap her.</NOTE></P>
<P>The Church hath many enemies, but none are &s;o crafty as the&s;e fowlers: fraud and craft is a marke of Gods enemies; they imitate their father the deuill, who is a wily Serpent, <HI>and more &s;ubtile then any bea&s;t of the field.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.1. Let Chri|&s;tians haue their con|uer&s;ation in heauen&punc; God will breake the &s;nare</NOTE></P>
<P>Thirdly, let Chri&s;tians be birds, that as they haue their chiefe abode in the ayre, &s;o we may haue our conuer&s;ation in heauen; as they fill the aire with their &s;ounds, &s;o let vs prai&s;e God.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Gods children may be en&s;nared, but God will breake their nets and deliuer them, <HI>as Paul, Silas,</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> out of pri&s;on;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 16.26.</NOTE>
<PB N="146" REF="34">for that which &s;eemes impo&s;&s;ible to men, is po&s;&s;ible with God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 124. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE> Man is as the bird e&s;caped out of the &s;nare of the fowler; for as the bird compa&s;&s;ed cannot deliuer it &s;elfe, no more can man e&s;cape their attempts by his owne &s;trength, but onely by Gods power.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="16" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE. 16.</HI> Turne thy face vnto m&eacute;: and haue mercy vpon me: for I am de&s;olate and poore.</HEAD>
<P>HE thinkes in aduer&s;ity that God turnes away his face,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> who&s;e pre&s;ence to a crea|ture is as the turning of the Sun vnto the earth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aduer&s;ity makes me~ feare Gods ab&s;ence.</NOTE></P>
<P>He craueth mercy oftentimes in this P&s;alm, acknowledging that to be the fountaine from which all ble&s;&s;ings flow to him:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> this argu|ment is taken from God him&s;elfe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods mer|cy the fountaine of all ble&s;|&s;ings.</NOTE></P>
<P>The next argument from his mi&s;ery, <HI>For I am de&s;olate and poore.</HI> This is the obiect of Gods mercy,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> vpon vvhich it mu&s;t worke; as the vvounded Iew was an obiect of the Samaritans mercy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mi&s;ery the obiect of Gods mer|cie.</NOTE> How would Gods mer|cy be knowne, if man had no mi&s;ery? How would the Phy&s;itians skill be tried, if not by the patients di&s;ea&s;es?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.33.</NOTE> How would the libera|lity of Princes &amp; their Iu&s;tice be notified,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> but by the pouerty of their &s;ubiects, and their di&s;tre&s;&s;es.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="17" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="147" REF="34">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 17.</HI> The &s;orrowes of mine heart are en|larged: draw me out of my troubles.</HEAD>
<P><HI>THe &s;orrowes of mine heart are enlarged:]</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> God hath many meanes to humble the &s;onnes of men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God multi|plieses &s;or|rowes, be|cau&s;e wee multiply &s;innes.</NOTE> and namely he turnes their ioy of &s;inne into &s;orrow; the right &s;orrow, where|of the Lord &s;end vs. God multiplies &s;orrowes becau&s;e we multiply &s;ins. <HI>Dauid</HI> found a cau&s;e of &s;orrew in euery thing he gat from God: for his brethren enuied him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 17.28. and 18.9. 2 Sam. 6.20. and 15.31.</NOTE> his father in law <HI>Saul</HI> per&s;ecuted him, his vvife mocked him, his familiars and companions deceined him, his children pur&s;ued him, the Ziphims and the Lords of Keilah betrayed him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 23.12. and 26. 1. and 29.4</NOTE> the Phili|&s;tims reiected him. The ioies which God pro|pineth vs with, are as &s;o many ro&s;es; but in the bottome of them are enclo&s;ed as many thorner to pricke vs:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> As <HI>Paul</HI> was pricked with the me&s;&s;enger of Satan,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12.7.</NOTE> le&s;t he &s;hould haue beene exalted through the great reuela|tions. So if we found not &s;ome di&s;comfort in euery creature, we &s;hould be bewitched with the delight thereof, that we could not &s;ettle our affection on God: And therefore God peppers euery plea&s;ure, and giues vs &s;ome &s;oure &s;auce thereto,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 12.8.</NOTE> as he gaue &s;oure hearbs to be eaten with the Pa&s;chal Lambe.</P>
<PB N="148" REF="35">
<P><HI>Draw me out of my troubles:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE>] <HI>Many are the tribulations of the righteous,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">If the plea|&s;ures of this world were not painfull we would too much delight in them.</NOTE> <HI>but the Lord will de|liuer him out of them all.</HI> God v&s;eth to draw them, by which hee would te&s;tifie that it is a work of Gods power to deliuer the innocent; as <HI>Dauid</HI> deliuered his fathers &s;heepe from the Lyon and the Beare, and the ve&s;&s;els out of the hands of a &s;trong man.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="18" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 18.</HI> Looke vpon mine afflictions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34.11. 1 Sam. 17.34.</NOTE> and my trauell, and forgiue all my &s;innes.</HEAD>
<P>THere he acknowledgeth the root of al his troubles to be &s;in:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> for which he craueth mercy at God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The root of all our trouble is our owne &s;inne.</NOTE> Ye may &s;ee here that &s;in touch|eth him &s;o neere the heart, that he cannot find ea&s;e but in the remi&s;&s;ion thereof. Sin is &s;weet in the mouth as honey,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> but it is in the womb as grauell.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 20.17</NOTE> There is no venome in the affliction but &s;inne, &s;o being quit of &s;in, he e&s;teemes no|thing of the affliction. Sin is the noy&s;ome hu|mour; purge the humour, and &s;aue the pati|ent. The goodnes &amp; wi&s;dome of God, which maketh affliction a bitter water to eat vp the ru&s;t of &s;inne. The affliction is not profitable which hath not made &s;ome diminution of &s;in. When Gods anger was quenched,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.1.</NOTE> then the flouds were abated, &s;o as thy &s;in decrea&s;es, thy affliction dimini&s;heth daily.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="19" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="149" REF="35">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 19:</HI> Behold mine enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with cruell hatred.</HEAD>
<P>THis endeth as the &s;ixt P&s;alme;<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> for trium|phing aboue &s;in his &s;pirituall enemies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;ub|duing of &s;inne is the triumph ouer our enemies. Acts 9.3.</NOTE> he triumpheth aboue all his bodily foes, he pre|uailes with God, he preuaileth al&s;o with men.</P>
<P>He v&s;eth no imprecations again&s;t them, but that God would looke on them either merci|fully to conuert them with <HI>Saul,</HI> who was cal|led <HI>Paul,</HI> or to confound them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 31.4</NOTE> as the fir&s;t <HI>Saul</HI> who killed him&s;elfe. His enemies are de&s;cri|bed from their multitude &amp; number; next, fro~ their malice &amp; cruelty. Alwayes Gods honor is &s;o much the more greater that he is one for all, &amp; his loue preuents their cruelty. He com|plained of their craft, before they had &s;pred nets for him, and the deuill who before was a Serpent and could not preuaile, now becom|meth a fiery flying Dragon,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.1. Apoc. 12.3.</NOTE> <HI>to deuoure the &s;eed of the woman:</HI> &s;o craft di&s;appointed, becomes cruell: he was fir&s;t a Serpent, &amp; yet he is more dangerous when he is a &s;erpent,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> cheaping, then when he is roaring as a Lyon;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Craft di&s;|appointed, becomes cruelty.</NOTE> when he roares he is heard far off and is e&s;chewed, but who can &s;hun a Fox and a Serpent: therefore craft is alwaies cruell. Since then we haue to doe with malitious enemies and crafty deceit|full
<PB N="150" REF="36">men, let vs inarme vs again&s;t them by the bre&s;tplate of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, to &s;trike by their darts, and by patience to &s;uffer their wrongs.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="20" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 20.</HI> Keepe my &s;oule and deliuer me: let me not be confounded, for I tru&s;t in thee.</HEAD>
<P>HE ends as Chri&s;t ended his life,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> In thy hand I commit my &s;pirit.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;oule is wel kept when God keepeth it. Luk. 23.46. Mat. 6.19.</NOTE> By the &s;oule he meaneth al&s;o the life, for it is well kept when the Lord keepes it: no earthly place &s;o &s;ure, but the thiefe may come in, or ru&s;t con&s;ume, but if thy &s;oule be bound vp in the bundle of life, and trea&s;ured with God, no violence or co~&s;umption can attain therunto. And he v&s;eth that &s;ame argument in the end which he did in the beginning, <HI>For I tru&s;t in thee.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="21" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 21.</HI> Let mine vprightne&s;&s;e and equity pre&s;erne me: for mine hope is in thee.</HEAD>
<P>LEt no man claime the patrocinie of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> vnle&s;&s;e he maintaine a righteous cau&s;e &amp; quarrell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God will not patro|nize an vn|righteous cau&s;e. 1 Sa~ 26.17.</NOTE> for what fellow&s;hip hath the Lord with the throne of iniquity? This he &s;peakes becau&s;e of his enemies to whom he neuer did iniury, and the more ingratefull were they; yea the&s;e he benefited: as <HI>Saul,</HI> with whom in the field he pleaded his innocency, when <HI>Saul</HI> &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 143.2.</NOTE> <HI>My &s;on Dauid thou art more righteous then
<PB N="151" REF="36">I.</HI> But when he came before God he cried, <HI>En|ter not in iudgement with thy &s;eruant;</HI> but re|countering with men he braggeth of his inno|cency: Our eyes are &s;harp &s;ighted and bright enough to behold the earth, but when we looke to the Sunne they will be dim.</P>
<P><HI>For I tru&s;t in thee:]</HI> Ye &s;ee albeit he claimes to his innocency, yet he retireth him to faith and hope in God. Our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is not &s;uch as that we can altogether &s;tand by it: there are &s;ome &s;lips and faults in the be&s;t of our actions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> therfore we are forced to retire to God, who can &s;upply them all in his al-&s;uffici|ency.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="22" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>VERSE 22.</HI> Deliuer I&s;rael O god out of all his troubles.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE></HEAD>
<P>THis la&s;t ver&s;e containeth a prayer for the Church, &s;o that hee is not contented to enioy any priuate benefit from God, him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Atrue note of a Chri|&s;tian to be affected with the &s;tate of the Church. P&s;al. 51.8.</NOTE> vnle&s;&s;e the Church of God be partaker there|of; who&s;e welfare he promi&s;eth to procure, and de&s;ires others to pray for the peace of Ie|ru&s;alem:<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> and this is a marke of a feeling mem|ber of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Church &s;ubiect to infinit troubles.</NOTE> who remembreth not his owne &s;orrowes without regard of the tribulations of Gods Church.</P>
<P>Next, ye &s;ee that the Church is &s;ubiect to
<PB N="125" REF="37">infinite tribulations, &s;he is a Lillie among thorns,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 3.2. Mat. 14.24. Gen. 8.1.</NOTE> there mu&s;the a fire alway in that bu&s;h. is no maruell to &s;ee the &s;hip of the Di&s;ciples to&s;&s;ed in the &s;eas, and the Arke of <HI>Noah</HI> in the deluge, but indeed it were a maruel to &s;ee the Church not per&s;ecuted.<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">God will in the end deliuer his Church.</NOTE>Finally he prayes for deliuery to her, let+ting vs &s;ee two things: Fir&s;t, that the Lor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> will compa&s;&s;e his Church with ioyfull deli+uerances, and not let the rod of the wicked lie alwayes on the backe of the righteous, but as they haue many cro&s;&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Doct.</NOTE> &s;o they get many comforts from God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Chur|ches deli|uerance is Gods pre|rogatiue.</NOTE> Next, God common|ly takes that honour to him&s;elfe to deliuer his Church, when Princes per&s;ecute the &s;ame to their owne ruine and &s;hame. Let vs pray vnto our God to deliuer his Church in Eu|rope this day, which is fearfully a&s;&s;aulted by wicked men, and to giue his Saints pati|ence and per&s;euerance in the truth to the end. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="commentary">
<PB N="59" REF="37">
<HEAD>A GODLY AND FRVITFVL EXPOSITION ON THE LI. PSALME, <HI>the fift of the Penitentials.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_THis P&s;alme is mo&s;t memo|rable among&s;t the &s;euen Pe|nitentials: &s;o that <HI>Athana&s;ius</HI> that learned and diuine Do|ctor in&s;tructeth Chri&s;tia~ vir|gins,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tract, de Virg.</NOTE> when they awake in the mid&s;t of the night to repeate the &s;ame; and the an|cient Church made great v&s;e of it. And iu&s;t|ly may it be called <HI>the &s;inners guide.</HI> For as <HI>Dauid</HI> by his &s;inne led them to error; &s;o by this his repentance he leades them to grace.</P>
<P>This P&s;alme con&s;i&s;teth of a Title and Supplication. The Title containes the argu|ment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The diui&s;io~ of the P&s;alme.</NOTE> &s;ub&s;tance and occa&s;ion of the P&s;alme. The Supplication containeth &s;ixteen argu|ments, which he v&s;eth to moue God to haue
<PB N="60" REF="38">compa&s;&s;ion on him; and a prayer for the Church in the end.</P>
<DIV2 N="51" TYPE="Psalm">
<HEAD>The Title. <HI>To him that excelleth on Neginoth. A P&s;alme of Dauid when the Prophet Nathan came vnto him, after he had gone in to Bath|&s;hebah.</HI></HEAD>
<P>The Title beares foure things. 1. the Au|thor and pen-man of this P&s;alme, <HI>Dauid;</HI> Gods Spirit no doubt being the inditer. 2. To whom it was committed to be &s;ung, <HI>To the chiefe Mu&s;itian on Neginoth.</HI> 3. At what time, when <HI>Nathan</HI> had reprooued him. 4. The occa&s;ion of the reproofe, his going in to <HI>Bath&s;hebah.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Dauid</HI> is not content verbally to vtter his repentance, or to leaue it in the peri&s;h|ing books of the records of his kingdome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">His repen|tance is co~+mitted to the eternal monument of Gods booke.</NOTE> but he committeth it to the euerla&s;ting mo|muments of Gods booke, where of one iote cannot peri&s;h, but &s;hall endure for euer, in de&s;pight both of the Diuell and Antichri&s;t the Pope his fir&s;t borne.</P>
<P><HI>A P&s;alme of Dauid.</HI></P>
<P>He putteth to his name, prefixing and &s;ub&s;cribing it him&s;elfe, neither will &s;uffer any to publi&s;h it but him&s;elf: as he was not a&s;hamed to &s;in, he is not a&s;hamed to repent;
<PB N="61" REF="38">as he was not a&s;hamed to &s;in openly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Let not tho&s;e be a&s;hamed to repent for &s;inne, who haue not bin a&s;ha|med to &s;in. <HI>Theodo&s;ius</HI> his repen|tance.</NOTE> he is not a&s;hamed publikly to declare his repen|tance.</P>
<P><HI>Theodo&s;ius</HI> the Emperour is renowned in all the world for his humble repentance be|fore Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> after the &s;laughter at The&s;&s;alonica, where in the place of the pe|nitents he fell downe on his face, and &s;aid, <HI>Agglutinata e&s;t terra anima mea,</HI> My &s;oule is glued to the earth. None are a&s;hamed to &s;inne, but all are a&s;hamed to repent; and &s;o God powreth &s;hame vpon many, becau&s;e they will not honour him whom they haue di&s;honored.</P>
<P><HI>To the chiefe Mu&s;itian,</HI> or, <HI>to him that excelleth on Neginoth.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;ame is the title of the 4. P&s;al. <HI>La~men|atzeah</HI> oftentimes in the Scriptures is taken for the Pre&s;idents who are chiefe in any thing, as 2. Chron. 18. &amp; 34.18.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;weete &s;inger of I&s;rael giues it to a &s;weete &s;inger.</NOTE> I thinke it to be be&s;t tran&s;lated, <HI>To him that excelleth. Neginoth</HI> was an in&s;trument of mu&s;ick, vp|on which they played. So they did not on|ly reade the P&s;almes, but al&s;o &s;ing them; yea &s;o di&s;tinctly, that the people ea&s;ily might vnder&s;tand them: not &s;o much addicted to t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> note or tune, as to the matter; as our Sa|uiour did &s;ing after the Communion;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> and
<PB N="62" REF="39"><HI>Paul</HI> commandeth it, Col. 3.16.</P>
<P>Mu&s;icke is an Art very plea&s;ant, delecta|ble and profitable, to &s;tirre vp the affections of man to Gods &s;eruice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The com|modities of mu&s;ick. 2. Kin. 3.15</NOTE> or to re&s;traine the anger and perturbations of our nature, as was in <HI>Elizeus,</HI> who &s;ought for a min&s;trell to appea&s;e him.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t we haue to &s;ee, that this excellent P&s;alme is committed to an excellent per|&s;on, who hath great cunning to put it forth to the v&s;e of the Church; teaching vs here|by, that &s;pirituall exerci&s;es are not to be put into the hands of ignorant dolts, who haue no wi&s;edome or skill to &s;et forth the glorie of their God. For the &s;ubiect being mo&s;t glorious, why &s;hould it be concredited to &s;uch as haue neither learning nor wi&s;dome? And if that &s;inging &s;hould haue &s;o worthy in&s;truments, what do ye thinke of the prea|ching of the Go&s;pell? of which the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Who can be &s;ufficient for tho&s;e things?</HI> Happie then is that Church when learned men are promoted to good places, where|by the word may be further aduanced. And in a mi&s;erable ca&s;e are tho&s;e who are com|mitted to the charge of ignorants,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t ig|norant and idle prea|chers.</NOTE> idle bel|lies, and &s;uch like, who are vnfit to take the care of Gods people, for whom they &s;hall
<PB N="63" REF="39">be countable to God at the great day, and Gods vengeance &s;hall be vpon them in this world.</P>
<P><HI>Dauid</HI> he aduanceth mu&s;ick very much, as <HI>Solomon</HI> al&s;o after him;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Chron. 15.16.</NOTE> and the Mu&s;icians were di&s;tributed into certaine cla&s;&s;es and orders.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.16. 1: Cor. 14.15.</NOTE> The antiquitie and ancientie hereof maketh much for its commendation, for God did inuent it. This is a principall &s;ci|ence, and yet it hath few aduancers. Mens deafned eares betoken their bea&s;tly igno|rance, who will not &s;uffer them&s;elues to be wakened and rou&s;ed vp from their &s;ecurity and &s;leepe.</P>
<P>There are &s;ome good Chri&s;tians chalen|ged,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> who being of a melancholious nature, are thought to abhorre all mu&s;icke and mu|&s;icall in&s;truments.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solut.</NOTE> But men are deceiued herein: if mu&s;icke be free of profanitie and &s;uper&s;tition, there is no good man of reli|gion who cannot but like it well, and de|light greatly therein. But the auarice of our age, as it hath bin the decay of many &s;cien|ces, &s;o likewi&s;e of this.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> The Church being &s;poiled of her rents, is not able to entertaine this &s;cience as it &s;hould be; which God &s;upply whe~ he thinketh time. And this I &s;ay not, that I do like either the profanitie of
<PB N="64" REF="40">bea&s;tly men, that in &s;tead of heauenly &s;ongs &s;ing bawdie ballads; or of &s;uch &s;uper&s;titious Papi&s;ts; who &s;ing and tune Latine words in their Ma&s;&s;es, thereby mocking God, and making religion a &s;port. But the abu&s;e of that &s;cience I di&s;allow; the v&s;e I allow and approue, as mo&s;t nece&s;&s;arie to Gods glorie. And &s;eeing it will be perpetuall in the hea|uens, why &s;hould it not begin on earth? There &s;hall be a naturall, not artificial &s;ong; of which we &s;hall &s;ing for euer the &s;ong of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> the &s;eruant of God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 15.3</NOTE> Let vs therefore begin on earth, learne of our Gamma, and enter into our Alphabet here,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> that we may be perfect Mu&s;itians, when we become per|fect our &s;elues in glorie. Here let vs &s;ing with grace in our hearts to the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3 16.</NOTE> reiect|ing vaine, idolatrous and profane ballads, and &s;ing &s;piritually vnto the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>When Nathan the Prophet came to him. Dauid</HI> (as is thought) lay a yeare almo&s;t in this &s;inne a&s;leep, till God wakened him by <HI>Nathan,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionah 1.6.</NOTE> as he did <HI>Ionas</HI> by the Pilot. It is certaine we would &s;leep vnto death before we awake from &s;inne, if God did not put vpon vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man is ly|ing a&s;leepe till God waken him</NOTE> and &s;tirre vs vp. We are &s;o benum|med by the &s;pirit of &s;lumber, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by a lethargie, that all our &s;en&s;es are &s;tupified
<PB N="65" REF="40">till <HI>Nathan</HI> come and awake vs.</P>
<P>Next, God &s;ends him that which he prai|ed for, euen a faithful admoni&s;her.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.</NOTE> One Pro|phet cometh to another: yea a greater then him&s;elfe;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 13.18.</NOTE> not as the old Prophet came to the yong at Bethel to deceiue him, but as a fa|ther to admoni&s;h his child.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pa&s;tors &s;hould freely re|buke the vices one of another</NOTE>There &s;hould be an holy freedome and libertie among Preachers, each one &s;hould freely rebuke another when they &s;ee them doing wrong. One &s;hould not winke at an other, as mo&s;t part do; and others being re|proued, rage mightily, &s;aying with <HI>Zidkiah, When went the Spirit of the Lord out of me to thee?</HI> They rebuke the rebuker,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 22 24. E&s;a. 30.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>They &s;ay to the Prophet, Prophecie not.</HI></P>
<P>Ob&s;erue moreouer, that <HI>Nathan</HI> cometh fir&s;t to <HI>Dauid,</HI> not <HI>Dauid</HI> to <HI>Nathan:</HI> the Phy&s;itian to the patient, not the patient to the Phy&s;itian. Chri&s;t him&s;elfe came to the &s;inners and Publicans, and called them to repentance.</P>
<P>This is again&s;t the pride of &s;ome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.13. Again&s;t the pride and lazine&s;&s;e of Preachers</NOTE> and la|zine&s;&s;e of others, who will not come or take the paines to vi&s;it weake Chri&s;tians, yea will &s;carce admit them to their pre&s;ence when they come, as though they were Prin|ces. Woe to their pride who come not to
<PB N="66" REF="41">the &s;icke, and heale not the broken, (as &s;aith the Prophet) but feed them&s;elues with the fat of the &s;heepe.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Let none of higher gifts de&s;pi&s;e tho&s;e of lower. Acts 9.17.</NOTE>God v&s;eth <HI>Nathan</HI> a Prophet, inferiour to <HI>Dauid</HI> both in Prophecie, wi&s;edome and other gifts, to be an in&s;trument to warne <HI>Dauid.</HI> Let none then of greater gifts de|&s;pi&s;e tho&s;e of le&s;&s;er. <HI>Ananias</HI> taught <HI>Paul,</HI> and here <HI>Nathan Dauid.</HI></P>
<P><HI>After he had gone in to Bath&s;heba.</HI> Albeit <HI>Dauid</HI> thought he had hid him&s;elfe well e|nough, yet God found him out by <HI>Nathan. Adam</HI> hid him&s;elfe among the bu&s;hes, but God called to him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.8.</NOTE> <HI>Where art thou?</HI> Let vs not then dreame, that God doth not &s;ee vs, and what&s;oeuer &s;tarting holes we &s;eeke to hide our &s;elues in. The woman lighteth the candle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.4.</NOTE> and findeth the lo&s;t pennie; and our Shepheard will &s;eeke his lo&s;t &s;heepe, and bring it home againe. No whither can we go from the all-&s;eeing eye of God.</P>
<P><HI>Gone in to Bath&s;heba.</HI> As <HI>Dauid</HI> was an example of the frailtie of mans nature, and <HI>Nathan</HI> of a faithfull Preacher; &s;o <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;et|teth down what euils do come of the beau|tie of women, which is conioyned with im|pudencie and leuitie. For if &s;he had not wa|&s;hed her &s;elfe naked before the pallace, and
<PB N="67" REF="41">con&s;ented &s;o readily to the King,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the impudency of women.</NOTE> that he &s;hould come in to her (a filthy action &s;po|ken in cleane termes, as Chri&s;tians &s;hould do the like) there had not bin &s;uch abhomi|nable crimes committed. She repre&s;enteth many women in our days, &s;hamele&s;ly haun|ting &s;uch places where they may giue occa|&s;ion to me~ to &s;uit after the~,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 38.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> as <HI>Tamar</HI> &s;itting by the high way when <HI>Iudah</HI> came by. This doth not di&s;grace hone&s;t women, but ra|ther giueth them matter to glorifie God, who hath not &s;uffered them to be deborde in their filthy affections. As the wi&s;e mari|ner &s;eeing others by throwing them&s;elues in danger &s;uffer &s;hipwrack,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> thanketh God who kept him from the like; &s;o hone&s;t wo|men may prai&s;e God that he hath pre&s;er|ued their hone&s;tie, which was not in their owne hand.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Beautie a ble&s;sing of God, if not abu&s;ed.</NOTE>Beautie is not to be euill thought of, be|ing a benefit and ble&s;&s;ing of God: but the abu&s;e of beautie, by the tentation of the di|uell and deceitfulne&s;&s;e of our owne nature, when Satan allureth vs to di&s;honour God, and de&s;troy that goodly peece of workman|&s;hip which God hath made vp in vs, by that which &s;hould haue bin an in&s;trument to prouoke vs to Gods &s;eruice.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 31.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>Beautie is de|ceitfull.
<PB N="68" REF="42">Ab&s;oloms</HI> beautie deceiued him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. 14.15</NOTE> and many with him haue beautie, but haue no grace to v&s;e it well.</P>
<P>Finally, I &s;ee both the per&s;ons are noted by their names, and not ob&s;cured: wherein the Spirit of God in his word, as in a true mirror and gla&s;&s;e, repre&s;enteth euery ones naturall face, either in their beautie or in their blemi&s;hes. So <HI>Iohn</HI> Bapti&s;t &s;poke par|ticularly to <HI>Herod,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 14.4.</NOTE> and the Prophets to their Princes. They clo&s;ed not vp their reproofes vnder generalities, that they might inter|prete them any way which plea&s;ed them be&s;t; but called blacke, blacke, &s;owre, &s;owre, and &s;weete.<NOTE PLACE="marg">who&s;oeuer &s;in openly, ought ope~|ly to be rebuked.</NOTE> &s;weete. For particular applicati|ons to eminent per&s;ons is mo&s;t requi&s;ite; and tho&s;e that &s;in openly, &s;hould be openly rebuked, that others may &s;tand in awe.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 1.</HI> Haue mercie vpon me, O God, ac|cording to thy louing kindne&s;&s;e: ac|cording to the multitude of thy com|pa&s;&s;ions put away mine iniquities.</HEAD>
<P><HI>HAue mercie vpon me, O God.</HI> The thing he craueth mo&s;t of God is mercie: fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> God hath many qualities which are e&s;&s;en|tiall to him, but none of them could do v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="69" REF="42">any good without his mercie; his power would de&s;troy vs, his wi&s;edome confound vs, his iu&s;tice condemne vs, his maie&s;tie affright vs, but all the&s;e by it turne to our good.</P>
<P>To beg for mercie is the fir&s;t word of a &s;upplicant. The fir&s;t word of the forlorne &s;onne to his father, was,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.18.</NOTE> <HI>Father, I haue &s;inned again&s;t heauen and again&s;t thee.</HI> This Chri&s;t in his prayer hath taught vs to pray,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 6.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>Forgiue vs our &s;innes.</HI> So in euery prayer we &s;hould begin at <HI>haue mercie vpon me O God.</HI> We &s;in daily, and vnle&s;&s;e we offer vp at the doore of the Sanctuarie a &s;in-offering, we cannot offer an offering of thank&s;giuing and the &s;weete incen&s;e of prai&s;es. Thus prayed the woman of Canaan, &s;aying,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.22.</NOTE> <HI>Haue morcie vpon me,</HI> comprehending vnder that the cure of her daughter: and the two blind men cried, <HI>O Sonne of Dauid haue mercis;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.27.</NOTE> as al&s;o did many others.</P>
<P>The greate&s;t comfort that Chri&s;tians haue in their trouble, is, that they haue to do with a mercifull God, and not rigorous, nor one who wil chide with vs continually,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103.2.</NOTE> but one who is <HI>&s;low to anger, readie to forgiue,</HI> who&s;e name is mercie, who&s;e nature is mercifull, who hath promi&s;ed to be mercifull, who is
<PB N="70" REF="43"><HI>the Father of mercies.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. Cor. 1.3.</NOTE> The earth is full of hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> mercies, they are aboue the heauens and the clouds; his mercy is aboue all his works, extending to a thou&s;and generations,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 20.6. P&s;al. 100.5. Ho&s;. 6.6.</NOTE> who&s;e mercie endureth for euer. With the Lord is mercie and great redemption. <HI>I will haue mercie, and not &s;acrifice.</HI> His mercies are of|ten repeated in the Scriptures, as P&s;al. 5.6. 12.16.17.20.22.23.24. thrice, 25.30. thri&s;e. 32. twi&s;e. 35. thri&s;e. 39. twi&s;e. 41. thri&s;e. 47.50.56.58. thri&s;e. 60.61.62.63.68. twice &amp;c. Ioel 2.13. Mica 7.18. Math. 12.7. rich in mercie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 1.2.</NOTE> Eph. 2.4. &amp;c. The Apo&s;tles &s;alu|tation is <HI>Grace, mercie and peace.</HI> Since &s;o i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As a garde~ i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> repleni|&s;hed with flowers, &s;o is the Scrip+<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">res with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">cie.</NOTE> that this herbe of mercie groweth in eue|ry corner of the garden of holy Scriptures&punc; and all the Prophets and Euangeli&s;ts by plucking thereof haue nouri&s;hed them|&s;elues; let vs al&s;o in our greate&s;t di&s;tre&s;&s;e run vnto it, p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="5 letters">ding our &s;elues that God will as &s;oone denie him&s;elfe vnto vs, as h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> will denie his mercie, if we come with p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">nitent hearts, and beg it with &s;uch humility as becometh &s;upplicants, &s;uch faith as be|leeuers, &s;uch hope and patience as becom<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">meth the elect; we need not doubt, he i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> faithfull who hath promi&s;ed.</P>
<P>The Papi&s;ts, <HI>Bellarmine</HI> and <HI>Lorinus</HI> i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="71" REF="43"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">heir tran&s;lations, following the Septua|gints, and not Saint <HI>Ierome,</HI> as they confe&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lorinu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> Bellarm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> adde to the Scriptures.</NOTE> do adde <HI>magnam,</HI> great, giuing greater cre|dit to their owne tran&s;lation, then to S. <HI>Ie|rome,</HI> who was knowne to haue bin a godly and learned tran&s;lator, or to the Hebrew ve|ritie. They confe&s;&s;e the Scriptures in the o|riginall language to be the be&s;t, and yet do not &s;pare to adde or pare therefrom as plea&s;eth them; and therefore that cur&s;e mu&s;t fall vpon them in the 22 of the Reuelation, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hat God will adde all the cur&s;es of the law vpon tho&s;e who adde to the Scripture and the words of this book and put their name out of the booke of life who dimini&s;h any point of them. What need haue they to put in <HI>magnam,</HI> great, as though the <HI>multitude</HI> which followeth, did not include the great|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>O God.</HI> The per&s;on to whom he prayeth,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Obiect.</HI> Again&s;t in|uocation of Saints.</NOTE> is God. But in regard of his ba&s;ene&s;&s;e and vn worthine&s;&s;e, why doth he not make &s;uite to <HI>Abraham, Mo&s;es, Samuel, Iob,</HI> or &s;ome o|ther holy men, onely contenting him&s;elfe with God. For I thinke the &s;inners of old time had as much need of the &s;uppliment of the old Patriarkes and Fathers of the Church, as we haue now of the helpe of
<PB N="72" REF="44">our Apo&s;tles and Saints. If they had not mind of &s;uch Mediators, but fled onely to God, I thinke we &s;hould follow their foot|&s;teps. When God is deficient, then let vs go to them: and when the Sunne of righteou&s;|nes doth not &s;hine, it is time to light our halfe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> pennie candles. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>O fooli&s;h Galatians, who hath bewitched you?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.3.1.</NOTE> and I &s;ay, O fooli&s;h Papi&s;ts, when will you leaue off your folly? If Chri&s;ts interce&s;&s;ion, being God, who knoweth all our nece&s;&s;ities, and pitieth them, were not perfect, then we might claime &s;ome &s;ub&s;idies; but it is vaine to &s;eeke others, when he hath all; for that doth greatly derogate to his glorie, as I haue &s;poken in another place.</P>
<P>He v&s;eth the word <HI>Elohim,</HI> repre&s;enting the holy Trinitie;<NOTE PLACE="marg">He inuo|cateth the. whole Tri|nitie.</NOTE> of which &s;ome of the an|cients haue this coniecture: becau&s;e he fai|led again&s;t he Fathers omnipotencie, when he abu&s;ed his regal power in &s;laying <HI>Vriah;</HI> again&s;t the Sonne, being the wi&s;edome of the Father, v&s;ing deceitfulne&s;&s;e and fraud in this murder; again&s;t the Spirit, when he by his filthine&s;&s;e abu&s;ed his holine&s;&s;e who is the Spirit of &s;anctification. Therefore (&s;ay they) he now prayeth to <HI>Elohim.</HI> Iudge of this nomination as ye plea&s;e. <HI>Elchim</HI> repre|&s;enteth
<PB N="73" REF="44">the Trinitie, as <HI>Iehouah</HI> the vnitie; of both which Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> in his Confe&s;|&s;ions admoni&s;heth vs: We &s;hould (&s;aith he) neuer remember the vnitie of the e&s;&s;ence, but we &s;hould as &s;oone remember and di&s;|&s;olue our mind vpon the trinitie of the per|&s;ons; and not &s;o &s;oone thinke vpon the tri|nitie of the per&s;ons, but to gather in our minds the vnitie of the nature, which al|beit they be vn&s;peakable and incomprehen|&s;ible to vs, it is enough that we &s;peake with the Scriptures, beleeue with the Scriptures, and pray at the direction of the Scriptures, who&s;e direction if we follow we cannot erre; in who&s;e paths (as being the vndoub|ted writs of God) if we walke, we cannot fall.</P>
<P><HI>According to thy louing kindne&s;&s;e.</HI> The thing which he repo&s;eth and re&s;teth vpon,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t merits.</NOTE> is not his owne de&s;erts, but Gods good wil. Iudge ye if this ouerthroweth merit or no. For if any man might haue prete~ded goodworks, it was he. <HI>I giue</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>my goodne&s;&s;e to the Saints.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.</NOTE> <HI>I am companion to all them that feare thee. I wa&s;h my hands in innocencie, and compa&s;&s;e thine altar.</HI> Looke the 101. P&s;alme concerning the gouernment of his family and his owne per&s;on. Of his vpright life
<PB N="74" REF="45">he &s;aith, <HI>Iudge me according to my righteou&s;|nes.</HI> While he hath to do with men, there was no man more pure in life and religion: but when he hath to do with God, he re|nounceth all, and taketh him to Gods kind|nes and fauour. While we looke downe to the earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> our &s;ight is &s;harp enough, and we may &s;ee far and cleerly; but when we looke to the Sunne, then our &s;ight is dazled and blinded: &s;o before men we may brag of our vprightne&s;&s;e and hone&s;tie, but when we looke vp to God, we are a&s;hamed of our &s;elues, yea of the lea&s;t thought of our harts. The Lord of his mercie keep vs from pre|&s;umption, that we pre&s;ume not in any good thing we do, &s;eeing that it is Gods worke in vs: let him take the honour of his owne worke, and let vs &s;ay with <HI>Dauid, Shame belongeth to vs, but glorie to thee.</HI> Our be&s;t actions are contaminate with &s;uch imper|fections and &s;pots, that we haue cau&s;e to &s;top our mouthes, and blu&s;h, and be a&s;ha|med of them, we are con&s;cious of the ma|nifold faults and defects which are in them.</P>
<P><HI>According to the multitude of thy compa&s;|&s;ions put away mine iniquities.</HI> He exagge|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ateth the weight of his &s;in, in that it hath
<PB N="75" REF="45">need of many mercies; whereby he te&s;tifi|eth, that his &s;innes were many, pa&s;&s;ing the number of the heires of his head, and like waters that had gone ouer his head. So,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods mer|cies are more then mans mi|&s;eries.</NOTE> ma|ny &s;innes require many mercies. Men are greatly terrified at the multitude of their &s;innes; but here is a comfort, our God hath multitude of mercies. If our &s;innes be in number as the heires of our head, Gods mercies are as the &s;tarres of heauen: and as he is an infinite God, &s;o his mercies are in|finite; yea &s;o far are his mercies aboue our &s;innes, as he him&s;elfe is aboue vs poore &s;in|ners.</P>
<P>By this that he &s;eeketh for multitude of mercies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The godly account one &s;in to be many.</NOTE> he would &s;hew how deeply he was wounded with his manifold &s;innes, that one &s;eemed a hundred: where by the con|trary, &s;o long as we are vnder Satans gui|ding, a thou&s;and &s;eeme but one; but if we betake our &s;elues to Gods &s;eruice, one will &s;eeme a thou&s;and.</P>
<P>Againe, we may admire the wonderfull largene&s;&s;e of the mercies of God, the bredth whereof extends ouer all the world, the height to place vs in heauen, the depth to draw vs from the lower hell, the length be|twixt hell and heauen. O the bredth, length,
<PB N="76" REF="46">deepne&s;&s;e and height of the mercies of our God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Admire the mercies of God.</NOTE> the multitude of who&s;e compa&s;&s;ions neither man nor Angell is able to compre|hend. Why then doe&s;t thou de&s;paire thereof O man? though thy &s;ins were neuer &s;o ma|ny, his mercies exceed them; and although thou &s;inne&s;t &s;euentie &s;euen times a day,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.</NOTE> he can pardon and forgiue thee.</P>
<P><HI>Thy compa&s;&s;ions:</HI> the word in the original &s;ignifieth an ardent and earne&s;t affection of the heart, compa&s;&s;ionating that which it pitieth, as it were the commotion of the bowels (as I noted before,) that his very bowels are moued toward his children, as <HI>Paul</HI> writeth to <HI>Philemon.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Philem. 12 Luk. 15.20 2. Sa. 18.33 P&s;al. 103.</NOTE> This compa&s;&s;ion was demon&s;trate in the father of the prodi|gall &s;onne, and in <HI>Dauid</HI> to <HI>Ab&s;olom,</HI> much more in God toward his deare children. Looke what pitie parents haue to their chil|dren, greater hath God towards vs. Are not parents touched at the very heart, when they behold the mi&s;eries of their children? yea, would they not hazard their liues and e&s;tates, as many times they doe to deliuer them? and will not God be moued towards vs, if we con&s;idering his compa&s;&s;ion and meekne&s;&s;e, would but pitie our &s;elues by confe&s;&s;ing our iniquities vnto him?</P>
<PB N="77" REF="46">
<P><HI>Put away.</HI> He borroweth a &s;imilitude from Merchants, who haue their debts writ|ten in their account-booke, and at the pai|ment thereof they &s;core out that which be|fore they haue written. Therefore &s;ince our &s;innes are written with a pen of iron and a point of a diamond, we mu&s;t pray to God to blot them out, &amp; that the hand-writ may be nailed to the cro&s;&s;e. It is God that put|teth away iniquities, he can remoue them as a cloud. <HI>Daniel</HI> prophe&s;ying of the Me&s;|&s;iah, &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9 24.</NOTE> <HI>Seuentie weekes are determinate vpon thy people and vpon thy holy Citie, to fi|ni&s;h the wickedne&s;&s;es, and to &s;eale vp the &s;innes, and to reconcile the iniquitie.</HI> All our &s;innes &s;hall be wa&s;hed away by the &s;treames of his blood, &s;o that they &s;hall neuer be read, or brought to an account, either in this world or the world to come.</P>
<P><HI>Mine iniquities.</HI> He committed iniquitie again&s;t <HI>Vriah,</HI> whom he killed, for which he is &s;o charged in his con&s;cience, being &s;ummoned before the bar of Gods iu&s;tice, that he can get no re&s;t, vntill he get pardon; and none could giue him pardon and re&s;t in his mind, but God whom he principally offended, in killing and de&s;troying one formed to Gods owne image. So, when we
<PB N="78" REF="47">do wrong to men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In wrong|ing our neighbour we do mo&s;t iniurie to God.</NOTE> let vs not thinke it e|nough if we be reconciled to the partie wronged, but by repentance and an humble confe&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes, let vs &s;eeke to be at one with God, who is the partie whom we do mo&s;t wrong to.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 2.</HI> Wa&s;h me throughly from mine iniqui|tie, and clean&s;e me from my &s;inne.</HEAD>
<P>HE expre&s;&s;eth by &s;imilitudes taken from wa&s;hing and clean&s;ing, the mercie which he craued in the former ver&s;e, that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Similitudes are much v&s;ed in the Scriptures.</NOTE> remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;innes. Similitudes are very common in the Scriptures, and in the ancient Fathers. The Prophets &s;pake by &s;i|militudes, Chri&s;t &s;pake by parables; the E|pi&s;tles of the holy Apo&s;tles, and Sermons of the Fathers, are full of them. So earthly ob|iects &s;hould &s;erue vs to this end, that in them we may &s;ee heauenly things: and there is no creature,<NOTE PLACE="marg">There is no earthly thing which may not be ap|plied to &s;ome &s;pi|rituall v&s;e.</NOTE> which doth not repre|&s;ent to thee the Creator: and if we had &s;pi|rituall eyes, we would apply euery earthly thing to &s;ome &s;pirituall v&s;e. The du&s;t teach|eth vs whereof we came, and what we are, euen du&s;t. The gra&s;&s;e admoni&s;heth vs to &s;eeke a dwelling el&s;ewhere; for here we are
<PB N="79" REF="47">as gra&s;&s;e, which &s;oone fadeth. The wormes will vs not to be proud, for we are meate prepared for them. The Sunne when it be|ginneth to &s;hine, putteth vs in minde to beg for the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to &s;hine in our &s;oules. Euery bird after his kinde prai&s;eth God, &s;o &s;hould we. When we be|hold bread, we &s;hould remember that of our Sauiour, <HI>Labour not for the meate that peri&s;heth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.27.</NOTE> So God hath &s;et all his creatures to be as &s;o many ma&s;ters to teach vs our dutie. The Lord &s;anctifie our &s;ight, that we may looke attentiuely, and con&s;ider God in his creatures, and that they may be as &s;teps of a ladder to draw vs vp to him.</P>
<P><HI>Wa&s;h me throughly from mine iniquities.</HI> There is nothing can make men appeare filthy before God, but onely &s;inne:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sin maketh man to ap|peare filthy before God</NOTE> as na|turall Philo&s;ophers through the light of nature haue bin forced to confe&s;&s;e. And therefore, &s;aith <HI>Seneca,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Seneca.</NOTE> <HI>Si &s;cirem homines ig|noraturos, &amp; deos igno&s;cituros, non peccarem tamen propter peccati vtilitatem:</HI> If I knew (&s;aith he) that the gods would pardon me, and men would not &s;ee me, yet would I not &s;in, becau&s;e of the filthine&s;&s;e of &s;in. It blacketh the body with &s;hamefull ignomi|nie, burdeneth the &s;oule with an euill con|&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The eu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ls of &s;inne.</NOTE>
<PB N="80" REF="48">di&s;graceth the gifts of the minde and defaceth them, blotteth them out, ma|keth them &s;tinke, and &s;eeme nothing. Ver|tue in a profane man, is as a gold ring on a &s;wines &s;nout. The vomit of a dog &s;eemeth filthy to vs, and a &s;ow wallowing in the puddle is loath&s;ome, albeit not &s;o in the &s;ight of God;<NOTE PLACE="marg">A man pol|luted with &s;in, of all creatures the mo&s;t bea&s;tly.</NOTE> but more loath&s;ome is a man defiled with blood, whoredome and drun|kenne&s;&s;e, and &s;uch like, of all bea&s;ts he is the mo&s;t bea&s;tly. Man was in honour, but became a bea&s;t; and when he is drunken, he is then inferiour to a bea&s;t, which wil drink no more then is nece&s;&s;ary and hauing drank can di&s;cerne the right way home. Alas, men now make no end of drunkenne&s;&s;e, they adde drunkenne&s;&s;e to thir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The euils of drun|kenne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> whereby they weaken their nature, exhau&s;t their money, impoueri&s;h their po&s;teritie, become infa|mous to the world, make &s;hipwrack of their con&s;cience, and &s;o de&s;troy bodie, &s;oule, con|&s;cience, riches, name, and all. A woman though &s;he were a Prince&s;&s;e, and neuer &s;o gallant a Ladie, if &s;he be knowne to be like <HI>Herodias,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.</NOTE> &s;he is to be contemned in all god|ly mens eyes, and to be e&s;teemed of as <HI>Mordecai</HI> e&s;teemed <HI>Haman.</HI></P>
<P>Let vs be a&s;hamed of &s;inne in any, and
<PB N="81" REF="48">blu&s;h at our owne filthine&s;&s;e, becau&s;e of it. But alas, we are fallen in &s;uch a time, when &s;inners are become &s;hamele&s;&s;e, and women not of the meaner &s;ort,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> delight as much to be harlots, and defile their bodies with whoredome, then as hone&s;t women to be obedient to their husbands, and keep their bodies holy and cleane ve&s;&s;els.</P>
<P>Sinne is filthy to thinke of it, filthy to &s;peake of, filthy to heare of, filthy to do;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sin altoge|ther filthy.</NOTE> in a word, there is nothing in it but vile|ne&s;&s;e. What can we &s;ee in a botch but filth? in a wound but filth? and looke to &s;in, no|thing in it but &s;inne, which is more filthy, then if the filth of all worldly di&s;ea&s;es were contracted in one heape. And therefore <HI>Da|uid</HI> &s;eeing his owne filthine&s;&s;e, craueth at God to be wa&s;hed therefrom.</P>
<P>He de&s;ireth to be wa&s;hed. No element &s;o fit to wa&s;h away filth as water; which &s;er|ueth for many v&s;es, but e&s;pecially for that. And as God hath appointed that element to take away our outward vncleanne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The blood of Chri&s;t a fit element to wa&s;h away &s;in.</NOTE> &s;o he hath appointed his Sonnes blood to be the onely Iordan to wa&s;h and take away the lepro&s;ie of our &s;ins. This is the fountain of <HI>Dauid</HI> for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins. <HI>Vnle&s;&s;e a man be borne againe by the Spirit and water,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.5.</NOTE> <HI>he can
<PB N="82" REF="49">not come to the kingdome of heauen,</HI> which is our regeneration. This was prefigured in the Leuiticall law, when there was frequent wa&s;hing. The high Prie&s;t <HI>Aaron</HI> him&s;elfe and the re&s;t of the inferiour Prie&s;ts pre&s;u|med not to offer &s;acrifices till they were wa|&s;hed. The ve&s;&s;els were in the Tabernacle, and the great Sea, for continuall purgations and wa&s;hings, not onely to prefigurate the fountaine of iu&s;tification, by which all tho&s;e who are con&s;ecrated to God mu&s;t be once wa&s;hed, but al&s;o the Spirit of &s;anctification, by which they mu&s;t be &s;anctified. And he that is once wa&s;hed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Daily &s;ins haue need of daily purgations</NOTE> hath not need to be wa&s;hed againe. Yet our feete and affections mu&s;t be daily wa&s;hed. We &s;inne daily, and therefore haue need of daily purgation. We contract daily guiltine&s;&s;e, for which we are commanded to pray daily,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.12.</NOTE> <HI>Forgiue vs our &s;innes.</HI> This is &s;ignified by the holy Sacra|ment of Bapti&s;me, wherewith God hath commanded vs to be wa&s;hed, a&s;&s;uring vs thereby of his fauour, if we beleeue the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, which the Apo&s;tle calleth <HI>lauacrum regenerationis,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 3.5.</NOTE> the lauer of regene|ration. Tho&s;e who &s;eeke to be wa&s;hed by any other meane then this, do as tho&s;e <HI>qui luto lutum purgant,</HI> as <HI>Era&s;mus</HI> hath in his
<PB N="83" REF="49">Adagies, wa&s;h one filth by another.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the Papi&s;ts merits. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE>Tho&s;e fooli&s;h Papi&s;ts who thinke by their foule merits to clean&s;e their filthy &s;ins, do as tho&s;e who hauing their clothes be|rayed by dirt, take dirtie clothes to wipe the former dirt away, whereby they make them filthier then before. Yea, their hypo|cri&s;ie and &s;uper&s;tition, whereby they thinke to appea&s;e Gods wrath, &s;hall double their guiltine&s;&s;e before God and man.</P>
<P>The word in the originall includeth a multiplication of wa&s;hing: whereby he ac|knowledgeth a multiplication in &s;inning&punc; and his earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, that euery &s;in may haue &s;ome particular a&s;&s;urance of grace. For this is the hungring and thir&s;ting after &s;pirituall graces, that the heart cannot be &s;atisfied till it be filled with them; neither will be content of a bare cru&s;t and outward &s;hew of pardon, vnle&s;&s;e the a&s;&s;urance thereof be doubled.</P>
<P><HI>And clean&s;e me from my &s;inne.</HI> The &s;econd &s;imilitude is taken from clean&s;ing; which is re&s;pectiue to the Lepro&s;ie vnder the Law,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">it. 13.</NOTE> for which God appointed purgations and clean&s;ings.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Why &s;in i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> compared to lepro&s;ie</NOTE>Sinne is compared to a lepro&s;ie. Fr&s;t, be|cau&s;e it is hereditarie, being in the blood; &s;o
<PB N="84" REF="50">we are conceiued in &s;in; and the more dan|gerous, becau&s;e by no naturall meanes it can be helped, but by God alone. Sin is from the de&s;cent of our parents; we are concei|ued therein. Who can bring that which is cleane, out of a thing vncleane?</P>
<P>Secondly, as lepro&s;ie is ignominious and di&s;graceth man aboue all other di&s;ea&s;es, that men who are infected by the plague, are not &s;o much &s;hunned as tho&s;e that are le|prous: &s;o &s;in di&s;graceth man. The lepro&s;ie of <HI>Miriam</HI> made her to be &s;eparated from the campe;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 12.14</NOTE> and the lepro&s;ie of <HI>Vzza</HI> made him to be &s;hut out of the Temple: &s;o &s;in de|priueth vs of the &s;ocietie of man &amp; Angels.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Lepro&s;ie maketh mens fle&s;h &s;en&s;|le&s;&s;e; &s;o &s;in maketh men in&s;en&s;ible of the iudgements of God.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Lepro&s;ie is incurable with men, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> are the fren&s;ie, here&s;ie, &amp; iealou&s;ie, God keepeth tho&s;e cures to him&s;elfe: &s;o &s;in can be purged by none but by Gods owne cun|ning. As Abanah and Pharpar riuers of Da|ma&s;cus,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King 5.12</NOTE> were not of force to cure the lepro|&s;ie of <HI>Naaman,</HI> and leprous might haue di|ed, if according to the Prophets direction he had not wa&s;hed him&s;elfe in Iordan: &s;o are the merits of men, or holine&s;&s;e of An|gels,
<PB N="85" REF="50">Apo&s;tles, yea of the ble&s;&s;ed virgin <HI>Marie,</HI> &s;o much &s;et by by men, vprofitable to purge vs from our &s;innes, onely that ble&s;&s;ed blood of Ie&s;us will do the turne, wherein if we be wa&s;hed, our fle&s;h &s;hall be as the fle&s;h of a childe, euen as though we had neuer &s;inned.</P>
<P>But to the end thou ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t be a&s;&s;ured whether thou art clen&s;ed from this lepro&s;ie or no, I will giue you &s;ome infallible tokens and markes, whereof &s;ome are &s;ecret and onely knowne to thy &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">lfe, others are &s;eene by others.</P>
<P>The &s;ecret marks be the&s;e: Fir&s;t, if thou art a&s;hamed of tho&s;e things which thou ha&s;t done.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Priuate to|kens wher|by thou mai&s;t know if thou be wa&s;hed. Rom. 6.21. Iob 42.6.</NOTE> <HI>What profit haue ye of tho&s;e things</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>whereof now ye are a&s;ha|med,</HI> and cannot remember them without blu&s;hing? if thou abhorre&s;t thy &s;elfe when thou calle&s;t them to minde, and repente&s;t with <HI>Iob</HI> in du&s;t and a&s;hes Secondly, if thou ha&s;t faith in Chri&s;ts blood, doe&s;t de&s;ire to be purged by the&s;e cleane and cleare waters, not running to others, or digging vnto thy &s;elfe ci&s;ternes of rotten waters.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Externall notes wher+by others may know if thou be wa&s;hed.</NOTE></P>
<P>The externall marke, is &s;anctification of thy per&s;on; being wa&s;hed, thou goe&s;t not to defile thee in the puddle. And thy thank|fulne&s;&s;e
<PB N="86" REF="51">to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; Kin. 5.15</NOTE> as <HI>Naaman</HI> returned to <HI>E|li&s;ha,</HI> and not onely offered a great reward vnto him, but promi&s;ed to be a wor&s;hipper of God all his dayes. Be not like vnto the nine lepers, who outwardly cured, abode in the lepro&s;ie of &s;in, of the two the wor&s;t and mo&s;t dangerous:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 17.17</NOTE> but with the tenth re|turne to Chri&s;t with thankfulne&s;&s;e. For if thou be vnthankfull to God, and art not diligent and earne&s;t to celebrate prai&s;es vn|to him for his mercies, it is an euident to|ken thou art not yet cured.</P>
<P>Finally, thou mu&s;t go to the Prie&s;t, and offer according to the law; receiue the ab|&s;olution fro~ Gods mouth, out of the mouth of his &s;eruants, and &s;hew thy thankfulne&s;&s;e in obedience to God all thy life.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 3.</HI> For I know mine iniquitie, and my &s;inne is euer before me.</HEAD>
<P>THe fir&s;t argument which he v&s;ed to moue God to pardon his &s;ins, was ta|ken from God him&s;elfe, and that great mer|cie whereto he is inclined. The next, from his great filthine&s;&s;e &amp; vncleanne&s;&s;e, who&s;e mi&s;ery was an obiect of Gods mercie, de|&s;iring God to purge and clean&s;e him from
<PB N="87" REF="51">the &s;ame. Now followeth the third argu|ment, taken from his acknowledgement of his &s;in, and true confe&s;&s;ion thereof. As though he would &s;ay: Lord, I know I haue &s;inned, I confe&s;&s;e my &s;in to thee, therefore pardon me. What force, thinke ye, this ar|gument would haue in a guiltie mans mouth, if he came before an earthly Iudge, and would &s;ay: I haue committed murder and adulterie, I confe&s;&s;e it? Surely the Iudge would an&s;wer, <HI>Ex ore tuo te iudico,</HI> I iudge thee according to thine owne confe&s;&s;ion; as <HI>Dauid</HI> commanded him to be killed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 1.16. An humble acknow|ledgement of &s;inne, a good ar|gument to obtain par|don from God.</NOTE> who reported that he had killed <HI>Saul.</HI> But be|fore the heauenly Tribunall, &s;uch an argu|ment hath onely force. There is no meane to acquit vs from Gods iu&s;tice, vnle&s;&s;e we come to him, humbly confe&s;&s;ing our &s;in, and accu&s;ing our &s;elues, for then he will pardon and excu&s;e vs. Our condemning of our &s;elues, maketh him to ab&s;olue vs: our re|membrance of our &s;ins, maketh him to for|get them; and our repentance bringeth his pardon.</P>
<P>But how cometh it to pa&s;&s;e, that thus he lamenteth,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> &s;eeing before <HI>Nathan</HI> had a&s;&s;u|red him that his &s;ins were forgotten and pardoned? I an&s;wer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solut.</NOTE> the godly albeit they
<PB N="88" REF="52">be per&s;waded of mercie, yet for the loue they beare to God, they cannot but be di&s;|plea&s;ed with them&s;elues, &s;o often as they re|member how vnhappily they haue offen|ded &s;o gracious a maie&s;tie:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The wicked forget the euils which they do, &amp; remember the good which they haue done, if they haue done any; whereas the godly remember alwayes their &s;ins. 1. Cor. 15.9 2. Tim 1.13</NOTE> but the wicked forget their &s;ins mo&s;t ea&s;ily, and if they haue done any &s;hew of good, they remem|ber it continually. The godly by the con|trary forget their good, and remember their &s;ins, and the euill which they haue done, as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith. <HI>I am the lea&s;t of all the Apo&s;tles, and not meete to be called an A|po&s;tle, becau&s;e I per&s;ecuted the Church.</HI> And againe, <HI>When before I was a bla&s;phemer, a per|&s;ecuter and oppre&s;&s;or, but I was receiued to mercie.</HI> And againe, <HI>Chri&s;t died for &s;inners, among whom I am the chiefe.</HI> They account them&s;elues the lea&s;t among the godly, the greate&s;t among &s;inners. So it is good to vs to nouri&s;h a continuall remembrance of our owne &s;ins, that it may humble vs before God, &amp; make God &s;o much the more pitie vs, that he &s;eeth vs vnfainedly di&s;plea&s;ed with our &s;elues that we haue offended him by our many many &s;ins.</P>
<P><HI>For I know my &s;inne.</HI> The knowledge of his &s;in (doubtle&s;&s;e) came by Gods word out of the mouth of <HI>Nathan</HI> For albeit by a
<PB N="89" REF="52">generall notice hee knew hee had done wrong, and the particular punctions of his con&s;cience forced him to thinke &s;o, yet the true knowledge came neuer vnto him, vntil God &s;aid by his Prophet, <HI>Thou art the man.</HI> So the word of God &s;erueth vs to this v&s;e, that it openeth our blinde eyes to &s;ee what is euill in vs. And therefore wo to that peo|ple who haue not the word, and faithfull Preachers, who may let them &s;ee their &s;ins. For when they know not &s;in to be &s;in&punc; they die in their &s;ins. <HI>By the law,</HI> &s;aith the Apo|&s;tle, <HI>is the knowledge of &s;in:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 7.7.</NOTE> <HI>for if the law had not &s;aid, Thou &s;halt not lu&s;t, I would not think concupi&s;cence to be &s;in.</HI> Ye may &s;ee how great an euill is ignorance, when mens eyes are blinded, whom <HI>the god of this world hath blinded</HI> in &s;o great a light.</P>
<P>The mo&s;t part of the world couers their &s;in, by tran&s;lating the cau&s;e ouer vnto o|thers, as <HI>Adam</HI> vpon <HI>Euah, Euah</HI> vpon the Serpent. But the Scripture &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. Pro. 28.13.</NOTE> <HI>He that hi|deth his &s;in &s;hall not pro&s;per. Non mediocre e&s;t</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI>) <HI>vt agno&s;cat peccatum &s;uum vnu&s;qui&s;que:</HI> It is not a &s;mall thing to eue|ry one to know and acknowledge his &s;in. So &s;aith <HI>Dauid, Delicta quis intelligit,</HI> Who vnder&s;tandeth his &s;in? He who knoweth
<PB N="90" REF="53">them, may the &s;ooner auoide them. If any knew a danger, he could ea&s;ily flie from it&punc; and go by it. Our Sauiour wept, becau&s;e they knew not the day of their vi&s;itation.</P>
<P>That a man may know his &s;in, it is ne|ce&s;&s;ary he be admoni&s;hed and rebuked; and he who de&s;ireth to attaine this knowledge, mu&s;t be content to receiue rebukes kindly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How to at|taine to an acknow|ledgement of &s;inne.</NOTE> He mu&s;t re&s;olue before God to &s;hun the occa&s;ions of &s;in, and &s;uch euill companie as allureth him to folly; that he do call to mind what a gracious God he hath offended, what good things he hath lo&s;t, how many he hath offended by his example; and to addre&s;&s;e him&s;elfe henceforth to leade a holy and religious life according to Gods word.</P>
<P>The Philo&s;ophers thought it mo&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;ary for euery man to know him&s;elfe; and in their precepts had this euer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">He who knoweth not him|&s;elfe, can neuer know God</NOTE> <HI>No&s;ce te|ip&s;um,</HI> Know thy &s;elfe. Then much more it becometh a Chri&s;tian to know him&s;elfe; for otherwi&s;e he can neuer know God in any of his properties. For if we know not our &s;in, how &s;hall we either know Gods iu&s;tice pur&s;uing vs, or his mercie pardoning vs. Oh that we knew our &s;elues.</P>
<P>But Satan doth with vs, as the Rauen doth with the Lambe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> it fir&s;t pulleth forth
<PB N="91" REF="53">the eyes, then deuoureth it: fir&s;t he blin|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eth vs, then we follow him. Therefore we &s;hould labour vpon our &s;oules, that the darkned eye thereof may be cleare, the dimne&s;&s;e remoued,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9.</NOTE> the &s;cales which lie vp|on them (as vpon Saint <HI>Paul</HI>) may fall to the ground; that &s;eeing our &s;elues and our nakedne&s;&s;e, we may craue to be couered; &s;eeing our wounds, we may de&s;ire to be cu|red. As al&s;o it is the principall part and duty of Pa&s;tors to deale in their Sermons with people, that they may &s;ee their &s;ins. <HI>Sonne of man</HI> (&s;aith the Lord to <HI>Ezekiel</HI>) <HI>make knowne to Ieru&s;alem their abhominations.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pa&s;tors ought to exhort the people to a &s;ight of their &s;in.</NOTE> We flatter the people in their &s;in, and v&s;e conni|uence to their wickedne&s;&s;e. We are afraid, and belike dare not light the candle of the word and bring it to them being lying in darkne&s;&s;e, le&s;t they put forth the candle or &s;mite vs, who by the light thereof let them &s;ee their misbehauiour.</P>
<P><HI>And my &s;inne is euer before me.</HI> When Satan doth pre&s;ent his baited hooke of &s;in to vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satans po|licy in pre|&s;enting the greatnes of our &s;ins, af|ter we haue &s;inned, to vs</NOTE> he neuer letteth vs &s;ee the hooke of Gods iudgements, but euer the bait of plea|&s;ure: but when we haue &s;wallowed the baite, he neuer letteth vs &s;ee any comfort of God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> mercies, but propo&s;eth to vs a
<PB N="92" REF="54">troubled con&s;cience, the flames of God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> wrath, and the terrors of his iudgements; as the Prophet &s;aith, <HI>Our iniquities are multi|plied before vs.</HI></P>
<P>And yet we mu&s;t take heed of the diuels craft, who ob&s;cureth from many their &s;in, &s;o that they can neuer repent, for that which they neuer &s;ee or feele. And yet on the o|ther hand, he letteth &s;ome &s;ee the mountains of their &s;ins, and hugene&s;&s;e of them, that they &s;ee nothing el&s;e in God but his iu&s;tice, thereby to leade them to de&s;paire, as he did with <HI>Iudas.</HI> But we mu&s;t not looke with &s;uch fixed eyes vpon our &s;ins, that we lift not vp our eyes to Gods mercie, which is ready to pardon, and to apply to our heart all the &s;weete promi&s;es which we reade in the Scriptures; &s;o that as feare beareth vs downe, faith may vphold vs that we fall not. They mu&s;t euer be before vs in this world, and be purged by vnfained repentance, not that our repentance can expiate them, or pacifie Gods wrath, or (as the fooli&s;h Pa|pi&s;ts thinke) that we can do penance for them. For what &s;atisfaction can thy humi|liation do, which is imperfect, to &s;atisfie the wrath of an infinite God? Vnle&s;&s;e his Son had intervened by hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;atisfactio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> Gods
<PB N="93" REF="54">wrath could not haue bin appea&s;ed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The more we repent for &s;in, the more we are ea&s;ed.</NOTE> The more we remember our &s;in, and lament for the &s;ame, the more ea&s;e get we to our affli|cted minds and con&s;ciences, and the more &s;en&s;ibly &s;hall we feele the mercie of God pardoning our offences. Therefore we can|not be better exerci&s;ed then in an humble confe&s;&s;ion of our &s;in, and by bitter teares with <HI>Peter</HI> weepe for our offences; which I pray God the Lord may worke in our hearts, that we may find that ble&s;&s;ing vpon vs, which Chri&s;t pronounced,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 5.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they who now mourne, for they &s;hall be comforted.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 4.</HI> Again&s;t thee, again&s;t thee only haue I &s;inned, and done euill in thy &s;ight: that thou mai&s;t be iu&s;t when thou &s;peake&s;t, and pure when thou iudge&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>THe ancients haue &s;o far differed in ex|pounding this ver&s;e, &s;ome running forth on Allegories, others on far &s;ought interpretations, that <HI>Lorinus</HI> the Ie&s;uite numbreth twelue diuers interpretations hereof; of which,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The diuers interpreta|tions of this ver&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> two are mo&s;t agreeable to the words and meaning of the text. The fir&s;t expounds it this way: How&s;oeuer (&s;ay
<PB N="94" REF="55">they) <HI>Dauid</HI> did wrong to <HI>Vriah,</HI> yet it was hid from all men, and onely knowne to God; and the&s;e &s;ins are onely done again&s;t God, whereof none is witne&s;&s;e but he only. And &s;urely albeit we would couer our &s;ins from the &s;ight of the world, there is one witne&s;&s;e, who&s;e &s;ight we cannot flee.</P>
<P><HI>Plato</HI> affirmeth, that we &s;hould do no|thing in &s;ecret, whereof we would be a&s;ha|med in publik. And <HI>Cicero, Ne &s;iquidem deos omnes celare po&s;&s;umus,</HI> albeit we could keepe it &s;ecret from all the gods.</P>
<P>The other, whereto I rather incline, is thus: Albeit (&s;ay they) <HI>Dauid</HI> had offended man, yet it touched him more nigh at the heart the &s;in he did again&s;t God, in break|ing of his law. For &s;o <HI>Nathan</HI> &s;aid vnto him, <HI>Why did&s;t thou contemn the word of the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 12.14</NOTE> <HI>that thou &s;hould&s;t do euill in his &s;ight?</HI> As though <HI>Dauid</HI> would &s;ay: Though all the world would ab&s;olue me, this is more then enough to me, that I feele thee my iudge, &amp; my con&s;cience citeth me before thy tribu|nall. Let vs haue our eyes and our &s;en&s;es fixed on God, and not be deceiued with the vaine allurements of men, who either ex|tenuate or conniue and winke at our &s;ins. For God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> as he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> witne&s;&s;e to our &s;ins, &s;o is
<PB N="95" REF="55">he &s;ole and onely Iudge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Admire the loue of God.</NOTE> who can puni&s;h both &s;oule and bodie in hell fire; of who&s;e wrath we &s;hould be more afraid, then of all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he kings or tyrants of the world. As al&s;o we &s;hould be &s;orie that we haue offended &s;o gracious a God, who when he might haue damned vs, yet hath plea&s;ed to par|don vs, and taketh no other &s;atisfaction at our hand, but repentance for our &s;in, and faith in his Son Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Who will not giue vs to our enemies hand to be de&s;troy|ed, but will &s;et vs free from pri&s;on, out of his free loue. Therefore O &s;inner in time be reconciled with thy Iudge, and take no re&s;t till thou haue &s;uretie of his fauour. Say with <HI>Dauid, Peccaui,</HI> I haue &s;inned;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 12.13</NOTE> and God &s;hall &s;ay with <HI>Nathan, Peccata tua re|mi&s;&s;a &s;unt,</HI> thy &s;ins are forgiuen.</P>
<P><HI>Again&s;t thee again&s;t thee onely haue I &s;in|ned, and done euill in thy &s;ight.</HI> The ingemina|tion of the word <HI>(again&s;t thee)</HI> &s;ignifieth the deepne&s;&s;e of his feeling and griefe, who is the more wounded, the more he findeth the greatne&s;&s;e of that maie&s;tie and goodnes whom he hath offended. So it were happie for vs, that we could be deeply moued with a con&s;cience of our &s;in, that out of the deep places of a contrite heart we might re|double
<PB N="96" REF="56">our &s;ighs, which would pierce that fatherly heart if we could &s;hoot vp &s;uch ar|rowes to heauen: but we laugh ouer the matter, not remembring that our laughter &s;hall be turned to mourning.</P>
<P>This al&s;o &s;erueth to conuince &s;uch mi&s;|creant Athei&s;ts, who can generally &s;ay, God forgiue vs, we are all &s;inners, as it were ex|cu&s;ing their &s;ins, whenas they are neuer tou|ched at the heart with a &s;orrow for them. They feed their fooli&s;h humours with a cloake of the multitude that &s;inneth, <HI>qua&s;i patrocinium error is &s;it multitudo peccantium,</HI> as though the multitude of &s;inners &s;hould be a patrocinie and defence of errors, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tine.</HI> Hell is &s;pacious &amp; large enough, hauing all the dimen&s;ions, which will con|taine all the diuels and their children, if they were more in number then they are.</P>
<P><HI>That thou mai&s;t be iu&s;t when thou &s;peake&s;t, and pure when thou iudge&s;t.</HI> By this it is cleare, that the iu&s;tice of God &s;hineth mo&s;t in mens &s;oules, and his truth in their lies. As though he would &s;ay: Becau&s;e I haue &s;inned &s;o grieuou&s;ly, and haue committed &s;uch wickedne&s;&s;e, that thou can&s;t not be blamed of vnrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, though thou &s;hould&s;t puni&s;h me mo&s;t rigorou&s;ly, for I
<PB N="97" REF="56">haue de&s;erued wor&s;e then I haue &s;uffered.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 3.4. would &s;eeme to turne this text to another &s;en&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A reconci|liation be|twixt this place and that of Rom. 3.4.</NOTE> we &s;hall reconcile them ea&s;ily. For the Apo&s;tle &s;eeing the Iewes to bring the te&s;tament and couenant of God in &s;lander, as though he had bin the cau&s;e of their ru|ine, by ca&s;ting that vpon them&s;elues, he freeth God of their fall. But <HI>Dauid</HI> here vin|dicateth Gods iu&s;tice, laying all the cau&s;e on him&s;elfe. Whereof we gather, that if any euill come to man, the cau&s;e of it is to be found in him&s;elfe; we need not ca&s;t it on God.</P>
<P>But out of this, that <HI>Dauid</HI> confe&s;&s;eth God to be iu&s;t when he iudgeth, we learne fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 18.29.</NOTE> that God (as <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aid) is the iu&s;t Iudge of the world: and albeit he hath re|&s;erued a generall iudgement after this life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God hath a particular iudgement in this world.</NOTE> as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;aith, yet he hath a particular iudgement vpon men in this world, both elect and reprobate; <HI>iudicio non &s;emper ma|nife&s;to, &s;emper tamen iu&s;to,</HI> not alwayes by a manife&s;t, yet always by a iu&s;t iudgment. He erecteth a tribunall in mens con&s;cience, he &s;ummoneth the party, accu&s;eth &amp; co~uicteth him. This iudgment is by his word &amp; Spirit. For euery mans work &s;halbe manife&s;t as by
<PB N="98" REF="57">the fire. For the fire both letteth them &s;ee their faults; and burneth vp their dro&s;&s;e. As al&s;o he puni&s;heth them in the &s;ight of the world, and in their po&s;teritie, as he did as well to <HI>Dauid</HI> as to <HI>Saul;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 12.10</NOTE> for he &s;aid, that blood &s;hould not depart from his hou&s;e, and &s;o it was. Therefore let not men, al|though the be&s;t Chri&s;tians, thinke to e&s;cape the cen&s;ure of his iu&s;tice; yea, what euer he doth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 143.17</NOTE> we mu&s;t &s;ay, <HI>God is iu&s;t in all his works</HI></P>
<P>Next, he is pure when he iudgeth or tri|eth. We may be a&s;&s;ured,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God will put men to triall.</NOTE> God will put vs to triall, by affliction, per&s;ecution, &s;ickne&s;&s;e and pouertie. Then men will be made ma|nife&s;t, the hypocri&s;ie of many will be de|tected. For as the wind is appointed to trie the corne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> the fire to trie the gold, the floods to trie hou&s;es builded vpon the rocke and &s;and: &s;o &s;hall the day of the Lords triall di&s;|cerne tho&s;e who haue but a &s;hadow of re|ligion, and &s;hall appeare ere it be long, as it is begun already. Alwayes God is pure in his triall, he knoweth the one from the other already, but he will haue men trying and knowing them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 22.12</NOTE> <HI>Abraham</HI> was tried in the &s;laughter or offering of his &s;on, and his faith was approued;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionah 2.</NOTE> &s;o was <HI>Ionas</HI> tried, and <HI>Iobs</HI> patience, and <HI>Peters</HI> weakne&s;&s;e. In all
<PB N="99" REF="57">the&s;e trials God was pure and free of any iniury done to any of them; for they were knowne to be but men, although Prophets <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Apo&s;tles. And it is no maruell though <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">t this time in the triall of the Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> ma|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">y be found to be but men, God is not to be blamed, he is pure when he trieth.</P>
<P>And &s;eeing triall is prophecied to be not onely the Church of Philadelphia,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 3.10. 1. Pet. 1.7.</NOTE> but al&s;o in all the earth, which is called <HI>the houre of tentation,</HI> or a <HI>time of fiery triall,</HI> either by here&s;ies, &s;chi&s;mes, or defection from the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ruth of God, or by bloodie per&s;ecutions of Gods Saints and his Church, (as all Eu|rope hath experience this day;) what &s;hall we do but keepe Gods word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e our &s;oules in patience, &s;uffering the reproches, calumnies, cruell dealings, yea all that the diuell and his children can do to vs. If we be tried by fire, let vs be found gold; if by water, let vs abide in the Arke and in the Apo&s;tles boate; let vs be found &s;ure buil|ders vpon the foundation which the Apo|&s;tles laid, euen Chri&s;t:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2.</NOTE> if by the aire and winds, let vs be as wheate and not chaffe. If finally by the earth and earthly allure|ments, let vs be fou~d to haue our conuer&s;a|tio~ aboue, the time of trial is come already.</P>
<PB N="100" REF="58">
<P>We learne al&s;o out of this, that in all our trials, whether inward in our con&s;cience, or externall in our bodies, yea though our bo|dies were giuen to the bea&s;ts and foules of heauen,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In all our trials, ex|ternall or internall, God is pure</NOTE> yet God is pure and without fault. In the be&s;t of vs all there is cau&s;e why we &s;hould be tried.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 5.</HI> Behold, I was borne in iniquitie, and in &s;in hath my mother conceiued me.</HEAD>
<P>THis is the fourth rea&s;on, by which he would moue God to forgiue him. That our nature from the very originall is corrupted, from the &s;eminarie and fountain of our conception. For from our mothers wombe, we bring nothing but &s;inne. And &s;urely we cannot throughly acknowledge our &s;ins, vnle&s;&s;e we condemne our whole naturall powers and faculties of vnclean|ne&s;&s;e. So the knowledge of this one &s;inne, bringeth him to the examination of his whole life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actuall &s;ins are as &s;treames which pro|ceed from original &s;in which is the fountaine.</NOTE> till he find nothing in him&s;elfe but &s;in. For if the fountaine be poi&s;oned, what will the &s;treames be that flow from it. If we would looke backe to our originall &s;in, we might haue cau&s;e the more to la|ment our actual &s;ins, as poi&s;onable &s;treames
<PB N="101" REF="58">flowing from &s;uch a fountaine.</P>
<P>So &s;oone therefore as our con&s;cience ac|cu&s;eth vs of any one &s;in, we &s;hould call to remembrance the whole cour&s;e of our life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Let the re|membra~ce of one &s;in put vs in mind of all the &s;ins we haue com|mitted. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE> that it hath bin nothing el&s;e but a conti|nuall &s;inning again&s;t God; that thus the la&s;t putting vs in mind of the fir&s;t, we may not be content to repent and aske pardon for one, but for all. A &s;ick man hauing obtai|ned health, doth remember how long be was &s;icke, whereby for the pre&s;ent he both con&s;idereth his own frailtie and Gods mer|cie in deliuering him, as al&s;o encourageth and inanimateth him in time to come, by remembrance of former mercies obtained. Happie were we if we would begin to re|member our mi&s;eries and Gods mercies.</P>
<P><HI>Lorinus</HI> the Ie&s;uite to <HI>ecce</HI> addeth <HI>enim,</HI> which he confe&s;&s;eth is not in the Hebrew veritie, and that Saint <HI>Ierome</HI> hath forgot it, yet maintaineth that it is rightly put in, to giue force to the words of his &s;in. See the Sophi&s;t, who granteth the Scriptures, and yet would empaire their credit: as though Gods Spirit were not wi&s;e e|nough, and the &s;en&s;e could not hold with|out <HI>enim.</HI> The like do they in the&s;e words, <HI>Hoe e&s;t corpus meum,</HI> they adde <HI>enim,</HI> and
<PB N="102" REF="59">&s;ay, <HI>Hoc e&s;t enim,</HI> which is not in the Scrip|tures, and were altogether vngrammaticall. In a word, they alter and change the Scrip|tures as they plea&s;e, bringing in their <HI>enim</HI> as a particle of rea&s;on, which carieth with it no rea&s;on.</P>
<P>Ye &s;ee then what the mi&s;erable corrup|tion of our nature is, &s;o &s;oone as we take life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man no &s;oouer be|ginneth to liue, but he beginneth to &s;inne. Gen. 6.5.</NOTE> we begin to &s;in. An infant of one day, is not cleane before God. The ma&s;&s;e whereof we be formed, is filthy and &s;infull; and &s;o much the more filthy, &s;eeing it is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a &s;oule vncleane and polluted. <HI>The co|gitation of mans heart is only euill continually. God knoweth our mold.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a 103.14</NOTE> <HI>We erre fro~ the womb.</HI> And albeit mariage be a <HI>bed vndefiled,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.4.</NOTE> by rea&s;on of the in&s;titution, yet the concupi&s;|cence and lu&s;t polluteth the ordinance which is mo&s;t holy.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Children haue of i|ginall &s;in.</NOTE>Then children are not free of original &s;in: for then why &s;hould they be baptized; and why &s;hould they die, as many do daily?</P>
<P>But it may &s;eeme wonderfull &amp; &s;trange,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> that ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ldren who can neither doe, thinke, or &s;peake euill, &s;hould be culpable? I an|&s;wer by another que&s;tion; what is the rea&s;on that a yong fox new whelped,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solut. Simil.</NOTE> doth not &s;lay a lamb? is it not becau&s;e it lacketh &s;trength,
<PB N="103" REF="59">and is not come to that maturitie to exe|cute their inclination, which is naturally cruell. So are infants naturally inclined to &s;in; and therefore &s;o &s;oone as they can think any thing, &s;peake or do any thing, it is euill, as daily experience teacheth vs.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parents &s;hould take care to a|mend by good edu|cation that which is deficient in their children by nature. <HI>Simil.</HI> Originall &s;in is &s;in.</NOTE> And there|fore it becometh Chri&s;tian parents to take paines to amend that which is deficient and imperfect by nature in their children, by art, in&s;truction and correction. That as wilde bea&s;ts are tamed by the indu&s;trie of men, and barren grounds haue become fruitfull by labouring and manuring; &s;o euil natures may be corrected by good education.</P>
<P>Ye &s;ee al&s;o out of this, that originall &s;in is &s;in, and offen&s;iue to the law of God, and the roote of all others: that the mo&s;t &s;ecret thought of our heart is &s;ufficient to con|demne vs, if God would deale extreamely. Which impugneth that diuelli&s;h and erro|nious doctrine of &s;ome, who think that the fir&s;t intentions and thoughts are veniall, if con&s;ent come not with them. Our Lord &s;ai|eth, that <HI>who&s;oeuer &s;eeth a woman, and lu&s;teth after her, committeth adulterie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5 28.</NOTE> and is as cul|pable before God as if he had &s;inned with her. But that concludeth not, that the mo|tion is not &s;infull, to which &s;uch a wicked
<PB N="104" REF="60">con&s;ent is added; the greater &s;in cannot ex|cu&s;e the le&s;&s;er. Therefore we mu&s;t go with <HI>Elizeus</HI> to the countaine, and ca&s;t in &s;alt in tho&s;e rotten and &s;tinking waters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kin. 2.20</NOTE> that they being purified, all the &s;treames flowing therefrom, may be al&s;o cured.</P>
<P>This parentall &s;in, hereditarie, radicall, the leuen of the primitiue corruption, the law of the members naturall and generall to all mankind,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> cannot be taken away, but by the conception and natiuitie of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But here ari&s;eth a que&s;tion, how parents, both being Chri&s;tians and receiued in the couenant,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> can beget &s;infull children? I an|&s;wer by a familiar &s;imilitude;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solut. Simil.</NOTE> the &s;eed, ye &s;ee, when it is &s;owne, is made as cleane as the art and indu&s;trie of man can do, and yet ari&s;eth with a roote, &s;talke, blade and beard; the cau&s;e is not in man, the force lieth in the &s;eed: &s;o in that the parents are puri|fied, they haue it of God; what the childe hath, he hath by nature, which either mu&s;t be repaired by grace, or he mu&s;t peri&s;h. <HI>Adam, Noah, Samuel, Eli, Dauid,</HI> &amp;c. al|though they were godly &amp; religious men, yet had naughtie and wicked children; which &s;heweth vnto vs, that religion and godline&s;&s;e cometh not by nature, but by
<PB N="105" REF="60">the free grace of God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Godline&s;&s;e cometh not by nature but by grace.</NOTE>I omit tho&s;e vain &amp; idle que&s;tions <HI>de origi|nali peccato,</HI> which the Papi&s;ts too curiou&s;ly propound, and may be very ea&s;ily an&s;we|red, le&s;t it &s;hould breed errors in your mind, which ye neuer dreamed of.</P>
<P><HI>And in &s;in hath my mother conceiued me.</HI> The word <HI>iechematin,</HI> &s;ignifieih properly <HI>Calefacit,</HI> warmed me in her wombe, fed or nouri&s;hed me, referring it to the action of heating and feeding the childe in the wombe nine moneth. Wherein the great|nes of Gods worke is to be &s;eene, who &s;o miraculou&s;ly can pre&s;erue the infant in &s;uch an ob&s;cure place, &s;o compa&s;&s;ed with the interiour parts. Alwayes euen there in that poore creature there is &s;in, albeit he be ignorant of it. So he hath a burden when he feeleth it not, and lieth wrapped with all mi&s;eries, and thinketh him&s;elfe then to be in a be&s;t ca&s;e; for when he cometh out of the womb, with great paine to his mother, and difficultie to him&s;elf, he weepeth poore &s;oule becau&s;e he is come to &s;orrow.</P>
<P><HI>Ezekiel</HI> maketh mention of a child new borne, who&s;e nauill was not yet cut,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 16.3.4.5.6.</NOTE> neither &s;alt put in it, nor wa&s;hed, lying mi&s;erably in the pollution of nature; which repre&s;enteth
<PB N="106" REF="61">to vs our naturall filth in &s;in, that neither are we cutted away by the knife of the Spi|rit from our originall corruption, neither wa&s;hed by the blood of Chri&s;t from our naturall vncleanne&s;&s;e, neither &s;alted by the &s;alt of the word; and if it were not by Gods grace, and care of our &s;pirituall parents that we were helped, we would neuer liue, but die and peri&s;h in the filth wherein we haue bin conceiued and borne. There is no bea&s;t which nature hath not taught &s;ome meanes to help it &s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man were vtterly vn|done, if he were not &s;upported by the greace of God.</NOTE> as &s;ome haue naturally skins, or haire and wooll to defend them from in|iuries, we haue none. In a word, man were vndone if he were not &s;upported by the grace of God. We may weepe, we haue no more; and would God we could &s;piritually crie and mourne, that the Lord hearing our weeping might pitie and helpe vs.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e &s;o many worthy writers, both ancient and moderne, Papi&s;ts and Pro|te&s;tants, haue written largely of this place, and I mu&s;t &s;ay, <HI>Sum minimus omnium,</HI> I cea&s;e to write any more hereof, le&s;t I &s;hould re|peate that which they haue already ob&s;er|ued.</P>
</DIV2>
<PB N="107" REF="61">
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 6.</HI> Behold, thou loue&s;t truth in the in|ward affections: therefore ha&s;t thou taught me wi&s;edome in the &s;ecret of mine heart.</HEAD>
<P>THis is the fift argument which he v&s;eth per&s;wading God to forgiue him, taken from the &s;inceritie of his repentance, that it was not counterfeit or di&s;&s;embled, which is very acceptable to God. Yea in all the actions of religion and parts thereof, there is nothing more plea&s;ing to God then &s;in|ceritie and vprightne&s;&s;e. He cannot abide hypocri&s;ie and di&s;&s;imulation, and to put o|uer with faire words and an outward &s;hew. It is a mocking of God to looke vp with our eyes to the heauens,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hypocri&s;ie in religion is a mock|ing of God</NOTE> to bow with our knees, to folde our hands, to knocke on our brea&s;ts, if we want vprightne&s;&s;e and &s;ound|nes of heart. We mu&s;t &s;erue God in faith, loue, repentance, humilitie, vnfainedly from our heart, as true <HI>Nathaniels,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1.47.</NOTE> in whom there is no guile.</P>
<P>The parts of this ver&s;e are the&s;e: 1. who loueth, <HI>Thou.</HI> 2. where and what he loueth, <HI>truth in the inward affections.</HI> 3. the con&s;e|quent following vpon this loue, <HI>therefore
<PB N="108" REF="62">ha&s;t thou taught me wi&s;edome in the &s;ecret of mine heart.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Behold.</HI> Before he enter to any of the&s;e, he v&s;eth the particle of admiration <HI>Behold;</HI> which he neuer v&s;eth but in &s;ome remarka|ble matter, thereby the more to rai&s;e vs vp to the contemplation of &s;uch great mat|ters to be told, as, <HI>Behold how good and how comely a thing it is,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 133.1</NOTE> <HI>brethren to dwell euen to|gether.</HI> And, <HI>Behold the Lambe of God, that taketh away the &s;innes of the world.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1.29.</NOTE> And this he doth, that he might moue God, that as he beheld his mi&s;erie, being conceiued and borne in &s;in, &s;o he might behold his &s;incere and vnfained repentance. And this is the happine&s;&s;e of man, when God beholds him mourning, as he beheld him &s;inning. This &s;econd &s;ight is as delight&s;ome to the Lord, as the fir&s;t was tedious. So, God &s;eeth all our &s;ins,<NOTE PLACE="marg">No<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> as he &s;eeth our repentance. Sin not becau&s;e he &s;eeth thee, but repent vnfained|ly, that he may take plea&s;ure in beholding thee.</P>
<P><HI>Thou loue&s;t.</HI> The per&s;on who loueth, is God. The Creator becometh a louer of the creature; euen God becometh a louer of his image in him. Doth he then loue? Aboue all things let vs &s;eeke to depend vpon this
<PB N="109" REF="62">his lone. In our religion we &s;hould trauell to know what he loueth mo&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God aboue all things loueth &s;in|ceritie.</NOTE> what he re|&s;pecteth mo&s;t, what be&s;t plea&s;eth him; for otherwi&s;e we lo&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> our time in his &s;eruice: he loueth &s;inceritie be&s;t, and that we &s;hould pre&s;ent to him. We enquire what euery man loues be&s;t, and we frame our &s;elues to &s;eeke after it: then I be&s;eech you, among the re&s;t, &s;earch out what God loueth be&s;t, &s;eeke af|ter it, and pre&s;ent it to him; and if there were no other argument to moue vs to &s;in|ceritie, this may be &s;ufficient, becau&s;e God loueth it. Loue that which God loueth, hate that which he hateth; loue &s;inceritie, that he loueth; hate hypocri&s;ie, that he can|not abide.</P>
<P><HI>Truth.</HI> By <HI>truth</HI> is meant &s;inceritie and vprightne&s;&s;e in his Maie&s;ties &s;eruice; that we do not glo&s;e him by faire words and &s;hewes: he loueth not &s;hadowes but &s;ub|&s;tances, no colours or couerts, but the bo|die it &s;elfe. For he pierceth with his eye to the lowe&s;t part of mans heart, and &s;tayeth not vpon the outward picture of man-acti|ons, how&s;oeuer plau&s;ible to man, God loo|keth not as man looketh.</P>
<P>In euery action of religion, let vs remem|ber to keepe &s;inceritie. Who would de&s;ire
<PB N="110" REF="63">to be called rich, if he want riches; e&s;tee|med valia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t, if he haue not &s;trength? and &s;hall we thinke it &s;ufficient to be called re|ligious, and not to be &s;o?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Better to be religi+ous, then to be thought religious.</NOTE> Better to be rich, then to be called rich; better to be religi|ous, then to be thought or called religious.</P>
<P>God loueth truth as he hateth all fal&s;e|hood; for he is truth. <HI>Ego &s;um veritas, via &amp; vita.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14.6.</NOTE> He loueth truth in our profe&s;&s;ion, truth in our ciuill life: truth in our profe&s;&s;i|on, is that which he hath commanded in his word; truth in our ciuill life, is that which agreeth with dutie of ciuill conuer|&s;ation, without fraud, deceit or guile, which is different from Gods nature, and re&s;em|bleth the diuell who is a deceiuer.</P>
<P><HI>In the inward affections.</HI> It is not a &s;uper|ficiall or &s;croofe-wor&s;hip which God regar|deth. For <HI>Cains</HI> &s;acrifice outwardly was as plea&s;ant as <HI>Abels;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.4.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> but God looked to their hearts, accepted the one, and reiected the other. God aboue all things craueth the heart: <HI>My &s;onne giue me thine heart.</HI> God wil be wor&s;hipped in &s;pirit and veritie.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 23.26</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Therefore ha&s;t thou taught me wi&s;edome in the &s;ecret of mine heart.</HI> He amplifieth his &s;in by this circum&s;tance, that he did it not as an ignorant, but as one who was enlight|ned
<PB N="111" REF="63">with knowledge; and be&s;ides he had priuate informations and intelligence from God in his heart, and ta&s;ted of the heauen|ly doctrine, yea it was rooted and fixed in his heart, yet like a bruite bea&s;t he was ca|ried to that filthy lu&s;t, and &s;o was inexcu|&s;able, and &s;uffocated the light of the Spirit which he had receiued. He had informati|ons giuen by God, but he had not grace to follow them, which &s;o much the more made him inexcu&s;able, that he was taught,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tians peri&s;h not for want of informatio~, but for con+temning the war|nings they get. God mu&s;t teach vs.</NOTE> and would not obey. So Chri&s;tians &s;hal not peri&s;h for lack of information, but becau&s;e they do not obey the warnings which they get. This age hath heard many le&s;&s;ons, and God hath manife&s;ted his whole will vnto them; but becau&s;e they obey them not their knowledge &s;hal augment their paines. God he mu&s;t be our great Doctor and Teacher, we mu&s;t be <HI>Theodidactoi,</HI> taught of God. Neither nature, learning, experience, pra|cti&s;e or age can teach vs wi&s;edome, onely Gods word mu&s;t teach vs.</P>
<P>Nature preuailed among the Philo&s;o|phers, but that neuer led them to God. For all the principles of our faith are contrary to nature, &s;en&s;e and rea&s;on. What is more again&s;t naturall rea&s;on, then the&s;e points of
<PB N="112" REF="64">our religion: God was made man; a virgin hath borne a childe; a crucified man &s;aued the world; a dead man aro&s;e, &amp;c. in the&s;e and &s;uch we mu&s;t be taught from aboue by God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">God teach|eth by the mini&s;terie of his word</NOTE>God he teacheth by the mini&s;tery of his word, which who&s;oeuer contemneth, re|fu&s;eth the meanes of his &s;aluation; but that mini&s;tery will not be &s;ufficient without di|uine in&s;piration.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.6.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> may <HI>plant, Apollo</HI> may <HI>water, but God giueth the increa&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Bellarmine</HI> tran&s;lateth the Hebrew word (which he granteth &s;ignifieth <HI>ab&s;condita</HI>) <HI>in|certa,</HI> and &s;o doth <HI>Lorinus;</HI> tho&s;e doubting Doctors would haue the my&s;teries of the Scriptures vncertaine and doubtfull.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Not<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE></P>
<P>There is great diuer&s;itie of iudgements among men what is true wi&s;edome;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The&s;e are of the Lord is true wi&s;|dome. Eccle&s;. 1.2.</NOTE> but if ye would enquire at the wi&s;e&s;t man that e|uer liued, he will tell you that hauing exa|mined all things vnder heauen, he found all things to be but vanitie and vexation of &s;pirit; and that true wi&s;edom con&s;i&s;ted only in the feare of God, and keeping his com|mandements. <HI>The feare of the Lord is the in|&s;truction of wi&s;edome;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 15.33</NOTE> all other wi&s;edome is fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="113" REF="64">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 7.</HI> Purge me with hy&s;&s;ope, and I &s;hall be cleane: wa&s;h me, and I &s;hall be whiter then &s;now.</HEAD>
<P>HE is not contented &s;imply to craue pardon once or twice, but many times; yea he multiplieth his &s;uites by metaphors, allegories, and &s;uch borrowed &s;peeches, &s;ig|nifying how deeply he was wounded with his &s;in, that he would haue him&s;elfe a&s;&s;ured and confirmed in the remi&s;&s;ion thereof: and now he borroweth a &s;imilitude from the wa&s;hings and purgations v&s;ed in the Leui|ticall law, de&s;iring that God would looke on his mi&s;eries, who was a leprous man by &s;in, and a filthy polluted &s;inner, that hee might be wa&s;hed in the blood of Chri&s;t, prefigured by the Mo&s;aicall wa&s;hings.</P>
<P><HI>Purge me with hy&s;&s;ope.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Three times made mention of hy&s;op. Exo. 12.22</NOTE> There is made men|tion of hy&s;&s;ope, where it was v&s;ed, in three places: fir&s;t, in the 12. of Exodus, at the in|&s;titution of the Pa&s;&s;eouer, where the blood of the Lambe was appointed to be &s;prin|kled vpon the doore checkes with a bunch of hy&s;&s;ope bound with a &s;carlet lace. The blood &s;ignified Chri&s;ts blood, the bunch of hy&s;&s;ope the &s;auing, and the &s;carlet lace
<PB N="114" REF="65">his blood died, which bound the bunch; all hauing their &s;pirituall &s;ignifications. For the blood no doubt &s;ignified the blood of that vndefiled Lambe, &s;hed from the begin|ning of the world. The hy&s;&s;ope, the in&s;tru|ment applying his blood by faith. The &s;car|let lace, the communion of the Saints, who are bound by loue <HI>the bond of perfection,</HI> and &s;prinkled with that &s;ame blood to the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins. And &s;o the blood which wa&s;heth, faith which applieth, and the lace that coupleth, are all one; Chri&s;t by faith and loue receiued to the purgation of all Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>The &s;econd place, Leuit. 17. is the purga|tion of the Leper, wherein the blood of the &s;parrow, the bunch of hy&s;&s;ope and the &s;car|let lace are likewi&s;e mentioned, and diffe|reth nothing but in this, in the fir&s;t was the Lambe, here the Sparrow, which is all one: for euen as the Lamb is among bea&s;ts, &s;o is the Sparrow ba&s;e and &s;imple among&s;t fowles; to which <HI>Dauid</HI> compareth him&s;elf, <HI>I am as a &s;parrow on the hou&s;e top &s;itting a|loue:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 102.7.</NOTE> &s;o we mu&s;t be &s;prinkled with his blood, which being contemptible to men, was acceptable to God.</P>
<P>The third was, Numb. 19. about the red
<PB N="115" REF="65">Cow, which mu&s;t haue hy&s;&s;ope dipped in the blood thereof. And Chri&s;t is compared <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o the Cow or fat calfe, which being in &s;o great a price with the Father, was giuen <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o death for the &s;aluation of our foules.</P>
<P>The hy&s;&s;ope hath many things wherein <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t repre&s;enteth Chri&s;t very nigh:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wherein hy&s;op re|pre&s;enteth Chri&s;t. 1. Kin. 43<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> for fir&s;t it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s ob&s;cure, humble and abiect; &s;o that <HI>Salo|mon</HI> is &s;aid to haue written of all trees, from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he Cedar the highe&s;t tree, oppo&s;ed to the hy&s;&s;ope &s;pringing out of the wall, that is to be ba&s;e&s;t and mo&s;t common growing a|mong&s;t &s;tones, not &s;tanding of mans indu|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">trie to plant them, as other trees doe. So Chri&s;t in whom we beleeue was contemp|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ible, a worme, not a man, de&s;pi&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> in him was no beautie, riches or earthly honours, which maketh men to come in credit and account.</P>
<P>Next. the hy&s;&s;ope is bitter and fowre, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ot plea&s;ant to the drinkers: &s;o the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, by which our affections are mor|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ified, is very odious to the fle&s;h, and agreeth not with its ta&s;te. His cro&s;&s;e is therefore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">tumbling blocke to the Iewes, and folly to the Gentiles.</P>
<P>Thirdly, albeit it be &s;owre, yet it is mo&s;t whole&s;ome: &s;o albeit the doctrine of repen|tance
<PB N="116" REF="66">be irk&s;ome and vn&s;auory to the fle&s;h yet it is whole&s;ome to the &s;oule. Naturall men e&s;teeme this doctrine to be an enemie to them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> which would &s;lay their corrupti|ons and lu&s;ts. Medicine, which at fir&s;t &s;ee|meth bitter, afterward becommeth more comfortable: &s;o the doctrine which is &s;al|ted with &s;alt and hy&s;&s;ope, is fitter for vs then that which is &s;weetned with hony; for hony was neuer appointed to be v&s;ed in the Lords &s;acrifices, but &s;alt <HI>omnis victima &s;ale &s;alia|tur.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An ob&s;er|uation of <HI>Cyrillus</HI> concerning hy&s;op.</NOTE><HI>Cyrillus</HI> ob&s;erueth in the hy&s;&s;ope an hot operation, whereby it &s;harpneth the gro&s;&s;e humors, and purgeth the concretion of the priuitie; &s;o grace maketh vs feruent in the &s;pirit.</P>
<P>Moreouer, hy&s;op purgeth the lungs, phti|ria&s;is, re&s;ts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The pro|pertie of hy&s;op. <HI>Plin. lib.</HI> 20. <HI>cap.</HI> 4.</NOTE> nouri&s;heth the natiue colour of the bodie, killeth filth and vermine grow|ing on man, cureth the bites of &s;erpents, prouoketh appetite, &s;harpneth the &s;ight, is enemie to feuers; of which it is written.
<Q><L>Parua calens, pectus purgans, petro&s;a &s;treatrix</L>
<L>Ius &s;apidat pleurae congrua, &s;pargit aquam.</L></Q></P>
<P>So grace is hot by charitie, purging by con|trition, &s;pitting forth by confe&s;&s;ion, &s;ea&s;o|ning the body by temperance, &s;auing the
<PB N="117" REF="66">&s;oule and inward parts by application of Chri&s;ts blood, which being drunken pur|geth our pluri&s;ie and bloodie eyes.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The hy&s;op of Chri&s;ts blood a medicine for all our corruptio~s.</NOTE>Then &s;eeing all the&s;e di&s;ea&s;es are in the &s;oule of man, are we not much beholden to God, who hath made one &s;alue to cure all our &s;ores; the blindne&s;&s;e of our mind is re|moued by the water of his blood; the foule cor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">uptions of our heart are euacuate and di&s;&s;olued, that we &s;pit them forth; our cold|nes is warmed, our fiery feuers and in flam|mations quenched, our &s;pirituall vigour &amp; colour is re&s;tored, which we lo&s;t by &s;in.</P>
<P><HI>Wa&s;h me, and I &s;hall be whiter then the &s;now.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">What meant by wa&s;hing.</NOTE>He acknowledgeth that none in heauen or earth is able to purge him, but God onely: He hath that fountaine in his owne garden; he will communicate the glorie of our re|demption to none but to him&s;elfe. For by this wa&s;hing is meant the wa&s;hing of iu&s;ti|fication and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins; that as crea|tion belongeth onely to God, &s;o doth re|demption by Chri&s;ts blood. Wo to them who leauing the waters of life, go to any o|ther, to &s;eek water out of the&s;e rotte~ ci&s;terns.</P>
<P>Then &s;eeing it is the proper work of God to wa&s;h vs, let vs go to the lauer of bap|ti&s;me, that there we may be once wa&s;hed;
<PB N="118" REF="67">and after daily pray, that he may wa&s;h our feete by &s;anctification.</P>
<P><HI>And I &s;hall be whiter then the &s;now.</HI> He per|&s;wadeth him&s;elfe of a full purgation by Chri&s;ts blood. Though I were as blacke as the Moore, yet &s;hall I be white as &s;now. Nothing can blot out our &s;innes but this blood. If we would wa&s;h our &s;elues with &s;now waters, <HI>our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> &s;hall be <HI>as a men&s;truous garment.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 64.6.</NOTE> What is all the righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e of man, but an abhomination be|fore God. Yea Chri&s;t him&s;elfe if he had bin onely man, could not haue bin able to &s;ati&s;|fie the iu&s;tice of an in&s;inite God; he mu&s;t be God him&s;elfe, and therefore it is called the <HI>blood of God.</HI></P>
<P>But how &s;hall we be whiter then &s;now&punc; I an&s;wer;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20. <HI>Obiect. So<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">.</HI></NOTE> our e&s;tate is more perfect and &s;u|rer by Chri&s;t, then it was by nature in <HI>A|dam;</HI> fora&s;much as we haue our perfection by Chri&s;t, which cannot faile or alter; and it is the perfection of God which belong|eth to vs: &s;o that we &s;tand not before God as men, but as gods before God, being co|uered with his perfect obedience who is our Redeemer, ble&s;&s;ed for euer. So there is no cau&s;e why we &s;hould feare or de&s;paire, &s;eeing we are clean&s;ed perfectly, if we be|leeue
<PB N="119" REF="67">&amp; be &s;anctified. Let vs put on Chri&s;t, who&s;e garment is white as &s;now.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17.2.</NOTE> And his Church is made white in him. <HI>Who is this that commeth vp white?</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, Cant. 8.5.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 7.14</NOTE> And the Bride hath white gar|ments, made white in the Lambes blood.</P>
<P>The proper office of the holy Spirit is to wa&s;h vs, and purifie our con&s;cience by Chri&s;ts blood, le&s;t our filthine&s;&s;e keepe vs back from acce&s;&s;e to God. <HI>And this ye were,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>but ye are wa&s;hed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 6.11</NOTE> <HI>ye are &s;anctified, ye are iu&s;tified in the name of the Lord Ie&s;us, and by the Spirit of our God.</HI> And againe, &s;peaking of the Church, <HI>that he may &s;anctifie her, purging her by the wa&s;hing of wa|ter, by the word, that he may make the Church glorious to him&s;elf, not hauing &s;pot or wrinkle,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.27.</NOTE> or any &s;uch thing, <HI>but that &s;he may be holy &amp; blamele&s;&s;e.</HI> So, it is the onely worke of God to &s;anctifie his children &amp; make them clean.</P>
<P>Finally ob&s;erue, that iu&s;tification and &s;anctification are vndeuided companions;<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doctr.</HI> Iu&s;tificati<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> and &s;ancti|fication go together.</NOTE> whom&s;oeuer the Lord wa&s;heth by the hy&s;op of his Sonnes blood, he al&s;o &s;anctifieth by his Spirit. Studie therefore to get holine&s;&s;e, without which none &s;hall &s;ee God. Let <HI>ho|line&s;&s;e to the Lord</HI> be written on your bre&s;ts.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 28.36 Leuit. 20.7</NOTE> Holine&s;&s;e becometh the hou&s;e of God. <HI>Be
<PB N="120" REF="68">holy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Many&s;tudy to attain to knowledg, but not to &s;anctifica|tion&punc;</NOTE> <HI>as I am holy.</HI> For what fellow&s;hip can the mo&s;t holy God haue with vncleane and profane people? This mi&s;erable age &s;tudi|eth to a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">taine to knowledge, but not to &s;an|ctification. Let Athei&s;ts call you what they plea&s;e, &s;tudie you to puritie of life. A true Chri&s;tian will make more con&s;cience of an idle word or filthy thought which wil ari&s;e in their hearts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> and will correct it more &s;harply, then tho&s;e lend mi&s;creants will do for adultery and the wor&s;t actions they commit.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 8.</HI> Make me to heare ioy and gladne&s;se, that the bones which thou ha&s;t bro|ken may reioyce.</HEAD>
<P>HAuing craued before remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, now he beggeth the fruite which fol|lowes vpon the &s;ame, that is, <HI>ioy and gladnes,</HI> which is one of the fruits of the kingdome of God, and marks of Gods children.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioy pro|ceedeth of &s;orrow.</NOTE>This ioy which he &s;uiteth, mu&s;t of ne|ce&s;&s;itie pre&s;uppo&s;e a &s;orrow which he had for his &s;inne. For as repentance can neuer want &s;orrow, no more can remi&s;&s;ion want ioy. So that ioy &s;pringeth out of the bitter roote of &s;orrow. And the greater &s;orrow
<PB N="121" REF="68">we haue, the greater &s;hall our ioy be. The deeper thy griefe be, the higher &s;hall thy comfort be.</P>
<P>He doubleth ioy and gladne&s;&s;e both of &s;oule and bodie; he will not be contented with &s;ome one or two con&s;olations, but wil haue them to be multiplied; that as his tri|bulations did increa&s;e, &s;o his comforts in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us might be enlargad,</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Of all men a Chri&s;tian hath mo&s;t cau&s;e to reioyce.</NOTE>As a Chri&s;tian is the mo&s;t &s;orowfull man in the world, &s;o there is none more glad then he. For the cau&s;e of his ioy is greate&s;t: in re&s;pect his mi&s;ery was greate&s;t, his deli|uery greate&s;t, therefore his ioy greate&s;t: from hell and death is he freed, to life in heauen is he brought. What can make men more glad then this, if he will beleeue. No offers can &s;atisfie the minde of a pri&s;oner appointed to death, vnle&s;&s;e his remi&s;&s;ion be proclaimed and giuen him:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> &s;o all the ioyes in the world will not &s;atisfie a con|&s;cience, till he heare that his &s;ins are forgi|uen him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.8.</NOTE> This ioy <HI>Dauid</HI> compareth with the ioy of worldlings who reioyced in their corne and wine, and &s;aith, that he had <HI>more ioy then they</HI> had, and more peace of con&s;cience.</P>
<P>This ioy eateth vp all fal&s;e ioyes that
<PB N="122" REF="69">men haue in &s;inne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">True ioy eateth vp fal&s;e ioyes. Exod. 7.12</NOTE> as the rod of <HI>Aaron</HI> did the rods of the Egyptians. For it is not po&s;|&s;ible that men can haue both ioy in God &amp; godline&s;&s;e and in &s;in; for the one will euer quench the other, as water doth fire.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Nothing can alter this true ioy.</NOTE>All other ioyes wil alter, what&s;oeuer they be; but nothing can take this ioy from vs. Not tribulation; we reioyce in the mid&s;t of tribulation. Not death; no paine, no ha|tred of men, no per&s;ecution, all the&s;e rather increa&s;e it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5.41.</NOTE> We reioyce with the Apo&s;tles, that we are thought worthy to &s;uffer for the word of God.</P>
<P>Why do worldlings call vs melancho|lious per&s;ons, and too preci&s;e, that we can|not do away with an idle word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4.32.</NOTE> let be an idle action; let them &s;ay what they plea&s;e, we &s;ay as Chri&s;t &s;aid to his di&s;ciples, he had meare they knew not; &s;o we haue ioy that they know not of. That which is thy ioy. O hypocrite, that is my &s;orrow. I laugh with <HI>Democritus</HI> at that,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Democritus</HI> alwayes laughed, &amp; <HI>Heraclitus</HI> alwayes weeped Iam. 5.1.</NOTE> for which thou weepe&s;t; I weepe with <HI>Heraclitus</HI> at that, whereat thou laughe&s;t. <HI>Wo to them that laugh for they &s;hall weepe. Howle ye rich men,</HI> &s;aith the A|po&s;tle.</P>
<P><HI>Make me to heare.</HI> The per&s;on fro~ whom he &s;eeketh this ioy, is God: <HI>make me to heare,</HI>
<PB N="123" REF="69">&s;aith he; whereby he would teach vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doctrine.</HI> Spirituall ioy pro|ceedeth from God.</NOTE> that this ioy cometh onely from God; it is he who is the fountain of ioy and all plea&s;ure, for all good things come from aboue. Na|turall ioyes proceed from a naturall and fle&s;hly fountain, &s;pirituall ioyes &s;pring only from God: &s;o he who &s;eeketh the&s;e ioyes beneath, &s;eeketh hot water vnder cold ice. <HI>Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?</HI> can any grace come from a gracele&s;&s;e ground?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1.46.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE></P>
<P>The in&s;trument by which he &s;eeketh ioy to be conueyed to him, is, the hearing of that word, <HI>Thy &s;innes are forgiuen thee.</HI> There is none other ordinary meanes by which God will worke or euer hath wrought ioy to the troubled heart, then by his word preached by the mouth of his &s;eruants, and beleeued by Chri&s;tians.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The word of God is the cau&s;e of this ioy. Act. 16.14</NOTE> <HI>Faith commeth by hearing. God opened the heart of Lydia. He that hath eares to heare, let him heare. I haue giuen eyes, and they do not perceiue, eares to heare, &amp; do not vnder&s;tand, their eares are hea|uie, &amp;c.</HI> Preaching of the word is a nece&s;&s;a|ry in&s;trume~t by which &s;piritual gracesis co~|veied into our harts. God craueth this ofte~ in the old &amp; new Te&s;tament, that we &s;hould heare his voice. And <HI>Dauid</HI> confe&s;&s;eth, that
<PB N="124" REF="70">God had prepared his eare.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40.</NOTE> God from hea|uen &s;aid. <HI>This is my beloued Sonne, in whom I am well plea&s;ed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3.17.</NOTE> <HI>heare him.</HI> If then ye giue an obedient eare to Gods word, ye may be a&s;&s;ured of this ioy wrought in your hearts, after yee haue beleeued the comfortable promi&s;es of &s;aluation in Chri&s;ts blood.</P>
<P>What thinke ye then of Athei&s;ts, who will not heare the word but for fa&s;hions &s;ake,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t A|thei&s;ts and Papi&s;ts lo|thing the word.</NOTE> calling tho&s;e too holy who will heare two Sermons on one Sabbath; or of Pa|pi&s;ts, who will no wayes heare the word, which may be the meanes of their conuer|&s;ion. Wo to the one and to the other. And becau&s;e they haue refu&s;ed to heare him, of whom they may receiue comfort and in|&s;truction; therefore the Lord &s;hall refu&s;e to &s;peake to them any longer, vnle&s;&s;e be|times they repent.</P>
<P><HI>That the bones which thou ha&s;t broken may reioyce.</HI> The effect which he hopeth to re|ceiue of tho&s;e glad tidings, is a re&s;titution of his fir&s;t e&s;tate; wherein he found him&s;elf wonderfully broken by his &s;in and afflicti|on, and hopeth to be re&s;tored by remi&s;&s;ion and pardon thereof. Where he &s;peaketh of <HI>the bones,</HI> he would let vs to vnder&s;tand, that there is no &s;trength of nature able to
<PB N="125" REF="70">re&s;i&s;t the &s;troke of Gods iu&s;tice.<NOTE PLACE="marg">No &s;tre~gth in man a|ble to re|&s;i&s;t the &s;troake of Gods iu&s;tice</NOTE> For if he be|g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n to fight with vs, we are vnable to re&s;i&s;t. The bones are very hard, and the &s;trength of man &s;tands in them; but if God bring the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ammer of his wrath, it &s;hall be as iron and &s;teele to cru&s;h them in peeces, being but as potters ve&s;&s;els.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">God cu|reth none but tho&s;e whom he hath woun+ded.</NOTE><HI>Which thou ha&s;t broken.</HI> The forme of Gods curing: he fir&s;t woundeth, and then healeth. He cureth none but tho&s;e whom his hand hath pierced; and he who woun|deth, can be&s;t cure the wound. And in this God differeth from man:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Man woun+deth, but hath no care to cure; God woundeth &amp; &s;eeketh to cure.</NOTE> for man woun|deth, but hath no care to cure; but when God inflicteth a wound on his children, he hath a pre&s;ent remedy appointed to cure the &s;ame. Let vs therefore be content to be vn|der his hand, who for &s;ufficient cau&s;es cro&s;|&s;ing vs, is euer ready to comfort vs in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>May reioyce.</HI> By this he letteth vs &s;ee, what would be the effect of his deliuerie, euen to bur&s;t forth in the prai&s;es of his God, by his words, by his actions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Let thy de|&s;ire to be deliuered fro~ trouble be to glo|rifie God.</NOTE> by his writings. Which &s;hould teach vs, that in troubler either &s;pirituall or temporall, we e|uer haue this the principall end for which we de&s;ire to be deliuered, that we may
<PB N="126" REF="71">prai&s;e and glorifie God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 9.</HI> Hide thy face from my &s;ins, and put away all mine iniquities.</HEAD>
<P>NOw he reneweth his former &s;uite of the remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;ins, &s;hewing how earne&s;tly he de&s;ired the &s;ame. He is not con|tent once and againe to crie for pardon, but many times. For he thought otherwi&s;e of his &s;in, then we do of ours, it touched him at the very heart. In this ver&s;e he v&s;eth two &s;imilitudes; one, that God would turne a|way his face from his &s;innes; next, that he would blot out all his iniquities.</P>
<P><HI>Hide.</HI> The fir&s;t &s;imilitude is taken from men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God can|not &s;ee &s;in in his chil|dren.</NOTE> who will hide their face from that which they de&s;ire not to &s;ee. And it is cer|taine, God is in euery place, and &s;eeth euery thing, but he cannot &s;ee the &s;ins of his elect children; for that intervenient righteou&s;nes of Chri&s;t will not &s;uffer him to &s;ee any fil|thine&s;&s;e in his children. <HI>He &s;eeth no iniquitie in Iacob,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Nu~. 23.21. <HI>Simil.</HI></NOTE> &s;aith <HI>Balaam.</HI> For as a red or blue gla&s;&s;e being &s;et before our eyes, what euer we &s;ee thorough it, &s;eemeth to be of the colour of the gla&s;&s;e: &s;o God looking tho|rough Chri&s;t to vs, all his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e
<PB N="127" REF="71">&s;eemeth to be ours, and we are of his colour.</P>
<P>In the meane time,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">V&s;e.</NOTE> let vs not &s;in becau&s;e he hideth his face from our &s;in: for if we abu&s;e the riches of his bountie, we &s;hall ap|peare in our owne colours.</P>
<P><HI>And put away all mine iniquities.</HI> The blot|ting away, pre&s;uppo&s;eth an hand-writ of the law again&s;t him, wherein his name was put in the count-booke, which mu&s;t be &s;cra|ped out, and taken away, which cannot be done away but by the blood of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>All.</HI> Ye &s;ee that one &s;in calleth to mind many thou&s;ands: and he is not contented to be acquitted from one, vnle&s;&s;e he be ac|quitted from all. Call to mind all the &s;innes of thy life; be not at quiet till thou gette&s;t a generall pardon for them all, which is to be purcha&s;ed by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Be afraid to adde new &s;innes to thy old.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 28.19. Ezech. 8.8.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that feareth continually.</HI> Do as <HI>Ezekiel</HI> did to the wall of the Temple, dig once, twice, thrice, and trie thine heart; the more thou digge&s;t, the more abominations &s;halt thou &s;ee in that place which &s;hould haue bin a Temple to God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="128" REF="72">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 10.</HI> Create in me a cleane heart, O God: and renew a right &s;pirit with|in me.</HEAD>
<P><HI>DAuid</HI> hath prayed already for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of his &s;innes, and hath doubled ouer that petition eight times; now he cra|ueth new benefits, of &s;anctification, of the holy Spirit, of ioy, &amp;c.</P>
<P>In all his petitions he prayeth for &s;piri|tuall things; he &s;eeketh fir&s;t the kingdome of God. He prayeth not for the health of his bodie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tho&s;e are &s;en&s;le&s;&s;e of troble, who &s;eeke to be freed of the pain, thogh not recon|ciled to God.</NOTE> but for the health of his &s;oule; he craueth not to be rich temporally, but &s;piri|tually in God. Tho&s;e are &s;en&s;uall, who being fallen in trouble, craue no other thing then to be deliuered from their pre&s;ent paine, neuer &s;eeking to be reconciled to God.</P>
<P>Next, he &s;eeketh great things; for he is a great God, who according to his greatnes can be&s;tow ample gifts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God as hee is a great God, be|&s;toweth great gifts.</NOTE> as the Ocean plen|tie of water. It &s;tood not with <HI>Alexanders</HI> honour to propine <HI>Diogenes</HI> with a &s;mall gift. We bring &s;mall ve&s;&s;els to God, a weake faith, although we haue great need; we thinke that hee is not able to giue great things. Our Sauiour Chri&s;t could worke no
<PB N="129" REF="72">miracles amongh them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.58 2. Kin. 7.17</NOTE> becau&s;e of their in|fidelity. The Gentleman on whom the King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eaned, died and was troden vnder foot, be|cau&s;e he beleeued not the Prophet.</P>
<P>Thirdly, he &s;uiteth importunately; and beggers euer &s;peed be&s;t at Gods hand. The Prophet <HI>Elizeus</HI> reproued King <HI>Ioas</HI> that he &s;hot onely three arrowes forth of the window; for if he had &s;hot &s;ix or 7 times,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kin. 13.19.</NOTE> he might haue vtterly &s;ubdued the Aramites. Let vs then pray in&s;tantly and importu|nately vnto the Lord, and we may be a&s;&s;u|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ed he will heare vs.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Sanctifica|tion follow+eth remi&s;|&s;ion.</NOTE>He prayed before for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ius, and now he prayeth for the Spirit of &s;ancti|fication, an in&s;eparable companion with the other. For you can neuer be a&s;&s;ured that you haue receiued pardon for your &s;inne pa&s;t, vnle&s;&s;e Gods Spirit hath giuen you a care <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o liue holily in time to come. Shall you be wa&s;hen euen now, and after puddle your &s;elfe in the mire? Not po&s;&s;ible that euer Chri&s;t will be&s;tow his blood to wa&s;h any, whom he denieth to &s;anctifie by his holy Spirit.</P>
<P><HI>Create in me a cleane heart, O God.</HI> The worker, <HI>God;</HI> the workman&s;hip, <HI>in me;</HI> the worke it &s;elfe, <HI>create;</HI> the &s;ubiect, <HI>a heart;</HI>
<PB N="130" REF="73">the qualitie, <HI>a cleane heart.</HI></P>
<P><HI>O God.</HI> As in the fir&s;t creation a man is a meere patient, and hath no part of it, but God by the parents worketh it:<NOTE PLACE="marg">God mu&s;t worke our &s;econd creation.</NOTE> &s;o God worketh the &s;econd creation by his Mini|&s;ters. There is no freewill or prepation to grace, or foreknowing godline&s;&s;e, as the&s;e hereticall Ie&s;uits do affirme. Work the work thy &s;elfe, and take the prai&s;e to thy &s;elfe, O Lord.</P>
<P><HI>Create.</HI> A man mu&s;t be twice borne be|fore he can enter into heauen. As he is mad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> to the &s;imilitude of the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Man mu&s;t be twice borne:and his &s;econd creation is more excel+lent then the fir&s;t.</NOTE> &s;o mu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> he be made to the &s;imilitude of the &s;econ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Adam;</HI> and the re-creation or regenera|tion is more excellent then the former. Fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> in the fir&s;t, man was wrought out of clay<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> but in the other, God worketh grace out o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;in. What harder to worke vpon then th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> du&s;t? Next, he breathed in the dead bodi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> a &s;oule; but here he breatheth in the hol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> Spirit in mans heart. Thirdly, in the crea+tion he made man perfect in all his mem+bers; &s;o in the regeneration, all the mem+bers of the body and powers of the &s;oul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> mu&s;t be renewed; and if thou be deficien<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> in the one, thou di&s;grace&s;t all the work+man&s;hip.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> If thou haft in thy new birth th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="131" REF="73">eyes of knowledge, and lacke&s;t the bowels of mercie, and art maimed of the hands of bountifulne&s;&s;e; or if thou be dumbe and cannot prai&s;e God, or deafe and cannot heare his word, thou art not a perfect man. A greater worke in the &s;econd birth then in the fir&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> A greater worke to rai&s;e vp a dead man in &s;in, then to rai&s;e <HI>Lazarus</HI> out of his graue. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they who are partakers of the fir&s;t re&s;urrection, for the &s;econd death &s;hall haue no power of them.</HI> Reformation &s;hould begin at the heart. Satan is an vncleane &s;pi|rit. As a flie is bred in filthine&s;&s;e, and leaueth euer filth behind it; &s;o doth the diuell de|file euery place whereinto he commeth.</P>
<P>Our hearts are as open Tauernes ready to receiue all pa&s;&s;engers. Now hauing tried &s;inne and Satan to be &s;o noi&s;ome to vs, we &s;hould remoue them, &s;hut the doore of our hearts, harbour them no longer; yea if any vncleane thought ari&s;e, let vs not entertaine it, nor con&s;ent thereto, le&s;t it bring wor&s;e with it.</P>
<P>The &s;ubiect vpon which he mu&s;t work, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s the heart, the mo&s;t noble part, the mo&s;t &s;ecret part, which none can know but God; the &s;eate of all the affections, by which man is ruled and led.</P>
<PB N="132" REF="74">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reforma|tion mu&s;t begin at the heart.</NOTE>A reformation which beginneth at the members and externall actions, is neither true nor con&s;tant. As if a man intending to dre&s;&s;e his garden, and purge it from thi&s;tles and &s;uch like weeds, would cut off the vp|per part, and leaue the roote, which would &s;pring vp again: &s;o if thou would&s;t cha&s;ti&s;e thy bodie, and let thine heart remaine luxu|rious, it is nothing. The heart is the foun|taine, wherefrom &s;pringeth all euill, the roo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> wherefrom all &s;inne groweth.</P>
<P>He &s;peaketh not of the &s;ub&s;tance but o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> the affections and qualities of the heart. N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> hone&s;t man will lodge in a filthy hou&s;e, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> drinke or eate except the ve&s;&s;ell be mad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> cleane;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> and God cannot abide in a foul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;wini&s;h heart.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 4.23.</NOTE> <HI>Keepe thine heart diligently</HI> &s;aith the Spirit. Since God then wil be thin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> hearts gue&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 15.7.</NOTE> thou mu&s;t guard it diligently that others enter not in, neither leud cogi|tations: but as <HI>Abraham</HI> cha&s;ed away th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> foules from the &s;acrifice, &s;o we mu&s;t cha&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> away corrupt and euill cogitations fro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> our &s;oule, as vagabonds &s;hould be expelle<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> from the Kings pallace.</P>
<P>The heart in Latin is called <HI>cor,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ta.</NOTE> note by three letters, to &s;ignifie (as &s;ome thinke that it is the &s;eate of the Trinitie; and there|fore
<PB N="133" REF="74">the pourtraiture of the naturall heart is of three corners, an&s;werable to the &s;ame. As a ve&s;&s;ell of gold or &s;iluer being through long v&s;e wa&s;ted and broken,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> is &s;ent to the Gold&s;miths to be renewed; &s;o our hearts worne by &s;inne, mu&s;t be &s;ent to God, that he may put them in the fire, and ca&s;t them in a new mould, and make them vp againe. Alas, that wee are carefull to renew eue|ry thing, clothes, ve&s;&s;els, and all, onely care|le&s;&s;e to renew our hearts.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Many are carele&s;&s;e of the be&s;t things.</NOTE><HI>Renew a right &s;pirit within me.</HI> He dou|bleth his &s;uite concerning his &s;oule, as his principall de&s;ire. There are many who de&s;ire earne&s;tly at God for earthly things, but few are &s;erious in &s;eeking that be&s;t thing, a new &s;oule. Many are careful of the outward man, and carele&s;&s;e of the hid man of the heart, that inner man.</P>
<P>The &s;pirit is right, when it is &s;et vpon the right obiect, which is God; but when it de|clineth to the world or to &s;inne, then it is wrong and goeth a&s;tray.</P>
<P><HI>Dauid</HI> crauing fir&s;t that he might be pur|ged fro~ his filthine&s;&s;e, craueth now &s;trength of God to his &s;pirit, that he may not wan|der againe, but abide con&s;tant in the right way of Gods commandements. For we
<PB N="134" REF="75">mu&s;t not onely pray for a renewing grace,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As we pray for renew|ing grace, &s;o pray for accompa|nying and following graces.</NOTE> but for an accompanying grace, and a fol|lowing grace to keep vs in the way of Gods obedience. The crooked and broken bac|ked were not admitted to the Prie&s;thood; no more are crooked or peruer&s;e &s;oules meete for Gods kingdome. Trie of what &s;pirit ye are, whether of a right or a croo|ked; trie whether it be of God, or not. Eue|ry mans wayes are right in his owne eyes, but the Lord pondereth the hearts. God mu&s;t ca&s;t downe the old building, and build vp in thee a new building for him&s;elfe, that thou mai&s;t be one of the &s;tones of that new Ieru&s;alem, which &s;hall be inhabited by God.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 11.</HI> Ca&s;t me not away from thy pre|&s;ence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.</HEAD>
<P>IN this ver&s;e he craueth two euils to be a|uerted from him; one, that he be not ca&s;t out from Gods pre&s;ence: the other, that the holy Spirit be not taken from him. God ca&s;t off <HI>Saul</HI> his predece&s;&s;or, and tooke his holy Spirit from him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sa. 16.15</NOTE> and gaue him ouer to be led by an euill &s;pirit; <HI>Dauid</HI> here cra|ueth at God to be free of tho&s;e two iudge|ments.
<PB N="135" REF="75">The chiefe thing which he &s;eeketh after, is Gods fauour; from which nothing debarreth vs more then &s;inne. If any Cour|tier for his ouer&s;ight were put out of his place (as <HI>Pharaohs</HI> butler) and out of the Kings &s;ight,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 40.3</NOTE> would they not thinke hard thereof till they recouer his fauour? Wee haue &s;inned again&s;t God, &s;hould we take any re&s;t till we be re&s;tored to his fauour?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Seek Gods fauour.</NOTE> Should we not be afraid to be exiled and ca&s;t forth from his fauorable countenance, <HI>in who&s;e pre&s;ence is fulne&s;&s;e of ioy?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.12.</NOTE></P>
<P>The face and pre&s;ence of God is as the Sunne,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> which in Summer looking fauou|rably on the earth, quickneth all creatures, man, bea&s;ts, the earth, what&s;oeuer groweth, the fi&s;hes of the &s;ea, and the birds of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">aire; and by his ab&s;ence all are di&s;couraged, comfortle&s;&s;e, and lo&s;e their vigour: &s;o while we haue Gods fauour, we are in good ca&s;e, we haue light, heate, comfort, plea&s;ure, and all things; if he hide his face, all things goes wrong; and therefore our Poet &s;aith well,</P>
<Q><L><HI>Tu &s;i me placido lumine videris,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Cedent continuo caeterae prosper&egrave;.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Buch. P&s;al.</NOTE></L></Q>
<P>But do you think that God can ca&s;t away his elect child? No verily,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God ca~not ab&s;ent him &s;elf foreues</NOTE> totally and final|ly he will not do it, he cannot do it; though
<PB N="136" REF="76">we our &s;elues and others beholding our cro&s;&s;es, may e&s;teeme &s;o. The Sun may &s;eeme not to &s;hine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> whe~ it is couered with clouds, although it be &s;hining: &s;o God may &s;eeme to leaue vs, when he cro&s;&s;eth vs, but it is not &s;o. <HI>With an euerla&s;ting loue haue I loued thee. He loued his owne who were in the world, to the end he loued them.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 16.27.</NOTE> <HI>The gifts of God are without repentance.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.29</NOTE> <HI>Fal&s;e Chri&s;t would de|ceiue the very elect, if it were po&s;&s;ible.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.24</NOTE> Againe Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>No man &s;hall take them out of my hands.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.30</NOTE> And <HI>Paul, Whom God prede&s;tinateth, he calleth, iu&s;tifieth and glorifieth;</HI> therefore they cannot fall away finally. Which is a|gain&s;t that damnable doctrine of the Pa|pi&s;ts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the Papi&s;ts, who thinke the elect may be re|probares, which is re|pugnant to the whole Trinitie. Again&s;t God. Again&s;t Chri&s;t.</NOTE> who thinke the elect may be repro|bates. This doctrine is iniurious to the whole Trinitie: for the Father is greatly wronged, in that he is thought to be im|potent or incon&s;tant; who hath ordaned vs before the world to glorie, &amp; that his work could be hindred or altered by any interve|nient fault or &s;inne in vs, as though he would or could not remoue and pardon it. And our Sauiour getteth no le&s;&s;e iniury by them, that one of his members can peri&s;h, and &s;o he &s;hould haue a defectiue body. For if any who once hath bin a member of his
<PB N="137" REF="76">my&s;ticall bodie fall away or be cut off, of nece&s;&s;itie his bodie by want of that one member would be di&s;graced. And the ho|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">y Spirit who is the pledge of our adoption,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the holy Spirit.</NOTE> &s;ealing vp Gods grace in our hearts, and gi|uing vs that full per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods pro|mi&s;es, cau&s;ing vs to crie <HI>Abba,</HI> Father,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.15</NOTE> is greatly wronged, when his work is accoun|ted nothing of, as friuolous, light and vn|certaine. So to &s;peake the truth, the Papi&s;ts do what in them lieth, to di&s;grace the holy Trinite, and aduance Angels and men, in plaine contempt of that glorious God head, which we ought &s;o much to aduance in our doctrine and writings. This is a great com|fort to vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The gra|ces of the Spirit can not be ta|ken away.</NOTE> that the graces of the Spirit which we haue once gotten, cannot be ta|ken away againe. For how&s;oeuer we do not feele them alike at all times, yet we haue them: &s;in may take away the &s;eeling of grace, but not the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion thereof. Albeit God be angrie by correcting his be&s;t children, yet <HI>whom he cha&s;ti&s;eth he loueth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.6.</NOTE></P>
<P>But <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Blot them out of the booke of life.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Obiect.</HI> P&s;a. 69.29. <HI>Solut.</HI></NOTE> It is not to be thought that <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;uppo&s;ed they were written in the booke of life, but becau&s;e they &s;eemed to feare God, and were in the vi&s;ible Church,
<PB N="138" REF="77">but not of her, he prayeth that God would make it knowne, they were neuer written in it. And in praying that the holy Spirit may not be taken from him, he doubteth, yea he &s;tandeth in feare of the lo&s;&s;e thereof. <HI>Ble&s;sed is he that feareth continually.</HI> He doub|teth, but doth not de&s;paire. The Spirit may be grieued by vs, and &s;o cea&s;e to worke in vs good things, or to let vs feele good mo|tions, but he cannot go away; for when he hath brought vs to our &s;elues, and letten vs feele our &s;ins, then he purgeth his dwelling place, and maketh it more meete, to worke in &s;uch diuine operations as it plea&s;eth him to in&s;pire in vs.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 12.</HI> Re&s;tore to me the ioy of thy &s;alua|tion, and &s;tabli&s;h me with thy free Spirit.</HEAD>
<P>IN this 12 ver&s;e <HI>Dauid</HI> craueth another ne|ce&s;&s;ary gift and effect flowing from the remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;innes, to wit, the ioy of his con&s;cience. For <HI>the kingdome of God &s;tandeth not in externall things,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">m. 14.17</NOTE> <HI>as meate and drinke, but in righteou&s;nes, peace, and ioy in the holy Gho&s;t,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. For being made righteous by Chri&s;t, and peace made with
<PB N="139" REF="77">God, there ari&s;eth a wonderfull tranquilli|tie in our con&s;ciences, from which finally <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ri&s;eth a ioy vn&s;peakable. For all the ioyes of the earth could not make vs ioyfull, vn|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;e God were at one with him: neither can all the troubles that can fall vpon our outward man di&s;courage vs, if we find the ioy of God in our hearts.</P>
<P>Nothing &s;poileth vs of this ioy and plea|&s;ure that we haue in God, but onely &s;in.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plea&s;ure in &s;in taketh away our ioy in God.</NOTE> For once del<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ghting in &s;in, we can haue no plea|&s;ure in Gods &s;eruice; for the&s;e two can ne|uer &s;tand together. Therefore we mu&s;t loath &s;inne, that we may reioyce in God.</P>
<P>Next,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tians haue ioy and &s;orrow intermin|gled. 2. Cor. 12.7</NOTE> ye &s;ee the e&s;tate of a Chri&s;tian is not alwayes one; ioy and &s;orrow is inter|mingled: he hath a Summer of ioyes, and a Winter of griefes. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> had the me&s;&s;enger of Satan to buffet him, that he &s;hould not be exalted aboue mea&s;ure with his great reuelations. After a Chri&s;tian hath mourned, he will reioyce. He who neuer &s;orrowed for &s;inne, will neuer reioyce for grace. He that neuer mourned for the affli|ction, neuer reioyceth for the con&s;olation of <HI>Io&s;eph. Mourne with them that mourne, and reioyce with them that reioyce,</HI> &s;aith the Spirit.</P>
<PB N="140" REF="78">
<P>The &s;ub&s;tance and ground of this ioy, is the &s;aluation of God; &s;o God is the mat|ter of it: and this &s;aluation is purcha&s;ed by God onely.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3.8.</NOTE> <HI>Saluation is the Lords.</HI> Where|by he letteth vs &s;ee, that the fir&s;t grace will not do the turne to vs (of initiation,) but we haue need of the &s;econd grace of con|firmation, which is the accompanying and per&s;euering grace.</P>
<P><HI>Stabli&s;h me.</HI> This &s;tabli&s;hing is to make vs &s;ure: whereby he would aduerti&s;e vs of our in&s;tabilitie and vn&s;urene&s;&s;e, if we were not yet &s;upported. <HI>Sam&s;on</HI> was &s;trong in grace; but being left to him&s;elfe, he fell. <HI>Pe|ter</HI> bragged pre&s;umptuou&s;ly in his owne &s;trength,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.33</NOTE> <HI>Though all the world would for&s;ake thee, yet I will not;</HI> yet being left to him&s;elfe he fell, according as Chri&s;t had prophecied, <HI>Before the cocke crow twi&s;e, thou &s;halt denie me thri&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Let vs now take heed vnto our &s;elu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s, the time is come to trie all Chri&s;tians what is in them, and I feare our weakne&s;&s;e will ap|peare to the world to our &s;hame and the di&s;honour of our profe&s;&s;ion. And I neuer &s;aw any, who pre&s;umed aboue others of their owne &s;trength,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> but they haue proued the weake&s;t &s;ouldiers, who by Thra&s;onicall
<PB N="141" REF="78">confidence in their wi&s;edome, holine&s;&s;e, con&s;tancie, and other of their vertues, brag|ged aboue their neighbours, yea contem|ned them, but in the end they proue cow|ards, pre&s;uming in pride and falling with &s;hame.</P>
<P>This is one of the mo&s;t certaine markes of Gods Spirit, that as he is free in him&s;elfe, &s;o he giueth libertie and freedome to all his children whom he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is libertie.</NOTE> For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is libertie. They are not bound with the chaines of &s;in, they are not bound with mens traditions, but they freely &s;erue God, as the children of the hou&s;e are free. The Romans were free men; as citizens brag of their freemen, and there is great difference between them and other free men, that they may v&s;e their trades of merchandize without controle|ment; &s;o is a Chri&s;tian, of all men, the mo&s;t free. Our Sauiour &s;aid to <HI>Peter, Who &s;hould pay tribute, children or &s;trangers?</HI></P>
<P>But I pray you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17.25 <HI>Obiect. Solut.</HI></NOTE> is a Chri&s;tian who brag|geth of the Spirit, free to do what he plea|&s;eth? God forbid; he is onely free to do Gods commandements, and to &s;tand in the libertie which God hath giuen him. He is bound to keep the co~mandements of God,
<PB N="142" REF="79">to be free from the traditions and vanities of men. So a man needeth not to brag of the Spirit, that he may &s;ay and do what he plea|&s;eth, and alwaies pretend the Spirit and the libertie purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;ts blood to euery one of his follies; no, but that libertie hath her owne bounds and circum&s;cripti|ons; for the Spirit giueth vs no more liber|tie, but that which is bound by his word.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">No true ioy but in the &s;aluatio~ of Chri&s;t.</NOTE>The word <HI>ja&s;ha</HI> importeth either <HI>Sa|uiour</HI> or <HI>&s;aluation,</HI> as Ier. 3.18. To declare that there is no true ioy but in the &s;aluation by Chri&s;t. This ioy <HI>Marie</HI> had in God her Sauiour, Luk. 1.47. and <HI>Iohn</HI> in his mothers wombe leaped for ioy, Luk. 1.44. Zach. 5.9. I&s;a. 60.5. <HI>Reioyce daughter Sion.</HI> This ioy maketh vs reioyce in tribulation, by the comforter who eateth vp all our &s;orrowes and perplexities, as fire eateth vp the ru&s;t of iron. Other ioyes be but toyes. <HI>Quicquid non e&s;t in Domino, non tam intus recreat, quam foras:</HI> What ioy is not in the Lord, refre&s;h|eth not &s;o much within as without. This is the wine which <HI>Salomon</HI> commandeth to be giuen to the grieued in heart.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 11.6.</NOTE> And &s;urely this ioy is a foreta&s;te of that future ioy which we &s;hall haue in heauen, where there &s;hall be no interchange of ioy with &s;orow,
<PB N="143" REF="79">but a perpetuall ioy, wherein the creature &s;hall reioyce in the Creator, and daily find new cau&s;es of plea&s;ure.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.12</NOTE> <HI>At thy right hand is plea&s;ure for euermore.</HI></P>
<P>But where he de&s;ireth a re&s;tauration of this ioy, it is certaine that he once felt and ta&s;ted of the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Gods fauour and the life to come;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tho&s;e who abu&s;e the fauour of God, &s;hall feele the want therof</NOTE> and this &s;en&s;e failing him for a while, he de&s;ireth that it may be repai|red and re&s;tored to him. And God iu&s;tly dealeth this way with men. For when they abu&s;e the time of his gracious vi&s;itation, he letteth them feele them&s;elues what they are without him. Therefore he is glad to &s;eeke now with the prodigall &s;onne, a re&s;titution of the thing lo&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Stabli&s;h me.</HI> He craueth now the gift of confirmation; as though he would &s;ay: Al|beit thou would&s;t be&s;tow all the former be|nefits, of remi&s;&s;ion of my &s;in, of &s;anctifica|tion, and ioy proceeding therefrom, yet I am likely to lo&s;e them, vnle&s;&s;e it would plea&s;e thee to confirme and &s;trengthen me to the end. Therefore he craueth to be &s;ta|bli&s;hed by the Spirit; and he addeth an epi|thete to that Spirit, calling it his <HI>free Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>Our Lord was reproched for his frequen|cle with &s;inners; they called him a drun|kard&punc;
<PB N="144" REF="80">becau&s;e he dranke with them;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2.16.</NOTE> and a glutton, becau&s;e he eated with them. Who would reproue a Phy&s;itian which frequen|teth with patients; and who would reproue a Preacher who haunteth and conuer&s;eth with penitents,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> not to peruert, but conuert them.</P>
<P><HI>Thy free Spirit.</HI> He letteth vs &s;ee, that this &s;tabilitie commeth by no other meanes but by the Spirit of God; as oftentimes he doth make mention in this P&s;alme. The ti|tle which he giueth to the Spirit, is a <HI>free Spirit.</HI> The Spirit is free in him&s;elfe, neither can he be limited: &s;o tho&s;e who haue him cannot be bounded by any humane deuice or pre&s;umption.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Spirit is free in him&s;elfe.</NOTE> The winde bloweth whi|ther it plea&s;eth; and &s;hall not the Spirit haue libertie to blow whither he plea&s;eth. N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> man &s;eeth the wind, yet it bloweth and o|uerthroweth great hou&s;es and trees: and ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> they will binde the word of God. This <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;peake not, that I would wi&s;h any to pre|tend the Spirit, and alledge for what&s;oeue<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> thing they &s;ay a warrant of the Spirit: thu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> keeping that libertie to be a pretence an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;auegard of their imaginations; as the Ana<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">bapti&s;ts &s;ay; but there is no warrant fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;uch riot; for the Spirit &s;eeketh nothin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="145" REF="80"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ut by the word.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tian libertie is to &s;erue God.</NOTE>Neither can this Chri&s;tian libertie be a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">retence for Athei&s;ts, who vnder couert of Chri&s;tian libertie doe what they plea&s;e, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">pend their time in all maner of riot. Our <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ibertie is to &s;erue God, not &s;inne, from the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ondage whereof we are made free.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 13.</HI> Then &s;hall I teach thy wayes vnto the wicked, and &s;inners &s;hall be con|nerted vnto thee.</HEAD>
<P>NOw followeth his promi&s;e; 1. that he will be a Preacher: 2. to whom, <HI>to the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">icked:</HI> 3. what &s;hall be the effect of his la|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ours; <HI>&s;inners &s;hall be conuerted to God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Then &s;hall I teach the wicked.</HI> He mindeth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ot to hide his talent, but to put it forth to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">is ma&s;ters aduantage. So this is a &s;ure mark of one who hath Gods mercie, that he will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ot keep it priuate, but publi&s;h it, and make <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> knowne to others. Which is a dutie ne|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;arily craued in vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doctrine.</HI> Euery Chri|&s;tian &s;hould co~municat their gift for the pro+fit of the Church.</NOTE> that we &s;hould be di|gent to communicate our gift to the vti|tie of the Church. Worldly men put out <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eir mony for their owne aduantage; and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ould not &s;pirituall men put forth the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ords gifts for his aduantage?</P>
<PB N="146" REF="81">
<P><HI>Dauid</HI> a Kiing, is not a&s;hamed to be a teacher of repentance and mercie, which he felt him&s;elfe. So, none in all the world &s;hould be a&s;hamed of the holy mini&s;terie&punc; Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">None &s;hould be a&s;hamed of the holy mini&s;tery. 1. Cor. 9.16 <HI>No<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Vae mihi &s;i non praedicauero&punc; Wo be to me if I preach not the Go&s;pell.</HI> Tho&s;e who are a&s;hamed to preach &amp; publi&s;h their &s;ins, let them be a&s;hamed to &s;inne.</P>
<P><HI>Thy wayes.</HI> But what is his text he teach|eth, <HI>thy wayes,</HI> not mens traditions, which can in no wi&s;e either a&s;&s;ure or pacifie the con&s;cience. <HI>Dauid</HI> was not &s;o bold, to put in his wayes with Gods wayes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods ways are the wayes pre|&s;cribed in his word.</NOTE> God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> wayes are the ways pre&s;cribed in his word<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> which are perfect, iu&s;t and holy wayes. Bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> when men will bring in the altar of Dama<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">|cus, oppo&s;ing it to the true altar, they re|member not that God brought lepro&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> on the Kings face,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kin. 16.13</NOTE> till he was expelled ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the Temple. This is a rule to Prince that they teach the people, and make the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> to be taught onely the wayes of God; an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> bring not in mens traditions, and make mixture of them with the holy Scripture which here <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;hunneth.</P>
<P>But whom teacheth he? <HI>The wicked, &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">|ners.</HI> tho&s;e who are in the very bonds an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> hands of the Diuel, the&s;e be the proper m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">er
<PB N="147" REF="81">vpon which Gods word worketh. Hy|pocrites &s;et not by &s;uch le&s;&s;ons, but poore mi&s;erable creatures, who &s;ee by the word that they are worthy of hell, then they are touched with a remor&s;e, and would be very glad to go to heauen. So the phy&s;icke is lo&s;t, which is not be&s;towed on &s;uch as are &s;en|&s;ible of their owne &s;ores.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;inners &s;hall be conuerted vnto thee.</HI> He per&s;wadeth him&s;elfe that his doctrine <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hall be effectual, fora&s;much as it &s;hal work <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he conuer&s;ion of &s;inners.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The word can doe more then any thing E&s;a. 53.1. Rom. 1.16.</NOTE> O the wonderful <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ower of Gods word, that it can do that which all the world could not do. It is the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rme of the Lord: <HI>To whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed?</HI> &s;aith <HI>I&s;aias.</HI> It is <HI>the power of God to &s;aluation,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul.</HI> No doctrine <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">an worke faith in man, but the worke whereto it per&s;wadeth him, not forceth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">im.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Conuer&s;io~ pre&s;uppo|&s;eth auer&s;io~</NOTE>Conuer&s;ion prefuppo&s;eth auer&s;ion. The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e of the word is to conuert them that are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">uerted or perueted; as the &s;hepheard brin|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eth home the wandring &s;heepe. Which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eerly argueth the nece&s;&s;itie of the word <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nd teachers thereof; &s;o profitable, as with|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ut which, &s;inners cannot be conuerted to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">od: for no other in&s;trument can conuert
<PB N="148" REF="82">them; and they cannot conuert them&s;elues. This teacheth Mini&s;ters to be diligent in their calling; if they would &s;hine as &s;tarres in heauen,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 12.3.</NOTE> they mu&s;t labour to conuert &s;in|ners.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="14" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 14.</HI> Deliuer me from blood, O God, which art the Gods of my &s;aluation: and my tongue &s;hall &s;ing ioyfully of thy righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>HAuing before &s;o often begged pardon for all his &s;innes in generall; he now particularly confe&s;&s;eth which of all his &s;ins grieued him mo&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;hed|ding of in|noce~t blud Dauids greate&s;t &s;in</NOTE> which he &s;etteth downe to be innocent blood; and therefore he cra|ueth to be deliuered from the burden of it, from the terrors of an accu&s;ing con&s;cience, the cries which it &s;endeth vp to God.</P>
<P>This ver&s;e hath a petition and a promi&s;e. In the petition two things: 1. of whom he beggeth this petition: 2. what he &s;eeketh to be deliuered, <HI>from blood.</HI></P>
<P><HI>O God, the God of my &s;aluation.</HI> His dou|bling and repeating the name of God, &s;hew|eth vnto vs, that he taketh hold on God with both his hands; and it declareth his vehemencie and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e in his &s;uite at
<PB N="149" REF="82">God, that he might be deliuered from that blood. And all his &s;uites he directeth onely to God. Fooli&s;h Papi&s;ts, God helpe you.</P>
<P>When he calleth him <HI>the God of his &s;al|uation,</HI> he cleerly &s;heweth to vs, that he hath no &s;aluation either of his body or &s;oule, but onely of God, who will not giue his glory either to man or Angell.</P>
<P>When he &s;aith, <HI>My &s;aluation,</HI> he applieth &s;aluation to him&s;elf, and doth not imply and infold his &s;aluation in generalitie, thinking it pre&s;umption to certifie him&s;elfe of his &s;aluation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">We can haue no comfort vnles we be per&s;waded of Gods mercie. Dauids pe|tition.</NOTE> (as the Papi&s;ts &s;ay.) For what comfort can we haue in life or death, if we be not per&s;waded of Gods mercie and fa|uour: not that we pre&s;ume of our merit, but per&s;wading vs of his maie&s;ties con&s;tan|cie and truth.</P>
<P><HI>Deliuer me from blood.</HI> His petition is to be deliuered from blood, both from the guiltine&s;&s;e which he had contracted by his murder, as from the terrors of his con&s;ci|ence, as al&s;o from the puni&s;hment threatned by <HI>Nathan,</HI> that blood &s;hould neuer depart from his hou&s;e; and finally from future blood, y^t he neuer fell into it again:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 12.10</NOTE> as God deliuered him from the blood of <HI>Nabal</HI> by <HI>Abigail.</HI> And this is a great deliuery,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sa. 25.33</NOTE> that we
<PB N="150" REF="83">do not euil; as we ate commanded to pray, <HI>Deliuer vs from euil,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.11.</NOTE> that we commit no &s;in; and when we haue done euill, it is a great deliuerance when God freeth vs of the guilt of it, the condigne puni&s;hment. But ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> greate&s;t comfort is, when we are kept from doing of it, as <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> and <HI>Su&s;anna;</HI> and it is Gods greate&s;t honour when we are deliue|red from the puni&s;hment which we haue de&s;erued for committing &s;uch euils.</P>
<P><HI>From blood.</HI> He both committed adulte|ry and murder; but he is more touched fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> the one then for the other. Adultery is eui<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> becau&s;e it defileth and defaceth Gods imag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> in man;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Murder wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">e then adultery.</NOTE> but murder de&s;troyeth his image&punc; And there is no &s;inne more odious in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ight of God then blood: for which cau&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> he bani&s;hed <HI>Cain</HI> from his pre&s;ence;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.14. Gen. 6.5.</NOTE> he de|&s;troyed the fir&s;t world. which was full o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> crueltie; he remoued <HI>Saul</HI> from his king+dome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sa. 21.1.</NOTE> who &s;lue the Prie&s;ts and the Gibeo|nites; he remoued the Crowne from th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> hou&s;e of <HI>Ahab</HI> and dogs licked his blood&punc; Kings &s;hould pray with <HI>Dauid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ki. 21.38</NOTE> to keep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> them fro~ the blood of innocents; for bloo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hall be in their hou&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> And often tho&s;e wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> liue in blood, die in blood, and make <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> bloodie te&s;tament; according to tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="151" REF="83">of the Poet:
<Q><L>Ad generum Cereris &s;ine caedet &amp; &s;anguine,</L>
<L>Di&s;cedunt reges &amp; &s;icea morte tyranni.</L></Q></P>
<P>The word in the originall is <HI>bloods,</HI> in the plurall number.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Why called <HI>bloods</HI> in the plurall number.</NOTE> For &s;uch is the atrocitie of that &s;in, that one is weightier then a thou|&s;and weights of Lead. So &s;oon as it is &s;hed, &s;o &s;oone doth it defile the &s;hedder, as the purple dieth the cloth. It &s;eemeth well co|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">oured when it is &s;hed, but within a litle time it becometh &s;o thicke and black, that a man would abhorre to behold it; therefore it is called <HI>bloods.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leu. 7.27.</NOTE> The Lord in the Leuiticall law forbad his people to eate any fle&s;h <HI>with the blood;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> that the dete&s;tation of bea&s;ts blood might make them &s;o much the more to ab|horre the blood of man, wherein his life &s;tandeth. Blood hath a crie:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.10. Gen. 4 10.</NOTE> <HI>The voice of thy brothers blood crieth. Who &s;o &s;hedeth mans blood, his blood &s;hall be &s;hed,</HI> which is either by the iu&s;tice, or by reuenge and repaiment. The auengers of blood are admitted by the law.</P>
<P>Now mens hands are full and foule with blood. The earth is drunken with blood. <HI>In her wings there is found blood. Polluted with blood.</HI> Lam. 4.14. <HI>Full of blood,</HI> Ezek. 9.9. 22.2. 23.27. <HI>Blood hath touched blood.</HI>
<PB N="152" REF="84">Ho&s;. 4.2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel 3.19. Mica 7.2. Nah. 3.1. Hab. 2.12. Mat. 23.35</NOTE> <HI>Ioel</HI> complaineth of them, that they <HI>&s;hed innocent blood. Micah, Nahum,</HI> and <HI>Habakuk,</HI> pronounce a woe to them that &s;hed innocent blood. And Chri&s;t brin|geth together all the blood &s;hed from <HI>Abel</HI> to <HI>Zechariah.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27.8.</NOTE> The Iewes bought <HI>Aceldema,</HI> a field of blood.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 8.8.</NOTE> <HI>Their feete are &s;wift to &s;hed blood.</HI> The third part of the &s;ea &s;hal be blood. God will reuenge the blood of the Saints. So I &s;ee from the beginning of the world to the end thereof,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Innocent blood is, hath bin, &amp; &s;hal be &s;hed</NOTE> innocent blood hath e|uer bin, is, and &s;hall be &s;hed, but namely the blood of Gods deare&s;t children.</P>
<Q><L>Sanguine fundata e&s;t, Eccle&s;ia &s;anguine creuit,</L>
<L>&mdash;&s;anguine finis crit.</L></Q>
<P>Let vs then thinke it no vncouth thing, when we &s;ee innocent blood &s;hed &s;o abun|dantly, that the &s;treets of Ieru&s;alem are fil|led, and like to be more filled with the blood of Gods Saints.</P>
<P><HI>And my tongue &s;hall &s;ing ioyfully of thy righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> He promi&s;eth to be thankful vnto God: for <HI>it becometh righteous men to be thankfull.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 33.1.</NOTE> Sinne tooke away, the v&s;e of his tongue, now grace re&s;toreth it.</P>
<P>The tongue is a noble in&s;trument, and as it were a bell hanging in a high place. It is a &s;hame it &s;hould not be occupied in &s;oun|ding;
<PB N="153" REF="84">and much more &s;hame that it &s;hould be ill occupied in &s;ounding euill things. It is be&s;t v&s;ed when it &s;oundeth Gods prai|&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> who formed it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The tong is be&s;t v&s;ed when it prai&s;eth God.</NOTE> As the golden bell of <HI>Aarons</HI> garment &s;ounded, &s;o &s;hould our tongues &s;ound Gods prai&s;es, if we be his Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P>This condemneth two &s;orts of per&s;ons;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> one,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tho&s;e are to be con|demned who do not &s;peake for God.</NOTE> who neuer &s;peake any thing to Gods honor, thinking they are well di&s;charged when they do not openly bla&s;pheme, or &s;peak vilde &s;peeches out of the filthy groues of a polluted heart, although they heare o|thers, and cannot open their mouthes to rebuke them, being a&s;hamed to &s;peake for the Lord, and glorifie him by maintenance of his truth.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Tho&s;e are to be con|demned who &s;peake again&s;t God.</NOTE>The other &s;ort is more to be condemned, who open their mouth daily to lies, bla&s;|phemies, &s;landers. But be a&s;&s;ured, that if for euery idle word we are to be countable, much more for euery wicked &s;peech we &s;hall be an&s;werable to God at the la&s;t day.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12.36</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Shall &s;ing ioyfully.</HI> He is not content to &s;ay, <HI>&s;hall &s;peake.</HI> For the more vehement in|tention of the minde kindled vp with ioy, maketh the tongue to bur&s;t out in P&s;almes, hymnes and &s;piritual &s;ongs, to &s;tirre vp thy
<PB N="154" REF="85">&s;elfe, and prouoke others with greater de|light and plea&s;ure to prai&s;e God.</P>
<P>This &s;weete &s;inger of I&s;rael an&s;wereth to his name, when he &s;ingeth &s;weete &s;ongs and ballads to the prai&s;e of our &s;weet God. So much in this are tho&s;e to be condem|ned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t tho&s;e that &s;ing pro|fane balads</NOTE> who &s;ing profane baudie &s;ongs, to the di&s;honour of God, and offence of his Church.</P>
<P><HI>Of thy righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> that is, not of his iu|&s;tice in puni&s;hing him, but of his righteou&s;|nes in couering his iniquitie. For which Chri&s;t is called, <HI>God our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> So he would be vnrighteous and denie him|&s;elfe, if he &s;hould denie vs mercie: &s;o &s;ure is our &s;aluation, which is our great comfort. We mu&s;t prai&s;e God for all his benefits, whereof we are le&s;&s;e then the lea&s;t; and if for the &s;malle&s;t, much more for the greate&s;t, euen that worke of our redemption by Chri&s;t, that he is made our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to &s;aue vs, when we had nothing of our &s;elues, and knew not our danger, he prepa|red a &s;alue for vs before we were wounded, and the remedie before our danger. If we were &s;icke, and had receiued health; poore, and were relieued, would we not thanke God, and thinke our &s;elues obliged to him,
<PB N="155" REF="85">as we are:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nota.</HI> The grea|te&s;t benefits de&s;erue the greate&s;t prai&s;es.</NOTE> but &s;eeing he hath deliuered vs from our &s;ins, and from hell, haue we not the greater cau&s;e to be thankfull; for the greate&s;t benefits de&s;erue the greate&s;t prai&s;es.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="15" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 15.</HI> Open thou my lips, O Lord, and my mouth &s;hall &s;hew forth thy prai&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>HE promi&s;ed in the former ver&s;e to &s;ing ioyfully of Gods righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; now he bethinketh him&s;elfe that this is not in his owne power, but it mu&s;t come from God. That as his faith and repentance was of him, &s;o his thankfulne&s;&s;e mu&s;t al&s;o pro|ceed from him.<NOTE PLACE="marg">There is no temporall or &s;pirituall gift which doth not come from God. Phil. 2.13.</NOTE> So there is no temporall or &s;pirituall gift, which doth not come from God. He worketh in vs <HI>velle &amp; perficere,</HI> to will and to do.</P>
<P>The tongue was con&s;ecrated before to God; now he pre&s;enteth his lips, another in&s;trument; and at la&s;t the mouth it &s;elfe, which containeth both. Seeing God hath giuen to euery member the owne facultie and power,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Euery me~|ber &s;hould &s;ound God<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> prai&s;es.</NOTE> it is good rea&s;on it &s;hould be v&s;ed to his glorie. God hath giuen thee a tongue, mouth and lips, for no other end but to proclaime his prai&s;es. And cur&s;ed is that man (if he repent not) who &s;oundeth
<PB N="158" REF="86">any thing with his tongue, but Gods ho|nour.</P>
<P>We &s;ee further, that we are all clo&s;e an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> bound vp by nature, except the God of na|ture enlarge our hearts with his loue, and fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> our mouthes with his prai&s;es; God hath the key of his lips; he can make infants and &s;ucklings proclaime his prai&s;es;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 8.2. Nu~. 22.28. <HI>In Soliloq.</HI></NOTE> yea he ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> open the mouth of <HI>Balaams</HI> a&s;&s;e to vtter his prai&s;e. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> thinketh <HI>non po&s;&s;e laudare Deum &s;ine ip&s;o, qui non ip&s;um habeat, qui &s;e adiu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">et,</HI> that God cannot be prai&s;ed with|out him&s;elfe, he who hath not him to help<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> them.</P>
<P>Moreouer ob&s;erue,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum"><HI>Doctr.</HI> Sorow for finne will break open the dumbe mouth to &s;peake for Gods mer|cie.</NOTE> how &s;orrow for &s;in will breake forth the dumbe mouth to &s;peake for Gods mercie. I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">eade of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> his &s;onne, who &s;eeing a traitor going about to murder his father, though before he was alwayes dumbe, began to &s;peake and crie pitifully: why &s;hould not we when we &s;ee that God is wounded with our &s;innes, once at la&s;t begin to crie.</P>
<P>But there ari&s;eth here a que&s;tion, whe|ther by our prai&s;es Gods name may be more amplified?<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> I an&s;wer with that wor|thy &s;eruant of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solut.</NOTE> M. <HI>Robert Rollock</HI> a ho|ly man writing on this P&s;alme, <HI>Deum in &s;e
<PB N="159" REF="86"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e perfecti&s;&s;imum,</HI> that God is mo&s;t perfect <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n him&s;elfe, without the worke of any crea|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ure. The Father glorifying the Sonne, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he Sonne the Father, the Father and Son <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he holy Spirit, the holy Spirit the Father &amp; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he Sonne. But yet will be glorified by the creature. Becau&s;e he is iu&s;t, his righteou&s;nes craueth, that the creature &s;hould acknow|ledge the Creator, who&s;e felicitie &s;tandeth in this, that he &s;hould reuerence his Maker with all dutifull &s;eruice; he craueth it more for our weale, then for him&s;elfe. Thinke ye that God can be either wor&s;e or better for our prai&s;es; but we our &s;elues are then be&s;t, when we haue grace to prai&s;e him.</P>
<P><HI>Philip</HI> finding <HI>Nicanor</HI> detracting him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plut.</NOTE> relieued him from his nece&s;&s;itie, and then he began to prai&s;e him; wherefore he &s;aid, <HI>Videtis e&s;&s;e in no&s;tra pote&s;tate &amp; bene &amp; male audire:</HI> Ye &s;ee it is in our power both to be well and euill thought of. But God is not &s;o, he careth not for our prai&s;es, and our obloquies do not touch him, he is &s;o f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rre from the one and the other. We can neither augment nor impaire his dignitie, &s;peake what we will or plea&s;e, wee may doe our &s;elues euill, him we cannot offend.</P>
<P>Sinne taketh away the benefit of our
<PB N="158" REF="87">tongue,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sin maketh a man d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> that he can not prai&s;e&punc; God.</NOTE> that we become dumb, and cannot prai&s;e God, till he forgiue vs our &s;innes, and then we &s;hall &s;peak; and although we would &s;peake, God thinketh nothing of our &s;pee|ches, vntill we be reconciled to him. <HI>What ha&s;t thou to do to declare mine ordinances,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.16</NOTE> <HI>and to take my name in thy mouth, &s;eeing thou ha|te&s;t to be reformed?</HI> But w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> to the tongue, mouth and lips, which are not employed in the &s;eruice of God that made them, to proclaime his prai&s;es: and double woe to them who employ them to his di&s;honour; for they &s;hall &s;ay, would God they had bin rather dumbe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> and could haue &s;poken no|thing, then to haue &s;poken to the di&s;honour of that Maie&s;tie which made them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="16" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 16.</HI> For thou de&s;ire&s;t no &s;acrifice, though I would giue it: thou delight&s;t not in burnt offering.</HEAD>
<P>NOw toward the end of the P&s;alme he is bur&s;ting forth in thankfulne&s;&s;e, &s;et|ting downe the &s;acrifice which the Lord would not haue, to wit, externall &s;acrifices; and declaring that which he would haue, a contrite heart. Sacrifices of olde compre|hended all Gods wor&s;hip. For the burnt
<PB N="159" REF="87">offerings and &s;inne offerings repre&s;ented Chri&s;ts blood. The thank&s;giuing offerings,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The v&s;e of the legall &s;acrifices.</NOTE> peace offerings, the incen&s;e, the thankful|nes of the Saints for his benefits; and what of all the&s;e, he was wearied with them, when they were not mixed with faith and repen|tence. <HI>Nazianzen</HI> &s;aith,
<Q>Vna Dei e&s;t purum grati&s;&s;ima victima pectus.</Q></P>
<P>Then if God delight not in &s;acrifices which were commanded by him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> what careth he for trifles inuented by men, of which he can haue no plea&s;ure. His delight is not in outward &s;acrifices at any time, if they be alone.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 6.6.</NOTE> <HI>I will haue mercie</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>not &s;acrifice;</HI> much le&s;&s;e doth he re&s;pect the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, hauing no warrant in his word; neither yet of our prayers and prai&s;es, when we do but pretend religion, not &s;erue God vnfainedly. Away with all our offerings, if we offer not to him that which he craueth chiefly, to wit, a penitent heart.</P>
<P><HI>Lorinus</HI> ob&s;erueth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> well, <HI>Sacrificia non operari per &s;e peccatorum remi&s;&s;ionem po&s;&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">antum repre&s;entare &amp; praefiugare &s;acrificium <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">llud vnicum redemptoris:</HI> that is, that the &s;a|crifices of old could not worke by them|&s;elues remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, but onely did
<PB N="160" REF="88">repre&s;ent and prefigure the onely &s;acrific<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> of our Redeemer. Then, as he &s;aith truly, their &s;acrifices <HI>ex opere operato,</HI> by the exter|nal working of them, cannot giue remi&s;&s;io<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> of &s;ins. What rea&s;on then hath he to affirm that the Sacrament of the new Te&s;tamen conferreth grace by the very externall gi|uing thereof;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Lorinus</HI> a|gain&s;t him|&s;elfe.</NOTE> &s;eeing that &s;ame thing wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> prefigureted by their &s;acrifices which is re|pre&s;ented by our Sacraments, that is, Chri&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> blood both in Bapti&s;me and in the Lords Supper.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="17" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e 17.</HI> The &s;acrifices of the Lord are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> contrite &s;pirit: a contrite and bro|ken heart, O God, thou wilt no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> de&s;pi&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>WHen he hath remoued that which God mi&s;liked and refu&s;ed; now he placeth that which God liketh and recei|ueth, that is, the &s;acrifice of a contrite &s;pirit. In the plurall number called <HI>&s;acrifices,</HI> that is this one for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">.</P>
<P><HI>A broken heart,</HI> is &s;uch a heart which is humbled through a &s;ight and &s;en&s;e of &s;in.<NOTE PLACE="marg">What a broken h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> is.</NOTE> For it is needfull, that as we haue worne our heart by finne, &s;o our heart &s;hould be
<PB N="161" REF="88">worne againe by repentance and &s;orrow for &s;inne, and that we &s;hould take paines to &s;ubdue our hearts and all the thoughts thereof, and bring them captiue to Gods obedience.</P>
<P>That is that poore &s;pirit of which <HI>Mat|thew</HI> &s;peaketh,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.3. E&s;a. 66.2.</NOTE> &amp; <HI>I&s;aias</HI> &s;peaketh of the &s;pirit that trembleth at Gods word.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Why &s;acri|fices in the plurall number.</NOTE> This cau&s; d <HI>Dauid</HI> to put the word &s;acrifices in the plu|rall number, that he might expre&s;&s;e the bet|ter, that one contrite heart which is the &s;a|crifice of repentance alone &s;uffi&s;eth for all legall &s;acrifices. If he had &s;aid that a con|trite heart, is a &s;weet &s;melling &s;acrifice, they might haue excepted y^t &s;o are many others, as the papi&s;ts do mixe their works with the grace of God. But <HI>Dauid</HI> excludeth pur|po&s;lie all &s;acrifices, and &s;heweth, that what euer &s;acrifices God re&s;pecteth are compre|hended vnder a penitent heart, beleeuing in Chri&s;ts bloud, and &s;eeking mercie for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>This &s;ort of people are called mourners in Sion, who mourne to God for their owne &s;innes, and the &s;innes of the people, who powre out their heart with their teares to God, who doe lament for the affliction of Io&s;eph. Oh, what cau&s;e haue we to la|ment
<PB N="162" REF="89">this day for our &s;innes, and to breake our hearts for the per&s;ecution of the Church in euery place. Let our fea&s;ting be turned into fa&s;ting, our laughter in teares. Mourne with <HI>Ieremiah</HI> for the de&s;olation of Sion.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>A contrite and broken heart thou wilt not de&s;pi&s;e.</HI> Here he encourageth the penitent &s;inner; who may be affraied to appeare be|fore the Tribunall of God, in regard of the con&s;cience of his &s;inne, and be feared that God will not accept him, how&s;oeuer he be humbled. Him here he encourageth, God will not de&s;pi&s;e a troubled heart, yea rather he will like it and manife&s;t his skill in hea|ling and comforting it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">God liketh a troubled heart.</NOTE> To which agree all tho&s;e places in <HI>I&s;aias</HI> which comfort the Church, tho&s;e &s;weet inuitations of Chri&s;t to the laden and wearie, to come vnto him, and to tho&s;e that were athir&s;t, and he that calleth vpon vs, will not reiect and ca&s;t vs away.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord is nigh to them that be of a con|trite &s;pirit.</HI> P&s;al. 144.8. Who &s;peake to him in the bitterne&s;&s;e of their &s;oule. Iob. 10.1. Crying like the Dragon or O&s;trich. Mich. 1.8. Who cry wonderfull being ouercom|ed by the Elephants. As Saint <HI>Ierome</HI> &s;aieth,
<PB N="163" REF="89">who &s;lay their affections, and offer them as a &s;acrifice to God, as the <HI>Magdalen, Peter,</HI> other Saints, who for&s;ake their former lu&s;ts, and &s;ay with a certaine young man, who being temped by an harlot, and &s;ee|ming to be ignorant who &s;he was, &s;he &s;aid <HI>ego &s;um,</HI> it is I, he an&s;wered, <HI>ego non &s;um,</HI> it is not I, for he was conuerted by repen|tance.</P>
<P>If thou would prevaile with God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 23.26.</NOTE> giue him thine whole heart, if thou doe any thing for God doe it with thine heart,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 31 21</NOTE> &s;eeke him with thine whole heart, loue him, feare him, pray to him, turne to him, obey him with thine whole heart. Deut. 10 12. Rom. 6.17. Ier. 32.40. Ioel. 2 12. P&s;al. 119.145. <HI>Their heart is deuided</HI> &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;te, <HI>now &s;hall they peri&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 10.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> God is one and vndeuided, and craueth an heart, one, and whole in affection, and rent onely by de|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ection, nothing can breake God but a bro|ken heart. The &s;tring can bow the bowe, the fire can temper and molifie the &s;teele, the goates bloud the adamant, and the heart contrite can moue God &s;aith <HI>Mantuan</HI> in the&s;e ver&s;es.</P>
<Q><L>Virga recens Zephyris, neruo curuabitur arcus</L>
<L>Igne chalybs: adamas &s;angnine, corde Deus.</L></Q>
<PB N="164" REF="90">
<P>Finallie, ob&s;erue that albeit repentance doth make a contrite heart, and as I &s;aid be|fore we &s;hould take &s;uch paine on our con|trition, that we &s;hould not let any thought of our heart e&s;cape vnrepented &amp; mourned for, yet, the onely hammer which mu&s;t bur&s;t our &s;oules is the word of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The word of God bru&s;eth the heart.</NOTE> which bru&s;eth the rockes of a &s;tonie heart,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> and maketh an heart of fle&s;h. And as out of rags being bru&s;ed is brought forth fine paper, &s;o is a troubled heart bru&s;ed with &s;orrow for &s;in turned into a gratious &s;ubiect, wherein|to God may worke and write his law. And as the poole of Beth&s;aida being troubled,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5.4.</NOTE> brought health to mens bodies: &s;o doth the con&s;cience afflicted by God, bring cer|taine health and &s;aluation to &s;oule and bo|dy. Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> &s;ayeth that repentance is &s;o difficult and hard a matter, that he hath oftner found mo who liued innocently, then who did truely repent. It is written of <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> that he cau&s;ed the p&s;almes of repentance to be put on the wall ouer aga|in&s;t him, before he died, and reaped aboun|dantly reading them ten daies; at which time none came to him but either the phi|&s;itians or his refre&s;hment. Seeing there|fore God liketh this &s;acrifice of a contrite
<PB N="165" REF="90">heart, without which none other thing will plea&s;e him, let vs take the be&s;ts of our affections, &s;eperate them from their olde plea&s;ures to God, bind them by the coards of the word, lay them downe at his feete, and &s;lay them, and that &s;acrifice &s;hall plea&s;e him, offer thy &s;elfe a liuing &s;acrifice, and be a&s;&s;ured God will accept of thee; and neuer reiect thee not thine offering, other &s;acri|fices die being offered,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> but we by offering our &s;elues to God yet liue.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="18" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e. 18.</HI> Be fauourable vnto Zion for thy good plea&s;ure: build the walles of Ieru&s;alem.</HEAD>
<P>HE hath prayed for mercie to him&s;elfe, now he praieth for the Church, which he hath offended by his &s;inne, and vpon which he had brought &s;uch euills, that it would plea&s;e God to be mercifull to her, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">uild vp her walles, and repaire her ruines.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">No man can truely pray for him&s;elfe vnles he pray for the church.</NOTE>No man can truely pray for him&s;elfe, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nle&s;&s;e he pray for the Church al&s;o; as <HI>Da|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">id</HI> doth in many P&s;almes. If a man be a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">en&s;ible member of the body, it is not po&s;|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ble but the euills which befall to any one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ember (let be all) touch not him to the
<PB N="166" REF="91">heart, as it were done to him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>In this ver&s;e are three things contained, fir&s;t, for whom he prayeth, for <HI>Sion</HI> and <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> &s;econdly, what he &s;uiteth, <HI>Gods fa|uour,</HI> thirdly, out of what ground, <HI>for thy good plea&s;ure.</HI> But before we enter to any of the&s;e particulars, we haue &s;ome generalls nece&s;&s;arely to be marked.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The chiefe care of princes &s;hould be for the Church.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, that the chiefe care of Princes &s;hould be the weale of the Church.</P>
<P>The Church is as the heart in the body, which being troubled, of nece&s;&s;itie the bo|dy mu&s;t be in danger: if ye loue your head, keepe your heart. The Church nuri&s;heth the heart bloud of Chri&s;t in her bo&s;ome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Church is as the heart.</NOTE> the re&s;t of the members haue al&s;o their owne of|fices, but &s;he hath the chiefe&s;t office, being the mo&s;t noble part; and who &s;hould maintaine her more, then the head, who hath all the &s;ences infixed therein, and from which all the members, &s;inewes and veines take their life. And what grea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">er ho|nour can they haue, then to be nur&s;ing fathers of the Church. If a king concredite his child and his fir&s;t borne to be nouri&s;hed by any of his &s;ubiects, may not that &s;ubiect thinke he hath gotten great honour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simil.</NOTE> and may expect for his trauell great commodi|tie:
<PB N="167" REF="91">and when a king hath receiued Gods fir&s;t borne (for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> is his fir&s;t borne) in his cu&s;todie, may he not thinke he hath gotten great glorie; and if he neglect his fir&s;t borne, &s;hall he not receiue great infa|mie. Tho&s;e who are greate&s;t officers in a kingdome, as Chancelour, Chamberlane, Pre&s;ident, Secretarie, and men of e&s;tate, are in greate&s;t e&s;timation and credite; and &s;hall not great men thinke they are greatlie obli|ged to God, who hath made them admini|&s;trators of his kingdome, who&s;e &s;tanding is the weale of the Church, the principall e|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">tate of their Common-weale; if it &s;tand, then they &s;tand; if it fall, they fall, for their &s;ubiects obey them more for con|&s;cience, then for any terrour or feare of their lawes.</P>
<P>Then it is be&s;t for them to be religious, and to propagate holie religion, for their owne &s;tanding.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Ro|mans wrought more by religion then the &s;word.</NOTE>The auncient Romans, Lacedemonians &amp; Athenians were mo&s;t carefull of religion, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ecau&s;e they affirmed that they wrought more by deuotion, then they were able to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">oe by the &s;word. This was their good po|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">cie, as <HI>Plutarch</HI> amplie reciteth in his Hi&s;torie.</P>
<PB N="168" REF="92">
<P>Then when Princes inuade religion, and draw the people to athei&s;me, &s;ee if they be not grate&s;t enemies to them&s;elues, to their e&s;tate and po&s;teritie. The Turke and other polititions may giue Chri&s;tian princes &s;uffi|cient proofes of this my a&s;&s;ertion, as al&s;o if examples of <HI>Dauid,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Let prin|ces follow Dauids ex|ample.</NOTE> <HI>Solomon, Io&s;ias, Eze|chia, Con&s;tantine, Theodo&s;ius,</HI> may moue them, who&s;e po&s;teritie hath brought eter|nall renowne vnto them, and if not, let <HI>Iulian</HI> affray them, and wicked princes like vnto him.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The care of religion a princes chiefe&s;t &s;afeguard.</NOTE>The care of religion, and to be a religi|ous prince, is the greate&s;t &s;afeguard to a prince. For religion hath Gods maintain|nance; and God hath &s;hewen his mightie hand for <HI>Ezechia</HI> again&s;t <HI>Senacherib,</HI> and for <HI>Dauid</HI> again&s;t all his enemies; for Queen <HI>Elizabeth</HI> who died in peace notwith&s;tan|ding all the maginations of her enemies; and for our dread Soueraigne Lord King <HI>Iames,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Princes re|ligious bring wealth to their &s;ub|iects.</NOTE> again&s;t all the horrible and mon|&s;trous de&s;ignes of his enemies.</P>
<P>Princes maintaining religion, bring great wealth to them&s;elues and to their &s;ub|iects as <HI>Solomon</HI> did, when gold was as du&s;t, and &s;iluer as the &s;tones.</P>
<P>Next,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 10.21.</NOTE> the Church being vnder continual
<PB N="169" REF="92">danger &s;hould be helped by princes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Church being troubled &s;hould be helped by princes.</NOTE> Since the Church is the princes <HI>depo&s;itum,</HI> which God gaue to their cu&s;todie, they ought to haue a chiefe regard of her. The fatherle&s;&s;e widow and orphans are concredited to them, much more they &s;hould defend the Church, becau&s;e the deuill and his in&s;tru|ments and her fight again&s;t her, and who &s;hould maintaine her but princes, who are &s;et in authoritie onely for her cau&s;e, to de|bate and take her part again&s;t all the world. Her enemies are more then notorious, &s;he was neuer at re&s;t, her enemies are a&s;&s;aulting her continually; hell hath broken loo&s;e again&s;t her in the&s;e latter daies; princes haue put their diadems on the hornes of the bea&s;t; people are rageing. And &s;eeing that eternall &s;pou&s;e of God is &s;o hated of the world, &s;hould not princes with <HI>Dauid</HI> pro|cure her welfare euen to their vttermo&s;t.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Princes who would fight well mu&s;t pray well.</NOTE>Princes mu&s;t by prayer and power &s;up|port the Church. Prayer hath more power then armour. Therefore princes who would fight well, mu&s;t pray well. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did more with his hands lifted vp to God, then <HI>Io&s;ua</HI> did with his &s;word.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 17.11 Gen: 32.28.</NOTE> <HI>I&s;rael</HI> wre|&s;tled with God, &amp; gat his name by prayer: for otherwaies he could not haue preuailed
<PB N="170" REF="93">with &s;uch a maie&s;tie. Therefore princes who be athie&s;ts, can neuer be good to the Church: and no maruell, becau&s;e they know not what prayer is. Wicked princes cannot aba&s;e them&s;elues &s;o low as to pray to a &s;uperiour; but <HI>Dauid</HI> who will be re|nowned for euer, not onely prayeth, but biddeth the people pray for the peace of Ieru&s;alem. In a word, the chiefe armour of the Church, and all Church wardens, and Church defenders are &s;pirituall. <HI>Arma militia non &s;unt carnalia:</HI> The weapons of our warrefare are not carnall, but &s;piritu|all.</P>
<P><HI>Be fauourable vnto Zion.</HI> He prayeth for Sion and Ieru&s;alem, this is a noueltie, &s;hould the king pray for the Church, I thinke the Church &s;hould pray for the king. Yea, but this king thinketh that all his pro&s;peritie &s;tandeth in the weale of the Church, and therefore he, as the mo&s;t principall member thereof, prayeth for her.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">What Sion and Ieru&s;a|lem were, and what they &s;igni|fied.</NOTE>The Church is repre&s;ented by the names of <HI>Sion</HI> and <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> Sion was the mountaine vpon which the fort and Tem|ple were builded; Ieru&s;alem was the cittie. But the&s;e two haue &s;pirituall interpretati|ons, being &s;haddowes of things to come,
<PB N="171" REF="93">as all the Fathers confe&s;&s;e, Sion was a mountain in the holy land, which the Lord loued more then all mountaines. He might haue cho&s;en <HI>Olimpus</HI> for height, <HI>Ba&s;an</HI> for fatne&s;&s;e. And what was Sion, it is to be &s;eene yet, there are many bigger, &s;tronger, and fairer mountaines in Scotland, then was Sion. (I will compare it to <HI>Authur</HI>-&s;eate, at Edinburrough) how commeth it to pa&s;&s;e that the Lord choo&s;eth it before all mountaines? What, but becau&s;e he loued it, and made it a place of his habitation; there he built a Church, out of it he will let the law, yea the Go&s;pell came to all nations, mount Sion is a place &s;o firmely fixed by Gods prouidence, that it &s;hall neuer be moued. So is the Church a number indeed ob&s;cure and ba&s;e in compari&s;on of other people; but &s;o &s;ure by his power, that the gates of hell &s;hall not preuaile again&s;t her, for Sion is a watch tower, <HI>&s;pecula,</HI> and the watchman of I&s;raell &s;tandeth on the top thereof, &amp; who can take it or do it wrong, &s;he &s;eemeth weake in compari&s;on of migh|ty mountaines, who leaped and &s;corned her, yet &s;he &s;tandeth and they are all fallen: for they exalted them&s;elues by their pride and power, but &s;he abideth &s;trong, by the
<PB N="172" REF="94">&s;trength of God, and the arme of the Al|mightie.</P>
<P>We haue now left mount Sinai which is in Arabia where was earthquake and thun|der, and are come to mount Sion, the Church in the Go&s;pell, where is peace and grace. So our e&s;tate is better then theirs was, firmer then theirs, for God hath cho|&s;en it to be euerla&s;ting. What doe ye then thinke of tho&s;e per&s;ecutions and nouations in the world; nothing for the Church but extremitie; her enemies are &s;eeking to roote her out: but let the&s;e murthers of <HI>Caines</HI> &s;eede, beware of them&s;elues, let God roote out their &s;eede. Our mountaine is fixed by God, which cannot be mooued, and that little &s;tone which came out of the moun|taine without hands, &s;hall brui&s;e that gol|den image in peeces. Therefore let vs build our &s;elues vpon mount Sion, and not on the &s;and of mans inuentions, that we &s;tand in the euill day, and be approued of God, reioyce therefore daughter Sion, for thy foundation is in heauen; they &s;hall inuade heauen, and pull Chri&s;t from the right hand of his Father, before they ouerthrow thee. Let them build vp their towre Babel, but God will confound their languages, when
<PB N="173" REF="94">the gates of hell cannot ouercome her, the &s;word of princes, &s;hall de&s;troy her.</P>
<P><HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> The name <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> impor|teth a vi&s;ion of peace, a vi&s;ion or a &s;ight,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ieru&s;alem a vi&s;ion of peace.</NOTE> for there is neither &s;ight nor light in all the world but blindne&s;&s;e and ignorance, as there was no light in Aegipt for three daies, but a palpable darkene&s;&s;e, except among the I&s;raelits in the land of Go&s;hen:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 10.23</NOTE> &s;o there is no knowledge of God, or Chri&s;t the light of the world to be found in all the earth, but in the true Church of Chri&s;t. Then as there is a great difference betwixt a blind man who &s;eeth nothing and a &s;eeing man, as great difference is there betwixt one who knoweth Chri&s;t, and an igno|rant.</P>
<P>The&s;e ignorants, blinde leaders of the blinde, doe not &s;ee this peace of Ieru&s;alem; This peace is onely in the true Church, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t groweth where grace groweth, which two are in&s;eperable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1.3.</NOTE> <HI>grace and peace</HI> was the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">alutation of Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> which he wi&s;hed to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ll the Churches, this peace is fir&s;t with God, by the peacemaker Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: next, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n a tranquillitie of the con&s;cience after re|conciliation: and la&s;t, with all men. <HI>There <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> no, peace to the wicked, &s;aith my God.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 48.22.</NOTE> There|fore
<PB N="174" REF="95">dwell in Ieru&s;alem, and ye &s;hall &s;ee peace.</P>
<P><HI>Be fauourable.</HI> 2. What he craueth to the Church; euen that God would be fa|uorable to her, and that he would build vp her walls, as he &s;aith in the 132. P&s;alme, <HI>Peace be within her walls, and pro&s;peritie within her palaces.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Church can neither pro&s;per in peace or warre with|out God ble&s;&s;e her.</NOTE> The Church haue pala|ces, for peace, and walls for warre, he pray|eth the Lord to ble&s;&s;e her in both, for nei|ther can the Church of God flouri&s;h in peace, neither be victorious in warre, vn|le&s;&s;e God ble&s;&s;e her in both e&s;tates.</P>
<P>To be fauorable to Sion, is to giue her tokens of his good will and of his comfor|table a&s;&s;i&s;tance.<NOTE N="1" PLACE="marg">A &s;peciall token of Gods fa|uor when the Church hath good gouer|nours.</NOTE> This is a token of his fauour when he giueth her good gouernours and heads, both in Church and policie. And againe, a &s;igne of his wrath when he giueth her &s;uch as <HI>Saul</HI> and <HI>Achab,</HI> wicked and euill gouernours.</P>
<P>The next token of his fauour is pro&s;pe|ritie, when the Go&s;pell hath free pa&s;&s;age,<NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">When the Go&s;pell hath a free pa&s;&s;age.</NOTE> the wor&s;hip of God is inlarged, heretiques are put away, true teachers are diligent and vigilent.</P>
<P>Thirdly, when vnitie is in the Church, and all are in one mind,<NOTE N="3" PLACE="marg">When vnitie i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> in the church.</NOTE> then God is among
<PB N="175" REF="95">them; but when God hath ca&s;ten them off, all are rent and &s;poiled, religion decayeth, heritiques increa&s;e. Sathan hath gotten the vpper hand, Gods Church is mi&s;erablely &s;poiled by wolues and foxes, troublers of the Lords vine.</P>
<P><HI>Build the walles.</HI> The &s;econd part of his prayer is for the walles, that they may be builded, for Ieru&s;alem is not onely a citie for peace, but to be prepared for warre; &s;he hath not onely pallaces, but ca&s;tles, towers, fortre&s;&s;es, and walles; and there|fore <HI>Dauid</HI> craueth that the&s;e might be built vp againe.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t &s;ee, what are the&s;e walles. Second|ly, whereof they are builded: La&s;tly, who is the builder.</P>
<P>What are the walles. The Church of God is a fortefied towne, which mu&s;t haue de|fences to re&s;i&s;t the enemie, for the deuill and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ll euill men, princes, wi&s;e men, gentiles, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ewes are con&s;pired again&s;t the citie of God: therefore God fortifieth his citie with al nece&s;&s;ary defences which may hold <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ut the enemie.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Church hath walls inui&s;ible &amp; vi&s;ible.</NOTE>The walles are too fold: inui&s;ible, the protection of God, which the world &s;eeth not, for the Lord is a wall of bra&s;&s;e about
<PB N="176" REF="96">his Church to repell her enemies, and a wall of fire to burne them, al&s;o he hath his An|gels who pitch their tents about his holy and cho&s;en ones,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kin. 6.7.</NOTE> there was hor&s;es of fire compa&s;&s;ing <HI>Elizeus.</HI></P>
<P>The outward and vi&s;ible walles are made of a number of liuely &s;tones, compacted together by the morter of loue, &s;trongly re|&s;i&s;ting all the enemies of the Church, for that vnitie of the Saints &s;trengthen them by the power of their God. <HI>Boni enim ciues mania ciuitatis,</HI> good citizens are the walles of the citie. And vpon the&s;e walles com|pa&s;&s;ing them on all &s;ides be bulwarks, whereupon are &s;et the canons of the word of God, mighty in operation, de&s;troying the enemies; &amp; the cen&s;ures of the Church, namely excomunication, which being law|fully led, is of greater power to &s;ubdue the enemie and re&s;i&s;t him, then all the power of ciuil authoritie.</P>
<P>The &s;innes of princes and people make great gaps in the walles, at which the deuil and enemies of the Church and wolfes en|ter and de&s;troy the Lords vines. They with <HI>Tobias</HI> and <HI>Sanballat</HI> &s;tay the building of the&s;e walles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 42.</NOTE> and are &s;triuing to build the walles of Iericho, which were forbidden
<PB N="177" REF="96">by <HI>Io&s;uah</HI> to be redefied vnder a great cur&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ki. 16.34</NOTE> which lighted on <HI>Hiel</HI> the Bethelite in the daies of <HI>Achab;</HI> pitie is it to &s;ee the princes of this world &s;o much enfeebling Ieru&s;a|lem to &s;trengthen Iericho.</P>
<P><HI>Dauid</HI> crieth to God that he would build them, who&s;e power is greater then all the worlds, who as he hath inui&s;ible walles of his protection, &s;o he hath outward defen|ces to maintaine his Church, he is ma&s;ter of it, yea ma&s;ter builder, and &s;endeth forth &s;eruants whom he &s;trengtheneth for the building of his worke. I &s;ee many pulling downe the walles, yea with Edom in the de&s;troying of Ieru&s;alem, crying <HI>&s;acke, &s;acke,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 137.7.</NOTE> <HI>raze, raze vp the foundation.</HI> Few with <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">chemiah</HI> mourning for the ruines of Gods hou&s;e in all parts, and helping to re|&s;tore them. Let vs therefore goe to the God of <HI>Dauid;</HI> who albeit he was king of the towne, and began to build the citie and walles, and laid materials to the Tem|ple, yet he knew that the labourers wrought in vaine, vnle&s;&s;e the Lord of heauen buil|ded the citie, Lord repaire the decaies of thy Church, for thy Chri&s;ts &s;ake.</P>
<P><HI>For thy good plea&s;ure.</HI> He findeth the ground of all that perfection to be in God
<PB N="178" REF="97">him&s;elfe and his good fauour, and not in men or their merits: for as the whole buil|ding of the Church is the onely worke of God; &s;o is the reparation of her ruines one|ly belonging to him&s;elfe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">It belon|geth to God to build the Church.</NOTE> Men might haue builded with &s;tone and bricke the exterio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> walles, but it is proper to God to build his &s;pirituall Church. And this is a token that God hath plea&s;ure in his Church, when he is building it, &s;ending good builders&punc; materialls of &s;pirituall graces, fortifiers, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Darius</HI> good Princes, <HI>Nehe|miah,</HI> good gouernours, <HI>E&s;dra</HI> and good Prie&s;ts. And our obedient and carefull peo|ple; who do take the &s;word in one hand and the in&s;trument of building in the o|ther, that the Lords Ieru&s;alem may be edi|fied. But when his fauour is departed, then in his wrath, he giueth Princes, Gouer|nours, Nobles, Preachers, and people who &s;triue either to hinder the building, or to pull downe the building, to build vp Ieri|cho, and ca&s;t downe Ieru&s;alem. <HI>Dauid</HI> he craueth that God may be fauorable accor|ding to his good plea&s;ure, for the building of the Church dependeth vpon Gods good will and plea&s;ure; who when he liketh his Church, can aduance her, and
<PB N="179" REF="97">when he is di&s;plea&s;ed with her ca&s;t her downe. It appeareth euidently now that God is angrie with his Church in all parts of Chri&s;tendome, when he is pulling downe, and not rai&s;ing vp his Church, we haue prouoked his wrath again&s;t vs; and his &s;oule abhorreth our hipocriticall pro|fe&s;&s;ion, and our wicked conuer&s;ation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="19" TYPE="verse">
<HEAD><HI>Ver&s;e. 19.</HI> Then &s;halt thou accept the &s;acri|fices of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, euen the burnt offering and oblation: then &s;hall they offer calues vpon thine altar.</HEAD>
<P>THis is the promi&s;e of thankefulne&s;&s;e to God, wherein is &s;et downe a corre|&s;pondence or re&s;tipulation betwixt the peo|ple who &s;hall offer &s;acrifices, and God who will accept them. And Gods &s;eruice then goeth well, when we offer willingly, and God accepteth gladly.</P>
<P><HI>Then.</HI> Marke the time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">If our &s;innes be forgiuen vs, God will heare our praiers Gen. 4.5.</NOTE> when God hath beene fauorable to his Church in forgiu|ing her &s;innes, then he will accept the offer|ings. For pray what ye plea&s;e, and di&s;tri|bute to the poore, if God doe not like of it, all is in vaine. <HI>Caine</HI> offered &s;acrifices,
<PB N="180" REF="98">but the Lord accepted them not, becau&s;e he hated his cruell heart. <HI>Abel</HI> offered i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> faith and was accepted.</P>
<P>But how &s;hall ye know if your offerings be acceptable to God, &s;eeing there is no fire to fall downe from heauen, as that which burnt vp <HI>Elias</HI> &s;acrifice?<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. Ki 18.34</NOTE> Yee &s;hall know that albeit an elementarie or materiall fire falleth not downe, yet the fire of the Spirit falleth on our hearts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nota.</NOTE> the fire burning vp the dro&s;&s;e of our corruptions by vnfained repentance, warmeing our hearts with the loue of God, kindling our hearts with a zeale of Gods glorie. This is the fire which will fall downe from heauen vpon our &s;oules; which &s;en&s;iblie we feele, if the Lord heare our prayers.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;acrifices of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Some ex|pound the&s;e offerings to be &s;uch as agree to his will. I reuerence their iudgement; but I &s;ee not how that expo&s;ition can agree with the text. But it may be expounded of that righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e which we ought to doe to our neighbours, as we offer a &s;acrifice of a contrite heart, the calues of our lippes by prai&s;es, and the&s;e are the &s;acrifices of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e by our hands, &s;o that heart, tongue, hand, &s;hould be all offered to God,
<PB N="181" REF="98">for God liketh well of righteous dealing<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> our hand be not defiled with thir&s;t, co|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, oppre&s;&s;ion, which if we &s;acri|fice to Sathan by &s;inne, let vs not lift to God by prayer, but lift vp pure hands, wa&s;h our hands in innocencie and then compa&s;&s;e Gods altar.</P>
<P>It would &s;eem to be &s;ome differenc,<NOTE PLACE="marg" TYPE="runsum">Obiect.</NOTE> wher God &s;aid, he would haue none of their &s;a|crifices, and now they promi&s;e &s;acrifices? Indeed if the &s;acrifices be onely externall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Solu.</NOTE> what accounteth God of them, if they want mercie and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, for he will haue mercie and not &s;acrifice. There|fore let externall and internall wor&s;hip be conioyned, and then God will like be&s;t of it: but being &s;eperated from &s;pirituall of|ferings, it is abominable and a burden to the Lord.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Which be the &s;acrifi|ces of righ|teou&s;nes. The alter Ie&s;us Chri&s;t by whom we mu&s;t offer our prayers to the Father.</NOTE>The &s;acrifices of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e are tho&s;e which be lawfull and are commanded by God.</P>
<P><HI>They &s;hall offer calues vpon thine altar.</HI> The calues are the calues of the lippes; the alter Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, who was both repre&s;en|ted by the bra&s;en altar, and by the golden <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">lter. For no &s;acrifice or prayer could euer <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">e acceptable to God, vnle&s;&s;e it were offer|ed
<PB N="182" REF="99">vpon Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, for he is <HI>&s;acrificium; &s;acerdes, et altare; Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;aith, he is the Prie&s;t, the Altar, and the Sacrifice; the offerer, the thing offered, and the altar vp|on which it is offered.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> All the mo&s;aicall altars are abrogated, becau&s;e the &s;acrifice is made. The heathni&s;h altars haue no place; The popi&s;h altars are abominable, after the api&s;h imitation of the Iewi&s;h altars, they would offer that <HI>incrementum &s;acrificium mi&s;&s;a;</HI> without any warrand of Gods word. It is enough for vs to offer, not Chri&s;t to the Father, but our prayers by Chri&s;t to the Father, who will &s;mell a &s;weet &s;auour of re&s;t, of all our peticions and thankes which are pre|&s;ented vpon Chri&s;t, and for thir&s;t of him. Lord keep vs from the altar of <HI>Dama&s;cus,</HI> and let vs offer all our offences vpon Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, with whom we &s;hall be very heartily welcome to God Amen.</P>
<PB REF="99" MS="y">
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
